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…….flying north over the Tassili n’Ajjer plateau in saharan Algeria at the beginning of the year you would have been forgiven for thinking that the plane had been diverted via Sweden, assuming you were in a plane…..at the exact start of the Chinese New Year Algeria saw heavy snowfall along with several other areas of the Sahara and the Middle East – in fact, at that particular time, or so a little bird told me, Algeria saw more snow than had fallen in Sweden up to that point in the year…..not so unusual in the long run of things, what made this especially note worthy is the fact that the last time Algeria saw snowfall of this kind was at the start of the Chinese New Year…..in 1952, exactly sixty years ago – and, as now, ’52 was also a Water Dragon year! mmmmmm……..

Hi Folks – its been two months since a post appeared at Owlmirror and thats too long – so, I want to say straight from the heart, a big thank-you to all of you who have been visiting and dipping into the archives over this time; thanks for your patience - and, more importantly, to all of you, deep apologies for keeping y’all in the dark. Guess I should say whats been going on behind the scenes!

Simple truth is a whole host events and challenges ranging from building websites and tending to readings and requests, to helping my family relocate, which alone has been all-consuming on many levels……fact is, Life took the reins and I have had to follow!…….and in this particular instance that has led to the good ship Owlmirror going into dry-dock for a refit and stock-up on vittles ahead of our setting sail once again for the vast unknown.

So, with a fair wind picking up, carrying the smell of the open sea and horizons new, and  having a small window this evening to pick up the beat, I felt it only right and good timing to break out the charts and say something about the course were setting and where we are heading over the next few months once we weigh anchor….

…….however, in the time honoured tradition of this particular vessel, there is actually a little more to it than all that…….it began back at Samhain.

Did you notice something change back then, a subtlety perhaps about the shape of things – we noted here in the astro readings the lingering thinning of the veils, a deepening call to clear out unwanted baggage and cleanse our relationships, especially with the ancestors, in preparation for whats coming. And, beneath it all, underpinning our sense of the future was an influx of something new, a call to draw breath before shifting gear and to take the opportunity to re-orientate our goals; seems like a lifetime ago that the Moon’s North Node was conjuncting the ‘Great Attractor’, but, with eclipses and solstices swinging open the doorways of opportunity, I truly believe we saw a novelty, a ‘kink in our timeline’ so to speak, kicking in…..be interesting to know how its been for you too! Right now we are in the end zone of that November eclipse’ sphere of influence, before the next one arrives very soon in May, so, its time to tie up all the loose ends from this last six months of change….as ever, the planets have been encouraging us in this.

When we finally saw Mars station in late Virgo (exact on this astrologer’s natal 10th house Jupiter and close by my MC!) and start swinging back over the section of the sky he’d been sweeping during much of this time an implosion of detailed scrutiny began to take hold and, as if in answer to the Saharan snows, the weather just about everywhere has been pretty crazy…..along with the earth’s magnetosphere (Virgo = mutable earth), telluric and tectonic pathways became energised setting off a building cluster of EQs, and Venus received a direct hit from an as yet unidentified interplanetary traveller, as well as a scorching plasma wave, and, yes, the Sun started dancing, showing new forms in its coronal holes and manifesting a series of spikey sunspots and solar tornados – we’re still seeing the rippling out of the uptick that began as the Sun opposed Saturn….as above etc, and all in a galactic days work?

The big underlying theme then as now has been increasing novelty, and inward pressure for change – and, without a doubt the catalyst has been a major reality check and re-assessment of goals. The very laws of nature seem to be up for re-configuration. But, only seem mind; thats the tricky place we’re in. Infact, it seems that lawsuits are popping uplike spring daisies at the moment, eh Monsanto?! Did you catch the ‘trillion dollar lawsuit’, and can you be sure you know what you are seeing there, eh Mssrs Wilcox, Fulford, Wood et al?!……seems, many devisive rip-tides are trawling the depths at the moment in the politico-economic realms, not to mention the media, eh Mr Murdoch et al?! So, while the mundane world re-organises itself with trailers to a false flag global movie, what we may well be seeing are mock manuevers in anticipation of the upcoming seven episode ’Uranus Square Pluto Show’…..and that is no joke at this time, eh Mssrs Ahmadinejad, Assad, Obama and Netanyahu et al?!

In plain speak, with solar and earth events hitting the ‘all-change’ button, ‘the world’ we are being presented with through the media appears to be slowly going crazy…..and, in the immortal words of Rupert’s Sun newspaper, ‘We Love It’……except, for the fact that the vast majority don’t - in reality its the usual crass, heartless entertainment to your average hack, but, it is carrying an increasingly high tariff to dodge the ‘Truth’ in this time, especially when the bullets are flying in your direction and there ain’t enough food to go ’round. And it might well be worse than that – the dematerialisation of virtually every sacred cow under the Sun is the calling card for Uranus and Pluto’s upcoming re-write of his-story…….perhaps not surprisingly the scientists are revolting and a noticable split is opening up between the orthodoxy and the avant-garde - theres some  divine jesting at work here too as, amongst the really juicy advances now being made in science, there are some real jokers telling us this is not where the real action is……look up said beautiful truth loving Venus – ‘Yeh! Do that…’ came the echo from, er….NASA?!

Life, as we know it, within the solar system is changing rapidly and our complicity with and awareness of these changes is increasing with it, quite literally – cosmological news and daily updates on the prevailing spaceweather are seeing an upsurge across the internet, many independant observers now utilising our enhanced access to solar and planetary science and its technologies via the www.  We find regular reports on the state of the Sun, planetary weather-forecasts and the health of our planet’s inner and outer bodies (most of which can be found posted on youtube and at various ‘scientific’ sites on the web (1)). So, it came as a point of some amusement when NASA announced that following the ‘spaceweather’ is going to play an increasingly important role in this, our terrestrial life from now on – as innocuous a statement of the obvious as we might expect from the scientific orthodoxy, but, noteworthy for it having been flagged up nevertheless, it pays to read between the lines with these guys, regardless the fact that their erstwhile identity as a branch of cosmic estate agents dealing in celestial real estate and out-sourcing is barely hidden these days.

The speculative grapevine that surrounds the idea of ‘earth-changes’ is directly feeding this info into the metaphysical and cosmological discussion and the memes are flying. Its everyday now we’re seeing a whelter of new alerts (predominantly via youtube vids) to ‘evidence’ of our immanent arrival at a new state of being, ‘proofs’ of our ascent towards a higher level of consciousness and notions of our ‘return’ to the cosmological community. While there is some serious and ground-breaking science emerging and fueling the debates now,  Entertainment Value within these networks is at an all-time premium…..but, is it true?! Stepping back……

We might well ask as, meanwhile back on earth, the vicarious gravy-train of ‘official’ media and ‘alternative’ news fueled versions of Reality seem to be in confluence and the flood is in full flow. Yes, as we are now fed 24/7, everyone now utilising the very same media of mass comms, endless updates on mounting defections, arrests and ‘trillion dollar’ lawsuits and political wrangling within the financial sector, global upticks in EQ activity, flooding and crazy weather, wars, political scandals, revolutionary struggles and ecological disasters and a marked increase in the visibility of the ‘transhuman agenda’ notwithstanding, the irrelevant and random juxtaposition of this cornucopia of the usual ‘news’, meta-science and conspiratorial knee-jerking with the race for the Whitehouse, obsessively voyeuristic ‘intimate’ details scooped from the lives of celebrities and the latest sports results are conspiring to create an exotic and yet anodine cultural chaos. Even if there is an overriding reality that we cannot ignore at this crucial moment in time, this itself is becoming drowned out by the maelstrom of high and low frequency noise we as a species are creating for ourselves as the soundtrack to our journey through 2012. Its also noteworthy that it has been in the latter stages of the Piscean age, in the overlap zone where  Aquarian influence has been impinging on Piscean ideals, that we have seen the rise of high tech and the internet – and Neptune’s transit through Aquarius has seen its greatest period of innovation and expansion. We are now revisiting the idealogical basis of this upsurge in creativity with Neptune firmly ensconced in the Piscean side of the overlap zone – could this be at the root of the game of charades now being played…..it has become obvious that each of us must look to our own reality for the answers.

So, how are you doing in the midst of all this craziness…..here at Owlmirror the point came where this became the over-riding question…….and the answers?!

We left off last time with a straight piece of counsel that in some very real ways was a direct response to this question…..’making good the shrines’……and, taking up this advice, Time was called and before you could say ‘hyper-space anomolies’ we were pulling focus and had been summoned to the inner sanctum of everyday life closer to home. Sometimes you have to simply call a halt to the madness…….

How unsuspecting are we of the consequences? It is true that Owlmirror has also been flagging up the increase in ‘novelty’ and unpredictability factors at work in our local arm of the planetary matrix for some time, but, that is the easy part - about which, it always intrigues me how little hindsight is paid by astrologers to their forecasting, checking the facts against prognostications, and this itself became an open question that quickly snowballed, Algerian style .

It had not been the crew of this ship’s intent (at least not mine – ed.) to batten down the hatches and unplug the public address system here, but, a diviner’s life, if it is to be lived with fidelity to its ‘sponsors’, is never entirely their own…..and, while our home reality is the only place that really matters, responding to guidance is the whole point. For all the increasing interest in divination, astrology and the unseen that is currently at large in the world, media influence or not, and, while there is always a place for the jester’s wit and wisdom in the midst of our courtly madness, we are at least to some extent sovereign in our own lives. We do well to play our cards carefully now, and trivialise such matters at our own risk……we can also miss opportunities and great beauty. If trivialisation of Life is to be the joker’s card that leads to the denuement of humankind, and if all this noise is actually a reflection of Neptunian fog descending over the Piscean oceans of collective mass media generated archetypel infection, then ‘making good the shrines’ is, without a doubt, a trumping maneuver and major antidote.

It may be a truism, but, in reality, Life is not divided into compartmentalised sectors. It serves us well to be reminded that Life is holy and sacred, even in the midst of the clamour and pressures of the everyday and, if it is your calling to work with the unseen, the shrines may also be that place where the noise of the world drops away, and a connectedness prevails that, while it may have higher energy levels in some ways, is imbued with a sense of timelessness and rich fruitful quietude -  sanctuaries of sanity. In that place we can hear the world and sense its great turnings much more clearly. When the shrines are ‘made good’, our Hara lines strengthened as Ishtar put it in her comment to ‘Pearl Fishing’ (much appreciated), the energy rises and we can hear the big wheel turning as we re-align and balance…..and, sometimes it calls us to go stand beneath the stars and wonder.

Around the time of the our last posting here a thing of great beauty was unfolding in the heavens – Venus was joining in close conjunction with Jupiter close by the Pleiades star cluster. Venus has increased her luminousity in recent times and, while undergoing great changes, like all the planets in our neck of the galactic woods (notably, it has also been recently observed that her axial rotation is slowing and her day has lengthened by a significant degree in current time), her presence has become powerfully magnetic, her luminescence scintillatingly electric. Combined with Jupiter’s brilliance they brought a gift of benevolent beauty from the night skies, further deepened into a rounded sense of time and place and symbolic resonance once the crescent Moon joined with these irridescent beings beneath the stars.  Awakening qualities that could be truly felt if we gazed upon their vibrant luminousity their gift became manifest through bringing many, perhaps for the first time, to turn their gaze skywards not merely to ‘look’, but, to partake in celestial contemplation.

There is a magic of the highest order at work in the celestial realms and if we take our bodies to meet with them it becomes possible to expand and deepen our lives, to begin once more to sense our place within the cosmos and get a sense of perspective – it may also provide us a glimpse of the greater presence of the worlds beyond this world. Such is the nature of star gazing – one of our innate ancestral impulses, ancient beyond our imaginings, it is also where astrology and astronomy reveal their common root, our common roots, within the star nations of the eternal dreamtime……I like to think that the astrological interpretation of such an event is superceded by its direct experience, not least of all for the fact that this is exactly how the very stories belonging to the star nations and celestial family of our solar system came to be with us. Those stories colour our use of the craft with all the mesmerising influence of the archetypes they seem to portray – but, as Sistertongue, another of our esteemed commentors here, has pointed out Neptunes story, for example, doesn’t hold the same kind of water as it used to……

For all the analytical musings and mythopoetic interpretations that accompany the current practice of astrology, the ground of experience is paramount. Checking back upon the fruits of our insights gives us the psychological and intellectual grounding – but, no description can match the direct experience of the planetary and stellar matrix for unifying and integrating the energies of the celestial plane and its inhabitants within our being. There are gateways here for that grounding to manifest, not only as a source of nourishment, but, through which the deepest memories of our source, our true nature and home within the cosmos may became activated. This sense of perspective is intrinsic to astrology and has been since the beginning. Just as our ancestors embraced this the larger reality of the cosmological life we too, first, by virtue of our physical senses, when we quieten enough to allow it of ourselves, can experience our intimate connections with the greater Life as a star-born unfolding moment bringing heightened energies and expanded awareness into our physical being – this is palpable if given enough attention, and if we are prepared to take the further step, towards the second level of attention, and allow these generative energies to work their magic within, we can still discover beyond those gateways, hidden in plain sight, the unseen vibrant lands beyond the physical planes. These are the origins of the Dragon Paths. They are also the source of the very stuff of Life.

