The New Moon in Mutable Earth at noon on the 17th of September
in waning trine to Saturn and in waxing trioctile to Uranus
As the Wheel has turned each month since the 17th of January, we have gaining insight into our relationship with boundaries – those that we live within and those that we need to define. Moonth upon Moonth, each lunation has dialogued with Saturn, outlining a differing perspective to our relationship with each of the twelve consciousness filters that co-exist within us. And this Moonth is no different, though the message arises from the Living Earth and our relationship to Her.
Saturn
The existence of Saturn in our consciousness implies the necessity to pull from the world, yet still to participate therein. ‘Not an easy path’, say all spiritual teachers as they speak forth of their experience within a cave, meandering in a desert, climbing to the top of a mountain, or sitting under a tree. It is a necessary path, though, if you are to liberate yourself from the illusions created within this world.
‘Inwards and downwards’ is the nature of the growth that Saturn outlines. Not out and up! Not easy in a world that encourages the whites, reds, yellows and oranges over the blues, greys and blacks. Saturn reflects a descending path inwards, one that highlights those patterns and scripts, personal and ancestral, that ensorcell you, keeping you bound to this physical plane.
Demonised by the patriarchal Christian tradition as the fallen angel, Satan, Saturn, or the deep feminine, is not a negative or evil state. It is a threatening perspective as seen through the lens of the egoic Yang, a state that champions growth, achievement and perpetual momentum regardless of the consequences. No, Saturn outlines the descent within and the exploration of the interior world. And it is a path that has been actively discouraged, debased and belittled in the same way that those feminine qualities have been undermined for countless centuries.
The Inner Path
The inward path is more instinctively and naturally attuned to life, its patterns and powers. It is also more attuned to the life of the body and knows the rhythms that belong to the cycles of life, rather than the systems imposed by will that are presently strangling our world. And it is less dominated by reason, more open to the mystery of the symbolic inner world.
We, as a collective, may be moving through an epochal redistribution of power not seen since the Lutheran revolution of the sixteenth century, but in earnestness 2020 has truly been more about the inner journey, reflecting on the
- quality of the way that you live
- nature of your relationships and community
- responsibility for self-health and self-care
- divisiveness between the ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’
- reality of the world that you inhabit
- value of what ‘feeds’ you
- health of your world, internally and externally
So whilst it may seem that everything is under threat as the foundations of the systems that we live within are exposed, the time we are living through is more akin to a deep dive – into the reality of the world you live within, internally and externally –and a reawakening, evocative empower and rise of the Divine Yin, or Feminine.
The Reawakening of the Divine Feminine
Her evolution is within you, around you, between you and those you connect with; Her workings are embedded in the very fabric of consciousness and within the rocks of aeons past. She has always been the Creatrix of life and reality, the custodian of the inner world that each of us carry around with us. She has always been connected to the Earth, understanding the silent language of connection and inter-connection. She has always been strong, patient, receptive, compassionate, wizened and capable of profound acts of generation and re-generation.
For too long has the Yin consciousness been debased, playing quiet support to the noisy Yang; for too long has the Yin consciousness put up with the immaturity of a Yang egO hell bent on being in the world – achieving, conquering, imposing and taking; and for too long has the Yin consciousness waited for the Yang to grow past its physical obsession. The wisdom of the feminine is so important within this time because the feminine understands the dynamics of relationship, how to listen and be receptive and understands how to be whole, complete and embodied, a state of consciousness being renewed during the forthcoming lunation on the 17th of September 2020.
Poem, the Vestal Virgin by Ivan Mestrovic
Ever calm
Breath slow and even
Mind still
Eyes alert
Acutely observant
Free from judgement
Unwavering from distraction
Her preparation is meticulous
Her knowledge far reaching
Utterly whole onto herself
In serenity she patiently waits
To reciprocate and serve
Within the gnostic tradition the Virginal state has nothing to do with sex but with an initiation process in preparation to birth the ‘Christ child’. A virgin soul is one that has become purified from a literal understanding and application of gOd’s Word; a soul that has become self-sufficient and independent; a soul that seeks to serve; and a soul who has become utterly self-contained.
