I had examined myself pretty thoroughly and discovered that I was unfit for military service. Joseph Heller -Catch 22
A man must consider what rich realm he abdicates when he becomes a conformist. Ralph Waldo Emerson
His secret realization of his physical cowardice led him to underrate his exceptional moral courage. Vera Brittain
COWARD, n: one who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs. Ambrose Bierce
I was court-martialed in my absence, and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence. Brendan F. Behan
There are two freedoms – the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; and the true, where he is free to do what he ought. Charles Kingsley
The brave man inattentive to his duty is worth little more to his country than the coward who deserts in the hour of danger. Andrew Jackson
Many apologies for the lateness of this new Moon newsletter, I have been away at the FAA conference in Melbourne having a fabulous time catching up with so many friends, and meeting new ones; it was a fabulous week. I know that some don't realise that the effects of the new and full Moons stretch on into the future, sometimes for the coming month and sometimes longer if major events happen during the month in question, so please know that this influence is still very much around.
I smiled when I realised the Sabian Symbol for this new Moon speaks of going AWOL. I have not missed doing a newsletter for such a long time. It's Aquarius 3: A Deserter From The Navy Stands Suddenly Aware Of A Dawning Truth: Freedom Is Never The Result Of Compromise. The following is from my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees Of Wisdom:
‘A Deserter From The Navy Stands Suddenly Aware Of A Dawning Truth: Freedom Is Never The Result Of Compromise’ shows someone who’s come to the conclusion that staying in a situation that stretches, tests or ‘Compromises’ his needs, desires and values in some way is not worth the energy that has to go into it. Like being in the ‘Navy’, perhaps he had signed up for something for the long haul. He was expected to fulfill some employment, destiny, mission, or perhaps staying committed to a relationship. Now there’s been a realization that the mold cast for him just doesn’t work. It doesn’t satisfy his inner desires and longings. He may have been able to adjust to the situation for a while, but the time has come when he has to leave, bail out or jump ship.
A decision to opt out may be based on moral or ethical grounds, where someone doesn’t want to perform some duty or act because it is against their principles, or in order to maintain a sense of free spirit, mobility or independence. You may find that the rigorous restraints and rules are no longer comfortable, bearable or tolerable. This can be about you, or it can be about someone (or something) else. Being “signed-up” to a commitment can be restricting, limiting and sometimes confronting. There can be a feeling of being taken away from loved ones, home and family for a reason you don’t really understand and not wanting to accept the pressures of separation. However, it could be the exact opposite – home and family life can be too constricting and there may be a desire to leave to pursue another, more independent life. However, there are always consequences for opting out, running away or not playing the game. Are you prepared for them? Is there a ‘Sudden’ realization, ‘A Dawning Truth’ that what you’ve been doing is not necessarily what you want to be doing?
Keywords: Rebellion. Leaving, although allegiance had been pledged. Opting out because of pressure, harassment or bullying. Taking risks to get out of a dangerous/destructive/alienating situation. Being left behind by someone who’s “jumped ship”. Going AWOL. Standing by personal truths.
The Caution: Not playing by the rules of socially structured games. Self-ruin. Refusal to face social consequences. Not turning up. Withdrawing support in a physical, emotional or spiritual way. Blowing security. Rats deserting the sinking ship.
The recent tragedy of the sinking of the Costa Concordia is a striking example of this degree. After leaving the ship, the captain was ordered to reboard and "perform his duty". It's easy to imagine that he figured that being alive was better than standing by his station in life and he will be judged for it. Still, regardless, he escaped with his life. He may not have – had he done what his job said he must do.
In your life, where are you, or others around you, leaving their posts, jumping ship, going AWOL or generally not wanting to go through with something that they have pledged to do, or perhaps it's something that is expected, regardless of one's own personal hopes or desires.
Although it can be disorienting for a while after a decision is made, there can be a great sense of relief as something burdensome is lifted off our shoulders.
The 'Karmic Condition' of this new Moon is Aquarius 2: An Unexpected Thunderstorm – things can happen quickly that throw you off guard or off your center and there could be a need to assess your situation or respond quickly to things that are changing in and around you. Of course, you may have to respond to others doing this.
Keywords: Sudden visitations of natural wonder. Something that drops on you, seemingly from out of nowhere. Things erupting and happening fast. Storms in a teacup. Shocks and confrontations with raw energy. Thunder, lightning and electricity. The Tower card of the tarot. Being a lightning rod. Water and rain that quenches and revives.
