Ecology

Sunday inspiration: Crisis as turning point

Photo by MayanKBhogal

It would be difficult to deny that humanity is in crisis at the moment.   Apart from COVID-19 which threatens the health and economics of every nation on Earth, there is the climate change problem, wealth inequities and a 75% increase in homelessness since 2010, the acceleration of mass extinctions, and more.

The English word “crisis” comes from the Greek word “krisis” meaning decision.  A crisis is a turning point: a crescendo or climax of a problem at which a decision must be made to turn the tide. According to Merriam Webster, a crisis is (a) the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever; (b) a paroxysmal attack of pain, distress, or disordered function; (c) an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is [needed]; (d) a situation that has reached a critical phase. 

It is through crisis that evolution occurs.  This is true for biological species, such as the frogs that mutate when the streams become polluted.  We adapt to biological events that threaten our existence because we must.  In our personal lives it often takes an emotional crisis before we embark on a personal journey to change ourselves and the patterns that brought us to that difficult place.

This idea from medicine that a crisis is a turning point for better or for worse, a decisive moment when the patient will either improve or die, sums up where we are at the moment on Planet Earth.  Unfortunately, humans often tend to be more reactive than proactive.  We put off the hard decisions til tomorrow so that we can have a momentary pleasure today, and we fail to plan […]

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By |2020-11-01T16:16:15-05:00November 1st, 2020|Ecology, Inspiration|2 Comments

The Fifth Sacred Thing and Water Wars

10491447_sIn 1993 Starhawk, an early spokesperson for the neo-pagan movement, wrote a book called The Fifth Sacred Thing.  In this post-apocalyptic novel, set in San Francisco, a theocratic dictatorship has seized all of the assets of the earth: air, food and water, and is the sole source of pharmaceutical antidotes for the ecological poisons they themselves create.  The Fifth Sacred Thing is Spirit, after the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

It is a scenario that is not so far-fetched today, but in 1993 a world such as this seemed far in the distant future.  In the 20 years since then, and in the 20 years hence (the story is set in 2048), Pluto will have traveled through fire (Sagittarius, 1995-2008), earth (Capricorn 2008-2023), air (Aquarius 2023-2043) and then water (Pisces 2043-2066).  And the world’s population will have increased by 2.5 billion, most of these in the poorest countries with the fewest resources.

Pluto’s journey through Sagittarius (expansion and foreign cultures) globalized the planet in a way no one could have imagined previously.  Pluto is now in Capricorn (capitalism and society) where it is breaking down the structures upon which humanity has relied for hundreds of years.  When Pluto moves through Aquarius (technology and revolution) we are likely to see the kind of technocracy and rule by machines that have been imagined by science fiction writers for years. And Pluto in Pisces (ocean) is likely to bring the water wars.

Humans can live without food for a while, but we cannot live without water.  When water becomes scarcer than gold, it becomes a precious commodity.  Wars over water are nothing new, especially in the southwestern United States where water was diverted from rivers to fertilize the barren deserts […]

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By |2019-10-11T17:12:13-04:00October 19th, 2019|Ecology|0 Comments

Sao Paulo: harbinger of water wars

water warsOne of the world’s largest cities is in an unprecedented water crisis.  Sao Paulo, South America’s largest city and the twelfth largest city in the world, is expected to run out of water by June of 2015.  Much of the drought in Brazil is due to the deforestation of the Amazon which increases the levels of heat and reduces rainwater.

Aside from air, living things most need water to survive.  When water disappears, the wealthy are able to purchase water such as we saw last year when billionaires paid millions of dollars to import water to their Montecito California estates.

California is in what is being called the worst drought in a millenium.  Climate change has reduced the amount of snowpack melt in the mountains which in the past has served to irrigate the farms that provide fresh produce to the rest of the world.  To stave off “desertification” water is being pumped from the ground at a faster pace than it can recharge.

A drought emergency has been declared in thirteen counties in Oregon.  California and Arizona are battling over access to water from the Colorado River.  Israel is cutting off access to water in its ongoing war against the Palestinians.  Unprecedented growth in both China and India is causing tensions over the damming of rivers that provide water to both countries.

This comprehensive listing of water wars over the past three millenia provide an interesting history of conflicts over water.  It’s interesting to note the acceleration of conflict over water beginning in 2002, just before Uranus entered Pisces, the sign associated with the ocean.  Uranus is dry by nature – it rules electricity and lightning storms as well as thunder and radical rebellious […]

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By |2015-03-30T08:36:58-04:00March 30th, 2015|Ecology, Politics|2 Comments

The Fifth Sacred Thing and upcoming Water Wars

10491447_sIn 1993 Starhawk, an early spokesperson for the neo-pagan movement, wrote a book called The Fifth Sacred Thing.  In this post-apocalyptic novel, set in San Francisco, a theocratic dictatorship has seized all of the assets of the earth: air, food and water, and is the sole source of pharmaceutical antidotes for the ecological poisons they themselves create.  The Fifth Sacred Thing is Spirit, after the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

It is a scenario that is not so far-fetched today, but in 1993 a world such as this seemed far in the distant future.  But in the 20 years since then, and in the 20 years hence (the story is set in 2048), Pluto will have traveled through fire (Sagittarius, 1995-2008), Capricorn (2008-2023), Aquarius (2023-2043) and Pisces (2043-2066).  And the world’s population will have increased by 2.5 billion, most of these in the poorest countries with the fewest resources.

Pluto’s journey through Sagittarius (expansion and foreign cultures) globalized the planet in a way no one could have imagined previously.  Pluto is now in Capricorn (capitalism and society) where it is breaking down the structures upon which humanity has relied for hundreds of years.  When Pluto moves through Aquarius (technology and revolution) we are likely to see the kind of technocracy and rule by machines that have been imagined by science fiction writers for years. And Pluto in Pisces (ocean) is likely to bring the water wars.

Humans can live without food for a while, but we cannot live without water.  When water becomes scarcer than gold, it becomes a precious commodity.  Wars over water are nothing new, especially in the southwestern United States where water was diverted from rivers to fertilize the barren deserts of California and […]

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By |2013-09-06T07:30:49-04:00September 6th, 2013|Ecology, Future Shock|0 Comments

Pluto in Capricorn and our decaying infrastructure

While I am on vacation I will try to do some posting but meanwhile I wanted to repost some articles that may still be of interest to my readers.  Here’s one from 2008 that is particularly relevant in light of the collapsing bridges that we have seen over the past couple of months in Washington, Ontario, Penang and Missouri.    

One of the things I believe we’ll be facing over the next few years as Pluto travels through Capricorn is the erosion of the structures that support our human lives on the planet. Bridges, tunnels, buildings – all are ruled by Capricorn and subject to transformation while in Pluto’s domain.

Governors meeting the other day with President Bush pushed for him to include funding for various infrastructure repair projects for their states, which were turned down by the President. Bush said that he would rather wait to see the results of his stimulus package, which consists mostly of tax cuts, rather than fund infrastructure projects which would put Americans back to work.

The American Society for Civil Engineers estimates that $1.6 trillion dollars is needed to restore the aging and unsafe infrastructure in the United States. The areas that need rebuilding include toxic waste sit