Nov. 4, 2003 — The six-pointed "Star of David" at the heart of the Nov. 8 eclipse pattern carries deep mystical meaning. We can contemplate the union of heaven and earth, yang and yin, shiva and shakti. Two other sacred geometrical patterns can also be an inspiration to our souls.
Shri Yantra
A similar pattern of interlocking triangles is that of the Shri Yantra, a most powerful Hindu symbol for the Great Goddess. More than a symbol, it is the home of the Goddess, or is the Goddess herself. A yantra is used in a meditative state as a visual metaphor of a fundamental truth that underlies the material world, facilitates an inner centering and reveals the underlying origins and dynamics of the universe. It is as if the yantra magnifies the life source from which the flower of the universe blossomed, the singularity from which the Big Bang burst forth.
In his book, "Yantra: The Tantric Symbol of Cosmic Unity," Madhu Khanna writes:
Yantras function as revelatory symbols of cosmic truths and as nstructional charts of the spiritual aspect of human experience. All the primal shapes of a yantra are psychological symbols corresponding to inner states of human consciousness, through which control and expansion of psychic forces are possible (p. 12).
As a medium of dialogue with the cosmos, the yantra facilitates expression of inner and outer experience of our connectedness with the universe. In ritual practice, concentrated attention on the yantra energizes the power represented in the sacred diagram and can transform mundane experience into a psychic one, revealing the power behind the form.
Khanna explains:
Despite its cosmic meaning a yantra is a reality lived. Because of the relationship that exists in the Tantras between the outer world (the macrocosm) and man¹s inner world (the microcosm), every symbol in a yantra is ambivalently resonant in inner-outer synthesis and is associated with the subtle body and aspects of human consciousness (pp. 21-22).
To stimulate your experience of the eclipse, you can find the Shri Yantra on the Internet, of course. Google it, or use this one.
Vesica Pisces
The other relevant sacred pattern is the Vesica Pisces. It is made of two interlocking circles, each touching the center of the other so that a mandorla is created in the center. The Vesica Pisces was well-used in Christian symbolism as a key image for the Age of Pisces and is found on a holy wells dedicated to the goddess. As a key symbol for the Age of Pisces, it contains the fish-like mandorla in the center joined with the Virgo polarity in its evocation of Mary, the Virgin and the Magdalene. It is the basic pattern upon which the "Flower of Life" is built, a multi-dimensional pattern of interlocking Vesica Pisces that was found in a Egyptian temple. It is also a beautiful model for relationship, representing the union of two wholes that together create a sacred center. The seed-like mandorla is evocative of the portal of life, therefore its goddess connection. With an inherent geometric form of the golden mean, the curving dimensions of the Vesica Pisces ripple through psychic states, opening inner doorways to consciousness.
You can easily draw this symbol for yourself and use it like a mandala. I did this once at the start of a love relationship. We did this in a recent workshop, contemplating dimensions of the god/dess. It resonates with the meaning of the eclipse pattern and with the Shri Yantra. Simply draw two equal size circles touching centers. You can see the pattern on this Web site. A French-Mexican artist has used this symbol as a centerpoint in her evocative work. See www.ariellemasson.com.
The eclipse images of Sun and Moon tell the story of a pregnant woman, the Earth Mother, and a battle of swords and torches, of might and light. The potency of Scorpio-Taurus is the power of desire that gives birth to reality, the union of spirit and matter. Desire aligns the subatomic energy fields to produce manifestation. What are we giving birth to? Tuning into the sacred patterns will help us psychically align to the cosmic flow, love and light, and allow the goddess to give birth to a transformed reality.
These sacred images of the Goddess — the Shri Yantra and the Vesica Pisces — carry through to the solar eclipse on Nov. 23 when we focus on the point of union, the One, the All-point. This centerpoint, says Khanna:
not only serves as a bridge but is Cosmic Unity underlying the physical diversity of the world. This metaphor also alludes to the Indian vision of the structure of the cosmos, which is conceived of as a holon, growing and expanding in concentric circles, and then contracting, dissolving into a single principle. The expansion can be atomic or infinite; no matter what their magnitude, the expansions and contractions are interconnected and integrated in the general framework supported by the centre (p. 9).
From New Moon to Full Moon, we experience expansion. The peak point is the Full Moon eclipse, the blossoming. Then, during the waning Moon, we are in a contraction stage, naturally letting go of what is not resonant with the beauty of the cosmic revelation. At the New Moon, the energy dissolves back into the One, like the singularity of modern astrophysics that gives birth to a new cycle, a new seed — of a rare-scented flower. Let's inhale its fragrance. We can practice by smelling the roses every day.
Editor's note: Astrologer Kelley Hunter lives in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, where she leads stargazing nights and teaches with Self Centre International at Caneel Bay Resort. During January-February she is astrologer-in-residence for the Omega Institute programs in the Caribbean. Hunter recently earned her doctorate in an interdisciplinary combination of philosophy, cosmology and myth. To be on her e-mail list for monthly articles or for an astrology consultation, write her at kellhunter@earthlink.net.
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