The Heart of the Sun
In the Egyptian desert near Cairo, someone has left a big statue of a cat. Besides the distinctly mysterious look on its face, there is the oddity of water damage around the base, which I saw personally several years ago prior to its being 'repaired'. Cats have long been a fascination to humans, and the Great Sphinx, among other great felines in our lives, helps keep the mystery going.
If you roam around England, France and Germany, you'll see statues of lions many places. England is sometimes referred to as the Lion, and there are two lions on the steps of a monument in Munich between which a famous German politician made inspiring speeches in the 1930s. The doors to the New York Public Library are guarded by a couple of huge lions as well. Cats follow humanity everywhere, and seem to be revered everywhere -- even by hunters who get a huge ego trip out of killing them. They have been essential to keeping nature in balance within densely populated urban areas, turning potentially deadly vermin to snacks. Like the owl, another constant companion of humanity, they possess an almost daunting presence and a tangible connection to human thought and the human soul.
They are often the best friends of witches and medicine people, providing grounding and protection, and a connection to the deep instinctual world. Yet as far out as you get, your cat can always lead you home. And though house cats generally weigh between seven and 14 pounds, their presence on the higher planes of consciousness is utterly daunting. Any evil spirit who tries to get past them has a vole's chance of doing so.
Approximately contemporary with the Sphinx is a cat that stands toward the center of the zodiac in the form of the sign Leo, the Lion. Ruled by the Sun in both the traditional and esoteric schools, Leo offers us a unifying principle in a world where things fall apart. It is the sign that we look to for the most self-aware aspects of humanity, for wealth, strength and power, for health and vitality, and for consistency. But somehow there is more. Writes Alice Bailey in Esoteric Astrology, Leo "is the key or clue to the entire zodiac." Meow.
This shouldn't be too surprising. In the words of Joni Mitchell, "we are stardust / we are golden," and the star whose gold dust of which we are made is the Sun. (These words are from the song 'Woodstock', which event happened with the Sun in Leo in August 1969.) The Sun's energy fuels every drop of our physical life, and it is the all-consuming fire to which the scene of our planetary experience will return in a little puff of smoke. In the short term, just as the Sun provides the vital force behind all life, it can just as easily kill, dehydrate and destroy, so balance is necessary: shelter, water, fresh air. And, of course, the seasons, which temper our experience of the Sun and in many climates make it a bit more diverse and bearable throughout the year.
Leo's Tarot card is Strength or Lust, always featuring a cat of some species and usually depicted in yellow or orange. In the traditional deck, a woman separates the jaws of a lion whose head is between her legs, a visual (and verbal) metaphor for the vulva that didn't make it into the Bible. Nice pussycat. The cat guards the gateway to life. The card for the Sun is The Sun, to which cosmic bad-boy Aleister Crowley gave the keywords "the freedom that brings sanity."
Both Bailey and Fred Gettings, author of a really good modern astrology dictionary (shockingly) agree that the Leo glyph is beyond comprehension or deciphering. But it's always looked like a lion's mane to me.
Technically, Leo is a fixed sign -- that is, one of the four signs that marks the center of the seasons (the others being Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius). The fixed signs are like the beams on which the system of the zodiac is built. The symbols for these four signs appear under many rocks: the Cow, the Man, the Eagle and the Lion (which imagery did actually make it into the Bible, in The Revelation). Notice the fixed sign people in your life, or the role you play in the lives of others if you are a fixed sign person: you might see a level of consistency that has an unusual quality of persistence (whether you or anyone else likes it or not! But you probably do.)
Leo is also a fire sign, the others being Aries (cardinal fire sign) and Sagittarius (mutable fire sign). Feel those energetic distinctions; cardinal signs all begin the seasons with gusto and initiative; mutable signs end the seasons with gentle diffusion into the next realm.
The path of the Sun, Leo's ruler, is the line by which the paths of all the other planets are measured, called the ecliptic. This is the horizontal reference point of the zodiac. One interesting quality of the fire signs I've noticed is that so much is measured around them. Aries, for example, is the beginning of our zodiac. The reckoning of the seasons begins here, with the first day of spring. The Aries Point, in turn, is used to measure the progress of the tropical zodiac as it turns (precesses) inside the backdrop of the stars (the sidereal zodiac, pronounced sy-dairy-all, by the way).
