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This
week, and next, paranoia strikes deep, poisoning the atmosphere with apprehension.
The collective aggregation of fear grows daily, making it hard to hold
the clear vision of a hopeful heart. As the Saturn-Pluto opposition probes
the shadows of the soul, both personal and collective, the once solid
ground of daily life turns boggy with trepidation. Demons, real and imagined,
hamper positive progress, and whether these monsters are external or internal,
they seem to exert a superhuman power. Several factors magnify collective
dread, making it difficult-but not impossible-to stay calm. Reach for
the broadest possible perspective and then let the big picture help you
stay grounded. Earth has survived countless Saturn-Pluto cycles, and as
always on this free will planet, the choices we make determine the outcome.
Choose to constrict in paralysis, and the waves of fright are overwhelming.
Choose to believe in life, and each breath helps to dissipate the dread.
This week, refuse to be infected by fear. Instead, concentrate on trust.
Listen to your heart. Rely on its truth. And whenever possible, comfort
those with less strength and stamina than you.
A Sun-Neptune
square is the source of the deepening paranoia. Neptune is the Trickster,
and its negative domain is part projection, part deception and lots and
lots of confusion. As Neptune squares the Sun, it produces gaseous mists,
turning perception cloudy, making it difficult to discern concrete reality.
Apparitions appear and disappear, and then appear again. A Sun-Neptune
square also gives birth to hypersensitivity, increasing susceptibility
to suggestion. This is unfortunate, because as this week and next week
unfold, we're likely to experience a rash of hoaxes aimed at exploiting
the already traumatized collective psyche. These cruel pranks could have
a devastating impact on nervous systems. So, again, make every effort
to strengthen your connection to the transcendent. Listen to soothing
music. Commune with nature. Delve into a creative project. But try to
avoid addictive substances as a way of numbing out. Neptune square the
Sun feeds the additive appetites, so instead of indulging, find healthy
ways of managing the stress.
Mars is still
square the Sun, continuing to charge the air with animosity. On Sunday,
Mars enters Aquarius, and by Tuesday, Mars moves into a conjunction with
Neptune. Mars is the principle of decisive action. Neptune is the principle
of diffusion. As Neptune blurs Mars' vision, direct action turns murky
and specific goals evaporate in the confusion. The ethers turn moody,
and we turn even testier with frustration. But that's not all. A Mars-Neptune
conjunction also fuels a suspicious attitude-something we don't need right
about now. Don't rush to conclusions or project your fears onto others.
A huge component
of the zeitgeist is the collective gathering of fear. This group anxiety
has a life of its own, and it grows daily as individual concerns mount
and each new episode stirs a sense of trepidation. Neptune rules imagination,
and the combined imagining of so many distorts and amplifies personal
disquiet. Don't become mesmerized by worry. What's more, because Neptune
also encourages mass fascination, over the course of the next two weeks,
the power of this collective dread gains momentum. As the terrible consequences
of September 11 are magnified through this Neptunian lens, the media,
obsessed with every conceivable possibility, pulses with a hypnotic effect,
exacerbating mass hysteria. I'm not anti-information. But dwelling on
dread only increases its power. Break the spell of this constant blaring
negativity by turning off your television or radio. Focus on the simple
tasks of the day. Make mindfulness a daily practice and your internal
immunity to the constant barrage of threats and scares will start to increase.
On October
30, Uranus goes direct. When Uranus changes direction, the ethers shiver
from the energetic disturbance. Uranus fuels an urge for freedom, personal
and collective. As Uranus makes its course correction, it trines Mercury
and Venus, both conjunct in Libra. Normally, this positive contact bodes
well for unfettered minds, able and willing to consider alternative viewpoints.
But in light of current conditions, this trine is likely to fill the sails
of zealots everywhere with the hot air of rhetoric and the need to take
a stand. As this Uranian need for action coalesces with the mounting collective
dread, the air turns thick with foreboding. Uranus thrives on surprise,
which means there's simply no way of knowing how this energy is likely
to manifest. Of course, nothing could happen, and that would be the best
surprise of all.
This week
and next, it's important to take each day as it comes, committed to transforming
fear into valor. It's as if we're stumbling through the marshes of Mordor,
and each step through the putrid terrain awakens another terrifying ghost.
Those humble hobbits saw the grim and noble faces of orcs, elves and men
trapped in the dark mirror of that noxious swamp. And though the stagnant
waters filled them with dread, they moved forward, one painstaking step
at a time, resisting the toxicity of fright. We're are on a similar mission,
and while it's hard being brave in the face of so much fear, just as Frodo
and Sam summoned the strength to go on, we, too, must accept the challenge
of courage.
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