August    2006                                  christiner@netspace.net.au                                                      

 

The latter part of 2006 is dominated by a stressful t-square formed by the planets Saturn, Neptune and Jupiter. This newsletter will begin the process of unravelling the layers of meaning and symbolism connected with this configuration.

 Currently there are emails flying around the web about the planet Mars – supposedly making its closest contact with Earth in many years. Regular readers of this newsletter may remember back to August 2003 – the actual time when this did occur. Somebody has found old web pages about this phenomenon and has assumed it’s related to 2006. For a start, Mars is always at its closest to Earth when it is retrograde and this isn’t happening at all this year – let alone this month. Currently Mars is getting further and further away from the Earth since its last retrograde phase which was late last year. The next retrograde and close approach is not due until November 2007.

 Blessings

 

Christine

Email: christiner@netspace.net.au

Website: www.christinerothwell.com

 

Contents

1. August Overview
2. The Saturn /Neptune Opposition
3. Imbolc
4. Consultations

1.    August Overview

 1/8: Saturn quincunx Uranus: 14 Leo/Pisces

8/8: Sun at 15° Leo, the mid point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox celebrated as Imbolc

9/8: Mars sextile Jupiter

9/8: Full Moon in Aquarius at 8:55pm

11/8: Mercury moves into Leo

13/8: Venus moves into Leo

13/8: Mars opposition Uranus

23/8: Sun moves into Virgo          

24/8: New Moon in Virgo at 5:11am

28/8: Mercury moves into Virgo

29/8: Jupiter trine Uranus: 13 Scorpio/Pisces

30/8: Mars square Pluto

31/8: Saturn opposition Neptune: 17 Leo to Aquarius

 The energy in August contains the potential for breakthroughs as well as excess, chaos, aggression and confusion. The breakthroughs can come through the beneficial aspects of Mars sextile Jupiter on August 9 [in effect from about the 7^th to the 12^th] and Jupiter trine Uranus on August 29 [in effect from August 23 to September 4].

 Jupiter trines Uranus for the third and final time this year. This transit began last November and was also exact during May. This planetary pairings can produce optimism, confidence and good luck. The luck associated with this aspect is the result of positive thinking, so my advice would be to harness this energy through creating clear goals and clearing the inner blocks that may sabotage their realization.

 As I mentioned last month… Collectively this is also a time for breakthroughs and creative solutions on global as well as local levels, especially if people create the potential for these breakthroughs through faith, hope, prayer and visualization. Please add your energy to this by expecting a miracle and visualizing a world of peace and joy.

 Mars opposition Uranus on August 13 [in effect for a few days either side] can be accident prone and impulsive. This is high energy that needs an outlet; otherwise it can become manic and lead to anxiety. Remember to breathe and try to slow down. Don’t do anything in a big hurry.

 Mars square Pluto on August 30 [in effect from August 28 to September 2] is a heavy and aggressive energy that can symbolize angry and violent out bursts, power games and dark manipulative energy. Try to control your temper and steer clear of other’s aggression – it could easily escalate. On the world stage this could symbolize terrorist or underworld activity. Try to find a healthy outlet for your own anger and frustration. This is a time when we all need to own our shadows.

 Saturn opposes Neptune for the first of three transits at the end of the end of this month and is the major planetary aspect of 2006/7.

 

2.    Saturn Opposition Neptune

 This article is the second of several that will explore this transit from many different perspectives. Newsletter 26 [see website] began this exploration with a discussion of the Saturn transits for 2006.  The key for many of you is to know that your dreams and ideals may be tested, but those who stand firm can see the realization or MANIFESTATION of these dreams. So hold tight to your dreams and accept the challenges that come your way – the end result will be richer for the experience.

 This transit will become exact three times over the next year.  Here are the exact dates:

v      August 31 2006

v      February 28 2007     

v      June 26 2007

 The Saturn/ Neptune cycle is all about giving form and structure to our dreams and ideals. On a collective level this can be the cycle that charts the birth and death of ideologies and the institutions that give them form.

 The Saturn opposition to Neptune is the mid-point of a cycle that began in 1989 when Saturn and Neptune conjuncted [joined together] at 10 and 11° Capricorn. This transit coincided with the destruction of the Berlin Wall, the end of the communist era in the USSR and the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa as well as the birth of the world wide web.

 The Saturn/ Neptune cycle is a 35 to 36 year cycle the charts the evolution and devolution [Neptune] of all forms of structure [Saturn]. We are now at the mid peak of this cycle and can expect to see the testing of the new forms that were birthed at the conjunction. It can also be a time of CRISIS where structures that have not fulfilled their idealistic promise start to dissolve, especially if they have not been built on solid or real foundations.

 The next two years will be a major turning point that suggests the need to honour the Saturnian principle and

• Re-evaluate
• Re-structure
• Take responsibility
• Get real and grounded   ....all our personal and collective Neptunian dreams and ideals and the structures we have created to give them form [Saturn]. 

