Do you hear what I hear?

In the stars
Kathmandu

I've been trying to pick up bits about Vedic Astrology (better known as Jyotish) for the past several years. Evidently the most significant thing is one's Nakshatra, or lunar "mansion." Since there are 27 - odd days to a lunar cycle there are 27 Nakshatras. (I think.)

My Nakshatra is Shravana (in Sanskrit, Tiruvonam in Malayalam). Shravana means "Listening" or Hearing.

For those who know me, it really is frighteningly accurate, though I'm not so sure about the stable-minded part. Here's one summary:

Those born in the Shravana star are experts in music, dance and drama, truthful and stable minded; they enjoy hearing scriptures.

Another site reads:
This constellation signifies eternal quest of knowledge. The Shravana people are restless. They constantly involve themselves in conversations, or listening sessions to collect information. A person born under this sign is either an ardent student, or a well-versed teacher. They can be excellent counselors, owing to their art of listening and giving advise based on their vast knowledge.

See, it's official. I'm really supposed to be doing this stuff.

A complete guide to why everything sucks right now

It's all right here.


Mercury Retrograde

At 20:32 UT (Universal Time), on Monday, January 28th, 2008, Mercury the cosmic trickster, turns retrograde in Aquarius, the sign of the Water-Bearer, sending communications, travel, appointments, mail and the www into a general snarlup.

....Everything finally straightens out on March 10, as he passes the point where he first turned retrograde.

In general, Mercury rules thinking and perception, processing and disseminating information and all means of communication, commerce, education and transportation. By extension, Mercury rules people who work in these areas, especially people who work with their minds or their wits: writers and orators, commentators and critics, gossips and spin doctors, teachers, travellers, tricksters and thieves.

Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains. And all of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information, or component, has gone astray, or awry.

All areas of communication are affected, especially in matters related to the family, business, particularly home business, travel, domestic relationships and real estate purchases in general. This period brings travel snafus and missed appointments of all kinds. Documents can go astray. Be sure to carry a diary and refer to it often.

On the Eve of Eid

Astrologers unavailable
Leh, Ladakh

Thubsten Sanfan (see previous post) says (through the interpreter) that he doesn't have the almanac for my birth year. Not that it was SO long ago. He has the records for the previous year, and the one before that, and the one following my year. Just not my year. Since I am going to be in the region for a while, we convinced him to go and look in his "library" or perhaps in the Men-Tse-Khang (Tibetan medicine headquarters) for the info.

Tibetan medicine and Ladakhi traditional medicine (known as Amchi) rely on a combination of natural herbs, psychological evaluation of "imbalances" and astrology. So, I figured the Men-Tse-Khang, who also do astrological analysis, should have some ephemera. (An astrological data book showing positions of the planets is called, in English, an Ephemeris.)

It's just about time for Eid el Fitr, the biggest Muslim holiday of the year that marks the end of Ramadan. Ninety-five percent of the Kashmiri merchants have packed up their shawls and jewelery into tin trunks, pulled down the metal gates on their shops and headed for Srinagar. Most of them have wives and family waiting for them there. I think a few Kashmiri and of course Ladakhi Muslims will be here to celebrate Eid.

Eid is a picturesque time; all the men put on spanking new kurtas and topis, and go around ritually embracing one another. Lots of smiles and general good will. My friend Parvez said it's mostly a domestic holiday, a visit to the mosque followed by lots of relatives and friends dropping by, bringing holiday food and feasting and sharing.

I'm getting my Restricted Area Permit together, thanks to the guys at good old Glacier Trek n Travel, to visit Dha-Hanu Valley, home of the last Aryan Buddhists. They will be celebrating their indigenous festival called BoNoNah, which occurs only once ever three years. As I am lucky enough to be here on the third year, it seemed too good to miss.

Mystery date

A twist with destiny
Kathmandu, Nepal

"TRYST WITH DESTINY,"

...screamed the headlines today.

Supposedly, we're having the Nepali Constituent Assembly election polls on November 22nd. (For those of you unfamiliar with Indian history, it's a reference to Nehru's address given on the occasion of Indian independence in 1947. "We had a tryst with destiny....")

Reaction 1 - I'll believe it when I see it.

Reaction 2 - I will bet money that this date was arrived at only after lengthy consultation with astrologers such as Mangal Raj Joshi and other

traditional soothsayers.

(You think I'm kidding? this is a nation where we still get public holidays for a solar eclipse. Not that I am complaining, or even criticizing...just observing.)

It's raining a bit more every day. I think my persistent headaches are caused by needing new glasses. Either that, or the humidity and that stupid cover band down the street that keeps playing "La Bamba" every night at 7.45.


Stop the press
Oh, did I tell you the one about the Maoists shutting down some newspapers? They organize (ie, semi-forcibly recruit) "labour unions" on the pretext of caring about workers' rights. Then they got (in this case) the paper carriers, vendors and so on to "strike for better working conditions." Of course, it just happened to be a group of papers they were pissed off at for saying unfavourable things about them. I am afraid this is a taste of more things to come.

The papers are back on the stands today, after a four-day hiatus.

Here are some more photos from the Magic Kingdom. It's too hot right now to wander around taking new ones, so most are from last year. Believe me, very little has changed.

Giant mask of Seto Bhairav (reputedly the original "Little yellow idol to the north of Kathmandu"), unveiled only once annually at Indra Jatra time. September, 2006

Mahankali Pyakhan or Great Kali Dancers of Bhaktapur; performing for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad convention in Kathmandu. September, 2006


Kids dressed up for traditional stick dances, Kathmandu, Sept. 2006

Winnowing rice during harvest season, Bhaktapur. October 2005

Crowds assembled in Kathmandu Durbar Square for Indra Jatra, Sept. 2006