Dalai Lama

Happy Birthday to the Dalai Lama

I am not ready yet to write a eulogy to the Dalai Lama, and as a man of great simplicity he would not want much razzmatazz on his birthday, but I simply want to wish him a happy birthday, and to thank him for being such an inspiration in my life.  He is one of the great icons for me of peaceful resolutions, together with Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela.  I like to spend my birthday in spiritual retreat, which is something he does a lot of, throughout his daily life.  So I am sure that will form part of his birthday.  Someone may thrust a birthday cake and candles at him, given the chance.  But he keeps his level of consciousness high at all times, which requires a certain amount of solitude.

He is a Cancerian, like Nelson Mandela, both of whose life struggles were intimately bound up with the fate of their countries.  With Mercury rising in Gemini (his Ascendant sign) he is also a great teacher and a  man of great intellect, having studied very deeply the ancient treasury of Tibetan scriptures in his youth in Lhasa, and then ever more widely as he left Tibet exploring the world teachings, and became a global figure and produced a prolific body of writing, with a vastly Universal consciousness and outlook, but could  explain compassion and forgiveness to anyone.  Would that the whole world would listen… But the sense of joy that pervades him, and that tinkly laugh always ready to bubble, those are qualities of the Soul embodied in the personality, and very infectious when you are in his presence.

He has the full package of religion (Jupiter exactly trine his Sun) and Spirituality (Neptune exactly sextile his Sun), which equals Jupiter sextile Neptune (perfect balance between Religion and Spirituality).  Born to be Dalai Lama, but then the Tibetans believe in reincarnation, and he chose the symbols and objects of his predecessor when he was a tiny child, recognizing them.

He will be 80 next year, and physically he is not beyond human frailty (with a T-square between Chiron, Saturn and Neptune in his natal chart).  How are his birthday transits?  Some believe these are symbolic of the year ahead (Solar Return).  The Sun trines his natal Jupiter (some laughter), he has an exact Mercury Return in Gemini (his mind will be sharp as a razor) and Pluto is exactly trine his Neptune (one of the most consciousness-expanding transits possible).  It’s a great recipe for his birthday, and suggests that if he is writing a new book at this time, it could go beyond all he has written before.

Happy Birthday, Dalai Lama!

Aspects

Tomorrow there is a sextile between Venus and Uranus, producing a pleasant social spark.  It is a good day for artistic originality, and for good conversation in cafes or  at soirees.  You might bump into someone you haven’t seen for some time!

On Tuesday (8th) Venus squares Chiron, so you may regret something you said in your chance encounter the day before, or feel you revealed too much of yourself.  Spend a little time on self- healing, and achieving wholeness.

In the afternoon, a fresh incident may set you off again, with the Sun squaring Uranus.  It may be the same issue, or a different angle.  More self-healing required for equilibrium.  It is no good second guessing this one, because Uranus is the planet of surprise.  Trust that the Universe will send you what you need.

Just after midnight on Wednesday morning (9th) the Sun trines Saturn, so you can achieve a more grounded perspective, perhaps before sleep.  A short period of insomnia should do the trick, and things may fall into place in your mind, so that you know how to proceed.  When you turn out the light shortly after 00.28 Hrs (UK time) you may sleep through.

Thursday 10th brings another gift, in the form of Sun trine Chiron.  You may then be able to look at the whole of the events of the week, not only with equanimity, but also with the perspective of how they have conspired to first reveal your issues or wounds, and then helped you to resolve them.  You should feel more of a sense of wholeness than at the very beginning of the week.

Give yourself a day or two basking in this beautiful energy, and prepare yourself for the Full Moon in Capricorn (20 degrees) which comes late morning (UK time) on Saturday.  This is likely to affect you according to your history with Full Moons.  If you are Cancerian or Capricorn the Universe is highlighting issues relating to home and work (e.g. your home life and work balance).  Consider a job share, if appropriate.  Even if your own emotions are not a serious object of attention, someone else’s may be.  It is a time for processing, rather than charging around trying to fix things through action.  Achieve contemplation effectively, and you will clear the ground for next week, so that you will more easily be able to enjoy its gifts, which include Jupiter’s rip-roaring entry into Leo!  Some of your Cancerian issues (such as old hurts), dealt with during the Full Moon, can be laid aside permanently.

The week in bullet points:

  • Tomorrow – sparkling social scene, with a little backlash
  • Tuesday – licking wounds, then more “surprises”
  • Wednesday – settling down and stabilizing
  • Thursday – healing
  • Saturday – heightened emotion and processing required