On July 18, the New Moon will be in her own sign of Cancer (the New Moon is always conjunct the Sun, in the same sign, which is why we can’t see her). Cancer is the sign of the Universal Mother, and rules the breasts.
The symbol for Cancer looks like breasts, but it is actually two spirals spinning together, like the galaxy, or two nines, number of gestation and endings preceding birth, moving forward and backward…
The constellation was also seen as a cradle – the cradle (or gateway) of birth and death. In the same way, the Moon is presumed to be where souls await physical rebirth.
In ancient Egypt, the symbol for Cancer was the Scarab (where the word ‘crab’ comes from). The beetle rolled it’s dung like the Sun, traveling through the night or netherworld to be reborn.
Since Moon governs the tides of the ocean and body fluids, it is associated with the soul, which is watery (Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces form the water triad). In Tarot, cups are the soul element. Soul is the source of emotional memory and feelings and, being the source, is essentially no different than the ocean.
In astrology, the Moon, Pluto and the Lunar Nodes are the main indicators of the soul’s path/past lives. The Moon’s placement is also indicative of our ancient, matrilineal heritage and earliest emotional memories.
This Cancer new (dark) Moon, is a good time to begin revisiting our emotional memories and see whether we stopped evolving emotionally somewhere along the line, due to some tragic or disruptive event in our early or past lives.
For women, if the relationship with your mother was severed at some point, this is likely a microcosm of/clue to where and how your matrilineal line was severed long ago.
For men, the soul is your ‘anima’ and you will know her by the kind of woman you are attracted to. Is she a big teat ? A femme fatale ? A nurturer or a devourer ? Do you fear her or try to protect her ?
I sometimes think of the Cancer Sun and Moon as Samantha and Endora of the 1960s TV series, ‘Bewitched.’ Cancer Sun is witchy, but would rather ‘get to a man’s heart through his stomach’, be the domestic Goddess. Moon in Cancer is the opposite of rational and can be a nurturer or devourer of the soul (or both). And of course she’s the older Mother.
Pluto-Moon/Cancer or Lilith-Moon/Cancer aspects can be challenging in this respect and will reveal much about the Mother/child dynamic. The Pluto in Cancer generation (1913 – 1939), who were very affected by their mothers’ issues, are now preparing to return to the ‘Great Mother.’
Summary: This Moon, born in Cancer, is good for healing ancient or childhood memories (especially to do with Mother or Mother’s line), honouring the Soul and the feminine. And while we are at it – our relationship with Mother Ocean, source of all life, could really use some healing.
The following is adapted from ‘Dreamgates: Exploring the Worlds of the Soul, Imagination and Life Beyond Death’ by Robert Moss. Published by New World Library. (Thanks to Rob Brezsny for providing).
The basic insights of paleopsychology are as follows:
1. Spirits are real.
2. We are not alone: we live in a multidimensional universe peopled with beings — spirits of nature, gods and daimons, angels and ancestors — who take a close interest in our affairs and influence our lives for good or ill.
3. We are more than our bodies and brains, which are only vehicles for soul.
4. The soul survives the death of the body.
5. Soul journeying is the key to the spiritual worlds and the knowledge of ultimate reality. The soul makes excursions outside the body in dreams and visions. The heart of spiritual practice is to learn to shift consciousness at will and travel beyond time and space. Through soul-flight, we return to worlds beyond the physical plane in which our lives have their source and are able to explore many dimensions of the Otherworld.
6. Souls are corporeal, though composed of much finer substance than the physical body.
7. People have more than one soul. In addition to the vital soul that sustains physical life — closely associated with the breath — there is a “free soul,” associated with the dreambody, which can travel outside the body and separates from it at physical death, as well as an enduring spirit whose home is on the higher planes.
8. Souls — or pieces of soul — can be lost or stolen. This is the principal cause of disease and misfortune.
9. Some people have more souls than others and have the ability to make excursions to different places at the same time.
10. At death, different vehicles of soul go to different lots. Through conscious dreaming, it is possible to explore the conditions of the afterlife to prepare for one’s death and to assist souls of the dying and departed.
11. We are born with counterparts in nature. For example, we are born with a totem animal and a relationship with natural forces (wind or water or lightning) that are part of our basic identity and help to pattern the natural flow of our energy.
12. We are born with counterparts in other places and times, and in other dimensions of reality. When we encounter them through interdimensional travel, they become allies and sometimes teachers.
Images: Sara Goodridge, Egyptian winged Scarab, Dali Ace of Cups, Mahakali of Kolkata 1910 litho, Ronald Searle TV Guide illustration, fiddler crab, Dorothy Phillips.
A little retrospective, now that we are officially in the Age of Aquarius. This piece was originally published in Parabola, Fall 2001 issue. It illustrates the Fool’s 2000 year journey through the Piscean Age of western civilization, via Tarot imagery. (Appreciation to the author for providing me with an English version and for giving me permission to post). Enjoy!
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ZERO IN THE TAROT Whirling through the Major Arcana by MJ Stone
Here I go again, spinning round and round, eyes closed, a quantum leap just waiting to happen. Flirting on the brink, whirling like a dervish, I am the primordial force, the Nijinsky of the cosmos. To most I am a fool, but to friends I am fondly nicknamed, a zero. Descending, inexperienced into the world, I am air, the breath of life, pure oxygen.
Some call me an eccentric and a know-it-all. But like the Latin, Follis, meaning a bag of wind, I am the conscious impulse that breathes life into the Tarot and my 21 Arcana companions. Beyond comprehension, I am a trickster, a sly fox and a vigilante rabbit, the roadrunner who defies Wiley’s scientific grasp.
Lucky are the mortals who catch a glimpse of me. I am the burning bush of Moses, jump starting life’s evolutionary process. Manifesting in archetypes, in fleeting glimpses, in your dreaming: I begin my dance with the Major Arcana’s Magician, and continue to spin and bedazzle throughout the Piscean Age. By card 21 I complete the circle drawing you into the Age of Aquarius by handing you the World.
Two thousand years ago, I was the essence of the fish and manifest in the man who walks on water, in the shaman who cures the sick and draws Lazarus back from the grave. I am the spirit of that first-century’s quantum leap. I am the message that lives in the heart of the Son of Man; I am card number 1, the Magician.
I represent the spirit of the people where the Christian leap of faith is about to occur. I live in the hearts and minds of Pagan Rome and amongst Northern Europe’s nature-worshipping Druids. I am an incarnation of Morgain, the archetypal goddess and Western, second-century, animistic state of mind. I embody the essence Gaea; I am card number 2, the Druid light, the High Priestess.
I celebrate the union of opposites, where the archetypal Christ marries the Lady of the Lake. I am fertility, the birth of the new faith that catches fire in the third century. I manifest as the pagan projection of Venus transferred onto Mary’s Immaculate Conception. I am card number 3, the Empress.
