Turning Points

Dear Traveler:

It's often difficult to reckon the importance of world events because they come at us so fast and rarely seem to matter, but certain developments during this rare moment of the Mars perihelion, perigee and retrograde seem to be worth marking in time. In general, despite the proximity of Mars, the condition of retrograde in Pisces seems to be a terrible time to wage a half-decent war.

Most notably was the murder (along with more than 85 other people in a Baghdad car bomb explosion) of Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, 63, a prominent and beloved leader of Iraq's Shiite Moslems who had recently returned from Iran after 23 years of exile. He was killed in an attack on a sanctuary -- extremely rare in the Moslem world. I propose this is the biggest turning point yet in the history of Bush War II. Tortured by Saddam's regime and having seen many of his relatives murdered as a result of his political activity, he's been portrayed as someone who could have helped settle things in Iraq, a potentially incredibly important ally of the U.S. Now, his death has galvanized the Iraqi Shiite population, and his brother is calling for an end to the U.S. occupation.

As background, Iraq's population is dominated by Shiite Moslems, who were the enemies of, and oppressed by, Saddam Hussein. Now that Saddam is more or less gone, the American occupiers will need to address, work with, deal with, live with and in general experience the Shiites, their culture and their politics. Let's just say the boys in Washington have gotten in over their heads and need all the help they can get right now. They sought that assistance from the United Nations this week and were again rebuffed by France and Germany. (Hey, what ever happened to Freedom Fries and Freedom Schnitzel?).

Next was the resignation of Tony Blair's political guru (I mean spin doctor and advisor), the almighty Alistair Campbell. He was accused by the BBC of "sexing up" the intelligence data used to justify going to war with Iraq, and was thus involved with the death of Dr. David Kelly, the British scientist and weapons expert who died in an apparent suicide in July (for details please see Planet Waves coverage from the UK August under What's New).

Wrote Robert Scheer (former editor in chief of Ramparts) in his syndicated column in the LA Times this week, "The Brits don't like being fooled. That's not the case in the United States, where for too many pundits and politicians, accepting official mendacity has become a mark of political sophistication." (Oooch. I'm nominating this for the Planet Waves quote of the year award, but there's a little competition.) Mendacity means sneaky lying. He is suggesting that among the people who are supposed to be guarding the gates of truth (pundits and journalists) accepting the fact that politicians lie as a way of life is a mark of intellectual distinction. They should be presented with gold swastika cufflinks for their contributions.

With Campbell down and the sharks closing in, Blair is probably not long for politics. Soon he too will be retired to the greener pastures of the Carlyle Group, having fully earned his place in society (see http://www.carlylegroup.com, but don't believe their ad -- they are an investment bank for the military and petrochemical industries who have a PR team to die for).

Campbell's resignation came with shakeup at 10 Downing St., which is spreading as the official inquiry into lies told by government officials, headed by a powerful judge named Lord Hutton, continues. Interesting stuff about the march to war is coming out in the wash.

Wednesday, The Guardian (based in Manchester U.K.) reported, "The government was dealt a devastating blow today when two intelligence officers revealed there were deep concerns about the strength of the language used in the Iraq intelligence dossier, with one complaining the document was shaped for political purposes."

The same day, MSNBC reported a story that originally broke in the (Moonie-owned) Washington Times. "A 'brutally honest' report prepared for the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff blames postwar unrest in Iraq on hurried, inadequate planning before the invasion, defense officials said Wednesday." (This story disappeared quickly, which is part of why I read MSNBC every hour or so.)

It continues, or rather, once continued, "The classified report on lessons learned in the war says U.S. commanders were so busy preparing to defeat Iraq's military and directing the fight that they were given too little time to properly prepare for 'Phase IV' peace, according to the officials."

Ah, the ever-elusive Phase IV known as peace. We always seem to be in Phase III these days, which must be chaos.

One last paragraph is worth quoting. "[The report] also flays planning for so-far fruitless efforts to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The threat from such chemical and biological weapons was cited by President Bush and the Pentagon as a major reason for the invasion."

I have no clue whether any of this is making television news, or how one would summarize such a story in less than six seconds with a commercial thrown in the middle of the report. Maybe I better go buy a pack of cigarettes, go to the local bar, order a pitcher of beer and watch some TV to find out.

Excuse me, I'll be right back.

Nope, I didn't see anything, so the American people can enjoy one more glorious day of protecting their self-image as the liberating democratizers of the world who know everything, do everything right and make no foreign policy mistakes. We can go back to answering surveys by saying we "approve of the way Bush is handling the situation in Iraq" but "think the situation is going poorly."

