The New Moon in Fixed Water conjoined Acrux
On the 1st of November
“It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.” Obi Wan Kenobi
The twin suns of Tatooine hung low, casting long, burnt-orange shadows across the dunes. Kaelen Voss stood at the edge of a ridge, his brown cloak whipping in the hot wind, the hilt of his lightsaber heavy at his side. Below him, a small settlement sprawled in the valley, a patchwork of crude shelters, ringed by hastily dug trenches and armed guards. The settlement was a place of desperation, teetering on the edge of violence. But it wasn’t the skirmish over water rights that had drawn Kaelen here.
A child, a young girl, had been taken by one of the factions, her connection to the Force rare, raw, and powerful. Her captors, a ragtag militia scrabbling for control in the wastelands, had seized her not out of cruelty but out of a twisted sense of hope. They believed she could be the key to their survival, a bargaining chip in the endless conflict. But Kaelen knew better. If they pushed her too far, tried to bend her to their will, they could extinguish that potential before it had a chance to bloom.
The choice that lay before him was stark. He could storm the camp, use his Jedi skills to cut through the guards, free the girl, and put an end to this madness. It was the easiest path, the one his body ached for as tension coiled within him. His hand instinctively brushed the hilt of his lightsaber, feeling its familiar weight, the potential for action ready to explode. But deep down, Kaelen knew this wasn’t the way. Violence, however swift or justified, would leave scars, not just on the people before him, but on the Force itself. The cycle of conflict would only deepen.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, the words of Master Yoda, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering” coursing through his mind, he could feel the Force pulse through him. There was another way, one far more difficult, requiring not the strength of his arms but the clarity of his heart. He could not allow anger or impatience to cloud his judgement. He had to see beyond the immediate conflict, to feel the connection between all things, himself, the girl, even the frightened men in the camp below. They were not just adversaries. They were all bound together in the vast, intricate web of the galaxy, their fates intertwined.
With his eyes still shut, Kaelen reached out with the Force, letting it guide him. He could feel the tension in the guards’ minds, the fear that twisted their thoughts, the desperation of their leader, who saw no path forward except through power. Kaelen’s heart softened.
These men weren’t evil; they were lost.
Believing that control was their only means of survival, they couldn’t see that they were grasping at sand, that their fear would only deepen their suffering.
His instincts urged him to act, but he stilled himself. Patience was needed now. His breath slowed, and with it, the storm of emotions within him. He knew what he had to do. He descended the dune, his presence now visible to the guards. Their weapons shifted, fingers tightening on triggers, but Kaelen did not reach for his saber. Instead, he raised his hands, palms open in a gesture of peace. He approached slowly. His heart was steady, his mind calm.
When he was close enough to be heard, he spoke, his voice carrying over the wind without his words carrying any hint of mind control. “I come not as an enemy. I come to talk.”
The guards hesitated, confusion rippling through their ranks. The leader of the faction stepped forward, suspicion etched deeply in his scarred face. “Why should we trust you, Jedi?” he asked, voice harsh, but Kaelen could hear the weariness behind the anger. “Your kind have never cared for people like us.”
Kaelen met his gaze, steady and unflinching. “I care,” he said softly. “I care about her. I care about all of you. You believe this girl is your chance for power, your way out of this struggle. But she is more than that. Her life, like yours, is precious. We are all connected. What happens to her will affect all of us.”
The leader’s eyes flickered, just for a moment, the crack of doubt breaking through his hardened resolve. Kaelen felt it. He could sense the fear that gripped the man, the desperation that had driven him to this point. It wasn’t cruelty but survival that had twisted him. Kaelen knew that survival could blind even the best of beings, making them do things they would have once thought unimaginable. But there was a glimmer of hope there, a sliver of understanding that could be reached.
“I know you want to protect your people,” Kaelen continued. “But there is no future in this—no future in holding onto fear. Let the girl go. Trust that there is a path where we all survive.”
There was silence, thick and heavy, as the leader weighed Kaelen’s words. The camp seemed to hold its breath, the twin suns dipping lower, casting everything in an eerie glow. Kaelen stood unmoving, fully surrendered to the moment, to the uncertainty that lay ahead. He had done all he could. Now, the choice was no longer his.
After what felt like an eternity, the leader’s shoulders slumped, and he gestured to his men. “Let her go,” he muttered, his voice low, as though even he couldn’t believe the words.
Kaelen exhaled, relief washing over him, though he did not let it show. He simply nodded. The girl, pale and wide-eyed, was brought forward, unharmed but trembling. Kaelen reached out to her, kneeling to meet her gaze. “It is over,” he said gently. “You are safe.”
As the men began to disperse, Kaelen rose, watching them retreat into the desert, their figures silhouetted against the fading light. He knew that peace would not come easily to this place. The scars of fear and desperation ran deep. But in this moment, a different path had been chosen. There was hope.
Standing for a while longer, the child by his side, Kaelen felt the quiet peace that came from the stillness of the Force within. He had been tested, both his faith and convictions. But in the end, the Force had been his guide.
*****
When I run after what I think I want, my days are a furnace of distress and anxiety;
If I sit in my own place of patience, what I need flows to me, and without any pain.
