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2022 Highlights
Three Supermoons in 2022
A “supermoon” takes place when two astronomical
factors come into play – during a New or Full Moon that coincides with
the lunar body approaching 90 percent of her closest distance (perigee)
to Earth. These events influence the Earth quite directly, since the Moon
has such a profound effect on the tides and organic life. New Moons
inaugurate cycles of growth, while Full Moons bring to fruition the
actions of the previous 14 days.
This year's supermoons are all full and follow each
other sequentially. In society, it will prompt a volatile summer season
with unrestrained movement followed by acceptance and stability.
Planning and organization follow, with government embracing innovative
approaches to education, child care, and social welfare.
Full
Moon June 14th
23º Sagittarius 25'
Full
Moon July
13th 21º
Capricorn 21'
Full
Moon August 11th 19º Aquarius 21'
Jupiter conjoins Neptune on April 12th (23º Pisces
59’), an event that will dramatically highlight the deceptions and
fictions that have evolved over the last 13 years, when this conjunction
last took place (2009, another pandemic year). At the same time,
progress in medical technologies will accelerate as new health hazards
are identified.
Jupiter then briefly enters Aries on May 11th,
retrogrades back into Pisces on October 28th, and returns to the domain
of Aries on December 20th. These periods signal significant efforts to
alleviate the displacement of communities caused by environmental
catastrophes.
Season of Taurus: April 19 – May 20, 2022
The Hesperides
– Burne Jones (1833-1898)
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A Divine Garden
At the edge of the world, where Earth
and sky meet, the Olympian gods created a garden with orchards of
miraculous fruit trees. Guarded by maidens known as the Hesperides
(“Daughters of Evening”), the garden is a passage to a celestial realm
where beauty and song gladden heroic sojourners. Likewise, the season of
Taurus celebrates the victory of life emerging from winter’s quiescence
following the Spring Equinox, and sets the stage for nature’s
proliferation in the coming months.
In the garden of the Hesperides, the
golden apples of immortality were given to those who ventured as far
west as the setting Sun, an allusion to the rewards awaiting the
virtuous at the gates of the afterlife. It is the endowment of the soul
that ventures past the comforts of mundane existence and seeks the fruit
of a mythical tree in that garden – the one that offers knowledge of
good and evil. And here another obstacle exists – the tree of golden
apples is also the abode of the dragon Ladon, who must be slain or
transformed by the hero/ine before immortality can be obtained.
The tree, its fruit, and the dragon
represent the both the lure and the dangers of mortal life. In the
season of Taurus, we may become complacent with the return of Spring and
the warmth of nature that revitalizes the living, but heroic acts await
us each and every day. Problems must be resolved, threats must be
transformed into accord. These are acts that transcend time and create
the miraculous fruit of harmony and celestial song – the reward of
virtue.
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Goddess Hathor embraces Pharaoh Seti
Embodiment of her consort Horus
– Tomb of Seti I, Valley of the Kings
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The
union of man and goddess, the seeding of the soil and the fertilization
of the land, was celebrated in ancient Egypt with the Festival of the
Joyous Union, the annual mating of the goddess Hathor with her consort,
Horus. In an elaborate holiday involving temples, citizens, and fleets
of Nile boats, the image of the goddess sailed from her great house at
Dendera upstream to the god’s domain at Edfu at the New Moon in Taurus
(this year on May 18th).
Sheltered within the sanctuary for 14
days, the powers of the deities fused, to later disperse in a great
ceremony at the following Full Moon. It would mark the conception of
their child, Ihy lord of harmony. In modern Egypt, the ancient festival
is still commemorated in the public holiday of Sham el-Nessim
(“breathing the air”), held on the Monday following Coptic Easter (this
year celebrated on April 13th).
Sacred Calendar
The eve of April 30th is
Walpurgisnacht, marking the commencement of the annual mid-Spring
European festival of Walpurgis through May 5th. Bonfires fueled by
outworn winter goods are lit at night, followed by the May 1st ritual of
dancing around the Maypole, symbol of the fertilization of the Earth
and the flowering of vegetation to come. The roots of “spring cleaning”
are arise from this celebration, this year make it a labor of
rejuvenation with recycling and regifting.
This time is honored in the
Celtic/Welsh feast of Beltaine, honoring Blodeuwedd, Goddess of Flowers,
and Llew, the Oak king and lord of the waxing Sun in the northern sky.
