Beauty of the Vulture

My Dad and I are buying a house. Dad is vigorous for 82 years on the planet. He plans on fishing and maybe getting a part-time job. I am nearly finished writing a book, and will be working on getting it published.

The process of buying a house is new to me, and yesterday I was down in the dumps. A dear friend took me for a drive in the country, which was lovely. We went some places in the county where I had never been. I learned that Lake Whatcom is HUGE! We stopped on the way at a country store - lots of different things for sale. I bought some baby brussel sprout plants. We shared some espresso chip ice cream.

And the icing on the cake was watching a gorgeous turkey vulture swooping back and forth over the large mowed grassy area across the road. It was really quite stunning and beautiful. And then the vulture flew off.

Now many people think vultures are not beautiful. Some people think they are dirty. What is real is these scavengers play an extremely valuable and necessary function, preventing the spread of disease and keeping the environment clean.

So when I got home, I checked out Ted Andrews view of vultures in “Animal Speak.”

In alchemy, the vulture was a symbol of sublimation, particularly because of its resemblance to the eagle. The vulture was considered a sign of confirmation of a new relationship between the volatile aspects of life and the fixed, the psychic energies and the cosmic forces. It was a promise that the suffering of the immediate was temporary and necessary for a higher purpose was at work, even if not understood at the time. It reflects that no matter how difficult the life conditions, rescue is as imminent in your life as was the rescue of Prometheus by Hercules.

This fit so well - I had been stressed and the beauty of the vulture in flight was restorative. Today, I spoke with the realtor, who is doing her job perfectly. I know that very soon we will have a wonderful place to live.

A Time to Heal

The astrology in this time is extraordinary. Mercury, moving direct in late Taurus, is now square (90-degree aspect) the alignment of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius. This is the last of Mercury’s three squares to the Aquarius alignment, and the most precise. If you don't know about astrology, squares move us into action. It is best if we are aware and actively using that square, because the square will push us if we aren't awake!

The conjunction of Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter is a focused, laser-like healing beam. Mercury in Taurus gives an earthy voice to all that is ready to heal or let go. It can be on the personal, or the collective. I have experienced both in the lead-up to the exact alignments.

On the collective level, I listened to President Obama's speech in Cairo, weeping through much of it. I am thankful for a President with both heart and brains. I could feel the audience that was there in the room opening their hearts and experiencing relief. He quoted the Koran (aptly) and yet also gave the message that we MUST learn to live peacefully - all humans need to have safety, food, health care, and so on. And we must respect each other's traditions, religion and culture. Wow!

On the personal level I experienced amazing healing. It hasn't been exactly easy, as the President said creating a peaceful world would not be easy. Yet it is necessary and there is support.

What came up for me was the opportunity to let go of old wounds. I was on a journey into the desert, with two very trusted friends. We picked a day that was cooler than usual, and because of the amount of snow this past winter, the usual trickle of a waterfall was lush and full. There were many plants in bloom. Lots of animals - deer, ravens, and other smaller creatures - were feasting on the abundance of food and water. It was a lovely spot for our prayer pipe ceremony.

I had a bit of a hard time clambering over rocks and with walking further than was comfortable. But the real inner push was an upcoming meeting where one of the participants is quite controlling. I had been talking about my feelings, not wanting to go yet knowing I needed to. And yet another woman in my life has been pushing that same button. On the way home, after dropping one person at her house, my other friend was driving. We both are trained in shamanic and energetic healing.

I told her I thought there might be some unconscious sorcery going on. We talked a bit about it, she reminding me that in this situation, there was probably some really old hurts coming up. Since she was driving, I looked inside and saw a dagger in my heart. I thought I would take it out. But before I could do so, my primary guardian and guide became visible to me. I know this guide well, yet had never seen her before. She was quite beautiful. And she pulled out the dagger. She also told me that I do need to go to the meeting, Partly because I could help in healing for the whole group, and there would be a gift for me.

That wasn't the end, however. When I finally sat down in my comfortable recliner at home, I realized that my mother had a fair amount of that controlling energy, especially when I was very young. It affected me deeply - I was very sensitive on a number of levels.

I am sure there is more work to do. What is interesting is how this whole process was so laser-like. That, my friends, is Chiron conjunct Neptune and Jupiter square Mercury!