The Cosmic Story: Taurus/Scorpio Full Moon 2017

The Cosmic Story: Taurus/Scorpio Full Moon 2017

Samhain’s Blessings: Seeing with the Eyes of the Soul

Samhain blessings to you all. 

Samhain is the Celtic festival that celebrates the beginning of Winter on the Wheel of the Year. It marks the death of the old year and the beginning of the new. In Celtic lands, it was a time when all the harvests were in and livestock was slaughtered for the winter months. It is also a time when the veils between the worlds are thin and the spirits of the dead walk abroad and are honored. In most ancient cultures, people honored their ancestors as well as feared their uneasy ghosts. While we still celebrate Samhain on October 31^st – November 1^st, astrologically it occurs on the power gate at 15* Scorpio, which occurs on November 6–7 due to precession. 

We celebrate Halloween (All Hallows’ Eve) and dress up as those very ancestors and ghosts, taking on another persona for a night, but without knowing and honoring its real purpose. The Catholic Church celebrates All Saints’ Day on November 1^st and All Souls’ Day on November 2^nd in memory of these ancient celebrations. And of course, the Mexicans celebrate Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead, a day to remember and honor those family and friends who have died. 

Samhain BonFire

Perhaps more than ever, Americans need to celebrate these holidays because we need to face the fact of death with a different attitude. Our corporate culture hurries by Halloween and shifts right in Christmas – the renewal and birth of the Light. Don’t want us to dwell too long on death, do they? Our western society so often tries to get us to ignore that death is a part of life – just look at how patriarchal white men can’t deal with the death of their power and the sharing of it with women, other cultures and races. Masculine consciousness is afraid of death – because it thinks it means ‘the end’ rather than seeing it as a stage in the cycle of Life. It wants to hold onto its life, even if it causes death and destruction to everyone else. And that is exactly what patriarchy is doing – causing the death of our planet and of our people, rather than letting go of its power so a new way of living can be born.

This is what our American government and its economic overlords are doing right now. They are struggling to maintain their power, here and around the world. As we come to the end of America’s 1^st Pluto cycle in 2021-23, centered on our obsession with wealth and our need to dominate the world, we are experiencing the worst aspects of our culture as those very structures breakdown and decay. This is known as the Sunset Effect: as things start to fundamentally change, there is a backlash and the old tries very hard to maintain itself. (In the Book of Revelations, this is symbolized by the old Dragon who wants to kill the New Life that the Woman Clothed with the Sun gives birth to. Or in Greek Myth, this is Chronos eating his children rather than letting one of them take over. ) But it is doomed to failure. Life will see to that. So while we’re struggling through these last few years against the corporate zombie Apocalypse, know that as you let the old patriarchal rules die within you, the cosmos is also working to make it so in the outer world.

 

Americans have been given a chance to awaken to a new reality – or return to the reality of the myth most of us were brought up with, of America as the land of the free and the home of the brave. With this summer’s total solar eclipse running through, and only through, North America, we have the cosmic go-ahead to embody the feelings and imaginings of the mermaid rising up out of the ocean to take on human form. She embodies all our longings and hopes that a free, peaceful, creative life is possible here on Earth.

With the 2012-15 square between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn winding down, it’s now up to each of us to engage in the hero’s journey and overcome the obstacles the old patriarchy is throwing in our way. And we will do it. Have no doubt. But not without going through the hard work of meeting those obstacles head-on. We are not entitled to more of Mother Earth’s resources than others. We have to grow up and learn to share the wealth. We have to realize that we are all in this together. We have to sacrifice our old life-style of conspicuous consumption and entitlement and work to create a more perfect union that asks each of us to be responsible citizens and engage in our communities to make sure we’re all pulling in the same direction – A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

Stop wasting water. Save electricity by shutting off lights and unused electronics. Walk or bike when you can. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Car-pool. Use renewable energy if your electric company allows for it. Stop eating meat altogether – or at least beef, which contributes a lot to greenhouse gases and takes up too much of our farming needs. Go to your town council meetings and know what’s happening in your town or city. Band with others to help create the changes that need to take place if we are to reverse the damages to our environment and heal Mother Earth. She will survive – our children won’t. That’s the best way to be compassionate – to think of others as we enjoy the benefits of our lifestyle. I saw a bumper sticker today. If you want peace in the world, work for justice. We are here this lifetime to bring a new balance into the world, so that the entire human family as well as Mother Earth can prosper.

Scorpio and Samhain

Having the Full Moon so close to Samhain boosts Scorpio’s purpose into high gear. Scorpio is the sign that demands that we learn to shed what’s old and no longer serves our life. Since Scorpio is a water sign, it means we have to shed those emotional wounds that we hug close to the chest – the hurts, betrayals, the jealousy, the fears and anger that derail us from being able to open to others. Just as in winter we gather together to help each other through the dark and cold, so Scorpio needs and wants to engage on a deep level with others about the important things in live. It’s all about shared values that we can grow with together.

