Stop Religious Smears!

Remember: Any time someone tries to use a "religious smear" - say "That isn't true".

The Real Meaning of 4,000 Dead...

By LIEUT. SEAN WALSH Wed Mar 26, 2:20 PM ET

The passing of the 4,000th service member in Iraq is a tragic milestone and a testament to the cost of this war, but for those of us who live and fight in Iraq, we measure that cost in smaller, but much more personal numbers. For me those numbers are 8, the number of friends and classmates killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 3, the number of soldiers from my unit killed in this deployment. I'm 25, yet I've received more notifications for funerals than invitations to weddings.
The number 4,000 is too great to grasp even for us that are here in Iraq. When we soldiers read the newspaper, the latest AP casualty figures are glanced over with the same casual interest as a box score for a sport you don't follow. I am certain that I am not alone when I open up the Stars and Stripes, the military's daily paper, and immediately search for the section with the names of the fallen to see if they include anyone I know. While in a combat outpost in southwest Baghdad, it was in that distinctive bold Ariel print in a two-week-old copy of the Stars and Stripes that I read that my best friend had been killed in Afghanistan. No phone call from a mutual friend or a visit to his family. All that had come and gone by the time I had learned about his death. I sometimes wonder, if I hadn't picked up that paper, how much longer I would have gone by without knowing - perhaps another day, perhaps a week or longer until I could find the time and the means to check my e-mail to find my messages unanswered and a death notification from a West Point distro list in my inbox. The dead in Afghanistan don't seem to inspire the keeping of lists the same way that those in Iraq do, but even if they did it wouldn't matter; he could only be number 7 to me.
I'm not asking for pity, only understanding for the cost of this war. We did, after all, volunteer for the Army and that is the key distinction between this army and the army of the Vietnam War. But even as I ask for that understanding I'm almost certain that you won't be able to obtain it. Even Shakespeare, with his now overused notion of soldiers as a "band of brothers" fails to capture the bonds, the sense of responsibility to each other, among soldiers. In many ways, Iraq has become my home (by the time my deployment ends I will have spent more time here than anywhere else in the army) and the soldiers I share that home with have become my family. Between working, eating and sleeping within a few feet of the same soldiers every single day, I doubt I am away from them for more than two hours a day. I'm engaged to the love of my life, but it will take several years of marriage before I've spent as much time with her as I have with the men I serve with today.
For the vast majority of American's who don't have a loved one overseas, the only number they have to attempt to grasp the Iraq War is 4,000. I would ask that when you see that number, try to remember that it is made up of over 1 million smaller numbers; that every one of the 1 million service members who have fought in Iraq has his or her own personal numbers. Over 1 million 8's and 3's. When you are evaluating the price of the war, weighing potential rewards versus cost in blood and treasure, I would ask you to consider what is worth the lives of three of your loved ones? Or eight? Or more? It would be a tragedy for my 8 and 3 to have died without us being able to complete our mission, but it maybe even more tragic for 8 and 3 to become anything higher. View this article on Time.com

An Introduction to Hellenic Astrology - Zodia and Aspects

The most important concept to understand when using Hellenic Astrology is that of the zodia. Zodia are what are called "signs" in modern Astrological systems - the 30 degree divisions of the Tropical Zodiac which are named Ares, Taurus, Gemini, etc. I will give their full characteristics in another post, but for now it's enough to just know that "zodia" are the same as "signs".

Hellenic Astrology uses house=sign chart design. This is different from many of the house systems used in most modern Astrology. In Hellenic Astrology, the houses are called topoi or topos in the singular; this is Greek for "place" and has the same connotation as "house" does in modern Astrology... for example, the second topos is the topos of land, material goods, and talents. Because each topos = a single zodia, it becomes very easy to see the relationships between planets based upon the relationships between their polarity, modalities, and elements. It is the interactions between these qualities of the planets that provide the key to understanding and interpreting an aspect pattern within a chart (either personal or mundane).

