Agents of Fortune

Decoding the Oracular Message of the Planetary Emissaries

-For Whom Doth the Sybil Speak?

The Sun and Ceres in Scorpio:

Apollo and Demeter speaketh for Ares

This week we will experience the westernized popular version of the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain -on All Hallows Eve or Hallow’een. But technically, the Sun does not reach the cross-quarter point (the midpoint between Equinox and Solstice) which defined Samhain for the Celts until Nov. 7. Samhain was the Celtic New Year. The Celts regarded it as “a time between times” when the veil between Worlds was lifted and the Spirits walk amongst us.

They therefore kindled ritual fires, made sacrifices and gave offerings for protection of the tribe. This was also regarded as the best time to practice divination.....

It is interesting to me the many ways in which different cultures celebrate and define the New Year. The relationship between the beginning of the Astrological Zodiac at the Vernal Equinox and the Cross-quarter point of Samhain equates roughly to the Golden Mean. Also known as the Golden Section, strictly defined it is an irrational proportion where the division of a straight line into two parts results in the ratio of the whole line to the larger part being the same as the ratio of the larger part to the smaller (13:8).  This ratio is reflected in Nature in everything from the shell of the chambered Nautilus to DaVinci’s Star of Man and even in the spiral of the Milky Way Galaxy. Perhaps this relationship speaks to a fundamental Form or ordering principle whereby Spirit inhabits the Material realm.

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When applied to the degrees of the circle and the Zodiac –something very interesting happens. If the 360 degrees of the Zodiac are laid out onto a straight line and the Golden Section applied –one comes up with two pieces of roughly 223 and 137 degrees.  These are basically the opening and closing tri-octile or sesqui-square aspects –thought to belong to the family of “hard” aspects by modern astrologers. When applied from the Vernal Point of 0 Aries –these points roughly reflect the Celtic cross-quarter holidays or Sabbats of Lughnasadh and Samhain. For instance, if one were to apply the larger segment of the Golden Section from the Vernal Point –the Sun would reach this point on the afternoon of Nov. 4.

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Personally, I resonate to celebrating the Sabbats in an individual way at the Lunation nearest the astronomical alignment(s). For the 2009 Samhain season, this would be the Full Moon of November 2. The second Full Moon after the Equinox is also known as the Hunter's Moon.

However you wish to celebrate it, Samhain essentially resonates to a doorway or contact point with the unseen power that is reflected in Mother Nature –the Goddess. It is very interesting to me then that the Goddess Ceres is making a conjunction with the Sun this year during the Samhain season.

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Ceres/Demeter pre-dated the Olympian Gods and morphed out of an old agricultural fertility cult. Her invocation as “Bringer of Seasons” in the Homeric Hymn delineates a clear role in the passages of the seasonal calendar of which Samhain is an important marker. The Eleusinian Mysteries which evolved to worship Demeter were essentially a rite of passage –a ritual whereby acknowledgement of the Sacrifice of the Goddess (to the Underworld) conferred the promise of divine power and rewards in the afterlife upon the initiate.

Sound familiar? This is essentially the same role given Jesus by the Christians!

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What is fascinating is that Jesus himself says (in John ..12:24..) the very same thing which the Goddesses symbolized. “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” Agriculture and grain were thought by the Greeks to be the gifts of the Goddess. Just as the grain must be sacrificed (by burying it in the ground & planting it) in order to achieve harvest & Life for the community, so the Goddess sacrificed herself to the Underworld for part of the year as a way of demonstrating this principle. (Demeter/Persephone/Hecate are manifestations of the Triple Goddess as Maiden/Mother/Crone)

On another level, this rite of passage perfectly agrees with the role of the Goddesses in astrology. The Social planets, Jupiter and Saturn, lie beyond the planets we recognize as personal –The Sun, Mercury, Venus, The Moon and Mars. The Goddesses lie between these two groups, and so represent a process of transformation whereby the personal becomes social and/or the social becomes personal. The Eleusinian Mysteries were a process by which one could participate in the social process of a rite of passage and whereby personal awareness (of life after death) and status (as an initiate) were gained.

So the Full Moon of this Samhain Season seems to be inviting us to consciously participate in rites of passage and explore where something dying, (such as our egoic attachments) can actually serve to fecundate both our personal and social situations. When we sacrifice something willingly and/or give offerings of things valuable to us we are participating in and facilitating the process of Re-birth. Divination practiced at this time is very powerful and may also help you determine what is the appropriate sacrifice or offering to be made.....

