Aquarius the Bearer of Cerebrospinal Fluid // Black Cohosh Root
Artist: Celeste Kibe @_astral_bodies_
Health and Illness are seasonal. By that I mean that they are rhythmic--illness is a dissonance within the symphony produced by the vibrations of our body systems, and health is the harmony. Our inner music is a riff on a larger theme called the song of the Earth, as music doesn’t have a boundary except for that which is placed upon it by the listener. We exist as one strand woven into many others, one melody playing simultaneously among the rest, creating counterpoints and rhythms, ebbs and flows. Although it’s hard to imagine while sitting in the middle of a concrete jungle with cars whipping by, our health--both communal and individual--is in direct relationship to the harmony of the ecosystem that we inhabit.
Our ecosystem has been undergoing rapid changes in this recent chapter of history. Climate change has shown us just how much of an impact one species can make on the planet, with repercussions that we are now beginning to see unfold. Our health, as a reflection of the health of the earth, is similarly going to shift into different patterns as we enter into a new paradigm initiated by the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction occurring on the Solstice at the end of the year.
THE GREAT CONJUNCTION IN AQUARIUS
On the 21st of Dec., Jupiter and Saturn will meet at 0 Aquarius for what’s known as a Great Conjunction. These meetings occur roughly every 20 years, and astrologers note these dates of interest because of the importance that these two planets carry in matters of government, health, economy and overall societal evolution.
These conjunctions between Jupiter and Saturn create an interesting pattern over time--every 20 years, a new conjunction happens 120 degrees after the last one, forming equilateral triangles called “trigons”. These trigons occur in signs of the same element for time periods of roughly 200 years, as each sign contains 30 degrees, and the Great Conjunctions take place about 8-10 degrees further into the sign each time they occur.
This may be a bit much to understand conceptually, but the important thing to note is that we and our immediate ancestors have been experiencing conjunctions in the earth element--the signs of taurus, virgo and capricorn--for about the last 200 years. There is some overlap in the transitioning periods like we had in 1980-81 with conjunctions in Libra, but other than that, we haven’t had a Great Conjunction occur in early Aquarius for 800 years! This is partially why we are seeing and feeling so many massive shifts both internally and externally--we are transitioning from earth to air in a literal portal of rebirth.
Studying Great Conjunctions in unison with historic events provides an interesting lens through which to understand history, as the Conjunctions often coincide with war, epidemics/pandemics, the restructuring of civilizations and changes of power. They document the process of growth for all life on earth. Imagine the way that a tree grows--there is DNA coding, a map or blueprint of the final form, but there is also experimentation, mistakes and adaptations that arise from the relationships that the tree has to its surroundings and the surrounding lifeforms.
The relationship between our inherited biology and the ways in which we adapt to factors in our environment essentially is what evolution is all about, and that relationship is a beautiful analogy for the way that the Jupiter/Saturn cycle works. Simply put, our DNA blueprint is ruled by Saturn whereas our evolutionary adaptations are a result of the journeys that Jupiter shapes us through.
Whenever these planets meet in the heavens, a new branch grows, figuratively speaking, in our biology, allowing us an opportunity to heal epigenetic trauma as well as to integrate changes in our environment.
These changes are hard. Jupiter and Saturn are literally opposing forces in the binary spectrum, and when they meet, that projection of opposition often manifests as a war of some sort, as is happening now with the US’s partisan divide. Not to mention COVID, which has changed every aspect of our lives in ways that foreshadow the themes of the era of air sign Great Conjunctions to come.
Artist: Bernadett Bagyinka
FROM EARTH TO AIR
In the new air era, we will see medicine and our understanding of disease shift from a purely material, chemical awareness (earth) to a vibrational, rhythmic awareness (air). This has been percolating for a while now with the resurgence of interest in sound healing, homeopathy and intuitive methods of healing.