The Caution: Losing control without warning. Emotional instability. A “back draft” of emotions. Bottling up and blowing up. Confused by sudden outbursts. Loud bangs and crashes that shock and stun.
The degree following the new Moon brings hope on many levels. It's Aquarius 4: A Hindu Healer Glows With A Mystic Healing Power.
Keywords: Divine healing potency. Natural healing methods. Going on faith. Humility in the face of greatness. Yogis and fakirs. Finding one’s center. Healers of all kinds. Glowing health. Radiating love, spirit and calm. Tapping vast reservoirs of healing forces. Reverence for simple methods. Auras that radiate. Urine therapy. Pranic energy. Yogis.
The Caution: False claims of powers. Charlatans. Claims of healing powers that are just manipulation. Snake-oil salesmen. Tricks with smoke and mirrors. What to trust, what to believe? Orthodox healing methods failing to cure. Feeling invincible.
Uranus, the planetary ruler of this new Moon, is in a sextile aspect to the new Moon. It's on Aries 2: A Comedian Entertaining A Group Of Friends, and it seems that employing a light-hearted attitude and a sense of humor is the best way forward. Soon, Uranus will be on Aries 3: A Cameo Shows The Profile Of A Man That Suggests The Outline Of His Country. This will bring some insights into just where (and what) your sense of self and your sense of your place in the scheme of things, is.
Jupiter is squaring the new Moon from Taurus 2: An Electrical Storm Illuminates The Heavens And The Forests (it's interesting to note that Aquarius 2 is the Unexpected Thunderstorm and Taurus 2 is the Electrical Storm – this makes the second degree of fixed quite 'shocking' in some respects). Jupiter, of course, likes his freedom and the fact that he's square the new Moon enlarges and emphasizes the sense of the need for and the impact of the 'sailor going AWOL'.
Keywords: Reverence for the forces of nature. Loud cracks, flashes,and bangs that clear the air. Flashes of insight. Tension and its release. Electrical conductors. The sense that all hell is going to break loose. Short circuits of mind or emotions. Electricity failures. Crackling emotions. Flashes in quick succession. Bursts of energy. Light changing. Psychic clearing. Hot flushes. Surges.
The Caution: Being frozen in fear just when one needs to spur to action. Losing control. Being distracted by surroundings. Not being completely aware of all the potential dangers. Worry that overtakes and engulfs. Chaos in the brain. Nervous reactions. Things changing quickly. Brilliance that is quickly or easily lost. Power blackouts.
With all this energy around, this could be an interesting, liberating and trying time. Jupiter, however, soon moves onto some of the most beautiful and rewarding degrees of the zodiac. It will soon move to Taurus 3: Natural Steps Up To A Lawn Blooming With Clover –
Keywords: Hopefulness. Inspirational possibilities. Gradually enlarging one’s vision. Harmony. Seasonal changes. Running around on grass. Bare feet. The beauty of greenery and flowers.Stability on the path. Steps that invite one on to bigger and better things. Abundance, nourishment. Making small efforts that can lead to large returns. Places to spread out and relax.
The Caution: Looking for the easy way out. Not making the effort to find what is just a few steps away. Being lazy when one should be going for the objective. Temporary success. Expecting everything to be laid out before you.
And then Jupiter moves onto Taurus 4: The Pot Of Gold At The End Of The Rainbow.
Keywords: The promise of riches, in whatever forms these may take. Creative imagination. Goals and ambitions. Alchemy. Splashes of color. Rewards contained. The search for the treasure. Seeking communion with nature and life’s bounty. Wealth derived from changing perspective. Talent and beauty.
The Caution: Seeking easy, tempting solutions. Thinking that rewards are always just “over the horizon”. Thinking that one is never going to get near “it”. Elusive success. Forgetting the more immediate things in life. Seeking perfection.
So, the trick seems to be to take note of where you're compromising in some way and to move as far as possible away from doing it. It's not always easy, but for many there will be a need for a readjustment of what is desirable and around what you want to take into the future with you.
Mars' retrograde motion started on this new Moon and the message is to have a pure and loving mind but not to sink into codependence. The Sabian Symbol of Mars is Virgo 24: Mary And Her White Lamb. This is a beautiful degree of love, trust and innocence, but in many cases it can also bring co dependence, dependence on love and for people to be always there for each other, and whilst this is obviously a wonderful objective, with the new Moon on the 'going AWOL' degree, it is not always possible to maintain if the expectations are not based on everyone acting out of their own free will and desires. And, of course, people can be happy in their co dependence, but it's difficult if someone withdraws their commitment, time or energy from the relationship.
