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Unmasking Uranus – The Trial in the Court of the Jester King
In unmasking Uranus the numinous power of Fire is released, once more. It is a central motif in a drama that is already unfolding in our time, the duel process of the unbinding of Prometheus and the consequent holding to account of his first profound act of endowing humanity with fire – in following 'due course' we too will be and are being held to account. It is also an act that invokes the revelation of the subtle strategies at work in the cosmos, that correspond to the coersive impulse of the archetypal, the realm of the 'gods', as well as the hidden agendas of the human realm. It also reveals our understanding of who we are and what we have become. We are 'in' the revelation zone. Yet, in Uranus as archetype the impulse is a force which follows, or at least appears to follow, the course of an unfound logic, an elemental power, like lightning, that is unexpected, instantaneous and has equally unanticipated consequences, or at least we might like to excuse ourselves in thinking so. While these qualities are in themselves anathematic to the 'seemingly' monumental conservatism that binds the archetypes to their motives and motivating influence there is a growing and predominant feeling in the world that we have reached the zenith of our own culpability, the nadir of our responsibility, as a reflection of our misuse of the archetypal fire. And this itself lays open Uranus workings on and in the archetypal realms. We do well to heed Hermetic wisdom. The revolution in the heavens is upon us.
And so it was with the birth into consciousness of the planet Uranus, the first to be 'discovered' (in 1781 by the astronomer Herschel) beyond the orbit of Saturn, and thus the upsetter of the hitherto self contained vision of a planetary cosmos, the 'solar' system, circumscribed by Saturn's orbit. Beyond this was the unknown, or as yet unapprehended, and Uranus advent was an augery, a signal of that doorway into the unconscious being opened, a pathological warning that went largely unheeded, at least until the planet Neptune came into the frame. This oversight is significant in what came after, for, even though the existance of both the planets Neptune (1846) and Pluto (1930) was unknown to us at the time of Uranus naming, the unconscious influence of their archetypes had a deep bearing on how we reacted to possession of the Promethian fire that Uranus discovery delivered into our hands. This factor is also key in unfolding an understanding, from an astrological perspective, of the unconscious element in Uranus presence amongst us. But, at this point, the prologue is incomplete – the drama cannot be entered into without bringing more props and scenery onto the stage.
Uranus opened the way between the inner and the outer planets, and between the solar system and the starry cosmos, the celestial fundament of stellar space. That realm is symbolised in Uranus association with the Greek god Ouranos, representing the heavens. But, this is where the symbological association ends….Ouranus was an arch conservative within the pantheon of Greek creation myths, and Uranus, in astrological practice and experience, is the antithesis of that archetypal characteristic. So, how is it that the archetype persists in name but not in function and effect? It is time to unmask Uranus and in doing so once more ignite the Promethian Fire……as a torch and illuminator of our way ahead, an act of redemption. But will it be Uranus or ourselves who will be redeemed? We shall see…..
….ahh, Prometheus! The stealer of divine power in the form of Fire. Promethian cunning is kin to astrological Uranus, and with it he thwarted the gods, and we all know the consequences he suffered…..how much does this reflect the error of our own ways, their consequences in our times, at least those belonging to the western paradigm. In unmasking Uranus we also unmask those errors, and, in all their destructive elements, the stigma attached to playing with fire, the impact upon our world of a zealous and unbounded desire to wield the power of the gods, in the world. We expose our own naivety, our childish lack of fore-thought and understanding. Uranus, and Prometheus both, invited us to step beyond the Saturnian threshold, and we did so blindly, inflated with the incendiary power of the archetype, and through this, so, in standing trial, we too become unmasked, are held to account and, in the process, expose the innate dangers of assuming archetypal forces to be our own to play with. In light of this notion, it is perhaps no coincidence that Uranus discovery came amidst the rise of the 'science paradigm', of scientific materialism and heralded the advent of its adjunct, the industrial revolution. There are many obvious reasons why we should seek to expose ourselves to what lies behind that mask at this time, and, not least of all as Uranus is so prominently figured in the current astrology.
We are in the midst of the Uranus Pluto square, the aspect that almost certainly carries the signature of our times. Uranus in initiatic Aries and Pluto in power-house Capricorn. Seven times the square is formed and, over a period of…..years, presents us with the opportunity to experience first hand the archetypes at work through these two planets and their presence, both as influences upon and mirrors of what lies behind our own subtle, and not so subtle, strategems in the world. No two planets could be more suited to the task of upsetting the paradigmatic applecart than Uranus and Pluto, especially when in the square aspect where their combination is one of provocation and striving for relationship, rather than the harmonious co-operation we might expect of the softer aspects, the trine and sextile. So, the stage is set for the first part of the hearing, and while it may be the gods that are called to account, it is hubris that is the charge and crime – in this it is humanity that is the culpable and, possibly, only prime suspect. But, are we really culpable, or have we been duped to the highest degree? In unmasking Uranus, we will find, we must enter the realms of the arch-trickster, King Jester…..Look Out!
If there is a powerful current of revolutionary energy at work with electrifying impact in the world in our times it is, in one aspect, manifest in the exposure of Rulers, tyrants, power mongers and dictators, hidden and overt. We are seeing mass protest manifest against the usury and manipulation that they have visited and are visiting upon us, and this is building – we instinctively know that this is the case, but, the evidence is becoming rife. The material fabric of western culture is shot through with the symptoms of this usury and the world is being destroyed. Science has become infiltrated to an immense degree by the machinations of the power crazy and the self-serving. And yet, as individuals we are held to be accountable, through our lifestyles, our mindless consumerism and apparent powerlessness in the face of that great god of the scientific materialists, Progress. 'Apparent' though – the cracks in the armour of scientific 'necessity' and its saturating permeation of our lives are letting in the light of realisation and this too is motivating the uprising. This is the Uranian fire at work and Pluto, also allied in this, is breaking down the barriers, the structures that support and conceal the powers within. This too is reflected in our current scientific revolution, its fierce pace no less a threat to our world than its benefits are an astonishingly mesmerising gift. We can detect the veiled but pervasive work of Neptune's dark side in that hypnotic influence. Yet, many are calling it an awakening, and rightly so – Uranus is also the awakener – but, many are also becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of Promethius gift to humanity.
In that awakening, in the light of the fire that was handed to us on Uranus discovery, is reflected our ability to change the world, radically. Following the Promethian hand-over, this has taken on monumental proportions. Archetypes inflate when they are taken in, when we attempt to hold them in our grasp. They carry the twin charge of inescapable necessity and compulsive force, Ananke and Bia in the divine cosmology. They grow in our psyche through their active presence and, as a result, we begin to lose sight of ourselves under such powerful numinous influences. Our pathological reaction is instinctive and motivates correspondingly innate and primarily archetypal valencies within ourselves. We act out and in the process unleash the archetypal power through ourselves into the world, or….we act-in, and become narcissistically involved with their in-dwelling and psychic charge. Much that we enact as a result is infused with unconscious qualities – the archetype, where it is confined to the instinctive, remains unintegrated, its function and effect undisclosed, its influence neurotic. This could be a description of the effects of the Uranian explosion that accompanied its discovery, that set scientific innovation on fire. We knew not what we did.
As a brief aside that was both shocking and illuminating to hear, I remember an indigenous elder describing how his grandparents world was ripped assunder by the influx of iron goods and electricity, of how these were both seen to be what they are, the products of a power base, and basis, alien to the indigenous world, and yet, it promised benefits, was also desirable! They wanted the electric light and iron cooking pot, he confessed. More recently a comment was made to me that if the ancestors had had Dremels (electrically powered crafting tools) they too would have used them to craft their talismans and everyday utensils. But, and this is a big 'but' and key point at this stage in the trial, they did not have the power to drive the Dremel. Although there is growing evidence to show that the ancients were well conversant with the power of the electric universe, in this court it must be noted that it is western scientific industrialism that sought to harness that power, that is carrying the burden of responsibility. And our reaction was no different to those indigenous great grandparents……but, how much of a choice did we have? Was it the hubris of the common woman and man that was at work in harnessing that power? Were we innocently led, like lambs to the slaughter, into the abattoir of technological progress?
Much power is a dangerous thing….in the wrong hands. Another indigenous elder recounted how, on being shown photographs of sky-scrapers (think about that word), his elders instant reaction was that whoever was responsible for them had a serious problem with 'power'. Too true….as the elders revealed the indigenous world is not naive in the face of power, especially those powers that are what we in the West call 'super-natural'. Such powers, if accessible to the individual, are integrated into the indigenous world while remaining hidden, and that hiddeness is the responsibility of the person who has access to them to maintain. There is deep wisdom in this. We have done the opposite in the West. And the Promethian fire is not simply an incendiary, it too is supernatural, originates with the gods.
Yet science will not have it. The 'supernatural' is fantasy. This is changing – innovative scientists, such as Rupert Sheldrake for example, are challenging the 'scienctific paradigm of the establishment', revealing the fantasies upon which it has built its fortress….and, there are many others hard at work on this deconstruction process while embracing the, in fact, through embracing the 'paranormal', supernatural and spiritual weave of the scientific fabric. Our understanding of the world we live in is changing with it. Monsanto has fulfilled Mary Shelly's prophetic vision of Frankestein's monster – but, this is where we are beginning to differentiate between those responsible and the rest. Pluto's alchemy cuts both ways…..and it too has archetypal relentlessness.
But, Pluto's is the archetype that takes us to the very depths and changes everything from the bottom up – Uranus does the opposite, bringing divine interventions and revolutionary inspiration to bear from the top down. Where they meet is in their revolutionary impact. We are caught in their midst, polarised and struggling to maintain balance – we have no choice. Yet, we have some…..
If there be a preliminary summing up to be had at this stage in the courts proceedings we need to weigh our choices. Our souls may very well be in that balance.
In doing so, lets remind ourselves of that indigenous wisdom, that brings consciousness and resposibility to the 'possession' of power, both in being possessed by such and having access to it. If Pluto is the alchemist, Uranus is the magician. If Pluto has the earthly power structures in the crucible, Uranus is throwing light upon the process. They both wield fire. And, we are compelled, in our current circumstances, to use this power wisely. Uranian insights are essential. We are culpable now to the extent that we make use of them, or, more correctly, in how we make use of them, for the former will, if the latter is heeded, become balanced – this much instinct tells us. We have a wise animal knowing within each of us that is not only our ally in this, but, is a primal gift of the ancestors. That knowing connects us to our roots, passing through both Uranus and Pluto's realms to meet us, and offering us a root of knowledge that has been all but erased from our human world, but persists. That we have such within reach is crucial – this isn't to say that instinct will save the day – we need far more conscious articulation of our knowledge and wisdom. And we can find it.
In Uranus we also find the higher levels of consciousness, you could say, which to us in a sense, are also the instincts of the divine, of the gods. And it is this that is the missing element, the unapprehended attribute of the sacred fire that we bypassed on our way to the fire-pit and furnace. It is also Pluto's gift that we are able to put this higher knowing to use now, not only in bringing down Frankenstein's castle, and this can be a metaphor for all the hiding places of monstrous misuse of power, but, coming to understand the cthonic powers and what they are in relation to us. Pluto is also the dark aspect of the Great Mother, her crone wisdom, an unusually compelling image when we consider the changes that are at work now in the world. In their combination Pluto and Uranus bring the volcanic and the electric together, Magma and Lightning….the scalar union of power in the plasmic universe. On the ground we are standing on the rim of the culdera, the firey precipice. We do not need to get any closer to read the signs.
We must awaken from our reveries and realise that we are in the court of the Jester King. The hearing is underway and if, while daydreaming in the fire, we have missed the vital evidence….well, we will surely subvert the choices we have in the process of a just verdict being reached…..but, for this to happen we must ask 'how did we get here',and, who is this Jester King? The answer to both is in unmasking ourselves, for it is we who have been wearing Uranus mask. We have invoked the spirit uninitiated. If we can do so we may well find that the mask changes, that this is our initiation, and that it becomes the shamans mask, that helps us in dancing with the spirits, that is their gift, and that connects us with the power to heal, the powers that heal. What in us unites the lower worlds and the upper is the question……and here the elders, the indigenous people of wisdom and the shamans are our best guides – our very nature is at stake in finding the answer.
Next up in the dock at Owlmirror, in the second part of this 'Trial in the Court of the Jester King', will be Neptune…….!
I want to apologise to readers here for the adverts that may appear below this and other articles at Owlmirror….this will be rectified soon…….
Creating with Gravity Waves – Saturn trine Neptune
…..what would you do if your computer started printing out your innermost thoughts and feelings……
If images sometimes say what cannot be said in words then the sculpture pictured below is perfect for the reflections and intimations that it brings up at this time. It is both ancient and contemporary, has a philosophical edge and embodies an harmonious marraige between technology and poetry, between rigorous process and unremitting humour – qualities that may well be our saving grace as things progress in the coming times. It has an edge that allows the frisson of paradox to energise rather than confound our sensibilities, and it oozes beauty and charisma…..this is the sign of a living symbolism at work and, for me at least, Joshua Harker's 'Crania Anatomica Filigre' (1) achieves all of this and is a powerful, poigniant and provocative symbol well and truly belonging to our times…..
When I first became aware of this image it had an immediate impact, instantly spoke to these qualities and, serendipitously, captures the essence of a very intriguing astrological alignment that has been building for some weeks now, and which is exact as this article is published – Saturn trine Neptune. It is an alignment that, like the sculpture, I feel, brings an underlying flavour of our current paradoxical nature into much needed focus.
The link above will take you to Joshua's website where you can find out more about his work and how this piece in particular came into being – it has been made through computer generated 3D printing and this makes it reproducable. Infact, the process itself, could also be the perfect exemplar for the alliance between Saturn and Neptune. In this article we'll look more at the personal aspects of these planets and their current influence………but, first, lets put this in context.
The current planetary climate tells us there will be plenty of time and opportunities to dive down the particularly interesting rabbit hole that is opening up in our patch of the universe…..watch this space. And, we'll come to that part soon enough!…..all in good time, all in good time……
…..which is very much the positive spin on the message from Saturn and Neptune right now. The planet Saturn has been slowly turning the amplitude up on the trine with Neptune over the last couple months.
They are now both in the first degree of Scorpio and Pisces respectively…..and they will be revisiting this aspect in six months time, so, not only does this meeting effectively frame the upcoming eclipses, the cross-quarter fire festival of Samhain as well as the December solstice, but, whatever is set in motion now will revisit us around Beltain, by way of these two great planets influence. All the more reason to get real about whats happening now…..
….the question is, 'who's to say whats real?'. If it seems like this is a time when 'the reality principle' itself in the dock and, no matter how much we agree or disagree, no matter how emotional our testimonies are likely to become, and by all acounts, they will, every individual's testimony counts. But, how to speak of such things?!
Where Neptune dissolves and diffuses Saturn concretises and defines. Poetic licence rules with an iron fist when they unite their energies. 'Holding it all together' and 'going with the flow' are no longer hippy mantras but mutualy bound neccessities that must find a synthesis. For us the computer screen world has become a worm-hole into the universes of the imagination and these in turn become real by virtue of the underlying force of their emotional impact – every IT savvy advertising executive knows how this one works.
In their current relationship and positions within the tropical zodiac these two great planets are holding court behind the scenes as the world becomes synthesised within liquid crystal manifestations of constant change awash with emotionally charged gravity waves emanating from deep within the ocean of primal consciousness…..Neptune is, at time of writing, stationed in the first degree of tropical Pisces and is about to go direct just as the ringed planet has entered Scorpio. Saturn will be residing in Scorpio for a little over two years, so we are sure to be hearing more about his presence in the eighth sign as time progresses, especially in the coming months. The trine may well have already shown signs of its influence – its something hard to pin down, not least for the polarised nature of the two planetary influences, and I have been wondering just how the trine would become manifest.
The relationship between these two powerful planets is often flagged up as difficult and fraught with an underlying emotional intensity, but, it can also be incredibly creative, with the necessary awareness, intuition and resources to hand in negotiating the undercurrents – and there are plenty of those around at the moment.
The meeting of their seemingly polarised energies has complexity, in a psychological as well as an intrinsic sense, and, while its qualities may well evolve slowly enough to become tangible in the mundane world, Saturn and Neptune's collaboration is often one that 'defies the definitive' and operates through psychological and emotional dynamics. It can, if not registered consciously invoke a kind of archetypal torque that manifests as a feeling of creeping inner overwhelm, but, there is a positive spin to this as it is also a feeling that benefits by expressive release, as it is essentially a root force of creative energy. The predominance of one planet over the other will determine how this manifests, so how they fall in your charts is key to how you will experience this phase of planetary evolution. Either way, it is bound to be an emotional experience, especially with both planets in water signs now.
Whether focusing on inner work, world work, letting off steam or channeling the archetypal into creative work, care must be taken in how we respond to the pull of the emotional charge and how we translate it into our thoughts and actions. Neptune can stimulate the former and induce powerful sea-changes in our lives, Saturn can provide the latter by contextualising and bringing these changes into focus. Collectively, the combined energy could see concrete expression of powerful emotions en-masse, and this would benefit most from the discipline and focus that Saturn can bring – but, thats often a hard call and requires strong leadership.
The symbols thrown up from the deeper areas of consciousness throw an arc of numinous life force between the personal and the transpersonal realms, and these carry the charge safely, providing a live container that shields and translates where otherwise we might become swamped, over-identify or become contaminated with the archetypal force and its numinous influence. Many artists work naturally with this connectivity, especially where their work is both deeply expressive and symbolic by nature, but, being connected with the transpersonal realms and how they shape up in the personal, a true test of our boundaries and psychological integrity, with Saturn and Neptune at work in unison the simple answer is to lighten up and play – as the old saying has it, 'kiss the Devil on the mouth and he turns into the Sun'.
The strangest of bed-fellows at the best of times, there is always that uneasy tension between Saturn and Neptune – their's is a fertile paradox of a relationship. Astrologers, I have noticed, tend to come down on the negative side when describing the qualities and effects at work here. But, the positive side, if emphasised with the trine, is one that embues reality with a transmutational numinousity and requires direct encounter with symbolic power to become graspable – in other words its perfect for engaging in some in-depth therapeutic artwork! The effects can be both powerfully and beautifully creative, not to mention a little surreal…..but, lets see if we can further flesh out Saturn first, without breaking into too disrespectful a smirk……
……no, Seriously! Saturn is serious business. He is a kind of hardened patriarchal chief exec. amongst the planets, not necessarily top of the heap, even if he'd like you to think otherwise, but, to extract the goodness of a smile from his dour demeanour requires work, hard work, of the kind that delivers never to be forgotten experience; there are no free lunches at Saturn's boardroom table and we should never expect there to be – no matter where you sit at that table, no matter whether you are faced with questions of your own mortality, the residue of your own past actions or the challenge of building something of consequence in this lifetime, you are there to learn……..Saturn holds the key that winds up this mortal coil and, as guardian and arbiter of the incarnate branch of its sacred laws, is the disaffected mentor of soul making experience. Standing at the threshold, between the personal and transpersonal realms, the incarnate and dis-incarnate, Saturn does not suffer fools gladly, which is a challenge here because……
……Neptune, by contrast appears the complete anathema of Saturn – defying containment and holding court at the edge of our solar system to galactic energies and interstellar space, Neptune is really 'out there', almost recklessly affected to the point of being without substance. This planet, attributed the heart of the mystic and the eye of the dreamer whose reach knows no boundaries, is wayout beyond the personal homelands of the inner planets – this is a planet of the greater community of spirit, by effect on earth 'the holy ghost of the Great Mother', which may surprise some – Neptune is, not in effect alone, but, by all accounts and without a doubt, predominantly a feminine planet, and we'll expand more on this symbolism another time as it is such a commonly held misconception.
There are, of course, masculine and feminine attributes to all the planets, however, astrologically, its the effects that matter. Where Saturn concretises, Neptune pervades and, as such, Neptune's power resides in the numinous realms out of which the power within symbolism itself has its roots…..oceanic, atmospheric, archetypal, relating to the sub or unconsciousness, Neptunian influences, being transpersonal by nature, bring us into contact with qualities, values and experiences that wash away boundaries and allow a flow of both undercurrents and rip-tides to pull and push on our emotional bodies, operating beyond the physical realms that are Saturn's domain of manifest power. Where Neptune and Saturn meet though is in their fundamental nature. Where power wells up, connecting us with the primal matrix of creative energy and processes, both of their attributes apply……and, within the individual, both planets offer the keys to individual freedom, delivering through their own dissimilar archetypal qualities and the manner in which these give access to greater wisdom through experience and self reflection. And theres something of the universal and the personal melded in the symbolic valency of the skull.
The skull, in true Saturnian manner, delineates our physical frame in a manner afforded by no other bone in the body. While our brain, the immensely powerful processor it houses, impresses its shape and volume from within the matrix of bone, the mind that percieves and thinks by virtue of its 'in-house' processes is by no means either defined or de-limited by the skull's physical boundaries, far from it – and, likewise, the fluid imaginative patterning of the skull in this sculpture is true to Neptune's qualities. Our personality too may well have its physical countenance molded and present to the world for all to see by virtue of the underlying bone structure of our face, yet, it is the flesh that ages and changes with the vissisitudes of life, is the expressive map of our life journey – Neptune reveals the illusiory nature of appearances through the metaphysics of Saturnian time. Yet, even with the most vivid imagination, stripped back to the bleached and stark 'death's head' reality of the skull, we are hard put to 'envisage' the countenance it might have supported. That is nominally a physiological skill reserved for the pathologist sculptor (an astonishing example of which you will also find on Joshua's website) – a typically Saturnian application of Neptunian attributes.
