Welcome to the Winter Solstice, Gemini Full Moon, Sagittarius Solar Festival 2017 Satya Center Cosmic Weather Forecast. Warm greetings from your co-editors, Curtis Lang and Jane Sherry.
Photo of Bentley Continental GT SuperSport by Diego Delso, delso.photo, License CC-BY-SA
Here in Boca Raton, snowbirds in trophy cars clog the streets. Parking lots at the grocery stores are packed full. We try to avoid driving anywhere near the shopping mall, its parking lots choked with Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, Maseratis, and the occasional Ferrari or Lamborghini. Mercedes Benzes and Lexuses are about as common in South Florida during "season" as yellow cabs in Manhattan. Private jets sweep low over our house as they approach the Boca Raton airport, which is only five minutes away.
Palm trees throughout this uber-suburban cityscape twinkle with Christmas lights, and in a week, a series of night time boat parades will light up the Intracoastal Waterway from Palm Beach to Ft. Lauderdale.
It is as though a masterful magician cast a glamour across the entire South Florida peninsula, turning this slowly sinking, recently storm-wracked landscape into a 21st Century American Dreamscape, creating an illusion of limitless resources, endless partying and exponentially increasing wealth, fueled by oligarch level conspicuous consumption.
Here in our tiny Garden of Eden, Jane and I are so delighted that a year long effort to enhance the vitality of our sandy, nutrient deficient soil has finally yielded good results. We added organic soil, home made compost tea, bone meal, seaweed, iron, eggshells, mulch and more, again and again to reach this point.
Finally we are enjoying a huge harvest of collard greens, Asian greens, turnip greens, green beans and lettuce. We've gotten a number of tasty, juicy Meyer Lemons, the few Hurricane Irma left behind for us. The tomatoes are flowering and so is the invasive brontosaurus sweet potato patch snaking its way across the ground, invading the beds around its wire trellis. Yellow, pink, and multi-colored ground orchids, red and pink gingers, marigolds, giant pink roses and exotic orange, red and yellow heliconia are all flowering at once, ringing the backyard.
Jane is busily giving away our excess cooking greens. Jane is finding plenty of takers for her delicious leaves of green.
What is true wealth? That is the question we ask ourselves this Christmas season. Is wealth money? Is wealth the power to consume more than others and the ability to display our conspicuous consumption for all to see? Or is wealth measured by the health of the soil, the ability to offer home grown food to our friends and neighbors, and the ability to offer a bounteous feast to our family members, many of whom will visit Boca this Christmas season? Perhaps wealth is good health and a feeling that the Universe is guiding us as we navigate the long and winding path of Spirit in this materialistic society, which places so little value on the subtle, spiritual Life Force energies that create and maintain all life on Earth.
As we shall see in the Cosmic Weather Forecast for this Lunar Month, it is essential to practice the virtue of discernment at this time, when collective thought-forms are shaped by cultural assumptions based on mistaken maps of the world, the dead hand of thoughtless traditions, and a consensus reality that is infused with infinite desire in the face of the spectacle of excess that surrounds us on all sides.
Cosmic Weather Forecast
We celebrate the Full Moon at 11.4° Gemini on Sunday December 3, 2017 at 10:48 AM Eastern Time, simultaneously with the Sagittarius Solar Festival as the Sun reaches 11.4° Sagittarius.
This Full Moon is a Super Moon, which means it's closer to Earth than average, and will appear quite large to the naked eye. This week here in Boca, Jane and I have noticed that this waxing moon is ultra-bright. Luminous cloud banks sail past our house, and moonlight illuminates the garden as much as the average Full Moon.
The Sun in Sagittarius, Moon in Gemini, and Neptune in Pisces create a Mutable T-Square.
Sun in Sagittarius manifests as a fervent, aspirational mental state with strong ego drives. In its more dignified aspect, the individual with Sun in Sagittarius is a spiritual warrior in control of the deficiencies of the egoistic personality, but if badly aspected, Sun in Sagittarius individuals can be true believers, unquestioning warriors dedicated to a fundamentalist, closed minded religion or philosophy.
