One of the hats I wear is "Astrologer".  I am especially interested in the more esoteric or occulted side of things; the stuff you don't usually read about and might have to unleash your passion to find.  I feel my studies of the Tree of Life assist me in lending "sense" to what otherwise might seem incongruent factors.

As I've detailed here before, I rather love exploring cosmic relationships - the way in which energies string through the Universe as numbers, letters, sounds, colors, archetypes, etc., and gain symbol in material reality through the luminaries, planets, and constellations of Stars.  In fact, I have predominately been away from this blog for the past half-year to work on my on-line grammatikos, which will attest to this particular interest of mine.

Now with Autumn Equinox swiftly approaching I thought it was a perfect opportunity to return to posting by diving into the Zodiac Signs!  I specifically mention Autumn Equinox because a significant Tradition views the Zodiac as the "Initiates Path", when it is began with Virgo's seed-flame.  This is because the flame then passes through the Equinox-Gate and enters "the Within", questing through the inner workings of each Sign in increasingly Realized stages of potentiality.  Thus it felt rather pertinent to post what I have written on Virgo in these final days of the Virgo-Sun, before we pass the Gate that will lead us within:

I start the path through the Signs with Virgo because a significant formula puts Virgo at the starting gate.  She is the cornerstone of the spiritual culture; the virgin seed (that is Divinity impervious to the material condition); the flame unsquelched even when buried in the dark of earth.  She represents the New Beginning even as she comes forth with the harvest in her hands.

Virgo's letter is Yod which is likewise perceived as a "seed-flame".  Each Hebrew letter has a form of Yod in its structure, so Yod is said to be the cornerstone of the Aleph-Bet.  Although through its sound Yod came to be associated with the Egyptian hieroglyph for ‘arm', its form was originally taken from the hieroglyph for ‘reed' or ‘chaff', much closer to the English letter ‘I'.  This is rather fitting on several levels, my favorite being that a Yod attached as a suffix to another word actually means "mine".  Not surprisingly, Virgo resonates to themes of core-level identification and the process of identifying.  On the body Virgo relates to the gut.  Given the Virgo's tendency toward overanalysis one of the Archetype's lessons is to identify their "gut reaction" and go with it.  A perfect mantra for the Sign is "I hear the small, still inner voice and create wonders because of it."

Being correlated to the gut Virgo also relates to digestion and nutrient intake, or the bodily equivalent to the harvest where the final selection (i.e. analysis) is made between assimilable material and rejected waste.  By attending to "the process" Virgo unfolds the powers of creation, generating a worthy system in which it can truly be said that the Divine Undertaking is not covered up or altered by even the most basic levels of material existence.  Virgo teaches us that even in flesh there are transforming and vitalizing powers.

Over these past few days as I've sporadically found the time I've gone to my computer for the sole purpose of browsing the database of entries submitted to the Buckminster Fuller Challenge.  Concepts such as these ignite my own Passions and fill my Heart with hope for the future!  I just love it when I can walk away from my computer feeling recharged!

For me sustainability means Forethought... Fulfillment of needs (first) and desires (second) with consciousness of that fulfillment's true impact and cost.  In a sustainable system every player and every part must be considered in context of the Whole of which it is part.

It is my belief that the present civilization has everything it needs for ALL to live in sustainable abundance.  The appearance of scarcity and lack are not Actuality but a reality based in horrific mismanagement and parasitic mentalities.  It is accepted practice for an individual to seek out the greatest material gain regardless of larger imbalances; regardless of the risk, expense, and short fall to any other organism.  Yet the economy of any organism/organized system is very much the corner stone to the sort of energetic dignity the organism maintains. (Think - root law of Cause and Effect necessitating Awareness of action and energy exchanged; economy is energy exchange; the quality of the harvest reflects the quality of the cultivation.)  An economy of hording and greed propagates a reality of shortage, depletion, and extinction.  An economy of Awareness and sustainability, based on Wholes instead of parts, creates sufficiency, refinement, and renewal.

Thus I feel that in our quest for sustainability, personal and collective economy will require refinement and redirection.  Sustainability is greatly facilitated by eradicating the consumer mentality which values production and consumption above responsibility and true quality of Life.  As our consciousness of Resources increases, so will our sustainable state.

(Note:  I define Resources as the goods and services of both Nature and Humanity.)

So I'm being rather random with this.  A Digg about an unusal iceberg caught my attention early this morning, prompting an impromptu homeschool adventure, hunting the net for awesome iceberg photos.  Some were just too beautiful not to share...

Iceberg shining in the Sun

Isle of the Dead Iceberg

Iceberg in Jade

Iceberg in Blue at Sunset