Hello & a Warm Welcome to my Readers of this Scorpio Newsletter!

This Newsletter goes to friends & clients in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, USA, Italy, Holland, Poland, Malaysia, New Zealand & Australia. Did I miss anyone?

It’s the Autumn season here in the northern hemisphere and true to the nature of Scorpio, leaves are turning golden brown and falling down to the ground where they shall decompose and become valuable compost to the land. The time of flowers has ended and life turns inward, concentrating into the seed-state. The transition between life, death and rebirth is upon us. The zodiac sign of Scorpio challenges us to penetrate deep into life’s mysteries – are you ready for this new journey?

For those of you who enjoy hearing my voice reading the entire Newsletter, here is the link:

Hercules, the World Disciple & the Hydra

Most of my readers are acquainted with the story of Hercules meeting the 12 Tasks set for him by his Teacher and each of these tests representing one of the 12 Zodiacal signs.

On the first page of this Newsletter we see an illustration of the great task of Hercules to overcome the Hydra, a great serpent with 9 heads, thought to be immortal - and for every head Hercules cut off, two more appeared in the same place. The Hydra’s enormous strength and resourcefulness seemed overwhelming and endless. The story goes that only by getting down on his hands & knees, in the swamp where the creature lived - then lifting the Hydra up above his head, into the open, clear sky, did this great Son of God achieve victory. Hercules was also accompanied by Iolaos, his charioteer, and together as Hercules cuts off the heads, Iolaos used a torch to burn the flesh where the head was severed. It is through their teamwork that the monster is ultimately subdued. Finally they sever the Hydra’s one immortal head and to ensure that it remains defeated, Hercules buries the head beneath a large rock.

What does the symbolism of this story say to you?

In this labour Hercules demonstrates the need for the hero to venture into the dark, destructive and terrifying depths of the psyche so that the shadow elements may be brought into the light for transformation.

Iolaos is Hercules trusted charioteer. The Soul needs its companion and instrument, the personality and this is Iolaos’s role here. It is Iolaos operating as the personality who burns the place of each severed head, communicating that the personality must do the work to transform its shadow elements.

The Hydra lived in a dark, foul and stagnant swamp that was polluted and hazardous. This representation helps us to grasp the inhospitable aspects of our own shadow. The Hydra must be driven from its darkness and hiding, just as we each must bring our shadow elements into the open for their transformation. You cannot transform something that you deny. The heads of the Hydra represent the human vices and the qualities of evil encountered on the Hero’s Journey in Scorpio. The process of battling the Hydra is long and exhausting. Anyone not on the Hero’s Journey will find the work hopeless and full of failure. The Hydra’s immortal head reminds us that our capacity for evil can never be totally eliminated. We can control our shadow impulses, but we must always remain vigilant to their presence.

You will resonate with Scorpio if you have the Sun, Moon or ASCendant in this sign, or if you have any of these in close aspect to Pluto. You will also be influenced by Scorpio if you have several planets in the 8th. House, or if you were born with Pluto in the 1st. or 10th. House.

Both of the signs ruled by Mars, ARIES & SCORPIO are warrior signs. While the warrior in Aries takes the battle out into the world, in Scorpio the battle is turned inward. It is in this interior battle that the shadow aspects of the unredeemed personality are brought into the light of consciousness and transformed.

When we recognize, meet and battle the personal Hydra in Scorpio, our nature transforms and reveals a tremendous capacity for love. To access that loving capacity though, there must be a willingness to perceive and experience the authentic feelings within you no matter how frightening, foul and ugly they might seem.

The personality may seek to avoid acknowledging the unredeemed and shadowy emotions symbolized by the heads of the Hydra. We can fall prey to the feelings of hate, cruelty or pride and express them in destructive ways. The spiritually immature Scorpio type might seek to avoid their own darkness and lose their way and escape into an unhealthy relationship with drugs, alcohol or sex. Or the shadow aspects of Scorpio might express as jealousy, vengefulness and secretiveness, bordering upon hidden agendas and manipulation. To avoid one’s own darkness, we may be more interested in focussing on other’s flaws and darkness rather than our own.

Questions for Transformation of the Personality:

What are the characteristics and faults in others that I most dislike? Do I also see these characteristics or flaws within myself?

What are the strongest desires and passions that drive me? Do I get lost in them?

Do I use sex, drugs, alcohol or other pleasures to escape my feelings? How do I experience them as a retreat from the darker aspects of myself?

Am I able to perceive and understand my feelings honestly? What are they? What is the darkest within me?

What are the feelings and thoughts that you most work to keep hidden (from yourself and others) ?