So let’s look at how Samhain embodies the essence of Scorpio.

Samhain, the Day of the Dead, the great Goddess Hecate of the Crossroads and dark Hades, Lord of the Greek Underworld. 

Hecate the Crone

          These times and deities are symbolic gateways to the in-between places: 

• where veils are thin so many dimensions converge; 
• where we find ourselves at a crossroads, a marker of choice and decision; 
• where we step – or are pushed – into a new world and a new role; 
• where we have the perspective that only death gives us to understand our life’s true story. 

With Samhain falling on this Taurus/Scorpio Full Moon, we have a chance to bring through the veils a part of our soul that can help us on this next stage of our journey. Taurus’ energy builds a container for Scorpio’s emotional depths, enabling us to really look at what’s in there. Our hidden fears and prejudices, our hopes and desires, our hidden wounds as well as our proud victories. And our past lives, with our talents and desires still resonating within us. Scorpio feels it all – the betrayals, the hopes, the intensity, the passion. Our life up until now. Our many lives up until this moment, perhaps? 

Taurus/Scorpio Cauldron

 

What do you have to say about this lifetime? Happy or discontent? Write it out because it’s time now to enter into that ‘in-between place’ where you are dead to your old life but not yet born to your new. You are in the gray zone of understanding, awakening and choice. What will I do in this transformational time to help myself and humanity move peacefully and gracefully into the future? 

 

We are being called to step forward and offer our healing energy, our open minds and our loving hearts to our communities and see where we’re needed. Mother Earth wants us to work with her, to listen to her, to cooperate with her. Our dream group was talking about how we have to stop thinking we have to be ‘perfect’ to use our talents and just DO IT. We will grow in skill and wisdom by doing the work, not waiting to take one more class.

Taurus/Scorpio Full Moon

This Taurus Full Moon occurs on November 3^rd at 10:22pm PDT and on November 4^th at 1:22am EDT/ 5:22am GMT. 

This Full Moon is a super Moon, meaning that the Moon in its orbit is closest to the Earth, so it will appear bigger on the horizon as well as having a stronger effect on the tides and on us.

 

Scorpio is the sign where we emotionally engage with other people. You know how that goes. Some people you naturally resonated with – as if you’re family and you can be yourself and ‘let it all hang out’. With other friends, you have to work a little bit harder to feel comfortable, and often you can’t share all of yourself with them. Then there are business associates, neighbors, service people and strangers who you wear your persona for and therefore try not to engage emotionally with them. Then there are the ones you know you’re not aligned with, because they are discordant in themselves or with your own energy and values. They annoy you. 

Scorpio deals with all these kinds of emotional entanglements. The more you are both centered in yourself and open to the other person, the more real your encounter can be. If you can get by the unconscious Scorpio part of yourself that constantly needs to defend itself and fly like the Eagle of Scorpio, being emotionally open is like a dance. And that’s the promise of the Phoenix of Scorpio: arising from the ashes of fear, insecurity, entitlement, domination, jealousy, greed and cruelty, Scorpio is certain of his values and emotionally secure enough to dance with your values and emotions. That’s what intimacy is: the dance of our emotional lives, a dance that take courage and strength, love and responsibility, openness and hope. 

Easier said than done. Especially if we’re still awash with our own emotional dramas. But, Scorpio goes deep, wants to explore the mysteries and grapple with the Shadow. If we have a handle on our Shadows – Jupiter is presently in Scorpio for the next year and will certainly expand on any shadowy areas of our emotional lives – we won’t fall into a shadow dance with others, even if they are lost in it. It’s amazing what a conscious standpoint can do for emotional flexibility. 

Spring Maiden

Taurus is the sign that ushers in the Summer on the Wheel of the Year. We celebrate Beltaine across the Wheel from Samhain. So Taurus enlivens all the traits of late Spring/early Summer: fertility, beauty, sensuality, values and inherent talents. May is when the trees and shrubs blossom, when the sunlight grows stronger, when we feel the wild desires of life rise up within us just as the fire of life is rising up through the Earth. Taurus gives form to that fire of Life and those necessities that make for a good life: food, shelter, sex, security, peace and prosperity. Yes, Taurus can be indulgent and sensuous, reveling in the goodness of material life. And that makes it a perfect match for Scorpio’s need to let go of what’s dead, because we have to clean out if we want to savor the good things in life.

So what happens when we’re in the time of death and the Full Moon of Taurus shines down on us? We embrace those primal values of life and hope! As we go into the Dark, we take with us the memory of Life – of the body and of the Earth. That is what we retain when we let the rest go.

Jupiter in Scorpio is intimately connected to this Full Moon, adding his expansive energies to the process of release and accelerating transformation. Jupiter will be in Scorpio for a year, stirring up the depths, expanding our awareness of how our emotional life separates us from or unites us with others.

