Friday, May 04, 2012

Celestial Events Promise Excitement

Saturday, 5 May 2012 at 11:35 EDT in the United States will witness this year's "supermoon," coinciding with a full moon, and if you have never witnessed one, now is a chance you won't want to miss. This is the moon's perigee -- its nearest distance to Jambudvipa -- happening this year on Vesak! To make matters more interesting, this will happen while the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower (remnants of Halley's Comet) is hitting its peak.

Next, coming up on 20 May 2012, a major astrological event unseen for 26,000 years: the Sun and Moon ( New Moon) will be precisely conjunct with the important Central Star of the Pleiades, in the constellation Taurus, in the midst of the first annular eclipse visible in the 'States in almost eighteen years. More precisely, the Sun and Moon will be within 5 degrees from Ketu, the Southern or descending node in the sidereal zodiac sign Taurus. Get out the cat's-eye chrysoberyl talisman! During this solar eclipse, the effects of positive and/or negative actions will be multiplied 10,000 times, so really -- pull out all the stops.

This event ushers in Saga Dawa, on 21 May 2012.

The solar eclipse will be followed by a lunar eclipse on 4 June 2012 -- which, this year, coincides with Saga Dawa Duchen, when the effects of positive and/or negative actions are multiplied ten million times (with an extra 1,000 multiplier owing to the eclipse). The mid-year solstice falls on 20 June 2012 -- the first day of the fifth Tibetan month. 

This one month period from 20 May to 20 June will be remarkable in several respects, not the least of which will occur on 5 or 6 June (depending on time zone), when the planet Venus will glide across the sun in a rare celestial event that won’t happen again until 2117.

As we all understand, this is a Dragon Year, and all sorts of predictions have been made. If you like, you can think of the events noted above as the "trigger" of this year's energies.

If there was ever a time when you wanted to devote extra attention to practice, now is most definitely the door. We can use the coming days to lay in stocks of barley flour for tormas, incense, oil for the lamps (or candles), new prayer flags, and we can ready supplies to repair stupas, make flower offerings, and so forth. I also want to suggest sponsoring prayers at your temple, live releases, and making gifts to teachers and ordained.

Beyond all of this, we can settle down with our best practice text, and all commentaries if need be, and really perform for the benefit of all sentient beings.

May it be joyous! 

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1 reader comments:

Jin B. said...

That's a happy coincidence: I just bought another little resin Buddha in Chinatown six hours before I read this.