Ballooning Fears
...On the Mars/Pluto square
I saw an article today alarming us to giant Joro spiders flying—or ballooning—all across America. My first thought was: “damn them with these hyperbolic headlines.” My second thought was: “Wait a second, what is ballooning? I need to educate myself.” And the third thought was, of course: “Isn’t this just on time for the Mars/Pluto square tomorrow (11th)”
So, as it turns out, it’s not just Joro spiders who “balloon,” but many others as well, like Jumping, Orb-weavers, Crab, and even Wolf spiders. It’s a mind-bending technique I was not aware of where they shoot out numerous fine silks from their abdomen with the intent of catching the perfect breeze and being taken for a flight for hundreds—if not thousands—of miles. It’s hard to say just how many spiders are flying overhead at any given time, but it’s safe to say it’s more than one.
Now, it’s not my intention here to awaken your dormant arachnophobia but to point out something about headlines and fear. They are similar in how they are both used to persuade. Anybody who uses fear to change our minds should never be trusted. This goes in all situations—especially with astrologers. Trust me, I understand the allure and the clickability, but it never leads us to where we need to be going.
For those of you news junkies reading this, I’m sure you are aware of what is happening in the EU at the moment. It’s not dissimilar to what is happening in the US, yet strangely, it is quite dissimilar to what is occurring in the UK. But it’s a populist wave taking over and the corporate news would like us all to be afraid—to be very afraid that Hitler again is on the march. Now, as someone who is politically non-binary with anarchist sensibilities, I look on to all of this, and I’m reminded of the wisdom of Strauss and Howe with their 4th Turning predictions. This always occurs at the end of a saeculum. In summation: the Left takes things too far, the Right takes the reigns, there’s a “great” conflict, and it all resets once again. It’s both terrifying and a relief. But the one thing we cannot do is be persuaded by fear.
So when it comes to the Mars/Pluto square tomorrow in the 1st degrees of Taurus/Aquarius, instead of staying in all day because of spiders in the sky or some trembling terror some astrologer may have installed into your mind, let’s try to use it constructively. For myself, I’m going to hike up to Quinta da Regaleira and see what those Templars were on about one thousand years ago. Then, if I survive the trek into these mysterious hills, I must pack, and head back to the rain cloud we call Dartmoor.
To harness the rulers of Scorpio, we must face our edge and move beyond that threshold. It’s how we grow and ultimately transform. Fear is the mind-killer (and no, I still haven’t seen Dune 2, but I will soon).
Thanks for opening. Much more below for you to explore.
-adam
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Deep Astrological Questions with Ray Grasse
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MAY 30
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The Gemini Solution
"Duality is the way of the world, but unity is the way of the soul." — Ram Dass When Castor was killed by the brothers Idas & Lynceus, his own brother, Pollux—the immortal twin—sought revenge and was left alone to sink into eternal despair. Swallowed by t…
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Magical Thinking
MAY 16
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MAY 9
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Constellating Cosmos: an introduction
APR 25
IMushrooms with Jonathan Fredette
MAR 28
Adam! Have you not read Charlotte’s Web? This is what happens to Charlotte’s babies! They balloon away and poor Wilbur is devastated until three of the little ones reveal their presence - and choose to stay with him in his sty.
Hiking is such a great idea for burning off this Marsy Pluto energy. Thanks Adam x