The Gold at the End of the Rainbow

This chart promises the potential for both Neptune’s mysterious plague and Pluto’s creaking death cart.  They are in connection for the moment.   But it also promises the construction (Saturn) of a new healing (Chiron).  Perhaps the Earth will benefit from enforced quarantine, perhaps we will make new discoveries around the immune system, but, whatever else, we will never be the same planet or people.   We know we can change everything we take for granted, our work, our social structure, our ability for sudden transformation and potential for infinite resilience.

No surprise, the worldwide wonder of each day continues, as a new Moon begins in Taurus.  The Lunar cycle begins each month when Sun and Moon meet at the same degree.  This particular degree in Taurus has a strong image, a promise we have heard before.

             Photo: Robert Fuhro

‘The Pot of Gold at the end of the Rainbow.   Riches that come from linking the celestial and the earthly nature.  ….the bridge used by divine beings to communicate with mortals.   Man need not be overawed by the celestial display of power, for it leads to a fruitful contact with beings of light. ‘  Sabian Symbol for the degree of Sun and Moon in Taurus. * 

                                                                Painting: Amelia Leonards

A Plague and ‘a Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow’ is an interesting combination.  How would that look?    Perhaps like this image by Amelia Leonards.

Astrology, at its best, communicates the connection between ‘celestial and the earthly nature.’   A quick look at this chart shows a ‘bowl’ (or a pot of gold?) pattern with only six houses (segments) of the circle occupied by planets and luminaries.  Looking at the form of the pattern here we see a very clear rainbow (crescent) shape in the placement of the planetary occupants.

                   Photo: Robert Fuhro 

Cheek and jowel with the Luminaries is the planet of surprise, and upset, Uranus.  Expect more shaking of your world.  But no one is alone in this place of shock and awe. It is a universal phenomenon.   The Biblical rainbow came after a huge flood, and could be interpreted to mean: Cosmic forces offering peace.  What form will the next message take?

                                            Photo: Bruce Lhuillier

There is an interesting combination of planets in this moment which might give us a clue.    Mars,  shape and form of energy; Mercury, the messenger and healer; and Venus, the expression of love are in a crescent shaped relationship.  Venus in Gemini loves clever rapport, and friendly banter.  Since Gemini is ruled by Mercury, and Mercury is in a sign ruled by Mars, the three seem to be united in their message.   Don’t be afraid to move in new ways, says Mars in Aquarius….think and speak with courage and bravado says Mercury in Aries, respect  the rules of love and friendship says Venus in Gemini.   This recipe spells political courage and activism, new alliances between all those who have been most deeply hurt by this extraordinary challenge to human existence. Maybe it’s time to ask: How do we listen (Mercury) to the passionate (Mars) love (Venus) of each other instead of the powerful interests of those who benefit from our disarray.

                                            Photo:  Sarah Fuhro

But now it’s time to take a close look at the sign of Taurus.  Sun and Moon meet here  every year at this delicious time of spring beauty in the Northern Hemisphere, final harvest Moon in the  South.

                                           Painting: Amelia Leonards

When the Moon is in Taurus, she is in her exaltation.  This is a mirror to the last sign, Aries, when the Sun was in his exaltation in Aries.  The Bull is chosen as a sacred symbol of the Moon because his horns are the crescents which mark waxing and waning.  Moon is joyful in a sign ruled by Venus, and loves the mystery of fertility which this symbol honors.  For the Druids Taurus was a sacred time, and the bull was a sacred animal. It’s interesting that Saturn, the great teacher is powerful when located in the two signs, ruled by Venus, Taurus and Libra.  There is some sweet connection between this feared and ancient magician, and the power of the Queen of Love.  The illustration is also connected to the Three of Cups Tarot card. Celebration and gratitude are part of the season. The constellation is connected to the labyrinth of Crete and the sacrifice of a white bull each spring in the Celtic lands. Taurus is one of three Earth signs in the zodiac, and Beltane, the Fire Festival of this element falls on the fifth day of May.   Taurus is ‘fixed’ upon the unfolding of each blossom and the opening of the season of Green.

