The Cosmic Story: Samhain, Eclipse Season
and New Venus Star Point
Part One
The Wheel of the Year: Samhain: Death Aspect of the Cycle of Life
As we enter the season of Samhain (October 31-- astrological Samhain at 15* Scorpio on November 7), we begin the six weeks of greatest darkness in the northern hemisphere before the rebirth of the Light at Winter Solstice. (I’m going to stick with the seasons in the North but I want to shout out to those of you down South to have a merry Beltane!)
We are entering the season of Death, with nature dying off and the light dimming. Westerners celebrate this season with celebrations of Halloween, The Day of the Dead, All Saints Day/All Souls Day. At Halloween, we begin to let go of our usual ‘ego-selves’ and take on imaginary ‘selves’ in an unconscious mirroring of the needs of the season – to let go of what is no longer viable – what is dead – and to begin to imagine the new life to come next year. Who will we dress up as?
Samhain is last gateway of the Wheel of the Year, the time to learn to become comfortable with darkness, to accept Death and change in our own lives. By accepting Death psychologically, we’ll begin to let go of our fear of DEATH. Otherwise, we will surely create even more death in the world. (Look at Putin – instead of letting go of what is no longer viable, he’s going all in on death and destruction. Scared, fearful, silly little man.)
We are a culture which fears Death. Most masculine cultures do. Made worse because Christianity made the afterlife a fearful thing of fire and damnation. Who is ‘saintly’ enough to make it to their heaven, especially if there’s only one chance to make it? Most people imagine going to purgatory or hell-- both places of fire and torment. Who came up with this religion? Who would worship a divine being that condemns most of us to one gruesome afterlife? And who condemned women as ‘evil’ ‘soulless’ and ‘the cause of death’. Sometimes I despair of the male religious imagination, which took the Goddess’ promise of continual death and rebirth and turned it into a nightmare of masculine linear thought of beginning, middle and the End. In refusing the gifts of feminine wisdom, these churchmen gifted us with FEAR of death instead of acceptance of life and death.
At Samhain, when the gates between life and death open and the souls of the departed sometimes return to comfort or confront us, we have the opportunity to face our loss and fears and let go of them. Life will have its way with us – but we get to make choices about how we meet it. We ourselves choose to make life a blessing or a curse. We don’t need to fear life. We just need to respect her and know how to meet her demands. Samhain demands a death.
This unconscious fear-based belief about death has given rise to a death culture – a history of warfare, death and destruction that is still being played out all over the world, but most symbolically in Ukraine. What will Putin accomplish with his war? More deaths. The threat of nuclear destruction? The end of all life? For what? His pride. His power. His legacy? This is the delusional state of the patriarchal mind, this unconscious fear of death, should not be running the world. For those of you old enough, Dr. Strangelove.
So how do we stop it?
First, by realizing deep down in our souls that our world is DYING. On multiple fronts – the environment is in crisis, with around 90% of the animal species dying out, with our waters poisoned by chemicals and pharmaceuticals, our air poisoned with too much CO2 as well as other hazardous chemicals, our food poisoned by hormones and chemicals which cause disease --- shall I go on? Then there’s the social, wealth, resources and gender inequality. And now – again – there is a renewed threat of NUCLEAR WAR.
The thing is, we can’t let these facts freeze us and leave us feeling powerless. There is a power in Mother Earth that can fill us and give us the power to accomplish what is needed. The issues facing us are our task, our purpose. It’s up to us to determine what kind of future this planet and our people will have. We are the grandmothers and grandfathers of the future. How will they remember us?
We can stop this craziness, and bring patriarchy down by not buying into it anymore. (I think women need to strike for 3 days all over the world – we’d stop the world, since we hold up more than our share of it.) At least we can look to something different to guide us. Let’s stop doing the same thing over and over again with the same results.
We need a guide. So let’s look to the ancient Mother Goddess for answers.
The problem of Death: The divine Feminine is tied to the Earth and her cycles, not some heavenly afterlife. Just as Spring brings new life, Summer growth and Autumn harvest, the last weeks of the year, when the darkness is greatest, bring us the lessons of Death. Which in turn, leads to Re-Birth at Winter Solstice. And the cyclical process begins anew. Mother Earth is a tidy mistress – we get recycled.
The truth is, Death is a needed and natural part of the life cycle. Without death, how can there be new Life? It is our souls which never die; they get recycled into new bodies and new experiences. It’s our individual egos that are afraid. (Pro-life people, you don’t seem to believe in souls, only bodies. A very one dimensional belief.) Patriarchy has tried to take control of this process and stop Death (keeping people alive past our expiration date for money), which is probably why the world is stuck in the Death aspect of the life cycle.
