Planetary Archives - Deborah King

The chakras you didn’t know about (and their locations on Earth)

October 9, 2023

by Deborah King Astrological Events Chakras Featured Planetary

The Earth Has Multiple Powerful Energetic Vortices. Here Are Seven That Serve As Its Chakras.

You undoubtedly know a lot about your own energy centers, the chakras, but have you ever thought about the Earth as having energetic vortices as well? As we slowly transit out of the Piscean Age and enter the Aquarian Age, we should regard the Earth as a sacred living being instead of as a battleground for the endless wars of humanity. One way to see the planet’s sacredness is to delve into the mystery of its highly-charged chakras.

The first chakra is Mt. Shasta, in northern California at the southern end of the Cascade Mountains. Shasta is the primal chakra of the world’s energy system. It is here that the universal life force is gathered before being formed into you and me and every living thing on earth. Mt. Shasta is like a geyser, spouting a huge uprush of prana into global circulation before it is embodied in various forms, just like the kundalini energy surges upward.

The second chakra of the Earth is centered on the Island of the Sun in Lake Titicaca, high in the Andes Mountains. Here positive life forms are “birthed”—evolutionary advancements that will take us into the future. The raw material of Mt. Shasta is structured in new ways by the Lake Titicaca chakra. The great circle of the second Earth chakra also includes Cusco and Machu Picchu. How does the undifferentiated life force get from Mt. Shasta to Lake Titicaca? It travels an energetic current, called the Plumed Serpent (found in many myths from South America), which is one of the two great ley lines on the planet. (ley lines are mystical alignments of landforms)

For the third chakra we go to Uluru and Kata Tjuta—twin sites in Australia’s Northern Territory. You may know Uluru as Ayers Rock, the former name used to describe the huge red monolith. Kata Tjuta has many large red stones rather than just one. Here, the solar plexus of the globe functions to keep up the Earth’s vitality and that of all the species on the planet. The Rainbow Serpent, that great ley artery, comes up from beneath the Earth to emerge at Uluru, which then “sings” a special songline that moves on to Kata Tjuta. In Dreamtime legends of the Aborigines, it is said that this umbilical cord of the planet will one day unite heaven and earth.

Making the leap to the fourth chakra, the “heart” of the Earth is at Glastonbury, Somerset, and Shaftesbury, Dorset. The Rainbow Serpent sweeps through the sacred sites there, such as the Tor at Glastonbury and the Avebury Stone Circle. Glastonbury is famed as the center of the Holy Grail, while Shaftesbury holds the Sacred Spear of Purpose. When these two massive earth energies merge, the Rainbow Serpent will be able to carry the Holy Grail frequency around the world. Interestingly, this is where there are so many sightings of crop circles that have magnetic abnormalities. Here is where we can open our hearts and help to heal the earth.

The fifth chakra, in the Middle East, is the throat’s energy center, where the voice of the Earth is coming forth. It is the only chakra that is not along a ley line, but it is in the exact center of the Earth’s land mass. The turmoil in the Middle East is trying to tell us something, but it seems like no one is listening to the “cries of the mother” as the planet calls for help. Mt. Sinai is the center of the three sites that define the Earth’s throat chakra in between the Great Pyramid of Egypt and the Mount of Olives. Here is where a planetary “New Jerusalem” can be the eternal home of all faiths and cultures living in peace.

What about the planet’s “third eye?” The sixth chakra of Earth moves west, a twelfth of the way around the world, at the dawn of each new aeon. These days, the sixth chakra is located in western Europe, conjunct with the heart chakra. This Aeon Activation Center will next be in Brazil. In the same way as your pineal gland opens portals that let higher dimension energies enter you, so does this chakra of the earth.

Mt. Kailash, the “roof of the world,” is the most sacred of the Himalayan mountains and represents the seventh chakra, the crown of creation. Mt. Kailash connects the earth with its spiritual destiny just the way your crown chakra connects you with Divine Will.

It is said that there is a Lost Chord of Creation. In terms of the earth chakras, Mt. Kailash sounds the note of praise of the sacred; the heart center of the world sounds the note of love, and Uluru and Kata Tjuta sing of thanksgiving. When these three notes are combined into one force, the world will be regenerated!

Now that you’ve learned about the energy vortexes that represent the Earth’s chakras, you may be interested in reading, clearing, balancing, and charging your own personal chakras for healing. You could start by exploring our Chakra Wisdom course. And if you’d like to begin your journey toward energy healing (including the higher chakras), consider beginning with our Level I LifeForce Energy Healing Certification course. If you think you’re ready for more advanced and individual training and healing, check out our Level IV LifeForce Energy Healing Certification course. Either way, we’d love to see you here!

