How to Build a Bridgeby Eric Francis
TO BUILD A BRIDGE, ideally it would already be there. Construction of a bridge is based on this idea. To accomplish this, you put some part of the bridge in place and use it to build the rest. Construction usually begins with anchors on either end, or towers in the middle. Then, the parts of the span that are built first become the structure that supports the construction of the rest. Sometimes a temporary structure is used to support the permanent structure while it's being built -- an aspect of the same idea. With a suspension bridge, the towers are built, cables are strung to the anchors, and then the rest of the bridge is hung from the cables. You have to start somewhere. Yet you must cross the space in your mind first. Architecture and engineering are proof that what materializes in this world begins as thought. Bridges take a lot of thought. Then they need to be drawn on paper. As my grandfather, a draftsman, often said, for everything you see in the world, there is a drawing. Then, that increases in detail until there is some technical understanding of how the structure might work. This is particularly true for bridges, which exist in reams of mathematics long before they exist in steel and concrete. All the while, you need to accept that, at least today, what most people think is impossible is actually going to happen. Yet to the bridge designer, there is a sense of necessity that drives the process. You know you must do it, therefore, you do. About building bridges, we can make a few other generalizations. To go over, you must go up first. To go up, you start at the bottom. That often involves going under the water. That aspect of the work involves starting in the mud. At this stage, a mixing of the elements is necessary; something solid is being built on something previously thought of as soft and fluid. In order to do that, it's necessary to get to the bottom of things, and to find firm Earth beneath what looked like a river or a bay. Then, more Earth must be moved into the water: concrete, bricks, stone, steel. It can seem futile building in mud, but it can be done. It's just necessary to recognize that beneath the mud is the ground, and to find it. To build a bridge, you use everything you know from every other form of design and construction. You must find people who will cooperate; who are not afraid of heights or of going beneath the river, or the riverbed; you must be resourceful. But most of all, you and the people working on your bridge need to have faith. Often the bridge begins as the idea of a single person. Then a few people work on designing the bridge. A few more work on building it; some of them risk their lives or lose their lives in the process. When it's finished, a great many may cross effortlessly, and safely, and it's left in place for many generations. We are all designers of our own bridge to the future -- and of our bridge to the core of ourselves. The bridge we design will take us from one part of our lives to the next; from one state of being to the next. From where we stand on any given day, it may seem impossible, yet it requires faith, and we get there because we must get there. The Bridge"American's have to get over their fear of pain. We have to 'get this' -- to get past our fat-cat, insulated American consciousness and absorb what has happened on the other side of the world, before we invite this kind of 'wake up call' here, at home. What we do not attend to with an open heart, I have noted, ends up a Cosmic Boot up the kazoo. If it has to get personal before we notice it, then what's more personal than the sea taking our child, our parent, our home and leaving us bereft ... we do not want this kind of personal experience.To realize the creative potential, and thus to get past the catastrophobia connected with 2012, and to get there alive, safely and in good condition -- and together -- we're going to need to do three things: work on ourselves, work together, and hold a vision. Then, to make use of time as creative material rather than as a tunnel of fate, we need to think of time differently. From the look of things, we're going to be taking an exciting, unpredictable and probably somewhat dangerous outer journey in the years between now and Dec. 21, 2012, the date when the Mayan calendar reaches the end of a 5,125-year Great Cycle. And we're going to take an inner journey as well. The two are almost always parallel, except when they are divided and cast apart from one another, or when one world is denied at the expense of the other. The bridge to the core is the bridge to the heart of time, which is one way to think of 2012, and the other bridge is the one that leads us to the center of who we are. What happens beyond that point is worth considering, but for now, let's use it as a convenient, and probably meaningful, point of orientation. Thinking spiritually, our anchor into reality on this side of the journey is our connection to our inner light and thus inner shadow, our connection to one another, and our connection to our work. Relationships and work are a form of community. Community connection counts for a lot. Thinking in somewhat