It’s especially important at this moment that we all learn to face Death without fear, because we’re also going through a big transformation of the world ages. The old world paradigm (patriarchy) is dying and a new world view is being birthed. But the old is ‘afraid’ to die and let the new vision come into being. As we can see, it’s not going down without its usually bullying response to its fear – a fight.
Because there is so much darkness and chaos in the world, the old is trying to maintain control all over the world, but the new energies of life are rising up. Young women in Iran and protesters in China and Russia are defying authority to demand their freedom. In the US, we are asked to reject a false narrative of lies and deception and conspiracy theories bankrolled by the wealthy to protect their power. Entertain this possibility: Perhaps they know about these conspiracies because they’re the ones doing the horrible things, hypocritically pointing the finger at others, just as perhaps Trump tried to cheat on the election and got outmaneuvered by voters. Could be.
Perhaps the lesson is to learn to make up our own minds about what we value. We stand on the brink of true freedom when we make our choices with our free will. It’s time to embrace our freedom, which includes everyone else’s freedom.
The way to begin this dying process for patriarchy is for each of us to let it die within ourselves. It doesn’t have to be a battle. Just a gentle farewell. A slow shedding of unnecessary waste. A turning away from being a consumer to being a citizen. Becoming a conscious co-creator of our world.
Ask yourself: How has capitalistic patriarchy colonized your beliefs, your values, your ideals and your needs? This season of Samhain is the time to shed your old skins so that your authentic light can shine through by Winter Solstice.
Part of the issue the world faces is the rapid development of technology in the last century, causing dramatic changes in our society. We are the forerunners of the Age of Aquarius, potentially a more technological and idealistic society. (think Star Trek! These stories always showed our future as one of equality, freedom, curiosity and unity, as opposed to Star Wars and others where most of the worlds are desert worlds full of junk, ruled over by despots.) It’s up to us to begin to understand what our technology is and what it can helpfully be used for. And what it shouldn’t be used for. It’s important to ween people off their constant use of technology and back into personal contacts and communication. We can find ways to use technology without destroying our humanity. We’ve gone overboard with our new toys, and now it’s time to re-balance.
We are entering unknown territory. Going where no one has gone before.
The Wise Crone and Death
We re-balance by re-connecting to the Divine Feminine energy of the cosmic laws of life and death. In ancient times, when the Mother Goddess was worshiped, people saw death as an intimate and important process of the life cycle. Just as the Divine Mother gives birth to us, she also takes life away when it is no longer sustainable. This is why women have been the caretakers of children and of the dying. The divine Feminine fosters caring, community and change, even in death.
This fear of death extends to our society’s disregard of older women, for the ancient Goddess often had 3 forms – the Maiden, the Mother/Lover, the Crone – the Creatrix, the Preserver and the Destroyer. The Crone was the aspect of the Goddess who understood and dealt with Death. So men feared her, and now fear death. Isn’t it interesting that it was the ancient gods that had to die to be reborn?
Men have to face their fear of death and surrender to the inevitable. That’s why a return of the Goddess and her natural laws can heal our fears. The Crone (which means crown), knows the wisdom of life and death. The Crone was the judge and lawmaker, since she understood what is necessary to promote life.
In facing death and facing fear, the Crone becomes the Maiden who creates the world again. It is all one cycle of life and death. And we are part of it, whether we know it or not. When we connect to the seasons and cycles, we make those times sacred and magic happens – the magic appropriate to the season’s needs.
Our modern culture loses a valuable resource when it devalues older women and our wisdom. All ancient cultures valued their elders, especially the grandmothers. It’s too bad that our ‘founding fathers’ left out the need for a council of grandmothers in our government, since they looked to the Iroquois’ Great Law of Peace for ideas on how to establish their experiment in freedom. The Native Council of Grandmothers decided if and when the tribes went to war and who could be chief. They were the Clan Mothers who held the people together. It would have been wiser to add this aspect of governance to our constitution instead of a Supreme Court that could be politicized by one group. The Grandmothers stood for all the people. Because they were the Mothers of the Tribe.
We need our wise crones now more than ever. Christianity burned old women for their ‘evil eye’ – which was basically just a knowing look that saw how idiotic the men were acting. The male ego is often afraid of that disapproval. And so they suppressed the aspects of the divine Feminine that would call them on their s**t and only kept the loving and nurturing mother and spouse who they felt they could control.
So men’s fear of death and their fear of older women seem to go hand and hand. (of course there are men who are not like this, but in general, this has been the male attitude.) And yet the Wise Crone sets the moral standards of her clan and culture. The one who gave birth and gave nourishment, warmth, protection and survival skills to her children also created culture for those children. The Crone made moral and legal decisions for her people. The Church called these wise older women ‘witches’ and burned thousands of women over 5 centuries, wiping out the old pagan Goddess religions and its beliefs – that we belong to the Earth and its cycle of life and death, that sexuality and pleasure are sacred, that we are part of Nature, that women’s wisdom is more important than man’s knowledge.
