ON THE CUSP: Angel Edition
The Centaur and the Sea Goat
“Eyes on the Horizon”
Personal Essay by Debbie Abbott
Read time: 10 minutes
Earth’s horizon is steady, and unwavering. The sun rises above it and sets below it. (Not really, but as humans, that’s how it looks to us.) Our subconscious—which is running more than ninety percent of our lives—understands and relies on the horizon to keep us from constantly falling on our faces. And artists use the horizon for perspective drawings … choosing the same endpoint for each horizontal line.
With another year rolling the credits on everyone’s unique ‘Truman Show,’ the question of what to do next begs for direction. Uncertainty coupled with the speed of life can make you dizzy, pushing days into months that rush by and disappear like ocean waves. Leaving us feeling like someone else is running the show.
As we all ring in the New Year, reflections from the past can either light our way or darken the doors we’re destined to knock on. Applying the same strategy for the future’s swirling visions as I use for sea sickness, my advice to everyone is: Keep your eyes on the horizon. And allow the angels to steady your sight.
Sublime or Subliminal
Have you ever looked at the zodiac signs in groupings? I haven’t … and I’ve been following their astrological guidance a really long time. As I was looking at the two signs for this issue (Sagittarius and Capricorn), a common thread tied them together. This led me to see another thread tying a different group of the zodiacs together, and then another.
Here’s how the cliques sorted out:
(3) Human - Aquarius, Gemini, Virgo
the water bearer, twins, and a maiden
(6) Animal - Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Scorpio
a fish, ram, bull, crab, lion, and scorpion
(1) Object - Libra
scales of justice
(2) Mythological - Sagittarius and Capricorn
the centaur archer, and the sea goat
So many things stand out here. I imagine … it’s different things for different people.
My sci-fi brain has always had a penchant for hooking on subliminal messages. As a sophomore in high school, I took a Science Fiction writing class for English credit. This is where I fell in love with Ray Bradbury, consumed by Fahrenheit 451, moved by the emotion of Dandelion Wine. But when our studies shifted into the world of hidden messages (planted in everything from magazine advertisements and TV commercials to students’ textbook illustrations and billboard signs)—suddenly nothing looked the same. The subliminal became sublime.
I’m going to save my deep dive into the four zodiac cliques above for a future Dharma Direction discussion, but for now … ‘tis the season to focus on the final two. Of all the possible mythological creatures that could’ve been chosen to represent astrological influence, the symbolism of a centaur and a sea goat (side by side in the zodiac lineup) speak to me like a subliminal message.
Sagittarius and Capricorn
Many theories hold that these types of beings represent aspects of nature, specifically harvests and Mother Nature’s seasonal flux.
Sagittarius energy is designed to slow us down … allow the stars to guide us. Yet, when I look at the centaur with his bow and arrow, I see strength and determination. The archer is poised, his arrow nocked and drawn for flight. Legs firmly planted on the ground; his sight is set skyward toward the cosmos. We could easily translate this to being grounded and aloft simultaneously.
Capricorn energy is meant to drive us toward a state of seriousness. What better time to buckle down than the start of a new year? However, the sea goat exudes a sense of playfulness and wonder necessary at the beginning of anything … a new year, a new relationship, a new career path, or a new life goal. Able to transition from the harshness of dry land to the watery depths of an ocean, this mythological creature embodies the concept of duality: Two parts with opposite meanings.
Duality is also something I’ve written about here in Dharma Direction many times with regard to the angels who are comprised of both yin and yang energy. Feminine and masculine. This is not to say that they are actually female and male, those designations are purely for animals and humans. Angels, in their purest form, are conscious aspects of light energy.
Of the seven main energy types, light energy is the only form visible to our human eyes. Think about this for just a moment … We cannot see the other six, but we know they exist. Nuclear, gravitational, thermal, sound, electromagnetic, and mechanical. The seventh, light, is often referred to as ‘pure energy’ for the simple fact that (theoretically) it has no mass.
So, angels, born of pure energy, have no mass and therefore no true male/female differentiations. It is through our subconscious that we project our versions of their visage into view.
If your heart is truly open to angel energy, and you focus on connecting in a humble way with their guidance, your mind’s eye will deliver a unique version of each angel you seek.
This is the beauty of duality’s balance. Individual zodiac traits aside, the ability for Sagittarius and Capricorn to point out the importance of embracing opposites speaks, ultimately, to acceptance … that life is really all about the highs and the lows. The stars and the sea. The easy and the difficult. Balance is about more than walking a straight, fine line like a gymnast on the balance beam.
Watch the following demonstration from a ‘lawoflight’ Instagram post that clearly shows this principle in motion. (Click the photo below.)
My Cusp Runneth Over
While working on writing this piece and putting Dharma’s final issue of 2023 together, the angels (in their infinite wisdom) pulled me down into a sickly low for five days. I realize that it’s hard to think about getting sick as being a blessing … something delivered out of love.
But this is how we must be shown, sometimes. Hobbled by the heavens, insisting that we rest.
Rest is not easy for someone like me, and this wasn’t the first time the angels have slowed me down for my own damn good. Was Sagittarius angel energy working, on the cusp (Dec. 22), to push my normal 96.8-degree body temperature to 100.1 degrees?
Unlike most of you who probably maintain the usual 98.6-degree body temp when you’re healthy … my vessel runs two degrees below normal at all times. This means my temp of 100 actually feels the way 102 would feel to most people.