Present with and around us in the terrestrial as much as the celestial, Nature is abundant with these gateways. Our souls are resilient by virtue of their eternal presence and the, once regained, familiar eminations of celestial energy, the stars and planets, that have never left us within the soul realms, are as old as Time itself……even now, if the calling is heeded, there is the opportunity to go test this out. Perhaps you will hear the Earth spirit awakening with this knowing and resonating with the expanding frequencies of awareness that are flowing within the cosmos. As esoteric as all this might sound it is good health to do so.

Within the earth realms their energies manifest at frequencies discernable within the physical frame of our bodies, both giving access to the celestial spectra and dimensions, and reminding us of the reality of our physical being. We know that the sacred sites are both sacred and sited upon this foundational interdimensional web – within our realm, our density, their expression finds profound resonance in sacred geometry and gives us the harmonic template for co-operative manifestation of their potential. This is divine potential in its origin, its energy and geometry is at the heart of astrological practice – the stars are here brought to earth; we never left them.

As an astrologer working with these energies is essential – the practice is simply indigenous, however much in contemporary clothing it might be figured and shaped. But, star-gazing is its foundation – the technologies of spirit are its natural expression and extension.

As an astrologer bringing this home makes the practice ‘soul-work’, beyond psychology and archetypal metaphor, and, in my view, is nothing less than the mind of Nature finding its voice within us. We need the quietude and fruitful darkness of our inner sanctum to hear it…..and, once the shrines have been made good once more it indubitably will call us to embark on that greatest journey of all and navigate by the stars a way home to ourselves.

Which brings us back to Owlmirror. The next phase of this journey is deeply tied up with this experiental reality as well as those Dragon Paths – their currents lead us into uncharted territory; remember seeing those places where uncertainty and the unknown reside being marked on the charts and maps of the ancient mariners with that most evocative of sayings - ’here be Dragons’?!

They will be guiding us to look into the use of astrology as a mutli-valant navigational aid - the journey around the Wheel of Life is writ large in the zodiac, its correspondences with the physiology of our human frame, the knowledge of the medicine people of old and the connections between the perrenial knowledge, the transcendant potential we literally embody and the energies of the Dragon Paths themselves, all will be a part of the course we take. The journey is going to take us out beyond the divination practices openly employed here so far at Owlmirror as well - indigenous divination has many forms and, as well as discussing how the ancestors brought the stars to earth and worked directly with the energy of the Dragon Paths on the earth plane, we’ll be bringing in one of the main forms of ancestral divination that I have been trained in and work with in unison with astrology – it originated in north Africa, not so far from where the snows fell at the opening of the Chinese new year, but, more on this later……

I thought long and hard during this time-out about how I could best develop and realise the potential that Owlmirror’s journey has opened up over the past couple of years.  It became obvious that alongside the expansion of the divining ‘toolkit’ here there is also an opportunity for a deeper discussion of the art itself.  In the coming months I will be offering readings, both on a personal and topical basis, that bring the focus to particular astrological events in real time – this will provide a platform for investigation of the reality of the practice. There will also be articles where methods can be explored, an opportunity go much deeper into the art and craft of astrology amongst the many other practices of divination. We will be looking at the charts of individuals who have had a profound influence in our world and on the craft, starting with the Elizabethan mage and astrologer John Dee. Opportunities to learn and develop our divination practices will be coming as the year progresses as well, and this will be taking place both off and on-line. Altogether the aim is to follow the calling, work with the opening Dragon Paths and bring a more developed and personal flavour to Owlmirror, one that brings home the beauty and purposefulness of the diviner’s world, how it touches our individual lives, as well as the extra-ordinary times we are alive within. We are all in this together…..

The craft is changing and our art needs to change with it.  And, speaking of arts and crafts, I have a new site that is nearing ready for launch that features the artwork itself, much of which will be work not yet presented here alongside new work as it arises. As an online portfolio/blog it will have its own tab in the header crossbar here. I will be introducing this next time with an article on a commission that came up shortly after Samhain and which came to fruition over the solstice time through the work of my dear friend Rowan Jacqueline. She is an inspirational artist and medicine dancer who has developed a body of work of great beauty weaving the dynamics and presence of the earth, our bodies and indigenous wisdom into an approach to self exploration and realisation that is much needed in our times – Rowan was called to bring her work to (you guessed it) Sweden at the turning of the Sun and commissioned a special carving that was at the center of the solstice ceremony there……this saw the birth of the ‘Sunchild’, the subject of our next post. Theres much to look forward to as the great wheel turns….

……just one more thing; if you were wondering about Venus’ enhanced brilliance just now, she has a long cycle of increasing luminousity that invariably culminates when she journeys through Gemini – she’s traversing Gemini now and will soon be crossing the face of the Sun - this is a rare event as only seven such transits have occured since the invention of the telescope. Nevertheless, this was well known to our ancestors, infact, without her presence and their stargazing observation of Venus much of our calendrics would not have come into being - if ever there was a measure of time……and what better reason to go star-gazing at sunset……..

(1) Although many of the online vids and sites appear to escape critical assessment, peer review and validation, many being based on personal views and interpretations, amongst them are some which resonate with a real sense of veracity – it is up to all of us to be the judge of this, especially as so much of what passes for ‘information and fact’ is recycled from other sources, given a new spin and lustre. But, having said that, the sheer scope and breadth of information and groundbreaking thought alone that they represent is a sure indication that we are undergoing a major transformation at a collective level of consciousness that may well have some grounding in our own experience. And, while in respect of this discernment is very much the name of the game, it always pays to keep some judgement in reserve……experience will tell.

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We have entered the time of the Water Dragon and the world is alive with great change…..

The Water Dragon is like a powerful river – the spirit of the waters alive with vitality and strength, the Dragon returning to the deepest levels of Life …..when the Dragon returns and flows with the river’s power, throughout the land it enters Life with the force of a mighty watercourse in spate, fed by 10,000 mountain springs and myriad storms…..all in its path is swept up within its dynamic flow, everything changes, and the flow of change itself becomes charged with the rising divine energy of the Dragon…..

When Change becomes charged with divine energy, so that the power of spirit supercedes the limitations of the mundane, ordinary life takes on the appearance of continual transformation that is driven by powers beyond the control of human mentality – how do we work with this energy, how do we bring our personal and collective paths into accord with its direction? The wise-women and men of old left us instructions, the waymarkers, signs and symbols born of their experience and knowledge of such times, to assist us in this……

In keeping with the cultural origins of the Water Dragon, as a symbol and a power, within the body of the I Ching we find this as a beginning…….bring your awareness into the place of clarity and repose within, make good the inner and outer shrines, and make offerings according to the sincerety you find there……what is most sincere is uncorrupted and free of conditioning, is in accord with the times and the flow of change, so offerings made at this time, in this way, will establish the real and eliminate the false…..(1)

In the outer world, when the winds of change are picking up strength (the I Ching presents the image of the wind above the earth) we are called into a state of alert observation, being careful. Gradual progress is favoured, not advancing with impetuousity, but, with clarity of mind. This is the way of correcting degeneration…..in the beginning, if clarity of mind is to be the foundation of our actions, making use of actions that themselves encourage clarity itself and fostering alert observation, ‘making good the shrines’ is the symbol of finding the peaceful meeting place of mind, heart and spirit such that correcting degeneration may follow naturally from this. In our world, this is also ‘coming into accord with’ our current times……

But, the power of the Dragon is beyond human mentality – it is celestial in origin, cannot be contained, and is by nature both beneficial and transformative, the fundamental life-force that animates Life. It is the human mentality that is sincere and able to honour this power that can cultivate reality and flow with the changes at large in the world in such times. The Oracle of Changes continues……

…..when the real comes, the false naturally submits; this requires the gradual cultivation of the mundane through the influence of the divine. This is like honouring the deity, where the gradual process of cultivation rests upon sincerety. By the gradual effects of sincerety our communication with the spirit of the deity works to cultivate reality and, in this way, cultivating reality does not rest on the physical, but, on spiritual clarity; first you make the heart, mind and spirit sincere and truthful, then you practice it in the body. This is the meaning of ‘alert observation’. There is a great treasure contained here…..

Spiritual clarity works silently, swift without being hasty, entering by sincerity, functioning with flexibility, penetrating the barrier between the immanent and the manifest, producing light in the openess within. From alert observation generating illumination awareness expands, and, from observation of the spirit reaching observation of the great, a black pearl hangs in the great void, illuminating the whole world as if it were in your palm. What is this ‘black pearl’?

In the Taoist symbols we find the colour black representing a state of profound tranquility and detachment; we also find the symbol of the pearl representing clarified awareness. The great void is the primordial origins, the source of all things. Being sincere and bringing our clarified awareness into the meeting place of the spirit and the mundane and fostering alert observation, the illumination arising from source amidst tranquility – detached from aquired conditioning and human mentality, our spirit and the great spirit in harmony, and the great river in which we swim illumined with the inner light of the blackpearl, our actions become like the pearl fishers – diving deep into the element of Change.

And yet, the fast flowing powers of the great river in spate, the force of change at work within the world, have another meaning…….

The great river is also the symbol of difficulty, danger, adversity and obstacles, the trials and toils of life. Who would fish for pearls in such waters?

The image of the Water Dragon is also like the power of heaven at work within the Waters. Pitfalls above, strength and illumination below. Being sound and strong and able to manage within the midst of danger. Although not everyone is ready for such challenges, when the times carry the power of change and change is unavoidable, everywhere and affecting everything, the practice  and meaning of  making good the shrines, the clarity and sincerity we find within will reveal path of action – even those who are ready may be guided to wait. Restoring the primordial within the temporal, even when outer action is delayed, the wise nurture strength within – this is the path of strength and firmness that cultivates the primordial within the temporal and knows when to act. Being in alert observation, we are guided to know when to dive in to the fast flowing river, and,  being ready but holding firm is the path of power that nurtures the strength we need to do so. As the oracle says – we cannot presume upon our strength and set about the task impetuously – that would bring on danger.

When the Water Dragon is at large in the world timing is everything, even when it subsumes choice…..we cannot foresee every change or danger in such times, so, our inner wisdom and guidance becomes of the highest value. This itself rests upon making good the shrines. If, however, we assume upon our strength and act impetuously, it is like allowing the powerful under-currents of change to draw us downwards with the flow of the great river deeper in, deeper into the body of difficulty itself. Without clarity, strength and a sense of timing that comes from inner guidance our connection with the illuminating power that arises from source is quickly superceded…..

We live in a world in which, not only is great change at work, but, this change itself is revealing its origins – and, within this, we can see that the quality of change we are experiencing has itself arisen from impetuous actions that have lacked clarity and inner guidance – the mundane world is riven with the hollowness that arises when spirit is not met, in the very place where we could be illuminated with the wisdom of the spirit. The understanding of spirit is up to the individual person, but, when spirit is not met this understanding will either arise from mundane conditioning or not arise at all, which is the place of great danger. Even when change appears to be everywhere, when the river of change is in spate, it does not mean that danger is everywhere or that it cannot be overcome. In such circumstances, it is necessary to recognise danger before one can overcome it. This has increasingly profound meaning in a time such as ours…..

The oracle says that to recognise danger one must believe in danger - believing in danger here means being careful, discerning, refining oneself, gathering strength and waiting for the proper time. In this way one can cope with danger – there is great development in this. In this way, the path of power, of fostering sincerity and great development, offered to us in the time of the Water Dragon is one of gaining good fortune by being correct, even in times of adversity and great change.

The great river is most dangerous, but, offers the highest possibilities for those who know how to enter it. The black pearl is a great treasure that can be found within. But, it is not always necessary to enter the waters to find it – when the time is not yet ripe cultivate the pearl and nurture strength within; when the time comes, advance in strength. Advancing in strength and nourishing it at the proper times, in accord with spirit, is how one can be in danger and yet cope with it, and how one can get out of danger. Such strength is beneficial wherever it goes.

