Forecast for Weekend of September 11-12, 2010

Weekend of September 11-12, 2010

~Toward a Turning Point~

The confusions surrounding the Dark and Bright Hermetic Epochs require a book, or more than one, to explain, and yet I wonder if that would help because I bend over backward to explain them here and get almost no indications from any readers that anyone understands what I am trying to say. Oh, a few, that's right, I just remembered a few. Of course, it is a complex matter and yet in some ways as simple as night and day, which is why I denominated them the Dark and Bright Epochs, finding that that was the simplest analogy to use. They have nothing to do with actual brightness or darkness in the sky or brightness as related to the motions of the planet Mercury. Nothing at all. I mention that to remove any misconceptions. They have to do with an exact mathematical way of measuring Mercury's orbital motions in exact relationship with the orbital motions of the earth. That is what it is all about, astronomically. Astrologically, the Bright and Dark Epochs are the quickest ways I found to get into language what these cycles mean in human experience.

Within the Dark Epoch (about two months, a little less than that, the Bright Epoch being a little more than two months) is the Mercury Retrograde phase which lasts about three weeks. It is at the center or core of the Dark Hermetic Epoch; and of course you must know that Hermes and Mercury are the same god, the Greek and Roman names for him respectively.

As of Sunday the 12th, Mercury turns direct, at 4:10p PT | 07:10p ET | 11:10p UT, but as I have repeated ad nauseum in past posts, you will not notice things immediately changing. That is why I was forced to research and discover the Bright and Dark Epochs. The period of backwardness or confusion (negative) or review and deeper introspective understanding (positive) which characterize the Mercury Retrograde period continue until the end of the Dark Epoch (September 27 this time). That is two more weeks. Meanwhile, yes, there is a somewhat noticeable difference, things start to get less confusing or "night-like" or "dream-like." But, in my experience and observation, full awakening does not come until the beginning of the Bright Hermetic Epoch (September 27 this time).

There, I have tried to spill it all out in as few words as I could. I hope you will re-read the above until you get it because if this were not probably the most important astrological cycle of all---more important than the seasons of the year, except of course in a purely climatic sense---I would not spend as much time harping on it as I do. I hope the harp-sounds are helpful as well as somewhat comforting. Mercury is said to have originated the 9-stringed lyre with the help of a tortoise shell.

I shall not blame Mercury for the fact that I am writing this weekend report Saturday morning and many of you further east of me will not get it until Saturday afternoon or evening. We do have to hop to keep up with ordinary schedules while that planet moves backward. Or, if we are a certain kind of yogi or meditator, we may opt out and hop out of the routine schedules for a while. Usually the other planets, which keep moving ahead (although four of them are now retrograde) prevent us from such escape.

On Saturday (the 11th) the moon is in the Via Combusta, the Burning Way. It is quite fascinating that Terry Jones the Florida "pastor" (I put the word in quotes) who wanted to burn Korans chose a day when the moon would be in the Burning Way! I have not heard any news reports yet today. Even if no burning takes place, the symbolic significance of the Via Combusta has been confirmed once more. It was confirmed more tragically when U. S. forces invaded Iraq during a Via Combusta period in March, 2003.

For you personally, you might review Friday and Saturday to figure the meaning of the Burning Way for you this time. It seldom has anything to do with literal burning or fire, but seems to correspond with a period of discomfort about goals, purposes, and directions. It is as if one were running to get off hot coals, perhaps, feeling in a way that nothing satisfies and nothing is reliable. For example, this morning in a group situation, people were ill-at-ease over a coffee pot. Quite fascinating. Someone pulled the pot off to pour coffee while it was still brewing and spewed coffee over the hot plate of the coffee-maker. Others looked on in angry silence. Another followed his example, and later was castigated for doing it again when he had not done it again but the critic assumed he had. This was not the beginning of a war, nor the burning of a sacred book by a fanatic, but a peculiarly frustrating tempest in a teapot or, this time, coffeepot.

What I suspect is that all those involved in this little drama were actually going through all kinds of inner turmoils which had nothing to do with coffee or the coffeepot. It was impatience, hurry, and frustration concerning a lot of things in their lives, and it translated into the coffeepot opera. And the ancient astrologers knew something when they discovered (not invented) the Burning Way.

I have tried countless ways of helping us get through this 2.5-day monthly occurrence with less suffering. Marc Edmund Jones said the period corresponded to "a loss of morale" and indeed that is usually the case. He also called it a "reshuffling" period. So it seems. If you keep those two phrases in mind, it may help you deal with your inner feelings and your frustration or impatience. It is not usually a good time for beginning completely new things. (Was the Iraq invasion a good idea? There is disagreement but probably a negative consensus.) People might "cut and run" during such a time; then suffer the consequences later. Circumspection and patience are recommended. You are reshuffling your cards, not yet dealing them for a new game.

The moon will be out of this section of the zodiac by Sunday morning but still in Scorpio, and as I have noted, this can still be a difficult phase. It would appear that Sunday and Sunday evening will be times of refocus. By Monday we may feel some relief about the difficulties of the past few weeks, when the moon has entered Sagittarius (5:53a PT | 8:53a ET | 12:53p UT).

Incidentally, the moon in Scorpio on Saturday and Sunday might correspond to some detective work or an interest in it, or in dramas which have a suspense, gangster, or mysterious-adventure motif. I saw that the second movie in the Swedish series, The Girl who Played with Fire (?) was playing at a theater here, then decided to watch the first one online, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I started it but other needs intervened and I hope to finish viewing it today. This is a very much moon-in-Scorpio movie, entertaining perchance at such times.

I think that is enough for this weekend. I hope that pondering these cycles is helping you navigate your way through them more peacefully.

{Weekend of September 11-12} ~Toward a Turning Point~

Cosmic Piper