I thought the new movie, Nativity Story, was really good. If you've read the reviews you know that the character of Joseph is especially complex, but I appreciated the other characters as well, for example Herod (nasty man!), Mary's family, Zechariah and Elizabeth, etc.
The King of Kings, born to nobodies, for nobodies
There were only two faults that I could see in the movie. One, the angel of God was kinda flat, which, in some ways, might not have been bad. The "power" of God didn't come across, but the mystery of God did.
The other fault, in my opinion, was in the character of Mary. When she saw the messenger of God at first she was afraid (which makes sense). But when she obeyed and received the seed that would become Jesus, it was somehow wooden and emotionless. You didn't get the sense that she loved God or anything. Just that she was kneeling down and submitting. In other ways in the movie Mary is a great character. I wish her heart had come across in this scene more.
Three Magi (click on images to enlarge)
Anyway, overall I thought the movie was great. And I especially liked the depiction of the three astrologer-magis which brought a smile to my face. Very creative. And also astronomically and astrologically accurate, following the latest best thinking on the Star of Wonder, with a little extra added in, I won't give it away...
But below is a pretty good slide show on the current best scientific understanding of The Star. Click on the image to view it.
Only a week or so more to go now until the solstice and the turning back of the light...
Hi everybody -- In honor of this Libra New Moon (which will conjunct many of our natal Neptunes) I thought I would post this info on the birth of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Some of you know that I've returned to Recovery, have been attending Al-Anon meetings again, and am finally doing the 12 steps with a sponsor. For 30+ years I've been dipping in and out of meetings, but never actually did the steps. I'm now finding it to be an awesome process. For example, I have a good mind... but so good that I can rationalize or gloss over the actual MECHANICS of change. Or rather, I can think and understand about change... all the while being unconscious in my actions and reactions. So the "steps" (and my sponsor) are leading me through, little by little, one step at a time and God willing, into awareness, honesty and surrender.
Anyway, I've been looking into the roots of AA and discovered that the "birth" of Alcoholics Anonymous is considered to be the date Bill W. was admitted to the hospital for the third time. The time of his admittance is recorded in the hospital records, and during this third stay is when he had a spiritual awakening, and the Program which has now helped millions was revealed to him. He never drank again after that.
Below is the chart -- AA has an Aquarius Moon!
(click on image to enlarge)
It's an interesting chart in a variety of ways. Hit the "comment" link below to add your thoughts!
Blessings to you in your quest, Vinessa. AA offers a genuine and sincere way to look at oneself and tools to handle what one sees! With my Pisces Asc. and Sun conjunct Neptune, I definitely had early tendencies toward substance abuse, but it was a series of spiritual experiences that shook me off of that road. I recognized that substance usage was in some way a means to "reconnect" to that dimension of the spiritual that modern society tends to disregard and criticize. It was that "split" that drove me slightly crazy. Most ancient cultures highly value and encourage their members, and have ritualistically established the means for the "vision quest"---to find oneSELF. To dive deeply within our inner most being to find our Truth--the journey takes courage and help---our Elders, guides, sponsors! I think our society's members' become addicted to substances because we do not collectively honor, value and validate our inherent resonance with the spiritual dimension. If we did, we probably would have fewer "addicts," psychotics, and neurotics---less dependence on alcohol, drugs, pharmaceuticals.
Thank you for sharing yourself---it is always inspiring for us all. Vast, vast universes of precious, sweet and sacred divine blessings to you, always, Hari Om, Parvati
comment by Parvati Premananda at 10:45 AM on 10.21.06
Just a few comments on AA's chart----Aquarius Moon definitely a humanitarian thrust/endeavor/emotional need, and with that Saturn conjunct--an indicator that it's not going to be a rosy ride, but will be a force of discipline (discipleship) and strong structure, especially with the help of friends and group endeavors (11th house). All of that great Sag. energy in the house of psychological transformation (8th)---the purpose (Sun) of which is to radically transform mentally and emotionally (Mercury and Venus), along with teaching others how to transform and inspiring many. The nodal axis (Leo South Node, Aquarius North Node) is an indicator that one must move from ego-centered (Leo) perspective to the "collapse of ego"--words of Jung-- (Aquarius) into more of a transpersonal perspective of oneself in the world. Jupiter in the 7th in Scorpio----"greater to give than to receive" and the intense commitment (Scorpio) to that transformational energy. Chiron's placement in the first---the wound of the self and in the healing, offering to others a way to heal as well. Uranus' placement in the 12th indicates the "behind the scenes" (no identification of last name) facet. Most interesting chart and seems to perfectly reflect AA's "goals"/ideals/achievements. Lots of great "stuff" there!!!!
comment by Parvati Premananda at 10:59 AM on 10.21.06
A Dwarf Planet Is Named: ERIS
New York Times: September 14, 2006
By Kenneth Chang
The dwarf planet formerly known as Xena received a new name today, while Pluto was given a number to reflect the loss of its status as a planet.
Dr. Michael E. Brown, a professor of planetary astronomy at the California Institute of Technology who discovered the distant ball of ice and rock that he nicknamed Xena, chose the name Eris, after the goddess of discord and strife in Greek mythology. The International Astronomical Union made the name official today.
"It is absolutely the perfect name," Dr. Brown said, given the continuing discord among astronomers and the public over whether Pluto should have retained its planetary status.
In mythology, Eris ignited discord that led to the Trojan War.
"She causes strife by causing arguments among men, by making them think their opinions are right and everyone else's is wrong," Dr. Brown said. "It really is just perfect."
Pluto, now that it is no longer a planet, has been assigned the number 134340 in the catalog of minor planets. In 1999, the astronomical union's Minor Planet Center had proposed assigning Pluto the number 10000 in the same catalog, to give it dual citizenship as both a planet and a member of the Kuiper Belt, a ring of icy debris beyond Neptune. Brian Marsden, director of the center, said it was meant as special recognition for Pluto, but the idea was withdrawn after protests from people who saw it as a demotion.
The discovery last year of Eris, which is slightly larger than Pluto and had been regarded by some as the solar system's 10th planet, led to the demotion and minor planet number.
Dr. Brown had nicknamed the object Xena after the title character in the television series "Xena: Warrior Princess" and partly as a nod to Planet X, a massive planet long theorized to exist in the outer solar system. Eris had also been known by its temporary designation 2003 UB313.
