Summertime Love

 Summertime Love 

Last year I watched an Italian Netflix series titled Summertime, and this year I am re-watching it and anticipating the second season which has already been made available but I wanted to review the first season.  It is ineffable.  I usually look in vain for a sensitive, vibrant, human-friendly series, but whoever did this one scored near the top of my list.  It is simple, the plot almost no-plot, and I call it often, while watching, "Chekhovian."  "It's Chekhovian!" I will say aloud to the screen and would say it to the creators if I could.   

The young people in it are just having their summer, in an Italian beach town, and there are no fancy plot twists or weird special effects or dystopian brooding.  "This is it," says Chekhov in his stories, "this is what happened, make of it what you will."  So it is with Summertime.  No one gets killed, no one plots to kill or capture, there is none of that disgusting sadism in which TV too often plunges.  Just these kids experiencing their summer.  They are almost-adult.  That is a special time when vulnerabilities are exposed, but the glories hidden behind the vulnerabilities as well.  

I delectate on the setting, the lush sea-coast town, the beach scenes, the palpable feel of Mediterranean summer, as if I am breathing that very air.  The highs and lows of the young people are inextricably involved with their sex lives, or lack of them, as one might expect, and this is presented so naturally that one feels one is a friend to whom they are opening their hearts, rather than a voyeur.  Perhaps that is because so often they talk with one another about one another's romantic travails.  This has a refreshingly friendly feel, as if they were almost as concerned about each other's affairs of the heart as their own.

As an astrologer, I cannot help relating all this to the current planetary positions.  That's what astrology is for.  Venus has just moved to a 10-degree conjunction with Mars in Leo often the sign of romantic love, and they are both opposite Saturn in Aquarius a sign of friendship.  This is both promising and dire.  Dire because Venus conjunct, square, or opposite Saturn is the 'nobody loves me' aspect, indicating a time in which love has to get deeper if it is going to survive the disappointments it always seems to include more intensely at those times.  

I am re-watching the series through that filter, and it is a good one.  It makes love more poignant.  One of the lovers tells a friend that his affair is 'just a summer fling' and though that does not seem to bother him, beneath the statement is that sense of fatalism:  'Don't kid yourself, this is not going to last, it's just a summer fling.'  That is a defense against Saturnian disappointment, Venus saying boldly 'I can handle the end of this when it comes.'  

Yes, it's poignant, and each of the characters experiences the poignance in a different way.  And I?  I am letting the series waft over me and do its magic of pulling up memories of 'lost loves' for me to deal with however I may.  I feel this as highly therapeutic.  The creators of this series are excellent psychologists whose insights are so profound that they seem almost concealed, which makes them more effective.  They are linking me with the human world of young Italians in a way which sheds deep light on my own love-life, or would-be love-life, past and present.  

Venus's cogent answer to Saturn seems to be:  "Bring it on; do what you will to challenge my love, because you can't change the fact that I love."  

H H H  /  Cosmic Piper

Message for Thursday 1 July 2021

 Thursday 1 July 2021

^Challenging Differences; Assurance of Mission^

Moon in Aries

Challenge:  'The letter Q appears' signifying skepticism and quibbling.  Some may be disagreeable, cantankerous, querulous and quarrelsome.  However, if this applies to both sides of a debate, then who decides which one is merely quibbling?  'A stranded vessel on a low sandy beach' is typical of any Dark Hermetic Epoch, and this one is still with us in full force until July 7, next Wednesday.  Venus (with Mars) opposite Saturn does not make for smoothness in relationships or friendships, though mitigating factors shall be mentioned.

Process:  People's backgrounds, habits and styles differentiate them, such as 'an old-fashioned woman and an up-to-date girl.'  The contrasts could make some timid of interaction.  What's the point? could be the feeling, yet there may be needed sharing which is helpful ultimately even if uncomfortable.  'This person is my opposite, yet we need each other in this situation.'  If one feels one is struggling to make one's fortune utterly alone, one is like 'a jutting rock upon which tufts of grass hold a thin but certain existence,' that is, one holds to beliefs and principles even if they seem disadvantageous, because they are right.  This constancy brings rewards at long last.

Blessing:  'A young girl playing on a lyre' is gay, youthful, artistic, musical, amusing.  She gets some energy and attention from Luna in Aries trine both Venus and Mars in Leo.  The shrewd initiative of Saturn opposite Mars gets some relief through casual moments of entertainment or friendliness.  Yet that same trine in fire signs could be like 'a large ball of fire flying through the air' signifying someone who is 'a ruler of men and a giant among them intellectually, morally or physically.'  One feels that one is up for one's mission and in possession of the wherewithal and backing needed to pursue it.  

{Thursday}  ^Challenging Differences; Assurance of Mission^

Cosmic Piper

Message for Wednesday 30 June 2021

 Wednesday 30 June 2021

~Skirting the Precipice while things Germinate~

Moon in Pisces-->Aries

/moon goes void-of-course at 10:40a PT | 1:40p ET | 5:40p UT

until it enters Aries at 6:22p PT | 9:22p ET | 1:22a(Th) UT

Challenge:  Quite fascinating:  Mars in a fire sign is advancing to an exact opposition with Saturn, retrograde, in an air sign.  Mars says 'Bring on the heat!' and Saturn retrograde says 'Not so fast, turn on the AC.'  (Actually I am very happy I live in a place where I don't need it, and do all I can to avoid it.)  Further, today we have the symbol 'Something like a forge beneath the surface of the earth.  Men are working in it in an almost nude state, owing to the heat.  It is the engine room of a large steamer.'  Well, the steamer is going somewhere, so we may surmise that the heat has a purpose.  Charubel advises us to 'live quietly, getting into some settled, uniform mode of living.'  A lot may be brewing beneath the surface, but we do not enter the new Bright Hermetic Epoch of two months until July 7, so 'a large diamond is not completely cut.'  Nature provides our substance but we need to 'cut' or shape it to our needs and can do that with patient persistence even during the 8-hour void-of-course period today, provided we stick to plans already formulated.

Process:  'A snake coiled around a tree, its head raised' is the serpent of wisdom, which we can summon forth even in the most unpropitious astrological circumstances.  There is a lot of 'defense play' going on while we have the T square of Mars, Saturn and Uranus in fixed signs.  The serpent does cunning research in scientific or 'subtle' (occult) arts, with great patience.  This can have advantageous applications.  Venus moving toward a conjunction with Mars in Leo, sign of solar energy, may seem like 'a bulbous plant pushing its way upward from the sod, beginning to unfold itself and show forth its beauties.'  Charubel says this depicts soul-force and a strong will.  

