text:
The Burning Spear!
On 6th August 1945 a lethal payload named Little Boy was released from the skies on Hiroshima…..three days later, August 9th, Little Boy's big brother Fat Boy descended upon Nagasaki and the new agenda for global terror fell upon us all in a blinding flash that truly deserves the name Holocaust. Little Boy split the Uranium atom, Fat boy the Plutonium….together they split the world into the terrorists and the terrorised, the self same spectre that darkens our world today. The shadow of these events, like those of the people atomised within the blast zones, became memories burned in concrete and stone upon our collective psyche……
……in a week when heavily radioactive water is graphically shown to be spreading across the Pacific from the Japanese coast and deeply contaminated coolant water at the Fukushima plant is declared to be approaching overspill from its containers and seeping into the groundwater, Uranium and Plutonium are pushing the agenda once again. It seems to be no coincidence that this should be happening in the midst of the infamous Uranus Pluto square. But, just as the planetary signature that indicates the connection, like the 'agenda', is now far more complex than the 1945 chart might have indicated, the memory of those catastrophic events 68 years ago have mutated into a reality that is now being lived out with global effect, only, this time, the enemy and the allies are divided not by nation, but within nations.
Now, as we enter a new lunar cycle, the hungry ghosts unleashed into the world, when the Bomb Boys downloaded their lethal payload of time rupturing division into our midst, are finally being exorcised. This new Moon trines Uranus and has fallen on the 15th degree of Leo, and mid-Leo too is a zone marked by historical significance for us all. While it marks the astrological midpoint between solstice and equinox, there is a deeper resonance here that the planets are pointing towards.
Remember first, this seasonal midpoint is associated with the ancestral Irish leader Lugh and bears his name amongst the epithets of the people's lore, as Lughnasadh, the celebration of Lugh. Lugh was associated, via his Welsh equivalent Lleu Llaw Gyffes, with the Lion, but, he was also associated with an astonishing brilliance, and the burning spear that, if unleashed, had an unfettered thirst for destruction that could not be quenched. He knew how to handle that weapon. But, what better symbol of the intercontinental ballistic missile and its global network of terror could there be than that burning spear. As to his brilliance, perhaps we will see it emerge through the people themselves, as the trine between the new Moon and Uranus suggests. Read on!
This will be a lunation to watch, in fact, the middle degrees of Leo could be all about visibility and power radiating from the Heart of the Lion. And Uranus and Pluto met in the mid 60's at mid Virgo, kicking off the revolutionary stirrings of a generation that is now remembering its roots and bringing the burning Sun of popular revolt to bear upon the terrorists themselves – Venus is on the exact same degree at this new Moon. We know who those terrorists really are, and their hunger for power is clearly exposed, both as the enemy and as the unquenchable thirst of a spirit torn from the matrix of time, hell-bent upon destruction. We are no longer dealing with human deliberation alone. As the drive to create automatons of us all, as both media miasma, propagandised mis-information masquerading as 'News', the eugenic push for transhumanism, genetic modification of nature, and the radical erosion of human rights blatantly demonstrate, it has become inhuman.
The solar eclipse that fell just before the dates of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 also fell at the midpoint of Cancer, hard by the degree occupied by Mars at this new Moon, which is also applying very close to Saturn's degree in the 1945 eclipse chart – this alone suggests there is much that we must watch for. Jupiter now stands exactly opposed to Pluto from 9 cancer, within a degree of the Hiroshima chart's north node. What was begun then is being exascerbated now, destiny perversely becoming fate. Cancer brings it home, makes it personal, on our doorstep. Every human is affected, and we are now seeing the reality of this opening out. The aggression unleashed around that eclipse point is reverberating through Mars, only now it is an escalating anger at the violence being meted out upon the land, the skies, the security and privacy of every individual and upon the waters that give us life. Just as the water sign of Cancer also has associations with the great Mother and is ruled by the Moon, so too women are bringing their inflamed and passionate voices into the frontline to protect the sacred waters – witness the Balcombe protest against Cuadrilla in the UK.
The fracking agenda is also coming to a head, bringing the whole water issue into the homelands near your home and mine. The pollution that is being unleashed upon our Earth, in the form of geo-engineering and the insane obsession with fossil and nuclear fuels, both of which are engineering a disaster in our midst, are the physical symptoms of the spectre's own illness – this too we are now clearly seeing, and that spectre's agenda has a number, 21. Bilderburg has been making a media splash where, previously, it had been considered the private and covert annual convention of the elite, the select few whose strategem for global dominance conspiracy theorists recognised as the plotting of the NWO's Shadow Government. Agenda 21 seeks to put government at the heart of every aspect of human life and it, and the Shadow Government, can no longer be tossed aside as the conspiracy theorists favourite fixation – government of the people is clearly an agenda that no longer serves the people, if it ever did, and the shadow is in plain sight. But, this 'outing' is itself a reflection of the brazen audacity with which the spectre is now wielding its agenda…..it is an agenda whose false face has fallen away, is out of 'control' and into 'psychopathic madness'.
But, that agenda was seeded in the Phillipines in 1987, clarified and drafted into a global context in 1989, secured as such in 1992 at the Rio Earth summit and 'published' in 1993 – in amongst those key dates we find the mid-point coming up again, most notably with Saturn at 14 Capricorn opposite Chiron at 14 Cancer (!) in 1989, and with Chiron in mid-Leo, the Moon square in Taurus and this new Moon's Mercury conjunct Mars position in the 1992 chart. The planets conspire to inflame the wound. And, notably, the mid-point will again surface when Uranus squares Pluto in the 14th degree of Aries and Capricorn on the dates of the October 2014 and April 2015 lunar eclipses, both of which centre in the mid Pacific. Eclipses too have a way of turning up in charts for EQs and nuclear events…..but, enough of the bad news….
……the good news is that while the cats out of the bag, the significance of Lugh is well befitting to the brilliance promised earlier in that Uranus new Moon trine. Lugh was the consumate master of many skills, his legendary face of blinding luminous intensity symbolising an evolved and adept intelligence – Lugh was also in possession of the powers of wright, smith, champion, swordsman, harpist, hero, poet and historian, sorcerer, and craftsman, all the plausible attributes of learning, articulation, initiation and inspiration. With this display of virtuosity he entered the court of the Tuatha De Danaan, and eventually led them out of the servitude they had suffered under their oppressors, the Fomorians. He is akin to a proto-bard, ovate and druid. He was also in possession of the magical sow's skin that could heal all wounds. His battle with the one eyed Balor, leader of the Fomorians, whose single eye was poison to all who fell under its gaze, was decided by the shot launched from his sling that hit Balor's eye with such force it flew out of the back of his head and wreaked havoc amongst Balor's own army. This is a symbolism to be noted. Translate that act into present times and the single 'all-seeing eye' at the top of the pyramid as the target……
Lugh's virtuosity and ability to overcome the most adverse of conditions and adversaries is also a symbol we can claim for ourselves this Lughnasadh lunation. The people are manifold, both in our inventiveness, which we are empowered the more to manifest through the Uranus trine with the new Moon, and in our diversity. But, I would like to leave you with a further reflection on Lugh's more inherent ties.
As son of the third of three brothers, nursed by three mothers, and as holder of the sows skin, Lugh shows his connections with the triplicity and the sign of the goddess. The connection is made manifest as he is also attributed with restoring the fecundity of the land, the crops and the livestock. Having refused the offer from another Fomorian king, Bres, of four harvests in one year, and never ending milk from the cows, an uncanny echo of GMO's and manipulation of nature, in return for the knowledge of the plough, the seed and the sickle, he oversaw the transition into fully establishing settlement and agriculture. It was a revolution waiting to happen that had been itself seeded by the Fomorians as hybrid nomads somewhere between the hunter-gatherer and experimenters with nature in a post diluvian world. Lugh himself, however, was the bringer of horse culture, and horse-power was always the symbol of power itself. For one so skilled, his conversion to a more pastoral life must have been radical, but, it resulted in 40 years of leadership of a people who persist to this day, in both symbol and blood.
Lugh met a watery grave, drowned in Loch Lugborta by Cermait, the son of the Dagda – but there-in lies another tale. As a spirit very much present in our time, we can exorcise the spirit of Lugh from the waters…….it is all tied up with that burning spear. On Lugh's eve, the boundaries of the temple and the avenues leading to its inner sanctum were lined with flaming torches, his spear directed not towards the living in destructive ire, but, towards the ancestors, as a way shower that would once more re-unite the people within the circle of life and death. Lughnasadh is traditionally a celebration of Lugh's triumph over the spirits of the otherworld, the hungry ghosts who tried to keep the harvest for themselves. May his spirit unite us in just cause and hail the return of the Goddess and her protectors. So be it!
The images above are from the series 'Fukushima Prayers' and first appeared in articles published at Owlmirror immediately following the Fukushima disaster in March 2011
First, Chill – New Moon in Libra
The Libra New Moon on 15th October 2012 brings an opportunity to review significant relationships and connections in our lives. There are no planetary aspects to the solar + lunar conjunction so this is also an opportunity for working on any area of our lives that is calling for our attention and needs relating to in a new way – from here we can creatively rebuild these connections and relationships in ways that honour and bring out the finest qualities within them.
The Sun and Moon are aligned with the fixed star Spica. This star emphasises 'the creative' with a more evolved and pragmatic energy that ensures that thoughts and actions set in motion now will 'seed the future' in resourceful and well grounded ways. When we pay attention to reviewing what feeds us, 'what grows corn' and what 'sits well in our belly' we will know what to discard and which relationships and connections to vitalise – the how of this will become clearer as the lunation progresses.
The Moon's south node is on the fixed star Algol so look out for 'ghosts from the past' and personal 'skeletons in the closet' as you do so; they will be carrying the dead weight that has been holding us back, that we may have been unable to face before now – but, with an exact trine between Mars in Sagittarius and Uranus in Aries, the cosmos will support us, help us find the courage to bust those ghosts and to clear our minds and imagination.
Mars and Uranus create a 'need fire' that will burn off the illegitimate residues accumulated from having followed others, from false trails and agendas that were never ours in the first place – all part and parcel of the huge changes that are kicking in now. This will enable us all the better to prepare 'the earth of our life' to be sown with strengthened and renewed alliences that resonate with our personal truths and the visions that are released from beneath the detritus now, as Mars and Uranus work their magic.
A significant underlying part of that change is the ongoing Uranus Pluto square and, at this moon, this has developed another layer, of which the Mars Uranus trine is a part. Chiron has been in a slowly evolving sextile with Pluto for some time now and this is heightening the capacity we have to heal our most fundamental wounds, especially around issues of authority and personal power. Inevitably, a part of this process is also churning up some of the most fundamental and deeply embedded wounds we have all suffered; cultural, political, economic, religious, humanitarian – Pluto ensures that no stone is left unturn. Here, however, Chiron is also square Mars, so, Pluto, Uranus, Mars and Chiron are bound into creating a sparking cross-fire of regenerative and innovative insights into these wounds – we are likely to feel pretty angry at what is revealed, especially through the first half of this lunation – the Promethian 'need fire' will build to a blaze whenever one of these issues surface, so 'anger managment' will be an issue – collectively this could be a time of renewed public confrontations with authority. As painful as it may be, and although we do 'need' to go through this healing process to clear the way for a better future…..the time to realise the more creative manifestation of that pent up energy will come soon enough.
….on the positive side, in seeming contrast, there is actually a chilled out opportunity on the personal level to relax and get our feet on the ground in more enjoyable ways with this moon too, even if it is best done by special invitation and behind closed doors – Saturn's trine with Neptune is select, clandestinely escapist and indulgently cinematic, but, with both these planets trining Ceres the way to get the most out of this Moon socially will be to chillax with a few carefully chosen friends, to share the fruits of the harvest, dream together and speculate on a future we could all resonate with.
Venus and Mercury in sextile energise the conversation making heart to hearts possible. Nevertheless, the underlying theme of the Moon is to treat all this time as preparation for better times. Now it were better to converse, observe and make private choices, but, not to make hard and fast commitments based on these, not yet anyway – all in good time. This is emphasised with Eris opposite the Sun and Moon at NM, which brings a cautionary reminder and emphasises the point of not buying into other people's dramas, or taking hurtfull off-the-cuff remarks to heart – as said, if socialising, be selective and chillax.
