Billionaire Man and the Climate Emergency

Dead trees, parched earth, Lake Amistad, Texas

I'm reblogging this thought-provoking blog post from I Can't Believe it!, written by my other half. There's a question for you at the end - please feel free to comment and say what'd you'd do with a billion pounds.

 What would you do if you had a billion pounds?

Would you follow the technological dream of science and the colonial dream of new physical horizons, and fund a space program to take humanity another step down this road that has supposedly served us so well for hundreds of years – exploitation of supposedly virgin lands, ignorant of the life that is there? Become so convinced of the magnificence of your own ego and exceptionality, that you insist on being one of the first to go into space? Even model your spacecraft to resemble a large penis as you exhibit your contempt for lesser humans?

Or would you do something to help repair the earth and nature that has been ravaged by that technological/colonial dream, to the degree that our ecosystem is now under extreme threat, both in its loss of biodiversity, in its drowning in its own pollution, in the breakdown of its long-stable climate – all effects which have been made worse by you and your like, the rich and powerful extracting money from ‘the system’ to a degree that is surely obscene and has deprived the public purse everywhere of the means to ensure a decent life and environment for all, even undermining the democratic systems that of course put limits on your individual power.

Psychologically, the first path is chosen in humanity’s adolescence, the creation of ego that we all go through. Some appear to remain arrested at this increasingly narcissistic stage – ageing egos going in a circle of their multiple houses, yachts, private jets, exclusive parties, security obsession, separation from the masses. 

But modern psychological knowledge means we now know that this ego process is just the first stage of our development, as we grow to maturity, transcend our individual ego concerns and becoming co-operating adults and gradually becoming wiser and more spiritual. Our concern is wider than the individual; it is the good of the whole and all its parts.

Of course, this is also the perspective that will enable us to address all those problems that we have created in the world around us. Restoration of our living ecosystem becomes of paramount importance, the space ego trip seems somehow irrelevant. Not that we should not have more space programs, but that they are hardly today’s top priority.

So what would you do with your billion? And if you had more than one billion, why? What a weight of responsibility to have so much money, the weight of so much of the earth on your own shoulders? What on earth would you do, and why?

The ideas came to me after reading Prof Tim Jackson’s excellent post on The Billionaire space race; the ultimate symbol of capitalism’s flawed obsession with growth. Do read it.

 

Looking back to a year ago - and where we are now

A year ago, in March 20th/21st, I was flying overnight from Houston to the UK, ahead of the first lockdown which started on March 23rd. Covid-19 was taking hold, it was getting downright scary, and with great regret we cut short our stay with the family and had to find an alternative route back as our flight was cancelled. Saying goodbye to our grandchildren was the hardest thing to do.

We decided to splash out and travel Business Class - in the interests of our own safety and because we could afford to dip into the savings. The return flight was in three stages, it took 25 hours. It's a long story, but we were upgraded to First Class - that's me here trying to relax into this one-off experience just after we'd boarded. It's very unlikely we'll ever travel First Class again!

I'm taking a retrospective look at what was going on this time last year, and taking a look - with an astrological-psychological slant - at where we are now, what has changed and what is ongoing.

Pluto  -  the planet of transformation and clearing out of that which is outworn and outdated - is still making its way through Capricorn. Unsurprisingly a few shocks have rattled the bars of the so-called establishment this year so far. Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey is one; the Metroplitan police handling of the London vigil to highlight safety for women, following the abduction and murder of Sarah Everard, is another.

Astrologically ongoing is the challenging configuration between Uranus and Saturn. There's work to be done here, and if the energy isn't harnessed and utilised productively, a real spat and a standoff could develop as they square up to each other and edge closer together in the summer. I see them as already working well together.

Uranus seeks stability and finds innovative ways to provide this, often causing a fair bit of distruption along the way. It's not regarded as the planet of revolution for nothing, so there could easily be more distruption to what we used to consider, pre-Covid, as the norm. Uranus is sometimes quirky and  individualistic, but significantly it's a researcher, coming from the mind.

Like a scientist, it wants clear answers and bases hypotheses on trials and facts. I'm thinking here of the scientists advising the government on what's needed to move us away from the need to lockdown and ease the effects of the pandemic, such as the roll out of the vaccination programme, the vaccine itself created by the work and research of scientists.

