Feast of Torches

Deluxe Edition Print Original illustration Woodland deer girl Mori GirlIrena Sophia

Cross quarter day, astrologically celebrated at Sun 15 degrees Aquarius.
Imbolc (in the belly)
Oimelc (ewe’s milk)
Briantia, Brigid’s day (Celtic goddess of fire; Britain is derived from her name)
Candlemas (Christianized version)
Lupercalia, Feast of Pan, Feast of Torches, Snowdrop festival are other names given to this celebration.

 
This festival celebrates the light of the Sun returning in the northern hemisphere, while in the southern hemisphere Lughnasadh is celebrated as the sun’s light begins to lessen.

Imbolc is a celebration of the goddess, the return of life with spring.  This is a festival of light, fertility, pregnancy, lactation and birth.  Brigid is goddess of the fire and forge, healing, midwifery, smithcraft and poetry as well.

imagesTraditions are to light fire, celebrate the crones passage into the maiden.  This is a festival of women and their mysteries as well as celebrating strong bonds of sisterhood.

Often crosses are crafted from wheat, they symbolize the sacred round, the wheel of the year.

photo 19
I also celebrated with fire.  I spent the afternoon/evening relaxing in front of mine and even did a bit of pyromancy.
My fire held a dwarf, which pleased me greatly.

Peace
GMA

Pyromance with me ?


The long night of winter is coming.  

I have a thing for scruff, leather and swords ~> a hero with a taste for adventure thing.
When the lights go out my Sagittarius Mars needs a hero handy with a quiver of arrows, that wields a sword, a saber or a side arm – better. yet. all. four.

Sag Mars loves the treasure hunt, the circus caravan, to run and run and run  on a wild merry chase of discovery.

Mars in Sagittarius needs freedom.
Mars in Sagittarius needs fire.
Mars in Sagittarius needs mental gymnastics.

In the natal chart, Mars represents fire, energy, desires, men, husband, and the blade, the weapon.

Where is your Mars ?
What is your weapon ?
How do you wield it ?

I wield the sword of spiritual truths, polarities, cosmic justice, forgiveness and healing.

In my case, Sag Mars is in the 11th quintile Uranus – science freaks and geeks and astrology (Uranus rules) get me off.  My men absolutely must have an open mind and be open to my bizarre explorations into the higher (and inner Virgo) realms.
I think, learn, teach, heal and do absolutely everything (Virgo is daily routines) my own way.  Uranus. !  aka. Insert ‘self’ as prefix to any noun…self- taught, for example.
(I am a 9th house Virgo Sun conj Uranus / Pluto- 9th is the natural Sag house)

Where does the sign of Sagittarius fall in your chart ?
This is the house where you need unbridled freedom to engage life, SEE (sag motto) everything.

Sagittarius in my chart falls on the 12th – fire of the mystics.
Divination.
Signs are everywhere.
In everything and everyone.
This whole world is a miracle in progress, and I read all of it.  Signs and events in my life, Daenerys and her stunningly Plutonian last scene, as well as my bugger Pluto transit (square my chart ruler, Saturn in 3rd – trines Sag Mars) have me fired up to divine in all sorts of new ways.

Mercury – any and all communications going  in & out – is my elevated planet at MC.
Neptune – cosmic waters of prophecy and intuition – is my most highly aspected.

What are these two planetary placements / energies in your chart and what do they reveal about you ?

MC is high noon and how you are seen by the world, if well aspected it is likely where you excel.
Your most highly aspected will be a strong energy that colors and flavors your entire life.


Pyromancy

Divination by fire.

This is the fire I built to burn old documents – remnants of my married life up in flames.
I am in the flames on the left wearing a crown of daisies with eyes of fire.
Divination.

There is a Cheshire cat on the right which means happiness at work.
True, happened – misunderstandings cleared; vacation starts after work tonight.

There is a small fox – magical cunning shapeshifter, quick and invisible if need be.
Fox medicine is both Mercury and Neptune, it fits. (fox totem – click)

Fox people often have thick hair that works as a psychic antenna. ! *
(Venus and Jupiter in Leo -mane- square megaNeptune here. true.)
*click for Moose, lol.

American Indian tribes, the Blackfoot and Apache both have legends of fox stealing fire of the sun and bringing it to the people.

Pyromancy has ancient roots.  Once humans discovered fire they began to gather for warmth, cooking, companionship and stories.  Tribal cultures have gazed into fires across the ages of time, quietly waiting for the salamander (fire) spirits to reveal messages of the gods.  Moses for instance, received divine messages on Mount Sinai from the burning bush.

For cleansing:
Write on a piece of paper those things you want to be rid of in your life, write your negativity and fears onto the paper, be specific !  Say a prayer, a blessing aloud and toss it into the fire to release it.  Renew and cleanse your spirit through fire.
Fire is a source of purification, sacrifice and renewal.
* see martyred saints here

Pluto is the planet of sex, death, metamorphosis, transmutation and rebirth. 

Its energy is born of the internal fire  – the spark of the soul – it replenishes and regenerates by the laws of spirit and  thermodynamics.
:::Neither matter nor energy can be created or destroyed, it only changes form:::

Pluto in your natal indicates where you will metamorph again and again and again.
Something in your life has to die for something else to live.
Pluto is unavoidable, painful struggle- necessary for growth but not without pain.
Ever.
Pluto renders you powerless in the face of oncoming change and death.
From the ashes you rise – forever changed – powerful, invincible, fearless.
You have nothing left to fear because your worst fears have already been realized.


Pyromance with me ?

Start by gazing at fire… go quiet…fade into the zone….images and impressions will appear.  Trust your instincts, these impressions are whispers from the cosmos within and surrounding you.

Bedouin diviners believed sounds and smells of fire communicated spirits as well. Bright, clear crackling fire brought good fortune, dull and sputtering was less fortunate.
Fire smoke can also be read…you have heard the saying smoke follows beauty while camping, yes..?  It stems from capnomancy (kapnos is greek for smoke) – divination by smoke.  Thin straight smoke plume is fortunate; billowing smoke less fortunate.

When smudging with sage, more smoke means less negative ions are present, when the smoke lessens, the energies are clearer, cleaner, more negative ions are present.  (click for more ion info)


Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of fire, lightning, and volcanoes.

She who shapes the sacred land  lives in the Halema’uma’u crater (click) and has been spilling lava on the southeastern shore of the big island almost continuously since 1983, adding nearly 70 acres of land to the coastline.

Pele is asteroid 2202 at astro.com, go check her out in your chart.  She is currently nearing 9 degrees Libra.  She is conjunct my MC and Mercury in my natal chart, makes sense, I am always going on about earth and rocks and Gaia energies, and Gneiss IS metamorphic.

Gaea (greek for Earth) is asteroid number 1184.  Gaia was the great mother of all: the heavenly gods and Titans were descended from her union with Uranus (the sky), the sea-gods from her union with Pontus (the sea), the Giants from her mating with Tartarus (the hell-pit) and mortal creatures were sprung or born from her earthy flesh (click).

Gaea Rx is currently 11 degrees Scorpio.  In my natal earth mama Gaia is conjunct Venus in Leo 8th at 29 degrees conjunct fixed star Regulus (click). (Watcher of the North, Archangel Raphael, Divine Healer, angel of Providence that watches over all humanity.)  Sweeet, love it !

Where do the goddesses of fire and earth fall in your natal chart ?

Consider Pele to be where you are in a continual phase of Plutonic destruction and renewal.  Gaia is the place in your chart where you embody earth spirits and manifestations spring forth.

Aloha ~
gneissmoonastrology.net