Blessing:  'Rock formations at the edge of a precipice' are a warning to avoid pointless dangers or vitiating impulses (especially during the v-of-c period).  One endures by the mediation of 'initial aplomb and ultimate competency' when facing necessary risks (skirting the precipice adroitly).  A positive use of the v-of-c while Luna is in Pisces with Neptune could be relaxing into this scene:  'A wide-spreading oak tree.  Around its roots are many young shoots.  The birds of the season sing among its branches.'  Autumn (wonderful this year I believe) may be far off, yet even now we could anticipate it as honor, enrichment and fruitfulness.

{Wednesday}  ~Skirting the Precipice while things Germinate~

Cosmic Piper

P. S.  For readers who notice such things, I admit to a mistake in yesterday's (Tuesday's) report, in paragraph 2 where I said that Venus and Jupiter were in a quintile.  I meant a quincunx, which in fact I mentioned again in the third paragraph.  Apologies.  I fixed this in some of the online versions.  There are a huge number of things to look at in each daily chart but I generally avoid mistakes like that.  

Message for Tuesday 29 June 2021

 Tuesday 29 June 2021

~Detecting Defenses and Advantages; Companionship~ 

Moon  in Pisces

Challenge:  The 'spider watching for silly flies to fall into his web' is with us again, as a shrewd detective or lawyer.  (This is happening again with Donald Trump; some think he is the spider while others think his opponents now persecuting him and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani are the spiders. ) In your own situation you might benefit by seeing how people try to manipulate one another and yourself.  A similar symbol is 'a cat upon the watch for prey' and these two together could represent the selfishness of Mars opposite Saturn.   We expect carnivorous animals to prey on one another but expect something better of our fellow human beings.  Also, Mars opposite Saturn has a reputation for 'heat problems' whether not enough heat in winter or too much in summer.  (By using too much air conditioning we can paradoxically increase global warming, etc. Mars is in a fire sign and Saturn in an air sign.)

Process:  The moon is in the sign of fish, and 'a tiny nude miss reaching in the water for a fish' is letting her curious inclinations refresh her as we might do to cope with the heat.  Through lack of inhibition we refuse to miss whatever might be interesting around us.  Jupiter quincunx Venus could summon up various advantages.  'A fine white bull grazes in the shade of a tree standing in a park' and so we may be quietly successful, reserved, steadfast, firm, independent, yet benevolent.  

Blessing:  We can't pretend there are no pressures on us, with a solid nearly-exact T square in fixed signs (Mars and Saturn focused on Uranus), yet Venus conjoining Mars while it forms a quincunx with Jupiter could bring out the justified pride of 'a man formally dressed and a deer with its horns folded.'  One's impact on the world has earned a trophy through the exercise of talent. This boosts morale, and earned esteem leads to further gaining of it.  We may be ready for 'an evening lawn party' which summons forth shared self-expression bringing out distinctive personality.  Each has his or her problems but can forget them a while, or dissolve them, in gratifying companionship.  

{Tuesday}  ~Detecting Defenses and Advantages; Companionship~

Cosmic Piper

Message for Monday 28 June 2021

 Monday 28 June 2021

~Dangerous Attachments, or Sublime Delights~

Moon in Aquarius-->Pisces

|Karmically serious, sobering, challenging third| of this week ends at 9:58a PT | 12:58p ET | 4:58p UT

/moon is void-of-course 

until it enters Pisces at 10:52a PT | 1:52p ET | 5:52p UT

Challenge:  During 'off' moments one might feel that 'a snake has attacked a dove lying upon the ground.'  This could be the opposition of Mars with Saturn while both square Uranus, bringing out anger or even violence in some.  Or one might say that whoever suffers thus has brought the trouble on himself or herself through 'self-indulgence, license, and worldly seductions' (the snake).  That could be through the accompanying opposition of Venus and Pluto, aptly hinted at by Sepharial:  'The fate of the individual will hang upon the nature and influence of a subtle fascination or a secret attachment.'  One almost deliberately abandons oneself to the tempting source of the trouble.  Or one might try to prevent this as if 'a woman having her hair bobbed' or eliminating certain factors she doesn't need but finds hindrances.  

Process:   When does fascinating discussion of people and their foibles turn into gossip, slander or defamation?  It seems we are asking this question of ourselves in political (and other) discourse.  Selected information about someone can be disinformation if it leaves out other information which could have explained his or her seeming sins or lapses.  We ought to watch this in ourselves, because Facebook, Twitter and other 'social' media almost invite the quick deleterious gossip-like comment.  Does one show oneself a better person by indulging in it?  Rather, one might choose the role of 'children on a swing in a huge oak tree.' This is sheer delight, and zest in living, shared without self-consciousness, envy, or criticism of the other children.  It might be called the liberating absolution of summer's sunlight.  

Blessing:  Three planets in Pisces and two in Leo could sum to 'a veiled statue,' which Charubel calls 'the degree of mystery!  It denotes the gradual unfoldment of the sublime and the glorious.'  There could be 'an excess of passion' but, 'fired with enthusiasm' one could 'bless his race.'  At a more ordinary but pleasing level one could experience things as 'a man and woman seated at a table whereon viands and wine are lavishly abundant.'  The warning with this is 'being led into dissolute ways by ill-chosen companions.'  However, though there is sensuousness and perhaps extravagance, one's disposition is gentle, kind and sociable.   Therefore I list this shared enjoyment as a blessing.  

{Monday}   ~Dangerous Attachments, or Sublime Delights~

Cosmic Piper

Message for Sunday 27 June 2021, and Coming Week

 Sunday 27 June 2021, and Coming Week

Moon in Capricorn

|Karmically serious, sobering, challenging third| of this week continues until mid-day Monday

/moon goes void-of-course at 12:09p PT | 3:09p ET | 7:09p UT

Week of June 26--July 2  (Saturday-Friday)

As preceding a holiday weekend, and continuing a Dark or Slow Hermetic Epoch, this may seem a 'lame duck' week.  However, there remains a strong push toward individual goals.  This is partly defensive, partly an attempt to display 'who one is' in a meaningful way, and partly a deftness in using one's amazing skills.  