Are you de-cluttering yourself? Our possessions reflect what we have accumulated along life’s journey – who we have been in the past. Possessions that no longer serve us in the present clutter & block the flow of energy in our dwellings and in ourselves.
Simple principle – keep only those possessions that “spark joy” in you in the present. Then you are surrounded by things you love. If you experience difficulty in letting possessions go, this reflects attachment to the past or a fear for the future. Ultimately, the question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life – now. And what about old habits and resentments – holding onto those too? With the month of Scorpio it is time for a thorough housecleaning!

The Voice of the Personality in Scorpio says: “Let Maya flourish and deception rule”.

Questions for the Expression of the Soul:

I know my deepest desires. They are……………………………….

Are you able to see through other people to understand the inner darkness that they battle?

Do you experience a greater sense of intimacy with others when you better understand their needs?

The heads of the Hydra can take many forms. What are the heads of your Hydra? Which ones are the most frightening?

In the work of transformation, are you careful not to be cruel and hurtful to others? If not, from where do you think this energy arises?

The Voice of the Soul in Scorpio says: “Warrior am I, and from the battle, I emerge triumphant.”

Transforming our Inner Dragons

Put into a different form for modern-day Seekers of Truth, we may ask ourselves, what Dragon has got us by the throat, devitalizes us and disempowers us? A dragon is a powerful image that represents danger and fear, and of course, lies in wait on our path to roar out a terrible challenge to our progress. At first the dragon represents fear itself – it is only later, with familiarity, that the dragon may actually give us clues to how we can transform it. And we are to transform it, because to kill it would mean an act of violence, protection & self-denial - but to transform it means the path of psychological integration.

The Dragons are the most worthy opponents you will ever face. Yet only by meeting such worthy adversaries will you ever realize your full potential. The Dragons exist to make you strong. Nothing of great value in life is attained without some kind of test. In fairy tales, the dragon must be confronted and defeated for the hero to gain the right of passage, or rescue the beautiful princess, or win some other marvellous treasure that the dragon always guards and that is ours to discover. The Dragons take you out of your everyday mindset and redirects you toward your imagination – where all problems are ultimately solved.

Dragons are much more interesting than the one-dimensional villains of Westerns or cops-&-robbers dramas – Dragons are shapeshifters, beautiful one moment then menacing the next.

Truly the Dragons lie at the heart of every major dysfunction & addiction known to mankind. They are the addictions underlying every addiction.

They are the Dragons behind every obstacle to human potential. This mythic Dragon is special – because it operates in every element. It walks on the land, flies in the air, lives in the sea and breathes fire. The ability of the Dragon to exist simultaneously in every element makes it a powerful adversary indeed.

In modern psychological thought we can identify 7 such Dragons. The Dragons have been with us for ages, shape-shifting throughout time and called many names, such as the 7 Deadly Sins, plagues, evil spirits and for those modern Seekers versed in Theosophical thought, they are the distortions of the 7 Rays. In our modern times we call these Dragons by scientific names, such as dysfunctions, psychopathologies, defense mechanisms, addictions, abnormal behaviour, neuroses, antisocial behaviour etc. We say these modern demons are because of family conditioning, social conditions, chemical imbalance and so on – but why have we not come a step closer to defeating these age-old Dragons that continue to plague us – why? Because we do not understand the fundamental nature of the Dragons we seek to defeat. They are sly, swift and love to take us on a wild goose chase that leads to a false sense of security.

To slay the Dragon does not mean to kill – for they live forever so they cannot be killed. In the sense we mean to slay the dragon means to stop them from controlling your life. When you defeat them, you discover a powerful secret – you learn that much of your behaviour that causes your suffering is not who you are. They are parasites intent on taking over your personality by living on your energy. Like other parasites, once they have a grip on you, they are tenacious and will not let go without a big fight. As in the tales of old, you can only defeat them by doing what is most frightening of all – facing them directly and challenging them. Dragons are actually Master-Teachers, and in the end you will have their wisdom to use to help others. So who are they? Here are the 7 Dragons.

The Arrogant Dragon
The Self-Destructive Dragon
The Self-Depreciating Dragon
The Greed Dragon
The Martyrdom Dragon
The Impatience Dragon
The Stubbornness Dragon

We will have a PRIMARY DRAGON and a SECONDARY DRAGON.

And the Dragons can often act in pairs, such as what we term “The Expression Dragons”, the GREED & SELF-DESTRUCT Dragons is one example.

Each Dragon will have a Positive & Negative polarity. The positive pole for the ARROGANCE Dragon will be PRIDE and the negative pole is VANITY.

The positive pole for the IMPATIENCE Dragon will be DARING and the negative pole INTOLERENCE. The positive pole for the MARTYR Dragon will be SACRIFICE and the negative VICTIMIZATION. And so on.

Each one of the 7 Dragons has a clearly defined belief system and true to the Hero’s Journey, we shall need weapons to defeat our Dragons. There are 7 weapons that we can apply to help us overcome each Dragon.

