@jkl1907 Thanks for this link. I just read through it a bit - really interesting stuff! This section struck me as resonating with what we have all been talking about here in the Forum for years (bold is my emphasis):
"The Sabian Symbol for the Uranus North Node conjunction can also provide us with clues. As this conjunction falls at 18 degrees of Taurus, the psychically intuited symbol for this degree is “a new continent rising out of the ocean.”
What incredible imagery! Seeing a new continent rising out of the ocean evokes all sorts of feelings, a wonder, a mystery, and excitement about this new land and what it may hold. While there is this impulse to explore the new, a continent doesn’t emerge from the water without a lot of rumbling and shaking. Discovering a whole new continent can also rattle our own beliefs, or change the way we have been thinking about the world."
"Uranus is the planet of awakening."
I like it! And am (stubbornly?) clinging to the positive changes that will come from all of the shaking/rumbling/chaos that we are living through.
So at this point I'm sure you've all seen the recent ruling handed down from SCOTUS on the legality of concealed carry. Which is to say basically the entire country has really and truly reverted to the Wild Wild West.
My disillusionment with the Democratic Party has never been greater. I see no movement to expand the Court, abolish the filibuster, or do anything substantial that protects the will of the majority who elected them.
You know the old saying: left wing or right wing, it's still the same bird.
Once again feeling very hopeless about this future of this country. If anyone is feeling hopeful, lay it on me - I could use a hopeful viewpoint.
Yeah, things are terrible now with the Republican party running wild and a conservative court overturning laws left and right.
I wish I can tell you I had a vision of things getting better, but I can't. Simply put, I don't have the gift like so many others on this site does, so I can't see one way or another.
Having said that...have you ever heard of the saying "Give them enough rope to hang themselves"?
This is what the American public is doing right now. Republicans are getting more and more power and abuse it. They remind me of a kid that keeps his finger hovered over his sibling and says in a sing-song voice "I'm not touching you" just to be annoying and to see how long it takes before the sibling finally snaps.
I think we have reached a boiling point. Many are reaching that breaking point when they finally slap that hand away.
Yes, Republicans may feel happy right now that gun laws are getting struck down left and right...but to what end?
For decades, Republicans have claimed that they are the "law and order" party. But recent events are showing their hypocricy. They support people attacking police officers at the capital and threatening lawmakers investigating the events. In some states, victims of rape are posed to be criminalized for wanting an abortion, with some states actually giving these women longer sentences that the rapists themselves.
But here is an interesting question. Do you think that police officers are going to be happy with this trend?
Think about it. If guns are more frequent and there are less restrictions, who do you think will be killed in greater numbers?
California used to be a Republican mecca. Now I think there are only 9 Republicans in the State Senate, compared to 31 Democrats. The Republican party went too far, particularly when they targeted Hispanics. Now they are paying the price. Likewise, many governments topple when a situation reaches critical mass, when the oppressed rise up and shut them down forever.
I too am upset that the Democrats are not being more aggressive with Republicans. I would love nothing more than for Democrats to call Republicans the "Pro-Rape" Party or the "Shoot Children" Party. I would love it if Biden added more seats on the court, particularly now, as it seems we are sure to lose Congress anyway. We need someone to come out and say "ENOUGH!" We need to stop saying things politely and just say them bluntly. "Hey, Republicans! Why do you make it easier for shooters to get assault rifles? Why are you sending them to kill school children!?"
The Democrats need an awakening too. They need to stop living in the past and hope the Republican Party will come to its senses. It won't. Even if Trump goes down, they still have DeSantis and Cruz waiting in the wings.
Which brings me back to my point. I am GLAD everyone is feeling angry at the direction this country is going! Anger, when used irresponsibly, results in the crazy mob that is the Republican Party. But anger, when used correctly, promotes change, because anger won't allow us to become complacent and accepting of the way things are going. If we were suffering from apathy, I would dispair. But we are not. We are tired. We are frustrated. We are angry! And we can use that anger to promote change in the right way. Not with gun-totting mobs, but with an ever-growing legion of people who know that what is going on is wrong. We can't and won't give up.
It will take time. Eventually all hope for a reformed Republican Party will be lost. The rest of us will take over and kick the radical Republicans out on their butts. Also, the animosity against Republicans will be so great that there will no longer be a feeling of "let's not do too much and upset them." Instead, it will be a "Republicans will always threaten violence no matter what we do, so why bother negotiating. Let's just get what we want done without them!" And then Republicans will be forced to call their bluff. All their supposed "army" of followers will melt away in the shadows because many law enforcement officers will be on our side and not theirs. After all, why vote for a party who votes to give guns to lunatics and throws law enforcement under the bus just to avoid gun control laws. (*cough* "Texas" *cough*).
