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The Winter Solstice – the battle of the Sun

If you stand in the same place and watch the sunrise over the course of a year, you will notice that at the time of equal day and night the Sun will rise due east. If you continue to watch successive sunrises, you will notice the point where the sun cuts the horizon is drifting relentlessly towards the south east. Furthermore, as this drift towards the south occurs, the light and warmth of the sun reduces. Eventually the sun rises seemingly in the same place on the horizon, and thus appears to stop. From this visual phenomenon we gain the word ‘solstice’ (sol, sun, and -stitium, stoppage).

At this time, it was believed that the Sun god was fighting with the forces of darkness that sought to drag him down to the south and thus to death – no daylight, no warmth, no sunrise. The battle lasted, and still does last, for three days, when finally, Sol Invictus, the unconquered sun, emerges rising once again, not in the same place, nor having been dragged further to the south but victoriously having broken free of the grip of darkness, rising a notch further to the north. This was cause for celebration.

The Gift from the Moon

With our cultural focus on the Sun, we have tended to ignore the role of the Moon in this struggle with darkness. Just as the Sun takes a year to mark out the arc of sunrise along the horizon from summer to winter solstice, so the Moon’s risings, over the course of one single month, will follow the same arc (with small variations depending on its location north or south of the ecliptic). Thus, what the sun takes twelve months to do along the line of the horizon the Moon does in one month.

Now the time of the greatest light of the Moon is, of course, the time of the full Moon, and a full Moon occurs when the Moon is in the opposite zodiac sign to the Sun. Hence when the Sun is in late Sagittarius and fighting its battle with the forces of darkness, the full Moon will be in Gemini-Cancer and will be rising around the place on the horizon which marks the summer solstice.

But this place of summer solstice rising is not just the place where the Sun is at its strongest and brightest. It is also the place where the Moon will gain her greatest length of time above the horizon.

The full Moon at the winter solstice will rise higher and appear longer in the night sky than any other full Moon in the year. Just when the Sun is at its weakest, the other celestial light –the Moon – it is at its strongest.

Long before humanity began to light candles to help defeat the forces of darkness engulfing the Sun, the Moon was and still is coming to his aid and every year she gives to him more of her precious light by rising higher and lasting longer than at any other time of the year.

The opposite is also true. At the time of the summer solstice when the days are long, the full Moon rises in the place on the horizon of the Sun’s winter solstice and will be low in the sky, staying above the horizon for the shortest amount of time of any full Moon in the year. In converse deed, when the Moon is struggling for light, the Sun aids her.

It is the dance of the heavenly lights and when you light a candle or hang one of your Christmas lights in the window of your home, you too are partaking of this beautiful dance, helping the Moon to come to the aid of the struggling solstice Sun.

Gemini-Cancer

Full Moon December 2020 in the Sign of Cancer is actually in the Constellation of Gemini. This discrepancy is due to the precession of the equinoxes which has moved the Sun Signs almost a whole Sign out of alignment with the Constellations from which they were named over 2000 years ago.

The Cancer full moon on Tuesday, December 29, 2020, is well-aspected to the planet Uranus. So, the spiritual meaning of the full moon December 2020 astrology relates to welcome change, freedom, intuition, and excitement.

The Dark Days and The Return of Light –Winter Solstice 2020

The dark days of the pandemic will be over ONLY IF people get vaccinated, wear a mask, social distance, and stay the F**K at home and not travel during this holiday season. But there are other dark days finally ending.

The dark days of Trump and crew are almost over; except he’ll still spew his vile and angry energy absorbed by the zombies who follow him to maintain his unhealthy, narcissistic, greedy ego; throw in his need for more wealth and illusional power. Illusionary as it is external materialistic power which is ever fleeting and showcases his lack of inner power and lack of heart, compassion, kindness, and love for others. His love is for self—ONLY.

The dark days also include Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and crew. He needs to be dethroned on January 5. While people struggle and suffer, he “demanded a sweeping liability shield to protect businesses, hospitals and other organizations from COVID-19-related lawsuits by consumers and employees.

“The bigger problem was that McConnell felt no pressure to negotiate, leaving Democratic leaders to try to cut a deal with the Trump administration. And the erratic and unfocused dealmaker in chief couldn’t decide in the weeks leading up to the election whether he wanted a big bill, a more modest one or none at all.

“It seems that the negotiations this week might have been triggered by the looming end of the terms of Georgia’s two Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who will face Democrats Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock in runoffs Jan. 5. Both Republicans have come under fire for opposing the benefits provided in the CARES Act, and if they lose in the runoffs, Republicans will lose control of the Senate.” (Editorial: Mitch McConnell is finally ready to pass a COVID relief bill. It shouldn’t have taken this long, Los Angeles Times Editorial Board)

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Enough said, let’s turn to the coming return of light and the foretold Aquarian Age. I explain in Morning Star’s Seven Steps to Awakening, a brief way to understand the coming Age of Aquarius. This is within the mysteries of the original tarot, known as “Philosophical Medicine.” Specifically, the Aquarian Age card, the fourteenth one of the tarot, is Balance.

The Hebrew letter for this card is nun. In ancient Hebrew, nun is a picture of a seed sprout—new generation. Nun alludes to the name Immanuel meaning “God in us.”

