nature Archives - ROXANNA BIKADOROFF

May 19, 2021January 8, 2023

Jupiter in Pisces pt 2 – Trust in Mystery

Another important theme of Jupiter in Pisces is keeping faith as we navigate waters that are not always perfectly clear. Jupiter has everything to do with faith, but we should also remember that he is the greater prophet as well as a triad (with his other expressions being ‘brothers,’ Neptune and Pluto). Zeus-Jupiter’s psychopomp/messenger son Hermes-Mercury is really just a chip off the old block. Indeed, Jupiter is often overlooked as having anything to do with death in a chart, but will often indicate whether a person had a ‘good’ death, in the spiritual sense.

Again, this quote:

For the supreme maker first creates things, then seizes upon them and thirdly perfects them…
…Thus they first flow from that perennial fountain as they are born, then they flow back to it as they seek to revert to their origin, and finally they are perfected after they have returned to their beginning. This was divined by Orpheus when he called Jupiter the beginning, the middle and the end of the universe…

~ from Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance, by Edgar Wind

As if to reiterate, the Cerberus, who guards the gates of Hades, has three dog heads, said to represent past, present and future (from an excellent blog, linked below):

One head of the dog represents the past, one the present, and the third is the future. Cerberus characterizes all of the negative aspects of each of these time frames. He aims to freeze forward movement and lock us into negative, repetitive patterns. Obsessing about the past, overwhelm in the present, and fear of the future are his methods.

We all have a three-headed dog in the dark regions of our psyche. If we are to live the life we envision, and not the one we fear, we must overcome Cerberus. The past, present and future can be sources of comfort, inspiration and encouragement. Or, they can be a nightmare. The choice is ours to make.

~ Patrick O’Neill, Extraordinary Conversations

It’s worth mentioning that Scylla, the legendary sea-monster of Greek mythology (ie, yet another demonized Goddess) that haunted the rocks of a narrow straight, opposite the whirlpool Charybdis, also had dog extensions growing from her flanks. This is likely the origin of the expression, ‘caught between a rock and a hard place.’ When we can see no way through a situation and must ultimately turn to faith, have patience and wait for an answer to our request from the universe for help or guidance.

Sunk waist-deep in the cave’s recesses, she still darts out her head from that frightening hollow, and there, groping greedily round the rock, she fishes for dolphins (delphines) and for sharks (kynes) and whatever beast (ketos) more huge than these she can seize upon from all the thousands that have their pasture from loud-moaning Amphitrite. No seaman ever, in any vessel, has boasted of sailing that way unharmed, for with every single head of hers she snatches and carries off a man from the dark-prowed ship. You will see that the other cliff lies lower, no more than an arrow’s flight away. On this there grows a great leafy fig-tree; under it, awesome Kharybdis (Charybdis) sucks the dark water down . . . No, keep closer to Skylla’s cliff, and row past that as quickly as may be; far better to lose six men and keep your ship than to lose your men one and all.’
So she spoke, and I answered her: ‘Yes, goddess, but tell me truly–could I somehow escape this dire Kharybdis and yet make a stand against the other when she sought to make my men her prey?’
So I spoke, and at once the queenly goddess answered : ‘Self-willed man , is your mind then set on further perils, fresh feats of war? Will you not bow to the deathless gods themselves?

~ Scylla and the Voyage of Odysseus, Theoi.com

People often come for readings because of fear and want to believe they have some control over the future by finding out what it might be. This is not really possible – at least not without a grasp on the past and more importantly, the present. For like Jupiter and his brothers, or the heads of Cerberus, the three are all one being. And would it actually even help to see into the future? This is also why Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius, is the god of speculation and gambling.

Yesterday, on my low tide beach walk, I came upon a small, dead fish. I noticed the water was very murky. Perhaps it had lost it’s way or its gills became clogged. More likely it was a bait fish that didn’t get eaten. Each day, the tides bring in something different; reams of ivy cuttings, a dead sea lion, limes, agates, plant bulbs, bits of china and glass, fossil wood, a yacht, rose petals, star fish, bones…manifestations of the cluttered 12th house. From whence did these things come? How did they end up here? And where do they go when they disappear again? Life on earth came from this body of salt water and it’s all still a great mystery to us. This is why Jupiter, traditional ruler of Pisces is the god of religion and spiritual matters.