A major aspect is Mars continuing its opposition with Saturn.  This is a 'stop and go' aspect, Saturn being Stop and Mars Go.  One can take considerable time to review and estimate the value of one's plans, to satisfy retrograde Saturn, 'stop and look before you cross the street,' yet continue at least a tentative push toward one's goals to satisfy Mars.  Although there is an interest in people, and a desire to bring them together even when they disagree, or to see how their varying attitudes fit together in some transcendent pattern, there is also a tendency toward estrangement or separation because the Mars 'yes' in each of us hits the Saturn 'no' in each other of us.  It is not impossible to carry on through that situation, with persistence (Mars) plus diplomacy (Saturn).  

The other opposition of the week is Venus opposite Pluto.  This is often strong erotic attraction in ways which seem inappropriate or impossible, though they give the sting of thrill for a while.  This can be other-sex or same-sex.  Being pulled together by the attraction, then pushed away as if the magnets were reversed, is likely.  And then perhaps the same thing all over again.  Sometimes the economic standing of those mutually attracted is an issue.  Whatever one's ethical orientation about sex, it is likely to be challenged in some way.  All this can go on just internally, or externally, depending on one's life-experience, situation, and level of maturity.  Because Uranus is squared by both Mars and Saturn, it does not seem likely that experimental eroticism is likely to turn out well, ultimately, but human life goes on according to its own impulses except in saints or hermits, so what can one say?  

More happily, Sol trine Jupiter shows that one has some soul-enthusiasm along the line of one's particular mission in life.  One would not be enthusiastic about it unless it embodied at least partly a mission.  It's likely that some, including younger persons and foreign ones (or those with a different cultural background), will be supportive of your particular enthusiasm, so if they seem indifferent or negative at first it is good to continue espousing what you believe rather than just give up.  Sometimes one is planting a seed which won't germinate until later.  As the Bhagavad Gita tells us, Work not for the result but for the good intention or purpose of the work (dharma), leaving the result to God and karma.  That, says the wisdom of Krishna, is the way to peace of mind.  Satisfaction comes from doing the job as well as one can rather than insisting on a particular outcome. 

As for sheer relaxation or recreation, pleasure or fun, it is available sometimes through Venus's trine with Neptune (sympathetic osmosis), the sun's sextile with Uranus (mutually appreciative friendship) and Jupiter's quintile with Uranus (surprising or unexpected compatibility along some line).  How can one demand such things?  They happen.  If the weekend should be disappointing, Monday through Friday may be smoother.

{Sunday, and Week of June 26--July2}  

Cosmic Piper

Message for Saturday 26 June 2021

 Saturday 26 June 2021

}Adventuring within Wise Restraint{

Moon in Capricorn-->Aquarius

|Karmically serious, sobering, challenging third| of this week is with us until Monday mid-day

/moon goes void-of-course at 5:51a PT | 8:51a ET | 12:51p UT

until it enters Aquarius at 7:10a PT | 10:10a ET | 2:10p UT

Challenge:  On Saturday most are free of ordinary work schedules, yet Charubel is warning us not to get lazy:  'a shovel suspended in mid-air' shows us 'digging the air and sowing to the wind.'  Some activities are impracticable and profitless.  Perhaps at least a few hours should be devoted to something you need to do but have been postponing.  That would be like 'game birds feathering their nests' or using the natural course of things to flourish and establish their rights over their domain in a meticulous fashion.  

Process:  A desire to push toward gain is reflected in business or financial plans, which could be developing well but also could get out of hand:  'A woman clothed in gaudy apparel plays with jewels in her lap.'  She could acquire wealth but use it for outward show or careless pleasure.  The mere semblance of prosperity does not always bring satisfaction.  Yet this individual is good-hearted and knows human nature through savoir faire.  In her more conservative guise she could be 'a Daughter of the American Revolution' or someone leaning on the enduring background in human relations as an established tradition.  She has inherited something she preserves through 'standards of proved worth.'

Blessing:  A distant scene seems to be calling many, or a hope for re-establishment in a different place, perhaps one remembered gloriously.  My archetypal advice is to postpone such plans, or let them simmer, during a Dark Hermetic Epoch (till July 7) rather than try to carry them out.  By then the kinks should be removed.  Still, people at a distance may compel or deserve your attention.  You might dream of something like 'a tract of land mapped out and enclosed with rails, intended for a homestead in the near future.'  One wants to be an adventurer, and one's speculations might be successful.  Still, the 'take your time' advice just given is likely appropriate.  Then at some point one might get an endorsement of or benediction on one's aims in the form of 'early morning dew.'  Sparklingly it reveals the better rather than the worse.  Alertness to the unexpected denies personal limitations and is rejuvenating.

{Saturday}  {Adventuring within Wise Restraint}

Cosmic Piper

Message for Friday 25 June 2021

 Friday 25 June 2021

\Beyond Pestilence through Dedication and Grace/

Moon in Capricorn

Challenge:  Mars opposite Saturn gets closer by the day.  It is a 'squeeze' aspect because Mars is direct and Saturn retrograde so they are pressing toward each other (though opposed).  Synchronistically we have a degree Charubel calls 'a bad mixture of Saturn and Mars' symbolized by 'a bomb exploding in mid-air.'  This is 'pernicious or pestilent,' but for most it will just be something unpleasant to deal with, strengthening our resolve to be upbeat and positive.  (Heat is predicted for many areas.)  If we feel morose we could be mourning some condition or situation from the deep past, for 'a tree or sapling bent about the middle is growing awry,' that is, all feel that something in childhood or youth did not go right and is holding them back, or making them feel that their loving and trustful nature has been broken by people's weaknesses or betrayals.  But we are not trees or saplings and can become 'unbent' through spiritual awareness and forgiveness.

Process:  A focus on finance or business could be realistic and helpful.  'A man driving a bull or an ox' is likely these days to be a 'bullish' investor rather than a literal cattle dealer.  I decided long ago not to give investment advice but this degree might show prosperity could come from some favorable deal.  On the other hand, apart from 'deals' there is 'creative skill of hand with genius of self-application' symbolized by 'glass blowers.'  Rather than seek deals they devote themselves deftly and enthusiastically to a demanding art or craft.  

