The Cosmic Story: Sagittarius New Moon 2017

The Cosmic Story: Sagittarius New Moon 2017

Winter Solstice: Saturn into Capricorn

Time to Birth a New World

Milky Way Galaxy

This very powerful Sagittarius New Moon occurs days before Saturn’s ingress into Capricorn and the Winter Solstice. The New Moon conjuncts the Galactic Center – the black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy – close to where Mercury turned retrograde on December 2-3rd, to go back to retrieve any last messages from the Sagittarian Sun on December 12^th (the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe) and to be integrated once Mercury stops to move forward on December 22. Saturn leaves Sagittarius after 2 ½ year and moves into his own sign of Capricorn on December 19, beginning our journey toward the big conjunction between Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in 2020. And of course, Winter Solstice arrives in the northern hemisphere on December 21^st when the Sun ‘stands still’ for 3 days before starting to move back North. For those of you in the southern hemisphere, Happy Summer Solstice!

Saturn into Capricorn

 

Where to begin? Let’s start with Saturn, since his energy signature is all over these three events. Saturn has gotten a bad rap from ancient astrologers who saw him as a hard taskmaster and even as a malevolent force in life. Saturn represented limits, fear, depression and melancholy. But those are the dysfunctional expressions of Saturn. So don’t go into fear when thinking of him, since that’s the most negative manifestation of Saturn. In reality, Saturn is the energy of our material reality, the reality that there are limits in life, that we have to take responsibility for our life and that often takes discipline and perseverance. He is the trickster of delays and denials. He is teacher, tester, mentor of life. Saturn is our teacher of self-discipline and self-respect.

Saturn was originally the ruler of the Golden Age, a time of peace and prosperity. He rules time – so in Capricorn, slow down – and initiates us into our fate. He often evokes fear and anxiety and tests you with them. He represents authority. so we have to ask, ‘Who is the author of my life?’ When this planet passes through a sign, we know we will be tested on our maturity and our willingness to accept the limitations of life and do something with them. In alchemy, Saturn is the lead that the alchemical process turns into gold. Our work is to turn our unconscious acceptance of our collective reality into a conscious spiritual self-awareness and responsibility. 

 

Saturn has been in the sign of Sagittarius since late December 2014, forcing us to look at our beliefs – both religious beliefs and our personal beliefs about life and what is possible. We’ve been struggling with ideological divisions – my truth, not yours. We’ve seen the death of moral authority in government and religion. During those 2 ½ years, we’ve had to deal with the question, ‘What is true and what is false?’ Fake news has been a sticking point since the Neptune in Pisces square to Saturn in Sagittarius in 2016, asking us to discern between what is real and what is illusion. I find it heartening that Judge Roy Moore was just defeated in the Senate race in Alabama, perhaps Saturn’s last gift to the U.S. before he heads into his own sign of Capricorn. 

  

As the 3^rd fire sign, Sagittarius asks us to be the flame and the fire, to invoke the power of light in our lives and in the world. 

 

So the question is: Have we finish our Sagittarian work of knowing in our bones what we believe? Sagittarius is the sign of cosmic law – the laws of the universe which our patriarchal society has tried to ignore or overrule to our detriment and the Earth’s degradation. Our culture is out of balance with those laws and so we are at a turning point. We have to become our own moral authority. As Saturn leaves Sagittarius, are we ready to act? 

 

The whole Earth is suffering from our unconscious and compulsive conspicuous consumption, which has become the whole focus of life under capitalism. Our corporation culture has turned us into consumers so we won’t engage in the active responsibility of being citizens. It’s time to take responsibility for our world as Saturn enters his own sign of Capricorn, which is concerned with our social structures and communal life, as well as government and our financial systems. 

 

Thank you to Daniel Giamario for enlightening me about how some ancient cultures saw Capricorn as a Council of Grandmothers, who shared their wisdom for the common good. This is the wisdom of the Earth and also the body. How do we bring in our spirit’s purpose into the world. Through our bodies! It’s called Incarnation. This aligns with Capricorn’s connection to our dharma – our soul work and responsibility to our society to bring it peace and prosperity. 

 

The last time Saturn was in Capricorn was in 1988 – just a year after the Harmonic Convergence in August 1987. Remember that? That was the beginning of a world-wide spiritual revolution that is about to manifest in our society in a big way if we’ve done our inner work. That was a big year in my life. What was going on in yours? Perhaps you’ll get a chance to finish up some old business in a more mature way now. What have you learned in the past 30 years (assuming you’ve lived that long!)?

You’ll be hearing much more about the big happenings in 2020 as we get closer, but let me begin by saying that we cannot predict how this big energy will play out. But we can look at the different energies involved. With Saturn in Capricorn, now is the time to step into your maturity and wisdom and manifest your vision. It’s time to show up. Do it with integrity, please. Whatever you know is enough now. What can you do with the tools you have gathered? We are all called to heal the Earth and our society. If we’ve healed ourselves, now it’s time to heal others. Look at the house(s) where Capricorn lies in your chart. And if you have planets in early Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn – you’re the ones who will be challenged the most. Lucky you!