There is an inner path within this path of power – it carries the meaning of restoring the sacred to Life. This path is open to all. It begins with ‘making good the shrines’, cultivating clarity and coming to the meeting place of spirit and the mundane with sincerity to make offerings to spirit – what you give will depend on your own inner clarity and sincerity, however, making offerings now from such a place will not fail to bring illumination from source, even if this itself is the nature of the offering, the spirit with which it is made………great indeed are the gifts that may arise from within the Water Dragon’s path of power. May you be blessed with its power and illumination…..

(1) the I Ching was primarily consulted for this reading using the Thomas Cleary translation of ‘The Taoist I Ching’ : Shambala Publications, 1986. In the next Water Dragon article we will look further into the mysteries of the Dragon Paths as they are revealed through the tracks left by the ancestors.

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Chuang Tzu dreamt he was a butterfly, but, on awakening he could not tell if he was a man dreaming he was a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming he is a man……

The coming year of the Water Dragon sees a wise power building within the waters of spirit at work behind the world – we have this time up until the end of January when the Chinese New Year arrives to take a pause in anticipation and to gather our personal power. This is a valuable moment to stop and listen. Roughly up until the end of the current lunation, the celestial weather directly supports our inner and world work in this way – a subtle amplification within the dialogue between ourselves and the Earth. In the coming months the dynamics of this dialogue will change so it is also a valuable time of preparation. The consolidating, developmental and altruistic work we do now lays essential sacred ground for entering the Dragon Path. So, lets take a look at the celestial influences arising now that support this dialogue…..

After traversing Scorpio and Sagittarius, through weeks of depth work and internal re-alignment with our inner Sun, the spiral path we weave around our home star has brought our focus once more to Earth with Sun now in Capricorn. Scorpio’s deep healing waters offered us access into the heart of our selves, connecting with the soul core, our spiritual center, and helped us clear the blockages and accretions that have been preventing a clear and vital flow of energy, feeling and awareness to and from our roots. Sagittarius’ cosmological illumination of our inner realms brought the potential to activate the dreaming body, birthing the Sunchild, bringing meaning and direction to the flow of energies within and helping us see how we can focus these along paths of manifestation with purpose in the times ahead. We now have the opportunity of capitalising on our clear and activated dreaming and are ready to step into grounding our creativity in new forms with the support of the mutable earth energies of Capricorn.

From this time of the year, our dreaming can become married with purpose in order to birth new forms that change our reality. This is a spiritual practice that stems from the heart as the generative creative center within the womb of creation. From the perspective of astrological cosmology an alchemy of manifestation is at work, for both hemispheres of our Earth. In aligning our personal energetics with Earths’s we can strengthen the flow of information within our dreaming between all of us. This flows in naturally from the Sagittarian influence, as Jupiter in Taurus is amplifying the earth energies through this time, and begins to become activated in the physical – when we work with these energies cardinal earth will help initiate transforming our aspirations into realities that are in alignment with our home planet.

This Solstice template, however, is carrying an increased potency this time around that has brought an enhanced element of indeterminacy into our forward looking. There is speculation within the cosmological community that this is partly down to the ongoing effects of the close alignment of Earth and Sun within the galactic plane with the center of our galaxy, and partly down to the unusual energetic qualities of the space/time matrix that our solar system is now entering, bringing transformation to the planets and our Sun, physically and energetically – all of which are now pushing the boundaries of reality to change. There are, however, other perhaps more esoteric factors at work as well – we can expect a potent release of energy in the time ahead that is a consequence of the breakdown of integrity within the earth plane, a shaking loose of boundaries, an experience that is beyond the scope of determinacy, and this is essentialy where the enhanced element of indeterminacy is arising from.

At present and over the next few weeks we are under the subtle but increasing influence of a bow wave of energy that precedes this reality shift, so to speak. If you have been gifted with the abilities and developed the skills to sense well beyond the physical you may notice this undercurrent in energetic form – that is to say complex vibratory patterning arising from vortices of catalystic change that appear and disappear without warning. These may appear as random events that challenge us or impulses to act in ways we are not accustomed to. Energetically it is advisable to do no more than observe at this point. Awareness needs to remain anchored in the heart center, our major center of intelligence and feeling where we interface with the source field. So, keeping focused on personal work, but, staying awake to the world. Earth will show us how this shift is integrating, even as it happens at a subtle level, but we have strong assistance now from Venus in Aquarius in working with the unexpected……

Have you noticed how the Earth field is also developing a ‘present’ time focus ripe with potentials that reach far beyond the known – human consciousness is not only becoming freed up to conjoin with instantaneous effect within the earth plane, our access to the source field is opening up bigtime. This is reflected in the growing resurgence of working with ‘free-energy’, a powerful and inspiring leitmotiv for our coming times.

Although readers here will almost certainly be well aware of the spiritual health of humanity in relation to our home planet, amongst the wider populace we are also seeing increasing openess about our role in life as guardians and preservers of Life. Spirit helps us connect and expand dimensionally. But, this means that our work in this role will now feed directly into this change. This is key. And, we are not the first to arrive at this point. The cycles of time have seen our ancestors approach and cross these thresholds of diffusion and multi-dimensionality before. Its worth considering that what has failed the ancestors in the past, when they have failed, will fail us now if we go forward without heeding their messages from the past, so it serves us well to honour and pay strong attention to our ancestral connections – it is not a given that we will avoid error; they have much to teach us that will help us avoid repeating the same mistakes. In fact, this is a hugely important time for ancestral healing  and, in effect, our world work has become a vehicle for this.

There is assistance at hand – the world around us is waking up with almost daily revelations about the hidden past of our ancestors; their voices are becoming stronger in ways we may resonate strongly with now as re-awakening memories of former lives within very different communities. It is surely no coincidence now that our human heritage is rising from the Earth. They too are asking us to question and change how we have organised our lives, through the predominant culture, as well as how we have used our power. And we know that there is much more to come….

It is beyond doubt that the ‘status quo’ is a human fabrication that serves to organise. It may be that this ‘fixation’ has arisen as a response to our dissociation with Nature – we have been predominantly seeing it exponentially manifest control and subjugation of nature (and that includes human nature) within our current time-line over a 12.6k year period. But, this too is changing now. With virtually every archeological revelation our timeline is changing. And this is a great gift to us from the ancestors. The shift needs a radical ‘opening out’ of reality, as this will naturally change our values. So many false notions of power have become projected into money in our culture, but, we now can see clearly that this is nothing but a con.

Revelations of the extent of financial corruption and deception are escalating, showing that this process is already accelerating. But, these too are a part of the process of adjustment that is freeing us up from the narrow confines of a single time-line. At this time we can most clearly see this in polarisation between the roles of ‘destroyers’ and ‘preservers’. But, this will develop a multi-dimensionality of its own as diffusion spreads in the coming year and frees up the energies within the matrix. The Solstice template and lunation this year shows us being strongly assisted now in embodying, some would say reclaiming, our multi-dimensionality.

The Solstice influence is with us over the coming three months and we can begin reading into its astrological matrix by looking to Venus, whose entry into Aquarius is helping our archetypal heart energies to grow wings, the wings of Aquarian freedom. Venus is central in this reading. We know that breaking free of the gravitational field of ‘fear’ is happening when we feel light within and work with the empowerment that our courage gives us and Venus is in the Uranian influence as a field of electrifying creativity that ignites a fire within our hearts. In the Solstice template Venus stands at the midpoint of a T square formed with Jupiter and Saturn in opposition – her role is pivotal as her heart focus becomes the point of resolution through which their energies manifest. So, what are Jupiter and Saturn telling us of those energies?

Being the only planet retrograde at Solstice, Jupiter anchors our sense of the bigger picture inwardly, aiding us in giving it body and meaning on the earth plane, amplifying our senses and sensuality and helping us to listen to our earth – when worked with positively this will bring a feeling of inner enrichment and well-being in the world. As Teilhard de Chardin said, “there is an almost sensual longing for communication with others who have a larger vision. The immense fulfillment of the friendships between those engaged in furthering the evolution of consciousness has a quality almost impossible to describe”….feeling that connection expanding and finding form is one of Jupiter Saturn and Venus’ main gifts now.

Shortly after the New Moon in Capricorn Jupiter stations and turns direct, so activating all the degrees of Taurus over the coming six months. This offers us a sustained time for feeling and sharing this inspiration, the sensual experience of meaningfulness. In the first degree of Taurus at solstice Jupiter speaks of re-establishing the dharma path, as expressed through the roles we embody. Saturn in late Libra gives the form and balance to this self focus with a fullness of purpose that lifts it out of the realms of selfishness – the impetus to give form to our higher selves in reality, here and now. With this aim Jupiter and Saturn are connecting us with the essential form of the greater whole, the extended community of spirit – if we hold the two energies in balance they work in perfect harmony, but, the key is in allowing this to center in the heart and being receptive.

This is fundamental to bringing mind, body and spirit together, and, through this we are strongly assisted in working the multi-dimensional nature of our earth experience in a positive way. And, not only is articulate ensoulment present within this, when we open to our multi-dimensional nature the living thread of the dreaming that connects us with our ancestors vibrates and re-sounds within our own dreamings. This is given extra torque by Jupiter’s angle to the Moon’s nodes. Within hours of Jupiter going direct the Moon passes over Venus’ solstice degree and grounds the T square, helping us further ground its potency and energy values within the influences of the Capricorm lunation. This means we can become free to ground our ancestral connections within our dreamings and share them in communion with the wider spiritual community here on the earth plane – a great opportunity for some deeply connected spirit-world work free of time line restrictions.

When the mutliple strands of our dreamings become interwoven and resonant across time we can also confidently take full responsibility for our role as ‘the ancestors of the future’. This is absolutely fundamental to our collective work. There is also much speculation around the multi-stranded nature of our DNA that is becoming a fascination for many now. Some are now seeing this as a cosmological development of our genetic coding, an awakening of our dormant potentials through reclamation of its multi-strand nature. The speculation seems to be that with this natural embodiment of our inter-dimensional nature we can realise our total connectedness across all time and space, all dimensions, all universes…..

Multi-strand DNA gives us the building blocks, the organising constructive memory and hardware to facilitate this shift in connectivity – it will happen of its own accord as the matrix frees its energies. However we envisage it, the heart is the locus and anchor point for this process. We would do well to allow nature to take its course here, but, remaining balanced is essential as reality will shift in ways we cannot imagine as this happens. In this is an emergent creative potential that aids us in meeting with the unknown in equilibrium. In other words, our multi-dimensional potential cannot be realised until we have learned how to be in balance within our selves, which is the pre-requisite for generating compassion as an active agency within Life, and it is Compassion as a power that will give us the keys that set us free. This, hopefully, puts Saturn, Venus and Jupiter’s great gifts in unity, into perspective…..the spiritual alchemy of the solstice….

Being in the Aquarian stream of consciousness Venus is also sextile to Uranus in the solstice imprint. Uranus is now direct in the first degree of Aries – this raises the truly transformative potential that can now unfold in firing new forms of consciousness within the earth matrix. Venus Sabian symbol of ‘the unexpected thunderstorm’ gives us the flavour……we must learn how to navigate this energetic terrain and work with the inner essense that animates us when ‘creating the path is the path’.

Mercury, the spirit of articulate self knowledge, also stands at a mid-point in the Solstice template, between Mars and Neptune. Unaspected directly, Mercury’s sensitivity to the connective flow of intelligence present within ‘the field’ subtly and adroitly gives us access to Mars and Neptunes influences. Mars in mid Virgo at solstice calls us to energise our connectivity, through the guidance of the divine feminine in the fixed earth of Virgo.

Neptune in the last degrees of Aquarius has the Sabian symbol of ‘the Butterfly emerging from the chrysalis’ – the cells within the transforming pupa within the chrysalis that bring forth this new elevated (winged) form are themselves called ‘imaginals’! Mars motivating powers activate the imaginal energies – Neptune breaks down the barriers for their emergence. We can, with Mercury’s assistance, expect the subtle nature of our emergent processes on earth to feed our dreams through this solstice imprint. The more consciousness we give to them, the more they will activate our growth. And we can expect accurate and effective divination to help us listen in now as well. So, consult the Oracle as we need to be wise about how we travel the course we are setting out on! Time has taken on a different quality now and, like our weather, the dynamics of change are filled with unpredictability…….

