......................................................
An astrological reverie into the events of
September 11th 2001 1
......................................................
The astrology of recent times is as extraordinary
as the events themselves, and reveals multi-layered patterns of
meaning. In the last issue I wrote about the star Sirius and its
prominence throughout the autumn, but now, exploring the astrology
of the current war situation, I found Sirius conjunct the Sun
of the horoscope of the USA, and also President Bush. It also
features in other charts of key people, events and countries involved.
As above, so below
Sirius is often considered to be the Egyptian goddess
Isis, and so we are referred to the story of the death and resurrection
of Osiris. As the political events developed, I followed the astrological
threads, and was astonished at how the mythic imagery seemed to
unfold in chronological sequence. I found it offered an immediate
way of relating to the meaning of the events of September 11th
and onwards. I shall allow the story to speak for itself so you
may form your own interpretations. The myths and legends of the
celestial landscape are not arbitrarily imposed by scholars: rather,
the ever-moving sea of cosmic energies in which we all live is
sensed, deeply felt and inwardly known by us in the very cells
of our bodies. Thus the sacred material of mythic image speaks
to us of what we already know.
‘The Mundane Becoming
Sacred’
The astrological process of Sirius is sometimes
described as ‘The Mundane Becoming Sacred’.2 Its names
‘The Shining One’ and ‘The Scorcher’ refer
to the rising of the life-giving waters of the Nile, snaking across
the fertile flood-plains of Egypt, and overflowing into surroundings
parched by the heat of summer. Likewise, the waters of spirit
faithfully relieve the encroaching inner desiccation which at
times assails us, and Sirius also symbolizes this luminous renewal.
‘Fair Star of the Waters’ was one of the most popular
epithets of Isis.3 These qualities are bestowed where Sirius is
prominent, for good or ill: brilliance, success, abundance, and
the dangers of arrogance, excess and going too far are implied.
I visit once again the story of Isis and Osiris...
Osiris was entombed in a coffin made of a tamarisk
tree, tricked by his evil brother Set into entering it. The coffin
was sealed with lead and cast adrift on the Nile. His grieving
sister-wife Isis wandered the land in search of the body of her
beloved, and after many trials and difficulties discovered its
whereabouts. The coffin had floated into a reed bank and lodged
there. A great tree had grown up around it, and had been felled
and used as a tall pillar in the palace of the king of Byblos.
Isis disguised herself and gained entrance to the palace. Having
located the pillar, she nightly kept vigil beside it in her grief.
When Isis revealed her divinity, the queen granted her this pillar
which contained the coffin of Osiris.
On the long homeward journey by boat, Isis brought
the coffin ashore on the banks of the Nile and opened it. Her
beloved Osiris appeared as one merely sleeping. That night, however,
Set and his entourage were out hunting, and while Isis slept he
came upon the coffin. Having realized the triumph of Isis and
fearing her retaliation, he opened the casket and tore the body
of Osiris into pieces, spreading his dismembered limbs all over
the land, so that Isis would not be able to find and re-collect
them.
Isis cried out in anguish when she saw the empty casket, and called
to her twin sister Nepthys who came to console her. For many long
years they searched the land together, and wherever a piece of
Osiris’ body was found, they made an altar, an offering of
thanks.
The myth comes to life
The waters of this story gently inundate my soul.
I see an unforgettable image of a helmeted New York rescue worker,
a young man with ash, dust and tears streaming down his face,
walking around in jagged rubble and twisted metal with a black
plastic body bag, looking for human remains. In that moment, the
myth comes to life, ‘The mundane becomes sacred’ and
takes a form far beyond the newspaper I read, with its appetite
for sensationalism and its cheap fear-mongering.
Isis walks the streets of New York, in disguise.
No, not only New York, but any place where lives are dismembered,
broken by the violence of hunger, poverty, disease, brutality
and war.4 She walks where the soul is ravaged by horror, or the
spirit stifled by denial. She walks where the unspeakable has
yet to be spoken. Invisible for all to see she walks in hope,
in devotion and in the power of her love which transcends destruction.
Below, in New York, the sniffer dogs prowl in the stench of catastrophe,
while above the Dog Star glimmers.
Isis eventually found all the body parts of her
beloved, except the penis. So this she had to fashion from clay,
or some say from gold, and breathe life into it so that Osiris
could once again fertilize her, and thus the land itself. From
this union in resurrection was born the god Horus, whose all-seeing
eye graces many monuments of ancient Egypt, and who in turn symbolizes
the capacity to see truthfully. The Sun and Moon adorn the brow
of Horus, and the falcon is one of his sacred forms. The ‘eye
of the hawk’ sees through...
