Mauna Amabasya: Fasting from Communication
Greetings All!
This is a very special New Moon, known as “Mauna Amabasya’ in India. Mauna means silence in Sanskrit. In India people take a vow to fast from both food and speech on this day. The New Moon culminates on Feb 5th at 2:33 AM IST, (Feb 4th 1:03 pm PST) making the majority of the new moon on Monday here in Asia, which is considered to be even more auspicious. A bath in the Ganga on Mauna Amabasya, or other holy rivers, is said to wash our sins away! The fast of speech is said to help us defeat our enemies.
Fasting from food and speech are classic observances in every religious tradition. The basic idea is to bring our energy inward with the intention of gaining spiritual strength and deepening our relationship with the Divine.
In our busy lives it may feel nearly impossible to think about not talking for the day, but I would like to encourage you all to practice a modified version of this. Perhaps spend the morning in silence without distraction? Or even just take an hour to remain silent and draw in the senses a bit? As always, a new moon is a time for introspection, and this one calls for a bit more.
This New moon is in the sign of Capricorn and the lunar house of Sravana. Interestingly, it is called the star of listening, and people born under this star often are good listeners and have a good ear for music. Perhaps the call to be silent on this day can be seen as an offering to Lord Vishnu, the deity of this lunar house, in order to ultimately enhance our ability to hear on deeper levels.
The mythology of this nakshatra also speaks of ‘kicking the demons out’ of the abode of the Gods. The demons represent the dark forces within us- our bad habits, addictions, disturbing emotions and desires, or whatever else is creating imbalance in your world. This New Moon is calling us to see our demons, be silent and listen to the higher wisdom inside of us, and then ultimately kick them out to create the life and habits we desire according to the highest ideals of our soul. Clearly this is a very powerful and empowering New Moon, and it would be to our great benefit to use the time well.
As usual, new moons are not good for starting new ventures that we want to grow and expand, as the moon gives us a sense of security and a support system. When it is new (void) the moon is not able to nurture in the way it can when it is bigger. So do be sure to wait until at least two days after the New Moon to start all those amazingly inspired ideas that came out of silence!
As always please be in touch if I can help you in any way,
Love and Blessings,
Mrinmoyee
http://www.mrinmoyeeastrology.
If you are interested in astrology and how you can refine you life and make better decisions, contact the author, Mrinmoyee at the above link to schedule a skype reading. It’s a great gift to give yourself!
