Virgo Full Moon, Pisces Solar Festival, February 2024 Cosmic Weather Forecast

Welcome to the February 2024 Cosmic Weather Forecast by Curtis Lang with Jane Sherry.

Here in Winston, it's sunny and cool and temperatures will reach around 70 degrees by early next week. It feels like early spring already. Each day the sun rises higher in the sky as it moves further north. The days grow longer as we look forward to taking some hikes with the warmth of early morning spring sunlight on our faces.
As the Sun enters Pisces, esoteric astrologers celebrate a quickening of the energies of the Second Ray of Love-Wisdom, and of the Sixth Ray of Idealism and Devotion, which both govern the dualistic sign of Pisces, symbolized by the two fishes. 

Piscean personalities embody the struggles that arise from the dualistic nature of the human psyche.

The two fishes that oppose one another are the ego and the Higher Self. Both are integral components of the human psyche. The question for each conflicted individual on Earth is who will be in charge - the ego or the Higher Self?

Pisceans must reconcile the demands of the me-first, individuated ego-centric personality, on the one hand and the transpersonal realm of the intuitive Higher Mind, which is embedded in the collective unconscious.

The energy of the Second Ray of Love-Wisdom impels the individual to a sense of world-weary dissatisfaction with the egocentric view of reality, which is humanity's psychological default setting.

Eventually, that dissatisfaction can inspire the individual to sacrifice the drives and desires of the egoistic personality and to embrace a Union with a larger collective consciousness that transcends the individual self.
This can manifest in a variety of ways. One possibility is dogmatic adherence to the precepts of a highly structured, religious group mind.

Another possibility is the birth of an inclusive, compassionate transpersonal love that unites the individual with the entire web of life on Earth and with great beings of light residing in subtle energy realms.

This Second Birth represents the initiation that leads onto the long and winding ascension path we must tread if we are to experience Christ Consciousness.

Christ is the Ideal representation of the Second Ray energies of Love and Wisdom in action on Earth, and the Ascended Master governing the Second Ray.

The Sixth Ray of Idealism and Devotion energizes the Piscean individual with a fervor that is manifest in the life of the Devotee.
The Devotee submerges the egoistic personality in the group mind of a collective that focuses on a shared, idealized representation of the Divine, such as Jesus Christ, Krishna, or the Great Goddess.

In this way, the Devotee practices extreme self-sacrifice and opens up the psyche to a veritable energetic tsunami that can overwhelm and also uplift the individual, resulting in a truly transformative and transcendental experience.

Such individuals can be rigid and authoritarian in their approach to spirituality, but they can also be exemplars of love and mercy, driven by a nearly unquenchable desire to alleviate the suffering they see all around them.

Those Pisceans who choose to release the attachments to success, popularity, and self-righteousness formed by the egoistic personality can become very successful on the spiritual path and touch the lives of many with a loving energy and innate wisdom that can heal the wounds of suffering humanity and open the eyes of their students to the reality of enduring Truths.

Taking our cue from the great Seasonal Round, as the Sun prepares to enter Pisces at the time of the Full Moon this Saturday morning, Jane and I have been working to release our attachments to business as usual, embrace the new, and accept adventures visible on the horizon.

We are poised between the old orderly round of our lives and a new world that beckons us as we greet the dawn of a new astrological year.

We honor the time of the turning of the seasonal gyre, the spring awakening that warms the Earth, vivifies plant life and imbues humans and other animals with an increased flow of Universal Life Force Energy.

 As we celebrate the Virgo Full Moon prior to the Spring Equinox, we are trying to prepare ourselves to receive our share of the flood of life force energy spring and summer will distribute across the face of the Earth.

Purification is a theme in this Piscean interval of the seasonal cycle. The twelfth and last sign of the Zodiac, governed by the element of purifying water, Pisces is most supportive of spiritual practices involving devotion, prayer, purification and sacrifice.

All these elements are involved in the traditional Christian season of Lent, which occurs mainly during the Piscean month of the year, just prior to Easter, when devout Catholics engage in daily prayer, fasting, intervals of abstinence from meat, and sacrifice their favorite foods and drink, to purify themselves before the grand celebration of the Resurrection of Christ.