This Taurus Full Moon is blessed by a sextile (60*) to Neptune in Pisces, which also trines (120*) the Scorpio Sun, adding imagination, opportunities, luck and spiritual insights to the mix. With Scorpio’s deep, penetrating vision, we can let go of the superfluous and give the Goddess her due, while holding on to the eternal. Pluto adds his power to this Full Moon as well, trining the Taurus Moon from Capricorn and sextiling the Sun. These aspects to the Full Moon offer us opportunities to both incorporate new knowledge from our experiences as well as reshaping ourselves and our world through using our intuition and self-expression.

Finally, Ceres, the ancient Mother Goddess, squares (90*) this Full Moon from Leo, forcing us to look at where we ignore our creative voice and abandon ourselves in the face of opposition, rather than descending into the underworld and allowing ourselves to ‘not know’ for awhile. Ceres, like her Greek counterpart Demeter, understands the rage, despair and anger that comes from losing what is most precious to us. Let her help us honor those places in us that mourn for what never was or what can no longer be, and then move on to the wisdom that comes from letting go of those feelings so we can get on with Life.

 

Aphrodite/Venus' Bath

Venus, the ruler of our Taurus Full Moon, is also in the spotlight. Venus in Libra opposes Uranus in Aries around the same degree as the Libra New Moon a few weeks ago. Be open to new and different relationships but even more important, wake up to your own beauty, self-worth and power. Now is not the time to hide your light under a bushel.

One last energetic movement in this Samhain dance. Saturn in Sagittarius near the galactic center exactly squares Chiron in Pisces on November 2^nd, helping us face the pain and suffering our collective consciousness of consumerism has inflicted on the world. What will you do about it?

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 12* Taurus is: A woman looking out of a latticed window. The woman is hidden from view but has a view of what’s going on. This seems to be a symbol of both inner and outer vision, perhaps even clairvoyance. Really look at and understand what’s going on in your world and in yourself.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 12* Scorpio is: A latecomer to an embassy ball surveys the scene before making an entrance. Another image of watching, looking, seeing and understanding, this time in a specific, important setting. This Full Moon activates the virtues of prudence (seeing ahead, sagacity), temperance (self-control), and honesty.

The Sabian symbol for Ceres at 13*Leo is: Rugged old sea captain watches a boat approach, its golden hull gleaming in the afternoon sun. This is another symbol that speaks to watching, looking, seeing. This time, the eyes are those of long experience and understanding. The past is valued (golden hull) for the lessons learned, thereby giving us the strength, courage and wisdom to meet the moment.

The Sabian symbol for Neptune at 12* Pisces is: A squirrel hiding from hunters in a hollow tree. This symbolizes our need to retreat in the face of outer threats but once again, having an eye opened to what is coming. 

 

All of these symbols tell us to keep our eyes open – both our outer eyes and our inner, 3^rd eye. 

Eyes symbolize the window of the soul, as well as clairvoyance, intelligence, light, vigilance, moral conscience and truth.

The Sabian symbol for Pluto at 18* Capricorn is: Heavily armed destroyer bearing down on an enemy ship. This energy is a force to be reckoned with. Watch what is happening in the news. Pluto’s recking ball is once again on the move.

The Sabian symbol for Venus at 26* Libra is: An Eagle and a large white Dove change into each other. This image speaks to the interchange between Will and Love, between spiritual vision and heart wisdom. 

 

The Sabian symbol for Uranus at 26* Aries is: Standing in the center of the fiery fountain of Life, a man is overwhelmed by hundreds of new inspirations. This is the overwhelming passion for life, the creative genius of potentiality that calls us all now.

 

The Sabian symbol for Saturn at 25* Sagittarius is: Little boy flying through the air on a brightly colored rocking horse. We have a need for play and imagination. With it we can feel the whole world. In this case, imagine the world’s suffering.

The Sabian symbol for Chiron at 25* Pisces is: After drastic reforms, a purified clergy officiates anew. Seeing the state of our world – we are fast approaching the tipping point of climate change – we need to rededicate ourselves to our spiritual purpose and ideals and stand up to the corruption in our society that fosters this disregard for Life.

So there you have it. Lots of imagery to work with as we experience the energies of this strong Full Moon. 

 

Have a blessed Samhain.

Cathy

Sabian symbols from The Revised Sabian Symbols by Steven D. Eardley.

 

Ask Me
Some time when the river is ice ask me
mistakes I have made. Ask me whether
what I have done is my life. Others
have come in their slow way into
my thought, and some have tried to help
or to hurt: ask me what difference
their strongest love or hate has made.

I will listen to what you say.
You and I can turn and look
at the silent river and wait. We know
the current is there, hidden; and there
are comings and goings from miles away
that hold the stillness exactly before us.
What the river says, that is what I say.

