Ancient Knowledge

Do Not Associate Astrology With 2012 » The Horoscopic Astrology Blog

2011-08-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Chris Brennen writes a thought provoking blog about astrology. His most recent post this weekend had me offering my own two cents worth, then finding myself at the culmination of a comment firestorm against and for his assertion. It is amusing to find my point seems to have been overlooked by many of the commentators, who demonstrated it quite well.

Do Not Associate Astrology With 2012 » The Horoscopic Astrology Blog

I would also like to add links to the researchers I mention later in the comments of that post, namely Steffan Vanel, Anthony Aveni and Kenneth Johnson. They each have unique skills and knowledge to offer. See for yourself if I was right to include them in the debate.

Spiritual Company: Steffan Vanel

Dr. Anthony F. Aveni: Mesoamerican Archaeoastronomy Astronomy Anthropology Physics

Jaguar Wisdom: Kenneth Johnson

Does astrology work in the southern hemisphere? - Astrological Musings

2011-07-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

Lynn Hayes offers an article answering a question I've been posed before, so I'm not surprised by her answer. Her blog is always worth reading.

Does astrology work in the southern hemisphere? - Astrological Musings

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” -Buddha

2010-09-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

I think the "western mind" bears issue with the pure simplicity of the Buddha's statement (which is a paraphrase, since there is no written record of his specific words). We reject it because our world is filled with distractions and we are rarely taught as children or as adults to consider what is going on in our own minds. But when someone understands the nature of reality in the way the Buddha understood, the seeming dominance of the outer experience becomes moot because, like any duality there is a primary interaction between our outer environment and our inner selves.

While it seems that we can only modify our outward environment, the impetus and direction for change really begins and proceeds from our inner state. Think about these solutions to a mind in turmoil: meditation, simplicity, silence and encountering nature are seemingly cosmetic solutions; but they work because they require our attention to our environment. Within that attention is the desire for implementation of our wisdom and subsequently a desire for peace and balance, which is not caused by outer influences but by our own personal suffering.

The Buddha was very careful not to demonize desire, although you will find many stories where he wrestled with temptation before achieving enlightenment. Instead he recognized a recursive truth, that within desire was an equal reality of suffering. Understanding that within your own mind is the solution, allows you to recognize the remedy to suffering as being quite simple in itself: bring your attention to your inner state, breath, simplify, relax and enjoy the beauty of the world around you... and do that every day.

Hesse on Humor

2010-03-12T15:33:00.000-08:00

I was struck a while ago when on The Daily Show, John Stewart spontaneously began quoting a pivotal discourse from Herman Hesse's "Steppenwolf". Naturally it focused on the power of humor and was a brilliant bit of theatrical intellectualism. John Stewart clearly knows his audience. But I was so moved by what he quoted that I realized it was time for me to investigate Hesse's writings further.

Years ago I'd read "Siddhartha" because it was a retelling of the life of the Buddha and because at the time it was the only piece of literature I could get my hands on at the time without going to the library. I was impressed that the story was worth reading and compelling enough to keep my attention throughout. It also became a sinker in my mind for all the trivial bits and disconnected impressions I had of Buddhism: the figurines my father had collected and displayed at home through my youth, the knowledge that a great uncle had been a devotee, the tidbits of zen I learned from my mother that she'd picked while my family was living in Japan and learning about the culture, four years before I was born.

Hesse seems a controversial figure for some people. Laurie Anderson tells a story about visiting his grave and being put off by his wife's gravestone which was outside the family plot and carried her maiden name, Auslander. There are those who praise his writing and many who cannot be bothered. So I was quite surprised to find on reading "Steppenwolf" for myself that he placed within its pages many notions and ideas I could personally relate to. I have yet to finish the book as I am a slow reader and often need to contemplate what I've read before I can focus again on the title, but it seems to me that Hesse was inspired by the modern Germanic philosophers, going back to Goethe.

Anyway, as promised here is the quote:

"Humor alone, that magnificent discovery of those who are cut short in their calling to highest endeavor, those who falling short of tragedy are yet as rich in gifts as in affliction, humor alone (perhaps the most inborn and brilliant achievement of the spirit) attains to the impossible and brings every aspect of human existence within the rays of its prism. To live in the world as though it were not the world, to respect the law and yet stand above it, to have possessions as though "one possessed nothing," to renounce as though it were no renunciation, all these favorite and often formulated propositions of an exalted worldly wisdom, it is in the power of humor alone to make efficacious."

--Herman Hesse, "Steppenwolf"

Selfish vs. Selflessness

2009-12-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

I find myself coming back to the zen statement, "before enlightenment: chop wood, carry water; after enlightenment: chop wood, carry water". Mindfulness does not change that you have identity (certainly communicating on these networks requires it); mindfulness allows one to perceive how identity or self-cherishing is suffering. What one does with it afterward may not change either, but you may find it easier to allow suffering to simply be and choose to act with compassion.

Avoiding suffering is as much an illusion as enjoying attachment; which is also suffering, but experienced differently and with less obvious consequences in the short term. When compared to the whole of life a passing enjoyment reveals itself as elusive and relative. I understand the point of meditation and mindfulness is perceiving reality as it is and releasing self, identity, attachment, suffering or any other illusion we hold, so our daily actions do not ripen as continual suffering and we may be enriched by living within compassion. By practicing meditation, one learns to observe the duality in all experience, which also allows one to act compassionately with mindfulness and with less prejudice or fear of retribution for our actions.

