Pegasus by Artist Laura Jeanne.

 “At the end of this cosmic age Vishnu will change into a white horse and create a new world. This refers to Pegasus, who ushers in the Aquarian Age.”

~Carl Jung, Letters Vol. II, Page 607

The new moon on 13th March at 10.21 am GMT, is at 23 Pisces 3’, closely conjunct two of the fixed stars in the Pegasus constellation-

• Sadalpheratz 23 Pisces 02’
• Markab 23 Pisces 28’

The precession of the astrological ages occurs as a result of the constellations and their fixed stars moving forward through the degrees of the zodiac at about one degree every 72 years. Whatever fixed star is at zero degrees Aries is known as the “Star of the Age”.

Fixed star “Scheat” in the Pegasus constellation is currently the “Star of the Age”, and the last star on that point was also in Pegasus.

According to Astronomers we don’t technically enter the Age of Aquarius for another few centuries.

In his book on Chiron, Zane Stein says,

“Due to the precession of the Earth’s axis, part of the tropical sign Pisces currently coincides with part of the sidereal constellation Pegasus, and the 24^th degree of the tropical sign happens to be the location of the fixed star 51 Pegasi […] the first Sun-like star found to have a planet orbiting it. The planet around the star has been given an official name, Bellerophon, after the Greek hero who tamed Pegasus, the winged steed,”

~Chiron Healer and Wholemaker, p. 421

In mythology Pegasus is the winged horse that is born from the severed head of the gorgon Medusa who was impregnated by the sea god Poseidon. Pegasus is connected with poetic inspiration, brilliance of mind, ingenuity, and a certain blind faith.

When the hoofs of Pegasus touched the ground on Mount Helicon (which means spiral), four sacred springs were formed. From the springs the nine Muses, goddesses of inspiration were born. The muses reigned over the liberal arts and sciences, and in particular poetry.

An engraving from a painting by Italian artist Baldassarre Peruzzi (1481-1536)

Pegasus may well be the leap of consciousness needed to transcend the Age of Pisces and move into the Age of Aquarius, however as with many stories involving the gods there is a caution in the tale…

When the young prince from Corinth named Bellerophon wished to ride Pegasus, he had to call upon the help of the gods to do so, as no mortal could ride the magical Pegasus from his own volition. The goddess Athena touched by the Prince’s devotion gifted him a golden bridle that would entice Pegasus to be tamed. Bellerophon and Pegasus had many wonderful adventures together including slaying the Chimera. In time Bellerophon became bold and in his hubris wished to visit the gods on Mount Olympus. And so, against the better judgement of Pegasus, they set off to call upon the gods in their lofty abobe. Zeus who was watching from above saw what was happening and sent a fly to disturb Pegasus who startled and threw off his rider. Injured and desolate, Bellerophon wandered the earth in search of Pegasus but never found him again. Pegasus on the other hand travelled freely between the heavens and Earth and was welcomed on Mount Olympus. Favoured by the gods he was eventually turned into a constellation.

The boundaries in such great epochs are wide, the transition is a long gradual process, so the energy of Aquarius is already with us. The Astronomers are far more scientific in their approach. I love the symbol of Pegasus carrying us from one age to another, and in himself a very powerful symbol. The horse (instinct) with wings (spirit) are in alignment, the part that needs attention is the Rider (the ego). I feel we acknowledge Pegaus within ourselves, healing the splits- for me that is what this time is about for the individual and the cllective.

Shadows by Heidi Stanfield

Discoveries made in outer space reflect evolutions in inner space and sometimes revolutions in the political and social spheres. On 2 March 1807, the United States adopted its Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, and on 25 March in the UK, an Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was passed, prohibiting the slave trade in the British Empire. Slavery itself was not abolished until 1833.

In the same month of the same year- March 1807- asteroid Vesta, the second largest and brightest asteroid was discovered in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. At the time of her discovery she was in Virgo and the nodes of the moon – karmic indicators- were on the Gemini/Sagittarius axis- north node 13 Sagittarius 15’ ° and south node 13 Gemini 15’ °.

Today Vesta is in Virgo and on 16 April 2021 the lunar nodes will be at exactly the same degree to the minute on the Gemini/Sagittarius axis as they were in March 1807- only the opposite way round with the south node in Sagittarius and the north node in Gemini. While there have been many nodal returns and nodal oppositions since 1807 and Vesta’s orbit is relatively short- 3.6 years, I cannot help feeling there is something deeply synchronistic at work here that points to awakening consciousness in opposition to patriarchal systems that uphold the tenets of slavery in its myriad forms.

