Full Moon Meditation – Scorpio / Taurus

SCORPIO SUN TAURUS MOON

FULL MOON (ECLIPSE) MEDITATION
OCTOBER 28th
12 NOON

Cressing Temple: The Knot Garden and temple:
https://thegardenstrust.org/cressing-temple-essex/

HEALING THE LAND, HEALING OURSELVES, …and our cultural memory. This eclipse brings great harmony, so astrologers believe, so let us expect the best and enjoy our historical landscapes with delight and expectation!

On The site of the Cressing Templar Preceptory, close to the main road between London Colchester, and the road between Witham and Braintree, sacred knowledge has been building. Its alignment tells us that the landscape between Colchester and London held a deep symbolic meaning. It aligns with Westminster, Kingston and Winchester.

The ‘Rose Centres of London’ by Peter Dawkins, illustrated an interesting invisible theme of ‘the rose in the landscape’ for our capital city.

Background: Westminster’s woodland trees bring us to earth, as guardians for the underlying sacred geograohy. (artwork C.Yonge 2019)

The ‘Rose Centres of London’ – Colchester and Winchester are equidistant to the London Stone, and road from Colchester follows the line through Westminster, Kingston Zodiac and on to Winchester.

The Knights Templar preceptory at ‘Cressing Temple’ today shows how the beautiful gardens reflect an underlying ‘archetypes’ of symmetrical beauty are still being cultivated as the knights must have known how, in the manner of a sanctuary. set up at the right place in the landscape.

‘The Green Man’ logo of the Friends of Cressing Temple –
https://thefriendsofcressingtemple.org/

The Gardens and temple of Cressing, open to the public.
https://thefriendsofcressingtemple.org.

The Gatekeeper group in the early 200’0’s unearthed the alchemical symbols of Colchester and surrounding landscape sanctuaries. They uncovered the archaeology linking to sanctuaries such as Mersey Island, where frankincense (meaning ‘noble, pure, or ‘white’) was found in the barrow. Its location was intended to convey spiritual qualities that uplift our consciousness. Thus as pilgrims, when we study the origins of myths and culture, we align with our ancestor’s values of eternal life. The Church of St Peter & St Paul in West Mersea is thought to have existed since the 7th century,

Julia Cleave 2006: When archaeologists excavated a site at Stanway, just outside Colchester in 1997, the finds from one particular grave hit the international headlines. The contents included a gaming board with white and blue counters, a complete set of medical instruments, a strainer bowl containing traces of artemesia and a unique set of rods and rings which mystified the experts. Made for divining or for divination? Now, at last, these finds have been put on display at Colchester Castle Museum as part of a new exhibition entitled Rulers, Warriors and Druids. Also on display are the contents of two other remarkable burials which we will visit in the course of the day: the treasures extracted from the Lexden Tumulus - the finest Iron-Age Burial in Britain and the lead casket containing the spherical glass bowl which enclosed the cremated remains of a child, entombed at Barrow Hill, Mersea Island.

MERSEY ISLAND BARROW

Mersey Island barrow and burial urn: – frankincense was found at the bottom of the urn.[www.ancientmonuments.uk].

How to treat the dead this way symbolizes our quest for the eternal quality of life of the spirit.

The Sphinx of Colchester – Symbol of the triumph of the Soul over Death
It is also associated with Anubis as ‘Guardian of Souls’, the gatekeeper to sacred places.,

As the Egyptian Sphinx combines a woman’s head with a lion’s body, it is also the symbol of ‘Earthly embodiment of the Soul’, Peter Dawkins suggested the ‘Sphinx Line’ at the cusp of Leo and Virgo in the zodiac, is a significant mathematical measurement symbolizing human incarnation: the body (lion) and soul (head).

THE RIVER OF STARS – OR VIA LACTIS applied to the Milky Way Galaxy

As star souls, each of us has a ‘priestly’ role to play in mediating between Universal Truth and Love, and the earthly conditions of human incarnation. There is a purpose within our hearts, which is working to bring enlightenment from every-day experience, and our love and delight for our planet is a powerful impulse.

One of our roles is healing the past, the archetypes of civilization which are embedded in the landscape. We are ‘gatekeepers’ of the invisible stars within the planetary soul of Gaia. Our ancestors laid down myth and measurement to be our guide.

The Ardley Hound

One of many ‘Black Dog’ shapes in terrestrial landscapes, others are The Girt Dog of Langport’, Black Dog Wood outside the Capricorn Zodiac near Westbury White Horse, Black Dog village linking the Exmoor and Dartmoor zodiacs, and the Guardian Dog at St Anne’s Hill, Kingston… amongst many others. They signify guardians or gateways into sacred places, to whom we as pilgrims ask the question: “Have I permission to enter?”. The answer is intuitive and is related to preparing our consciousness to listen to the invisible wisdoms encoded in the sanctuary.

Author Nigel Pennick says: The estate of Ardeley Bury is inside the head of the figure, and Ardeley church nestles just below the dog’s ear. Perhaps it is listening out for the ‘pure pilgrim poet’ passing by? https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Nuthampstead_Zodiac.html?id=VG0nAgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

SCORPIO – GATEWAY TO THE ‘RIVER OF STARS’

MEDITATION THEME:

The sun reflects the Taurean moon, the start of our Vision of ‘love in action’. At this point of transformation, we intuitively reflect on our vision path of the year as builders of vision. What challenges have we come through into a new insight? On the cusp with Gemini is a 13th sign in which we started building our seed vision with soul friends, what was our experience? How did we build our ‘dream team’ and did it inspire you with confidence? How did we together innovate to build a plan of of love in action?

