In the event you are still casting about for how to engage the mystery of this year’s Winter Solstice Great Conjunction, I share the following five-step exercise rooted in the Foundation Stone Meditation, after which you will have a dodecahedron! Please note that this can also be done during the Holy Nights, in which case I would create the template of 12 pentagons, and paint them each according the colors of the zodiac, one day at a time, as a contemplative exercise through this time (details below*).
The five times throughout the day Monday, December 21 when I will do this process are:
1. solstice moment 5:02 am eastern time zone (check your local time)
2. sunrise 8:17 am eastern time
3. greatest conjunction of Jupiter with Saturn 1:22 pm eastern (13:22 UTC)
4. sunset 4:59 pm eastern
5. Planets Jupiter and Saturn set 7:22 pm
Using the pentagon template below, I will trace it in the pattern included here, then paint it throughout the day, two or three pentagons at a time, in the following colors:
1. At solstice, contemplate the first panel of the Foundation Stone Meditation and color two pentagons yellow for Gemini “limbs”
2. At sunrise, contemplate the second panel and color or paint two pentagons green/blue, for Cancer/Leo, heart and lung
3. At greatest conjunction, contemplate third panel, paint two pentagons vermilion (red toward orange), for Aries, resting head
4. At sunset, I will now contemplate the fourth panel that describes the Turning Point of Time and will paint three pentagons (instead of two) deep red for Pisces, the feet, which bear me into my destiny
5. At planet set, I will contemplate the fifth panel “Light Divine, Sun of Christ” and will paint three remaining panels orange for larynx, speaking
Once the pentagons are painted, I will cut them out, leaving them intact where the edges join one another, and fold into a dodecahedron, which is the geometric form of the Foundation Stone itself (it is actually a double dodecahedron, but I will just make the one).
Once you have painted all of the pentagons, cut out the template along the outside edge, keeping intact the places where the pentagons are attached to one another ~ these will be your fold lines. If you can “score” those lines to make it easy to fold, that helps.
Once you start folding, you will see how it comes together into a pentagon.
*If you are doing this exercise after Solstice and for the Holy Nights of Christmas instead, then I recommend creating the template of 12 pentagons and applying color to each pentagon according to the regions of the zodiac, one holy night at a time. In my practice this year, I am beginning with a contemplation of Virgo on this first holy night (December 24-25) and moving in reverse through the cycle of the signs:
1st Holy Night~December 24-25
Virgo~Indigo
2nd Holy Night~December 25-26
Leo~Blue
3rd Holy NIght~December 26-27
Cancer~Green
4th Holy Night~December 27-28
Gemini~Yellow
5th Holy Night~December 28-29
Taurus~Orange
6th Holy Night~December 29-30
Aries~vermilion
7th Holy NIght~December 30-31
Pisces~Red
Pause for midnight moment at New Year’s Eve to New year’s Day
Resume 8th Holy Night~January 1-2
Aquarius~reddish
9th Holy NIght~January 2-3
Capricorn~peach blossom
10th Holy Night~January 3-4
Sagittarius~rose lilac
11th Holy Night~January 4-5
Scorpio~blue local
12th Night~January 5-6
Libra~violet
If you undertake this, I would love to see pictures : ). And thank you to my sister Patrica DeLisa for artistic guidance in sorting out the template and going through the process!
Mary
