Grand Exit
It seems that the poisonous campaign tactics that characterize American politics are coming to a climax in this election. Foul insinuations, ominous shadows, whispering voices, plus things I'd rather not mention are been utilized to full capacity.On the same day Pluto arrives at 29 degrees Sagittarius, the Sun enters Scorpio and it does look like the toxic extrusion has reached a new perimeter.
Also on that day, the Moon will be inconjunct in Virgo, and considering Saturn's transit of Virgo, it could be a time of cleaning, especially with the crucible of Mars-Pluto involved. At least, that's how I'd do it. If I cleaned. Virgo-Scorpio is good at this. Deep cleaning.
The multi-faceted nature of Sagittarius includes all kinds of human behavior. Very diverse.
posted by jm at 1:57 AM
22 Comments:
Finally.
The Obama-Biden ticket now leads the McCain-Palin ticket 53 percent to 39 percent among likely voters, a 14-point margin. One week ago, prior to the Town Hall debate that uncommitted voters saw as a win for Obama, that margin was just three points.
Among independents who are likely voters - a group that has swung back and forth between McCain and Obama over the course of the campaign - the Democratic ticket now leads by 18 points. McCain led among independents last week.
McCain's campaign strategy may be hurting hurt him: Twenty-one percent of voters say their opinion of the Republican has changed for the worse in the last few weeks. The top two reasons cited for the change of heart are McCain's attacks on Obama and his choice of Sarah Palin as running mate.
Victory
An epic journey, isn't it? ;-) Ultimately, worthwhile. So far, so good.
It's best to have shadowy things out in the light and air of conscious awareness, rather than let them fester and brew toxicity. To get past emotions, the quickest way is through.
The mythologist Campbell wrote, "A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man."
The political candidates live their quests in the public eye, and the people watch anxiously as its chosen champions strive for victory, as the champions' stories compete to reshape the present reality. In the field known as public relations, the better storyteller and the best story marks the likely winner.
At another level, we see that the competing stories are part of other stories taking shape and becoming the world. -Are you telling my story?- The people question. -Where are you going with this story?- The people want to know. A new level of participation blurs the traditional barriers between actors and audience. In recent years, the people have keenly felt the broken narrative, felt the wreckage of personal and national stories. The first stage of an intervention, I read somewhere, is to bring back the sense of our own ongoing narrative, to restore the light in our eyes.
In some respects, the national conversation has been like the conscious mind delving, becoming aware of its own depths, encountering the imagery of the inner psychic landscapes, numinous figures as well as murky unprocessed elements of the past, information waiting for the personality ready to actualize more of its potential or soul.
Through time, the overall arc can be, individually and collectively, one of dreaming more deeply and waking up more fully.
In pursuing the above thoughts further, I came across an April 2007 commentary on messaging and the Obama campaign, Biographies, storytelling and the hero’s journey. It references a New York Times article, Obama's Narrator, in which is stated, "As they have reclaimed power, the Democrats have done so not by moving appreciably to the left or the right; rather, they have done so by allowing their candidates to move in both directions at once. 'What David [Axelrod] is basically doing — and this is somewhat new for Democrats — isn’t trying to figure out how to sell policies,' says the Democratic media consultant Saul Shorr. 'It's a matter of personality. How do we sell leadership?'
"...From campaign after campaign, and particularly in 2004 from the Dean and Edwards campaigns, Axelrod took the lesson that the problem with failed candidacies isn't usually that the message wasn't shrewd but that 'unless a message authentically reflects the messenger, it's likely to fail.'"
And these verses from a poem:
Your great mistake is to act the drama
as if you were alone.
...
Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into
the conversation. The kettle is singing
even as it pours you a drink, the cooking pots
have left their arrogant aloofness and
seen the good in you at last. All the birds
and creatures of the world are unutterably
themselves. Everything is waiting for you.
Everything is waiting for you
So far, so good.
the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.
We need a couple of those.
