“Ādiśeṣa [the divine serpent] is the support of the whole world” – Sundaryalahirī
Recently, inside the Nectar of Time, I shared some teachings about this time which is under the powerful influence of the Serpent. Find a 10 minute clip below.
The Serpent often connotes connected to fear, poison and danger. But in the yogic view, the serpent is about shakti and support. She is a call to the sacred things that have the “danger” of removing your “old way” of being, and bring you home to yourself: śakti [power], sādhana [spiritual practice] and śāstra [scriptural study].
Did you notice the “s” words? ssssssss and ssshhhhhh are serpentine sounds, and they are sounds of soma – the nectar of immortality!
The vedic tradition that is the source of both yoga & tantra relays countless stories and teachings relating to the serpent in physical, subtle and celestial form.
Here are just a few examples of the Serpent appearing in this tradition…
- Lord Śiva adorend with serpents
- Sage Patañjali of the Yoga Sūtras appearing as a 1,000 headed serpent
- Adi Śeṣa, the celestial serpent eternally supporting the universe
- The Spine as the Serpent within your body
- The Kuṇḍalinī Śakti as the feminine divine serpent coiled at the tailbone
- Vasuki, King of the Serpents participating in the Churning of the Ocean of milk
- The Nāgas appearing in multiple stories of the Mahābharata both as antagonists and as saviors
“If one is in one’s rightful place, one will be well” – Sundaryalahiri, conversation of Adiśeṣa [the serpent] with Garuda [the eagle] in which the Serpent says that when he is away from Viṣnu [dharma] he feels fear, and when he is with Viṣnu [dharma] he is well.
Recommendations for harnessing the serpent for Good
Increase
- Sattvic attitude of harmony
- Balanced eating, sleeping, rest and work
- Dharmic relationships [rooted in deeper ethics]
- Allowance & forgiveness
- Keep moving forward, but pace yourself
- Devotional practices
- Mantra to Durgā, or all forms of Feminine Divine
- Yoga for your spine
- Scriptural study – especially Yoga Sūtras, Esoteric study, Shaktism
- Oiling the body & hydrating with pure water
- Reflection, Inquiry, spiritual growth in general
- Be yourself, cultivate your yogic samskāras
Avoid
- Revenge, Anger, Rage, Retaliation
- Addiction – to work, substances, people
- Adharmic relationships, adharmic sex
- Staying stuck in the past or present
- Moving too quickly with too much ambition and not enough thought toward the future
- Superficial relationships and short term quick fixes
- Too much extremes, particularly related to getting to cold or too dry
- Trying too hard to “fit in” perfectly with normal society, schedules, values which are not attuned to who you really are.
Move forward in your purpose
At this time, it is incredibly important to do your sādhana or spiritual practices including devotion, chanting, gentle yoga etc.
Self love practices are also key right now, espcially oiling the body, eating sattvic food, head massage, face massage, oil on your feet. Get good sleep, be with loved ones so loneliness doesn’t compound the situation.
AND… this is very important… there are times to go inward and quiet and to take a pause. This is not one of those times. Do not take a full stop. It is essential at this time to MOVE forward. Pace yourself, don’t rush into things,, don’t act without wisdom, but DO move forward.
Lately you may have noticed, in yourself or others...
- Anxiety or phobias
- Feeling past emotions surging up again
- Major life changes
- Outer [or inner] chaos
- Themes, people or karmic patterns of the past reappearing
- Latent physical dis-ease appearing [or re-appearing]
- Overwhelm that leads to over-strategizing or worry
- Feeling that are in a threshold that will lead to change
- Emotional turbulence
- Increased intuition or dreams
- Insomnia
- Disturbed digestion
- Intense Ambition or desire change or feeling forced to change ready or not
- Instability of mind, or even feeling mentally weak
- Feeling kicked forward in life in a massive way
Vedic Astrology & the Serpent
Celestial Configurations from April - November 2023
Serpentine Themes of Jyotisha
In Jyotiṣa [Vedic Astrology] a few particular celestial bodies awaken the serpent theme
- The north & south nodes are celestial mathematical points depicted as a “serpent” who swallows the sun and moon, creating solar and lunar eclipses. Every eclipse invokes serpent themes that influence 6 months.
