JANUARY 2008
by Crystal Pomeroy
With Libra rising in Washington D.C. and Gemini
Moon, the Solstice chart presages duality on multiple levels. A map of miraculous manifestation
or a severance letter for the planet, it can go either way depending
on how we look at it, and even more, what we do with its potential.
Who’s the boss around here, anyway?
Even
as the year begins, the meaning of the word
duplicity finds new extremes in official versions
now portraying events in direct opposition
to their true motivation. This tendency expresses the lower octave
of the stellium of Pluto and the Galactic Center with
Sun, Jupiter and Mercury, the latter three
closely bound in Capricorn, an authentic press conference of the
Good Ol’ Boys Club.
Does
it sound ominous? Before allowing our hopes
for a better world to be completely dashed,
let’s
remember that the promise of power in the
solstice chart does not exclude those outside
of ruling circles. Still close to the Galactic
Center, Pluto reminds us that we are all generators of cosmic manifestation.
Though Jupiter and Mercury have moved on to conjunct the Solstice
Sun in Capricorn, and Pluto will join them in late January, in the
chart that sets the tone for the year he’s in Sagittarius,
and also conjunct Jupiter, the latter in
the same degree as the Sun. The Archer has passed
the scepter to the Mountain Goat, yet he
still quite involved; last year’s
light on the great creative power within and
on our role as participants in something larger
than the solar system is still in force.
For 2007, we had predicted:
This is a divine appointment, inviting us to
release a tsunami of positive transformation as growing numbers
awaken to the power within… esoteric
secrets will be revealed... We are called to become active
participants of co-creation….
Soon after this prediction
appeared in Daykeeper, the movie The Secret was released,
expressing this potential. At the current portal;
intense and focused effort can make our visions
real. This shift was illustrated in a conversation I had with John
De Martini, my colleague and one of the teachers appearing
in the movie. He told me that the participants
had been generally frustrated by the over-simplification of the message.
More practical guidelines will be shared in the sequel, The
Opus,
whose name derives from the Latin word for
work, and whose story elaborates on the application
required to consolidate the amazing miracles
promised—Sagittarian style—in the previous
film. Interestingly, the new release was originally programmed for
this past fall, but after repeated delays it
has been postponed: for after Pluto enters
Capricorn.
If we project all
power onto the system, the Solstice stellium
can be seen as a piece of heavy equipment preparing to push all that
remains beautiful on earth into the ground.
For those of us who knuckle down and apply
whatever inner and outer efforts are within our reach, it
can be a year of personal and planetary dreams
come true. Besides that option for applying free will, help is now
streaming to us from the subtle realms, as we will see a bit further
on
Mysterious
Assistance
Does this means that things will be easier than they
currently appear in a chart beset by stressful
aspects? Not exactly, in fact the Capricorn
grouping in opposition to retrograde Mars
in Cancer suggests setbacks and frustration,
Pluto’s
involvement implies a potential for violence.
However, on closer examination, a vital reminder
is discerned: by turning our attention to
the higher dimensions we can receive magical
assistance. Retrograde Mars in Cancer guides
us to a new kind of action, one based on sensitive
reflection. Its Sabian symbol suggests we pause to examine our motives.
About the god of war in this sign, Oken says,
“the devotion
to the soul is at its greatest… The
battle to detach from emotional adhesion to
the desires of physical life is also at its
height… Release
can come through… the right use of
mental energy and the repolarization of the
mental body to the intuitive.”
This
can be a year of growth for whoever directs
her or his passions into right thinking and
developing the subtle faculties. What does
this have to do with desperately needed solutions
to political abuses? As many individuals
work to refine our consciousness, each with
the tools of her or his preference, we can
contribute harmonious paradigms to what Sheldrake
calls the morphic field of the collective mind.
As the mind’s
vibrations become more subtle, they are naturally
receptive to intuitive guidance. Whether our
goals are personal, spiritual, or altruistic
in nature, we will make surprising progress
over the next 12 months if we develop a habit
of consulting the inner voice, enriched by
messages from dreams, the use of pendulum and other oracles
of preference, and simply by taking time each
morning to listen to the brilliant whisperings
within before organizing our day.
Call in the Higher Heroes
Jupiter’s
preponderance is another indication of the
special assistance available this year. Alan
Oken calls its placement in Capricorn “dualistic:”
“On
the personality level… [it signifies] materialization
of the desires of the lower self… on the soul
level [it works] to create those structures… [necessary]
on the physical plane for the expansion of
the Will-to-Love.”
This
planet shines at the heart of action in the
Solstice chart, predicting progress for those
who are working on behalf of Higher Kindness (for
which we will share suggestions a bit further on).
As ruler of angels, “Big J” reminds
us that our invisible helpers are very much
involved, working to abet our most positive alignment
with this year’s potential. As with intuitive
guidance, the angelic allies are here but need
our recognition to manifest their help. Three easy
ways to receive include direct invocation, affirmative
prayer and following up on our most loving
inclinations.
These
tools can multiply and empower the results
of all our efforts, including those on behalf
of macro-concerns, many of which will center
on the media this year, as the dark control system
in the US will focus its obsession control in this
arena, as well as propaganda, education and religion.
They waste no time, as revealed in Amy Goodman’s
report on what she calls the FCC's Christmas
Gift to Big Media. On December 18, just as Jupiter
entered Capricorn, the Commission voted to allow even
more media consolidation than last year. Goodman elaborates
in Truthout:
Media
corporations that will benefit… are the same ones that acted
as a conveyor belt for the lies… about weapons
of mass destruction in Iraq. We need a media that challenges
the government that acts as a fourth estate,
not for the state. We need a diverse media.