From this I understand that what I want also wants me, is looking for me and attracting me.
There is a great secret in this for anyone who can grasp it.
Rumi
Art by Julie Dillon
The universe hums to a symphony of spiritual laws that echo through the lives of those who hear with open hearts and awakened minds. These unseen forces bind and guide you as you navigate the space between the sacred and the everyday.
Consider the eternal dance of Karma. Each action, like a stone cast into still waters, sends ripples outward, shaping the destiny of the one who casts it. Mahatma Gandhi lived this truth in every breath, wielding nonviolence as both shield and sword, understanding that peace, once planted, would blossom even in the harsh soil of oppression. Tested by imprisonment, hatred, and the weight of an empire’s cruelty, he remained unbowed, trusting that the seeds of love and justice would bloom in time.
At the heart of existence lies Agape, the pulse of creation itself. Love that transcends self, that sees the divine in every being, human or otherwise. Saint Francis of Assisi, with a heart overflowing, embraced this law as he moved through the world, not as a figure of grandeur, but as a servant to the forgotten, the broken, the creatures who walk and crawl upon the earth. His love, uncontainable, knew no hierarchy. He fed the lepers, spoke to the birds, and loved them all with the same tenderness, even as the world mocked his humility. His faith in love’s power became his sanctuary, impervious to the storms of derision.
And then, there is the truth that each person is infused with the essence of everyone, everything, every time and every space. Nelson Mandela embodied this wisdom as he emerged from the long shadows of his captivity. He knew that the fate of his oppressors was bound to the fate of the oppressed, and so he chose the path of reconciliation, of unity. Forgiveness, for him, was not an act of weakness, but an acknowledgement and recognition of our shared humanity. As South Africa stood on the edge of chaos, Mandela, steady and resolute, stitched together the torn fabric of a divided nation, knowing that healing could only come when all hands held the needle.
Faith, too, quietly whispers to those who dare to trust in a vision beyond sight. Harriet Tubman lived by this law, her faith guiding her through the dark forests and across the waters of the Underground Railroad. Every step she took, every life she saved, was rooted in an unshakable trust in the divine guidance she felt moving her forward. Fear nipped at her heels, but she outran it, carried by the strength of her belief that freedom was not just a dream, but a birthright.
And yet, freedom does not come only through holding on, but through letting go. Non attachment teaches that peace is born not from grasping, but from surrendering. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, lived this law as he shed the trappings of his royal life and ventured into the wilderness of his soul. He let go of his attachments, his wealth, his power, even his very sense of self, until he was free to see the world as it truly was: a place where suffering arises from clinging, and where peace comes only in the stillness of release.
The universe speaks in balance. What you give, you receive in return. Confucius understood this measure of our interactions with others, urging his followers to treat each other with the same respect and kindness they sought for themselves. His voice, though it echoed in the halls of chaos and division, remained clear and unwavering, planting seeds of wisdom that continue to flourish long after his time. Tested by the apathy of those in power, he knew that every act of virtue would find its way back to its source.
But there are moments when action must yield to stillness, when the soul is called to surrender, a murmur that suffuses your soul to relinquish control, trusting the divine will to guide you to places as yet to be seen. Saint Ignatius of Loyola understood this deeply. His journey began in pursuit of personal glory, but through the crucible of suffering, he came to know the power of yielding to a higher plan. His mission, born from this surrender, became a beacon for others, showing them that true strength comes from trusting the flow of life, even when it leads us into the unknown.
Gratitude, too, reminds you that in every moment there is something to cherish. Viktor Frankl, a man who faced the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust, found light even in the darkest corners. His gratitude for small acts of kindness, for the mere flicker of hope amidst despair, became the key to his survival. Tested by suffering that would break most, Frankl’s soul remained intact, strengthened by the simple truth that gratitude, even in hardship, is the gateway to grace.
And finally, there is intentionality which reminds you that your focused will has the power to shape the world. George Washington Carver, with hands rooted in the soil and eyes fixed on the heavens, understood this. His intentions were pure, he sought not personal gain, but the upliftment of those who had been cast aside. Through his scientific genius, he transformed the lives of countless farmers, showing that with a clear intention and a heart aligned with service, even the smallest of acts can create ripples that reach far beyond one’s own lifetime.
These spiritual laws are not distant or abstract, they are the living breath of the universe, calling you to walk in harmony with them. In the stories of those who have gone before, you can find not only inspiration, but a mirror reflecting the potential within yourself.
These are the laws that guide your soul, laws transmitted through the Acrux portal, a gateway now open to those who have the courage to surrender to the Force, trusting the depth of their heart’s intuition and to follow their path. This is but one of the avenues open to you during this forthcoming lunation and it is my hope that you can feel the Force following through you, opening up your heart and consciousness to the deeper truths that permeate your awareness and prompting you towards a more conscious existence.
Unlearn what you have learnt. ‘Use the Force’ by surrendering, trusting and letting go, allowing these deeper truths envelope, cocoon and guide you in every facet of your being, your interactions and your path. And May the Force be With you, always.
Completed on the 20th of October 2024 at 08:16 am BST
