Welcome to The Kosmic Mind Astrology Column written by Guest Astrologer Chad Woodward. *Join the Creative Soul Circle for the month of April and chat with Chad personally in my Special Guest Q & A Group (for full & crone moon members only).
Chad is an astrological researcher, massage therapist, healer, and artist PLUS a good friend of mine who I highly respect for his ongoing and unique explorations into the awesome potential of astrology and how it effects us on a microcosmic and macrocosmic level.
New Moon @ 13 degrees Aries 30'
April 03, 2011- 7:32 AM PDT
New Moon's Agenda: To gain an expanded awareness of one's self interests, and how one harmonizes or conflicts within relationship. To bring balance and harmony within the psyche through the equilibrium of one's inner male and female archetypes. To seek cooperation, compassion, and to resolve conflicts in a way that benefits both sides of the equation. The ritualistic dance of light and of dark. Win-Win. Functional Individuality within Relationship.
Beyond one's physical sex, each of us is a balance of both masculine and feminine qualities, the psyche contains the imprints of both. The most primal and mythological metaphor for the creation of this duality, in western culture, is the story of Adam and Eve, or Ish and Isha (as in the more original Herbrew version). On the surface, the story tells us that 'God' or Yahweh/Jehovah, first created man (Adam/Ish) from the dust of the earth, and then constructed his counterpart, woman (Eve/Isha), from Adam's dislocated rib. 'God'/Yahweh/Jehovah placed them into 'the garden', to tend to the land, and all was theirs to enjoy, except.....as we all know....the 'Tree of Knowing'. The fruit of this tree was strictly forbidden by this 'God', as its consumption would result in the 'knowledge' of good and evil. Of course Adam and Eve are never really told this outright, but rather that the consumption of the fruit would surely lead to their death....
"Of every tree of the orchard you shall; but of the Tree of Knowing Good and Evil thou shalt not eat of it; for on the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Shortly after having been given this commandment, Eve/Isha encounters a mysterious serpent, who convinces her that the eating of the fruit will actually not lead to her demise....
And the Serpent....said unto the woman: "Hath the Deity indeed said 'Ye shall not eat of the any tree of the orchard"?" And the woman said unto the Serpent: "Of the fruits of the trees of the orchard eat we may; it is of the fruit of the tree in the midst of the orchard that the Deity hath said: 'Ye shall not eat of it, neither touch it, lest ye die.' " And the Serpent said unto the woman: "Nay, ye will surely not die; It is that the Deity doth know that on the day ye eat thereof your eyes will be opened and ye will be as the Deity- knowing good and evil." And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat And that it was lustful to behold; And the tree was desirable to make one wise; And she took of its fruit and did eat, And gave also to her mate with her, and he ate. and the eyes of both of them were opened, And they knew that they were naked, And made themselves loincloths.
We are told that from this knowledge, Adam/Ish and Eve/Isha were wrought by the revelation of their 'nakedness', and enveloped by shame, they quickly found clothing to conceal their genitals. The consensus interpretation of this myth is that it tells of the origin of man and woman, the origination of sin, and of man's 'shame' of being naked. Taking the myth literally, however, will certainly not lead to any deeper understanding, and the predominant Judeo-Christian interpretation was created to serve the agenda of the establishment, the priestly elite, and as a result, it mostly places an unconscious blame on woman for 'disobeying' the patriarchal deity's orders. From an occult or esoteric perspective, we see a much different story, a more profound statement about humanities' spiritual evolution. In the beginning we see Adam 'naming' all the animals and plants, and it is through this act, through the power of word, that he brings them into form. For we know that in the beginning, was the word, the logos, the cosmic OM. This reveals man's inherent ability to channel form into existence using the power of consciousness, and yet, man is in a state of pure receptivity to divine will. This means that, literally, man/Adam had no free will of his own, he is given the world to create and bring into form, divine intention, but he has no intention of his own. The duality of Adam and Eve, is equal to the duality of the mind itself, in its right (creative, receptive, intuitive, feminine) and left (logical, active, rational, masculine) hemispheres. Adam represents the masculine, the active principle of bringing the divine beings into formation and crystallization. It is interesting that Eve is the one who converses with the Serpent, for she is only able to 'see' him because of her intuitive nature, the feminine ability to see the "unseen" forms. The serpent is Lucifer/Prometheus, the cosmic trickster, who 'tempts' Eve/Isha to eat of the tree of knowing by explaining that her eyes will thus be opened, and she will be like the deity, knowing good and evil. There are actually two predominant trees in the Garden, 'The Tree of Knowing' and 'The Tree of Life', and we are also told that by eating of the 'Tree of Knowing', man will then eat of the "Tree of Life", and then be as the Gods. It is clear, also, that there are the presence of multiple Gods, as the deity often refers to 'others'....
Then did the Deity Yahweh say: "Behold, the Adam has become as one of us, to know good and evil. And now might he not put forth his hand And partake also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live forever?" And the Deity Yahweh expelled the Adam from the orchard of Eden.