This card’s numerical value is fifty. It is a card of blending of the metaphoric fire and water—a place of balance. It is the card of Aquarius, and it reveals knowledge of the coming Age of Aquarius. With the value of fifty, it is the divine power of five on a higher plane of consciousness—ten times five equals fifty. This tarot card portrays the angelic queen of heaven holding an urn in each hand. One urn is golden, and the other urn is silver, symbolizing the spiritual and physical energies within us. The spirit energies reside in the pineal gland, and the physical energies within the sacrum or coccyx. And the meeting point—the heart focused on Love.

The angelic queen is blending the energies together. This card represents the interpenetration of spirit and matter—divine and human. Symbolically, this is where we cleanse “our faulty perceptions, connecting us in a divine yet human way with the immutable world beyond the reach of time’s scythe.”

Another image of tarot card fourteen illustrates the Archangel Mikaël who is pouring water upon the “lion of fire,” and ignites the “eagle of water” with a burning torch. In other words, “burning water” representing the blending of fire (heaven – spirit) and water earth – (material)—radical nonduality. This the winged lion of prophecy.

As our tarot card displays, balance is most important and is a keyword for the Age of Aquarius. There is a Hawaiian concept called pono. It refers to a balanced state of mind and heart—harmony. Pono also means being in balance with others, nature, and the spirit world. Illness comes from losing our natural state of pono. Restoring balance and harmony restores health. Speaking, thinking, and acting properly are the keys to wellness and maintaining pono. In totality, “if it is good, if it is in balance, if it is right, if it helps, if it is righteous, if it corrects, if it is responsible, if it is caring, if it honors, if it is humble, if it is peaceful, if it is neat, if it is proper and if it is well mannered, it is pono.”

Additionally, pono was essential in maintaining a state of wellness. “Out of the mating of Wākea [Sky Father] and Papa Honua [Earth Mother], came and continues to come everything in our cosmos, and that’s why we’re all related and why everything is conscious and communicating. That’s the basis for wellness—this constant interaction between all life forces. When there’s proper interaction, things are pono [balanced]; there’s appropriate mana, special kind of power or energy maintaining this balance. These spiritual inter-relationships are primary. Proper thoughts and actions maintain this pono, harmony.”

 

 

 

The Winter Solstice/ Grand Conjunction—POWER TO THE PEOPLE

The Preamble to the Constitution begins with “We the people…,’ not “We the Institutions…” The Constitution is “owned” (so to speak) by the people, not by the government or any branch thereof. We the People are the stewards of the U.S. Constitution and remain ultimately responsible for its continued existence and its faithful interpretation.

Today, we do not have Democracy, we have Corpocracy (big business/corporate controlled government). This is demonstrated and very evident in the actions of McConnell. Senator Mitch McConnell is holding up stimulus not to help people who are struggling, hungry, possibly homeless, and in dire need of relief, but to help businesses/corporations. In other words, F**K the people; forget “We the people,” instead McConnell and cronies worship “We the Corporations.” (And don’t label me believing in Socialism or any of the other isms.)

But I bring Good News or is that Tidings of Comfort and Joy. This “business over people” mindset of McConnell and others is on its way out…

Power to the People is Right around the Corner

It seems that the future is written in the stars. Specifically, The Grand Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn during the Winter Solstice of 2020.

The Solstice is the start of a new season depending on where in the world you live, and a new season always brings a transition of energy.

Saturnalia was a pagan festival celebrated on the December Solstice, and was meant to be reminiscent of the Golden Age – a time where there was peace on Earth and Saturn was our Sun.

The December Solstice was chosen for this day as it was said to signify a “return to the light.” Not only this time, the return of light, but this Solstice and the Grand Conjunction signify the coming birth of the Golden Light of the Golden Age—the Age of Aquarius.

Jupiter and Saturn are known as the “Great Chronocrators,” or rulers of the ages. Their cycle can be considered the ground base of human development which marks the interaction between the perception of ideas, potentialities, possibilities (Jupiter) and their manifestation in the concrete material world (Saturn).

Jupiter and Saturn are concerned with the formation of our sense of social purpose and direction, our quest for concrete achievements in the world. They are the planets of positive, constructive social activity. The ongoing relationship between these two planets marks major phases of our developing life’s work, and the conjunction, in particular, is a time when we can form a new sense of social purpose or direction.

Jupiter conjunct with Saturn at zero degrees in Aquarius on the 21st of December 2020. And this celestial force will push the “reset” button for the world.

This is the most important astrological transit of the year. It marks the beginning of a new 200-year cycle. The Jupiter-Saturn cycle is 20 years long, but the Jupiter-Saturn elemental cycle (fire, earth, air, or water) for each element is approximately 200 years long. The current Jupiter-Saturn cycle started in 1802 and is an earth cycle. This earth cycle has been connected to the industrial revolution, capitalism, big government, and big business. It has made us focus on material wealth and possessions. The current earth cycle will end on December 20th, and a new elemental cycle will begin on December 21st of this year in the element of air—Aquarius. The Grand Conjunctions now switching to air signs will give us a focus towards the collective, and a more community-based approach. Humanitarian efforts will be important, and technology will be favored. We will see more things created online than in the physical world.

On an even deeper level, the Grand Conjunction of 2020 could allow us to see that we are truly all connected. A connection that extends out to nature and all things of our precious earth. An earth and nature that we are in partnership with for the well-being of all. This will be a time of the reversal of the destruction of nature by corporate greed. This will be a time of a Green Philosophy.

It will also begin to open our minds to a new consciousness of radical nonduality. A consciousness that understands that there is no separation between us. We are all One.

