Blue Moon -- Happy New Year 2010!

Full Moon December 31, 2009, 11:13 am pst, partial Ketu eclipse 11:24 am pst
This year ends under the influence of a blue moon in the sign of Gemini. The month of December winds down with two symbolic themes reoccurring: blue and Gemini. As I discussed in previous posts the color blue permeated media images of the Norway spiral, the Nobel Prize ceremony, the COP-15 conference, and the Na'vi from the movie Avatar (thanks to Andre Heath for creating this cool collage).



The blue moon is another opportunity to shower us with a blue vibration that may trigger indigo and luciferian consciousness.

The term 'blue moon' generally refers to the second full moon in a month and occurs once every 2.7 years. We have blue moons because our calendar system was changed from a lunar year with 13 months of 28 days to a solar year with 12 months with various days. There are 13 full moons in a solar year, and the left over full moon becomes a blue one.

The last blue moon to shine on New Year's Eve was 19 years ago, in 1990 and the next will be in 2028. However, the moon will not actually be blue, except in retouched photos. The phrase 'once in a blue moon' really means an impossibility, as in never happening. So the convergence of all these improbable events and phenomena is intriguing. Are they all an illusion? Or is something impossible about to occur?

The Gemini theme first appeared during the Geminid meteor shower in mid-December. The annual Geminid meteor shower gets the name 'Geminids' because it appears to radiate from the constellation Gemini. I discussed the name of its source, a comet/asteroid called Phaeton who was the son of the Sun God, Helios. This story relates a solar theme popular at this time of year: a father Sun god sacrificing his own son to save the Earth and mankind. The meteor showers symbolizes pieces of Phaeton's exploded chariot falling to Earth.

It is intriguing that this Gemini full moon falls in the nakshatra of Ardra which is associated with the blue star, Sirius. This star is also connected to a sacrificial themes throughout many ancient and modern traditions (Egyptian - Osirius, Greek-Orion, and even new age--Christ consciousness) and even figures prominently in UFO lore.



The Hindu myth associated with Ardra revolves around the story of the demon Taraka who practiced severe austerities in order to receive the gift of 'undefeatable power' from Brahma. Thus Ardra's gift is yatna shakti, the power to make gains in life through great effort. Once Taraka attained this power, he turned around and began to oppress the gods. Could this reversal of power also be happening now? Have humans attained enough knowledge that they are turning on the gods, our ancient alien progenitors?



According to the Hindu story, the gods began to fear Taraka's power, and responded by imploring Shiva to do something about this terrible threat. Shiva created a champion, Karttikeya or Skanda, to combat Taraka. After spending his formative years with the seven sisters, in the refuge and training ground of the Pleiades, Karttikeya went forth and battled Taraka. Karttikeya was able to destroy the demon, and so rescued the world.



The story of Taraka is similar to the Greek myth of the Titan Prometheus, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to man.



Zeus was so furious that he sent Pandora, the first woman, to live with man. According to Hesiod, each god helped create her by giving her unique gifts. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to mold her out of Earth as part of the punishment of mankind for Prometheus' theft of the secret of fire, and all the gods joined in offering this 'beautiful evil' seductive gifts.


According to the myth, out of curiosity, Pandora opened a jar, commonly referred to as 'Pandora's box' that contained all evils that would later plague mankind. By the time she closed the jar, only hope remained.

So like the Biblical Eve in the Garden of Eden, a woman's curiosity was responsible for bringing sin and evil into the world. Is this why calendar makers shifted from a Pagan lunar calendar to a Christian solar calendar? But according to the gods, original sin is the desire for knowledge and light? So what kind of gods were they -- to be fearful that their children be full of light and knowledge? I have yet to see the movie Avatar which takes place on a moon called Pandora, but I have a feeling I might see similar themes all cast in a blue hue.



Today's full moon will also undergo a partial lunar eclipse by the south node, Ketu. Its psychic effects are unpredictable ranging from the gift of new insight to the release of repressed emotions. As Ketu is a moksha karaka, or indicator of enlightenment, its power during this eclipse may be to release this spiritual energy. A New Years meditation may be more powerful than a glass of bubbly this year, but either one will release the power of the blue moon.

Namaste!

Geminids and Phaeton

The annual Geminid meteor shower reached its peak on Monday. This meteor shower gets the name "Geminids" because it appears to radiate from the constellation Gemini.

