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Wesak Festival 2003Â at the Lunar Eclipse in May |
 Happy Wesak Festival Everyone!As we enter into the high point of the spiritual year and await our new sense of purpose and visitation by the Buddha I feel the keynote for this Festival of the Buddha will indeed be one of compassion, of tolerance and of the Noble Middle Path in all things. I was out for an extended walk the other night and was standing at the shore watching the sunset for a time. The Sun cast its final rose rays as a herald to the night and to silent reflection. As I stood there and listened to the gentle crashing of the waves the sky slowly went from pink, then to slate, then to darkness. The sliver of the newly emerging moon was hanging just above the horizon, slowly descending into the great womb of Mother Earth. I had been pondering upon the Wesak time and its usually inevitable beneficent, but painful, purging. As I stood there and let my troubles wash out to sea I was moved, finally, to silent acceptance. I could feel what was coming for me. It was uncomfortable, but I knew it would in some manner liberate me and aid those people close to me at the same time.The Wesak Moon for 2003 occurs at 1:37 Australian Eastern Time on the 16th of May. Taurus, along with all the fixed signs, is a sign given to testing, to defining of purpose, to endurance and to liberation. This time of year can be difficult, especially for people who are more sensitive, because it presages the coming in of a small portion of what we call the Will of God -- that irresistible but compassionate force which restores the true purpose and direction to this world and its inhabitants and destroys all that holds that purpose back in the process. Hence, it can be a painful process if one's attachments are strong. We should remember that one of the great teachings of Guatama, the Buddha-- who was also a Taurean, is that the root of all suffering is attachment, along with its attendant ignorance. So, as we descend into the pit of our suffering, especially in times such as these we can know as well that our liberation is nigh. This Wesak moon is actually a lunar eclipse. The Full Moon will be partially obscured during the actual time of the full moon. This means that the light which normally is more effulgent at the full moon will actually be scaled back. Some schools of thought suggest that because of this lessening of the light it allows "evil influence" into the aura of the planet. What it actually means is that, though the light is obscured, our field of service--as represented by the Earth--stands between that which we are endeavoring to do and the things of the past which have served as foundations for action and reflections of our higher purpose, but which are no longer adequate to the task at hand. This in itself can be a disheartening thing because we are generally attached to our past and the fond mental constructs we have contrived over the years and, yet, we must let go of them to serve the greater need. The key planets of the Wesak moon are revealing of why this can be a trying time for people. The rulers of Taurus are Venus on the outer planes and Vulcan in terms of consciousness. The rulers of the Moon-sign (Scorpio) are Pluto outwardly and Mars in the inner realms (consciousness). From this we can see at once that the Sun-sign of Taurus is a great building force in people's lives during this period and that the opposite pole is a very powerful destroying force. Three of the four planets--Vulcan, Mars and Pluto--all work along the line of will and power. Mars and Pluto are both active along the line of Shiva, the Destroyer, whereas Vulcan works with the Will energy, symbolized for us in mythology as Vulcan, God of the forge. To put forward a very simple synthesis of these three factors, Vulcan hammers or forges us into a new state of Being as Mars supplies the heat for the forge, energizes the new form and burns away the dross, while Pluto gets rid of the detritus which inhibits that building energy in the process. Venus represents the conduit for the new blueprint--the connection between the persona and the higher Self which allows the work to proceed according to plan and in accordance with the highest Good. Venus is the balance pole in this confluence of four and represents the Law of God made manifest on Earth. Venus has a special rulership over law in orthodox astrology through Libra and Taurus. Just as the higher Self is the Law of God to the persona, so Venus in the Wesak period represents the Law (Will) of God being presented to a waiting, if not somewhat tentative, humanity through the shaping and eliminating energies of the other three planets. Venus also, in a sense, allies the forming and destroying aspects of the other three into a workable and formidable force for change on our planet. This is especially true this year because Venus is well-aspected by a sextile on either side to Saturn and Uranus, both of which are in a trine aspect to each other--a highly productive combination. This triangle of Venus, Saturn and Uranus represents a new order being formed on a planetary scale this year--but it is a new order of consciousness rather than of physical manifestations, although the physical manifestations of that new order will surely come. The other key configuration of planets in this Wesak figure is a T-square comprised of a Mars/Neptune conjunction opposing Jupiter with Mercury at the apex, thus squaring the other three planets. In this planetary patterning we see the