Short Version:
Planets align and call us to look deep into the shadows of our past.. into the depths of our own Underworld kingdoms. We've felt the trauma of being victimized. We've felt the shame and regret of hurting others. But as we walk our path, clean up our past, and place a honest hand on our hearts, we know we would not be where we are today if we had not suffered those pains exactly when they were needed. Sometimes the Underworld initiations are the greatest source of growth.
In this time of amazing nurturing potential, we will grow most rapidly by forgiving our trespassers and forgiving ourselves for our trespasses. Perhaps we can accept responsibility not only for our actions that caused pain to others, but also for others' actions that caused pain to us. Perhaps others will accept their part in pain we caused them. True free will extends beyond our conscious decisions, after all. Sometimes our higher self martyrs the monkey suit for the sake of soul growth. If we really are eternal beings witnessing every moment of our incarnations as I believe we are, let's have the courage to honor ourselves for putting on a good show. Sometimes, tragedy is just as compelling as comedy and often more educational.
If you've nailed yourself to a cross, please have the courage to thank yourself for having done so and come on down to once again dance on the fields of light. If you don't believe you deserve to, do it for them and do it for the world. Release the pain within to release the pain without. Shine a bright, nurturing light on the shadows of your past and embrace all that you are. We all need your love to move onward and upward in this crazy game called Earth.
Long Version:
Today, Venus entered Leo, the sign of royalty, will, honor, celebrity sovereignty, creativity, and theater. Long live the Rightful Queen! Meanwhile, the Moon entered Pisces, the sign of healing, dreams, spirituality, and empathy. The Moon conjuncted Neptune around 10:30 am PST, triggering the Grand Water Trine between Pisces Neptune, Cancer Sun, and Scorpio Saturn. In a couple of hours the Moon will conjunct Chiron.
Monday, the Sun will reach opposition to Pluto, triggering the (r)evolutionary Pluto-Uranus Square while Mercury travels into the Underworld (meaning his retrograde path will take him so close to the Sun that his light will disappear from the world's stage).
These many astronomical alignments are allowing us to dive deep into our shadow at a time when we are empowered to nurture past traumas and regrets. In this time of forgiveness and love, I am called to tell my version of Persephone's Descent.
*****
Persephone was the true Taurus flower child: beautiful, innocent, graceful, and deeply connected to Gaia. Her mother Demeter was the Virgin Goddess of the Harvest. Now, don't reach for the immaculate conception button. Back in the day, virginity did not describe a woman without sexual experience. Virgin described a woman who chose independence over marriage. It's quite possible, in fact, that those practicing the rights of virginity had much more experience with lovers than those who had "lost their virginity" on their wedding day by committing to one man.
Demeter had two children before Persephone. They were talking horses that I don't know jack about. But I do know about Persephone who was Demeter's daughter by her brother Zeus. This was the Golden Age when the Summer Sun warmed every day of the year. Young Persephone was Demeter's true love and mother and daughter walked the fields arm in arm laughing and skipping through the crops of eternal youth. But this would not last forever, of course. Persephone began to grow up and, as she reached young adulthood, she developed those most important qualities of Taurus: dedication to truly following the senses, beauty in the body, intimacy as an artform.
One day, Persephone and many of her lovely friends set upon the rolling green hills to pick flowers. They filled their baskets with lilies, daffodils, pansies, roses, irises, and more. Suddenly, Persephone found her gaze captured by a unique flower in the distance. She felt an exciting sense of danger. Electricity shot through the short hairs on the back of her neck and arms. She felt it would be dangerous to leave the company of her friends, but she could not resist the call of the unique black, purple, and silver petals previously unknown to Earth.
The flower was irresistible. Persephone walked slowly to it, guided by some unknown force, with a mysterious fire in her stomach. She cast aside her feelings of trepidation and reached down to claim the flower's beauty for her basket. Suddenly, a chasm opened up in the Earth from which rode a gorgeous, bare-chested man on a chariot pulled by fire-breathing horses. This was Hades, king of the Underworld. He snatched Persephone into his chariot and took her away to his lower kingdom, the chasm closing behind them.
Demeter flipped out. She knew something was wrong. Something had happened to her daughter! She ran to the fields searching for her Persephone, her love. The girls dropped their baskets, spilling flowers across the grass, frightened by Demeter demanding they tell her what had happened to her daughter. None could say. "She was here picking flowers with us, then she just disappeared. "
Demeter traveled the countryside asking Gods and Goddesses where her daughter had gone. None could say. "Ask the Sun," Aphrodite told her. "He sees all and always tells truth." Demeter went to Helios and begged him to tell her what had become of Persephone. "Your daughter was taken by the Dark Lord to the land of his name," said the Sun God.