The quintessence of the Age of Aries is embodied in the Roman Empire. But by century four, the folly of the fish has usurped the pioneering spirit of the ram. From 392 to 395 Theodosius the Great reigns as the last Emperor of a United Rome. Representing the advancements of a previous age, I embody the spirit of the Tarot’s King Arthur. I am card number 4, the Emperor.
The spark that ignites the fire and seizes hold of your imagination is the fifth-century form that I take. I am the inspiration that fires the mystic hearts of Saint Augustine and Saint Patrick. Saint Augustine wrote City of God in 411 and Saint Patrick returned to Ireland in 432. I am the Rumi of devotion manifest in card number 5, the Dalai Lama of the 22, the Hierophant.
My dance turns transcendental when century six gets under way. I am the love affair that develops between Byzantium and Rome when they are reconciled in 519. I am a united Christian Empire, Venus and Mars in love. I am the harmony and peace projected by card number 6, the Lovers.
I am a seventh-century noble and heavy-metal warrior for the Christian world, inspiration for the Silver Tower, the first order of knighthood that was established by the High King Balmord the Red in 653. I emerge in the legend of the Holy Grail. I am the archetypal Lancelot, card number 7, the Charioteer.
Out of knighthood springs the flower of chivalry. I am the eighth-century dance that occurs when Charlemagne becomes king of the Franks in 771 and is crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor. Grace, courtesy and devotion form the trilogy his reign inspires, attributes best exemplified by the chaste and fair lady of the Tarot, card number 8, Justice.
Following on the heels of infinite hope comes infinite despair in the ninth century. Louis the Pious succeeds Charlemagne in 814. He is a conscientious Frank who demonstrates that he is an able general and administrator. But on the throne the kindly Emperor is easy prey to schemers, the worst being his own children. Having divided his Empire amongst his sons, he finds, to his grief, that not only do they war among themselves, but they turn on their royal benefactor, forcing Louis to abdicate and seek refuge in a monastery. Such is the dance of a lonely monarch, the King Lear of the Tarot, I am the spirit of card number 9, The Hermit.
When the tenth century rolls round, the Christian world is a ship of fools sailing for an unknown disaster.. Wild musings and millennial fears motivate the hearts and minds of the medieval collective. But by wheel of time proves kind and the thousand-year anniversary of Christ’s life passes without cataclysmic consequence. I am benevolent and kind, the embodiment of fate as represented in card number 10, the Wheel of Fortune.
The first quantum leap of the new millennium is inspired by social activism. I am the spirit that catches fire in the wife of Leofork, earl of Mercia, when Lady Godiva makes her stand. She persuades her husband not only to found monasteries at Coventry and Stow, but also obtains a reduction in the excessive taxes levied by her husband by consenting to ride naked through the town on a white horse. Only one person disobeyed her orders to remain behind closed shutters; that old fool of a tailor, Peeping Tom, peeks through his window and is immediately blinded by Godiva’s radiant projection. In the Tarot, I am fair and beautiful. I am seen holding open the jaws of that proud lion, Leo(fork); I am card number 11, Strength.
I manifest in the profound convictions of a man who is hung out to dry for what he believes in. A sword’s crushing blow extinguishes the life of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, on a cold December evening as he ascends the steps of his altar. The brutal event sends tremors through 12th-century Europe. Blame for the murder lays at the feet of Becket’s former close personal friend, King Henry II, who can’t bear that Becket would challenge his authority. I am the indestructible spirit that lives in the heart of martyrs. In the Tarot, I am the archetype of thwarted potential, card number 12, the Hanged Man.
The dance of the infinite is a single-minded and hostile interpretation in the 13th century. A low point in religious orthodoxy occurs when the words of prophets are manipulated to inspire fear. So begins the age of Crusades and repression. The dark hostility reaches a crescendo in 1231 when the Inquisition begins. Pope Gregory IX makes the Dominicans responsible for ferreting out heresy. Thus bloomed an age of torture and intolerance. Historically, I manifest as card number 13, a demon angel arriving on horseback who exposes heretics and burns them at the stake. I am Death.
In the 14th century, hope is rekindled when the Renaissance begins in Italy and balance is regained as a consequence of the middle path. So emerges a new age of illumination, spurred on by the likes of Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio and Giotto. I am an invigorated spirituality that rises above the black plague. You find me in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. I am the archetypal, open-minded alchemist and an angel of rational intelligence, card number 14, Temperance.
The reactionary forces of an allied state and church obscure the light again. I am the pure heart of Jeanne D’Arc, burned at the stake, by the British, as a witch after her ecclesiastical trial. I am the essence of the Aboriginal people of the New World that 15th-century Europe discovers, demonizes and brutally conquers. I am card number 15, the face of European power, the Devil.
Against a backdrop of Martin Luther’s proclamation, the start of the Reformation and the publication of Machiavelli’s The Prince, I live in the spirit of the 16th-century humanist, Sir Thomas More, author of Utopia. He is locked up in “the tower” and beheaded as a traitor for refusal to acknowledge the authority of the excommunicated king, that fool Henry the VIII. I am the archetype of righteousness and the ghost that inhabits the murdering place. Struck by a lightening bolt, the inspiration for card number 16, I am the Tower.
By century 17 religious authority is determined to keep science in check. Astronomers challenge the church on the mechanics of the universe. After constructing a telescope, Galileo enlarges humanity’s vision and conception of the universe. In 1610 he sees the moons of Jupiter through his lens. Eight years later Johannes Kepler proposes the last of three laws of planetary motion. But in 1633 the Inquisition forces Galileo to recant his belief in Copernican theory. I manifest in the Night Watch painted by Rembrandt in 1653; I am the intellect that yearns for an ever-widening comprehension of the origins of the universe. In the Tarot, I am card number 17, the Star.
My rebel yell is a call that awakens democracy in the 18th century. In 1775 the American Revolution begins and on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is adopted. In 1789 the French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille. In 1793 Louis the XVI and Marie-Antoinette are executed. The door is opened for the ultimate rebel, Napoleon Bonaparte. In the Major Arcana, I am a wolf howling at midnight, an iconoclast who eclipses the sun’s bright light and undermines its authority. I inhabit the spirit of card number 18, I am the Moon.
Free of the limitations that church and state once imposed, the new world democracy throws open the doors of science. I am the spirit of invention inspired by the likes of Joseph-Nicephore Niepce, who takes the world’s first photograph in 1826. I shine in the brilliance of F. B. Morse, who patents the telegraph in 1844. I’m present in 1866 when Alfred Nobel invents dynamite, when Alexander Bell patents the phone in 1876, and, three years later, when Edison perfects the electric light. In 1892 I provide the impetus that led to the Diesel engine being patented and I’m present when Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium and polonium in 1898. The philosopher of the century is Nietzsche, who set forth some of the existential ideas that made him famous, namely, the proclamation that “God is dead.” Nietzsche’s atheism — his account of “God’s murder” — was voiced in reaction to the conception of a single, ultimate, judgmental authority who is privy to everyone’s hidden, and personally embarrassing, secrets. In the Tarot I am the bright light of reason, I am the spirit of the collective, I am an ego that imagines itself all radiant; I am card number 19, the Sun.
