The symbolism of A Mother Leads Her Small Child Step By Step Up a Steep Stairway, which is today’s oracle, at Sagittarius 9° ruled by Sadge in a twelve-fold sequence, is that of a more evolved being leading those less evolved. That old chestnut. Kidding. Sort of. The thing is that human evolution isn’t possible unless everyone gets on the trip. Individual enlightenment might be had, to some degree, but guaranteed that, if you do achieve it, you’re going to feel compelled to turn others on to your revelations. Otherwise they are pretty meaningless, n’est ce pas? We need the rest of the people to get with the program and solve certain problems we may’ve long sinced aced. Social living isn’t, quite literally, natural. A staircase represents aspiration that doesn’t come naturally to the child who couldn’t have built it. The adults (evolved ones) have built it; so, by rights, it’s their responsiblity to help the spiritual child scale them. A few days back we saw a baby take it’s first steps—that is natural and would occur without any guidance. This is a different story (ha, ha get it?). I think of the staircase much the way I think about the bow and arrow; they represent a cetain leap in cultural evolution. The missile and the skyscraper weren’t far off, really, from those inventions.

Responsiblity to others, though, is what’s central here. I often wonder in what ways human kind were guided by more evolved beings. Yes of course I believe in evolution; and I know how alike we are to the next beings with whom we share the most dna, the chimpanzee. But I look at the differences too and wonder how it is that we have leaped so far ahead of other animals. Is it possible that we did have some kind of special assist? I think of Prometheus and other godlike creatures in mythology whose nature it was to bring the caveman out of darkness by literally pasing him a torch. Light. Enlightenment. By the same token, “the lightbringer” has been demonized. Was Lucifer (whose name means lightbringer) synonymous with Prometheus and just got a bad rap—I mean, it didn’t end well, eternally, for Prometheus either. If I’m not mistaken Prometheus is forever bound and daily has his liver eaten out by an eagle—the eagle, of course, is Zeus’ animal totem for it was he who sentenced Prometheus to this fate. So what’s the deal? Who’s the bad guy here? Zeus or Prometheus? God (for lack of a better name) or Lucifer?

I think I jumped the shark tank. We were talking about mothers and children. Awwwww.

 

 

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I don’t know my science all that well but I do believe there are instances when the title of this oracle might ring true. Within The Depths Of The Earth New Elements Are Being Formed is the Sabian Symbol at Sagittarius 8° which is (perfect!) ruled by the underground sign of Scorpio, the 8th sign in the Zodiac. Now, from what we learned in schule, the elements are basically set, all matter containing these elements. Scientists have “created” new elements by loading their nucleii with protons; and sometimes that happens “naturally” due to radiation, but basically the heaviest naturally occuring element is uranium…am I right, geeks? Okay but let’s look at this less literally.

We are talking alchemical change. And I can tell you from experience that this is highly possible—it is in fact the goal of any metaphysician worth his salt to change his or her own (for the better) and help others do likewise. And yes, “getting the lead out” is more than just getting motivated and gaining momentum; it is about removing the obstacles, the impediments, to your being your most golden self. And, trust me on this, most impediments are conditioning you experienced at a very tender age that lodged in your subconsious (realm of Scorpio) and keep you from being who you truly are. So when people ask me what I do for a living, well, I actually don’t tell them that (while that’s mostly what I do do—loving any opportunity to type do do). And here’s why this is not only Scorpio at its root (if you’re a fan you’ll know that was nearly a pun) but so totally Sagittarian. Sagittarius is about shapeshifting. On the shadow side, it does factor into those lizard kings you’ve heard conspiracy theorists (who me?) go on about—Jim Morrison, the self-professed ironical Lizard King was a Sagittarius—but, you see, the Centaur really could take any form. It’s just that being man on top and horse on bottom probably had certain advantages. It might not be easy to make new elements but we can do it!, and at any moment, within ourselves.

Before I knew I was something of a metaphysician, denying all psychic ability in the process, I used to alight on spontaneous meditations, one of which entailed (embracing science!) getting into the head that I was made of matter which was made up of energy. And so I would just get my consciousness set on the purely energetic level of myself. There is no better way to tap into what physically ails you , and exactly where, than this meditation—if I felt a pain or a tear or something amiss in my physicality I would “sew it up” with golden threads. Having been in innumerable car accidents dating back to youth, there is always some point where a bone broke or a ligament tore or where I sustained a wound, requiring gads of stitches. And it’s usually that place that requires some alchemical treatment with my magical gold thread. Then I started taking it a step further. I began “bathing” my entire being in liquid golden light, imagining (as best I could) every single solitary cell in my body being washed with this liquid gold. There is no better spa treatment I can tell you. Try it.

