Eschatothesia
Eschatothesia
...On the nature of seasons, shadows, and listening to centaurs
Every generation has their own apocalypse. However, the "lifting of the veil" roots to this word may not be the right one to fully describe the dilemma. Perhaps it is: Every generation has its own eschaton ("end of time"—or an aion). My own generation has seen at least two: Y2k and 2012 with supposedly another on the way; older generations may include the Great Convergence, the Cold War, or some other fringe cult theory that didn't end well. The point is that this time is not different. We always think it is, but history shows, it's not the case. This thinking seems to be wired into us.
The term eschatothesia points directly at this complex wiring. It’s the feelings and visions accompanied by a collective projection of "the end." It's sometimes described as experiencing the shock waves from some future event that casts an immense shadow on the present which contains a torrent of information to sift through. Whatever it is, however strange its nature is, we are all aware of it. The problem many of us have though, is in believing there is an actual end. There is no "end." The world doesn't end. And as students of astrology, we should by default, understand this. Circles, not lines; cycles, not A to B sequences. It's more of a spiral than anything. And it never ends. Instead, it renews itself.
By studying any planetary cycle, we will have glimpses of this. The Venus cycle will stun us by showing the heartstrings that weave through the hearts of others in 8-year intervals; Pluto and Uranus shock us by seeing the revolutionary patterns they create over centuries; and it is the eclipses with their Saros Series and eternal tether to the nodes of the moon that can reveal our stories to us, how we are playing them out, and ultimately, how to transcend them by becoming storytellers. We are not our stories, yet we are made from them. It's the greatest of paradoxes. This, and the nature of time.
In a few days, we will officially arrive in eclipse season. It's a time when eclipses are possible. We know that the ones of this season will occur on the 25th (lunar) and April 8th (solar). The season has a liminal time signature to it. We should always be on the watch for plot twists and wyrd opportunities. And if we really want to go deep, look to when the last eclipses were associated with these Saros Cycles and signs (I recommend B. Brady's Eagle and the Lark for reference to this idea). You will spot the patterns. And it will tweak your relationship to time. This eclipse family started back in 1501, won't end till 2745, and the last of the series was in March of 06'—also in Aries (8 North according to Brady). Said another way: eclipse season plays with our relationship to time; often whatever the themes are going in, will be completely different headed out. It's remarkable. And it helps chistle away at our existential dread when we realize the nature of such phenomena.
Now, once we enter "the season" we will also swiftly be brought into Mercury's pre-shadow as well (18th; 15º Aries). Right in the middle of the first sign of the Zodiac, not far from the big eclipse on the 8th with Chiron, there is clearly syncopation here, and as we get closer, it seems to be intimating another large wave from the eschaton.
There are many battles taking place in the world right now—many of which we are contributing to—yet the most essential one is in our own minds. One of the simplest tests we can give to ourselves is in how we answer questions like these:
Do you feel AI is going to take over the world?
Do you think we are in a climate emergency and the earth is about to swallow us?
Do you think WW3 is here and it will be the end as we know it?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, you are experiencing eschatothesia. It's easy to answer yes to many such questions, but truly, there is no way of knowing. We can't trust the news. We can't trust our senses which are bound by our umwelt. And we can't know, because we aren't gods. Not even the AI astrologers coming to replace us will have a clear answer to this question. But what we can know, is how each makes us feel. This is where we have control.
With Mercury coming in hot for a new cycle and the biggest eclipse of the year all happening in proximity to Chiron, there is a teaching moment here for us. The centaur is the mentor for a reason, and that reason is he is superb at pointing out our bullshit. Any good teacher will reveal to us our blindspots and projections, our shadow and arrogance, and how our minds are muddied by lies–our own and those coming through our feeds. Chiron is at the heart of this eclipse season and retrograde. Ignore him, and suffer the consequences.
Chiron connects us to our hands, so we can use them in the world. He rewilds parts of our imagination, keeping other parts quite civilized. He questions everything like Socrates. He doesn't play the victim or perpetuate the dreams of our fathers— never has, yet shows us precisely where we do it so well. He shows us something about the sky we have never seen before, connecting it to a plant, blowing our minds by the fire. Chiron teaches us about true sacrifice and the nature of time. He is forever suspicious of eschatological predictions—especially those made by modern astrologers. He's interested in the state of our minds, trying to get them present, clear, and without poison from the black pills. To do so, we must be brave. We must be vulnerable and open. It's the only way to meet our destiny. There are no shortcuts to it. And we cannot be defeated by it if we are connected to eternity. This is how we face "the end times." We turn our ear to an unexpected teacher and listen for once. It’s the only cure to eschatothesia.
*Be on the lookout for Ideas wanting a home. Mercury is generous with them in this phase of his cycle. And enjoy the season! Eclipses, a retrograde, and Chiron—what more could we ask for?
Facts:
Mercury pre-shadow: March 19th; 15º Aries
Mercury Rx: April 1st; 27º Aries; beware of my tricks!
Mercury cazimi: April 11th; 22º Aries
Mercury SD: April 25th; 15º Aries
Mercury post-shadow: May 13th; 27º Aries
eclipse season: roughly March 16th-April 23rd
Eudaimonia,
Adam
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This makes me think about the experience I had in Morocco in 2017. I was at a Roman archeological site. A vast expanse of ruins including columnns, mosaic baths, foundations of homes etc. It was cool, but the most profound realization I had was looking at some giant maps they had showing the boundaries of the Roman and other empires in that area. Thinking about the fact that Rome occupied that part of the world for over 300 years and that was just one little chapter of their history brought so much into perspective. The Medina in Fez is over 800 years old. They don't think about endings of things like we Americans do. I doubt that you'd find anyone in that part of the world worrying about the end of anything. Empires come and go. Monarchs come and go and the people keep on doing what they've always done.
When I was there, it was soon enough after the election that that shock was still in the air, but my angst about it kind of dissolved in the context of feeling the presence of that vast stretch of time. I've never really felt the same fear about "what will happen if..." regarding politics and the great societal transition we're in.
Have you peeked at the Chandra for 20 Aries?