The Aquarian Bird's Eye View

The Alchemical Journey will shortly be entering its Aquarian phase and on 22nd/23rd January, we will be entering into the Aquarius perspective for our monthly weekend workshop. Having climbed to the summit of the mountain in Capricorn and entered the consciousness of the initiate, made our declaration of commitment and taken our stand in the world, it is now time to come down the mountain and share our elevated understanding with the world. From its lofty elevation, looking toward humanity from a high place of understanding, Aquarius is able to see life as an interconnected web, a network of relatedness, the unity in diversity. In this way Aquarius is like an eagle, flying high above the world, able to see the bigger picture and offer that up as wisdom. Katharine Maltwood identified Aquarius as an eagle in The Glastonbury Zodiac, rather than the more familiar water-bearer and the symbolism certainly seems to fit the sign.  This is a freehand drawing of hers, depicting the Aquarius figure. Note the chalice well marked on, and Glastonbury Tor, which is the beak of the bird.

Anthony and myself have walked the Aquarius figure with Alchemical Journey groups on two previous occasions, the last being when we made our promotional film. The walk takes in many of Glastonbury's most prominent sights, including Glastonbury Tor (the beak), the Red and White Springs, the so-called Gog & Magog oak trees, and St Edmund's Hill (which is one of the bird's wings).  A remarkable thing happened at the top of the Tor.  Anthony was addressing the question of why Aquarius was represented by a bird, rather than a human figure, and at that moment a hawk flew close to us and turned and looked directly at us.  It was a remarkable moment of synchronicity and the timing of it seemed to confirm the "rightness" of the bird symbolism.  Kevin and Tim, our film-makers, were sharp enough to catch the moment on camera and it features in our film and some of you may have seen it. We walked the figure in the snow in early February last year - here's a pictures from that walk:

So perhaps what that hawk was reminding us of was the way that Aquarius gives us that bird's eye view.  Aquarius is unique among astrological perspectives in having the ability to rise above the human condition and to some extent detach itself from the unpredictable contingencies of human emotions.  Aquarius must stand apart from the human experience, and at times, fly close the wind in order to appreciate the web which connects the nodes of our unique identities together into a seamless dance.

Aquarius challenges us to hold the tension between our uniqueness and our similarity to those with whom we share the web and it challenges us to express whatever it is that makes us stand out in the world.  In Capricorn we stood up and accepted the mantle of responsibility.  Now, in Aquarius, we stand out from the crowd and express our difference, and through that, realise the unique difference that we each make in the world. This is the sign of the future and we will be journeying into the future in our imaginations, as together we co-create a coherent vision of what is to come as we prepare to enter the Aquarian Age.

For more details of our forthcoming Aquarius workshop, click HERE

Walking the Horn of Capricorn

I began 2010, on new year's day, with three friends walking along Ponters Ball, the Horn of the Capricorn figure in the Glastonbury Zodiac.  Blessed with fine weather we walked slowly and deliberately along the ancient earthwork in the direction of the setting sun, imagining that we were taking into ourselves the magical energy of this most sacred of landscape symbols.

The horn of the goat, or in some representations, a unicorn, starts at the pineal gland in the head of the animal and then stretches to the south-west for about 2/3 of a mile, as Ponters Ball rises about 20ft in elevation.  The Capricorn figure itself ranges over an area of about four miles across north-eastwards in the direction of Shepton Mallett, stretching from Havyatt at the head/horn (closest to Glastonbury) to Launcherley Hill at his hind leg.  On our alchemical journey walk in December we focussed on the horn as being the potent symbol of initiation, the threshold between worlds, the experience of cornucopia (nature's abundance), and the realisation of our true nature.