The days after the Full Moon on October 2nd were
resonant with connections to Sirius. The USA began retaliatory
air-strikes into Afghanistan. I noticed that the week surrounding
the November 1st Full Moon was also abundant with powerful celestial
signatures. Jupiter’s Station Retrograde would occur the
next day, as well as the 2nd of three Saturn-Pluto conjunctions.5
Also, October 31st marks the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain,
when the veil between the worlds is said to be very thin, when
the souls of the dead are restive, and when great healing is possible
in the letting go and purification that occurs as the light wanes
prior to renewal at the Winter Solstice in late December.
The magnificent figure of Isis arises out of the
mists of timelessness, as if stopping to rest awhile in her weary
searching, a celestial being alighting here in these brief moments
of earth-time, pausing in her grim task. She fills the canopy
of my imagination, looming bright from the darkly glowing unknown.
A Moon goddess, her head-dress a pair of upturned horns, crescent-like,
she holds a great glowing orb within their upreaching embrace.
Her robes shimmer like the light of Sirius itself as she walks
the troubled Earth.
The Full Moons of autumn appear to me like the footprints
of Isis. One step occurred at the October Full Moon...what will
the November Full Moon bring?
Asteroids Isis and Osiris
The asteroid belt lies in between Jupiter and Mars,
and consists of over 10,000 small bodies. There are asteroids
named Isis and Osiris, and I place them on the chart for the terrorist
strike, and study their movement. The asteroid Osiris was followed
into Capricorn on September 8th by Mars, the god of war, now cast
symbolically in the role of Set, the evil one who kills Osiris.
They were exactly conjunct on September 10th, the day before the
multiple attacks...In the court of Osiris, the judges of the dead
prepare, for many are to be called. In Egyptian mythology it is
said that the souls of the recently dead are weighed to assess
their truthfulness and purity. On September 10th there was the
conjunction of Mars and Osiris, so I imagined that he was preparing
the way, as it were, for the many who would die the following
day.
In astrology, the Moon’s South Node is sometimes
called the ‘Dragon’s Tail’ and signifies a need
to let go of what has become toxic; powerful energies are released
– here in violence and destruction.6 There were multiple
contacts to this axis from the planet Mars and the asteroids Isis
and Osiris during the week following September 11th. Myth seemed
to fuse with the mundane. A great wail goes up. Osiris is dead,
the precious limbs strewn. Grief and rage intensify across the
nations, as does the call to prayer.
During the same period, on September 17th, there
occurred a conjunction of Isis and Chiron, the healer. Wounded
by loss, Isis herself must now be the Healer. To see events as
dire as these accompanied by this celestial imagery of resurrection
and healing brings tears to my eyes. I feel very small and shivery
and strangely peaceful.
It is said that Isis was a great magician, powerful
enough to affect Ra himself, the primordial Sun-God, ruler of
Heaven and Earth. As Ra grew old and weak, he would sometimes
drool from his mouth. Isis gathered his spit, kneaded it with
some earth and created a serpent which she placed, poised sharp
as a dart, on the path Ra would daily travel across the sky. When
he approached, the serpent reared up and Ra was bitten. Burning
with the poisonous venom, he was further dismayed to discover
that, being not of his own creation, he was powerless over the
serpent which inflicted this wound. Isis offered him healing,
but on condition that Ra would reveal his secret name. Although
this meant surrendering his power, Ra so feared for his life that
he transmitted knowledge of the Great Name directly into the heart
of Isis. Thus he bestowed upon her his own magical abilities,
which enhanced and complemented her own considerable powers.
This story too is mirrored in the heavens. The poisoning
of the Sun-god Ra by a serpent on his path is like a Solar Eclipse,
when the Moon truly ‘crosses the path of the Sun’, and
obscures its light. Shortly after the Total Solar Eclipse of June
21st 2001, Isis made a conjunction with Pluto. This brings to
mind the abduction of Persephone, the tragic necessity of separation
and initiation through loss of innocence, which brings deep knowledge
and healing. Pluto, Lord of Transformation signals a need to turn
within, allowing gestation in the safety of darkness and unknowing.
Isis, magician queen, rooted deep in the Underworld, holds the
earth, its waters and its peoples in her embrace. She is ever
nascent herself, midwife also to the feminine Spirit of Wisdom,
as well as comforter of the souls of the bereaved and the departed.
She both effects the downfall of Ra, and also the resurrection
of Osiris. She is the mutable fire of alchemical purification,
where the mind must be purged of its wrong thinking, so the heart
may breathe again.
The retaliation
On October 3rd Isis follows Osiris into Capricorn.
On the 7th, she too conjuncts the transiting South Node, the ‘Dragon’s
Tail’, covering the same holy ground on which his body was
strewn a short while before. As his transit of the Dragon’s
Tail heralded the deaths in New York, her transit occurs exactly
as retaliatory attacks began in Afghanistan.
