Year: 2017

“For Pythagoras, mathematics was a bridge between the visible and invisible worlds.” Stromhmeier & Westbrook

Pythagoras, educated in Mystery Schools throughout Greece and Egypt, taught – among other things  – about the mystical meaning of numbers. In terms of numerology, 2017 is a Ten year.  The Card for the number Ten in the Tarot deck is the Wheel of Fortune and indicates the  winds of change are blowing strong both individually and collectively.  Into this realm of great change are brought the seeds of the future and the obligations and burdens of the past. It is a time of opportunity when new choices are likely to present themselves and contrary forces are about as well.

The upcoming New Moon/Solar Eclipse on 2/26 holds the potential of a powerful doorway from the past into the future. At the time of the Eclipse the South Node is conjunct Mercury, the Moon, the Sun and Neptune as well as Pallas Athena – the goddess of advocacy and wisdom. This planetary combination indicates that in order to advocate for your desired path forward it is key to identify and let go of unproductive thought and speech patterns which lead to a sense of discouragement, dis-empowerment and may be based on illusion. They may also have an addictive quality to them. These thought and speech patterns may have come down through blood lines and have an ancestral nature to them – indicating that keeping a heightened awareness of your intentions and  of what you are thinking will bode well. As the Dalai Lama wrote, “We must always be thinking about what we are thinking.”

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A petrified forest, an eternal record of a life lived long ago.”

 

 

 

“I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times,
In life after life, in age after age forever.
My spell bound heart has made and re-made the necklace of songs
That you take as gift, wear round your neck in your many forms
In life after life, in age after age forever…

Whenever I hear old chronicles of love, its age-old pain,
Its ancient tale of being apart or together,
As I stare on and on into the past, in the end you emerge
Clad in the light of a pole-star piercing the darkness of time:
You become an image of what is remembered forever.” Tagore

Venus is is Aries now and will be moving up to a square to Pluto. In mythology Pluto was the lord of death and rebirth and Venus the goddess of love and pleasure. These planets together can speak about profound love and its inherent connection to loss.
There is a tendency when these planets are together to draw in karmic or past life relationships that can be very passionate but often difficult to resolve.
On a deeper level these two influences represent the opportunity to connect to a deeper understanding of the meaning of love through the processing of pain on a deeper level – as they say in hospice – to shed another outer layer of the onion skin.
Under this influence it bodes well to look at issues of self esteem and self worth to see if they need to be updated. Venus also symbolizes resources and how we provide for ourselves based on what we feel we deserve.
Recently I saw a photo of a woman in Dublin, Ireland in the Women’s March holding a sign that read,”Fight Like a Girl.” Pluto can bring back powers that were lost due to painful experiences if you clear obstacles that are in the way. Progress will be made by overcoming and transforming old beliefs in this area and as the shamans say – shedding an old skin.
This aspect is also about connecting with what you feel most passionate about in your life in a deeper or clearer way.
After aspecting Pluto Venus will move on to squaring Uranus  – and this offers the opportunity to move forward in a new way – freer of the burdens of the past.
Venus is at 8 degrees now and one of the Sabian symbols for that is,”A teacher gives new symbolic forms to traditional images.”

Sabian symbol reference from Lynda  Hill

“And I, infinitesimal being,
drunk with the great starry
void,
likeness, image of
mystery,
felt myself a pure part
of the abyss,
I wheeled with the stars,
my heart broke loose on the wind.” Pablo Neruda 

“The entire world is a very narrow bridge.
The essential thing is to have no fear at all.” Reb Nachman

There is a lot of energy to harness with Mars and Uranus in the fiery sign of Aries now as we head towards the Solar Eclipse in Pisces on February 26. Eclipses are like evolutionary doorways and solar eclipses represent the opportunity of opening a new chapter of your life. Check your chart to see which house the eclipse falls in – this will indicate which area of life is up for change for you.

Solar eclipses occur at the time of the New Moon. Between now and the 26th is a very good time to focus on and clarify your intentions. Eliminate blurriness and indecisiveness in your thinking and be very clear.

Long awaited breakthroughs and awakenings related to creative or spiritual evolution can occur. It can be an exciting time when the future seems to arrive at our doorstep. There can be great courage, a sense of urgency to act and a great desire to break free of limitations.

With all the planets involved between now and the eclipse do keep equilibrium and moderation in mind. It’s best to leave extra time when moving around or traveling as it can be an accident prone time if you- or others- are rushing or not paying attention. It is an edgy time when things can get off to an energized start and then seem to fall apart. Nerves can be frayed and tempers can run high.

