The Squaring of the Circle
THE CANCER NEW MOON & SOLAR ECLIPSE
Friday, July 1, 2011 at 1:54 am PDT
The Moon and Sun Conjoined at 9.12 degrees Cancer
The New Moon on July 1st brings a partial solar eclipse, observable only from small section of ocean off the coast of Antarctica. While it may be small in terms of viewing, tucked in its chart is something grand — a grand cross that is, comprised of the initiating cardinal signs of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, the signs that mark the four seasonal turning points of the year. With this New Moon/Eclipse degree squaring a cabal of planets each planted in a different cardinal sign, it signals the arrival of new evolutionary energies and a potent turning point for Mother Earth.
The Cardinal Grand Cross Eclipse
Jung felt that the square, which the cross is one aspect, represented the polarized, fractured state that occurs prior to achieving inner unity — a unity which in turn is symbolized by the circle, the ultimate and infinite state of wholeness. The cross is an ancient symbol of the squaring of the circle signifying the marriage of human and divine, heaven and earth. The vertical line of the cross represented the male sky god crossing the horizontal line of Mother Earth, Gaia — the cross itself a symbol for the intersection of these two planes of consciousness.
Representations of the relationship between the circle and the square are common and universal, found in religious and spiritual iconography the world over. The symbolism illuminates a deeper dimension of meaning beyond the typical astrological perspective that a square is a tense and stressful aspect. It is indeed on one level, yet if we lift ourselves up to the second dimension to include the circle a grand cross suggests, its meaning transforms. We see the context, the entirety of the circle it divides.
The squares and circles of astrology are shown in a fundamental way through the relationship of the elements and the modes of energy. A grand cross is a good example as it consists of four squares unified by a single mode of energy, the unifying quadruplicity — a relationship that encodes this mystical squaring of the circle. Four 90-degree angles add up to 360° — the entire circle. Moreover, the four elements (fire, earth, air and water) combined with the three modes or types of energy (cardinal, fixed and mutable) give rise to the 12 signs of the zodiac circle, each a 30-degree slice of the entire astrological pie.
This sacred geometry is also evident in the Celtic Cross, shown above, an icon that predates Christianity by several centuries. Other examples of the mystical import of the square and circle are the mandalas of India and Tibet and the male-female symbolism of China. 
The masculine principle (yang) in Chinese symbolism is represented by a white circle (depicting heaven), while the feminine principle is denoted by a black square (representing earth). The white circle indicates energy and celestial influences while the black square stands for earthy telluric forces.
The interaction of these two varying forces is represented by the classic Taoist taijitu, the symbol of the Yin-Yang, a circle divided by an s-curved, sigmoid line. The white section contains a black seed within it, and the black section a white seed, signifying wholeness through complementarity. There is always at least a bit of one in the other, the connecting point. The wavy sigmoid line is also an interesting symbol denoting the movement of communication — and implies the infinite turning of the universe, the spiraling rotation that occurs from the smallest bits of matter to our immense galaxies. It is a universal symbol found in many cultures. The taijitu is also clearly evident in the glyph for Cancer, the sign of this eclipse.
The vesica piscis, another symbol adopted by the Christian religion, also represents the intersection of the two circles or planes of consciousness, inscribed on the Chalice Well cover at Glastonbury Abbey, shown here. The two circles of heaven and earth intersect, overlap, in the vesica piscis, the almond-shaped "seed" or mandorla.
You may have used Venn diagrams, perhaps in elementary school, if so you were playing with this sacred geometry. The mathematical ratio, interestingly, of the width of this overlapping vesica piscis to its height is the square root of 3. The number three, like the circle, represents wholeness and completion. Three is the trinity and it is also the third eye which can see beyond the realm of duality. The mandorla is also the yoni, the shape of female genitalia out of which we are born. Birth ultimately represents this intersection of heaven and earth, spirit into matter, and the blending of male and female in one offspring.
