Bubblegum Gutter
Sunday March 4th
Venus has reached her highest degree of exaltation at 27 degrees, marking this day as particularly strong in signatures of pleasure, beauty, art, love, aesthetic, attraction and indulgence of all sorts. She enwraps Mercury, opening up much leeway to concentrate on these matters as well as express them, which is lucky for Mercury as he is in detriment in Pisces, so teaming up with a benefic planet in wonderful dignity helps him considerably. He is his most artistic and poetic self today, feeling less dazed and confused. There is something spectacular about how the minstrels lips part and like a waterfall painting with rainbow scales so many salmon and koi cascade down from a mist above into the canvas of the moment which gently falls upon our shoulders like a weightless robe and contracts into a second skin; one that rings and hums in sonorous scale ascensions Shepherd’s Loop Glissando. Caressing the liquid sky with this gliding body streaks of polychrome chime and dissolve into the ether where they color the air ambiently as frenetic froth foams up from microscopic space and in velvet articulates the fading memory of tenderest touch, the finesse and lucidity of tongue, the egg tempura pool which grapefruit sized pearls surface in and open to reveal incandescent dragonflies who’s buzzing symphony vibrates the matte medium to reveal impressions of unified remembrance of forgotten collective sensations, like the cry of joy released in concert crescendos or the victorious release of captives, the tears that hover like opal orbs in symmetrical sinistrose constellations which perch perfectly in expanding nebulae as particular planets drift apart perpetually into infinity. It is all this thread of coral called up from watery depths unseen and lit from below by massive hydra too large to ever be in any ocean, they are instead within without, no where and everywhere and only the eye afloat within the mind of the artist that dares to let go of it all can they be brought back from the brink of time before God blinks and like a lash of ash dispersed by motion unexpected do we find the true rarity of that which is pursued but can never be caught; and leads The Fool LE MAT into unexpected abysses.
The Sun being on Neptune might put us all in Jack Smith’s Hyperbole Photography Studios in some sense, whether you are on what side of the camera depends on your chart and also how much Shalimar you’re hiding beneath might reveal how many Flaming Creatures mobile around your hypothetical crib. I imagine the shutter will shock and film will fly from the canister, if there’s any frames left. As Chiron ends up in the far corner of Pisces getting squeezed down the drain the Venus-Mercury fusion, our core wounds are sucked into our costumes, become fantastical body armor and pieces of flair, end times amulets we wear as we become emissions out of a perfume atomizer. How fabulous. Last week I mentioned magic cork popping, and it still stands, despite the delusion factor as pretty much a given for the day, let’s let it all foam out for few hours and check out whats on the other side once the bubbles subside. So those who stand upon slippery slopes already, find something to grab hold of as the pink elephants parade past with their impossible entourage. You might remember this as the most fun you ever had even though you are wincing in the photographs, or it might also be the reverse. You remember a night of confused tears and watery steps home through lost alleyways, but in the picture your cheering and appear overjoyed. Peculiar indeed. For most there is simply an opportunity to send old hang ups and nagging preoccupations down the bubblegum gutter in a stream of jolly champagne piss. Or maybe that was last night… oh well why not have another go.
Monday March 5th
Welcome back to reality ‘yall. The Sun separates from Neptune to look into the Achernar’s sparkling light. This fixed star can bring an identification with states of crisis, and inspire the clarity of vision to operate with swift and critical action in crucial moments. Something like this is normally likely to occur during most serious entheogenic experiences, or Shalimar soaked photo shoots for that matter. Remember that the Sun in Pisces second face is between worlds, and is easily detracted from mystical connections by being over sensitive to bad vibes; the identity impressively malleable to circumstances but also likely to become distraught if forced into the mundane situations. There are a few different kinds of crisis coded into these configurations. Take your pick I suppose.
