As anticipated, the zeit has gotten geisty! We humans face a full range of environmental, social, economic, and political challenges offering BILLBOARD-sized messages. Altogether, they are letting us know that we must as a civilization complete the transition to thinking and acting from the perspective of our one beautiful blue planet. Jean Houston
There is no doubt that we are a civilization in transition. We need to acknowledge that our old paradigm is no longer working, and it is up to the citizens of the world, each of us, to step forward and make those changes. We are at the leading edge of evolution, and many of us are motivated to change ourselves and change the world. We need to become Culture Bringers and Creators. This is the message of the full moon in Aquarius.
The Heavens declare what time it is. And the time is Now.
The Summer of 2010 sets off the beginning of the next phase of the 60s revolution, that began with Pluto and Uranus in Virgo and now sees them about to square each other from Capricorn to Aries 5 times in the next few years. This square tells us that we are at a cultural crossroads, and we have to choose if we continue the evolution and revolution by incorporating the new paradigm in our social structures, in our understanding of health, in our relationship to the environment, in how and why we work, in our food and water sources, and most especially, in the relationship of body, mind and spirit.
What touched off this ‘change’ energy in the 60s was the opposition to these planets by Saturn in Pisces, bringing to light our despair at being cut off from real spiritual awareness, hence the heavy drug use, which really entails a search for Spirit. The 60s were all about the Old vs. the New. But we have to remember the 60s were only a birth, not the completion of the vision. That won’t come for another 40 years, when Pluto is opposite Uranus.
Now we have to go on the Hero/ine’s journeys – both within and without – and help the new life grow up as these planets square off with each other. Since November 4, 2008, with the first of five Saturn/Uranus oppositions at 19*Virgo-Pisces, the battle of the Old vs. the New has raged again around the world. Each time something new is proposed, the old system rears up to try to defeat it, using fear and intimidation. But the system itself is rotten, and it is completely breaking down. Publicly!
The first four oppositions [all in Virgo/Pisces: 2/5/2009 (21*); 9/15/2009 (25*); 4/26/2010 (29*)] between Saturn and Uranus were in Virgo/Pisces, helping us dismantle an old way of being and imagine and integrate a new sense of Self. On July 26, hours after the full moon, Saturn will oppose Uranus for the last time, but this time in the cardinal signs of Libra and Aries, signs that initiate seasons as well as actions. Something new (Aries) is being born and we have to give it weight and truth and justice (Libra).
In the next few weeks, the Cosmic T-square will be strengthening, bringing into the mix what astrologers call personal planets – Mars, then Venus and later the Moon. With Jupiter retrograding on July 23rd at 3* Aries, we have 7 out of 10 planets carrying and shaping these energies.
How could they not affect us? They are reflecting the realities we face every day. Why not work consciously with them? This is how we can all become Culture Creators, or as Jean Houston calls us, Social Artists.
On August 1st, the Celts celebrated the 1st harvest festival of Lammas or Lughnasa, (See a Lammas Story) the feast day for the God of Light, Lugh of the Long Hand. His story is full of mystery and high destiny, but in the end, Lugh is a culture bringer, the social artist of his time.
Lugh of the Long Hand
Manannan mac Lir was the Irish god of the Sea and the Otherworld. At one time, he takes the young baby Lugh from Ireland to his magical realm, Tir-na-nOg, where he raises him in all joy and love. But Manannan often goes to Ireland under cover of night and discovers that the Children of Danaan are in trouble. The ugly, mis-shapen folk of the Fomor had come into Ireland and spread themselves over the country like a pestilence. They had stolen the Cauldron of Plenty and carried it away to their own land, where Balor of the Evil Eye reigned. They had taken the Spear of Victory also, and the only one of the four great Jewels of Sovereignty remaining to the De Danaans was the Stone of Destiny. It was hidden deep in the earth of Ireland, and because of it the Fomorians could not altogether conquer the country, nor could they destroy the De Danaans, though they drove them from their pleasant palaces and hunted them through the glens and valleys like outlaws. Manannan himself has the fourth Jewel, the Sword of Light: he keeps it and waits.
When Lugh is grown, Manannan brings out the Sword of Light and gives it to Lugh and tells him of the troubles in Ireland. Lugh decides to go and help them, and Manannan offers him warriors for his quest and his own magical helmet, shield and horse, along with the Sword of Light. So Lugh travels to Tara to join the court of king Nuada of the Tuatha Dé Danaan. The doorkeeper will not let him in unless he has a skill with which to serve the king. He offers his services as a wright, a smith, a champion, a swordsman, a harpist, a hero, a poet and historian, a sorcerer, and a craftsman, but each time is rejected as the Tuatha Dé Danann already have someone with that skill. But when Lugh asks if they have anyone with all those skills simultaneously, the doorkeeper has to admit defeat and let him in. Nuada tests him again. He wins a flagstone-throwing contest against Ogma, the champion, and entertains the court with the Dagda’s own harp and fills them with hope. So Lugh travels to Tara to join the court of king Nuada of the Tuatha Dé Danaan. The doorkeeper will not let him in unless he has a skill with which to serve the king. He offers his services as a wright, a smith, a champion, a swordsman, a harpist, a hero, a poet and historian, a sorcerer, and a craftsman, but each time is rejected as the Tuatha Dé Danann already have someone with that skill. But when Lugh asks if they have anyone with all those skills simultaneously, the doorkeeper has to admit defeat and let him in. Nuada tests him again. He wins a flagstone-throwing contest against Ogma, the champion, and entertains the court with the Dagda’s own harp and fills them with hope.