For example, one obvious weapon to defeat the IMPATIENCE Dragon will be: Waste time. The Impatience Dragon leads people to believe that if they go faster they can get to their goals quicker. It is better to hurry because time is limited and it’s going to run out on you, speaks the Dragon. The opposite is true. Moving slowly is more effective and therefore more productive. A second weapon will be to Learn Silence and a third weapon will be to Cut Out Intrusions. You get the picture. And we can do this for each of the 7 Dragons.

If you would like to know more and work through your Dragons, then join Derek for a weekend Therapeutic Workshop at the start of the New Year in Copenhagen.

“Transforming your Inner Dragons”

Friday 6th January (Hellig 3 Konger)

start at kl.18.30-21.00 plus weekend

Saturday 7th. & Sunday 8th. January 2023 kl.10-17

Venue: Astrologi Huset, Copenhagen

Interested? Request fuller details:derek@seagrief.com

”The Night Journey of 12 Hours – The Egyptian Book of the Dead”

70-Days Online – Start anytime

And for those brave souls who feel drawn towards the imagery & mythology of the ancient Egyptian world view, you can commit yourself to a 70-Day Journey through the Egyptian Book of the Dead (called by the Egyptians, “The Coming Forth by Day”), where you shall explore the 12 Hours of Night, meet the Guardians of the Hours, experience the inner landscapes of the otherworlds and enter into deep transformation.

This is truly a Scorpio experience, meeting the dark and mysterious within us and contacting our own magical resources. The training is Online and you can start at anytime. You receive the first 9 Gates every 7 days and the final Gates 10-11-12 as you are nearing the completion of 70 Days.

Demanding, Challenging and Inspirational – is this something for YOU?

The Knightly Attributes

SWORD :

– Spirit or Truth, the Word & Will of God, inner authority

SHIELD:

Faith, Providence and Protection

BREASTPLATE:

Righteousness, also Faith & Love

SPEAR:

Illuminating power, true perception, creative will

BOW:

Power of Eloquence, the Archer, Eros or Love arrows

MANTLE-CLOAK:

Zeal, protection, concealment, virtue

HELMET:

Hope of salvation, helmet of invisibility, highest wisdom-vision

SHOES-SANDALS:

“Preparation for the Gospel of Peace”, Bible quote,

imovement and action

CORD-BELT-GIRDLE:

Fellowship, Brotherhood, love

HORSE:

Pegasus, famous horse flying through the world proclaiming Fame & Victory

The Shield, Sword and Spear are the principal weapons for the Warrior of Light, who wins these through his various trials and struggles. As an added bonus, you are given a hat or helmet, sandals or other knightly attributes, such as a bow or a horse etc.

In the full initiatory stories you are given even more, and in the Greek or ancient Egyptian stories there are actual real records of the knightly things that we win or attain. A partial list of this is given in the New Testament in two places – Ephesians, Chapter 6, verses 14-16, and in Thessalonians 1, Chapter 5, verse 8. In the Old Testament, Issiah, Chapter 56, verse 17, it also tells about the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation and the cloak of zeal.

All of these are partial records of what was taught in the ancient mysteries and represented what we win, or as recorded in the knights of the Medieval Ages, it was “winning your spurs”.

For us in the 21st. Century, we need to recognize that these various “weapons” refer to the specific tools of consciousness that the knight-disciple was learning to master.

It is a most valuable process to meditate on the inner meanings of each of these knightly attributes for ourselves.

You have the SWORD to start with, as we grasp the power within us, our personal will linked to the Will of God, our motivating power.

In the Arthurian legends, the Sword is really the power of Love & the stone is a symbol for our hearts. Love literally can move solid physical matter and when our heart begins to open, then we can draw out the magic sword. In much the same way as the rising of the Kundalini energy, sacred swords or weapons of war are as old as time. The sword is a symbol of power and of a subtle energy that to people in times past represented a weapon of either destruction or victory, so in the hands of the right person it was a force of energy that could be easily understood.

The Sword represents the Will of God, pure desire – and then we have the SHIELD, called the SHIELD OF FAITH in the Bible. It was used in battle to protect something which is good and true.

On Gawain’s shield, (Gawain the Champion of the Land before Lancelot), is emblazoned the Pentagram, the 5-pointed Star, symbolizing the dominion of the Spirit over the 4 Elements.

On Arthur’s shield is the Red dragon and then it changes due to Christian influences to the image of Mother Mary, while Lancelot captured the enchanted castle, “Dolourous Gard”, with the aid of a new shield sent to him by the Lady of the Lake – white with a red diagonal across it, which gave to its wearer the strength of three men.

On one’s shield was painted the highest truth we could aspire to, and on the one hand it is a symbol for the Earth element, the firmness of the world, and on the other hand it serves the living Tradition.

Like the Greek hero myth of Perseus, it protects the disciple from the negative powers in the world, reflecting all things back to its creator-owner. This also refers to owning our own material, our own projections.