When Dr. Brown later discovered a moon around Xena, he nicknamed it Gabrielle, another character on the same television show. The moon is now officially named Dysnomia, after Eris's daughter, a demon spirit of lawlessness. That name is also, in part, a nod to Xena fans. Xena was played by Lucy Lawless.
Eris is actually the second name that Dr. Brown proposed. Immediately after announcing the discovery in July last year, Dr. Brown submitted to the astronomical union the name Lila, a Hindu concept that says the universe is a playground of the gods.
The name was also for his newborn daughter Lilah. Dr. Brown raised suspicions that this was his proposed name when he called the Web page about the body "planetlila," but he said it was only whimsical and that he had accidentally misspelled his daughter's name.
Dr. Brown said his wife persuaded him to look for another name, telling him, "What if we have a second child? You'd have to go find another planet."
It has been pointed out that the discovery of Xena precipitated the argument about what constitutes a planet, and that engendered Pluto's "demotion." So, renaming Xena Eris, the goddess whose job it is to create discord, is indeed apt. Concurrently, it appears that the Pope has made a speech that has been interpreted as hostile by Moslems, creating much discord. So far, Eris has convinced me that she's exactly who she purports to be.
comment by Diana Shaw at 11:53 AM on 09.15.06
The Divine Feminine and the return to our Great Mother and Primordial Grandmothers as Clan Leader of the new world is well on its way!
(AP) Following a less non-violent path to enlightenment, right-wing Buddhist monks stormed the stage of an anti-war demonstration in Colombo, Sri Lanka today. The monks shouted pro-war slogans and scuffled with the peace protesters. Their leader, Galagodaatte Ganasara (right), had to be pulled off the podium.
Hi everybody -- Jane had sent pictures of the Spring 2005 retreat awhile back and I finally uploaded them today, along with various pictures of past retreats -- it's been a sweet and heartful walk down memory lane.
Road to Enchanted Hills, click on image to see Napa memories
I also wanted to let you know that for our last time together in Napa this upcoming September I've been able to keep the early-bird prices going, so there has been no price rise. Woo hoo! Early bird prices are still in effect and will continue until the retreat.
Registration is solid and has been ongoing, but I still do have spaces left, so if you're thinking about coming I hope you will!! Newcomers are also welcome -- it'd be a great opportunity for those of you lurking out there to experience a part of AP history before the next chapter unfolds.
Steve will be diving deep as usual into charts you all provide (all-chart grab-bag). Plus we're planning some cool optional evening activities and there will be time as usual to rest, explore and connect with our evolutionary soul brothers and sisters.
Click here for more information on the Fall 2006 retreat in Napa, September 8-12, including the topic description, prices, etc.
This story made my heart lift today. It's a wonderful testimony to how patience and care can help the most timid spirits blossom.
COURAGE? FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD
New York Times: June 14, 2006
By Michael Winerip
DIANA SENECHAL is a first-year teacher of immigrant students at I.S. 223, a middle school in Brooklyn, and maybe, if she'd been more experienced, she would have known better than to have her students perform "The Wizard of Oz" when they were so new to this country and spoke so little English.
They arrived at I.S. 223 talking 24 different languages and not knowing a soul. About the only thing they shared was a shyness of speaking English aloud.
Ms. Senechal figured, what better way to give them confidence than to have them sing and dance in an hour-and-a-half-long musical, for three performances at the end of the school year, in the big auditorium, before a thousand strangers?
Her students weren't so sure. As Shamsul Huda from Bangladesh, the Tin Man, said, "I'm scary to do it."
Rehearsals started in January, and it was slow going. Sergio Sanchez, from Mexico, the lead Munchkin, was so shy, he kept running away. "The funny thing about Sergio, he loved running away," Ms. Senechal said. "We were rehearsing in my room and he just stood outside for an hour; he wouldn't come in."
In the auditorium, he hid behind the curtains. Still, Ms. Senechal did not give up. "It's a positive pattern," she explained. "He hides but wants to be here."
Laura Fronczak of Poland — Glinda the Good Witch — kept refusing to sing her big solo. She'd have a giggling fit and announce, "Miss, I can't sing today," and it was like Greta Garbo wanting to be alone; there was nothing Ms. Senechal could do, except wait, for weeks. "When Laura finally sang," Ms. Senechal said, "it was such a big event, I called her parents."
Some complained that Yasser Arafath, the Cowardly Lion, was mumbling. But Ms. Senechal said: "He'll be fine. Yasser has a very, very quiet spirit. He seems shy but is very strong and steadfast."
Camila Tavarez, from the Dominican Republic, didn't want to be the Wicked Witch of the West, so Ms. Senechal cut a deal. "I said, 'You don't have to be an ugly witch, you don't even have to be green, you can be a beautiful wicked witch.' "
Several girls wear scarves for religious reasons, and Ms. Senechal chose one, Asfara Begum, from Bangladesh, to be Dorothy.
Dorothy with a head scarf? "Did you notice her smile?" Ms. Senechal said. "She has a radiant nature."
Rehearsals went on daily for five months, using the 37.5 minutes that usually gets spent on test prep and tutoring. The principal, Gertrude Adduci, got it right away. "The Wizard of Oz" — it's about them," Ms. Adduci said. "If you're new to this country, you need courage."
THEY did. In mid-May, the two chorus lines were still banging into each other during "Ding-Dong, the Witch is Dead." It was obvious that Jesse Canete, a member of the Lollipop Guild, had never been a dancer back in Mexico. "Jesse, start on your right foot," Ms. Senechal pleaded. "No, no, this is your right foot," she said, wiggling a right foot at him.
The day before the premiere, she still had one Munchkin and one Winkie costume to sew. In dark moments she wondered if she'd taken on too much, but she never let the students see that. What they saw was how much she cared. "Miss talks to us like we're relatives," said Shamsul the Tin Man.
People who teach English classes for immigrants aren't required to speak other languages, but if, like Ms. Senechal, they do, it helps them understand how a new language is acquired.
Ms. Senechal is 42 and not a typical first-year teacher. She has a doctorate from Yale in Slavic languages, is fluent in Russian and Spanish, speaks French and Dutch, and has studied Lithuanian, Croatian, Latin and Greek. She came to I.S. 223, in the Borough Park neighborhood, through the city's Teaching Fellows program, which recruits people who have had other careers.
"One way I pick up language is through memorization of music and poetry," Ms. Senechal said. "For me, the arts are an important inroad into a language." The Wizard also gave her a perfect story line. Sergio the Munchkin said moving from Mexico to Brooklyn, "it's like we come over the rainbow."