So, we view emotions that produce unpleasant experiences as negative, but the same emotions experienced with mindfulness can result in pleasant experiences if we act on them in a different way than we learned while growing up. Anger can be effective for positive change if we observe what triggers it within and learn to couple it with love as compassion before we act. Without contemplation we remain stuck between the emotion and the consequences of our actions; which leads to more challenging emotions like shame and embarrassment. These compounded emotions seem to confirm the illusion that the original emotion is negative; when observed without judgment it is not.

Even actions remain relative and illusory, so when it comes to identity and self there is no single or correct way to be. Judging is impossible because there is no measure or standard to judge against; there is only infinite variation. One might as well say you enjoy the variation of all human expression, as much as say you enjoy attachment, which observed with wisdom is suffering. Without action and as ideas in the mind, they are simply dual and opposing observations of the same notion of identity.

2010 Mayan Calendar

2009-09-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted much about the Maya Calendar since I began this blog, but in case you are looking for a decent calendar which celebrates Maya imagery and the Tzolk'in this 2010 Mayan Calendar is the calendar to buy. The website also has plenty of authentic information about the Tzolk'in and other aspects of Maya calendar systems compiled by a Dr. Ed Barnhart, a researcher currently working in Mesoamerica on behalf of the Maya Exploration Center, a non-profit research and education center. I bought last year's calendar and thoroughly enjoyed its combination of Maya symbolism and clear, bright photography.

This is an excellent calendar to buy even if you are not interested in following the current Maya dates, because they leave plenty of room to write on the calendar should you need that. All the same, this calendar uses the commonly accepted correlation between the Maya Calendar to present time otherwise known as the "Goodman, Martinez, Thompson" correlation (GMT correlation). The images for each month focus mostly on Classic Maya architecture, but also include pottery images in high detail.

Saturn-Uranus Opposition

2009-09-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

I've been anticipating this week with some trepidation in light of my visit to the Emergency room last January. My rational mind insists there is little to be concerned about. After all, the doctors have all shook their heads in wonder and attributed my experience to little more than unintentional overindulgence.

But I can't discount the astrology of the moment. Today marks the central opposition of Saturn with Uranus and the blogs across the astrology blogosphere are filled with meaning and wisdom about this unique configuration. All the same, this clamor for understanding leaves me feeling a little empty and world weary.

It has not been my intention to use this blog as a political soapbox, but my natal chart echos the United States Sibley chart which is often used for analyzing astrology for the US. So I'm not surprised my ambivalence is also echoed by a majority of people in this nation who simply want to weather this period of economic restriction with a modicum of dignity while preserving the structure of their lives in the midst of a health care revolution.

I have little faith in the leaders who emotionally shout and rail against those who call for consensus and compromise. While I have benefited from the current Status Quo and I am grateful I qualified, charity is not a safety net for our nation. It is only a stop-gap for the few lucky people without insurance who have the "good sense" to become sick at the beginning of the year. When the donations run out, the uninsured, including me, become the burden of a seemingly unsympathetic government.

I don't really have any empowering insight into this opposition. It is far too easy to look deeply for meaning and become lost in the potential for universal health care, while overlooking reality: a large percentage of our country's population have poor or no access to common health care. I have to remind myself that Uranus in Pisces is emotional and adjusting while Saturn in Virgo is physical and flexible. It is quite clear to me which will win out in the end, but as with all astrology, what remains important is what you are doing with your time now. I'm going to spend some "me" time in my garden.

Mercury Rx Taurus and Gemini

2009-06-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Mercury stationed direct last Saturday evening after a nearly month-long retrograde period. The station is the point when a planet appears stopped in its forward movement and can last a day or so. While it is typical to discover electronic flukes during a Mercury retrograde (Rx), the station is often when Mercury Rx effects are felt most strongly. It is also a good time to review communications and monetary transactions.

Mercury entered the first degrees of this Rx period back on April 22nd when it passed through the twenty second degree of Taurus. Its forward movement carried it through the end of April to May 1st when it entered Gemini. It began its Rx station by appearing to slow down from our observation while earth's orbit coincided with its position in the sky.

Mercury stationed Rx in the beginning of Gemini, where Mercury is said to rule, but it moved back into Taurus for most of the Rx period, from May 7th through the 22nd, traveling between the first degree of Gemini all the way back to that twenty-second degree of Taurus. Emails not sent (or otherwise held onto) is a typical effect of Mercury Rx in Taurus as Taurus is fixed energy and tends to preserve the status quo. For the following two weeks while Mercury remains in Taurus one may encounter more communications that have been held onto or waylaid through the potential of this fixed energy.

Once Mercury enters Gemini again it will be easier to correct any complications that have surfaced as a result of mercurial blindness during this and previous retrograde periods. Gemini is the zodiac sign of mutable air, so has advantages over the fixed earth energy of Taurus when it comes to communication. We can all expect our lives to speed up as our communications become more effective and critical during Mercury's transit through its own kingdom.