God is dead and the 20th century turns quantum. We are flying high, airplanes in sky, the dance is an automated, nuclear fandango. I am present in the advances of Einstein, The Wright Brothers and Henry Ford. But I am also twisted out of shape by two world wars, Hiroshima, the Cambodian Killing Fields, the Holocaust and the ongoing wars in the Balkans. I am a small step for a man and a giant leap for mankind. But I am, also, hubris, egotism and greed. I am the glory of intellect and its despair when it functions disconnected from the heart. That’s when I manifest in the extinction of species, in global warming, overpopulation. I am the volatile environmental legacy that children are inheriting. I am the edge on which the collective dangerously waltzes. You recognize me as millennial fear. In the Major Arcana, I am the angel who trumpets the dead from their resting place, card number 20, Judgement.
And into the 21st century, arms extended, the cosmos whirling around, I give you the Aquarian age. I embody the new century. I dance the dance of the mystical mother, the provider of life and all your immediate metaphysical frontiers. I am the intellect and heart of the living, breathing earth. I am your goddess, your scientific, subjective point of view, as object of faith. I am your garden and worthy of worship. I am the third planet in the solar system, a mystic top, whirling on axis, perfectly illuminated in the sun of infinite Buddha light. I am the deity of the new millennium. The goddess lives. I am hope and promise, card number 21. I manifest in nature, I am the World.
Neptune re-entered it’s own sign of Pisces today, home for the next 13 years. This icy, mysterious, blue planet, where it supposedly rains diamonds, is called the ‘higher octave’ of Venus. It is the eighth and/or ninth planet from the Sun, depending on Pluto’s orbital position. Dreams, illusions, art (especially film, music, dance), healing, universal love, psychic ability, phobias and mind-altering drugs are some of the areas Neptune presides over. Modern astrologers recognize it as a fitting replacement for Pisces’ traditional ruler, Jupiter.
Neptune is currently conjunct ‘the wounded healer’ asteroid, Chiron, named after the centaur who learned and taught healing as a result of his non-healing wound. In a chart, Chiron’s placement shows where you become your own medic through your pain – the wound and healing are one. In Pisces, it is truly shamanic. Chiron prefers holistic methods and is where we get the word ‘chiropractor.’ Many astrologers associate it with the sign of Virgo.
Virgo is also the polar opposite sign of Pisces. Where Pisces is dreamy and escapist, Virgo is practical and, literally, ‘down to Earth’. We think of her simply as ‘the Virgin’, but she is also depicted as a winged figure – the angel of earthly service. (Her Vestal Virgin persona seems more in keeping with the asteroid, Vesta, who is also transiting Pisces right now). Virgo is ruled by Mercury, the winged messenger planet.
I had declared in my Dec 21/11 post (Fish Have Left the Building) that we’d officially kissed the Pisces Age good-bye. But of course, after living in a house for two-thousand-some-odd years, there’s a ton of cleaning to do before you can actually leave the premises…otherwise, you will certainly not get your damage deposit back ! A final purge of the old dream’s residue needs doing, to prepare the space for creating a big, fabulous, magical, Water-Dragony, new one. Neptune in Pisces, along with Chiron, is the final rinse and purification team.
Virgo has our best (and cleanest) interests at heart, so I’ve invoked her to provide some practical tips on cleansing with Neptune energy. Try to come up with your own ideas, too, since you are the instigator of your own process – your own shaman. Start now, sparkle by Spring !
Cleansing the physical body
1 – Eliminate or at least drastically cut down on red meat, processed foods, wheat, sugar, dairy, fats, yeast and fermented foods, alcohol, coffee, fried stuff, too much salt and anything else that potentially creates blockage and toxicity. Fast for a day or three if you can. Take a probiotic daily to replace friendly bacteria. Psyllium seed husks, bentonite clay and vitamin C can also help. And whatever it takes, if you are a smoker, it is definitely time to quit, now. My Virgo neighbour just resumed smoking after a year and is very sick, as a result.
2 – Increase your water intake. Consider investing in an ionizing water filter to increase alkalinity. A pinch of baking soda per 2 litres of water is the no-frills method (this will not filter or ionize, however). Bless your water before drinking.
3 – Eat more raw foods, vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, legumes and whole grains (Virgo is also the grain Goddess, after all). Oatmeal, gentle enough to slough your skin, has the same loofa effect on the inside. Mother Nature really does know best !
4 – Go organic wherever possible and eat frequent, small meals rather than few, large ones, which is probably how my double Virgo grandmother lived to be nearly 100. It’s always best to get your vitamins directly from the source, so a juicer is also a good investment.
5 – Be kind to your heart, liver and the rest of the organ gang. If it’s not a matter of life and death, replace pharmaceutical drugs/pills with home remedies (Virgo’s fave) like chamomile or mint tea for tummy aches, clove for tooth aches, water for headaches (they are often caused by dehydration), etc. When detoxing, headaches are normal – just keep flushing. Music and water sounds can work wonders for healing under the Neptune/Pisces influence. And don’t worry about common colds – it’s nature’s way of purging the system. Drink lots of fluids.
6 – Put sea salt in your bath to draw out toxins and relax muscles.
7 – Your body is a mini Earth ! Replace all toxic chemical cleaners/detergents in your home with ones that will not pollute your own waters or the ocean’s. Chemicals burn the skin right off marine beings, kill coral reefs. Use baking soda and vinegar or chlorine-free oxygen bleach for sinks, drains, floors, tubs. Cream of tartar for tea and coffee stains. Steamers are great for sterilizing counter tops, gyms, restaurants, etc. [Addendum 2020: it is not known whether steam alone will kill covid-19, so it is recommended to scrub surfaces with soapy water then steam while still soapy. Hydrogen peroxide or isopropyl alchohol (never mix anything with HP) are good ‘pure’ sterilizers. Fatty soaps rather than ones containing astringent or bacterial killing agents work best for hand washing.]
Think, what would your grandmother/great grandmother have used before we had all this chemical goop ? Romans bathed with olive oil and salt, the purest soap is still made from these simple ingredients.
Virgo oversees the digestive tract and it’s link with the nervous system, via her Mercury rulership. Our digestive tract, colon, etc. are directly affected by nerves. And because our bodies are not only divided down the middle vertically, but horizontally as well, intestines and brains are not that different. In fact the intestinal tract is known as ‘the second brain’ and gets information before the brains in our head. They both get full of shit and need to be emptied, cleansed and well taken care of for proper function of everything else. A Polish senior I know told me her mother would always advise her not to make a decision to act before “eat and poop”. In other words, the processing time of one meal = the time needed for mental process !
It certainly feels like spring is already starting in some places, which must be a call to begin the house cleaning/clearing. The key lesson for Pisces, junk collector of the zodiac, is ‘un-attachment.’ Sometimes Pisces has an easier time un-attaching itself from people than objects or photos that conjure memories of them.