Education is a big reason their families sacrificed. The Tin Man's father owned two stores in Bangladesh; here, he's a laborer. The Wicked Witch's mother was a lawyer, and cleans houses here.
Students interviewed said this school was better than the ones they had attended in their native lands. "This is a high education place," the Tin Man said. "A lot of more satisfactory things than in Bangladesh."
Ms. Senechal sees a school that takes poor children — 100 percent get free lunches — and provides opportunity. This is why she has no faith in the federal No Child Left Behind law, which labels I.S. 223 a failing school. While I.S. 223 students in every racial and ethnic subgroup made their testing goals in English, math and science, the law requires 95 percent to be tested, and on the English exam, the school was 7 students short. "That makes us a failing school?" she said. "Nonsense. Remarkable things happen at this school."
Ms. Senechal watched her students working together to get the English words right for the play.
"Emeny?" said Laura the Good Witch.
"Enemy," said Yestak Haq, the Scarecrow.
"Emer-rolled City?" Laura said.
"Emerald," said Shahwar Bibi, the lead Winkie.
The teacher saw signs of Americanization right before her eyes. On the afternoon of opening night, Asfara — sporting a blue gingham pinafore, ruby slippers, a stuffed Toto and braids — decided not to wear her head scarf. "This is quite a development," said Ms. Senechal, who made her call home before the performance.
"My mother says, 'All right, it looks nice, I can do for a day, that's O.K.,' " Asfara reported back.
The show started at 8 past the hour, just as on Broadway. Ms. Senechal was stationed in front of the stage, and to avoid distracting the audience, crawled between the sound board stage left (she'd put microphones on several actors, including Yasser the quiet-spirited lion) and a laptop stage right that projected a huge image of Mohammed Tanim, the Wizard.
If the truth be told, the beginning, in Kansas, was flat, the students' accented English hard to understand. But the moment Asfara, her braids swinging in the air, looked her stuffed dog in the eye and said, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more," the play soared, the singing and dancing carrying the show.
At the end there was tons of applause, woo-woos, cameras flashing and two curtain calls. Dorothy gave Ms. Senechal a bouquet of flowers, and then the cast and director gathered for juice and cookies.
Ms. Senechal knows this Brooklyn stage is the closest most will get to Broadway. But that was never the point. Like the great and powerful Oz, she gave them a peek at what they are made of. The Tin Man hopes to use what he discovered to become a scientist, the Lion a computer specialist, and Dorothy an engineer.
There are hundreds of books on the market that offer relationship fixes in one form or another. Some of these techniques can be quite helpful. Yet at some point, most technical fixes turn out to be patches that fall off, for they fail to address what lies at the root of all interpersonal conflict and misunderstanding -- whether between marital partners, family members, friends, fellow workers, or different ethnic groups in the world at large. All the most intractable problems in human relationships can be traced back to what I call the mood of unlove -- a deep seated suspicion most of us harbor within ourselves that we cannot be loved, or that we are not truly loveable, just for who we are. This basic insecurity makes it hard to trust in ourselves, in other people, or in life itself.
Not knowing, in our blood and bones, that we are truly loved or loveable undermines our capacity to give and receive love freely. This is the core wound that generates interpersonal conflict and a whole range of familiar relationship tangles. Difficulty trusting, fear of being misused or rejected, harboring jealousy and vindictiveness, defensively stonewalling, having to argue and prove we're right, feeling easily hurt or offended, and blaming others for our pain -- these are just a few of the ways that our insecurity about being loved or loveable shows up.
The mood of unlove often shows up in the form of sudden emotional flare-ups in reaction to any hint of being slighted or badly treated. It's as though a reservoir of distrust and resentment were ready and waiting to be released, which the tiniest incident can trigger. Even caring and compassionate people often carry within them a fair share of unlove and righteous grievance, which can suddenly erupt under certain circumstances. For some couples these explosions happen early on, blowing a budding relationship apart in their first few encounters. For others, the mood of unlove might not wreak its havoc until well into a seemingly happy marriage, when both partners suddenly wake up one day and realize they don't feel truly seen or known. It's not uncommon for long-term spouses to say something like, "I know my husband loves me, but somehow I don't feel loved."
Sometimes the mood of unlove shows up in the form of endless bickering and petty irritation, as though both partners were continually looking for reasons to grumble, "Why don't you love me better?" For example, one couple I worked with described the following incident that led to a week-long estrangement. The woman had just made her husband tea when he became upset with her for putting milk in it: "Haven't I told you before that I don't want you putting milk in my tea for me, that I like to let it steep for a long time first?" The only way to understand how something so trivial could trigger a major conflict is through recognizing what her action signifies for him: In his eyes, she has shown once again that she is not attuned to him and his needs -- like all the other women in his life. And for her, when even making tea becomes an occasion for blame and resentment, this shows, once again, that no matter what she does she can never win his love. Lurking in the background of this petty incident is the age-old pain of feeling uncared for and unappreciated, which both partners are reenacting once again.
As a practicing psychotherapist, I have been intrigued by the tenacity and intransigence of the mood of unlove, which can live on in the psyche in spite of plenty of evidence to the contrary (even when people in our lives do love us) or in spite of many years of therapy or spiritual practice. What's worse, the mood of unlove has the power to repel, belittle, or sabotage whatever love is there. Somehow the love that's available always seems to fall short -- it's not sufficient, not good enough, or not the right kind. Somehow it fails to convince us that we are truly loved or loveable. In this way the mood of unlove -- as an expectation that we won't or can't be fully embraced or accepted -- makes us impervious to letting in the love that might actually free us from its grip.
As a result, "You have two choices in life: You can stay single and be miserable or get married and wish you were dead," as H.L. Mencken wrote with a flourish of wry, black humor. Reciting this line at relationship workshops always evokes peals of laughter as people feel the relief of naming this basic human dilemma. When under the spell of the mood of unlove, living alone is miserable because we feel bereft or abandoned. And yet marrying is no cure for this misery, since living with someone every day can further intensify the sense of unlove and make it feel even more hellish.
How then can brokenhearted people like ourselves heal this woundedness around love that has been passed down through the generations, and set ourselves free from the strife that dominates our world? This is the most crucial issue of human life, both personally and collectively. It is also the central focus of this book.
Well, the votes are in. The AP Retreat in Mexico was fantastic! The weather was glorious and warm, Patzcuaro was rich and magical, and the topic of the outer planets, the shifting of the ages and our role within that shift, was incredible and deep. Several healings occured, and many people started a new love affair with the heart of highland Mexico.
