By Judith Gayle | Political Waves

You don't have to wait for it anymore. Change is here. It's happening in you, me, us. Even as our reptilian brain -- that ancient portion of us that handles emergencies related to survival -- responds to the difficult twists and turns of our current sociopolitical circumstances, there's something quite unique bubbling in our Higher Minds. If someone asked you how to close out an Era, how to prepare yourself for a leap in consciousness and recreate your essential humanity while rattling around in the chaos of structural dissolution, you would probably just stare at them, wide-eyed and speechless. And so it is these days, when people ask us what we think. We aren't sure, and that's because we aren't thinking; we're feeling our way through this.

Some of us are denying those feelings of something unprecedented occurring, hoping that everything will go back to normal eventually. Others are exploring the emotions, allowing them to pass through the landscape of our minds, giving us the opportunity to separate what's valuable while discarding the old paradigm baggage that has kept us in place so long. This thing that's going on is organic, aligned with galactic forces, cosmic imperatives and planetary necessity. It's both creative and destructive, summoning the energy of the Hindu goddess Kali, the Dark Mother of Time that slays the ego with reality. It's inexplicable and exhausting. It's simultaneously frightening and exhilarating, pushing us forward even as it seems to be pulling us backward. It's the last step before the first step. It's a dimensional doorway.

Again and again, over these last months, I've read channeling that pronounces this magnificent experiment within our own hands, within our own minds, as co-creators of an unknown future. Much like self-fulfilling prophecy, this will be what we decide it will be, both in the collective and in our own personal experience. The conundrum of facing so great a challenge as a Shift of Ages while we feel the most fragile and helpless contains the seeds of the consciousness we seek. This would not be on our plates if we didn't have the ability to meet it squarely, so even if we don't feel prepared we must assure ourselves that confidence is somewhere within us, waiting to be found. Yet many of us stand at this transitional crossroads, turning our attention to endings rather than beginnings, to strategies for the short-term rather than visions for the long-term. We must begin to trust not only the intuitive wisdom we've brought into this lifetime but also the clues that are continually being fed into the public consciousness, like little sparks of Light.

We're constantly being informed. Politics gives us bits of the puzzle; music, art, nature, give us others. Movies are like a slide-show of our social order, giving us snapshots of the zeitgeist of our times and providing creative reminders of the past, present and future. The good ones give us a slice of life not our own and expand our understanding of ourselves. They say that a fictional plot must contain conflict, especially if it wishes to enjoy a healthy box office. Organized around conflict, there are seven natural plotlines, according to literary tradition: human vs. nature, other humans, the environment, machines/technology, the supernatural, self and god/religion. This is the life script of humankind, the polarity dance: we pit ourselves against something in order to discover who we are. To my mind, that's what our current political season and our long list of challenges is all about -- discovering who we are and who we wish to become.

Yes, movies are good places to look for clues on this journey. In the safer and saner days of my childhood, my cousin and I would walk the long blocks to the theatre on a Saturday morning, clutching our 75 cents tightly -- enough for a ticket to marathon cartoons, serials and the double feature, as well as popcorn, candy and soda. Cheap babysitting in those years before the need for movie ratings, if you ask me, and a dazzlement for a child's imagination. We were well behaved for the most part, only getting bounced once for participating in a Jujube™ war that left the few attending adults disgruntled and the long-suffering management stern. I believe it was the first Technicolor Dracula movie, and all that unexpected blood got us stirred up and prompted the flying candies as a way to release nervous tension. Those were Good Old Days for sure. I learned a lot about the world from the safety of my -- yes, sticky -- theatre seat.

Here in the Pea Patch, movie-going requires an hour's drive north or south, to a 4-plex or 6-plex respectively, neither of which are very big nor ever jammed with viewers. To the south, the city fathers are aligned with the Baptist College and screen their movie offerings for content so if you want to see something controversial, you head north. That's what I did over the weekend, determined to see what James Cameron had done to improve 3D. I still remember those flaming arrows zinging at my head in the 50s – Jujubes scattering in surprise, for sure. My companion and I were one of only four couples adding to Avatar's remarkable $2 billion gross that evening. Almost like a private screening, we positioned ourselves in the back row, center, for the spectacle, donning our 3D glasses and reaching for our Junior Mints (tastes change.) While I'm not an overt Cameron fan, nor one who relishes a blockbuster, this time I think we got more than we paid for.

