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astrology, Earth healing, lunations, Moons, Planetary Mind, Root Medicine of the Stars

Fanaagyric

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FANAAGYRIC

Fanaa – in Sufi tradition, describing the dissembling of ego that enables full emergence within the Divine.

Gyric – from a Greek term, ‘agora’, describing ‘assembly’, its manifestation and nature.

Uranus is now in virgin territory in Taurus, and the Scorpio full Moon gives us a clear heads-up to one of the central themes we will be seeing develop throughout the Uranus transit. The in-breath before the storm, as the Taurus Sun and Scorpio Moon face-off, we see the Uranus-in-Taurus effect now beginning to bite.

This is all about transcending biological limitations.

There is no room with this Moon to indulge the anthropomorphising tendency to see things purely from the human perspective; this is about energy, at a sub-quantum level, and about the innate ability which nature embodies to build from that level outwards.

It is also about innate awareness, the sentience of Life, intelligent design translating itself into living form.

It is about the bridge between the two, an area in which we will see technology and understanding develop massively over the coming decade and a half.

We are now in the ‘body-shop’ phase.

Neither are we talking about Ai, that other grossly over anthropomorphised branch of technology which some see as the new Messiah, others as the End.

This is about source field connectivity, and embodiment, in forms that are way beyond our imaginings.

For all its intensity, much is hidden behind the clamour which accompanies this full Moon. In fact, in many respects at its most mundane level it mirrors a classic case of not being able to ‘hear the signal for the noise’.

Part of the reason for this, the obvious part, is external. Part, however, and arguably the most relevant part, is internal.

Around its most extreme point of illumination, with emotions likely to be running high and rhetoric taking on a bullish nature, in the midst of this lunation it is advisable to not let the social melting pot, its provocative, finger pointing memes and adversarial dynamics become a distraction – from here on in, this must be the case.

Stop, step back and just pay some attention to the pure unadulterated moment, as you find it.

This is a prime moment for higher level engagement with life and this planet which we find ourselves on…..

…..much here, in fact, is to be gained by ‘keeping an ear to the ground’ and through paying extra careful attention to the quality of energy at work beneath ‘it all’.

Perspective.

The outer planetary dynamics are feeding underground, ‘behind the scenes change’, which may give an impression of gradualism at work within the corridors of power, but, more realistically conceals a tightening of the screws and the steady preplanned implimentation of long term global policy.

The now endemic surface noise provides suitable distraction.

The BIG issues, which are generating a high percentage of the noise, are all carefully thought out. Effectively, they both keep the masses busy, in fear and feeling small and ineffectual in the face of ‘it all’.

The opera is, in fact, in full swing.

In its original meaning ‘opera’ refers to an orchestrated articulation of emotions, an art form with hidden political and sociological teeth. In our current times the main parts are commonly played by corporate entities, puppet ‘politicians’, unaccountable organisations, carefully selected school children and ‘rebels’, all of whom are, to a greater or lesser extent, the products of lengthy research and planning.

Meanwhile, ‘governments’ fulfil their accepted roles of ‘scapegoat‘ and embodying the ‘problem‘. The ‘swamp must be drained‘. All within the operatic portfolio.

To get to the core of the moment we must cut through all this.

Then there’s Uranus, and the global tech outreach of the brave-new-world-order.

If the Uranus in Taurus effect isn’t taking down trees in your neighbourhood don’t think you are going to escape 5G.

The world is speaking to you loud and clear, but, that innate facility that the human organism has to see beyond the obvious, and the visible, is also, by the same token, under threat of, if not being taken down at street level.

Trees, as Uranus will teach us, are ‘immense’ in our planetary network of awareness.

Perspective.

The eyes and ears of the cosmos are upon us.

Only astute observation will reciprocate.

Regardless, ‘Wake Up Calls‘ are now de rigueur, a part of the “environment”, which means paying  an especially high degree of attention to the world at large, lest we become too used to them, ‘adjust’, get lazy and become inoculated to the core values and messages they alert us to.

‘Waking’, being ‘woke’. is not simply about waking up, now, its about taking it to another level. Taking ourselves to another level. This is by way of a ‘security’ announcement, in fact, with this full Moon.

Here, the planetary matrix is clear, and there is a great deal of integrity involved in this moment, even if it is not at first obvious just where, or how, or is being drowned out.

Consider yourself on standby – stay alert.

But, more,  more than the adept faculty of operating on several different levels of awareness simultaneously, even.

The common denominator is this. Get used to being ‘the receiver’ – at surface level, to begin unpacking this, rather than expending so much energy on being the ‘transmitter’, allow the ‘observer‘ within to take a more central position – and calibrate more of your own energy field to the frequency and wavelength that this more specialised, if aloof kind of ‘awareness‘ is operating on.

