Current crisis and our relationship to authority

Hope you are well during these difficult times.  

There has been a lot written about the coronavirus from both official sources and alternative perspectives. Most of us are understandably wary of the official line as it has often proved unreliable but the alternative theories are so varied it is not easy to know what is really going on. Is the virus a sinister genetically engineered plot to wipe out pensioners or control the masses through nanotechnology or is the virus not that dangerous at all and the media and governments have whipped us all into a frenzy of fear and panic simply to pass laws that diminish our civil liberties even more and bring us a step closer to a full scale police state? The chances that something dodgy is going on are pretty high but it is difficult to be sure of the details.  

If we look at the astrology of the moment we see that the main theme seems to be more about fear, isolation and the shutdown of society. Most of the action is in Capricorn and the beginning of Aquarius where we find Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto and the South Node. It seems to me that now is the time to reflect on the nature of authority and power and what is our personal relationship to them.   

There are many ways to relate to authority but broadly speaking there are four approaches that are possible. Firstly I can trust in it, which entails having faith that, even though there are some bad apples and incompetent people within them, the scientific, political and social institutions are genuinely doing their best to improve society and know far more than I do so I’ll mostly go along with their judgements and advice. This approach derives a great deal of safety and security from its faith in authority. Secondly, I can be suspicious of it, thinking that the powers that be have an evil ulterior motive or else on a more simple level there exists a strong dislike of being told what to think and do. This then leads to one of two possibilities, either the person complies with authority but does so begrudgingly and with much cursing under their breath and behind the authority’s back or for the more daring ones there is a subtle or blatant rebellion against the directives of the authority. This approach largely comes from having given power to, or having it taken by, authority figures and then feeling disempowered and controlled. The third approach is the ambition to become authority oneself, to be in control therefore ensuring my own safety and security while some also seem to derive a certain pleasure from having power over others. 

Whether you belong to the compliant, rebellious or authoritarian group depends on your character, your upbringing and maybe even further back than that and can, to some extent, be seen in the astrological natal chart. However, there is a fourth possibility which all groups can work towards which is the rejection of all external authority. If one rejects the very nature of authority at a psychological level then one is no longer dependent on authority for the sense of security it provides or hostile to authority because one has taken back any power that was given away. This is by no means easy as most of us were brought up with fear of punishment being used by parents and teachers as a way of controlling behaviour.  

One way of overcoming our dependence on authority is by becoming more individualised and taking greater hold of our own thoughts, feelings and actions. We are being told the only way we will beat this virus is by not thinking as individuals but as a collective. This is potentially very dangerous especially as it can encourage us all to become more and more like sheep. It is imperative that we think through things as carefully as we can. Most of us are not medical experts, however, we can still apply critical thinking and common sense to the information we read and hear about from government sources, mainstream and social media. There is a general dumbing down of society and being told what to think, all of which needs to be resisted by applying our own reasoning to the ideas and concepts we encounter. As we are all stuck at home these days one movie worth watching in this regard is Twelve Angry Men with Henry Fonda. It tells the story of one man applying his intelligence to a situation in spite of prejudiced opposition. Any narrative that deviates from the norm is now automatically labelled as misinformation and can be pulled from youtube and twitter. This is why herbalists, homoeopaths and other alternative therapists are so wary of going public with information that might actually be beneficial in this crisis.  

The next level is that of feeling and emotion and here too we need to take our own feelings in hand so that we do not get swept up in collective waves of fear and anxiety. If we spend time with our emotions we will find that many of them came there from outside, from the media and the people and environment around us. By centering yourself in your own heart, your individual emotional nature can come to the fore again and can keep collective feelings and those manipulated by external forces in check. Paradoxically it is by connecting to your heart and your individualised emotional centre that you actually become more connected to the hearts of everyone else rather than more cut off and isolated. This is put to the test most strongly when shopping, one of the few activities we are still allowed to do. You can feel the collective fear and even repulsion people have towards each other. We all look normal but any one of us could secretly be harbouring this evil virus. I am not suggesting we ought to ignore social distancing and give out hugs to everyone but maybe we can liberate our life of feeling so that it is not bound to the body so strongly. I may have to keep my physical body two metres from yours but there is no reason to recoil in my emotional body. By remaining emotionally open to others despite physical distancing we can strengthen our immune system, dispel fear and support true community.  

The third and final level is that of will and action. It may seem that we do not have much freedom to do as we please right now but that too is misleading. I could simply do as I am told by the government or I could listen to what they have to say, weigh up the pros and cons of complying or going against their advice and then act according to my higher conscience. The difference between a person who follows all the laws and guidelines more or less robotically and the person who largely complies with them but only after careful consideration and makes it an active choice to do so may seem slight in its external impact in the world but internally the difference is much greater. In the more obedient or easily influenced person the ability to make important decisions gets increasingly weak as does the ability to sense the right direction for life in general whereas in the second person they become more empowered, more clear in who they are and where they are going. The will is a muscle that needs to be exercised and can atrophy if not used. The Stanford prison experiment and others like it have showed the dangers of a weakened will and a subservience to authority as well as real life situations under fascist regimes. The same goes for dealing with all advice and suggestions even, and maybe especially, coming from astrologers. The great leaders of old had their advisors and astrologers but would always reflect on the information they were given and allow their actions only to be directed by forces deep within. Any approach, be it on a one to one or a national level, to guide a weak willed person or people to a specific outcome deemed good by the one in authority goes against the spirit of the age and so is inherently problematic no matter how well intentioned. Instead every effort needs to be made to strengthen the will of all people. It is better to follow our inner authority and stumble and fall along the path now and then than give priority to another’s wisdom over our own even if their wisdom may appear greater.  

The Saturn and Capricorn way of dealing with a crisis is often to control and supress it and that approach certainly has its place but it can be taken to extreme lengths when fear is dominant. The peak of the authority’s exercise of power is now and throughout April and then should slowly start to ease in May as Mars leaves Aquarius and Venus retrogrades in Gemini which could indicate a social reconnection.  

The most important thing, though, is still the Jupiter – Saturn conjunction in December which signals a new social paradigm that will unfold over the next two hundred years or so as the conjunctions move through the air signs. This virus will come and go but what kind of society will we be left with at the end of it. It is important that we do not become increasingly weak willed and yielding to corporate and state authorities whose tentacles reach more and more into matters that ought to be left up to the individual. Becoming more individualised with independent thinking, feeling and willing is essential to the continuing evolution of humanity but it must be actively worked on for it to come about.

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For anyone who would like an astrological consultation but because of the current crisis would struggle to afford one please get in touch to arrange a concessionary rate.