The Grand Conjunction in Aquarius can bring ideas of more community-based living, where we are all seen as equals, and where there is focus on everyone thriving rather than just a few individuals.

The energy will shift from earth (related to material values and money) to air (related to intellect, information, and communication). And that’s just the beginning. Pluto will also enter the sign of Aquarius in 2023, so in the coming years, we will witness a profound transformation of the world and society. BIG changes and transformations are happening, which we all need because change and transformation is a part of life.

Furthermore, Saturn represents maturity and wisdom, the great teacher. Some of Saturn’s keywords are rules, discipline, patience, and responsibility. Saturn wants us to grow up! Saturn is the bridge between heaven and Earth. There is a spiritual quality to Saturn that relates to order, and there is an order in the universe. Things don’t happen randomly; luck is not random. Saturn represents faith and Jupiter freedom, free will. Jupiter is associated with expansion, growth, and taking risks.

Saturn in Aquarius equates spiritual responsibility given to the People—NOT the Church. Ultimately, Saturn in Aquarius is about acknowledging the value of humanity, unity, and working together as “human beings.”

Saturn in Aquarius is about how we, as individuals—every single one of us—contributes to a better world by helping ourselves, our fellow humans, and other living beings from a place of love and care.

This is not just a Saturn-Jupiter conjunction. This is the transitional (birthing) time preceding the birth of a new era—the Age of Aquarius.

Age of Aquarius

Even though Aquarius is a visionary air sign, it is represented by the water bearer, the mystical healer who bestows water, or life, upon the land. Accordingly, Aquarius is the most humanitarian astrological sign. These revolutionary thinkers fervently support “power to the people,” aspiring to change the world through radical social progress. Every Aquarian is a rebel at heart. Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, the planet that governs innovation, technology, and surprising events. Uranus perfectly mirrors Aquarius’s distinctive attitude, complementing the nontraditional nature of these visionary air signs.

The following is excerpted from Morning Star’s Seven Steps to Spiritual Awakening, A Book of Love in the Time of COVID-19, A Mindful Guide to Love, Life, and Unity During and After the Pandemic.

In my other books, I have explored the transition from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. With this pandemic we have now entered the birthing time, transitional time—the “Great Struggle,” before the beginning of the Aquarian Age. With any birth, there is “pain” before the actual birth. I knew there needed to be a “shock” to business as usual, to the inequalities, discrimination, racism, and sexism of society, capitalism, and organized religion. Some extraordinary event and/or happenings, a birthing time, which would enable us to make the leap to the Aquarian Age. Possibly a world war and/or earth changes due to climate change but not a pandemic, even though this novel coronavirus will definitely be earth changing. To my dismay… there still might be war, possibly a civil war.

Aquarius is the foretold Golden Age, of wholeness or Oneness. An Age of the heart, truth, freedom, equality, and of course, love.

The Mesoamericans call the Golden Age, the Sixth Sun. It is to be Xochitl Tonatiuh explained poetically as the Sun of Flowers—when humanity comes to flower. This is Jesus’ Sun and Quetzalcóatl’s Sun, the Sun of Consciousness. It will be the Age of the Divine Human – Hombre-Dios. The deity symbolizing the Sixth Sun is “Xochiquétzal, goddess of flowers. As the ‘House of Flowers,’ the human heart, we understand that xóchitl here symbolizes the budding blossom of the human spirit at last freed from duality.”  The Sixth Sun – a time to look forward to as xóchitl is love and the search for union. It is happiness. It is sex.

Another manner in which to view the Sixth Sun is to listen to a Hopi Native American elder describing a Golden Age long forgotten: “We were created equal of oneness, living in a spiritual way, where life is everlasting. We were happy and at peace with our fellow men. All things were plentiful, provided by our Mother Earth upon which we were placed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The chill of winter’s embrace enfolds us in an ever-darkening time of anticipation and joy. In all of us, it seems to stir up a caldron’s brew of memories—of times past and possibly of things and moments no longer. The earth waits and waits, as do we, for the promised return of the light. It is a time to feel—to be aware of the fertile dark soil of potentiality that lies within us, as well as the dark, the dark that does not serve us and the dark that needs to be released.

This is a time of Hope, Love, and Peace. A time to acknowledge, not deny, the “Great Struggle” we are all facing. The “Great Struggle” of not only the pandemic, but also, our Democracy.

This cycle of light and dark repeats endlessly but each cycle is intrinsically slightly different. Time is cyclical, not linear. There is the past and the present that some indigenous cultures refer to as the non-past. But there is no future only potential ones based on the actions of the present influenced by the non-past.

This is a time of peace and joy—joy as the sun, now far away in the south, begins to travel north at the winter solstice, bringing the wintry earth a new promise of light and warmth.

On the night of the Winter Solstice (December 21/22), the sun reaches its southernmost point. Were it to remain in the south, it would mean death for living beings in the northern hemisphere. Thus, we greet the returning sun as a “savior.” On the night when it begins its northward journey, the constellation Virgo, the celestial virgin, appears on the eastern horizon at midnight and is therefore, astrologically, the ascendant. This coordinates with the myth of the various light-bringing saviors of humanity, immaculately conceived and born from a virgin. Later, the sun symbolically sacrifices its life on the cross when it passes over the equinoctial point at the spring equinox, an apparent descent as seen from the southern hemisphere and an ascent in the northern sky.