The major difference between aspects as used in Hellenic Astrology and aspects used in Modern Astrology is that aspects are determined according to topoi and zodia as opposed to individual planets. For example, all planets within a single zodia and topoi are considered to be aspected to all of the planets in another zodia and topoi. The aspects that are discussed within Hellenic Astrology are often referred to as the "Platonic Aspects" as they were first outlined and described in Ptolemy's work Tetrabiblos.

The Ptolemaic aspects are:

The Opposition:

• the planets are separated by six zodia (or 180 degrees)
• the planets share the same polarity and modality
• this aspect represents the Platonic form of the line

The Trine:

• the planets are separated by four zodia (or 120 degrees)
• the planets share the same element
• this aspect represents the Platonic form of the triangle

The Square (also known as Quartile):

• the planets are separated by three zodia (or 90 degrees)
• the planets share the same modality, but have different elements
• this aspect represents the Platonic form of the square

The Sextile:

• the planets are separated by two zodia (or 60 degrees)
• the planets share the same polarity, but have different elements and modalities
• this aspect represents the Platonic form of the hexagon
  

The Conjunction:

• not an "aspect" as such in Hellenic Astrology, but rather a sharing of the same Zodion by two or more planets.
• this aspect represents the Platonic form of the point

The conjunction is important (even more important than all of the other aspects!) in that the planets that share the same zodion or "sign" are seen to work together and will influence each other within the life of the individual or during the event being studied.

The planets within the shared zodion may work together so well and with such a common mind that they combine their energies. Because the two planets (like the two Gods that represent them) are united in their goal and motivation - differing only in their personalities - they can become intimately connected. The closer that the two planets are to each other (based upon the number of degrees between them) added to whether or not they are applying (moving closer to each other) or separating (moving apart from each other), can cause the two planets to actually fuse into one force within the chart. This is especially important because even when the two planets separate later, they will still be acting in one force - just in two different places in the chart. (For example, consider an individual who has Venus and Neptune in the same zodia at birth... for their entire life, wherever Venus or Neptune are in their chart, it will act as Venus!Neptune. This means that they will often be feeling the influence of Venus!Neptune in two different topoi!)

In a future post, I will discuss polarity, the elements, and modalities - which will help to illustrate the different dynamics that each aspect will produce within a chart.

10th Elaphebolion

Good day; Holy For:
Earth, Pan, Nymphs, and the Seasons

We are unsure who exactly Pan's parents were - there are several different traditions, all of which have equal authenticity and attestation in the mythography. It seems that the predominant tale that was accepted by later Greeks and Romans was that Hermes fathered the half-human half-goat child with a mortal woman, who upon seeing her child for the first time was so shocked by his hirsute appearance, she ran away in panic. This began the god's connection with the human emotional state of panic, which continued even into the middle ages when Pan was used in medieval imagery as the basis for the popular image of "Satan" or "the devil".

Pan's personality traits and physical characteristics are similar to other half-human, half-animal followers of Dionysus. Like most members of Dionysus' retinue, Pan prefers the wilderness and "wild" regions of Greece to the settled life of urban areas and cities; Pan is not completely human in either form or behaviour. The half-man, half-goat exterior is an allegory for the inner state of Pan.

The shocking appearance and wild nature of Pan led to his being rejected by multiple women - despite the fact that he was a highly sensual, amorous, and romantic God. Many ancient images of Pan with an erect phallus survive, and these show that not only was he associated with the fertility and fecundity of nature (human beings being a part of the natural world), but he was a God who was benevolent to those who sought to make love in natural areas.

In later Roman mythography and worship Pan was often identified with, and sometimes confused with, Silvanus and Faunus - even though all three are distinct individuals, with different patronages and duties.