The mandorla is this same symbol of two circles coming together, overlapping one another to form an almond shaped middle. Mandorla incidentally is the Italian word for "almond" and also symbolizes the intersection and interdependence of opposing worlds and forces. 
Early Christians used this symbol as a means to describe the coming together of heaven and earth, the divine in the human, which was represented in Christ. The eye too, is an oval mandorla shape and carries the same geometric symbolism: the eye takes the outer world into the inner world and is itself an opening or intersection of the two. The mandorla was used extensively in Medieval and Renaissance-era religious art, a shape surrounding the figures of Christ and Mother Mary, as shown in this mosaic, Our Lady of the Assumption (Taddeo Gaddi, 1350) and signifying the divine in the human.
Another symbol that incorporates the squaring of the circle and the concept of spirit, or the divine descending is the Christian dove, the Holy Spirit, taken from the biblical story of Jesus's baptism described in Matthew (3:16):
"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him."
The dove is depicting in downward flight with another circle divided by the cross, this one a three-rayed nimbus indicating the wholeness of the Trinity. The symbol of the dove descending is also a symbol for Pentecost, a festival that marks the birth of the Christian church by the power of the Holy Spirit that was described in the Christian bible to descend upon the apostles. The word Pentecost means "fiftieth day" and is celebrated fifty days after Easter.
A Genesis Chart
This eclipse falls in the Moon-ruled feminine and fruitful, cardinal water sign of Cancer. The sign of mother nature and nurture, unconditional love, sustenance, comfort and emotional closeness, how fitting then this eclipse is the inaugural event of an entirely new family of eclipses that will influence Mother Earth for over a thousand years.
From an astrological perspective, a new eclipse series is a genesis, ushering in a brand new evolutionary energy for the planet. The chart of this first "seeding" eclipse reveals its overarching purpose that will unfold during the course of its long lifespan. This new family of eclipses will produce eight partial eclipses followed by 52 annular "ring of fire" eclipses, and will end with nine more partials. Spanning 1226 years, the very last of this series' eclipses will fall on July 14, 3237.
The eclipse degree, as mentioned forms a grand cross: squaring Saturn in Libra and Uranus and Lilith in Aries, and opposing Pluto in Capricorn, each planted in one of four cardinal signs. The chart also reveals several other planets forming a powerful relationship to the eclipse degree and also claiming an important role in the effects of this eclipse and its dynasty. One interesting player is Lilith, archetype of dark, feminine power, Adam's "first wife" (the one who most certainly did NOT spring from his rib) and a figure only suggested in her shadow aspect in the Christian bible. Lilith squares the eclipse degree, alongside change-agent and wildcard Uranus, both in fiery Aries sign of independent thought and action. Lilith is a timely reminder at this New Moon/Eclipse "joining of the male and female lights," that ALL aspects of the Divine Feminine, especially those facets that have been denied and rejected, cast out — exactly what Lilith symbolizes — needs to be brought back into the fold. This problem is especially in evidence in Western religious/philosophical values and perspectives, this "ordained" denial and rejection of the complete feminine archetype has resulted in a devastating imbalance, the horrible violent treatment of women, and by extension paved the way for destructive, predatory behavior towards Mother Earth herself.
The eclipse chart further reinforces this message of the need for balance and a return of the Divine Feminine through "blessings and abundance" Jupiter, who forms a harmonious sextile to the eclipse degree from strong Venus-ruled, fixed earth Taurus, a sign associated with the pleasures and enjoyment of earthy Eden. Taurus, an earth sign in which the feminine Moon is exalted and strong, harkens back to an age when lunar goddesses ruled the day, its glyph suggests both the horns of the bull and the crescent moon. Jupiter bestows a special blessing on this eclipse from this position of the Moon's exaltation. Neptune is also involved, the higher octave of Venus, forming a powerful trine to the eclipse degree from the sign it rules, Pisces, a feminine water sign in which Venus is exalted.
