Post by A.H. on Jun 8, 2006 21:07:44 GMT -5
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Charting the Cosmic Changes
By Simone Butler
June 5, 2006
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Have you noticed how much faster the pace of life is these days? More and more is happening in less and less time. Weather cycles are going crazy—and so are some of us, unable to cope with the accelerated pace. Are we headed for a rendezvous with destiny?
Many religions, ancient cultures and prophets have foreseen this turn-of-the-century period as the "end times." Is an Apocalypse at hand, in which true believers will be swept up in "rapture" and reunited with God, while unrepentant sinners get left behind? Is a pole shift imminent, as in Noah's time, wiping the slate clean so we can start again? Are we about to enter a Golden Age, as the Mayan Calendar indicates, and ascend to higher consciousness, shifting dimensions entirely?
As an astrologer, I watch the ever-intensifying planetary dance for symbolic clues—and there are plenty. Still, it wasn't until I met Ian Xel Lungold, in January of 2005, that I began to grasp the bigger picture. At one of his last public lectures on the Mayan Calendar before his death, I asked Ian if being a western astrologer would help me comprehend the Mayan cosmology. "Probably not," he smiled.
Four hours later, my mind reeling, I understood what he meant. Planetary motions alone cannot describe the rapid evolution of consciousness we’re experiencing, described with such precision by the Mayans. As Dr. Carl Calleman puts it in The Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness, "We are living in a conscious universe whose built-in intelligence follows an exact schedule according to which humans are meant to evolve." This is the missing piece that amplifies and illuminates the planetary changes.
Pluto and Jupiter Kick Butt
Slow-moving Pluto, planet of power and transformation, has reached the pulsating central axis of our Milky Way galaxy (26 degrees of Sagittarius) and will stay there throughout 2007. This huge Black Hole, containing the mass of four million suns, functions like a transmission center. With Pluto there, Sagittarian themes are intensified: spiritual awakening, truth-seeking, religious fervor (for better or worse). Many of us, especially those with planets and points around 26 Sagittarius in the natal chart, are feeling an influx of passion and purpose. Now we can gain greater access to Pluto’s treasures—personal power, riches, sexual and emotional fulfillment, depth of soul. But, something must be sacrificed before rewards can come. To assist this process, we can tune into the "void," that still place of gestation at the center of our galaxy, and ask for guidance.
Pluto's presence at the Galactic Center is an opportunity to recognize and honor your truth. Just remember to use your energies judiciously. Some battles are worth fighting now, but many are not. We're witnessing the death throes of an unsustainable culture, and must preserve our energy to create a new one. Pluto wants us to let go of what has outlasted its usefulness, be receptive and await the birthing phase when it turns direct in September of 2006. Not longer after, as the Fifth Day of the Mayan Calendar begins in November, the Christ-like god Quetzalcoatl returns. The last time this occurred, in 1952-1972, sparked the creativity, rebellion and "flower power" of the beatnik/hippie era. In a much earlier turn around the spiral, the teachings of Christ unfolded. Quetzalcoatl brings an influx of light to the intuitive right brain of our collective consciousness, and fortifies our creative and spiritual efforts through November of 2007.
As Dr. Calleman recently noted, the Fourth Night period of the Mayan Calendar that we are currently in (which began in November of 2005 and lasts for one year) is a time to cleanse and restore our bodies in preparation for this upcoming shift. Jupiter, planet of expansion and truth-telling, in Pluto's transformational sign of Scorpio through November, 2006 amplifies this theme of releasing old, stagnant toxins from both body and mind. If you're seeking greater consciousness, it's no longer possible to get away with abusing your body in any way. Lightening up your being, through whatever means feels right, will help you align with the incoming higher frequencies.
The Sacred Feminine Returns
The most important shift occurring now, the underlying transformational factor, is the reawakening of the Sacred Feminine. The Mayans noted that in these "end times," our brain hemispheres would finally come into balance, as the intuitive feminine (right brain) rises up to meet the logical masculine (left brain). We can see this happening in the world. Corporate types are boosting business by developing their intuition. Athletes are improving their performance by accessing the Zone—a powerful space of pure being. Women are rising to previously unknown heights of political and social power. Just look at Oprah! For the first time, a female U.S. president seems feasible in 2008 (and is, in fact, favored by the stars.) The Goddess is taking her rightful place beside the God.