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The Full Moon speaks through a particular pair of Oracles -to a particular area of duality in your life. Consider the guidance below for your Sun Sign, your Moon Sign (or Soul Sign), and your Ascendant Sign.

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Aries: The Full Moon is activating your houses of personal values/resources vs. values/resources of others. The Opposition is a dynamic aspect, so it seems pertinent to examine where things are stagnant in terms of resource distribution in your life. Restoring/maintaining the balance of giving/receiving seems to be of the essence here. You must sacrifice one to gain the other, but through this sacrifice that which you give away freely will be renewed.

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Taurus: The Full Moon is activating your houses of Self vs. Others. The Opposition is a dynamic aspect, so it seems pertinent to examine where things are stagnant in terms of how you spend your time. Restoring/maintaining the balance of alone time vs together time seems to be of the essence here. You must sacrifice one to gain the other, but through this sacrifice that which you give away freely will be renewed.

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Gemini: The Full Moon is activating your houses of universal connection vs. work/daily routine. The Opposition is a dynamic aspect, so it seems pertinent to examine where things are stagnant in terms of holistic understanding vs practical maintenance. Restoring/maintaining the balance of oneness/detachment also seems to be of the essence here. You must sacrifice one to gain the other, but through this sacrifice that which you give away freely will be renewed.

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Cancer: The Full Moon is activating your houses of self expression vs. group expression. The Opposition is a dynamic aspect, so it seems pertinent to examine where things are stagnant in terms of creativity/connections. Restoring/maintaining the balance of recreation/networking seems to be of the essence here. You must sacrifice one to gain the other, but through this sacrifice that which you give away freely will be renewed.

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Leo: The Full Moon is activating your houses of Career vs. Home. The Opposition is a dynamic aspect, so it seems pertinent to examine where things are stagnant in terms of where you spend your time. Restoring/maintaining the balance of publicity/privacy seems to be of the essence here. You must sacrifice one to gain the other, but through this sacrifice that which you give away freely will be renewed.

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Virgo: The Full Moon is activating your houses of lower mind/local travel vs. higher mind/long distance connections. The Opposition is a dynamic aspect, so it seems pertinent to examine where things are stagnant in terms of facts/philosophy in your life. Restoring/maintaining the balance of local/diverse culture seems to be of the essence here. You must sacrifice one to gain the other, but through this sacrifice that which you give away freely will be renewed.

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Libra: The Full Moon is activating your houses of personal values/resources vs. values/resources of others. The Opposition is a dynamic aspect, so it seems pertinent to examine where things are stagnant in terms of resource distribution in your life. Restoring/maintaining the balance of giving/receiving seems to be of the essence here. You must sacrifice one to gain the other, but through this sacrifice that which you give away freely will be renewed.

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Scorpio: The Full Moon is activating your houses of Self vs Others. The Opposition is a dynamic aspect, so it seems pertinent to examine where things are stagnant in terms of how you spend your time. Restoring/maintaining the balance of alone time vs together time seems to be of the essence. You must sacrifice one to gain the other, but through this sacrifice that which you give away freely will be renewed.

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Sagittarius: The Full Moon is activating your houses of universal connection vs. work/daily routine. The Opposition is a dynamic aspect, so it seems pertinent to examine where things are stagnant in terms of holistic understanding vs practical maintenance. Restoring/maintaining the balance of oneness/detachment also seems to be of the essence here. You must sacrifice one to gain the other, but through this sacrifice that which you give away freely will be renewed.

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Capricorn: The Full Moon is activating your houses of self expression vs. group expression. The Opposition is a dynamic aspect, so it seems pertinent to examine where things are stagnant in terms of creativity/connections. Restoring/maintaining the balance of recreation/networking seems to be of the essence here. You must sacrifice one to gain the other, but through this sacrifice that which you give away freely will be renewed.

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Aquarius: The Full Moon is activating your houses of Career vs. Home. The Opposition is a dynamic aspect, so it seems pertinent to examine where things are stagnant in terms of where you spend your time. Restoring/maintaining the balance of publicity/privacy seems to be of the essence here. You must sacrifice one to gain the other, but through this sacrifice that which you give away freely will be renewed.

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Pisces: The Full Moon is activating your houses of lower mind/local travel vs. higher mind/long distance connections. The Opposition is a dynamic aspect, so it seems pertinent to examine where things are stagnant in terms of facts/philosophy in your life. Restoring/maintaining the balance of local/diverse culture seems to be of the essence here. You must sacrifice one to gain the other, but through this sacrifice that which you give away freely will be renewed.

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Copyright 2009 Gary P. Caton