Varāha, Gaṇeśa, and a sky that calls on us to act

I wanted to share a brief thought with you.

It really seems to me that there are days when the calendar puts just the right word right where we needed it. Take a look:

Today, Sunday, September 13, we celebrate Varāha Dvādaśī, and tomorrow will be Gaṇeśa Caturthī. These are two very different events, but when viewed through the lens of Jyotiṣa, they can become particularly interesting for work on the Lunar Nodes: Varāha is a force capable of restoring order to the distortions of Rāhu, while Gaṇeśa can help us untangle the knots of Ketu.

Varāha is the Avatāra who lifts the Earth from the waters, restoring it to its rightful place when everything seems to have sunk into chaos. It is a very powerful image for Rāhu, because Rāhu tends precisely to amplify, confuse, and magnify desires, fears, and perceptions. It makes us lose our sense of proportion. Sometimes it takes us so far from our true nature that we can no longer distinguish what we truly desire from what we are merely chasing after. Varāha, on the other hand, recovers what has been submerged. He brings the Earth back out of the ocean. It restores order where there was previously confusion. That is why I consider this day particularly conducive to observing our Rāhu, especially when we feel as though we are being pulled into something we can no longer see clearly.

The mantra: Om bhur namo bhagavate varāhāya (repeat 108 times) is extremely powerful for bringing Rāhu into his most sattvic and positive vibrations. And today is the perfect day to recite it.

Tomorrow, September 14, is Gaṇeśa Caturthī. And while Rāhu often leads us toward what we want at all costs, Ketu acts in almost the opposite way: it cuts, separates, dissolves, and makes it difficult to follow a linear path. Ketu can create spiritual depth, but it can also leave us standing before doors that seem closed for no apparent reason. Ganesha is the one who presides over thresholds, beginnings, and obstacles. It doesn’t necessarily eliminate every difficulty: sometimes, instead, it shows us which obstacles truly need to be removed and which, on the contrary, are protecting us from a path that isn’t meant for us. This is why Ganesha can be a wonderful remedy for Ketu: not because he makes everything easy, but because he helps us find a way forward when the path seems to come to an end.

We can remove obstacles from our lives with the mantra: Om gam ganapataye namah. Or with the specific mantras listed in our chart that remove Badhaka obstacles and mental obstacles caused by the Nodes.

And the sky these days seems to be supporting this very movement. Mars becomes Vargottama in Gemini. In astrological tradition, the Vargottama is considered a blessing from Viṣṇu: the planet gains substance, strength, and a greater ability to express its nature clearly. In the case of Mars, we’re talking about willpower, energy, the ability to take action, take a stand, and defend what we believe is important. But Mars in Gemini does not necessarily fight with physical force: Gemini is Mercury’s domain, so here action takes the form of words, communication, discussion, intelligence, and the ability to find alternatives.

That's why I find this Mars particularly interesting on a collective level as well. Nonviolence does not mean passivity. Ahiṃsā does not mean turning a blind eye to what we consider unjust. There are times when it is necessary to speak up, to disagree, to oppose, to champion a good cause, and to seek a different solution. We must do so without hatred, without the desire to destroy the other, but also without falling into apathy. Simply surrendering to the status quo is not always the most sattvic choice. Sometimes the true practice lies precisely in finding the courage to make one’s voice heard with firmness and kindness. Mars in Vargottama in Gemini can help us transform conflict into intelligent action.

At the same time, the ruler of Mars, Mercury enters Hasta, a nakshatra that I feel is deeply connected to the ability to take hold of what fate places before us. Hasta means “hand”—the gesture that grasps, builds, modifies, and shapes. It is a Nakshatra linked to Savitṛ, the solar force that sets things in motion and makes manifestation possible. Mercury functions very well here, because it observes, connects the dots, interprets signals, and allows us to understand where things are headed. It allows us to say where we are headed.

And this is perhaps the most interesting invitation for the coming days: Pay close attention to what is happening around you. Not just major events, but also recurring conversations, ideas that begin to emerge, collective themes that suddenly take center stage, and decisions that still seem small but could have far-reaching consequences. Mercury in Hasta can reveal something about the near future before it becomes obvious to everyone.

To summarize: Varāha helps us bring to the surface what Rāhu has submerged in the unconscious. Gaṇeśa teaches us to overcome Ketu’s obstacles and seek freedom. Mars asks us to act without violence but without fear. Mercury invites us to look for the signs.

Perhaps the sky these days is asking us for something simple and, at the same time, difficult: to be present enough to recognize the direction as it begins to reveal itself through subtle, barely perceptible cues.

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