Off the Charts: astrologers analyze the news

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Two corporate media renegades, Whitney Fishburn and Elisabeth Grace, use their insider's knowledge to flip the script on the media, using astrology to offer perspective and analyses on world events that corporate media won't and can't share with you.

Whitney M. Fishburn


    • Oct 6, 2023 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 45m AVG DURATION
    • 53 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Off the Charts: astrologers analyze the news

    As Pluto pulls up to the bumper:

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2023 53:46


    SPECIAL EPISODEGreetings,Not for nothing, as they say in New Jersey, that as transiting Pluto squats atop the United States' natal Pluto, do we see our government descending into chaos. Pluto is classically associated with descent and chaos, as well as with debts and riches. The God of the Underworld is also bringer of the utter destruction of what does not work, what hasn't worked for some time, and what will definitely not serve anyone's higher minded best interests as a new future takes root. And so it is with our US government; it can no longer function. Putting aside the loftier questions about the veracity in theory and practice of our Constitution, the actual impracticality of our government is due to our lawmakers' inability to agree who should have access to what resources, ,and to how much of them. It leaves us to wonder, Who is indebted to whom and to what degree? And why?Also, who is funding those commitments?Pluto will cease its current perceived reverse motion on October 10 in the Americas. After that, it will pull away from the degree of the US's natal Pluto, not to return for approximately another 250 years. What is Pluto clearing out with this last flush?That is where I want to focus our attention this week, but taking it to a much deeper, more personal level. On this special episode (the last of the for a while, as there is a new segment begining soon — see below for more on that), I interview debt counseling specialist, Marie Megge. We have a look at our credit card and other debt, why and how the system has placed us in a situation where we are virtually crippled if we do not take on the debt, and we ask whether this system is working anymore for us, for the nation, for anyone. And if it does work for some, then what is our role in their successful use of our debt?Best of all, if you are feeling the crush of debt, my guest can offer you hope for how to get out from underneath that rock. Thank you for your patronageThanks to everyone who voiced their thoughts, mostly in private which I thought was interesting, about the end of Off the Charts. With one exception, the feedback was disappointed but decidedly suportive. I promise that the new content will be just as intriguing, even if very different in tone. My plan is to unveil it to you at the New Moon, but I will tell you generally that it will combine astrology with my experiences in my “previous” life as a mental health policy reporter and academic psychiatry journal editor. My aim is to indeed empower you with tools for facing the future as our national political discourse has, in my estimation, disintegrated to the point of there being no point in trying to resucitate it. As I have said on a couple of episodes of OTC before, democracy is dead. It is. What's next?What will come after this implosion of ideals? I think something better. It will look more like democracy, but it will start from within each of us. I am tired of being harangued with the VOTE OR DIE noise. We know that is not longer true; many of us do vote and while it does effect change, it's not enough. It's too easy to find yourself in the voting booth because you feel like you must identify with the “good people”. But that's lazy. Voting without first cleaning out our own internal cobwebs is pointless. It still is you being manipulated. And while I am a proponent of fate beign just as powerful in our lives as fortuen (choice), you can't make your fortune if you don't come to terms with your fate. So, are you really voting consciously or are you doing what you're told?That is Pluto's actual lesson to each of us: don't look to others to clean up the dog s**t on the curb, when it's your own dogs you haven't trained.So! I will be exploring how you can immediately use your chart and the patterns within it to reach beyond the conclusions of the mental health industry. I will be creating case studies to compare how astrology sees what the mental health “experts” need of your time, power, money, and attention to do for you. I am not saying abandon your respective courses of treatment, but you probably long ago concluded you needed help, couldn't get it, and now you have an app. I hope to give you more insight than AI, but gosh, have you noticed that AI is actually pretty darn effective? More than I ever realized. So, with what is to come from the Ensouled Universe, plus what you're already doing, I hope to empower you to stay home with your dogs before you unleash the hounds on the world. Best of all you won't need prior approval from a third party insurer to access the wisdom of your own gods and light patterns.Peace,Whitney PS: I will update the art and logo by then, too! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com

    Science is to cause as Tarot is to meaning

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2023 60:31


    SPECIAL EDITIONGreetings,Welcome to the third in a series of special co-production podcasts with docu-mental: mapping the american states of mind. This time, I am in conversation with renowned Tarotista, T. Susan Chang.Susie, as she is known within the oracular community, opens our discussion about how the Tarot, with its 78 images of the archetypal and the mundane, can help us live a better life for ourselves and contribute more profoundly yet simply as citizens, with a reference to the Jungian concept of the ‘unus mundus', or “one world.”But first, we discuss how this Harvard-trained classicist came to be among the world's most venerated “cross-over” experts on the Tarot and its connections to classical mythology. My take-away from this bit of our chat is that when a democracy wants to, it sure can pump out some mighty fine thinkers from its public education system. Listening to this podcast is worth it just to hear Susie's recollections of what it was like to attend a suburban New York high school in the 80s, where immigrants and dissident exiles were gathered together in one community (perhaps a foreshadowing of the “one world” we then go on to discuss).If you're not interested in the Tarot, or aren't even sure what it is, no worries. We explain it, but either way, you will enjoy hearing how this critical thinker considers how to make meaning and metaphor from the stuff of life with or without the Tarot, and how you can, too. It doesn't require a deck of cards with 78 images, but a willingess to pause, observe, and be in relationship with each moment of your life. However, if you are interested in using the Tarot, Susie and I discuss how to do so with courage — because meeting the Universe on its own terms takes just that — and brio. We also talk about how the Tarot helps us bridge the gap between our waking lives and our dream time where we spend at least a third of our lives. We end our discussion where we began, with a reverie of what it is to be part of one collective whole, a common world of common thought and common emotion, even common evil, and what the implications of that are for us as individuals.ICYMI: Other podcasts in this seriesMore Great Conversations from the Ensouled UniverseWhile Elisabeth and I are taking some time off from the newscast, you can catch up by listening to the Off the Charts archive. If you'd like more information about Elisabeth Grace and her weekly headlines forecast, visit her at Grace Astrology.To learn more about me, Whitney McKnight, please visit me at Ensouled Astrology.Thanks for listening.Peace,Whitney This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com

    What does 'power to the people' really mean? And, how might it be possible?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2023 82:13


    SPECIAL EPISODEGreetings,You would not be wrong to count me among the astrologers who have proclaimed the ingress of Pluto into Aquarius as a time when power will shift to the people. But what the heck does that mean, and if power isn't already with the people, where is it then? And how did power get where we aren't the ones who have it?In this conversation with Australian astrologer, Cassandra Tyndall, I explore these questions and get Cass's fresh, frank take on the Plutonic potentials for people to liberate themselves from trauma, from mind control, and from empire. First things first, according to Cass: we must reckon with the ghosts that are returning, the pain points of colonialism, the secrecy hidden at the top of trickle-down templates. But also, we must admit our inability or unwillingness or both to take personal responsibility. The problem, says Cass: “People aren't ready to be challenged, yet.”To that end, you might be surprised to hear our respective views on the cosmological underpinnings of “cancel culture” and how the next two decades of Pluto in Aquarius might not be as rosy and calm as some astrologers — myself included — have initially proclaimed. This conversation offers a peek at a recalibrated calculus of the steps we must dance if we're to obtain the freedom we seek. I am still certain we will get there, “there” being a place where we are liberated from our conditioned responses to see each other as other, and will instead just grow the f*ck up and get on with kindness and innovation, not anger and blame. More likely, it will take these next 20 years to till and seed the ground for Pluto in Pisces when universality will be the astro-tone. And we will then be ready to responsibly handle the power we say we want. The inspiration for this interview comes from a YouTube video Cass released earlier this year, where she challenged the prevailing astrology community to reconsider that Pluto in Aquarius will not be all that we have thought, but will instead force us to confront the tremors of feudalism. It's something we address in this interview. This is a longer than usual podcast, and yet there was so much more we could have explored. Thankfully, Cass has agreed to return later this year. I hope you will be as excited as I am to welcome her now and in the near future to deliver her take on the news from the Ensouled Universe.To learn more about Cassandra's work: CassandraTyndall.comBits and bobsSubstack is offering me the option to try a transcript of this talk. I am going to use it, cautiously, because if ever I have had prototypical Mercury in retrograde problems in producing my podcasts, this was the week that kicked my ass. You will hear it in the production of my audio (Cass's is brilliant, mine not so much); the breakdown of my little make-shift podcast studio is forcing me to reconsider how I do these, but that is the magic of Mercury turning inward, so it's a net positive, I say. Regardless, I haven't figured out how to edit the transcript before I post it, nor can I figure how to edit it and then post it. I also can't see where it says it is being posted, but it should be on the podcast page. If not, well, count me as scunnered.So, I am going to fly without a net and agree with the AI prompting to post it, hope it shows up, and then if it does and I figure out how to edit it, I will do so, then re-post the corrected version, as I already can see there are some things appearing a bit off in the copy I was sent by the AI lords. Still to come…T. SUSAN CHANGAlso to come while Off the Charts is on hiatus, is a disscussion with the astoundingly polymathic T. Susan Chang, whose approach to her many disciplines, which range from policymaking to sewing Tarot-themed comforters, to teaching creative writing, to cooking, and more, is derived in part from her Classics training at Harvard University.Although Susie's voice might be familiar to many in this audience as a food commentator and cookbook reviewer at NPR, we'll primarily be discussing her expertise in archetypal mythology as made practical for every day living through her latest book, The Living Tarot.My hope is that our discussion will give you ideas for how to reframe our quotidien existence, with all its trials as well as triumphs, as an endless psychodrama where we encounter ourselves by way of encountering the Gods.Use the Substack app for easy navigation of all your favorite contentThe Substack app aggregates all your Substack interests in one place. And if you have any questions, you can contact me through this email and I will be happy to help out, too.Here's the link to download the app:Be sure to search for the Ensouled Universe to find all our content on Substack.More Great Conversations from the Ensouled UniverseWhile Elisabeth and I are taking some time off from the newscast, you can catch up by listening to the Off the Charts archive. If you'd like more information about Elisabeth Grace and her weekly headlines forecast, visit her at Grace Astrology.To learn more about me, Whitney McKnight, please visit me at Ensouled Astrology.Thanks for listening.Peace,WhitneyNews from the Ensouled Universe is a reader-supported publication. Consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com

    Barbie redux: a housewife she will never be

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2023 7:14


    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ensouled.substack.comvol. 2 Episode 47Greetings, Our top stories: Hawaii on fire, private equity does an end-run around the Department of Justice with an all-cash purchase of major publishing house Simon and Schuster, the USWNT are out of the World Cup, Ohio voters reject manipulating the people's will with culture wars, and there are major security breaches everywhere. What are the planetary patterns that signal these were coming and that they arrived right on time? Elisabeth has the report.But we also continue our conversation about the astrological inflection point symbolized by the record-breaking ticket sales of director Greta Gerwig's Barbie. Why now? Why this particular director? Is it related to other themes about women such as the attack on reproductive rights?