Blessing:  People are interesting, and one can estimate what each one is good for, as if one were 'a Muse weighing twins,' making subtle but helpful distinctions among those who seem similar.  One estimates values now this way and now that, pressing ahead toward something which has cash value in the everyday world.  There is help from the heavens, or from 'a luminous cloud pouring out on the earth an influence resembling a shower of pearls of variegated hue.'  Such celestial gifts prosper us both temporally and spiritually.  We need to remember that the gifts are not primary, but rather our dedicated dharma or effort, without regard to the results, which come or not but are always gifts of grace toward which we should not feel greedy. 

{Friday}  /Beyond Pestilence through Dedication and Grace\

Cosmic Piper

Message for Thursday 24 June 2021

 Thursday 24 June 2021

\Toward Plenty and Harmony/

Moon in Sagittarius-->Capricorn

/moon is void-of-course (time given in yesterday's report)

until it enters Capricorn at 6:06a PT | 9:06a ET | 1:06p UT

Full Moon of Cancer-Capricorn occurs at 11:41a PT | 2:41p ET | 6:41p UT

Challenge:  Mars opposing Saturn intensifies by the day and we have 'a cat arguing with a mouse' to show how people defend their own interests in one way or another, justifying their choices to themselves and others.  This could be happening in connection with money and career.  If you are right, the cosmos will support you.  The cultures of Pocahontas and John Smith were as different as the mouse and cat, and now 'a modern Pocahontas' has the interesting task of bringing contrasting cultures together again, or at least fostering peaceful coexistence.

Process:  Abilities which have been undergoing reevaluation or reconstruction during the Mercury Retrograde period are slowly coming into their own.  'Glass blowers' have an unusual skill, making a 'striking contribution of enduring form to things' through the heat of living enthusiasm.  Such deftness has unusual value.  Not everyone is getting incredibly rich, but the trine between Jupiter and Sol could grant to some 'heaps of gold and silver coin' no matter how poor they may have been originally.  Miserliness is not good, so looking to wise and generous use of one's wealth is recommended.

Blessing:  Signor Borelli is hinting that we should be basking in the glories of summer.  'A fine chateau with gardens and terraces.  In the foreground a peacock in full feather struts leisurely.'  There could be ostentation or snobbishness, but who can argue with a peacock?  There is good fortune plus a display of it.  If we escape from a prideful personal estate into the open country, we have 'a beautiful rustic scene wherein all the elements conspire to enchant the eye and hold the spirit in a mood of silent adoration.'  Natural forces are our friends.  This is a moment of Harmony.

{Thursday}  /Toward Plenty and Harmony\

Cosmic Piper

Message for Wednesday 23 June 2021

 Wednesday 23 June 2021

^Passions Tamed or Trained; Trail-Blazing^

Moon in Sagittarius

/moon goes void-of-course at 7:10p PT | 10:10p ET | 2:20a(Th) UT

Challenge:  Venus opposite Pluto, exact now, is tempestuous for the passions and lusts.  It brings out what one would not want to reveal publicly in secret thoughts, feelings and attractions, like 'a storm in a canyon.'  This could be intensified turmoil, with Luna opposite Mercury, or a desire for someone or for a forbidden pleasure.  As Sri Aurobindo puts it, 'The honey-sweet poison-wine of lust and death / Felt as celestial rapture's golden sting.'  When this goes wrong it brings spoliation, like 'a woman seated in an attitude of grief, her clothes disordered and hair unkempt, holding faded flowers in her hands.'  Yet the Full Moon approaches and we might 'long for the unfulfilled and ever far' while we 'search for the glory of the impossible' (Sri Aurobindo).  

Process:  There are duties, and it is not shameful to be like 'a well-conditioned heifer standing to the plow' when performing them.  Somebody has to do them.  Being docile and tractable is wise when those one serves are respectable or inescapable.  At a more intellectual level, with the moon in Sagittarius opposite Mercury (now almost motionless and so able to bear down on research), one might have clear insight into useful information.  

Blessing:  A trail-blazing instinct could come to the fore, so that you or someone important to you is like 'a man all bundled up in fur leading a shaggy deer.'  He leads to strengthening factors of the unknown, with Sol trine Jupiter in water signs. He, or you, reject experience which is self-limiting in ordinary boundaries.  This is the opposite of the 'obedient heifer' but both have their place.   Even one might penetrate into 'an aureole of clouds, in the midst of which appears a triangle of flame and an eye within the triangle.'  That would be esoteric certainty of an ambitious and intuitive nature, not logical but intense and ardent.  The way it comes for you would be very individual.

{Wednesday}  ^Passions Tamed or Trained; Trail-Blazing^

Cosmic Piper

Message for Tuesday 22 June 2021

 Tuesday 22 June 2021

^Unmoved Self-Reliance Fostering Destiny^

Moon in Scorpio-->Sagittarius

/moon goes void-of-course at 11:44p(Monday)  PT | 2:44a ET | 6:44a UT

until it enters Sagittarius at 5:57a PT | 8:57a ET | 12:57p UT

Mercury is stationary, turning direct at 3:01p PT | 6:01p ET | 10:01p UT (but moving very very slowly and we are still in the Dark or Slow Hermetic Epoch until July 7) 

Challenge:  While Mercury is at its station, today, one is likely to pause and consider.  Some things seem less pressing, more open to consideration.  What's the hurry?  'A horseman armed, moving across a desert towards some woody hills'  is at a natural pausing point.  He is looking out for himself, self-willed and capable of carrying out designs without the aid or cooperation of others.  He is taciturn and self-contained, letting his next moves evolve in his thoughts, self-reliant.  If, on the other hand, the impatience of Mars opposite Saturn were to be paramount, one might feel like, or be influenced by, 'a Bolshevik propagandist.'  This could be searching for a worthy cause, or deciding on one, being open to the leaven of fervent political ideas of Left or Right whether one ultimately casts one' lot with revolutionaries or not.

Process:  'A hedgehog' suggests the motionlessness of Mercury at this point:  "Don't bother me; I am wrapped up in myself, not moving except to defend myself.'  One might be secretive, shunning the public gaze.  The Slow or Dark Hermetic Epoch continues until July 7 while Mercury very slowly gains speed.  Meanwhile one might have noble aspirations and influence people beyond one's neighborhood, as if 'a lofty pine tree' giving its shade, scent, comfort and beauty to all.    

