They are gambling with our future

Virgo 2024

The war narrative is everywhere. We are still at a level of world consciousness where the only way to solve problems is by using very unconscious Mars energy. “We have to beat them”, “Ukraine has to win”, “We have to pay them back.” Punishment and reprisals – and the only thing on the table is war. Or winning. Elections too. And then there is unconscious Pluto energy, where abuse of power is rife. The people in power are holding on to the reins with all their might, as Pluto is in his dying stages of being in Capricorn. In doing that, they are really gambling with our future. Venus has left the building. Where are the peacemakers? The negotiations? The compromises?

image Javardh – Unsplash

In the Netherlands, our new parliament is struggling to find how true compromise should work. It’s a fascinating watch, as party leaders in the coalition, who are now not in the cabinet, test their new roles.

In November this year, Pluto will leave Capricorn for a very long time and we will have to learn to use power in a very new way, with Pluto in Aquarius for the next 20 years. As I have written before, for example in my ‘Will Pluto in Aquarius really mean ‘We the people’? blog post, the people will have the power and we need to take it. But what do we need before that, at this dangerous moment in world history? Many different voices are saying we have never been so close to WWIII. While people struggle to survive, billions are being spent on war-mongering.

What we need now

In Roman mythology, when men had finally had enough of fighting, raping and pillaging, the goddess Ceres was honoured and asked to create peace. Ceres served as a role model of how women should be, and the influence of Ceres was widely exploited by identifying her with the female members of the ruling families. She was a symbol of chastity, motherhood and fertility which male leaders held in high esteem in their patriarchal culture. In some sectors not much has changed today!

The Ara Pacis Augustae or Altar or The Augustan Peace – image Wikimedia Commons.

But Ceres was, and is, more than that! There is an important monument to the princeps Augustus, the Ara Pacis Augustae, which is now in a museum in Rome. It used to stand in the Martian Field and it depicts Ceres as ‘Mother of Children and of Crops, Patroness of the Plebs, and of Women, Foster Child of Peace.’ This monument associated Ceres with Augustus. It is thought of as political propaganda, as it suggested, by association, that it was Augustus who had returned peace to the people. Ceres was wheeled in to create the calm that the people needed after war. Note: For more in-depth information on this I refer you to the book ‘The Roman Goddess Ceres‘, by Barbette Stanley Spaeth.

Spaeth’s book

Some astrologers associate Ceres with Virgo – our sign of the month. I don’t, as I think Virgo might be more like her daughter, the maiden Proserpine. However Ceres is indeed an earthy goddess; sensible, stable and practical when she is happy. In my view, she is also not related to Cancer, a water sign. She doesn’t need a zodiac sign to be a formidable force.

Ceres is needed for peace

Ceres (Demeter) is a sensible, responsible goddess. In the myth relating to the abduction of her daughter Proserpine (Persephone), she doesn’t gamble. When she comes out of her mourning period after the loss of her daughter and shows who she really is, she is quite aware of what form of power she has to use as a bargaining chip – food. The male gods had overridden her wishes regarding her daughter. Jupiter and Pluto with Neptune in agreement, had arranged for Persephone to be abducted into the underworld and to be married to Pluto. (Hades)

Ceres doesn’t give up

She knew that the gods loved being worshipped by the people, in the form of offerings of food. So she withdrew food, making it winter, so nothing would grow until she had her daughter back. That brought the gods to the negotiating table. They didn’t appreciate not being worshipped. Perhaps we could use her methods today. What could be withdrawn in order to make leaders negotiate?

Ceres didn’t get everything she wanted of course, but she did get her daughter back for part of the year. She is a fierce negotiator as well as being involved in food, protection of the plebs, and peace making. She is not like Venus, who likes peace and harmony. Ceres wants peace, so that people can stay in one place long enough to grow crops. She wants to feed and protect people. She will hold firm to create a peace settlement such as that between herself and the male gods. She is unafraid. She knows that in negotiation, you have to reach a compromise. This is the wise feminine energy we need today.

image Chris Liverani – Unsplash

Leaders today are gambling

In my last post I talked of ‘bad Leo‘. Leos can be gamblers, people who enjoy taking risks. And we need risk-takers to progress in the world. Leos play, but they shouldn’t be allowed to play with their citizens as if they are pawns in a game. A good Leo loves fun and games, but they don’t hurt others in the process. However, gambling without being wise is very dangerous. Apart from the obvious addiction potential, all can be lost. And when it comes to true leaders of the world, they are rarely the ones who lose everything. Today, millions of people and animals have lost everything, including their lives, due to actions by those in power. It’s horrendous, criminal and heart-breaking.

Image Thomas Bormans – Unsplash

Withdrawing power

Perhaps what most leaders want is power, and like the gods, they want to be worshipped. We need to find a way to withdraw that. Perhaps too, we could look to the myth of Lysistrata, where the women of the village withhold sex until there is a peace agreement. They were tired of war. But that’s another story. With powerful men being brought to justice for sexual offences, perhaps we are heading in the right direction!

Democracy is usually cited as the way to strip power from those in charge, but that is clearly broken. Pluto in Aquarius will help us, but we need to be solid, and fearless. We need to discover the powers we can use in negotiations. Be more Ceres!

Faye Blake

Interesting websites of the month

An article about business, ‘Getting them to the Negotiating Table‘, however the ideas are relevant to all negotiations.

A brief that shows how humanitarian diplomatic tools and practices are important for ‘Getting armed groups to the negotiating table‘. It also has some useful strategies that could be applied for negotiation. It is based on experience on the ground in difficult situations.

Quote of the month

I was reminded of a song while writing this post: The Gambler by Kenny Rogers. Here’s a part of it. I think it also applies to negotiating.

“If you’re gonna play the game, boyYou gotta learn to play it right

You’ve got to know when to hold ’emKnow when to fold ’emKnow when to walk awayAnd know when to runYou never count your moneyWhen you’re sittin’ at the tableThere’ll be time enough for countin’When the dealin’s done

Every gambler knowsThat the secret to survivin’Is knowin’ what to throw awayAnd knowin’ what to keep

Good advice!