Pluto has been bringing down those institutions which are no longer viable – we are seeing their last gasps in the Trump administration as it tries to turn the clock back to unfettered greed and domination by ‘old white guys’. But it isn’t working. And they’re going down – maybe, hopefully in 2020. Jupiter will accelerate and enlarge whatever Saturn and Pluto bring up. 

If Saturn is the energy of structure and limits, and Pluto is that of death and rebirth, and Jupiter is the energy of faith, curiosity and expansion, we could be looking at the re-birth of our republic and a renewal and re-structuring of social institutions that will support our collective well-being, not just the well-being of those 1%ers. But in the end, it’s up to each of us to make that happen. We need to do it for ourselves and each other, for Mother Earth and most importantly, for our children to the 7^th generation. We are the Ancestors of the Future and what we seed now will determine what that future looks like.

Winter Solstice

 

Saturn is also associated with the Winter Solstice, not only because it will conjunct the Solstice Sun as it enters Capricorn, but because back in ancient Rome, the time of the Winter Solstice was called ‘Saturnalia’ a 12 day period of death and chaos, when the rules of society were turned upside down – when slaves were equal to their masters, when a fool, the Lord of Misrule, could sit on a throne. (Sounds like this whole year, doesn’t it?) 

 

Many cultures had days or weeks that were ‘out of time’ due to the working of their calendars, and these were viewed as times of chaos, a time out of regular time so the world could be renewed. During this time of chaos, the old king was sacrificed to make way for the birth of the New Light, dies natalis solis invicti – the birthday of the unconquerable sun. And of course, we have the birth of Baby Jesus on December 25^th and the 12 Days of Christmas, which are supposed to foretell the future year. 

 

(I’ve been doing the 12 Days of Christmas dreaming for over 30 years. If you’re a dreamer, starting December 25^th into the 26^th, record your dreams each day and they will stand as a prophesy for the 12 astrological months.)

Saturnalia, like our Christmas and most other Solstice celebrations, was a time to evoke abundance, joy, generosity, hope, fertility and life, so these ancient ancestors of ours celebrated much as we do, with music and dance, food and laughter, community and worship, fun and games, evergreens (for eternal life) and light. We need to bring these elements back into our Solstice celebrations as well as our own family traditions. Let’s bring back singing and storytelling, dancing and games to our Christmas/Hanukkah celebrations as well. Gifts are wonderful expressions of love and appreciation, but when most of us live in such abundance, do we really need to keep shopping – which is the need of our economy but is it our need? Don’t we need community and laughter and hope just as much as another tech toy? 

 

Make it a ritual – create a great holiday happening that goes against the stereotypes of our modern holiday season. Create, create, create, moments of laughter and joy and shake off the old year so a new possibility can start to take shape. And then go out and keep up the good work of stopping the outrageous measures our government is fostering on us. 

 

The Sagittarius New Moon, December 17-18, 2017

The Sagittarius New Moon occurs on Sunday, December 17^th at 10:30pm PST and on Monday, December 18 at 1:30am EST/ 6:30am GMT. 

 

This is the first New Moon to trine the degrees of the total solar eclipse New Moon in Leo. So we are also bringing that energy into the mix. Remember the Sabian symbol for the eclipse: A mermaid emerges from the ocean waves ready to take on human form. She is the longing of our collective heart – the longing to create a better world. And she is going to take on that human form through those women and men who see a better, possible future.

There are 5 planets in Sagittarius at this New Moon, so the cosmos wants us to pay attention. Sagittarius is the sign honoring truth, vision, belief and optimism that can light a fire within each of us. Occurring during the darkest time of year in the northern hemisphere brings the image of Light into clear focus. In the dark, we seek the light. Our purpose (Sun), our emotional body (Moon), our mind (Mercury_Rx), our body’s wisdom (Venus), and our authority (Saturn) want to be clothed in that light. But Sagittarius is also playful and fun. So don’t forget that the Divine Feminine manifests through the imagination, through play and fun.

This New Moon is seeded in the Galactic Center, so let the eternal truths of the cosmos take root in your hearts so they blossom in these next, oh so important years for humanity. Let go of old perceptions and open to extraordinary possibilities that might whisper in your hearts during meditations and journeys. Trust that the Universe knows what It’s doing when it chooses YOU to channel its creativity and vision.

Mercury is retrograding back over the Galactic Center degree, so it will go over this degree three times – and you know that the Goddess always works in 3s. So just let the information come in – you won’t know it all until after the New Year. 

 

Saturn at 30* Sagittarius is also conjunct this New Moon, offering us the grounding we need to internalize these higher frequencies. Take authority for what wisdom you receive and find ways to make it a living source of life for you and the world. Saturn will make you grapple with your vision so it will come to birth in the best possible way. 

 

So slow down. It’s not going to happen all at once. It’s going to take time (Saturn) to manifest. 

 

There’s a grand fire trine in this New Moon chart between Eris, Uranus and Pallas in Aries, the North Node and Ceres in Leo and this New Moon with Venus, Sun, Moon and Saturn in Sagittarius that adds inspiration, creativity, passion and purification to the New Moon seeding. 

