Significance of the Atma Jyotirlingam Journey
Jyotirlingas are the 12 most ancient Lingas of Lord Shiva. These are the most sacred and powerful Shiva temples capable of fulfilling the wishes of its devotees. The word "Jyotirlinga" is derived from two words: "Jyoti" means light and "linga" means the emblem of Shiva. Linga/Lingam in the ancient times were either self-manifested (swayambhu) idols or manifested by an ancient devotee mentioned in the purana or itihasa. There are only 12 of them, spread across pan India.
It is believed that if a person visits all the 12 Jyotirlingas in their lifetime, they will attain Moksha, or liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
Each of the 12 Jyotirlingas is associated with a different story or legend from Vedic texts. For example, the Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga was built by Lord Rama who prayed to the Linga before he walked across Ramsetu towards Srilanka to save his wife Sita from the Demon King Ravanasura. Likewise the Somnath Jyotirlinga was built by the Chandra (Moon God), to worship Lord Shiva, while the Kedarnath Jyotirlinga is the place where Lord Shiva granted a boon to the Pandavas, the heroes of the epic, the Mahabharata.
The Jyotirlingas are also associated with different names of Lord Shiva. For instance, the Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is associated with the name Omkara (OM), while the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is associated with the name Mahakaal, which means the Lord of Cosmic Time.
The 12 Jyotirlingas are
Rameshwaram in Tamilnadu
Somnath in Gujarat
Nageshwar in Gujarat
Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh
Vaidyanath in Jharkhand
Mallikarjuna in Andhra Pradesh
Mahakaleshwar in Madhya Pradesh
Grishneshwar in Maharashtra
Vishwanath in Uttar Pradesh
Bhimashankar in Maharashtra
Kedarnath in Uttarakhand
Tryambakeshwar in Maharashtra
Each of these Jyotirlingas are associated with each zodiac sign in astrology in the same order from Aries to Pisces.
Pilgrimage to Atma Jyotirlingam
Worshipping the Jyotirlinga associated with the zodiac sign of your Atmakaraka planet is beneficial to your soul. Especially the Jyotirlinga associated with the Navamsha sign of your Atmakaraka of your birth chart is supremely beneficial for your soul journey. For instance, if your Atmakaraka planet of the birth chart is Sun, and its posited in Aquarius in Navamsha then you have to visit Kedarnath for guiding your soul on the right path.
It is said that the one who is supposed to get maximum benefits will always have a hard time visiting their Atma Jyotirlingam.
Devotees of Lord Shiva, visit the Jyotirlingas throughout the year, but special importance is given to certain auspicious days like Mahashivratri and Shravan month (July-August), that's when the temples are crowded with devotees.