Editor’s note: Today is the 30th anniversary of Amanda Moreno’s father’s death. In honor of this milestone, she has chosen to run this early column of hers again (originally titled simply “Emergence and Belief”), since our current astrology has immersed her in the matrix of this event. It first published in Planet Waves on Aug. 3, 2014. — Amanda Painter

By Amanda Moreno

I was six years old when my dad died. I have a few memories of him. Holding his hand as we walked through the parking lot of the hospital where my brother was born when I was two. Sitting in his lap in our rocking chair as he sang me to sleep or read me stories. I remember him teaching me the Spanish word for table. I remember running to him at the end of each day and latching onto his leg with glee that he was finally home.

Photo by graywacke/A Landing a Day

Last fall, my dad started making appearances in dream and in waking life in subtle ways at the same time as I began to access grief from his death and other experiences. I began the process of bringing my dad into my morning ritual and prayers.

The past two years, with Saturn restructuring my Moon, Sun and Ascendant, I’ve been going through phases that can be characterized as: total submersion in grief. It made sense, therefore, that the little six-year-old inside of me would be very present.

I never really cried after my dad died. I remember fixating on splinters in my feet and I know that I almost instantly took on the role of mother-and-protector in my family, at least emotionally speaking. I’ve done some work with that inner six-year-old since then, mostly by spending time in the imaginal realms, spending time with her in my arms, and giving her lots of love.

My personal work as well as the work I do with clients tends to be focused on grief and trauma. I am consistently amazed at just how deep grief goes, unfolding slowly and painfully, often mixing with other complex emotions such as guilt. Trauma is often too much for the psyche to bear.

Last fall, after a workshop during which I purged a bunch of grief, I found myself in bed with a chest cold and fever for three days. The symbolism of a chest cold is not lost on me — the lungs are specifically associated with grief. During that time, I had the opportunity to do some journaling and work with my guides. I made a commitment to working with my dad — whatever that might look like — and asked for some kind of sign from him, despite the fact that I rarely receive direct affirmation.

In any case, right after that session, I went over to lie in the Sun by my window and there was a ladybug between the window and the screen. I thought “Hey! Maybe that’s a sign! Maybe that’s a dad-ladybug!” I laughed at the thought, realizing it was kind of a stretch — why would my dad be represented by a ladybug? But I decided to just go with it.

The next day, I felt myself plunging into grief again, and got totally lost in a massive upwelling that felt like it might not end. I was wailing and barely coherent, and decided to just go with it despite my lack of understanding why — a practice I’ve found infinitely helpful. Purge that grief; clear those lungs! I could sense years of pent up grief unraveling and figured it couldn’t hurt to just get it out.

At some point, I came back to myself with an epiphany. I realized that what I’d been perceiving as a lack of trust in the universe was actually a lack of trust in myself. I believe the universe gives me the ‘right’ opportunities. I believe it is abundant in love and compassion. But I consistently doubt my ability to make good decisions, to take the opportunities I’m graced with and to ‘do the right thing’.

Then I remembered something we’d been talking about at the training. When trauma occurs, the body, emotions and mind diverge. The body has a response, which is then mediated or repressed by the mind. And oftentimes emotions are taken out of the equation. This really messes with our instinct and intuition.

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For example, when a six-year-old finds out her father is dead, her instinct is probably to freak out — to kick and/or scream and/or wail and/or lose it completely. But my six-year-old self shut all of that down — all of her natural instincts. And then the mind took over. In this process of shutting down, an imprint formed that created a fundamental split that has wounded my ability to understand and therefore trust my own instincts.

Anyway, I received guidance that day that I could help myself get out of the crying jag by going over to the window to write about what was going on internally. I sat down and there were two ladybugs in the windowsill.

And then I remembered — the day my dad died, I was at a picnic with some family friends. It was slightly overcast and we had water fights and played in the creek.

I also remember that we waded through a field of waist-high grass, each blade covered in ladybugs. We were laughing and in awe. I think it can safely be said that that was the last happy moment of my childhood, because I returned home shortly thereafter to learn that my dad was dead.