Don’t Miss the 2023 Perseid Meteor Shower Extravaganza!

August 8, 2023

by Deborah King Astrological Events Featured Planetary

Heads up, sky watchers! The 2023 Perseid Meteor Shower will be one for the records. Since there will be an almost New Moon, the view from a dark viewing spot on clear, cloudless night promises to be a crowd pleaser.

This year, the Perseid Meteor Shower will be at its best during the coming weekend, Saturday night, August 12th and Sunday night, August 13th. The Perseid Meteor Shower is one of the brighter annual meteor showers, but this year, with the Moon shrinking to an invisible Micro New Moon, the sky will be about as black as it can get, so spectators can expect to see as many as 100 shooting stars (and some fireballs, too) every hour.

The Perseid showers began in mid-July and will persist until the end of August, so avid sky watchers have already witnessed sporadic shooting stars and will do so for a few more weeks. But if you want to join me in enjoying the most shooting stars per hour, mark your calendar now for this coming weekend, Saturday and Sunday, August 12 and 13, and make plans to locate the best vantage point in your area for witnessing one of the universe’s most impressive shows.

If the weather forecast for your area is clear and cloudless, and you live in a well-lit city (or near one), it’s best to “get outta Dodge” and into the hinterlands, as high up and away from artificial lighting as possible. If you live on or near a mountain range, you will have the best view of the Perseids.

Dress according to the night-time weather in your location on these nights. Take something along to lie down on — a yoga mat, sleeping bag, air mattress, or antigravity recliner — so you can easily look up into the night sky for hours. Remember that you will need up to 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the level of darkness that will surround you on a light-pollution-free night. Take a blanket or two, something warm to drink, and get comfortable. Refrain from using backlit mobile devices, to help preserve keener night vision. Be prepared to drift into/out of sleep, and just enjoy the experience like our ancestors did.

Hint: To find the correct “stage” for the Perseid meteor extravaganza, gaze toward the radiant in the Perseus constellation (from whence this meteor shower gets its name). If you can’t readily spot Perseus, look for Cassiopeia, which looks like a W or an M — because it may be easier to locate in the night sky.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the radiant rises into the sky during the night, reaching its highest point at dawn. So, you can expect to see more “shooting stars” (meteors) after midnight than before.

Another hint: even though meteors emanate from the radiant, they can show up anywhere, so you’ll be seeing some of them out of the corner of your eyes at times.

A bonus: during these nights, you will also be able to see Jupiter and Saturn without a telescope in the eastern and southern sky. They will appear as larger, bright stars, but they won’t twinkle the way distant stars do.

But Wait! There’s Even MORE to See Overhead in August!

On August 31st you will be able to experience a double delight: a Super Blue Moon!
The last time a Super Blue Moon occurred was in December 2009, and the next time it will happen is August 2032, so catch it this year, if you can! (The next Blue Moon will occur in August 2024, but it won’t be a Supermoon.)

Check for Your best time to see the Perseids here.

All of these phenomenal celestial events are not only breathtaking to watch, but also have a profound energetic impact on our everyday lives. And if you learn to analyze exactly what impact the planets are having, you can completely alter the course of your decision making, and thus your life. Want to figure out how to do this based on a proven, ancient science? Join our Vedic Astrology course today by clicking here >>

Using Vedic Astrology to Guide our Spiritual Journey

July 25, 2023

by Deborah King Astrological Events Energy Medicine Featured Planetary

The Karmic Wisdom of the Stars

Today, I would like to tell you about Vedic astrology. Vedic astrology is not separate from Vedic philosophy or Vedic meditation, (both of which I teach), but entwined with both. Many Bollywood celebrities believe deeply in the power of Vedic astrology, and it is threaded throughout Eastern culture and spirituality today. Teachers and sages continue to give it serious study around the world, and the line from now to the dawn of Vedic astrology can be traced back for thousands of years.

To begin with the words of the spiritual teacher Yogananda, “Astrology is the study of man’s response to planetary stimuli. The stars have no conscious benevolence or animosity; they merely send forth positive and negative radiations. Of themselves, these do not help or harm humanity, but offer a lawful channel for the outward operation of cause-effect equilibriums which each man has set in motion in the past.” As we shall see, this is very important to understand. Because when we talk about Vedic astrology, we are also talking about karma.