A new level of participation blurs the traditional barriers between actors and audience. In recent years, the people have keenly felt the broken narrative, felt the wreckage of personal and national stories.
Very well said. I think this might be why I joined the fray. My personal life was literally broken, and at first I couldn't find the collective narrative that satisfied me, but something told me it would come. Everything is falling so beautifully into place now. The kind of mythological dimension I always seek in my life. Matching it with society's story has exceeded my expectations.
Axelrod is a fascinating person. He's been with Obama for a long time and the combination with David Plouffe has changed politics in this country. They've redrawn the electoral map and their insistence on staying positive is the greatest achievement of all.
These people are going down in history and this campaign is going to be studied for a long time. Political scientists are stunned at what they've accomplished. Community organizing is going to be the next wave. The young are talking about it on the streets.
Axelrod is right. He had to keep the story about Obama's character and spirituality. Interesting that he used to be known for cut throat politicking but something larger than all of them took over this time and brought out the best in them and us. This defeat of sewer politics is astonishing.
Obama said he would rather suffer a loss than betray his authentic self.
I saw Plouffe's latest video talking about the negative campaigning and he looked weary. I think it's a personal crusade for them, the triumph of optimism and strength of character. The time was right. These guys deserve infinite praise.
Good article on David. Captures his complexity. Thank you much.
On Obama:
“not wedded to any ideological frame or dogma,” that he is “an outsider rather than someone who’s spent years in the dens of Georgetown,” that he is an “agent for change”
This is the most important fact to realize about the man, and why he can't be classified in normal political terms, thus enraging liberals and conservatives alike. Pleasing them too, of course.
His transformation of the election process is the start and that's why many people expect reform in the whole government as a result of his presidency. That's who he is and that's what the times need.
"These people are going down in history and this campaign is going to be studied for a long time. Political scientists are stunned at what they've accomplished. Community organizing is going to be the next wave. The young are talking about it on the streets."
Yes, I thought that will be one of the best things, the positive effect on youth.
"Interesting that he used to be known for cut throat politicking but something larger than all of them took over this time and brought out the best in them and us. This defeat of sewer politics is astonishing."
Very. According to a Washington Post article, Axelrod has been a chronic sports fan from an early age. His father was a ballplayer turned psychologist. "Axelrod roots for politicians with the intensity fans usually save for their teams. 'He's really sort of an innocent,' says Sam Smith, a retired Chicago Tribune sportswriter and one of Axelrod's closest friends. His pal is regularly infatuated with the candidates he works for as a consultant, Smith says: 'He believes the best of the people in politics'....
"He considers Obama the most outstanding of them all. Axelrod has decided that this first-term senator, just 46 years old, is something extraordinary, someone to compare to his earliest political idol, Robert F. Kennedy. 'This time he found a candidate who isn't letting him down,' Smith says. 'Obama is the one different guy.'"
The fierce strategist and the extraordinary candidate. Sounds like a team.
We don't have Axelrod's birthdate, unfortunately, only his birth year, 1955. That puts Saturn in Scorpio, Neptune in Libra, Pluto in Leo, and the Moon's North Node in either Capricorn or Sagittarius.
Axelrod said he was devastated by the death of Robert F. Kennedy. And he said, "When we started this campaign, I said to Barack, in many ways idealism died with [RFK], and we needed to rekindle that. And if we did this right, perhaps we could help do that."
According to Axelrod's sister, Joan, "The part of his career he is most proud of is his real commitment to politicians who he believes can make a difference."
When Obama began his senate campaign, he had no money for it. But Axelrod wanted to help. "My involvement was a leap of faith. I thought that if I could help Barack Obama get to Washington, then I would have accomplished something great in my life."
For all the idealism, it's been commented that the Obama campaign is remarkably absent of internal drama. That alone implies a highly evolved team consciousness, an excellent sign of hope for the rest of the world.