linear terms, the anchor in time on this side of the time bridge is our collective and individual experiences associated with major events of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Remember -- these were intense! We earned what we learned. One step at a time, we were grounded. Yet there is another event, from the 1980s. Regardless of whether you happened to have participated, I consider the Harmonic Convergence of Aug. 16, 1987 (noon GMT, Greenwich, England) to be a key root or anchor point for the bridge to 2012, the purpose intended by its creator, Mayan astrologer and scholar Jose Arguelles. The idea behind this event was to create a worldwide connection designed to raise the vibration of the planet in preparation for the rapidly approaching changes of the decades leading to the end of the 13th baktun, or day 13.0.0.0.0 on Dec. 21, 2012. There was a sense of commitment to embarking on something momentous. The event had wide-scale participation throughout the Western world, and far beyond, and received much press coverage. I took part in a celebration hosted by the Course in Miracles community I lived in at the time, and that was sponsored by the Holistic Health Association of the Princeton Area (HHAPA). It was real, it was surreal, and the connection to a time portal was palpable, at a time when I had no experience with such things. The mantra for that day, in a recording chanted by children, over and over, was: Opening doors, closing doors I'm not afraid, it's only change Astrology is a map to change, and change is opportunity: to grow, to become, to relate and to create. In Western astrology, key anchor points on this side of the bridge include the comet Hale-Bopp and the Aquarius alignment of 1997; the total solar eclipse of Aug. 11, 1999; the Taurus alignment of May 2000, including Jupiter conjunct Saturn; the Cancer solstice total solar eclipse of June 21, 2001; Saturn opposite Pluto of 2001-2002; and the Venus transit of the Sun in 2004. Remember the extent to which each of these were profound, life-changing personal experiences. Yet we lived and changed through each of them. Each had some effect of shifting your life, and grounding you. Each taught you something critically important. Each contributed to who you are. The events I describe in these time entries are mainly collective. But you will experience each personally. Each exists as a set of transits to your personal natal chart; at each point, your progressed horoscope will be doing something as well. What you've got here is a sketch that you can fill in with your own details and perceptions. Many of these charts are located on the charts and resources page. Venus Transit of the Sun, 2004This was the pivotal event of 2004, the (till then) less-than-once-per-century turning point, in which Venus made an exact conjunction, also called a transit, to the disk of the Sun. This occurred in a rather pivotal year, where there were many events of something making an exact conjunction (a transit, eclipse or occultation) to something else, rather than just a garden-variety conjunction. Normally, Venus conjoins the Sun a little above or below the disk of the Sun. Like eclipses, these events come in pairs. The last pair happened in 1874 and 1882, ushering in many changes, and then the entire 20th century was skipped. The next, the second of this pair, occurs in Gemini on June 6, 2012. So whatever 2004 was about points directly to 2012. Yet the pair following these occurs in 2117 and 2125 -- which is followed by another break of more than a century. So we are now in an age of Venus transits of the Sun.Pholus enters Sagittarius, 2005Pholus, the second centaur (discovered 1992, the same year as the first planet in an orbit beyond Pluto) is at times incendiary. Pholus is like Chiron on meth. Through 2005 it works the line between Scorpio and Sagittarius. A key theme of this planet is release and sudden transformation. Another is curiosity. Another involves multigenerational patterns of substance abuse, and anything of a three-generation nature. Pholus has been in Scorpio since 1999. In that time, we have witnessed the release of a great many corporate, state and sexual secrets into the public realm; few people have batted their eyelashes. But the truth is out. Pholus represents fast, irrevocable transitions, and moving into Sagittarius (the sign of the whole world) these will affect the whole world. The process that Pluto in Sagittarius has cultivated since 1995 or so will, as this transit develops, become increasingly apparent. I think we will see the extent of our culture's addiction to religion and ideology, and the effects of these things exposed as a multigenerational issue. Fair to expect a few more outbursts of fundamentalist fanaticism. By 2010, Pholus reaches the 15th degree of Sagittarius, where it contacts the Great Attractor, one of the major milestones on the way to 2012.Chiron and Nessus enter Aquarius, 2005Aquarius is the sign of psychological patterns; of group identification; of individuality; and where these three things intersect. It is also the sign of ideals, and with Neptune in this sign since 1998, it's been possible to get really