Dear Friend and Reader:
This week I’ve been enjoying the stream of paranoid emails and Facebook messages that have started to reach me, wherein people are freaked out about how there is actually a populist uprising going on the United States. I concede that we have good reason to believe that the power brokers will be nervous that someone is actually noticing that the average Goldman Sachs employee makes $292,000 per year. This is the same company that placed bets that an oil rig would blow up in the Gulf of Mexico. Remember that? Fabulous Fabio and his infamous, “Suck it up, fishies and birdies”?
The big boys have had the luxury of thirty years to take advantage of a public that has, until now, yet to call them to task. Most recent polls I’ve heard of give the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators the support of at least 57% of the American public, with many more who don’t agree with them saying they have the right to protest. Some neighbors of Zuccotti Park are, understandably, annoyed at the drumming and 24-hour activity in a neighborhood that after 6 pm previously resembled a cemetery. I heard this week that the drummers were asked to go elsewhere, in order to address this problem.
Meanwhile, most other New Yorkers are into the protests, which have sprung up literally from coast to coast and many places beyond. This sounds like the United States of my wildest fantasies. More to the point, it sounds like the Uranus-Pluto cycle heating up, so reliably you could set your atomic clock to it. Though neither the protesters nor the protestees are likely to know this, this movement is going to have traction because it’s synced with an astrological cycle that is specifically about revolution and social progress on real issues.
One concern I’ve heard is how the CIA, the FBI and the NYPD are trying to infiltrate the movement. (This is an old story — cops have tried to infiltrate activist movements since they both existed.) The main fear going around is that they will try to provoke the activists into coming off like the scruffy mob that Fox News is making them out to be. One person writing to me is worried that Anonymous, the hacker collective, is really a CIA front operation. We have a commenter on the Planet Waves blog who is tweaked by the Guy Fawkes masks that people wear to the protests. She thinks those are the actual members of the Anonymous collective, who you cannot trust because they’re wearing masks. (If you get on their bad side, a mask is the last thing you’ll have to worry about.)
One astrologer in New York City tried to send me an encrypted file that had all the goods, but after a few tries the encrypted email would not go through. I encouraged her to just email it the old-fashioned way. After several tries, the PDF arrived last night via the ultra-secret, immune-from-domestic-surveillance Hushmail. I clicked on it with the eager anticipation of a document junkie.
Scanning over its chaotic pages, I read about the links between the Wall Street sit-in to the Sandinistas, Barack Obama, MoveOn!, the Independent Media Institute, Adbustersmagazine, ACORN, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the League of Women Voters, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Organization for Women, Planned Parenthood, Public Citizen, the Rainforest Action Network, Refuse & Resist!, the Ruckus Society, the Service Employees International Union, San Francisco Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Sierra Club and the Soros Foundation Community Fellows.
Wait — the Sandinistas? Really? Those cool people down in Nicaragua who were into building farm cooperatives, community hospitals and schools? Who supported mass literacy and gender equality? The ones Ronald Reagan hated so much he nearly lost his presidency trying to destroy them? They still exist? Where can I send a check?
And the Ruckus Society? No wonder this is all causing such a ruckus.
And what about George Soros? Isn’t he one of them? Why would he be going against them when he’s really one of them? There has to be something weird going on. He must be a double agent, or maybe a triple agent. He’s going to infiltrate the movement by having one of his front organizations send a shipment of air mattresses and a case of chai.
The involvement of Adbusters I learned about after someone posted a comment to the website of the Daily Freeman here in Kingston, really nervous and concerned, after there was a little protest march in front of the courthouse, with the participants’ average age looking like about 60. The commenter said that Occupy Wall Street was started by a “Canadian ad agency,” insinuating foreign infiltration.
I asked around and put this comment together with the splashy, snarky anti-consumerist magazine that your local Barnes & Noble gets all of five copies of each month — Adbusters. The magazine critiques the ‘mental environment’. Count on them for articles about how it’s wrong to be forced to watch 10 advertisements sitting in a movie theater. They’re the ones who invented Buy Nothing Day (commemorated each year the Friday after Thanksgiving).
Adbusters’ editor Kalle Lasn, a refugee from the advertising industry, was the one who first put out the concept of occupying Wall Street in a July email to his reader list. With a little help from the deputy inspector of the NYPD who pepper sprayed some women just because he felt like it, #Occupy is the coolest thing in the world. Or rather it is unless you’re freaked out that if anyone questions the legitimacy of the corporate-government-national security state, or dares to blaspheme the religion of the Free Market, or questions that some dude sitting in a cubicle ripping off the economy should make $292,000 a year — then clearly whole system we love and benefit from and pay handsomely for the privilege of using debit cards is going to come crashing down on our heads.