ancient teachings of the Buddha himself in its fullest application--the destruction of illusion and the subsequent liberation of consciousness. In one of my war letters I pointed out that the Jupiter/Neptune opposition was indicative of "things that were never on land or sea" and magnification of all types of illusion and glamour. That aspect has been with us since the war started and will continue for a bit longer. When Mars is added into the fray the whole scenario of enhanced illusions and glamours is given terrific extra force. The mind as "the slayer of the Real" is fully to the fore in this Wesak period. But, with Mercury as the apex planet we see that illumination will come, if only through struggle and that the incoming illumination and intuition represented by Mercury will continuously push these illusions to the forefront of our minds for clearing. So, I would say this: If things seem larger-than-life now, they probably are blown out of all proportion. If troubles seem overwhelming and confusion reigns in one's life, then it is the herald of a new understanding and illumination to be given. And, if there are stars in one's eyes and the world is a rosy place with not a care, then it is time to wake up and smell the coffee. The alarm has just gone off. This is not to say that everything in a person's life at this time is illusory. Rather, it is a reminder to look at things under the microscope of our intuition and in the cold light of day to be certain that our thoughts are not being misdirected in some way. Remember, too, that this Wesak moon sets the tone of Purpose for the entire year, not just for the full moon period. Added to this is the fact that Mercury is retrograde until the last part of May, which means our focus is upon things material instead of the natural inclination of Mercury to be concerned with the realms of mind. There are frequent miscommunications when Mercury is retrograde, frequent mishaps with and breakdowns of machinery and transport, problems with journeys of all sorts and a general tendency to obsess over things. The intuition does not flow in its normal ways and one is often shown new ways of perceiving things during such a period. Added to this as well is the fact that Mercury is making a station (seems to be standing still in the sky) at the time of the full moon. This marks a unique opportunity to gain a remarkable clarity about things. Mercury stations are excellent for any type of deep meditative work. A remarkable stillness can be achieved which can add greatly to the potency of the meditative process and allow a wresting of insight from the mind of God that is not normally available. Finally, with regard to this, is the fact that the Taurus full moon is probably the most illuminative full moon of the year. When we add all these things together we see that one of two things will happen this year. There will either be a potency of Will wrought on our planet that has not been seen in some time or there will be a much enhanced confusion and deepening of world anxiety as things seem to go all out of whack and out of step with reality. Both scenarios are likely within certain quarters of human society. Taurus represents for us our resources, our dominion over matter, our self-esteem, our determination and our physical constitution. It also represents the basic feelings of sexuality and the voice. In the throes of the Wesak period all these things come up for examination, for stimulation and for resolution. This is especially true for anyone who has Aries or Libra rising in their horoscope, for then the house structure is the same or inverted as the natural zodiac. These same items or issues are represented for is in the collective sense through Scorpio, the polar-opposite of Taurus. The Will of God stands to be particularly expressed through the collective voice of the people during this period and, to a lesser extent, throughout this year, since Taurus rules the throat and thus the voice, and the Will of God is most potently expressed through public opinion. The world always stands renewed and quickened after the Wesak moon. At the precise minute of that full moon the Buddha appears for the only time of the year since His passing and He bestows His blessings and a renewed and needed stimulus to our globe. Whereas the Christ is always with us, we have not learned sufficient use of the Will yet to allow for the Buddha's presence for more than a short time. Yet, that one contact per year is enough. It is as if He comes back once a year, checks in and leaves us all a gift of renewal. My friends, take advantage this year--as in all Wesak moons--of the Grace and Compassion of this sublime Being who was born one of our own, and yet is of many worlds. Be certain that our vision will clear, that our storms will pass and that all illusion will give way to the clear perception of our essential unity, goodness and real power for change in the world of humanity. This is the blessing we are given at each full moon--and, indeed, at any moment we so choose--but especially at this full moon. The Way is much easier if we plod along the Path together (and plodding is ever-desirable) and emulate the magnificent Bull of the Heavens which draws us slowly, but inexorably, to our respective and collective goals and in so doing plows the furrows for the sowing of God's seed on Earth. Peace be to all of you this year. Much love and many blessings, Malvin Artley Click to read Malvin's Reflections on the Wesak Moon |
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