The global situation we are in is testing and may seem baffling in its uncertainty.  No-one knows what will happen next, or indeed what to do.

Some years ago a kale plant in my garden self-seeded and I found two stray plants growing alongside roses in container pots in the kitchen yard.  Side by side they have flourished.  I left the kale alone as they got woodier by the year, rarely harvesting the leaves and intending to remove them altogether but not getting round to doing so.  I took them for granted.

COVID-19, already, has teased and tested each of us, bringing out through our experiences and reactions glimpses of the truth of who we are.  I speak not of being ill, necessarily, but of being a part, a witness and a participant, to events far greater than the current situation may indicate. 

The world as we have known it has slowed down, changed course and shape, and we are adjusting to a new way of living and being which may be forever.

Although it has been affecting humans for some three months now, COVID-19 is a virus that has much mystery.  Despite intense efforts by scientists and doctors we do not know for sure how it is transmitted, how long it is incubated, at what stage it is infectious, what is the likelihood of re-infection, or how far it has penetrated the human or animal population.  There is no known cure or antidote, and no-one knows how long the pandemic will last nor what the long term impact will be.  It is not an easy situation.

As Mercury begins his backward movement once again, his disruptive influence is being felt in many ways, overshadowing the days around the celebration of Valentine, the public, and private, time for the expression of love.  In this mode of regression he highlights often uncomfortably what we need to see, confusing our established reality to help us see the truth beneath the illusion.  All noticeable occurrences or coincidences are a lesson or reminder, including that of love. 

Some years ago, on a night of wild-life, I asked to meet the Master of Aquarius, to question him about the storms battering the Planet even then.

The recent January full moon was the precursor to a rare astrological conjunction between Saturn and Pluto that symbolised, like the full moon only far more so, aspects of finality and loss, challenge and accountability. 

While my heart grieves for the fiery suffering of the land and life of Australia, I see their sacrifice as hope for the future as the year of the Planet begins.  Every death and hurt and all destruction will not have been in vain.

It is strange to think that this is likely to be my last blog post of 2019, and that when I write again, in this way, the Solstice will have passed and it will be the approach of a new year and a new decade, as well as a major political shift, all with the potential to bring great change in many ways.