On December 13th, Earth passed through a stream of debris from extinct comet 3200 Phaethon. The encounter produced a surge of more than 160 Geminid meteors per hour. The timing of the peak favored observers in Europe and the Middle East, many of whom said it was the finest display of Geminids they had ever seen.

The Geminids have a reputation for being a bit of a mystery. Most meteor showers are historic, documented and recorded for hundred of years, and we know them as being cometary debris. But according to the article Phaeton Place:Inside the Geminid Meteor Shower, "When astronomers first began looking for the Geminids' parent comet, they found none. After decades of searching, it wasn't until October 11, 1983 that Simon Green and John K. Davies, using data from NASA's Infrared Astronomical Satellite, detected an orbital object which the next night was confirmed by Charles Kowal to match the Geminid meteoroid stream. But this was no comet, it was an asteroid."

So initially this 'asteroid' was designated as 1983 TB, but later renamed 3200 Phaethon. The original hypothesis was that since Phaethon's orbit passes through the asteroid belt, it may have collided with other asteroids, creating rocky debris. It used to be believed that comets didn't break up. But the more it was studied, it became clear that this asteroid behaved like a comet without developing a tail. Phaethon is probably an extinct comet that has gathered a thick layer of interplanetary dust during its travels, yet retains the ice-like nucleus.

What is also intriguing is that the Geminid meteor shower rate has been increasing. Jupiter has been attracting the shards of Phaeton and its meteoroid stream as well as drawing it closer and closer to Earth's orbit.

In Greek mythology Phaeton is either the son of Helios, the sun god; or son of Eos, the Dawn Goddess. In Ovid's Metamorphoses Phaeton seeks assurance that his mother, Clymene, is telling the truth that his father is indeed the sun god Helios. After receiving his father's promise to drive the sun chariot as proof of paternity, Phaeton fails to control it leaving the Earth in danger of burning up.



Zeus sends a thunderbolt to prevent the disaster and kills Phaeton.



The name Phaeton means the "shining" and may also refer to the Morningstar, Venus also called Lucifer, the lightbringer. The Minoans called Phaeton Adymus, by which they meant the morning and evening star. I can't help but wonder if the myth has some astronomical meaning or reference? Some astronomers believe that in the distant past Venus was knocked out of its orbit. Could Zeus's thunderbolt be a natural, or artificial (ie by alien astronauts) rectification to save the Earth? Is that why Venus is such a barren and hostile planet?



I've been fascinated with the idea of Venus as the harbinger of destruction as illustrated in my Friday the 13th post, Sunspots, Venus Cycles, and Influenza. It was first suggested in Immanuel Velikovsky's Worlds in Collision (1950). In this intensely controversial book, Velikovsky argued that many seemingly unbelievable stories in the Old Testament are actually true recollections of times when Venus nearly collided with the Earth – when it was still a comet and had not yet become the docile planet that we know today. He contended that Venus caused most of strange events of the Exodus. He cites legends in many other cultures indicating that the effects of the near-collision were global. The scientific community rejected his wildly unorthodox book, however it became a bestseller. And this idea still makes apocalyptic headlines.



The truth is our universe is a dynamic sea of rocky and energetic travelers. Whether asteroid, meteors, or cosmic rays, all are heralds of change, and cyclical evolution in which even the children of the gods may fall. What is intriguing to me is the protective act of intercession that is also described in mythology. Be it alien intervention, boons of the gods, protective CMEs discharged from an intelligent Sun, or cosmic intelligence in the form of gamma rays, we are not only its beloved children, but perhaps 'it' too.



And one final note, the timing of this years Geminids also coincides with the last days of Venus being in the morning star position. On January 13, 2010 Venus will make an inferior conjunction with the Sun and shamanically transforming into Venus Evening star, Hesparus, goddess of love, until October 2010. Let's hope this means that its powers of wisdom, charm, grace and control over the unconscious asuras will return to full strength and inspire world peace and love within each and every one of us.

Namaste!

Norway's Spiraling Light -- See Starsyncs for MORE

Early on Wednesday morning a spiraling white light appeared in the Norwegian sky around 7:50 AM local time.

Currently it is being reported that this phenomenon was the result of a failed test launch of a Russian Missile. Click here. But its strange synchronicity with CERN's world record energy collisions and Obama's visit to Norway to receive his controversial Nobel Peace Prize have raised a few eyebrows.

CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) smashed together subatomic particles at the highest energies ever reached by a human-made accelerator and the giant ATLAS detector observed the products of the record-breaking reactions whizzing through its sophisticated tracking devices:



And the next day Obama solemnly receives his nobel Peace Prize acknowledging the irony of receiving it in a time of War and deployment of more troop. Notice how 'blue' everything is in Oslo.



The UFO and conspiracy communities suggest that the stunning light display may be part of Project Bluebeam, HAARP, a stargate, a blackhole created by a renegade boson from particle busting CERN, or first contact from a UFO. Andre Heath's The Alien Project is a great resource for more on this topic. The New Age community Lightworkers describe it as a Stargate Portal with a cosmic gift.

With so much speculation, I thought it would be intriguing to look at the Horary or Event chart, called Prashna in Vedic Astrology, to see if it might shed some additional light or meaning on this strange phenomenon. In astrology, a Prashna chart is created for the date, time and place of a particular event. Usually the rising sign and its ruler are assessed to gain insight into influences surrounding the event and an outlook for possible developments stemming from that event.

Using the 7:50 am time for Tromso, Norway, this Prashna chart has the constellation Libra rising, in the Nakshatra Vishakha. The chart ruler is Venus, currently as morningstar, in Scorpio's nakshatra Anuradha, placed in the 2nd house with the Sun. The second house, or Bhava, is indicator of family, right eye, food, wealth, education, manner and source of death, self-acquisition and optimism. When the ruler of the 1st house is placed in the second it indicates efforts result in profits, family is a source pride, and as the planet Venus is a benefic, a truth may be revealed.

Venus is placed in the nakshatra Anuradha, the 17th nakshatra. According to Vedic astrologer Prash Trivedi the number 17 is usually seen as a bringer of celestial waters down to the earth plane. It allows for safe refuge. Anuradha is also the nakshatra presiding over numerology and known as the decoder of the secrets of the universe. 17's magic goes back to ancient mystery cults of Egypt and some believe it is used to trigger the subconscious mind and ready it for download. It popped up all over this story, which Chris Knowles covers on his blog The Secret Sun. As the chart ruler is placed in the 17th nakshatra, this might indicate the event is indeed a release of cosmic information to the earth. In tarot, the 17th major arcana card is the Star card.



According to the Eclectic Tarot: With Aquarius as its ruling sign, The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench the Querent's thirst, with a guiding light to the future.

Anurada contains three stars in the body of Scorpio near the star Alpha Centauri. Alpha Centauri is the closest star to our solar system, and as such is the focus of a lot of recent astronomical research for an earth-like planet. As the nearest star to earth it also has captured the imagination of many science fiction writers and is currently the location for the latest science fiction movie, James Cameron's Avatar due to be released next week. Avatar depicts a gas giant with a habitable moon, Pandora whose blue skin inhabitants include centaur-like creatures. Intriguing stellar synchronicity for the release of this film, eh.



Back in 1999 scientists began sending detailed interstellar messages from earth out into stars. Some believe the Chilbolton crop circle was an early response.



In April 2007 the first exoplanet, Gliese 581 was announced. At that time it was the closest-known in mass to Earth. In October 2008, members of the networking website Bebo beamed A Message From Earth, a high-power transmission at Gliese 581 c, using the RT-70 radio telescope belonging to the National Space Agency of Ukraine. This transmission is due to arrive in the Gliese 581 system's vicinity by the year 2029; the earliest possible arrival for a response, should there be one, would be in 2049. Gliese 581 is also located in the Libra constellation. Could this phenomenon be an early response? There have been 20 interstellar messages sent out to near-by stars, but the earliest, Gliese 581, will not arrive until 2029. Could someone else received it? And isn't it interesting that the Russians were once again involved.

In the Vedic tradition, the 17th nakshatra Anurada is also called 'the star of success' and grants success to those who strive in foreign lands. In this case could foreign lands mean the arrival of space brothers or their message to the earth itself? Or does it sync with Obama receiving his award in Norway, as the new world's symbol for hope and 'peace'?



Anuradha's symbol is a lotus flower which represents the ability to blossom in the midst of the muddy and materialistic sides of life. Its power is radhana shakti, the power of worship. Moreover, Anuradha's success is attained through group work rather than individual achievement. Certainly many who witnessed this event were moved, and its magic is being spread by the internet. Is it a sign from star beings that we are part of its galactic family? Or cosmic firework display for the international group of scientists at CERN? Or weapons test in honor of Obama receiving the Nobel 'Peace' Prize?