Venus too plays her own important part in this eclipse, not via aspect but through her current position opposite the mega-potent Galactic Center of our galaxy. In the center of the vast Milky Way lies this bar-shaped "bulge" harboring a huge black hole with an estimated mass of 3 million suns. X-ray-emitting, supermassive black holes are thought to lie at the center of most large galaxies, and are energetic "hot spots" of the Universe. The symbolism here is potent: Venus channeling this intense energy through her feminine lens. I wrote about the Galactic Center and its import in my last eclipse essay for the Sagittarius Lunar Eclipse which conjoined the Galactic Center. Venus now holds the position the Sun held at this last Lunar Eclipse.
An Embodiment of this "Mandorla" Eclipse
"The primary threat to nature and people today comes from centralising and monopolising power and control. Not until DIVERSITY is made the LOGIC of production, will there be a chance for sustainability, justice and peace. Cultivating and conserving diversity is no luxury in our times: it is a survival imperative."
— Vandana Shiva
Dr. Vandana Shiva, and her work to preserve nature's diversity and ecology is an inspiring example of the potential that this new eclipse family is bringing to our planet. Trained as a physicist, Shiva completed her Ph.D. on "Hidden Variables and Non-locality in Quantum Theory" at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. She is one of the leaders and board members of the International Forum on Globalization, (along with Jerry Mander, Edward Goldsmith, Ralph Nader and Jeremy Rifkin), and a prominent figure in the global solidarity movement known as the "Alter-Globalization." A social movement that supports global cooperation and interaction, while working to stop the negative effects of economic globalization that is undermining human values such as environmental and climate protection, economic justice, labor protection, protection of indigenous cultures and human rights.
Dr. Shiva is also working towards a return to the wisdom of many sound and sustainable traditional agricultural practices. She is an ardent figure in the fight against the destructive practices of industrialized agriculture and genetically modified crops in particular, which she has seen the devastating effects of in her native India. Her farm and institute, Navdanya, is a biodiversity conservation program that functions to educate farmers on sound, traditional organic farming practices and to save nature's diverse agricultural gems from extinction. Navdanya means "nine crops" which represent India's collective source of food security and long tradition and culture.
Another World Is Possible
Navdanya is actively involved in the rejuvenation of indigenous knowledge and culture, and working on increasing awareness of the hazards of genetic engineering, and is defending people's food rights in the face of biopiracy and globalization. Navdanya maintains its own seed bank and organic farm on 20 acres in Uttrakhand, north India, and has so far successfully conserved more than 5000 crop varieties including 3000 different rice varieties, 95 varieties of wheat, 150 varieties of kidney beans, 15 millets and and several pulses, vegetable, medicinal plants, and more.
"The desire to save seeds comes from an ethical urge to defend life's evolution. 150,000 farmers in India have committed suicide in areas where seed has been destroyed...where they have to buy the seed every year from Monsanto at a very high cost. Saving seeds is crucial now for our farmers, for the plant varieties and species that will otherwise be extinct, for the health of the land and ourselves. What we've done is create community seed banks, places where we collect and save seeds, rescue them from disappearance, multiply them and then distribute them according to farmers' needs. About 40 seed banks have been created across India and in these places, farmers are not in distress."
— Vandana Shiva
New evidence has surfaced regarding the real toxicity of genetically modified crops from a new study that detected the presence of Bt toxin, used widely in GM crops, in human blood for the first time. Genetically modified crops contain genes derived from a soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis or "Bt." These introduced genes make the crops toxic to pests, and until now, Monsanto and other multinational corporations that are developing and promoting GM crops have maintained that Bt toxin poses no danger to human health as the protein, they claim, safely breaks down in the human digestive system. But the presence of this toxin intact in human blood reveals that this is in fact a lie.
Scientists from the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, have detected the insecticidal protein, Cry1Ab, circulating in the blood of pregnant as well as non-pregnant women. They have also detected the toxin in fetal blood, implying it could pass on to the next generation. The research paper has been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication in the journal Reproductive Toxicology. The study covered 30 pregnant women and 39 women who had come for tubectomy at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS) in Quebec. None of them had worked or lived with a spouse working in contact with pesticides.
