Tuesday, February 21, 2017

The Cosmic Story: Pisces Solar Eclipse, February 26, 2017

The Cosmic Story: Pisces Solar Eclipse
Open to a New Dream

I know I said I’d be taking a break from the Cosmic Story but this week’s Pisces New Moon solar eclipse offers us an ending and new beginning that I didn’t want you to miss out on. 
 
Eclipse Cycles: Our Ever-Evolving Lessons


We are coming to the last eclipse in the Virgo-north/Pisces-south lunar node axis this weekend. The nodes of the Moon are nexus points (a bond, link, means of communication) in space where the planes of the Sun, Moon and Earth align with each other in planetary communication. They unite in the sacred marriage in the heavens, re-aligning with the energetic purpose of the zodiac sign it occurs in.
For the last year and a half while the nodes were in Virgo/Pisces, we’ve been learning the lessons of self-mastery, practical mysticism, and wholeness - uniting body, soul and spirit. To understand the lessons, let’s begin at the Source, the places we’ve come from, our personal soul lessons as part of the collective soup. The south node in Pisces brings up any personal and collective monsters lurking at the bottom of the vast ocean of the Collective Unconscious. Positive or negative, what has been rejected from collective consciousness swims below the surface of our personal consciousness. Poverty, misogyny, inequality, true sensuality, connect with our Earth, powerlessness. Since the 7 Pluto/Uranus squares in 2012-2015, what was below the radar for most people is front and center in the news now. What’s been rejected is floating up for all to see. What will we do about it? Go back to sleep or change things? That’s the challenge of those 7 squares. First we change ourselves, then we help others change.
How have our past lives and upbringing influenced how we see the story of NOW? Since Pisces symbolizes our collective astral history and wisdom, we’ve had to look at ourselves and ask: what have we suffered or how have we caused suffering; how have we martyred ourselves or demonized others; how have we lost ourselves in addictions or caused those addictions; how have we ignored our world at the expense of the Future; how have we honored the imagination or misused its powers; how have we been controlled by religion rather than freed by spirituality? How have we shown compassion or cruelty to others? These and other Pisces questions are being asked of us now, in this most dangerous, beautiful time we’re living in.
The Virgo north node urges us to analyze and integrate all the many aspects of our Piscean soul’s story, letting go of what no longer serves our present life so we can create a new future story. We hopefully created a strong connection between our ego and the Self, to our wholeness and integrity, because it will be needed in the coming years. How have we matured in the past year and a half? Have we faced our shadows, embraced our inner wisdom and found our center? Do we know ourselves and what we’re willing to stand up for? Can we get over the Piscean fear of martyrdom and punishment, and bring the compassionate Piscean beliefs, visions and treasures into our practical day-to-day lives? Can we unite body, soul and spirit to live our purpose masterfully?
Friends and I were talking about the different ways people are dealing with the chaos in the world. Beyond the fear, pain and confusion, people are finding the best way to take a stand for their beliefs. We can’t do everything, be everything, but thank goodness, WE ARE ALL ONE—that’s the Pisces message. So we share the burden.  Everyone gets to express their own part in the future, contributing their talents to help rebuild our society, each in our own unique way. (That’s Uranus in Aries.) Some will meditate, others protest. Some will put their bodies on the line, others will put pen to paper (better than emails). Some will run for office, others will volunteer for their favorite causes. Many people are standing up for truth, justice and a new viable future. It’s time to re-create the American story and deepen our commitment to our values, whatever we agree upon in equal partnership. Freedom, equality and democracy are on the table. Will we embrace the myth and engage in a new revolution?
The energies of the next year and a half will help us do it. We are heading into a new eclipse cycle for the next year and a half (May 2017—November 2018), which began a little early with February 10th’s Aquarius/Leo lunar eclipse. Eclipses energize personal as well as collective events, as we’ve seen in the past weeks all over the world. Lunar eclipses reveal what’s been hidden and often bring matters to an end. Their effect lasts until the next lunar eclipse in 6 months (August 7). So keep track of endings in your life and watch collective events unfold. We are seeing the end of patriarchy play out. It will take time, but IT WILL END.
So, what are the lessons of the Leo/Aquarius nodal axis? The south node in Aquarius indicates that rebel within us, the free thinker, the outsider who often holds the key to something the collective needs but who’s been ignored because the concept doesn’t fit into the collective paradigm. (Sorry Tesla, free electricity isn’t acceptable to a capitalist state.) Aquarius south node is the eccentric, mad scientist, revolutionary. Negative manifestations would range from shutting down science (!), shutting down the free flow of information (!) and attempting to stir up mob mentality, so people turn to a dark, violent rebellion such as we see in the Middle East. Aquarius is known as a cold air sign – archetypal ideals that shine like the cold starry winter sky; ideals not driven by emotion but by logic. The ideal is the thing, not life. We have lots of that going on already, don’t we? Cold and hard. No heart.
So we have to find a harmonious way to live out those ideals, rebellions and out-of-the-box ideas. The Leo north node brings heart to the table along with artistic flair, and if you choose your images and words well, people might actually listen to you. This is our new mission. The Arts are a great way to express this Leo lesson, because you are imagining and then creating what you ‘see’. Your art can be a private experience or for sharing. Just let yourself and others know who you are and what you stand for. We are the yeast in the Bread of Life. And remember: a picture is worth a 1000 words and a story can go straight to the heart. Find creative communication styles if words aren’t working.
Those of us who have lived ‘outside’ collective mainstream thinking now have to bring our free thinking, imagination and knowledge into the collective. That might mean changing your language and shaping your vision and words so that people can understand and embrace them. Like parents and storytellers, we must speak to hearts and not heads, bypassing stuck beliefs with creative promise. Feel your self-worth and be confident (north node Leo traits) about what you can accomplish. It will help you express your ideas and visions, bringing new insights to people and communities that need it. 
 