This reveals that by partaking of the Tree of Knowing, Adam and Eve would be like the Gods, knowing good and evil, and now run the risk of having also the power of eternal life, and thus were banished from the Garden. This left humanity in a state of shame, and as an incomplete semi-divine being, man is now only 'like' the gods, but not yet one of them- he is destined to forever reach toward his divine and god-like potential.
By the eating of the apple, the partaking of the external forms, man fell into the illusion of duality, and thus realized not his "nakedness", but rather, his separateness from the divine. Prior to the "fall" man was one with the external forms, there was no separation, much like an infant child, all is enmeshed into oneness. The knowledge of good and evil, led to the realization of the illusion of their isolation within the body, the physical vessel, which separates and confines spirit into matter. This is symbolized as the 'shame' of their sexual organs, and the covering of their bodies. It is also evident that the word knowing, often referred to the act of sexual procreation, to 'know' was to have to sex.
"Throughout the Old Testament, the term "to know" is used to denote sexual intercourse, mostly between a man and his spouse for the purpose of having children. The tale of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is the story of a crucial step in Man's development: the acquisition of the ability to procreate. "
-Zecharia Sitchin, The Twelfth Planet, pg. 368
Consuming of the 'flesh' of matter, whether through the ingestion of food, or through the act of sexual penetration, appears to be the root of the tale. There truly is no single blanket interpretation to apply to the myth, however, or with any myth for that matter, and its meaning is inherently multivalent. The serpent, Lucifer/Prometheus, is an unconscious symbol awaiting activation deep within the human psyche. The serpent climbing a rod, or in this case, a tree, is an ancient esoteric symbol known as the caduceus, symbolic of the sexual kundalini energy that lies dormant in man's root chakra.
The serpent, also a symbol of spirit penetrating into matter, simply awakened Adam and Eve out of passive oneness and into active individuation, which results in the perception of separation. The sexual act itself, is thus a metaphor for man's desire to reunite with the divine, a sort of compensation, for our separation from 'God'.
The myth set in motion, the desire for sexual intercourse in humanity, forever seeking to reunite with the state as passive co-creator with the divine, within the confines and safety of the cosmic womb (The Garden). The intertwining serpent symbolism is also uncannily similar to the double helix of DNA, and one could also say that, perhaps, Lucifer/Prometheus was essentially Eve's own DNA communicating with her, revealing her 'hidden' abilities the deity Yahweh clearly did not wish her to 'know'.
From that point onward, humanity has set in motion, the pattern to 'know' the external forms, as well as the internal forms: the totality of the self, the endless penetration of form and void. It explains the origination of individuality, separate from the divine, not the root of all 'evil' and 'sin'. It describes the beginning of a crucial evolutionary step, one that we are now, as a collective, reaching the crux of: the apex of individuality.....
"Adam and Eve accepted the Presence, not of the Tempter, but of the individualizer, who sought to have them both out of the womb of unconscious passivity to Nature's God. But the result of the experience frightened them. They "hid"; they failed in the great test of individualization, and in this sense the archetype of that failure is deeply embedded in man's generic unconscious. It is repeated time after time."
-Dane Rudhyar, An Astrological Mandala, pg. 60
As we set our intentions for this new moon, our attention is drawn to this ancient and mythic story; a transition is occurring collectively where dichotomy must be bridged and reconciled. As a direct result of this need for resolution, comes the amplification of polarity, which results in the illusion of war, of light versus dark, of good versus evil. The emptiness the world feels deep inside, is becoming much greater than ever before, and this is increasing our collective tension, as well as our own individual dichotomy. The path to reconciliation is not through resistance, but rather, through the acceptance of relationship, which inherently threatens the ego with complete annihilation of self importance. In the myth, it is clear that Adam was indeed the progenitor of Eve, as she was constructed from his rib. It is through such symbolism that we discover that Eve is really a piece of Adam, that relationship is a reflection of oneself. Adam was the reflection of the divine beings who created him, and Eve, the reflection of the creation. The conscious acceptance of relationship implies that one take full responsibility for what is directly reflected back, full acceptance that the image is only what one has essentially created themselves. When we perceive our problems, personally or collectively, as some external force from which we are a victim, we only amplify its potential to destroy us.
The energy that is now being cultivated provides us the opportunity to bring full balance, full equilibrium, within the psyche by the balance of our inner Adam and Eve. These two seemingly opposite archetypes, are nonetheless, the reflection of each other, and the mind is incomplete without them in union. This requires the recognition that one is not solely male or female, but rather, a balance of both. Humanity has spent the past few thousand years reaching only for the potential of individuality, yet its foundation was unstable, and thus the result, incomplete. The serpent has returned, but not to separate humanity once more, but rather, to complete the process, to complete the journey to full individualization, and thus afford the opportunity for mankind to return to the garden in the end. This requires that one dissolve the false individuality from which our dysfunctional society imposes upon us (our unconscious passivity to society and government), and to search within to find the authentic individual sent from the divine. The Tree of Knowing must be balanced with the fruit of The Tree of Life. Knowledge must be tempered by direct experience of the divine, which lies within each of us.
