ASTRO BUTTERFLY NOTES 2

 On December 24th, 2025, Jupiter is square Saturn.

Everyone gets excited about Pluto in Aquarius, Mercury retrograde, Chiron, or other headline-making transits.

Astrological events like Jupiter square Saturn often get overlooked, or don’t get the attention they deserve.

Yet, a square between the 2 largest planets in our solar system is incredibly important. We are talking about a clash between the 2 planets that shape the very structure of our lives!

Jupiter is now at 14° Gemini, Saturn is at 14° Pisces. At the time of the square, Mercury is at 11° Sagittarius, T-squaring the 2, rewiring our brain to think beyond limitations and integrate opposing perspectives.

Jupiter Vs Saturn

Let’s talk a bit about Jupiter and Saturn to get a better understanding of how the tension between these 2 might play out.

We first meet Jupiter at the age of 12, when we experience our Jupiter return. This is the time when a whole world of possibilities opens up. From the age of 12 to 27 (leading up to our Saturn return), we are in our Jupiter phase – optimistic, invincible, believing we can do everything. The world is our oyster.

However, when reality hits – hello, Saturn return, hello, late 20s – , we eventually discover that the freedom to do everything means we don’t accomplish anything. Saturn steps in to show us what is realistically possible, given our skills, circumstances, and the finite time we have.

Chances are we’d all become famous authors, world-class athletes, or millionaires – if only we had unlimited time to learn how to get there. But we don’t.

There’s a sobering clarity that comes with the realization that we are mortal and that we have to prioritize how we spend our energy.

Saturn is our reality check. It tests what’s feasible. This is when we stop scattering our energy and choose one path to focus on.

Important: Saturn is not here to clip our wings, or crush our dreams. In fact, some people achieve greater success under Saturn’s discipline than they ever imagined during their freewheeling Jupiter phase.

Saturn doesn’t block our Jupiterian goals; it provides the structure and focus needed to achieve them. To reach our Jupiter goals, we need to embrace Saturn’s wisdom and play by its rules.

Jupiter Square Saturn – Opening Square

Jupiter and Saturn, like all the planets in our solar system, move through cycles. A Jupiter-Saturn square is not just a square. A Jupiter-Saturn trine is not just a trine. They are milestones in a larger journey.

When we view aspects in the context of cycles, we uncover layers of meaning that we wouldn’t see otherwise. Each aspect is part of a broader, unfolding story that starts with the conjunction.

Jupiter-Saturn cycles last approximately 20 years. The current cycle began in 2020 with the famous Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at 0° Aquarius.

4 years into the cycle, we arrive at the 1st Jupiter-Saturn square.

This phase, called a “crisis in action,” is pivotal. The opportunities seeded at the conjunction are still alive, but adjustments are needed. It’s a time for massive action, so that by the “Full Moon” phase of the cycle – at the Jupiter-Saturn opposition – we are ready to reap the rewards.

This square is a turning point. We know growth is possible, and opportunities are available, but critical questions start to arise:

• Which opportunities should I focus on?
• What key actions should I take to move toward my vision?
• This is also when reality hits: am I willing to invest the time, effort, and take the risks to get there?

Jupiter Square Saturn – Growing Pains

Growing pains is a term used to describe the discomfort adolescents experience as their bodies stretch and grow rapidly, while their physical limitations struggle to keep up.

Similarly, at the opening square, the expansive energy of Jupiter (growth, vision) collides with the grounding energy of Saturn (structure, discipline).

Initially this clash is met with frustration: “I’ve put in so much effort – why isn’t this working?”

There’s a strong urge to get the wheels moving, and we may double down on strategies that aren’t bringing the results we expected, despite the signs urging us to pause and reassess.

This is the stage where the ideals and ambitions born during the conjunction meet the hard realities of limits, rules, and external demands.

Jupiter is retrograde. This is a time to test our initial vision:

Which parts of your vision are viable, and which need to be adjusted?

Growing pains happen when we try to expand too quickly, when we’re too eager to move to the next level but lack the necessary tools or foundation.

To emerge from its cocoon, a butterfly needs to push against the resistance, strengthening its wings in the process, so it can fly. Without the push, it will not grow wings. No pain, no growth.