Meanwhile throughput the day Mercury applies to Scheat, as does Venus throughout the night (which is also Venus night): what we adore gravitates to a love of intellect and logic challenges as we break from conventional thought with new and innovative ideas concerning reason and aesthetic. Maybe this is when you pivot mid runway to realize all the garments in your collection look better inside out and you can’t get the handlers back stage stripping the models fast enough for their second pass down the catwalk. Or in a more cerebral sense, you print Sudoku squares on tunics for ready to wear so there is something distracting to engage in on a summer subway. The Moon trine in Scorpio throughout, and Jupiter trine by sign suggests a lot of emotional interplay throughout the zodiac along these thematic lines involving poisonous moods and feelings of delicious intensity, salivating over opportunistic coherence quenching traumatic thirsts.
Tuesday March 6th
For those of us in Mercury profections or with prominent Mercury’s in our nativities Tuesday clears some air and blows the jelly out of our synaptic plumbing. The Messenger then becomes more of a daredevil shot from a cannon as he emerges through the primordial pool into a darkened cave and with a flash is promptly fired from the barrel of a gun into blazing light. Yes, Mercury is the first planet to make it into a new Zodiacal cycle by ingress into Aries at 3am EST, made all the more explosive by the Trine by Sign to Mars in Sagittarius: Out of the wet wash of intuitive emotion into opinionated, sharp and strategic intelligence; fast, independent thinking and clear to the point communication. This Mercury might be more argumentative and is certainly capable of carrying concealed fighting words in his vocabulary, although the most common word you might catch coming out of his mouth is simply: go! This creates an impulse to blurt it all out, so you may try to find your unique voice, or personal communication and logic style. Try to fill your invocations or recitations with spirit and heat, bring your fire up to your throat and use it to call and to command, the universe might comply. Just keep it on an appropriate length leash, know who your talking to and don’t speak so fast you trip on your tongue, as this could be quite a feisty communication period, and also hot and rash for travel, so keep St. Christopher in mind as to avoid succumbing to the vertigo of speeding, or simply impulsive vehicular maneuvers.
Then, to show up Mercury’s dashing entrance into zodiacally fresh territory Venus ingresses Aries, exiting exaltation and entering detriment. Suddenly the aesthetic of battle beckon us, we can see the beauty of anger, attraction to the struggle to express our individuality, we remember how to love a good fight, or attempt physically challenging sex, charge into hot and fast affairs, struck by scorching seduction. It would not be far off to even imagine Kali orTara type female forms, but on the other end of the spectrum we end up with gaudy aesthetics, bright bold colors, aggressive decoration styles, Fran Drescher leopard and red print; or to take it up a notch, Diana Vreeland.
As this is a volatile time for Venus as well as a Mercury preparing to retrograde, we shall have to step lightly, and as usual with all things overseen by Mars, find an outlet for the excess energy. Its not that we should swallow our outbursts and sit fidgeting, but instead direct the action into appropriate channels and pre-prepared heat sinks. Set up some physical activities, technical and artistic projects to put these flash fires into so you don’t burn your life down or run it over with your car.
