The Art of Dying: Until the New

“We may idealize freedom, but when it comes to our habits, we are completely enslaved.”
―Sogyal Rinpoche

Dedication and Destination

Uranus going direct at the end of December really got us all fired up about the upcoming possibilites in our lives in the New Year. Saturn in Sagittarius ruled by Jupiter in Virgo is offering the possibility to have an organised outlook on the horizon and a good idea of the work that is required get beyond our current situation. Our faith is turning towards the satisfaction that comes with the dedicated attention of working and being useful. We could feel ambitious and work hard to see concrete results down the road. This is a great time let go of instant gratification and integrate systems in our lives that can bring a lasting legacy.

2016 starts with Mercury retrograde at 1º of Aquarius tantalising us with a glimpse of the possible future. Mercury going backward in the sign of Capricorn is like the mountain goat walking the treacherous path of a mountain side: every steps are carefully calculated. With the Sun also in Capricorn and a recent conjunction to Pluto, we could feel extremely ambitious and ready to tackle pretty much anything. Mars in Scorpio is also supporting us with the staying power and resilience needed.

The year 2016 starts with an opportunity to review our values and what we consider important. There is an emphasis on all the little things that makes up the whole. Our attention is on analysis and perspective. The small but important details and the patience required to achieve mastery. The idea here is not to become a martyr but to find greater satisfaction through dedicated awareness in our everyday actions. Negotiating a chosen path requires a little give and take at every moment as we learn to develop a more efficient strategy. Success demands effort, commitment and nerves.

NEW MOON IN CAPRICORN ☾♑︎

The New Moon is at 21:31 EST on January 9th at 19º Capricorn and is carrying with her clues about our role and responsibilities and the place we want to occupy in the grand scheme of things. There might have been some difficult realisations brought up in the recent days around our relationships and habits that no longer serves you. Since this New Moon is ruled by Saturn she brings with her an awareness of time passing and our own or others mortality.

Saturn is currently conjunct Venus which confuse work with pleasure, labour with leisure. Even more so with the square to Neptune which can act as a distraction and a desire to avoid reality all together.

Jupiter just started its retrograde motion through the sign of Virgo and will only turn direct 5 months from now. *Special attention to the nitpickers and perfectionists out there, the possibility to get lost in the never good enough labyrinth is real.

Those planetary aspects, can indicate that we are aligning our work and our beliefs into a more unified version. If only we could find the simple formula that would allow us to combine the obligations of our reality with our inner truth. There is great need to adjust what we do on a daily basis with our beliefs and vice versa. This can create a sort of cognitive dissonance if our words do not match our actions. We are learning to walk the talk and we need to let go of certain habits, situations or people who might be holding us back.

The New Moon in Capricorn supports fresh ideas and concepts that are grounded and achievable. Since Mercury is retrograde for most of January, I would suggest focusing on restructuring the systems you have in place that will allow you to become more efficient.  Favour concrete, step-by-step approach and let-go of time-wasting habits without becoming too obsessive.

Modern Vanitas by Kalico the Kat

 

We are weighed down, every moment, by the conception and the sensation of Time. And there are but two means of escaping and forgetting this nightmare: pleasure and work. Pleasure consumes us. Work strengthens us. Let us choose.
-Charles Baudelaire

 

 

 

Structure and Change

The Moon is in Capricorn for the rest of the day and just left a conjunction with Pluto triggering the recent cardinal t-square between Mars, Uranus and Pluto. Those of you with personal planets in cardinal signs (Aries-Libra-Cancer-Capricorn) could be especially sensitive to the changes that are trying to occur.

The image: Tectonic plates are shifting. There are significant structural changes happening with far reaching results which might be invisible to the naked eye. Tectonic plates moving around can also cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. This is part of a bigger process.

There is a desire to move in a new direction. We can see all the work that needs to be done and we are willing to roll up our sleeves. We could feel serious and determined as we take on new responsibilities. We also have to collaborate with others in the process. Finding compromises that work for both parties involved.

The spirit is moving forward seeking change and renewal.

A view through the narrow Nes Canyon, near Husavik, north west Iceland. This canyon is formed by a fault in Iceland’s volcanic landscape that has filled with glacial spring water. Photo taken by Alex Mustard.

 

Begin by picking up the pebbles, one by one.

Saturn is in Sagittarius for the next few years and this gives us a desire to reshape our lives to be in line with our brazen visions.

The ruler of Sagittarius is the expansive and unrestrained Jupiter who will remain in the sign of Virgo until September 2016.

Virgo is concerned with approaching a project with humility, working patiently on every details to ensure the quality of its outcome.

This means that in order to achieve our vision, the need to stay humble and use our creative fires with moderation is needed.

It is perfectly ok to have a large scale dream, but we have to be willing to put in the effort that is required to materialise it.

Artist Michael Grab

” When you work within the limits of your capabilities and gifts, you are likely to succeed, and that success will bring you increased confidence. But if you launch out on some vast undertaking, you run the risk of failure, and your confidence will diminish. Would you like your confidence to become stronger? If you would instead of trying to move mountain, begin by picking up pebbles, one by one. If you work at this every day you will gradually gain the strength to move a whole mountain. Of course, this metaphor needs interpretation.

It is a human failing to want to plunge with far too much haste into huge ventures, but this is a mistake. We must begin with little things. Supposing you are a singer: to make your debut, you would not apply to sing at the Metropolitain Opera House, because you would be booed off stage and would only end your career in some backwater, singing to an audience of a few gawking bystanders. You would do best first to choose a chicken coop as your concert hall and sing to an audience of hens, and then, if the chickens stop pecking to listen to your songs, you will know that you are talented and will one day be capable of some recitals in some lovely opera house.” –Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Faith and Practicality

The Moon is in Sagittarius applying to conjoin Saturn at 5º Sagittarius and sextile Venus in Libra. Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius is in Virgo, and the Saturn/Neptune square is intensifying. A call to bring focus and humility to our vision and work patiently and diligently towards it.

☾ ♐︎
The image is one of a student apprentice, on a mission to collect herbs he will need for his work. Perhaps he stops for a moment to contemplate the landscape, but he will not get lost in his meditations. His attention turns towards finding the plants, and all the work that still needs to be done.

♃ ♍︎
The time has come to direct our inner fire towards some sort of bigger accomplishment.  We know that to get there, we will need to hold the image in our mind’s eye. There is no time for meaningless activities. We are either looking for the path, or we are well on our way. Anxious to move ahead, there is a concentrated effort and our gaze is on the horizon.  Between the desire for something meaningful, and our ideal, we can find the inner resourcefulness we need to keep going.

Like a pilgrim guided by his prayers, we are now imbued with the faith needed to move forward. There is still a long road ahead but each step is an offering to our vision.