06 Aug Like a Prayer ~ August 5th-11th, 2019

Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone

I hear you call my name

And it feels like home

This week, Jupiter stations direct in the mutable fire sign of Sagittarius. Since April, when his retrograde began, so much outward expansion and opportunity has been restrained. But now, the planet of wisdom and expansion returns to his forward momentum, ushering in a rushing wave of flourishing development.

With the Sun also enthroned in Leo, this week the skies are filled with the promise of good fortune and golden opportunity! In certain moments, you will feel the heavenly and divine influences.

In the midnight hour I can feel your power

Just like a prayer you know I’ll take you there

Jupiter is enthroned in Sagittarius, where his energies are expressed through exultant grace, benevolence and charisma. Jupiter’s transit through his sign of rulership inspires the growth of one’s philosophical capacity. 

The retrograde period from April ‘til now has been burdened by questions and a thirst for deeper meaning. Now that Jupiter is direct, life will seem to come alive with illuminated truth and a feeling of purpose. As Plato once remarked, 

“the beginning of every kind of philosophy is wonder.”

In Sagittarius, Jupiter expands the eternal flame within, opening your heart to the beauty and magnificence of life. Feel greatly encouraged by your heart’s renewed desire for the creation and procreation of joy!

In the classical world there was a common saying that read:

Iovis omnia plena

(all things are full of Jupiter)

It is in the fires of Sagittarius where the mind and the heart are melted together in perfect unity. One of Jupiter’s gifts is the conception of holiness or wholeness in one’s being. The holiness of Jupiter is what gives rise to the experience of faith.

This is a beautiful week to recover lost faith and to express your gratitude through  genuine devotion to the benevolence in the universe. Lifting up your heart to the divine in a moment of joy and appreciation is a perfect way to connect to Jupiter in Sagittarius. Not all prayers and enchantments need to be petitions. Sometimes prayer is just giving thanks. 

Just like a prayer, your voice can take me there

The religious fervor that arises during Jupiter’s transit through Sagittarius asks you to reach far beyond textual dogmas, extending one’s experience into the mysteries of the cosmos.

Religious visions and esoteric knowledge are supported by Jupiter’s expansiveness. As the Hermetic scholar Patrick Harbur notes, 

“every object is imbued with significance and importance. Everything is a presence. Everything is ensouled. In religious language, everything is holy—sometimes filled with as much holy dread as holy joy…”

In ancient Hermetic wisdom, every individual is a microcosm of the universe and all its patterns of creation. Every person was said to contain both Spirit and Soul. And just as in procreation, when the Spirit and Soul of a person were unified, a new being of wholeness and holiness was born!

Now I’m dancing

Though these terms are used interchangeably and without precision most of the time, in Hermetic philosophy the Spirit and Soul were described as having specific characteristics and attributes.

Your Soul is feminine, dreaming of the world through myth and symbols. The Soul loves the past and remembers the way things were.

Just like a muse to me, you are a mystery

Your Spirit envisions the future, struggling to become free and live in an elevated state beyond the world. Your Spirit looks up towards the divine.

Just like a prayer, no choice your voice can take me there

Spirit and Soul seem to have their own worlds. But when they are divided, great suffering ensues. They need one another to experience wholeness.

As the psychologist Thomas Moore describes:

“In our spirituality, we reach for consciousness, awareness, and the highest values; in our soulfulness, we endure the most pleasurable and the most exhausting of human experiences… [Spirit and Soul] make up the fundamental pulse of human life, and they have an attraction to each other.”

Therefore, no matter how divided you may become, your Spirit and Soul remain attracted to each other and are moved by their desire to find union.

This was the ultimate goal of the ancient art of alchemy, which was a process of bringing Spirit and Soul together to create wholeness and holiness. This alchemical journey was symbolically depicted as a romance between a divine king and queen.

(all things are full of Jupiter)

In alchemy, this union of the divine king and queen was called the alchemical marriage, reminding you that the secret to successful procreation is love. Love is the energy that weaves everything together, bringing the creative forces of Spirit and Soul together in blissful union.

When you call my name it’s like a little prayer

As the soundtrack for this week, I offer Madonna’s, Like a Prayer which really evokes the mythic and sexual qualities of the alchemical romance of Spirit and Soul. The song was released in 1989 and was as popular as it was controversial. It became notorious for its lyrical double-entendres for sex and religious devotion. After the music video was released, the Pope encouraged Catholics to boycott Madonna and Pepsi cancelled her contract.

I’m down on my knees, I wanna take you there

But Like a Prayer is a beautiful song, not just a cheap attempt to create a scandal. Like all mystical poetry, it resonates in a way that feels like home. Considering that Madonna seems to have an innate instinct for the esoteric, one can interpret Like a Prayer as a song for the spirit and soul, coming to find each other after a long separation.

I hear your voice, it’s like an angel sighing

I have no choice, I hear your voice

Feels like flying

This week, you may start to notice a return to unity within. After the disturbing eclipses of July, this blissful restoration of wholeness and faith will open your heart to the beauty and richness of life. Feel how your soul’s beautiful dreams and memories are invigorated by your spirit’s fire, giving you the power to create without compromising any aspect of yourself.

Again from Patrick Harbur…

“A wholesome life is made out of holding spirit and soul together, in tandem and in tension.”

Significant Transits

 

Wednesday, August 7th: I Can Feel Your Power

The trine between the Sun and Jupiter are like a warm embrace. Just a few days before his station direct, you can imagine that Jupiter is blessed by the life giving Sun, ruler of Heaven. The benevolent energies of the Sun and Jupiter together offer increase and abundance of health, wealth, and love. 

Overall, expect this to be a particularly blessed day where life-force and generosity really shine.

Thursday, August 8th: Now I’m Dancing

Venus in Leo, still glowing from the Sun’s rays, will also trine Jupiter in Sagittarius. This is an aspect that can only be interpreted as good fortune in love, finances, and creative endeavors. The world will seem to sparkle with beauty and affection. Touched by these angelic influences, you will feel more forgiving and graceful. Your spirit and soul will draw closer together, giving you a glowing aura of inner beauty.

Sunday, August 11th – Let the Choir Sing!

On Sunday, Jupiter stations direct in Sagittarius opening up many doors that have long been closed. Many questions that have been hanging in the air will start to be answered. And you will begin to return to a place of higher optimism and faith. 

Your vision will become so much larger. You will see so much farther now. And even if your vision is obstructed, your faith will illuminate the path.

The Holocaust survivor and author, Corrie Ten Boom once said:

“Faith is like radar that sees through the fog — the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see.”

Also on Sunday, Mercury will re-enter the sign of Leo. The collective mind will shift its focus from the deep well of feeling in Cancer to the power and glory of solar-power! Mercury in Leo will inspire you to speak and write with a bit more charisma and confidence. 

Let this bubble of increased fire and good fortune carry you for the rest of the summer, and hopefully far beyond.

Just like a prayer…