Once again Venus increases her central role and stands at further mid-points, between the Sun and Chiron, as well as between Pluto and Neptune within the solstice imprint! Her wings are taking on deeper implications for riding  the winds of change……

The Sun entering Capricorn at solstice brings the emphasis back to ‘responsibility’ in our use of power. We have all been hurt at heart by the entropic destructive and delusional forces present within our world – however, Chiron supports us in healing the suffering behind these wounds. Wounds and scars, especially in the non-physical, make us highly sensitive, and can help to raise our consciousness.

With Sun closing on Pluto the plutocrats position at the peak of the pyramids of power can no longer be hidden, and the abuse we have suffered we will no longer allow to wound us – with such raised consciousness this is no longer possible. The key to handling this enhanced sensitivity is again in working with the heart center. Compassion also brings release from the restricting influence of fear and ‘en-courages’ self-empowerment. Time to claim our self-authority and, as Robert Bly poigniantly said, to “walk our limp” with pride. Clarissa Pinkola Estes has done some amazing work with women in helping them literally create a coat of power from the wounds that they as individuals have suffered. This is Chirons wisdom and Pluto makes it revolutionary. A collective wave of self-empowered individuals working with the higher self is an irresistable force.

Venus lifts us and Pluto reveals the extent of the next step. His influence is unflinching and indiscriminate, exposing the realities of power that connects us all, through taking us to deep and fundamental, revolutionary and soul-full levels of awareness…..this is epoch making energy at work within ‘the field’ that will become increasingly visible in the world through the year ahead, especially as Uranus and Pluto begin their exact squares mid-year. This will occur just as Jupiter passes into Gemini, so, now is the time to dream deeply, in communion with the divine in Nature, the ancestors and our spirit allies and let the expansive energies of our dreaming too be the channel for transformative power of liberation, healing and the birthing of our dreams within the world. Solstice has ever been thus, but never the more so now! We can all embody the return of the Sunchild……

We should pay head to the Moon in late Scorpio within the Solstice template, which here indicates that we can expect the feelings we have about our lives to run deep, but, must also keep our whits about us and not let the passion we feel rising after millenia of subjugation to blind us to the balance needed now.

The Moons nodes remind us that we are heading for ‘Aeonic consciousness’ (North Node on the Great Attractor) and highlight how mental balance and clear and unpolluted levels of health are intimately connected (South Node) – this latter aspect will be boosted during the first exact Uranus Pluto square in mid-year when Jupiter conjuncts the South Node in Gemini. The energies will be extremely high and widespread, working at fundamental levels of change at that time, so our work now is crucial. With continuing open and honest revelation of our true history, we will surely feel enraged at the extent to which we have been denied our natural heritage, but, this too can aid us as we can clear our minds of shared and self-replicating wounds, of memories, habits and lies of seperation that have kept us from realising our birth rights and human potential.

Lastly, the adjusting refinements of the current Capricorn lunation……

The New moon at 3º Capricorn sees the Solstice template subtly yet powerfully adjusted, acting like a lense focusing the archetypal inner light into present time, becoming more penetrative and intense. Being close in on Pluto at New Moon, the light of the returning Sun can ignite depth-charges of seismic force, shattering and collapsing darker uses of power and exposing them at the surface, but, this too will first and foremost catalyse a pull towards greater unity within the emerging body politic of our times. There are however indications that it is the ‘quieter’ aspect of the solstice imprint that will prevail over the coming month. The salve that helps us find balance in the world is brought by Jupiter. The great planet carries us through every degree of Venus home sign over the coming months, bringing a bountiful knowing and expansion of heart centered optimism to our individual and collective paths. Retracking over the degrees of the retrograde period through this lunation and the entirety of the solstice period, the expansive influence of Jupiter will re-open and amplify many of the revelations that have come out since the end of August, the onset of Jupiter’s retro period. This could up the anti in the world of finance, politics and international power struggles, but, our run up to the return of the Water Dragon will enable us to gather our personal power in balance to this. Watch out for new and astonishing revelations from the past!

We can now enjoy a lunation of expanding connection and sharing of true wealth – we can give this great depth through pausing now in receptivity – this is valuable fuel for the lunations preceding equinox, especially once Mars goes retrograde in Virgo at the end of January and Neptune re-enters Pisces in early February. Then we are into a zone of inner change and dynamic experiences in which reality will take on very unusual qualities…..the Dragon Paths of Earth are awakening….

…….in following the Dragon Path it is the Way that is walking…….

Peace be with us all……..

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The Occupy movement has been challenged to answer to the question “What are your demands?” – this article offers a central and fundamental basis for answering this question. If you agree with this central basis please share this article and/or the short video with which it concludes………

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you….and then you win”

Behind these deceptively simple words, attributed to Gandhi, is a body of experience drawn from a life-long struggle to protect the liberty, rights and empowerment of ordinary people through peaceful activism – such root principles can, when denied, catalyse a powerful uprising of the people. For us, in our historic moment, the stakes are no less high, in fact, at root the fundamental nature of the current resurgence of the power and voice of the people carries a profound urgency and realism never before seen on our planet. The truth that can be felt with increasingly concrete tangibility is that it is not only our own, but, the protection of our children’s liberty, rights and empowerment to enjoy and experience Life itself that is at stake.

We have seen many uprisings and revolutions before. Historically, there is a passion at work in such uprisings, an unflinching power that arises from within the hearts and minds of ordinary people. For such power to become unflinching it requires the fuel of an indomitable and over-riding realisation of necessity. It is a passion that invokes and manifests the fundamental courage of individuals who have woken up to and become aware, within the manifest energies of the historical moment, of who they are and why they are here, and who have subsequently realised that the immediate predominant forces and circumstances prevailing within that moment run counter to this embodiment of self-knowledge, self-awareness and self-determination.

In confronting all that alienates us from the self-determination that comes through living by these innate human powers such courage and awareness have the capacity to unite people within a common voice that says ‘Enough’. Such is the measure of the growing realisation become increasingly manifest within our historic moment, on a global scale, and now symbolically carried by the world-wide emergence of the Occupy movement. Although not confined to the western democracies, and the ongoing struggle of the people in the North African and Middle Eastern countries associated with the ‘Arab Spring’ clearly demonstrate the multi-layered and multi-valent nature of this manifest realisation, the essense of this movement points directly to the over-arching rulership of people’s lives by predominant forces whose manifest agenda’s and effects on the liberty, rights and empowerment of the people run counter to and alienate the vast majority of people from their realisation world-wide.

How is it possible to say that this is truly world-wide……if there is one uniting factor that reflects this back to us with shocking and astonishingly pervasive clarity, such that it leaves absolutely no room for doubt, it is the ethically and morally bankrupt exploitation and destruction of our planet’s natural resources and environment. We are all affected by this, every person on Earth, without exception, and regardless the localised contexts within which this reality concretises, the root causes of this urgently visceral fact of Life on our planet are now the common focus of our current historic uprisings and resurgence of the people.

This is not just about us, here and now. The centrality of the Children as a symbol of the future towards which the vast majority now have our attention turned forms the indomitable foundation of this resurgence, again, regardless the localised nature of the movement and its manifest actions. Within this is a great and profound opportunity to reclaim the sane and realistic identity that we share collectively as humans within community, both locally and globally. Intrinsic within this, this is a matter of nothing less than reclaiming our indigenous humanity amd wisdom, and realising its true collective potential as one people united on this Earth in our common nature……

In Gandhi’s lifetime, for the people of the Indian subcontinent the denial of that nature was intimately bound up with release from British Rule. India had been under governance of an occupying power for too long, the people subjected to the laws and rule of the British Crown and Government to the detriment of those basic rights of self determination of, for and by the people. The colonisation of ordinary lives and land by controlling forces whose interests bore no natural relation to those of the indigenous people of India brought about a revolution that won the people their freedom, restoring their identity and independance as a nation. Gandhi’s example goes much further, embracing the co-operative philosophy with manifest effectiveness, but, for us now it is as an example of a revolution led through non-violence and civil action that it stands out. It does so for the ostensibly peaceful imperative through which it was inspired, enacted and pushed through, but, more importantly perhaps, for the fact that Gandhi’s example and legacy has become firmly established in our collective consciousness in its wake, and the full import of that example has never been more pertinent than it is now. 

Liberation was achieved, but, history shows us that it is peace itself that remains the real challenge to maintain. And for us the challenge is present on every front…….the Empire seeking impulse has not receded, however, and it is through the ’second wave’ of colonisation, industrial and economic by nature, but, no less political or exploitative in reality,  that it has been making deeper its insidious inroads into the cultural, social and environmental fabric of our lives and home planet.

No less for us is the question of occupation by the colonising forces of an alien hegemony the focus of our uprising, in fact, this comes as a natural reaction to the relentless and unrelenting incursion of that second wave, specifically as it manifests unaccountability and usury that runs counter to the health of our planet, our ability to thrive through balanced and fair means and self-determination. The impulse for justice may have historical precedents, but, its global nature has never seen the like of our times, and the Occupy movement, though still young in many senses, has the vast power of a global awareness behind it. 

‘Occupy’ has been ignored, laughed at and we are now seeing the first signs of the fight, in direct physical acts of indiscriminate suppressive aggression towards courageous individuals who are now collectively raising the cry ‘Enough!’ and taking it to the streets. It is a crucial moment, once the fight phase begins to manifest. Our collective connectivity, through mass communications, highlights the importance of maintaining the peaceful, non-violent approach to this activism. One image, one iconic moment of deviation from this essential quality and its balanced, realistic power in the face of such aggression, can be broadcast globally and can damage the image, identity and energy that this movement embodies. It is encumbent upon every individual who takes up the cause and carries it forward into action to remember the importance with which this moment is loaded and make a commitment to carry it further through peaceful means into our future, and, the symbol of the Children can serve us now as the unifying, sobering and yet empassioned reminder of this sacred duty. But, it goes much further…..

“What are your demands?” is the rejoinder to the protests – a fundamental challenge is present in responding that will take time to answer coherently and collectively. Yet, it is here that the call of the future can be most constructively and realistically brought to bear in the form of that powerful symbol, The Children. When we put them, the children and the present young and coming generations, at the center and foundation of our demands for justice and self-governance the vision that our mass movement seeks to embody becomes unquestionable. There is no more pertinent reality or reminder of the value and meaning of peace and justice. And there are answers……

There have been ways of governance of the people, by the people, for the people that have given complete respect to this overwhelmingly pertinent reality within the indigenous wisdoms of the human community. I will leave you to ponder this with a video that explains how such a vision can and has been realised, and can work for us now. This is Tim ‘Mac’ Macartney explaining the importance of the ‘Children’s Fire’ and how this can restore the sanity and realism of a human community in its self-governance, both in business, in politics and in our communities……please take the next ten minutes or so to watch and listen – it is a strong, very real example of what happens when an inspired and courageous individual, an Elder, gives voice to truth…….in a way ‘Mac’ is saying ‘keep it simple, keep it real’ – if you are an activist the Children’s Fire may change your outlook or help to build a coherent and solid foundation for answering to the question of ‘demands’; it may inspire you to continue the work off-street with profound effect; and it may bring passionate belief in our human future that is supported by a hope that is deeply realistic and rooted in all our lives……

For more information about the Wheel of Law and the Children’s Fire as it is championed and put into practice through the great example of Embercombe follow the link here and in the sidebar.

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The intense planetary activity that is unfolding through the current Scorpio lunation is preparing the ground for ‘reset’ on November 25th when a partial Solar Eclipse at 3º Sagittarius ushers in a new lunation and re-appraisal of our goals for the year ahead. The Sagittarius lunation will bring out a more philosophical tone in which the depth work of the past month will begin to deliver its benefits, its true value become more apparent.

The Scorpio lunation has been strong and revealing, sometimes quite unexpectedly so. As some have reported it feels like the Samhain doorway has been left open, but, it has also been difficult to avoid the visceral impact of world events upon our deeper connections with Life. Where we have been collectively mislead and ‘going wrong’ is well and truly in the public spotlight and, although there is much resistance to change still being shown in the political and social arenas, this has very much been in keeping with the times and the greater processes that are unfolding within them. At heart we are all engaged in collective soul-work, whether we should choose to acknowledge it and go there, or not…….

For those who do make this choice, this is the clear mandate for creating a better future for our home planet, and this is open to us all on an individual level – in fact, our collective future as a species must surely depend upon how we engage with this work in personal terms. Scorpio thoroughness in the scouring and clearing of our hearts and minds supports a deeper appreciation of the soul’s purpose. The following Sagittarian lunation, leading up to the December Solstice, builds upon this with planetary and cosmological focus on a renewal of the soul’s contract with Life. Within the coming lunation a total Lunar Eclipse on December 10th anchors this renewed contract within the field for the next six months.