Vedic astrology first emerged in India between 5,000 to 10,000 years ago. Ancient Indian astrologers looked to the stars for guidance and navigation. Jyotisha, which translates roughly as the “science of light,” helps us understand how karma influences the present. The seven chakras of the human body correspond to the seven main planets in the Vedic system. We can draw upon Vedic astrology and its insights to guide us along our spiritual journey.

Astrology is thought of as the “eyes of the Veda.” Vedic astrology is not just about daily predictions but is integrated with meditation as a means to approach the divine. In practice, Vedic astrology is mathematically sophisticated and requires extensive study to master. Some family lines in India can track their lineage as teachers of astrology back for centuries.

Vedic astrology needs to be studied on its own terms and within the long history of Vedic philosophy. Still, it can be helpful to begin with comparisons to one’s own culture and traditions. Western astrology began in the Hellenistic period, which dates from the death of Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.E. to the start of the Roman Empire in 31 B.C.E. In other words, while not as old as the Vedic tradition, Western astrology is also really old. Western science may frown on astrology, but it still has much to teach us if we are willing to learn.

Western astrology uses the tropical calendar, which is based on the 365 days it takes the Sun to pass from vernal equinox to vernal equinox. A tropical year is divided into 4 seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Western astrological charts are based on the planet’s fixed positions.

Vedic astrology, on the other hand, uses the sidereal system, which looks at changing, observable constellations. The sidereal system dates to the time of the Pharaohs in Kemet, over 7000 years ago; a little older than Western, for sure! A sidereal year is the time it takes a planet, say the Earth or Mercury, to orbit the Sun once with respect to fixed stars. In Vedic astrology, the birth chart for an individual reflects the exact position of the planets over the place of their birth, at the precise moment of their birth.

Now it starts to get very interesting. The tropical system and the sidereal system drift apart by about 1 degree every 72 years, and a sidereal year is 20 minutes longer than a tropical year. This may seem inconsequential, but it has a huge effect on the results of the two systems. Nevertheless, Western and Vedic astrology both have twelve signs, and the meanings ascribed to the signs have some similarities.

However, your sign in Vedic astrology will likely be different from what you are used to. One of my students, for example, was born on October 25. In Western astrology, she is a Scorpio (Vrishchika in Hindi). In Vedic astrology, she is a Libra (or Tula in Hindi). Vedic astrology would also point out that your rising sign is more important than your Sun sign.

This is all quite complex, which is part of the reason that some Indian universities offer degree programs in Vedic astrology. We can only consider the broad outlines of the two systems today. However, hopefully, this brief introduction to the differences between the two systems will demonstrate how distinctive Vedic philosophy is.

Before we move on, I want to say a quick word about one more astrological system. In the early 20th century, K.S. Krishnamurti, one of India’s most noteworthy astrologers, developed a system called KP Astrology. Many consider this to be a modernized version of Vedic astrology; it is, in fact, simpler to use and integrates certain aspects of Western astrology. I do not have time to go through the key differences now, but I just wanted to mention this and emphasize that we are talking here about ancient Vedic astrology, not the KP version.

In the Vedic tradition, astrology works with meditation and other devotional practices to guide us as we walk our spiritual path toward Enlightenment. Parashara Rishi, a Vedic sage, is the father of Jyotish Shastra, Vedic astrology. Parashara Rishi wrote the Vishnu Purana—the first 19 Puranas—and established the fundamental principles of Vedic astrology. Roger Gabriel, an expert in this field, puts it well when he wrote that “Jyotish helps you understand the effects of an external Universe on your life. Meditation brings you the realization that the Universe is within you; that you are the Universe.”

Vedic astrology, meditation, and ayurvedic medicine are interwoven in a holistic system that seeks balance in the mind, the body, and the spirit. Daily pop horoscopes are fun, but Vedic astrology is a serious approach to understanding cause and effect as it influences you throughout your lifetimes. All of them. Which brings us to . . . karma.

Vedic astrology as a philosophical system cannot be separated from the concepts of karma and reincarnation. A Vedic birth chart not only lifts the veil on your future; it shows you how the arrangement of the planets at the moment of your birth reflects all that has come before. In other words, it shows you your collective karma from previous incarnations. Whether positive or negative, these reverberations shape you as you continue your journey in this current body.

Karma has many layers in the Vedic system. Sanchita Karma is the accumulated karma of all your past lives, both good and bad. Pralabda Karma can be thought of as the “unfinished business” of your previous lives, which you need to confront in this lifetime. Kriyaman Karmais is the new karma you are generating, right now, every moment of every day, through our thoughts and actions. And, finally, Aagmi Karma is the karma of future birth for those of you whose journey continues into yet another lifetime.

