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How can you break the mold?

Post author:Anita Ashland
Post published:February 8, 2024
Post category:Astrology I Ching

Aquarius symbolizes the need for radical change and transformation. Therefore it’s appropriate that Hexagram 49: Revolution (Molting) from the I Ching is our hexagram host for the next week of Aquarius season.

Fire is included in the image, just like last week, but this time we find fire situated in the middle of a lake. Fire and water are opposites, so the two destroy each other in order that revolution may occur. Per Richard Wilhelm’s commentary:

So too in the course of the year a combat takes place between the forces of light and the forces of darkness, eventuating in the revolution of the seasons. Man masters these changes in nature by noting their regularity and marking off the passage of time accordingly. In this way order and clarity appear in the apparnetly chaotic changes of the seasons, and man is able to adjust himself in advance to the demands of the different times.

That right there makes a case for astrology; seeing what lies ahead for us archetypally helps us adjust ourselves to the situations we will face both as individuals and collectively. Just as the seasons change, so do the demands of the times, which call for social transformations.

We have three pet cockatiels, so I like that this hexagram is also called “molting.” Birds molt at least once a year, usually during the spring. It’s uncomfortable for them sometimes as the new feathers grow in. And their flying skills can be diminished as they wait for the growth of new flight feathers.

The other day we noticed that our oldest cockatiel has a fresh growth of new feathers on his head, which we found encouraging. He is still aligning himself with the energies of the seasons even in his dotage and bringing forth his best self.

Which “feathers” do you need to shed so that you can avoid stagnation and make your essence more visible?

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REFERENCES:

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

Strength and energy in alliance

Post author:Anita Ashland
Post published:February 3, 2024
Post category:Astrology I Ching

We are about halfway through Aquarius season already and have now arrived at the Hexagram 13: People in Harmony section, which represents the essence of Aquarius.

Yesterday I heard a YouTuber mention that a formerly popular YouTuber is getting less and less views these days because the algorithm is now more egalitarian and doesn’t favor people with large number of followers. It’s more of a challenge for one single individual to stand out in a Leo-like way, which is how Aquarius, the opposite sign from Leo, prefers it.

With Pluto in Aquarius for the next 20 years, expect that egalitarianism to continue.

Aquarius is a fixed air sign ruled by Saturn. It is future focused and not about conforming to something in the past like Capricorn, the other Saturn-ruled sign. It emphasizes the new future we are pushing towards and, being an air sign, likes to expand our horizons. The Aquarius downsides are a tendency to be too ideological and feeling like an outsider. I saw a funny poll on Instagram asking which of the air signs are the most difficult to argue with: Aquarius, Leo, Scorpio, or Taurus. Aquarius was running a close second behind Taurus. I voted for Aquarius!

The image of this hexagram, after what seems like endless lakes and mountains, finally brings some fire to the situation: it is Heaven over Fire. This seems appropriate for an air sign like Aquarius. As Richard Wilhelm describes it in his translation:

Just as the luminaries in the sky serve for the systematic division and arrangement of time, so human society and all things that really belong together must be organically arranged. Fellowship should not be a mere mingling of individuals or of things – that would be chaos, not fellowship. If fellowship is to lead to order, there must be organization within diversity.

Here is some of Hilary Barrett’s commentary about the image:

Harmony btween people will not come about by forcibly amalgamating the clans; to disarm their natural defensiveness, the noble one needs first to recognize and respect identities different from his own.

Hopefully we will see a lot more of that respect during the next 20 years.

To bring this closer to home, I’ll close with a few journal prompts to consider:

*Reflect on a recent challenge and consider how collaborative efforts or a sense of fellowship could have positively influenced the outcome.

*How will your life change if the group(s) you are in expands?

*Explore ways to foster unity in your community or social circles.

Keeping the soul in the middle

Post author:Anita Ashland
Post published:January 28, 2024
Post category:Astrology I Ching Jungian Psychology

Phrases like “slow productivity” and “unambitious goals” are popping up more frequently during my perusals of the internet and podcasts. That came to mind when pondering Hexagram 19: Approach of the I Ching, which is our hexagram host for this next week of Aquarius.

This hexagram speaks to situations that demand tangible results too quickly. Or those that focus exclusively on results rather than on patience and process. When expectations are unrealistic, then there is misfortune. If you have ever worked in the business world, you have probably experienced situations when an intense focus on data, goals, and KPIs has been detrimental and resulted in missed opportunities.

As Hilary Barrett says in her translation of Hexagram 19:

Having something to show for a process of growth doesn’t mean you’ve arrived at its outcome: harvest is not the end. As each harvest is gathered in and stored, the seasonal cycle of growth continues; you need to stay present to its ongoing changes, wherever they might lead.”

The image of the hexagram is of the earth above the lake. This alchemical combination represents a noble leader instructing, protecting, and being accepting of their people. As Barrett says,

A noble one has the inner reflective depths of the lake, contained within the protective, accepting qualities of the earth. She is the one with endless capacity to reflect, interact, and explain, to shelter and nurture people as a parent protects a child. She has the strength and maturity, and so naturally she becomes responsible.

And speaking of earth, I love how James Hillman describes earth:

Our heads are alreays reaching up and out to the celestial earth. And the problem of head trips is not that they are trips or that they are heady, but that they are not grounded. To ground these flights of fancy and ideational excursions, psychology sends the head down again to the material earth, insisting it bow down to the dark madonna of tangible concrete existence.

If you work with clients as a therapist, astrologer, coach, or in any other capacity – or simply in our everyday one-on-one interactions with others – we can also think of this as trying to “keep the soul in the middle,” as astrologer Clare Martin so eloquently states:

One of the main tasks of alchemy is to keep the soul in the middle, not allowing it to disappear either in the ethereal heights of spirit or in the dense materialism and overwhelming atractions of the body and its world.

Embracing the energy of Hexagram 19: Approach during Aquarius season invites us to navigate life with open-minded curiosity and innovative thinking. Approach situations with flexibility and adaptabilitly; Aquarius encourages us to break free from conventional norms. Keep the soul in the middle as you approach with sincerity and let authenticity be your compass as you shape yourself to the contours of change.

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REFERENCES:

I Ching: Walking Your Path, Creating Your Future by Hilary Barrett

Alchemical Psychology by James Hillman

Alchemy: The Soul of Astrology by Clare Martin

Expressing the sentiment of your heart through Decrease

Post author:Anita Ashland
Post published:January 23, 2024
Post category:Astrology I Ching

On the heels of Limitation we have Decrease.

Hexagram 41: Decrease of the I Ching is the image of a lake at the bottom of a mountain. The mountain evaporates and decreases to the increase of the mountain, which benefits from the moisture.

It also represents a structure with a weak foundaton, symbolizing a decrease in prosperity of the people in favor of the government.

The message here, per Richard Wilhelm’s translation, is that decrease does not always mean something bad. “Increase and decrease come in their own time.” What’s needed in times of scanty resources is simplicty, for that provides “inner strength for further undertakings.” And: “One must draw strength of the inner attitude to compensante for what is lacking in externals…Even with slender means, the sentiment of the heart can be expressed.”

Saturn is the host planet of Aquarius. Saturn is the archetype that represents protective boundaries, maintaining order, and self-preservation. With Pluto now in Aquarius (it will be in the Limitation portion for most of this year), we have an energy that will help us challenge homeostasis and limited viewpoints. The area of life Aquarius represents in your chart will have the opportunity to express the sentiment of your heart.

The Sun is in exile in Aquarius and struggles to express its true nature. Therefore, Decrease might be obvious in your life right now. But as Wilhelm says, “By this decrease of the lower powers of the psyche, the higher aspects of the soul are enriched.”

Below are some journal prompts you can feel free to use to incorporate Decrease into your life this week:

How can you navigate your connections with others in a way that brings more clarity and purpose to your relationships?
Dive into the theme of moderation and balance suggested by Decrease. Examine areas of excess or deficiency in your life, especially the area of life Aquarius represents in your natal chart.
If your means are slender right now, what are some ways you can find to still express the sentiments of your heart?

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References:

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

Navigating transformation by embracing limitation

Post author:Anita Ashland
Post published:January 20, 2024
Post category:Astrology I Ching

Today is a very important day. And not just because the Packers face the 49ers in a big NFL playoff game (Go Pack Go)!

Pluto enters Aquarius today, as does the Sun, which kicks off Aquarius season in dramatic fashion. Pluto was in Capricorn since 2008 and will be in Aquarius for the next 20 years.

(Pluto will briefly dip back into Capricorn again this fall before finally leaving Capricorn for good until the year 2254. The years 1777-1798 was the last time Pluto was in Aquarius.)

Hexagram 60: Limitation from the I Ching is our host for this next week. Given some of the angst out there about Pluto changing signs, limitation is likely top of mind for many of us. This last week of frigid temperatures here in Wisconsin and the rest of the upper midwest is also making many of us feel the limitations of this season.

The image of the hexagram is water over lake. Water is inexhaustible, but a lake can only contain a limited amount of water.

As Richard Wilhelm’s translation states, so, too, in human life do we achieve “significance through discrimination and the setting of limits … Unlimited possibilities are not suited to man; if they existed, his life would only dissolve in the boundless. …The individual attains significance as a free spirit only by surrounding himself with these limitations and by determining for himself what his duty is.”

The Pluto archetype itself isn’t about limitation; it prefers to focus on the “free spirit.” Death, rebirth, transformation, empowerment, extremes, compulsivity are a few of the keywords about Pluto.

That’s why I like the image of Hexagram 60 for this beginning of Aquarius season. Pluto is like uncontained water that could easily flood and overwhelm us; hence the need to create a lake to contain it.

If you have natal planets in the very early degrees of Aquarius, or the other fixed signs of Leo, Scorpio, and Taurus, this Pluto energy will be noticeable in the coming days and weeks.

If you start to feel some of the anxiety that can happen when pondering a major astrological shift, channel that energy instead into considering that area of life indicated in your natal chart that will be undergoing transformation or regeneration.

How can you embrace these changes with patience and a strategic mindset, to help you both harness, and align yourself with, the transformative nature of Pluto?

What opportunities might arise from acknowledging and working within your current boundaries as inspired by the insights of hexagram 60?

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