Historically and spiritually, this is the month (at the time of the winter solstice) of the mythical birth of the light-bringers. These are the messengers of love and light—the hero-shamans that first brought the knowledge of the fire of the heavens, the knowledge of the light in the darkness, to all of humanity. These heroic messengers of light are born of the Virgin—the constellation Virgo. In the heavens Virgo is a Y-shaped group of stars resembling a cup that just happens to rise in the Eastern sky at this most spiritual time of the year. This is the mythic Holy Grail, the Cup of Light, the Bowl of Love that is Light—all the key to the metaphoric message of these virgin light-bringers—that the sun, the spiritual sun—the divine, is contained within all beings and all living things. This is the message that institutionalized religions do not want humanity to hear: that each one of us, like the light-bringers, is also a virginal vessel of love and light. No inborn sin here, just intrinsic love and light.

The winter solstice presents us with the opportunity to honor and to reveal (revelation—lifting the veil) this prime mystery of life. This is the time to honor these heroic messengers and to pay homage to the metaphoric moment of their “virgin birth” (based on the positioning of the constellation Virgo not on an actual physical birth—the actual birth of the prophets and messengers such as Jesus was late summer, early fall under the astrological sign of the Virgin-Virgo). In addition, it is the occasion to celebrate the return of the light foretelling the truth of eternal love and life and to honor and practice the message of the returning heroes—the light-bringers.

Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh

It’s a great tale told of the Three Wise Men and their gifts; and the star they followed—Venus in its evening star phase. In reality, the gifts symbolized spiritual teachings:

Frankincense and myrrh are plant resins, and both have a long history of use as incense. Incense has been used for religious purposes for more than 3,000 years The Maya of Mexico have used resins as incense for at least 2,500 years. The principal use was religious and aimed at establishing interactions with deities and ancestors.

Gold is symbolic of the eternal; the divine spark (starlight) within all things—trees, animals, and so-forth (sentient beings).

Frankincense symbolizes power, sovereignty, and was associated with the masculine energy of the heavens and of life whereas Myrrh symbolizes a feminine and nurturing essence, or energy, which is linked with the earth.

In other words, Gold symbolizes the One eternal Source of all creation, the Absolute while Frankincense and Myrrh represent the Relative: spirit – matter, life – death; beginning – end.

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The Winter Solstice, the second night of Yule, is the time from our perspective when the sun seems to stand still. For approximately three days, it appears that the sun does not move. The Winter Solstice marks the time of the longest dark and the shortest light. Symbolically, it portrays, on this darkest of nights, the goddess as the “great mother” giving birth to the young-hero god—the sun god. This is the symbolic birth of the messenger of light. It is the darkest time of the year, the time of the longest night, but there is always the everlasting promise and hope of the return of light. And watching over this eternal process of the virgin birth (Virgo on the eastern horizon) is the Sun Angel—the Archangel Mikael.

This is a time of holly and mistletoe. Both symbolize fertility – the mistletoe berries are white, representing the semen of the god, and the holly berries are blood red, symbolizing the menstrual blood of the goddess.

Decorations during this seasonal celebration are excellent symbols of spiritual truths. The following are just a few:

• Candles and Lights – remembrance of the gift of fire and light and the divine spark (starlight) within.
• Mistletoe (seed of the divine) and Holly symbolizing and honoring the faëries and hidden Ones.
• Evergreen Wreaths – Symbolize eternal life, immortality and the wheel of time, add pine cones, which symbolize the pineal gland as well male and female and the DNA of life; add mistletoe and holly with berries and you have the sacred semen of the male and the sacred blood of the female.
• Evergreen Swags – Symbolize eternal life and when put into the shape of the serpent with lights symbolizes death and rebirth, reincarnation, and wakefulness to these truths. It’s important to put a swag over the threshold of your home if possible.
• Yule Log – a phallic symbol – newborn sun can be decorated with holly, mistletoe, and evergreens to represent the intertwining of the god and goddess. The log may be cut into 12 pieces and burnt each night of Yule. Additionally, on the night of Yule, carve a symbol of your hopes for the coming year into the log. Burn the log to release its power. It can be decorated with burnable red ribbons of natural fiber and dried holly leaves.
• Julbock or “Yule Goat” was the bringer of gifts to the household. Symbolically represents the goats of Þórr and the gifting of resurrection (rebirth).
• Evergreen Christmas Tree – Symbolizes the Tree of Life/Light – needs to be alive, honored and lighted and decorated symbolizing the joy of life.

Symbolically the Tree of Life is the central axis of creation. Microcosmically, each one of us is born with this central tree (axis mundi) of light/life (spine), which shortly after becomes the tree of knowledge—of duality—good and evil. Our ever-born quest is to return to our original tree of knowledge of oneness (light/life) within us – our spine. This is an excellent time to dedicate or re-dedicate one’s life to the divine quest of awakening.

 

 

 

The majority of focus has been on tomorrow’s solar eclipse as well as the Grand Conjunction on the Winter Solstice… However, these are just the jumping-off point for the most important heavenly event for the US, which is needed for the Grand Conjunction to manifest its energy concerning the Age of Aquarius. This occurs on February 19, 2022, the USA will have its first-ever Pluto return, a groundbreaking moment that changes the world as we know it.

In this moment, let’s look at what is in store for us via the Goddess of the Eclipses—the Death Goddess.

