Steve Nelson newsletter - The 7th Moon A Key to the Mysteries

[Why Syzygy]

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~Jean Luc Bozzoli

THE 7TH MOON A Key to the Mysteries

The appearance of the crescent New Moon on the evening of September 19 marks the beginning of a special 10 day / 9 night period when the world is recreated. This tradition is shared by the Cherokee, the Jews, Hindus and followers of the Greek mystery school.

The New Moon closest to the Autumn Equinox begins the 7th Moon cycle of the Zodiacal Year. The Cherokee call this the Great New Moon or Big Medicine Moon. Cherokee women dance from the time the New Moon crescent appears until Moonset. This dance continues for several evenings. With this dance the energies of the new time are grounded and embodied. The world is reborn.

The shadow of the past cycle generally shows itself in the days before this New Moon. All that is doubtful, fearful and discordant crowds the dawn of every new time. This is more true this year due to a convergence of a number of cycles. The more there is awareness of personal and world shadow, the more spiritual power is invoked for transformation, healing and renewal.

The blowing of the shofar, a ram's horn, announces the beginning of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. The shofar is blown
when the New Moon crescent appears. Rosh Hashanah begins the Ten High Holy Days also known as the Days of Awe.

Because the New Moon's appearance varies with location, Rosh Hashanah is celebrated for two days. This year Rosh Hashanah officially begins on the evening of September 18th. Because the Moon is too close to the Sun to be seen this evening, the dates given below begin with Sunset (and the crescent Moon's appearance) on September 19th.

At the sighting of the New Moon, Cherokee women begin their dance, the 9 North Star Spirits start their descent (China), Kali enters into homes to consume the past year's discord (Hindu) and initiates gather at Eleusis to receive the Mysteries.

The seed power of the lunar crescent is most strong during the time between Sunset and Moonset. This is a cosmic initiating time when the Moon is in the 7th House. The next few evenings are ideal for aligning with soul purpose and opening to the new energy flow. Meditation helps to repattern the unconscious and recreate our personal world. Good wishes more readily take wing now. Prayers seeded in this time bring blessings for the Moon cycle (Sept 19-Oct 17) and for the Year to be.

Revelation, awakening, spiritual renewal come through the nine nights and ten days that follow culminating on Day Ten when in the Hindu tradition the goddess Kali "slays the demon bull" (a symbol of our individual and group shadow). Spiritual union is celebrated at this time by both the Jews and the Cherokees. This is the Jewish Yom Kippur and the Cherokee Atohuna "when two are joined as one in the presence of yowa, the creator."

These ten days (nine nights) bring opportunities for realizing hopes and dreams. The way is cleared through celebration. The more our way becomes clear the more blessings flow. The more we attune and listen to our heart, the more core issues are resolved, the more empowered we become to recreate our world.

Re-creation through celebration opens the way for the New Year to be. All fortunes turn with the tide of the Seventh Moon.

DAY AND YEAR AND THE 7TH MOON

The early Celts, Jews, Arabs, Hindus and Native American tribes began their day at Sunset. Catholic holy days are also celebrated
beginning with Sunset the evening before (e.g. Halloween / All Hallow's Eve, Christmas and Christmas Eve).

Day is born from night as yang is born from yin. The Spring / Summer yang half of the year is born from the yin Autumn / Winter. And, just as the day begins with Sunset, so the year has its beginning on the most subtle level with the Autumn Equinox New Moon.

All indigenous peoples from ancient times have recognized the life giving power of the lunar cycle. In all cultures the New Moon is
celebrated when the crescent appears in the sky. Life force is renewed and all outward activities are supported by the new lunar tide.

The Great New Moon Ceremony begins a period of renewal and healing that culminates 10 days later in a celebration of divine union
called Atohuna, the Friends Made Ceremony. Intervening days are a time for healing relationships, for making amends with friends,
and opening hearts to the wellspring within. Now we are being prepared for a communion in spirit from which comes a new creation.

Because of the striking parallels between the Jewish and Cherokee celebration traditions some believe the Cherokee are a lost tribe of the Jews. It is more likely that these two cultures simply share a common connection with the cosmic 'implicate' order.