One Seed to Rule Them All — or Kill Them All
Monsanto's desire to spread their patented "master seed" everywhere on earth echoes Tolkien's theme of the "One Ring to Rule Them All." The "One Ring" in Tolkien's story is developed by the author in contrast to the multi-racial "fellowship," a joining of a wide variety of races and groups working together to save Middle Earth from Sauron's destructive forces. Tolkien wove in a natural truth here that strikes a deep chord, for diversity is at the root of nature. Nature does not create monoculture, its strength and resiliency lies in its diversification, the array and variation evident in all of life. Human hubris and destructive tendencies that seek to control nature leads to monopolies and monoculture, the desire to own, contain, and enslave life. Greed for money and power above all else and at any cost, the lengths to which these huge, powerful corporations will go in their attempt to control food production, to patent seeds even — Tolkien, even though he famously detested allegory, would have definitely seen the applicability of his theme here. Corporate states in powerful operation in America as well as many other so-called "developed" nations, that enable destructive monopolies, industrialized agriculture and monoculture, are the same evil forces as Tolkien's Orcs that poured out of Mordor, intent to destroy the free peoples of Middle Earth.
"The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places. But still there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater." — J.R.R. Tolkien
Dr. Shiva's very name evokes another symbol of the intersection of heaven and earth, male and female — the Shiva linga and Shakti yoni, Tantric symbols of ascending and descending forces. Her Women for Diversity statement of concern offers a summation of this essay's theme of hope for our planet's future. The turning point message of this eclipse also reminds me of Neil Young (interestingly a Scorpio like Dr. Shiva). A fragment of one of his lovely songs keeps playing in my head and actually provides good advice for those times when we do fall into despair, a state many of us find ourselves teetering on the edge of almost constantly right now: "Don't Let it Bring You Down/ It's only castles burning/ Find someone who's turning/ You will come around."
Take strength in those who are turning, like Dr. Shiva, doing something to effect change in these times of great turmoil. Find where you too can join in the fun — for it is ultimately fun, isn't it? What else could be more important than saving this beautiful planet? What greater thing is there for you to do with this precious life you have been given? You are an important part of the solution.
Women for Diversity - Statement of Concern
We women, in all our vibrant and fabulous diversity, have witnessed the increasing aggression against the human spirit, human mind and human body and the continued invasion of and assault upon the Earth and all her diverse species. And we are enraged.
We demand of governments, international organisations, transnational corporations and individual men who share our rage, that they address the crisis that has been caused by the creation of mono cultures and the reduction, enclosure, and extinction of biological and cultural diversity.
We insist that those who would address the crisis listen to and take leadership from women, indigenous peoples, farmers, and all who have raised these concerns at the local level. We ask them to heed those whose wisdom, stewardship, knowledge and commitment has already been demonstrated by the preservation of the diversity we celebrate today.
Dr. Mira Shiva, Vendana's older sister is another champion for the cause of diversity and nature over greed and destruction. A medical doctor, for the last 35 years Mira has served India's poorest through community health, while fighting the biggest pharmaceutical giants, including Union Carbide, who was responsible for the Bhobal disaster, one of the world's worst industrial catastrophes. A leak of methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals from the plant resulted in the exposure of hundreds of thousands of people. Mira is often called the Ralph Nader of India.
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Related Essays
Sunlight and Shadow — The Gemini New Moon and Solar Eclipse (June 1, 2011)
The Full Rose Moon — The Sagittarius Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse (June 15, 2011)
The "Eye of Sauron" is a celestial ring composed of dust particles in orbit around Fomalhaut, a bright star in the constellation Pisces Australis, the Southern Fish. A recent image captured with the Hubble Space Telescope makes the system look uncannily like the Great Eye of Sauron from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Image Credit: 22 June 2005, NASA/JPL/HUBBLE
Here's an interesting Wikipedia article on the geometric figure, the yin-yang taijitu
© 2012 Elaine Kalantarian, all rights reserved