The Aquarius Festival 2024

Topics (linked to paragraphs): Aquarius Esoteric Aquarius Siddhis as service Rainbows and elephants The full moon The Year of the Wood Dragon Current events The ICJ hearings A short note on Israel The two-state solution Widening the war? America bugging out? War is a racket Democracy on trial Pluto in Aquarius The war in Ukraine A war of liberation War drums are beating A few words on the Red Sea Fast times at Davos In conclusion

Greetings Everyone!

And Happy New Year! That is, the New Year for the bulk of the world. There will be more on that in a bit. But to the home front, one thing about having older dogs, especially as they get closer to the time of their transition, is that they tend to lose their perception of time and live more and more in a semi-dream state. We have one like that in our house now, one who is especially attached to me, so I am up all hours of the night at various times – service to the immediate needs. It can be frustrating and draining, but on the other side presents an opportunity. The winter skies here in northern Italy are generally clear, especially after inclement weather, and when I am out at two, three, four in the morning I get to take particular notice of the rising and setting of the planets and constellations. That sets me off on reveries about cycles and the energies that influence us, which I take back and ponder as I drift off to sleep after the dog’s business is finished. Of particular note in the evening sky this year is Jupiter, which shines like a beacon in the sky directly overhead an hour or two after dark. It gives us a particular note of optimism and expansion, especially if you take the time to gazr at it for a bit. And with a decent camera you can zoom in and see several of its moons.

2024 is a Jupiter-themed year, as will be recounted here in due course, one that will indeed be marked by expansive energies, at least in the major part of the world and for those people who can grasp the opportunities presented. But then, one has to take the time to ponder upon the significance of what is taking place around us, time away from the television and the busy-ness of our lives. We can see our ‘piles of trials’ in everyday life as hindrances and impositions, or we can look for the opportunities in them. And when we find the opportunity we can expand into that and smile at the good fortune presented to us. Looking out at the expanse of our local universe as I walk with our little four-footed companion, with the snow-capped mountains off in the distance, it reminds me that a passing moment means but little in the greater life and times of the soul. It is one’s overall attitude that matters, not the passing whims of emotions. We adapt our actions to suit the needs of the times, yet one’s ‘life strategy’ remains firm – the growth in consciousness that service and meditation provides. It is a particular theme of Aquarius, and we come to these realizations together. ‘Service’ has the needs of others implicit in its meaning. Service is love in action, forgetfulness of the little self and its attachments to outcomes and desires. And these thoughts brings us to our present topic, Aquarius, and what this year will mean for us going forward over the next few years. Our opportunities in these next years are indeed great.

Aquarius is an air sign, with the common connotation that it is thus more of a mental influence than emotional. However, the symbolism of the sign is that of the Water Bearer, water being commonly associated with emotions. In the context of Aquarius, however, ‘water’ represents wisdom, that wisdom being poured forth for all sentient beings who thirst after enlightenment. In that sense Aquarius represents the server, one who brings their experiences forward to all in the form of the wisdom gained form their experiences. Experiences can be either worldly or those of inner direct cognition. So, when it comes to Aquarius being an air sign, ‘air’ in this case is representative of buddhi – the blissful direct cognition of the reality behind all forms and events.

Aquarius is ruled by Uranus in the orthodox, Jupiter esoterically and the Moon in the group of lives the Moon represents.^[2] The latter are the elementals that substand every form and which go toward the creation of all forms – called the ‘Blinded Lives’ and ‘The Baskets of Nourishment’.^[3] We won’t discuss that here, except to say that those lives are subdued and released from their work in Aquarius, thus resulting in expanded consciousness and wisdom.

The orthodox rulers of any sign show the general influence the planet has upon the personality. The Uranus rulership of Aquarius, Uranus being the planet of occultism and the emerging realities, this will be reflected somehow in the person with the Sun or rising sign in Aquarius. Very often one will be able to pick the Aquarian by something unusual about a person’s appearance, or their mannerisms, or their beliefs. Leo is the opposite sign of Aquarius, and Leos can often be identified by the full and thick head of hair, whereas in Aquarius the hair will be worn in some unusual fashion or be of striking color, for instance. Aquarius, through its Uranian rulership, is humanitarian, avant-garde, futuristic in thought, technologically capable and generally interested in all matters of spirituality and occultism. In extreme cases the Uranian influence through Aquarius can produce the anarchist, the revolutionary, or person who is just plain odd. Once one enters upon the spiritual path, the situation shifts into Jupiterian influence and the outlook of the Aquarian changes markedly.

The orthodox and esoteric rulers of any sign blend and coexist once one is firmly upon their chosen spiritual path. With the esoteric ruler in Aquarius, the Jupiter influence along with Uranus produces the disciple constantly in search of expansive wisdom and always interested in how that wisdom can be used as a vehicle for service. The outlook than is inclusive rather than that of curious self-interest, always with the touch of originality in every mode of expression, and always ready to lend a hand. The emphasis with the Jupiter rulership of Aquarius is always upon group work. In the orthodox expression of Aquarius, the sign is associated with friends, hopes and wishes, which is the natural 11^th house emphasis of the sign. With the Jupiter influence through Aquarius one’s interest is turned toward the service of the group’s aspirations and visions. Aquarius and the monthly interval through which the Sun passes that sign, will become increasingly important as the Aquarian age becomes more pronounced. Currently we are in the period of transition between Pisces and Aquarius, but the Aquarian influence is already strongly apparent, with the public’s interests more in the uplifting of humanity rather than being materially secure and satisfied. The waxing influence of the esoteric side of Aquarius is also demonstrated in what follows.

