First the Beguiling. Then the Cancellation
‘Control the media, control everything’ is a modern saying, relevant to both social and mainstream media, particularly now that so many people project extensive public profiles of themselves as never before.
Whilst mainstream media can give us a very warped view of events, extending as far as propaganda. Social media is yet another beast. First, we are drawn in. Lured by the expectations and dreams of the perfect lives we see online, complete with all the success and joy that supposedly goes with them. We are beguiled.
But then things go wrong. The wrong thing is said. Life doesn’t seem quite so perfect, or quite as full of joy as we were promised. Then comes cancellation and disappointment as reality hits.
‘As above, so below’, however, is an ancient saying, well known within the astrology world. An understanding of its true meaning begins with the acceptance that there is a divine order within the universe, perhaps even going as far as embracing the idea that the world itself has its own soul.
And if we go down that road and accept this, then perhaps we also accept that there is a purpose behind the creation of our universe, a soul purpose within our own lives, and an energetic interconnectedness between everything that we do not necessarily understand.
I highlight these two sayings mainly to show how shallow our modern world has become in some respects compared with the greater spiritual depths evident in more ancient times. Dreams may indeed be fulfilled, but they require effort of some kind. They are rarely handed to us like apples falling from a tree.
Within this understanding of interconnectedness lies an energy that links everything together. It is the energy of spirit and spirituality, the divine essence that flows through human beings, through the animal kingdom and through the Earth upon which we live. It is neither tangible nor visible. Rather, it must be felt.
‘As above, so below’ explains how life on Earth reflects the sky, and vice versa.
August has been eclipse month. It began with a Solar Eclipse in Leo and will end on the 28th with a Lunar Eclipse in Pisces. Eclipses are rarely soft. And they are not meant to be. They are part of the process that takes us through our evolutionary development.
Is that an enjoyable process? Not always, no.
Which begs a completely different question: is life meant to be about enjoyment, as we increasingly seem to think is our right today? Or is it more like school, part of our process of learning? Evolution is a struggle, and we tend to learn best from the mistakes we make along the way.
The Solar Eclipse at the beginning of the month was in Leo. It spoke of our ‘sovereignty’, as well as those we have chosen to be our leaders. But with the eclipse in harmonious aspect to Saturn, it also spoke of moral values and the importance of taking our responsibilities seriously.
The Lunar Eclipse is slightly different. It focuses more on our inner selves rather than the soul path represented by the Sun. So perhaps now is the time to think about our lives from a more spiritual point of view.
But at this Lunar Eclipse, we have our backs, in terms of both the Sun and the Moon, turned away from our sense of responsibility and our spirituality. And, interestingly, our backs are also turned away from hope and expansion. We cannot see, and do not want to see, that we need to put in effort.
This may make it difficult for us to process the sheer speed of change within our lives. This upcoming Lunar Eclipse squares Uranus. Uranus represents revolution, breakdown and technology. It also speaks of shocks and surprises, and within that symbolism we can count the very recent cyberattack (Uranus), targeting charities (Pisces).
But the bigger question is how we integrate this explosive technological change into our society, and this is perfectly illustrated within these two eclipses. At the moment, we are at a hiatus, poised before fully entering the new era that is almost upon us.
How can we remain who we are within our own individual soul journeys (the Solar Eclipse), while adjusting on an inner level to our changing world and the pressures being placed upon us (the Lunar Eclipse)? And for me the two eclipses tell a story of their own. The story of how we retain our Soul.
The Lunar Eclipse suggests that we must learn (Virgo), how to ‘feel’ the changing energies (Pisces), of the new technological era (Uranus).
Those who succeed will be those who learn to use the technology while at the same time harnessing their spiritual energies, integrating it with those energies and qualities that are simply not present within machines. In this way, technology has the potential to make life better for us all.
As we almost sprint towards the world of the machine, we need to remember that the machine lacks what human beings possess on many levels. But the machine also has much to offer humanity.
It is the integration of the two that is the key to success.
And that, perhaps, is what the energies of this eclipse month are trying to show us.