The ‘observer’ is closer to ‘the source’ than might be readily apparent. An important step closer, and that matters, now.

The more persistently distracting aspects of the changes now being enacted in the outer world will lose a great deal of their ‘below-the-radar’ mental hold and emotional influence if this shift in focus is integrated regularly. Take this full Moon as the cue.

This is an endemic opportunity, but, how many will and are responding in this way – the best form of compassionate response to those who remain fixated on the drama and its noise is to enhance your own inner matrix and allow its powerful if subtle and more silent, latent influence to increase in depth and reach. It will be effective. The matrix at large is strengthened by it, and everything which feeds that strength registers within it.

Uranus has set about signalling a recalibration our physical operating systems, their connection to the source field, and our ability to perceive reality as we have never seen it before – the results might seem novel, if not downright weird and spook some people out, but nothing that is kicking in wasn’t already innate – its just that the ‘hardware’ has been shut down for some time. The operating system is fully capable of self upgrading, if the metaphor be extended further.

Yes. Remove the socio-media blinkers, perk up, and tune in. But, be pro-active and take the process on.

Keep your energy field clear, using those methods that you already know work for you, but above all, ‘EARTH’…..

…….it is essential to ground ‘the antennae’ as you explore the inner faculty that is now developing. The more your are earthed, the more you can explore, and the more connected you will be – ask a tree.

The planetary matrix supports this action, but with Mars in Cancer, it must be optimised. Bringing internalised energy to the ‘positive’ end of the ‘feedback reaction process’ which the sign of Cancer embodies is of the highest priority – this is a process which builds core strength through reciprocity.

Within the Cancer template this manifests as ‘mutual dynamics which circulate energy‘, keeping it in containment while Mars own ‘direct’ energy feeds causality into the loop. That’s food for growth and development. Forests know all about it – great reason to go sit with them. They too are our common ancestors.

Obviously, as an intended action, internally this development needs oversight and heightened awareness – it also requires inner strength and integrity and, alerting us to the necessity of this, this is where the ‘negative’ function delivers its own message, by way of warning…..take note.

The negative state of this process is capable of manifesting an innate potential for intensification in mood swings, a flipping backwards and forwards between emotional extremes which,  when in such a state, become mutually exclusive, increasingly antagonistic instead of mutually supportive.

Over-reaction to outer stimulus is common to this state and this can result in the fundamental breakdown of integrity, at many levels; where before there has been stable coherence, fracturing and division take on new forms and breed.

This is more often than not seen at an individual level, and contemporary western society is currently riddled with its effects, but becomes chronic at a sociological/collective level. Memes, which utilise both these levels, often carry this negative invective, which can, ironically, be both truth revealing and lie propagating. Memes are addictive; be alert.

False flag scenarios can, similarly, be identified from the felt impact of larger scale events within the public realm. This is not an ‘exact’ science, but, is an essential skill.

But, even though this negative dynamic has a long pedigree and can be intentionally used to induce systemic tension, a strategy we are now seeing widely at large equally in both political and activist quarters, at heart this is about more than evoking a polarising disintegration of core values to induce dramatic destabilisation of the field, and isolating disempowerment of the individual. It is also the vehicle for disseminating, propagating and maintaining false narratives which concretise these effects.

This, accumulatively, is to describe the ‘freight-train’, deliberately obstructive and disinformative, which hogs much of the highway through which intel and ‘info’ is currently exchanged, both within and beneath the public realm.

On top of this, a high degree of vulnerability and openness to manipulation accompanies this negative state when it is operative within the public realm – it goes without saying, but, the need for astute vigilance and maintenance of inner equilibrium is, naturally, equally high.

Venus conjoins with Uranus in Taurus around the full Moon indicating that jolts to those core values are almost inevitable and, while we should not allow ourselves to get used to this, acclimatising to the fact of the ‘new reality’ it signals is a must.

Shocks to the system make these high risk times if you are making investments in futures, especially while not giving enough penetrative attention to the underlying nature of the longer term trends. We are walking a fine line when we ignore the inner nature of things.

Similarly, the inventiveness of Nature is being stimulated – while humans are forever tinkering with nature, the ‘great experiment’ is happening of its own accord.

As Buckminster Fuller said, “nature is trying hard to make us succeed, but nature does not depend on us – we are not the only experiment”.

 

The real revolution, which this landscape of distraction appears ‘but only appears‘ to be shouting about, is much more subtle. In keeping with the late Scorpio Moon, it resonates with a centre of gravity that embodies fundamental principles of Life, rather than its surface effects.

As a metaphor, think cymatics – rather than focusing on the forms that the water is being agitated to take up, think more of ‘the source’ out of which the energy that the resulting patterns embody arises.