At this moment, the Moon is at 0 Virgo, directly opposite Jupiter. Virgo is one of Mercury’s houses, and has a tendency toward sorting practical details and analyzing. Mercury is in Gemini, his other house, and is ‘slowing down’ in preparation for retrograde, beginning on the 29th. Though we will try, we will be unable to see what’s ahead during this time and must now let Jupiter faith and trust in the greater mystery to guide us. Pay attention to dreams, serendipity and omens (such as finding a dead fish).

Remember that symbolic phenomena doesn’t necessary ‘mean’ anything other than what it IS in its mysterious power. Our Virgo/Mercurial analyzer wants to know what it literally means, so we heed the warnings of priests, superstitions and dream analysis books, not to mention astrologers, rather than just trusting what we felt and that we can’t ultimately know the reason.
(However, an astrologer, like the meteorologist, can tell you what conditions will be like, so that you can better prepare).

As an example, once, when I was not well and had very little ‘qi’, a friend was driving me to a doctor’s appointment, when a crow, scuffling with another crow, hit the window on my side, like a bolt. It gave me a great shock, as you can imagine. The next day, another bird hit my studio window, which rarely happens, especially not right after another such incident! I could have groped in the dark for meaning and seen this as a ‘bad omen’ (certainly not good for the birds), but instead took it for what it was…life energy literally being hurled at me in physical form. I thanked the bird messengers for their vehicular sacrifice.
Similarly, when things happen or don’t happen due to timing, which is so often the case during Mercury Rx, we get upset and ‘blame the messenger’, when maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

Perhaps you’ve heard this fable?

There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.
“Maybe,” the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.
“Maybe,” replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. “Maybe,” answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. “Maybe,” said the farmer.

All written content except where quoted in bold is copyright ©Roxanna Bikadoroff and may not be reproduced without my permission, plus credit and link to the site. You may share the article via link.
All photographs copyright ©Roxanna Bikadoroff and must include credit and link to the site, if shared. Thanks!
(I don’t like having to repeat this every time, but unfortunately it’s necessary).

May 12, 2021January 8, 2023

Moby Dick – Jupiter in Pisces

“Herman Melville depicted the great whale Moby Dick as a powerful force of nature, impossible to comprehend fully. He attributes to the whale not only great antiquity, but also divinity. One of the most striking and effective ways in which he does so is by describing the whale as a manifestation (avatar) of the Hindu deity Vishnu, whose mythology he recounts, the Matsya Avatāra. These passages are analysed in the context of the novel’s other references to India and Hindu religious thought. In an effort to interpret the significance of India and Hinduism in the novel, aspects of Melville’s life and thought are also analysed. We conclude that the structure of the myth of the fish avatar is reflected in the novel’s structure, arid that the novel presents a concept of the divine at variance with Christian theological orthodoxy. But in the great Sperm Whale, this high and mighty god-like dignity inherent in the brow is so immensely amplified, that gazing on it, in that full front view, you feel the Deity and the dread powers more forcibly than in beholding any other object in living nature.”

– Bruce M. Sullivan, Patricia Wong Hall, The Whale Avatar of the Hindoos in Melville’s Moby Dick

Award winning Whale Eye photo by Sue Flood

Jupiter comes back to his water domicile of Pisces tomorrow (Thurs May 13) at 6:36 EDT/3:36 PDT. This means both Pisces ‘rulers’ are there, Neptune being the other. This hasn’t happened since the mid 1800s. (Am not really comfortable assigning rulerships to the 3 outer alchemists – Uranus, Neptune and Pluto – but that’s the consensus).

According to my astro day planner, this week sees Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn (Aquarius), Mercury (Gemini) and the Moon (Sun night to Wed morn in Cancer) all in their home signs – i.e., the unadulterated, pure stuff, so if any of you make tinctures or other creations that are under the influence of these planets, a good time to utilize this. Spiritual energy and compassion is available in abundance now if we should chose to tap into it, or if we have been trying to no avail, this will now help.

