Archive for News and Articles – Page 7

Astrology News

Information and announcements on all things Shamanic Astrology. It can include special planetary alignments and other events not listed in the other categories below.

School News

This news concerns updated information about what the school is doing, including new events, teleclasses, products and fundraising efforts.

Timeless Articles

These are articles which generally stand the test of time, as we humans know it. Examples include how Shamanic Astrology came to be, what is Shamanic Astrology, how to understand fundamental knowledge on astrology and Earth history looked at from an alternate perspective.

Articles on Venus, Mars and Mercury

As the title suggests, all the articles on Venus, Mars and Mercury can be found here. In addition, some classes and/or teleclasses on these planets can be found here as well.

Articles on Sun and Moon Eclipses

Lunar and Solar Eclipse seasons are times of potent celestial energy and so they evoke creative spirit to witness, take in, write and study the patterns of remarkable events. SAMS covers the eclipse seasons and over the years we have written articles on them, primarily by Daniel Giamario and Cayelin Castell.

An Investigation Of The Astrological Chart Of The United States: 2021-2025

Part 3 of 4 by Daniel Giamario

THE NEPTUNE AND GEMINI FACTORS

Introduction and an embarrassing admission

I have been working extensively on the chart of the United States for maybe six months now, in monthly “ramblings” newsletter posts, a number of FaceBook posts, as well as seminars and vlogcasts.  I have covered the quadruple eclipse pathways, the Chiron return, the Pluto return, as well as important Jupiter, Saturn and Lunar Node transits.  I have even been mentioning the US natal Neptune square to Mars.  But through email exchanges with Greg Knell, who has become a marvelous researcher in related areas of inquiry, out of nowhere, I realized that I had totally not seen that the United States is in its Neptune opposition!  I just had not noticed!  Very humbling indeed!  This part three will hopefully remedy this situation.  I will weave this currently happening second Neptune opposition to the natal US Neptune into the larger scenario that I have been developing.  And I think you will agree that it’s as important as any of the other factors so far presented.

The Neptune Factor

I believe that the natal square of Neptune to the US Mars is one of the most important elements of the US chart.  Neptune is 22Virgo25 in the 10th house, and Mars is 21Gemini22 in the 7th.  Using the windows of initiation that we use with the Shamanic Astrology Paradigm ™ applied to a natal chart, here is a complete accounting of cycles of 2021-2022 related to this US natal square.  The window of initiation lasts from March 3, 2021—December 4, 2022. Read More

The Vision Quest Full Moon Approaches – Actually, We Get Two!

The Aquarius Full Moon of 2021 will soon be upon us. The exact Full Moon is 7:37PM PDT on this coming Friday evening, at 1Aquarius26. The Moon will look full from Thursday evening through Saturday evening. The Aquarius Full Moon can, in fact, occur anytime from July 22-August 22 each year. This year, we actually get two of them, as the Moon is full also on Sunday August 22nd at 5:02AM PDT at 29Aquarius37. This is often, mistakenly, called a “Blue Moon”. This situation is rather rare, occurring most recently in 1983, 2002, 2013, and now. The next time this happens is 2032. But why “Vision Quest” Full Moon?
The Aquarius Full Moon has acquired a pretty special significance since I received my visions in the early 1980’s and has been a part of the lore and traditions of the Shamanic Astrology Mystery School™ ever since. After a vision quest death and rebirth experience on Mount Shasta that happened to me in 1981, I became caught up in the Mount Shasta mythos. Each year from 1981, continuing on to 1989, I took groups to the mountain for sacred ceremony, and to apply more and more of the insights and transmissions received there, that have become the evolving Shamanic Astrology Paradigm ™, and that have inspired the vision for our school. I often went there over the next 15 years doing solo retreats. Many groups and many individuals were spending time camping on the mountain during those years, and I learned quite a lot. One thing that I learned from the local Shasta tradition was that the Aquarius Full Moon was the “Vision Quest Moon”, so I always scheduled my groups and my solo times on Shasta around the time of the Aquarian Full Moon. At that time the workshops that I conducted were called: “The Astrological Vision Quest”.
Whether you are able to go to Mount Shasta or not, the days upcoming around these Full Moons are so very much the perfect time for your visioning, either solo or with a group. I very much recommend that you prioritize this in your life, as best you can. Take the time, as it’s even more important in these accelerated times of change and uncertainty. Certainly, the most important thing you can do is be open to get guidance, as to discovering and clarifying your life purpose intentions, and your “place on the wheel”. Depending on your personal cycles, you can get downloads from “spirit”, as if your future self is reaching back to get your attention. Failing that, at the very least you can get clear guidance as to what to let go of, and to stop doing: to create space.
Remember to utilize the essence of Aquarius for this. This can include contacting your highest objective witness, the high witness, or the “I” behind your ordinary “I.” This is sometimes called the Atman within the Brahman. From a shamanic perspective, this would be the “eagle” of your consciousness, being able to see the very widest view, and with freedom and a non-judgmental perspective. You can add to that, the transmission of the resonantly energetic polarity of the Leo Sun. This can mean committing to your sovereign and autonomous self, with the uniquely Aquarian contribution of truly being yourself, or as it has been said: “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken!”
Aiding your “quest” will be the continuing presence of Venus and Mars in Leo, still within 10degrees of each other in the evening sky. Also you can possibly notice that Mercury has now separated more than 15degrees from the sun, and is now in the morning sky in its Hermetic evening star phase in the sign of Cancer. Meanwhile Jupiter and Saturn dominate the whole of the night sky as they approach their oppositions to the Sun, bright, and guiding our way. I truly hope that you can take advantage of this opportunity. And since there are two Aquarius Full Moons this year, you can imagine two bookends of an entire month-long “vision quest” portal that can be seen as a larger context. If you miss this coming Full Moon for your ceremony, you will have another chance next month!
~by Daniel Giamario

