Diviner’s Moon – handling Neptune

The time around this Aries Full Moon is ripe for divination, a time for activating our carefully tended inner fires and illuminating the past, present and future. The New Moon’s calling for quiet and careful nurturing of our luminousity now matures and comes to fruition – a process that is being further aided by Neptune’s vision enhancing energies. And, while the outer dynamic of this Moon continues to push with primal force for radical change through direct Aries expression, the ‘inner’ becomes more pervasive and spiritualised – Neptune is omni-directional, the ‘field’ as opposed to the ‘force’. Since Neptune operates across the matrix our vision can be far-seeing. So, learning how to handle Neptunian energies is crucial at this time. What at first sight may seem disparate, diffuse and entropic can, paradoxically, be unifying and lead to great things – the crucial factor is to stay grounded and centered, essential for such an esoteric influence, especially while under increasing tension.

Under the auspices of Neptune in Pisces the everyday takes on the shape and dynamic of dreams; there is subtle tension within this, and yet, there is also a purposefulness behind it; anything can happen and events seem ever more significant – we are surely feeling this increasingly now.

The planets have a primal feel in Aries and are bringing primary experience as the seeding ground for change – this is purposeful energy, but , it requires a deeper wisdom to prevent it becoming an unconscious drive. And, at this Full Moon, Aries is packed! Occupied by Sun, Eris, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Lilith and Uranus, these planetary bodies are all emphasising and bringing their own nuances to the Fire element. And they are soon to be joined by Venus, but, we will come back to her as she has a surprise for us. Saturn, opposing in Libra, Venus, Neptune and Chiron in Pisces, and Pluto in Capricorn anchor the signature of Air, Water and Earth. With a preponderance of Fire this is a balance within the medicine wheel of the sky that is dynamic, impels rather than resides…..

Containment and expansion continue to play out across the field between Saturn, retrograde in tropical Libra, and the accumulating influences within tropical Aries. In the highest expression, the emergent force can raise the vibration of the field while the ‘containing’ emphasises integrity. …we need strong roots and this influence can help us develop them; the deeper we go, the higher we can reach! And these are far from being abstract ideas….

Our rooting must also come in the form of truthfullness – and Neptune has also been associated with deception. Well, this is no time for deception, if employed it will backfire, big time! Of which Neptune is already highlighting as we see the slow admittance by ‘the authorities’ of just how serious our global situation is – the fact is, we are not being given the facts straight. The accounts of world events are being glossed over and filled with contradictory and differing figures and ‘facts’, and, on top of this, the governments can no longer balance the books – we will increasingly see default as the ‘default setting’ – typical low Neptune! So, for us, the call in the face of confusing information and economic devolution is to, once again, get centered and ‘see’. Remember the call brought out by the New Moon, to adopt the attitude of centered and unassuming presences within the world, protecting our inner light – the timing and the poigniancy of this is doubled now at the fulling of the Moon and on through its waning phase…..and we can now prepare to activate our inner fire and become active agents within the world, an en masse wave generator of inner sight and knowing. While the outer world devolves, the inner evolves. This too is why we must find our center. It is from within that unity will emerge. Great clouds gather promising rain….an electric field of potential is beginning to grow.

This cycle is also marked with a strong and unpredictable influx of ecstatic Dark Goddess energy from Uranus conjunct Lilith – this is further highlighted by Mars now opposing Saturn. When Mars and Saturn are thrown into having to relate and find a meaningfull relationship a powerful assertion of our boundaries becomes a key issue. True, we cannot afford to bottle up our rage at the unfolding injustices, as we risk our own health – a creative path must be sought. If left unresolved this influence can manifest subversive territorial conflicts, and with Uranus conjunct Lilith in Aries slowly squaring up to Pluto, their sudden eruption can bring catastrophic results if we do not overcome our puritanical ideals and dependencies on the old structures – this will further reveal the dark underbelly of the global politic.

If Mars and Saturn find a way to combine, their energies become a power that can give new shape to reality; it is creative power that is very real and, if applied in conflict resolution, demands that all the ‘players’ put their cards on the table. Neptune’s high side will assist in uncovering deceptions. However, the chances are that Earth will channel these energies and continue to amp up the agenda as this configuration is also akin to an earth-mover. Earth tremors are now being felt worldwide, daily, in increasing numbers – the long term predictions are for this trend to continue…..in this moment, we have a crucial window of opportunity to make the difference.