Today, someone posted an undated picture of a riot to my Facebook page and said in that frantic tone that can only be conveyed in sentence fragments, “look at this ‘peaceful resistance’!…somebody will say it’s nothing to do with wall street occupation…let me tell you — they (on the street) declare opposite!..it’s just ..not everybody is ready and has right consciousness for a change..and there is someone leading them in a trap.” Um, not everyone has the right consciousness? Therefore call the whole thing off and go back to yoga class?
The posh New York City astrologer who smuggled me the top-secret file, for her part, is absolutely certain that this is all a setup for martial law. I asked her about her spiritual training on the issue of ‘fear’ and she replied, “While spirituality is very important, unfortunately there are some not-so-nice people on this planet with us.”
No, really?
I replied, “To say that something is a setup for martial law is, at best, presumptuous. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but to me there are many other possibilities.” Since she’s an astrologer, I added: “The plane of reality to which you’re attached or typically reside will influence your perception of the flow of events and the validity of information. Indicators [of your mindset] are things like the polarization level of your experience, your love/fear quotient, and what you perceive as real.”
People who are paranoid about Occupy Wall Street might have one of a few things going on, psychologically speaking. First, they may have authority issues, which result in a blowback of guilt when they or anyone they see challenges authority. (This connects to unresolved relationships with their parents, which by the way usually involve money issues.) Or, they are getting off on the self-importance of warning people about a big threat that nobody else is informed enough to see. Trying to send the file by encrypted mail comes with the message, “I’m so important, they’re spying on me.” And many people feel too cool to support the protest, like economic justice was a good thing until it became trendy. So naturally, all of a sudden it’s a CIA plot. Personally, I take the suggestion of David Byrne, from the old Taking Heads song: Don’t worry about the government.
I would say that the real problem the Occupy Wall Street movement has is great expectations. We are a country so starved for leadership and moral guidance that many people actually expect this uprising to solve the nation’s problems. One question going around is, “How are they going to influence Washington?” As if to say — finally we have something that actually might do so.
The Chart for Occupy Wall Street
And the funny thing is, not only might it work, it’s likely to be having an actual influence even in this nascent stage. Earlier in the week, a friend documented the birth data for the Occupy Wall Street movement. According to a poster that was circulated announcing the event, the first protest was called for noon on Sept. 17 in New York City. That’s good enough to cast a chart. Here it is.
The first thing that leaps off of the page is that green planet at the very top of the chart, next to the dark line. Can you see that one? The one with the little horns? That is Mercury, the messenger. Mercury is strong in this chart: placed in Virgo, one of the signs it rules, and also it’s the most elevated planet in the chart. It’s located in the 10th house — the one about the government, the corporate system, and in general, influence, reputation and fame.
Mercury so powerful in the 10th house translates to “speak truth to power.” So far as I can see, whatever constitutes power is going to be getting the message. What they do about it remains to be seen, but Occupy Wall Street is coming across in their boardrooms loud and clear. Mercury in Virgo this prominent is also about thoughtful, intellectual leadership in an era when you usually have to be an idiot to get on TV.
Contrary to this being a confused movement that is looking for a message, it is the embodiment of a message. The movement has, in one month, re-framed the discussion about the economy. At the time this little gathering happened, the national discussion was about why we could not pay to rebuild bridges in Vermont after Hurricane Irene. But how come we have trillions for bank bailouts and wars and executive bonuses? Now suddenly we’re talking about economic equity, jobs creation and puttying the Glass-Stegall act back into place.
The reason so many people are sympathetic is that they already understand the issue, or rather, they understand how all of the issues being raised by the protesters (which means, the public) are related. Yet there’s another factor, which is that Mercury is hooked into a lot of energy coming from a group of minor planets in mid-Sagittarius.
A few days before the first Occupy event, I wrote an article about the Pisces Full Moon, called The Chaos Generator. This was a rather strong Full Moon, and it too aligned with the cluster of minor planets in Sagittarius, but not as closely as that Mercury, which nails it to a fraction of a degree, right at the moment of the first gathering. When you align a fast-moving planet with a group of slow-moving ones, you ramp up the power of the fast planet, giving it extra purpose and influence.
Here is a thought from that article: “The Pisces Full Moon also makes a square to the solar eclipse in Gemini earlier in the year (both are mutable signs … this will add public resonance — eclipses have that sensation … it’s a potential turning point, which includes all of the themes associated with the planets in Sagittarius.”
I also pointed out the presence of the Great Attractor, located at 14+ Sagittarius, which was part of the aspect structure. “What aspects the Great Attractor takes on part of the energy — especially a conjunction. People who have natal planets in aspect to the Great Attractor can have an odd kind of charisma, where they seem untouchable. It’s as if they have an invisible boundary around them, that makes you keep your distance but want to get closer at the same time. The word attractor is used because everything is rushing toward it, but nothing can ever keep up.”
