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<H1><A HREF="art-0809-currivan1.html">Wisdom for Changing Times</A></H1>
<H2>Jude Currivan</H2>
<P>In mid December 2007, a rare planetary alignment between Jupiter and Pluto was heralded by astrologers as a major tipping point that would usher in a turbulent period of transition as the global Shift of consciousness gathers pace. The movement of Pluto, after thirteen years, from the sign of Sagittarius to Capricorn in late January 2008 was also seen as bringing previously hidden issues and misuse of power into our personal and collective awareness to give us the opportunity for them to be healed, released, reconciled and resolved.</P>
<P>Pluto is the planet of deep inner power and transformation. Named after the Roman god of the underworld, its influence is often hidden yet intense. And Jupiter, named after the leader of the Roman gods is often referred to as the planet of expansion on both physical and spiritual levels.</P>
<P>So, the December conjunction between the two planets, when they came together in the sky, offered a cosmically supported opportunity to bring previously hidden issues into our personal and collective awareness - especially those involving misuse of monies or other forms of power, issues of integrity or distorted and dysfunctional beliefs.</P>
<P>The alignment of such powerful cosmic energies helps to purge the past and support us in forging a new pathway of openness and ethical behaviour into the future. And when first Jupiter and then Pluto moved out of Sagittarius and into Capricorn - the zodiac sign that influences the positions of outer power, from careers to governments - their cosmic influence accelerates and strengthens the exposure of misuses of power, the worsening consequences if they are not addressed and an increasingly positive support for its proper and altruistic use. </P>
<P>So on all levels, 2008 was destined to be a year of intense, radical and unavoidable change.</P>
<P>Whilst daunting, such fundamental change is necessary to support our collective expansion of awareness that is coming to be known as the Shift. However, whilst Jupiter remains in Capricorn all through 2008, adding expansive energy to the profound transformation influenced by Pluto, the latter's move into Capricorn at the end of January 2008 began a path that between June and September sees him back into Sagittarius for another wave of revelations and resolutions before moving on again into Capricorn, to remain there until 2023.</P>
<P>This shows that our personal and collective choices in this year of transition are key to the resolution of power issues of all sorts - including those of fairness and justice rather than exploitation and manipulation, balance of authority and empowerment between the state and the individual, and the acceptance of responsibilities as well as rights. The to and fro path of Pluto before he finally and fully enters Capricorn energises a thorough clearing and the presence of Jupiter ensures that we are offered every opportunity to see what we need to see and deal with what we need to deal with for us to achieve a collective breakthrough.</P>
<P>Over the summer months, the worsening economic climate both in the US and UK has caused deepening concerns for everyone. Security issues not only about homes and jobs but also over resources especially energy and food are becoming ever more prevalent on a global scale. And environmental and climatic extremes are reaching crisis points around the world.</P>
<P>In such challenging times, the easiest response would be to either sink into fear or recoil as far as possible into denial. Both are completely understandable and both take us down a dangerous and dead-ended path of despair.</P>
<P>If we only see the surface of the ocean it can appear stormy. But if we look beneath, we can appreciate the calm that prevails in its depths. If we only see the surface of our lives, we will experience the storms that threaten to engulf us. But if we can, in the midst of the apparent chaos see deeper and further to the bigger picture and purpose of our collective Shift, we may perceive how the old paradigms, the limited and fragmented ways we have adhered to must go, for us to embrace and embody a new way of living in peace, justice and harmony with each other and the living Earth.</P>
<P>We are rapidly approaching the crux of 2012 and the revolutionary destiny that awaits us. Whether we succumb to a global breakdown or together co-create a collective breakthrough depends on the choices we make now. If our choices are from fear then we will continue to co-create the implications and consequences of that fear. But if our choices are made from love, we can wake up from our spiritual amnesia and re-member who we really are.</P>
<P>Frontier research into consciousness is revealing too what the mystics of all times and places have known - that we are more - much more - not only than our physical bodies but even our human personas. At this crucial time, a new and integral vision of the Cosmos is also emerging. As Ervin Laszlo and I share in our new book CosMos, leading edge science is finally reconciling with universal wisdom to reveal the reality of a whole-world where everything we call reality is integrated and ultimately conscious. </P>
<P>Albert Einstein, not only a great scientist, but a passionate advocate for world peace, once said, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." We are now becoming able to see with ever greater clarity how old patterns of perception and behaviour have limited, separated and traumatised us, and beginning to learn the wisdom of healing and releasing them.</P>
<P>As we stand together at this momentous crossroads in the history of the human race, the Shift is enabling us to realize and become empowered by the unfolding understanding of the whole-world and become ever more conscious co-creators of our realities. This is our ultimate purpose in being here and now - and this is our cosmic destiny.</P>
<P>I am delighted to have been invited back to the Earth Spirit Conference and whole-heartedly look forward to our sharing a wonderful weekend together.</P>
<P>With love, joy and gratitude in the universal heart, Jude</P>
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