The shield and its painted image reflects a sacred tradition, so that if we break the tradition which it carries, the knight loses faith.

So if your Shield represents your highest truth, the symbolic essence of your faith, that which you aspire towards –

What pictorial form could this take?

This is your task – to draw your shield of Faith.

Autumn Equinox Tour to Egypt

Our travellers from Scandinavia & USA recently arrived home after 11-Days of Adventure & Magic in Eternal Egypt. All would be in agreement that our group experienced a magical flow in all our temple visits, as we found ourselves alone and protected from the hustle & bustle of other tourist energies. During our first days, sailing on the Nile in our luxury boat, with private cabins just for our group, a profound peace descends upon all travellers, for this is the way to attune with the authentic Egypt vibration. Time stands still and we enter a very different frequency to that which we have left behind. This is just one of the reasons why we call our Tours “Eternal Egypt”.

To understand the ancient Egyptian civilization is to know the story of their Divine Family, Isis, the Mother, Osiris, the Father and Horus, their magical child. The brother to Osiris, Set, was jealous of the power, position, wealth and love that the King Osiris received from the people, and so he murdered him and cut up his body in 14 pieces, scattering them all over Egypt.

Tradition tells us that this occurred during the Full Moon of Scorpio. Isis, the devout wife was determined to find all the missing pieces of her dead husband and so she journeyed up & down all of Egypt and whenever she found a piece of the body of the God Osiris, she established a temple on that spot. The head was found at Abydos, central Egypt and the heart in Philae temple, an island situated deep south in Aswan.

This is obviously a thinly disguised Mystery School Teaching that explored the Temple Landscape of Egypt as a living Cosmic Being. On our Tours we take these Teachings and make them accessible through different group exercises and rituals. On the sacred altar of the Isis Temple at Philae, we pour Nile water, make an evocation to the Goddess and each traveller receives a number between 1 to 14.

That number is then identified to a part of the body of the dead-god Osiris. Each traveller then works with this mind-body correspondence for the coming days. There is a deeper reason for being drawn to this body-part and the meaning often emerges as we work deeper upon the intuitive connection. Some immediately recognize the obvious connection to an area of pain or difficulty that they have been experiencing, such as our Egyptian Tour Guide Fatma expressed amazement at receiving the left leg, as that was her main physical problem.

I myself, as Tour Leader, received the chest region, containing the heart & lungs, which was appropriate for many reasons as I function as the heart-beat and quality of the communication between inner & outer dynamics.

Derek’s injured left eye

It was 33 years ago since I first visited Egypt with a Dutch group and in previous Newsletters I have told the story of how 33 travellers performed a ritual in the Luxor Temple in 1989 and the next day that section of the temple was closed and the following day a public announcement was made of a magnificent find of 33 statues buried below the sands. Those wonderful statues can be seen today as they form the New Luxor Museum. The Egyptian Guide that made our group ritual possible that fateful evening became a Soul friend and whenever I revisited Luxor & Karnak temples we always reconnected.

So it was with some shock & sadness that I learnt on our current Tour that he had recently passed away. I returned to our Hotel still feeling quite emotional about this news – and I walked head-first into a glass door in the entrance nearby the security desk! Somehow my glasses ripped open a long deep cut along my left eyebrow and blood gushed out preventing me from seeing. The hotel medic and other hotel staff recommended going to the hospital and having stiches to pull the wound together. I recommended that they lead me to the nearby bar and get me a big gin & tonic! The barman recognised me from 4 years previously when I had stayed at the hotel. I sat down and enjoyed my GT!

The next day we went to the Valley of the Kings and we visited the amazing Seti 1st tomb, which is the deepest and most beautiful of all the tombs in the Valley. I simply adore this location – and it was here that I requested HORUS, the Sun God to heal me. In the traditional myth, Set & Horus were fighting and the left eye of Horus got damaged and required magical attention. My eyelid was black-&-blue from the violent encounter and the nasty cut had begun to close. By the third day after the accident my left eye was healed and there is no scar as a result.

Here is a picture of Derek with Horus in the tomb of Seti 1st.

The Scorpio Snake & Eagle

Let’s look at the symbolism of Scorpio one more time. Yes, people often refer to this sign as that depicting the scorpion or the snake/serpent – but what about it’s higher manifestation – the high flying eagle?

The eagle is the only creature on planet Earth that by its own effort reaches the highest skies. And it is a hunter – yes, a Hunter for Truth! And nothing escapes its piercing eyesight. What magnificent symbolism before us!

Think about all 12 zodiac signs and their associated symbols – it is only the polarity of SCORPIO-TAURUS that is connected with birds. These winged beings are Messengers connecting Above with Below. We have the Dove associated with Taurus and the Eagle with Scorpio and for the Celts these two signs divided the Year into the Light & Dark halves.

