Roxannamundi – A Luminous Constellation of Art, Tarot and Astrology
Vintage Krampus postcards for the devil in every sign!
Saint Nicholas and Krampus…kind of has a Jupiter Saturn conjunction feel, doesn’t it? Chain-wielding, pagan devil Krampus, punishing the naughty, while ‘Santa’ dishes out rewards for faith and good karma.
Happy Grand Conjunction Solstice, Merry Christmas to all !!
Descartes denied that animals had reason or intelligence. He argued that animals did not lack sensations or perceptions, but these could be explained mechanistically. Whereas humans had a soul, or mind, and were able to feel pain and anxiety, animals by virtue of not having a soul could not feel pain or anxiety. If animals showed signs of distress then this was to protect the body from damage, but the innate state needed for them to suffer was absent. Although Descartes’ views were not universally accepted they became prominent in Europe and North America, allowing humans to treat animals with impunity. The view that animals were quite separate from humanity and merely machines allowed for the maltreatment of animals, and was sanctioned in law and societal norms. [Wikipedia]
Such cold, clinical mindset (which ignores the fact that we are animals and we feel) still pervades today, because progress depends on it, not because there is any truth to it.
Uranus was discovered in the 18th c, and along with the many scientific breakthroughs and discoveries, the shadow side was this overly-clinical, detached way of relating to other living ‘things’. Nature was no longer sacred, only the human soul was. Everything else was formula, which could be measured, dissected, categorized. Astrology was kicked of of astronomy, alchemy out of chemistry, and myth would become synonymous with ‘lie’. Doctors took over from midwives, magic became a sideshow act, as did people with physical deformities.
It’s no wonder there was a huge, spiritualist movement at the end of the 19th century. Perhaps this was indicative of another side of Uranus coming into play – the free thinker, telepath, prophet or astrologer who seeks to unify everything and who can ‘see the world in a grain of sand.’ The fin-de-ciecle of the 19th c also gave us Frankenstein and Dracula, metaphors for mad science/creation envy and inherent, human cannibalism (according to Guillermo del Toro).
Watch this excellent lecture series from UCLA on Science, Magic and Religion
The overwhelmingly positive response to the Queen’s simple and predictable address today, as Black Moon Lilith conjuncts the Sun, shows that many people are starved for the slightest bit of the sacred in their lives. Popular religion is often too abstracted, no longer bearing any resemblance to the natural cycles and phenomena it was originally inspired by.
I’m reminded of when Diana died in a car crash. People were weeping in part for the princess, but more deeply, I think, for the Goddess. Lilith’s destructiveness stems from the lunar Goddess’ rejection and the stripping of her ‘corona’ – the severing of her head/mental power source. This is more obvious in the myth of Medusa, whose head writhes with primordial serpent wisdom.
Looking at this corona virus (even the name) as a symbolic phenomenon, it is a symptom of our dislocation from the sacred, within and without. The lungs are where grief manifests, around the heart (Aquarius/Leo). Viruses are now thought to play role in our evolution, in changing our DNA. So this is also part of our birthing process.
Restoration of the sacred is something we can all take part in. We simply need to listen, become humble in the presence of nature, life, death and learn to live with reverence again – easy! – we are all indigenous to planet earth and this infinite universe.
The number 20 illustrates an ear and open orifice. Yes it is the Judgement calling card, but it is also through the ear (sound, vibration, frequency) that the holy spirit – the shape-making essence – is conceived.
Medical Definition of conception 1a : the process of becoming pregnant involving fertilization or implantation or both. b : embryo, fetus. 2a : the capacity, function, or process of forming or understanding ideas or abstractions or their symbols. b : a general idea. [Merriam Webster]
Except quotations, all written material and all photos and artwork herein are COPYRIGHT ©Roxanna Bikadoroff and may not be reproduced without permission.
The Titan Goddess Mnemosyne (‘of Memory’) ~ Mother of the Nine Muses
“After the Olympians defeated their Titan rivals, who were known as superb creative deities, the gods asked Zeus to create divinities who were exceptionally innovative and capable of infusing mortals and immortals with abundant gifts and talents.” So he sought out the most gifted one, and charmed her into letting him spend nine nights in her boudoir, resulting in the birth of nine daughters of divine creation.
Mnemosyne made sure her daughters’ gifts were well honed, knowing they would ignite the forces of creativity wherever they went, and taught them that to memorize with meaning was to ‘know it by heart’, not just by brain.
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Clio ~ Muse of History and Writing
“The Muse Clio discovered history and guitar. History was named Clio in the ancient years, because it refers to ‘kleos’ the Greek word for the heroic acts.”
Historians and biographers are inspired by Clio to weave stories out of our collective past, but so are each of us when we put our own life memories down in words, be it in a journal or a song.
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Euterpe ~ Muse of Music
“Euterpe discovered several musical instruments, courses and dialectic.”
Euterpe inspires not only the musician, singer or composer, but also anyone who wishes to develop or already has developed an ‘ear’ for music. Beethoven was so well-loved by Euterpe, even going deaf didn’t stop him.
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Thalia ~ Muse of Comedy and Idyllic Poetry
“Thalia was the protector of comedy.”
Hers is the face of Comedy in the theater masks, Comedy and Tragedy.
‘From joy springs all creation
By joy it is sustained
Toward joy it proceeds
And to joy it returns.’
might as well be Thalia’s slogan.