It is a good idea to plan for extra down time during this period – as the nervous system can be more easily taxed under these aspects.

On of the Sabian symbols for Mars at this time is,” A bomb which failed to explode is now safely hidden from discovery.”

Sabian symbol quote from Linda Hill

“Here’s the test to find out whether your mission on earth is finished. If you’re alive it isn’t.”Richard Bach

“A Japanese friend explained to me, ” The plum  is for courage because it puts forth blossoms when the snow is still on the ground.” Anne Morrow Lindbergh

We are now entering eclipse season with February’s Full Moon Lunar eclipse this Friday 2/10 and 7:33 PM EST. The Sun is in the sign of Aquarius with the Moon opposing it in Leo at 22 degrees.

Lunar eclipses can bring things to conscious awareness that have been brewing under the surface for some time. Usually if there are sudden or surprising events, the pressure to bring them into form has been building.

The Aquarius/Leo axis speaks of how well personal authority and autonomy interfaces with the need to collaborate with others. It is about the balance between what is good for the individual and what is good for the well being of all.  It is a good time to consider this dynamic in your personal life as well as with  other types of relationships in the outer world. Do you feel your personal needs are met by the way you interface with others? If not it may be time to tweak the way you approach things in this realm. You may need, for example to advocate more for your needs as an individual. Or it could be time to come from a more egalitarian perspective and cooperate more intentionally with others.

As we come into the Age of Aquarius there is more of an emphasis on egalitarianism and collaborating as friends or equals rather then from a top /down power structure of authority. Willingness to collaborate and cooperate now will go a long way to achieving long and short term aspirations both individually and collectively.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A carrier pigeon fulfilling its mission.”

Sabian symbols from Lynda Hill’s 360 Degrees of Wisdom

“The healing
that is ours and nature’s will come
If we are willing, if we are patient
If we know the way, if we do the work”  Wendell Berry.

Venus is now in Aries along with Mars – adding courage, ardor, restlessness and the desire to act impulsively.  It bodes well however – for the long term -to keep a cool head and collaborate with others along common lines of interest. This may require collaborating with groups or people that you are at odds with in other ways.
The Sabian symbol for Venus entering Aries is,”A woman is rising out of the ocean, a seal is embracing her.” This indicates that new states of awareness are emerging in your life or around you and that it bodes well to welcome and nurture them.  It’s best to resist falling back into old ways of thinking or being that have been shown to have outlived their usefulness.

This symbol also speaks of creative and spiritual renewal – a good thing to make time for  – as we live  now in a time of fast paced and sometimes sudden and surprising events. This atmosphere can be chaotic, anxiety producing and contribute to a kind of fragmentation. With Chiron in Pisces now healing fragmentation can come through being in touch with higher forces (spiritual practice) and through creative expression. It also bodes well to spend time in nature in places that restores a sense of harmony, interconnectedness and wholeness.

“Here are your waters and your watering place.
Drink and be whole again beyond confusion.” Robert Frost

“Socrates said he was not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world.” Plutarch

The feisty warrior god Mars recently escaped the gossamer net of Pisces and has now entered the dynamic sign of action – Aries. This increases physical and mental energy and increases courage and ambition. It is a good time to re-energize projects or get projects started.

One of the Sabian symbols of Mars at this degree is,”A cameo shows the profile of a man that suggests the outline of his country.”

 

Sabian symbol quote from Lynda Hill

“Connections are made slowly, sometimes they grow underground.
You cannot tell always by looking what is happening.
More than half the tree is spread out in the soil under your feet.
Penetrate quietly as the earthworm that blows no trumpet.
Fight persistently as the creeper that brings down the tree.
Spread like the squash plant that overruns the garden.” Marge Piercy

The Moon waxes new today Friday 1/27 at 8 degrees of Aquarius at 7:07 PM. The Sun and the Moon are together in the visionary sign of Aquarius. This is a good time to network,  join groups to advance common goals and get involved with humanitarian endeavors. With Jupiter in Libra now it bodes well to collaborate with others along common lines of interest.

The New Moon is always a good time to clarify, set or reaffirm intentions. One of the Sabian symbols for this New Moon is,” A flag is seen turning into an eagle.”

