Malvin Artley has been a practising astrologer for more than a decade. He is an accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers.
Malvin is the author of Bodies of Fire: An Exploration of the Lesser Chakra System. He has authored numerous articles and was a member of the faculty of the University of the Seven Rays, a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching of the Trans-Himalayan tradition as expressed through the books of Alice Bailey, Helena Blavatsky and others.
His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His special interests are the human subtle energy system and all the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all aspects of Chinese occultism. He has done extensive work with Chinese astrology and the cycles they use and seeks to synthesize the great Western and Oriental systems on such matters.
Malvin lives in Adelaide, South Australia. He also works in the engineering trades and sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.

Thanksgiving at Aunt Mary's [part three]
subtle meanings of the Full Moon in Gemini

in the conclusion of this article, Malvin examines the planetary aspects around this Full Moon — and discusses the rewards and wisdom that can be the outcome of the grand Sagittarian vision stimulated under this lunation. No goal is too hard, no journey too long, no thought unthinkable, and no dream unattainable.

This brings us to the final part of this article, which is a consideration of the planetary aspects around this full moon. As always, the degree of the Sun and Moon are most revealing of the dynamics here. The degree of the Sun reads thus:

“An old owl sits alone on the branch of a large tree.” 5° Sagittarius.

Owls have been associated width wisdom since ancient times. They are fabulous hunters with the keenest eyesight. They float silently through the air and they can rotate their heads to the effect that they can see all around them. They sit high in trees and take in the whole vista of their surroundings, and they can notice even the slightest movement, even in darkness. No wonder people have held them to be such a powerful omen and totem. This symbol describes to great effect what needs to be addressed in the aspirations of humanity in the coming year-the ability to stand alone, a sensitivity to the slightest of changes in our little worlds, the focused eye that penetrates into the heart of darkness and which highlights for us what we need to go after, the need to ascend to the highest places so we can see the greater picture of things and gain a wider perspective, the need to be able to glide effortlessly and silently through circumstance when need be, the wisdom that allows us to bring all things into right relation, and the silence that will allow us to hear the inner voice of direction in a world that clangs and clatters around us. Above all, we need clear perception.

The degree of the Moon/Earth highlights the areas in which we need to pay fuller attention to what is going on outside of us. It is a degree that marks where we walk together with others and how we see ourselves through the people with whom we associate. The degree of the Moon reads thus:

“A revolutionary magazine asking for action.” 5° Gemini

There is definitely revolution in the air. But, it is not a revolution based upon military action or violent conflict. This is a revolution of mind that will shine the Light of the Soul into places that have hitherto seen little Light or which have become darkened through years or centuries of disuse or misuse. The old Age is passing out, and with it will pass into the mist of memory all that has become corrupted and crystallized. The new energies that are playing increasingly upon our psyches are producing changes that will establish a fresh order in the world and a renewed sense of freedom to the expression of the human Soul. The repressive forces of entrenched psychic patterning must and will be released through the heat generated by the heavily polarized factions and thinking we see increasing in the world and the inevitable movement toward resolution that will eventually produce. There is enormous potential for change in the world today. As the charge gets higher there will be increasing movement toward a new level of understanding. The Light that will be generated by the release of the polarities we now see will carry humanity in many new and unusual directions. The call for revolution has indeed gone forth, but it is the Soul that is producing the call, not the little wills of people.

This is beautifully accented for us in this figure by the T-square formed between the full moon axis and the Uranus apex. Uranus is the planet of revolution, of new order and of release from the old. The desire for better conditions will shape the aspirations of people of goodwill everywhere this year. It is a tense configuration, but it holds much promise within it, and it guarantees that movement and shifting of the psyches of people will occur strongly over the coming months. This T-square helps to release some of the compulsive power and creative dynamism of the 10th harmonic yod we still have with us. Uranus also trines Venus, indicating a more humanistic approach to problems, a broad outlook on things and a general open-mindedness, although this would seem to be quite absent in many quarters. Venus is conjunct Mars, adding fire to the passions, force to aspirations, a good blend of forces at a personal level and a strong tinge of sex-force along with all the altruism indicated elsewhere. This conjunction will give an increased and quite unusual force to the way our spiritual yearnings are approached this year. This is further enhanced by the Mars square to Neptune in this chart. There is a danger here that people might be swept away by what they see and thus believe too strongly that “God is with me”. We can look for this square to be inflammatory to some groups. They might well believe they have divine right to do what they envision and their hold upon people will be increased under this influence.

The Venus/Mars conjunction and the Mars/Neptune square are offset to a large degree by the Grand Trine in air composed of the Moon, Jupiter and Neptune. This operates mainly in the realm of mind (air) and it carries an energy characterized by great spiritual insight, strong and clear hunches, intuitions and gut reactions to things. This is a highly intuitive Grand Trine and it confers an ability to expand spiritually that we have not seen in a full moon figure in a while—and the best part is that it is easy to access. It is a configuration that shows as spiritual grace and profound wisdom and insight. Jupiter is also in quintile aspect to Mercury, indicating that the intuition is to be even more strongly marked and that some real artistry in spiritual thought can come through this full moon. The main planets that release the sublime grace of this Grand Trine are the Sun and Mars, showing that individual effort and vital force will bring about the needed results and promise of the grand trine. Lastly, we see Mercury conjoined with Pluto, which points to an ability to dig deep within the psyche and to pull out that which has lain hidden in the recesses of our minds. It is, by the way, an excellent aspect for detective work and, unless I miss my guess, Kerry and crew are busy doing that very thing right now. It will be fascinating to see if anything comes to light around the voter fraud issue over the next couple of months. This is an excellent combination for digging up secrets. This concludes my commentary on the planetary dynamics of this full moon.

My Aunt Mary is a Sagittarian. True to Sagittarian form, she was pretty good at riding motorcycles in her younger years, though she is a wisp of a thing and barely five feet tall. She met my uncle that way. She hasn't been on a bike in years, but there is still a sparkle in her eye and it is difficult to keep up with her even now. You just can't keep a good Sagittarian down. I think of her every year at this time and remember well all the adventures I had up there as a kid. As I drove up through the land of the Sopranos a few months back, I was reminded of the many journeys I have made through life, the things I have achieved, the people with whom I have shared travel, the ways in which my horizons have been broadened in that way and all the goals left yet unfulfilled. Even with this last trip, at the end of the day's journey there were still cookies waiting for me when I got to her house. Every journey has its rewards at the end. It was good to see her jovial face and to hear that she still has aspirations even at this late stage of her life, though those goals now revolve largely around her sons and grandchildren. But, her life has certainly broadened mine and I have always admired her frankness and world view. We can never tell what is in a person by appearances. More than anything else, though, she is a free spirit and never stood still for anything that kept her from what she needed to do and the path that she had mapped out for herself and her family. And she still bakes an awesome cocoa cookie.

Rewards and Wisdom

As we approach the American holiday of Thanksgiving I am reminded as always of the richness of life and the rewards and wisdom that direct experience brings. More than that, I feel enormous gratitude for the people I have encountered and with whom I have shared time and life. Even the hard times have been rewarding in their own way. There is nothing like a good adventure to change one's perspective and to widen one's outlook on life and the world. All we need do is to remain open to what is on offer with each passing moment. Even a walk around the block holds the possibility of the beginning of an epic tale in one's life. We never know what awaits us. Life would be a bore otherwise. And, we can take a page from the Sagittarian's book in that regard. No goal is too hard, no journey too long, no thought unthinkable, and no dream unattainable.

As we sit down at tables on this most American of holidays around the country and in other parts of the world, take the time to look at the people seated with you and acknowledge the ways in which they have expanded your life. And, share a bit of your own life with them. The holiday of Thanksgiving is a celebration of community and of the grace that life grants us when we open ourselves to the gifts others bring to us and what we can bring to others. Though the Sagittarian may be focused on their own path, there is always room with them for another fellow traveler to share a bit of their journey and to find solidarity in unified action. We are all such fellow travelers. And, as we reach realization of the dreams we have set out for ourselves let us realize that we are all actually on an endless and wondrous trek that will take us together to places we can scarcely imagine and to heights of achievement beyond all measure. It all begins with a vision and ends with the reality we create. These times are so full of potency and promise for those with open and adventurous hearts and minds. May your visions be grand and your travels full of wonder!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Many blessings,
Malvin.
22 Nov 04

This ends the article. Return to the start of Thanksgiving at Aunt Mary's

Malvin Artley is an accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers. His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His special interests in those fields are the human subtle energy system and all the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all aspects of Chinese occultism.
He sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. These letters are sent out as a gift and a service. If you wish to be added to or deleted from the mailing list please let me know. If you feel inspired to pass them on please do so, but do so without alteration or charge. They are sent to people of many persuasions, not just astrologers. Blessings. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.

Thanksgiving at Aunt Mary's [part three]subtle meanings of the Full Moon in Gemini

Rewards and Wisdom

Thanksgiving at Aunt Mary's [part three]
subtle meanings of the Full Moon in Gemini