Traditional Cherokees fast until Sundown on the night the New Moon becomes visible. The day begins with 'going to water' a self immersion ritual to prepare for the new cycle. Followers of the Greek Mysteries bathe in the sea, lake or river on the 2nd day.


HINDU NINE NIGHTS FESTIVAL 9/19-9/28/2009

Hindus celebrate Navaratri, the Nine Nights Festival, beginning on the night of September 19th. During these nine nights Kali is invited into homes and provided a place at the dinner table. Mother Kali enters in to consume the discord of the past year.

Ritual bathing, burning incense, anointing with oil, shared prayers, mark the beginning (at Sunset) of each of the Nine Holy Nights. One meal is eaten each day and this is after Sunset, following prayers. (Fasting by day and feasting at night nourish the yin spirit.)

The swastika is a key element of Hindu New Year celebration. This geometric pattern is believed to quicken positive changes and bring luck and prosperity. The swastika drawn with smooth spiral arms rotating clockwise represents the energy spiral around the North Star and the North Pole umbilicus. The drawing of this symbol is believed to create connection with the center and heart of the world.

The swastika is drawn on the floor of the celebration space or on the ground in front of the home. Flour is sometimes used to make this design. On the middle of the pattern is placed an earthenware bowl or pot that may be decorated with red and white swastikas. (An old clay pot at the N.C. Cherokee Indian Museum likewise shows four spiral swastikas, one in each direction.) This vessel is filled with holy water and mango or other aromatic leaves. The whole arrangement is believed to bring prosperity and good health for the year.

Navaratri, the Nine Nights Festival, culminates (on day 10) with Vijaya Dashami or "Victory Day" celebrating Durga's victory.
"When the nine values of life - the five senses, mind, intellect, ego and the transcendental value - have been enlivened during the nine 'Days of Mother Divine', then on 'Victory Day', the tenth lunar day (Dashami), the wholeness of life evolves which is more than the nine aspects together. ... Yagyas performed on this day bring victory and success to one's undertakings. "
More information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navratri

On the 10th day, (September 29th) Kali slays the Demon Bull and evil is vanquished from the world.


CHINESE NINE NIGHTS FESTIVAL 9/19-9/28/2009

The Nine North Star Spirits descend to Earth during the nine nights following this New Moon. The ancient Chinese believed these 9 nights are the most important of the calendar year. Nine North Star Spirits descend and the God of Death walks the world to help free us from our old ways. This time is observed by fasting and sexual abstinence. The conserving of ching (primal energy) for the new creation parallels the biblical parable about 'saving oil for the lamps.' The lights or chakras of the body are to be illuminated now.

Transcendent purpose is remembered by facing north in meditation and focusing attention (imaginatively, if not actually) on the North Star. This star is the pivot around which turns the mandala of creation. Meditation on the light and spirit of the North Star helps realize soul purpose and renew ancestral power. (The North Star Polaris is a giant white star far more massive and more brilliant than our Sun.)

In Chinese myth, Dou Mu is the Goddess of the North Star and mother of the Nine Celestial Sovereigns or North Star Spirits. She is the
Taoist equivalent of the Buddhist bodhisattva Kuan Yin. Dou Mu is enlightened in all divine mysteries and she can move freely between the heavenly spheres. Dou Mu is keeper of the book of life and death, those seeking longevity pray to her.

Chung Yeung or "Climbing the Heights" is Day 9. Celebrants trek to a mountain top or high hill where they share a picnic that includes "top cakes" and chrysanthemum wine. This tradition parallels "the vision of the shining one" on day 9 of the Mysteries.

In the view of the ancients, the world is shaped and reformed by prayers made at times and places of power. By all accounts,
mountaintops are among the most spiritually powerful places on Earth. The consciousness that rules the heights shapes the realm.





HIGH HOLY DAYS AND THE GREEK MYSTERIES

Initiates were instructed in the Mysteries of Eleusis during the ten day period beginning with the Autumn Equinox New Moon.

Candidates for esoteric training would meet on the first evening to receive verbal and written instruction for this 10 day period.