Sabian symbols from Lynda Hill

“The world will change less in accordance
with man’s determinations than with
women’s divinations.” Claude Bragdon

“Why should we grieve that we have been sleeping?
We’re groggy but let the guilt go
Feel the motions of tenderness
around you, the buoyancy.” Rumi

Venus and Chiron are aligned in the sky now at 21 degrees of Pisces. Chiron – when aligned so closely with Venus – speaks of the journey of wounding and healing the feminine in both men and women, the culture at large and the planet. Eris the Asteroid of Discord has also been active in the sky and is associated with stirring up anger over the suppression of the feminine throughout time. Closely aligned with Uranus it is associated with many of the sudden and spontaneous events we are witnessing around us.

This placement in Pisces has a spiritual and creative quality to it. Chiron is associated with a journey -individually and collectively – of healing fragmentation, reclaiming power and evolving in a direction of wholeness. The sign of Pisces in general is connected to a longing that the mundane world cannot fulfill – a longing for a kind of wholeness that can be felt but is often not experienced on the earth plane.
Mars is in Pisces now as well and this symbolizes the spiritual or enlightened warrior.

Venus and Chiron are now moving up to a square with Saturn. The square aspect indicates the need to overcome something in the process of moving forward. With Saturn’s involvement , it indicates it bodes well to create a form or intention around what this process means in your life and move forward by committing to it and taking action on it.

One of the Sabian symbols for this placement is,”A prophet bringing down the new law from the mountain” and another is,”A materializing medium giving a seance.”

Sabian symbols by Lynda Hill

 

“We must create an environment in which change enlivens and enriches the individual but does not overwhelm her.” Alvin Toffler 

“A pile of rocks ceases to be a pile of rocks when someone contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The Sun moves into the sign of Aquarius today. One of the rulers of this sign is Uranus – the planet of sudden and unexpected change. Uranus is a powerful influence in the sky now – still widely squaring Pluto – the lord of transformation – and opposing Jupiter – which is contributing to what can feel like big and  abrupt changes in the world around us.

Pythagoras – widely known in our time for the Pythagorean theorem – was as a student educated in Mystery Schools in the Aegean, Babylonia and Egypt. He was an astrologer and traveled and taught about the mystical meaning of numbers.

The year 2017 is a 10 year – associated in the Tarot Card deck with The Wheel of Fortune card. When the Wheel of Fortune appears in a reading it indicates the winds of change are blowing. The wheel pictured in the card has an image of a person at the top of the wheel being cast off and someone who has been at the bottom, rising up, signifying a change in the current order.

The number 10 is also associated with the number 1 – the card of the Magician. The Magician is the card of focused will and consciousness. It is about creation and beginnings which spring from the focused use of the mind. It is about learning to control and direct mental energy. It is a good year for writing, communicating and making manifest mental visions.

One of the Sabian symbols for the Sun’s ingress into Aquarius is,”An unexpected thunderstorm.”

Sabian symbol quote from Lynda Hill

 

 

“Freedom is necessary for choice, and choice is necessary for wisdom and growth…the sacred world of love and wisdom, fiery intelligence and passionate will, imagination and delight- is a world of freedom. It is liberating. But it is also binding and connecting.” David Spangler 

Mars is moving up to a square with Saturn this week. This can be a good aspect for getting things done with the caveat that often there can be frustration, obstacles and impatience. Saturn and Mars together are sometimes described as driving with the gas and the brakes on. Mars is the planet of action and does not like being held back by Saturn’s influence – Saturn being the stern teacher about “the rules of the road.”

Approaching this week with patience and realistic goals is a good strategy. And as  some shamanic traditions advise – trust the timing and assume that the explanation for current events will become clearer in the future.

Jupiter is opposing Uranus now and will be an influence for the next nine months or so. This opposition is correlated with surprising and sudden events. We are seeing this kind of thing in the news with greater frequency these days and it is good to assume – here as well- that a clearer understanding  of the meaning of events will emerge  over time.

On a personal level this transit provides a good time to break from patterns in your life that have restricted your freedom. The opposition is occurring in the relationship signs:  Libra the sign of partnership and Aries the sign of autonomy and independence. Under this influence there may be shifts in relationship dynamics. People in existing relationships may want more freedom or room to move. People who have not wanted to be in a partnership  may be entertaining the idea and finding new opportunities. It applies to legal partnerships and work partnerships as well.

One of the Sabian symbols for the Jupiter/Uranus opposition is, “A child giving birds a drink at a fountain.”

Sabian symbol quote from Lynda Hill