By Judith Gayle | Political Waves

Photo from Small World Stories by Dani Voirin. The annual edition includes more than 50 stunning new photographs by Danielle.

WELCOME TO 2008 -- of course, it was 2007 just a few days ago and little has changed since then, except that the Mars/Pluto opposition came and left a trail of continuing anger and chaos. The zero points are activating like crazy and planetary crisis seems to be our current theme, brought home by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan. With all that angst plugged into the Nuclear Axis, I'd feel more comfortable if Pluto wasn't hovering in the critical 29th degree -- and I'd be deliriously happy if we had actual leadership in this country, or if I could say with authority that it's waiting in the wings.

Still, I feel hopeful with the turning of the year. Why? Because we've bottomed out in our long spiral downward into delusion and our neighbors have finally awakened to the sense of emergency and are looking for change. Because denial is only possible if you're an infant, a befuddled elder, or so lost in your addictions you can't find reality with either hand. Because Saturn, Jupiter and, soon, Pluto have entered the earth signs and someone will finally be forced to step up and take responsibility. That's the good news. Here's the bad: it will likely be us -- you and me.

I know that doesn't sound like a giggle, and it probably won't be, but I think the long, sorrowful process of getting to the bottom line may prove more painful than actually being there. These last years have given us a potent chemistry of frustration, panic and anxiety, but its opened our hearts, awakened our minds, challenged our mythologies and knocked us off our plodding, habitual path of sleepwalking through our lives. If you somehow avoided a personal crisis or emotional loss in these turbulent years, you are somewhat of an anomaly. The energies were calculated to shake us up and they did their work very well.

Bobby Kennedy, on the day of Martin Luther King's assassination, quoted Aeschylus -- there is more than a hint of the shock and sorrow of 1968 in our current energy. See if his words resonate for you:

"Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."

The entry of Capricorn into our energetic mix is going to take awhile to assert itself in an ethical manner -- the government, monetary systems, military-industrial complex and corporations have worked long and hard to squeeze us into our current position; it works for them and they will not let go easily. What is severe and authoritarian about the Goat will no doubt clash head on with a populous exhausted by years of corrupt politics, exploitation and financial decline. This will not likely lead to dancing in the street -- but I can easily envision marches, arm in arm.

The higher resonance of Cappy will eventually take root, but first we must burn off the dross of corrupt power. Thomas Jefferson told us about our responsibility as citizens when he said, "If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so." I doubt that Jefferson would recognize the Republic he helped to create, today -- over a thousand presidential "signing statements" have given government the green light to break the laws being crafted by our weak and dispirited congress, while laws that have given us stability through dangerous decades past are systemically ignored. We can no longer simply turn our heads and hope for the best -- we have come to our Waterloo. If we are not a nation of laws, what are we? And if we must have some personal epiphany before we take it upon ourselves to act, then I would suggest it will become personal in the coming months.

It is within us that the work takes place; we aren't the people we were at the turn of the century, we've come a way since then. Our response to the current challenges will tell us how well we've done integrating the changes that have led us into this new year. I offer my own internal checklist to you, in case you haven't made one yourself.

Here's my Big 8 for 2008.

Tell the truth: We seldom tell the truth; it hovers just above our conversations, just out of reach, but intruding into our awareness like a shadow we don't want to recognize. Telling the truth takes some skill -- first and most importantly, you need to tell it to yourself; then you need to make it sound like a suggestion rather than an attack. To pick the most mundane example I can think of, if somebody asks you, "Does this make my butt look big?" then your blunt assessment might benefit from a little diplomatic twist, such as, "You might want to find something more flattering."

I had a family conversation during the holidays with someone who ranted on endlessly about border security and English as the official language of this country. The shadow truth that I recognized was that the person pontificating was suffering from an advanced case of xenophobia and a limited political view. I am more focused on the assault on the Constitution than on isolationism, and I find this kind of racist rhetoric limited and dangerous. In order to tell my own truth, I had to try to broaden the concerns of this person -- connect the dots to a larger picture. I was only mildly successful -- which brings me to the next category.

Photo from Small World Stories by Dani Voirin. The annual edition includes more than 50 stunning new photographs by Danielle.

Read your audience: People are in the process of disenchanting themselves; some of them are standing in front of a crumbling wall of understanding, defending it to the death. They haven't found the truth of it, and they won't hear it until they're ready. When you walk to the wall with someone, and see (hear) them flatten themselves against it, you can bet you've just gotten to the core issue of that personality, some internal fear or desire they probably don't recognize. That means you have a broader understanding of them than they do, themselves -- it also means you are obligated to behave compassionately (unless they're holding a gun.) If you are to help them, not hinder, this is the time to gently reflect their resistance back to them -- sometimes all you have to do is repeat what they've said in defense of their position. If they are even close to breaking down the wall, they will hear how hollow it is. Sometimes, that's all you can do -- and that takes us to the next category.