The enthusiasm of the young is beyond what I expected. I think they've been waiting for something like this after so many years of alienation from the political process.
I love this Axelrod stuff. I wish I could find his birthday. Odd that it's unobtainable. Maybe I should email the campaign. I'm going to.
'This time he found a candidate who isn't letting him down,' Smith says. 'Obama is the one different guy.'"
David does sound like an idealist. The SN in Cancer fits because of his family sorrows. Saturn in Scorpio is a heavy and interesting one. The lessons of power. He can learn a lot from Biden and his Scorp stellium.
Obama doesn't rule with a heavy hand but the main thing he does insist upon is "no drama". His team consciousness is amazing and it's been studied with awe. He's an outstanding community organizer and the art of organizing is a carefully crafted thing, adhering to theory, philosophy, and a thorough understanding of power. I mentioned before that Obama spent a year studying revolutionaries and Nietzsche, plus Saul Alinsky, the famous organizing strategist. It's a vital part of politics, and since the decline of unions, the organizing efforts to help those without power have dwindled. They are due for a comeback, and the youth involvement takes it in a new direction.
Obama is evolved in many ways and the team consciousness is intrinsic to his dreams of creating a "more perfect" government. He knows that means the involvement of everyone, and already we're seeing the results. Early voting is already so big that the polls are staying open later than planned. The structure put in place through his organizing will be used through the coming years. The plan is to get a new generation of legislators in. He majored in political science and now wants to put theory into practice.
That alone implies a highly evolved team consciousness, an excellent sign of hope for the rest of the world.
The world is waiting on pins and needles with high hopes. It's hard to believe that group consciousness could truly be swinging up but there's no reason it can't happen. That's the main point of Pluto through Sagittarius. A moment of high hopes to propel us through the next phase. The economic leveling is part of the prep. The bi-racial and ethnic factors are part and parcel of the universal effort coming up. It's hard to let go of outworn mindsets but that seems to be the call.
Here's a tiny example of the fantastic organization of the campaign.
Such an amazing thing to see...People turning away from "politics as usual" or in this years campaign, "politics as absurd".
It seems we have had a choice to tune into this crazy reality-show-mentality trying desperately to create waves of emotion through sensationalism...or we can change the channel and search for calm, steady, intelligent and sensitive leadership. Each campaign has served the other well in illuminating what the choices are.
I am myself humbled at the scope of the times we are in. And overjoyed with the response many are having to these difficult times. It feels as if many are ready, really ready, to move forward and take responsibility for transformation and growth on many levels. So fabulous, indeed.
Some days I wake up and think of how shadow and light work...always showing us what the other is doing, helping us to decide what could/should/can be done. Can't have one without the other...hmmmm.
This post and the comments have been one of the best for me. Everyone is so thoughtful and intelligent and wanting to share! And astrology too! Can't ask for more. Thanks to all.
Good news tami. I like how you say it.
It seems we have had a choice to tune into this crazy reality-show-mentality trying desperately to create waves of emotion through sensationalism...or we can change the channel and search for calm, steady, intelligent and sensitive leadership. Each campaign has served the other well in illuminating what the choices are.
So well put. Yes the choices are stark. I've never seen it quite like this. The sensationalism addiction is a tough one and it's interfered with me professionally through the years. It will be interesting to see if the changes grow in society. People still cling to the horror but I've noticed that my local paper is calm and reasonable. Leadership is a symbol so reformation should be sinking in. A perfect opportunity. "Changing the channel."
"Changing the channel."
And channeling the change! ;-)
As I understand it, this is the reality of the economic situation:
The fractional reserve banking system used by the Federal Reserve relies on debt for money creation. The massive influx of trillions of dollars of bad debt created many trillions more in "virtual money" which is now hemorrhaging out and killing the entire system. The overhead is too high for the fed to just "print more money".
I'm certainly not an expert, but I can't see how this problem can be solved by any conventional means.
YES!!!