With this in mind, in esoteric work undertaken now do make sure to pay attention to grounding and clear boundaries. The energies thrown up from the astral realms will be testing us to remain centered and balanced through the first half of the lunation in particular. Making our connections with the spirits and the otherworlds clearer and stronger is the ideal focus for our esoteric work and, this will not only help us through the coming year when we need it most, but, for the coming Samhain this work is absolutely essential…..this time of year is significant for clearing in preparation for the Samhain period, but, this lunation is especially primed for Ancestral work. It goes without saying that this work is of huge importance……
There are many undercurrents and pervasive elements influencing events from behind the facade of everyday life at the moment, so, trust in the guidance we recieve from the otherworlds depends upon the clarification, strength and truthfulness of our connections with them now. Don't take my word for it, check it with your guides and inner knowing – our truth is our own, so, be especially vigilant for those who would seem to have an agenda to 'peruade' you, those who make offers that might seem to benefit you but which do not truly resonate within your innermost being, or those who would have you believe otherwise, that theirs is the right way – we're leaving all that behind. As the lunation unfolds and approaches Samhain any turbulence this all throws up nearer that time can be safely fielded if we have payed special attention to this preparatory work, and the time and means for action and commitment will become all the clearer as a result. Its a tricky world we live in…….
We'll look at the Full Moon in more detail before we arrive there; its chart is going to carry two yods and a potent opposition! The latter, involving Mars and Jupiter, will be priming the planet for the solstice in a very significant way, which we will explore in a special upcoming post on Saturn and Pluto. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the fire festivals over the next couple of years all carry hard aspects and 'earth changes' are being flagged up big-time. There are also some very powerful and positive aspects unfolding now as well though, and this Saturn sextile with Pluto aspect is one of them, one that will help us put all the dramatic qualities of our time into a real and inspiringly usable context. At this time Earth herself is gathering and building potential energy and, strange as this may sound, if divination and gut-feelings are to be trusted, we have not really seen this fully manifest at the surface yet. We Humans are showing the signs, however!
We tend to forget that we are animals, that we too can sense the subtle ripples of energy and time that precede events in the manifest world and, one day, we will look back upon this time as one in which we woke up to this rememberance within ourselves. When we come alive to this reality and discover its immensity and magic we also begin to understand and make sense of what has happened in the millenia since we began to forget. We all know, Earth's children must grow up – the idea of the Mayan Calendar as a marker of finality has served a purpose, one that may not be everything its architects intended, but……if 2012-12-21 is the end of anything, it will be the end of forgetting….we are on the edge of discovery…..
Entering the Dragon Path
Chuang Tzu dreamt he was a butterfly, but, on awakening he could not tell if he was a man dreaming he was a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming he is a man……
The coming year of the Water Dragon sees a wise power building within the waters of spirit at work behind the world – we have this time up until the end of January when the Chinese New Year arrives to take a pause in anticipation and to gather our personal power. This is a valuable moment to stop and listen. Roughly up until the end of the current lunation, the celestial weather directly supports our inner and world work in this way – a subtle amplification within the dialogue between ourselves and the Earth. In the coming months the dynamics of this dialogue will change so it is also a valuable time of preparation. The consolidating, developmental and altruistic work we do now lays essential sacred ground for entering the Dragon Path. So, lets take a look at the celestial influences arising now that support this dialogue…..
After traversing Scorpio and Sagittarius, through weeks of depth work and internal re-alignment with our inner Sun, the spiral path we weave around our home star has brought our focus once more to Earth with Sun now in Capricorn. Scorpio's deep healing waters offered us access into the heart of our selves, connecting with the soul core, our spiritual center, and helped us clear the blockages and accretions that have been preventing a clear and vital flow of energy, feeling and awareness to and from our roots. Sagittarius' cosmological illumination of our inner realms brought the potential to activate the dreaming body, birthing the Sunchild, bringing meaning and direction to the flow of energies within and helping us see how we can focus these along paths of manifestation with purpose in the times ahead. We now have the opportunity of capitalising on our clear and activated dreaming and are ready to step into grounding our creativity in new forms with the support of the mutable earth energies of Capricorn.
From this time of the year, our dreaming can become married with purpose in order to birth new forms that change our reality. This is a spiritual practice that stems from the heart as the generative creative center within the womb of creation. From the perspective of astrological cosmology an alchemy of manifestation is at work, for both hemispheres of our Earth. In aligning our personal energetics with Earths's we can strengthen the flow of information within our dreaming between all of us. This flows in naturally from the Sagittarian influence, as Jupiter in Taurus is amplifying the earth energies through this time, and begins to become activated in the physical – when we work with these energies cardinal earth will help initiate transforming our aspirations into realities that are in alignment with our home planet.
This Solstice template, however, is carrying an increased potency this time around that has brought an enhanced element of indeterminacy into our forward looking. There is speculation within the cosmological community that this is partly down to the ongoing effects of the close alignment of Earth and Sun within the galactic plane with the center of our galaxy, and partly down to the unusual energetic qualities of the space/time matrix that our solar system is now entering, bringing transformation to the planets and our Sun, physically and energetically – all of which are now pushing the boundaries of reality to change. There are, however, other perhaps more esoteric factors at work as well – we can expect a potent release of energy in the time ahead that is a consequence of the breakdown of integrity within the earth plane, a shaking loose of boundaries, an experience that is beyond the scope of determinacy, and this is essentialy where the enhanced element of indeterminacy is arising from.
At present and over the next few weeks we are under the subtle but increasing influence of a bow wave of energy that precedes this reality shift, so to speak. If you have been gifted with the abilities and developed the skills to sense well beyond the physical you may notice this undercurrent in energetic form – that is to say complex vibratory patterning arising from vortices of catalystic change that appear and disappear without warning. These may appear as random events that challenge us or impulses to act in ways we are not accustomed to. Energetically it is advisable to do no more than observe at this point. Awareness needs to remain anchored in the heart center, our major center of intelligence and feeling where we interface with the source field. So, keeping focused on personal work, but, staying awake to the world. Earth will show us how this shift is integrating, even as it happens at a subtle level, but we have strong assistance now from Venus in Aquarius in working with the unexpected……
Have you noticed how the Earth field is also developing a 'present' time focus ripe with potentials that reach far beyond the known – human consciousness is not only becoming freed up to conjoin with instantaneous effect within the earth plane, our access to the source field is opening up bigtime. This is reflected in the growing resurgence of working with 'free-energy', a powerful and inspiring leitmotiv for our coming times.
Although readers here will almost certainly be well aware of the spiritual health of humanity in relation to our home planet, amongst the wider populace we are also seeing increasing openess about our role in life as guardians and preservers of Life. Spirit helps us connect and expand dimensionally. But, this means that our work in this role will now feed directly into this change. This is key. And, we are not the first to arrive at this point. The cycles of time have seen our ancestors approach and cross these thresholds of diffusion and multi-dimensionality before. Its worth considering that what has failed the ancestors in the past, when they have failed, will fail us now if we go forward without heeding their messages from the past, so it serves us well to honour and pay strong attention to our ancestral connections – it is not a given that we will avoid error; they have much to teach us that will help us avoid repeating the same mistakes. In fact, this is a hugely important time for ancestral healing and, in effect, our world work has become a vehicle for this.
There is assistance at hand – the world around us is waking up with almost daily revelations about the hidden past of our ancestors; their voices are becoming stronger in ways we may resonate strongly with now as re-awakening memories of former lives within very different communities. It is surely no coincidence now that our human heritage is rising from the Earth. They too are asking us to question and change how we have organised our lives, through the predominant culture, as well as how we have used our power. And we know that there is much more to come….
It is beyond doubt that the 'status quo' is a human fabrication that serves to organise. It may be that this 'fixation' has arisen as a response to our dissociation with Nature – we have been predominantly seeing it exponentially manifest control and subjugation of nature (and that includes human nature) within our current time-line over a 12.6k year period. But, this too is changing now. With virtually every archeological revelation our timeline is changing. And this is a great gift to us from the ancestors. The shift needs a radical 'opening out' of reality, as this will naturally change our values. So many false notions of power have become projected into money in our culture, but, we now can see clearly that this is nothing but a con.
Revelations of the extent of financial corruption and deception are escalating, showing that this process is already accelerating. But, these too are a part of the process of adjustment that is freeing us up from the narrow confines of a single time-line. At this time we can most clearly see this in polarisation between the roles of 'destroyers' and 'preservers'. But, this will develop a multi-dimensionality of its own as diffusion spreads in the coming year and frees up the energies within the matrix. The Solstice template and lunation this year shows us being strongly assisted now in embodying, some would say reclaiming, our multi-dimensionality.
The Solstice influence is with us over the coming three months and we can begin reading into its astrological matrix by looking to Venus, whose entry into Aquarius is helping our archetypal heart energies to grow wings, the wings of Aquarian freedom. Venus is central in this reading. We know that breaking free of the gravitational field of 'fear' is happening when we feel light within and work with the empowerment that our courage gives us and Venus is in the Uranian influence as a field of electrifying creativity that ignites a fire within our hearts. In the Solstice template Venus stands at the midpoint of a T square formed with Jupiter and Saturn in opposition – her role is pivotal as her heart focus becomes the point of resolution through which their energies manifest. So, what are Jupiter and Saturn telling us of those energies?
Being the only planet retrograde at Solstice, Jupiter anchors our sense of the bigger picture inwardly, aiding us in giving it body and meaning on the earth plane, amplifying our senses and sensuality and helping us to listen to our earth – when worked with positively this will bring a feeling of inner enrichment and well-being in the world. As Teilhard de Chardin said, "there is an almost sensual longing for communication with others who have a larger vision. The immense fulfillment of the friendships between those engaged in furthering the evolution of consciousness has a quality almost impossible to describe"….feeling that connection expanding and finding form is one of Jupiter Saturn and Venus' main gifts now.
Shortly after the New Moon in Capricorn Jupiter stations and turns direct, so activating all the degrees of Taurus over the coming six months. This offers us a sustained time for feeling and sharing this inspiration, the sensual experience of meaningfulness. In the first degree of Taurus at solstice Jupiter speaks of re-establishing the dharma path, as expressed through the roles we embody. Saturn in late Libra gives the form and balance to this self focus with a fullness of purpose that lifts it out of the realms of selfishness – the impetus to give form to our higher selves in reality, here and now. With this aim Jupiter and Saturn are connecting us with the essential form of the greater whole, the extended community of spirit – if we hold the two energies in balance they work in perfect harmony, but, the key is in allowing this to center in the heart and being receptive.
This is fundamental to bringing mind, body and spirit together, and, through this we are strongly assisted in working the multi-dimensional nature of our earth experience in a positive way. And, not only is articulate ensoulment present within this, when we open to our multi-dimensional nature the living thread of the dreaming that connects us with our ancestors vibrates and re-sounds within our own dreamings. This is given extra torque by Jupiter's angle to the Moon's nodes. Within hours of Jupiter going direct the Moon passes over Venus' solstice degree and grounds the T square, helping us further ground its potency and energy values within the influences of the Capricorm lunation. This means we can become free to ground our ancestral connections within our dreamings and share them in communion with the wider spiritual community here on the earth plane – a great opportunity for some deeply connected spirit-world work free of time line restrictions.
When the mutliple strands of our dreamings become interwoven and resonant across time we can also confidently take full responsibility for our role as 'the ancestors of the future'. This is absolutely fundamental to our collective work. There is also much speculation around the multi-stranded nature of our DNA that is becoming a fascination for many now. Some are now seeing this as a cosmological development of our genetic coding, an awakening of our dormant potentials through reclamation of its multi-strand nature. The speculation seems to be that with this natural embodiment of our inter-dimensional nature we can realise our total connectedness across all time and space, all dimensions, all universes…..