Classical Text of the Day
Metamorphoses Bk I:689-721

English translation:

Mercury tells the story of Syrinx

So the god explained ‘On Arcadia’s cold mountain slopes among the wood nymphs, the hamadryads, of Mount Nonacris, one was the most celebrated: the nymphs called her Syrinx. She had often escaped from the satyrs chasing her, and from others of the demi-gods that live in shadowy woods and fertile fields. But she followed the worship of the Ortygian goddess in staying virgin. Her dress caught up like Diana she deceives the eye, and could be mistaken for Leto’s daughter, except that her bow is of horn, and the other’s is of gold. Even so she is deceptive. Pan, whose head is crowned with a wreath of sharp pine shoots, saw her, coming from Mount Lycaeus, and spoke to her.’ Now Mercury still had to relate what Pan said, and how the nymph, despising his entreaties, ran through the wilds till she came to the calm waters of sandy Ladon; and how when the river stopped her flight she begged her sisters of the stream to change her; and how Pan, when he thought he now had Syrinx, found that instead of the nymph’s body he only held reeds from the marsh; and, while he sighed there, the wind in the reeds, moving, gave out a clear, plaintive sound. Charmed by this new art and its sweet tones the god said ‘This way of communing with you is still left to me’ So unequal lengths of reed, joined together with wax, preserved the girl’s name.

About to tell all this, Cyllenian Mercury saw that every eye had succumbed and their light was lost in sleep. Quickly he stops speaking and deepens their rest, caressing those drowsy eyes with touches of his magic wand. Then straightaway he strikes the nodding head, where it joins the neck, with his curved sword, and sends it bloody down the rocks, staining the steep cliff. Argus, you are overthrown, the light of your many eyes is extinguished, and one dark sleeps under so many eyelids.

Latin, 1583 text, the University of Marburg.

Tum deus 'Arcadiae gelidis sub montibus' inquit
690
'inter hamadryadas celeberrima Nonacrinas
naias una fuit: nymphae Syringa vocabant.
non semel et satyros eluserat illa sequentes
et quoscumque deos umbrosaque silva feraxque
rus habet. Ortygiam studiis ipsaque colebat
695
virginitate deam; ritu quoque cincta Dianae
falleret et posset credi Latonia, si non
corneus huic arcus, si non foret aureus illi;
sic quoque fallebat.
Redeuntem colle Lycaeo
Pan videt hanc pinuque caput praecinctus acuta
700
talia verba refert -- restabat verba referre
et precibus spretis fugisse per avia nympham,
donec harenosi placidum Ladonis ad amnem
venerit; hic illam cursum inpedientibus undis
ut se mutarent liquidas orasse sorores,
705
Panaque cum prensam sibi iam Syringa putaret,
corpore pro nymphae calamos tenuisse palustres,
dumque ibi suspirat, motos in harundine ventos
effecisse sonum tenuem similemque querenti.
arte nova vocisque deum dulcedine captum
710
'hoc mihi colloquium tecum' dixisse 'manebit,'
atque ita disparibus calamis conpagine cerae
inter se iunctis nomen tenuisse puellae.

Polimon!

7 Elaphebolion - 1st Quarter Moon

For the Birth of Apollo.

As today is dedicated to the birth of Apollo, I am going to dedicate this blog entry to the Sun as understood by modern Astronomy.

The Layers of the Sun

Our Sun, which is called Sol in Latin, is the star at the center of our Solar System. It is a medium size star - but even so, it is very, very, VERY large in comparison with everything else in our Solar System. The Earth and ALL of the other matter - including the other planets, asteroids, meteoroids, comets and dust - which orbits the Sun, is only 0.2% of the total mass of the Solar System! That means the Sun by itself accounts for about 99.8% of the Solar System's mass. Just as the Sun takes up most of the matter in our Solar System, so the Sun takes up most of what people know about Astrology - think of how many people you know who think that Astrology simply consists of "What's your sign?"

Within Astrology, the Sun is the source of our health, energy, vitality and ego. The Sun in our charts is our fundamental life force, and the Sun is the fundamental life force of our Solar System. Enormous amounts of energy from the Sun - in the form of both sunlight and heat -support the base of the food chains that make life on Earth possible via photosynthesis. The same heat and light from the Sun also drive the Earth's climate and weather. Without the Sun to give light and to warm her, Gaea would be cold, dark, and lifeless.

