By Natori Moore

Anyone who has spent hours reading Vedic astrological literature at a bookstore, or attending back-to-back lectures at a Vedic astrology conference, knows that Hindu Astrology, or Jyotish, can be complex.  In learning this fascinating yet detailed spiritual science, there is great potential for what astrologer Marc Boney calls “MEGO disease – My Eyes Glaze Over.”  So before leaving for the Vedic Astrology conference trade show in Sedona, Arizona, on a mission to purchase Vedic remedial gemstones, I prayed for divine wisdom and infinite intelligence to guide my decision-making.  I had studied Jyotish enough to know the basic strengths and weaknesses of my chart, had a good Vedic astrologer’s recommendation for the best remedial gems to purchase and had saved the funds to purchase them.  But I wanted to be sure I purchased the right stones.

After arriving in Sedona, greeting a few friends and reviewing the wares of a couple of gem vendors, I struck up a conversation with Jay Boyle, a reputable purveyor of natural gemstones for Vedic purposes.  I intended to look for a pearl (based on having an afflicted Moon and currently being in Moon dasa), a green Mercury stone (to remedy my afflicted Mercury) and a yellow Jupiter stone (as a general benefic for my Sagittarius ascendant and benignly placed Jupiter).  I estimated I could afford a pearl and one, but probably not both, of the other stones.  My Vedic astrologer had recommended the pearl and the green Mercury stone as priorities, since as far as placement in my chart, Mercury needs more remediation than Jupiter.  Yet standing at the point of decision, I was drawn to the available selection of Jupiter stones (yellow sapphires) more than Mercury stones (emeralds or tourmalines).  In addition, I had for some reason felt a growing possibility of buying a yellow stone rather than a green one in the weeks leading up to my Sedona trip.  As I combined my knowledge and intuition with information from Jay, I finally chose and purchased a five carat pearl and a two carat yellow sapphire.  A kind, friendly woman wearing a Vedic ring that included a yellow sapphire, came up at that moment and congratulated me on my purchase.

Returning home to California the following day, I felt a wave of buyer’s remorse – or not remorse exactly, but an irritating feeling of incompletion.  I was pleased to have purchased a good quality pearl to mitigate any negative effects of my afflicted Moon during its dasa and a beautiful, clear yellow sapphire for my Jupiter-ruled ascendant that would serve me my whole life.  Yet I hadn’t done as much as I wanted to remedy my Mercury affliction.  Mercury rules my seventh (relationship) and tenth (career) houses, after all.  I wanted to do something to improve these areas, yet the thought that this would require an emerald discouraged me.  It would take me months to save for an emerald, and I didn’t even especially like their bright green color!

I consoled myself by recalling the words of astrologer Penny Yarrow, who has wisely said that remedial gems, though potentially useful, are not much of a sacrificial choice for Americans, since we would most often rather throw money than time at a problem.  I was indeed grateful that while I had not been able to afford gemstones, other types of remediation had been available to me.  Getting accustomed to saying Vedic mantras as prayers was a big step.  For the first few weeks of counting beads while saying the Moon mantra, I wanted to sneak in the Hail Mary prayer of my youth, which I did a few times since I considered the Great Mother wouldn’t object!  I found an organization that donates milk (ruled by the Moon) to undernourished children (Express Au Lait, Inc., P.O. Box 3713, Rancho Santa Fe, CA, 92067) and when possible, donated a few dollars to their cause at the grocery store.  I made efforts to visit my disabled aunt, whose astrological chart has an even more debilitated Moon than mine.

These investments of time and energy have been of worth, I am sure.  Yet for me, who has never made a lot of money by Western standards, purchasing remedial gems was a significant demonstration of faith.  It was a stretch of my capacities that I hope pleases the planetary gods from whom I am beseeching grace, and the God/dess at the source of them all.  Perhaps there is thus within remediation both Western and Eastern ways to go about it that we can balance as necessary – the purchase of gemstones and other relatively costly or visible actions on one hand, and the charities, austerities and investments of time that generate good karma from behind the scenes on the other.

Assuaged by these thoughts but still feeling unsettled about my gem purchasing experience, I sat down for a few minutes to read a small book on Vedic gems that I bought in Sedona (Gems & Astrology) because it was written by an Indian author (Dr. G. S. Kapoor), yet seemed more clearly written for the Western mind than books I had encountered before.  I came upon a passage that read:

“WHO SHOULD WEAR A PEARL? - For Sagittarius Ascendant – Moon is the lord of the 8th.  Persons with this ascendant should avoid wearing a Pearl unless Moon is in its own sign in 8th [mine is].  This should be done in major period of Moon [I am in this period].  It will not give any adverse effects if it is worn along with yellow sapphire, the gem stone of Jupiter, the lord of this Ascendant, who is a friend of Moon.”