    Trump and us: We had it coming

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2023 52:00


    vol. 2 Episode 46Greetings, There used to be a comedy show on BBC Radio Scotland called Swots that skewered geeks, and which used to make me laugh until it hurt. One sketch has stayed with me all these years because its humor was based in a larger truth, making it both profound, and profoundly funny.The punch line was that there are four potential outcomes in a Scottish court trial: guilty, not guilty, unproven, and “he had it coming”.In fact, Scottish jurisprudence has three potential trial outcomes, and “he had it coming” isn't one of them. But in life, this is arguably a valid verdict. I was reminded of this bit of satire as I edited this episode, filled with Elisabeth's and my parsing of the latest indictment against former president Donald Trump. Honestly, to me, he is so boring because he is so transparent. I know that to say a megalomaniac with blood on his hands is “boring” sounds flippant, but hear me: his narcissism is boring. The maliciousness for which he stands in the cosmic order of things, and the fantasies of deliverance that so many human beings have attached to him, are not boring. They represent a larger question of what exactly is justice.The distillation of this new indictment essentially is that Trump knew he'd lost and so his intent was indeed to stage a coup and overthrow a democratically elected president, namely Joe Biden. For the prosecution to prove this will require demonstrating that Trump isn't insane, isn't deluded, but is indeed calculating and criminal.To me, he is all of these things — a sad, mad, raging orange puppet of some secret cabal of angry power mongers who are both led by and leading others around by the dollar signs. Still, Trump's most potent weapon isn't the money. It's not even his sociopathy, which makes lying and cheating easy. It's his ability to convince people he is special because he tells them they are special. His power, like that of any narcissist resides in the fantasy of being separate and apart and better than everyone else. Including, above the law. Clearly, I believe the correct verdict is that he is guilty, and he should go to federal prison for life. I am not convinced that will happen, but the stars do suggest to me he will die ignominiously. So, is that justice?Well, pulling back the lens a moment, I wonder, what does Trump going to prison for crimes committed say about people who believed in the fantasy of specialness? Are they insane but he is not?Perhaps one outcome does not have to be true at the expense of the other. But it does beg the question of mass insanity vs. mass enchantment. Yet, to enchant so many people so thoroughly requires some ballsy calculation, doesn't it?There is a maxim in astrology that the stars do not compel, but they do impel.With that in mind, even if Trump was compos mentis throughout the entirety of his plotting a coup/plotting a restoration of his rightful place throne, I mean, White House, what does astrology say about the event having even taken place at all?Because mundane astrologers such as Elisabeth and myself and many others foresaw some kind of Plutonic disaster befalling the US beginning with the 2020 eclipses in Cancer and Capricorn (those were my touchstones, anyway), we could say that “we had it coming”. I note with interest that both prior to his taking office, and now that he is out of office, the national conversation is on Trump's mental state. Before taking office, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals were at one another's throats over whether to diagnose him from afar as a clinical narcissist, a clear and present danger to the world. There has never been consensus, or even a plausible clinical explanation of the man's mental state, even if there is strong opinion about his guilt or innocence. Whether there even is such a thing as clinical narcissism is still debated. One valid take-away from the Trump phenomenon is that clinical mental health diagnoses are deeply flawed, and are in fact simply our vapidly materialistic way of pivoting away from the problems created when soul and spirit are drained from how we view and address imbalances of heart and mind.Are all supporters of Trump insane? Or are they deluded fantasists? What if they are duped, yet good?And yet, the Trump era brought the eruption of our national evil under-belly from below the belt line. Trump didn't cause that. He helped us uncover it. It was already there. It has always been there. Will it forever be there?Which makes me think about this as a collective, philosophical moment in both our national history, and that of the world where plenty of other liars and crooks are living large among us in positions of leadership over us.Remember that Pluto brings about the extreme of extremes. In my own practice, I counsel clients that things involving Pluto will be hard. Very. Hard. Sure, it also means that things will get scrubbed clean of all the detritus, but who wants to get brushed with a cactus?And yet, when the gunk is gone, the power remains, is even more powerful for the lack of the crap. What to do with such a depth of resources? This might be a good problem to have post-Trump, provided we have admitted our individual role in the blight having been allowed to fester. And we each do have one. That's what makes the Oedipal story, unsullied by that weirdo Freud, so important to understand: what is seemingly beyond our control is still ours to face, even if we actively tried to avoid it.In short: take life on its own terms and accept that sometimes, evil arrives at your doorstep and you have to call it what it is, not give it a prescription.And so, I ask: was Trump the president we deserved, or the president we needed? It depends on how you view justice, karmically and morally. That's what makes astrology such the font of living waters I find it to be: it helps us map the seemingly inchoate worlds of karmic and moral justice, bridging them together, and carrying us from one to another, but sometimes allowing us to stand with one foot in each land of Fate and Fortune. Because we collectively have been apathetic, ignorant of our richness as a democracy, mistaking it for a marketplace, Trump could be viewed as our fortune — this is what we sowed and now must reap. But we have also been duped by the invisible forces of power mongers behind the scenes, such as we are finding out drip by grungy drip, as the spooky powers of people like the über creepy Leonard Leo's hold over the Supreme Court is evermore uncovered. This trial will now occur months after the planets have eased off the pressure points of our national birth chart, all but of course, Pluto, which will apply its thumbs to our nation's soul map for another 2-ish years to come. And isn't it just a little suspicious that the man's name is also synonymous with “archetype”, as Jungians and Tarotistas well know? Yes, it's not his “real” name, but maybe his role was to bring archetypal powers to our attention.Which also makes me wonder: what if it's a question of that ensouled universal principal of life that impels itself forward by way of moving through us knowing that with a few squares here, a couple of oppositions there, and more than a few eclipse cycles, we humans could be roused to become better beings who wouldn't stand for a messianic madman, clinical or otherwise?Is that our random choice or engaging with the gods for better outcomes?Guilty, not guilty, unproven, no matter — I submit, Trump is both our fate and our fortune. We had it coming. Also in this episode…* Sabian Symbol mentioned by Elisabeth* Elisabeth's analysis of Ginni Thomas's chart, and the coming stress upon it* The Henrietta Lacks settlement* Endemic leprosy in FloridaUse the Substack app for easy navigation of all OTC contentThe Substack app is, I will say it, so much better than Spotify or iTunes to use. It aggregates all your Substack interests in one place and the tech people are responsive if you have any concerns. And if you have any questions, you can contact me through this email and I will be happy to help out, too.And also, as a patron subscriber the app is where you can easily access the premium audio outtakes.Here's the link to download the app:Be sure to search for the Ensouled Universe to find all our content on Substack.Thanks for being a subscriber!If you'd like to learn more about the forecast used in this podcast, visit Elisabeth's home page, elisabethgrace.com. To learn more about me and my work, it's ensouledastrology.com.xWhitney (and Elisabeth, too!) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com

    When will Israel CTFO*?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2023 8:12


    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ensouled.substack.comvol. 2 Episode 45Greetings,It's hot, hot, hot.Israel is hot. The US is hot. Bidenomics is hot. Trumpaganza in court is hot.We keep it hot in this episode, even though we acknowledge there is blue sadness in the air with the death of Sinéad O'Connor, and the cold crush of Saturn moving in on Mitch McConnell.Elisabeth has a thorough and thoughtful astrological analysis of the current political unrest in Israel, offering her forecast for the next two years covering that region. We also discuss WT(actual)F is up with the new public school curriculum about slavery in Florida, where lion-headed bunnies have overtaken the streets right on time for Venus retrograde, plus a brief but informative technical discussion on the nature of cazimi planets, such as Venus will be soon.Trumpa-‘losah'We didn't actually cover the lastest indictment against the felonious former US president Trump in Episode 45, in part because we had wrapped before he got rapped (again), but also because I am sick of him sucking up all the oxygen. He's a crook. We know it. Let justice be done, and I have faith, because the stars suggest it, that it will. In his case anyway. Astrology aside, odds are good in Justice's favor, considering that at this point, with the latest revelations that Trump tried to erase security footage of his theft of national security documents, there are now 40 federal charges against the Don, this time indicating, gasp!, a cover-up of how the man was trading on our lives to enrich himself and I suppose, his secret backers.I do want to note, however, that as per usual in these Pluto Capricornus times, it's the little guy being made to take the fall for the Big Guy, but with Pluto at the 29th all-or-nothing degree, this might just prove how the Big Guy collapses once and for all. And I do mean, for all.Use the Substack app for easy navigation of all OTC contentApple/iTunes continues to act like they are too big to care, so if you are experiencing issues with your feed of OTC on iTunes, again, I strongly suggest using the Substack app instead. It aggregates all your Substack interests and isn't obnoxious. Also, the tech people actually help you if you need it. And if you have any questions, you can contact me through this email and I will be happy to help out, too. And also, as a patron subscriber the app is where you can easily access the premium audio outtakes.Here's the link to download the app:

    What does the actors strike portend for a world with AI?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2023 54:23


    vol. 2 Episode 44Greetings,We know AI isn't going away, so how do we live in a world where it — and not us — increasingly determines our individual “identity”? You won't get hard and fast answers on that in this episode, but you will get some food for thought. Plus, what does the simultaneous release of the films Oppenheimer and Barbie have to say about our world right now? We interrogate what astrology has to say about that.And I make a couple of corrections and offer perspective on a past prediction that is still evolving. Use the Substack app for easy navigation of all OTC contentI like using the Substack app because it aggregates all of my Substack interests as both a publisher and a reader, making it easy and efficient to manage this newsletter, as well as follow my favorite fellow-stackers. It also helps me track if there are any Notes threads developing that I want to follow, similar to Twitter threads, but without the Elon. And in case as a patron subscriber you want the ease of having a place to collect and stream not just all the OTC episodes, but the premium audio outtakes, the app will aggregate it all in one place so you don't need to switch between platforms. Here's the link to download it:Thanks for being a subscriber!We are thrilled you're along for the ride. If you'd like to learn more about the forecast used in this podcast, visit Elisabeth's home page on the internet, that's elisabethgrace.com. To learn more about me and my work, it's ensouledastrology.com.To become a paid subscriber, here's how to do so:xWhitney (and Elisabeth, too!) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Astrology - and Sarah Silverman - take on AI

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2023 7:34


    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ensouled.substack.comvol. 2 Episode 43Greetings,After a sorely needed week off, Elisabeth and I are back with the astro-headlines. This time, we debate which ones you should even care about. A child rapist in Tennessee? Or, climate change? Both? Neither…?It's true, now that I am living in a far more wild environment than Washington…

    When might Putin fall?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2023 48:14


    vol. 2 Episode 42Greetings,As predicted last episode, this summer will take a sweet turn toward justice as planetary patterns are in support of preserving the democratic process, justice for all, and the power of the vote. We discuss the recent US Supreme Court's rejection of the independent legislature theoryIn astrological terms, we're seeing how the coming two decades of Pluto in Aquarius just will not support the the purchase of certain justices fiddling around with themselves beneath those robes in that marble palace. We also explore the intrigue surrounding the mercenary mutiny that was, then wasn't, as the Wagner Group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, comes for Russian president, Vladimir Putin, then changes his mind. Do planetary patterns suggest the warlord might have suckered Putin out of munitions?Regardless, what planetary patterns do suggest is that the mutiny was “too early” to take down Putin. But Elisabeth shares dates when over the next year Russia's President-for-Life, might find that lifespan shortened. That is, if the birth time we have for him is correct. And I want to know what the heck is the big deal about US President Joe Biden's age, when the expected GOP 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump is only three years younger and a lot less fit and trim.Don't forget: use the Substack app for best results!For listeners who've had difficulty finding us on sundry podcast platforms, it seems the best solution is to download and listen to us on the Substack app. That is especially true if you'd like to have access to extras like the conversation referenced above. I personally use the app and find it is bug-free (well, I haven't encountered any), and has a great support team behind it, as I discovered when investigating a few tech issues for subscribers.Here's the link to download it:To learn more about the forecast used in this podcast, visit Elisabeth's home page on the internet, that's elisabethgrace.com. To learn more about me and my work, it's ensouledastrology.com.If you're not already a patron subscriber, please consider becoming one. And if that is not something you can do right now, please share us with others and leave comments here or on the podcast platform where you listen. Thanks for your support!xWhitney (and Elisabeth, too!) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    It's time for some good news, dammit!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2023 8:38


