Saturn Retro 2012: Voluntary Backwards Fall

Saturn Retro's a time for regression for Saturn ruled  people. This year, I'm voluntarily Regressing. Falling backwards in time. In hometown Guwahati. In a Karmic voyage into the insides of my soul. Inland waterways of complex, fragmented journeys. Introspection. Retrospection. Contemplating into the past years crossed. Also voluntarily drowning  in the compulsory fragmentation inherent during Saturn Retro. Drowning voluntarily in backwaters. Bogs and inland waterways of forgotten memories. Listening and discovering songs such as this; Jeff Beck magic. I'm experiencing an inward folding, collapsing.
In my daily journals and accounts, I'm finding a lot of stark contrast/opposition with daily journal of Saturn Retro 2009. Whereas in 2009, I was in Will To Power, focussed, objective mode. This year finds me flowing all over the terrain. Like a fragmented, wanderlust, rouge river. without any direction or path. In a subjective, mood, cloudy and dispersed. Voluntary regression. Journals of overflooding archives. Fragmented cobwebs of vague notions.

Chronicle 07: Pitra Tarpan ritual at Haridwar..

On Monday, 20th Mar, 2012, I visited Haridwar with client/ friend Ila  Jain and her sister in law. We went to Shanti Kunj ashram and performed Pitra Tarpan ritual to absolve Pitra Dosh effects in our birth charts. In earlier posts I had explained how astrologer Savita Jain had revealed Pitra Dosh in my horoscope, in form of Saturn+ Ketu in my 9th house. After knowing this I began a series of tributes, ritual dedicated to the Pitras and began this blog especially dedicated to Pitra Karma. For long I had wanted to visit  Haridwar and perform a Pitra Tarpan ritual under a enlightened, vedic priest. But as in the case of all pending Karmic blockage, I always found the way blocked.
So finally when my client Ila Jain who was relative of astrologer Savita ji, told she was going to Haridwar to perform the same, I was considerably elated. Sometimes we need that strategic / small external intervention to help us when our own ways are blocked. So i came over to her place overnight so that i wouldnt miss the early morning departure to Haridwar. But early Monday morning, I awoke with severe acidity, heartburn, gas, palpitation, giddiness. It would be impossible for me to go to Haridwar as nothing was subsiding the acid levels. But Ila Ji being the wise host, offered me 1/4 glass of cold milk. Sometimes we need that small friendly intervention to help us when our own ways are blocked. Slowly the giddiness, heartburn, extreme disorientation seemed to be lessened. And finally we somehow set out to Haridwar.


Shanti Kunj ashram was a big campus full of medicinal gardens, hostels, prayer halls, temples... the whole works!!. Because of Savita ji's references, a dedicated priest took the three of us seperately and did an exclusive Pitra Tarpan ritual for us. He explained EACH and EVERY step of the Tarpan ritual, its significances, philosophies, dedications. A ritual which takes max five minutes by rogue priests took us more than TWO HOURS!! They didnt charge/ fleece us. Whatever WE felt comfortable to offer to the charitable trust of the ashram was accepted. A FAR cry from the usual experience of religious rituals!! Later we went to the ganges and offered Tarpan offerings of wheat/ flour to the gigantic fish swimming in its clear, clean refreshing cool waters. Ghat no 16 was farway from the maddening crowdes and felt heavenly...!!
The only crowds were schools of fish that crowded to eat our food offerings.
I thank the Pitras, Lord Vishnu, and my client Ila Jain for creating this graceful opportunity. My thousand thanks to astrologer Savita Jain who had enlightened us about Pitra Dosh, and guided us to right channel of Shanti Kunj ashram at Haridwar. Om Pitra Ganay Namah...

Saturn Retro 2012: Ideal time for Karmic repayment

Every year Saturn goes retrograde for 4.5 months. For Saturn ruled people, its time for hibernation, retreat, regression, moving bakwards. And ideal time for Karmic Repayment! However, for Sun ruled people its time for progress, positivity, energy and speed. Since 2005, I have heavily researched and tried to utilise this annual Saturn retro period. Those years, when i've sufficiently moved backwards/ regressed during Saturn retro, rest of the year i enjoyed PROGRESSION. Like how an arrow pulled back by a bow, later flies ahead. And Vice Versa.
This year I experienced regression during Saturn retro in another level altogether. We had to shift house TWICE within a single month. A long deferred decision which we had been pending for past SIX years finally caught up with us. Father in law came for cystoscopy and i stayed one week in medicity. Plumbing problems, water isuues, chaos, rupture. This time, I've timely scheduled my annual Karmic repayment time. Hope, I'm able to clear a lot of pending Karma during Saturn Retro 2012.

