Echo Chambers and Algorithms
On the 27th February we say hello to a Full Moon in Virgo. We still have three planets in Aquarius - Jupiter, Mercury and Saturn – so still we see an emphasis on that fixed, dig your heels in, stubborn stuff, particularly with five planets overall in fixed signs. So a lot of dogmatic resistance out there. But we are also now beginning to introduce some more flexible and adaptable energy, with four planets plus the nodes in Mutable signs.
In astrology we look at shapes and patterns in the chart. Are there planets bunched together in one sign? What planets are being supportive to each other and which are in a relationship of conflict? The Moon at this Full Moon point in the lunar cycle acts like a ‘handle’ to the rest of the planets – she’s out on a limb on her own. It’s a bit like having a key to your front door without which you cannot access the rooms of your house. We must enter this Full Moon with an understanding of Virgo energy. The Sun and Venus lie opposite her in Pisces, so she must learn to balance her actions accordingly. We also notice that she sits at the focal point of what we call a ‘Finger of God’, or Yod shape, with Saturn and Chiron. She must challenge authority figures even if this does not come easily. Her only real ally is actually Uranus - she must be prepared to be non-conformist, innovative and rebellious.
How about the Fixed Stars? Are they any help? Two stars sit close. One is Thuban in Draco the Dragon. The dragon guarded what was sacred and precious; he never slept on his watch. Brady cites the hundred-eyed non-sleeping dragon that guarded the golden apples.[1] We see this symbology of sacredness in the apples offered to Eve in the Garden of Eden. As time went on the dragon moved on to guarding precious jewels. And so, according to Brady, Thuban came to represent the awareness of the imbalance of wealth in society and government use or misuse of money. Very interesting to be reminded of this now, particularly as Full Moons reveal. We are at a point when the wealth through our current crisis has moved upwards into the hands of the tech billionaires, government stands accused of wasting billions of taxpayers’ money and we witness the destruction of the UK economy. Perhaps we should all consider what really is sacred and precious to us! The other star is Alioth in the Great Bear who reflects the energy of Mars and, therefore, questions how we use our assertiveness and our energy. Mars right now sits with the malefic star Algol – we must beware that any form of intense obsession is expressed wisely at the moment!
Virgo is a discerning and discriminating sign. She represents the harvest – she discerns what part of the harvest is useful and should be kept and what can be jettisoned. She links with health and in particular nature’s natural health. Virgo is data driven but she can become obsessed by detail. If she gets too obsessed with the fine print she may become paralysed with fear. She must ensure that the data used to analyse any situation is quality data – garbage in, garbage out. Here her real essence is a talent for critical thinking. So how can this Full Moon employ her talent for critical thinking without being paralysed with fear and anxiety when alternative options are neutralised?
If we use the energy of the opposite sign of the Sun – Pisces – we can look beyond the tiny detail into the limitless universe for inspiration. We need a vision and we particularly need our instincts and our understanding of a connected universe – everything in balance and everything relying on the other. Rather than an intense obsession with one thing and one view, we need to understand what is best for the community. Our bodies are a miniature community with each part helping the other to stay in balance. That is how we are able to stay naturally healthy. And that’s exactly what happens in communities – people push and pull against each other and each one keeps the whole community in balance. Everything that is done must be for the benefit of the community as a whole.
The nodal axis currently runs across the Gemini/Sagittarius axis of the mind and the search of knowledge. The South Node asks us to make sure that we are coming from a point of the bigger picture; one where we are not just focussing on one sick tree in the forest, but rather from the perspective of the whole forest – the whole community. Out in the wider world there are wheels within wheels within more wheels. There are unimaginable and constant battles for power and control going on all the time between nations and between those who have so much money that their next conquest has to be for more power. What happens when just a few men have so much wealth that they can ‘buy’ their influence within governments, think tanks, organisations? There’s plenty out there who will seek to exploit our current situation.
Virgo is governed by the planet Mercury, who is still in Aquarius, but thankfully now moving forward. He is moving away from restrictive Saturn and towards expansive Jupiter. In Aquarius he is encouraged to think outside the box, influencing this Moon in Virgo to do likewise. The last time we had the type of line up in Aquarius that we had at the New Moon was back in early 1962 – in fact we had one more planet then. Just as now we were heading for some kind of socio-economic change but the planetary backdrop provided a different context for the energy. In the early 1960’s we entered a real counter culture age. Life, particularly for the young, became very Uranian – wild and exciting. Freedom was accentuated – a new freedom within music, clothing and speech. The young were challenged to usher in change – they protested against the bomb and against war, particularly as the US was still heavily embroiled in Vietnam. This was the age of flower power, hippies and free love. This was real innovative Aquarius at work.
But the Aquarian energy can’t run free right now because its two rulers – Saturn and Uranus - are at war with each other. Right now it feels more as though Saturn has more leverage. Uranus likes revolution and risk – maybe in safety focused Taurus and in a risk averse society he can’t access this energy so easily. Saturn in Aquarius challenges the limits of innovations; he takes seriously his duty towards society as a whole - a difficult task when opinions are polarized.
What data we use must be quality data. And we should never fear challenging that all data used within important decision-making is transparent. If we get all our information from mainstream media then we risk sitting in a great big echo chamber where algorithms ensure that we are constantly fed some kind of confirmation bias. The repetition of the mainstream media is constant and can prevent us from accessing the Virgo ability to think critically. In the mainstream world echo chambers serve to amplify, reinforce and programme. We now receive a kind of Orwellian double speak where any deviance from politically correct thinking is discouraged. For instance we are told there is a treatment, that we must have it and that it is safe, but we are also told that it is experimental, cleared for emergency use and we have no comeback should anything untoward happen to us.
As Virgo is a health sign she must discern whether the community’s health is really being protected and whether the community is truly being considered and cared for. Our body really is a miracle but we take it for granted. We should be our own dragon and guard it as a precious gift. Pisces is symbolised by two fish swimming in opposing directions. One of those fish may be working with true compassion and empathy but the other may be working from Neptune’s shadow side – deception, confusion and lies. We are yearning and longing for the freedom of our old lives, but we must ensure that we are not obsessed with one-sided opinions. Transparency and truth not political psychobabble please.
I said that the real essence of Virgo was critical thinking, but perhaps equally important is Virgo’s essence of being of service and of being humble and modest. Where is the humility in how we treat Nature, the planet that sustains us, and where is the humility to truly revere the miracle of our bodies? We seem to have become arrogant towards Nature, thinking we can control her. In a battle between Nature and Man, Nature will always win. Our time on Earth is a mere blip and she will do very nicely without us. We need her but she for sure does not need us. We have to have the humility to understand that we have to coexist
Never before has it been more important to question. The future informs the present – so what is occurring now will take us towards our futures. We can never have a life without risk. Whose ideology and what ideology are we actually in lockstep with? There is never ‘the’ science – there are always alternative opinions. If we sit in a mainstream media echo chamber we will never know what those alternatives are. I listen regularly to UK Column News for some balance. And I’ve also discovered a very smart young man – Dan Astin-Gregory – he’s well worth a listen. This could be a tipping point for humanity and social engineering - critical thinking has never been more necessary.
Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world
Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. (Rumi)
[1] Bernadette Brady, Star and Planet Combinations, The Wessex Astrologer, 2008.