Esoteric Aquarius: Let us take a couple of quotes into mind as we begin to look at the esoteric side of Aquarius, for they contain clues as to what is taking place as the world transitions from the old status quo powers to the multipolar model. This is also true regarding the transitions between cycles we are seeing now – from the Piscean to Aquarian ages and energies, the passing of the 6^th ray and the waxing of the 7^th ray, and between the lesser to the greater cycle of the 4^th ray. We begin with the effects of the sign Aquarius upon the astral (emotional) nature of humanity:

“Astral energies emanating from the new sign of the zodiac into which we are now entering, the sign Aquarius. This sign, that of the water-carrier, is a living sign and an emotional sign. It will (through the effect of its potent force) stimulate the astral bodies of men into a new coherency, into a brotherhood of humanity which will ignore all racial and national differences and will carry the life of men forward into synthesis and unity. This means a tide of unifying life of such power that one cannot now vision it, but which—in a thousand years—will have welded all mankind into a perfect brotherhood. Its emotional effect will be to “purify” the astral bodies of men so that the material world ceases to hold such potent allure, and may in its later stages bring about a state of exaggeration as potent in the line of sentiency as that which we have undergone in the line of materiality! The final stages of all signs produce over-development of the factor on which they most potently work. At present the effect of this sign is constructive among the pioneers of the race, and destructive among the rank and file of humanity.”

Emphases added, and keeping in mind the terms ’men’, ‘man’ and ‘brotherhood’ are the old mode of expressing the totality of humanity, this quote is quite descriptive of the emotional turmoil we see in the world and the subjective cause of it. Aquarius, with its Uranian rulership, is imposing a new rhythm and new emphases on the world as the force of Aquarius waxes. We see also the old receding materialistic values represented by Pisces (the passing age) being increasingly challenged and supplanted by the emerging energies, even as they had been magnified at the end of the Piscean age. And emotionally we see the passing Piscean age in the irrational emotional outbursts of world leaders still attached to the outgoing imperial materialistic order, such as we see in the WEF, for instance. We will have more on that toward the end of this letter. We see, for instance, the elites in the West especially having to confront the fact the emerging world rejects many of the West’s values (the commandeered, false values), seeing them as tools of control rather than vehicles for human progress. This is what we see on the world stage as Aquarian energies are waxing in strength. The turmoil we see now will recede over time, replaced with new visions of how the world should be run and the receding also of the grosser forms of materialism that so hold much of the world in its grip. The preceding quote gives the basis for the world view emerging before our eyes. Moving to the more esoteric side of Aquarius, we have the following:

“The influence which emanates from the Pole Star and which is such a potent factor in our solar system reaches our planet via the sign Aquarius. The reasons will be noted if the student bears in mind the significance of water as a symbol of the emotions, which are but a lower manifestation of love-desire. Aquarius is a force centre from which the adept draws the “water of life” and carries it to the multitude. This force from the Pole Star, via Aquarius, is of special power at this time and the day of opportunity is therefore great. It is one of the agencies which make the coming of the Great Lord a possibility.”^[4]

Going back to the second bolded text in the first quote, hidden in the present quote is the end of the Capricorn phase, from its motto^[5], “…and on that light I turn my back.” The experience of the light supernal marks “…the stage at which the truth of the reality of things is seen. It is therefore called the path of seeing. At this stage, there is also an experience of abundant bliss, unlike any known before: this bhūmi [Buddhist ground] is therefore known as the stage of ‘Perfect Joy’.” Once one ‘turns their back’ on the light supernal, the experience of being in and of that light is carried back into worldly experience, among the mass of incarnated humanity, as a means to show the way for all humanity to make their way toward that light. The end phase of the Capricorn experience is the full entry into the bodhisattva path, the path of world service, which Aquarius represents. This is done in group fashion, but there is much more to this at the individual level.

Siddhis as service: In Buddhist terms, Aquarius marks the entry onto the 4^th bodhisattva path, the Path of Meditation. We might note that people do meditate prior to this stage, prior to this path. But there are various stages of meditative practice. What is being described at this stage, the path of meditation, happens when shamatha (calm abiding combined with insight) has been attained and is stable. In Vajrayana practice (highest yoga tantra), the type of meditation enjoined is symbolized by the union of the deity with the consort taken as the basis, whether male or female, depending on the tantra. This is actually in the generation stage. What we are talking about with Aquarius is called completion stage practice, which is the union of great bliss with the cognition (direct experience) of emptiness, the latter being the true realization of the nature of space.

“As part of the most profound teachings of Buddha, the tantric Buddhism embraces desire, passion and ecstasy as an integral part of the spiritual path. According to Vajrayana the powerful emotions can be cultivated by immersion into them and not by their suppression. Because feelings are the most powerful motivating forces of the human nature, they should not be avoided but directed to the ultimate goal of final liberation.”

Bolding added, and note the emphasis on emotions. The ‘final liberation’ refers to the liberation from samsara, the karmic necessity of reincarnation. In Buddhism that liberation is also a great expansion of consciousness, known as the Great Renunciation (4^th initiation/Crucifixion). In the model we have been considering in these letters over the past couple of years, the end goal of Aquarius as it applies to Buddhism is the Great Renunciation. Emotions at this stage are transformed into great bliss, which is used as the vehicle to meditate on emptiness (a.k.a. openness). What are we talking about here? Meditation on emptiness, which results in the step-by-step expansions of consciousness, leads to the full realization of the Four Noble Truths. All we can do here is to touch on the specifics and essentials of the processes involved.

