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Dasa
Change Bread Ritual - December 6, 1998
By
Kari Tauring and Brenna Wassenaar with help from Matt
Yetter
In
Vedic Astrology a person’s
life is measured in periods of time during which they are
ruled by certain planetary forces. The Dasa (pronounced Dasha)
is the largest measure and this period of planetary influence
can last from 6 to 20 years. Dasas are made up of Bhuktis,
sub-periods of the Dasa. Bhuktis are made up of Antars, ad
infinitum, until every second of one’s life and what
influences each second, is accounted for. As Dasas change,
the energy of the ruling planet is released and made available
for learning and maturity. Dasas release cycles of maturity.
Hindu/Vedic
Astrology made more sense to me than Western Astrology ( the
popular astrology we use here in the United States and Europe
that uses the tropical zodiac, a zodiac that is based on the
equinoxes and not on the fixed constellations in the sky )
because the chart is developed based on where the planets
actually are at your birth. So, for example, in Western Astrology
I am a Cancer (July 4), but in Hindu Astrology I am a Gemini
because on July 4, 1966 the sun was in Gemini. My good friend
Matt Yetter composed my Vedic chart and I discovered that
I was on the cusp of this major Dasa change. Going from an
18 year rulership of Rahu to 16 years worth of being ruled
by Jupiter seemed like it should not go uncelebrated!
Traditionally,
Dasas are celebrated by doing 10,000 mantras of the influence
(here it is Jupiter) on the 1st Thursday of the beginning
of the Dasa. Well, since I don’t know any Jupiter mantras
and with two toddlers in the house, 10,000 anything seemed
out of the question. It just so happened that my best friend
Brenna was in a class at the time and they were supposed to
a ritual involving the baking of bread. I thought that a bread
ritual to celebrate my Dasa change was a good idea. It combined
the Vedic and the European traditions and gave us both a lot
of freedom to develop a meaningful way to celebrate this major
life change.
Designing
the Ritual
The
first step to designing the ritual was to figure out how Rahu
influenced me and how Jupiter would change me. What exactly
was the new maturity level I would be exposed to by Jupiter’s
influence?
Next,
we gathered ingredients for a loaf of Rahu bread. Representing
the Dark half of the moon we used dark molasses and sage.
Brenna inscribed the symbol of Rahu on the top of the loaf.
The loaf of Jupiter bread was larger. The red color of Jupiter
and the symbolic spot on the planet were created using tomatoes.
The astrological symbol of Jupiter was inscribed on it also.
Brenna took a bit of each dough and combined the two into
a talisman. As Brenna baked the breads, I got busy writing
the script for the ritual.
The
Ritual
I.
The Ritual Begins
We
set up the sacred space. We mark it with a cloth and call
in the four quarters. We set up the altar with the bread and
the tea. I ground and center and begin the ritual.
II.
Script
In
scripting a ritual it is imperative that we are clear on intention.
So
I asked:
Q.
What are we doing this ritual for?
A.
Celebrating my change.
Q.
What is the Change?
A.
Dasa change.
RAHU:
I want to accept the lessons I learned while under Rahu’s
influence with gratitude...and may I never need to repeat
them. I go back in time to 1980 when I first cam under Rahu’s
influence. I think about all the lessons I learned and the
crazy life that a crazy influence led me through. I want to
accept them and be grateful even though they were really hard,
sometimes tragic. Those years were a very rocky time.
I
will eat half of the Rahu loaf and say, “These things
I call to me, lessons learned through Rahu.” I will name
them.
I
will bury the other half in my garden and say: “I am
done with you now, these lessons I will not need to repeat.
I release you with gratitude.”
JUPITER:
I want to open my life to the Joy of Jupiter. All of the wonderful
things Jupiter brings to me now I want to accept with gratitude
and to share this fortunate influence with those I love.
I
will eat half the loaf of Jupiter and say “I open myself
to the influence of Jupiter. I accept with gratitude my good
fortune knowing that I worked hard for all that will come
to pass while Jupiter influences my life.”
I
will share the other half of the loaf with my friends and
family saying, “I will share the joy that Jupiter brings
me with you whom I love.”
THE
TALLISMAN: I will keep the Talisman that represents me, made
up of both Rahu and Jupiter, until the time when it is appropriate
to release it.
III.
Presentation of the Initiate.
I
present myself as new, changed, and open to Jupiter’s
influence.
We
ground the energy into the bread, the Earth, the talisman,
and into myself. We focus on the present, the here and now.
We
open the circle.
©
2000, Kari C. Tauring. All Rights Reserved.
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