NMR ISSUE 46

Abundance Circle
Activating Miraculous Success
And Now for Something a Little Different
Astrological Forecast 46
Circle of Fire
Circle of the Stars
Dolphin Magick
Earwig & Cow
Editorial 46
Esoteric Symbology of the Tarot
Finding the Goddess in Ancient Greece
Hear O Humankind
Letters 46
Magick in the Forest
Making the Break
Old Ways to Celebrate New Life
Other Editorial 46
So True, So Real
Spring Equinox Rite
The Lesson of the Tree
The Portrait of the Beast
To Be a Witch
To Pythia
We Are Everywhere
Weasel, Black Beetle & Plover

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Astrological Forecast:

Spring: Mending the Split

By Terry Lamb, M.A.

Usually we experience the planets as working in layers in our consciousness. Jupiter works on the level of our role in society, Saturn on our experiences with authority and responsibility, Mercury on our focus, and so on. However, there occasionally comes a time when the heavens point the way to integration. Integration is that much overlooked and poorly understood process which allows an experience to stick with us. We can define this as the blending of new energies, influences and understandings into the old in whatever form. When we do a working in a ritual, we experience a release as we set the energies of our focus free; and then we customarily take the time to bring in the Light to fill our consciousness in a new way. Or when we heal ourselves of a wound, we remove a blockage from our energy field in some way. But if we do not take the time to focus on bringing in something (ideally the Light) to fill in the empty space left by the clearing, we invite the old pattern to come back. Then we must heal it over again. In another example, when we reach a pinnacle, receive a reward, or mark a milestone of personal success, do we take the time to fully experience this new height, to enjoy this experience? If we do not, we miss out, not only on a time of joy and self-love, but also on an important stage in the learning process.

Without integration, we miss out on what makes life enjoyable. We miss out on two important steps in the healing process (and all our experiences have the power to heal us), bringing in the Light and gratitude. During the time immediately after we have experienced a release, if we open to the Light, if we invite all the beings of Light, love and healing to assist us in the process, we are taking advantage of an opportunity to experience the purest joy and love the universe has to offer. We also give back that love in the act, because those beings of spirit that participate in the process also experience the joy and gratification of being able to fulfill their purpose. What's more, it's another opportunity to bring more Light into manifestation on the planet; so in experiencing such Light, love and joy, you are doing a service to all who are in existence or who will ever come into existence. Finally, it is your birthright to come into your own as a spiritual being, a being of Light, which is Who You really are.

Three other things happen when I experience integration. First, I often hear voices giving me the understanding of what I have just learned and what I must do to bring this new lesson into my daily life. Second, I naturally move into a state of gratitude for all the energy I have been given, all the love I have received, both from spirit and from those in my life. Third, I feel equipped with the tools (and find that I truly am) to bring my new wisdom into my daily life, with immediate positive impact.

Gratitude is the energy field we must be in, in order to manifest the next stage in our growth, from which we can affirm what we next wish to receive. Prayer as a means of supplication, asking implies doubt. When we are in doubt, however slight, we cannot receive. On a purely pragmatic level, when we are in doubt, we cannot be open to all the possibilities that lie before us, if only because doubt puts us in the past or the future. Any time but the present, which is where we need to be in order to being open to the potentials of every moment of our lives. Doubt is also a sign that the ego is still in play, and the Cosmos does not respond to the ego, however subtle its manifestations might be. So the proper way to begin the manifestation of the next thing is to do so while you are in gratitude. Even if you did not do so at the time that you were integrating an experience, you can recall the stream of gratitude to you if you call in the Light and remind yourself of the feeling. Then call upon the spirits and beings of Light, which are personally meaningful to you and affirm your intention to create the next thing. Accept it as if it is already yours, because it is. And as long as you keep to the Wiccan Rede (and if it harm none, do what you will, honoring the right to self-determination in others), you will not build negative karma in the process.

