By Alison Dhuanna, UK Astrologer

‘Halleluiah’ I sing praises to the sweet name of Phillis Wheatley who lived upon the Earth from 1763 to 1784. How the synchronicity of the Divine Mind at work thrills me.

On reading Dorene Carrel’s monthly astrology report I was struck by the Sabian Symbol for the New Moon 0n 10th January 2016 which is ‘A Hidden Choir is Singing During a Religious Service’ the meaning of which is creating unity and harmony in the collective through like minded individuals working together. This idea of a ‘Hidden Choir’ in the heavens or as Socrates termed it the ‘Music of the Spheres’ has been intriguing me for a while now and ‘Sound’ seems to be so important in the transformation of the dense energies we are transcending in the Third Dimension. Also, earlier that day I had been at a Sound Gong Bath where the teacher was singing in the most heavenly way and so I was musing about that too. Feeling inspired I did a google search on ‘heavenly choirs’ and up popped two names: Phillis Wheatley the African American slave who was the first woman and African American published poet and Hildegard von Bingen the German Mystic.

Phillis Wheatley was born in Senegal in 1763, captured as a slave and brought to the Americas when she was 7 years old. This is known because she had lost her baby teeth and those of us with children will know what a special transitional time this is in a child’s life. Phillis, who is actually named after the ship she came on, lost everything the day she was captured. Her name, her parents and family, her country and culture and it’s a miracle firstly that she was bought as slave, as a female child she had no particular value to a slave owner. That she survived the gruelling journey is a miracle too. However fortune then smiled on Phillis as she was bought by the Wheatley family and their 18 year old daughter taught her to read and write. In the poem ‘Imagination’ below her love of Classic literature and the Greek and Roman myths shines through which would have mirrored her African beliefs of Spirit residing in nature and the cosmos. Phillis also seems to have embraced Christianity but without it destroying her foundation belief system which to me shows a great strength of character and intelligence.

There is something very confident that I admire about Phillis Wheatley’s writing as a woman. She is unapologetic in writing a book about morals and philosophy when I’m sure in reality there were many who scorned her. She however had the belief in herself to present her ideas to George Washington and was warmly received by him. She won her freedom from slavery through being recognized as a poet. As an Astrologer I feel she embodies the energy of the Dark Goddess in a very profound way.

Reading about Phillis’s incredible life it struck me how very apt a story this is for the Uranus Pluto square which is very active as the January New Moon conjunct Pluto. The Uranus Pluto square energies have been hitting us since 2012 with one challenge after another to break through as individuals in the collective swamp of crap, survival fears and mental chains. We are breaking free from a more subtle form of slavery where the chains are invisible …… ideas, judgements, prejudices and fears.

My dizzy excitement came yesterday when I did Phillis Wheatley’s astrology chart for 8th May 1763 for Dakar, Senegal. Can you imagine my excitement then to discover that Phillis is having her URANUS RETURN. When Phillis was born Uranus was at 16 degrees Aries and at the New Moon as I am writing it is at 15 degrees Aries so just 1 degree away. Apparently in the since 2012 information on the internet about her life has been growing like Jack’s beanstalk…..how exciting to know that even when we have passed on physically the Cosmos can help us grow. Pretty miraculous! What is even more exciting is that Pluto was also in Capricorn when she was born so during her lifetime would have almost certainly squared closely a number of times providing this energy signature of extreme challenge but also the possibility of breaking through the chains of the prevailing culture.

One of the things that immediately made me very interested in Phillis is that she wrote about Columbia as a Goddess for the USA and in ‘Imagination’ her poem below also refers to the Goddess. As she was born with Uranus conjunct both Ceres the Mother Goddess and Venus in Aries it seems just right, her purpose fulfilled, to have written these beautiful words of devotion to the Goddess. In this poem to you can see why she might appear as a poet interested in Heavenly Choirs too and clearly she had very mystical experiences and a great love of the Cosmos. What a special person she was and I hope in times of challenge will be a strength and inspiration to you in 2016. Phillis and I are Rooting for You to Break Through. Love and Blessings Alison Dhuanna.

On Imagination
BY PHILLIS WHEATLEY 1753–1784 Phillis Wheatley
Thy various works, imperial queen, we see,
How bright their forms! how deck’d with pomp by thee!
Thy wond’rous acts in beauteous order stand,
And all attest how potent is thine hand.

From Helicon’s refulgent heights attend,
Ye sacred choir, and my attempts befriend:
To tell her glories with a faithful tongue,
Ye blooming graces, triumph in my song.

Now here, now there, the roving Fancy flies,
Till some lov’d object strikes her wand’ring eyes,
Whose silken fetters all the senses bind,
And soft captivity involves the mind.

Imagination! who can sing thy force?
Or who describe the swiftness of thy course?
Soaring through air to find the bright abode,
Th’ empyreal palace of the thund’ring God,
We on thy pinions can surpass the wind,
And leave the rolling universe behind:
From star to star the mental optics rove,
Measure the skies, and range the realms above.
There in one view we grasp the mighty whole,
Or with new worlds amaze th’ unbounded soul.

Though Winter frowns to Fancy’s raptur’d eyes
The fields may flourish, and gay scenes arise;
The frozen deeps may break their iron bands,
And bid their waters murmur o’er the sands.
Fair Flora may resume her fragrant reign,
And with her flow’ry riches deck the plain;
Sylvanus may diffuse his honours round,
And all the forest may with leaves be crown’d:
Show’rs may descend, and dews their gems disclose,
And nectar sparkle on the blooming rose.

Such is thy pow’r, nor are thine orders vain,
O thou the leader of the mental train:
In full perfection all thy works are wrought,
And thine the sceptre o’er the realms of thought.
Before thy throne the subject-passions bow,
Of subject-passions sov’reign ruler thou;
At thy command joy rushes on the heart,
And through the glowing veins the spirits dart.

Fancy might now her silken pinions try
To rise from earth, and sweep th’ expanse on high:
From Tithon’s bed now might Aurora rise,
Her cheeks all glowing with celestial dies,
While a pure stream of light o’erflows the skies.
The monarch of the day I might behold,
And all the mountains tipt with radiant gold,
But I reluctant leave the pleasing views,
Which Fancy dresses to delight the Muse;
Winter austere forbids me to aspire,
And northern tempests damp the rising fire;
They chill the tides of Fancy’s flowing sea,
Cease then, my song, cease the unequal lay.
Source: Poems on Various Subjects Religious and Moral (1773)

I specialize in Goddess Asteroid and Centaur readings for a deep soul reading. Please get in touch for further information at astroalison@gmail.com