*Sabian Symbols are verbal images for each degree of the Zodiac channeled by the psychic Laura Wheeler and transcribed by the astrologer Marc Edmund Jones, revised by Dane Rudhyar.   http://www.mindfire.ca/.

 Sarah Fuhro      The Wisdom Tradition evolved over the centuries to address our deepest human needs. Sarah Fuhro is a practitioner of its many forms; including Astrology, Tarot, Flower Essences and Druidry. In addition to personal consultations, Sarah teaches workshops and private classes, offering both clients and students knowledge powerfully rooted in the past, presented in the language of the present.   For an appointment or to be notified of classes call 508 740 7039 or email her at sarahfuhro@gmail.com.

Amelia Leonards works with watercolor and graphite to create fantastical imagery.  She draws upon world folklore, mythology and her imagination  to create pieces imbued with sensitive and emotive storytelling. Throughout her work you will find an emphasis on feminine and natural elements, along with a hefty dose of humor and antlers. https://www.amelialeonards.com  and https://www.etsy.com/shop/amelialeonards.

Bruce Lhuillier Is a French artist and photographer currently living near Boston.   His ability to capture spirit in his photos and paintings is both unique and  visionary.  You can find his work on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/Barknstone.

During this time of great uncertainty and revealed world patterns, astrology is a powerful tool for guidance, healing and courage.  As a professional astrologer, I want to offer my services to any one who feels they would be helpful.  Please feel that you can ask for astrological guidance at whatever price is right for you now.

 

 

 

 

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The Moon

The first full Moon in 2020 is at 20 degrees Cancer across from the Sun at 20 degrees Capricorn.  Perhaps our vision will improve and we will all have 20/20 eyesight at this precious moment.  

This full Moon is an eclipse visible in Europe, Asia and parts of Africa and Australia,  It’s a wee bit of an eclipse, penumbral, a thumbprint of the Earth upon her rim.   Last July we had a solar eclipse during the new Moon in Cancer.  This full Moon in Cancer is the manifestation of something which was born then.   If you look back to that time, what seed was planted, which has now sprouted into visibility?

A FAMOUS SINGER IS PROVING HER VIRTUOSITY DURING AN OPERATIC PERFORMANCE.  The emotional reward accompanying cultural excellence.  This moment  invites us to focus upon  and stretch our skills.  What each of us creates now, has the potential for powerful depth and durability.

photo: Bruce Lhuillier     Abbaye en Broceliande

This is a moment of Capricorn building power.   We have the sun, Mercury, Ceres, Saturn and Pluto all lined up in that sign of manifestation.   Pluto’s contribution is the dire warning to construct on a firm foundation.  Saturn in Capricorn will build that structure to last over time.   Ceres says it must be in harmony with the earth.  Mercury and Sun in Capricorn shine upon our projects no matter how daunting they seem to us.

I believe this full Moon in Cancer, when so many powerful planets are meeting in Capricorn is a breakthrough moment, much like  the story of Vortigen’s Tower.   Vortigen, a tribal chief of Britain had invited the Saxons to enter his lands to fight off the Scots and Picts.  He wanted to build a tower to protect himself, leaving his people to fend for themselves.   Each night the work of the tower fell down, and Vortigen’s magicians told him that the blood of a young boy who had no father must be sprinkled on the foundation.   They fetched Merlin, who was fourteen years old and had no father.   Merlin told the court: There is a pond under the tower’s foundation, and beneath it is a stone and below the stone are a pair of dragons, one red and one white.  When the builders dug down they found the pond and drained it, and came upon the great rock beneath.  When they pulled back the stone, two dragons flew up into the air, entwined.  One was Red and one was White.  As the dragons rose, Merlin started to cry; he fell upon his knees and began to prophecy.  As Merlin foretold, Vortigen was driven from his tower by the Saxons he had invited in to protect him from the Picts and Scots, and the history of Britain was changed forever.