A key part of what was shared at Agormos, the day of assembly(Sept 20), is the correspondences between each of these days of creation. The 10 luminous spheres on the mystical Kabala Tree represent stations of the soul's journey. Each Light is related to a planet beginning with Malkuth, the Earth (the first day) and moving upward toward Kether.

The activities prescribed for each day of the Mysteries of Eleusis correspond to the ruling planet of the Sephira.

The sephiroth and planetary rulers with 2009 dates are: Sept 20 - Malkuth / Earth, Sept 21 - Yesod / Moon, Sept 22 - Hod / Mercury,
Sept 23- Netzach / Venus, Sept 24 -Tifareth / the Sun, Sept 25 - Geburah / Mars, Sept 26 - Gedulah / Jupiter, Sept 27 - Binah / Saturn, Sept 28 - Chokmah / Uranus (the realm of stars), and Sept 29 - Kether / Neptune (Each day begins at Sunset the evening before.)

Pluto is Daath, the invisible Sephira. In myth, Pluto wears a helmet of invisibility. The debate in the kabala community about whether Daath is a true Sephira parallels the debate among astronomers about whether Pluto is a planet. If Daath is a sephira then what is it's number? Some say 11 and some say 0. Generally, it's the latter option that has been chosen and - interestingly - 0 is the number of the Fool in Tarot. The Fool is the guy who appears to be stepping off the ledge - into the abyss - yet never quite does so. That's because the ledge is the edge of creation growing before the feet of the Fool. As long as he keeps looking up / doesn't look down, the Fool can keep moving forward across the Abyss. The higher nature of the "Divine Fool" arcanum is represented by Dionysus, Iachus and Jesus.

Pluto is known as the god of death, rebirth and the occult and these are also the venue of Daath. The dark side of Pluto and Daath is the dark lord of every mythic tradition: In Star Wars, Daath is Darth Vader; in Harry Potter, Daath is Lord Voldemorte; in the Lord of the Rings, Daath is Sauron; in the Andromeda TV series, Daath is the Abyss; in Heroes, Daath is Siler; in The Dark Night, he is the Joker. Abyss is a name sometimes used interchangeably with Daath though not accurately. Daath is actually the bridge over the Abyss and in its higher nature Daath is the way over and through, the way between physical, psychic and spiritual dimensions.

In the human body, Daath is a little known chakra behind the head at the top of the spine. Neck rolls before meditation stimulate the Daath chakra and help to shift consciousness into the subtle world. Daath is equated with the mythic River Styx. Ancient astrologers located the Styx at about 7 degrees Libra just after Autumn Equinox (the time of the Eleusinian Mysteries). As the day parallels the year, each Sunset is like Autumn Equinox. Generally the best time for meditation is just following Sunset when the yang of day is balanced by the yin of night. Neck rolls and meditation at this time allow one more easily to cross the Abyss and enter the higher world.
Sephiroth with Planetary Rulers http://www.kheper.net/topics/Hermeticism/Qabalah.htm


MYSTERIES OF ELEUSIS AND THE 7TH MOON

September 20th (from Sunset Sept 19th) - Day 1 in the Greek Mysteries is a time for sharing instruction. Some of this is verbal and some is nonverbal through a revealing of the "hiera" The hiera are sacred objects that stimulate new, broader, deeper realizations. The hiera are revealed by the hierophant, a male initiate who remains silent. Further revelations come in dreams during this time. Gathering with friends who share interest quickens this revelatory process.

September 21st - 'Halade Mystai!' To the Sea Initiates! was shouted at Eleusis on the 2nd Day of the Mysteries (the day of the Moon, ruler of the Sea). Candidates wore deerskin before entering the water and donned a new white cotton robe afterward. The ritual bathing was to release the past and absolve from evil. River immersion at dawn is also customary this day among the Cherokee. Jews cast bread crumbs into the sea or a moving river or stream to release the sins of the past year.

September 22nd - Day 3 is the day of Mercury. A wake honors Aesclepius, the god of healing. Mercury with the caduceus is the Roman god of healing. Teaching is given about raising primal energies to bring healing. Health giving fruits of the harvest are shared on this day.
Seven sacred herbs were gathered this day by the Cherokee to make their purging / healing black drink. Seven Cherokee women began
a 7 day fast to bring revelations to the tribe.