Continuing: “It can also have a magnifying effect on whatever is there, like a cosmic repeating station that might take the relatively subtle theme of a planet or asteroid and broadcast it outward. Remember, the Great Attractor is the mass of many thousands of galaxies; it’s positively enormous. Then things come along and line up with it, and that’s exactly what we have going on now.”
I concluded the article, “The simplest way to say this is that unless we take our political problems to a higher level, what you might call a spiritual level, we’re going to be caught in the same game endlessly. The issue is evolutionary. We might ask ourselves not about when we’re going to come up with a solution to our political problems, but rather to the problem of politics.”
One thing that’s interesting about Occupy Wall Street is that it’s being run as a collective. There are mass meetings called general assemblies held a couple of times a day. It’s further organized into working groups that take on specific tasks. But there is no name or face associated with Occupy Wall Street. It does not have an ego identity and nobody is ‘claiming credit’ for it. This is actually a reasonable first step in solving the problem of politics. Obviously the absurd rules of the U.S. Senate have outlived their use.
As for how it all unfolds, we influence that with our choices. I mean this actively, each of us. Leadership is now in plasma mode. This is a new mental environment for some, perfectly natural to others — but it’s the environment we are in. We are in a different universe from the ‘freaking out is mandatory’ environment of the post-9/11 decade. How we think and how we feel contribute to the greater body of thought movement. This is not merely a sit-in or series of protest marches; it’s an evolution of thought in a highly quickened psychic environment. I suggest you learn to navigate the energy. It’s lighter and requires more agility. And if you stay flexible, you can have a lot more fun.
Lovingly,
Friday, Oct. 21, 2011. Horoscope #879. | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions
Aries (March 20-April 19) — What are you up against? Do you have the sensation that you have some kind of an invisible obstacle or adversary? Does everyone seem to be treating you with the same attitude? It can be difficult to see how your internal psychological dynamics manifest as events, situations and trends in your relationships — but now would be a good time. There is something here about the ways you were treated as a child that is showing up in your life now. Most people have little idea what their early environment did to inform them about the seeming ‘bottom lines’ in the world. If you find yourself having strange or inexplicable encounters, or getting drawn into peoples’ dramas, I suggest you try making the lines directly back to your early history. With these added points of reference, you’ll be able to change your mind about things that have troubled you for a long time.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You seem to be experiencing considerable sexual tension. This appears to be less about how you relate to others than about how the male and female polarities within you relate to one another. There is something in psychology known as projection. In sexual relationships, projection often comes in the form of seeing the attributes of your inner male in the men around you (usually, this happens to women), and of your inner female in the women around you (usually, this happens to men). In the current setup, this may be reversed, and you may be looking to same-sex examples for who you want to be, or what you can confidently express. If you perceive certain people as ‘more sexual’ than you, make contact with the aspect of yourself who is just as intense and passionate. Note your same-sex attractions and fascinations. Sex and gender are a puppet show — remember who is the master.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — As the next few days unfold, make sure you know what’s bothering you. Keep your energy moving rather than bottled up. A steady burn-off will prevent larger explosions. Be aware that you could pick up on someone else’s rage, or be extra sensitive to the injustices that others around you are facing. If you’ve got jealousy on your mind or weighing on your feelings, I suggest you ask yourself what good that particular emotion ever did anyone. I think people avoid understanding jealousy for two reasons: one is that it can veil something we really think is hotter than hot, but are afraid to admit; and it can veil the fear of death, disguised as the fear of losing a relationship. I suggest you investigate. The deeper you take your inquiry, the deeper emotional healing you will access — and that is the point.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — For the moment, I suggest you keep financial matters and sex as far apart as you can. They often get intermingled, whether it’s the dinner date that leads to sex, the trip to Vegas or the intricately woven erotic-economic threads of marriage, do your best to separate these two topics. People can have this weird tendency to vindicate sex because there was a cash exchange of some kind. I suggest you give your pleasure away for free, and see how that feels. For free would translate to without expectation of some other return. If someone you love or desire has another erotic interest, I suggest you surrender to that experience and explore how you feel doing so. Right now your charts are all about tapping into unusual sources of passion, exploring taboo emotions and leaving yourself free to feel exactly what you are feeling. Start with allowing sex to be sex for its own sake, with no other value.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Pay attention to what someone close to you has gone through, and how it still may be influencing them today. You may think that it was clearly more intense than something you went through — and it may have been, but there will be parallels in your own life. Indeed, what happens over the next few days could shed light on your experience of relationships going back many years. This involves how people respond to you when you desire them. It also involves how you perceive the desire of others, directed toward you. Have you noticed what conflict this can cause? I’m inclined to say that it’s needless conflict, but there is a cause, and it involves the relationship of desire to power. An astonishing number of people have been subjected to some form of sexual abuse, and this always involves the conflation of desire and power. We would all relax a little, if we could see this for what it is.