So they are all here, among and around us: 80 million Cultural Creatives in the United States and 120 million in Europe, all with a similar mindset — the citizens of a new world. They are the ones who are really preparing the future and its new social structures for us, and are doing so right now. They are the ones who anticipate the future as an astonishing opportunity never before available to mankind throughout the whole course of its history here on earth. Their message: The time is ripe to take the shaping of social life into our own hands.
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.
Pine Mountain Observatory Oregon
Robert Jastrow, space scientist and author of Until the Sun Dies notes:
“. . . 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).
Motion of Barycenter of the solar system relative to the Sun
Watch:
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.
Over 1 Million in Tahrir Square demanding the removal of the regime and for Mubarak to step down February 9, 2011 6 46 PM
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.
The month of April from Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry 1410
Spring, Almost
The sunshine gleams so bright and warm,
The sky is blue and clear.
I run outdoors without a coat,
And spring is almost here.
Then before I know it,
Small clouds have blown together,
Till the sun just can’t get through them,
And again, it’s mitten weather.
— Unknown
Has your boat been rocking for the past few weeks? Go ahead blame Mercury Retrograde. He can handle it–but just for the record–he’s had help.
Look at who is in the boat with Mercury: Yup—Uranus, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and just recently, the Sun.
Oi.
We’re in a boat in choppy waters and Mercury is just running backwards, dancing, yelling stuff at the captain. Wrecking havoc it seemed to me.
Let’s just look for a moment at Himself-that winged messenger.
Mercury from Raphael's Manual of Astrology 1828
Perhaps not shooting the messenger and listening now that the winds have died down just a little bit might be useful.
It is said that when Mercury goes retrograde (appears to be moving backwards from earthlings point of view) that one needs to put the prefix “re” in front of everything—review, revise, rethink, reverse, renew, re-whatever. And Mercury goes retrograde about 3 times a year for about 3 weeks at a time. He turned around on March 30th and then just today he stopped and is now facing forward—ready to move in a forward direction. Hooray, I say. This genius has played tricks on me and mine for the last 3 weeks and I’m ready to move on.
There are some pretty great stories about this Mercury guy—he was called Hermes in Greek mythology.
Erin Sullivan writes about Mercury/Hermes in her book Retrograde Planets, Traversing the Inner Landscape:
In the Homeric Hymns we read of the birth of Hermes: ‘He was born at dawn, by midday he was playing the lyre, and in the evening he stole the cattle of far-shooting Apollo.” This show him to be a trickster par excellence, as well as having great charm: to make and play the lyre he inveigled a tortoise out of its own shell. The story when that Hermes, restless after his birth, set off in search of the cattle of his brother Apollo, and en route happened upon a tortoise. When great charm he told the hapless tortoise he would make a good dinner companion indeed he did, because Hermes promptly ate him for dinner! Hermes also promised the tortoise that he would make beautiful music when he was dead. The tortoise’s shell was to become the prototype lyre which Hermes eventually gave to Apollo to appease him for the theft of the cattle.
This cattle theft has a most remarkable aspect. Hermes ‘made their hoofs go backward, the front one last and the back ones first; he himself walked straight ahead.’ This is the literary origin of the dualistic path and deceptive brilliance of Hermes the Trickster, and the first hint of his retrograde characteristic. Only minutes before, he had been happily playing his new lyre, but ‘his heart was set on other pursuits’. Versatile, wily, double-edged Hermes, doing one thing while planning another. The hiding of the cattle in the case of the Sun god Apollo is an apt metaphor for the retrogression of Mercury as it trots ‘back’ towards the Sun hiding from Earth view, only to re-emerge later as the redeemed morning star. (p.46)
In the night sky stories Mercury is the messenger—he often has the “ear of the King”. There are 8 million stories in the naked city :).
Look at where this boat ride has been rocking in your life (what house are Mercury and company jumping around in?). That is where Mercury has been telling the captain to wait, whoa, look back, we’re being followed—terrible things just might happen!
(Mercury is now at 12 degree Aries – find where that would land in your chart)
Wherever Mercury is transiting your chart is where you have probably noticed yourself chewing gum and walking at the same time while trying to concentrate. You may have been a bit more on edge, or perhaps confronted by something or someone. You may have been busier than usual in that area of your life, perhaps finding broken things — things that require your attention and aren’t what you had in mind for that day. Saturn has been on the other side of the issues (Saturn is opposing all that Aries activity) trying to keep order, drawing lines in the sand and either having you feel like you have to be the adult or someone is “out-adulting” you. Jesh.
This boat has been rocking and rolling through the 4th house of my natal chart. The area of life having to do with home, real estate, roots, my core, where I hang my hat. So–Among other things, there is a new leak in the sunroom, the heater broke. We are going to meetings for emergency preparedness after the sirens went off here at the coast. Home and security and land being threatened—fear abounding. It has felt like I “lost my footing”. We are re-viewing lists of things one will need to remember in a crisis. All of that.
Quoting Erin Sullivan again:
“Mercury acts as an agent for recollection –anamnesis—and for the curing of the soul through illumination. Any information, event, fact or awareness that Mercury surfaces with in the course of the retrograde cycle is completely within character and totally relevant to the needs of the individual. In this way, Mercury acts as a civilizing agent. “(p.54).
As I am writing, I am seeing in retrospect, that the guy yelling and waving his arms at the captain and rocking the boat is pointing at exactly what I need to address—fear itself. Ah, I see.
Can’t beat that line—nope—we have nothing to fear but fear itself? Thanks Franklin.
What lessons might you have gleaned from this period of review?