September 23rd - Hymns to the Goddesses were sung on Day 4 (Venus), 'Kathathion' in the Greek Mysteries. A solemn procession occurred during which sacred objects of Demeter were revealed one by one from a holy basket to stimulate the consciousness of the initiate. These objects are both symbolic and energetically instrumental. They included sesamum, carded wool, rock salt, a serpent, pomegranates, reeds and ivy boughs. Mysterious pyramid shaped cakes called kykeon were also prepared this day.

September 24th - The 5th Day of the Mysteries was called Torch Day. This is the day of the Sun and Tifareth. People would run about in the evening with torches in hand to light the way for Persephone. Demeter carries a torch into the netherworld to search for her
daughter Persephone. This goddess of the inner world and heart (Kore is her other name) enters the Greek ritual drama now.

Demeter, the Great Goddess of the Eleusinian Mystery School (she who reveals the Sacred Mysteries) was the favorite of the Age of
Enlightenment Freemasons and so became the prototype for America's Statue of Liberty. Ceres / Demeter is the Great Goddess, Gaia
or Anima Mundi. She holds the torch that reveals the Mysteries and leads to freedom. Demeter's torch symbolizes the raising of the
Fire of primal nature to become the Light of of understanding and divine purpose. Demeter, Liberty, leads to soul freedom rather than license to satisfy desire. All true desire, all true love, is realized as the soul is liberated. The Greater Mysteries are entered this day at Eleusis. Pools of purification are visited at Sunset following which occurs the Mystical Entrance.

September 25th - The Day of Iacchos. This is called Holy Night in the Greek Mysteries. Iacchos is the child son of the Holy Mother Demeter (this is a blind, Iacchos is actually a child of Persephone). Iacchos accompanies Demeter in her underworld quest for Persephone. Iacchos, whose name means "fish," is one of a number of ancient precursors to the coming of Jesus/Iesus as a world savior. (Jesus comes to fulfill the prophecies and the Mysteries.) Iacchos leads a procession with singing and dancing and clashing of brass cymbals. Priests in this parade displayed the 'toys of Iacchos.'His toys included: 'knucklebones' in the shape of the five platonic solids, a ball, an apple, a mirror, a top, and a doll. The Day of Iacchos is also called the Day of Sacrifice.

September 26th - Day 7, Day of Jupiter, is the Day of Games. Jupiter is jovial and favors frivolity and enjoyment. Music and dancing highlight this day of merriment before the serious (Saturn) day that follows.

September 27th - Day 8, the Day of Saturn, is a solemn occasion. The mystical drama of Demeter and Persephone was enacted. Sacred places, the 'Stations of Kore', were visited. Kore is another name for Persephone. These include a Holy Well called Callichorus which translates as 'Stone of Sorrow.' A circular path around this well has been worn deeply in stone by millennia of spiritual seekers. This is the day to feel and release sorrow that may otherwise block the way to greater understanding and self-realization.

Along with Demeter (America's Goddess Liberty) we now feel the sufferings of the world. Like Native America's Ghost Dancers we let ourselves feel this pain within and release it through deep breathing, chanting, and maybe even some emotive groaning as we move clockwise / Sunwise around the releasing circle. (A bowl of salt water may be substituted for the Well of Demeter.) Prolonged deep breathing while feeling deeply each emotion that arises will eventually bring full emotional clearing. It helps to drink lots of pure water today while emotional toxins are being released.

September 28th - Day 9 of the Mysteries is called Plemo Chori or "Pourings of Plenty." A ritual drama called the Vision of the Shining One is enacted in a subterranean grotto. Day 9 is the Chinese Chung Yang, Climbing the Heights Festival. Celebrants go to the top of a mountain or high hill where they share a picnic that includes 'top cakes' and chrysanthemum wine. This ritual helps brings prosperity in the coming year. During the 'yin hour' between 3-5 PM local (starting halfway between true noon and Sunset) the 'Spirit Star' will come down from heaven with blessing and good fortune for the year. Those who receive a vision of the Queen of Heaven (Dou Mu) are especially blessed.

