Category Archives: Guest Posts

Leo-Aquarius: Power, Purpose and the Path of Self-Realization, Part I

Back when Ruth began her Soul Astrology series on RealAstrologers, she started with Aquarius and its opposite sign, Leo. With this installment, she looks at the same sign pair, but from Leo’s perspective. ~ Pat

Hi diddly-dee, an actors life for me …

Thus sang Honest John, the Fox and his accomplice, the Cat, in Disney’s movie as Pinocchio sets off on his epic journey to become a real boy. As the Soul continues its journey through the twelve zodiac signs, the story of Pinocchio is symbolic of the Soul’s experience in Leo and the higher purpose of Leo: the search for the Real Self.

The sign of Leo is associated with acting, drama, theater, creativity, children, warmth, humor, the heart, generosity, play, parties, entertainment, performing, kings, queens, royalty, nobility and … ego. Leo is commonly associated with ego more than any other sign of the zodiac, and that is understandable, given the circumstances of Leo’s journey. Understanding ego is key to understanding the deeper spiritual significance of Leo.

Fire signs are about Mastery of Action, and fixed signs are all about stability, so we look to Leo, the fixed fire sign, to bring stability in action. Your Leo friend is nothing if not reliable; integrity and loyalty are among their highest values. If a Leo has got your back, you know you’re covered. Welcome to the noble and regal sign of Leo.

The brightest star in the constellation of Leo is Regulus,¹ known to the ancients as the ruler, regulator or lawgiver, and the Heart of the Lion. The Leo Soul understands the deepest mysteries of the human heart, the significance of Universal Law, the important role that humanity plays as a “pacemaker” in the heart of our Solar System and, more importantly, that Divine Law is very different from manmade law. The fully-integrated Leo rules through heart-centered leadership and their ability to be a regulator of Divine Law: right expression of Divine Will and Purpose.

Does that mean that every Leo we meet nobly speaks in accord with Divine Law? Alas, no! Before Leo becomes truly regal, we must meet and transcend the actor – the Leo personality.

[headline h=”4″]Understanding Ego[/headline]

Deepak Chopra once described ego as “the mask we wear to meet the outside world.” Our ego is not who we really are, but an illusion created by our personality and character traits. It is a composite of all the learned behaviors, mannerisms, skills, customs, beliefs and values that we have accumulated in this and countless past lives.

The term “socialization” refers to the process by which we learn the values, norms and beliefs of the group or society to which we belong. It is a process of conditioning, and we internalize it to such a degree that we “become” it. Unwittingly, we get lost behind the masks we wear and in the roles we play, truly believing that is who we are. In this way our manmade society defines us, and we become typecast – a theatrical term for being identified with and lost in the role you are playing. As a result of this process, we each have an idea about who we are. This idea of our self is our ego.

[headline h=”4″]Noblesse Oblige[/headline]

Noblesse oblige is a French term originally used to describe the obligations of nobility. Figuratively speaking, this is the concept that one must act in a fashion that conforms to one’s position, and with the reputation that one has earned.” ²

In other words, now that society has given us an idea of who we are, there are obligations and duties that come as part of the role. Therein lies the ego-trap of Leo. Leo tends to become identified with the action: believing you are what you do. He becomes so lost in the many masks he has to wear, each with their own particular set of duties and responsibilities, that he loses sight of his true Self. A king is not free to do as he pleases; he is imprisoned in his role, bound by obligation and duty. This Lion is in a cage.

A very strong sense of duty, obligation and loyalty can imprison Leo in a pattern of continuously meeting manmade obligations that distract him from seeking out and discovering the inner truth of his Being. Unlike Pinocchio, many worldly Leos become so lost in the unending obligations of their roles that life passes them by until there is no time left for them to go on their own Great Adventure: the inner journey to their Real Self.

[headline h=”4″]Who Am I, Really?[/headline]

Whether your role is manager, CEO, unemployed, driver, fire officer, coach, pilot, teacher, actor, soldier, mother, father, friend, gang member, brother, sister, husband, wife, writer, editor, son, daughter, prisoner, homeless, junkie, dealer, addict, doctor, nurse, etc., sooner or later you will lose it – because roles are never permanent. They are not who you are.

Losing your role or position in society can bring a feeling of being insignificant, a sense that you have lost your “self” and don’t know who you are anymore. This existential neurosis, in which you question yourself and the purpose of your existence, is your wake-up call to set off like Pinocchio to search for that which is real within you. To discover who you really are when you are not in a role, you need the group consciousness of your opposite sign, Aquarius.

In Part Two, we see how Leo’s opposite sign Aquarius has the key to the cage – setting the Lion free by leading Leo to his inner truth, power and significance.

Ruth

[hr_small]

Footnotes:

1. An interesting article on Regulus, the “Lawgiver,” can be found at this link on SouledOut.org.

2. Dictionnaire de l’Académie française, quoted on Wikipedia .
[hr]

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Cancer-Capricorn: The Conscious Journey Home, Part II

At the personality level, your phenomenal Cancerian ability to sense and meet the needs of others can distract you from your own spiritual journey. This is where the spiritual ambition, solitude, and methodical application of your opposite sign Capricorn is vital.