 

We also have a water trine between Neptune in Pisces and Jupiter/ Vesta/Mars in Scorpio, which adds deep emotional healing, imagination and empathy. It’s time to embrace our feelings instead of suppressing them. Emotions (energy in motion) flow through us to tell us how we’re reacting to life. When we name those emotions they become feelings and we can put a value on them – how should I act on these feelings instead of reacting to life.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun and Moon at 27* Sagittarius is: A sculptor at his work. Here is the image of creation, of projecting a vision into matter. That’s our goal.

The Sabian symbol for Saturn at 30* Sagittarius is: The pope blessing the faithful. While many of us are turned off by the idea of the pope, Dane Rudhyar asks, ‘Are you willing to live a transpersonal life as a symbol?’ Here’s the need to take on an archetypal role – whether it’s The Healer, The Bard, The Leader, The Magician, The Priestess – we need to find our archetypal pattern and live it out.

The Sabian symbol for Venus at 22* Sagittarius is: Jehovah looking down on the Earth from his heavenly throne. This is an image of divine justice and protection. Venus is beginning her underworld journey, traveling and disappearing behind the Sun until February 20 when she rises as an Evening Star of Wisdom. She is in the process of transformation and this image implies she will be protected.

The Sabian symbol for Mercury retrograde at 16* Sagittarius is: Equatorial explorer drifts down a jungle stream in a sailboat. This feels like an image of a grand adventure which will take all our determination and spirit to accomplish. That’s the kind of passion we’ll need to complete our task here. A sense of adventure and a sense of determination, powered by the winds of clarity, upheld by the waters of the imagination and enclosed by the fertility of Mother Earth. 

 

Mercury is retrograde until December 22^nd. It turns to direct motion at 14* Sagittarius. The Sabian symbol is: The Great Pyramid and the Sphinx. This is symbolic of the power of our spiritual ancestry. These great structures symbolize archetypal energies which are still available to us today. 

 

Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius and it is at 15* Scorpio, the power gate of Scorpio. The Sabian symbol is: Laughing children play on five mounds of white sand. This is about our need to play in our physical bodies, play with the five senses, to get a firm grounding in the physical world. It’s fun! If Saturn is our ground of being and Jupiter is our spiritual vision, we have to become as ‘little children’ again to ground that in.

I love this time of year. The evening sky is cobalt blue, the air is cold and crisp, and it’s alright to stay inside and get cozy. Winter is a time for inner work, inner reflection and stories! Pay attention to your dreams now – especially during the 12 Days of Christmas from December 25 – January 6. 

 

May the peace and love of the Goddess, who births the Light, be ever in your hearts.

Cathy

 

A Winter Solstice Prayer

The dark shadow of space leans over us. . . . .
We are mindful that the darkness of greed, exploitation, and hatred
also lengthens its shadow over our small planet Earth.
As our ancestors feared death and evil and all the dark powers of winter,
we fear that the darkness of war, discrimination, and selfishness
may doom us and our planet to an eternal winter.

May we find hope in the lights we have kindled on this sacred night,
hope in one another and in all who form the web-work of peace and justice
that spans the world.

In the heart of every person on this Earth
burns the spark of luminous goodness;
in no heart is there total darkness.
May we who have celebrated this winter solstice,
by our lives and service, by our prayers and love,
call forth from one another the light and the love
that is hidden in every heart.
Amen.

http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com

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© Copyright 2017 ~CATHY PAGANO  All Rights Reserved

The Cosmic Story: Gemini Full Moon 2017

The Cosmic Story: Gemini/Sagittarius Full Moon, 2017

Who Owns Your Imagination?

Remember the Scorpio New Moon?

We come to this airy Gemini Super Full Moon from the deep, watery mysteries of the Scorpio New Moon, a New Moon centered in the hidden heart of who we really are. The flowering of those seeds comes to us as questions and answers, as information for us to shift through, as perspectives that need to be reviewed, especially since Gemini’s ruling planet, Mercury, turns retrograde hours before the Full Moon. This Full Moon can be tricky, for we can get caught up in too much irrelevant information and end up stuck in our old perspectives and beliefs, or we can see multiple possibilities and choose our highest potentials. Take the time during Mercury’s retrograde until December 22^nd to review the information you have and make those wise choices.

The Scorpio New Moon asked us to stop hiding our power, our passions and our truth. What intentions did you plant at New Moon? Have you discovered how you repress what your heart knows because you didn’t want to hurt someone or are afraid to go against the rules? Scorpio aligns us with those shadowy aspects of our psyche which want to come into the Light. And often, especially for women, those Shadow qualities are very bright and beautiful. Since the Scorpio New Moon resonates energetically with Cancer, have you used these two weeks to indulge in self-care, self-nurturing, and self-awareness? What new story emerges when you do?

Our society has all these rules that constrict behavior – especially for women. Can we share our power, our sexuality, our intelligence without fear that we’ll be rejected, violated or ignored? Or for men, can you be tender and strong, protective and non-possessive? Have you learned what is inappropriate behavior towards women and children? What rules have been broken that shouldn’t be broken? What rules need to go?