There is a universal teaching here and if we travel to Eternal Egypt we will soon be exposed to images of the BA, a bird with a human head, emerging from the head of the deceased, and representing their concept of the soul. It is in this form that it could leave and re-enter the tomb as well.

It is the zodiac sign of Scorpio that is traditionally associated with the death & rebirth process. We let go of the physical dimension and find ourselves travelling through the non-physical dimensions of reality.

In Egypt they also had the Bennu bird, which is an exalted concept and cosmology that connects us with rising on the planes towards the highest levels of existence. Perhaps the best way to understand this is to recognize the Egyptian Bennu bird as identical to the Phoenix bird that periodically dies in order to renew itself. These are powerful images for Scorpio, the snake which sheds its skin and the high-flying eagle, the Egyptian Ba and Bennu bird. These are powerful archetypal and alchemical images for Scorpio: the self-renewing Phoenix bird.

There are wonderful teachings around our penetration and exploration of these deeper Scorpionic mysteries of life.

In Alice Bailey’s “Esoteric Astrology”, we can read that the Zodiac itself is divided into 3 parts and therefore 3 ruling Constellations in the Heavens. We are also shown the Cosmic connection of 3 Great Sons of God with these 3 signs:

HERCULES – SCORPIO – Strength through Testing

BUDDHA – TAURUS – Illumination through Struggle

CHRIST – PISCES - Resurrection through Sacrifice

For those of you who know your astrology, reflect on these correspondences and it is so because testing, trial, desire, illumination, matter, form and salvation are the Keynote of our Solar System and of our own Earth planet in particular. These 3 great Sons of God express Strength, Illumination and Love in full expression.

Preparations for our next Autumn Equinox Tour – Eternal Egypt

14 Days Tour: Friday 13th to Friday 27th. October 2023

Some of our Travellers & Keys of Light from our Oktober 2022 Tour have already signed up to take next year’s Tour, visiting new places like Abydos & Dendera temples, and two families have expressed their desire to join the 2023 Autumn Equinox Tour. We shall be aiming for 22 Keys of Light, a mixture of Scandinavians and Seekers from USA. If this adventure resonates with you, then make your early commitment to secure a place. A more detailed program with our schedule, prices etc. is available upon request: derek@seagrief.com

And here for your interest are a few comments from the October group:

“What a fantastic trip!

Thank you so much for everything you gave me/us.

Your knowledge is amazing.

I could not have had a better introduction to this world.

You, Berit and the whole wonderful group gave me unforgettable

memories and so did everything I saw and learned on this trip to

“Eternal Egypt”.

– Inger P (75 years young) from Malmo, Sweden

Our ETERNAL EGYPT Trip was incredible! I had high expectations and it was more amazing than I could have ever imagined.

Derek and Berit are absolutely two beautiful souls that took us all on a journey into all of the beautiful discoveries of Egypt. The land, the Gods,

the Goddesses and the people.

The trip was planned out so well – we got to do so much more than I ever imagined would be possible in one trip. From going to Temples, being on a boat on the Nile River, getting to swim in the Nile and being at the Pyramids.

I am so extremely grateful for all of the opportunities at all of the Temples we visited and the Pyramids. All of the ceremonies were beautiful and so much love & healing energy from the group!

This was a life-changing trip for me energetically, emotionally and spiritually and I am in deep gratitude for the opportunity – and can’t wait for next year!”

Rushelle V. Los Angeles, USA

“This tour was absolutely amazing.

Derek had sent very interesting deep level material and exercises to every participant from 10 weeks before, so I felt I already had a big deal of momentum before we left.

It indeed turned out to be an unforgetable adventure, bringing you both high - and deep.The tour has been so well planned in many fantastic details all the way through.

Incredibly well preserved Temples, pyramids, energy-places where holy places have being built on the top of each other for ages and ages. Ceremonies and many historical insights!

Nile cruise was really nice on this cosy, fantastic well served wooden luxury boat, dropping us by places and temples I’d never heard about before.

From start, when we sat first morning enjoying breakfast with the sight of the Nubian-Nile and all way through, there was this balance of going for the real spiritual stuff - and also the needed time for relaxing.

Derek and Berit were ever loving, guiding, supporting - and fully focused. Everything turned therefore out to build up a loving, joyful and dedicated group energy with all these fantastic people.

Deep inner work by the honest presence of everyone!

For me I experienced a deep Soul contact and re-meeting with the living Egyptian Gods and Goddesses (also representing my inner archetypes), especially by the One!

As a whole this tour has been a re-union with the awakened mystic Egyptian dimension, never quite forgotten on my inner levels.

Touching, moving, meaningful and joyful.

Thank all of you! I can only recommend to join in for the next tour!”

Metea Liv, Køge, Denmark

“The experience that the time stood still, not just a split second, time did not exist at all. Standing in front of the Sphinx, and realise that it’s been so many lives in front of this great energy transmitter. Discovering a unity with previous lives touched me on a very deep level, tears were rolling down my cheeks and my heart pondering when recognising myself in unity with eternal Egypt.

