Celestial Notebook Overview October 2008

There is little doubt that the paradigm shift we have all been talking about is gaining intensity. Any transition involves the breaking down of previous structures and we are living through a period of economic and ecological upheaval. The hardship or perhaps, the gripping fear of hardship and loss in terms of what we had hoped for could paralyse us or we could move towards a more enlightened, global consciousness. The latter takes discipline and perseverance and the choice is ours.

As the Sun () enters Libra (), it returns to the equator, bringing equal day and night to all places on earth. This balancing of light and dark resonates with the symbolism of restoring equilibrium. In Libra time we are driven by the need to find balance and fairness – not an easy quest in a world of conflicting realities.

In Roman mythology, the goddess Astrea ruled over justice and law, holding the balance as her means to establish which situations required karmic intervention to restore fairness and equality – no wonder the Rescue Bill came to the table in the American Senate as the Sun joined stationary retrograde Mercury, Mars and Venus in Libra. Venus (money) cat-walked into Scorpio (transformation) and several conditions and restrictions were added to protect taxpayers on the down side and to give them a chance at some of the potential upside if the companies benefit from the plan. To quote Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House: ‘The party is over!’

1886 Base-relief of Astrea
in Vermont State House

The cosmic spotlight is now on relationships and recognising our responsibilities to others. With Pluto (), Lord of the Underworld, once again entering Capricorn () in November, we are being compelled to finding our true path and asserting our own standpoint clearly – unfettered by what others think. Living in superficial harmony and avoiding uncomfortable issues will create chaos: ‘Pluto takes no prisoners, allows no whining, no excuses, no victim mentality; it ruthlessly flushes out where we still abdicate our power and responsibility.’ Stephanie Austin

Most of all we will be forced to look at what we have been unable or unwilling to see.

Mercury (), The Messenger of the Gods, retrograde (seemingly reversing) since 24 September only turns direct on 15 October, granting us the opportunity to break through our own illusions, and to reflect, retrace, review, recollect and reorient...to reconnect with our own inner Sun. Mercury’s retrograde passage through the air sign of Libra supports us to understand more clearly how we limit ourselves and define our reality according to what we think, and the beliefs we hold. The structure of our thoughts becomes more available to our consciousness, and from this subtle place, deep changes are seeded, making this time most auspicious for the house-cleaning of mind and heart.

Saturn (), Master of Form, in Virgo () and Uranus (), Master of Reform, in Pisces () are about to oppose each other. This happens every 40 years and the first of three exact oppositions occurs on 4 November, the day of the US presidential election. (The candidates mirror this opposition perfectly: tradition and experience of Saturn is represented by John McCain; if he is elected, he will be the second oldest man (72) ever to be inaugurated as president. The liberal, bi-racial Obama at 47 with the keyword ‘Change’ embodies Uranus and only Kennedy was younger when he took office.)

The slower a planet moves, the greater the effect it has. Neptune () turns direct on 2 November and remains on 21° Aquarius () the whole of October. The Mythic God of the Sea, blurs the edges between fact and fantasy, friend and foe, and ultimately dissolves our concepts and forms that prevent us from recognising our unity within our diversity. Neptune asks us what we would do differently if we knew that we are all connected – that on some level we hear each other’s thoughts and feel each other’s feelings.

Neptune in Aquarius will, in some way or another (with Neptune we never know!), dissolve the structures around us so that we are able to comprehend our interconnectedness and blend our individual purpose with that of the greater whole. Our challenge will be to render our service unselfishly, not to earn spiritual brownie points or personal attachments, but because we know that what we do unto others we unto our self.

This month we need to become aware where we are ready to incorporate and share new vistas and visions. Monitor what goes through your mind, because ‘...the soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts’. Marcus Aurelius