In Esoteric Astrology, the Master DK explains that hidden within the Cancer-Capricorn polarity is one of the deepest mysteries of all: the mystery of the great cycle of death and rebirth.* There are two “Great Gateways” in the Zodiac; one is in Cancer, the other is in Capricorn. This hints at the deep significance and mystery of the Cancer-Capricorn polarity.

Cancer is known as “the gate in,” and Capricorn is known as “the gate out.” Master DK explains that all Souls take incarnation into human form in Cancer. Cancer is the gateway into human form and the human experience, which is why this sign is associated with birth. Capricorn is the gateway into Spirit and Spiritual experience, which is why this sign is associated with discipleship. Both are needed.

[callout]
Cancer is the gateway into human form and the human experience,
which is why this sign is associated with birth.[/callout]

It is only after our incarnation into human form and our human experience that we return to Spirit with the wisdom that comes from our experience. This is not to say that every Cancerian Soul has never had a previous incarnation, but that we begin one cycle of unfoldment (or purpose) in Cancer.

Cancer is associated with form and feeling. According to Soul Astrologer Alan Oken, it is therefore the role of the Cancer Soul to ground Spirit in physical form, to create an anchor point on the earth plane for the subsequent development of the antakharana, or Rainbow Bridge.** This searching for an anchor point drives the Cancerian to continously seek for a home. At the lowest vibration of Cancer, this can lead the Cancer personality to wander aimlessly, never feeling settled or content, unsure of where “home” really is.

At its highest vibration, once the individual has begun their inner journey (by embracing the spiritual ambition of Capricorn) this home-seeking leads to the discovery of a deeper truth – your inner light. This is your true home, the point of light that is the real anchor point. This therefore relates to the highest, Soul Purpose of Cancer, which is to build a spiritual home and selflessly nourish others.

There is great mystery in this statement, which is not to be misunderstood. The home is not a physical building, and the “selfless nourishing” is not referring to physically cooking and catering for others; that would be the lower personality interpretation of Cancer. In the spiritual sense, rather, it means finding the spiritual home within, one’s own Soul light, then cultivating that light until it grows to the point whereby its very radiance is that which nourishes others.

According to Alan Oken, the integrated Cancer Soul “is only aware of the universal Love which underlies the Soul’s expression in Life, and is thereby a server of that Love in conscious devotion to humanity.”
There is a very real, deep, satisfying feeling to be had when you connect to your true home, your Soul. From there, you truly have the capacity to serve and nourish the whole of humanity. But to get there, you need to follow the example of your polar opposite, Capricorn, and “follow the path.” That path leads home, to YOU. This may mean releasing your attachment to the tribe or your family and following your own path. This doesn’t mean physically leaving and going on a trip, but may mean setting boundaries and changing your whole approach to home and family.

Cardinal signs initiate change, while Water signs are about mastery of emotions. So as the Cardinal Water sign, this would mean taking the lead in changing old limiting patterns of attachment and initiating new enlightened ways of relating to your home and family. This would mean relieving yourself of certain duties of old, limiting, familial patterns and obligations that you may have consciously or unconsciously taken on board and that are no longer serving you, so that you give yourself the freedom and space to go within, on your own conscious journey.

Your real home is nourishing, safe and very beautiful, Cancer, but to find it you have to take your attention off others, go within, and begin your conscious journey home.

Ruth

[hr_small]

Footnotes:

* Esoteric Astrology, The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey
** Soul Centered Astrology, Alan Oken (2008) Florida, IBIS Press.

[hr]

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Cancer-Capricorn: The Conscious Journey Home, Part I

July is Cancer month, and that means another fine installment of Ruth’s ongoing series on the zodiac signs according to soul astrology. ~Pat

Where is my home? Who is my family?

The sign of Cancer is associated with home, family, the womb, birth, the Mother, the Moon, water, tides, feelings, emotions, emotional intelligence, empathy, Love and ultimately the highest Love of all: Compassion.

In our Soul’s journey through the 12 zodiac signs, Leo rules the center of the heart, but to reach the heart-center first we must pass through mysterious, watery, Cancer and the minefield of human emotions. After the “interplay of light” in Gemini, the Divine Light in form begins to stir in the minds of humanity and ripple throughout the masses, in Cancer.

The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.*

Cancerians are tuned into the masses in a way that makes them great sales people because they usually know what the customer is looking for before the customer knows himself! They are the archetypal “people person.” Wherever there are people, you will find Cancer; people matter more to them than anything else.

Cancer is motivated primarily by human need. In addition to sales, you will find Cancerians busy at work as counsellors and nurses (especially ER managers where needs are prioritised!), midwives, chefs, construction workers and home-builders. Wherever there is human need, you will find Cancerians quietly meeting it. They are able to send their Cancerian radar deep into the mass consciousness, take a measurement, and sense what is needed next for the benefit of all. The answer usually is Love. When they put their mind to it, Cancerians know how to consciously flow Love. In a Cancerian kitchen you will usually find that the biggest ingredient is Love.

This is one of the keys to understanding the deeper esoteric significance of Cancer. At its highest vibration, Cancer is about meeting the deepest human need of all, our need for Divine Love and spiritual fulfillment. So does every Cancerian we meet flow unconditional love and compassion onto the planet? Not exactly … well, at least not yet.

Because of their connectedness with mass consciousness, the prevailing fear, tribalism, and mob-consciousness can dominate the Cancer personality. Until she begins to awaken to her higher nature, Cancer can too easily become overwhelmed by fear, get lost in the crowd and end up “going with the flow” of lower consciousness.

