Ending of Mercury Retrograde & Starting of New Astrological Year

Brightest Blessings on this New Moon in Aries! Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, so the New Moon in this initiating sign really kicks off the astrological year. A very magical & powerful time to write our New Moon wishes, desires and intentionally plant the seeds of our longings. When we encounter Aries we are given an opportunity to begin anew and to do work on Self. On the brink of something new, an initiation, a step towards the future. All sounds very wonderful and new beginnings always bring opportunities as new doors open. Although this all sounds very promising, there is a danger we will miss this opportunity because we have become so overshadowed by personal issues and current world affairs that seem to be overshadowing everyone right now. Yet when we choose to see only the darkness, we cannot see the glimmer of light on the edge waiting for us to notice and step through. New paths await, but we have to become like the Aries energies and initiate those first steps towards them, towards the light, however pale or slim it appears. This new moon comes to tell us we are exactly where we need to be right now, that when a new threshold appears, a door opens or an opportunity arises, we must be prepared to cross it so we can leave the dross behind and step into a new life. During this high energy New Moon in Aries, all our intentions and thoughts will be magnified, make sure what you are creating matches what your heart desires. This warrior energy can sometimes cause us to blunder in half prepared and then find ourselves having to swallow hard or change courses quickly to avert disaster. Aries is the warrior who charges in where Angels fear to tread then wonders why it’s all gone pear shaped. We must temper the warrior so he or she becomes more focused, more aligned with our souls destiny, so we can move forward constructively. A powerful and positive time if we use the energy wisely and keep focused on our path ahead.

With Love and Magickal Blessings
Jayrajsinh Chavda

My Experience with Sacred Sweat Lodge Ceremony

I recently had the unique opportunity and honor to be invited to a traditional sweat lodge ceremony on the new moon. The ceremony took place somewhere around arambol beach, Goa.

The sweat lodge is a small dome-shaped hut made with natural materials. The lodge heats up with the help of hot stones that are blessed with the intent of healing of our loved ones. The ceremony is divided in four rounds, each of them dedicated to a different power, wind or spirit. In each round we will pray for our body, mind, heart, and soul. Sweating rituals and traditions have existed throughout history in different parts of the world. Some places use this method for purification and warmth. Traditionally the sweat lodge ceremony is used as a means of healing, and spiritual renewal of the mind, body and soul. I wasn’t exactly sure what would transpire during the ceremony, but I wanted to pray for my beloved furry friend Misty who recently crossed over the rainbow bridge so I approached the experience with an open heart and willingness to participate in what would become a rich and unforgettable time. After speaking with the master Shaman, I recognized what an honor it is to take part in such a journey and I decided to relax into what would come next.

The experience was powerful. As the prayers began, I did my best to cope with the heat, focus on energies around me and participate in the prayer songs. But the sweat lodge, if you’ve never been, is really very hot, especially with new red lava rocks brought for each round (there were four rounds, each consisting of four prayers). As I process the experience, these three key highlights of learning are standing out as important and worthy of sharing out to others. Perhaps they may resonate with where you are on your journey.

During each direction, there are songs backed by the shamanic drum that represents the heartbeat and the sacred rattle. The Sweat Lodge is considered the womb of the Earth. We enter it to let our individual egos die and be reborn to a new life. It’s a sacred space where we pray for ourselves, our family, and all the beings in the world.

The Sweat lodge is one of the most sacred ceremonies, not only for Native American, but for different indigenous people around the world. This ancient tradition is a healing ceremony for body, mind, heart and spirit, where we can pray for ourselves, our friends and beloved ones. I have heard that It also helps us to reconnect with Mother Earth and all her children, who are our Great Family. But i believed it when i saw a cat roaming around with a very similar I found a similar looking cat around the ceremony area.

