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28 degrees Sagittarius: WITHIN THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH NEW ELEMENTS ARE BEING FORMED
We’re giving up free range, getting organised, feathering our emotions. Efficiency an effectiveness and all those other pieces of intellectual artifice. And with the loss of the free range, the cowboy disappears, along with the mountain lion and the grey wolf. There’s not much room left for travelers.
Robert James Waller, The Bridges of Madison County
The closer you get to real matter, rock, air, fire and wood, boy, the more spiritual the world is.
Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums
It’s been almost two weeks since the lunar month began afresh with a NEW MOON IN TAURUS, bringing fertile growth and clarifying and stabilising our inner needs. On the 29th/30th May, we have a full moon glowing boldly in Sagittarius, blowing bright bubbles of congeniality and wisdom, and urging us to open and expand on all levels of being.
Sagittarius is the wanderer, the nomad, the traveller, the seeker. Sagittarius fires arrows at distant targets, then gallops towards them with enthusiasm and gusto, although curiosity can often lead to distraction along the way. It is not the achievement of the goal that motivates Sagittarius, but the meaning of the journey. Without a vision or philosophy, without a higher understanding of the patterns of life and the cycles of the cosmos, Sagittarius feels adrift and lonely, lost in a nihilistic void.
Thus Sagittarius is a dual being – balancing earthly life with spiritual life – the animal side and the human side - often swinging between the extremes of pious monk and hedonist. Sagittarius alchemises the two and all shades in-between to create the most delicious flavour possible. Tinctures are mixed at different concentrates again and again to ascertain the perfect balance needed for happiness.
Truth and freedom are essential to Sagittarius, so as the full moon shines over the earth tonight you or others may feel compelled to share your truth, the workings of your inner world. It can be surprising how honesty brings greater spaciousness and openness to our lives, and reminds us that, ultimately, only we can be responsible for feeling untethered and free.
This is a time to be gentle with each other... gentleness and kindness encourage truthful exchanges. It is also a time to embrace play - the wise child within. We are all seekers, but it takes courage to embark on a vision quest. It takes courage to trust that the answer to the questions we ask will be revealed to us, perhaps in mysterious ways. Will you trust the wildness within?
Deep in an orange canyon at sunset, the dark silhouette of a lone traveller on horseback touches the horizon line. As the stars slowly multiply in the indigo sky, he gently taps the horse’s neck left or right to set the direction. Unbridled and riding bareback, they are intuitively connected, companions on a shared journey.
As the evening deepens, the traveller finds a fresh stream running through a long shelf of cracked rock. Close by, old, grey trees have grown through the earth - gnarled, twisted and dry. Pulling his silver knife from his belt, he cuts away the smaller branches for kindling and sets about making a fire, cracking the larger ones in half with his shins.
The horse laps at the cool, clear water, while the blaze burns intermittently, flashing hot yellow on the fuel of a new stem before settling back again into the embers. The traveler reaches into his pocket, retrieves a soft pouch tied with string, and scatters smooth, wooden tokens, burnt with ancient symbols, over the red soil.
Setting himself beneath Arcturus, he arranges the tokens around him in a circle, and grounds himself to the body of the earth.
Lifting his chin to the sky, he surrenders to the vast expanse above. His breath slows and drops, steadying.
He has come with a question, and seeks an answer. For days he has travelled through the canyon, depriving himself of food and water, treading the endless path with his animal companion as the sun scorched and purged his corporeal self.
A flash of sword, a taste of purple, ribbons of light green whip across his mind’s eye. Ships that burst with light sail across a flat plane of endless, moving squares. He walks on a platform of multi-coloured patterns that pulsate in changing hues, then shift into falling staircases. Soft, round shapes, linked together by lines, soothe the speed of information. A giant black omega falls around him as he slips into a net of sticky wires, holding his weight momentarily before releasing him to the void below. He plummets through frames, zones and panes before landing again in the canyon, at the side of the flickering fire.
He is shaking from deep within, covered in sweat. Eyes still closed, he feels something soft and wet nudging at his shoulder. The horse, attuned to her companion's shifting energy, feels the call to comfort him and pull him back to this world.
He stands and places his head against her mane. Another night, another vision. He hurriedly reaches for paper and pen to record his revelation. Scooping up the wooden tokens, he mixes them, then casts three:
Dagaz
Raidho
Ehwas
They confirm to him that a change was needed, and that a change has come. He knows he must trust even more that his animal companion will take him where he needs to go, and protect him on this journey. His perception of his situation will determine the experience he will have.
Exhausted, he covers her in a thick blanket. The desert temperature has now set to a chill. He wipes the sweat from his body and lies down by the dwindling fire, throwing on a few remaining branches, and staring deep into the coals glowing like jewels of ruby, garnet and carnelian. He closes his eyes, and prays for many dreams before morning...
May this full moon be joyful, uplifting, expanding. May truth bring us closer to our companions on the inside, and on the out.
Astroelixir:
Mulled Wine
1 bottle dry wine
1 orange studded with cloves
2 sticks of cinnamon
4 tablespoons of brown sugar (to taste)
Mix the ingredients together on a low heat. Bring to a simmer for half an hour. Serve warm.