by Carol Ferris
For thousands of years, we humans thought the Earth was the center of the universe — until we discovered we weren’t the center, and made the Sun our center, with our visible planets orbiting circularly around the Sun in a more or less flat plane.
Then we located the “outer planets”. Then we discovered that, in fact, we were one of a number of centers and satellites, or galaxies.
It took us a long time to discover all this, first by eye, then by telescope, but always by conjecture and theory.
As our understanding of the nature of our system took shape, our social structures evolved parallel to that understanding: centers with satellites translated into chiefs and subjects, popes and congregations, presidents and employees.
As our view expanded telescopically, we quested for the ultimate center, and we arrived at — emptiness, and the systems moving equidistantly from each other.
“. . . if you were sitting on a planet in one of the other galaxies in the Universe, you would observe the galaxies around you receding in exactly the same way that an observer in our galaxy sees our neighbors moving away. Your galaxy would seem to be at the center of the expansion, and so would every other galaxy; but, in fact, there is no center.”
“To understand this statement more clearly, imagine a very large, unbaked loaf of raisin bread. Each raisin is a galaxy.
Now place the unbaked loaf in the oven; as the dough rises, the interior of the loaf expands uniformly, and all the raisins move apart from one another.
The loaf of bread is like our expanding Universe. Every raisin sees its neighbors receding from it; every raisin seems to be at the center of the expansion; but there is no center” (Jastrow 8-9).
Additionally, we have learned something else about the nature of centers and satellites.
When we think of the center of something, we often think of the dead center of it — e.g., that the center of the solar system is the center of the Sun.
But:
“The mass of the planets is about 1/750th the mass of the Sun and the center of mass of the solar system can move from close to the center of the Sun to up to one solar radius outside the surface of the Sun! Where the solar system barycenter is at any given moment is determine by the configuration of planets as they revolve around the Sun” (Michelsen in Tables of Planetary Phenomena 16).
This represents a paradigm shift in both scientific and social thinking — from universe as dependent functions of an ultimate center, to the universe as relational; from the atom to un-seeable space, everything is a center in relation to everything else, or omnicentricity. The internet is a concrete manifestation of the omnicentric principle — each a center connected to all centers, potentially, by volition and capability.
But our social systems have been slow to reflect our new understanding of the cosmos, and governance at all levels — nation, state and local — and social and family life continue to insist on a center around which everything satellites and from which the satellites derive their power.
In astrological symbolism, the planet Uranus represents the desire for freedom as an outcome of enlightenment: as such, it is associated archetypally with such mythic figures as Prometheus, the Greek titan who brought fire to humanity. Historically, Uranian cycles can be shown to indicate periods of human revolution, when the collective desire for freedom outweighs historically confining governance structures. Astrologer Lynn Bell, in her address to the astrological conference in Seattle in 2010, traced radical events when Uranus has previously entered and transited in the hot, fiery sign of Aries:
- 1258: the fall of Baghdad to Genghis Khan
- 1675: tax revolts in France against Louis XVI, Indian Wars in the colonies
- 1765: stamp tax revolt in the US
- 1848: revolutions across Europe
- 1927: Wall Street, mobsters, flappers, Gandhi and the Indian resistance
At the time of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami localized in Japan, 7 of our system’s 10 planets
were concentrated within 60 degrees of longitude of each other, with Uranus in Aries in the heart of the mass.
We are seeing in our time graphic expressions of our evolving consciousness about the relation of the mass to the center, and the power of the mass to move the center, with far reaching consequences for systems of governance and relationship.
In our own lives, expressed in the symbolism of the horoscope.
Looking for the house and planets in which these Pisces/Aries transits are moving will show us where we are experiencing our own paradigm shift away from an historical center to a radicalized, potentially more democratic, omnicentric inner system.
