It seems to me that up until around the millenium it was possible for there to be a fairly gentle transition to where we ought (spiritually) - to be; if only enough people repented; but from about 2000, there has been no way of avoiding the (looming) catastrophe.
(This is how things go - every time necessary change is delayed, the cost rises; until eventually there is no-way-out.)
In other words, I have, somewhat reluctantly, concluded in retrospect that those people were correct who said that (approx) 2000 was a spiritual watershed period - representing an unavoidable transition to something qualitatively different.
Of course, too many New Agey people assumed 2000 (or, alternatively, 2012) would be a transition to something transcendentally better that would Just Happen - without any special effort...
Indeed, spiritual enhancement would be something 'done to us' (for our good) - and done to to everybody.
To be accomplished (they would say) by some kind of cosmic shift in 'energies' or 'frequencies'...
Well, 2000 was indeed a transitional time - but it turned-out that the transition to something better entailed that individual persons would know what to do, and consciously make a personal effort to do it.
It turned-out that people would not be improved by external intervention and en masse, but only one by one, and only if they met the transformative influences 'halfway'.
It turned-out that the path to a better world was active not passive; conscious not automatic, individual and not at the planetary level.
I don't think that anything 'cosmic' happened-to-the-world around 2000; instead it was about that time that many or most Men had changed qualitatively to becoming creatures that were Not naturally and spontaneously religious (as amost everybody had been in the past).
The millenium was therefore the first time that people could genuinely choose to become Christian; but also the time when Men must choose to become Christian.
And also it was the time when the evil trends of modernity - atheism, leftism, bureaucracy - had reached a point of no return - began to move rapidly towards that Global Totalitarianism, embracing all major institutions, which become explicit and locked-in earlier this year.
2020 is where 2000 was going, unless we had repented. The milennium was when time ran-out: and the future became an inevitable catastrophe.
Inevitable catastrophe... but what kind?
The innate trend is towards mass dyscatastrophe (the bad sort) - and only by conscious, effort can specific individuals take a path to eucatastrophe (the good kind).
And also - as a strong generalization; eucatastrophe will only be possible after, but not during, this mortal life. It is now too late, time has run-out, for the good kind of catastrophe here on earth.
I have long felt that the time around the solar eclipse in August 1999 was very important. Reading your post reminded me of something else which was that a week later there was what is called a Grand Cross in the heavens when all the planets except Pluto formed a cross in the fixed signs of the zodiac. I just found a fairly level headed not too New Agey discussion of it here. It describes such a phenomenon as part of a crossing over to a new era.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.greatdreams.com/grand.htm
Some people may not like this because it is astrological but the Bible is full of signs in the heavens from the birth of Jesus to Revelation. I would say the soothsaying aspect of astrology should be avoided as spiritually unhealthy and superstitious but God speaks to us through his Creation and we should be alert to what he might have to say.
William, in the past few weeks Jupiter and Saturn have been very close together in the sky (with Pluto right between them, though of course it’s not visible.) Two weeks ago the moon was perfectly aligned with those two planets, such that you could draw a straight line from Saturn through Jupiter to the moon. Then the moon got very close to Jupiter, then to Saturn, and now Mars. I know nothing about astrology, but all this feels vaguely significant.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go out on a limb - a fairly thick, robust, not-at-all fragile limb - and say that anyone who is already open to Bruce's sort of unorthodox Christian views should probably also be open to the idea that there's something in astrology.
ReplyDeleteI remember well that in 1998, I was 17 and reading Oswald Spengler and Nietzsche by myself, convinced that we were living in the age of the 'last man' or 'civilization' with no higher ideals to motivate men. I expected that once I went to university to study philosophy, I would find teachers or companions with whom to discuss these issues. I was actually astonished that only a few were actually willing to discuss, and nobody wished to do anything about any of these problems. It was obvious to me that this society could not continue as such.
ReplyDeleteNobody cared. Around 2000 everybody was excited by a prosperous new age of internet and mobile phones. Even that didn't actually happen, we are just being manipulated by ever more absurd leftist fads and the supposed economic growth has been counterfeited.
Around 2004, I 'capitulated' and decided to make a career in the system, as it was impossible to be successful outside. In around 2007, as the financial crisis of 2008 was approaching, I realized I had been right all along and that the system would not last.
