Dear Friend,

The past two or three weeks have been somewhat challenging on my end, though I hope they have been gentler with you. There has also been a curious spectacle here in Tamil Nadu, India. The newly elected Chief Minister has officially appointed an astrologer to an advisory role within the government. The news has travelled quickly across social media, drawing all kinds of reactions. Regardless of the noise, I am very pleased as it feels like a meaningful return to an older way, where astrologers once again find a place in the courts of kings. I see it as a modest victory for our tradition.

Enrollment for Batch 3, beginning on June 14, remains open. I expect to close admissions within the next week or two in order to begin the administrative process. If you have been considering a structured study of Indian astrology, this would be an appropriate moment to step in. You can enrol here

If you wish to support the ongoing work on my multi volume book on the Vedic astrological tradition, you may do so here.

Mars in Aries

Mars can be associated with Indra, the king of the gods in the Ṛgvedic tradition. Indra is invoked in the Ṛgveda as the one who removes obstruction, releasing the thunderbolt to strike down the serpent. Indra is praised as Vṛtrahan, the slayer of Vṛtra. Vṛtra represents obstruction, the force that withholds and restrains blocking prosperity. The Ṛgveda speaks of Indra striking the being that held back the waters between the mountains, preventing them from reaching the villages. With that obstruction removed, the waters flow again, restoring order and nourishment to life.

Mars entering Aries, and moreover its current transit through Aśvinī Nakṣatra, reflects a similar quality of “movement”. This indicates agility and speed, a swiftness symbolised by the Aśvin twins, riding with pace and endurance. Their role is not only to heal, but also to initiate, to begin. In my one year diploma course in Jyotiṣa, I spend time with the guṇa of the signs. Aries is tied to the initiation of movement, and this is further echoed by Aśvinī, which carries the same impulse towards beginnings.

If we reflect on the recent past, especially when Mars was with Rāhu, there may have been moments of clouded judgement regarding how and where to direct our energy. Mars in Pisces brings a certain diffusion, a slower unfolding which I would see as a much needed phenomenon. With Mars also conjoining Saturn, there may have been a persistent tension between the urge to move forward quickly and the reality of encountering resistance. In hindsight, some of those delays may have served a purpose.

Mars entering Aries marks a clearer beginning of a new cycle of movement. There is a feeling of renewed momentum which allows for course correction and healing along the way without requiring pause or stillness. It is a time to trust instinct, to move with a degree of faith. As the Sun enters Taurus, light is cast on resources, but also on the need to reorient within the matters of family and finance.

There is something here that reminds me, in a distant way, of a moment from The Lord of the Rings, when the riders of Rohan finally move after long hesitation and gathering uncertainty. Théoden, no longer paralysed by doubt, says, “Forth, and fear no darkness.” The movement itself becomes the turning point. We know that it not because all obstacles have vanished, but because the will to act has returned and that is true embodiment of Mars in Aries. It is an opportunity to begin again after a period that may have felt like inertia, delay, or repeated obstruction. Movement, even imperfect movement, becomes the remedy.

I wish you a steady and meaningful rest of the week.

Love,

Aswin