Full Moon in Purva Bhadrapada

by James Kelleher September 12, 2019

There will be a Full Moon on Friday the 13th at 9:33pm, PDT, in Purva Bhadrapada nakshatra. Purva Bhadrapada is symbolized by the legs of a funeral cot. In a previous post, I spoke about the last New Moon that took place in Magha nakshatra. I said that Magha's deity is the ancestors, and its shakti is the power to leave the body. I said that the Magha New Moon, on August 30th, was the beginning of a one month period that is connected with the ancestors and the end of life. The Full Moon on the September 13th brings the fruition of that energy. Each lunar cycle begins with the New Moon, when the Moon begins to wax (increase its light), expressing the theme set by the New Moon nakshatra. This theme develops and peaks at the Full Moon, when it's light overflows. Finally, it ends at Amavasya, the last dark day of the Moon.

September 13th, is also the beginning of Pitru Paksha, the period of propitiating the ancestors. This goes from the Full Moon on September 13th to Amavasya, on September 28th. In the previous post I said that this is a good time to tune in and try to harmonize or resolve any dissonant energy connected to your parents, grandparents and lineage in general. However there is another important quality of this period. The Shakti of Purva Bhadrapada is the power to elevate consciousness. It is the realization that "life is temporary" that gives us freedom. When you really understand that your life is going to end, it gives you perspective. For most people, life is just one big distraction. We chase desire after desire in an unending stream of meaningless activity and then a parent dies, or a friend dies, or we are diagnosed with something serious. All of a sudden there is a shock of fear as the mind goes, "Oh my god! My life could end at any time!"

For some people, this type of experience is like a nightmare. All they want to do is to get passed the experience so they can go back to sleep. For others, it is a wake up call, that shocks them out of their dream state, and moves them in the spiritual direction. In any case, you don't have to lose someone or have a brush with death in order to wake up. You can use the reflection on death as a catalyst for this process. Pitru Paksha is one of the best times to simply reflect on the fact that life is temporary, and to increase your introspective process. Now is a time for increasing your spiritual practice, and for experiencing more silence. Probe your mind and find out who you are. Beyond your thoughts, your emotions, and your beliefs, is the pure, unbounded silence of being. Wake up! Everything else is a distraction.