This experience was so much more than a test of physical endurance. It was a spiritual journey that helped me move through some intense fear while connecting deeper to my inner being and truth. It opened my heart and eyes to how connected we all are. It helped me to see the possibility of life being even more incredible and magical than I had already imagined it was. By the end of the ceremony, I felt light in my worries and full in my heart. Getting to have this experience with amazing people who were strangers to begin with, helped me see just how similar and connected we all are. I feel certain the gifts I received from this experience will continue to bring new light to different areas in my life. This was my first time attending native american ceremony and certainly won’t be my last.

Goa, December 2017

Leo Solar Eclipse August 2017

The Leo solar eclipse on August 21st is going to offer all of us the opportunity to reset our mind, bodies and souls. As the Sun, Moon and Earth all align for the Eclipse, it will be like the hands of a cosmic clock coming together to chime as one, signifying the starting of a new cycle.

While this Solar Eclipse may bring changes and new opportunities into your life, the most potent and profound effects are going to be felt on an internal level. With this cosmic reset, a doorway to a new level of consciousness is going to open.

A new frequency will be available to all of us on Earth and this will help all beings on the planet to rise up together and feel a sense of unity, oneness and wholeness.

Ritual on Brackaville Golf Course during the ’99 eclipse

Of course, you have to welcome this energy into your life in order to receive and feel it, but it is going to have a lasting impact that we will all see unfolding over the coming months.

The effects of this Solar Eclipse will be felt most strongly until September 7th 2017, however it will continue to work its magic until the next Eclipse cycle in February 2018.

Time/Day of Peak of the Solar Eclipse:

Los Angeles- August 21 at 11.25 am

New York- August 21 at 2:25 pm

London- August 21 at 7.25pm

New Delhi- August 21 at 11.55pm

Sydney- August 22 at 4.25 am

Many people are beginning to feel the intense enegies of the solar eclipse. Now is an important time to smudge, practice staying present and grounded. You can also perform a solar eclipse ritual with smudging ceremony. This will help keep you from getting caught up in all these heavy energies.

Happy new moon.

Namaste!

Happy World Photography Day 2017

Today, August 19th, is officially World Photography Day and a chance to pay homage to the history of the art form and also to look forward to the future of the medium. World Photography Day originates from the invention of the daguerreotype, a photographic process developed by Joseph Nicèphore Nièpce and Louis Daguerre. On January 9, 1839 The French Academy of Sciences announced the daguerreotype process and a few months later, on August 19, 1839, the French government announced the invention as a gift “Free to the World”.

The earliest surviving photo we have is a heliographic image (created by Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 or 1827) which shows a view from a window at Le Gras at Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, France. Fast forward to now and still we are taking pictures, looking at the outside world from our windows but with the hand held ability to make panoramic visions, 360 degree vistas and click button augmented retouching.

In the 1830’s and 40’s the invention of photography revolutionised culture and communication in the West forever. For the first time, images of ‘real’ life could be captured for posterity and shared globally, something we take for granted now, in our instant share and like, world of social media. Portraits of royalty and other celebrities (far more accurate than paintings) allowed members of the public to feel they were viewing these people ‘in the flesh’. The dead could be remembered, and our obsession with voyeuristic intrusion is even stronger today.

British inventor Fox Talbot produced his first successful photographic images in 1834, without a camera, by placing objects onto paper brushed with light-sensitive silver chloride, which he then exposed to sunlight. By 1840, Talbot had succeeded in producing photogenic drawings in a camera, with short exposures yielding an invisible or ‘latent’ image that could be developed to produce a usable negative. Talbot’s negative-positive process formed the basis of almost all photography on paper up to the digital age.

Step forward almost a century of experimentation and the first digital photograph was taken in 1957; almost 20 years before Kodak’s engineer invented the first digital camera. The photo is a digital scan of a shot initially taken on film. The picture depicts Russell Kirsch’s son and has a resolution of 176×176 – a square photograph.

