Dispelling Ignorance with July’s Full Moon in Purva Ashadha + Guru Purnima
This Full Moon marks Guru Purnima a time where we honour our spiritual teachers and the Guru (which translates to dispeller of ignorance) that lives within as the pure light of conscious awareness.
When: 11th of July 8:36am (NZ), 6:36am (AEST), 6:06 (ACEST), 4:36am (AWST/CST), 2:06am (IST) + 10th of July at 10:36pm (CEST), 9:36pm (BST), 4:36pm (EDT), 2:36pm (MDT) + 1:36pm (PDT). Note: Guru Purnima starts in the 24.5 hour lead up to the Full Moons peak (which is marked above).
FULL MOON MARKS GURU PURNIMA
In Sanatana Dharma (also referred to as Hinduism or Vedic Philosophy), the Full Moon day in the Ashadha Month (22nd of June – 22nd of July) is a Moon where we are called to worship and celebrate our teachers and Gurus. Although their consciousness lives within us (as the soul or spirit) this is a day where we can honour them in the form they have assumed outside of us. This is known as ‘Guru Purnima’ or the dispeller of ignorance’s (Guru) Full Moon (Purnima).
It will start 24.5 hours before the Full Moon reaches its peak on Thursday (the 10th) which is ruled by the Guru of the Navagraha (planets) – Jupiter. There is incredible auspiciousness to this occurrence and you might be able to feel this as a sense of your inner light growing brighter, an ability to see the ignorance of the mind + it’s never-ending stream of thoughts or even the ability to start to see the dream you live within. Finding a little more lightness or sense of liberation that beckons from within.
THE GURU ISN’T AN ENLIGHTENED BEING OR SAINT INDIA
This is a day to consider the teachers in your life who have blazed a path for you to walk (like a ‘Sat Guru’ someone who quite literally is the ‘way’), but also the people who are your ‘Upa Guru’s’ – perhaps the most important teachers in our lives. These are the people (and experiences) that trigger us, that wake us up, and these tend to be souls we consider our enemies because every time we’re around them they bring up what we have tried to supress or truly show us (in our reactions) where we need to work.
To quote a ‘Sat Guru’ Byron Katie (though I don’t think she would ever call herself that): ‘If you want a friend, get yourself an enemy’. Why? Because an enemy (a type of Upa Guru) will show you exactly where you are, they will humble you, and they will bring up the ‘stuff’ that is keeping you from know you are already ‘that’ (aka the Divine).
In our own ignorance we can get stuck in the idea that there is someone outside of us that is going to ‘save us’, or that a ‘Guru’ is some kind, wise, old figure that will fill us with peace + give us liberation but in truth this can never be. Everything outside is a reflection of what is within, and the role of any external Guru is to call us back within to where this light truly resides – and they will do whatever it takes to get us there. So use this day to bless those who have triggered you, who have appeared as both Sat or Upa Gurus, as everything you bless then blesses you in return. To quote Ramana Maharshi (another Sat Guru who never refered to himself as such):
The Guru is both ‘external’ and ‘internal’. From the ‘exterior’ he gives a push to the mind to turn inward; from the ‘interior’ He pulls the mind towards the Self and helps in the quieting of the mind. That is guru kripa (grace). There is no difference between God, Guru and the Self.
REMOVING THE HUSK OF THE EGO
Astronomical Placement of the Full Moon in the Bow of Sagittarius
This Full Moon falls in a part of Sagittarius (at 24’37) which makes up the ‘bow’ of the archer. This is known as ‘Purva Ashadha’ Lunar Mansion, which literally translates to ‘that which cannot be supressed’. This part of Sagittarius is often described as looking like a ‘winnowing basket’ which is used to remove the husk from the corn.
As such this is a Moon whose light is calling forth what lies within you that can no longer sit dormant (and this will also be felt in the collective – pay attention to the releasing of information that can no longer stay secret). This Lunar Cycle which started with the Purva Ashadha New Moon on the 11-12th of January, 2024 has been one where you have been slowly shedding and stripping away the ‘husk’ of the ego. That can manifest as dropping old thoughts which had you repressing your true talent, your creative abilities or the energy of your true nature.
As this Moon peaks it can feel like something within has shifted, and the resistance to your true, authentic expressive is no longer there. This is also a placement where you can find that you start to understand the greater meaning of your incarnation. It can bless you with higher wisdom, access to greater inner intelligence and a deep knowing that can being peace + understanding.
AND WHAT HAS BEEN POLLUTING THE MIND
Purva Ashadha Nakshatra (the ‘bow’ of the Sagittarius constellation) is a place in the sky ruled by the elemental Deity Apas (which means water). As such it feels like a call to remove what has been polluting the purity of the mind, and by extension the home or the energy that surrounds you (including people). This can be a Full Moon where there is a call to cleanse your environment – physically that can look like having a big clean out, and psychologically that can feel like letting go of old thoughts that don’t serve you or limit your expression.
This is a Full Moon where there can be a great draw to spend time in nature, in silence or with a teacher (as a persona, book or animal) to help you reconnect to your sense of flow. Although Sagittarius is a sign of optimism and higher thinking, the part of Purva Ashadha that this Moon occurs in can stir up old emotions, and debris from the past that you haven’t been able to reconcile over the last 18 months. This can feel like energy you’ve been trying to avoid or detach from no longer being able to be held back – and it can show up as emotion, tears, or overthinking. What this Moon calls for, if you experience this, is discipline. Consider what practice can help you slow the mind down – meditation, mindful movement, mantra or self-enquiry. A practice that can be a bridge between the mind and the divine.
If you want to learn more about the astrology + it’s personal impact on your chart. See the Ritual + Reading
THIS IS A BIG MOON FOR THESE SIGNS….
If you have Sidereal placements in Sagittarius, Gemini, Pisces or Virgo this can be a significant Moon for you and can even represent a sense of breakthrough in your life. It can bring forth a new talent, a creative gift or simply a call to be true to your self.
Added to that that if your in your Jupiter or Venus MahaDasha (or even if you’re in a Jupiter-Venus or Venus-Jupiter Antardasha) this Full Moon can mark a peak in helping you understand what this time period is all about - what is it’s wisdom for you? You can find there is a call to teach others, to study or to simply step into a new spiritual understanding of your path. If you want to know more about your chart (or what Mahadasha you are in) check out 1:1 Readings.
RECEIVE A PERSONAL WRITTEN READING FOR THIS SAGITTARIUS FULL MOON
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