When we deal with spirituality it is inevitable to stumble upon the Chakra System. Imported and popularized in the West through the Theosophical Society at the end of the nineteenth century, chakras have become a reference point for thousands of practitioners.
It is undeniable that Eastern esotericism has been widely adopted and adapted in all Western countries. With the Chakra System becoming a fundamental structure for the inner development of the individual.
But why are there exactly seven chakras or lotus flowers? And what does their number of petals depend on? The answer lies in the relationship between Man—the Microcosm—and the Macrocosm.
In this article we are going to talk about chakras in relation to the planets of Astrology. And by looking at their movement in outer space, we are also going to understand why the chakras, by mirroring those movements, have just that number of petals.
I consider myself a free researcher in western spiritual disciplines, in particular Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy and the Neoplatonic Hermetic tradition. I have a three-year training in Astrology at the CIDA delegation of Trieste, the Italian Center for Astrological Disciplines. I graduated in Computer Engineering from the University of Trieste.
Delays, late public transport, undelivered packages, mobile phone betrayals, messy forgetfulness, last minute hysteria, unsent messages, misunderstandings, scheduling complications, planning drama. Mercury Retrograde is the biggest stereotype among astrology followers.
Let’s face it: Christmas time is going to be like that anyway—either Mercury is retrograde or not. So, is Christmas chaos going to be boosted by this struggling transit? Generally speaking, yes. Also because on the same day Mars—ruler of action—is entering Pisces: the most chaotic sign of the zodiac. Even technology won’t help you since its lord Uranus is retrograde, too.
I can already imagine people going crazy, rushing around aimlessly like a bunch of beheaded chickens. But can we say this is going to be the case for everyone? Of course not. You should—as always—check at least in which specific house of your Natal Chart is going to fall Mercury Retrograde (from 16° Capricorn to 29° Sagittarius). For example, the list above is a typical third house Mercury retrograde general trend.
Well, now that we have decreed that this Christmas is going to be a messy-mess we can move forward and see what we can do about it.
Planning Drama and Self-Control
When direct, Mercury in Capricorn is the mind who analyzes external events in order to control them. It is a business oriented mindset who uses data and statistics for market forecasts and risk management.
But when such energy goes retrograde you can expect external things not to go exactly as planned. The mind turns inwardly and it is asked to better understand the inner life of the soul instead of focusing on the outside world.
At first, this can easily turn into an attempt to self-control. After all, when you suddenly lose your grip over external events the first reaction is usually to freak out, right? In this case self-control could indeed be useful. But there’s more than that.
When you step into your psyche you learn pretty soon that there are few things you can control. Actually, the only element you are allowed to control directly is your thought process. I don’t know if you ever tried to control your thoughts (it is a meditative practice) but let me tell you it is something very difficult to master. And please don’t ever try to control your emotions: it’s going to end up badly.
So, here are some questions to deal with the first part of the transit consciously:
What did not go as planned? How did that make me feel?
How do I react to unexpected events?
Am I able to control myself when the situation requires it?
How disciplined is my mind?
You can give this questions a specific context by checking in which house falls 16° Capricorn in your Natal Chart. For example, if it falls in your eleventh house this transit is mainly going to concern your friendships and personal projects.
Allowing the Inspiration
I like the way this transit evolves, fading slowly from Capricorn to Sagittarius. The second part of the transit (second stationary point of Mercury) is about letting go to open yourself to inspiration.
Mercury in Sagittarius is in its detriment. The mind is overconfident, so it refuses to analyze a situation since it believes to have it all figured out. This by the way usually becomes that annoying tendency some people have to teach others everything. They speak more than listen, because they love the sound of their “truthful” voice.
But when Mercury turns retrograde, all this comes to an end. The outside world proves you wrong, again and again, showing you that in the end you don’t know anything. When you are challenged this way, you are ready to open yourself to inspiration: the direct flow of knowledge and intuition that fuels endlessly creatives and artists all over the world.
But why is that? Whether you want to control something, or you think you already know how things are, you are closed. But when you let go and simply accept the fact you don’t know—you become receptive. In other words you allow yourself to be guided and to attune with your inner voice or—as someone call it—your internal guiding system.
I consider myself a free researcher in western spiritual disciplines, in particular Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy and the Neoplatonic Hermetic tradition. I have a three-year training in Astrology at the CIDA delegation of Trieste, the Italian Center for Astrological Disciplines. I graduated in Computer Engineering from the University of Trieste.
Reading Time : 3minutesOur society is drenched in Materialism. If we were true to ourselves we would say that we are all materialists. And I’m not talking about that shallow accusation of “not being spiritual”. I am talking about the materialistic mindset we have all been raised with.
Please be aware that [ictt-tweet-inline]you can call yourself spiritual, being nevertheless a materialist to the core[/ictt-tweet-inline]. In fact if you approach to spirituality without changing the way you approach to things in general you are missing the whole point.
The point is that Materialism is an insidious, subtle way of thinking that makes you focus mainly on results and outcomes rather than on the process, whatever it is. So the real question here is not “are you a materialist?” but rather “are you focusing mainly on results?”.
Let’s say you are. So, what’s wrong with that? Please note that I am not trying to demonize Materialism: I believe everything comes with pros and cons. Actually, I think that if you want to achieve something concrete you should definitely embrace that perspective. Nevertheless, it comes with a price and I believe you should at least know if it’s worth it.
Let’s take an example. Let’s say that Jessica loves painting. She likes it so much she doesn’t actually care about the final outcome—in this case, paintings. Loving what she is doing is what really makes her spiritual here. And yes, [ictt-tweet-inline]you don’t need to talk about spirit to be spiritual[/ictt-tweet-inline]. She is free, because she is completely focusing on the process, she is enjoying it, and she has no other reason for doing that than painting itself.
One day, someone tells her she’s very good at it and she could definitely earn some money by selling her paintings. Let’s say she accepts the deal. Now, this is crucial: what once was an end in itself (painting) has now become the means to another end which—in this case—is making money. This is when Materialism kicks in, and no—money doesn’t have necessarily anything to do with it.
The point is her focus has changed. She is not focusing anymore on what she loves to do: she is now focusing on the result which comes from it. Do you realize how tricky is that? Apparently nothing has changed—she is still going to paint anyway—but the fire of the spirit is lost!
In order to be aware of the consequences, take this definition of Materialism I found online:
1. preoccupation with or emphasis on material objects, comforts, and considerations, with a disinterest in or rejection of spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values.
…
and replace the word “spiritual” with “what you love to do”:
Materialism is preoccupation with or emphasis on material objects, comforts, and considerations, with a disinterest in or rejection of what you love to do.
This is the price: a materialistic mindset is always going to deceive you confusing the ends with the means. It is in its nature. You want to achieve A but you must get B and C first. This because you want to achieve something rather than focusing on what you love to do. And there is always a strategy, a procedure, a series of steps to be taken in order to get what you want. But eventually this can only take you away from what you really love. On the contrary, [ictt-tweet-inline]when you love what you do you the reward is in the action itself[/ictt-tweet-inline].
“The fundamental maxim of free men is to live in love towards our actions, and to let live in the understanding of the other person’s will” — Rudolf Steiner (Philosophy of Freedom, Chapter 9).
This may sound very odd for us, considering that we have been educated to always think we need to do something to get something else. But this is what being free—and spiritual—is all about.
I consider myself a free researcher in western spiritual disciplines, in particular Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy and the Neoplatonic Hermetic tradition. I have a three-year training in Astrology at the CIDA delegation of Trieste, the Italian Center for Astrological Disciplines. I graduated in Computer Engineering from the University of Trieste.