Listen to yourself: Before the advent of cell phones and Internet, a dear friend and I would tape long conversations to one another and send them via snail mail. I never sent one that I didn't listen to first. I surprised myself every time with discoveries of my own personal walls, resistance, biases and fears. So, listen to yourself as if you were a disinterested stranger -- monitor the voice that comes out of you as a "witness" rather than a participant that agrees or disagrees. By doing so, you will find the walls that YOU have flattened yourself up against. Once you find them, you can let them fall more easily –which brings us to another "must do."

Buddy up: You need a process partner. This is a person whom you can trust, who has your good and your growth, in mind. This person will listen to your hopes and fears, reflect you back to yourself, tell you the truth and help you make sense of things. A process partner will not let you lie to them -- or yourself -- they will not commiserate with you when you snivel, or if they do it will be briefly and compassionately, and then they will remind you that self-pity defeats you. They will lift you into higher truth, and help you consider your options. In short, they won't let you "get away with it." If you have a true process partner, you are blessed -- and if you do, and have the courage, ask them about your "shadow self." They will be able to tell you where you give your power away, sabotage your own good and demean your potential.

Don't panic: You probably have a familiarity with this, having survived the early years of this century, and may know by now that panic will only get you more of the same, aggravated by a series of knee-jerk responses that don't help at all. Since you already know this, try something else. Breathe deeply, move to center yourself -- assume your Que Sera attitude. Whatever has prompted this moment will work out one way or another, so don't let your ego run this conversation with its list of "should's" and "have to's". Determine your options by writing them down; call your Buddy and run them past him/her. Call in the Force; however understand that it's waiting to cooperate with you. Repeat this mantra: I am the calm in the storm. Then trust that to be true.

Don't try to make it happen: The more we push against something, the harder it resists. We "care" just a little too desperately, it constricts our energy -- we can learn how to care about the important things without putting so much tension into it. Learn how to step around things in your way. The universe is creative and it comes to your side to help you when you learn to drop your guard and relax a bit. There is ease and flow available when you hit the right stride -- when things happen effortlessly, you'll know you're in the zone. That's the space you need to bookmark in your mind, and return to as often as possible.

Detach gently and with compassion: We have carried many people with us in these last years, taken on responsibility for the good of loved ones and friends. The time has come to free ourselves from these kinds of burdens. They don't need that "old" us anymore -- if they haven't taken on responsibility for themselves by now, they've probably become dependent on us to do it for them. They have had opportunity to awaken in much the way that we have; it's time to let them go on to their own journey.

One of the hardest things for a parent to accept is that their children are entitled to their own karmic lessons; it's the same for those we carry along with us. If they are to grow, we must allow it to happen without stepping in each time to pick up the slack. If you are one of those who think you don't have these folks in your life, a careful look will show even the subtle links that are sapping energy from you. This is not a process of abandonment -- it is a rewriting of the emotional contract between one another. It will require conversation and a process of detachment, but it's time for each of us to step into our own power.

Love with abandon: This one is both the easiest and the hardest. It's effortless to perceive all that's wrong with the world; it takes some consideration to notice what's fabulous, remarkable, amazing and wonderful. All these things are happening around us every day but they look too small and temporary to grab our attention. Attend them -- magnify them, appreciate them, encourage them, duplicate them. Replace the "what's wrong" dialogues with "what's right" often enough and you will have a shift in consciousness.
 
Let those who are dear to you know it. Meet new people and let them see a welcome in your eyes, smile at strangers, feed stray dogs, save whales, polar bears and wolves. Contribute to charities and become an activist for those who are disenfranchised and suffering, an activist for the integrity and commonwealth of your nation. Feel everything -- EVERYTHING. Celebrate your human heart, because that is where the alchemy begins and ends. Most importantly of all, love without having to be loved back.

We have a remarkable year ahead, one fashioned in the cauldron of paradigm shift and welcoming us to the change of the Ages. We will meet challenges and suffer defeats. We will cry and laugh, we will lose some of what was and gain some of what will be. We will meet ourselves and wave hello. We will learn to live with purpose, examine our motives, and become more authentic. We will discover what's really important, discard what isn't and know the difference. We will love and be loved -- and frankly, my dears, if we do all that, it will be a year to remember.