Rainbows and elephants: In closing this esoteric section and Aquarius in general, we refer back to our shamatha diagram, and we note the rainbows that are emanated from the meditating monk. These rainbows represent the antahkarana. It is perhaps not by accident the Tibetan called the antahkarana the rainbow bridge of light.^[6] It is called the rainbow bridge because it is composed of the light of all the seven rays. We note in the diagram the monk traversing a rainbow bridge on the white elephant (purified mind) back toward the meditating monk, and from his heart emanate also other rainbow bridges. He carries in his hand a sword (of discriminating wisdom), the other rainbows reaching out and accessing other and increasing realms of wisdom. The meaning of this is recounted in another quote:

“Along the rainbow bridge the life aspect [anchored in the heart] can flow, and it is to this that the Christ referred when He states that He had come so that there might be present upon the Earth, “life more abundantly.” Always there has been life, but when the Christ consciousness is radiantly present (as is the case today, though on a small scale) and the numbers of those expressing it are vast indeed, the inference is that the antahkarana is firmly established; the rainbow bridge can then be traversed and crossed, and life in abundance and in a new and impelling sense, and a fresh impulsing sense can also flow through humanity into the subhuman kingdoms in nature. This is evidence of divinity, and outstanding testimony of man’s divine origin, and the hope, the saving hope, of the world.”^[7]

The Christ here refers to the world Teacher, regardless of one’s tradition. The ‘Christ consciousness’ is one’s higher Self, the Solar Angel.^[8] ‘Life more abundantly’ is the wisdom realized by direct experience in meditation, ‘poured forth for those who thirst after such wisdom’. Thus we have the esoteric motto of Aquarius: “Water of life am I, poured forth for thirsty men.”^[9] At every stage in the Aquarian experience, the light and force of Jupiter shines forth as a beacon, expanding our world view and consciousness, presenting the opportunity for a renewed outlook on life (Uranus) and releasing the hold of the elemental lives (Moon) that construct and hold together our bodies, thus allowing our consciousness to expand. Jupiter holds a special place for us this year and in the years going forward. We keep these points in mind as we have a brief look at the full moon and the world events that so capture our attention at this passing moment in world history and evolution.

The full moon takes place on 25 Jan at 17:54 UTC (4:54 AM AEDT on the 26^th). The central feature of the chart is the Sun/Pluto conjunction in Aquarius. Pluto just entered Aquarius a few days before for the second time out of three. It will stay in Aquarius until November, where it will exit in its retrograde phase and then return in 2025, after which time it will stay for another 20 years in Aquarius. The ingress of Pluto into Aquarius along with this full moon period will mark a revolutionary change of season in the worldview. The reasons for saying this are covered in a blog post reviewing the beginning of the Capricorn quarter of this year . We can already see the seeds of revolution have already started to sprout, and it has the Western elites quite disturbed about developments. We will be looking at that in due course here. The Sun/Pluto conjunction carries all the connotations of power plays, people in power seeking to wield their influence over others and even people in power who become martyrs to their own ideas. The Sun/Moon axis also forms a t-square with Jupiter as the apex planet, pointing to overconfidence, possible excesses of all sorts, but also in general a more optimistic outlook – perhaps too optimistic. On the other side the t-square also points to the actions of the oligarchies across the world as they seek to establish or keep their spheres of influence in the emerging multipolar order. The Davos meeting that was just held gives us examples of the actions of the oligarchs, for example.

In considering Jupiter, there is also a strong emphasis on Jupiter for the coming Eastern New Year, since it will be a year dominated by the Wood element as a transformative factor. The Wood element is associated with the ‘Wood Planet’, Jupiter. All the Five Elements used in Oriental philosophy and esotericism are associated each with a planet – Wood (Jupiter), Fire (Mars), Earth (Saturn), Metal (Venus) and Water (Mercury). Wood/Jupiter years are always the 4^th (yang) and 5^th (yin) years of every decade. We will look at this in more detail in the Chinese New Year letter, in a couple of weeks.

The Year of the Wood Dragon begins at 8:27 UTC on 4 February. That is to say, the Chinese solar New Year begins then. The lunar New Year, which is the traditional national holiday in China, begins on 10 February. Anyone born between the 4^th and the 10^th of February will have the Wood Dragon as their Year Pillar, because the Chinese BaZi (Four Pillars) is based in the solar calendar. This has caused some confusion among students of Chinese astrology and among the general public. To put it another way, the lichun (立春) marks the first day of spring in the Chinese calendar. Astronomically it marks the point at which the Sun is at 315° of celestial longitude (15^th degree of Aquarius). Why this is being brought up here has several reasons, firstly because the Chinese New Year always begins in the Aquarian interval each year. The lunar year starts at the new moon in Aquarius. The Chinese months (which run from new moon to new moon) and the Chinese solar terms do not coincide, owning to the difference in orbital cycles of the Earth and the Moon. What we are looking forward to in the year about to dawn is one of expansion, increased opportunities for growth, ‘movement upwards’ and increase in supply, all Jupiterian themes. With these points in mind we move on to the current events and then some brief topics, leaving the bulk of considerations for the Chinese New Year letter.

