Welcome to the Easter 2023 Cosmic Weather Forecast by Curtis Lang with Jane Sherry. Just after midnight Eastern time on Thursday April 6, we celebrate the Libra Full Moon and the Aries Solar Festival.
Spring View of Winston Salem Strollway and Downtown from Our Balcony
photo by Jane Sherry
The Libra Full Moon is also known as the Pink Moon, because in the Northeast US it is the time when pink phlox and other spring flowers begin to carpet the landscape.
Libra Full Moon, Aries Solar Festival Cosmic Weather Forecast
At 12:34 pm Eastern time on Thursday April 6, we celebrate the Pink Libra Full Moon and Aries Solar Festival. Aries is the sign of self-empowerment, resolute determination and individuation, while Libra is a sign of relationship, diplomacy, and dynamic equilibrium, especially social equilibrium, or more broadly, social justice.
Our task this week is to harmonize these opposing forces, honoring individual self-worth in the context of the greater good.
Photo by Jake Weirick on Unsplash
The Sun, Jupiter and Chiron in Aries oppose the Full Libra moon, indicating creative tension and outright clashes in our social relations that can resurface old wounds and ultimately lead to deep healing if we recognize the roots of our pain and actively pursue the release of stuck energies, emotional baggage and mistaken mental maps of the world.
These aspects ask us to review similar past situations of conflict and subsequent wounding objectively, and to resolve to avoid making the same mistakes all over again.
By seeking to harmonize conflicting viewpoints, and by resolutely avoiding the temptation to lash out at perceived slights or enemies, we can short-circuit the recycling negative patterns of behavior that constitute our karmic wounds.
This is the basis of Chironic healing.
New York Yacht Club racing boats in New York Harbor
James Gale Tyler , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Sabian Symbol for this month's Pink Full Moon at 16°07′ Libra is as follows: A Retired Sea Captain Watches Ships Entering and Leaving the Harbor.
At any age the spiritual aspirant can "retire" from the unceasing voyage through the alternating pattern of stormy seas and calm waters that constitutes life as experienced by the egoistic personality and symbolized by the Wheel of Fortune in the Tarot.
All of us can benefit from periodically "retiring" from the stresses and strains of daily life to seek the peace and calm wisdom that can be obtained through our spiritual practices and deep inner work.
This image also symbolizes the Old Soul's ability to take a broader perspective on transitory conflicts and wounds old and new, and to overcome the ingrained repetitive behavior patterns that constitute negative karmic consequences of past emotional, mental and physical imbalances, especially in our relationships.
So this Pink Libra Full Moon is an ideal time to withdraw, center ourselves, and pursue a higher consciousness that can put our lives into a big picture perspective that will confer deep meaning to our lives' mysteries and soul healing to our wounded psyches.
Obviously, this week is an ideal time for all energy healing work such as crystal healing, Reiki, Past Life Regression work, Soul Retrieval, Violet Flame Visualizations and Shamanic Healings.
The Jewish Feast of Passover, celebrating the Liberation of the Hebrew nation from bondage to the Egyptian Pharaoh, begins during the Full Moon occurring this Wednesday and Thursday, April 5-6 and ends Thursday April 13, 2023.
The Feast of Passover partakes of the unique energy signature of this month’s Libra Full Moon and Aries Solar Festival, which represents a blending of the energies of these two powerful Zodiacal signs.
Preparations for the Passover Sacrifice
Aries is the “Lamb of God”, as well as the Ram, the “Lamb of God” that is sacrificed for the Passover Feast, at the time of liberation.
The Feast of Passover is a beautiful example of the path of Group Empowerment through Self-Sacrifice.
The people of Israel were slaves in Egypt, and they had to risk their lives, their homes, and their future, individually and collectively, in the pursuit of freedom and self-empowerment.
The path they took was insanely rugged, and none of them could have imagined how it would unfold. As individuals, and as a collective, the Israelites had to exhibit a blend of the energies of fiery, determined Aries and cool, diplomatic group-centric Libra.
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Moses Parting the Red Sea
Hans Jordaens III, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Our global civilization is currently in the same position as the Jewish people in bondage in Egypt. The Israelites were slaves to the most powerful Imperial nation of their time, with the largest military-industrial complex, and the most advanced technology available.
Today we are all in bondage to a rational materialist global culture of cruel hierarchy, greed and Imperial militarism that is threatening to destroy the livelihoods of billions of people enslaved to the financial and political manipulations of global elites even as it destroys the environment that sustains human life on Earth.
We are all poised to pass over into a new global civilization, so this month we can all benefit from learning more about the Passover Festival, and from entering more deeply into the consciousness of the Jewish people at their time of Exodus.