As for what is measured by Sagittarius, this sign is the home of the core of our Milky Way galaxy, with which the Sun aligns each December. Though this is ignored by 99% of astrologers and astrology, I think this is one of the most important points of reckoning we can use. It's also involved with the 2012 phenomenon because it is so close to the location of the Sun at winter solstice, which I'll be getting into as I develop my series on that whole business. Note also that guarding the gates of heaven in the direction of the galactic core is a centaur, the symbol for the sign Sagittarius.
So that's a quick overview of the fire signs. Back to Leo. Here's what I can tell you, from experience.
Leos love praise. This is a fact. Not everyone does; many people wince when you tell them how amazing they are, or think you're lying, or up to something. Not Leos. If you're one of those people who loves to sing to the glory of others, keep a few Leos in your life, and give them something important to do; even if you don't they will do something important anyway. Leos must be at the center of whatever they are involved with, even if that thing is not General Motors. Just let them do their work, and have perfect faith that their appreciation of competence and their healthy pride in themselves will get you a job well done, with love. Especially if they are working near a big, bright window, but even that is not necessary.
What is absolutely necessary is the cat door.
While Leos are sometimes accused of being self-centered, it is precisely this quality that is so dependable about them. When they're in their zone, they will do their best work when their hearts are into what they're doing, and it will be absolutely selfless. Study this quality. It's really important. This activity can involve anything or anyone, but to be happy they must come from their hearts. That is what they teach the rest of us, and it's a good lesson to learn in a world where just about everyone has just about every excuse to come from everyplace else.
In relationship to Leos, you must rise above all your mundane conditioning, various forms of paternalism, prejudice and control, and let them live their lives their way. Leos are not merely individuals; they know they are individuals, and if they don't know, they are figuring it out while you watch. Treat them in a straightforward, transparent manner and you can barely go wrong.
It's possible to corrupt this energy, and when that happens, the results are ugly. Our pseudo-president has Leo rising, and he can do no wrong. Our prior president, Mr. Bill, who had problems with doing no wrong but did considerably less of the stuff, also had Leo rising, along with the Sun, which helped him a lot. Anyone studying astrology would do well to cast the charts of these men (and please do check Clinton's secondary progressions during the impeachment). As for those ascendants: Dubya has Pluto and Mercury in Leo rising (open mouth, talk about death) and Clinton had Neptune, Venus and Mars in the ascendant (sex charisma radiator on the scale of Chernobyl, the kind of sleazy that so many drool over).
Some of my favorite people are Leos. One is Chelsea Bottinelli.
Another was Jerry Garcia, who could turn night to day. Garcia's stage presence was nothing short of breathtaking, even blinding, at times seeming to emerge from beyond reality, peering out from over his glasses. His guitar lines are like a golden heartbeat that spanned 30 years, most of which you can still hear today because his work was so carefully documented. His music has a spectral, visual quality, like the Sun. I have never heard another guitarist who could pull the most astonishing sounds seemingly out of thin air, which then appear before your eyes. Put six of the most competent rock musicians around him and they would seem as mere planets (some, like bassist Phil Lesh, were rather large planets, in Lesh's particular case, Saturn, who held up both roof and floor).
There is a theory of astrology which says, basically, that the Sun works as a kind of radiator for the rest of the planets, absorbing and then re-broadcasting their energy. It's a pretty good theory.
Oh, speaking of Leo, I cannot forget Arthur Joseph Kushner, my beloved metaphysical teacher who died in 2002. Leos need to take care of their hearts. Exercise, good food and good love, please. For a little taste of how Leo works at its best, I'll leave you with two paragraphs from my tribute to Arthur, published in Chronogram magazine in New Paltz, where he lived:
"He was one of our community's most dedicated and effective leaders of ritual and ceremony. His sweat lodge ceremonies were so clear and so grounded in Native American tradition that he had the personal blessing of Charlie Thom, the Karuk Indian leader of California's Kalmath River region, with whom he shared a long friendship. Arthur was also closely involved with the Tanio tradition of Central America, and was also deeply learned in Hindu mythology, the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, most any poet you could name, and of course Jewish mysticism, Kaballah and Tarot. His rabbi, Bill Strongen, consulted him regularly for advice on his sermons. Strongen once remarked that he left the deepest levels of Jewish mysticism to those who were not afraid to take a trip into the dimensions from which one might not return. Arthur had no hesitation.
