CELESTIAL INFLUENCES THAT SHAPE THE URANUS-PLUTO EXPERIENCE : Mercury in Pisces, Saturn Retrograde, Venus at 29 Aries and The Aquarian Moon

Blessings to all. This post is about the other dimensions of change coming to us all, triggered by the powerful, final exact square of Uranus/Pluto – as expressed through Mercury in Pisces, Saturn Retrograde in Sagittarius-Scorpio, Venus at 29 Aries, the Moon in Aquarius, and so on. Practical guidance and more information on Uranus-Pluto specifically is provided here: http://wp.me/p4OUNS-nW – I reccomend reading both pieces together for a fuller picture of what’s going on right now.

The biggest planetary change of late has been the start of the Saturn Retrograde on March 13. Over the next 13-weeks, Saturn will move backwards into Sagittarius, then Scorpio – asking us to revisit the lessons of the Underworld, the use/abuse of power, the honoring of sacral/intimate boundaries and the chance to resurrect the self from the fires of transformation. Right now it’s still in Sagittarius, but its energy has already ‘changed direction’ so to speak. Energetic lessons are processing now with a deeper inner focus, than what was just a week or two ago. Decisions made now feel like they have a greater weight and a heavier influence on karmic imprints and dynamics we’re working through. Bear in mind that Saturn is squared Mercury and Neptune (discussed below).

Mercury shifted into Pisces on the same day (March 13), allowing us to to find messages, insights, breakthroughs, information and the possibility of communicating with the deeper aspects of self – through all that Pisces represents. Here is where we go, as I like to say, ‘fingertip to fingertip with the Divine’. Here is the realm of the Collective Unconscious, the waters of the Cosmic Ocean that unite us all. Meditative practices that seek to transcend the mind and ego will be beneficial, as will simply allowing yourselves to ‘just be’. Practice compassion and with it, a detached perspective. Stay away from the cycles of blame, shame, guilt – and the archetypes of ‘victim’, ‘martyr’, ‘narcissist’, ‘abuser’ and so on. Generally good advice, but especially so now.

I feel that most people will be better off processing by themselves and finding the ways which are right for them to do so. Those who feel particularly vulnerable, would of course be advised to surround themselves with good company and in a supportive, space. It’s really not an alignment with a ‘one size fits all’ type of solution, which is why I’m keeping this post fairly open-ended.

Mercury is in a loose conjunction with Neptune, which stresses the need for open-endedness and a willingness to embrace the Mystery and its non-linear brand of magic. This is also why many are responding to the challenge of this alignment with the (quintessential) Piscean response of acceptance and surrender to the Divine. Remember that surrender is not the same as ‘giving up’ or ‘calling it quits’. It’s a more open, receptive and compassionate place born of Faith.

With the square to Saturn Retrograde, it’s important not to get too fixed in your own ideas of Truth, and to accept that everyone has the right to choose their own paths. Seeking to educate others on the perceived ‘folly’ of their ways is probably going to be an exercise in frustration … so I’d suggest avoiding that. Live and let live, being the operant phrase.

During the actual (exact) square (2:46 am, March 17th, GMT/UTC time), Venus will be at the Anaretic/Teminal 29th degree of Aries. Many of us will be feeling the need to break through some earlier understandings of Self and the right/need to Assert it in some way. Many of us will begin to release from Ego-centered perception, and to begin a new chapter, seeing the Self through the eyes of Spirit. Ideas surrounding what constitutes the Fiery/Assertive forms of Femininity will also undergo a significant change. More nuance, subtlety and understanding will come in working with the Solar Archetype of the Feminine (nope, She’s not always associated with the Moon, nor He with the Sun).

We will learn when to burn, when to roar, when to blaze through – and when that’s simply not required. This applies to just about everyone. The Goddesses who call to me the strongest at this time are Durga-Ma, Pratyangira Devi and Narasimhmi-Ma (fiery, Lion Goddesses). I wouldn’t be surprised if others were feeling drawn to similar figures in other pantheons – such as Lady Bast, Lady Sekhmet, and so on.

Those of you wondering about the Masculine, bear in mind that Mars (one of His representations) is in loose conjunction with Uranus itself, trined Jupiter Retrograde in Leo. The transformation is one that cuts across the male-female binary, in other words.

These shifts in self-perception and understanding of the Feminine will pave the way for a healthier, more grounded, more equitable value system through which we perceive, seek to manifest and relate to – as Venus enters Taurus. Here is when we begin to set the seeds of a new form or ideal of stability and rootedness. Here is when we begin to see how we are all connected through the womb of the Earth, as Her children, custodians, and recipients/givers within the flow of Abundance. Here is where we take that breakthrough energy with the Fires of Self and realize how they come from Mama-Gaia – and that all of us who exist on this planet share that same energetic origin and connection. It’s a powerful moment for those who work with the energy of the planet and the Rising Feminine Principle and an excellent time to clear the debris and prepare for the work of planetary healing.

Last but not least, the Aquarian Moon will be connecting your emotions and intuition the detached abstraction of mind in beautiful (what one might call whole-brain) balance. The Moon will be trined to the North Node in Libra and sextiled the South Node in Aries. This ‘Wedge’ alignment will help us find a way to navigate the karmic gauntlet and discover new ways of finding a deeper, truer sense of Balance and Co-existence, without compromising the truth of the Self.

The Aquarian Moon forms a second Wedge (opposing Juno, sextiling Saturn Retrograde with Saturn trined Juno). This particular Wedge teaches us more about opening to the Divine Feminine (Juno) and the soul-level experiences that seek to complete and complement the lessons you have come to learn. In Leo (and now direct), Juno speaks to the expressive, sacral-powered, sensual and creative aspects of the Feminine, as well as the archetype of the Lion/Big Cats. Little wonder that I’m drawn to the Goddesses listed above. In day to day practice – this alignment calls you to – Use your head, use your heart, and try not to take others’ judgment of your path personally, and avoiding judging others in turn.

