Masks - it's a Pluto thing

Masks made by particpants at an astrological psychology workshop. The masks they are wearing represent a part of themselves they would not nomally share or show.

 

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, mask wearing has become a hot and controversial topic. 

Some people are strongly against wearing masks, even though these are known to be the most effective barrier against spreading the Covid-19 virus and its variants. The airborne viral load breathed out or in by we humans is effectively sequestered by the wearing of masks which cover both mouth and nose. Masks protect both the wearer and everyone else they come into contact with. For me it's a no-brainer not to wear one; they're beneficial to all. Otherwise why have medical/surgical staff been wearing them long before the onset of the pandemic? How might a mask-denier feel about a surgeon operating on them without a mask, breathing goodness-knows-what out into the operating theatre and all over them?

So why don't people like them? Is it purely to do with not liking the effect they have on being able to breathe properly or communicate easily? Or is it something to do with people not liking being "told" what to do, maybe thinking they know best? Thinking they look a bit daft or strange wearing them? How vain and anti-social might that be?

In astrology, masks are associated with Pluto, the outermost planet in our solar system, most distant from the Sun, and is associated with the psychological drive of transpersonal will, which is engaged when our energies are directed towards perfecting ourselves and upping our personal ante.

Pluto operates at different levels of awareness. On a personal level it can be seen in disruptive, power-laden behaviour. Pluto is symbolic of the masks we wear to cover up what we don't want others to see. It can make us manipulative, allowing us to force our will on others, trying to dominate them.

Masks can also provide a hiding place for aspects of ourselves we don't want to show or share, to keep safe something hidden about ourselves - think of the smiling face and demeanour which hides a ruthless personality, or a person whose actions belie their true colours.

Masks are not all bad, as long as they are used as masks and not as a hiding place for truth. They can be fun too, but in a superficial way - think of masked balls, dressing up in costumes for a specific role, and make-up which transforms the face of the person beneath. Pluto is the transpersonal planet of tranformation, change and power, things which should definitely be used with awareness and always with the mantra of "do no harm". 

Pluto as a power trip is the expression of this planet at its lowest level; at its highest level of expression personal power has to be surrendered and control relinquished. Those who refuse to wear masks and disapprove of those who do have quite a way to go yet on their path to perfection, which is Pluto at it's highest level: the perfect being. 

That's something we all have to work at, but maybe the mask-deniers have to do it just that little bit harder.

NB - I'm aware that some people have exemptions for wearing masks because they have a medical condition. I know someone in this category who wears an uncomfortable face shield to protect herself and others when she is out, and I take my hat off to her for doing this selflessly.

 

 

 

There's more on Pluto and the transpersonal planets in my book,

 The Cosmic Egg Timer,

and in The Planets by Bruno and Louise Huber.

Both books are available on Amazon.

Click here and here for details of these and other books on astrological psychology.

 

What would you like to see more of in the World?

 

Twelve years ago today, on 3rd Augsut 2009, I completed my one hour on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London, as part of artist Antony Gormley's "One and Other" project.

I'd been randomly selected from those who applied to stand on the plinth (my  daughter entered my name without me knowing) and on reflection it was one of the most memorable things I've ever done, although it was both scary and challenging at the time.

My granddaughter - my first grandchild - was born while I was on the plinth, making the event even more significant, and today is her 12th birthday. She's now pre-teen, and will be a teenager in a year's time. I'm currently musing on what sort of world - the world we're in right now - she's going to inherit.

Ahead of my stint on the plinth, I asked friends and family "What would you like to see more of in the world" and they provided plenty of words expressing different qualities.  I read these out while I was up on the plinth, many of them receiving cheers and applause from the crowd down below (they also cheered enthusiastically when I announced the birth of my first grandchild, news of which had been shouted up to me by excited family down on the ground).

In these current times of uncertainty, pandemic, upheaval and ever-encroaching climate change I feel the need to reiterate and re-share some of the words I read out as a reminder and a memory-jogger of collectively held aspirations for a better world. We can always do better.

It's easy to be complacent, especially after 16 months of lockdowns and disappointments, so it's good to remind myself (you too if you take this on board) that we all have the power - the "power of one" (ourselves) -  to work towards something more positive in the months and years ahead. And to remember that children - like my increasingly grown up granddaughter -  are our future.

While I was on the plinth I read out most of the 94 words sent to me by family and friends saying what they would like to see more of in the world. Everyone involved offered words which have qualities and meanings that are universally understood and go beyond the personal.

It's time to reconnect with them and live them.

 

Are you Nice or are you Kind?

Twin sisters, Brittany

I was inspired to explore the theme of "nice and kind" having read a blog post by Jane Fritz on this topic.