As Gemini Brett (Joseph) says, Scorpio is about fixing myself to fix the world. 

 

As a water sign, Scorpio processes our emotional depths to make us stronger, for in really knowing who we are and what our heart wants for us, we access our innate power. Scorpio wants to give us that emotional power, but only if we channel it rather than trying to own it. That power is Scorpio’s gift to us. We just have to learn to use it correctly.

This New Moon began in Scorpio, the fixed water sign where we stop and concentrate on what we’re feeling and dealing with. That’s what makes it ‘fixed’ – it’s concentrated and stubborn. But the rest of the Moon cycle is in mutable signs, due to the shift in the lunar cycle that began on the August 21^st solar eclipse. The cycles are flipped, which means that we are given a different way to work on the energies born at each of the New Moons of this cycle.

For this lunar month, our intention to generate emotional growth (Scorpio NM) manifests in the mutable signs. Mutable signs are flexible and adaptable, ready to change shape to fit the demands of the situation. Mutable signs use the fiery energies of Aries and Leo to spread out and discover new energy pathways. This resourceful energy is ready to stretch and grow beyond the obvious. These signs – Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius & Pisces – symbolize the energy of spirit manifesting in multiple forms.

So what happens when Scorpio Water meets Gemini Air? I think Air plays with it. Air creates waves. Air holds up the water when it evaporates and transforms into rain and clouds. Air bubbles up in water. There are lots of permutations depending on conditions and the presence or absence of the other two elements. So watch all the permutations that occur in your thinking around this Full Moon!

The Gemini/Sagittarius Full Moon

The Gemini Full Moon occurs on December 3, 2017 at 7:47am PST/ 10:47am EST/ 3:47pm GMT.

Gemini/Sagittarius Full Moon 2017

This Gemini Full Moon is conjunct the fixed star, Aldebaran, the Eye of the Bull. Aldebaran is also called the Eye of Illumination, referring to the 3^rd Eye and Buddha’s awakening under the Taurus Full Moon. Aldebaran is one of the 4 ancient Royal Stars, along with Regulus, the heart of the Lion that conjoined this summer’s eclipse.  The Sagittarius Sun is on the opposite side of the zodiac on Antares, the heart of the Scorpion. And finally, between Aquarius and Pisces i the 4th Royal Star, Fomalhaut, the Mouth of the Fish. 
We have the blessing of this ancient power of Illumination on the Full Moon as the Moon and Sun align with these powerful fixed stars.. Use it wisely.

Aldebaran in the constellation of the Bull

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 12* Gemini is: A black girl fights for her independence in a city. Dane Rudhyar indicates that this image is about leaving the past behind so we can entertain new possibilities. The image before this spoke of new lands and opportunities and with this symbolic figure of earthy feminine spirit breaking free, we are indeed finally seeing the rise of the Divine Feminine in collective consciousness. She’s Back! Black Moon Lilith to war against injustice to women. Black Madonna, come to heal. She is the one collecting information: she is the women speaking out about sexual harassment. The rejected feminine knows what needs to be done.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 12* Sagittarius is: A flag turns into an Eagle; the Eagle into a Chanticleer saluting the Dawn. It is time to live out our truth. We can’t live like the flag, an abstract ‘2-dimensional’ symbol, saying we believe something but not living that truth. We have to embody the spirit of the Eagle. We have to become leaders. And then there will indeed be a new dawn and a new day.

The Sabian symbol of Neptune at 12* Pisces is: Candidates are being examined by the Lodge of Initiates. We are being called to a larger cosmic consciousness, a sign of our readiness to participate in the transformation of the world. What will we craft with our imaginations to meet these tests?

This is a Super Moon, which means the Moon is close to the Earth and therefore has a stronger tidal pull on the waters of Earth, both within us and outside us. This is the time to communicate! Gemini Moon gets nurtured by talking and learning and experiencing. Talking about your feelings helps clarify what you’re feeling. Or go within and communicate with yourself. Go out into nature and commune with Mother Earth and Father Sky. Communicate with your whole Mind: your gut, your heart, your rational brain, your imaginal brain, your mystical brain and your reptilian brain.

Then journal about your experience and take it deeper until you pop back out on the other side, to the Sagittarius Sun. What have you discovered that can change your beliefs about yourself and the world? What new story comes to you as you shed your old story? What adventure do you want to undertake? What hero’s journey beckons you to change the world? Or perhaps it’s the Heroine’s Journey, which is focused on the inner journey of self-discovery.

We have been given the tools of Gemini/Sagittarius – the whole brain Mind, the fact-gathering, information junkie mind combined with the intuitive, spiritually aware story Mind. This is all about the stories we tell ourselves about life. Too often we gather facts that support our point of view so we don’t have to change our old story. The truth is, we no longer have that luxury. The world is at a tipping point of change. Which way it goes depends on each of us. The old patriarchal story is no longer viable. Neither male entitlement nor capitalistic greed are sustainable any more.

The world needs a new story. Each of us needs a new story. 