 All Saturnian structures are up for review at the moment including:

• Government
• All forms of authority including police and military organization
• Big business
• Law
• Economy .... as well as personal forms of structure that include: the body, relationships and career. Saturn/ Neptune oppositions have often [not always] coincided with times of recession and economic downturn, especially where growth has been inflated and not based on the true worth of an object. This is not a time for financial speculation and fortunes can be lost when the speculative bubble bursts. Certainly this transit suggests the need for political and economic reform.

It is also time to tend to the Neptunian realms of:

• Dreams
• Ideals
• Imagination
• Creativity
• Psychic awareness
• Spirituality
• Sensitivity.... and give them the form, structure and support they need to manifest and become real.

 Saturn may test your dreams, so beware and be willing to accept the tests and learn the lessons that Saturn brings your way so you can fine tune your dreams. BUT HOLD ONTO YOUR DREAMS – THIS IS A TIME OF POTENTIAL CRISIS WHEN THOSE WHO HOD FIRM AND MAKE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS COULD SEE THE FLOWERING AND MANIFESTATION OF CHERISHED DREAMS AND PROJECTS.

 Any Saturnian blocks, obstacles and fears that arise need to be accepted, faced and worked with. If you have a tool that helps you to release limiting beliefs and inner blocks then commit to the inner work as well as the outer work. Saturn will reward you.

 Naïve dreams and ideals that are based purely on fantasy and not backed up by a willingness to ground them in the real world may disintegrate and cause some grief and sadness. Better to let them go and put your energy into something REAL, or at least something you are willing to try to make real.

Think back to 1989 and ask yourself what was being seeded in your life then? For those of you that know where 8° Capricorn is in your chart – it may relate to the house placement or planets that were aspected at that time.

 Saturn also challenges us to take responsibility for the negative Neptunian energy that can manifest as:

• Addictions
• Co-dependent patterns and relationships
• Immune disorders
• Illusions
• Fantasies
• Deception and self deception

 Illusions can be shattered and self deception revealed at this time, but it is also a very potent time to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for addictive patterns and do the hard work necessary to face demons that have been long denied or accommodated.  Good luck!

 3.    Imbolc: Celebrating the Seasonal Cycle [Southern hemisphere only]

 Imbolc [the Christian Candlemas] is the second of the eight sabbats in the Celtic Wheel of the Year and one of the four original celebrations that honoured the Goddess. These four original sabbats were held close to the full moon in the four fixed signs that mark the middle of each season.  The solstices and equinoxes came later with the Druids and their capacity to calculate exact astronomical events.  My feeling is that this sabbat can be celebrated anytime in August that feels right as it is not marking a precise astronomical event.  Dates that have power include the traditional August 2, August 7 [when the Sun reaches the exact half way point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox] or close to the August full moon on August 9.

 Imbolc is the mid-winter celebration held to mark the return of the Goddess from the Underworld [The Winter Solstice celebrates the rebirth of the Sun and the Divine Masculine energy]. This heralds the return of light and fertility as the Earth prepares to awaken from her winter hibernation. Traditionally only women celebrated this sabbat and often young girls who had reached puberty were welcomed into the circle of women within their communities. It is also a time for taking and renewing vows of commitment to the spiritual path, symbolic of the re-awakening of the coming Spring.

 In ancient Greece the Lesser Mysteries were celebrated at Eleusis at this time. The Goddess Persephone was welcomed back from the Underworld and all rejoiced as her mother’s [Demeter, the Goddess of Fertility] grief would disappear and the Earth would once more receive her blessing and become fertile.

 In Europe the Celts honoured the triple goddess Brigid, also known as Brighida, Brigitte, Brigantia and Bride. Later Brigid was said to be a Catholic nun responsible for miracles and was canonized by the church, becoming the very popular saint Brigid of County Kildare in Ireland.

 An Imbolc Ritual

Traditionally the return of the Goddess was welcomed with rituals involving fire and water, so light a candle to honour the return of the Goddess and ritually wash away the darkness of winter and the last year. [Use a bowl of water or have a ritual bath if you are doing this alone]

 Now you are ready to ask Brigid for a vision of what you need to dedicate the coming towards. Brigid was said to be born with a column of fire coming out of the top of her head, connecting her to the Universe. This fire symbolizes Her awakened kundalini and Her capacity for inspired visions.

Sit quietly, invoke Brigid and ask for a vision of your wholeness, a vision to guide you in the coming year. When you are ready record your vision and make a commitment to yourself to honour this vision.

 Consultations

 Christine is available for consultations in Beaumaris [9584 6532] or Hampton [9533 4122] and also does taped mail readings.

 An initial consultation explores the soul’s journey as revealed through the personal symbol of the birth chart.  The focus is on the potential inherent in the birth chart and the challenges that need to be embraced in order to realize this potential.  The session includes a copy of the birth chart, a printed personality profile and a 90 minute tape of the session.

Blessings

Christine Rothwell