The Serene Swan Blog

When you listen closely to the sound of the breath during meditation, you may notice the syllables ‘Hum’ and ‘Sa’ as the natural inhaled and exhaled breath sounds.

At the beginning of the New Year, as with all new beginnings, I bring to mind this beautiful Sanskrit chant for peace and well-being, from the Vedic texts.

The solar eclipse that occurs today, December 14, 2020, is one of two eclipses during this year that have closely aligned with the summer and winter solstices.

The Moon in Vedic Astrology is representative of the mind or the ‘manomaya kosha’, one of the five sheaths or layers of Being.

During the sacred days of Navaraatri – the nine nights of Goddess worship observed in the Vedic & Yogic traditions – the Divine Mother is worshipped in different forms.

During the sacred days of Navaraatri – the nine nights of Goddess worship observed in the Vedic & Yogic traditions – the Divine Mother is worshipped in different forms.

Over the next eighteen months, Ketu, the south node of the Moon, transits the zodiac sign of Scorpio.

In Chapter four of the Bhagavad Gita, Shri Krishna speaks to Arjuna about the origins of Yoga.

We live our lives unaware of the memories we carry from those who lived before us in a hugely different world, and from whom we inherit the subtlest of traits.

In Vedic Astrology, Mars is often associated with Lord Hanuman – great devotee of Sri Rama. The warrior energy of Mars or ‘Mangal’ is commonly experienced by us as the emotion of anger.

The Full Moon in ‘Shraavana’ is a day of festivity, worship and the honouring of many bonds of relationship in this life. It is also celebrated as ‘Raksha Bandhan’.

The Gayatri Mantra is one of the most ancient and revered Mantras that is taught within the Vedic and Yoga traditions. It originates in the Rig Veda, and is a powerful spiritual tool for accessing wisdom and higher levels of intelligence.

Over the past few months, we have been witnessing the transit of Jupiter – Great Teacher – between its own sign Sagittarius and its place of debilitation in Capricorn.

In Vedic Astrology, the planet Venus (Shukra) is often associated with the deity Goddess Lakshmi. The word ‘Lakshmi’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Laksha’, which means to perceive, it also means ‘aim’ or ‘goal’.

Guru Poornima is the day honouring the wisdom of the Guru. In the Vedic tradition, the Full Moon in the month of July is dedicated to the Guru, the Teacher – one who dispels ignorance and lights the lamp of wisdom within the awareness of the disciple.

The time around a full moon is especially important from an astrological view. The Moon rules over our mind and emotions, and the brightening of the moon is seen as an opportunity to enliven qualities of grace and beauty.

Up in the night sky, for a few nights in a row now, Jupiter and Saturn have been visible in close conjunction with the Moon. Tonight when you look up at the Moon, you might just see two twinkling ‘star-like’ lights just above and to the left of the Moon.