A Thought About Values

2009-03-10T12:20:00.001-07:00

Quantum Mechanics suggests that we are made up of nothing more than tightly packed particles of energy and that reality is nothing more than the gradual expansion and transfer of that energy throughout our immediate universe. How do we turn that into meaningful truth? Through believe in self and understanding of how we effect and can help one another. This idea includes and encompasses all human systems of thought, so there is no hierarchy or dominance of one being over another. God is omnipresence and permeates all life and existence. Tao is the constant exchange of light energy and dark energy which life emerges from. Morality and ethics develop out of values developed through communication and recognition of mutual goals. Compassion for oneself and thus all humanity is the highest value one can achieve.

Two ideas I've learned from Astrology

2009-02-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

A short time ago I jotted down several ideas that had been buzzing around my head about my interest in astrology. These aren't very concrete, so bear with me.

The world is as it's supposed to be.

This wouldn't be obvious to the casual observer. Too often if we are feeling unsatisfied with our lives or perceiving the world as full of suffering, it is difficult to see that this is no different than when our mood is happy and light. The potential for dissatisfaction and suffering is just as prevalent when we are unhappy as it is when we are happy. Astrology shows that there is always an overall general influence to any situation and the more specific you get, the more you realize that this influence is constantly changing. So there is never a point in time when dissatisfaction or suffering is the same, it is either getting better or getting worse. The best part is that you get to choose which.

Don't accept absolutes.

This follows the point of the previous paragraph so perhaps it doesn't need more explanation. Still, it is not an obvious conclusion when relating with astrology. One of the first practices of astrology is to look at a natal chart and compare the information contained within as if it was a moment cast in concrete. But the name "natal" tells you exactly what that point in time represents: nativity or a beginning point. Every moment from that point to the present represents your life, not simply what was percieved at the beginning. A natal chart is a tool for reflection on your present self and does not determine anything more than your potential at birth.

I think this principal is the most confusing aspect to grasp about astrology. The question that comes up almost immediately is how can a point in the past represent my whole life? The answer isn't a simple yes or no, because astrological information pivots on the interpretation of the moment, not the fact of the moment itself. This division between fact and interpretation is a conversation humans have been engaged for millenia and could even be said to be the essence of philosophy.

Pluto transiting the house of Self

2008-10-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

Pluto entered my first house at the turn of the century. I was living alone in the middle of Seattle (next to the freeway), disillusioned with my life and my own ability to create happiness for myself. I desired a fulfilling primary relationship, but years of dating people who were fickle and emotionally motivated had taught me the crucial lesson of not holding onto the expectation that these people I kept meeting could bring me happiness. Very little of my life felt fulfilling and while I understood happiness had to develop from inside my own consciousness, I had no idea how I was stopping myself. All the same I recognized this was a critical blindness that needed growing up.

I’d been exploring spiritual traditions for answers and my exploration of astrology eventually resulted in my first consult. My astrologer suggested I still needed to let go of those things that were holding me back. When I asked specifically what I needed to let go of, he basically said, “let go of everything and what sticks to you is what you need”. I have been practicing “radical letting-go” ever since. It remains a difficult practice, often requiring me to soberly confront notions I’ve been taught my whole life as “being realistic.” But instead of crashing into the ground as I feared I would, my life has changed for the better and I'm beginning to feel "in the flow" again.

Soon after my consult, the funds I needed to leave my unsatisfactory job suddenly appeared and I began to understand I’d let go of my belief that employment was the only way I could support myself. Within a year I moved to Vashon Island; I’d let go of the notion I needed to be in the city to realize my dreams. While I’d met my partner a year before my consult, not holding expectations about my happiness resulting from our relationship, deepened and strengthened our connection.

I should mention that a friend had taught me about "radical letting-go" two years before I decided to consult an astrologer. It was a "new" lesson back then and I didn't realize "letting-go" meant letting everything go--a virtual death, if you will. Now I understand how I let go of things daily, it is a continual process not unlike the seasonal dying back that we witness in our natural environment.

Still, there are times when letting go is more desirable and holding on is impossible. Mars symbolizes how we hold onto things and with my natal Mars conjoined or "combust" the Sun, I can't always perceive how I hold onto what I really am better off letting go. This is where my astrologer's advice nudged me into a realization that I could let go of things I was otherwise afraid of loosing in my life.

Today I am a much happier person than I was even five years ago. Looking back at what I learned from astrology emphasizes the effect Pluto has in our lives. Letting go of false notions we believe are true can be scary, but necessary for true happiness. I’m still learning how to apply it effectively in my life but I’m sure Pluto’s entry into practical Capricorn will be very enlightening.

More Astroblogging

2008-04-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite astrobloggers, Diane "Neith" Lang and Pat Paquette, are collaborating with a new web page, RealAstrologers. Congratulations go to them for launching this new platform! In fact, with the Sun in Aries and the new moon from this weekend occurring also in Aries there are many new beginnings in process. My last post focused on the many female astrologers I've encountered, so I'd like to also mention the male astrologers who've pointed me in as many good directions.

Mikel Poulsen is the first astrologer I hired. I met Mikel through Gay City's Gay University event which has successfully brought together the community annually for consciousness and spirit raising. Mikel's accessible and friendly astrology overview at Gay University helped me focus my own interest in the subject.

A few months later I met with him to see if astrology could point me in a better direction than I was headed. Our session was far too short, but it was packed with valuable information that I've continued to refer back to time and again for guidance. While it was impossible to answer all my questions about astrology at that time, Mikel did a really good job showing me how the planets in my natal chart interact with each other and signify the traits that are my personality. I can thank Mikel for giving me the confidence to investigate astrology further and not be too quick to settle on one interpretation of my planets over another.