The Moon will, later in the day (on March 17), oppose Jupiter Retrograde before it activates the above-mentioned Wedge. Even more opportunities for learning, expanding the understanding of Self, connecting with Guidance, healing the Sacral & Inner Child Archetype … The Moon will also be inconjunct to Black Moon Lilith at 12 Virgo. Those with placements at or near 12 Cancer will experience this as a profound Yod – Finger of Fate/Karma/God/Goddess Placement! The inconjunct alone pushes us all to develop a more balanced outlook on the energies of the Dark Mother and Dark Priestess archetype. (And no, Darkness is not Evil, it’s just a different form of energy – a lot of Sacred Nurturing can come from that space)

There’s even more happening in the skies – it’s just a very busy time in the cosmos. What I’d ideally want you to take away from this piece (at minimum) is the understanding that the Uranus-Pluto shift isn’t just focused on Aries and Capricorn – it links up to so many other houses, bodies and placements in the sky (and in our natal charts). As you would have noticed … I haven’t even talked about the significance of the approaching Solar Eclipse & Equinox in all this – stay tuned for that in a later pieces.

In Short,

There’s multiple layers and dimensions to the transformation that is taking place right now – making it a very exciting time to be alive! ❤ ❤ ❤

Blessings, and much Love to All,

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam PhD
bairaveebalasubramaniam.com
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Text & Image ( Sayapuram Mariamman JB, 13-3-15) – © Bairavee Balasubramaniam, 2015

12 HOURS OF TRANSFORMATION – SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE… FOR SOMETHING NEW TO BEGIN

We are all about to experience a powerful Double-Yod (Finger of Fate) in the sky involving The Sun, The Moon, The North Node, Jupiter Retrograde, Black Moon Lilith, Chiron and Neptune, intersecting with the Month-Long Yod (+ Pluto, Ceres, Mercury, Vesta). It’s going to be an epic alignment, and one which a lot of us are prepared to welcome! This alignment occurs between 1:01 am – 1:00 pm March 3rd, 2015 (GMT + 8), for almost exactly 12 hours.

For the past 2 days, we have been feeling the build-up to this alignment, with a strong Sun inconjunct North Node alignment. I often think of the inconjunct as an uncomfortable, restless aspect. Something, in itself, which is in need of resolution. That happens when the Moon passes through Leo – creating the window of time indicated. Those with placements very close to 11 Leo (8-14 degrees) in their natal chart will have been feeling this energy since Feb 28th till March 5th! Those born between Aug 4th-7th (roughly) will basically have their natal Sun at that position.

When two bodies form inconjuncts to a third body, they form what is known as a Yod – or Finger of God/Goddess/Fate/Karma/Destiny. The original bodies are connected by a sextile, allowing their energies to harmonize create a Karmic Gate of sorts. One often is pushed down to the apex of yod where they are then forced to choose between different paths. It’s a karmic quest – and here you choose whether you re-live an old cycle, or begin a new chapter entirely. And when two Yods intersect … it’s .. almost as though you’re in a cosmic pinball machine… with energy ricocheting off the various bodies and reinforcing the strength of the alignment.

Please note those with placements near 9-13 Taurus, 12-17 Gemini will experience this as a Triple Yod.

It doesn’t make much sense to go into details with what each and every single body does in this cosmic alignment. So I’ll give you the general picture of the Yod formed by the Sun, N. Node, Moon, Black Moon Lilith and Jupiter Rx. You can refer to the Month-Long (2nd) Yod Article to understand what lessons it seeks to teach – http://wp.me/p4OUNS-jY.

The North Node asks us to break new ground and start a new cycle of learning in matters to do with partnership, social relations and knowing the Shadow (Hidden) Self. It encourages us to find a deeper sense of balance in all that we do, recognizing that Balance doesn’t quite apply if you only deal with what you perceive as pleasurable and/or positive. Also note that North Node is opposed Venus (and Mars and Uranus in stellium) in Aries. Many of the lessons of the Node comes straight from what we feel attracted towards, yearn for, desire and are willing to assert ourselves to acquire. Conjunct the South Node, the Cosmic Lovers (Mars and Venus) highlight the Union or Partnership of the Divine Masculine and Feminine concept to be key in the lesson of this Yod. Here the partnership is focused upon/within The Self – though the spark/reason to learn this lesson may come through romantic partners (current and/or past, considering the South Node position). It is important to realize that the needs and perspectives of others (Libra) must also be taken into account – in a fine balance – as you seek to be True to Your Self, Your Needs, Your Desires, Your Being.

The lessons and experiences that took place on May 26/27 2014, when Venus conjuncted the South Node (as it is now) will be likely to play themselves out at this time, if unresolved.

It sextiles the Moon and Jupiter Retrograde in Leo. Here, our lessons are focused upon the Sacral and Heart Chakra, and in particular the way we express our sensual, creative and self-expressive energies. The lesson here is to ‘Be Real’ about who and what you are, without wearing a person to please another, or to hide from your self. It’s when the mask needs to come off. Jupiter amplifies this energy and the Moon heightens the emotional and intuitive experience of it.

Both these bodies form inconjuncts to the Sun in Pisces. The focal point of this yod is finding a point of Compassionate Detachment, Surrender and Release of Expectation. Its about learning to let go of what holds you back from fully expressing the truth, joy and creativity of the Self (Leo), or from living in a fulfilling social context, partnership, or intra-personal state of balance (Libra). Pisces energy (when unbalanced) is famous for projection, escapism and falling in love with its own illusions – this particular Yod is likely to bring you face to face with your Own Truth – eye to eye with your Spirit, or whatever it is you consider a profound connection with Source and/or Divinity. Neptune and Chiron in a stlelium with the Sun further intensity the spiritual, formless and boundlessness of this energy, and also open us to our vulnerabilities surrounding the way we connect with this Deeper notion of Source/Divinity/The Sacred/The Transcendental. Surrender, Faith, Release, Letting Go, Compassion, Detachment – those are the keywords for this apex….

In other words, many of us are preparing to Drop the Veil (of Maya/Illusion) and look at the Reality Beyond it. It’s an intense focus of energy in the Cosmic Ocean – and if we have any anchor at all in that Tempest – it is Faith.

Black Moon Lilith in Virgo activates this Yod and energizes it by way of her opposition with the Sun. She demands that you flesh our the details and – equally-take practical steps to manifest the spiritual lessons this yod provides. She asks you to nurture the self, and when you can, rise in Service to others who may be struggling with this energy. Facilitators in general are likely to be connecting with the energies of the Detached Crone to a greater degree today – represented by figures such as The Cailleach, Goddess Dhumavati, Goddess Hekate, and so on.