    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ensouled.substack.comvol. 2 episode 41Greetings,We know that the news is papered with the tragedy of the imploded submersible as it sought to explore the Titanic. which we do cover...(moment of silence)There are some rather alarming astrological explanations for that, as Elisabeth explains in this episode.However, as we also discuss, there is …

    The right to live under a Big Sky

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2023 50:15


    vol. 2 Episode 40Greetings,We've missed you all! Elisabeth and I are back from our hiatus with news from the Ensouled Universe. In the break, I moved from the East Coast to Big Sky country, aka Montana, and am more settled than I have been in a while, thankfully. Even the acoustics of this recording sound like there is a big sky overhead. The quality of life vis-a-vis the land is at issue here in Montana, as a group of 16 youths challenge the entire legislature and governor in court, suing for their right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live in a state that lives up to its promise not to exacerbate the deleterious effects of climate change, a promise enshrined in the state's constitution. It points to a larger trend I have been tracking that includes demanding legal rights for Nature. Elisabeth and I have the details in this episode. Also in this episode, we cover the recent arraignment of former US president Donald Trump, and why I predict he will face penalties only for a sliver of his many crimes, and why it will not be the most egregious ones. Hint: it is to do with his membership in the political class, which has nothing to do with party lines. Still, astrology can help us track how the man will be treated by the courts, as Elisabeth explains. Plus, back in March, I predicted surprise and shock lay ahead for former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and so it has come to pass. We review the latest as the embattled ex-minister was recently arrested and released. She now faces calls for her resignation from her role as a member of the Scottish Parliament in the wake of a financial scandal that also embroils her husband, Peter Murrell, former CEO of the Scottish National Party. Once again, we see that astrology pointed the way toward exactly what is playing out. Also, Elisabeth has the astroweather report for the week ahead, and a look back at what led up to this moment.True believers and other virtue signals of myopiaIn the course of recording this episode, Elisabeth told a story that bloomed into a fruitful discussion about why people surrender their powers of observation to others, both on the left and the right, who don't have their best interests at heart. It's a worthwhile conversation that doesn't necessarily color within the lines of astrology, but does speak to the ethos of this podcast which is to think for yourself. Here's a snippet:The entire conversation will be available early next week for patron subscribers. If you'd like to become one, here's how:Use the Substack app for best results!For listeners who've had difficulty finding us on sundry podcats platforms, it seems the best solution is to download and listen to us on the Substack app. That is especially true if you'd like to have access to extras like the conversation referenced above. I personally use the app and find it is bug-free (well, I haven't encountered any), and has a great support team behind it, as I discovered when investigating a few tech issues for subscribers. Here's the link to download it:Lovely to be back! Looking forward to seeing you around our little corners of the internet. For Elisabeth, that's elisabethgrace.com and for me it's ensouledastrology.com.Peace,xWhitney (and Elisabeth, too!) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Together at last, in Evanston

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2023 5:30


    vol. 2 Episode 39 PROMOGreetings,Elisabeth and I actually met. For the first time. We've been working together since 2018 on various projects, and on this podcast since 2022, but it was only recently that we had the chance to give each other a hug. Elisabeth also gave me some leftover macarons and flowers from the wedding she'd just attended. Yummy and sniffy!We're saving the full episode for next week for our patron subscribers. Still, this 5 minute clip is full of the zest we bring to the news, only this time we apply it to ourselves with fun effect. We asked each other about our respective careers, what are our deeper insights, and to witness each other have epiphanies and even tear up at some memories of how following our stars has manifested in our lives and taught us about fate and fortune. Housekeeping…There are many ways you can support this podcast. Thank you to those of you who have shared stories with us of how what we're doing is helping you break through the controls placed on us all by the media. Also, thank you for sharing us with others. We have been considering offering a group subscription rate, so if you'd like to subscribe but don't have the funds, but you know a few other folks who might like to also listen, it's possible for us to put together a subscription package that gives you and your friends access to all episodes at a reduced rate. If you'd be interested in that, please respond to this email.Lastly, there have been some issues with our distrubution on Spotify, and I am not quite sure why, but I am working on correcting it. Also, there are some comments missing on itunes, but the ratings are still being used to rank us. It would be so helpful to us if you are a listener on itunes, if you would leave some positive comments to help us move up the rankings. Please leave a few sentences about what it is you like about the show. It will help us grow and deepen our offerings. Thanks for being there!Peace,x Whitney and EG This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Men behaving badly (allegedly)...

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2023 7:53


    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ensouled.substack.comvol. 2 episode 38Greetings,What a week for astro weather! A lot of tension, hard-headedness, fiery speech, and perhaps big, deep things. Certainly, men continuing to behave badly…but also, women who've had enough of that crap, rising to the occasion. We tell you more about that in this episode when we cover the grid as Mars moves into Leo, squaring Pluto in Aquarius and Jupiter in Taurus, and sits within range of the South Node in Scorpio. Imagine the pressure release once the pressure at all corners blows through. What might we expect to see? Things might get a bit rough over the weekend, but we might also hear some big news in sports, and other competitive ventures. For certain, in the US, the fight over the debt ceiling will continue to swell in the rising heat. Who will be the one to push their agenda through? Also, on the heels of E. Jean Carroll's victory over now convicted sexual predator Donald Trump, what is the astrologic to why this week, another woman is suing former New York City mayor and Trump confidante, Rudolph Giuliani (his chart is below)?Indeed, Noelle Dunphy, who claims to have been an unpaid “aide” to America's Mayor (cough, cough), has filed suit against him with New York State's Supreme Court, demanding damages for sexual harassment and failure to pay her wages. The 70-page complaint also details what she says were Giuliani's “alcohol-drenched rants that included sexist, racist and antisemitic remarks,” as well as the secret grift sauce he and pal Trump planned to pour over a pot of presidential pardons for profit, allegedly, that is. (That word just feels so quaint anymore in reference to these two clowns, and anyway, she is not the first to make that claim that “whoopsies wiped clear” would be for sale.)Giuliani says Dunphy never worked for him, but she says she has the audio to back up her case. So far, said recordings haven't been shared with reporters. Regardless, one look at Giuliani's chart, and it's clear why this is happening to him now. We explain.Plus, we deconstruct why the media and others incorrectly predicted chaos at the US-Mexico border this past week, why it is now that Australian mining magnate Gina Rinehart is simultaneously decrying immigration while stoking enthusiasm for more mines, and other bits and bobs the mainstream media can't explain because they aren't delivering you news from the Ensouled Universe. Lastly, if you're interested in reading some autobiography, here is a link to the home page of the sister publication to this one, where you can find my personal stories mentioned in this episode.As always, for more astrological synchronicities with the news, you can visit Elisabeth's page here.

    The plaintiff and the predator

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2023 54:24


    vol. 2 episode 37Greetings,Why do things happen when they do? It's the central question, to my mind anyway, of astrology. How much of the moment is fate, how much is our free will? The follow-on question to that is how do we determine how much is fixed and how much can be fluid? I have always wondered myself if when we show we are willing to show some grit, we aren't therefore blessed with a little grace, no matter how supposedly written in the stars our fates might be.Keep these questions in mind as you listen to this episode where we dissect how it is we anticipated that E. Jean Carroll would win her defamation suit against her serial sexual predator defendant Trump, which she did do, the tune of 5 million dollars and him finally receiving his well-earned sexual predator label for his crime. Plus, Elisabeth shares why astrology suggests theirs was what she has called a “sticky, fated connection” between them, with E. Jean well-equipped in this lifetime to take the upper hand if he put her to the test.And he did and she wasn't having it.Also, what will happen to the chicanerous Congressman George Santos (R., NY) who was charged this week with 13 counts of various federal offenses, to all of which he has pleaded not guilty. We explain at least why astrologically speaking, he is at last finding that his actions have consequences. He might not accept them, but still. It's astrologically in synch that he is being called out now.And why does Hitler live on in the Zeitgeist? Elisabeth breaks it down, and we discuss when planetary patterns suggest his fascist legacy may fade.  Plus, a few comments about the coronation of Charles III now that we have an actual time for his actual crowning.And — lastly, why Jupiter moving into Taurus is good news for all of us who just need a break from all the heated situations surrounding us, as Mars has been putting the boil on while steaming its way through Cancer. As always, thank you for being a loyal listener. Our subscriber list continues to grow internationally thanks to listeners like you sharing it with others. It's a great way to support us if becoming a paid subscriber is not something you are able to do currently.And we always like to hear from our listeners, so feel free to leave your comments.We've been running a beta version of our show, where we attempt to cover far less headlines and make time for more technical astrology content, and other commentary. So far, it seems to be working, with most survey respondents saying they want 40% headline news and 60% astrology commentary. What I am not sure of is the overall familiarity with astrological concepts our audience has, and whether it matters to the ultimate likelihood of having you listen.So, if you wouldn't mind another survey:To get more headlines in synch with planetary patterns, visit elisabethgrace.com, and to read more about the Ensouled Universe, visit here and here. Peace,Whitney and ElisabethThank you for supporting us at Off the Charts: A Stellar Newscast. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    How long will the reign of Charles III last?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2023 5:04


    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ensouled.substack.comvol. 2 SPECIAL CORONATION EPISODEGreetings,Why would we dedicate an entire episode to the coronation of Charles III? We're not subjects, and we're not even members of the Commonwealth. We're just two American astrologers with an international audience. The reason is that the royal family, since 1603, has made it possible to study an entire organism, that is to say generations of the same blood line, as it grows and changes over the centuries, just by way of using natal horoscopes compared to validated historical accounts. What damned juicy fun if you're an astrologer!This is definitely our geekiest episode to date, packed with astrological insights for the most technically astro-minded of our audience, although we think non-astrology nerds will also enjoy what we predict. It's also our longest episode ever, and that's with about 20 minutes edited out!It's just that the royal family provides so much material for astrological study, it's hard not to go berserk with overlaying charts, tracking the progression of each of their lives according to astrological technique mixed with actual history, and tracking how a dream can be seeded, grow, flower, and perhaps branch off in a different direction, as in the case of le Charles troisième.We also examine the charts of the heir apparent, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; “Citizen” Harry, the Duke of Sussex; Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex; Elizabeth II; Camilla, Queen Consort; and of course, Princess Diana; as well as a few timing charts for the coronation.Elsabeth and I explain how we came to our conclusions, using both Quadrant/Placidus and Whole Sign Houses, respectively. We get to the same predictions in entirely different ways, and we are painstaking about telling you how we did it. If we're right, we'll look stupendously keen over the next couple of years. And if we're wrong, we'll weep about it. Oh, the suspense…you will have to track us and see. (I think we will be seen as the former…)Some technical vocabulary:Anaretic degree: the 29th and last degree of any sign, the place where chaos is experienced, as there is a drive to clear up unfinished business taking place in that sign, and a need to destroy and clear out all that has been before. Exaltation of a planet: Where the planet is seen by its host planet as being the most welcomed of all guests, and so will be given the best the host planet has to offer. For example, the Moon is seen to be exalted in Taurus, so Venus will make sure the moon in that sign is given as much ability to harmonize and make things beautiful as is celestially possible. Or, as Elisabeth puts it: “An exalted planet is high-functioning, but is not as strong as when it is in the sign it rules. When it is exalted, it functions either as an honored guest or as though it is on a pedestal, but it may not be as fabulous as it looks…”It's all part of the essential dignities and debilities concept. For a more technical explanation of this, you can go here.

