Passages, Thresholds, and the Journey Forward

Threshold                                                                                                                                                              Catherine Al-Meten

In many ways, we are at the threshold of a new time, a new aspect of our collective journey, and a time when individually we have many choices to make. All of our choices will contribute or take away from our overall health and well being, so the choices and direction we take, require our careful consideration and our willingness to step into uncharted territory. 

As individuals and families, we are experiencing events, upheaval, and changes at an ever-increasing rate. We are ennumdated wtih overwhealming amounts of information, experiences, and options.  How we mindfully maintain a sense of balance while experiencing the changes that are upon us, makes all the difference between navigating the tides of change, and drowning in a sea of helplessness, fear, and passivity.  Learning to understand the prevailing, universal trends, and paying attention to how our body, mind, emotions, and spirit inform and compel us to live in greater harmony, are both important at a time of such transformation.  

I am publishing this article as November begins, and as the Celtic New Year begins as well. It has been a roller coaster ride over the last year, and as this we enter November, we might all feel like we’re riding the waves on the high seas in the middle of a storm. And for many, that is exactly what it is. Perhaps we have forgotten how closely linked our existence is to the health, harmony, and balance of the planet upon which we live. We are being called to respect our place on Earth, and our relationahsip to the Universal energies that support and affect us and life on this planet.

The dynamic transformation of the planet, an ongoing part of living on the Earth, may be becoming more real to more people en masse, than ever before. It’s not like this is the first time large numbers of people have been ennundated by floods, storms, or  earthquakes nor is it the first time people have been in conflict with one another or railing against their leaders and one another. This is the nature of who we are. We in the 21st Century however, have become complacent about our power to control our own destiny and manage the powers of nature.  Now that we have the technology to communicate and view in real time, the power of the both natural and human energy, we are more aware of what heretofore had been experienced regionally, and reported in the annals of history.  

Now we are living in the historical present, and are without all the answers. We do, have however, the power to understand ourselves and one another as spiritual beings living within the material and very real limitations and confines of our physical Universe. As those who have lived through any recent or distant calamity (World War II and the other wars of the Twentieth and Early Twentieth Centuries, storm and their aftermath like Katrina, Sandy and countless other tsunamis, storms, earthquakes, floods, droughts, and other natural or human-induced disasters, we are all affected by whatever goes on by these events.  

Today, feeling like I’m reeling as if I were seasick or car sick, I looked to the ephemeris to see what was happening. I might as well have just reflected, as I and millions of others have been, on the power and energy alive on the Planet at this time.  For those who still rely on “hard facts,” “solid research,” or “100% Proof” of what seems to be obvious changes taking place on this dynamic planet, this time might seem to be like proof of ancient and modern predictions along the apocalyptic types.  And as a biblical scholar and student of history, I can understand why people look for explanations beyond the natural occurrences that can be understood by simply understanding that we live in a dynamic Universe. 

We can study and observe the way we relate to the natural world, for after all, we are part of it. As long as we refuse to see ourselves as part of the natural rhythms of life, we will continue to be surprised and shocked. We will also continue to ignore the fact that we must change with the changes that take place around us.  Growing up as I did, near the ocean, I learned early on that the sea was far more powerful than humans. Building your home on a cliff overlooking the ocean, or on the rim of a volcano, or in a dry river bed, was sure to end badly at some point in time when the question of whether nature was more powerful than human ingenuity was ignored or forgotten. The events that are taking place throughout the world (the rising of the seas and the loss of islands and coastal lands, the melting of the ice caps at an amazing rate, and the climate and geological consequences), have been predicted and have been researched. If we humans choose to ignore that “the Emperor has no clothes,” then we are choosing to ignore the obvious. What is going on now, that we can observe in our own lives, to help us make choices and smarter decisions about how we are going to live, work, and use our resources. 

Today the  Sun is in 8/58  Scorpio, the Moon is in 2/32 Gemini (the airy feeling), Mercury is at 2/ Sagittarius, Venus is at 4/ Libra, Mars is at 17/58 Sagittarius, Jupiter is at 15/08 Gemini, Saturn is at 3/08 Scorpio, Uranus is at 5/20 Aries, Neptune is at 0/12 Pisces, and Pluto is at 7/27 Capricorn. Ceres is in Cancer. 

All month Saturn, Ceres and Neptune continue to  form a Grand Trine in Water. Look to the areas of your life where you are receiving the energy from these planets. 

All month Uranus in Aries, Ceres in Cancer, and Pluto in Capricorn are forming a t-square, which sets off energy suddenly around water and earth-related issues, conditions, and problems. The transformative nature of Pluto continues to uproot, while the shocking and electrifying energy of Uranus jolts us unexpectedly with news, energy, or other disruptive forms of communication and events. Ceres in Cancer, feels the impact with more problems around safety, security in the home, and the basis on which we seek to build the foundations for our homes, cities, and societies. For some, this affects the system of beliefs, for others the actual ground on which your home/life is based.  Look to your chart/life to see where these planets are, and to determine the nature of the energetic movement of the planets and the alignment of these aspects and transits. 

