NMR ISSUE 48

Astrological Forecast 48
Be Careful What you Wish For
Cherished Secret of Success Resonance
Crone Empowered
Crystal Skull Luminaria
Daily Prayer
Doing It by the Book
Editorial 48
Esoteric Symbology of the Tarot
Frog, Cobra & Chickadee
Helping Hand or Magickal Hand
Ikhanten's Doom
Letters 48
Modern Scapegoat Rituals
North Star Road:
Other Editorial 48
Pagan Catechism
Prayer to the Goddess
Renewal Through Release
Samhain Ritual
Temple of the Goddess grounding Meditation
The Fellowship of Isis
The Kabalah in Everyday Use
The Serpent and the Radio
Timelapse
Wolf Moon
Wrath of the Gods Luminaria

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Astroligical Forecast

FALL: Crossover to a New Focus

By Terry Lamb, M.A.

Saturn began its transit of Aries in April 1996. During the 21/2 year period that it stays in any sign, we have (it seems) more than ample opportunity to learn the lesson that it presents to us. In Aries, it invites us to come to know and identify with our True Self. The True Self, as I understand it, is the part of us that transcends ordinary existence, which exists eternally, both before and after this life. It is by its nature part of and connected to the Higher Power/Source of all life.

We all lose the True Self to some extent in our early life, at least it would be highly unusual not to. Yet there remain essential ways in which we stay in touch with it and areas where our ability to be our True Self is uninhibited. But it is often the case that in important ways we have been taught to replace the truth that we know and feel from this Self with a mask, a false self which uses scripts, schemes and orchestrated responses to make its way in the world. The false self may step in to cover our asses in such areas as dealing with authority figures or in personal relationships. Anyplace where we feel vulnerable or unsafe, the false self (ego) will step in to help us make it through.

Many learned early in life that they need others' approval to survive. They learned approval (love) and survival could be withheld if they didn't smile, act charming, sit still and be quiet, or whatever else was valued in their family systems. They acted accordingly because they learned that their caregivers had the power of gods. Although they were born still connected to the Source, the awareness of that connectedness faded with each effort they made at pleasing these external gods. Each time they fulfilled others' expectations, they threw their Selves away a little bit more, abandoning themselves yet again. But this doesn't work, because living out a script; they are fulfilling the false self. They are denying the true feelings, especially those unpleasant, unacceptable, negative feelings, such as anger and fear. They begin to feel unsafe, like a fake, becoming more fearful that they will be found out, that they will fail to cover up their true feelings.

This builds and builds in a cycle, recreating the original wound of self-betrayal and abandonment. They make it larger and bury it deeper in layer after layer of experiences that support their stories of how life is.

The false self/ego develops in an effort to help. It wants to protect us from a hostile world, to be our white knight. It denies that its purpose is to support the status quo (it doesn't see it that way), to cover up pain, fear and anger, because they are not supposed to exist. When we deny that these exist inside us, encounters with them must be from outside of us so we blame others for our pain (you made me mad, etc.). We don't see how we create, how we are responsible for our own pain. On the conscious level, we can hardly be responsible, because all this is unconscious. It is buried so deeply because we don't remember those early decisions made before thought was born as language in our growing consciousness.

The original wound comes from the core wound that all of us bear because we all have the same birthright, that of becoming separate individuals. The first separation was the separation from God/dess by leaving the Source as an individual soul spark. But that separation is recreated each time we are born, when we become separate from our mothers at birth. It is very rare for a being to remember its connectedness once it enters a physical body. The physical realm is so captivating, so entrancing that it casts a glamour over us, causing us to forget who we really are unless we have had perhaps lifetimes of training. In fact, in most cultures all modern ones are bent on making sure that we forget. This is not out of conscious malice but out of loss of faith, of getting caught up in the glamour of the material. In the Tibetan culture, the lamas are taught to reincarnate in a fashion that they retain their memory of other lives and the times between lifetimes. This is not so farfetched as it may seem. It is like learning to control your dream state or to avoid a certain sleeping position.

The natural feeling that we have when we experience separation is fear. When we experience connectedness, the feeling we have is love. Fear is the source of all negative emotions, love the source of all positive. This is why love relationships and family bonds are so alluring. They mirror our connectedness to our Source.

Every time we experience fear or any other negative emotion, we have recreated our core wound, our belief in separation, and we have abandoned our True Self, lost faith in the Higher Power (however we conceive of it). Every time we experience love, we begin to heal our wound, reuniting with our Self and regaining our connectedness with the Higher Power, which can then manifest through us. As long as we maintain and remain conscious of our connection with the Higher Power/True Self, we are completely safe, empowered and free.