Moon in Gemini is Venus-ruled, and at its best, impels people to harmonize relationships and see both sides of every argument, but can also indicate an ungrounded, spacey mind, infused with astral glamours, bewitched by illusions fostered by karmic forces that sweep us along like Full Moon king tides.
Neptune in Pisces dissolves boundaries and structures, in inner and outer worlds, and this Full Moon we are challenged by a turbo-charged emotional atmosphere in which even the most stolid may experience trans-personal, empathic connections that call forth a heart-centered response to the suffering we see around us. The downside of Neptune in Pisces can manifest as mental breakdown, emotional upheaval, and a gullible susceptibility to con artists, black magicians, propagandists, and unscrupulous politicians and business people.
When these three powerful Cosmic forces engage in a conflicted T-Square configuration in the heavens, there will be a lot of mental activity (Gemini), a surplus of righteous striving (Sagittarius) and a double helping of astral glamours, propaganda wars and emotional and mental confusion (Neptune in Pisces).
The last time this mutable T-Square appeared was in November of 2016, so think back to what was happening at that time for an idea of the powerful energies being unleashed this Full Moon.
This was the month of Donald J. Trump's ascension to the seat of Presidential power in the United States, and of Hillary Clinton's ignominious defeat.
Regardless of your political persuasion, it’s obvious that this election did more to undermine America’s position as world leader than anything that has happened in my lifetime.
President Trump repeatedly told world leaders that America would no longer attempt to be a leader in developing and maintaining international treaties, laws and agreements on a multitude of issues, focusing instead on America's interests above all else. Trump had often urged other world leaders to do likewise. Trump advocates pursuing naked, narrow self-interest as much as possible above the common good in every area of global affairs.
President Trump repeatedly declared that climate change is a fantasy, and made America a lonely outlier among nations, where before the US had been the world's leader in trying to co-ordinate global efforts to save a habitable environment for our children and grand-children. Trump appointed Rex Tillerson, the CEO of ExxonMobil to be Secretary of State, and promised to increase production of coal and oil to "Make America Great Again".
Both Presidential candidates claimed that the general election was rigged in favor of their opponents, a charge also voiced by many supporters of Democrat Bernie Sanders, during the primary campaign.
America's claim to be the world's exemplar of democracy and democratic values was surely undermined by these charges, which have continued to snowball over the last year, with ongoing investigations of the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia, accusations of Russian interference in the election on Trump's behalf, and continued Republican calls for Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation to be investigated for various alleged illegalities that surfaced during the election campaign.
There could be important new developments in Russiagate over the next month, and tensions around the world are on the rise, while partisan fighting in Washington over tax reform and other issues threatens to result in a government shutdown.
In November 2016 the Mutable T-Square was synchronized with global perceptions that America was losing its position as global leader, and with dramatic political schizophrenia and polarization. Now that same polarization threatens to paralyze our government in December 2017, further undermining America's reputation around the world.
America is in uncharted waters now. The rest of the world is watching in surprise, consternation and concern. It is up to each one of us to contribute to the positive resolution of the polarities that are tearing the country apart.
It is vital to exercise discernment, to remain unswayed by the propaganda tides unleashed by politicians, spooks, media and corporate powers that be.
It is important to maintain a clear view of reality in the face of unprecedented attempts to control humanity’s mental and emotional bodies.
It is increasingly difficult to find any news sources that are not serving as propagandistic outlets for one political faction or another in this country, which once led the world in investigative journalism and fearless reporting which spoke truth to power.
Never has the need for discernment been more crucial to our mental health, emotional well-being, our spiritual progress and our collective future security. Is climate change a hoax, for instance? The answer to that question is hotly debated in today's politically schizophrenic America, while around the world Europe, China, and other advanced countries race to develop green technologies and mitigate the effects of our reckless love affair with fossil fuels.
