Thursday, August 19, 2010

The Cardinal Cross,By Carol Ann Ciocco

Cardinal Cross!

We are under severe stress this summer and fall from the most dynamic and tension-producing cycles we have seen since the Great Depression - in fact, even more intense than what we had then. - Madeline Gerwick

The Cardinal Cross represents an almost unprecedented alignment of planets at 90ยบ, right angles, filling all four corners of a large, square pattern imposed on the zodiac circle. The planets align in the early degrees of the cardinal signs, Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn known for their love to initiate change and not always in a predictable manner. Major forces of change are at work here. - Patricia Liles


Maybe you've heard, there is this thing going on in the sky that astrologers have been writing and talking about for months, years, decades even: the formation of a triangle or cross in the sky this summer. Astrologers are calling it The Cardinal Crisis and indeed it is a rare planetary configuration. I remember astrologers discussing it as far back as 1993. Boy, did 2010 sound futuristic back then, lol. It's funny to think that it is now here.

This Cross is actually a T-square (triangle) and when a planet passes through the empty arm of the cross (the early degrees of the sign of Cancer), the Cross is ignited.

Triangles and Crosses form in the sky all the time. What makes this one so notable is that the planets involved are heavy-hitters which are in the early degrees (0-3 degrees) of what we call Cardinal signs.

The Cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. These signs have "cardinal force." They are the initiators, creators and leaders of the zodiac. Each of these signs kicks off a new season - they are associated with Spring Equinox (Aries) Fall Equinox (Libra) Summer Solstice (Cancer) and Winter Solstice (Capricorn). They have a GO GO GO feel to them.

The Cardinal energy resembles the way it feels when Spring arrives and we burst forward, like the tiny bud pushing up through the soil, anxious to grow, explore, to get moving. The Zero-degree mark of these four signs are considered especially combustible - transition hot-spots at the point where we navigate from one reality/season to the next. To have major planets all coming together in a cross formation at Zero Cardinal - well, it really is impressive.



The Cast of Characters


The cosmos is a vast living body, of which we are still parts. The sun is a great heart whose tremors run through our smallest veins. The moon is a great nerve-center from which we quiver forever. Who knows the power that Saturn has over us, or Venus? But it is a vital power, rippling exquisitely through us all the time. D. H. Lawrence


Pluto - Lord of the Underworld, transformation, 'death', letting go, evolution - is in early Capricorn.

Saturn - Lord of Time and Karma, the Great Taskmaster, the Law - is in early Libra.

Mars - war energy, anger, action, assertiveness - is also in early Libra.

Uranus - Change Agent, revolutionary, lightning bolt, electricity, anarchy, off-planet energies, freedom - is in early Aries.

Jupiter - abundance, expansiveness, gifts, over-indulgence - is also in early Aries. Aries is the quintessential fire sign of sudden bursts of energy.

Note: to read more about Uranus and Jupiter in Aries, check out my previous newsletter here: http://conta.cc/d2VbWV

The early degrees of Cancer are the empty part of the cross, except when mercury, the moon, the nodes pass through there. See below for more information about the Void in the Cross.

Basic keywords for these planets: Jupiter in Aries (high-energy opportunities), Saturn in Libra (reality in relationships), Uranus in Aries (sudden forceful awakening), Pluto in Capricorn (transformation requires integrity), Mars in Libra (action in harmony).

So if it could talk, the Cardinal Cross might say: Wake up NOW to the reality of your relationship with everything around you and seize the opportunity for transformation by taking bold action grounded in integrity.

Or how about: death, war, karma, time, evolution, revolution - and adding an extra gallon of fuel to top off a huge cardinal fire.

Or how about: metamorphosis, new construction, advocacy of the greater good, standing in your truth, throwing off your shackle - and a Brinks truck backing up to your door with so many gifts you don't have room in your house for them.

It can go either way. It is both at the same time.


Take Up Your Cross


When your mind is crucified with trials and temptations, arise into the sphere of self-control. -Yogananda

Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine. - Elvis Presley.