Isn’t it better to create our own stories rather than have another uncomfortable story like patriarchy imposed upon us? When we create our own story, we truly live the American dream of freedom. It’s time for us to be free.

What if we use these cosmic energies to gather the information we need to create that new story of who we are? And who we might become?

Engaging the Imagination

The planetary energy most aligned with this Full Moon is Neptune, the energy of the creative imagination, of the Source and unseen dimensions. But these more subtle realities can give rise to delusions and illusions if we’re not attuned to them. With the square from Neptune we’re challenged to listen to our soul’s point of view, rather than getting lost in an ego day-dream. Because we’ve let Hollywood and the media colonize our imaginations with their advertisements and stories, these are our unconscious defaults. 

T-square: Sun, Moon & Neptune

As children our imaginations run free as we explored our world. Now TV and computer games all too often capture and shape our imaginations, especially since we’re told that imagination is just for children. Neptune energizes us to go deeper to reclaim our imagination. It’s time to stop using our imagination in the service of worldly gain and unsustainable desires and start using it to delve into our souls and recreate our world.

Check in with your Higher Self to make sure the images and stories and ideas are in your best interest. The Collective Unconscious is like an old magical antique shop, with treasures as well as dangers.

But when we work consciously with Neptune and the Creative Imagination, we can weave a story that sings to our hearts. Don’t forget to weave in bravery, because from the ‘lower’ vibration worldview, you’re going to be seen as weird, different, strange because you believe in a different story. So find your tribe who shares your story and loves you for it! If you live out your story well, you will attract other people out of that dark, dead-end story into their own heart-stories. Weave in joy, because new life is always joyful. Weave in creativity and love and wisdom. These are gifts that make life worth living. Weave a story of beauty and power and peace and whatever spicy values and virtues you love best. This new story is still a mystery, and yet it isn’t. It’s already written in your heart and soul.

Let it fill you with the energy and will to follow the dreams that inhabit your story.

Life’s synchronicities are wonderful, aren’t they? I was listening to On Point on NPR this morning and Tom Ashbrook was talking with virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier, who now says “VR could be the evilest invention of all time.” I didn’t get to hear the whole discussion, but I think this speaks to the upcoming Full Moon square Neptune. Virtual reality takes us out of this ‘reality’ and lets us feel as if we’re inhabiting another ‘reality’. Like the Holo-deck on the Star Ship Enterprise, without the physical immersion in it. 

I feel that if we all had ownership of our creative imagination, we would see other dimensions of reality that are suited to our purpose and life. Not some reality that a gamer makes up for us. VR takes us out of reality into a fake reality (fake news) rather than deeper into the mystery and magic of life. And shouldn’t we be questioning the mindset that encourages people (capitalism) to invent things like this when we could be inventing ways to make life here on Earth more joyful, more adventurous, more mystical. Why do we waste our creative imagination on games and delusions when we could use it to create a heaven on Earth? As you can see, I agree with Jaron Lanier.

Spiritual Pregnancy

Another energy at play in this Full Moon is Jupiter in Scorpio trine Neptune in Pisces. The two planets of higher wisdom, spirituality, and story merge in ways that strengthen Neptune’s pull on the Full Moon. Jupiter in Scorpio accelerates exposing sexual predators, tax predators, wealth predators, and death-dealers. Exposing these secrets helps us acknowledge the wrongs that have been ignored for generations. And gives us strength that we can now name it and call it out for what it is. In naming truth to power, women have stepped up once again to re-ignite the revolution. Part of that revolution is for women to create our own wild, passionate, heart-centered stories.

There’s plenty of fiery inspiration around now. With 7 planets, asteroids and the North Node forming a grand fire trine, the energy and inspiration to create a unique story of our purpose and passion. And with the waning but still potent Juno/Pluto in Capricorn square to Uranus/Pallas in Aries also squaring Mars in Libra, the revolutionary energy to do the right thing needs to manifest in our emotional body – Cancer, the missing leg of this Cardinal T-square. We have to change ourselves before we can change the world. And it is images which change us the most, because they evoke emotions and feelings. Thinking doesn’t change us. Feeling does.

Do some inner work as the Winter Solstice approaches (which in fact is what many cultures did during this time as the darkness grew) and wait until Mercury goes direct after the Solstice. Then give birth to this new story of Light. We are all spiritually pregnant right now. Until the Solstice, keep it a secret mystery growing within you like a promise.

Who Owns Your Mind?

Mercury turns retrograde hours before the Full Moon on Sunday, December 3^rd at 30* Sagittarius—the culmination of the purpose of Sagittarius – challenging us to find our truth and stick to it. Mercury is heading back to meet the Sun, to get new instructions and will become a Morning Star on January 1, 2018, bringing us a new mindset to face our lives.

 Saturn is conjunct Mercury, stating quite clearly that we have a responsibility to figure out what we believe and then live it! Who owns our mind?  Who owns our heart?  Who owns our soul? Know what you stand for!