I sat on my bed, recording the memory, and the whole time there were anywhere from 1-4 ladybugs in between the screen and window and I could see others flying around outside. My heart felt lighter and I was so grateful for that little bit of magical affirmation. I was also grateful to have trusted my guides — my intuition — that told me to change my location, and gave me the chance to receive the affirmation.

“Throughout the ten directions of space
 Occupying all the quarters in & out,”
— Jack Kerouc, “Mexico City Blues” (211th chorus)

When the Sun enters a cardinal sign on the zodiac (Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn), it is a turning point you can see in the tangible world. The risings and settings of the Sun change direction from further South each day to further North at the Capricorn solstice, and back toward South again at the Cancer solstice.

At the Aries and Libra equinoxes the appearance of the Sun marks precisely East, and the solar disappearance takes place exactly in the West. Hence, the year and the zodiac are divided into quarters known as seasons, by what appears from Earth’s surface to be cyclical motions of the Sun.

Of course, we all know that it is, in fact, the Earth’s motion that brings the perceived solar cycles about. It is the rotation of our planet on its own axis that causes the alternation between day and night. Additionally, it is Earth’s orbit around the Sun that precipitates the seasons.

Nonetheless, perception is reality for all practical purposes. What’s more, the principle applies equally regardless of whether you are observing the world or your inner life. In other words, what you feel is just as real as what you see. That’s something to remember when the Sun approaches the middle of a fixed sign on the zodiac (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius), which is the case now. 

When the Sun reaches the central degree of Taurus at precisely 9:42 pm EDT tomorrow (01:42:00 UTC on Thursday), this season will be distinguished from the other three not only by what you see but also by how it feels outside. It tells you where you are in the year.

In addition, what you perceive during what some call Beltane (when life is traditionally affirmed and celebrated) will tell you where you are on Earth. In the Northern Hemisphere you will most likely find flowers. In the Southern Hemisphere you will more probably find fruit. 

Furthermore, and much more subjectively, you will at this time be able to more clearly distinguish this particular season from its previous iterations by how you feel on the inside. That’s because what some call a cross quarter is, for all practical purposes, more the center of a turning than a turning point. In a way, it’s like being in the midst of a rotating storm. What you call it depends on where you are at. Hence, how you feel now depends on your point of view.

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What you find inside now is just as valid as any objective experience of the world. That’s true even if how you feel is at variance with what is going on outside, because it tells you where you are in your life. That’s a good thing to know.

If you have the financial means, you can board an airplane and travel to another time of day or a different season by changing your physical location. While it’s not quite as simple to change your perception, it is possible (and probably less expensive). First, however, you must locate yourself; and one of the best times to do that is now.

During a cross-quarter, especially during the Beltane festival designated by the Sun in the middle of Taurus, it is an auspicious time to turn inward. No matter where on Earth your body is at this time of year, it almost certainly presents the least challenge to your physical well being.

So consider taking a vacation from your outer struggles (if not your place of residence) to find, affirm and celebrate your own center. Whether you ultimately choose to shift where that locus is or keep it where it’s at is a decision that can wait. For now, it will be enough to simply spend a little time to better know where you live on the inside. 

Offered In Service

By Sarah Taylor

What happens when last week’s Seven of Cups becomes the Eight of Cups? They’re in the same positions, on the left of the reading, and there is some significance to that. But what does it mean, where is it taking you, and what is your inner guidance system telling you about the circumstances you’re facing (albeit from what feels like a totally different perspective)?

Eight of Cups, The Hanged Man, Death from the Haindl Tarot deck, created by Hermann Haindl. Click on the image for a larger version.

Last week, I wrote of the Seven of Cups that it “speaks of an imbalance in the watery, emotional areas of life, and also of the one true path out of it.”

The Eight of Cups is the point where the imbalance becomes apparent enough that a clear a step in a different direction is the way to clarity. It’s when you know the best way you can handle what’s happening is through the acceptance that your energy — your heart — is better invested elsewhere.