This is because Cancer hasn’t yet cultivated the strong, healthy, ego-definition of Leo. A well-defined ego and a strong sense of one’s own individuality are needed to resist the tidal magnetic pull of the waters of lower mass consciousness. Cancer acquires this by moving towards her opposite sign Capricorn, which leads her away from the crowd and onto her own solitary path. Only then will she discover her inner voice, her intuition, and learn to listen to the one voice among the many – her own.* This eventually brings her to the reality of her inner journey, her conscious journey to her real home.

As a Cancer personality, you can tend to be a bit of a homebody, staying home where you feel safe, prioritising the needs of your home and close family, seeking refuge in your little world (your shell) and not venturing out into the big, scary, outside world. If this becomes a habit, there is the danger of being stuck in your comfort zone and not exploring your true nature. If you have a strong Cancer influence in your chart, you need to take care not to succumb to irrational fears that could debilitate you.

Your ultimate refuge is spiritual awareness and the recognition of your spiritual home, but you will not know this until you turn your attention to your Self and have the courage to embark upon your inner, conscious journey.** Keeping busy meeting the physical needs of others, being “mother” to all, is indeed a Cancerian ego trap. There comes a time when you must allow others to fend for themselves so you can walk your own path.

The Cancerian Soul knows that the whole world is home and everyone you meet is your family: The Human Family. In order to realize this deeper spiritual truth, Cancer needs the ambition and persistance of her opposite sign Capricorn. Capricorn is the sign of ambition, and at its highest vibration, it is the sign of the “disciple” (meaning one who unwaveringly follows a spiritual path), showing us that the highest ambition of all is spiritual ambition. The highest vibration of Capricorn, the goat, teaches us how to steadily walk the path until we reach that mountaintop.

There are deep mysteries associated with the Cancer-Capricorn polarity – namely, the Great Mystery itself, the mystery of the cycle of death and rebirth. If Cancer is to discover these mysteries, she has to venture out of her shell and cultivate the spiritual ambition of her opposite sign Capricorn.

In Part 2, we look at the deeper mysteries of Cancer-Capricorn and explore why these signs are known as the “Two Great Gateways.”

Ruth

[hr_small]

Footnotes:
*Esoteric Astrology, The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey

** Conscious Journey is an example of integrated Cancerian energy leading the way – pioneering new ways of introducing emotional intelligence into business and leadership, while supporting individuals on their own voyage of self-discovery. Founder Anya Sophia Mann has Sun in Cancer and Moon in Aries. I find it very interesting that she calls her work “Conscious Journey.” That would be Cancerian intuition!

[hr]

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Total Eclipse of the Moon and Summer Solstice:Is Your Heart Ready To Wake Up? (Part 2)

How can you find your Soul? Go seek. Like Sagittarius, become the “seeker of truth.” Go within. Begin to meditate, and if you do so already, go deeper. Keep asking, “Who am I, really?” Keep searching for your Self. Everything you need is already within you.

If you are chasing after something outside of you, you are missing the target. You need to change your focus.

The total eclipse of the Full Moon in Sagittarius on June 15 brought us a powerful opportunity to make a 180º shift in direction, if we need to, in order to align our energies correctly for our highest and best spiritual growth.

Once we have focused on our target, the power can come through to hit where it is needed, opening us up to greater experiences of love-wisdom. On June 21, the Sun entered Cancer, the Summer Solstice, the peak of the Solar power. Summer Solstice is known as the “Triumph of Light.” It is the point in the year when the Sun’s power is at its peak and, in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are at their longest. It is a time of vitality – the life-force energy is at its strongest, and it is a time of ripening. But the harvest is yet to come.

Summer Solstice happens when the Sun enters Cancer – the sign of mass consciousness and emotional intelligence. During this ripening, we have the opportunity for our unevolved, immature emotions to ripen into Divine Compassion and Unconditional Love. For this to happen we need wisdom, clear focus, and maturity.

After using the power of Gemini-Sagittarius to focus our attention within, the first guide we will meet on our inner journey will be our own emotions. The first territory that we will have to navigate will be our own emotional “jungle.” For this reason, Cancer is also the sign of compassion. (HH Dalai Lama has Sun and Moon in Cancer and, according to some astrologers, he also has Cancer Ascendant). The Divine Intelligence, or Angel, of Cancer steps in at the perfect moment – just when we need the highest compassion of all, compassion for ourselves.

Your heart is the gateway to your Soul. No one has ever had a full Soul awakening without passing through their heart-center. In order to deal with the harsh realities of this world, unfortunately many of us close off our hearts and become hardened. From this isolated state of separation, we become numb to our own pain and that of others.

As we begin our conscious journey within to seek our very Soul, the first terrain to navigate is the path of the heart. Cancer brings feeling. When we attune to the energies of Cancer, we feel mass consciousness. Our capacity for sensing, for intuition, begins to awaken. We start to feel. We feel our connectedness, we feel our own wounds and those of others. Eventually this brings empathy and huge compassion.

We have another partial Solar Eclipse of the New Moon in Cancer on July 1 (echoing the partial Solar Eclipse we experienced on June 1 in Gemini). Solar and Lunar eclipses get our attention. They are a heads-up that something big is happening that requires our full attention. Eclipses let us know the import of these times: that major shifts are occurring and we are invited to open ourselves up to receiving the benefits being offered.