I left a comment on her blog, having pondered on the differences between being nice and being kind. Using my understanding of psychosynthesis, which underpins the astrological psychology which I use and am most familiar with, I said:

"...if you’re being “nice” you’re probaby coming from a sub-personality but if you’re being “kind” you’re coming from a far more authentic place – your very centre, the core of your being. Kindness is more of a transpersonal quality, aligned with love. If you’re coming from your centre, you’ll be heard (not neccesarily liked, but your truth will shine through), whereas being nice is more cosmetic and without depth and authenticity. But niceness and kindness can cooperate – it’s possible to be kind and nice at the same time, loving and firm."  

I went on ponder on how the expression of "niceness" and "kindness" might work out in the context astrological psychology, and specifically in an individual's natal chart. The Moon - the ego planet associated with contact needs, emotional dependency and the need to be loved - is most likely to be the root and base from which nice and kind behaviour stems.

Expression of the nice aspect of the Moon may come when this planet is operating at an asleep, unaware level, when childish needs, often ignored when the person was growing up, are still seeking fulfillment, and they do not want to be hurt, or for  things to be unpleasant, or to be seen as someone who is not "nice". So what may be presented to the world is not neccesarily "nice" as it may have other, often unconscious motivations driving it.

Being kind is another matter altogether, and draws on the awake, fully conscious aspects of the Moon. Coming from this place, the person is comfortable within their own feelings, and far more aware of their needs; they can ask for them to be met and they don't have to skate around things being nice; they can be direct. The qualities which come into play here are harmlessness, openess, receptivity, sensitivity and compassion.

Of course, most of us can be both nice and kind - if you're being kind you're going to be nice, pleasant, well-mannered, good humoured and all the other meanings in between - and you're very likely to be expressing kindness and consideration too.

The elderly twin sisters in the photo at the start of this post seem to me to be expressing not just being nice as they did their volunteer work in this church in Brittany, they were being kind too. Their faces show warmth, they were friendly, charming and had a sense of humour too. Their kindness shines through.

We need kindness, probably more then ever right now, in this stage of our human evolution, and as we work our way through this pandemic.

Saturn

  

Arnol Blackhouses, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides

               

This article offers a practical exploration of Saturn. Readers  - you do not need to have any prior knowledge of astrology, or of what the planet Saturn represents - although what I've written here will give you some ideas to mull over.

Do you check the weather forecast before you leave home to see if you’ll need an umbrella, carry a train timetable with you when going to the station, and make sure you have a map in the car when setting off on a journey to a new destination? If you answered “yes” to any of these, then you were probably drawing on your own resources of Saturnian energy.

In astrology, the drive associated with Saturn is for Security. Saturn is concerned with structure and form, always seeking to organise, preserve and maintain things within manageable limits. In our solar system, Saturn is the furthest planet that can be seen by the naked eye.  Before the outer planets were discovered, following the invention of the telescope, Saturn’s position marked the outermost limit of our knowledge of the solar system, so it is not altogether surprising that astrologically it symbolises limitation, boundaries and our own security drives.

It is the planet that swings into action when we need to know just exactly where we stand, so having social structures, guidelines and rules to abide by are all part of Saturn’s realm. Saturn gives the physical sense of self which we gain through the body. The structure, organisation and limitation associated with Saturn are present in the various systems in the body - the respiratory system, the circulatory system, and the digestive system, to mention just a few. The skeletal system provides a firm, solid physical structure around which the other systems are organised. As all these systems are interdependent, their clear-cut organisation is vital. The skin - our own boundary which marks our physical outermost limits - contains them all.

Saturn helps us to become responsible and reliable as individuals; if we live within the rules and guidelines of society then we reap the benefits of feeling safe and secure. Saturn is the perfect foil to  unfettered over-expansiveness and behaviour which can get out of hand. If not contained, our excesses can take us beyond the limits of acceptability.

Saturn helps in curbing what might become outrageous behaviour by giving us a sense of caution and responsibility. Taken to extremes, this sense of caution can become fear,  holding us back and restricting us in everyday life, so it’s important with Saturn that we get the balance right, and that we don’t allow our fears to hold us back from doing what is important for us. 

Because it symbolises such qualities as  responsibility and caution Saturn may not sound like much fun, so it’s important that we understand its positive attributes. It’s value should not be underestimated as it plays an essential role in our psychological make up. Like all the planetary qualities and energies, it can operate at different levels of consciousness, sometimes dormant and inert and responding in a habitual manner, but at its highest level Saturn will endow us with the ability to act with dignity and maturity. 

Then we can live with a clear conscience, accessing the deep learning of life we have developed, and become a mentor and benefactor  to those who seek our help, support and advice.

