[Republished from November 30, 2010. Also see http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2011/01/serpent-awakens.html]
I am the Sacred Serpent,Prophet and protector, helper and healer.
With a mind of magic,
A tongue of truth,
And eyes of mystic wisdom.
- Jezibell
Shrouded in mystery, the serpent awakens.
As the Sun encounters the great healer Ophiuchus, we plunge once more into the depths of becoming. Rebirth awaits.
A shamanic journey begun a year ago will carry us through the holiday season this December and into the new year. Along the way, we fuse with the galaxy through a series of planetary alignments that awaken the soul to higher truth, deeper purpose, divinity.
Between now and January 4, we have the chance of a lifetime to choose a new destiny for ourselves and our world.
The Line-Up
Beginning today, the Sun transits the constellation of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder, and continues this journey through December 18.
Ophiuchus leads into the Solstice Sun's alignment with the Galactic Equator, an every-26,000-year phenomenon connected with 2012 and the Mayan calendar.
This year, the lunar and solar cycles dovetail in a rare and miraculous Total Lunar Eclipse on December 21 just hours before the Solstice alignment. Because the eclipse portal connects with the heart center of the Milky Way, the creative potential of this alignment is off the charts.
We are reborn January 4 with a Solar Eclipse on the Capricorn New Moon.
The Serpent Holder initiates this five-week sequence. As a year of chaos and questions comes to a close, we have another five weeks to clear emotional debris and create intent around how we'd like to shape our reality as we cross the 2012 threshold. This applies at a personal and planetary level.
Our inner journey during this time reflects the Sun's transit. The period will be intense, volatile and transformative. Expect disruption. Eclipses break up energy patterns, shaking the foundations of the established order. Think back to the raucous months of June, July and August of this year. We progress to the next level now, six months later.
Is It a Sign?
Ophiuchus is healer, bridger and wayshower, an interdimenionsal portal lying beyond Scorpio and Sagittarius. But is it really a sign of the zodiac? After all, signs and constellations aren't the same thing. There's no widespread agreement among contemporary astrologers. Having 13 signs in the zodiac certainly upsets the cosmic order of a system where a 12-sign zodiac matches nicely with a 12-house horoscope.
Known to ancient astrologers and depicted in the Temple of Hathor at Dendera, Egypt, Ophiuchus is re-emerging as a transformational gateway in these transitional times. Those who opt to include this 13th sign call it Ophiuchus or Serpentarius.
Serpent Medicine
Back to the Serpent. In esoteric traditions, long before fear and religious fervor distorted ancient teachings, the Serpent represented the cosmic, creative force of the universe, Divine Source. It's awakening, uncoiling form is associated with rising life-force kundalini within us.
The Feathered Serpent of the Meso-Americans, named Quetzalcoatl, represents our enlightened state as God-realized beings embodied on Earth. The Fire Serpent with its coiled tail is a master symbol in the Eastern healing tradition of Reiki. The spiral-coil denotes the underworld in shamanic traditions.
In shedding its skin, the Serpent represents the potential of life beyond death, the shamanic promise of rebirth. Coiled, it is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
Who, then, is Ophiuchus, the holder of the Serpent in the heavens? He is healer, shaman, magician, alchemist, sage and mystic. He represents the potential of humanity to attain enlightenment as we release fear, conditioning and the emotional scarring of countless liftimes.
Ophiuchus offers a glimpse of our own divinity to anyone who has the courage and desire to journey through this shamanic, multidimensional portal, the planetary gateway of year-end 2010.
Ophiuchus: 13th Sign of the Zodiac - On December 8, we gathered for a special initiatory tele-event, Ophiuchus: 13th Sign of the Zodiac, during the Sun's transit of this mysterious region of the sky. Learn about characteristics and meaning of this re-emergent sign and how Ophiuchus influences your personal astrology. Enter the Temple of Aesclepius to commune with the Serpent Bearer and connect with your inner healer. You can order the mp3 and extensive study guide here: http://www.starpriestess.com/events.html#ophiuchus