It is our task to maintain faith in the future of humanity during this dark time, and to remain steadfast in our spiritual practices, using the tools we have to create a centered, grounded consciousness, and to work as we can to disseminate love and light to all those with whom we are connected on planet Earth.
This Full Moon occurs just after Mercury goes retrograde, heightening the potential for mental confusion, and is conjunct Saturn, which indicates that our aspirational Sagittarian impulses may be stifled by the need to attend to the day to day necessities of life.
Venus will have entered Sagittarius, a much lighter and more luminous energy than when Venus was in Scorpio, over the last few weeks. Mars will oppose Uranus which will create a passionate desire for transformative change and the ability to create that transformative change in the world around us.
This Full Moon promises to be a test of our powers of discernment, and a test of our ability to delineate a sacred space for ourselves, in which we can connect to the positive aspects of the Sun, Moon, and Neptune. There is a highly spiritual quality to this Full Moon, but it requires us to tune out the brain fog generated by society, transcend the somewhat heavy and gloomy atmosphere the Mutable T-Square and retrograde Mercury conjunct Saturn can generate, and focus on that which is truly important in our lives.
Become the fearless Sagittarian spiritual warrior! Speak your truth! Be willing to extend your truth to others in a spirit of helping to create Right Human Relations! Celebrate the return of a most magical time of year, when we are all called to be witnesses to Divine Love!
Meditation practices and visualizations can produce visionary breakthroughs in all areas of life, as long as we exercise the power of discernment to separate inner spiritual guidance from wishful thinking, paranoia, and collective illusions and delusions.
We highly recommend taking the time to perform the Winter Solstice Gabriel Meditation, a simplified version of an Ancient technique that was originally offered only to advanced students of the Western Mystery School traditions.
Winter Solstice 2017: The Gabriel Initiation, Hanukkah, Shab-e Yalda, & Saturnalia
We wish you every blessing during this magical holiday time of year, the time of the Winter Solstice in Capricorn. This year the Winter Solstice takes place on Thursday, December 21, at 11:28 am Eastern Standard Time. At this spiritually potent time of the seasonal cycle, we experience the shortest day and the longest night of the year. From this point on, every day will bring an increase of light on Earth!
Cosmic Weather patterns for the next several years will be impacted by major celestial movements the day before the Solstice this year. Saturn moves into Capricorn on the 20th of December 2017 and will stay there until the 18th of December 2020.
Saturn in Capricorn is exalted, since Saturn is Capricorn's ruler, so the energy of this placement is at its peak power.
Spiritually, Saturn in Capricorn provides the grounding of Saturn's exquisitely crafted systems and plans, if we are willing to do the hard, focused work that is required to manifest our loftiest dreams and most loving visions of tomorrow.
On the downside, Saturn in Capricorn can encourage a kind of vigilantism, a desire to take the law into one's own hands based upon a misguided belief that one's egoistic personality embodies the Law itself.
Socially, Saturn in Capricorn spotlights financial institutions and the flow of money around the world. You can bet there will be financial dramas unfolding around the world, and some spirited conflicts between those who control the financial system and those who are controlled by the financial system. Market volatility is likely to spike, which could surprise unwary investors who have grown complacent during 2017's virtually volatility free ascent to new record highs.
Clearly we are entering a period of dramatic change this Solstice, and it is a great time to take a short retreat from holiday celebrations and obligations to reflect upon what is coming and what has come about, to align ourselves with our Higher Mind and Higher Self and plan for the manifestation of those most heartfelt loving dreams and goals we have ever entertained. This will make Saturn in Capricorn very happy, and initiate the process of creative manifestation that will precipitate your Ascension Reality in four dimensional reality.
We celebrate the Winter Solstice and Christmas as a multi-faceted week long spiritual festival.
"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, ..."
We honor Archangel Gabriel at the time of the Solstice, and we attune ourselves to his Message of Love.