The difficult expansive influence of the Jupiter Saturn standoff was seeded shortly after the Equinox. We flagged this up in linking it to tectonic movements and this will continue through swarming energy while Mercury is retro/stationed over this point in the chart. And, prolonging and intensifying the Japanese nuclear crisis, we will see further quakes ringing daily around the Japanese archipelago and the Ring of Fire. We can now say with clarity that this nuclear disaster will increasingly spread its effect to the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. And, in respect of this, Uranus with Lilith also brings the eery spectre of radiation by stealth. Another of their manifestations is revealed through the Northern and Southern Lights. Solar flares pinwheeling around the Sun with strong Solar winds are contributing to unusual patterning in the earth’s magneto-sphere, further influencing Earths EM field – while telecomms are threatened worldwide, the Auroras have been amazing this year, and both will continue to be! Challenging us to transcend fear, there is a raw beauty at work in the world as the Dark Goddess awakens within. She is present within our inner fire and is helping us to ground within her wisdom.

Being grounded means being in the world, and while current events are excerting an intensity that is testing our resolve to do so, the effect is actually helping us to see where we need to focus the Earth Medicines that are intrinsic to our global healing and transformation – it is our emotions and vulnerability to aquired conditioning that need careful management, so, we are taking this in stages, timing is everything, and this requires sustained focus and is essential to getting and staying ‘real’. It is fairly obvious that we can no longer sustain the level of blind and reckless disregard for the future of our planet and our species that the industrial scientific complex has been driving. How we deal with this now is crucial because we can seed the future with real potency at this time (as we will see!) and, while we do need to think ‘long term’, it all begins in the present with each one of us…..

The challenge is that things are moving fast and the ‘big turn-around’ we are seeking is slow. It comes down to us all at the individual level to embody the change that we want to see in the world, to paraphrase Gandhi. This is doubled up in the reading from the Oracle of Changes that accompanies this time. ‘Holding to our center, small things matter, as accumulation of the small leads to the great….staying with the inner work, nurturing the inner light, water particles accumulate and form clouds – light within clouds, promising rain………the ground awaits nourishment…..divination is favourable……’(1)

So, under increasing pressure, how we react in the current circumstances is a part of our grounding. If we do react that is, for, instinctive and conditioned mentalities can lead us to both ignore the dangers, to ‘act out’, bringing destabilising emotional upsurges, and can also provoke an accompanying escapist impulse, the desire or reflex to ‘get out’, a reaction of the soul that percieves danger. This latter is a natural mechanism, one the shaman is familiar and articulate with. The danger actually lies where the involuntary impulse overtakes us and when the inner boundaries are opening this makes us more receptive to the archetypal powers. As diviners we can, however, be articulate with these powers. It is essential that we do so from within sacred space, clearly defined and firmly established – medicine wheel work, found the world over in many different forms and a part of our collective human heritage, is ideal for this. More on this next time.

It is natural that in times of increasing challenge and danger we seek to protect ourselves, but, in the face of trauma, at a soul level this can mean fragmentation. Soul loss is both a karmic issue and an increasingly fundamental focus for our healing and prayers – if you work with spirit medicine you may be increasingly called to healing soul wounds in your world work. Neptunian influence can increase the efficacy of this work, but, it may also enhance the pull and potency of those fantasies that we may seek refuge in, so our divining can help us to see how to use our visions with intent, rather than being overwhelmed by them, avoiding possession by the archetypal powers. We are seeing the unfolding of karmic debt in the world, and much of this is owed to Nature! However, Nature does not judge as humans do, natural Law is allied with the divine, is sacred and will always favour healing – there is also a natural method at hand…..

Neptune can also bring us into closer relationship with the matrix of Life manifesting through Nature. Being with and within Nature aids the process. With so much destructive energy at work in the world, so much of it focused upon Nature, we can bring our healing to bear here too. There is profound mutual benefit in this. The best thing we can do for Nature on a personal level at this stage is learn from Her, listen to Her, make our peace with Her……this is the gateway to the wisdom of the mind and spirit of Nature, and, if we work from the heart, to Her heart as well. In this way we will remember that we to are a part of Her, that we were never seperate. The spirits within Nature are and always have been here to help us remember this and guide us in working in unity……..look to the animal guides, honour their guidance, the gifts they bring…… with so many species disappearing it is not too late for this, infact it is time! We should consider this carefully in the light of this Moon…….by being in community and inner communication with the myriad creatures we can turn the tide!