Astronomically speaking, the "Venus transit," Venus' rare passage across the surface of the Sun, heralds this change. On June 8, 2004 and again on June 6, 2012 , the Feminine (Venus) symbolically gains power as she occludes the Masculine (Sun). During the time between these two events, feminine power will increase exponentially. Though couched as fiction, the Da Vinci Code’s message about the Sacred Feminine is getting through loud and clear, and its effect on the collective consciousness can’t be underestimated.
Astrologically, the return of the Goddess is confirmed by the planetoid Chiron, the "Wounded Healer," moving through the sign of Aquarius for the first time since it was discovered in 1977. This transit, which lasts from 2005 until early 2011, represents the remembrance and release of ancient wounds. It's a shift from experiencing life primarily through the mind—which so often leads to pain and dissatisfaction—to being centered in our bodies, feeling joyful and connected to nature and each other. This process quickens between now and 2011—in our brain hemispheres and the world.
Chiron in Aquarius is the great Egyptian Goddess Isis returning to her full, primal power. The Aquarian-style love that Isis symbolizes is no mere androgyny, but an intense, cosmic fusion that exalts the male/female principle into something far greater than the sum of its parts. The "Wounded Healer" aspect of Chiron is reflected in the myth of the priestess-queen Isis. Osiris, her husband, brother and priest-king, was slain by their jealous brother Set, symbolizing the destructive, "power over" masculine force. Isis' agonized search for Osiris' dismembered parts is an apt metaphor for the healing of the dysfunctional masculine in all of us. Physical, emotional and spiritual healing occurs as Isis reassembles the lost pieces, grows wings and blows the breath of life (and light) back into her beloved.
Over the next six years, as Chiron transits the sign associated with brotherly love, Isis' symbolic quest for wholeness triggers the reunification of our fragmented parts and healing of relationships. Women are challenged to leave the past behind by forgiving men and releasing old patterns of anger and distrust—no matter how justified. By reclaiming and loving the masculine, Isis impregnated herself with the divine child, Horus (symbol of self-realization.) Men must honor the sacred feminine within themselves, in their relationships with women and Mother Nature. We all need to find a baseline of joy in our bodies, so we’re learning our lessons from pleasure rather than the all-too-familiar pain.
The Golden Age
The return of Isis and Osiris, Jesus and Mary Magdalene and other sacred archetypes of the priest-king and priestess-queen set the stage for a Golden Age in which the earth will once again be ruled equally by the divine masculine and feminine. Many "twin souls" or those who have been priest and priestess to each other in former lifetimes are being drawn back together now, or are undergoing purification in preparation for their reunion. The practice of conscious sexual union in a committed relationship is the quickest route to higher consciousness. This process is described in The Magdalene Manuscript: The Alchemies of Horus and the Sex Magic of Isis by Tom Kenyon and Judi Sion.
According to the Mayan Calendar, the planet’s acceleration of consciousness will peak at the end of 2011, as the masculine and feminine brain hemispheres come into balance. The masculine "powers that be" are currently fighting for their lives, but the tide has already turned. Exactly what will happen at the “end of time as we know it,” or shift into the Fourth Dimension, remains to be seen. Although the timing of the coming changes is predetermined by the process set in motion at the Big Bang, our response to them is not.
To stay centered as evolution accelerates, it's crucial to get in touch with Mother Earth. Sit on the ground and pull her rich, fertile energies up into your core to ground you and keep you serene. Deep breathing and yoga also help. Ian Lungold reminded us of the Hopi prophecy that we’re in the midst of a rushing river, and clinging to the banks won’t help. Let go, say the Hopi, and let the river carry you—and when you come up for air, see who is with you. Go back to the land, live close to nature, and get out of the way as the old culture falls. Know your neighbors, and your food and water sources. We have the power to co-create a new world. These are the times we have been waiting for.
Simone Butler is a San Diego-based astrologer. For more information, see her website, www.AstroAlchemy.com *
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