Today the Cherokee Chief climbs to the top of the 7- sided Council Lodge and sings praises to Yowa the Creator who descends from above. Cherokee men chant and beat around each home and building clockwise with white sycamore rods to clear away evil spirits so the new spirit can freely enter. The way is now clear for the kindling of the sacred New Fire.

September 29th - Day 10 in the Mysteries of Eleusis is shrouded in the mystery of union with divinity. Day 10 is when Kali slays the Demon Bull and evil is vanquished from the world. Statues of Kali are then bathed in the sea to wash away the evil of the past year.

The Jewish Yom Kippur is a day of solemn observance and penitence. Fasting from Sunset to Sunset is an important part of this celebration. Forgiveness is sought for past sins. This is the Day of Atonement. Through repentance, reconciliation and surrender atonement becomes at-one-ment with God. Yom Kippur is the time for turning back to God. "Turn toward me and I will turn toward you." Women wear white today and men wear kittels, white robes, as symbols of purity. This holy day brings renewal to those who seek it in their hearts. The invocation that is spoken "Hadesh yameinu ke-kdem" literally means "Make our days new as of old."

The Cherokee call this day Atohuna, the Friends Made Ceremony. A New Fire is kindled and vows of eternal friendship are made in the presence of Yowa the Creator. As with the Jews, this is the day held most sacred in the Cherokee calendar year. The New Fire started this day was kept lit in the council lodge through the year until the following Atohuna New Fire Ceremony. The spirit of this holy time
was perpetuated by that living flame throughout the year in temple and home. The celebration of Atohuna continues until the Full Moon
on October 4th.

"Through celebrations in their seasons are the deeper powers of human nature realized" - Rudolph Steiner



Key observances of the 7th Moon

1) Dancing while the crescent is visible the first few evenings
2) Water immersion on Day 2 to purify & let go attachments
3) Evening meditation facing north toward the North Star
4) Fasting, evening meals only (Hindu tradition), vegetarian diet
5) A mountaintop picnic on the 9th Day, 'climbing the heights'
6) Fasting on Day 10 with reverence for the Creator 'Yowa'
7) Deep breathing to energize and integrate new realizations
8) Celebrations to release tensions and open to Spirit

NOTES

The Mysteries of Eleusis http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/e/eleusinian_mysteries.html
'Iacchus' was the shout uttered by the faithful .. Iacchus was considered the reincarnation of Zagreus, son of Persephone and Zeus. http://www.themystica.com/mythical-folk/articles/persephone.html For nine days and nights Demeter wandered the earth in search of her daughter ... The torches she carried in each hand guided her way. On the 10th day she met Hecate and after sought help from Apollo. Only the Sun, being "the eye of the world," could tell the grieving mother what she wished to know. http://san.beck.org/Eleusis-5.html
'I saw a white bird with outstretched wings. It alighted on the figure of a woman, clad in blue, who sat there like an antique statue. The bird perched on her hand, and in it she held a grain of wheat. The bird took it in its beak and flew into the sky again.'
The Essene Gospel of Peace, Angelic Purification http://www.essene.com/GospelOfPeace/peace1.html
Durga Puja or Navaratri http://www.durga-puja.org/ , http://www.durga-puja.org/about-goddess-durga.html "Durga, in Sanskrit means 'She who is incomprehensible or difficult to reach.' Goddess Durga is a form of Shakti worshiped for her gracious as well as terrifying aspect... She is often shown riding a lion from which comes Her august name, Simhavahini, 'She who stands astride the king of beasts'. As Shakti power, she shapes, nurtures, and dissolves names and forms, while as subtle spiritual energy called Kundalini, She lights the lotuses of the seven centres of awareness in the sacred human body. Goddess Durga killed the powerful demon Mahish and all his great commanders. When demonic forces create imbalance all gods unite becoming one divine force called Shakti or Durga."


FROM SHADOW TO LIGHT

All that is shadow, doubtful, fearful and discordant crowds the Dawn of each new cycle. At the close of every cycle, Pandora opens her box and out fly all the monsters, phantasms of the astral world. Hope seems lost and yet in the end this is just what comes forth as the winged angel Hope rises from the bottom of Pandora's box. The monsters flying from Pandora's box are the children of Eris, goddess of discord. Astronomer Mike Brown slyly named his new planet 'Eris' after the IAU denied the request he made to name her Persephone. To justify their decision, the IAU demoted Pluto to 'dwarf planet' status along with his larger partner. Eris is the dark goddess who brings the apples of discord when she's not invited to the (planet) party the other gods and goddesses are attending. Ultimately - as Hope is reborn - Eris will be given planetary status and then be renamed Persephone. Pluto and Persephone will be seen as planetary partners (with a huge coterie of smaller companions). Persephone, the goddess of the under(inner)world, has a magical child named Zagreus and his story is quite remarkable. Zagreus is Persephone's child fathered by Zeus. Reborn Zagreus becomes Dionysus who appears as the youth Iaachus in the Greek Mysteries. I believe Zagreus symbolizes Hope arising from Pandora's box. Of course Pandora, Eris and the mystery goddess Persephone are one. Zagreus, 'Persephone's wild child', appears astronomically as Mike Brown's dwarf planet Haumea, originally nicknamed 'Santa' because this new Kuiper belt object was discovered near Christmas. EL61 is the 3rd largest dwarf planet found in the Kuiper belt beyond Neptune. Zagreus is consonant with Mithras and Dionysus, ancient gods all born at Winter Solstice. Eris brings discord but reveals Hope, the winged angel for our time. All shadows fly before the dawn.

One of the most remarkable synchronicities between astronomy and mythic astrology is found in the relationship between the Greek Mysteries and the 'dwarf planet' Ceres. We might remember that while the 10 day/9 night '7th Moon' celebration occurs each year, the Greeks Mysteries were revealed at Eleusis only once every 4 years. Leading the revelation of the Greek Mysteries was a woman initiate representing the goddess Demeter, the Greek name for the Roman goddess Ceres. Coincidentally the minor planet Ceres has a 4-year cycle and just once every 4 years Ceres descends 'into the underworld' below declination 28 South and enters the 29th parallel South as projected on Earth. At this parallel we find the one bright star Adhara, 'the maiden.' Adhara, the 22nd brightest star in the sky, is identified with the High Priestess in Tarot. The Priestess sits before the twin pillars at the portal of initiation. The entrance way is veiled by a curtain decorated with pomegranates arranged in the pattern of the Tree of Life, a mystical key to the Mysteries. The next time Ceres will descend to join with Adhara will be in October 2010. This great event is what we're warming up for now.


COSMIC CONNECTIONS

Cosmic Timing with Planetary Hours http://alabe.com/cgi-bin/chart/Input.exe?PARAM=RP&FINALFORM=ncgr.htm
Moon Magic, my monthly forecast http://awakeningcharlotte.com/content/?s=moon+magic
NCGR - The National Council for Geocosmic Research http://www.geocosmic.org/
'Eyewithin' visionary art by Jean Luc Bozzoli http://www.jeanlucbozzoli.com/index.html
Kabbalistic Astrology http://www.exploreastrology.co.uk/KabbalisticAstrology.html
Constellation Chamber http://www.novareinna.com/constellation/index.html
Ursi's Garden Universe http://www.eso-garden.com/index.php?/weblog/C9/
Planets in Astrology http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planets_in_astrology
M. Kelley Hunter's Moon letters http://www.heliastar.com/sun3.html
This Week's Sky http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance
Astro*Pic of the Day http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Anne Wright's Fixed Stars http://www.constellationsofwords.com/
Esoteric Astrology by Liz Magnus http://www.mermaid-uk.com/
Roxana Muise *The Muse* http://www.roxanamuise.com/
Eileen Eilight's Galaxy http://eilight.com/pages/toclotus.htm
Astrolabe, astro*weather http://www.alabe.com/
Space Weather http://www.spaceweather.com/


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Happy New Moon, Happy New Year!



Steve Nelson

Mythic Astrologer

Astrology in Jungian tradition
for understanding personal myths
and realizing natural abilities.

2625 Bucknell Ave
Charlotte, North Carolina
[email protected]

[Delphinus]

1. Very, very interesting.

Thank you for sharing!