This was the 8th. day of 10 but all melted into a symphony of ancient wisdom shared with Derek, Berit and my beautiful travel companions that were meant to come together in this life, at this special time.

Aswan Holiday home, the cruise on the Nile with stop at gorgeous temples, Luxor and Karnak, the Great Pyramid, last days at Anafora so lovely! Interesting talks and sharing along the way.

I was called to this journey and are grateful for the grace!

If you consider to participate at next occasion grab the chance go with the flow and trust. With love!”

Göran S. Stockholm, Sweden Oktober 2022

The Celtic Festival of Samhain (Peace) also known as Halloween

In a few days time we shall be celebrating ALL HALLOW’S EVE, the Celtic Festival of Samhain, Festival of Peace which marks the beginning of the Dark Half of the Year.

In modern terminology this is HALLOWEEN, a 3-Day Festival climaxing on the evening of 31st.October. There are 13 months to the Celtic Year, 12 of which are roughly equivalent to our present ones, but with the inclusion of a short 3-Day month at the end of October which led up to the start of the Celtic New Year. This Druidic Calendar of 13 months was a number sacred to the Goddess – but to the early Christians, it was the “evil” number.

With the coming of Christianity, this festival was turned into the Christian festivals of All Souls Day & All Saint’s Day, with Halloween as the start of this 3-Day period. Here we can see most clearly the way in which Christianity built on pagan foundations.

All Saints Day (2nd. November) is quite different to All Souls Day (1st. November). All Saints Day celebrates the existence of those who have reach some degree of spirituality. All Souls Day celebrates those who have not reached this level.

Its purpose is the acknowledgement of an illustrious group of Beings, who may be seen as the Body of Christ or the House of Israel, the Blessed Ones or the Inner Council of Mankind, according to the terms of your tradition. The worldwide traditions of Ancestor worship is still not appreciated by our Christian societies.

During such ceremonies, contact might be made with your own particular inner Teacher – thus, the Festival is not just remembrance of their existence, but a meeting place in time, between us below and those above who are involved with the One Work.

For the Celtic civilization just before midnight on Monday 31st. October this year and the Eve of Tuesday November 1st. the veil between this world and the Otherworld is thinnest and beings of all kinds can slip easily from one to another. This was the start of their New Year, the most important Festival of their 8 Grove festivals.

Today in our Christian culture, we celebrate the seasonal Festivals of Christmas & Easter as the high points in the yearly calendar, and yet the Celtic nations observed their own religious festivals based upon the cycles of the Earth in relation to the Sun and Moon. We could point out that the birth of the Christ-child Jesus in December has become the one and only true “marker” for the Christian year and that other seasonal festivals, such as the recent September Harvest time, which used to be significant, does not seem to affect our lifestyles either as individual’s or as a community.

In contrast, the Druids celebrated 8 Festivals, which we would call “markers” which means that approximately every 6 weeks, the individual and the community had the opportunity to step out of the everyday life and honour the cyclic processes of life. In today’s fragmented society, it is no wonder that we feel ourselves out of touch with the movement and harmony of life, especially when we recall our attitudes to the high points of the Christian calendar, and what we choose to emphasize at Christmas and Easter time.

The essential nature of the Druidic religion reduces easily to one basic duality. For the Celts, all reality was a direct reflection from either the SUN realm (masculine, active sphere) or the MOON realm (feminine, absorbing sphere). All matters, be it physical or mystic, were seen in the light of masculine or feminine.

And so they divided the year first by the 4 fixed points in the solar calendar, the Solstices (Midsummer & Midwinter Day) and Equinoxes (Spring & Autumn), which are four distinct moments that mark the most intense points of the Seasons. And then they further divided the year by 4 other Festivals, which mark the moments when one season changes into the next, and these were called the 4 Cross-Quarter days. They were in-between times, more fluid or moveable in their placing in the calendar, whose exact day of celebration was determined by where the Full Moon fell within that month i.e. Samhain (November Eve), Imbolic (February Eve), Beltane (May Eve) and Lugnassad (August Eve).

These were the 4 MOON Festivals and the Solstices & Equinox points were the 4 SUN Festivals, so that the Druid calendar had a balanced scheme of interlocking masculine & feminine energies.

The obvious comment for this Newsletter is to note that the Celtic New Year begins in Scorpio, the sign and Death & Rebirth and is called the Festival of Peace: Samhain. This shows a healthy relationship with death or rather a working relationship with change, building-up and letting-go and a cooperation with Nature, our greatest Teacher. This is the male-female balance.

And so the equal status of women in Celtic society was both surprising and threatening to early Christianity – I wonder if there is anything that our modern world could learn from this….? Death was always portrayed as female and that too was supremely challenging for the Fathers of the new religion.

