Part 1:Valentino, Video, the Solar Eclipse, and the innerVisionary Epiphany.
The second most popular websites, after porn, are astrology sites. It is appropriate, then, in a perfectly archetypal way, that Valentine's Day falls within the month of Aquarius, and that both astrology and technology are associated with this sign of universal freedom and idealistic individual expression.
The Aquarian mythos recounts Hebe, who was the Cup-Bearer for the gods of Olympus. She brought the gods water or ambrosia-nectar in a pitcher, but one day she accidentally fell, and in so doing exposed herself in an undignified manner. She was banished for this misdeed and so Zeus/Jupiter replaced her as the cup-bearer with a beautiful male youth named Ganymedes. Many mythologists and psychologists see this as a double symbol. First, this story describes the eclipse of the Goddess in all her wild chaos and with all her sensual nectar by the rise of Patriarchal society. Secondly, this myth hearkens to the popularity and social acceptability in Greek society of a man's passionate love for a boy. Also, in ancient Egypt, the Aquarian waterman was depicted as a man with a woman's breasts.
Aquarian sexuality takes an experimental approach – all forms of sexuality are embraced – in fact, the more eccentric or "undignified," the more interesting. Androgyny, homosexuality, multiple partners, but mostly voyuerism typify the Aquarian sexual aesthetic. This month, the Tantric Circus kicks off their tour with a benefit in San Francisco. At this event, and throughout their Hawaii tour, an Aquarian sexuality will flow as erotic educators teach subjects such as Taoist massage for men and women, eye-gazing (sexual stimulation without touch), tantric breathwork, and erotic ritual. In fact, a huge motivation for this tour was the explosive release of Divine Nectar, a Visionary Art video journey into the forgotten sexuality of the goddess, specifically of female ejaculation. Erotic education, through videos like Divine Nectar and the Tantric Circus tour, embody the leading edge of the Leo-Aquarius axis of relating. In its most authentic expression, these two complementary, but opposing signs, describe a willingness to experiment and play as perfomer and simultaneously study and appreciate together as audience. The fiery, passionate, romantic love of the Lion must dance with the ability to detach, observe, and witness the experience in a healthy way (Aquarius).
In Roman history, the period of time from mid-January to mid-February was called the "month of marriage," and marked by a period of abstinence. (This could also be an Aquarian trait at the extreme end of detachment). The end of this period marked the sacred marriage (Hieros Gamos) of Jupiter and Juno, a sexual ritual performed publicly. The ancient Romans closed the winter with a purification festival, the resonance of which we feel today through celebrations of Imbolc/Brigid/Candlemas, a time when we shed the previous year, creating a clean vessel in which to hold the light-seeds of the coming year, of the new dawn beginning at the Spring Equinox. From purification, fertility can sprout. And so on the fifteenth day of the month the Romans observed Leupercalia, a time when matchmakers paired up boys and girls. We can hear the chimes of St. Valentine resonate. According to legend, St. Valentine was a third-century priest who defied the Emperor's ban against wartime marriages by performing secret marriage ceremonies.
Today, we are asked to perform the Sacred Marriage within ourselves, by balancing the Masculine and Feminine energies into a Unified Whole. In astrology, the position of Mars and Venus reflect the 12 authentic expressions of the God and Goddess within us as well as the source of our companionship projections. This is the topic of my Portland and San Francisco workshops this month, "The Art of Partnership: Evolving Intimacy through Astrology."
Of course, compassionate communication is always a major key in our friendships and sexual relationships. After being retrograde for two months, Mars has just gone direct in Gemini. A delicate time is upon us as that pent-up Mars energy wants to release through words, maybe foregoing compassion for rash aggression. Words can now take the form of weapons if not careful, since we find Mercury retrograde in Aquarius. The danger here is that our words if not carefully considered can cause new traumas and create karmic backlash due to the conjunction of the wounded healer, Chiron to the New Moon Solar Eclipse. Over the next two weeks the karmic window is pried wide open, beginning with Wednesday's New Moon Solar Eclipse. Our reactive body, especially to our friends and tribal communities (Aquarian motifs), may be extra strong at this time, and without any emotional concern for the other as Aquarian energy can completely distance itself from the emotional experience. On the other hand, a conscious, careful, and fully intentional approach to this Solar Eclipse can actually enhance all tribal relations, forging new community ties, more securely bonding those already existent, and healing those which may still need to be nursed. This Solar Eclipse illuminates our intentions with extra potency, and kindles that yearning within many of us feel for epiphaous, radical change on the collective and individual levels.
Appropriately, the results of Super Tuesday's primary elections will be flooding the news at the time of the eclipse. Again, Aquarius is the sign of change, equality, humanitarianism, and revolutionary politics. Expect the unexpected and let us acknowledge the change that is necessarily upon us with both a woman and black candidate leading the show, while the economy of the American bubble deflates. The once indestructible American dollar is shunned by the rest of the world, even sending American travelers back home early from their excursions abroad. As we move towards the formation of the North American Union, the coming Amero will level the economic playing field in this continent and pave the way, like the transnational highway through the center of this continent, for a singular currency under global governance. What decisions will we make, not as Americans first, but as Humans, whose freedoms are being more and more strangled? Aquarius begs us to answer and rise up. (see Alex Jones' newest film Endgame at Google video for an intense, riveting picture of the coming years.)
Whatever rigid structures and tired woundings, whatever stale definitions of self that may be holding us back from realizing our full potential, must be intentionally released at this time to penetrate the veils of illusion and allow the electrical pulse of expanded consciousness to reverberate through us. Indeed, the week after the eclipse offers us an amazing opportunity for karmic cleansing through spiritual union. Between the 8th and 14th of February, and peaking on the 11th, Helios, our central Sun, conjuncts Neptune in Aquarius, the only time this year. In the AstralShamanic perspective, this is the perfect time to Idealize through Imagination, to remember that we are the Dreamers and the Dream itself. Contemplation of the Infinite, Meditation upon the Eternal is the goal. We are inspired to fertilize the fantastic, to remember the mythical, to manifest the magical. This is the week to ride the Unicorn of Legend, to travel the Labyrinth, to contemplate the NeverEnding Story, to marry the Princess Bride, to honor the Lord of the Rings, to listen to the Avatars whisper the Secret Light of Ascension. We can sever separation and receive the wisdom of Dolphin, Pleidian, Pegasus, Sirian, Angelic, Alien. Now is the time to allow the MetAscend medicine to pulse thru your open channel.
So during this season of Brigid, of the Solar eclipse, and this Solar conjunction with Neptune, let us allow the candles of our individual beings to Merge with the Mother Luminosity, to commune with the Galactic Family, to travel Interdimensionally and Hyperspatially.
The quantum poetry
of this precious moment
overflows in cascades
of visionary waterfalls
dripping hymns
of meditative bliss
and bodhisattvic
consciousness
As the eclipses tend to be the most intense time of the year, I will be putting out 2-3 more installments of "The Aquarian Age: Ready or Not," specifically regarding the Turning of the Ages from Pisces to Aquarius and how this relates to the 2012 Movement for Consciousness Shift and Soul Ascension.
This column is in honor of Brigid, Goddess of poetic eloquence and the Green Lantern of Druidic Wisdom.
Image by Atelier Teee, used via a Creative Commons license.