A year or so later I moved to Vashon, Washington and continuing with my astrology studies I met the next astrologer who would expand my understanding of the symbology of astrology, Mark Borax. Mark conducted a series of classes on astrology drawing from the mystery school tradition of Ellias Lonsdale. This "soul-level" astrology is highly symbolic and speaks of spiritual evolution rather than the psychological methods of Western astrology. These classes taught me to understand further the role of astrology within the context of a person's life.

Mark has written a book, 2012: Crossing the Bridge to the Future, elaborating his own experience learning astrology, which is due to publish this month from North Atlantic Books. I have yet to peruse the manuscript, but the excerpt he shared with me some time ago promises to be a personal memoir with unique metaphysical insights into our civilization's future.

Astroblogging

2008-03-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

I have not set any goals or timelines for this Blog. But I'm not really posting to announce my intentions for it or to apologize for my lack of activity here. I'd like to point you to fellow astroblogger, Pat Paquette, who has posted an excellent essay regarding the Nodes and the book which I mentioned in my following post of last October.

I have to take a moment to compliment her on her ability to put ideas into words. With her essay she has brought together ideas that I admit were also percolating in my brain last fall, but because of one thing or another I could not express myself. In very clear and specific language she has set forth her own understanding of these complex ideas.

I must mention other people who blog regularly and I've gained great insight into astrology from reading their words. I've included them in the list of links to the side, but I'd like to mention their writing on astrology is very insightful. JM of Raging Universe has posted several essays on nodes in the past that have revolutionized how I think about them. She regularly posts about transits and what they mean on a national level.

Neith and I have had very friendly correspondence about our natal charts and I have to say her writing on Synastry is changing my own understanding of how charts work together. She also collaborates with Elizabeth Spring at North Node Astrology, who I might add has a think piece printed in the recent April/May issue of The Mountain Astrologer.

Tseka is a regular commentator on many of these blogs as well and in my mind is a very accomplished watercolor artist and poet.

Quantum Mechanics and Despair

2007-10-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

Recently I was forwarded a link that has been circulating among various astrology bloggers for a book explaining aspects of quantum theory. The excerpts from Everything Forever by Gevin Giorbran are excellent and lay out progressively many ideas I've encountered before in my own studies. That site also includes a link to Imagining the Tenth Dimension, a book by Rob Bryanton which follows an understanding of dimensional thinking related to quantum mechanics. It got me thinking deeply about spiritual knowledge and a recent conversation on another blog inspired me to write the following:

I often struggle with the elusive qualities of spiritual thought, but recently I've begun to contemplate the notion that spiritual knowledge is part of a larger dimension of empirical knowledge, persistent and constant with the physical dimensions we experience. Like Time, which we only notice by its progressive effect, all knowledge is experienced through the mind but affects our physical world when we learn to apply it. Emotion is another form of knowledge, but requires a more intuitive application. We can posit these two forms of knowledge as different extremes: one structured the other chaotic.

As I have learned by studying the Tao, the only way we can effectively apply both extremes is by centering ourselves between them so that they swirl around and away from us. If we attempt to follow only one or the other, we will move away from our authentic self; but if we follow both structure and chaos at once, say by following a spiritual discipline such as cultivating a balanced understanding of astrology; we can expand our consciousness outward from one of self-consciousness to one of universal consciousness.

Despair is an emotional reaction to confusion. It moves one away from centeredness exposing the underbelly of society and revealing the inauthentic in life. It develops from loosing perspective on the universal by leaving individual responsibility out of the equation; only when self-responsibility is maintained and spiritual knowledge applied can one move away from emotional responses of confusion toward a more authentic and balanced way of being.

Enlightenment through Astrology

2007-10-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

Astrology is a language of metaphor and symbolism and can be understood best as a tool for self-reflection and inspiration. Its foundation sits firmly on the universal idea that everything is connected, relative and interdependent with the circumstances that create them. Therefore, the knowledge of Astrology begins with the Macrocosm of the solar system and points directly to the inner world of your own psyche.

Your experience of life begins with a child's openness and ability to merge with the whole of humanity. But soon, as you begin to learn about your environment, you pick up clues that the world isn't always what it seems. You quickly loose that child's openness the moment you experience the lessons of pain, deprivation and suffering. You can easily become fixated upon the notion that certain things, like family, are permanent and that change seems out of your control.

The careful observer will of course understand these are illusions and that all things change and interact interdependently with everything else. A scientist will describe this as the law of cause and effect: every action causes an equal and opposite reaction. Other people call this karma, but whatever you call it, it is really just the idea that nothing is permanent and everything affects everything else.

So, when things change that you think of being permanent, your realization may come as a nasty shock. You may become angry and upset when things don't meet your expectations. You may react negatively, but doing so emphasizes the gap between reality and your expectation. Stepping back from this state, you may come to understand you are attached to a belief that everything is isolated and permanent, and grasping at these illusory beliefs only confirms your experiences of pain and frustration.

Albert Einstein is attributed to have once defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results." Grasping at beliefs that you know are false, even when they are convenient or form a foundation for unrealistic expectations, will eventually lead to a life of quiet desperation and unhappiness. Astrology, being based on the notion of change, can be a way to reflect and analyze your behavior, learning through self-awareness to open yourself to new unexplored potentials.

