Month: December 2018

Beauty is Truth : The 3rd Quarter Moon in Libra, 29th December 2018

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“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know”: Astrology is as much art as science, and these lines written by John Keats in his beautiful, ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ express the quintessence of this month’s 3rd quarter Moon in Libra, which occurs on 29th December 2018 at 09:34 GMT at 07 Libra 16. The Moon in this air sign, ruled by Venus, the goddess of love, is the personification of grace, elegance and poise. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn assigned the Two of Swords to the Moon in Libra; its key meanings of clarity, balance and peace describing the element of Air acting through the Sephiroth Chokmah, (meaning ‘Wisdom’) on the Tree of Life. The 3rd quarter Moon forms an exact square to the Sun at 07 Libra 16, a degree associated with the 16th Lunar Mansion, of which Christopher Warnock writes; “The recurrent theme of the scales reminds us to exercise moderation and maintain balance even in the midst of abundance”.

This month, the finer qualities of this lunar placement are hindered in their expression by a difficult reception with Venus in Scorpio, the sign of her fall and an impending square with Saturn in Capricorn, sign of the her detriment, and may require more effort to bring to the fore. Nevertheless, the waning Moon is an excellent time for reflection which, in combination with the discernment of Libra, can assist in cutting and clearing away that which no longer serves, and enable us to approach the New Year lightly and in a spirit of clarity and grace.

Astrology by Louise of Arabia www.louiseofarabia.com

Painting of the Goddess Themis by Howard David Johnson

Chart by Astrogold for Mobile

Bibliography:

The Mansions of the Moon by Christopher Warnock

The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley

Winter Solstice: Full Moon 22nd December 2018

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Following close on the heels of the Winter Solstice, this month’s Full Moon occurs on 22nd December 2018 at 17:49 GMT at 00 Cancer 49.

In the first decan of Cancer, this degree is allied with the tarot card Two of Cups – a favourable card to which the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn attributed the astrological energies of Venus in Cancer and titled the “Lord of Love”. The card from the Rider Waite Smith deck depicts an adoring couple, toasting to their love from chalices of gold. The Two of Cups often heralds a new romance, but can signify a friendship or even a happy working partnership. It speaks of two people (or complementary elements) in complete accord. As Aleister Crowley writes, this card signifies; “perfect and placid harmony, radiating an intensity of joy and ecstasy”.

The auspicious meanings of the Two of Cups are reflected in the mostly fortunate attributes of the 8th Lunar Mansion, Al-Nathrah, which was originally located in the constellation of Cancer and of which it is written in the Picatrix; “…in this Mansion it is good to make images (talismans) for love and friendship, and for the safe travel of those who go by wagon through villages, and to cause friendship between allies”, although the it is less favourable for captives, and is also less beneficial for mice and bugs, who can be expelled from ‘whatever place you wish’ under the influence of this Mansion. Just as a strong and well placed Moon can often denote fame and popularity in a Natal chart, or the potential for a favourable outcome in Horary and contest charts, the Moon in this Mansion can augur victory or the attainment of a cherished goal.

The Moon is in her own sign in Cancer, making this Full Moon particularly powerful for manifesting any goals relating to a harmonious home and family, promoting love and reconciliation in relationships and working on personal attraction, glamour and brilliance. Those with the sign of the Crab prominent in their charts, and particularly those with key planets or angles in the early degrees of the sign, may find this Full Moon particularly magical.

Following on from the Full Moon, the next lunar aspect is an opposition with Saturn in Capricorn. With Saturn and the Moon both so strongly dignified, this aspect may not be as challenging as usually expected and could even contain the potential to translate the inspirational, visionary qualities of the Moon into concrete results (although not without some Capricorn diligence and hard work). Expansive Jupiter in his own sign of Sagittarius underscores the meanings of the Two of Cups by highlighting the joy and generosity of the Yuletide season, his influence magnified by the Full Moon in Cancer, the sign of Jupiter’s exaltation . Providing we remain mindful that Mercury is still in the sign of his detriment and ensure we attend to words and details with care, this month’s Full Moon marks a hopeful start to the Astrological season of Winter and promising outlook to the New Year.