Mystical union is the theme of this season, as the seeds of life take
root in the womb of nature. Bring these powers into your own environment
with seedlings at your windows and ribbons bound on budding branches at
your door.
Earth Day is celebrated on April
22nd, a time to reflect on our bond with the planet we inhabit and the
great spirit that enlivens it. Even if some do not relate to Deity as
mother, it is evident that all existence is dependent upon one’s
cooperative relationship with nature, and what it provides us to grow
and mature throughout its rhythms and seasons as that bond deepens.
The ancients seemed to understand this
intrinsically and consistently. The Romans honored the goddess Flora,
patroness of Spring, from April 28–May 2nd. Her Floralia was both a
festival and an evocation of the dormant powers of life in the soil to
awaken. Though reported to be an event of indulgence and licentiousness,
it is one of many ancient festivals acknowledging the bond between
mortals and nature, the mating of humankind with the Earth. It marks the
onset of the agricultural calendar, the first sowing of the seed.
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Cosmic Events
The Sun enters Taurus on
April 19th at 10:24 pm with a stellium in Pisces at the U.S.
capital. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune fall in the 4th House of
Homeland, with Saturn trailing in the 3rd House of Infrastructure. This
grouping creates delays, misinformation, and conflicting agendas that
will bring additional gridlock to solving national problems. Geological
and weather-related conditions add to disruptions. At the same time,
progress and optimism grow as the Sagittarius Moon points to new
beginnings among allied powers.
Pluto turns to retrograde motion
on April 29th at 2:36 pm (28º Capricorn 35’) and remains in regressive
mode until October 8th. Insurrections are uncovered, restructuring of
outmoded regimes begin, and new powers are recognized.
The New Moon takes place
on April 30th at 4:28 pm (10º Taurus 28’) with the Lunation in a
partial Solar Eclipse. The volatility of this conjunction is amplified
by its close proximity to Uranus in the 8th House of National Debt. The
current Pisces stellium falls in the 6th House of Public Health and
Education, amplifying the national division in such matters. A return to
some pandemic conditions is indicated. On May 1st Ramadan ends.
Jupiter enters Aries on
May 11th for a brief period, returning to Pisces on October 28th and
re-entering the domain of Aries on December 20th. This will relieve
inflation during the Aries period.
The Full Moon takes
place on May 16th at 12:14 am (25º Scorpio 17’), bringing a Total Lunar
Eclipse of 3 hrs 27 min duration (the astrological period of influence
translates to 3.5 months). While a temperamental atmosphere is fostered
during this period, forces moving toward stability act by covert means.
Individuals in high places meet, agree, and disclose a plan of action.
Mercury turns to retrograde motion
on May 10th at 7:48 am (4º Gemini 51’), as the planet of transmission
begins to leave the Sign of communication. While the situation often
reoccurs at this time of year, it doesn’t diminish the predictable
confusions, backtracks, and double dealing that transpires among the
unbelievers. Until June 3rd, when the slog back to normalcy returns.
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Roman Goddess Flora
by Luca Giordano (1634–1705)
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Return of Persephone
Lord Frederick Leighton (1830–1896)
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Season of Aries: March 20 – April 19, 2022
The seasonal change that takes place between Winter
to Spring has been universally regarded as a time of renewal and
regeneration. In celestial terms, it is the Sun’s passage from the
watery torrents of Pisces to the fiery warmth of Aries, a restatement of
creation when the spark of life arose from the depths of the cosmic
ocean in timeless time.
The Vernal (from Latin vernalis, “of the spring”) Equinox (equi nox, “equal
night”) is the first of two events in the Earth’s annual circuit around
the Sun when the terrestrial axis is upright, when night and day hours
are of equal length. Likewise, we may be raised up from the incline of
winter and the preoccupations of physical existence, to reach for the
sky’s intangibles once more.
In ancient Greece, the renewing forces of Spring were
embedded in the great mythos of Persephone, daughter of the Earth
goddess Demeter. Abducted by Hades and forced underground for part of
the year, her return to the ream of the living was commemorated in the
Eleusinian Mysteries, which celebrated the reunion of mother and
daughter at the Vernal Equinox. Persephone’s return from the underworld
signifies the return of nature’s fecundity and our return to nurturing
and growing.
Another ancient motif of renewal is portrayed in the
legends of Cybele, the Phrygian mother of the gods and personification
of Earth. She chose Attis, an innocent shepherd youth, as her consort.