Current events: The period since the last full moon has been one of increased tensions and violence, shown by the out-of-bounds Mars, wide swings in the solar activity and certain midpoints in the mundane astrology. What it all means will be addressed in what follows here. The events up through 16 January have been noted in the blog post on the quarter, so we won’t cover old ground. From the 16^th onward we have had the following:

• American and British attacks on Yemen, a fool’s errand. They are playing whack-a-mole with Yemeni forces, who have been mercilessly bombed by the Saudis (backed by the West) for years and have emerged even stronger and more resilient. The bombings will do nothing to deter the Yemenis (called the Houthis by the West). The Yemenis are mobile, meaning they do not have fixed targets. Of the ones that are fixed, they are deep underground. In fact, the Yemenis welcome the attacks, relishing in the fight. So, instead of ending the genocide in Gaza, the West supports it by seeking to stop Yemen from halting shipping to Israel. What we are not told in Western media is that only shipping to Israel is being targeted by the Houthis. Russian and Chinese ships pass freely through the Suez, for example, as well as any ship that broadcasts it is not headed to Israel.
• Resistance attacks on American bases in Iraq and Syria. These are being ramped up, again because the US will not call a halt to the genocide in Gaza. The White House is taking the attacks ‘extremely seriously’. One can imagine. The Iraqi government has again demanded the Americans to leave Iraq, as in now. Analysts are saying the Americans won’t be leaving anytime soon. We’ll see. American troops on the bases are now being evacuated with ‘brain injuries’. Washington blames the attacks on Iran, but all the Resistance groups are independent and are allies of Iran, rather than proxies.
• The missile strikes between Iran and Pakistan. This has been quite interesting. The initial Iranian strikes in Pakistan were targeting a terrorist group in Pakistani Balochistan, who had been actively prosecuting terrorist attacks inside Iran. Pakistan then followed suit and targeted a terrorist group in Iranian Balochistan who had been prosecuting terrorist attacks inside Pakistan. Both terrorist groups had been funded by the Western powers in the effort to keep Western-backed governments in power, which has failed in Iran but keeps the corrupt governments in power in Pakistan. In effect, Iran and Pakistan have agreed to clean up each other’s back yards of terrorist groups. The West had hoped for an all-out war between the two nations. Both nations are also closely linked to China and the SCO, as well as BRICS+ now.
• Russia and Iran hammered out at strategic cooperation treaty in all fields of work, especially important being the security aspect. Washington is ‘unnerved’ at the prospect.
• The Ukrainians shelled the city of Donetsk in the Donbas (video), killing 25 civilians. It was blamed on Russia, of course. There was no military target. The target was an open farmer’s market, and on a Sunday morning.
• The Davos WEF forum was held

The main topics we want to examine in the remainder of this letter are the hearings on the Israeli genocide at the ICJ in The Hague, the main takeaways from the Davos WEF blovio-fest for many of the Western elites (and there were some real zingers at this year’s oligarch bubble), the emerging Red Sea conflict and a peek in on America with its Aquarian soul. There will also be short updates on Ukraine and Israel. We start with the ICJ.

The ICJ hearings on South Africa’s invocation of the Genocide Convention were broadcast live over two days. A verdict will be pronounced tomorrow (the day after this full moon). The South African presentation on the first day was blacked out completely in the West, showing the concern and fears the Western leadership had over people hearing the truth of the matter. The South African case was presented by an Irish solicitor, given in a strictly legal, unemotional manner, putting forward all the facts of the case. The live stream of the first day is available on YouTube, all 12 hours of it. On the 2^nd day the Israeli defense put forward a defense that was full of emotional hooks, void of facts, and reminding the world of the holocaust, ignoring the fact they are prosecuting their own holocaust on Gaza. The Israeli testimony was broadcast across the Western media. All twelve hours of that was also preserved on YouTube. If you live in the West and didn’t see the first day, do take the time to listen to Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh’s presentation on behalf of South Africa and Palestine. The only journalist in the public gallery at The Hague during the hearings was ex-ambassador to Britain, Craig Murray (video), who published two articles on his impressions of the proceedings. This trial has wide implications.

It is not simply Israel on trial at The Hague. The US and by extension the West is on trial, too, for the whole world to see. Also on trial is the ICJ itself, which is known to be subject to political pressure. As an example the old Axis powers from WWII – Italy, Germany and Japan – have taken upon themselves to ‘intervene’ on behalf of the Israelis. Fascism was never fully defeated. The entire Global South is watching this case with great interest. The fact the case is even being heard is very significant in itself because it signals the demise of the power of the West. The anger at the US by the nations outside the West grows by the day (video), and they see clearly as never before the double standards and the true intentions of the Western powers. This is one of those moments in history that marks a departure from the past and the emergence of a new order. And one of the great crimes added to the genocide is that the western public was denied the chance to hear the South African presentation of its case. So great is the fear among the Western elites now that they are doubling down on their censorship of any voice that runs counter to the Western narrative. There was a new mantra among the crowd at Davos this year – End the public discourse. It couldn’t be clearer: The oligarchy/elitist class will be doing all they can across the West (It is not so in the Global South) to keep us from hearing the truth and alternative perspectives on any matter, except what they want us to hear.

