NMR ISSUE 40

Astrological Forecast 40
But look at All the Good They've Done
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Esoteric Symbology of the Tarot
Flying Squirrel
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Meditations on the Elements: Water
The Gravity of Fun
The Holly King
The Psychomagickal Hypothesis
The Sirius Connection

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Astrological Forecast

November December, 1995

By Terry Lamb, M.A.

Enter the New World!

It's been here all along, but we've been taught to ignore it. Though it's been here at any point in history that I can detect, it has not been as readily available. Many people have sought it, found themselves in it, felt lost, then found. They have been cut off, persecuted, castigated, censored, censured, tortured, brutalized, mutilated. They have been honored, worshipped, respected, idolized, feared, and followed.

It's a place that they go to, but it's right here, it's everywhere. In some places it's closer and more easily palpated than others. More people are a part of it and it draws closer there, or the planetary grid pattern permits it.

It is an interpenetrating, other-dimensional world. While it has always been here, the teachings and writings on it have always been masked in riddle, disguised in song, fable or myth, relegated to the kooky, the odd, the esoteric or obscure. I cannot speculate on the more far-out aspects of it, those that cannot be verified, even within my own loose framework. What I have come to realize, however, is that the shift between these worlds is subtle; and as the overall evolution of humanity increases and the unique evolution of individuals blazes the path, we are stepping as a planet into the beyond. More and more people are writing about it, talking about it, and it is finding general acceptance among the population through sources like The Celestine Prophecy and the books of Deepak Chopra.

I would like to suggest that this new world that is spoken of—this magical world where we experience peace and never grow old and within which we are capable of ascending—manifesting our light body is essentially accessible now. While most of the population is not aware of it, they are certainly responding to life differently, but in their own unique ways. Whether it is through assuming a spiritual path, following a guru, taking yoga classes, joining a Pentecostal church, donating to a relief fund, quitting their job to do their Real Work, or reading that strange book that they never would have considered glancing at five years ago, something has changed.

This New World is not a system in the way that the Old World is. It is truly based on the ideals long held by the spiritually minded. It has a different economy, a different approach to life. The people in it have different experiences, whether they realize it or not. As described by Drunvalo Melchizedek and Bob Frissell in Nothing In This Book Is True, But It's Exactly the Way Things Are, it is the 12th level of fourth dimensional reality, others call it the fifth dimension. Still other sources describe it more vaguely, but it is hard to find a new book in the metaphysical bookstores that doesn't address this issue. In this reality, whatever it is called, you experience Christ-consciousness. Love is more apparent, more easily given and received. Materialism assumes less importance. The old ways of being fade, a feeling of peace is a more frequent experience.

It should come as no surprise that there are astrological indicators that correlate with this. I have been talking about it for years now, but I haven't known what it was or how it would manifest. I have been thinking of it (as have many others) as someplace that we will have to go to, something much different from what we were experiencing. I didn't imagine that a mere shift in orientation, in perspective, would bring it to light.

The planets reflect this shift in orientation. If we could see it from the inner level, we would see what happens—every one of the slow-moving bodies (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) transits through Scorpio. Scorpio, the sign of transformation, brings with it a shift in universal reality. Through it we see that the universe is different from the way it is usually perceived. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto have all transited through Scorpio in the last 35 years. This phenomenon is remarkable, since the latter two move very slowly, taking 172 and 248 years to travel once around the Sun. Furthermore, and I feel that this is most significant, this is the first time that these planets have interacted thus since their discovery. This signals that humanity is now consciously experiencing energies that have been unconscious and undifferentiated in previous centuries. It is as if Pluto has just been in Scorpio for the first time, even though we know it was traveling through Scorpio 248 years ago.

The glimpse that we got of the new world this spring, when Pluto visited Sagittarius and Uranus peeked at Aquarius, was enough to trigger a broader response, get some new books published on the subject and bring a few more people into a new sense of self. By January 12th these planets finally complete their transition into the new energy fields. They will be carrying with them all who are ready to enter this substantially new reality—already in existence, but not readily visible. Those so carried will be the way-showers for the next wave—ready to step up a level of consciousness. This stepping up process will continue throughout the time that Pluto is in Sagittarius (until 2008) and will be enhanced by Uranus while it is in Aquarius (until 2003).

In the meantime, the usual, er, stuff will be hitting the fan in the public/international arena, but there may be new solutions and resolutions that occur with greater frequency over the next thirteen years. Transcendence is the domain of Sagittarius, and we may truly see some of that happen. Of course the shortcomings, the polarizations, will be very much in evidence too—and some problems we never thought of. I refer you once again to After the Warming, a 90-minute show by James Burke for some very good speculation on this!

October brings to consciousness those issues (especially in relationships) remaining from the old cycle so that we can clear them. (We cannot solve what we cannot bring to consciousness and define.) November produces a firework display of dazzling proportion just before Thanksgiving. December finds us with a foot in both worlds—transition time arrives!

NOVEMBER:
Climbing the Stairway to Heaven

It is as if the world needed a rest. Except for a ho-hum Full Moon and your average ups and downs, the first three weeks of November give us a cosmic nap. The drab browns of the month are matched by the sky's quietude. So when Pluto slips into Sagittarius on the 10th, it is with little fanfare.

But this is the illusion. With Pluto's entry into Sag, we quietly enter the new world. And with that first trigger planet, we will get the message that the Cosmos intends to respond very differently than it did just a few days before.