If integration is overlooked by many on the spiritual path, it is virtually nonexistent as a concept among the lay population, except in the form of victory celebrations and the like. However, it is a major key to success in all undertakings of life, one of the great secrets of the Tarot and other esoteric paths. After a major spiritual transformation (step in growth), integration can take months, even years. Let's take the example of a transformation in the third chakrum (solar plexus) for a person who is overweight. If a clearing and integration of Light in that area leads to the empty space (that the person previously tried to fill with food) being filled with light, self-love and self-acceptance, they will no longer strive to fill the space with food; and they may naturally shed the pounds they had put on previously as a personal symbol of their imbalance and need for growth. This integration may take place over many months, even years! Other integrations are subtler, involving changes in relationships with others as our attitudes and beliefs change, which will cause us to change our actions. A simple shift in one belief, such as a belief that our physical body is bad or unacceptable as it is (a common hangover from lifetimes in the Christian world), or that sex is bad (maybe you don't think you feel that way, but look deep within) or that being female (or male) is bad, can bring a whole new approach to life. For how can we fully embrace life and give ourselves all that we want for ourselves if we cannot accept any part of ourselves? Each act of manifestation of what we want is an act of self-love, of self-acceptance; and as co-creators of our lives, our experiences, what we see around us, is a reflection of who we think we are and how we feel about ourselves. It is almost a given that we are born into life with splits in our nature, and quite often our childhood is filled with experiences that magnify the splits. Most of us come into our spiritual path with a split between spirit and matter, a split that many paths of the New Age do little to mend. However, just as eventually everything we need to experience rises to the top, so too does this weakness in Western spirituality bubble up to the surface so that we can heal it for ourselves individually as well as for the culture.

Everywhere around us we see signs of a lack of integration. I'll bet that when I first used the word, you thought I was talking about racial integration. That is a part of the struggle, for every example of a separation or split (such as racial segregation) is an out-picturing of our own inner woundedness. Every person who is a perpetrator or a victim of racial segregation is guaranteed to have such an inner split, a conflict in their own nature (and that is at least one thing they have come to work on in this lifetime). Besides racial integration, we have the split between male and female (both within us and outside us in relationships and in the culture), the split between spiritual and material, between heart and mind, between inner and outer, between seen and unseen, and the list goes on.

The truth underneath this is that all these are One, and that where we see a split in the world around us is where we have a split in our own nature. Fortunately the planets are assisting us in the integration process during 1997. Whether we were aware of it or not, during 1996 they were helping us by bringing the split(s) to the surface. Now we are more aware, some of us fully aware, of our split, our fragmentation. Sometimes we feel it in our physical body as a block in some area; the base of the neck, below the sternum, at the waist, in the middle of the chest, in the hips or knees. Sometimes we experience it as left-sided or right-sided ailments or pains. Sometimes our anguish is emotional, as we realize that we have long neglected this precious source of insight into Who We really are.

This year, we get to work on healing this wound, mending this split in our nature. The planets are providing us with the wide-open doorway, and it's one we can all gain by walking through. We began the year with the planets coming into a great harmony, one that will last for the most part throughout the year. There is great optimism, self-assurance, perhaps bravado, but all these can lead us into areas of growth where otherwise we may fear to tread.

In the last forecast, I spoke about December and January as being times when we will reach for a future which may not yet be realizable. February may have brought us to an apparent halt, a time of apparent treading of water, a holding pattern. These are what the I Ching counsels us to watch for; times when we may want to push forward, or give up, because nothing's happening. It is important to realize, though, that this is the face of doubt, the ego-as-trickster which comes out when the energies need to go underground to build from within. At these times, the Sage (of the I Ching) tells us to stay firm in our conviction, hold to what we know is true, and remain receptive. We do not have to believe anything. We must only suspend disbelief and hold ourselves open, in a receptive state, so that when the forces emerge into the open, we can respond to them. Holding ourselves open and standing firmly in a loving space activates the creative forces of the universe and brings us through times of no progress. Besides, it builds character. (By the way, this does not mean to refrain from acting, only to refrain from ego-motivated action.)

MARCH: Reaching the Nadir

As we enter March, it may seem as though we just can't take it anymore, and we may feel encouraged to act. It's true, there are energies that are conducive to the promotion of change at this time, so you must keep yourself open to the possibilities of the times. Often little steps of progress are possible during such times. Relationships and communications will be a focus through the 7th, but sometimes on the waning moon, conversations with ourselves are more in order. On the 8th we experience an energy shift on three levels, and this adds up to big action. In the outer world, those who are unconscious of their inner selves will take the bait and do something. There may be major events hitting the headlines on or around that day, anything from terrorism and renewed violence in areas of conflict to geophysical changes (earthquakes, etc.).

In particular, we will be entering the second part of a five-part cycle involving the deep transformative processes of experiences that feel like life and death that began on November 24th. We will become aware of the problem at this time, if we have not done so already. Perhaps we will see our split on a subtle but profound level. How a truth we have accepted all our lives is not true, or how other shades of meaning or perspectives may be added to it. On the less subtle level, at some time during the next five months you may experience some profound personal changes, especially if Pluto (the planet ruling this cycle) makes a contact to a personal point in your chart.

There is a solar eclipse on this date as well, so we can look forward to a new focus for the next six months. What's more, the focus will shift from one involving our relationships with others to one involving more our relationship with ourselves, our inner dynamics. Virgo and Pisces are now in the eclipse spotlight, where they will remain for about 18 months. The Virgo-Pisces axis (they are opposite each other in the zodiac) has to do with the split I have been describing, specifically the spirit-matter split. This solar eclipse will be in Pisces, so the emphasis will be on incorporating the spiritual energies more in our lives, which may mean learning to handle them! We may also get to focus on distinguishing between sacrifice and service. They are not the same things! The way to avoid sacrifice is to give from fullness rather than emptiness. You must fill yourself before you can give to others. This will be the predominant theme of this particular time frame, and we will be working on it in its various shades of meaning over the next six months.

There are two more culminations in March, the first on the 17th and the second on the 23rd. The first involves the alignment of the Sun and Mars with the sensitive points of the nodal axis (the eclipse points). This is when we will want to act in a big way, and when some people will do so. It may also bring signs of some progress in our situation, some indication that a shift is taking place, and we may be truly prompted from within to take some action in our cause. The sense of progress can be heartening, but we must not take the bit in our teeth or we may destroy what progress we have made. Experiences we have and actions we take at this time may have more than the average dose of fate associated with them. On the mundane level, we may see war and peace affecting the lives of many people.

The second culmination is on the full moon lunar eclipse on the 23rd. By this time the sun has made it into Aries (on the 20th), and spring has sprung. Now the days and nights are equal, and it is yet another opportunity for us to affirm balance and integration in our lives. It is a time when the perfect balance of day and night can be brought into manifestation in our lives; and so it is a time when rituals to affirm balance (masculine/feminine, heart/mind, financial, relationship, work/play) can be especially effective.

With the full moon at this time, we can be sure that the equinox packs a wallop. First, it will bring a recurrence of the energies we were experiencing last year since the beginning of April. It will bring back to us the issues that came up on the 17th, and we may find some similarities to what was occurring last September, particularly on September 26th.

On March 30th, we begin a new yearly cycle having to do with structures, responsibilities and our relationship with authority. What is fascinating about this time is that the focus on relationships which we developed last May-June will come up for reevaluation and reworking at this time. This will definitely be another year when relationships will be the primary testing ground for our lessons, the main arena of growth.

One of the things we get caught up in with nearly every relationship is a power struggle. Although our first impulse upon meeting someone with whom we share a soul bond is often based upon a deep recognition where the soul is called into play, once the ego is engaged, as it inevitably is through fear/trust issues, etc., we become enthralled in a struggle for dominance. Each challenges the other's ego, and for most relationships, the struggle is never overcome, ending instead in a cold war, a distancing and a death of love.

Underneath the power struggle is fear of our vulnerability to the other, our susceptibility because of our love, and the threat that true love makes to the ego, whose role on the throne of the self will be usurped if true love wins out. The ego typically attempts to withhold love or give up on the relationship in its efforts to gain control.

During 1996, we became acutely aware of the power struggles in our relationships. So far in 1997, we have been asked to deal with them with patience and forbearance, accepting responsibility for our own role in the drama. We may have found a painful awareness within us of our role in blocking love, of how little trust we are able to place in our loved one, how remote we feel. Or we may be uncomfortably aware of how we have given all, thrown ourselves away or abandoned ourselves in the process of attempting to save the relationship or save our partner.

The challenge now is to come to terms with this deeper awareness and integrate it into our life. It takes time. It takes conviction and strength to see it through, this integration process. It will take until the end of April to complete the next step of the work, and until the end of August before we have really got our new reality in place. We will be working on making the lessons learned a part of our foundation over the next two years.

In the cycle begun on the 30th we will be working particularly on boundaries, those issues of how much to give and how much to receive, what is whose responsibility. This will also be true for those in public places.

APRIL: A Time For Patience, Steadfastness & Individuality

April starts off by bringing us back to an issue that we thought we had laid to rest at the end of 1996, but which is still with us. It has to do with relationships, specifically fear of vulnerability, fear of trusting another to whom we are open. It may seem all too confusing right now. It is a good time to remember that we do not have to figure it out with our minds. Just turn it over to (your version of) the Higher Power. Use the new moon on the 7th to plant the seeds for resolving the situation at hand.

Between the 7th and the 14th, we will be able to contact the forces of spiritual power and inner truth. Allow this energy to infuse you as we enter yet another Mercury retrograde on the 14th. Astrologers often lament the effects of Mercury retrograde, but I have found that each Mercury retrograde is different. The unifying factor is that Mercury presents to us the results of our focus. It is the perfect foil, because it will give you what you expect if you expect to experience breakdowns and delays (the usual interpretation), that is indeed what you will get. During this retrograde, we can expect to face issues with our values, our self-value and self-respect.

On the 18th, the issue(s) that came up at the beginning of the month will come into highlight again, with an unexpected twist. The sun enters Taurus on the 19th, and we shift to a more bucolic use of our energy, as patience and sustained focus on our efforts for the year are required.

The full moon comes on the 22nd, the time of the Wesak festival, celebrated by Buddhists and followers of the light everywhere. In truth, all full moons allow greater light in to us than usual; so in opening ourselves at the time of this full moon, as with any full moon, we do a service to the planet and ourselves.

The 27th may be a date we will look forward to if the past three months have been difficult for us. If you have found that being patient and persistent is difficult, not to say boring (moi?), you will rejoice at the opportunity to return to your normal rash, ebullient self. You will surely feel the release of the restraints at this time. The object of this experience however is not to get around the issue but to understand it and uproot it at its cause. If you are caught solely in the ego's thrall, you will eagerly await the time when you can return to business as usual. If you are working more from your soul level, you will have embraced the process of the last three months as a doorway to growth, and even feel saddened at its passage. Probably most of us will experience both feelings.

At any rate, it will be the end of the summer before all the threads are unraveled related to the issue(s) of the past three months. So relax and enjoy!

MAY: Stepping Out on Faith

The situation related to the release mentioned above may seem rather foggy, obscured in mist and hard to sort out as we enter May. The release may not feel like a solid release at all, but rather amorphous, as if you are trying to gain momentum but pushing off against water. Just surrender to the process a bit longer, because it will clarify itself. It is very seldom that we can proceed in a straight line to something and get the result we want. This is one of those times when the zigzag path is the most direct route to your goal.

On the 1st, Neptune lends its obscurity to our view. It obscures the visible (outer, physical) realms so that we can experience clarity on the inner realms. Neptune is associated with inner truth and clarity, but we will experience fantasy, illusion and confusion until we look within. This date initiates the second stage in a five-stage cycle which began on January 17th having to do with these issues. A situation will come to light where the inner truth will come into your awareness and challenge you to believe in what you see. If you do and can integrate that belief into your life successfully, you will gain the rewards promised by that situation. If not, you will get to work on it again next year, so don't worry.

The new moon on the 6th and Mercury's direct station on the 8th will turn things in the right direction. Don't expect any miracles at this time, we are by definition at an incomplete stage right now. The forces encouraging us to self-mastery were never stronger; and if we can exercise self-discipline until the understanding comes which that self-mastery fosters, we will be that much closer to realizing our goals at the right time.

On the 12th, we cross the threshold into stage two (of five stages) in the yearly cycle. This one has to do with accidents and miracles, the unexpected events in life which rescue us from straying from our intention, our purpose and our path. This is Uranus, the planet of Cosmic Life Purpose Insurance. If you have wandered off, it is guaranteed to put you back on the path of greatest fulfillment. Of course, the theory is that if you work on remaining on that path yourself, you won't need to be jolted back in line. That is called embodying the planet. Uranus' cycle began on January 24th, so look back to that time to see what issues were afoot then for you to find the seeds of this time. Something may come up of an unexpected nature now, especially if your personal planets or points are being directly affected by Uranus sometime this year. Uranus can bring us chaos, but it is out of chaos that the most powerful creative energies are manifested. Allow yourself to go with the flow. This is the hand of the God/dess finally at work in your life as you have requested.

The last few days of Taurus may find you defying the bull's tendencies to laziness and filling your days with activity. One thing is for sure, once we go into Gemini on the 20th; there'll be no rest. The full moon on the 22nd makes sure of that; and it packs an extra punch, since it occurs so very closely to the culmination of the cycle mentioned above which began on November 24th. The 25th begins stage three of the yearly cycle of transformation and intense experience. As you might imagine, a culmination of these energies can be quite explosive, but it's never something you were totally unaware of. It's usually to do with that big thing you preferred not to look at, the dinosaur in your living room.

Still the enterprising individual can make hay on this as with all the situations which life hands us. As we close the month of May, our relationship issues will surely remain with us, because this is not the time of the cycles for resolution. Still, we should be closer to understanding just what they are, and that is the first and most important step to healing them.

The months that lie ahead will bring our lives to a crescendo of insight and breakthrough to change. Focusing some of your time on integrating what you've learned into your life will allow you to get the most out of this time so rich in the potential for growth.

Blessed Be!

Terry Lamb is busily integrating her life as an astrologer and healer with her alter ego as a mother of two boys. When she is not pounding the keyboard or helping with homework, she facilitates others in recognizing and developing their true path and in gaining clarity from the perspective of the soul. She is available for presentations and consultations at (619) 589-1774 or terrylamb@juno.com. For information on her upcoming tour of the northeastern U.S., contact her at the above number or e-mail address.