    Anchors away! Buh-bye Tuck and Don

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2023 57:50


    vol. 2 Episode 35Greetings,Last week, we unveiled our new beta version of more in-depth discussions about news stories, less headlines. And, we surveyed our listeners…who said, meh. However, we'd made the change in accordance with other listener feedback, so we're obviously still trying to find the sweet spot. So, this week, it's more headlines (but still not as many as before we started mucking about), balanced with more in-depth parsing of the stories against the backdrop of outer planetary patterns. Let us know what you think. There is a survey at the bottom of this. It takes only 3 seconds to complete. Maybe only 2 seconds. In this episode, we cover the surprise firings of two top infostream personalities, Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson, both of whom have names that just invite memes galore, although we just focus on the larger implications of what their erstwhile employers are probably up to, and the astro weather surrounding their dismissals. Re these two villains of the airwaves, as we note, Mercury is currently retrograde in Taurus, and given that it is combined with Mars crabbing through Cancer, there is a real focus on reviewing our values when it comes to how we treat women, among other values up for review. When Mercury turns direct in mid-May, around the same time the upcoming eclipse gets triggered, I wonder what other goodies might shake free of the piñata that a Cinco de Mayo lunar eclipse will hang for us in the balance following the ass-kicking solar eclipse that heralded the beginning of the end, occurring at the Vernal Equinox, when new seeds are planted.Don't worry. We explain it all. Whatever we learn, might it dovetail with some good news for women everywhere, and plaintiff E. Jean Carroll in particular? We'll watch and wait as former President Trump is now on trial in a civil suit after Carroll accused him of raping her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s, and for defamation after he called her a liar publicly, along with gallantly adding she was not his type, because, whadda guy. Also, what can a woman who was the sole surviver of a plane crash teach us about how to use the media as a tool, not a master? We discuss. And, Pluto is at play making a move to empower us all…what does that mean, and how can you wield such wattage to your advantage now and through the next two decades?As always, thank you for being a loyal listener. Our entire subscriber list continues to grow internationally, as does our paid “patron” subscriber list. If becoming a paid subscriber is not something you are able to do currently, please share us with others and drop a comment or two in the comments section. We do like to hear from our listeners. If you'd like more content such as this, you can visit either Elisabeth's or my respective websites where we write regularly about our passions. Elisabeth's is the “astonishing synchronicities between the headlines and planetary patterns”, and mine is how to liberate ourselves from prescriptive thinking. Thanks, One and All! Please take 2-3 seconds to complete the survey below after you've listened to the podcast. Peace!xWhitney (and EG, too) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Why should you care?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2023 6:25


    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ensouled.substack.comvol. 2 Episode 34Greetings,I figure the mainstream media industry should be viewed with the same casual indifference that so many within it, especially those at the top, view us. But we don't have to discount it entirely. To that end, in this episode, Elisabeth and I change up the format. Rather than bust through a list of headlines and then offer a forecast of what to expect in the week ahead, we take on three separate news items and parse them according to the three criteria I suggest you use to determine if some so-called news item is worth your time. And then we deconstruct their astrological signatures for more clues about what is happening at a deeper, more Cosmic level. We're trying this new format for a few reasons. First of all, I have been fretting that the mission statement I read out every episode is still not being fulfilled. I truly want our listeners to understand what it means to say you are the media. It could mean that you do your own research and gather data in order to get the full story, but that's not the heart of the sentiment. What I primarily mean when I say it, is that you are the MEDIA — you are the medium, the transformer, the means of downstepping the ensouled energies of the cosmic flow. My belief, based on my years of observation and thinking really effing hard about all this, is that the energies are filtering through the celestial spheres, and then we, but when it reaches us as sub-lunary units, it is filtered through us yet again. This is not a top down event, however. Those energies move through us, the final mediation point, and then into our material world.The Media, which is an industry, one with a sinister objective to distract us, even as it is disguised as “delivering news and information”, is developed in such a way that it comes between us and our experience of the world. Essentially, it seeks to replace us as the filter between the Cosmos and this local dot within it, aka our Earth. The Media isn't coming between us and our direct experiences because they are better at interpreting the energies of existence than we are. They are assuming that role — too often with our implicit permission. So, when I say you are the media, it's really a wake up call to kick out the interlopers!The Media industry wants us distracted because being distracted from our own experience means we are at worst addicted to the Media, or at the very least, reliant upon them for our experience of the world. And the more we let the Media stay in that position, the less we can rely on our own powers to mediate the ensouled energies through us and into the world, and from the world through us and back out again. The Media makes us dull, in other words. At least duller than we have to be. And it surely means we are that much more removed from our power.Oh, and while we are letting the Media drain away our powers of observation and interpretation, the Media is only too happy to make money off of having distracted us by selling the rights to our attention.This is such an egregious attack on our personal sovereignty and an abasement of the Ensouled Universe.All these ensouled energies I am always referring to both on the show, and throughout my collected works within the News from the Ensouled Universe and docu-mental: mapping the american states of mind, are the energies that comprise the stuff of all life. All life. Here on planet earth, the energies of All That Is, are moving through you, around you, and within you, and come from a level of omni-intelligence that I can only hope to have a nano-glint of understanding. That's my belief, anyway. It's the ethos that urged me to ask Elisabeth to bring her photographic memory of the planetary patterns in mundane astrology to the show. And at least for now, her more lighthearted “astonishing synchronicities between headlines and planetary patterns” will inform the show, but will be more fully available on her website: elisabethgrace.comThen there are some practical reasons for switching up the format. We were getting listener feedback that the show would be more compelling if we had more conversations and less check lists of things to speed through like a run-away train. And as Elisabeth wants you to know, and will explain in this audio, because Saturn demands it. So, we pulled together three stories with national and international tendrils, and figured what they have to do with one another, and what the implications are for all of us living in a world where these things are happening. Namely, that we live in a post-truth world. Now what? How and why should you care? We subject them to the three criteria of newsworthiness.Our three stories:* A series of unprovoked rage murders by men with fire arms.* An alleged leak of a mass of American intelligence with far reaching implications globally.* The nearly 1 billion dollar settlement out of court between News Corp/Fox News Channel and the Dominion Voting Systems. And then, with each story, we suggest ways to view it as though you are the media, beginning with asking yourself whether you should care.

    Birdwatching: Clarence and the Crow

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2023 61:47


    vol. 2 Episode 33Greetings,I love crows. And they love me back. When I lived in Washington, there were three crows that would visit me each morning as I sat on the roof of my apartment building with my coffee, enjoying a moment of peace, looking out over the Potomac and across Virginia's verdant horizon. There was one crow in particular who befriended me, named me, and claimed me as his own. I know this because he would make a particular cawing sound just for me. And, whenever I would walk the short distance into the center of neighboring Bethesda, he would sometimes find me on the path, and would swoop down to say hello. Sometimes he would follow along overhead, like a stray dog (not an airborne one), until I was at my destination. I named him Plenty, for the famously courageous Crow Indian Nation chief, Plenty Coups, which can be translated roughly as “very brave” or similarly, “many victories”.Now that I have decamped from DC, I find that of all the things I miss the most, my morning corvidae conferences are among them.Why do I tell you this?Well, consider how special it might make you feel if a member of the animal kingdom with the power to do something you can't, in this case, fly, were to choose you as its special human. I certainly felt special. And to ensure the bond would strengthen, I brought my friend and his chums bits of chocolate cake doughnuts that I purchased at the local Whole Foods just for them. And now consider that a steady and growing stream of information is beginning to flow about the special relationship Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has had for a quarter of a century with a certain Harlan Crow. Crow himself is a rare bird in that he happens to be a billionaire. Just as most urbanites can't claim a special friendship with a wild bird, it would seem odd that a Supreme Court Justice can claim one (well, hide it but still have it) with a billionaire, but that has turned out to be the case. My relationship with Plenty took time and attention to develop. I imagine Justice Thomas's and Mr. Crow's did, too. Maybe Justice Thomas carries bits of sweet treats in his robes in order to hand feed Mr. Crow. Maybe it's the other way around. Don't forget to scroll down for your stardust sprinkle!My relationship with Plenty was worth it to me because it was thrilling to have access to a creature who was above my stature, in so many ways, and who had chosen me as his special human. Maybe he had other special humans, I'll never know. Maybe Mr. Crow has other special justices. Perhaps — he is a known collector, after all. If so, that is something I think we will indeed know in time. I have faith.The time in my life when Plenty and I first became friends was when Pluto was in my 6th house, raking my sun to shreds and speaking tensely with Uranus who had already had a bracing conversation with Saturn in my 9th. So, you know: surprising encounters with animals that led me to deeper considerations of my role in the greater scheme of the cosmos and how best to serve it, was in order. Which is to say, as you listen to this podcast, Episode 33, where Elisabeth and I discuss how a new development in quantum mechanics reinforces what we've been reporting from the beginning, namely, that everything we think we know is probably wrong, and definitely worth interrogating, as well as our discussion on the astrological implications of the timing of these Crow-Clarence discoveries, don't despair! Don't become muddled with rage. Consider, as we also discuss the recent fascist fracas in the Tennessee State House, how to bring dark power into the light (the meaning of the name Clarence, after all, is “bright and clear”). Look for the unexpected ways you are already chosen to be the special one by the messengers of the ensouled universe who live in your own neighborhood, because that is where the point of power — your power — resides. The stars are guiding the way. We have Pluto in Aquarius, the sign that signifies that there is a power that flows through people, not gets stuck at the top where power is parsed and meted out from the top down in (my home sign) Capricorn. Other planetary patterns, too. We discuss them in this episode.Plus, we give you the forecast for next week's big kick-off to eclipse season.Be well. Fly with good flocks. Peace,xxWhitney (and EG, too!)PS: Stardust sprinkle is below!News from the Ensouled Universe is a reader-supported publication. Consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    The heart's grace note sings into Spring

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2023 5:07


    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ensouled.substack.comvol. 2 Episode 32Greetings,Full moons always have a push-pull quality to them. We feel it in our bodies, which of course have tides; they are three-quarters water. We feel it in our hearts, therefore, as blood cannot stream through our veins without the contractions and expulsions that create the rhythm of our pulse. We detect it in our thoughts, which either calcify or flow, according to how well our lymphatics scrub our brains, and our sense of the future pulls us toward it.This full moon across the Libra/Aries axis (at least in Western Tropical astrology) feels especially potent, I think. It is Passover. It is Good Friday. It is baseball season. We are impelled to go do something by Aries, but asked by Libra to wait for the signal from someone else before we sprint to the next corner. What surprise awaits? What calamity will befall us for not waiting?It's not a riddle to solve, so much as a paradox to consider from our position in the liminal, that place pregnant, like a full moon, with the potential for something to happen. Be here now, as Ram Dass famously said.He also said, after having a stroke that left him with aphasia, and which also really pissed him off until he came upon the way to see it as an act of grace: “Death is the biggest challenge we'll face, so we need to practice change.”So, in this moment of potential pivot, coupling or separating, signaling or writing new code…can you keep your head in the game? What you're likely to find when the time comes to look back, is that it was your heart that was leading, anyway. It is, after all, the organ that hears and then sets itself to our truest rhythm. Are you listening to what your heart song is trying to sing you into being?Also in this episode…My general predictions made for outgoing Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, proven true with the news of her husband's arrest, Elisabeth's wrap of the week's headlines and her forecast of what's to come, including the latest developments in POTUS45's meet-up with his felonious fate, Tennessean fuckery, and potential Plutonic outpourings of cash in positive ways.Also, my take on what the Nordstream pipeline rupture can teach us about using curiosity as a s**t shield, and an exchange about the powerful personal impact of firing a gun.