I think it's interesting that, given how accurate the predictions of the anti-war movement were before combat began, that another worldwide day of protest has not been organized.

There was also the revelation that the Taliban is regrouping in Afghanistan, after we bombed the holy hell out of the place and did nothing to put it back together. Then there was Bush requesting another $60 billion to $70 billion for the war, more than double what Congress was expecting.

(Time for a joke. If "pro" is the opposite of "con" then what is the opposite of "progress"?)

In other important news, The Onion reported this week that, "The country formerly known as the United Republic of Tanzania has lost the use of its name to Tampa-based Tanzania Tanning Salons, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Monday."

There were, as well, two turning points in the history of capital punishment. The first was that a U.S. appellate court in eternally-freaky San Francisco ruled this week that 100 cases wherein the defendant was sentenced to death by a judge rather than a jury had to be commuted to life imprisonment. This was the latest in an interesting couple of years of positive and life-affirming moves by the U.S. judiciary on the issue of capital punishment.

The second development involved The Formerly Reverend Paul Hill, who was executed by Florida Wednesday for murdering two people outside a Pensacola abortion clinic in 1994, including Dr. John Bayard Britton. In a news conference last week, Hill, the first-ever person executed for an abortion clinic attack, called for a kind of jihad against abortion doctors, and said he felt no remorse and that he had done the right thing in killing a doctor who kills innocent fetuses. His comments were (naturally) troubling to both sides of the abortion issue.

All this, and we haven't even got to the Pisces full moon yet. We shall see what we shall see under that mysterious light.

Now for news from the inner realm of astrology, I pass the microphone to my colleague Phil Sedgwick.++


Flying Fish

By Philip Sedgwick
(from Galactic Times for September 3, 2003)

The Chinese oracle, I-Ching (The Book of Changes), reports that "pigs and fishes" are the most difficult creatures to influence. On the heels of a whale crashing upon a boat off the coast of Australia in a manner rivaling Moby Dick, the US sports its own fish tale. On the mighty Mississippi River, Asian carp, once imported to eat algae, have been jumping out of the river into boats. In some instances, people in the boats have actually been injured. Actually, this is for real. It seems the fish become agitated by the noise in their environment and seeking to escape, leap into the air. Can you relate?

While this story is actually a bit amusing, it's probably not funny to those floundering on a boat with a fish perched on their forehead. Since we in my world say (and at times in an ad nauseam manner that makes others want to jump to distant shores), "As Above, So Below," perhaps a cosmic axiom has been dredged from the depths of the muddy Mississippi.

Something I learned while a Sonar technician in the Navy while tossing flying fish that had beached on our ship back into the Pacific Ocean, is that sound moves faster in water. At sea level, sound propagates four times faster than in air. Symbolically, water represents the emotional nature and the urges of the depths of the soul. Maybe water based critters sense such things sooner.

Whether those in the water are ahead of the curve or not, it sounds to me as though most people feel like the jumping carp. Wouldn't it be great just to be able to ditch the realm of agitating, crazy-making stimulation? Perhaps it would. Is their solace in the air? Maybe delving into the water makes more sense. One thing for sure, many irritating, annoying factors seem to proliferate right now no matter what your primary medium.

With Mars and Uranus together in early Pisces both stimulating the potent point where Mars is closest to the Sun, a wild, wacky energy lives in the air. These vibrations alter the norm beyond the point of being able to filter out unwanted distractions. Now, in order to focus, one must embark upon a campaign of unadulterated denial. Or another option might be to take the inner plunge - that being the one of becomes so attuned to what's happening on the inside that the outer agitations loose their charge. This latter path might work more effectively.

Here's a safety tip: Should the circumstances of life place you in a judgmental mood, consider going within. Normally people begin the criticism process internally. The mental badgering of self often lambastes the psyche for those things done in the past, whose lessons have long since been learned. This appears to be counterproductive and carries over the opinion that replication of error is likely. A negative vigilance results. When this procedure becomes tiring, the defenses assert the judgments externally. It is easy to find the flaws in others, situations (like the California recall) and the world.

At this point an important message, consistent with the lucid logic of Virgo, levitates into our consciousness. Most everyone knows what's wrong. Few brilliant ideas appear to offer real, effective, practical solutions. So it is within. In your own life, follow suit. Return to the powerful discipline of quieting the mind. Prohibit negatively rampaging thoughts from stampeding the school of fish in your mind. Stay focused on what good can be done. Then, when conscious again, take the first step to invoke a constructive change. Maybe this can be a step in reducing the urge to jump out of your skin.

