 Malvin Artley has been a practising astrologer for more than 10 years. He is an
accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers.
Malvin is the author of Bodies of Fire: An Exploration of the Lesser Chakra System. He has authored numerous articles and was a member of the faculty of the University of the Seven Rays, a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching of the Trans-Himalayan tradition as expressed through the books of Alice Bailey, Helena Blavatsky and others.
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 are the human subtle energy system and all
the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all
aspects of Chinese occultism. He has done extensive work with Chinese
astrology and the cycles they use and seeks to synthesize the great
Western and Oriental systems on such matters.
Malvin lives in Adelaide, South Australia. He also works in the engineering trades and sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.
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Pisces' Moon:
Pisces Solar Festival
Subtle Meanings of the Full Moon in Virgo 2006
Malvin Artley, our regular esoteric commentator examines the subtle meaning of the Full Moon in Virgo for 2006. This is Pisces's Full Moon, as the Moon is Full in the sign opposing the Sun. The full moon of Pisces (full moon in Virgo) takes place on the 14th of March at 11:35 PM GMT (10:35 AM AEDT in Australia on the 15th). Malvin argues that there will be many great intuitive insights and leaps, but these tend to cause strain in the private life. People will absolutely need their space over the next weeks in order for things to effectively sink into the psyche the way that is needed.
Greetings, my Friends! And a very happy St. Patrick's Day to you as well on the 17th!
Music has always been a big part of my life. I played guitar in bands throughout my university years and loved it. Time moves on, though, and I was taken away from that life, virtually as soon as I graduated. Besides, I'd had enough of life on the road and I realized early on that the life of a professional musician was not the one I was meant to lead.
Even so, I was out late one boy's night recently walking through one of the club districts of Adelaide when I chanced to hear a band playing in one of the local pubs. I felt the old stirrings from a Saturn cycle ago. The music just happened to be coming from an Irish pub, too, although I have never played any Celtic music – and this band wasn't either. Creedence Clearwater is more my speed (I do really date myself here) and this particular cover band was playing just the sort of thing I wanted to hear. So, in I went, grabbed myself a pint and joined the noisy throng, reveling in the sound, the noise, the people, the smoke and the nostalgia of days gone by. The band was a bit rough around the edges and the drummer was late for the set. It didn't matter, though. The music was good, full of the happiness of life, and the crowd loved it. I felt myself immersed in the scene and the energy of the people, which was full of fun and laughter. Strangely, or perhaps not, I felt a oneness with the people there and the simple joy of living, all their cares for the moment fading to insignificance.
An Infinite Sea of Bliss
We live and exist eternally in an infinite sea of bliss-of pure energy, which is love. The only problem is that we do not recognize life as such. Our heads get in the way. In other words, our minds betray us into believing that life is objective, solid, separate and that we are all individuals and thus important, at least to ourselves. We separate ourselves from the true essence of life and we suffer as a result, because we feel only limitation when things do not go as we would like. Pisces represents this boundless sea of life and love. It also represents our path to freedom from limitation, to which Neptune and Pluto hold the keys in any horoscope, hence the name of its festival – The Festival of Salvation.
We have spoken before in a past letter of the relationship between Neptune and Pluto as to how those two planets govern the path to liberation for humanity. In their interaction and the timing in any chart as indicated by their movement through the chart one can see both the terror of ego dissolution and the absolute bliss of liberation, in relative terms of course. Pluto paves the way to liberation through the burning ground. Then, Neptune grants the most sublime grace through its vision and dissolution of the barriers that prevent the ego from knowing the One Life. One can then (hopefully) merge into the Sea of Life in full consciousness.
Both Neptune and Pluto govern the sign Pisces – Neptune at the orthodox level and Pluto at the esoteric level [Jupiter is the traditional planetary ruler of Pisces – ed.]. In the esoteric literature we know that Pluto works primarily with the lower or reasoning mind, breaking down the barriers to full Soul-consciousness, which allows us to access the Sea. The mind has been called 'the slayer of the real'. This breaking down of barriers is often a very painful experience because the basic structures of the ego are torn down in the more extreme cases of Pluto's action, as in solar arc directions to angles in the chart and the like.
The Burning Ground
Pluto has been called the great Healer of the zodiac for the very reason just outlined. There is really no other way to salvation for humanity than for the reasoning mind to let go its grip and to allow the full alignment of a person's energy fields to take place. There is a universal feeling among people I talk with that such a thing is happening on a planetary scale right now. The great majority of people I have spoken to recently have had some experience of this sort of thing in the last six months or so – since Saturn has been opposing Chiron. Pluto has been working behind the scenes. The fear and panic that is induced in a person when Pluto takes a strong action in the life is in direct proportion to the hold that the mind has in a person's life. The stronger the mind, the greater the pain in the experience of the burning ground of Pluto. Yet, all that has to happen is that we give up resistance to what is actually a beneficent process and allow ourselves the 'luxury of full dishevelment' in the mind and emotions as the Soul seeks a greater expression through the personal life. That is all we are talking about here, really.
At the end of the experience, when the pain, anxiety, fear and nerves subside, there is a much clearer vision of life and of what needs to be done. Neptune brings that phase of things. We are then bathed somewhat, if not totally, in the healing Sea of Life and we are thus touched by the grace of the higher Self. We are changed, and for the better, even though the outer experience may seem a cruel joke of nature or a bitter pill to swallow while it is happening. In periods of intense spiritual striving, meditation and prayer we can pierce through the veil of the mind and the Sea appears. It might be but a fleeting glimpse, but it is often enough to leave such an indelible impression that life in the outer world is never again enough. Thus the true path to salvation is undertaken and there is no looking back. Pisces is the 'Light of the World' – the Light that ends darkness forever. The confusion that people often feel around Pisces, the 12th house in a chart or Neptune is but the kiss of the higher Self beckoning us to let go of the fears that hold us, the control we think we have and the thousands of reasons we can seem to find for doing the things we do. So, when confusion reigns, when anxiety holds us and when fear keeps us bound to the comfort of our old pain, come to see the experience as a healer bearing a gift – freedom from our past, but more so, from our own minds.
In part two of this article, Malvin Artley continues his exploration of the esoteric meanings of the Full Moon in Virgo for 2006.
Read part two of The Pisces Solar Festival
 Â 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.
He sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. These letters are sent out as a gift and a service. If you wish to be added to or deleted from the mailing list please let me know. If you feel inspired to pass them on please do so, but do so without alteration or charge. They are sent to people of many persuasions, not just astrologers. Blessings. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.
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