The symbolic significance in the making of the finest Japanese whiskey

Dionysus – the god of wine

The first thing offered to me at Suntory's Yamazaki whiskey distillery -- the birthplace of Japanese whiskey -- is a glass of water. It's so delicious it comes as a shock. Even before the reason is explained to me, I'm asking: why does it taste so crisp, so different? Yamazaki is celebrated for its pristine water. The distillery is surrounded by beautiful bamboo forests on a mountain -- they must be getting to my brain. It turns out the water in the area is the reason the first whiskeys in Japan were distilled here. These days, it's used to make some of the most remarkable whiskeys on the planet. For some, Japanese whiskey even trumps Scotch as the go-to after-dinner dram. By Frances Cha, CNN, March 26, 2014

Understanding the world around us depends on our power to perceive patterns of meaning, to make the right connections,  recognize what belongs with what. And we must be prepared for surprises. By linking things which do not at first sight seem to be linked, astrology reveals that happenings we accept at face value  are fraught with deeper significance.

Shown here is the chart of the Last Quarter Moon phase (March 24, 2014) during which the above report was filed. The prominent T-square on the horizon axis is giving us both an obvious and a not so obvious message that we need to decipher.

On the Ascendant [5cn35] are stars of the Chinese asterism Tsing, The Well. This was associated with a source of pure water as well as reminded people to keep waters clean and fresh. On the Descendant [5cp35]  is the asteroid Bacchus [0cp] and the Chinese asterism Teou sometimes symbolized as a Wine Cup. So we have the well and the wine cup…a source of pure water giving rise to an intoxicating and refreshing drink. Such an obvious connection that would be hard to miss!

In addition Uranus-Pluto square the Ascendant-Descendant axis. Uranus-Pluto, on the one hand, brings attention to radical and self-destructive patterns  rippling through generations. On the other, it can motivate  mind-expanding change in the very foundation of consciousness that breaks us from very deep-seated and long-standing genetic, cultural and social behavioral patterns.

Historically, Dionysus or Bacchus, the god of wine,  is portrayed as a multifaceted god. He represents extreme violence and possession but is also a charming god and a giver of intoxicated joy to his believers. Dionysian force is, therefore,  not evil but perhaps too powerful for ordinary people to absorb. With intoxication comes a destruction of the boundaries of the subject. If we can avoid a moralising influence, the Dionysian experience is a source of regeneration of life through new imagery.

Since ancient times water has been linked to the soul and the psyche. Impure water was considered a “receptacle for evil” symbolically implying that  impurity of the soul results in loss of value. Whereas, it was understood that a soul intoxicated (Bacchus/ Wine Cup) with new imagery can allow the destruction of its boundaries to result in a regenerated life (pure waters of the Well). In other words, collapse of an old order (Uranus-Pluto) with the new order leading to a state of ecstasy elevating one over space, time and the prison of the limited self.