Head on over to this post by Theresa Jordan. Helped me get all this.She is a fine fine writer: this post is called Choosing our Battles
Whatever you say you have learned will, I assure you, serve you well as the boat goes forward.
Hermes is also known as a soul guide. I think I’m going to look for a harp – oh wait—there is one in the heavens called Lyre. Guess I’m moving forward.
Gleefully!
Back soon with a harp a song and perhaps something about the star Vega.
The Sun enters Taurus mid-morning tomorrow (Wednesday 20th April), but it might not quite feel like it, as most of the planets remain in Aries for a few weeks more. Venus rules Taurus, and even though this is traditionally her season, she does not seem to have the upper hand…yet, at least not until she enters Taurus in mid-May. Uranus has now established itself in Aries and Mercury is still retrograde in Aries until Saturday, playing tricks with our communication channels. Mars and Jupiter are gearing up for a potentially explosive conjunction in Aries at the beginning of May, which should release huge amounts of energy and is a good time for seizing the initiative, but suggests the unleashing of a lot of raw anger and passion too, with Mars so strong around that time. And Venus also enters Aries on Thursday, the goddess armed and ready for action, and fuelling Mars’s fire in the process!
‘Mother Earth’ by Jenness Cortez
This is the picture for the next few weeks until all the faster moving planets (Mercury, Venus & Mars) move into Taurus by the 16th May. With Venus in her dignity between 16th May and 10th June, and with Mars under her dominion again, there exists the possibility of “ceasefire” in both personal and global conflicts, if only temporarily, and there is more of an opportunity for love, peace and reconciliation, and the honouring of Mother Earth and an awareness of the need to establish balance. Indeed this is likely to be the part of the next cycle that feels most Taurean! continue at: The Alchemical Journey
Incredible video capturing the Milky Way—-by Terje Sorgjerd:
This was filmed between 4th and 11th April 2011. I had the pleasure of visiting El Teide. Spain´s highest mountain @(3715m) is one of the best places in the world to photograph the stars and is also the location of Teide Observatories, considered to be one of the world´s best observatories. Continue reading at: Sorgjerd site.
The title of my article is inspired by The Butterfly Lovers, a Chinese legend and tragic love story. Zhu, a beautiful and intelligent young woman, earnestly desires an education. Traditions of the time forbid females from going to school, however, so Zhu convinces her father to allow her to attend classes in disguise as a young man. While at school, she develops an unusually close bond with a classmate, Liang, who does not realize that Zhu is a female. They study together for three years and Zhu gradually falls in love with Liang. read on at: Glenn Perry’s site
Why he’d pull out the yellow pad and make lists, of course. He’d look for patterns and structures and containers and ways to get a grip on the situation. He’d use the fiery energy to produce something practical. He’d build an ark, if need be. He’d provide a safe space for the kids throwing tantrums. He’d hold onto the kite strings so the kites could fly and yet come home. He could be very useful.
My sister and I used to make fun of our mother for having yellow pads Everywhere–and I do mean everywhere.
Our mother (with her Virgo moon in high gear) would make lists on yellow pads, write letters to us on yellow pads, leave notes for what we needed to clean up on yellow pads—-and my sis and I would, in later years,as a joke, send each other yellow pads for Christmas wrapped with–you guessed it! ta daaaa
Now take a look at what is happening in the heavens planet-wise right now. It is a lineup that Astrologers are busily writing about and teaching classes about and taking notes on (probably on yellow pads). Look at the tons of Aries energy on one side of the chart (Uranus just moving into Aries after 7 years in Pisces) and Neptune moving into Pisces (Mon Apr 4), for the first time since 1862 to stay in Pisces until 2026.
Saturn is currently in the sign Libra on the other side of the chart from that host of planets in Aries and that ruler of oceans, Neptune. If you picture a bunch of hot air balloons and someone or something on the ground to keep them from flying off unattended and unable to land safely–enter Saturn to hold them in check and provide a foundation–stable ground.
Saturn down there, yellow pad in hand, making lists so that all that energy can be contained and come home still energized, still passionate, still full of possibility and perhaps hot air—but with a place to stand. A grounding, if you will. Saturn can provide that.
April 16, 2011 Chart PDT
Let’s pay some attention to Saturn for awhile–get a yellow pad and make notes. Where is Saturn currently transiting your chart? He is at 12 degrees Libra currently–where is that degree in your chart? Imagine Saturn visiting that house and perhaps having a chat with a planet there in your chart–what is the conversation? and what lists would give you ground to land on as the hot air balloons dance in the sky?
If you need help to find out where Saturn is for you now—consult your astrologer and by all means–get a yellow pad!
But wait—some of you are experiencing Saturn in many ways–check out what astrologer colleague, Marcia Buchart says:
I began my study of astrology during a significant Saturn cycle–the first Saturn return.
That occurs around 29-30, as you might know.
But other ages that mark significant passages occur at ages 7-8, 14-15, 21-22, 36-37, 43-44, 50-51, 58-59, 66-67…shall I go on?
I think you get the idea.
What was happening to you in those years, that might presage what could happen to you in future years–
Take the time to note which factors the structures you have created to give shape to your life might need changing?
You can read more of Andrea’s work at her blog: www.andreacarlisle.com and soon Susan will have a blog right here. She is currently working on an edition of prints and continues to make gorgeous signs for our coastal communities.
MORE TO COME ABOUT OLE SATURN!
AND MANY OTHER STORIES
In the meantime–get out your chart and in another post–we will look at where Saturn and the other biggies are speaking to you. Will be helpful.
Skydog Institute 
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