The Eight of Cups helps you to know, in that heart of hearts of yours, the one true path you were seeking in the Seven. It encourages you to turn and search it out; it encourages you not to stay where you are for long. Your work here is done. The card speaks of “Failure” but there’s an invitation to consider “failure” in a different light from the one we tend to default to:

It is not you who is a failure. Nor is anyone else. It is simply a situation that has failed. It is worn down, worn thin, worn out. The wear and tear of a particular way of feeling, of an emotional approach or assumption.

Consider the concept of “failure” when it no longer has to be accompanied by shame or humiliation. It is a neutral description of a particular state. It isn’t about “should’ve” and “could’ve.” It also assists you in reaching a greater understanding of where it is that you are in your life, with yourself, and with others. It does this by creating the conditions that bring you into the realm of the card at centre, The Hanged Man.

You are perfectly on track. How could it be otherwise? This is your track to walk, it is unique, and the only mistakes are ones of misperception. You are here. How can you be anywhere else? And where you are is in a state of suspended grace, where you are afforded the opportunity to see your world in a completely new light.

You are connecting with a wisdom that wouldn’t have been available to you if you had not kept still enough — held in a place of surrender long enough — to let your hair, the seat of your waking consciousness, root itself into the earth. It is here, upside-down, that you are fed differently; you are fed by what lies beneath: the rich, fertile soils of all that has come before you, and all that you unwittingly pass over when you see only the surface of things.

The Hanged Man is the grace that you open to when you say, “Okay, I give up. This isn’t working anymore. I am through walking the same steps down an all-too-familiar route that holds no further charm for me. Those charms have all been spent. Now. Show me something new.”

And there, suspended, something new blooms. Another leaf replaces the one that is shed in the final card, Death. The Hanged Man and Death appear in this reading as they do in the Major Arcana itself, cards XII and XIII, respectively. Under these circumstances, what you are looking at is the surrender into transformation. First, there is the crucifixion; then there is the resurrection.

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You are brought back to life after your suspension; you are returned to the upperworld, where nothing may seem to have changed, but everything is different. The colours of the rainbow in The Hanged Man shift into the subtle hues of the feathers on the throat of the peacock that heralds a sweeping away of what has become old and dry.

Did I say “subtle”? Yes, for now. Nothing may seem to have changed, but at the edges of your awareness a new spectrum is dawning out of the misty air. For now, your outer vision will be limited as you tend to what’s cooking within.

The peacock knows this, overseer of what is passing away and witness of what is coming through. His tail may be celebrated for for its breathtaking beauty, but that is because the peacock is a master of keeping it under wraps, and unfurling it at just the right moment, when everything is in place.

=======

As all things come to a conclusion and a point of transformation, so it is that my wonderful six years writing for Planet Waves is meeting its own conclusion in today’s reading.

It was Eric’s intuitive hunch in 2010 that I might be able to write about tarot that started off a period of rapid expansion in my relationship with tarot, and it has been both nurtured and supported by both Eric, and my editor-extraordinaire Amanda Painter, over the ensuing years.

My time working at Planet Waves has seen me through raising my son from toddler to tween; a divorce; relocation; the death of my mother (thank you for teaching me the value of tarot, Mum); fearless exploration; and a career redefinition. I list all of these because, through them all, Planet Waves was a source of knowledge, encouragement, a constant presence — and instrumental in many of the decisions I took that got me from there to here.

And now it’s time to pay my deepest respects, and shift into something new; to move further into my own life and experiments with my art. If anyone is interested, they can keep in touch with me by visiting my website (www.integratedtarot.com).

What is left to say is, “Thank you.” Thank you beyond adequate words, and, as always, they will have to do.

With love,

Sarah

Astrology/Elemental correspondences: Eight of Cups (Saturn in Pisces), The Hanged Man (Neptune), Death (Scorpio)

If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread.

By Rob Moore

At the very end of the movie The Social Network, young Mark Zuckerberg sits refreshing his browser window to see if his love interest has accepted his friend request through his newly developed Facebook algorithm. Over and over and over he sits refreshing the window. I act out a similar scene on my phone or computer almost daily. You?

