The Moon waxes full in Scorpio, exact in its opposition to the Sun at 12:14 PM PDT on Wednesday May 14. This full moon will be conjunct Saturn, the planet of limitation, integrity and discipline. The sign of Scorpio is known for, among many things, intense emotions and transformation. In a nutshell, this transit is like our emotionally sensitive inner child is seeking solace from a rigid disciplinarian who scoffs at our tears and belittles our fears. As a card carrying Scorpio (with the moon in Capricorn, the ruling planet of which is Saturn), I feel a bit of inside information on this one.
All Saturn wants is the facts. Irrational emotions have no place in the eyes of this rigid law maker. Pragmatism, impeccability and authentic truth matter most. Saturn's most important lesson is that spiritual growth occurs through the fulfillment of earthly responsibilities and obligations. Saturn governs the need to learn lessons on the physical plane. This earthly plane is one of duality, which dictates that every action produces an equal and opposite reaction. Hence the reason Saturn is called the "Lord of Karma." It occurs to me that our earthly responsibilities have to do with reconciling within ourselves the multitude of paradigms that are in desperate need of change. I'm positing that the macrocosm of Earth's imbalances are a direct reflection of the imbalance that's happening inside each and every one of us. While I can't stop the outer climate from changing, my inner climate is my domain. I've written in past posts about the dynamic tension inherent in duality, the oscillating frequencies that give this three dimensional world form. Black and White. Yin and Yang. Lunar and Solar. Left and Right. Good and Bad. Lack and Abundance. Sonny and Cher. Self and Ego. The list is endless. When we lean away from one polarity in favor of its opposite, tension arises between subjective and objective reality.
What does that mean?
It means that we're perpetuating the separation we feel. In a world full of seven billion people, with the web of technology and globalization connecting earth's population like never before in human history, people are conversely more distant, more diseased and more desperate than ever. The rate of increase in pharmaceutical prescriptions from year to year is astounding. While I could rant on about the industrial machine behind this trend and the utter dehumanization systemic in capitalist economics, that would only beleaguer the point I'm trying to make. I'm not separate from that. If I'm in reaction, it's mirroring an imbalance or a judgement in me that is mine to reconcile. It is incumbent upon each and every one of us to look deeper within when we're in reaction to what we perceive to be imbalanced in the people and the world around us. It is imperative that we find and remain in our center, and relate with it from that place. This has nothing to do with passivity, mind you. It has to do with Power. More on that in a moment.
I feel the Scorpio full moon implores us to go deeper within. Go all the way in. Feel what you have avoided feeling. Deconstruct the identity structures put in place to conceal or avoid feeling vulnerable. Be honest with yourself about the addictive behaviors that mask your pain and cover up your trauma. This isn't easy. In fact, being this vulnerable may be the most difficult thing a human being can do. As well the most rewarding. Oy vey, the duality!
A personal story to illustrate this point... I had a traumatic accident a few years ago that required some intense and invasive treatments to bring back to balance that which was knocked out of balance. While receiving bodywork from my teacher and mentor, as I was writhing in pain, crying my eyes out and genuinely feeling as raw as I'd ever felt in my life, he checked in and asked me how I was feeling. I answered "Vulnerable". He replied, in his characteristically compassionate and humorous way, "You know, Ryan, there's two sides to vulnerability. It's the point at which we're at our greatest weakness, which is also our greatest strength." I'm tearing up as I write this, as I did when he said it. This place in me that has no walls, no barriers, no masks to conceal the essence of who I AM, this is my greatest strength. To get there, I had to break it all down. Equal parts difficult and rewarding. The phoenix on his pyre...
With Saturn retrograding through Scorpio (it goes direct July 20), an assortment of outdated ego structures will continue to be exposed. So too the structures of our world will likely continue to show signs of collapse. Rather than identify with the fear of what's to come in these precarious times, address consciously and course correct the internal imbalance that puts your faith in question. Awaken your inner alchemist. Transmute the toxic thoughts of the egoistic mind. Much of this Mars retrograde cycle has been about seeing and (hopefully) giving up our traditional ways of using our force, in favor of accessing a higher power. This aspect in our psyche is exemplified by Mars (force) opposing Uranus (power), and their greater influence in the Grand Cardinal Cross.
To understand more clearly the distinction I'm trying to make, here's an excerpt from Power Vs. Force, by David Hawkins M.D. Ph.D.
"On examination, we see that power arises from meaning. It has to do with motive, and it has to do with principle. Power is always associated with that which supports the significance of life itself. It appeals to that part of human nature that we call noble--in contrast to force, which appeals to that which we call crass. Power appeals to what uplifts, dignifies, and enobles. Force must always be justified, whereas power requires no justification. Force is associated with the partial, power with the whole.
If we analyze the nature of force, it becomes readily apparent why it must always succumb to power; this is in accordance with one of the basic laws of physics. Because force automatically creates counter-force, its effects are limited by definition. We could say that force is movement--it goes from here to there (or tries to) against opposition. Power, on the other hand, is still. It's like a standing field that doesn't move. Gravity itself, for instance, doesn't move against anything. Its power moves all objects within its field, but the gravity field itself does not move.
Force always moves against something, whereas power doesn't move against anything at all. Force is incomplete and therefore has to be fed energy constantly. Power is total and complete in itself and requires nothing from the outside. It makes no demands; it has no needs. Because force has an insatiable appetite, it constantly consumes. Power, in contrast, energizes, gives forth, supplies and supports. Power gives life and energy--force takes these away. We notice that power is associated with compassion and makes us feel positively about ourselves. Force is associated with judgement and makes us feel poorly about ourselves.
In looking for the source of power, we've noted that it's associated with meaning, and this meaning has to do with the significance of life itself. True power emanates from consciousness itself; what we see is a visible manifestation of the invisible."
In one week Mars will go direct after nearly three months retrograde. The aspect of us that asserts ourselves in the world will finally get some forward momentum. Where we've felt a certain lull in our ability to do what needs to be done, we'll have some of that mojo back. It's all in service to relinquishing the old ways of using our personal force in favor of accessing the power than emanates from our collective consciousness. This reminds me of the Gayatri Mantra, and a translation of it that has always resonated with me...
Earth, Atmosphere, Heavens,
We meditate on the sacred light of the effulgent source.
Let that inspire our thoughts.
When Mars enters Scorpio on July 25, just after Saturn goes direct, we'll be playing on a whole new level. The key to upleveling your game when Mars goes into Scorpio, is tapping into the dark waters of this Scorpio full moon. In my humble estimation, the more we take dominion of and bring back into balance our inner realms during this time, the more in service to the outer world we will be. Intensity appears to be on the menu throughout 2014, and just as vulnerability is both our point of greatest weakness and our greatest strength, so too this intensity is both our point of greatest challenge and our greatest opportunity.
In gratitude for your unique contribution to our collective awakening.
Stellar blessings,
Ryan
namaste
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