Multi-strand DNA gives us the building blocks, the organising constructive memory and hardware to facilitate this shift in connectivity – it will happen of its own accord as the matrix frees its energies. However we envisage it, the heart is the locus and anchor point for this process. We would do well to allow nature to take its course here, but, remaining balanced is essential as reality will shift in ways we cannot imagine as this happens. In this is an emergent creative potential that aids us in meeting with the unknown in equilibrium. In other words, our multi-dimensional potential cannot be realised until we have learned how to be in balance within our selves, which is the pre-requisite for generating compassion as an active agency within Life, and it is Compassion as a power that will give us the keys that set us free. This, hopefully, puts Saturn, Venus and Jupiter's great gifts in unity, into perspective…..the spiritual alchemy of the solstice….
Being in the Aquarian stream of consciousness Venus is also sextile to Uranus in the solstice imprint. Uranus is now direct in the first degree of Aries – this raises the truly transformative potential that can now unfold in firing new forms of consciousness within the earth matrix. Venus Sabian symbol of 'the unexpected thunderstorm' gives us the flavour……we must learn how to navigate this energetic terrain and work with the inner essense that animates us when 'creating the path is the path'.
Mercury, the spirit of articulate self knowledge, also stands at a mid-point in the Solstice template, between Mars and Neptune. Unaspected directly, Mercury's sensitivity to the connective flow of intelligence present within 'the field' subtly and adroitly gives us access to Mars and Neptunes influences. Mars in mid Virgo at solstice calls us to energise our connectivity, through the guidance of the divine feminine in the fixed earth of Virgo.
Neptune in the last degrees of Aquarius has the Sabian symbol of 'the Butterfly emerging from the chrysalis' – the cells within the transforming pupa within the chrysalis that bring forth this new elevated (winged) form are themselves called 'imaginals'! Mars motivating powers activate the imaginal energies – Neptune breaks down the barriers for their emergence. We can, with Mercury's assistance, expect the subtle nature of our emergent processes on earth to feed our dreams through this solstice imprint. The more consciousness we give to them, the more they will activate our growth. And we can expect accurate and effective divination to help us listen in now as well. So, consult the Oracle as we need to be wise about how we travel the course we are setting out on! Time has taken on a different quality now and, like our weather, the dynamics of change are filled with unpredictability…….
Once again Venus increases her central role and stands at further mid-points, between the Sun and Chiron, as well as between Pluto and Neptune within the solstice imprint! Her wings are taking on deeper implications for riding the winds of change……
The Sun entering Capricorn at solstice brings the emphasis back to 'responsibility' in our use of power. We have all been hurt at heart by the entropic destructive and delusional forces present within our world – however, Chiron supports us in healing the suffering behind these wounds. Wounds and scars, especially in the non-physical, make us highly sensitive, and can help to raise our consciousness.
With Sun closing on Pluto the plutocrats position at the peak of the pyramids of power can no longer be hidden, and the abuse we have suffered we will no longer allow to wound us – with such raised consciousness this is no longer possible. The key to handling this enhanced sensitivity is again in working with the heart center. Compassion also brings release from the restricting influence of fear and 'en-courages' self-empowerment. Time to claim our self-authority and, as Robert Bly poigniantly said, to "walk our limp" with pride. Clarissa Pinkola Estes has done some amazing work with women in helping them literally create a coat of power from the wounds that they as individuals have suffered. This is Chirons wisdom and Pluto makes it revolutionary. A collective wave of self-empowered individuals working with the higher self is an irresistable force.
Venus lifts us and Pluto reveals the extent of the next step. His influence is unflinching and indiscriminate, exposing the realities of power that connects us all, through taking us to deep and fundamental, revolutionary and soul-full levels of awareness…..this is epoch making energy at work within 'the field' that will become increasingly visible in the world through the year ahead, especially as Uranus and Pluto begin their exact squares mid-year. This will occur just as Jupiter passes into Gemini, so, now is the time to dream deeply, in communion with the divine in Nature, the ancestors and our spirit allies and let the expansive energies of our dreaming too be the channel for transformative power of liberation, healing and the birthing of our dreams within the world. Solstice has ever been thus, but never the more so now! We can all embody the return of the Sunchild……
We should pay head to the Moon in late Scorpio within the Solstice template, which here indicates that we can expect the feelings we have about our lives to run deep, but, must also keep our whits about us and not let the passion we feel rising after millenia of subjugation to blind us to the balance needed now.
The Moons nodes remind us that we are heading for 'Aeonic consciousness' (North Node on the Great Attractor) and highlight how mental balance and clear and unpolluted levels of health are intimately connected (South Node) – this latter aspect will be boosted during the first exact Uranus Pluto square in mid-year when Jupiter conjuncts the South Node in Gemini. The energies will be extremely high and widespread, working at fundamental levels of change at that time, so our work now is crucial. With continuing open and honest revelation of our true history, we will surely feel enraged at the extent to which we have been denied our natural heritage, but, this too can aid us as we can clear our minds of shared and self-replicating wounds, of memories, habits and lies of seperation that have kept us from realising our birth rights and human potential.
Lastly, the adjusting refinements of the current Capricorn lunation……
The New moon at 3º Capricorn sees the Solstice template subtly yet powerfully adjusted, acting like a lense focusing the archetypal inner light into present time, becoming more penetrative and intense. Being close in on Pluto at New Moon, the light of the returning Sun can ignite depth-charges of seismic force, shattering and collapsing darker uses of power and exposing them at the surface, but, this too will first and foremost catalyse a pull towards greater unity within the emerging body politic of our times. There are however indications that it is the 'quieter' aspect of the solstice imprint that will prevail over the coming month. The salve that helps us find balance in the world is brought by Jupiter. The great planet carries us through every degree of Venus home sign over the coming months, bringing a bountiful knowing and expansion of heart centered optimism to our individual and collective paths. Retracking over the degrees of the retrograde period through this lunation and the entirety of the solstice period, the expansive influence of Jupiter will re-open and amplify many of the revelations that have come out since the end of August, the onset of Jupiter's retro period. This could up the anti in the world of finance, politics and international power struggles, but, our run up to the return of the Water Dragon will enable us to gather our personal power in balance to this. Watch out for new and astonishing revelations from the past!
We can now enjoy a lunation of expanding connection and sharing of true wealth – we can give this great depth through pausing now in receptivity – this is valuable fuel for the lunations preceding equinox, especially once Mars goes retrograde in Virgo at the end of January and Neptune re-enters Pisces in early February. Then we are into a zone of inner change and dynamic experiences in which reality will take on very unusual qualities…..the Dragon Paths of Earth are awakening….
…….in following the Dragon Path it is the Way that is walking…….
Peace be with us all……..
Song of Orpheus
Many things are converging and flowing together, the wind of change is picking up strength – we are entering within the passage between two worlds, a transition zone of strong unpredictable energies…..three thresholds between the 26th and 31st of October frame the gateway, a new moon, the culmination of a great cosmic cycle and a powerful cross quarter fire festival. And, now the People are mobilising a collective energy is carrying us forward…… the lunation beginning with this Scorpio New Moon opens the way before us. This is a time to reckon with the reality of archetypal powers….it is a journey that takes us into some very deep and dark places, the true smithy of the soul, but this is a place from which we may return with treasures of incalculable value.
The culmination of a great cosmological cycle is a leitmotiv for our times that has inspired many ideals for a better world, the peace of a True Earth, but these ideals rarely materialise without an heroic struggle – our myths tell us truths, there is far more to reality than surface appearance, and reality always bites down hard on the best of those ideals. All that glitters is not Gold. Sun and Moon uniting in Scorpio oppose Jupiter retrograde in Taurus and sextile Pluto in Capricorn. Jupiter is now in exact trine to Pluto. The powerful energies pull on us, within us within the events of the world within our perceptions of reality. Jupiter is in earth as he travels inwards towards the heartlands protogenic womb, and opposite, Sun and Moon in water also seek the lower worlds, the deep subterranian watercourses, the dynamics of the ancestral and archetypal. Even in opposition their movement is complimentary, takes us beneath the surface. Pluto adds weighted pull to both, makes of this an Orphic journey – to find True Earth we must go within and search for the world soul.
Jupiter asks us the most difficult of questions in this, to which we can only answer truthfully – 'what are my deepest motivations?' Jupiter is a very culpable planet – while he is capable of bestowing riches, a potentially philanthropic influence, he is also equally capable in shadow form of being the egodriven 'sugar daddy', the self indulgent fat cat, blindingly unfaithful and a massive user and abuser. A real Janus. Being opposite the Sun/Moon here his challenge is twofold; to own the shadow we project, and that means we must become aware of where we are projecting our strongest emotions, what and who we are rejecting and ejecting – and to acknowledge our highest ideals, those that we know and sense will stand the test of time. It takes a heroic stance to be truthful and stand by the courage of our own convictions, no matter what.
There is currently a collective focus onto the fat-cats and the wrecking games played by rogue traders, and, with archetypal infection loosening our focus, we are really open to including any others we hold responsible for provoking chaos in the land – the scapegoating strategy will be exposed in this lunation, the culpable may fight back with accusations of equal culpability amongst the people given the slightest chance. Infact it has already begun, for example with defenders of corporatocracy descrying what they see as 'rampant and indiscriminate capitalism bashing' – however, as one wiley commentator responded, "its not capitalism that is being bashed, its BAD capitalism." The big message is this – we must all examine our consciences and truthfully accept those ways in which we individually contribute to the rot and rotten system that perpetuates it, and, having done so commit totally to reforming the way we live. This not only goes for the outer world, our most intimate relationships as much as our collective ones, how we relate en-masse is coming ever under scrutiny. Emotionally challenging this may be, but, our honesty is essential if we are to clear out all the rot, and this too is now an echo that is beginning to be heard worldwide! Welcome to planet Scorpio……
Pluto has the upper hand in many ways. It is characteristic with this energy that if resisted the challenge will return and keep on returning until the process is totally realised. Even the remnants of a 'job' half done can become amplified until they are dealt with. For the People, especially those of us out on the streets making our voice heard, this means finding new and deeper inner resources….'digging in' is an appropriate phrase, but this really will be emphasised, especially as winter bites down on the northern hemisphere and youthful exuberance floods the southern. A test of commitment, and here is where that truthfulness brings its greatest value – what we resist persists, until we own up to it in ourselves, and, conversely, what we are drawn to must correspond with our own inner wealth and values, or it will prove fickle and lead us down a path without a heart, until we recognise our true path.
Inner or hidden facts coming to light will carry a strong charge in this lunation, especially those relating to the values we express, the fidelity of our communications and depth of our thinking. Mercury conjunct Venus, also in Scorpio, awaken us to the truth in this. The marrying of heart and mind at the primal level can be very healing both individually and in our most intimate relationships, a passionate boost from our essential vitality that can carry us through tough times and help us deepen our connections – but, to achieve this these will be tested. Appreciation of our roots and recognition of who our real 'family' is are highlighted here, reminding us of our sacred obligation towards the future and those who come after us. What gives this the added torque, an imperative energy, is Mars in Leo in exact square to Venus and Mercury. The wilful desire to bring about change can both divide and unite.
While male and female unite in the quest for truth the 'edge' within this journey is ever present and we need Mercury's canny perception to see through the deceptiveness of others and keep a clear mind. We can also be very tribal with these values, headstrong and seperatist if we let the untempered ego, our immature self, take the reins – tribalism often fuels division. And at the same time identifying with our tribe can energise a sense of belonging – one of the most pertinent choices here is about whether we can trust the 'chiefs' with our personal wealth, material or immaterial, to protect our personal interests and lead us forward now. The choice of the individual matters a great deal and should be protected through this time at all costs. The leaders will try to persuade us this is their mandate, however, there is no hiding place for any shade of totalitarianism disguised as democracy any more……
The true value of exchange is also examined at the root here and any imbalance, especially where we see giving being superceded by taking, will also become exposed – debts, we may demand, must somehow be repaid, or resolved. This could have obvious international repercussions, but, it also carries a stark warning for those in positions of power in the midst of economic meltdown, if they are expecting the people to follow – truth about the commerce of usury and debt will continue to shape our political affiliations and loyalties. Pluto is very much at work here…..