The metaphor for the violence done to the goddess as a representative of natural order and the balance of the natural world appropriately takes the form in the celestial sphere as an abrupt and frightening change in the heavens: an eclipse. The actions of this goddess as eclipse are not the warrior goddess archetype but the intellectually powerful and disturbed nature of a goddess represented as a raging fury determined to shake the universe, darken the skies, and set the world into a readjustment of its values after experiencing the chaos of the unnatural. Eventually, her power is to astound, frighten, and horrify to create the required and necessary change to the culture of the patriarchy that is out of sync with nature. Therefore, her power dwells in the unmasking of uncertainty and the shocking of humanity to evoke revenge and correct misconduct through a demonstration of cosmic change. The figure of the archetype must therefore rely on the seeds of destruction planted in the human imagination to evoke such monumental shifts in cultural behavior. Like the eclipse, the goddess demands a recalibration of the universe as divine feminine ruler of the heavens to create a shift in paradigms guaranteed to repeat itself when necessary.

The Goddess of the Eclipses consequently represents our ability to foresee the inevitable need to revenge, protect, defeat, and change. She is more powerful than a warrior and more vengeful than a fury, possessing the qualities of both with the added attribute to evoke transfunctional and universal change within a timed sequence and cyclical paradigm all designed to protect what has been wrongfully violated: her feminine self.  The evolution of The Goddess of the Eclipses is subsequently rooted in the goddess of the Neolithic peoples. Here, the goddess represents cosmic and heavenly change and the power to create a monumental shifting or turning point in the consciousness of humanity when witnessing a cosmic and celestial darkening of the universe. Much like an actual eclipse, the goddess must evoke a temporary awe and possible fear of the ability of the goddess to create an abrupt change in the cosmic order and restore that order as a figure who must regenerate the comic flow of energy in a timely and cyclical manner for transformation and change to occur. Before the myth of this eternal return from stasis and order to chaos and back, and before the order was disturbed by the violence it endured in the patriarchal cultures in the history of mankind, the pre-patriarchal cultures of the Neolithic era give some indication as to the origins of this goddess.

The goddess of the regenerative forces belongs to a long line of matrilineal figures that Marija Gimbutas calls the Goddess of Death and Regeneration (The Language of the Goddess 2001). Her symbols included the vulture, the owl, the boar, and the dog and her domain reached from Europe to the Mediterranean and the Middle East in the Neolithic era. The Goddess of Death and Regeneration was represented by predatory birds such as the vulture and the owl that feed entirely on carrion. The vulture figures on a fresco at Çatal Hüyük depict vultures that have decapitated the dead and taken their souls which inhabit the head of the deceased. Gimbutas remarks that the wings of the vultures which resemble the brooms or brush sign perhaps “denotes the energy and power of the Death Goddess as does the witch’s broom of European folklore” (Language of the Goddess 189). Likewise, the owl as a bird of prey with oracular powers is “an incarnate manifestation of the fearsome Goddess of Death” (190).[i]

[i] Helen Benigni’s paper “The Goddesses of the Eclipses,” Academia.edu

Virtues: Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting collective and individual greatness.

The following is excerpted from A Book of Love in the Time of COVID-19, Morning Star’s Seven Steps to Spiritual Awakening, A Mindful Guide to Love, Life, and Unity During and After the Pandemic.

We have all struggled at various times in our life. But now, we may be facing our greatest struggle in a lifetime—the “Great Struggle.” We must keep love in our hearts, be in the present moment and the present day. Please do not let fear thrust you into the future. Stay in the present. Have discipline and perseverance until we come out the other side of this scourge… wear a mask and social distance. Yes, it is a struggle, but all of us can do it together.

During this pandemic, we do miss our closeness and interactions with friends and other human beings. It is tough, it is a struggle. Keep in mind that “other” also means residents of nature and nature itself. Go outside and be one with nature. Being out in nature and being aware are essential to our sanity, growth, power, and love. We need to sit and smell the ground beneath us. We must stand and gaze at the tree in its totality and then see the shape of the leaves, the texture of the bark, and the bend of the limbs. We must crawl as a child on our Mother Earth while feeling, hearing, and seeing with our hearts the crawling ones invisible and meaningless to most ego-warped people, but meaningful, visible and consequential to us. We must listen for the passage of the serpent and the buzzing of the bees. The more we use our senses, the more we will stay in the present, the easier it will be to get through this pandemic; it is up to you. The choice is yours.

We must keep love in our hearts, be in the present moment and the present day. Please do not let fear thrust you into the future. Stay in the present. Have discipline and perseverance until we come out the other side of this scourge.

***

And one last thing; wear a mask and as Samuel L. Jackson says on YouTube: “Stay the F**k at Home.”

 

The following is excerpted from Morning Star’s Seven Steps to Awakening, A Book of Love in the Time of COVID-19

We are on the eve… but this night before the Age of Aquarius is a long-night—a transitional time where we are moving out of the Age of Pisces into the Age of Aquarius. In my books, I have explored the transition from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. With this pandemic we have now entered the birthing time, transitional time—the “Great Struggle,” before the beginning of the Aquarian Age. And this December, we have a sign from the heavens signaling the forthcoming Age of Aquarius—The Grand Conjunction on the Winter Solstice.

The Winter Solstice

As the days shorten and the night lengthens, the wheel of time keeps turning and turning; ever revealing mysteries. Eventually the time arrives as we experience the day of the least light and the night of the greatest darkness—the Winter Solstice. It is a time when the sun stands still for three days. Silence reigns supreme…  And the Light returns.

