Charity of the Month: Old Dog Haven
A potential remedy for Mercury-Saturn combinations
In Vedic astrology, donation, or "daan" as it's called in Sanskrit, is considered a key remedy. By performing acts of charity or donation, you can effectively balance your karma and neutralize negative karmic influences.
If you don’t know how this works–or the thinking behind it–feel free to check our my article Donation: a Powerful Remedy in Vedic Astrology at the bottom of the post.
For monetary donations to be effective, however, it is important that your money is truly going towards helping that which will help restore karmic balance for an issue in your chart. This is also why I tend to favor small charities rather than large ones, where it’s more likely your money will go towards administrative costs.
Although I have researched the charities I am presenting in this post series, please check their trustworthiness and validity yourself before donating. Two great websites for doing so include: Great Non-Profits and Charity Navigator.
So, here goes with this month’s featured charity – as well as the remedial benefits it could offer from a Jyotish perspective.
Old Dog Haven
Old Dog Haven is a Washington state-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing loving homes and end-of-life care for senior dogs in need. Founded in 2004, this unique rescue specializes in placing older dogs into foster homes, where they receive medical attention, companionship, and the chance to live out their remaining years with dignity.
Old Dog Haven's mission is vital because senior dogs often face major challenges in shelters, where they are overlooked in favor of younger, more adoptable animals. Many of these older dogs end up in shelters for sad reasons, such as the death or illness of their owners, or because they require expensive medical treatment that their previous owners couldn't afford.
Older dogs may struggle to adapt to shelter life, experiencing stress and loneliness in an unfamiliar environment. Old Dog Haven provides a lifeline for these overlooked dogs, offering them a compassionate alternative where they can receive the care and attention they need in their twilight years.
Donating to Old Dog Haven as a remedy for…
Suffering caused by Mercury-Saturn combinations.
This includes:
An afflicted Mercury in a Saturn-ruled sign (Aquarius or Capricorn)
Mercury conjunct or aspected by Saturn
The suffering difficult Mercury-Saturn combinations may bring include:
Communication challenges: Mercury represents communication and intellect, while Saturn tends to restrict and delay. Consequently, individuals Mercury-Saturn combinations might struggle with articulating their thoughts or find it difficult to convey their ideas to others.
Difficulties in learning: Mercury-Saturn issues can cause delays in learning new subjects or skills as well as slow cognitive function.
Social interaction challenges: individuals with this combination may find it challenging to connect with others or express themselves in social settings. This may lead to issues with social anxiety.
Mercury-Saturn combinations will also have an effect on the houses ruled by Mercury in a chart.
Why a charity like Old Dog Haven is ideal to help balance out negative karma related to difficult Mercury-Saturn combinations
Although Mercury donations often relate to children and learning (e.g., donations to schools, helping a poor child gain a better education, etc.), donations related to canine rescue also relate to this planet.
Saturn is old age (and the illness and decline associated with it), the disadvantaged, neglected, unloved and overlooked.
Therefore, a charity helping suffering senior (Saturn) dogs (Mercury) is a perfect match!
Although donating to Old Dog Haven (or a similar charity) would be an effective remedy for any Mercury-Saturn combination that is causing suffering, it would be particularly ideal for Mercury-Saturn combinations where Mercury is in the 6th house, which is the house of pets.
Here is the more general post about donation as remedy I mentioned earlier.
Rebeccah Dean is a Vedic astrologer and writer based in Berlin. To find out more about Rebeccah or book a Vedic astrology consultation, swing by rebeccahdean.com