With so many post-menopausal women alive today, we have a wealth of Crone wisdom to call on. Isn’t it time we did?
I’ve been re-reading a book from the late 80s The Crone: Woman of Age, Wisdom and Power, by Barbara G. Walker. It’s a powerful reminder of how the patriarchal religions have persecuted women’s religions and powers for thousands of years. And why it’s so important for women to reclaim our ancient purpose so we can bring a wise vision of life back to the world.
The second part of this Samhain newsletter will be out next week, where I’ll discuss the goddess Hekate and the upcoming total lunar eclipse in Taurus, conjunct Uranus – the planet of surprises – which occurs on the morning of the U.S. elections. Surprises are in store.
Venus Conjunct the Sun: New Venus-Star Cycle begins: October 22, 2022
Ever since we saw Venus cross the face of the Sun back in 2004 and 2012, astrologers have again been working with the Venus cycle, which makes a 5-pointed star in the heavens every 8 years as Venus moves from being a Morning Star to Evening Star and back to Morning Star.
When Venus moves retrograde between the Earth and the Sun, she begins her Morning Star phase, which last occurred on January 8, 2022 19* Capricorn. Now she travels behind the Sun in her underworld journey (furthest away from Earth) and will conjunct the Sun tomorrow, October 22 at 29*27’ Libra. This is the first time Venus starts a cycle in her own sign in about 150 years. The last degree of a sign indicates it’s time to work out the issues of the sign.
Venus is the great connector – she teaches us about what we love and value, be it beauty, truth, a relationship, art and life itself. In Libra, Venus loves balance and harmony, truth and fairness, equality and justice. Beginning this new phase in her celestial journeys, Venus can help us take a stand for those things we hold dear. She elevates the divine feminine qualities that are so sorely needed in our society now. Love, connection, care, community. Let’s hope she restores diplomacy to the world instead of war.
This Venus/Sun conjunction is challenging Pluto in Capricorn to listen to her ideas and ideals. With Eris opposing Venus and squaring Pluto, we have to trust our heart wisdom. The divine feminine speaks to us through our hearts, minds and most especially through our imaginations. Change your perspective, change the world.
The Sabian symbol for Venus/Sun at 30* Libra is: Three mounds of knowledge on a philosopher's head. Dane Rudhyar states that philosophers are people who understand life and its issues. I would substitute (3) wise women and knowledgeable men. Three is the number of process – of something working its way to completion. This symbol urges us to understand life’s needs and find the wisdom to know what we need to do.
The Gene Key for this Venus/Sun conjunction is interesting in that it repeats the message. Gene Key for 30* Libra is Number 50 – Cosmic Order.
The shadow for this Gene Key is Corruption. But not just corruption of ourselves, and our political and religious leaders, but a corruption of data. The knowledge we’ve been raised on no longer serves our consciousness. It has cut us off from our natural wisdom and we suffer for it, because the data inspires our fears. This is what the South Node solar eclipse is about. (See below)
The Gift of this Gene Key is Equilibrium. This equilibrium comes from our own inner peace and security (since we were raised on fear and insecurity), and the recognition that our group, our nation, our world can come into equilibrium if each of us do. Each of us has to take responsibility for the gift we can contribute to society, creating a greater whole.
The Blessing of the 50th Gene Key is Harmony, which occurs when all elements in a system are in perfect and permanent resonance. We are creating this new society and vision now as we begin to reach a critical mass of change. If we ever accomplish this, we will become Conscious Earth.
If this is the potential that the new Venus Star Point will birth in the coming years, its energy will certainly help us create a better world for us all. So Mote It Be!
Saturn in Aquarius turns to direct motion seven hours after the Sun/Venus conjunction, slowing us down to really pay attention to what those values are for us and for the collective. We are at the last stage of the waning Saturn-Uranus square that began in 2021. We might see the outcome of this struggle between the Old vs the New with the upcoming Scorpio Solar Eclipse and Taurus Lunar Eclipse.
These two eclipses in Scorpio and Taurus confront us with the question of our Values – isn’t it time we really looked at ourselves and our lifestyle and recognized that it isn’t sustainable. Can we let go of the past and look to the future with curiosity and imagination? Isn’t it time to imagine a different way to live? A more balanced and simple way, with basic needs met and time for personal creative expression. Not life based on survival and fear, but enjoyment and commitment. Work that feeds the soul with purpose because it’s needed for life to prosper and grow.
The Sabian symbol for 19* Aquarius is: A forest fire quenched. Since we’re still in the tension of the Saturn/Uranus square between the old and the new, I would say this signifies the end of the craziness the old is trying to exert on the world. Let’s hope so!