It is interesting to note that the Sun does not have a definite boundary like the rocky planets do; there is no definite "surface" on the Sun like there is on the Moon or Earth. The Sun is a giant ball of glowing gas - much like a giant nuclear explosion. The Sun has an inside and outside however, as shown in the picture above; the outer layers decrease in density the further away from the center of the sun one moves, until one is in the corona region which is basically a cloud of super-fast (which means they are VERY HOT) atoms and particles. The corona is what is responsible for the beauty of the diamond ring effect and eerie glow that surrounds the darkened Solar Disk when one watches a Total Solar Eclipse. The Sun also puts out a "wind" of charged particles that blows through the Solar System and into space; this "wind" is what gives us the Aurora Borealis.

What is interesting to note is that the Sun is a Population I - or third generation star - who was born out of the powerful, explosive, shockwaves that came from one or more nearby supernovae. This is interesting because Apollo is a third generation God; the Olympians were the third generation of Gods to rule the Universe. First were the Forces, ruled by Gaea and Uranus, then the Titans ruled by Rhea and Kronos, then finally the Olympians, ruled by Zeus and Hera.

Even though the Sun is the nearest star to Earth, scientists still have a great many questions about the Sun that remain unanswered. Some current topics of scientific inquiry include:

• the Sun's regular cycle of sunspot activity,
• the physics and origin of flares and prominences,
• the magnetic interaction between the chromosphere and the corona,
• and the origin of the solar winds.
  

Obama looks to win in Mississippi

By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer 24 minutes ago
GREENVILLE, Miss. -

Mississippi Democrats are deciding the last in a series of presidential contests between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton before the two rivals settle in for a six-week battle to win Pennsylvania.
Mississippi's large black electorate in Tuesday's voting makes it fertile ground for Obama, who has swept the other Deep South states and has pulled huge margins among black voters. Clinton, the New York senator and former first lady, campaigned in the state last week, but by Monday was in Pennsylvania, where the primary is April 22.
Obama, making a final stop Tuesday morning in Greenville before flying to Pennsylvania, noted that the Mississippi delta area is struggling economically.
"We just haven't seen as much opportunity come to this area as we'd like," he told a small gathering at Buck's restaurant. "And one of the challenges, I think, for the next president is making sure that we're serving all communities and not just some communities." He then ordered eggs "scrambled hard," with turkey sausage, wheat toast and grits. The Illinois senator spent all of Monday in Mississippi, drawing enthusiastic crowds in Columbus and Jackson, the capital. At stake are 33 delegates and another chance for Obama to ease the sting of last week's losses to Clinton in primaries in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island. In Lowndes County, Miss., Circuit Clerk Haley Salazar said Tuesday there appeared to be good early participation at the polls despite wet conditions.
Obama's visit on Monday "spurred a lot of interest here. We've had a lot of people coming in and asking about registering to vote ... and we have a a lot of calls," Salazar said. With Clinton's camp saying she has little chance in Mississippi, the campaigning here focused largely on national issues.
Obama used his Monday morning visit to Columbus to try to squelch speculation that he might accept the vice president's slot on a ticket headed by Clinton. He noted that he has won more delegates, states and votes than Clinton.
"I don't know how somebody who is in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person who is first place," Obama said, drawing cheers and a lengthy standing ovation from about 1,700 people. He added: "I am not running for vice president. "I am running for president of the United States of America." Later, at a rally in Jackson with 9,000 people, Obama painted Clinton as part of the Washington establishment whose time has come and gone. The nation does not need "the same old folks doing the same old things, talking the same old stuff," he said, essentially lumping Clinton with President Bush and Republican candidate John McCain.
He accused Clinton's campaign of leaking a photograph of him wearing traditional African garments, including a turban, during a visit to Africa. That was "straight out of the Republican playbook," Obama said. "That's not real change."
Clinton has said she is not aware of anyone on her staff leaking the photo. For her part, Clinton had moved on to Pennsylvania, where she held a rally in Scranton and carefully sidestepped questions about the sex scandal threatening the political career of Eliot Spitzer, her home state governor and political ally.
"I don't have any comment on that," she said when asked about reports that Spitzer allegedly paid for sex with a high-priced call girl at a Washington hotel. "Obviously, I am sending my best wishes and thoughts to the governor and to his family," Clinton said. Obama's two Mississippi events on Monday drew heavily black audiences that cheered him unabashedly.
"I'm here because of the electricity, the energy that seems to form around Barack Obama," truck driver Jasper Clark, 53, said in an interview before the Jackson rally. "It inspired me, and it's been a while since I've been inspired politically."
Clark said Clinton "is a nice person," but among his friends and acquaintances, "I'd say it's an 8 to 2 ratio" for Obama.