Jupiter is called the ‘greater benefactor’, but in truth, often he just blows things out of proportion. The god-like Moby Dick can also be viewed as the outward obsession of man, who has become spiritually impotent in his desire to conquer nature (ie, the feminine). It echoes the ancient Mesopotamian hero-creation myth, wherein the Goddess Tiamat, ‘shining personification of the sea’, is cut in two by Marduk, dragon-slaying early ancestor of Perseus and St. George. Tiamat’s severed body becomes the earth and the heavens. Then there is also the Inuit myth of Sedna, who was ‘impetuous’ in her refusal to marry the guy her father chose for her, so he takes her out and tosses her into the sea, then chops off her fingers as she clings to the boat begging for mercy. Her severed fingers become plentiful sea creatures and Sedna, the great Sea Mother Goddess. Hurray for dismemberment and rebirth!

Could it be, as the human sacrifice-happy Aztecs believed, that when we enter the womb, we are actually being entombed in a body, and it’s when we die that we are actually being born? (You’re welcome, human sacrifices). Is that what our collective death-wish is all about? Is that why Captain Ahab can’t stop following his Behemoth around?

Sedna is currently in the late degrees of tropical Taurus, conjunct Black Moon Lilith in the sign of fixed Earth and nature itself, but will be in the actual constellation for a while, yet. She’s also trine Pluto in Capricorn at the moment. (Venus and the Moon are also within the Taurus constellation, but are in tropical Gemini).

The ancient bull knows all about being sacrificed to the Gods and becoming one in the process, which is why Zeus-Jupiter was called ‘bull powerful’. Its myth and symbolism is too extensive to go into here, but suffice it to say the bull was the first zodiacal constellation (other early constellations, such as Orion and Ursa Major are not part of the zodiac). So any God who’s anyone has to wear horns, provide food and fodder or at least have a thunderous bellow and a fecund nature.

Planets in Pisces are in sextile (good, working aspect) to those in Taurus, so there will be compatibility between planets in both signs, starting with Jupiter and Uranus, and Jupiter will be getting a good dose of bull-power. We must seize the day, however, because Jupiter will be in Pisces for less than a year, shorter than his usual stay in a sign, due to retrograde (starting June 20) and return to Aquarius (Jul 28 – Dec 29). So we get a month this year and just 5 months next year of this prime Jupiter time. But he does come back to Pisces during retrograde again, from Oct 28 to Dec 19, 2022.

For the supreme maker first creates things, then seizes upon them and thirdly perfects them…
…Thus they first flow from that perennial fountain as they are born, then they flow back to it as they seek to revert to their origin, and finally they are perfected after they have returned to their beginning. This was divined by Orpheus when he called Jupiter the beginning, the middle and the end of the universe…

~ from Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance, by Edgar Wind

This is the time to:
– dive deep into spiritual concerns, pray, meditate, be magnanimous
– put spiritual teachings to actual practice
– turn attention to the plight of marine mammals in captivity and in the Arctic
– find teachings in nature, especially the ocean
– make dreams actually happen; that novel, that new location, that garden…
– sustain soul healing, continuing what the Scorpio full Moon and recent, Taurus new moon have set in motion
– release from ‘karmic debt’
– wear purple and amethyst to honour Jupiter in Pisces

Three types of bronze fish money of the Zhou Dynasty, China. circa 1122-255, BC

If you require a Tarot or astrology reading at this time, please contact me. You can find out more about readings here.

All written content except where quoted in bold is copyright ©Roxanna Bikadoroff and may not be reproduced without permission, credit and link. You may share a link to the article and include a small, introductory excerpt.
Thank you.

January 30, 2021October 20, 2023

Queen of the Night – An Orientalist Fantasy in Sequins

This post is about the inspiration and research behind the first in a series of three tapestries, which has it’s own art page, here. I have Black Moon Lilith and Moon on the ascendant, at the same degree, so astrologically speaking, she’s always ‘in my face’, a topic of much speculation, creativity and learning.

sequinned tapestry of Queen of the Night, in black, white and silver — LILIMOTH

Initially, I’d wanted to create something that commented on the US invasion of Iraq. But beyond the political, the psychological motivation behind it seemed to be a continuation of an orientalist, biblical fantasy, mythologized on the silent screen by stars like Rudolf Valentino and Theda Bara. Muse of William Fox (Fox Studios), Theda’s stage name was an anagram for ‘Arab Death’ and the legend was that she had been born under the Sphinx. In reality she was a Jew from Cincinnati, Theodosia Burr Goodman…but maybe her first name carried some karmic, Byzantine resonance. My grandparents adored her, and so do I.