This is a time of birthing and re-birthing. During the coming months, we will have the Angel of Cancer, the Divine Feminine energy of Mother and nurturing, walking us compassionately through July into August, when the Angel of Leo will meet us and lead us into the very heart of the jungle: heart-centered awareness.

The courage of Leo will also be there when needed as we remain focused on our path. The twelve Zodiac Angels are always with us. They walk with us through these times and are available to guide us into the highest octave of each sign. So the Angel of Cancer doesn’t step aside while Leo takes over. All of our guides remain with us and can be called upon at any time, but each one steps into the lead as we pass through their territory, the very area where they are most able to give us guidance.

Even with all the great potential available, it is still possible for us to miss the point! This is the message of Sagittarius, the Archer. We have to choose where we place our attention, choose the target, and focus our Divine energy. It all boils down to this: will we place our attention on all the fear-based distractions of the outer world, or will we develop the skill, capacity and compassion to hold our attention steadily on our inner world and walk the compassionate path of love-wisdom through these challenging times?

Will you hold your focus steady, like the Archer, until June 2012 and experience a Cosmic Heart Opening? Or will you allow yourself to be distracted and miss? The choice is yours.

Ruth

[hr_small]

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Total Eclipse of the Moon and Summer Solstice: Is Your Heart Ready To Wake Up? Part I

Today I want to share with you a wonderful article by Ruth about the recent eclipses and how they relate to next year’s big event, the Venus transit. ~Pat

During the Sun-Venus occultation in Gemini on June 5-6, 2012, there will be an enormous pouring of Divine Love into this planet such as has never been known before. It will be, in effect, a Cosmic Heart-Opening and a vital stage in the evolution of human consciousness, another marked shift in our journey from being personality-centered beings to Soul-Centered Beings.

Many individuals will experience personality-soul fusion at that point, but only through preparation. You have to have done your preparatory work to ensure you have the capacity to be a container, a vessel, for this Divine love-wisdom. The time between now and then is an essential preparatory period. We are currently experiencing waves of energies which are assisting us in preparing for this moment.

This past Wednesday, June 15, there was a total lunar eclipse of the Full Moon in Sagittarius. This is directly related to the Gemini-Sagittarius role in the evolution of the planet Earth, the evolution of human consciousness, the activation of sacred heart energy, and Soul-Personality fusion in mass consciousness. Its importance cannot be underestimated. We are living through momentous times, and your attention, your awareness, your focus, is vital.

What can you do? Go within. These are vital times for Soul recognition. You are being bathed in energies right now which are magnifying your Soul’s vibration so you can forge a strong connection with your inner being. Sagittarius is the “seeker of truth.”

Have you ever wondered why the Divine Intelligence (or Angel) of Sagittarius is symbolized by an Archer? The power of Sagittarius supports us in identifying the goal, aiming our arrow at the target, and directing our energies with precision to ensure we don’t miss. If you have ever tried to use a longbow (the traditional “bow and arrow”) you will realize the skill, strength, focused attention, precision and practice that is required to ensure the arrows consistently meet the target.

The lunar eclipse in Sagittarius is a timely reminder that we have to play our part, and we do so by holding our focused intent. You could be forgiven for thinking, “Well if it’s all evolution and it’s all happening anyway, then I don’t need to do anything, right?” Wrong. You are needed. You are like a lens, and you are required to focus the energy on the target.

Divinity gives the power to shoot the arrow at the target, but the Archer is required to focus and point the arrow in the right direction. You have to choose that direction. What is the direction? The direction is your inner journey, your heart. It is vitally important during these times that we all shift our attention inward and actively walk our own, individual, Conscious Journey, with full awareness.

The English word “sin” was translated from the original Greek word hamartia, which literally means “missing the mark.” This refers to us being distracted by worldly concerns to the degree that we forget our inward journey and miss the whole point of our existence. There is no greater sin than missing the point of your whole existence, knowing who you really are – the truth of your Being.

Having our physical needs met is a foundation to support our growth, but meeting our physical needs alone is not the point of our existence. Too many of us are missing, in that our lives have become about paying the mortgage, paying the bills, and simply meeting our immediate physical needs.

According to Soul Astrologer Alan Oken, “Eclipses of the Moon point to distinct changes of form that especially relate to homes, family, and one’s general emotional state.”

This Full Moon is a final opportunity to check in and ask yourself, “Am I headed in the right direction?” The direction is within. Make sure you have your arrows pointed at the correct target and that target is your Heart and Soul.

Many of us have not yet had a Soul awakening, or conscious experience of our Soul. There is a very real possibility for this to happen for many people over the coming months. Many more people will begin to recognize their Soul and have this conscious experience but, again, for this to happen in spite of the distraction, fear and confusion in the world, you have to develop the capacity to keep at least some of your attention on your inner world.

In Part 2, we will say more about holding the focus of Sagittarius and what it means when the Sun enters Cancer, the sign of compassion, at the Summer Solstice.

Ruth

[hr_small]

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Gemini-Sagittarius: The Sacred Marriage of Love and Wisdom, Part II

Gemini, from Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, c. 1410. Although the "twins" in the constellation of Gemini represent two brothers in classical mythology, other traditions depict them as twin flames, male and female.