For most of us, this connectedness occurs infrequently and does not stay for very long. We experience it when we first fall in love, or when we manage to focus well in meditation or ritual. Then the ego takes hold again through a vague, discontented thought.

If it seems difficult to achieve and maintain connection to the True Self, it is well worth the achieving. It is the true hero's journey, the Great Task that we are all doing, whether we are aware of it or not. To be connected is to be radiant, clear and loving without struggle or pretense. The True Self has courage, love and wisdom. It can persevere against all odds toward what it holds to be true. It is something that we can all attain, that we are here to attain.

What Saturn in Aries can teach us, if we will embrace it, is where the ego has hold of our lives, where the belief in separation holds sway. Wherever you find negativity in your life, it is a mirror of who you are not. It shows you unerringly where you have been taught the wrong rules. No more. It shows you where you can, through binding yourself to the growth process (perhaps pain) of the negative experience, learn how things really work in that area and cast the light of the True Self there once again. Use the areas and times where you experience fulfillment, peace and joy as examples, for there you have been connected with your True Self.

Saturn holds this doorway open to us through February 1999. We have a choice to rejoice in and embrace the lessons it holds forth for us now, or to turn away from this awesome responsibility and tremendous gift that will still exist even in its denial.

Until nearly this time, we continue to work with the theme of discernment vs. surrender. As we rise above the apparent dilemma that this suggests (see the summer forecast), we naturally dislodge the false self/ego from its seat on the throne of the Self and reaffirm our connection with the True Self/Higher Power. They reveal just one more facet in the jewel of the Self, one more way to reach the core of Who we are.

During the autumn of 1997, we will experience a crossover to a new focus. We get the chance to bring closure to some issues, to begin one new one. As the light gives way to darkness, we move toward the part of the yearly cycle that brings rest and resolution, a gathering of force for the next round of expression, the next wave. Even if some of the issues remain the same, they will take on a new cast, find a different reflection in ourselves as the cosmos leads us to see all facets of itself. But before we are ready to do that, the last quarter of the year will see us gaining insight, learning symbolic lessons and taking actions. These actions will be based on greater understanding, or they will be final flourishes of the past year's points of focus.

SEPTEMBER:
Fireworks Ignite Delayed Action

After a lull at the end of August, September takes off with a bang. Mercury is already retrograde (appearing to move backward) when the month begins. This puts us in a magick time, when the veil between the worlds is naturally thinner. Whatever messages the planets wish us to receive become more available, and we already know by this time what the messages are. The solar eclipse on the first abruptly shifts our focus, and we learn something new about the situations we're already dealing with. Notice what happens on and immediately after this date, because it will set the tone for the next six months. Our two themes of the past year will be foremost in our awareness: power struggle in relationship, and using discernment to reach clarity (pulling the weeds of judgment along the way). No matter what events occur at this time, the underlying issue will revolve around relating. Specifically, there may be a recall of the dominance struggles that arose during the first two months of the year and evolved in July. There was more of a tendency to take positions and create conflict in January and February; while the resolution of these conflicts was more likely to take place in midsummer. Now a further layer of peace can be brought into our personal ties, or this can be a time of distancing to get in touch with deeper layers within the relationship. At any rate, people will be more likely to take their personal bonds more seriously, to think more about making commitments over the next six months. Whether they do or not will depend on what they find when they look within, and some relationships will go through a parting of the ways.

Over the past two years, we have all been getting in touch with our wounds insofar as they involve relationships. Things like: Am I too dependent on another person? Is my fear of being lovable keeping me from being loved? Although we touched into it during the spring, on the 2nd we turn the page on that focus and look in a slightly different direction. We begin to look at our fear of the unknown, our fear of change, and our inflexibility. We will be viewing our weaknesses in that area for the next two years.

The 3rd through the 9th may find us tense and overburdened in some way. Mercury changes direction, turning direct (forward) on the 9th. There is a lot going on under the table right now and some things that you may feel confused or unclear about. Something may emerge on the 12th, or it could remain hidden until a later time.

On the 16th, the full moon lunar eclipse may be anticlimactic. When the shadow of the earth blocks the moon's light, it prevents the full illumination that we receive normally at a full moon. This lack of light symbolically means a lack of illumination in our affairs. Action is curtailed. But what doesn't come to the surface is driven deeper and brings a response from a more profound level that is diffused over the next 51/2 months, until the next eclipses occur. So don't look for big events at this time. Look for the fulfillment of this eclipse to come from a deeper level over the next year, since the next eclipses in February-March will hit the same degrees as these.

On the 21st surface submerged and long-term issues having to do with the responsible use of power (particularly in government and politics) and secret controls (such as secret aspects of government, subtle authoritarianism, absolute control). Whether in our most personal experiences or in global trends and events, around this date we may notice events related to these issues. Actually, the entire summer has carried the cast of power and authority issues; and it will continue through about the end of April next year. This is the release period of a cycle that began in 1981-2. Things, which began at that time, include global awareness of terrorism in the Middle East, the AIDS epidemic, Reaganomics and the most recent rise of conservatism in western politics. On a personal level, think about what big issues you were dealing with at that time. Themes of separation and aloneness, the core issue which this cycle relates to, should come to mind.

On the 22nd, we experience the fall equinox, Mabon, when the day and night are equal. It is a time to affirm equilibrium in your life, to come to balance, and to affirm and give gratitude for the harvest that will see us through the dark months ahead. Over the next month, we will naturally be more aware of the harmony, balance and beauty in our lives.

The rest of September is relatively quiet, where the planets are concerned. If you want to become more aware of your intuition, the 26th is a good day to do it. Flashes of insight may come more easily that day, even as the need for them may be slightly higher than usual. People will become more outspoken after the 27th. We may not care as much about what response we get from others. From that day through October 3rd, we may experience more explosive energies around us and within us. Listen, for the deep recesses of consciousness are being dredged and brought to the surface through the unpleasantness that arises at this time. What you hear on the surface is probably not the real issue, unless you can read the unconscious messages being sent along with the conscious ones.

OCTOBER:
Love May Mean Letting Go

Several planets release their energies during the first half of October, bringing to denouement three of the cycles that give shape to our yearly experiences. Before they occur we can feel their energies if we take the time to look at our lives and our inner awareness.

On the 1st comes the new moon in Libra. All is apparently calm on this lunation, after nearly two years of disquiet when the luminaries turned our gaze to Libra and Aries. We will probably feel a sense of uplift today, even though tension lurks in the background.

That tension is bound to erupt in a big way on the 2nd and 3rd. The media are likely to be filled with events, both positive and negative, which show the human capacity for dealing with these energies in both ways. This will be the second of three peak periods for the expression of the power/authority issues mentioned above. This one is likely to be more explosive than the one before on the 21st or the one to follow in November. There is the opportunity to think it through and talk it out and the planetary energetics in relation to this are generally in harmony at this time.

On the 7th, we experience the fourth of five steps in a cycle of expansion, education and enterprise. It also rules publishing, travel and prosperity. If you have been putting in undaunted effort toward anything on this list, or if you have been working on integrating a new understanding into your life for the past four months, you'll turn the corner here. This is typically the time in any cycle when you will begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. There's still more to do, but the bulk of the effort has been put in, and the cycle is about to bring its greatest fulfillment. Other dates related to this are January 19th (beginning), May 9th (the challenge appears), August 9th (the challenge peaks), and February 23rd, 1998 (end of cycle/beginning of next).

Hard on its heels is the second of the three shifts, on the 8th. This has to do with spirituality and inner truth as well as idealism, imagination and illusion. The energy shift here will be subtle and overshadowed by its partners in time. Related dates in this cycle are January 17th (beginning), May 1st (the challenge appears), July 21st (the challenge peaks) and January 19th (end of cycle/beginning of next).

If we can bring ourselves out of the purple haze long enough to notice, we will find that relationships and communication go well. Finances are flowing, and we have plenty of ideas for how to spend our rewards. On the 9th, we may be brought down to earth (and it's good to do so intentionally) long enough to check in on how another cycle is proceeding. This one, having to do with productivity, practicality and responsibility, began March 30th and presented its challenge on August 1st. This cycle has to do with Saturn and in some way challenges us to become our True Self.

As if that weren't enough, the 10th brings the second of three times when we are asked to awaken to our weaknesses and make some changes, particularly in relationships and how we are letting them control our lives in unhealthy ways. There may be notions of false reality based upon romanticism, or a denial of the true bond that exists between ourselves and another person. Either way (or both), this is a time of awakening if we pay attention.

At the same time, and over the next few days, we'll get a chance to see the effect of the new understandings we receive in our relationships and general attitudes toward life. We may have an almost unreal ability to think clearly and come to a sense of truth if we take the time to go within.

Then, the final big event of the month (and believe me, you'll feel like it's enough!) occurs on the 14th. This cycle has to do with the unexpected, accidental and miraculous. Related dates are January 24th (beginning), May 12th (the challenge appears), July 29th (the challenge peaks) and January 28th (end of cycle/new beginning).

If you have a good memory, you will recall that some of the dates I mentioned are at the end of January, when a much-heralded planetary configuration occurred. Popular focus is capricious; it often ignores more significant events. But this configuration was significant; however, not for the reasons people think. Primary among the grouping was the conjunction of Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune. Uranus and Neptune conjunct only once every 172 years. Because they move slowly, we can usually count on Jupiter to join with them sometime near the exact conjunction. What they bring to us in conjunction is a focus on the highest purpose we should be serving. It is usually a time of high idealism, perhaps without a sense of what is practical, just or compassionate. It is a misuse of the energies of this pattern that in part led to the Heaven's Gate mass suicides in March of this year. For the rest of us, we may have caught a glimpse of our highest nature and had an opportunity to make new choices. Now, as we experience the fall of the other shoe, we emerge wiser, having experienced how our dreams seem to be turning out, where they are leading us and whether they will hold water.

The full moon on the 15th promises to be exciting, or at least to burst a few bubbles. If the landing is not soft at first, it may yet work out well through the harmonious energies of the 21st and 22nd. We are approaching another time when relationships again move to the front burner. (Do they ever go to the back for long?) We begin to catch a glimpse of what the coming few months will hold now, as we have the opportunity to harmonize what we really want from relationships, and other areas of our lives as well, with what will really work. This is a nearly guaranteed formula for success (keeping in mind the limitations of formulae and scripts).

On the 23rd, the Sun enters Scorpio, and we enter the time when the shortening day becomes noticeable. We can plan for what we want to let go of, or banish, from our lives while the light is waning. Deep transformation is possible now. If we are willing to really face who we have become, it can open doorways to becoming more authentic, more in touch with the True Self.

Don't let impatience get the best of you around the 25th. There are hurry up aspects occurring through the 27th. On the 30th, we begin a new cycle related to healing ourselves and others. We have to get to know how we are wounded to get in touch with how to heal it. We heal others best where we ourselves have been wounded and healed, because there we have a true appreciation for the journey we find others on. Observe what occurs on or around this date, since it will set the tone for the next year with the healing focus. You can also use this time to set your own intentions in this area.

On the 31st, we celebrate the last cross quarter of the year with Samhain/Hallowe'en. Although Samhain does not occur astrologically until November 7th, the intention of millions to face the encroaching darkness with costume and joy adds force to this event. Use this time when the veils part to ask the goddesses and gods to assist you in releasing things that you no longer want in your life. The closer your affirmations in this direction are to the deepest sense you have of the issue at hand, the more successful you will be in gaining the assistance of the greater forces. The events of the 31st will gain potency because the new moon on this date is a natural seed planting time.

NOVEMBER:
A Planetary Breather

November is lightweight after the waltz of the heavies during October. We all need times when the big issues recede into the background so that we can lay the foundation for dealing with them when they next arise! It is not a time to rest on our laurels, although a slower pace may give our bodies a welcome break. It is a time to pay attention to subtler cues, to iron out wrinkles and get ready for the next round of major events. The issues aren't gone just because they aren't in our faces. If you can stay in heart space with them, you will continue to gain insight into how to deal with them. It is important to remember in such times that no progress may be apparent, but it is there. Each step we take is the same size, even though some appear to achieve greater results and are greeted with more fanfare. This could be a time of overt progress if your individual chart is triggered; but it is more likely that you will be able to live life uneventfully for the greater part of November.

The first half of the month sees us shift to more practical, less idealistic pursuits or perhaps to find those ideals taking form in things of the real world. The path may have its small bumps at this time, but if you are experiencing big bumps, they are left over from earlier this year.

The full moon on the 14th brings a lot of harmony into our experience which we can really use to get something accomplished. However, love and finance may be a little less than expected, especially around the 19th.

The sun enters Sagittarius on the 21st, and we move into a more power-oriented energy field. This peaks on the 27th as a new yearly cycle begins relating to power and its use. Once again, it is good to attend to what is on your mind at this time and to set your intention consciously (under guidance) toward what you want to do with what comes up. These forces cannot be directly controlled, but they can be redirected. In other words, we can't change what challenges come up in our lives, but we can choose how we respond to them.

The month ends with the new moon in Sagittarius, a time of going inward to light the spark that will ignite the events of the new lunar month. So we end the month with great expectations, to be fulfilled by the light of our galaxy rather than that of the sun.

Make sure in this period of release to take the time to relax, regroup and give thanks for all the blessings of the year. If we look at the whole picture, we can always find much to be thankful for, even in our times of greatest need.

Blessed Be!

Terry Lamb is an astrologer, writer, speaker and instructor living in the San Diego area. She may be reached at (619) 589-1774 or tlamb@flash.net for bookings, appointments, and information on local or correspondence courses. Check out her website at www.flash.net/~tlamb.