Vasant Panchami or Basant Panchami is one among the most dominant days to attain the blessings of Lord Hayagriva and Goddess Saraswati – the rulers of knowledge, wisdom and creativity. On this day, we invoke the consciousness of the human soul to dispel the darkness of ignorance from our mind. Astrologically, it is said that this powerful day showers devout people with intelligence and enthusiasm in every endeavor they accomplish. This auspicious day to increase your creativity, strong will and supremacy falls on Feb 8th of 2011.

Significance of Vasant Panchami

The ability to assess a crisis exactly and to provide a solution is essential for success in life. Students and career professionals with a creative background are in quest of this important reasoning. It is therefore necessary to enhance the power of thinking and creativity. Worshipping Goddess Saraswati, the benefactor of wisdom and learning on Vasant Panchami will assist you to stand unbeatable among your peers. All your problems or obstacles will get removed and you will succeed in education, career and artistic pursuits by offering your prayers to Lord Hayagriva and Goddess Saraswati on this propitious day. It is also believed that Lord Shiva at the Ennambur temple blessed Lord Hayagriva and Goddess Saraswati and bestowed them with the power to bless devotees.

Are You ‘Not’ Who You Really ‘Are’—has your Zodiac Sign changed?

You may not be the one you thought you were… the discovery of Ophiuchus forces you to think that!

There is news across the air that there is a new 13th Zodiac Sign Ophiuchus (pronounced as Oh-fee-YOU-cuss) and so, the Zodiac you belonged to, is no truer! You may be wondering about the fact that you went to bed last night as an Aquarian and woke up as a Capricorn.

Don’t freak out now, there’s good news from authenticated astrologers and it has something to do with your personal details. Read below to know more…

What’s an Ophiuchus?

Well, Ophiuchus is a constellation in the western sky culture. The image depicts a “snake bearer”. The snake itself is actually depicted in a neighboring constellation called Serpens. Ophiuchus is just the human silhouette part of the image.

Ok, so what does this have to do with Astrology and Zodiacs?

“Ophiuchus has nothing to do with Astrology,” say experts. It’s not an Astrology issue. It has to do with the stars — it’s not a sign, it’s a constellation. There are four seasons each with a beginning, middle and end. That makes 12 zodiac signs, and there’s no such thing as a 13th astrological sign.”

Chidambaram temple was the place that deified the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva. When Shiva danced, he used a special drum and from that drum emerged the sounds and the alphabets. These 51 sacred sounds are also called “Matrikas” or little mothers, since they give birth to all creation. Matrika Shakti is the powerful energy vibration of the sounds that make up our internal truth.

Nataraja temple of Chidambaram is one of the 5 Elemental Temples dedicated to Lord Shiva or Ultimate Consciousness. This temple is dedicated to the element aakasha or ether and it signifies sky of consciousness. Shiva is not only worshipped as formless (Ether) but also as Fire, Air, Earth and Water – the five elemental substances, Chidambaram temple, being one of the five Shivasthalangal is one of the most sacred places to worship Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva in his manifestation of formlessness is worshipped in the Chidambaram temple which was sanctified by the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva. The Lord is said to continuously dance in a state of eternal bliss with his consort Shakti. There is a shrine to the left of the Lord Nataraja called as the Chidambaram Rahasyam.

The Vedic Tamil month of Thai is considered as an incomparable month to worship Goddess Ma Shakti which falls between mid January to mid February. Poojas are done with much significance to please the Goddess on the four Fridays of this month. Prayers are offered by devotees to Goddess to bless them with creativity, strong will power and knowledge. For people who are wondering on the question on how to be successful in life, should pray to the all powerful Ma Shakti to get her divine blessings.

Ganesha the remover of obstacles is worshipped on Sankatathara Chaturthi or Sankashti Chaturthi which is observed on the 4th waning moon during every month. He is the God of beginnings, intellect, wisdom, knowledge and the remover of obstacles. One always starts any prayer, new venture, ritual or occasion, by worshipping Ganesha the remover of obstacles.

The 4th waning moons are the ideal time to remove your obstacles as the energies available on this phase is favorable for removing obstacles that include even the evil eye and delays in ventures. The spiritual importance, greatness and significance of Sankatahara Chaturthi are even mentioned in the Narasimha Purana and Bhavishya Purana.

Thai Pongal, the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu falls in mid January after the winter solstice. It marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayana, which marks the sun’s movement northwards for a period of six months. This celestial occasion is celebrated as Pongal. Most of the important events are scheduled to perform during this period as it is very auspicious.

Thai Pongal is celebrated for 4 days that signals the end of traditional farming season. It also marks a beginning for a series of festivals.Thai Pongal – Harvest festival of Tamil Nadu is also referred to as Vedic Winter Solstice in the west. This year’s four day celebrations begins from January 14th to January 17th. People usually offer their prayers to Gods and Goddesses during these days to make the upcoming year a favorable one for them.

Thai Poosam 2011 is celebrated in the Tamil month of ‘Thai’ in the remembrance of Lord Muruga. The word ‘Thai’ denotes a Tamil month and ‘Poosam ‘or Pushya’ means to nurture. The star ‘Poosam’ is controlled by the Lord Jupiter. Jupiter is associated with Devas and it helps them to be spiritual and intuitive by wisdom. It is regarded as auspicious and it helps in spiritual development of the devotees when it appears in the month of Thai. This year Thai Poosam falls on January 20.

On the day of Thai Poosam, devotees pray to Lord Muruga by offering prayers and by making Kavadis. This is the most auspicious day to offer prayers to get rid of the enemies. It is believed that Muruga will bestow more energy, on this auspicious day. Devotees offer prayers to Lord Muruga to bless them with wealth, grace, wisdom and to cure their diseases. Worshipping Muruga on Thai Poosam 2011 will help you to have a better human consciousness and a superior mind set. Performing Homas, Poojas and offering Abhishekam to the almighty God will help a person to act and think rightly.