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Aries Workshop

The Alchemy of Intention: 27th / 28th March

Traveller's Tales

I would highly recommend this course as a unique journey of self-empowerment, and self-discovery

Newsletter No. 8: Aug/ Sept 2008

Virgo Edition - The Harvest Cycle

Welcome to our Virgo Newlsetter - celebrating the Season of Harvest!

Contents:

Latest News on the Glastonbury Programme for 2009-10
Astrodrama Workshops in Bristol & Turkey 2009
Reflecting on a Month of Eclipses
The Alchemy of Virgo: The Harvest Cycle
The Key to the Virgoan Perspective: The Magic is in the Details
Questions to Reflect on During the Virgo Cycle
Activities to Help You Embody the Virgoan Perspective
Virgo Books & Films & Music to Wash the Dishes By!

karate kid Virgo kernel

1. Latest News on Glastonbury Programme 2009-10

The 2009-10 programme (beginning 20th March 2009) is really starting to shape up. Anthony Thorley and myself have put together a really exciting schedule for next year, taking the best of this year's alchemical journey programme and have incorporated into it a monthly walk around the sacred landscape of the Glastonbury Zodiac. These walks will enable us to directly embody the profound wisdom of each astrological energy that we encounter through the year. Anthony is an expert in the field of landscpae zodiacs, about which he is currently conducting his PhD research. He has penned a short piece here to explain more about what the Glastonbury Zodiac is.

What is the Glastonbury Zodiac? (by Dr. Anthony Thorley)

The Glastonbury Zodiac is a circle, some eleven miles in diameter, of twelve giant effigies present in the Somerset landscape each representing one of the signs of the zodiac. This extraordinary representation of a terrestrial zodiac is demarcated in contour lines, tracks, field boundaries and the courses of streams and rivers combining natural and man-made features. First described by artist and mystic Katharine Maltwood in the 1920s, her work combined visionary experience with detailed research into local history, legend and place-names which seemed to support the idea that the zodiac is more real than imagined. Her specially commissioned aerial photographs made in the 1920s of signs such as Leo the lion, Gemini the twins and the bull’s head of Taurus are extraordinary and have a classic iconic status. However whilst the actual origins of this zodiac, sitting between Mrs Maltwood’s modern imagination and a more ancient historical tradition, continue to be controversial, there is no doubting the rich layering of history and legend which make the whole Glastonbury area a uniquely sacred landscape in modern England if not the world. Glastonbury, as the famed Isle of Avalon, draws upon pre-Christian myth and legend as well as the presence of the Biblical Joseph of Arimathea, the young Jesus Christ, King Arthur and his Knights of the round table and a procession of Celtic Saints and more recent historical characters making it literally larger than life! Since the 1920s at least three generations of researchers and participants have celebrated the reality of the Glastonbury Zodiac and have experienced its extraordinary power and influence in their lives. Approached in the right kind of way with carefully focussed preparation this landscape zodiac can still be a medium for powerful personal experience, transformation and change.

For more details of Anthony's work, see www.earthskywalk.com

For more information of the Glastonbury Zodiac see: www.isleofavalon.co.uk/avalon-zodiac.html

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2. Seven-Day Astrodrama Retreat in Antalya, Turkey: April 2009.

After the phenomenal success of the six-day astrodrama retreat in Hay-on-Wye, we have now organised a full week of astrological chart play in the most spectacular of locations - Antalya, Turkey. I am also running a 12-week astrodrama programme in Bristol from Feb. 2009. Please visit: www.astrodrama.co.uk for more information.

3. Reflecting on a Month of Eclipses

This past month has seen two significant eclipses, a solar eclipse on Fri. 1st Aug and a lunar eclipse on Sat 16th Aug. Eclipses have always been considered as highly significant moments astrologically, often associated with portents. They are not always considered to be auspicious, but often bringing things to a head that important change can occur. They tend to come in pairs, solar and lunar, and occur when the moon moves into a position of a direct alignment with the Sun and the Earth. Eclipses happen because, when the Sun and Moon are in alignment, as viewed from the Earth, they are precisely identical in size.