Wednesday March 7th
We may awaken Wednesday with a receding recollections of being in the tunnel depths as the waning Moon conjoins Jupiter in Scorpio at 4am. This touch to the Greater benefic in the sign of intensity, secrecy, and primal emotions is significant when you consider the greater array at this point: Venus and Mercury have entered a Mars ruled sign, Mars in a Jupiter ruled sign, the Moon in Mars’ sign on top of Jupiter himself, Jupiter in Mars’ water sign, and the Sun in Jupiter’s water sign. Plus Uranus is in Mars’ sign, while Neptune and Chiron are in Jupiter’s sign. This leaves only Saturn and Pluto in Saturn ruled Capricorn, and the Nodes in the Leo Aquarius axis. We’ve got quite a big interplay between Martian and Jupitarian signatures: The coherence and understanding of struggles to express individuality, personal battles, the unearthing of suppressed or hidden intensities and traumas being dug up and brought to light and how that moves movements forward, big agendas with a lot of raw energy behind them and the arguments between individuals, fired up fantasy logic, everything blending and mingling and flowing away, but maybe also being blown out a fire hose, as well as kicking and screaming to be born from the purge expulsion waters cum afterbirth. The ideal, the truth, fantasy, grail, the fight for it, who is fighting and why they fight one another in the process, both in the open and behind the scenes. etc etc There is maybe some Alexandrian expansion or some Crusades energy here. On the ground we are clearly in more than a pickle, but if we survive these days we are assured noteworthy mention on the ledgers of history, if they can ever disentangle it and describe what happened with any accuracy. But maybe that is what this is about to a degree: An impassioned impulse to look beyond, to look how it all flows together into muck and then sprint through the puddle to find a higher vantage, and observe the scene from above, pull back and glimpse what is actually happening, as the “blood mingles with the mud”, we fight to receive the rare longview you are rarely awarded in Hard To Be A God, and in fact, if we don’t burst out of this digestive system that is breaking us down into chum we will surely be soon digested and excreted by some beast we can’t see, as we are in the darkness of the belly. A fairly Gnostic concept, but Gnosticism tends to whistles from the kettle and grab our attention when Mars and Jupiter interlace to such a degree. Everyone grab hold of something Saturnine as the hot air balloon is about to take off.
Thursday March 8th
But wait! Just before it does Jupiter turns retrograde (at 7pm EST), and suddenly promotes perpetual growth less and holding current ground more; we look down at all the territory we’ve seized thoughtfully and begin trying to deeply understand what we’ve got, so we don’t lose it, so it doesn’t all slip away. With the big balloon lashed securely down we circle around it with bright torches and inspect every inch. If that’s not enough light we spark off great bonfires. Although we must not get too carried away, or we might have a zeppelin on our hands, as the behemoth we’re so excited to examine is filled with highly explosive stuff; we must tap into the wisdom and coherence part of Jupiter and not be led astray by the overly optimistic dimension that might let Mars puff us up too fast and send us careening to conflagration.
When Jupiter is retrograde, which he is for around four months every year, we concentrate less on acquiring more, increasing our holds and expanding our empires and turn our attention to making good on the opportunities we have hanging around us, use what’s sitting in our lap, take advantage of what resources we currently have, secure the territories we hold and make efforts to understand our positions thoroughly. This will cause us to not be wasteful, to be more efficient and to not end up feeling like things are slipping through our fingers. If you take more than you can use you might lose what you’re gaining and what you already had. Embracing the Jupiter retrograde can reduce stress, as we can relax our advance to some degree, and focus on holding down the fort, loading up the ships in our docks and setting them sail.
The slowing down and turning around of our gas giant puts him on the 23rd degree of Scorpio from February 25 until March 21st. Here find the fixed star Agena, the foot of the Centaur constellation opposite Toliman. This gives us some timely insight on how to approach the gear shift. Agena’s significations are about approaching the ordinary, everyday sacrifices and religious ordinances of ordinary life so as to achieve semblances of success/wealth/fame/coherence/wisdom/opportunity through simple daily ritual. Sounds good to me. Take a look at your current magical or ritual practice and consider how you can optimize it as it is to achieve more from it, to step deeper into initiation with what you’ve already formed, and see how that effects your circumstances outside the temple.
Friday March 9th
Following suit with this longer cycle downshift we get a more regular and localized one as Luna wanes to her last quarter phase by 6am. Later that evening (8pm) the Moon conjoins Mars and then enters containment between the malefics. We may feel trapped between irritations and obligations that injure then starve our needs— perhaps a “forced” energy downshift, like running out of steam or resources, physically or emotionally, “hitting a wall” just after over revving our engines. What Jupiter and the Moon are both talking may be handed with strictness by Mars and Saturn in tandem. It’s best to just play along, as it ultimately sets us up for the pace of a longer period, and begins to get us good and grounded before Uranus enters Taurus later in May, and literally begins rumbling the earth.
