EYE ON THE SKY: MERCURY IN JYESTHA AND CONJUNCT SATURN, NOV. 23RD.
Mercury transits into the constellation of Nov. 20th for a week until Nov. 29th. In modern astronomy Jyestha is know as Alpha-Scopionis (Antares) and Sigma Scorpionis and Tau-Scorpionis located from 16.40 Scorpio to2 9.59 Scorpio. It contains the start of Antares at 16 degrees, which is very connected to war and transits of planets over it lately have stirred up global conflicts but Mercury is probably too quick a planet to have an impact.
Jyestha means “eldest.” Its symbol is a round talisman which is a symbol of divine protection and this round circle represents authority and is connected to a kind of medal for one who has many past lives connected to occult practices and penance.
The deity of this constellation is Indra, king of the gods and is connected to rain and the abundance it brings in agricultural wealth. It is very connected to prosperity and Donald Trump has his moon in this constellation. Indra is a bit robust, proud, vain, tricky and undefinable in the puranic stories and it’s no wonder that the Donald has those qualities. When poorly afflicted, the dark misuse of power, authority and vanity come forth from this constellation and the conjunction with Saturn into Nov. 23rd will stir up the darker qualities during this transit.
Jyestha is very concerned about what other people think and they need respect and attention. Again in our material world, this energy can get channeled into excessive headless vanity and show and create mob leaders, corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. If your ascendant, sun or moon are in this constellation, you may be prone to moaning and groaning, jealousy and vindictiveness and wanting to put others down. Again “The Donald” comes to mind. When Jyestha is positive and strong, people with this constellation want to help the weak, the helpless and the underprivileged. They protect others.
The gana or type created by this constellation is the Rakshasa or demonic character. Demons are not all bad and that is also true of The Donald in his quest to change outmoded and non-functioning aspects of society so there are good demons. Mercury rules this constellation which give it its deceptive, cunning and childlike nature and reminds us of Donald again. Being in the sign of Scorpio which is co-owned by Mars and Ketu, the combination creates either a policing nature or one devoted to study of the Vedas if Ketu is more dominant in the chart. The combination can bring a lot of self-destructive tendencies and lead to positive transformation or just bad beating one-self up. In the end this constellation is very difficult as it does not create peace of mind. Jyestha’s goal is to confront the mysteries of the universe, face its fears and transform them.
Mercury has a relatively quick transit through this constellation. If you were born with Mercury in this constellation there may be a tendency to get wrapped up in the material and sensuous material world. I suspect this transit will support Christmas shopping as the season kicks off this week. Still this transit may create mental agitation and a sense there is not enough. The search here is move beyond material dissatisfaction and look for the deeper aspect of Jyestha and connection to Scorpio and the mysteries of the universe.
Mercury is conjunct Saturn on Wednesday, Nov. 23rd. This occurs on Mercury’s day on Wednesday is a difficult transit and may create a tendency to lose sight of the big picture be involved in deception or compulsive of obsessive behavior or feeling stuck, depression and having difficult thinking or writing or communicating. At its best, it can cause deep thinking to emerge. Good week to back up computers, make sure that you are doing extra edits on documents and checking that people are hearing what you are saying and not misinterpreting as confusion can arise like a Mercury retrograde. Write things down that you need to remember as you may easily forget them. Remember, Mercury is a trickster and unless you can laugh at these challenges, you could get thrown for a loop.
Saturn remains in Jyestha until January 26th. Saturn in Jyestha tends to be more attached to material things but will spend his time complaining about their imperfections. So when your new electronic toy has a flaw, lighten up and let go. This transit can create deep unhappiness but it is usually caused by ones mistakes and the tendency will be to beat oneself up. Lighten up. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
The end of Scorpio, 27-30 degrees is called the stinger tail and is in the gandanta which literally means drowning. Mercury will transit through this area Nov. 26-29th and this could bring out deep karmic patterns and intense emotions up to heal. Find the strength to heal and use this time wisely to go deep into the depth of the ocean and find the nectar. Saturn will transit this area after Christmas and into late January and this may be an intense time for suffering in the world.
Special thanks to Prash Trivedi and Komilla Sutton for their insights into these constellations.
So there is a big choice with this constellation: do you get caught up in power and ego and vanity or do you use your power in service to others. Great month to give to charity and to those in need suffering. The big test for Trump is coming now. Can he rise up to be a selfless warrior to humanity or get caught up in politics as usual and the lure of more material wealth.
I love this “bat-cat” photo embodying Mercury as trickster and cats being so Virgo. Have a great week.
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