The judgement in the case will go one of three ways:

1. Israel will win, which would send the message to the world at large that the Israelis can act with impunity and that international law has no meaning, nor also all the fine talk about human rights that comes out of the West. It would be a victory for the Western powers and the Zionists.
2. The case will be dismissed on a technicality. This would have the same effect as the first point to the wider world. It would be seen as the ICJ bowing to Western pressure and weaselling out (no offense to weasels) of responsibility.
3. The ruling will go against Israel, in which instance Israel will come under immense international pressure to cease and desist. Israel would become a pariah state. The two-state solution would be back on the table, this time enforced, and the Zionist project would be consigned to the dustbin. Turmoil in Israel would be extreme. Netanyahu and the hard-core Zionists would attempt to ignore the ruling, as would several of the Western powers, but the die would be cast. ‘Israel’ would likely dissolve over the ensuing years. [The initial ruling went this way (26 Jan), but the case is far from finished.]

So, we watch and wait. The ruling tomorrow marks a turning point and decisive moment in the entire conflict, as well as with Western hegemony. The question then becomes whether or not the West (which includes the Zionists) would go all-in and double down in an attempt to preserve the hegemony, or abandon the region. Experience and history shows they would likely attempt to double down, which would disastrous for everyone. The West would likely lose any such effort, and spectacularly. A ruling against Israel would accelerate the West’s withdrawal from the region. This brings us to a short note on Israel itself.

A short note on Israel: A recent summary and analysis of the situation in Israel-Palestine, one full of links one can follow to see what is emerging there, paints a dark picture for the Zionists. Israel is suffering major setbacks in the military situation. It has lost its major intel outpost in Israel’s North, which is leaving it blind toward any attack from the north, as well as its ability to monitor and direct air traffic in the area. Russia has taken up air patrols over the blue line, which is a security area separating the Golan Heights from southern Lebanon. That sends a message to the Israelis and Americans alike that Syria and Iranian forces in Syria are being secured from Western mischief. Hamas has not been attrited at all, and there are signs they have reoccupied the areas the Israelis have evacuated in Gaza. In short, the IOF has not achieved any of its objectives since 7 October and their situation is going from bad to worse. The genocide there is causing major divisions within Washington, too, and in an election year – not a good look for Team ‘Genocide Joe’. On top of that, from the summary linked above:

“There is more and more commotion within [Israeli] society, disagreement and in-fighting in the government over what direction to take. Earlier in the week the Knesset erupted with angry parents of hostages who are outraged at the government’s inability to get them back or negotiate their release.”

The IOF cares not jot or tittle about the plight of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Hostages are ‘collateral damage’ in Netanyahu’s bid to get rid of the Palestinians. Hamas describes itself as a liberation movement. It is not an Islamist movement per se (16:00 in video). Al-Aqsa Flood (the Palestinians and Hamas) is about the liberation of Islamic culture from the colonial-imperial period. As Alastair Crooke describes in the linked video, the liberation is not an ideological liberation, but rather it is seeking to liberate Islamic culture as a whole, with the centerpiece of the Al-Aqsa Mosque as its symbol. The struggle in Gaza is removing the old Western-imposed sectarian divides among all Islamic cultures, the old divide-and-rule narratives.

The two-state solution: For those readers who may be meditating for the precipitation of the two-state solution in what would be Israel-Palestine, it is probably best to abandon the idea if this conflict goes on for much longer, as depressing or contradictory as that might seem. The reasons for saying to forget the two-state solution were recently outlined, again by Alastair Crooke (video), ex-ambassador to Britain and ex-MI6. He is very familiar with all the parties involved and with the region, where he was stationed some years ago. He was also a hostage negotiator in one of the past conflicts there. What he outlined as to the present situation in the Levant is quite sobering. So, here goes:

In a recent broadcast Netanyahu stated that he opposed the two-state solution outright, instead saying Israel had to be able to militarily control the region ‘from the river to the sea’, meaning from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean and north to the River Litani in what is now Lebanon. ‘From the river to the sea’ has diametrically opposed meanings to Palestinians and Israelis. This idea of military control of the region was a strategy that was developed by Ariel Sharon during the 1973 war. The basic reason there will be no two-state solution is because Zionism is incompatible with a sovereign, independent state, especially one that can defend itself, abutted to Israel’s borders. There are upwards of a million settlers on the West Bank now, fanatical and armed extremists who would have to be forcibly removed from the West Bank if there was to be a two-state solution. What Crooke said, basically, is the two-state solution is a Western fantasy, brought forward to make us feel better and to buy the Zionists time for their ‘final solution’ to the Palestinian problem. Israel was created as a Zionist state, open to all Jews worldwide, but with special privileges to the Jews there, and with everyone else living there as second-class citizens. It was set up as what it was to become – an apartheid state. It is a democracy only for the Jews. The remainder of the population has no say in the Zionist government, for all practical purposes. And that second-class status includes even gentile Americans and West Europeans. The Zionist entity caters to all the worst aspects of Judaism. What will probably evolve over the next few years is as follows:

Widening the war?: In order for Israel and for his political career to survive Netanyahu has to widen the war. Preparations are underway to attack Hezbollah, in hopes America would intervene. The Israeli government has promised the 250,000 settlers on the northern border they could return to their homes by the end of this month, as in a few days from now. But in order to secure that Hezbollah has to be pushed back to the north past the Litani. As we say in the South, ain’t gonna happen. The members of Hezbollah are part of the populace of Lebanon and have been for many generations. Netanyahu also hopes to draw Iran into a military role, other than revenge attacks for Israeli assassinations of Iranian commanders and officials. That again would be an attempt to draw America into the war. Wartime leaders are difficult to dislodge. The Israelis are very happy to see the Western powers sacrifice themselves for Israel. Reporting about the West Bank in the West is non-existent, yet hundreds of Palestinians are being killed there. But there are problems with the Israeli plan to draw the US into the war.