Rather than the Virgin Mary conceiving of the Holy Spirit and birthing a physical son called Yesuah, the Immaculate Conception is a state of consciousness readying itself to conceive, gestate and give birth to another archetype, the Christ Child through a process of dedicated preparation, meditation, prayer, reflection and humility, amongst other disciplines.
Within the Western astrological tradition this spiritual process is known as ‘Virgo’ and despite it being reduced in the modern era to being concerned with tidiness, anal retentiveness and accounting. This sign ultimately concerns an evolutionary process to shield, nurture and reveal your underlying spiritual reality. Historically, it is the only zodiacal sign that depicts a woman and has been associated with most of the main female deities – Ishtar, Inanna, Ceres/ Demeter, Astraea, Erigone, Isis and Mary. Each, in their own way, were virginal in that they belonging to themselves and owed allegiance to no exclusive male partner.
In three of the Virgoan deities we find the ‘Virgin’ Mothers – Eve, Isis, and Mary – and they symbolically serve as three aspects of the personality through which ‘the Christ Child’ must find expression. The Christ child, or consciousness, essentially refers to a state of being that is free from the limitations of the material world and of physical desire; a state that is self-realised and fully conscious; or an enlightened state, a state of perfection.
The sign of Virgo itself stands for a synthesis of these three feminine aspects—Eve, Isis and Mary. She is the ‘Virgin’ Mother, providing you with what is necessary for your mental, emotional and physical expression of your hidden but ever present divinity, protecting the germ of your Christ life and guarding, cherishing and nurturing your soul.
Planets in Virgo
If you have a planet within the sign of Virgo, you are being called upon to awaken to this virginal process, helping that dimension of your soul to become self-sufficient through a process of stillness, non-judgement and open humility. For example, if Mars is in Virgo, you are being asked to use your energy with discernment and to give of yourself free from a sense of duty and guilt of egoic desire. The aspects made, or received, by Mars will show the assistance or distractions that will accompany you on that journey towards wholeness. Even if you don’t have an angle or planet contained within Virgo, you can still access this state of consciousness, although it may not be as pressing as other zodiacal archetypes speak to you. The area of your life wherein Virgo falls (the house) is the arena wherein you consciously seek self-containment and the key to helping you unlock your spiritual self.
Every ‘moonth’ the Sun and Moon align within a specific zodiacal sign outlining an opportunity to replenish and renew, to set intentions and to gain insight into how integrated that particular archetypal consciousness is for you. The theme of this month is to ask whether you have given permission to the countless earthly distractions to direct your focus away from your spiritual practise and whether you have prepared yourself to become truly self-sufficient. As the virginal process is being outlined, you are being encouraged to give to yourself and then to give of your service without expectation and without ego. (art by Peter Mohrbacher)
Within this profound union you are offered the opportunity to draw upon the intention of the 17th of January 2020 and to demonstrate the structures that you have been consciously creating, structures that house your incarnate being, structures free from the restraints of culture, creed, economics, family, fear, karma and weariness.
Conclusion
Yes, 2020 has been a testing year as those false gOds crumble. It may have felt lonely and exhausting; it may feel overwhelming as fear walks proudly, but it is necessary and unavoidable. This subtle and internal process is imbued with such profound strength and inner wisdom that nothing ill can arise from a truly blank canvas, as your consciousness has been undergoing a profound liberation from those darkened voices and enemies of your soul. Whether you have allowed yourself face yourself and take true responsibility for the reality you have been living within will guide and direct the intensity experienced during this truly epochal time.
And so as the foundation of the ‘masculine’ built world naturally crumbles, the need to pull from the illusion of power and success, to dive inwards to heal all that binds you to a smaller, limited version of yourself has strengthened. The healing has personal, familial and collective implications, since the external world is merely a reflection of the internal world.
Fertile land that will yield fruit bearing new conditions of being lies before you and a seed gently lies in the palm of your hand.
All rights reserved – Andrew Smith. Completed at 08:15 BST on the 12th of September 2020.