The raised earthwork of Ponters Ball marks the boundary of the sacred enclosure of Avalon, demarcating it as sacred, protecting it from unwelcome intruders, and signalling the appropriate way by which to enter it.  The name Havyatt was originally hagyatt, "hagy" meaning heaven or sacred place, and "yatt" meaning gateway.  So this is the gateway to Paradise (one of Glastonbury's former names), and this indeed was certainly the traditional way that one would approach Avalon, which is olden times was surrounded on three sides by water.  Here's a photo of Ponters Ball taken by Lone Bang, who has been taking groups around The Glastonbury Zodiac for several years.  Her website is:  http://www.zodiactours.co.uk

So, having parked our cars in a makeshift little parking bay off the A361, we crossed the road and walked through the field down to Norwood Farm on the nose of the goat and then back up through the head to the pineal gland gland, all the while blessed with the most stunning views of Glastonbury Tor.  The pineal gland at the base of the horn is also considered by Serena Roney-Dougall to be the third eye point of the Glastonbury figure.  Serena has identified third eye points for most of the zodiac figures and indeed most of them are water features in the landscape.  In the Capricorn figure a stream extends north-eastwards from the pineal gland and it is indeed a powerful spot.  From there we walked up toward the horn.  And here's a shot of us walking along the horn.

A curmudgeonly old gatekeeper lives at the house by Ponters Ball where it crosses the A361 - a real Saturnian figure - and he prevented us from taking the short cut to rejoin the horn across the road, so we we had to take a roundabout route via the Baltonsborough road and cutting the across fields on the north side of the A361.  We then began our walk along the horn in ritual silence.  It was a deeply profound, moving experience and one I would highly recommend you do as and when you have the opportunity.  It seemed an entirely appropriate way to enter the new year.

The Astrology of 2010

So here we are in 2010, a new decade, and, according to the traditions of numerous ancient civilizations, the most anticipated decade for millennia. And while many are speculating about the Winter Solstice of 2012 & the end of the Mayan long count calendar, we astrologers are still very much focussed on the astrology of 2010.

The Cardinal Grand Cross - 7th Aug 2010
This year sees some very powerful planetary line-ups. The most striking of these occurs as Saturn, Pluto & Uranus form a challenging t-square in the cardinal signs over the summer. Indeed between 30th July and 7th August this year, we will experience a specific planetary configuration of the highest potency, prompted by Saturn & Mars entering the sign of Libra and a cardinal t-square forming into a grand cross. On 7th August, Saturn, Mars & Venus are conjunct in Libra opposing Uranus & Jupiter in Aries - making a grand cross with Pluto in Capricorn opposed Moon in Cancer. This whole configuration is exact within 5 degrees spanning the first 5 degrees of the cardinal signs. (see chart below).

It is many years since we have experienced a cardinal grand cross of this magnitude and it suggests to me that the events of this year carry tremendous significance for the future of humanity and our planet. We could call it a make-or-break year, a year where the choices we make and the actions we take carry a greater weight and importance and we may feel the weight and expectations of generations past and future upon our shoulders in a particularly intense or focussed way. I see this as a year where we are all being held to account, challenged to act with the highest integrity, to stand up for what we believe, align ourselves to our own deepest truth and act from that place. We are living in extraordinary times of unprecedented change, both in terms of consciousness shift and in geo-polictical-economic terms. As an astrologer, I cannot help but identify the energy of 2010 as being absolutely pivotal to those changes. (I will publish a longer article that goes into more detail about this in the near future).


Lunar Eclipse on Winter Solstice 2010
One of the most remarkable astrological phenomena of the year concerns the winter solstice sunrise, which, on 21st December 2010 coincides with a total lunar eclipse. This is the only lunar eclipse that will occur over this period of 36 years or so during which the winter solstice sunrise is directly aligned to the Galactic Centre. The Mayans, among other cultures, have identified this dark rift in the milky way galaxy (between Sagittarius & Scorpio) as the cosmic source of all creation (and destruction) and they have specifically tied their mythological and calendrical traditions to its winter solstice alignment. It is the place to which the Mayan shamans have always ventured on their visionary journeys in order to gain wisdom and understanding. On Winter Solstice this year, thanks to the lunar eclipse, and for the only time during this period of solar alignment, the Moon, Earth, Solstice Sun and Galactic Centre will all be in perfect alignment.

On a personal level, the astrological energy of this year has may have very significant implications - we all have our part to play in the incredible story that is unfolding on our planet. Those of us with planets in the early degrees of the cardinal signs may feel this alignment particularly powerfully this year, but we will all experience it at some level in our own personal lives. This is a challenging time, but also a time of extraordinary opportunity.