“Gaining Perspective” by Rob Moore

It’s not without fulfilling reason. When that picture you posted a couple of days ago of being silly with your friends after work is still getting likes, it’s rather exciting and a little bit amazing. But when the video you posted today about your upcoming humanities exhibit has two likes — you and the host venue — it’s only human that some very heavy let-down would ensue.

Since the onset of social media — and Facebook in particular — there has been no shortage of articles and commentaries on the double-edged sword it can so often be. And the more any of us invest our hopes and feelings of self-worth in how things play out on this Internet craps table, the sharper those edges can seem.

With communication planet Mercury and sex-related planet Mars fully in retrograde, we’re in a period when it can be very easy to misinterpret what’s happening at the root of our communications. I think it’s an excellent time to step back and take a look at the bigger picture of how Facebook and other social media are operating today… on us and by us. Even when all the planets are direct, things are not always what they seem on the big FB.

Among the key ideas in A Course in Miracles is that we teach best what we most need to learn. In that regard, I may well be at college professor level today. Since the early days when the ads were but tiny, light-blue-colored text blurbs and the page was clearly about user content, Facebook has been a frustrating trial for me. I have therefore been through numerous FB incarnations, tactical game plans and attitude adjustments.

It was clear from the newsletter that went out to subscribers on Thursday that Eric and I have been thinking very much along the same lines this week. He asks a couple of questions in his article Mercury Retrograde in Taurus: The Search for Values that relate directly to the social network discussion:

“How do you manage your personal values? And perhaps a more difficult question, how do you manage the place where your values connect to those of the people in your life, and your wider connection to society?”

I believe Facebook is the most intimate of social media and there are a number of ways we can go these days. Among the most popular include: 1) Family and friends, as it was originally intended, 2) Business contacts and career-related themes, 3) The spiritual, metaphysical and faith populous, 4) Sex interests and related connections.

For those of us aiming to live authentic lives, being exactly who we are without apology, the answer seems quite simple. Just open an account and post what happens as it happens with everyone we ever knew looking on. But there is a major flaw in that concept when we enter matters of religion (or non-religion), politics and sexual interests into the equation.

Particularly for those of us who just as passionately want to live peaceful lives, sharing our belief systems and politics with the very people we moved away from in order to be ourselves is just asking for trouble. Besides, posting half-naked pictures that your Aunt Margaret can see is not only a recipe for disaster, it’s rather inappropriate.

Sure, these days we can choose who sees what on Facebook. For me, though, this exercise is not only forbiddingly time-consuming, it exacerbates feelings that I am not being authentic. Same as I feel if I have five different profiles.

After running into frustrating walls with those aforementioned FB routes, the happiest and most authentic solution I have found for myself is to take the low road: the sexually-oriented path. I don’t have any prior connection to most of these people other than what turns us on. Any politics or religion is either an interesting bonus or means absolutely nothing to me.

If you find that to be kind of a cold compromise, it kind of is. But like so many other individuals, there is no cut-and-dried niche for me. I like metaphysics but I don’t like religious New Age-ism. I used to enjoy those photo bonding-moments with cousins I hadn’t seen in 20 years and I thought it was cool seeing my college buddies’ families. But having to endure bigotry and religious rants from these deeply rooted connections outweighed and outlasted any enjoyment.

I really didn’t intend to head so deeply into this aspect of social media but these exact types of choices — or failure to choose — can have a strong impact on our self-esteem and feelings of security. In an imperfect world, choosing the path that offers our authentic selves the greatest peace and ease can sometimes be as authentic as it gets. Once we find that to be true, there is every reason to feel good about whatever conscious choices we have made.

Now to consider what we can often experience once inside the FB maze with a population who gets us.

I set out on my current sexually saturated Facebook incarnation because, at long last, it was a path that was genuinely exciting and fun to me. Having the repeated experience of being all but completely ignored during my previous Facebook attempts, I was passionately moved to crack the code this time around. This meant observing how others’ posts performed, noting the factors involved between those at the center of attention as well as those who were not.