Saturday March 10th
10 am Saturday morning the Sun progresses into the 3rd decan of Pisces shifting focus to the more dramatic and tragic nature of Pisces in the zodiacal death-throes. Embrace for a rollercoaster of emotions and visions, wills and identities, especially if you have prominent Pisces placements in your chart. Pisces people tend to over-feel Pisces season, as is their nature in general— Getting up so high you become weightless and lost. Seeing everything as huge omens obscured by either positive or negative polarities. Growing eager to blend vision and identity with the source or the essence or the all. The sensitivity to good or bad “vibes” is at its height here, which is perfect for “soul searching” and visionary experiences. A Great time to literally be on high, like on a mountaintop vista, chanting, fasting and connecting in such a place of purely divine and sacred energy. Then the extra sensitivity will heighten the experience. But put yourself in the DMV or even in a conventional supermarket, and the darkness and bleakness of consumer culture gets blown out of proportion as well, if its possible to even do that.
Around 9pm the Moon conjoins Saturn which is always some form of emotional incarceration, emotions and needs forced into a rigid format, our soul put on rations. This clearly influences and augments the above. But again, a good mountaintop prayer would suit this slimming Moon quite nicely.
More ominous and tumultuous aspects brew in the background as Mercury will square Saturn, Mars will trine Uranus and the Sun will sextile Pluto all by Sunday morning, so making a concerted effort to put careful and pragmatic restrictions on emotions is not a bad plan before you are off to bed. Some solemn prayers over the candle as its snuffed could add to exoskeletons useful at sunrise, and if anything, this is a good reminder for how we might best operate in general.
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Moon of Hyldemoer Herbal Notes for Liminal Light
March 4-10, 2018
These notes are suggestions for herbal allies to assist with the effects of the cosmic influences of this week. Before imbibing any of the herbs recommended, research recommended dosages, & ask yourself & research such questions as, Does this herb interfere with any medications I am taking?, Does this herb match with my constitution?, Do I really need to take this herb into my body? Be wise: listen to your own body, intuition, guiding spirits & the plants themselves.
Imbibing the herbs recommended is of course only one way of meeting the herbs. There are multitudinous manners of developing relationships with our herbal allies including sitting with the fresh or dry herbs, or a picture/drawing of the herb, making an amulet to wear or have on your altar (adhering to planetary hours/days), visioning or meditating with the plant, & taking an herbal body or foot bath (In this case remember your skin is the largest organ of your body). Use your imagination & listen to the plants, they have been on this planet much longer than we have, are our Elders & have much wisdom to offer.
Sunday, March 4
For today & throughout this week, calling upon Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a wise, protecting choice. Herbalist Matthew Wood states that Yarrow is an ally for the “Wounded Warrior/Wounded Healer”. This is therefore a wonderful ally for facing & healing our wounds associated with Chiron that will be conjunct both Mercury & Venus in the third decan of Pisces today, 4 pm EST & 6 pm EST respectively. Yarrow is a psychic protector & like a tai chi master, can filter energy, allowing only the necessary to come in & the rest to go by, which aids in ones healing process. Yarrow can also be a guide during this dreamy Pisces filled day (Mercury, Venus, Chiron, Neptune & the Sun) & with the transition in the next few days of increased Martian energy. Taken as a flower essence, 1-3 drops under the tongue as needed, Yarrow will offer this psychic protection. The flower essence bottle should be enlivened before using, i.e., hit the bottom of the bottle three times to awaken the vitality of the essence.
Yarrow is a paradoxical herb, being both of fire & water. Yarrow is a stimulating, diaphoretic, moving congestion in the body & opening the pores allowing excess heat & toxins to leave the body. As a bitter, Yarrow stimulates the digestive system to function with strength, at the same time as is cooling & relaxing.
Yarrow is called “Master of the Blood”. Through Yarrow’s ability to clot, unclot, & to strengthen the vascular structures, it is able to regulate the flow of blood to & from the skin, in & out of the capillaries & venules & to thicken or thin blood as needed.