This phase of the Jupiter-Saturn cycle is not about abandoning your vision – it’s about adjusting it to fit within the frameworks and expectations of the external world.

It’s not about ‘downsizing’ your goals – it’s about taking strategic, critical action to make them achievable and sustainable.

The opening square is a key developmental stage in the cycle. Without this phase, growth would remain idealistic and ungrounded.

Jupiter Square Saturn – Resistance Vs. Adjustment

When we navigate the Jupiter-Saturn square, we want to be mindful of the inevitable resistance that arises when expansion meets limitations.

What stops you from moving to the ‘next level’ whatever that may be for you?

• Perhaps it’s a lack of belief in your vision: “This might not work”
• Perhaps it’s resistance to putting in the work: “This is too hard”
• Or maybe it’s the fear of being ‘wrong’. Jupiter loves being right. Try changing someone’s religious or political views (both ruled by Jupiter). Good luck with that.

Yet, Jupiter is squared. An adjustment is required. If we want to move forward, we have to adjust our world view. We have to question our beliefs.

This is not about a complete 180-degree shift. It’s about recognizing where our belief system might be too rigid or unrealistic.

It’s one thing to have faith in your leader, partner, or favorite public figure. But blind faith – thinking “my leader is always right,” “my partner is perfect,” or “I share 100% of [insert favorite figure]’s beliefs” – is where problems arise.

A squared Jupiter is when we turn against people we used to follow blindly: “X or Y disappointed me.” This is when we take them off the pedestal we ourselves put them on, from a Jupiterian need for one ultimate truth.
However, the Jupiter square Saturn adjustments are not about giving up on your beliefs.

Maybe your leader is still doing a good job overall, despite a few missteps. Your partner is not perfect, but they’re still the best partner for you. Your favorite public figure is still inspiring, but not everything they say applies to your life.

Jupiter Square Saturn – Something Needs To Change

Jupiter and Saturn are the 2 largest planets in our solar system. In astrology, they represent the structure and foundations of our life. When the 2 square each other, change becomes inevitable.

The square is the most dynamic aspect in astrology. The square is pretty much the definition of change.

At the Jupiter-Saturn square, something needs to change.

What is it?

Be honest with yourself.

Chances are, you already have an inkling. Perhaps it’s hard to put into words, or you’re still trying to make sense of it.

Don’t rush this awareness. Jupiter is retrograde, and Saturn is still picking up on speed. You don’t have to do anything bold just yet.

However, you do need to start tuning in. Ignoring the call for change can reduce that Jupiter potential to missed opportunities. Acknowledging it allows it to grow into what it was meant to become.

Change is uncomfortable. Change requires patience. Change is a vital part of building something lasting and meaningful.

ASTRO BUTTERFLY NOTES

On December 15th, 2024, we have a Full Moon at 23° Gemini.

The Full Moon in Gemini highlights the dynamic interplay of the Gemini-Sagittarius axis.

The Sun is in Sagittarius, and the Moon is in Gemini. The Sun and the Moon are at cross purposes, yet within this tension lies the potential for a new, higher perspective or understanding.

What is Sagittarius? What we believe in. Our ‘truth’. The framework of meaning. What makes sense to us.

What is Gemini? The actual, ever-changing reality. The facts. What we actually do.

At the Full Moon in Gemini, our beliefs may come into conflict with the actual facts or experiences around us, challenging us to reconcile the gap between truth and reality.

Full Moon In Gemini - Cognitive Dissonance

One term that captures the essence of the Gemini-Sagittarius axis is cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological concept describing the mental discomfort or tension that arises when a person holds 2 or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes simultaneously, or when their actions conflict with their beliefs.

We believe one thing (Sagittarius) and do another (Gemini).

For example, we believe junk food is bad, yet we indulge in it. Cognitive dissonance is not the same as lying. With cognitive dissonance, the struggle is real. The belief is real - it’s wholeheartedly felt. The behavior is real too.

And the contradiction creates conflict, which the person tries to reconcile.