Despite popular yet mistaken beliefs about it involving prediction and fortune telling, Astrology can only emphasize the influences of the present and point to how these change in the future. Prediction can only be developed from looking at the past and judging how human nature in the present may play out in the future. So what is contained in your birth chart isn't really what is important, that only represents the basis that you've built your personality upon. What is important is who you are now and how you project the knowledge that is found in past of your birth chart on the influences of the future. What you do now has more of an effect your present than where you began your life or where it will end.

Memories are important to Astrology in that they contain the life lessons that shaped who you are today. For example, if your daddy spanked you as a child, then you know not to trust and to withhold your love from those who hurt you, especially those in authoritarian positions, which can further determine how you socialize in the world. Likewise, if your mama worked outside the home you may feel that you are not worthy unless you contribute to the financial well being of your family, also determining your work ethic and ability to meet your family's needs. While these are somewhat complex assumptions they are supported by psychological profiling, which is a direction Western Astrology has been leaning for several decades now.

Life lessons, though, are not an immediate knowledge; they develop over time with the accumulation of positive and negative experience. These can be developed through therapy with a psychologist or psychiatrist, meeting with an astrologer, talking to a spiritual or religious authority or developing a personal philosophy of one's own. Organic wisdom allows you to reflect on events of your life and transform them into a realization of self-compassion and personal enlightenment. Applying self-wisdom in a skillful manner can lead eventually to the beneficial experiences of happiness, liberty, love, empathy and deeper wisdom.

Why get upset when life forces seem against you? Patience is essential, especially with interpersonal experiences; but applying self-knowledge skillfully allows you a chance to change things to your benefit. Developing external wisdom leads to inner insight; inner wisdom generates greater freedom. Self knowledge reflects on past experiences, recognizing the growth process and interdependence of your own identity. Eventually the irrational reactions and responses that are self-detrimental will slow and then stop. And that is when you wake up and realize it is good to be alive.

Ancient Knowledge Initiation

2007-08-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

Although I will be including earlier posts from my LiveJournal account I wanted to mark when I began this blog with a post. This morning was the Sturgeon Moon eclipse in Pisces which has been discussed at length on many astrological blogs. I woke early, not really intending to, but my sleep schedule has been disrupted this month so it seemed something reasonable to do. I went out to view this beautiful event, catching the beginning of its waxing phase around 4:45am. The morning light of the Sun, just under the eastern horizon, shone off a thin sliver of the Moon, while the shadow of the earth obscured its face with a dusky grey reminding me of the murky depths of a polished obsidian mirror.

Since I've been studying the Maya Tzolk'in I am regularly astonished at how celestial phenomena can correspond with appropriate symbols in the sequence. For example, today is "Ca Lahun Etz' nab" or "Twelve Flint" (which could have specific meanings as a knife or a mirror). I have previously interpreted this as a day for self-reflection or self-understanding. As this eclipse falls in the beginning degrees of Pisces, interpretations of some astrologers I read online have focused on this same quality of self-reflection. I'm not sure what to make of this myself as I come to these realizations out of a pure associative imagination, so I don't always know what is real or even what I believe. Do I believe what I see in the mirror or what I already know is true?

Rather than going to bed again after viewing the eclipse, I stayed up reading a book by John Townley on astrological life cycles which presented a method for constructing biorhythm-type charts for the longer planetary cycles, based on house dynamics. I have read that biorhythms follow cycles for the Sun, Moon and Mercury, corresponding with the physical, emotional and intellectual cycles respectively.

Very interestingly, a chart based on my second house cycle (resources) showed me various transits to Jupiter's cycle that seem to correspond with relationships I have begun in the recent past. In my natal chart, Jupiter, the planet of expansion and luck, appears in my seventh house of relationships suggesting my ability to form fortunate connections with the people who engage me intimately. As an example of the transits I was discovering with this "resources biorhythm", when Jupiter's cycle crosses Uranus's cycle (this could have been a near transit, I'll have to look closer at the exact information) I met astrologer Mark Borax, who taught me sound but definitively Uranian aspects of astrology.

Midnight in the Eternal Soul Garden

2007-06-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

Knowing the Tao,

The being and the non-being,

The water and wind,

The yin, the yong;

This is everything and

Nothing at all.

When I close my eyes to meditate I can go to my calm place,

Only that is being…

Once I am there, I easily slip into non-being

Where I cease to be,

Where time does not pass

And interruption is only the next moment

When I am being again…

Like a bit of bark on the surface of a vast pond

I bob and dip between

Being and non-being,

Spanning consciousness and sub-consciousness

Experiencing each in a similar way

I dip and bob through successively

Higher and lower levels of consciousness.

As I rise, I meet the ego

On the threshold of self;

As I submerge, I seek antithesis

Encountering my deepest attachments…

Too often getting tangled in the strings.

Fourteen degrees Taurus—an old lady selling bunches of violets on a street corner

2007-06-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

I've felt old most of my life,
The time spent figuring out
What I've always known:
That the older I get the less I know;
That the more I become comfortable in my own skin,
The stranger and more grotesque the World appears.

How strange to find myself at a crossroads
And barely able to satisfy
To always be comfortable is a skill,
A blessing…

But then who wants to be comfortable in a storm
or a swirling vortex?

Title quoted from "Degree Analyses Part II: Chandra Symbols In the Horoscope" by John Sandbach

Mercury Stations Direct

2006-11-17T16:03:00.000-08:00

Mercury stations Direct motion at about 4:25PM today. This begins the third and finale phase of Mercury's third retrograde this year, retracing his zig-zagging path through the zodiac. The first phase which covered the same degrees Mercury will now be traversing, occurred before Mercury stationed retrograde and was a preperatory sequence emphasizing the issues we might encounter as obstacles during the retrograde period.

This initial period began October 8th and lasted three weeks until Mercury began its secondary phase of retrograde, on October 29th. Often the secondary retrograde phase is the only phase noted by astrologers; the initial and final phases, being direct motion, are largely ignored because Mercury works the same as it does any other time it is moving direct. But in order to minimize anxiety and obstacles during the retrograde phase as well as maximize your energy and focus during this often troubling period, you can track this energy through each phase as a way to learn how it manifests in your life.

Mercury is said to be the messenger of the other planets and therefore influences our methods of communication and ability to communicate with each other. Retrograde periods are supposed to bring difficulty and disruption of electronic communication, rerouting and mis-delivery of mail and shipped goods, as well as corruption of data and details. I'm not convinced that this is the only time these things occur, but I have noticed that when Mercury stations retrograde people tend to be more aware when communication goes awry.

It is interesting to note the symbol systems that are often used to identify individual degrees. For example, the Sabian symbol for 10 degrees Scorpio, where Mercury is stationing direct today, is "At a family dinner, the son negotiates with his father for the use of the car, while his younger sister is grounded for having sassed her father." Sabian symbols were developed in the nineteen twenties by astrologer Marc Edmund Jones and his student Elsie Wheeler as an exercise in psychic recall. An explanation for this symbol given by Martin Goldsmith in his book The Zodiac by Degrees is "asserting one's individuality, but respecting the basic requirements of the group."

Another zodiac degree symbol system I've been studying is the Chandra Symbols developed by John Sandbach from Chaldean astrological traditions. The Chandra symbol for 10 Scorpio reads, "On a human nose a wart that turns into a diamond." Ellias Lonsdale in his book Inside Degrees, describes this degree pertaining to "destructive patterns come around to regenerative places when they are persisted in tenaciously, yet with an eye toward the destructive patterns destroying themselves."

One way to look at these degree symbols is how they are extrapolated from planetary rulerships. John Sandbach identifies the dwadashamsas where 10 degrees Scorpio is as being influenced by Leo. This elaborates the above explanations of this degree as being the Sun (which rules Leo) interacting with Mars (which rules Scorpio) or issues of actions (Mars) encountering our self identity (Sun).

The degree where Mercury initially stationed retrograde during this cycle was 26 degrees Scorpio. The dwadashamsas where this degree appears is influenced by Aquarius, which is ruled by Saturn. Therefore this would deal with issues of actions (Mars) encountering limitation (Saturn). The Sabian symbol for 26 degrees Scorpio is "before dawn, a Native American chieftain oversees the silent dismantling of an encampment of tepees." Martin Goldsmith says of this, "Team efforts." The Chandra symbol for 26 Scorpio is "a she-wolf. Her udders full of milk." Lonsdale says, "bearing within you something vast and wild and true."

Obviously these symbol systems are not easily applied, but between the various examples one can surmise the emphasis and focus of this Mercury retrograde cycle as dealing with limitations on actions which can lead to actions based on self identity. In the realm of communication, applying these principles well can only improve your overall relationship with the universe.

Another note that leads back to my studies with the Meso-American sacred count of days is that today is Hun Ix or One Jaguar, beginning a cycle of spiritual transformation. Mercury's attribution within the Tarot is the Magician and Jaguars are revered in Meso-American culture as magical shape-shifters who often appear as spirit guides to other dimensions. Therefore there is some correspondence between astrological symbols and the symbols of the Tzolk'in.

On Masks and Magic

2006-11-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

Back in 2003 I'd been invited to attend a men's spirituality event in Canada. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend, and instead wrote this article with the research I'd done for the workshop in which I'd been asked to participate.

From the Tao Te Ching...

2006-09-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

We shape clay
to birth a vessel,
yet it's the hollow within
that makes it useful.

—Lao Tzu
Trans. by Ralph Alan Dale

From the Tao Te Ching...

2006-08-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

The wise are heard
through their silence,
always self-full through selflessness.

—Lao Tzu
Trans. by Ralph Alan Dale

From the Tao Te Ching...

2006-08-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

Countless words
count less
than the silent balance
between yin and yang.

--Lao Tzu
Trans. by Ralph Alan Dale

From the Tao Te Ching...

2006-08-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

The wise
teach without telling
allow without commanding,
have without possessing,
care without claiming.

--Lao Tzu
Trans. by Ralph Alan Dale

the Mayan Tzolk'in Calendar

2006-02-16T16:39:00.000-08:00

The Tzolk'in calendar system or "count of days” continues being used in modern day Central America by the indigenous descendants of the Mayan culture. Its symbolism can be traced as far back as the stone age civilizations of Central America and because it was used consistently in Mesoamerica for more than a thousand years, it has allowed scientists a higher than usual level of accurately dating archaeological finds. The preservation of numerous inscriptions in stone and paint, the study of surviving pre-conquest codices relating specific celestial cycles and written accounts from the era of Spanish conquest, as well as, modern linguistic studies of various indigenous languages and sociological accounts of ritual and divinatory practices have provided me with a background to study this system. These many fragments add up to a complex and unique world view of the Classic Maya, surviving today as the rich and detailed shamanist tradition of Central America.

The Tzolk'in itself is built up from several counting cycles that juxtapose to create an entire repeating system of 260 consecutive days. From this basic unit, the Classic Maya extrapolated further calculations and cycles, but because the system progresses against the seasonal year, it is clear adjustments were regularly made and separate calendar cycles were maintained. This progression and a lack of following any known astronomical cycles, lead earlier groups of researchers to mistakenly conclude that it is not based on solar or celestial cycles.

In fact, the Maya developed several day-counting systems and one called the Haab, is used to sync the Tzolk'in along its seasonal progression. Later Classic Maya inscriptions included Haab symbols along side Tzolk'in dates. And so, recent interpretation has conclusively linked the stories and characters of Maya legend to astronomical observations and records of heavenly phenomena and cycles, such as the Venus cycle. Unfortunately, in all my reading I've not found much evidence linking the specific Classic gods to specific day names, although there remains much scholarly speculation on the subject.

The most basic cycle followed in the Tzolk'in is a symbolic cycle of four represented by the cardinal directions and designated by four colors: red for East, white for North, black for West (sometimes depicted as blue) and Yellow for South. Legends indicate that when the sky was set up like a house at the beginning of our current world, four figures called the Bacabs set the four corners of the sky. The Bacabs, as sky gods, seem closely connected to the four Chacs or weather gods who were responsible for bringing rain. Also it is suggested that the Bacabs are youthful aspects of not only the Chacs but the Pauahtuns which seem to be older aspects of these same deities. Additionally, there seems to be a connection between these figures and the Mam or "Year Bearers" which are an aspect of how the Tzolk'in is synced with the seasonal calendar. Today modern shaman honor the four cardinal directions when setting up shrines through a ritual setting of the shrines four corners.

The core count of the Tzolk'in is a cyclical numbered count of thirteen days imposed on a cycle of twenty named days represented during the Classic period with unique hieroglyphic symbols. These symbols depict animistic forces in nature honored by modern Maya shaman but depicted in Classic times as the many gods of the Maya cosmology. Among the modern Maya, explanations for the 20-cycle and the 13-cycle relate the twenty-based system to counting fingers and toes and the thirteen-based system to phases of the moon. The entire 260 day count is said to estimate the human gestation period in the womb.

My main goal working with this system, while expanding on my understanding of Western spiritual traditions, is to understand the specific meanings ascribed to each day in order to reveal its cultural wisdom. Only a small amount of writing ascribing specific meanings to the system comes from sociologists working with indigenous peoples. Most of the information I’ve found comes from the Internet and represents more spiritual beliefs than specific scientific research. As a result there is some confusion between Maya, Aztec and other classic Mesoamerican cultures; although there is plenty of evidence in the historical record to conclude cross-fertilization between these cultures occured frequently through trade and war. Additionally, the information I've gleaned from the Internet includes other spiritual traditions such as North American or Asian cultures which are often included without specific referencing to sources making it difficult to sort out where specific ideas originate. Although these ideas are varied and span many cultures, I do not believe they are unsupported by the scientific studies of Classic Maya and Modern Maya cultures.
Bibliography

Popol Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life trans. by Dennis Tedlock, Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group 1996

Time and the Highland Maya by Barbara Tedlock, University of New Mexico Press 1982

Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path by David Freidel, Linda Schele and Joy Parker, HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Star Gods of the Maya by Susan Milbrath, University of Texas Press 2000

Carol McCloud http://www.galacticalchemy.com/

Ian Xel Lungold http://www.mayanmajix.com/

Saq’ Be’, Organization for Mayan and Indigenous Spiritual Studies http://www.sacredroad.org/

Aluna Joy Yaxk'in http://www.kachina.net/~alunajoy/

Planting by the Moon

2006-02-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

For the past year I've been informally investigating the benefits of following traditional times for planting. Basically you plant annuals and above ground crops when the moon is waxing in the early part of the month and plant perennials and root crops when the moon is waning. Also there are better traditional times for planting which coincide with where the moon is in its path along the ecliptic which is divided by the twelve signs of the zodiac.

According to "Guided by the Moon: Living in Harmony with the Lunar Cycles" by J. Paungger and T. Poppe, the various signs of the zodiac delineate the various growth effects of the moon on plants in the following ways:

fruit: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
root: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
flower: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
leaf: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Anyone knowledgeable with Astrology will recognize these as coinciding with the elemental associations of fire, earth, air and water and suggest the nature of the elements are not arbitrary but are based on correspondences in nature. The more I study Astrology, the more I realize observation in nature does correspond and science is not so divorced from it, despite skeptics insisting otherwise.

As I said before, I've been informally experimenting with these concepts. Plants that I've moved during leaf, flower, or fruit periods often expend all their energy during the following growth period and are less likely to survive the winter. Only when I move them in a root period do they seem to hunker down and wait until the following growth period to bloom and put on leaf.

