Epochal Times

 

September 16, 2005

 

http://cainer.com/ericfrancis/sept16.html

 

Dear Readers, Far and Near:

 

We are certainly in a high stress moment in the history of the world, even the world as we've become (sort of) accustomed to it. And with the sensitive Pisces Full Moon approaching between now and Sunday, there is a nervous, emotional energy in the air that a lot of people are either going to be feeling or responding to unconsciously. Pisces can be a mellow sign, but it can also be edgy, and this Full Moon is in a pretty close square to Pluto.

 

Let's do a brief summary of the recent news. Our current moment of history (just speaking for this week or so) includes the 60th anniversary summit of the United Nations, where many world leaders have gathered in New York; a recent wave of riots in Northern Ireland; a blackout in Los Angeles; the ongoing total evacuation of New Orleans and occupation of the city by a mercenary army (Blackwater Security, a private security firm, some of its heavily armed members newly back from Iraq); and hence, the entry of an entire US city into the post-industrial age; publication of evidence that one of the New Orleans levees may have been demolished with underwater explosives; the beginning of hearings for the proposed new life-long chief justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, who claims to have no agenda whatsoever; the actual resignation of someone in the Bush administration, embattled FEMA guy Mike "Brownie" Brown (who is seeking "new opportunities"); a massive insurgent battle in Baghdad; and the discussion of the preparation for the effects of global warming on the cover of the International Herald Tribune (the international edition of the New York Times).

 

There is so much going on that what happened on Monday seems like old news as I write on Thursday morning.

 

I have not even mentioned Africa or anything going on in Asia, and there is a lot. We live in what you could call epochal times -- times of momentous change, under our feet and before our eyes. Don't be fooled by the fact that you may not watch the news or that the pace of change is so relentless that what we're witnessing may seem normal. It is not normal. Nothing about this time in history is normal. But then, when you look at what visionaries in the 1970s were saying about the direction of our society, we can see that things are coming to a head where industrialization itself will reach a crux point and call for a higher level of sensitivity to the environment and participation in world consciousness.

 

We might ask what planetary activity is associated with this cluster of events, which sounds like it could be a mock news summary out of a sci-fi novel. Remembering that the past 12 years or so have come with an unusual cluster of events, going back to the extremely rare Uranus-Neptune conjunction in Capricorn, I would associate the following current planetary developments with this historical cluster we're going through:

 

1. The approaching solar eclipse in Libra. The events of the eclipse window are just heating up and we have yet to see the most "interesting" of them. The Oct. 3 eclipse, which I get the feeling will be somewhat infamous, sets off many different charts with strong Libra signatures, particularly that of Mr. Bush. We may see some seismic activity as a result of this eclipse, which is in a sensitive area of the zodiac for movement of the Earth. As well, Saturn crossed the acting president's ascendant on Monday morning. Notice that he issued the first semi-apology of his presidency this week. I reckon that while Saturn appreciated this conciliatory gesture, the transit is not quite over.

 

2. Saturn in Leo. We promised you some changes. We saw a few dams bursting during the past century. But really, I had no clue. In the immortal words of Patric Walker [quoted on excellent authority], referring to astrology, "This sodding stuff works!" Too bad it works so freaking well. Saturn in Leo is a BIG change; it turns an energy that was largely feminine emotional into an energy that is passionate and fiery. But it's just part of the picture and hey, this transit is just beginning.

 

3. The approaching Mars retrograde in Taurus. This begins Oct. 2, coincidentally timed with the solar eclipse. Exciting, yes? Mars goes retrograde for about 10 weeks every two years and is often associated with a heightening of intensity in world affairs. The last time, it came with a massive heat wave in Europe as well as occurring near the beginning of the Iraq war. Mars, now at about 22 degrees of Taurus, is making a long, slow yod involved with Jupiter at 22 degrees of Libra and Pluto at 22 degrees of Sagittarius. This is a triangular aspect of 120, 120 and 60 degrees. The keyword is INTENSE.

 

4. We are thus having a major eruption of Pluto in Sagittarius. It's all about "ideology," isn't it. Okay, well, money factors in, and oil, but ideology is the way to get people going, or get them to forget. The Pluto in Sagittarius factor may be the most critical of all these I'm outlining here; it is the one that says that what we believe is what's really important, no matter how stupid it is. I.e., "I paid $60,000 for this big ol' truck that gets 10 mpg so by golly I'm gonna pay three bucks a gallon for gas and drive it everywhere!" (Yes, people in San Francisco love their BART [Bay Area Rapid Transit] and many New Yorkers really do take the subway. But these are relatively small parts of America; most Americans simply have to drive to work.) Pluto in Sagg allows psychic space and let's say provides motivation for people to rally their idea of the forces of "good" and "evil" and make a huge fuss where there might otherwise be none. This has been going on since around 1994.