……look more closely at this image and you will notice an inner level at work, suggesting the embodyment of this skill at another level – within the skull is yet another smaller one, suggesting an in-dweller, one who observes the observer, who 'sees with other eyes' and this is also a skill afforded the shaman and seer, whose inner eye is alive to the world beyond the world…..but, well be taking that particular route next time…….this is a great time for otherworldy art to be birthed, and given that it is also a time in which life may well be seen to be imitating art, also gives us much food for thought…..what would you do if your computer started printing out your innermost thoughts and feelings……
For now, dwell on this image – it has much to say that cannot be said by words alone……
(1) Many thanks to the artist Joshua Harker for the photo of Crania Anatomica Filigre which was supplied by him and is reproduced here with his kind permission.
Liar's Moon
This May the Full Moon in Scorpio is bringing the energies of the Dharma Moon cycle to a radical level of realisation. The ongoing influence of Neptune's energies, currently direct in spiritual Pisces, is being intensified towards a point of maximisation and emotional intensity with this Moon – we should expect the unexpected to be revealed and we will need to keep our ears to the ground, more particularly for the sound of Truth – deception is afoot, but, there-in lies a tale waiting to be told! The Sun's position on the fixed star Algol will feed a serious edge directly into this Full Moon and beyond – it is an influence that demands a certain approach! With careful exploration we can begin to bring out its full import; how we do so on the personal plane will complete the picture……first, we must begin with Time and the planetary movements.
The importance of the Moon cycles continues to grow, highlighting the rhythms of the cosmos and how we can dovetail our personal work into this natural pulse. Whatever we set in motion now, or develop further, will be expanded and sustained through the next Moon phase as Jupiter will be on the cusp of Taurus at the next New Moon – at that time, Jupiter will be sextiling Neptune, which furthers our spiritual work through the Neptunian vibration. This gives a much needed grounding and disseminating impulse that will push the work we do now out into the wider world and help us to spread the compassionate and imaginative aspects of Piscean spirituality into the world with beneficial effect. The re-emergent presence of the Goddess within consciousness is pulsing through these cycles, pushing the masculine principle to the extreme, an inevitable culmination of the 'Yang' side of the process before it gives way to the 'Yin'. So, already we have a sense of the ongoing process influenced through Neptune that will find a Natural expression and, with Algol influencing the Sun, the earthing influence of Taurus becomes crucial. The planets are pushing Earth issues to the top of the agenda….
Venus conjunct Mercury is following Mars into the Taurean fields, and these planets are sextiling Neptune and Chiron while trining Pluto – at the high end here we have extra energy for communicating from the heart, engaging with the sensuously spiritual in Nature and communicating it outwards. As the world shifts further into dis-order on the physical plane, in anticipation of breakthrough, an energy available for finding strong ways of bringing this to bear in the world is essential at this time. The trine to Pluto provides us with such an energy, one that takes the transformative power of our voices to much deeper levels – this not a time for superficiality, but, for words and deeds of real courage. And we will surely need this, as Algol will clearly demonstrate. Pluto in sextile with Neptune brings this out with widening effect in the collective and Chiron continues to bring the 'wounded' aspects that underly the breakdown of order into the process. Daily we are seeing the push for exposure and truthfullness being highlighted – particularly within the fields of politics, economics and power. Fukushima is a potent symbol that carries all three and, with exquisite if brutal honesty, Algol brings the reality of this process to an emphatic and extreme point – nowhere is this more pertinent than at Fukushima! With Scorpionic intensity this could be dangerous. But, we need to continue within our time-frame……timing is everything.
In the collective we can also look to another system for measuring time, and here the time-line of western astrology is in perfect synch with Mayan calendrics through this phase. Time acceleration has become a key to understanding the way that our earth-experience is playing out and Carl Calleman has given us the most grounded and demonstrably accurate view of the Mayan end cycle, so we will refer to his interpretation that has this cycle end on 28th October this year…..(weve touched upon the relationship of this date to the popularised 2012-12-21 date in previous Moon posts).
According to Calleman, in the Mayan calendar we are now also coming to the end of Night 2 of the 9th wave in the Mayan/Gregorian calendar cycle, the final stage of the longer 26 thousand year process. Night 2 itself will culminate on 20th May, a few days after this FM, and the incoming energies of Day 3 will peak just as the next New Moon in Gemini is priming – just one day after that New Moon Neptune goes retrograde (with Chiron following suit 6 days later). There, in short, is the parameter for this phase of spiritual activation to become fully realised – by the 2nd of June our intent should be clearly working and spiritually speaking this can be most successfully achieved through sound and entrainment with the vibrations within silence, attuning to primordial sound. There is powerful opportunity for making 'good medicine' here…..
Why sound and vibration in particular? Under strong Neptunian influence within its tropical home sign we would be naturally drawn to pay attention to how Neptune operates within the field – infact, Neptunian energy is 'field' energy, nebulous and pervasive. Sound is the natural medium for us to work with in the field at this time as it connects quintessence and manifestation. A simple answer then might be that Venus conjunct Mercury and sextile Neptune is emphasising vocalisation from the heart across on a collective level. Surprisingly, it is Algol that brings this to the fore here – this fixed star is associated with the thyroid and the 5th chakra (amongst other more challenging qualities, as we shall see). 5th chakra medicine works through vibration and vocalisation. With the Sun conjunct Algol high consciousness and clear intent can bring this energy out in its higher vibration – its lower vibration demands that we do so or pay the cost! The lower scale of Algol seperates the head from the body and threatens to petrifiy with fear – Algol is also associated with Medusa, the snaky haired goddess who will turn all who face her eye to eye to stone! She is the Gorgon, the Terrible Mother, an aspect of the Dark Goddess, fearsome in the extreme, and protector of Wisdom as innate fundamental truth.
Algol has gained a 'bad' reputation, being connected with Medusa – violent ends, particularly with injury to the head, or, more to the point, loosing ones head, quite literally! If we pick up on this, the most common Medusa association, it is fairly obvious that we need to approach any conjunction with Algol with caution – Perseus cut off the Medusa's head using a shield that Athena had given him as a mirror, so that he could direct the swing of his sword without looking the terrible face of the gorgon directly in the eye. And so, over time, through observations made by the ancient astrologers, Algol's influence was seen to be born out through attrocities and violent events, some affecting individuals in precisely this manner – in both violent reprisals, meting out of judgements, the loss of leadership in radical ways and accidents that have resulted in decapitation amongst others. This aspect of extreme nature does need to be born in mind on the political front for this period and we could see polarised confrontation escalate to an extreme level – the 'Arab Spring' may yet falter unless we persist with and bolster the right vibration collectively. All the more reason for us to further our inner work and to stay focused.
If we come back to the thyroid, the lower vibration of Algol's influence takes on an even more sinister quality – one of the functions of the thyroid is to assimilate Iodine into the body (as well as enabling us through hormone regulation to resource and metabolise energy) – with irradiated Iodine entering the atmosphere from the meltdown of Fukushima the 'heads-up' here is to take care of our Iodine absorbtion levels with Kelp or Potassium Iodide suppliments – these will help fill the thyroid to the point where it will no longer absorb irradiated Iodine; a very effective 'shield' that is good for adults and children alike (please follow recommended daily intake levels)! Iodine is of course important to marine life, so the water connection of this Full Moon is also highlighted.
Water is the natural element associated with both Neptune and Pisces (and Scorpio, which we will come back to), symbolising the emotions and the spirit realms, carrying sound over great distance, being very sensitive to vibration and the qualities it carries – it also represents the mutability of matter, its state between solid and gas. Ideally we engage with this vibratory and fluid nature through entrainment with the 'field', going with the flow, and this has been our precise focus in invoking the Flower of Life as a symbol of how all Life is connected across all levels of existance – water also connects all life on Earth. When water is subjected to vibration it can manifest patterns, called cymatics, that are remarkably similar to the Flower of Life, depending on the pitch of the vibration. Once again Medusa has connections here with water – she was the daughter of Phorcys, a primordeal sea-god, and was one of three sisters, another manifestation of the triple goddess in her dark aspect. Infact Medusa was considered of extreme beauty, another emphasis on extremes we must take note of. Her damned form was the result of Athena's wrath after Medusa was found coupling with Poseidon within the inner precincts of Athena's temple…..Poseidon, the 'earth-skaker', was Lord partner of the Earth-Mother….
…..why would Medusa be punished? Here we have the shadow of oppression projected through both Athena and Medusa – it would appear that not only did Athena's high ideals make her blind to the truth, but, if we move inside the story and explore its hidden precincts, we will find that Athena too has suffered at the hands of the patriarchy and that those ideals were foisted upon her! Not only this, but, Athena herself has her origins as a representative of the Dark Goddess….although Medusa is presented by some scholars as a rival to Athena, in essence Athena is a sister to Medusa within the mysteries, having first made her appearance within Minoan-Mycenean culture in the form of a snake (1). She was originally a chthonic goddess, connected with the earth energies…..her downfall came as a result of Zeus' fear of his own offspring (Athena) claiming his power – a family trait that shows the patriarchal line's need to maintain sovereignty (Kronos, Zeus own father, consumed his own children to prevent them usurping him). We might find this surprisingly being played out in current politics……
A prophecy informed Zeus that this fate would befall him, so, he swallowed Metis, Athena's mother, in an attempt to contain the emergent threat. Hephiastos, also a chthonic divinity, a smith-god, smote Zeus head (here is Algol again) and out sprang Athena! The process described here reflects the re-figuring of the goddess as a product of the division of supra-consciousness (Zeus), and the birth of self reflecting awareness in the form of 'wisdom' – but, for Medusa's story to make sense within this it should be remembered that Athena had become stripped of her chthonic power, this now becoming idealised and intellectualised – here too is the birth of the moral and ethical philosophical basis upon which the Athenian State became established and out of which was born the politic of 'democracy'. When Medusa enters the inner sanctum of Athena the plot thickens….
Athena's most famous temple is the Parthenon – Athena remained a virgin, Parthenos means 'virgin', and her 'wisdom', now denying its chthonic roots in carnal knowledge, embodies the celebate idealisation of union with spirit in the higher mind – here too we see the basis for Christian idealisation of spirituality in seperation from the body – Heaven is split from Earth. It is this oppressive regimentation of the inner spiritual light of consciousness and its seperation from the body, effectively an exile to the head, that was challenged by Medusa's copulation within the temple. Infact, Medusa was bringing the roots of Athena's own innate wisdom home, and we will see how the story of Perseus reveals this. And, in case you think we are straying from the current Full Moon, read on…..!!
Remember that Medusa was copulating with Poseidon in Athena's temple (feminist theory has her being raped)…. well, she was one of three daughters to Phorcys and Ceto (also a primordial sea-goddess) – the three were known as the Gorgons, the other two being immortal, all bearing wings of gold, having tusks (or horns) and most famously having the skin and fangs of the snake. The fact is, these traditional tellings of the story hide deeper meanings that reveal the threat that Athena's action against Medusa was playing out – Medusa, like Athena, is a protector of wisdoms, and in this Full Moon it is the uncovering of the falacy that overlays the true nature of this wisdom that we are now coming very close to revealing……..we need to look at the older version of the Perseus myth in relation to Medusa to find the necessary clues.