"He possessed -- and shared -- an astonishing gift for moving between myth, metaphor, symbol and tangible reality. I have worked with some pretty amazing teachers but can think of no other who could hold awareness on so many levels simultaneously, then show you something in your hand, or draw a picture, or tell a story that made the point clear and concrete."
Like your own cats, it's never really possible to understand a Leo, and I don't recommend you try except very passively. Talk to them in plain English (they will think you're a dork if you use kitty-baby-talk). Ask them direct questions and explain yourself. Then listen. Let them communicate their needs their own way. Tell them how beautiful they are -- eyes, their coat, and especially their dangerous claws.
And remember the cat door. ++
Leo Birthdays, Part One
Can it really be that half a decade has passed since the pivotal, even wrenching events of 1998 and 1999? It is true. And in the intervening years, you have lived another lifetime, genuinely liberated from what had caused you so much struggle for so long. I would not be surprised if some faint memory associated with this season still haunts you a bit from those days, but you have no reason for fear and every reason for faith in yourself and the way your life is going.
What was once a great gap in your life has been replaced by strength and confidence. You have succeeded in doing the one thing that is often make-or-break on planet Earth, which is to turn your liabilities into assets.
You are now embarking on what I can call a year of contact, both inner and outer. This year's Leo ingress chart -- the chart for the Sun entering the sign of its dominion -- has more planets aspecting one another than a Swiss watch has jewels. Neptune, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Pluto, Venus and Chiron are all in positions of communication and cooperation with one another, creating an energy pattern that is strong enough upon which to build a new layer of your life. This layer will be like a foundation located above the ground, and itself serve as a structural basis for so much that is to come.
The most significant of these aspects, something that is a potential asset to everyone who taps into it, by the way, is the sextile between Jupiter and Saturn, exact August 17 -- a week that will prove to be meaningful. This aspect deserves a few words of comment. On May 28, 2000, Jupiter and Saturn made their once-per-generation conjunction, in Taurus. This followed the "Taurus alignment" of early May that year and was one of the watershed events corresponding with the millennium's turning (remember the California energy crisis, the stock market crash, and other fun events?). Now these two planets are about to reach their first major aspect since the beginning of the cycle in 2000, a highly stable sextile from Cancer to Virgo. From the rubble, something has been built.
Jupiter and Saturn have been compared to God's hands working a pottery wheel. Jupiter pushes the clay pot outward, while Saturn provides the gentle limit that allows the pot to take shape. It is not that one is good or bad, lucky or unlucky; they are part of precisely the same process of shaping our reality. In a sextile aspect, these two energies are in perfect balance. Interestingly, both are also in the sign opposite one of their two ruling signs (Saturn is in its opposite sign Cancer, and Jupiter is in its opposite sign Virgo). The cosmos makes some fun patterns. This translates to the availability of some excellent energy, leverage, and constructive power. So construct away.
In a truly beautiful parallel, Venus and Mars, an important pair of opposites each also ruling two signs, are also in a sextile pattern, with Venus in Gemini and Mars in Leo. Both the Venus/Mars sextile and the Jupiter/Saturn sextile are in the process of forming; they are applying, so their strength will hold for quite a while.
One message as I see it is to take advantage of the stability in your life. This is a truly rare moment, wherein you have options and the strength to exercise them. Relationships may be intense, but they also work. Set aside some of the energy and abundance you have now for the future, and definitely make your choices thinking of the future as well as for the present, because such will serve you excellently.
Let's go on. There is abundant energy within Leo at the time of the ingress, particularly Mars and Mercury in your sign. This could get a little hot-headed but it will also provide plenty of the determination that is necessary to get anything at all done on this planet. All the important things we want and need require Mars, though this planet is the enemy of many people because it's been so corrupted by society, by the church and by astrology itself. And I could see you feeling a bit unfriendly toward Mars, even if only for a moment -- if you experience any aggravation of old pain, remember your old struggles and hurts, honor them, and reach quickly for the lessons, gifts and other benefits they offered you.