One crucial step at a time we are laying the foundations for our future and the name of the game, as if we haven’t already realised, is ‘Change’ – as the political and economic rhetoric shows not everyone, it seems, wants to play, or play fairly. Change, however, is taking over, and a tough stance against it will no longer prevail. And, well, as the saying goes, ‘when the going gets tough…….’ – in a planetary climate dominated by Uranus square Pluto that can mean just about anything when it is Change itself that is in charge! Popular movements against the resistance of the old guard could well give way to any number of means of guerilla warfare. This does not have to mean physical confrontation, however. Many engaging with the ongoing financial fall-out are indeed now withdrawing their personal funds from the banks and investing them in, for example, credit unions. Adaptablility will prove the tactical advantage, for now – its the longer term strategies that will count most and the field upon which these battles are fought will continue to spread. It’s been said here before, but, how well prepared we are really matters…..each step counts.

In times of global change, whose far-reaching implications and crucial impact take on global, if not cosmological proportions, the vision embodied within the scope of every one of our personal contracts with Life is also infused, beyond personal choice, with archetypal energy and influence. Alignment with a greater purpose is key and this is one of the defining characteristics of the Sagittarian lunation – it is also an essential strategy. Short-termism, which has been the bane of our cultural outlook, must be replaced with forward looking wisdom. The importance of the Scorpio process of the current outgoing lunation is revealed in this – revelation, acknowledgement and reformation of deeper emotional and psychological awareness funds us with the clarity that allows the new soul perspective to come into view. Through this the hologram of the individual soul, the spirit having a human experience, can experience its own intrinsic resonance within the greater hologram, the bigger picture, and the larger tides and forces of the times, the archetypal undercurrents of the zeitgeist, can be discerned as ‘the flow of the great river within which our spirit is swimming’.

As the I Ching reminded us of in hexagram Wei Chi with the image of the little fox crossing the great river, we must see the process through before we can arrive at the new vision. As the wit and whits of Douglas Adams pointed out to us in ‘Blind Bats with Spaghetti Soup….’, asking the right questions, that is to say, having the right motivation, is crucial to finding greater meaning that is in tune with this vision. And, as Coyotes journey to the shadowlands echoed Orpheus journey to the underworld, our own personal journey is brought to fulfillment when we are able to overcome our impulsive desires and trust to the process. This must spell an end to ego driven consumerism as the basis for our culture. In all cases, whether we are navigating the strong cross-currents of change, allowing the unknown to call us, or taking heed of Death as our advisor, learning intrinsic life lessons, the heroic journey of our personal life quest is empowered with profound and far-reaching illumination when we align our spirits with Nature and her greater cycles, our selves with the wisdom of Life. We can be re-assured, the planetary matrix is supporting us in this…..

In the run-up to the solar eclipse on the 25th the planets are supporting us with a mixture of subtle and strong apsects that will enable us to flow with the great river and arrive at the other shore, whole and forward looking. Mars has recently entered tropical Virgo bringing a boost of energy to our healing and envisioning. Currently opposite both Chiron and Neptune, Mars activates an inclusive clarity and attention to detail that will assist us right through until the end of the coming eclipses field of influence – Mars will remain in Virgo until mid 2012 and this time will include a retrograde period in which we can do a double check on how our plans are unfolding in the first quarter of the year. With this strong focus no stone must be left unturned, no hidden clauses within our soul’s contract allowed to undermine our progress – this is an imperative energy at work which serves us and the ‘greater good’ when we work with it. It may bring small and persistant doubts that cut across our confidence, but, with open communication and honesty we can use this time well for clearing out the detritus of the past (keeping our tails out of the mud!) and opening to the new world of possibilities onto whose shores we are and will be arriving. Each working according to our own ways and means, this is very much about ‘walking our talk’. More on this as the new year unfolds…….

Much closer to home, shortly after the total lunar eclipse on December 10th, Mars, in forward motion, will square the Moons Nodes. Further highlighting the importance of the collective soul path, this T square will bring out the grounded reality of that path as each of us experience it. It could be a particularly important time for dealing with all matters that throw up a contrast between restrictions on our personal liberty and the collective vision we hold for the future, particularly as they relate to the re-ensoulment of our human presence on Earth, the re-enchantment of our lives. The tightening opposition between Saturn in late Libra and Jupiter in early Taurus will bring this to a head not long after the solstice and, funded through beneficial aspects to Chiron and Neptune, this will signal a sea-change for how we deal with any conflicts arising where this contrast prevails. The new moon on December 24th, within orb of Pluto, will signal Jupiter’s forward motion and the solstice energy will be very strongly boosted by this. Once again, the ongoing process has the feel of hightening significance, but, with many beneficial aspects surrounding this years solstice we can look forward to a new year with all the inspiration and passion that our renewed soul’s contract and plans for the year ahead fuel us with. For now though, the better to engage with this process, it is to the Moon’s Nodes and the current transits involving them that our gaze must turn…….

The nodes are currently transiting the mid-degrees of Sagittarius and Gemini, and, at the time of writing, the North Node is in precise alignment with an intergalactic phenomenon known as the Great Attractor. This is an important influence for how we work on the vision that our soul work is centered around. This influence also bridges the current and following lunation right through solstice; it is as if we are being overseen by a far greater mind than our earthbound consciousness allows us to be aware of, a presence that is initiating us into the new paradigm at a subliminal level – so, what is the G A and what does its influence mean?!

In recent times astronomers and cosmologists have discovered that there is a great river of galaxies flowing across the universe. If this sounds like poetic license of on a cosmic scale, think again, this is very real! The source of the directed flow of this river, the Great Attractor, is a mysterious phenomenon of immense proportions and our galaxy, amongst many hundreds, is moving as one, its stars amongst hundreds of billions speeding towards this mystery at a velocity of 600 km/sec. – it truly is an immense river of light particles in which each particle is a star. What we know about this phenomenon is very limited, but, at 250 million light years distance from our galaxy we can be sure that its influence is super-galactic, focused and powerful – contemplating these factors brings the vastness of our cosmos into mind expanding perspective! Here is our first clue….

The Great Attractor’s name reflects the directed way in which this galaxy and its neighbours are uniformly moving towards its center. But, there is also a provocative energy attached to this name and astrologers have speculated on its meaning bringing ideas to the G A that imply irresistability and inevitability. Philip Sedgwick’s site (see sidebar) contains some useful info about the G A and how it can be worked with, or, what to expect once our attention is grabbed by it…..for the G A also has a magnetic quality whose symbolism matches the ‘gravitational’ pull of the physical phenomenon. The G A bends light through gravitational lensing to such an extent that it is possible to see behind it, as if we are given the glimpse of something hidden, beyond the normal range of our senses. Here is a second clue……

The Great Attractor was discovered in the 1970’s but it was not until 1986 that its position was measured and in yr 2000 the G A was found to be at 14º02’ Sagittarius within the geo-centric tropical zodiac. What makes this especially interesting for us now is that the Moons North Node has been transiting the middle degrees of Sagittarius and slowly coming into alignment with the G A over the last few months, an alignment that happens every 18 years or so. However, this is made exquisitely rare this time around as Venus and Mercury, the G A and the North Node will all become conjunct together in alignment on 13th/14th November…

…..although carrying what might remain a powerful but otherwise unnoticed and otherworldly subtlety, the meeting of Venus and Mercury at this cosmic crossroads not only brings to the conjunction an elevated rarity, it carries sublime influence at this time and seeds the souls field with all the potential we carry, that we have earned insight into through our inner work over this lunation. But, there is more – the conjunction and ongoing influence comes in at the beginning of a Mercury retrograde period and so, not only precedes the two eclipses, but, focuses our attention on and infuses it with the G A’s influence, and, remember, eclipses offer us an opportunity to hit the reset button on our lives. With the Great Attractors ability to expand our vision and see beyond what is known to us this can be a time for great envisioning at a soul level……there can be powerful and uncanny effects to this.

We may be taken with compulsive knowing that simply has to be followed, even if we are not able to reason this out, simply because we feel it within our souls. With Mars square to the nodes this could bring a major shift akin to a tipping point or critical mass, that aligns soul energy with archetypal energy on a collective scale – for some this will be the signal of a first wave of manifest co-creative activism, but, its subtley may pass you by if your attention is too distracted by emotional reactions to earthly concerns. What can really serve us best in this time is regular quiet time for centered inward focusing, meditation and clearing of the heavy and gross energies from our energy field – a good balance to this is free-form creative expression, just letting the ‘creative river’ flow through and around us. Both will work best when centered in and infused with deep heart energy. This energy flows from the heart of the mystery manifest in the point of singularity within every point in the manifold matrix of the multiverse, and we can source it within our hearts, our inner balance point.

An astonishing feature of alignment with the G A along its axis is the manifestation of the Einstein Cross. Gravitational lensing produces four images around its center of the hidden light sources behind it - bringing an equal armed cross, a medicine wheel, of the unseen into view. An image of balance and centered manifestation, this is powerful medicine from a deep source. And, there’s yet more…..

There is also an opening up of the archetypal field from within here that can manifest as synchronicities, meaningful co-incidences, in which we find strong correspondences between our outer and inner worlds. This can only be good – for bolstering our confidence in Life and re-enchanting our lives with numinous presence, synchronous reality confirms the living intelligence and loving nature of all Life. The path with a heart that tells us we are on the right track, walking our ‘medicine way’….

Through this special time we can make strong medicine work of all that we do. The spiritual warrior at work, ’……the tough get going’! There is a powerful resonance within this symbol, the Rainbow Warrior, when we work with the G A. The singularity at the heart of the Great Attractor is a mystery and yet……

What we do know about the Great Attractor is primarily down to scientifically measurable effects, most notable amongst which is the way in which it bends light. Its gravitational lensing is far more powerful than any other single source known to us within the physical universe. Interestingly, one might expect there to be a super-massive black hole at its center, but, this is not the case as astrophysicists have established that there is no event horizon associated with the G A. While it is an anomolous mystery, we also know that it radiates and connects across the entire spectrum of energy……

The many awakened souls now bringing their focus to bear upon the global changes we are now collectively involved in can step up a gear through this time and utilise the cosmological forces and influences coming into our solar system and inner cosmos to activate a catalystic wave of transformative co-creative energy into embodiment. The individual soul path we choose can be brought into alignment with this activation, become an expression of it. When the eclipse of the 25th November closes the Scorpio lunation and opens the Sagittarian we can initiate a meaningful path for our selves to follow that is in alignment with the most heartfelt and significant vision that we have within. Collectively, the field will reflect this back to us with the December lunar eclipse and we can increasingly speak our truth with the great power of self authority in the world. When the December solstice arrives we will be ready to walk our talk having set a clear purpose and bring to the light the power of our personal vision for the coming year, born from the heart of creation, the Great Mystery, and watch it grow as the year unfolds……

Our small blue planet, so beloved by, and of such intense interest now both to us and the cosmological community at this time, is asking for us to bring the fearless power of Love home with pragmatic impact. At the meeting at the cross-roads, THIS IS OUR TIME………are you ready……..

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……long, long time ago there lived ol’ man Coyote and his wife – they were perfectly happy until, one day, Coyote’s wife became ill and died. Coyote wept and wept and wept, he was besides himself with grief. And it seemed like, in Coyotes world at that time, the whole world was awash with chaos!

