Author Archive for Zeina Yazbek

Latest Book Recommendation: The Dawn of Everything

RAMBLINGS, REFLECTIONS and RUMINATIONS

MAY FULL MOON 2022 with Daniel Giamario

I recently have had the opportunity to read the book: “The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity” by David Graeber and David Wengrow.  I have been waiting for a book like this for quite a long time.  Not only does it corroborate and expand my world view of humanity’s actual history, but has seeded a brand new application that uses the Shamanic Astrology Paradigm ™.  For many years I have researched the convergence of many time-lines and cosmic cycles at this time of the Turning of the Ages.  In addition, I have delved into alternative interpretations of history that differ from those presented by mainstream academicians and supporters of the peer-reviewed and tenured consensus.  My research, including journeys to many sacred sites around the world, has provided much opportunity to expand my curiosity and understanding.  This area of interest falls under one of my essential life inquiries, namely: “Who are We?  And What the Hell Happened?”

Before delving into the radical and incredibly stimulating views of this book, I will summarize here my critique of the current situation and predicament of global humanity at the end of Kali Yuga(Note Two) and the end and beginning of an entire precessional cycle.  These are the signs and symptoms of what is assumed to be “progress”.

  • Hierarchical Patriarchy, and an inevitable class structure.
  • Patrilineal Family Structure
  • Fundamentalist Monotheism
  • Dominion over Nature
  • Materialism and Scientism, and the belief in linear “progress”
  • Abstract and written language, recorded history, and loss of oral history
  • The inevitable rise of the State

Each of these points could be elaborated on in depth, many of which I have done in previous articles and seminars.  “The Dawn of Everything” explores why and how we got here, and whether, indeed, it was inevitable.  The authors think not.  I will attempt here to summarize their main points.  It could be said that their main theme is asking “What is Freedom?”  Deeply woven throughout the book is also the question: “What is Civilization?”  The authors use anthropology and archeology to explore these questions.  In this book they demolish the mainstream consensus, and present evidence very much in harmony with the research and understanding that I have developed over the years.

The authors, from their global and cross-cultural research, explore the concepts of freedom and social liberty.  They explore the great explosion of research and discoveries just in the last thirty years that are contrary to the established consensus that is still taught in schools, and promoted by best-selling authors, like Diamond and Harari.  Graeber and Wengrow look objectively at the last 30,000 years and see quite a different story.  They locate the three most often seen ingredients found in society and culture prior to “Western” civilization.

  • The Freedom to move away or re-locate from one’s surroundings.
  • The Freedom to ignore or disobey commands issued by others.
  • The Freedom to shape entirely new social realities, or shift back and forth between different ones.

They then explore extensively the rise of the state and of hierarchy, and question if it’s inevitable as part of a necessary evolution.  They noticed that the creation of the state and empire, and its hierarchies as happening due to three main ingredients:

  • Sovereignty and the means to enforce it manifesting as types of domination grounded variously on the use of violence and secret or higher knowledge.
  • Bureaucracy for its implementation.
  • A Competitive political field, based on charisma, competition and violence.

A state can arise with only one of these present, termed a “First-Order State”, but “Second” or “Third Order States” arise with two or three of these ingredients present.  The authors give many examples throughout the past of all three.  It sure seems to me that the push for a technocratic global super-state ruled by corporate, scientific and military elites is a Third-Order State.

A great portion of the book details the many examples throughout history of cultures and societies that chose to NOT have any of the above features.  And more often than not they emphasized the three different ingredients of social liberty.  Often it looked like conscious choices were made to NOT go in any of those versions of the state.  Surely geography and climate entered into the decision making processes, but even more so were the conscious decisions to choose the way of life that they desired.  Not only were the rise of states and hierarchy not evolutionary or inevitable, but neither was the inevitability of warfare and violence.  Graeber and Wengro also are sympathetic to the research and theories of Marja Gimbutas, defending her against the scorn leveled at her by the mainstream consensus.  The actual cross-cultural research favors her views on matrist and matrilineal cultures.  The authors often demonstrate that the state, hierarchy, and warfare follow on the heels of patriarchy.  Many examples are given.