Pisces New Moon Solar Eclipse, February 25, 2017 

Solar Eclipse

But before that energy arrives in May, we have one more eclipse on the Virgo/Pisces axis and it’s Sunday’s Pisces New Moon solar eclipse. Pisces is the 12th sign of the zodiac, the sign of completion, when the individual ego lets go and dissolves back into the Source of Life. No Easy Task! What would happen if we let go of our old story, our history, our ego-attachments – our fears, concerns and judgments – and let Mother Earth, Lady Wisdom, the World Soul speak to us of our purpose, our destiny, our soul contract?
And this solar eclipse is a perfect time to do it. This is the astrological time to ask Great Spirit what It needs from us. We can hear it when our ego dissolves into oneness with the World Soul.
The Pisces New Moon solar eclipse occurs on Sunday February 26, 2017 at 6:58am PST/ 9:58am EST/ 2:58pm GMT. 

Pisces Solar Eclipse 2017
 
The Sabian symbol for the Sun and Moon at 9* Pisces is: The race begins: a Jockey spurs his Horse to great speed. The heavens are telling us to get out there and run in the race. Whose ideas and values will shape this new social identity we’re all creating? If we want to bring in a more balanced and equal cultural story, we have to get out there and explain it, share it and root it in. Choose your horse and start riding.
This New Moon in Pisces is conjunct both Neptune and the south node, the magic mirror of the Collective Unconscious which offers up any remaining issues that need to be faced. Pisces is the sign of endings. Let things END. New Moon eclipses are new births. Let yourself be reborn!
The Sabian symbol for Neptune at 12* Pisces is: Candidates are being examined by the lodge of Initiates. This symbol indicates that Neptune is ready to transmit wisdom, understanding and vision to us. Once again, another reminder to meditate.
The Sabian symbol for the South Node at 4* Pisces is also relevant: A traffic jam on a narrow isthmus between two resorts. Energy is stuck. Old beliefs cause problems. There’s a need for better communications between the two transit stations (resorts). It’s not the final destination (home) but this in-between place is frustrating. Deal with your issues and get on with it. The horses are running.
Spend time meditating and let your barriers dissolve (Neptune); let the ‘monsters’ come. These are the issues your soul chose to be tested on. Mercury has also just arrived in Pisces and is very close to the south node, helping us receive these images, ideas and intuitions that have been trying to get our attention. Let yourself see what visions come to you. Do they speak to long-standing issues? Are you shown how your actions created those issues? Have you learn the lesson? Let Neptune dissolve the trauma of those past events as you integrate their meaning. SEE it dissolve. You no longer have to carry that cross, a very Piscean method of dealing with life.
You are free. Now create your new story!
Our relationship to the Earth and each other is all recorded in the World Soul or Anima Mundi. Plato described the Anima Mundi as ‘this world is indeed a living being endowed with a soul and intelligence ... a single visible living entity containing all other living entities, which by their nature are all related’. (Timaeus) We are part of the larger story of Earth. Ask for your part to play.
As we go within to explore the Unconscious, Neptune who ‘rules’ Pisces, gifts us with the ability to direct the Piscean tides. Ask your question, turn your attention to the answer and see what shows up. Neptune will both gift us and endanger us, so use the Virgo north node energy to discern between illusion and truth in the visions Neptune bestows. The south node can bring up ancient visions of wholeness, beauty and truth as well as any unrecognized monsters that need healing and reconciliation. If we feel Pisces’ compassion for ourselves and those monsters, and then engage our Piscean imagination to forgive, release and heal, we will have integrated the self-mastery of this sacred Pisces/Virgo axis. 
 