The Solstice is also the start of a new season depending on where in the world you live, and a new season always brings a transition of energy.

Saturnalia was a pagan festival celebrated on the December Solstice, and was meant to be reminiscent of the Golden Age- a time where there was peace on Earth and Saturn was our Sun. The December Solstice was chosen for this day as it was said to signify a “return to the light.”

The Grand Conjunction 2020

The Grand conjunction occurs every twenty years or so, and is when both Jupiter and Saturn align at the same degree of the zodiac. The Grand Conjunction represents a changing of an era, and a time where we shift our way of viewing the world.

As our world view changes, so too does society and the way we choose to approach things.

While the Grand Conjunction happens every couple of decades, the 2020 alignment opens the door to an even bigger cycle.

For the last 200 years, Jupiter and Saturn have been aligning only in earth signs, but this year, on December 21st, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will align in the air sign of Aquarius.

The Grand Conjunction happening in an air sign for the first time in 200 years represents an even bigger shift in our world view and the era we are about to embark upon.

Jupiter and Saturn will also be aligning at zero degrees of Aquarius, which is an extra significant degree of the zodiac. Zero represents infinite potential and holds the energy of limitless possibilities.

The Grand Conjunction happening in Aquarius also further propels us into the energy of the Age of Aquarius.

The Grand Conjunction and the Age of Aquarius

Aquarius is the foretold Golden Age, of wholeness or Oneness. An Age of the heart, truth, freedom, equality, and of course, love. We are at a transition point where we are moving out of the Age of Pisces into the Age of Aquarius.

The Grand Conjunction is a key point on this transition into the Age of Aquarius, and is destined to bring many ‘Age of Aquarius’ themes into our lives.

Under this Grand Conjunction, we could see a shift into more community-based living. Rather than looking to big governments or big businesses for support, we could instead turn to smaller, community-run organizations and small businesses.

There could be a greater focus on this idea that we all thrive when the collective thrives, rather than a focus on individuals trying to compete with one another to get to the top. The Grand Conjunctions happening in earth signs these last 200 years has pushed our focus towards ambition, big government, and big business. It has made us focus on material wealth and possessions, and creating and building tangible things for the future.

The Grand Conjunctions now switching to air signs will give us a focus towards the collective, and a more community-based approach. Humanitarian efforts will be important, and technology will be favored. We will see more things created online than in the physical world.

On an even deeper level, the Grand Conjunction of 2020 could allow us to see that we are truly all connected. It will start to open our minds to higher level of consciousness, radical nonduality, that understand that there is no separation between us and all other things.

The Grand Conjunction in Aquarius can bring ideas of more community-based living, where we are all seen as equals, and where there is focus on everyone thriving rather than just a few individuals.[i]

The Golden Age—the Sixth Sun

The Mesoamericans call the Golden Age, the Sixth Sun. It is to be Xochitl Tonatiuh explained poetically as the Sun of Flowers—when humanity comes to flower. This is Jesus’ Sun and Quetzalcóatl’s Sun, the Sun of Consciousness. It will be the Age of the Divine Human – Hombre-Dios. The deity symbolizing the Sixth Sun is “Xochiquétzal, goddess of flowers. As the ‘House of Flowers,’ the human heart, we understand that xóchitl here symbolizes the budding blossom of the human spirit at last freed from duality.”  The Sixth Sun – a time to look forward to as xóchitl is love and the search for union. It is happiness. It is sex.

Another manner in which to view the Sixth Sun is to listen to a Hopi Native American elder describing a Golden Age long forgotten: “We were created equal of oneness, living in a spiritual way, where life is everlasting. We were happy and at peace with our fellow men. All things were plentiful, provided by our Mother Earth upon which we were placed.”

[i] Excerpted: The Cosmic and Spiritual Significance of December 21, 2020, Tanaaz, https://foreverconscious.com/the-cosmic-and-spiritual-significance-of-december-21-2020

Wake-up… just look at the course of the Pandemic 100 years ago…

It’s been a tough year and some of us have sacrificed to stay safe and keep others safe. How about you?

Considering the virus surge of the past week, which will only get worst – winter is coming, each of us need to mask-up, social distance, and celebrate holidays with only family members of one’s household. Do you have the courage and empathy to self-sacrifice?

Self-Sacrifice  

Self-sacrifice means some type of personal sacrifice for the benefit of others. Down through history, people have sacrificed for others and their wellbeing, and the wellbeing of their community during war and times of struggle and chaos. What does this tell you about yourself if you are unwilling to do a small sacrifice to keep safe others especially health care workers, first responders, and the elderly?

Emotions and Immunity

From our Seven Steps to Spiritual Awakening: It has been found that the duration of what we could call an immunological or emotional challenge is a key factor in determining its impact on the emotional or immunological response. Duration: Think COVID-19.

There are five basic personality traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism). Each has specific immunological features or defined susceptibility to immune disorders. Conscientiousness implies a desire to do a task well, to take obligations to others seriously, and an awareness of the impact that their own behavior has on others around them. It has been shown that there is a consistent association between conscientiousness and a reduced inflammatory response.  Inflammation is a natural way our bodies fight harmful intruders like viruses. But long-lasting inflammation isn’t healthy and could undermine your body’s defenses when a real threat arises. Bottom line: be conscientious, wear a mask, social distance, and forgive – heal your past.

