LIBRA/SCORPIO SOLAR FESTIVALS 2009 PART 1___3439
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LIBRA/SCORPIO SOLAR FESTIVALS 2009
4 OCT/3 Nov 2009
By Malvin Artley Belated Halloween Greetings, Friends! In 1999 I made a trip back to North Carolina to see my family. It had
been five years since I had moved to Australia and I had not been back
in all that time, so I was due to revisit loved ones and places from
my youth I had left behind. Of course, my family was happy to see me
and it was good to catch up with friends as well. My sister was
pregnant at the time with my nephew and she had given birth to my
niece while I was gone. My parents were the same and I made the rounds
about town taking in the sights. The thing that amazed me was how much
everything had changed in such a short amount of time. The people were
all the same, but the place was different. It didn’t feel like ‘home’
so much any more. I even got lost a few times driving through the
newer developments. One of the biggest things that struck me, and it
might seem an odd thing, was the wildlife – and I am not talking about
late nights partying. Driving out through the country one day to visit
with my mom I happened to look out at one of the many ponds through
the area and there were a dozen Canadian geese happily swimming
around. In all the time I had lived in North Carolina I had never seen
a Canadian goose in the flesh. And, several times I saw flocks of them
flying overhead. “Oh, yes!” I was told. “They are very common here now
since the new conservation laws came into effect.” Well, I’ll be!
Canadian geese – and groundhogs, chipmunks and coyotes, too. Those few years ago people were happy to see all the wildlife return.
(Now there are even bears and wolves in North Carolina. I never saw
any of them, either). These days, however, people are getting pretty
grumpy about the geese and the deer. It is hard to keep a garden
because the deer come at night and eat everything and it is hard to
enjoy a country pond any more because of all the geese. They will
charge at you, you know? Things and attitudes do change. As much as we
might like for certain things to remain the same we eventually have to
accept that all things are really only temporary. Still, it is better
to see the balance of nature returning. I even saw my first zebra that
trip – at a country pond in North Carolina. And, my ex-supervisor had
two pet emus in his back yard. It’s a strange old world sometimes. Why
all this talk of animals? It highlights what can happen when we change
our relationship with our immediate environment and shows that nature
does have a resiliency and a life-force that we often discount or
ignore. It is also a hint of what might come to be in the years to
follow as we will have to change the ways we do certain things. We
cannot keep going on the way we have and expect nature to tolerate the
increasing load of human population. Something has to give. Due to commitments and other factors I was unable to write the Libra
letter before the event this year. Also, because I was on retreat for
the better part of this month, I am late sending the Scorpio letter,
so I have put both letters together. As it turns out there are some
very interesting aspect patterns that are common to both full moon
periods, so there are similar energies in the two charts. It has been
a difficult and demanding period in the world since the Virgo full
moon this year with a fair amount of suffering. Aside from the
earthquakes and tsunami in the South Pacific, many people have
expressed the fact that they are fatigued more than usual, that
emotional concerns have come to the surface that have been lying
hidden for unattended for some time and reports of vague or
unexplained pains and feelings of heaviness in the limbs and low back.
The physical and emotional symptoms are consistent with what generally
happens when there is increased seismic activity in the world. We
should keep in mind, too, that we begin an eighteen-month period
wherein there will be numerous eclipse activations and the finishing
off of a period that was set in motion in the middle of this decade.
In short, a time of instability and intense collective purification/
clearing is upon us and we thus have a unique opportunity to make
ourselves anew in some ways over the next year or so. It is perhaps appropriate that we move into this series of eclipse
activations and completions during the Libra interval. Libra,
especially if one is a Libran type (Sun-sign or Ascendant) represents
a choice – a change of direction. It is a common joke among
astrologers and people who know a bit about astrology that Librans
have difficulty in making decisions. Some people have the odd notion
that a Libran presented with a choice can go paralytic in the process
of arriving at a decision. I actually find that to be more common
among the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces). With
the Librans I know, yes there can be a period where they weigh all the
factors, but it is usually not very long and once they make up their
minds they are unlikely to change their decision. The biggest choice
represented in Libra is not about mundane affairs, but rather about
one’s direction in life – most specifically, one’s spiritual direction
– and that is the one area of life where the Libran can take a long
time to decide, and rightly so, for it is not the sort of thing to be
lightly glossed over. We need to consider a few facts about this sign because it is not
easily understood from the standpoint of worldly affairs. In past
letters we have looked at the three rulers attributed to this sign
(Venus, Uranus and Saturn) and what they mean to the Libran type. What
we need to consider here at this point in our history is the factor of
what has been termed in esoteric astrology as ‘the reversal of the
wheel’. We are at a point in world history that is likely to be viewed
in future years as a tremendous period of change and reversal of
trends, and it is in that vein that we need to consider the sign Libra
this year. Many people who take a cursory look at esoteric astrology
come to Libra and surmise that Libra marks the point in the Soul’s
evolutionary process where the focus of the person in their personal
life shifts from worldly matters to those of spiritual import. In
short, many people with an interest in esoteric astrology are apt to
believe that if one is born as a Libra type that the person’s life is
marked as one where they must turn away from worldly concerns and
light the torch of the Path. While that might be true for some
Librans, it is no more so than for any other sign. In looking at this
matter over the years, I am more inclined to think that Libran types
and Libran intervals have a different onus than that just mentioned.