wasted on one's ideals (such as patriotism), to inhale television advertising like oxygen, and forget everything else. It may be enough at some stages of growth to identify with the winning side, to vote for an administration that perpetrates war atrocities in the name of Jesus, and to be conformist in the name of individuality; but not at others. And we're about to enter one of those 'other' stages right about now.The light side of Aquarius is the freedom to be an individual. The dark side of Aquarius is control and fascism, because Aquarius is the energy that dictators use to crystallize social and cultural patterns. Capricorn is how you run an institution, but Aquarius is a necessary energetic ingredient when mass populations are involved. We will soon discover the difference. Chiron in Aquarius does at least two things: it makes the old patterns painfully visible, and it makes others available. Chiron and Nessus enter Aquarius together (an echo of when Pluto and Nessus entered Sagittarius together in 1995). This is, I believe, a generation-defining conjunction. It does not matter that a small minority of astrologers use Chiron and hardly any have even heard of Nessus. Planets have discernable effects long before they are even discovered. Nessus makes the patterns of psychological abuse obvious, patterns which in the case of Aquarius are cultural, contained in peer groups and ideological associations and groups of all kinds, and which exist as a 'normal' part of relating. It represents what Melanie Reinhart calls "the bottom line." I foresee events that galvanize the younger generation, particularly the announcement or first serious discussion of a military draft. One would expect that to stir things up on the campuses, but who knows. In any case, I trust that something will. The Chiron-Nessus conjunction of early spring is square the discovery degree of Chiron. Chiron was discovered in 1977 in the fourth degree of Taurus. The Chiron-Nessus conjunction occurs in the fourth degree of Aquarius. This is Chiron's Chiron square, a turning point in the process that Chiron itself represents. Saturn enters Leo, 2005-2007Saturn changes signs about every 21-24 months; I'll only cover Leo in this particular article. A collective but also deeply personal theme of this transit is about cultivating individual responsibility. Whether we take responsibility for our actions and personal awareness is very much a collective matter. Yet there seems to be some kind of dawning necessity to maintain self-consciousness, as if nobody noticed it was missing. Though Saturn's placement in Leo can go two ways, toward regal egotism or humble self-awareness, this transit is likely to have a sobering effect. It makes a good counter-balance to Chiron and Nessus accelerating the process of Aquarius, which it will oppose directly. There are several more oppositions of Chiron and Saturn over the next two years; the next is July 21, 2005. To the extent that Saturn in Leo tends toward regal egotism, these oppositions should temper it a little bit, and remind at least some people that Leo needs to be, must be, and actually is, the most generous energy in the astrological system. When working well, it's not about being self-centered, but rather centered in oneself. Saturn and Chiron on the fixed cross are going to move stuck energies, both for people and the groups and collectives they form.Pluto Enters Capricorn, Jan. 26, 2008 & Nov. 27, 2008Since the Chiron-Pluto conjunction in Sagittarius, exact on Dec. 30, 1999, Chiron has been ahead of Pluto in the zodiac, as if 'running vanguard'. Thus, since late 1999 (astonishing as it was that this conjunction was on the eve of Y2K), Chiron covers the territory before Pluto arrives. I would be a lot more concerned about Pluto in Capricorn were it not for all we've learned during Chiron in Capricorn. And it's not just that we've learned; I am confident that Chiron's presence in the sign associated with powerful institutions has made life very difficult for certain political, religious and corporate leaders the during past three years -- extremely so. It's much easier to get away with murder when nobody is looking, and whether anyone is willing to admit it or not, we are looking. One of Chiron's properties is that it produces documentation. You might get a great psychic reading from Neptune, but with Chiron you can write down a tarot spread and bring it to another reader for a second opinion. The information that's come out the past three years, all of which has accumulated on the Internet, has a powerful bearing on the Pluto in Capricorn era, when the tendency will be for institutions, governments and corporations to try to consolidate their gains. Chiron will have raised awareness to the point where this is more rather than less difficult. Note that the 2008 election occurs with Pluto still in very late Sagittarius.Jupiter, Chiron, Neptune conjunction, May 23, 2009This one-time-only event occurs in the 27th degree of Aquarius near the end of both Neptune and Chiron's visit to Aquarius. It is exact to the degree. Curiously, it's exactly conjunct the asteroid Pandora, the first woman of Greek mythology (of 'Pandora's