THE STAR / AQUARIUS / IMBOLC

Revelation from Meditation

HOPE, FAITH

• The Guiding Light, emotional connection with the source.
  
  
• Vital energy flows into feeling. A fortuitous blend of the elements.
  
  
• Curiosity, the probing spirit. The fishook draws the fish from the water. "Fishing for the truth" is a metaphor for meditation. The fish is a symbol of the Death card, and death's mystery is a driving force behind the spiritual quest.
  
  
• The star radiates source-energy, its eight points remind of the Buddhist "Eightfold Path":
  • Right views, being able to see what is wrong
  • Right purpose, aspiration for good
  • Right speech, saying nothing to hurt others
  • Right conduct, doing nothing to hurt others
  • Right livelihood, work that benefits you and the world
  • Right effort, freeing the mind of evil thoughts
  • Right mental discipline
  • Right meditation, concentration, focus

• The seven smaller stars represent the chakras, and they are white to show purity.
  
  
• The bird on the tree on the hill is a scarlet Ibis, the signet bird of the Egyptian god Hermes, the Magus. The bird's beak is a naturally occurring fish hook.
  
  
• The letter "Tzaddi" is also part of "Tzaddik," which means "Righteous Person." Indeed the letter itself looks like a person kneeling and raising their hands in praise - characteristic of the Righteous, showing humility and gratefulness.
  
  
• The tree represents the human nervous system; the bird symbolizes the activity of thought brought to the rest of concentration and deep meditation.

  
  
  

• The Star symbolizes heights of inner vision. This is seeing the starry, cosmic aspect of our universe, deep inside ourselves.
  
  
• The woman is Gaia, or Mother Nature - she is the same woman opening the lion's mouth in the Strength card, and she is The Empress.
  
  
• The water she pours from her right hand shows connection to the waters of cosmic consciousness. The water from her left shows mental influence over karma - water eroding earth, through the five rivulets - the five senses.

"All the rivers run into the sea, but the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers came, thither they return again."
Ecclesiastes 1:7

• Her right knee forms a right angle (square, or working aspect), and she balances herself using the water of mindstuff. Her left knee is on the earth, keeping her grounded.

• Opinions vary on the positioning of Key 17 and Key 4, reversing their locations as given here. The positions here are the more traditional ones, putting each Key in close proximity to its Astrological associates. None of it is etched in stone...

IMBOLC - February 2 - also called "Brigid," or "Candlemas," originated in Ireland as a holy day for Brigid, the Great Mother Goddess, taking the form of a bride for the returning Sun god. "Brigid" means literally "in the belly." The Goddess begins to awake from her winter sleep, and the Earth begins to feel the warmth. The Goddess rests from giving birth to the God at Yule. Brigid is Goddess of poetry, healing, and metalsmithing. This is a festival of fires, symbolizing the return of life and replenished powers, and the tradition is to light every lamp or candle. This is a time of initiation. This is the Druidic fire festival marking The Return of the Light.

AQUARIUS

January 20th to February 18th.

Ruled by Saturn and Uranus.

I know.

Observer or Outsider.

Fixed Air. Thinking, communication, relationships, intellect, intuition, all concerns of air, solidify in Aquarius, into the utopian, the futurist, the idealist, the achiever. Aquarius is the brittle, frozen, electric, arctic air. Aquarius influences in the chart (Eleventh house, or planets in Aquarius) create an emphasis on ideas. This can manifest as unique achievements, breakthroughs in knowledge, and harmonious community.

Aquarius is symbolized by a woman pouring water, or bringing knowledge. Aquarius, like Libra and Gemini, the other air signs, is represented by a human. The dual glyph of Aquarius is a reminder of the maxim: "As Above So Below."

Aquarius (in its purest essence) is intelligent, fair-minded, detached, rational, and confident. Aquarius can also be icy, austere, stubborn, kinky, eccentric, cold, heartless, rigid, and brutal.

Domains of Aquarius are goals, ideas, science, research, history, language, the unusual, invention, community projects.

Aquarius, ruled by Saturn and Uranus, combines the restrictive, brittle energy of Saturn with the lightning-flash inspiration of Uranus.

Lessons for Aquarius include opening up to alternate ideas, understanding emotion in others, flexibility.

Aquarius rules the ankles and circulation.

For Aquarius, the Shadow takes the form of Other's showy, possibly elitist, self-aggrandizement, or magnetic charm, which drives you nuts. Though you are unconventional, you still maintain a professional air. Work with your shadow, and the people you project it onto, by expressing your own uniqueness, and by being warm and loving. The more you deny your Shadow, the more it will manifest itself and attract what you will interpret as disruption or pain.

Aquarius is the 'Eleventh House.' 11th house aspects effect goals, community, and ideals. Having achieved in Capricorn, the soul now focuses on experimentation, and on commitment to goals for their own sake. Capricorn achieves because of ambition; Aquarius achieves because it knows it has to. The eleventh house shows friendships, futurism, and utopian projections.

Aquarius is the idealist, the Utopian, and aspires to high ideals. When thwarted, Aquarius pouts most stubbornly.

Aquarius has firm convictions, and is averse to indecision. They feel their impulses are "messages from above," to be obeyed unconditionally. Aquarius needs to broaden their convictions, learn humility, and give credit to the spirituality and achievements of others.

Aquarius becomes impersonal in its fixed dedication to whatever it has set in its mind's eye, can be emotionally vacant, and self-imposes austerity.

Aquarius attracts a different kind of spotlight than the one enjoyed by its opposite sign, Leo. We LOVE Leo; we respect Aquarius.

Aquarius, when active in the chart, is creative, scientific, intelligent, intellectual, logical, analytical, inventive, genius, polite, sympathetic, dedicated, dependable, hardworking, has endurance, open to new ideas, reserved, monastic, idealistic, philosophical, futurist, good with details, mystical, ages well, emotionally guarded, modest, administrative, witty, conventional, has restraint, attracted to the unusual, energetic, wins big, problem solver, activist, militaristic, organized, orderly, convincing, just, focused, businesslike, has clear goals, good time-money manager and well-paced.

Unfavorable Aquarius can be secretive, shy, have low self esteem, headstrong, gossipy, morbid, depressed, cynical, disconnected from reality, paranoid, sneaky, a loner, out of step thinking, missing the big picture, bizarre, micromanaging, perfectionistic, stuck on details, overanalytical, impotent or frigid, emotionally cool, reckless, dictatorial, full of rage and violence, explosive, dogmatic, perfunctory, friendless, gloomy, closed to new ideas, puts goals before ethics, robotic, or full of harebrained schemes.

The Eleventh house has the character of Aquarius: planets in this house are concerned with Ideals; this is the realm of community activity, of invention, of high-flying futurism, or of austerity.

The Aquarius/Pisces cusp is an especially tough place for some people. All of the cusps are meeting places of opposites, but Pisces and Aquarius are at the epitome of difference. When the two energies are mixed in a chart, the native has special issues with mind vs. emotions.

The air triplicity is Aquarius (fixed), followed by Gemini (mutable), and then Libra (cardinal).

In the natural order of the signs, Aquarius is air, preceded by Capricorn (earth), and followed by Pisces (water).

The opposite axis, or antidote to Aquarius, is Leo.