On a more personal level, this energy could manifest in tension in our relationships, to ourselves and to others. Are your self interests imposing on the self interests of others, or do you allow others to impose their interests upon you? The dilemma that is presented to us, is how do we implement our vision, our self interest or agenda for creation, with the agenda of others, how do we fully participate in conscious relationship with others while maintaining individuality? It is clear that, from an evolutionary perspective, humanity is not yet ready for complete annihilation of self, but rather the full maturation of self, and of self potential. This New Moon ignites a frightening and yet simultaneously exciting prospect: the search for true authentic and functional individuality, while having the awareness of relationship to others. It seems the world is now reaching a point where it must merge with its opposite, or else it will perish in the wake of its own resistance. As Rudyhar states in the above quotation:
"They "hid"; they failed in the great test of individualization, and in this sense the archetype of that failure is deeply embedded in man's generic unconscious. It is repeated time after time."
This means that we are destined to re-experience this myth, over and over again, until its potential is complete. In looking at the state of the world, humanity has once more slipped into a state of passive unconsciousness to a "greater" will, and now we must be reawakened back into active participation and individuation. We must not, however, flee from the scene, hide in fear of punishment, but rather, take full responsibility for our decision, essentially, full awareness and ownership of our power. This New Moon is urging each of us to wake up, wake up to the world, and to where we are unconscious in our own lives. This critical turning point allows us to fully embrace our potential, to step back into the garden and claim what's rightfully ours.
Mercury Retrograde In Aries
March 30-April 23, 2011
This New Moon occurs at the onset of a fiery Mercury retrograde cycle, beginning on March 30th and ending on April 23, 2011. Interestingly, it seems its effects have actually set in much earlier than usual, coinciding with Mercury's conjunction with Jupiter on March 13th. This energy is further magnified by the presence of Jupiter in close conjunction with the New Moon in Aries, bringing with it an expansive burst of assertiveness, aggression, action, and initiation within the collective field. We can thus expect this highly energetic surge of power to set in again when mercury passes by Jupiter twice more during the retrograde cycle: around the dates of April 11 and May 11, 2011. Whatever material was presented to you around March 13th, is likely to reach some kind of culmination or conclusion around these times, as well as during the entire retrograde process. Mercury Retrograde can often be annoying for some, and it is common to experience this, but do not lose sight of its deeper meaning.
Mercury retrograde is a natural revision time, a time where we look back and reconsider things from a different perspective. With the symbolism of Aries, and Jupiter, it seems this is providing us an expanded perception of ourselves, our self interests, and our true agendas, collectively and personally. This is a time to have your mind wide open to incoming feedback and messages, as they will have a profound effect on your consciousness. Now is not the time for defensiveness and resistance, but rather, to utilize a receptive and open demeanor, willing to listen and absorb. This is the perfect time to reconsider your current direction, where you are headed, and what possible stumbling blocks you may encounter. Hold back from making immediate or impulsive decisions, now is the time to consider various options, but not so much for initiating action. New beginnings are indeed on the horizon, and in the air, and Mercury's retrograde is providing us the opportunity to consider which paths to take. Reconsider how you take action, how you present yourself, and whether you are balancing between shared and personal interests. This is a huge wake-up call to the entire world, and we are each going to have the opportunity to fully revise our perception of what's real and what's not. If we are to begin new projects or agendas collectively, are they truly our own, and do they support the interests of everyone involved? Take a few steps back during this cycle, and get clear about yourself and your personal agenda. You'll be glad you did. Who's agenda are we creating in the world? How do we temper it with our own vision? These questions are truly not so simple to answer, but I feel it is highly relevant that we ask them, and see what comes up. If we don't like the agenda that is being created, we must first take responsibility for it, as it is a reflection of our unconscious passivity, our lack of creating a conscious agenda. Then we must find ways to implement our own vision, not by the rejection of the current agenda, but of our acceptance of our relationship and responsibility towards it, and then find ways to compromise. Our goal is to seek conscious evolution, not unconscious revolution, which often leaves only blood in the streets, and an entertaining chapter in HIStory books.
Love & Light to all on their personal journey.....
Chad Woodward's Bio
Ever since I was young I found myself fascinated and mesmerized by the night sky, gazing up at its brilliance and immensity in awe. Somehow, this innate part of myself was looking for omens in that very sky, completely unaware of the vivid and profound art known as astrology, which has graced this planet for thousands of years. It wasn’t until I was 19 that I discovered the real horoscopic astrology that, from that point forward, would change and shape my life in ways I would have never imagined. It was truly love at first sight, a love that has only increased in its intensity ever since. Life with astrology is truly an adventure, as it unveils the magic of destiny, which has been sadly lost to our world for far too long.
My goal, as the late Joseph Campbell so eloquently stated, is to simply follow my bliss. Astrology is a guide to the unfolding of self and of the cosmos itself. It is in the proper application of this guide, that we as humans, can learn to no longer be an obstacle to the brilliance and intelligence of this cosmic unfolding. Currently, I am simply a researcher, massage therapist, healer, and artist doing my part in the ascension of the planet. I hope to share the joy and bliss that astrology can provide, as we learn to dance and flow in synchronicity with this great and mysterious divine plan.
*Join the Creative Soul Circle for the month of April and chat with Chad personally in my Special Guest Q & A Group*