Holding Your Feet to the Fire
Astrological Precursor for 2023
«Old saying» hold someone's feet to the fire defined:
It means to pressure someone to consent to or undertake something, as in The only way you'll get him to agree is to hold his feet to the fire. This idiom alludes to an ancient test of courage or form of torture in which a person's feet were so placed. It began to be used figuratively in the second half of the 1900s.
Whenever the planet of Saturn moves from one sign to another, it awakens us collectively in some way to address an area; and individually it motivates us to improve and strengthen ourselves in a specific area of our life.
Saturn is always affecting us; it is just a shift from one area to another and the change of direction usually is the hardest part.
In Jyotisha (Vedic astrology), a fundamental principle is that everything in the material world is always changing.
Always.
Constantly.
Changing.
And here we can learn the lesson of being comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Find the changeless in the constantly changing. (IYKYK)
But we will save this conversation for class-time.
Saturn is the slowest and most influential of all the planets used in this modality. When it moves, it makes waves. And usually there is a tell-tale ahead of time. If we are listening, Saturn will whisper in our ear what is coming.
Saturn last changed signs on January 23, 2020 and the weeks before, we started hearing tale of the rampant Coronavirus in China. Were we listening? «no»
Shortly after, we were all listening as there was nothing else to do, frozen in our homes, regrouping and figuring out pandemic lifestyles. We were forced to change in ways some of us liked and some of us loathed.
Now we are here again. On Tuesday, January 17th, Saturn shifts into the sign of Aquarius, creating waves again. There have been several ongoing themes that could be our lesson: Political, economic, climate change - but are those different issues? I don’t think so. My guess is as we are seeing dramatic shifts in weather with non-stop rain, tornadoes, ice and snow apocalypses, we will start looking at the root causes and be forced (by Mother Earth and the supportive influence of Saturn) to be accountable and take responsibility. This isn’t an easy collective lesson.
Individually, you would look to what house is Aquarius from your sidereal/Vedic Rising Sign, Natal Moon and Natal Sun and begin formulating a thesis. You can also look to what was happening in 1993-1995 and you might find some hints there if you can remember.
Saturn is considered to have great strength in Aquarius and Aquarius is connected with the winds of change, spreading far and wide new and innovative ideas through thought and technology.
This is a time of:
Innovation
Balance and moderation
Collective support and ideals, service
Humanitarian benefit
Where a theme for Capricorn is “I endure,” with Aquarius, it is “I innovate.”
We persevered, did the hard work of processing through a pandemic, now is the time to take the lessons learned and put them to collective benefit.
By early March, Saturn will be with Shatabishak nakshatra and remain there for over one year. This asterism brings the power of healing and secrets. It means, She Who Heals in 100 Ways. Aquarius is an air sign related and that can be related to our thoughts and the way we think about things.
Off-balanced thinking brings out of balanced emotions. Out of balanced emotions brings physical and mental illness. Illness brings wrong action and creates a need for healing.
We have entered a time of healing: individually and collectively.
If you are a healer or one who lends healing hands, you are being called to action.
If you are in need of healing, there is momentum for you to find the right remedies out of hundreds of options, including newer, innovative options.
If you are a scientist, now is the time your innovations will make sense and take off.
Out-of-the-box solutions are ripe at this time.
More than ever, the ancient technologies of meditation, contemplation, reflection and prayer will be the part of the solution of healing.
Looking within for healing, not projecting onto someone else, or some pill only, to do the healing.
New thoughts lead to new ways of being.
And that is found not in the ever-changing phenomenal world, but in the place where there is no change, a place of timelessness, no location, complete stillness and upmost peace.
It is your birthright to find this place and now is the time for that.
Are you ready to practice experientially tapping into your own fundamental wellbeing through yoga, meditation and inquiry? Hit me up here and I’ll get you to the right place.