So the name HALLOWEEN is actually derived from the word HALLOWS and it was the Quest for the 4 HALLOWS or 4 “Holy Things” which are the essence of this Festival, for they represent the fourfold energies of Creation.

What are these 4 “Holy Things”?

Well, Christianity has at best, only emphasized one item – the Grail Cup – yet the Celtic Cosmology honoured all 4 Hallows, and this provides us with a true vision of Wholeness.

Our task is to both recognize and respect the 4 Elements within us, and to give them expression through our creative and imaginative lifestyle. To accomplish this we can work more consciously with the Cycle of the Sun and the unfoldment of the 4 Seasons.These 4 Hallows of the Celtic Traditions are:

THE SWORD OF LIGHT in the East, the dispeller of illusion, cutting through obstacles;
THE SPEAR OF DESTINY in the South, that challenges what is false, the instrument that both wounds & heals. Also known as the Magical Wand;
THE GRAIL CUP in the West, whose function is that of Healing and Abundance. The Grail Winner is often called “He/She who Frees the Waters”;
THE STONE OF WISDOM in the North, the Stone of the Lady of the Land, the Preserver of Knowledge & Guardian of Tradition. Like the frozen darkness of winter earth, it keeps the secrets of new growth locked up until the appropriate time for revelation.

Those of you who have been exposed to the archetypal images of the TAROT cards will have no difficulty in making the connection to the 4 Elemental suits of SWORDS (AIR), SPEAR/WANDS (FIRE), CUPS (WATER) & STONE/DISKS (EARTH).

Everything is interconnected, and this we know intuitively, and since we are in the month of the water sign SCORPIO, what will you make of this statement from the book “Esoteric Astrology”:

“The 4th. or Human Hierarchy – is assigned no particular Element

(such as Fire, Water, Air or Earth) as it has to fuse and synthesize them all.

This is part of the great tests of Initiation under Scorpio.”

This is a powerful statement about the enormous significance of the sign Scorpio in our human evolution. Water signs represent “the urge to merge” and here in Scorpio the great lessons of Alchemy are made possible. This is undoubtedly the true significance of strength & power.

The Warrior-Sage

In the cult of the WARRIOR-SAGE, we see a new form of spirituality based on naturalness, truth and an unpretentious lifestyle. The Warrior knows that he/she is not perfect. But such a person is an individual beyond the automatic tick-tock behaviour of the majority who want life to be comfortable, safe and guaranteed. Such an individual is not afraid to express themself or wield power if necessary. The Warrior-Sage, detached as he/she is from their own death, is not looking to survive – they concentrate upon living. And because of that they are powerful. The Universe challenges us to overcome our deficiencies and so become more living. Indeed, we can say that increased “livingness” on all levels is the true mark of the spiritual student. The realization is that many of the mysteries of life will always remain hidden if we settle comfortably with a “not knowing” attitude.

All you can offer the world is your strength, your honour, and the quality of your quest exemplified by your life. If you step inside the Warrior-Sage philosophy you are left with just yourself – but at least you are left with a person you can trust. The Supreme Commander of these warriors of the Inner World is FAITH.

If you are stimulated by the idea of a HALLOWQUEST JOURNEY, making contact and integration with the “4 HOLY OBJECTS” of the Celtic World and the Arthurian Mysteries – then I would suggest you Register for a 1-Year Training & Education, both physical and Online, starting in January 2023.

“HALLOWQUEST: Exploring the Arthurian Tarot”

12 months Training – starts Friday 20th. January 2023

Friday evening kl.18.30-21 every 2 weeks

Details available upon Request

The Cycle of the Hallows

Part 2: Future Events
The Heroic Quest:
The Hero/Heroine’s Journey

Our Inner Journey exploring the Myths

of the 12 Zodiac Signs

with

Derek R. Seagrief

Online Teaching: 12 Thursday Evenings

One time a week through to 12th. January 2023

Starts: 27 October 2022 6pm-8pm CEDT

By the time you receive this Newsletter the first Online Lesson

has already taken place – Thurs. 27th. October.

But – you can still join us!

Register today & receive all recordings and be part of the

Online group.

The Hero/Heroine is always to be found within ourselves. The adventures of the Hero are those of our own psyche as we journey into the depths & do battle with the subterranean forces – and then come back renewed and victorious.

Deep within us is where new answers can be found and new ideas born.

The Heroic Journey strikes such a deep chord in the lives and imagination of all peoples because we are the Heroes and Heroines of our own life drama and we recognize their journey as ours. Their adventures are the archetypal models for the process of human growth & change.

A potential Parsifal or Pinocchio, Psyche or Cinderella gazes back at us every time we look into the mirror.

To work with a myth and to relate to it meaningfully is to rediscover the unknown, the magic in life. You can do this by searching for the deeper meaning a myth has for you. And to help focus the process we work with the 12 Zodiac signs and the landscape of our own horoscope. And if we want to, we can rewrite our storyline.