Let’s pause for a moment. The idea of karma can be difficult for Westerners to accept and even disturbing to some. Contemporary and secular Western values put a great emphasis on individual agency. The notion of past lives and collective karma often agitates those who believe that life should be largely under their control.

Karma, from the Western standpoint, also sometimes seems to contradict the notion of free will, which underlies everything from who we marry to our legal system. Taken simplistically, some observers may wonder if karma does not “blame the victim” and allow offenders to go “scot free.” If karma extends thousands of years and multiple lifetimes into the past, how can any of us be sure of what justice is today?

But let’s go a bit deeper. Vedic philosophy is distinct from Western philosophy. We do not want to simplify too much and the study of either of these systems requires dedication and effort. But we also do not have to put everything into a binary model of either “good” or bad.” Perhaps it is better to sit with these beliefs for a long time and resist the urge to judge. Wisdom does not happen in one day, or even one lifetime.

So, without simplifying too much or proposing a false equivalency, let me note that the principle of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:31)” has a lovely resonance with the principle of karma. By the way, I am not the first to note this. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi—yes, the guru who instructed The Beatles in the practice of meditation—discussed this more than once, even on the Larry King Show.

My point is this: Vedic astrology does not absolve us of agency or free will. Sanchita Karma is eternal, but the other layers of karma can be changed. The birth chart maps our karma and points to areas wherein we may have challenges in this lifetime due to accumulated bad karma. But it also points to possibilities for growth and happiness. In either case, apart from our Sanchita Karma, we continue to steer the ship, within the boundaries of the planetary influences at the time of our birth.

In the slightly paraphrased words of Snei Joshi, a Vedic astrologer, “The Vedic horoscope of a person is like a businessman’s balance sheet at the beginning of every year. It represents the total debt and total credit accumulated by the soul in its past lives.” We are not absolved of the responsibility to use the wisdom of the stars in making good choices and attending to our spiritual wellbeing.

Which is why to talk of Vedic astrology is also to talk of Vedic meditation. Om is the sound of the universe at the very beginning, at a time stretching so far back into the mist that we label it eternity and try to understand. Through meditation, we can let go of our attempts to confront Enlightenment “head on,” and truly connect with that which is eternal, divine, everlasting.

In Vedic astrology, the mantra selected by a spiritual teacher like myself resonates in your body and corresponds with the three fundamentals of life: Creation, Preservation, and Destruction. When you align your meditation practice with the insights contained in your astrological chart, you will begin to see the unity between thought and deed, action, and reaction, the past, present, and future. You will move beyond this moment to connect with all that has come before and that which will be, and finally achieve transcendence.

Now, none of this is going to happen today or tomorrow. It may not happen in many lifetimes. But the essential point is that meditation works with Vedic astrology to guide you along your unique spiritual journey. The past exerts a strong influence on what is possible in the present, but you are not a prisoner of past choices or a victim. You are not given a free pass to stumble around and chalk-up everything that happens to “karma.” Instead, drawing upon the knowledge contained in your birth chart, and devoting yourself to daily meditation and your mantra, you begin to move from darkness towards the light. If you are not yet meditating with a mantra that has been selected for you, you can do so here>>

Swami Vivekananda, the seer who we can thank for introducing the Vedas to the Western World, captures all of this in a very simple but profound way. He taught that the mind is everything. As many have said, “What we think, we become.” This is why Vedic meditation and astrology are inextricable from each other. The insights of your birth chart are not a prison sentence, but rather a way to connect the vast complexity of karma to your real, lived life. You have choices to make and work to do.

I hope that you have found this introduction to Vedic astrology helpful and encouraging. As noted, Vedic astrology is an ancient system, and we cannot master it in one session or even one lifetime. And yes, just as in the West, Vedic astrology can be used for what we might call “pop” purposes, but that is simply a byproduct of our times. Vedic astrology has enriched thought and culture immensely, been a core component of Vedic philosophy across oceans of time, and continues to be taught and used today.

Through serious study and meditation, each of us can apply this wisdom in our own lives. Vedic astrology, coupled with a devoted meditation practice, has the power to bring us that much closer to Enlightenment.

And because so many people have asked, we are going to be introducing Vedic Astrology in depth, beginning with a FREE event, which you can register for by clicking here >>

That Old Mercury Retrograde

December 7, 2022

by Deborah King Astrological Events Energy Medicine Featured Planetary

We all know what Mercury retrograde is, right? It happens when the planet, Mercury, appears to be moving backward, relative to earth, but, in fact, is just slowing down, in a sort of “moonwalk.”