    Predictions fulfilled: DJT indicted, Paltrow exonerated, and Roe v. Wade overturn churn

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2023 58:50


    vol. 2 Episode 31Greetings,It's a new day, a new Don, as the song kind of goes. In episode 30, Elisabeth predicted that Tuesday, March 28th would be a big day for the courts and the media because Mercury in Aries would be finding the answer before anyone even knew there was a question, and then having an intense conversation with Jupiter about it. Translation: big news.In fact, that was the day headlines like this one nutmegged the most mobbed up president in US history into thinking he had more time before he would be taking on a new tone of orange and the media also bought into this delayed timeline.However, on Thursday, March 30, as Elisabeth also forecasted that a trine between Mars in Cancer and Saturn in Pisces meant there would be energy harmoniously flowing toward healing disruptions in security to do with home and homeland (Cancer). And, so it was that the announcement was made on that day, March 30, 2023, that the former Criminal-in-Chief is set to surrender to authorities next week. Ha. Well, we'll see how smoothly that goes, but of course, that will be Episode 32!Here's Elisabeth's actual prediction:And in EG's forecast…THURSDAY … Cancer Moon goes void for the next 9 hours … During this particular Moon void, Mars trines Saturn at 3:03 PM ET, suggesting an easy flow of militant, disciplined action...at 6:25 PM ET, Venus meets up with Uranus in Taurus, suggesting disruptive and/or innovative news in matters of money, art, women and social expressions … At 6:31 PM ET, Moon enters Leo and opposes Pluto, prompting a power play or catharsis on whatever may have been running wild during the long Cancer Moon void. The Moon-Pluto opposition happens at 6:46 PM ET … a Leo Moon needs to know that it is loved and adored. This need can bring out drama kings and queens looking for a stage upon which to shine…or a throne from which to issue regally entitled edicts. This is not the first time we've gotten it right. It's certainly not the first time we were far more accurate about what the universe was handing down while the media was up its own morass. Our take on the East Palestine, Ohio train wreck is turning out to be more true than the media would commit to reporting. But that is only one of so many examples.To wit: we recorded this episode before the verdict was handed down yesterday in the Gwyneth Paltrow skiing case, and I suggested it was a bogus case simply because of my read on the horoscope of the accident. Verdict: Paltrow, not guilty.Does this mean we are amazing? Infallible? No. It means we are willing to receive and respect the signs from the universe, which is in its infinite self, amazing. If you are reading and listening to our show, then you too are most likely willing to accept that the universe is far less chaotic than the status quo would have you believe, and is instead far more loving and whole. And for that, we thank you. It is our humble pleasure to be the ones helping you see that you are the media for such an ensouled universe.Israel, abortion, and gunsIn this episode, by listener request, we investigate the near future of Israel, currently wracked by protests over a right-wing power grab. We explore the fall out of the US Supreme Court's overturn of the Roe v. Wade decision, and how that chart suggested the ruling would come under attack this week given the current planetary patterns, as it indeed has. And we look at how the most recent mass shooting in the US was likely to play out, and what I interpret are its implications of a good ol' boy network of hatred.The old paradigm is dead Elisabeth has stories of new developments in math and science where young women and arctic wolves are showing the Old Guard how things that were said to be absolute, are definitely not.We wrap up with a continuation of my thoughts from Episode 30, where I remind you how at this time of Plutonic shifts to the power grid of politics, policies, and plunderers, you are far more powerful than you likely give yourself credit for. That can stead you well in times likes these, which, as I say, are not wifty. They are indeed weighty. And you are ready to handle it, because you are the true media.Don't forget to scroll to the end for your sprinkle of Stardust!Thank you to patron subscribers like artist Karen Fitzgerald seen here enthusiastically contemplating her ensoulment:Coming soon!We are working on putting together a toll-free news tip hotline for our listeners around the world. That's set for later this Spring. We want to be sure to give you the cosmic perspective on news that matters to you. We want to include your voice in our forecasts, too. So, if you are willing, we will play your message on air.Elisabeth featured in OPA!The Organization for Professional Astrology features an interview with Elisabeth in its most recent quarterly publication, The Evolving Astrologer. It's a fun read, and thrilling to have it come on the heels of our previously having been recognized and recommended by astrology towerblock, Deb Houlding. We are grateful for the support and interest and look forward to expanding and deepening our service to you all!Next week's episode will be behind the paywall, but will feature a 5 minute highlight “reel” if you'are not able to become a patron subscriber at this time. If you'd like to support us in other ways, please share us with your friends and leave comments that tell us what you like about our work.And before you get to the little sprinkle of stardust below, here're are two articles you might enjoy, if you like the contents of this podcast.Thanks for listening!xx Whitney (and Elisabeth, too!)PS: Your Starust sprinkle is below! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    The Nordstream sabotage, bank scandals, sex trafficking, and the death of the straight line

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2023 5:19


    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ensouled.substack.comvol. 2 Episode 30Greetings,Jam-packed! That's what we are. Whether you're new to astrology, or like to test your own astrological observations using the tools we apply in this newscast, welcome — we've got you covered in this episode. In it, Elisabeth and I give you the cosmic map to the many planetary shifts this month…so many exits and ingresses, as well as it being the start of the astrological new year, and all at the time of an Aries New Moon! We break down for you what that means, how that has played out in the world's headlines, and how it will continue to play out. As Pluto makes a major shift, there is an abundance of news from the underground. We use astrology to explore whether Joe Biden ordered the sabotage of the Nordstream Pipeline in the Baltic Sea, which has contributed to higher-than-usual energy costs in Europe; what further developments will there be in the growing list of bank scandals, and how they might be tied to sex trafficking; potential developments in a scandal that has come to light, bringing shame onto US President Ronald Reagan's legacy; and we explore the growing alliance between China and Russia…Plus, I opine on how the universe is giving us clear signals that it means business: the past is dead, science is dead, democracy is dead, economics is dead…what will take their place? Whatever it is, it's up to you, and the gods are ready to help. I explain why.There is so much more, including a new Spotify song list to meet your moods during this dynamic moment in our history!Earlier this year, we began podcasting weekly and this episode marks the first one that is for patron subscribers only. From now until further notice, every other week's podcast will be for all subscribers. If you're not able to become a patron at this time, but would like to help us grow and participate in other ways, please tap the heart button, leave comments, and share us with others. We appreciate all gestures of support, and you can still listen to our podcast every other week. Plus, Elisabeth's weekly forecast exploring the “astonishing synchronicities between the headlines and planetary patterns” is also available here:And for more News from the Ensouled Universe, visit:

    Bank wobbles, future finance, and fact v. fiction

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2023 60:15


    vol. 2 Episode 29Greetings,Feeling the pressure to tie up loose ends, firm up commitments, drop what doesn't serve? Getting a bit manic when you think the shutters on your metaphorical house of pain are about to blow off in the coming storm? Congratulations! You know what it's like to be alive to the realities of life at the anaretic degree!In this episode, after we define what “anaretic” means astrologically, Elisabeth and I explore our own experience of the anaretic phenomenon, where disarray must be faced, and faulty structures fortified, or else. And of course, we address how a planet sitting at the 29th degree of any sign — especially Pluto at the 29th degree of Capricorn — can impact markets, such as we have seen this past week. Is there more to come? Yes, of course, but when and how? We have that covered.Billionaires and their scandalsWe recorded this on the Ides of March, and since then, a few of Elisabeth's predictions have already begun to materialize, including the spectre of the late and disgraced child sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein and his ties to the billionaires involved in the coming banking scandal storm.And when the storm comes, will it be the billionaire bros who prop up their feet while their boo-boo-whoopsies are propped up by the rest of us? Or, as we discuss here, will it be the hour of recokoning when the common person steps into the power of the individual making authentic choices?Fate v. free willWe also have a discussion about fate versus free will, which I would like to suggest aren't at odds, but as essential as ying is to yang, as extroversion is to introversion. I talk about how I see it as the beautiful consciousness dance between humans and the universe.Don't forget to scroll down for your sprinkle of stardust!A fitting, if unwitting, Irish tribute to life at the anaretic degree!Department of They…as in “they say”…we also muse about the interplay between the current Neptunian focus on Pisces and the planetary patterns surrounding the recent news that the Biden administration will allow drilling on federal lands in Alaska. Is this, as reported elsewhere, a “battle won in a war that was lost”, given that the administration had promised previously not to drill on federal lands? Or, is it, as I suggest, that lies are being told…and since recording, there is some evidence of that. More on this in the days and weeks to come.Speaking of the “Powers That Be”, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.-KY), recently took a tumble (Down the stairs? On his face? It's really not clear, thanks to planetary patterns in Pisces), prompting Elisabeth and me to discuss not only what kinds of tsuris the 81-year-old is likely to face in the next year, but whether it is even ethical for us to tell you that! (Spoiler: I think it is.)Meanwhile, right on cue per Elisabeth's predictions, Vice President Kamala Harris is surfacing form the depths, and I suggest it's timed nicely with the coming need for experienced crisis managers as banks falter.Me talk funny, not funnyAnd we wrap up with a post-Oscars discussion about our prediction there would be some controversy and fog, which there was when Saturday Night Live made fun of the accents of the Oscar-nominated Irish actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. This led us to muse over the nature of humor at the expense of others, and how, if you tug the thread, it can ultimately lead to the darker, maybe even sinister forces, of apolitical profiteering from hatred of “other”. I know, right? Sounds so heavy for talk about jokes — but that's Saturn in Pisces for you: where do you draw the line in something as amorphous as all humanity? And, if you do want to contemplate it further, here's something I wrote about this last year:Announcements You might have noticed that I have changed the name of this publication from Ensouled: The Journal of Cultural Astronomy to News from the Ensouled Universe. That's because it better reflects some other changes I have been making to integrate my complete opus, which includes hundreds of essays and interviews at docu-mental: mapping the american states of mind, as well as other publishing ventures I am at work building. If nothing else, I think it better reflects what this publication has evolved into, partiuclarly with the growing success of the podcast. Don't forget! For now at least, we are going every-other-episode with our podcast being free to the public. Patron subscribers will have access to all episodes and to our growing library of multi-media content, including our popular OUTTAKES, which this week will feature the actual dates we predict changes in Sen. McConnell's status, our thoughts on the controversy surrounding whether to admit transgender people to the all-women's college, Wellesley, Elisabeth's alma mater. We recommend you read us on the Substack app, which you can get by clicking the link below. It is a convenient way to receive all our podcasts and other content such as our popular OUTTAKES, but it will also aggregate into one place all the other Substack publications you read!If you're unable to support us financially at this time, but you'd like to support us and and our enthusiastic community at large, you can! Just leave us some kind comments, tap the heart button, or like us on whatever podcast platform you use, as all of that will help us to grow. And of course, you can also recommend us to others!You can also subscribe to Elisabeth Grace's weekly forecast, and learn more about me and my work here.That's all for now. Thank you for listening!Peace,xWhitney (and Elisabeth, too!)PS: Don't forget to scroll down for your stardustPlease enjoy this video performance of an anaretic sort of song, When it Breaks, by the Irish rock band, Inhaler (and yes, that is Bono's son Elijah Newson, fronting the band!)As you listen, have a look at the lyrics. They perfectly describe this moment in time. And speaking of that, go raibh maith agat arís for listening, especially as it is, on this St. Patrick's Day! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    At sea in the waters of humanity