While many of the diseases that arose during the earth trigon conjunctions came from social inequity--scarcity of nutrient-dense foods, the stripping away of food sovereignty from indigenous peoples, lack of access to healthcare, exposure to concentrated toxins and other forms of pollution and the stresses of living in poverty--this new era of air sign trigons will highlight diseases that arise from disruptions to our natural energy fields which accompany our society’s technological advancements.
“Modern medicine” as we know it today is based on measurable information gleaned from the 5 senses, whatever we can physically observe in a consistent fashion over a period of time. As a result, medicine for the most part has become curative rather than preventative, as we can only treat that which we can observe (which is the earth sign’s way of understanding). However, many systems of healing note the psycho emotional or even karmic precursors to physical illness, and fringe practices have slowly been seeping into the mainstream for some time.
Once we begin the air cycle, these systems that combine the physical with the metaphysical will become more dominant as we shift in our understanding of health as a static state to health as a manifestation of harmonic rhythms. One practice which is pioneering this new understanding is Craniosacral therapy, or cranial osteopathy.
THE CRYSTAL WATER TEMPLE // CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY + CEREBROSPINAL FLUID
When I first began studying astrology, I was perplexed as to why the air sign of Aquarius was traditionally depicted with water imagery. This to me suggested that there was some connection between those two elements that was inherent to the sign, and later when I started to study herbal medicine and physiology, I found that link in the cerebrospinal fluid.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the clear fluid that is contained in the brain and around our spine. It circulates up and down our spinal column in subtle pulses or waves, bathing both our brain and our central nervous system. Physiologically, the role of CSF is to:
provide nourishment, protection and growth factors to the brain and the central nervous system
instruct neural stem cells to proliferate and differentiate
regulate body rhythms such as the circadian rhythm
eliminate waste
cushion and protect the brain from shock
transmit information to the brain via chemical messengers, light and movement
Holistic Practitioners who work with CSF recognize a higher spiritual function for it as the water of life from which consciousness arises and kundalini energy circulates. This is why Aquarius, an air sign associated with cerebral strength and a strong awareness of “I,” is depicted carrying a jug of water--the water represents CSF flowing down the spine from the brain, symbolically transmitting a higher awareness and spiritual awakening. Even the chakra system, which traditionally is contained between the crown of the head and sacrum is another analogy for the CSF which also circulates between those same points.
Craniosacral therapy is based on the theory that the cranial bones are not fixed, rather they move in subtle shifts according to the pulse of our CSF circulation. A practitioner will palpate the cranium until they can “hear” or feel the rhythm of movement, and use selective pressure to manipulate the cranium bones to optimize the pulse of the craniosacral rhythm. Similar to placing fingers on the wrist or neck to feel the blood flow, placing hands on the cranium allows practitioners to take the “pulse” of the CSF, as it were, to make minute corrections.
"The soul is the essence of being and life in the body, and functions through the brain and the center of the spinal cord, to the end of the coccyx, as dual neuter energy... The cerebrospinal fluid seems to act as a storage field and conveyor for the ultrasonic and the light energies. It bathes the spinal cord and is the reservoir for these finer essences, conducted by this fluidic media through all the fine nerve fibers as the first airy mind and life principle in the human body. Through this neuter essence, mind functions in and through matter as the light of intelligence. That is why it is the ruler of this fine energy in the fields of function. Mind energy is a reality, as much as and even more potent than atomic energy." -Randolph Stone, Polarity Therapy p. 30
The re-emergence of practices that understand health as a state of harmony that arises from the rhythmic, musical pulses of multiple systems is an air sign phenomenon, and will most likely become the focus of medicine for the next era of Saturn/Jupiter conjunctions. Similarly, our relationship to herbal medicine will build upon the biochemical understanding that was developed during the earth sign era and grow to encompass a new awareness of plant intelligence, communication and energetics from a subtle, vibrational framework. To that end, I want to talk about the herb black cohosh because of it’s intimate relationship to both the spine and hormonal rhythm patterns.