The Mystery School traditions teach that this is the time in the yearly wheel of life when we can all most benefit from these practices, just prior to the flowering of a new spring.

Now, and throughout the spring season, is the perfect time to perform my favorite Sunrise Meditation, a variation on practices taught by Paramahansa Yogananda's teacher, Shri Yukteswar and by the American master of sacred geometry, Drunvalo Melchizedek.

Click on the link above for simple step by step instructions to perform this powerful meditation, which incorporates visualization, invocations and breathwork to increase the flow of prana in body, mind and bio-field and connect us to our Guides and Teachers, to the Solar Deity and to the Christ Consciousness presiding over the Spiritual Sun found in the sacred Sephira known as Tiphareth on the Qabalistic Tree of Life.
In addition to the spiritual, subtle benefits of the Sunrise Meditation, viewing the sun in the early morning, soon after waking, increases the release of cortisol in the body, according to Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist at Stanford Medical School.

"A morning spike in cortisol will also positively influence your immune system, metabolism and ability to focus during the day," Huberman explains. "On a sunny morning, get outside for 5-10 minutes." 

"You can do more if you have time, and feel free to use the time outside to exercise, walk, eat a light breakfast or journal in the sunlight," Huberman says. "Even on overcast days, there is still enough sunlight to trigger positive effects, but you’ll need to increase the time outside to at least 15-20 minutes."

For best results during the Sunrise Meditation, never look directly at the sun for prolonged periods. Remove sunglasses and perform the Sunrise Meditation with eyes closed, facing the sun. 

Virgo Full Moon, Pisces Solar Festival Cosmic Weather Forecast

Saturday, February 24th, 2024, at 7:30 AM Eastern time, we celebrate the Virgo Full Moon and the Pisces Solar Festival. 

With both planets in an Air sign, we can expect a steamy, sexy, dynamic Full Moon that could signal the onset of new, surprise sexual relationships or just as easily signal an outpouring of creative activity, especially for those engaged in the performing arts.

This is a very physical and emotionally potent aspect, so it's not about abstraction, intellectual pursuits or ascetic practices.

Mars and Venus are in a strong square with Jupiter in Taurus and Mars is in a weak conjunction with Pluto in Aquarius.

Long story short, this is a very powerful Mars/Venus conjunction in Aquarius.

Decisive action may be required to deal with long simmering issues at work, at home, and among our friends. If you've been waffling and procrastinating in the face of necessity, this is the time to make a move.

Do a quick check to see that heart (Venus) and gut (Mars) are in agreement, and if they are, take decisive action.

The prominent, combustible Mars aspects currently in play unfortunately also indicate increased risk of escalation in the wars underway in both Europe and the Middle East.

Diplomats must traverse a veritable minefield of risks as they attempt to maintain the status quo and prevent World War III.

These dual conflicts have evolved into 21st Century high tech meatgrinders churning out mass casualty counts, and every day the risks of escalation increase.

One indication of the volatile, hot-headed, reckless Mars/Pluto energy being unleashed at this time made the news on February 22nd, just as the Mars/Venus conjunction in Aquarius appeared.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Ukraine has the right to strike targets deep within Russia, as reported in a Newsweek article entitled "NATO Gives Ukraine the Go-Ahead to Cross Putin's Red Line".

We should all hope this provocative pronouncement by the head of NATO does not indicate imminent escalation of the Ukraine War.

Russia has consistently warned Western powers that attacks on targets within Russia, especially those using advanced weaponry, would result in major escalation of the conflict, and that Russia would then use more powerful weapons to strike back against its attackers, on their home soil, whether in Ukraine or in NATO countries.

Fortunately, the conjunction of Mars with Venus at this time indicates the potential for increased diplomatic efforts to draw all parties into a peaceful negotiation to avoid catastrophic mistakes in judgement leading to wider, uncontrollable wars that could engulf the world in flames.

That said, there is not much indication that any of the parties involved in the two major wars underway in Ukraine and Israel are willing to sit down at a negotiating table at this time.