This Yod is connected with the Month-Long Yod, itself activated by the Mercury/Vesta opposition with Jupiter and the Moon. Priest/esses and Spiritual Facilitators in General are going to be receiving messages that support both their personal journeys and the journeys of the collective at this time. Pluto and Ceres are activated in Capricorn, asking us to transform the way we view our legacy on this planet, nurturing ourselves and others to do the same. The other points have been addressed.

Personally, I welcome this Double Yod with open arms – because at this time – it just feels like something’s gotta give way, something’s got to come to an end before a new beginning is truly possible.

The build-up of energy, for many – has been absolutely tremendous. I would encourage you to go with Faith and answer the Challenge of the Double Yod. You may find yourself even more prepared for the final Uranus/Pluto square (when it arrives on March 16/17) and ready to set the seeds for growth at the Total Solar Eclipse & Equinox (March 20/21).

And on top of that we have a powerful Jupiter Retrograde – Uranus trine going on as well! The Great Revealer/Awakener electrifies both the Yods and intensifies the sheer depth of transformation possible through this alignment. Please note that I take a 3 degree orb for the Nodes.

Blessings to you all, and may your choices pave the way to manifest fulfilling lives on every level imaginable.

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam PhD
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Astrology with Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam PhD

Text and Image © Bairavee Balasubramaniam, 2015

THE MONTH-LONG YOD: PREPARATION FOR BIRTHING A NEW REALITY WITH THE FINAL URANUS-PLUTO SQUARE (FEB 8 – MAR 9, 2015)

Blessings to all. We will all be experiencing a month-long Finger of Fate/Karma/Destiny with a powerful Yod formed between Pluto/Ceres in Capricorn, Chiron in Pisces and (apexing at) Jupiter Retrograde in Leo. Yods do not normally last this long, and so this is a fairly unusual alignment – and one that is woven into our preparations for the final Uranus-Pluto square.

This yod revisits key moments, decisions and experiences that occurred between September 11-20, 2014. Clues of what you are/will be experiencing now were woven back then.

Yods are, quite literally, cosmic fingers that ‘point’ to an apex position. They are often experienced as a sensation of crisis, intensity and an urge towards resolution of some kind. At the apex of the yod, we usually find ourselves at karmic crossroads which require key decisions to be made. Our decisions then affect the pace, nature and level of vibration that we encounter in our spiritual journeys.

Let’s look at the key players:

Pluto and Ceres in Capricorn: Pluto tells us to transform, break-down/break-through our preconceptions of what constitutes ‘success’, ‘achievement’, and a sense of ‘legacy’ in this material, 3-D plane of existence. We are asked to rethink the contribution we make as spirit-in-physical-form during the duration of our physical incarnations and what ramifications we leave behind for future generations. Will they be inspired or inhibited by the choices we now make? Simultaneously, we also see a generational shifting in cultures and values oriented towards materialistic standards of success, and achievement. This extends to the way we think about the institutions of authority and power that have traditionally defined these values for us – to a great degree. Ceres conjuncting Pluto adds the element of nurture to this alignment, allowing us to find these answers within ourselves as we forge a legacy we can look back upon without regret. We may also find the capacity to nurture others to do the same. The energies of Capricorn are also linked with the Wisdom of the Dark Crones – Goddess Hekate, Goddess Dhumavati, The Callieach, and so on.

Chiron in Pisces – Chiron opens the deepest wounds of the Soul for healing. In time, we are asked to shift from a ‘victim consciousness’ to a Co-Creative awareness of the realities we experience. We may even learn so much in the process of healing ourselves that we may become teachers for others struggling with the same wound. A note of caution must be said here: Healing others is a wonderful thing, but be sure you are in the right place to do so. Trying to stitch up another’s wound whilst your own is open defeats the purpose of the whole thing. In Pisces, Chiron’s energy is focused upon the wounds we have carried from former incarnations, particularly concerning with our connection with Spirit. Here is a time where many may feel their connection with Source tested, either through a sense of total disconnection, being mired in illusion, a feeling of disintegration and so on. Through these trials, Pisces holds the keys to Transcendence and the fine balance that is Loving, Compassionate Detachment – with the awareness that We Are All Powerfully Connected. I associate this energy with spiritual beings such as The Christ and Lord Shiva.

Jupiter Retrograde in Leo – Jupiter’s energies show the way to connect with our Teachers, Guides, Mentors – whatever/whomever holds open the door that leads to your Spiritual Path. It also rules the belief systems and cognitive value systems that you cherish and believe to be true. In Leo, Jupiter’s energies show us that the Path we are now called to tread calls upon the gifts and healing of both the Heart and Sacral Chakra. We are called to remember the connection between the two, in matters of Love, Joy, Romance, Childlike Innocence, Creativity, Sensuality/Sexuality and so on. We may find Teachers who remind us of the time we were all Wise Children, or may simply mean that you discover that the Child within you is waiting to guide you. In other words, You Are Your Own Guide. In Retrograde, these energies are likely to arise from and be situated within your own psyche. You may also find certain teachings to come your way through the back-door – when you least expect them to. I find that the energy of Leo facilitates a connection with fierce. loving, protective and powerful Lion/Tiger/Cat/Feline Energies such as Lady Bast, Lady Sekhmet, Lady Durga, Goddess Narasimhi, Goddess Prathyangira and others.

Distilling all of the above – Pluto/Ceres calls you to transform and nurture self-and-other in the way you live your material life and its legacy; Chiron asks you to be open to acknowledging, healing, and transcending your Soul’s wounds, especially in the way you connect with Spirit; Jupiter Retrograde points us to the Path of Guidance through which we continue the Spiritual Journey we are on.

This is a powerful yod which helps us realize and make key decisions about what we have come to do in this world, how, and why. We can no longer afford to ignore the interconnectedness of Spirit and Matter, and how the two relate through a Co-Creative relationship all of us uniquely share with The Divine.

You may also find answers, situations or teachings coming strongly through those who guide you, your children, or even through the creative process. This is a powerful time to guide yourselves as you explore your own creative gifts.

