If the Sun Rose in the West ~ 06 January 2008

First, my apologies to many Galactic Times subscribers - actually about 8 percent of you. As I sent out my last Galactic Times, I altered the settings in my e-mail campaign manager so that bounced e-mails would not be disabled; nothing would be done with them. Typically 8 percent of my list bounces each posting. Bounces result from changed e-mail addresses that are no longer valid (you must change your e-mail address using the hyperlinks at the bottom of the Galactic Times; I am not allowed to do so) or those folks using fussy ISP’s that reject mail originating from websites if the sending address is not in your address book - please add galactic@PhilipSedgwick.com to your address book. Each week the task of resetting bounced e-mails takes an hour. In the interest of Capricorn efficiency, I decided to reclaim the hour by shifting my campaign’s preferences. However, somehow the system simply deleted all bounced e-mails. I lost a ton of you folks from my list. So if you hear someone noting they haven’t heard from me for a while, please encourage them to sign up again. Or if you’re reading this on my site instead of your mailbox, please sign up again. In alignment with Capricorn’s quality control standards, it is priceless information.

At least Eris, goddess of discord, goes direct on the 9^th. Will this be an improvement? I’ve not seen her in action long enough to know for sure. Does direct motion grant her more of her natural desires and pave the road smoothly for her turbulent ways? Or is she a bit easier to apply while retrograde? It’s all rhetorical really; as is: What will it mean for Scorpios and Aries if Mars does get hit by the asteroid this month? Sorry, there’s another I don’t know.

I do know that Jupiter will soon commence squaring the natal Eris placement in everyone’s birth chart starting in days and continuing throughout the better part of the year until he actually aspects Eris’ current position in the third week of November. If you’re going to have an aspect to Eris - or Chiron - it might as well be from Jupiter. Similar to Chiron’s plea to release his pain, Jupiter historically worked in cooperation with Eris. In fact, Jupiter actually enlisted the help of Eris to settle a political dispute in the land of Mycenae to his liking. The sky lord sent Mercury to ask Thyestes, the ruler of Mycenae, if he would relinquish his throne if the Sun would rise in the west and the stars reverse their course. Duh, no brainer. Since he believed that could not be, Thyestes agreed. Perhaps Thyestes should have noted the archetype his fateful messenger personified. Anyway, Jupiter sent for Eris, goddess of discordance, and together they conjured and reversed the order of the heavens for one day. The Sun and Moon rose in the west and the stars backtracked, causing the Pleiades to weep. The change of natural order caused a political wrong - according to the belief fo Jupiter - to be righted. As well, the calculations of astrologers went to hell in a handbasket on that day.

While watching one of the Republican presidential debates in this country this past year, I thought of this story. Several Republican candidates, including the one with the strongest “revamp education” agenda of the right wing lot, indicated they do not believe in evolution and the Bible’s version of creationism should be held as gospel. Evolution, per such theologically based belief, is but a theory. Despite dinosaur bones and tangible evidence that tests older than the Good Book promises the Earth to be, belief persists in creationism. Hmm.

Since Jupiter defines belief systems, philosophies, the doctrines that support legal foundations, theologies and political agendas, and with the directed disarray approach his square to Eris perhaps this would be the time to reconstruct belief systems, the sense of possibility/impossibility and restore a revised and healthy “and what if” approach to life. I can hear the groans of every incarnate soul sporting a ton of fixity (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) in their planetary placements. In fact, I could hear myself groaning this morning as I looked up these aspects and surveyed the circumstances on my own horizons. Then again, maybe it could have been squeaking noises escaping as a result of the contemplative rocking in my galactically aligned chair that has not had its moving parts oiled since the Great Flood that caused the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Yep, it’s a New Year and for most, from what I hear, shaking off the psychic debris of ‘07 remains a chore. Even the combined effort of New Year resolutions and a rereading of The Secret during the commercial breaks of playoff football games has not been enough to shed weary feeling that anticipates what ‘08 offers. Eris uses an upset the apple card approach. Or if she were cleaning out a garage she would roll in a hand grenade - a symbolic apple of sorts - and wait for the debris to settle before deciding what to discard and where to put what that would suit her proclivities. Since she and Jupiter now conspire to shift belief systems (at least, and hopefully shed true light on political affairs), only a major revamping can do the trick.

It seems the tearing down of beliefs and consideration of all ideas during this Jupiter-Eris process might be the propitiation required to escape the havoc of Eris. Consider radical ideas: evolution, the fact that aliens do walk amongst us (many of them seem to be politicians), the belief that a person can be happy while incarnate in a body or the precept that life has a natural notion to work out well. Deconstruct any psychic scaffolding that denies the integration of progressive thought. Again I hear groans from those fond of their beliefs and agendas. This time though, I also hear, “Tell me how to do that and I might give it a go.” Okay then, since Mars might be part of the celestial news of the month if impacted, use him. Mars IS the news of the month - or a good inciting, incendiary part of it since he now approaches the second opposition in a pattern of three to the Galactic Center. From his point of view in space, he whistles loudly, frantically signaling like a coach on the sidelines of an athletic field. He yells out, “Listen to the Galactic Center in your earpiece. He’s got the playbook. Don’t let the Capricorn patterns squeeze the life out of forming insights. Listen up; tune in. Apply the zany galactic insights to the practical matters at hand. Everyone’s looking for answers; come up with some good ones. Use them yourself first, though, so you sound like you know what you’re doing.”

Sound easy? If the clouds clear in Arizona tonight, you can bet I’ll be doing some Martian homage. Feel free to try it, too. Everyone on earth encounters the increasing important partnership of Eris and Jupiter. At least talking to Mars sounds like fun.