We can’t pick on fundamentalist Christians for not living their beliefs if we don’t live ours. We can have different beliefs about life. Different guiding stories. It’s our responsibility to live them. This is the last energetic tweak from last year’s square between Saturn in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces – a cosmic signature that asked us, what is true and what false? The world of the Donald took it and ran with it. But we don’t have to. We get to choose what is true based on this physical reality as well as our inner psychic reality and our spiritual reality. We get to choose. The time is now.

The Sabian symbol of Mercury going retrograde at 30* Sagittarius is: Sitting motionless on his throne, the Gnome King surveys his vast underground palace, piled high with gold and treasure. Steve Eardley says this symbolizes alternative realities which jostle people out of their spiritual sleep, as well as visualizing power and the need to attend to your own growth. I would add that the Gnomes are Earth Spirits who create and guard the hidden treasures of the Earth. So this retrograde is all about recovering some ancient jewels from your inner horde.

Saturn is about to exit Sagittarius after traveling through it since January, 2015. Mercury retrograde conjoins it on December 6^th, so pay attention to your dreams, meditations, interactions. You have this great opportunity to work with Saturn and Mercury before Saturn moves into his home sign of Capricorn just before the Winter Solstice on December19th-20th. Write your story down. Make it concrete in as many ways as you can. Saturn will appreciate that.

The Sabian symbol for Saturn at 29* Sagittarius is: A hairy Hun cutting grain with a sickle. The first thing I think of with this symbol is that a very war-like man has turned his sword into a sickle to harvest the grain. We need our warrior spirit to let the old die to make way for the new. We might also need to cut through obstacles to that future story. A major life cycle is at an end. We need to take what nourishment we can from it and then create something new.

We are entering the darkest time of the year in the northern hemisphere. Venus is disappearing from the morning sky, about to go into the rays of the Sun and descend to the Underworld from November 28, 2017 to February 20, 2018 when she’ll re-appear as an Evening Star. She can guide you now in the Dark. Go into the Dark and listen to its Silence. It is the Dark Womb of the new year.

Walk in peace,

Cathy

“We watch a sunlight dust dance,
and we try to be that lively,
but nobody knows what music those particles hear.

Each of us has a secret companion musician to dance to.
Unique rhythmic play, a motion in the street we alone know and hear.” 

Rumi

“THE ONE THING YOU MUST DO

There is one thing in this world you must never forget to do. If you forget everything else and not this, there's nothing to worry about, but if you remember everything else and forget this, then you will have done nothing in your life.

It's as if a king has sent you to some country to do a task, and you perform a hundred other services, but not the one he sent you to do. So human being come to this world to do particular work. That work is the purpose, and each is specific to the person. If you don't do it, it's as though a priceless Indian sword were used to slice rotten meat. It's a golden bowl being used to cook turnips, when one filing from the bowl could buy a hundred suitable pots. It's like a knife of the finest tempering nailed into a wall to hang things on.

You say, "But look, I'm using the dagger. It's not lying idle." Do you hear how ludicrous that sounds? For a penny an iron nail could be bought to serve for that. You say, "But I spend my energies on lofty enterprises. I study jurisprudence and philosophy and logic and astronomy and medicine and the rest." But consider why you do those things. They are all branches of yourself.

Remember the deep root of your being, the presence of your lord. Give yourself to the one who already owns your breath and your moments. If you don't, you will be like the man who takes a precious dagger and hammers it into his kitchen wall for a peg to hold his dipper gourd. You'll be wasting valuable keenness and forgetting your dignity and purpose.”
― Jalaluddin Mevlana Rumi, The Soul of Rumi: A New Collection of Ecstatic Poems

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© Copyright 2017 ~CATHY PAGANO  All Rights Reserved

 

The Cosmic Story: Scorpio New Moon 2017

The Cosmic Story: Scorpio New Moon 2017

You have to Die to be Reborn Again.

Josh Libatique

When the Sun enters the sign of Scorpio, the light of the Sun in the northern hemisphere is growing dimmer and dimmer. The Dark continues rising until we arrive at Winter Solstice, the time of greatest darkness which gives birth to the new Light.

Scorpio is the time of year when we learn to accept the death of our ego choices as well as the death of the year. (Those of you in the southern hemisphere are celebrating Beltane and the return of Summer. May you find delight and joy this year!)

Death is a natural part of life’s cycle, and yet our patriarchal culture has a very hard time accepting death. Probably because some of our founding myths show us the fathers who refused to die and hand over their power to their children. Look at the Greek gods Chronos/Saturn and Zeus, swallowing their children to hold onto their power. Even the Judeo-Christian god won’t give up his power to his ‘only begotten son, Jesus’ whom he lets die in his place. In many ways, this implies that the children must die so that the father continues to live. Sounds like patriarchy to me.

This weekend I saw two movies which speak to this idea of immortality vs. death. One was Thor Ragnarok (which was actually kind of fun) in which we find Odin about to retire after long ages of ruling Asgard and his first daughter Hela, the Goddess of Death, determined to take over and live forever. In the end, Odin turns over his power to Thor and allows himself to die so Thor can release ancient powers which do bring on Ragnarok, the end of the rule of the Gods. The other movie was Dr. Strange (another interesting story) where The Ancient One’s immortality causes one of her disciples to turn to the Dark for his shot at immortality. I’m guessing the Ancient One was Scathach, the ancient Celtic Warrioress who trained up hero/warriors like Cuchulainn, the Hound of Ulster. She willingly dies when she finds her true successor in Dr. Strange. Somehow, being immortal leads to the death of worlds, cultures, people—and as we can see, instead of patriarchy letting itself die naturally, it is creating death all around us.