Box' fame and fortune). We can speculate that something comes out. Mercury and Memoria are in the aspect structure. Maybe it's a lot of old articles, video tapes and documents that people are finally ready to see. This is a culmination point in the Aquarian cycle; it looks to me like one of the high towers of the suspension bridge. I suggest that it's a crucial orientation point, particularly if 2012 is not quite visible or manifest to you yet. Something positive takes hold here. The evil of mankind is at once too obvious, and obvious enough to see. But finally, it's seen as the psychological wound that it is. There are several interesting aspects in this chart, including Nessus conjunct Psyche. Suddenly, it seems that history teaches people to learn from the psychological patterns that have become so pervasive. Another interesting aspect in the chart is a conjunction of Hylonome and Pholus in Sagittarius. I think we may get a look at the global suffering caused by the abuse of religious ideology, and make up our minds to do something about it.Chiron enters Pisces, Apr. 20, 2010 & Feb. 8, 2011The second of these is a shocking chart. The last of two ingresses to Pisces by Chiron, this chart also has six major planets in Aquarius and five in Capricorn. Something is up. Adding a further clue, Jupiter is sitting on the Aries point (at three degrees and 20 minutes of Aries) in a conjunction with Uranus in the next-to-last degree of Pisces. If you ask me, something has gotten very old and is looking to be made new. All the major planets except for Saturn and asteroid Juno are set to one side of the lunar nodes. Saturn in Libra is the only one that is to the other side, and it's about to be opposed by Jupiter in Aries (the 'two lifetimes in one' setup). Venus, Vesta and Pluto are in an exact conjunction in early Capricorn, squared off by Jupiter in Aries; technically all of this is sitting on the Aries point. The Sun is conjunct Mars. I'm sitting here thinking, "What is this a chart of?" and I'm hearing, "It's a good day for journalism." Anyway, it's the chart for the final ingress of Chiron into Pisces.Neptune enters Pisces, April 4, 2011 & Feb. 3, 2012I am looking at the chart of the first date above. Curious. The Moon is in the exact same degree as it is Feb. 8, 2011, the exact moment Chiron enters Pisces for the last time a year earlier. That's really really really strange; the Moon occupies one degree for two hours per month. So Neptune's first ingress into Pisces is at the lunar return of Chiron's last into Pisces. There are a couple of stelliums in this chart as well, this time one in Pisces and one in Aries, involving 10 planets. The North Node in Sagittarius is conjunct the Galactic Core -- this means that eclipses are gathering around the core in these years. There is an Aries New Moon conjunct Jupiter. Mars is conjunct Uranus in the second degree of Aries, square Pluto. Chiron and Neptune are conjunct in Pisces, with a three and a half degree orb.Venus Transit of the Sun, June 6, 2012This occurs near the return point of the 2004 Venus transit of the Sun; the aspect is about two degrees off. It is opposite the Great Attractor, closer than 2004. And it's a southern hemisphere event, visible below the equator. The Pholus-Hylonome-Ixion conjunction is still within two degrees of orb, opposite the occultation. There has just been a lunar eclipse. Uranus is coming in for a close square to Pluto, which square is being set off by the Moon to within a few minutes of arc. In other words, Uranus is square Pluto. And the Moon, approaching Pluto, is square Uranus to the degree. You could roast pork chops on this chart. I can only imagine what the transit itself is going to feel like.Uranus square Pluto, June 24, 2012, Sept. 19, 2012,
This is THE pivotal event of the year and perhaps of the past 10 years. Occurring for the first time in the same month as the Venus transit, however, the magnitude is amplified. Uranus square Pluto is the aspect under which the word "revolution" was coined, according to Uranus cycle expert Richard Tarnas (author of The Passion of the Western Mind). The last major aspect on the 4th harmonic (90 degrees) was the Uranus-Pluto conjunction of the mid-1960s. It was in a relatively peaceful, integrated and community minded mutable sign, Virgo. This one, a major turning point (first quarter phase) in the Uranus-Pluto cycle, occurs from Uranus to Capricorn. I think we might be hearing the word revolution again. By definition, because it occurs early in the cardinal signs, this aspect involves the Aries point; but it really involves the Aries point because Uranus has just finished working the point, stirring up the intensity of the aspect from the first moment Uranus entered Aries. That was May 28, 2010. The Aries point means people -- THE people -- are involved in whatever process goes on. Uranus is usually pretty good to the people. He is a creator god, and a creative god; he is not afraid to buck and rear authority; and he's full of ideas. The Uranus ingress occurs with Pluto at about five degrees of Capricorn, Venus in early Chiron in the first degree of Pisces and Neptune about to change signs. |