Trout pout, duck face, hot dogs legs  – all neologisms created in our social media world,  but it was actually Robert Cornelius in 1839 that created the first “Selfie” . The photographic self-portrait was surprisingly common in the early days of photography exploration because it was convenient for the photographer to act as model as well. An amateur chemist and photography enthusiast from Philadelphia, Cornelius had set his camera up at the back of the family store. He took the image by removing the lens cap and then he ran into frame, where he sat for a minute before covering up the lens again. You thought the selfie stick was a new thing  – people have been creating home-made versions of this since 1925. A device that could be considered an extendable selfie stick appeared in the 1969 Czechoslovak sci-fi film I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen, where one character holds a silver stick in front of herself and another character, smiles at the end of the stick as it produces a camera flash, and immediately unfurls a printed photograph of the pair from the stick’s handle.

Today, we can share images across the world in seconds. Photography has revolutionized the way we see the world. All this is possible only because of the invention of the camera. Today, is the day that we celebrate the invention of the camera and the tremendous impact this scientific invention that captures light has had on mankind.

So whether you like fashion, aerial, landscape, macro, underwater, paparazzi – the origins of photography are worth understanding, but also that those pre-millennial pioneers – if around today would be fascinated by our continued passion in viewing and creating photographs and how, in the spirit of Daguerre, a medium to be shared as a free gift to the world and record history in unprecedented detail.

Happy Summer Solstice

Today, June 21, is the Summer Solstice also known as Litha. It is the longest day of the year, it won’t get dark until very late into the night, there will be at least 15/16 hours of daylight. Litha means a stopping or standing still of the sun, in Latin Solstice means ‘Sun Still’ it is one of the 8 Pagan solar holidays throughout the year called a Sabbat.
This is a day of celebrations, the Goddess is heavily pregnant with the harvest to come. The Lord of light The Oak King is at the height of his power. But this is also a day of sadness because today the Sun God The Oak King (God of the waxing Sun) battles with the Lord Of Darkness (God of the waning Sun) The Holly King and the Holly King will win and start to take over the skies. After today the Sun slowly starts to loose it’s strength, the days will get shorter and the nights longer, as we look to Autumn and Winter. The Oak King (The Lord Of Light) is born on Yule (the Winter Solstice) and he shines so brightly for 6 months of the year but this weakens him. The Holly King (The Lord Of Darkness) lays in wait until Litha when the Oak King uses his last ounce of strength to make sure the earth has enough power for the harvest to come. The Oak King (The Lord Of Light) will slowly descends into the underworld his journey will not be complete until Samhain (Halloween) When the Holly King (The Lord Of Darkness) will take over the skies. 

In ancient times, the Summer Solstice was a fire festival of great importance when the burning of balefires ritually strengthened the sun. It was often marked with torchlight processions, by flaming tar barrels or by wheels bound with straw, which were set alight and rolled down steep hillsides. The Norse especially loved lengthy processions and would gather together their animals, families and light torches and parade through the towns and villages blessing people with prosperity and fertility.

The use of fires, as well as providing magical aid to the sun, were also used to drive out evil and to bring fertility and prosperity to men, crops and herds. Blazing gorse or furze was carried around cattle to prevent disease and misfortune, while people would dance around the balefires or leap through the flames as a purifying or strengthening rite. The Celts would light balefires all over their lands from sunset the night before Midsummer until sunset the next day. Around these flames the festivities would take place.

Litha is a time of light, purification and of healing. Its a time to reflect on the light and dark that are both within each of us and within the world around us. It is a time to appreciate everything we have in our lives and to give thanks for it, to appreciate nature and all that it gives us.

Pick some flowers and put them on your altar to honour the season and to offer them to the Sun God and the Goddess and thank them for their sacrifices. Oak leaves and branches will honour the Oak King. Adorn your altar with fruit and anything gold, yellow or shiny to honour the Sun. Build a bonfire or a small fire or light a candle. A fire lit on Litha is said to be very powerful and magical. 

“Write down your hopes dreams and burn them in the fire, to do this on Litha night will bring you your desire”

This is the height of summer it is one of the most celebratory days of the year, enjoy it, have family round for dinner, invite friends and party, go for long walks and appreciate the beauty of the Summer and nature, dance and be merry. 

