Blain Bovee - Sabian Symbol Specialist

Virgo 8: First dancing instruction

"First dancing instruction" 8 Virgo

 

This symbol is illuminated 1:21 PM EDT Aug. 30 (5:21 PM GMT, Aug. 30)

 

Theme: First position.

 

Inspiration: 'First position' is a point of readiness from which all moves, regular or urgent, can be executed with precision and command.

 

Today: It could be called 'on your toes' day. 

 

Like sports activities such as basketball, football (soccer), or tennis, the first instruction… first position.. is to be on your toes and therefore ready to move in any direction for maximal effect.  

 

When standing with the weight shifted back on the heels, one cannot move quickly nor respond immediately to changing circumstance. On the football (soccer) pitch one would be left standing like a fool at the expense of more skilled and nimble opponents.

 

In mindfulness practice, the idea is to come back to first position… to each breath just as it leaves the nostrils… to the present moment…. open and aware… ready.

 

Precision and refinement polish the capacity to assess priorities. The key is readiness. Be on your toes. Be aware of breathing out… that instantly re-establishes first position.

 

Virgo 7: A harem

"A Harem" 7 Virgo

 

This symbol is illuminated 12:32 PM EDT Aug. 29 (4:32 PM GMT, Aug. 29)

 

Theme: Compromise.

 

Inspiration: Going out, venture with those with whom you feel an affinity; coming back, return to those with whom you belong.

 

Today: It is a new circumstance day. Not that everything is changed necessarily, just  starting again with a sense of precision and refined beauty. 

 

Imagine going back to school for example. It is a return, but often new clothes, new appearance and a more developed sense of identity brings an exactness and precision to the whole matter. Or, consider a new venture. Who is it you would feel comfortable venturing out with?

 

The seed moments of a New Moon set the terms for the next two weeks. It is at bottom a matter of compromise… what are you not willing to compromise about your own character. The harem degree often strikes the chords of comfort weighed against a rugged way ahead. Personal and familial affinities inform all important decisions.

 

 

Virgo 6: A merry-go-round

"A merry-go-round" 6 Virgo

 

This symbol is illuminated 11:42 AM EDT Aug. 28 (3:42 PM GMT, Aug. 28)

 

Theme: Turn of the wheel.

 

Inspiration: A turn of the wheel generates the potential for something new to be brought into existence and shared with others.

 

Today: The merry-go-round points to a willingness to get along with others. Call it meshing.

 

Imagine a felt sense of willingness to be in tight quarters with others, all on the basis of getting along, moving ahead together.

 

It is as if all sense that something quite organic has been seeded and that the outcome, wherever, whenever it may emerge, is a worthy destination. The day suggests compliance is to be favoured over complaint regarding imagined tight circumstances. But it also suggests that, rather than just another turn of the same, something new can be envisioned with success.

 

Virgo 5: A man dreaming of fairies

"A man dreaming of fairies" 5 Virgo

 

This symbol is illuminated 10:51 AM EDT Aug. 27 (2:51 PM GMT, Aug. 27)

 

Theme: Super-sensible.

 

Inspiration: Light dances lightly in a dense world.

 

When each particle of light, bush, tree and invisible creature explode like fireworks in every moment, this is when magic happens.

 

Today: You know it by the way the sunlight seems to infuse and sparkle in every perceptible moment, through every breeze colour and hue. Perceptible, yet beyond: magic sparkles at al times everywhere.

 

When such super-sensible realities merge with everyday experience, it is best not to press on with heavy-handed plans, nor to despair about impossibilities. Look into the shadows of bright light, into the brill and sparkle of shadow: magic will happen.

 

Watch for a sense of not having everything under control or of being in over your head. At those times, step back, breathe, and let the imperceptible power of the moment bring the solution. In this way, dreaming of fairies is not an escape from reality, but rather a richness of experience.

 

Virgo 4: A chocolate child playing with whites

"A chocolate child playing with whites" 4 Virgo

 

This symbol is illuminated 9:59 AM EDT Aug. 26 (1:59 PM GMT, Aug. 26)

 

Theme: Tolerance.

 

Inspiration: Unusual circumstances can bring one to like another, much to your own surprise.

 

Today: Most experience a time when someone you dislike or distrust is encountered in unusual circumstances. It could be while helping the neighbours clean up after a heavy storm, at emergency room in the hospital or during a volunteer meeting. Perhaps a celebrity is met while in casual, out of the limelight surroundings… or a politician of a political ilk your detest… or even a Toronto Maple Leaf fan!

 

In the new context, even enemies can be appreciated for being human, having cares and being caring.

 

The chocolate child brings acceptance, receptivity and tolerance to the table, plus, an element of fun and play.

 

In ordinary circumstances, for example a suit giving a serious speech on the reliability of the financial world,  listen with a sense of bemusement. You can be sure that once behind the curtain, cynical guffaws are likely to ensue.

 

Try to be serious; end up with egg on your face. It is a cream pie kind of day. Best to have fun with it. Serious self-justification and rationalization is just a joke.

 

Virgo 3: Two angels bringing protection

"Two angels bringing protection" 3 Virgo

 

This symbol is illuminated 9:07 AM EDT Aug. 25 (1:07 PM GMT, Aug. 25)

 

Theme: Echo.

 

Inspiration: 'Angel' is the name for the silence that echos in our deepest chambers of prayer.

 

Today: It is possible that a sense of deep frustration, even of despair, may manifest for many today.

 

It is as if, in the darkest moments of solitude, our prayers ring hollow, receive no answer. And while we congratulate those whose angel appears with a name blazoned as if upon a Green Bay Packer jersey, for most the answer to prayer lies in a silence immersed in the uncertainty of becoming.

 

If silence is all that emerges when in prayer, does that mean you have received no answer? Perhaps silence, echoing emptiness, is in fact the answer… silence immersed in the divine. 

 

Or, to paraphrase Soren Kierkegaard, palpable silence held fast in the passionate grasp of subjective inwardness.

 

Suggestion: do not be in haste to paint the walls of your own prayer chambers with despair. Your inwardness is a process of choosing. Human character is formed on the ground of openness, passionate and sustained by the receptivity that does not fill in the empty space with a foolish answer.

 

Virgo 2: A large white cross upraised

"A large white cross upraised" 2 Virgo

 

This symbol is illuminated 8:14 AM EDT Aug. 24 (12:14 PM GMT, Aug. 24)

 

Theme: Higher standards.

 

Inspiration: Personal refinement comes through attention to personal details… there is charm in the small stuff.

 

Today: When standards are hoisted… or foisted… a definite change in the atmosphere can be felt.

 

If secure, the little things in life take on a healing warmth and charm. Imagine keen attention brought to ordinary tasks such as cooking, washing, simple exercise. Executing even the small matters of everyday life brings a valuable sense of satisfaction.

 

If not so secure, a rash of justification and cross condemnation candominate the space.

 

Great day to change your behavioural ways such as tidying up the house, readying the tools of your craft, doing that yoga routine mindfully,  or uplifting the way you perform any personal task.

 

Great day to be mindful of all things.

 

Virgo 1: A man's head

"A man's head" 1 Virgo

 

This symbol is illuminated 7:20 AM EDT Aug. 23 (11:20 AM GMT, Aug. 23)

 

Theme: Personal character.

 

Inspiration: Kung Tse said, "To rise above the sea of anonymity is the mark of the man of character".

 

Today: A man's head signifies the refined characteristics and character of the individual against an indistinct background of the social crowd.

 

Today, conversations may hone matters of integrity, or the lack thereof, by way of recognizing who you are as a resonance, or lack thereof, of uplifting virtues… those humanist powers that make a difference in the world.

 

Throughout history, all sage wisdom exhorts "to thy own self be true". One need not be exactly like bearded Socrates to know this, nor to recognize when the crowd is, blinking and unaware, being herded along the path of the lowest common denominator.

 

Of the many praises that can be sung of beautiful Virgo, this may be best: refine who you are; to be genuine and of good character is everything.

 

Leo 30: An unsealed letter

"An unsealed envelope" 30 Leo

 

This symbol is illuminated 6:26 AM EDT Aug. 22 (10:26 AM GMT, Aug. 22)

 

Theme: Confidential.

 

Inspiration: Knowledge that is available to be discovered gives rise to issues of trust and confidentiality.

 

Today: One may feel a powerful need to share some confidence with another. It is as if a secret trust is on the line.

 

In such situations, it is important to to not breech confidences, and, by extension, if you have important information best kept private, consider not writing it down or leaving sensitive documents lying about.

 

On spiritual levels, extraordinary dimensions may open easily… like a dream door opening to secret chambers of mystic mansions. Ideas can come to life. Meditations can soar with deep-grounded knowing. 

 

In worldly matters, do be careful of suspicions and distrusts: the tiniest hints of such can grow to unmanageable monsters.

 

Leo 29: A mermaid

"A mermaid" 29 Leo

 

This symbol is illuminated 5:30 AM EDT Aug. 21 (9:30 AM GMT, Aug. 21)

 

Theme: Other than it seems.

 

Inspiration: One definition of the 'mermaid' phenomena is to see something wondrous which turns out to be a glamour that is only skin-deep.

 

Today: Everyone has those times when the allure of something or someone is so enjoyed that when it turns out to be a fake, a knock-off, a seal in woman's clothing, the let-down can be steep.

 

It may be treacherously easily to imagine good things today. Not that matters have to turn out false or less than promised, just that the possibility is magnified somewhat today. It may be treacherously easy to imagine not-so-good things today as well.

 

The core theme of the mermaid is to wiggle out of a tight position. If you are in a tight spot, just wiggle it a little and things may begin to move beautifully. Therefore, if you feel tight, things are probably other than they seem.