 White Peacock Neutralizes Poisons
Scorpio's Moon:
The Scorpio Solar Festival Part 2
Peacocks, Hobgoblins and our Hearts' Desire
Malvin Artley concludes his esoteric analysis of the Scorpio Solar Festival, 2010, at the Full Moon of the year in Taurus. This is Scorpio's Full Moon, as the Moon is full in the sign opposing the Sun. The Full Moon of Scorpio (the Full Moon at Taurus 29º 18') takes place on the 21st of November 2010 at around 17:28 UT (GMT).
So, in the final analysis and to sum up what has been put forward here, there is always a test of some sort with Scorpio, a test that will ultimately determine if the Scorpio native will show inner strength and go forward on the spiritual path or if there is not sufficient strength and they have to backtrack and do more preparatory work. If one is born as a Scorpio type (Sun or Ascendant in the sign) they are, in sense, sitting for examination, especially if Scorpio is rising in the chart. They can be assured that at some point in life some test as to their orientation on the spiritual path will be presented to them. There will be some aspect of their desire nature that will have to be overcome. Spiritual practices are a must for any Scorpio consciously on the path, otherwise there is no effective release for them when the fires of purification take hold (and they will) and illness, explosive situations or both will engulf them at some point as the points of crisis and thus opportunity appear unless they can positively release the tensions that arise in the purificatory processes. Scorpio governs the path of preparation.
Finally, Scorpio is the sign of renewed effort, of transition, change and reorientation, where a person is given opportunity to subdue and thus gain wise use over some aspect of his/her lower nature. Then, through wrestling with the lower self and gaining in self-mastery, the Scorpio type first sees and then gives out the 'Light of Day', the very Light of the higher Self. Scorpio rules over the plane of buddhi, or of karmic volition, and when it comes down to it, the 'bill comes due' when Scorpio is strong in a person's chart. “Warrior am I, and from the battle I emerge triumphant”, being the catch-call of the Scorpio type, is in the end a victory cry for all of humanity, for every Scorpio type who wins the day and the battle within becomes a wise leader and exemplar of what it is to be human for all who follow after, and exemplary, too, of the very best that is within all of us. So, let's have a look at the full moon figure for this solar festival.
 Trick or Treat
The full moon for the Scorpio Solar Festival 2010 took place at 4:28 AM AEDT (17:28 UT 21 Nov) on 22 Nov 2010. On the whole it is not too difficult a figure, though it will tend to highlight sensitivities. The Sun and Moon make an easy opposition with the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction, though the Sun/Moon axis is square to the Chiron/Neptune conjunction, which gives a sense of hypersensitivity to the figure. The Sabian symbol for the degree of the Sun reads as follows:
Children in Halloween costumes indulge in various pranks. – 30 Scorpio
As a kid I didn't get up to much in the way of hijinks on Halloween, although I cannot say the same for some of my mates. There were always more than a few jack-o-lanterns the worst for wear on the morning after, but it was all meant in good fun and was somewhat expected by the neighbors. Everyone knew who did what and nothing was ever said. Therein lies the point of this symbol. What is indicated here is a release of tension through a ritualized act, in this case a cultural holiday. For the Scorpio type as well as the rest of us, there is a need in times of tension or when things seem dark to break out of familiar modes of behaviour, let one's hair down, as it were, and just have a bit of fun in the community spirit. We all need our releases from tension, which is one of the big lessons of Pluto and Scorpio. Perhaps that is why Scorpios that I have known all know how to have a good time when it is warranted. Somewhere in their nature they know they need it.
In recent times I have heard from people close and from friends of friends, and have experienced it myself, of a pervading sense of anxiety that washes over one, often interrupting sleep. The night and morning hours seem to be the worst for it. In truth, there is a lot of anxiety in the world and anyone who is sensitive at all will pick up on it. The hours of the night are when one is most vulnerable to such things, so it comes as no surprise to me that I am hearing such stories. We all need periodic relief from the tensions of the world, a quiet space to retire to and friends to just share a laugh with.
The symbol for the degree of the moon reads as follows:
A peacock parading on the terrace of an old castle. – 30 Taurus
Hindu and Buddhist legend has it that peacocks are able to eat poisonous plants with impunity and thus take the ingested poison and transform it into the gorgeous colors of its plumage. The truth of the matter is somewhat less spectacular, the whole legend amounting to one of the urban sort. However, it is a very fitting one for our Scorpio interval this year:
In jungles of poisonous plants strut the peacocks,
Though medicine gardens of beauty lie near.