Now, Death had been circling around and, seeing how it was with Coyote,  Death set his spirit down beside the ol’man and said – ‘its alright Coyote, I can take you to the place that your wife’s gone to, but, there are rules…..’. Coyote was somewhat consoled by this proposition and said, ‘oh man, I will do anything….’, so Death’s spirit said back, ‘well, you must do everything that I tell you, no matter what, right down to the last whisker – godit?!’ and ol’man Coyote was beside himself with longing, so he said, ‘yeh, man, anything, just say it and I’ll do it……’

…….So, that was it and off they set and, and as they were going along, the death spirit made sure Coyote had got it – ‘….everything, mind…’ said Death to Coyote, and ol’Coyote, dragging his tongue in the dirt with grief said ‘….yeh, yeh, just say what you want me to do and I’ll do it’. But, the trouble was, Coyote himself was not sure just what he was following right then, as all he could see was a shadow, but, Coyote longed to be with his wife again and so he followed along behind the shadow and out into the prairie they went……

…the path was long with many strange sights, taking them up the rise of the plain and down the rise of the plain and up again - and, on they went, until Death pointed ahead and said ‘hey, you see there Coyote, hundreds of horses – looks like a big round-up down there’. Squinting his eyes and looking where Death was pointing Coyote said, ‘oh yeh, hundreds of ‘em…’, but, he could see none, ‘…..you’re right, a big round-up!’ So, this is how it was as they were coming nearer to the land of the dead…..and on they went……

….until, Death said, ‘hey, look Coyote, great bunches of serviceberries hanging there…..’, and ol Coyote squinting up his eyes said, ‘oh yeh….’, but, his belly was telling him what his eyes could not, and the spirit, knowing Coyote could see nothing, said, ‘now, lets eat – when you see me reach up, you reach up too, and when I pull down the branch, you pull down the branch…’, and Coyote said, ‘yes, yes, I will do it….’. So, Death reached up, pulled down the branch and, even tho Coyote could not see the berries going into the spirit’s mouth, Coyote did just the same and they both sat there eating……ol’man Coyote watched that spirit’s every move and imitated it. ‘Uhhuh, these are real good serviceberries’ said the spirit – ‘Yeh man,’ said Coyote, ‘good job we found ‘em’,. And thats how it was when they were nearly at the land of the dead, and, when when they’d had their fill, off they set again……

….until, the spirit stopped again and said, ‘Well, we’re about there – look here, theres a great lodge here, and your wife is sitting somewhere in there, but, its so very very long I’d better go in ahead and ask after her’. So, Coyote waited, and eventually Death came back and said, ‘ ok…..they told me where your wife is’, and ol’man Coyote listened intently to everything Death told him. ‘Just here is a door through which we’ll enter the lodge, so, do everything as I tell you, exactly as you see me do it, godit?’ – ‘Uhhuh….’ said Coyote, and so, Death said, ‘I will lift up the door flap, bend down low, and enter…..then, you do exactly the same…’ and so Death entered and Coyote followed him, doing exactly the same things as the Death spirit….

Now, it happened that ol’man Coyote’s wife was sitting right there, near to the entrance, so, the spirit said to Coyote, ‘sit right here, next to your wife’, and they both sat right there. Then the spirit added, ‘your wife will now go and prepare food for us….’, and all this while Coyote could see nothing, except that he was sitting right there in the open prairie with nothing in sight, and yet, he could feel the presence of the shadow next to him…..

So Coyote’s wife prepared the food and Death said, ‘now, lets eat…’, and the shadow reached down and brought hand to mouth and ate. Ol’man Coyote could see only prairie dust, but, there they sat and ate…..Coyote imitated everything, just as his companion had said……until, after a while it seemed Coyote’s wife had put away the food and Death said, ‘you stay put here, I’ve got some people to see’, and out went the spirit……..

Soon enough the spirit returned, saying, ‘things here are different from the way things are in the land of the living. When the dusk comes down here the dawn has come up in your land and when it dawns for us the darkness is growing for you’. So, by this time it had grown dark, and Coyote could hear voices whispering, talking in faint half-tones, all around him. And darkness set in, real dark. Well, oh boy, Coyote saw many fires in a long house, and there they all were, in a very very large lodge where many fires were burning. And, he saw all the various people, looking like shadow forms, but, he could recognise some of them. And, he saw that his wife was sitting by his side…….

You can imagine, but, ol’man Coyote was overjoyed! And, he joyfully greeted many of his old friends who he could see there too! That ol’man Coyote, how happy he was!! Up he lept and up and down the ailse between the fires he marched, going from side to side, stopping to talk with people. All through the night he did this. And, he could see the door through which he and death had entered too…..

….until, at last, the dawn started coming up, and death came to Coyote and said, ‘well, our darkness is falling here, and pretty soon you will not see us, but, you must stay right here. Do not go anywhere, at all. Just stay right here and in the evening you’ll see all the people here again, godit?!’ – so, Coyote said, ‘oh, yes, friend, why would I possibly want to go……’

…so, up came the dawn and Coyote found himself sitting in the midst of the prairie. And he spent the whole day there. Well, phewee! It was hot, and he was dying from the heat, parched and dry, thirsting from the heat all day long. And yet, ol’man Coyote stayed there several days, suffering in the day, but, when the night came, making merry in the great lodge with his wife and friends……

Coyote lost track of the days, but, one day the spirit of Death came up to him and said, ‘tomorrow you will go home, Coyote. And, you will take your wife with you…..’ – ‘oh friend, thats wonderful’ said Coyote, ‘…but, I’m having such a good time here with my wife and all my old friends, I’d like to stay here….’ – ‘uhhuh’, said Death, ‘but, tomorrow is the day you must return and so do as I tell you, remember, and don’t do anything foolish , nothing foolish at all, godit?!’ Ol’man Coyote was shuffling his feet when he said ‘Ok’, so Death went on…’don’t yield to any urges or queer notions now, follow exactly what I tell you.”

Coyote listened as the Death spirit told him…….’there are five mountains, and you will travel for five days. Your wife will be with you, but, you must never ever touch her. At all. No yielding to strange impulses now – talk to her, yes, but never touch her. Only after you have crossed and descended from the fifth mountain may you do whatever you like……’ – and, ol’man Coyote took it all in and said ‘yes, friend’.

So, when the dawn came up again, ol’man Coyote and his wife set off, left that place……

At first it seemed that he was travelling alone, yet, he was dimly aware of his wife’s presence walking along there behind him. And, after the first mountain came up and they had crossed it, Coyote could feel her presence some more – she was definitely there, if only a shadow. On they went, and on crossing the second mountain, they set camp, as they did each night at the foot of each mountain. Coyote would build a little conical lodge with a fire at its center and there they would sit, he on one side of the fire, she on the other. And, each day her form appeared clearer and clearer.

Well, the Death spirit was counting the days since Coyote and his wife had left the land of the dead and, figuring the distance they had travelled, said ‘I hope that ol’ Coyote does everything right, as I told him, and takes his wife through to the world beyond’.

So it was that Coyote and his wife were spending their last night, their fourth in the little conical lodge, and on the morrow she would again assume the character of a living person. Being as it was the last night they were camping Coyote could see his wife very clearly now, as if she were a real person sitting opposite him. He could see her face and body very clearly now, but, he only looked and dared not touch her.

But, suddenly a joyous impulse seized Coyote; the joy of having his wife back again overwhelmed him. He jumped to his feet and rushed over to embrace her! His wife cried out, ‘Stop! Stop! Coyote! Do not touch me! Stop!’ – her warning had no effect. Coyote rushed over to his wife and just as he touched her body, she vanished. She disappeared – returned to the land of the dead, the shadowland.

When the Death spirit learned of Coyote’s folly he became deeply angry. ‘You inveterate doer of this kind of thing!’, Death said, for he knew Coyote all too well, ‘I told you to do everything I told you, not to do anything foolish. You Coyote, were about to establish the practice of returning from death. Only a short time away the human race is coming, but you have spoiled everything and established for them death as it is…….’

Now Coyote wept and wept…..and eventually decided, ‘Tomorrow I shall return to see them again’, and, the following morning he started back for the land of the dead. As he went along he began to recognise the places where he and his spirit friend had passed before. He found the place where the spirit had seen the great round-up of horses and began to do all the things that they had done on their journey to the shadowland. ‘Oh, look at the horses; it looks like a great round-up’ he said…..and, on he went until, he came to the place where the spirit had pointed out all the serviceberries – ‘Oh, such serviceberries, lets pick and eat some of them’, he said……and he went through all the motions of picking and eating berries.

On he went, and, finally, Coyote came to the place where the great long lodge had stood. He said to himself, ‘Now, when I hold up the doorflap and enter, you must do the same’. In fact, he remembered all the little things his friend the Death spirit had said and done. So, when he saw the spot where he had sat before, he went and sat there, and as he sat down said, ‘Now, your wife has brought us food. Let us eat.’ And, he went through the motions of eating again….

….eventually darkness fell, and the full moon rose - Coyote listened for voices, and he looked around for the fires and everything else, but, nothing appreared. Ol’ Coyote sat there in the middle of the prairie, in the dark. He sat there all night, but, the lodge did not appear again, nor did the spirit ever return to him………and so it was with death, when humans came to the world.

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“There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.” Douglas Adams

…..er…………..perhaps Douglas is simply stirring the pot, dunking the crouton of absurdity in the soup of creation, after all, hasn’t this all happened many times over, given rise to the complexity and mystery of life, and, oh yes, isn’t this happening all the time?! Questions, questions…..seems Life is made up of them, and perhaps, its this that Douglas is nudging us into realising….with a nod and a wink.

But, then, as another bunch of very English absurdists once suggested “a nods as good as a wink to a blind bat” (Monty Python).

Which seems like perfect sense in a world where most of the (ahem) ‘democratic’ governments look like zoos full of traumatised animals making decisions about the nature of reality on the other side of the bars….. 

We are always looking for answers, fixated on them in fact, at the expense of those delicious questions, especially the more tasty ones. (Aah, getting serious are we now – ed.) Yes, ed…..and when we think we’ve found them what happens? Collectively, we are constantly re-inventing the world based on the answers we find, our perceptions interwoven, creating a field of resonance within which ‘concensus realities’ correspond to shared values and world views most common to us. And yet, while we live within varying and even conflicting concensus realities, our personal reality is and remains at heart, unique. Batty…..(perleeze! – ed.)

I like Douglas Adams humour, his healthy sense of the ludicrous anarchy of it all, and the laughable nature of our mental gymnastics that it spotlights, that helps us lighten up in the midst of pondering Life’s deeper questions – as he has famously pointed out on many occasions, its all very well having the answer, and ’42′ is the answer to Everything according to the ‘Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, but, what use is it if you don’t know what the question was, or the ‘right’ question to ask…..(I sense there’s more – ed.)

……or understand it and why we are asking it, (and how many of us do!) Don’t we spend an inordinate amount of time asking ourselves the ‘wrong’ questions, those pesky ‘other’ ones in which we become sidetracked into a soup of petty distraction, swimming in a viscous slurry of everyday detail and personal concerns that make blinkers of our struggles - and what happens when these coalesce into their own tasteless concensus, born of domestic dramas that spill over into the collective and generate magnetic fields of influence out of which mass tragedies seem to manifest? As if thats all that matters. The ‘Media’ love this kinda instant cuppa-soup….its big business, etc etc etc…..convenience food?

No answers here dear reader (quelle surprise – ed)…..better to live within what Alan Watts called ‘the wisdom of insecurity’ and scoop up another spoonful, just to make sure and adjust the seasoning. And then, eventually, perhaps, we can get down to enjoying the spaghetti soup that is Life, and learn how to transform it into a more delicious Minestrone…….lucky for some, who can?!….

…….but, oh how we love those crunchy bits of baked and fried bread (that we are) – soggy anomolies in the consome of creation…….Stone Soup, anyone……a side dish of distasteful absurdity that is specially prepared by our chefs to meet European standards – indigestion guaranteed…..

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Behind the New Moon reading in Song of Orpheus an inner process was revealed through the I Ching – as a support to the previous post, and with a little help from some visionary friends, this article opens up to its esoteric context arising from the ‘Oracle of Change’ as revealed through the hexagrams named Chin and Wei Chi…..

“……in open ground, between heaven and earth, even the Wind is revealed, felt but not seen. Upon open ground fire walks with the wind – the transformation of the one is the dance of the other. Stripping down to essense, fire reveals the gift, honouring the creative dynamic at root. Gradually gathering essence, reconciling opposites yet holding to none, releasing light while remaining everywhere unseen. Difficulty becomes re-configured into wisdom. Take heed, this wisdom is itself transforming, and regulation of the fire is necessary for it to be maintained. Vigilance and readiness, knowing when the timing is right, when the fire is carefully regulated, slowly the essense is gathered, energy increases and wisdom finds its true form.

The wise penetrate with Truth, the foolish disperse with Fear. Being sincere, truthful, and reliable, make  your inner vision and your outer circumstances coincide. Emptying your heart of conditioned chatter, to hear their inner voices, the link with the spirits is cultivated. Using this as the intrinsic foundation for sincerety and honesty in connecting with others. Much will become illuminated, but, this is the burning off of impurities – do not let these cause distraction from the purpose. The heart of fire is  dark and mysterious…..trusting to the process ensures success. That which  is transformed carries its own illumination from within.

In this way, by these means, entering the Great Way, gathering the auspicious,  the spirits carry us forward. Releasing transformative energy, cultivating meaning and good fortune, this is the correct time to enter the stream of Life with a purpose. Embarking upon a significant journey, enquiring of the oracle at each crucial stage, the spirits speak, insight grows in abundance and great profit arises in accord with the Way. In this way, by these means, True Earth arises. The faithful cultivate the True Earth.” …..from Chin, hexagram 35, with second line changing.

