It is no secret that the the world is governed by the interests of a very small minority, a priviliged few who we might call the ‘plutocracy’. The power base is at the top, so to speak, and maintains its position through imposing structure and limitation on the majority beneath. If you are not endowed with membership of this  exclusive ‘elite’ you are designated ‘canon fodder’, the ‘useless eaters’, pawns to the ‘master’s’ game. In astrological terms there are two planets that have become commonly associated with this particular manifestation of power, its deeply subversive controlling nature and top-down heirarchy of ‘authority’ – Pluto and Saturn.

Pluto in Capricorn is bringing the very nature of this monstrous misuse of power up from the depths in our times for all to see, but, Saturn…..well, Saturn has been playing the wily game of hide and seek in Scorpio, playing both sides off against each other, first through a prolonged and quite creative trine with Neptune, ‘enjoyed’ by both sides, then through a  quincunx with Uranus and simultaneous sextile with Pluto in which reflex reaction and counter-reaction of one side against the other pulled the authoritarian stand-off into brief if visceral view. Now we are about to catch a glimpse of the mysterious side of Saturn, his fundamental and challenging nature, and, that glimpse will arrive with Samhain.

Many astrologers appear to be playing up the Samhain chart, making it bouyant and optimistic, forward looking and energised above all else. The last two certainly apply, but, the bouyancy and optimism, while certainly present in the chart, are not going to arrive without first factoring in some hard truths and, if these are avoided the positive will loose its perspective and lasting meaning. In fact the dominant aspects in the chart for Samhain, cast for the world at zero hours UTC on November 1st, see the Moon opposing Jupiter from 20° tropical Aquarius and squaring Saturn at 23° of Scorpio. The Moon’s swift course through Aquarius will see the face-off with bombastic Jupiter give way to Saturns deep questioning.

By itself this T square carries the challenge, but, Mercury also feeds into the Moon and Jupiter by trine and sextile respectively, and this is where we can find reasons to be positive. It is also where our pro-active attention must be focused. Lets just start off here by saying that if you are planning to work with Samhain as a gateway, regardless your leanings in the interp, foresight and preparation will pay off bigtime ~ be mindful of what is motivating you.

Its not all bad in other areas of the zodiac either. With Mars and Neptune in sextile from Capricorn and Pisces respectively this is looking like a golden opportunity for spiritual activism to carry the full support of the ancestors and otherworlds and, through this, we’re looking to actualise really effective action in the world. Samhain is the opportunity to make ready for this pro-active and visionary fueled firing up, and, Mars meeting with Pluto over the 10th to 12th of November will be the optimum time for applying it. Fire, Air and Water are the elements highlighted in the T square, but, it is in cardinal Earth that we will be able to capitalise upon the empowering experience that can come with ‘the thinning of the veils’.

The heart of the matter is quietly brought home through Venus and the Sun, within two degrees of each other in Scorpio. Venus is emerging from behind the solar disc, is sextiling Pluto in Capricorn and is approaching quincunx with Uranus, now bringing the fruits of her own journey into the unseen to bear upon the bigger picture unfolding in these times. Venus is also coming into trine with Chiron, pointing out that the shaman’s path lends a particular  poigniancy to her qualities of courage and beauty. She tells us that these qualities are at the core of our healing work and asks us what we value most in our quest to find a new balance between established power and individual freedom. The ecology of power rests upon it……

If the People are represented by the Moon, from our earthly perspective we must also take the Moon’s position in the sky into account. At Samhain the Moon is aligned with the stars in the tail of the sea-goat, in the stellar constellation of Capricorn. Here the forces of nature are wound up in the potential energy of creative and motivating natural power. For sure, this is the power to go forward and to bring a beneficial outcome closer. The twist in the tail is that at Samhain the Moon’s degree is also occupied by the asteroid Damocles. The sword of Damocles reminds us that when our ambitions deliver us into a position of authority, we should be mindful of the unforeseen pitfalls and dangers that go with that station…..be careful to look ahead is the message! Our motivations are brought into question and we cannot afford to blindly surge forward on egotistical and reactive impulses or unconscious drives. And, at Samhain, the otherworlds will, no doubt, have much to say on this matter.

This is central to how ‘making our circle stronger’ will work in the world, not least of all because we are effectively moving deeper into the process of breaking down old circles of power that centre around individuals who rule through positions of authority and working towards a more organic power structure in which networks between individuals who are ‘in their power’  is the basis. This is an incredibly important distinction to make and being in a position to embody it is vital to our future. ‘Making your circle strong‘ serves the greater purpose. Here it is centred on investing personal power in an ecology based upon Aquarian and Libran qualities of mutual co-operation and connection, as well as mutual respect. The strength of the network is based not upon the individual alone, but, upon the power that flows through it. And, each individual contributes to that power.

This not to advocate a species of globalism or communist ideology, far from it, as the anarchic nature of the process will reveal.

Mercury is conjunct the Moon’s north node in the 20th degree of Libra throughout and, being in direct motion now, Mercury’s influence is about focusing attention on where we are all heading. The trine Mercury forms with the Moon here tells us that we should trust our intuition about how this focus applies to us personally, and, the sextile to Jupiter expands the scope of our communications and activites. Trust is clearly flagged up in relation to the messages received from the otherworlds. The spirits are here to guide us and the ancestors can help us see clearly, by example, how crucial it is to take the consequences of our own actions into account. This is not a time for agendas to be initiated that do not serve those who come after us ~ there is a far greater purpose at work.