At the best of times, peace negotiations require the clarity, dexterity and focus needed to traverse a minefield, and in this Full Moon's steamy energetic environment, decisive military actions may be prioritized over delicate, white glove diplomacy.

Adding fuel to the bellicose flames, wars, belligerent rhetoric and preparations for war have spread across the globe this year.

Current conflicts include wars and civil strife in Ukraine, Gaza, the Red Sea, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Sahel, Myanmar, Haiti, and Armenia-Azerbaijan. 

Tensions are increasing on the Korean border, after approximately 70 years of uneasy peace.
Nuclear armed North Korea revised its decades long policy seeking peaceful reunification with South Korea this year. At a January 15 meeting of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), North Korea decided to name South Korea as its “principal adversary.” 

Immediately thereafter monitors noticed an increase in North Korean missile tests. Diplomats see this development as a game changer in Asia's great game of geopolitical chess, and warn that with the United States and its allies preoccupied with Ukraine and Gaza, North Korea could see an opportunity for military action for the first time in nearly a century.

Paradoxically, this development could also pave the way for fruitful negotiations. There has not been a realistic pathway to the reunification of the two Koreas, and diplomacy has been in a longstanding stalemate.

Now that the North Korea has clarified its position, abandoning reunification “'theoretically opens the way to diplomatic relations, mutual recognition, and even the establishment of embassies' between the two Koreas," explains John Ruehl, a contributing editor to Asia Times. "Pyongyang, Seoul, and outside powers could transform the decision to abandon reunification from a crisis into an opportunity—provided collaboration, a commitment to diplomatic resolution, and an avoidance of escalation are recognized as a collective responsibility."
With Mars and Venus embracing in Aquarius, we can only hope that multiplying global military crises will present opportunities for de-escalation and that aggressive Mars energies can be tempered by Venusian goodwill and wise, heart-centered counsel. 

As we celebrate the onset of spring this year, we will benefit from what many astrologers believe to be the most important, beneficent outer planet aspect of 2024, heralding a time of dawning hope, electrifying positive change and great good fortune.

The Jupiter/Uranus conjunction will occur at 21º Taurus on April 21st, 2024, however this is a major outer planet aspect, and the effects will be felt starting in mid-March, around the time of the Equinox. 

This is an auspicious planetary alignment that speaks of unexpected good fortune and of self-directed magical workings designed to manifest our deepest desires in a way that is beneficial to all concerned. 

Astrologers say that this epochal conjunction symbolizes a new expression of humanity's collective consciousness, a new way of thinking and relating to one another and to the world around us, which will develop and flower over the next twenty years.

The Sabian Symbol for 21º Taurus is A Finger Pointing to a Line in an Open Book, an obvious reference to bibliomancy, the art of obtaining intuitive guidance by opening the Bible to a page at random, and randomly selecting a line of text.

Those of us who are open to guidance from the Universe should be on high alert this spring for signs and messages regarding our material and spiritual goals and our significant relationships. 

This aspect symbolizes an overwhelming desire to break free from constraints in our lives that are preventing us from achieving our spiritual and material goals.

Leaping for Joy, Photo by Phạm Chung on Unsplash

In all probability we will act to obtain our freedom under the influence of this powerful Jupiter/Uranus conjunction. It is important for us to honor our responsibilities during this highly charged time, or we may fail those around us. 

This aspect favors all consciousness expanding practices, travel for work or pleasure, and the implementation of new relationships, new work habits, and new political groupings.

On a societal level, this is an aspect that speaks of collective efforts to liberate ourselves from oppressive conditions.

In any event, during this period of time, we can expect to encounter unexpected golden opportunities to fulfill our highest ideals in the pursuit of our material and spiritual goals.

Jane and Curtis in Reynolda Gardens, Gourd Tunnel, Selfie

Jane and I affirm that we all receive the grace and guidance we require to make the most of the golden opportunities awaiting us this highly charged spring season! Happy Snow Moon! It's almost time to prepare the garden! 

Meditation Moment: Ithaka by C.P. Cavafy

As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.

Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.

Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind—
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you’re old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn't have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.


C.P. Cavafi, 1929 in Alexandria