Be The Cause. Inspiration From Spinoza.

The philosopher Baruch Spinoza saw nature to be synonymous with God.  He saw all living creatures as a part of this whole.  The thing that tied everything together was affectivity; the capacity to affect and be affected. 

He saw everything to be relative to something else in a web-like structure.  Consciousness sits in the middle of cause and effect, attempting to better perceive this ‘web’. 

If the web of cause and effect can be somewhat perceived, something very special can happen. We can become the cause and will the effect.

If we notice that the sun makes plants grow, we can plant seeds in the right spot. If bears notice that salmon swim upstream at a certain time of year they can position themselves to capitalize on this event and fill up their bellies.

 But animals don’t focus themselves into an idea of a future that suits them on a highly individual level. They go with nature’s flow. They are nature, as we are, but with them there is no confusion. There is also no freedom to create a unique future to answer an inner calling.

 Camus said, ‘with rebellion, awareness is born.” Human awareness is free of time’s constraints. Reflective thought allows us to get outside of time’s bondage and then return to it with better ideas of navigation. The only way to navigate time is to embrace its forward push. There is no backwards time navigation and no time machines. To navigate time well is to embrace the forward push within your own chemistry.

 The web of cause and effect becomes very personal. It is now quite evident to strive to clearly see what causes your effects. Maybe the problem that you continue to face is less about circumstance and more about a mindset, and maybe not. Seeing it clearly reveals true strategies to get back to ‘forward’.

 And what about the effects that are not negative? Are you paying attention to those? This would include effects such as delight, peacefulness, enjoyment. Maybe you think that a certain tv show gives you delight but in examining the true cause it becomes clear that the delight lies in getting a taste of a certain kind of life. Maybe it’s a life of more adventure and maybe it’s a life of better simplicity. To go on enjoying the show without ever examining its true cause of delight might keep you from taking a certain action towards something wonderful for your flourishing.

 The point is that the cause and effect pattern of the wide world we live in is like an elaborate web. Scientists see much further into the web than the bear awaiting salmon. They have found ways to determine the solid causes and effects of invisible forces. They can calculate measurements that serve as learning tools for future human minds to discover even more, as they build on this knowledge. The web emerges, in plain sight for those that learn these things.

 But the web is not just for scientists, it is also for artists, psychologists, engineers, teachers, farmers, chefs, parents and athletes. Anyone can use the knowledge of this ever-growing web to their advantage. Anyone can become the cause that they want to become, in search of desired effects.

 The web is vast and worldly, but also quite intimate and immediately present should one decide to become aware of it. If we can learn what the toroscope teaches us about the ego then we can witness a very personal web that is in the constant act of being spun. The Moon, our egos, are in a continuous state of change. Constantly “arising with a tinge of the past on the fringe of the future” as the philosopher Alfred North Whitehead described. He said we inherit the past, thus we are bound to it, but we are free to create. Each moment truly is the potential to a new dawn. You can wake up to the web you are spinning, or you can stay asleep to your momentum and spin in a mechanical spidery way.

 In the zodiac, Saturn represents ’cause’. These causes make up all of science and describe the laws of our natural world.

Saturn upside down is Jupiter. The toroscopes alerts us to the reality of inward and outward connections. If Saturn is the flipside of Jupiter, they are in a sense the same thing. If Saturn is the cause then Jupiter is also a kind of cause, just consisting of fire stuff instead of earth, or willing instead of law.

What kind of cause is this? It’s a cause that stands outside of time, in fire’s eternity.

The cause is quite simply your potential to be the cause, and create an effect. Embracing this ‘reality’ within is called confidence. It is as natural to embrace this cause as it is to embrace the cause of rain falling from the sky, in fact it is more natural.

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Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio? The Jupiter Effect.