By Kirsti Melto and Eric Francis | Lunations


New Moon in Capricorn -- January 8, 2008, 11:37 UT. Chart by Solar Fire.
WE ARE currently in an extended phase of Aries Point events. The first New Moon of the New Year falls at 17+ degrees of Capricorn, in one of the cardinal signs, and qualifies for an Aries Point event. The news is reflecting the astrological Aries Point theme "personal is political", telling about global events that can have profoundly personal implications and lasting effects through time. Some asteroid positions in the chart are subtly reminding us to be vigilant about what we read and see.

Most of the major planets and also many important minor planets are concentrated in the last four signs of the chart wheel, from Sagittarius to Pisces.

The New Moon sextiles Uranus, asteroid Kassandra in Pisces, and asteroid Hidalgo in Scorpio. Thus the Sun and the Moon are in the midpoint of those planets. A midpoint is the point located halfway between two planets, the point that integrates the energies of the planets in question. Transits to the midpoint can be important.




Dec. 31, 2007 | From Harper's Magazine

Photo from Small World Stories by Dani Voirin. The annual edition includes more than 50 stunning new photographs by Danielle.

EIGHT HUNDRED ninety-nine U.S. troops and 18,610 Iraqi civilians were killed in the Iraq War. Eighty percent of Iraqis were reporting "attacks nearby" and it was estimated that 90 percent of Iraq's artists had fled the country or been killed. Halliburton announced that it would ad 13,000 jobs, and President George W. Bush underwent a colonoscopy. In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez embraced President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. "Welcome, fighter for just causes," said Chavez. Senator Barack Obama was featured shirtless in People Magazine's Beach Babes issue, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi banned smoking in the Speaker's Parlor of the Capitol, and Senator Hillary Clinton said that "we want to be able to continue to export democracy, but we want to deliver it in digestible packages." Viagra turned 15. Wildfires spread from north of Los Angeles to south of San Diego, and scientists at New York University were deleting frightening experiences from the memories of rats. The first Muslim member of Congress took his oath on a Koran once owned by Thomas Jefferson. Annual sales at Taser International were expected to reach $90 million.

Drought was driving tens of thousands of snakes into Australian cities, female koalas in Australia were ignoring males in favor of five-bear lesbian orgies, and developers were planning to open a Hooters in Dubai. Scientists in London were working on a gum that suppresses appetite and fights obesity. "Obese people like chewing," reasoned a researcher. The United States projected that ti would emit 19 percent more greenhouse gases in 2020 than it did in 2000, and U.S. pollution was cited as the reason that the Dutch are now taller than Americans. The United Arab Emirates beat out the United States to become the world's most wasteful country, Ford posted a loss of $12.7 billion for 2006 (the largest in its 103-year history and equivalent to the GDP of Jordan), and General Motors announced it would open a new research center in Shanghai to develop alternative fuels and vehicles. Geneticist Craig Vener announced that he had constructed a synthetic chromosome out of laboratory chemicals, creating the first artificial life form on Earth. Britney Spears shaved her head, and an appeals court in Washington, D.C., ruled that the writ of habeas corpus does not apply to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The market price for children in India slipped below that of buffalo, and crystal meth was now available in candy flavors.

Kurt Vonnegut, Norman Mailer, and Boris Yeltsin died. Osama bin Laden turned 50 and the Senate doubled the bounty on his head to $50 million. Ariel Sharon was still alive. New stars were hatching near the head of Orion. Paul Wolfowitz, Karl Rove, Alberto Gonzales, and Tony Blair resigned. "[Blair] was the worst thing that ever happened to Africa,": said Bright Matonga, the deputy of information minister of Zimbabwe. "We hope that the children of Iraq and Afghanistan he is killing everyday will haunt him for the rest of his life." Reverend Ted Haggard declared himself "completely heterosexual," and Paris Hilton went to jail. An Irish soldier who won the Military Cross for single handedly defeating a Baghdad suicide bomber was facing court martial for auctioning his medal on eBay. Scientists trained dogs to track polar bear feces, produced talking construction paper, made stem cells out of adult mice, and linked the upsurge in cat sex to global warming. Mr. Wizard died, as did Mr. Whipple. Pope Benedict XVI decreed that, by definition, Protestant churches are not churches, and it was revealed that Mother Teresa, beginning in 1948 and continuing until the end of her life in 1997, was unable to sense the presence of God. "Repulsed-empty -- no faith -- no love -- no zeal," she wrote. "Heaven means nothing." Detainees at Guantanamo Bay complained of "infinite tedium and loneliness," and 20,000 people marched against the junta in Burma; about 400 monks were pushed away from the house where pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyiws imprisoned. "Love and kindness," reads the monks' yellow banner, "must win over everything."

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, January 4, 2008, #695 - By ERIC FRANCIS

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