So, a skeptic might scoff and say the angels aren’t responsible for making me sick, insisting that the massive crowd at the Zoo Lights exhibition I went to the night before was the true culprit. And they’d be right, too. Because no, an angel can’t cast a sickness spell. But they can influence a decision on whether or not we decide to brave the world and immerse ourselves in it. Even if we know it’s flu season.
Angels are able to use invisible forces of all kinds, manipulate them in the same ways that Mother Nature uses the wind and rain to nourish planet earth. The same way she uses fire to clear away density and purify disease. Except angels use their pure light energy, like sparks. An idea, or a desire that bubbles up from your subconscious. And you make it so, despite the risks.
Duality. Light and dark. Good and bad. Female and male. Joy and sorrow. It is impossible to know one without knowing the other.
Was it worth being sick on Christmas to see the spectacle of illumination at the zoo? Yes, it was. Not just for the beautiful and artistic way that the animals were depicted (be sure to check out the photos below), but for the memories I helped create with my daughter and her two sons, (I love you Tia, Anthony, and JJ) and for the renewal of a friendship gone cold … now warmly rekindled between two childhood friends. (I love you Tia and David!)
This was the angels at play, keeping my eyes on the horizon.
~ Debbie
Never question divine timing. More from Debbie …
When angels conspire to bring two people together you can believe they have a good reason.
When they decide to throw your dumbass in jail for not listening to them, you've only got two people to blame … yourself, and Fate.
Excerpt from Debbie’s article, “Drawn That Way” published in the 2022 Capricorn edition of Dharma Direction. Click the title link to read the entire piece.
Debbie Abbott is a freelance writer/editor in the travel and tourism industry; and a former managing editor for an upscale food and lifestyle print magazine in Scottsdale, Arizona. She now spends as much time as possible working on her debut novel and sharing accounts of her life as publisher, editor, and collaborator at Dharma Direction.
Connect with Debbie on Facebook, through Debbie's Twitter page or visit Debbie on Instagram.
Adnachiel, Voyager Angel of New Directions
We’re pleased to feature another video from Zodiac angel expert Adam Barralet sharing ideas and suggestions for working with Angel Adnachiel’s energy any time of the year.
Call upon Adnachiel when …
you’re looking toward the future or feeling stuck where you are.
you need help directing your ambition without burning out.
you get together with Sagittarius-born friends and family.
Connect with Adnachiel through Nature
North Star - long term satisfaction over short-term gratification; stay the course of alignment in all we do.
Crystal Energy
Carnelian - orange, slightly red chalcedony with fire energy will improve our vitality.
Natrolite - a white crystal with springtime energy that can help you gain clarity about your path.
Essential Oils
Clary Sage - for CLEAR VISION, helps us listen to our own inner guidance.
Cypress - for FLOW of energy, letting go and moving on, liberation.
Tangerine - for ADVENTURE, awakens innate childlike curiosity.
Connect with Sagittarius’ Zodiac Energy
Ruling planet: Jupiter
Element: Fire
Energy: Yang (masculine)
Gemstones: Seraphinite, Herkimer Diamond, Sodalite
Flowers: Carnations, Blazing Star, Crocus
Power Colors: Purple, Dark Blue, Plum
Good day: Thursday
Clashes with: Gemini, Virgo, Pisces
Hanael, Protector Angel of Love and Fidelity
Also from Zodiac angel expert Adam Barralet, we share with you his expertise on working with the angel energy of Capricorn season.
Call upon Hanael when …
the full moon, or new moon, is in Capricorn.
you’re contemplating your public life.
you need determination and focus to achieve a goal.
Connect with Hanael through Nature
Crystal Energy
Prasiolite (Green Amythyst) - light green to olive green, grows in points to bring progressive energy into your life.
Unakite - a stone made of green epidote and orange/pink feldspar said to open the third eye while at the same time, grounding and balancing us.
Green Garnet - a crystal that grows in squares/cubes which helps us, in turn, grow our successes.
Essential Oils
Basil - for FOCUS, helps us determine what’s truly important.
Peppermint - for CLARITY, will prevent distractions.
Rosemary - for REMEMBRANCE, is wonderful for the crown chakra, reminding us why we’re here … the higher meaning.
Connect with Capricorn’s Zodiac Energy
Ruling planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Energy: Yin (feminine)
Gemstones: Malachite, Hematite, Azurite
Flowers: Jasmine, African Violet, Ivy Flowers
Power Colors: Brown, Black, Animal Prints
Good day: Saturday
Clashes with: Cancer, Aries, Libra
Publisher’s Note
New Year … New Directions
We look forward to seeing you all in 2024 when Dharma Direction moves into a quarterly format with new audio and visual content, podcasts, inspirational stories, essays, and fictional adventures perfect for a brief respite (and reset) from reality.
Our publishing schedule for 2024 will be on (or near) the following dates:
March 19 - Spring Equinox, new beginnings (Ostara)
June 20 - Summer Solstice, growth (Litha)
September 22 - Fall Equinox, equality and abundance (Mabon)
December 21 - Winter Solstice, blessings and gifts (Yule)
Watch the Dharma Direction Instagram page for updates on these exciting issues.
All of us at Dharma Direction express immense gratitude to everyone who reads (and maybe even shares) our stories as we strive to uphold our motto …
#GoWithTheFlow
~ Debbie Abbott, publisher/editor
Incredible content as always!