Birds of a feather flock together. Proverb
Where can a person be better than in the bosom of their family? Marmontel Gretry
Always behave like a duck - keep calm and unruffled on the surface but paddle like the devil underneath. Jacob Braude
There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings. Hodding Carter
God stirs up our comfortable nests, and pushes us over the edge of them, and we are forced to use our wings to save ourselves from fatal falling. Read your trials in this light, and see if your wings are being developed. Hannah Whitall Smith
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, you can be reasonably sure it is a duck. Adage
Occurring on October 23 in Australia and October 22 in the United States, October's full Moon is the second full Moon in a row in Aries. Last month's full Moon was on the first degree of Aries - this month's full Moon is on the last degree of Aries.
The Sabian Symbol for this full Moon is Aries 30: A Duck Pond And Its Brood. The following is from my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees of Wisdom:
Commentary: ‘A Duck Pond and its Young Brood’ can indicate issues of belonging to a family, clan or tribe. The ‘Duck Pond’ is a place where a family can live, forage for food, gather life’s necessities and be safely together. The parents, or at least the mother ‘Duck’, needs to look after the ‘Brood’ to ensure that they are kept together, nourished and protected. Guidance and direction need to be given so the youngsters grow into mature and responsible adults.
Oracle: You may feel restricted and bound in by reality, but you probably also feel safe. Every day can hold some type of adventure, but it is always within limits. Family, friends and the environment around us often set these limits. The mother figure needs to be strong and vigilant to see that all is well with her ‘Young Brood’. She needs to take great care in directing them in life so that they grow and flourish both as a family and out there in the real world as individuals. Is this ‘Duck Pond’ inviting to others, or do some ‘Ducks’ scare off others who try to come near? Who belongs and who doesn’t? Who’s invited to visit for a while, but then expected to leave when their time is up? It’s quite natural to sometimes feel threatened when people who don’t “belong” call or barge in unannounced, but an accommodating ‘Duck Pond’ should be able to have differing types living in quiet safety together. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of the comforting things around us and the people who really belong with us. Are you looking after those in your care?
Keywords: Nurturing family. Contentment. Realizing limitations. Reliability. The problems and joys in the responsibilities of having a brood to look after. Finding friends or family that enrich one’s life. Psychoanalysis. Family patterns and analysis. Family support. The family sphere. Feeling safe in one’s environs. Being the mother duck. Adoption and foster families. Communes and communities.
The Caution: Denying your own needs for others in the ‘Brood’. Narrow-minded attitudes. Not inviting others in. Feeling stuck. Not wanting to leave the nest, grow up or take risks in life. Feeling left out and alone. Smugness or exclusivity. All looking the same and no one standing out as individuals. Being lost in the crowd. Distrusting those that are “alien”. Borders erected to keep out “foreigners”.
Is your duck pond too small or is there enough room for all who want to come and share? Are you limiting your borders too much by feeling like you have to be responsible for everything and everybody? Do you perhaps feel like you're too young, ill equipped or unskilled to stretch your wings and fly away from the duckpond? Does it feel like home or somehow like a prison? Are you feeling hemmed in in some way?
The Karmic Condition (the degree before) the full Moon is Aries 29. This degree talks of being in tune with the planets, with music, with the sky, with one's self and hearing the messages that are coming out of every part of our lives. The Sabian Symbol is The Music Of The Spheres. The following are my keywords for this degree:
Voices bringing messages. Attuning to the messages inherent in astrology. Harmonies, chords, keys, octaves, tones. Things heard. Natural harmony of life. The beauty of the planets. The measurement of time. Circadian rhythms. Dancing to the wind. The humming of bees. Days of the week. The sound of water over rocks or crystals. The planets speaking through or to you. Sending love. The atomic clock. Harmonics. Musical ratios. Numbers. Numerology. Sound healing.
So, there will be messages here. Perhaps they're telling you to get more in touch with family, maybe it's time to reach outside of your usual confines for more compatriots to share your life with. You could be feeling rather restricted - perhaps like you're on a leash. Whatever it is, this full Moon can be one of figuring out who's in, or should be in, your "duck pond" and who isn't or shouldn't be. Further, you may want to expand your life - to push out the borders of your activities.
The Quest Symbol of the full Moon (the degree after) is Taurus 1: A Clear Mountain Stream Flows Steadily Downstream. This is a beautiful degree that speaks again of water. In this case, though, the water is flowing downstream - perhaps towards the ocean. This Symbol describes a journey, a free flowing energy, a need for following one's own path. Where is your path leading you. Is your stream going to merge with the river? Here, again, friends, partners and compatriots are found (or sought) in the quest. This Symbol speaks of choosing a course and not deviating from it. Having said that, there can be changes of plans, detours and reversals of some description as these lend to the experience. What matters is the purity and simplicity of the source.
The Sun is on Libra 30: Three Mounds Of Knowledge On A Philosopher's Head. This speaks of philosophy, wisdom that transcends book knowledge, having a knowledgeable demeanor, making wise decisions regardless of hard-line opinion, knowledge directed to intellectual or spiritual goals, wit, style, seeing potential in others... it can be analyzing things too much and a reliance on intellect or being a "know it all".
Some twelve hours after the exact full Moon, the Sun moves into Scorpio. The Sabian Symbol is Scorpio 1: A Sightseeing Bus Filled With Tourists. This is quite a different image from the Duck Pond, but is quite similar to the Clear Mountain Stream. This degree can show us that it's time to get out into life, to mix it up, to have fun, enjoy different surroundings or to strike out on one's own. It can, however, show situations where one feels more like an observer, a spectator, rather than a participant in life. What are your souvenirs? Are you taking photographs of your journey? Are you exploring new territories or sticking closer to home?
Venus is still retrograde and it's on Scorpio 10: A Fellowship Supper That Reunites Old Comrades. This speaks of meeting with old friends and new, seeking those that you feel a sense of 'fellowship' with, breaking bread with those you care about and love, reunions and chance meetings. This degree can show meeting up with people that you feel you've had past lives with. There can be the feeling that you've known them before or know them so well.
Dorothy Parker's quote comes to mind what with the Tourist Bus, the Clear Mountain Stream and the Fellowship Supper: We look like a road company of the Last Supper
and then...
With true friends... even water drunk together is sweet enough. Chinese proverb
Immediately after the full Moon, Venus goes back onto the previous degree. It's Scorpio 9: A Dentist Is Hard At Work. This speaks of fixing and repairing damage, drilling away at something, plugging up situations, therapists, treatments, attention to detail... perhaps being the one who always has to fix everything. Venus here is suggesting that repairs are needed for bad nourishment, wrongful thoughts, negative uses of energy or neglect from former times. How are you faring with Venus retrograde? Any people from your past popping up? Are you going over old ground? Do you need to? Are you fixing things as you go? Are you spending time with like minded others? How are your spending habits?
With Venus retrograde on the Fellowship Supper and the Dentist At Work, do you need to work on your diet - your body and your relationship with it?
Mars is on a rather Martian type of degree. It's at Scorpio 27: A Military Band Marches Noisily On Through The City Streets. This can be making music to rouse people, noisy announcements, talk of war, demanding attention, trumpeting achievements, peace rallies or war marches, precisions movements, drums and trumpets, spit and polish and generally being noisy. Talk of war, beating one's drum, banging on and on about something versus the need to rouse people to unity and cooperation and neighborly attitudes to one another.
The Quest Symbol (the degree after) of Mars is Scorpio 28, the Sabian Symbol of which is rather reminiscent of the Duck Pond. It's The King Of The Fairies Approaching His Domain. Where is your domain? Where is your base of activities? Do you feel like you're in charge of your world? Are you safe, comfortable and settled into your own space? Just as with the Duck Pond, who do you belong with and are you spending time with your rightful 'tribe'?
The Moon's north node (which is a karmic and destiny point) is exactly conjunct Vesta (the asteroid that keeps the home fires burning and is a symbol of the vestal virgins). This symbolizes a time for the feminine energy to come forward, to make a stand and claim or declare a sense of power for one's self. The Sabian Symbol is a rather challenging one: Capricorn 5: Indians - Some Rowing A Canoe While Others Are Dancing A War Dance.
The Keywords for this degree include: Some getting on with their lives whilst others are not, vehicles of discovery versus arguing and bickering, threats and intimidation, making a show of power and mobility, cooperation bringing release from difficulties, mobilizing forces, psyching oneself up, group effort, traffic.
The Moon's south node (exactly opposite the north node and a strong karmic point) is on Cancer 5: At A Railroad Crossing, An Automobile Is Wrecked By A Train. This Symbol sounds far worse than it is. There is no need for car wrecks or accidents, it speaks about the difficulty that sometimes arises from pitting yourself against others who may have other ideas, getting in the way of others (or people getting in your way), people working at cross purposes from each other and the consequences of acting rashly, going too fast or slamming up against reality.
Pluto is on Capricorn 4: A Group Of People Entering A Canoe For A Journey By Water - a wonderful juxtaposition to Capricorn 5 (the North Node and Vesta) where some Indians are 'Rowing While Others Are Dancing A War Dance' (considering that the Sabian Symbols were given birth completely randomly, it is astounding that these two are concurrent degree Symbols). With Pluto here, our power is to be found through cohesive effort, cooperation and coordination, people coming together with a shared goal in sight, feeling like one's on a 'Journey' of destiny, people pulling together, rowing in the same direction, vehicles of discovery, workshops, unknown destinations, setting sail, observing the weather, etc.
The message from Mercury (Mercury is known to be the 'messenger of the gods') is coming from Scorpio 4: A Youth Holding A Lighted Candle In A Devotional Ritual Gains A Sense Of The Great 'Other World'. This speaks of affirming intention to the path, ceremonies that are pure and uncomplicated, the light of consciousness, feeling overwhelmed, enlightenment, potency, devotion to ritual, expansion of psychic talents, shining a light that brings understandings of things on a spiritual level.
It will surely help to light that candle, to affirm your boundaries, to realize your limits (or, more importantly, where you limit yourself) and to embrace those that truly belong in your Duck Pond.
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