Splitting Hairs ~ August 31, 2004

So the other day, the Merriam-Webster e-mail word of the day was “aspersion.” With the Sun, Mars and Jupiter in Virgo (and soon Mercury will be back), there could not be a more perfect word for consideration (which means: with the stars). According to one definition, if someone casts aspersions, they are making a false or misleading charges to harm someone’s reputation. But the original definition denotes a noun meaning, “a sprinkling with water especially in religious ceremonies.” According to the background lore, some 16^th century speakers noted that such sprinklings could leave stains. Yikes, never go to a religious ceremony without a ceremonial bottle of club soda or at least don’t wear linen or silk. This says nothing of the defamatory marking of having soot rubbed on the brow to make one sacrificial at the start of lent.

With words like this it’s no wonder communicating seems so difficult and requires such precise hair splitting.

There’s a lot in Virgo right now and fixing to be even more. During September’s new moon there will be five bodies standing in the celestial wheat fields of the cosmic harvest. Perhaps the counterbalance comes from Uranus in Pisces. In the effort of understanding, facts are sought to create a logical understanding such that the rational mind can grasp powerful abstractions. This is very good as long as it does not become the classic forest-for-the-trees syndrome. Some have said that enlightenment comes when there are no more questions to ask. But that leaves a fantastic void where the journey begins all over again revealing new, universal Piscean-like speculations.

Reports I hear suggest that the details of life seem a little crazy making right now. Maybe too much detail is in the way. Too much brainy hair splitting offers up a really bad mental hair day. But then again, too little detail provides no solution. In the political arena, candidates suggest bolstering the economy. I like it. But how? Then they tell us the plan is too detailed to present and we couldn’t understand it anyway. Is there even a plan?

Maybe we need a “visit to the art gallery” approach. For me, I like to stand back and take in the art. Then, I move closer to examine the style, method and details of the work (not to mention price). The other approaches of a close look first, then stepping back also is perfect. The parts to the whole, whole to the parts hologram concept is alive and well.

To write the above paragraph I just stepped outside to take a short walk and clear my head before the atmospheric temperature in Arizona exceeded that of the corona of the Sun. Immediately upon walking across the grass, the sprinkling system engaged. Fortunately, grubby T-shirts and denim fare well under aspersions. As I walked by the nearby Shepherd of the Desert Church, a round shiny object caught my eye. Picking it up, I noticed it was a hologram. I’m not making this up. The hologram was sphere of space of brilliant silver with the gasoline spill colors shimmering in shifting rainbows inside this little emblem. Oh yes, this emblem sought to verify the authenticity of some apparel purchased to demonstrate devotional fanship to a professional football team. Since footballs in this country are kind of elliptical, I drip dry flummoxed regarding that actual shape of the Universe - spherical, elliptical or flat like many current models suggestion in neo-Columbus-ian defiance.

And where is this going? In last week’s Galactic Times (the one with the wrong date at the top), I referenced the upcoming parade of planets to the Super-Galactic Center. However, prior to that, all the planets must pass through late Virgo angling in a hard aspect smack dab to the core of our galaxy. Effectively, commencing September 8^th and extending through the 28^th of the month, the core of the galaxy gets queried by our solar system’s curious planets. The Galactic Center, being in Sag and all, actually digs this kind of questioning. It’s like a playful master who hears a question from a student, but renders an answer relevant to the time, not necessarily addressing the query - but addressing the question nevertheless.

Now should the student go, “Yeah, yeah, but what about my question,” seeking a seemingly precise answer, the really grand information coming down the cosmic funnel shunts into nothingness. My suggestion? Step back this next month and listen carefully. Let the details unfold. Make no assumptions. Consider the views of others. Fight the demons of chauvinism - whether political, theological, artistic, metaphysical, economic or related to rabid devotion to a football team (however it’s played in your country).

The Galactic Center encourages us to imbibe its renderings. Think them through. Here’s an example: In Arizona it was unfortunately revealed that killing coyotes and bobcats causes domestic flooding. Indeed, if you kill the animals that eat rabbits, rabbits proliferate. Rabbits eat the sparse desert floor vegetation that has any chance of imbibing the flow of monsoonal rains. Soon, insurance checks flow. Walk the logic track on new insights without making determinations until the details of the Universal Hologram thoroughly reveal themselves in multicolored glory, regardless of shape.

The Galactic Center indeed aspirates the galaxy’s ethers with insight. Should one aspire to receive the aspirations, then one will be galactically anointed. It does require stretching. No strain, no stain. As soon as my hair drys, I’m going to visit my cosmic cosmetologist to have my split ends treated.