If you click on the pictures above you'll go to the photo area, where I've posted pictures of the retreat and our activities in Patzcuaro.
I also had a small digital recorder and was able to capture live music in various settings. Patzcuaro is a very cultural town and I hope these sound clips will also give you a feel for the place. Click on the links below to listen.
I arrived in Patzcuaro this morning, after mayhem at LAX and an overnight flight. Getting through Morelia airport was very easy, and although the Casas de Cambio were closed, my driver was on time and I was glad when we started out in the cool morning air on our way to the Pueblo Magico.
Seen through the eyes of my future retreat participants however, the ride was less than inspiring. I was thinking I needed to write a little pep-talk message, one that would help everyone make the transition from the clean, abundant predictability of the United States to the often gritty reality of Mexico. It can definitely be depressing at first to see so much more poverty, litter on the roadside, half finished buildings abandoned, things broken down, people seemingly hopeless, piles of leaves adding smoke to the haze and mirroring industrial smokestacks belching in the distance.
I think every journey has a membrane, a sort of deep disappointment that dashes the romantic fantasies cultivated during planning -- at first. I feel this depression each time I arrive in Mexico.... but then I wait.... Because I've learned that once I've adjusted to the inevitable disappointment, magic somehow comes my way afterwards, and no more often than in Patzcuaro.
I came early in Patzcuaro to prepare for the AP retreat and take a short immersion Spanish class. In the spirit of authenticity am staying first in an inexpensive Mexican run family hotel before the retreat starts at La Casa Encantada. It's a fairly basic place, with no English anywhere -- perfect for being challenged to use Spanish every day!
Beat from my overnight flight I checked in at about 8:30 am and went straight to bed for a "nap". Then, at about 11:00 I was awoken by some of the most beautiful choral Mexican folk music I have ever heard, and it was obviously live in the courtyard!! I stepped outside and the magic had begun. The hotel was filled with young people from all over Mexico, prodigies in guitar and string bass, and they were being led in their practices before a performance that will be held at the Teatro later today at 3:00 pm.
And here I was, with a miniature digital recording setup in my bags... I ran back to my room and grabbed the recorder and stereo mic, went up to the second floor and watched them practice while dangling the mic down into the courtyard space. I also took a couple of pictures. So here are my first gifts of magic to you. (click on picture to enlarge)
I've come to believe more and more that if we are ready for a dream and are willing to let the first depression or disappointment pass, magic will blossom. There are dragons guarding every treasure and part of the hero's journey is not running from them or wishing them away but accepting that they have a purpose. People are often tested for their ability to not let a (paper) dragon squash their spirit. And they are also often challenged to keep believing, not in a romantic fantasy, but in the magic that *will* come as long as we stay patient, awake and open.
Hi -- This is just to let everyone know that later this year I am planning to sell the rights to two domain names I currently have registered. I never ended up building the websites; the two I currently have are enough for me. So if any of you are interested in having your own website, or changing your current name to something else, the two names I am selling are:
- primalastrology.com
- soulsjourney.com
... (click to enlarge)
In a nutshell, domain names are registered with a registrar and there's an annual fee of $7-10 to maintain the rights. But since names are unique, they can be valuable in and of themselves. Only one person or entity for example has the rights to home.com, or shopping.com, or music.com. The current owner of realestate.com paid tens of thousands of dollars to purchase the name from someone who already had it registered.
I've had offers on soulsjourney.com in particular, one from a woman who runs Souls Journey, Inc., incorporated in Ohio somewhere. But she was incensed that I had grabbed the name 2 years previously and was so hostile and aggressive that I decided not to sell to her. (a soulful woman indeed!)
But I don't really need the names anymore and I'd rather offer them to you all, my family and extended community. They are good names, and if anybody wanted to do something rich and creative online, they would be getting real gems.
So if you're interested, write me an offer. Tell me what you would like to pay, and your vision, or what you would like to do with the name. I'll consider both in determining who to transfer the rights to. If you're on a shoestring but have a really cool and well-developed vision, that's great! And if you just want to keep the name(s) in your pocket as an investment instead, that's fine too.
June 18th looks like a good deadline for receiving offers -- it's a Uranus station, with Mars conj Saturn, and at tne end of the day an Aries Moon conjunct the North node.
So think about it. After you have the name in hand, your next step would be to purchase webhosting services (the actual e-space a website lives on). The webhost and registrar work together to "point" the name to your e-space. Having been through a few webhosts before this one, I can also recommend my current host very highly. They are very responsive, and hosting only costs $60 the first year, and $40 each year after. Check out the little banner at the bottom of the right sidebar if you're interested.
If you need any more information, let me know! If nobody scoops up these names I'll release them back into the public pool for anybody to grab.
If you haven't heard of it already, StarIQ is an astrological webmagazine published by Rick Levine and Jeff Jawer. They do a great job.
Among the cool things you will find on their website is a way to register with your birthdata and get a personalized planetary forecast customized to your chart (sample here), automatically emailed to you, for free, a few days before each event. An example would be Mars approaching a square to your Saturn, or Venus coming into sextile with your Sun. They leave out the Moon so as not to fill your mailbox, and the outer planets which are too slow to pinpoint. But they track the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars. I like these emails because they are different than the Rob Hand material that Astrodienst uses, and which we are already familiar with. Check out the custom email horoscope subscriptions here.
They also have a streaming audio program called PlanetPulse, check it out here.
I just stumbled on Astrotheme this morning. It looks like it's in France, but it's interesting because you can look for famous people with Sun/Moon combinations -- or Sun/AS, Sun/Venus, Venus/Mars, etc. Also just planets in houses, planets in signs, and houses in signs.
They have 27,854 celebrities currently in their database, and the French pick interesting people, not just the standard ones we typically see. A quick glance shows James Redfield, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Peaches Geldof, Leland Stanford, Tupac Shakur, John Philip Sousa, Paul Hogan, and Vanessa Paradis. (Who is this woman? A French singer/actress, Johnny Depp's partner and mother of his child).
... (click on images to enlarge)
Here's the Astrotheme page for finding Sun/Moon combinations.
Eric Francis has put together a beautiful and interesting site. Planet Waves is a feast for the eyes and mind. Eric lives in Paris and is a photographer and artist (gallery here) in addition to being an astrologer. (I'm picking up a theme here, does France have Venus in Capricorn?)
Some areas of the site are only available by subscription ($55 annually), including Planetary Waves Weekly, and a special Planet Waves Annual Edition. This year's annual edition is called Parallel Worlds. Check out the beautiful red Venus picture by clicking on the link. The intro is below.