Channeling the change
The financial thing goes back to my original theory that cash reserves were allowed to dry up assuming credit would carry the system indefinitely. I think it has to find rock bottom and no one knows where that is. But once solid ground is hit the rebuilding can go forward. Credit as the base of economic growth goes all the way back and it has to be revisited. Credit got too loose.
I'm certainly not an expert, but I can't see how this problem can be solved by any conventional means.
I can't either, although I think a temporary slowing down of the fall can occur with their attempts.
The Pluto-Uranus square speaks of the unconventional and I think economic theory will be reworked along with the urgency of transforming the system. Survival is powerful and always dictates. Pluto is connected with survival and that's what's happening now.
There's no way to predict. It could collapse into chaos and despair, of course, or it could develop itself into a more efficient streamlined system with complete overhaul as Pluto transits Capricorn.
In 2020 there is a major conjunction in Capricorn with Uranus in Taurus. We'll know something by then.
My belief is that the metaphysical reason behind this is preservation of resources for the first time in a big way. Also it brings the people on earth together against a common enemy - earth changes - which portends socio-political transformation, the major enemy no longer being the other human.
The innovative nature of humans plus the survival instinct seem to ensure solutions. So far it's been the case and since the earth seems to need us for her own purposes, we might be stuck surviving successfully. Already we are seeing the innovation in this election.
A very interesting development is the awarding of the Nobel Prize to Paul Krugman, a progressive economist. I think it's a portent bringing a return to intellectualism rather than pure greed driven markets.
Learning to live with less has more benefits than just financial. Survival trumps greed and if it depends on contraction, that's what will happen.
As long as there is dirt, water, and seed, a person can survive basically. The need to pare down and go to the bare bones is first and along with that comes brain changes altering consciousness which is happening all the time.
People do not control life. They are a part of a vast system. Pluto through Sagittarius was a reminder of that.
The commoners have a responsibility to stop being terrified of the elite. They are going to lose too. In times like this, those who can survive on less have the advantage. Their seed will flourish.
It's hard for most people to trust the universe but that's why we struggle against one another so much, hoarding, stealing, murdering, and what-not. Knowledge of the regenerative basis of life plus the fact that there is just enough of everything will have to be learned eventually. The constant panic that leads people to grab more than what's necessary should eventually subside as superstition gradually works its way out of human consciousness. That's happening ever so slowly if you look at history. The ideal is for man to feel equal in power to the cosmos. That inequality is what drives the human hierarchy.
And in the intricate web that's been woven on earth it's hard to see the overall coordination, balance, and workability. So people can be lost in the whole and frightfully confused. No one knows. Man isn't even responsible for his own destruction. Cosmic need would determine that. We sort of have the capability to do it but we're far too chicken. What if we get cosmic punishment for suicide?:-)
It works itself out and will this time too. The rich will get poorer soon contrary to public fear.
The polls are tightening. McCain's lead has reasserted itself in West Virginia. Ohio is in a dead heat. So, it may be the GOP robocalls are affecting impressionable, uninformed voters in areas like Appalachia and they are returning to McCain and the Republican party.
kadimiros, love the Campbell quote. In times of peril, the hero appears. If Obama is trying to arouse the hero in the collective, all the better for the movement.
It seems to me a new politics would entail empowering the people, rather than acquiring and maintaining power for oneself. And that would necessarily require a soul infused personality to some degree at least.
"The political candidates live their quests in the public eye, and the people watch anxiously as its chosen champions strive for victory, as the champions' stories compete to reshape the present reality. In the field known as public relations, the better storyteller and the best story marks the likely winner."
The present reality is a manifestation of a zeitgeist or spirit of the time. I would say the story that prevails or the storyteller who succeeds is the one that reflects the operative planetary archetype(s) or zeitgeist.
kadimiros, what I've read of David Whyte's poetry I enjoy. Thanks!
jm, yes, David Axelrod is a fascinating person. Let us know if you get his birthdate.
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