Divining, we are becoming luminous as we tend to the inner fire. Earthing within, crystalising the energised matrix through the Flower of Life – in divination we know, the symbol is alive! In the midst of dramatic change inner and outer are in accord – our natural state of balance. At the center stillness is dynamic, filled with energy. Divination is a path of development, knowledge and inspired action – it is available to us all, and in our next post we will take a special look at some of its forms and the ways in which we can further develop it as a skill. Saturn will aid us in this and show us the high side of the divinatory process, help us focus it into form. However, the best way to bring ourselves into alignment with this process and staying earthed is to make medicine in Nature, medicine wheel work, creating sacred space, sharing this with others and networking, sending out strengthening prayers for integrity to be restored – in this way Saturnian energy can help us in creating positive forms that support the healing by bringing us into right relationship with our planet. What is shaping those outer experiences, either way, will push on our boundaries as we do so, action and counter reaction, so, don’t be distracted, hold to the center – its where the greatest and most reliable source of energy and awareness is found……..just being in Nature is enough to put us in touch with this…….She will lead us….

There is something hidden amongst all this, a subtlety that we might otherwise overlook! We may get distracted by the outer world, but, the entire cycle of this Moon will point up the luminousity of the dark goddess connection all the way down to the roots of the World Tree….and it is here that we need to look…….an amazing pattern is being spun by the Sun, Moon, Moon’s nodes and three very significant asteroids, Urda, Erda and Skuld.

Urda, Verdandi and Skuld are the three Norns of Nordic tradition – the Norns spin the web within which the fate and destiny of our souls journey is woven, Urda being the ‘past’, Verdandi the ‘present’ and ‘Skuld’ the future, simply put. There is no asteroid yet named for Verdandi, however, Erda, being the old Germanic word for Earth, being the grounding, the present and connecting us with the Old North, we can bring her in here – the name Erda being contained within V-Erda-ndi this may seem contrived, but, this is far from being arbitrary as asteroid Erda is conjunct the Full Moon!!

I am indebted to Marina at Darkstar for bringing Urda’s presence at this Moon to our attention; you will find the link to her article is at the foot of the page (2) – through following this thread the connections began to emerge…..and when they did the magic began to light up the field with uncanny energies….first, here are the points at which this energetic configuration of the Wyrd is anchored, and can you guess what pattern they make?! :

With Sun and Moon at 27º44’ of Aries and Libra respectively we also find the Moon’s nodes at 25º01’ Sagittarius (NN) and Gemini (SN) and to complete the picture Urda at 22º21’ Aquarius, Skuld at 26º28’ Leo with Erda conjunct the Moon on 27º53’ Libra – in other words a pair of Grand Trines forming a ‘Star of David’.

 

The presence of the Norns tells us that this is a time for activating the inner light, through divination and inner contemplation of our purpose. Being in a combination of Air and Fire signs tells us that as we do so we will be bringing the primal energy of creation together with the energy of mind. Manifesting within the Star of David reflects the process emerging within the entire fractal scale, the balanced dynamic of the Flower of Life. Here again is our growing luminous nature, the emergent consciousness of the dark goddess, our own spiritual embryo filling us with light in complete confirmation from within the starry realms.

Involving the Moon and Sun in balance, the nodal pathway of the soul and the wise women of fate, incarnation and destiny this influence will be with us up to the beginning of the next Moon cycle – any changes we make in this time and their effects will last much longer – we can make good use of it, both individually and collectively, to alter the trajectory of our fate, activate the inner qualities they have funded us with within ourselves and bring them to an higher order and vibration of manifestation – when we do this our destiny changes. And then, theres Venus…..

Well, the beautiful one is poised to deliver, just waiting to pass over or aspect our personal planets in the last degrees of Pisces – check your charts! She is tied into the ‘Star of David’ by yod at this Fulling Moon – through quincunx to the sextile between the Moon+Erda and Skuld. She is saying that our collective ensoulment and manifestation of ancient Earth’s destiny can be expressed as the matured spiritual vision of Beauty that will auger in the new times of Goddess consciousness and energy, and Venus is ready to release this through your own inner light……make good use of this opportunity…..

………our fate is cardinal, initiatic in quality, our grounding fixed, in the eternal present, and the future, our destiny, mutable – choice, chance and the wisdom of the Goddess will be revealed through divination….use this time well!

(1) The hexagrams underlying this reading are :

9 ‘Small Accumulating’ : “Wind moving above Heaven. Small Accumulating. A Chün Tzu (diviner) uses highlighting the pattern to actualise the Tao”,

…with changing line 3 giving rise to :

61 ‘Centering, Connecting’ : “Centering and Connection to the Spirits, hogfish (Dolphins) auspicious. Advantageous to step into the Great River (to enter the stream of Life with purpose). Harvesting. Following Advantageous Trails (divination).”

Extracts from – ‘I Ching’, Stephen Karcher, Vega 2002.

(2) here is the link to Marina’s reading at Darkstar – ‘Full Moon April – Unchained Mind’, Darkstar Astrology.