~ William Stafford ~

(The New Yorker, 1975)

The Cosmic Story: Libra New Moon 2017

The Cosmic Story: The Libra New Moon

Imagining a Balanced World

Susan Seddon Boulet

The chaos and disruption of ‘regular’ life in America has never been so great in my lifetime. Even the 60s didn’t feel this tumultuous, but then again, I was in my teens and I can’t vouch for how my parents experienced it. What I felt was excitement from the music, the culture, the protests. It was our first wakeup call to an exciting new vision of unity and love (the very promise of Christianity), Now as an elder, I see what makes this chaos different – it’s the despair in people’s heart and minds about surviving and thriving. But that earlier vision of living an awakened life has also taken root in places all over the world and now it’s time to strengthen that vision deep within our collective psyche. Our whole culture – our whole world – has to unite and heal Mother Earth. Until we do unite, our leaders will continue to play at war and power and greed. 

 

We unite by stepping forward.

The hippies grew up in a time of peace and prosperity after WWII and stepped into an adventure as they went out into the world and found their new tribes. This was the birth phase of the Uranus-Pluto cycle that began in 1965-66. We’ve just undergone 3 years (2012-2015) and 7 squares between these planets of awakening and transformation and our journey is different. Our task is to make those ideals that our country was founded on a reality. The only way to do it is through an awakened citizenry. Perhaps if Americans actually work together on our problems, coming from opposite sides but willing to negotiate, the US would make more progress with its diplomacy. How can we tell other countries how to behave if we do not live up to our own ideals?

 

We can’t until we ARE a true example of democracy and peace. And that’s where an engaged and enlightened citizenry comes in. Each of us has to engage in our world. Wherever we see a need, if we’re balanced we can step in and help re-assert the proper balance. 

 

“As Above, So Below. As Within, So Without.” Come into balance yourself and that vibration will extend out into your family, work and community.

Libra New Moon 2017

This Libra New Moon occurs on October 19, 2017 at 12:11pm PDT/ 3:11pm EDT/ 7:11pm GMT.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun and Moon at 27* Libra is: An airplane sails, high in the clear sky. Dane Rudhyar¹ states that this symbolizes “a consciousness able to transcend the conflicts and pressures of the personal life.” This symbol evokes our ability to take an objective view of ourselves and the world, looking at our lives from a higher perspective, creating unity within the polarity. This is the alchemical ‘union of opposites’ which gives rise to the Self.  

 

The original union of opposites was and still is the union of feminine and masculine energies. We need and deserve equality between the sexes, but we also have to learn to give equal value to both types of consciousness – our feminine imaginal brain and our masculine rational brain. They each have a different function, and when they work together, they create brilliance! This is what has put our culture out of balance – the fact that our feminine wisdom is disregarded, used and abused. But this New Moon in Libra can change all of that. 

 

While the Libra New Moon makes contact with Saturn, the Nodes and Chiron, (as well as Jupiter and Mercury in early Scorpio), the most important connection it makes is to Uranus and Eris, exactly opposing it from Aries. Aries and Libra are concerned with Self/Aries and Other/Libra, one of our primary oppositions. Jung felt that our whole world is built on the energy of opposites. But remember, opposing doesn’t necessarily mean fighting and refusing the connection. Opposing means to complement each other, to share our talents in a synergistic way, just as women and men, night and day, heaven and Earth compliment each other and make life more interesting, fruitful and fulfilling. It is good to remember that these planetary energies will work best when working together.  

Uranus and Eris have been working together for a while now. Eris symbolizes the Goddess of Discord and we’re certainly experiencing that. But discord means against (dis) the heart (cour). We are in the midst of discord because we are going against our own hearts. Uranus in Aries has been waking us up to our destiny, which is Aries’ special task. Who am I? Once I know who I am, I’ll also know what I’m here on Earth to do. Together, their energies will shake up our world, entwined to keep us centered in our hearts as we awaken.

Uranus symbolizes the higher mind, one that is shaped by the archetypal powers of life, the cosmic laws of life and death and rebirth. Uranus breaks us out of patriarchal thinking, out of our collection sleepwalk through our corporate culture. Uranus can inspire us to brilliance or when we ignore him, shake us out of complacency by big surprises. What Uranus contributes to this Libra New Moon is fresh ideas, the breakdown of habitual patterns of relationship and the courage to face the truth in our relationships.

 

So what energies do they bring to this New Moon birth? 

 

The Sabian symbol for Eris at 24* Aries is: Blown inward by the wind, the curtains of an open window take the shape of a cornucopia.

The Sabian symbol for Uranus at 27* Aries is: Through imagination, a lost opportunity is regained.

 

Both symbols speak to the magic ingredient of this powerful New Moon—the creative imagination. In the first symbol, our imagination ‘sees’ abundance in the shape of the wind’s dance with a curtain. How do we value abundance? In the second symbol, the creative imagination has become a tool for self-growth and spiritual enlightenment. What possibility are you called to?

