© 2012 by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved
Visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.
~The Night Before Christmas
In the classic poem and children’s story, The Night Before Christmas, excited little
ones anticipate Santa’s morning arrival and dream of sweet things that dance in
their heads as they sleep. What a Neptune in Pisces, kids in the candy store vision!
Neptune re-entered Pisces, after a retrograde
dip back into Aquarius, on February 3,
2012. Neptune will remain “in its own sign”
until January 2026. It’s the perfect time to let sweet things dance in our
heads, whether our dreams are the sleeping or waking variety.
This post is for the purpose of
sharing my visions about astrology—and asking you to share yours. How would
astrology look in the best possible world?
Neptune in Pisces is a time when visions,
too, are in their own sign, when what we
see is what we get. If we work
that idea to its highest potential, we can visualize and create positive
changes in the best possible way. If our manifestations are truly an
outcropping of the seed thoughts we plant, this is the time to think big,
beautiful things—things that join us and nurture our functioning as the whole
organism of humanity.
Imagination is a beautiful thing. When imaginations are
joined for good, anything is possible. Please jump into the Comments and
respond to my visions and share yours!
Precise Birth Times
In my dream world, nations pass laws that require accurate
recording of birth times. This precise record keeping is done out of respect
for the beliefs and spiritual perspectives of families and covers the infant,
too, in case he or she comes to hold a belief in astrology in the future. (Birth
is a one-shot deal in any life time. You’ve got to plan ahead to anticipate
needs.) Birth times are recorded by a standard, agreed-upon protocol about what
constitutes the first moment of life. Birth times are part of the public
record, easily accessible according to the same rules of release for any vital
statistical document.
Overcoming the Astrological Language Barrier
Astrologers are taught early in their studies to speak about
astrology with non-astrologers in a way that allows people new to the subject
to understand them, even if they have never taken a single astrology class. With
this language bridge, more people will walk across it to see what astrology is
all about. Simple language would go hand-in-hand with teaching astrology with
crystal clarity. In my world, initial studies would be so basic yet colorfully
presented, any child could grasp them with
ease. Astrology teachers would add to those building blocks, bit by bit, toward
helping their students understand more complex concepts. To achieve this, teachers
could look to models of children’s books and exhibitions on science and other
complex topics, to see how it’s already done. The model of
building on simplicity toward understanding increasingly complex ideas is necessary
in any multifaceted topic, especially one that has a language all its own.
The engine of this effort to mainstream astrology is
the idea that astrology is only as helpful as it is accessible. I see a new era
of demystifying the science and art of the stars. The best teachers—and there
are many of them!—know how to build on simple principles, so that by the time a
student is intermediate in his or her studies, concepts previously thought to
be complicated nearly grasp themselves.
Astrology Starts in Middle or High School
In my Neptune in Pisces vision, astrology
is taught in tandem with astronomy. Students can take one, both, or an
integrated track. When I was in college—and this could certainly apply to
middle or high school—there was an option called Combined Studies. CS offered broad
areas of study, rather than limited subjects. Looking back, the brainiest
students seemed to go for it. That should have told me something! With the
option of making astrology a part of other educational tracks, rather than
teaching it only as a stand-alone, more access and subject integration would
result.
Students who don’t hold astrological beliefs are exempt from
astrology classes; however, Astrology 101 and Astronomy 101 would be
recommended together as a first course in star studies, especially since
astrology preceded astronomy and is important from a historical perspective in
the development of astronomy. Once exposed to it, some “pure scientists” might
be surprised at what they discover about astrology’s potentials and astrology
students would be grounded in the science portion of the art/science of
astrology.
Higher Education
In my new astro-world, there are many astrological colleges
and certification programs available and accessible worldwide, along with government-approved
programs for easy financing via scholarships and student loans. Astrology is
treated just like any other subject in this regard. As with my suggestion for
middle and high school above, courses would be offered in tandem with
astronomy, social studies, history and any other curricula that place astrology
in the context of the areas it affects—all of life.
