Fires of Scorpio

The golden days of October are gradually yielding to Winter's dark embrace; it will be 6 months before Sun lovers again adorn the beaches and coves of South Devon - yet a few hardy Winter Swimmers will continue the daily homage to the sea, La Mer.
1 November , to the Celts, was/is the beginning of Winter, a time, when the veil is thin, to remember the departed, the Ancestors. The fires of Scorpio are, of course, a salute to the life-giving Sun, which returns in strength in early May when Taurus hosts the Divine Orb, causing Nature to don her new Gown - and Morris Men to leap and jingle in faithful celebration of Summer reborn.
Death and Rebirth - and change the only constant - the essence of our experience in this, the Physical world. The Eternal self , the still point in the centre of the turning wheel, sits calm, uninvolved in the "struggle", the many lives as spokes, radiating out to touch the rim of close engagement with the gritty old world. A part of us that was never born and has never "died", observing , with compassion, the progress of the Little Self along the varied road of Life.

Still one more Conjunction of Jupiter and Neptune, in 24 Degrees Aquarius, to come, on 21 Dec. 2009, the day of the Winter Solstice, the major turning point of the calendar, with "wounded healer"/inspired Educator Chiron close by. A Day of spectacular aspects, appropriate for affirming the Good, invoking LIGHT, setting forth our intentions for 2010.

Have just become a Grandfather for the first time, on 23 October - my "middle" son Hugh and his partner Ulrika have given life to a baby girl - a new stage of life for all concerned, many lives are touched by a new Arrival. One can only salute the soul who takes the plunge into the Physical world and marvel at the ingenious way in which the God, or Goddess, has devised the means of perpetuating the species/all species on this Planet,which is evidently a great Cosmic Laboratory /Nursery for a multitude of life-forms including our own.
If only we can maintain the Love, on every level for the duration of a lifetime. It's a condition to aspire to, and, while on that subject, I am keeping an eye on the Venus-Jupiter Trine on 29 October, and, later, the Venus-Neptune Trine on 2 November 2009- neither aspect incompatible with gifts and blessings of the Spirit, especially in the case of the latter, Venus being "at home" in the Sign of Libra on both occasions. I am curious as to what, if anything, you notice on/ around those dates?


Trust you are benefitting from these musings of old Og the Blog ...

All Good Wishes - David.

Fruits and Fire Festivals

Hello, Friends- a few observations to share as we (in the Northern Hemisphere) head into the Season of Lights - the Lights that lighten the darkness:- the Fires of November and the Candles of December. The Libran Sun now brings the time of Fruits - in Devon the Apple Festivals are under way and continue until the end of October. Try the Cockington Festival on Sunday 18 Oct. ( No, Torbay Tourist Office are not paying me for this !).

Saturn will enter Libra on 29 October at 17.09 UT, concluding its 2 year overhaul of Virgo , where its concerns have included :-Public Health, Armed Services, what our "Public Servants" have been up to, and, of course, Environmental Issues (whether or not you subscribe to the "Global Warming" concept). Perhaps the Sun has something to do with it ?? After a brief re-visit to Virgo from 7 April to 21 July 2010-just to check that we are at least thinking about growing our own vegetables and thinking twice about chucking out perfectly good food -Saturn shuffles on into Libra to focus on the issue of Fair Play (deep down the British know what this means...).

When in Libra, Saturn "tests" the balance of most things within our lives - a kind of Cosmic Weights and Measures Inspector. Saturn Libra suggests poise, deliberation over legal and ethical issues ; commitment or not within relationships; calm and impartial asessment of one's own, and other's positions. However-"The stars impel- they do not compel" - much depends on one's inner orientation towards values of the Spirit, the Eternal values which are of the Light which never fails, always has been, and always will be.Was Jesus a Libran ?Did he visit Cornwall/Devon??Perhaps there is some truth in the legend he and Joseph of Arimathea visited Looe Island. I was there recently and could see ( I venture to say) the event registered on the "ether".


The next session of Totnes Astrology, here at 6 Plymouth Road, Totnes, at 7.45 P.M. on Fri. 16 October £10/£8- is upon the subject "Saturn in Libra", plus an update on Pluto in Capricorn (the restructuring of just about everything over the next several years) plus some other "goodies"
from the Astrological Agenda.tel. 01803 867145.


Hope you are well and feel Blogworthy/Blogready - As Ever, David.

Sparrows and Saints

Hello, friend;- if you can bear it, some more insights from an overflowing drawer of Astrological/Spiritual bric-a-brac .Lifetimes of experience lie behind each of us -no time like the present to bring those abilities into the Light.(...no more hiding that Light under the proverbial Bushel...?).

Today, 4 October, is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.Also the Full Moon of Libra- Moon in Aries.The old Christian Calendar is gradually fading out as a new Paradigm -Circular, rather than Cruciform, comes into focus (six Billion seats at the Round Table..), yet it's probably worth a moment to consider the life and example of Francis. The Assisi Earthquake of a few years ago also rattled the teacups in Totnes - via a subterranean connection ?

The Sabian Symbol for the Sun at 11 degrees Libra at this Full Moon at 07:10 BST is "Miners emerging from a deep Coal Mine"; while the Moon's Symbol for the opposite degree is " A triangularly shaped flight of wild Geese - a symbol of Cosmic Order".. From the depths to the heights- from the relative gloom and heavy toil of the "mine" to the freedom of the air as ideas and GROUPS of like-minded souls take flight in response to the Cosmic imperative. Interesting, and I hope you enjoy, as I do, this way of evaluating Astrological patterns.

This Full Moon, in addition, is significant for the United Kingdom, especially. (Chart for 1 January 1801, Asc.7 degrees Libra..) more on this chart later. Albion awakening ?

Many thanks for your kind attention.. All the Best -David Matthews (aka OG.).

Mercury has now completed its Retrograde journey - having backtracked from 6 Degrees Libra to 21 Degrees Virgo from 7-29 September. Mercury performs this Retrograde(backward) journey 3 times a year, for 3 weeks or so each time as it loops in between the Earth and the Sun - creating the illusion, from our Earth-based perspective, that it is moving backward.Retrograde periods are often marked by delays in communication or transportation; people or items from "the past" turn up; unusual insights can occur and "Mercurial Mischief" is afoot, generally.
During the recent Retrograde period my radio/tape deck went bonkers and had to be replaced; I "bumped into" Prince Charles twice in one day in Exeter; visited an old Tumulus on a hill near Looe, gaining much insight concerning past visitors to the site (how about the young Jesus and Uncle Joseph of Arimathea ?) :attended an excellent talk on "Mystery Schools" at the Torquay Theosophical Society; watched series 2 of "Merlin" on BBC 1; and , on 29 September, Michaelmas Day, at St. Michael's Mount, met Hamish Miller at the Chapel there, later, as Mercury turned Direct, was sitting in a quiet corner by the Castle, sensing the currents and exhilarating power of the several great "Ley Lines" which meet on the Mount..

A cornucopia of Mercurial Magic, on this occasion, assisted by Jupiter/Neptune Chiron in Aquarius. Have you been quickened by a quotient of quixotic quicksilver quiddity of Mercury, messenger, Psychopomp,and possibly, Avatar of Alliteration ?