America bugging out?: There have been at least 121 attacks on US forces in the region since the start of Al-Aqsa Flood. The Pentagon is currently floating a plan for the Syrian Kurds to partner with Assad to fight ISIS, meaning the plan is for the US to pull out of Syria. Needless to say, the Kurds are not happy at the prospect. This may in fact be a round-about way of telling the Israelis to stop their macello (good Italian word. Look it up) or they will be left to face their enemies on their own. The US is in no mood to go to war with Iran, or anyone else in the region for that matter. And to further spark speculation on American involvement in the region – and Israeli fears – Iraq is initiating talks on the end of the American occupation of Iraq. Comments on American withdrawal differ, with some suggesting the US is being run out of town by Iran, they are sending a message to Israel (and have no real intention of leaving), and that the US is no longer able to sustain its military presence in the region for lack of logistics and supply. The short answer is the US has never appeared so weak. Decisions are being made. Biden wants to be re-elected and Trump is breathing down his neck. There are troubles at home, too, like a porous southern border, flagging economy and so forth. And then there is the fiasco the US is trying in the Red Sea, mentioned at a bullet point earlier.

War is a racket: There is a video everyone in the West, but especially Americans and British would profit by seeing. In that recent interview, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson (ret) had this observation regarding corporate America and why we cannot seem to produce even half of what is needed to keep Ukraine, Israel or anyone else supplied for a long war, including in the Red Sea. Current thinking among American CEOs is along the lines of, “I want to keep myself lean and mean and just in time and making maximum profits so I can haul myself out the door with another million dollars every 15 minutes.” That ‘clean and mean’ manufacturing model has destroyed American industry in terms of being the manufacturing powerhouse it was after WWII. What used to be American industrial capacity has been shifted to China, the nation known these days as ‘the world’s factory’. The US is a pale competitor. China does the very thing the current crop of American/Western CEOs loathe – the Chinese invest in their people, in infrastructure and in the future, and it shows. We won’t go into it, largely because the anti-China sentiment in the West has been so hammered into the public consciousness. But if you want a glimpse as to how China has accomplished such a feat, look into China’s high-speed rail networks (video), for instance. People can gripe about China all they like, but when reality stares one in the face it raises some very uncomfortable questions about our own leadership and values.

Democracy on trial: Western leaders like to talk about the struggles between ‘democracies’ and ‘autocracies’. It is a struggle of the West’s own making, not to mention it is full of double standards and double-speak. Russia, China and Iran are especially branded as ‘autocracies’. China is constantly branded so, and the Uyghurs in Xinjiang are commonly trotted out to explain China’s supposed Islamophobia. There is a long Twitter thread by a French entrepreneur who has traveled to the region and extensively throughout China that may prove to be eye-opening to Westerners, if not soundly contradicting one of the favorite Western narratives about China:

“The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations calls China “a true friend ready to do everything they can to help the Palestinian people” and says “we know the position of China very well. It is a principled position. We work very closely with them in the United Nations Security Council. They support every effort and every resolution that calls for immediate ceasefire and for providing humanitarian assistance.”

Why does it matter? Because it essentially signs the death kneel [sic] of a long-time effort by the U.S. to turn the Muslim world against China, trying to spread the false notion that China was anti-Muslim. The result – which when you think about it is actually pretty hilarious – is that they managed to propagandize themselves into believing it, but not the Muslim world!”

Do take the time to read the whole thread. There are some good links provided therein. And since China is mentioned here, its current national chart (they do change as nations evolve) has Aquarius rising. With the 2^nd entry of Pluto into Aquarius that raises a few points that may explain much of what we are seeing.

Pluto in Aquarius will bring revolutions and sweeping geopolitical and domestic political changes across the board. History gives us the context. If we look at the two periods in the immediate past when Pluto transited through Aquarius – 1778 to 1798, and 1532 to 1558 – these were indeed revolutionary periods, marking the demise of an old order on the one hand and the emergence of new orders and technologies on the other hand. We already see that sort of revolutionary current building steam today. The old order (the Western hegemony and free-market capitalism) is being sidelined, while the multipolar geopolitical order is rapidly taking shape. In the 16^th century transit of Pluto through Aquarius we had the demise of the power of the Papacy, with Protestant movements taking shape across the Western world of the period. In the 18^th century transit we saw sweeping changes across Europe and the establishment of the new order taking shape in the foundling United States, with the old monarchies of Europe being swept away one by one. Now we have the two pivotal conflicts that are redefining the world order, little as we may realize their importance.

The war in Ukraine has decimated European economies and will serve to sweep away the old order there (the EU and NATO), while the war in the Levant is redefining West Asia, eventually making that region an integral part of the emerging multipolar order, including the Chinese Belt and Road project and BRICS. Regarding the future of Europe and the Ukrainian conflict, Sergei Lavrov had this to say about it a few days ago at a UN Security Council meeting:

“The reason for the West’s cynical and criminal behaviour is obvious. Washington and other capitals have recently been clear that the West is waging a war with Russia, which must be “put in its place” by the hands of the Ukrainians without losing the lives of its own soldiers. President Biden even called this situation a great investment. Similar thoughts have been expressed by other US officials and their counterparts in the UK.

