{"id":67282,"date":"2013-05-24T15:33:44","date_gmt":"2013-05-24T19:33:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/?p=67282"},"modified":"2013-05-24T15:40:32","modified_gmt":"2013-05-24T19:40:32","slug":"theres-still-time-spring-eclipse-seed-planting-experiment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/daily-astrology\/theres-still-time-spring-eclipse-seed-planting-experiment\/","title":{"rendered":"There’s still time: spring eclipse seed-planting experiment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apologies for not being able to get this on the blog with a little more lead-time, but I hope a few readers are able to plant some seeds for this last spring eclipse! — Amanda<\/em><\/p>\n

We have one more eclipse this spring. And though it is not aligned with Taurus, the fixed earth sign at the peak of spring, the earth is still very much a focus for many of us — and a primary element in a cool experiment in applied astrology. You still have time to try it with the Sagittarius Full Moon and lunar eclipse (exact at 12:25 am EDT Saturday). Len Wallick shared the project with me a few days before the last eclipse in Taurus. <\/p>\n

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Nasturtium seedlings; photo by Amanda Painter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It can be easy for astrology to get very abstract, and we don\u2019t always make it practical, tangible and visible for ourselves; its cycles ask us to look and think in longer spans of time that can be hard to reconcile with the speed of a life lived partially online. But we can be an agent in those cycles, in addition to being an observer, when we consciously engage in simple exercises linked to the natural world. <\/p>\n

According to Len — and the kind woman who taught him this experiment — planting seeds at a spring eclipse (no matter if the Sun is in an earth sign or not) can help you to focus on what\u2019s moving in your life as an eclipse unfolds itself through time. Len shared the technique with me two weeks ago, when it suddenly dawned on me why I was having such a hard time \u2018reading\u2019 the chart for the Taurus solar eclipse.<\/p>\n

It was such a striking chart, with all those planets in Taurus so close to the Sun and Moon. I kept thinking its significance for me should be obvious, arriving on my birthday as it was. But every time I looked, I drew a blank; and then I realized: with this event conjunct my Sun, it was in my \u2018blind spot\u2019.<\/p>\n

I mentioned this in passing to Len via email that day, and he gave the best reply:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Good point about the blind spot. That is one thing a lot of astrologers ironically (but predictably) overlook with conjunctions (along with conjunctions being the beginning of a new cycle and the ephemeral merging of planetary energies). Conjunctions are like not being able to see your own eyes while standing in a circle of people holding hands. Or being too close to a person or situation to see it objectively. That is especially true of conjunction to the natal chart by transiting objects — there is not the time to \u2018catch\u2019 and consider that you have with a natal conjunction.<\/p>\n

Here is what I would recommend as a ceremony for you during the eclipse. Have a small clay flowerpot ready with soil and some water. About 8:30 pm your time on Thursday, take a break from working on the subscriber edition, and plant several seeds in the pot. By the time they sprout, see what has come of the eclipse.<\/p>\n

By the time they flower, see again. Check the astrology each time (sprout and flower) and compare it to the eclipse chart. It will be worth the trouble.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As a Taurus, I was thrilled by the tangible physicality of the exercise — I love digging in the dirt — and the fact that if I planted flower seeds, I would be rewarded with beauty in several weeks\u2019 time. But there was one problem: I had agreed to go see my younger brother\u2019s showing of his student film (in a grouping of others) at a local cinema. The showing was from 7 pm till about 9 pm; the eclipse and New Moon would be occurring at about 8:28 pm my time. Plus, it looked like some of the films might be dark, violent or just plain crass. Not exactly what I wanted to take into my psychic and emotional body during a super-special New Moon eclipse conjunct my Sun.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been really happy to see my brother so excited to go back to school to learn how to make movies, and I was looking forward to supporting him and celebrating his creation. In the last few years, however, it has become increasingly important to me to observe and honor the cycles of nature — as well as my own desires and needs. I wrote to Len:<\/p>\n

[This is] definitely putting to me questions of what I value more: ritual observation of the natural world or social gathering; my own inner growth or familial engagement; my creativity or that of a loved one; individual desires\/preferences\/values or group expectations.<\/p>\n

Or, perhaps, how committed I am to acting on those values, even if it breaks with what\u2019s expected and feels rather alien or exposed… Definitely feeling torn between simply wanting to go and support my brother versus preferring not to ingest darkness and possibly violent imagery on such a day as Thursday is.<\/p>\n