"Hades! Treacherous Hades. He will pay!" shouted Demeter to the Heavens. She knew better than to challenge her brother on his turf. She instead went to Olympus to speak with another brother, Persephone's father Zeus. "I demand the rightful return of my daughter!" she screamed.
"Relax, sister. Hades has made Persephone Queen of the Underworld, a rightful position for our daughter. Girls grow up to become women, Demeter. Princesses grow up to become Queens. I will not return our daughter to you. Her 'rightful' place is with Hades. Now, if you'd like to make another daughter for yourself..."
Demeter spit in his face and fled home in tears. She would not give in so easily. "Do my brothers not remember the strength of woman? Do they forget the power their sister Demeter wields? I am Goddess of the Harvest! Man will not reap a single stalk of wheat this year! Let's see how Zeus enjoys watching his precious humans starve to death!"
And, indeed, no crops were harvested that year. And mankind did indeed starve. Zeus could not ignore their pain, for man had his favor at that time. However, there was nothing Zeus could do about the crops by his own hand. That was Demeter's territory. He knew he must satisfy her wishes and put an end to her strike in order to save mankind from sure extinction.
Zeus sent his faithful messenger Hermes to the Underworld to retrieve Persephone for Demeter. Hermes made the long descent to Hades. He found Persephone sitting upon her Underworld throne. He told her he was sent by Zeus to return her to her mother and warned her to take no gifts from Hades as she left. Hades had no say in the matter. The big guy in the sky had spoken.
Persephone and Demeter had a most joyous reunion. Demeter wept exclaiming she knew how terrible it must have been for her innocent, young daughter in Hades. Demeter's joy was short-lived, however. Her heart sank from her chest when Persephone admitted to eating of the pomegranate Hades offered to satisfy her hunger before her long journey home.
"Do not worry, Mother. I only ate three seeds of the pomegranate."
"You fool of a girl! Do you know not what this means? You have fallen for the trick of a fiend. Now you are bound to Hades and you must spend one season every year by his side in the Underworld."
Persephone turned her face from her mother's tears and...
smiled?
Each year as Persephone returns to the underworld, Demeter strikes the crops from Earth.
This is the season mankind has come to call Winter.
*****
Okay, I might have added that smile part and maybe I'm wrong, but I ask you this, was Persephone truly deceived by the flower? Was she truly the victim of a kidnapping? Did she truly suffer Hades' deception by pomegranate? Or did she express free will on all accounts?
Perhaps Persephone chose to leave the safety of her friends to pick that magnetic flower which brought an unknown fire to her senses. Perhaps she chose to join the ridiculously hot, chiseled, powerful king on his golden, horse-drawn chariot. Perhaps she enjoyed the position of her Underworld throne so much that she purposefully ignored Hermes' advice not to take a gift from Hades. Perhaps she ate just enough of that pomegranate to insure a yearly visit to the land where she held the power of a queen. Perhaps she did indeed smile at her mother's naiveté.
Why do current astronomical alignments remind me to share this old Greek tale? We are being called to look deep into the shadow of our past.. into the depths of our own Underworld kingdoms. We've felt the trauma of being victimized. We've felt the shame and regret of hurting others. But as we walk our path, clean up our past, and place a honest hand on our hearts, we know we would not be where we are today if we had not suffered those pains exactly when they were needed. Sometimes the Underworld initiations are the greatest source of growth.
In this time of amazing nurturing potential, we will grow most rapidly by forgiving our trespassers and forgiving ourselves for our trespasses. Perhaps we can accept responsibility not only for our actions that caused pain to others, but also for others' actions that caused pain to us. Perhaps others will accept their part in pain we caused them. True free will extends beyond our conscious decisions, after all. Sometimes our higher self martyrs the monkey suit for the sake of soul growth. If we really are eternal beings witnessing every moment of our incarnations as I believe we are, let's have the courage to honor ourselves for putting on a good show. Sometimes, tragedy is just as compelling as comedy and often more educational.
If you've nailed yourself to a cross, please have the courage to thank yourself for having done so and come on down to once again dance on the fields of light. If you don't believe you deserve to, do it for them and do it for the world. Release the pain within to release the pain without.
And be proud! You ate the sweet seeds of the pomegranate without choking yourself to death on that crazy white stuff in between. Shine a bright, nurturing light on the shadows of your past and embrace all that you are. We all need your love to move onward and upward in this crazy game called Earth.