Anyway, all this to talk about how real alchemy can be achieved, through the power of the (Sadge-ruled) higher mind that think-imagines or creatively visualizes or whatever turn of phrase you care to use. Then we can go a step further and make an intention with, say, that golden liquid light, suffusing it with (must be a noble!) purpose that is for the benefit of all beings. In other words if I suffuse the liquid gold with goodness or forgiveness or compassion or even confidence or health or resilience or fortitude, so long as these singular intentions are in the service of all…and the All…then one might find themselves transforming. There are other fun things one can do as well. One can suffuse this creative visualization with beauty; not for vanity sake, but so to be your most beautiful, perfect, spiritual in-and-out Self. Dang if people won’t ask you if you’ve had any work done. For reals.

Sagittarius is the mutable-fire sign, lest we forget. And it is an alchemical fire which purifies and transforms the very substance of man’s inner life. Being conditioned by influences in our youth already did create an alchemical transformation. If a child is left in a crib with no interaction there is no postive transformative, fire for instance. And, as a good deal of our conditioning might have been considered less-than positive, there comes a time when we have to purify ourselves in the fire of our own being. We must rise above the circumstances of our conditioning as we did down to root out those impurities in our alchemy. I believe this is one meaning of the mudra, one had extending up, one hand down, as above so below, even within our own chemistry. Above can mean our own higher mind which is leading the charge in changing our alchemy, and so, with that vision (mine is golden liquid and threads) we meditatively enter our own microcosmic world of swirling energy and see what we can find, loosen, eradicate and free! Love, that Cupid knocking in the previous symbol, will, in one fell swoop, inspire spontaenous alchemical change. When we feel love, we have love to give. Aint nothing wrong with that. It leads to compassion. We are spiritually mutating and indeed speciating along an upward spiral when our alchemy is purified. Sometimes it is purified in the humbling fires of our trials and tribulations. Suffering is inevitable, as Stella (or someone) says, whilst pain is a choice. The point is that our nature can change and we can be the main instrument for that change—it doesn’t have to happen to us via accident of falling madly in love. We can recognize the baser elements within ourselves, can we not, and make those changes accordingly. I know this sounds a bit nuts to some but I find it hard to accept cigarette smokers as being spiritual. We all do a lot of things that aren’t good for us; but somehow that one really takes the cake because there really is nothing about a cigarette that we can argue for positively. There may be benefits to good wine or a good bud. But I am seriously digressing. I should have stopped a few sentences ago. The point is we can be reborn of our own selves. We are self-gestating!

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At Sagittarius 7° Cupid Knocks At The Door Of A Human Heart, stirring up individual longings for romantic love. This oracle is aptly ruled by Libra in a twelve-fold sequence. Libra is ruled by Venus on the etheric astral plane (winged Cupid may signify winged thought, principles, abstracts) and indeed we are dealing here with an ideal love which is always, rather ironically, subjective, despite what might be perceived as an objectivity inherent in principles and ideals. Yes, we might collectively espouse certain beautiful ideas, such as harmony or democracy (both under the larger umbrella of “union” which is the centrifugal energy of Venus which rules Libra) or other such Venusian-Apollonian-Libran attributes; but when we are speaking about the individual heart, there is no consensus. Love is blind, as “seers” often are, in mythology, like Tierisias (who lived as both male and female) a prime archetype of Sagittarius which is third-eye beyond the duality of its so-called opposite sign of Gemini. I hope that wasn’t a lot to throw at you all at once. But Sagittarius is always hinged on looking “at life from both sides, now” and acting accordingly. The human heart, however is not an ordered thing.

Though the love that comes a knocking might be ideal, thus, a theoretical universal; the initiation will be as unique as any given individual. Unlike the cricket match in the previous symbol, we are not looking at some common goal or social value. The heart wants what it wants or, rather, given this image, the heart is stirred to want what it wants, without rhyme or reason. In a sense, all love is narcissistic, based on individual tastes and unconscious motivations. We love what complements each of us as lover. The “ideal” does not exist except in our projection. And why is love knocking not a mellow thing? It seems to breed some sort of emotional chaos. I think “stirring” is an understatement. To boot, nothing like falling in love to make you quit your cricket team. Too many of us chuck our boon companions and activities when love walks in the room. With a game of cricket there are many (ridiculous) rules; it makes quidditch look like dodge ball. (I can still feel the imprint of that bouncy red ball on my face, can you?) But in love, all rules are suspended—bets are off. The “intensity of feeling”, says Dane Rudhyar, is something “no group can arouse.” Apparently he’s never been to Provincetown.

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