Also the plants moved in the leaf period tend to get really leggy, putting all their growth to leaves and stems. Planting seeds in anything other than a root period also have varying results and planting flowering plants in fruit and leaf periods don't seem to germinate. Overall, my impression is that following the cycles of the moon does seem to help maximizing my success with growing plants.

love and knowledge in the usual direction

2006-02-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

I'm in a much better mood since Venus stationed direct early last Friday. Although I've be working this year on making EBay sales mean something, which I might add has been more successful than last year, I'm still following my studies in astrology and the Maya calendar. I may post something comprehensive here so that you may all understand why I have this fascination.

Much of my current reading has been following the Maya calendar, aka Tzolk'in. I am amazed how much new information there is about both classic and modern Maya culture printed in just the past twenty years. Growing up I'd always heard that the majority of knowledge was lost and because so little was published in the mainstream market, I could only assume it was difficult to research unless you were a scholar. But in fact, archaeologists and sociologist have published many works directed at a public market, making great strides in piecing together the classic Maya culture from remaining codices and monumental architecture and comparing it to current culture in the region.

My own interest was rekindled by a nearly unrelated work that followed a New Age spiritual tradition. Over the past years I've regularly purchased the 13-Moon calendar, sometimes called the Dreamspell. It assigns names and numbers in the tradition of the Maya Tzolk'in, using the same symbols, but with different application and with a direct correlation to the Gregorian calendar.

In investigating the Dreamspell's roots and development as a way to understanding its spiritual message I realized its existence was almost obfuscating the original Maya system which is still followed in the Yucatan highlands. The Tzolk'in is steeped in a long tradition of astronomical observation, which hit its peak during the heights of the Classical Mayan period (200-900 CE).

On the other hand, the Dreamspell follows a metaphysical agenda, tied more to vibrational frequencies within the body, associated to Chakras and other Asian spiritual traditions that are popular in the US. This is really not so removed from a modern understanding of the Tzolk'in, because the modern Maya explain the system’s unique numerical juxtaposition of cycles of thirteen days and twenty days by relating it variously to cycles and systems of the body.

Last fall I was learning about the Tzolk'in from my friend Carol McCloud who has an extensive website where over the past five years she has been following the traditional count of days. She has established a working knowledge of the system based on her initial interest in Tarot symbolism. Within the past fifteen to twenty years archaeologists have developed a more complete understanding of Classic Maya cosmology through breakthroughs in translation and interpretation of architectural carvings and artifacts. I believe it is now possible to develop a more complete and “classic” interpretation of the Tzolk'in and my studies have confirmed in my mind its connection to astronomical cycles as well as the previously suggested body cycles.

Another item relating to astrology: I've been reading and very much enjoying a historical survey of western astrology, The Fated Sky, by Benson Bobrick. I read a review of it in the New Yorker and noted they gave it a favorable review. Although I’m being exposed to lots of traditional ideas, it is exposing me to notions of how astrology has been applied and influenced western culture and history. Even if you don’t have a working knowledge of astrology the book is interesting, I do have to agree with The New Yorker that various short passages can be a serious wade in astrological lingo although they are easy enough to pass over.

Learning Astrology

2005-05-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

I've been taking an astrology class for the past two months with an emphasis on spiritual knowledge. It hasn't been entirely easy as the instructor is moving slowly through the text book and adding a lot of personal experience, which another classmate has suggested is a reason for some other students dropping out. What I believe I'm getting out of the class is sound information coming from a solid understanding of astrology while presenting realms of understanding that are esoteric.

This spiritual method looks at the Natal chart not simply as a dividing of the heavens, but also as a diagram of a soul's journey. The top and bottom of the chart represent the crown and the root of one's soul, i.e. the crown corresponds to one's higher power and the root corresponds to one's grounding to the earth. The left and right sides of the chart correspond to in breath and out breath, respectively, i.e. where the sun rises represents that reflexive aspect of living and where the sun sets represents our intentional aspect of living.

Everything in between follows a pattern of existence that may be new to some: between the crown and the root is the spiral dance that represents conception. We were in a state of bliss at the crown and our parent's love and connection directs us to that point when we materialize at birth on this plane. To the left represents our inner reflexive world and everything to the right represents our exterior intentional world.

Each direction, crown, root, "in breath" and "out breath" is preceded and follow by the equal and opposite force of each specific direction. These "lifestreams" correspond somewhat to traditional astrology's houses but have unique interpretations and associations with the zodiac and planets.

So, for example, the "in breath" falls on the first house in traditional astrology. This is preceded by the twelfth house, generally accepted as the esoteric and subconscious mind, and as the twelfth "lifestream" is the most reflexive and breathy part of "in breath." The second house, accepted in traditional astrology as representing personal values, as the second "lifestream" becomes the "out breath" part of "in breath" or the intentional expression of "in breath".

This resonates with my education in Buddhism, reincarnation and meditation. With meditation one seeks to relax the mind and body as a unit by focusing on that reflexive/intentional quality of breathing. It also ties indirectly with what I already know of astrology and I can now look at my natal chart with a pure understanding of what the zodiac means where it appears at my crown, root, "in breath" and "out breath." Virgo is my crown and I see in my ideals a striving for what Virgo best represents, also the worst of what it represents. Pisces is my root and I see in myself those Piscean qualities as well.

An Astro Update:
A few troubling aspects in the sky this past week (namely Venus squaring Neptune and Mars) and it looks like things won't balance out for at least two weeks, yet every indication is that I'm well versed in this energy and I will ride it out in style. This year holds a lot of good energy and I see myself advancing with personal projects and connecting with good energies and people.