Communication snafus at this time of year are common and travel can be a nightmare. Your flight lands in New York City while your bag goes on to Chile.

There are usually three retrogrades every year, but in 2022, there are four. And this last one carries us into the new year – it starts on December 29 and ends on January 18.

In Vedic astrology, Mercury retrograde isn’t necessarily a bad thing. According to Vedic teachings, life is intended for spiritual growth and this growth is facilitated by karma, the idea that every thought, every action, has a corresponding reaction. Given this, Mercury retrograde is just another opportunity for spiritual growth. So it shouldn’t elicit an “Oh no, not again.”

As I mentioned earlier, communication and travel can be challenging. But there’s also an upside. Any place you travel to during a retrograde is a place to which you’ll return. So, if you’re planning to travel during the 3 weeks from Dec 29 to Jan 18, as I am, be sure your destination is a place you want to visit again.

Say What You Mean

As far as communication is concerned, say what you mean when you say it, especially during Mercury retrograde. One of my students really disliked her job but was afraid to quit. Then during a recent Mercury retrograde, she was told she had to take on the responsibilities of a colleague who was gone on vacation. It meant she would be working 10 hours a day six days a week and just thinking about it exhausted her. Without thinking she said no to her boss, telling her, “I’m underpaid as it is.”

She said her boss looked stunned and stared at her in disbelief as she picked up her purse. But before she reached the door, the boss offered her a promotion at over one and one-half of her current compensation. She had reacted viscerally, without censoring herself, and it had paid off. That’s classic Mercury retrograde: she said what she meant to say, it was the truth, and, in her case, it paid off.

Mercury also rules cars, computers, and anything with moving parts. So, the advice on that front is don’t purchase anything with moving parts during a retrograde. But suppose your computer crashes a week into the retro and can’t be fixed?

The computer is vital to your employment and you can’t wait.

Another one of my students faced this dilemma. She Googled around until she found a place that rented computers by the month. The price was reasonable. She rented her dream computer and at the end of the retrograde, she loved it so much she bought it. That part of the fiasco worked out to her benefit.

Mercury rules the conscious mind and any profession dealing with writing, teaching, speaking, books, or publication. Mercury is the messenger, the left brain is its vehicle, and it usually speaks to us in terms of logic and reasoning. In Vedic astrology, when Mercury is retrograde, our intuition deepens and the coincidences – the synchronicities – can be awesome.

As described in the Vedas, all of us, everything really, is under the control of time. Inexorably, we are pulled from one stage, or level, to the next, each step determined by our own karma. But, remember, our karma is totally under our own control, as we have free will.

In his book, The Astrology of the Seers, David Frawley says:

“What we call the planets are no more than points of light in a vast energy network, connected intricately by subtle lines of force, linking the entire solar system into a single organism. Though the planets appear like small points of light in the distance, their energy fields are present on Earth, and they are responsible for many of the formations of the Earth life and of our own bodies and minds.”

The Hidden Nuggets

So, with any Mercury retrograde snafu, don’t panic. Nearly always, there’s a hidden nugget or treasure. One of my new students owned a two-year-old American bulldog, Abby, who had developed a bad limp. My student told me he took Abby to the vet who determined that she had a torn ligament. He got a date for the surgery – the day before Mercury turned retrograde, when it was in the “shadow” period. The vet’s assistant left a sponge inside during the procedure, and the surgery had to be redone! Wisely, my student waited until after the period of retrograde, and the second surgery went without a hitch, plus the vet reversed the charges so it was a win/win after-all! Mars rules surgery, something to think about before you schedule one.

Vedic Astrology Show Coming Up

Mercury retrograde is a part of Vedic Astrology which is a big topic, and one I will cover in an upcoming Facebook/Youtube show right after the New Year, on January 10, 2023. All we need to know today, in order to understand Mercury retrograde in that system of thought, is that the stars and planets have a powerful influence on our lives. The ancient Vedic texts tell us that our karma is directly related to the stars and planets and that, in fact, this branch of their science is the very focal point of the Vedas. And I use the word “science” intentionally, as the study of astrology in the Vedas, or what is called “Joytish,” is both incredibly profound and highly scientific. Our scientists are just beginning to discover what the ancient seers knew over 5,000 years ago. We can only hope that our James Webb Space Telescope can begin to catch up to the Vedas one day soon!