The masses of peacocks do not find gardens pleasant,
But thrive on the essence of poisonous plants.
The Wheel of Sharp Weapons – Dharmarakshita
'Peacocks' in this verse refer to the boddhisattvas, who thrive on transmuting the suffering of others and bring all beings to a state of unchanging bliss, taking on the suffering of others themselves. Now, the truth about peacocks is that sometimes they do ingest poisonous plants, but they actually prefer the bugs that live on the plants, needing the protein for their plumage. Peacocks represent dzogchen, the path of self-liberation. However, the allegory is clear: The 'jungles of poisonous plants' referred to in the verse are the morass of desires that keep us from the realization of our higher nature. With regard to Scorpio, I see the peacock in this symbol as the triumphant disciple who gains strength from victory over their trials and is thus able to transmit the Light of Day to everyone else, thus acting in some small way as a bodhisattva themselves. The old castle in the symbol refers to the fortifications we have gained from victories in past trials, which may be of help now, but are not necessarily relevant to the present situation.
With the combination of these two symbols we have the essence of this particular interval: What is needed at the moment is for us to break away from the weight of world anxiety, put on a different face for a time and engage in a bit of good-hearted fun, all the while knowing what still needs to be done and at the same time showing the strength that can be had from the overcoming of difficulties. Both Halloween and the peacock represent something of putting on a display, one aspect of which is engaging in youthful play, the other of which is based on solid achievement. With Halloween we have fun with the darker side of our natures, albeit in a more playful manner. With the peacock we see the transmutation of desire into something of real beauty. It is worthy to note that the peacock's display is for purposes of mating, too (Scorpio, sex and all that).
There is not a lot else in the chart. The Neptune square, as stated , gives a note of hypersensitivity to the figure, all the more reason to be light-hearted about life as it is at the moment, lest we take ourselves too seriously and delude ourselves about what is really taking place around us. The Jupiter/Uranus trine to the Sun gives a high spark of originality and unforeseen help with matters. Media is a god outlet at this time as well. Both planets are also linked to Venus in the figure, which is also trine to the Chiron/Neptune. A bit of romance would not go far astray. Reconfirming love connections is always helpful in times like these, when it is hard to feel happy about the world. Mars and Mercury are conjoined and both are sextile to Saturn, indicating that serious talk about matters will bring good results, as well as concentrated study and focus upon meditative work. Finally, Pluto is conjunct the North Node, indicating meetings with powerful and important figures.
Thanksgiving
As we are coming into Thanksgiving at the end of the week we see another uniquely American holiday, one that I miss here in the Southern Hemisphere. I have always thought that it is a good idea to give thanks, to practice gratitude for what we have. We are all-too-apt to forget it and take things for granted as the days tick by. Though the world seems a hard place these days and full of fear, I find that on the whole people have not really changed. There is a lot of good in the world. Yes, we are being tested as to our inner stability and strength. It would appear that the world en masse is undergoing a very significant process of clearing and purification. It is easy to see the muck as that process proceeds and to forget the health and goodness that lies beneath. Yet, it is that very goodness that is causing the processes of purification to proceed.
There is a great amount of Light that is pouring into our local universe at the moment, and that is a great cause for celebration, even though it causes discomfort in the interim. It is uniquely human to rebel and to suffer. No other kingdom in nature does that, at least to my knowledge, but in doing so we learn and build in strength and wisdom. Our progress is thus very quick. Nothing spurs us forward spiritually like a good inner battle. It is the quick path to wisdom, and the promise of the Scorpio interval. Taking struggle onto the path is the way of the bodhisattvas, and Scorpio awakens us to that grand possibility. Of course, in the midst of battle a pause for a RC Cola and a Moon Pie never goes far astray, either (Southerners will know what I mean :-)
May your battles be swift and your victory complete!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Malvin.
23 Nov 2010
This is the end of the article.
 Return to the start of The 2010 Scorpio Solar Festival at the Full Moon in Taurus.
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 Malvin Artley is an accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers. His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His special interests in those fields are the human subtle energy system and all the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all aspects of Chinese occultism. Malvin has just announced that he now has his own website! Check out www.malvinartley.com/
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