To me, the life of the Libran type is not so much one of ‘reversal of
the wheel’ and a reorientation of life so much as it is one of
reassessment and the planting of seeds for future lives. Every sign has its tests and trials, its weaknesses and triumphs.
Libra is a sign in which one sees the world through the mirror of
other people. It is the sign most implicated in partnerships of all
sorts, and is said to rule the law, sex and money. However, it is not
the concrete aspects of those three factors that matter to Librans so
much as it is one’s attitude toward them. Every Libran type will be
presented with trials and questions about one or all of the three and
will have to make certain choices around them. All three factors –
law, sex and money – are intimately tied up with marriage and it is
that area where people have some of their greatest trials in life.
With Librans marriage is a natural inclination and a deep-seated
drive, but marriage is not without its problems and what once may have
been the joy of one’s life can quickly become a bitter battleground
when things go sour in the marital stakes. Libra also rules open
enemies and the law courts always have their share of broken marriages
to sort through. Human love is a fragile thing, especially where emotions (what most
people call ‘the heart’) are involved and given a choice between a
spiritual path or choice within a relationship, the emotions usually
win out. Mismatched spirituality between partners is a breeding ground
for discontent, but the still, quiet voice of the higher Self and
one’s karma guides us to our proper path in life. Every self-aware
Libran type will have to face their spiritual side at some point
because Libra also rules the ‘marriage of the higher with the lower’
and for Librans their catalyst to look at something larger than
themselves is usually relationship trouble. So, there are two primary
choices before every Libran type: 1) the choice between human love and
divine love and 2) the choice to see things in a different light and
to act accordingly or to continue in the old ways of doing things. The
first choice just mentioned is usually the catalyst that brings about
the second choice for Librans. This will make more sense as we go
through the following paragraphs. Venus in connection with Libra is about human love. Librans are
famously known for their relationship emphasis and the more shallow
type will jump from relation to relation looking for ‘the one’ who can
fulfill their needs/dreams in life. Venus is the ideal lover, but more
than that is wisdom veiled in form. Venus is commonly associated with
women and female issues and with wisdom (and thus ‘the ideal’) in more
esoteric terms. In short then, the thing the Libran type is actually
seeking in any relationship – and this is true for either men or women
– is the realization of their own inner truth, their own innate
wisdom. No human relationship will ever confer that. They will always
fall short of that goal unless one is privy to the true secrets of
what sex and intimacy actually represents. Relationships can bring very painful lessons to the Libran type. There
is a great longing that can set in for the more idealistic type of
Libran and that longing is for the ultimate union that will fulfill
the objectives and aims of life in all its departments. So long as the
focus is outward into worldly life the longing will be left
unfulfilled. Librans eventually learn that attachment (human love) is
not the answer and that lovers and other relations are but mirrors to
and of one’s true Self. Once that realization is made then the life of
the Libran type takes a dramatic turn and much of what once had
meaning in life becomes unfulfilling and even viewed as a source of
entrapment. Venus then fades into the background and Uranus takes the
stage in the Libran type’s life. The quest then becomes the search for
conditions that will ultimately bring about the true and lasting
happiness that transcends all worldly concerns. Uranus takes over as
the motivating factor behind the choices to be made by the Libran
type, representing the ‘urge to better conditions’. Choice for the Uranus phase of Libra takes on far-reaching aims.
Uranus goes far beyond any single lifetime or person. Uranus leads one
to universal truths and takes one out of the personal. The Uranian
type of Libran will seek to set up conditions that will bring ultimate
happiness, not simply in the present life but for many lifetimes into
the future. Once those factors that will lead the Libran type to their
goal are in place, then the nature of the ultimate ruler of the sign
(Saturn) starts to become evident. Libra rules over a class of lives
called the Triple Flowers, what are called in Buddhist terminology
‘Wisdom Beings’, or jnanasattvas – the Soul, or Ego in Theosophical
terms. It is this level of wisdom to which all Libran effort is
directed. In Libra we have what might be termed ‘Venus and Saturn in
opposition’ – wisdom borne of worldly experience (Venus, or
accumulated wisdom) in distinction to ultimate wisdom, ‘the View’ or
realization of emptiness (full enlightenment). It is this latter
wisdom toward which all effort in Libra under the influence of Uranus
and Saturn is directed. Essentially, all choice by a Libran type or in
a Libran interval (such as the full moon period just passed) when one
is on the spiritual path is directed toward planting the seeds of
future karma that will ultimately lead to full enlightenment. Saturn
as ruler of Libra represents the karmic imprints being put in place
(choices made in this life and the actions that follow upon those
choices) that will inexorably lead to full enlightenment. Although the preceding paragraph will mean little to many readers, we
get the general idea that we have a choice or choices to make in every
Libran interval, choices that will better place us in the future to
pursue our spiritual path, whatever that might be, and that will
further guarantee future lives that will better enable us to pursue
that path. Little as we realize it most of the time, our choices made
in the present can have huge ramifications down the road, if you will.
