The legendary King Arthur, disregarding the advice of his Druid priests, married Guinevere in a Christian ceremony – at Moondark, the very end of the Sun/Moon monthly cycle.
I may first have encountered the concept in my twenties, through the agency of Marion Bradley’s magnificent novel “The Mists of Avalon”, set in the time of druidical Britain in the era when Christianity was sweeping through the Roman Empire and the Old Religion of the Druids was being violently challenged as a result. Moondark has fascinated me for a long time. It is the time of withdrawal and dissolution of energy – think of wintertime, the stripped trees, the cold, barren earth – a time of dark power in which the old order dies at a number of different levels, so that fertile energy can emerge from the womb of the night: indeed, a time of “ dying back in preparation for the new.” Thus, every year, the time from the New Moon in Pisces to the New Moon in Aries can be seen as the 12th House phase, the Moondark time, of the entire zodiacal year. Moondark describes the end of any cycle – the 12th House phase – whether we are contemplating the monthly Sun/Moon one or the epoch-defining Neptune/Pluto cycle. The planetary cycles, from the tiny 29.5 day Sun/Moon cycle to that powerful regulator of human affairs, the 20 year Jupiter/Saturn cycle, were recognised in antiquity as weaving all life including that of human beings into an observable rhythm which brought a context of order, structure, and some comforting predictability to the patterns of life on Earth.īut whether the cycle is huge, like the Neptune/Pluto 500 year one which was not known in antiquity, or small, like the monthly Sun/Moon one, the same basic stages apply: seeding, germinating, sprouting, flowering, ripening, harvesting, dying back in preparation for the new. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…” Out of those practical observations of the heavenly bodies, so fundamental to survival in humanity’s early days, came the realisation so beautifully put in the Bible: Ancient peoples gradually came to understand, as the age of agriculture took root and developed, that the time to plant their crops was when the Moon was waxing in the early part of the 29.5 day cycle, and in the Spring, or waxing, part of the year. They timed their most powerful magical/religious rituals to coincide with the Full Moon. It is an accessible way to begin the art of chart reading – whether you want to decode your own birth chart or explore the current cosmic climate.They hunted in daylight, made long journeys by the light offered by the Moon as it moved to full illumination of the night sky 14-15 days into the cycle. And an utterly unique way to use the deck is to create visual spreads of any astrological placement. The cards can also be used as a study tool to learn astrology by creating weekly spreads and with familiarity of use "learn" astrology. The guidebook offers illustrated direction on how to use the cards – which can be as simple as picking a single, daily affirmation or creating more in-depth spreads. And the guidebook not only takes you, step by step, through the meaning of each card, but offers a concise overview of astrology and explains your unique relationship to the energies. The deck is comprised of The Planets, The Signs of the Zodiac, The Houses, The Major Aspects and The Natural Zodiac. The sheer beauty of the deck and guidebook make them works of art, at home among your most treasured items. Her fresh perspective puts a practical spin on this age-old subject, inspiring seekers to develop their own connection to the heavens. Lily Ashwell, author and illustrator, reimagines the ancient world of astrology for the modern day. Print Heavenly Bodies Astrology: Deck and Little Guidebook (Deluxe Boxset)
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