125: FIRM FOUNDATIONS FOR 2022
MON 17 JAN 23:48 - Mooning Monthly building back better for 2022.....
Happy Cancer Full Moon folks
It's the first full moon after the Midwinter Solstice, traditionally known as the Wolf Moon, so let's howl a bit.
There's plenty of emotional, waterborne, lunar ruled Cancerian influence at play, amidst a couple of testing planetary retrogrades (Venus and Mercury), making for a wobbly opening to the year.
We'll most likely be craving the comforts of the familiar, tried and tested, and any nasty shocks from new territory, particularly in matters of the heart and sensuality, will burn us badly, sending us recoiling even further towards those circumstances we trust and rely on.
With retrogrades in full effect, the coming month is not one in which to embark on grand new schemes or sign binding contracts....even government secured ones (more of which later)....cos they're likely to go pear shaped later in the year.
Once in emotional retreat during the next fortnight, we are likely to be confronted by the nature of our trusted foundations (familial, financial, sexual, societal et al), some revealing themselves to not be as solidly unshakeable as we previously thought.
This is a full moon under which to make a clear assessment of the footings of our personal foundations; call in the internal structural engineers to devise a plan for shoring up any areas of subsidence that might lead to collapse in the year ahead. Without beating about the bush dear friends, we should expect to be doing a shift or two's hard labour.
And what about our brand spanky new 2022?
Perhaps first, we ought to bid a not so fond farewell to 2021. The second year of Covid lockdowns was less a savage beating circa 2020 and more a slow torture by gaslighting from those in power. The erosion of personal liberties warranted by the initial clamour to combat the epidemic have been seized upon by governments and associated individuals to cement power and privilege...not to mention oodles of cash.... in their favour.
Sadly, it really isn't something to joke about. In the UK, we are facing a draconian Police Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill that will legally threaten our constitutional right to peaceful protest if judged by Police to be causing 'serious annoyance'. The suggested sentence for causing 'serious annoyance' while protesting is 51 weeks in prison with a maximum sentence of 10 years! Please folks, if you aren't already involved, find a way to make your voice heard. (Liberty petition to sign here) Unbelievably thus far, the bill has sailed through Parliament unopposed and largely unreported by the corporation owned media... which protestors tend to annoy of course.
Further, a recent High Court judgement ruled that the initial Covid PPE fastrack 'VIP Lane' procurement directives were 'unlawful' highlighting a liturgy of multi-million pound cases of fraud, falsified procurement and abuse of governmental privilege.
50 companies with as little as £18,000 in assets were awarded £100+ million, tender free, government contracts (money up front naturally) after being 'referred' to the VIP Lane by those within government in a position to do so. The contracts were to provide PPE protective garments, masks and medical ventilators - in essence little more work than ringing Amazon and placing an order with relevant suppliers, some of whom the government were already buying from. The British Government even picked up responsibility for the logistics of distribution once product was in the UK.
One of the 50 companies mentioned , PPE Medpro Ltd actually had NO assets and did not exist 6 weeks before securing a £332 million series of contracts. It was referred to the VIP Lane by Baroness Mone who is married to multimillionaire Douglas Barrowman who runs KNOX Group. Two of the directors of its subsidary, KNOX House Trust are also directors of PPE Medpro.
Smell something fishy?
According to the ruling, much of the equipment ordered was overpriced, untested, proved to be unfit for purpose but the money had already been paid to those in receipt of contract. In the specific case of the £100 million contract given to Crisp Websites Ltd (aka Pestfix Ltd) - referred to the 'VIP Lane' by a senior NHS civil servant (with only two years service yet already handed a UK civil service honours gong...) and run by his father-in-law's best friend - each tax paying person in the UK will have unwittingly handed over £3.50 to their company account. The PPE they bought on our behalf was defective and had to be burnt. Enormous dividends were still paid to their directors.
Heard enough yet?
Of the 50 companies outlined in the High Court ruling, 100% were referred to the fast track arrangement by Tory MPs, Tory peers or senior Tory civil servants. Their personal connections have secured eye-watering amounts of public funds for procurement contracts before anyone in industries relevant to the Pandemic were given the opportunity to make a case to offer those services themselves.
The sales enquiries and purchases could often have been completed by the highly trained civil servants in the Cabinet Office and Health Department with very little additional workload. Dividends to the directors of all the companies concerned are still being investigated but obviously ran to tens of millions. Tax arrangements have already seen much of the money go 'offshore'.
Sadly, the Government has resisted efforts made in the High Court to release information about how much 'VIP Lane' PPE had to be binned and the ultimate costs of the debacle to the UK Tax payer, citing extraordinary economic circumstances. (For further recommended reading, research, analysis and comment: Private Eye 1560 Nov 25 2021 - do please subscribe)
So why dig up and energise such examples of avaricious, self-serving bile under this Cancer Full Moon? I've only scratched the surface and I realise it doesn't make for comfortable coffee break banter. Is anyone served by the regurgitation of disheartening information in this column, the very limited amount I've learned about any of it?
Two answers perhaps?
1: I've vented about an issue that as an average earnings UK taxpayer makes me feel sick to the stomach and that, very selfishly, makes me feel a bit better. As suggested earlier, it's sometimes good to howl at the moon.