As if adding to the complexity, but in reality aiding and abetting the process, Neptune also provides the Moon’s nodal axis with a dose of disorientation through this time – again, don’t be distracted by lack of clarity about where-this-is-all-going, or become infected with the ‘how-on-earth-are-we-going-to-turn-this-all-around‘ virus.

The very same inner orientation applies here as well, but as a field effect, and although this affects all,  it can be approached from the individual point of view – this provides us with a vital bridge. At an individual level the effect is ‘fanaagyric‘, ‘absorption into the greater assembly of the mystic’.

In spiritual tradition this involves a process whereby the ego and ego-ic identity are broken down and dissolved, merging with ‘the source’, but, outside of a more traditional setting, where our ego-centre remains vital to functioning within the everyday world, developing the ‘observer’ makes this both managable, accessible and practical. It grounds the visionary faculty.

If the astrological indicators for this process are written across the matrix at this full Moon, its ongoing presence is perhaps nowhere more pointedly symbolised than by Chiron in Aries, now coming to square with Mars, an aspect that sustains until new Moon.

Beyond that, the heat begins to turn up as we head for the solstice point, and the inner planets begin to fire off against the slower moving outer heavy-weights.

This time, for all its noise and underlying tensions, is bringing a golden opportunity.

The ‘adept’ nature within is being re-awoken, to a new level of resonance and inner allegiance. Deepening the personal path through intentionally revitalising consciousness and awareness, it is connecting ever deeper into ‘the integrating principle at the core of existence’, so be of good heart – none of this requires anything of us other than what we already are, at heart.

Every individual who takes the opportunity to move towards and get in sync with this  development of inner connectivity and awareness is assisting the entire planet, a gift which humans can give with increasing power and effectiveness now, and beyond that, demonstrates something humans are in dire need of, a way of giving back to Life.

Blessed Be.

Aries Libra axis, astrology, culture, Earth healing, eclipse, environmental issues, human rights, planetary aspects, Root Medicine of the Stars, Socail Conflict, Sovereignty, The outer planets

Return Of The Thunder Spirits

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circle-of-life frank howell

“……the companion Inyan created for himself was the Thunder spirits. Their form was so terrible that they must conceal themselves within a cloud, or people would go insane merely from glancing at them. But their purpose is noble. They are here to rid the world of filth. They are here to wash away the demons, like the ones who destroyed (and are destroying) your mother. Like the ones who want to destroy you…..” (1)

As this article goes to press the deadline to clear the Oceti Sakowin camp at Standing Rock approaches – 2.00pm local time. By the time you read this it will almost certainly have passed and the battle for Standing Rock will have reached what may prove to be its crucial turning point. Time will tell, but, we are witnessing a moment in history that could be repeating itself, seeking resolution. The background for this possibility is clearly reflected in the astrology that links Standing Rock with one of the most crucial and well known events in the history of the struggle between the indigenous peoples of North America and the armed forces of the European settlers, the battle which has come to be known as ‘Little Bighorn’.

The onset of Lt. Colonel Custer’s assault on the Sioux nations on the 25th of June 1876 and its eventual bloody conclusion on the 26th give us a timeframe in which to reference the planetary positions then, and the period from 22nd February 2017 to the new Moon/solar eclipse of Feb. 26th give us the relevant timeframe for their position in the present.

The aim of this article is not necessarily to forecast any outcome for the present stand-off at the camp of the Sacred Stone, but, it provides adequate insight and food for thought to alert us to a powerful correspondence between these two events, a heads-up to its signifiance and repercussive nature.

lost-warrior frank howell

The current planetary backdrop for the 22nd to 26th February 2017 sees a major T-square playing out between Jupiter rx in Libra opposite Uranus in Aries, both squaring Pluto  in Capricorn; Mars is within 3 degrees of Uranus as I write, just 4 days from their conjunction in Aries which becomes exact at the eclipse. Alongside this, Saturn in Sagittarius is connecting into the T square through sextile with Jupiter and trine with Uranus.

The release point of this T square is opposite Pluto, around the 16-20° mark of Cancer. Going straight to the correspondences we quickly find that they speak for themselves as Mars is currently squaring its LBH (Little Bighorn) degree – that degree is 19 Cancer. Mars will arrive at this degree on July 4th 2017, American ‘Independence Day’.

We find LBH Saturn in the 9th degree of Pisces, the degree of the solar eclipse on 26th February.

Chiron, presently squaring Saturn, is precisely on the degree of the LBH north node.

Although not necessarily acting as triggers the present transiting positions of the major outer planets reveal some of the qualitative tensions now being played out.

