Jessica Murray is a professional astrologer with a fascinating personal history that involves writing, publishing, political activism and a command of semiotics. Semiotics is a field of study, some would call it a science of sociological code-breaking, that involves reading the language of signs.

The concept of semiotics is easier to grasp if you think of it as a system that attempts to understand how human beings create meaning from the manner in which reality displays itself, be that through events, words, images and objects.

Ideally, astrology benefits from the semiotic approach because astrology too is a language, a language that is brought to life by the linguist’s ability to skillfully interpret signs and symbols. If we think of an astrological chart as a signature of the soul, you can see how a confluence of astrological and semiotic insight would make for a formidable astrologer. And Jessica is very much one of contemporary astrology’s most creative and vibrant authors. Her close readings of the sociopolitical landscape are both dazzling and educational.

Jessica lives in San Francisco and writes regularly for her website Mother Sky. She has published two books, Soul-Sick Nation and At The Crossroads, both available here.

Our discussion centers around themes related to the ongoing and unprecedented Uranus Pluto square, a planetary component of the unfolding “Cardinal Cross Years,” which comprise our current historical moment — a time when “the modern Western mind … with its machines and weapons and power games, has grown so out-of-whack as to be needful of tough-love intervention, like a self-harming child…Our goal must be to get in touch, on a gut level, with the fact that the breakdowns we see around us are signals of incipient breakthrough.” Read more

Man is a plural being.

When we speak of ourselves ordinarily, we speak of ‘I.’ We say, ” ‘I’ did this,” ” ‘I’ think this,” ” ‘I’ want to do this”—but this is a mistake. There is no such ‘I,’ or rather there are hundreds, thousands of little ‘I’s in every one of us. We are divided in ourselves but we cannot recognize the plurality of our being except by observation and study.

At one moment it is one ‘I’ that acts, at the next moment it is another ‘I.’ It is because the ‘I’s in ourselves are contradictory that we do not function harmoniously. We live ordinarily with only a very minute part of our functions and our strength, because we do not recognize that we are machines, and we do not know the nature and working of our mechanism.

1) sleep, in which our machine still functions but at very low pressure.
2) waking state, as we are at this moment. These two are all that the average man knows.
3) what is called self-consciousness. It is the moment when a man is aware both of himself and of his machine. We have it in flashes, but only in flashes.

Read the entire post here.

“No poet ever wrote a poem to dishonor life, to compromise high ideals, to scorn religious views, to demean hope or gratitude, to argue against tenderness, to place rancor before love, or to praise littleness of soul. Not one. Not ever.

“On the contrary, poets have, in freedom and in prison, in health and in misery, with listeners and without listeners, spent their lives examining and glorifying life, meditation, thoughtfulness, devoutness, and human love. They have done this wildly, serenely, rhetorically, lyrically, without hope of answer or reward. They have done this grudgingly, willingly, patiently, and in the steams of impatience.

“They have done it for all and any of the gods of life, and their record of so doing belongs to each one of us.

Including you.”

–Mary Oliver
 

“We are living in a demented world …

But immediately the antithesis forces itself on our minds. Never has there been a time when men were so clearly conscious of their commanding duty to co-operate in the task of preserving and improving the world’s well being and human civilization.”

— Johan Huizinga

From In The Shadow of Tomorrow
Animate GIF by ABVH from an illustration by Alexis Diaz.

Aries: You’re the equivalent of a quantum physics pioneer. The requirements of living in conventional time and space make you both agitated and bored. An awful clash of extremes. You continue to morph into the poster child for all things Uranian, meaning: If it’s wild and untried, you want to help usher in the ‘shock of the new’, regardless the fallout or damage. You understand instinctively that disruption and revolution are OK. No death, no rebirth.

Taurus: You’ve got to shake your own tree to affirm your independence in 2014. The bull must engage now! There’s a reason sloth is considered a misguided passion; it robs you of the desire to create, express and touch the world with beauty. Your inspirational output is connected directly to your sense of autonomy and freedom in 2014. You’ve been incubating a backlog of plans and surprises throughout 2013, and come June you’ll be ready to for the big reveal.