We are currently confronted with prophecies of doom, such as those that were delivered to the Pharaoh of Egypt.
Now is the time for action! We must all become conscious of the need to blend the energies of the Ram and the Scales, Aries and Libra.
Now is the time for each of us to willingly sacrifice some of our material goals and comforts so that humanity may free itself from the yoke of endless consumption, unbridled competition and individual self-gratification which is currently despoiling the Earth.
Together we can be free! The only alternative to this willing group sacrifice is a war of all against all that would destroy global civilization.
But we must also know that the path to a new post-hydrocarbon civilization of balance and social justice is long and arduous, and we must recall that even Moses never set foot in the Promised Land nor did any of his generation, because they lost faith and were condemned to forty years of wandering in the wilderness.
Abu Dhabi Desert, Photo by Kamile Leonaviciute on Unsplash
We must be prepared to leave the predictable comforts and predictable limitations of our current lifestyles behind us forever, for the time of Exodus from our status quo culture is fast approaching. One way or another.
Above all we must keep the faith. We must remain centered in our spiritual guidance and choose the Middle Way between the twin mistakes of complacency and doomerism.
Read all about the Esoteric meaning of the Feast of Passover in our article comparing the great Exodus of the Jewish people with our current predicament.
For the Jewish people, and for global citizens today, balancing the opposed energies of individualism and social justice can create a path forward when historical forces demand heroic, immediate social transformation.
Three days after Passover and the Pink Libra Full Moon, on Sunday, April 9, we rejoice during the inspirational Spring Feast Day known as Easter. We celebrate the triumph of the Lamb of God over death, sin and the limitations of time and space.
Agnus Dei, Trinity Episcopal Church, Henrietta Texas
Photo by David Bumgardner on Unsplash
My Celtic heritage blossoms at Easter time. Jane and I travel to a beauty spot where we can quietly commune with nature and the Great Mother to connect with the Cosmic Christ, whose energies permeate the etheric body of the planet, and whose voice can be heard in the birdsong, the whispering wind and the murmuring stream, and felt in the Earth beneath our feet.
We play our favorite song from the classic fusion band Afro-Celt Sound System entitled Release. The soulful lyrics, sung by Sinead O'Connor, recount imagined words spoken by Jesus Christ, addressing his bereaved disciples after his death and resurrection.
Don't argue amongst yourselvesBecause of the loss of meI'm sitting amongst yourselvesDon't think you can't see me
Don't argue amongst yourselvesBecause of the loss of meI haven't gone anywhereBut out of my body
Reach out and you'll touch meMake effort to speak to meCall out and you'll hear meBe happy for me
Truth be told, this song always brings a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. They were a great dance band.
When we saw them live, in Central Park, many years ago, we couldn't stop dancing!
Here's the YouTube video. Enjoy!
The Easter festival of Love and Light marks the first of three Global Spring Spiritual Festivals occurring at the time of the Aries, Taurus, and Gemini Solar Festivals.
These festivals were instituted by the Tibetan Ascended Master Dwaj Khul and given to humanity in the middle of the 20th century through the telepathic stenography of Alice Bailey and others in the Theosophical Spiritual Tradition.
These three Full Moon Solar festivals incorporate elements from Mystery School teachings of both East and West, drawing from Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, and Christian Esoteric traditions.
Terra (Tellus Mater) reclining with the Seasons, accompanied by Aion-Uranus within a zodiac wheel.
Mosaic from a Roman villa in Sentinum, 200-250 CE. Glyptothek, Munich
Glyptothek , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
These celebrations are intended to provide a foundation for the planetary spiritual practices of the New Aeon, invoking an Aquarian Age spirituality that transcends the divisions between traditional religions and re-imagines an eco-centric consciousness at one with the web of life, in balance with all sentient beings on planet Earth.
These three Solar Festivals serve as a focus for spiritual development for humanity around the world, based upon the yearly seasonal cycles in coordination with the rhythms of the Sun and Moon, and the stellar entities that inhabit the Plane of the Ecliptic, the Zodiac, far beyond our Solar System.
During these three Spiritual Festivals, humanity unites with the Earthly Elementals and with Angelic presences, all presiding over the structure and growth of mineral, vegetal and animal kingdoms, uniting human beings with the Web of Life on our blue-green planetary home.
Awakened humanity, united with the Elementals and Angels associated with planet Earth, joins in collective meditations and spiritual practices, illuminating the physical and subtle realms with energies of love and light during these three Global Festivals.
Rainbow, Photo by Austin Schmid on Unsplash
In turn, the Spiritual Hierarchy pours forth vast waves of healing energy along all the colors of the Seven Rays, directed toward the Earth, with the general goal of accelerating the spiritual progress of all sentient (and non-sentient) beings in our realm, and with the specific goal of supporting humanity on our path of spiritual development toward Unity Consciousness here in our physical bodies.
Easter celebrates an intensely personal moment, the resurrection of the Spiritual Master Jesus Christ, following his self-sacrifice and crucifixion, engineered by the Jewish and Roman rulers of Palestine.
Christ blazed a trail to spiritual heights for those who choose to follow his example. Aries personalities, of course, are the trail-blazers par excellence of the Zodiac so it is energetically appropriate that Easter occurs in the Aries month of the yearly seasonal round.
This supreme act of spiritual generosity and compassion had immense spiritual implications.
The Resurrection of Christ
Pietro Perugino , CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
To read all about the Esoteric significance of Christ's Resurrection, see our article entitled Eastertide: Uniting with the Cosmic Christ, Honoring the Divine Mother. In that same article, you'll also find a Meditation Practice for the Festival of Easter and a Kabbalistic mantra of power designed to connect you with the energy of the Cosmic Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Immediately following our Easter celebration, a couple of intense planetary aspects will energize humanity's collective consciousness, providing both potent opportunities for us as individuals and potential global challenges that could rock our world.
Hi resolution photo of Jupiter, courtesy NASA, public domain
On April 11th the Sun conjoins Jupiter in Aries, just as Venus enters Gemini, conjunct Pluto in Aquarius.
With Jupiter amplifying the energies of the Sun in Aries, our self-confidence will soar. Expect a heightened sense of well being and increased vitality.
We know what we want and we are determined to pursue our desires without hesitation or reservation.
For spiritual aspirants, this aspect represents a golden opportunity to step aside from the desires of the egoistic personality and pursue a path of Self-Love.
The egoistic, separate self is a persistent, pernicious obstacle on the path to true Self-awareness and Self-love.
In reality, our true Self is a mirror of the Universe, a tiny spark of that Universal Cosmic Flame that creates and sustains Macrocosm and Microcosm.
Alchemist Robert Fludd's Diagram of the Microcosm/Macrocosm
We recognize that the egoistic personality is an extremely limited portion of our total consciousness, which includes both the personal subconscious realms and the trans-personal collective consciousness of humanity.
When we choose to practice Self-Love, we engage in practices designed to connect us consciously to the transpersonal realms of consciousness, to become fully aware of the inner whispered promptings of the Higher Self, to step back from the incessant chatter of the monkey mind and allow Higher Mind to guide us on the path of Spirit.
This month's Jupiter-Sun conjunction is a great time to try out our Five Minute Self-Love Meditation Practices.
Give yourself permission to love your Higher Self first by following the path of the yogis and the alchemists. This is not selfish, egotistical or easy. Self-love is not a part of mainstream culture. Don't condemn yourself for pursuing Self-love. This is a form of self care that can promote healing of mind, heart and body. This is the New Age of Spiritual Freedom!
The Magus, Tarot Trump I, the Thoth Tarot Deck
Here the Magician rises upon a column which is clearly the spinal column, forming a caduceus,
with its emblematic twin snakes surrounding the central Sushumna channel of the spine,
representing ida and pingala,
the other two channels through which Kundalini flows.
Through the action of Kundalini, the Magician ascends to Higher Worlds.
See God in your own eyes and within yourself. Remember that you are a child of God, of the Divine Father-Mother Source. Be grateful for who you are. Cultivate attitudes of love and gratitude and choose again and again to surrender to the Divine plan for your life.
Through meditation seek unity with the Higher Self, with Christ, Krishna, or Buddha Mind. Call upon your Spiritual Guides, teachers, angels, and other allies in the higher realms to assist you in your practice.
Such Self-love practices can fortify us with loving wisdom so we are better able to cope with intense events in our lives, and with intense planetary aspects, such as those visible in the night sky later this month.
First, the April 20th Total New Moon Solar Eclipse at 29º+ Aries squares Pluto in very early Aquarius.
This powerful energy signature will persist for a year or more.
This New Moon signals a new chapter in our lives so we should be alert for new themes, new connections, and new inspirations guiding us in new directions.
This is an ideal time to perform creative visualizations that can help us manifest our spiritual and material goals.
Photo of Pluto courtesy NASA, public domain
That same day, the Sun enters Taurus and a hard square forms with Pluto in Aquarius.