There is a rebeliousness behind this energy, stemming from Mars sextile with Saturn – we could see a run on the banks becoming more common as people seek to take possession of what is rightfully theirs. This could also be a red flag for collective protest manifesting as fierce determination to protect ones own, especially the very young and vulnerable. Saturn may close the doors of the banks, exert the curfew and enlist Mars in the defence of 'the realm', but, social division between the State and the People too will backfire with increasing energy now – however, Saturn is also a realist and we'll be with him again shortly…..
Mars is also coming into opposition with Neptune and Chiron, at the same time as Venus and Mercury are coming up to square with them – a tightening T square that could expose old wounds brought up by the fact that we continue to waste resources while refusing to heed wisdom and deceptions are perpetually spun about just how out of control the situation really is. This is all very ungrounding if you are taken in by the media generated haze of distraction and the hollow political dogma, but, who really is any more…….we can also use this awareness to individually gain a deep inner sense of self worth, as the real value of our personal gifts are given the reality test too. We can see how the tension is building……
Mercury and Venus are also coming into orb of a trine to Uranus – this is a prevelant aspect, that will build through the first half of this lunation – watch for the 2nd through 4th November when the trine is exact. It has a constant energy flow that fires synapses, so while the door remains open for eureka moments arising from all this sharp scrutiny and deep inner processing we are also prone to being caught off-center by those same unexpected truths becoming illuminated – on 4th November, along with the Mercury+Venus trine to Uranus, Mars opposes the Moon conjunct Neptune and Chiron, a recipe for confusion, reaction and counter-reaction like an instant feedback loop, of light and dark, feeling/unfeeling. No sooner have we gotten something figured, its reality is challenged. This is Uranus the heyokah, playing with Fire.
There is throughout this lunation covert as well as suprisingly open energy at work – Scorpio is very secretive to this effect, presents a polished enigma to beguile, but, the silence and fertile darkness can also hide the subversive movements of our innermost selves, especially those cut off parts of our psyche that we would rather not know about…..significant exposure of insidious betrayals, spying games, black ops, more shadow work, more skeletons springing out of the proverbial closet. It begins to sound like a ghost ride in hell! And we do have All-Hallows approaching…..
Infact, we could just step right out of the nightmare! Uranus effect of explosive transformation can inspire us into equally fierce creative action with a tight quincunx to this New Moon. We could find our Orphic voice and begin to re-enchant the world. And we must not forget that the underlying influence in all this, the archetypal undercurrent, is coming through Uranus square Pluto. For the artist in us who works with creative tension and is compelled to give expression to the zeitgeist this is a fiercely creative aspect. In the square one end or the other will try to dominate, or, to put it another way, both will be at work full-on, but without any co-operation, which of course can lead to a dynamic of change that is beyond the individual….we simply have to go through this, accept that its highest value is for fueling radical and creative transformation, which is the gift of the square. It energises the situation until it is transcended. We are already seeing, on the web as much as on the street, an explosion of creativity – our art can heal as well as transform. The archetypal power of the outer planets in strong aspect is inexorable. We can all feel it, a sense of powerful shifting undercurrents at work, and creative honouring of this divine power is a skillful response, innate and grounding. Our future can be truly magical if we embrace the symbolic nature of reality and make this our foundation.
The shift into co-creativity can perhaps only come through a collective response to the symbolic nature of reality, a movement of great trust that can paradoxically release us into a deeper knowledge of the material world.
Orpheus knew the secret of this and saved the hero Jason from the fateful enchantment of the Sirens that would have drowned the Argonauts, dashed against the very material rocks surrounding the Sirens island – a powerful symbol for us now. Orpheus was the stronger magic, being an oracle and initiate of the Dionisian mysteries and shaman of the wilds. Scorpio's realm is the place of roots, instinct and animal nature…..navigating the archetypal energies, with our own seeing and spirit guidance our personal quest can keep us clear of the deceptions and steer through rocky passages we may encounter – we can now use them well, and the truth and trust they will instill in us through our deeper connections is a treasure of incalculable value!
The journey has begun and as We have to go through the passage between two worlds, how and with what means we are equipped is key. Back to Mercury and Venus……
….and Saturn! The keeper of the gateway is also in a tight sextile with Mars. Saturn can have a civilising influence upon that strong fiery egotisitcal Mars, can be the rules and orders that martial the will into discipline. Such self discipline is crucial and can be incredibly empowering for us in holding to our vision and collectively bringing wisdom to bear on our wounded and wounding nature as we follow the path inwards…..Saturn is also in closing trine to Neptune and Chiron, by wide orb at the moment, but, we need to get the message Saturn brings here right now. We should be prepared for the long haul, and in the balance is everything we hold most valued – Saturn in Libra enables us to give real shape and form to the most enduring of our values, once we have stripped away the dross and developed true appreciation for Life, and he will offer us a fair run at it over the next year, spending a further long period retrograde before he enters Scorpio early in October 2012.
There is an intimation that War itself could be up in the dock through this time…..we are already seeing the major nations writhing under increasing costs of wars fought beyond their own borders, naturally exacerbated by economic instability. There are increasingly strong possibilities for a further scaling back and withdrawal of troops, but, also a re-examination, in the current climate, of the incredible damage that every single war and violent conflict inflicts upon individual lives….soldiers could refuse to fight, putting the healing of deep emotional wounds and the well-being of people above service to a cause that ultimately only creates more and deeper division, inequality and destruction. The growing movement of the People may shift its targets to the military/industrial complex and call for Peace, and thats peace with a capital P! Saturn semi-sextile Venus and Mercury says if the feelings are deep enough, and a sense of end-times is enough to do it, the People will take the law into their own hands and assert inalienable human rights on this matter, knowing that the most fundamental issues are now going to come out, inevitably……
It seems every culture carries the memories and imprint of previous end-times and we all have some resonance with them. As these times approach a certain hysteria can accompany the re-emergence of those thoughts and memories as we project them into our own times – remember YK2, and look at the madness surrounding Comet Elenin, for example. We get infected by the archetypes and lose our senses, sacrifice our sense of reality to a kind of passionate nihilism. The same can be seen in the way we envisage positive change, becoming overly optimistic and really spaced out with the adrenalin of hope. Uranus can do this to us in blindingly sharp shocks of inspiration that feed our desire to simply be free, and again, without the grounding element we can lose the plot. Witness the 'New Age' mentality that continues to fuel ideas of 'Ascension', the Second Coming, alien intervention, the 'release' of Earth from 'quarantine' and a return to cosmic community – coming back to the present helps to get earthed. When we ignore the reality of the moment and fixate on the ideal, when we arrive at the appointed time, we get Uranus backlash, the jolt of harsh reality to awaken us from the reverie and delusion. Idealism does not translate well into the flesh without becoming transformed. However, staying earthed in these times is also a harsh reality if you're starving and on the street……compassion is the pragmatic bringer of hope here. And, there is no question of the reality of life beyond what is already known to us – it is the manner in which we meet it, the preparation of our inner reality, that enables us to survive the encounter with the unknown…..
Pluto always wins and has his way with idealistic utopianism. When collective movements are riding surges of archetypal energy we line ourselves up for repeated realitychecks, lessons in what is real for the moment and what will endure – the future becomes less certain, virtually every day delivering tricksy pop-quizzes, especially under Uranus' influence. Archetypal infection of Uranus and Pluto energies for change is unavoidable in such times, at worst ruthlessly reckless, critically destructive, at best hyper-discerning and unflinchingly thorough – all potentially transformative. Two paradigm shifting powers skirmishing in the archetypal now. But, the Scorpio field is also where we see most deeply into that realm, so there is also a chance here to get rid of the unwanted detritus of unlivable, dieing and past realities and clear the decks for the new. This is very karmic. It is no accident that Samhain is embedded within the Scorpio field.
The spider's web of aspects at this New Moon are describing an inner dynamic that is strangely familiar – did anyone get that, that this all feels like something 'new' that we've known before? Although we might not recognise it as such there is a strong ancestral presence in this – even on the streets and in the concrete jungle, an underlying question is 'can we now become Homo Sapiens'?
In reality we have yet to collectively live up to the latin name for our species Homo Sapiens Sapiens…..doubly wise? Like the Tarot Fool, the gullable hero in us would believe the road leads 'to some higher purpose' and that as long as we keep on looking up we will get there. And yet it seems the real path to higher consciousness at first leads through the marshy wasteland of ignorance. Realising with honesty the falacies and delusions of Jovian grandeur is the beginning of the true test of our claim to wisdom, but, like the fool it also seems we have already let them lead us to step off the cliff – and its not as if we didn't notice the ground suddenly falling away. So, who's the fool here, who is culpable….both Pluto and Uranus are shockingly impersonal while demanding honesty – we have to get our bearings and get used to the fact that we too are animals, quite inspired, and, become quite mad with it……..however, there is wisdom in the ways of the ancestors. There is also a serene ignorance in the idealism of the fool that ignores the lessons of the past, and yet, as Orpheus tale reminds us literally turning back to what we love most before the journey is complete can have fatal consequences……perhaps it is the innate wisdom of the ancestors within our present that serves us best now…..who and what we truly are at root.
As we enter the realm of primal instinct and animal nature Samhain marks this is a place where the veil between the worlds thins and those energies that are most innate to us come to bear upon our lives…….the karmic residue of the year can be shed, and the spirits rise to bid us do so. There is a sacred ecology at work here, but, for us, with the emergence of a united voice that would shed our collective karmic ties and see a new world come into being, the potency of the spiritual and archetypal presence is intense and deep, beyond the norm this Samhain – interesting times we live in.
Much of what is happening now carries the law of cause and effect, karma, very responsive and strong at this time – and its a deep past dynamic, akin in its causes to the ancient Greek notion of heimarmene, the chain of eternal causation in nature. This is the fate revealed in our birthchart……it, like our soul journey, may have very deep roots, but, they are equally present, latent in the form of our lives. It provides us with the template for our souls journey of transformation. Collectively this is also a reality. Almost anyone with planets or angles in early degrees will be feeling this lunation, almost vortex like as inner and outer converge.
It is a shamanic as well as an individuating process, essential to the transmuting of 'naive and self serving use of our powers' into 'mature balanced service', to a greater cause, Life – the shaman knows how essential this balance is in Life and continually works to restore it. S/he descends into Pluto's realms with indomitable faith of spirit. Pluto's foil in this is Ceres…..the Great Mother is the most fearsome of defenders of her children. The shaman as her ally accepts this as her nature……Her presence will become ever more deeply and openly known to us through this time of transition, and beyond – I have no doubts, She is returning……Ceres is square the Moons Nodes now and will hold the balance of our aspirations and healing, our future and our past converging in this ongoing point of transition, the ever changing present.
She tells us that for the northern hemisphere we are in the inward spiral of our solar cycle, our dreaming body will awaken as we head for the midpoint between Equinox and Solstice, as winter opens her arms around us – as we approach the center pole of the year, the great central Tree of Life, we can follow the trees in their dreaming, journey with their roots into the dreamworld of the inner Earth, the 'lower world' – we can climb their roots in the sky realms, their branches, to the stars and the 'upper-worlds' – the animals too show us their changing, shape shifting appearance and help us in preparation for the dreaming time. We are gathering our stories too….only, within our times we are weaving them together into a new medicine blanket, a new world myth.
She tells us that in the southern hemisphere the life force is returning with renewed vigour, juiced up with the spirit energies of the dreamtime, giving new form to the world, showing us that beauty does not die when it enters the hidden realms, but, becomes even more precious and beautiful – we can rise into the fullness of light and embrace the sun with the blossoming trees, our animal guides can show us the mysteries of birthing our spirit, of creativity and the practice of wisdom in the everyday world – we can enter the daylight dream-time of the 'middle-world' and remember our place in creation, fully embody who we are and why we've come here…..the two hemispheres together speak with Ceres wisdom through our soul's journey and spirit work and we are truly blessed in this.
Nature is the great healer, She always prevails, no matter how deep the change, no matter how challenging it may seem in the midst, and Her example is the one we can most rely upon and realise as our own now – in traversing these challenging times we can be with Her, working with and letting the Earth hold us, speaking with Her and the other members of Our family, Her children – how often do we say that, 'Nature is Our Family'…….and this is our True Earth…..may we be as fierce as the Great mother in defending Her!!
