Red River Gorge: Stanton, KY

In this past year, the world has been at war with a virus. Everyone has been included: nurses, psychotherapists, doctors, lawyers, no one has been excluded from the fear that has besieged us. Being with our clients and patients we are in the same boat and this has challenged us to be strong in the face of fear. There was no where in the world we could run to; to get away. We all had to face what was happening individually and as a collective. We all handled this in our own way. A way that made us feel comfortable with our beliefs, our culture, our environment and what we knew to be right.

It has been a time when our faith in ourselves, others, and our spiritual beliefs have been put to the test. Some people have been afraid, so very afraid that violence ensued. Other people went into hiding hoping for the best. Some people felt a need to stand up to this fear and assert their privilege as a human being. No one was wrong because they were being true to themselves. Mistakes were made that will have to be paid for in the long term. This year will begin to show its true colors, in the future that is to come. An awareness after we have had time to sit back, discover the lessons and realize what price was paid for our actions. At the moment, everyone feels that they are right and everyone else is wrong.

As I think about this Christmas Star that is here for the first time in 400 years, the Saturn and Jupiter conjunction; I think about the meaning and its gift. It is also the first time in 800 years that it has been able to be seen by the naked eye. Nothing happens in the universe without some symbolic discussion attributed to this. Slavery first began in the United States, 400 years ago and at the same time the Renaissance was occurring between the 14^th and 16^th centuries. Jupiter represents expansion, optimism, growth, healing and miracles. Saturn represents restriction, responsibility, and those long-term lessons. Everything that has happened this year has been important to the dawn of a new era. Out of the darkness of pain and suffering, comes a light at the end of the tunnel. The Christmas Star or the Saturn and Jupiter conjunction.

What will expand, gives us optimism, cause growth through healing and miracles? At the same what will be restricted from us, where must we take responsibility and who was at fault for their actions this year? The answers will not be obvious for years to come. We will begin to see this but we won’t really know until we can look back fifty to a hundred years from now. This is because we will be focused on being right about our beliefs.

With change comes resistance. Wanting to hold onto old patterns, thoughts and beliefs. Before change occurs something very bad seems to happen because people are afraid. There is always death and destruction before there is life. A new life and a new beginning. At the full moon people who follow the ancient ways sweep out the old negative thoughts that no longer serve them, so that something wonderful can emerge or start at the new moon.

It is time for us, each individual, to determine now who we will be in this changed era. Will we be weak and fearful, lacking the courage to be a different human being or will we be strong and brave and decide we will develop more self-awareness? Those who choose to be weak will not survive. We have seen this throughout history. People will die. This is not unusual when change is about to occur. They may not die literally but their way of being will die. They may collapse inside and choose not to recover. This should not be a surprise but it will be to those living in denial. Those who are strong and emotionally intelligent will live through this and become a more powerful person. Who do you wish to be? Begin to think about what this will be.

At the same time, it is not a bad thing to be weak and fearful as this is where you are at in life. People are afraid to go to the therapist but come back years later. When they do they are ready and much more progress will occur. There will be many weak and fearful people just as there have been with this pandemic. All over the world, people have chosen to be afraid because this is what they are told to do. We can’t blame people for following orders, in a society of rules and regulations. Nor can we blame people for choosing to stand up for their rights and defy those orders because they feel it is wrong or unjustified. Of course there is a way to do it intelligently or choose ignorance. There is a middle ground though too, this has been what has saved people for generations. Playing the game in a way that works but staying true to yourself as well.

Sometimes we go into the darkness before we come out into the light. Weakness, selfishness, pain can all bring self-awareness. If not, it brings death and destruction.

There is no better way to explain the collective and individual actions, that might be taken, when deluged with a power that is stronger than us then by watching the French TV series “A French Village.” This is a historical fiction about German occupied France through the eyes of a tiny village. In this show, you will see how everyone’s lives shifted over the course of many years during WWII. You can see how each person made their own choices. Many died and a great many more survived. There is sadness for those who made bad choices or even unethical decisions but at the same time, pride in those who came through. In the end, you can only learn a lesson and have solidarity with all who survived, whether you liked what they did or not. You can watch this program and think of the virus right now; effecting our planet. The same measures by the villagers are happening right now amongst all of us.

When you look at the crisis from this perspective there are two ways to have an outcome. Become a victim and whine about it or be a survivor and prepare yourself for change.

Whatever your faith is or your beliefs, tap into this as we go through the emergence of a new era. Dig deep into the pain we are all feeling right now and see what you can learn from this. Ask yourself “What can I learn from this pandemic?” Let this stir around in your mind and then wait for your higher consciousness to give you an answer. It might not happen in the next five minutes, you might be taking a walk later in the day or driving to the office when suddenly you will hear a voice that will tell you what to do. That hidden voice from above that comes when you least expect it. The first voice you will hear is your ego. Ignore this as it is coming from you. Wait until you hear something that you did not create. Then ask yourself “Who do I need to be as I consciously prepare for what lies ahead?” In this case, you must wait even longer sometimes for the answer to be clear. You may be shown something that feels right to you. You might hear something from your higher consciousness again. You might listen to something that is said by someone else and hear some truth in it that makes sense to you.

We need to prepare right now. Whether you want to believe in astrology or not, this is not relevant. It exists because the planets ARE in the sky. If you want to label this a Christmas Star or the Star of Bethlehem or whatever story you want to create for this, something is about to happen and you can’t ignore this. No matter what you want to believe, something new will always emerge in a new year. Right now though, I am saying, in accordance with astrologers and historians we need to be prepared to sink or swim. This year was the precipice of which we can fall off of or fly; metaphorically of course. I am choosing to fly just as I have been doing this past year.

Happy New Era. All is what it needs to be. Everything is in perfect order. Everything is okay as it is; because this is what is meant to be.