Our Mythic Journey October 2022-January 2023

C O N T E N T S

The myths of the 12 Zodiac Signs & their planetary Rulers
Exploring these myths through Greek & Roman references, ancient Egyptian, Celtic & Arthurian myths, the Far East & the Americas

Meditation & Guided Visualization Exercises
The deeper meaning of the 12 Labours of Hercules
The Fixed Stars
Scholars of mythology have defined this journey as 8 Parts, in common with other traditions (Buddhist, Shamanism). It starts with the Call to Adventure and ends with the Quest achieved. What are these 8 steps so clearly defined by Joseph Campbell?

The progressive Sun & Moon cycle
Transit Saturn on the 4 Angles & midpoints of the 4 Quarters
Riding the Dragon
The Journey of the Hero through the 22 Tarot cards of the Major Arcana

The Gods & Goddesses in Everywoman & Everyman
Heroes take journeys, confront dragons & discover the treasure of their own heart-self. Please join us on this creative Adventure!

P R A C T I C A L I N F O :

You Register your participation with payment of the Total amount:

4,000 Dkr/$570

Derek’s Bank account or via Paypal

You will be sent the Zoom invite 3 days before each Lesson.

All 12 evenings will be recorded & made available to students

sent as a DropBox file.

Study material on the Myths of each Zodiac sign

will be sent after each Lesson.

The 12 Dates are:

(1). 27 October 2022; (2). 3 November; (3). 10 November;

(4). 17 November; (5). 24 November; (6). 1 December;

(7). 8 December; (8). 15 December 2022; (9). 22 December;

(10). 29 December; (11). 5 January; (12). 12 January - Completion

New Education & Professional Training

with Tarot Master

Derek Seagrief

On location in Stockholm & Online

Part 2: 28-29 January 2023

We have started Workshop 1 in Oktober 2022, but,

you can still join the group & evolve your therapeutic skills next year – Register today!

Are you excited by working with the Tarot cards, but would like to add a new dimension to your readings?
Do you want to go further than just one-off readings and explore the many deeper psychological aspects that the imagery of the cards invite you to do?
Are you ready to open to Tarot’s magical world and so make greater contact with your own hidden resources and see new possibilities?
Does the goal of communicating with these inner figures and symbols on the cards excite you?
And would you like to introduce others into this magical world and take them on meaningful journeys into their inner landscape?

If you have been saying “YES” to this and this Education resonates with your next phase of self-development, then sign up today with no delay as we are a group of maximum 12 people on this unique Journey.

Are YOU one of those new Tarot Therapists?

The Tarot is a powerful & versatile tool in therapeutic work. It is a map that can guide us during periods of change and personal growth. Tarot triggers dialogue with the deeper Self, and when applied in therapy, can energize the intuition and creative imagination so that inner states can be more directly experienced.

You will be learning how to read the therapeutic levels within the cards and how to offer your clients a variety of self-help tools that will catalyze the integrative forces within them. Tarot as an integrative process builds up people and puts them back together with a new sense of wholeness.

Your experience of Tarot will be revolutionized through these Workshops.

Different Tarot decks carry different energy or emphasis – and because of this we shall work with several different decks, providing us with different perspectives on the same issues or life themes.

Full details available on request: derek@seagrief.com Mobile: +45-23817618

“Transforming Your Inner Dragons”

2½-Day Therapeutic Workshop

Friday 6th. January 2023 (Hellig 3 Konger) kl.18.30-21

Saturday 7th. & Sunday 8th. January

Kl.10-17

Venue: AstrologiHuset, Østerbro, Copenhagen

Price: 2500 Dkr.

Deposit of 500kr to Register & secure place

MobilePay or Bank transfer

Max 12 participants

“HallowQuest”

12 month Journey

exploring

“The Arthurian Tarot”

(Tarot deck by Caitlain & John Matthews)

Online & physical Group

Starting: Friday 20th. January 2023 kl.18.30-21.00

Then Friday meetings every 2 weeks

The Egyptian Night Journey:

A Spiritual Passage

12 Hours through the Egyptian Book of the Dead

70-Days Online Training: Starting – when you want to start

We shall be utilizing the 12 Gates of the Underworld as a therapeutic process – a Hero’s Journey. During your Journey through the Gates, you confront your demons in a very different way than when you have approached these appearances in the past. You will embrace them and use what they teach you in healthy, helpful and non-hurtful ways – and out of this will emerge a new social self.

You will be an APPRENTICE on your first 3 trips through the Gates, then a KNOWER through Gates 5 through to 9, and finally a TRAVELLER for the last Gates, or a person who effectively participates & observes the mystery as it unfolds in front of your eyes.

Derek’s Newsletter Late October/November 2022SCORPIO