Both asteroids Isis and Osiris have also been involved
in the conjunctions this year between Mars, Chiron and Pluto all
in Sagittarius. In Issue 51 I wrote an article called The Warrior
Returns, never dreaming they heralded events as literal as
what we have seen. I also referred to the Galactic Centre, aligned
with late Sagittarius, the centre of the Milky Way, our home galaxy,
and thus the Greater Centre around which our small solar system
revolves. This provides a powerful metaphor of our alignment to
the greater reality of Spirit. The dominance of Sagittarian symbolism
is poignantly evident in the event under consideration. Air travel,
long distance flights, international concerns, religious fanaticism,
political expansionism, refugees and immigrants, ethics, beliefs
and morals are all Sagittarian themes, converging upon the Gemini
twin towers of the World Trade centre. The ‘mundane becomes
sacred’ as the sacred becomes mundane.
I wonder how their journey continued, and whether
resurrection would be symbolized in their celestial movements.
I discover that the next conjunction between Isis and Osiris would
occur on November 2nd, the day of the 2nd Saturn/Pluto opposition,
as mentioned above. This conjunction is in the same degree as
Sirius, but in the opposite sign of Capricorn. The star Sirius,
the celestial counterpart of Isis, now watches the story unfolding,
as if in a mirror from across the vault of heaven. On earth we
live its shadowy reflection.
By the time I reach this point in the trail I am
speechless with amazement. I offer a prayer of thanks for the
sighting of these sacred footsteps on a stardust trail, a timeless
miracle of resurrection in celestial motion. Back in the world
of time, I turn on the radio, let the world in, hear the news
and tune in to the immense suffering. I look into my own heart
and realize that I too am full of terror and terrorists. But seeing
this trail, my faith is restored. Just faith. Not faith in anything,
for how could that be? In time, every ‘thing’ must decay
and disappear, even great ideas or visions, prophets or images
of god. Just faith. Not even faith in a ‘positive outcome’
here, for how can I know what that really means? Just faith. Just
this small light inside. I am reminded of the well-known saying
‘It is better to light one small candle than to curse the
darkness’. I do so.
This material was written on September 29th 2001,
and revised on October 18th. It suggested to me the image of the
opening of a great portal, a stargate, between the various dimensions
of existence, focalized very specifically in time around the beginning
of November, but thereafter at any time when the heart calls out.
These astrological processes are perhaps pointing to an ‘other-dimensional’
occurrence, which may or may not be accompanied by events on the
political front. I know I am not alone in wanting to avoid getting
caught energetically, like a spider in a web, into the density
and horror of what is occurring. I don’t want to deny the
pain of any of it; I do want to focus inwardly and attune accordingly
so I may act appropriately.
If you too feel this, then know that the effectiveness
of your thoughts, feelings and prayers is magnified. Mindful that
visible happenings are extrusions from the invisible planes, we
can leave aside both terror and terrorists and inwardly align
with the Light of the Cosmic Heart, to which Sirius refers us.
These days, Isis re-collects, gathers and mourns. There will be
renewal of the spirit, whatever forms may perish. Let us breathe
into our own hearts and pay homage to Life. For the mundane truly
to become sacred, we need only to re-member...
References 1. Data source: www.astrodatabank.com/NM/TerrorismNYDC.htm.
In the horoscope the asteroid Isis is shown as a1, and Osiris
as a 2. The astrology is presented here in a thematic and simplified
manner. Readers interested in further astrological detail are
invited to contact me to receive this information (with sae please).
See also www.erinsullivan.com/pr_wtcafter.htm.
2. Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars by Bernadette Brady.
Maine: Samuel Weiser Inc, 1998, p85. 3. See Star Names, their
Lore and Meaning by Richard Hinckley Allen. New York: Dover
Publications Inc, 1963, p124.
4. Issue 340, November 2001 of New Internationalist magazine
pointed out that 24,000 people died of hunger on 11.9.2001, more
than 3 times the number that died in the terrorist attack. The
same number will die the next day, and the next...(article Twin
Terrors, pp18-19)
5. See Caduceus issue no 52, for my article entitled ‘Time
for Transformation’, and issue no 53 for ‘Sirius Presiding’.
6. The Nodal Axis is sometimes called the ‘Axis of Fate’
and is where eclipses occur. It is envisioned by many cultures
as the head and tail of a dragon crossing the ecliptic, or the
path of the Sun. For further information see Incarnation
by Melanie Reinhart.
ISSUE
55 – Spring 2002
WHITE DOVE OVER TROUBLED
WATERS
......................................................
During May several planets line up in a formation that is spiritually
significant and visually exquisite. Melanie Reinhart explores
their symbolism
......................................................