This process eventually leads to a resolution. The discomfort pushes us to make a choice. This may result in a change of beliefs - “Maybe junk food isn’t that bad if I only eat it occasionally” - and/or a change in behavior - “I will start eating healthier.”

Every Full Moon in Gemini - and we have one every year - is an opportunity to renegotiate these internal contradictions so we can align more authentically with our truth and actions.

Full Moon In Gemini - The Aspects

The Full Moon is square Neptune in Pisces. If the cognitive dissonance inherent in the Gemini-Sagittarius axis wasn’t enough, Neptune adds a dose of extra fog - aka confusion, aka endless possibilities - to the mix.

The ruler of the Full Moon, Mercury, is in Sagittarius and about to turn direct. A shift in clarity is just around the corner - but we’re not there yet.

The Full Moon is also loosely conjunct Jupiter (a separating aspect), infusing us with a sense of optimism, faith, and possibility.

The result? Unexpected turns of events may leave you feeling both excited and confused, making you second-guess your choices.

This combination of conflicting energies creates an atmosphere where clarity feels just out of reach, and every option seems both promising and uncertain.

• Are things really as they seem?
• Should I pursue this opportunity?
• What’s best for me?
• What if I’m fooling myself and I’ll regret later? What if I don’t?

Full Moon In Gemini - 7 Of Cups

The Full Moon in Gemini reminds us of the 7 of Cups Tarot card, where a person stands before various cups floating on a cloud. Each cup holds a different item - like a dragon, jewels, a snake, or a castle.

The person reaches out, but without clear focus or direction. The card emanates a sense of confusion, yet also boundless possibilities.

The 7 of Cups is a "bridge" between the material and spiritual realms.

The 6 of Cups (harmony, nostalgia) is the comfort of the past, while the 8 of Cups (leaving behind unfulfilling situations) is the decisive action after achieving emotional clarity.

The 7 of Cups sits in between: it is the moment of exploration, confusion, and overwhelm before clarity or resolution can be achieved.

Similarly, the abundance of options presented by the Full Moon in Gemini can lead to analysis paralysis.

The root cause of this paralysis? Fear of making the wrong choice.

This fear - the fear of ‘reality’ and its consequences - often leads to escapism (Neptune).

Astrologically, the natural order of planets offers a framework to understand this process.

Saturn is the planet of hard work, discipline, and accountability. Once we’ve done the hard work (Saturn), we find freedom and clarity (symbolized by the following planet, Uranus).

However, when we get stuck in this phase - when we feel overwhelmed by responsibility - we skip Saturn's lesson and escape directly to Neptune, searching for a magical or unconscious way out, projecting our desires onto fantasies rather than grounding them in reality.

The narrative often goes something like this:

“This is so hard; I don’t have the resources, bandwidth, time, or energy to deal with it. What if there was a magical solution?”

The dream job, the knight on the white horse, the magic supplement that will fix all my health issues - the 'shiny object' - are not necessarily expressions of Neptune’s illusion or delusion, but rather of our escapism from Saturn’s hard work.

Understanding this dynamic can help us discern between our projected desires and the actual possibilities Neptune has in store for us.

Full Moon In Gemini - Even Better Than The Real Thing

“Even better than the real thing” - a phrase popularized by U2’s song in the early 90s - is a great way to describe the mysteries and possibilities of Neptune.

It suggests that there is such a thing as a ‘real thing,’ and that whatever is deemed ‘even better than the real thing’ might not be real at all - at least by material, 3D standards.

And yet, it is ‘better.’

This means that what we call illusion or fantasy is not inherently bad - just because it doesn’t have a tangible form, or just because it doesn’t meet Saturnian standards of reality.

We often dismiss it (because it doesn’t fit in our current reality). We make fun of it (because we can’t make full sense of it). We call it foolish (because it frightens us with its lack of logic).

Yet, the possibilities that Neptune offers are real (pun indeed).

Perhaps you applied for a job and you got a rejection. You feel deflated and don’t answer your phone. Perhaps your partner is late again, and you’re too frustrated to notice the billboard you pass by on your way home.

However, Neptune reminds us that there’s always a higher plan.