                                                           Smith-Waite Tarot Deck

At each full Moon this year, Amelia Leonards and I will feature the planet or luminary who ‘rules’ that sign.  For the first full Moon of the year, we celebrate:

                          The Moon

Remember when you were the village Moon watcher?  You gave the shout, the sound of a horn, when the new Moon appeared in the evening sky, so all might begin again. Lunar cycles mark our days and hours.  All movement is in sync with currents emanating from a light in the sky. The Moon marks the time for ritual and holiday celebration.  Where the Moon resides in the Astrology chart is a place of flux, because the Moon transforms before our eyes, travels across the sky or disappears all together.  The Moon’s sign at our birth defines our emotional tenor.  Water, tides, formless to form, the Moon pulls the ocean and a woman’s blood days. Sea creatures respond to her magnetism deep within the sightless depths.  Cancer is the Moon’s home place, but her pleasure is in Taurus. Her feelings are reality; she never states the obvious. She is an eye, the observer who weeps and smiles, and the face of solace for the lonely.  

The Moon:  painting by Amelia Leonards

Sarah Fuhro      The Wisdom Tradition evolved over the centuries to address our deepest human needs. Sarah Fuhro is a practitioner of its many forms; including Astrology, Tarot, Flower Essences and Druidry. For an appointment call 508 740 7039 or email her at sarahfuhro@gmail.com.  In addition to personal consultations, Sarah teaches workshops and private classes, offering both clients and students knowledge powerfully rooted in the past, presented in the language of the present.   

Amelia Leonards works with watercolor and graphite to create fantastical imagery.  She draws upon world folklore, mythology and her imagination  to create pieces imbued with sensitive and emotive storytelling. Throughout her work you will find an emphasis on feminine and natural elements, along with a hefty dose of humor and antlers. https://www.amelialeonards.com  and https://www.etsy.com/shop/amelialeonards.

Bruce Lhuillier Is a French artist and photographer currently living near Boston.   His ability to capture spirit in his photos and paintings is both unique and  visionary.  You can find his work on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/Barknstone.

Sabian Symbols are images for each degree of the Zodiac channeled by Laura Wheeler and transcribed by Marc Edmund Jones, revised by Dane Rudhyar.   http://www.mindfire.ca/.

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Vision Quest

                                                   from the Arthurian Tarot  Anna-Marie Ferguson

 

One of the adventures of the Quest for the Holy Grail,  takes place when Percivale, Galahad and Bors are guided to a ‘Miraculous Ship’ by the sister of Percivale, Dindrane.  In the ship they discover a beautiful bed. Upon it lies a crown of gold and silver. Across the bed is a magnificent sword with a jeweled handle, partly drawn from a  rich and mysterious scabbard, which looks as if it was made of snakeskin. However, the belt of the sword is of very poor quality. It is the belt which will connect the sword to the rightful owner.   Dindrane looks at the sword,  and says only one person is allowed to carry it.  She then repairs the belt with her hair.  Now she girds the sword around Galahad, and explains that he is now truly a knight and the only one who who might carry this ‘Sword of Strange Hangings.’

photo: Bruce Lhuillier

Libra is about partnership, about male and female polarities in balance, as light and dark are in balance at the equinox.  It is Dindrane who guides the three knights to the ship and Dindrane who knows the answer to the riddle of the bed, the crown, and the sword.  The Arthurian stories have strange partnerships between men and women which allow the action of the story to take place.   This story resonates with the Sabian Symbol for the degree where the Sun and Moon are located in Libra.

A MAN WATCHES HIS IDEALS TAKING A CONCRETE FORM BEFORE HIS INNER VISION.  The need to visualize clearly one’s dreams or ideals in order to make them truly effectual.

