Our Palpable Needs
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| “The Circlet” of stars in the constellation Pisces, creates the head of the southern fish, which marks the sidereal cusp of Aquarius / Pisces. Full Star Map |
A dynamic of events occurs in this lunar month catalyzing a significant refocusing in our lives: Mercury begins its retrograde and its new synodic cycle. The asteroid Ceres begins its retrograde. Saturn completes its retrograde. The asteroid Pallas begins its new synodic cycle. Pluto begins its retrograde, Jupiter begins its new synodic cycle, and the equinox occurs. All will be discussed throughout this lunar month's text. Let us first explore the underlying context of this month's lunar theme.
Several stars compose the theme of the last few degrees of sidereal Aquarius and of our New Moon theme:
Entering late Aquarius from the very southern heavens is Beta Reticuli--our principal New Moon star. Unlike Alpha Reticuli, Beta Reticuli lies at the same distance from Earth as the Zetas of Reticuli, which conjoin nearby Markab of the Great Square of Pegasus. Beta Reticuli inspires experiential research or exploration in the genetic network, human gene pool, and in the psychic and biological artsciences. It also inspires us to address the physical needs of our lives, to get out of our head-tripping mind-over-matter denial-of-the-physical mental modes of living that leave us short from making real the palpable nourishment we all need--to bridge the gap from the mentalized and idealized to the physical-feeling level of life.
Markab of the Great Square of Pegasus significantly influences this few degree band of ecliptic, Markab, Alpha Pegasus, is the saddle or the physical vehicle upon which soul rides or through which soul expresses: literally the corporeal physical body. Markab brings attention to the physical condition of one's body at the genetic and cellular level. Markab is the vehicle through which soul accomplishes its greater mission-the physical cellular aspect of the Merkabah, one's body of light. Markab not only brings attention to our physical body and its health-the body being the temple / vessel of the soul--but to the physical aspects of our lives and of our relations, how we interrelate in our human physicality. This includes the physical means or forms through which we participate in life, from the professional structures that make our nourishment possible, especially the functional aspects of humanitarian-focused organizations, to the physical logistics of our personal and daily lives. Markab asks us to honor the palpable, the physical needs we have.
The stars of Pegasus, which lie over our New Moon, in general represent the refinement of self, of the physical vehicle or vessel through which soul expresses--so we may express and live from the true essence of soul beyond the fear-instilling emotional dramatics of the world of human affairs.
Zeta Reticuli, conjoining Markab, is actually two stars, Zeta 1 and Zeta 2, separated by ~5 minutes of arc, and ~2 lightyears from each other in distance--hence the name "the Zetas." The Zetas are estimated to be about 35 lightyears from our star system. The Zetas are two remote star systems with respect to the main body of the Reticuli constellation.
Contrary to bad press in the stellar personification common to galactic myth, I hold that the Zetas have a key function in the greater evolutionary process regarding our own (Earthian's) evolutionary fulfillment, as do all other stellar races / rays, they are not an infiltrating enemy to us. The Zetas perfectly reflect a primary facet of the human condition--human's tendency to live in the high recesses of the intellect, the bio-logical condition common to the unillumined DNA, extremely disconnected at the feeling / emotional level to the needs of their main body, to the physical-feeling aspects of self (the Zetas are often accused to be a stellar race that is non-feeling and without compassion). This is the intellectualizing of the physical--bypassing the feeling-intuitive, having the inability (inner resistance) to embrace the feeling of experience. With paradox, this leaves us emotionally fragmented, storing unresolved emotional-based patterns in our cellular structure due to the resistance to fully embrace (feel) experience, the physicality of life. This leads us to further intellectualize life, lost in a mental maze of confusion, while at the same time creating an emotionally reactive behavioral response.
The head of the southern fish of Pisces (the Circlet) reaching from Pisces into the last few degrees of sidereal Aquarius articulates the transition from the high mental artsciences into the wet emotional and palpable Piscian world--often a circular process of growth. Perhaps our intellectualism of life (living in the head) is why we cut off a fish's head and devour its body--an anarchic approach to supporting life, hence the paradox. The circlet also exemplifies the circular nature to the conformation of life and to our process of growth. The Zetas of Reticuli's conjunction with Markab and the Circlet also reflects our need to palpably embrace the physical rather than intellectualize (dissect it) which merely creates unresolved emotional patterns which we than react from in a circle of perpetuated confusion.
Also conjoining Beta Reticuli and our New Moon from the north is the seyfert galaxy NGC7469 in Pegasus. This explosive force provides an intense inner drive to breakthrough the apparent paradoxes in our lives and to realize a solution that addresses our physical needs.
