Spring Newsletter 2024
In this newsletter, we offer seasonal tips for Spring, discuss the upcoming astrological weather, and share recent news and articles!
Spring: Wood Element and Kapha Dosha
Spring will be showing its first buds as the days grow longer, and the sunshine grows closer. After the cold inertia of Winter, Spring beckons us to activity, growth and expansion of our vision and purpose.
In Ayurvedic medicine, kapha manifests in the Spring, pitta is aggravated, and vata is pacified. The kapha qualities of Spring are commonly seen in seasonal allergies. As the ice melts, water begins to flow. In our bodies, cold accumulated through Winter is now beginning to melt, giving us more dampness at this time of year.
In Chinese and Tibetan medicine, Spring is the season of the Wood element, which corresponds to the Liver / Gallbladder. Wood signifies fertility, birth, and growth of all kinds. As color returns to the world, our vision gains clarity, and we see again our purpose in being alive.
Tips for the Spring season:
Use a neti pot to manage seasonal allergies. Use only distilled water and add 1/4 tsp of pure salt to the water. To fully drain all the water, do a headstand. If this is not possible for you at this time, simply bending forward so your head is upside down will allow the water to fully drain from the sinuses.
Do nasya after neti — nasya refers to the practice of lubricating the nasal passages with oil. Reclining on your back, place a couple of drops of oil in each nostril and inhale deeply, resting for few minutes as you allow the oil to moisturize and rebalance your sinuses. On the go, you can simply place a few drops of sesame oil in the palm and applying the oil in your nostrils with a clean finger.
Damp foods such as dairy, wheat, and fatty foods tend to aggravate kapha during Spring. Favor green foods. Eating local and seasonally available produce is a great way to stay in balance!
Spring represents movement after a period of hibernation. Establish an exercise routine in the morning. We recommend qigong or yoga. Go for hikes and find ways to enjoy spending time in nature, such as forest bathing.
Drink boiled water. Boiling water introduces agni into water, making it lighter and easier to absorb. Boiled water supports digestive health and removes excess kapha. Boiled water can be had warm or at room temperature.
Seasonal transitions are opportune times to schedule a health consultation and bodywork therapies to re-balance your body and mind.
Total Solar Eclipse in Aries
There is a total solar eclipse in Aries on April 8. The eclipse will be visible in the United States across its “path of totality”, making it an important eclipse for those residing in the States. The last significant American eclipse was in 2017! This will be an important eclipse for anyone with Ascendant, Sun, Moon, or lunar nodes in the Aries / Libra axis.
Every eclipse is part of a larger family of eclipses, known as the Saros series. The April 8 eclipse belongs to Saros series 139, and marks the 30th eclipse in the series which has 71 eclipses total. All of the eclipses of Saros series 139 are north-node (Rahu) eclipses and thus represent evolutionary opportunities. The first eclipse in Saros 139 was on May 17, 1501 and the final eclipse in this series will be on June 23, 2745.
In Predictive Astrology, Bernadette Brady creates a classification system for eclipses based on Saros series. The April 8 eclipse belongs to “S.S. 8 North” and is characterized by Brady as an inspirational eclipse cycle:
Inventiveness and flashes of genius are the hallmark of this Saros Series. The individual will have intuitive leaps, insights, good ideas, visions or vivid dreams. This new-found inspiration will pull the person away from his or her social life or relationship, thereby causing strain in the private life. This is a time when the person needs to be free, if only for a few weeks.
As an Aries eclipse, this will be an insightful and creative period, in which many new ideas can be birthed. Aries is an independent sign, ruled by Mars. Take some time alone or in retreat to fully appreciate the energy of this period. Eclipses are generally most intense in the period leading up to the actual eclipse, but their effects echo for a period of six months.
Eclipse advice:
Wear appropriate eyewear if you intend to view the eclipse. We recommend NASA-approved eyewear.
Eclipses represent a time for introversion and introspection. Traditionally, yogis use the eclipse day as an opportunity for meditation and retreat. The efficacy of spiritual efforts are enhanced during an eclipse.
Do not make major decisions during an eclipse period. Eclipses represent a transitional moment, and as a “shadow” event, clarity is often obscured. This is not a time to make significant choices, but a good time to wait for the most appropriate direction to reveal itself.
A NEW Offering: Eclipse Readings
Neeshee Pandit is now offering eclipse readings for a limited time each year in the month surrounding a significant eclipse. Eclipse readings are an opportunity to discover what an upcoming eclipse means for you personally, how you can work with its energies, and how it can empower your destiny.
Schedule your eclipse reading with Neeshee:
Somaraja — Our Seal Design
We are pleased to share our new seal, designed by calligrapher Tashi Mannox.
The concept for this seal was inspired by the mountain pine forest that surrounds our new retreat and clinic space. We proposed a design inspired by the spiral geometry found in the pinecone as a symbol of natural harmony. Tashi explored the geometries of the pinecone, noting that it formed the golden section of the fibonacci spiral. From this, Tashi discovered that five interrelating golden mean spirals are formed along the gridlines of a five-pointed star shape.
Five is a significant number in medicine and spirituality. The five spirals in the seal converge at a zero-point, suggesting the nature of Source.
The seal holds a range of symbolic meanings. Its spherical symmetry suggests a mandala with the five spirals creating an energetic motion within the image. The spirals moving out from source symbolize healing, evolution, and expansion.
The Sun and Moon motif represents the union of wisdom and compassion, of consciousness and energy, of yin and yang. The addition of the Sun and Moon motif also lends an astrological resonance to the seal.
Blog Posts
Recent publications include two essays related to the transit of Pluto in Aquarius and an interview by Jonathan Edwards with Neeshee Pandit:
We hope you enjoy these posts! Subscribe to Somaraja Substack blog to receive new publications in your inbox.