The Month-Long Yod formed at 1:42 pm February 8 and will last until 7:04 am March 9, 2015 (GMT + 8).

I noticed that at the very start, and very end of this alignment, we also experience a yod between Moon/North Node in Libra – Jupiter – apexing Chiron on Feb 8th and March 9th (which also has a Sun/Chiron conjunction). These other yods are short-lived in comparison, but their timing is very significant.

Their presence during the very start and ending of the Month Yod Long tells me that the work we do now is substantially connected to the Uranus/South Node – Pluto – North Node T-Square. Bear in mind that the final exact square of Uranus and Pluto takes place on March 17, 2015.

In other words – We now make preparations for the final Uranus-Pluto square, through the choices we make as part of this Month-Long Yod’s energy.

A Final Note – At 12:51 pm Feb 9th (today), Venus conjuncted Chiron at 15 Pisces ’38. Venus’ influence in this alignment will continue until February 15. You may experience this as a powerful impulse to either detach from, or deepen yourself in a particular relationship (romantic or professional). Sometimes you may need to find a way to simply do both – i.e. to deeply, love, unconditionally.

All in all, this Month-Long Yod is a powerful and deeply significant alignment. I look forward to what we individually and collectively choose to co-create with the Divine. And we shall see what reality we birth after the final Uranus-Pluto square goes exact.

Blessings to All of You,

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

GRAND EARTH TRINE (+ KITE): TAURUS MOON, BLACK MOON LILITH (6 VIRGO), CERES (7 CAPRICORN) [7:06 am – 5:48 pm, Jan 27th 2015 GMT + 8]

Blessings everyone, there’s a powerful Grand Earth Trine in the skies right now! Earth Trines represent powerful opportunities to manifest in the material realm. Earth energy is tangible, physical, and extends to all that we can interact with in three-dimensional space. We connect to this energy via deities or archetypes such as Gaia-Sophia, the Earth Mother, Bhuma Devi, and so on. I would be curious to know of your experiences if you connect with the Earth element through the conduit of the Masculine – so feel free to share.

In the skies, the Taurus Moon asks us to examine our subconscious belief systems and emotional attachments to ideas of ownership and sensations of pleasure in the material world. We can neither afford to elevate the spiritual at the cost of the material or vice versa – once we realize that matter is the outward manifestation of – or an expression of – Spirit. The two are linked just as the light and the heat of a flame. Inseparable. The Taurus Moon asks us to find a position of Balance, wherein we can engage in the material world without seeking to own, or become owned by any aspect of it. Material incarnation is a transient phase of your spiritual evolution yes, but nonetheless, an important experience.

Black Moon Lilith in Virgo, challenged now by her opposition to Neptune in Pisces, asks us to recognize the Rise of the Dark Feminine Principle. Darkness here does not refer to negativity, but rather that which has been repressed, suppressed or forcibly hidden or unacknowledged. In Virgo, the Feminine Rises into her role as a Spiritual Facilitator or Spiritual Servant. She is challenged here to walk her Path of Service irrespective of projections traditionally associated with Virgo: neuroticism, frigidity, subservience and so on. Nothing could be further from the truth when you consider the independence, sexuality and knowledge of the Vestal Virgins who (in one narrative) inspired the Virgo archetype. The energy of Virgo ultimately asks us to realize that the material Path of Service that we do is encoded/entwined with Spirit. She reminds us to fill our cups first before we fill another’s – as you cannot give if you own cup is empty.

Ceres, the Goddess Asteroid of Nurture, asks us about how we best give and receive nurture. She shows us the kind of caregiving which works best for us in order to help us grow into the goals or experiences which our Souls seek to re-discover – and how we can do the same for others (where appropriate). In Capricorn, Ceres asks us to examine our understanding of what material legacies we come to leave in this world. Be it a career, a life purpose, your children, an internal shift, a life lived with a minimal carbon footprint – however you define it – Capricorn wants to know what material consequences the sum of your life will bring once you have eventually left this physical realm. Try to imagine the kind of legacy you want to leave, in whatever way you define the term. The question to ask is this: Once you have departed from this current material cycle of incarnation,

Will future generations have to bear the burden of your choices, or be freed by them?

To re-iterate: Taurus is more concerned with the immediate, sensorial, personal experience of materiality, whereas Virgo begins to shift towards a sense of facilitating a larger group (with the needs of the self met first). Capricorn on the other hand, culminates the material-Earth sign triad by asking how the sum of individual actions influences the material experiences of the (future) collective.

The Grand Earth Trine encourages us to explore these energies and to manifest a material reality in greater alignment with one’s ongoing spiritual evolution, and the needs of the collective.

This alignment is actually a Kite – focused by an opposition between Black Moon Lilith and Neptune (conjunct Venus, Mars and Chiron as part of stellium in Pisces). Reconciling the relationship between Matter and Spirit appears to be a key focus in this alignment – as is the relationship between the Sacred Masculine and the Sacred Feminine. Those with placements at or near 6-9 Cancer AND 6-9 Scorpio will experience this as a Grand Sextile.

To conclude:

There is utterly nothing shameful, sinful or taboo about Matter. We wouldn’t have manifested as Spirit-seeking-to-experience-Matter otherwise. What tends to be the problem is when matter is elevated above spirit, or spirit above matter. Either imbalance has its own set of repercussions. Feel free to explore this idea and see how it sits with your own understandings – as ultimately, it is your Truth that guides You.

Blessings to All,

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Image: NASA [public domain] This article was not endorsed by NASA in any way. Image obtained at http://www.freeimages.co.uk/galleries/space/earth/index.htm

THE GODDESS MOVEMENT: A GLOBAL AWAKENING

This is a massive awakening, with multiple geographic epicenters arising in tandem. Political changes in Africa and the rising of female leadership, the energizing of public discourse on sexual attitudes and the ‘causal’ attitudes of rape in India, women’s voices emerging from the Middle East – point to this being something that is happening across the globe. Clearly, the awakening is spreading like wildfire in the West, and that is something to be cherished and celebrated in its own right – but that does not make the West it’s epicenter.