Believed to have been born from a virgin birth, he was tricked into
suicide by jealous gods and died on a Friday. Cybele resurrected him
mystically after three days of mourning, and each year his return to
life was reprised during the Spring Equinox. The festival, known as the
Hilaria, is celebrated on March 25th with the raising of a Pine tree.
For us, it is a time to exercise our own renewal and organize the coming
plantings. Start your seedlings and visibly engage the mystic force of
life in your environment.
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Nymph Chloris
Detail from Botticelli’s Primavera
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Goddess Times
The embodiment of Spring is the Greek Chloris,
goddess of greenery and growth. Consort of Zephyrus, god of the West
wind, she governs fields and gardens, which come to life in her season.
She brought the Rose into being from a lifeless nymph, a metaphor of
nature’s power to awaken our inner beauty. With her consort, she also
gives life to the supreme goddess of devotion, Aphrodite.
April 1st is the feast of Veneralia, dedicated
to the Roman Venus Verticordia (“changer of hearts”), the goddess who
restores purity and intent. As we are in the season of renewal, this
deity gives attention to the ideals that have hibernated through a
winter of isolation from our kindred spirits, those who share life with
us on Earth. Let us “change our hearts” from personal concerns to share
with others what the goddess has already provided in our lives.
April also heralds the season of Fortuna Virilis, the
goddess “who makes men virile.” She was invoked by Roman women to
ensure happy marriages and strong sons. Regarded as Bona Dea, “the
good goddess,” she brings abundance and assures a time of plenty. We
would do well to invoke her for the sake of all who seek respite from
the fears of the present.
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Cosmic Events
The Sun enters Aries on
March 20th at 11:33 am . This is indeed a momentus equinox at the U.S.
capital: the Sun is
followed by Neptune, Jupiter, and Mercury, warning leadership of
deceptions and overblown communications. Truths are later revealed, as
Venus, Mars, and Saturn appear with compromise and the rule of law. The
Moon at 29º Libra is moments away from the domain of Scorpio, where
in coming days she will encounter disruptions and enmity. Emotions will
rule the day as hurried actions are put into place to avert chaos.
Stability awaits, and will be found.
The New Moon takes place on April 1st
at 2:24 am (11º Aries 30’) as the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction edges
toward an atmosphere of overblown, confusing mandates. Sorting out
priorities and facts will take time as competing interests vie for
public attention. In the meantime, a Fourth House Uranus at the U.S.
capital rattles the complacency of those in power. The Second House of
Financial activity moves forward with new policies while growth remains
steadfast.
Ramadan begins at Sunset.
The Full Moon takes
place on April 16th at 2:55 pm (26º Libra 45’) as Jupiter and Neptune
form an exact conjunction. Over the last few days tension has risen, but
solutions to imponderable problems are presented through diplomacy.
Along with Jupiter and Neptune, Venus and Mars fill the Seventh House of
allies, engaged in actions of mutual interest, including a powerful
entity that has waited in the shadows. Compromise and preliminary
accords are forwarded, even though limited.
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The Avenue of Rams
Luxor, Egypt
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The founding of the Ukrainian nation following
its separation from Russia in 1991 reflects a proud, visionary state
that models endurance and a continuation of its historical antecedents in a new form.
Since January 2021 it has experienced its first
Saturn Return and awaits
a conjunction of Saturn to its Aquarius Moon (April 1st–December 29th
of this year). Yes, difficult times are ahead, but a period of renewal and rebuilding awaits.
Will the vision prevail?
Those with insight are welcome to prognosticate
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Season of Pisces: February 18 – March 19, 2022
Pisces, last sign in the annual cycle of
the Sun through the houses of the Zodiac, brings a period of
completion and preparation for a new cosmic journey.
In Greek legend we are told of the monster
serpent Typhon, who sought to overthrow Zeus and the Olympian gods. As
he battled the divine patriarch, the gods sought refuge in Syria and
Egypt. Among them, Aphrodite and her son Eros plunged into the river
Nile to escape the predations of Typhon, and took the form of fishes.
Their images were placed in the heavens as the Ichthyes (“fish”),
forming the constellation Pisces. They swim in the waters of baptism,
where we are not cleansed of any mortal stain invented by false
prophets, but returned to the amniotic waters of rejuvenation and made
whole again.