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2023 54:24


    vol. 2 Episode 28Greetings, When I was several hours into giving birth to my son, the doula asked me what was probably supposed to be an earnest, if not distracting question: “What are you feeling about all this right now?”Stupified, I gestured to my belly and responded that it really didn't matter what I thought. The facts of the situation being what they were, it wasn't like I could change my mind about them and ask in mid-air to get off the roller coaster that was already screaming down the tracks. That's what this week of Saturn's entrance into Pisces feels like to me: questions that we once asked suddenly don't make sense. Things that should be impossible suddenly aren't. Things that used to float, sink. What has potential to harm humanity roils the waters, or if not the thing itself, then our fears of such monsters. Questions about whether we are capable of protecting what we love, and just how deep such a committment must be to be effective…all these things and more are surfacing.And we are in the waters with all this commotion, like it or not. There is no rowing the boat to shore, so you'd better learn to swim or hail a vessel that can ferry you across these oceanic currents over next three years. But what an opportunity for healing! All that salinity can wash clean the deepest wounds. Elisabeth shares some headlines reflecting these patterns that beget the question: what are the limits of our compassion? How can Saturn (limits, responsiblity, karma) possibly contain the waters of change? How can it purify what pollutes politics? What karma must come due?We explore these questions and more, with a peek at a few astrological implications of some movies up for Best Picture at this year's Oscars, and the respective cast members whose charts also suggest they are indeed due for some attention. Plus, why so many mutilated or pointy fingers in the nominated movies?Hillary Clinton's birth certificate is now publicFor patron subscribers, later this weekend, you will receive outtakes that include our thoughts on “woulda-coulda-shoulda and maybe might still” for Hillary Clinton now that her birth certificate has been made public, much to the astrology community's delight. Also, a more in-depth review of Piscean headlines and what they represent, plus the promised trancripts of the AI bot's consternation created when Elisabeth queried it about whether astrology works: It does! It doesn't! It does! I love you! I hate you! I want you! Be mine forever! My Moon is in Aquarius unless it's in Pisces! Would you like chips with that?Eventually, Elisabeth wrestles it into some semblance of cogency. Speeches given in Congress the night of January 6, 2021I have them, and they don't track with what is being said or even not said publicly at present…All that to be released for patron subscribers over the weekend. If you'd like access to those materials…Ensouled: The Journal of Cultural Astronomy is a reader-supported publication. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber.We love our listeners!Thank you for being there! We love our listeners. If you'd like more information about Elisabeth Grace, on whose weekly headlines forecast this podcast is based, you can learn more at: Grace Astrology. To learn more about me, Whitney McKnight, please visit me at Ensouled Astrology.Thanks for listening. Peace,x Whitney and Elisabeth This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    'Choose your own adventure' democracy

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2023 51:41


    vol. 2 Episode 27Greetings,Reality is a choice, apparently. Even without ducking under a pair of virtual reality goggles, in accordance with whatever information stream you're hooked up to, ie, your favorite info drug, you can choose your own adventure and see only what you want to see, feel only what you want to feel, and not even notice the other jamoke doing the same thing across the street. Especially while Saturn (structure) and Neptune (fog) will, as of March 7, cohabitate the same inchoate landscape in Pisces, creating upset in the status quo while simultaneiously pointing toward opportunities for healing those who have been forgotten or harmed by the old structures and beliefs. Read: heal trauma or cleave to it.Which one will you choose?Covid: a lab leak or a wet bat gone bad? January 6, 2021: an insurrection or a peaceful protest? The Biden administration: a coup or a democratically elected one?Who cares? Which version makes you feel special? That's the one!And if that sounds spooky, then better call Ghostbusters because this split between worlds we see and worlds we don't, isn't going to diminish. It's only going to make the Zombies among us more aggressive because their poison streams will be turned up to ten while the structures that used to hinge us all to the same reality will dissolve.With dramatic Pluto moving next door to these two heavies, as it will when it settles down into Aquarius for a a few months this year, and then again from 2024-2044, revolution will be a common theme. Drastic change might not unite us, but it will impact us in equal measure, leaving whoever is most skilled at navigating nothing and everything at the same time to derive the most benefit — and also, I suspect, the most pleasure — out of the weirdscape we are about to enter. Don't forget to read to the end where stardust awaits…For reference, the last time Pluto was in Aquarius, the world's mightiest monarchies were toppled, if not wholly, in still such an apocalyptic fashion — the French cut off their heads, don't forget! — that depending upon which side of the ocean you lived, you were either a subject of the crown or a free citizen (unless you were black, indigenous, a woman, or any combination of these, but why be picky?).Democracy is due for an overhaul. This time it won't be the ocean that divides us, but Rupert Murdoch. Or whatever and whoever provides the stories we use to identify ourselves and shape our world view. Which is to say, you're either going to be a subject of the billionaires who control mass media, and who vampirically suck their blood money from hordes of people resembling the undead; or you can be a free citizen. You can choose to believe what you're told, or you can learn to discern what is truth for yourself, and act accordingly. That is the theme, more or less, of this episode, and will continue to be the theme for a while yet to come as we continue to expose how corporate media is not about serving you and your best interests. Tuning into yourself and your own experiences for the actual news of your life and of the ensouled universe, is in your best interests.Animal jail breaks and healthcare collapseThis episode also includes stories about how Saturn will call us to consider how we treat other sentient beings. To wit, Elisabeth shares stories of strange animal jail breaks…what are they trying to tell us? We discuss what I believe is the coming collapse of the US healthcare system, and other uh, tidbits. Patrons can expect to receive…If you're a patron subscriber, be on the lookout this weekend for an outtakes exchange between Elisabeth and me about the Wuhan lab leak theory. My conclusion about it is based on experience, not a dogmatic browbeating; I believe my process is more important than my conclusion, because sometimes you have to accept you will never know something conclusively. It's called adulthood. It's also called faith.Also, Elisabeth reviews the astrology of another horrendous train wreck, this one in Greece. Plus, the annotated Nicola Sturgeon speech, and some cunning AI transcripts from Elisabeth who has been charming her ChatGPT bot into falling for astrology. Last week for the subscription special!We're closing in on the end of our current special, where you can receive 25% off your annual patron subscription, which gives you access to outtakes like last week's, where we discussed the astrology of a theoretical US shadow government, or a video recording of both Elisabeth and me giving a side-by-side reading to one person using two different house systems. Also, as OTC is part of a larger publication, Ensouled: The Journal of Cultural Astronomy, you will have access to a growing library of content that is not part of the podcast, as well as occasional discounts on readings and other services from the Ensouled Universe.And, if you've noticed, I swapped from gold to lavender in the style template because I have just re-opened my consultation appointments page (please schedule a reading if you're interested in working with a whole sign, archetypal astrologer), and have put the journal under the umbrella of my personal template which is lavender-themed. You can have access to all this, plus articles and other materials if you:For more information about Elisabeth Grace's work, check out her website:She's been writing the forecast on which this podcast is based for well over a decade now, and making accurate predictions all that time. She is also a wonderful consulting astrologer if you are looking for what Elisabeth denotes is a modern humanistic interpretation of your chart.Thank you for listening and supporting us!xx Whitney and ElisabethPS: Your stardust sprinkle is below!Stardust What if two streams of consciousness were to get in synch…? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    The Sound and the Fury before the Piscean Plunge

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2023 50:56


    Vol. 2 episode 26Greetings,Things are starting to get fast and weird, if you haven't noticed already. Has communication for you this week seemed a bit zippy zap? Have you experienced a jolting message that seemed to come out of the blue? Do you feel the urge to connect with old friends, or similarly, are you feeling the need to just purge people from your life and start fresh?Either way, you're likely experiencing a pressing need to sweep the stoop and step beyond the threshold with care before we lunge headlong into Pisces, accompanied by taskmaster Saturn, who teeters now at the very end of Aquarius.When the lunge becomes the plunge, and we dive into the Piscean waters of universal love and sensitivity on March 7th, we'll see headlines reflecting an immediate uptick in the demand to find kinder, gentler ways of communicating, and to emphasize the need to demonstrate concern for one another. Put another way: use your hugs or you'll be put in Time Out.That means we'll see, as Elisabeth and I discuss in this episode, an intensification of headlines demanding better mental health care, especially for groups of people experiencing trauma, while also getting more focused on how to actually define trauma and address it definitively and compassionately. We'll see more griping about wokeness, but we'll also be looking for limits (Saturn's specialty) on wokeness gone wonky. We'll find prayer and spirituality will muscle in alongside extreme measures of religion, especially once Pluto arrives on March 23rd to inspect what Saturn was doing while in its (classical) home temple of Aquarius. Scroll down for a special sprinkle of stardust…In the meantime, there are this week's transits to examine, and that's what we do: all the spark and noise created by Mercury and Mars touching the voltage of Uranus meant this week was an apt time for Elisabeth to take on AI and back it into a corner on all things astrology. In Episode 25 we told you about the New York Times reporter who engaged in conversation with Microsoft/Bing's AI chat bot and found himself involved in a creepy, if brief, cyber-affair. In this episode, Elisabeth takes on ChatGPT, and the transcript of that “conversation” is astounding. The poor little “person” in the machine was desperate to keep their (we're going with gender neutrality here) new friend EG happy by calculating their astrological coordinates per EG's request, while also reprimanding her with denouncements of how astrology is not real, until they finally give up and shuts down for a bit. We'll be making that transcript available to our patrons subscribers shortly.Also, the Uranian, martial, mercurial mix was felt in Congress and in the airwaves they use to honk out their sound and fury. We get into that, especially as it occurred while Venus entered Aries – how did that trigger a little bit of, if not flirtatiousness, then validation-seeking in the news? And how will we see it manifest with a certain Congressperson as the summer waxes?We break that down for you, and patron subscribers can expect over the next few days to have delivered to them a 25-minute special, off-the-cuff discussion Elisabeth and I had about my theory of a shadow government forming, as recent goings-on between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Fox News on-air personality, Tucker Carlson seem to indicate to me. Yeah, I think it's that weird, and out of thin air, Elisabeth provides the astrology to examine it. Yikes.We also have a meaningful discussion about how Pluto in the chart of former president, Jimmy Carter, who has recently entered hospice, can indicate the building up of powerful and powerfully beautiful structures, but will of course tear them down again, and what that might portend for the US in March.More news about the train derailment in East Palestine and what that might mean about how the media is being manipulated, plus for patron subscribers, the surprise “I'm soon-to-be-stepping-down” speech of First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, which I have annotated per the planetary patterns.We're one year into bringing you news from the Ensouled Universe and are celebrating our excellent podcast stats by offering you more content, and a 25% discount on annual subscriptions now through March 7th. After that, we will tighten access to our content. Please consider becoming a member of our growing international community (we are heard in 40 countries and 37 states!)For more about the forecast:For more about me and my work:That's it for this week. It's a Taurus moon and I need a nap.Peace,x Whitney and ElisabethYour stardust sprinkle for this week: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Astrology, policy, and the nature of reality