Yarrow promotes sweating so that it helps us to bring a fever through fruition & heat out through sweating of the skin. Joined withElderflower & Peppermint in a tea, this triad staves off colds & flus, relieves fever, aches & pains & sends our body onward to wellness. A hot cup of Yarrow tea will open the pores of the skin. In the 18th century, the Micmac tribes used Yarrow in sweat baths to rid the body of colds & flus.
A cold cup of Yarrow tea, on the other hand, is used to support digestion & kidney functioning. The bitter principles of Yarrow make this herb an ally for those with gastrointestinal distress. In Austria, Yarrow is called Bauchwehkrautl, or bellyache herb. Sheep & goats seek outYarrow when they feel stomach distress. Yarrow can give comfort to those dealing with heartburn, the intestinal heat of colitis, flatulence, abdominal cramping & headaches caused by liver discomfort.
A wonderful Piscean herb to call upon during this transition time from the Pisces dreamy, imaginative world, into the Aries action driven realm, is Venusian Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata). The leaves & flowers of the Passionflower have been used for millennia by native peoples of the Americas as a nervine, one that soothes the nervous system. 10-20 drops of Passionflower tincture, or 1-2 C tea assists those with anxiety, nervousness, insomnia, & irritability. 10 drops of Passionflower tincture taken before sleeping helps to quiet the chattering mind & allow for restful sleep to come, helpful for the coming Mars/Jupiter exchange.
Monday, March 5
Continue working with Yarrow and/or Passionflower today as the Sun separates from dreamy, illusionary Neptune & both Mercury & Venus apply to Aries. Blue Vervain(Verbena hastata) (North America) or Vervain(Verbena officinalis) (Europe) is another nervine that we can begin to call upon during this transition.
Both Blue Vervain & Vervain can be used interchangeably, although many American herbalists see Blue Vervain being the stronger of the two. Blue Vervain is a specific for people who are idealistic, driven, intolerant of shortcomings in self & others, strong-willed, but lack the stamina to sustain the effort. There is much mental overactivity, excessive thinking, & excessive talking, & they may be carried away by their enthusiasm & overwork themselves. Vervain is a specific for muscular spasm, especially of the neck & shoulders as well as the stomach & intestines. “When muscles & joints cannot relax, they become stiff and tense, and there is great tiredness and strain,” says Krishnamoorty, for which Vervain is an excellent ally.
The Native tribes of the Eastern Woodlands of the Americas found Blue Vervain to be one of their greatest allies calling upon it for its nervine & antispasmodic qualities. The acrid tastes tend to be antispasmodic, relaxants & nerviness, e.g. Lobelia, Black Cohosh, Valerian, Kava-Kava & of course Blue Vervain. Vervain is a helpful ally for those who are stuck in their heads with feelings of melancholy & depression. It is a cooling herb that can literally send a shiver down ones spine. As we know, heat rises & cool air drops down, so that Vervain,as a cooling herb, helps to bring hot, irritated energy that is stuck in the head & upper regions, down & to be brought out of the body as needed. It is both drying with its tannins & moistening with its mucilage. Overall, Vervain is cooling & drying & may help one to keep a cool head in this coming fiery Mars time.
Tuesday, March 6
If as Mercury leads the way into Mars ruled Aries (3 am EST), into a place of possible blunt, impulsive action & later on Venus (7 pm, EST), moving from a place of exaltation into detriment, finds one too hot under the collar, some cooling herbs may help us to think more clearheaded & direct this fiery action instead of it directing us. Chickweed (Stellaria media), ruled by both the Moon & Water, is such a cooling herb. It is fast acting. The hairs on the leaves & stem of chickweed indicates that it preserves water in the body, says Herbalist Rosemary Gladstar. That is, it keeps us moistened & cooled, but also regulates water levels in the body & expels excess moisture & fats. It promotes both the building & breaking down aspects of metabolism by working with the liver & with the endocrine system. This ally decongests the lymph system & helps the kidneys to eliminate excess water at the same time as balancing the necessary water levels in the body. Chickweed works with the liver, lymphatics, endocrine, kidneys, skin, intestines, & lungs! The best way to take Chickweed is fresh in salads or juiced, but in tincture form, 10-30 drops, 2-3x/day will bring a cool, clear mind & body. Also continuing working with cooling, Venus ruled Milky Oats (Avena sativa) will help Venus during this heated time, taken as tea, tincture, oatmeal, or calling upon the spirit of solid, fluid, present Oats.