Expanding on the Theme
The hours before the Crescent Moon provide a time when we relinquish patterns of the past that would limit our creative ability to expand on the theme now unfolding. The Crescent Moon is the time when the sprouting seedling sloughs off its protective coat of the past, and emerges in its new expression. As the Crescent Moon unfolds, the growing phase of the lunar cycle begins as we start to amalgamate our personal creativity with the original lunar theme.
Our Crescent Moon occurs on March 13 in the initiatory gate of sidereal Aries. Its alignment with Triangulum asks us to hold our vision beyond the dramatics occurring in our lives, to live beyond the judgments inherent to our bio-logic mental process that perpetuate our struggles in physical, to let our thinking cease so we may realize the way beyond our struggles. The relinquishment of judgmental mind establishes the resonance that opens a higher vibrational portal beyond the lower psychic strata of opposing forces and beyond the limited choices that duality holds.
The Ides of March
The Sun moves from sidereal Aquarius into wet and sensual sidereal Pisces on the Ides of March (March 15). The sun moves from one sidereal sign to another near the middle of each month.
The "ides" is term that marked the middle day of each month in the earliest Roman Calendar, thought to have been designed by Romulus, one of the founders of Rome. The phrase, "ides of March," is common today only because it was used by Shakespeare in the warning to Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was stabbed to death on the Ides of March, (March 15) 44 B.C.
Initiate Action
The First Quarter Moon of each lunar cycle draws an external stimulus to initiate action as we move from the inspirational quarter of the lunar cycle into the action quarter. Our First Quarter Moon of Mar 17 lies just into the first few degrees of sidereal Gemini. Here we have high intensity intellectual communication, knowledge, information, and the exchange of it regarding logistical related matters in our lives. The essence of Gemini inspires us to work hand-in-hand for the betterment and evolutionary fulfillment of all involved. Gemini is of communication, commerce, and the daily activity of life.
Mercury Retrograde
Mercury, now in sidereal Pisces, begins its retrograde on Mar 19, just after the first quarter moon, initiating a time to redefine the logistical aspects of our lives. We will look at the Mercury's new 116-day synodic theme that will be emerging later in this lunar month's text. A retrograde period of a planet marks the time when we disengage from a planet's previous synodic cycle theme and engage in its next one.
The Equinox & That Which is Nourishing
The Equinox occurs on March 20 and the asteroid Ceres begins its retrograde a day later just before the Gibbous Moon over Zubeneschamali, the northern claw of the Scorpio. Ceres brings awareness to how we nurture and to that which is truly nurturing to us. The Ceres retrograde begins a few month period of relinquishing patterns and (karmic-based) life scenarios that are not truly nourishing so we can initiate new ones that are truly nourishing, those that move us forward from the past. Ceres will begin its new synodic cycle on May 8 right next to the northern claw, setting its new synodic theme. Zubeneschamali inspires us to claim our freedom from our life entrapments by moving into our (dharmic-based) future paths in life.
Attraction & Involvement
The 24-hour period just before the Gibbous Moon is a time of perseverance, of pushing through in the action quarter of the lunar cycle. The Gibbous Moon is when the pressure releases and we enter the magnetic pollinating phase of the lunar cycle, which begins a social and communicative time.
Our Gibbous Moon occurs on Mar 21 in latter sidereal Cancer conjoining Merak, Beta star of the Great Bear. Merak inspires us to get on with it, to step forth and break new ground, to move forth into the greater visions we hold.
Solidifying New Allegiances
Time has been bit sluggish up till now, but as Saturn completes its retrograde on Mar 21-22, just after the Gibbous Moon, the energy refreshingly shifts as we once again begin to feel free to move forth. We now engage fully in Saturn's new synodic theme set back in January: that of Pollux, the ambassador, orator, link, and liaison. Pollux portends eminence and renown. Pollux imbuing Saturn asks us to place our creative attention on concretizing new bridges and bonds in our lives that provide a way to move from the devastations or perpetuated dysfunctions of the past and into the opportunistic fulfillment of the future. This Saturnian theme will continue until Saturn begins its new retrograde in November and its next synodic cycle in January of 2006.
Beyond Judgment
Retrograde Pallas begins its new 465-day synodic cycle on Mar 23 in sidereal Virgo. Pallas in our personal charts tends to reveal how and where we spitefully withdraw based on our judgments of right verses wrong, of this verses that. The evolved octave of Pallas asks us to move beyond our judgments, to honor both sides of the fence and apply our creative wisdom for a solution beyond the paradox, beyond our righteous attitudes.