Saturn prefers the stability of the status quo and resists change, fired by fears, doubt and caution. It wants to hold on to what it's got, maybe wanting to please everyone, and it's very efficient at ensuring all systems are working properly and safely. Saturn is associated with matter and the material world, and this apsect of it is symbolised by the weighing up, by governments, of how to maintain the economy in this ongoing pandemic.

Interestingly, Saturn in currently moving through the sign of Aquarius, whose qualities actually promote and encourage a creative approach to problem solving, with "off the wall" innovative tendencies, and technologies. It is the natural astrological "home" sign of Uranus and it may therefore be Saturn's role to shape and structure what has emerged in the past 12 months.

Looking back over the past year, with these intertwined signs and planetary energies and qualities, I am amazed and imressed at how far we've come technologically. Using this astrologial lens I can see an example of how Uranus and Saturn have worked together. A year ago most people wouldn't have imagined, in their wildest, oddest dreams, that they would not only be using Zoom for work and social interactions, but that they would have learned and mastered it too. Many of us hadn't heard of it; now it's in common usage as the needs of the lockdown/working from home/staying home have replaced previous behaviour.

Jupiter, associated with vision, looking to the future, opportunity and even risk-taking, is journeying through Aquarius throughout this year. It briefly rubbed shoulders with Saturn at the start of the year, but will hang around in the background, hopefully acting as a positive, encouraging presence, perhaps softening the edges and protective barriers which Saturn might be tempted to erect. There are probably still plenty of changes ahead, which are way beyond my desire to "predict", but I see Jupiter's role in this snapshot of time as a door opener, an inspirer, and yes, a visionary of what might be.

We all want to look to the future to; right now we can't make any plans and have no idea yet what the new "normal" might be. All we can do for now is sit tight and do our best to cooperate in helping get this pandemic under control, and  - in the words of Jean Luc Picard, captain of the Star Ship Enterprise -  "Make it so" to the best of our ability.

The Jupiter/Saturn Conjunction - and watch out for 2021

 

Our star, the Sun, setting over the sea

They're calling it The Great Conjunction because in astronomical terms, it's pretty impressive. 

Not since 1632 have these two planets - both of them mighty, large, heavy masses - been this close together, so close that they appear as a very bright star in the sky. It has long been speculated that a conjunction of these two heavies were the "Star in the East" which was seen and followed by the Three Wise Men (bear in mind if you will, that these guys were probably astrologers/astronomers so they knew what they were seeing and the possible significance of this rare event).

Fast forward to the Winter Soltice (that's today) of 2020, when the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be as close and extact as it can be. Both planets have been edging closer together as they move though the home strait of Earth sign Capricorn to cross the fininishing line and enter Air Sign Aquarius today, 21st December. Slap bang on the Winter Solstice, when the Sun (from Earth) appears to stand still. What we experience here on Earth (in the northern hemisphere) is the shortest day and the longest night; a time of wonder for our early ancestors who lived their lives closely attuned to the seasons, to the environment, the movements of the heavens, and the position of the Sun, our star.

I've previously written about significant planetary movements in 2020, and you can read about it here.

But what is happening right now, as we hurtle towards 2021? The cases of Covid-19 are alarmingly on the rise, a new variant of the virus has emerged and in the UK stringent new lockdowns have been established in large areas of the country. The vaccination programme is in the initial stages of being rolled out, and the UK teeters towards the real possibility of a no-deal Brexit with stuttering on/off negotiations on a trade deal with the EU. Many countries have already closed their borders with the UK for fear of the virus spreading beyond our shores, and lorries carrying goods from continental Europe are backed up for mind-boggling miles into the county of Kent, triggering fears of shortages. Merry Christmas? I don't think so.

So let's look at the qualites and energies of this significant Jupiter/Saturn conjunction and how they might throw some light on current events and set the scene for 2021. The pair of them together remind me of the "Push-me-Pull-you" animal in Dr. Doolittle, each side tugging in different directions which are mostly completely opposing.