Vesta ruled by Virgo, keeper of the natural law is laying the foundation for the balancing of the scales beyond manmade laws that rarely align with the course of true justice. As humanity breaks free from its limiting shell in its striving toward liberty, the old structures cannot withhold the pressure and must give way to a higher authority.

The Gemini/Sagittarius axis is involved with belief systems, philosophy, communication, intuition, reason, and openness… it resists rigidity and dogma. The possibilities of this axis are in the marrying of left and right brain- masculine and feminine- bringing forth flashes of inspiration in rational ways- ideal for Aquarian values. Gemini defines, Sagittarius expands.

Parallels with the discovery of asteroid Vesta and the emerging feminine voice that was  rising within the socio-political spheres in the early 19^th century speak of a shift in collective consciousness that was no longer willing to tolerate oppression on account of race or gender. We are still seeing these same themes rising in the collective sphere today in the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter campaigns.

The ongoing nature of these issues opens the door to enquiry into the underlying powers at the core of slavery consciousness and the often-subtle ways in which this power is wielded. As we begin to realise the mechanics of slavery operating not only in its most obvious demonstrations but also in the subtle strategies of domination and control, there is a sense of uneasiness in the collective field. This is the territory of Deep Mind where manipulations in the astral realm- below the veil of consciousness- manifests in the conscious world (reality) but are not fully understood because not fully seen. They are accepted because they are presented as normal, and in this way are able to exist without question… until, that is, a shift of consciousness in the collective breaks down the prevailing structures and we glimpse behind the veil.

Abolitionist women played an important role in keeping the anti-slavery movement alive in the 1820s and it was newly formed women’s groups who pushed for total abolition in the British Empire. Seeds that took root in the collective consciousness at that time are now flowering as men and women are aligning with higher social ideals that refuse abusive systems of control.

While the Black Lives Matter gained a great deal of media attention last year, some people are sceptical about the motivations behind the movement. In an article entitled ‘The Black Lives Matter Movement is the Enemy of African Americans’, Leslie Taha, says,

Most people think that Black Lives Matter is a grassroots, black created, black run organization dedicated to fighting racism. It most certainly is not. The Black Lives Matter movement is the creation of a group of a few very wealthy individuals, non-profit corporations, and the corporate media (incidentally, 90% of the U.S. media is controlled by only six corporations and in the UK, it is five).

Whenever an issue receives over-blown media coverage that is highly endorsed by social-techno platforms such as Facebook that encourage people to express allegiance to that cause, I am always curious to know what lies beneath. Another example of a highly sanctioned cause recently was the NHS Heroes campaign… the clapping, the rainbows in the windows, the birth of the modern hero… and the shaming of people who did not comply with social expectations or who questioned the authenticity of the movement.

In 1791, in the lead up to the Abolition Act, Tory government headed by William Pitt The Younger rejected Consumer Action (boycotts of sugar and rum). This led to more than 300,000 people joining the boycott against sugar grown on plantations using slave labour. Women were instrumental in raising the voice of dissent and expressed their allegiance to the cause by wearing objects such as Wedgwood’s cameos featuring the image of a kneeling, chained, black slave. To what extent these gestures were gimmickry is not clear however given that the original cameos were made from ivory and precious gemstones such as mother of pearl afforded only to the classes who benefited the most from the slave trade, the potential for hypocrisy cannot be ignored.

While the Abolition of Slavery was finally passed in 1833 what is less well known is the enormous cost of this decision on the taxpayer- the British government spent £20 million, 40% of its budget, to buy freedom for slaves. That is equivalent to £20bn today… one of the biggest ever government bailouts. It was not slaves who received the money but the slave owners, among whom are the ancestors of former Prime Minister David Cameron, George Orwell, and Graham Greene- in today’s currency each family received £83 million. Payments for this bailout were only ended in 2015- the British taxpayer was footing the bill for almost 100 years.

The rabbit holes that are being unearthed at this time run deep…

This is the shadow side of Aquarius- causes that are presented as ‘for the greater good’ are often engineered by technocratic corporations keen to maintain the prevailing power structures. Concerns that surface in the collective are packaged, hyped, and presented in such a way so as to placate the populace into believing that something is being done… but only a fraction of the issue is ever revealed.