I’ve worked with the imagination for over 30 years and know its power to create positive change in life. Yes, it can be used as the patriarchy uses it for personal profit. But its true purpose is to help us understand and live life fully, as both spirit and matter. It is our connection to Wisdom, the wisdom of the Heart. This is the purpose of Jungian active imagination, creative visualizations and shamanic journeying – accessing our own wisdom. 

 

We have to learn how to consciously connect to the creative imagination to ask for wisdom and guidance, until we re-member our instincts and know their purpose. Patriarchal religions shame our bodies and our instincts, devalues the body and its needs as sinful, and demand that we reach for some heavenly perfection. Since we never will, it keeps us constant sinners. It turned our imaginations to negative thinking: to worry rather than creativity, to fear rather than hope, to confusion rather than vision. Uranus will shock us to wake us up if need be. It’s up to you how you meet him.

Imagination is how we connect to the quantum field. 

 

This is what three lovers of Wisdom say about the Imagination.

I do not know what bounds may be placed on the power of the imagination. It can heal the body, reveal the secrets of divine truth, transform the personality, incarnate God, and open up worlds of infinite diversity and potential. Jeffrey Raff, Jung and the Alchemical Imagination

The imagination is, therefore, not a source of deception and delusion, but a capacity to sense what you do not know, to intuit what you cannot understand, to be more than you can know. William Irwin Thompson, Gaia, A Way of Knowing

Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” 

 

With the return of the Goddess, women are remembering our direct connection to spirit through the body and through the imagination, for the Goddess’ purpose is to incarnate Spirit – to know the spirit in matter. And that’s women’s gift to the world. Our Wisdom and Vision. Just as we need and have developed masculine traits such as rationality, focus, discipline, will. 

 

Balance is THE keyword for the sign of Libra, whose symbol is a Scale. A scale measures and weighs things and is one important tool of exchange, for how can we truly know how to balance things out? Whether we speak of human partnerships or human/animal partnerships or human/Earth partnerships, what is the correct balance? 

 

One thing is sure. The Scales demand our whole weight—our truth—to balance out. In ancient Egypt, the Scales were sacred to Ma’at, the Goddess of Truth. After death, Egyptians believed that we are judged—by ourselves. The heart of the deceased is placed on the Scale of Ma’at and the balance is a feather. The only thing that will balance that feather is the Truth, the truth of who we are. 

 

America is a nation of laws, a system of checks and balances. We as a people have to own up to some discipline and find our own inner checks and balances. Yes, a person of a particular faith can believe that life begins at conception, but that is only his belief. Shouldn’t we, as a nation, create laws that allow for other people their beliefs? Isn’t that what freedom means? Pro-lifers don’t have to use contraception or get abortions – nobody is forcing them too. Why do they need to enforce their beliefs on others? That is imbalanced. 

 

Don’t we need laws that are wide enough to accommodate many beliefs without hurting the common good (which we don’t have now with our crazy gun laws), and let our free will choose which course to take? If pro-lifers think early abortions or even using contraception is murder, why do they send their sons and daughters off to war to kill and be killed? Killing is murder, however you want to spin it. If they lived their beliefs, they would be pro-peace and life. This is the self-discipline and awareness we have to bring to bare on our beliefs. Many people are hypocrites, living contradictions, because they don’t live the beliefs that they want others to follow.

 Now that Jupiter is in Scorpio, we’ll get to the bottom of that religious contradiction. With Jupiter and Mercury close to this New Moon in the sign of secrets, diving deep and psychological renewal, don’t be afraid to look at some hard and fast truths about yourself and others. What you do with these truths is up to you.

Uranus and Eris want this new balance to include individual freedom, both in our communities and in our partnerships. We don’t own each other – we’re not possessions. We are free to follow our convictions – or we should be. But we’re still at the very bottom of the barrel of patriarchy, so we’re seeing the worst, and yet, once the wound is lanced, we have a chance to heal. While we have a President who has molested women, it wasn’t until last week’s Harvey Weinstein revelations (reported on the day that Jupiter went into Scorpio, the sign of sex, secrets and scandals), that women are taking a united public stand against these kinds of male predators. Women are and have been raped and pillaged right along with Mother Earth and have been second class citizens for thousands of years. It is time to balance the scales. Especially if we’re going to deal with our environmental and social crisis. We need both types of knowledge and wisdom to heal our world. If we listened to the grandmothers and water protectors, if we listen to the women peacemakers, if we listened. If we listen…

To avoid unconscious hypocrisy, we need to develop the self-discipline to use this New Moon’s objective perspective to live out our beliefs. That’s where Saturn in Sagittarius comes in, forming a waning sextile with this New Moon, opening up opportunities to exercise that discipline. Along with Black Moon Lilith, Saturn is moving over the Galactic Center. As the base note of our chakra system, this signals a time when we complete the shift to a higher vibration. Aligned with the Leo North Node and Uranus and Eris in Aries, Saturn can focus the fire energies generated by this grand trine into cosmic creativity. 