I don’t care what’s been written or posted about ‘how to succeed on Facebook’; virtually none of it has to do with people authentically liking us. There is no formula to plug into for that. If any calculated move would help, it would be to throw out all formulas. So if your experience — like mine for so many years — has been infuriating or disheartening, if nothing else I hope my observations and experiences offer you a different outlook.

Scrolling through posts day after day, there are clearly individuals who harken back to the high school equivalent of ‘popular’. One selfie of them driving to the supermarket will get 175 likes in a couple of hours.

In my particular homosexual Facebook population, it is quite frequently a reflection of their porn actor status (even if they were in only one movie years ago), or they own the hot-spot bar, or they’re an escort or whatever. In a word, it’s politics… people who could potentially get us something we want if we were tight with them. Even if it’s a tumble with their body. Fame is in the mix, too, but the motivation for adoring famous people is quite similar to underlying political agendas.

I am glad to say that once I was on the other side of age 24, fame was something that did not seem attractive to me. I want people to want to know me and say ‘yes’ to my suggestions because they genuinely want to. Fame all but demolishes that possibility. And so, when I see dime-a-dozen photos from the same individuals racking up hundreds of likes, I move on past with disinterest. Whatever is at the core of that isn’t what I’m after.

But, alas… over time I have noticed something interesting about these same exact individuals that correlates very closely to my experience. Should any of these sexually high-profile guys post anything genuinely newsworthy or informative, those posts will only get two, three, maybe five likes on a good day. And just above that post is a photo of them holding up a box of screws at Home Depot with 387 likes.

From my own posts, a handful of people will respond to a wide variety of photos that are of me, sexually provocative or not. But as soon as I post a piece of original artwork or a link to something I created, more often than not there is no response at all.

Essentially, what I’m describing is the follow-the-herd mentality. Any post that falls outside the prevailing themes of a given FB populous has a great chance of being sidestepped. My hope is that others setting out to make sincere, heartfelt posts that seem to be overlooked will see there’s more at play here than just the public perception of us as individuals. A lot more.

Facebook, Twitter, even the Internet in general truly have striking parallels to playing the roulette wheel or slots in Vegas. I have noticed repeatedly that the visibility of a post depends more on its original trajectory than anything. If a post lands in a particular time period that misses initial viewers and responses — whether everybody’s getting ready for work or a barrage of other posts buries ours — it will just fall off the radar almost completely.

Add to that another factor I’ve noticed: there is a general hesitancy to like something that currently has only a couple of likes, no matter how hot, compelling or desirable. Conversely, if everybody else is apparently liking something, others seem more willing hit the like button themselves.

As an example, one of my profile photos that is very weak and unappealing has been liked repeatedly for some reason. The only thing that adds up is that it got on a high-profile trajectory early on and racked up a bunch of likes. Since then, when someone looks through my photos, they’ll hit ‘like’ on that photo probably because its high number says ‘this is the one to like’.

One final observation that I believe speaks volumes is an ever-increasing Big-Brother-is-watching syndrome. I noticed some while back just how blatant Facebook can be about showing posts that contain something you liked two hours ago. For instance, I rarely like or click on anything with a cat because I will soon be inundated with pussies. And I’ve noticed selecting the ‘show fewer like this’ option results in not seeing everything that friend posts… whether cats are involved or not. Therefore, I just refrain from liking or responding to such posts.

Similarly, the thought that other friends can see that we have liked some weird, freaky or kinky post has tremendous power to stop us from acting on our genuine impulses.

Today I have only barely scratched the surface of all the factors involved. There are script commands that determine whether or not our posts show up for everyone, not to mention how advertising preferences — or not even considering them — affects our posts. So, if you ever find yourself in complete awe at what appears to be total disregard for your life and interests by FB friends, you would do well to bear in mind very little is straightforward in the dollars-driven social media.

The Spring Reading is now published. You may order all 12 signs here or choose your individual signs here for immediate access. You may listen to a free audio introduction here now.