Engineered campaigns that appear to tackle issues are designed to create the illusion of solution-based people power. As most people genuinely want to do good and consider themselves part of the solution as opposed to part of the problem, mostly these campaigns are championed for the right reasons but ultimately lack substance or the necessary elements to make real lasting change and the corruption continues behind an ever-shinier facade of Aquarian ideals.

On the surface, while it appeared that salvery was abolished in the British Emire in 1833, the consciousness of corruption continued until a few years ago in the pay-out given to slave owners to compensate for their loss of earnings… at the tax payers expense.

Today, at the cusp of a new epoch, we are being asked not to be so easily seduced by clever marketing campaigns and dig a little deeper into what lies behind our consensual realities.

Image by Tomasz-Alen-Kopera- magical surrealism painter.

The Aquarius new moon on 11 February at 19.06 GMT, saw a stellium of 6 planets, a Centaur (Chariklo), and a major asteroid (Pallas Athene) in Aquarius. Slow moving social planets Jupiter and Saturn will be visiting the new moon point at 23 ° Aquarius 3 times each, over the next year and into early 2023. This longer-term influence indicates that February’s new moon is a real game changer and possibly the most important new moon of the year. Whatever is highlighted or seeded during this time will be expanded, evolved, and grounded to lay the foundation for emerging realities. 

As an air sign, Aquarius is involved with the mind… the open mind. It is community focused, abstract, and humanitarian. Co-ruled by Uranus and Saturn, the futuristic visions of Aquarius may be shared in an instant through its favoured medium, the internet. Esoterically Aquarius conceals secrets relating to the interplay between the astral and physical realms, suggesting collective developments in psychic ability and the transmitting of information through etheric and astral planes. 

Asteroid Vesta, while not part of the Aquarius line-up, is opposing Neptune and squaring the nodes of the moon in a grand cross configuration. Vesta and Neptune were initially in opposition in December 2020, around the time of the winter Solstice. Whenever the nodes of the moon are prominent in an aspect pattern, matters relating to karma and the repeating of cycles are highlighted. Neptune inspires dreams, spiritual inclinations, transcendence, and mystical union. In its shadow aspect, Neptune can be deceptive, illusionary, and ungrounded. In the past year, we have felt the shadow aspect of Neptune in the halls of smoke and mirrors presented by mass media in a version of reality that has at times felt unreal.

Unlike Neptune, Vesta represents single pointed focus and concentration of energy. In her book on the asteroid goddesses, Demetra George says that Vesta is the High Priestesses archetype that kick starts the process of transformation through the compression of energy that gains traction, is released, and springs forward in a burst of psychic energy.

Collectively we have all felt the compression of energy through lockdown and other restrictions of covid-19. As the restrictions lift, the tension accumulated during the past year will need to be released in one form or another. February’s new moon may shed some light on the direction the energy is being pulled to. For personal guidance you can look to see what part of your chart is being highlighted by the new moon degree. 

In astrology, the placement of Vesta by house and sign describes what we are committed to and what area of our lives we are called to devotion and service for a cause greater than ourselves. Vesta pursuits and practices are those which we cannot not do, it is in effect our sacred vocation. A blocked, repressed, or wounded Vesta shows up as distortion in that area of our life.

In mythology, Vesta, Keeper of the Sacred Flame, refused to marry either Neptune god of the sea, or Apollo god of the sun. Instead Vesta pleaded with her brother Jupiter for the right to remain a virgin. Her request was granted and the priestesses who served her thereafter were known as the Vestal Virgins. In the temple of Apollo, the role of the Vestals was to tend the sacred flame upon which the fate of Rome depended. In earlier times, the Vestals were in service to the Moon goddess, channelling and transmitting Her fertilizing powers through the sexual act. The purpose was not solely for physical pleasure but to disseminate the transformative energy of the moon to human men, thereby offering humanity a transcendental experience of the goddess.

Distortion of this archetype continues today through corruption and control of sexuality, the fall out of which is painfully felt in the lives and relationships of modern men and women.

Symbolically, Vesta is not only involved with sexuality and points to any part of our lives where we are in sacred service or devotion to a higher cause.

On February’s new moon we are astrologically just past the point of Imbolc. Celtic goddess Brigid and Roman goddess Vesta are both honoured at this time of year in association with Imbolc and the purification rites of Mensis Februarius in ancient Rome.