Perseus, the 'destroyer', personified the breaking of the Triple Goddess power through his myth, a theme that occurs over and again throughout European mythologies. He is seen in the pursuit of Medusa wearing sandals with wings, which connects him with Mercury and Hermes, and in turn embues him with poetic language and insight…..it is said that he could not begin his mythical task until he had visited the Graeae, three older sisters of the Gorgons. The Graeae are synonymous with the Norns (remember them from our previous Moon cycle?!) and it was from them that he learned how to find the three Nymphs from whom he recieved the means to slay the only mortal Gorgon, Medusa. The Nymphs gave Perseus the sandals, a helmet of invisibility and, most significantly, a bag to put the head of Medusa into. Hermes himself gave him a sickle, honouring the Lunar Goddess (and Demeter), with which to carry out the gruesome task. Infact, in the classical myth Zeus is attributed with the gifting of the adamantine sword used for this purpose, but, there-in is yet another later distortion at the hands of the Olympians. But here is the crucial evidence – the Graeae were older than any mortal time could relate and were keepers of the mysteries connected with 'seeing' and divination; the Nymphs and Hermes, bringing this power into a more contemporary form, provided Perseus with the means to enter the inner sanctum of the Gorgons and the bag, being an appropriate container, also belongs to this 'seeing' tradition. Why an 'appropriate' container? Within this tradition we find the 'Crane Bag' which holds the sacred instruments (connected with the first alphabet) used in divination – divination connects us with the primal language that unites the divine with the mortal, and here is the underlying deception – the Gorgons were protectors of this primal language, the means of exposing 'fundamental truths'! (2)
The 'modernised' myth has Athena punishing Medusa for her desicration of the inner sanctum by giving serpents for hair and the petrifying gaze – this is Olympian spin on the truth. Athena, stripped of her chthonic connections now embodies wisdom seen 'through' the higher mind, seperated from the earthy kenning ways of the old Goddess – she has become virginised, imbued with masculine qualities and is as herself cut off from her feminine knowing. The carnal act of Medusa bringing the oceanic and chthonic knowledge into this puritanical zone of spirituality is an attempt to reverse the process – Athena herself might have understood this had she not been 'brainwashed' of the connection. Instead it is the patriarchal shadow, projected through her and the classical role of Perseus, that casts Medusa as the demon and condemns her to her fate at the hands of the patriarchal divine.
At least that is what the propoganda would have us believe – in giving the mirror to Perseus, with which he could slay Medusa, Athena herself gave him an instrument of 'seeing' – in giving the head of Medusa to Athena, which she subsequently wore on her breastplate, and in Athena also putting this on Zeus' shield (that she carried), the deception is made complete and absorbtion of the now divided Triple Goddess into the patriarchal pantheon of divinity is sealed. It is with this Moon that the exposure of the roots of this deception are now being exposed…….
Algol's bad press is the story of the stripping of the Goddess of her innate powers, the seperation of spirit and matter, and the projection of deep shadow as a psychism of denial into our consciousness. The myth reveals to us the root of Fear. The re-emergent and denied powers of the Goddess bring their original energies to bear with chaotic and tectonic effect – Uranium and Plutonium carry its signature in its most dishonoured form through meltdown. The rape of the Earth is a crime that carries a heavy penalty……the cover-up, now over 5 thousand years in the making, is so deeply embedded in our western constructs of politics and power that only full engagement with the Plutonic energies of total transformation that enables re-birth can rectify the crime. Life will continue, as the Earth is far greater a being than our sciences would have us believe. Algol fuels the Sun with consciousness of the need for retribution and the Moon mirrors this back to us through the Scorpionic field of transformation, healing and empowerment. Scorpio fills our personal and collective psyches with enduring, fearless and deeply emotional energy through this Moon – it is a warning that we may loose our heads if we choose to confront the shadow side of Sun on Algol, but, it is also a sign that we 'in the zone' to take back the raw power that resides within our deeper selves, our own chthonic wisdom, and use this for the restoration of the Feminine Divine. This could be seen as a deeply pagan Moon – and with the Norns, the Nyphms and the 'divining' tools restored to us we can claim our own 'Crane Bag' and bring balance, healing and pragmatic wisdom of the medicine ways of the 'seers' into the world again.
Deception about radiation levels, political agendas, weather manipulation, economic usury, media conditioning – the list goes on, and we are becoming more aware by the day. 'Seeing' is entering our way of being and were we see suffering, inevitably now we will also find the raw truth exposed within the wound – there is an indigenous knowing within this. What is wounded affects the whole. Equally, what is healing heals all – every single one of us and all that we do through our personal medicines count here.
Our timing is perfected in this – the 2nd Night of the 9th cycle of the Mayan calendar is the phase of darkness in which'the seedlings fight for space in the crowded fields – a time when polarised factions may come to blows' – in this we have conflict, and yet also, beneath this is an energy that seeks to find our true place in which to root, to make our connection with the Earth…..it is an energy that prepares us for Day 3, in which we engage with 'the development of a root system and send out the second set of leaves that will become the permanent outer manifestation of the plant', our means of harnessing the energies of heaven and earth within the one body. As Carl Calleman tells us, this is the phase in which 'the new consciousness becomes viable' (3).
There is a poigniant twist at work through Athena and Medusa here as well – as Black Athena she is believed to have originated in North Africa, born not from Zeus head, but from Lake Triton in Lybia – amongst the ancient Greeks the Lybian Triple Goddess Neith was known as Lamia, from which Lybia takes its name – can we see her re-emergent energy at work in this stricken country right now?! Here we have the governing patriarchs fighting it out with their deceptions and vested interests exposed for all to see for sure….. and Medusa never was stricken with a head of snakes – the protectors of the chthonic powers of sacred law wore masks adorned with serpents, a powerful deterant to any usurper of the true knowledge of the Earth Mother, but, never a deterant to those true of heart, a heart empowered with courage and the deep knowing of the initiate!
May our voices be strong and our hearts be protected with the awesome power of the Great Goddess………
(1) 'Sophia – Goddess of Wisdom' : Caitlin Matthews, Aquarian Press, 1992
(2) 'The White Goddess' : Robert Graves, Faber and Faber, 1988
(3) Carl Calleman : Maya Portal
Diviner's Moon – handling Neptune
The time around this Aries Full Moon is ripe for divination, a time for activating our carefully tended inner fires and illuminating the past, present and future. The New Moon's calling for quiet and careful nurturing of our luminousity now matures and comes to fruition – a process that is being further aided by Neptune's vision enhancing energies. And, while the outer dynamic of this Moon continues to push with primal force for radical change through direct Aries expression, the 'inner' becomes more pervasive and spiritualised – Neptune is omni-directional, the 'field' as opposed to the 'force'. Since Neptune operates across the matrix our vision can be far-seeing. So, learning how to handle Neptunian energies is crucial at this time. What at first sight may seem disparate, diffuse and entropic can, paradoxically, be unifying and lead to great things – the crucial factor is to stay grounded and centered, essential for such an esoteric influence, especially while under increasing tension.
Under the auspices of Neptune in Pisces the everyday takes on the shape and dynamic of dreams; there is subtle tension within this, and yet, there is also a purposefulness behind it; anything can happen and events seem ever more significant – we are surely feeling this increasingly now.
The planets have a primal feel in Aries and are bringing primary experience as the seeding ground for change – this is purposeful energy, but , it requires a deeper wisdom to prevent it becoming an unconscious drive. And, at this Full Moon, Aries is packed! Occupied by Sun, Eris, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Lilith and Uranus, these planetary bodies are all emphasising and bringing their own nuances to the Fire element. And they are soon to be joined by Venus, but, we will come back to her as she has a surprise for us. Saturn, opposing in Libra, Venus, Neptune and Chiron in Pisces, and Pluto in Capricorn anchor the signature of Air, Water and Earth. With a preponderance of Fire this is a balance within the medicine wheel of the sky that is dynamic, impels rather than resides…..
Containment and expansion continue to play out across the field between Saturn, retrograde in tropical Libra, and the accumulating influences within tropical Aries. In the highest expression, the emergent force can raise the vibration of the field while the 'containing' emphasises integrity. …we need strong roots and this influence can help us develop them; the deeper we go, the higher we can reach! And these are far from being abstract ideas….
Our rooting must also come in the form of truthfullness – and Neptune has also been associated with deception. Well, this is no time for deception, if employed it will backfire, big time! Of which Neptune is already highlighting as we see the slow admittance by 'the authorities' of just how serious our global situation is – the fact is, we are not being given the facts straight. The accounts of world events are being glossed over and filled with contradictory and differing figures and 'facts', and, on top of this, the governments can no longer balance the books – we will increasingly see default as the 'default setting' – typical low Neptune! So, for us, the call in the face of confusing information and economic devolution is to, once again, get centered and 'see'. Remember the call brought out by the New Moon, to adopt the attitude of centered and unassuming presences within the world, protecting our inner light – the timing and the poigniancy of this is doubled now at the fulling of the Moon and on through its waning phase…..and we can now prepare to activate our inner fire and become active agents within the world, an en masse wave generator of inner sight and knowing. While the outer world devolves, the inner evolves. This too is why we must find our center. It is from within that unity will emerge. Great clouds gather promising rain….an electric field of potential is beginning to grow.
This cycle is also marked with a strong and unpredictable influx of ecstatic Dark Goddess energy from Uranus conjunct Lilith – this is further highlighted by Mars now opposing Saturn. When Mars and Saturn are thrown into having to relate and find a meaningfull relationship a powerful assertion of our boundaries becomes a key issue. True, we cannot afford to bottle up our rage at the unfolding injustices, as we risk our own health – a creative path must be sought. If left unresolved this influence can manifest subversive territorial conflicts, and with Uranus conjunct Lilith in Aries slowly squaring up to Pluto, their sudden eruption can bring catastrophic results if we do not overcome our puritanical ideals and dependencies on the old structures – this will further reveal the dark underbelly of the global politic.
If Mars and Saturn find a way to combine, their energies become a power that can give new shape to reality; it is creative power that is very real and, if applied in conflict resolution, demands that all the 'players' put their cards on the table. Neptune's high side will assist in uncovering deceptions. However, the chances are that Earth will channel these energies and continue to amp up the agenda as this configuration is also akin to an earth-mover. Earth tremors are now being felt worldwide, daily, in increasing numbers – the long term predictions are for this trend to continue…..in this moment, we have a crucial window of opportunity to make the difference.
The difficult expansive influence of the Jupiter Saturn standoff was seeded shortly after the Equinox. We flagged this up in linking it to tectonic movements and this will continue through swarming energy while Mercury is retro/stationed over this point in the chart. And, prolonging and intensifying the Japanese nuclear crisis, we will see further quakes ringing daily around the Japanese archipelago and the Ring of Fire. We can now say with clarity that this nuclear disaster will increasingly spread its effect to the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. And, in respect of this, Uranus with Lilith also brings the eery spectre of radiation by stealth. Another of their manifestations is revealed through the Northern and Southern Lights. Solar flares pinwheeling around the Sun with strong Solar winds are contributing to unusual patterning in the earth's magneto-sphere, further influencing Earths EM field – while telecomms are threatened worldwide, the Auroras have been amazing this year, and both will continue to be! Challenging us to transcend fear, there is a raw beauty at work in the world as the Dark Goddess awakens within. She is present within our inner fire and is helping us to ground within her wisdom.