Why would anyone want to live forever? Is there something inherent in patriarchy that doesn’t want to let go? I think patriarchy is afraid to face its’ own death, beyond the need for power and domination, because it doesn’t believe in the immortality of the Soul. It doesn’t believe that we need to die to be reborn again. For patriarchy, rebirth isn’t possible – only endless suffering in the fires of Hell. Isn’t that the promise of our three Religions of the Book – Judaism, Christianity and Islam? That only the perfect ones among us get rewarded in Heaven, while everyone else suffers the torments of the fires of purgatory or hell?

These religions have lost touch with our Great Mother Goddess, Earth, who does assure us of rebirth, along with all life here on Earth. This is a promise to us that if we let go of our fear of death, a greater life is coming – not in Heaven, but in another round here on Earth. And this also applies each year to our smaller ego-deaths. We need to release old emotional patterns that no longer serve us, such as guilt and shame, insecurity and fear. And we can release our goals and hopes each year so they can come back to us in new and more creatively vital ways.  

We human beings have to reclaim our place in the cycle of Life. And that will take the death of our patriarchally-shaped ego, the “I think therefore I am” philosophy which helped to separate us from our place in Mother Earth’s interconnected ecology.

Angle of Death~Evelyn de Morgan

In Ursula Le Guin's wonderful Earthsea Trilogy, she imagines this fear of Death as a Shadow, a shadow that drains all the joy and color out of life. In The Farthest Shore, the Archmage Ged (Sparrowhawk) and the young king, Lebannen (Arren), go on a journey to try to restore the balance of life and death, which has been disrupted by a sorcerer who is so afraid of death that he has opened the gates between life and death and now cannot close them. The young King wonders why men are destroying the trees and the earth, and the Mage explains that they have no guidance, no king to show them how to live in the Balance.

In his youthful innocence, Lebannen wonders how this one fearful man could so easily destroy the Balance of the world as his fear spreads And he asks the Mage, "Where are the servants of this (man) Anti-King?"

In our minds, lad. In our minds. The traitor, the self, the self that cries I WANT TO LIVE, LET THE WORLD ROT SO LONG AS I CAN LIVE! The little traitor soul in us, in the dark, like the spider in the box. He talks to all of us. But only some understand him. The wizards, the singers, the makers. And the heroes, the ones who seek to be themselves. To be oneself is a rare thing, and a great one. To be oneself forever, is that not better still?

Arren looked straight at Sparrowhawk . 'You mean that it is not greater. But tell me why. . . . I have learned to believe in death. But I have not learned to rejoice over it, to welcome my death, or yours. If I love life, shall I not hate the end of it?

. . . 'Life without end,' the mage said. 'Life without death. Immortality. Every soul desires it, and its health is the strength of its desire. But be careful, Arren. You are one who might achieve your desire.'

'And then?'

'And then - this. This blight upon the lands. The arts of man forgotten. The singer tongue less. The eye blind. And then? A false king ruling. Ruling forever. And over the same subjects forever. No births; no new lives. No children. Only what is mortal bears life, Arren. Only in death is there rebirth. The Balance is not a stillness. It is a movement - an eternal becoming.

Are we one of those who would deny death, thereby denying the soul and the possibility of rebirth? Or can we passionately love our lives and give them over to an eternal becoming?

Scorpio New Moon 2017

This week’s Scorpio New Moon occurs on Saturday, November 18, 2017 at 3:42am PST /6:42am EST/ 11:42am GMT. 

 

As I talked about in my Full Moon newsletter, Scorpio is the sign where we emotionally engage with other people. Some people we naturally resonated with – as if they’re family and we can be ourselves. With some people, we have to work a little bit harder to feel comfortable. We wear our persona for business associates, neighbors, service people and strangers. Then there are the ones who just aren’t in our tribe at all.

Scorpio deals with all these kinds of emotional entanglements. But most especially with our sexual relationships. Scorpio learns through sexual engagement, wanting the depth, passion, intensity and sensual pleasure that great sex can give us. This is the place of intimacy, where we shed our defenses and leave ourselves vulnerable and open to the Other. Our deepest truths understood; our deepest longings revealed.

Jupiter, Venus and Vesta are in Scorpio now, supporting this New Moon’s energy that wants us to look ourselves in the eye and see our true feelings and longings. They trine Neptune in Pisces, bringing us the faith and imagination to let go of our ego defenses and trust in spirit that all can be well if we stop being afraid of death. If we want an intimate relationship, we have to be brave enough to take down our barriers, let ourselves trust and open to the Unknown, which is the magic of life.