If you are in the late forties – early fifties age group, any old illusions of yourself in the form of clothing or ‘stuff’ should probably be sent down the river at this point.
And of course…washing, especially windows, for clear vision.
Virgo Moon says, use cleaning as practical magic, ‘wash that man right out of your hair’ while shampooing, for example.
Cleanse the emotional body
Ritual, no matter how small, is a great way to inform the inner and outer universe of your intention. Virgo loves writing lists to draw things from memory, so we can use this as a format.
We’ve all had people in our lives who have influenced us strongly, for better or worse. Everyone you’ve shared a soul connection with, you’ve actually exchanged bits of yourself for theirs. While we can’t erase memories, we can neutralize their effects.
1- Make lists of all the soul connections you are finished with – one for lovers or significant others, one for teachers, one for neighbours, adversaries or whoever you feel ready to let go of. It may take a few days. They will start popping up in dreams or elsewhere.
2 – Get some matches.
3 – Take the lists to a beach or other moving body of water. Thank the people on your first list for their lesson and inform them that you are now giving back the parts of them you’ve been holding and are taking back the parts of yourself from them. Roll or fold up the list, burn it, and let the charred remains fall into the moving water. Repeat with each list. (If you have no access to moving water, you can release into the wind or bury them in the earth – a return to the elements is the main thing). The New Moon is a good time to do this. For heavier bonds, you may wish to write a letter to the person (not to mail) or do a more involved ritual. The important thing is your intent. This should be an act of gratitude and closure, not destruction. You will feel lighter afterwards !
Neptune’s dreamscape and Virgo’s analytical ability are also very conducive for dream interpretation/therapy. What is your emotional body and unconscious telling you ? Keeping a dream journal and rendering your dreams in some art form are routes to self-healing.
Mental cleansing
Everyone will have their own methods for this, such as meditation or yoga… but since water is the main element right now, I recommend walking by the water to clear the mind, or at least out in nature, a park, etc. Listen to/walk in the rain or get a water cd and visualize the water flowing through your brain and rinsing away all debris.
One good way to un-clutter and calm the third eye is to sleep with a smooth slab of (cleansed) lapis between the eyebrows. This also helps with headaches, eye strain and vertigo. Rinse it under cold, running water from time to time, to release build-up.
There is so much invisible, electro-magnetic, microwave, electrical pollution these days, and it’s on the increase. Cell phones, computers, frankenfoods and bad news all threaten our health…but we can’t go around living in fear. Neptune in Pisces goes with the flow. It is the realm of the spiritual master in us that understands all is maya (illusion). Ultimately, we can’t control anything and must learn to let go of ourselves and everything else. Still, we do have to live inside the illusion for now, which is why Pisces and Virgo say, “walk the mystical path with practical feet” ! Do what is within your own ability and let the Gods handle the rest. The whole point of this exercise is not to try and lengthen your lifespan or lose weight or find the fountain of youth (although these may be side bonuses), but to prepare you for a rebirth within this lifetime, as your beautiful, authentic self.
Lady in the pool is the great Esther Williams, Hollywood’s own mermaid.
If you can’t take the heat, don’t tickle the dragon. ~ Scott Fahlman
January 23rd begins the Lunar Year of the Dragon (Lung). Chinese/Lunar astrology is doesn’t integrate religious or karmic concepts the way Western or Vedic astrology does. It is more about achieving balance within the present context of one’s life, and is based on the Moon, rather than the Sun.
There are five elements in Lunar astrology: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. This year, Water is the ruling element. Most eastern Dragons live in or near water and are responsible for rain, so hopefully a fortuitous beginning for the Aquarian Age.
The Dragon is the only celestial creature in the Lunar Zodiac and considered most lucky. It is the embodiment of creative energy without form (a composite being), often depicted coveting the Pearl of Wisdom. The realm of the Dragon is not one of physical matter, but of subtle essences, spirit/chi and infinite possibility.
2012 is sure to be a year of unpredictability, churning emotions and unbridled creative forces. If you are a Dragon (see dates below), this is a maximum power year for you, especially 1952 Water Dragons !
Dragon people are often admired, but not easily understood. They are called ‘eccentric’, because they insist on being entirely self-created and self-defined, but also because of the way they see/sense things – in essence. They can have strong, sometimes domineering personalities, but are very sensitive and loving underneath and are not out to harm anyone. (It would be beneath a celestial being to do so).
Dragons often make great artists, due to the enormously vivid vision they have. But the list of Dragons who have achieved super-stardom seems to be predominated by men. This may be because the Dragon is a yang creature (in ancient times, it was considered a fortunate sign for sons), so the male ego is more suited to it, but also perhaps society has traditionally been more enamored of eccentricity and individuality in men than women. Maybe the water element will favor female Dragons, water being yin.
Some wonderfully whacky Dragons:
Lewis Carroll (1832)
Sigmund Freud (1856)
Dr. Seuss (1904)
Salvador Dali (1904)
Joseph Campbell (1904)
Shirley Temple (1928)
Stanley Kubrick (1928)
Ennio Morricone (1928)
Jeanne Moreau (1928, New Year’s day)
Raquel Welch (1940)
Bruce Lee (1940)
Vitorio Storaro (1940)
John Lennon (1940)
Ringo Starr (1940)
Nancy Sinatra (1940)
Terry Gilliam (1940)
Frank Zappa (1940)
Roberto Benigni (1952)
Roseanne Barr (1952)
Isabella Rossellini (1952)
Paul Reubens aka ‘Pee Wee Herman’ (1952)
Juliette Binoche (1964)
Guillermo del Toro (1964)
Stephen Colbert (1964)
A person who has been hypnotised by a dragon should be made
to do a large number of complicated mathematical sums.
~ Dragonology
A Few Dragon Facts…
Dragon mythology appears in just about every culture. In Europe, the Dragon was a symbol of evil, an embodiment of the Devil, to be slain by righteous heroes like Perseus, St. George or St. Michael. These legends can all be traced back to the Babylonian creation epic, wherein the hero Marduk chops the primordial Goddess, Tiamat, in two, forming Heaven and Earth.
In 1498 Emperor Sigmundson of Hungary founded the ‘Order of the Dragon,’ a monarchical, chivalric order to fight the enemies of Christianity. Vlad the Impaler’s father was a member of this order, which made him a ‘son of a dragon/dracul,’ or ‘Dracula,’ and the inspiration for Bram Stocker’s famous vampyre.
No doubt but there is none other beeste comparable to the mightie dragon in awesome power and majestie, and few so worthie of the diligent studies of wise men.
~ Gildas Magus, Ars Draconis, 1465
In astrology, the ‘axis’ of one’s birth chart flows between two opposite points where the Moon crosses the path of the Sun’s course, called ‘Lunar Nodes’. This concept comes from Vedic astrology, although Western astrology has changed the meaning.
In simplest terms, the ‘South Node’ is called the Dragon’s Tail and in western astro, it represents past, accumulated experience, while the ‘North’ Node or Dragon’s Head represents new territory, evolution. Vedic does not see them as past and future, but rather, south node (Ketu) as feminine/receptive/spiritual and the north node (Rahu) as masculine/active/material. They must always be kept in balance or they can become malefic.
