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THE EVER-EXPANDING FIELD OF DREAMS
“I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as a derivative of consciousness.” —Max Plank
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In this issue:
Samhain
The Jupiter Pluto conjunction
The Planets November 1 – December 21
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SAMHAIN
The halfway point (known as the cross-quarter day) between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice is celebrated in many cultures around the beginning of November, although the exact date is a few days later, when the Sun reaches 15 Scorpio. This year the cross-quarter day falls on November 7. Most of us will be made aware of this time through Hallowe’en on Oct 31, and the Day of the Dead on Nov 2, so the energy portal extends throughout the whole of the first week of November and is drawn a little further out than usual this year by the New Moon on November 9.
The fall cross-quarter day and the days surrounding it have been recognized for millenia as a time to honor the ancestors, the souls who have passed over to the mysterious “other side”. It’s a period in which the veil thins and we come closest to the death realms and those who have passed before us. The Celts called it Samhain, meaning Summer’s End, and saw it as a festival of major importance that marked the end of the light half of the year (samos), associated with life, and the beginning of the dark half (gamos), associated with death. In the dark half of the year, the energies of life naturally return to the womb of creation, to rest, repair and prepare to be reborn. The vital force connects to the cauldron of the land, the soil beneath our feet, the cave of renewal.
In Mexico, this time is celebrated as the Day of the Dead, a colorful fiesta that merges the old Aztec festival of honoring the dead with the Catholic All Saint’s Day, and the following day, named All Soul’s. The festivities are meant to attract the dead in order to be close to them again. In old Britain, the season of All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day was called Allhallowstide, hallow being an ancient version of the word holy. In the U.S. (and increasingly in the U.K. and Europe) this portal is celebrated on October 31, as the secular festival of Hallowe’en, (All Hallow’s Eve) which even though thoroughly commercialized, still retains much of the old symbolism.
Clearly, this window is a strong time for contacting the spirits of the dead and an appropriate time for honoring their memory. It’s a time for honoring family, for thanking our ancestors–genetic, cultural, and spiritual–for the gifts of life and of knowledge that they have passed down to us. It is a powerful opening for spiritual practice, for contacting the wisdom and guidance available to us from the unseen realms. The past is vividly available right now, and gives us the chance to understand how it influences the present and therefore shapes the future. Divination is a way of getting in touch with the divine impulse, and this is an excellent time to use divination tools thoughtfully and to get useful answers to vexing questions.
It’s the time to prepare for winter, both practically and psychologically, gathering in crops and resources. In rural Britain, apples were the last major crop to be harvested, and in the Celtic tradition the fortunate dead go to The Land of Apple Trees. This association comes down to us in the Hallowe’en game of bobbing for apples.
The cross quarter days are times in which the veil between the world thins and normal rules of conduct are suspended. Conventional patterns of life temporarily cease, allowing all the energy trapped by the rules of daily life to come to the surface and be released. At Beltane this license manifests sexually, at Samhain as magic and the shadow. The wicked part in all of us is given a moment to play, in the form of pranks such as trick-or-treating and dressing up as shadow figures: witches, wizards, skeletons, and ghosts. Gender distinctions fade and cross-dressing is allowed through the anonymous ritual of costumes and masks. Even the everyday sense of being human disappears as people (today, most often children) dress up as fairies, animals, and monsters.
The liminal nature of this time–in between light and dark, life and death–gives access to the magical reality that lies just beyond the mundanity of the everyday. This is why children get so excited at Hallowe’en and why it is important for their psychological well-being. It’s a time to have fun, to play tricks, to laugh at the things that often scare us. Be bold and shrug off your usual fears.
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THE JUPITER PLUTO CONJUNCTION
The conjunction of Pluto and Jupiter is exact on December 11, at 28 degrees 23 minutes Sagittarius. I wrote about the possibilities inherent in this aspect, in this sign, at the beginning of the year (see Sources of Inspiration for 2007) . This aspect is powerful for all of us and especially for people born December 18-22 or with ascendant, Moon, or other influential parts of the chart in the late degrees of Sagittarius.
