Matthew Stelzner Oct 12, 2023 It’s eclipse season everybody, and it starts with the “ring of fire” solar eclipse this Saturday. This is followed two weeks later, on the 28th, by a partial lunar eclipse. I also name and discuss several other alignments that are activated and potent in the coming weeks. I end the video with a brief look at the chart for November 3rd, which is one of the most dramatic, and potentially healing charts that I’ve ever seen. All of this together makes the next six weeks the most powerful astrology of 2023. Check out the video for my thoughts on everything. For eclipse path maps: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/fut…
Monthly Archives: October 2023
Chogyam Trungpa on becoming awake
Book: “The Mythic Aim of AI: Maiming the Mind”
By James Tunney
What are the subconscious attractors that draw humanity into an intimate relationship with machine intelligence? Is it inevitable that our lives will be permanently surrounded by algorithms, monitoring our appliances, our purchase decisions, and perhaps exerting a measure of control over our lives? To what extent is this march into the future diminishing our autonomy and our soulful life? These are the questions that James Tunney addresses in his latest book.
(jmishlove@newthinkingallowed.com)
Libra Solar Eclipse, October 14, 2023
Wendy Cicchetti
Libra Solar Eclipse
When an eclipse occurs, feelings can be more prominent than usual, and they may even override “good sense!” Don’t be surprised if someone ignores logic and insists that their views are right, despite solid facts to the contrary. We might need to trust that their belief attachment is right for them, even if we dislike their stance.
The Libra solar eclipse highlights relationships that have the potential to impact us, including our connections with work, home, neighbors, and the wider community. One thing to guard against is unfairly excluding someone from a scenario where a number of people are being considered. Double-checking names could be all that’s needed to save face — and later heartache — under the murky eclipse light.
The strong Libra Moon emphasizes a tendency toward clinginess, perhaps from a herd-mentality angle, assuming safety in numbers. It’s worth examining where we seem to go with the flow because of perceived pressure from others — which may be subtle or invisible, yet powerful. For instance, if asked to attend an event, we may assume there’s a weight of expectation to do so, or feel partly responsible for another’s well being based on whether or not they also decide to attend — and this influences how free we feel to say yes or no! But this eclipse indicates we need to pay attention to our own needs.
Eclipses link with the Moon’s nodes — a reminder that we may get stuck on an auto-pilot response. Perhaps we’re keeping with tradition, and we can’t see a reason to question it. Or it feels safer to “stay with the devil we know!” Without assuming these stances are wrong, we might benefit from considering a wider range of choices.
The idea of turning a corner and finding another solution is underlined by the Sun and Moon squaring Pluto, which recently returned to forward motion. The focus is about moving on after winding something up, or being committed to the process of doing so. It’s as though we no longer derive satisfaction from doing the same old thing — we are flogging the proverbial dead horse. The astral pictures instead reflect the struggle for new life and the desire for a fresh route, even if that seems a little puzzling or threatening at first. Concurrently, Venus in Virgo, is in mutual reception with Mercury in Libra — could a swap of position or perspective help us?
Our trick towards success is in noticing our resistance — and then exploring what steps we can take to gain the help we need. As an illustration, I recently embarked on a new course of fitness training after years away due to injury — some of which had been brought about by over-eager training in the first place! My trainer sent videos of sports coaches performing various types of lunges, but rather than feeling fueled by inspiration, I was on the verge of tears, imagining I could never reach the standards of these athletes with six-pack abs, even worrying I’d hurt myself again emulating their advanced moves! Somewhere in the back of my mind, a painful school memory lurked: freezing on the spot when asked to jump over the wooden horse in the gym hall. But a light dawned when I considered finding videos of coaches I could identify with more easily. I needed to see a relatively slightly built woman demonstrating how to be more secure in my technique, and I soon felt more confident after learning about safer movement, proper back posture, and core engagement. This is the difference between being a deer in the headlights during an eclipse squaring Pluto, and discovering a creative solution through the mutual reception!
This article is from the Mountain Astrologer by Diana McMahon Collis
Richard Feynman teaching physics
Book: “Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness”
Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness
Philip Goff
From a leading philosopher of the mind comes this lucid, provocative argument that offers a radically new picture of human consciousness—panpsychism.
Understanding how brains produce consciousness is one of the great scientific challenges of our age. Some philosophers argue that consciousness is something “extra,” beyond the physical workings of the brain. Others think that if we persist in our standard scientific methods, our questions about consciousness will eventually be answered. And some even suggest that the mystery is so deep, it will never be solved. Decades have been spent trying to explain consciousness from within our current scientific paradigm, but little progress has been made.
Now, Philip Goff offers an exciting alternative that could pave the way forward. Rooted in an analysis of the philosophical underpinnings of modern science and based on the early twentieth-century work of Arthur Eddington and Bertrand Russell, Goff makes the case for panpsychism, a theory which posits that consciousness is not confined to biological entities but is a fundamental feature of all physical matter—from subatomic particles to the human brain. In Galileo’s Error, he has provided the first step on a new path to the final theory of human consciousness.
(Goodreads.com)
David Hume’s Argument Against Miracles with George Williams
New Thinking Oct 12, 2023 George Williams, PhD, has a wide, interdisciplinary background. As an undergraduate, he studied engineering at Vanderbilt and worked at IBM for 8 years. He switched to a different direction and studied literature at Maharishi International University, where he also became very curious about the notion of group consciousness. Then, he pursued a doctorate in economics at Northwestern University. Since the late 90s, he has worked for a government agency.. But during that time, he began to focus on what the parapsychological data can tell us about the nature of consciousness. Here he focuses on the influential eighteenth century, Scottish philosopher, David Hume, his philosophy of naturalism, and his argument against religious miracles. He examines how that argument has been wrongly used by those hostile to parapsychology. 00:00 Introduction 02:05 David Hume 05:43 Naturalism 09:13 Miracles 13:33 Parapsychology 24:41 Consciousness 29:33 Religion 33:05 Paradigms 42:05 Ground of being 45:19 Non-locality 48:38 Conclusion Edited subtitles for this video are available in Russian, Portuguese, Italian, German, French, and Spanish. New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. (Recorded on September 20, 2023)
Book: “Microtrends Squared: The New Small Forces Driving Today’s Big Disruptions”
Microtrends Squared: The New Small Forces Driving Today’s Big Disruptions
Mark J. Penn, Meredith Fineman
Ten years after his bestseller Microtrends , Mark Penn identifies the next wave of trends reshaping the future of business, politics, and culture.
Mark Penn has boldly argued that the future is not shaped by society’s broad forces but by quiet changes within narrow slices of the population. Ten years ago, he showed how the behavior of one small group can exert an outsized influence over the whole of America. His bestselling Microtrends highlighted dozens of tiny, counterintuitive trends that have since come to fruition, from the explosion of internet dating to the recent split within the Republican Party.
Today, the world is in perplexing upheaval, and microtrends are more influential than ever. In this environment, Penn offers a necessary perspective.
Microtrends Squared makes sense of what is happening in the world today. Through fifty new microtrends, Penn illuminates the shifts that are coming in the next decade. He pinpoints the unseen hand behind new power relationships that have emerged—as fringe voters and reactionary politics have found their revival, as online influencers overshadow traditional media, and as the gig economy continues to invade new swathes of industry. He speaks to the next wave of developments coming in technology, social movements, and even dating.
Offering a clear vision of the future of business, politics, and culture, Microtrends Squared is a must-read for innovators and entrepreneurs, political and business leaders, and for every curious reader looking to understand the wave of the future when it is just a ripple.
(Goodreads.com)
Solar Eclipse in Libra – Elvis has left the building
| Astro Butterfly contact@astrobutterfly.com | Thu, Oct 12, 2023 |  | |
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On October 14th, 2023 we have a New Moon Annular Solar Eclipse at 21° Libra.
This is a South Node Eclipse and it is conjunct Mercury, square Pluto in Capricorn, opposite Chiron in Aries and quincunx Uranus in Taurus.
At this powerful Solar Eclipse, we are pressing the RESET button. South Node Solar Eclipses often come with an ending followed by a new beginning.
Venus At Greatest Elongation
The Solar Eclipse in Libra is ruled by Venus, so it’s interesting to pay attention to what Venus is actually doing in the sky at the time of the Eclipse.
At the Solar Eclipse, Venus is close to her greatest morning elongation. When Venus is at the greatest elongation (this only happens twice during her 584-day cycle) this means she’s at the farthest possible point from the Sun (47° away).
Venus is basically at the farthest possible distance from the actual Eclipse.
This is super interesting because Venus rules Libra, so she’s basically “in charge” of everything that happens in Libra. Venus turning her back to the Eclipse is like a host leaving their own party. “I’m done with you folks”. Elvis has left the building.
What does this mean? The closer Venus is to an Eclipse (or to any transit for that matter), the more emotionally invested we are in what’s happening.
There’s an event happening in our lives, or we hear something in the news. Whenever something disrupts the status quo, we get triggered. Our natural response is to get emotionally involved. To take sides. To have opinions – which is Venus’ way of saying “THIS is what I value”.
Venus at her maximum elongation suggests a different approach.
What if, this time, we don’t get emotionally invested?
What would it mean to leave your feelings and values out of the equation? How would this approach influence your decisions? Your actions? What would happen if you just let things follow their course?
Solar Eclipse In Libra – The Aspects
The Solar Eclipse is conjunct Mercury, square Pluto, opposite Chiron, and quincunx Uranus.
With so many tense outer planets aspects, we may feel trapped in a “me against the world” scenario.
The Sun/Mercury conjunction may condition us to cling to OUR idea of truth. But Pluto begs to differ – and comes with a different perspective: what if we believe to be true, what we believe to be fair (Sun/Mercury in Libra) may not be truest, or the fairest thing in the grand scheme of things?
Just because something feels right to us, it doesn’t mean it is THE best outcome in a greater scenario.
The Pluto, Uranus and Chiron aspects are also a reminder of the inevitability of life. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, things unfold beyond our control.
“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans” – as the famous Libra, John Lennon wisely noted.
We can’t force thighs to happen. Sometimes the best course of action is emotionally distancing ourselves from the situation and letting things be.
At the Solar Eclipse in Libra, do what Venus does. Take a deep breath and leave the battle scene. See what awareness might emerge in that empty space.
What Libra Wants
A Solar Eclipse is, first and foremost, a New Moon.
It’s that month of the year when one of the 12 astrological archetypes comes to the forefront of our collective awareness. It’s when all of us, regardless of our natal chart placements, put the Libra hat on and relate to the world from a Libran perspective.
So what does Libra stand for?
The Libra symbol is the scales. The scale was developed in ancient Egypt as an impartial judgment of how much something was owed or how much something was worth. Scales tell us the value of things.
Libra is our ability to weigh different alternatives from a detached place.
A detached place doesn’t mean we don’t care. It simply means we take our subjective perspective out of the equation, for the sake of finding a higher truth.
The lady justice holding the scales – the Libra symbol – is portrayed blindfolded – and that’s because justice is blind. There’s no place for bias and subjectivity.
There is another quality that defines Libra and distinguishes it from the other signs: its ability to pause and reflect. Libra is the 7th sign, the farthest point from Aries. This is the point of maximum separation from the Self (Aries).
Libra’s glyph is the sun set. This is the place on the horizon where the Sun can have a panoramic, 360° perspective.
Libra is a cardinal sign, and we know that Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) bring us the seasons, so in a way, it’s the Cardinal signs that introduce the dimension of time into our lives.
Aries is the present, Cancer the past, Capricorn the future. Libra is the awareness of how time influences us and how our identity evolves over time.
Solar Eclipse In Libra – The Choices We’ve Made
At this eclipse, take some time to think about the most important choices you made in your life.
When you look back at your life, at the most important milestones and turning points – what would you do differently?
This is a triggering question – most of us are wired to say “I wouldn’t do anything differently”, “I have no regrets” – because considering different outcomes shatters us at an identity level: what if I failed? What if there was a better way?
But the point of this exercise is not to dwell on regrets or make an account of our mistakes. It’s to gain awareness of how our past circumstances have shaped our present.
Reflecting on different scenarios is Libra’s expertise.
Reflecting how the past has defined us, and continues to shape us, is an incredibly awakening exercise, because it helps us see the connection between different aspects of our life.
These are some benefits of doing this exercise:
- Finding closure by realizing that “life happens” and that there are greater forces at play
- Notice patterns of actions and behaviors
- Make peace with the past
- (Re)discover your values and what matters to you most
- Paint a picture for the future
- Empower yourself to do things differently from now on
South Node Solar Eclipse In Libra – A New You
The Solar Eclipse in Libra is a South Node eclipse. South Node eclipses bring karmic clearance. We tie the loose ends. We revisit the past. We finish what is unfinished.
But let’s not forget that this is also a New Moon. New Moons are associated with new beginnings, and the “new beginnings” dimension of the Eclipse may feel at odds with the more past-oriented focus of a South Node Eclipse.
The devil is in the details. The difference between North Node Solar Eclipses and South Node Solar Eclipses is that North Node Eclipses bring us experiences and opportunities that are completely different from what we’re used to. We get exposed to things we’ve never been exposed to before.
South Node Solar Eclipses instead are about new beginnings that emerge from tying loose ends. From closing a chapter of our past.
At the South Node in Libra Eclipse, we are not in new territory. We know the playing field. We are in the same place we’ve been 20, or 40 years ago. But the scenery has changed.
We like to romanticize music, movies and events from our youth. “Things are not what they used to be”. They are not – because time passes, and life evolves.
At the South Node Eclipse in Libra, from the ashes of the past, a new, wiser you can emerge. Elvis has left the building. Who’s coming instead?
For years, Netanyahu propped up Hamas. Now it’s blown up in our faces
The premier’s policy of treating the terror group as a partner, at the expense of Abbas and Palestinian statehood, has resulted in wounds that will take Israel years to heal from
By TAL SCHNEIDER8 October 2023 (timesofisrael.com)
Palestinians wave their national flag and celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Yousef Masoud)
For years, the various governments led by Benjamin Netanyahu took an approach that divided power between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank — bringing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to his knees while making moves that propped up the Hamas terror group.
The idea was to prevent Abbas — or anyone else in the Palestinian Authority’s West Bank government — from advancing toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Thus, amid this bid to impair Abbas, Hamas was upgraded from a mere terror group to an organization with which Israel held indirect negotiations via Egypt, and one that was allowed to receive infusions of cash from abroad.
Hamas was also included in discussions about increasing the number of work permits Israel granted to Gazan laborers, which kept money flowing into Gaza, meaning food for families and the ability to purchase basic products.
Israeli officials said these permits, which allow Gazan laborers to earn higher salaries than they would in the enclave, were a powerful tool to help preserve calm.
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Toward the end of Netanyahu’s fifth government in 2021, approximately 2,000-3,000 work permits were issued to Gazans. This number climbed to 5,000 and, during the Bennett-Lapid government, rose sharply to 10,000.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a government conference at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on September 27, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Since Netanyahu returned to power in January 2023, the number of work permits has soared to nearly 20,000.
Additionally, since 2014, Netanyahu-led governments have practically turned a blind eye to the incendiary balloons and rocket fire from Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel has allowed suitcases holding millions in Qatari cash to enter Gaza through its crossings since 2018, in order to maintain its fragile ceasefire with the Hamas rulers of the Strip.
A Palestinian man receives financial aid at a supermarket in Gaza City, on September 15, 2021, as part of the UN’s Humanitarian Cash Assistance program, supported by the state of Qatar. (Mahmud Hams/AFP)
Most of the time, Israeli policy was to treat the Palestinian Authority as a burden and Hamas as an asset. Far-right MK Bezalel Smotrich, now the finance minister in the hardline government and leader of the Religious Zionism party, said so himself in 2015.
According to various reports, Netanyahu made a similar point at a Likud faction meeting in early 2019, when he was quoted as saying that those who oppose a Palestinian state should support the transfer of funds to Gaza, because maintaining the separation between the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza would prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
While Netanyahu does not make these kind of statements publicly or officially, his words are in line with the policy that he implemented.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas looking on as he receives Palestinian athletes in Ramallah in the West Bank on August 4, 2023. (Wissam KHALIFA/PPO/AFP)
The same messaging was repeated by right-wing commentators, who may have received briefings on the matter or talked to Likud higher-ups and understood the message.
Bolstered by this policy, Hamas grew stronger and stronger until Saturday, Israel’s “Pearl Harbor,” the bloodiest day in its history — when terrorists crossed the border, slaughtered hundreds of Israelis and kidnapped an unknown number under the cover of thousands of rockets fired at towns throughout the country’s south and center.
The country has known attacks and wars, but never on such a scale in a single morning.
One thing is clear: The concept of indirectly strengthening Hamas — while tolerating sporadic attacks and minor military operations every few years — went up in smoke Saturday.
Just a few days ago, Assaf Pozilov, a reporter for the Kan public broadcaster, tweeted the following: “The Islamic Jihad organization has started a noisy exercise very close to the border, in which they practiced launching missiles, breaking into Israel and kidnapping soldiers.”
The body of a person killed by Hamas terrorists lies covered inside a bullet-riddled car in the southern city of Sderot on October 7, 2023 (Oren ZIV / AFP)
The difference between Islamic Jihad and Hamas doesn’t matter much at this point. As far as the State of Israel is concerned, the territory is under the control of Hamas, and it is responsible for all the training and activities there.
Hamas became stronger and used the auspices of peace that Israelis so longed for as cover for its training, and hundreds of Israelis have paid with their lives for this massive omission.
The terror inflicted on the civilian population in Israel is so enormous that the wounds from it will not heal for years, a challenge compounded by the dozens abducted into Gaza.
Judging by the way Netanyahu has managed Gaza in the last 13 years, it is not certain that there will be a clear policy going forward.
(Contributed by Gwyllm Llwydd)