The Dragon’s head is said to be exalted in Gemini, the tail in Sagittarius.
Currently, the Lunar Nodes, which move backwards through the zodiac, are transiting Gemini and Sagittarius (tail is in Gemini and Head in Sagittarius, opposite to their exaltation).
The Milky Way is, of course, the original, celestial Dragon. Sagittarius and Gemini are the two areas where the Milky Way and the ecliptic cross – the beginning and end of the universe, as seen from Earth. The Ancient Chinese lived by the concept of ‘On Earth as it is in Heaven’ or ‘As above, so below,’ especially when it came to building structures. It’s now known that the Great Wall of China below was actually built as an earthly replication of the celestial Dragon, not for defensive purposes (though it may have served so later), but as a safe passage for travelers/traders.
The wall’s two ends are aligned with Sagittarius and Gemini.
England will be celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee this year, as well as hosting the Olympics and World Shakespeare Festival. St. George, the Dragon-slayer, is their patron saint. Curiously, ‘Dracula’ was published the last time England had a Diamond Jubilee, in 1897.
Just some celestial food for thought.
The Lunar year starts at different times each year. Here are the actual Dragon Year dates. (Sarah Palin and Michelle Obama, for example, though born in 1964, are Rabbits).
DRAGON YEARS:
02/19/1904 to 02/03/1905 (Wood), 02/03/1916 to 01/22/1917 (Fire), 01/23/1928 to 02/09/1929 (Earth), 02/08/1940 to 01/26/1941 (Metal), 01/27/1952 to 02/13/1953 (Water), 02/13/1964 to 02/01/1965 (Wood), 01/31/1976 to 02/17/1977 (Fire), 02/17/1988 to 02/05/1989 (Earth), 02/05/2000 to 01/23/2001 (Metal), 01/23/2012 to 02/09/2013 (Water), 02/10/24 to 01/28/25 (Wood).
Oh reason, reason, abstract phantom of the waking state, I had already expelled you from my dreams, now I have reached a point where those dreams are about to become fused with apparent realities: now there is only room here for myself. — Louis Aragon
Welcome to the Age of Aquarius…!
Congratulations ! Actually that may be premature, some say it doesn’t officially begin for another 300 years. But we are certainly in the dawning phase, at least. By being present here at this moment, we have elected to become…the first human beings?? Yes, we are the missing link, ‘the ones we’ve been waiting for.’ Are we honoured ? Will we be able to live up to the responsibility we undertook ? Or even remember undertaking it…did you drink from Mnemosyne or Lethe while you were out ?
“Where did we come from ? Who Are We ? Where are we going ?” — Paul Gauguin, D’ou venons nous (painting)
We don’t know where or when life began on this planet, but our earthly life cycles always seem to begin with an emergence from water, which is why water ritual plays an important role in so many world religions. Out of the sea and onto land, out of the womb and into the world, out of the sea of dreams and into consciousness… each birth renews the sense of infinite possibility.
In Chinese mythology, the carp (Pisces) must swim against the current (Aquarius) and try to leap over the waterfall to the Dragon’s Gate. If successful, it is transformed into a powerful dragon. 2012 is, of course, the Year of the Dragon.
The Pisces Age began roughly 2160 years ago. Under it’s influence organized religion spread like a tsunami (often just as destructively) within and beyond the so-called ‘civilized’ world. Like the magi who came bearing gifts for the new ‘king’, Buddha, Jesus and Muhammed came out of the east, bearing teachings for the infant us, but instead, cults formed around the teachers themselves and, well, you know the rest. The same old, tribal wars continued raging, but in the name of “God.”
Pisces Feet: soles of Jesus, Buddha and Muhammed
To understand myth and ritual, we must look first to the natural world, where our memories and stories began. The salt water that makes up 70% of our bodies, originated in the sea. Fire may reclaim the spirit, but the soul seeks refuge in and returns to the great pool of tears, presided over by the Moon, where age-old memories remain. And water’s memories go back further still, brought here by asteroids from who-knows-where. Nothing reminds us of how old, sacred and interconnected life is like water, wherein dreams and reality are one, shapes shift, appear, disappear, reflect, eat each other… but life doesn’t end, it just morphs into something else.
Virtually every great civilization arose near a sea or a river, where nutrients were deposited on the land as the water rose and fell and fish were plentiful. Hence, the majority of creation myths were based on floods, fish, whales, or sea monsters, all synonymous with the great Mother’s womb.
In ancient Babylon and Egypt, annual flooding of the rivers was predicted by royal priests, using mathematics and astrology, which must have seemed like magic to the uninitiated masses. So, the heavens were interconnected with the waters, as was science with religion and art. ‘Myth’ (our term for ancient religion) was a metaphor for natural occurrences and the priests were – and still are, to some extent – keepers of the stories, rituals and rites linking heaven and earth.
Fish Heads: Creator God Enki, Babylonian and Persian priestly classes
The image of the Sun sinking into and rising again from the water provided a natural metaphor for the concept of eternal life and was likely the visual inspiration for the ankh symbol (the word ‘ankh’ or ‘nkh’ itself being the active, magic component). The son/Sun fish is well-acquainted with the maternal mysteries and is therefor willing to sacrifice himself repeatedly. He will instruct the people in rituals by which to restore his life, and theirs. To the Celts, he was Tuan, to the Haida, Salmon Boy, to Christians, Jesus, but the myths are essentially the same.
Anubis prepares Osiris to be sent down the River
“The truth that I have brought forth is the Sun” — Isis
During Pisces’ reign, the fish cults of Mesopotamia/Babylon and Egypt were imported to Europe and the ‘Holy See’ of Rome, via conquests, migrations and later, the crusades. The desert – a vast, dried up sea, or ‘wasteland’ – was seen as a warning sign of what would happen in the west, if Goddess worship was also eradicated there. Thus, the peoples’ beloved Lady was not removed from the temples, but instead cleaned of her fish scent and made into the Virgin Mother or ‘Holy Spirit’ (Venus’ dove).
The Catholic practice of eating fish on Friday goes back to when Romans honoured the water-born, love Goddess Venus-Aphrodite on her day (Vendredi, or Freya’s Day) by eating fish, considered an aphrodisiac. It has simply been edited of any sexual content. Pisces was under Venus’ rulership in ancient times and is still considered the her sign of exaltation.
‘Bawdy Badge’ from the Crusades
As the Piscean age began showing signs of waning and Pluto entered Capricorn (early 2009), it seemed as if each day, another long-standing institution was having it’s dirty laundry exposed. Questioned about child abuse scandals, Pope Benedict explained that pedophilia was ‘normal’ in his day…hmm, must be all that fish eating. It is true that in ancient Rome, man/boy relationships were acceptable. Guess he’s pretty old.