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Eros and Aphrodite, the celestial Ichthyes
in the Pisces constellation
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Goddess Times
In ancient Egypt, the water goddess initially takes form as
the frog-headed Heqet, dweller in the primordial swamp. She is the
source of cosmic proliferation, the bringer of births in all dimensions
of celestial life. Heqet brings life to the barren, and in this cycle we
can depend on her for fertilizing the imagination of what is possible.
And in the realm of nature, Nut is seen as the celestial
mother, incubating within her body the spirits of past and future. As
keeper of these exalted spirits in the guise of celestial asterisms, she
becomes mistress of enchantments in the incubation sleep of the temple.
Through Nut we may remain connected to our ancestral heritage, both
human and divine. She also takes us to the well of memory, past and
future.
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Heqet
Primordial goddess at Philae Temple
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Goddess Nut as the arc of the sky
– Papyrus Greenfield. British Museum
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Similarly, Tiamat, the Babylonian sea goddess and primordial being lived
in the waters of the abyss before time became manifest. Through her we
are connected to the ancient sea on which our strivings and visions sail
– the collective unconscious. We may use this time to tap into
our spiritual reservoir and draw on the strengths we often forget.
The great number of nature spirits in ancient Greece
assumed form as water nymphs – the Nereides (goddesses of the sea),
Naiads (beings of fresh water, brooks and foundation stones), and
Oceanids (powerful children of Oceanus and Tethys). Each is a mirror of
wisdom, enchantment, or inspiration, and each is a gift we may access in
the cycle of Piscean contemplation.
Cosmic Events
The Sun enters Pisces on
February 18th at 11:42 am with Saturn the most elevated planet in the
sky. This puts a damper on the growth and delayed prosperity that
Jupiter brings in the coming months. Mercury’s position in Aquarius at
the 9th House of international communication draws like minds together,
both in dialogue and summits. A grand Earth trine of Moon, Pluto, and
the Moon’s North Node promises economic growth this Spring in gradual
stages.
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The New Moon
takes place on March 2nd at 12:35 pm (12º Pisces 06’) also emphasizes
the 9th House of international relations. The Lunation here emphasizes a
long term accord or multinational plan that is implemented on short
notice. Both Jupiter and Neptune in Pisces straddle the midheaven,
indicating underground resources such as oil, natural gas, and shipping
traffic that are at issue. These powerful placements will dominate
global commerce for more than the duration of this Lunar month. Venus,
Mars, and Pluto form a stellium in the 7th House of allies and enemies,
representing potent forces at odds with each other.
The Full Moon takes
place on March 18th at 3:18 am EDT (27 Virgo 40’) as Venus, Mars,
Mercury, and Saturn are domiciled in the 2nd House of natural wealth.
This grouping brings economic and monetary fluctuations, affecting
mostly eastern countries. It may lead to a transitory panic, but new
approaches to capitalizing on existing natural resources will be
employed. The Moon in the 9th House of international relations shows
other fluctuations, from hesitancy to active participation by allied
powers.
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Abduction of Ganymede
–Peter Paul Rubens, 1577–1640 |
Season of Aquarius: January 19 – February 18, 2022
And godlike Ganymede,
Most beautiful of men;
The gods beheld and caught him up
To heaven, so beautiful was he, to pour
The wine to Jove, and ever dwell with them.
– Homer
Aquarian Acts of Service
Ganymede, a
Trojan prince, was viewed by the Olympian gods as the most
attractive among mortals. But with this admiration came notice from Zeus
himself, who sought the young man to serve as cupbearer to the
celestial powers. Taking the form of an eagle, Zeus swooped down from
the heavens and abducted Ganymede, who became an immortal but also a
servant to the gods. His image is embodied in the constellation
Aquarius, and is accompanied by the eagle constellation Aquila.
This ancient story tells of the obligation
human beings have when they seek to become “godlike.” The individual ego
is subsumed by divine will, and those powers hold greater sway over
mortal destiny than the petty aspirations of the individual. A lesson to
be well understood by those who strive for the ethereal heights!
But the Aquarian motif also alludes to a
cosmic secret – the gods seek our service as much we we seek their
gifts. The exchange of powers––human and divine––becomes possible when
each recognizes the needs of the other. It is the ancient art of
theurgia that endows this secret, a sacred tradition that is unlocked
with the words and gestures of magic. In this way, the server is given a
true place in the heavens and is served by the powers s/he has honored.