It’s quick, mind you – this aspect happens fast. Jupiter is moving relatively fast and there are no retrogrades to give us a second and third look at this interesting conjunction. If you are prepared, this is a good time to try to hit whichever jackpot strikes your fancy. If you need an extra dose of luck to get something going, the middle of December is a good time to go for it, as long as you don’t go too far, that is! This aspect can also breed excess of the unhealthy kind. Mercury squares Uranus on the same day, so judgment may be impaired.
I see the recent mainstream collective appreciation of both Al Gore and His Holiness the Dalai Lama as indicative of the Jupiter Pluto in Sagittarius energies. This is a strong time for consciousness raising, and for everyone who works in this field to redouble their efforts, ask for help, get balls rolling, and stay focused on the goal. That, after all, is the most elevated use of the Sagittarian energy: the archer has his eye on the target, perfectly focused and in a state of calm, optimistic attention.
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THE PLANETS NOVEMBER 1 – DECEMBER 21
Overview
As this period kicks off, the sky is more balanced elementally than it has been for a long while, with Saturn and Venus in Virgo (earth), Mercury in Libra and Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius (air), Mars in Cancer, the Sun in Scorpio and Uranus in Pisces (water) and Jupiter and Pluto in Sagittarius (fire).
On the actual cross-quarter day, November 7, there is a spectacular grand trine in water signs of Mars, Uranus and the Sun, which in the UK also involves the ascendant. The North Node is in Pisces and is loosely pulled into the trine, while Saturn edges towards the opposition with Uranus giving us almost a kite formation.
It’s a potent window. Mars, Uranus and the Sun are all activity planets, related to the archetypal masculine. As the Moon is Balsamic (just before New) this suggests the activity stimulated by the grand trine will focus on finishing off projects fast before shifting gears and moving into the meditative inner space of the dark of the moon. As the Moon is in Libra, conjunct Mercury, and the grand trine is in water, there’s a suggestion here of relationship and emotional breakthroughs, both personal and political/diplomatic.
If you want to make good use of this energy, see if you can find a window of time to meditate on Nov 7th (around 3:35 pm Eastern time, 8:35 pm GMT), and tune into any relationship issues you have, or any world issues you would like to see resolved or at least, moved forward. And if you get a burst of energy, use it to complete things.
Specifics
November 9: New Moon in Scorpio. The burst of energy stimulated by the grand trine just before, means we may feel tired at the New Moon, which is the best time to rest and regroup anyway. So take a breather. You’ll have earned it.
November 20: Venus squares Mars, Mercury trines Mars. Whichever way you slice it, Mars has a lot of attention at the moment from the other planets. As it’s now retrograding and energetically rather weak in Cancer, scandals regarding warfare may come to light. (N.B. Valerie Plame’s book came out under retrograde Mercury shortly after Mars went into Cancer).
November 24: Full Moon activates the Gemini/Sagittarius axis, already energized by Jupiter and Pluto. But now we’re right at the beginning of the sign (at 2 degrees) squaring the nodes of the Moon. Today Uranus stations direct and Mercury squares Neptune, A busy day in the sky. If things get tense breathe through it and try not to over-react. Because in two days time…
November 26: Venus trines Neptune: a great aspect for lovers, romantics, artists and poets. Allow time for day-dreaming and night-dreaming.
December 9: New Moon in Sagittarius. This is a pretty spectacular chart. The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter and Pluto are all in Sagittarius. If you have Sag strong in your chart, this moon could kick off a powerful cycle for you, that may affect the rest of your life. It’s a once in a lifetime kinda deal here. Mercury squares both Saturn and Uranus, but with some space, so while it will be tense there will be enough time to do what you have to do if you plan well and keep breathing! Jupiter and Pluto are moving close to trine/sextile the Nodes, so some good news may peak its head above the parapet for the collective.
December 11: Jupiter Pluto conjunction (see above). Also, Mercury squares Uranus. There could be brilliance, but also errors of judgment. Take notes, whatever happens! And then immediately…..
