03 Feb Rapture on the Lonely Shore ~ February 4th-10th, 2019
There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar:
I love not Man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal.
-Excerpt from Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage by Lord Byron
This week begins with the New Moon in Aquarius, taking flight upon a breeze that seems headed towards the horizon. In Aquarius, the air is thin and cold, as fluttering and fragile as a butterfly. Yet it goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes. That’s the beauty of it.
This week is enriched by this fresh air of freedom. Aerated and unbound, your imagination will begin to flower with new forms and ideas. And yet it is the ineffable and inexplicable that the spirit of Aquarius truly craves.
You can hear this craving for the ineffable in the song Jynweythek Ylow by Aphex Twin, one of the most acclaimed electronic music artists of all time. In his typically frantic repertoire of sound, this wordless and ethereal interlude stands out as unique.
It sounds like a music box, recalling history’s first wave of mechanical music. The song lightly traces its steps upon the shores between worlds. In true Aquarian style, Jynweythek Ylow mingles the soul of past with the spirit of the future.
Under its crystalline spell, a wistful veil of feeling descends. But what feeling is it? The boundaries between joy and sorrow, sophistication and innocence are beautifully blurred.
The indefinable quality of emotion that emerges is what feeds the New Moon in Aquarius best. As the artist behind Aphex Twin, Richard D. James once said:
“The best music evokes feelings where you’re not quite sure what the emotion is.”
During Aquarius season, you don’t have to be sure of your emotions. All you’re required to do is remain open to them.
To inspire more openness to uncertain emotions, examine the life and work of the legendary poet Lord Byron who had his natal Sun, Venus, Saturn, and Pluto in Aquarius.
As a consummate Aquarian, Lord Byron lived a life of genius and exile. He was notorious for his unwise financial decisions, bisexuality, and an incestuous love affair that led to his expulsion from England.
Like it or not, Aquarius defies conventionality, creating a unique vision of beauty and wonder from places on the outskirts, where space and solitude are plentiful.
Though the desire for solitude may be more pronounced in those who have a lot of Aquarian placements, the need for wide open space and quiet is a universal human need. This climactic bliss of the Aquarian spirit is expressed in Byron’s fourth canto of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. It begins with:
There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar
Freed from convention, tradition and routine, the pleasure in the pathless woods is an immersion into the wild web of nature, a tangle of fear and excitement. In the very next line, Byron imbues the image of a lonely shore with a feeling of intense joy.
I love not Man the less, but Nature more…
This poem celebrates solitude as an opportunity for revelation. In the vast emptiness, a deep peace emerges and the exquisite music of nature can finally be heard. And the best music evokes feelings where you’re not quite sure what the emotion is.
Monday/Tuesday: Rapture on the Lonely Shore
New Moons occur when the Sun and Moon unify at the same degree. They represent the beginning of a fresh cycle of creative and emotional energy. It is time to ask new questions and plant new seeds of intention.
According to Chinese astrology, this New Moon in Aquarius begins the year of the Golden Pig, a rarified season of good fortune, fertility and prosperity that aligns once every 600 years.
Whatever your cultural background, celebrate this New Moon as a moment to welcome many blessings for the upcoming year.
This good fortune will first arise as freedom from the immense gravitational pull of January’s eclipses. And with this New Moon making beautiful supportive aspects to Mercury and Jupiter, the seeds of increased intellect, prosperity and wisdom will begin to flourish.
Wednesday/Thursday: Mingle with the Universe
On Thursday, the traditional planetary day of Jupiter, the Sun in Aquarius will sextile Jupiter in Sagittarius. These are conditions that promote vibrancy and a great generosity of spirit.
Expect signs and symbols of good luck and good fortune to abound. Remember that anything loving or creative that you do at this time will be blessed.
Concurrently, Mercury in Aquarius will sextile Mars in Aries, increasing the force and speed of your intellect. This creates a climate of mental prowess that increases your motivation to succeed. You can use this forceful and ambitious energy to accomplish anything that requires courage and intellect. All forms of study and business will be favored.
Friday/Saturday/Sunday: Deep Sea and Music
The middle of the week is very fortunate, but the first ripples of instability begin to emerge on Friday as Mars squares the the nodes of the Moon and inches closer to Uranus. Though the Uranus conjunction will not perfect until next week, the square to the nodes will create a volatile and unstable atmosphere where conflicts from the past may erupt as an obstacle to be dealt with.
To add to the high-frequency of this period, Mercury in the last degree of Aquarius will sextile Uranus. This opens a hyper-dimensional electrical current, perfect for inspiring revelations, epiphanies and invention. Expect the unexpected and you’re world will be lit up by this stimulating energy.
On Sunday, sparks of Uranus will cool down a bit as Mercury slips into Pisces. Mercury will remain in this sign for the next two months, so this ingress begins a season of exploration in the abyss.
Mercury is debilitated in Pisces, for there is no point of perspective in these dissolute waters. There is no certain direction, no particular order to the language at all. In Pisces, your cup is filled with dream imagery.
You may find yourself easily drifting, clear thinking and organized ideas dissolving into vaporous fantasies, stories and songs. During this transit, you may be deeply inspired. But you may need to be more careful with how you use your time.
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