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Virgo is famous for its self-critical tendencies. However, they are really a problem when your judgments are lurking below the level of awareness. Once you become aware of them, they are easier to address; they are easier to see as being distortions. You are entering an extended phase of your life when the theme is learning how to relax these strict expectations, rules and standards that you have set for yourself. Before you get there, you’re going to see them in a whole new light, and you’ll become aware of the cost to you in energy, pleasure and freedom. As you do this, you’re likely to notice something else: you can bring out specific talents and intentions and focus on them with unusual power. That, by the way, would be a result of using the energy you gain from relaxing your false or negative expectations on yourself. Your gifts are much more beautiful seen in the light.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — We usually think of relationships as involving two people, but they are always part of a larger human constellation. We’re taught to wear these little blinders: If it’s not a marriage/official partnership, it’s not an official relationship, and every pair-bond is an island. There is this subtle paranoia that if we let go of that notion even a little, the result will be anything from an instant orgy to the decline of Western civilization. Well, cheers to orgies and the decline of civilization, but that’s not what usually happens. Many relationships need to be let out of their jar. They need a walk in the park. Many people in relationships need to go to a party on their own, flirt with everyone, and maybe meet someone for coffee the next day. Many people not in relationships would benefit from noticing the many, many possibilities for how two or more people can relate to one another.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — The Sun is about to ingress your sign this weekend — that’s excellent news. Even better news is that the first thing the Sun does is make a trine to Chiron, which will help open up the flow of passion and emotional energy. You will have many choices where to direct that energy, and an invitation to participate in an experiment. But I suggest you be conscious of one thing, which is that passion, erotic energy and love can have a tendency to flush out many of what we call negative emotions. Many of those emotions show up as projections — things we see in others, and which are calling for some resolution within ourselves. For you, a place to shine the light is where erotic energy meets control. You’re in an unusual position to see this emotional dynamic for what it is, and to take a step toward setting yourself free.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — All kinds of deep and dark emotions seem to be brewing at the bottom of your psyche, and as the Sun moves into your neighboring sign Scorpio this weekend, you’re likely to get some insight into what’s going on for you. It looks like there’s a lot you’re not expressing, but at the same time you don’t have the words to do so. I think that’s the first step — gradually identifying what you’re feeling, at least clearly enough to make a short sentence. As you do so, you may discover that these emotions go a lot deeper than you think, and each new discovery may be wrapped in a layer of frustration. Don’t let that deter you. Keep your gumption. You’re the one thing in the world that you need the most information about. Nobody is going to tell you; you’re going to discover it yourself, and that will take some gumption. Be patient and dauntless and you will learn a lot.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You have the solution to a joint financial issue right in your hands. It’s so obvious and so close to you that you might look right past it without seeing it. Said another way, the solution to the puzzle is exactly the thing that your intuition is telling you it is. One clue I can give you is, you have recently gained some insight into the larger forces that are operating around you. You’re aware that there are people with agendas, some of which affect you directly and some of which don’t affect you at all. Make sure you can tell the difference. You may have this idea that if you want something, someone else will automatically not want it, or prevent you from getting it. If you have this notion, I would say it’s time to test the theory. Take a step outside the established rules (or unspoken rules) of your situation. Notice what happens when you decide you’re not going to let fear or resentment run your life.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You have a theory of relationship, and a corresponding reality that does not always match. No matter how idealistic you are, it always comes down to who or what pushes your buttons, or treads on your most sensitive spots in an insensitive way. It would help if you bear in mind what those spots are, and rather than defending them or guarding them, gently guide the discussion in another direction. This may be challenging, as you’re likely to have at least one situation in the coming few days when you feel like someone is treading directly on one of your deepest injuries. Whatever this may represent, bear in mind that the person involved may not be aware of what is going on with you — nor may they be in a position to help you talk it out. You may decide it’s worth daring an actual conversation — but that will work better if you don’t blame anyone for what is yours to work through.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Patric Walker, the master of the horoscope column (1931-1995) once wrote that if you scratch a Pisces you will find a Virgo under their skin. I would say if you put your fingers on the wrist of a Pisces, you will feel a Scorpio pulse running through their veins. This will be especially true now, as the Sun enters Scorpio this weekend, lighting up Chiron in your own sign as it does so. This translates to an easy flow of passion and desire — as long as you get out of your own way and allow the energy to flow through first. Said another way, take care of yourself. Don’t let the emotional or mental blocks of others frustrate you. There may be nothing you can do to help them — and there are others who are in a better position to exchange energy with you. Then look around for others who are curious, adventurous and creative — you will find them, and you will have plenty to share.