Victimization, martyrdom and slavery are Pisces trends that must now be phased out – this includes slaving at anything all day just to pay the bank (if you love and chose your own work, that’s different). Then there’s slavery to one’s beliefs…are you tired of being hooked on the same, old, fish story ? Are you ready to inherit the secret of your own creation and make some new mythology ?
“For a moment my soul was elevated from its debasing and miserable fears to which these sights were the monuments and the remembrances. For an instant I dared to shake off my chains, and look around me with a free and lofty spirit; but the iron had eaten into my flesh, and I sank again, trembling and hopeless, into my miserable self.” — Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
God baits the Devil with Jesus (The Ransom Theory of salvation), Tigris Salmon (actually a carp).
Apparently, according to Maritime Law, people are legal merchandise, a commodity, i.e. slaves. Birth and death certificates are nothing but receipts. The recent Occupy movement is just a start; during Aquarius, the time will come to rip up this contract, nullify the imposed time grid, the fake money and (re)claim our inherent status as human beings. It won’t be a smooth transition.
In the coming millennia, wars may no longer be fought in the name of religion, but it’s unlikely that all wars will end (although… you never know). What will happen is that there will be more and more opportune moments for individuals to experience Uranian quantum leaps and begin thinking for themselves, but not before the entire fabric of collective reality is shredded. Polar opposite Leo will see to that. (Perhaps we’ll get some help, too, since extra-terrestrials and angels come under Aquarius’ rulership). Have you ever had a lucid moment in a dream, where you suddenly realized you could make a conscious choice to direct the outcome ? In a sacred manner, we are now beginning to wake within our collective dream.
Sistiutl articulated salmon transformation mask by BC artist, Wayne Alfred
The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in an egg, and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities. — James Allen
Meanwhile, natural disasters will continue to remind us of the fact that we were all created equal (Aquarius) and open our hearts to full capacity (Leo).
Since Uranus (rebellion, explosion, sudden events, social movements, uranium) moved into Aries (Mars, fire, youth, hero, warrior) in March 2011, we’ve seen it’s energies channeled as anarchy by many, but also constructively – and indeed bravely – by consciously awake individuals. Uranus, the Trickster and modern ruler of Aquarius, is equated with Prometheus, the sacrificial hero who stole Zeus’ fire and gave it to mankind. It’s exactly why governments are so afraid of the people right now. It seems like they are becoming more powerful, with all their policing and cracking down, but in fact, it is exactly the opposite. The people have been given the fire. Uranus into Aries, the individual, was the first marker of the transition.
Top row: Ace of Swords (victory of truth), Joan d’Arc’s coat of Arms. Bottom: Brigitte DePape, the page who roared in the House of Commons and Ta’Kaiya Blaney, ten year old environmental activist/singer, speaking out against the proposed BC oil pipeline.
The death of Fisher King, Steve Jobs was another sign of a torch being passed. A double Pisces, he changed the world forever, initiating us into the Aquarian age via the personal computer. Interestingly, on the day he died, Martin Scorsese’s documentary, ‘George Harrison – Living in a Material World’ made its TV/internet debut. George shared a birthday with Jobs and had also worked his magic under an Apple logo. There was also the 11-11-11 portal last November. Aquarius is the 11th house of the zodiac. We have made our first attempt to leap over the waterfall, again accompanied by firey Mars (as Scorpio this time), Venus’ lover. Note the triple number here. As the hypnotist said, “as I count to three you will begin to awaken from your trance.”
Pisces and Aquarius, though separate constellations, are not really separate entities. Actually the constellation of the Southern Fish (singular) makes up part of Aquarius (fixed star Fomalhaut is the fish’s mouth). If fishes represent copulation and the co-mingling of fluids – just like the male Tigris and female Euphrates of the Fertile Crescent – the ‘water-bearer’ is like the water breaking before birth. Aquarius, a fixed air sign, is mind-oriented and it’s polar opposite, Leo, rules the heart. If you’ve ever made love with another and felt complete cosmic, dissolving, timeless union, then you’ll understand how and why we have evolved to our present form – so that body, heart and consciousness can be unified in experience.
On another, related note, get ready for some (more) of the weirdest science yet. I am sure that by the time we get to Capricorn and Sagittarius ages, mergoats, centaurs and other fabulous beasts will be no longer be confined to ancient mythology.
Before and after? Octopus Shunga and Octomom
The Aquarius/Leo polarity, at it’s best, embodies this entity of divine unification, that extreme left-brainers seek in the form of ‘The God particle’. Love is the one, true religion – it’s eternal, and you don’t need to go to a church or be descended from a particular bloodline to practice it. The driving force behind our evolution in the Aquarian age will be the freedom to love – to love oneself without shame, another being without fear and the world without discrimination. This may sound overly idealistic, but I do feel that circumstances will continue to make it increasingly difficult for people to deny the truth – that we are already free. Low self-esteem is at the root of all our troubles.
To Mnemosyne (Memory), Fumigation from Frankincense. The consort I invoke of Zeus divine; source of the holy, sweetly speaking Mousai nine; free from the oblivion of the fallen mind, by whom the soul with intellect is joined. Reason’s increase and thought to thee belong, all-powerful, pleasant, vigilant, and strong. ‘ ‘Tis thine to waken from lethargic rest all thoughts deposited within the breast; and nought neglecting, vigorous to excite the mental eye from dark oblivion’s night. Come, blessed power, thy mystics’ memory wake to holy rites, and Lethe’s (Forgetfulness) fetters break.” — Orphic Hymn 77 to Mnemosyne (Greek hymns C3rd B.C. to 2nd A.D.)
Paul Gauguin, D’ou venons-nous
Remember:
– I am a natural Human Being
– Karma is the Law
– Love is my Religion
“I looked at your blog and some posts and comments you made in the past and was amazed that you answered my deepest Question. You posted the article “Roxanna’s AstroTarology: Fish Have Left the Building, Woman Bearing Jugs at the Gate” talking about the Pisces age and organized religion. It was a breakthrough for me. Thanks so much!” [comment saved from old blogspot]
Ah, Sex and War, Love and Death – the essential elements of any lasting narrative. In the western hemisphere, the sacred co-mingling of Mars, all sweaty from battle, and Venus, full of oysters, injects red life force into earthly vegetation each Spring (Aries and Taurus, but also planet Venus in Aries). In Autumn (Libra and Scorpio, but also planet Venus in Scorpio), they unite again in death, Venus committing sati on the bonfire and lonely Mars turning into a wolf that will eat the sick and weak who can’t survive the winter. Adieu, until next time around. The cycle begins, ends and begins again with this union of opposites. Or, as the tantric, Indian Goddess, Lalita puts it, “Like the Sun and Moon coming together in an eclipse, consciousness comes into being via orgasm.” (Funny how the first and last letters of that word spell OM).
