Welcome to New Millennium Being

Capricorn - My Universe

by Guru Rattana, Ph.D. - Issue #166, December 21, 2009
Planetary Alignments
Cosmic Influences

Cancer Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse - December 31st

A Cancer Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse, on New Year's Eve, finishes off 2009 and welcomes in 2010.

Lunar eclipses always coincide with full moons. During a lunar eclipse, as the Sun, Moon and Earth align, the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow. During this brief interlude, the lunar flow of electromagnetic energies is interrupted. The energy disconnect creates a gap that makes it easier:

  1. to become aware of hidden programming,
  2. to release old patterns, and
  3. to evolve to higher levels of consciousness.

If we choose to pay attention, we get a clearer, more truthful picture of our inner and outer realities, and how they interact.

Eclipses create openings that make transformation both possible and imperative. We can make conscious choices, or we will be forced to change because of the circumstances that our unconscious programming attracts. During the period surrounding eclipses, it is wise to be vigilant, and to respond to wake-up calls. The truth is, that we all know when our soul and the Universe are speaking to us, and they both tell us the truth. Our best strategy is to listen to, and heed, their messages.

At this Cancer Full Moon, the Sun, Venus, Pluto, Mercury, and the North Node are all in Capricorn. The Moon and South Node are in Cancer. Cancer energy is very much needed to balance and integrate all this Capricorn energy.

This lunar eclipse in Cancer continues to activate the feminine energies that became available at the Cancer eclipse in July 2009. After millennia of male domination, universal feminine energy is being infused on the planet. The integration of the Divine Feminine in our psyche, and our alignment with the natural forces of Mother Earth, are going to be the defining factors in HOW we make the transition to the Aquarian Age.

The need for the highest expression of the Cancer archetype, will become more and more apparent as we move into the 'cardinal square' in 2010. Pluto and Saturn are already tightly squaring off, for almost 4 months from November 2009 through February 2010. Due to Saturn retrograde, the square becomes less intense for a few months, and then tightens up again (more below).

Astrological Note

Squares are two of the 4 major markers in the cyclical interaction between planets, which include:

  1. Conjunction, where two planets are at the same degree in the same sign at the same time. This is the ending of an old cycle and the beginning of a new one.
  2. Waxing Square, which stimulates an assessment, that directs action to take advantage of the expansion phase.
  3. Opposition, when the two planets oppose each other. This is the end of the expansive phase.
  4. Waning Square, is the last phase where we enjoy what we have created, and realize that the end of this cycle is almost over.

The 2010 Cardinal Square involves both squares and oppositions.

Saturn in Libra Squares Pluto in Capricorn

Capricorn is ruled by Saturn - the wise taskmaster whose directing law is cause and effect. The Capricorn archetype is about who we are in the world. Accordingly, Capricorn lessons are about integrity, maturity, accountability, responsibility, commitment, dedication and impeccability. Under Capricorn's influence, we learn how to become our own authority and the director of our own life. Sounds good, but the extent to which we are externally, and subconsciously, controlled makes these tasks much harder than they would appear.

Saturn in Libra continues to square Pluto in Capricorn. Saturn and Pluto form a tight square within two° from November 2009 through August 2010. Squares demand action.

Mercury conjunct Pluto intensifies the Pluto/Saturn square. At this lunar eclipse, Saturn also squares the Sun and Venus in Capricorn. The cardinal signs - Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn - initiate new beginnings. Libra is about being fair, just and harmonious.

This combination of energies makes it imperative to examine Capricorn's shadow (ruthlessness, greed, egocentric ambitions and irresponsibility), and to transmute this energy to its higher expressions. We are invited to reconnect with the authentic mission of our soul, to reclaim our inner authority, and to live in full integrity with physical and natural laws.

Capricorn New Moon/Solar Eclipse - January 14th

During a solar eclipse the solar radiation transmitted from the Sun to the Earth is blocked. The interruption of these massive amounts of electromagnetic energy jolts our energy field, and alters our consciousness. Solar eclipses happen only on new moons and intensify their effects. Every new moon signals an ending and a beginning related to that Zodiac sign.

At this new moon the Sun, Moon, Pluto, Mercury, Venus and the North Node are all in Capricorn. This is a heavy dose of Capricorn energy. Capricorn issues are in our face. Whatever your personal challenges at this time, examine them in relationship to the following:

  1. The reality of living and accomplishing our goals in the physical world - Get a reality check on practicality vs unrealistic expectations and illusions.
  2. The limits and constraints of time and resources - What is available to you now, and how can you best use these precious resources?
  3. The law of cause and effect - How and why are you causing the current events in your life? If you want things to be different, how can you change your thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, intentions, behaviors and actions?
  4. The emotional, mental and physical costs of your choices. Do your choices support your overall health and well-being?

