What if, one day, you happened upon a cave. Inside was a set of instructions written on old parchment paper. These instructions were written for you, and you alone. They outlined detailed choices, deeds, and outcomes—obstacles that you are meant to overcome. Your entire life is compacted into one piece of parchment. What do you do?

Though energies elaborated upon in my previous publications continue to claim their effect on our world—the crisis in Syria notwithstanding—the planets are, at least for a day, laying down their arms in an effort to give us time to contemplate our navels.

The nodes of the moon—theoretical points where the moon’s orbit and the sun’s perceived orbit intersect—were once known as the dragon’s head and dragon’s tail, respectively, representing a somewhat-Gnostic theme of relentless soul churning, as if the Puller-of-Strings was feeding upon our souls, aeon after aeon, through the constant regurgitation of life, death, and the queue in between.

In Medieval astrology, if one completed their earthly mission, they would advance, or evolve through the dragon’s head. Adversely, if one failed, they would be recycled and reincarnated through the dragon’s tail, cursed to face the same charges in the next life.

Upon advancing, what one might evolve into one can only guess—this “game of life” evokes a Logan’s Run kind of feeling, wherein both paths lead to the same eternal pit, dressed up to maintain a sense of illusion, or control, over the players.

Astrologically, however, we are conditioned to focus on certain aspects of life over others, and theoretically, therein lies the rub. As is often told to our mythological heroes, “You cannot escape your destiny.”

Today, Pluto in Capricorn aspects the nodes tightly within a quarter degree orb. The nodes of destiny have been traveling backward through Taurus and Scorpio, respectively, and approach their last ten degrees in the sign.

Pluto, like his fellow transpersonals, is a destructive force. His transformation is slow moving, and can sometimes last for decades. In Ruby Falconer and Linda Star Wolf’s Shamanic Egyptian Astrology, Osiris, the overseer of life, death, and resurrection, replaces him.

With this aspect, where we put our focus is of the utmost importance. Our actions are under watch. Ultimately, we will be set on course. Would you like a traumatic, curdling explosion to wake you up, or an intimate, tireless alchemy? Both choices seem like they’d take an awful amount of energy.

Well, look outside your window. Are we living in a time that begets prolonged relaxation?

Regarding Saturn in Scorpio, I have spoken several times on the present importance of going within, and qualifying your inner drives, desires, and fruitful demons (according to one C.W. Murray, a group of dragons is indeed a drive). Saturn is days away from an exact conjunction with the nodes. Here is where that list of instructions comes in.

The aforementioned cave is our unconscious, and we all have access to the special parchment that outlines our purpose. Some might say that parchment manifests as an astrology chart, but the argument could be made for intuition, animal guides, or even just plain common sense.

Saturn is asking us to answer our own questions, to make the list and check it twice, and understand the crises of our time with respect to ourselves, as individuals. Some will respond with notions of war, others talk of revolution, and more by painting pictures. The most important facet of understanding is realized through having compassion, most importantly for you, during times of transition. Wake up to yourself–we’re all in this together.

But, what of the practical answers? A brief repose from material living, accompanied by focused meditation, goes a long way, and really looks good to our orbital teachers.

As for our draconic demiurge, I’d like to think that mastering the self and adhering to life lessons leads to some form of liberation. If not, well, I guess we’re just space dust.