Original article can be found here.

Sabian Symbols for the Mississippi Primary, with commentary

Sabian Symbols for the Mississippi Caucus:

Sun – 20 Pis 47
“Under The Watchful And Kind Eye Of A Chinese Servant, A Girl Fondles A Little White Lamb”

Moon – 4 Tau 43 (the moon moves into Taurus on the 11th)

“A Widow At An Open Grave”

The Iraq and Afghan Wars still go on, and every day more and more Americans are affected by the ravages of war. Hundreds and thousands more in both countries suffer injury, dismemberment, or even death every day. The American people are against the war, but the Bush Administration does not hear their calls for removing troops from the areas of conflict.
It seems that Hillary is little more than Bush lite on areas of the ongoing wars, military policy and international laws. To learn more about each of these areas, visit:

• Iraq War: http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/4802
  
• Military Policy: http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/4811
  
• International Law: http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/4803

These facts are disturbing when you consider that most Americans favor a change in both Domestic and Foreign Social Policy – and that Hillary seems to support Republican causes and issues more than Democratic causes in these areas. I feel this Sabian Symbol being where Selene located for tomorrow’s primary is very significant; ONLY a leader whose inner motivations and emotions are in sync with those of the nation as a whole as well as Selene should be chosen by the American people. To go against this will only cause more pain and suffering for the peoples of the US, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Mercury – 24 Aqu 46
“A Butterfly With The Right Wing More Perfectly Formed”

This is an interesting Sabian Symbol, in that it symbolizes the changes that are occurring in the political landscape, as well as the current primary season. Butterflies symbolize change and transformation – many religious and spiritual groups use them as a symbol of enlightenment and re-birth. The American political system is undergoing a birth right now – both parties want to distance themselves (at least in appearance) from the Bush Administration and the corruption that has been endemic in Washington for the past eight years.

The Republican party has already chosen a candidate – John McCain, while the Democratic party is still in the throes of struggle to choose a candidate. This Sabian Symbol shows that McCain is resting right now, hoping that Hillary will win - as her receiving the nomination will make his race in November easier, and make his job of generating mud and smear simple. Hillary is trying to tear apart Obama, and thinks SHE should get to be the President on the ticket – even though she is in 2nd place… this is due to her hubris (hint: the Gods don’t appreciate hubris very much ). If Obama continues with equanimity, he will win the nomination. The strength that he will gain from battling Clinton during the Primary season will put him in top form to campaign and win the Presidency.

The Republican party is well formed at the moment, but the moment that Obama can stop worrying about attacks from Hillary and get to debating McCain, it will fall apart due to the Karmic debt of the party’s actions for the past eight years. McCain has not repudiated Bush’s endorsement – which will prove fatal in November.

Venus – 27 Aqu 35
“A Tree Felled And Sawed To Ensure A Supply Of Wood For The Winter”

People are looking to save and conserve resources at this time - not just because we are currently in a recession (that may be possibly heading towards a depression) but also from a growing concern to do more with less. This new philosophy is in response to the rampant materialism that has taken hold of the US during the past eight years. It is my belief that the Bush Administration will be seen as a decadent era of "feel-good", evangelical, prosperity-gospel mega-churches, Hummers/SUVs, materialism, Republican/Libertarian egotistical selfishness, and pollution when historians and archaeologists of the future look back at this time; those of us who have remained stead-fast and true to our principles can make a difference now.