James Cameron does epics. He gave the world big-budget flicks like Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies and Titanic. I refused to see Titanic for months, having explored everything written about it when I was a kid, horrified and fascinated at the same time. I doubted Cameron had anything to add. When I finally got a copy of the DVD, I was impressed by the filmmaking, the careful attention to historical authenticity and the immense feel of the movie. He brought the great ship to life, and that was quite an accomplishment, although it was still, as Cameron himself said, a "$190 million chick flick." The hero and heroine were improbable archetypes: the young American adventurer unscathed by his disadvantaged upbringing and class distinction, and the struggling feminist caught in a period unprepared for her independence. I could have done without them, but then there would have been no sub-plot to lead us through a historic recreation. Still, James Cameron earns his title as the King of Big and knows how to immerse his viewers in another time and place.

I'd read several snarky reviews of Avatar that indicated it was an expensive nod -- some said apology -- to Native American history, but that the technological breakthroughs were worth the price of the ticket. I'd also seen an article from an outraged viewer questioning the 'disrespectful' message such a movie sent to our Armed Forces, especially our Marines, as they fought wars far from home. Others said it was just the old love story rehash, with aliens and special effects and 3D glasses. But I was hearing other things as well, from people who had been deeply affected by the experience, who were questioning their purpose and their direction because of what they had seen. My grandchildren, 8 and 11, were both dreaming of Pandora, Cameron's fictional planet, and begging to see the movie again. People were remembering their experience far past the event, itself. This film seemed to spark something extraordinary, and I wanted to know what.

I won't issue a spoiler alert here, because the plot itself is straightforward, found on-line in hundreds of articles: Earth's corporate interests attempt to plunder the resources of another planet, seeing the inhabitants as primitive and expendable. You can't spoil Avatar by talking about it, because the twists and turns don't matter much: this is an experiential offering that meets my aforementioned description of puzzle piece, hint, clue. While I was surely dazzled by the breakthroughs in 3D and animation, as well as Cameron's ambition to pit us against all of the seven major plotlines at once, it wasn't what I saw that impressed me -- it was what I remembered as I sat in that dark theatre.

Within just a few moments I recognized the militaristic contractors as Blackwater prototypes. Since Cameron has been planning this movie for over a decade, much as Lucas had to wait for technology to catch up before he could begin his Star Wars epic, I had to wonder which came first -- the chicken or the egg. Did we conjure a world where mercenaries lead, or do we merely comment on one? The proposed Earth technology, startling in 3D, was made even more impressive in contrast to the mystical elements presented by the natural world of Pandora. The indigenous Na'vi reverence for all life forms and cooperation with nature called up commentary about Native Americans and showed a well-structured, communal civilization steeped in spiritual practice. It was pretty clear where the story was leading within the first few minutes of this 2 hr, 40-minute epic, so I settled back to enjoy it with something niggling at the back of my mind. Not too far in, I remembered. Atlantis and Lemuria.

We're treading in the waters of mythology here. The existence of either civilization -- or root races, as they've been described -- remains unproven, as do so many mysteries of antiquity. For an early facilitator of Edgar Cayce's Search for God groups, these old stories have lived in my head as an organizing principle for decades. I won't attempt to fully explain them, except in thumb-nail. You can Google for information, but I recommend Cayce's readings if you're truly interested. Let's begin with Amazon's overview of Edgar Cayce's Atlantis and Lemuria: The Lost Civilizations in the Light of Modern Discoveries:

Twenty-four centuries after Plato left us his intriguing remarks about Atlantis, Edgar Cayce began to speak, in an altered psychic state, not only about that lost civilization but also of Lemuria, Atlantis's Pacific precursor. Cayce's visions of Atlantis and Lemuria reveal cultures that were far advanced technologically over many civilizations that followed, technology only perhaps now being matched by that of the twenty-first century.

Lemuria -- sometimes called Mu -- was a continent located in the Pacific, bordering the lower US coast and Baja, California, before the dawn of time. If it was not colonized entirely from other worlds, it was surely influenced by them. It had one language, a central government, and was agrarian by choice, rather than by need. Lemurians were spiritual, psychic, telekinetic and telepathic, existed mostly in their emotional bodies, and were able to freely manipulate matter. They were described as a peaceful, communal people. The Adam and Eve story is said to have taken place during the 50,000-year Lemurian period, the "fall" of humankind into density. When the continent submerged after a long series of volcanic eruptions, refugees found their way to Egypt and Tibet.