Being grounded means being in the world, and while current events are excerting an intensity that is testing our resolve to do so, the effect is actually helping us to see where we need to focus the Earth Medicines that are intrinsic to our global healing and transformation – it is our emotions and vulnerability to aquired conditioning that need careful management, so, we are taking this in stages, timing is everything, and this requires sustained focus and is essential to getting and staying 'real'. It is fairly obvious that we can no longer sustain the level of blind and reckless disregard for the future of our planet and our species that the industrial scientific complex has been driving. How we deal with this now is crucial because we can seed the future with real potency at this time (as we will see!) and, while we do need to think 'long term', it all begins in the present with each one of us…..
The challenge is that things are moving fast and the 'big turn-around' we are seeking is slow. It comes down to us all at the individual level to embody the change that we want to see in the world, to paraphrase Gandhi. This is doubled up in the reading from the Oracle of Changes that accompanies this time. 'Holding to our center, small things matter, as accumulation of the small leads to the great….staying with the inner work, nurturing the inner light, water particles accumulate and form clouds – light within clouds, promising rain………the ground awaits nourishment…..divination is favourable……'(1)
So, under increasing pressure, how we react in the current circumstances is a part of our grounding. If we do react that is, for, instinctive and conditioned mentalities can lead us to both ignore the dangers, to 'act out', bringing destabilising emotional upsurges, and can also provoke an accompanying escapist impulse, the desire or reflex to 'get out', a reaction of the soul that percieves danger. This latter is a natural mechanism, one the shaman is familiar and articulate with. The danger actually lies where the involuntary impulse overtakes us and when the inner boundaries are opening this makes us more receptive to the archetypal powers. As diviners we can, however, be articulate with these powers. It is essential that we do so from within sacred space, clearly defined and firmly established – medicine wheel work, found the world over in many different forms and a part of our collective human heritage, is ideal for this. More on this next time.
It is natural that in times of increasing challenge and danger we seek to protect ourselves, but, in the face of trauma, at a soul level this can mean fragmentation. Soul loss is both a karmic issue and an increasingly fundamental focus for our healing and prayers – if you work with spirit medicine you may be increasingly called to healing soul wounds in your world work. Neptunian influence can increase the efficacy of this work, but, it may also enhance the pull and potency of those fantasies that we may seek refuge in, so our divining can help us to see how to use our visions with intent, rather than being overwhelmed by them, avoiding possession by the archetypal powers. We are seeing the unfolding of karmic debt in the world, and much of this is owed to Nature! However, Nature does not judge as humans do, natural Law is allied with the divine, is sacred and will always favour healing – there is also a natural method at hand…..
Neptune can also bring us into closer relationship with the matrix of Life manifesting through Nature. Being with and within Nature aids the process. With so much destructive energy at work in the world, so much of it focused upon Nature, we can bring our healing to bear here too. There is profound mutual benefit in this. The best thing we can do for Nature on a personal level at this stage is learn from Her, listen to Her, make our peace with Her……this is the gateway to the wisdom of the mind and spirit of Nature, and, if we work from the heart, to Her heart as well. In this way we will remember that we to are a part of Her, that we were never seperate. The spirits within Nature are and always have been here to help us remember this and guide us in working in unity……..look to the animal guides, honour their guidance, the gifts they bring…… with so many species disappearing it is not too late for this, infact it is time! We should consider this carefully in the light of this Moon…….by being in community and inner communication with the myriad creatures we can turn the tide!
Divining, we are becoming luminous as we tend to the inner fire. Earthing within, crystalising the energised matrix through the Flower of Life – in divination we know, the symbol is alive! In the midst of dramatic change inner and outer are in accord – our natural state of balance. At the center stillness is dynamic, filled with energy. Divination is a path of development, knowledge and inspired action – it is available to us all, and in our next post we will take a special look at some of its forms and the ways in which we can further develop it as a skill. Saturn will aid us in this and show us the high side of the divinatory process, help us focus it into form. However, the best way to bring ourselves into alignment with this process and staying earthed is to make medicine in Nature, medicine wheel work, creating sacred space, sharing this with others and networking, sending out strengthening prayers for integrity to be restored – in this way Saturnian energy can help us in creating positive forms that support the healing by bringing us into right relationship with our planet. What is shaping those outer experiences, either way, will push on our boundaries as we do so, action and counter reaction, so, don't be distracted, hold to the center – its where the greatest and most reliable source of energy and awareness is found……..just being in Nature is enough to put us in touch with this…….She will lead us….
There is something hidden amongst all this, a subtlety that we might otherwise overlook! We may get distracted by the outer world, but, the entire cycle of this Moon will point up the luminousity of the dark goddess connection all the way down to the roots of the World Tree….and it is here that we need to look…….an amazing pattern is being spun by the Sun, Moon, Moon's nodes and three very significant asteroids, Urda, Erda and Skuld.
Urda, Verdandi and Skuld are the three Norns of Nordic tradition – the Norns spin the web within which the fate and destiny of our souls journey is woven, Urda being the 'past', Verdandi the 'present' and 'Skuld' the future, simply put. There is no asteroid yet named for Verdandi, however, Erda, being the old Germanic word for Earth, being the grounding, the present and connecting us with the Old North, we can bring her in here – the name Erda being contained within V-Erda-ndi this may seem contrived, but, this is far from being arbitrary as asteroid Erda is conjunct the Full Moon!!
I am indebted to Marina at Darkstar for bringing Urda's presence at this Moon to our attention; you will find the link to her article is at the foot of the page (2) – through following this thread the connections began to emerge…..and when they did the magic began to light up the field with uncanny energies….first, here are the points at which this energetic configuration of the Wyrd is anchored, and can you guess what pattern they make?! :
With Sun and Moon at 27º44' of Aries and Libra respectively we also find the Moon's nodes at 25º01' Sagittarius (NN) and Gemini (SN) and to complete the picture Urda at 22º21' Aquarius, Skuld at 26º28' Leo with Erda conjunct the Moon on 27º53' Libra – in other words a pair of Grand Trines forming a 'Star of David'.
The presence of the Norns tells us that this is a time for activating the inner light, through divination and inner contemplation of our purpose. Being in a combination of Air and Fire signs tells us that as we do so we will be bringing the primal energy of creation together with the energy of mind. Manifesting within the Star of David reflects the process emerging within the entire fractal scale, the balanced dynamic of the Flower of Life. Here again is our growing luminous nature, the emergent consciousness of the dark goddess, our own spiritual embryo filling us with light in complete confirmation from within the starry realms.
Involving the Moon and Sun in balance, the nodal pathway of the soul and the wise women of fate, incarnation and destiny this influence will be with us up to the beginning of the next Moon cycle – any changes we make in this time and their effects will last much longer – we can make good use of it, both individually and collectively, to alter the trajectory of our fate, activate the inner qualities they have funded us with within ourselves and bring them to an higher order and vibration of manifestation – when we do this our destiny changes. And then, theres Venus…..
Well, the beautiful one is poised to deliver, just waiting to pass over or aspect our personal planets in the last degrees of Pisces – check your charts! She is tied into the 'Star of David' by yod at this Fulling Moon – through quincunx to the sextile between the Moon+Erda and Skuld. She is saying that our collective ensoulment and manifestation of ancient Earth's destiny can be expressed as the matured spiritual vision of Beauty that will auger in the new times of Goddess consciousness and energy, and Venus is ready to release this through your own inner light……make good use of this opportunity…..
………our fate is cardinal, initiatic in quality, our grounding fixed, in the eternal present, and the future, our destiny, mutable – choice, chance and the wisdom of the Goddess will be revealed through divination….use this time well!
(1) The hexagrams underlying this reading are :
9 'Small Accumulating' : "Wind moving above Heaven. Small Accumulating. A Chün Tzu (diviner) uses highlighting the pattern to actualise the Tao",
…with changing line 3 giving rise to :
61 'Centering, Connecting' : "Centering and Connection to the Spirits, hogfish (Dolphins) auspicious. Advantageous to step into the Great River (to enter the stream of Life with purpose). Harvesting. Following Advantageous Trails (divination)."
Extracts from – 'I Ching', Stephen Karcher, Vega 2002.
(2) here is the link to Marina's reading at Darkstar – 'Full Moon April – Unchained Mind', Darkstar Astrology.
Fire Returns to the Origin
This month sees the great changes in the world reaching down to root level – we are entering a phase of high resolution transformation in which the challenges of the physical will ask us to tap into our inner resources with pragmatic focus. The pull of the mundane is strong throughout this month so inner balance and adaptation of our medicines to the times will help us to remain centered within the heart, and we will need this as the the very fabric of the matrix is now beginning to shift with kaleidoscopic energy. Everything counts, so…..
Now in the flow, the April New Moon is a way marker amidst the great changes and picks up on the March astral influences, carries them forward and stimulates us into taking up the roles we are each called to with renewed commitiment and dedication. Emergent energy, carrying the 'I Am' affirmation from Aries, almost seems to engulf this Moon. Within the quickfire and intense process that we are now seeing, the world has been shaken by recent events in the Mid-East and Japan – and what is the best way to respond? Perhaps we should ask the Powerbrokers who continue to wield the ugly sword of righteous murder, against the people and against Nature, in the name of democracy and profit – perhaps not, we are no longer pawns in their game; rather, ask the courageous workers of Japan who have staked their lives on saving the country from nuclear meltdown. And this while the Ring of Fire is reverberating with quakes on a daily basis, many in the 4.5 to 6.5 range, many around Honshu and the Asian Pacific faultline – Earth is not to be ignored in the face of political unrest and usury. She will have her say……
We begin this report with the mundane view because it is going to be key to how we bring our personal paths to bear within this Moon cycle….although the New Moon opens a new cycle it is the cycle itself, especially in its first two quarters, that will determine how we percieve our course for the month. Patience and compassion are called for, looking to the inner wisdom that is growing within; at the Full Moon we will return to review where we stand and take our work further forward…….as much apparent lunacy as there is in the world, it is going to highten our balanced sense of self, our purposefulness within the world. And, talking of lunacy…….
Uranus has been joined by Mars in the second degree of Aries – and, lo! the Koran burning Pastor is in denial of the consequences. When Mars conjuncts with Uranus we get an energy that must find some form of expression – it is most dangerous when it finds its lowest form, can manifest as shock tactic fundamental extremism and will do so with unpredictable consequences, apart from the fact that we know it will be provocative to say the least. If these two planets working together find the high side of expression Uranus and Mars can empower us with radical inventiveness and inspire new paths of manifestation for spontaneous acts of courage, a pragmatic counter to the aggressive and irrational unconscious drives of its low side. On 2º Aries Uranus conjunct Mars brings a cold edge to the Uranian energy, and challenges us to look without flinching at the effects that acts of aggression have in the world. The Sabian symbol for this degree is 'Objective Consciousness', hard core facts and seperation from feeling. While it is an energy instilled in every soldier and its intrinsic denial is behind every case of PTSD emerging from the war zone, it is also intrinsic to the symptoms of the deeper wound, and reading the symptoms is as much a part of our healing as working from the heart. We cannot ignore its effects, especially now……will governments take responsibility? Whether they do or not, it will be up to us to step up to our calling and, as individuals, work together to make the difference. Re-volution reaches far beyond our politics.
In the mundane, Saturn's face-off with Jupiter continues to be triggered by the New Moon, as if to prolong the interrogation of our ethical and moral limitations. We know that governments cannot continue to act in the name of Democracy while blowing up the opposition, and this energy is also expressed in the lower vibration of Saturn and Jupiter. The forces of containment vieing with the forces of expansion with heavy effect. The higher vibration shows us that, in reality, the two are seeking a way of working together, however, with the New Moon activating the Jupiterian end of this pervasive stand-off, we may well see the transformative side of Jupiter coming through as pressure builds on the contollers and overlords from within. The people are inflammed with growing spiritualised desire to see change at the root, and this Moon will make sure that this is seeded – it is an expression of Venus in Pisces sextile Pluto, now vacillating in early Capricorn. It is at the heart of the courage being shown in Japan. It brings the radical edge of compassion into the world. When Masaru Emoto called the world to prayer, to ask for forgiveness from, express gratitude towards and to seek healing for the Waters, he was expressing the high side of Saturn and Jupiter, the water crystals manifesting the sacred geometry of the heart, toned by feeling and spirit. There is a great teaching in this – we do not need to wait for the call to work with the medicine in this way…….if we make such acts an integral part of our everyday life Life will be transformed……
The benific side of Saturn will fund us with support in this, especially if we are able to capitalise on the Mercury retrograde energies of inward focus and communing with the spirits. We know that the dangers from focusing through his low side are present as well – with behind the scenes strategising and covert agenda's that seek to maintain control. However, we may be able to see this at work, to see through the deceptions, if we hold to the center and utilise our sacred point of view, our 'seeing'. For example, we may observe a change in policy and shift of focus if the US government goes into shutdown on April 8th when interim budget cuts run out of time. Mercury retrograde will square US Mercury, challenging open communications, and the Moon on the US Descendant will signal the time for the people to claim their power in the face of the governments apparent inability to work on their behalf….but, I digress….and we must not forget that we are on the verge of a new spiritualisation of our reality.
Neptune is flowing into Pisces for a four months stay, and while he is there, ruling the mutable nature of our spirituality, we will get a taste of the great collective shift within that will truly begin to counterbalance all this tumult in the world – this will be our signal and the real work we have come into this time to engage with will take on new dimensions. The boundaries will open and if you have been diligent in holding to your heart center and witholding from reaction to or inculcating the influences of the mundane, you will discover that your own boundaries too have become radically changed – entering this zone of shifting boundaries and timelessness we will be able to take our innate spiritual powers to another level! Intent is everything in here, so too our center…..
The esoteric can be intoxicating, but, it can also be the gateway for fundamental healing. With Chiron already in Pisces we can expect Neptunes influence on Chiron to bring a pragmatic shamanic quality to the shift . Time dissolves as we enter the world of the shape-shifter – up pops the white rabbit and down the worm-hole we go …..
Nothing is quite as we expect it to be as we make that journey – the preparation began this Equinox when Uranus brought us to the gateway, shook its foundations and was followed by Jupiter pushing on the sacred portal that Saturn stands guarding – if we look at their opposition more from the esoteric we will see the doorway now opening. The polarising tension they have brought has sustained Uranus' shockwaves – it is also like tightening a drumskin and raising its pitch, and this too now gives a clear mandate to bring our work in the world to a higher purpose – we can follow that beat.
So many of the above influences are calling us to stay with our feet firmly planted on our own ground, to work with our own innate wisdom; it is a personal response and we know that, individually, we will do so as one, fractals of the whole. While the planets fund us with cosmic energies for change our Earth is reminding us of the sacred nature of Nature. Neptunian influences are a foretaster. As Neptune enters Pisces 'for good', early next year, accessing the oceanic realms of the Dreamtime, our Earth will be showing us that our task is to fully realise our role as Keepers of the Sacred Garden and, as Rainbow Warriors of Peace, manifest the coming Fifth World from within. The prophecies have been preparing us for this – in the last decade our regard for them has changed, now we are collectively remembering – they were never just stories to be heard and wondered about; they are the deep source of our knowing, about our purpose and how to prepare – we will sadly miss José Argüilles' visionary leadership and inspiration in helping us to wake up to them. There are many visionary leaders present with us in our times, but, right now it is up to us all to step into our own roles as leaders, each in the way most suited to us, and care for our personal medicines as we do so……the responsibility of the healer is also to maintain their own health, the more so now as Transformation emerges from within.
Our world is changing from within….the heavens are changing within – Change is our new Body – we are becoming transubstantial and, within 'that which knows', the elixir of our spiritual alchemy is reaching manifestation point. It is a crucial moment in the ongoing process of conscious global transformation – now the World Medicine we hold within must rest within the changing world without. Then we can entrain with the crystallising energies of Saturn while retaining the potential growth factor of Jupiter – timing is everything, so we do need to know when to wait and when to act.
We cannot anticipate how we will look to each other beyond this process, so the emphasis really is now in trusting our own personal transformation as the template for outer change, and there are energies in the heavens that will help us at this stage. In Pisces, Chiron conjunct Ceres, and Venus sextile Pluto in Capricorn, remind us that we are here to face the reality of our collective wounds and seperation from the natural cycles of Life, and that we can do this by being with Nature. Earth is funding the fundamental relationships we have with Nature with the transformative power of deep commitment and belonging. Once again, this is fundamental to our role as Keepers of the Garden of Earth. The cultural paradigms of the industrial world have taken us a long way from this deeper connection.
The higher vibrations of the planets also show us the way. Wisdom too can be the prerogative of Saturn and he can be very grounding with this – once we are able to overcome the stultifying effects of fear, his shadow is transformed into steadfast courage and dedication – he helps us earth. In Libra this becomes the power to form right relationship, and within our mandate, becomes the manifestation of unity with 'all our relations'. But, we can find inspiration from the strength of the courageous workers at the Fukushima nuclear plant, the spirit of the Japanese people, their integrity and the outpouring of immense compassion that we are seeing emerge in response – Earth is speaking to us, it is real. It is clear, the Sacred Hoop must be restored. Jupiter expands the call and helps us raise the energy that will bring the medicine to bear. The New Moon seeds this energy within us and Mars brings Uranus the compelling fire of realisation that we are the Birds of Fire, the Warrior Guardians of our entry into the Fifth World. Neptune's entry into Pisces signals the first wave of the spirit world merging with our own in consciousness, the timeless higher dimension that generates the sacred geometry of the Flower of Life within our true nature – sweet is the nectar that Hummingbird finds there, the Medicine of Joy – it knows no boundaries.
When time dissolves, the boundaries between things become maleable – all we know is at our center. This is the pathway of inner light – the emergent consciousness of the Goddess returning. Her intrinsic wisdom is manifest in all things and harmonises all within the one. We continue our daily lives through Her grace……she also carries an earthy knowing that will help us ground our mandate. For all the otherworldly nature of the shamanic shift it is the middle world we always return to……integration is our objective. Even at the heart of the storm the world assumes its customary dimensions, and we continue, infused with spirit. It is very much about being natural within the world. To close, some words from the Oracle will elucidate…..
Hexagram 36 of the Oracle of Changes contains this line in the commentary :
'though one harmonizes with others, one is not influenced, and though one associates with others, one does not become clannish.'
What does it mean that 'one does not become clannish'?
What is clannish reflects the varying patterns that exist within us and around us – we recognise our kinship with each other through this. And yet 'though one harmonises with others, one is not influenced' by the entrapment of energies within the mundane. Why build a world on difference when the nature of difference is change itself? It is like mistaking the burning wood for the fire…….wood, flame, ash and heat, it is all one.
This hexagram came up in response to a request for an overview for this Moon cycle. Its name is 'Concealment of Illumination' – it never ceases to amaze how this ancient oracle responds with timely and aposite advice – here it exactly mirrors the heavens and earth. The image contained within the hexagram is enlightenment hidden within difficulty. We move amongst the people without outward show of our inner illumination, yet following our seeing, we know each other. We know we cannot fight fire with fire, so we gently nurture the elixir we have generated, through concealment. In this way we can be broad in our perspective and adaptive in our responses, able to integrate within the masses. It means being discerning while being unobtrusive : 'one is like the Sun, which is bright when it rises, but, also bright in secret when it has set.' Fire returns to the Origin……
……the Black Sun of the Fifth World rises in the Raven's eye, She blinks and the Wheel of Law becomes the Seeing Eye of Magic . At the heart of the storm all is still and the inner eye is filled with light…….as the seer wends the city streets, no outward show, ordinary to all, illumined in all…….
Oracle of Changes references : The Taoist I Ching, Thomas Cleary & Liu I-ming, Shambala Publications, 1986
AN EQUINOX PRAYER : making medicine for the world
SOHA – the Equinox arrives with a radical call for balance – reality has brought us crashing into the present – Uranian energy has blasted into our midst and, as we, each in our own way, feel the field come alive with electrified awareness, we must now center in our heart – here is our soul purpose coming home….
Within our Solar system we are now enjoined with in an inexorable process – there is no going back and world events are bringing our most pertinent questions into sharp focus….how we feel is being emphasised by the energies of the Moon, at its most potent phase now, as near to Earth as it ever gets, its perigee – we are feeling our humanity as never before. And, just at the moment that the Moon is amplifying our feeling senses, here comes the dip before the big wave of Jupiter opposite Saturn……Saturn and Moon conjunct. But, before we backtrack a little and review how this fast forward process is now unfolding…first off, in keeping with the theme of 'reviewing' introduced in the previous post, a recap of the metaphysics in motion here….
We have been refering to our 'inner lens', exemplified within the fractal matrix of the Flower of Life. Our 'inner lens' is the interface between our consciousness and the energetic field within which we live – when we focus our attention and intent through it we can be articulate with it and work with the influences of the energetics present within the field. This empowers us with the ability to balance and maintain balance within, the pre-requisit for making our thoughts and actions in the world that much more effective, bringing us into alignment with the cosmos in the process and so shifting the underlying emphasis to one of 'working the medicine'. In all humility and respect to the great indigenous traditions, 'medicine work' is Owlmirror's raison d'etre……anyone not interested in or giving credence to the metaphysical nature of reality please bring an open mind or look away now! Anyone interested in furthering the place of metaphysics and the ability to bring a healing balance into Life, ie 'work with the medicines', yeh, you guessed it, please bring an open mind and read on!!
