28 May Intercourse of Opposites ~ May 29th – June 4th, 2017

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

In the forests of the night;

What immortal hand or eye,

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

This is the second week of Gemini season, the mutable air sign of communication and intelligence. In Gemini season, you learn that curiosity is to the mind what hunger is to the body. Thus, as the Sun traverses Gemini, your appetite for stimulating and transformative information will continue to grow. Fortunately, in a manner befitting Gemini’s penchant for ambidextrous mental activities, this week’s planetary aspects are very active and have a lot to offer anyone who is looking for paradigm shifting experiences!

The most significant aspect of the week is the Grand Fire Trine between Uranus in Aries, Saturn in Sagittarius, and the North Node in Leo. A Grand Fire Trine creates a harmonious energetic environment that favors passion, enthusiasm, and spiritual discovery! You might also say that is it is a configuration that encourages the expression of the divine spark of genius within.

But this week is not all ardor and joi de vivre. There is a lot of tension by way of the Mars/Saturn opposition, that cuts straight through this Grand Fire Trine. Thus, you may be greatly challenged or have to endure a trial before you feel like you can fully embrace your divine calling.

Gemini is symbolized by the twins, which explicitly inspire an examination of the reality of dualism and dichotomy. In the natural world, there are both lambs and tigers; peace and war.

To ponder the inherent duality in the world, it is always fruitful to read the work of the mystical poet, William Blake, who pondered the mysteries of the universe and wrote many philosophical poems that grappled with the dualistic nature of the human soul. His meditations on duality can be found in his epic poem, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, but it is also the theme which binds together his collection Songs of Innocence and Experience.

Blake’s Songs of Innocence attest to the sweetness and gentleness of life, where flowers and children bask in the loving embrace of the divine creator. In contrast, his Songs of Experience reveal the cruelty in the world, where people are abandoned to their misery and the apparent absence of God is greatly suffered.

In what distant deeps or skies.

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand, dare seize the fire?

Keeping in mind how much opposition there is astrologically, this week you may very well experience the starkness of life’s polarities. In order to inspire you to face the intense energies, I offer you The Tyger by William Blake, one of his Songs of Experience.

In his poem, The Tyger, Blake speaks directly to God, the Creator, asking many rhetorical questions about the Tyger’s origin and meaning. The poem describes a vision of a tyger in the night, a predator that evokes a terror so primal that it is compared to fire itself, a wild and destructive force in nature. In the midst of his fear, the poet confronts the reality of the ferocious and predatory side of nature. But this is not a moralistic message of good versus evil.

And what shoulder, & what art,

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

And when thy heart began to beat,

What dread hand? & what dread feet?

Though destructive tendencies may be easily associated with evil, in Blake’s poem the tyger symbolizes the aspect of the human spirit that remains wild and untamed by social conventions. The tyger will not be domesticated. Thus, this is Blake’s way of warning the reader not to suffer from the delusion that the world is entirely tame, gentle and orderly.

The vision of the tyger in the night is a defiance of Christian dogmatism as well the Enlightenment’s belief that everything can be known through Reason. The tyger is nothing like the Christian lamb and its instincts can not be understood by reason. By describing his fear of the Tyger, Blake acknowledges that there is always an element of chaos lurking within humanity.

What the hammer? what the chain,

In what furnace was thy brain?

What the anvil? what dread grasp,

Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

As a revolutionary in his time, there is no doubt that Blake intended the Tyger to be both feared and revered, much like carnal instinct itself. The ‘Tyger’ reveals the potent fire of divine imagination as being both creative and destructive.

Rather than attempting to define which aspect of duality was favorable, Blake wished to inspire an understanding of the symbiosis between innocence and experience. By meditating upon the issue of duality in nature, Blake intended for the reader to recognize the inherent mutability of God, the Creator.

 

When the stars threw down their spears

And water’d heaven with their tears:

Did he smile his work to see?

Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

During Gemini season, it is especially important to observe that it is through the intercourse of opposites that novelty, complexity and diversity are created. The oneness of nature is primary, but the interaction of opposites exists as the fundamental structure of all of creation. It is only through the fear of the tyger that a true love for the lamb can emerge.

Let this week be a time where you face opposition with full knowledge of its creative purpose. Remember that you, as a divine creator, will summon times of both joyful innocence and fearful experience. Recognize both as equally important for catalyzing your growth.

Tyger Tyger burning bright,

In the forests of the night:

What immortal hand or eye,

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

 

Monday/Tuesday: What The Hammer? What The Chain?

The week begins with a very tense opposition between Mars in Gemini and Saturn in Sagittarius, where an unstoppable force rushes headfirst into an immovable object. This Mars/Saturn opposition acts as a straight line that cuts through the current Grand Fire Trine between Uranus in Aries, Saturn in Sagittarius, and the North Node in Leo. When activated by an opposition at its center, a Grand Trine transforms into a configuration called a Kite, which adds a great deal of motivation and potential for catharsis. In this Kite configuration, the focal planet activating everything is Mars.

Thus, this week can become a victory and a triumph for overcoming great obstacles. Though the opposition between Mars and Saturn may be experienced as negating and frustrating, it is important to learn to synthesize these opposing forces by accepting challenges as opportunities to condition and strengthen your willpower.

On Tuesday, Mars will be further energized by an exact sextile to Uranus which will increase your desire for innovation and excitement. If there is something you need to cut from your life abruptly, this is a perfect aspect under which to do that. The element of chaos may be lurking, but it can easily be channeled into a very positive revolution in your life!

Wednesday/Thursday: And When Thy Heart Began To Beat

On Wednesday, Mercury in Taurus will trine Pluto in Capricorn creating ideal conditions for in-depth study. Your mind will be especially focused and penetrating at this time, accessing both intuition and rationale to guide your way into uncovering the truth. This would be a very good time to engage in deep conversations that delve into the mysterious. It is also a time when secrets have a way of emerging. If you are looking for a day to do some serious divination, these influences will empower your ability to receive the hidden information that you seek.

By Thursday Venus in Aries, now making her way through the final degrees of Aries, will join the Grand Fire Trine by conjuncting Uranus and trining Saturn and the North Node in Leo.

With this Venusian influence, you will find great beauty in the heat of the night. Venus will encourage you to endure your struggles and pains as a necessary part of a birthing process. With Venus’ powers of attraction now working in confluence with the harmonious Grand Fire Trine, you will feel that your efforts are ushering you towards a very favorable outcome. Expect volatile relationships to stabilize and financial pressures to lighten.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday: Water’d Heaven With Their Tears

On Saturday, whatever tension may have been building will break. A great wave of relief will be felt as the Sun in Gemini trines Jupiter in Gemini. This is a return to buoyant optimism and faith. Aside from feeling an expansion of your good spirits, you may find that great opportunities for growth also arrive in the form of luck or creative inspiration.

However, on Sunday, the Sun will square Neptune in Pisces, making the last day of the week feel a bit like a strange daydream. A hard aspect between the Sun and Neptune has a way of enticing you towards illusions and delusions. You may begin feeling this by doubting the integrity of yesterday’s optimism.

You may also find that you are more easily drawn into the imaginative realms of literature and film.

Concurrent to the Sun/Neptune square, Mars will transition into the maternal waters of Cancer. This will lighten the tension that was present all week considerably. But Mars is traditionally considered to be in its sign of fall in the nurturing realm of Cancer. Though this sounds somewhat ominous, in the experience of the collective this merely translates to a shift in the energies of martial instinct.

Rather than using your desire for success to gain new ground or level up, in Cancer, Mars is protective of whatever is vulnerable to attack. Thus, you may find yourself protecting your loved ones with more strength. Or you may find that you begin to fiercely defend your reputation or your creative time. When used wisely, Mars in Cancer can help you to create a safe environment for your inspirations to grow!

Whatever you do amidst these energies, emphasize creative and spiritual practices and Sunday should be a beautiful apostrophe to an intense period of growth.