If we believe in this higher intelligence - if we trust the unfolding process - then we can perhaps look at these changes of plans, these interruptions, not as inconveniences - but as the universe's gentle nudges to pursue something different, something that is more aligned with our higher purpose.

At the Full Moon in Gemini, answer your phone. Read that advertisement on the billboard. Pay attention to the small, seemingly irrelevant details that might initially feel like they’re disrupting your plans. Let serendipity in. Allow the magic of possibility to enter your life.

These Full Moon in Gemini options can be the “shiny object syndrome” OR real opportunities - ones that may not initially look like what you thought you wanted but turn out to be exactly what you needed to move forward.

The Full Moon in Gemini is an invitation to reconsider your options and explore new perspectives. Sometimes, what seems like an illusion can be even better than the real thing.

Awakening on Dashami of Ashad month

Today under the grace of Swati nakshatra another awakening occured.

Quite in the middle of my breakfast cooking the energy in awareness revealed a previous birth - suggested in another past life session. 

I was lying down. As a thin bodied sadhu doing austerities in a cave. I lay down and died. Remained there. THen after some time I dreamed again. 

I dreamt that I was born as Harish and lived the life of Harish. And then suddenly I woke up to this life as a dream. I realised that deaths and lives are like newer dreams. 

Suddenly I realised that this is like waking up in the morning - just before waking up one I can sense that I am awake but dreaming. i clung hard to the dreamer. 

But now everything genuinely is like a dream and I dont want to die again.  

INSIGHTS 2 - ON VIEW

The Energy in the field of awareness expressed itself to be manifested as a jotting down of Insights

This is an exploration on VIEWS. Like all Expressions, this has validity only for the moment and is subject to the Limitations of the View of the Expression.

View is the unique experience of aliveness or the unique interpretation and expression of the vivid display as perceived by each of us.

First insight is that all Views are equal. No View is superior on inferior to any other. Each View is Appropriate to their unique expression of life. The View and Expression of Life are the same thing as seen in different states or described in different definitions by different Views.

View no only includes perceptions and experiences but also actions. Thus the View of a Hedonist is not inferior to the View of a Sage. Therefore it is said in the Bhagavad Gita - Do not Disturb people who are in sleep. Or as Christ said - Do not cast pearls to Swine. It was not meant in any derogatory manner. It was to prevent violence on another View. Each View thinks their Views is superior and rightly so because it is after all an Expression of their own View.


While each View is Unique, at their source is a Commonality - that of a Pristine, Continuous Awareness that is the base, foundation or ground or stage for all expressions or Views. One way to get a  sense of this is ..if we were for a second, "switch off" Awareness...even nothing will not be experienced.
The View that is currently experienced is that this stage is that the Stage and its Views/Expressions are not two separate but that the expressions emerge from the Stage itself as expressions or displays of the Stage itself. Thus the most used analogy of Waves and the Ocean.

How can we inquire into the nature of these Views ? What determines what appears in the View at any point of time? It must be nature of the state of the View at any point. And what determines the nature of the State? If we go by the dictum of As Above so Below then we could say that when we see the Cosmology outside that projects the Psychology it appears that the planetary positions, the influences of distant stars and further their influence on the people and situations around us - elegantly described in astrology - all these in their elegant dance impact their influence each moment.
And we understand from astrology that the planetary configuration at the time of birth calibrates these influences to begin with.
This thus partially answers the question - Why do all of us have such unique views.

This brings us to the second aspect of the perceptions changing each moment.

While the Pristine Awareness is unmoving then what changes. The insight is the it is the View that changes. This View changes because this View is the function of two aspects

(a) The starting point of the View is the planetary position at the time of birth.
(b) Then as Gurdjieff says the Ascending and Descending Octaves comes into play.
They seem to follow a specific law and all proceeds perfectly.

How do they proceed ?

The Insight is that the two primary impulses of the Pristine Awareness seems to be the following :

(a) Love, Compassion - that results in the expression of manifestation.
(b) Rest - Tired of manifestations and resultant suffering.

So when manifestation proceeds of out love, the View is that attribute. And it is constantly proceeding outward away from Source. Thus the Views change with the movement of its coming forth and the energy of manifesation.
The opposite in case of proceeding towards Rest.

