Today we have a powerful full Moon in Capricorn.
We started talking about the effect of the Moon in Capricorn in yesterday’s post.
Additionally, the full Moon in July is, in Hindu tradition, the day of Guru Purnima: a festival to pay respect to and celebrate the many teachers in our lives. It is said that Guru Purnima was the day that saw Shiva become the Adi Guru, or the first Guru.
While Guru’s/teachers don’t directly remove obstacles for us, they do show us the way to remove them ourselves. Following a Guru can help you on your spiritual path, and set you on a sort of ‘fast lane’.
Jyothi and I were in India, in 2003, for the Guru Purnima celebration. We were already married for the law, but I went for an interview with our Guru Sai Gopal Baba and I asked him if he would bless our marriage in a spiritual ceremony. He normally wouldn’t just marry any couple (he runs a temple of Sai and a medical dispensary for the poor, not a wedding chapel in Las Vegas!), but he did accept to marry me to Jyothi. Joshua was with us and Jyothi was 5-months pregnant of Luca, at our second – but most special – wedding that year.
In the last 13 years, whenever we have had any crisis or when I happened to give in to fear or doubt, I remembered that he did believe in us, and he blessed our union. This memory called me back on the path of light, and made me strong when I was getting lost. When nobody else seemed to believe in us, when society was pulling us apart, I knew our Love was the only thing that actually made sense in my whole life. Everything else did not really count, or was not as important.
What Guru’s do is to teach you about your own divinity, your own strength, about compassionately loving yourself and the world around you, about following your heart.
[…] God is not someone who is coming from heaven or who stands like a statue in the temple. Good characteristics are Godly. Bad characteristics are demonic (raakshasa guNa). Whoever performs good deeds, works for the upliftment of the society by serving people and wishes good for the well-being of this world, we refer to such a person as Divine. Similarly, one who performs bad deeds and indulges oneself in causing harm to others is referred to as a demon (raakshasa).
We have both qualities in us. When we develop divine qualities, we become divine and when we develop devilish qualities, we become demons. One might seem to be perfect in outer appearance, but God knows our inner qualities. That is our conscience (Antaraatma). We don’t need to look for God elsewhere. He is within us – in our heart. The Guru helps us to become conscious of this fact. […]
– Sai Gopal Baba, discourse for Guru Purnima 2014
Guru’s and teachers are often people who went through a lot of hard times, experiences and tests; people who have seen that God is everywhere, or at least have understood a little bit more of the puzzle called ‘life’, have grown wiser and they can now share their light with others.
All full Moons represent a culmination or climax, a moment to release energy, start something, go on in full faith. Even more so this time around. Kari Field, vedic astrologer, writes:
[…] In Vedic Astrology, this Full Moon falls in the area of the sky known as Uttara Ashadha, which translates to “complete victory.” Symbolized by an elephant’s tusk, it represents the mighty force of Lord Ganesha, the Hindu elephant god who has the ability to destroy even the most stubborn obstacles. Blessed with the promise of success, this Full Moon would be an auspicious time to start new projects or initiate key actions. […]
On this day of the teachers and of new beginnings, Jyothi is also becoming a teacher, as she is getting her initiation as a Reiki Master. She has been practicing Reiki for over 21 years (first at level I, then at level II) and gained a lot more life experience since her first attunement! She now feels ready to teach others – which is what the ‘Master’ attunement stands for.
Even though she also still gives Reiki sessions, it might be more empowering for clients to learn Reiki themselves and receive an attunement, so that they can be set on the road of finding their own inner truth and heal themselves.
But today’s theme is not just about formally acclaimed Guru’s and Masters. We all have something to teach, big or small, enlightened or mundane. We all have our unique experiences of what we have already done and how we have done it. How did it go, what worked and what didn’t, what struggles did we face and how did we overcome them? What did we learn? How did we find the strength in the rough moments? What beautiful opportunities did life present to us, unexpectedly, when we were just about to give up?
We are all teachers, whether we want it or not, in this life. We come to this world to learn and to teach. How we approach things, what choices we make and the things that we do: all of our behaviors plant seeds in other people who are exposed to us. We can strive to live up to be the best version of ourselves or give in to our lowest tendencies – it is our choice – but this Moon will make it extra clear that all that we do sets an example. The best teachers don’t necessarily have the best seeds or the best soil to work with; they just love to water them regularly. They don’t curse their chore, but flow in it. They don’t expect huge crops, but have faith in the process.
When you learn to love your wounds and your most painful lessons, when the bitter taste goes away, when you stop judging yourself for your mistakes, it is then that your wonderful and unique experiences can finally become stories or artifacts that will teach and inspire others.
* To fully understand how the energy of this period can influence and affect you on a personal level, book a one-on-one card reading or consultation with us.
