On October 11, Pluto stationed Direct in Capricorn: Tectonic Plates & Final Completions.
Pluto’s final direct station in Capricorn in our lifetimes marks the end of an era. We are living through the breakdown of systems, structures, and institutions that have governed the last 250 years. This is the energy of deep transformation—death, destruction, and ultimately rebirth. It is time to let the old ways fall away. What are you holding onto that feels outdated or burdensome? Let it go. Let things die. Make compost of empire as we the people assume responsibility.
✹ ✹ ✹
When the grid went down, my primal body came on.
Without the constant hazy hum from corporate frequencies and signals,
Without the harsh glare of artificial light,
I could clearly hear and feel the instincts emitted from the land and my own body.
“This is a Healing.”
An enveloping kind of love coursed and washed through me.
The swell of my heart flowering open felt uncontainable.
We are held. We have been tracking toward these moments all along.
Timelines converged.
I realized all the ways my future self had laid a path for my past self.
And that the guidance that was with me then is with me now.
Mentally scrolling through the people I couldn’t touch base with in the blackout, I remembered our friends who surprised us when they suddenly moved away just over a month ago. As they departed, they had given me a single item: a rain suit for my 2 year old son. He’s worn it once - to see the flooding on our road as the rains began to cease.
The days following the floods overflowed beyond the usual confines of perceived time.
Neighbors convened in a spirit of concern and mutual support.
We tracked the damages we could see with our own eyes in the immediate vicinity:
The house surrounded by 4 feet of water, its residents watching from an upper level porch. Two other houses submerged at least up to their foundation. A van floated away. A shed gone. A trailer missing. A pool and playset destroyed. A septic tank displaced. Downed electrical poles and transformers. A landslide blocking our road. Another road completely washed away.
We spent the next many days ensuring that those within walking distance had what they needed. Together we faced the reality that there was no telling when electricity would be restored or when fuel would become available. Without access to phone or internet, we instinctively shared the resources and information we had. We strategized ways to conserve the little fuel in our possession. Filled and distributed jugs of water. Cooked and shared meals as meat defrosted in our freezers. Offered each other comfort and refuge.
That’s when my heart swelled. Whelmed with gratitude. Overcome by the goodwill and generosity of the human spirit. It dawned on me that this is what life would be like if masses of people weren’t held captive by the pressures of ‘modern’ society. We would be spending quality time with one another. Sharing anything we have to give. Helping each other through. Raising each other up. Tending to the land and our loved ones. Creating beauty, innovation, sanctity… Celebrating life.
Days later at a grocery store when food became available to access, I recognized a woman I had met years prior. She spoke to my own inner sense;
“It feels like this is what we’re all here for.
This, and what is yet to come.”
Yes.
For in my bones I know this catastrophic flood is just one event leading us through a collective transition that will touch us all.
This experience has galvanized me and my community to become more resourceful, resilient, and skilled to navigate what lies ahead.
Lessons I am learning from catastrophe:
The more dependent we are on corporate and governmental entities for our survival and daily needs, the more fragile we are as a society.
The time is now to transition our infrastructure to be compatible with life.
Everything we have is for sharing with others. Resource yourself to the end of extending those resources to those who can benefit. Pooling resources lessens the burden each individual carries.
Neighborly ties are incredibly important. Build relationships with the people in your immediate vicinity. In emergency situations, things like political affiliations and polarized beliefs become inconsequential. Words can’t express how healing it is to reach towards each other and relate beyond these fissures, which are largely figments of our imagination that act as armor for our hearts.
Choosing to make purchases within your local community and/or supporting small businesses matters so much. In fact, it can help ensure that what you want to see in the world survives and flourishes. Consider prioritizing keeping cash circulating locally. When the grid was down this was the only way people could procure needed supplies, and cash was scarce.
Each person has a unique role to play based on their circumstances, skills, gifts, capacities, perspectives, and callings. No one's role is worth more or less. We take turns in giving and receiving and doing what is needed. Rather than compare or judge, acknowledge that immaculate perfection resides in the interdependence that arises from the interplay of our unique nature. Look for the ways disagreements can strengthen collaborative innovation.
Every community can and should have one or more hubs where food, water, medicine, safety, comfort, and other necessities can be accessed.
We outsourced our “power” when we consented to build a society dependent on an electrical grid that we, the people, have no control over. The electrical grid and the internet are externalized forms of the human nervous system. Human consciousness is home to incredible technologies that externalized forms can never fully replicate. Yet, when we become dependent on the external tech, we often stymy our ability to foster the cultivation of our inner God-given technologies.
Consider that we may be able to “see” better - particularly in the dark (literal and metaphoric) - without the interference of artificial light. When the lights eventually returned in our home they felt like an assault on my senses.
As this is only the beginning, I am aware that many more lessons lie ahead, and that there are models that have already emerged from disasters the world over. I look forward to gaining knowledge and skills needed to support the transition we are collectively living through.
Life is precious.
I am so moved by the spirit of those I know who have been touched by this disaster. Amidst their losses, they exhibit so much gratitude and faith as they acknowledge every miracle that accompanies them amidst great uncertainty.
I am so moved by the hearts of those who have mobilized to support relief and recovery.
Already, we are dreaming of adaptations and alternatives to ensure that our loved ones can thrive into future generations.
Here we are in paradise.
Here we are in a wasteland.
Our wasteland, grounds for our Paradise.
Tragedy is a catalyst for rebirth.
Cash is the best way to support those affected.
The Sullivan-Dawes Family’s GoFundMe
The Thomas Family’s GoFundMe
Lindsay and Andrew’s GoFundMe
Goddess Ghee local business donations
My family is collecting a hurricane relief fund. We plan to use this fund to support people through the longterm impacts on our local economy and ensure the resilience of our community.
You can contribute to that using any of these 3 options:
Venmo: virginia-rosenberg
Paypal: paypal.me/virginiarosenberg
Additionally, if you or someone you know has an airbnb in the Asheville area they can offer to lodge a family temporarily, please hit reply to get in touch.
Long Live Appalachia,
Virginia
