✴️️ Gemini Full Supermoon ~> tuning into the 'higher' mind December 2016

Important characteristics that encourage a healthy mind and happy heart come into celestial focus during this week’s Full Moon, with principles, discipline, and the practice of patience karmically rewarded. Now the Sun is in ethical Sagittarius, it emphasises the need to remain open and flexible. The wise Archer in opposition to the bright Gemini Moon also urges one to heed the call to restrain thoughts, words and deeds which are divisive or harsh, otherwise many previous good actions will be negated. 

☆ In order to get the best from situations, and to avoid falling into any nasty pitfalls that could manifest during this lively, highly-spirited Full Gemini Moon, tune into your ‘higher mind’ – the mind that lives in your heart, the mind which instinctively ‘knows’ right from wrong. And while you do, as the Full Moon reaches exact culmination on 14^th December @ 00:05UT, you may also need to (perform pranayama and/or) count to ten in wind-up situations (especially those with an ‘us’ and ‘them’, i.e. within politics, communities, law and in-laws); otherwise you risk becoming like the cartoon Simpson’s character, the grizzled old curmudgeon, Mr Burns. 

We all know that while Burns may be rich, he isn’t happy, nor is his karma shiny and clean. Nor is he a bundle of joy to be around, especially in the run up to Solstice and Christmas. But who, in the astrological pantheon, thrives on that kind of humbug?! Old Father Time, Saturn, that’s who. Yet he, aka Burns, is also exactly whom we should invite to the upcoming feast of Saturnalia (17^th Dec for 10 days). For this is Saturn’s time to assess achievements and prepare for 2017, a year of awakening with the exciting new year of the Yang Fire Bird that begins with the New Aquarius Moon in January; this is when the overall expansiveness moves from the wayward Fire Monkey towards the fiery Rooster; like a Phoenix Firebird we may even be able to rise in splendour from any proverbial ashes. 

☆ Meanwhile, this last of 2016’s Full Moons is also the last in our series of three Full Supermoons; a fitting moment to ask ourselves if being with and supporting those who are not above board, potentially destroying health and happiness for the sake of promised comfort and security, is worth all the probable sorrow and trouble. Basically, this Full Gemini Super Moon is not for hand-wringing or soul-searching, but one where we consider the way our cogent mind works, the plasticity of shaping what we think about, and how coherently we transmit that information, all the while seeking methods in which we can train ourselves to live in truth, with freedom of expression and thought, without it being a rampaging free-for-all when planning our future: especially as we need standards met and values kept intact.

☆ Full SuperMoons are also ‘supercharged’; there’s no denying it’s been a wild, roller coaster three months for many, in varying degrees of intensity (depending upon the activity in your personal horoscope). If you’ve been having a rough ride lately, take heart: there isn’t another Full Supermoon to create the kind of extreme stress we have recently witnessed (compounded by this year’s Mutable Cross) until December 2017. This is not to say the geophysical, emotional or rational world remains unchanged or unchallenged until then, as there are New Supermoons mid 2017, as well aseclipses which also emphasis major turning points. With our next eclipse at the end of February. 

☆ In the meantime, the 23° Sagittarian Sun is currently with karmic Saturn, illuminating the closest Full Moon to the Solstice turning point in Capricorn on the 22^nd December (which is ruled by Saturn). This is not a Full Moon to let down’s one guard: it’s actually time to get real and take responsibilities seriously, to generate a fearless wisdom by practicing self-control – which can admittedly be a challenge for the venturesome Sagittarian who thrives on impulse and risk. 

☆ Sagittarius is the sign which positively buzzes with a sense of adventure, one that enjoys having an overview of situation. With the World their playground, Sagittarius climbs to the highest peak to see the panoramic picture in any event. But restricitive Saturn with Sun can, for whatever reason (usually fear), inhibit the revelation of higher visions. Truths revealed in questing, by the carefree Sagittarius daring to seek, are only successful when the spirit is generous and malice is absent.

Yet because traditional Saturn is journeying together with the far-sighted, futurist Centaur, the heavens now urge us to put personal life into perspective. Saturn demands that we feel the fear that stops us from doing whatever our archer’s arrow is aimed at; and, before shooting from the hip, weigh-up pros and cons, and do it anyway (whatever that ‘it’ might be), but with more caution, greater planning and less recklessness. 