Scorpio partial Solar Eclipse: October 25, 2022
The Scorpio New Moon solar eclipse occurs on Tuesday, October 25th at 3:49 am PDT/ 6:49am EDT and 11:49 am GMT.
This New Moon is conjunct Venus, who has just started her journey as an Evening Star of Wisdom, although still hidden from Earth’s sight until December 3, 2022.
The Gene Key is the same as the one for the Sun/Venus conjunction, Key 50. The theme is repeated with the Sabian Symbol. Equilibrium and Harmony.
The Sabian symbol for the Sun, Moon and Venus at 3* Scorpio is: A house raising party in a small village enlists the neighbors’ cooperation.
I’ve always loved this image – because it does take a village not only to raise a child but to make a home and community. With COVID and our dependence on technology to ‘reach out’, we are losing our community feeling. We have to let go of our isolation and re-connect with where we live. This is an image of both Equilibrium and Harmony, the gift and blessing of the 50th Key.
So what keeps us from doing that?
This intense partial solar eclipse on the New Moon in Scorpio is called a south node eclipse, meaning that like the south node’s shedding of old habits that are no longer viable, we need to shed our skins and let go of old trauma, lies, deceits and relationships that are toxic not only to us but to the world.
We humans have so much fear in us. It keeps us from cooperating. This eclipse says – why not drop the fear? What else can happen? We’re all in this together.
Scorpio doesn’t shy away from the taboos in our culture. Whether it’s sex, drugs and rock & roll, investments, taxes, and death, Scorpio deals with the things we usually don’t want to deal with, let alone look at. But this Autumn, we all have to face the music – it’s time to deal with our Shadows, both personally and collectively.
As we enter the dark of the year, it’s a perfect time to look at our shadows and see where we aren’t living aligned with our values. These Shadows are behavior patterns and ideas & beliefs that once protected us as children, but which no longer reflect or serve our needs. Once we face our wounds (which birth shadows), and name them, we can change things. The collective naming of our wounds has picked up speed over the past two years. Now it’s time to see if we can transform those shadows into the gold of awakened cultural consciousness.
Scorpio is the sign of emotional stagnation, a fixed water sign that holds onto emotional trauma. This thick dark soup is the result of experiences of death, terror and pain, causing us to feel mistrust, betrayal, resentment, fear, and hurt. These repressed emotions can give rise to power plays, deception and control issues.
This eclipse season heralds a time to take the lessons learned and put those emotions back into the Goddess’ cauldron of regeneration. They use up too much of our authentic energy and so no longer serve our life’s growth. This south node eclipse’s lesson is to let go of the past, learn its lessons, and let the natural dying process transform our consciousness.
Because the upcoming Taurus Full Moon total lunar eclipse is conjunct Uranus, the master of surprise and sudden change. More on the upcoming lunar eclipse in the second part of this newsletter. Be ready for much needed Surprises!
This solar eclipse is interesting, because a New Moon is a time of new beginnings, while this south node eclipse calls us to let go of something that needs to die. But since we can live in paradox, why not see that the new seed planted is for the old to leave without too much pain, while the new rejoices in the hope for the future.
The solar eclipse and Venus make an inconjunct to Jupiter retrograde at 0* Aries – the World Point. This marks a point of great world importance. An inconjunct is an energy of adjustment – like a scale trying to come into balance. What is needed is great delicacy in achieving that balance. Jupiter in Aries is daring and can often be reckless. Don’t let him be now! Our Scorpionic energies are concerned with inner decisions.
Mars in Gemini is slowing down to turn retrograde on October 30th. Ruling both Aries and Scorpio, perhaps he will slow down and think (Gemini) things through, seeing multiple ways to proceed.
The Saturn/Uranus square is still activated. But now direct Saturn in Aquarius forms an air grand trine with Mercury in Libra and Mars in Gemini (slowing down to turn retrograde Saturday, October 30th). This alignment could hopefully open up the ‘old’ (Saturn) to accepting new ideas (Mars/Mercury) without fear.
I think that’s enough for now! More next week in part Two of Samhain’s Cosmic Story.
Blessed Be!
Cathy
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Fall Song
Another
year gone, leaving everywhere
its rich spiced residues: vines,
leaves,
the uneaten fruits crumbling damply
in the
shadows, unmattering back
from the particular island
of
this summer, this NOW, that now is nowhere
except
underfoot, moldering
in that black subterranean castle
of
unobservable mysteries - roots and sealed seeds
and the
wanderings of water. This
I try to remember when time's
measure
painfully chafes, for instance when autumn
flares
out at the last, boisterous and like us longing
to stay - how
everything lives, shifting
from one bright vision to
another, forever
in these momentary pastures.
~ Mary Oliver ~
(American Primitive)
