Elizabeth Smith, Master Astrocartographer
The uncertainties of global climate crisis are augmented as a wide variety of dysfunctions arise in conjunction with climate change. Health providers warn that health issues like pandemic are likely to increase if we don’t reverse current warming trends. Ubiquitous natural disasters, political corruption, social injustice and supply chain disruption have now become a part of our everyday conversations.
In my practice as an astrocartographer, I’m hearing from many that it’s getting harder for them to feel safe anywhere on our planet.
Homo sapiens are tribal animals. Historically we have lived in groups in order to increase safety in numbers. But today when we live with others in partnership or community, there is often discord stemming from the stress generated by our cultural disconnect from nature.
When we are together and there is no relationship disharmony, we often suffer worrying about other sources of stress that are common today.
When we live alone and the refreshment of solitude wears thin, we suffer from not having the comfort that only feeling rooted in family or community in a turbulent world can offer.
What’s a body to do??
THE HIGHER TRUTH
In short, we’re all struggling to adapt to the endless barrage of exterior challenges that have characterized the changing biological landscape. Less obvious to some, though perhaps even more significantly, these exterior conditions are the result of a deeper reality within.
The more profound truth is that we are one human psyche suffering in different bodies from the interior insanity that arises from our precariously challenging position- we are relentlessly pursued by galactic “phantoms”, most of which we cannot see, both planets and stars, who permeate (invade?) our vulnerable minds in the form of thoughts and feelings and pose oh-so-convincingly as "me".
Limited to the perceptions produced by our five senses, we are at a distinct and vivid disadvantage!
Extraordinary tools like Astrocartography can put us into a far better informed and thus more empowered position for choosing where we will have the most celestial support when we relocate.
But when relocating is not an option to improve quality of life, as conditions on the ground squeeze us all tighter, more and more of my clients are reaching out to learn how they can gain understanding and increase skills for living right where they are. This can and does increase quality of life dramatically for many. Knowledge is power.
THE SAGES HAVE ASSURED US
And when celestial influences bare down and we can’t relocate and when knowledge of the planets is enlightening and empowering but stress is still dominating our lives, the next best solution is to find the home within.
This is when we need to train ourselves to let go of the relentless stories that dominate our consciousness and stay anchored in the present moment.
We have an option, albeit easier said than done, to practice present moment awareness. This isn’t a mystical skill. It is very practical. It allows us to accumulate so much life force that we become immune to the invasion of depleting negative energies.
This is the ultimate human challenge and liberation when we cease to be victims of the phenomenal world. We can say no to being human puppets on planetary strings, and claim our Sovereignty.
BECOMING PRESENT TAKES PRACTICE
So here are a few practical tools…
Pay attention to your breathing. The breath is our constant companion. It is reliable, trustworthy and always available to be our anchor in a turbulent mind and in the turbulent world our collective inner turbulence sustains. We can use it to slow down our minds and bring us back to our bodies. Breathing in I smile to the present moment. Breathing out I relax my whole body. This is my mantra at every red light when I’m driving. Simple reminders uplift our daily experience in profound ways.
Eat, sleep and rest well. The mind and spirit are only as healthy as the body can support. If our bodies are exhausted or poorly nourished with low quality and low frequency foods, our state of well being will suffer in direct proportion. Take care of your temple. It is your personal piece of our sacred Mother Planet, great Earth.
Look up. Learn all you can about how to work productively with the planetary influences you were born under and are currently living under. Explore those your most intimate companions were born and are currently living under which also have a huge effect on you. The more we know about our natal and progressed planetary influences on the map and in the charts, the better equipped we are to work with them in a cooperative and informed manner. This makes all the difference in how they unfold in our lives.
Look down. Turn to the Natural world for understanding and love. The living Mother Earth and our bodies which are made of the Earth are our first connections to cosmic reality. These, in my experience, are the greatest source of comfort while living in this dimension. The human journey is about waking up to our inseparability from the whole of Nature. The more we recognize and honor this, the greater joy and comfort we feel
Look inward. Love yourself as the sacred expression of the unity of Mother Earth and Father Sky. We walk on two legs and serve as antennae connecting the celestial and terrestrial worlds. It’s challenging work so we must remember to be kind and gentle to ourselves. If the environment doesn’t feel nurturing we can give what we’re yearning for to ourselves in creative ways. Let us make a beautiful presentation and light dinner candles even if we eat alone. Much of what we hope to acquire from the outside is already present within us just waiting to be recognized, expressed and celebrated in a spirit of gratitude.
Look outward. Give your mental attention to what you want to increase in your life. So often we are tracking what is wrong so intently that we completely fail to note all that is right and how much we already have. When you wake up tomorrow notice how good it feels to be warm before plunging into your day. You have blankets and pillows. So many in the world would give anything for that experience.
Regardless of how challenging our circumstances and environment may be, the opportunity to cultivate a feeling of safety and find a home within is always there. Thriving or failing to thrive is as much a state of consciousness as it is a reflection of circumstance and environment.
With enough insight, this historically challenging time on our planet, when so many feel confined to being where they are, can become the profoundly needed motivation for cultivating our inner resources, for improving our minds and daily habits to inhabit more Light. No matter what the future holds for any of us as individuals or as a species, with enough sincerity and effort, this might just be the catalyst for the alchemical personal and planetary transformation we all need.