On 11/5 Election Day, Venus, the Morning Star, rising before Saturn representing the leader is in conjunction with the Sun in Scorpio, casting its light on the established leader. When Venus rises in the morning, it lends its gifts and benevolence on the existing leaders. Jupiter, the bestower of abundance and good fortune, is nowhere to be seen as the day dawns. Uranus in Aries at the nadir of the chart over Washington D.C., our capital city, tends to favor established policies and trends. Neptune at 0/22 Pisces is in opposition to the star, Regulus in Virgo. Regulus represents the archetype of the heart of the Lion. Anger unleashed by the results of the election and by how the election was run, will lead to widespread. A plan that seemed to be invincible, will fail due to over confidence and an illusory sense of the source of power and authority. The Saturn-Pluto reception and sextile, (each transiting the house of one another’s ruler), Saturn transiting Capricorn (Pluto’s ruler) and Pluto transiting Scorpio (Saturn’s ruler), provide stability and favors skilled professionals, researchers, scientists, artists, medical workers, and others who are progressive in their views and activities, not wanting to ignore the the pressing needs and issues of our times to return to a retrogressive attachment to outworn values, institutions, and beliefs. Collectively, we are turning toward more long-term views and more cooperative, unifying ways of meeting the needs of our times and our people. The Saturn-Pluto reception began on October 6, 2012, and ends on Christmas Eve of 2014.

Mercury stations Retrograde on Election day, indicating problems and breakdowns in communication. With the devastating storms that brought upheaval to the Northeast U.S. on November 1, and with the possibility of further storms coming as winter approaches, the disruptions have already begun that could have a major impact on this election. That and the information coming out about tampering with and underhanded, unethical practices around voting machines, could see this election end up in court once again. Jupiter in Gemini (Mercury’s ruler) and Mercury in Sagittarius (Jupiter’s ruler) are in mutual reception. Mercury will be in reception with Jupiter on election day, and though Mercury can impact communication, Jupiter can impact results. Mercury made a retrograde square to Neptune earlier in the month, and the deception and lies told at that time are having an effect on what is happening during the first half of November, with repercussions extending far into the future.  

This November, both the New Moon and the Full Moon will be eclipses. The New Moon solar eclipse at 21 degrees of Scorpio occurs on November 14. Anyone with planets or house cusps at 21 degrees will experience new beginnings at this This will bring with it surprises and upsets connected to issues related to power and authority, taxes, inheritance, death and related matters.  The status quo is upset in nearly every area of the world and in both natural and human-induced matters. The path of the eclipse extends from Northern Australia and New Zealand to the west coast of South America. These areas in particular are affected by this eclipse. 

The Full Moon Lunar eclipse of November 28, 2012 falls at 6 degrees of Gemini and peaks at 6:48 PST. The path of that eclipse will also affect Northern New Zealand. Venus will be reaching a sextile (favorable) aspect to Pluto, indicating that the work we have accomplished thus far in transforming whatever areas of our lives we have needed to address, will prepare us for what lies ahead. Gemini, the twins, is about uniting opposites. The challenge for us is that we still need to acknowledge, feel, and face the challenges of the polarities within ourselves and within the world. We cannot live at the extremes of opposites; we must unite bring ourselves into wholeness. If there is ever a place and time when this is evident, it is now.  We see ourselves at one another’s throats about ideas and ideals, and we see ourselves pulling together to help one another through the most difficult of times and experiences. One path leads to destruction; the other path leads to healing and creation. 

We may still be experiencing the effects of October’s T-Square in Cardinal signs: Venus in Libra, Pluto in Capricorn, and Uranus in Aries, and the Uranus-Pluto square, that resulted in the birth of a new time, level of perception, and path for us. We are just at the beginning of a new phase of life, and we are already being hit with one reminder after another of the power of the Universe and our need to raise our level of thinking, acting, and believing to reflect and energize ourselves to meet the challenges that face us all. We cannot solve our problems through violence, anarchy, or self-righteous and self-aggrandizing behavior any longer. It simply will not stand up to the challenges we face. 

The ongoing and transformative nature of the Uranus-Pluto square and the archetype of compassion and spiritual awakening of Neptune in Pisces (the start of a 14-year cycle), sets the stage for the years to come. In many ways, we are just at the threshold of change that will unfold for many years to come. Find your true north, and connect and align yourself with the highest good you can imagine, and work and live to manifest your highest good and most loving and kind creative self.