Vamps: Philip Burne-Jones, Theda Bara and the Burney Relief (British Museum)

Fun fact: a direct lineage can be traced from Dracula to Fox News. Bram Stoker’s novel was published in 1897, same year as Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Kipling wrote two famous poems that year; Recessional (‘lest we forget’ – a warning about hubris, not a requiem) and The Vampire, based on his cousin Philip Burn-Jones’ painting of a lady Vampire. The latter became the script for the 1915 silent film ‘A Fool There Was – a Psychological Drama‘ starring Theda Bara as the Vamp, and the rest is history. Hollywood’s reigning succubus made Fox a fortune, and although the studio changed hands a few times over the decades, the news network still bears his name.

I had spent a number of years as an orientalist, myself, belly dancing in San Francisco, where, while American troops pillaged Bagdhad’s treasures, show biz promoters at home were busy recreating and selling Arab culture in their own name, just like in the good old days. It was disturbing to learn that some of the players and financiers behind the invasion believed that the actual Garden of Eden was located around Baghdad somewhere and needed reclaiming. Oil was only part of the story, Saddam was busy rebuilding Babylon on perceived christian turf at a prophetically critical time (imperialist rulers had long ago pillaged the originals, so he was recreating them) – oh no he didn’t. Patriarchs fighting over ownership of the Goddess’ terrain, what else is new?

Further, looking to nature for older, mythical memories, the Death’s Head Hawk Moth struck a chord. Acherontia atropos is the most popular of the three species, due to her pronounced skull marking and subsequent appearances in literature and film (such as the Silence of the Lambs). She lives primarily in the Middle East:

The species names atropos, lachesis and styx are all from Greek myth and related to death. The first refers to the member of the three Moirai who cuts the threads of life of all beings; the second to the Moira who allots the correct amount of life to a being; and the last refers to the river of the dead. In addition the genus name Acherontia is derived from Acheron, a river of Greek myth that was said to be a branch of the river Styx. [Wikipedia]

Turns out this little Moira of the night shares attributes with our lady Screech Owl (Lilith), such as, well, screeching (or rather, squeaking):

“However, let the cause of the noise be what it may, the effect is to produce the most superstitious feelings among the uneducated, by whom it is always regarded with feelings of awe and terror.”
~ Edward Newman, mid 19th century entomologist [ibid]

Have a listen to the cutest ‘I am the night’ ever, here.

Like Lilitu, who were thought to steal babes from their cradles, Acherontia steals honey from beehives by mimicking their scent. Her larva feast on nightshades, the accumulative affect of toxic alkaloids making them poisonous – perhaps formulating the distinct skull marking on the adult moth.

Medium being the message, I put away my paper and charcoal, and took out my unused, belly dance costuming supplies. Religious icons require materials that reflect light, be it glass, gold, movie screen or – why not? – sequins. Then I remembered having been blown away by a show of sequinned, Haitian Vodou Drapo (flags) in Montreal, some years prior, and that sealed it.

Lilimoth was completed in 2008. The second piece, Medusun, in 2009. The third piece, Anathemia, in 2022. This is a 3 part blogpost, so do read the other 2 to learn more!

All written content herein (except quotations), images of Lilimoth tapestry and Theda sketch are ©Roxanna Bikadoroff and may not be reproduced anywhere without my permission. You may share the post via link.

December 24, 2020February 4, 2021

Holly for Christmas

Trees are living Gods.

The sacred Holly is popular at this time of year because it is associated with the Green Man, Christ, truth and love. Holly is the Bach remedy for envy, jealousy, hatred, and helps to open the heart to compassion and generosity.