2: Under a Cancer Full Moon that could possibly strip us back to the shaky bare foundations of our core beliefs, we need to make some conscious choices about the rebuild neccessary if we're not happy with what we discover in our personal and collective basements.
This primarily involves some deep introspection, quite probably uncomfortable, that candidly examines where we've been groomed, seduced or coerced to eventually become complicit in allowing our thoughts, words and actions to be undermined, devalued and abused by those who willingly gain power from our indoctrinated distractions.
If we don't spend time developing a conversant engagement with the critical internal dialogue that determines our own life experience, there are sadly, plenty in society who will fill the vacant creative void with their own self serving narratives and agendas. Without attentive observation this becomes what we are fed and end up believing.
We don't need most of the stuff we are led to believe we need and our rapacious demands for all manner of concocted, unnecessary personal luxury is at work in our lives in the same way it is at work in the lives of opportunist, profiteering MPs, Peers and directors of suspect procurement companies - albeit on a slightly different scale. For 'new Ford Fiesta in garage' simply read 'new luxury yacht moored in Antibes'. Sorry folks, but it's a different shade of the same climate destroying cultural construct.
How we reclaim our sovereignty of thought, word and action is ultimately our own affair, but my hope is that if you're reading this, a major aspiration will be to use them to help other people and the planet as a whole, over and beyond the sole ambition of fulfilling selfish desires. Many wisdom traditions speak of the deep satisfaction rendered by service to others, which is probably why they are considered wise and why the current, planet raping consumerist doctrine most of us have, quite literally, bought into, is the very opposite.
Perhaps the best I can offer here, as I tend to do under this moon each year, is a simple practical step in the direction of reclaimed sovereignty in thought, word and deed, so here goes....
DO yourself a favour - make a regular date with your Soul.
Your inner world; intuition; True Self; Spirit; Abhah; Allah; God (whatever) - call it what you will - just make time and space in your life to make contact. Also known as meditation, contemplation or prayer, it's easy to do, merely requiring an applied will and a wee bit of routine discipline.
Here's how if you want some guidance:
Recommended as you first rise in the morning or just before you retire to bed in the evening...or both.
Switch off the devices - no distractions.
If necessary, let others in your household know that you do not wish to be disturbed for a short while.
Create a quiet, relaxed space with a chair in which you can sit comfortably with a straight back (option to light a candle/incense should you wish. Wrap yourself in a blanket if it feels right).
Sit with a straight back and concentrate solely on your breathing until your thoughts start to slow down.
Don't beat yourself up if your uncontrolled thoughts keep distracting you - just acknowledge those thoughts, observe their origins and swiftly return your concentration to the breath....quite literally the physical sensations of breathing in and out and only this.
When the mind finally calms (5 -10 mins), ie when the gaps between thoughts get noticeably longer, a spaciousness may be experienced.
Explore it.
Where are you in relation to that space?
Relax and dwell in the spaciousness as long as feels comfortable, returning concentration to the breath when thought intermittently arises.
To finish, gratefully acknowledge that spaciousness as your own: a safe, happy, healthy and, above all, peaceful space to which you can return at any time simply by focusing on your breath.
Return to the awareness of your body, surroundings and your day to day activities, hopefully imbued with peace.
You have begun to enjoy and picture "a love of already satisfied desire." (Albert Einstein)
It's better than telly.
DO give this practice a regular spot in your daily digital diary.
DO employ it as a symbol of your intent to raise your own awareness in 2022. Wear it as a badge if you have to.
DON'T fret if you miss a few days. Just return to the practice as soon as possible and reaffirm your commitment to positive change.
DO observe the transformations manifest in your life almost instantaneously.
DO try not to gloat or appear smug as a result.
DO remember and repeat throughout the year ahead, "Love is stronger than death."
It's a potent, fear busting mantra that stimulates vital rebirth and renewal. Let's use it unrepentantly!
Under this emotionally charged Cancer Full Moon, let's resolve to build firm foundations in our personal lives and wider communities that can support the construction and maintenance of a healthier, more equitable, just, peaceful planet for the benefit of All.
Here's to 2022 dear friends. Please share this message and may Love be your buoyant, abundant and selfless currency.
'Til next time....
Mark
JUST SO YOU KNOW....
I'm changing things up a bit for 2022 as I often like to do at the start of a new calendar year. Over the coming months, full moon offerings are likely to be more freeform and intuitive. Whilst retaining their perilously loose astrological leanings, I'll be throwing in social commentary and an occasional list of pithy, salient do's and don'ts aimed at enlisting the sovereignty of our thoughts, words and actions toward meaningful change for the benefit of all... AND, if that weren't enough, regularly publishing a Weighton original to enhance your monthly 'Mooning' meditations.
For the time being these writings will be additionally available on the website www.mooningmonthly.com but before long my various, diverse outputs will be consolidated on the website www.markweighton.com. Naturally, I hope you enjoy this year's productivity. Your comments and kind support are always welcome. Don't hesitate to get in touch should you feel the urge. Collaborations and commissions always considered...apart from portraits of pets and children.
FULL MOON MARKS
EACH MONTH DURING 2022 WE PUBLISH A RECENT, LUNAR INFLUENCED
ARTWORK BY ARTIST AND FELLOW MOONER MARK WEIGHTON
TRANSITION 7
14 x 10cm watercolour on paper