However it now appears that eventually the journey is towards Rest. Even the hedonist pursuing wealth and desires eventually want rest by quenching this energy that is propelling him/her. And find rest. Lovemaking is an example of how the eventual rest comes from the orgasmic release of the energy. The experience of orgasm also gives food and nourishment to that which experiences it. But like the Law of Marginal utility after a while there is saturation and "not as much niceness of experience" from repeated consumption. Paralelly the "non-permanence of this rest" then changes the direction of the energies appearing in the View to find something that can give permanent rest. The View then displays energies that lead in the direction of the Ascending Octave.

We see a characteristic of the View of the Descending Octave is that of 'identification' - caused by the strength of the manifesting energies as compared to the vitality of the View as per its lawful calibration.
Again when the View now brings energies into its field which would be now classified as Ascending Octave, the identification continues and the person starts calling himself/herself as a seeker or spiritual aspirant. All energies that are lawfully (and with compassion) brought into the View are seen by the seeker as his/her own efforts. But these "efforts" then starts slowly expanding the span of the View - largely executing the energy of sacrifice of impressions collected during the manifesting phase of the Descending octave - described in Hindu and Buddhist traditions as Karma.

For most in the Ascending Octave - moving towards rest it is mixed with sometimes the View having display of energies that carry impulse of manifestation and sometimes towards Rest. This is why even practices carry the impulse of Manifestation and Intent even though the intent is Rest.

At some point the View expands enough that the View is also experienced as being self-evident requiring no form or description, along with the View of the play of all energies in it.



But each impulse and display in the View is a lawful and intelligent manifestation of the Pristine Ground and therefore all sacred. Each much be thus allowed to flower freely. Depending on the state of the View sometimes there are conflicting energies - but if no intent is applied, the energies resolves it by themselves and proceeds. That is always the sacred outcome.  And when sacred outcomes are allowed the View becomes more intelligent, wider and truer. But this is a function of Grace. It is not a technique. This is the biggest gift and freedom View - freedom from effort. A huge burden is lifted.

This is what Kabir was alluding to possibly in his poem

Bhala hua mori gagari phooti, Mein paniya bharana se chhooti re, Mere sar se tali balaa

What relief now that

The pot is shattered

I am free finally

From the  labour

Of daily  filling water in it. 

Thus search has no process or technique but allowing energies to manifest freely, when  this View is offered by Grace.
But this is not any superior to the View of the Seeker which requires intent, process, technique and effort. At the right time the View will change with saturation and the same law that applied to the hedonist.

So eventually may Grace bless us with its glance.c Acknowledging with gratitude the Views of all teachers but especially the Views of  Gurdjieff and Longchenpa.

This is the View that is flowing now. May the View expand at its own Will. May the View encompass all the proclamations of sages - that everything is Light. Just as water becomes solid, Light is Viewed as solid objects in this View.

INSIGHTS 1

I respond to the arrival of an energy that wishes for me to transcribe my understanding.

I write from a ground of transition. Neither fully established in the primordial awareness nor fully lost in identification.

There is an early stage of flowering - called budding. Here the experience of continuous awareness is experienced without effort and spontaneously as if by magic. All experiences are understood as a modification in the fabric of this continuous awareness. It is called continuous awareness not in relation to "breaks" - but that it is unmoving yet flowing. Fresh always. Always in pristine condition. Always present in all experiences.

Even moments of identification with any experience is known - because it was experienced as a modification in the fabric of awareness - the only difference being that, during the experience, the presence of the Awareness was not additionally experienced.

All such identified modifications seem to be a function of the yet-unpurified consciousness. Unpurified consciousness  from the unique perception of this 'being'  experiencing awareness only - of the Purified Consciousness . Un purified because of the karmic material gathered during the time of the being's movement from the pristine consciousness as an expression of the love of the Absolute, in the descending octave, enjoying the organic joy of creative manifestation so much so that its sense of identity and aliveness was expressed in experiencing the creative manifestation.