Parallel Worlds, the 8th annual edition of Planet Waves, explores the mysteries of the next four seasons and far beyond. We'll have extended write-ups for each of the signs, with interpretations covering work, relationships and personal growth, plus articles on the main events of 2006: Pluto on the Galactic Core, Saturn opposite Neptune, the Centaur planets, the eclipses and much more.
Parallel Worlds looks far beyond 2006, and continues tracking the mysterious spiral road to 2012 -- a discussion begun in Bridge to the Core, the 2005 annual edition. We will have both Mayan and Western perspectives on this theme, including our first exploration of Pluto in Capricorn.
Once again, Capricorn rocks! Today is the birthday of LSD's discoverer. Albert Hofmann turns 100 years old today in Switzerland, proof that psychedelic experience doesn't necessarily shorten one's life. Read on!
New York Times
January 7, 2006
NEARLY 100, LSD's FATHER PONDERS HIS 'PROBLEM CHILD'
By Craig S. Smith
Albert Hofmann, the father of LSD, walked slowly across the small corner office of his modernist home on a grassy Alpine hilltop here, hoping to show a visitor the vista that sweeps before him on clear days. But outside there was only a white blanket of fog hanging just beyond the crest of the hill. He picked up a photograph of the view on his desk instead, left there perhaps to convince visitors of what really lies beyond the windowpane.
Mr. Hofmann will turn 100 on Wednesday, a milestone to be marked by a symposium in nearby Basel on the chemical compound that he discovered and that famously unlocked the Blakean doors of perception, altering consciousnesses around the world. As the years accumulate behind him, Mr. Hofmann's conversation turns ever more insistently around one theme: man's oneness with nature and the dangers of an increasing inattention to that fact.
"It's very, very dangerous to lose contact with living nature," he said, listing to the right in a green armchair that looked out over frost-dusted fields and snow-laced trees. A glass pitcher held a bouquet of roses on the coffee table before him. "In the big cities, there are people who have never seen living nature, all things are products of humans," he said. "The bigger the town, the less they see and understand nature." And, yes, he said, LSD, which he calls his "problem child," could help reconnect people to the universe.
Could the purchase of an ancient coin have led to an important clue about the Star of Bethlehem? The above illustration is a Roman coin from Antioch, Syria which shows the zodiacal sign, Aries the Ram. In trying to understand the meaning behind this coin, Mike Molnar found that Aries was the sign of the Jews. Realizing that this is where ancient stargazers would have watched for the Star of Bethlehem, he embarked on searching for the celestial event that signified the birth of the Messiah in Judea.
Mike Molnar was a lot more interested in expanding his coin collection than figuring out the identity of the Star of Bethlehem when he ran across a 2,000-year-old coin at a coin show back in 1990.
But the image on the coin, of a ram looking over its shoulder at a star, sent the Rutgers University astronomer to dusty astrological texts to interpret its meaning. And what he found was the key, he believes, for unlocking the secret of the Star of Bethlehem.
The Star of Bethlehem has mystified and intrigued Bible scholars and astronomers (and those who fancied themselves a bit of both) for centuries.
The second chapter of Matthew's Gospel describes a unique celestial phenomenon that somehow escaped the notice of King Herod and the rest of Judea yet attracted mysterious visitors from the distant east, seeking a newborn king.
A number of celestial events have been proposed to explain the Bethlehem Star. A newly revised Bible Handbook, issued this year by the Zondervan Publishing House, states "there's one and only one astronomical object" that meets all of the Biblical criteria: a comet.
Molnar, who earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1971, is sure it's not a comet. In an interview, Molnar said ancient astrology texts never refer to the birth of anybody related to a comet. Comets usually signal disaster, such as a war or the death of a king, he said.
In those ancient texts Molnar discovered that Aries the Ram was the zodiac symbol for the ancient kingdom of Judea, something that most scholars had apparently missed. Its appearance on his coin, minted in Antioch around A.D. 6, probably symbolized the solidification of Roman rule of the region.
Based on that information, he then went looking for the kind of celestial event that would have signaled to ancient astrologers like the Magi that something as memorable as the birth of a king was about to take place. "I really had to think like them," he said. "What would they look for?"
His research lead him to the morning of April 17, 6 B.C. The planet Jupiter, named after the supreme deity of the ancient Romans, came over the horizon that morning accompanied by a host of other celestial signs that would have been like flashing neon light to the astrologers.
April 17, 6 B.C., Bethlehem, Israel
time: Jupiter rising (click on image to enlarge)
The moon and the sun were both right there, and Saturn was nearby, all within the sign of Aries the Ram. "All of these things, according to ancient manuscripts, indicated the birth of an incredibly powerful king," Molnar said.
Restudying the original Greek of Matthew's Gospel account Molnar saw a very technical description of exactly what occurred that April, as well as later in the year.
"These are also astronomical terms," he said. "'In the east,'" in Greek, meant 'at morning rising in the east.' Words for 'going forward' and 'stood over' were the same as what we call today retrograde motion."
Retrograde motion is an optical illusion created by the orbits of the planets. As the earth's orbit catches up to another planet, such as Jupiter, the planet's movement across the sky appears to slow and stop.
Later that summer and fall, Jupiter underwent retrograde motion. "I believe this was the time the wise men were visiting King Herod and had their audience with him," Molnar said.
Molnar's colleagues at other East Coast universities seem to consider his new book, The Star of Bethlehem, a major breakthrough. Bradley Schaefer of Yale writes, in a Sky & Telescope review, that all the old Star of Bethlehem theories are now irrelevant.
Harvard's Owen Gingrich, in an endorsement on the book jacket, calls it "the most original and important contribution of the entire twentieth century on the thorny question of how events recorded there should be interpreted."
Molnar says the book, which was issued in October 1999 by Rutgers University Press, is now in its second printing.
My friend Cheryl does a ritual each winter solstice in honor of the moment of deepest darkness "turning" back towards increasing light. In the ritual, she says that while it's natural to release what we no longer wish to support, it's also a moment to invite new energy in because a seed planted now will germinate and grow into something new as the light increases.
I'm hosting Christmas dinner this year for my new extended family. And as I woke up this morning I thought of planning to say the dinner grace. However, the twelve adults and three children coming are all different faiths -- from New Age to Born-again Christian to Agnostic/Atheist -- so probably a moment of silence will work better. But this is the grace I would say. I offer it to this solstice moment of turning, to germinate and grow in our hearts as the light increases.