This was my first confirmation that buying the yellow sapphire in conjunction with the pearl was the right thing to do.  Jay Boyle had noted that since Moon and Jupiter are friendly, a pendant or ring could be made involving both Pearl (Moon) and yellow sapphire (Jupiter).  I explained to him as he was writing up a receipt for my purchase that though it seemed strange, I could feel the “friendliness” of these stones as they sat next to each other waiting for me to take them home.  Thus at the time of purchase, I knew that Moon and Jupiter were considered friendly to each other, but had no foreknowledge of this protective influence of the yellow sapphire when worn in conjunction with pearl.  Here I considered divine intelligence had been steering me in the right direction.

With an Aries Sun, Sagittarius rising and a love of time for independent creativity, I’m not as concerned about having never been married at age 39 as some might be.  Yet my relationship history has been rocky, and I would like to marry happily and purposefully when the time and person are right.  So the fact that I hadn’t quite remediated for my 7th house lord (Mercury) because I hadn’t purchased a green stone, and might need to save more for an emerald, still weighed on my mind.

I continued to read and found this passage:

“WHO SHOULD WEAR AN EMERALD? – For the Sagittarius Ascendant – Mercury is the lord of the 7th and 10th….If as lord of 7th, Mercury is not well placed [which mine is not] we recommend that yellow sapphire should be used instead of emerald.  That will help to overcome the setbacks in conjugal life.  For women, yellow sapphire will prove very effective as Jupiter is Karaka for husband in a woman’s birth chart.”

I immediately felt a rush of praise emanating to God.  Here was a second and highly relieving confirmation that I had made a good choice in purchasing the yellow sapphire.  I realize now, too, that I felt the strength of this second confirmation most profoundly, much as one might feel the second pass of a transiting planet most strongly at its peak position in aspect to one’s natal chart. 

Finally, a third confirmation:

“WHO SHOULD WEAR YELLOW SAPPHIRE? – For the Sagittarius Ascendant – Jupiter is lord of the Ascendant and the 4th house.  The natives of this Ascendant can always wear yellow sapphire as a protective charm.  The beneficial results will be felt pronouncedly in the major and sub-periods of Jupiter.”

This reminded me that for a Sagittarius Ascendant, Jupiter is the ruler not only of the Ascendant but also of the 4th house.  It happens to be my 4th house that contains my afflicted Mercury.  So the yellow sapphire will cast a beneficial effect on this 4th house region of my chart, and uplift the debilitated Mercury to some degree.

I have yet to set the stones I have purchased in jewelry, but as I work toward that, I am confident that experience will prove beneficial as well.  In a way, it already has.  As a solar Aries, I am not the most patient person in the world.  I would rather walk into a store and have the perfect Jyotish ring or pendant beaming up at me, ready to buy and wear home.  The process of creating jewelry suited uniquely to my chart and remedial gems is teaching me that sometimes it’s worth following appropriate steps and having the patience to do things right.  Vedically speaking, one only benefits from wearing gems that are set and worn with mindfulness and good planetary timing. 

Holding my stones in appreciation on recent evenings, I have come upon an additional consideration.  Mahatma Gandhi said his ultimate motivation for action was beauty.  Ralph Waldo Emerson said “The fruition of beauty is no chance of hit or miss…it is inevitable as life…it is exact and plumb as gravitation.”  The English Romantic poet John Keats said, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty – that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”  Certainly in our meretricious modern culture, all that is beautiful is not true.  But perhaps Keats meant that beauty that equals truth is the type of beauty we should aim for.  It seems to me that the weight and vibration of remedial gemstones play a role in enabling us as mere humans to hit closer to this cosmic beauty mark.  Properly set and worn, gemstones can amplify our karmic gifts and gradually bang out the dents of our karmic wrongdoing. 

Despite the complexities involved, and the delays in my full satisfaction, I greatly appreciate my first gem-buying experience.  Within my current spiritual and financial parameters, I am content that I have purchased the right gems for me.  Already my habits and emotions (ruled by the Moon) are improving and steadying, enabling me to more productively and happily fill my days.  I hope others who purchase gems will tell their tales.  For just like our fingerprints, our karma is unique.  I imagine each sincere soul’s experience of purchasing Vedic remedial gems will be unique as well.

 

© 2001 by Natori Moore
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