Blessings be with us all
In putting together this reading the I Ching was consulted for an overview and, as ever, came up with a strong mirror for the essential energies and dynamics – the hexagrams arising were 35 Chin, Advance with one changing line, the second, producing 64 Wei Chi, Not Yet Settled….
The Wind on the Mountain
The first New Moon after the Equinox arrives just as the Earth is clothed equally in day and night. The light is rapidly sinking in the North and energetically rising in the South. Everything is in motion; the geese are beginning to fly, the wind rising on the mountain speaks of transformation, and on Earth we watch as the Moon comes into alignment with the Sun in the sign of justice, balance, relationships and 'the other'. Looking out upon the world we can see the energy rising through the lens of the cosmos in tune with the times.
At the crossing point in time and the seasons it is time to take stock. The polarities of light and darkness, growth and decay, are in dynamic equilibrium all around us. In the wider context the times offer us opportunity, as, in bringing attention to the pivotal point around which division swings, we can also choose to work towards bringing an end to all that keeps us divided. The New Moon amplifies the energy, brings it to a needs/must status – we can perhaps sense a tension rising, the balance point is loaded with potential, flashpoint uncertainty…..releasing the tension, with vision and foresight, is a great challenge. Being caught up in the energy of change, having the ability and courage to persist in the midst of immense challenges, let alone look to the future, will push us to the limits of our resourcefulness. Perhaps this will be the crucial fact of our coming experiences that will decide for us how we persist, the nature of the vision we are able to manifest in visceral reality. But, before we consider the implications on the ground, first, it would be wise to get in tune with nature.
Earth Mother speaks to us both through the falling fruits, coming to ripeness, leaves flying in the wind, and the emerging shoots, vigorous with promise, bursting buds, tender in their blossoming – death and birth dancing together in our One World…..
…….from the northern perspective She asks us to awaken our sense of Value as we appraise the harvested fruits of our labours and identify those most fertile with seeds, those that will carry us through the dark time and those that will bring energy and sustainence that will help us stay healthy and bring the warm glow of the dream-time to our wintering hearts – these are the precious seeds of our imagination and inner vision…..
……from the southern perspective our values can help us identify the new growth, the sprouting life force taking shape, caring for those that need protection, that need feeding and planting out, the healthiness of the seeds that have sprouted within our dreamings, to which we will give most attention in the coming growing time as they unfold their stories, testing themselves out in the world.
If we were to look into the cosmobiological world, the dominant impulse, seismic and volcanic, the global climate and solar activity tell us we are in the Southern half of the cycle – Earth is awakening, pushing the physical boundaries as the life force increases with pulses from the source – the Sun becoming newly activated and seeding the magneto-sphere is driving the weather and charging Earth's nervous system. The hemispheres hold the balance…….all is dancing together, to the tune of Change…..this dance, however, has the accelerating rhythm of a dance going wild……
In both our gathering and our sowing 'Care' and 'Vigilance' are our watch-words as we encounter the unpredictable weather of the autumn and spring. In the human world, where we predominantly base our decisions on factors independant of nature, we are at a forward looking moment of choices – and the times have a flavour that says our future remains in the balance, undecided – we can go either way. So, looking to our resources, the better to make informed decisions, has a crucial edge of destiny about it at this time.
Just four days after equinox a New Moon in Libra brings a re-defining influence to the energetic shift in the seasons. The decisions we take now will be carried forward over the next month through the lens of the Libran Moon. What we decide now will also carry us through to the Solstice – it is a propitious time!
If we were to look into the human world, the dominant weather, our politics and economic climate would tell us that we are in the Northern half of the cycle – and, perhaps our evaluation would have us throwing out most of 'the harvest' – so much of it has become rotten to the core, its life force corrupted. War strips us of the very means with which we can stop the rot……increasingly we can see, the people are awake and know that only through waging war on War itself and the divisive infra-structures that support it can we bring justice to bear. We will see how Mars and Pluto are at work in this.
There is an air of rising realism, at odds with the illusions spun to keep our collective power yoked. Uranus is making strong connections here too, not least of all with Mars. The blinkers are off, and soon enough, at each emergent trigger point, the restraints will come off too – Wall Street is the latest in an increasing pattern of unpredictable flashpoint demonstration of the public will and anger. This is bringing the whole question of resources to the frontline of action……it is not through violence that the voice of the people will be heard, this will fuel only more deeply entrenched division. Intelligent use of resources is supported through awareness and open distribution, communication and fostering integrity – anger is natural when these are denied. Uranus gives us access to the higher mind, Mars brings a crucial sense of realism that will not be denied.
Our emphasis here is on the higher vibration. A powerful upswelling of Earth changes is very much a part of this process…….at this New Moon Venus, ahead of the Sun and Moon in Libra, gains an uplifting energy from Jupiter retrograde in Taurus. Venus rules both Libra and Taurus, but, here she transits within the constellation of the Crow – in keeping to the higher manifestation look out for deceptions and scornful trickery around resources. Be aware of false promises. Sacred Law will guide us. We must be prepared to defend ourselves against usery.
Our inner resources gain great strength when we connect with Jupiter's inner expansion of wisdom, of elevated awareness, and this in turn can bring a deeper meaning to Venus' heart centered infusion of love into our relationships. She is on her way to meet with Saturn soon after New Moon – this will help us ground the Earth centered values she is bringing. Saturnian maturity will help us fully incarnate those values and seed our vision for the future……so much rests upon us manifesting this through our collective power as an agent for change.
In the Equinox template Sun began entering into opposition with Uranus in Aries opening the collective mind with a drive for originality and freedom. Over the coming months we can utlise this energy in breaking the mould of habitual thought through opening to insights and realisations about our collective potential. Mars in Leo trines Uranus and sextiles the Sun bringing original creative power to all that we seek to embody – and, at equinox, Mars was also conjunct the Moon. Collectively, we the people are becoming fired up, finding voice.
Mars will continue to feed this doubly fiery energy into our creative endeavours for change as at New Moon he moves into exact quincunx to Pluto in Capricorn. Here is the push for realism. Systemic change within our Earth field will begin to reach down to the roots and the signs are already there…….they hardly need re-iterating. How we work with these combined influences is key. Watch the financial turmoil increase, but, don't get sucked into the inevitable 'spin' that it will generate……the mesmerising culture of consumerism is dieing, and despite the insidious inroads it has made into our psyches, its influence is increasingly waning on how we connect with our own deepest personal values, gifts and power. We know these have a better purpose….take care of them and be patiently alert. We would do well to be patient, as an elder would be, and hold back superficial and reactionary judgement by keeping the bigger picture in mind. There is much work to be done within the initiation zone. A shot of Heron medicine will also serve us well here…..
We need to be able to spot the moment when we are called to manifest the flashing energy of Uranus, as it happens, and really feel the power surging from source – we can experience ecstatic joy in our creativity, if we are open to it. The more we quiet our minds and reside in our hearts, the more this will be available to work with and we can grasp 'the flash of opportunity' beneath the surface, no matter how clouded the waters become with sudden change. Neptune can symbolise this clouding, but, Mars, Uranus and Pluto will have none of it!
A healing vision for our planet is at work behind this – staying with the higher vibration, Chiron brings the healing waters of Pisces into our New Moon, deep waters that cleanse our world of the wounds of the past, and Neptune in Aquarius, still in partnership with Chiron, brings the connectivity of higher consciousness into the healing process. This is available for our emergence, beyond the competitive mindset, into one of co-operation. Neptune atomises the energy and spreads it through each of us, as fractals of the whole containing the hologram of wholeness. This influence is present at Equinox and holds.
At equinox, making this all the more powerful and underpinning our creative responses to bring a thorough and realistic clearing, Chiron's and Neptune's combined energies have become amplified with Pluto's unstoppable alchemy of transformation – a great push for total change in how we express our collective power as an achievable goal that heals our collective mind. Again, they feed back to Mars.
The signs suggest that we are ready to work hard to realise this visionary process, embodying the shamanic paradigm, through our own spiritual alchemy – the Sun recieves this transformative impulse through sextile with Mars and the Moon feeding into the equinox template. Pluto sextile Neptune and Chiron combine in a yod to feed their impulse through Mars and the Moon. When such deeply transformative potential impulses the energised emotional body of the people revolutionary power can course through us – we need to ground this power and let it flow. We can ground it with holistic creativity when we let it flow through our hearts. It will fund us with courage. With courage we begin to grow in confidence and the energised emotional body in turn expands our connections – we get a picture of ourselves within humanity expressing the interrelated polyrythmic nature of the dance. It's polyrythms tell us it is multi-dimensional, working at many levels in unison. Entering the shamanic state in full consciousness of integration within the matrix of Life initiates us into the shamanic paradigm – if we are truly to become co-creative we must be able to go there. We will come back to this in a moment…..
Courage inspires and helps us raise our consciousness. Sun sextile Mars and Moon at equinox form a second yod back to Chiron and Neptune that manifests a feedback loop for our healing vision – at first we will feel it, then through the New Moon matrix we will learn how to manifest it. Mercury is also at work here and can augment Chiron and Neptune's influence in ways that will help us raise our consciousness, working with shamanic awareness and dexterity as a part of this process. Intentionally working in this way, now is a good time to utilise the potential here – trust as you do that you will be connecting with others in natural co-operation. Spiritual symbiosis. Tending to our own soul path enables us to work together without having to even think about it, but, doing so together strengthens the energy – 10 Billion Beats is a prime example and the energy of the drumming will continue to reverberate through our individual work for many months.
We would do well to begin thinking of ourselves as a global community, a village with a strong heart – I would recommend choosing this time to make earth healing rituals, building an earth shrine or altar, as the symbolic heart of the global village and feeding it with inspirational beauty as gifts and offerings to the spirits. Both spring and autumn fund us with immense richness and beauty so our offerings can really speak to the spirits; ask them for guidance and personal healing that will aid you in the coming months….this will pay great dividends, for us all. These sacred focii will serve us in the coming months too; a golden bees wax candle dedicated to the earth-heart and lit in a central place will bring a strong sense of beauty to our home. Remembering all who struggle to find food and shelter can strengthen our bonds and help us maintain a balanced perspective. There is great support in this from the planetary matrix. But, we are also a part of a much larger community……
Mercury in Virgo at Equinox quincunx Neptune – at New Moon, Mercury catches up with the Sun in Libra and this becomes a tight quincunx to Chiron from Mercury conjunct Sun and Moon. The complex dance plays out in quick-time with Mercury's advance through this period – it is a window of potent opportunity for entraining with Galactic energy – equinoxial Mercury squares the Galactic center. Sun is fueling our Earth changes, recieving the electric impulses of new energy from the Galactic Center. Watch the uptick in solar activity seeding the Earth matrix. At Equinox the visionary charge of healing energy coming through Mercury's quincunx with Chiron and Neptune seeds the template with intelligent creativity that compliments the Sun Uranus opposition at New Moon. Uranus opposition with the Sun tightens to exact as the New Moon comes into manifestation. Altogether, with Pluto also coming into a square with the New Moon, this potential can be released with ongoing intensity through the next three months. We can really make our otherworldly connections count now. Sacred Law founded in the heart will teach us how.
Saturn in Libra sextiled the North Node of the Moon in Sagittarius at Equinox – natural balance in accordance with Sacred Law is the basis of our soul journey. Collectively, we can bring a powerful understanding of our responsibility towards the future through grounding our role as guardians of the Earth Garden, a role, we know, enshrining and embodying Sacred Law. Cosmobiological awareness is the way to bring it into consciousness. With Jupiter in trine with Venus at Equinox the goddess energies can help us in turning with the tide, pulling us closer together, uniting us with Her great heart.
At New Moon Venus approaches conjunction with Saturn and sextile with the North Node. Our journey into wisdom as an expression of Sacred Law within the heart. With diligence towards our inner wealth and we can forge the diamond body of indestructible compassion through time……the cosmobiological heart of the Earth Mother coming alive within, helping us to manifest a better world into being, and from this our journey towards Solstice will unfold……but, this is a gradual process, one that needs a steady foundation, that flows with the shifting balance of the seasons.