Blessing:  The theme of motionlessness or calm poise continues with 'a man suspended over a vast level place.'  One can take an illimitable overview of things in advance of involvement in them.  Random compulsions are avoided so that one develops free choice.  Calm contemplation brings self-orientation and understanding.  This could prepare one for 'a dark shadow or mantle thrown suddenly over the right shoulder.'  That is a touch of ripened destiny.  Felt obligation develops into leadership or stewardship.  One embodies the general welfare in some dramatic way, and some others are aware that one has this special role.  

{Tuesday}  ^Unmoved Self-Reliance Fostering Destiny^

Cosmic Piper

Message for Monday 21 June 2021

 Monday 21 June 2021

~Dim Beginning of a Glory-Path~

Moon in Scorpio 

Summer began (sun entered Cancer) last night at 8:33p PT | 11:33p ET | 3:33a(today) UT

< moon leaves the Via Combusta at 5:38a PT | 8:38a ET | 12:38p UT

/moon goes void-of-course at 11:44p PT | 2:44a(Tu) ET | 6:44a(Tu) UT

Mercury will be stationary, before turning direct, on Tuesday at 3:01p PT | 6:01p ET | 10:01p UT

Challenge:  We may be feeling the backward slow-down of Mercury, approaching its station (time above), as a need to attend to timing, 'a large clock suspended from a high place with weights and dial-plate.'  One can observe clearly the causes and effects of things, perhaps as if coming out of a dream.  Certainly you must have noticed how time is different during the Mercury retrograde period, how you get off schedule or change your scheduling, or it is changed for you whether you choose that or not.  Perhaps we are beginning to work out from that peculiarity, though it has its function apparently because the Cosmos has devised it that way.  Likewise we have 'the constellations in the sky' suggesting the same twelve-fold temporal process as the clock-face.  We observe what goes on in the sky not to escape our own experiences but to amplify and comprehend them in surety.  

Process:  Personal relationships have their complications.  'A woman and two men on a bit of sunlit land facing south' sounds like the beginning of a soap opera (to see it work out exactly, watch the Netflix series The Imposters), but Dr. Jones says it is the inception of 'organizing and exploiting the sellf's potentials' by forming necessary allegiances.  There are questions of motives, especially when money is involved as a factor in the allegiance.  A consistent goal is needed. Yet the way that goal is approached needs to be adaptable, for we have 'a furled and an unfurled flag displayed from a vessel' or in other words an ability to compromise or reverse one's stand when this serves the ultimate purpose.  With one eye on the 'clock face'' or the constellations, one flies the flag needed to be prepared for any eventuality.  Is that dishonest?  Maybe just diplomatic. 

Blessing:  Signor Borelli gives us, to celebrate the beginning of summer, 'a well-fruited vine hanging upon an old wall beneath the sunshine of a summer day.'  We have 'enough of the good things of life' and use them wisely.  We 'marry well' and are happy and contented.  To expand this blessing even further, Mars is in 'possibly as glorious a degree as any in the zodiac,' says Charubel, represented by 'a pyramidal figure with a Maltese cross on the apex.'  It emblemzes 'the greater good; the sublime; the wonderful; filling the soul with a flood of celestial glory.'  

{Monday}  ~Dim Beginning of a Glory-Path~

Cosmic Piper

Updated Message for Sunday 20 June 2021 and Week of June 19-25

  Sunday 20 June 2021, and Week of June 19-25

}Increasing Goodwill{

Sunday 20 June 2021

Moon in Libra-->Scorpio

< moon remains in the Via Combusta until early Monday

/moon goes void-of-course at 3:53a PT | 6:53a ET | 10:53a UT

until it enters Scorpio at 4:59a PT | 7:59a ET | 11:59a UT (about an hour later)

Sun enters Cancer (Summer Solstice) at 8:33p PT | 11:33p ET | 3:33a(M) UT

I'll try to avoid saying whether this week is better or worse, easier or harder than the previous week.  We are having a very hard time of things, it seems to me, and most are struggling with problems which seem to keep coming back although there has been definite progress along some lines, seemingly no progress along others.  I don't want to commit to saying this new week is 'better' but in fact Mercury turns direct on Tuesday and that should help.  The Dark or Slow or Meandering, Confusing Hermetic Epoch continues until July 7 but Mercury going stationary (seemingly motionless as viewed from Earth) on Tuesday (June 22), then inching ahead, should help us calm down and focus on things with surer perspective.  

A desire for more money or income is natural, but this week it needs to be tempered by fulfilling other demands first, which are:  Learning, communication, information.  Information about things which could bring income is essential.  Pushing toward gain without that information would not pan out. 

Mars opposite Saturn requires that one hold to health regimens one has seen to be important, such as dietary restrictions, or else one will pay the price in a flare-up of the suffering that wrong eating causes.  

Venus opposite Pluto brings out unusual, sometimes perverse sexual or erotic connections.  What is the difference between lust and love? becomes a question.  No simple advice is possible for all situations.  But it is hard to avoid hurting or being hurt through erotic connections at such a time.  Sublimating feelings of intense attraction toward the spiritual level is possible though usually harder the younger one is.  

The outlook for the week is in a sense friendlier than last week.  Last week was pretty self-centered, and with a need to eliminate things or habits which were blocking one's progress.  This week should be more flowing, with more interest in people and a desire to bring them together rather than separate from them.  That does not mean perfect harmony, but an attempt for it.  You may reach far and wide to pull things together and feel that people are more responsive than previously, even if in disagreement on major points.  

We may hope for good things from the trine of Sol with Jupiter.  In itself it is a superb aspect, though it has to be mixed with the difficult ones.  At its best it gives prosperity, goodwill, enthusiasm, and the ability to prosper from connections or investments and use those gains in accord with conscience so that one feels good about oneself.  There can be a religious or spiritual philosophy inbuilt from previous lives, and innate intuitive powers.  

{Sunday, and Week of June 19-25}  {Increasing Goodwill}

Cosmic Piper

Updated Message for Sunday 20 June 2021, and Week of June 19-25

 Sunday 20 June 2021, and Week of June 19-25

}Increasing Goodwill{

Sunday 20 June 2021

Moon in Libra-->Scorpio

< moon remains in the Via Combusta until early Monday

/moon goes void-of-course at 3:53a PT | 6:53a ET | 10:53a UT

until it enters Scorpio at 4:59a PT | 7:59a ET | 11:59a UT (about an hour later)

Sun enters Cancer (Summer Solstice) at 8:33p PT | 11:33p ET | 3:33a(M) UT

I'll try to avoid saying whether this week is better or worse, easier or harder than the previous week.  We are having a very hard time of things, it seems to me, and most are struggling with problems which seem to keep coming back although there has been definite progress along some lines, seemingly no progress along others.  I don't want to commit to saying this new week is 'better' but in fact Mercury turns direct on Tuesday and that should help.  The Dark or Slow or Meandering, Confusing Hermetic Epoch continues until July 7 but Mercury going stationary (seemingly motionless as viewed from Earth) on Tuesday (June 22), then inching ahead, should help us calm down and focus on things with surer perspective.  