Planetary movements over the forthcoming weeks reach
something of a climax during May. Our values, intentions and beliefs
will be challenged, and there is the opportunity to re-orient
and re-focus. This is the time, then, to review the last couple
of years, make peace with the changes, reflect on where we are,
consolidate our values, make plans for action. This article offers
some symbolism which I hope you may find useful as a contemplative
focus.
In May 2000, there was a conjunction of Jupiter
and Saturn, signalling a time of endings and new beginnings in
the area of beliefs, hopes and visions. We entered a period of
darkness within which the seeds of renewal were nurtured, but
hidden from view. Just as the Moon is not visible just after a
New Moon, and we dwell in darkness awaiting the arrival of the
newly-born crescent, at the beginning of the Jupiter-Saturn cycle,
the feeling is similar. However, being a much longer cycle, it
takes about two years for the new impulse to begin shaping itself.
New Moon in Taurus
On May 12th 2002 the New Moon falls in Taurus, very
near the precise point where the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction occurred
in May 2000. Here is the herald of new beginnings coming to light
and showing their forms more clearly, needing careful nurturing.
The metaphor of re-alignment is perhaps a useful one to consider.
During May, many planetary aspects become exact, and contemplative
activity is strongly favoured.1 The ‘invisible actions’
of intent, prayer, meditation and inner re-orientation receive
strong support. Because the global situation is so volatile at
present, polarizing situations may intensify, but equally there
is hope for radical truths to be spoken and also heard, and for
impulses towards renewal and rebuilding to be energized. In both
the inner and outer worlds, the planetary activity during May
2002 demands compassionate awareness of conflict, and asks us
to transcend side-taking and partisan opinions, and to reformulate
our own beliefs in such a way that they empower us. Our attachment
to thoughts that engender fear and judgement will be challenged.
This is a time to search out the good news that often gets ignored
in the mainstream media, and to remember that it is ‘better
to light a single candle than to rail at the darkness’. This
New Moon falls in the earthy sign of Taurus the Bull, on a degree
which carries this symbol: A white dove flies over troubled
waters.
The interpretation of this symbol speaks of the
‘spiritual inspiration that comes to the individual in the
overcoming of crisis’.2 The dove has long been associated
both with peace, and also with the descent of the Holy Spirit,
as in the classic portrayals of the Annunciation. After several
fruitless journeys, a dove brought to Noah the welcome sign of
land, flying back to him with an olive leaf in its beak.3 A sign
of relief, of nearing the goal. The dove is associated with Aphrodite,
the Goddess of Love, who is the astrological Venus, ruler of the
sign of Taurus. We await inwardly the arrival of the Dove of Peace,
not knowing how long it may take, but knowing that within our
own hearts the future is created.
Third Eye of the Bull
On May 12th, low near the NW horizon Saturn, Mars
and Venus will be visible. They will set one by one in that order,
from about 9.15pm until 11.20pm BST when Venus disappears. They
cluster within the V shaped formation of stars called the Hyades,
envisaged as the head of the Bull. On May 14th, the Moon will
pass in front of Saturn, Mars and Venus in turn, making a rare
series of ‘occultations’, or planetary eclipses4 occurring
right in the forehead of the Bull, its third eye. This implies
the courage to see things as they are, and not flinching from
the truth of a situation. Wrong thinking, where we are ‘bull-headed’
is revealed and harshness released in the soft light of the Moon.
Fundamentalism in religions is in focus at present; this planetary
sequence suggests to me the recognition of prejudice, rigidity
of thought and negative judgements. How we ‘bully’ ourselves
and others, or how we get bullied, can be discovered and thus
healing begun. These are qualities easy to see in other people
or nations, and not so easy to see in oneself.
Star and crescent
By May 14th, a delicate crescent Moon will be seen
approaching Venus between the ‘horns of the Bull’, and
will cover her completely by around midnight. The ‘horns
of a dilemma’ refers to a painful situation of choice pending,
and this celestial event may symbolize resolution of intractable
situations through adopting the Middle Way, being able to embrace
paradox and contain differences.
At Northern latitudes of less than about 40 degrees,
this crescent appears as a bowl upturned to the sky, and at times
Venus appears to sit cradled within it, as if gently carried along
by the Moon.5 This image appears on the flag of Islam, perhaps
recording the fact that this very configuration appeared in the
sky on the last night of the hejira, Mohammad’s journey
to Medina in July 622AD, from which is dated the founding of Islam.
The spiritual impulse on which Islam was based is being brought
into global consciousness very rapidly, and indeed, many are questioning
the very foundations of other major world religions. Sky portents
featured at the birth of Christ, and also at the founding of Islam.
The patterns in the sky shift slowly while here on Earth religions
come and go; the night reminds us that we participate in a vast
unknowable universe of awesome majesty and beauty. It will speak
if we care to listen.
