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The Festival of the Quickening
Malvin Artley looks at the meanings inherent in the current Full Moon in Taurus, which is the Scorpion Moon for the year, since the Sun is in Scorpio. The Full Moon is always in the Sign opposite the Sign in which the Sun is placed. This powerful Full Moon is also a Lunar Eclipse, accompanied by a rare phenomenon known as the "Star of David". Malvin also publishes a regular astrological newsletter, to which you can subscribe by clicking the link at the end of this article.
This full moon, which I have called "the Festival of the Quickening" occurs on the 9th of November 2003 at 12:20 PM AEDT. It is also a lunar eclipse. What marks it as out of the ordinary from the usual full moon (if there is such a thing), besides the eclipse, is the fact that the eclipse itself is conjoined to very significant degrees of the Zodiac and, in some systems, it forms a "Star of David" pattern in the heavens. We will talk more on this last point later. These significant degrees are well known to astrologers who study eclipses. They are the 0-degree points of the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn)--sometimes called "world-view points"--and the 15th degree of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius). They are well-known points, because eclipses on these points often herald major disasters that affect people on a planetary scale. These degrees are also known to be portals of initiation for humanity and, as we shall see, initiation and disasters often go hand-in-hand. I have covered the meanings of Scorpio in past articles, especially in the most recent Heart of the Scorpion, so I will not focus on that so much here, except to add a few points as we go along. Star of DavidThere has been a lot of hype around this full moon, and especially concerning the "Star of David" configuration. For those readers who do not know, A Star of David is formed in a chart when six planets are arranged around the wheel in such a manner that they are all linked by a sextile (60 degree aspect) to the planet on either side of them. As a result, there is then a situation where the chart contains two Grand Trines and three oppositions--a most dynamic and productive configuration--productive of great shifts in awareness and movement toward resolution of many conflicts and imbalances in the world.Chiron ActiveBut, this one is essentially incomplete from the standpoint of planetary energies. And, to many Western astrologers, two of the sextiles are out of orb, thus negating the configuration. One of the 6 points in this current chart is occupied by Chiron, a large asteroid that some astrologers use, but which many do not. Being an asteroid, Chiron does not have nearly the same "clout" in a horoscope that a planet would, asteroids being points of minor interest. Despite the feelings of many people to the contrary, Chiron is thus a bit player in this configuration. I do not mean to step on toes with that statement, but things need to be kept in perspective.To Eastern astrologers, this figure is indeed a Star of David, but not one of the greater ones. This one has generated about the same amount of excitement around it in some circles as the great Harmonic Convergence alignment of the '80s, when all the planets appeared on one side of the chart. Pinch of SaltIn general, when these types of rarer configurations occur we start to hear all types of claims from the "New Age" community, such as: "The consciousness of humanity will be shifted by magnitudes." "The door to expanded consciousness will be opened wide and humanity will enter a Golden Age." "We will have our DNA adjusted and all kinds of new faculties will be opened to us." "It will be a time of unparalleled opportunity--a once-in-a-lifetime chance for us to all become ascended Masters."--and these are just to name a few. Not to be the proverbial "stick in the mud"--but, I don't think so. I have heard some of these statements about this coming configuration. Actually, Star of David charts are fairly common, occurring every twenty years or so. And there have been much more dynamic and thus more opportune ones than this particular chart. The current one does bring its share of Light with it, but we have to take all the specious statements around it with a pinch of salt, not to rub salt in the wound if I have offended some people's sensibilities with my statements.So, what exactly do we find with this full moon and eclipse figure? The planets and asteroid at the six sextile points are the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Chiron. Students of astrology will recognize that these are all what are called "personal planets"--that is, they are all felt and are active at a very personal level. Of these, the Sun, Mars and Saturn form one of the Grand Trines--a most powerful and beneficent blessing to us. The other one is formed by the Moon, Jupiter and Chiron, which has a lot to do with resolution of and healing of the past, as well as possible new modalities of healing or expansions on existing ones. The opposition pairs are Sun/Moon, Mars/Jupiter and Saturn/Chiron. The Sun/Moon opposition, which we have at every full moon, is also in a T-square pattern with Neptune at the apex, which tends to heighten sensitivities and neurotic tendencies, but also to throw things into confusion. To tie all these factors together I shall have to be very brief and will have to leave a lot of things out, but the major points will be there. Important PointsTo begin with, the most important considerations in any full moon figure, such as this one, are the aspects to the luminaries and to the ascendant, or rising degree. I cannot consider house placements or the ascendant here because those factors will be different for the various locations and times for the full moon throughout the world. Suffice to say that anyone who is born with a strong emphasis on any of the special initiatory degrees listed above will be quite strongly affected by this eclipse. Tony Blair is a case in point, his Sun being on one of those degrees at 15 of Taurus. He was recently sent to the hospital with heart palpitations. It should also be noted that the eclipse will be total over the eastern Atlantic, which will see the strongest effects from it in Western Europe and western Africa. That is also in Tony Blair's neck of the woods.As stated before, the Sun and Moon are both involved in Grand Trines. A Grand Trine is an especially auspicious configuration, conferring bounty, blessings and ease. Fortunately, we are dealing with an eclipse and several oppositions as well, so we don't have to worry about those Grand Trines too much. Seriously, A Grand Trine in a mundane figure such as this one is an indicator of enormous potential, if it can be adequately accessed and utilized. Read part two of The Festival of the Quickening 
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