The U.S. Congress has a chance to overrule the FCC,
and to keep the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership
ban in place. It should do so immediately, before the
consolidated press leads us into another war.
Over
the coming months the battle for information control
will become increasingly intense, although
Moon in Gemini indicates that the people will continue
to find a voice in alternative media, uncovering untold
stories from its position in the eighth house, further
aided by asteroid Nemesis conjunct Pluto. Women journalists
will be particularly sharp vocalists, and Naomi Klein,
Amy Goodman and others will emerge as leaders.
Songs from the Lands of Silence
Native
voices will come increasingly to the fore through
publications, movies and legal maneuvers, with implications both
environmental and spiritual. Across the continent, the indigenous
will continue to be heard in their efforts to protect and salvage
their territories, lives and culture, so basic to humanity’s
patrimony. We can observe this tendency already:
On
December 17, as Jupiter poised to enter Capricorn,
the Lakota Sioux rescinded all previously signed treaties and declared
their territories a sovereign nation, covering parts of North and
South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana. To quote their press
release, "The
actions of Lakota are not intended to embarrass the United States but to simply
save the lives of our people… The
Lakota reservations are among the most impoverished
areas in North America, a shameful legacy of broken
treaties and apartheid policies.” The
Lakota now work to build self-sustaining communities
with alternative power sources.
Meanwhile in
Ecuador, President Rafael Correa, a dark-skinned
Quechua descendent, has shown unprecedented audacity in his support
of a suit filed by the native Cofans against Chevron-Texaco, after
the company illegally left open pits of oil sludge with deadly results
for indigenous communities.
In yet another
indigenous initiative, coalitions of small
farmers throughout Latin America are demanding the renegotiation
of a provision of NAFTA designed to liberalize the importation of
many agricultural products, which becomes effective
on January 1. Since NAFTA’s implementation
fourteen years ago, Mexico´s
poor population has increased 400%, rural migration
to the US has shot from 26,000 to 600,000 a year,
and at least one Mexican campesino dies
each day in his or her efforts to cross the
border. (US policy in favor of agroindustry
tends to be overlooked in the controversy about immigration.)
The indigenous voice is one of survival
for peoples and for the earth they are so close
to. Each initiative to support their concerns also helps save vestigial
languages and cultures, including ancestral wisdom of oral traditions
that are all but lost on other continents, and which provide some
of the richest links to our higher heritage remaining today. Such
voices will become loud and clear this year, and with our support
and interest, their actions will meet with surprising success.
A Spiritual Renaissance
Parallel
to this, there will be increasing interest in ancient wisdom from
around the world, including startling revelations from the distant
past. They will enrich the coming renaissance of spiritual teachings
both timeless and contemporary. This revival will be met with efforts
by The New World Order to intensify fundamentalism and make strides
toward its agenda of a single, global church. However, valuable instruction
will come through many different human instruments, as well as through
the Teacher abiding within us all. Important new books on esoteric
subjects will complement the adventure, as will initiatives to awaken
intuition as previously mentioned.
Strong messages, both spiritual
and political, will also appear in movies (and
hopefully move us beyond the effects of entertainment). A good laugh
can be very healing, and some of these movies will be very funny.
Other Heroes
In the aftermath of Katrina,
and in yet another show of its historic power
of resurgence, the Afro-American community will also have a revival,
producing leaders in the arts, politics, business and sports.
Stars
and artists of diverse races will become more
visibly political than usual as the elections
get near; actors and actresses will speak
out for both the establishment and progressive candidates, and perhaps
even run for one or more public offices themselves.
Lawyers will also be in the limelight,
many working hard to rescue what’s left of the constitution
(no pun intended).
Schools in general will
be another focus of ideological control, and
we do well to keep a watchful eye on educational programs and
policies, especially federal .
Work of a different kind
Not all the
battles ahead will be political or ideological
in nature. The energy of our emotions will
be key in accessing the potential of this
New Year, which as a Number One, can mean a truly new and lasting
beginning. A magical way to apply this key is simply to spend at
least 15 minutes daily quietly concentrating
on your love for groups and other beings that
concern you, and letting this force go to them.
Be sure you include yourself, and do so for
a longer time if you feel the need. Chiron’s grand trine to the
Moon and Ascendant from the fourth house can
be very helpful for healing self-esteem. Twelve-step
groups are another way to apply this blessing
and stay in touch with our feelings, so vital this year.
In a world where madness seems to be gaining
ground, it is easy to overlook the celestial
forces that are working to help us. Whether
they be astrological, intuitive or angelic,
the magic of our attention is key to their
full expression. When
we consider these dimensions, the incipient
solar cycle becomes a rather exciting map
of manifestation. May the Angel of the New
Year help us clarify those projects that are important, not for
the small ego, but for our true purpose and
service as galactic participants of a planet in need of clear and
diverse voices. May she also help us develop or strengthen the habit
of referring to the wisdom of subtle realms in our plans and actions.
Before appearances either harmonious or difficult, may the will-power
of the Newborn Sun help us stay on course with persistent, daily
efforts in inner and outer realms, maintaining the light of faith
that the Force for Good in us and with us all is great, very great
indeed.
In the name of our precious
Mother, Maya, whose spirit lives on in our
best intentions and ideals, and all the Daykeeper
collaborators, these are our wishes for the
New Year.
References
Arroyo, Stephen, Exploring
Jupiter, Sebastopol, CA: CRCS Publications,
1996
Oken, Alan, Soul-Centered Astrology, New
York: Bantam, 1990
Rudhyar, Dane, An
Astrological Mandala, New York: Random House,
1973
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