MOON DRAGON #6

ARIES EQUINOX

We now reach another of the four cosmic angles of the year. This one is the Aries Equinox, a time of equal day and night, a time of yearly outpourings of a new pulse of energy at the beginning of a new cosmic year.

Spell 85 ‘I am the soul of Re who issued from the Abyss….’

Ram of Aries [Egyptian Book of the Dead]

In the northern hemisphere this important time of year in the natural earth cycle indicates the beginning of spring. In the southern hemisphere this same point in space and time indicates the beginning of autumn in the natural earth cycle of the seasons. But in the greater cosmic cycle we are looking at the inflow of a new impulse of fresh energies from the cosmic sea and which have a general influence on both sides of the globe.

The March Equinox is also called the Vernal Point or the First Point and is designated mathematically as 0 degrees of the Ecliptic circle [imaginary path of the sun]. It is the time of year when the day and night are of equal length, and marks the starting point of a new cosmic Earth year. The second point of equal day and night is at the September Equinox. Over the course of approximately 25,800 years [rounded out to 26,000] a period referred to as the ‘Great Year’, the Vernal Point referred to moves backwards across the constellations at the rate of approximately 2,000 years per grouping of stars, each grouping known as a constellation. There are 12 Ecliptic constellations as viewed from Earth and as this Vernal Point passes each constellation; a new era of human development is marked out. The groupings of stars or constellations have been named since ancient times and referred to as ‘Ages’. In order of precession, they are Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Libra, Virgo, Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Taurus and Aries. Precession is caused by a slow rotation of the Earth’s axis over a long period of time. A correlating change of ‘Pole’ star, to which the axis is directed, also occurs. Research reveals that long ages of historical periods correlate with this movement of the Earth’s axis.

Astrologically this Vernal Point has inherited the initiatory force of the qualities of Aries. This initiatory force is now working at a cosmic level through the constellation Aquarius. Thus we have the new age term ‘Age of Aquarius’. The transition from constellation Pisces to Aquarius has been a long and gradual one as there are no rigidly defined boundaries. Many astrologers believe that we are now well and truly into the beginning of this new 2000 year ‘Age of Aquarius’. Evidence might be seen in the fact that as a human race we are fighting for human rights on a global scale. But we are also seeing the downside of individual freedoms being suppressed for the greater ‘good’ of the whole. It is believed that the Mayan Calendar’s reference to the end of 2012 is a reference to this coming new age, which of course goes hand in hand with the so called ‘destruction’ of the world or age that has gone before.

This Equinox of March 20^th to 22^nd  follows close on the Full Moon and continues the stressful conditions that we have been seeing over the past months. Many will be called to task over the coming months, about how they are dealing with greed versus justice. Many things will continue to need radical adjustments, including the economy and all relationships, whether personal or global. Life is likely to be full of surprises and strange unexpected things as the Sun moves past the planet Uranus on its way into the ecliptic sign of Aries.

Spell 81A ‘I am this pure lotus which went forth from the sunshine….’

HYMN OF REBIRTH or of the Ogdoad to refresh the spirit and illumine the mind.

Be thou opened, O Earth, and ye trees, wave not your boughs;

I am about to sing the praise of Him who is both the ALL and the One.

Be ye opened, ye heavens, and ye winds, be still;

Let the immortal sphere of heaven receive my utterance.

For I am about to sing the praise of Him who created all things,

who fixed the earth, and hung heaven above;

who made the sweet water flow from Ocean into the lands wherein men dwell,

that it might serve for the sustenance of all mankind,

and gave command that fire should come forth,

to be used by gods and men in all their works.

Let us all with one accord give praise to Him,

who is seated high upon the heavens, creator of all that is.

It is He that is the eye of my mind;

may He accept the praise sung by my Powers.

Ye Powers that are within me, praise ye the One and ALL

sing ye in concord with my will, all ye Powers that are within me.

O holy Knowledge, by thee am I illumined,

and through thee do I sing praise to the incorporeal Light.

I rejoice in joy of mind;

rejoice with me, all ye Powers.

And do thou, O Continence, sing praise;

and thou, Endurance;

and thou, my Justice, praise the All through me;

O Truth, sing praise to Truth.

O Good that is in me, praise the Good;

O Life and Light, from you comes the song of praise, and to you does it go forth.