Astrological Consultations with Myself - January Discount
If you would like to gain some personal insights into how best to work with the astrology of 2010 in your own life, then I am offering my customary January discount on astrological consultations. So until 31st January, a 90 minute consultation with me will cost £70 (normal price: £90). Consultations can be conducted either face-to-face in Glastonbury (where possible) or by phone. All sessions can be recorded digitally and sent to you as an mp3 file, or recorded onto a CD.

Capricorn: Taking a Stand

The Gateway of the Initiate
In the midwinter phase of the astrological calendar (21st Dec - 20th Jan) we encounter the sign of Capricorn, the goat fish, and this sign really holds a unique place in the astrological mystery tradition.  For it is both the doorway of initiation, through which enlightenment is finally attained, and the portal through which the initiate willingly surrenders his/her divine condition, and returns to earth, cloaked in human form, to serve humanity.  An esoteric keynote for Capricorn runs:  "Lost am I in Light Supernal, yet on that Light, I turn my back."

Capricorn's Myths and Traditions
Capricorn is represented by a goat with a fish's tail, and we can trace its origins back to the founding Mesopotamian deity, Oannes or Ea.  This great being of wisdom, vision and vast intellect, brings forth the arts of civilisation to humanity, and periodically re-incarnates during periods of crisis or cultural/spiritual transition in order to instruct mankind.  In the Greek tradition, Capricorn is Pan, the goat-foot god, the god of wild hills and mountainside, overseer of shepherds and nature's sensuous delights.  In the Christian tradition, the sign of Capricorn becomes demonised along with its ruling planet Saturn (who becomes Satan), and Pan (along with the pleasure of the flesh that he invokes) becomes synonymous with the Devil.  Indeed, Capricorn has always been a sign traditionally revered, feared and made "scapegoat" in more -or-less equal measure. As I mentioned, Capricorn is the also the sign of the spiritual initiate or teacher, and it is into this sign that the dying-and-rising saviour of the culture is traditionally born; Jesus following Mithras, Horus and many other great mythical half-human/half divine figures are symbolically born on 25th December, the moment when the winter solstice sun begins to rise again. Esoterically, Capricorn represents the gateway through which the soul ascends, and this is traditionally with the moment when the Sun experiences its annual re-birth at Winter Solstice.

Proving Your Worth
Capricorn is a practical earthy sign, dour and determined, strategic, marked by an uncompromising ambition and single-pointed focus. The sign is ruled by the planet Saturn, Cronos, Old Father Time. It is Saturn who checks our stride, keeps us in time, and trips us up if we ignore the dictates of the unforgiving winter season that he presides over in his guise as Father Winter. Under Saturn's auspices, the Capricornian perspective commands respect and discipline, order and structure. In the yearly round, the Capricorn phase is a time of resolution and commitment to a long term future.  Saturn demands his pound of flesh and he often materialises in our lives as an authority figure who confronts us with limitation, criticism and examination.  Saturn demands that we prove our ability, commitment and dedication to task before we may be allowed to pass through the portal.

Saturnalia
It is a wonderful paradox that in the Capricorn cycle of the year, with all its weighty associations, we should also encounter the tradition of Saturnalia, out of which our modern Christmas festivities, and likely the "12 Days of Christmas", most probably originate. This is where we see the Capricornian Pan come to the fore.  Saturnalia was a time of the year around winter solstice when society's roles were reversed.  The servant becomes the master and the master temporarily becomes his the attendant of his own employee.  The name Saturnalia derives from a tradition where the people of Rome would bind the statue of Saturn with ropes as an act of defiance against authority - and this was sanctioned by the powers that be every year for a limited period of time. Saturnalia was, and still is, a time to make merry, to unleash the wilder side of one's nature and reconnect to the free spirit of Pan.

Declaring Your Stand in the World
Saturnalia aside, Capricorn remains a sign of mission and purpose, accountability and integrity. When we walk the Capricorn way, we must consider what it is that we are willing to stand for, what we are prepared to put our weight behind, and put our head above the parapet for. On The Alchemical Journey this month, we are enquiring as to whether we have a sense of mission in our lives, asking questions like: “What am I here to do?”; “What am I setting out to achieve?” and “What is my stand in the world?”. We’re exploring what success really means to us and how to balance our worldly ambitions with our need to stay connected spiritually and to remain meaningfully engaged with those around us.