85: UK PRE-ELECTION SPECIAL
TUES 26 NOV 15.05 - Mooning Monthly Edition 83 voting with a rebel yell......
Salutations dear Mooners
A new moon secrets itself away in Sagittarius this coming Tuesday. New moons are typically periods in which to dream hard, reinvent ourselves and plan for new projects. They are an effective time to examine old habits, behaviours and beliefs as we search for new and inventive ways to make progress. The more ambitious and concerted the thinking, the greater likelihood of those dreams manifesting in line with our aspirations.
Some flexibility is required. If we prescribe too rigidly the means by which our dreams are to come true, the possible routes to success diminish. If we leave the detail of 'how' a desire may manifest to the natural intelligence inherent to all existence and instead, focus steadfastly on the 'what' we wish to see realised, unlikely pathways will regularly offer themselves towards our goals. The trick then is to gratefully recognise the detour provided and make conscious, intuitively informed choices about our direction of travel. If we are merely intent on following a map of previously charted, well trodden paths rather than venturing off piste, a direct route to even greater beneficial outcomes may well be missed.
Sagittarius is symbolised by the archer: keen of sight and deadly of aim. When the quarry has been correctly identified and stalked, a confident, calm aim is taken and the target rarely missed. Something of an assassin, the Sagittarius arrow may be tipped with poison if impediments or people are placed in the way of the objective. This can lead to casualties.
This Sagittarius New Moon combines the focused sharp shooter with a recent febrile sense of rebellion (Mars and Uranus in opposition on the astral chart). Global violent civil unrest continues apace in Lebanon, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, Iraq, Iran and France with even greater fears for the protesting pro democracy students in Hong Kong than last month (see Mooning Monthly 83 here). Here in the UK, subsequent to huge public protests across the country at the Brexit impasse in parliament, a general election has been called......surprise, surprise......on the Gemini Full Moon, Thursday 12th December.
Gemini, represented by the twins, is sometimes portrayed as being slightly schizoid, inconsistent and indecisive - a jack of all trades but master of none who likes to keep all options open for fear of losing out. The full moon election will heighten any emotional tensions, intensify fears and widen Gemini schisms. We will be at full moon fever pitch on polling day itself and decisions about where we place our vote are likely to fluctuate until the last minute.
Over the next three weeks our already polarised society is likely to be taking poisonous aim at any opposing faction and dividing even further. Previous loyalties, between families, friends, communities and within political parties are likely to be deeply tested. The haters are going to have a field day. We Mooners will need to be vigilant and resist any rise to provocation that is offered. Spiteful exchanges, however warranted they may appear at the time, serve no one.
This lunar Sagittarius/Gemini mix adds up to a mood of chaotic rebellion. As individuals we all seem to be reacting against someone else's opinion or standpoint but as a collective we don't know which way to turn. We want to challenge systems but paradoxically don't know where to train our aim (Sagittarius) because society is reticent to give up anything of the lifestyle to which it has become accustomed (Gemini).
Stasis is the predictable outcome of the chaotic thinking and behaviour with horrendous implications for the planet. Even with mounting scientific evidence of the climate emergency/catastrophe that will have a detrimental effect on us all (but disproportionately on the world's poor) assumptions are being made about the personal agendas of the message bearers rather than instigating meaningful action to address the calamitous message itself.
Journalism, the once trusted last bastion of truth has undermined itself through a heartbreaking desire to pitch itself as entertainment. Political interviewers flirt with their interviewees, the cult of personality and its social media spin offs dominate any reasoned or inventive argument. Sound bites and false news have rendered us confused and distrusting whilst perversely being available to the all pervasive bullshit 24 hours a day.
We here at Mooning HQ read with some glee this week, a quote attributed to Banksy, the renowned graffiti artist, arch rebel and would-be Mooner:
People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you're not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you. You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like, wherever they like with total impunity.
Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head. You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don't owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. they never asked for your permission, don't even start asking for theirs.
As a species, humanity has become the embodiment of the ancient symbolic Ouroboros: the circular image of a snake eating its own tail. Once read as a sacred symbol of eternity and transformation, a modern interpretation might be more a metaphor for human life going round in circles progressively consuming itself into extinction. We have been sold a consumerist pack of lies and bought into every word. Perhaps worse, we seem incapable of creating a workable, sustainable alternative.
Under this pre-election Sagittarius New Moon let us set careful aim on reappraising our support for the social and economic systems that allow environmental degradation, war, famine, disease, genocide, gender and sexual oppression/discriminatIon/exploitation, cruelty to animals, huge inequalities between rich and poor and Love Island. In short, we could harness the prevailing mood of rebellion and vote with our hearts for change. Let's vote for those we believe seek to challenge the status quo and not for those who merely offer more of the same wrapped in slightly different rhetoric. Such votes of support, whether at the ballot box or in our daily lives through a simple, uplifting smile or a random act of kindness, change the immediate landscape of our lives. If our personal thoughts, words and actions embrace the positive change we wish to see, we improve our collective chances of shaping a brighter future for the benefit of All.
Here's a Mooning election manifesto:
In this turbulent, divisive period of human history, let's redouble our efforts to cause no pain to any living thing. Let's examine our conscience for areas in our lives that we can change to alleviate suffering for ourselves and others. Let's vote with our thoughts, words, actions (and purchasing power) to manifest a better world for all. And ultimately (as we have counseled in this column before) let's vote for Love.
In the prophetic words of Saint Francis of Rossi:
Whatever you want Whatever you like Whatever you say You pay your money you take your choice
'Whatever You Want' - Status Quo - 1979
With love 'til next time