Eclipse

It is that most cosmic of cosmic 'co-incidences' and one that a statistician might end up scratching their head about. A solar eclipse can only happen at the time of (what astrologers call) a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are at the same degree of the same sign on the ecliptic - the moon sitting directly in front of the Sun and thus obscuring it. A lunar eclipse can only occur at the precise moment of the full moon, when the Sun and Moon are on opposite sides of the Earth from one another, in the same degree on the ecliptic of opposite signs. This occus about twice a year and every six month, we experience an eclipse season. However, often we will only experience a partial solar eclipse due to the fact that the path of totality is only about 200 miles wide and may cover only 1% of the earth surface. So, astrologers place symbolic importance on all eclipses, they naturally place extra weight on those where the eclipse is total. Lunar eclipses offer a more generous span, and while they not as spectacular, we are likely to see more of them in our lifetime.

eclipse It occurs to me that when a solar eclipse occurs in the sign of Leo, it is especially significant, because the Sun in its own domain in this sign, and to be stripped of that royal dignity in the covering of the eclipse is as if to undermined the very heart of what it is to shine - to expose a weakness perhaps, a vulnerability, a chink in the armour. With this in mind, I have been reflecting on the Chinese Olympics - remembering that the eclipse was almost total over Beijing, just a few days before the days began. Ostensibly, such a successful Olympics, China exposed to the world, in the global spotlight like it has never been before; shining the olympic torch brightly with an ostententious show and no expense spared. Yet there have been many weaknesses exposed during the games - the obvious shadow of Tibet, and their attempt to gloss over it, the pretty girl who mimed at the opening ceremony, stories of under-age gymnasts, and the laming of their star track athlete. Chinks in the armour, amidst bright Leonine splendour. Fascinating to watch this unfold.

In my own life too, I can see how chinks have been exposed, shadows have been faced, and courage has been needed for me to really tune into my heart. We are living through extraordinary times and we are faced with the prospect of incredible changes on our planet. Our Leonine eclipse season seems poignant to the challenge to the rule of ego, both personally and collectively - the need for the ego to be humbled, exposed, witnessed and released somehow from its own apparent belief that it must dominate and control. The lunar eclipse could be thought of as bringing balance to the eclipse season, the darkening of the Full Moon as the light it receives from the Sun is temporarily diminished. With the moon in Aquarius, the proud, centralised Leonine ruler is the egalitarianism of Aquarius, the needs of the group and the community. While Aquarius can bring this awareness to Leo, so can Leo bring warmth, courage, passion and heart to the Aquarian ideals of a new community for a new age. I find the lunar eclipse particularly mesmerising and an especailly beautiful experience, energetically softer, still potent however and definitely confronting, but bringing awareness to the situation.

4. The Alchemy of Virgo: The Harvest Cycle (22nd Aug - 22nd Sept) - picture courtesy of Josephine Wall: www.josephinewall.co.uk

The Virgo phase of our alchemical journey around the year, from Aug 22nd to Sept 22nd, corresponds with the 'harvest' phase of the year, when crops are ripe for harvesting and, after the merry enjoyment and the time must be seized to bring . This is honoured in the Christian calendar as the Harvest Festival, which is always held on or near the Harvest Moon, which is the Sunday closest to the Autumn equinox. The beginning of the harvest season is traditionally celebrated at Lammas or Lughnasa at the beginning of August. However, it is really the sign of Virgo that embodies the harvest symbolically, the sign of the Virgin always being represented as a grain or corn maiden holding an ear of wheat, or corn in her hand. The brightest star in the constellation of Virgo is Spica, literally meaning an ‘ear of corn’, and this auspicious star has long been associated with the idea of nature offering a gift or blessing. There are strong associations with this constellations and the goddess Isis in Egyptian tradition, and in the Christian tradition with the Virgin Mary. Yet, herein lies a paradox, for this ‘maiden’, being a representative of nature’s abundance is clearly associated with fertility.

So we come to that time of the year when we reap what we have sown. The harvest is a time both of ritual celebration and ritual dedication to task. For many of us, as city-dwellers, we may feel disassociated from the meaning of the harvest, so a contemplation on the sign of Virgo may help us to usefully connect to it. We might think about the meticulous effort of harvesting the wheat this the repetitive action of the sheaf as it cuts down the once proud stalks of golden crop that shone with the glimmer of the sun's summer light and transforming it into the feast that will feed a community. The revelation of nature's gift lies in each kernel of wheat may remind us to life's bounty yet also recognise the need to respect that and not take it for granted. Symbolically in our own lives, through the diligent, ritual work of separating the wheat from the chaff, we perform's the magician's work, transforming the potential of nature's abundant gifts into concrete manifest forms. Through such attentive diligence, we are fed, we are sustained, we are healed, and wealth in all its forms may be delivered to us.