As Lemuria was dying, Atlantis was rising. Atlanteans were people of intellect, ultimately able to marshal their resources into a world civilization with their vast grasp of science and technology. Their mastery of electric, solar and crystal power produced planes, ships and colonization around the globe. The ruling class guarded their power and technology jealously, yet they were divided between those who sought to use it for the common good and those who had other designs. As Cayce put it, "Or, in other words, as we would term it today, they were those without a standard of morality." Eventually, their ability to manipulate genetic material and their loss of spirituality led to their demise over a period of thousands of years. Their continent eventually sank beneath the sea due to misuse of crystal power used to control weather and weaponry.

Why does all this resonate with me? Because Cayce said that the Mayan Culture was formed at the crossroads between the ancient "Lost Continents" of Lemuria and Atlantis, their spiritual legacies contained within the sacred calendar and prophecies of the Maya, for what is known as the 4th Creation phase of the Divine Revelation. And because, reading between the lines, our oldest challenge is still to be met and decided.

Edgar Cayce died in 1945, frail and overworked due to his desire to read for the families of soldiers in the war theatre. Shortly before his death, and well before the Atomic Bomb was dropped, Cayce indicated that this plane was flooding with the reincarnating souls of Lumerians and Atlanteans, seeking to make right their former errors: Baby Boomers, most certainly, and the generations that followed. And that's where we find ourselves today, isn't it? Staring at one another over a moral divide, lining up to review movies like Avatar as either cynics and "patriots" or environmentalists and spiritual adherents? People dedicated to communal good and restoration of the natural world as opposed to those who guard their power, promote their technology and keep their self-interest? We still fight the same old battle between selfishness and selflessness.

Back in the dawn of creation we invented the same scenarios to discover ourselves as those we use today. There's nothing new under the Sun but our need to get back Home, back into the peaceful Oneness of enlightenment that we remember, somewhere in the back of our soul. It's the touchstone for our purpose, the one that Cayce told us was simply, "Serve or suffer." James Cameron may or may not have realized he was giving us a clue about this primal purpose, but he did. His reliance on mythology and archetypes fits his epic ambitions, which served those of us who felt this movie deeply. We felt it because it was about us, it resonated in that ageless way that aha moments often do. Even if we can't quite explain our feelings, it made us remember why we came, and why we've all been brought together again. This time, my beloved old friends, let's get it right.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, February 5, 2010, #803 - BY ERIC FRANCIS

Aries Confidential	Avoid public dramas if you can, which may mean staying out of public places, or at least choosing from among places that qualify as friendly territory. Inside your home is going to be the best bet. You'll need to keep a close eye on your own tendency to be temperamental when you're under stress; if you can do that, you'll have a significant advantage when you're in tense environments, if you cannot avoid them. Meanwhile, a partner or significant other may be more emotionally sensitive than you're aware of, or even than he or she is aware of. He or she may mirror back to you some of your own inner struggle. Significant similarities exist between what you've been through and your response to those experiences; and there are significant differences as well. Be mindful of both.
Taurus Confidential	Regarding a professional matter, there seem to be two possible choices, but really there are two mental outlooks you can apply to the situation. One is about how most matters of 'personal expression' are not so personal. Often, they are about patterns that were set in motion long before we showed up on the planet. The second involves the feeling of extreme vulnerability that can manifest when you make a choice that actually does set you in the direction of what you want, and what serves you -- or even when you step up to the commitment to do so. Be aware that you exist in a mental environment first, and an 'economy' or 'society' second. Your frame of mind is nearly enough to determine the outcome you want -- if you know what that is.
Gemini Confidential	You're coming around to a new approach to a contract or agreement that's been driving you mad in recent months. Your updated thought process could have a significant influence on a creative project or professional situation, particularly if an investment of some kind is involved. Yet once it gets dark out and the Moon comes up, don't forget your other agenda -- getting some of, more of, or all of the sex you want. Was that some kind of New Year's resolution? If not, I suggest you add it to your list of the necessities of life, not the luxuries or 'distractions'. I would add a reminder: sex happens in the context of relationships, which are based on agreements. A negotiation process is involved, which involves stating what you want and dealing directly with the response.
Cancer Confidential	The answer is not to detach from your feelings, but rather to go deeply into them. You have an excellent grasp of how you feel on an intellectual level, yet there is an aspect of this situation that is showing no mercy. In the minds of most, that is not an invitation to be more vulnerable, but rather a cue to be more aloof. Remember, you don't need to prove anything to anyone, and the last I heard, sensitivity was neither an Olympic sport nor a commodity traded on the Nasdaq. You can start with being aware of what you feel, and your ideas will give you a good idea where to begin. A creative outlet of some kind will guide you deeper into yourself, and that's the place you're going to find refuge, release and the sense of connection that you seek.
Leo Confidential	Your environment is hypersensitive and potentially over-reactive. Nobody feels like they can do anything right, though you're the one who is able to sense that this is not as much a personal issue about any one person as it is about the state of the world. I suggest you keep a clear eye on the psychological patterns that do so much harm to so many, and be the one who guides the people around you out of them. You're the one who is aware, so you have the first advantage here. This cannot be addressed on a superficial level; somebody has to ask the real questions, if anyone wants the real answers. You can go a long way if you start there. The planets suggest that at the moment people are susceptible to old personal material, so old they may have discarded it as irrelevant long ago.
Virgo Confidential	Take off the mental stress; this is one of those phases when it could have a significant physical impact. If you can ratchet down a few levels, you're likely to find yourself in a place of profound understanding that could influence the decisions you make. To be sure, you make different kinds of choices depending on your frame of mind at the time you're making your decision. I suggest you take your time with something you've been working out since December. Put your emphasis on settling your restless nature a bit, and letting some of the emotional charge dissipate. You keep telling yourself you can keep your cool, but this is a question of layers. As each one of them comes off you will make a new discovery about yourself and what is important to you now, rather than in the past.
Libra Confidential	One of the great obvious mysteries is what sexual experience has to do with creative experience. The simple way to explain it is they wake one another up. Sex creates more than babies; it creates awareness. Art creates consciousness, not just works on paper. What they both have in common is that they require a willingness not only to have life be 'nice' but to delve into a world of light and dark, fear and passion. Both sex and art involve transmuting taboo emotions into something that is creative or pleasurable. If that is the working concept, then you can regard all feelings as healthy, normal or acceptable. Most pain comes from judging feelings; it's one thing to feel shame and it's another to say it's bad. Or pleasure; or love; or the craving for emotional freedom that would open the way to any or all of them.
Scorpio Confidential	Mars has reached a point in its retrograde where it's aspecting the Saturn-Pluto square. Jupiter is also involved; so we are adding some energy to the equation, and some inspiration. Oh! That stuff. There is only so inspired you can be on a backwards, uphill run. Yet certain developments suggest that you may suddenly remember why you're on this journey, and why you committed to making the changes that you once feared were inevitable: only now they seem more welcome. The soul aspect of Pluto is coming out in this arrangement, rather than just the obsession/compulsion aspect. So too is the attribute of Saturn that says it's easier to get what you want when you know what it is, and when you set goals, and when you set limits.
Sagittarius Confidential	You're getting to the heart of a thought process that's been lingering like a fog for more than a year. Suddenly you seem to feel the promise of clarity, rather than just a question. But I would ask: is the issue clearer, or are you feeling better for other reasons and looking at it with greater clarity? Maybe this is a chicken and egg kind of question, though in that particular riddle, what is missing is the awareness of a point of origin, or of a much earlier timeframe. I suggest you take this opportunity to go back in time and get a look at the actual roots of your situation. Not incidentally, this is the aspect of any personal growth situation that most of us are trained to avoid looking at, and it's usually the aspect that grants the greatest sense of strength.
Capricorn Confidential	This is a moment of significant contact, though it may feel like an inconvenient kind of good fortune. Here is the thing to remember: your friends can help you, and you can help them. You certainly seem to have professional matters on your mind, and you may be wondering whether you're making progress toward building your house, or just making more sawdust. That matters less than making sure the community that helped create you, and that you helped create, gets some of your attention. Professional contacts and success are one thing; helping weave the world is another. You are part of a network of light, and if you turn your energy in that direction some of it will shine right back on you.
Aquarius Confidential	This may be a really strange few days to be an Aquarius. You tend to live with one foot in the dreamtime; abstraction is as real to you as scrambled eggs for breakfast. Yet you've been experiencing something unusual: in mundane terms, a sense of purpose, combined with a sense of potential, combined with a deep questioning of why either of these things matter. They may not; that is for you to decide, and the good news is that you have a sense of your own depth that would give you access to some real information. You may at this point in your life be discovering how personal meaning really is. You are the only one who gets to determine or decide on the relevance of your feelings, your experiences or your perceptions.
Pisces Confidential	It's as if your world has been strung with a ray of light, on which anything can pivot: fate, fortune, love, existence itself. You are standing in the place from which you can go anywhere. Now the question is, where do you want to go? Imagine for a moment that past commitments don't matter; all that matters is what you want, in this moment. What, where, and who would that be? If this is the question you avoid, forget about why, and embrace it now. Likelihood is irrelevant; the cosmos has moved into one of those rare moments of long odds opening up. If something is standing in the way of your faith, go around it. If something is standing in the way of action, summon your will and allow your small volition to merge with something far greater.