Galahad saw his vision of true grail knighthood take form, through the action of Dindrane based upon her internal vision of the ship, the bed and the sword, which must be repaired by the visionary before it can be united with its rightful keeper.

 

Across from the Sun and Moon in Libra is Chiron, centaur and healer.   The centaur is both divine and animal.   The symbol for Chiron’s degree  is ‘Two lovers strolling on a secluded walk.’  Chiron is the challenge which begins every grail journey, the labyrinth to the center of the self. If I accept this challenge, I will face the crisis which marks my deepest fears about myself, and what I try to hide.  The struggle to accept and shine light on my wound, finally opens me to new light.   Maybe it is not some fearful weakness which will be revealed, but rather strength.  Like Galahad I must then take responsibility for my gift, and carry the sword into the world.

                photo: Bruce Lhuillier

The new Moon in Libra is a challenge to take up a vision, which may have languished, and in the darkness repair what keeps the dream from taking form.  It was always waiting for us!

                           She of my love is the new moon,

The God of love illumining her;

Be mine a good purpose

Towards each creature in the creation.

—Carmina Gadelica            collected in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland

The Wisdom Tradition evolved over the centuries to address our deepest human needs. Sarah Fuhro is a practitioner of its many forms; including Astrology, Tarot, Flower Essences and Druidry.

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Music of the Spheres

The full Moon celebrates the Winter Solstice on Saturday, December 22.  Both Luminaries, Sun and Moon are at 0 degree  of Capricorn and Cancer, constellations which mark the entry into winter and summer.   This is a moment when we can hear the Music of the Spheres.  It is a moment of absolute stillness, a chance to begin anew in a place of cosmic attunement!

                                              photo: Bruce Lhuillier

The approach to the dark winter solstice always feels dangerous and death ridden.  But there is an opportunity for healing at this moment.  The position of Mars and Chiron as they relate to the Sun and Moon speaks of healing, finding a doctor within.    What can be done to lighten the mood?  Mars says: party like crazy, go to concerts, sing and feast!  Chiron recommends embracing all the colors of your crystal, knowing how important is your ray of light in this spectrum.   Leave nothing of yourself behind in the cold.

         photo: Bruce Lhuillier

There’s a strong suggestion of surprise in this chart as Uranus, the Wild One shakes Sun and Moon with fiery energy.  The Sabian Symbol for the position of Uranus is Attunement to cosmic order.  ‘Listen to Your Inner Voice!’ he says from his perch in Aries.    Look into the crystal, a reminder of all the frequencies of colors which must go into a ray of pure white light. To hear the Inner Voice, we have to trust our own light, our own music!

Venus and Neptune are in a harmonious trine of Water signs.  They play the background music for this Sun Moon dance.  What will the entry of the Moon into Cancer (more Water),  mean for the  planets of love?   Perhaps Venus and Neptune  will tune us to the cosmic order.  Cosmic music, like the light of the crystal, requires each vibration of sound.

                                            photo: Bruce Lhuillier

A musical theme seems right for a full Moon at the season when we sing or hear music the most.   The Sabian Symbol for Uranus continues with the theme of ‘cosmic attunement.’  ‘If you are ready to enter into new possibilities of action, you must also learn the harmonic principles in operation! The Music of the Spheres.’    All we are asked to do is to stop a moment to feel the Sun’s journey and the full Moon’s sweet voice!     

                                            photo: Bruce Lhuillier

The celebration of the journey of the Sun and Moon, gives depth and comfort to every person, no matter who they are, where they live.  Each voice in praise of the Earth and Sky are more powerful than all the forces of destruction and despair!   The bird of this season is the Wren, smallest of all, with the sweetest note!   The old song says: ‘Who sees the Wren sees God.’  Our song is never too small to move hearts and to brighten the dark season.