Actaea Racemosa
Black Cohosh
Black cohosh gets pigeon-holed as a menopause herb, but it’s actions are so much more profound than just that one application. Because of its phytoestrogen content, it is used for a variety of menstrual-related maladies such as PMS, irregular cycles, menopausal symptoms and the anxiety and depression that can accompany estrogen imbalance. It also holds a revered space in childbirth, being administered during labor to ripen the cervix. The Triterpenes glycosides of black cohosh do not act in the same way as classical phytoestrogens by binding to estrogen receptors, rather they are a precursor to progesterone.
The first time I became aware of black cohosh and it’s affinity for the spine was in a talk given by the herbalist Matt Wood, who recommended it for cases for whiplash both internally and topically. He pointed out the physical signature of the plant as an analogue for the spine, as the flowering stalks of black cohosh resemble the spinal column. It’s shape also indicates that it is useful for ascending or rising energy that can manifest in headaches, eye strain, jaw tension, etc. As a nervine, it is calming and analgesic to rheumatic pain. It calms not by sedating, but rather by reflecting away disharmonious frequencies, fostering your inner strength and sense of reserve. It is a protector plant.
The rhizome of the plant is harvested and dried after the leaves have begun to die back in the fall, concentrating the power in the root structure. In general, this energy helps those who feel ungrounded. Black cohosh’s signature is for those who retreat into dark spaces when feeling upset or disturbed, and my teacher Richard Mandelbaum spoke to it as a resource for those experiencing deep, heavy depressions. I do not have the data to back this up, but my intuition suggests that one of the pathways through which black cohosh works on the body is the CSF and its relation to the pineal gland.
This plant understands movement and has a natural affinity with the water and air elements, and as such can assist with those in times of transition, where the prospect of change drives the individual into dark moods or solitude. The energetics of the plant as bitter and acrid support this use, as the acrid taste disperses and breaks up stagnancy. Other actions include: astringent, emmenagogue, diuretic, alterative and expectorant.
Black Cohosh’s flexibility aids in the changes that occur as part of a maturation process.
Along with being a protector plant, It is also a communicator, helping to transmit chemical messengers to interpret what the physical and energetic senses perceive. If there are blocks to this transmission, as in the case of trauma, then black cohosh will work to remove those blocks and reset the normal flow.
For example, after a car crash, there is residual tension and anxiety that occurs in an individual that is triggered each time they enter a car, whether or not the threat of another accident exists. The trauma is stuck in the body, and black cohosh is an herb that we can use to retrain the nervous system’s response to reset it back to its original state. This is true for subtler blocks as well, such as the resistance that one might have towards aging or towards becoming a mother which manifests as difficult menopausal transitions or labor, respectively.
Although there are contraindications for its use for those who are at risk for estrogen-dependent cancers, The German Pharmacopeia recognizes Black cohosh as an herbal alternative to estrogen hormone replacement that inhibits the growth of estrogen-dependent breast cancer cells, with no known long-term side effects.
It is vital to note that Black Cohosh has been used for generations in the Native American traditions of the Cherokee, Algonquian, and Iroquois tribes not only for reproductive health, but to support a healthy inflammatory response and bronchial health overall. Our current knowledge of this plant is inherited from the medicinal tradition of indigenous people, as well as our occupation of their land. I believe that it is important in practice to acknowledge these roots (no pun intended) by honoring the plant as a sacred teacher--taking only what is needed, giving the earth thanks through offering and returning a part of any profit made back to the native communities from whom we took.
2020 as a gateway year has been incredibly trying and emotionally draining. I have found that all nervine herbs have been incredibly helpful this year, and I suspect that next year will be the same. Aside from herbal medicine, I believe that any practice which reestablishes the body’s natural sense of balance and rhythm will be beneficial for all of us, whether that be through movement (yoga, dance, qi gong, etc) or stillness (meditation, sleep, rest). We are all experiencing this shift together, and one message that has been coming through strongly from the plant devas is to be kind to one another and to ourselves. This mindset alone is profound medicine.