Other Astrological Energies Supporting the Eclipse 

Father Neptune

There is quite a lineup of planets in Pisces – besides the Sun and Moon, Mercury, Neptune, Chiron and the asteroid Pallas, as well as the south node of the Moon. The Sun channels the light of consciousness, the Moon the light of the Unconscious. Neptune dissolves the boundaries between worlds and Mercury the Mind travels them. The south node is a magic mirror that looks into the past. Chiron is the Mentor who helps us transform our gifts through healing, dreaming and art into our destiny, while Pallas is the archetype of feminine strategy and practical wisdom. The eclipse will renew all these energies, so drop what no longer serves your life and allow these reborn energies to re-shape how you embrace the next part of your life.
The waning but still potent Uranus in Aries square to Pluto in Capricorn is transformed into a tense T-Square all year as Jupiter in Libra opposes Uranus in Aries and squares Pluto in Capricorn. The challenge to leave old patriarchal rules behind and step forward into the future is given extra power from expansive Jupiter in Libra. Now it’s just not about change, but about just and fair changes that align with our higher values. If we’re going to transform our culture, we have to live it ourselves and be examples of that fairness and justice and equality. Courtesy goes a long way. Ask any Libran.
What changes things with this configuration is that now Mars (the planet of desire, engagement and action) and Eris (the planet of discord/going against the heart) are exactly aligned with Uranus at 22*-23* Aries. Any time Mars and Uranus hook up, things can get crazy. Having Jupiter’s expansive energy opposite them just adds to this intense awakening. The best way to be available for the positive benefits of this dynamic aspect is to stay home and meditate after the eclipse. Allow the energy to unfold on the Inner Planes and see what happens. Record it all in your journal. Create Art about it. Also be aware of sudden changes, accidents, attacks and other extreme Mars events around you. With Eris involved, our job is to find her positive side – the one who listens to the heart. Otherwise, discord is a good possibility.
The Sabian symbol for both Mars and Uranus at 22 * Aries is: A Huge Gate opens, revealing the Garden of All Fulfilled Desires. Wow! This image took my breath away. That’s exactly what Uranus/Mars feels like. This is a call for us to AWAKEN/Uranus to what we really DESIRE/Mars. This is the doorway of possibilities, of abundance and cosmic blessings. What a beautiful reminder to stay optimistic—believing in the greatest good. When we do, we create things that are blessings. Let us shower our blessings on the world in these dangerous beautiful times.
The Sabian symbol for Eris at 23* Aries is: A Woman in a Summer Dress is carrying a precious veiled burden. What is this precious burden except our hearts’ desire? If we go ‘against’ our heart, we will have discord. If we take care of our precious gifts with the same heart, love and fun this Woman in a summer dress has to offer, we will prosper. This is a perfect image for the creative self-expression coming our way during the upcoming Leo/Aquarius eclipse seasons. Leo is all about the fun and creativity, especially in the summer when Leo’s fire is at its hottest.
Embrace this Pisces solar eclipse energy by meditating, dreaming, creating art, imagining. The vision you received at Imbolc is now taking on more detail. See it, feel it, breathe it. This vision for your year is about to be born into the world. See it with great clarity.