Pallas now lies just north of the ecliptic in the midst of the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies, home of our Super Galactic Center. A perfect pace for Pallas. Here we are asked to truly live in non-judgment, in the benevolent unconditional acceptance of the Divine Mother, of the Virgin Principle. Also conjoining is Beta Coma Berenices of the halo of the Virgin, which inspires us to step from the paradox of side-taking and to live in the purity of our inner soul truths.
Astrologically speaking, Super Galactic Centre can be thought of as the point defining our spiritual origin, a place offering nurturing and guidance for the evolutionary fulfillment of our souls, the spiritual mother center from which guidance and spiritual wisdom expresses. SGC lies in early sidereal Virgo (~7°), just above the Virgin's head, near the Halo of the Virgin (Coma Berenices), but on the border of the two constellations. SGC lies on the line between Denebola of Leo and Vindemiatrix of Virgo.
Super Galactic Centre provides a phenomenal opportunity for our greater wellbeing, but only if we are willing to totally surrender personality and egoic-based beliefs, attitudes, and past ways of living and follow our inner truths. As is the case of most black holes--this is all or nothing deal. Super Galactic Centre offers the opportunity to transmute our past for something far greater, but we must be willing to live from Self / Soul rather than from self-importance. We must be willing to relinquish the entirety of attachment to any importance we may assign to our previous experience into this black hole of pure (selfless) Divine Love and follow the emerging guiding currents emanating from it.
On an individual level, the SGC black hole opportunity may present itself in a variety of ways as unique as there are people on the Earth. This can involve the need to relinquish personal scenarios or past events in our lives that may seem that, if we let them go, the ramifications will result in our total demise. But on the contrary, it is only through the surrender, the relinquishment of the past into this massive black hole of cosmic consciousness, of Divine Intelligence, that will allow our re-emergence, our re-birth, into a new light of being. This super galactic inversion requires a conscious act where we pull the stream of our past experience into the singularity of the moment, allow it to be consumed in the ever-present now, and re-express self into a new stream unfolding into the future. This can feel as if our world is being turned inside out as our lives are re-defined.
Vision, Enthusiasm, & Realization
Our Full Moon occurs on March 25. It conjoins Pallas just prior to full and then lies just past Pallas conjoining Zaniah of the Virgo and Turais of Argo Navis.
Zaniah, Eta of Virgo simply and succinctly is about “Right use of Will,” an ecliptical star (less than 2° north in ecliptical latitude) that is associated with incarnational plane consciousness, that is, physical action in the hear and now. Zaniah brings attention to how will is applied moment by moment, and its ideal application in unadulterated Virgonian purity, that is, being a clear vessel for to know right action. Zaniah is the Chinese “Left-hand Maintainer of Law” (Allen). Zaniah is dominated by the presence of the spiritual essence of Super Galactic Centre residing a few degrees earlier in longitude. Synthesizing exactly with and bringing an embracing cosmic context to Zaniah, we find Turais of the Argo conjoining from the far south.
Galactic Turais puts ecliptical Zaniah's “right use of will” into a greater evolutionary context, one with cosmic ramifications. One's act of will is not isolate, cut off and limited to the act itself, bound by time, but is timeless and extends into the past-future time-stream of the soul creating a continuous cosmic current in soul's greater evolutionary journey in ways unseen in the action moment. It not only affects the entirety of soul experience, but also creates the repercussions in spacetime that define experiences to come for the planetary system itself, and certainly for the individual. Turais sets the “cosmic ramifications of the action” of Zaniah into the greater evolutionary currents of soul consciousness and experience. Zaniah and Turais demand “conscious use of will” recognizing the ramifications of use of our creative force and its influence in the nature of the experience in our lives and the lives of others-that it determines the outcome of the greater evolutionary journey of all involved. This is not to be confused with attempting to be responsible for others-which is miss-use of will. The responsibility is for our active and conscious participation. Turais demands we act from the awareness of this greater evolutionary journey and adds “cosmic responsibility” for what is “put into motion” through Zaniah's “right use of will.”
Manifestation & Demonstration
Our next series of dynamic events center around the Disseminating Moon. Pluto begins its retrograde on Mar 26 conjoining the sting of the Scorpion, the Disseminating Moon occurs on Mar 29, and immediately following we have retrograde Mercury beginning its new synodic theme while conjoining with the essence of Venus and the Sun.
The hours leading up to the Disseminating Moon is an accelerated and busy time of last minute preparation leading into the birth point in the lunar cycle. Although, with the Pluto station occurring during this time, it may feel as if a potent portal is being stretched wide open. The Disseminating Moon occurs exactly 30 degrees to Pluto. This creates an opportunity for growth through relinquishment. The Moon also conjoins retrograde Ceres on the cusp of sidereal Libra-Scorpio--just in front of the Scorpion's head. Sounds a bit ominous, but here we are invited to step through a portal, one that may sting a bit in the moment, but that ultimately leads to our greater nourishment and fulfillment.