With Love and Light in the Shadow,
Astrolonaut
www.MoreThanAstrology.com
Planets align and call us to look deep into the shadows of our past.. into the depths of our own Underworld kingdoms. We've felt the trauma of being victimized. We've felt the shame and regret of hurting others. But as we walk our path, clean up our past, and place a honest hand on our hearts, we know we would not be where we are today if we had not suffered those pains exactly when they were needed. Sometimes the Underworld initiations are the greatest source of growth.
In this time of amazing nurturing potential, we will grow most rapidly by forgiving our trespassers and forgiving ourselves for our trespasses. Perhaps we can accept responsibility not only for our actions that caused pain to others, but also for others' actions that caused pain to us. Perhaps others will accept their part in pain we caused them. True free will extends beyond our conscious decisions, after all. Sometimes our higher self martyrs the monkey suit for the sake of soul growth. If we really are eternal beings witnessing every moment of our incarnations as I believe we are, let's have the courage to honor ourselves for putting on a good show. Sometimes, tragedy is just as compelling as comedy and often more educational.
If you've nailed yourself to a cross, please have the courage to thank yourself for having done so and come on down to once again dance on the fields of light. If you don't believe you deserve to, do it for them and do it for the world. Release the pain within to release the pain without. Shine a bright, nurturing light on the shadows of your past and embrace all that you are. We all need your love to move onward and upward in this crazy game called Earth.
Long Version:
Today, Venus entered Leo, the sign of royalty, will, honor, celebrity sovereignty, creativity, and theater. Long live the Rightful Queen! Meanwhile, the Moon entered Pisces, the sign of healing, dreams, spirituality, and empathy. The Moon conjuncted Neptune around 10:30 am PST, triggering the Grand Water Trine between Pisces Neptune, Cancer Sun, and Scorpio Saturn. In a couple of hours the Moon will conjunct Chiron.
Monday, the Sun will reach opposition to Pluto, triggering the (r)evolutionary Pluto-Uranus Square while Mercury travels into the Underworld (meaning his retrograde path will take him so close to the Sun that his light will disappear from the world's stage).
These many astronomical alignments are allowing us to dive deep into our shadow at a time when we are empowered to nurture past traumas and regrets. In this time of forgiveness and love, I am called to tell my version of Persephone's Descent.
*****
Persephone was the true Taurus flower child: beautiful, innocent, graceful, and deeply connected to Gaia. Her mother Demeter was the Virgin Goddess of the Harvest. Now, don't reach for the immaculate conception button. Back in the day, virginity did not describe a woman without sexual experience. Virgin described a woman who chose independence over marriage. It's quite possible, in fact, that those practicing the rights of virginity had much more experience with lovers than those who had "lost their virginity" on their wedding day by committing to one man.
Demeter had two children before Persephone. They were talking horses that I don't know jack about. But I do know about Persephone who was Demeter's daughter by her brother Zeus. This was the Golden Age when the Summer Sun warmed every day of the year. Young Persephone was Demeter's true love and mother and daughter walked the fields arm in arm laughing and skipping through the crops of eternal youth. But this would not last forever, of course. Persephone began to grow up and, as she reached young adulthood, she developed those most important qualities of Taurus: dedication to truly following the senses, beauty in the body, intimacy as an artform.
One day, Persephone and many of her lovely friends set upon the rolling green hills to pick flowers. They filled their baskets with lilies, daffodils, pansies, roses, irises, and more. Suddenly, Persephone found her gaze captured by a unique flower in the distance. She felt an exciting sense of danger. Electricity shot through the short hairs on the back of her neck and arms. She felt it would be dangerous to leave the company of her friends, but she could not resist the call of the unique black, purple, and silver petals previously unknown to Earth.
The flower was irresistible. Persephone walked slowly to it, guided by some unknown force, with a mysterious fire in her stomach. She cast aside her feelings of trepidation and reached down to claim the flower's beauty for her basket. Suddenly, a chasm opened up in the Earth from which rode a gorgeous, bare-chested man on a chariot pulled by fire-breathing horses. This was Hades, king of the Underworld. He snatched Persephone into his chariot and took her away to his lower kingdom, the chasm closing behind them.
Demeter flipped out. She knew something was wrong. Something had happened to her daughter! She ran to the fields searching for her Persephone, her love. The girls dropped their baskets, spilling flowers across the grass, frightened by Demeter demanding they tell her what had happened to her daughter. None could say. "She was here picking flowers with us, then she just disappeared. "
Demeter traveled the countryside asking Gods and Goddesses where her daughter had gone. None could say. "Ask the Sun," Aphrodite told her. "He sees all and always tells truth." Demeter went to Helios and begged him to tell her what had become of Persephone. "Your daughter was taken by the Dark Lord to the land of his name," said the Sun God.
"Hades! Treacherous Hades. He will pay!" shouted Demeter to the Heavens. She knew better than to challenge her brother on his turf. She instead went to Olympus to speak with another brother, Persephone's father Zeus. "I demand the rightful return of my daughter!" she screamed.
"Relax, sister. Hades has made Persephone Queen of the Underworld, a rightful position for our daughter. Girls grow up to become women, Demeter. Princesses grow up to become Queens. I will not return our daughter to you. Her 'rightful' place is with Hades. Now, if you'd like to make another daughter for yourself..."
Demeter spit in his face and fled home in tears. She would not give in so easily. "Do my brothers not remember the strength of woman? Do they forget the power their sister Demeter wields? I am Goddess of the Harvest! Man will not reap a single stalk of wheat this year! Let's see how Zeus enjoys watching his precious humans starve to death!"
And, indeed, no crops were harvested that year. And mankind did indeed starve. Zeus could not ignore their pain, for man had his favor at that time. However, there was nothing Zeus could do about the crops by his own hand. That was Demeter's territory. He knew he must satisfy her wishes and put an end to her strike in order to save mankind from sure extinction.
Zeus sent his faithful messenger Hermes to the Underworld to retrieve Persephone for Demeter. Hermes made the long descent to Hades. He found Persephone sitting upon her Underworld throne. He told her he was sent by Zeus to return her to her mother and warned her to take no gifts from Hades as she left. Hades had no say in the matter. The big guy in the sky had spoken.
Persephone and Demeter had a most joyous reunion. Demeter wept exclaiming she knew how terrible it must have been for her innocent, young daughter in Hades. Demeter's joy was short-lived, however. Her heart sank from her chest when Persephone admitted to eating of the pomegranate Hades offered to satisfy her hunger before her long journey home.
"Do not worry, Mother. I only ate three seeds of the pomegranate."
"You fool of a girl! Do you know not what this means? You have fallen for the trick of a fiend. Now you are bound to Hades and you must spend one season every year by his side in the Underworld."
Persephone turned her face from her mother's tears and...
smiled?
Each year as Persephone returns to the underworld, Demeter strikes the crops from Earth.
This is the season mankind has come to call Winter.
*****
Okay, I might have added that smile part and maybe I'm wrong, but I ask you this, was Persephone truly deceived by the flower? Was she truly the victim of a kidnapping? Did she truly suffer Hades' deception by pomegranate? Or did she express free will on all accounts?
Perhaps Persephone chose to leave the safety of her friends to pick that magnetic flower which brought an unknown fire to her senses. Perhaps she chose to join the ridiculously hot, chiseled, powerful king on his golden, horse-drawn chariot. Perhaps she enjoyed the position of her Underworld throne so much that she purposefully ignored Hermes' advice not to take a gift from Hades. Perhaps she ate just enough of that pomegranate to insure a yearly visit to the land where she held the power of a queen. Perhaps she did indeed smile at her mother's naiveté.
Why do current astronomical alignments remind me to share this old Greek tale? We are being called to look deep into the shadow of our past.. into the depths of our own Underworld kingdoms. We've felt the trauma of being victimized. We've felt the shame and regret of hurting others. But as we walk our path, clean up our past, and place a honest hand on our hearts, we know we would not be where we are today if we had not suffered those pains exactly when they were needed. Sometimes the Underworld initiations are the greatest source of growth.
In this time of amazing nurturing potential, we will grow most rapidly by forgiving our trespassers and forgiving ourselves for our trespasses. Perhaps we can accept responsibility not only for our actions that caused pain to others, but also for others' actions that caused pain to us. Perhaps others will accept their part in pain we caused them. True free will extends beyond our conscious decisions, after all. Sometimes our higher self martyrs the monkey suit for the sake of soul growth. If we really are eternal beings witnessing every moment of our incarnations as I believe we are, let's have the courage to honor ourselves for putting on a good show. Sometimes, tragedy is just as compelling as comedy and often more educational.
If you've nailed yourself to a cross, please have the courage to thank yourself for having done so and come on down to once again dance on the fields of light. If you don't believe you deserve to, do it for them and do it for the world. Release the pain within to release the pain without.
And be proud! You ate the sweet seeds of the pomegranate without choking yourself to death on that crazy white stuff in between. Shine a bright, nurturing light on the shadows of your past and embrace all that you are. We all need your love to move onward and upward in this crazy game called Earth.
With Love and Light in the Shadow,
Astrolonaut
www.MoreThanAstrology.com