That’s the way it’s been in town / Ever since they tore the jukebox down.
Tonight at a bit past 8 pm EDT (just past midnight UTC), the Moon forms a conjunction to the Sun — this is the Libra New Moon. If you recall, it’s been two whole weeks since the total eclipse of the Moon in Aries; that was the corresponding Full Moon along the Aries/Libra axis.
Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina.
We’re still at the end of the storm phase of Mercury retrograde, so you may still be feeling some effects of that.
Some of this may be on the human plane; consider what you have to say to others and what you want from them. Resolve those issues one at a time, consciously, in human fashion; figure out where people are coming from. This is what makes you human — your ability to respond to the human condition. You might think you don’t owe people that; you might think you have “compassion fatigue.”
Asking for what you need and not expecting others to read your mind is also part of what makes you human. I recognize how uncomfortable we think this is — this bit about personhood. I know that word has not been popular for a while. I know it’s kept mostly in the dusty “self help” section in a used book store in Berkeley. But we need it here and now.
Then there are tech issues. Be meticulous so you don’t leave threads hanging. Try not to get frustrated; just keep the energy moving and when in doubt, ask for a customer service supervisor.
In today’s New Moon chart, the Moon and Sun are standing face to face with Uranus, an energetic, mischievous planet, which can give the sensation of something sudden and unexpected about to happen. In a sense that’s always true, at least in our era. Yet how we respond to that feeling deserves some self-observation.
Chart for the Libra New Moon, in just a few hours. Mercury is conjunct the North Node and there is still a lot going on in Virgo.
Many people really do live like they’re not going to come out of the house, try something new, go out with that person, put that plan into action, do something with my life, or whatever, all because everything is about to go to the shitter and what’s the use anyway. That’s a great way to squander your life, and it’s becoming truly commonplace; it’s becoming the expected norm.
Then we get a lot of people reaffirming for one another that this is the “right” way to live. And doing anything vaguely real gets categorized as scary and weird.
There has always been an uncertainty factor living on our planet, where nothing is assured and where there are many obstacles. But we who live in Western civilization have as our main obstacle our own psychology. Even amidst all the cultural forces at work, mainly we face the functioning of our own minds.
Much of that takes place in relationships. Moon-Sun opposite Uranus is a reminder that you are not a robot, and nor are the people around you. Uranus is the original symbol of electric technology, discovered as it was at the dawn of electricity. That journey has now reached hyperbolic proportions, where it would seem that 95% of all interpersonal communication is processed with a robot as an intermediary — by which I mean the Internet in its many manifestations.
If you look at all your gripes, concerns and frustrations with how people treat one another in our era, you could sum them all up as people acting like robots and expecting others to do the same. We are gradually conditioning ourselves to do this by communicating with one another by the same medium through which we order appliances and cat litter using “one click.”
The field of media studies is far enough advanced that we know something about how people emulate the tools they use; we create them and then they create us. Here’s the thing: I don’t want to be a robot and neither do you. But what we have is a scenario where the human realm, that of voices and eye contact and feelings and eating food and taking care of one another, is becoming the alien thing, and the robot is becoming the normal thing — or so we believe.
“But we who live in Western civilization have as our main obstacle our own psychology. Even amidst all the cultural forces at work, mainly we face the functioning of our own minds”.
This is so true – and I recently lived this fact first hand. Before applying for a job in Jordan in early September, I checked in with my Somali friends – as they know a lot about that part of the world, and are generally very wise. They insisted that I go for the job, that it would be a wonderful thing for me to do.
When I then said that the idea of dismantling my (rented) flat and effectively losing a home base really freaked me out – they were extremely amused, and of course, told me that this ”problem” just didn’t exist for them. After all, not only had they crossed desert and sea, risking their lives for a better future – while growing up in Somalia they had fled with their families from place to place, trying to escape the raging battles and conflicts.
And as often happens with them, I was enlightened and humbled at the same time.
Oh Lizzy, how wise you’ve become as a result of your Somali friends. You are not your home base, you are you wherever you are. If you give you to whoever finds you, you will receive what you need from whoever you find. It was ever thus.
Your post ties in with Amanda M.’s beautifully experiential piece this week. It’s you that determines your attitude to your usefulness in any situation. Open up, dear heart, and you will discover that wherever you are in the world is the very place you were meant to be and where you are most needed in the present moment.
Blessings.
Geoff,
Thank you for the reminder of who we are and giving and receiving. Beautifully said. I needed to be reminded.
Namaste.
Ah – bless you for your beautiful and moving words, dear Geoff! You can’t imagine how much they mean to me right now – you’ve greatly soothed my rather restless, aching heart. And I’ll put them in a safe place. Thank you. ((()))
“Are you human?”
Partially anyway. 🙂 Great piece Eric really interesting and resonates. Our New Moon is sitting pretty in Libra, in my 1st.! Opposite Uranus ..plans are being put into action. There is greater definition between and to others and saying what I want and will achieve. Moon is also trine Natal Mars and Venus in 9th, and sextile Natal Mercury so making my intention and dreams known and true! Jupiter conjunct Pluto, I believe may be helping things along too..
This article sums up the reason why I’ve wanted to disconnect from Facebook. Social media, but especially FB, has become increasingly robotic, like we are no longer acting human but just going through some pre-programmed, unconscious motion of ‘click, click, click” & it seems self awareness got deleted & sent to the trash bin somewhere along the way. By disengaging with FB, it feels easier to go within & become more mindful of the internal stuff, aka the important stuff. It can initially be a bit lonely outside the world of Facebook but it’s real & quieting & the communication I do have (not a lot I have to admit outside of that world) is on a much deeper & meaningful level which is something I have not often experienced on FB. I guess I’m experiencing what life used to be like prior to the age of social media & extra grateful for those that have remained present & able to hold a long, steady conversation. Thank you for this article Eric, you are definitely one of the present ones on this planet.
Hello Jeeyon, yes, it’s somewhat possible to disconnect, but one thing we’ve learned from 50 years of media studies is that the attitudes and values affect people who have never even touched or used or seen the media in question. TV shaped all of society, including people without a TV. So we have a larger challenge on our hands here. It’s not people acting robotic on FB; it’s people acting like they’re on FB when they’re walking around in town.
That’s a very important point Eric & I appreciate your thought on that. It all comes down to how conscious are we living our lives whether on or off social media. This is an important distinction I want to make for myself & how I live my life presently & into the future which includes those that I want to engage with on a human level. The theme is heavily focused on relating, to oneself & others & it’s a very interesting time to be alive & witness what is happening to us as a society with social media motivating & monitoring our every move. I want to be very conscious of this. Thank you for always being so insightful.
Hmm – as one who has kept away from FB (and it often feels like I’m the only one who hasn’t been invited to the party – but I prefer that to communication overwhelm)) I am really interested by your comment, Eric – and think that you’re absolutely right.
Hi Lizzy ~ I think there’s a real sense of isolation one can feel on FB as the nano second conversations appear & disappear along the news feed. Even if the thread starts out meaningful, there’s something that inherently feels incomplete & never really worked out even if it seems so on the surface. So for me the communication overwhelm I feel a lot of the time on FB is because the communication fell short & lead to an ‘underwhelming’ experience. I think it’s the attention span thing that leaves me hanging as I can’t process, purge & move on as quickly as some can on FB.