Rethinking the Increasing Polarization Between Men and Women Within Identity Politics

By Daniel Giamario

Since the early 1970’s, I have been an advocate for the Feminine and a major supporter of the efforts to expose the debacle of patriarchy.  The women’s movement of the early 1970’s, the introduction of the asteroid goddesses, and the re-mythologizing of astrology, all inspired my criticism of sun sign astrology, as being a monotheistic relic of patriarchy ,and  a semi-brainwash.  Instead, I have always felt the soul to be polytheistic, and that the Feminine is “First Principle”.  This subject is explored in my second book, Origins of the Shamanic Astrology Paradigm.  Furthermore, the 7th and 8th principle of the Shamanic Astrology Paradigm elucidates this also: https://shamanicastrology.com/about

Also, throughout the years I have always emphasized that the archetypal feminine is not the same as women, and that the archetypal masculine does not mean men.  These principles are foundational to the full spectrum of all the gender possibilities available to men and women, and essential to engage with the inner sacred marriage process as taught by the Shamanic Astrology Mystery School™.  The aim has always been to take us beyond the simplistic and limiting views, such as “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, which merely perpetuate cultural stereotypes.

At this point in the culture, most open-minded cultural creatives, and a growing number of mainstream folk, can readily perceive that patriarchy has been a seriously bad wrong turn for global humanity.  However, over the last four to five years particularly, what seems to be happening is increased polarization.  There is increased polarization in pretty much all areas of our lives, but especially between men and women.  

I have recently realized that I have been unwittingly supporting this polarization.  I have continuously been supportive of many “Goddess” oriented groups and forums.  Terms like “Divine Feminine”, “Sacred Feminine”, are extensively used.  For eight years, I have co-created a workshop/ adventure called Renaissance of the Sacred Feminine!  For example, often when looking at the Venus synodic cycle, the emphasis is often primarily at the Venus position for women.  This is despite the fact that the Venus cycle is equally about a man’s archetypally feminine side.  Men have not felt particularly welcome in this, mostly, company of women.  Meanwhile, it’s not hard to notice that it’s almost all women that attend the gatherings that Anyaa and I have co-created in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. And it’s certainly true that the majority of students in the Shamanic Astrology Mystery School™ are women, which is equally true in my client base.  I certainly have no problem with groups designed to be for just women (or just men for that matter), but it’s not the aim of Shamanic Astrology to separate like this.  I also hope that more women will become interested in the Mars synodic cycle, and its implication for women.  I also fervently hope that the emphasis can more easily be directed at the “inner sacred marriage process”, which is the main theme of our third foundational on-line course, and that more men will feel welcome.

Another phenomenon that has happened five or six times over the last few years has really impacted me.  Dear friends and clients of mine, both men and women, have been greatly damaged through fake bots, lawsuits, and web postings that seem to stem from the excesses and fanaticism on the fringe of the “Me Too Movement”.  These victimized individuals are all good people, who have served the awakening of global humanity and who have been caught in a backlash.  

