The "October Surprise" and Pandora's Box
My colleagues and I in The Intuition Network have been discussing the possibility of a big event happening soon (see Arlington Institute, and my post from 10/9). This may or may not be related to a potential political event that many are calling "The October Surprise."

One colleague wrote: "The majority of people I have heard from, been in discussion with, or have read, all talk about an "October Surprise," something that will impact the Election in November and may derail it. There is inconsistency as to what, but these people see it as a tragedy that will be a serious setback for our country. The astrologers I read are scratching their heads to try to understand the aspects they see before and during the Election — it's not quite like anything they have observed before. The majority of these people feel this setback will involve one of our candidates or their running mate. This idea of an October Surprise that could hurt our country is a consistent theme."

Here is my response: I too have had a sense that there would be a last-minute attempt to disrupt the election and prevent a loss of control by the current administration. So, I haven't been feeling that the big event or October Surprise would be a natural disaster, but something that is human-engineered. One astrologer, Philip Brown, M.A., says that:

"We can already see the 2008 Saturn-Uranus opposition forming politically, or at least the foundation being laid for its later manifestation. The Saturn-Uranus opposition will be exact on election day, 2008. This is an opposition we experienced in 1920 and again in the mid-1960’s. Alexander Ruperti, in his book Cycles of Becoming, says of the Saturn-Uranus cycle: 'Habit patterns will always resist change and when the pressure of some creative challenge is felt, the ego will experience a sense of impending doom, generating fear and resisting change.'

"This cycle has a disruptive effect. There is a dependence on the past (Saturn) versus radical transformation (Uranus). The Uranus part of the opposition would destroy that part of the past (Saturn) which is also essential to the future—throwing out the baby with the bathwater. In other words, parts of the past are useful and can be carried into the future, but the Saturn-Uranus opposition wants to overthrow everything and start new. The early 1920’s and mid-1960’s were such times of radical transition and transformation throughout the world." (There is more to the article, and it is interesting. . .)

My sense for many years has been that Bush was the catalyst for a phase of Opening Pandora's Box, or the clearing of the collective subconscious mind, where many old unexamined, yet outlived beliefs and habits had to surface and be dissolved. I knew this would take awhile, but then we would need a phase of making it all conscious and choosing who we truly want to be — a return to heart, higher motivation, and the core values of our country. This is like an individual saying: "What just happened to me?! And what did I learn from this experience? And what kind of person do I want to be?"

The fears have now arisen, the scandals and flaws in human nature have been highlighted by reality TV and scurrilous political campaign tactics, and the old patterns are beginning to look old — at least for many of us. This has been an absolutely necessary part of the overall transformation process. If we are to eliminate fear in ourselves, we must see how ugly and hurtful its tactics are. This is happening in each of us individually, as well as collectively and socially.

I had thought that Hillary would be the candidate who could bridge our country into the new awareness because she has a combination of both styles, and was surprised that Obama, who is so much more in the new consciousness, could have been chosen. For those of us who are ever-hopeful, he appears to be the perfect leader and bridge, but I don't think enough of the country has enough awareness yet to be able to see clearly what's been happening in the past 8 years. Fear still has them in its grip. Denial-thinking is still rampant. I heard the other day that this kind of awareness (in the campaigns) is attracted to stories rather than facts.

When people have had total control for a period of time, they become arrogant and secretly gleeful, and don't relinquish power easily. That is why I feel the current administration, which has shown virtually no moral character and has maintained its power through lies and manipulation, will not give up. They cannot see the new reality; they are literally blind to it right now. So I fully expect them to fight dirty — dirtier than ever before. They feel their survival is at stake and are unwilling to evolve.