Veils between the Bardo Realms ~ Samhain 2010

✫ The light from just one candle dispels darkness ✫ ☾☉~♥~☉☽✫

While the shadowy Scorpio ♏ Sun & Venus & Mercury conjoin asteroid Vesta, Goddess of the Hearth, there is a flicker of light in everyone's heart that can be kept aglow, to illuminate a sometimes hidden but precious treasure, that of sacred sexuality, love & faith. 

Vesta is the Goddess of the eternal flame, a virgin goddess with many priviledges: she could even release a prisoner condemed to death, her influence so respected. Vesta bestows warmth, purity, and prosperity for the earth.

Hymn to Vesta
Homeric 

Come, Vesta,
To live in this beautiful home.
Come with warm feelings of friendship.
Bring your intelligence,
Your energy and your passion
To join us with your goodwill.
Burn brightly at my hearth.
Burn always in my soul.
You are welcome here.
I remember you.  

Spirit Sun conjuncts Vestal virgin on the 8th of November. 

Vesta now also makes her second of three timely conjunctions to Venus during her current cycle around the Sun, magnifying Goddess power:

Her 1st was a vow of Virgoan purity ♍ which took place during August's Cardinal cross of the Spiritual Sun. The 2nd is happening now (end of Oct), in Scorpio ♏, highlighting intimate & shared values. And the 3rd is at the end of February in Capricorn ♑, to be mindful of accomplishments. 

From one candle we can light many more...

As we approach all Hallow's Eve, the veils between the bardo realms begin to thin; dynamic and fiery Mars moves into Sagittarius ♐ (also a fire sign), adding impetus to dispel the darkness of ignorance and honour wisdom's light ~ so all beings can be happy. 

The going can get tough during this time of rebirth and deep introspection, when letting go of the old and outworn can bring up fragile feelings of desire. But it is by having to face the fear of releasing all that no longer serves do we discover strength and fearlessness. Call on the Goddess Vesta, to keep the inner-flame alight which shines upon that very courage.  

Interestingly, Lha bab Duchen, one of the four most important Buddhist festivals, of a renewed Buddha, is also around this same Scorpionic time when something (or someone) dies in order to be reborn.  In the Buddha's case he, himself, was reborn, as he left his mother behind in the realms of the 33.

AstroNote: Astrological Halloween, marking the water sign Scorpio Sun's fixed intermediate cross-quarter, is Monday the 8th November, a few days after the Scorpio New Moon at . We could therefore deduce that the new Moon, at 4:52 gmt, November the 6th, is our darkest Halloween moment. This is THE time for wizard's spells and witches bonfires that denote a time of rebirth.  A sacrificial offering, a written intention into the votive fire, or scrying into a bowl of water can be the means to a heightened sensitivity into our human obscurations, and enhance the ability to see the usually unseen, into other worlds of ancestors, spirits of the land, even future lives.  

Its also worthy to mention this Pagan festival of life, death and, ultimate renewal, is the first since Paganism was recently recognised as a religion in the United Kingdom. Such nice timing to have a New Year, Samhain, only weeks after being brought back into Establishment's fold! :-) 

So both traditions, Celtic Pagan AND Buddhism, now point to an time of intense transformation. We just have to make sure to keep the intention pure and bear in mind the witches old rule: what we put out comes back thrice fold. Which is a bit like having a day of multiplied karma. 

Now, to light my sparklers and scribe a wish in the night sky¸.•¨¯`•☆٠.·..·¨*☀!

♥_/\_ૐ Many thanks to Romio Shrestha for his extraordinarily beautiful painting of Yama holding the Wheel of Life ♥ & Bill Burns for his wonderful Celtic Buddhist Mandala ♥ & to Tenpa-la for butterlamp photo.  ♥_/\_ૐ