The point was that around year 2000 I would have been susceptible to ideas of transition to something better, but I don't think there were many such ideas around. Of course, I'm not sure if I repented or would have, or just tried to create a better system.
@Bruce
ReplyDeleteYes, the West failed to respond to the spiritual challenge and so the metamorphosis must now take place on the physical plane. The "holiday from history" that was the 1990's seemed to dull the minds of millions only to sweep them up in the new technological revolution.
On the topic of astrology - I recently learned that the US Declaration of Independence in 1776 is coming up for its first Pluto return. Watching events across the pond - it does seem that epochal events are in the air.
Wm Jas, the significant factor at the moment is the conjunction of Saturn and Pluto, both planets that bring trials and challenges, in Capricorn in January. Saturn moved forward but then went retrograde (ie appeared to be going backwards because of the relative positions of the planets and how they move round the sun) in May and will return to within a degree or so of Pluto in October which is when things might get interesting again if astrology has anything to say on the matter.
ReplyDeleteWhere does one find out about true Christian astrology and symbols in nature?
ReplyDeleteJust to clarify - I think there is something in Astrology - e.g. https://charltonteaching.blogspot.com/2016/10/astrology.html - but I also regard it as something essentially from an earlier stage of human development of consciousness - that middle phase when symbols had objective meaning; and when it was possible to have sciences of symbology - astrology, the power of names, numerology, alchemy, systems of divination generally.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that these are rapidly becoming inappropriate and ineffective, because of the way that All our spiritual and religious *systems* have dwindled - indeed all our systems of all kinds.
All systems were compromises, but they have been emptied of goodness; and become dead and evil.
Science was once a mixture of system and individual judgment - it had a kind of magic; now 'science' is an empty bureaucratic and careerist system. The same applies to priesthood - only valuable, now not (especially since 2020).
And churches generally. For example, the Eucharistic Mass was once regarded as objectively effectual, now even the Roman Catholic hierarchy (by their revealed preferences) regard Holy Communion as merely a psychological event.
I believe that astrology is going the same way. In a nutshell, astrology looks towards original/ passive participation, and we should be looking the opposite direction - towards final/ active participation. (To use Owen Barfield's terminology.)
This doesn't mean that astrology is necessarily a bad thing, but that is is more of a transitional thing, a spiritual phase en route to comething else and better. And any attempt to make an objective science of it (eg professional and career structures, training and certification) would be a bad thing.
Thanks for clarifying, Bruce. That makes good sense. We are certainly in the midst of a major transition. One that has gone almost totally undetected.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I truly believed that when demonic powers crossed a line (such as recent events) people would snap out of it and turn to God. Quite the opposite has happened (as you predicted it would). I never realized just how much people love to be told what to do and love to hate those not following along. Astounding, but as you say, things are coming to a point and it has never been easier to discern good from evil.
@Rich - I was perhaps more surprised that (apparently) all the religions have willingly 'shut up shop' in the same way as the Christian churches - with the sole exception (that I know-of - I'd be pleased to hear otherwise) of Haredi (ultra-orthodox) Jews in Israel. I think they would only comply after armed police were sent in, and maybe not then.
ReplyDelete@Bruce
ReplyDeleteAs I have related or implied before, the local Mennonite church and some "free churches" (unaffiliated Bible-believing churches) have refused to close up shop.
The Mennonites seem a bit ambivalent and tormented, because in general, they believe in obeying the government as long as the commands are not contradicted by the Bible. My presence seems to have added a bit of spice to the church, as I'm an outsider with new blood and ideas. For example, I gave the pastor a copy of our state's constitution, which provides even more protections for religious practice than the US Constitution.
Love this community - keep it up.
I said above because I had read it somewhere that " Saturn moved forward but then went retrograde in May and will return to within a degree or so of Pluto in October ". But that's not correct. I just looked it up for myself and this is what really is taking place. The full conjunction was in January. By May Saturn had moved 7 degrees ahead of Pluto which, allowing for an 8 degree orb, is still within conjunction. Then it went retrograde meaning it moved back towards Pluto. It goes back to within 3 degrees at the end of September then starts to move forwards again remaining within a conjunction until the end of the year. So the influence, if influence it be, will last that long. That doesn't mean things will get better because there are many more things going on than one simple astronomical conjunction. But perhaps the 'new normal' will be formalised at the end of that period.
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