I wish I could report that I thought things will calm down this month. I am not sure it will. Nor am I forecasting doom. But you know as well as I do that it's a trifle thick out there. Just stick your head out the door. With all the negative electronic stimulation (news/internet scares/end of the world alerts), truly, staying calm takes some serious work. What seems clear to me is that every one on the planet right now carries a bucket of psychic bait just fishing for a fear to catch and fry into a major life fire. Maybe if we all surmise that everyone has their own flaming consideration on the consciousness burners right now, we can increase tolerance at large.

Meanwhile, adopting a new, innovative way of thinking adds to the benefits of the time. At least reread your creed of life. Update it. Add a new dimension. Explore the fantastic bends of light in space induced by gravity. And make sure the gravity of all your own circumstances serves to lighten things. Stay centered in it all. Going overboard only adds to the fishiness of the situation.

To schedule an astrological counseling session with Phil or order galactic study material, please send e-mail to galastro@aol.com.


Planet Waves by Eric Francis
http://www.PlanetWavesWeekly.com/

Birthdays This Week
There needs to be a modicum of precision in how you handle your emotions this year, because small moves count for a lot. You will be faced with intriguing, even difficult-to-comprehend situations which, if you handle them consciously and with integrity, will allow you to work out deep issues that may have troubled or mystified you for years. And that is very good news.

It's important that you resist any desire to over-dramatize what you're experiencing, and the temptation will be there, for sure. And you'll have to be mindful to not play into the dramas of other people. Instead, a commitment to basic principles and clear communication, as well as working with friends, partners and healers, will see you through the day. The most positive thing about your anniversary charts is that the more energy you liberate from negative investments, the more that energy will multiply into positive expressions in your life. Energy is energy, but it does different things depending on where, why and how it's invested. You have a lot of energy right now, and you will for quite some time.

Remember that it's likely to multiply exactly where and how you in vest it. Write that on the wall, and stick it to your checkbook cover.

Throughout this year, Jupiter (expansion, benefit, wisdom, international culture, excess) will be in your birth sign and for much of the year, Uranus will be in your opposing sign Pisces. This is suggesting an exciting, creative dynamic emerging in your relationships. But again I remind you (another way) that we can only be as creative as our issues allow us to go. There may be some start-and-stop motion, or quite a bit of back and forth between what you need to do and what you want to do, or a few quick changes of identity, but after a while you will begin to build the inner bridges and integrate need and desire into an honest, effective hybrid that passes the muster of your critical reasoning.

You may begin to make direct connections between spiritual growth and emotional growth that eluded you in the past. This will be especially helpful in your relationships, which will tend less toward the orderly, rational affairs that you often prefer, and more toward unpredictable, passionate and even downright strange liaisons that you will need to assess carefully for their impact, effect and value within your life.

No matter how intelligent, creative, passionate or liberated people are, seem to be or claim to be, remember that you have that same potential. Being around innovative people will help you be free from the fetters that have long held your personality and personhood down. This is a fabulous gift. Be razzed; be free. You will learn a lot about how to let yourself hang loose, break conventions and think in totally innovative ways, though what you have that many others lack is the discipline to apply yourself to some unusual goals, both professional and personal, that will make you wonder how you came so far so fast when next you celebrate your birthday.

Aries (March 20-April 19)
Focus on your health, particularly your mental health. You're in an unusual position to both identify trouble and match problems with solutions. In reality the solution is so much bigger than the problem that you don't have to actually do very much in this process except be consciously willing to let it happen. Meanwhile, I suggest you keep a running tab of your fears. They are likely to provide you with a truly meaningful picture of your inner landscape. They are not necessarily true; but they are very important data. In particular, watch how fear can call anyone or anything home, and watch how it tends to mutate like a virus.

Taurus (April 19-May 20)
Delays in the game of life are giving you an opportunity to gather your strength and modify your plans. Take these opportunities. While you're clearly not in the mood to trust to luck, your luck running is a lot better than you may think. And it's likely to arrive in the form of intelligence, insight and the concrete ability to make effective strategy. It can also arrive in the form of inviting a friend to stay in your home, whether in the role of supporting you or just being present and hanging out for a while. In any event, you would do very well to doubt your doubts. Consider it practice.

