The New Moon in Cardinal Fire Conjoined Chiron
24th March 2020 at 9:28am GMT
Suffering is something that we actively seek to avoid and yet is a pathway to great humility, compassion and spiritual insight. Suffering’s path is contorted and undulating, varying in scale of intensity, yet is a constant companion through our adult life. Yet there are times when you will long to change the ending of the story – when you lose what you care about, when you are separated from those you love, when your body fail you as you age, when you feel helpless or hurt, or when your life just seem to slip from you.
Suffering strips your life down to its barest bones. In times of plenty, it is easy to be lulled into the lie that you are in control, that you are strong and can take care of yourself, that you do not really need other people, and you do not need gOd. Suffering cuts through everything like a beam from a magnifying glass that exposes what actually matters, forcing you to reckon with the monstrous existential questions that, in times of comfort, can be easily ignored.
And yet suffering is fundamental to being human. It is something that we cannot avoid and the companion to birth. What woman does not suffer before her mense? What woman does not suffer before childbirth? What woman does not suffer as her body changes with age? But that is not the suffering that is upper most in Westerners minds these days. The poisoning of our ability to actively live in consort with a ‘higher’ principle, something that we have not done for many years, as we live in an increasingly divorced-from-nature-and-each-other world, aka the Coronavirus, is something that has been threatening for some time, and a manifest opportunity for our world to pause, retreat from the world and re-evaluate our priorities. The terror of physical suffering, of pain and of death, is a sickness in itself and something our science has actively tried to eradicate. The active denial of suffering and the hunger to alleviate it from our loved ones means that we miss much of the deep insight and learning that suffering can bring to our lives.
As I held my mother, in her dying weeks, her suffering was immense. It crippled her, and yet, within the suffering came profound insight, understanding and acceptance. As she surrendered and accepted Death’s presence, the awareness and wisdom that permeated her was phenomenal, and deep healing took place over multiple issues that she carried to death’s door step. Something shifted in her in those last days. She was ‘lighter’ and in a deep state of Grace, finally ready to let go and move on. My mother’s last words to me, before she slipped into a morphine induced coma two days before her last breath, were – “And, you know that nothing matters but lOve”.
I wondered for some time after her crossing over what would have happened if Mum had reached that awareness earlier in her life. I wondered if it would have prevented the cancer, after all physical suffering is the final stage of manifestation once the suffering of the Spirit, the Mind and the Soul have been ignored, and true healing can only take place once all four levels are equally addressed. But such wondering is unknowable and futile as it was what it was for her and the acceptance of her suffering enabled her to experience enlightenment.
In deeply contemplating the purpose of suffering I was reminded of Buddha discussion of the four noble truths, all of which revolve around the suffering that exist as humanity is trapped wandering aimlessly in samsara – suffering itself, its’ cause, its’ cessation and the path to the cessation of suffering. As with all spiritual disciplines, it is our task is to acknowledge suffering, accept it, understand its origins and then under take a deep reflective medicine path to restore our original health, which is en-light-enment, something I witness my Mum undertake a mere ten days before her time here ended.
Chiron in Aries
In the polysemic language of astrology, the pathway to suffering and its healing and release is called Chiron, and whilst Chiron also is the gateway to understanding the pain body that has been passed down through the family DNA, it is through this logos that we can find true and lasting redemption from that which aches. As the Sun and Moon move into their monthly embrace, this time within the realm of Cardinal Fire (or Aries), their union also encapsulates Chiron, who is also moving through Aries.
Cardinal Fire grasps anything and transforms perception. As the Veil is lifted from your world as you journey deep into its ever emerging possibilities, your eyes are renewed with experience and soul awash with curiosity. The Arian state helps you recognise and appreciate the mystery of your own being. A space within is opened and gratitude is nurtured, as you invite the wonderful and awaken to the sacredness of life. Yet, the sacredness of life has been eclipsed in a world that is disenchanted and devoid of meaning. The crown chakra, also an Arian expression, has been closed down and therefore our connection to sOurce, has become mute. As we have forgotten the immanency in nature, it too as forgotten, and we have been dying, figuratively and literally. The rapid expansion of the Coronavirus is aptly symbolic at numerous levels, and whilst it is not the only virus that co-exists with us, its presence, whether created or natural and its devastating impact on our global society is unmistakable. Corona literally means Crown and Virus literally means poison. Symbolically, our Crown Chakra is deeply wounded – Chiron in Aries…
Cardinal Fire or Aries
The Aries within you prepares you to witness the transformation of the ordinary to the extraordinary as you remember what it was like to stand in childlike innocence and awe in the presence of sheer beauty, mystery and sacramental majesty of the world. To know wisdom is to be drawn you out of your ego mind and self-preoccupation, as your soul deepens and softens. And it is this issue that we, as individuals and as a society have to address.
Any New Moon gives us a chance to take a moment to replenish and renew our emotional body and our heart centre with a differing consciousness, and since this dawn aligns with the Chironic part of our sOul, we have an opportunity to heal the wound to our Crowns, and to re-connect to Oneness. How we approach this suffering is really down to you an individual. As my friend and teacher, Danish mystic Lars Muhl writes – “it (is) all … to do with how we choose to handle it. Do we see ourselves as victims or do we see the pain or trouble as a gift from Heaven and an opportunity for change? It is really a trip into the deepest darkness of our Shadowland. If we choose to walk through with everything it has to teach us, we are, as they say in The Russian Orthodox Christianity, ‘walking through the valley of tears’.
Without repeating what I have written on my blog posts during the past week, we are living through one of the most profound times in the last five hundred years and we are being handed the opportunity to redistribute power, shedding the suffering we have endured at the bottom rung of the pyramid, as we have given our power away to those hungry for immortality. Whilst ever present in our life, death is something that we have been reminded of in the West, as we have not seen such a concentrated focus on survival since WW11. Accepting death and not fearing Her presence, is not only empowering, but also freeing and liberating. Chiron is the bridge along which we traverse as we leave this body for the 4th Dimension (Uranus), having stood at the Veil (Saturn). Taking a deep look at what you truly believe death to be is important during this time, as it will free you from fear and help you deeply appreciate all that you have, as any one of you knows if you have lost someone dear to you. My mother’s passing and my intimate experience of her last moments, admonished any doubts I may have had about what life and death truly mean, and the gift of her crossing, bittersweet and all that it was, was a profound opening of my own crown chakra. I am not saying that I don’t fear something happening to those I love, but it is not something I actively seek to avoid. My understanding of suffering has deepened with my understanding of death, and that has been freeing and healing.
In this time when we as a society are faced with the prospect of death at so many different levels – our economy, our community, our civil liberties, our government, our way of being, our loved ones – this New Moon is beautifully timed to offer you a truly poignant opportunity to grow through the suffering and to understand the spiritual reason for your pain. Do ask the question and be prepared for the answer.
I do wish you all the best and much love during this life-changing time, and remember to wash your hands!
Until next month.
Andrew
Art by Sophie Bashford
All rights reserved – Andrew Smith. Completed at 20:23 GMT on the 17th March 2020.