A desire for more money or income is natural, but this week it needs to be tempered by fulfilling other demands first, which are:  Learning, communication, information.  Information about things which could bring income is essential.  Pushing toward gain without that information would not pan out. 

Mars opposite Saturn requires that one hold to health regimens one has seen to be important, such as dietary restrictions, or else one will pay the price in a flare-up of the suffering that wrong eating causes.  

Venus opposite Pluto brings out unusual, sometimes perverse sexual or erotic connections.  What is the difference between lust and love? becomes a question.  No simple advice is possible for all situations.  But it is hard to avoid hurting or being hurt through erotic connections at such a time.  Sublimating feelings of intense attraction toward the spiritual level is possible though usually harder the younger one is.  

The outlook for the week is in a sense friendlier than last week.  Last week was pretty self-centered, and with a need to eliminate things or habits which were blocking one's progress.  This week should be more flowing, with more interest in people and a desire to bring them together rather than separate from them.  That does not mean perfect harmony, but an attempt for it.  You may reach far and wide to pull things together and feel that people are more responsive than previously, even if in disagreement on major points.  

We may hope for good things from the trine of Sol with Jupiter.  In itself it is a superb aspect, though it has to be mixed with the difficult ones.  At its best it gives prosperity, goodwill, enthusiasm, and the ability to prosper from connections or investments and use those gains in accord with conscience so that one feels good about oneself.  There can be a religious or spiritual philosophy inbuilt from previous lives, and innate intuitive powers.  

{Sunday, and Week of June 19-25}  {Increasing Goodwill}

Cosmic Piper

Message for Saturday 19 June 2021

 Saturday 19 June 2021

}Peevishness, Contrasting Roles, Mission, Equanimity{

Moon in Libra

< moon in  the Via Combusta beginning at 3:46a PT | 6:46a ET | 10:46a UT (until Monday morning)

Challenge:  Youth can be wonderful or it can be childishness, 'a quantity of toys or common ornaments of glass or tinsel' indicating someone fond of the artificial, and correspondingly superficial in character, proud and fretful.  His or her peevishness causes misery.  (Mars is in Leo opposite both Pluto and Saturn.)  Other factors could bring 'a gloomy sky filled with scudding clouds while a flight of blackbirds struggle against the wind.'  This is change and doubt, typical of the Via Combusta.  One could give up a project for lack of hope and perseverance.  Dreams unfulfilled require greater faith in the future.

Process:  'A man flogging a boy' could be cruelty of any sort, or a desire to punish where it is inappropriate.  Mars opposite Saturn, just beginning and lasting for weeks, can be harshness.  During a Dark Hermetic Epoch (to July 7) old wrongs can be reviewed in memory, sometimes with good results.  A theme of conflict between generations continues with 'an old-fashioned woman and an up-to-date girl' yet the role of each of these is not really incompatible with the role the other plays.  Contrast does not have to be conflict.  If dropping timidity, the girl and older woman could be stimulating to each other.  (And the man could drop his whp and find out what is really going on with the boy.)  

Blessing:  Though plans may not be utterly clear, still one might realize one has a special mission figured by 'a large ball of fire flying through the air' to persuade, convince, and rule other human beings.  If identifying with Mars in Leo, one feels sure of one's intentions, and then others will agree to them. At a more passive level (moon in Libra square Venus in Cancer while those two are in mutual reception) one could be 'a woman awaiting a sailboat.'    She has creative poise and a constructive attitude.  Her ship may come in.  Meanwhile equanimity gives her insight into potentials of her home dwelling, her immediate community, and things seem smoother in the evening hours (Luna moving toward trines with the sun and Jupiter).  

{Saturday}  {Peevishness, Contrasting Roles, Mission, Equanimity}

Cosmic Piper

Message for Friday 18 June 2021

 Friday 18 June 2021

}Dangers Escaped; Community Satisfaction{

Moon in Libra

Challenge:  'In the engine room of a large steamer, a number of men are working in an almost nude state because of the heat.'  Charubel advises us to 'live very quietly and get into some settled and uniform mode of living.'  'A man declared bankrupt' is not really in a bad situation, however disappointing, because he is being delivered from his problems. There is perhaps a melancholy yet facilitative bridge from one episode of your life to the next.

Process:  'Rock formations at the edge of a precipice' are there to protect you from a fall.  You need to take mild risks, and endure beyond any  immediate crisis.  Reality pyramids into a necessity for decision with aplomb and competency.  Then you may feel as secure as 'a large building with walls of granite having a somber or dull appearance.'  Some such actual structure (probably minus the granite) may be lucky for you.  You may do a wonderful deed which will be remembered.  

Blessing:  Indications of satisfaction with your home or neighborhood add up to 'a large and well-cultivated tract of land.'  This can include keen appreciation of nature's beauties, successful living, and a munificent family or virtual family.  People appreciate their surroundings and luxuriate in them.  'Gondoliers in a serenade' make their celebratory voices heard whenever the hungers of the soul flower into symphonic sentiment.  

{Friday}  {Dangers Escaped; Community Satisfaction}

Cosmic Piper

Message for Thursday 17 June 2021

 Thursday 17 June 2021

\From Weeping to Adventuring Out of the Woods/

Moon in Virgo

/moon goes void-of-course at 8:55p PT | 11:55p ET | 3:55a(F) UT

Challenge:  The passive challenge could stem from Venus's tri-septile with Saturn which can be melancholy, maybe involving work at home as it interferes with a friend who may be unavailable or temporarily incompatible.  'A young man of disheveled appearance sits upon a barren rock by the sea, weeping.'  The active challenge would be to be more like 'a cat upon the watch for prey,' very patient in waiting for and securing what one wants.  