Two versions of Indian Goddess Lalita, Babylonian ‘Queen of the Night’
Lalita means ‘she who plays.’ Her many incarnations include Lilith, Lilitu, Lili, Layla, Lola, Lulu, Lolita, etc, all having nocturnal, sexual or demonic connotations. As Hebrew Lilith, she is Adam’s first wife, the serpent in the Tree of Life who teaches him (or Eve, depending which version) “carnal” self-knowledge, i.e. the mysteries of sex, life and death. She is not made from his rib, either, but from earthly muck. When God expels her for her independent spirit (refusing to lie beneath her husband in missionary position), she flies away to where the wild things are, and, finding it preferable to subservience, becomes the prototype for sexual demoness, vamp and devil-humping witch, eating babies and seducing holy men in their sleep. Independent yes, but also deranged. Her name means ‘screech owl’ or ‘ghost.’
The cycle of existence is hard-wired by desire, Scorpio’s raison d’etre. During the Sun’s passage through Scorpio/the 8th house (sex, death, regeneration, energy, healing, shared resources, financial obligations and the occult), from Oct. 23 – Nov. 22, we honour the Sacred Dead and all taboos associated with them. During the few days of Samhain, All Soul’s Eve, Hallowe’en and Dia de Los Muertos, the veil between worlds is as thin as a spider’s web, allowing spirits to attend graveyard picnics and inhabit jack-o-lanterns. On Armistice/Remembrance Day, Nov. 11, we pause to honour those who, in the spirit of Mars (traditional ruler of Scorpio), sacrificed their lives in battle. This year, it will fall on 11-11-11, a date many are getting excited or apprehensive about, considering the power of master numbers 11 and 33.
The word ‘taboo’ originally meant sacred, and indeed, sacred things were kept under veils (where we get the word secret). It later came to mean something forbidden by society. Incest, cannibalism, bestiality and patricide are examples of common taboos. Then there are cultural variants, like the untouchability of the bereaved or of menstruating women, both considered ‘unclean.’ Even today, a woman may refer to her period as ‘the curse’ and drugs are routinely prescribed for blocking messy menstruation altogether. The very essence of sex and death, menstrual blood is even more powerful than blood spilled in battle, therefor extremely taboo.
Teenage menstruation fears gone haywire in Carrie, Bleeding Goddess at Kamakhya Temple, Assam
While the mysteries of womb and grave may be a secret, they are not the property of anyone. They are universally inherent in our DNA and as individually expressed as the infinite forms of nature. Yet, those who govern societies do not want people to be in charge of their own sex, death and regeneration. Whoever owns the rights/rites to these forces has all the power. Therefor, strict rules and guidelines for birth, sexual practices, soul redemption and corpse management are imposed on the populace (while those at the top often practice the complete opposite). Some of these are necessary for health reasons, or simply to protect people – it’s probably not a great idea to eat the deceased, for example, and forced sex with anyone is a violation of natural law – but mostly it’s an 8th house issue of controlling other peoples’ resources. It’s all energy, just like money or food.
Plutonians harnessing Venusian power in Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut
Another attribute of Scorpio is that of the collective nemesis or shadow. Since Scorpio is a feminine sign, this usually means feminine shadow – the harlot, devouring mother or hag – witches who channel the untamed forces of nature. And so we are divided, according to what’s deemed permissible. It is not just women who are affected by the censorship of essential parts of our being, either, since we are all composed of both masculine and feminine, feminine being the soul. Dreams, theatre and film portray our disconnected parts as characters in conflict and resolution. Ancient Greek drama was, essentially, group therapy. In the theatrical tradition of Hallowe’en, it’s socially acceptable (and fun) to dress up as our shadows or alter-egos and parade them proudly, witches being by far the most common. In recent years, Zombie Walks have become hugely popular, with thousands of participants of all ages. (I guess eating braaaaiiins must be therapeutic for a populace so dependent on artificial intelligence).
Beauty’s compassion breaks the Beast’s spell of duality, and Scorpio Winona feels Dracula’s pathos.
In Tarot, the Devil is shadow or dark twin to our solar self, banished to the underworld of our unconscious. Our repressed impulses live there, like creatures of the night, creating disquieting thoughts, illusions and dreams. Traditionally the shadowy, lunar feminine presides over these, but with Pluto and Neptune now on the scene, we can’t be blaming the Moon for everything. (Plus we’ve now an astrological, Dark Moon Lilith).
The chained doppelgangers in card 15 represent our dual nature, which must ultimately be reconciled. This is really the theme of Tarot’s visual narrative, with the climax – a complete breakdown of the ego, followed by a period of grace, darkness and rebirth or ‘dark night of the soul’ – occurring between these two cards, mirroring conception. In ancient astrology, the sign of Gemini was ruled by the Sun.
In extreme cases, the doppelganger can take on a life of its own and prey on the energies of its other. Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, which came to Robert Lewis Stevenson in a dream, is one such cautionary tale. Another is, of course, Dracula, the promiscuous, cannibalistic, murdering necrophile and most beloved Hallowe’en persona. Babylonian lilitu and medieval succubi were early inspiration for vampire lore, but it was Phillip Burne-Jones’ painting of a female vampire, inspired by Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, that started the whole ‘vamp’ thing in popular culture. After viewing the painting, Burne-Jones’ cousin, Rudyard Kipling wrote his poem, The Vampire, which later became the script for A Fool There Was, the silent film that gave Hollywood’s myth-making industry it’s own Lilith, Theda Bara. Even her name – an anagram for Arab Death – relates back to the Babylonian demoness. (Venus in Scorpio until November 1 is the Vamp).
Man-made vamps: Burne-Jones’ gothic and Fox’s lady, Theda Bara
Some Scorpios have been accused of vampirish tendencies, thriving on the life energy of others. Though Scorpio expresses the urge to dominate/have power over life, it’s higher resonance is redemption through love, so it has multiple symbols: Scorpion – basic instincts are fear and desire. It amasses power for it’s own gain and stings itself when cornered. Eagle – sees from the heavens, rather than the ground and amasses power in order to redistribute to the whole. Phoenix – rises from it’s own ashes, symbol of self-regeneration par excellence. Dove – redeemer or Christ figure of eternal, pure love/light.
Most Scorpios are a mix of scorpion and eagle, some are phoenixes, few are doves – but all are redeemers in one way or another, for better or worse.
Thoth Tarot Death card, devouring Mother Kali
Indian Vedic astrology has not rushed to adopt Uranus, Neptune and Pluto as the new rulers of Aquarius, Pisces and Scorpio. It also still uses the sidereal system (tropical is commonly used in the west, relying on seasonal equinoxes rather than constellations) and the traditional calendar combines both solar and lunar cycles. Between mid-October and mid-November, it’s Libra season there and Hindus world-wide celebrate Diwali, a five day ‘festival of lights’ celebrating the triumph of good over evil, during which moral order or karma is restored. There are more variations than I’m qualified to write about, but the worship of Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth, wisdom and happiness is the main event. Lakshmi’s four arms represent the four principals of Hinduism – Dharma (duties/philosophy), Samsara (cycle of rebirth), Karma (right action/cause and effect) and Moksha (liberation from Samsara). She also wears red and sometimes rides an owl.