So many complex factors are involved there is truly no way to ever know for sure what has influenced an outcome. Funny, isn’t it? The more intelligent and sophisticated humans have become, the more our experiences seem to rely on serendipity, God and the universe.

On that note, my experiences with Twitter, Tumblr and most intensely Facebook have been on a trajectory of greater enjoyment that began simply by acknowledging the tiniest of milestones. When I went from zero likes for weeks on end to one single other individual on Earth liking what I shared, I stopped and appreciated that little bond and breathed in the deep gratification of the movement it represented. This was no act, by the way. It was actual realization that some kind of shift was showing signs of being afoot.

Slowly, slowly, one like became two, two became five and so on. An even greater sense of gratification emerged through the process as I found I actually really did like what this handful of people connecting with me were generally up to. Sure, the momentum wanes from time to time, connections opt out of the game and factors change. As long as we can bring it back to the moment, though, we’ll find our footing again. And rediscover pure, simple enjoyment of what is actually a rather complicated process.

’The moment’ never ceases to amaze me. I mean, is there anything that coming into the moment can’t solve? I really don’t think there is. No matter how much we humans have complicated everything that surrounds it.

The Spring Reading is now published. Order all 12 signs here or choose your individual signs here for immediate access. You may listen to a free audio introduction here.

By Judith Gayle | Political Waves

The populism that has begun to gel as a genuine political movement is largely based on financial issues, the one thing both sides of the political spectrum agree upon. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to citizens of the USA, whose independence was fought and won over the concept of improper taxation. When you blow away the mythology and romance, we’ve always been about re$ources. Just ask the indigenous people of this continent.

What IS surprising — even bewildering — is that one of those leading the anti-establishment coup is not just a member of Bernie’s ‘billionaire class,’ but as elite a member of the 1 percent as any born to it. As the Donald sweeps through a divided nation to capture the loyalty of reality TV watchers, the fact that he would throw any of them under the bus in pursuit of success seems lost on those likely to be thrown. With Trump outclassing Cruz on the right, it has become increasingly evident that our real religion here in the states involves worship of the almighty buck.

Cruz, in a limp attempt to buoy his failing campaign, has signed on former HP exec, Carley “Baby Parts” Fiorina as his presumptive VP. Ted hopes this covers all the bases his evangelical reputation lacked: private sector, big business, and — oh gawd! — lady stuff. Here’s Stephen Colbert putting that in perspective. Prepare to cringe.

While establishment politics and neo-liberal policy have pretty well lost their mojo, the same can be said of religion, which is still sliding in polls, especially among the young who find most of it coercive, limiting, and small-minded. While it seems to me that in its highest aspect, religion is an inadequate attempt to codify a genuine experience, we’re left to endure what Christianity has become in the hands of the snake handlers. This political season, Ted’s timing is seriously off.

It’s worthwhile to recall that the definition of fascism is collusion between government, corporations, and religion. The first two are a given in our current political situation, and the third seems to be giving way to secular fears at the loss of money and power. This is Donald Trump’s class war, manipulating those disenchanted citizens who embrace what might rightfully be called the religion of white supremacy (it’s crosses they burn, not dollar bills). If not actual fascism with a comb-over, there are surely fascistic foot-soldiers following behind.

Remember Michael Douglas as Wall Street mogul Gordon Gekko, who convinced us back in the ’90s that “Greed is good?” This week, “The Big Short” — a movie based on the true story of the Wall Street meltdown — came up on my Netflix queue, and now I know why Steve Carell got so many accolades for his performance as a hedge fund manager with a conscience. His stunned amazement that such a level of corruption could not only take root in the industry, but prevail undiscovered and unimpeded, matched my own — and matched, I presume, that of millions of people who couldn’t believe they’d lost their savings, their homes, their futures. They still chafe under the knowledge that none of the grifters have been held responsible.