The stars themselves have no conscious benevolence or animosity toward us – they are only sending out positive and negative energy that affects us in much the same way that the natural world we live on does. When I was a mountain climber, I knew that the mountains themselves had no attitude pro or con toward me; they just “were,” and if I incorrectly “read” them and journeyed into them in bad weather or on loose rock, to my peril, that was my mistake, not theirs. It’s the same with the stars and planets; they are inherently neutral to us; it’s up to us to use common sense about the effect of their movements on us each individually, and act accordingly.

Famous People Born during Mercury Retrograde

They include such luminaries as Prince, Buckminster Fuller, Steve Jobs, Madonna, and Lady Gaga! Not a bad lineup, right? If these people were able to shine as they have, then the rest of us shouldn’t feel daunted or intimidated by just 3 weeks of a retrograde.

The Three Rs

One of the standard pieces of advice you’ll hear about Mercury retrogrades is that you should stick to the three Rs: revise, review, reconsider.

In other words, don’t start anything new, don’t make submissions, and don’t sign contracts for anything – a sale, a purchase, a deal. What these bits of advice are really saying is give your dream home, creative projects and manuscript or screenplay, the best chance ever by waiting until after retrograde. Sign the contracts and deliver your project or manuscript when the energy whips through the universe without obstacles or challenges. But even when you don’t wait and sign during a Mercury retrograde, there can be unexpected nuggets. A writer student of mine got evicted during retrograde (not good), but while camping at her folks for a month, she serendipitously met a publisher guy through her parents, and, voila, got a good job copywriting for him right after the retrograde. That was the nugget she wouldn’t have received had she not had to move.

According to the Vedas, our futures are determined by both destiny and free will. Destiny, in fact, creates our free will. Her destiny to live at her folks’ house, briefly, created the situation where she had the free will to end up working in the publishing business.

Those Cycles

Mercury retrograde is just another astrological cycle – like a lunar phase, like the return of a planet to where it was when you were born.

It has its own protocols, its own guidelines. But because it rules the all-important communication, its effects spill over into many areas of our lives. Yes, there can be negative consequences, but the long-term impact is often quite positive, as you’ve seen in the earlier examples.

These retros last about three weeks. You can keep track of them on any number of websites and it’s definitely to your advantage to do so. They enable you to plan things in advance: trips, engagements, weddings, moving, the sale and purchase of a home or car or computer, and when to publish your book.

Yes, friends and family may remark that your reliance on astrology is a waste of time. Until they have a personal melt-down during Mercury retrograde.

During retrogrades, people you haven’t seen in years may suddenly reappear in your life – your ex, a childhood friend, a former partner, people you haven’t been able to find anywhere online. It can be a great time to mend fences.

Vedic philosophers and astrologers understood the power of Mercury retrograde long before Western science. In the words of Bertram Malle, a renowned social cognitive scientist at Brown University, the serious study of astrology “provides a powerful vocabulary” to understand “life’s challenges and opportunities.” I now want to turn to the Vedic perspective, as it has so much to offer those of us on our learning and spiritual journeys.

Yoga Asanas

The Sanskrit term for retrograde planets is Vakri, which translates in English as ambiguous, evasive, and indirect. It is not wise to meet a retrograde planet “head on” and try to power through the vibrations it releases. Far better to bend and be flexible in responding to this agitated energy. This wisdom is mirrored in the Vakra Asana beginner’s pose in yoga, which gently twists the spine to strengthen it and make it more flexible.

Vedas believe that we are driven by two forces – fate and individual will. If we are too passive during Mercury retrograde, all sorts of arguments, problems, and misery can occur. But if we insist on having our own way during this phase, and our energy is too forceful and arrogant, we are likely to bang our head against a wall, accomplish little, and might even find ourselves going backwards from our goals.

Better to keep in mind the wisdom of yoga and make a conscious effort to approach Mercury retrograde openly and flexibly. No one expects someone in Vakra Asana pose to twist so hard that they break their back. It is a gentle pose designed to open energy pathways and release negative tension. This same wisdom can apply to gracefully bending into a Mercury retrograde cycle. Go with the energy and surf it. Best not to try to master it or defeat it.

Individual Karma

Vedic astrology emphasizes the analysis of individual karma. It seeks insight into all the forces—past, present, and future—that influence one’s life path, and which collide or merge with the paths of others. The concept of karma—often misunderstood in the West—means that every thought and every action create a reaction that reverberates through time and space.

The Vedic tradition also holds that the point of life is spiritual growth. We may enjoy our pleasures, relationships, and dreams here on Earth, but a well-lived life is devoted to reaching spiritual Enlightenment. The Vedas believe that the position of the planets and stars exert a direct influence on our karma and, hence, our journey to Enlightenment.

