Cave of the Nymphs ~ June 19th-25th, 2017

18 Jun Cave of the Nymphs ~ June 19th-25th, 2017

Posted at 09:21h in Weekly Readings by aeolianheart@gmail.com

We lived our little drama, we kissed in a field of white

And stars fell on Alabama last night

This is a glorious week, glowing with the light of a loving caress! The whole world will seem to blush from the Sun’s soft kisses and in this warmth your spirit will bloom. This is the week of the solstice and the New Moon, offering a monumental opportunity to welcome a flourishing transition in your life. However this may manifest in your personal life, get ready to welcome the tender light of Cancer season.

In the watery realms of Cancer, a new complexity of emotions may arise. To better appreciate this swell of feeling, open up to a softer ambiance, to daydreaming and mood music. The maternal wisdom of Cancer teaches that the act of opening your heart to love is achingly bittersweet. Thus, to attune to the depth of feeling that can encompass the whole repertoire of life’s love and sorrow, there is no voice more healing than that of Billie Holiday, who sang the blues like nobody else before or after.

I can’t forget the glamor, your eyes held a tender light

During Cancer season you may begin to appreciate more of life’s tenderness, gently admiring the bright and curling tendrils of creation. Let the night sky cease to be Gemini’s astronomical map, allowing the heavens to become transfigured by the music of moonlight. Let the glitter of falling stars carry all your brightest wishes to the earth below.

And stars fell on Alabama last night

Solstices are the moments of the year when the Sun reaches its apex or nadir and the hours of day and night reach their maximum inequality. The solstices herald the change of seasons. In the northern hemisphere, the June solstice is the longest day of the year.

After this triumphant apex, the Sun’s light will begin to wane and the days will slowly ripen into the golden warmth of summer. Things begin to get dreamy when the greatest star in the heavens (sol) begins to descend.

I never planned in my imagination a situation so heavenly

A fairy land where no one else could enter

And in the center just you and me, dear

The solstice will occur on Tuesday, June 20th at 9:23 PM PST. As the Sun is exalted by this apex, the zodiacal season will shift from Gemini into the moist and aqueous realm of Cancer. Expect to feel a condensation of desire, a languorous delight in the most primal of feelings.

The zodiac itself represents the great mythological arc of the Sun. The two most important points along the Sun’s journey around the ecliptic are the solstices, marking the ascent of the Sun in winter and the descent of the Sun in summer.

In ancient cosmology, the solstices were visualized as gates or portals through which the Sun (the Soul/Sol) would pass through each year. The gates that marked these great shifts in the Sun’s journey are still known today as the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

Note that the Tropic of Cancer and its opposite the Tropic of Capricorn represent the exact latitudes where the Sun (sol) reaches its solstices. The Tropic of Cancer is the most northerly circle of latitude on the Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. The Sun only reaches the Tropic of Cancer at the solstice on June 21st.

In ancient star lore and theology, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, were sometimes referred to as the two entrances to the Cave of the Nymphs, a mythical place that described the journey of the soul’s (sol) generation into physical form.

The pre-eminent reference to the Cave of the Nymphs comes from a brief passage in Homer’s Odyssey, which later became the subject of highly detailed interpretations from Neoplatonic and Neopythagorean philosophers. As a classical example of a hero’s journey, the Odyssey can easily be read as a metaphor for the Sun’s (Sol) or the human soul’s evolution.

The 3rd Century scholar, Porphyry, wrote volumes on the esoteric meaning of the Odyssey. His commentary on Homer’s description of the Cave of the Nymphs leads the reader through an ancient theological understanding of the soul and its process of generation into physical form.

In the ancient world, the signs of Cancer and Capricorn linked the microcosm to the macrocosm. The former represented the earthly material realm and the latter represented the immortal heavenly realm. Thus, the signs of Cancer and Capricorn facilitated the perpetual cycle of souls through birth and death; from the descent into matter to the ascent back into heaven.

Birth was when souls descended to Earth through the gates of Cancer.