The Exaltation of Mercury
Mercury, Venus, and the Sun conjoin in mid-sidereal Pisces on Mar 29, while the new Mercury 116-day synodic theme is set by the stars opposite this location in mid-sidereal Virgo--the location of the Mercury-Earth conjunction as seen from the Sun.
Mercury's synodic theme is set in motion by three principal stars: Diadem Alpha Coma Berenices, Porrima, and Vindemiatrix, the latter two of Virgo. This is also Mercury's exalted location in the ecliptic making this Mercurial cycle extra potentized and beneficent.
Diadem, Alpha Coma Berenices, is the jeweled crown in the Virgin's hair. Ornate Crowns in antiquity were designed with specific metals, jewels, and geometries to accentuate the wearer's telepathic and clairvoyant capacities, and for their communion with transcendent spiritual realms. Diadem accentuates our capacity to attune to our spiritual / soul guidance which communicates through the magnetic forces of nature, through the world around us, as articulated by the stars of southern Corvus the messenger bird.
Vindemiatrix and Porrima mark the centre of sidereal Virgo and embody the essence of sidereal Virgo. They indicate that winds of change are at hand and they bring the capacity for forevision so we may act accordingly on the signs being presented in the natural world around us. This is also the exalted seat of our winged messenger Mercury, significantly adding perspective and understanding to the nature of the stars at this ecliptical longitude. Mercury is the vessel by which these stars function in their highest expression, that is, through the neurology of communication and logistics, and all that Mercury characterizes.
Mercury is a significant indicator used in astrological forecasting for agricultural commodities. Its exalted location lying in the midst of sidereal Virgo, sign of wheat and the harvest, explains why--something that is missed in tropical astrology, which places this ecliptical location in the tropical sign of Libra.
Porrima, just two degrees north of the ecliptic expresses through the higher nature of the Mercurial mind--our higher brain centres that activate our capacity for clairvoyance and telepathy. Porrima opens our ability to have foresight to see future probabilities.
Vindemiatrix, just north of Porrima, classically the Harvester, tells us it is time, that it is in the timing. "This star is said to confer great powers of thought and an exacting, severe nature" (Andrés Takra). Both stars lie over Corvus the Raven, the messenger bird. Corvus communicates through all of nature, and asks us to read the natural world, to listen to and observe the signs expressed in daily life from the world around us.
Non of us are forsaken or deprived of guidance, nor even need intermediaries like those found in religions or those of the astrological arts. All of us are merely learning to see, feel, and listen to the guidance of the divine expressing in the everyday affairs of our lives, palpable guidance which is continually around us, moment to moment, communicating through everything, the simple things occurring in our lives--its nature's way.
The essence of this zodiakal area, comprised by all of these conjoining entities expresses through the higher mental capacities associated with the ability to for-sense future probabilities, which includes clairvoyant and telepathic awareness. This prophetic ability is with specific purpose, not only for communication, but action. This is much more than receiving simple impulses of premonition, but is about how our attentiveness “extends” or reaches from the present into the future. This implies the ability to sense future unfoldment. The purpose of such eves-dropping into the future provides advantage in how to use our will (Zaniah of Virgo) in the present. The purpose of such future-seeing is so that we can prepare and create what is needed “to meet” the future events to come. The events seen are already precipitating from the realm of probabilities, which we then meet in the unfoldment of our spacetiming.
This few degree band of Virgo is about divine communication through the natural world, attunement systems for such communication, extended spacetime perceptual capacities, all to serve us in our capacity to make safe passage in harmony through the diverse and sometimes tremulous currents ahead.
Mercury will complete its retrograde on April 12 in the following lunar cycle, at which time we move fully forward in Mercury's new theme.
Integrated Heart and Mind
As seen from the Earth, Venus conjoins the Sun and retrograde Mercury. Mercury lies between the Sun and Earth, and Venus lies on the far side of the Sun. This means that Earth, Mercury, the Sun, and Venus lie in a straight line, all with a backdrop in mid-sidereal Pisces. Planets close to sun are said to be combust, imbued with solar fire, which intensifies their affect--often bring up any issues we may hold regarding those planets. Here the theme is participating through integrated Heart and Mind--that is trusting in our in intuitive knowing. To function from Mercury alone is logistical thinking, which can leave us judgmental and righteous, out of touch with are heart's truth. Venus alone is intuition, which without mind can simply leaves us a blind heart.