THE Greeks associated ‘Annubis’ - the Egyptian ‘Guardian of Souls’ and ‘Protector of Sacred Places’ – togetherwith Hermes, protector of travellers and ‘soul guide’.

How have we explored the role of soul guide and protector for our landscape temples? The ecological challenges of modern ‘built environment’ are our focus for healing, blessing the wild, green places inside and out of our cities, cherishing the challenges we all face as the stimuli for enlightenment?

Anubis is derived from An/Anpu ‘royal child’ – the guider of souls and weigher of hearts against the feather of truth. ‘Anubis was depicted in black, a color that symbolized regeneration, life, the soil of the Nile River. [Wiki]

THE VISIONING WHEEL:

Addressing the ‘medicine’ of life, we bring our heart vision, along, building a ‘good dream’ (Taurus) through gathering soul friends and a personal support group, to begin innovating (Gemini) our vision-in-action. This constitutes the beginning of a path of transformation (the Milky Way, or ‘River of Stars’ that bring transformative experiences of preparing for a path of ‘love in action’. We develop our heart vision through exploratory piloting (Leo), and refining an action plan (Virgo), so as to put love into action in daily life (Libra). As mediators, we learn to listen to others’ visions, aspirations and life challenges.

ST CHRISTOPHER holding the Christ represents us as pilgrims holding the light of our hearts as we walk through the ‘memory theatres’ of our ancestors. The Black Dog in terrestrial zodiacs, Anubis. follows the Egyptian tradition of being ‘guardian of souls’ , ‘keeper of the scales’ ‘weigher of the heart’, ‘guardian the sacred land’ and the holy child. This figure could represent Scorpio ‘the Transformer and Alchemist’ within us, as we reflect on our creative role in life, as ‘bringers of the light’ through experience and transformation. We hold the Christ light in our hearts, and face challenges with purpose.

The additional signs in the zodiac are Ariadne and Ophiuchus are a feature of the Northumberland zodiac discovered over 4 years by Anthony Thorley. They are represented by waterways and hermit paths joining to form ‘silver wheels’, which could be expected - geomantically – to energise or turn the larger landscape wheel, and mark the entrances and exits of the Milky Way, ‘Via Lactis’ or ‘River of Stars’.

St Christopher replaced Anubis, and was depicted as a saint with a black dogs head, therefore he acquired the qualities of guardian of the Christ Child and its mission. The Greeks adapted him with a blended figure with Hermes. Later the Christians made more improvements.

‘Hermanubis’ of the Greeks. Hermes becomes guardian of the inner ‘underworld’ of the subconscious, a gatekeeper and interpreter.

‘The icon of St-Christopher is one of the most astounding images found in the Orthodox Tradition. Showing a dog-headed warrior saint, it conjures fantastical stories of werewolves or of monstrous races from Pliny’s edge of the world. .’ https://orthodoxartsjournal.org/the-icon-of-st-christopher/

St Christopher, the guardian holding the Christ child, is found in the landscape near or on the ‘Milky Way’ pilgrim route. He is interpreted as guardian and guide for sacred places, and interpreted as upholding the ‘Christ-light’ within the pilgrim along the road to transformation.

St Christopher wall painting, Layer Marney, Essex.
The sacred icon was hurriedly covered up by the Protestant tradition, now delicately restored in many churches.

King Colius of Colchester

‘When King Marius was dead, Coillus (Coel I), his son, who was a very courteous man graceful, wise, brave, and hardy, reigned after him; he knew all the Roman laws, for he had learned them in his youth at Rome, where he had been brought up, and he greatly loved the Romans, because he had received from them the knowledge of many a fine art and science. [Source: De Wavrin, p135]. The significance of Coillus seems tied up with the line linking Colchester with London and Winchester, as first the Romans and then the Normans enhanced the sacred landscape of Britain.

If London is nearby, which part do I aim for on the crossover ‘star gate’ point of significance that brings the cosmos into my life?. In a talk Anthony Thorley shows a starmap over London which shows Hackney Marsh as sitting at the Galactic centre, the site of the Olympic Stadium of 2012. How do these coincidences emerge if not through the invisible ‘astrologer tribe’ of advisers, who worked on the Mayan Callendar to see when the sun sets on the Galactic Centre. [See Anthony Thorley ‘Zodiacs of Britain’ Megalithomania]

The answer may be at the end of a line of sanctuaries SW of Colchester where ‘Old King Cole’ set up his palace and our traditional song about this merry old soul. Certainly he seemed merry – there is a legend of a King, son of Marius ap Gwierydd and Ystdrawl verch-Cynveyn Gadeon, Catuvellauni Tribe. He was father of saint Emerita verch Coel and St Lucius Lleuver Mawr King of the Silures, and brother of Eigen ferch Marius. Merrily, his name rings many bells, Coel, Coilus, Cole, Caelius, Coelis, Clius of Britain, Coelus. Hhe reigned and established an equidistant kingly seat to Winchester, where Kings Alfred, William and Rufus played host to our historic yarns.

With William crowned king, some landscape magic emerged from his ‘mystic clerics’, the bishops advised him of the right geomantic place to have his palace. He first reigned in Winchester, then moved to London under advice as to the power centres of his new kingdom.

In the balance point of Scorpio and Sagittarius, the British Zodiac ‘Milky Way’ may be rediscovered in the ancient woodland sanctuary in the remains of the Thorney Island sanctuary where rivers meet. The quest is how to bring our role as ‘modern mystic’ into the framework of history.

The violet light in the Kings tomb is at the heart of the remains of the woodland sanctuary, a tale to be told in the dusk of the city.

Editor: Charlotte Yonge (2023).