Mercury, known as Budh, is one of 9 planets in Vedic astrology. The Sanskrit root verb for Budh is buddhi, meaning logic, intellect, and reason. Mercury retrograde throws our rational mind into disarray, distorting communication and increasing the likelihood of bias and misperception.

Cleansing Crystals

Yet Mercury retrograde also offers opportunities to cleanse negative energy and clear the ground for new initiatives and adventures. Several crystals—particularly when used in conjunction with meditation and breathwork—can help you to unlock the positive energies of Mercury retrograde. Labradorite is renowned for its calming and grounding effects, for example. Hematite is another grounding crystal that helps to pull negative energy from the body. Black tourmaline, a root chakra stone, helps to release anxiety and fear. Lapis Lazuli can be used to reconnect with your intuition and inner wisdom.

There is an ancient mantra that, with practice, can help to focus the mind and connect with the power of Mercury: Om Shree Budhaya Namaha. Om represents the Divine and the earliest emergence of sound. The next three words can be roughly translated as “Salutations, auspicious guru, I bow to you.”

The Vedas developed a system whose insights and tools for personal and spiritual enlightenment endure. With effort, humility, and self-reflection, this ancient wisdom can help you to use the power of Mercury retrograde for good. The stars and the planets influence our fate, but we have the power and responsibility to study these forces and make choices in our lives.

Reminders

Mercury retrogrades are our reminder to be present and to embrace epiphany. Don’t fear the retrograde. All Mercury’s “moonwalk” backwards is doing is, showing us our lives from a different perspective. That offers us clarity and a deeper level of consciousness, a better understanding of ourselves and our world.

Like everything else, Mercury is a part of an interconnected net of energy. That is why we are so affected by it. And there is great knowledge and wisdom that lies in the cosmos, but it’s only obtainable by those who have the skill to access it. If you’re interested in traveling beyond space and time, to gain access to this wisdom, and design the life of your dreams, consider joining our bestselling Astral Wisdom course by clicking here >>

The Cycle of Light and Dark

June 29, 2022

by Deborah King Astrological Events Energy Healing Energy Medicine Featured Lunar Meditation Planetary Self Love Solar

I wake in the early morning hours, when I can still see the stars, to bring in the light of day with meditation. It has always been important, in all the ancient spiritual traditions, to greet the dawn of a new day, to give praise for having come through the darkness yet again.

The ancient Egyptians believed the Sun God, whom they called Amun-Ra, created and then sustained life itself, and ruled as the first king of Egypt. Each day Ra arose as a beautiful child, climbed into a boat and swept across the sky. At the zenith of the day, high noon, he was at the height of his manhood and strength. By late afternoon, he was exhausted, and by sunset he was a feeble old man. At night, he entered another boat and the gods took him through the 12 perilous provinces of the underworld, the hours of the night, when the serpent monster of darkness threatened to swallow him in his weakened state. Somehow, Ra always survived the battles of the night and emerged once more into the brilliant light of a new day. Praise be!

If you look at the cycles of your life, they are much the same as Ra’s daily journey. You come through whatever darkness strikes at your heart—whether that’s depression, or illness, or financial difficulties, or any distress or unhappiness—and, with the help of energy medicine, are born again into the light of day, where you grow stronger in wisdom and inner illumination as you get more connected to your inner Sun, your Higher Self.

In the cycle of light and dark, the dark symbolically evokes negativity and the unknown, while light conveys the positive aspects. The Bible is full of light as the symbol of divine presence and salvation. Jesus became the “light of the world,” while Satan, originally an angel of light, became the prince of evil and darkness and ruled the underworld.

But many thousands of years ago, the Vedic seers in ancient India saw the cycle of light and dark in a much “bigger picture” way—as a vast cycle of time, a great spiral of creation that brings mankind and our planet close to the source of light, then we move farther away into the darkness, and finally return to the light again in great cycle composed of four yugas (great ages). These ages are based on the movement of our solar system within our galaxy—a 12,000-year “descending” time period when our solar system is moving away from the galaxy’s center of magnetism and the strongest light, and 12,000 “ascending” years when our solar system slowly returns to the point closest to the “central sun.”

Stay with me. I know this may seem complicated, but it’s worth understanding because it relates directly the spiritual awakening that is happening these days.

The four yugas are: the Satya yuga, the Golden Age with its direct perception of spiritual truth; the Treta yuga, when spiritual perceptions are less clear; the Dwarpara yuga, when humankind is focused on conquering space and electrical energies; and the infamous Kali yuga, when humanity is not able to perceive anything beyond the physical, material universe.