December 12: Venus trines Mars (at 7 Scorpio/Cancer), Sun sextiles Neptune, Venus sextiles Saturn. This is a romantic, sexy, inspired and realistic combination. Definitely a great night for a date. Or better still, for a proposal.
This period from December 9 to 12 is probably the most interesting of the whole year. Don’t waste it slouched in front of the TV. Get out there and be part of this crazy world!
The Planets: Changes in Direction and Sign
Mercury stations and then moves forward on November 2 at 23 Libra. It moves into Scorpio on November 11, giving us two and a half weeks for deep thinking and research into hidden matters. The two disappearance mysteries of Steve Fossett and Madeleine McCann are still making headlines. Maybe something will come to light during this phase. Mercury emerges fully from the retrograde shadow on Nov 18 helping stuck matters of communication and thought move forward. Then Mercury moves into Sagittarius on Dec 2 and stays there until Dec 20.
Venus is in Virgo until Nov 9 so it’s still a good time to clean house and reorganize closets. Then the mistress of love moves into the home turf of Libra, which ushers in a good period for relationship and socializing. On December 6 Venus moves into Scorpio, moving towards the happy trine with Mars on Dec 12.
Mars stations retrograde at 13 Cancer on November 15. It’s good to try and get current active projects wrapped up before then. The retrograde period lasts until Jan 30 2008, and that whole period is best used for refining existing work rather than dreaming up new stuff. Decisions made during this time that involve Martian themes (like war and acts of aggression) are not well-starred and are to be avoided. At best we may see a retreat from theaters of war in the Middle East, and maybe some lessening of bellicosity in Afghanistan, Somalia and Burma. It depends on the extent to which Jupiter/Pluto manifests as enlightenment or fanaticism..
Jupiter is moving fast through the last third of Sagittarius, energizing publishing (think freedom of expression, self-publishing, web sites and blogs), and religion (including religious extremism). Jupiter moves into Capricorn on December 19, calming down the religious extremism and giving some needed ground. (More on Jupiter in Cap next time.)
Saturn travels through 7-8 degrees of Virgo, slowing down in December to turn retrograde on Dec 19 for four and a half months.
Uranus turns direct on Nov 24 at 15 Pisces. is moving back through 16-15 degrees of Pisces, affecting most strongly those born March 5-7 and September 8-9. You and life itself will be unpredictable and subject to sudden change, illuminations, and shocks. Wear your metaphorical seatbelt while being open to flashes of enlightenment.
Neptune turns direct on October 31 at 19:14 Aquarius and travels to 20 degrees 14 minutes by the end of the year. This especially affects people born Feb 9-10 and August 12-13. Open up to romance and to the spirit realm, but don’t forget humans need good boundaries to stay healthy.
Pluto is moving forward now through the tail end of Sagittarius, from 27-29 degrees. This most affects those born December 18-21 and June 18-21. Deep, radical, revolutionary change, rebirth and transformation, are yours. Pluto enters Capricorn in January 2008, and will usher in a new collective flavor manifesting through fashion and values and many other facets of life. In fashion, a smart, business-like, demure look will supersede the hippie bohemian chic and tacky over-exposed anything goes attitude of the Pluto in Sagittarius era.
You may also be strongly affected if the degrees these planets influence coincide with your ascendant, Moon or other important parts of the chart.
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As you’ll have seen, the major planetary event in the last two months of the year is the Jupiter Pluto conjunction, which is supported and amplified by various milder inter-planetary relationships. Emotionally life will feel lighter, especially from Nov 22 on, but it will nonetheless feel pretty intense, because there is a heightened sense of possibility, and hopefully, a greater sense of purpose and understanding of right action.
A lot of this regards completions that will in time birth new beginnings: many of us are dealing with matters that kicked off at the eclipses earlier in the year, or the aftermath of the Saturn Neptune opposition, and there’s a lot of finishing up happening with both Jupiter and Pluto right at the tail end of Sagittarius.
Whatever you’re up to, be well, and have a great time over the next few weeks, especially December 9-12!
With love,
Lara
© 2007, Lara Owen, all rights reserved.