Timely Saturn, the radiant Sun and reflective Moon are also in a tight ‘T’ square to Shamanic Chiron, as well in easy aspect to liberating Uranus AND freedom-loving Jupiter. This energising aspect suggest a prospective awakening to an innate positivity, and a power for healing that lies deep within. Compounding the heaven’s healing theme, Sun and Saturn are also currently conjunct Fixed Star ‘Ras Alhague’: i.e. the head of the snake, held by the astral healer in the (controversial 13^th sign) Ophiuchus. Sun and Saturn shining with this star signify renewal and healing though a powerful snake medicine, which has the ability repair recent as well as long-term damage. Ophiuchus is a medicine man who also has the power to cure through dreams, songs and poetry. It’s a perfect time, especially as Luna begins her three-night brilliance on Monday night, to tune into those mysterious messages of the night and note any healing qualities that lie in the liminal space between dream and reality. 

Another sign that Saturn and Sun are in a good position to do the right thing is the current ‘mutual disposition’ between Saturn and Jupiter, the planet which rules Sagittarius. Mutual disposition occurs when each of the planets connect via the signs they occupy: i.e. Sagittarius (where Saturn is now) is ruled by Jupiter; at the same time Jupiter is in Libra, the sign of Saturn’s exaltation. So you can see how each of these planets work together to now get the best out of each other. And while the sextile that forms between Libra and Sagittarius doesn’t actually perfect until the end of August 2017, we are in the throes of this wonderfully cultured and richly exotic aspect that aids one to be realistic in all ambitions that have a philosophical appreciation of beauty and truth as their premise.

☆ Luna is also conjunct Fixed Star El Nath, a star associated with the sharp tip of the Bull’s horn and as such portends aggressive weaponry. According to astrologer Bernadette Brady, this star is not necessarily used for war, but peace, and is linked to those who work assertively and bravely for peace as a part of their personal identity. So as the year comes to a close its worth looking at 21° Gemini in your own horoscope, to confirm how you, as spiritual warrior, use your mind as a sharp weapon for peace. 

With that, and even though Gemini’s ruler, Mercury, is about to retrograde just before Solstice on the 19^th, making it necessary to go over old ground, from solid-old Capricorn back into exploratory Sagittarius, I wish you, and all beings, Peace on Earth during the Festive Solstice season _/\_ & a very happy 2017 :)

with BIG LOVE from Agent Dakini _/\_ ☼☽ ❤¸¸.•*¨*•☆

“Irrespective of whether we are believers or agnostics, whether we believe in God or Karma, everyone can pursue moral ethics.”

~HH 14^th Dalai Lama

& many thanks to Exotic Art India for dancing Manjushri _/❤\_ 

The Zodiac in relation to the Cosmos: Ophiucus, the 13th sign & the difference between the Western & Eastern Astrology

Various articles, such as this one sent to me by facebook friend, Jode (thank you x), are circulating the internet, and confusing people about which sign of the zodiac they are. Worry not! This is an ancient old issue that re-surfaces from time to time which is often the result of malcomprehension of different astrological systems, as well as someone (usually a mainstream journalist and his or her editor) not being able to take on board how there are many rules, guides and paths to the same cosmic understanding of self in relation to the cosmos. There are also many different kinds of people on planet Earth; thus we have different schools of astrology: Tropical Western, Sidereal Vedic Joytish Eastern, Chinese (Animal signs based upon the movement of Jupiter), Hellenistic Astrology, Siamese Astrology, Muslim Astrology, Tibetan Astrology etc (many more). And, in its own way, each of these disciplines is valid.

So in reply to this recent reassertion that you are not the sign you think you are (when you are!), and that there is a 13th sign of the zodiac, I ask you to bear with me, particularly if you are new to astrology, as there is a lot of information here to wrap one's head around - especially if you are going to take on a debunker at a dinner party!

Primarily, it is most important to know that our Western astrological system is time-based upon the seasons, which means that at Spring Equinox we put 0 degrees Aries as the starting point of our Zodiac. This is called 'The Tropical Zodiac' and most everyone in the Western world uses this (because after 5000+ years we know it works for us!).

And besides, and here I shall let you into a little known fact, the most important Tibetan Mandala for World Peace, the KALACHAKRA mandala (KALA = TIME, CHAKRA = WHEEL) is actually based upon this seasonal system for Sun, Moon and Earth.  From Tibetan point of view, this tropical zodiac, which starts at 0Aries - as the first day of Spring - has greater relevance in being able to attain natural harmony for world peace.