Jupiter qualities are concerned with largesse, big gestures, adventuring, like the Star Trek mission statement of "boldly going forth where no-one has gone before". Jupiter sees the big picture and takes in the potential of the whole, but may not always look before it leaps, so Jupiterian actions can be risky. It's great on vision, on looking ahead and seeing fresh ways to go, but a touch of casual sloppiness can creep in whilst it's in pursuit of new horizons. With Jupiter, think big, and listen to Holst's Planets Suite, where Jupiter is tagged as "The bringer of jollity". The usic speaks of this and Holst knew what he was writing about here as he had studied astrology - albeit the more traditional style, not the Huber Method.

Saturn qualities on the other hand are almost the complete opposite. Saturn is renowned in traditional astrologky for being the grumpy old killjoy of the solar system, associated with the stiffness and stuffiness of old age (Holst's piece in Saturn is tagged "The bringer of old age", the music correspondingly slow and on the gloomy side). But where would we be be without Saturn, with its qualities and energies of restaint, caution and risk-aversion? Saturn offers structure, form, systems, shape, boundaries (but don't let them become high brick walls), organisation, and a scientific approach so we don't leap in without first checking out the facts, or dangers and drawbacks. There are some pretty useful qualities around there.

So - we have the go-ahead/hold-back aspects of this conjunction going arm-in-arm into the Air sign of Aquarius, itself famous for it's forward-thinking/let-it-all-hang out stamp, thanks to the musical "Hair" and the song "The Age of Aquarius" (and that show was around in the late 60's/early 70s). There's nothing new here - this may be the moment we've been waiting for.

Aquarius, as an Air sign, is concerned with ideas, thinking, communication, freedom, shared-interest groups, independence, science, incongruity - you've probably got your own pet thoughts about this sign and you'll get the drift. But place Jupiter and Saturn, both with the potential to bring out the BEST of their own qualities in on this sign, and we could be in for some more interesting times in the year ahead. 

In the Huber Method, planetary energies and qualities are viewed as being able to operate and be expressed at three levels. These, in astrological psychology, are evident in observable human behaviour; the levels as Asleep, Waking and Awake. So Jupiter Asleep would be indolent, lazy, over-indulgence, but Waking or Awake it could be an astute, clear, inclusive and forward-looking vision of the future and an innate wisdom of how things could be.

Saturn Asleep would be fears, doubts, hanging on to what feels secure, being stuck and not wanting to budge. Waking or Awake it could be carefully researching ways of obtaining better security, ensuring that any safety nets required are of the highest quality to do the job and being like a wise mentor, helping others by sharing knowledge.

Put these two planets operating not at the lower, Asleep level, but at one or both of the higher levels of Waking and Awake, into the "Age of Aquarius" sign that they'll be travelling through together for the best part of 2021, and we have a potentially formidable duo who could work wonders - with, of course, the co-operation of we humans if we are are capable of rising to the challenge of these trying times to help steer way through for us all; the vaccines are already being worked on or rolled out across the world. 

But bear in mind Pluto, still hanging in there in Capricorn, which Jupiter and Saturn have now left, although Jupiter does bob back there a couple of times in 2021, but it moves faster than Saturn and goes on its way into Pisces a year from now. That leaves Saturn to continue more slowly and sedately, perhaps laying down firm structures and systems, based on the adventuring vision of Jupiter. Something our sparkling duo in this conjunction share is the capacity for WISDOM, maybe something to hang on to as a positive on this darkest day of the year.

Pluto stays in Capricorn until 2024, quietly getting on with the job of clearing out the old, outworn and no longer relevant attitudes, structures and organisations that have become crystallised over a long period of time. It's as though Pluto is riding postillion to Jupiter and Saturn, bagging and dumping the "unwanted on board" stuff as it goes. Expect some establishments to fall. In the UK, Scotland is urging for Independence and with a General Election in May the result will be interesting to say the least. In May, Jupiter moves off into Pisces for a short while, maybe after it has prepared the way for the vision of Scottish Independence - and that would certainly involve Pluto's transformative qualities as postilion rider.

These are simply my thoughts on our current situation. I'm not a mundane astrologer so I've viewed the current conjunction, the solstice, and the Zodiac signs involved through a more general lens of what all of this might mean for some of us. It's not a prediction, just my take.

Comment if you like, add to the pot, but only if you have something valid, valuable, relevant and respectful to say.