References 1. For a list of exact dates and times,
contact Melanie: MReinhart@compuserve.com
2. There are several systems which attribute symbols to each of
the 360 degrees of the Zodiac. This one is from Dane Rudhyar’s
book An Astrological Mandala, Vintage Books, NY, 1974,
p84.
3. Genesis 8:6.
4. This particular occultation of Saturn is the final one in a
long series of 14 such events that have been taking place each
month since May 2001.
5. This can occur up to twice a year, although in some years it
will not be seen.
ISSUE
56 – Summer 2002
DRAGON'S HEAD AND DRAGON'S
TAIL by Melanie Reinhart
The Nodes of the Moon are in focus
during the
coming weeks, especially throughout August.
Melanie Reinhart explores the significance of this.
......................................................
The Nodal Axis is sometimes called the 'Axis of Destiny'. Visualize
this if you will...the two points in space where the Moon's orbit
around the Earth intersects with the Earth's pathway around the
Sun. These points are called the Nodes. On a horoscope, they form
an axis joining two opposite but complementary zodiac signs. For
the soul's journey, the symbolism is poignant: the Sun and Moon
represent our primary opposites of day and night, yang and yin,
light and dark, as seen from the Earth where we live.
The cosmic Father Sun and Mother Moon unite in the Divine Child
incarnate, and thus the Nodes also represent where the opposites
within us will demand balance, integration and fruition. Significantly,
eclipses occur only along this axis, happening twice each year
when the Sun, Moon and Earth are in precise alignment. Endings
and beginnings are evoked as energies balance and rebalance.
The metaphor of alignment also describes the personal process
of the Nodal Axis. When it is emphasised, as now, we are pulled
into our own centre and to the extent that we have been out of
balance, we may feel 'unbalanced' as a re-orientation occurs.
Also, there is reciprocity between the two ends: the North Node
symbolizes the application of will and effort to our intentions
for the future, and the South Node represents our relationship
with the past, where we must release or transform what is no longer
useful, as it will otherwise become toxic. Here the image of the
dragon is eloquent, biting and devouring with its mouth, and eliminating
at the tail. Equally, the North Node symbolizes the density of
Doing, enterprise and endeavour in our involvement with the form
aspect of life, while the South encourages renunciation and immersion
in Being as our attachment to form and structure is released.
There be dragons ...
Dragons feature in the myths and fables of many diverse cultures,
often personifying a great concentration of elemental forces.
They may be seen guarding treasure, warding off the innocent with
fiery breath, or bringing good fortune on the wind. Indeed, the
North Node is currently in the airy sign of Gemini, and the South
in fiery Sagittarius. This is a sobering reminder of the soul
work we are being asked to do ..... namely to apply careful thought
(Gemini) to the wider implications of our beliefs (Sagittarius).
The fires of fundamentalism and literalism (Sagittarius) need
addressing within all of us, through dialogue, thoughtful self-enquiry
and personal communication, and the formulation of new concepts
(Gemini) in order to regenerate our ethical and metaphysical basis
(Sagittarius).
There may be uncomfortable choices to be made during this realignment.
In Vedic astrology, the Nodes are called Rahu and Ketu, symbolized
by the serpent Vasuki. He churned the cosmic ocean while the gods
searched for Amrita, the nectar of immortality which was needed
to help them defeat the demons in the great war for control of
the universe. Searching for wisdom also means dealing with the
poisons released by the churning ocean of our inner emotions.
1 The Nodal Axis is also said to represent the spinal pathway
along which the serpent power of the Kundalini energy rises, having
been awakened in the root chakra below. These months really favour
healing methods which assist the subtle energies to find and consolidate
a new balance. To make the most of this opportunity, learn to
'read the signals' from your own energy system, and/or arrange
some sessions with a healing practitioner. 2 Purification and
refinement are worthy aspirations at this time as the serpent
churns and coils.
A new perspective may dawn which
alters our life radically from within
......................................................
Pluto, Lord of Transformation, has been in Sagittarius since
early 1995, and this period has seen the destruction or desecration
of many objects of devotion and religious symbols. As I write,
the chapel in Bethlehem is still under siege, and the hymn 'Away
in a manger' runs maddeningly through my mind, as if sung by a
huddle of shocked and confused children. Whatever happened to
the 'Promised Land', and where is Baby Jesus? A cartoonist quipped
'Even one wise man would do'. Massive riots in India erupt over
a plot of sacred ground, claimed by both Hindus and Moslems. In
Afghanistan, the immense stone Buddhas at Bamian stand pockmarked
by bullet holes like tears splattering sadly into the parched
desert below...while now earthquakes rip the land apart. In New
York the Twin Towers, altars to economic ambition and scientific
materialism, were razed to Ground Zero. Echoes of this event occur
in Milan. In Ireland the sexual abuse of young people by priests
is under scrutiny, while Belfast blazes again. There be dragons
indeed, perhaps insisting that we find the sacred within our own
hearts rather than worshipping its symbols in word or stone.