In the attempts to get their opponents in Congress to agree to a new aid package for Ukraine, the representatives of the current administration sound even more cynical. From their speeches we have learned, in particular, that 90 percent of the military budget allocated by the Americans to the Kiev regime remains in the United States and is used to expand the country’s defence sector and to upgrade weapons. The obsolete equipment is sent to Ukraine. Most major Ukrainian plants and companies, including lithium facilities, have been sold to the Americans. Fertile land has been leased to them on an indefinite lease for very little. One of the striking examples is the acquisition by Soros-controlled entities of black earth soils to bury the waste of the Western chemical industry. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasises that continued aid to Ukraine guarantees the creation of new jobs in the United States as if he is talking not about financing a war which has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in Ukraine, but a lucrative business project…

And that is what the Ukrainian war has been for the US – a business project, yet another imperialist one. Lavrov continues and then addresses Europeans:

“It is surely time for Europeans – I am addressing sane Europeans – to wake up and understand that with the help of Vladimir Zelensky’s regime, the United States is not only waging a war against Russia, but also pursuing the strategic objective of sharply weakening Europe as an economic rival. Washington has undermined the EU’s energy security, thus provoking dangerous crises in the European economy and social sector…At the same time, the majority of EU members continue to obediently follow Washington’s orders to supply more and more arms to Kiev, depleting their arsenals, which, of course, will be replenished with products purchased from the US defence industry. Europeans will be forced to come up with the money for this. The merchants of death are completely unbothered by the fact that their weapons, including cluster munitions and depleted uranium shells, methodically, mercilessly, deliberately and intentionally hit civilian targets, as was the case during attacks on the residential areas of Belgorod on December 30, 2023, and yesterday, on January 21, on the markets and shops of Donetsk…”

The US merchants of death are also very active in the Levant now, too, as we know. And so on. Read the entire speech if you really want to know what the war in Ukraine is really about. Lavrov also had quite a lot to say about Israel-Palestine in another UNSC meeting, which you can read in English. It is yet another sobering assessment of what is taking place in the Levant.

A war of liberation: The transit of Pluto through Aquarius has just started in earnest this year and will go on until 2043, with a brief peek back into Capricorn toward the end of this year. As far as the war in the Levant is concerned it was the result of a century of oppression and ‘genocide by salami slice’ of the indigenous Palestinian people. The war there is a war of liberation, and that points to probably the main takeaway of Pluto through Aquarius – the liberation of humanity from old, outworn systems that no longer and in fact hinder human spiritual progress. And that has always involved painful sacrifices in the past because the old status quo order fights tooth and nail to preserve itself. That brings us to the United States, with its Aquarian soul, which by all trajectories is due for a shakedown and a government makeover, perhaps for the whole of the Pluto transit through Aquarius. Freedom is a key word for Aquarius. It’s time we started to reassess what freedom really is, given it is the soul quality of America.

Russia’s Aquarian soul, too, will receive stimulation, as well as that of the Netherlands, and Russia is already divorcing itself from the old order and taking its future destiny in the East in hand. The Aquarian soul of the Russian nation and Moscow’s Aquarian personality link it closely with the Aquarian rising of the People’s Republic of China. As to the Aquarian soul of the Netherlands (Holland in the vernacular) its destiny with Russia and China will become more evident in the future. Yet, the largest port in Europe (Rotterdam) and the ICJ are both in the Netherlands. Its soul has been in evidence for years, being multicultural, tolerant of diverse groups and progressive in its outlook. It will be linked with China and Russia via trade through the Northern Sea Route, and the ICJ, if it remains relevant, will aid in the transition to the multipolar order once the overt influence of the Western powers over the court are lessened.

War drums are beating: Yet, the alarm bells of war in Europe, of Russian invasions, are being sounded, a signal that the war in Ukraine is all but lost. With their economies tanking and finding themselves vulnerable, and with major European elections coming up this year, these leaders in Europe have to alarm the public, so they think, to remain in power and relevant. The UK, Sweden, Scandinavia and the Baltics are all trying to scare their peoples into believing they will soon be going to war with Russia, and that they should be very concerned at the prospect. It is all rubbish. It is also a money grab and a chance for US defense industries to sell their very expensive and ineffective weapons (against the Russians) and systems to the Europeans. Even Stoltenberg has stated the Russians pose no credible threat to European nations. Russia has no interest in going to war with the rest of Europe. The Russians just want to be left in peace. They have also written off Europe, just so you know.

A few words on the Red Sea: Further on, the US and UK have only worsened the situation in the Red Sea and now Italy may find itself without half of its supply of natural gas, which happens to come from Qatar via the Suez Canal. Venture capitalists in the US are behind the push for forever wars. One of the best things that could happen to Europe would be for the US to pack up and leave. One of the best things that could happen for the people of the United States is for the Zionist state of Israel to dissolve, to revert back to its pre-1900 owners. Is that anti-Semitic – no, not at all. Jews lived peacefully alongside Arabs in the Levant prior to Zionism, the latter emerging in force in the 20^th century. Why that would be good for the American people is multifaceted. Firstly the absence of the Israel lobby would immediately shift the musical chairs of campaign funding for many members of Congress and for Presidents. It would leave a hole in defence contracting, because without an ‘enemy’ in West Asia it is difficult to justify military expenditure in that region. Washington has relied for the arms trade on Israel’s self-made enemies since Israel’s founding. Peace may actually break out, and that would be very bad for American arms contractors, the military there and millions of American jobs. I am not being cynical. It is a statement of fact. Peace would bring great turmoil to the United States – for a while. Then the money would have to come back home. And serious questions would be asked. America needs to tend to its own house instead of committing imperial suicide abroad. We close our topics here with a quick look at Davos and everyone’s favorite, the WEF.