Have a Blessed Summer Solstice. 

Namaste.

Happy New Year!

New year, same old me. but that’s ok because human measurement of time is an illusion and space is relative. Besides, it shouldn’t make a difference if it’s the first of January or the sixteenth of November, the middle of the night or the middle of the day, it shouldn’t impact weather we want to change our lives or not. change is within us. We change our lives with every choice we make, don’t we? We shape our own future constantly. If you believe things will get better in a new year unless you are doing something about it, it will stay the same. So is new year an excuse for being lazy and never changing our life on any other day of the year or is it really the only way human beings can pluck up the courage to change? And new year is just another convention. isn’t it?

We say HAPPY NEW YEAR just because we change one number when we write down the date and year. Anyway we are living in 3 dimentional space and we will have to deal with time. But there’s never been a new year. There’s nothing like that except in our minds. Time is eternal and can not be measured. Time is an abstract concept of human perception and It is fluid. We are living in the same “Present” There’s no yesterday or tomorrow only “Now” Why make a new year resolution when you can fix yourself today. Nothing will change in 2017 unless you change. So let the change and transformation happen in your mind first before it becomes reality. We don’t need new year to be a better person. the whole hypothetical “fresh start” of a new year is just another comforting illusion because the division of time is a manmade concept. But i like it somehow because this is point to look back what you’ve done in the past year. time is an absolute illusion and ultimately only a measure of our decay. this has no relevance to the rest of my life but happy new year to all of you. I wish for Oneness in the world. For peace, love, and Unity.

Full Moon May

This Full Moon, on May 21, 2016 was a Blue Moon. Blue Moon isn’t likely to be blue in color. It was the third of four Full Moons this Season ~ Between the March Equinox and the Summer Solstice in June, That’s why it is called blue moon. During the spring astronomical season, there are normally three full moons, but this year, four full moons will rise over the period. So the seasonal “blue moon” is the third full moon of such an unusual astronomical season, with four full moons instead of the usual three. the term can also refer to a second full moon happening in one calendar month. Such a “blue moon” will happen next on 31 January 2018.

The May’s full moon is also called the “Full Flower Moon”, derived from Algonquin and other Native American cultures. The third full moon in a season is often called a “Blue Moon.” Although the moon can appear bluish at times and a Blue Moon does not necessarily mean that we see this bluish hue. These names reflected the changes happening in their natural environment. Moon cycles were followed closely, to keep track of the passing of time, with every full moon marking a particular moment in time.

In May, in most areas where these tribes used to live, flowers are abundant, which is why Algonquin people chose this name. Other denomination were used by other populations, such as the Full Corn Planting Moon, or the Milk Moon − clear references to rebirth, fertility and nature.

This is a Sagittarius full moon and Sagittarius is the sign of the believer, the preacher, the philosopher. It’s the last of the fire signs, full of enthusiasm and up for an adventure. Sagittarius wants to travel to new places, experience other cultures, see what hasn’t been seen before. After the ‘death’ of Scorpio, Sagittarius wants to find meaning, hence its endless roaming from one end of the Earth to the other. Sagittarius searches for spiritual truth.

To capture this blue moon, I traveled to Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. (New place for me as I never traveled to Ujjain before) May 21 was the last day of Kumbhmela: largest gathering of people on the planet. (To experience new culture and to explore spiritual truth!)

To know more about my experiences at Kumbhmela, read my previous post.

This Sagittarius Moon’s Sabian Symbol is “White-capped Waves Display The Power Of Wind Over Sea” This indicates that a mental processing of emotional reactions can dictate outcome. Whether this is positive or negative depends on if someone feels silenced by reason. On the other hand, the calm voice of logic may quiet emotional turmoil.

