When you draw this card, you are "now presented with the opportunity to see life in all its dimensions, from the depths to the heights. They exits together, and when we come to know from experience that the dark and the difficult are needed as much as the light and easy, then we begin to have a very different perspective on the world." (Osho Handbook, 26) Recently I have been engaged in a blog discussion about an Astrological reading done by Jamie Partridge of Darkstar Astrology about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Jaime's interpretation of Ahmadinejad's chart is very thought provoking and I recommend reading it to understand why this card resonates so powerfully with me, especially if you read all the blog comments.
As a professional astrologer myself, I am certainly feeling a heavy dose of the heavy-handedness of the universe right now. I just finished a blog entry myself about Saturn and Pluto and it doesn't get much "darker" than talking about those two energy points in some kind of relationship. The most recent aspect was a square (Saturn in Libra to Pluto in Capricorn). Steven Forrest does not mince words about this aspect in the Inner Sky, where he states flatly that the square is about combative, enemies energy. On its best day the square probably would describe two hard fighting gladiators, who, at the end of the contest, if both are still alive, respect each other for going all out against one another. On the lower vibration, you get gridlock in Washington and little real forward movement on some very big problems.
This card reminds me that we need Recessions and Depressions when we go too far and we have clearly gone too far. Just yesterday, I heard that temperatures in LA, Ca peaked at 113. This morning, while doing my Tai Chi, I had the thought that global warming is the Earth's equivalent of a fever to get rid of an infection. And you know who/what the infection is! Fevers serve a purpose; Ahmadinejad is serving a purpose; the Great Recession is serving a purpose. That purpose is to help all of us attain a New Vision. For me the New Vision involves some old concepts mingled with new technologies: Intentional Communities re-localizing food production/consumption while having access to knowledge and people from around the world via the Internet and Mobile Phones. We need to slow down our material consumption to speed up our spiritual growth. We need more time with family and friends we choose/intend and less time looking to be "entertained" or "meeting obligations" that clearly do not help or support our own personal development.
In traditional decks, this card is represented as The Hanged Man, which I always describe to clients as "Knowing Sacrifice;" something conscientious parents understand all too well. I knowingly and happily sacrificed my academic career for my family; I have a long vision for the future that sees great gifts in wise sacrifices in these current moments. We need New Vision and it may take some darkness for us to see the the light we cannot currently see because of all the "glitzy" lights trying to distract us that have been part of our behavior since 2001 and Pluto's journey through Sagittarius. What does your New Vision look like?
Thanks for the link Philip. That interp on Saturn square Pluto is spot on, can get any heavier than that. I always look at those transits first in natal and mundane charts because I think they are the major influence. I call them the "hard hitters" in astrology.
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