The Plough

The Plough

As I was practising yoga today, I decided to incorporate the plough, as it's one of the most reconised constellations in the night sky at this time of year and because today is Opalia, dedicated to Opis - Earth Goddess who nurtured the crops.  This then got me thinking about the symbolic meaning of the plough.....

Within yoga there are many ways of looking at Halasana (plough pose) in search of deeper meaning and guidance. As with many yoga asanas, Halasana's name is suggestive of the basic shape of the pose, which resembles the traditional plows found in Tibetan and Indian culture. Symbolically, the plough is represented in the myths and traditional stories of Egypt, China, Tibet, and India. In the Ramayana, King Janaka uncovers a beautiful baby girl as he is plowing the earth in a sacrificial ground. He adopts the baby and names her Sita, and she later becomes the beautiful wife of Rama. This story relates the power of the plough as a tool for revealing hidden treasures.
Regular practise of plough pose nurtures and rejuvenates the body's entire system. Halasana helps nourish the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine by increasing circulation and suppleness, releases tension in the neck and throat, alleviates the accumulation of phlegm or mucus in the sinuses and respiratory system, and gradually assists in lengthening and regulating the breath.
Halasana has a calming, restorative effect on the sympathetic nervous system. It also assists in balancing the glandular secretions adrenaline and thyroxin, while also improving the elimination of toxins in the digestive and urinary tracts. Those with a tendency toward high blood pressure may find relief from hypertension in the pose. In the inverted position of plough pose, the brain is flushed with blood, promoting mental clarity and increased vitality.

The plough also has worldwide cultural meaning.....
In bibilical terms it is seen as the peaceful art of agriculture, and more of a male fertility symbol - the phallic plough entering the female earth.
Ritual ploughing by a new Chinese emperor symbolised his responsibility for the fertility of his country.
Nomadic people who followed old traditions, saw ploughing as a violation of Mother Earth.
The plough is attributed to to the gods and goddesses of agriculture.....Demeter, Triptolemus, and Dionysos.

Ursa Major - the constellation
The seven brightest stars, located in the Bear's hindquarters and tail, form the well-known Big Dipper asterism, in Britain, this asterism is known as the Plough.  The constellation of Ursa Major has been seen by many distinct civilizations as a bear.  In one sequence, together with the nearby Ursa Minor, it is associated with the myth of Callisto, in another the myth of Cynosura.

Moon - Waning Crescent 38%

Yoga - Tadasana, Star, Prasarita Padottanasana, Parsvottanasana, Uttchita Parsvakonasana, Virabhadrasana Eka & Dvi, Garudasana, Dandasana, Halasana, Matsyasana, Janu Sirsasana, Baddhakonasana, Kurmasana, Cosmic Egg and Pranayama - Ujjayi

Card Message - Four of Cups
Fallow period, Stagnation, Limitation
Lacking inspiration or excitement.  Time to lie fallow, to allow you creative juices to replenish.  Beware of ignoring a gift or opportunity through indifference or laziness.  Feeling stuck in a rut - this may pass in due course.  Developing a structure out of a world born of imagination and feeling.

19th December - Opalia
Opalia is the name for Roman festivals held in honour of Ops (aka Opis/Opus). There were more than one festival for Ops, held on various dates in August and December. Ops is the name of the Roman goddess of abundance. Opis was deemed a chthonic (underworld, inside the earth) goddess who made the vegetation grow. Since her abode was inside the earth, Ops was invoked by her worshipers while sitting, with their hands touching the ground.  She was associated with the granary god Consus, and also with Saturn because her festival coincided with the Saturnalia. Ops was worshiped at the Regia.
The Regia in Rome was a consecrated temple thought to have been built by the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius. The Regia was the headquarters of the pontifex maximus. In the Regia were shrines of Mars and Ops Consivae. Only priests and vestal virgins could enter the shrine of Ops Consivae. The Regia burned at least twice, in 148 and 36 B.C. Nero's fire may also have burned the rebuilt Regia in A.D. 64.

Gratitude - That I am loved and that I love.