Wednesday-Thursday, March 7-8
On this wild mix of Mars & Jupiter today, cool & dry Saturn herbs like Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis) & Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)help to cool & offer a solid grounding.
Fumitory, as the name expresses, has been used for centuries as burning herb to expel undesired spirits. This Saturnine herb has greyish leaves & pink flowers so that it has been named “earth-smoke” due to its misty presence & it is even legend that this plant rose from vapor instead of seed. Fumitory has been called upon for slow, sluggish digestion, for general stomach disorders, & as a stomach tonic. The fresh herb can be infused in apple cider vinegar or wine & taken a few times/day. It is a wonderful spring tonic for helping our bodies to transition from the cold, slow winter into the lively, murmuring spring, freshly blended with other clearing herbs such as Cleavers, Chickweed & Dandelion leaves.
Mullein, being an herb of Saturn, is a strong ally for the musculoskeletal system. It promotes the health of cartilage by lubricating the connective tissue of joints. Mullein does this by allowing synovial fluid into the bursa & promotes internal fluids to move into the surrounding tissues thereby moistening joints, muscles, bones, & ligaments. Mullein grows in sandy, dry or even gravelly soils, so that it has to know how to work with water, moving fluids through the body or out of the body as needed.
Mullein is also called upon for great protection. Ulysses brought Mullein to protect himself against the magic of the sorcerer Circe. Mulleinis often carried for protection while traveling. For centuries, the dead stalks have been dipped in tallow & used as torches for religious ceremonies. Plinius & Dioscorides, two early classical authors, told of Mullein leaves used for wrapping around food as a preservative. Early physician Galen states that Mullein helps to digest & cleanse corrupted tissues, which is telling of its ability to stop food from putrefying so rapidly, helpful during this time of the alchemical digestion during this combined time of great Mars(Sagittarius) & Jupiter (Scorpio) energies.
Friday-Saturday, March 9-10
Continue on with Saturnine, stabilizing, cooling herbs as well as calling upon Yarrow for its psychic filter qualities as the Sun progresses into the 3rd decan of Pisces & our lives may feel a bit on the tragically, dramatic realm. Carrying Yarrow on ones being during these days is recommended. “Yarrow, yarrow tremble & sway/Tiny flowers bright & gay/Protect my garden night & day.” –Traditional saying.
References:
Cunningham, Scott. Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs Llewellyn Publications, 1997.
Culpepper, Nicholas. Culpepper’s Colorful Herbal Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 1983.
De Bariracli Levy, Juliette. Common Herbs for Natural Health Ash Tree Publishing, 1997.
Gladstar, Rosemary. Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health Storey Publishing, 2008.
Moore, Michael. Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West Red Crane Books, 1993.
Rago, Linda Ours. Mugworts in May: a folklore of herbs Quarrier Press, 1995.
Treben, Maria. Healing Through God’s Pharmacy Ennsthaler Publishing, 2007.
Wood, Matthew. The Book of Herbal Wisdom North Atlantic Books, 1997.
Wood, Matthew. The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants North Atlantic Books, 2008.
Wood, Matthew. The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to New World Medicinal Plants North Atlantic Books, 2009.
Moon of Hyldemoer, Suzanne Stone, Community Herbalist.
This information is not a substitute for a health care practitioner. Not to be reproduced without permission.