by LJ Frank

It’s been 500 years or since the Reformation that the planets have lined up in this peculiar fashion as they are occurring now, that is, if you’re into planetary alignments, one might inquire whether civilization is experiencing another paradigm shift, how much does one learn from each one until it becomes a tradition and another one emerges, how prepared are we in aligning ourself to the new paradigm, astrology aside, for isn’t a microbe offering a new model in living and altering ill-prepared minds of exceptionalism and power;

 Whether a reformation or revolution in thought and deed or other transformation caused by an incident or accident, how much energy do you devote to such things and how much “mind-chat” do we experience when placed under duress;

 For example, I was driving this morning in the far-right lane of a three-lane highway when a person in a very large sports utility vehicle veers all the way over from the left lane, and side swipes my sports car and after we pull over to the side of the highway, the SUV driver gets out and starts swearing at me for driving such a small car pointing her finger at it, What? A useless conversation follows, and she takes off and I noted her far right of center window sticker that betrayed the irony of her driving in the left lane and me in the right, the insurance is not worth the price of my 11-year old car with over 185,000 miles and no damage to her oversized vehicle with a Doberman pinscher in the passenger seat;

 How much energy again do I wish to apply to an incident or accident in the high noon stresses of the politicized day, I refuse to count how many times my car has been hit when sitting by itself in a parking lot, motionless, I ask myself – are these omens, I refuse to be a victim, but what if it’s something else altogether;

 Philosophically I’m a compassionate, pragmatic  minimalist with a  pescatarian diet, still my nerve endings suggest the price of a car should be tailored to its size, that is, the larger should be the more expensive, you see, I have a relationship with my sports car, isn’t that being American, it’s the freedom of movement though I know I am tethered to a classless position, but I love to drive as I try to place a silver spoon in my mouth but know from experience hard work by itself is a lie, and so feel smaller cars  should cost less – engineering aside, I think the future will prove me correct as I am about to downsize further if I can find a reasonable priced vehicle, superficial I recognize, for reality suggests I might end up with an electric bicycle, which brings a smile to my face;

The astrological motif of these times suggests another voyage is in the making but one can never escape from oneself, for the signs are telling me to be awake and aware as the international stress has become local, and the butterfly flaps its wings in one part of the globe and we feel it in another part while thinking we are removed, and the realization opens its eyes as the Earth is but one whole, and I wonder if the breath of human made machines also affects the butterfly’s flight though I have seen less of them this year so I can only surmise.