Earth supports fire and fire impregnates earth with energy. Lightning strikes both arise up from and connect down with Earth. The image is one of stabilised but highly charged and focused energy that has its place. It is an energy that requires careful management. Fire will spread with the wind, and when the wind is symbolic of the pervasive nature of change, this can have both beneficial and detrimental effects.

Within the hexagram Chin is yet another nuclear hexagram , made up of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines for the lower trigram, and the 3rd, 4th and 5th lines for the upper trigram – this hexagram is Chien, 39 – Difficulties. Its image is water on the mountain, cutting a gorge bounded by high cliffs. This describes the inner qualities of Chin. Naturally cutting through resistance. Interestingly, when the nuclear trigrams of Chien are also put together we arrive at Wei Chi, the same hexagram produced through the moving line in the second place of Chi. In essense, both inwardly and outwardly, through the triple process of gathering, transformation and inner illumination, the same outcome is arrived at.

“There can be only patient endurance of the opposites which ultimately spring from your own nature. You yourself are a conflict that rages in itself and against itself in order to melt its incompatible substances…..in the fire of suffering and thus create that form which is the goal of life. Everyone goes through this mill, consciously or unconsciously, voluntarily or forcibly. We are crucified between the opposites and delivered up to the torture, until the reconciling third takes shape. Do not doubt the rightness of the two sides within you and let whatever may happen, happen. The apparently unendurable conflict is proof of the rightness of your life. A life without intercontradiction is either only half a life or else a life beyond which is destined only for angels…..” (1)

When C G Jung wrote this letter he was responding to a call from a close and dear friend for helpful guidance. She was experiencing a great inner tension, torn between the demands and heartfelt responsibilities of everyday life and family concerns and the powerful pull of her vocation, her calling, which she equally could not deny. It is a call of the soul that is striving to birth its own reality into the world. The tensions experienced through this struggle have become exacerbated in our times. The soul’s reality is devalued and goes largely unrecognised for its essential nature within our materialistic culture. It is a paradigmatic consequence of polarised objectivity and subjectivity. The consequences have become immense and are at the root of the prevalence of unfeeling and blind destruction that humans have brought upon the world – in the process our culture has engendered a mass dissociation with the over-soul, the Anima Mundi or Earth Soul. And yet, the essential nature of our humanity remains – we have woken up to this reality and, en-masse, the collective immune system of the human soul is fighting back against this disease, and the cancerous agents of destruction that perpetuate it. These are the symptoms of the struggle. The hexagrams, however, also point to a third element, one that arises naturally from within the process. There is no doubt that, within this polarisation, as Jung encourages his friend to accept, is a natural expression of the creative principle itself.

The implications are clear, and echoed in the second hexagram of the reading, Wei Chi – as the planetary matrix at the beginning of the current lunation implied, we have to go through this process, all the more frustrating and difficult if we are drawn to focusing on or rejecting one side of the polarity in favour of the other. Accepting the tension inherent within the opposites allows their mutual seeding to produce the ‘third thing’.

Even attempting to understand or pre-empt this ‘third thing’ can subvert its natural formation. We are called upon to recognise that within us are natural dynamics, archetypal by nature, that express and embody the wisdom that resolves the polarity. The off-spring of this allowing, this willingness to hold the intrinsic creative tension of the opposites, is the transcendant state arriving in natural form - in esoteric terms of Taoist spiritual alchemy this would be described as the spiritual embryo. Like all embryonic life forms it requires careful nurturing through time and benefits from protection, needs containment. It is the light body in form, the inner light that accords with the Tao. Its growing environment at this time is described by the hexagram 64, Wei Chi – ‘Not Yet Settled’…….

“On the edge of change; gather your energy, everything is possible; wait for the right moment.

Not Yet Crossing (settled) describes your situation in terms of being on the verge of an important change. Its symbol is standing on the edge of a river, getting ready to begin an important passage. The way to deal with this is to gather your energy to make this decisive move. Make an offering and you will succeed. You are about to launch a plan, cross the river or overcome an obstacle. The possibilities are great. Be sure your plans are in order and that you have accumulated enough energy to make the crossing without getting stuck. This is pleasing to the spirits. Through it they will give you success, effective power and the capacity to bring the situation to maturity. Don’t be like the small fox that gets almost across the river and then soaks her tail in the mud of the opposite shore. That would leave you with nowhere to go and nothing to do that would help you” (2)

Stephen Karcher’s reading of Wei Chi brings out the importance of being on the verge (Wei) of making the crossing (Chi) – as the precaution against failure we are asked to assess our resources, and, once we have made a confident informed decision to do so, to embark upon the great challenge of crossing to new land, a new state, with full commitment to completion. The danger is that, without this commitment we will sully our efforts and return to a state of complete emptiness once we get to the other side. The message is clear for our times.

It also shows harmony with the times – at Samhain we can make our offerings with deep feeling, knowing that the spirits will support us. Remembering that the ancestors too would have us work on their behalf…..the better able they too will become in supporting us. 

In the Scorpio New Moon reading we saw how the need for penetrative and ruthless honesty would help us as we are pulled into the inner journey that this time is calling us to. The pragmatic realisation of compassionate and clear sighted awareness that this process benefits from is funded through the guidance of the spirits – the connection through Samhain is auspicious. And yet, just as Orpheus tale warns us against losing sight of the goal before we have reach the end of our journey, the little fox in Wei Chi shows us that dropping our guard and relaxing within the task too soon will deprive us of all that we seek to gain. What we set in motion now must be followed through.

Once again, the planetary matrix and the spirits of divination show unanimity of purpose……this purpose can be realised and its methods applied in both the macrocosm and the microcosm, as they are in accord. We cannot know the outcome, even the nature of the desired result remains a mystery – while the power of the undertaking is behind our every moment we have it within our capacity, through determined and vigilant self-awareness, to carry this energy forward as it courses through the world, and that is all we can know, until we have reached the other side……

….but, we can have faith, our diligence and care protecting the outcome, and know that nothing is beyond our reach……

“Just as the winged energy of delight
carried you over many chasms early on,
now raise the daringly imagined arch
holding up the astonishing bridges.

Miracle doesn’t lie only in the amazing
living through and defeat of danger;
miracles become miracles in the clear
achievement that is earned.

To work with things is not hubris
when building the association beyond words;
denser and denser the pattern becomes
being carried along is not enough.

Take your well-disciplined strengths
and stretch them between two opposing poles.
Because inside human beings
is where the Divine learns.” (3)

(1) C G Jung : unpublished letter to Frau Fröbe-Kapteyn, August 1945

(2) Stephen Karcher : I Ching, Vega 2002

(3) ‘Just as the Winged Energy of Delight’, Rainer Marie Rilke, 1924; translated by Robert Bly

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Many things are converging and flowing together, the wind of change is picking up strength – we are entering within the passage between two worlds, a transition zone of strong unpredictable energies…..three thresholds between the 26th and 31st of October frame the gateway, a new moon, the culmination of a great cosmic cycle and a powerful cross quarter fire festival. And, now the People are mobilising a collective energy is carrying us forward…… the lunation beginning with this Scorpio New Moon opens the way before us. This is a time to reckon with the reality of archetypal powers….it is a journey that takes us into some very deep and dark places, the true smithy of the soul, but this is a place from which we may return with treasures of incalculable value. 

The culmination of a great cosmological cycle is a leitmotiv for our times that has inspired many ideals for a better world, the peace of a True Earth, but these ideals rarely materialise without an heroic struggle - our myths tell us truths, there is far more to reality than surface appearance, and reality always bites down hard on the best of those ideals. All that glitters is not Gold. Sun and Moon uniting in Scorpio oppose Jupiter retrograde in Taurus and sextile Pluto in Capricorn. Jupiter is now in exact trine to Pluto. The powerful energies pull on us, within us within the events of the world within our perceptions of reality. Jupiter is in earth as he travels inwards towards the heartlands protogenic womb, and opposite, Sun and Moon in water also seek the lower worlds, the deep subterranian watercourses, the dynamics of the ancestral and archetypal. Even in opposition their movement is complimentary, takes us beneath the surface. Pluto adds weighted pull to both, makes of this an Orphic journey - to find True Earth we must go within  and search for the world soul.

Jupiter asks us the most difficult of questions in this, to which we can only answer truthfully – ‘what are my deepest motivations?’ Jupiter is a very culpable planet – while he is capable of bestowing riches, a potentially philanthropic influence, he is also equally capable in shadow form of being the egodriven ‘sugar daddy’, the self indulgent fat cat, blindingly unfaithful and a massive user and abuser. A real Janus. Being opposite the Sun/Moon here his challenge is twofold; to own the shadow we project, and that means we must become aware of where we are projecting our strongest emotions, what and who we are rejecting and ejecting – and to acknowledge our highest ideals, those that we know and sense will stand the test of time. It takes a heroic stance to be truthful and stand by the courage of our own convictions, no matter what.

There is currently a collective focus onto the fat-cats and the wrecking games played by rogue traders, and, with archetypal infection loosening our focus, we are really open to including any others we hold responsible for provoking chaos in the land - the scapegoating strategy will be exposed in this lunation, the culpable may fight back with accusations of equal culpability amongst the people given the slightest chance. Infact it has already begun, for example with defenders of corporatocracy descrying what they see as  ’rampant and indiscriminate capitalism bashing’ – however, as one wiley commentator responded, “its not capitalism that is being bashed, its BAD capitalism.” The big message is this – we must all examine our consciences and truthfully accept those ways in which we individually contribute to the rot and rotten system that perpetuates it, and, having done so commit totally to reforming the way we live. This not only goes for the outer world, our most intimate relationships as much as our collective ones, how we relate en-masse is coming ever under scrutiny. Emotionally challenging this may be, but, our honesty is essential if we are to clear out all the rot, and this too is now an echo that is beginning to be heard worldwide! Welcome to planet Scorpio……

Pluto has the upper hand in many ways. It is characteristic with this energy that if resisted the challenge will return and keep on returning until the process is totally realised. Even the remnants of a ‘job’ half done can become amplified until they are dealt with. For the People, especially those of us out on the streets making our voice heard, this means finding new and deeper inner resources….’digging in’ is an appropriate phrase, but this really will be emphasised, especially as winter bites down on the northern hemisphere and youthful exuberance floods the southern. A test of commitment, and here is where that truthfulness brings its greatest value - what we resist persists, until we own up to it in ourselves, and, conversely, what we are drawn to must correspond with our own inner wealth and values, or it will prove fickle and lead us down a path without a heart, until we recognise our true path. 

Inner or hidden facts coming to light will carry a strong charge in this lunation, especially those relating to the values we express, the fidelity of our communications and depth of our thinking.  Mercury conjunct Venus, also in Scorpio, awaken us to the truth in this. The marrying of heart and mind at the primal level can be  very healing both individually and in our most intimate relationships, a passionate boost from our essential vitality that can carry us through tough times and help us deepen our connections – but, to achieve this these will be tested. Appreciation of our roots and recognition of who our real ‘family’ is are highlighted here, reminding us of our sacred obligation towards the future and those who come after us. What gives this the added torque, an imperative energy, is Mars in Leo in exact square to Venus and Mercury. The wilful desire to bring about change can both divide and unite.

While male and female unite in the quest for truth the ‘edge’ within this journey is ever present and we need Mercury’s canny perception to see through the deceptiveness of others and keep a clear mind. We can also be very tribal with these values, headstrong and seperatist if we let the untempered ego, our immature self, take the reins – tribalism often fuels division. And at the same time identifying with our tribe can energise a sense of belonging – one of the most pertinent choices here is about whether we can trust the ‘chiefs’ with our personal wealth, material or immaterial, to protect our personal interests and lead us forward now. The choice of the individual matters a great deal and should be protected through this time at all costs. The leaders will try to persuade us this is their mandate, however, there is no hiding place for any shade of totalitarianism disguised as democracy any more……

The true value of exchange is also examined at the root here and any imbalance, especially where we see giving being superceded by taking, will also become exposed – debts, we may demand, must somehow be repaid, or resolved. This could have obvious international repercussions, but, it also carries a stark warning for those in positions of power in the midst of economic meltdown, if they are expecting the people to follow - truth about the commerce of usury and debt will continue to shape our political affiliations and loyalties. Pluto is very much at work here…..

