12 Jun The Blood of a Poet ~ June 13th-19th, 2016
“Every poem is a coat of arms. It must be deciphered. How much blood, how many tears in exchange for these axes, these muzzles, these unicorns, these torches, these towers, these martlets, these seedlings of stars and these fields of blue!”― Jean Cocteau
This week will be most notably characterized by Neptune turning retrograde, which will remain tightly squared with Saturn until mid-July. This Neptune-Saturn square is the second in a series of three, the first one having happened in November 2015, the second one occurring presently and the final one culminating in September. This tense planetary aspect will not happen again for another 18 years, and so the shifts that are being catalyzed should be viewed as quite significant. There will be blood. There will be sacrifice. And it will all lead to glorious creation!
Neptune represents evanescent divinity, the window to imagination, whereas Saturn represents the crystallization of form, the hard limits of time and space. When these two energies merge in a struggle, you may find that a very self-conscious exploration of the unconscious is initiated. As the mythopoeic realm of the psyche begins to animate your mundane reality, some very strange things can happen. The world becomes both Paradise Lost and Paradise Found, emanating angelic beauty and demonic oppression. This period may seem disarming and fantastic as you experience many cathartic revelations.
How do you think you might react when your dreams are laid bare for intense scrutiny?
How do you think you will feel when you are forced to re-assess your ideals?
The positive side of such a transit is that it enables you to make an indelible exploration of the creative process. The artistic medium which best defines the tension between Neptune and Saturn is film, as it embodies the fluidity of human imagination whilst being bound to carefully composed and edited photography that flashes its frames in sequential order. If you can conceive of your life being akin to the heavy process of making a film, this Neptune/Saturn square ought to be quite fruitful. That means that your life’s narrative may become quite abstract and many of your ideas will end up on the cutting room floor, but there is a great invocation of your poetic spirit which will be artfully captured in light, symbol and motion.
For inspiration, consider the first film directed by French director Jean Cocteau, The Blood of a Poet (1930). Silent and surreal, this film begins with a title card which translates to:
“A realistic documentary of unreal situations”.
This is exactly the feeling of the current Neptune/Saturn square.
Though this film does not have a strict narrative, it evokes dream imagery to explore poetry, artistic creation, memory, death, and rebirth in four separate sequences. In the first scene, a sculptor is laboring to bring realism to the face of a statue and is shocked when his creation comes to life.
His invocation of the muse becomes a tangible reality. Immersed in Neptunian magic, the sculptor dives into a mirror and finds himself in a tangible world of his own unconscious, complete with winding halls and innumerable spirits. Behind every door there is a symbolic playact, mingling time and space, emphasizing the strange force which flows through the blood of every artist.
Cocteau once said, “Poets shed not only the red blood of their hearts but the white blood of their souls.”
Let this week be a conscious effort to allow reality and dreams to bleed into one another, pouring your heart into every day and your soul into every night. The struggle between the forces of life and the forces of death is the ambrosia of divine inspiration.
Monday/Tuesday: The Wounded Hand or, The Scars of the Poet
At the beginning of this week, Neptune will retrograde. This change in Neptune’s motion is like watching the early morning mist evaporate in the sunrise. The landscape beneath the veils of Neptune’s shimmering mysticism will emerge, offering you a sobering revelation. Some idealism, fantasy, or delusion will lose its luster and you will be better able to comprehend the dimensions of your imagination. Use these days to rescue yourself from denial and begin a dramatic process of recovery. The Neptune retrograde will span five months, so you will have all the time you need to achieve dramatic results from your newly awakened state.
Wednesday/Thursday: The Red Blood of the Heart
In the middle of the week, the waxing Moon will be Scorpio, churning up some of the deeper waters of emotion. The Moon is building up to the second Full Moon in Sagittarius, so whatever intentions you set at the last New Moon may be making themselves obviously manifest in your life by now. The Scorpio Moon will trine Neptune in Pisces, blessing you with an uncanny instinct or intuition about an important decision that must be made. It is essential to let your feelings be your guide, lest you miss this opportunity to do the right thing with full awareness of your surroundings.
Friday/Saturday/Sunday: The White Blood of the Soul
Friday brings softness and comfort to this overstimulating week. Venus will enter into the sign of Cancer, emphasizing the sweetness and nurturing that blossoms in the heart of true love. There will be great pleasure taken in staying close to home, nestled in with loved ones, and sharing simple moments with dear friends.
On Saturday, the Moon in Sagittarius (almost full) will illuminate the Mutable Grand Cross as it conjuncts Saturn, opposes Mercury in Gemini and squares Neptune in Pisces. Many proverbial doors will fly open under this influence, thus creating a great sense of possibility followed by the inertia of having too many choices.
The strength of the Mutable Grand Cross is found in the qualities of adaptability and flexibility, but try not to commit yourself to everything all at once. You are capable of extraordinary things, but it will require some very ordinary steps in order to accomplish any of them. Move carefully and look to Venus’ transit through Cancer for wisdom. Amidst all the excitement, Venus advises that you stay nourished, stay warm and be comforted by the many positive changes occurring in your life.
On Sunday, the Sagittarius Moon will square Jupiter in Virgo in the morning and trine Uranus in Aries in the evening. Your soul will burn brightly this day, loudly calling for the freedom to be more expressive and expansive. You will feel yourself as the vehicle for inspiration, rather than the originator of it. The creative process in your life is the dangerous, painful and glorious path that leads you to the waters of immortality. Make meaning out of your life and enjoy the journey.