When the energies described above face off, are ignited or triggered, it is explosive - external explosions or internal implosions which create irrestible leaps into change. Change is the best use of this energy. It is intense but a lot of things can be done with it if harnessed properly.

Imagine that you have a car with a V-8 engine but have kept it in your garage for months because you couldn't find the proper fuel to move it properly. The latent V-8 engine is your life, which has been stalled in SO many ways; and the Cardinal Cross is a sudden appearance and infusion of the fuel to move you off dead-center.

So you have been stuck for quite some time now, years, maybe even decades. This summer offers you a chance to seize the Cardinal Cross and use it's fiery, full-steam-ahead energy to get out of the ruts of your life.

Crosses are a symbol of, well, crucifixion. Something will die so that something can be resurrected in a new form. We are asked to 'take up our cross' and follow the light. I am not talking about excruciating suffering. I am saying that when faced with the cause-and-effect results of past actions that lead to a dead-end, we have the option to wade through our own resistance (acknowledge our hand-made cross of self-created suffering) and raise ourselves up to a new level, a higher vibration.

In other words, the cardinal energies provide a sheer headlong force toward evolution. They provide the opportunity to leap from crucifixion to resurrection, to leap over the divide between life and death, between heaven and earth. It takes cardinal force to do that, indeed.

Resurrection after a crucible of change is the crux of the matter here. I am reminded of the Total Solar Eclipse of a few weeks ago (July 11, 2010). It fell over Easter Island - Easter being all about Resurrection. Every Good Friday is always followed by an Easter Sunday.

The energy field of the Cross will be in effect through the end of August but will reverberate for months (even years) after that. There was a similar POW-BANG Grand Cross (in fixed signs) in August of 1999. I am still feeling the effects 11 years later. It's weird but I think of it every day.


The Cross of the Masters


The bowed heads of arrogant rulers, proud of their knowledge and influence in this world, are crushed under the heels of the hero who feels no terror for them. I supplicate you, venerable and fearless hero. - Terchen Gyurme Dorje

May Love and Light and Power restore the Plan on Earth. - from The Great Invocation


Many astrologers are saying - and I agree - that the summer of 2010 is actually more intense than the astrological energies of the upcoming 'famous' year 2012. The groundwork is laid this summer. And yet, as astrologer Rick Levine has said, "it's a Cardinal Initiation not Cardinal Climax. Don't cancel plans for 2013." He says that "people are fear mongering" the cardinal cross transit. Maybe so. But who cares really. Why don't we just look at the deeper spiritual meaning.

But first, I have a confession to make: I have struggled to understand the Cardinal Cross. Normally I can feeeel my way into the energetic of a celestial event/ configuration - but this one has eluded me all summer. I don't have any planets placed in any of the Cardinal Signs and one of them (Libra) is engulfed in my 12th house - the house of the hidden, of the subconsious, that which is outside of day-to-day awareness.

In addition, I think the true mystical nature of the Cardinal Cross is something that is only just now dawning on Humanity. It is higher than earth and represents a profound spiritual initiation that we can't quite articulate yet because we are just now entering into it fully.

In esoteric philosophy, the Cardinal Cross is associated with the Crisis of Equilibrium. When found in the birth chart it is a sign that the Disciple on the path of Illumination is approaching a leap forward in their personal spiritual evolution.

The Mutable Cross (Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo, Pisces) is said to be the cross of the Initiate - the one who has just woken to spiritual reality and is taking their first steps upon the path. The Fixed Cross (Taurus, Scorpio, Leo, Aquarius) is the cross of the Disciple - the one who is steady on the path and is going through intense trials to burn away the dross of the little self. And the Cardinal Cross is the cross of the Masters - those who are facing the Dweller on the Threshold of a Higher Initiation into a new form of reality not seen before.

Humanity is working with and reaching for Mastery as we take on this cross. And the Masters are working closely with us, more so than ever before.


