Energy Astrology: November 2006 Column

Lassoing the Stars for a Better Life

By Cyndi Dale

Illumination

Every so often, everything we’ve been working for comes together. Did we ever believe we’d really finish cleaning out the garage, complete that horrible proposal, or get a full night sleep after a new baby? One day we wake up and realize that it’s over, at least for now. We can park in the garage. The proposal is on someone else’s desk. We get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. (Okay, so it was just for one night. It’s a start.) Angels don’t soar in on magic carpets, nor do the garage police give us commendations. The truth is that there is no bigger reward than actually meeting the goal.

There’s a special magic in the reprieve of completion, a mystery to the realization of accomplishment. Astronomically, November will bring what is called a “wrap” in a Hollywood studio. “That’s a wrap,” the director says, when a scene is shot. Some scenes require one only go-through or “take” before they are “wrapped.” Most likely, a really dramatic or crucial scene might take quite a few. I’m not sure how many “takes” it’s taken for you to get where you are, but November promises the support necessary to wrap at least one of your dreams into tinsel paper and red bows. It’s a present well worth waiting for. It’s called the power of Illumination ­ the stage of awareness that allows us to breathe deeply, settle back, see what it’s all been for, and appreciate the effort it took to get to the end of a long road.

Illumination: The provision of light that makes something visible or bright. It’s time to Illuminate who you really are, what you’re really all about, and what you’ve been working toward ­ to the world.

The Spiritual Backdrop

About a year ago, I attended a benefit for a non-profit that provides free heart surgery to children in need. The point was to raise money for the cause, and I gladly assisted by participating in a contest that involved champagne. A bright red table was arranged with hundreds of glasses with champagne. A glowing stone had been dropped in each glass. Most of these stones were cubic zirconium. One was a diamond.

I really wanted to win the diamond. I hadn’t won anything since seventh grade, at which point I had guessed about football play offs. I was as amazed as the boys in the class to discover I had won. The prize was a bag of candy, which the boys promptly finished off. As I stood before the champagne table, I surmised that I was long overdue for a rewarding win, one that I could enjoy alone.

I perused the table, thinking that at the least, I’d get a decent glass of champagne out of the deal. With a friend helping me, I began to zero in on what I hoped was the Holy Grail of champagne glasses. This one or that? I didn’t know, but some part of me “tinged” inside when I passed my hand over a certain glass. I pointed to the glass and a jeweler removed and scrutinized the stone. He looked and me, recorded his determination, and returned the champagne. An emcee announced the winner during desert.

I had won.

The moral of the story isn’t about how to win at the champagne, gaming, or kitchen table ­ or any of life’s tables, for that matter. It’s about our innate ability to discern what it is artificial from genuine. Most of us started life pretty good at sensing the difference, whether we were assessing mother’s moods versus her statements, dad’s wants versus his words, or a sibling’s snarls under the smiles. Long years of lessons, most of which involved being put down, stepped on, disregarded, or disintegrated for sharing our true selves, taught us that it might be better to be false rather than factual and simulated rather than stimulating. It was just easier that way.

Except that it’s not easier to be fake rather than real. It’s sad.

Every month, the heavens dance. Planets, moon, and stars pirouette, march, and sing in tune with the Harmony of the Spheres, a brilliant design of energetic movement conducted by none other than the Power of Powers. Every physical progression stirs spiritual energies that fall to earth as do starlight. We can condense and unify these spiritual energies into a single spiritual truth, and then use this truth like a flashlight to perceive reality ­ and ourselves ­ from a higher perspective.

During September, the spirituality of the skies invited you to become a hero in your own life. Heroism, for all its promise of glory, is actually a bit dicey. If you emerge from the Hero’s Journey with your head intact, you’ve made it. October hustled us collectively and personally into Mystery. Now we played hero and learned about ourselves, plunging deep into these good and bad, the known and the unknown. In November, the cosmos plots to continue the downward plummeting…not to initiate a relationship with the creatures of the deep. The Loch Ness monster can remain a secret, thank you very much. The goal is to help you pop through the saran-wrap type boundaries you’ve put inside and around yourself so that you have no choice but to Illuminate; to show the light that you are to the world. Hence the goal of November’s sometimes-wayward wanderings. This is the goal you’ve been working toward ­ the Illumination of who you really are.