People who looked to Bush and the Republicans are now cynical and disillusioned, as all that they worked so hard for: a McMansion in the white suburbs, two or three SUVs in the driveway, the pool in the back yard, and everything else that helped them to "keep up with the Joneses" - is now lost due to morgage scandals, credit failures and the failing economy. These people need comforting and to be taught a better way. Those of us who heed the Gods, who live in harmony with Nature and live simply can lead by example.

Venus wants us to give love and spread beauty now more than ever! Love is not a limited resource like oil... it is the most unlimited of resources... we just have to be willing to share from the store that we have within us.

Mars – 2 Can 13
“ A Man Bundled In Fur Leads A Shaggy Deer”

Jupiter – 17 Cap 16
“The Union Jack Flag Files From A British Warship”

This Sabian Symbol says that we should remember what our country was founded on. It has taken the continued sacrifice of men and women throughout the history of our nation to ensure the freedom, justice, liberty, and equality of all. Today, we have lost a sense of this equality and egalitarianism - instead conservatives’ re-written history of bigotry and hate fills blogs and news radio; people like Rush Limbaugh and Anne Coulter spend all of their time saying that the US is only inclusive for straight, white, Protestant Christians. It is time for us to put the pundits' ideology of hate behind us and to begin a revolution of love for our fellow man, including the poor, the oppressed, the victimised, the addicted, the forgotten, the lonely, and all of those embodied in the following photo and poem:

"The New Colossus"
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles.

From her beacon hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

--Emma Lazarus, 1883

We were a great nation once, and we can become great again. All we have to do is love one another, heed the Gods, and march forward together, free from fear and shame. It is time once again for us to become strong, united, and a people of the Gods.

Saturn – 3 Vir 56

“Black And White Children Play Together Happily”

This Sabian Symbol is Kronos’ way of telling us that we have the ability to begin walking towards the future that MLK envisioned in his “I Have a Dream” speech. Racism is still a problem in the US - as it is throughout the world - but having a Black President of the United States will show that finally, in 2008, a child of any ethnic group can truly say "someday, I'm going to be President of the United States".

This Sabian Symbol also shows us that most of our divisions and hatreds are learned - not inherent. We have to decide to define people as "the other" before we can hate them or fear them. It is time for us to look past our differences and to work together as a nation; the age of division and fear is ending. Let us accept a future of love and peace with our fellow men and women.

Uranus – 18 Pis 46

“A Master Instructing His Disciple”
One of the best known teachers and mystics in the west is Jesus of Nazareth - now I am not advocating a Christian view, but this particular Sabian Symbol brings to mind images of Jesus feeding the crowds and teaching them. Too often today, those who claim to follow Christ really follow greed, fame, popularity or power - not the simple teacher and wonder-worker who was the "Jewish son of Zeus" and taught his followers "love one another".

Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are practicing Chrisitans; it will be interesting to see how each of them follows their Master's teachings.

Neptune – 22 Aqu 47
“A Big Bear Sitting Down And Waving All Its Paws”

At first I didn't know what this Sabian Symbol was doing... "What is Poseidon trying to tell us?!?!" I asked myself several times... then I heard my husband mumbling and his company's stocks "going all bear-ish". I think that Poseidon is trying to tell us that the economy isn't going anywhere for a while... we are looking at a BIG, HAIRY, BEAR market that is just sitting there waving his paws around - and if we try to make him move before he is ready, we will get mauled.

Pluto – 1 Cap 1
“Three Rose Windows In A Gothic Church, One Damaged By War”

American leaders who claim to conduct a just war in the name of their God, as George W. Bush has done, will only anger their God and lead to the death of people; this is especially true when the leaders lie to lead the nation into war.

The Christian Bible, in the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon states the following, "Do not bring on your own death by sinful actions. God did not invent death, and when living creatures die, it gives him no pleasure. He created everything so that it might continue to exist, and everything he created is wholesome and good. No, death does not rule this world, for God's justice does not die."