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Melpomene ~ Muse of Tragedy and Sorrowful Song
Melpomene’s theatre mask is that of Tragedy, Comedy’s polarity.
Tragedy comes from the Greek ‘tragoidia’, meaning ‘goat-song.’
Those who sing the blues are inspired by this muse to elevate their soul, and thereby others, in times of suffering, through music.
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Terpsichore ~ Muse of Dance
“She was called Terpsichore because she was enjoying and having fun
with dancing.”
Terpsichore inspires one’s entire body to become an instrument of rhythm and musical self-expression.
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Erato ~ Muse of Love and Love Poetry
“Her name comes from the Greek word ‘Eros’ that refers to the feeling of falling in love.”
Erato’s inspiration is present in our lives when we are moved by any form of love, be it erotic, parental, universal, but particularly when we love what we do, thereby putting Eros into our creations.
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Polyhymnia (Polymnia) ~ Muse of Oratory, Sacred Hymns and Poetry
When we recognize and are moved by the sacred or mystical in anything enough to want to express it, this is through Polyhymnia’s inspiration. Everything from Haiku to Handel.
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Urania ~ Muse of Astronomy (Astrology) and Science
“Ourania was the protector of the celestial objects and stars;
she invented astronomy.”
Urania’s name is of course the feminine of Uranus (Ouranos) the Sky God. Thus, she opens our minds and imagination to the beyond, awakens our curiosity and exploratory urges, ‘to boldly go where no one has gone before’ and to ponder the mystery of our own existence.
In ancient times, there was no distinction between astronomy and astrology, so Urania was also associated with prophecy.
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Calliope ~ Muse of Eloquence and Epic Poetry
“Calliope was the superior Muse. She accompanied kings and princes in order to impose justice and serenity. She was the protector of heroic poems and rhetoric art.”
The oldest and most accomplished of the muses, Calliope was also the mother of Orpheus. In ancient Greece, epic poetry was considered the most esteemed form. Calliope’s inspiration turns poetry into story-telling and performance, where it becomes part of the collective consciousness. I think we can agree Calliope was Shakespeare’s muse.
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CREDITS:
Mnemosyne excerpt from Angeles Arrien, The Nine Muses/
painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1881
Clio painting by Charles Meynier, 1800
Euterpe painting by Egide Godfried Guffens 1892
Thalia poem from Mundaka Upanishad/painting by Jean-Marc Nattier, 1739
Melpomene painting by Edward Simmons, Library of Congress, 1901
Terpsichore engraving by Pierre Blanchard, 1900
Erato painting by Angelica Kauffmann, 18th c
Polyhymnia plate 13 from Parnassus Biceps, 1601
Urania painting by Francesco Cozza, ca 1670
Calliope engraving by Goltzius, 1592
All text except quotations ©Roxanna Bikadoroff
Jupiter and Saturn – are they two sides of the same coin ?
Here’s a very simplified, astrological comparison, without going too deeply into the mythology…
Jupiter (Zeus) was ‘King of the Gods’. He resides in the clouds and never was big on limitations – his own, that is. Though he does think it important that we humans should have spiritual laws, moral codes of ethics, philosophies and things like that, but also faith. The big 3 religions that can’t stop being morally superior to each other, all have an incarnation of Jupiter at the helm and are based on the belief that spirit exceeds all physical limitations. His glyph is a half circle rising over a cross, ‘spirit over matter’. The planet Jupiter, 5th from the Sun, is the biggest in the solar system and mostly gas. A ‘jovial’ windbag. His metal is tin – which may not seem befitting for the heavenly father, but it is the lightest and can be mixed with any metal.
Saturn (Kronos) , in ancient times, was the last planet visible to the naked eye, so his sphere was, literally, the limit, and thus he represents accepting/learning to work within our own limitations and the laws of nature – the biggest one being that we inhabit a material body. No escaping that, until death. Also he has rings ‘binding’ him. At Saturnalia, these, in the form of chains, come off his statue (Lord of Misrule) and everyone parties. His glyph or sigil is a cross, above a half circle (which sometimes looks more like a tail/snake), meaning ‘matter over spirit’. Thus Saturn is earthy, his metal is lead, he is gravity in all forms. The 6th planet from the Sun.
Wherever Saturn is situated in your natal chart represents where you feel limited or where your most important life lessons are (the ones you committed to), what karma you are working through during this lifetime. It can feel ‘grave’ or serious, at least at first, until you have learned and matured according to Saturn’s rules. There is comedy in tragedy and vice versa, that’s life. Tragedy means ‘goat song’.
Wherever Jupiter is, on the other hand, is a place you feel fortunate, rewarded, free. The gifts he brings may feel like lottery winnings, but they are actually rewards for good deeds and hard work in past lifetimes. Jupiter especially enjoys buffoonery and of course, gambling. He is also Santa Claus.
So as you can see, they work together. Body and spirit are interwoven during this lifetime and we can’t progress in one without the other, or we might experience their shadows. For example, some people who are all spiritual or preachy with Jupiterian morals start to express the grave or humorless characteristics of Saturn or neglect their bodies. Those who are focused only on the material , worldly concerns of Saturn can start to embody the ruthless, megalomaniacal side of Jupiter, in their sense of entitlement.
Thus, it is very important to keep these two archetypes in balance.
All text (except quotation and cartoons) is copyright ©Roxanna Bikadoroff
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