Links, liaisons and associations
Just as the Nodal Axis bears the symbolism of Sun and Moon, male
and female, so it also sheds light on the key relationships in
our life, with both people and groups. Awareness flows into these
areas, causing changes as we see more clearly the energy balance
between ourselves and 'the other'. Struggling to 'make things
work' can be released into a deeper acceptance and understanding
of simply 'what is'. The impossible can happen, or the possible
may lack the staying power to go further. The Unknown beckons
as we follow the imperative of soul. The momentum towards our
own future may require adjustments and separations as we are realigned
and repositioned within ourselves.
Heads or Tails?
The display of visible planets in early May 3 heralded Saturn's
exact contact with the North Node, which occurred June 5th-6th.
Soon Pluto will conjunct the South Node, on August 2nd and 21st.
4 With Saturn at the Dragon's Head, where the application of effort
and consciousness is invited, we find the following symbol:
A large archaic volume reveals a traditional
wisdom.
Dane Rudhyar describes this as 'Contacting the all-human planetary
Mind underlying any cultural and personal mentality'. 5 He speaks
of a tradition which holds that all cyclic manifestations of the
human mind have a primordial revelatory Source. The Seed-ideas‚
inherent within these deeper strata in turn produce various cultural
forms which wax and wane over time. During the breakdown of cultural
and social structures, we can all contribute to renewal by making
the effort to plumb our inner depths to nourish the seed-ideas
within, and to resist getting swallowed en route by the dragons
of the past with their inertia, negativity and stasis.
The edifice has collapsed, and
the work
to consolidate emerging forms begins in earnest
......................................................
With Pluto at the Dragon's Tail, the opportunity offered is to
go deep enough within to reach the well of Pure Mind to re-source
ourselves, allowing new meaning and inspiration to emerge. The
work required is to release ourselves from attachment to the decaying
forms of our own past, our investment in destructive patterns
of behaviour, the lure of collective negativity and media addiction.
Premature action creates more conflict at this time, as the constricting
quality of the Saturn-Pluto opposition is still resonating, with
the message 'Don't just do something, sit there!' In other words,
hesitant action without awareness creates more problems than it
solves, while focused awareness may dissolve by itself what appears
like an intractable problem. A new perspective may dawn which
alters our life radically from within, which in turn may open
the way for inspired, timely and appropriate action. We cannot
'walk our talk' until our internal chatter gives way to hearing
the silent words of inner guidance.
Turning points
Pluto turns direction on August 26th, then Saturn does similar
on October 11th. The pressure, density and confrontational quality
of the last period will begin slowly to release as the energy
turns from the destruction of the old to the creation of the new.
The edifice has collapsed, and the work to consolidate emerging
forms begins in earnest. Now there is momentum. In Spring 2003,
Saturn and Pluto will for the final time be nearly in exact opposition,
and only after that time will this pattern fully disperse, having
dominated the planetary 'weather' since Spring 2001. Whatever
happens globally, there are choices to be made in terms of individual
allegiances...we know that reinforcing past negativity will create
more of the same for the future. The narrow suspension bridge
over the chasm that divides the conflicting opposites within and
without demands that we walk slowly, surely, and mindfully, for
in that space is the very freedom of consciousness that will lead
us through.
References
1. See The Essentials of Vedic
Astrology by Komilla Sutton, The Wessex Astrologer,
1999, pp52-73.
2. See Why People Don't Heal and
How They Can by Carolyn Myss. Bantam, 1998, p/b £7.99.
3. See my article 'White Dove Flies Over Troubled Waters' in Caduceus
Issue 55.
4. The movement of the Nodes is usually averaged out and its positions
referred to as the 'Mean Nodes'. Pluto contacts the Mean Node
on August 2nd, then the True Node on August 21st, which is the
more astronomically accurate statement. However, the entire period
from June to October is coloured by the dual energies of Saturn
and Pluto as described, although the week prior to each date mentioned
is a most auspicious time for contemplation of the themes discussed
above, as their energy is very concentrated.
5. An Astrological Mandala
by Dane Rudhyar, Vintage Books, Random House Inc, New York, 1974,
p102.
This autumn Venus will disappear
from the evening sky and return as the Morning Star. Melanie Reinhart
explores the symbolism of this journey.
......................................................