“In Celtic astrology, the eighth sign of the lunar zodiac is Holly and it’s ruling planet is Earth, because it marked the fire festival of Lammas or Lughnasa, which was celebrated on 1 August. These celebrations were in honour of their Earth goddess and their Sun god when the fruits of the earth were being harvested. The mystical symbol of the Holly Tree is the fabled Unicorn, an ancient symbol of royalty and noble spirit. The evergreen aspect of the Holly symbolized eternal life…”

~ Celtic Moon Signs, Helena Patterson

We have a lot of Holly in Vancouver, probably from Britain. I stood beside this one today, with the Taurus (earth) Moon above. Found a couple of small branches on the ground, to take home, and left a slightly heart-shaped, pink-tinted rock in it’s trunk, as a thank-you.

Photos ©Roxanna Bikadoroff

December 22, 2020February 4, 2021

Day After Solstice Jupiter and Saturn

Well, we finally got a clear evening, so I stood glued to the southwest horizon with opera glasses and pocket camera at the ready. Suddenly there they were…the two interpersonal planet Gods empowered in partnership. My photos are nothing fancy, but am so grateful I got to see this once in a lifetime event! Got me choked up, have to say.

April 30, 2020February 11, 2024

Wakey Wakey!

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]

September 6, 2015January 27, 2023

MAGIC GARDENS – Corrine Heline and Stellar Florotica

I stumbled upon author and mystic Corrine Heline (1882-1975) quite by accident, during one of my rabbit-hole, image searches. Heline’s philosophy is basically the same as my own, that what we experience on Earth as flowers are phenomena, the manifestation of a much greater, energetic force. ‘As above, so below.’ Knowing the true significance of the floral Queendom, one can see why bees – Her natural priestesses and priests – were so revered by the ancients. Let us return to the petaled temple…
The following excerpts from Corrine Heline’s book, “Magic Gardens” are from The Way of Love blog. (Thank you very much for providing this source).

Every flower bears a starry imprint,’ declared the illumined seer, Paracelsus. From the zodiac come the veritable secrets of God. The Star Angels are transmitters, and flowers become symbols of their communications. The closer our communion with the angels, the deeper will be our understanding of the mysteries of the plant kingdom and the greater our realization of the spiritual ministry of the world of flowers.

Each of the zodiacal Hierarchies creates its own cosmic flower patterns in the celestial realms. These patterns conform in shape, size, color and tone–every flower sings–with the vibratory keynote of its sign. These cosmic prototypes are perfect in every detail. In the highest heavens, they live and bloom in such wondrous beauty as to have inspired many legends which serve in a humble way to bring to earth some slight conception of their transcendent glory in the higher worlds and also the significance they hold for the peoples of earth. Imbued with eternal life, they never fade, but live and flourish with an ever-increasing splendor through the ages.

It is from these perfect patterns in the heaven worlds that the angels build the reflections which we who live upon the earth, know as flowers, and which, when so understood, become among the most sublime of earth’s teachers. Each flower is given its own special work to perform. Each plant bears deeply within its heart a message to the human family….

Each flower family was fashioned by the angels to represent some specific quality or attribute to be awakened within man. As the angelic hosts impress this ideal upon a floral archetype, its physical embodiment becomes a radiant herald of this celestial message. Flowers are thus literally a medium of contact between the Shining Ones and those who live upon the earth, their fragrance developing and increasing as a beautiful testimony to their work as mediators.
As man becomes increasingly sensitive he will begin to interpret this flower language, and to the degree that he does this, and lives in accordance with its high idealism in his daily contacts with his fellowman, the perfume of our flower friends will be intensified, the colorings will grown more exquisite, and the delicate petals will have greater endurance.

Each plant bears in its life forces the signature of its stellar creation. This creative impress takes form within the heart of the seed, and one who possesses the ‘blessed sight’ can observe within it the complete picture of the plant that is later to come into physical expression upon the earth. So, too, may those possessing the ‘inner wisdom’ discern the message which flowers bring concerning the realities of heaven, and which are awaiting manifestation on the physical plane.

As a man learns to respond to the ideals instilled by the angelic beings into the hearts of flowers, he, too, will develop a quality of soul that will radiate in fragrance, rare and beautiful. He will walk in an aura of radiant light and know the glory of an immortal life that shall never fade.

AMEN!

Thank you for viewing and please help keep the bees alive – don’t buy/use chemical pesticides or neonicotinoids!

October 28, 2011April 5, 2024

The Sacred Rites of Scorpio Season

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.

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