Monday, July 28, 2008

Take Action Exercise: Is Your World View Based on Love or Fear?
1. Pay attention to the conversations you have with other people this week. What do you choose to talk about? What do the other people choose to talk about? Which points do you react to? Which ideas do you reinforce during the conversations?

2. Make a list of the themes and core ideas underlying these conversations. How many are love-based? How many fear-based?

3. Rate the following options from 1 (least)-10 (most). Be honest with yourself. How much energy and sense of self do you get from:
* Complaining and getting sympathy?
* A crisis or emergency?
* Being spontaneous?
* Learning something totally new?
* Criticizing others?
* Creating something new from nothing?
* Being kind and of service to others?
* Refusing to participate?
* Being out in nature?


Reclaiming our Revolutionary Roots
My friend and colleague, Judy Goldberg, has written an interesting article on the astrology of the current political climate; here is a brief excerpt:

"Barack Obama, with Pluto at 6° Virgo, is among the first in his generation to encounter the conjunction of transiting Saturn in Virgo to natal Pluto. Over the next two years, Saturn will impel all of his peers (1957-1972, ages 36-51) to step into their personal power and find responsible ways to express it. This generation regards service as a sacred trust and has a mission to fix our broken systems, create efficiency in government and clean up the environment. True to form, Obama is heavily invested in public service. It is time to pass the torch to this new generation of Americans.

Obama’s message resonates particularly well with disaffected young voters. His mantra, “Change We Can Believe In” perfectly encapsulates Uranus in Pisces! Two newly energized groups could have the decisive impact on the election. Pluto in Libras, (1973-1983 now ages 25 to 35) are passionately anti-war –or should I say, pro-peace? Obama’s theme of national unity also appeals to their “Can’t we all just get along?” sensibilities. The youngest eligible voters, with Pluto in Scorpio, are the 18-25 year olds. They would relish any firestorm of change.

Over the course of 2008, Pluto will retrograde between Capricorn and Sagittarius, in eerie synchronicity to the political message machines. Optimism and vision, all the rage in 2007, became passé with the icy dwarf’s ingress into Capricorn. The conversation turned to concrete plans and Commander-in-Chief credentials (Capricorn), empowering both Clinton’s and McCain’s campaigns. Pluto returns to Sagittarius June 14th , through the dog days of summer, the conventions and the election, resurrecting Obama’s philosophical message, hopefully tempered by a new pragmatism."


Friday, July 25, 2008

"Updating"
My computer just announced to me that it was updating my Adobe applications. I said OK. Then it came back and told me: "I must update myself before I can update the applications." Sometimes I wonder whether Spirit really is in machines, using them to give us messages!



The Energy Is Shifting—in You, in Politics, in the Way Life Works
For the past few months, I have been feeling an energy buildup, like water gathering behind a dam. I've been quiet internally as though my body is saturating itself with a new sort of energy or living environment, as if its seeking to fully understand and become something new. This week, quite suddenly, a stirring began, marked by disturbances and snags in the outer environment. Twice the number of people suddenly began calling for appointments, the water heater broke and the guy brought the wrong size, had to come back with the right size, then installed it so the closet door wouldn't close, and had to come back again to do it right. Then, after arranging special times for urgent appointments with clients, they didn't call: "I forgot, I thought it was next week, I thought you were calling me, etc." Then I misplaced a check and still can't find it. Communicating with the people about production of artwork for my new book has been like ships passing in the night; no matter how clear I think I'm being in written communications, there is a misunderstanding. Now, on the fourth try, it's come together. Emails aren't getting through, or coming through with no message. "Could you please send it again?" It feels like a bad case of Mercury retrograde.

Stable friends are now experiencing severe shocks to their reality as they release last remnants of old behavior patterns, like being the hero, caretaker, strong one. As they pull out—even without really realizing they're doing so—the people around them are reacting, attacking them, guilt-tripping them, trying to force them back into caretaking and providing. The subconscious mind is checking: "Are you sure you don't want to keep on doing things the same old way? Are you sure you want to move on into something that's unfamiliar?" 

The same thing is happening in politics. Look at the widening energy frequency gap between McCain and Obama. One is moving on into highly expanded new territory, reconnecting with the vision, while the other is trudging along mouthing hollow put-down statements that have no real energy. One is super-real, one is flat. This is what's happening in our own realities. There's an old reality that's become boring, flat, and restrictive. We're deciding right now to shed it. This is an act of courage. We're deciding right now to step into a brighter reality where we can be our true selves, no matter what "the weather" looks like out there in the world. We've decided to change the "weather" inside our own personal field first, to make ourselves comfortable, and stop any form of self-sacrifice. This is what's up. This is the crucial edge right now. And of course, it makes us feel shaky; we rock into the new, then back to the old, then into the new, then back to the old. Perhaps this is why we feel the snags in the way the world is functioning right now—it's just a symptom of deeper change.

But the energy buildup is releasing. For people stepping into their destiny, things are going to flow with great synchronicity and happiness. For those resisting letting go, it will feel temporarily painful and frustrating, then there will be another, more intense wave that will sweep them up and they'll move into the flow, too. Watch for a greatly increased flow, in all areas, from mid-August onward.