The research is not definite yet, but it would seem that a strong mind, the ability to “let-go” and forgive, laughter, the ability to express love and “love thy neighbor,” and wellness of body and mind will go a long way in strengthening our immune system and our joy of living.

Patience – Perseverance is Needed

Below is the Japanese kanji character Nin meaning patience with an implied meaning of perseverance. This character is made of two parts. The top is 刃 (yaiba), which means “sword or knife.” The bottom is 心 (kokoro), which means “spiritual or physical heart.” Philosophically, when we are in a dangerous situation, we need the enduring power of our spirit and heart to have patience and perseverance until the danger has passed.

Kokoro has a meaning of the heart and its functions; mind and its functions; and center, or essence. Kokoro is well understood in Japanese, but difficult to explain in English,” says Yoshikawa Sakiko, director of Kyoto University’s Kokoro Research Center. Conceptually, it unites the notions of heart, mind, and spirit: It sees these three elements as being indivisible from one other.

The concept of Nin is necessary for a martial artist and any person of power. It is not the providence of the weak-willed and uncourageous. Which are you? A person with a strong mind, strong willed, and a person of power or a weak minded, weak-willed, and unemphatic?

A strong mind may be referred to as a “mind of no mind, the immovable mind.” These concepts are fully explained in our Seven Steps to Spiritual Awakening.

In summary, during these trying times be a person of power and embrace this concept of Nin and keep enduring the necessary Public Heath directions such as: mask wearing, social distancing, and hand washing.

“STOP THE COUNT” … “KEEP THE COUNT GOING.” This is a glaring example of the dysfunction of Trump and the Republicans – sorry, the Trump Party.

A chapter from our forthcoming Book of Love in the Time of COVID-1, Morning Star’s Seven Steps to Spiritual Awakening, points this out in clear terms:

Ancient knowledge and wisdom never die. The echo of ancient knowledge needs to be heard once again. One small segment of ancient Greek knowledge is connected to ancient Delphi. It is the Delphic maxim “keep the measure.” There are a multitude of meanings and teachings connected with this maxim. One meaning is “measure everything before you act,” another one: “everything measure excellent”— “right measure” ….

Corresponding to the ancient Delphic Pythagorean maxim, it is wise advice to measure anything before we act; always measure perfectly. As we can see from the lack of measure, our culture and society are measureless. The dysfunction of being measureless results in hubris, exaggerated self-pride, this recklessness goes hand in hand with atē, being blinded. Atē was the ancient Greek personified spirit of delusion, infatuation, blind folly, rash action, and reckless impulse who led people down the path of ruin. ….

SOUND FAMILIAR

Of this maxim it has been said that the ancient Greek Seven Sages wished humankind to observe due measure and proportion in all matters instead of making irrevocable decisions about any human affairs. It has been obvious that “due measure and proportion” was a far cry from the response to the pandemic due to the hubris, exaggerated self-pride, recklessness, self-centeredness, narcissistic and egocentric personality of the President and his cronies.

 

The light is dying as the dark strengthens. Winter is approaching bringing with it darkness and wind-whipped stormy days and nights. This is a time and season to honor our family, kin, ancestors and the hidden spirits of the earth. It is a time to go inward and strengthen our connection with the Otherworld.

At this time near the end of October the natural world appears to be dying in its natural cycle of death and rebirth. During this period of time, festivals of the dead celebrated and acknowledged the ancestors and the dead in general with offerings of food being commonplace throughout many cultures.

At this time much is happening in the heavens and on earth as we honor the dead and ancestors during a time of transformational change and chaos.

Halloween Full Blue Moon

The October 31 blue moon is extremely close to Uranus, the planet of change and revolution. So unexpected change and uncertainty may cause anxiety, impatience, and an inability to relax.

The impulsive and unpredictable October 31 full moon has consequences for the US presidential election on November 3, 2020. Mercury stationary direct square Saturn on that same day increased the risk of delays, frustration, and disagreement. Civil unrest, violence, and rebellion are possible.

Sun opposite Moon brings your home, family, and intimate relationships into sharper focus for the following two weeks of this moon phase. Opposing forces such as work versus home, or what you need versus what you want, create inner tension and external pressures. This can lead to conflict and crises that drain your energy.

Add to this resulting in a volatile mix is Mars retrograde in Ares conjunct Eris, Goddess of Discord. Mars retrograde period coincides with the United States presidential election on November 3. Mars retrograde can “fight dirty,” so this may portend a particularly combative election campaign, with anger and divisiveness continuing after the election is over. When Mars begins retrograde, we may feel particularly reactive and, therefore, be easily triggered.

The October 31 full moon lasts for two weeks up to the November 15 new moon. Its influence is combined with that of the October 16 new moon. That new moon was square Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto. This is causing anger, resentment, frustration, and a ruthless quest for power. This could result in polarization, extremism, conflict, and violence.

The lunar qualities of emotions and instincts reach their peak at a full moon. So, use your increased emotional strength and intuition to overcome any relationship challenges. Subconscious awareness allows for an impartial and balanced look at your personal relationships. You will clearly see any relationship dynamics or negative feelings causing disharmony.

Uranus Blue Moon

Full Moon conjunct Uranus can make you feel restless, anxious, impatient, and jumpy. A sense of impending change can make it very difficult to relax. Emotional volatility and rebelliousness may lead to odd behavior, impulsive actions, rapid changes in direction, and even accidents.