Process:  There could be a lot of motion in the neighborhood to find and capture what one desires.  If this spot, place, or business doesn't yield satisfaction, there is another to visit.  'A priest performing a marriage ceremony' could indicate conformity to constructive universal  rituals, and the ability to feel others' needs and emotions as one's own.  There is organic unity in human society even where personal intimacies are involved.  (Luna is sextile Venus early in the day and Mars later.)

Blessing:  The musical and military worlds may be united in 'an escutcheon containing a harp and a gauntlet.'  There could be irritability plus playfulness, gravity plus gentleness.  One has a taste for refined surroundings and maybe lively music.  One has been a lone wolf at times but now is 'a gypsy coming out of the forest,' fresh and naive, desiring to expend oneself in enlarged horizons while also exploiting nature and humanity joyfully.  What one takes is not resented by anyone because everything feels like prodigal co-operation.

{Thursday}   /From Weeping to Adventuring Out of the Woods\

Cosmic Piper

Message for Wednesday 16 June 2021

 Wednesday 16 June 2021

\Resistance, Watchfulness, Shrewd Success, Applause/

Moon in Virgo

Challenge:  If you are tired of hearing about Saturn square Uranus, I also am tired of thinking about it, but there it is right in our faces, exact by a mere 10' of arc.  It can be nonsubmission and resistance, and I am feeling that about a lot of issues I read about in the news, where people are imprisoned or otherwise mistreated unjustly.  'A bull tossing a man with its horns' is peculiarly appropriate in that Uranus is in Taurus the sign of the bull.  This could be the government agencies trying to rein in the 'army of apes' so-called, the traders who have been manipulating stock prices in contest with other more traditional traders (maybe the 'bulls') who are also trying to manipulate prices.  While Mercury is retrograde (till June 22) it is doubtful that any of this will reach any satisfactory resolution.  To change the analogy, we have 'a cat upon the watch for prey' who is prudent, circumspect, and patient; diplomatic, suave, and watchful.  He or she is 'a fast friend and an unrelenting enemy.'  It is good to be active concerning necessities at one's home base.

Process:  A lot may be going on at home and in one's neighborhood, as if one were driving 'a wagon with a tarpaulin overhead' to keep up and latch on to everything useful, taking in at a glance what is advantageous.  "The grass does not grow under his feet."  In late afternoon and evening there is a trend toward a more pleasurable mode represented by 'a cluster of faded exotics, very sweet and sickly to the smell.'  One might feel frail, wanting to avoid tests and criticism and pull back from the world into luxury and satiety for a while.  

Blessing:  There is almost too much going on to keep track of, and one does not want to miss out on anything.  Oneself or someone close might be like 'a hen scratching for her chicks,' wanting to provide what will make everyone feel protected and satisfied.  This is a traditionally more feminine role while the masculine one might be represented by 'a man formally dressed and a deer with its horns folded.'  (Of course the sex-role side of this is upended and almost meaningless these days.)  One's self-assertion impacts the world through the formality of trophies, impressive dress, and earned esteem.  Morale is enhanced by applause.

{Wednesday}  /Resistance, Watchfulness, Shrewd Success, Applause\

Cosmic Piper

Message for Tuesday 15 June 2021

 Tuesday 15 June 2021

^Frosty, Interesting Transition and Unfoldment^

Moon in Leo-->Virgo

|Karmically serious sobering, challenging third| of this week continues until 8:09p PT | 11:09p ET | 3:09a(W) UT

/moon goes void-of-course at 10:28a PT | 1:28p ET | 5:28p UT

until it enters Virgo at 8:03p PT | 11:03p ET | 3:03a(W) UT

Challenge:  As yesterday, we have a signal that Mercury retrograde while squaring Neptune (with the sun) is making our lives 'nebulous' unless we take charge in certain areas:  'A wave-line of nebulous light is obscured by a cloud in the midst.'  Sepharial says this indicates 'one of elastic and undeveloped mind, uncertain principles, liable to license and moral turpitude.'  There is hope, but it could be swallowed up by weakness.  Is this better or worse than 'several young men in despite in a market place asserting their opinions by the free use of cudgels'?  There is passive sin and there is the active sin of these youths who are 'quarrelsome and litigious, of few sympathies, jealous and revengeful.'  Jupiter opposite Luna can be disagreement, while Mars and Venus opposite Pluto bring out a desire to convert by force.

Process:  'Winter frost in the woods' could represent the coldness of Venus tri-septile Saturn. Some things are held in abeyance while they await another fruitful season.  This can apply to love and friendship as well as material prosperity.  There can be splendor in abstinence.  Meanwhile various things are interesting, so that someone with 'an artificial globe' is prepared to make discoveries and possibly travel.  The life of the inquiring mind comes alive when other matters languish. For a more outward focus, we await Mercury's station while turning direct a week from today.

Blessing:  Taking care of one's home in normal ways could be a peaceable focus.  We have 'a spacious room filled with expensive furniture including several mirrors.'  We see ourselves in our personally arranged surroundings.  Charubel says we might have 'artistic accomplishments and love for the fine arts.'  The indefiniteness outlined in preceding paragraphs does not deny 'that sure core of immortal distinctiveness which actually constitutes self as such,' symbolized in 'the philosopher's stone.'  Here is our security in the midst of confusing transition.  Life unfolds, we press forward indefinitely but  uncompromisingly; 'the germ grows into knowledge and life.' 

{Tuesday}   ^Frosty, Interesting Transition and Unfoldment^

Cosmic Piper

Message for Monday 14 June 2021

Monday 14 June 2021

^Through Obscurity toward Conquest and Glory^

Moon in Leo

|Karmically serious, sobering, challenging third| of this week continues until Tuesday evening

Challenge:  Two factors, (a) Mercury retrograde (until next Tuesday the 22nd) and (b) both Mercury and the sun square Neptune, are somewhat disorienting, though disorientation is a prelude to reorientation and something better.  'A wave-line of nebulous light, obscured by a cloud in the midst' suggests weakness because one is 'incapable of any firm and independent position.'  One's objectives change while one wanders from one place to another.  Hopeful, but then depressed and nervous again, one needs the calm of spiritual faith and security.  It might help to see oneself as 'a person trimming palms' because doing something basic and needed reconnects one with the natural world. There is 'harmony between the workman and his materials.'  One enhances everything by trimming back on what's unneeded.