Gemini: Money is freedom. Better yet, having money means you don’t have to think about money. The caveat? Stop equating being poor with being unfettered. Money begets freedom and vice versa. Is there a magic money solution for you this year? Yes! Evaluate carefully your goldmine of friends and professional contacts. And then network and recruit like crazy come the spring. You’ll find the support you need and the money that follows.

Cancer: The dynamic Jupiter Pluto opposition this spring highlights sharp angles in your horoscope: Your identity, partner and career. Each particular is up for ruthless re-examination. The keywords for this transit are: Bigger, deeper and stronger. So extremes actually become you in 2014. This means amplifying your presence in ways you haven’t before. Say yes to everything. Hire a PR agent. Save the world! It’s the only way to cope with so much cosmic pressure.

Leo: The first half of 2014 finds you receiving transmissions from other realms. This sounds wonderfully unconventional, but it’s actually a realistic necessity — an important development in your process of ‘you’. This means exploring ways of thinking that minimize control and optimize faith. This is the year you discover that you aren’t the only lion in the jungle and that ‘higher powers’ really do exist. Take up a spiritual or philosophical practice that reinforces this insight and creates a foundation that is beyond time and space.

Virgo: A casual approach to romance isn’t going to cut it for you this spring. In other words hookups are out; as are sketchy schemes that don’t meet your high standards and quality control. But you knew all of this already. You’ve been on an unrelenting search for a partner or creative project that mirrors your newfound lust for life. Pay attention to your heart, everything you need to understand related to passion will arise through your feelings – not thinking. Note the distinction, it’s a crucial demarcation.

Libra: Each of the cardinal signs, of which you are one, are conduits for the ongoing Uranus Pluto clash. We’re looking to you to solve the riddle: “How to thrive when everything around me is collapsing?” The only sign that is not an animal or person, Libra has uncanny insights into the art of distancing and remaining objective and, well, balanced, regardless the mishegas. You instinctively sense that what’s unraveling is part of a larger pattern and movement – and you’re going to show each of us how to discover harmony amidst the discord.

Scorpio:: If you’re not working on a book that explains the ‘all and everything’ of existence, then, well, you are wasting precious time. Get on with it! You’ve upturned every rock in your backyard, studied the contents of those dark underworlds – and so – now what? Come March you must engage and commit to an active path that brings healing and rejuvenation. You’re all about re-creation and the ability to remain optimistic amidst the dimming of the light. Why? Because you know, instinctively, that a new dawn is just moments away. Yay!

Sagittarius: No other sign can conflate the notion of a divine plan with that of day-to-day existence as effortlessly as a centaur. And yet, what happens when doubt rears its head? You rewrite the script. You discover new moves that aren’t in your repertoire. The point? The first half of 2014 involves pushing beyond what you have taken for granted, namely your ‘always on’ optimism. Now you need to confirm your faith in very pragmatic ways, through work, love and newfound vision. Quite the koan.

Capricorn: Mars, the planet that dares you to win, forces closure to an awkward situation at home at the start of 2014. It’s a simple equation for the rest of the year: You can’t move forward until you’ve buried the past. Gain new ground by investing in a plan that involves partnership and cooperation. You can’t go it alone this year. Break free from your old mode of relating – it’s a requirement. But, good times and renewed vigor await those who dare to share. So do the later.

Aquarius: Get specific with your financial and vocational goals. Stop waiting for the perfect situation to fall into your lap. Ain’t gonna happen. Optimization comes when you pay attention to simple, step-by-step solutions, especially solutions that impact your health. You’ve got to move down from your head and align with forces that are earthbound. All of your charismatic ideas and inventions can’t take root without an anchored relationship to reality. Consider 2014 to be your wake-up call. Get ready for your close-up.

Pisces: The need to take on more commitments or obligations than you can handle is actually the universe’s way of confirming that you’re sitting on a wellspring of creative energy. But now the big riddle: What exactly do you want to create? You’ll need to define and finalize a choice come the early spring when your ruler, Jupiter, begins to move forward, out of its current retrograde phase. What felt like restraint turns out to have been a long process of refinement. And that’s a keyword you like very much, yes?