If you can’t face the Naked Truth - Keep taking the Soma
I’ve just finished a re-read of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, first published in 1932. I think I must have been in my teens when I read this the first time and at that point it felt too outrageous to ever come true. However, now it doesn’t seem quite so far fetched to see a society kept sane (or even insane!) courtesy of a government daily hand out of ‘soma’, an anti anxiety/feel-good drug.
I’m now on to George Orwell’s 1984, where a totalitarian state is completely intolerant of any kind of diverse thought or behavior – and the state can see if this is happening (just like Facebook knows what products I’ve started thinking about) and ensures that the offending individual is duly vaporised. Plus it is self policed by a willing army of people eager to shop their neighbour. Wow! Impossible I would have said last December.
June is a packed month astrologically – just as 2020 is a packed year with six eclipses, the beginning of three new planetary cycles and the earlier Capricorn traffic jam. June has two eclipses – always somewhat crazy and definitely unpredictable energies. New and Full Moons are always powerful points in the calendar but when they combine with an eclipse it’s like putting your foot right down on the pedal in a McClaren; the engine roars and the car powers off at a seemingly new warp speed.
Firstly, on June 5th there is a lunar eclipse in the sign of Sagittarius. Because eclipses happen when the Sun, Moon and Earth line up, they bring together our planet Earth, our body (the Moon) and our Soul (the Sun) – and, therefore, the purpose of our life here on Earth. We may do well to remember that we are merely short-term guests on this planet and as such we could be kicked out with just a carrier bag of belongings. The initial part of lockdown showed nature reclaiming her land – she demonstrated that she will manage very nicely thank you without us. We are mere custodians and we are here to care for her and nourish her. In return she will nourish us.
The lunar Eclipse
The upcoming lunar eclipse highlights the Gemini/Sagittarius axis and this energy is further accentuated because the Moon’s nodes (karmic destiny points) have just moved into this same axis, bringing a change of pace for the next couple of years or so. This lunar eclipse is a prequel to the summer solstice, which coincides with a very auspicious solar eclipse. This will be an eclipse on steroids for the world. And remember the solar eclipse energy can be measured in months - we are already in that ‘bumpy ride’, energy. Tensions which were already running high due to the virus are now inflamed even more and in other ways.
The Sagittarius/Gemini axis focuses very much on communication and the gathering of knowledge. Sagittarius tends to activate the higher mind and to focus on knowledge in order to seek the universal truths in life, which in turn influence our belief systems and our faiths. Sagittarius also brings up issues surrounding freedom and foreign lands and alongside this, of course, comes racial issues. A lunar eclipse is always more emotional in its nature than its solar brother and this Full Moon is revealing not only the tensions surrounding the virus and the killing of George Floyd, but also the eclipsing of the life of little Madeleine McCann some 13 years ago. Full Moons often reveal tensions in relationships – family or society in general – which may have come under stress.
Truth and Lies
But this Full Moon is also exactly square to Mars in Pisces, who is socially distancing from Neptune in Pisces on one side of him and Ceres on the other. So, whilst Sagittarius focuses on finding the truths, Mars and Neptune in Pisces are forces for lies, confusion and concealment. I was reminded this week of a story about Lies versus the naked Truth. A painting by Jean Leon Gerome depicts Truth coming out of a well, armed with her whip to chastise mankind. The story goes that Truth and Lies spent a day together and decided to take a dip in the well. Lies, however, jumped out of the well, put on Truth’s clothes and ran away. Truth ran naked in her search to find both Lies and her clothes, but instead she found a world that could not cope with the naked Truth. The world turned its back on her with contempt and rage. Truth returned to the well in shame and disappeared forever, whilst Lies, disguised in Truth’s clothes, proceeded to satisfy the needs of a world that did not want to face up to the truth, particularly the naked truth. I think that there has never been a time when it is more important to actually seek the truth and face up to it before we are pulled so far down the rabbit hole we cannot climb out. We live in a world where we cannot always speak our Truths because they are not the politically correct line – so the leap across to the world of George Orwell and an intolerance of any kind of diverse thought does not seem such a big leap – it’s already here! Opinions stated enough times become doctrines and are repeated in line with cognitive dissonance – they become Lies in Truth’s clothing.