Also ask yourself:

  1. Who/what is my guiding authority?
  2. How do I set my personal standards?
  3. What are the core values that direct my decision-making, and action, in the world?
  4. To what extent am I self-reliant? What are my next steps in becoming more self-reliant?

Saturn Goes Retrograde

Just before the Capricorn New Moon Solar Eclipse on January 13th, Saturn enters its annual retrograde phase, where it will remain through May 30th. When the slower-moving planets shift direction, they hover in the same place at the same degree for weeks. This slow motion focalizes and intensifies their impact. Saturn's retrograde activity extends its intense square with Pluto for four months. Pluto in Capricorn obliges us to transform, or get rid of, institutions and ways of operating that are not aligned with higher principles. Our touchstone is integrity.

Mercury Goes Retrograde and Direct

Mercury goes retrograde December 26th at 21° Capricorn. Mercury returns direct at 5° Capricorn, just hours after the Capricorn New Moon Solar Eclipse January 14th. We have over 3 weeks to get a reality check on what we need to change in our lives.

For starters, consider that the position of firstly being a victim, secondly finding scapegoats, and lastly hoping that superficial solutions will cover up fundamental issues, are not going to work. These disempowering stances just invite more problems. When Mercury goes direct, we'd better be willing to be honest, get real and act with maturity to move forward in our lives.

Mercury and Mars retrograde add an introspective flavor to the holiday season. If you don't feel outgoing and choose to be with yourself instead of socializing, acknowledge that you are in tune with the cosmic energies. :+)

Mars Retrograde

Mars turned retrograde December 20th, the day before the Winter Solstice. When Mars is retrograde, it is harder to project our negativity and anger on others. We have through March 10th to look at, and feel what, we unconsciously project outside ourselves, and thus how we create our own universe.

As I wrote in the last issue, Mars will be in Leo for eight months, instead of six weeks, (October 16th, 2009 through June 6th, 2010). (Mars goes retrograde only every 26 months). We have 2½ months to:

  1. examine where we are in life,
  2. evaluate where we want to go,
  3. define our goals, and
  4. outline our strategies.

We are given this time to take a thoughtful heart-centered look at our lives, our choices and our life purpose.

The guiding principles while Mars is retrograde are:

  1. Be guided by what really matters.
  2. Be willing to let go of what holds you back.
  3. Trust your soul and Spirit to lead you on your destiny path.
  4. Use your fire energy to take action for yourself, instead of for self-destruction.

Jupiter Enters Pisces

Jupiter moves into Pisces territory January 17th through June 5th, 2010. After 3 months in Aries, Jupiter returns to Pisces September 8th, 2010 through January 22nd, 2011. This is an auspicious time for Pisces. Jupiter offers openings and opportunities for expansion, but its beneficence is similar to the energy of trines. We must take advantage of its openings and the absence of resistance. Jupiter is not an aggressive planet, so WE must take the action and not expect gifts to fall from the sky.

In sum, there is a lot of energy over the next couple of months, supporting introspection and nurturing a loving inner space. Be aware that as the planetary energies shift, we experience changes in our body, mind and emotions. Relax and allow your body, mind and emotions, to adjust and flow with these forever shifting energies.

A Look Forward

Jupiter enters Aries January 22nd, 2011 forming the third leg of the powerful 'Cardinal Square' with firstly Pluto and North Node in Capricorn, secondly Saturn and Mars in Libra, and thirdly Jupiter and Uranus in Aries. (We will discuss this in future issues). Aries, Libra and Capricorn are all cardinal signs, which denote action and new beginnings.

The other cardinal sign is Cancer. Again, we are going to need our nurturing Cancer qualities to make a peaceful transition into the Aquarian Age. The water sign Cancer tunes us into the divine feminine flow. If we can relax into the flow of our emotions, and what is unfolding in our personal universe and in the world, we can even enjoy these intense times.

Cancer and Capricorn

The Capricorn archetype is about taking responsibility for our lives. This includes taking responsibility for our dark or unevolved side. Our shadow includes the emotional stories that we use, to avoid being accountable for what we are projecting into the world and the Universe. A most common story line is victimization. We blame others and circumstances for our predicament. The Capricorn/Cancer polarity is about connecting deep within ourselves (Cancer) and identifying how our fears, anger and emotional programs create who we are in the world. (Capricorn.)

The unevolved expressions of Cancer energy are fear-based. Intimidated by fear, the Crab avoids taking direct action. Have you ever noticed that a Crab walks sideways? I had a big laugh at our 2008 Teacher Training in Hawaii. I watched a Cancer student and myself (Cancer) crawling low on the volcanic rocks to get into and out of tide pools. Just like Crabs, we carefully negotiated each step. Many of the non-Cancers were fearlessly jumping from one rock to another. It so interesting to watch ourselves :+) We do indeed play out our archetypes.

