Shamanic Egyptian Astrology: Your Planetary Relationship to the Gods

By Linda Star Wolf and Ruby Falconer
Bear and Company

If you’re looking for an astrology book that tells you if this is your month to fall in love or what day to play the lotto, then you should skip this review and skim to the back pages of Cosmo. However, if you’re looking for a comprehensive guide on seeking aid from Egyptian gods, all while understanding how the elements of your sign can be used to make you a more spiritual being, then Shamanic Egyptian Astrology is a must-have for your personal library. As a Leo, are you like the jackal-headed god Anubis who’s greatly misunderstood by others, or does the Scorpio in you channel the cat goddess Bast, all thanks to your fiery temper? Rather than exploring the too common traits about the signs, the authors pair them with their Egyptian counterpart, showing us how our matched characteristics can be used to clarify our purpose in life.

While some horoscope books expect readers to browse countless pages about how they’re destined to be something they’re not, Shamanic Egyptian Astrology provides examples on how the formation of planets, coinciding with Egyptian mythology, points at one’s strengths and weaknesses. Wolf and Falconer studied President Barack Obama’s birth chart, revealing why he has the makings of a leader. “Anubis the Shaman King and Ptah both emanate strongly in Barack Obama’s birth chart,” they reveal. “Together, these two principles describe the road Barack walks in his lifetime, that of embracing his true divinity and stepping into his role as visionary co-creator with others who also embrace their divinity. Partnership with like-minded individuals who share his vision is necessary for the embodiment of his Soul Purpose.” In other words, Obama can only flourish if he surrounds himself with others who’re also ready to express their ideas and take command when necessary. In the case of Ms. Magazine founder Gloria Steinem, Bast is found in her chart, which explains how this inspirational writer can be both the Playboy bunny and powerful advocate for women’s rights. Fortunately, the focus of Shamanic Egyptian Astrology isn’t on celebrities, but rather how we can rediscover ourselves.

The major perks of Shamanic Egyptian Astrology are the personalized rituals and quick invocations that Wolf and Falconer provide for each sign to channel with the appropriate gods and goddesses that can better guide us in our spiritual journey. “Saying the invocation or practicing the ritual, or both, for that neteru will activate something within you that needs to come forth,” they explain. No extravagant altars are necessary to meet Ma’at, The Spinx, or Ptah. The writers discuss how merely embracing the warmth of the sun, taking deep breaths, or lighting candles can help you communicate with the ancients.

The daily horoscope provided by Madame X in our newspaper has us thinking twice before we wear red on a Friday or call an angry beau to apologize on the first week of June, but they aren’t enough to show us a better understanding of our role in this universe. Shamanic Egyptian Astrology provides us the tools we need to befriend the gods and goddesses, ask for their aid, and discover how our traits can be used to better ourselves. Both a guide for the advanced student and beginner, Wolf and Falconer’s teachings are grossly underrated and deserve a standing ovation just for its intensive research alone. We can walk like an Egyptian rather than feeling very superstitious.

Review by Stephanie Nolasco

Happy 234th Birthday USA !

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

The Statue of Liberty in New York harbour was presented in 1884 as a gift from the French Grand Orient Temple Masons to the Masons of America in celebration of the centenary of the first Masonic Republic.

She is holding the Masonic "Torch of Enlightenment". Also referred to back in the 1700's by the Illuminati Masons as the "Flaming Torch of Reason". The Torch represents the "Sun" in the sky.

The Statue of Liberty's official title is, "Liberty Enlightening the World".

The cornerstone of the statue records how it was laid in a Masonic ceremony

Best selling author, Robert Bauval:

"The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty was placed in a solemn ceremony in 1884 organised by the Masonic lodges of New York.

The Statue of Liberty, which was designed by the French sculptor Bartholdi and actually built by the French Engineer, Gustave Eiffel (both well-known Freemasons), was not originally a ‘Statue of Liberty’ at all, but first planned by Bartholdi for the opening of the Suez Canal in Egypt in 1867.

Bartholdi, like many French Freemasons of his time, was deeply steeped in ‘Egyptian’ rituals, and it has often been said that he conceived the original statue as an effigy of the goddess Isis, and only later converted it to a ‘Statue of Liberty’ for New York harbour when it was rejected for the Suez Canal."

The goddess Isis is known by many names, including Juno.

AMERICA'S SECRET ORIGINS





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Veiled Voices

By Brigid Maher
Typecast Releasing

When people think of Muslim leaders they rarely envision women; however, many women are have made their mark as religious leaders in Islam. Veiled Voices presents the lives of three such women, allowing them to tell their own stories filled with struggle, triumph, and irony.

The film centers on Ghina Hammoud from Lebanon, Huda Al-Habash from Syria, and Dr. Su’ad Saleh from Egypt. Each woman is making waves in her country as she carves out milestones in faith and society. These women are teachers who get their messages of Islam and women’s strength across through lectures, television appearances, one-on-one lessons, and living their lives as examples to others.

The film begins with the women telling about their past, how they become religious leaders, and what they believe makes them who they are. Next, we get to see them in action as they talk to students and speak on television. The film concludes by looking at the next generation, the daughters of the women.

The interviews with the women's daughters and husbands were important because it shows how equality within the home is very valuable. All of the women demand the men in their lives support their passion and refuse to settle for anything less. This is evident in Ghina’s standing up to family and societal pressure to divorce an abusive husband. The decision and its outcomes weren't easy, but it is apparent that this was the right decision for her.

The film shows how institutional sexism prevents speedy social evolution. One example in the film is when Sheikh Tantawi, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, says it would be fine for a woman to be appointed as a mufti, a Muslim scholar trained to interpret Islamic law, so long as she is qualified through education and practice. However, it is revealed that when Dr. Su’as Saleh submitted an application, she only received one vote from an all-male panel. It is wonderful to celebrate these strong women making a difference in the Islamic world, but there is much progress to be made and it is important that the film highlighted the outright sexism these women face.

There wasn’t much discussion in the film about these women's thoughts on oppression and violence done to women in the name of Islam and based on misogynist interpretations of Sharia. Many people see this as a human rights abuse, and I would have liked to hear what these women think about these interpretations and the outcries to stop these violent acts. The personal stories of these Muslim women are inspiring, and their determination to be positive role models is clear. Veiled Voices is a good start to a conversation by and about women in Islam to change misconceptions held about the role of women in the religion.

Review by Andrea Hance