New Cycles
Now Ceres (who is sitting with Mars at this lunar eclipse) was also part of the
new Saturn/Pluto cycle and the Capricorn traffic jam in mid January, which ushered in the virus. Saturn/Pluto signifies big breakdowns in corporations, governments and social systems, which can then herald the onset of draconian laws and rules. Well I think we can tick those boxes - but Ceres in the mix brings something else. Ceres represents the earth, nature, the harvest and the environment – fellow astrologer Faye Blake-Cossar also credits Ceres with a link to nutrition, eugenics and how the environment is affecting us genetically.[1]
When we start to genetically modify our food, spray our land full of glyphosates, manipulate viruses in laboratories Ceres will not support us. Mess with Ceres at great cost. And when you ignore the message you become a victim of forces much greater than us (Pluto). Jupiter is also in the mix of the new cycles ramping up the volume - we see our money bubble being pricked as nations go into recession and the Jupiter/Pluto high intensity power groups seeking some kinds of disruption in an effort to maintain the status quo of their power.
The shadow
In terms of the Sagittarian themes of freedom and foreign lands, China is flexing its muscles in terms of Hong Kong and we have high tension, looting, fires and deaths in America leading to unheard of curfews in places such as California and New York. Pluto can be representative of any form of shadow such as fascism or racial issues and perhaps belief systems that are deeply unconscious. But when countries are in terror from existential threats such as the virus and social unrest, totalitarianism has a habit of bursting into life. With Mars, Neptune and Ceres in Pisces squaring this eclipse, we not only see a longing and yearning for an ideal world, we also are forced to face the genetic quality of the human population where some groups are judged inferior and the perceived superior groups are given more favourable treatment. However we also don’t always see our own cognitive bias so there is a rise in the false prophets – those who have Truth’s clothes on but don’t have her message.
Virus versus Economy
Will we get freedom from the virus? Viruses are both threats to us (Covid is just one of these) but viruses are also essential to life on earth.[2] Many are banking on a vaccine, but we should perhaps note that there has never been a successful vaccine against coronavirus in 30 years. It is also the nature of a virus to mutate so a vaccine is always likely to be behind the curve. We may just have to consider facing the naked truth that we may have to learn to live with and to manage our lives alongside the threat of the virus for a few years yet. We cannot have the luxury of being paid to hide from it forever because the naked truth is that no government in the world can afford an economic apocalypse greater than the one we already face. Mars (the virus) is slippery and hard to catch hold of – its true nature is concealed – it’s the wolf in sheep’s clothing, which has put an end to our old normal.
The Truth hurts
Now the reason that the world turned its back when it saw Truth naked is because the real truth can often be painful. And Mars/Neptune and Ceres all squaring this Full Moon are painfully showing us the highly charged emotions surrounding all the current issues.
We have a brand new socio-economic cycle beginning at the end of the year signified by Jupiter and Saturn. However it is Saturn who will be the stronger force, leaving Jupiter to ramp up the volume. The last cycle in the mid 1800’s ushered in the Industrial Revolution and the next looks likely to herald both a digital and a space age (look up at the satellites already out there ready to deliver 5G). Did ET ever go home? However, this could also bring with it a form of digital authoritarianism which could mean lost freedoms, lost privacy and social unrest. Saturn in Aquarius can signify authority (Saturn) bearing down in an unfair (Aquarius) manner on to society. It can also signify the concept of social distancing (aloneness within the community) – so that could be with us for some time longer.
Going forward
The younger generation is so used to playing out their whole lives digitally – they perhaps don’t truly comprehend and value the concept of freedom and privacy. The economy will splutter back into life when lockdown eases this month but the economic outlook is harsh, particularly from the beginning of 2021. I would suggest that you get your ducks in a row as much as possible to survive the next few challenging years. Diversify if you can so that you have the best chance. Be creative. Look at what thrived in lockdown and how they thrived. Is there anything that can be learned? Saturn also says take responsibility for your health, your environment, your place within your community and your education – you already have the ability and the resources to look after your own health and improve your immunity so that your body can heal itself from dis-ease as it is designed to. Seek knowledge in terms of what you can do for yourself. Use critical thinking to question your belief systems – are your beliefs yours or are they just propaganda doctrines? Seek the Truth – but the naked Truth and not Lies dressed in Truth’s clothes.
[1] https://www.fayeblake.nl
[2] New Scientist 11 January 2020.