Issue 6, June
2007
In this Issue: Midsummer's Spell
Moon Magic
Astrology Primer
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Leixlip Holistic
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Hello %1%,
Welcome to the June issue of Velanova LifeTimes! And a special welcome to those of you who've signed up for this newsletter in the past month! Thanks for your support of and feedback to our previous issues. This newsletter is our way of sharing some thoughts with you on a variety of astrological topics. We also want to hear from you: do you have something to share with others; could you contribute a short article or whatever? E-mail us at LifeTimes@Velanova.com.
We'll be taking a break next month with issue 7
coming in August, so for now take a moment to celebrate our
Irish "summer" in Midsummer's Spell. Our regular feature on the
upcoming Full and New Moons continues. Finally, for new
astrologers, our series of lessons on basic astrology
takes a look at the full set of planetary energies.
Enjoy!
Ingrid and Barry.
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Moon Planners
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Midsummer's Spell
“ Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and
bless
this place.
”
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer
Night's
Dream.
The
Summer Solstice on June 21st marks the zenith of the solar
cycle, when the Sun climbs high in the heavens. It is an integral
spoke on the great wheel of the year here in the Northern
Hemisphere. “Solstice” comes from the Latin, “sol” meaning
Sun, and “sistere”, which means to
cause to stand still. Technically, a solstice is an
astronomical point. The Summer Solstice occurs when the Sun
reaches the Tropic of Cancer, and we experience the longest day and
the shortest night of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere.
Astrologers know this as the date on which the Sun enters the sign of Cancer. As the Sun moves into the sign of Cancer on June 21st to dance with the waxing Moon in Virgo, we celebrate two archetypal images of the Sacred Feminine—the ripening Maiden and the Creator-Mother. Cancer is a midwife to bountiful abundance, drawing from the fathomless depths of imagination to bring forth creative life. Cancer is a sign of complexity and depth; like the Moon, which rules this sign, many Cancerians experience cycles of joy, of creativity, of sorrow. The fertile energy of Midsummer calls us to shed our shells of fear and withdrawal. To dive into our emotions and our vulnerability; to gather strength so that we can relate actively in the world to help and nurture others.
It is now that the north pole of the Earth is tilted, by 23°, towards the Sun. Of course, if you live down South, this will be the shortest day, when the hours between sunrise and sunset will be the least. According to old folk tradition, summer in the North begins on May Day, when the Sun’s power begins to wax, and ends at Lammas, August 1st, when the Sun’s power begins to wane and the days here grow shorter, with the Summer Solstice midway between the two, which is Midsummer.
So the Sun god is at his zenith at this time of the year, and his death, at the hands of his rival, would not occur for another quarter of a year, according to myth. In Irish mythology, Midsummer is the occasion of the first battle between the Fir Bolgs and the Tuatha De Danaan.
Midsummer was the time when people warded the boundaries to their towns and cities. In England, large bonfires were lit when the sun went down, to “set the watch”. Garland-bedecked bands of lantern-carrying people would wander from one bonfire to another. Actors would dress as dragons and unicorns, and it was a time to make merry, and dance!
It was said that hissing serpents would roll themselves into a writhing ball in order to engender the “glain”, also called the “serpent’s egg”, “snake stone”, or “Druid’s egg”. Anyone in possession of this hard glass bubble would wield incredible magical powers.
Snakes, a phallic link to the time of the Goddess,
were not the only creatures active on Midsummer’s Eve. This was a
night, much like Halloween, when the faerie folk were out enjoying the
long warm summer night. You would see them if you gathered a fern
seed on the stroke of midnight, and rubbed it onto your eyelids. But
you had to be sure to carry a sprig of rue in your pocket just in case you
were “pixie led”. Another precaution would be to turn your jacket
inside out, and walk home along a ley line, or jump over the “living
water” of a stream or river until you reached your destination.