In the LBH chart Jupiter opposes Pluto from Scorpio; Jupiter is now quincunxing LBH Pluto, while Uranus quincunxes LBH Jupiter.

Pluto is also presently quincunxing LBH Uranus.

Mercury, now entering Pisces, is quincunxing LBH Venus. In addition Mercury is also in softer aspect to other luminaries in the LBH matrix, trining LBH Sun and sextiling LBH Neptune, and as the solar eclipse approaches Mercury is transiting the current lunar south node’s degree, activating awareness of our spiritual past and the legacy of events related to this.

In the LBH timeframe the Moon transits the present position of the lunar north node, not a temporal marker necessarily, but a transit that brought it into opposition over June 25-6th 1876 with Saturn. The solar eclipse is effectively activating these degrees across the lunar nodal axis.

This may be a time for closure to be sought, but, our ability to realise this will certainly be founded on more than transient phenomena.

Although the quincunxes suggest the tension underpinning the playing out of the unresolved legacies of Little Bighorn, and the disconnect between the forces now involved, the hard aspects and direct correspondences between the events by transit of key degrees confirms the connection. Mid points are also brought into  play and Pluto is also currently applying to the LBH Saturn Jupiter midpoint, directly tieing in the current T square.

But, it is within the present Uranus Mars conjunction that we find the most striking connection and transiting Mars is undoubtedly the catalyst, a warning that the unresolved ghosts, if not energies, of conflict are being raised once more. Could it be that Chiron’s position on the LBH north node indicates the that healing needed for resolution is finally manifesting, that its time has come, or will the wound of the past be deepened by these triggers? Will the ghosts be laid to rest or infuse the present with a spirit of retribution?

It is notable that a 26th Feb. solar eclipse chart cast for Standing Rock (14.58 UTC) has the current T square directly on the Asc/Dc axis with Mars and Uranus rising – Pluto squares from the mid 10th house. This carries a heavily loaded potential for resurgent and insurgent action. Strong leadership with powerful revolutionary potential is indicated in this, but, it can swing both ways and with Jupiter in Libra setting in the west, the eclipsing of justice is not beyond the scope of this chart either.

The Mars square suggests that conflict will continue to unfold, with Uranus potentially bringing unprecedented and traumatic consequences. There could also be significant breakthrough as a result of the enforced eviction. This may not be obvious at first but there are larger patterns at work in this and it’s dynamic is going to continue, and these dynamics are now applying out on a much wider scale.

lakota-blue-aura frank howell

It helps to reflect upon how crucial ‘leadership’ is in the current time and, in terms of leadership involved then and now, it is worth remembering Custer’s own downfall and its essential core reasons. He was an ambitious and daring individual, willing to lead from the front, whose reckless vanity was almost certainly his undoing. Without going into the well documented timeline of events that illustrate this at Little Bighorn, consider Sun Tzu’s commentary on military leadership in this light :

“There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general: (a) Recklessness, which leads to destruction; (b) cowardice, which leads to capture; (c) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults; (d) a delicacy of honour which is sensitive to shame; (e) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble.

These are the five besetting sins of a general, ruinous to the conduct of war.

When an army is overthrown and its leader slain, the cause will surely be found among these five dangerous faults. Let them be a subject of meditation.” (2)

Custer was undoubtedly guilty of points (a) and (d), and as (c) would suggest, was certainly over hasty and rash; he utterly failed to carry out vital reconnaissance and sought a greater glory (a delicacy of honour) in dealing what he hoped would be the decisive blow within the Sioux Wars. He faced strong leaders and warriors who easily matched his courage, but who also demonstrated the advantage of a superior knowledge of the terrain and an ability to out-think the Colonel – with overwhelming numbers on their side there was little impediment to their victory. If there is a lesson to be learned here, present leaders might do well to consider its relevance and application in our times. The blinkering ‘vanity’ of leadership is one of its greatest stumbling blocks, but, when the scale of resitance is growing, such myopic  leadership will see its misplaced values severely tested. But, the point of Sun Tzu’s strategies was always to avoid conflict and still gain the benefit.

No matter the nature of this conflict or how it plays out in our time, while the land rights of the indigenous people, whose ‘medicine’ Chiron could also be symbolically respresenting here, are crucial to the outcome. But, the scope of the battle has widened and we now see opposing forces of a different nature at work unfolding its dynamic on a much broader front.

An ancient opposition seeded in the far distant past, a struggle symbolised by the conflict between encumbent authority and individual sovereignty through the deeper polarity between the secular and the spiritual, is itself coming to a head, but, is doing so now on a global scale. Our human relationship with land and environment are at its center. Water protectors, choosing peaceful resistance over bloodshed, now oppose militarised federal forces. The people’s sovereign rights are overtly aligned with Earth rights and oppose the power of State aligned with vested corporate interest.

Entangled within this are issues around immigration and boundaries, associations that the current T-square and Saturnian influence are reflecting in an exacerbated state of national and international affairs, politically volatile and shot through with violence.  Thanks to innovative Uranian technologies and the power of social networking they facilitate, the current situation is deeply affected by both manipulative co-oercion and instant connectivity of a nature never before seen in the ‘historical’ period.

The stand-off at Standing Rock, encapsulating so many of these factors has, like the battle now known as Little Bighorn, become iconic and is deeply charged with these dynamics. Natural resources are central to both conflicts, gold being at the heart of the government’s landgrab in the 1870’s. Now the ‘protection of the waters’ from the dangers of the exploitation of such resources is at the heart of Standing Rock, and the same spirit is at work in protection of the natural world in general.

fruit-from-the-light-frank-howell

Protectors of the waters, of the Earth and of the people are uniting to defend sovereign rights and the honouring of lawful treaties. They share many of the attributes and aims with the Native American warriors who fought at Greasy Grass, the indigenous name for Little Big Horn. But, the nature of resistance has changed.

As Custer approached the Sioux settlement he drove captured Sioux women and children before his column of soldiers. Seeing this Sioux scouts alerted the camp and the warriors were mobilised. In our time it is the women of Sacred Stone camp who are leading the way in protecting the sacred waters, a restorative reflection of the peaceful resistance that the protectors embody. May peace prevail.

Such is no less the case at any site where the appetite of greed and disrespectful ambition is tearing up the Earth and being met with protective resistance. But, division has become deeply instrumental and the contrast between one side and the other much more stark. The stand-off at large will continue, so long as respect for life and reconciliation is absent and the conflict remains unresolved.

What prompted me to look into the astrological correspondences here were the clear historical and tribal connections and their dynamics being played out now at Standing Rock. Just as the State attempted to order the Sioux nations off their lands under difficult conditions on the ground during the winter of January 1876 , the protectors at Standing Rock have been given a deadline amidst adverse conditions brought by snow melt and heavy rains, but, it was a video that Chase Iron Eyes posted this morning that caught my attention and prompted this article.

Chase Iron Eyes is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, an attorney and activist who is also a member of the Lakota People’s Law Project – I leave you with the video in which he talks of the importance of the Thunder spirits to the situation as it is now unfolding at Standing Rock……

(1) ‘Coyote Medicine’ – Lewis Mehl-Madrona, Simon & Schuster, 1997
(Italics, mine)
(2)’The Art Of War’ – Sun Tzu, various translations

Images by Frank Howell – from the top :
‘Circle Of Life’
‘Lost Warrior’
‘Lakota Blue Aura’
‘Fruit From The Light’

astrology, culture, Earth healing, planetary aspects, planetary nodes, retrograde planets, Root Medicine of the Stars, Transition of the Ages

Creating The Path Is The Path ~ Mars Stations Direct

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In the early hours of June 30th Mars stations at 23°03′ of Scorpio and, from our Earth perspective, begins a new two year cycle of direct motion.  Mars direct offers us a springboard for informed action that is in alignment with our deepest desires. However, to gain the optimum benefits of this impulse it is well advised to first align with Mars slowdown, to realign ourselves with our own internal drives before putting new plans into action. As Mars slows down to standstill after ten weeks of being retrograde, it is now time to take a moment to reflect on the most important lessons we can draw from the last two months or more.

If you have felt as though, in some important areas of your life, you have been driving with the handbrake on, from the end of June into early July you can expect a sense of emergence and greater freedom to come into play – allow some time to let your wings to unfurl and feel their power before taking off for the wild blue yonder.

If you have been able to bide your time or have treated this time as an opportunity to have fun with the retrograde period, doing handbrake turns and making circles in the road, this is now a time to stop burning rubber senselessly and take a more serious view towards your own agenda – draw breath and for the next couple of weeks show yourself just how adept you can be at taking the potential of your own life seriously.

The gist is that Mars retrograde  is a time to either slow down and go with the flow or to let off steam, both being preparation for a coming time of focus and concerted effort. Either way, in Scorpio Mars ultimately gives us a deeper sense of our own power and its place in the world, and, with this apparent change of impetus a change of perspectives comes into play. The third quarter of 2016 will undoubtedly challenge us to face up to how we are using our energy in pursuit of our most deeply held desires.

Reassessing our deepest passions at a personal level inevitably brings us face to face with limitations to using our personal power that we have experienced in the past. The expansion of imagination and (self) knowledge that we can bring to bear on this process will directly affect the world view we have, especially when Mars enters Sagittarius again just after Lughnasadh, at the beginning of August. This will be a good time to embark upon new fields of learning, to broaden our skills base and thinking.

Collectively, in the face of current circumstances, this shift in perspective meets a longer term necessity; we know  we must become more worldly wise, especially as we now enter a time in which the will of the people will be increasingly tested against the will of the power brokers in this world. Where these clash, where we experience dissonance between our own agendas and those that have we have been co-opted into, ‘a new level of understanding’ is the optimum prerequisite – it signals a time of ‘consciousness raising’ and any action that lacks this fundamental requirement runs the risk of repeating our mistakes, as well as of instigating confrontation and violent reprisal. Conversely, with the higher goal firmly in our grasp we stand a good chance of seeing the ‘groundswell’, the resurgent ‘will of the people’ that was seeded at the Spring eclipses bearing first fruits.

The cultural and global impact of this effect will bring fresh challenges to the status quo, and a refueled sense of purpose is a prerequisite for making our actions count, in the face of any resistance to systemic change it may catalyse. I am anticipating a third quarter of dynamic attempts at restructuring the relationship between personal and institutionalised power, and we need to be ready and well informed!

Mars will be carrying the Scorpio imprint of unwavering focus and determination forward in its new cycle so, where there are clashes of agendas, we can expect hightened friction to colour the mundane world as we shift between the Ages. However, the planetary matrix indicates that we will see this dynamic upping a gear sooner rather than later. Towards the end of August the red planet will return to 9° of Sagittarius, the degree in which its retrograde period began – the preparation we can undertake now and ensuing the sense of direction we have chosen will meet its first real test.

swordwoman

On August 24th Mars will meet with Saturn on the fixed star Antares, squaring the lunar nodes, a strong indication that the prevailing focus will be on how the wilful use of aggression is shaping our world, and what its antidote is. At its ‘higher octave’ Antares martial focus belongs to the individual who champions the underdog, the ‘David’ like figure who stands up to ‘Goliaths’ of this world and fights for liberation. People power starts with each of us and activism will be more effective if it is ‘knowingly applied’, organised, keeping the bigger picture firmly in mind, rather than simply as a collectively realised personal reaction to events. A skilfull use of our personal power and knowledge is favoured over crude use of force that follows the herd.

The challenge is to use the will to higher ends, to temper our tempers, to use the fiery life force at large constructively, and to keep the focus on significant and beneficial long term change rather than short term victories. There is a philosophical flavour to the view that will emerge, bringing the more traumatic consequences of ‘short-termism’ into sharp focus.

As Mars moves beyond Saturn a moment of hiatus may crystalise following events that, for example, cause us to severely question and make a concerted effort to bring an end to the misuse of  our vital energy and its co-option in the pursuit of conflict and war. This will coincide with Mars transit of Uranus south node, a crucial point already activated by Saturn’s station retrograde three months ago.

Saturn’s retrograde will itself come to an end shortly before the meeting with Mars when the Moon transits the ringed planet on August 12th, so the lessons of Saturn’s own retrograde period must also be taken into account before hand, as a part of our preparation. These reach back to March 24th 2016 when, just hours after the full Moon/lunar eclipse, Saturn slowed to a standstill within 30′ of arc of the south node of Uranus in Sagittarius.

Embedded within the 36 year cycle between Neptune and Saturn this astrological event underlined the question of who we are and why we are here, the meaning of our mortality and relationship with death within life. With these two planets currently in a tight square and the lunar nodes closing to square Saturn over the coming months the third quarter of 2016 has a philosophical quality about it that underpins the ongoing global transformation already underway.

Uranus seven squares with Pluto have undermined the power structures of ‘the Establishment’ and we are now dealing with the effects of this, the turbulence in their wake. Saturn’s presence also carries the Sagittarian signature forward, putting everything that has stood for maintenance of the status quo into a ‘global context’ of reconfiguration at ground level.

The challenge is to avoid falling back into old patterns and materialise a break with the past that commits to working for a better future. Collectively, this could be a magical and inspiring time, if our personal will is able to operate beyond habitual constraints and we have the imaginative ability to re-envision the human imprint upon our home planet. Every individual’s contribution counts.

In Saturn’s square with Neptune the anthropocentrism of the human presence on planet Earth is questioned in its relationship to the ecocentric spirit and aspirations of our times. This relationship is bringing increasing tension into the world as we question our own collective purpose in the light of environmental disturbances and their relationship to our use of power and technology within the current cultural and spiritual paradigms. This is an aspect that brings the imaginative and spiritual realms of consciousness into question through the lens of pragmatic worldly analysis. When we get into this frame of mind, the constellation of Piscean archetypes and the dynamics of imagination can ground in new forms within the Sagittarian field, but not before exposing both our spiritual deficit and our hubristic tendencies. Uranus can also indicate where the trauma arising from these tendencies continue to affect us, where we need to raise our consciousness to a new level.

Saturn and Neptune’s rhythm is deeply instructive. In the human realm the 36th year marks the first waxing square after the first Saturn return, a moment of maturation that tests the validity of the gains we have made in the process of coming home to the reality of our selves. It is the equivalent of three Jupiter cycles, an expansion of our personal power that requires a new level of maturity, and presages the need to consolidate our gains towards meaningful ends, a process which is tested at mid-life. As we enter the very beginning of the current period of recapitulation and preparation, as Mars slows down and turns direct, we now find Jupiter and the Moon’s north node conjunct in Virgo. They are exactly on Uranus and Pluto’s meeting point at the beginning of their current cycle during the mid sixties.

These times carry some potent connections across time and question our capacity to embrace the wider view through time towards the future. Uranus in Aries is quincunx Mars as he stations direct in Scorpio – and Mars rulership of both signs reflects a time to claim our own sovereignty. Mars also trines retrograde Chiron in Pisces – self compassion is the key to healing our spiritual wounds, the sign that we are ready to reclaim and strengthen the link with the wisdom of our ‘higher self’.

‘Rebellious youth’ must, inevitably, become ‘responsible adult’ and humanity, having acted for too long like a kid in a Ferrari, must realise that the red light that is flashing in the periphary of our vision is not simply the cops giving chase, the past catching up with us, but, also the sign that our tank is approaching empty and we may be running on air. The ‘fly-boys’ and hedonists of the world are about to get their comeuppance! But, we don’t want to be taken down with them…..

longship

Make good use of the coming weeks to get with your own inner beat, develop the meaningful art of understanding your own rhythms, and re-orientate your life towards worthy causes that your own passions align with naturally. With a sense of liberation and willingness to navigate through unknown territory the world takes on a dynamic vitality that reflects Mars impulse to get up and live; as the July new Moon approaches we can prepare for fresh fields, an expansion of our personal and collective scope, and carry the momentum forward with a deepened sense of responsibility.

No matter how small you may feel in the face of our current global challenges Mars message is to be confident in yourself. There is great power in this. Take this time personally, make it your own, but, remember, everything you do has a meaning and a purpose that reaches well beyond the known – this is the age of transition and, in it, creating the path ‘is’ the path.

Root Medicine of the Stars

The Star and the Crucible

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starandthecrucible

This post is primarily about preparation for the Lughnasadh planetary chart for August 1st, but, before we get to that one, in the next post, we must first look into something that is coming in the run up to find out why the planetary patterns of that date are particularly juiced up and anticipate the degree of significance the midpoint between solstice and equinox carries this time around. So, yes, you guessed it, its that Grand Sextile.

In the run up to the cross quarter fire festival a grand sextile pattern clicks into place for a period of about 10hours on the 29th of July up until round about 22:00 UTC. This configuration shows the geometry of the planets within the chart forming a six pointed star, often refered to as the Star of David, and in it two grand trines bring earth and water signs into the balanced interlocking geometry of the image; getting earthed and going with the flow.

The amazing thing is just how many astrologers and symbolists alike are hanging predictions upon the auspicious interpretation of this symbol alone, and in the process are risking throwing the baby out with the bathwater, for, not only is the grand sextile itself shot through with oppositions, throughout its formation the S.o.D (Star of David) chart as a whole harbours the long running square between Pluto and Uranus, here brought into a hightened state of volatility by Mars and Jupiter in opposition to Pluto and squaring Uranus. This T cuts right across the Star and punctures its symmetry, dividing it into two distinct halves.

The image is further complicated with a second T between Moon in Taurus opposite Saturn in Scorpio with the Sun square in Leo at their mid-point. This configuration in particular pushes patriarch and matriarch under the spotlight in opposition and this could itself be symbolic of the zeitgeist, and as it is the Moon that triggers the six-point geometry, the People are bringing present Earth related issues to bear in this stand-off. Are we seeing the possibility of the male and female archetypes finding clearly defined form and flooding the field, demanding attention and workable relationship? And, how might this find expression?

Uranus in Aries can be both fiercely illuminating and shockingly aggressive, and, being at the mid-point between the opposing planets within the T between Pluto and Mars conjunct Jupiter, shows a potential release point for the pressure represented in that opposition. There is predominantly masculine energy present here. Here too we find at work an expanding energy of strong feelings and desire to break free of control and manipulation, an innate dissident militancy that arises both from and in ‘opposition’. Not difficult to see how these two T squares might relate to each other! They describe a crucible of power.

The People are up in arms at the endemic incursion on self determination that is infiltrating our lives, and privacy and natural rights are both being eroded and attacked, and are seen to be intimately interwoven. The lightning strike unpredictability of the Uranian release asks us all to be awake and aware. A flash-point between oppressors and oppressed, a direct hit at the heart of natural balance, the divisive intervention of State and corporatocracy within the birthrights of all born of Earth, all of which are clearly unfolding in our times, could come to a head. And land and water, the signature of the interlocking trines, flagged up through key issues like fracking and weather control for example, are the symbolic battle ground. But then, so is our very consciousness…..microwave and low frequency manipulation of the wavelengths of awareness are amongst the modus operandi of an assault on sentience – turn off the appliances and listen.

Add to this another factor and this becomes clear as a powerful underlying issue in this moment; grand trines can be representative of both pervasive and unconscious influences, equally prone to altering the background and colouring the foreground of our experiences. Double this and you can see how easy it might be amongst all this pressure to confuse the personal with the impersonal, to fall under influences affecting the collective, sourced in the coercive and the hidden agenda, and in the process loose sight of the power of our own self authority. It pays to remember that these planetary influences are what we make of them – such is also the nature of primary symbols carrying strong symbolic resonance and archetypal influence, but here the alterations and colouring carry much more sinister implications. It is not only the world that is being fucked with, it is our minds. Perhaps it is the presence of so much subversion, tension and challenge in the world just now that is driving the idealised interpretation of this Star symbol in the skies……wouldn’t be the first time. In fact, the very reality of this recurrence is the elephant in the room, and elephants are not only wise, they have long memories! Here is a crux point that our ancestors knew all too well…..can we trust ourselves to be ourselves and get it right this time? Signs are……

……so, it should be said that this window of opportunity is in no small measure a powerful one, if we choose to work with the presence of that six-point configuration. It does represent the opening of our inner matrix to the outer, a unifying of fundamental patterns within the field and ourselves, so, the advice here in working with it is to simply, at this stage, allow awareness to be the key that unlocks its magic and its memory – no big shakes, just an acceptance in the moment of divine providence, as it were, he said ironically. But, there is the all important caveat, the one that might make all the difference. Opening ourselves to the field at such a time as this requires clear and boundaried space in which to do so. The outer rim of the six-points defining the star pattern unite through the hightened energy of the sextile. This calls for us to intend for that boundary to be a filter to all that is not inherently your own. Be clear about this – it asks for only that which serves your higher purpose to be allowed in. While this is almost certainly a time of inner re-adjustment back to original settings it is not a moment to act, but, to open to commitment. And afterwards we can ask ‘to what’….? Expect the universe to provide an answer, even though it may not be what you expected!

What may well become apparent here if we work with the opportunity at hand, and carry it beyond this moment, is how that personal higher purpose relates to the tension and challenge at large in the world signified by those T squares. Again, since the inner workings of the grand sextile come through the balanced interlocking of the grand trines, inner clarity and equilibrium is called for. At this time, simply to fund your inner space with receptivity – no agendas, until they can truly be called your own. The remaining opposition between Venus in Virgo and Neptune in Pisces emphasise that while we will undoubtedly feel the importance of spiritualising this time for ourselves it is only when we can truly say that our own path is a ‘path with a heart’ that we can truly commit ourselves to it. Examine how this sits with the way you are living, and, if anything, commit to living it from the heart – this releases great healing into the world. It also has the potential to bring the whole edifice of artificial and dysfunctional living crumbling down. The implications are profound and real. But, like all of such nature it is also at heart most natural.

Its a Zen meditation in the midst of the turmoil of the marketplace, and, even if we sit in isolation on top of the mountain the world below remains what it is, and we a part of it. There is no call for escapist and blinkered idealism here. Nature true and real is our greatest ally – and the chaos and noise within the temple of the city is equally fertile ground for enlightenment. But then, the Zen slap is always unexpected…….!

If I were to wrap up with a philosophical slant upon this reading it would have to come back to how the troubles of our world are founded upon an illusion. At the heart of which is separation. With the Moon in Taurus activating the Star pattern its own opposition with Saturn in Scorpio brings the need for recognition of how deeply our feelings are being controlled, structured and corralled by the false fear engendering opposition of death with life. The earth connection is vital to restoring unity, both psychically, emotionally and materially, and controlling nature, both our own and the living planet’s, through fear is the way to separate us from spirit. This is the illusion, a product of the bifurcation of consciousness.

In this opportunity we have a window into unified, that is to say, ‘original’ consciousness, untrammelled, clear and everpresent. It is enough to just step into that sacred space and allow its inherent nature to bring us home to our own true nature. No effort, no fear, but, a vibrant point of awareness amidst the turbulence of a world in change. Only the strongly grounded unification of male and female principles within the dance of Life – observe, be ready, it is already here……Blessed Be!