Skydog Institute 
this is a gorgeous banner, did you make it? I love your material.
you are amazing Claudia. How’s susan. We’re driving up for two
nights, two nights! geez not long enough YET. but will be so
wonderful breathe for a second or so. Ah, life! all is well by the
way, Thanks to our Lucky Star. love, amy
Hi there Amy–the banner is a composite of small clips from Jung’s Red Book. I love it too.
have a lovely trip. And thanks for the feedback. love, c
The banner was indeed stunning.
And your information was brilliant as always. A bit difficult for me to grasp it all mentally, emotionally and psychicly as well, however I take some of it in initially and then work on processing the rest. It is inspiring and beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Liz
Hi Liz–thanks for commenting. I think taking it in slowly and processing is such a good way to learn.
Carol, I loved this, especially the part about the growing consciousness of the mass(es) to move the center. Talk about creating your reality!
I also love your mention of fractals~they, alone, are mystery enough to ponder in a single lifetime. Thank you!
it is awesome to be a part of the growing consciousness and a moved center, but in aries, one worries about inherent violence in the moving — any advice there?
Re Aries movement and violence: not so much advice but just an observation. It is interesting that Mars rules Aries, and that Mars is the agent of Separation — i.e., we cannot stay dissolved and boundary-less (Pisces) forever. So the yang force of birth — movement, separation, ignition — of Aries will always bring some kind of displacement, violent and otherwise. Our task is to remember what side of the boundary is ours, and have some respect for what’s inside it, and what’s outside it. In that process, there will be energy that’s no respecter of it, which doesn’t absolve us of our responsibility to be respectful and mindful of the boundary.
I think the internet network itself is one of the most perfect representations of this new paradigm. Every node is a center, yet there is no center. Every person is in the middle of it all the time, yet no one place can claim it is the hub around which all information rotates.
I think the very nature of how we communicate with each other is changing because it as well – we’ve only just scratched the surface of how our new social networks will alter our perceptions.
One outcome I imagine — I stress the word “imagine” — is that our years of practice at interrelatedness via the internet might actually become integrated, conscious sensitivity to the reality that we are all in fact connected to each other.
When I see my 12 year old grandson and his posse moving like the pods of a single-celled amoeba (even when they’re all texting), I think perhaps this might be possible. But scientists (and other grandparents) are more worried about what they perceive as separation than they are curious about the possible implications of social media.
The “media” revolutions of the Middle East — heck, just the fact that we can tune into Al Jazeera via the web — are reminiscent of America’s last presidential election. Even the Republicans learned how to twitter after that!
Carol,
I like the raisin bread analogy.
Very interesting, the dynamism of action and reaction has started again.
Thank you.
Thanks for this article. While we were in Hawaii we attended a
lecture/slide show about just this subject by an Australian astronomer
who was also an educator. Fascinating! I loved the raisin bread
analogy.
xxoo Barbara
I love what Brenna said about the internet representing the new paradigm you showed us so eloquently and beautifully, Carol. We can throw twitter, blogging, voice mail and the lot in with it all as well. While it’s at times unsettling for we at the shift of this paradigm that the center isn’t, in fact, holding — and for valid reasons in terms of changing our consciousness into a much needed new plane as it swims us all to shore like crayfish — it is good to be here right now. Your words bring confirmation, fascination, relief, and comfort. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing, Carol. I’m fascinated by the simplicity and the complexities of our connections to the whole. You use great analogies to help see this. And here’s to the wild, wonderful ride… Happy spring! Dawn
I’m struck by the connection of omnicentricity to learning. We are slowly moving away from the expert being at the center of learning by delivering content from the front of the room and moving to omnicentric learning where there are learning centers everywhere. People are learning from YouTube, social media, adult learning situations where the learning is more “facilitated” than traditionally taught, which respects and values the experience and knowledge that adults bring into the space. The learning space is no longer only in a brick & mortar building — we’re learning online in a myriad forms e.g. video, text, etc. (This blog is a good example!) It feels very powerful to be part of this shift in thinking. Yesterday, I completed my defense presentation for a master’s in Education focused in Organization and Human Resource Education with OSU and I’m ready to be part of the shift! Thanks for sharing the concept of omnicentricity Carol.