The take-away from watching “The Big Short?” Greed isn’t good and too big to fail isn’t true, but too cold-blooded to give a rip certainly is. Knowing they’d be bailed out when things went south, nothing changed in the cold heart of the banking world when things went so very badly. The abstract sums that were lost to greed and avarice meant little to those who spun the wheel, yet with real suffering a consequence, those who botched the game suffered very little. In fact — as Bernie is fond of repeating — the banks too big to fail in the last decade are even bigger now.

This explains why the outliers are so popular, why government isn’t trusted to look after the welfare of the people, and why a bully like Donald has become irrationally attractive. Thanks to lax checks and balances, laws favoring corporations over the public, ideological tantrums, and a glut of political money, this level of fraudulent and unethical behavior happens under our noses every day.

Big Pharma was on the hot seat recently as the CEO of Valeant Pharmaceuticals testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging. In what can only be considered price gouging — an industry standard — the executive apologized for acquiring two cardiovascular products and increasing their prices by up to 525 percent. He said, in Valeant’s defense, “In retrospect, we relied too heavily on the industry practice of increasing the price of brand name drugs in the months before generic entry.”

Peachy. If only apologies meant something in an industry dominated by greed and power, especially with this company. Valeant raised prices on 16 of its products in 2016 despite pledges to align price increases with market trends, and, as reported by CBS News, raised net prices on its portfolio between October 2014 and October 2015 by an obscene 41.3%.

While I doubt that congressional scrutiny of Valeant is sufficient chastisement to impact its policy, other mis-steps have put it in real financial trouble. The corporation is being investigated by the SEC and may end up having to sell some of its assets to meet its obligations, and that’s not all. It may yet serve as the flagship for further investigation into this kind of price-hike standard, considered by some — me, for instance — to be outright fraud.

It should be noted that the FDA could help mitigate this issue by approving generics, but it’s backlogged from so many years of inaction that in 2014 not ONE new drug was approved. But never fear, good citizen. We have an energized president who is proceeding with a list of small reforms to reduce drug prices.

For the same reason a Koch brother would consider voting for Hillary Clinton, the House Democrats have devised a plan to slow down any changes to pharmacy pricing. Turns out physicians get a nice little ‘kick back’ when they prescribe pricey drugs, and they don’t want to lose that.  The lobbyists visiting with Dem legislators have convinced them to ‘go more slowly’ with such a project.

Un-huh! The old ‘change by increment’ ploy, useful to soothe the public with small perks while leaving the essential policy unscathed. This was no doubt a more effective strategy when victimization of the public trust was not so dramatic (and noticeable) as we see today. Not for the first time, shame on Nancy Pelosi for leading this one.

Now that Bernie has signaled limited expectations for the nomination, it’s left to US to remember how much is at stake in the years ahead. Sanders has called for a 50-state-strategy for progressive change, one that does not concede power to the status quo or to the two-party system corrupted by the influence of big money.

“The Democratic Party has to reach a fundamental conclusion: Are we on the side of working people or big money interests? Do we stand with the elderly, the children, and the sick and the poor, or do we stand with Wall Street speculators and the drug companies and the insurance companies?”

Bernie will push through to California, stumping for progressive reform and calling for a revitalization of American democracy, and while he does so, we need to consider how far we’ve come, as well as where we are now. I know the thought of voting for Hillary Clinton has some of you in full reverse mode, but unless the Democrats take the bully pulpit and keep options open for the kind of push leftward that Bernie represents, our ability to recreate ourselves will take decades longer than we have to spare. Some of us remember the Tom DeLay years when Dems were allowed NO voice. Let’s not let that happen again!

In an effort to establish new organizations and bottom-up advocacy to keep “the Bern” movement thriving well past the election, here’s a new push to organize into the future. Greed is no longer good, but it’s still got the upper hand, so the enemy is clear. What we do next will make all the difference.

If it seems as though the Sanders campaign is slowing down, now is NOT the time for us to do the same. Mercury retro is a re-think, not a retreat. The top-down election campaign has to give way to bottom-up grassroots dynamics that put progressive governance in city, county, and state level leadership. The nation is waiting for that change, and this is the time when we prove, once and for all, that we’re the ones we’ve been waiting for.