The other main astrological system is Eastern Vedic, space-based, by looking at the constellations, also called 'Sidereal' 'STAR TIME' or 'Joytish', which translates as 'the study of light'. Joytish astrology adjusts to a phenomena which happens because of the Earth's gyroscopic roation. This long and slow rotation is called 'the precession of equinoxes'.

The movement of Earth in connection to the cycles of the Sun and Moon is called 'precession of equinoxes', and it takes a little study (as it involves a 26,000 year cycle), and is why a person's Sun and planet signs often move backwards when comparing Western Astrology to Eastern astrology (i.e. from ARies to Pisces); Due to the sign coming on the eastern horizon at the Spring equinox now being 7ish Pisces, it is the Sidereal star backdrop, yet we in the West - because our zodiac is seasonal, call this Spring point of equal-day, equal-night, '0 degree Aries': the Vernal Equinox. 

The difference between these degrees, between zodiacs 'Tropical' and 'Sidereal', has a technical term, called the 'ayanamsa'. The ayanamsa is the placement of the Sidereal constellation roughly 23 degrees of separation with the Seasonal sign. There was a time when sidereal and tropical, astronomy and astrology, all aligned, two thousand-ish years ago.  At that time a greater cycle, approx 26,000 years (which always goes backwards) called 'The Great Year' with phases of approximately 2000 years for each sign marking the passage of the Sun's rising at Spring Equinox.

The sign of the two fishes coming up at Spring Equinox, Pisces, coincided with the birth of Jesus, thus the sign of the Fish proliferated, as Vesica Pisces, and as a symbol of Christianity (& Magdalaine), invoking the tone of a collective sign to rise at Spring Equinox for the next two thousand years.

Now we are leaving a 2000-year Age of Pisces, to enter the Age of Aquarius (which is a whole other subject in itself) and .  The 'Precession of Equinoxes' is a complex subject, one which also involves the all-important eclipses which are the seriously cosmic turning- points.  If you are still with me, then well done! Its good to familiarize yourself with the spatial astronomy.

So let's move look now at the astrological phenomena which people also often misunderstand: Ophiuchus, the constellation between Scorpio and Sagittarius. Just for the record:  We never lost the 13th sign of Ophiuchus! For those born between November 28th and December 18th, we have always known about you (and others). It is just that we (the astrological Greeks and Europeans) chose not to include Ophiucus in our celestial equator, aka 'the ecliptic', the band around which the Sun travels through the zodiac. The tip of the snake's tail and the foot of Ophiuchus just slip into the ecliptic, but not enough of the actual constellation to be included in the SOLAR 12-sign zodiac. Of course there are astrologers who explain this portion of the sky when reading the horoscope, especially if the birth chart accents this sign. And its good to know about the innate healing qualities symbolized by this part of the sky, which features the rengenerative snake, as well as the shamanic healer AND is also close to the part of the sky called 'the Great Attractor'!

There are various myths and stories surrounding Ophiuchus, who holds the snake (kundalini shakti). Associated with the healing vibration of Asclepius, who also knew about snake medicine, taught both Chiron and Hippocrates, the latter being the father of modern medicine; Ophiucus is thought to even be Asclepius.

Astronomically speaking, Ophiuchus just happens to put his foot in between Scorpio and Sagittarius, at the same time the tail of his snake also touches the ecliptic. 'The ecliptic' is an 8 degree band in the sky, and is the celestial belt from which we measure time and seasons, as well as the passage of the Sun, Moon and planets. This belt is neatly divided into 12; and while we say that they are 30 degrees each = 360 of a circle, some signs are smaller or bigger than others, but still measured as 30 degrees.

This time-based system is symbolically 'ideal', full of beauty, myth and meaning, as opposed to being rigidly scientifically accurate only in measurement. Even the Indian Vedic space-based system also uses an idealised 30 degree measurement of the sign.

(Please note that Western astrology can also incorporate a Sidereal system: by integrating ‘Fixed Stars’ into the natal chart, with 'Stars' that aspect natal planets, meaning can be more precise, as well as using Nakshatras, the mansions of the Moon).

This is a mega astrology lesson. & I realise it is not soundbite friendly. If you have grasped this basic difference between two of the most used astrological systems in the world, I will be very happy because both are useful, but for different reasons! :)

And if you have any questions or comments then please ask. Thank you! _/\_