While care and vigilance are the key words as we enter the new seasonal zone, the Libran Moon is upping the stakes. The driver here is 'the Unexpected', powerful influences manifesting through events that exacerbate breakdown and push growth in change to new levels – overall, with this Moon cycle a rising groundswell of transfigurative potential is emergent. The planetary configuration shows a hightened possibility that world events will become cumulative, pushing the agenda for transformation. This is a great test for humanity. We are also, it seems, entering into a zone that speaks of 'instant Karma'.
This will signal a change in focus, an intensifying of awareness. What is wise within us must now come to the fore. It is a good time to strengthen our bonds with each other, to make our connections truthfull and grounded. For all the apparent complexities at work, this is an inspirational matrix of energy, with centeredness, eldership and realism at its heart. The planetary matrix is calling for serious assessment of what will serve each of us best – a pragmatic stock-take of our personal resources will help us ground and stay earthed, both individually and collectively. Alignment with the seasons brings balance and meaning to all our endeavours.
Awareness is a resource of great power. We need to be watchfull and look out for each other. Rising tension between the power of nature and the force for containment asks us to get real. There will be a tendency for those resisting change and 'keeping their heads in the sand' to have their personal agendas sidelined, and this applies as much to the political arena and economics as it does to individuals who hold power within those fields. The dogmatism of the older generations must give way to the embodiment of the Elder, even as it emerges amongst the young. And emerge it will, with our care, vigilance and realism. For all the opportunistic rioting and looting that systemic breakdown catalyses, beneath and behind it is a disquiet that 'knows' – the challenge of initiation is to connect with this knowing. This is an important time as the way will open for those whose fore-sight and broader vision is based on Natural Law and innate wisdom to step up to the plate.
The first lunation of the new equinox season will help us decide where we stand within the midst of accelerating change……
As intense as the winds of change may become, the as yet untapped resources of humanity are given planetary support so that we can now considerably increase our capacity to meet them with equanimity. We know that we have a great resource within. Together, each of us holding to the center and expanding our heart energies can generate a protective field of fully conscious and fierce compassion – the mountain is our symbol……but, we must let ourselves go into the dance and let its power flow through us for this to happen….the mountains too will have their dance….
We have reached the crossing point. Beyond is the pull of a vision that can ingite our collective soul; paradoxically, gaining access to it through manifesting it……it will take time, but, time itself is changing. When we are able to realise our role as Guardians of the Earth garden, our inner radiance will pervade the earth plane and experiencing time will become ever present access to the whole…..
Hold to the center. Owlmirror advocates giving voice and form to visionary potential as it comes through, but, it takes more than one voice to encompass the whole, so, have courage and let your voice be heard. This vision, for all its cosmobiological implications, is simply a choice within our humanity…….
The catabolic release of energy that the entropic half of the dance will manifest, as the old balance of power is naturally dismantled, will also fund us with an anabolic empowerment to bring our creative powers into new forms. The vision can be realised. But, it is intrinsic to its realisation that we be discerning and careful not to polarise, to split humanity further. Honouring difference heals division. Healing means making whole. Embracing the whole, light and dark, is the real challenge for our unity. Earth's equinox seen through the lens of the Libran Moon.
And, it should be said, that regardless of the apparent grandiose nature of such a vision, there is little room for idealism here, we are working with what is, as is, in new ways. Many who feel that the completion of the Mayan Calendar signals our entry into a new consciousness may find that the challenges continue to arise as they have done over the millenia, as they did for our fore-bears. And, as our ancestors knew, the present holds the key to healing all time. They too made mistakes – can we learn? Everything is happening with a purpose, only, be careful of apocalyptic prophecy, as well as the idea of a day of revelation – for all the portents, they also carry the overtones of the old paradigm that is dieing off…….if the cosmobiological vision holds any weight, emergence from material fundamentalism into gnosis within the living multiverse tell us that fear and denial do not belong to our future….the indigenous prophecies are very down to earth and pragmatic in this respect.
Small steps make a great journey possible, each step at their own time, as the moment requires……our resources are great, our technology ancient and evolving, bringing us to spiritual communion within the animate multiverse – sentient cosmobiological realisation.
The technological skills we have built up can, if we choose, support this, but, science is not everything and this too is on the verge of great change – the fusion of science with compassionate living born within indigenous Earth wisdom promises much. Would any scientist dare embrace the shamanic vision without it…..a rhetorical question. The electric universe connects us all in the Now.
Even though we may be reaching for the stars Earth is the Life giver through whom we can truly come to know them and, despite the youthful rebelliousness with which science also disregards this fact, once we recognise how deep Her love for us is we may also just discover that she holds our deepest memories within her heart. The Earth Garden is the living memory of our stellar origins. Youthful energy becomes mature through the challenges within the initiatic rites. For all the challenges we face on Earth now, this is a golden moment in our evolution….
If at this time we were to view ourselves as a global village we would see that half of the village is being guided by Earth to begin bringing the nurturing of our dreaming bodies to the fore, while the other half is being guided by Earth to begin feeding our creative energies into manifestation through our physical plane. When our creative energies flow from the heart, as artisans of the sacred, we know that these two halves are not seperate, that we never entirely cease from either outer or inner focus working together in manifestation – the two are aspects of one movement, forever in active balance. The times are most propitious now, however, for us to capitalise on all the work we each have done and collectively begun to realise, so that we can also increase our working as one village, with awareness, in ways that manifest this as a single and unified process. The collective spiritual alchemy of humanity is the vehicle through which cosmobiological unity with Earth can be realised. While gradual development along this path is the given theme for this Equinox…….how we can achieve and maintain our sustained development and navigate the path through initiation depends very much on our ability to ride the winds of change.
The symbols in this post have come from several readings. The astrological symbolism for the New Moon and Equinox are sourced in the tropical zodiac, the signs, the planetary positions and the Sabian Symbols attached to these, as well as the energy that connects them as expressed through aspects. For the Equinox the I Ching was cast using three different translations for interpretation, Stephen Karcher's of 2002, Thomas Cleary's of 1986 and Richard Wilhelm's of 1950 – the image arising was hexagram 53 Chien, Gradual Progress with two moving lines, 2 & 5, giving rise to hexagram 18 Ku, Corruption/Renovation. Amazingly, the relationship between these two hexagrams exactly mirror the equinoxial shift. A further reading for the cosmobiological aspects of the article was made using a method of Cowrie Shell divination originating in West Africa – this method has been transposed into a new form, incorporating and integrating western indigenous techniques, and will be one of the forms of divination Owlmirror will be writing about over the coming year. Further material was sourced through spirit journeying and ancestral divination, both of which will also be brought into our exploration of divination practices and techniques through the year ahead.
The Heart of the World
A powerful undertow of transformation and healing is pulsing into the realm of 'ego' at the Leo New Moon, pulling the energies of Pluto, Chiron and Neptune into our collective and individual psyches. The feeling is of time collapsing in upon itself while complexity proliferates in the world around us……big questions will be asked of our egocentricity through this lunation, and continue breaking down its hold upon how we experience the world. It is akin to the 'little death' of the ego, which is the natural process through initiatic and integrative experiences that pull us into the creative matrix, so, do not be fearful if it seems as if the world is falling apart – commit to the path marked out by your own truth, your 'knowing', and follow the thread of intuition – it will lead you home. There are always ways and means of help and healing at hand, signs and messages that can show us the way…..these are the gifts of the divine – be on the look-out for them, carry your crane-bag of magical cunning to keep them safely stored in, for those uncanny moments when you need them and their true purpose is revealed – and need them you will!
With all the transpersonal planets in retrograde motion, the veils between the worlds continue to be held open by an inexorable influx of increasingly present archetypal forces now, and holding to our personal path itself takes on new dimensions. Uranus squaring Pluto brings both the shock of the unexpected and the lightningbolt of high magic into the place of deepest transformation, and we may encounter critical junctures and crossroads just when we least expected them. But, the mythical dimensions of Life are here to help us find the purposefulness and core meaning of our own lives. It is true that we are at a time when, under the increasing onslaught of random and chaotic events in the world, paradoxically, meaning itself appears to be fading. However, the paradox is that this is itself a signature of the immanence of the archetypal, which the ego can experience as threatening – so, embrace the paradox and face those fears, they too can be your guide and show you the way. In fact, the more we flee in the face of fear, the more we go astray and lose our thread – that thread is our personal story, the one we came here to tell. It is from the meaning that our own path carries, our own story, that meaning will be rewoven into the world. But, the storyteller Mercury will tell us more of this later….
For now, Mercury is undergoing retrograde phasing throughout this Moon so giving voice to our inner story is the way to bring that meaningfulness into the world. As facing our fears suggests, once the ego sublimates itself to this journey life takes on the dimensions of an heroic quest…..and in this world, everything holds portents, all things have a voice, a song, and the way to the Heart of the World becomes revealed through following their messages. This is the time of the 'seer' with a fearless heart.
I was struck, while meditating on this Moon, by Jupiter's continuing trine to Pluto in Capricorn while forming a tight square to the New Moon – amplifying the earth energies, Jupiter direct in Taurus is colluding with Pluto to manifest them in a deeper cthonic form, one that inhabits the underworld – such power has a supercharged signature and the image of the Minotaur came to mind and, with the square, the challenge is manifest through the creative Leonine power of the ego. While, in confronting and overcoming the Minotaur Theseus saves Ariadne, almost incidentally he released the Athenian youths, seven young men, seven young women, from their fate and certain death as sacrifices to the Minotaur. They are symbols of the essential balance of masculine and feminine in their uninitiated state. Seven is a very dynamic number and holds a magical formula for transformative work that precedes the higher octave, bringing spirit [3] and matter [4] together. Here we have the masculine hero working on behalf of the greater good, but, he does so by following his own inimitable egoistic path – the problem with Theseus is that his own divine origins do not give him a sense of mortality or earthly morality, and so, while his story provides a model for the symbolic journey, he fails to overcome his own hubristic tendencies and, as his story shows, does not relate directly with the power of the seven.
Theseus is a notorius womaniser, prey to his own divinity which in many ways is represented in shadow form by the Minotaur and, although the Minotaur is decapitated after their tremendous struggle, Theseus continues to follow the Olympian paternal ethic. He gains Ariadne, but, later abandons her – and, further down the road we find him immobilised in the underworld, but, that is another story…..strangely, asteroid Zeus is conjunct Saturn at this Moon, so the Olympians are colluding with the Gatekeeper, and Saturn is in waxing sextile to this New Moon. The old battle continues, and the labyrinth is about more than fear waiting to be defeated at its center…..there is a much older and deeper story playing out beneath this one.
The Minotaur is half man half bull, befitting the cthonic Taurean symbolism perhaps, but, there are powerful forces at work in the world in our times that he too symbolises through the hidden terror he instills – Theseus later journey to Pluto's realms brought him face to face with them, the Furies. He lost his courage in that encounter and it was only through Hercules intervention, while fulfilling his twelth task, that he was saved. This is a powerful reflection of the magnitude of our task…..
Some are touting this time as apocalyptic, tieing fear onto 2012 and all that…….so lets not forget that all the negative connotations this word carries are the product of doctrinal fear and that 'apocalypse' has become a much misunderstood word for all that fear mongering – it actually means 'pulling aside the veils', 'revelation'. The last Moon showed us something of this, revealed our connections with the deeper layers of life through the ancestors, a call to clear and resolve unfinished business, so that we may take up our spirit dance anew. Much of that unfinished business is itself the product of fear, its distorting effects upon our sense of self, the cause of many a regretable decision. But, we also have the unbridled rage of terrorism in our midst :
"The lumbering trinity of beaurocracy, technology and information is powerful enough to mask the Furies' archaic-spirit. And so, from out of the shadows comes the weird and terrifying appearance of errant and furious individuals, terrorists, whose archaic and 'spiritual' identifications allows them to be the very agents of vengeful justice. The Furies' archaic spirit seems to have entered the cracked vessel of terrorism, and a fearsome 'God' may be found on everyone's side, behind both the terrorists acts and the wars we conduct in response." (1) – and terrorism flies many flags, not least of all the flag of hypocrisy……
"….the current leader on the 'War on Terror' is the only State in the world that's been condemned by the World Court for 'international terrorism' and that has vetoed a resolution calling on all States to observe International Law…." (2) – and we all know which 'State' is being refered to here…..but, we have wisdom in our midst…..