When we Illuminate, we see through the darkness into the light. We know truth despite the presence of lies and can discern what’s genuine from what is artificial. We can be ourselves.

So why haven’t we Illuminated our true selves before this? Why would we ever be afraid of the light that we are?

In the Old Testament, it is said that to look into the face of God is to invite death. God’s light is simply too brilliant and dazzling for us to endure. WHY? We are made of God. Every cell, organ, thought, and sub-atomic particle is made of the stuff of God’s body, hopes, and truth. Every empty space, filled bathtub, and compost pile is full of God. As God is love, so is everything love. As God is made of love, so are we composed of love. So why can’t we look at the being that created us ­ and continues to co-create with us ­ and be enlightened or Illuminated instead of scorched?

Because we haven’t yet accepted that we are love. Not just loved or loving. We ARE love. That’s the truth that our hero-self has really been searching for, in all the mysterious planes of the Universe.

For decades, contemporary philosophers have been bandying around the notion that we’re on a path to enlightenment. I hate to tell you, but this is one of the most worthless statements ever made. As long as you search for enlightenment, you’ll never get it. As long as you look for love, you’ll never find it. You’ll only get what you want when you stop looking for it. To be enlightened, you must cease seeking and recognize that you are enlightened. To be loved, you must quit begging for love and be love. To discover your purpose, you must accept that you already know your goals. To become a diamond, you must recognize that you are already a jewel, not paste. Stop pretending that you can’t see yourself when you look into God’s face, and you’ll be able to gaze upon the Almighty any time you want. And in being seen, you’ll be able to see yourself ­ as well as what you need to do next.

Many people disavow their own authenticity because they have been hurt in relationship. Why should we continue to be disingenuous ­ not genuine ­ because other people are or have lied about their own goodness? So our parents screwed up. One --- or all ­ of our spouses were nasty or mean or ignorant or aliens. Maybe we’ve screwed up ­ and even are screwed up! We’re still made of love. RIGHT NOW. We can decide to Illuminate this truth and live as our honest selves any time we want. Why not do it now?

Coming Through the Dark

A baby doesn’t emerge swiftly from the darkness of the womb. A new moon doesn’t transform into a full moon overnight. Neither will November breeze us into the light and ease; not quickly, anyway. We pass through a few thresholds of change. Here are the series of Novemberish events that will encourage us through the night and into the light. Most highlighted events feature Mercury, the planet of communication, with a special twist at the end to prepare us for living the Illuminated life!

1. Mercury in retrograde. Most of you students of astrology will hiss at the thought that we can Illuminate anything during Mercury retrograde. Others more kindly might point out that Mercury does nothing but foul up communication, and so maybe I have the month wrong. Might we not own our enlightenment in December instead of November? Torturous technology aside, seeing the backside of Mercury, a two-week process that began on October 28^th, is one of the most prosperous of events, that is, if we want to complete the hero’s journey and get on with living.

If a bird’s wings are clipped, it can’t fly. That also means it gets to stay in place for a while and watch what is passing by. Instead of flying into the sun, it gets to enjoy the sun. If you can’t hear what others have to say, you’re presented a beautiful opportunity to hear what you have to say! Illumination is an internal to external process. A light bulb doesn’t hop off the lamp, seek electricity, and then proceed to glow. It sparks from the inside to the out, as do we. If Mercury is procuring quiet, make use of the quiet. Think.