At Soul level, Gemini is ruled by Venus, a sacred planet (according to Esoteric Astrology).

Venus’ higher octave awakens us to truth, beauty, harmony and the highest unconditional love. The Gemini Soul is here to unite the head and the heart, creating a bridge to Higher Mind and Higher Love.¹

The fully integrated Gemini resolves polarity at every level.² All opposites merge in Gemini: self-others, personality-soul; Higher Self-lower self; mind-heart, etc. This happens through a deep understanding of energetic relationships. Through Mercurial connection to Higher Mind, consciousness, and Venus, Gemini governs the Breath of Life, the movement of Spirit in Form. This awakens us to conscious relationship on all levels.

The Gemini personality, lacking the wisdom to comprehend the complexity of these relationships, has a tendency to become scattered, distracted by an array of duality. The deep, truth-seeking focus of Sagittarius is needed for Gemini to find (and stay on) the path leading to its higher Soul purpose:

To teach Right Human Relations, between
self and others, personality and soul, anima and animus,
higher mind and lower mind.³

In its exploration of energetic relationships, Esoteric Astrology discusses the subject of the Seven Rays.³ Earth is on the evolutionary path of the second ray of Love-Wisdom, otherwise known as the “path of love. In Buddhism, the ultimate wisdom is the “wisdom realizing emptiness” and is written in a text called “The Heart Sutra.” The ultimate wisdom is therefore considered to be “heart” wisdom or “Love-Wisdom.” Thus the spiritual path of Gemini-Sagittarius is inherently linked to the spiritual evolution of the Earth and of human consciousness.⁴

The spiritual path of Gemini-Sagittarius is the path of heart-wisdom leading to the realization of ultimate truth. It is the spiritual path of realizing Love-Wisdom through the revelation of truth. However, where Sagittarius is seeking truth, Gemini is asking, “What is truth?” To fully understand Gemini’s Soul Path, we need to understand the concept of “two truths.”

The “two truths” refer to conventional truth, as we experience it in our everyday, and the ultimate truth of reality. This can be explained by a paradox, I’m sitting on a chair. The chair does not exist. Both statements are “true.” Conventionally, the chair exists. We can see it. Yet on the atomic level, there is nothing. There is certainly no chair and indeed there is more space than there is solidness at that level. So it is also completely true to say that the chair really does not exist.

Because of a deep realization of the relationship between energies and an ability to experience many dimensions of Being, the Gemini Soul realizes that all “conventional” truth is relative and depends upon both our perspective and our capacity for perception.

The integrated Gemini teaches others through the creation of wonderful “stories,” weaving thought, information and ideas into magnificent concepts – “mental structures” that point towards ultimate truth – and by creating new systems of thought, or sciences.⁵

Our problems arise when we confuse those mental concepts with ultimate truth. As soon as we put truth into words, it is no longer truth, but merely one expression of it – which reduces it to the level of conventional truth. It is not, in ultimate reality, a chair just because we label it as such.

[quote cite=”Lin Yutang”]He who talks about truth injures it thereby;
He who tries to prove it thereby maims and distorts it;
He who gives it a label and a school of thought kills it;
And He who declares himself a believer buries it.[/quote]

When we start believing our own stories, it confines us to a narrow and limited experience of Spiritual Truth. This is the ego-trap of Gemini: over-identification with thinking, and the mistaken belief that we are what we think. If we believe the philosopher Descartes who said, “I think, therefore I am,” then who are you when you are not thinking? The integrated Gemini is aware of many multi-dimensional aspects of our Selves as Spiritual Beings, way beyond thinking.

If you have Sun, Moon, or Ascendant in Gemini, the challenge for you is to experience your Self beyond your thoughts. There is literally more to you than what you think! This world is very distracting for a Gemini, and it is all too easy for you to get lost in trivia, missing the magnificence of your inner being. With the sustained focus of Sagittarius, you are capable of travelling beyond your thoughts into multiple inner dimensions to the very depths of your Soul.

During Gemini season (May 21-June 21), the energy of Gemini is available to all of us. It is our annual opportunity to connect with the wisdom of our hearts. Will you use the extensive power of Gemini to divide or unite? To build walls or bridges? Will you scratch beneath the surface, discover worlds within worlds, and realize the deepest truths of your Soul and the ultimate relationship of Love-Wisdom? It all depends upon your ability to choose where you place your attention and maintain your focus.

Ruth

[hr_small]

Footnotes:
1. Read more about the unique Gemini-Venus relationship and its vital significance for 2012 in Ruth’s article, Venus 2012: The Apocalypse and the Power of Love.
2. A fully integrated Gemini would be a future human who already has full Soul/personality fusion.
3. Esoteric Astrology. The teachings of Djwhal Khul (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey.
4. In Esoteric Astrology, the Earth is the Soul Ruler of Sagittarius and the Hierarchical ruler of Gemini. This shows the importance of the Earth for individuals under these signs and the importance of the Divine Intelligence of Gemini-Sagittarius, in the evolutionary process on Earth.
5. Alice Bailey, author of Esoteric Astrology, had Sun in Gemini, as does this author!

[hr]

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Gemini-Sagittarius: The Sacred Marriage of Love and Wisdom, Part I

Today’s post by Ruth looks at the signs of Gemini and Sagittarius – very timely, with upcoming eclipses in this sign pair. ~Pat

Gemini, from Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, c. 1410. Although the "twins" in Gemini are named for two brothers in classical mythology, they often are depicted as twin flames, male and female.

