Light and Dark Meat, Please ~ 16 Nov 2005

In the Southern Hemisphere there’s a remarkable dark nebula known as Coalsack. This collection of gaseous dust actually blocks the light from objects behind it from being seen by any point of view. This enigma as well as the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds topped my list of sky viewing when in Australia a few years ago. Funny how the threads of the sky knit and weave their way into consciousness. Moments ago I decided to check Coalsack’s longitude while thinking about Neptune aspecting the brightest object in our Local Group, ARP 220. Sure enough, this light blocking entity also squares Neptune’s current track from its location at 13 Scorpio 14, approximately aligned with ARP 220 at 13 Scorpio 50. Bright and dark both in aspect to Neptune in Aquarius. There’s a furrow forming, “Hmmm,” for you.

Now Aquarius soon welcomes the nefarious centaur, Nessus, back into its zodiacal club for a number of years. In new astronomical mythologies, there are two really naughty boys out there: Nessus and Ixion. Other than “you get a second chance, don’t blow that too” with Ixion, I have no idea what to make of his much worse than a movie of the week tale. Nessus, though, does offer an interesting bit of redemption. He unconsciously transacts with others for the experience that best provides transformational soul growth for all concerned. Liberally translated (not available in red voting conservative states in the United States), you’ll probably get your emotional and physical butt kicked by taking on this path, but your soul stands poised to grow immeasurably if you’re still standing once it’s all said and done. Charming. Actually, Nessus invokes the bottom line motivations we all possess - notably regarding Scorpionic themes like money, especially other people’s, and love, especially the kind enjoyed by others. Issues of envy, territoriality, and avarice in any manifestation arise. Ultimately, the theme becomes “to become like that evolved icon over there, what do I have to do to get there from here?”

While this might sound... you know... not all that festive, relax. Like fog rendering and fog lifting Neptune, who simultaneously aspects the local bright spot and one of the best light blockers in the cosmic town, there’s help that lightens the way while doing the deep inner work. Chiron enters Aquarius on December 5^th, the day the Sun crosses the Great Attractor (sorry, you have to wait for that GT), nipping at the heels of Nessus. The healing agenda of Chiron quickly catches up with Nessus as his orbital period runs just over two times faster. He whistles out a caution, urging Nessus to bandage and disinfect that minor abrasion before forging the River Evenus and its questionably clean waters. A word to the wise goes a long way. Nessus is savvy. He’s just got to get over a bit of that pain-gain thing that causes many to take on more adversity than necessary (you know, Nessus-ary).

In the United States next week it’s our holiday, Thanksgiving. Despite modern appearances it’s not a holiday for Roman-style gorging, sitting stuffed on overstuffed couches sleepily staring at the TV and developing subtle methods for getting away with flatulence. It goes back to the time of the prissy Pilgrims. When they landed in Massachusetts, this rather defensive religious conclave initially shunned the barbaric Indians. A year later, after one cold New England winter and months of hunger, the Puritans gleefully welcomed the backward savages and gratefully ate their turkeys, corn, cranberries and such - thus, Thanksgiving. “Thanks, good chow.” As comic Eddie Izzard (an Aquarian) says, “Like what you did with the hair.” This year with Neptune in Aquarius still aspecting an object of phenomenal light and one of retarding darkness, maybe examining both sides of the coin of motive and intent provides a viable toast.

Much like Nessus and Chiron meeting up in the early region of the altruistically minded (in theory) Aquarius, the contrast of all motives comes together with the ultimate evolutionary objectives in life. Deny nothing. Accept everything for what it is. As in distant space, objects of light and objects of dark equally strive to inspire evolution and progress, whether that of a pilgrim or not.