Dear Lord, Great Spirit, thank you for our lives. And thank you for the bounty of this beautiful Earth that provides our meals. Bless and protect all those who are cold, sick, hungry, lonely, grieving, angry or in pain. Ease their burdens and lighten their loads. Keep fear and judgement from our hearts, and help us cultivate humility, gratitude, and wonder instead. And please keep us healthy so that we can grow in compassion and courage, to serve others and you. Aho, amen.
2005 has been a good year. My travels haven't taken me far, but I've enjoyed trips to Death Valley, Sedona, Big Sur, Mexico, British Columbia and Yosemite, as well as various short road trips closer to home. Mostly however, the journey has been an inner one. Dru and I have been together now for over a year and our relationship continues to deepen and grow. I'm blessed by his presence in my life.
Work in the architecture firm continues, I'm lucky to have survived the economic downturn thus far when so many are struggling. This website was also re-designed this year and it's been fun to work with the new system. I hope you enjoy what you see.
For 2006 I hope to write more, including astrological pieces and personal stories. I'm also looking forward to our astrological apprenticeship retreat in the highlands of central Mexico with Steven in March. It's promising to be a lovely new flower and of course an opportunity for the "tribe" to get away and experience each other in a new environment. Plus every time I travel in Mexico my Spanish improves! A good thing in this modern age.
The Napa retreat is on schedule for September 2006, and later in the year Dru and I are hoping to take a longer trip to somewhere new and different. I'm also hoping to contribute more of my time and energy in 2006 to helping those in need and making the planet a better place to live.
A holiday message arrived this morning from a man I deeply respect, Rabbi Michael Lerner of Tikkun and the Network of Spiritual Progressives. I thought I would share with you this piece:
There is a beautiful spiritual message underlying Christmas that has universal appeal: the hope that gets reborn in moments of despair, the light that gets re-lit in the darkest moments of the year, is beautifully symbolized by the story of a child born of a teenage homeless mother who had to give birth in a manger because no one would give her shelter, and escaping the cruelty of Roman imperial rule and its local surrogate Herod who already knew that such a child would grow up to challenge the entire imperialist system. To celebrate that vulnerable child as a symbol of hope that eventually the weak would triumph over the rule of the arrogant and powerful is a spiritual celebration with strong analogies to our Jewish Chanukah celebration which also celebrates the victory of the weak over the powerful. And many other spiritual traditions around the world have similar celebrations at this time of year.
The loss of this message, and its subversion into a frenetic orgy of consumption, rightly disturbs many Christians and other people of faith. Yet this transformation is not a result of Jews or Muslims wanting to protect their children from being forced to sing Christmas carols in public school. It derives, instead, from the power of the capitalist marketplace, operating through television, movies and marketers, to drum into everyone's mind the notion that the only way to be a decent human being during this season is to buy and buy more. Thus the altruistic instinct to give, which could take the form of giving of our time, our skills, and our loving energies to people we care about, gets subverted into a competitive frenzy of consumption.
Not surprisingly, the "Christian Right" is unwilling to challenge the capitalist marketplace, because uncritical support for corporate power is precisely what they offered to become part of the conservative coalition. Thus their loyalty to conservative materialist economics has trumped their commitment to serving God.
Unfortunately huge numbers of people feel inadequate during the holidays because they dont have enough money to buy the kinds of gifts that their friends and children are being taught (by the media) to be proof of "really caring". So many people will feel disappointed as they stand with the Christmas tree or Chanukah menorah and find that the gifts they received didn't measure up to their marketplace-induced fantasies.
Meanwhile, the spiritual message of the holidays is largely lost. No wonder people feel distraught. The solution is not to blame each other -- it's to recognize instead that the emptiness, or feeling of loneliness and "lack", has been forced upon them by market values that they need to become aware of and then reject.
It's time for true Christian leaders to conduct a powerful spiritual critique of selfishness and materialism, stand up on behalf of their own highest spiritual vision, and challenge the *real* Christmas thieves! Only then will Christmas be reclaimed.
Thank you all for being in my life. I hope your celebrations are safe and warm, and that together with Spirit we can get closer to a world of peace, justice and love.
Have you ever spent time in Santa Fe? There's a subculture of "healing" there. The idea is that there's something therapeutic in the atmosphere. A safe place to go to get yourself together. There are other places (Marin, Shasta, Hawaii come to mind), usually populated by upper-middle-class people with more time and money than they know what to do with, which a culture of healing also obtains. The concept in all these environments seems to be that one needs to complete their healing before they are able to do their [creative] work.
What are we trying to heal anyway? The athlete knows the day will never come when he wakes up pain-free. He has to play hurt.
Remember, the part of us that we imagine needs healing is not the part we create from; that part is far deeper and stronger. The part we create from can't be touched by anything our parents did, or society did. That part is unsullied, uncorrupted, soundproof, waterproof, and bulletproof. In fact, the more troubles we've got, the better and richer that part becomes.
The part that needs healing is our personal life. Personal life has nothing to do with creative work. Besides, what better way of healing than to find our center of self-sovereignty? Isn't that the whole point of healing?
I washed up in New York a couple of decades ago, making twenty bucks a night driving a cab and running away full-time from doing my creative work. One night, alone in my $110-a-month sublet, I hit bottom in terms of having diverted myself into so many phony channels so many times that I couldn't rationalize it for one more evening. I dragged out my ancient Smith-Corona, dreading the experience as pointless, fruitless, meaningless, not to say the most painful exercise I could think of. For two hours I made myself sit there, torturing out some trash that I chucked away immediately into the shitcan. That was enough. I put the machine away. I went back to the kitchen. In the sink sat ten days of dishes. For some reason I had enough excess energy that I decided to wash them. The warm water felt pretty good. The soap and sponge were doing their thing. A pile of clean dishes began rising in the drying rack. To my amazement I realized I was whistling.
It hit me that I had turned a corner. I was okay. I would be okay from now on.
Do you understand? I hadn't written anything good. It might be years before I would, if I ever did at all. That didn't matter. What counted was that I had, after years of running from it, actually sat down and did my work.
Don't get me wrong. I've got nothing against true healing. We all need it. But it has nothing to do with doing our creative work and it can be a colossal exercise in Resistance. Resistance loves "healing". Resistance knows that the more psychic energy we expend dredging and re-dredging the tired, boring injustices of our personal lives, the less juice we have to offer our gift.
"Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead, and which I don't know to this day?"
-Thomas Carlyle
By special request I'm posting the information below on the many beautiful historical celestial maps available online.
Celestial cartography followed the development of human civilization and is considered a grand synthesis of art, myth and science. Historically, cartographers and astronomers sought increasing scientific exactness along with an ever richer symbolic and artistic representation of the starry sky, and as a result, produced some of the most beautiful books ever published.
Below are some of the best online exhibits showcasing historical celestial atlases.
Okay, so call me Aquarian... but I'm often struck by how every ad in The Mountain Astrologer is self-promoting. One would think, considering how insightful and healing we consider astrology to be, that at least a small percentage of the ads would be for something greater, for example saving the environment or helping those less fortunate. Because as a wise sage once said:
Outer work without inner work is deaf,
But inner work without outer work is blind.
Occasionally I dream of starting something called the 'Aquarius Moon Foundation', which would be a vehicle by which astrologers could contribute and/or donate, as a group, to some meaningful action in the world. And by so doing we could show the public that astrologers, as a profession and industry, are involved in more than just navel-gazing.
However, until that time, I would like to share my current passion (read more below). Be assured that it's Aquarian in that it's an unpopular cause. But with a little bit of thought I hope you'll see that contributing to this effort could go far in transforming our global 'trance' and leveraging change where the need is greatest. I hope you'll consider joining me and donating whatever, and even a little bit more than, you can.
The October 8th earthquake on the Pakistan-India border continues to be an acute crisis, with the death toll continuing to rise daily, even many weeks after the event. The official death toll is currently almost 90,000, half of those children, and nearly three million people are homeless. There are many devastated villages that have still not been reached at all. And survivors face a shortage of food and shelter as the harsh Himalayan winter approaches.
(1) (2) (1) Entire villages have been flattened and no relief workers have reached them yet.
(2) These women have been standing in line for 3 days for food, and they're the luckier ones.
The situation in Pakistan is worsening by the day. The death toll continues to rise and is now close to 90,000.
Three million people are still living without shelter and a harsh winter is weeks away. The United Nations says conditions in Pakistan are worse than after the tsunami and that it is the biggest humanitarian nightmare the UN has ever dealt with.
The towns look like they have been bombarded by a brutal air force for weeks. It's hard to believe that this happened five weeks ago. It could have been yesterday. Nothing has changed. Even the horizon is still strewn with rubble.
There are sights which defy belief. Streets are littered with clothing, sent up by charities and discarded by people. They don't need tattered shirts. They need shelter, food, water, medical care.
The inability to stop the death toll from rising after so long is unheard of in disaster relief. After the Indonesian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the world's outpouring of help and generosity stemmed the deaths within a couple of weeks so the work of healing and rebuilding could begin. However, in Pakistan, the question has arisen -- is the West just weary of giving? Or is cultural bias at work? The northern Pakistan mountains are, after all, Bin Laden territory. Are we saying, since you hate us we will forget about you?
The 60 Minutes segment went on to spotlight 13 paramedics from New York who've gone to Pakistan to help, at their own cost, and are there trying to stem the rising tide of pain and death on their own. But the immensity of the need is overwhelming. It's like a finger in the dike, or trying to dig out from under an avalanche with a spoon.
But one thing that struck me was the paramedics' belief that long after lives have been put back together, the survivors will remember who showed up to help. And that this could irrevocably change the perception of America among those most susceptible to radical Muslim fundamentalism.
This is not why the New York medics came here, of course. They didn't come to win hearts and minds, but to save lives. Hearts and minds just seemed to follow, and that's fine with paramedic Steve Muth.
"We can inoculate an entire valley, if we're lucky, against radical Islam," says Muth. "And it's so simple. I'm just a paramedic. It's just a bandage. It's not a $100 million dollar ad campaign from Madison Avenue. It's not, you know, it's not complicated. Could something work better to change somebody's mind? I can't think of anything..."
"Love your enemies" in this context is obviously an extremely wise, compassionate, and practical way to build bridges and sow the seeds of peace.
There are obviously many disaster relief organizations who need our support in order to do more. So I got on CharityWatch.org and found that the highest rated agency for this kind of work is Doctors Without Borders, or in the original French, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). They are "A" rated, meaning donation dollars are maximized to help victims and very little is lost to administration. (the Red Cross is also good, and rated A minus)
I'm collecting donations in my workplace and hope within the next week to be able to donate at least $600 to Doctors Without Borders. Please join me by giving what you can.
great piece, vinessa. i was also struck a few weeks ago by that medic's statement. we often understand why we should love our enemies in an abstract sense, according to a notional sense we have of the ultimate unity of the common good. rarely, though, do we discover that common unity within the moment. so the aquarian moon is always dreaming of someday. bless you for doing so - so that at some point in the future the aquarian moon might become the aquarian sun.
'navel gazing.' it's a great expression, made into little more than a criticism by negative association. what is the navel but the common center of all? it is no coincidence that omphalic delphi was also the oracle for all the greeks; for our future is contained in our origins. to change the future we must recover our past.
was it Hitler or Orwell who said as much? Orwell, i think: "Who controls the present controls the past; who controls the past controls the future."
And so when i look into that region of Pakistan i don't see our islamic enemy, but our spiritual ancestors. the origins of America, i believe, are in Islam. if the Founding Fathers were masons, the masons templars, the templars sufis... and so forth. we are born of the same tangled stream.... and war is the father of us all.
comment by tim at 06:08 PM on 11.23.05
Vinessa, Thank you very much for your Aquarian call to make a difference. It is very refreshing to see a socially conscious suggestion for the potential of our cherished astrological language.
With a heavily stacked 11th house, Aquarius ascendent and 5th house Mars and Moon, to boot, I feel downright bearlike when it comes to the neglect by our collective consciousness toward the children of our planet. They are our future and the legacy of war we perpetuate for them falls under Einstein's definition of insanity ( to do the same thing over and over expecting different results). Until we step forward and make commitments to make a difference for the 7 generations beyond us, we're worse than navel gazing, we're just blowing astrological smoke up our arses.
I completely agree with you, astrologers can step forward and demand social conciousness in TM, for one.
Here's another thing my Capricorn 11th house planets can suggest: Astrologers of a business mind can also work toward establishing an offshore IBC (International Business Corporation) from which to build a Foundation NOT beholden to the IRS - the IRS is an illicit corporation, NOT a federal agency, that is hugely instrumental in the widespread murder of innocent children all over the planet. What the IRS allocates its coffers to is largely the promotion of wars, "legal" and illegal.