Now on its journey back to the Pristine Awareness, because of the realisation of the transient nature of  the joys of experiencing creative manifestation and further experiencing suffering as a result of such transience, it carries impressions that expresses itself as "ripples" in the quiet pool of Pristine Awareness. They rise up, following a deeply intelligent algorithm, apparently spontaneously, at the right time, to be cleansed and removed if observed in the clear light of Pristine Awareness. The clarity of such witnessing is also as per a natural and intelligent algorithm as it arises at that moment - there is no need for preconceived intent for attaining purity. Intentions interfere with the free flow because the foundation of all intents are concepts which are, like everything else seen in the flow of Consciousness, transient. Visible yet un-real. Un-real understood from a sense of having an independent existence.
Thus each moment there is a constant cleansing of perception with the marvelous display of appearances. Unlike the Dzogchen or similar schools, appearances are not dismissed as unreal. Each appearance always is an expression of this magnificent pristine awareness. How else would the Pristine Awareness be able to experience itself without such a display.

How does then identification happen sometimes with the display and sometimes not happen?

The depth of perception is a function of the virbation/level of consciousness of the being. THe being itself can be defined as the limits of perception, de-personalised.
When a modification in the fabric of consciousness is such that the perception manifested from that modification (caused from past impressions) results in an energy experience that has crosses a certain threshold relative to the being that is receiving the energy through the experiencing of the perception, then it temporarily causes the identification. Yet as it known and experienced in and by pristine awareness, its "energy" keeps reducing lawfully till it reaches the threshold at which it can "seen" and thus consumed This consumption, clears up a certain potion of that karmic material that resulted in the experience. Thus Pristine Awareness keeps cleansing the perceptions of the unique being experiencing pristine awareness from its own unique personal experiencing.

Thus no impression or experience is dismissed as un-real. They are embraced as carriers of energy and vibrations that assist in a continuous cleansing of perceptions so that Pristine Awareness can be experienced with as much integrity within the span of the ever expanding limits of bring.

Even the experience of the body as a solid object  , or the appearances that seem real, inlcuding light and sound, are all vibrations whose energies are "stronger" as compared to the energy of perception. And thus gradually as the perceptions are cleansed, they may appear un-real and without substance, as the sages speak of.

UNDERSTANDING IDENTIFICATION AND SACRIFICE IN A CREATIVE ENTERPRISE

This is for me to record my observations on the inputs and feedback after a creative process.  Especially when it has been written with much intensity.

The wish is now that it is written how can it be let go and see as an independant object without any identification.
So have written something. Will update on the responses that come from inside through feedback.

DAY AFTER DEATH - MONDAY 8TH MAY 2020

Today is the morning after the death experience induced by Full Moon in Scorpio a fresh perspective emerged.

Today I feel the lightness of being and a joyful allowing of  the play of various energies in the field. Allowing the energies to express themselves once they agree among themselves. The sense of the being is back to a free flow. This allows allowed a space of reflection about yesterday that again arose spontaneously - possibly to complete the octave.

Firstly the experience of the death-fear was the arrival of an energy stronger than the energy of my being.  It appears that the conscious engagement of it in the manner it was approached yesterday was part of the evolutionary process. It now can be seen as the ULTIMATE ENERGY that can be generated by the MIND.  The Compassion of the Cosmos is thus giving me that same energy in DOSES that I can digest. The first time this happened, the mind got freed from the limitations of the personality and directed connected with the large ocean.

This time I feel that it showed the path to death. Firstly that this "fear of death" is different from Death itself. This Fear-of-Death is experienced an expression of the grossness of Consciousness that forms the last note in the Octave of identified life. Once this fear is sublimated, Death will just arrive and the Being will naturally experience the  change in the Octave but with NO FEAR OR CLINGING. Yesterday's expression (being reproduced below - is an example of CLINGING)

This was also re-iterated in a call today morning when my retainership was terminated but it felt like a normal organic happening with no fear or anxiety attached. My Corporate life was beset with this anxiety especially as you go higher the more the possibilities.

Death is like that - you go through mini-deaths, organically arranged by the Cosmic algorithms and then this energy will never rise up after a point.

I think of Ramana and wonder what a being he must have had to sublimate such a large dose of the Death experience. And yet he did not know he had a being like that. What a mystery.