And remember that in our age, most energy is conveyed through communication. You can afford to communicate gently and in an understated way because you are so strong. There is nothing to raise your voice over, and the chances are very good that if you want or need something, it's perfectly reasonable. So ask, but think before you speak.
And happy birthday, Leo.
An Interesting Transit
I read today that the Sept. 11 report is to be published Friday, July 23. Fans of Robert Anton Wilson will note that they picked an interesting day (after several delays), a day traditionally associated with the fixed star Sirius and very large, strange things happening. Many, including Wilson, have observed this weird synchronicity thing involving July 23. The Sept. 11 commission has already done dreadful damage to the cover-up of this event. It is all the more vile damage because the committee is under Republican control, but that's what has to happen.
I would just like to remind everyone that it was Henry Kissinger who was supposed to be heading up this investigation (if this does not make you nauseous, take five minutes and Google him). But there was such a public hue and cry that he refused the nomination as a result of a "conflict of interest." What conflict of interest? Perhaps something like being on the 9/11 planning committee? I would not be shocked. There is no pie in which old Uncle Henry does not have his knotty fingers.
Anyway, here's what I've noticed, and this is inspiring me to tackle the Sept. 11 charts in a chapter-length essay soon, because they are the charts of the new world, and they are ripe and juicy.
Before there was 9/11 there was 8/11 -- the total solar eclipse of Aug. 11, 1999. That eclipse occurred in the 19th degree of Leo, which was the focal point of a grand cross as well.
In the chart for Sept. 11, Libra is rising. Venus, the ruler of the chart and significator for America and its people, occupies that exact degree -- 19 Leo. In this way, eclipse charts can be active for years, because patterns and degrees from old charts reiterate in newer ones.
Tomorrow, on one of the most important days in the history of the Sept. 11 scenario, Mars occupies this exact degree.
This is not going to be a houseboat party, though most of us are still living like it is one. I'm with you: we need to enjoy this summer, appreciate life and get some important stuff done.
It may seem that all of these revelations about the Iraq war and Sept. 11, and the stolen election of 2000, will have some bearing on the election in November. It may, but it's unlikely. People have not gotten it yet, by and large. Gotten what? Just how big a crime was committed. The coming election will, however, prove to be part of the larger historical process, though a bit in the future, even if not in the immediate future.
This will all take some time to work out. But justice will be done; the people who are attempting to consolidate their power right now are moving too quickly, and they are moving recklessly, and their very actions are waking up those who would defy them. But things may get worse before they get better, as a few fast, dirty hands of poker are played in October and the repercussions shake the world. Just stay awake. Right now every mind counts. Meanwhile, all hail the Sept. 11 report. And please go see Fahrenheit 9/11 if you haven't already done so.
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Note to friends and clients: Internet and telecom are different in France, certain of my email accounts do not work, and I am spending considerably less time online -- which is a really nice break. If you want to reach me, please doublemail to francis@planetwaves.net and info@planetwaves.net. All clients may call Chelsea at (206) 463-7827; I will have some in-person availability here next week, and limited phone availability (about four sessions total). I do have a cell phone. The number from outside France is (00, in Europe) or (011, in US) + 33 6 33.52.00.82. From inside France, please adjust accordingly. Paris is six hours ahead of New York City.
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Planet Waves Horoscope
for July 23, 2004
Aries (March 20-April 19)
Take a deep breath, and let it go: the Sun is now in Leo. I want to congratulate you on not giving up your sense of daring in favor of your insecurities or fear of making a sacrifice. There are moments when the small willingness to give something up for something better becomes the alchemy of a true beginning. If over the next few days you get the feeling that your plan is running a little out of control, soon enough you'll find it easy to apply some refined thinking to your brilliant daring. But no worries: your heart is smarter than you think.
Taurus (April 19-May 20)
There is a reason you are safe. That may not be the same reason you feel safe, and in fact you may still be shaken from the high-intensity emotional journey of recent months. But the long days of the season that will be seen, in retrospect, as one of the most significant turning points of your life, are drawing to a close. Yet not before you have to make what feels like a life or death decision that amounts to the willingness to put your freedom above all else. Let yourself believe, if only for a moment, that life is short and that the most important choices cannot be put off for the future.
