{"id":24938,"date":"2010-05-05T00:00:40","date_gmt":"2010-05-05T05:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/?p=24938"},"modified":"2011-06-03T18:33:10","modified_gmt":"2011-06-03T22:33:10","slug":"boobquake-astrology-iran-theocracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/daily-astrology\/boobquake-astrology-iran-theocracy\/","title":{"rendered":"An open letter to Jen McCreight & friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, Jen McCreight, the founder of Boobquake, posted a blog entry<\/strong><\/a> about my coverage of her astrology, which was in last Friday’s edition of <\/em>Planet Waves Astrology News<\/strong><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

The concept of Boobquake was for women to bare a little cleavage, in order to prove or disprove an Iranian religious leader’s theory that sexy women cause earthquakes. The thing rippled out, her Facebook page ended up with nearly 100,000 fans (last time I checked), and she sent a fun message to the world. I replied to her blog post as a comment on her website. Here’s a slightly edited version of that reply. — efc
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Jen and Friends:<\/p>\n

Thanks for introducing me to this excellent, adventurous audience. I know everyone had a great time with Boobquest (though I wonder what those Iranian imams were thinking last week). As the unofficial adopted astrologer of the movement, I want to tell you first that you’ve had a far greater influence on the world than anyone has yet recognized. You have contributed to a tipping point that is rapidly approaching and that will be rather obvious by early June.<\/p>\n

Of course it’s difficult to see this now. The way our media treats anything that is 1) liberationist or 2) explores an idea, tends to diminish it and to reduce it to a cartoon. Our dinosaur media exists as if people, our feelings and our desire to free ourselves from oppressive ideas really don’t matter. We are experimenting with another approach. You, at least, figured out that you make a difference. Just think, this whole fuss started with a single thought in your mind.<\/p>\n

Looking at the astrology of last week’s event has given me a window into the many ways you have sent a life-affirming message rippling through the world, at the same time you’ve challenged dysfunctional beliefs that prevent people from expressing their life force and their natural beauty.<\/p>\n

You, Jen, feel your strength and power; you have access to many facets of your mind. You’re not afraid to challenge authority — and you have set that example literally for millions of people.<\/p>\n

I would like to speak for a moment to the question of whether your astrology, or any astrology, means anything. Remember that astrology is [merely] an intellectual platform. Yes, it as a connection to natural cycles, but as we use it, it’s a mode of analysis — one that is an established part of mainstream Western thought.<\/p>\n

It is also a form of divination. Divination is not science. It more resembles an art form. A chart is not “true” any more than a song or painting is objectively beautiful.<\/p>\n

I don’t claim astrology is a science, and I argue against that viewpoint regularly (the hope that it will be “proven” is a debilitating crutch for many astrologers). Divination is based on authenticity and sincerity; it’s based on clarity and dedication to the truth.<\/p>\n

Basically, any search for the truth will succeed. Whether we use a hound dog or divining rod or the scientific method, the truth responds to us.<\/p>\n

Astrology is not science because there is no “cohort of Jen McCreights” to prove or disprove your chart (however, if we apply certain laws of quantum physics, we might find them scattered around the universe). Science as you know requires repeating the experiment under controlled circumstances. Astrology is the case of a unique example, over and over. As we conduct those unique experiments, we can see patterns. Yes, those patterns exist in the mind of the observer — but so does the data from a psychological experiment. It is not the mind’s bias that’s at work, but rather the fact of consciousness itself<\/em> — and while we know lots about lots of things, we don’t so much about the origin and true nature of consciousness. We’re just bobbing in the middle of it, often unable to question or even notice what we’re experiencing.<\/p>\n

Whether something is bullshit often depends on its use. Rhetoric can be used to make a lie sound true, or to make the truth clear and presentable. The law can be used to hang an innocent person, or to liberate one. Science can be used to test the effects of dangerous chemicals, or as more often happens, it can be used to “prove” that they are safe.<\/p>\n

Currently, it is science that has issues of belief. Science itself has morphed into a kind of fundamentalist religion that is driven more by profits more than by a quest for truth. My own background is investigating scientific fraud. That’s what I was doing when I embarked on astrology — I wanted to see how it worked. So I approached astrology with a scientific mind — a scrutinizing mind, looking for clues. Proof is another story.<\/p>\n

I don’t “believe in” astrology; it’s a tool and I use it, for a purpose. You were (and are) a prime example of that purpose.<\/p>\n

I could have said a lot about your aspects that I didn’t say. There are many ways to read your chart, and I used planets in that reading that few astrologers bother with (they are skeptics). I gave my reading aiming for your highest potential, your highest evolutionary potential, presuming that you were and are acting in integrity and good faith. I offered my information to you when you’re a young woman, at the cusp of her adult life, in a moment of truth of your power — honoring your power — and I tailored my ideas to encourage you to go on — to believe in yourself — to affirm your existence and your reality, so that you have it in times of doubt, or serious life choices.<\/p>\n

I’m honored that you shared your data and invited me to look at your chart in such a rich moment. I love doing astrology in its flush of passion, and writing about people when they are in peak moments of discovery. Of course, astrology will often fade into the background for them, in that phase of their life (so much else is happening), though part of my intention is to present a document that will be useful looking back.<\/p>\n

I write Planet Waves for contemporary readers and for those who will be browsing in around 2400 — so if that happens to be you, hello from a strange, beautiful, dangerous time in history, 2010 — when we’re first figuring out that we can influence the world in positive, constructive and healing ways, even if we did so on a lark, in the dark.<\/p>\n

Yours & truly,
\n\"Eric
\n Portland, Maine<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, Jen McCreight, the founder of Boobquake, posted a blog entry about my coverage of her astrology, which was in last Friday’s edition of Planet Waves Astrology News. The concept of Boobquake was for women to bare a little cleavage, in order to prove or disprove an Iranian religious leader’s theory that sexy women cause … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24938"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24938"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24938\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}