On more than one site, I have seen casual references to how this Re-Awakening is a ‘Western’ (read: Caucasian or North American/European) phenomenon and that women from those regions will lead the way for others. When I hear or read about how the West will re-ignite the Goddess movement, I feel dismayed and to me history begins to echo once more.

I immediately recall the patronizing discourse of ‘educating the natives’ that arose with the earliest proselytizing attempts in Africa and Asia. I recall how the modus operandi of repressive, colonial regimes (in India for example) was to alleviate the suffering of the oppressed women there, who needed freeing from the shackles of their own religions and customs. That led to the codification of a multiplicity of Indian traditions, and in one single blow outlawed certain controversial customs, but also de-legitimized the many practices of peoples of the so-called ‘lower’ castes who had far more fluid attitudes towards marriage and sexuality. (A step backwards, you could say). Many other examples from the history of colonialism and the ideological machine that legitimated it provide so many examples of the same.

When we look to history, we see that any teleological (different from theological) explanation or description given to mass movements has almost inevitably reflected entrenched power hierarchies. In the narrative that I see arising, the West is (once again) the center of the globe – this time with its women, rather than its men, bringing Enlightenment for the Globe. And I find this a mistake that we can avoid, with some circumspection, critical thought and consideration.

Many of the compassionate, awakening, men and women I have on my site are Caucasian, and some of the most evolved spiritual individuals and teachers I know are Caucasian. So I have no issues there, no reason to argue why Western men and women cannot or should not be a part of this movement. What I find problematic is when a particular racial and/or geographic group begin to be uncritically hailed as ‘leaders’ for others to follow.

When we make such categories, when we draw the spiritual geography of this Earth with a particular location of the globe as its center, we make the same kinds of boundaries, hierarchies and power relations which so many of us on the Goddess Path rejected so heavily when it appeared through the institution of patriarchy. Let us avoid making the same judgments when so many of us seek equality and a leveling of the playing field.

We are at a critical time now where our movement has begun to amass enough energy that it stands at the brink of divergence, fragmentation, consolidation – or some other process. We get to choose to avoid the errors of the past, we get to choose to not have to re-learn the lessons of history – just as so many of us are beginning to see the need for herstory or even, ourstory.

For some who might think this to be a ‘trivial’ point, it is important to bear in mind that discourse – the way we talk about things – reflects, very powerfully, the way we think about things. When we privilege any one race or region as being the focus, we (whether we do so consciously, or unconsciously) relegate other centers to a peripheral focus. This was the thrust of the ideological machine used to justify colonialism and bringing ‘God to the natives’. This is the reason why the World Map we all know makes Africa smaller than it is and exaggerates the size of the United Kingdom.

And on top of everything else – for those you who integrate an understanding of the Earth’s kundalini (The Serpent of Light) and its rising in December 2012, the epicenter of that awakening took place in the Andean Mountains of Peru. Ironically, it is in ‘the West’, but not part of what most people mean when they use that term. Their teachings are sifting further and further into collective consciousness, but few ever consider this sacred site to be the ‘center’ of the awakening – and frankly, one does not have to!

This is a movement, as I understand it, for all. For men and women from North, South, East, West. It is a moment where we get to equalize. Where we get to right the wrongs of the past, or at the very least, to create a new balance that celebrates plural perspectives and provides multiple centers.

Unfortunately – and feel free to disagree with this if this is not your perspective, as a Priestess of Colour and a scholar of politics and history, I find that a lot of Western discourse and attitudes towards the spiritual traditions that have found center-stage in the ‘New Age’ movement are far too reminiscent of the ideology and attitudes of Orientalist scholars studying the ‘exotic’ other. So many traditions are being appropriated and given new life, which is a wonderful thing, but they are being done so in ways that do not always look at the reality of the people who live in the contemporary regions those spiritual teachings emanate from.

The spiritual teachings that so much of the New Age subscribes to very often co-exist paradoxically with oppressive, unequal realities for women in other parts of the globe. The beauty of Goddesses and the words that describe them in scripture fly across Facebook walls, but with few reflections on how a land that produced such prose can still kill its daughters and view them as burdens. Very often, these traditions become romanticized in themselves, and the critical question of – Well, why didn’t it work before? Why didn’t it empower the women of the land to rise? is completely missed.

And to me, that is a critical question, that is a key opportunity for us to engage with traditions of the past and identify new pathways for change. We may need to revisit or revamp these traditions that have on the one hand elevated female metaphysical energies, but barred its daughters from real positions of power – be it in politics, or even in the right to hold spiritual office … or even to enter a temple during their menstrual period, if only to open their Heart to The Divine. Whilst honoring traditions are important, idealizing them to the point that the key questions – of what didn’t work? what needs reworking? – needs to be equally addressed. And to this effect, the local knowledge and awakening that is happening concurrently in different global epicenters needs to be honored, integrated and seen as a valuable part of the Goddess Movement.

In the name of respecting ‘ancient traditions of the East/South’, let us not uncritically mouth the same ideology that somehow kept the women of those lands suppressed/oppressed.

Let me give you a concrete example: I have seen a rise in artistic and photographic imagery of the Goddess Kali/Durga as a Caucasian woman. (nothing wrong with that). But as a movement, little consideration is given to the message that imparts to women (from India) who are considered to be too ‘low’ to ever think of themselves as Goddesses. Have you ever seen a Laxmi with Dark Skin? Or one that wasn’t flawless? Ironically, at an anti-rape protest event that I participated in, I saw Indian women carrying placards that said that ‘we don’t need to be goddesses, just treat us as people’. Coming from the land of a million goddesses, this is a powerful statement.

What do we do with those messages? And why are they valued less, or sub-consciously perhaps, integrated less in the mainstream of this movement? We have so much to learn from the fierce self-assertion in the West (in this example) and the desire to assert oneself/be counted outside of the context of religion as expressed by Indian women. But until we see both ‘ways of knowing’ as equal, each side is bound to repeat the painful mistakes of the other. ..Food for thought…

In closing:

Daughters and Sons of the Mother, wherever you are, whatever the colour of your skin may be – now is the time to Rise. Together, we are all — at the Center.

With Respect,
Bairavee, Daughter of Kali

www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

_____________________

Post & Image by: Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
Images: Compilation of Goddess and Earth images freely available on Wikipedia under the appropriate sharing license
Please do not use this image without permission, even in modified form

THE GREAT GODDESS FIRE TRINE: SHEKINAH/SHAKTI RISING (NOW – TILL OCT 2015!) – A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS!

The energies of the Goddess are strongly represented in the skies by a powerful Grand Fire Trine, involving: Juno, Uranus Retrograde and Vesta/Ceres (in the 3rd corner).

This alignment encourages us to light the three beacons which will ignite our collective Re-Awakening, Re-cognition and Re-turn of the Feminine Principle. Some of the keywords you might associate with this energy include: Self – Path of Service – Sacral Reconnection – Creation – Passion – Embodiment – Feminine Rising!

The Grand Fire Trine began at 6:32 pm Oct 25th and will end at 6:11 pm Dec 14 (GMT + 8). The GFT alignment re-forms in January 2015, and is constantly revisited for most of 2015, till the start of October to be precise! (albeit involving different planetary bodies)

This is an exciting energy that clearly indicates the acceleration of the rate of collective awakening as we continue to embody the Feminine Principle through ‘I AM’ Consciousness. In other words – it’s Wake-Up Time, and all of our Spiritual Alarm Clocks have just begun to Ring!

Set your seeds now, my friends, for the internal and external work that you do between now and mid-December will strongly set the tone for the rest of this year, and much of the next year.

Here is a brief description of what each component of the GFT brings to us:

Juno (Leo) – The energy of the Soulmate, particularly through a child or a romantic partner, teaches you a lesson in self-expression, the need for authenticity and ultimately a reconnection with the Sacral Creativity of the Feminine. These same lessons can come through your individual efforts in working with your own creative and sacral (Swadishthana/Sexual) energies.

Juno ultimately seeks to complete and complement who we are.

She is seen as the ‘marriage partner’ or soulmate – I find – due to a patriarchal reading of astrology which sees the male subject as the dominant one. A quick study of Juno’s worship shows her invocation in matters of birth, liminal crossings, marriage, defense, etc. I interpret her energy as one of completion, of seeking one’s connection with the Divine Feminine Herself.

Call her Shekinah, Shakti, Gaia-Sophia, Asherah – She represents the flow of all of these energies – of ‘Goddess Consciousness’ as it circulates through and from you as part of the movement of energy in the Universe.

Jupiter (Leo) – Jupiter loosely conjuncts Juno between Nov 26 till the end of the GFT in 2014 (i.e. December 14). Jupiter’s energy amplifies the energies of Juno (flow of the Divine Feminine) and brings us the gifts and wisdom of teachers and guides seeking to facilitate our journeys with the Eternal-Transcendental She. Note that Jupiter begins its Retrograde in Leo on Dec 8 2014.

Uranus Rx (Ari) – Uranus Retrograde in Aries facilitates this energy of awakening, often through perceived ‘errors’ in communication or perception, and/or in an abrupt form. As we awaken to the Truth of who we Are (i.e. Pure, Creative, Radiant Spirit), we will radically alter our embodiment of Self – the way we carry, represent, assert and simply exist as individuals in our own rights, entitled to our own spaces. I expect many breakthrough of consciousness to come through the method of Gnosis at this time.

Transiting 3rd corner components – dates given are of the duration of their role in the Great Goddess Fire Trine:

Oct 25 – Nov 15 2014 – Vesta (Sag)

The archetype of Priest/ess or Spiritual Facilitator is called to Serve. We are drawn to Paths which involve an expansion of the way we see ourselves and our Spiritual Journeys.

Nov 12 – Dec 14 2014 – Ceres (Sag)

The Asteroid Goddess of Nurture teaches us how to nurture ourselves and others by engaging in our sense of exploration, expansion – seeking our way forward on our Paths – be it through physical travel or journeys of the mind through higher education, philosophy, structured religious or spiritual workings.

The third corner will also be aspected by Mercury, Sun, Venus, Saturn and Pallas Athena as they eventually enter Sagittarius. We will be feeling a stellium of these energies in the 3rd week of November, as all of them feed into the GFT itself. The Moon of course interacts with this alignment and activates it through conjunctions and oppositions (in particular).

This is truly a time to celebrating the Rising of Goddess Consciousness in all Beings. I expect to see a great surge of creative works, written books on the philosophy and path to reach (and embody) Shakti/Shekinah and a radical awakening in our individual and collective consciousness. Such an exciting time to be alive.

Yes my friends, the next chapter, following the intensity and aftermath of the Grand Cardinal Cross of 2014 – has officially begun.

I leave you with the motto I use on my page The Goddess, The Serpent and The Sea: Building Pathways of Light –

ARISE, AWAKEN & BE

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Image information:

The Flame – Odilon Redon, public domain, via Wikipedia Commons

Trishul / Thirusoolam / Trident and Shekinah logo by (c) Bairavee Balasubramaniam, 2014

Shakti Awakens by (c) Bairavee Balasubramaniam, 2014.

A WAKE-UP CALL FROM MY BRAIN: Am I trying to complete a million-piece jigsaw with just two parts of the puzzle?

I think I’ve finally settled on a word for this part of my Journey:
Inner Formlessnesses, Outer Balance

Whilst I adore Goddess Kali and Lord Shiva, and so many other Beings from other pantheons — The idea of an Ultimate Masculine, or an Ultimate Feminine doesn’t quite appeal anymore.

What if there’s more to Spiritual Essences or flows of Energy than this whole Masculine-Feminine thing?

Just a thought experiment: If we had three or four different sex chromosomes (and not just X or Y) … would we then have Masculine, Feminine, and two other types of energies? And each had biological differences that translated into different functions (historically and statistically speaking), and each of those functions became reified over time….. In that case, we would have 3 or 4, rather than 2 different ‘types of energy’.

In other words, if we had more sexes in our species, would we have more Divine Archetypes?

Based on the way humanity is configured right now – yeah – totally.

Personally, I feel the Divine is a lot larger than the way certain aspects of our sex/reproductive/biological genders are configured. (Of course culture and history have a lot to do with solidifying those differences).