I give thanks to thee, O Father, who workest in my Powers;

I give thanks to thee ,O God.

Thus crying, the Powers that are in me accomplish thy will;

praising the All, they fulfil thy purpose.

It is thy Word that through me sings thy praise;

for by thee, O Mind, is my speech shepherded.

Through me accept from all an offering of speech;

for the All is from thee, and to thee returns the All.

O Light, illumine thou the mind that is in us;

O Life, keep my soul alive.

Thy man cries thus to thee by means of the things thou has made;

but he has got from thine eternity the praises which he utters.

I have seen that which I seek;

I have found rest according to thy purpose;

by thy will I am born again.

The Hymn of Rebirth is to be sung in an open place, facing south at the hour of sunset or facing east at the hour of sunrise. Let all nature receive the sound of my hymn. Hermes, Libellus XIII.

DREAMY NEPTUNE

The planet Neptune is closely associated with the sign Pisces who has a dual rulership like the previous two signs of Scorpio and Aquarius. Poseidon is the other name for Neptune and he is the brother of Jupiter the original ruler of Pisces.

Neptune rules the sea; the deep dark depths of silence that only the fishes understand, and those humans who are nearly fishes anyway. Because of the silence and hidden qualities of the god and his medium, it is very hard to know much about him or his world. We do know that his energy causes chaos on earth and work best in the spiritual work or in the intangible aura that surrounds us. The warning here is that one should get to know Jupiter first, and then the Neptune energies will follow in their own good time.

Zeus/Jupiter [Larousse]

The great god Zeus or Jupiter rules the world. The stars are his hair and the rocks of earth his feet; in between is the belly of the world that produces everything. So the Orphic Hymn tells us. This probably means that Pisceans, and Sagittarians too for that matter, need to expand their world, but in a controlled way. Thus they can know more than anyone else, but the hubris is an over full belly or a mental indigestion – depending on whether the concentration is on the world of senses and food or the world of the mind and knowledge.

Jupiter always brings a spirit of generosity and benevolence but must be willing to give way in the end to the dissolving powers of his brother Neptune so that the material world becomes less dominant and one is allowed to see beyond into the world of spirit. Those who let Neptune in too soon in the belief that dreaming and psychic powers are all that is, are bound to also let muddle and even chaos rule their lives if they are not sufficiently grounded in this world, the arena for our physical living. On the other hand, those who deny Neptune, deny the magic of the world. Neptune should be allowed to bring inspiration for art forms, for solving complications, not as a solution to life’s difficulties through escape.

Osiris the green god and Dionysus the god of wine are closely associated with Neptune energies.

The Nymph Leucothea feeds Dionysus beneath the ‘Tree of Life’ [Larousse]

For the romantic poets, dream a little with ‘Rumi Poems’; Rumi (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets)

PISCIAN SWIM

The sun is now in that gentle and undefined sign of Pisces. However, that apparent gentle sensitivity hides the potential of quite a strong personality once it has been awakened to what it wants from life.

Traditionally the glyph for Pisces of two fishes swimming in opposite directions symbolised the conflict between spirit and soul. This could also be interpreted as conflict between soul and personality; or what is the true self as against the superficial habit patterns that have been adopted. You know, that little inner voice of consciousness that we so often ignore in order to let the senses have their own way – that extra chocolate, that extra glass of wine. Most Pisceans need a stronger person to guide them, although they in their turn can also be carries of advice and guidance once they have found the energy to train themselves.

“Be warned and understand truly that two fishes are swimming in our sea”, says Lambspring.

Fig. I from ‘Lambspring’

Pisces like to dream; they are people very happy with the abstract. Some like to bring those dreams into existence; some can do this, some just can’t seem to get it together.

Like the former sign of Aquarius, Pisces too has two planets associated with it. They are Jupiter and Neptune. This would indicate that Pisces shares a complexity with Scorpio and Aquarius, albeit of a different type. A Piscean can be found serving drinks at the bar [or on the other side of the bar drinking them]; or expounding on a mathematical formula in the lecture theatre; or painting a marvellous sunset; or dancing and singing to their hearts content; or selflessly serving the poor of mind or body. Piscean capabilities are endless and as varied as the life in the sea with which they have such great affinity. There is another ‘sea’ though, that one in the sky that we call space; the sea above, which probably has as many inhabitants as the sea ‘below’ if we but had the senses to observe them.