What I have termed the mainstream consensus includes an allegiance to: 1) Humans have always been competitive and violent 2) Ancient humanity was primitive in a derogatory sense 3) increased population must result in hierarchy 4) the state is evolutionary in an inevitable and progressive sense 5) Patriarchy is inevitable and evolutionary 6) progress is linear rather than cyclical.  More could be added here, of course.  These are all things I have argued against, and I could not be more pleased with this book!  All 669 pages!  My views are always evolving as new research is uncovered and more voices can be raided against the consensus.  But I remain convinced that global humanity in its 300,000 years of history has considerably more often been a collaborative and cooperative species, with limited warfare, and great equality between men and women, known as gylany.  The great contribution of this book is to show that global humanity’s current situation is NOT inevitable or evolutionary.  I have made the case that it’s more of a cyclical devolution, and as Robert Lawlor argues, that patriarchy, materialism and warfare can only become dominant in a devolution time.  Instead, global humanity has often consciously and intelligently made choices that greatly differ from the Third-Order “civilization” that we find ourselves in.  I hope we can wake up to see that we can choose differently and create a world of freedom, with multiple choices of how we can create our societies.

Whilst there is no astrology in this book, it greatly activated my imagination in perceiving a new application for our astrological paradigm.  A foundational element holds that not all people are the same.  All men are not the same.  All women are not the same.  Not everyone should be Vegan.  Not everyone should eat meat.  Not everyone should be monogamous or married.  Not all women should have kids.  Not everyone needs to be Christian.  Not everyone should be compelled to use the latest technology, etc.  Shamanic Astrology is archetype driven and we honor and support all places on the wheel of life.  Should not this also include having the freedom to live in a society in accordance with our archetypes, chosen in freedom?  Just as the ancient ones created a great diversity of cultural systems, shouldn’t we also have that intelligence and freedom to do the same?

I am envisioning as a creative process seeing how each of the twelve Mystery Schools of Life would envision how their society and civilization would look.  Let’s all create those visions together and help create a planet where all those places on the wheel have the freedom to be their chosen direction.  Stay tuned for more developments.

NOTE #1   David Graeber died just weeks after completing this book at the age of 59, near the end of 2020.  Graeber was a major player in the Occupy Wall Street movement and is said to have coined the phrase we are the 99%.  It is sad to not be able to see what his next creation would have been.

NOTE # 2   About the Kali Yuga, ending in 2025.

“The Vishnu Pranas, a mythological text of the Hindus, described it this way:

“Kali brought sin into the world.  In the Kali Age the proper order of human relations is reversed; social status depends upon the ownership of property; wealth has become the only source of virtue; passion and luxury are the sole bonds between spouses; falsity and lying are the conditions of success in life; sexuality is the sole source of human enjoyment; religion, a superficial and empty ritual, is confused with spirituality”

NOTE # 3

I also recommend the excellent books of Robert Lawlor, in particular: “Voices of the First Day” and “Earth God Ascending”.

Total South Node Lunar Eclipse In Scorpio – Full Moon May 15th, 2022

USA, Canada, Central and South America Have Front Row Seat
By Daniel Giamario

The United States will have a perfect view of this weekend’s very long total Lunar Eclipse.  It occurs at 9:11PM PDT on Sunday night the 15th.  A wide swath of countries will have a front-row seat of totality: including Canada, Central and South America parts of Western Europe (not Ukraine, though), Western Africa, New Zealand and Antarctica.

This is a South Node (with an emphasis on the shadow of the past) Lunar Eclipse at 25Scorpio18.  It is a near central eclipse rated at 1.41magnitude (1.0 means enough of the Moon’s shadow can create totality).  For the full details on this eclipse and the eclipse seasons of 2022, see my article and related video blog. These resources also describe ways of using ceremony and other suggestions for engaging with South Node Lunar eclipses.

Here is some practical info for experiencing the eclipse.  The entirety of the eclipse including the partial and total phases lasts 5 hours and 18 minutes, with totality lasting one hour and 24minutes.  Virtually all of totality is seen in the continental USA, parts of Alaska, but only a partial in Hawaii.  Only a small area from around Seattle and North of there will not see full totality.  In the continental USA, Kansas City experiences the entire eclipse, with the center of totality happening at 11:11PM Sunday night.  All of the US East of there, as well as a good portion of Eastern Canada and most of Mexico experiences the entire 5 hours and 18 minutes of the eclipse.  Mexico City’s center of totality happens at 11:28PM Sunday evening.

In New York, exact totality is at 12:11AM Monday morning.  In Phoenix, mid-point of totality is 9:11PM Sunday, with the Moon rising still in its partial phase.  In San Francisco, mid-totality also at 9:11PM, and with the partial phase rising.  Should you desire exact information about your location, check this great website

Several other items of interest include that this eclipse is amplified by the Sun’s square with Saturn, exact at 11:49AM PDT on Sunday morning.  This square has the Sun at 24Taurus54 and Saturn at 24Aquarius54, thus Saturn will nearly exactly square the Eclipse degrees.  Saturn squares the nodal axis itself, as well as with the two remaining 2022 eclipse degrees and nodal axis, further amplifying the past “karma’’ that is being revealed at this time.