Both goddesses are ‘Keepers of the Sacred Flame’ and represent the awakening of the land and rising of shakti or kundalini energy.

It is interesting to note that both Vesta and Brigid are ancient goddesses who were appropriated by their respective patriarchal religions: The original sacred sexual priestesses of Sumer were eventually appropriated by Apollo’s priests and denied their sexual rites, while Brigid was incorporated into the Christian canon as St Brigid of Kildare. Originally both goddesses were solar deities and are involved with the change over from matrilineal to patrilineal power.

For reasons that I hope to at least introduce in this article, I believe that fire, or solar feminine energy much repressed within patriarchal culture -unless it falls under the sway of patriarchal structures- is rekindling in modern women in a way that engages their intellect and feminine sexual power, or Shakti. This is the sacred union of the Sun and the Moon resulting in the birth of the divine child.

In March 1807 when asteroid Vesta was discovered at 29 ° Virgo, the nodes of the moon- karmic indicators were on the Gemini/Sagittarius axis- north node 13 Sagittarius 15’ ° and south node 13 Gemini 15’ °. On 16 April 2021, Vesta will be at 6 ° Virgo, the south node will be 13 Sagittarius 15’ ° and the north node will be 13 Gemini 15’ °. This nodal opposition signifies a meeting of past and present indicating that Vesta in Virgo themes are being redefined and refined in the collective consciousness.

In 1807 women were turning their attention to social and political concerns. For the first time women’s voices began to filter through the creative and cultural channels, and while it would be at least another hundred years until they could vote, their influence was nevertheless felt in the political sphere. Women’s voices were particularly strong in the anti- slavery movement; The Abolition Act, passed in 1807 -the same year as Vesta’s discovery- abolished the Slave Trade but not slavery itself. It was abolitionist women however who played an important role in keeping the anti-slavery movement alive in the 1820s and it was newly formed women’s groups who pushed for total abolition in the British Empire.

This is Vesta’s power in action. As the only Priestesshood in Rome, the Vestals worked as part of a group with 6 tending the sacred flame at all times. Before the patriarchal take-over it was similarly 6 Vestals who lay with the King’s men on the solstices in a sacred cave, the results of which produced the successive heir to the throne if the King’s consort did not conceive that year.

In 1791 as a precursor to this rising Vesta energy, Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, the seminal English-language feminist and human rights work. Challenging the notion that women exist only to please men, she proposed that women and men be given equal opportunities in education, work, and politics. She writes:

Is one half of the human species, like the poor African slaves, to be subject to prejudices that brutalise them… only to sweeten the cup of men.

Archetypally Wollstonecraft’s challenge of patriarchal dominion is an echo of Vesta’s mythology in her refusal to devote herself to the sweetening of Neptune or Apollo’s cup and instead determine a life beyond the confinements of traditional feminine roles – wife (Juno) or mother (Ceres).

Vesta- type women are modern virgins who belong to no man choosing instead to offer their devotions to a higher cause… although that’s not to say that Vesta women are celibate or single, simply that they are contained within their own energy.

In ancient times a Vestal could give of herself without self-sacrifice through the practice of periodic rejuvenation, for example by bathing in the sacred springs. The old meaning of virgin is ‘she who is whole unto herself’ and in that way the Vestals kept their virginity intact, undiluted, and undefiled by the usual interpersonal dynamics and contractual agreements of society.

The inner function and meaning of Vesta is self-renewal and regeneration, inner union with self.

Wollstonecraft’s Vesta is in the 11^th house of groups and the social collective. Ideas she brought forth in the 19th century still carry weight today in issues relating to feminism and human rights. She also had her north node in the 11^th house indicating that her soul’s purpose involved expression in the social field.

In applying Vesta, or shakti- feminine fire- energy to political, social, and collective causes, the power to open and loosen rigid, controlling, self-serving or authoritarian patriarchal structures is realised. Women have been conditioned into believing that solar energy, fire, is a masculine quality and unless women express themselves through the archetype of Pallas Athene, daughter of patriarchy, their fire expression is often denied or rejected. At the heart of this consciousness is a deep-seated fear of the feminine.