We’ve seen an evolution in the way we relate to the Divine based on the Tribe (1st chakra), then on Sexual Differences (2nd chakra), then on who conquered whom (3rd chakra – power). And historically speaking, that does make a whole lot of sense.

We saw philosophical approaches to the spiritual that stressed Unity Consciousness (7th chakra and above), that stressed the Rational, Scientific Approach to Spirit (6th chakra) in principles of the Vedas, Saiva Siddhantha and many so-called ‘New Age’ Paradigms. We saw intermediate religious forms that replaced the feminine focus with a masculine deity, along with the rhetoric of shame and (in their eyes) justified suppression of the Yoni and her Teaching.

The more philosophical, and later patriarchal approaches, historically evolved in response to earlier understandings and resulted in the rejection of practices and belief systems that centered upon the Mother, the Priestess, The Serpent and the Earth. Sacred women became witches or whores. Serpents became the Devil And the Earth became Hell, a place of torment, and not the Source of life.

(And so many of us are working to reclaim these condemned traditions, bringing them back into the spiritual mainstream – Hooray!)

Another tangent of the more philosophical approach simply renounced all things material … or any concern in the ‘real-world’, adopting a position of – I’ll call it materialistic nihilism. (For those of us who believe we came as Spirit-in-Flesh for a reason, that doesn’t work either)

The rational, universalistic rhetoric of the later, more philosophical approaches were not borne out in practice as seen as the great departure between text and practice. One cannot claim to recognize to see the Divine in All and then deny a woman, a foreigner, a transvestite – anyone who does not fit the status quo equal rights, even in places of worship. They spoke of detachment, mind and non-judgment, but the institutions that carried that knowledge did not abide to those principles.

Now all this time I thought I was playing for the first team. Then I thought finding a middle space for both teams to shake hands was the task (4th – the Heart Bridge). Now, something in my brain is waking up to say – No love, you’re not even supposed to be playing the same game.

What that is, I’m still finding out.

But back to the discussion –

If I could compare the Divine to any part of the human Body, I’d compare it to the Brain and it’s infinite capacity for neural re-wiring and learning. Heck, the architecture of the brain mimicks the architecture of the Universe – not a coincidence I think.

So why remain fixed upon distinctions rooted in secondary sexual characteristics and learned behaviors?

Coming back to the male-female construct (which is the basis of duality) – What if thinking in these terms of constructs pretty much shuts out other types of energetic expressions? Things which we may have greater access to if were less bound by those constructs.

Don’t get me wrong – this isn’t to say that masculine and feminine do not exist – but perhaps they aren’t the whole picture. Perhaps we’re building a picture of Spirit based on two pieces of the jigsaw, when there may be a million other pieces.

Yeah, dualism doesn’t seem to work for me anymore. But the perspective of ‘it’s all one, it’s all interconnected’ is still missing a few explanatory pit stops, for me at least.

That doesn’t mean to say I don’t believe in the God or Goddess anymore. They do exist, but just in a different space than they used to in my growing relationship with the Universe.

[Again, this is my internal understanding – of how Spirit may be structured – I guess you could call it my evolving philosophical approach to understanding Spirit]

As these ideas wake up in my brain, I ask myself – how do they best translate into the outer world?

Do I stop valuing and honoring the priestess tradition? or the Goddess Path?

Absolutely not. That’s one of the greatest imbalances in the world. If the two pieces are going to reach out to the missing million, they’ve got to work together.

Do I stop seeking for balance?

No way! It’s just that my idea of balance and integration is no longer bound to a male/female form.

Do I stop being a priestess?

Only if I stop being a woman who serves the Divine. And that ain’t changing. Even this line of thought is part of that Path of Service.

So, what, in my external actions – does this line of thought change –

Not much, as far as I can see. The vibration of my words and actions might change, however. The reason why I’d seek balance would of course, be different.

But internally —- Man…. Woman… God.. Goddess… What a Trip writing this has been!

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
http://www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com
Where the Divine is taking me, who Knows?

xxx

THE DIVINE DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE

Whilst we embrace the cause of the Rising Feminine, it is important to note that the end-game is not one where you have two equally strong ‘teams’ polarized against one another. It is not to pit man against woman or God against Goddess.

It is ultimately, a Call for Balance.

I am a Priestess and I champion the cause of priestesses officiating over temples and rituals once more without fear, without prejudice, without discrimination – without the idea of filthiness associated with their bodies and their sex. That does not mean that I see women superior to men, or a Goddess superior to a God.

In me, I have a Goddess, and God. In me, I have the Divine. (I’m still in the process of remembering, and realizing it)

So do you. So do we all. So does every bit of creation, animate and inanimate.

In you, in me, in everything there is a God/Goddess/Formless Divine energy flowing through – so what use is there placing limitations on how it can or cannot be expressed?

I find it strange that those who claim their understanding of ‘God’ is ‘gender-neutral’ find it so threatening or uncomfortable when I or others use the term ‘Goddess’, or Priestess. (If it’s all really equal, then no conflict should arise… )

Ideally, there will come a day where both terms are so accepted and embraced by all, that no one will even bat an eyelid.

But that day is not here yet. We are, of course, all working towards it.

Yes, at the end of the day … It’s all Energy, and Dissolution anyway – but we have chosen to incarnate as Spirit-in-Flesh. And it seems sad when half of that Spirit is denied the expression or recognition of its intrinsic Divinity. The Feminine is repressed and challenged not only when she arises through the bodies of women, but also through men who choose alternative definitions of their masculinity-honoring-Femininity.

Till then, I remain focused upon a Spiritual Path that Honors the Formless Divine by ensuring that its Material Representations (Idols, Statues, Sacred Facilitators) are truly representative.

The paradox of recognizing the God/dess on an altar, and not in the flesh of a person is one I’ll address later.

Blessings and Love to All,
Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
wwww.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Image Information: Minoan – Snake Goddess – Walters 23196.jpg – Walters Art Museum [Public domain, CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

WOULD MAN HAVE A SAY IN THE MATTER AT ALL?

WOULD MAN HAVE A SAY IN THE MATTER AT ALL?

If man truly saw woman as sacred,
Would we have less sex and hate crimes against her?

If he truly saw her as a being worthy of respect,
Would she have equality in his familiar spaces of power?

