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Pisces Month and Mental Health
February 20, 2016
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Pisces
The sun has just entered Pisces for a month. I am working on clearing my desk and finishing my tax preparation, which always happens this time of year. I am particularly interested in clearing my space as well as my body and mind of the past this month. Cleaning up and getting rid of useless garbage always brings me great joy and a feeling of moving forward with everything. This year I am giving the Pisces month full attention because I see a metaphor for better health through karmic cleansing of beliefs. In my own natal chart I have three planets in Pisces, most significantly my north node is the twelfth house. I am a relative amateur in astrology but am learning more as I investigate and read. I follow a few good astrologers all the time. One of my favorites is Dr. Loretta Stanley who also created my most recent chart. She has urged karmic cleansing of the past during the Pisces month in preparation for a new life this spring. Physical and mental as well as belief cleaning is what she recommends during this time. Sounds reasonable to me. I am sure I hold at least a few beliefs that no longer serve my best interests.
My own needs coincide with karmic cleansing and attention to the mystical, magical powers of Pisces for several reasons. Pisces rules the feet, and I am slowly recovering from a nagging chronic foot pain that has plagued me now for a couple of years. It is definitely on the mend, but still causes a bit of pain. I have acupuncture once a week which is very effective in reducing the swelling and discomfort. I am back on the walking path and functioning well, but I have a feeling the injury/chronic issue has an emotional component. Everything always does. There is a powerful metaphor about stepping forward without pain that I believe is soon to be opening a happy new pathway in my life.
Pisces rules the 12th house of karma or self-undoing. It is a very emotional, mystical, spiritual and intuitive sign. The 12th house is the end of the line for astrology, the last house. It represents the unconscious, and therefore transformation. Our unconscious minds are powerful guides that process the unknown and unseen parts of our lives. The symbolism of the 12th house is the deep understanding, both spiritual and physical, that will decide how we move forward. I have applied many remedies and treatments to my foot disorder to find a cure. It makes sense to take this month to take a deeper look at what my gait is trying to say to me. The little limp on the left represents a deeper issue, I think. I plan to use this month to meditate, clear, clean, and simplify my spiritual practices. I believe (the motto of Pisces) the answer will be found deep in my subconscious.
Saturday is for Saturn
January 16, 2016
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Saturn
The Roman god of agriculture, Saturn, rules Saturday. This is the only day that retains the original Latin in the English name today. For many it is a day of rest, and for some it has religious context. The golden age on earth which is celebrated at Saturnalia was a time when Cronos, the Greek Titan, escaped and ruled from Rome for a time. Cronos ate his own children, and was eventually defeated and expelled from Olympus by his son Zeus. Saturn and Cronos represent the same energy, and modern father time is symbolic of both of them. He frequently has a sickle in his left hand and wheat in his right to show his mastery of planting and harvest. He is said to have brought a golden age to Italy by showing the previously wild population how to grow food.
The holiday Saturnalia began 17 December and lasted for a week. All businesses were closed and slaves were served by the masters during this symbolic restoration of the Alchemy of Consciousness, the golden age. Good will and gifting, banquets and gatherings, all resembled the December festivities of now. Saturn is the judge as well as the treasurer. Saturn bestows wealth and has the ability to dissolve social hierarchy. His powers pertain to limitations. Time is a seriously limiting force, and Saturn reminds us of that fact. When Saturday rolls around every week we are another week older, and accounting is in order for all of us. What have we grown this week? What will be the harvest?
- kindness
- abundance
- organization
- investments in infrastructure
- upgrades to our home environment
- stability
Saturn wants us to build on success with full awareness of all of our limitations.
father time
Friday is for Venus
January 15, 2016
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signs in order
The days of the week are assigned to planets. Friday is the day of Venus, the goddess of love, known to the Greeks as Aphrodite. Since it is the final day of work in most western countries it holds special meaning. Thank God It’s Friday, and Piss Off Early Tomorrow’s Saturday are acronym phrases invented to celebrate the arrival the free time on the weekend. Happy hours, romantic dining, and entertainment beckon to workers as they finish the tasks in front of them. The magic of payday often happens on Friday too. In the ancient world the 40 hour work week was unknown, but the day had meaning as a weekly holiday dedicated to art, beauty and love. Today I like the idea of setting aside time for art, beauty and love. In our home I take time every Friday to follow some small but significant rituals.
