Friday 23 December 2022

The Web of Life (H.P. Blavatsky, Walt Whitman, Mundaka Upanishad)

The seven sons were not yet born from the web of light. Darkness alone was father-mother, Svabhavat; and Svabhavat was in darkness.

These two are the Germ, and the Germ is one. The Universe was still concealed in the Divine thought and the Divine bosom. . . . (H.P. Blavatsky, The Stanzas of Dzyan, 2 5-6, The Secret Doctrine)

Light is cold flame, and flame is fire, and fire produces heat, which yields water: the water of life in the great mother.

Father-Mother spin a web whose upper end is fastened to spirit — the light of the one darkness — and the lower one to its shadowy end, matter; and this web is the universe spun out of the two substances made in one, which is Svabhavat.

It expands when the breath of fire is upon it; it contracts when the breath of the mother touches it. Then the sons dissociate and scatter, to return into their mother’s bosom at the end of the great day, and re-become one with her; when it is cooling it becomes radiant, and the sons expand and contract through their own selves and hearts; they embrace infinitude.

Then Svabhavat sends Fohat to harden the atoms. Each is a part of the web. Reflecting the “Self-Existent Lord” like a mirror, each becomes in turn a world.  (Stanzas 3, 9-12)

 
As a spider ejects and retracts (the threads),
As the plants shoot forth on the earth,
As the hairs on the head and body of the living man,
So from the Imperishable, all that is here.
As the sparks from the well-kindled fire,
In nature akin to it, spring forth in their thousands;
So, my dear sir, from the Imperishable
Living beings of many kinds go forth,
And again return into him.
(Mundaka Upanishad, 1.1.7)
 
A noiseless patient spider,
I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood isolated,
Mark’d how to explore the vacant vast surrounding,
It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself,
Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.
And you O my soul where you stand,
Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them,
Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till the ductile anchor hold,
Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.
(Walt Whitman)
 
But they believed in destiny or Karma, which from birth to death every man is weaving thread by thread around himself, as a spider does his cobweb; and this destiny is guided by that presence termed by some the guardian angel, or our more intimate astral inner man, who is but too often the evil genius of the man of flesh or the personality. Both these lead on Man, but one of them must prevail; and from the very beginning of the invisible affray the stern and implacable law of compensation and retribution steps in and takes its course, following faithfully the fluctuating of the conflict. When the last strand is woven, and man is seemingly enwrapped in the network of his own doing, then he finds himself completely under the empire of this self-made destiny. It then either fixes him like the inert shell against the immovable rock, or like a feather carries him away in a whirlwind raised by his own actions. 
(H.P. Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled, Vol. II, 593)
 
Macrocosm & Microcosm Correspondence? As above, so below?' Some observations from recent scientific studies:
 
'Then Svabhavat sends Fohat to harden the atoms. Each is a part of the web'. (Blavatsky, Stanzas of Dzyan 3, 12) (Fohat is cosmic electricity)
New research suggests that spider webs can lure their prey using, literally, electric attraction (Megan Garber, 2013) https://www.theatlantic.com/.../confirmed-spiders.../277544/

The study, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, found that when spiders are in a chamber with no wind, but a small electric field, they are likely to prep for take-off, or even fly. Plus, the sensory hairs covering the spiders’ bodies move when the electric field is turned on — much like your own hair stands up due to static electricity. This “spidey sense” could be how the creatures know it’s time to fly. (Amanda Grennel, 2018)
 
golden orbweaver spider has 7 kinds of silk glands & each 1 creates its own liquid protein & solidified & combined in numerous ways, released as silk from 6 spinnerets (Krista Carothers, 14 of the Most Elaborate Spider Webs Ever Found in Nature, 2018/2022) https://www.rd.com/list/elaborate-spider-webs/
 

Thursday 15 December 2022

Astrology: Winter Solstice, Wednesday December 21, 2022

Impulse and Action
 
For the Autumn equinox, it was forecasted: 
 
There can be tension experienced as our needs for freedom and spontaneity seem to clash with a need for structure and stability.  There may be an overly optimistic tendency to avoid problems, warning signs, along with some impatience. Unconscious fears, obsessive tendencies, paranoid suspicions can reach a crisis point of outbursts and meltdowns. On the positive side, there is a sharp, smart, communicative, sociable energy. There is also a strong potential for empowerment, resolve, insightful discoveries, and deep transformation.  
 
There were several political events that could be said to fit aspects of the forecast. In Iran there were mass protests by women sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman arrested by morality police. In Haiti, political instability has seen the increase of violent gang control. In Peru, protests erupted after the impeachment of Pedro Castillo after he tried to dissolve Congress. In Tibet, there have been protests against China's strict Covid lockdown measures. In Ukraine, local forces have made progress in repelling Russian occupiers, at a moment near the Oct 25 Solar Eclipse and also the November 7 Lunar Eclipse. Some unexplained incidents occurred, such as a bridge in Crimea being sabotaged, and in Russia, Darya Dugina, daughter of Russian traditionalist, Aleksandr Dugin, was assassinated. 

The Winter solstice chart is less intense that the fall one, but has a few rambunctious aspects and a few more flamboyant ones.

Venus trine Uranus  
Creative inspiration can be had now. Offbeat, pleasant attitudes are appreciated, noticed, and even adored. People are more willing to socialize. This is a good time for financial undertakings involving electronics, technology, the internet, metaphysics, and the arts, as well as group activities.
Mercury sextile Neptune Intuition runs high. Sensitive artistically,  imagination is stirred, and an increased appreciation for subtleties. Inspired and able to inspire others with words; thinking is fanciful; a good time for artistic or literary projects.   

Moon opposition Mars

 Acting on impulse; temperamental and touchy; ruled by passions now; domestic squabbles. Overly hasty or rash actions taken now could rebound on you.  Healthy risk-taking could simply help to break the routine and get out of a rut.

Sun square Jupiter  
A tendency to wastefulness, as well as faulty decision-making due to over-optimism or arrogance. Jupiter is infusing a boost to ego at this time, and one has to know how to handle it.

At the Solstice, Jupiter re-enters Aries continuing its transit from December 20, 2022 to May 16, 2023. Jupiter in Aries encourages to embrace the inner pioneer, believe in ourselves, make opportunities and expands awareness of our personal courage and enterprising nature.

The Jupiter sextile Pluto aspect from May 3rd has moved back into fairly close orb. A time for discovering our ambitions and motivations, a time to improve, grow, and bring something to the next level. There is increased influence, faith, and insight.  Good for taking steps to better ourselves, solving long-standing problem or capitalizing upon an unrecognized resource.

Summary

The next semester should be less intense than the previous, but a passionate combative tendency remains. There could a fair amount of strange, surprising events, with a good share of light-hearted moments, possibly leading to creative, positive solutions.
The difficult Saturn-Uranus square will have faded by the end of January 2023On March 7, Saturn enters Pisces. On March 24th, Pluto enters Aquarius, so the Spring equinox could see significant developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and this period of passage itself could be quite tumultuous. Overall, it can be considered to be the beginning of the more optimistic aspects of the Jovian decade of the Jupiter-Saturn cycle.
References