For further clarity here is a reflection on one of the present underlying dynamics. Awareness is the medium through which the balance is maintained and, depending on our intent and our focus (where we place our intent), we can traverse the physical and affect the whole – 'energy flows where attention goes'. The emotional body extends our awareness beyond the physical, into the 4D. Moons of this magnitude push the boundaries between the physical and emotional body towards intermeshing so that we become more integrated with the 4D energies of the archetypal realms – for some this brings lunacy and Moon madness, for others, especially if working consciously with the energy, it provides an extended range within our consciousness. With Saturn assisting, the process is intensified, becoming more focused, and the reflective, magnifying and focusing power of the inner lens is brought to a very highly integrated level of manifestation. Saturn and Moon re-focus our perceptions so that we are pulling the dimensions beyond the 3D more into consciousness – we become conscious conduits for levels (frequencies) of energy beyond the physical, a powerful tool for healing and creative work in the world. The beauty of this at present is that the planets are helping us with just the right tools for balance and healing, exactly when we need them most. This is doubly important in this context as we are now meeting, through the Sun and Uranus, with the energies present in the 0 point in tropical Aries. And, just to note, tropical readings work through the archetypal and interface, especially in our current era, through the 4D……..they apply best to human consciousness and the motivating power of our emotions, hence their use here….so, lets get the juice…..
Here is the planetary process : Sun and Uranus are in closing conjunct by 40 minutes arc either side of the Aries point. By the time the Sun enters Aries at equinox, just under four hours later, this gap will have closed to 30 minutes arc – this is a quickening energy. Also at the exact equinox time the Moon will have moved off the Saturn conjunct and be coming into within one degree of opposition with Mercury who is in the 19th degree of Aries. Bringing in the two other players in the field who are directly feeding these energies here, Jupiter is coming into opposition with Saturn, by 2º30' at equinox moment, and Mars is coming into quincunx with the Moon by 2º54 at this moment – so lets keep in mind that all these energies are describing a very quickly evolving process – and, what is this process is telling us?
So to the symbolism. Through the Moon Saturn conjunction we have a potent realisation of our emotive power in relating (Libra), and we either become sucked into and involved in these energies, which can manifest as grief and be felt as depression, pressure drop, or we transcend them and realise their motivating power through intent within awareness. Into this comes the building energies of the ingress, and the current aspects – first Sun+Uranus quindecile Moon.
Let us consult a great astrologer, Noel Tyl, on this : "The quindecile……suggests a burning point of focus, often a place of extreme concern and effort in the life, even to the point of upheaval, disruption and obsessive mania."". Sun+Uranus energises the moment with a blast of newly en-spirited energy from Aries/Pisces cusp, brings us to the realisation that for all the empowering drives of our technology and culture, we cannot ignore the consequences of our actions. We create our own Karma and, collectively, we know that our old patterns must change – while the Moon Saturn conjunct is a moment of hiatus the Sun Uranus conjunct can be experienced as epiphany and realisation. Here is the point of the Zen slap coming home!
Mars pushes the point further from the last decan of Pisces – there can be no doubt about how deeply our ways and view of the world need to change. Mars in quincunx to the Moon is a further compelling energy – quincunx is between the trine aspect and the opposition and brings the strength of the constant flowing energies of the trine aspect to a pitch as it approaches opposition – this is self evident in the world. War (Mars in his lower frequency) is not the answer…and we can all see how this is becoming so much the methodology of the old order….healing the wounds of war is Mars higher purpose – combined, these energies are intense, and we must re-balance and raise our awareness to a higher level…there is help at hand.
Mercury opposes Saturn and Moon, delivering motivated and deeply felt insight with hightened accuity, we will be unusually conscious of our unity – this asks "what is on your mind – getting real or resisting the truth"? "Remember", Mercury says, "we are all connected." And, in doing so he prepares us for Jupiter opposing Saturn – the energies rise further and here is our great opportunity. If ever there was a moment when the planetary matrix presented us with an opportunity for release from the restrictive 'power-over' regimes of the old world order, this is it. We can evolve through our unrealised potential, that which has been supressed for so long……and we know that this is what we are here to do.
And here we come back to the heart….the matrix of the Flower of Life is encoded within our hearts and more on this below…..
Uranus ingress at 0º Aries took us back to the 9 month initiation point, injecting lightning into our Earth matrix, asking us to review our path while shifting us into a new level of integration, away from the gravitational and towards the Electro-magnetic spectrum, a re-balancing corrective. Now, days later, we are taken back to a subsequent point, exactly six months ago as Sun brings conscious drive to the matrix, just as we entrain the Moon Saturn impulse and carry it forward……how do we work with this? For more depth on how we achieve this we need to go back to that Sabian symbol for the degree on which Moon conjuncts Saturn, at 14.58º Libra.
We have been here before, on the last equinox, at New Moon, the exact same degree, and the Sabian symbol at that time opened our whole focus onto the fecundating power of restoring our inner balance, of our right and left hemispheres, our deeper, intuitive and seeing self balancing the structured functionality of our Saturnian world. This awareness emerged from the dreamtime like a newly fertilised spiritual embryo. The intervening time has seen us carry the dreamtime energies forward – our inner process, clearing away our aquired conditioning while our awareness grows. The embryo has matured in this and become self functioning, born anew. This is our emergent global consciousness of which our own consciousness is a fractal – the qualities of our personal awareness affect what we experience. With this awareness now in the world we have the impetus at this time to make all the changes that we initiated within this process resonate with incredible consequence throughout the world – and, it should be obvious by now, that for all the suffering we have endured and do now, our Earth will make it clear that this is not an arbitray plan for a renegade species….can we be audacious enough to say that we are 'now on track' with the plan?….this can only be truthfully answered on an individual basis, and that is why our personal work is so important – we, each of us, are the fractal of the whole that makes the difference….so, if we can answer in the affirmative, we can say unequivocally that "we are the ones we have been waiting for"……
The Sabian symbol for this degree is the link – here it is in full, with italics in bold to emphasise where we are coming from…
KEYNOTE: Coming to terms with the inevitability of establishing steady rhythms of social activity.
In his early course, "Symbolical Astrology," Marc Jones sought to concretize this abstract image by speaking of "machinery parts, new and circular." It is far better, however, to face the image in its most general sense, as he himself did later on. It is because everyday activities, whether in the home or in business, inevitably tend to repeat themselves in circular fashion that it is necessary for the individual to have rest times during which he can be released from repetitive patterns. It is only when the individual has become fully attuned to, and in a sense identified with the vast planetary and cosmic rhythms of the universe, and thus free from emotional and group tensions, that he can act serenely and at peace along "circular paths."
At this last stage of the thirty-ninth sequence of five symbols we find an abstract image which can be interpreted in a positive or negative manner. We deal with repetitive activity; but that activity may either bind or free the consciousness of the actor. It can mean BOREDOM or TRANSPERSONAL PEACE in action."
In Nature 'circular paths' are expressed as spiraling energy. In the downward spiral "boredom" can be read as the path of the Saturnian strictures of the world, the oppressive regimes, political blinkers, cultural miasms and fear based economics of scarcity, of the 'haves and have nots' symptom of this, of our disconnection with Nature, our own and the Earths. In the ascending spiral "transpersonal peace in action" can be read as the heart centered power of our consciousness to change the world, acting from within the universal matrix, consciously embodied in the Flower of Life – when we compared the charts for the Dalai Lama and China in "Divining The Tibet Solution" we alluded to the qualities of mind that would aid and abet us in this. Compassion is an active force that emanates from embodying this….Neptune on the cusp of Pisces can aid us further.
With Neptune and Ceres conjunct on this Piscean ingress point at Equinox our Earth spreads her corrective message of re-balancing far and wide. We are called to both recognise our soul path and bring ourselves back into balance with the cycles of nature, birth-death-rebirth. Earth is our gateway to spiritual experience of existance. This is a further confirmation that the rising energies described above have a crucial edge, symbolised through Ceres sickle – she also brings the medicines of the poppy with her and these indicate a sacrament in communion with the divine; but, the power of this sacrament is such that we are asked to maintain our intent and focus; we have a higher purpose – this is our purposeful task of "planting Lotuses in the Fire", 'being in the world and acting efficiently in the world without being coerced by the influences of the world'.
When we meditate we prepare ourselves at the most fundamental level for our work in the everyday – we entrain with the divine. With the balance and clarity this brings our focus is sublimated to the higher purpose, and when we center on our breath cycle, we stabilise this intent and can bring its focus into the heart – here we find our personal interface with the divine matrix of manifestation – it is efflorescent with energy. We make medicine through embodying the Lotus…..
There is more we can do to aid this and open a powerful Earth centered pathway for our medicine to resonate in the world – we can sing the body electric! Here is a suggested prayer, a mantra from the Buddhist tradition that will raise our medicine work to a quintessential level of manifestation within the world – the mantra of the Green Tara…..
Why this particular mantra? Briefly, it aids us in purifying our entire being and embodying the active power of compassion – there are many traditions that offer other chants, prayers and mantra's that will work just as well – you have the inner knowledge of what will work best for you. The Green Tara mantra has been invoked here as a direct response to the Neptune Ceres conjunction – it corresponds to this energy when these two celestial bodies are engaged at their highest level of purpose within the circumstances unfolding in the world. As Neptune enters tropical Pisces we can carry this prayer, the energy of this mantra, the higher intent of this unified celestial energy, into our worldy path – Planting Lotuses in the Fire…….
The Fire is also present in our hearts – our hearts generate an electro-magnetic field that is 5,000 times greater than that of the brain – this is our inner Sun, and it could be said that our brain is to the heart as our Earth is to the Sun – now, that is something worth meditating on! And heres something to take this meditation to another level!! This EM field embodies the exact same toroidal geometry that is also present in stars, galaxies, our Earth, our atoms and within the Flower of Life – Nature is wise…..
Why would we unite a Kabbalistic symbol with a Buddhist within a western energetic understanding – the answer must surely be in the question. Our world is replete with traditions that embody the divine within the human world, living indigenous traditions, the gifts of our ancestors. We cannot deny our current scientific understanding – the imperative is to listen to and embrace all – pre-judgement works against us. When we recognise that we have a commonality within all these understandings we also encourage a unity that encompasses and resolves our differences within our lives – we are waking to the necessity of this realisation on a constant basis now. There can be no more seperation – it is a source of great joy to realise how the multifaceted nature of our deep indigenous nature is expressed with such brilliant diversity, while essentially embodying the same aspirations.
The great transformation has begun…..we have much work to do. With our brothers and sisters in Japan so much in our minds, with continued upheaval and challenges the world over, and with the 'old order' insistently pursuing the same old paths, let us unite from the heart and make medicine for the world…..