That to the north is pervious by mankind: (Homer)

And death was when souls ascended into heaven through the gates of Capricorn.

The sacred south t’immortals is consign’d (Homer)

Thus, the Cave of the Nymphs, with its northern and southern portals, illustrates a kind of metaphysical distillation process: the immaterial soul (sol) descends from Heaven into Earthly life (Cancer) and then from Earthly life back up to Heaven.(Capricorn)

“The Stoics assert that the sun is nourished by the exhalation of the sea; the moon from the effluvia of fountains and rivers; but the stars from the exhalation of the earth…”

– Porphyry

The Cave of the Nymphs is thus entered and exited through Cancer and Capricorn, the gates of the souls or solstices. Cancer being the gate of the soul’s descent, represents how the heaviness of desire condenses into the moisture of physical life.

So let it be understood, that the time of the Sun’s passage through the Tropic of Cancer is a fructifying moment when your soul will be enriched by a newfound longing for embodiment.

My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound around you tight

And stars fell on Alabama last night

Monday/Tuesday: Your Eyes Held a Tender Light

The week begins with a veil of softness and blurred beauty as Venus in Taurus sextiles Neptune in Pisces. Venus in her sign of rulership is a strong placement for attracting good fortune and love to anyone who makes any effort to cultivate appreciation for the refined expressions of love and art. In this harmonious relationship to Neptune, you may find yourself mystified, caught in a daydream. But this will be a dream that has many auguries of joy, so feel free to luxuriate in this visionary haze.

Mercury, in the final degrees of Gemini will also be making a sextile to Uranus in Aries, adding a flash of brightness to your instinct and intuition. The more novel and innovative your ideas, the more support there will be.

On Tuesday night, the Sun will enter into Cancer, marking the moment of the solstice and a tremendous shift from mental quickness to emotional depth. Life should become more lyrical and romantic. Things begin to ripen, growing sweeter and softer.

Wednesday/Thursday: Tropic of Cancer

Mercury enters Cancer early on Wednesday, conjuncting the Sun. The frantic mental chatter of Gemini will smooth in a long exhalation. With Mercury in Cancer during the window of the solstice, expect your thoughts to become oriented towards the fulfillment of finding peace of mind and comfort. Your mind may meander along paths of reminiscence and sentiment.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday: And Stars Fell…

Friday brings the New Moon in Cancer, a lunation that is especially sensitive, emotional and revelatory. New Moons are the time to plant seeds of intention and to begin new cycles. In Cancer, the New Moon will be oriented towards nurturing something that you love dearly, cultivating seeds of intention into delectable fruits of the spirit!

The dreams that you dream at this New Moon offer a special vision of good fortune and joy. All you have to do is remain receptive to the glory that is already within you.

I never planned in my imagination a situation so heavenly

A fairy land where no one else could enter

And in the center just you and me, dear

With the New Moon in its sign of rulership, a fountain of love will emerge to refresh you. In this flow of renewal, let yourself become heavy with potential and ensconced in a womb of creation. With the Moon so well placed, you may get lost in imagination, languorously drawing your desires towards you upon the waves of Cancer’s gentle tides.

On Saturday, Venus in Taurus will trine Pluto in Capricorn, offering a perfect moment to experience a catharsis in your relationship to sex, money, and power. Your conversations will be intimate and intense. Your insight into the unseen and unspoken elements of life will be penetrating, bringing your powers of seduction into full bloom.

With Venus in such a strong placement in her sign of rulership, you will feel the goddess Fortuna smiling down upon you.

On Sunday, Mars in Cancer will square Jupiter in Libra. This is a strong aspect to begin taking more direct action towards attaining a great dream. A new wealth of confidence and bravado will be available now. However, with Mars in Cancer, your instincts may be oriented towards protecting and strengthening something that is already dear to you. Your will to remain devoted to your spiritual and artistic development will be made very strong. Thus, you will be gifted with the ability to say no to those who would rob you of your peace.

All in all, it is a strong exclamation point to punctuate a magical week!

Much love to you all,

Aeolian Heart