There is a rebeliousness behind this energy, stemming from Mars sextile with Saturn - we could see a run on the banks becoming more common as people seek to take possession of what is rightfully theirs.  This could also be a red flag for collective protest manifesting as fierce determination to protect ones own, especially the very young and vulnerable. Saturn may close the doors of the banks, exert the curfew and enlist Mars in the defence of ‘the realm’,  but, social division between the State and the People too will backfire with increasing energy now – however, Saturn is also a realist and we’ll be with him again shortly…..

Mars is also coming into opposition with Neptune and Chiron, at the same time as Venus and Mercury are coming up to square with them – a tightening T square that could expose old wounds brought up by the fact that we continue to waste resources while refusing to heed wisdom and deceptions are perpetually spun about just how out of control the situation really is. This is all very ungrounding if you are taken in by the media generated haze of distraction and the hollow political dogma, but, who really is any more…….we can also use this awareness to  individually gain a deep inner sense of self worth, as the real value of our personal gifts are given the reality test too.  We can see how the tension is building……

Mercury and Venus are also coming into orb of a trine to Uranus – this is a prevelant aspect, that will build through the first half of this lunation – watch for the 2nd through 4th November when the trine is exact. It has a constant energy flow that fires synapses, so while the door remains open for eureka moments arising from all this sharp scrutiny and deep inner processing we are also prone to being caught off-center by those same unexpected truths becoming illuminated - on 4th November, along with the Mercury+Venus trine to Uranus, Mars opposes the Moon conjunct Neptune and Chiron, a recipe for confusion, reaction and counter-reaction like an instant feedback loop, of light and dark, feeling/unfeeling. No sooner have we gotten something figured, its reality is challenged. This is Uranus the heyokah, playing with Fire.

There is throughout this lunation covert as well as suprisingly open energy at work – Scorpio is very secretive to this effect, presents a polished enigma to beguile, but, the silence and fertile darkness can also hide the subversive movements of our innermost selves, especially those cut off parts of our psyche that we would rather not know about…..significant exposure of insidious betrayals, spying games, black ops, more shadow work, more skeletons springing out of the proverbial closet. It begins to sound like a ghost ride in hell! And we do have All-Hallows approaching…..

Infact, we could just step right out of the nightmare! Uranus effect of explosive transformation can inspire us into equally fierce creative action with a tight quincunx to this New Moon. We could find our Orphic voice and begin to re-enchant the world. And we must not forget that the underlying influence in all this, the archetypal undercurrent, is coming through Uranus square Pluto. For the artist in us who works with creative tension and is compelled to give expression to the zeitgeist this is a fiercely creative aspect. In the square one end or the other will try to dominate, or, to put it another way, both will be at work full-on, but without any co-operation, which of course can lead to a dynamic of change that is beyond the individual….we simply have to go through this, accept that its highest value is for fueling radical and creative transformation, which is the gift of the square. It energises the situation until it is transcended. We are already seeing, on the web as much as on the street, an explosion of creativity – our art can heal as well as transform. The archetypal power of the outer planets in strong aspect is inexorable. We can all feel it, a sense of powerful shifting undercurrents at work, and creative honouring of this divine power is a skillful response, innate and grounding. Our future can be truly magical if we embrace the symbolic nature of reality and make this our foundation.

The shift into co-creativity can perhaps only come through a collective response to the symbolic nature of reality, a movement of great trust that can paradoxically release us into a deeper knowledge of the material world.

Orpheus knew the secret of this and saved the hero Jason from the fateful enchantment of the Sirens that would have drowned the Argonauts, dashed against the very material rocks surrounding the Sirens island - a powerful symbol for us now. Orpheus was the stronger magic, being an oracle and initiate of the Dionisian mysteries and shaman of the wilds. Scorpio’s realm is the place of roots, instinct and animal nature…..navigating the archetypal energies, with our own seeing and spirit guidance our personal quest can keep us clear of the deceptions and steer through rocky passages we may encounter – we can now use them well, and the truth and trust they will instill in us through our deeper connections is a treasure of incalculable value! 

The journey has begun and as We have to go through the passage between two worlds, how and with what means we are equipped  is key. Back to Mercury and Venus……

….and Saturn! The keeper of the gateway is also in a tight sextile with Mars. Saturn can have a civilising influence upon that strong fiery egotisitcal Mars, can be the rules and orders that martial the will into discipline. Such self discipline is crucial and can be incredibly empowering for us in holding to our vision and collectively bringing wisdom to bear on our wounded and wounding nature as we follow the path inwards…..Saturn is also in closing trine to Neptune and Chiron, by wide orb at the moment, but, we need to get the message Saturn brings here right now. We should be prepared for the long haul, and in the  balance is everything we hold most valued – Saturn in Libra enables us to give real shape and form to the most enduring of our values, once we have stripped away the dross and developed true appreciation for Life, and he will offer us a fair run at it over the next year, spending a further long period retrograde before he enters Scorpio early in October 2012.

There is an intimation that War itself could be up in the dock through this time…..we are already seeing the major nations writhing under increasing costs of wars fought beyond their own borders, naturally exacerbated by economic instability. There are increasingly strong  possibilities for a further scaling back and withdrawal of troops, but, also a re-examination, in the current climate, of the incredible damage that every single war and violent conflict inflicts upon individual lives….soldiers could refuse to fight, putting the healing of deep emotional wounds and the well-being of people above service to a cause that ultimately only creates more and deeper division, inequality and destruction. The growing movement of the People may shift its targets to the military/industrial complex and call for Peace, and thats peace with a capital P! Saturn semi-sextile Venus and Mercury says if the feelings are deep enough, and a sense of end-times is enough to do it, the People will take the law into their own hands and assert inalienable human rights on this matter, knowing that the most fundamental issues are now going to come out, inevitably…… 

It seems every culture carries the memories and imprint of previous end-times and we all have some resonance with them. As these times approach a certain hysteria can accompany the re-emergence of those thoughts and memories as we project them into our own times – remember YK2, and look at the madness surrounding Comet Elenin, for example. We get infected by the archetypes and lose our senses, sacrifice our sense of reality to a kind of passionate nihilism. The same can be seen in the way we envisage positive change, becoming overly optimistic and really spaced out with the adrenalin of hope. Uranus can do this to us in blindingly sharp shocks of inspiration that feed our desire to simply be free, and again, without the grounding element we can lose the plot. Witness the ‘New Age’ mentality that continues to fuel ideas of ‘Ascension’, the Second Coming, alien intervention, the ’release’ of Earth from ‘quarantine’ and a return to cosmic community – coming back to the present helps to get earthed. When we ignore the reality of the moment and fixate on the ideal, when we arrive at the appointed time, we get Uranus backlash, the jolt of harsh reality to awaken us from the reverie and delusion. Idealism does not translate well into the flesh without becoming transformed. However, staying earthed in these times is also a harsh reality if you’re starving and on the street……compassion is the pragmatic bringer of hope here. And, there is no question of the reality of life beyond what is already known to us – it is the manner in which we meet it, the preparation of our inner reality, that enables us to survive the encounter with the unknown…..

Pluto always wins and has his way with idealistic utopianism. When collective movements are riding surges of archetypal energy we line ourselves up for repeated realitychecks, lessons in what is real for the moment and what will endure - the future becomes less certain, virtually every day delivering tricksy pop-quizzes, especially under Uranus’ influence. Archetypal infection of Uranus and Pluto energies for change is unavoidable in such times, at worst ruthlessly reckless, critically destructive, at best hyper-discerning and unflinchingly thorough – all potentially transformative. Two paradigm shifting powers skirmishing in the archetypal now.  But, the Scorpio field is also where we see most deeply into that realm, so there is also a chance here to get rid of the unwanted detritus of unlivable, dieing and past realities and clear the decks for the new. This is very karmic. It is no accident that Samhain is embedded within the Scorpio field.

The spider’s web of aspects at this New Moon are describing an inner dynamic that is strangely familiar – did anyone get that, that this all feels like something ‘new’ that we’ve known before? Although we might not recognise it as such there is a strong ancestral presence in this – even on the streets and in the concrete jungle, an underlying question is  ’can we now become Homo Sapiens’? 

In reality we have yet to collectively live up to the latin name for our species Homo Sapiens Sapiens…..doubly wise? Like the Tarot Fool, the gullable hero in us  would believe the road leads ‘to some higher purpose’ and that as long as we keep on looking up we will get there. And yet it seems the real path to higher consciousness at first leads through the marshy wasteland of ignorance. Realising with honesty the falacies and delusions of Jovian grandeur is the beginning of the true test of our claim to wisdom, but, like the fool it also seems we have already let them lead us to step off the cliff – and its not as if we didn’t notice the ground suddenly falling away. So, who’s the fool here, who is culpable….both Pluto and Uranus are shockingly impersonal while demanding honesty - we have to get our bearings and get used to the fact that we too are animals, quite inspired, and, become quite mad with it……..however, there is wisdom in the ways of the ancestors. There is also a serene ignorance in the idealism of the fool that ignores the lessons of the past, and yet, as Orpheus tale reminds us literally turning back to what we love most before the journey is complete can have fatal consequences……perhaps it is the innate wisdom of the ancestors within our present that serves us best now…..who and what we truly are at root.

As we enter the realm of primal instinct and animal nature Samhain marks this is a place where the veil between the worlds thins and those energies that are most innate to us come to bear upon our lives…….the karmic residue of the year can be shed, and the spirits rise to bid us do so. There is a sacred ecology at work here, but, for us, with the emergence of a united voice that would shed our collective karmic ties and see a new world come into being, the potency of the spiritual and archetypal presence is intense and deep, beyond the norm this Samhain - interesting times we live in.

Much of what is happening now carries the law of cause and effect, karma, very responsive and strong at this time - and its a deep past dynamic, akin in its causes to the ancient Greek notion of heimarmene, the chain of eternal causation in nature. This is the fate revealed in our birthchart……it, like our soul journey, may have very deep roots, but, they are equally present, latent in the form of our lives. It provides us with the template for our souls journey of transformation. Collectively this is also a reality. Almost anyone with planets or angles in early degrees will be feeling this lunation, almost vortex like as inner and outer converge.

It is a shamanic as well as an individuating process, essential to the transmuting of ‘naive and self serving use of our powers’ into ‘mature balanced service’, to a greater cause, Life – the shaman knows how essential this balance is in Life and continually works to restore it. S/he descends into Pluto’s realms with indomitable faith of spirit. Pluto’s foil in this is Ceres…..the Great Mother is the most fearsome of defenders of her children. The shaman as her ally accepts this as her nature……Her presence will become ever more deeply and openly known to us through this time of transition, and beyond – I have no doubts, She is returning……Ceres is square the Moons Nodes now and will hold the balance of our aspirations and healing, our future and our past converging in this ongoing point of transition, the ever changing present.

She tells us that for the northern hemisphere we are in the inward spiral of our solar cycle, our dreaming body will awaken as we head for the midpoint between Equinox and Solstice, as winter opens her arms around us – as we approach the center pole of the year, the great central Tree of Life, we can follow the trees in their dreaming, journey with their roots into the dreamworld of the inner Earth, the ‘lower world’ – we can climb their roots in the sky realms, their branches, to the stars and the ‘upper-worlds’ – the animals too show us their changing, shape shifting appearance and help us in preparation for the dreaming time. We are gathering our stories too….only, within our times we are weaving them together into a new medicine blanket, a new world myth.

She tells us that in the southern hemisphere the life force is returning with renewed vigour, juiced up with the spirit energies of the dreamtime, giving new form to the world, showing us that beauty does not die when it enters the hidden realms, but, becomes even more precious and beautiful – we can rise into the fullness of light and embrace the sun with the blossoming trees, our animal guides can show us the mysteries of birthing our spirit, of creativity and the practice of wisdom in the everyday world – we can enter the daylight dream-time of the ‘middle-world’ and remember our place in creation, fully embody who we are and why we’ve come here…..the two hemispheres together speak with Ceres wisdom through our soul’s journey and spirit work and we are truly blessed in this.

Nature is the great healer, She always prevails, no matter how deep the change, no matter how challenging it may seem in the midst, and Her example is the one we can most rely upon and realise as our own now – in traversing these challenging times we can be with Her, working with and letting the Earth hold us, speaking with Her and the other members of Our family, Her children – how often do we say that, ‘Nature is Our Family’…….and this is our True Earth…..may we be as fierce as the Great mother in defending Her!!

Blessings be with us all

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

In putting together this reading the I Ching was consulted for an overview and, as ever, came up with a strong mirror for the essential energies and dynamics – the hexagrams arising were 35 Chin, Advance with one changing line, the second, producing 64 Wei Chi, Not Yet Settled….