A brief recap of the ancient astrologers view on the Sun’s yearly journey. Each of the four seasons were further divided into 3 parts. So far we’ve been exploring autumn, which the ancient astrologers referred to as the “dark of the dark”. Starting with the Equinox (the beginning of Libra, an important turning point in the year heralding autumn) there a balance of light/dark with darkness on the rise. Secondly comes Scorpio where the darkness intensifies and is sustained. The third and final segment is Sagittarius, which this article highlights. It was seen as “transitional” because as the Sun continues into the underworld (riding lower in the sky) until it culminates at the Winter Solstice and its promise of the return of the light.
According to ancient astrologers, darkness associates with wild, untamed instincts, chaos or recklessness. Light was aligned with order, direction, a sense of duty or virtue. Both were held sacred in the cycle of nature and humanity. The ancients recognized a distinction for humans because human consciousness holds awareness of our instinctual qualities (dark)vs. rational qualities (light) and the inherent tension between the two. This was their rational for aligning the symbolism of “redemption” with Sagittarius: “where there is darkness followed by a turn to the light, even though one is technically still in the dark, you have the concept of something dark being redeemed”.
The wisdom of these ancient scholars speaks through the ages, becoming strikingly applicable to life today. As the darkness thickens in this season, it is worthwhile to look at the tensions between our own light and dark; freedom and responsibility or destructive, erratic behavior vs. working for something larger than ourselves. Some novels and movies give a clue to one possibility held in this archetype: the brilliant but failed (via alcohol, drug or some addiction) police detective/lawyer/professor whose life is redeemed by a call and their need answer that call, utilizing their skills to help a victim/client/student.
The ancients speak of learning to bring the instinctual body (dark) into right relationship with the higher qualities (light) of mind. Fun, freedom and indulgence have their place just as higher purpose and responsibility. They said wilder chaotic qualities of the dark are divine, but how to hold them without letting them control you? Perhaps during the extended darkness of this season there will be time to delve into how well our darker qualities are recognized, owned and potentially integrated. There is some comfort to be found within the writings those ancient astrologers left for us; the knowledge that although this is a necessary human task, it is ongoing and therefore one we will never fully perfect.