Chronicle 06: Different Schemes of Repayment

Sometimes we pay back pending Karmic payments in long term easy installments. And sometimes we have to payback in extreme/acute high repayments. For me, a period of high repayments was taking place in February, 2012. After dilly dallying, delaying, postponing house change for past FIVE years, we finally had to shift house TWICE in February.  Like a long avoided, deferred payment, which finally catches up with you. WITH HIGH ACCUMULATED INTEREST. And pay I had to, with every pore of my body, mind and soul. While writing this post with an aching body, tired mind, I'm realising the existence of accumulating interests. Would'nt it have been much better to pay in easier terms and conditions. But, at least one long OVERpending FIVE YEAR delayed karmic repayment got over in a single month! Whew! For now!

Chronicle 05: Prayers to Pitamah Bhishma

21st Feb, Tuesday.  Yesterday was Shivratri, I was praying in a peripheral Shiva temple next to the crematorium between Nehru Place and Kalkaji mandir. Two serpent gods adorn both sides of the entrance door. It was the ideal location for homage to Pitras. After offering the customary offerings to shiva, i moved to a section dedicated to Pitamah Bhisma. Today being Shivaratri, people thronged around Shiva and I could sit peacefully in front of Pitamah Bhisma and meditate. On the battlefield of Kurukshetra Pitamah Bhishma laid on a bed of arrows. From Arjunas bow. And lord Krishna blessing him with salvation (moksh). It was an analogy to those of  us suffering from Pitra Dosh. On a bed of arrows we lay, until the Lord blessed us with slavation. The timeless drama repeated over and over again.

By evening a childhood friend of mine, who had not been in touch for donkeys years, called me out of the blue. His name is one of the synonyms for Lord Bhishma. I had always bitched about him not keeping in touch. But few hours after prayers to Pitamah Bhisma, he called after a gap of years!! Ultimately it's OUR OWN Karma which blocks us. No point bitching about others. Once absolved, it automatically removes barriers and blocks. And that's what I experienced yesterday. Practically.
Om pitra-ganay vidamahe, jagat dharinaye dhimahi, tanno Pitra prachodyat.

Chronicle 04: Processing Karmic Quotas

In the earlier post, I narrated my expreience with house shifting Karma. And today, after long, exhausting house shifting process, I can actually feel a lot of pending Karma reduce. You can see the symptoms of reduced Karmic quotas in the environment around you. Things that were previously blocked will gently start to open up. Only you would understand the difference. All of us have our own quotas of pending karmic  to be processed. We can accelerate the process by service, forbearnce, wisdom, compassion, helping people, vedic rituals, offerings to the almighty. Also by choosing to undergo certain fasts, voluntary sufferings. Main thing is to be aware of pending karma. And beging processing.

Chronicle 03: Karmic Quotas

30th Jan, 2012. Today whole day was packing, cramming stuff, transferring cartons into our new rental place at vasant kunj. Somehow, we're doing our own packing and shifting instead of calling movers and packers. Yesterday whole day I was down with acidity, gas breathlessness amidst piles of household stuff, sacks, bags, dust etc. But at least in this ghoulish process, I'm finally climbing some LONG pending Karmic mountains. Whenever we voluntarily choose to address long pending issues, fears, we begin the process of clearing Karmic debts.

Since last six years of our married life, my wife has wanting to shift into a larger place. We saw 40 plus houses last year alone, but always some glitch, fault, inetrnal blockage postponed our shifting decision. And the blockage, postponement, apprehension was always from my side. I felt a mountain of apprehension about moving out of our current place at GK II. Even though the place was very small, had a vast terrace and a feelgood factor/radiance that made all houses we saw not seem nice. We had a extraordinary relation with our landlord and late landlady. and intense confort zone in GKII, masjid moth. Somehow I didnt want to move out of our coccon/ safe haven. Especially during our current unfavourable planetary transits. But this 29th Dec, when we 're hit with the news of Sangeetas father having been diagnosed with cancer and that he had to come for treatment to Delhi, we suddenly NEEDED a larger place in the shortest posssible time. And we just closed on a house immedeatly as soon as we saw it.
We saw 56+ houses since last 5 years and kept delaying, deciding for endless months. But suddenly we had to move in a span of a week.

What exactly happened here? All these years, the pending Karma related to house shifting was getting reduced. Finally one day the quota of perplexity and vexation to be experienced got over. And  then we just moved. Yes, its all about Karmic quotas in the end. You have to finish your own quota of prarabdh (pending) Karma. Before moving on.