Paul Simon ran into Joe DiMaggio at a restaurant after the famous “Mrs. Robinson” song hit the airwaves, and was able to address the rationale for writing that line, as DiMaggio was a bit confused by it, since he hadn’t really gone anywhere.  Paul Simon explained to him that the line meant, where have all the great heroes gone, which satisfied Joe.

It does seem to resonate on some mysterious and deep level that DiMaggio is more than a great ball player.  He is, as Simon put it, a great hero.  Someone who inspires the public and lifts it’s spirit.  When someone is inspired by a hero, they too walk taller, and live with more confidence.  Simon saw the need for this inspiration as he wrote “our nation turns it’s lonely eyes to you.”

 This is the domain of Sagittarius and Jupiter.

To be lifted up, out of the doldrums and into a place of faith and confidence is the domain of Jupiter, and it’s associated sign Sagittarius.

DiMaggio couldn’t be brighter with Sagittarian fire, with Sun, Venus and Mars all together on the Ascendant, the “dawn” of the horoscope.  He dawns on others with an impossible to miss ray of inspiring hope and heroism.

What’s really amazing is that you can even see the long face of the horse, which is a Sag trademark.  For more on strikingly accurate facial features of the zodiac, visit William Shrieb’s site-  Astrovisions

This month marks a homecoming for Jupiter, as it re-enters Sagittarius

Celebrating Jovial Jupiter’s re-entrance into Sagitarrius.  This archetype is effervescent, bubbling with enthusiasm, eager to enjoy the celebration.

As of November 8th of this year, Jupiter has moved into it’s natural habitat of Sagittarius, an event that occurs every 12 years.  Jupiter spends one year in each sign of the zodiac.  The year ahead is a metaphorical return of Joe DiMaggio, a return of inspiration.

As joyous as it sounds, like any planet or archetype, it is a spectrum of positive and negative.  When examining what this transit means for you, we must look at the full psychology of Sagittarius.

The psychology of REWARD.

Seeking rewards is such a common event in daily life and we are most often completely unaware of operating this way.  Even something as simple as grabbing your morning coffee is geared to obtaining the reward of feeling awake and alert.

Agent Cooper is following his Jupiter promptings when drinking his damn fine coffee

Jupiter has always been associated with rewarding experiences, as well as luck and joviality.  In this way it is traditionally perceived as more benevolent than other planets, like Saturn for example which is associated with restriction.   But there is error in this perception, for the psychology of reward can put you in trouble just as fast as the psychology of restriction.

And then maybe a bit too much Jupiter with this amount of donuts.

What this transit means for you

This transit marks a time to look at the year ahead and ask yourself, what are your ideals?  Where do you find yourself looking up to others.  Where do you continually seek inspiration?  What kind of rewards do you seek on a daily basis?  Do you satisfy these needs in healthy or not so healthy ways?

Jupiter is the broader vision of our life.  The pattern-seeking and the “what if” thinking.  Jupiter encourages us to dream in our waking life, and look for all sorts of possibilities.

Sagittarius’ arrow is pointed upward with intent, towards high ideals.

So the metaphorical spirit lift of a great hero is returning this year.  This is the hero of your own enthusiasm and your own faith in what you can do.  The psychology of this psychic fire must be tamed by your rational mind.

For instance, just because you believe you can fly doesn’t make it necessarily so.

The gift of Jupiter moving back into Sagittarius is one to be celebrated, reflected upon and channeled into a helpful way.  If you feel like you’ve gone too long without a lift in spirits, look for ways that it is trying to find you now.

Spirits do best when lifted

Sometimes a glance at the natal chart, indicating where Jupiter is specifically transiting in regards to your own psychological starry imprint can be especially helpful.  On the flip side, if you feel swamped in a theme of “excess”, Jupiter can shed light on where or why this is happening, so you can gain a better sense of control.

For the year ahead:

Joe DiMaggio revved up the spirits of many.  Think about who, in your personal life or in the public eye, has had this type of effect on you.

Then maybe think why…

Then maybe just feel what that felt like…

Jupiter teaches in this way.