How Fuzzy is Your Inner Reality?

I will always be cautious walking on unknown rocky territory. Wise caution is a good thing, but a fear-based inner reality creates problems in life. A fuzzy inner reality creates a fuzzy outer reality. Fear keeps us from being clear in our actions and decisive in our choices. Our inner reality remains confused as long as we do not have clarity, and are unable to be honest (with ourselves and others) about our values and what we want and need.

Our inner reality is fuzzy because we are unconscious. Our inner reality is blurry because we do not know or own the lessons we need to learn. Once we understand what we need to learn from our current situation, then what we need to do becomes obvious. Then we have to choose to take action.

My Universe

The Universe is continually expanding. Creation is always creating. Our human journey is about expanding and creating our own universe.

We each have our own energetic universe, which has substance, qualities, boundaries and limits. Our personal universe is one of the billions of independent, interdependent and interactive universes, alive and operating right here and now on planet Earth.

There is unlimited non-physical space available in our Universe. Therefore there are no limits to how far and wide we can create it. The more conscious we become, and the more we open up our inner space, the bigger and brighter we can make our personal universe.

The Capricorn archetype is about creating our own universe, which defines who we are in the world and in the Universe. If we live in victim mode, we create a victim-oriented universe for ourselves, and interlock with others who share the same mindset and its complement - control and manipulation. When our boundaries are weak through fear, self-doubt and indecisiveness, we can be sucked into other people's universes. Others can use us to support their dreams and to get their needs met.

When we are able to be honest and clear about what we want, how we want to be treated, and what we are willing to do, we create a solid foundation for our own universe and for its expansion. We attract and interact with others who share the same empowered view of life.

Cancer/Capricorn Complements

Cancer and Capricorn act as inner and outer complements. Capricorn represents our destiny path and role in the world. Cancer represents the inner emotional and spiritual nourishment that is needed, both to support our mission and making our contribution on Planet Earth. When we are in touch with our inner world, we become aware, that how things show up in our lives is a reflection of how we are co-creating our personal universe.

We must establish our inner space as a firm foundation for our interactions in the world. The Cancer archetype is about getting to know and build our inner reality from a stance of self-love. Through self-kindness we can awaken our power to love, and use it to be more pro-active co-creators of a love-based universe.

This Cancer New Moon offers the energy to create a nurturing and loving inner environment for ourselves. We can use this, and all the other planetary alignments, to cultivate an inner space that makes us feel safe and protected in our worldly endeavors.

Lessons of Love

In Earth School we move from one lesson to the next. We are usually involved in more than one lesson at a time. The goal of every lesson is to help us evolve into deeper experiences of love. The Cancer archetype teaches us to create a sacred space of love in our psyche, from which we can operate in all our life encounters. To do so, we have to learn to extricate ourselves from victim mentality, and to become positive co-creators of our own universe.

One of the most fundamental ways to expand and upgrade our universe, is to learn how to hold the space of love for ourselves and others. This requires accessing our neutral mind, and integrating the qualities of the universal mind into our psyche. These include non-judgment, clarity, peacefulness, stability, stillness and allowing - all expressions of higher Infinite love.

'Nice' or Nurturing

The Cancer archetype teaches us to monitor how we are using our emotional energy to create our personal universe. We can observe if we are 'being nice', in an attempt to try to adjust external energies so that we feel comfortable. This is a common technique used by water signs, and especially women, who don't have well-defined boundaries.

When our emotional energy is indiscriminately intermingled with others, we try to feel safe by influencing external energies (other universes) in a way that we don't feel threatened. We use our emotional body to 'take care of' others. As a result we allow, and even invite, our emotional body to be used and abused. Our emotional body becomes a sponge that absorbs negative emotional vibrations. If we are trying to 'fix' our environment, we get attached to those who want to be fixed. Of course, this all happens unconsciously, until we wake-up and become aware of this dysfunctional emotional behavior.

One of the primary lessons of the Cancer archetype is to learn how to use our emotional energy to nurture and heal ourselves. We need to learn how to 'lovingly hold myself in my space'. Instead of reaching out to find security and love, we must learn to reach inside into our own space - into our own universe.

Once we have cultivated supportive, solid ground within ourselves, and the space of self-love is our default program, we can expand our space to include others. However, we must be very attentive to not include any situation, thing, idea or person, that pulls us off center and away from self-focus and self-love. When we lose our self-nurturing faculty, our 'take care of others to feel safe and to get our needs met' programs resurface, and we cease to be in charge of our universe.

It is tricky business keeping our universe loving and 'mine'. This is especially true for women and water signs. Water signs are naturally fluid and without clear boundaries. Woman is created to take care of and nurture her children. To perform her mothering function, woman's psyche is set on the default 'take care of' setting. Because being a mother is an intrinsic part of every woman's design, her instincts take her outside of herself. To be in charge of our own universe, it is critical that every woman learns how to be a self-directed woman (not person, not mother - WOMAN!).

At the Center of My Universe

The Sun is the center of our solar system. To become more active and responsible participants in our own universe, we must investigate what is at its center. Most of what directs our individual universe is unconscious. We are on a default setting, which means that subconscious programming and external control, and manipulation, are in charge. Our life lesson is to become conscious, and to learn how to make conscious choices about what energies inhabit and navigate our universe.

When we surrender to someone else's agenda, we enter their universe as a victim. Some of the reasons we let others control us include:

  1. We don't have our own committed and self-confident agenda.
  2. We aren't in touch with our soul, and don't trust ourselves.
  3. We think we can get what we want outside ourselves, and we have to compromise to get taken care of.
  4. We take the path of least resistance, in an attempt to 'keep the peace'.

However, when we are not connected to and acting from our own truth, we always create problems for ourselves (to wake us up to how we are sabotaging ourselves). Our Capricorn lessons are:

  1. to become our own authority,
  2. to take responsibility for what we create, and
  3. to own the consequences of our decisions and actions.

We deal with these challenges every day of our lives.

The Elements in My Universe

MY UNIVERSE is not a heady fantasy that we imagine in our minds. MY UNIVERSE is a real energetic experience and presence. When we turn our sensory awareness inward, we can actually perceive the space and qualities of our universe. We are not just visualizing or imagining something. Our inner seeing/perceptual/feeling awareness can witness a space. We can tune into and feel a reality with our subtle awareness faculties.

We can use the elements to help us identify and develop the four basic qualities of our universe:

  1. AIR is neutral space.
  2. FIRE is purity, light and clarity.
  3. WATER is nurturing feeling.
  4. EARTH is our body and Mother Earth.

Using the elements, we can pay attention to how the lower expressions of each element enter, disturb and control our space. Our goal is to not let ourselves get sucked into the dysfunctional expressions of the four elements. Our life tests are about choosing and taking responsibility for what we wish to include in our universe:

Expanding Love

The more we are able to maintain a conscious feeling connection with pure light (fire), nurturing kindness (water) and neutral peace (air), in our body (earth), the more we grow our own universe. The neutral space in our mind expands to include our heart, and then our whole body. Our space is strengthened by our experience of the qualities of the four elements. The stronger our space, the more detached we become, and the more we are able to not get sucked into conflictual dramas. We see the play, we see the lessons we need to learn, and we respond from our neutral loving heart-directed space.

Our goal is to build such a strong inner foundation, that we operate from this unshakable base in all our worldly activities. Events enter our universe and we deal with them. Each test challenges us to hold our space of love. In the process it is reinforced and made stronger. As we expand our personal space of love, we expand love in the Universe.

The life-long process of learning how to hold our sacred heart space in our personal universe includes many overlapping phases:

Inventory of My Universe

The end of the year, and the next few weeks and months, are an opportune time to investigate the inner and outer dynamics of your personal universe.

Sit with yourself and make an inventory of your universe. Journaling is good.

Transitions to a Heart Centered World by Guru Rattana, Ph.D.

 
Transitions to a Heart-Centered World by Guru Rattana, Ph.D., is a rich and unique compilation of the core teachings and Kundalini Yoga kriyas and meditations of Yogi Bhajan.

The new Second Edition, revised and updated,is ready to welcome a whole new generation of students to this life-changing technology. It offers powerful and effective techniques to both teacher and student, to empower your lower chakras and open your heart to unconditional love.

Contains literally dozens of meditations to access heart and soul consciousness.

Kundalini Yoga - Directives for Kriyas and Meditations

During the day, and in your Kundalini Yoga and meditation practice, clear and create your inner space with your breath, movement and mantras. Be sure to take enough time between exercises to cultivate and connect with your inner universe.

Go inside your mind, heart and body and be attentively with yourself. Practice tuning into the light, clarity, peace and love inside. Hold yourself in this space. Use your feelings to nurture your body. Feel the qualities that you find the most soothing and satisfying. This is one way to attract other loving, and self-guided, universes to participate in our lives.

You can embellish your universe with the vibrations of any divine mantras. To neutralize negative thoughts use SAT NAM, WAHE GURU and UNG SUNG WAHE GURU (ecstasy vibrates in every cell of my body). For any form of healing use RA MA DA SA SA SAY SO HUNG.

References and Footnotes

"Cancer Lunar Eclipse, Capricorn Solar Eclipse", Austin, Stephanie, The Mountain Astrologer, Issue # 148, Dec/Jan 2010, pp. 112,113.

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