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
It would appear that your mind is burning with urgency and desire that you know you can express. The question is not why, but how. Feel the energy that's coursing through your soul and the question will answer itself. Most of what you need to do is get out of your own way. You may yet discover that certain of your values are too fixed for your own good. Even in the world of commerce, values are adjusted by the minute; you can afford to make adjustments to your priorities every day, responding to the facts as they present themselves. Though of course some things never change.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
In many respects you have become an island unto yourself. While there has been much to divert your attention from the affairs of your private world, at the same time there's rarely been more clearly defined space around you: be it physical, emotional or your ideas. I suggest you prepare yourself for the most direct personal contact you've had in quite a long time, contact that has the power to change you deeply. Though this process is not likely to be fully obvious for at least two weeks, please get your house in order, and practice what Quakers describe as 'faithful expectancy'.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
You are not your mother; how long has it taken you to really come to terms with this? It is true that she left her legacy, that to some real extent you bear her genetic and emotional patterns. The more conscious of these you are, the more free of them you will be. I know that most of the world likes to use denial to solve this particular problem. I suggest you use awareness. One critical difference between the two of you is that she actually suffered from events of which you are only getting the residue. And that is a lot more easily cleared than the actual damage.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
Mercury's return to your birth sign next week will give you a clue as to how much your attention has been diverted to another person's needs. You may also figure out how worthwhile that particular partnership has been, even though at times it may feel like an enormous distraction. You have an astonishing capacity to yield your own life force to what situations around you call for, and at times you may doubt the intelligence of your ways. Give yourself a little break from fear and judgment while the obvious comes into focus.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
I have just arrived in Paris and the first thing I noticed is that it's been a damned long time since Henry Miller was here. You can afford to have some of his attitude: where all that matters is what you feel in your body and have on your mind, and that extreme urgency to put it right out where people can get it. Being remotely concerned with popularity is only going to wreak needless chaos; those to whom you can really relate will find their way to you, and the sincerity of the meeting will be plain on its face. As it is on yours.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
The coming few days should do much to solidify your position where crucial professional matters are concerned. You have endured the phase where your affairs feel more like dealings in a Mafia social hall than good civilized capitalism. Yet while on the outside you are in a position of unusual authority, your real power derives from an inner quality of your relationships. That quality is doing much to command the respect of certain partners who have come a long way toward recognizing that their best course of action is to kiss your ring and hope for your mercy; so be merciful.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
Slowly, a design or scheme is coming into manifestation. You're probably aware that this is around the thousandth revision of an original vision that has become something of a soul-obsession. The planets are beginning to come into alignment around your idea. Where aspects of the arrangement feel inconvenient or even troublesome is where you have the best work to do. Certain practical matters will prove to be far more manageable than solidifying the business details. But you simply must persist. You have far too much to gain to even think of giving up, and every resource you need is available.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
There is the easy way, and there is the hard way. I think my father was the first person who said this to me, and at the time it seemed to contain a veiled threat. Given that you are, in any event, determined to do things your way, you might as well know that there are easier options than the ones that seem unbearably challenging but entirely necessary. You will merely need to trust luck, which I have a sense you may be feeling reticent to do. Just remember that Fortune is a god, and he is currently looking over your shoulder.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
For the purposes of a 100-word horoscope entry, let's say that there are two ways to change. One involves a measure of dismantling your world, highly pressurized interactions, or situations in which there seem to be no choice; and the other involves a gradual sense of expansion, and the careful application of your will. The first should be used surgically, if you ask me, and the second should be used more as a matter of daily practice. At the moment, you need to apply both but -- I would dearly recommend -- not using one to the detriment of the other.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Jupiter in Virgo has had its drawbacks, but I would be reluctant to recite their names. The advantages this transit has offered you have been more than satisfactory to imbue your life with a deep foundation of stability. By stability, I mean a solid basis for growth and change. Progress implies movement, but there must be something that holds center in all times of exploration and development. It may be a principle; it may be the work you do; it may be a relationship. You are now reaping the benefits of that something, around which you have constructed your life and which has held your focus long enough to help you see clearly.