The Magic of Psychosynthesis

When I first wrote this post, I said "We are living in troubled, unsettling times, not just here in the UK where I sit and write, but in many countries around the world." It was the time of Covid and lockdowns and many of the other ills which seemed to beset the world we live in - and not much has changed for the better since.

I continued.... and please read to the end, there is some light at the end of the tunnel but we have to help create it.....

Since early 2020, Covid-19 has become the focus of our energy and attention, with lockdowns on a global scale which continue to disrupt daily life as people and economies struggle to adapt and cope. There is a small glimmer of light at the end of this dark tunnel of a year we've been going through with the success of the vaccines that have been researched. They are yet to be approved and rolled out, but in the UK, the  government, desperate for some good news, are positing Easter 2021 as the date for a return to "normal". I'm not so sure about that; there are other issues in the UK which could be stumbling blocks.

Brexit, largely eclipsed by the pandemic, is now exposed for what it could really mean for the UK. It has morphed into an unpleasant can of worms and the effects reverberate not only in the UK, but in other countries in the European Union which are involved in this mess. The negotiations with the EU continue  - I think! - but we hear little of them as time runs out, ahead of our scheduled departure on 31st December. Happy New Year UK? I wonder....As an astrologer and practitioner in astrological psychology, I can turn to my ephemeris to see what might be going on through an astrological lens, knowing full well that Saturn and Pluto have been in Capricorn for sometime now. Working alongside, they’re gradually grinding down and clearing out the outworn structures of the so-called “establishments” which are taking the hits. Like industrious workmen, they get on with their own jobs, coming together from time to time to combine both energy and effect. From April to June 2019 they rubbed along together for a while in conjunction; they touch base with each other again in December, staying in tandem until February 2020.

What, you’re probably wondering, does this have to do with Will Parfitt’s new book – The Magic of Psychosynthesis: initiation and self development? The answer is just about everything. The book is a treasure trove for anyone on the path of personal growth and self discovery - what the author calls The Work. Moving from the stage of Aspirant (as we all are) to Adept (what we aspire to) Will offers clear and detailed signposts for how to navigate, travel and develop our inner world, yet remain fully grounded and connected to the changing world and environment we live in.

The book acts like a spiritual satnav, gently guiding the reader through the principles of Assagioli's Psychosynthesis with a wealth of practical exercises to support the journey. Students of Astrological Psychology will already be familiar with the Egg Diagram, and with the analogy of the orchestra, the sub-personalities being different players within the orchestral whole, or Self.

Using reflective meditations based on Assagioli’s four steps in experiencing the will, readers are encouraged to explore their awareness and use of their own will, with techniques to build up muscle and strength here. In astrological psychology, developing the way the Sun - the sense of self - functions in your own chart could be worked on alongside this. I liked Will’s questions here: Who is running your life? Are you directing your life? Are you in control of your life? To what extent is the direction of your life determined by outer events?….

Other compatible approaches are introduced for use alongside the The Work, such as Kabbalah and Tarot. The practical exercises throughout the book can be taken at leisure; there is no pressure to work on them in a linear fashion and I for one will be going back to the section on training the imagination to do the suggested work on automatic drawing. The exercise on selling your soul I found particularly potent, with challenging and thought-provoking questions which hold up a mirror we may prefer to avoid looking in.

Developing the transpersonal qualities of Love and Will underpin much of Assagioli’s Psychosynthesis; both are required, and while it is important to engage with the will, without love there is no cohesion, connection or wholeness. The Work, Will asserts, is about travelling the path of self discovery...and the journey has to include love too. Focussing on and developing the heart is therefore equally important, especially in these times of change and uncertainty. Will suggests that the simplest and most profound way to deal with obstacles, difficulties, challenges, opposing viewpoints (very pertinent right now in our Brexit-splintered society) is to remain heart centred. That, using an astrological psychology prism, requires stepping beyond the personal emotional needs of the Moon - our emotional needs and feelings -  in the chart and taking the leap to connect with the pure and highest manifestation of Neptunian energy – of acceptance, inclusivity and non-judgemental love.

The text of Will’s book is richly supported by references to other psychological and esoteric traditions such as Crowley, Gurdjieff, Regardie and Fortune. These do not intrude on the flow of the text with footnotes but are listed in appendices at the end of the book, along with an index of Practices and Spells.

Drawing on forty years of is own personal and spiritual development and his experience as a therapist, Will writes clearly and with warmth, as though he is speaking personally. For every exercise he emphasises the importance of grounding in real life what the reader discovers on their own explorations of the inner world. He emphasises the importance of coming back to earth, of being here now, in everyday reality and to opening the heart to love in all interpersonal relationships. This, he suggests, is especially needed in these challenging times of global change and upheaval and relates to what we as individuals can do, which is to live with a deeper consciousness of our self, and to live every day with love in action.