The Sagittarius Full Moon offers a chance to integrate what one has learned and hone wisdom. It can also allow one to soften an entrenched perspective and accept more information. This particular Full Moon suggests that an upset or revelation may increase awareness.

Keywords: Mobilization of energy and emotions. Safety in more secure emotions. Blustery days. Churning thoughts. Being flighty and changeable. Overblown reactions. Energy that needs an outlet for expression. The need for stillness and meditation.

The Caution: Getting fussed and irritable over nothing or at least very little. Nervousness. Overblown reactions. Responding too readily. Gathering gloom. Fussed and irritable.

The Moon symbolizes: Emotions, moods, mother, family, memory, clan, domestic issues, relationship to home and country. Feelings, sentiments, nourishment, emotional nurturing, monkey chatter mind, lunar and menstrual cycles, clarity of emotions or lunacy. Female energy – yours and others.

We’ll have another Sagittarius Full Moon at the end of Sag on June 20 – a Blue Moon – and so the adventures will begin…

Till then Namaste!

UNIVERSAL RELIGION – Documentary Announcement

April 25, 2015 was the day when a massive earthquake struck Nepal. Everyone has heard stories about the devastation, chaos and the lives lost due to the Earthquake. But whatever I saw and I experienced, was way beyond than that. I was excited because it was my first trip to Nepal. But I had no idea how much it would change my life.

I was in Nepal to shoot an official after-movie for a psychedelic trance music festival, Universal Religion. It A lot of hippies and dance music lover had come from all around the world to attend this music festival. an earthquake happened just when we were on our way to the festival. After that moment, I kept filming almost everything around me. The people, music, mountains, rivers, nature.

After coming back India, when I looked back at the photos and videos I had captured during the Nepal adventure, I realized how wonderful those memories were, to look back on. I couldn’t think of anything else, All that there was spinning in my mind, was Nepal and that amazing time I had been through. I thought I should share it with the world. This could be an inspirational tale which would serve as a testament for the Universal Religion – Love.

My travel to Nepal has transformed into an enlightening documentary film “UNIVERSAL RELIGION! A Story of music, love and survival. This is the only way I could explain what I actually felt, in those days. Film is in the last phase of post production. I am really glad to share the announcement teaser trailer of the documentary, which is set for release on April 25, 2016; the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Nepal.

More updates to be followed on urdocumentary.com

with lots of love, light and peace,

Namaste!

Immense gratitude for all your love!

Happy Republic Day to all my fellow Indians! After 5 years I am back to where I was born. Wadhwan state! On this special occasion I hereby take a moment to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the kind words and wishes on my Birthday. I’m truly touched and blessed. All the phone calls, messages, emails, texts, photos, videos, flowers have made my birthday special and worth remembering! I can’t respond to all of them individually but I do appreciate the love. I feel the love and I give it right back. It was really overwhelming to receive greetings from so many different parts of the world. It means a lot to me and i hope to meet most of you sooner than later. I really feel great to have so many people be so positive and beautiful to have so many good people around me. The last year have been hard and full of life changing moments. but I’m moving forward. So many people.. I may never see again. So many memories left behind. I will miss them all. I am truly humbled and excited about this next chapter of my life! I hope this year brings me more travels, music, films, love and light. Thank you for following me on my journey around the sun. I am solely beginning to unravel the extent of all I shall be. We are not promised tomorrow, so I am thankful for another year in this thing we call life!

Proud to be an Indian and proud to share my birthday with Republic day of India, 26th January. Here’s to the spirit of the nation with many cultures and dialects. Wishing for peace, love and togetherness.

love and peace.

Jai Hind!

I am making order out of chaos

I have been going through a midlife crisis. My personal and professional life is deeply disturbed. So I’m taking it under serious consideration and i have made my decision i am going to reinvent myself. Won’t come back until I feel better. I’ll come back refreshed and full of energy and ideas! I am going to stay off all social media until I find my way. 

With love and patience, I am learning to make order out of my personal chaos. A work of art is in the making. 

– Jayrajsinh Chavda