Venus, the Evening Star of Wisdom

Complete Venus Cycle
Have you seen Venus in the evening sky? She is at her brightest and most beautiful now just before she disappears into the Sun before becoming the Morning Star in April. She is at her closest to Earth during this phase of her cycle. Venus is about to turn retrograde on March 4th, moving from 14* Aries back to 27* Pisces on April 15th. She is going back to retrieve something she left behind. Let’s look at her symbolic journey as she completes this Venus cycle which began in August 15, 2015.
Adam Gainsburg’s description of the Venus cycle in his book The Light of Venus is brilliant. This Venus cycle began when Venus was at 23* Leo. The Sabian symbol is: A bareback rider jumps into the ring, amidst roaring applause. This is a dramatic image, an image of balance and grace, mastery and showmanship. The showmanship energizes the crowd. Besides echoing the horse race of the Pisces Solar Eclipse degree, this was the degree of the Leo/Aquarius lunar eclipse a few weeks ago. The weave are getting tighter. Synchronicity abounds. Let the images guide you.
So now this cycle comes to an end as Venus begins her retrograde. Gainsburg calls this retrograde phase, the completion phase: describing the Feminine Elder, Ripened Wisdom, Maturity. He says, “The Queen of Heaven and Earth prepares her legacy by internalizing her wisdom and dispersing it into the world.” (The Light of Venus, Soul Sign Publishing, 2012, pp. 159-166). This is the time to let your feminine light shine out, sharing your wisdom by living it. This is the time to let your inner voice direct your actions and engage with the Creative Imagination. There’s a lot to digest from this cycle. How have you grown since August 2015? Are you confident like that bareback rider? Are you ready to give and receive love again? With Jupiter in Libra, which Venus ‘rules’ we’ll have opportunities to share this wisdom and our love.
The Sabian symbol for Venus turning retrograde at 14* Aries is: A Serpent encircles a Man and Woman in close embrace. Another Wow! moment for me. This is an alchemical symbol of the Sacred Marriage. The snake is a potent symbol of the kundalini energies of life. Kundalini energy helps us evolve our consciousness, as it rises through the spine and activates the Chakras. This image for Venus retrograde speaks of the need for a renewed connection between inner and outer, masculine and feminine, men and women. This is what Venus seeks as she heads back to Pisces.
The Sabian symbol for Venus turning direct at 27* Pisces is: The Harvest Moon rises in translucent autumnal skies. At harvest time, we give thanks for the abundance of life. We trust that Life itself will bless us with what our souls need. That’s what Venus needed to reclaim. Her trust in life and in love. I pray we get our harvest.
The Heavens tell us that Venus will find her partner, her mate. Watch how she manifests in your life—find where 27* Pisces to 14* Aries is in your chart. That’s where this renewed heart energy (Venus) will find you.
As you can see, the planetary energies are reflecting what’s going on here on Earth. Use the knowledge to help you navigate these dangerous, beautiful times.
Until next time,
Walk in the Light,
Cathy

(Steve Eardley, The Revised Sabian Symbols)
Imagine

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today... Aha-ah...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace... You...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world... You...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

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