 

5. The recent Capricorn Full Moon on the summer solstice, reaching across the very first degrees of Cancer/Cap, setting off the June 21, 2001 total solar eclipse (the pre-9/11 total solar eclipse on the summer solstice, the first of the 21st century, please see last week's edition). Then there was the second Capricorn Full Moon one month later, conjunct Chiron. In actual fact, four events, Katrina, the London bombings, the Asian tsunami and Sept. 11 attacks, are all DIRECTLY related, if you take any clues from astrology.

 

6. The recent Varuna New Moon -- Between the two Capricorn Full Moons was a New Moon in Cancer that was closely conjunct Varuna, a new planet named for the supreme creation deity and Lord of Waters. (Varuna, minor planet 20,000, was discovered in 2000. It orbits beyond Pluto that orbits the sun in 282 years.) This New Moon, covered extensively on Planet Waves at the time, occurred July 6, 2005 -- close to the USA birthday, and that of its fearless leader. More on Varuna is in the archives of this column here.

 

7. The ongoing conjunction of Chiron and Nessus in Capricorn/Aquarius, which was exact for the first time in May (in Aquarius) and which is now retrograding into the last degree of Capricorn. This is a generation defining conjunction, and one that no living person has ever experienced. Notably, this conjunction, between two of the earliest known Centaur planets (Chiron, the first, and Nessus, the third), occurred exactly -- exactly to the degree -- with Chiron square of the discovery degree of Chiron. This process, looking just at Chiron, could also be summed up differently as "the transition of Chiron in to Aquarius" for the first time in about 44 years. Search Google for timelines of the late 1950s and early 1960s and see what you learn...clue: Chiron left Aquarius and entered Pisces the last time on the day after John F. Kennedy was inaugurated. Movements of this planet help define historical eras.

 

8. The discovery and announcement of Xena, which we can now nickname Hurricane Xena. This super interesting development involves the first planet discovered in our solar system (since 1930) that is larger than Pluto. Many, many planets have been discovered since 1930, when Pluto was found; some are further out than Pluto, some close in size. This is the first that is larger, and apparently, it turns out that for once in astrology, bigger makes a difference. Before we come up with any definitive ideas about what Xena means, we'll need to see how this time in history turns out. We'll know soon, in about six or seven years.

 

9. The approach of Pluto toward the Galactic Core. We don't see this aspect reach exactitude until December 2006, and last through all of 2007 and beyond, but we are definitely close and we are well on the way. The Galactic Core remains a mysterious point, and it speaks to the mystery of existence and our galactic origins. It is perhaps the most potent symbol for unity we have in the chart or in the sky, as it relates to our particular mini-universe. Astrologically, it brings in themes including connection to the source, and messages that seem to be from far beyond our consciousness but which really originate within us.

 

10. The associated galactic astrology connected to 2012 -- which is the approach of the Capricorn point to a sensitive area of the Galactic Core region and the final days of the 1.85 million day Mayan Day Count, and the end of Baktun 13, the last Baktun in the Mayan long count. If you figure that we are now in the last seven years of a 5,125 year cycle (the long count), and that this is a key culmination point of the entire 26,000 year precessional cycle, we are IN the moment right now. More on many of these topics -- particularly relating to 2012 -- are covered in a web page called Bridge to the Core -- have a look.

 

But the real question, the real issue, is not the symbols of astrology, but rather the reality with which and in which we live. Many of us are feeling a sense of fear and uncertainty as a result of all this intense change, coming on so fast; these two feelings can lead to many other forms of doubt and loneliness. I am not feeling that there is any kind of "celebration of the conscious" going on -- rather, the conscious, those aware of the changes, seem to be concerned more than celebrating life. I don't blame anyone; most of the planet's population lives near a coastline, and we all breathe air and are supported by Gaia. We may be feeling a pretty serious sense of vulnerability as we watch while the prophesies of Earth changes seem to come true.

 

We have a big question to ask ourselves and one another: what do we do with fear? How do we handle the stress of our lives? How can we support those who have dedicated themselves to being on the front lines, whether as healers or as those who have descended into New Orleans as part of disaster teams, or to rescue animals?

 

The idea of astrology is not to lose ourselves in the astrological symbols, but rather to use it as a way we can be in our lives on the planet as firmly and as strongly as we can. To do that, we need one another. We need to reach out to others, and, because you are conscious, you may be the one who gets the job.

 

Updates continue daily over at Planet Waves -- including information about this weekend's Pisces Full Moon. See you there -- and please subscribe, because your subscription supports this juicy Q & A column, as well as the whole Planet Waves project. Thank you!