 

In personal relationships, be true to yourself! State your desires so that you and your partner can have different opinions and yet create win-win situations. That’s what makes partnerships vibrant and exciting. The Scale is always in movement, striving to create that one perfect moment of balance. So ride the wind with wings outspread: balance yourself and you can create that balance with anyone else.

Libra being an air sign, it’s associated with thinking, socializing, communicating, as well as justice, beauty and the arts. Venus, the ruler of Libra, is in Libra, drawing our thoughts down into our heart chakras to see if we are being true to ourselves and open to the other person. Venus wants to bring harmony and balance, beauty and fairness to relationships. Meanwhile, she’s dancing with Ceres in Leo, Pallas in Taurus, and Juno/Pluto in Capricorn, making it a fruitful time to begin creating and embodying the changes that you want to bring to the culture. We need you!

So open up to your feminine wisdom and ask how to do it! You’ll be surprised at what you learn. The truth will set you free.

Walk in the Light and Dark,

Cathy

1. Dane Rudhyar, An Astrological Mandala, Vintage Books, 1973.

Burnt Norton (excerpt) -- T.S. Eliot

At the still point of the turning world.
Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards;
at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement.
And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered.
Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline.
Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance,
and there is only the dance.

~ T.S. Eliot ~

(excerpt from Burnt Norton, The Four Quartets)

The Cosmic Story: Aries/Libra Full Moon 2017

The Cosmic Story: Aries/Libra Full Moon 2017

The Sacred Marriage: Equality, Union, Balance

What if we really believed that Mother Earth is alive and responsive to our heart’s hope? What if we live in our bodies as the temple of our spirit? What happens when we reunite Spirit and Matter?

These are the questions that the Virgo New Moon brought to our attention. The Virgin unites spirit and matter, soul and body. If we live in that consciousness, can we discern what Mother Earth is trying to tell us?

What happens to our sorrows? Are they drawn up into the sky and transformed into Mother Earth’s tears, which can cleanse and nourish us? When we are out of balance, our emotions overwhelm us. Is our collective anguish so great that Mother Earth is responding with floods of rain, winds that tear up and topple our reality, quakes that shake us out of our complacency? Are the fires burning throughout the western US the anger that burns within our hearts at the chaos our leaders are creating? Is Mother Earth responding to our heart’s despair that the old order refuses to acknowledge the Spirit in the world?

It’s time to decide what we believe. And then live out that belief. Saturn is moving forward through the last 10* of Sagittarius, giving us a final chance to clarify our beliefs. If we truly believe that we are incarnated Spirit, we have to let our Spirit shine out of this temple we’ve been given. We have to let our body awaken to the fullness of Spirit, so we can enjoy our life and create that heaven on Earth we were sent here to create.

The issue, as Maurice Femandez correctly points out, is whether we’ll finally accept that living fully here on Earth is our spiritual initiation. Spirit is not ‘out there or up there’, as all our patriarchal religions would have us believe. For the past 2000 years, these patriarchal religions have punished the body and the Earth, believing that our ‘rewards in heaven’ were more important than living a fully creative and joyful life in the body. It’s time to remember that Spirit lives within us and is all around us. This is the basis of Goddess religions and pagan belief and as a ‘Pagan-o’, I know that being rooted in the cycles of Earth’s year can bring us into relationship with the Earth’s spirit.

Our ‘flat-earth’ belief that only the things we can see are ‘real’ must go. While fanatical Christians are quick to point out someone they hate as anti-christ, the reality is that our whole corporate culture is ‘the anti-Christ’ – the belief that we are not spiritual beings, that we only need money and physical security in life. That we become ‘consumers’ rather than Stewards of the Earth. Christ consciousness is suppose to be the goal of Christianity; we are here to acknowledge the Spirit of Mother Earth and to infuse our spirit into the life we live and share.

The Leo Solar Eclipse and the New Birth

The Leo solar eclipse speaks to this necessity (ANANKE was the primordial goddess (protogenos) of necessity, compulsion and inevitability or destiny). The Sabian symbol for the degree of the solar eclipse, 29* Leo, is: A mermaid emerges from the ocean waves ready for rebirth in human form. 

Edward Burne-Jones

 

A mermaid is a feminine spirit that understands the longings of the heart, living as she does in the ocean of the collective unconscious. Because she has a fish’s tail, she is a feeling consciousness that has no ‘legs to stand on’ in the outer world. This eclipse changes that. Now our inner mermaids are going to have legs to stand on and feet to walk on. She is going to ‘incarnate’ within each of us if we nurture her.

I’ve always felt like a mermaid (especially since most of my personal planets are in the 12^th house of the collective unconscious). And I tease my friends, telling them that “Next lifetime, I’m going to the mermaid planet.” Anais Nin shared my feelings. “I must be a mermaid...I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.”