Today, Americans are marking the 10th anniversary of September 11. Nobody will ever be able to forget where they were that morning, nor the striking footage – somehow shot so clearly from every angle possible – of the world’s tallest skyscraper disintegrating into smoke before our very eyes.
At this time every year, I am compelled to zoom out and view the extensive symbolism surrounding the the Twin Towers, which stood for three decades as the financial matrix of the world. Two images stand out and contrast in my mind; one of Philippe Petit playfully defying death, atop a tightrope, (the beginning), and one of people falling to theirs from the burning buildings (the end). Both are of mythic proportion, completely surreal and defy explanation within the scope of our ordinary reality.
Power and the Tower
In a previous post I mentioned how Tarot expresses ‘universal laws.’ It’s as if all the scripts were written (by us) long ago and we just keep re-enacting and revising them…and that is really what myths are – a record of dream-time stories from the collective unconscious, unlike history, which is a record of stories as events, as they occur in the outer world.
Sometimes the fabric between the two realms is lifted or torn and the effect is momentous, impossible to explain. It usually happens when the rational mind (masculine) has become too dominant, threatening the balance of life by depleting us of mystery, magic and awe (feminine). A grand act of surrealism, for better or worse, throws our rational minds into chaos, challenging our set notion of which realm, exactly, we are in. It’s a form of death, when everything familiar suddenly isn’t. And at this opening between the veils (in Greek, the word apocalypse means ‘lifting of the veil’), there is a moment of truth or grace, when time just stops and feels infinite at once. This is the expression of the ‘mute’ number, 11. In Marseille Tarot arcanum 11, La Force, the Goddess’ hat is shaped like a lemniscate or number 8, signifying her infinite dominion over balance, truth, paradox, law and order in the natural world.
Grimaud TdM
11 is the master number of illumination and inspiration. If it shows up, that’s usually a sign. World players know of the number’s power and have tried to invoke it – Armistice was signed on 11/11 at the 11th hour and Prince William and Kate Middleton were married on the 29th (reduces to 11) day of the month at the 11th hour in 2011. The towers themselves formed a colossal 11, as if standing in constant invocation to the heavens. And they were twins. In both alchemy and cross-cultural myth, twins embody the duality (and paradox) that each of us must work with, overcome and unify, a theme that reappears over and over in Tarot. Another duality we create and reckon with is between ourselves and what we imagine as God. Any act of balance or karma takes the form of Judgement in our minds, as if we are being rewarded or punished by events we have no control over.
A tower is, of course, an overtly masculine symbol. It’s La Maison Dieu, ‘God’s House.’ Putting aside Babel for a moment, in Tarot duality terms, that means the opposing and uniting force that knocks down the ego, blows it’s mind or brings it to climax is feminine – ‘La Force’ of arcanum 11.
The Supreme Mother Goddess, Durga, whose name means ‘Fortress’, rides a lion or tiger. (Bengal, late 19th/early 20th c)
Enter the Solar Hero
Not surprisingly, the young man who heard the Towers calling him to give them life is a double fire sign, Leo (the Lion) with Aries Moon. He is an agile performer, the fearless star of his own show – an artist who creates from the heart and performs dramatically daring feats. Aries is also the Fool, the ‘wise child’ and the hero who lives for the next mission. Sun conjunct Pluto indicates a person who was born with a very strong feeling of destiny, of having something to show to the world that will transform consciousness. His Jupiter, Lord of the Sky is in Capricorn (mastery, the corporate world). Not everyone with this combination would use their faith and skill to literally ascend to the summit of the world’s tallest banking institution, yet, for him, it was the only way. Fire is known for it’s ego size and you’d have to have one as tall as the Towers themselves to want to perform a feat like this, or indeed to have built such monoliths in the first place. The difference is that Philippe, wise Fool, always maintained his connection with the universe and was keenly aware of his place in it:
Grimaud TdM
“At some point in one of the crossings, I lay down on the wire and looked at the sky, and I saw a bird above me. And again, because… my senses were [decoupled]. I could see that bird pretty high up, and I saw the eyes were red. And I thought of the myth of Prometheus there. But the bird was circling and looking at me as if I was invading his territory, as if I was trespassing, which I was. So at some point I thought the gods – the god of the wind, the gods of the towers, the god of the wire – all those invisible forces that we persist in thinking don’t exist, but actually rule our lives – might become impatient, might become annoyed at my persistent vagabondage there. So my intuition told me it was time for me to close the curtain on this very intimate performance…”
Zero Ground
The archetype of the Fool in Tarot is one who has left the realm of perceived reality, of wealth, possessions, pain and attachments. It sounds a bit like dying, but it’s actually freedom from death. Transcendent, he wafts between forms like a breeze and has no fear of reaching the end. He knows there isn’t one, so is free to live life “1000%.” Most of us find it hard to get past the more finite idea of death. It’s terrifying, like the Grim Reaper in arcanum 13 and to be avoided at all costs. The two figures strike a very similar pose (this feature is unique to Tarot Marseille), plus, one is unnumbered, while the other is unnamed – it would seem they illustrate the dual experiences of facing imminent death, as depicted in the two photographs at the opening of the post.
Pluto (aka ‘Total Recall’) moved into Capricorn in early 2009. Since then, we have seen the collapse of the banking system and economic structure, extreme purse tightening, lessons on survival by bark-eating and the beginning of the end for long-standing, dictatorial regimes – all Capricorn’s jurisdiction. Petroleum, too, is associated with Capricorn/Pluto, in that it comes from old bones/fossils buried deep in the Earth…makes me wonder whether long-hidden relics or riches will be uncovered while the underworld God sits on the mountaintop.
Pluto will don the goatskin until 2023. The ruling class, feeling insecure, will likely become ever more secretive, hiding their money under the mattress and stocking up on that which will retain value (ho ho). You and I will just have to get used to living like our great-grandparents and the majority of the world’s population, with gratitude for what we have and knowledge of what’s truly valuable.
When Pluto was ‘demoted’ to Dwarf Planet (by just a handful of astronomers) back in 2006, I thought this was actually quite fitting, considering what dwarves represent as mythic archetypes. In fairy tales, they are often the chthonic guardians of riches beneath the Earth. (In Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, they are miners). Sometimes they will live under bridges – thresholds of transformation – demanding near-impossible tasks or tests of any would-be hero who seeks passage. They have the magical power to bestow blessings on the worthy or curses on those who don’t take them seriously.
Pluto is the underworld God of Wealth and chthonic riches, who demands near-impossible tests for our transformation. He has been called the ‘dweller on the threshold’. So the term ‘dwarf planet’ actually expresses Pluto’s concentrated mojo quite well, thank you. And not seeing the planet on astronomical charts anymore just makes it more hidden and mysterious. Astrologers will not be DISsing (pardon pun) Pluto anytime soon.
Since Moon governs the tides of the ocean and body fluids, it is associated with the soul, which is watery (Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces form the water triad). In Tarot, cups are the soul element. Soul is the source of emotional memory and feelings and, being the source, is essentially no different than the ocean.