I think of this process, in alchemical terms, as the phase of 'Harvesting Our Gold'. No matter what else is going on in the circumstances of our lives, we can just bring it back to the practice of ritual harvesting. We have been holding the vision in Leo of realising our golden divinity, our gifts - and we have performed or expressed that vision in some way in our lives over the summer - well now is the time to cultivate the essence of it, so that it can sustain us and keep us well and healthy as the season turns from Summer to Autumn. This requires diligence and care, attention to detail, respect, and to consider the ethical consequences of our actions, irrespective of their perceived size or importance. As we do this, so we cultivate our golden crop.

Happy harvesting!

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5. The Key to the Virgoan Perspective: The Magic is in the Details

"There may be more to learn from climbing the same mountain a hundred times, than by climbing a hundred different mountains." (Richard Nelson)

ZMM As we move from Leo into Virgo, we are moving from the domain of the Sun, where we basked in the light of creative expression, we are now moving into the domain of Mercury, the wily magician, whose skill and cunning knits together the fabric of life into a seamless dance. In the Gemini phase, we met Mercury through the element of air, in his role as messenger, emissary of divine contact. Now, in Virgo, Mercury really takes on an embodied form and embeds his magic in the details of life, details which we so easily miss each time we attempt to look beyond the everyday for inspiration. Yet, when we ignore the mundane, the embodied every day rituals, we risk losing the magic touch. So this month, is about being mindful of Mercury’s deft touch, his sleight of hand. We must invoke the ritual magician if we are to glimpse his creative secret. We must become aware of the details of our lives, observe the order and rituals of life, learn to respect and revere each so-called mundane experience. Our task is to glimpse magic in the ordinary. Our role this week is to sweep, to clean, to tidy, to order, to polish, to wax, to sharpen, to become still, accepting, and blissfully content as we perfect the ordinary tasks of life. Through bringing mindfulness to our repetitive actions, we open the possibility of transcending time, entering liminal space, stepping into the shoes of the magician.

It strikes me that in our thirst for new experience, we in the west are becoming increasingly averse to ritual action. The idea of doing the 'same thing' at the 'same time' every day seems abhorrent when we have the 'freedom' (so-called) to do whatever we like whenever we like. Yet there is something deep within us that seems to call us back to ritual and the benefit that we feel when we develop a daily practice can be life-transforming. I was struck the other day, when reading an article about torture victims, who, when deprived of habiutal experiences of regular sleep and nourishment, and the disorientation of time, often the thing that saves them is the regular sound of a distant church bell or call to prayer, which gives them some connection to time and order.

Virgo marks a key moment in our alchemical transformation, when the emphasis is all about regularity and rhythm, and attention to what is right in front of our eyes. This quote from the Gospel of Thomas that I think sums it up nicely:

"When you focus on what is right in front of you, what is hidden will be revealed to you."

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6. Questions to Reflect on During the Virgo Cycle

What is essential to my life and what is not?
What do I need to do practically to put my house in order?
What should I be focussing on?
What am I / could I practise on a daily basis?
What do I need to maintain on a regular basis, that I might ordinarily neglect?
What do I notice about the space where I live / work? Is it as vibrant as it could be?
What could I get rid of or give away

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7. Activities to Help Us Embody the Virgoan Perspective

One almost expects to hear a groan accompanying the list of Virgoan activities, yet when attention is paid to these areas of life, so much can become possible. Virgo is the sign of the alchemist, and alchemy must be an everyday thing, not a flash-in-th-pan in order to amount to anything. We all know how good it feels when we've done a big spring clean and created a new filing system - the real satisfaction comes with the ease of having workable systems in place so that the everyday activities can be so much smoother. Having a daily practice might seem like a big step - until you get into the rhythm with it, then it just seems natural. It is said that it takes 21 days of doing something every day for it to become a habit (that's three rounds of seven days), so why not make this Virgo phase the time for instilling some new healthy habits.

Clear the clutter in your living space and work space.
Consult a feng shui practitioner (or equivalent)
Take up or re-commit to an exercise programme
Be mindful while doing everyday activities (cooking, cleaning, washing up etc.)
Pay attention to what you are eating and drinking.
Get your filing system in order.
Take up drumming to help instil a sense of beat and rhythm.
Take up a craft or some activity that requires you to focus and ideally one that involves some degree of intricate detail or skill

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8. Virgo Books & Films & Music to Wash the Dishes By!

My favourite Virgoan book is "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig, and my favourite Virgoan film is "The Karate Kid".

Here's a selection of Virgoan music: