What on earth is going on with faith-based problems lately?

It seems like every time I turn around lately--newspapers, tv--there's so much strife, suffering and violence going on lately in the area of religious groups (BBC just reported yesterday that babies are being tossed off 50' roofs onto sheets as part of a blessing ritual common to Hindu and Muslim beliefs. The reporter couldn't bear to look at the footage.) What, literally, in the heavens is going on to create so much activity?

Thanks : )

Some astrological answers

Whenever we see wide-spread happenings over a period of time, we have to look at the outer planets. Since most on this list use the Tropical Zodiac, we'll look there.

PLUTO is moving back and forth across the boundary between Sag & Capricorn.
** Pluto = irreversible change, power, subversion, intensity
** Sag = foreign affairs, travel, higher education, religion, opportunity.
** Capricorn = government, large organizations, infrastructure, stability.
Using these key words and others, we can see correlations between astrology and the news you are referring to.

SATURN is in the first degree of Virgo, making a trine aspect to Pluto.
** Saturn = processes, restrictions, caution, limitations.
** Virgo = discrimination, attention to detail, careful work.
** Trine aspect = ease of working together, automatic and alternating flow.
Using these key words and others, we can see that societies limitations and attention to processes alternates and accommodates an acceptance of not being attentive to common sense and care about others.

JUPITER is at 22 Capricorn sextile Uranus at 21 Pisces.
** Jupiter = expansion, religious trappings, social activities, optimism
** Uranus = revolutionary change, surprises, fluctuations & extreme views.
** Sextile aspect = communication, adjustments, publicity, actions taken
Using these and other keywords we can see that, astrologically, we should expect differences in how religious views and activities are seen by others, that extreme fluctuations and statements will be made. In the US, we only have to see the controversy concering Obama's former minister and his extreme statements (as seen by many).

This simple approach can be taken by anyone to forecast what will happen in the future or to explore what is happening now. This makes for good practice in terms of learning astrology. In addition, you can look at the daily fast moving planets such as the Sun, Moon and inner planets to see how they interact with the big news shapers.
** The Sun will show where the spotlight and authorities are active.
** The Moon will show how the public reacts.
** Mercury will shows whats in the news and on TV.
** Venus will show what values and harmony-of-views are being impinged on.
** Mars will show how anger and counter-actions are being expressed.

Dave

The way you put it makes so much sense.

The news has just been so shocking lately--it hit me yesterday watching cnn at the dr.'s office--they kept looping about this boy who wanted to die so he could go and kill Jesus and the whole FLDS thing with the boys possibly being beaten up and/or molested and then to come home and read in the wsj that parts of the Japanese population are storing up "suicide pills" because they fear their country being taken over and then to turn on the internet and see all these people in Japan googling how to kill themselves "beautifuly and peacefully" with charcoal and sulfate gasses, then the world-wide food shortage and people starving...it's just all seemed to have gotten a little overwhelming for the world lately. I'm thinking, "Is it the media being sensationalist or are they just reporting what's happeing--people feeling this crushing pressure?"--I think it may be a bit of both, sadly. It's such a good planet to have it feel overwhelmed.

I hope it's not the 2012 date coming into focus, but with so many belief systems, could they all be synchronizing? I mean, it must have some relevance for our solar system to finally wander back to the center of the galaxy after 26,000 years, lining up precession and all...but everything seems like it's getting so intense, so quickly, world 'round.

One other short, quick question: I'm currently reading a book which touches on theories that have made their rounds with me a few times before--big, resonant moments, sometimes lasting years--cycles of coming back and touching the same point. Would this fall into the same category of "wide-spread happenings over a period of time"?

Thank you so much : ) Again and again, Dave

Cycles and cycles

One thing that an astrologer learns over time is that there are cycles and then there are cycles. While everything has a start, nothing ever ends in a total sense. What exists now, astrologically, has often existed before in more or less the same way. If you check out the following site . . .

http://www.isleofavalon.co.uk/ephem.html

. . . . you will find an astrological timeline linked to historical events all over the world from many hundreds of years B.C. up to now. This will give you a sense that things aren't ever so screwed up that things will end. Using this site, we can go back in time and see how similar today is to several periods in history. Before you feel too bad lets consider a bunch of random facts.

** The Tropical Zodiac was made up by the Greeks around 212 AD based on their mis-understanding of astronomy and astrology as had been practiced for a millennium before that by many cultures. So, Pluto entering into Capricorn may not be what it's cracked up to be -- as that has already happened several years ago in the Sidereal zodiac. You may recall that government practices have not been in the interest of the public for these past years, that global corporations do what they want and answer to nobody. This is a Pluto in Capricorn development.

** The center of our galaxy is in early Sag. We are not there yet. We will never be there. Gravity and motion acts such that small things orbit around big things. If the center of our galaxy was so strong gravity-wise, everything would be moving towards it. Instead, the universe is expanding. We are just on a wild ride with our own temporary power source -- good for many millions of years yet.

** Back in the 1970's, a fundamentalist preacher named Jim Jones took his flock of believers to South America and convinced them all to drink grape-flavored poison. Several hundred men, women and children died. This wasn't enough of a lesson because several years ago when the comet Kahouti (spelling) passed by, a cult in California layed down in their bunks and killed themselves so their souls could ride the space ship hidden in the comet. This stuff seems to always go on. Nothing changes. It may not be possible to help the groups in Japan who plan to kill themselves any more than it is to help other people forget the rage that has been passed down hundreds of years from one generation to the next generation based upon past battles.

** 2012 has already been discussed recently on this list and a case made to put it into the proper perspective. There are so many ways that planets and cycles can be interpreted or responded to that it is unlikely that a few jungle tribes could predict anything beyond natural events that would impact a fully different and impossible-to-imagine culture and world such as the present one.

Don't feel bad about my comments about the Sidereal and Tropical zodiacs. Anyone who has followed my work knows that I don't use signs in my work, and often I ignore houses as well. I keep my astrology very simple. But that is only possible after you have learned just about everything, tested it, and thrown away what isn't right for you. So, don't ever dispair. Just go back to the basics like I did at the start of this thread and don't get lost in a bunch of extra details. No early-studies astrologer should, in my opinion, spend time looking at asteroids, black moons, arabian parts, sabian symbols, uranian planets, etc. until they first can understand a natal chart, several progression charts, and transits. Hope this helps. Dave

There's a reason I smile and think of you as "Guru Dave" : )
....(very rightly heart-felt : ) )