Astrology of 2012 – the End or the Beginning?

This is the event chart for the Winter Solstice on December 21, 2012. The infamous date when the world is supposed to end. As an astrologer, I thought it would be interesting to study the chart at the moment of the Solstice itself – the moment when the Sun transitions to 0 degrees Capricorn.

Since there are so many different time zones on the planet, I used Universal time – the time for Greenwich, England. Astrology references back to Universal time to calculate charts so this seemed like the most appropriate time to use for a planetary event. The first thing that I noticed was that the time 11:11 popped up. Many people, including myself, have had experiences with recurring number patterns. 11:11 and 1:11 are two that are frequently mentioned. When I had my first 11:11 experience, I discovered that it was associated with Angels. This seemed very promising to me for an event chart. Especially when I noticed that Neptune was a 0 degrees Pisces conjunct the Ascendent. Neptune is the planet that rules the unconscious, dreams, the connection to God. A wonderful chance for spiritual growth.

The next thing that struck me was the incredibly strong Yod with Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto. Outer planets have powerful energies to manifest major changes. A Yod – also known as the Finger of God – has two planets in crisis with the resolution through the Apex planet – in this case Jupiter. The energies of Saturn in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn are fascinating in this case. They suggest secretive organizational structures – institutions, companies, governments. The Apex – Jupiter in Gemini – shows the way out through an expansion of information.

Bottom line – I do not see the end of the world. I do see possibilities.

There will be challenges for organizational structures that have withheld or restricted information flow. The birth of the Internet and the ability to communicate with almost anyone on the planet can either be a part of the solution or another way to further obscure with miscommunication. There is also a wonderful chance for spiritual growth.

It is up to us as individuals to pursue the path that builds a better tomorrow.

Mitochondrial DNA – a new look at the past

I just finished “The Seven Daughters of Eve” by Dr. Bryan Sykes. Dr. Sykes is a Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Oxford. Although his book was originally published in 2001, I recently became more interested in archeology and wanted to better understand this amazing new tool. The book provides a good explanation of how the field developed and how Mitochondrial DNA became a recognized option – one that changed many of the original stories of how our planet’s humans evolved. Sykes traced back human migration patterns, discussed the “out of Africa theory”, indicated that Polynesians came from Indonesia instead of Peru, determined the genetic makeup of modern Europe and used mitochondrial DNA to identify the remains of Czar Nicholas II.

Bryan Sykes is an amusing author – and as he described the events that transpired while mtDNA was being validated, I can only imagine what it must have been like for him.  It seems that science moves slow and painfully from one idea to another.

The basic idea of mtDNA is that it is (1) only passed through the maternal line so it remains unchanged from generation to generation (2) has mutations that survive at a fairly well determined rate of about one mutation in 10,000 years and (3) a mini-chromosome of about 16,500 base pairs for easier analysis.

Using mtDNA gives you a view into how humans evolved and populated this planet. Sykes’ view of 7 original source mothers reflects the data that had been collected at the time of publishing. These seven mothers were used to classify of all modern Europeans into seven groups, called mitochondrial haplogroups. Each haplogroup is defined by a set of characteristic mutations on the mitochondrial chromosome, and can be traced along a person’s maternal line to a specific prehistoric woman.

Further research since 2001 has expanded the number of haplogroups throughout the world and added additional sub-types.  But the fundamental mechanism is still providing additional vision into Earth’s past by looking at the human body today.

Richard Gerber – Physician ahead of his time

Dr. Richard M. Gerber received his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit and began his medical practice in 1981. He trained in a variety of alternative therapies as well as conventional Western Medicine. Dr. Gerber was a private practice internist in Warren for 26 years and wrote a pair of best-selling books on vibrational medicine and healing; Vibrational Medicine and A Practical Guide to Vibrational Medicine.

During a 1988 interview Richard Gerber commented: “Vibrational medicine is a diagnostic and healing approach to illness using energy in various forms and frequencies. As a therapy, vibrational medicine is the application of different types of energy for healing, including approaches as traditional as X-ray and radiation therapy for cancer, the use of electrical nerve stimulation for treating pain, and electromagnetic field stimulators for accelerating the healing of fractured bones. Even full spectrum light is used for treating seasonal affective disorders or the ‘winter blues’. However, vibrational medicine also covers the more subtle forms of treatment such as acupuncture, homeopathy, flower essences, therapeutic touch, and that sort of genre. The latter involve using subtle life-force medicine, but they are energetic therapies nonetheless. This is the spectrum from the more traditional to a range of therapies that stress treatment of the whole person, sometimes referred to as ‘complementary’ medicine.”

In the world of today’s medicine, Dr. Gerber touched areas that few physicians are willing to go. Medical practice is extremely controlled in the US and alternative therapies are discouraged if not banned. Dr. Gerber leads you systematically from conventional medicine into areas that are far more unconventional. Although his books are reference texts in this field, his work epitomizes flying below the radar…

Richard M. Gerber, M.D., died Friday, June 22, 2007, in his home.