While we as Classical Pagans have a different concept of good and evil that does not contain the Christian concept of "sin", we can identify with this passages' statement that all created things are good in and of themselves, and that death is a part of life, not a punishment from the Gods. Because all things are good, and are from the Gods, to declare war on another people or nation is to take sides against them and their Gods. To claim that one has declared war because "God told me to" is one of the greatest acts of hubris possible. The killing of both combatants and innocents does not please the Gods, therefore we the people must stop the unjust wars in Iraq and Afghanistan before they lead to the downfall of the US.

Even Southern Baptists are Heeding the Gods!!!

I know, I know, is not something that you would expect to hear, but even Southern Baptists are heeding the message that Kronos is sending us about the Karma that the US has in terms of the environment and climate change. Young members of the congregation are encouraging the SBC to view Environmentalism as a social issue equal to Abortion - which seems to be their number one priority.

From the New York Times today:

March 10, 2008
Southern Baptists Back a Shift on Climate Change
By NEELA BANERJEE
Signaling a significant departure from the Southern Baptist Convention’s official stance on global warming, 44 Southern Baptist leaders have decided to back a declaration calling for more action on climate change, saying its previous position on the issue was “too timid.”

The largest denomination in the United States after the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, with more than 16 million members, is politically and theologically conservative.

Yet its current president, the Rev. Frank Page, signed the initiative, “A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change.” Two past presidents of the convention, the Rev. Jack Graham and the Rev. James Merritt, also signed.

“We believe our current denominational engagement with these issues has often been too timid, failing to produce a unified moral voice,” the church leaders wrote in their new declaration.

A 2007 resolution passed by the convention hewed to a more skeptical view of global warming.

In contrast, the new declaration, which will be released Monday, states, “Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed.”

The document also urges ministers to preach more about the environment and for all Baptists to keep an open mind about considering environmental policy.

Jonathan Merritt, the spokesman for the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative and a seminarian at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., said the declaration was a call to Christians to return to a biblical mandate to guard the world God created.

The Southern Baptist signatories join a growing community of evangelicals pushing for more action among believers, industry and politicians. Experts on the Southern Baptist Convention noted the initiative marked the growing influence of younger leaders on the discussions in the Southern Baptist Convention.

While those younger Baptists remain committed to fight abortion, for instance, the environment is now a top priority, too.

“In no way do we intend to back away from sanctity of life,” said the Rev. Dr. Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala.

Still, many powerful Southern Baptist leaders and agencies did not sign the declaration, including the convention’s influential political arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

Dr. Barrett Duke, vice president for public policy at the commission, played down the differences between the declaration and the Southern Baptist Convention’s position.

The declaration says in fact that lack of scientific unanimity should not preclude “prudent action,” which includes changing individual habits and giving “serious consideration to responsible policies that effectively address” global warming.

The declaration is the outgrowth of soul-searching by Mr. Merritt, 25. The younger Mr. Merritt said that for years he had been “an enemy of the environment.” Then, he said, he had an epiphany.

“I learned that God reveals himself through Scripture and in general through his creation, and when we destroy God’s creation, it’s similar to ripping pages from the Bible,” Mr. Merritt said.

Article may be found here.

Red Phone Ad Spoof from SNL

Obama 1984

Tonight's Caucus

Click on image above for file in .pdf (better resolution)

I just got home from the Democratic Caucus for my precinct; it was an awesome, inspiring evening. There were 61 adults (and many children of all ages) at the caucus, 17 of whom supported Clinton and the rest (44) were for Obama! Clinton recieved two of eight delegates to the state convention and Obama recieved six delegates. When it came time for each of the individuals to speak up and state why we should vote for them as delegate to the state convention - there were some very emotional and inspiring speeches.

I am so excited that people of all races and ethnicites can come out and have such a direct effect on our political system. I had become very despondent and jaded about the political system here in the US - but tonight has restored my faith. I know that come November, we the people will take the White House once again, and our eight year dictatorship will be over!

