A mystic and plutocrat walk into a tavern
And from this meeting a new civilizational vision is born, because some tavern meetings are truly world changing. (Second installment of Age of Air Dragons.)
Welcome to the second installment of the Age of Air Dragons (temporary working title). This is my play on exploring the planetary transits in a more storied manner. Catch the first installment, Forging a new Excalibur, here. And if you want to catch the ‘left brain’ explanation behind this vignette, listen to me explain the astrological reasoning.
“Glad to see me again, Lord Pluto?” the Mystic Neptune lifted a tankard of ale as Lord Pluto, in all of his black finery, sat on a stool. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“492 years to be exact, Mystic. 492 indeed. But thank you for meeting me here at Synod Tavern, in the Gemini Duchy.” Lord Pluto removes his darkened cloak while catching the tavern owner’s attention at the bar to order his wine. “I know you don’t really care for the wind-swept moors of this duchy, so your efforts are appreciated when what we have to discuss will shift the chessboard for our fellow collaborators.”
“Indeed, the airy and windy nature of the Gemini Duchy doesn’t agree with my predilections, like the archipelago realm of Pisces, or the sunny and luxurious court of Leo, but since our last meeting here, 492 years - so long ago - I have grown fond of this realm of merchants and their creative market mentality. Keeps me enthralled watching them move hither and thither.” Mystic Neptune takes a long swig of his ale while looking to the other tavern customers with an appreciative glint in his eyes.
“That’s why we held our meetings in the Gemini Duchy last time. Two thousand years of meeting in the lush farmlands of the Taurean Realm was making me lactose intolerant and you a little too fond of the dairy maids.” Lord swirls his wine glass, which the weather tavern owner had just placed in front of him.
“Sure, blame it on the milk and honey of the Tauren Realm, or my fascination with their voluptuous dairy maids, but we both know that it was time for a new civilizational vision, and our extended stay in that realm was making things staid, with the danger of it all withering in the vine. Too materialistic in my opinion; prisoners of the senses. Moving our meeting to the Gemini Duchy sure heated the progress of the realm. Fresh ideas swirling around much like their windy valleys.”
Lord Pluto nodded in agreement as he took another sip of his wine. “Because like this wine I’m savoring, the realm where we seed our visions is one of its key ingredients, part of its DNA. And the Gemini Duchy has dramatically expanded the flow of information throughout the realm. Plus, I feel the curiosity that is so ingrained in this duchy is something that greatly inspires our imaginative gift, old Mystic, isn’t that true?”
“Aye indeed. The curiosity that flows through these lands pushes into the imagination and takes the realm into unexplored areas. I also feel invigorated here by the trickster elements of the local culture. On the surface, it may seem like it’s all duality of either / or, but their endless curious questioning is their way of looking for a third answer. Highly creative, if not a little deceptive and maddening, are ingredients that I find appealing.” Mystic Neptune drank the last drop of his ale and placed it on the table with a thud of emphasis.
“Don’t let others know, but that’s what I like about you, old Mystic. Lord Saturn is an efficient collaborator for my vision for the realm, but he’s too much of a stickler for structure and formalities. A bit of a bore at times. But you bring out of me the connection to the depths that ancients appreciated. They had a respectful fear of me, but now I feel they have reduced me to power, wealth, and darkened halls. They’ve prospered, but have lost their imaginations.” Lord Pluto held Mystic Neptune’s gaze while lifting his hand to signal another order for wine. Whenever they met, Lord Pluto tended to drink much more than usual, as if just being close to the mystic loosened his sense of mysterious propriety and allowed his more genuine self to emerge. “That’s why I need you and our meetings. I need your power to dissolve these stuck internal ways of seeing and being in the world. Although, at times, I must confess, I don’t like your tendencies to sway large groups of people all at once in a frenzy, endangering all the good we’ve built.”
“Well, let’s drink to that!” Mystic Neptune replied with a buzzed excitement, calling the tavern owner for more ale. “We have much to create, but who says we can’t loosen up a bit while at it?”
“But let’s not get too drunk as in previous times. Let’s not talk too much without thinking because that would be like shooting without taking aim. We mustn’t shoot our idea arrows without thought, unless we want them to be returned against us.*” Lord Pluto smiled as he shifted in his stool to be more focused. “Plus, the realm has dramatically evolved and is much more connected now, thanks to the inventions our meeting spurred to be created. And we must take heed now of these very inventions and the speed at which they’re evolving on their own, sped up by their progress. We’re seeding what will take a millennium to unfurl, flourish, culminate, and then be the ground where new ideas will gestate. It’s a very long game. One that only we immortals can sustain, imagine, and hold.”
“I appreciate your ability to hold this long vision, Lord Pluto, because only you and I understand this eternal dream we have for this realm. Lord Saturn is a great executioner of our ideas, and our Rogue Mage Uranus adds the necessary spark to speed things along, but it’s we who hold the mythical vision here. We’re not just creating physical changes, we’re giving birth to a new consciousness. How information has been shared in the last several centuries and beyond will speed up this evolution in unimaginable ways. How exciting!” Mystic Neptune lifted his tankard for a cheer to Lord Pluto’s wine glass.
“Let’s just hope they don’t crash all of our hard work, including Lord Jupiter, Lord Saturn, and Rogue Mage Uranus’ too, as the realm traverses the distemperate valley of duality that takes up a large part of the Gemini Duchy. The cacophony of voices and differing ideas speedily passing them by will create much confusion. We all know what happened when their ancestors faced the Tower of Babel. It has taken us centuries to put it all back together.” Lord Pluto held his wine glass with a worried and distant gaze.
“Ye of little faith. They have been tested many times and have come through. Fair, that more often than not, very scraped and badly burned. But have come through. I reckon they have a taste for the dramatics, which seems to flood them with rebellious outrage and renewed desire for life. They seem to thrive on it, as this realm of our immortal sister Earth is made for this. And that’s why we like it here and can’t stop ourselves from meddling in their affairs. It invigorates us. Don’t you tell me you don’t like when things get ‘intense’ here. I’ve seen the flame of desire grip you, only matched by when the beguiling Priestess Venus comes to visit you, or even matronly Queen Luna stops by for an audience with you. Even when I’m not near you, I sense your ‘disturbance’, shall we say.” Mystic Neptune winks at Lord Pluto before rubbing his brine and sea sunburned hands. “Now, let’s get down to work.”
To be continued….
Now, go to the audio recording above for the astrology behind this vignette between Neptune and Pluto. This vignette is inspired by the synodic cycle* of Neptune and Pluto, which happens every 492 years!
This long civilizational cycle is the bedrock of other planetary cycles. The last time this happened was on August 2, 1891, at 8 degrees of Gemini. The previous time they met in Gemini was in 1398 A.D.!
*The conjunctions of any two planets measure a synodic cycle. It’s used in Mundane Astrology to help understand developments in our human history, as in the vignette above about the cycle of Neptune and Pluto, the slowest-moving planets. Their first meeting (conjunction), from how they move away from each other, as Neptune, being the faster of the two, will separate from where it conjoined with Pluto, until eventually they meet again (conjunct), in which case will be in the year 2385, giving start to another cycle.
Enjoy & Thrive!
Vanessa Couto
