Turning Points
Saturn's Predicament
Pluto turned retrograde a few days before this new Moon and will be followed by Saturn turning retrograde in Pisces at the end of June. Pluto will be moving back briefly into Capricorn in September just in time for the Eclipse season (in the axis Pisces/Libra) and will make its final ingress into Aquarius in November. Roughly at the same time Saturn goes back to direct motion during the full Moon in Taurus, diametrically opposite to our present new Moon.
Pluto's sojourn in Capricorn, although brief, will be very significant because it will stay within the last degree of Saturn's kingdom. In this position a planet tends to manifest its shadow side. Pluto and Saturn interact as if two melodies in counterpoint over a period of 6 months and beyond, with Saturn having to stretch and adjust its notes according to Pluto's imperatives. And all this happens in the context of a complex astrological background; a symphony full of surprising mood-swings, clashing symbols, and shifting tempos.
Saturn's mounting difficulty is compounded significantly by Neptune's position in the last degree of his kingdom, Pisces. The god of the oceans in this degree throws his shadow over all Piscean themes, leaving Saturn in the middle of a storm of shadows, Neptune's and Pluto's. Neptune will station at end of June/beginning of July to turn retrograde, thus drilling down into issues of illness, manipulation, and spiritual fogginess. In fact Saturn's predicament in many ways defines our challenges for the coming months, and the way we respond to these challenges will have a significant bearing upon the effects of Pluto's final entry into Aquarius and the next 20 years or so.
Vesta and Sirius conjunction
At the same time that Neptune stations and turns retrograde (end of June / beginning July) the Sun will conjunct the Spiritual Sun, Sirius, in Cancer. And if i were to put my money on a guess i would bet that here is where the key is to be found. (more on Sirius here:(https://www.essencediaries.com/post/the-passage-of-sirius-and-the-western-film-atmosphere)
Saturn's predicament in Pisces and its turn to retrograde motion in less than two months' time is foreshadowed by the numerological significance of the month of May. In this (https://www.essencediaries.com/post/numerology-report-may-2024-staying-self-centered) article Kalen presents us with a strategy of retreat from the world of projected shadows, to fully inhabit our body through presence in the five senses. Through this presence we gain access to a deeper level of being, that of inner silence.
In this busy chart it is easy to miss the hidden gem; the fourth major asteroid to be discovered in the beginning of the 19th century, Vesta. Known as the the most beautiful of the godesses, responsible for the elevation and transmutation of Venusian energies, she is the symbol of purity and integration, closely related to the inner fire that consumes egoic human traits, raising human activity to spiritual meaning and purpose. During this new Moon Vesta is conjunct Sirius, the Spiritual Sun, providing a clearer view of the path into our higher or divine being.
In some interpretations Vesta represents the fourth stage of life. After one has fulfilled the imperatives of the human cast, perhaps through marriage, accumulation, serving in the rearing of children to grow and live fulfiling lives... after all that one feels the urge to embark on the adventure of self-awareness and service to his fellow humans. This is the mood that Vesta represents; an inward turn to rekindle the inner fire and keep it alive. Her glyph can be interpreted in terms of two fire-runes, namely; 'sowilo', the Sun-rune, and a vertical version of 'kenaz', which in its most common form represents the fire of controlled will projected into the world. The downward-pointing V can be interpreted as the anchoring of one's energy in inwardness and contemplation, leading to integration and completeness.
But this urge and this mood need not wait until one is old. Vesta, the brightest object in the asteroid belt, represents the inner flame each of us holds within, as well as the connection we forge with it and our consistent care to keep it aflame. It is the flame of inner stillness. And it is beautiful.
Vesta's conjunction to Sirius is a clear invitation to cultivate this mood more intensely during this new Moon, thus tilling the soil of our soul, making it receptive to the gifts we shall unearth from Pluto's tunnels and glean from Neptune's oceans in the months to come. Saturn's predicament is elevated to spiritual discipline, which has nothing to do with following gurus or systems to the letter, but involves bringing consistency to an inner mood through which a purified desire, a burning interest in truth and integrity, can arise and guide our lives.
This is a good time to embark upon new adventures; inward ones that provide us with true inner security and trust, as well as outward ones – risky as they may be – that have the potential of improving the quality of our food, state of mind, and our link to the spirit. Much will happen in the world that might shock us. But as we observe with mourning eyes and hearts aflame the collapse of structures that are no longer useful, we can take it upon ourselves to preserve what is noble in the human being and his achievements, using this appreciation as a boat upon which we can sail away towards a mysterious and exciting horizon.
Ro-Wan
I found the videos listed below useful and inspiring. Perhaps the reader will too.
Short clip of Jiddu Krishnamurti:
Short explanation of themes presented by Carlos Castaneda and Taisha Abelar:
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