I, personally, am disgusted with the wholesale acceptance by most Americans of an economy that is largely predicated on empire building, conquest on resourced nations for the usurpation of those resources and slave labor for the products that are purchased in "big box" retail outlets. Let's not forget in our daily choices to refrain from supporting multi-nationals that employ murder of labor leaders as a way of protecting profits, i.e. Coca Cola, bottler of a vast array of bottled waters, drinks, Odwalla juices (bought them 3 years ago) and a major player in the drive for the privatization of water on the planet (yes, corporations are vying to own watercourses and aquifers globally).
If any readers of this posting know of the most affordable way to establish an offshore IBC, please come forward with the knowledge, let's make Vinessa's shared dream a reality today.
Going to write a letter to the Mountain Astrologer now, thanks Vinessa, for blowing some dust off of the old astrological covers.
comment by Camila at 12:47 AM on 11.24.05
Hey Vinessa, this is a great idea. Unfortunately, I'm not able to donate personally, but I was able to convince my employer, Smith & Fong, to donate $2000 to Doctors without Borders.
Thanks for you writing on this subject. It does amaze me that the US News media is paying so little attention to this catastrophe. There was a conference on 11/20 where various world governments pledged $5.4 billion to aid Pakistan. You can find info on that if you google "Aid to Pakistan". The US has promised $510 million, but actually given only $156 million at this time. So along with our own personal contributions we could speak with our elected officials to make sure that our pledged money is sent as soon as possible.
Love,
Ann
comment by Ann D at 10:47 AM on 11.28.05
Woohoo, Sven!! All honor to Smith & Fong who are clearly committed to making a difference. I'm humbled and grateful. Thank you for orchestrating that!!
Also great point, Ann. We can also activate ourselves by pushing our representatives to follow through on our promises.
Camila, just to be clear, I do not fault the Mountain Astrologer (TMA) -- they are excellent at what they do which is producing a high quality professional journal for us. WE are the ones who purchase ad space and I simply think it's funny that we promote our services primarily to ourselves. And that we don't seem to involve ourselves much in activities that are not self-serving.
Not to blow my own horn, but a few years ago at UAC I paid for a full page ad in the conference program, in support of Kepler College, urging people to support it regularly and seriously. I didn't get anything out of it, it just felt like a good cause. I had also profited enough from astrology that I felt I could give something back. But I remember several people saying it was the first time they had ever seen an ad for something *not* self-promoting. I hadn't thought of that beforehand but I had to admit it was true.
Of course we should advertise our services in TMA as a central resource for all things astrological. I would just like to put a bug in people's ear. Maybe 10% of our income or effort can be for something more. If someone runs a full page ad every month, why not also run a 1/4 page ad every other month for something simply right and good? It would be nice to see just a little bit more selfless conscience when opening up the pages of TMA -- especially since we claim to be healers.
Hi -- Most of you know I'm a drummer. Or, well, it's in my bones somewhere. I never studied percussion, I simply call my style "drumming like a 3-year old". But many of you have been with me, around the fire at our retreats, beating, soaring... So I thought I would share this fun film clip from Sweden, called "Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers." It takes a little while to load, be patient, and you need sound. But it's proof you can play music anywhere, on anything. Enjoy!
I discovered an incredible thing recently. Apparently, sometime in the early 1600s, an Irish Catholic bishop named James Ussher actually calculated what he considered to be the exact birthtime of the creation of the World (down to the hour!) by counting backwards from known dates and using the lengths of lives given in the Bible. It's mind blowing! Obviously scientific and rational thinking makes the idea ludicrous!! But apparently the time was taken seriously in many religious circles until as late as the mid-twentieth century.
So I decided to cast a chart! One obvious challenge was to determine location (humor me here). I ended up deciding Basra, Iraq, made the most sense since it's the modern place closest to where scholars believe Eden was.
Even if unsubstantiated, the chart is rather awesome to consider and draws me for some reason. The Birth of the World? Click on the image below to expand it.
Even if we can't buy the fact that the earth was "born" at 6 pm one day (after six days of labor, when God "saw it was good" and decided to finally rest). The fact remains that this is the first instance of anybody trying, through study and calculation, to fix the time of the World's creation. So under the mindset of horary, the chart would have some significance, even if the event itself is an impossible concept.
In researching more about Bishop Ussher, I discovered an interesting book called Measuring Eternity: The Search for the Beginning of Time, by Martin Gorst. It discusses how our views about time, creation, and eternity have evolved.
As "foolish" as a birthchart of the World is, I'd love to hear what people think about it from a symbolic perspective. Imagine Gaia's nodal story... Even knowing that it can't be the birthchart of Creation, we might instead entertain the idea of it being the chart of the Judeo-Christian culture -- another fascinating idea. Here are some brief thoughts:
- Aries Rising: Birth, initiation, vigor, life force, tada!
- Libra Sun + Moon: Love one another
- Sun + Moon in the 6th: Serve one another, be humble
- Scorpio Venus in 8th: Bond, be honest, connect, persevere, don't let go easily, accept that death and pain are part of this journey
- Aries Pluto in 1st opp Libra Mars in 7th: There will be conflict, wounding and strife here, brother against brother
- Leo South Node in 5th: Leave behind self-importance and frivolous pursuits
- Aquarius North Node conj Jupiter: Our journey is to something greater and unexpected.
And it's pretty interesting that we'll be entering the age of Aquarius soon, huh?
Blessings to you in your quest, Vinessa. AA offers a genuine and sincere way to look at oneself and tools to handle what one sees! With my Pisces Asc. and Sun conjunct Neptune, I definitely had early tendencies toward substance abuse, but it was a series of spiritual experiences that shook me off of that road. I recognized that substance usage was in some way a means to "reconnect" to that dimension of the spiritual that modern society tends to disregard and criticize. It was that "split" that drove me slightly crazy. Most ancient cultures highly value and encourage their members, and have ritualistically established the means for the "vision quest"---to find oneSELF. To dive deeply within our inner most being to find our Truth--the journey takes courage and help---our Elders, guides, sponsors! I think our society's members' become addicted to substances because we do not collectively honor, value and validate our inherent resonance with the spiritual dimension. If we did, we probably would have fewer "addicts," psychotics, and neurotics---less dependence on alcohol, drugs, pharmaceuticals.
Thank you for sharing yourself---it is always inspiring for us all. Vast, vast universes of precious, sweet and sacred divine blessings to you, always, Hari Om, Parvati