04 Dec Give Me Truth ~ December 5th -11th, 2016

The Poem I Would Have Writ

My life has been the poem I would have writ

But I could not both live and utter it.

— Henry David Thoreau (1841)

This week Venus will enter Aquarius, where she will join Mars in the realm of intellectual experimentation and divine isolation. And as the Sun makes a conjunction with Saturn in Sagittarius, your voracious  hunger for truth will be tempered by an austere sense of responsibility to get into better rhythm with the laws of the universe.

Under this influence, naive spiritual flirtations and sophistry will be discouraged. However, in the absence of such frivolous activities, a very practical and functional cosmology may emerge to offer you solace, discipline, and purpose. 

An example of a cosmology which might satisfy the Aquarian urge for innovation as well as the Sagittarian urge to discover expansive divinity, consider the life and works of Henry David Thoreau, neighbor and student of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and one of the premier American Transcendentalists.

“There is in my nature, methinks, a singular yearning toward all wildness.”

In the early to mid-19th Century, Transcendentalism was a radical movement of intellectuals and artists who were inspired to bring the passion of revelation back into religion and to influence huge social reforms, including the abolition of slavery and the education of women.

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”

Thoreau was a natural born poet, living his whole life in pursuit of ultimate Truth. As a child he would lay awake at night, “looking through the stars to see if [he] could see God behind them.”  Transcendentalism was the 19th century American version of Romanticism, which held onto the Neoplatonic view of the world as being divided between the material and the spiritual realms. Thus, the Transcendentalists emphasized the superiority of spiritual experience over material experience.

“True verses are not counted on the poet’s fingers- but on his heart strings.”

Transcendentalism was a system of thought that merged paganism, Christian mysticism, philosophical skepticism, and the sacred wisdom of the Upanishads with a foundational belief in human equality. Thoreau believed that Nature was synonymous with God, an omnipresent divinity that he often described as “wild!”.

“Life consists with wildness, The most alive is the wildest.”

Thoreau’s spirituality was one of wildness. Thus, in his mind, the wildest is that which is most in tune with God. Conversely, what is removed from wildness is therefore far removed from divinity.

“Our village life would stagnate if it were not for the unexplored forests and meadows which surround it. We need the tonic of wildness. . . At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable. . .”

In the modern world, without the tonic of wildness to explore, most of us do indeed fight debilitating stagnation. And yet, we persist in our folly, continuing to urbanize, pollute, and desecrate all the wildness. If everyone believed that nature was God, would we still do so?

Isn’t it interesting that Transcendentalism, with its disdain for urbanization, materialism and social inequality, is in many ways still as radical and progressive against the status quo as it was 150 years ago?

Thoreau did not even believe that his poems and prose represented his legacy of work.

“The true poem is not that which the public read. There is always a poem not printed on paper, coincident with the production of this, stereotyped in the poet’s life. It is what he has become through his work. . . His true work will not stand in any prince’s gallery.”

Imagine creating great art, motivated only by the alchemical and spiritual transformation that the process allowed.

This week, these are the kinds of ideas that will brighten the flames of Sagittarius and stir the intellectual breezes of Aquarius.

Monday/Tuesday: This World is but Canvas to Our Imaginations.

On Monday, the waxing Moon will be in innovative and visionary Aquarius, beginning the week with a most eccentric mood. You may be graced with an oddly objective perspective, one that perceives the human spirit and the soul of the universe as being coiled together in an eternal spiral.

On Tuesday, Mars in Aquarius will be sextiling Uranus in Aries. If you are looking for an influence to aid you in your explorations of wildness, this one is absolutely perfect! If you are unable to escape into nature, you may still explore the wildness within. “There is in my nature, methinks, a singular yearning toward all wildness.”

Your energies will be excited by novelty, surprise, and stimulating sensorial experiences. Feed your need for the extraordinary and give yourself a break from the mundane.

Wednesday/Thursday: Wealth is the Ability to Fully Experience Life

On Wednesday, Venus moves moves out of Capricorn and into Aquarius! Here, the concerns for material wealth and other physical signifiers of success will shift in perspective towards more idealistic and humanitarian aims.

In Aquarius, Venus begins to find value in what has been outcast to the fringes of society. Beautiful and poised in this search, Venus glides upon the leading edges of thought, looking for unrecognized genius.

Thus during the middle of the week, you may begin entertaining more experimental notions about how to attract good fortune into your life. You may also find yourself keeping more eccentric company and you may even be drawn to reinvent your aesthetics.

With both Mars and Venus in Aquarius, over the next couple weeks there is a lot of potent creativity to be found in any act of innovation and in any exploration of the wildness.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday: My Thanksgiving is Perpetual

The weekend begins with the Sun in Sagittarius’ exact conjunction with Saturn. While Saturn does bring a certain darkness and heaviness to the Sun’s light, this is the perfect transit to begin attending to your responsibilities.

It has been one year since the Sun was conjunct Saturn and thus, you may be called to really reflect on how much you have done to improve yourself, master a skill, and/or become more independent.

If you have made great efforts, but have still not achieved the level of success that you desire, use this conjunction to find the strength to continue on with more focus and efficiency.

If you have achieved great success due to your hard work over the last year, take time to express gratitude but do not be caught resting on your laurels. Saturn demands continuous work that is derived from a place of humility.

On Friday, the Sun/Saturn conjunction in Sagittarius will be sextiling Jupiter in Libra. This will bring a sense of optimism about your current work! Whatever you devote yourself to will be enlivened by a vision of great success. The fruits of your labors may not yet be visible, but under this influence you may cultivate much that will be well worth the effort

No matter how bleak the world may yet appear, let the holiday spirit pour forth in generosity and good cheer!

On Saturday, Mercury in Capricorn will sextile Neptune in Pisces. This aspect between earthy intellect (Mercury) and glimmering mystery (Neptune) may lead you to spend your weekend in a warm bath of creative splendor.

This is a perfect influence to write poetry or play music under, as you will be more easily absorbed into the mind of the Muse.

However it is that you choose to get lost, know that both wandering and dreaming are  explorations of the wildness. Do so with love and enjoy the beautiful transformations you can experience through your work.

On Sunday, the Sun in Sagittarius will be applying to trine Uranus in Aries, which may increase your desire to seek a little more excitement. With Venus and Mars in Aquarius steadily influencing you to innovate, this additional aspect may really spark something that alters your expectations.

Be open minded and forever inspired! Let your creativity and your thanksgiving be perpetual.

*All landscapes by Thomas Cole

**All women by Charles Courtney Curran