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SEPTEMBER THEME: WAR AND PEACE
by Simone Butler
With rumors
of impending terrorist attacks and increasing public pressure to
end the war in Iraq, peace is in the news. Cindy Sheehan's vigil
outside President Bush's home in Texas has reignited the peace movement
in this country. Recently, over 100,000 people took part in Internet-organized
vigils in every state, and hundreds of other events will take place
around the world in September.*
Often people
think of peace as the absence of war, yet it is really so much more
than that. When I lived in Los Angeles, I belonged to the Peace
Ministry at Agape Church. At the beginning of the war in Iraq, we
staged an event on the Santa Monica beach. Six hundred colorfully-dressed
peace-lovers assembled into a dove shape, and were photographed
from a helicopter. The image got world-wide press. Yet in the discussions
surrounding the event, we still found it challenging to come up
with a succinct expression of peace.
Recently, I
came across a profound definition in this month's issue of The Mountain
Astrologer: "Peace is emptiness, an emptiness that is so filled
with holy energy that it does not need to be expressed. It is the
emptiness that says I have no need, that allows for the experience
of Oneness."*
A magical planetary
doorway to peace is on the horizon. On Sept. 1, Venus and Jupiter
join together in Libra, sign of peace, balance and right relationship.
These two planets are "beneficents," bringing blessings to whatever
house of your chart is affected (18 degrees of Libra). Also, powerful
Pluto, after five months of backward motion, turns forward the next
day, giving a jumpstart to both Venus and Jupiter. This is good
news for those born under Taurus, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius and
Pisces. However, we can all benefit from the infusion of beauty
and blessings offered by this window of opportunity.
Do something
special for yourself, those you love or the planet itself. New
partnerships or creative ventures forged at this time stand a good
chance of success, especially as the next day, Sept. 3, is a New
Moon in Virgo, sign of work and healing. Plus, Mercury enters
Virgo on Sept. 4. The recent Mercury retrograde in Leo was wonderful
for revisiting the past and coasting a bit. Now it's time to get
serious about where we are headed, especially with our work and
service to others, and our physical and emotional health. New Moons
are always new beginnings, and this one promises to be particularly
auspicious because of the exalted energies that surround it.
Mars, planet
of war, is slowing down in preparation to go backward Oct. 1 through
Dec. 9. Pressure is building. The retrograde period of Mars can
bring frustrations, as our desires feel like they are being thwarted.
Really, it's all about patience - and finding the spiritual warrior
within as opposed to acting out warlike tendencies. The retrograde
will happen in the obstinate sign of Taurus, so those with fixed
planets and points in their charts (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius)
will be most affected. We'll explore the Mars retrograde more next
month.
Meanwhile, the
discovery of a new planet was announced on July 29. A friend forwarded
me a fascinating essay from www.siriuseleven.com in which the author,
Mahala, says that this planet, known as Lila, announces the return
of the creator Goddess. This energy was originally activated at
the Harmonic Concordance of Nov. 8, 2003. The five-pointed star
in the heavens brought forth the energies of sacred marriage, and
many of us were called to manifest that in some way. Lila's announcement
so close to the time of the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in
Libra takes this call to a higher decibel. Your deepest desires
are divinely inspired. Use the energies of Sept. 1-3
to reach down and grab hold of them. Also exceptionally fruitful
is the period between the Full Moon of Sept. 17 and the Fall Equinox
of the 22nd.
Find that peaceful
place of emptiness infused with holiness that resides in your heart,
and birth your desires into the world. As for me, I'll
be on a goddess-worshipper's dream vacation in Greece from Sept.
10 - 28, so contact me for consultations before or after that time.
Photo by Paul
Kibbey *
On September
11, the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the US, James
Twyman (www.emissaryoflight.com) will lead more than half a million
people on a walk from Perugia to Assisi, Italy, then he will make
a pilgrimage to Rome to deliver a peace petition to the Pope. Also
check out Marianne Williamson's Department of Peace conference (www.thepeacealliance.org),
and Code Pink's Washington D.C. Anti-War March (www.codepink@democracyinaction.org).
*Connie Kaplan, The Invisible Garment, quoted by Stephanie Austin
in TMA
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