By Louise Of Arabia www.louiseofarabia.com

Chart calculated by AstroGold for Mobile

Bibliography

“The Book of Thoth” : Aleister Crowley

“The Mansions of the Moon” : Christopher Warnock

“The Picatrix” (Liber Atratus Edition) : Trans. by John Michael Greer and Christopher Warnock

The Fortunate Fish: Reflections on the 1st Quarter Moon, 15th December 2018

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This month’s first quarter Moon makes an exact square to the Sun from the degree of 23 Pisces 27 on 15th December at 11:49 am GMT and occurring in the 28th Lunar Mansion, known in Arabic as “Batn al-Hut”: The Belly of the Fish. As might be expected from the last in the cycle, this Lunar Mansion carries with it associations with gathering-in of the harvest and reaping the results of work that has gone before.

The 9th century grimoire of astrological magic “Picatrix” incorporates references to the correspondences of Pisces, Venus (who is exalted in this sign, and Mars (who rules the decan most closely allied to this Mansion, when it says; “make images (talismans) to increase merchandise, besiege cities, increase harvests, to get rid of things and to destroy an area, to make treasures be lost, to travel safely by wagon and safely return, to cause peace and concord between man and wife, to make the incarceration of captives firm and to inflict evil on sailors on the sea”.

The primary image of this Mansion is a giant fish, swimming amongst a shoal of its smaller fellows, whilst fishermen cast their nets to harvest the abundance of the sea. The fish is a creature of the water from which all life springs (the symbol for Pisces is believed to have originated from the Babylonian zodiac, where the two fishes were associated with the goddesses Annunitum and Simmah, who symbolised the rivers Tigris and Euphrates), hence its association with material and spiritual sustenance. The name Annunitum is believed to have been closely associated with Ishtar, the Babylonian Venus. The 28th Mansion was originally marked by stars in the constellation Andromeda, which according to Ptolemy is of the nature of Venus. Additionally, Venus is exalted in this mansion (at 27 degrees Pisces) and is herself traditionally a bringer of love, wealth and the finer things in life. Her Hindu counterpart, Lakshmi, is the goddess of beauty, wealth and prosperity: In Hindu culture, a wife may traditionally be referred to as ‘the Lakshmi of the house’ and is considered to have the power to attract wealth and prosperity into the home.

In the Chinese practice of Feng Shui, fish are believed to bring wealth-luck – not to excess, but enough to live happily and without worry. A tank of goldfish or koi carp, (or an image depicting them) can often be seen in Chinese places of business to draw in prosperity.

Water is also symbolically the realm of mystery and spirituality; the Bible relates how Jesus by the lake of Gennesaret exhorted Simon, James and John to become ‘fishers of men’ (Luke 5:1), there is also reference to the miracle of the feeding of the multitude with five loaves and two fishes (Matthew 14:13) and the tale of Jonah who was swallowed by a giant fish and released only when he repented for reneging on the task set for him by God (Jonah 1:11): The themes of abundance, gratitude and the obligation to nourish the self and others, both materially and spiritually, are all contained within the 28th Lunar Mansion and also within the tarot card linked with the final decan of Pisces; the 10 of Cups.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn called the Ten of Cups “The Lord of Perfected Success”: Mars acting through Pisces supplies the will and drive to turn inspiration into reality. The famous Rider Waite Smith deck depicts a scene of domestic contentment overarched by a miraculous rainbow – combined images of material and spiritual happiness, and a message that we should not ignore one in favour of the other. There is a Buddhist tale of a giant fish who was so enamoured with the beauty of his wife that he failed to see the fisherman’s net until he had swum into it and was caught. His life was saved by an enlightened man who told him; “You foolish fish! If I had not seen you today, you would have been killed. Your blind desire was leading you to continued suffering. From now on, do not let yourself be trapped by your own desires!”.