“In the beginning was the Word …”

Gemini rules the breath, speech, languages, writing, communication, networks, and communion on all levels. Hidden within Gemini are the deepest mysteries of creation and destruction. The energy of Gemini both creates and dissolves polarities, in the Universal dance of Creation which was known to the Ancient Rishis of India as the “breathing in and out of Brahma.”

Welcome to one of the most complex and contradictory signs of the Zodiac.

Six core energies are symbolised by the Zodiac. However, because the human mind (ruled by Gemini) has a tendency to “polarise” (divide and separate into opposites), we experience these energies as 12 separate Zodiac signs, and thus we have the polarities. In the future, when human consciousness is evolved, it is said that the 12 signs will merge into six, and we will experience them as one energy pole – for example, Gemini-Sagittarius.*

Gemini has a vital role to play in the process of resolving these polarities in human consciousness. One mystery of Gemini – and there are many – is the resolution of polarities into Divine Union. Because of this unique function, Gemini is the only sign that has an esoteric connection with all the other signs of the Zodiac. Just like spinning an enormous web (or story), it is through Gemini that all will be woven together at the end.

Whatever sign you are, your Gemini friend will be able to relate with you on some level. Gemini has the ability to visit every sign in order to experience and understand the energies involved. Ultimately, it is in the sign of Gemini that we realize the multi-dimensional aspects of our whole being.

By the time the Divine Intelligence of Gemini has filtered through a human mind, it becomes one of the most complex, restless and difficult to handle energies of the Zodiac. You could be forgiven for thinking your Gemini friend has ADHD or is just crazy! As the mutable (changeable) air sign, the nature of Gemini is one of constant movement. Gemini has to touch everything and hold onto nothing. Freedom to move is essential.

Gemini is associated with the lungs, and we can use the analogy of breath to understand what is going on with Gemini. In breathing, there are two stages, breathing in and breathing out. This explains the two (apparent) sides of Gemini. Gemini has a need to first gather information – this is breathing in. Our Gemini friend may be very silent and contemplative during this stage. Information is being received and processed. Then comes the breathing out … hold onto your hat!

Depending upon the level of consciousness of our particular Gemini, this is where we may experience a profoundly inspired message or, at worst, simply gossip. Their innate compulsion to share information has no built-in quality control. The information you get seems to be whatever happens to be flitting through their head in any given moment. For this reason, Geminis have an unfair reputation for being empty-headed and superficial, yet this in itself shows a lack of understanding of the importance of Gemini.

To avoid being distracted by trivia, Gemini needs the determined focus and follow-through of its polar opposite, Sagittarius. Only then will you be able to sustain your inner journey and recognize your “twin self” – your Soul.

[callout]I recognize my other self and
in the waning of that self I grow and glow.*[/callout]

The Twins represent the dualistic aspects of Self: our personality and our Soul. In the myth of the two brothers, Castor and Pollux (which comprise the constellation of Gemini), Castor is mortal (personality) while Pollux is immortal (Soul). Another duality is that of “two minds,” the head and the heart.

At the personality level, Gemini is ruled by Mercury, which has an important role to play in the development of the antakharana (or Rainbow Bridge). This is the mysterious “bridge”’ between lower and Higher Mind, that develops once humanity has evolved to a certain point in consciousness, whereby we can fully live from Higher Mind.

At the level of our lower mind, it is the influence of Mercury that creates polarities, by focusing on our differences and creating the illusion of separation. At one stage of our development this is a necessary precursor to the process of individuation – development of the individual. If it were not for our ability to separate for example, we’d never cut the umbilical cord and stride out on our own, separate from our mothers!

Once we begin our inner journey toward Soul identification however, it is also the influence of Mercury which bridges the (illusory) gap, connects us with our Higher Self, and brings us home to wholeness. This dual role of division and reunion contributes to the seemingly contradictory nature of Gemini. But seen from a higher perspective, it is just one road; we travel out on the road and then we use the same road to travel back home.

In Part II, we will explore the role of Gemini’s esoteric ruler, Venus, in awakening the deeper mysteries of Gemini.

Ruth

[hr_small]

* Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of Djwhal Khul (Master DK), channelled through Alice Bailey.

[hr]

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Chiron in Pisces: The Healing Power of Self-Pity, Part I

In today’s post, Ruth writes about Chiron in Pisces from the viewpoint of soul astrology. I’m trying to work up a good dose of self-pity but I’m tired and have a headache. ~ Pat

Chiron instructs young Achilles, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.

Chiron, affectionately known as “the wounded healer,” went into Pisces on February 8 and will be here until April 2018, so we’d better get used to it!

One of the attributes that we might notice with this transit is a tendency towards self-pity. This is often seen in a negative light, but I believe there is a spiritual reason why we experience this. It is our inner self trying to get our attention, calling us within to pay more attention to our Self and our inner journey.

If we have the courage to look our self-pity in the eye, there is an amazing potential for healing and growth to be gained from this pity-party. When we keep dipping our toe in and out again, not allowing the full tsunami of sorrow to affect us, we are only playing a game of psychological “Hokey-Cokey,” which can keep us stuck wallowing in and out of negativity and depressive thinking for years.