Before heading to the caucus tonight, I decided to make a chart for the caucus I would be attending tonight... and what I saw absolutely shocked me. Tonight's caucus enforced what the Gods were telling us on the previous two eclipses.... tonight's energy and emotion are a direct manifestation of the TLE in Virgo (see my blog entries for last month's eclipses to learn more) and the earlier Annular Solar Eclipse (ASE) in Aquarius. This is the beginning of the changes that are going to sweep our nation in the months and years to come.

Looking at the above chart, it is important to notice the patterns in the chart, and most of all, look at the aspect table. There are 17 conjunctions occuring! All except two of the planets and luminaries are contained within the South Eastern quadrant... the remaining two are within the North West quadrant. This is an interesting pattern of planets within the chart - without even considering the aspects (which I will discuss later) right away we notice that there is a substantial grouping of planets in Pisces and Aquarius. Standing opposite them is Mars in Gemini and Saturn in Virgo. I am going to list the Sabian Symbols for each planet, then highlight some of the more important aspects in this blog entry - and then tomorrow I will make another entry explaining further insight I gain through my dreams and meditation.

Jupiter leads the parade of the Olympians beginning at 13 Virgo 03. The Sabian Symbol for this degree is "An Aristocratic Family Tree".

Moon is at 04 Aqu 57 - "A Council Of Ancestors Is Seen Implementing Thee Efforts Of A Young Leader"

Fortuna is at 12 Aqu 29 - "A Barometer"

Mercury is at 17 Aqu 27 - "A Man's Secret Motives Are Being Publicly Unmasked" ( Bush )

Chiron is at 18 Aqu 07 - "A Forest Fire Is Being Subdued By The Use Of Water, Chemicals And Sheer Muscular Energy"

Venus is at 19 Aqu 50 - "A Large White Dove Bearing A Message" (End to the War?)

Neptune is at 00 Pis 05 - "In A Crowded Marketplace Farmers And Middlemen Display A Great Variety Of Products"

North Node is at 05 Pis 15 - "A Parade Of Army Officers In Full Dress "

Sun is at 21 Pis 53 - "A Prophet Carrying Tablets Of The New Law Is Walking Down The Slopes Of Mount Sinai"

Neptune is at 25 Pis 56 - "Watching The Very Thin Moon Crescent Appearing At Sunset, Different People Realize That The Time Has Come To Go Ahead With Their Different Projects"

Ascendant is at 29 Pis 35 - "A Majestic Rock Formation Resembling A Face Is Idealized By A Boy Who Takes It As His Ideal Of Greatness, And As He Grows Up, Begins To Look Like It".

Mars is at 26 Gem 56 - "A Gypsy Emerging From The Forest Wherein Her Tribe Is Encamped"

Midpoint (between Mars and Saturn) is at 12 Leo 12 - "An Old Sea Captain Rocking Himself On The Porch Of His Cottage"

Saturn is at 05 Vir 31 - "A Merry-Go-Round"

Midheaven is at 25 Sag 26 - "A Flag Bearer In A Battle"

Vertex is at 27 Vir 35 - "A Baldheaded Man Who Has Seized Power"

East Point is at 02 Ari 09 - "A Comedian Reveals Human Nature"

Important Aspects

Saturn and Mars are trine each other and both are inconjunct the Moon. This formation is what is called in Karmic Astrology the Yod formation. There is also a Mystical Rectangle formed between Mars, Saturn, Pluto, and Mercury/Chiron/Venus (the last three are conjunct each other) representing the elements of air, earth, fire, and water respectively (based upon the signs that each planet is in). The clumping of the Olympians is so strong that the bracketing planets form semi-square aspects (45 degree angle) to each other. This is significant.

I will present more about what I feel this chart means for the election, our country and the world tomorrow.

Peace and Be Well!

March Astrological Downloads

Here are the Downloads for the month of March, 2008.

Monthly Calendar with Astrological aspects and moon info.

Aspect highlights for March.

Detailed aspect chart for March.

Void of Course for March 2008.

Planetary Hours for March 2008.

Lunation Chart for March 2008.

And finally, the Planetary Stations for 2008.

Friday, March 7th is 1 Elaphebolion, and the New Moon is in Pisces.