The problem is obviously the increasing polarization between men and women.  When considering questions of sex and gender: First and foremost, men and women are human beings.  We are all in this together.  And I now refuse to contribute to any further polarization.  For further information on this most important subject, please see my recent vlogcast on sex and gender here: https://youtu.be/06RSynd6rOE

Whilst there are archetypal differences between the masculine and the feminine, it’s not about men and women.  I find so many women who are consciously or unconsciously supportive and complicit in the support of the patriarchy.  And there are strident and extreme “Me-Two” supporters who actually have stated that eliminating 90% of the male population would solve the problems that the Earth faces.  I suggest that they do more shadow work, and see their own inner patriarch.  In addition to this, it’s quite obvious to see that many prominent women leaders, in politics and corporations, are totally subservient to the patriarchy, and actively benefit from supporting it.  I could name names.  And there are many good men, who are open-hearted and awake, and quite supportive of the great project of co-creating a post-patriarchal world.

I take full responsibility for whatever I have done to increase the polarizations.  So here is one thing that we have decided to do.  Anyaa and I have decided to rename our program: Renaissance of the Sacred.  Full stop.  Interestingly, our vision statement still remains the same. But now hopefully, it will not contribute to any further polarization, or be subtly suggesting the superiority of women over men.  As I must always remind us, it’s not about men or women, but rather the “inversion” created by aberrant patriarchy and patrialinealism that has caused so much damage, and has been consciously or unconsciously been supported by both men and women.  We don’t need patriarchy, or matriarchy moving forward.  At this time, with great regret, these international adventures have been suspended until travel is an easier experience.

Furthermore, I commit to guide the Shamanic Astrology Mystery School™ on this foundation, with a much more equal balance between the Masculine and the Feminine, and with less use of “Goddess”, “Divine Feminine”, or “Sacred Feminine”.  The far greater story of our type of human, going back 300,000 years, was almost always gylanic, egalitarian, cooperative, and with an equal ranking between women and men.  This is, of course, disputed by the mainstream/establishment, promoting that “civilization” only started about 5500 years ago.  This is such a limited and stifling view, creating a mono-view that drives inquiry into conformity and cognitive dissonance.  As Gandhi once remarked when asked about “Western civilization”, he remarked: “that would be a good idea”.  Certainly this is a symptom of being at the bottom of the Kali Yuga.

Ramblings, Reflections, and Ruminations from Daniel Giamario – June 2021

A Very “Mercurial” Annular Solar Eclipse by Daniel Giamario

As we approach the end of the first eclipse season of the year with the Annular (Ring) Eclipse on Thursday, let’s check in on a few of its most interesting features.

The Eclipse occurs at 6:53AM EDT…included is the chart for Philadelphia, Pa, the site of the Declaration of Independence.  Also on Thursday is the exact Sun conjunct Mercury (6:13PM EDT) and the Moon conjunct Mercury at 8:37AM EDT.  A reminder that the US Mars is 21Gemini22 and the DSC is 13Gemini10.  And a reminder that this is a North Node eclipse, making it future oriented.  So why a “Mercurial” eclipse?  And of further interest, the US Mercury is actually retrograde at 24Cancer11, with a Pisces synodic overtone, with the hermetic evening star phase, and just beginning the alchemical metamorphosis from the Pisces to Cancer.

The Sun/Mercury conjunction is a super important point in the alchemical metamorphosis of the Aquarian synodic overtone of Mercury into Gemini, fully developed at the Stationary direct point on June 22nd at 18Gemini08.

The word “mercurial” certainly is a wonderful word that captures most all of the essence of Mercury/Hermes, and particularly the Gemini synodic overtone.  An on-line dictionary begins with the words: eloquence, ingenuity, and thievishness; followed by unpredictable changeableness.  Other synonyms follow including: capricious, fickle, fluid, inconsistent, mutable, skittish, temperamental, unstable, unsteady, volatile, and variable.  Sound like Mercury in Gemini retrograde???  Just wait for the full synodic cycle after June 22nd!  It also reminds me a lot of one of the three main shadows of the United States (as I have written and spoke about a lot recently).

The annular eclipse offers many ceremonial opportunities, whether you can see it or not.  Those of you in Eastern and Central Canada have quite a good view, and the Northeast US gets a great partial eclipse, where the Sun at sunrise is already partially eclipted.  Philadelphia gets a 71% partial eclipse, for example.  See the chart of the path included.  A solar eclipse is a super new moon, and can be worked with as a tremendous seed planting time for at least six months, and maybe as long as 3-4 years.  This is a presaging of the quadruple cross of 4 eclipses over the US from 2023-2024, involving the solar eclipses of 2012, 2017, 2023, and 2024.    See my current vlogcast for more information.