In ancient Sumeria the planet we call Venus was revered as a
personification of the Goddess Inanna, hailed as ‘Queen of
Heaven and Earth’. The myth of Inanna is a poignant story
of the soul maturing from personal to transpersonal Love, through
self-confrontation and loss. It is an allegory of the visible
movements of the planet, and also describes the meaning of Venus
in astrology. To marvel at the splendour of Venus poised graciously
in the night sky, radiating increasing brilliance before disappearing
from view, is indeed to contemplate the poignancy of transience,
and the inevitability of loss. We need then to arise early to
greet her re-appearance...if we are not watchful in the pre-dawn
hours we may not notice her gentle morning return, and fear that
she has gone forever.
The planet Venus in astrology is about value, of self and others.
It concerns what we find worthwhile, what we value, appreciate
and seek to attract into our lives. Venus signifies relationship,
and represents the energy of Eros or connection, attraction and
pleasure, harmony, beauty and joy. It also addresses how we handle
losing these precious experiences, and how we might defend against
allowing them at all. Every 18 months or so, Venus begins a retrograde
cycle, where she appears to reverse direction, disappears from
view, makes a conjunction with the Sun, turns direct and then
re-appears. During these times we are given the opportunity to
plumb the depths of our relationships, release the past and renew
our capacity for love.
The story of Inanna
Inanna1 has plucked a single tree
from the chaotic floodwaters which mark the beginning of times.
Day and night she cares for it, in a lonely vigil, longing for
her consort and her throne. Inanna duly becomes Queen, but only
after she has received her spiritual heritage from her father
in the form of qualities needed to fulfil her role. Eventually
Inanna is introduced to Dumuzi, the humble young shepherd who
will be her husband. At first she rejects him, but relents as
he proudly pleads his own case. There follows an ecstatic union
of the young Queen and the shepherd, who thus becomes god-king
and takes the throne beside her.
Inanna departs for the Underworld to witness the funeral rites
for Gugulanna, the ‘Bull of Heaven’, the husband of
her sister, Erishkigel. She is stopped at each of the seven gates
leading to Erishkigel’s abode, and must surrender the symbols
of her worldly power. Her crown,
necklace, breastplate, measuring rod and finally her robe must
go until she stands naked before her distraught sister. This symbolizes
energy moving down through the seven major chakras in a process
of purification. Our worldly accomplishments are a hindrance on
this inner
journey and must be relinquished. At the base chakra, the root,
lies our deepest sense of despair, for here resides the dense
illusion of our spiritual isolation. Erishkigel fixes her ‘Eye
of Death’ on Inanna, kills her and she is hung on a peg to
rot. Meanwhile, Inanna has taken the precaution of asking her
maidservant to send help if she does not return.
The alarm is raised. Enki, the god of Wisdom and the Waters comes
to her aid, with little creatures made from the dirt under his
finger-nails. They slip unnoticed into the Underworld and approach
Erishkigel, to witness and echo her lamentations, affirming her
suffering. The call and response of compassion eventually softens
her heart, and she offers a gift in exchange for their kindness.
Immediately, they request the body of Inanna, upon which they
sprinkle the waters of life. Inanna lives!
Return and redemption
As Inanna prepares to leave the Underworld, she is told she must
send a substitute. She exits surrounded by a cloud of demons,
and looks around in horror. Who shall she condemn to the Underworld?
Her children? Her faithful maidservant? She cannot. Then she sees
her former consort Dumuzi occupying their throne and oblivious
to her suffering. She fixes her ‘Eye of Death’ on him.
He flees into the desert, but eventually the demons catch up with
him and he succumbs to his fate.
A great wail goes up as Inanna mourns the loss of her husband
by her own doing. Then Inanna sees Dumuzi’s sister, beside
herself with grief, and her heart is touched. She may not reverse
her choice, but she decrees that although Dumuzi will spend half
the year in the Underworld, he may return to Earth for the remaining
half. The cycle of destruction is broken, vengeance is tamed and
forgiveness occurs. The purified energy rises and Inanna becomes
Queen of Heaven, ennobled by suffering and loss.
The astrological process
This autumn, Venus turns retrograde on October 10th, which resonates
with the beginning of Inanna’s descent into the Underworld.
A conjunction with the Sun occurred on 2nd January 2002, which
we can see as the union with her consort Dumuzi. Inanna-Venus
then rose to her highest position in the sky on August 22nd, gradually
descending to the horizon until she disappears on October 26th.
Since February 2002, Venus has been visible as the evening star,
and around the end of September will have reached maximum brilliance.
There are approximately 7 weeks from her highest point in the
sky to when she turns retrograde, like Inanna entering the Underworld
through the 7 gates or chakras. Likewise, she is visible for approximately
7 months or 7 New Moons.