This eclipse has awakened me to the need to fully incarnate. It’s time to stop longing for a better ‘home’ and just ‘be home’. While I’ve been swimming toward it all my life, now I can feel the shift in my body. I am home. ARE YOU?

We are the Stewards of the Earth, the Guardians of the Sacred Flame of Life. It is our job to keep our Light burning brightly, not by ignoring the Dark but by bringing a light to bear on what is unconscious within ourselves and then what is unconscious in the world.

Here’s some more information about the archetype of the Mermaid.

The Aries/Libra Full Moon 2017

This Aries/Libra Full Moon is the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full Moon that occurs closest to the Autumn Equinox. It’s called the Harvest Moon because at Fall Equinox the Moon rises more swiftly than at other times and for three days it looks almost full. With it rising so close to sunset, the Moon’s light gives farmers more time to harvest their crops—even in the night! For more information about the Harvest Moon, see the Farmer’sAlmanac.

The Aries Full Moon occurs on Thursday, October 5^th at 11:40am PDT/ 2:40pm EDT/ 6:40pm GMT.

This Full Moon is all about relationships, balance and the union of feminine (Being) and masculine (Doing) energies, not only because the signs of Aries and Libra symbolize Self and Other, but also because the ruling planets of Aries (Mars) and Libra (Venus) unite and begin a new cycle just hours before the Full Moon.

So let’s take a look at what’s going on in this important cosmic story.

After the Leo solar eclipse we were instructed by the Cosmos to bring together Spirit and Matter (Pisces/Virgo Full Moon) and then integrate them within our own bodies, souls and spirit (Virgo New Moon). Once we ‘belong to ourselves’ we can go out and relate to others (Aries/Libra Full Moon) and discover just how ‘fair and balanced’ we are.

The mass murder in Las Vegas Sunday night is an extreme example of how out of balance our society is. While we point fingers at the whole Muslim religion for the acts of just a few fanatical men, we refuse to call out as terrorists the fanatical Christians/white males who commit these horrific acts. Why are men creating terror at a time of crisis, when we are called to participate in conscious evolution by choosing to change our way of living for the good of the future and the healing of the Earth? Is it because patriarchy sees death as a final stop on the road of Life, so why not kill everyone? Instead of taking the more feminine view that life is a cycle, and while we might be in the death aspect of the cycle, we are also heading back to the rebirth part of the Wheel?

We refuse to implement responsible laws to keep automatic weapons out of private hands. In part because of our president’s bad example of giving military weaspons to police departments; in part because gun manufacturers have bought our politicians; in part because Americans seem to be so afraid they feel we need guns to protect ourselves. (I know some gun owners like the sport of it, like archery. That’s not the issue here.) Who are we so afriad of? Obviously, each other. Why? Why are Americans so cowardly that in the midst of what most of the world would deem ‘plenty’, we feel the constant need to protect and defend ourselves? Why isn’t America the land of the free and the home of the brave we keep tooting our horns about?

Pluto just turned to direct motion on September 28^th. He quickly got back to work showing America another aspect of our society we need to let die so we can evolved into a more brave and responsible nation. Why do we feel so insecure? Perhaps because we’ve been naughty? Have we engaged in domination, terror and repression? Are we the Shadow we project onto others? Is it because we’ve made money our god and will have ‘no other gods before money’? Just where is all this fear coming from? Is this why fanatical Christians think the End is coming? Because they’re afraid of change? Where is this fear living within our souls? Isn’t it time to heal ourselves of this collective wound so we can help others heal? How do we get over this existential fear of life?

We do it by living life fully!

Susan Seddon Boulet ~ Libra

Pluto plays a big role in this Full Moon, squaring both the Sun in Libra and the Moon in Aries while it’s still almost stationary. It exerts a big pull on this Full Moon, demanding that we look at our society and its wounds when we consider how we contribute either to the fear or the peace, the truth or the injustice, the collapse or the creativity of our society.

The Sabian Symbol for the Sun at 13* Libra is: Children blowing soap bubbles. This image speaks about engaging with others in playful imaginations using collective rituals, rituals such as Full Moon ceremonies, parties, sports events (players kneeling!), and drama (The Handmaiden’s Tale). I just watched 25 little children get mesmerized by a bubble machine – it was magical. Let your magic out and play with others.

The Sabian Symbol for the Moon at 13* Aries is: An unexploded bomb reveals an unsuccessful social protest. This is an image of an immature refusal to take the time to change the world peacefully to match your idealistic hopes for the future. This is adolescent frustration at its worst.

What a contrast of images! Children playing with bubbles vs. a desire to blow things up. This Aries Full Moon is challenging us to learn patience by using our imagination and allowing oneself to play with possibilities. Being horrified by what is going on in the world isn’t enough. We have to start imagining how we can change things. First change our own lives, then the world’s.

