Okay, so who is this figure Ophiuchus?
Well, it’s the only astrological sign based on a real person – Asclepius. To the ancient Greeks in 27 BC, he was regarded as a healer, and in the Roman pantheon, he was a son of Apollo. He supposedly learned the secrets of preventing death when he observed one serpent bringing another healing herbs. He raised the dead using this herb. In order to prevent the entire human race from becoming immortal under his care, Zeus supposedly killed him with a bolt of lightning, then later suffered a pang of conscience and placed his image in the heavens to honor his good works.
Ophiuchus is usually depicted as grasping a snake – thus his name as Serpent Bearer – and has one foot resting firmly against Scorpius (the scorpion). In honor of Asclepius, snakes were often used in healing rituals and non-venomous snakes were allowed to crawl on the floor in dormitories where the sick and injured slept. Cults grew up around Asclepius and pilgrims supposedly flocked to his healing temples from 300 BC onward. Ritual purification would be followed by offerings or sacrifices to the god, and by spending the night in the holiest part of the sanctuary so that dreams would occur. Any dreams or visions were reported to a priest who would prescribe the appropriate therapy by interpreting what the dreams meant.
Just from the mythology, we can glimpse some of the components of the archetype: healer, alternative medicine, the power of groups (pilgrims flocking to the temples), magic (raising the dead), dream interpretation, cult mentality, violence and violent deaths, sudden unexpected events (thunderbolts), resisting and questioning authority, pushing against the status quo, a greater independence from authoritarian rule (sounds like what’s going on in Egypt) and greater dependence on the self and the local community.
Other components of this archetype include what author and physician Dean Radin calls “the global mind.” We posted about
Princeton’s Global Consciousness Project, and it’s real time
color coded “dot” that shows the data analysis of these random number generators, so that anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can see changes in the global mind as they occur.
Magnetic fluctuation doesn’t just affect wildlife. It impacts human beings, too. And it may be creating a sensitivity in certain types of individuals that is part of this emerging paradigm.
Planetary empaths are individuals who seem to be so intimately connected to fluctuations in the earth that they experience physical symptoms for days and sometimes weeks before a natural disaster occurs. Their “symptoms” are astonishingly similar and often coincide with the change in colors in the GCP Dot.
Then there’s the hoopla surrounding 2012 and the end of the Mayan calendar. This idea started with Jose Arguelles in The Mayan Factor. That calendar ends on December 21, 2012. But the date simply marks the end of a 26,000 year astrological cycle. As the date nears, the doomsayers are out in full force, predicting the end times – the end of the world through massive earth changes that might include a pole shift, and the deaths of millions. When you Google December 21, 2012, more than 7 million links come up. These websites and blogs cover the spectrum of speculation – from the ludicrous to the more sobering assessment of science to urban survivalists eager to sell you equipment and freeze-dried food to get you through this global Armageddon.
While the end of the world scenario is fodder for dramatic entertainment in movies, television and novels, a more likely outcome to all this is a paradigm shift, a shift in mass consciousness that the rediscovery of Ophiuchus presages.
That said, there are troubling facts emerging that suggest this paradigm shift may occur as a result of global warming, an increase in natural disasters, a widening disparity between rich and poor, increased political and religious strife worldwide. We’ve covered some of the facts in other posts – about the massive deaths of birds and other wildlife, for instance. Here are some additional facts:
In 2010, natural disasters killed more than a quarter of a million people and displaced millions. According to Swiss Re, the largest reinsurer in the world, the financial losses from these natural disasters exceeded $222 billion.
Greenland’s ice sheet melted at a record rate in 2010.
2010 and 2005 tie for the warmest years on record.
The last pole shift occurred nearly 800,000 years ago. Some scientists believe we’re overdue. Others believe a pole shift is already underway.
So, this rediscovery of Ophiuchus may be a warning, may be prompting us to really examine our collective beliefs and desires. What do we want not only for ourselves and our loved ones, but for the planet?