By Louise Of Arabia www.louiseofarabia.com

Chart by Astrogold for mobile

Bibliography:

The Holy Bible (KJV)

The Mansions of the Moon (Christopher Warnock)

The Picatrix : Liber Atratus Edition (trans. John Michael Greer and Christopher Warnock)

The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology (Vivian E. Robson)

Tarot and Astrology (Corrine Kenner)

Parker’s Astrology (Julia and Derek Parker)

http://www.buddhanet.net

The Art of Archery: Reflections on the Dark Moon, 7th December 2018

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“It is necessary for the archer to become, in spite of himself, an unmoved center. Then comes the supreme and ultimate miracle: art becomes “artless”,…the end a beginning, and the beginning perfection.” (Zen and the Art of Archery)

This month’s Dark Moon on 7th December 2018 at 07:20 GMT occurs in the 20th Lunar Mansion, whose Tropical boundaries range from 04 Sagittarius 17 to 17 Sagittarius 08. According to Christopher Warnock, in his book “The Mansions of the Moon”, this lunar mansion goes by the Arabic name Al-Na’am; “The Beam” and was originally located in the foreleg of the constellation Sagittarius, the centaur/archer; hence the association of this mansion with the concepts of hunting a quarry, aiming for a target and embarking on a quest. Making alliances, and all actions taken to contain and restrict the malevolence of chaotic and aggressive forces also fall under the remit of this Lunar Mansion. The common theme is mastery of the self, concentrated and focused effort directed at a much-desired goal.

The Dark Moon when located here counsels us to turn our gaze away from the target and reflect instead on mastery of the self, the better to improve our concentration and focus: “Fundamentally the marksman aims at himself and may even succeed in hitting himself.” (from Zen and the Art of Archery)

The exact degree of December’s Dark Moon (when the Moon is exactly conjunct the Sun) is 15 Sagittarius 07. This occurs in the second decan of Sagittarius which is ruled by the Moon and corresponds (in the system of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn) to the tarot card the Nine of Wands. When designing this card for the famous Rider Waite tarot deck, the talented and visionary Pamela ‘Pixie’ Colman Smith chose to depict a battle-weary warrior steadfastly defending a barricade or blockade.

Although the boundaries of the 20th Lunar Mansion overlap but do not exactly match the limits of the decan the tarot image from the Rider Waite deck is very much in keeping with its attributions: The soldier is the embodiment of self-contained strength, the barrier he guards keeps the forces of chaos at bay. The changeable influence of the Moon, ruler of this decan can also be observed; our warrior knows that the situation is in a permanent state of flux (as Aleister Crowley observes in relation to this card; “Change is Stability”): The peace may be shattered at any moment and he must be constantly on the alert against hostile forces, whether they attack from without or undermine from within.

Just prior to this month’s Dark Moon (when the Moon conjuncts the Sun at 15 Sagittarius 07), the Moon separates from a tense and emotional square aspect with Mars and Neptune in Pisces (at 13 Pisces 33 and 13 Pisces 44 respectively) and following the conjunction with the Sun moves on to apply to a trine with retrograde Uranus in Aries (28 Aries 59): Conflict and confusion are left behind, and following the reflective period of the Dark Moon there lies the possibility of a sudden, potentially positive breakthrough. If we, like the warrior or the archer, counsel ourselves to remain in a state of disciplined focus and alertness, we will be better placed to make the best of the coming revelations and opportunities, whether they manifest on a worldwide or individual level.

By Louise Of Arabia www.louiseofarabia

Chart calculated with Astrogold for Mobile

Image of the 9 of Wands Tarot Card from the Rider Waite deck (artist: Pamela Colman Smith)

Bibliography:

“The Mansions of the Moon” by Christopher Warnock

“36 Faces – the History, Astrology and Magic of the Decans” by Austin Coppock

“The Book of Thoth (Egyptian Tarot)” by The Master Therion (Aleister Crowley)