                          photo: Robert Fuhro (Carolina Wren)

 

The Wisdom Tradition evolved over the centuries to address our deepest human needs. Sarah Fuhro is a practitioner of its many forms; including Astrology, Tarot, Flower Essences and Druidry. For an appointment call 508 652 9880 or email her at sarahfuhro@gmail.com.  In addition to personal consultations, Sarah teaches workshops and private classes, offering both clients and students knowledge powerfully rooted in the past, presented in the language of the present.

 

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A Party on a Houseboat

                                          photo: Bruce Lhuillier

Perhaps you  already feel the unsteady motion of this moment.  The whirling energy of eclipse season can be delicious or overwhelming.  Either way, you can still celebrate,  Leo style.  Sometimes we just need to rock and roll with the waves of time and space.  After all, nothing is permanent, which is probably a good thing.  But a party on a houseboat has two kinds of motion, the water beneath our feet and the joyous human energy of a special occasion under the stars.   ‘Party on a Houseboat’ is the Sabian Symbol for the new Moon on Saturday, which will eclipse the Sun.  You have to live in far northern lands to see this one, but, as always, the energy of the solar eclipse is an opportunity for a fresh start.

 

And we are in the middle of the Perseid meteor shower, another reason to look up from the ‘party on the houseboat’ into the summer night sky.   If we are sensitive to all this movement, there are many ways to keep our balance.  The Two of Swords is one way:

By sheer force of will and the discipline of the sword, she holds the moment still.  Yet the tiny crescent Moon says this will be a very short exercise, her blindfold keeps her from disorientation,  and she must remain seated to keep her balance.

In contrast, the Two of Pentacles pictures a way to keep in balance as an eternal dance,  equilibrium through movement, the Lunar cycle set to music, a sailor’s hornpipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff0X8blt3Ks.  

Featured in this new Moon and eclipse is an opposition between the lovely Venus in her sign of balance (Libra), and the warrior version of Chiron in Aries.  Can love only be learned through heartbreak as pictured in the Three of Swords? This final eclipse of the year sets in motion a heart opening  with Venus in Libra and Chiron in Aries.  Leo rules the heart as well as the spine.  Aries rules the head.  All this Leo eclipse energy might release through the opposition between these two points….

I felt some of that Chiron healing recently after listening to an interview with novelist and philosopher Alain de Botton.  I feel better about my imperfect marriage, my flawed attempts to be a good parent, and my lackadaisical career.  Perhaps he’s right: we’re here to learn from all of these heartfelt attempts rather than to perfect them. The dance on the houseboat continues, and we can participate as in the Two of Pentacles or hold tight as in the Two of Swords.

” Love is a painful, poignant, touching attempt by two flawed individuals to try and meet each other’s needs in situations of gross uncertainty and ignorance about who they are and who the other person is, but we’re going to do our best…. the acceptance of ourselves as flawed creatures seems to me what love really is. Love is at its most necessary when we are weak, when we feel incomplete, and we must show love to one another at those points.”  https://onbeing.org/programs/alain-de-botton-the-true-hard-work-of-love-and-relationships-feb2017/

The wisdom of the Tarot  pictures the moment  of the Alchemical marriage under the sign  of the caduceus and the winged Lion’s head.   Caduceus is the wand of Mercury, and yes, at this moment, Mercury is in Leo within a few degrees of Sun and Moon in Leo, the Lion.  This card speaks of love between two people, or an internal moment when a painful opposition is accepted in wholeness. Clearly these lovers are taking part in a sacred ritual of healing.

Leo is the Sun’s happiest location.  Yet this is at a time of year when the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere is headed South, and we who live here are losing daylight hours.  Leo is the sign of theatre, actors, the heart and grand gestures.  It’s the sign on my Ascendant, my soul’s entry point.  People with a lot of Leo energy in their chart struggle between the desire to manifest their soul’s fire, and to find a way to channel that energy without singeing themselves or those around them.  The ego needs to be acknowledged and then released.

Many powerful planets line up to participate in this moment.    We won’t see the new Moon, and most of us won’t see the eclipse of the Sun created by the Moon’s shadow.  Yet it takes place in each of us.   Don’t be afraid to rock the boat as you dance under the stars.

Keeping our Ancient Wisdom Alive

The Wisdom Tradition evolved over the centuries to address our deepest human needs. Sarah Fuhro is a practitioner of its many forms; including Astrology, Tarot, Flower Essences and Druidry. For an appointment call 508 652 9880 or email her at sarahfuhro@gmail.com.  In addition to personal consultations, Sarah teaches workshops and private classes, offering both clients and students knowledge powerfully rooted in the past, presented in the language of the present.

 

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Hot Moon in a Cold Spring

 

             photo: Robert Fuhro

Aries is a signature of fire and warrior energy. When the Sun first enters Aries gate, we are in the vernal equinox, which represents the Life Force of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The fiery, new beginning energy of Aries and can be seen in all the thrusting and greening of life around us, even when snow and cold temperatures say that spring is somewhere else.

The Sun is ‘exalted’ in the sign of Aries. The Fire and courage of Aries works well in an individual or on a cold stone wall, ready to melt what snow remains. Both Sun and Moon enter placid, earthy Taurus in a few days. Taurus is a sign where the Moon is in her ‘exaltation’ so both Luminaries are ready for a new start. This new Moon offers each of us the energy to commence, but perhaps this will be a new start on an old concept or a dream long postponed. The gate in this picture is now open. Something that was closed or forbidden by our inner guards is now a possible entry.

                  photo: Bruce Lhuillier

To celebrate this new Moon, Mercury goes direct a few hours before the Sun and Moon meet to create a new Lunar cycle in Aries. Mercury is also in Aries, he comes with a message about the esoteric side of this degree of Aries: ‘a triangle with wings.’ Interesting, the card from the Thoth Tarot deck, which I have used to illustrate this symbol is designated as ‘Mars in Capricorn’. This is the location of Mars in this chart.   The potential for creative breakthroughs in art or any other field seems very high right now. The fiery energy of Aries, and the solid Capricorn Mars, ruler of Aries speaks of manifestation. Manifestation of the most extraordinary dreams and visions is possible, because they will seem crucial!

Uranus guards the Sun and Moon in Aries on one side and Eris on the other. Uranus is all about freedom to be yourself, in whatever way speaks of your individuality. Uranus wants freedom to explore possibilities long ago taken off the table. His revolutionary spirit is aligned to the moment of his discovery. He was the first planet found through a telescope, a new form of technology, which Uranus also directs. His nature takes part in, or perhaps directs the moment of his discovery, which was during the French revolution when the old concepts of human identity were challenged and shaken.

Eris stands on the other side of the Luminaries. She is the chaotic interloper who demands recognition and acknowledgement. She is the injured aspect of the feminine. In return for notice, she offers a cornucopia of rewards.

                 photo: Bruce Lhuillier

These cosmic forces might work as gargoyles to this powerful moment. A gargoyle is both a spirit of protection and an outlet for water from the building. What is frightening is what keeps us from treasures we dare not claim.   If we have courage, the energy of Aries, we might enter new places of wonder, like the medieval cathedrals, filled with the creative expressions of artists and artisans. Here is the Three of Pentacles from the Waite-Smith deck, depicting the three elements who must be present to create something new, the visionary, the designer, and the manifester.

Jupiter and Pluto, two brothers, two kings, two gods witness  and enforce the energy  of this moment of shift and change.   Jupiter ruled Mt. Olympus, Pluto was king of the Underworld. They are currently in a perfect trine, a relationship of pleasure. Choose something which seems impossible and discover unlimited resources, the helping hand of cosmic pattern.   The Sabian Symbol for the degree of Sun and Moon, ‘through imagination a lost opportunity is regained,’ promises we have only to ‘revise our attitude’ to discover the secret of creative imagination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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