March 3, 2003 — The NEW MOON on March 2 is occurs at 13 degrees Pisces. Each degree of the zodiac carries an image, called a Sabian symbol, which highlights its meaning and often shows up literally. The image for this New Moon is:
OLD WEAPONS IN A MUSEUM; IN A GLASS CASE, A SACRED SWORD
An interesting image for our time of threatening war drums. The sacred sword belongs to the spiritual warrior.
MAASAI WARRIOR
Here in St. John we have been honored this past week by the visit of a Maasai man named Kakuta. Around 30 years old, Kakuta has a strong, sweet and noble presence. Now carrying the beaded stick of a young elder, he was raised a warrior. At age 8, a Maasai boy takes on the responsibility of herding the cattle, of central importance in that African culture. The Maasai believe that the creator spirit originally sent cows down from the stars to the Maasai. She knew who would tend them the best. At age 15 the young men are initiated and sent into the hills for two years to learn self-sufficiency and to prepare for the hunt. The warriors protect the village. When a lion is too close to the village, a team of young men goes to kill the lion, putting their lives on the line. All they carry is a spear, their knowledge, self-confidence and courage. Each warrior crafts his own spear, which must be a solid and true one. Kakuta told of his lion hunt and the weeklong celebration that followed his successful return. Even then, a warrior does not eat in his mother's house. He is still responsible for taking care of himself, so he will not be dependent on woman in that way. The men most attractive to women are those who can jump the highest.
We can learn much from the Maasai. Western culture has no central and meaningful rituals into adulthood. I don't think we can count passing the driving test and getting your license as an equivalent! The military works for some, but has questionable values. Man as protector of home and family has a long tradition in human history. A man who knows his strength knows when to pull the sword from its sheath. Often it is enough that he places his hand on the sword handle, indicating his readiness to take action.
ORION is the Great Hunter of the Sky. A well-known constellation, Orion sails across the winter sky. A line of three stars marks his belt, and a smaller line of stars hangs down from the belt — Orion¹s sword or dagger. The second to last star on this sword is the hazy Orion nebula, a huge cloud of gas and dust where stars are being born. This is a powerful sword, then, a sword of birthing.
The Egyptians called this constellation OSIRIS, one of their greatest gods. They got sexier about that sword. Our tantric imagination might connect this star birthing cloud with life-giving semen. This sword represents man's virility to be used in a sacred manner.
The constellation PERSEUS is also pictured holding aloft a sword made of crystal. He has just cut off the head of Medusa, conquering his greatest fears. Can we take this New Moon sword and do the same?
Arthur attained his kinghood after pulling the goddess-given sword from the stone. Shall we take this New Moon sword out of the glass case in a similar way and wield it for peace, for love, for protection? The sword is used FOR, not AGAINST. As much as we say we want peace, if we are wielding the sword in anger against whomever we disagree with, then we are not marching for peace. This sacred sword of truth is of the heart.
This NEW MOON is in PISCES, a sign that is most attuned to the subtle energy fields that underlie the physical world. On these subtle planes, the spiritual sword could be our use of mind-power, like the diamond mind of Buddha, which pierces the illusion of fear, the soap bubbles of apparent reality. Let's consider this a COSMIC TUNE-UP MOON. Take out your spiritual sword and cut away the webs of illusion, confusion and glamour that muddy up your energy field. Let's turn up our radiance! Hint: feelings of joy are a great vehicle for charging up your life with heart. The energetic sword is the light frequency of your vibrational field. Increasing so, as …
The BIG NEWS this month — and this year — is that URANUS MOVES INTO PISCES on March 10. In its 84-year orbit, Uranus only changes sign every 7-8 years. It brings new trends, issues, themes and images into our collective consciousness. Watch the news, including the Uranian Internet circuits, for signs. Expect the unexpected with Uranus, the oddball planet that rotates on its side. We can imagine that these trends will be Piscean in nature, eliciting the high side and the low side. The planetary patterns on March 10 are intense; we're in for quite a ride — shake, rattle and roll. The Shakers were a mystical, religious sect that would shake with the energy of the spirit. We and the whole Earth are likely to do the same. The February-March issue of The Mountain Astrologer offers some exciting predictions about this time. Also check out www.stariq.comfor their take on this planetary shift.
All of this does not happen at once. Uranus goes so far into Pisces, then retrogrades back into Aquarius in the fall. In January 2004, we head fully into this seven-year phase. We are sailing on the cosmic seas and the wind is changing, so we have to tack. It takes until January 2004 to turn the boat in the new direction. A new Big Dream is emerging.
Go with the flow! Compassion is the name of the game. Truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, becomes more relative. Relativity, that is, like in physics, physical reality. Our reality is relative and can change in a heartbeat. That's why finding and living from our hearts is so essential. Find your passion, the kind motivated by beauty and truth. Beauty and joy are important keys in tuning up our frequency to move into this new cycle. The best scientists like beauty and elegance in their theories and mathematics (see the movie, A Beautiful Mind). Physicist Paul Dirac once said:
"It is more important to have beauty in one's equations than to have them fit experiments, because the discrepancy may be due to minor features which are not properly taken into account and which will get cleared up with further development of the theory. It seems that if one is working from the point of view of getting beauty in one's equations, and if one has a really sound instinct, one is on a sure line of success." (quoted by John Polkinghorne in "One World: the Interaction of Science and Theology")
This passion has a equal measure of equanimity. In his teachings, Paramahansa Yogananda suggested this mantra:
"I am calmly active. I am actively calm. I am a Prince of Peace sitting on the throne of poise, directing the kingdom of activity."
The New Moon waxes in this next two weeks. From a place of passionate peace, let us take up a powerful, life-giving song of the sacred sword.
SPECIAL ASTROLOGY OFFER: Find out where the Uranus change is happening in your chart. Certain circumstances in your life are about to change! Focused half-hour reading for $50.
Editor's note: Astrologer Kelley Hunter is a resident of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, where she leads stargazing nights. She is finishing her Ph.D. in cosmology and myth, and writing on Lilith and the Cosmic Feminine. She will be a speaker at the October 2003 conference of the International Society of Astrological Research in California. Check out her Web site: www.heliastar.com. To be on her e-mail list for monthly articles or for an astrology consultation, write her at [email protected].
An archive of Cosmic News Articles can be found in each Source in the Lifestyles/Advice section.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love
us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.