The Sabian Symbol for Pluto squaring this Full Moon at 17* Capricorn is: A repressed woman finds psychological release in Nudity. Pluto challenges this Moon and us to break free from the repressive rules and beliefs of patriarchy (work-worthiness, sex-sinful, relationships—unequal, otherness—enemy). We do this by listening to the wisdom of our bodies – to our own inner guidance rather than trying to meet with society’s approval. We need to relearn how to trust our natural instincts.

So how do we work with our fiery Aries passions—anger, assertion, desire, doing? Aries’ lesson is identifying what turns you on and gives you vitality (life-force). The Sabian symbol indicates that we have to see how our unconscious anger, assertion or desires need to be expressed differently. It’s time to grow up and take the time to imagine (the soap bubbles) different ways to give form and voice to those emotions instead of letting them control our decisions unconsciously through the Shadow.

The Shadow throws the bomb! Don’t project your Shadow – embrace your anger and discover what it’s trying to tell you. Own your desires – if you repress them you twist them out of shape. Be assertive when you need to, and when not, let others lead.

The Libra Sun shines her light on the questions of balance, equality and beauty. With Mercury and Vesta close by, truthful communication is a must to bring things into balance, especially in close relationships. We have to be willing to disagree as well as compromise to come into balance. What can we do about violence? How can we help our devastated neighbors? How can we create beauty in our relationships rather than ugliness, while staying true to ourselves?

Being conscious is hard work. It takes discipline and courage and honor. We need more of these values in our society, don’t you think?

Pluto’s square to this Full Moon gives us an energetic push towards transforming old complexes and habits. If we don’t take the opportunity and make the right choice for ourself, these energies escape our intent and control and can cause havoc as they mingle with our collective chaos.

The Venus/Mars Conjunction

Astrology is all about cycles. Two planets orbit the Sun, coming together and moving apart at regular intervals. The previous Venus/ Mars cycle started on February 21-22, 2015 at 1* Aries, whose Sabian symbol is: A woman just risen from the sea. A seal is embracing her. Can you see a pattern here? A new feeling (woman) is arising in the world. Along with the Leo solar eclipse symbol of the mermaid, Life is asking us to incarnate the feelings arising from the collective unconscious (ocean), from the matrix of life itself. Life itself needs us to consciously evolve so we can once again vibrate with Mother Earth and strengthen her life energies.

Venus is the archetypal energy of our heart’s hope, the love that connects us to our world. She connects us through our bodies, our senses and our heart’s values. Mars is the energy of our will and intention, our desire to get what we need and the actions we take to get it.

The Sabian Symbol for this Venus/Mars conjunction at 20* Virgo is: A caravan of cars headed to the West Coast. Dane Rudhyar states that this image speaks of the ‘need of cooperative effort in reaching any ‘New World’ of experience’. A caravan speaks of people banding together to share resources and companionship on the journey to a new life. We hold a unique vision for the future and so must journey in the knowledge that we ourselves must embody the vision. It’s time to leave the past behind and step into the great ‘unknown’ adventure. The call has gone out. Will you respond?

Venus and Mars in Virgo are the priestess and priest who embody the new energies and use them for healing and health (Virgo), for self-knowledge and wisdom, for integration and wholeness.Meet each person in your role as priestess or priest, so that each encounter is sacred and blessed.  This can change the whole dynamic of any relationship you engage in, deepening it and making it meaningful.

The Venus/Mars conjunction squares Saturn in Sagittarius. As a waning square, the energy produced calls on us to make conscious choices. The Sabian Symbol for Saturn at 23* Sagittarius is: A group of immigrants as they fulfill the requirements of entrance into the new country. Need I say more! Just remember, moving to a ‘new world’ or experience of life means that the old rules might not apply. We have to discover the new rules of our newly incarnated embodied soul. Consciously acknowledging Spirit in all of life daily and with gratitude in our hearts, no matter what comes. Take it slow, but do it. This waning square calls on us to exert more self-discipline and to aim for a purposeful direction.

Pluto trines the Venus/Mars conjunction, giving strength and power to our discipline as well as honing our instincts about what needs changing.

With Jupiter ending his year-long journey through Libra on October 10^th, it’s a good time to ask yourself if you’ve deepened your relationships, if you’ve balanced your masculine and feminine energies and if you stand for justice and equality. Jupiter takes us deeper into intimacy, death and rebirth as it swims in Scorpio for the next year.

Walk in the Light,

Cathy

Sonnets to Orpheus, Part One, XII

Bless the spirit that makes connections,
for truly we live in what we imagine.
Clocks move along side our real life
with steps that are ever the same.

Though we do not know our exact location,
we are held in place by what links us.
Across trackless distances
antennas sense each other.

Pure attention, the essence of the powers!
Distracted by each day's doing,
how can we hear the signals?

Even as the farmer labors
there where the seed turns into summer,
it is not his work. It is Earth who gives.

~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~

(In Praise of Mortality, translated and edited by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy)