On the Chiron/Saturn square

The Moon is in Pisces and will meet Neptune later tonight. This can be both mystical and transcending as the Sun (in Scorpio) and the Moon are in deeply intimate waters right now. We could feel more impressionable and inspired with our attention turned towards spiritual matters.

Tomorrow night, the Moon in Pisces will conjunct Chiron and trigger the Chiron/Saturn square, just in time for Halloween.

The Chiron/Saturn square is the big signature aspect this week and it is both difficult and rewarding. We could be aware of old wounds while also being ready to move on from that space of hurt.

This aspect is a mixture of realization around painful truth and healing. You could feel sensitive and self-conscious of your downfalls while experiencing some closure around them. It’s like having the raw awareness of where it hurts in order to locate the pain, forgive yourself and hopefully move on.

It’s hard and edgy but also rewarding if you make the effort to be honest with yourself. It calls for maturity around our most vulnerable selves.

“I said: what about my eyes?
He said: Keep them on the road.

I said: What about my passion?
He said: Keep it burning.

I said: What about my heart?
He said: Tell me what you hold inside it?

I said: Pain and sorrow.
He said: Stay with it.
The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”

― Jalaluddin Rumi

NEW MOON IN VIRGO: ENDINGS & HEALINGS

New Moon in Virgo: 1:30am EDT (3am NDT) September 20, 2017.

Mercury, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

☿

The New Moon in Virgo comes to us on the threshold of the Fall Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere. The beginning of this lunar cycle finds us in the liminal space between the brightness of summer and its imminent decay.

Two days after the New Moon on September 22nd, at 16:02 EDT, the Sun enters the sign of Libra and signals the beginning of Autumn.

ENDINGS & HEALINGS

The New Moon is often associated with the beginning of a monthly cycle and renewed vigor for the month ahead. Since this New Moon takes place in the last degrees of Virgo just 2 days before the Fall Equinox, she carries with her an air of finality and closure as oppose to new beginnings.

It is within the current endings that we will find the new beginnings taking shape. Something is being composted into a nourishing and fertilizing soil. However, we must appreciate this process fully and bid farewell to past fantasies and bewildering ideas that keeps us looking backward. To cross this seasonal threshold, something must be surrendered or given as a token gesture to those ideals and fantasies. It is in this paradoxical abandon that we shall receive the necessary healing for the next part of the journey and the accomplishment of our future goals.

OPEN WOUNDS

Under this New Moon in Virgo our wounds will take an incandescent glow calling to our attention what can’t be ignored any longer. The surfacing of these wounds could make us feel vulnerable but it will allow us to apply the necessary medicine. The pain which usually lies dormant under the surface of our skin will rise up and give us a clear indication of what must be healed. The remedies could be a bewildering blend of intuitive visions and practical applications. The most difficult task will be to rid ourselves of the intangible poisons and parasites.

Mercury, ruler of Virgo, presides over this New Moon and will be in exact opposition to Neptune at the time of the New Moon. Mercury began its retrograde motion on August 12 – in this exact part of the zodiac and opposing Neptune.

The train we have been riding since last month had Neptune coloured windows. When Neptune is involved, facts and fiction blend together creating a confusing cocktail of wishful thinking and unrealistic expectations. Under Neptune, we are intoxicated by an ideal and susceptible to delusion. At its best, Neptune gives a romantic tone to the object of desire, making us see what we want a see. Hopefully, the Sun in Virgo has helped us discriminate between what is achievable and what was mere fantasies. Regardless, in the days to come, we should slowly start to gain clarity on our current situation and any confusing scenarios we have been engaging with since the beginning of August will be seen for what they are. The New Moon in Virgo is also in exact opposition to Chiron; once the rose-coloured glasses come off, the truth could be hard to digest and the pain quick to locate. Be easy on yourself.

HONESTY & PRAGMATISM

Finally, remember that not everything can be solved at once. Patience and humility will be required for your perceived mistakes and failings; nothing is perfect in this world. Special attention must be paid to anything that requires fixing; whether physiological, spiritual or mechanical. Some of the keys you hold in your hands will heal what ails you and some of those keys will open dead-end doors. Pay attention to the repeating clues given to you as you cross the threshold between Summer and Fall.

 

Paintings by Zdzisław Beksiński and Magritte

 

Uprooting beauty

DARA SCULLY

”The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.” 
-The Bible, King James Version, Song of Songs 7:12–13

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The upcoming trine between Venus and Pluto will be exact right after the New Moon in Cancer on June 24th. This aspect conjures up the rich scent of the earth exuding from freshly pulled roots. The hands are dirty and have been working hard.

On a table laying in broad day light is a collection of various treasures dug out of the ground; buried objects carrying with them long forgotten stories. To keep or to discard?

Destruction and beauty are an odd pair. 

Craving more ease, you might get excited at the sight of the decaying past – hypnotized by the promises and possibilities of new beginnings. Suddenly the forbidden becomes alluring; desiring something that is denied to you.  Can it be yours? 

Be warned that the price is steeped but it’s already too late.

What was unearthed is taking hold.

The distant lure of beauty animates you and you keep digging in the hopes of finding more.

The process is difficult but you cannot back down. You know how important this is for your well-being. Feeling good might even sting a little but you keep digging. The sight of beauty hurts your eyes. Your heart is pounding in your chest.

Don’t stop now.

Tectonic shifts are happening.

Your heart wants more, aching for new intensity.

Renovations are well underway and you must get rid of some things to make space for what you have discovered.

Introducing more beauty, more love, more pleasure is an arduous task and things will need to be destroyed.

Be willing to leave the comfort of your garden and trade-in all of your jewels for that gut feeling.

 

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Venus @ 18 Taurus 30 trine Pluto @ 18 Capricorn 30 on June 24, 2017  @ 3:59 AM EST    

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“Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.” ― Jalaluddin Rumi

 

Meeting the Devil at the Crossroads

Mercury went direct early this morning in the sign of Sagittarius.
For the next few weeks, it will travel back over the same degrees of the zodiac it was in early December and will meet with Pluto in Capricorn on January 29th.

It could be that something you were working on back in December will start gaining momentum by the end of the month. An internal process is ready to be externalized.
Some ideas are taking shape and gaining traction. Important clues or answers are finally coming to you that will illuminate the path ahead.

Since Mercury is heading towards Pluto, the importance of honesty is crucial. Lying will only slow down the process. Speak your truth even if it’s a difficult one. Taking shortcuts might help you in the short term but at what cost? Be willing to face a difficult process. Acknowledge your progress.

If you find yourself at a crossroad, choose the path that leads you to your heart’s integrity.

The constancy of Saturn

Things take time.

One does not become wise with the accumulation of diplomas but with the slow movement towards death that we like to call maturity. You cannot buy experience; you have to wait patiently at the threshold of time.

Observe with humility what unfolds
Take notes
Act accordingly

There is no better instruction manual for life than time. With the wisdom acquired one realizes that he knows nothing at all and this is when the true learning journey begins.

The adversity of reality builds strength of character and reveals its underlying truth one drop at a time. For the steep price of aging we discover the secrets that remain hidden to the hubris of youth. The finality of death can be a fantastic teacher for those who are eager to learn. Where one only sees restrictions the student of Saturn sees a learning opportunity.

*Saturn is currently at 18º of Sagittarius in a conjunction with the Sun. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter which is expansive and generally joyful. A far cry from the restrictive nature of Saturn. Not only does this annual conjunction of the Sun and Saturn happening on Jupiter’s home turf the planet which is currently at 18º Libra is also sextile to the Sun/Saturn conjunction. This lightens Saturn’s load considerably and might bring interesting wisdom and an appreciation for time-tested ideas.

The conjunction of the Sun and Saturn in Sagittarius is exact Saturday morning the 10th of December.

Here are some of my interpretation for this conjunction.  Please keep in mind that those are general interpretations. To know more specifically how this conjunction will influence you, locate the house where Sagittarius falls in your chart. This conjunction will be more evident if you have planets in the middle degrees of either Sagittarius or other mutable signs.

➣Gratitude for recent struggles who brought you a genuine level of strength and wisdom.

➣A sense of accomplishments after a period of hard work.

➣Making long-term plans.

➣The realisation that people can’t live-up to your unrealistic expectations.

➣A desire for socializing which doesn’t find an easy outlet.

➣The awareness that things take time and that it is perfectly ok.

➣It is the journey that brings the teachings not the destination.

➣Being limited in some ways but being ok with that. Wisdom in limitations.

➣The desire to slow down and assimilate recent teachings.

➣Wisdom from the distant past coming to the surface.

➣Limitations and their potentials.

➣The presence of sickness and death and learning to enjoy the present moment.

➣The silver lining of something very difficult

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Here is a great example of a Jupiterian person in very difficult circumstances making the best of it.

Click the picture for the link:

Moon in Cancer Musing

Find your sanctuary
the quiet space between
your roots 
and your heart
where the creative center reside
within the safety of yourself

There you will find the endless memories
of all who came before you
Hopes and wishes on a silver thread
will lead you back
to the treasures
of what really matters and what can be buried.

 

Painting by Aron Wiesenfeld

Exposing the Abyss

Today the Sun meets up with Pluto and illuminates the depth of our debts, the dead ends and the crumbling foundations built on borrowed wealth. This is one of the big opening act of the year triggering the recent Uranus/Pluto square. The Sun/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn reflects images of environmental crisis, excessive consumerism, corruption and unsustainable economies. The Earth’s resources are being depleted for the sake of objects with a planned obsolescence. We are escaping from the natural world and into a virtual refuge where we can be heroes of our made up reality. If we can’t find peace in our physical environment we can certainly get lost in the fantasies of the stories we tell ourselves through our phones, televisions and the ever present interweb. (The ongoing Saturn/Neptune square for most of 2016 will confuse boundaries between the real and the virtual increasingly)

The Sun meeting Pluto in Capricorn to begin the year warns us that there is a price to pay for our excess as we trade the wealth of the earth for an ephemeral one. The rot is showing. Our comfort is built not only from unsustainable practices but also on the sweat and blood of millions.  Are we willing to pay the price with more wars and less water and air? Everyday we vote with the choices we make.

On a personal level, the Sun/Pluto conjunction can bring up and exposed subjects that had remain hidden until now. Digging within to find some buried treasures could be a painful and healing process all at once depending on how many secrets you keep from yourself. There could also be an underlying desire to have more personal power or control over something or someone. Awareness is the key.

Panel of hell (detail), Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1480-1505

Let’s talk about endings

I want to explore death, pain and loneliness.  So if you are into positivity and fluffy unicorns these days, you might want to go here instead.

Saturn in  retrograde motion is about to go back into the sign of Scorpio until September. I hadn’t put much thinking into it, until a conversation with Ichrak Dahou sparked my interest and  got me thinking about all things below ”my belt”. Underneath, hidden, darkness, stillness, power, paranoia are powerful words associated with Scorpio.  The sign that we most often connect with decay and the deep transformation that happens when something has reached the point of no return.

What happens when you add Saturn to the mix? Astrologers have spoken extensively on the subject since Saturn just spent the last two and a half years in Scorpio.  Austin Coppock does a great job at covering the territory in his 2013 Astrological Almanac and he elegantly navigates from sex  to politics in the most eloquent manner.

I found a painting by Swiss Symbolist artist Arnold Böcklin (1827–1901) that strongly conveys what arises in me when I think of Saturn in Scorpio:

Isle of the Dead (German: Die Toteninsel) ”Isle of the Dead depict a desolate and rocky islet seen across an expanse of dark water. A small rowboat is just arriving at a water gate and seawall on shore. An oarsman maneuvers the boat from the stern. In the bow, facing the gate, is a standing figure clad entirely in white. Just behind the figure is a white, festooned object commonly interpreted as a coffin. The tiny islet is dominated by a dense grove of tall, dark cypress trees—associated by long-standing tradition with cemeteries and mourning—which is closely hemmed in by precipitous cliffs.

There is a desolation that comes with the scorpionic understanding that all things have an end. There is a fatality with Scorpio: ”Life’s a bitch and than you die”. With experience and age  which is part of  Saturn’s realm, we come to grasp with the multitudes of life’s endings that shape our inner landscape.

Have you ever met someone that has so much pain in their eyes, you can see their soul is burning? Not accepting the natural process of decay creates more suffering.  Holding on to the pain somehow can feel safer but it will eventually eat you from the inside out. Using the hurt as the great teacher that it can be is not only how you will polish the diamond but it is also what will make it precious.

I have a feeling that Saturn short stint  back into Scorpio for the rest of the summer  will have us finally closing some files that we probably should have burned some time ago. But for some reason we decided to hold onto to them. Either because we love to indulge in the familiar or we were just not ready to embrace the change that comes with a new skin.    What kind of ”business” and especially ”personal business” do you still have floating around  from the last two and a half years which need finalising?  Scorpio is a fixed sign, so the process of letting go can be a difficult and complicated one and Saturn’s revisiting last summer’s territory goes to show that there might be more dislodging that needs to happen in order for the light to enter and new life to be born.

In Saturn’s book, after the struggle and endurance test comes refinement and maturity. If you do your homework.

There is something tragic about endings that doesn’t sit well with our need to remain  comfortably  entrenched in the familiar grooves, but it is a necessary passage in order to bring change and growth. Fear can cripple. Insecurities can become a way we respond to situations, especially in the realm of personal relationship. Saturn returning into Scorpio is the opportunity  to take the teachings associated with our suffering and self-protective responses when we feel threatened and use that pain to grow up.

“The true light never hides the darkness but is born out of the very center of it, transforming and redeeming. So to the darkness we must return, each of us individually accepting his ignorance and loneliness, his sin and weakness, and, most difficult of all, consenting to wait in the dark and even to love the waiting… ” -Helen M. Luke