Regardless of how you intend to celebrate/ignore so-called Halloween this evening, in Pagan lore it is always Samhain, the festival of the dead. No candy, no costume, just an honoring of those who have left this dimension already.  And although it seems a more fitting event to occur at the beginning of Winter – as it does in the Northern Hemisphere – that it is always at the 8th degree of Scorpio feels more relevant.

Halloween/Samhain to me always evokes surrealism. The works of artists like Leonora Carrington, Leonor Fini and Remedios Varo (who were all friends, living through intense times, why is this not a movie?) naturally blend the prosaic with the so-called paranormal.

To artists like these women there was no question that other dimensions and perceptions existed, simultaneously with our mundane existence. Even mundane does not mean ‘dull’ as it is often suggested. It means worldly. As in anima mundi is the soul of the world.  If you’re not grokking Halloween/8 Scorpio, trawl through some of the surrealists for a dose of magic.

Also, it seems like Stolen Valour – the campaign against people whom impersonate serving soldiers in order to get laid, get admiration and veteran discounts – has escalated since Saturn got into Sagittarius, which seems entirely appropriate. The vids online of these phony “heroes” being unmasked by veterans have in inescapable Saturn Neptune square vibe, under-scored by the unbearable sadness of the forever war and its losses.

There is something so low about trying to steal the ‘mana’ of these people without having to go through the actual military training and service bit of it.

This gentleman is the total opposite of all that.

This is Master Sergeant Joshua L Wheeler who, a few days ago, died in a bid to free 60+ hostages from ISIL. They were to be executed the next morning. Regardless of anyone’s thoughts on American foreign policy, this was a successful mission. He was a Cherokee Indian and a member of Delta Force, special operations AND (i read this years ago but can’t recall where) the only American military unit to have a Wiccan priest assigned.

From Indian Country Today

Most recently, Wheeler had been assigned to Army Special Operations Command at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina—the Cherokee historical homelands. He divided his down time between North Carolina and Oklahoma.
Cherokee Principal Chief Bill John Baker, in his role as mourner-in-chief, released a statement reading in part:
Our hearts go out to the Wheeler family for their tragic loss. Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler was a highly decorated member of the Delta Force unit whose mission in Iraq was freeing hostages held by ISIS. Like so many of our Cherokee warriors, Joshua died serving our great country and we are forever indebted to him for his bravery and willingness to accept the most dangerous missions… Joshua is a true American hero and we will always honor his life and sacrifices at the Cherokee Nation.

That the first American military casualty against ISIL is a native American seems poignant. He was a Scorpio with Retro Mars at the potent Zero degree of Cancer/Kataka square Pluto in Libra and exact square Lilith in Aries, Chiron in Aries. North Node in Scorpio.

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