If he truly saw her sexuality as one of her choice, and not his,
Would we leave that strange space we now inhabit?

In between gratuitous displays of sexuality in the media,
the mocking of Jada,
and a prudish moral policing
of the mother feeding her child in public?

But wait …

If woman truly saw herself as all these things,
Sacred, Powerful, Worthy,
In control of her Sexuality.

Would man have a say in the matter at all?

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Image Information: Man Woman Multiplism by Victor Victori.jpg (https://edvictori.see.me/self2012) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

TRANSCENDING THE BINARY: SPIRIT/MATTER, FORM/ENERGY, MALE/FEMALE – VENUS IN VIRGO OPPOSES NEPTUNE RETROGRADE IN PISCES, 6:46 PM, 10TH SEPTEMBER 2014, GMT + 8

Blessings to all, another wake-up call from the Universe. Today’s challenge features Venus and Neptune Rx doing the now-familiar Virgo-Pisces Tango. I’ll start with Venus.

Venus takes its energy of attraction-manifestation (in its Taurus’ mode) and the energy of discernment-evaluation-balance (in its Libra’ mode) and places it in Virgo – The sign of the Virgin, the Independent / Self-sufficient Being, the Priest/ess facilitating the Birth of Spirit into Form. The one who Self-Nurtures, and Nurtures Others.

Venus (in any sign) will ask you to think/re-think:

(1) The way you perceive, evaluate or judge things – your material value system, in other words. What do you consider good/bad/beautiful/ugly/worthy/worthless, etc.?
(2) The way you relate to yourself, people, material objects
(3) The way you value, exhibit or view femininity in relationships
(4) The way you understand and express your anima (female aspect of the psyche), and respond to the same in others

In Virgo, all these questions ask you think about your sense of being able to stand on your own two feet, of feeling the need to mask your power through a facade of subservience, of not being able to see just how you can be your own savior? – And through that process of self-acknowledgement – to recognize how you can help others/the planet at the same time.

Some of the questions that may be especially worth asking now are:

Do I have a realistic idea of my own beauty or my own worth/capacity? Am I being too harsh? Too critical? Too lax? Do I adopt standards that are my own, or imposed by others? Are these empowering me or to they tear me down – if so, why do I hold onto them?

Is my job, path, or mode of service to others one that enhances my femininity, or do I use it to hide myself from the Goddess Within?

Am I applying the right kinds of standards in my business? Have I taken into account the need to ‘give back’, preserve the environment? Am I just ‘taking’, or am also creating opportunities of abundance for others?

Do I weave my work with my fertile imagination? With my Sacred connection with the Feminine? How do I create this bridge or connection?

Am I taking care of Me? Or do I spend all of my nurturing and Creative energy on Others? How do I bring things back into balance?

Are my ideas of binaries: Good/Bad, Black/White, Higher/Lower keeping me from seeing the World through the eyes of Spirit? (this is heading into the Neptune side of things)

To understand the energy of Virgo – you might like to have a read of this article on ‘Reclaiming The Virgin’. She’s not the frigid, neurotic woman she’s often typecast as – and she has so much of beauty, service and nurture to offer (within yourself and to others, in balance) –http://wp.me/p4OUNS-5i

So that’s a brief description of the challenges in one half of this dynamic – that of Venus in Virgo.

Neptune Retrograde in Pisces, which Venus in Virgo opposes is a whole other kettle of fish. Where Virgo nurtures through creation, Pisces inspires through destruction. (they can reverse roles too, but this the way they’re playing out now). We’ve all been facing the intensity of Pisces energy as part of the Supermoon so I won’t go too deeply into it here – you know what you’ve had to let go or, surrender, or sacrifice in order to find ‘the way through’.

The Virgo-Neptune Rx opposition echoes what we’ve already experienced with the Sun-Neptune Rx opposition on 29 August 2014. This was close to the time of the Virgo New Moon (25th August). You may find themes from this period, and insights replaying themselves in a different form. I refer you to my article from them for a good summary of the challenge we face now – http://wp.me/p4OUNS-5G – and I quote:

“Whilst we so often elevate the dissolution of boundaries in spiritual discourse – we often forget that certain boundaries are required – at the very least whilst we’re still learning in this Form. Be it sexual, spiritual, etheric, psychic, or other forms of boundaries – we are continually learning that these are important – healthy even. This is where the energy of Virgo comes in. She teaches us how to set realistic boundaries, but ones which Honor your Spirit and your connection with Source. That would be the balancing point between the two polarities, so to speak.”

In practical terms – it’s not the best day to begin a new relationship, or go into a business venture blindly! Have two feet on the ground, eyes wide open, before you attempt to build a castle in the clouds. If you’ve got the Venus-Neptune, Virgo-Pisces balance down, then go for it!

Venus desires enjoyment and is not averse to shutting herself from the energies of detachment and the challenges of living from Spirit. Neptune is not averse to casting illusions or escaping from the material reality that Venus both perceives and manifests. Piscean vulnerability/sensitivity is heightened now with the energies of the Supermoon still in sky (and Chiron Rx’s placement in Pisces).

Try now to take an extreme ‘either/or’ position on anything. Resist the temptation to be overly judgmental or to minimize uncertainty through the ‘blocking’ or spiritual insight that challenges you at this time. Try to stay as grounded and as connected as you can to ‘life’ if your head has been up in the heavens for too long. Remember that you incarnated here, as Spirit-in-Flesh, for a reason

Those of you who have faced this Moon and made the shift you need to will also find this energy of Venus-opposing-Neptune Rx to be a great reality check.

Those of you who are experiencing this energy as a powerful-wake up call – and who don’t know what to do with their emotions may want to ‘turn Spirit into Matter’. Channel what you feel into Creation. Write, perform, play with clay, draw, sing, talk to people, move them, move yourself – do whatever it is that you need to to

Both Spirit, and Matter, Matter
Both Self and Other deserve Nurture
Only you can do it for yourself
And if your cup runneth full,
Remember to share it a deserving Other.
You always have the right to choose.
To discern where your energy goes
How, Why, Where and To Whom
That’s just how it goes x

Blessings to All,
Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Image: Machhapuchre Board 6993 81 [Pokhara], Bairavee Balasubramaniam, 2014. All rights reserved.