Sun will transit the sidereal sign of Sagittarius from early hours of December 16th to January 14th of 2024. All references to time are in GMT. When Sun is in Sagittarius, we are blessed by Aṁśumān aditya. The word aṁśumāt means radiant (from Verse 10.21 of the Bhagavad Gītā where Sri Krishna describes himself as “jyotiṣhāṁ ravir anśhumān” – meaning of the all the luminous objects, I am the radiant Sun). The meaning of aṁśumān is also infinite, all pervasive and splendorous (from Verse 11 from the Aditya Hrdayam discussed in my last year’s write up). In the northern hemisphere, where the bitter cold has set in, the land barren with snow, Aṁśumān brings much cheer as he is associated with the winter solstice marking the longest night after which the daylight hours will be increasing. Sagittarius is the natural ninth house of dharma and virtue, therefore he is the protector of universe, respects divinity and the sages.
The sage travelling with Aṁśumān Aditya in his chariot this month is Kaśyapa who is acknowledged as a sapta rishi in Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad and is represented by the planet Sun in Jyotish. According to the various puranic lores, Sage Kaśyapa married many daughters of Daksha, thus giving birth to all living beings – the good and bad – ādityas, dānavas, yakṣās, daityās, nagās and all others. The stories of Purāṇa serve as allegoric representation of how good and bad are said to be originate from the same source and are relative concepts unlike in the mono-theistic religions where evil cannot exist within divinity. In the Advaita philosophy, the Brahman is attributed as the ‘intelligent cause’ (nimittakāraṇa) of all beings in the universe, akin to the potter who makes the clay pot. if Brahman is indeed omnipresent and omnipotent it must contain evil and good. The sun can enlighten whereas its shadow (only an appearance) can cause a doubt. Nothing is on its own evil or good. Bhagavat Gītā describes the nature of human beings as complex and enumerates the divine and demonic qualities of humans in Chapter 16. It is our inherent nature that influences our behaviour and choices which can be evil or good.
Transits
Sun joins a retrograde Mercury in Budha Aditya enlightening yoga in Sagittarius. According to Saravali, this position of Sun in the natal chart in Sagittarius makes one learned and respect the higher beings (gods and brahmins). This combination will be aspected from a trine by Jupiter from Aries, making it more potent for learning and blessedness. Sun and Jupiter together form a tirtha yoga (pilgrimages) and Jupiter and Mercury form the Bhagavad Gītā yoga (scholarly pursuits). The transit of Sun this month also marks the holy lunar month of Mārgaśira which is usually reserved for thanksgiving. The suggestion is to ignore the external worldly chaos and cultivate inner peace – drop the mundane and dive into spiritual pursuits, study a scripture, visit a shrine, do some calligraphy, and to take up a sadhana (spiritual affirmation exercise).
Venus joins Mars in Scorpio, a passionate and heart-wrenching conjunction on the 25th of December but Mars flees its own house to Sagittarius after a war with Mercury. Venus will be Scorpio the entire month, so let’s remember to be gentle with matters of the heart. For those in business, it may be wise to note that tempers may flare around the 27-28th of December as two combust planets Mercury and Mars get into a war at the dangerous gandanta point between Jyestha in Scorpio and Mula in Sagittarius. Mercury is retrograde in Sagittarius and backing into Scorpio whilst, Mars is going forward into Sagittarius. What the yoga promises will have happen in the future (bhavishyat) but the retrogradation of Mercury makes it harder. The union of Mercury and Mars is begetting unhealthy competition as their natures are very different. Mercury likes to win by being amiable and seeking favours whereas Mars focuses too much on building competence. The war starts at 10.02 hrs on 27th and continues till 15.58 hrs on the 28th. Mars enters Sagittarius at 18.17 hrs on 27th and the exact conjunction is at 0.18 hrs on the 28th while the war continues even as Mercury enters Scorpio at 5.55hrs. Technically, Mercury wins this war even as Mars is in its own house, as Mercury has more skill and focus with a higher latitude and declination. However, Mercury must deal with another sojourn in Scorpio, albeit with its friend Venus for company. The battle between Mercury and Mars is not over but will be played out a month later again.
The biggest new year gift is that of Jupiter when it turns direct in the early hours of 31st December. The largesse and blessings of Jupiter then can be accessed by the Aries and the trinal signs to it Leo and Sagittarius and also the sign opposite to it, Libra . This is a fortunate time for fire signs as all their trinal lords are in trines. It may be wonderful to use the stillness of Jupiter just before it changes direction (between 1.37am to 4.37am) to get out our vision boards to hone action for the coming year.
Mercury turns direct on the 2nd January. The Budha Aditya Yoga of Sun and Mercury earlier in the month gives way to a combination of purpose and control – of Sun and Mars. Mercury makes a comeback into Sagittarius on the 7th of January. Saturn is in Aquarius the entire time aspecting Aries, Scorpio and Leo. The nodes Rahu and Ketu are now settled in Pisces and Virgo.
Festivals
The winter solstice is on Dec 22nd 2023 at 3.27am marking the longest night of the year, after which the direction of Sun turns northerly and days get longer from here. We celebrate the festival of Thiruvathira or Ardra Darshanam on December 26th on the full moon night in the month of Mārgaśira which falls on the nakshatra of Ardra. The festival celebrates the cosmic dance of Shiva in the form of Nataraja.
Let us invoke the blessing of Aṁśumanāditya to dispel the darkness surrounding this world and infuse us with radiance.
ॐ घृणि: अंशुमनादित्य
om ghṛṇi aṁśumanāditya