Homes were decorated (for protection against the goblins and mischievous
faeries) with birch and fennel, St John’s Wort and white lilies, and young
maids who 
plucked a piece St John’s Wort would be able to tell who
would be their future lover.
Rue, roses, St. John’s Wort, and Vervain, were all believed to have magical and protective properties, and in Spain, Midsummer’s Eve is called the “Night of the Verbena (Vervain)”. Interestingly, two important symbols used in ritual and celebration of this holiday are the spear, which symbolizes the male essence of the Sun in his glory, and the cauldron, which is a symbol of Goddess in her receptive bounty.
With these mythic associations, it is no wonder that Midsummer is such a joyous and magical occasion! So let us pause tonight and remember that Midsummer’s Night is fairy time. The Fairie Queen, Titania, and her King Oberon indulge in frivolity at the expense of the mortals, and all is not what it seems at this time of enchantment and magic. Tolkein’s Aragon weds his beautiful Arwen and they joyfully celebrate their nuptials on this night.
Let the celebrations begin!
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A new way of learning
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Moon Magic
Full Moon in Capricorn
Life is so much easier if you surf the lunar wave
this month. The Full Moon in earthy Capricorn the Sea-Goat on June
30th draws our focus to practical and strategic concerns. This
would be a good time look at how we use our authentic power in our lives,
acting with integrity and self-discipline in the way we engage with the
world. Capricorn concerns are status, control and competence, so
this will be a time to bring some structure to your life. Set goals,
create space to get some sense of order in your life, set boundaries
around your time management at home and in the office. Reward
yourself for the things you have accomplished and the steps you have
taken. Allow yourself to feel the emotional energy of Cancer without
displacement activities like getting busy, taking on more “should
dos”.
New Moon in Cancer
On July 14th the New Moon in Cancer turns up the volume on subjectivity and emotion and acts as midwife to our feelings. The energy of Cancer symbolizes the inner realms of feeling and sensitivity, and the birthing of this emotional energy into the world to offer nurturance and compassion to others. Bring the focus this month to embracing abundance with gratitude. Have the courage to shed your shell of fear and limitation, and plant seeds of tenderness, sensitivity and feeling. Look with compassion at yourself. Balance new actions at this waxing lunar phase with rest and reflection as she begins to wane. The new moon is powerful for bringing attention on the things we wish to manifest in our lives.
Take gentle note of the traps we lay for ourselves—where we hide behind carapaces of mothering others, confusing compassion with intimacy.
This is about the healing of our own heart, opening to imagination, deepening the ability to feel. As Gaia’s fecund womb swells warm and prodigious with Life, use the Cancer New Moon to focus on home, sacred ritual, and family.
Prepare a delicious feast, and gather in the garden
to marvel at the splendour of summer. This New Moon will energise
the house in your chart with Cancer on the cusp, so make the most of this
time to allow new growth, and bring out your emotions more openly.
Our ancestors understood the eternal waxing and waning of Life. In
ancient times offerings of honey and barley were made to The Great Mother
Goddess. Honey is connected to the matriarchal bee and barley, a
tiny yoni with its conch shape and central slit, symbolizes the generative
energy of the Feminine. Prepare a little offering of sweetness to
symbolize all that is sweet in your life.
The exquisite artwork this month is by Jane Brideson who lives in County Laois, Ireland. She says that her first drawing lessons were at her father's knee. Jane says: “Throughout my life I have always had a deep connection with nature. It was through this connection that the Goddess awoke in me a desire to look deeply at myself and my spirituality which led me into traditional witchcraft (not wicca) and the study of Celtic Mythology. All of which have been strengthened since moving to Laois in 2001. My paintings are the outward expressions of images seen in dreams, path workings and the land that surrounds me and is a lifetime’s work.”
Jane a Scorpio Sun with Moon/Venus in Libra, MC in
Scorpio, Asc in Aquarius.
Contact her by email: morrigan@mac.com or visit her website:
www.darkmoondesigns.net
Astrology Primer
This month we explore the meanings of the planets (including the Sun and Moon) in the astrological chart. As defined earlier, planets stand for the different energies that play out in our lives, pieces of our psyche that determine how we act and react in the circumstances that life brings. The planets fall naturally into groupings, broadly aligned to their distance from us and their brightness in the sky, which correspond to different ways we interact with their energies.
The Lights
The Lights comprise the Sun and Moon.
Like their heavenly counterparts, these energies are the most obvious and
important factors in our lives.
The Sun represents our identity,
individuality and ego. It stands for our “hero’s journey” through
life and is the ultimate destination of who our personality would wish to
express. The Sun lies at the heart of our own deeply personal
creativity, the sense of an inner “I”. It is our vitality, the
source of our energy and the prime masculine or yang energy in the
chart.
The
Moon is our emotions, habits and instinctual reactive
nature. Where the Sun shines, the Moon reflects. Thus the Moon
reflects our emotional reactions to outer events. It is the energy
of needing and nurturing, both others and ourselves. The Moon stands
for our safety and security, our ever-changing moods and the conditioned
responses we’ve carried since childhood. It is the prime feminine or
yin energy in the chart.
The Inner Planets
Mercury, Venus and Mars are the inner
planets. They also stand for core psychological energies that
operate at an individual level in our lives.
Mercury stands for our
thinking, learning and communicative faculties. Through it we
rationalise, imagine and mentally conceptualise our world. Mercury
allows us to deal with facts as well as theories. It is the
principle of movement, dexterity, mental and verbal skills; the
“messenger” that brings information to us and relays it back to the outer
world.
Venus is the energy of relating and evaluating, loving and
caring. It brings us to relationships and stands for our
self-esteem. It empowers us to make judgements. Through Venus,
we value art, music and harmony—the good life. We seek balance and
harmony, as well as material comfort. Sensuousness, love and
peacefulness are all part of the feminine, gentle Venus
energy.
Mars
energy is assertive, decisive, passionate and forceful. It
brings initiative, force and competitiveness into our lives, and
anger, frustration and rage when pushed too far. Mars is our courage. It also
stands for our sexual drive, the lustful urge to procreate. It gives us
self-will and spirited expression of ego.
The Social Planets
The social planets are Jupiter and Saturn, the
largest in the Solar System, and indicate in part how we as individuals
relate to our wider social and cultural environment.
Jupiter
represents the energy of growth and expansion beyond our known
boundaries. In its fullest form it’s our faith in ourselves and our
world and our connection to ethics and morality. It is optimism and
enthusiasm, but taken too far, it can lead to over-stretching or
exaggeration.
Saturn is the restrictive energy of discipline,
limitation and structuring. It a positive sense it gives the desire
to achieve maturity and status by living according to the rules and hard
work. On the other hand, it also stands for fear of change,
conformity to rules and stagnation into death.
The Transpersonal or Outer Planets
This final grouping consists of Uranus, Neptune and
Pluto, the planets invisible to the naked eye and standing for largely
unconscious energies of the psyche.
Uranus represents the energy of
radical and disruptive change. It is the rebellious side of our
nature and is thus inventive and progressive. It can also be highly
selfish and authoritarian in its originality.
Neptune is a
mystical, dreamy and deceptive energy. It stands for intangible,
escapist or romantic feelings, and altruism and idealism in its clearest
manifestation. Delusion and addiction are its more negative
effects.
Pluto is the unstoppable and dark energy of transformation
at the deepest levels. It stands for death and rebirth, to
completely destroy the existing order so that a new order may
emerge.
Many astrologers also use a variety of other bodies to
stand for other energies of the psyche. Among the most common are
Chiron (the wounded healer) and the four asteroid goddesses—Ceres, Pallas
Athene, Vesta and Juno—representing many aspects of the feminine.
Next month: Signs of
the Zodiac as energy filters.
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