So — I just may be taking a gardening break mid-movie!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Len replied, \u201cBring the pot and seeds with you. Plant them as close to 8:30 pm as you can. That way, you can do both.\u201d Eric seconded the idea of skipping out after my brother\u2019s film. <\/p>\n

Since his piece was scheduled to be the third out of six 20-minute films, I made up my mind that no matter how awkward it felt, no matter what my mother or my brother thought, I\u2019d bring my three little flower pots full of fresh soil, two types of seeds, a full water bottle and a pencil for poking divots for the seeds in my car. I warned them both ahead of time that I\u2019d have to step out for a few minutes close to 8:30, but that I\u2019d come back in.<\/p>\n

Settled into our seat, my mother asked what I had to leave for. Feeling a little silly, I told her what I was going to do and why — and she surprised me by saying she thought it sounded great. (Days later, when my brother asked, he raised an eyebrow when I told him; he\u2019s not as into \u2018woo-woo\u2019 stuff as Mom is, and that\u2019s ok.)<\/p>\n

Sometime between 8:15-8:20, I put on my jacket, walked out to my car, got my supplies, and hustled over to a nearby park. The night was thick with mist, and I chose a large tree under which to do my planting.<\/p>\n

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Rain-kissed nasturtium seedling; photo by Amanda Painter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In one pot, I put some marigold seeds I had saved from last summer, in the other two pots, some new nasturtium seeds, and I watered them. I sprinkled some marigold seeds at the base of the tree (more a gesture of offering than an act of serious gardening). <\/p>\n

After a little standing meditation and prayer, I packed up my experiment, put everything back in my car, and returned to the movie theater to watch the last (rather regrettable) student film.<\/p>\n

I am always happy digging in the dirt, but I returned to my seat feeling strangely liberated by this odd little experiment — mainly because it involved allowing myself to make my own rules in a way. Yes, I did so at the encouragement of others, but the idea of leaving an event so important to someone I care about in order to do something he likely would not understand felt kind of daring. It felt like genuine compromise in the best sense, since my spiritual growth, psychic health and creativity and my brother are both important to me.<\/p>\n

The first — and only — marigold seed sprouted about six days after the eclipse; the nasturtium seeds began poking out their heads this past Monday morning.<\/p>\n

I have been acutely aware during this eclipse season of my dreams (full of a sense of importance but, like the eclipse, feeling rather like they\u2019re in a blind spot I can\u2019t fully view) as well as new creative urges I think I\u2019ve actually committed to exploring. Soon I will draw up the sprouting charts and see what emerges. Perhaps will have a follow-up post about what I learn. We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n

With slippery Neptune figuring in Saturday\u2019s eclipse so strongly, something providing extra tangibility, grounding and progress that you can see with your very eyes might be in order. If you\u2019re interested in trying this project at home, here are some additional thoughts about it that Len shared with me:<\/p>\n

The information about planting a seed with a spring eclipse comes to me from an illiterate old lady who passed on almost 3 years ago. Even though she could not read or write, she knew astrology, and often did it in her head very accurately. She was one of my teachers.<\/p>\n

The chart for the first sprouting will emphasize the Moon, primary angles, and houses. The chart for the first flowering will emphasize the Sun.<\/p>\n

The Moon is part of the eclipse. It moves faster than the Sun and therefore correlates to the shorter period of time before sprouting (as opposed to the time it takes to flower). The primary angles and houses are the only thing that move faster than the Moon, and are thus included for the same reason — giving you a revised framework for the slower-moving planets.<\/p>\n

The Sun is also part of the eclipse, and flowers look like the Sun when they open. The slower movement of the Sun corresponds to the longer time it takes to flower (as opposed to the time it takes to sprout). Of course, you would also include looking at the angles, houses, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and anything else moving faster than the Sun at first flowering.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you try it, have fun, good luck and let me know what you learn. Many blessings to you as we encounter the capstone to this eclipse season; and thank you, Len Wallick and Josey, for sharing your wisdom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Apologies for not being able to get this on the blog with a little more lead-time, but I hope a few readers are able to plant some seeds for this last spring eclipse! — Amanda We have one more eclipse this spring. And though it is not aligned with Taurus, the fixed earth sign at … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":191,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67282"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/191"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67282\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}