Additionally, the South Node, the primary agent producing the eclipse circumstances, is exactly conjunct the star named Unulkahai, a red star which is the “heart” of the snake, in the constellation Serpens,  held by the constellation Ophiuchus, the Serpent Handler, that is also a representation of Asclepius.  The South node is 22Scorpio31 and Unulkahai (“snake-heart”) is 22Scorpio07.  Asclepius, among so many other things, was a mythic healer who could bring people back from the dead, and was an exponent of using dreams to obtain the necessary clues for healing.  This entire eclipse season finds the South Node with Unulkahai.

It is hard to conceive of a more powerful context for ceremony to envision a better outcome for the USA and the rest of global humanity.  But as Steiner, Rudhyar, and Jung have warned us, the shadow must also be addressed.  Let us also ask for whatever healing dreams that we require at this time.

Meet Our Recent Graduate, Amy Campbell Topham

On March 2nd, 2022 the Shamanic Astrology Mystery School held a graduation ceremony for 6 students who each completed all the required coursework to achieve their foundational level of certification as a Shamanic Astrologer.

This is Amy Campbell Topham’s  personal statement:

I had my first Shamanic Astrology reading from Erik Roth in 2015, during my Pluto square Pluto transit. Hearing that what I was going through was normal and that it wouldn’t last forever is what helped me feel secure enough to finally surrender and experience the positive empowerment that this initiation was bringing into my life. But that was only the beginning of how I was transformed! Instead of looking through the very limited perspective of my sun sign (Aries), suddenly I had access to my whole self. Right away, I knew I needed to learn more so I could help others find the healing and self-love that I had discovered. Learning Shamanic Astrology gave me the language and the container I needed to feel confident expressing the cosmic insights that are channeled through me. Consciously participating in my planetary initiations has given me a deeper understanding of how Spirit flows through my everyday life. As a trail guide to the wild within, I want to inspire others to reclaim their inherent magic and embody the most authentic version of themselves.

Contact Amy for reading at amy@wordmagicart.com or visit her website here

Amy currently lives in Oregon.

Learning Astrology Takes Time

By Sheridan Semple

It takes time to learn astrology. The undertaking cannot be rushed. No matter how hard we try, or how much time we devote to the task, mastering astrology requires time, lots of time… years of time. Give yourself space and allow the journey to unfold. Mindfully walk the path of initiation into the mysteries of the Sky and Earth. Be patient and let the Universe unveil itself to you.

Add to this, that we’re all mostly starting from a place of being completely disconnected. We didn’t learn any of this in school. Our elders didn’t have this knowledge to share with us. Society, our families, teachers, friends, barely any of us live in union with our ancestral roots, who lived and breathed their communion with nature. We are starting from infant-like scratch. Give yourself a break if it is coming slowly. Allow the mysteries to permeate your soul one drop at time, in your own time and no one else’s.

This massive undertaking of learning astrology is a marathon, not a sprint.

Astrology is a complex, infinite body of knowledge. Let’s be honest, we can never learn it all. Let’s pat ourselves on the back for even trying. It’s easy to compare our knowledge to others who have been on this path for decades. It’s also surprisingly easy to shame ourselves for what we don’t know rather than priding ourselves on how much we’ve learned.

As our founder Daniel Giamario says, “Astrology is the highest of the lowest mysteries.” Following that logic our next steps would be fully grasping grace or love (examples of the higher mysteries). We aren’t “should”-ing ourselves over our lack of expertise with these two, right? Why the harsh self-judgement if astrology is taking its own sweet time perfusing our consciousness?

Perhaps, you aren’t comparing yourself to others with more knowledge, but geez I sure have. Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’ll never really get it all. Or, what’s wrong with me that I don’t know everything yet? Jeepers, yes, it is hard inside of me sometimes. My Virgo Moon wants to understand the entire pattern – right now. Then, I got to thinking, I’ll bet I’m not the only one doing this. I am finally accepting astrology is just a really, really, deep, deep topic.

We’re talking about the movements and energies of the cosmos themselves.

Of course, it’s going to take a really long time to feel like we’ve got this stuff in our cells, in our DNA. The cool part is, is that it really is in our DNA, we just have to remember.