History has a way of repeating itself. As I said, give them enough rope.
I woke up to this S.C. news and basically wanted to throw up.
The words from this Linkin Park song , The Catalyst, came to mind.
God, bless us everyone
We're a broken people living under loaded gun
And it can't be outfought
It can't be outdone
It can't be outmatched
It can't be outrun, no!
It isn't a hopeful song. I can't think of a song which is hopeful in this situation right now.
I know there is a song somewhere which will offer hope and I will embrace it at some point I suppose.
WTF!!
Yesterday I kept hearing Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in major op. 92- II, Allegretto pop into my head. I have noticed when I start to randomly hear this melody play in my mind, it can mean something ominous is about to occur. I made note of it.
Here is the song.
It does become a bit lighter after the beginning and at the end, the melody is repeated but altered a bit so it is less heavy. At least there is that.
But I only was hearing the beginning part yesterday which is the normal way I am presented with this song as a foreboding warning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCHREyE5GzQ
@allyn very well stated. Anything worth having is worth waiting for, and so too is our democracy. Perhaps Democrats are playing the long game. In the wake of all these Republican wins is a party that is getting as many pieces of bad legislation passed before it's own death knell. As many have said on this website the Republican Party will go down fighting because they fear change. They may win a few battles but they will lose the war. I often live by the saying: To live by the sword is to die by the sword. This is a party that fears living happily and needs guns in order to do so. If you're always afraid of dying while you are living, then are you really living? Most of my family own handguns, rifles and have their houses surrounded with cameras and home security systems. They're afraid to keep their windows open at night even though they live in the country and they never feel safe. Additionally they listen to Fox News talk about how the world is getting worse all the time. How can you be happy and living if you're listening to all of this fear mongering? We are a country that is on the verge of snapping. After seeing the multitude of predictions on this website that are coming true, I have no doubt that the predictions showing our future getting better in the coming years will occur. It will take time, but anything worth having is worth waiting for.
I woke up to this S.C. news and basically wanted to throw up.
The words from this Linkin Park song , The Catalyst, came to mind.
God, bless us everyone
We're a broken people living under loaded gun
And it can't be outfought
It can't be outdone
It can't be outmatched
It can't be outrun, no!
Interesting... The other day I had a Linkin Park song going through my head, One Step Closer. I haven't listened to the song in quite a while, but the chorus line kept saying in my head:
"I need a little room to breathe,
Because I'm one step closer to the edge and I'm about to break!"
I'm wondering now if that song was amplifying the feeling of what the country is feeling right now.
@sistermoon @lovendures @allyn @chromosomexy
For what it is worth, I pulled some Tarot cards on the collective for this week, given all the news of late and trajectory of the country. Details are in a new thread here, for those that might like to see or comment:
I just finished reading your summary. WOW! I don't know enough about tarot to form an opinion on the practice, as there is no one around here that I can actually ask, and many of the websites are contradictory, but just WOW! The hanged man card resonated with me, as well as the sun card. (Note: I am a Leo. Not sure what that means exactly, except that the sun is supposed to be my "planet," which doesn't make sense to me because the sun is a star and not a planet, but it is the center of the solar system, so I'm good! So the sun has always been very symbolic for me.)
To those of us who don't know anything about tarot, could you recommend a book or website that could explain it to me? I always like to research things before forming my own opinion on them, as I feel knowledge is better than ignorance.
A few good tarot books to get you started:
- Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom (Pollack)
- 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card (Greer)
- Holistic Tarot (Wen)
And also:
- Tarot Reading Explained (Ricklef)
- Tarot Interactions (Lipp)
And then there are Thoth-specific books, such as:
- Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot (DuQuette)
- The Crowley Tarot (Akron & Banzhaf)
I could throw out more, but you should find something good among these, I'd wager.
Also, this post should probably be moved to a more appropriate thread, I guess? Tagging @lovendures in case :)
@allyn I am so glad this resonates with you! Yes, I felt like the hanged man was really key here and the idea in the text about waiting, not giving up, really resonates. By text I mean the little booklet that came with my Thoth deck as well as a draft document that Jeanne wrote and provided when I took her class. I tend to read through the descriptions of the meaning of the cards to see what, if anything, jumps out at me and note that.