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Sacred Calendar
The Celtic Midwinter festival of Imbolc is
celebrated on February 2nd, the first of four cross-quarter (falling
between a solstice and an equinox) festivals of the pagan year.
Imbolc is derived from the term for “sheep's milk,” hence it is a
festival welcoming the birth and first cleansing of newborn lambs.
Imbolc is also celebrated as Candlemas, Bride's
Day, and Brighid's Day and is associated with the Full Moon of
Leo-Aquarius, which takes place this year on February 16th. Though
traditionally a time given to predicting if winter will linger (a
precursor to Groundhog Day), it is a spiritual doorway that promotes
divination. In keeping with the original festival of the fire goddess
Brighid, the purification of hearth and lighting of candles are rituals
enacted to bring forth the patroness of light.
The Brighid Cross is a talisman signifying the four Cross-Quarter festivals in the Celtic year.
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The Muse Ourania
Simon Vouet, 1590 - 1649
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Also associated with this season are virgin deities
and child goddesses. In Ireland: St. Kinnia, in Nepal: Kumari, and in
Greece: Ourania, the muse of astronomy. Appropriate rituals for this
season include the passing of fire from hearth to lamp (Roman: Vesta),
invocations to the divinities of learning and record keeping (Egyptian:
Ma’at and Seshat), healing rites that convey sustenance (Greek: Hygeia
and Hindu: Parvati), and clothing sacred images (Greek: Athena and
Egyptian Taiyet). Offerings include candles, butter, cheese, and linen.
On February 8th the Hari No Kuyo is celebrated
in Japan, a women’s day of rest and recreation. This Shinto
festival, also known as the Festival of Broken Needles, puts to rest the
worn and broken tools of the homemaker and honors the oft-overlooked
daily work of the seamstress and tailor. For despite the sorrows and
sacrifices of these laborers, weaving and sewing convey the tremendous
power of healing to its practitioners and recipients.
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Cosmic Events
The Sun enters Aquarius
on January 19th at 9:39 pm, with concerns of public health uppermost as
Virgo rises in the U.S. capital and Neptune descends below the horizon.
The issue may be addressed directly, but Mars at the cusp of the
domestic 4th House bears obstruction and conflict. The stellium of
planets in the 5th House of Youth and Education emphasizes matters of
importance but fail to go forward with Mercury’s retrograde position.
The New Moon takes place
on February 1st at 12:46 am (12º Aquarius 19’) with the lights leaving a
square to Uranus and applying to a conjunction with Saturn. Conflict
with an outside enemy fades, though overreaction may be difficult to
curb. In the meantime, Saturn obscures and obfuscates forward progress,
energized by the Capricorn stellium (Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Pluto).
Nevertheless, the Aquarian lunation is progressive, becoming evident a
few days later when Mercury’s motion turns direct.
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This event marks the
Lunar New Year, the year of the Black Water Tiger, a Yang (active) year.
The hexagram representing this period is #48 Jing, The Well. It is comprised of the trigrams water above, earth below. Hexagram 48 instructs “the need to nourish and
strengthen the soul constantly as the flow of life is always moving
forward.” An inexhaustible supply of water and sustenance are referenced
by this hexagram. It represents the time to plumb the depths of our
resources and plan for their use. If the well appears to be dry or the
water is difficult to access, cooperation with others will resolve the
need. Besides the well of resources, the well of knowledge is plumbed
for its depths, and the kingdom benefits from the wisdom drawn.
Mercury turns to direct motion on
February 3rd at 11:13 pm (24º Capricorn 22’) during an exact Sun-Saturn
conjunction. While agreements are made, frustration is not dispelled
and delay can not be avoided. This is a time for patience, as forward
motion is assured. As Mercury moves toward a conjunction with Pluto in
the coming week, transformative agreements are achieved incrementally.
The Moon separates from deceptive Neptune, uncovering and resolving
longstanding fictions.
The Full Moon
takes place on February 16th at 12:46 am (27º Leo 59’), very close to
the star Regulus (Cor Leonis). This asterism has been regarded from
antiquity as “the star of kings,” but has itself migrated forward to the
constellation of Virgo in 2011. This represents the power shift from
private to public access, and the effort to establish social equity. At
this Full Moon, such conditions are uppermost in the endeavors of
lawmakers, whether they are personally committed or compelled to act by
public demand.
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