 Raphael’s ‘3 Graces’ [Wind]

So easily can the Piscean understand the ‘Three Graces’ if they wish to, that ‘Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance’ by E.A. Wind, and all about art, music and mythology, is bound to appeal to the reading Piscean. Pagan Mysteries In The Renaissance 

MOON DRAGON # 5

RADICAL URANUS

The planet Uranus has a special affinity with the sign of Aquarius.  Saturn was the traditional ruler of this sign and still maintains its influence for not all can respond positively to the rarefied atmosphere of Uranus, well not until they have passed the tests of Saturn. The Uranian influence was added to that of the planet Saturn, when it was rediscovered in 1781.

Kronos the time keeper and boundary maker

Saturn experience, and labour, lays down the much needed preparations and foundations so that the Uranian genius has a platform to work from – the engineer needs good training in maths before reaching the point of making inventions and designs functional; the artist and writer need to practise their techniques to give form to their dreams and imagination; the astrologer/astronomer needs years of observing and perfecting calculations before being able to apply the information intuitively to his/her understanding of people, events and the world; a successful revolution needs some careful planning and organization if it is to meet its intended purpose. Can you see the balance of Saturn and Uranus? Without Saturn discipline and hard work, Uranus cannot manifest the change or the genius, in any positive and sustained way.

The Uranus, deity of the starry sky can fly because although he doesn’t like boundaries he utilises them, for unfortunately that is the way our material world works.

The Egyptian Nut, goddess of the starry night overarching creation. Related to the Greek/Roman god Uranus the smasher of boundaries.

Saturn lays the boundaries and the rules and then a Uranian influence comes along and wakens us up to greater possibilities, either accepted or not. Imaginative ideas need a structure within which to work. Have you ever tried flying without wings; have you ever had wonderful ideas that you couldn’t catch; have you only thought about the idea of doing good for the group? If you have, then perhaps you need a little more Saturn structure and application in your life. Combine the two planetary influences and you have unique rhythms and potential of extraordinary output.

The Tarot Magician

As Dione Fortune says, ‘If we try to escape from the discipline of matter before we have mastered the lessons of matter, we are not advancing heavenwards but suffering from arrested development.’

Have a read of Richard Tarnus Prometheus the Awakener: an Essay on the Archetypal Meaning of the Planet Uranus (Dunquin Series 21)

AQUARIAN WATERS

The sun is now in the zodiac sign of Aquarius. Aquarians share with Saggi the thirst for adventure, albeit more of the mind than the body, and they share with Capricorn the ability to work to the rules. If these widely opposing traits can be successfully combined, you may have here the potential for a genius; but remember that Saturn requires you to be humble about it, should you discover that your destiny allows you to reach way beyond lesser mortals. Genius has the hubris of devastation.

That’s a strange sign, air and water combined; or does the water stand for something else that we cannot explain, yet has the quality of fluidity and waves? Aquarians are attracted to waves and unseen energies, combined with their naturally creative side they probably like photography and art; others like to play with particle matter, others definitely live with their heads in the stars. Whatever level of expression they find themselves at, Aquarians use their creativity to penetrate the mysteries of life, the universe and everything, either professionally or as a part-time interest. Some are content to chase the mysteries of their fellows and friends.

Hapi, Egyptian god of the waters [Budge]

Like the preceding sign of Scorpio, Aquarius has a dual rulership, which means that two planets are associated with this sign, in this case it is Saturn the keeper of time and Uranus the breaker of those very same time boundaries; oh what confusion. No wonder some stick with the safe routine of Saturn in order to avoid the disorientation of rocking the boat too much under the influence of Uranus. So, like Scorpio, the Aquarian has much to deal with in the apparent conflicts within its nature. Some tread the same old road of Saturn where they know what to expect, other more adventurous Aquarians follow the eerie call of Uranus and don’t let the continual upsets and surprises of life flurry them in their pursuit for their particular variety of the truth. Some Aquarians cannot resist the weird and wonderful.

Dione Fortune's 'The Mystical Kabalah' might be a good place to start if you are looking for practical mystery. 'The Sea Priestess' will aid the wandering of your imagination in moments of pleasure. The Sea Priestess