According to some modern spiritual teachers, well-versed in astronomy and mathematics, we started to cross the threshold into the ascending Dwarpara yuga around 1700 AD, the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment, and now we are finally starting to come out of the Kali yuga, which darkened humanity’s knowledge for 2,400 years. It’s the journey to more light, more consciousness, and more awakened beings on the planet.

If you’ve wondered why you have a certain pull towards spirituality now, why teachings about energy medicine are starting to enter mainstream awareness, and why so many of the patriarchal beliefs and institutions that came out of a Kali yuga mentality are now crumbling before our eyes, it’s because we are on the path back to the light. Sort of like Amen-Ra, we are waking up as children of the light. We’re taking our first steps into higher consciousness, or we’re here to guide others along in their awakening process. Enlightened beings, after all, are those who have merged with the light.

As we leave the Summer Solstice behind us, it’s a good time to think about these cycles, what season comes next, and what part we can each play individually to bring the world closer to harmony, balance, and enlightenment over time.

While it may not seem like it, this is the general trend of the world (although sometimes it’s two steps forward, one step back). But we each have a part to play to make it so.

What will be your part?

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The Great Conjunction

January 4, 2021

by Deborah King Astrological Events Energy Healing Featured Planetary Solar

Hi Friends,

Today is January 5th – a day that many people around the world celebrate as Epiphany or Three Kings Day. For Christians, it celebrates the day that the 3 wise men followed an unusually bright star in the sky to lead them to Bethlehem.

Today, I want to talk to you about this star. More importantly, I want to talk about how stars can be our guiding lights.

It’s not entirely clear what exactly the Star of Bethlehem was. Some suggest it was a supernova – the explosion of a very large star. Others say it could have been a comet. But one really neat idea is that it was the alignment of two planets in the night sky – so closely aligned that they appear to be one very bright star.

This is called a conjunction. And we just had a very great one last month.

On December 17th, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn aligned in the Southern sky so closely that it appeared to be a single star. True, in reality, they are two planets that are millions of miles apart, but to us on Earth, it appears as if two bright objects slowly combined together before drifting apart.

Isn’t it sort of funny how these planets aren’t even touching, but for us: they put on a dazzling show that won’t be replicated for hundreds of years? I love to think about that. I love to think about how we have navigated by the stars, planted our crops by the stars, dreamt by the stars, and kept record of our stories by the stars. All the while, these stars exist so far away from where we stand, that it baffles the mind to comprehend.

We, here on Earth, are the recipients of the particular position and light that these stars cast. Nowhere else in the Universe do the stars look quite like they do on Earth at night.

Some might look at this reality and suggest that putting emphasis on these astronomical events is misguided – that it is only an illusion from our viewpoint on Earth. I don’t believe that. Just because the Stars exist independent of us does not mean they don’t serve as guides for us.

Think of the Sun. It rises in the East. If you wake and follow the Sun, you will walk East. It has guided you. Does the Sun exist solely to guide you? Doubtful at best!

It’s the same as how the trees are dependent upon the Spring warmth to bloom. Without Spring, the trees will not flourish, but that does not mean the Spring exists solely to make the trees bloom.

This is how I felt watching the Great Conjunction last month. Yes, I know that these planets are fixed in their orbits, and that they are millions of miles apart, but they have created an alignment for us to view on Earth that is worth pausing and taking in.

And the one thing I kept coming back to is: what could it mean?

What could that Great Conjunction be leading us to?

All I know is that I felt an urging, a sense of profundity, and of connection when I saw that Great Conjunction. I am hopeful, therefore, that this union of the planets might foreshadow a union of two great forces coming together to make something brilliant.

What that brilliance might be? Well, perhaps you need to look to the stars to find guidance of your own.

The stars are out there, friends. They may be lifetimes upon lifetimes away, but their light shines on the Earth constantly. And I encourage you to look to them for guidance and support. Their light has granted many travelers safe passage over the millennia – and I know they’ll do the same for you.

Trust in their light. It’s the same light that the sun brings down on all of us – the light that provides warmth, energy, and life for all of us. Their light is affirming, and powerful. And if you’re ready to take the next step to learn how to harness this majestic healing power of light and energy – the same energy that guides us from the stars – then I encourage you to join me on my transformative and empowering journey of Medical Intuition, where we’ll learn how to read and heal with the powers of light, intuition, and energy.

Find your guiding light.

Deborah

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Deborah King