 

We all have both dark and light within us. It’s the dance between them that makes life worth living. Too much light creates deep and dark shadows. This is the case with our western Judeo-Christian-Islamic society—in turning to the lights of Heaven and our rational brain over a love of Earth and our intuitive, feminine nature, we have created more darkness in the world. By giving these immortal ‘corporations who think they’re people’ power, we are giving them permission to create death all around us.

When we embrace our Scorpionic nature, we embrace the cycle of death and rebirth that can bring us fulfillment and wholeness. Plant this seed on New Moon night – that we leave behind our fear of death so that we can meet the coming challenges with hope and light and love, knowing re-birth is waiting for us there.

The symbol for the Sun and Moon at 27* Scorpio is: A warrior plumed, haranguing a multitude of armed soldiers.
This symbol denotes someone who has a forceful and yet pliant mind, a persuasive tongue and a brave spirit. Such an one will lead others by the ability of expression. This leader will undertake high duties and grave responsibilities in life and will largely be moved by a power from within, unrecognized but potent. It is a degree of PERSUASION. (Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolized by Charubel)

Since this image of a warrior-leader is presented to us in the watery, powerful sign of Scorpio, it’s time to persuade ourselves that letting go of our old habits, beliefs and even ideals is needed so that they can come back to us in a new, more relevant form. It’s time to release old stereotypes so that the archetypal energies behind them can manifest in new and more life-giving forms. And these archetypal energies will appear first in the images of our dreams, in the stories that call to us and in the longings of our hearts.

This symbol also speaks to the idea of the power of words to persuade, and is repeated in the Mercury/Saturn conjunction in Sagittarius trine Uranus retrograde in Aries, which urges us to speak our truth with passion and faith in the power of ever-renewed life. When we get over our fear of death, we embrace life more fully. And this is what people need to hear if we’re going to be leaders.

The symbol for Mercury at 18* Sagittarius is: Children playing on the beach, their heads protected by sunbonnets. This symbol denotes an imaginative playfulness, protected from too much left-brain rationality – those sunbonnets are keeping our solar consciousness from overwhelming our imagination. We have fire, enthusiasm, artistry and fun indicated here. So use your Mercury lightly & imaginatively. (An Astrological Mandala by Dane Rudhyar)

The symbol for Saturn at 27* Sagittarius is: A sculptor at his work. This is the degree of the Galactic Center of the Milky Way, and so very potent in bringing about change. With Saturn here, we can manifest our special talents, especially artistic and creative ones, which speak to our human need for freedom of spirit and truth. What will we create? (An Astrological Mandala by Dane Rudhyar)

The symbol for Uranus at 26* Aries is: A person possessed of more gifts than s/he can hold. This is a symbol of great potential and attainment. It’s about being so centered in your soul that all your gifts and talents are there to choose from. But you have to choose. That’s the hitch. This is the year of choice. Look at your opportunities and choose your heart’s hope. (An Astrological Mandala by Dane Rudhyar)

Uranus is quincunx (150* angle) this Scorpio New Moon. Quincunx angles are twitchy – they need to be constantly readjusting to things. With this aspect, we might find ourselves re-adjusted right out of our old behavior patterns in relationships. Being defensive will not work; being dramatic won’t either. Being yourself will, with the caveat that you’ll also have to be open to your partner’s point of view.

There is an undertone to this chart that says – it’s time to live out our ideals.

So, to summarize:

1. Bring your own unique talents to the table of humanity. (Uranus)
2. It is up to you to create something – to manifest your dream. (Saturn)
3. The best way to do it is to be playful and imaginative, using your left-brain rationality to bring your right-brain imagination to life. (Mercury)

The Cosmos blesses us with help: the Mentor asteroid, Chiron, who we call the Wounded Healer, trines this New Moon from Pisces, giving us the compassion we need for ourselves and others. We’re all in this together. And it’s time we start living like we are. It’s time to release our emotional fear of others taking power over us and hurting us. If we’re not afraid, who can really take our power away?

So enjoy the deep, dark chocolately mystery of this Scorpio New Moon!

Walk with Mother Earth’s Spirit,

Cathy

Sabbaths 1985, V -- Wendell Berry

How long does it take to make the woods?
As long as it takes to make the world.
The woods is present as the world is, the presence
of all its past and of all its time to come.
It is always finished, it is always being made, the act
of its making forever greater than the act of its destruction.
It is a part of eternity for its end and beginning
belong to the end and beginning of all things,
the beginning lost in the end, the end in the beginning.

What is the way to the woods, how do you go there?
By climbing up through the six days’ field,
kept in all the body’s years, the body’s
sorrow, weariness, and joy. By passing through
the narrow gate on the far side of that field
where the pasture grass of the body’s life gives way
to the high, original standing of the trees.
By coming into the shadow, the shadow
of the grace of the strait way’s ending,
the shadow of the mercy of light.

Why must the gate be narrow?
Because you cannot pass beyond it burdened.
To come into the woods you must leave behind
the six days’ world, all of it, all of its plans and hopes.
You must come without weapon or tool, alone,
expecting nothing, remembering nothing,
into the ease of sight, the brotherhood of eye and leaf.

~ Wendell Berry ~

(A Timbered Choir) 

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