Kārtika Pūrṇimā – Wild-Pranic Shakti Moon melds with Calm-Warrior Shiva 🔥

This full moon may be the second most important day for your inner Yogi to connect to Śiva consciousness (rooted in Absolute stillness, master of Prana, easily generates full power), second to Mahā Mahāśivarātri (“The Great night of Shiva”).

A special full moon, Kārtika Pūrṇimā कार्तिक पूर्णिमा , occurs during the holiest month of the Vedic calendar, the month of Kārtika (November-December).

It is also known as “Deva Diwali” (Diwali for the Gods 🪔), as on this full moon, Soma (divine flow of consciousness), is emitting from the moon with such mother-divine-warrior, wild-pranic power that it allows the celestial Beings to return “home” to Mother (the baseline of consciousness).

It is the ṇight when a 3500kg ghee lamp is lit on the top of the Shiva Lingam mountain Aruṇācalam in Tamil Nadu, (see my blog post on this).

Legend has it that on this day Lord Shiva transformed and expressed himself as a tall phallus of fire, an endless column of light bright as a billion suns.

The merging of Shiva (divine masculine, Pure intelligence) and Shakti (divine feminine, exalted dynamic creativity) on this day offers people the opportunity to allow the column of light in their spine (suṣumṇa) to flow with kuṇḍalinī (dynamic creative pranic-energy).

THIS FULL MOON is a great time for Śiva consciousness practices like yoga, pranayama, meditation, yajña, fire ceremony, light ghee lamps, mantra, honouring ancestors, silence, introvert, alone time and be in nature - generate the power to reabsorb yourself into the Oneness you and I are.

This fire form of Mother Divine did Tapasyā (penance) in order to attract Shiva (the ultimate ascetic so deep in meditation and not interested in progeny), as her husband.

She won him over, and after their unification, she gave birth to a boy named Skanda in the form of Agni 🔥.

Hence her name, Skandamātā (mātā = mother).

Skanda is the youthful form of Shiva (Dakṣiṇāmūrti दक्षिणामूर्ति) who sits beneath the vaṭa (banyan) tree and through mere silence enlightens those around him, even elderly great Rishis.

Krittika is the Pleiades open star cluster in the constellation of Taurus, AKA “The Seven Sisters” in western astronomy.

In this special area of the heavens stars are born.

These seven sisters in the Vedas are said to be the wives of the seven Rishis (seers) who are associated with the seven stars of the Big Dipper.

Vedic mythos share that the wives of the seven Rishis left their husbands and took refuge in Agni or the Fire God, with the exception of one – Arundhatī. the wife of Vasiṣṭha the most powerful of the Rishis.

She remained with her husband, which is why there are only six visible stars in the Pleiades.

The seventh star is said to be Alcor (Arundhatī), the dim companion of the second star in Big Dipper, Mizar, which correlates with Vasiṣṭha.

Krittika is a Nakshatra which imbues the energy of preparing food and represents the power of agni 🔥  fire to ripen, transform or cook food for proper nourishment.

It is located in the sign of Taurus, the sign of the bull.

But Taurus can express itself as a cow in its feminine aspect.

Krittika here enhances the nourishing power of the sacred cow. It also correlates with ghee, the essence of the cow’s milk and the prime nourishing and enhancing sustenance for Agni, or the sacred fire.

It is auspicious to make ghee offerings to the fire on Kārtika Pūrṇimā.

Krittika is governed by Sūrya (Sun ☀️) - the planet providing light, warmth and prana. 

Krittika also means armour and is a good Nakshatra to generate protection against negativity and burn that negativity in the sacred fire.

It also refers to a razor, and offers the capability to cut through (sharp discrimination) impulses from the intellect vs. impulses from the heart (buddhi puruṣa khyati).

Krittika marks the point of exaltation for the Moon, so the full Moon in the Krittika represents the strongest lunar energy. But this is more a fiery, martial or warrior energy of the moon or Dūrga, Mother’s protective role.

The deity of Krittika, Skanda the Fire God, is also the overriding shining being of the planet Mars.

Mars has a martial energy and power of the warrior, giving strength and endurance.

Skanda is the second son of Shiva and Parvati after Ganesha.

While Ganesha holds the power of speech, Skanda holds a kind of spear weapon which destroys demons (negativity and destructive actions that bind).

As well as yoga, pranayama, meditation, yajña, fire ceremony, light ghee lamps, mantra, silence, introvert, alone time and be in nature, Kārtika Pūrṇimā is also a good time to honour our ancestors and departed souls, the seven rishis, light ghee lamps and propitiate the planet Mars to enhance these vibrations of Infinite Pranic Silence with the potential to win a war with an effortless yawn.