An empowered woman who channels her sexual energy for a purpose beyond physical satisfaction of her partner is deemed to be a dangerous figure in patriarchal culture. Archetypally the prostitute is permitted to express sexual energy beyond the role of wife and consort, however her sexual energy is commodified and therefore owned. Modern prostitution is a shadow side of the Vesta archetype, as is compulsive behaviours such as promiscuity and shame based sexual practices that involve degradation, humiliation, or suffering.

The Vesta shadow is seen in the image of the desexualised nun or religious woman who has chosen to cut herself off from the world and her sexuality. Vesta is also seen in the image of the lonely spinster and sometimes lofty academic who has chosen to reside in her head rather than her body.

In eastern teachings, it is Shakti who activates the consciousness and awareness of her consort Lord Shiva… without her he would remain inactive. Shakti brings divine transcendence to immanence… like the Vestals who brought the sacred to the earthly realm by opening their bodies sexuality to receive and transmit the divine.

Feminine energy-in both women and men- has the ability to encompass both human and divine, body and spirit, light and dark, sacred, and profane. When a cause is lit with the spark of Vesta’s flame, as Mary Wollstonecraft demonstrated, the effects in the social and collective spheres are transformative and enduring.

Last year as Pluto and Saturn moved through Capricorn and we entered the threshold of the age of Aquarius we began to see old structures breaking down. Aquarius demands this.

Women may if they choose to set up their own groups, schools, sisterhoods, and Priestesshoods. We no longer need permission… Vesta is returning.

Many women are finding that they do not fit neatly into the socially ordained roles of the past.  A modern virgin in the old sense of the word, ‘whole unto oneself’ means only that she is no longer dependent or rather co-dependent on anything or anyone outside herself for her economic, emotional, mental, spiritual, or physical health.

She is also free to cultivate her solar energy and use it to whatever purpose she chooses.

In 1987 Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor wrote in their seminal book The Great Cosmic Mother:

We are the wise women returning at this dangerous hour because women worldwide are and always were the guardians of the living Earth, as are all the surviving native tribal shamanistic people who still commune with the spirits.

We who still commune with the spirits are also opening to new ways of communing with each other. Though physical women’s circles and sisterhoods are wonderful and nourishing, we are also finding that like hives of bees we are sharing information and wisdom through telepathic and astral channels. This extra sensory function and perception is supported by Aquarian energy coming through in accelerated waves at this time.

The sabian symbols are 360 words or phrases that represent the vibration of each of the degrees of the zodiac from Aries 1 to Pisces 30. They were birthed in 1925 by Marc Edmund Jones, spiritualist and Astrologer, and gifted clairvoyant Elsie Wheeler. Often deeply resonant the sabian symbols can unfold layers of meaning for the Astrologer and non-Astrologer alike. 

On the Aquarius new moon on 11^th February, the sun/moon point is 23 ° Aquarius. The sabian symbol for that degree is –

Bridging physical and social distinction: Two (wo)men communicate telepathically.

The keynote for this symbol is:

‘the capacity to transcend the limitations of bodily existence where an effort should be made to enter a realm of consciousness in which the communication from mind to mind can take a more direct form, because the minds then operate within the One Mind of humanity’.

This ‘technique’ of transcendence is not without a cautionary warning however, as participating on the astral plane can bring confusion and many failures, as well as illusory claims and self-deceit.

While Neptune opposes Vesta and the karmic past and future rise in the space of this ancient duel, we are wise to be conscious about what we are participating in. Bearing in mind that there can be much deception involved with Neptune, we must be careful about what we are feeding with our precious shakti power. This is why it is vital at this time to get fully into our bodies and connect with the wisdom therein, and in particular with our wombs which have recorded all details of this ancient stand-off between a consciousness that opens to all aspects of life and one that limits this expression through control and domination.

Neptune is very seductive; he can lure us into a state where we feign enlightenment by bypassing the necessary steps to truly reclaiming ourselves. The gap between how the feminine in both men and women has been presented sexually, emotionally, mentally, and physically is often vastly different from our inner realities. If we are to reconnect with our truth and divine energy, we must become aware of the ways in which we may be deceived by ourselves and the cultural conditioning to which we have been indoctrinated.

Aquarius offers the promise of liberation, but it can also take us away from ourselves through information overload and coercion from the collective consensus whether manufactured or genuine. It is to ourselves and the inner function of Vesta that we must turn for self-renewal and regeneration to strengthen and steady ourselves upon the matrix of shifting consciousness and collective awakening.

https://songlinesdowsers.space/?issue1