Unexpected events and sudden changes can have a very unsettling effect on relationships. You may have to deal with temper tantrums, emotional detachment, separation, isolation, and a general lack of stability and security.

This erratic and unpredictable full moon is best approached with adaptability, flexibility, and open-mindedness. In this way, opportunities will arise to make creative and positive changes in your life. You will have more freedom to follow your own unique path and express your true inner self. Our forthcoming Morning Star’s Seven Steps to Spiritual Awakening, A Book of Love in the Time of COVID-19, A Mindful Guide to Love, Life, and Unity During and After the Pandemic will help guide you in healing and expressing your true inner self.

Since significant Uranus activity signals great, forceful winds of change, we can expect rapid growth as we tread on unfamiliar territory. Whilst unsettling in some ways the journey will likely be exciting and offer a glimpse of a much better way of connecting with life. Grip something stabilizing to avoid feeling completely overwhelmed; preferably something that provides a sense of safety rather than harmful activities or behaviors.

Mercury Retrograde

Mercury square Saturn brings seriousness, bad news, pessimism, sadness, misunderstanding, and arguments. Mercury stationary direct on November 3 increases the risk of disagreements, travel delays, and lost mail.

The full moon conjunct Uranus, Mercury square Saturn, and Mercury retrograde can all cause impatience and a lack of concentration. So, it is extremely important to listen carefully, pay attention to detail, and think twice before making important decisions.

And like the full moon October 2020 conjunct Uranus, Mercury retrograde square Saturn can cause distance in relationships and a sense of isolation. Words can easily become mean, offensive, shocking, and hurtful.

At the mundane level, Mercury stationary direct square Saturn, on the same day as the US presidential election, following a full moon conjunct Uranus, is worrying, to say the least. A contested result is possible but there is also a risk of civil unrest, violence, rioting and rebellion.

With all that is happening in the heavens and on earth, it is important for all of us to keep love and hope alive within our hearts and mind.

Be Well and Safe when Honoring

Burning—Feeding the Spirits

Feeding the spirits of the dead could be considered the supreme compassionate, ceremonial, indigenous religious practice. Nonetheless, there is still one dark blemish on this premier spiritual practice: down through history and throughout various cultures, there have been times when humans, even children, have become the sacrificial food of the gods.

Feeding the spirits or doing a burning is one of the shamanic/religious practices and power handed down to my wife and I by the late elders and Indian Doctor’s Mom and Vince Stogan. Since this knowledge was and still is orally transmitted, I can only reveal a few things. Before we open the ceremony by calling in the spirits, I paint myself and my wife with red paint, symbolic of blood. Three plates of food and drink are always required: for the ancient ones, the spirits of the land, and most importantly, the forgotten ones. The plates are then burned providing “food for the Otherworld.” Contrary to Festivals of the Dead that are held once a year, burnings may be done anytime during the year for such reasons as beginnings and endings—funerals, memorials.

El Día de Muertos

El Día de Muertos, or the Mexican Day of the Dead Festival originated in pre-Hispanic cultures who believed that during these days of the year the souls of the departed would return to the realm of the living, where they could visit their loved ones.

“The celebration includes offerings of cempasúchil flowers, drinks and food for the deceased placed alongside their photographs and poems. Another traditional practice is the making of the bread of the dead and the sugar, colorful calaveras (skulls), decorated and labeled with names of people (living or dead).

“The creation of the altar is an integral part of the celebration, with many of the ceremonial objects and familiar signature items of Mexican culture to many outside of the country. Altars are often decorated with flowers, whose brief life span is meant to be a reminder of the brevity of life and whose bright, earthly colors are believed to be a guide for the dead back to their loved ones. Brightly colored and intricately cut tissue paper decorates the altar, waving like multi-colored flags. Offerings of sweets, fruits, and other foods are joined by the staples of bread, salt, and water. Grooming supplies, such as a washbasin and soap, may be provided for the spirits to tidy themselves up after their long journey.” [i]

Similar to burnings where we prepare a plate for the forgotten ones, the Maya Ritual of the Dead, Hanal Pixán, honors the solitary soul. In this case, a home altar is “dedicated to all deceased who have no one to remember them on Earth, or who had no known relatives, or relatives who showed no interest in them…. This simple offering is placed on a small table with a white tablecloth, together with a large white candle, a glass of water and a plate of food.” [ii]

Samhain

This honoring of the dead was the primary celebration in the Celtic calendar until the rise of Christianity in the 7th century. This was a transition time between summer and winter and a time to honor the dead—the ancestors as well as the spirits of the land. The “dead ancestors were, in many ways, still considered to be an active part of the living community. The feast of Samhain and the idea of a link between the living world and the Otherworld are inseparably intertwined. The communal feast was the main event of Samhain. On the eve of October 31 each year, communities gathered together to partake in a ritual feast.

“There were two widespread strains of customs when it came to preparing food for the feast. The first involved preparing some food to specifically set aside for the dead ancestors to consume. In some cases, particular kinds of food were made for the dead, while in other cases a portion of the food prepared for the living was set aside for the dead. This act, by acknowledging the presence of the dead, was a means for the living to strengthen bonds with dead ancestors, retaining the souls of the departed as active members of the larger Celtic community.” [iii]

[i] https://edsitement.neh.gov/october-2010-history-and-origins-halloween-and-day-dead-celebrations

[ii] Hanal Pixán, 24.

[iii] Jessica Richard, Samhain: How Ritual Formed and Formation of Irish Celtic Identity, 448.