Process:  'It'll make a man out of you' might seem like a sexist claim but 'it'll make a real woman out of you' is equivalent, and it seems that the seemingly endless square between Saturn and Uranus, now exact within seconds of arc, is forcing us to find out what's in us.  'A man like a Hercules or Samson standing over a slain lion' is someone who has overcome inward as much as outward enemies.  Yet he or she may be soft and gentle in manner.  Our conquest of what opposes us comes through tenacity and strength of intention.  One is prepared to modify one's self-image in order to carry on with self-purpose, so 'a woman is having her hair bobbed.'  One's mirror-image evokes self-examination and decision.  

Blessing:  Luna square Uranus while opposite Saturn exacerbates the square between them during this most-intense day of the 2.5-day |difficult third| of this week.  We may respond with horror, or anxiety, or escapism, but it would help if we could be like 'a man before a square with a manuscript scroll before him.'  When at a blocked point, we can examine everything 'by logical or judicial criteria' and thereby get a solid hold.  We can attain (Dr. Jones) 'an absolute and personal control and organization of self for the purposes of each special situation.'  Further, the manuscript contains profundity.  Mars and Luna in Leo suggest the splendor of youth, and we have 'a veiled statue' 'unfolding gradually the sublime and the glorious.'  We observe or study 'what is great and lofty,' with 'vivid imagination and fiery enthusiasm.'  We may feel passionate because of someone beautiful who inspires us.    

{Monday}  ^Through Obscurity Toward Conquest and Glory^

Cosmic Piper

 

Message for Sunday 13 June 2021, and Week Ahead: Tentative Tent

Sunday 13 June 2021

Week Ahead:  ~Tentative Tent~

Moon in Cancer-->Leo

Karmically serious, sobering, challenging third| of this week begins at 3:56a PT | 6:56a ET | 10:56a UT (until Tuesday evening)

/moon goes void-of-course at 4:17a PT | 7:17a ET | 11:17a UT

until it enters Leo at 11:24a PT | 2:24p ET | 6:24p UT

The previous week, June 5-11, you may have felt self-contained, growing strong through challenge, You rejected what you had to reject, almost as if expelling unwanted or unneeded things from your life.  This was often painful.  Many had health problems, probably old ones resurfacing to be cured again.  It seems to strengthen the body to reconstitute itself.  For many, finances were hard, or called into question, yet there was an undercurrent of good luck.  Apart from influencing or leading others, you had to influence and lead yourself, indomitably.

This week, June 12-18, you may continue to separate things out and dispose of them.  "Enough of that" is the motto.  Things may not be sweet, simple, or easy, but there is more of a sense of relaxation and less of an utterly intense drive.  Still, there is not much room to fool around.  One wants to transcend one's difficulties, totally and completely.  This requires concentration, but also adaptability.  Mercury remains retrograde.  Things take turns you hadn't anticipated, but this is sometimes for the better.  Dropping something to turn to something more important at the moment is a pattern you will rely on again and again.  Mercury and the sun square Neptune represent a reach for the invisible--the spiritual or supreme--or at a lower level a reach for euphoria through stimulants such as alcohol or drugs.  Another path is musing, pondering, daydreaming, and there is nothing wrong with that if not carried too far.  The past irrupts into your consciousness as pleasant or disturbing memories.   That means the past has not exhausted its lessons for you, nor its support.  People you haven't seen for years or who are gone from this world may appear before your vision.  Then you can bless them, thank them for whatever they contributed to your life, and say goodbye (but not a final goodbye) again.  

There is a quest for knowledge.  It may be career-related.  There are strong companions who stimulate you to do your best and attain a hardy position.  The clear outlines of this are not always sharp; but what is known, and can be attained now,is enough for now.  It's a tentative period.  You are living in a 'tentative tent' in the back yard and don't have to build a house at this point.  When concerns about career surface, you can trust the plans you have made over recent months and weeks rather than try to formulate anything utterly new.   Modifications and adjustments will be interesting, and continuing, so your  schemes may not be in final form until at earliest next week when Mercury turns direct, or three weeks from now when a new Bright or Straightforward Hermetic Epoch begins on July 7.  

It is pleasant to watch how things develop, without insisting that they be perfectly definite.  At the same time, it may be important to knock things out of the way if they are just a waste of time.  "I don't need that."  

{Week of June 12-18, 2021}  ~Tentative Tent~

Cosmic Piper

Message for Saturday 12 June 2021

 Saturday 12 June 2021

~Taking-Charge Strength, plus Pondering and Celestial Gifts~

Moon in Cancer

Challenge:  The unusual situation of Mars the lesser malefic quincunx Jupiter the greater benefic while Venus the lesser benefic is quincunx Saturn the greater malefic could provoke some misgivings, along with the intensifying square between Saturn and Uranus, so we have 'a man standing on a lonely plain, weeping.'  I would say go for it, express and get over the grief.  But Charubel says that we are 'liable to give up in the struggle of life to despondency' and are 'wanting in energy and destitute of moral courage.'  And so we should stiffen our resolution: 'One hand is slightly flexed with a very prominent thumb.'  This is 'practicality brought to the point of ruthlessness' says Dr. Jones.  We develop steadiness and self-responsibility through determination.

Process:  'An oval-shaped mirror' is said by Charubel to indicate 'an impressionable mind which retains little.'  We might feel like that when browsing in the day's news.  How much of this stuff is worth remembering?  Yet memories remain to be shuffled around by the subconscious mind, unbeknownst to us.  A lot of that happens during a Dark Hermetic Epoch (until July 7, plus Mercury retrograde until June 22).  It's okay to drop the nonessential, let go one's grip on it, and so let the essential rise to the surface.  Sometimes what that is is not what one expected.  Then when a period of musing is over we are like 'a man delving' or being industrious in small matters.  The small prepares the great.  

Blessing;  While the 'impressionable mirror' forgets the pointless, as in 'just forget it,' we have also 'a caduceus between two moons, one crescent and the other gibbous.'  We may experience hope and despondency in rapid alternation.  We might travel or search, because of versatility and an aptitude for gaining knowledge.  Hermes helps us in languages and learning, even while he dithers backward.  "I have read this before but it seems totally new."  At the spiritual level amazing things could happen.  'A luminous cloud sailing in the azure sky suddenly opens and pours out on the earth an influence resembling a shower of pearls of variegated hue.'  Charubel says this shows 'numerous celestial gifts.'  We may 'prosper in matters temporal and spiritual, without apparent effort.'

{Saturday}  ~Taking-Charge Strength, plus Pondering and Celestial Gifts~

Cosmic Piper