2. Mercury conjuncts with Jupiter in Scorpio, October 28^th through November 7^th. For half of Mercury’s slide backward through the sky, this communication giant joins expansive Jupiter with passionate Scorpio. It does this while squared with Saturn, the planet of structure and practicality. That’s a mouthful of terms that most of us ­ me included ­ don’t really understand, nor want to. Bottom line, Saturn’s influence might make you feel a little squeezed during the first part of the month, rather like you’ve been turned into a squeegee. You have. You’re a sponge getting rung out. You might even feel like it’s a little challenging to breathe ­ or even to be yourself! That’s because everything that is “not you” is getting siphoned off. By being quiet ­ and I mean quiet, you’ve the best chance of surviving this stage.

  It’s not all hard, though. Jupiter will prompt an Illumination of optimism, the art of believing in yourself no matter what appearances say. After all, you’re a hero, aren’t you? Heroes don’t ask if the lion is too big to be killed or caught, do they? They simply assume they can catch their prey, rescue the Prince or Princess, or at the least, get themselves out of the pickle jar. Ultimately, they remember the lesson of Scorpio. If all else fails, follow your passion. Not passions, as in those red-hot moods that get you burned, but passion, the inner compulsion to do what’s right. You can get to your passion by remembering the “whys.” What’s the “why” behind your pursuits, your goals, or your dreams? What’s the “why” of you?

3. Mercury harmonizes in a trine with Uranus on November 7^th. As soon as you feel ready to bust forth ­ you can! Uranus ushers in the energy of originality and awakening. Inventive ideas or options might suddenly pop into your mind or life. Take them! Illumination is at hand! Your viewfinder now becomes the light in your heart. What inner ­ and outer lights seem genuine? Which hold the most promise? Which show you that you are already enlightened? What pursuits, thoughts, and dreams deliver the promise of further Illumination? Those are the ones to hold dear. Those are the champagne glasses full of diamonds.
4. Adventure on Venus. A complicated movement of energies at the end of the month shifts Scorpio’s intense emphasis to Sagittarius, the sign of adventure. What have you been surfacing? What bright ideas, inner knowing, soul gifts, hidden goals, or new dreams are ready to be forged into concrete reality? It’s time to sail forth. Being authentic is a call to action. Knowing who you are requires acting on what you are. It’s time!

The Illumination Process

Illumination is an inside job. Here are ways to cultivate the emergence of the secret, the self -- the diamond that you are.

1. Label the facets. Imagine that you are a diamond. How many facets do you have? Count them. Now label them. These are all the components of your real self, the self you’ve been digging for ­ and maybe even digging with ­ for so many months. You can assign these facets any kind of title that you want. See them as archetypes, like King, Queen, Child, or Warrior. Select colors and give them meaning. Choose dreams that are important to you. It doesn’t matter what you label the various parts of yourself, for they are all true ­ and have always been so.
2. Turn on the light. Imagine yourself centered inside the diamond. Search for a light -- a concept, idea, goal, or truth that if lit, would unify all facets of the diamond. How would you explain your core? What are you really all about? Own this main truth and light up from within.
3. Spread the light. Light reflects, it shines, it turns up in the strangest of places, like in the pockets of the Universe ­ or those in your old coat, in which case the light shows exactly what dirt and dust you’ve been packing away. Look at your life as if you were lit from the inside to the out. What do you see? How does it feel to be this big ­ and expanded? What have you completed? And what must you now start to be, in order to reflect your true and authentic self?
4. Select a direction. Diamonds have many points, each of which creates a vector that heads a certain direction. You can follow any of these directions to get somewhere ­ but what’s the point of that? Don’t you want to go where you really want to go? The key to joy is to look for a light that is bigger than your own and steer toward it. The light of purpose ­ the light of God ­ shines like a beacon, summoning you toward the end point that will be best for you and the world. Before the end of November, ask which direction will send you the further and the fastest into the life you desire. Get ready for the adventure!
5. Own your Illumination. And before heading anywhere, spend a few moments ­ or days, in reflection. Ask yourself to consider the fact of already being enlightened, to the point of knowing that you are love. Owning your truth is perhaps the grandest adventure of all.