Peter Tongue Insights

As we delve deeper into the mystery of the alchemical journey each month, so our experiences become more profound and, without doubt, Virgo was our most sacred journey yet.

It was inspired by the superb hand out that Mary Dowds offered up, taking us even further into our understanding of the human condition, our frailties and our opportunities to learn and grow. Unconditional acceptance and integrating all aspects of ourselves into one complete whole. This is the ultimate lesson of Virgo. To become a self-contained human being relying on no other person or outside influence to complete us. A fully realized stand alone being.

It was at our potluck picnic lunch in Esquimalt Gorge Park where Mary filled us in on our Virgo feature while Melanie explained the astrological aspects of Virgo and the influences of the day which included the full Moon in Pisces. An opportunity to strip off another layer of self, letting go of all that no longer serves us and stepping into our true authentic self.

Beautiful things emerge as we open ourselves to vulnerability and members of our group shared their personal stories, woven around their artistic creations. Another element of Virgo. As we create through artistic expression and experience the details, so deep and profound healing can take place.

One such piece lead beautifully into our final ceremony of the day as her delightful flowing sacred feminine peace morphed into a beanstalk reaching high above a hill- unbeknown to her- the scene of our final ceremony of the day and the story of Jack and the beanstalk.

The day began in the back leg of Leo the Lion, as we linked the previous sign of Leo with our mission of the day-Virgo. This location called Hyacinth Park reminded me of an African watering hole; imagining the big game and lions coming down from the arid planes to refresh themselves. Beautiful willow trees line Colquitz Creek as it meanders along. We set our intention for the day in meditation listening to Ancient Mother by Robert Gass. A family of river otters emerged during this process, reminding us that on this day we were working with the sacred medicine of woman as the day progressed.

Somehow Ted had found a spot in the park which lined up with the "Center of the Universe" our Victoria Astronomical Observatory. This spot was the only place in the area from which you could see the shiny white dome of the "Center of the Universe". It was on a five pointed star- the diamond of home plate, in a bullpen pitching warm up area, of a softball field. Standing on this diamond point and lined up EXACTLY with the shiny white dome was the metal pole junction of the chain-linked fence. Standing on this spot and looking at the "Center of the Universe" took you beyond the limitations of the metal fence-the veil-and it just dissolved away.

Next we traveled to Craigflower Manor which used to be part of Craigflower Farm, the source of much of the food for the downtown core in the old days. Our Virgo effigy holds a wheatsheaf in her hand, a symbol of fertility, abundance and the harvest. Not surprisingly in this area in the old days, the wheat was separated from the chaff, as bread was baked in the lime kiln ovens. On this land, in the heart of Virgo, is a sacred oak tree which is a sister tree to the one in the heart of Leo the Lion at the fireside grill. We intentionally connected the two hearts of the masculine Leo with the feminine Virgo in a simple yet powerful ceremony.

The front of our Lady in the landscape follows the beautiful flowing curves of the Gorge Waterway, where we discovered a magnificent pair of trees. A common trunk in the ground, separating into a perfectly straight tree growing up to the heavens, with a flowing feminine Arbutus(Madrona) draping herself around him. Both growing strong and independent in their own way while deeply connected at the root.

Historically and amazingly this place was called the "Center of the World" so we were called to do an internal alignment to connect vertically the As above, So below through our personal Earth Star in the ground to our Soul Star above our heads aligning along our spine, not only aligning within, but also aligning with the "Center of the World" and the "Center of the Universe" along a common Axis Mundi.

This place is a sacred site to the indigenous peoples of the area-an almost unique spot in Canada which contains a reversing Falls. When the tide is coming in, there is a waterfall into the Gorge and when the tide is going out, there is a waterfall going out to the ocean. Local legend involves a grandfather and granddaughter, Camossung, throwing themselves in the Gorge and turning themselves into stone to create two large rocks to trap fish and shellfish in the Gorge as the tide flows in providing much needed food for their village.

As we watched the water gushing into the Gorge, offering us a beautiful healing opportunity through the sacred waters, standing by a 4,000 year old First Nations midden, we were reminded of how fortunate we were to be part of this sacred journey on this day. The waters reflect our gushing emotions in and out and we can only connect to the heavens when we bring ourselves to stillness-the point when the tide is neither flowing in or out-when it reaches it's still point.

We used the powerful voice of the sacred feminine through Whitney Houston to anchor this awareness in through her magnificent song, "One Moment in Time", atop Cairn Hill, a local landmark in the feet of our kneeling Virgo lady from where we can see aspects of all twelve of our landscape features.

Our final destination was Knockan Hill, the Wheatsheaf in our Lady's hand. Another native legend informs us of our lost connection to the stars and the heavens. Two sisters dream of marrying the stars in the heavens and are provided with this opportunity in the dreamtime. After some time, living in the stars, they long for their home on Earth and create a rope to transport them back to Earth. They part the heavens and drop the rope down which brings them back to earth and then it coils up to form Knockan Hill. This coiled rope represents many things, including our Kundalini Energy, our DNA, the Caduceus and Jacob's Ladder. All representations of the same sacred connection between heaven and earth. Healing, unraveling and activating our DNA opens up the flow of our kundalini energy and we can climb Jacob's Ladder, providing us with free access to the heaven worlds as well as the Earth.

Our Earth-keeper, Lisa, led us in a meditation atop Knockan Hill taking us back to the Jack and the Beanstalk story. When Jack heads off to market with the family cow, he meets a man on the road who offers him some magic beans in exchange for the cow. The magic beans represent your opportunity to activate and awaken your kundalini energy and return to the sacred. What is stopping you from doing so? Your sacred cow!

What is it that you have to let go of or master before you can ascend? This is a big moment of reflection and realization. What is your SACRED COW?

Take some time to reflect on this. This is your final barrier to fully embracing your awakening self.

Our final ceremony on the top of Knockan Hill involved burying a Lemurian seed crystal to anchor in the energies of the day and link in all of the previous landscape journeys as, incredibly, we find ourselves at the midpoint of our journey having completed the first six signs of the zodiac.

I am so grateful to all of the people who have engaged in this sacred project. The collective energy is building beautifully, as we engage in deeper and more profound awareness and experiences each month.

Our Libra workshop will take place on Sunday October 2nd as we seek our inner balance and harmony, reflected in and by those around us.