- I clean and clear the house of clutter, discarding anything we no longer need
- I care for all my houseplants and do touch up work on the outside garden area
- I cook some special foods. This can vary, but at least one dish is prepared as a treat
- I workout at the gym and take a long steam bath to pamper my body and mind
- I come home early in the day to relax and finish the food preparations
- I watch the PBS Newshour with Shields and Brooks political commentary
- I drink cocktails of my own creation
That is all it takes to make my weekend start with a bang. The clean house and the food treats make home feel like a trip to a resort. Home is where the heart is, gentle reader. What are your Friday rituals?
planet Venus sign
Jumping Jupiter Retrograde, Batman
December 17, 2014
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Jupiter is by far the most massive planet in our solar system. The Roman god Jupiter was worshiped as the purveyor of the universe. He was the ruler of the daytime sky, the god of lightning and thunder, and the political deity of the Roman state. As king of the gods he administered the cosmos. He is the son of Saturn, known for his jovial nature. Jove, as in by Jove the English expression, refers to the god Jupiter. Thursday is his day and protection of the state is his mission. He was the main man in the pantheon when Jesus was born in a Roman colony. He was revered for his reputation for abundance and good fortune, as well as very fine organizational and judicial skills. He was known for bringing chaos to order.
The fifth planet from the sun is now retrograde from the point of view of the earth. This means that due to our orbits around the sun, Jupiter appears from the earth to travel in reverse. This phenomena has significance in astrology, representing a chance to go over events in the past and make improvements. The Jupiter retrograde period will last until April, ending just as US taxes will be due. It represents a chance to review our organization and abundance issues. This time is a portal to edit and remake your own movie that has been running since last September. You do not have to believe in the power of Jupiter to know that good fortune regularly follows good organization. There is no need to worship the god of the daytime sky to use this time to significantly improve your own judgement and organization. Americans need to review the year for the IRS, if not for Jupiter. Take your habits through an honest evaluation aimed at creating more joviality and order. We all have room for improvement, Gentle Readers. What did you start last September that is not properly organized? Imagine jolly Jupiter guiding you through tax preparation and New Year’s resolutions. Redirect your attention to all that brings you joy. Rigorously remove disorder and chaos that clutter your life. Finish what you started, either by discarding it or completing it.
Medicine of the Planets
March 14, 2013
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Astrological Man
planetary rulers of organs
Zodiacal man, 17th century engraving.
Woodcut from Felice Passera, Il nuova tresoro degli’arcana farmacologici galenici, Venice 1688-89.
In the history of medicine the planets and cosmos were the guiding clues that were used to discover treatments and cures. All plants are ruled by planets as are parts of the body. Before YouTube people studied the heavens and did lots of praying. They reached a number of conclusions about cosmology of which most humans today are unaware. Pharmacists, medical doctors and healers used astrology in practice as a matter of course. Everything depended on seasons and the sun. Before we dug coal and oil from the ground civilizations rose and fell because of food supply. Knowing how to make, prepare, gather, and preserve food for the seasons was a matter of life and death. It stands to reason that knowledge of farming and nature was also the only means to improve diet, hygiene and health. Plants are the medicine from which drugs are synthesized now. Plants are the food from which processed foods are prepared today.
Plants were gathered and cultivated to be used as food and medicine. The phases of the moon were and still are important in plant cultivation. More detailed information about the meaning and use of plants was studied by the ancients. In fact, in Basel, Switzerland, arguably the big pharma capital of the world, the botanical garden is smack dab in the middle of the medical school campus. This was the same medical school from which my man Paracelsus was expelled for being a heretic. We like to think we are all that today with our science. I believe we have allowed a much narrower view of life to reign. I think we are made whole and healthy by the cosmos. Smaller, short term thinking is not all that healthy. Taking drugs of unknown origin is the new normal. You might look at these planet guys and think they are silly, but they would not pop pills without any rational reason. We cannot return soon enough to growing, knowing, and using plants as food and medicine. That is what nature intended, gentle readers.
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