Finding Cardinal Direction


The word cardinal comes from the Latin cardinalis which means "pertaining to a hinge, hence applied to that on which something turns or depends, important, principal, chief" - i.e. cardo -"hinge"

The stakes are higher with cardinal signs, because it's about initiating the new. And that's why being engaged in shaping your intent has never been more important. - Maurice Fernandez


What are the Cardinal Directions? The Cardinal Directions are perhaps the foremost of all frameworks for life on earth, They are present in all religious traditions throughout history, without exception. Shamans and Medicine Men/Women call in the Four Directions in order to anchor the Divine on Earth.

We get our bearings by finding North on a compass. We understand the dawn and the day ahead, and yearn for the new and exotic, by looking to the East. We enjoy the heat of the mid-day Sun by venturing South. And at the end of the day we sail Into the West for sunset and sleep. We literally define the fabric of our lives by marking the movement of our star, the Sun in relationship to the Four directions. We would be lost without our understanding of them. They are like breathing.

The notorious East-West polarity is one of the most important polarities that we struggle with in our current state of evolution. It represents the duality of Feminine-Masculine. Yin and Yang. Our struggle for balance comes from the tension between these opposites.

The North-South polarity is another doozy. It represents the duality of White-Black. Light and Dark. Our struggle for freedom comes from the tension between these opposites.

The word cardinal is embedded in our consciousness in much the same way as the directions are.

The bright red bird known as the cardinal is seen as a sign of good luck by many (Including my mother, who would always rejoice when she saw a cardinal. She even told me that she would come back to visit me in the form of a cardinal:)

And we have the Cardinal Sins, the Cardinal Virtues, and the Four Immeasurables (from Tibetan spirituality). Note: The number 4 is deeply cardinal.

What are the Cardinal Sins? The Seven Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of the most objectionable vices that has been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin. The final version of the list consists of wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. - wiki

The Roman Catholic tinge of red cannot be ignored. I was just thinking about the changes in the church taking place this summer as the Cardinal Cross forms in the sky. New rules and regulations were put into place in regard to the protocol for dealing with priests who abuse children.

What are the Cardinal Virtues? (1) Prudence - Sapientia - able to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time - CANCERIAN. (2) Justice - Lustitia - proper moderation between self-interest and the rights and needs of others - LIBRA. (3) Restraint or Temperance - Temperantia - practicing self-control, abstention, and moderation - CAPRICORN. (4) Courage or Fortitude - Fortitudo - forbearance, endurance, and ability to confront fear and uncertainty, or intimidation - CANCERIAN.

The Cardinal Virtues were derived initially from Plato's scheme (see Protagoras 330b, which also includes piety - hosiotes) and adapted by Saint Ambrose, Augustine of Hippo, and Thomas Aquinas (see Summa Theologica II(I).61). The term "cardinal" comes from the Latin cardo or hinge; the cardinal virtues are so called because they are hinges upon which the door of the moral life swings. - wiki

What are the Four Immeasurables? - from Tibetan Spirituality: The Four Immeasurables, also known as the Brahma Viharas in Sanskrit) are found in one brief and beautiful prayer:

(1) May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes,
(2) May all sentient beings be free of suffering and its causes,
(3) May all sentient beings never be separated from bliss without suffering,
(4) May all sentient beings be in equanimity, free of bias, attachment and anger.

The Buddha taught the following to his son Rahula (from "Old path white clouds" by Thich Nhat Hahn): "Rahula, practice loving kindness to overcome anger. Loving kindness has the capacity to bring happiness to others without demanding anything in return. Practice compassion to overcome cruelty. Compassion has the capacity to remove the suffering of others without expecting anything in return. Practice sympathetic joy to overcome hatred. Sympathetic joy arises when one rejoices over the happiness of others and wishes others well-being and success. Practice non-attachment to overcome prejudice. Non-attachment is the way of looking at all things openly and equally." http://bit.ly/dk0Ajy

Direction in life, Sin, Virtue, Immeasurable Love and Compassion. All are of Cardinal importance. Have we lost our moral compass?

It is safe to say, without leaning into hype, that we are at a CRUCIAL (as in crux, cross) and pivotal turning point. At the very least you, personally, are at a crossroads in your life. Pay attention to which way you turn, onto which of the four paths before you: EVOLUTION, ACTION, CHANGE, WISDOM, or DISCIPLINE.

Right now, I think it is important to choose ONE of these. Of course we want them all. But cardinal is an energy of Primacy, an energy of ONE (1 is THE cardinal number). Focus in. Which direction is the one that will open the door for you? Set your intention.

It's time to Turn the Wheel. The Wheel of the Dharma. The Steering Wheel. The Wheel of Fortune. Imagine a large valve in the form of a wheel (see pic above)that you have to turn to open the door, to open the vault. And to let off steam. Imagine a Phillips Head Screwdriver (see pic above). Turn the screws on the stuck parts of your life. Twist the cross.

What is the Cardinal Rule? Compassion

A lot hinges on it.


Baby Love


Oh baby love, my baby love I need you, oh how I need you/ But all you do is treat me bad/ Break my heart and leave me sad/ Tell me, what did I do wrong/ To make you stay away so long/ ... Don't throw our love away/ In my arms why don't you stay/ My love, my baby love. I need you, oh how I need you.- Diana Ross

What the mother sings to the cradle goes all the way down to the coffin. - Henry Ward Beecher

The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread. - Mother Teresa

Just to leave one's homeland is to accomplish half the dharma. - Milarepa


The only missing cardinal sign in the Cardinal Cross is the sign of Cancer. On a macro level Cancerian energies represent the Great Mother, the Nurturer, the Goddess, the Mother of All Life. Figures such as Mother Mary and Isis have represented this energy down through the ages. So, on the macro level we see the need to "fill in the gap" by honoring the Divine Feminine and Mother Earth. That is the key to the perfection of this cross. This area of our consciousness is empty right now. We are not bringing it to the table.

On a micro level the Cancerian energies are all about nurturing and loving ourselves. Cancerian is associated with the Inner Infant, the primal part of us that needs to be fed, held, rocked and loved in order to survive. It is the sign of family, ancestry, the tribe and the homeland. It is the hand that rocks the cradle in the nursery, the crib, the highchair. It is a need for safety, shelter and security at the deepest part of our being. Our roots, our root chakra.

So many of us do not tend to our Inner Infant because it is very primitive and we are sometimes disturbed by it. Thetruth is that the infant simply cannot survive without food provided by the mother (OR without emotional attention from some type of nurturing figure). Infants not attended to are classified "Failure to Thrive". Humanity has this disorder right now.

This is the most basic aspect of being human - our deep need for connection to humans who care about us. Until and unless humans somehow begin to be hatched from eggs instead of gestated in a human womb, the umbilical cord of the Cancerian infant will always be there within us. By pretending its not there, the infant ends up running companies that kill the Mother due to infantile rage. Greed, the human greed that is destroying our planet, is - at its core - a very infantile behavior.

The eclipses of this summer were across the polarity of Capricorn and Cancer. At the Partial Lunar Eclipse on June 26, 2010, the Solstice Sun in Cancer completed the cross and the energy was incredibly powerful. It kicked off the Cardinal Cross summer. Then the Easter Island Total Solar Eclipse on July 11, 2010 was in the sign of Cancer. Not to mention the earthshaking Chindia Total Solar Eclipse of July 22, 2009 was also in the sign of Cancer.

This area is a VOID in the cross and yet the spectacular phenomenon of Total Eclipses calls our attention there. Everyone looked up. And so, periodically this summer the Cancerian soft-spot, the underbelly of humanity, is lit up - its lurking message triggered and catalyzed. Pay attention to the infant inside of you and learn to recognize it in others. Sometimes people - including you - just need to be comforted with a nice hot cup of tea and basic human lovingkindness.

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