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Sagittarius's Moon:
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The Path of Higher Knowledge
Once it is realized by the Sagittarian that worldly ambition and the pursuit of pleasure is not the way, then the life of the path of higher knowledge becomes their way. Sagittarians are naturals at study when they enter this phase. Knowledge and liberation from suffering and the depression that can dog them become a burning quest and the full phase of the Earth's rulership of the sign then takes over, making the type the traveller far and wide in the search of that balm for the soul—the Holy Grail, if you will—that will bring their liberation and ultimate wisdom. At that time a curious phenomenon takes place in the Sagittarian psyche, and they learn that they have to mentally focus, and that the mind is the true battleground, not what they desired. At that point, then, the Sagittarian begins to learn to meditate in earnest. All worldly experience is shunned, as is all worldly knowledge and wisdom, and the technique of what is called vipassana, or 'meditation with insight' becomes the key tool of the Sagittarian disciple, the aim being self-transformation through self-analysis and meditation on the true nature of reality.
The height of the Sagittarian experience can thus perhaps be summed up in a short poem:
I will cast out Wisdom and reject Learning.
My thoughts shall wander in the Great Void.
Always repenting of wrongs done
Will never bring my heart to rest.
I cast my hook into a single stream;
But my joy is as though I possessed a kingdom.
I loose my hair and go singing;
To the four frontiers men join in my refrain.
This is the purport of my song:
“My thoughts shall wander in the Great Void.”
For those readers versed in Buddhist tenets and philosophy the preceding poem will be instantly recognized as a celebration of meditation on emptiness, the universal antidote to all mental suffering and afflictions. However, this poem is also a uniquely Sagittarian expression. Sagittarius typically wants to be free of any restriction, and hard earthly experience inevitably brings the Sagittarius type to the conclusion that worldly wisdom and learning only lead one to one set of limitations after another, whereas 'wandering in the Great Void' – meditation on emptiness – ultimately brings happiness (and bliss in the end) since all worldly matters and ideals are transcended when the truth of their nature finally stands revealed —that they are in fact and indeed empty of any inherent existence of their own and are the results of cause and effect and interdependence. It is never the Sagittarian way to bear the chest, loudly repent of wrongs done and wring the hands in regret. No, the sooner they can be rid of such feelings the better, in their mind. There is nothing more depressing to the Sagittarian than regrets. The 'main game' for any Sagittarian type is a total realization of freedom. In the worldly types this results in a devil-may-care attitude and flippant irresponsibility, whereas in the disciple and initiate the sign produces great meditative practitioners and spiritual teachers.
The task before every Sagittarian type is to learn to focus the mind in a meaningful manner, i.e., to 'cast the eye upward', as it were, and penetrate deeply into the meaning of every experience. It is one of the signs wherein orientation becomes of supreme importance if the life is to be a success from a spiritual perspective. There is a deeper meaning to Sagittarius, though, which lies at the heart of the symbol for the sign (the archer on a horse) and is connected with the processes of purification and initiation, and that deeper meaning is veiled in the action of Mars. Mars in connection with Sagittarius governs the process of purification, the final goal being the emancipation of the disciple from the thrall of the lunar vehicles (the bodies, or aggregates) and it is the ultimate ruler of the sign form the human perspective.
Pegasus and Bellerophon
There is a lot of a technical nature that could be added here, but the result of that process of purification can best be summed up in the myth of Pegasus and Bellerophon, which is well worth a read. The horse of Sagittarius becomes Pegasus when the path of purification is taken up in earnest. When the Medusa, the result of vanity (self-interest or self-grasping), is slain, its blood (Mars) soaking into the earth (the esoteric ruler of the sign), Pegasus arises—which actually represents the awakened subtle fires of the human system, i.e. kundalini, gtum mo, etc.—ascending eventually into the heavens, yet another symbol of the Great Void. Pegasus was said to be the produce of Medusa's blood, earth and sea foam (Mars, the Earth and the astral plane, being the main realm of Sagittarian experience). Bellerophon is, of course, the disciple and would-be initiate—but he has a problem to overcome, lest he fall victim to himself—his own arrogance in knowing he is of the divine and pride in his achievements. Arrogance is ever the downfall of the Sagittarius type, and is born of the lower side of Jupiter. Hubris can be a real problem on the path and the tendency for many people who take up spiritual disciplines is to think themselves as somehow above or better than others. This hubris can be either very subtle or overt, but the end result is always the same, which is a fall from grace and, in the case of Bellerophon, results in figurative lameness and blindness on the path.
Bellerophon, after his fall from Pegasus and his resulting infirmity, was said to have wandered alone through the Aleian field (a symbol for the burning ground, or purification), 'avoiding the paths of men, and died miserably'. His pride arose from the fact that he triumphed over every trial put before him, thinking himself a favourite of the gods. It was actually the god Jupiter that sent a gadfly to cause Pegasus to throw Bellerophon from his back. There is so much symbolism that could be expanded upon here, but suffice to say that what is being described in the myth of Bellerophon is really a common experience on the path of purification if one is not vigilant about one's ego. Ego is largely a product of kama-manas (desire mind) and is that which gives rise to our sense of separate, self-indulgent existence. In its lower aspects it gives birth to the nine heads of the Hydra (see the Scorpio letter for this year), but in its highest aspect gives a vehicle through which human evolution proceeds until such time as the spiritual life is begun in earnest.
The Sin of Pride
Pride, as one of the seven deadly sins, is one of the worst manifestations of what Buddhists call self-cherishing, and it must be routed out at all costs if one is to attain any lasting sense of joy and realization of the truth of existence. It is a very subtle thing in the final analysis, but it has been the cause of the downfall of many a disciple through the ages. It may be of interest to note that the first task Bellerophon was given was the slaying of the Chimæra, a monster composed of a lioness' head and body, a goat's head rising from the center of her spine and with the head of a serpent gracing the end of the tail. This was a monster of the fire-breathing sort, very fast and powerful. The symbolism of the constituents would not be lost on astrologers and esotericists: the lioness representing pride, ego and Leo; the goat's head representing ambition and Capricorn; and the serpent's head representing deception, hidden agendas and the past (things left behind and the subconscious) and the Moon's south node, realizing of course that we are talking about monstrous qualities with the Chimæra and not the higher aspects of the symbolism.
So, with this understanding of Sagittarius and what is actually the task before each of us at this point in the world's history, we need to turn our attention to the full moon, which is an eclipse this time, and involves the serpent, or dragon (Moon's south node). With Pluto in Capricorn marking the figurative menace of the goat's head of the Chimæra, what does this period and the two forthcoming eclipses hold for us?
What does this period hold for us?
I recently gave a talk on the lunar nodes as part of a forum on the subject. It was a fairly diverse presentation as far as the range of topics went, from the more scientific and esoteric perspective (me) to the cycles of life experience, the dynamics the nodes represent and a look at famous people. In all, it was an enjoyable and educational day, and those sorts of gatherings (we were all astrologers there) usually give us some sort of gem we can take away that helps one's practice or inspires one to further investigations. One of the topics of my discussion on the nodes was a look at eclipses, for eclipses always involve the lunar nodes, since the node is the place on the zodiac where the Moon's orbit crosses that of the Sun. It is thus the only place where a lunar or solar eclipse can take place. The whole subject of the nodes set me to thinking about a great many other topics, however, as these musing are apt to do, and one of the concepts that came through very clearly to me is that the nodes have no influence of their own. The nodes are simply places where orbits cross – 'crossroads', if you will. Now, there is a loaded concept.
In addition to the preceding, the other muse that caught my attention is that the Moon is said to be where life on our little planet originated. In short, the Moon is (or was) the 'mother of the Earth', and when the term of her life was finished, her life passed into this globe. In a way, we are collectively the reincarnation of the Moon. If you want the full story of that process and how we came to be, then for a bit of light reading some night pick up a copy of The Secret Doctrine by H.P. Blavatsky and browse through the pages. It might interest some of you to know that she was born in the Year of the Iron Rabbit, which is the upcoming Chinese Year, and passed on sixty years later in the same Chinese year sign. She was an exemplary Iron Rabbit, our HPB, but I digress a bit.
The upshot of my thinking on the nodes is that they are representative of one's instinctual compulsions, which are subconscious, and which are the result of one's learned responses to experience and thus represent a link to the past—specifically with the maternal lineage. More than that, though, they show where one's bodies (the past, since any single body is the result of one's past actions and of karmic imprints) and one's life purpose intersect (the Sun's orbit representing the progress of the psyche through life). Thus, the nodes indicate where purpose and instinct mingle, the places where they are either in parallel or in contrast (contraparallel). Eclipses, then, are astrological events wherein psyche and instinct are blended (solar eclipses) or where they are contrasted (lunar eclipses). Further, they are very powerful events because not only are the Sun and Moon conjunct or opposed, they are also in aspect by parallel or contraparallel, respectively.
To finish with the nodes, one could say that the Moon's orbit defines a type of purpose as well, that purpose indicating the evolution of the lunar vehicles, or the bodies of the persona—physical nature, emotions and lower or coarse mind. The general planetary aspects to the nodal points can and do indicate problems or gifts presented through the maternal lineage, as the work of Noel Tyl has shown, but more than that such planetary dynamics can and do represent one's past attitude toward one's very bodies and/or environment. Thus, with eclipses we are given an opportunity to address the relationship between the present purpose of one's life or incarnation (represented by the Sun) and one's subconscious patterning, as represented by the nodes. In general, my take on the matter is that lunar eclipses give opportunities for emotional healing and advancement/fulfilment/reckoning, while solar eclipses give opportunities for major shifts in life direction, i.e., the chance to see if our instincts and ideas about living are correct or not. We could say a lot more about the subject, but hopefully we get the idea. Let's have a look at the two upcoming eclipses.
In part two of this article, Malvin Artley continues his exploration of the esoteric implications of the Full Moon in Gemini, the Sagittarius Solar Festival for 2010. He examines the two eclipses, the aspects and the degrees with a view to their political, personal and spiritual significance.
Read part two of The 2010 Sagittarius Solar Festival at the Full Moon in Gemini.