We can get a pretty good idea of the choices we have made in past
lives by gauging our current life, not as a moment but as a trend in
time. If we have met great Teachers, have been able to take up
spiritual disciplines, are able to serve in that capacity and have
grown in compassion and wisdom this life, then we have indeed made
good choices in the past. However, that brings an onus with it. Of
those who have much, much is asked, to use the phrase. If we have come
in with these opportunities then we have a duty of care to follow
through with them, seeing them flower and bear fruit, and to make the
opportunities for the future even better. So, to summarize the Libran
period this year, how will we choose to better facilitate our
spiritual unfolding and service to our fellows? The full moon of the Libra festival took place on 4 Oct 2009 at 4:10
PM AEST (5:10 AM UT). The Sabian symbol for the solar degree reads: “Miners are surfacing from a deep coal mine” 12 Libra The period since the start of October this year has been characterized
by actions both deep within the earth and deep within the subconscious
mind. A lot is starting to come to light. Issues which had lain
dormant for a long time can no longer be ignored, nor can our
precarious position in life. Our lives could be radically altered at
any moment. Again the questions come: What is of true importance to us
and how do we go about realizing those things? All the questions and
issues that come up have potential energy locked away in them (coal as
dormant fuel, as a symbol). What use will we make of the resources
that are represented? How have we endangered ourselves by not
addressing things of importance? Most importantly, where do we need to
work the hardest to root out that which holds us back and which can
free us for a better life? The symbol for the lunar degree reads: “A triangularly shaped flight of wild geese” 12 Aries Flight here is a symbol of two things which stand out: transcendence
of worldly affairs and the ordered rhythmic response to the cycles of
the Soul. Birds, which generally symbolically represent telepathic
contact, fly through the air, which represents buddhi, or
enlightenment. The communication in this symbol comes in the form of a
symbol – the v-shaped formation of geese. Essentially, we need to be
mindful of the symbolism that surrounds us at the moment and be open
to the rhythms of life. To fight against the rhythms of nature and our
own higher nature is to invite trouble and disconnection with life. If
we have spiritual practices we need to be mindful that we do them on
time and regularly. We should also be open and ready to investigate
new areas if need be. The geese are migrating, and buddhi is a part of
us that transmigrates from life to life until the cycle of birth and
death is completed. The question that arises with this symbol goes
straight to the heart of the Libran dynamic we just examined: What do
we need to do in order that our next migration will take us to our
proper place – a life wherein we can practice and serve most
effectively? We should be aware, too, that we transmigrate
(reincarnate) in groups. We have known each other before. How will our
relations be affected by our decisions? How can we help those with
whom we share this path on to better reincarnations? In what ways are
we really related to our intimates? The full moon axis in this figure forms a quintile rectangle with the
nodal axis. There is something of a unique nature – a gift – that is
seeking to come out from this period. It is the same in the Scorpio
figure, too, because the same aspect pattern is in evidence. The
trials that happen now conceal a blessing. It is our job to find out
what it is and to manifest its unique qualities, whatever that means
to us. This will be especially so if the full moon falls across
significant points in our own charts. In addition, there is a rather
beautiful interlaced pattern of septiles formed between the south
node, Venus, the Moon, Neptune, Chiron and Pluto. This is a very
psychic and compelling combination of energies and it will eventually
be revelatory in its effects. It hooks in with the quintile rectangle
at the Moon and south nodal point. Other than the patterns just mentioned, Mars is applying to the south
node, representing sibling or physical issues carried over from past
lives. I know of two people who were strongly affected physically at
the full moon and it happened suddenly. Saturn is applying to the
square with Pluto, which will affect people pretty much all year. This
is a power-play aspect and it will cause seismic activity and powerful
issues to arise for people. Power struggles will be a feature in
coming months. We had a bit of a crime wave here in Adelaide around
the time of the Libra Festival, for instance (The full moon occurred
on Adelaide’s Pluto). Saturn is separating from the most recent
opposition with Uranus, which will actually feature more next year
than this one. Saturn was also nearly within orb of the 22 Sep 06
eclipse point, which was exact on the 23rd of October and we had the
first Mars activation of the 22 Jul 09 eclipse about the 15th. We are
in that period now (it goes for a week on either side for Mars). On
the other hand, Saturn is also trine the north node, indicating
fortunate contacts with people and old friendships renewed. In all,
face what comes up, see the message within it, and make those choices
that will see you and others in good stead in coming years and
beyond. Once we make choices in life, especially if they result in major
changes, and most especially if they result in major shifts ‘upwards’
in consciousness, we get tested on those decisions and then we are
presented with yet another choice: Do we go backwards or do we stay
the course and ride things out? It is this testing of one’s spiritual
mettle that Scorpio represents, and it is that dynamic we will examine
in the second part to this letter. END PART ONE rosella2@chariot.net.au
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