We see a holographic repeat of this occurring: from the Retrograde
point on October 10th, there are 21 days (= 3 x 7) until the retrograde
conjunction with the Sun on October 31st. This symbolizes the
meeting with Erishkigel, an ego-death occurring in the depth realms
as we encounter that which obscures our inner light. The days
after this conjunction are precious, as Inanna is hung on the
peg and Erishkigel’s distress is gently witnessed by the
mourners. This is the time to ‘sit with’ ourselves and
sense the movements within our own soul, engaging as little as
possible with external relationships. We bear witness to our own
soul until Venus reappears on November 6th.
Venus signifies relationship
and represents the energy of Eros
......................................................
This year, the conjunction occurs on Halloween, the ancient Celtic
festival of Samhain, when the veil between the worlds was said
to be very thin, and when the unquiet spirits of the departed
might roam. Communing with our ancestral line is favoured, promoting
understanding of our place in the flow of human continuity. Viewed
psychologically, the deeper realms of the unconscious are more
accessible than usual, and the ‘spirits’ of our own
held suffering may be quieted through inner contact.
On November 6th, Venus reappears at 3.22am GMT as the Morning
Star. Inanna is revived by the waters of life. Indeed, this particular
sequence takes place as Venus traverses the watery sign of Scorpio,
whose soul process locates the inner areas of frozen or stagnant
feeling (water) and seeks to transform this potential toxicity
through compassionate insight rather than battling with it ‘out
there’. Finally, on November 21st, Venus turns direct again,
and Inanna exits the Underworld, followed by the cloud of demons.
This period of time, too, is potent in its symbolism, for we may
be shown where forgiveness is needed, and how we created our own
suffering. Bitterness and hatred also surfaces as we journey to
freedom. It is wise to realize that the demons of others are also
on the loose!
The Bull of Heaven
As if to remind us of the death of the ‘Bull of Heaven’
there is an eclipse of the Moon in 27.33 Taurus the day before,
on November 20th.2 This may be
seen directly in the heart of the constellation of the Bull. Maximum
coverage by the Earth’s shadow will occur at about 2.46am
GMT, when the Moon will appear to have shrunk to a crescent, swelling
to full again within a couple of hours. We experience a celestial
mini-cycle, set within the larger framework of the cycle of Venus.
This eclipse aligns with the bright star Algol, often seen as
the severed head of Medusa, which reflects the wisdom of the deep
feminine with its oracular capacity and ability to see the truth
of things. When our judgements, rigid opinions and prejudices
are discerned, the ‘head’ of our pseudo-rationality
and emotional reactivity is severed and thus both mind and heart
are freed. This too is the meeting with Erishkigel.
By December 4th, Venus is once again at maximum brilliance. This
day also sees a total Solar Eclipse at 07.30am GMT, visible over
Southern Africa, and falling in the exact degree of the conjunction
of Chiron and Pluto in Sagittarius on December 30th 1999, which
was the astrological ‘signature’ of the Millennium.
Three years on, as we emerge into a changed world, what has happened
to our hopes and aspirations? This eclipse marks the end of false
hopes and thus the beginning of something more true. And the Lady
Venus-Inanna glows her gentle message of resurrection, as the
cycle goes on…
The orbit of Venus
Venus goes retrograde once every 18 months, and every 8 years
returns to almost exactly the same place at the same time of year
to repeat the cycle. So each time retrogradation occurs, we are
connected back to the same period exactly 8, 16, 24, 32 and 40
years ago, etc.3 The unfinished
business from those times may gather and return to consciousness,
as we are helped to let go, forgive and move on. These retrograde
loops are times of profound inner movement, and precious times
of healing. Moreover, Venus spends 40 days retrograde, mirroring
the 40 weeks of human gestation and the archetypal 40 days in
the wilderness. There are also roughly 9 months between the different
conjunctions of Venus and the Sun. The retrograde zones, when
plotted around the zodiac circle, make a 5-pointed star, which
symbolizes the power of the mind. Indeed, intentions drawn during
these times are infused with great significance. Every time Venus
is retrograde we get an opportunity to review unconscious intentions
we may have unwittingly set in motion, fuelled by suffering and
misunderstanding. We may then re-set them in the light of consciousness,
made wiser by accepting both love and loss.
1. SeeInanna, Queen of Heaven
and Earth: her stories and hymns from Sumer
by Samuel Kramer and Diane Wolkstein, Harper and Row, NY, 1983.
The story was pieced together from stone tablets stored in various
museums world-wide.
2. A lunar eclipse visible at Northern
latitudes of about 52 degrees from about 0.30am until 4.45am.
Other locations see http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/
3. Those born with Venus retrograde
are particularly attuned to this 18-month cycle, and this autumn’s
activity may be especially meaningful for anyone born in October
or November in a year which is any multiple of 8 subtracted from
2002: 1978, 1970, 1962, 1954, 1946, 1938, 1930.