ZNN: Zodiac Nonstop Network
This is my “coop de hoop,” as my ex-husband used to say. I
think that was his pidgin play on coup de
grace, a French way of saying the finishing blow or touch—or an idea that knocks
me out, in this case. I have had conversations on Facebook in astrology groups about
it, and I think its time has come—far fetched as it may sound at first.
My concept of ZNN is a cable network with 24/7 programming
from an astrological perspective. Newscasters would tell the news with current
transits in mind, and the day’s planetary positions and movements would run on
a ticker like the stock market fluctuations on the bottom of the screen. News magazine features
would include a look at the chart of major characters in the headlines, and
these “specials” would heat up during significant events, such as elections, to
speculate on the leadership style of the nominees and their chances of winning.
Sitcoms and dramas would have characters that play on their
astrological make-up. Classic shows could be rerun as astrological cinema
lessons. Example of TV Guide type blurb using I Love Lucy: Pisces musician Ricky Ricardo loses his cool and beat
when his spotlight-loving Leo wife causes chaos, posing as a dancer in his
show.
Travel features could include the astrological charts of
countries and what each nation's horoscope suggests about individual compatibility for tourists. The
ZNN travel team would have an Astro*Carto*Graphy expert on staff who gives
shows, periodically, that are a live reading, demonstrating how this tool can
be used to plan travel and major geographical moves.
 |
| Gemini: Yakity Yak |
My favorite aspect of this astro-cable TV network would be
its educational potentials. While the parallel of this part of the programming
is obvious with PBS, the American Public Broadcasting System, I see ZNN as
being even broader, yet starting with teaching astrology to young children.
Similar to the Muppets, I have an idea for 12 puppets called
the Zodi-Yaks. Yaks are furry, horned bovine critters that would make adorable
archetypes for the 12 signs. Technically, yak refers to the male. The female
being called a dri or nak. In English, and in most other
languages, "yak" is commonly used for both sexes. So, the horns can be
removed for the girl yaks. [1]
I’m already naming them, but this is still in pencil:
Meet the Zodi-Yaks
Aries – Flash
Taurus – Luxury (Luxy for short)
Gemini – Yakity
(I know Yakity Yak is redundant, but what
else?)
Cancer – Moody
Leo – Starr
Virgo – Picky
Libra - Lovey
Scorpio – Vavavoom (Vava for short)
Sag – Blurt
Capricorn – Briefcase
Aquarius - Rarie
Pisces – Dreamy
How Do We Make This Dream Come True?
We keep talking about it, build on it, and count on the astrological
grapevine and six degrees of separation to bring us the resources to turn these
concepts into reality. Someone knows somebody who’s in television, education or
a cousin twice removed of the late, great Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets—or
Jeff Dunham’s dummy maker. Maybe we even
form a committee.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. ~ Margaret Mead
We might have to start with a track of programming on an existing network
before creating one dedicated exclusively to astrology. I could see the
Zodi-Yaks on public TV and an astro news segment on any major news network,
except for perhaps the most ultra conservative.
Miti Manifesto. Miti
(Mee Tee) is a nickname my birth mom had for me, short for my original name,
Maria Teresa. When we were reunited after 38 years of separation, Helen and I
discovered we were both very metaphysical. She felt I was an amazing manifester.
(The story of how I found her is so synchronistic, you’d think I made it up.) Thus,
she rechristened me Miti Manifesto. Another one of my friends says I have
“magic dust.”
It’s true; I do know something about the law of attraction,
but it’s universal law combined with a
small group of committed citizens that changes the world. Those world-changing groups
and committees often start with just one person. Here comes an example.
Call Me Lazarus. One of my favorite manifestation stories,
besides finding my assorted lost loves, was raising our local astrology group
from the dead. I’m a Virgo; so, naturally, I don’t mean for this to be a brag.
It’s evidence of how one committed person with a strong Mars can decide to do
something and, through the law of attraction, magnetize those other committed
citizens to make it so.