Having said that, Mercury also brings our attention to a challenge that is very much a part of realising that purpose ~ not only is Mercury in strong aspect to the Moon, the North Node and Jupiter here, but, the ‘messenger between the worlds’ is precisely conjunct asteroid Typhon! There is no artifice in this on my part as, although the previous post, ‘The Samhain Stars‘, focused on the mythology surrounding Typhon and the birthing of Capricorn, I did not discover Mercury’s alignment with asteroid Typhon at Samhain until after that article had been published ~ it came as a real surprise, if not a strong confirmation. So, how does this affect things?

Typhon’s symbolism in the myths is heavily centred on the power of natural forces to challenge the status quo, the regime of order whose power base in the myth is present in the form of Zeus and the Olympian management team. Through Typhon the innate balance of things is disturbed, the apex of power falls to earth, and a restructuring of the relationship between the cosmological forces of Life and the human realm ensues. As an archetype Typhon brings chaotic effect and, in some measure, his is the anarchistic side of Nature.  The myth also clearly shows that Typhon’s effect is not an end in itself. It is anarchistic by nature alone. His power still manifests natural law, albeit in an unfettered and extreme state. Typhon is nature let loose.

The Moon’s opposition with Jupiter, doubling for Zeus in ostentatious Leo, speaks volumes here. The question is can We affect the outcome?! In our time it is the minority of humans in positions of authority, as well as our progenitors who have taken on the mantel of the gods and the danger is in assuming those in positions of power can continue asserting hubristic control over nature without suffering the consequences. Obviously this cannot continue. And while our ancestors will be very instructive in this, Typhon brings the truth of the matter home!

So, where does Saturn fit into all this, being square the Moon and Jupiter. Saturn’s square with Jupiter is waning, while the square with the Moon is waxing. There is a subtle shift in authority at work here but subtlety is further highlighted, enigmatically, in the asteroid named after the Sphinx. Saturn is in the scales belonging to the constellation of Libra, but is also conjunct this asteroid at Samhain and frames the Sphinx’s riddle in terms of authority, and mortality. This is the cutting edge of the moment, the balance in which the Moon Jupiter opposition is weighed. While Samhain is shrouded in mystery the bottom line of that mystery is very down to earth.

The myth associated with the Sphinx brings this out and sees Oedipus meeting with the daughter of Typhon, the Sphinx, through the agencies of fate. Oedipus, who was unaware of his true heritage, gave answer to the Sphinx to save his own life, but, this in itself was no less fateful. Although his own journey had been motivated in an attempt to avoid a fate foreseen through the Delphic Oracle, through it he had been brought to the feet of the Sphinx and the consequences invoked the very fate that he, like his true father before him, had sought to avoid.

The lesson of the Sphinx is that we cannot cheat fate, or the consequences of our own actions, even when our mortality is on the line. The Why of this story is crucial. Oedipus, while succeeding where all others had failed in answering the Sphinx, succumbed to fate through ignorance of his own origins. In following his own blind impulses he missed the opportunity to fulfill a greater destiny. He would have done well to ask again of the Delphic oracle, to seek guidance in how that destiny might be won, instead of assuming that his own choices would be sufficient.

Through being open to Mercury’s intervention, to guidance from the otherworlds centred on our own future, we might avoid suffering a similar fate and instead manifest a Capricornian restructuring of our relationship with earthly manifestations of power. If this appears over-dramatic one need only reflect upon the reality of human intervention within and disrespect for the laws of nature, as if we have the divine power to determine fate through our own choices. Through GMOs and transhumanism, weather modification and weaponisation, through continued destruction, exploitation and pollution of Nature we act out Oedipus story. As is implicit in the myth of Oedipus and the Sphinx riddle, remembering who we are and understanding why we came here is central to the question, but, we too would do well to ask for further guidance from the otherworlds before we answer. They may well help us remember what the ruling elite have tried to suppress over the millenia ~ we have been here six times before. Now is the time to put things to rights.

Samhain is a powerful time. It can serve us well to use it wisely. The augeries tell us this might mean more than we realise…….if we remain severed from our own roots, we will witness that it is humans acting as gods, catastrophically constellating hubris and reckless lack of responsibility, who have unleashed Typhon in the world. Only, here, the monster is not only manifest in the natural forces at work through nature, it is acted out through the ecology of power that has dominated the world over millenia. We can change this, but, not through our own means alone. Nature is our ally and, unlike Oedipus, for us, if we seek the further council of the otherworlds while embodying our own wiser selves, it may not be too late to change our fate and claim a greater destiny in realising a new ecology of power……in this, as has been said before, each one of us has a significant part to play.

The gateway opens offering us an opportunity to listen once more to the voices of the otherworlds ~ have fruitful journies and be strong in following their council. We’ll meet again on the other side……

Main image : Sphinx ~ Owlmirror

Note : Typhon is designated a Trans Neptunian Object (TNO), having an orbit that reaches from just inside Uranus to well beyond Pluto, and while this gives greater depth to the astrological interp, linking this heavenly body with the far reaching, deeper archetypal and ‘trans-personal’ realms, in this article it remains within the overall emphasis of Typhon’s reach as a signifier affecting life on a ‘cosmological’ scale within the reading given.