Mystery School Moments at the New Moon

Visionary activist astrologer Caroline W. Casey hosts a rascally irreverent radio show Thursdays on listener-supported KPFA, which, thanks to streaming audio, you can now listen to even if you're not within live radio reception range. She's also launched a Compassionate Trickster Experimental Mystery School missive (henceforth available by paid subscription only). The April issue serves up Caroline's typically luscious observations, laced with wit, wisdom, humor and a certain je ne sais quoi that always tickles my synapses into new connections and ah-ha's!

Here are some excerpts for your visual dining pleasure:

"Eclipses are associated with the downfall of tyrants.

What do we want eclipsed and by what?

Let reverent collaborative ingenuity eclipse tyrannical dominance, for instance. May the beauty of Mystery eclipse the tyranny of certainty.

The Eclipse of March 29th occurred on the very day that Pluto was stationing, appearing to stand still from the earth’s perspective, symbolically beaming down its energetic intelligence. The Underworld opens. Pluto stations, then retrogrades, appears to move backwards in Sagittarius, catalyzing 're' endeavors: to retrieve, remember, reclaim the realm of story. We are to return (5,000 years ago is still in our blood), to excavate stories that have been held hostage.

In the myth of Inanna (representing the Venus cycle) the deal is cut whereby she can return from the Underworld, and sensual and cultural Spring with her, as long as she sends down a replacement. And she chooses Dumuzi, her consort, a man who’s been behaving badly.

As the Moon moved across the face of the Sun, she turned the Sun into a crescent, an image of herself, and suddenly Venus shone forth from the darkening daytime sky, as a 360 degree sunset of orange and gold framed the horizon. We saw Venus, when we wouldn’t normally see her. Pluto opens the doors of the Underworld, and out pops Venus-Inanna, ready to send down the replacement. Tyranny tumbles. And Dick Cheney, it turns out, is allergic to pomegranates (associated with rich luscious feminine Underworld-High Priestess, Persephone's fruit), as though his body was anticipating his symbolic role...

Pluto represents our understanding of power. Pluto is in Jupiter's sign of storytelling Sagittarius, while Jupiter is in Pluto's sign of deep-delving Scorpio. They are in what is called 'mutual reception,' i.e., cahoots. Jupiter strengthens the theme by also being retrograde, revealing the tales we need to know now if we are to have a democracy.

And Jupiter squares Neptune, the god of mystery, symbol and metaphor, further describing the dissolution of certainty while reminding us that all spiritual beliefs -- as well as scientific theories -- are fluctuating metaphors.

When a story no longer serves life or is supported by unfolding facts, it is to be shape-shifted into a more beautiful and useful formulation. Neptune says, since we can never directly perceive the truth, nor the Divine, we work with the most useful illusions. Illusion comes from 'in ludo,' meaning 'in the game,' as opposed to delusion, 'de ludo,' meaning 'out of the game.'

The eclipse is but one month in the past, yet mythologically potent for 5 more months. And, ah, the Eclipse at totality for those four precious-beyond-measure minutes is a powerful energetic beautiful pulsing alive mystery, that elicits tears and hooting and falling to knees from sheer awe, (of even the most reserved of 'scientists'), not to mention the emotional energetic eroticism of its symmetry – that the Sun and Moon are the exact same size in this sky as they conjoin, replenishes our cells. Dark weds light, at this time of year when the light and dark of our days and nights are equal. The Sun and the Moon, the Day and the Night, the Yang and Yin are not at war, but dancing.

All Mystery Schools begin by requiring the initiate to declare to themselves the next tangible desire (not vague like 'enlightenment') for something they want to be, have, do, that will allow them to cultivate, animate and contribute their unique gifts to the community in a manner that is replenishing.

Beginning on the New Moon of April 27th, every day, devote some time to visualizing the next desire (the eclipse of four life-changing minutes declares that even that amount of time is sufficient)."

And I remind you that the New Moon is in Taurus, along with the Sun, catalyzing sensual, Earthy, passionate celebration as we glide towards mystical May, Beltane, and Wesak. On her post-eclipse show, Caroline's guest was a very cool Damascus woman named Deborah, who reminded us that the Whirling Dervish dance (which illuminates the spiral, symbol of regeneration and love), like yogic breathing, are an amplification of the obvious so that we can see it. "Breathing in and breathing out is all there is to do." (See the May issue of my e-newsletter, What Shines, out early next week, for the origin of this quote!)