The first lesson the Buddha taught after his enlightenment was “The Four Noble Truths.” These are the founding tenets of Buddhism, and the first noble truth is the truth of suffering.

When Chiron is in Pisces, we become acutely attuned to the first noble truth, the truth of suffering. Suffering is real. We deepen our humanity, humility, and increase our capacity for compassion when we finally surrender to the call of Chiron in Pisces and acknowledge the truth of our own suffering first. Life is hard. When we finally acknowledge the truth of our own suffering and struggle, something changes. We can finally let go. We cannot be with others’ pain and suffering until we have met our own.

This is an opportunity for spiritual transformation, to transform “painful” states of mind. Normally we don’t think of ourselves as “suffering,” unless we are in acute physical or deep emotional pain. But according to Buddhist teaching, our everyday lives are low-level forms of suffering. On a daily basis, we experience painful states of mind such as anger, jealousy, anxiety, stress, fear and sadness. We accept these as normal, but they are actually suffering states. Acknowledging this is to face the truth of our own suffering.

When Chiron is in Pisces, we might suddenly find ourselves wallowing in self-pity. This is an attempt by our psyche to get our attention. You are requesting an audience with yourself. However, in this busy, chaotic world we live in, unless we have some regular practice such as meditation, few of us have the ability to really sit and be with ourselves. To be fully present, with a depth of care and attention, that can be healing. This is why many of us go to therapy – to simply learn to be with our own wounds.

In Part II, we’ll look at the need for boundaries while Chiron is in Pisces.

Ruth

[hr]

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Taurus-Scorpio, Part II: The Desire to Know and the Path of Illumination

Nice try, Taurus, but eating a chocolate Buddha won't substitute for meditation. Photo from Chocolate Deities of Redhook, NY.

Whereas Taurus’ opposite sign Scorpio is the first to dive headlong into confrontation, Taurus can dig in their heels and actively avoid confrontation to “keep the peace” (or just present a wall of stubborn silence).

Contentment and preserving the status-quo are the ego-traps of Taurus. The tendency to avoid making waves and to be content with material gain and/or sensual pleasures prevents you from asking the bigger questions, exploring your inner nature, and seeking higher knowledge. This keeps you stuck in “spiritul ignorance,” focused purely on mundane matters and not recognizing your own inner awareness.

The higher Divine vibration and illuminated nature of your Taurus Soul cannot be accessed from such a limited perspective. The deeper mystery of Taurus’s esoteric ruler, Vulcan, is hinting that we have the key to our own destiny: we really are forging our own path. The inner mysteries of Taurus are strongly connected to the development of the three kayas (three bodies of a Buddha) or, in other words, the light body.

As a Taurean Soul, you have an inner understanding of the process of involution – a necessary precursor to evolution – whereby Spirit incarnates into matter to have a physical experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience because of the energies of Taurus. They are the most mystical of energies. At its highest level of illumination, it is the sign of omniscience (all-knowing) and clairvoyance (clear seeing), so it is ironic that at the personality level, many Taureans keep yourselves spiritually limited by not aspiring to spiritual truth.

This is the Soul-path of Taurus in a nutshell: the transformation of desire into aspiration. To transform the desire for mundane sense-pleasures into the aspiration for spiritual truth. Yes, folks, it’s time to put down the chocolate and go meditate!

When you allow yourselves to simply be in meditation – for example, with the radiance of a flower – a deep inner knowing begins to dawn upon you. More than anyone, your Taurean Soul knows that your own physical body is both a Temple and a Universe. You know the beauty and radiance of the flower, felt at a very deep level, which connects with your own inner beauty and radiance until eventually there comes a recognition of the Divine within. As a Taurean Soul, you are learning to use your exquisite sensing capability to sense Divinity in all physical forms. This is how you sense and know beauty.

By being more inquisitive about the nature of your own inner world, you start moving towards Taurus’ opposite pole of Scorpio. This lifts you out of your comfort zone, beyond the doldrums of contentment, and cultivates your desire to know. The knowledge gained in Scorpio awakens and enlivens the higher vibration of Taurus. The full implications of your Taurean Soul Journey are hinted at in the Soul Keynote for Taurus:

“I see and when the Eye is opened, all is light.” ¹

This refers to the opening of the inner eye, following which you see and understand the workings of the Universe. The Soul path of Taurus is to know and understand all the mysteries of the workings of the Universe by recognizing and directing your own inner light. The power of Taurus to illuminate was well-known in ancient times. The brightest star in the constellation of Taurus, Aldebaran, is commonly called the “eye of the Bull,” but it was also known in Ancient Mystery schools to be the “Eye Of Illumination.”²

Vulcan, Soul ruler of Taurus, shapes and forges primordial awareness into physical matter. This accounts for the dualistic inclinations of Taurean energy: will you direct your power and stamina outward toward the mundane, or inward toward the spiritual?

When the pristine, primordial, immature awareness of Aries (the “point of light in the mind of God” ¹) first moves towards form³ in Taurus, as a result of desire, it is not yet known whether it will incline toward the mundane, become embroiled in the materialistic world and contribute to the “great illusion,” or whether it will incline towards a spiritual path and move to illumination. It could go either way. Will your journey be of benefit to all, or just benefit for yourself?