The Tuatha Dé Danaan now decide that they will no longer be oppressed by the Fomorians, and they go to battle them. The fight has scarcely begun when a light appears on the horizon. The light is so white that no one can look at it. Out of the light comes the glorious company of warriors from Tir-na-nOg with Lugh leading them. He has the helmet of Manannan on his head, the breast-plate of Manannan over his heart, and the great white horse of Manannan beneath him. The Sword of Light is bare in his hand. He falls on the Fomorians as a sea-eagle falls on her prey, as lightning flashes out of a clear sky. Before him and his companions they are destroyed as stubble is destroyed by fire. He finally holds his hand when only nine of them remain alive. These nine he sends back to carry his message to Balor of the Evil Eye, King of the Fomorians. “You no longer rule here!” Like the Tuatha De Danaan, who many believed were the survivors of Atlantis and were known as the Faerie Folk, the magical, spiritual, soulful aspects of life have been beaten back by our mis-shapen left-brain culture that rejects the Feminine Spirit of life. We have lost the cauldron of plenty and the spear of victory. We need to bring back the sword of light – the right-brain thinking that is so missing from our culture – if we are to come up with the right solutions to our common problems.
Summer time is the Sun’s time in the Northern Hemisphere. It is hot and often muggy, combining the elements of fire and water. We live on the anvil of the gods (right now it’s 111*) here in the desert, although much of American is seeing soaring temperatures. The Atlantic Ocean is hotter this month than at any time in the past 20 years. We have been overrun, like these ancient beings, the Tuatha De Danaan, by circumstances that are destroying us. It is at times like these that the culture hero or heroine appears at the door.
That’s what this full moon is all about. The Leo Sun demands the best in each of us, while the Aquarius Moon calls us to give that best to our group, our tribe, our world. This is the time to pull out that archetypal image that you’ve been thinking about, and step into it. Be the culture bringer; become the social artist. You all have ideas and visions of how you can make a difference. This summer it’s time to go up to the doorway of the king’s castle and demand entrance for your talents and gifts.
Leo is known for his/her pride, and we do need pride in ourselves and our skills. But we need pride of purpose, not ego pride now. We need humility, but not false humility. We have to stay humble before the immensity of what we are undertaking, and the only way to be both prideful and humble is to know that it is Spirit working within and through us at this turning point in the world’s history.
The Sabian symbols for this full Moon are:
The Sun at 3* Leo: A middle-aged woman, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, in a bra-less, youthful garment. Since these symbols where first published, women have demanded and gotten their freedom. Middle-aged woman have the beauty of full maturity, the independence and hopefulness of youth, and the power to be anyone they want to be. This image reminds me of the Empress in the Tarot – maturity and youth, fruitfulness and fertility. This is a call to women especially to step forward with your vision and ideas.
The Moon at 3* Aquarius: A deserter from the army following an unmarked wilderness path. This symbol implies regaining your independence from group expectations, and setting off to discover your own path in life. Like the Grail knights who took a similar unmarked path through the forest, we go out to seek what will bring back abundance and life to the collective.
Astrological Happenings: July 21, 2010: Saturn enters Libra until 10.5. 2012. July 22, 2010: Sun enters Leo July 23, 2010: Jupiter goes retrograde at 4*Aries until 11.18.2010. July 24, 2010: Jupiter square Pluto – first of three squares: the second is on August 3, 2010; the third is on February 25, 2011. Pluto square Jupiter usually brings new discoveries, transforms old beliefs and uncovers hidden agendas. July 25, 2010: The Aquarius Full Moon July 26, 2010: Last Saturn/Uranus opposition in Libra/Aries. July 29, 2010: Mars goes into Libra, joining the Cosmic T-Square. July 30, 2010: Mars opposes Uranus. Time to go slow and watch out! July 31, 2010: Mars conjoins Saturn in Libra. August 1, 2010: Lamma August 3, 2010: Jupiter squares Pluto. August 3 - 4, 2010: Mars opposes Jupiter and squares Pluto – another day to watch. August 6, 2010: Venus goes into Libra, joining the Cosmic T-square. Moon in Cancer- grounding the 4th leg of the Cosmic T-square. What will really nurture us? Good luck on your journeys! My special continues to be a 1/2 hour reading on how the Cosmic T-Square affects your chart. Email me today for a reading.
Blessed Be. Cathy Pagano, M.A. Jungian Psychotherapist Archetypal Astrologer Wisdom Coach |