A secondary symbol for Anuradha is a triumphal gateway adorned with leaves, which is echoed in symbolism of the rising sign of the Prashna chart, Vishakha. The repeated theme of the gateway is quite powerful and gives credence to the star gate theories.

Vishakha is 16th nakshatra called the 'star of purpose'. It includes the two constellations of Libra and Scorpio and is thus called 'two branched' or 'forked'. Vishakha is sometimes depicted as a large tree with forked and spreading branches that provide protection and produces fruit as it ripens with age. This tree of life represents the process of reaching and attaining one's goals.

But it is the two other symbols for Vishakha that intrigue me: the triumphal gate and potter's wheel.



At first glance this gate imagery resonnates with the placement of Venus in Anurada and suggests the stargate theory may be plausable. But in the case of Vishakha the triumphal gate comes not only with a celebration of success, but also a promise of challenge. It symbolizes the ending of the attainment of a goal and the beginning of a new one, as in the case of Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize as he faces the next challenge of Afganistan. Vishakha is a very goal-oriented nakshatra giving vyapani shakti, the power to achieve many and various fruits in life.



The third image for Vishakha is a potters wheel which symbolizes creativity and the cycles of time needed to build it. The Bible is full of references to the potter and clay. God created or prepared the earth, the clay, before he formed man, and out of it was he made:

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground. Genesis 2:7.

We are the clay, and thou are Potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Isaiah 64:8b

Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Jeremiah 18:2

The spiraling wheel of the Norway light appeared while Vishakha, the gateway to the potter, was rising in the first house, the house of purpose and dharma. The ascendant does represent purpose, and the 'star of purpose', Vishakha, was rising on the horizon during this event. Perhaps the spiraling light in Norway may indeed be a sign of creation and how time is shifting. The light show concludes with a large black hole perhaps a wormhole to another dimension?

The spiral is a prevalent symbol in the neolithic world that may represent the goddess, cycles of time associated with the solstices, the milky way, or perhaps astronomical phenomenon that were more common in other times. Perhaps we are entering a field in space in which these energetic bursts will be more frequent. Or perhaps we are in a field of space in which our DNA is triggered so that we can see what is always there? Here are some spirals from our past:

Chaco Canyon, Fajada Butte Solstice spirals



Newgrange -- oldest Neolithic structure that marks the winter solstice (next week)


Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh -- artistic expression or vision?



Hildegard of Bingen, Medieval mystic, herbalist, and artist



Britain's dear Dr. Who Vortex


Last Mimzy



Mamma, our own Milky Way



Namaste!!

UPDATE:
Great article by Richard Hoagland. Click here.

Astro Weather December 2009

December began under the influence of a beautiful and exalted full moon in Taurus, in the nakshatra Rohini. Rohini means 'the red one' and refers to the red star of Aldebaran in the eye of the constellation of the Bull. It is also named 'the star of ascent' and gives rise to prominence and influence in society. The ruling deity is Brahma, the creator of the universe. Also called Prajapati, the Creator gives rohana shakti, the power to grow. This lunar mansion is a prosperous nakshatra that may stir desire and sensory attachments. Its shadow side may involve seeking indulgence and luxury without considering the price.



It is interesting that the big headline this week is how the Salahis (with Michaele dressed in a Rohini red Indian sari) crashed the state dinner at the White House last week, perhaps as a stunt for the Bravo Reality TV show The Real Housewives of DC. Although the producers adamantly deny that it was a publicity stunt, the couple did appear on The Today Show, but did not accept the 'invitation' to a congressional hearing. More embarrassing legal trouble emerged today for the Salahis when they appeared in a Virginia courtroom to settle a debt with a gardener. In Vedic astrology gardens and landscaping are ruled by the moon which gave the legal advantage to the plaintiff. Ah, the price of fame.

UPDATE:

SNL says it all:

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Namaste!

I was hoping to address the following planetary shifts, but due to a sore arm they will have to wait for a future post:
12/1/09
Uranus stationary direct at 28 degrees Aquarius.

12/7/09
Neptune returns to Aquarius where it will transit until 2022.

12/16/09
New Moon in Sagittarius, 0 degrees Mula

12/19/09
Jupiter enters Aquarius.

12/20/09
Mars in Cancer goes retrograde.