Spiritual Backbone
By
Sarah Varcas
As the Sun enters Capricorn it forms a semi-sextile with Saturn who is about to enter Sagittarius. Against the backdrop of cosmic magic we are delivered some ‘spiritual backbone’ to sustain us. In Capricorn the Sun reminds us that to live a spiritual life means to live a whole life, to engage fully with the material realm alongside the transcendent ones which can seem altogether more appealing at times! This is a Sun who shines bright in the midst of the material world illuminating the importance of managing it well and recognising the ever-present spirit which flows through all things no matter how mundane they may appear. The Sun in Capricorn tolerates no fools and refuses to accommodate anything which seeks to avoid rather than journey through, bypass rather than engage.
Shifting from Sagittarius with its broad visions and expansive outlook, the arrival of the Sun in this earthy sign can feel something of a let-down until we realise that without the strength and endurance of Capricorn, the aspirations of Sagittarius would never come to fruition and the innovation of Aquarius would lack any solid foundations. The Sun’s passage through Capricorn reminds us that we are material beings in a material world as much as we are spiritual beings in a spiritual one. Only when we can be both in all our fullness are we truly alive and able to effectively conduct the energies of the cosmos throughout our lives in all their radiant and paradoxical glory.
The Capricorn New Moon occurs at 1:37 a.m. on 22nd December GMT in the 1st degree of Capricorn, just a couple of hours after the Sun’s arrival in the same sign. This degree is associated with the correct use of power to support and protect the community. It speaks of embracing our influence for the good of all and recognising where our own strengths lie in order to put them to good use. A New Moon so soon after the Sun’s arrival in a sign grounds the new energy rapidly and anchors us into its resonance without further ado. It’s time to get ‘earthy’ and practical, to honour the physicality of human life and to relate to the world around us as it is, rather than as we would prefer it to be! The cosmic magic which can help us understand what’s really going on between ourselves and others needs to be grounded now, not left floating in the ether as we look with wonder though someone else’s eyes. This is not an exercise in spiritual acuity but practical application of spiritual truths. If we have seen our situation in a different light by way of this window of ‘magic’ now is the time to put that insight to good, practical use and ensure we change as a result. This is often the biggest challenge of the spiritual path: living our insights in the material world, not simply stashing them away in some other realm to gaze upon when we have time to visit! No spiritual truth is of any value if we do not put it into practice and live it as if it is our very breath.
At the time of the New Moon Venus, Mars and the North Node in Libra remind us that we live in an interconnected world and there is simply no way we can avoid this fact. No matter how sensitive we may feel, how challenging everyday life may be or how out of step we feel with so-called social ‘norms’ we are still a part of the collective whole and contribute our bit to it as much as anyone else. At a time such as this when many are waking up to the possibility of living life in an altogether different way, many feel isolated and cast adrift. We may identify with our difference and see it as special or we may suffer with it and perceive ourselves to be a poor ‘fit’ for the world as we know it. In fact none of this is true, for we are simply doing our bit and tending our own little corner of the collective awakening. We don’t have to make it about us at all, but about the greater good and the broad community of which we form a part on this beautiful planet. The deeper the awareness we can bring to the details of our lives, no matter how mundane they may appear, the more we can move through the world with an open heart and mind and the better we can embody what is needed at the right time.
This shift of the Sun into Capricorn followed by the New Moon reminds us that we cannot escape the world. As human beings it is where we are meant to be, conducting cosmic forces into the material realm, grounding the energy of awakening and manifesting the evolutionary thrust of these times on the physical plane. With five planets now in Capricorn it is time to embrace this fact, not look for some way to avoid our physicality, the demands of the human realm and the collective presence which is the human race. If we are here incarnate it’s because here incarnate is exactly where we’re meant to be, with all the challenges and heaviness, satisfactions and rewards of living a spiritual life in a physical world.
At the time of this New Moon we can settle into our physical nature, feel our body’s connection with the earth, enjoy the sensations and stimulations of the world around us and know that we are as much matter as spirit and body as soul. Both of these is exactly what we are meant to be, full and complete: spirit incarnate and physical form, radiating the divine in all that we do.
Sarah Varcas