I made it so in less than a month. I’m sure I’ve mentioned
parts of this story before, so mea
redundo, if it’s a repeat for you. It’s such a classic example, it’s worth retelling
to those who have heard it before and worth introducing to those who haven’t.
In 2010, I went to two
Rick Tarnas events at
NCGR-San Francisco on September 15 and 18.
San Francisco is 125 miles one-way
from where I live in the suburbs of Sacramento.
The first event was a Wednesday night lecture; the other a Saturday workshop.
By the second event, as much as I love Rick’s presentations, I started adding
up the fees, food, tolls, and parking charges. I said to myself, “This is
ridiculous. There have to be enough people to resurrect the old astrology group
in Sacramento. I’m not doing this
anymore—or at least not often.” The Sacramento chapter of NCGR had been “dead” for
nearly a decade.
By October 17, I had managed to “herd cats,” as many people
joke about how hard it is to get astrologers on the same page or in the same
room. Thirty people met at a local metaphysical store, our first “resurrection”
meeting. I contacted dozens of people, activated the grapevine, and the game
was afoot. From the beginning, all I did was plug into the longing for
astrological community that already existed. It existed acutely because people had
been starved for it for nearly a decade. From there, it took off like wildfire.
After a few organizational get-togethers, we started planning speakers and had
a full program for 2011 in no time flat. At Spring Equinox, March 21, 2011, we recharted with
NCGR and the
Sacramento Area Chapter was reborn.
What a Plutonian story!
I managed to attract the best leadership team in the galaxy,
and while they give me more credit than I probably deserve for my
organizational and professional skills, it just took one person—me—to get it
going. Sure, I’m astro qualified for the job. The strong Mars and being a
Triple Earth help a lot. (Several of the team members thought about it for
years, but say they don’t have enough Earth and couldn’t get from idea to
action.) But I’m not the only person on the planet with skills and
astro-compatibility for organizing big projects.
How about you? I’m not sure I’ve got enough juice and magic
dust left in my wand to pull an astro-TV network out of a hat, but if I
could attract the right committed team …
… like a lot of people of a certain age, I’ve learned by
experience never to say never.
If you’ve read the original article on which this blog is
based,
The
Radical Virgo, you’ll note it contains a call to action. Could these
dreams—and yours—possibly be one of the reasons we’ve been meeting like this on
The Radical Virgo blog?
Dying to hear your Comments!
~~~
Note
Photo Credits: Dreamer - © Patrizia Tilly - Fotolia.com; Felt
Yak Illustration- © texxi - Fotolia.com
Congratulations to
Mads Elung-Jensen of Berlin, Germany,
winner of the Valentine’s
month Comment Contest on The Radical Virgo. Mads is a regular reader and
frequent commenter. Even though the actual drawing is done by my husband Tim,
who isn’t into astrology and knows none of the people on those slips of paper,
I’m sure the fact that Mads commented in a limerick somehow made his name
magnetize to Tim’s fingertips. Mads won a free mini-reading with me by
email. Thanks to all who participated! ~ Joyce
, a cult classic in the ‘60s and ‘70s, my curiosity was piqued by a discussion in one article about the
book. It focused on how waiting in
fullness is not procrastination. In fact, it’s the antithesis of putting
something off. It’s surrendering to the necessary, underlying development of
foundations for anything you’re building. You can’t push the flower to grow or
the egg to hatch. It seems more obvious when the example is a literal, natural
process, but when it comes to the birth of an idea or project, it’s easy to
lose sight of the fact that we can’t see everything yet. Decisions and
directions need to be based on sound infrastructure in order to succeed, just
as if you were building a highway or bridge. 
In one of her recent presentations I attended, Maria talked about
how our addiction to busyness keeps us from asking ourselves meaningful
questions about our lives. (When I shared this with a dear friend, her one-word
response was identical to my own: “Busted.”) Our busy minds send us to the 