Mercury, the Sun, and Venus conjoin Algenib, one of the four stars of the Great Square of Pegasus. Algenib, tip of the wing of Pegasus, asks us to rise above the fear-instilling dramatics of the psycho-emotional world around us.
The Ceres-Disseminating Moon aspecting stationing Pluto, and this Planetary Alignment, all centering around march 29, can create a dramatic opening that requires we trust our intuitive knowing in a leap of faith from what was to what may become, perhaps to leave something that was once nourishing but no longer is.
Time for Change
April 1 provides our day of inner need inspiring us to initiate change on the Last Quarter Moon in sidereal Sag while conjoining Nunki, Sigma Sag. Nunki is star of the "Proclamation of the Sea." Sagittarius resides where the galactic plane or river (Milky Way) flows into the incarnate plane of the soul (the ecliptic). The galactic plane provides the greater nourishing context for the incarnating soul--the field of unified creative substance from which our world is manifest. Nunki inspires us to function from the underlying power of the galactic ocean of divine love, to trust in the flowing waters of Source. Nunki "on the vane of the arrow at the Archer's hand" provides a guiding and stabilizing force used to ensure the Zen Archer hits his target--to invoke and access the power and confidence of divine love that enables our intent of purpose to undauntingly manifest in the material world. Nunki teaches us to steer our intent with love, as it is the intended focus of love that manifests our heart's truth from the unified field of creative intelligence. Nunki requires we trust in this power and demonstrate our ability to direct it.
Jupiter and the Raven
Jupiter, in the midst of its retrograde begins its new 399-day synodic cycle on April 3, also in sidereal Virgo. Setting Jupiter's new synodic theme is Algorab of Corvus.
Corvus the Raven is the messenger bird, Algorab, Eta Corvus, asks us to be attentive to the natural world around us moment-by-moment, as Divine Intelligence permeates and thus communicates through all of nature. The signs found in the simplest of life experience have meaning if we are willing to be attentive to them. In fact, we can even ask to receive guidance through prayer or simply by briefly holding the intent of inquire and then letting it go. It is the sincere projection of intent that vibrationally invokes a response from the world around us. All we need do is pay attention.
Corvus, combined with Crateris, has also been imaged as the "Ark of the Covenant." Although the Ark can be considered a technological transceiver for extraterrestrial communication, or a measure of arc in precessional (God's) time, it also has to do with our personal attunement. Our spinal columns are vertically arrayed antenna systems, the most sensitive of all, which receives gravitational waves encoded with cosmic intelligence from the core of the Earth. These waves of guidance culminate in our cranial structures where they are then refocused to our pineal glands, neuro-endocrine transducers that translates this information into that which the pituitary, the master control center of the brain) can use. Being a clear, open and grounded vessel is required for perception of these subtle energies. Following them is yet more important.
Conjoining Algorab is Quasar 3C279, which lies exactly on the ecliptic plane, along the spinal column of the Virgin, its spinal placement again articulating the natural mechanism of subtle energy communication. Quasar 3C279 can stimulate imagery in the natural world that act as messages through nature, which must be listened to and acted upon, as nature's images are the guidance itself.
Quasars (Quasi-Stellar-Radio-Source) were once thought to be the signatures of distant galactic clusters or enormous luminous galaxies at the edge of the known universe but are now recognized as "laser type stars" within our own galaxy. Quasars are not only visible objects, but emit a wide band of photons (light particles) in the electromagnetic spectra, from the infrared up through human's visible range of light, the UV, the gamma, and into the radio range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Their multi-spectral emanations tend to stimulate an awareness that extends beyond or pierces our rather narrow band of perception, thereby offering new non-conforming possibilities of conceptual thought. They can express as images or non-conforming forms that can draw us into a transcendent perceptual exploration, which then motivates new behavior fitting to our new awareness.
Jupiter's placement here, initiating its new 399-day synodic cycle, can manifest an expansion of consciousness and associated guidance that motivates us to mobilize our energies and resources to fulfill our new level of awareness.
Focus to the Future
The Balsamic Moon marks the time in lunar cycle when we coalesce the experience of the lunar cycle into its seed essence, which will then sprout through the theme of the following lunar cycle. It is when we turn our attention from this lunar cycle in anticipation of the next to come. The hours before the Balsamic Moon provide our time of coalescence while those after mark the time when we turn from looking back over the past cycle and look toward the future cycle to come. The Balsamic Moon occurs on April 5 in sidereal Aquarius, marking the end of this lunar cycle. Our next New Moon occurs on April 8 in late sidereal Pisces--more to come then.