The Moon will be new in sidereal Virgo on Saturday, October 14th at 1:55pm, EDT (please adjust for your time zone.) This New Moon also creates an Annular Solar Eclipse, which can be fully seen in a narrow band beginning in Oregon, continuing through the southwest of the US, Mexico, central America and South America. The partial eclipse will be visible in much of the US, Canada, Mexico, Central America and the upper half of South America.
Each New Moon is an assignment from the universe for us to work with during the next 30 days. This New Moon not only begins an eclipse season, it also begins Navratri, the festival of Durga/Divine Feminine, which lasts for 9 nights and 10 days. This month our assignment is to nurture and express the Divine Feminine within us through spiritual practice and creativity. If you have a guru, follow their guidance for what to practice during Navratri. If you are new to Navratri practices, this link contains “The Tantric Praise of the Goddess” (Atha Tantroktam Devi Suktam) which will take about 10 minutes to chant each evening. You can also follow along in the text as you listen to a recording of it. Here is a recording of Shree Maa chanting the Atha Tantroktam Devi Suktam.
If these practices do not resonate for you at this time, focus on creative expression that aligns with your spirituality and take action and/or make donations toward protection of women and the environment.
RAHU in GANDANTA
Also during this month, Rahu, the northern node of the Moon is in a very difficult placement known as “gandanta” which means “karmic knot.” Many people, especially those under the age of 50, will experience confusion and/or frustration regarding spiritual and emotional matters associated with the house where Rahu is located in their chart. These difficulties will continue until at least November 12th. (There is more than one way to calculate Rahu’s location. For some people, difficulties may continue into December.) The difficulties associated with this Rahu transit are caused by unskillful actions and desires from past lives. These difficulties can cause us to aggressively pursue self-centered goals, or to experience confusion about which goals we should pursue in this life. If possible, avoid making major decisions about future plans until December 13th. If such a long delay isn’t possible, delay decision making until the end of November and seek guidance from wise and trustworthy people in your life.