Although the hit is indirect, we may notice some small, seemingly diversionary effects that day. It has to do with having reached a point in a 20-year cycle ruling economic patterns, including real estate prices. The high point of the cycle was to be five years ago, when the real estate market was reaching a low in California—the bleeding edge in real estate. At this point in the cycle, real estate prices should be reaching for a new low. (The recovery point? How about in 15 years?) Economic awareness should be high at this time, and we can expect the economy to be attempting to break free of its recent constipation.

Relationships that were on the receiving end of new insights in October will be at pains to make visible adjustments toward the professed new values on the 2nd and again on the 12th. Communication will be easier in the coming week however and will clear the way for new, more vigorous activity. (There may be a wonderful sexual denouement to reward your efforts on the 15th!)

After the 17th, the world seems especially rosy as love blossoms. In the evening sky after sunset, we get ample opportunity to see both Venus and Jupiter in fiery flirtation as the New Moon approaches.

Then the heavy artillery hits. You may have been feeling the pressures of the time in the form of extreme busy-ness. This is a sure sign that Saturn is about to make its presence known. It does so on the 21st, but this is a release of energy, and better times are in store.

This is the first step in setting up what is sure to be an internal display of fireworks, because on the next day we have an incredible conjunction of planets—the first major trigger of our newly arrived Pluto in Sagittarius. The Sun, Moon Mercury all enter Sagittarius on the 22nd to join their greeting party, Pluto. Already in attendance at the Sagittarius party are Jupiter, Venus and Mars, having a grand old time around 24! They'll be complaining though about that party-pooper Saturn raining on their parade (that is, squaring them) from near the same degree of Pisces!

All this sets up a tremendous pressure, and all the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces) get to have a growth experience. The mutable sign issue is a crisis in healing/wholeness. During this time and for the lunar cycle that follows, we may experience challenges to our sense of wholeness and completeness. We may feel scattered, overwhelmed, and inundated by truth. Certainly we will see the effects of this influence in fairly classic form on the macro-international and -economic level. There will be new difficulties with Pluto newly into Sagittarius, difficulties we may not be able to anticipate. The newspaper headlines will reveal the way the new patterns will work.

We will surely not escape this planetary extreme without some corresponding weather extremes around the world. I think we can expect at least one major cold water event affecting the normally warm-weather regions of the world. We shall certainly see snow by then, probably in mass quantities—a blizzard or two appropriately placed, etc. People will be seeking to travel at about that time for the Thanksgiving holiday, and their plans may be curtailed or at least threatened by the immobilizing effects of the predominant weather patterns of the time.

On a personal level, you will feel the energies of transcendence in your life in some way. For those of us who are already processing kundalini energies, you will feel a boost in amperage during this time. For some who are not aware of these forces of life moving within them, they will have a conscious experience of kundalini for the first time. You may find yourself ready to complete some things, finally ready to leave behind anything that has outlived its usefulness. The courage and clarity you lacked before is very present, and to remain with the old situations would be spiritual death. (But it may be until mid-April before anyone else knows about your new plans—or at least until then before you complete them.)

We must not forget that the conjunction of the Sun with Pluto brings to us the beginning of a new yearly Pluto cycle, ruling transformative experiences and events. Observe what is happening around this time, because these events will have a far-reaching effect, reaching forward to color the experiences in March, May and August of 1996.

If this energy has you spinning, you can expect a more grounding influence to blessedly enter our lives on the 30th. People will begin to behave more practically, to say and do things that make sense.

DECEMBER:
Beginning to Ground the New Energies

We are blessed to have Capricorn in the Zodiac. Not too many people will admit it, if they even understand the blessing of its existence. The wisdom, depth and solidity of this Earth sign is a welcome relief from the high-minded—if truthful on a certain level—impracticality of Sagittarius. We receive this blessing as the month opens, and it stays with us through the greater part of January.

Where relationships are concerned, don't be fooled into a false sense of complacency on the 2nd and 3rd. The 4th will reveal something hard to communicate, yet you will feel compelled to do so. However it is handled, it is not likely to be complete until after the Full Moon on the 6th, when you will probably feel compelled to be truthful, even if it will hurt. (Temper it a little with compassion, look for openness in your companion. Remember that we're all vulnerable.) The air is cleared tremendously by events on the 7th and 8th. The 9th through the 15th slip by almost unnoticed (was that a nighttime I remembered vaguely in there somewhere?), and the 16th is a foggy blur (perhaps a little romanticism this day). What you may notice this week is that the prevalent virus of the holiday season hits as people just can't take any more stress and sleep loss. It's a good time to take care of yourself and your inner needs.

On the 17th, we reach a crossroads in relationships, a twice-yearly event. This may bring decisions borne of hardship and fear or wisdom and practicality (the two sides of Capricorn). Spiritual ideals (and white weather—snow and fog) may predominate during the coming week.

The New Moon on the 21st may find us dreamy, romantic, creative and feeling especially spiritual during this holiday season. The Yule celebration may find us unusually aware of our Source, our unity with all, and our interdependence upon each other. (A little self-pity may also feel appropriate about now.) Yule occurs on the 22nd this year, but it should be celebrated on the 21st if you want your Yule log to be burning at the time that Yule arrives (just after midnight on the West Coast).

The remaining few days of 1995 feel like a soft, quiet snowfall from where I'm sitting (in my warm September office). Finalize the year with some quiet time to feel what is happening inside. This will allow you to take advantage of an especially insightful configuration occurring during the last week of the year.

During the last three months of this year, give yourself over to the prevalent fervor, the growing enthusiasm you feel within. It is time for upliftment, and you must consciously choose to join in. It is your entitlement as a human to be free to choose. The New World is a wonderful place to be, a fine reward for the efforts of conscious personal growth. May you find your true path during this time.

Blessed Be!