"If those chosen to act as commanders and chiefs cannot remember the paths of peace, if they are too enthralled with the haze of war and the thrill of 'shock and awe' to find the pipes of peace, then the common people must recreate the paths of peace within themselves and become like many feathers in the headdress of a peace chief.
This may be the only way to avoid the increasing domination of the war path which always has the short-coming of being short-sighted and reactionary. The paths of the peace chiefs call on something deeper inside people and aim at something further down the line. The paths of peace are not only the upper paths, they are the only paths that provide genuine refuge from the dangers of the world including the seductions of power that come to all who become leaders in times of great threat and trouble." (3)
The 'revelation' times make great souls of us all….we all resonate with the myths that tell of the soul's quest, through which it finds self realisation, the path towards inner peace; we all have a unique story to tell. For some the journey takes us beyond the horizons of our homeland, searching for the treasure that will make us whole and bring great wealth to the homeland. For others the journey takes us beyond the boundaries of the outer world, the pathway magnetically charged with magical and otherworldly power, powers that transform us and embue us with the power to transform. One thing is certain about this Moon….the whole field, like a labyrinth of crossing pathways and entangled threads, is very complex and full of potential wrong turns. Be on the lookout too for the trickster at the crossroads, and don't be fooled into trading your gifts for an easy way out……on such journeys there are none such…..
Our choices may become polarised, but, all routes lead to the heart of the matter, one way or another….and in Mercury opposing Neptune and Chiron we find a miraculous symbol of healing that will lead us there. Mercury is on an inner journey, seeking out the heart of everything – a seemingly impossible task, unless you know where to look. But, the canny trickster has a whisper from the divine feminine calling him…..spending a part of the retrograde period in Virgo, Mercury then returns to Leo to work the fiery creative energy within until going direct again just before the August New Moon. All these ingredients have given Mercury a story to tell. The Virgin points the way towards the Great Mother, She Who Weaves the World…..
Lets listen to Mercury's story……
"……everyone is looking for something and there are as many trails in the world as there are people – well, the world is a wonderous place for all that, but, that wonder comes from somewhere behind this world, a hidden inner place, and we all have the road to that place somewhere within ourselves, so maybe thats what we are looking for uh? Well, if you should find that trail, follow it, no matter what!, for it leads to a hidden cave – oh, but, caves can be scary places, so how many of us, even when we find it, want to go in there – this one is different though, you'll know it when you get there, for this is a sacred place, filled with a song of its own and it will call you in – that song is sung by an old woman as she weaves a beautiful blanket, right there in the heart of the world – she's been weaving away in there for a long long time, making ever more beautiful patterns of all the colours imaginable – but, thats not her only task, for right at the back of the cave is a fire and above the fire she has a huge cauldron – in it she has a stew slowly cooking – now, this is a no ordinary stew for it has in it all the seeds and grains of the flowering plants and trees of the world, and so every now and then she has to put down her weaving work and go stir the stew, as its the very stew of creation – well, she doesn't mind this at all as she is old and sometimes gets to feel tired from her weaving – now, it so happens that in that cave there also lives a black dog, a tricky one this, as he's looking out for those times when the old lady gets tired……and as the old woman is heading to the back of the cave to stir the stew of creation, that wiley black dog slinks up to her beautiful blanket and, seeing a lose thread at the edge of the blanket, he bites on it and pulls! There he is, unravelling all the beauty that the old woman has been weaving for such a long time, and he keeps on pulling until the whole thing is nothing but a chaotic mess of threads on the cave floor…..well, having stirred the cauldron with the stew of creation to her satisfaction, the old lady turns and heads back to her weaving and at that moment off slinks the wiley old black dog again. You can imagine it….the old woman just stops and stares at the remnants of her beautiful work lying there……well, she thinks for a while and dreams for a while into that amazing chaos of colour until, she sees something amidst the chaos – and, with this new imagining, she sits down and takes up her threads and begins weaving the beautiful blanket once more….lost in the dreaming she never gives a thought to how it might have happened, because the beauty she has within her, her dreaming and imagining, is a power that heals all things…..and as she weaves she sings in the darkness, lit by the beauty she is weaving and the fire that heats the stew of creation……"
We'll come back to the old Grandmother in the next post, and take a look at her beautiful blanket, the weaving of our ways, and, those mysterious seeds she's been stirring into creation….. if you find something wondrous and beautiful on your journey, make a gift of it to her – she may weave it into her blanket again…..or, perhaps she'll give you a taste of the magical stew of creation….
(1) from 'Blood Payments' : Sherry Salman in 'Terror, Violence and the Impulse to Destroy', Daimon Verlag, 2003
(2) Noam Chomsky : 'Power and Terror', Pluto Press, 2003
(3) Michael Meade : from the essay 'Going on the Path of Peace', at mosaicvoices.org
The Moons of Zuvuya
Hold tight, seems the Universe has a sense of humour, and, the joke could well be on us – but, first….
A Question : Do you think Eckhart Tolle is right?…….
"As far as inner transformation is concerned, there is nothing you can do about it. You cannot transform yourself, and you certainly cannot transform your partner or anybody else. All you can do is create a space for transformation to happen, for grace and love to enter." Eckhart Tolle
I doubt if Terence Mckenna would agree! But, old Eckhart is also surfing a very particular and clean wave here, one that belongs more in the ascetic tradition than that of the psycho-active shaman. Eckhart is a smooth rider, no fancy turns or popping the tube, more your smooth grace-ful arcs and crisp lines, all stripped down to the present moment – and yet, and yet, the 'ocean' can be a boiling cauldron too……
I'll never forget surfing under the full Moon for the first time – somehow in the luminous darkness it made sense of the power of the wave and gave the water a visceral quality of dark primal energy that wove together the planetary dance with the elemental, brought everything to an instinctive level……then there were times when the Sun was setting and shining its light right through the wave, rainbow bejewelled spin-drift and glassy water spirits shimmering all round…..the Neptunian fields sighing at the shore….a total contrast by day and night, two sides of the same coin, and, oh boy! Getting a little nostalgic? Well, invite Neptune into your dreams this night and you may discover that She, yes She, is the great Oceanic Mother who is bringing the full breadth and depth of the Mysteries back from the deeper realms of our consciousness so that we can all surf the Zuvuya (1), all the way into the shores of the coming times……but, then, there were also those times when the storm waves arrived and surfing became transformed into a dance of total exhiliration between survival and a psycho-somatic art-form, turbulent ecstatic madness for the watery hell of it – short of the metaphor this is pretty much where we are at right now, the big rollers are beginning to whip up and its time to get the long boards and the ocean going canoes out….get ready, once we pass the balance point of light and dark at solstice this is going to be one hell of a ride……meanwhile……
We are coming into an eclipse cycle that will bring the Solar and Lunar energies together in ways that cut across the 'standard time' experience and open a three strand wave of opportunity that we will miss surfing at our peril – no more 'for the hell of it', more the ecstatic dance in which survival depends upon how well we have developed our skills as spiritual warriors and navigators, and, how well we can let go into the frey – perhaps not everyone on this planet is ready, there could be some serious wipe-outs (first signs are there for all to see) and the view from the shore may well begin to look like we're closed out – but, this is exactly where all that inner preperation finds it purpose – those who are ready will feel the pull of the ocean and know what to do. Neptunia will make sure of it…..
At this Gemini New Moon we enter a quick-fire and potentially transformative eclipse cycle of 3 consecutive eclipses within the space of 1 month – while these are not the only eclipses this year, this cycle initiates lasting influences that will imprint the next 6 months – how we fare through this time will lay down a template that will affect everything that comes after through this year, and our ongoing story also depends upon adapting to that way of thinking. 'The Power of Now' (2) gives us access to all time. As if to push the point home, this cycle also straddles the June Solstice. The effects tie in to the seasonal cycles, a different measure of time, more familiar to our ancestors, that was a primary influence on the emergence of contemporary human culture. Duality was born here, emphasising the balance of light and dark on Earth, Life and Death, and how we work with them. And, there is more, much more, but, the turbulence in the world now being thrown up by the rising chaotic complexity of many cross currents is one of our potential stumbling blocks, so lets keep it simple and start with a little technical data…..
The new Moon on June 1st is a partial Solar eclipse at 11º02' in tropical Gemini – it is in the Saros cycle 118 and will be visible from Northern latitudes initiating in northern China/south-eastern Siberia at 19:25 UT, maxing on the north coast of western Siberia at 21:16 UT, and ending just north of Newfoundland at 23:06 UT – northern Finland and Norway will see a partially eclipsed 'Midnight Sun', so, if you are living or visiting up there this could be a great time to make some powerful medicine as well as witness amazing beauty – we need this, a great photo opp. to spread on the net and remind ourselves of the mystery and wonder of Life on Earth – this alone is good medicine! It is also a powerful reminder that in the midst of the constant light of the north beyond the arctic circle at midsummer an eclipse interrupts the natural order of light and dark…….this is of its nature, and a clue to how we can work with its energies and the opportunities they bring.
The Saros cycle 118 is in its final phases and this first eclipse is considered a 'grandmother' of the cycle – by contrast, the July Solar eclipse, the third of the 3 will be the first of the Saros 156 cycle, a 'new-born'…..the middle eclipse of the 3 will be a total Lunar eclipse, midway through Saros cycle 130, and this really is the one to watch for spiritual and earthwise tectonics as it centers on the meeting point of the Antarctic, African and Indian/Asian continental plates – it could trigger some very strong volcanic and EQ activity….infact the whole theme of this triple cycle is heavily Earth oriented, and 'heavy' is one of the operative words here…..the three eclipses also remind us of the trigram for 'Water' with one Yang line between two Yin, so 'flow' is another key word…..and remember, water has the power to shape the hardest substance…..
…..remember also, at the last Moon we saw the focus shifting very much towards the sensual, heart centered and earth-bound, the Taurean/Venusian effect, well, this coming cycle is going to reveal just why this was and is so important now. The inner planets continue to carry this imprint forward, but, the planets do not compel, they impel, which means they ask us to pay attention. And paying attention to how we are intergrating on the earth-plane is challenged by the tensions building through the outer planets. In the midst of growing unrest how well are we able to develop our appreciation of the beauty and values of this incarnate Life experience, and work through the 'manifest' to further our inner work while taking this into our practices in this world, the 'middle world' – even on the most basic level; how many people just don't have a clue about growing plants? This is precisely the focus we are now asked to develop further. We do not need to engage with the death oriented consumer culture any more than our intelligence will prevent us from doing – we can help each other in this, sharing rather than selling our expertise to each other and, since Gemini is the field influence for the eclipse, we should pay some attention to Mercury's disseminating intelligence in our personal charts.
Mercury as go-between is in late Taurus accompanied by asteroid Hecate, the no messing crone mother, emphasising that our very ability to be self-reflectively communicative is open to a new and deeper level of understanding, expression and experience, one with different drives. We need real dialogue that doesn't hedge the issues – network without fear! And as Mercury is purveyor of hinge point mentality, literally 'becoming articulate', this eclipse is an opportunity for some really juicy 'left-field' thinking – Saturn trining the darkened Sun will make sure of it being related to our shared issues, in every sense, well outside the 'norm'. Whatever we feel most strongly will manifest, so, watch your temper and tune in to the buzz on the outer and inner grapevine.