If you have Taurus strongly placed, it is very important for you to stay alert, aware, recognize your inner senses and make conscious choices to move toward the light moment by moment. This time of year, this not only applies to those with Taurus in their natal chart, but to the rest of us as well. During our annual “Taurus shower,” we all get to bask in the energies of potential illumination. Each one of us has the potential to become a Buddha (enlightened one). What we make of it is up to us. The spiritual path of Taurus is one from ignorance to illumination through a deep recognition of spiritual truth and the power to cultivate and direct spiritual energy into form.

Ruth

[hr_small]

Footnotes:

1. Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of Djwhal Khul (Master DK) channelled through Alice Bailey.
2. Here is a great article exploring the mystery of Aldebaran: http://www.souledout.org/cosmology/highlights/aldebaran.html
3. Not necessarily physical form. The Soul can be considered to have a “form,” “character,” or “shape.”

[hr]

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Follow Ruth:

Taurus-Scorpio, Part I: The Desire to Know and the Path of Illumination

It’s time for another installment of Ruth’s inspirational series on the signs of the Zodiac from the perspective of esoteric astrology. Here, we have a look at the meaning of Taurus and its opposite sign, Scorpio. ~ Pat

In Part I, we look at the importance of Taurus’s opposite sign Scorpio in awakening Taurus to the treasures of the spiritual journey.

It is said that the Buddha had six planets (plus Chiron) in Taurus.¹ It is believed that he was born under Taurus, passed in Taurus, and became enlightened in Taurus. Many important Buddhist festivals are celebrated during the time of Taurus. The highest vibration of Taurus is about revelation, illumination and enlightenment. It is a very mysterious sign, associated with the opening of the third eye.

Esoterically, the ruling planet of Taurus is Vulcan, which itself is hidden (a hypothetical planet once believed to be orbiting between the Sun and Mercury, Vulcan is used only in esoteric astrology.) Vulcan is the blacksmith of the Zodiac, and Master DK says that Vulcan either forges “the chains that bind us” or “the key that sets us free.”² The choice between imprisonment in the material realm of “Samsara” (the cycle of death and rebirth) or liberation lies in the mysteries of Taurus.

At the personality level, Taurus has a tendency toward stubbornness. This is natural; as the fixed-earth sign, its purpose is to create stability. Anyone with a Taurean friend or relative will know the reassuring sense of stability we feel around our Taurean friends. The purpose of all “fixed” energy is to stabilise; however, the Soul purpose of Taurus relates to the deeper mysteries of “stabilising” spirit in matter.

As the vibration of Venus comes through Taurus at the personality level, most Taurean individuals are seen to be placid, peaceful and only stubborn if you try to push them in a direction they don’t want to go. As an earth sign, they are very much focused on the practicalities of life, so most Taureans are happy as long as the family is OK, everybody has enough food to eat and a roof over their heads, and the bills are paid. “Lazy” is not a word we would usually associate with Taurus – they can be very hard workers. Like the Bull, they plod and plod and plod, because they understand how to work steadily, make money, and cover the basics: to make sure their family’s basic needs are met. Then they are happy.

If you have Taurus Sun, Moon or Rising Sign (Ascendant), this Venusian effect means you need to have beauty in your surroundings. A beautiful home, beautiful garden and/or somewhere peaceful is more than just personal preference. For you, it is vital for your well-being. To be able to sit in a peaceful environment is very important, because you are affected by your physical surroundings. Anything disharmonious disturbs you, while beauty and harmony are therapeutic for you. This is because, like Libra, you also have an innate knowing of harmony and a strong affinity for beauty. Beautiful surroundings are very healing for you.

Beauty is simply harmony expressed in form (whereas Libra is concerned with harmony in all systems, Taurus’s knowledge of and concern with harmony is in its application to physical forms). You may also have an artistic streak, a beautiful voice, or at least a love and appreciation of music, because you understand harmonics. Some of my Taurean friends laugh at this (yes, you also have a great sense of humour) yet you decorate your homes and gardens with as much skill, care, attention, harmony and balance as any interior designer.

Where you can become lazy is intellectually and/or spiritually. The halls of academia are hardly filled with Taureans. You have a tendency to become content too easily, once your physical and comfort needs are met. Once you have material security and beautiful surroundings, you tend to relax and not go any further. While the Scorpios are busy packing their backpacks for the great spiritual adventure, you would rather stay home with the family in the garden with your feet up and a cocktail by the pool.

Taurus, like its polar opposite Scorpio, is on the path of Mastering Desire. But whereas Scorpio’s challenge is to tame their multiple desires, you have to cultivate the “Desire to Know.” Whereas Scorpio desires to dive deeply and intensely into the depths of the human psyche, your energy is the energy of primordial desire, desire for sense pleasures: beauty, harmony, comfort. This has to be cultivated into the desire to know, so that you can aspire to the highest vibration of enlightenment and illumination. The inquisitiveness and deep inner probing of Scorpio is needed for Taurus to realize that there is something inside worth aspiring to. This then turns your attention away from the material world and toward a deeper exploration of your inner world and, eventually, your own true nature. There are inner mysteries awaiting your discovery!

In Part II, we will explore the deeper mysteries of Taurus and find out why it is the sign of illumination.

Ruth

[hr_small]

1. Buddhist Astrology, by Jhampa Shaneman & Jan V. Angel.
2. Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of Djwhal Khul (Master DK), channelled through Alice Bailey.

[hr]

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Follow Ruth: