Blog
Cold Moon (Cancer)
December 27, 2023
The question I asked was this: "What magic should be called upon in the season of each full moon in order to open the way for deeper communion with spirit, community, earth and ancestors? What lesson should I pray for? How should I prepare and open myself for blessings?"
I initially asked this question back in October, when the full moon was in Aries, and I laid a spread with a card for each full moon of the year. I'm using Oracle of the Dreamtime. I've had access to this deck for many years and find it particularly useful as I work on breaking from self-destructive habits and broadening my perspective. The stories often break from traditional western values and especially "New Age" values by centering on characters that do petty wrongs, and act on cruel impulses. Often the lessons are that one should not do these things, but it does this while encouraging an honest appraisal of one's own actions and intentions.
My lesson for this season came in the story of Ochre, the iron rich red earth used in art and ritual by humans wherever it can be found. The story was about a giant lizard who terrorizes a tribe of humans killing many including some of its greatest warriors. In the end the lizard is defeated by a dingo who rips out the lizard's throat. The blood dyes the earth red and the people celebrate the defeat of their great enemy and honor the dingo that defended them by painting their skin with the red earth.
I find in the lizard a reflection of the great evils that exist in the world. That which kills many and seems impossible to overcome. The dingo is not acting out of a desire for reward or recognition but is acting simply on an impulse of love and instinct, to fight because that is the only thing that can be done. These battles take place every day though the victory that secures the future of the tribe may be very rare, but the focus here is not on the animals in the battle but on the sacred earth left in the aftermath.
The magic needed now is the magic of gratitude, celebration, ritual, storytelling. We remember. We tell tales of courage, overcoming of great odds, victory at the very moment of defeat. We remember not simply as a act of longing but as an act of manifestation. I do not need to be the hero. I simply need to trust that heroics is an essential part of the pattern of human affairs.
There has never been a story ever which ended in utter defeat. The reason is not because defeat doesn't exist but rather because when it does who will remain to tell the tale. Every act of storytelling is an act of defying entropy. We are the ones who survived to tell the tale. Our ancestors were the ones who survived to pass along their genes. Faith is a habit ingrained in our very DNA.
I watched The Big Lebowski recently. I think I've been attacked by nihilists too. It's so easy to think that if I don't get everything that I want in exactly the way that I want it the world is meaningless and cold. Forget that I have enough to eat, a place to sleep at night, friendship and luxury items and fuzzy blankets to wrap up in. Forget that we have dogs and cats who will stand up for us even when we take their companionship for granted. Not everyone does have these things. What to do then? Give up hope and luxury?
No. I don't think so. We just remember about the dingo and the lizard. We enjoy the fireside and the company of those we love. We wait until the shadow of the lizard enters into our home place and when our love and comfort is threatened, we fight. No need to hunt down bad guys. They will come around eventually. Spend too much time hunting for trouble and it might turn out that you were the troublemaker all along. I'm not suggesting defending an ideology or an opinion, that's way too messy. Fight for life. Fight for survival. Fight for comfort (clean air, clean earth, good food, good rest).
Service and the 6th House
December 8, 2023
6th House: The House of Health (Bad Fortune in the ancient tradition). This is also considered the House of Servants. This is the aspect I typically focus on when contemplating how the 6th house expresses in my own life.
In my chart the 6th house starts at around 13 degrees of Sagittarius.
Jupiter at 14 degrees of Cancer rules my sixth house. So, service only counts if it's big and emotionally demanding. With Jupiter so close to my ascendent I feel the constant pressure to go big or go home. With Jupiter in the 12th house it's often easier to just go home. Dream big dreams and never actually do anything about it. I can recognize the value of small services, but giving myself permission to stick exclusively to that domain feels like cheating. Anything small or emotionally rewarding it doesn't feel like service and therefore doesn't trigger any sense of personal sacrifice. So rather than helping in small ways that feel good, I help in ways that hurt and overwhelm me. Then I must withdraw from service altogether. This response is both an excuse and a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I believe there must be a path to altering the trajectory... allowing the expansiveness of Jupiter to work more naturally with the Sagittarian desire for perspective and meaning with a focus on 12th house cosmic truths and deep dives into the psyche rather than self destructive repetion of the same old theme.
Sagittarius loves seeing truth, deepening ones understanding, and crossing into unfamiliar territories. What if insight and inspiration is the natural reward for small (less painful acts of kindness)? Could I learn big lessons and deepen my connection with myself and with others just by gentling my notions about service?
Neptune is at home in this sector of my chart at 16 degrees of Sagittarius. Neptune, the bringer of dreams, and spreader of delusions is situated quincunx to Jupiter within a degree and a half of orb.
Jupiter is also square to Pluto in Libra (1 degree of orb) and trine to Uranus in Scorpio (2 degrees of orb), Conjunct to Mercury (5 degrees of orb).
Neptune is Sextile to Pluto (2 degrees of orb).
Uranus is Inconjunct to Pluto (2 degrees of orb) and Inconjunct to Neptune (4 degrees of orb).
Jupiter is a lunar queen on her throne committed to doing something to help her people. He impulse is to throw a great gala ball to honor the people and demonstrate her commitment to them.
Neptune is a renowned philosopher who recognizes the foolishness of the queen's plan, and yet does not intend to instruct her on the error of her plans. Rather he will watch her fail because this itself will be a powerful lesson. It makes no difference to the philosopher that the queen's failure will likely put additional strain on the people. The queen will not learn from words alone only from experience.
Uranus is a rebel against societal norms. She wants real and lasting change and recognizes the sincerity of the queen. She will encourage the people to receive the queen's gesture as it is meant, despite the fact that she is no better aligned with the people's true desires than the queen herself. She understands power structures even if she does not understand the people. Grand gestures may alter the narrative which in turn may create deep and long-lasting changes in the distant future.
Pluto may very well be the people themselves. There is pain enough there to inspire resistance in spite of the queen's best efforts. They are fixated on past injustices which must be addressed before they will be ready to move forward or believe in future promises.
The philosopher is able to understand the people but feeds delusional beliefs that stand in the way of real change. He gives them what they want rather than what they need.
It all feels very similar to the characters from The Great (Hulu Origional Series). Jupiter is Cathrine. Neptune is Archie. Uranus may be most like Muriel. Pluto then might be Pugachev. The nuances of my own interior court however are somewhat different. Pluto does wish for justice and reparation and not some petty revenge or social disruption, while my inner Uranus may be far more willing to disrupt social norms than Muriel. While Cathrine my be less self sacrifiing. It's actually Archie that seems best to fit his placement as I see him as being very accurate to my 6th house Sagittarius Neptune impulse. He is actively dishonest and yet truly a man of faith in accordance with his own evolving understanding of what that means.
By seeking out fictional characters that match planetary aspects it becomes easier to bring some of these dynamics into better focus. This is one way that I begin to shed light on my inner impulses.
Goal: To set more realistic goals related to service.
Goal: To dream and imagine more supportive solutions to my internal conflicts.
Goal: To forgive myself for past transgressions against myself in order to bring myself into more harmonious alignment with the future I desire.
Question: How can I find greater satisfaction in small acts of kindness?
Question: How can I explore service in a way that honors my imagination and creativity?
Question: How do acts of service play into my larger complexes related to rebellion, trauma, luck, and delusions?