It's curious that the new Moon is about going AWOL and Mercury brings up being rewarded for bravery. The Symbol for Mercury is Capricorn 23: A Soldier Receiving Two Awards For Bravery In Combat. Capricorn is a sign that likes to do 'the right thing' and this degree can speak of the desire to be acknowledged, thanked, respected, recognized, etc, for performing one's duty or for pushing through difficulties and prevailing and coming out with something to show for it. Have you been rewarded lately for your efforts? Have you thanked someone or patted them on the back recently? As one gives, so does one receive, so it's often through acknowledging others that we find acknowledgement coming back to ourselves. Of course, it's not about giving to receive, it's more about the free flow of energy that goes between people who support each other and recognise the contribution that each makes.
Mercury soon moves onto Capricorn 24: A Woman Entering A Convent and this degree often speaks about the need for retreat, to draw back into a quiet moment. Sometimes it's because there's been so much going on and it's time for a contemplative moment.
Keywords: Spiritual retreat. Sexual retreat. Issues to do with libido. Withdrawing without thought of the future. Vows. Renouncing things. Going within to find answers. Contact with higher sources. Faith renewed. Giving up things for a greater cause. Losing identity. Taking on new identities. Sacrifice. Opting out. The rejection of marriage. Marriage with God. Longing for love of a higher kind. Maintaining faith. Intense sexual experiences.
The Caution: Self-sacrifice to win sympathy. Neglect of self and hiding away. Nosedives into obscurity. Crisis of faith. Feeling let down by the world. Bad episodes again and again. Feeling devoid of emotion. Escaping war. Losing all and seeking sanctuary. Self denial. Forgetting how to enjoy life.
Emphasizing the desire to journey down one's own path is Venus on Pisces 11: Men Travelling A Narrow Path, Seeking Illumination.
Keywords: People “on the Path”. Sticking to one mindset, diet, regimen or habit. Having a cause to follow. Not looking sideways. Awakening one’s base senses in order to progress. Physical ecstasy. Being in the now. Going towards the light. Staying true to self. The promise of light at the end of the journey.
The Caution: Blinded by the light. Not knowing where you’re really going. Disillusionment about what’s been chosen. Being one-eyed about goals and beliefs. The denial of physical pleasure. Puritanical behavior. Distractions that stop forward movement. Narrow mindedness.
Just moments after the new Moon, Venus moved onto Pisces 12: An Examination Of Initiates In The Sanctuary Of An Occult BrotherHood. This Symbol speaks of feeling judged or examined, and perhaps it's showing the realization that one has entered a new state of being, that you've arrived at the thresh hold of something amazing and yet daunting in that others may judge you or your ability to complete your mission or do anything of true substance.
Venus' journey through Pisces is a very spiritual one on so many levels and it's by embracing one's path and realizing that there will be tests, trials and sometimes tribulations, but also great rewards and a sense of fulfilling one's destiny when one follows their true path.
Many are finding the pace of life picking up enormously with Chiron on Pisces 4: Heavy Car Traffic Linking Two Seaside Resorts. Have you been rushing around lately? Driving, walking, running, emailing, chatting, finding it hard to stop? What is the story that Chiron is trying to evoke in you? Where do you perhaps waste time or energy in running around when the same thing could be achieved with much less effort? Perhaps you have had to concentrate your energies a lot and have been getting a lot done and it could be very rewarding, but would a time and motion expert pat you on the back for how you've done it? Chiron is very much about the stories we tell ourselves and what comes of them. If, on the other hand, you've been sitting still for too long it could be time for a holiday or for you to take off yet again.
Saturn at Libra 30: Three Mounds Of Knowledge On A Philosopher's Head.
Keywords: Looking to the signs. Wisdom that transcends book knowledge. Philosophy. Having a knowledgeable demeanor. Being an impressive figure. Making wise decisions regardless of hard-line opinion. The head, skull or cranium. Knowledge directed to intellectual or spiritual goals. Predicting the future. An appearance that shows obvious intelligence. Wit. Style. Seeing potential in others.
The Caution: Analyzing things too much and reliance on intellect. Being a “know-it-all”. Having a bossy attitude. Thinking that doesn’t clarify issues but muddies them. Taking things far too seriously.
The new Moon squaring Saturn can show decisions being made, the feeling of the need to cut loose and realizations of endings and possible new beginnings. The Deserter From The Navy shows how many will follow their own path and there will be the giving and receiving of news, often quite shocking, but liberating in the end.
Copyright ©2012 Sabian Symbols
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