Gabriel, God's messenger, is often pictured with a trumpet. Gabriel communicates Divine Vision, Divine Grace and Divine Guidance to humanity. Now is the time of year when Gabriel whispers in the ears of all those who celebrate the onset of the winter season by retreating from worldly affairs and immersing themselves in spiritual practices.
Gabriel’s golden horn delivers the sacred sound that triggers our awakening from the living death and spiritual imprisonment represented by consciousness dominated by the egoistic personality and the instinctual impulses of the unconscious mind. The energy signature of Gabriel’s horn is a sacred tone, or mantram, which also exists as a vision – a frequency of golden light. This golden light of inner awakening, which emanates from Gabriel’s horn, and at his command, appears in the mind’s eye on a field of deepest midnight blue during the meditative state at the moment of initiation and realization.
In the Western Mystery School Tradition, the Winter Solstice is traditionally the time when the initiate strives most intensely to attain this Gabriel initiation, which comprises the inner nativity, the birth of the Higher Mind and the Higher Self, the moment when the Inner Christ manifests to us offering us at least a transitory glimpse of Higher Worlds.
For students of the Ancient Wisdom, Gabriel’s role as bringer of visions makes him the Archangel who reveals the truth of one’s unique role in the world – which is known as the Higher Purpose, the Soul’s true calling, and empowers one to pursue that Higher Purpose successfully.
Thus the time of the Winter Solstice is the time for those walking the arduous path of Spirit to seek a vision of their Higher Purpose, to connect with the Divine Wisdom as revealed by Archangel Gabriel, and to connect with Higher Self and Higher Mind. Gabriel interprets the super-rational wisdom found in Higher Realms into words and symbols that can be understood by the rational mind. Through Gabriel’s intercession, we can gain understanding of the mysteries of our own life’s journey, and of the larger mysteries surrounding the evolution of our spiritual brothers and sisters, our nation, and humanity as a whole.
We are pleased to offer you simple instructions for obtaining The Gabriel Initiation. Our guide to this powerful meditation practice offers you a simplified version of an Ancient technique that was originally offered only to advanced students of the Western Mystery School traditions.
Religious traditions around the world predating Christianity celebrate the Winter Solstice spiritual festival as well. Jewish, Persian and Roman Winter Festivals of Hanukkah, Shab-e Yalda, & Saturnalia include common themes: The Sacred Flame, Role Reversals and Celebrations of the Coming Victory of the Sun. For more, read our article on Winter Solstice Festivals Around the World.
Jane and I pray that you receive the Grace and Guidance you require to achieve your spiritual and material goals this Full Moon and Winter Solstice! Be on the lookout for our Christmas newsletter, coming soon!
Meditation Moment: The Power of Discernment
Try to develop a kind of inner example that will help you to be able to evaluate with certainty all the conditions, things or beings that present themselves to you. You will then be able to feel whether committing to a particular person, accepting a particular offer or embarking on a particular enterprise will take you closer to or farther away from your spiritual ideal. This can simply be called discernment.
This ability to discern is more a matter of sensation than understanding. It is something that is very difficult to explain; it can also be called intuition. You can develop this ability through observation, reflection, meditation, prayer and, especially, vigilance. It is important to analyse each experience to see where you stand with it. By making every effort to develop this faculty – this inner example or radar – you will increase your ability to make the right decisions and choices.
. . .Because it has a synthetic view of reality, intuition is true intelligence. It does not need to do research or calculations, its understanding is instantaneous; it penetrates everything with a single glance – the objective and subjective worlds, the exterior and interior – and transmits its findings directly to you.
Intuition is both a feeling and an understanding; you feel things at the same time as you understand them. It is a higher intelligence because it comprehends, in a single moment, the whole of life.
And when everyone else is still hesitating and doubting, those who possess this intelligence understand immediately and their vision is infallible.
And when reality appears to them in this way – with both aspects, objective and subjective, exterior and interior – they are amazed to discover that everything is in fact very simple
-- Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov