The Age of Aquarius
Welcome to my blog, Ground One.
Ground Zero : Function: noun; Date: 1946 ~ 1: the point directly above, below, or at which a nuclear explosion occurs; 2: the center or origin of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change; 3: the very beginning .
Ground One: Function: verb; Date: 2008 ~ 1: to create a new beginning from an ending, starting from the ground up; 2: to use one’s life beliefs and values to break new ground; 3: to ground oneself; i.e., to become one with the earth or universal whole; 4: to journey within to find new solutions to ancient problems; 5: to use one’s unique individual gifts to improve the whole; 6: to find common ground among a diversity of cultures, philosophies, and ideas.
Did you know we’ve officially entered the time the (in)famous play Aquarius spoke of? Yes, on Valentine’s Day, the day dedicated to the patron saint of love, a Libra moon entered the seventh house of relationships. Jupiter and Mars aligned in Aquarius in the twelfth house, signifying a time of transformation. Just like the song. Why then, if we have entered an age when “peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars,” do we feel such uncertainty?
The answer may be found in quantum physics, which is much more verifiable, if not more logical, than astrology. Quantum physics has proven that there must be chaos before progress. Thus, the old adage, “it’s always darkest before the dawn.” Simply put, if you desire change in your life, something must move. For something to move in your life, you must move it. If you don’t move it, nature will find a way to move it. And nature is a bit more forceful than we are. It knows where and how to apply force. For us humans, understanding where to apply force and how much force to apply involves great skill, and might I add, intuition.
It can seem like dark times. The President has told us this is no ordinary recession, and its waves are reverberating around the world. America is at war with two countries and another faceless (or many-headed) faction. It’s worse outside of America. People with an annual income of $40,000 are among the world’s wealthiest people—the top 4 percent, actually. Places like Darfur seem caught in an endless cycle of war, famine, and destruction, and its people are as guilty of denial as the world that sits by doing little.
Not only do we have all these problems to deal with, the people who led us here, who gave us comfort, kissed our bruises, guided us to our careers—who made it through the “great” depression and World War II are dying at a rate of more than 1000 per day. The Greatest Generation is leaving us to fend for ourselves down here.
Yet I’d like to be on the record as saying that it’s all going to be fine. Our forebears left us with what we need to carry on, or they wouldn’t be leaving. Plus, a new sort of vision, perhaps a vision we were born with, because after all–we are a much different generation than our parents– is needed to forge the ebb and flow of this new decade about to dawn.
Old solutions aren’t going to work for today’s problems. Isn’t that the definition of crazy, anyway? Trying the same thing over and over expecting different results? As evidenced by today’s economic quandary. As evidenced by the American government’s prior delusion that Iraqis and Afghans would greet the U.S. military invasion waving American flags. As evidenced by a decaying social welfare system. A sub-standard school system that tests more than it teaches. As evidenced by a world that can’t breathe (the number of people with asthma has doubled since 1980) and a world that is coping with more natural disasters than ever, and yet can’t pay its medical bills, let alone deal with its larger spending deficit.
We’re equipped to handle this new era, with all of its baggage. We created it. We can re-create it. We just have to step up and meet the challenge. Join in the effort. Find tomorrow’s solutions to today’s problems. Help your neighbor. Work on paying off your debt. Pray. Know you were put here for a reason. Together, we can navigate this swollen river, hurdle over this huge bump in the road. We can do it more quickly than any of us believe possible, if we do it together. When we look back, we’ll know we were a great generation, too. Just a little different than any one that preceded us. Different because we needed to be different.