The Alchemists, Full Moons and Mercury & Venus in New Territory

“Even my best friends
Even my best friends
They don’t know
That my job is turning lead into gold.

Up in the morning
Up in the morning on the road
My job is searching for
The Philosopher’s Stone.” Van Morrison

So much of the ability to move freely forward in life has to do with the ability to transform perceptions of the past. The ancient alchemists spoke of this transformational process symbolically in their striving to turn lead into gold. In other words to change something heavy and burdensome into something of great value. Gold symbolizes heart warmth as well and often this process has to do with integrating more love, compassion and forgiveness into the old perception in order to understand it more deeply and release it in the old form.

This kind of process can be ongoing in nature but there are particularly auspicious times indicated by the movement of the celestial bodies in anyone’s chart. Full Moons are astrologically one of the times these crossroads can present themselves – particularly when a full moon occurs around twenty years after a significant event in your life. At that time the Moon will wax full at the same degree and sign as twenty years prior. If memories of that time or event occur to you or if someone enters your life who triggers those memories in some form, it could indicate that this is happening in your chart. The reason for the re-occurence is to offer another level of release of the original event in its old form and move forward in a more empowered, wiser way.

Today’s Full Moon at at 11 degrees of  Taurus. This Full Moon cycle will be in effect through the Full Moon on Dec 3rd.

This week both Mercury and Venus change signs. Mercury will ingress into Sagittarius and Venus into Scorpio. This placement of Mercury offers the opportunity to broaden perspective and brings in new info. Venus is Scorpio deepens passion and increases intensity in relationship. I have a good friend, a therapist in Ireland who used to say,”The two biggest issues in any relationship are sex and money.” This duo can be on the table now as well as the desire to break free of restrictions in relationship, the desire to move relationships in a more innovative direction and love at first sight occurrences.

The Sabian symbols for Mercury and Venus at this time are,” The ocean covered with white caps” and “A sight- seeing bus filled with tourists.”

Sabian symbols from Lynda Hill

Threshold Times

“The obstacles along the way sometimes
might feel so tremendous,
There are guides and spirits all along the way
Who will befriend us. ” Van Morrison

“Let us be silent that we may hear the whispers of the gods.” Emerson

The author Clare Martin has described the Lunar Nodes in the astrology chart as representing, “a doorway or magical threshold between this and other worlds.”

Another way to describe this is “meetings at the edge.” The author Stephen Levine, in his book by that title, evolved contemporary thinking about the path of being with someone who is dying. He described the kind of intimacy  that can develop between people when one of them is preparing to transition. It is a very inspired work.

Cycles of birth and death accompany us throughout our lives as we move forward and leave things behind.  “Meetings at the edge” can also be present at threshold times – when we might feel stuck but are actually at a crossroad waiting for information or direction. People may show up or experiences occur which clarify or affirm our way forward. It can be something that’s read in a passage of book, heard on a train from a stranger three seats back or can come in a dream or moment of inspiration and recognition.

In general the Nodes in an astrology chart describe which parts of ourselves we need to work on and evolve during this lifetime.

The Lunar Nodes are constantly in motion while the birth chart is stationary and captures a moment in time. This means that throughout time you are likely to encounter guidance in the sphere of life being targeted by transiting Nodes. For example if the Nodes are transiting the first and seventh houses, guidance can come through relationships that bring up the question of the balance between our identity and who we are  in partnership with others. Someone can show up at a time like this and clarify or evolve who we are in this area through their interaction with us.

The people who come into our lives at these times – in one form or another -put us in touch with a missing piece of the puzzle. They may be strangers or liminal people – people who come into our lives to transmit information or contribute to an experience that sets us on our way. Often they do not stay.

In the sixth and twelfth houses guidance can come through experiences in the daily routine, health, work and from the realm of dreams, ancestors and spirit guides. For example is a health related challenge asking us to change our daily life’s routine or our relationship to the Mysteries? Is work pushing us in another direction? Are the anscestors calling us to live out some side of the anscestral lines that they were not able to in their time and place?

Alot of people are looking for direction now- in this topsy turvy time we are living in. The Lunar Nodes can be helpful in this realm.