Fast times at Davos: There is actually quite a lot going on in the world about which we never hear in the West (video). The folks at Davos would rather you didn’t hear anything about it. So, censorship will be on overdrive, especially this year. Your favorite social media platforms – that is, all of them across the West, at least for the most part – are going to be heavily censored. If you want any useful information about what is going on in the wider world you will have to go to foreign and independent sources. We have looked at this before. You will get absolutely no useful information about America’s favorite enemies, only disinformation, blatant propaganda and an army of bots and accounts smearing anything positive happening outside the West. Count on it. Facebook, for example, is a sterile media for news on Russia, Iran – and whatever you do don’t post anything positive about Hamas. And Twitter is highly suspect now, too. Musk just made an embarrassing trip to Auschwitz with Ben Shapiro – a rabid Zionist – which has caused everyone on Twitter to question how long they will be able to remain on his platform. He even goes so far as to say now he feels particularly Jew-ish (his words).

But the Davos crowd at the WEF wants you to trust them, while they say farming is actually ecocide (you will eat bugs and you will be happy). Farmers are not impressed. We are seeing massive farmers’ protests in Germany now, unreported, largely because of the neoliberal economics the WEF oligarchs preach, telling us we need to tighten our belts, go electric, go green and eschew meat, while they pig out on their caviar, fresh crab, serrano ham, duck, the best cod fish brought from Finland. Hypocrits. They are coming for our coffee next. If you think the farmers are protesting en masse, wait until a wired populace has to go without coffee! It reminds me of an old children’s rhyme one of the fellow students at my uni used to say when things didn’t go her way: “Nobody loves me. Everybody hates me. Guess I’ll go eat worms.” No Dorothy, no one at the WEF likes you. They think there are too many of you.

And if the Big Wigs at Davos think climate change is the biggest threat to the world system now (they do), I guess the US has to severely cut the Pentagon budget, The US military being the single biggest institutional polluter on the planet. That should go down well, too, along with a nice wheatgrass and chick pea smoothie. These people have lost all connection with the populace they deem to control, as well as with their common sense. Luckily for us, they are also becoming irrelevant as the multipolar world emerges. They can go away and hide in their bunkers while we all get on with our lives. If you don’t think these people are out of touch or just plain nuts, have a listen the Bunker Bob at the last link. But if none of that fazes you and you still don’t believe them, Disease X is waiting for us. Be afraid. Be very afraid. On second thought, let’s forget them, better still, and build a better and just world. That is precisely what the wider world outside the West is doing. I have had a bit of fun with this topic, but in all seriousness, these people need to be taken out of positions of power. It may just take a revolution or several to do so.

In conclusion: Speaking of the upcoming Chinese New Year, and that letter just about to come, a recent fortune cookie held the supreme wisdom that, “Change the spice of life.” I have no reason to doubt it. And the next one I consumed held the wisdom of consuming less and sharing more – sound advice going into the New Year. Joking aside, in this interval between the ages and cycles with Pluto entering Aquarius combined with the action of Uranus, change – sweeping change – is upon us. We are living it in real time. In universal time, as seen by the soul, this is but the blink of an eye and means little in the larger scheme of things. However, to us in our service to the immediate need, we flow with these changes and hold our meditative poise for the emergence of the world order that will enable the appearance on our Earth of the divinity inherent in each living being. It will take many years, of course, to manifest such a reality, but each moment contains the impulse toward the manifestation of such a future. Each step we take along our spiritual path ensures the eventual emergence of the divine on Earth. This is the ultimate message of Aquarius – that in serving we act as souls and as agents for positive change. Let us each become a station of light, a beacon of truth and expansion in our rapidly changing world and lives. The world elites and oligarchs are indeed riled that we begin to perceive the web they weave. It is incumbent upon us to intensify our efforts toward manifesting the light of wisdom among our peers. The more we can do so, the easier our path forward will become. Nothing scuttles a nefarious plan better or more than exposing it to the light. May each of our lights shine brightly in the years ahead. And keep on thinking free.

These letters are sent as a service. Feel free to pass them along if you feel inspired, but do so without charge or alteration. If you wish to be added to or deleted from the mailing list, kindly let me know.

1. From their album On the Threshold of a Dream, the title “In the Beginning” Derived from the poem by Descartes, Cogito, ergo sum ↑
2. Bailey, Alice A., Esoteric Astrology, (1951) New York, NY, Lucis Publishing, p. 68 ↑
3. Ibid, p. 34, Tabulation II ↑
4. Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, p. 1263 ↑
5. “Lost am I in light supernal, and on that light I turn my back.” A Treatise on White Magic, p. 441 ↑
6. Bailey, The Rays and the Initiations, p. 505 ↑
7. Bailey, Esoteric Healing, p. 587 ↑
8. Bailey, Education in the New Age, p. 141 ↑
9. Bailey, A Treatise on White Magic, p. 441 ↑