Being a North Node eclipse, there is a great potential for envisioning a better future.  But, in the partial phase, prior to totality, place the greatest emphasis on the past shadow of Gemini, personal and collectively, with a strong emphasis on the actual historic behavior of the US, honestly and objectively, without any propaganda.  And then, at the nearly 4 minutes of annularity, imagine a portal appearing, through which new bursts of creativity, vision and imagination stream through, from outside the galaxy, by way of the galactic edge, where souls pass by the gates of duality and polarity.  Should you witness this, the flames and radiance of the Sun’s corona, clearly seen around the Moon, can represent the brilliance of celestial creativity.  Following the time of totality, then its seed planting time, at least for the next 6 months; but considering what is coming, I suggest envisioning through 2025, as this eclipse season presages the upcoming quadruple-cross of 2023 and 2024.  This is the most “active magic” portion of a super new moon total eclipse, where we can co-create with “Great Mystery”.

A Total Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius by Levi Banner

Where I am in Bali it will happen juuuust after sunset (moonrise) on May 25. All the way to the United States where it will happen just before sunrise (moonset) on May 26.

Wherever you are, if it’s visible or not, you will feel it.

It’s also an important time for ceremony. So if you can see it, I highly suggest to view it and honor it in your own special way.

A lunar Eclipse is when the earth is exactly between the Sun and the Moon, quite literally blocking the Sun’s light from reflecting off of the Full Moon. Instead of the brightness of the Moon’s light at night, we see the earth’s shadow projected instead.

It appears as if you can see the entire month’s lunar cycle in a couple of hours. Where as the actual totality of this eclipse lasts only 14 minutes.

Indeed a potent time for ceremony. A meditation for example during that 14 minutes would be extra powerful.

One eclipse is always followed by a second. So in two weeks there will be an Annular Solar Eclipse in the opposite sign of Gemini. This is when the moon will cross directly in front of the Sun and block out the light of day.

Between these two weeks is like a window of time where you feel the effects of the eclipse energy in your daily life.

This Full Moon we will enter into a two week eclipse portal where the shadows can come out and deep healing can take place.

Eclipses always bring up the shadows. That’s literally what they are in the sky. A block in the light and shadows cast. You can more easily see what’s beneath the surface during these times.

This two week portal is where our deepest fears, blocks and hesitations can be looked at and let go of.

Eclipses are always close to the Lunar Nodes. This lunar eclipse is near the South Node and gives us a tremendous clue on what the nature of this alignment is.

The South Node is more oriented towards our past and therefore letting go of what no longer serves us and collecting what is useful that we’ve learned to move on with.

The sign that the eclipse is in also has a major influence on the energy. The sign of Sagittarius is what is being accented.

Sagittarius is the sign of exploration, expansion, adventure, philosophy and seeking higher truth and knowledge.

The shadows of Sagittarius are generally fundamentalism or restlessness.

Like when someone obtains a truth and attaches to it. Without a desire to evolve or produce new forms of truth, the truth then expires. Some forms of truth are always changing.

Another shadow is the restlessness of the sag archetype. Sag is the only one that when a group gets to the top of the mountain, they are still looking for another mountain top. Sometimes it’s a good time to enjoy the view that only comes from an epic journey up that mountain.

It’s time to let go of these versions of Sagittarius that are no longer useful.

What is your truth? What is no longer true for you?

What is uncharted territory for you? What is stuck?

It’s time to release what no longer serves you and enter this space of finding deeper meaning and higher truths.

This is indeed a potent portal we are all entering.

If you have any inner planets or personal angles in your natal birth chart at 0-15 degrees Sagittarius or Gemini, then you are very personally being activated by this current eclipse.

On a bigger picture this eclipse is part of a much larger cycle called a “Saros”. I’ve learned from my teachers at the Shamanic Astrology Mystery School, Daniel Giamario and Erik Roth, that this is actually the very last total eclipse in a Saros that started in 1029 and ends in 2526. And that these cycles are linked through 18 years. Three of them reach 54 years which has a deeper relationship.

All this eclipse patterning is intimately linked with the Lunar Nodes. 18 years ago in May 2003 there was an eclipse in this same overall Saros, and 18 years before that as well. Though the third is more important. Every 54 years the eclipse cycle returns to a very similar place in how it faces the earth. So this current eclipse is similar to the one on April 24, 1967 as it’s in this same triad of 18 years and in the same family of eclipses called Saros 121.

You can read the rest of Levi’s article here.