The Sun is symbolic and important to me as well, so I really loved that it came up.
Something else to consider... For anyone who is feeling uncertain about our country's future, please join us on Wednesday nights Circle of Light Meditations. We send light and love to our democracy and pray for our Founding Fathers and Mothers to watch over and protect our country and the people who are working to protect and preserve our country. You'll feel better afterwards. The more people we have, the more light we can send. In the weeks leading up to the 2020 election, we were meeting three nights a week and sending light to our democracy. That is a perfect example of how much power we have to influence the course of events for our future. In those meditations many of us saw Biden winning. We have to be a united front against the darkness and Jeanne offers an amazing way for us to do that.
Sign up here: https://www.jeannemayell.com/event/circle-of-light-healing-meditation/
I know that Beethoven 7th movement well and have played it in various community orchestras.
I think it is beautiful.
I don't find it actually "foreboding", but rather, haunting , moving on to a mood of overcoming...moving to a hard-won victory that is not joyous, but resolute and steadfast--- rest after labor.
The opening bars, for me, create the image of a man carrying a heavy burden up a hill. Not tragedy. Instead, pain, sorrow, and struggle. There are sections in the middle that are downright triumphant, e.g., when the horns come in. And it ends with a sense of peace and acceptance.
All said, IMO, it perfectly evokes the times we are in and the times many of us feel are coming.
My disillusionment with the Democratic Party has never been greater. I see no movement to expand the Court, abolish the filibuster, or do anything substantial that protects the will of the majority who elected them.
Do you comprehend that with a 50/50 (with two DINOs) Senate there is nothing the D's can do on any of these matters? The House can pass whatever they want - and they have - but 50 Senators stop everything in its tracks. They have tried to kill the filibuster three times, and the DINOs said NO! Even if the House passed an expansion of SCOTUS (and they could easily do so), do you honestly think those 48 + 2 would support it? Of course not! They would call it a political game and vote en bloc once again to kill it before it was even born. Why don't we put the blame where it rightfully belongs, at the feet (and in the faces) of the 48 R's who vote as a block against anything Biden wants (just because Biden wants it) and Manchin and Sinema for not only encouraging it, but *enabling* it by voting with them?
This is why we should be as involved as we can be in getting at least two more D seats in the Senate. We can't allow two people to hold this nation hostage.
I don't know if you intended your reply to be a bit insulting, but I must admit I'm a little hurt and offended by your words. Perhaps I am being overly sensitive right now (there was a sudden death in my family a few days ago), but now I regret sharing my feelings.
Of course I 'comprehend' the current numbers in the Senate -- however, I stand by what I said. I believe there are many party flaws that extend well beyond Manchin and Sinema. And while I agree we need to expand our majority in November, I still maintain that even if we do so it will be difficult if not impossible to undo what damage occurs before then.
I just want the D's to be the warriors for the left that the R's are for the right and I'm not seeing it (with few exceptions -- 'few' being the operative word).
@ana I agree that Eden Gray’s Complete Guide to the Tarot is an excellent reference, particularly for someone who is just starting out with the Tarot. I bought it, along with my first deck of Tarot cards, in 1970. I still have both, though the cards are very worn and floppy.
Most of us are losing it with you. Much is being held up because the dems really don’t have enough of a majority. Sinema and Manchin have gotten in the way of everything good that has been attempted.
It helps me to focus on what my state and local reps are working on. I follow all of them on social media, comment on their posts, meet then in person when possible, and email my concerns to their offices. I have been extremely pleased to see that my House Rep listens, responds promptly and has initiated action on areas of concern. As I am in California, I have been pleased with how hard I see Senator Alex Padilla working. He’s vocal and consistent in what he stands for.
As to the other senator from CA, time for an email thanking her for her many ground breaking years of service and begging her to resign so we can get someone younger who is able to keep pace with the now.
From Pres. Obama "Progress isn't always a straight line".
https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1540164204107337729?s=20&t=eVvcz2vEA-XefG9tPLx-IQ
@theungamer Thanks for the Obama tweet link.
He tends to speak at the right moments. I needed to hear that today.
Thanks Obama!!! (said with love)
Progress isn’t always a straight line.
Today’s Supreme Court decision is wrong but Congress passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is a modest but real step forward. And the fight will go on, thanks to the activists, survivors, and families who continue to demand action.
@lovendures You are welcome. It reminds me of the progress spiral @jeannemayell discussed.