bibliomancy for a full moon with uranus...

young whales ds 'o8

"At this point in the work the ego and the unconscious have both dramatically changed.  The ego and the principle of consciousness it represents have gotten closer to the inner world of instinct and freedom....at the same time, the unconscious has moved closer to the world of consciousness by casting off its chaos and confusion and by allowing a certain level of harmony and order to affect it...its wildness and ferocity are now ordered by its relationship with the ego; the two are cooperating and entering into new depths of relationship..."  

(Jeffrey Raff, Jung and the Alchemical Imagination, p 111)

and for the sun in virgo

'half of eden' ds 'o8

"While Mary the mother is swamped by the tragedy, this Magdelene stands up and turns towards the world. Her story is of the gaining of inviolable presence through traumatic initiation. She flings her right hand outwards. There may be anguish shading into horror in her face but she is rising through it. Her work will be in the world and for the world, where she will both command and nurture."

(John Carroll, The Western Dreaming, p 61)

bibliomancy for venus with saturn

"...earlier we considered the demonic feminine who must be appeased, as in the appearance of the rabid dog in the 'Font of the Knight of Treviso." Here, in this part of the alchemical text, we see her other face, the redemption bringer. Redemption comes experientially, when human and divine essences of being open to one another, and the cosmic heart of being penetrates between the mortal and divine spheres, and peace arrives..."

(Monica Wikman, Pregnant Darkness, Alchemy and the Rebirth of Consciousness, p 143)

but wait - there's more.... mercury enters virgo and a free set of steak knives...

'danae and angels' ds '06

"Greek myth has it that the goddess Demeter personally showed the people of Eleusis 'the conduct of her rites and taught them all her mysteries..- awful mysteries which no one may in any way transgress or pry into or utter, for deep awe of the gods checks the voice...we might say, then, that in many traditions the injunction to silence is the speech act by which a particular narrative is made sacred. The rule of silence separates or cuts these stories off from all other stories and makes them special, holy, sacred..."

(Lewis Hyde, Trickster Makes This World)

Just kidding about the steak knives...

and not forgetting a generation of pluto in virgo....

'unfinished business' ds '08

"...since modern roses of sin and sorrow tend to go beyond those of the past in extremities of anguish, the number and force of our roses maintaining affirmative roots become significant as a measure of our still surviving hope. It is surely a healthy sign that even in the troubled present the rose has continued to be far more often linked with attempts to resolve man's problems than with the deceptiveness of such attempts..."

(Barbara Seward, The Symbolic Rose)

This morning, while trying to figure out where this (almost) petrifying fearsome feeling I have is coming from, two things occured to me. First, that with planets moving through Virgo, including new entrant Venus, that these are touching an area of my own chart that's particularly potent; and second, that there's a whole generation of us with Pluto (and Uranus) in Virgo who are likely to be feeling it, to varying degrees, too.

Mars goes by this region of the cosmos regularly - about every two years; likewise Venus transits Virgo every year, so a lot of what we're experiencing now is familiar. However (and wherever) Virgo energy manifests itself in our lives, we're getting a fresh wave of Mars and Venus vibes and more opportunities to do as we Will, love as we can and continue soul-making as we do. Pluto, Lord of the Underworld, will have us come-what-may. Mars as the archetype which carries forth our desires, plus Venus's wont toward beauty and transformation - well, these are the easier energies to work with when it comes to Pluto's compulsion toward destruction-regeneration and digging through our depths for hidden treasure. The process can bring out parts of ourselves we didn't know we had and polish them up so that they're a pleasure to notice.

Born with Pluto in Virgo, Saturn's (once in 28 years) transit feels at once like a double dose of fear, death and pain. The darkest depths of Soul stretching to the outer limit of Ego. Mythical outcast Titan, King, Terrible Father (eater of offspring) - Lord of time, Dweller of the Threshold - the Grim Reaper - meets The Guy in Charge of Hell (where all things squalid and sordid dwell), in the constellation that represents service and honourable servitude and all things wholesome. It calls to us to a new awareness of how much our unconscious - both personal and collective - (Pluto) controls our lives and how our ideas about need (Saturn) do likewise.

I'm looking to Virgo's ruling planet, Mercury (who in this guise I like to think of as a girl, as the glyph for the constellation suggests) who has a part to play here - as psychopomp or guide of souls. In this capacity Mercury keeps our minds on our work, on the journey - vigilant against hungry ghosts that may pull us into a downward spiral towards despair - and points us toward the signs and the way out if we get carried away during this time.

Stay well, stay the path - and see you on the other side!

bibliomancy for mars conjunct saturn in virgo

'weighting' d sinclair '06

"...'I'm not worth it', that lie lives in your mind because you believe it. You don't believe people who tell you how great you are, and you don't believe them because you believe the opposite. Your faith is already invested in a belief that is not the truth; its a lie, but your faith guides your actions... "

- Don Miguel Ruiz; The Voice of Knowledge, p 97

bibliomancy for mars in virgo

'jester' d sinclair '08

""Beauty and the Beast" suggests that we can transform not only ourselves but others by loving them just as they are - "naming" them as lovable, even with all their imperfections. "The Frog Prince," though is a different story. The frog takes advantage of the the princess; she is emotionally younger and not so wise as Beauty, not so able to love the frog as a frog."


- Carol S Pearson, PHD; The Hero Within, Six Archetypes We Live By, p201


Mars, planet and archetype of masculinity in its prime, of yang, initiating, outward-moving energy; our inner warrior, charioteer and all-round action figure - is changing sign again. Out of Leo, where the sun shines so bright its a wonder our guy doesn't fry inside that armour and into cooler, cleaner, analytical Virgo. Yes, what a relief.

A pause to re-group and have a good think about where things are at.

For we women folks, the men around us may begin to be a lot less hot-headed and perhaps cool off in other regions as well. I've heard a lot of stories lately about how the fellas are acting out like big Drama Kings, and in some good ways too. Leo rules romance, after all, and who doesn't like splashy, dramatic displays of emotion and affection?

Well, we'll see. I for one didn't experience much of the above anyway - Mars, for me, is creative energy which is best put to use on my various projects, one of which is this blog. Tapping into my inner warrior means going after what I want, not necessarily with a sword in my hand but with intent to succeed. Lately I've been so fired up about certain things that - no surprise - fire alarms keep going off in my presence. (this morning I burnt my favourite pan - a gorgeous red soup pot that I left on the stove top over long and is now ruined). Ideally, I'd like to tone it down by degrees and settle into 'active receptivity' mode. Let things fall into place of their own accord. Work more efficiently, with less energy expended.

As for the blokes - or should that be Beasts? - there may well be shift to cerebral emphasis in relations with them. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, and Mercury represents the mind. Then again, if it involves Mercury we're talking about that Trickster God so it may be wise to keep a sharp eye out for, well, tricks. It might also be helpful to be in tune with the healthier aspects of Virgo - good, positive self-care - the grounding kind. Hold fast to integrity, and be less easily influenced by flash, flowers and sleight of hand.


And don't, what ever you do, kiss the frog.