Take all these major transits going on right now. We’re in the midst of the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction. The Lunar Eclipse is here with the Full Moon, closing out this massive eclipse window. Mercury just went retrograde. If any of this is pressing into your natal chart then you’re probably feeling the juice. I am! I find there can be a pressure to milk the most out of this cosmic cow, but geez how do we do that?

A fellow student of Shamanic Astrology, Greg Knell, recently said to me, we’re going to understand these cycles with hindsight. (I’m paraphrasing as he said it much more eloquently.) His words really stuck with me. I realized in that instant, heck I don’t have to get it all right now. I’ll get it in the future.

The most important thing I can do right now, is 1. acknowledge the cycles occurring, 2. honor them with ceremony and 3. be present. That last one is a doozy, but it is always the most important. If we can simply (but difficultly) be present, then we are going to be able to follow where the energy is leading us, whether we get it now or not. In the future, with our 20/20 hindsight we’ll be able to connect the dots. Being present is challenging, but it truly is simple and requires no intellectual thought or knowledge. That takes the pressure off. And, we have Mercury retrograde helping us with this!

I’m learning to trust in my timing, rather than forcing a “should-shaming” timing.

I should know more. I should have a deeper understanding. I should study more. I should practice more. I should… should… should. Phew, that word is exhausting… and toxic. Trust in your unique timing. You’re being initiated into the great mysteries of life.

If this week you only want to watch the Hallmark Channel and let your mind rest, trust yourself. Soon enough you’ll want intellectual stimulation again. You’ll be better off for the resting. In our world of data overloading, endless schooling at our keyboard fingertips, and social media comparisons of our insides to everyone else’s outsides, we really need to learn to give ourselves a break, turnoff, and trust in our own timing.

Studying astrology is bringing back long hidden mysteries, where even our tried-and-true guides are ultimately stumbling around in the Kali Yuga darkness with us. They may be farther along in some respects, but we’re all just trying to expand and open our hearts as lines of communication again. In my mind, if we spend a nanosecond in our hearts, we deserve a Macy’s Day Parade.

Trust yourself and be present.

Know you are being initiated into the deepest mysteries of the cosmos and life itself. It’s ok it if takes decades and even a lifetime. You be you and I’ll be me. Together we’ll get to exactly what we came here to be. Blessings on your learning journey!

Mercury Stations Retrograde May 10, 2022

FACEBOOK May 10, 2022

By Erik M Roth of Inspiral Nexus

 

For the second time this year, on May 10th at 4°51’ Gemini, Mercury is stationing retrograde, between the Pleiades and the star Aldebaran.  This happens on the day Jupiter ingresses into the sign of Aries for the first time since 2010-11.

In the Shamanic Astrology Paradigm, when Mercury stations retrograde, it means it is reaching Synthesis and Metamorphic phase of its journey in the sky.  It has traveled through several other signs to reach Gemini.  This current Mercury cycle began on February 3rd when Mercury last stationed direct in the sign of Capricorn and it will end in the sign of Taurus on June 3rd.

Mercury Retrograde is not anything to fear or worry about in our lives.  In the case of Mercury Retrograde in Gemini, it invites a very different form of thinking and helps to summon imagination to the front.  It is “out of bounds” kind of mentality where anything goes.

The hold Mercury Retrograde has on our thinking that things or electronic technology won’t work or communication will break down more often is only partly true and usually due to our own perception of what is happening including the limits we’ve placed on ourselves.  What is important is that it helps us with creative thought, including solutions beyond what we would normally otherwise think about.  Creative thinking is gaining a perspective to a problem, challenge or other issue that may not be resolved by conventional means.  It can also help us in our own creative expressions as well.

Mercury is typically retrograde for about three weeks at a time, but this one is 24 days is length, which can happen on occasion.  Mercury retrogrades back into the sign of Taurus on May 22nd, just one day after it passes between the Earth and Sun (Mercury-Sun conjunction).  Then it reaches visibility again in the early morning sky on May 28th.

A feature of this Mercury station point are the stars of Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster, led by Alcyone.  Mercury stations nearly halfway between those stars.  This powerfully, magical area of the sky has held an allure to humanity for many thousands of years.

The Pleiades, in particular rivals that of the brightest star (after the Sun) Sirius with the greatest amount of stories written and shared across most of the continents and ancient cultures.  Mercury in this area of the sky, spending days there, will undoubtedly invoke those stories and perhaps help us forge new ones as we transition from one age to the next in this great Turning of the Ages.