- Saturn is connected to Shiva, esoteric traditions, hidden realms, karma and serpents. When Saturn’s position or movement is exaggerated, it can connote serpent themes.
- The constellation, Ashlesha is symbolized as the serpent who coils around or embraces. When a planet or luminary is in this constellation, serpent themes arise.
Current celestial events stimulating a serpentine influence
April 2023 began a 2 week eclipse period, and the next eclipse season begins October 14th. This 6 month period is under the influence of the celestial serpent who swallows the luminaries.
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Also in April 2023, Jupiter – who rules stability, dharma, protection, gurus, spiritual practice, patience, and wisdom – joined Rahu, the head of the celestial serpent. This connection between Jupiter and the Serpent is very intense and powerful and a call to transformation.
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On June 8 2023 ambitious action-based Mars went into the constellation Ashlesha. This constellation is connected to poison, transformation, the coiled serpent. This configuration causes volatility, reactivity and uncomfortable transformation particularly in the realm of home, the heart, emotions, intimacy and relationships.
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On June 17th, Saturn – who is connected to Lord Shiva and to Patanjali [and thus to Serpents], went retrograde, which exaggerates its serpentine qualities. This retrogression that stimulates themes of karma and spiritual study of hidden realms will last until early November, right around the end of our next eclipse season.
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On June 22nd, the Moon – who is connected to your mind & emotions – goes into the serpent constellation of Ashlesha along with Mars & Venus. This configuration can really increase phobias, anxiety, ungroundedness and vāta in the mind. It can also stimulate the re-experiencing karmic patterns – especially past emotional patterns that you thought were “healed”! Have patience, this too shall pass.
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If you’ve been experiencing intensity, overwhelm, anxiety, change, transformation… you’re not alone and you’re right “on time”. It is not an “easy” time but it is a profound time of growth and a call to the sacred. Below again are the remedies & invitation for this time.
- Sattvic attitude of harmony
- Balanced eating, sleeping, rest and work
- Dharmic relationships [rooted in deeper ethics]
- Allowance & forgiveness
- Move forward in your purpose but pace yourself
- Devotional practices
- Mantra to Durgā, or all forms of Feminine Divine
- Yoga for your spine
- Scriptural study – especially Yoga Sūtras, Esoteric study, Shaktism
- Oiling the body & hydrating with pure water
- Reflection, Inquiry, spiritual growth in general
- Cultivate your yogic samskāras [your yogic karma]
There are some astrological blessings right now – Sun in Gemini brings a lightness and levity and forward motion. Jupiter is in its first year of a 12 year cycle and is inviting you to move into the next phase of your life’s journey.
Contemplate your purpose, now, and moment to moment, and make small steps forward each day.
So do invoke SOME forward movement. This is a time when being too idle gives fodder to phobia. Be “a little too busy to worry”.
Love,
Kaya
My teachings are always planned to support you through the astrological “weather”… the offerings below center on the influences of this time [in addition, if you have done Navarātri Initiation with me, you have an invitation in your inbox to deepen with me this week].
Sacred Scriptural Study
Immerse in Yoga's Purpose & Practice
Nectar of Patanjali
Online August 2023
A rare opportunity to delve into the truth of the Yoga Sūtras in ways that touch your heart deeply, speak to your personally and impact your practice & life directly. Kaya extracts esoteric and transformational nectar from key sūtras. This revelatory program offers the true meaning, purpose and potential of yoga through storytelling, recitation, experiential practice and mind-blowing revelatory transmission of the true meanings of the sūtras like you’ve never heard before.
Originally taught as an intensive, this round is 5 days of self paced & live teachings spread out over a month so you can gently integrate the depths into your householder life.
Supreme Spinal Release
Hṛd
Lotus Within: Aligning Head & Heart
Hṛd means both heart & mind in multiple vedic scriptures. In this series, you’ll work therapeutically, gently, blissfully work with the physical, subtle and mystical spine. Discover how to truly align your tailbone, head & heart and coax your mind to ease-fully settle into it’s throne: the lotus of the heart. This series calms. clarifies and awakens a meditative and intuitive mind that is soaked in the nectar of the heart.
Practices taught live on Tuesdays at 10am, recorded for you to practice daily! Live attendance is nice but optional.