The Turning Wheel - Astrology for rEvolutionaries Summer 2010 by Rhea Wolf

Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,
imagine grief as the outbreath
of
beauty or the gesture of fish.
Swim for the other side.
Wage peace.
Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious...
~Wage Peace, by Judyth Hill

The Summer Solstice chart, which sets the tone of things for the next three months, holds a Grand Cardinal Cross—a major gateway energy in astrology. Yes, it’s big. Yes, it’s intense. Yes, it’s time to change. Those who argue for continuing on our current path of over-consumption and violence are delusional and out of synch.

To get in synch with the energy being activated now by the planets, we must clear away cataclysmic thinking and generate reverence and humility for the life-sustaining powers of our home planet. One phrase keeps coming back to me: “Small is beautiful.” This phrase originated in economic theories of the 1970s, but it’s applicable to many aspects of the new culture we are creating.

This country was built upon individual ambition, success (which implies a winner/loser model), and innovation. All this feeds into a bloated notion of “greatness” demanded of heroes, role models and leaders. Ambition, success and innovation alone are not inherently bad, but we need to renew our definitions of these words in order to recognize that greatness takes many forms and that important actions are not always visible or far-reaching.

The old ideas of greatness can lead into some pretty dark alleys of selfishness and greed, as well as self-defeat and fear. If you want to make change in the world, you can get stuck in thinking that whatever you do, it has to be BIG. If it’s not BIG enough then it’s not going to do enough to stop the destruction.

Well, what would happen if everyone stopped trying to do something BIG? Maybe the world has had enough of humanity’s big ideas and would prefer for us to sink into some small but beautiful projects.

There is a critical need to shift perspective away from a need to do something BIG, and to reorient it toward intuitively giving support to what needs our support. Look around your neighborhood, city, local forest; then listen and observe. Opening to the wisdom of these systems can move us out of habitual thinking toward innovation.

According to activist and Witch Starhawk, the “edge” ecosystem, that area where two different ecosystems meet, is the place where life is the most diverse, the most vulnerable, and the most interesting. Because living on the edge creates vulnerability, we must foster cooperative relationships. Because those living on the edge are often strange and radical, we have to be cunning, striving to build on our allies’ strengths and skills. Because the edge loves diversity and complexity, we must be able to see the Divine working through each being.

The Cardinal Cross this summer gives us some guidance in how to live at our edges and incorporate a new paradigm of greatness in our lives. Here are some of its gifts:

• Uranus and Jupiter in Aries bring us Inspiration and Trust in Self. Letting go of self-perceptions that label us as alternately superior or inferior to others, we step into our core power.

• The Sun in Cancer brings us Empathy, an opportunity to nurture and support ourselves and others as we take small steps toward our dreams.

• Saturn in Virgo and Libra brings us Humility and Commitment. We admit that we don’t have all the answers; but that doesn’t stop us from committing to our actions, while continuing to learn and improve along the way.

• Pluto in Capricorn brings us Perspective. Acknowledging the limits of individual power and what we can control, we align with the powers of the universe, to higher ideals born out of common need. Challenging ourselves to see in new ways, to question our beliefs and values, keeps our values alive and open to new flows of information.

Small is beautiful. You are beautiful. See yourself in a new way. See others in a new way. Unless we change our perspective, we’ll stay stuck in the old ways—beating ourselves up, trying to control outcomes, feeling powerless and confused, going it alone—and things will go rolling along the same road. Instead, invite your friends over and hold a radical, intuitive, emotionally awake brainstorming session and see what emerges.

The Summer Solstice on June 21st ushers in a season of change to help us call in the fresh perspective we need to create a new chapter of peace and wholeness. Any day this summer will be a good day to say, “I’m ready to live at the edges. I’m ready to serve life. I’m ready to be small and powerful.”

Rhea Wolf is an astrologer, writer, and spiritual activist. Contact her for a reading or to find out more about her Inner Fire: Summer Solstice workshop on June 20th in Portland (www.pdxwomenwriters.com). She is available by phone and in person for astrology readings and energy healing. To sign up for her free Full Moon reports, go to http://turningwheelastrology.com or email rhea@turningwheelastrology.com.