Good Medicines and the blessings of the Green Tara be with us all
In response to questions about the fact that charts are not included here, a note on the premise underlying the methodology that 'Owlmirror' is employing – lets first understand that no one astrological chart can provide us with a complete read out of the astrological planetary process; for this we need to bear in mind sequences of charts as well as cross reference charts that may otherwise fall outside a given sequence, all this with the aim of identify the pertinent qualities recurring in each – the charts are reference points only – it is the accumulation of those intrinsic qualities that bring the process into focus, and it is the process itself that 'Owlmirror' is placing the focus upon, which is why the charts are not included here. The charts can however be accessed at http://www.planetwatcher.com and, for a more developed view at http://www.astro.com, both of which appear in the divination links in the side bar – you will need to feed in the relevant data. All comments on this approach and, as ever, all posts at Owlmirror, are welcome…….have a wonderous and peaceful equinox!
URANUS! BASHO & THE FLOWER OF LIFE : the essential balance
A prayer from the heart, a method for healing from the center in troubled times and a way for keeping the essential balance when the dynamics are building……
The Earth is awakening, pulsed from within and across the cosmos…..now, we are called to bring our inner work to its intended purpose. I started writing this post a few days ago with a strong imperative, the need further our inner work, to ground and activate our centering within consciousness in balance, given the accelerating energies now at work – it felt somehow crucial to do so……..with current events in Japan bringing the reality of this home I decided to keep to the original impulse and, subsequently, I have not altered the post as I feel it still holds true in value and pertinence…the more so now perhaps than before. Given the context I am somewhat shocked by the latter, which you may understand given the cultural source with which the post begins. Here it is…..
A prayer from a great mind :
"There is nothing you can see that is not a flower;
There is nothing you can think that is not the moon." (2)
Will the circle become complete? Will dichotomy evolve into unity, become involved….can we hold to our center, the center – can we bring the clarity we need into our vision and center it in our selves?…..Basho's tender vision re-calls us to our heart and offers us the depth we need
With Uranus now re-entering tropical Aries and re-activating the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction point of nine months ago here is an opportunity for us to recall our place and experiences in time and space from that time, to travel back into our involvements during the high season of last summer and evolve them further. Make a sacred space for yourself…..call in your guidance and set an intent to work with those situations you were experiencing, to heal them if they need healing, to adjust them if they need re-orienting, to acknowledge, integrate and enhance them if they are serving you well now – we can learn from all that has transpired since, gain clarity from this around how our process is working.
Uranic energy catalyses, infuses us with an electric impulse of awareness that helps our consciousness evolve – he's the planet of the Zen Slap!…..the key is in grounding the energy, so, finding the still point within….calm the inner eye. Dwell upon the Flower of Life as it will assist us in working with the dynamics present within the diversity of the unified field, and diversity is strongly emphasised now as the world wakes up……
This is a fractal of a much larger image, so pay good attention to what comes up as you meditate.
In a world that is seeing polarisation in dynamic interaction, where revolution brings confrontation and the energies of striving push on the energies of containment, just as Jupiter is coming into opposition with Saturn, Uranus can cut across the field with primal creative stimulation, dissolve the opposites….the opposites are equally present. What will help us find the creative, how do we avoid further polarisation, the better to deal with experiences of the destructive side of this impulse?
First steps to integration and finding the positive creative dynamic are stepping back from polarised views and being willing to see what the opposite is speaking to us of. When we are able to step into the other's place, with our heart centered awareness, we have a better chance of understanding, seeing the world from the 'other's' point of view – but, it does take a clear and balanced approach – we could say this is intrinsic to embodying compassion, through the practice of what Buddhists call Tonglen. It does employ energy, in consciousness, and Uranus can assist us here, illuminate our experience with eurika insight, and this will be more fully available to us on the upcoming Full Moon. At that time the Sun will be within a degree of newly ingressed Uranus, so take the time between now and then to work for this through re-visioning and centering the inner eye, meditation and involve the dance around our center…the positive energies are all there for us to work with – the cosmos wants us to get involved in evolving, to evolve through involutionary processes. This is intent at work on a great scale.
If we, on the other hand, lose sight of the center, place our attention on the external at the expense of the internal, we will be susceptable to the outer dynamic and our awareness will be magnetised by this….remembering that the principle of 'energy flows where attention goes' is always at work, our own energies will become more involved in the outer process. Actually, this too is necessary, but, we need both, to embody the flower as it is not a simple fixed structure – like every Mandala it is energy manifest and the Flower of Life contains the essential dynamics of the creative impulse, which are infinite in scope…..
At the still point we are connected with all. This is the point of maximal potential and is dynamic in this – the whirling dance, spiralling and activating. Primal creative energy resides there…..our most developed physics are now showing that the dynamic present within everything from the creation of particles through to the creation of stars, galaxies and beyond, the creation of universes, ties in exactly with the geometry of the Flower of Life – this is quite extra-ordinary in its implications.
The Flower of Life. On the one hand we have the electric radiance, its infinite expression of energy within the Flower of Life growing within the soil of incarnation, manifesting its sacred geometry. On the other we have the point of singularity, the infinite condensation of the fractal implicit within the geometry, within the flower, reaching source – within the flower is energised balance in active manifestation – the EM field in balance with the gravitational.
Across the geocentric field from Uranus and the Sun at Full Moon is our collective mirror of consciousness, the Moon – we emote, activate within the 4D, though the lunar dynamic – emotions fulfilling the Virgoan energies. Virgo can give us a clarified and inclusive picture, help us ground diversity with great detail and precision, develope the crystaline qualities of consciousness, the inner structures implicit within our awareness. We can embody the lens. Being inclusive in great detail enables us to enter the relating energies of Libra with informed clarity…..this is good news if we are working with our inner process, but, they do say that the devil is in the detail, so…..
Emotive reaction is the doorway for the chaotic – lower levels of consciousness, when the crowd mentality prevails for example, will pull the emotions into its field…..hysteria is its extreme manifestation. If we are to name the devil present within the detail, stop for a moment and draw an inbreath, assess the dynamic we are feeling, we will not only be able to re-center, but, be also able to discern, that is raise our consciousness to its inner focal point, independant yet connected with the collective. This is imperative for negotiators, diplomats and leaders alike – we are seeing this imperative being called forth and, when the people see that it is being ignored, we can now let the leaders know – our collective emotive energies can mirror this back…..here again the planetary matrix is assisting us.
We will look at the Full Moon in more detail closer to the time, bring in some of the other key planetary influences, but, for now, in this section, there is one more influence that is coming to the fore – the Moon's nodal axis.
The North Node is currently coming into conjunction with the Galactic Center – the Full Moon will square this axis quite closely. Being in Sagittarius the North Node is shifting the qualities of our collective soul path into the spiritual and philosophical realms. We can take advantage of this as a conscious intent to strive for deeper meaning within our actions – we know that the Plutonic upheavals at work in the world are turning the political cauldron upside down, and we know that the time is now for us to make the big difference to how this process pans out. Sagittarius helps us to humanise our aspirations, so the influence is highly beneficial.
It is also funded by Neptune – the visionary scope for our global renewal and re-birth is being energised with this – and Neptune too is on the point of ingress, into tropical Pisces. This is home ground for Neptune. Being in the last degree of Aquarius at Full Moon Neptune is helping Earth culminate of our connectivity and Uranic awareness in preparation for spiritual infusion – the WWW is a great tool for us to work with in the world, but, we are all connected within as it is – this is the spiritual angle coming in. When we can balance the two we have another manifestation of the Flower of Life – the beauty of the planetary dance is extra-ordinary!! And, being an energising influence on our connection with the Galactic Center means that we can extend our collective vision, balanced and spiritualised, out to the larger community within the cosmos…..
Again, if we are working with the balanced point of view, monitoring and using our emotive energies wisely, rather than being decentered and swept un-consciously along by them, connecting through the 4D archetypal realms into the higher dimensions, the universal consciousness that flows through and from the Galactic center will be available to us. Again, this time before the FM is great for preparation and centering – the Flower of Life is a Lotus of Cosmic Consciousness, the quintescent mandalic structure that crystallises the dynamic of the primary creative impulse within creation…..bringing this impulse into our personal consciousness enables us to work with this creative energy, and we have much work to do….this is our inner work within the world, 'swimming in the dragon's pool'……
pearls in the dark pond – who swims amongst the stars – a phantasm, this crescent Moon
We come to the South Node, the roots of our soul journey, our incarnate powers. Squaring the nodes the Full Moon with the Sun and Uranus will bring a great realising impulse into consciously remembering of our inherent gifts – we can claim our power with strong mental clarity as this node is entering Gemini. Our inner awareness and ability to self reflect can be widened to embrace these gifts and we can extend back to connect with our deeper ancestry as we do. We are here to fulfill their potential within our own.
Neptune facilitates archetypal manifestation in the 4th dimension, so we will benefit from centering and meditation to both balance our emotions and open the roots of our inner World Tree to deep spiritual resonance within the mind. We may have strong and enhanced visionary capabilities, and if you work with shamanic awareness in your practice, you will benefit greatly – our connections with the spirit worlds and the teachings and guidance of our personal guides can help us to envision how can work with those deep gifts of the soul that we have brought with us into this life.
We can also work with this energy, which is ongoing, to develop our relationships with those guides – we will come back to this around the Full Moon. The great spiritual traditions are replete with such guidance, but, ours is the dance – our enlightenment is Earth's. We can dance their creative fire of illumination around our World Tree and stimulate the alignment with the Galactic Center along the axis of our central nervous system. Whatever your orientation, take the time before the FM to work your way into this, with inner guidance, as it will transform not only your life, but, resonate through our actions our into the manifest world – this is planetary healing on a cosmological scale. This is to 'plant lotuses in the fire' and is our worldy work……
The Flowers of Life are a powerful aid to our work and we will return to these and other extraordinary symbolic manifestations of the primal creative energy at a special Equinox post….
Ponder a while on the manifestations of these empowering enigmatic energies – the potential they enshrine will lift the spirit. This is an echo from our ancestry, and it contains a spark of beauty – take this into your heart as you meditate…..the power of the primal creative impulse will open the Lotus within. It is then ours to plant in the world and with this, global healing will become transformational….we are coming to the headwaters of change, the unfolding events around us are calling for a stronger engagement with balancing energies, for, if the center will not hold we must hold to our own centers….."
(1) 'Swimming in the Dragon's Pool' is a Taoist expression from within the esoteric teachings of Taoism that focuses on spiritual alchemy – the Dragon's Pool is "the symbol of the World, in the sense that enlightenment is to be developed in the midst of the world, partly through dealing with the problems of life within the world."
'The Taoist I Ching' – translated by Thomas Cleary, Shambhala Publications, 1986
(2) Poem by Basho, itinerant Zen poet, Japan, C17
(3) 'Planting Lotuses in the Fire' in the Taoist teachings on spiritual alchemy means "being in the world and acting efficiently in the world without being coerced by the influences of the world"
'Taoist I Ching' – see (1)
Had this post been written after current events around the Pacific Rim the tone may well have been different – the call to bring the essential balance into focus would remain…..the next post will look at the equinox reading of the planetary influences; this will provide us with a chance to focus more fully on the Dragon's Pool itself……be of good heart, every small thing counts within the greater whole……