Gemini (May 20-June 21)
Does the past ever end? One of the reasons that so many spiritual traditions teach us that "the only time is the present" is because the mind and emotions tend to teach exactly the opposite. The habit of evaluating and reevaluating ourselves is not the gift of faith. Notice that so often in our process of sizing ourselves up, we come out as anything but adequate. This alone would be reason to suspect your conclusions, and to consider that you're thinking in a pattern or program rather than thinking creatively. As countless painters and musicians have discovered, art trumps psychology. Work your most dangerous edge and you'll feel free.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
The current combination of both Mercury and Mars retrograde is giving you both focusing power and a wide-angle lens to see the big, big picture, and your momentum toward true clarity is building. Most of what you have the opportunity to see involves what you believe, and this profoundly affects your life. Current transits will help you see what you believe about yourself, and what you believe about the world. They're more closely related than you may imagine. Some of those beliefs are most decidedly not true and will look quite good in the recycling bin -- particularly the ones adorned with religious icons.

Leo (July 22-Aug 23)
Don't take life's pressures out on your body. Rather, listen to your health as a messenger of what you need to change. You have adequate resources to make anything happen that you really need. The issue is how you distribute your money and energy, and whether you include yourself in any arrangement by providing room to grow, change and spend some time and space doing nothing. You're probably way too busy for your own good, and your emotional and biological systems need time to clear out and seek equilibrium. You might want to make careful note of everything that's changed in the past week.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
So many of the lessons of the past year of your life have involved evaluating how you handle transgressions in relationship, particularly how you handle what is done to you by others. I think you're getting the message that it's a shade too easy for people to trample your feelings, rights and privileges, and I would propose you could identify this as a powerful source of unhappiness. Much of the solution resides in how you interpret the actions of others; in our particular world, interpretation is 99% of meaning. Events of the next few days may press certain matters, but it would be ill-advised to meet force with force.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
In the midst of your current attempts to take care of all the details and tie up every loose end that ever was, I suggest you investigate the degree to which you're being motivated by a fear you haven't identified yet. The unknown, in its entirety, is taking on a larger-than-life proportion, and there seems to be a constant necessity to change. If you discover that you're being driven by a sense of inadequacy, perhaps pause. A short break in the action may reveal your need to be better and better, which is set up so it will never succeed. Why you might feel this way will make for a fruitful meditation.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
Mars helps us make and see distinctions. Currently it's working on your chart in one of the areas where you tend to have the least clarity and the most subtle fear. You may again be facing an old situation with roots going back several generations, or the sense that 'something is wrong but I don't know what it is'. The stars are working to turn up the contrast in your life. At first this may have the feeling of shining a bright light in a fog; all you see is more fog. As the mists of history clear, you're likely to see what you've been missing in sharp, clear contrast. Just keep looking.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
Recent contact with family members or long-time friends may have you pondering the complicated patterns that make up your life. Are you ever really free from them, or must you live like a rat in a maze, free to choose which way you turn but with the possibilities limited by the design of the experiment? The answer depends on awareness. Current aspects are calling on you to review your past choices and assess your methods so you make critical professional decisions in the near future. Try to keep your complicated emotional state at arms-length from your equally complex mental state. Take situations one at a time. Move on to something else if you get frustrated.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
Challenges you face in your relationships are unlike anything you've faced in the past. When you turn up your awareness and sense of presence enough to feel your own existence, you may immediately notice a confrontation emerges. You may be met by a limit of some kind, be it an idea or a person. Or you may meet an equal whose response makes it necessary to turn up the energy on who you really are, which in turn brings out all kinds of issues. It doesn't help that you're struggling so hard to express yourself in words. People who patiently assist you in expressing yourself are your friends; everyone else is something besides.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
I suggest you begin to piece together what the people around you know. They may or may not know they know it, but you have to make it your business to do so. In a short time, your destiny will seem to pivot on a single truth, fact or body of knowledge that may seem trivial to someone else. Keep track of where the people are coming from emotionally and spiritually, and be aware of where, when, why and how money is flowing. You're doing this right if you start to get the feeling you're being nosey and a little intrusive. Whether you are is a matter of opinion, and in mine, you're just taking care of yourself.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Most of what people learn in their first years of therapy is how to say "I want" and "I need." In the process, all the strange hang-ups that prevent us from having been able to utter these words without guilt or resentment can give us plenty to process. What, for example, is the real source of guilt? Why do I feel guilty just for having needs? Answers to these questions involve the self-centered psychology of small children, who take on the blame for everything, and who are often blamed for anything. But knowing that is very different than being able to make simple assertions of necessity and desire, which are biological facts.

Planet Waves Weekly and PlanetWaves.net are edited by Eric Francis, with help from Chelsea Bottinelli and the Vision List. This newsletter is $49.95 per year and published 52 times per year. We encourage our readers to contribute their artwork and writing to the Planet Waves project and to cultivate themselves as creative forces in the unusual and socially formative times in which we live.