Perhaps a little more emphasis or gravitas is needed after all though and, amongst other things, this eclipse cycle is highlighting even further the escalating effect that our presence on Earth has had this last 13,000 years, as if that perspective hasn't already become screamingly obvious. But, this harkens back to that very 'moment' in which our ability to articlute reality and to be articulate in describing it became superceded by its own product, the false face god of logical thinking, and its despotic little fascistic ruler, the ego. Once this set up kicked in, then, we have polarity, abstraction and a different order of 'Time' dictating to us. So, bear this in mind – the ego is an illusion creating our experience through outward appearances, appearances that say 'everything is coming to a polarised condition', one that must be controlled or must give way! Don't buy it! No one is in control, the Ocean of Being is coming alive……
The intention here is not to scare or spread confusion, rather it is to offer a pragmatic reflection of where we are and where we are going, the better to be prepared……the alternatives? Well, we could just carry on 'as normal', and it is easy to approach astrology and divination practices in a frivolous and light way, the popular media do it every day, however, it is essential to test out your experiences against the messages all of us receive – they need to be grounded to have any bearing, Neptunian influences demand it. While our emphasis here has been on nurturing and carefully attending to our own 'seeing' abilities, we are already fully capable of collectively becoming 'seeing' beings, its just a matter of critical mass, so everyone counts. However, how many times do we seek divinations and then fail to follow through, and its when the stories come back of what happened when someone did follow through that are the real soul food that we all as diviners love to receive – that dialogue too is a necessary part of our practice. It helps us to know where we are at. And, since opening our 'seeing' eyes is intrinsic to the transformation of our consciousness…….the quality of our awareness is what helps the transformation and brings us fully into the process.
I mention this for two reasons – firstly we are being asked by the planetary process to give serious attention to the very nature of reality at this time, within which our personal and collective blind spots and resultantly destructive inclinations are under severe scrutiny, not least of all as they directly affecting the reality we are experiencing in unconscious ways; how many times have you heard the exhortation that we must become 'co-creators' – we already are, its a matter of realising it consciously, and the trouble is, when we are not consciously creating we are like open doors for the 4th dimensional low-life to work through – Neptune's shadow! Astrologers disagree on who rules Virgo, opposite Pisces, some saying its Mercury, some Ceres and some Chiron….all of whom are figuring here, as we will see, so, look to their placements in your charts for seruptitious indicators of where that Neptunian shadow might be sneeking in and out….
Secondly, while we have also been emphasising the importance of Neptune's ingress into tropical Pisces, Neptune's domicile sign, the very nature of Neptunian influence is collective, and, while being the mystic in such times also has its purpose, we will be challenged in taking Neptune's messages seriously here as well. It is easy to get confused – how many people call a mystic in an emergency?! Truth is not easily won in such circumstances and we will miss the boat if we do not pay attention here as well. Although Neptune will soon slide back into Aquarius for 6 months, the current brief Neptunian domicile time gives us a taste of the new underlying reality for the next 23 years, the length of stay once the mystic planet moves back into the spiritual zone of Pisces next March. Here-in lies the key for a whole generation of incarnation, those born with Neptune in Aquarius. This in itself is astonishingly pertinent, as transformation of Global consciousness is manifesting through 'the people' even in the midst of apparent disorder and the big shift in the coming years will come from this generation – it really is not about the shit thats hitting the fan as the old order disintegrates, its about the ability of those who have to clear it up to do so while holding a collective vision, and that begins a year last Tuesday in Galactic time – Neptune in Aquarius also tells us we have to have a new reality within ourselves that we can communicate in order to transcend the old one outside! The indigo children and the rising archetype of the child with stars in its eyes are our future. This, as an opportunity for 'seeing', is what eclipses are all about…..we are talking about initiating collective spiritual realities through the generations…..and, as ever, everyone counts in the holographic universe.
So, we have something of the tenor of this opening eclipse, as an old cycle of Solar eclipses is coming to a close, a grandmother is holding open the crack in time, a moment of opportunity to step outside the old structuring principle and press the inner reset button…..and, what of the other planets……
Seems all very complicated, but, again, simplicity is the order of the day, and to re-iterate, this eclipse can be characterised by two perspectives that are interwoven very tightly – one, as the old structures and safety nets are withdrawn a certain willingness to accept that we are not in control, that control is not the issue, and, two, accepting that letting go and getting with the flow will allow our true nature to emerge into the world….in order to live in and experience the 'holographic universe(s)' we need to 'flow' with inner balance…..its a lesson in surfing…..and is no less a discipline for that.
Heres a 'time' check…..speculation on the plane of the outer planets, over the next 2 years. Uranian energies will vie with Plutonian to ensure that both of these strands happen simultaneously – Neptunian influences upon our underlying realities will become increasingly supportive of the process, and, as the Moon's North Node and Saturn converge upon each other (they will meet exact conjunct, with Venus, in the 9th degree of Scorpio 3 days prior to the September Equinox 2013), we should be finding increasingly powerful ways of manifesting our new reality. By the time the North Node reaches Saturn's current degree in Libra, the final square between Uranus and Pluto will be manifesting the culminative phase of their 'joint' input into this massive transformative process. And once Uranus transits the South Node, he will have helped us manifest our new humanity, 'singing the body electric' (not the song from Fame!) by remembering where we came from, our stellar nature, and how we got here…..we are talking March Equinox 2015……
Yes there are many powerful and significant astrological alignments all through this longer period, but, its what we are about in the meantime that will make all the difference to how much we are able to manifest their high side when they arrive……so, what of 2012? Well here is the gift not only of Neptune through the run-up to 'that' date, but, also of this flurry of eclipses……and, zooming in to present time once more, the key aspects to this first Solar eclipse are also very simple, but, no less radical for it – on the contrary! Saturn trines the June 1st eclipse to within 1º, and Ceres squares the Nodal axis exactly from late Pisces. Remember, Oct 28th 2011 sees the end of the current cycle in the Mayan long count by one method, December 21st 2012 by another – these twin strands also work together and the intervening time is our time of 'grace' – in many ways this is the entry into the experimental zone. All this re-weaving of strands can be seen as a description of how our DNA is evolving – we know that we have 97% of it waiting to kick in consciously, and thats the creative powerhouse that connects us into the cosmic matrix. Relating will take on a whole new meaning!
Saturn continues emphasising how important our ability to relate is at this time – he will turn direct again just 3 days before the second of our 3 eclipses, so there we have the self-reflective process of our inner work turning tangibly outwards again. Neptune and Chiron go retro in the meantime so here the personal focus of this process becomes fed by our how our outer perceptions relate inwardly – the two work together, as within, so without – so, perhaps this will help us see how the dynamic towards intentional activity that 'goes with the flow' develops.
In trine to the June 1st eclipse Saturn brings strong unwavering focus and presence to our awareness as the crack in time opens. But, could be this is not only about hitting the 'reset' in our connectivity through time and space…Ceres will feed directly into our most precious visions and resources at this time, the Earth Mother teaching her fledgling children about the true nature of our souls' journey. Jeez its getting to look pretty much like cosmic soup, but, wait……..! Wasn't there some mention of 'grounding' back there……this is where Ceres ruthless pragmatism can really help at that soul level……
"Look around" she will say, "and feel it! – See how much grief is present in this world? Have you let the Plutonic powers steal your soul……our souls, Earth's soul? No not mine, oh, my children!" Ceres sits at the southern waning square to the nodal axis, which means she is alerting us to whats around us, the incoming from outside, so that we can digest it and make of it soul food as well as jetison what no longer metabolises. So, actually she is working independantly on the same agenda as Neptune and Chiron. Ceres great message is that we are soul makers, transmuters of spirit in matter, infact she is teaching us here in very tangible ways that matter and spirit are one – if we don't get the grief of the seperation, we continue in the illusion and stand to go down with it…..if we get it and let it teach us we will become the clearer, less burdened and stronger for it.
Ceres grief at the loss of her soul child, Persephone, gave her the unbending determination to find her daughter and bring her back, a mother's instinct – symbolically, out of her journey (Earths emergence from the last Ice Age, and the myth we encountered at the Dharma Moon) our new seasonal experience through nature of the dance between light and dark emerged, and with it our agricultural relationship to the land and the fertility cycle. We can begin to put the pieces together again on this eclipse……remember Her connection with the Mysteries…….
Do you doubt it?! How is it that the planets provide us with a synchronistic and cosmic reflection of this unfolding reality….well, how about, this is the very thing that the cosmos wants us to become aware of – if the past and the future are also present in the present, then we live in one great divining self-reflective consciousness that is witnessing itself becoming in eternity……here comes the new reality! And as fledglings this is also a vulnerable time……
We can be swept away with realisiation of just how much of the shit that is flying around is of our own mis-guided creation – grief and soul loss are serious issues…..take a step back and take a few deep breaths, help is at hand.
Mars is joined by asteroid Euridike in mid Taurus and they are quintile Chiron in early Pisces, a positive and creative aspect. Euridice ('she whose justice spreads widely') reflects the soul loss back to us, the result (the myth tells us) of snake-bite in an unconscious moment of ecstacy, and her story with Orpheus carries the warning 'pay attention, do not doubt – hold fast to your intent, focus, carry the intent of the return through – and don't look back!' The latter is just what Euridice's lover Oprheus did and he lost her to the underworld as a result. Chiron's role will be to help us live 'in the wound' so that it can be healed and here the wound is reclaiming our ancestral souls – we have to go, like Orpheus, to the roots to do so. As a mentor once said 'the juice is in the tragedy'! We will come back to this story when we look at the Uranus Pluto square off in a future post….
……in a waxing sextile to Ceres we find Venus entering the last decan of Taurus conjunct asteroid Hephaistos, the master smithy whose ax split Zeus head so releasing Athena – the means to release and realise our higher mind and bring earth-wisdom to bear, to craft the medicine (Venus is also in a waning quintile to Chiron). Further on in Taurus, Mercury conjunct asteroid Hecate is squaring up to Neptune – that crone wisdom helps this eclipse become communicated through Mercury's interventions in the dreamtime. We are, they remind us, getting into serious business here and when Chiron goes retro Mercury will be square the shaman too. Hecate cannot be phased by the urgency of the moment, and it is as well that Chiron's healing gifts are given a stellar boost here that will lend us the very confidence we need in our 'left field' creativity as a healing tool – here are our means for dealing with the challenge of healing our collective wound from within. Life as Art. Chiron's grounded knowing of 'Death as our advisor' releases us from fear – how else can we wise up to our limitations, and understand that sublimation of ego to Life leads us towards embodiment of wisdom. Chiron conjunct fixed star Deneb Adige is atavistic, cunning, clever quick-wittedness and creativity in service to healing and bridging the worlds. Let us not forget that Chiron is the 'Rainbow Bridge' to the outer planets (3) – he makes of Mars the spiritual warrior, he emphasises Venus love of the sensual in appreciating our creations and working with nature as a gateway to the other worlds, and he meets Mercury with the creative facility to open the mind to greater knowing as we swim out to meet the stars on the oceanic tides of the Solar plane beyond this eclipse….
…..well, Eckhart has a point, we might well be tadpoles in a very big pond, and, we really are in for one hell of a ride either way – however, perhaps the whole point is that once we make those preparations, for grace and love to enter, even though transformation happens 'to us' it is in allowing and enabling this to really happen that we realise our true co-creative role and become the transformation, as it is happening, finally coming home to the cosmos.
The flow of time becomes the ever changing present, a time-out-of-time opened up within this by this first eclipse – and, as Neptunian waves of consciousness flood the field, we turn inwards to find that there are no boundaries…..in that place fear falls away, we are no longer crucified on the cross of time, no longer torn apart by dualism….and as Terence McKenna once famously said "the further in you go, the bigger it gets!" Best not forget our sense of humour then…..
The holographic universe opens through the everpresent Flower of Life in our hearts – each point within the matrix knowing each other point, all contained within the one, endlessly enfolding and expanding along the fractal scale of the space-time continuum – our chance is right here, a break between the breakers, a rip tide in time that will take us out on a journey into the heart of mystery beneath the Black Sun of the 5th World.
(1) Surfers of the Zuvuya: Tales of Interdimensional Travel. José Argüelles; Inner Traditions/Bear & Company. 1989
(2) The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment :Eckhart Tolle; Namaste Publishing, Vancouver: 1997
(3) Chiron : Rainbow Bridge between the Inner and Outer Planets ; Barbara Hand Clow; Llewellyn Publications, US; 1987