Next, Jupiter enters Taurus and squares Pluto in Aquarius, from April 25 through June 12, with its exact square on May 17th.
This all leads up to a formidable Mars-Jupiter-Pluto T-square occurring May 16-23.
Pluto represents the shadow side of collective consciousness, contains the potential for revolutionary transformation, and can coincide with bloody widespread conflicts of epic proportions. In addition Pluto rules mass concentrations of wealth, and thus the financial system as a whole.
The disturbing May T-Square is one of the most volatile aspects of 2023, and could coincide with profound shocks to the world's banking system and global financial markets that will make the last few months' series of cryptocurrency scandals, bank failures and stock market volatility look tame.
Trader Views Market Crashing, Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash
This week OPEC announced massive cuts in their oil production quotas, forcing the price of oil much higher. This is obviously going to boost inflation around the world.
The Federal Reserve will have to raise interest rates now, even more, and keep them higher for longer. Financial markets have priced stocks and bonds assuming that the Fed will pivot to lower rates very soon, and now prices of stocks and bonds are set to drop as repricing takes place.
Banks, especially midsized and small US banks, are already stressed by high interest rates, and now they will face even more difficulties. More bank failures in America and around the world are definitely possible.
The likelihood of recessionary stagflation, bank runs, and financial market panic has increased dramatically as a result.
Unfortunately, on the geostrategic front, there is more bad news. Russia has just deployed nuclear weapons in Belarus, right on NATO's border. NATO is sending tanks and other new armaments to Ukraine in preparation for a spring resurgence of that conflict. The potential for devastating escalation by both sides cannot be discounted.
Constellation of Aquarius, Johannes Hevelius
Prodromus Astronomia - Volume III "Firmamentum Sobiescianum, sive uranographia"
Of course, these spring 2023 conflicts are only the first act in a long cosmic drama starring Pluto in Aquarius, which will play out over the next 20 years, through 2043.
Historically, Pluto in Aquarius coincided with the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon, embroiling Europe in a continental scale war.
On the other hand, Pluto resided in Aquarius from 1532-1553, which corresponded with the flowering of the Late Renaissance, the culmination of the first phase of the Industrial Revolution, and a revolution in humanity's cosmic worldview, heralded by the publication of Copernicus book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, which placed the Sun at the center of the Solar System.
Astronomer Copernicus, or Conversations with God, 1873, by Jan Matejko.
"History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme," as Mark Twain observed. During the current transit of Pluto in Aquarius, we can easily see the potential for widespread warfare, startling technological and scientific advances, and a flowering of unprecedented creativity in the arts and letters.
In the short term, troubling squares between transformative Pluto and expansive Jupiter over the next few months indicate a clear potential for sharp, critical crises in global financial markets, disruptions in the banking system, escalation of the War in Ukraine, and a variety of power plays by Plutocrats around the world.
So stay alert and be prepared for short, sharp shocks to the social systems we inhabit, which could prefigure world historical transformations over the long term.
Jane and I wish you all a Happy Easter and a joyous Passover, and we affirm that you all receive the grace and guidance you require to manifest your most lofty spiritual and material goals.
Curtis and Jane at the Art Wall in Downtown Winston Salem
Meditation Moment: Paramahansa Yogananda on World Peace and Unity
Though we may seem divided by race, creed, color, class, and political prejudices, still, as children of the one God we are able in our souls to feel brotherhood and world unity....In our hearts we can all learn to be free from hate and selfishness. Let us pray for harmony among the nations, that they march hand in hand through the gate of a fair new civilization.
‘World fellowship’ seems a very simple phrase, but in these two words is the panacea for all the individual, social, and political ills that are threatening the world’s material, mental, moral, and spiritual happiness....World fellowship alone can banish hatred and prevent wars. World fellowship alone can stabilize prosperity for all mankind. Therefore I say to you, bring that fellowship into your hearts by communing with God....As soon as you feel God in your heart, you will contribute to world civilization as no king or politician has ever done before.
I believe a time will come when in greater understanding we shall have no boundaries anymore. We shall call the earth our country; and we shall, by a process of justice and international assembly, distribute unselfishly the goods of the world according to the needs of the people. But equality cannot be established by force; it must come from the heart. The greatest blessing would be to develop international understanding by which we may realize this truth.
I believe that if every citizen in the world is taught to commune with God (not merely to know Him intellectually), then peace can reign; not before. When by persistence in meditation you realize God through communion with Him, your heart is prepared to embrace all humanity.
Therefore, my friends, resolve that you will love the world as your own nation, and that you will love your nation as you love your family. Through this understanding you will help to establish a world family on the indestructible foundation of wisdom.
