The Sun moves into Capricorn on January 14th, and it is a larger event than you might imagine. In the Vedic calendar, this is the real beginning of the New Year where the days start lengthening and more light descends on the planet. This ancient festival, known as Makara Sankranti, marks one of the most auspicious transitions in the Vedic year.
Surya, the Sun God, is regarded as the symbol of divinity and wisdom and is one of the most important planets of the zodiac and our daily lives. Makara Sankranti represents a new kind of New Year—a “new beginning” for which we want to strengthen the Sun within our lives. It is a day to honor the increasing light and the spiritual energy that comes with it.
Surya actually means Self, representing in our Vedic charts both the big Self and our little individual egos. As the Self or Atman, Surya stands for that Divine quality that all of us have within us. Thus, it is good to give some attention to this element within. This holiday represents a day to celebrate our individuality and the Divinity within.
The Solar Cycle and New Beginnings
Like the waxing and waning Moon, the Sun is thought to have two cycles. January 14th through July 14th marks the waxing phase, representing the growth of solar energy which supports business and prosperity. It is not considered auspicious to start a business during the waning South Phase of the year from June 14th through January 13th, since the business energy of the Sun is waning during this time. This marks the rising energy of the Sun and the beginning of a new business cycle for prosperity.
The equivalent practice for Westerners would be to clean out a closet on January 14th and take stuff to the dump or give things to the second-hand store, which becomes symbolic of discarding the old. Then on January 15th, celebrate your own individuality as well as the Divine within, and revisit your New Year’s resolutions or make a list of intentions if you did not get to it on January 1st when Western culture tends to do so.
The Holy Phase of Transition
Apart from being a harvest festival, Makara Sankranti is also regarded as the beginning of an auspicious phase in Indian culture. It is called the “holy phase of transition.” It marks the end of an inauspicious phase which, according to the Hindu calendar, begins around mid-December. It is believed that any auspicious and sacred ritual can be sanctified from this day onward.
This transition into Capricorn carries profound spiritual symbolism. Capricorn, known as Makara in Sanskrit, represents the dragon creature that wants to arise out of the swamp of the material world and fly to the heavens. The spiritual essence of this sign is freeing the spiritual from its material prison. Capricorn is connected to the base chakra or Muladhara chakra, out of which the kundalini energy arises. If one discovers spirituality, then the coiled snake energy is awakened and the journey toward realization can be completed.
Transformation and Renewal
Makara Sankranti represents realization, transformation, and purification of the soul by imbibing and inculcating Divine virtues. So think of January 14th as a time to release the old, to release the past, and move forward into new light and new possibilities.
This is a powerful moment to set intentions for the year ahead, knowing that you are working with the waxing solar energy that will support your efforts for the next six months. It is a time to honor the light within yourself and let that light guide you toward your highest purpose.
Enjoy the rich symbolism and ritual of Makara Sankranti, the Sun moving into Capricorn. May this holy transition bring you renewed energy, clarity of purpose, and the courage to rise from the material into the spiritual heights you are meant to achieve.
Barry Rosen has been practicing Vedic astrology since 1987. He has visited and studied in India on four occasions and has spoken numerous times at the American Council of Vedic Astrology Conferences in Sedona, AZ since 1999 and also the British Association of Vedic Astrologers in London since 2006. He has been involved in Vedic culture since 1973 and is a long-time meditation and yoga teacher and a published poet.
Recently, he has been pioneering research in other areas of Vedic astrology including Vedic Astro-locality, the effects your current physical location have on your chart, connecting astrology to hatha yoga for therapeutic purposes and developing transformational healing work to move through karma and the spiritual dimensions of Vedic astrology. He is a Neo-Vedic astrologer and uses the outer planets. He is particularly interested in Jaimini astrology and the soul’s journey through the physical world and its karma and purpose and has taken live seminars in London with Sanjay Rath.
For questions, please contact Barry by email at: [email protected] or call Fortucast at 800-788-2796.
