| Having been born in Moondark just before a Leo New Moon, I have long been aware of the 2-3 days before any New Moon as a special time – a 12th House time: of retreat, contemplation, a time when I have felt more fragile, more sensitive than usual, a time when peace and silence calls. Life being what it is, however, peace and silence may not be possible when one needs it! |
So, in honour of the waning Sagittarian moon’s 12th House phase, this year occurring in that liminal time after the 2016 Festive Season but before the New Year of 2017, here are some of my thoughts on the core of the 12th House, ie our connectedness with the Sacred, the numinous, that which lies beyond the ordinary compass of the everyday.
For me, when I was younger, the Sea, that other Great Universal, brought me a sense of the sacred, a sense of peace. Going to the sea was my equivalent of going to church.
photo: Anne Whitaker
I was born by the sea. The stripped-down Presbyterianism of my native Hebridean island certainly spoke eloquently to many, but did not speak to my Romantic temperament: it was a form of worship too spare and verbal for a soul whose longing for the Divine needs the engagement of all the senses.
The remote beaches of the Hebrides are perfect for communing. In some places no mark of human hand can be seen anywhere. You could be in any epoch.
The endless ebb and flow which soothes your spirit is millions of years old. With the cries of wild birds, and the sound of the wind ( no shortage of that !) the sea weaves music which carries you beyond time. The rich smell of ozone, salt and bladder-wrack is overlaid with a delicate scent of wild flowers. Sea splashes leave salt tastes on your skin. Sunlight on the sea’s surface creates diamond sparks. God/dess is right here.
Natural beauty calls to us, confirming that the Holy Spirit which we sense in nature includes us all. Sand, sea, sun and solitude evoke a sense of our infinite smallness in relation to the vastness before us. Yet there could be no sea without each drop of water, no beach without each grain of sand.
Church on the face of it is very different, being a contained space. But it is a space charged up with collective worship, where the cadences of liturgy and participatory ritual also evoke a feeling of Divinity’s vast presence in relation to our precious smallness.
The mind-calming, meditative facets of sea, and centuries-old church ritual, can lull us into peace, calming the heart and uplifting the spirit. Both sea and church in their differing ways can restore a sense of the balance and interweaving of matter and spirit – “spirit is a lighter form of matter, matter is a denser form of spirit” – and provide a reminder that the small, limited, mundane world which we inhabit is set to the compass of Eternity.
Zodiac
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500 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2016
Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see Home Page
Astrology: Questions and Answers 
Oh Anne, your description of the sea, the feeling of experiencing it resonates so deeply. I shall seek the ocean as a part of my reflective time this week. Thank you.
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You are most welcome, Carrie. I wondered if you would see this post, for reasons we both know… Enjoy your walk by the ocean. I hope to do something similar in the next few days !
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Yes…yes. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Lost Dudeist Astrology.
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Glad you like the post, GT !
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Hope the New Moon is benevolent for you!
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Same to you, GT!
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You are welcome!
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Ever heard of a band called Renaissance or Annie Haslam? https://granddreams.wordpress.com/2016/12/29/renaissance-at-morgan-and-lindsey/
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No, but I’ve read this post….seems apt for the season…
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Anne, I appreciate your down-to-earth approach to astrology. Our roots inform our perspective, so perhaps it’s no surprise that you were born so close to the earth, in a place where one can hear her speak. This post truly evokes the mood of the solstice. Simply lovely.
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Dear Pat, solstice greetings to you too, and many many thanks for your generous comment.
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Anne, there are too many lovely parts of this to just select a few as favorites. You tapped into a very strong facet of quiet genius and shared it with us. Thank you.
The connection you have with the sea, I have with the forests and smaller quieter bodies of water, especially where there is ‘no mark of human hand.’ It’s a way of getting quiet and becoming one with our planet,of grounding – ha, especially after short doses of the Christmas madness.
thanks for all that you share – it’s always a treat to read your posts.
May 2017 be good to you!
Lisa
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Hi Lisa
many thanks for your kind words; I’m so glad to know that you enjoy my posts – I certainly enjoy yours with your vibrant, unsquashable zest for life and your wonderful art. Let’s both have a great, creative 2017! ( and may your internet connection be better…!!)
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I’m smiling as I read this. I attended worship on Christmas Eve in a congregation where i’ve never before visited. It was, shall we say, less than numinous. How anyone can so completely strip Christmas Eve of all mystery is beyond me, but they managed it. Of course, each congregation develops its own personality, and the members there may be perfectly happy. For me, it wasn’t a good fit. But of course, there’s always the sea.
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Yes – with sea, and Church which does numinosity well – some day, come visit St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Glasgow to have that quality restored – we can keep ourselves connected to the Great Universal.
May you have peace, serenity and good varnishing weather in 2017, Linda!
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Via Facebook:
28.12.16:
Deborah M Carvalho:
Beautiful images, photo and words. Having Capricorn rising i feel myself in longing as well.
Happy New Moon!
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Many thanks Deborah! Enjoy the contemplation… and happy new moon and coming New Year to you too
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Really beautiful and inspiring wrods for describing the sea and the 12th house, often so difficult to pinpoint.. wishing you a happy new year Anne, much love ♡♡
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Thanks, Fernanda. What a lovely message! Happy New Year to you too, and hopefully we will meet in person at 1917s Student Conference!Xx
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Yes! Looking forward to that! Xx
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