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2023 52:59


    Greetings,It seems that, right on time, the question of what is the nature of reality and to what level of control we personally have over it is in the news and other media at the moment, which of course means that's the focus of this episode. Afterall, we do know our Zeitgeist, says the humbly bragging pair of astrologers…From the heavens' perspective, the times should reflect a Venus (values, what we love, what we invest in) Neptune conjunction (what might poison, delude, enchant, purify, sanctify, or possibly even kill us) quickly followed by a slap down of reality the next day as Sun (personal agency, leaders, heart and health, among other things) meets Saturn (streamlines, controls, seriousness) in Aquarius, Saturn's own temple of what might be novel and innovative, but still must benefit the All, not just the You. There also has been this week, an intensely focused energy of digging deep to unearth keys to the previously inscrutable, that is to say, Mercury (how we need to think) meeting up with Pluto (extremes, underground, relentless) in Capricorn (methodical, organized, ambitious).And so, that is what this show is full of: the people and events in the headlines that demonstrate how these energies show themselves.There is also a discussion that weaves together all the conjunctions, and focuses on something I wrote in my flagship publication, docu-mental, about why it's time we bring our freakiest science fiction ideas to the policymaking table. At the time I wrote it, and flew my own nutty idea about what might have happened to make humans go astray, I wasn't thinking of astrology, I was just writing from the center of my need to think in a deeply weird but deeply practical way.But Elisabeth read what I wrote and in this episode, offers up a tidy and compelling analysis of how what I am saying reflects the dawning outer-planetary patterns that will gradually usher in less empiricism and more virtual reality in all walks of life, just as the Great Mutation suggests. And this leads to a juicy back and forth about the nature of reality, philosophy, and astrology.And also, we turn our attention to the Department of Defense. Why? Because after the success of our FTC segment in episode 23 (success as in we predicted the news would arrive how and when it did given the horoscopic implications of the FTC's power to act), we thought more regular tracking of our federal agencies would be useful. What we found in the DOD's natal chart startled us.I love efficiency, so I almost hate to admit this, but the making of this barely one hour-long show took about 30 hours to create. We recorded it twice because we weren't sure what was best to include. In the end, we didn't really go as deeply into everything as we perhaps should have, but that has been a happy mistake, reflecting my personal belief that nothing done with love is ever a waste of time.We now understand that the deeper dives we don't make time for in our weekly podcast can lead to richer premium content for our patron subscribers. We're now discussing how we can offer our patron subscribers longer in-depth analyses of politics and economic trends in order to leverage the best of our respectively rich and varied careers, and our passion for politics and policymaking.Scroll down below our signature for a little sprinkle of star dust!As an example, the brief and discrete discussions in this episode about the secret letters written in code by the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots and the surprise-resignation of Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, two embattled Scottish female leaders, actually are connected in ways we don't make clear in this episode, but we will in an upcoming patrons-only podcast.Similarly, while trying out a new and improved Department of They that I hoped would give you practical tools for deconstructing the news in your life outside of listening to us, we realized there is no way to do that and make it short. But for those of you who really do want practical tools for how to leverage the news to improve your ensouled life, and because the creation of the segment was in response to a listener suggestion, we realized many members of our audience would be willing to pay for it. So, we will now be breaking that out as a patron level perk.What I am really getting at here, friends, is that what started as a lark is now patently manifesting as a source of news and analysis you want and need. Elisabeth and I are starting to grok (a sci fi word made mainstream!) how important the work we are doing is, and how our listeners value it. This is not avocational for us. It's our calling, and we take it seriously.As I note in this episode, there is so much excellent (as well as really crapola) free astrology content available in the world, so asking you to pay for what we do means we really need to give you something extraordinary. And we aim to!Don't forget that we are running a 25% off special for annual subscribers through March 7, 2023. If you purchase a subscription now, you will not miss a single one of our weekly podcasts, and will have access to our growing library of additional audio, video, and print resources.If you'd like to read the forecast that inspired this podcast, visit Elisabeth's site:And if you'd like to read and hear more thoughts that emerge from my Mercurial, Plutonic, Earthy mindscape, you can find me here:Thank you for coming along with us! xWhitney and ElisabethSomething to give you a sparkly little giggle, a moment of Star Dust that spills out of how the conjunction of a kinder, gentler Venus softened by Neptune, means there must be rules when you slap fight someone under a Sun/Saturn transit!Slap fight league regulators try to make matches safer This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    House system debate is just dust in the wind

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2023 55:37


    vol. 2 episode 24Greetings,In this episode, we gain insight into what might have led Elisabeth to astrology…an existential angst-ridden adolescence where her prom song was Dust in the Wind by the album-oriented rock band, Kansas. And no, she did not dance. I thought her revelation was humorous, but it got me thinking deeply about how lucky we are here in the United States to have the freedom to study and explore the cosmos when it calls us, in exactly the manner that suits us best. Witness, there is a raging (yup, raging) debate among professional astrologers as to which house system is best or at the very least, most historically accurate. Since I entered the professional realm of the field in late 2019, the debate has simmered in the background.But now, as we discuss in this episode, it has boiled over the pot. As I was editing the audio last night, a nearly 7 hour (7 hours!!!) of defense of Whole Sign Houses (the system I use in my work), was being Twittercasted in response to an equally vigorous, if not prolix, declaration on behalf of the perceived need to interrogate the Whole Sign House system more thoroughly, and thus, to my mind anyway, a staunch defense of quadrant house systems.Not being invested in flying a flag for or against any form of divination, I think this debate is brilliant!Why? Because careful people with sharp minds are taking astrology seriously and publicly, and are demonstrating their dexterity with attention to detail, tradition, and logic, the kind of tools that lead us to profound insights, even when we disagree. And as I say, it is indeed divination, not science, even if Elisabeth, I, and others approach it with an inherent logic that leads to consistent outcomes.Like it or not, we are indeed dust in the wind. Star dust. That is a scientific fact. But we are also composed of earthen minerals, water, and fire, same as the rest of the cosmos. Fundamentally, astrology is a framework upon which we build our call and response to the universe. It's how many of us choose to hear the All, it's a way we perceive how the All hears us. The hinge in that equation is us. That is why Elisabeth and I remind you so often that we — as in you, me, all of us — we are the true media, the ones who are meant to filter and interpret the energies of life, that is to say, what is the matter, and give it meaning that is urgent and personal to each of us as individuals. When we let other media, such as profit-driven corporate news outlets, interpret the world for us, it is far easier to believe nothing matters because we have outsourced our powers of universal connection to entities not invested in flowing that power back to us in meaningful ways. As we've noted in previous episodes, plenty of atheists rely upon astrology to help them navigate their place in the cosmos. These people are heroes in my mind. To stand firm against the crush of existentialism's potential paralysis, while also resisting the societal pressures to conform to, if not a religious perspective, then at least an agnostic one, is pretty damn tough. To do so and not be a jerk? That's sublime, and yet I do know some people who have managed this.  Personally, I am not reassured by the thought that I alone am the most powerful one in my world, and that life is lived only once. I view the natal horoscope as my personal contact tracing back to the elemental nature of who the gods remember me as having been in lives past, and could possibly become now, standing here on the planet today, and in possible future lives. As for the house system debate, I view it as both important and irrelevant at the same time. I view house systems as a component of the cartography of our soul scapes. If you have a map, then theoretically you will not be lost. Whether you are skilled at reading that map is up to you. The only way to know if your map is working is through trial and error; that is to say, by living your life fully, taking responsiblity for the choices you make, predicated on your own observations of how the cycles of life play out. The potential richness of your life, and thus your personal antidote to any existential crises, is derived from the meaning you assign those choices and cycles. Also in this episode…Elisabeth and I review how our predictions shook out this past week (we're on a hot streak…), I tell you my theory about Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg's claim he is Nero reincarnated, and why ultimately the mainstream media is irrelevant.We give you the heads up on who and what you can expect to see in the news over the next week, and Elisabeth sings, of course (you guys have no idea how much singing ends up cut from these podcasts)…and I describe life lived with a Taurus moon in the natal horoscope, because mine is a tad provoked by circumstance right now.Support our missionAs always, we appreciate you choosing to invest your time and energy into our efforts. As our audience increases, so does our commitment to our mission, which is: to boost your confidence in your personal power to mediate the universe.If you'd like to materially support us in this mission, you can do so at 25% off the regular annual subscription fee until March 7. That's when we will return to bi-weekly podcasts for everyone, while weekly podcasts will be available for patron subscribers.Patron subscribers will also receive access to a growing library of our charts in the news, in-depth articles about astrology, and our popular “outtakes” feature, where we share the parts we cut from the show. They are raw and candid and often filled with pathos we didn't feel confident sharing with the masses.Here's where you can become a patron subscriber:And if you'd like to read the forecast on which this podcast is based, visit Elisabeth's website here: To read more of my thoughts on the universe, and our place in it, please visit my flagship publication, docu-mental: mapping the american states of mind.That's all for now folks!xx Whitney and ElisabethPS: Per the mention I make in the show of practicing Tonglen for the Turkey/Syria earthquake victims: Tonglen: The Path of Transformation This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Shock and surprise, economic theory, and lots of laughs

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2023 69:27


    Vol. 3 episode 23Greetings!Well, per usual, Elisabeth nailed a prediction…she said that as we began recording this on Groundhog Day, in reference to the Bill Murray movie that puts his life on perpetual repeat, we would end up recording, editing, recording, editing, until we finally learned our lesson…Well, nearly 25 hours later, the lesson learned is how to engage constructively with Saturn's energy of streamlining, seriousness, hard work, and focus. Because the result is…excellence!And so, at last…Here is your first weekly episode in news from the Ensouled Universe!In it, Elisabeth and I discuss charts making news, including why Florida Republican governor, Ron DeSantis is making authoritarian moves now and how the media is, per usual missing the point about why and how. We give you the heads up about potential shocks and disruptions that could likely occur over this weekend, we answer why Kamala Harris has “disappeared”, and the likely trajectory of former South Carolina Republican governor, Nikki Haley's anticipated bid for US president.This episode's Department of They (as in, “they say”…who are they and why should we trust them?) is mighty fine. We dissect recent the New York Times and other media outlets' poor showing when it comes to pointing out how we've been here before when it comes to horrible events in human history, and how that harms us as citizens, while fattening the pockets of the They who Say things that might or might be true…or at least are only partially true.The astrology of economic theory? We also venture an explainer into the history of something fundamental to economic policy in this country by looking at the astrology of the…wait for it…Federal Trade Commission. How to make that segment interesting and entertaining is primarily what took us so long to get this out to you (that, and the audio editing software crashing per the Uranus/Sun square we warn you about), but we are proud of the outcome, well, because – astrology is amazing. There was so much the stars suggested we could say, but we narrowed it down to bite-sized fundamentals that will empower you with context for what surely will be more news to come about the shifting fortunes of Big Business and American standards of living.If you have a noncompete clause with your employer, you especially will want to listen to this episode. If you don't, then you will enjoy learning about the way astrology signals we are headed into some seismic shifts in how labor and Big Business are about to play in the sandbox together.Think coming shifts in the plantary patterns of Pluto, Saturn, and Uranus…all outer planets (even if astronomers have kicked Pluto out of the official planetary line-up), and how they will be speaking in fresh tones of Aquarius (power to the people, but also innovations in technology), Pisces (universal love and forgiveness), and Taurus (status quo, but also comfort). We break it down, just as we will continue to do so through the year.You are the mediaMost of all in this episode, we remind you that you are the media. You are the one in control of your mind, your actions, your life. And indeed, the game of politics is one of control, and pretty much every flavor of corporate media collectively is a weapon, an agent of mass destruction because it is an agent of mass enchantment. It casts a spell over us, separating us from our native powers of discernment.Elisabeth and I are confident you can disarm those spellcasters who seek to use that weapon against you – Off the Charts is our way of helping you learn how.We are still tinkering with the format, but thanks to the growth of our audience that includes you, a loyal listener, and also thanks to the meaningful feedback you have been sending us, we think we have something mighty fine with this podcast and are seeking to expand, even if it takes us a minute, or two.Groundbreaking news deliveryIs it too bold to suggest that we see ourselves delivering news from the Ensouled Universe as akin to how Jon Stewart's The Daily Show revolutionized news by making fun of it, and thus actually getting people to take it seriously? Nah, not too bold. We have lots in mind for how we can expand, including interviews with newsmakers, more frequent forecasts, and more in-depth analysis, among many other ideas…But it's only possible with your support. To that end, we are running a special on annual subscriptions. If you've been thinking of going all in with us, now is the time! Until March 7, when Saturn enters Pisces, you can get an annual subscription for 25% off the usual $75.We had to cut scads and scads if we were going to keep this episode to about an hour, which we think is more than plenty. We will use the remaining goodies as incentives for you to become a patron subscriber if you're not already. As an incentive…Later this week — for patron subscribers only — we will release the audio we cut from this episode, on what we think about heard-on-the-street rumors that DeSantis is gay, and the implications about that vis-à-vis sexuality and politics. We also cut some banter about recent news to do with a certain former president and a certain former “adult film” actress, and also possibly a rant about why men make so much noise in this country.And because some of you who are already subscribers have asked how you can add more to your pledges of support, I am investigating how we might include a one-time donation in our show notes.Of course, you can always visit Elisabeth's forecast and leave a little something in her tip jar, since it is her forecast on which this fab podcast is based.Also, if you're interested in becoming a sponsor of our show, we are now planning on working that into our format.Below my signature are the promised links I discuss in this episode. We thank you for being there, and for encouraging us to up our game by going weekly. Please share with others and feel free to get in touch with us if you have a news tip, a chart in the news to suggest, or if you'd like to work with us as consultants or presenters.That's it for this week's regular weekly episode. Next week might be shorter, might not – it's a work in progress, but it's your work in progress.xx Whitney and ElisabethFTC Rulemaking on ending noncompete clauses; make your comments known!Non-Compete Clause Rulemaking | Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov)Democracy & Monopoly — Open Markets InstituteAnti-Monopoly Timeline — Open Markets InstituteExecutive Order to Promote Competition in the American Economy This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Angry words, beer, and maybe some more beer

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2023 46:36


    vol. 2 Episode 22Greetings!Why do I emphasize adult beverages?To celebrate Elisabeth's on the nose prediction that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, perhaps our most prominent federal official to publicly aver a fondness for beer, would right about now find himself having to face his past, soberly or not. That's because, as we discuss in this episode — the final one of our first year of podcasting! — a surprise documentary detailing the justice's reputation for (alleged) drunken assaults on women, as told by multiple victims and witnesses, has now come to light. The film, simply titled Justice, is, as Elisabeth would say, astonishingly in sync with patterns in what we know of Kavanaugh's horoscope. What can we expect to witness unfold soon for the judge? Elisabeth makes the case that the patterns that follow over the next 18 months might not be so drink-and-be-merry for the SCOTUS frat boy. Brett Kavanaugh, giving Congress a lecture on anger:Other than that, this episode feels like we were shot out of a cannon, because that's how excited we are to be back in action (and we recorded during an Aries moon, so it was all go-go-go!)We also look at why it is now, and not previously, that classified documents didn't start showing up in places where they shouldn't be, and how that might continue to play out for certain officials. And, why is now the time for Dolly Parton to introduce her new line of baking goods while in her new song, Don't Make Me Have to Come Down There, she also threatens to open up a can of Whup Ass on the world if people don't get their act together? Elisabeth has the low-down. Plus, we have a new Department of They that we hope inspires you to feel good, not gloomy, about the state of the world. In it, we remind us all that no matter who is screaming from the halls of justice (or Congress), there is a calmer truth we can access. We believe the future is bright, and truth will prevail, or at least peek its head out of the clouds this year. Why? Because Pluto is about to pull a Dolly and show us the potential power of being good to one another, as we detail in this episode. Speaking of being good to one another…Thank you for being such avid listeners and supporters! Next month we will have been bringing you Off the Charts for a full year. We started this podcast just to see what we might be able to do with our respective takes on the stars and the news, and it turns out folks like it.Now that we know we've got a groove, we're going weekly! For more details on that, listen to this episode, and then be sure to subscribe, and better yet, become a patron supporter. To incentivize you, we're offering new subscribers a 25% discount on annual subscriptions. That offer is good now through March 7.Patron supporters will have access to all weekly episodes, plus interviews, articles from Elisabeth's and my respective libraries of content, and more. Subscribers will still continue to receive our bi-weekly episodes.We look forward to being your weekly source for news from the Ensouled Universe!Thanks a million,xWhitney and ElisabethFor more about Elisabeth Grace's weekly forecast on which this podcast is based, visit:For more about Whitney McKnight's flagship publication on the connection between democracy, public policy, and personal agency, visit:And because it's Friday, and we'd like to end with a keg half full: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    From ayahuasca to astrology: in conversation with Adam Elenbaas

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2023 76:27


    SPECIAL EDITIONGreetings!Hello and welcome to a new year of Off the Charts: A Stellar Newscast.Gosh, do Elisabeth and I wish that we were actually gabfesting on all the bonkers goings on right now, but due to the FAA meltdown earlier this week, our poor gal EG had to extend her tropical get-away. As for me, I am still settling in after a cross-country move, so taking one more week off works for me…However, Elisabeth and I have been scheming for 2023 and plan to start podcasting weekly, invite guests to speak to our listeners, and offer more to our patrons. So get ready for more news from the Ensouled Universe! In the meantime, here's another podcast from the archives of my flagship publication, docu-mental: mapping the american states of mind. This time it's an interview with astrologer, author, and teacher, Adam Elenbaas, whose popular YouTube channel and school, Nightlight Astrology, bring archetypal Hellenistic astrology to the masses.Although we do get to discussing astrology toward the end of the interview, the focus of our rich discussion is less about astrology and more about what psychedelics show us is true about the meaning of life. Some highlights include:* What using psychedelics feels like, and how it changes one's perception of self and of world; the adventure of mind v. escaping pain* How not respecting psychdelics in context will lead to “colonization” of psychedelics; true “shamanism” v. New Age b******t, and the implications of this for policymaking* The importance of “spiritual technologies” such as yoga, to move us beyond thinking in only one paradigm* How progress without spiritual evolution leads to cynicism* How narcissism and kindness are antithetical.A programming note: Since the original airing of this podcast, Adam has gone from being called Acyuta-bhava Das, a name given to him as part of the Bhakti Yoga tradition, to returning to his given name, Adam Elenbaas. Please do leave your comments, and feel free to share and subscribe!Until next time,xx Whitney and Elisabeth This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Double trouble in half the time

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2022 31:40


    vol. 2 episode 21Greetings,This time, it's a shortened version of our usual news analysis and forecast because we have something else to share with our fabulous fans and subscribers.First, the news: just what in the world is the whacko factor of a retrograde Neptune in Pisces square retrograde Mars in Gemini churning up from the depths? How about The tale of Matthew Mellow and his ship asail in a tragic search of the Second Coming? Or, monks on meth?And with Uranus triggering the eclipse of November 8 across the Taurus and Scorpio axis of what is mine and what is ours, what curtain fell? Might it be upon the House of Representatives' leadership?Plus, a quick peek (because who wants to look for too long?) at Hitler's horoscope and why it rose and fell this week, also in accordance with the Uranian trigger of the eclipse.We kept it short so you could perhaps spend time with a new video we offer to our patron subscribers, where Elisabeth and I each read a chart using our two entirely different house systems. The results are rich and detailed, and according to our “client”, the winner of our contest for this reading, they were both spot on. How is that possible? We hope you will become a patron subscriber to find out. Here's the link:As always, Thanks for all your support. If you'd like to share us, and we hope you do, here you go:If you'd like to become a patron subscriber, here is where you go for that:If you'd like to add your thoughts:And here's where to visit if you'd like to have Elisabeth's weekly forecast on which this podcast is based:Thanks dear friends!Until next time, vote and fill your hearts with hope. And, look up at the heavens.xx Whitney and ElisabethAnd for fun…Elisabeth's festive corner: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    NASA's Artemis: an elegant case study in the predictive genius of astrology

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2022 61:28


    vol. 2 episode 20Greetings,My favorite part of this episode — number 20, already! — is Elisabeth's enchanting astrological explanations for why NASA's Artemis test rocket launch, in anticipation of sending our first crew to the moon since 1972, did not go as planned, but did go when it was most advantageous instead. It's a simple, yet elegant case study for the power of astrological weather (or as Elisabeth calls it “whether”) forecasting.Also in this episode, we recap the election results in the US and offer a straightforward explanation — one you won't hear elsewhere, but is the most accurate of all — for why and how the media got it all wrong. Namely, they are not the true media. You are. The media's modality is one of forcing truth through a linear construct. An ensouled universe, however, includes a democratic world where all things are in balance, and where all things come from and return to one (e pluribus unum). That discussion leads us to a few suggestions for how you can amplify your role as the only media you need, and how to get the information you need to be a citizen, not merely a consumer.As for the gossip pages, we cover that too. What does astrology and simple observation suggest is yet to come for Republican leadership in Congress? For outgoing House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif)? And for the presumptive incoming Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)? Will President Biden continue to bask in a warm glow? What are the implications for progress as Saturn and Pluto change signs in 2023?All this, plus current transits in the sky for you to keep an eye on as you sail your rocket ship into the smoky, hazy ends of 2022, colored by a long Neptune retrograde in Pisces square Mars retrograde in Gemini phase.We love our listeners,! Thank you. In this episode, we announce the name of our winner of twin natal chart readings, one from a modern psychological perspective, and another from a classical archetypal one.Thanks for all your support. If you'd like to share us, and we hope you do, here you go:If you'd like to become a patron subscriber, here is where you go for that:If you'd like to add your thoughts:And here's where to visit if you'd like to have Elisabeth's weekly forecast on which this podcast is based:Thanks dear friends!Until next time, vote and fill your hearts with hope. And, look up at the heavens.xx Whitney and ElisabethMentioned in this podcast:Tim Wu's 'The Attention Merchants' Asks, Does Advertising Ruin Everything? - The AtlanticErratum:When EG said at (39:00) that Rep. Kevin McCarthy's natal Mercury and Venus were receiving a square from Mercury, she meant to say the square aspect was being made by Uranus. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    The astrology of election day!

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2022 65:36


    vol. 2 episode 19Greetings, Of course, as mundane astrologers, with a full blood moon solar eclipse across the Taurus/Scorpio axis, falling on Election Day here in the US, we'd be derelict if we didn't discuss that. So, in this episode, #19, we do! And we even suggest how to avoid associated traffic jams. Hint: we advise you in accordance with Mars in retrograde in Gemini.What else…?In a rather Mars retrograde in Gemini kind of way, we also have refreshed our mission statement. Same idea, expressed differently. Here it is:Elisabeth and I are both renegades from corporate media. We report and analyze the cosmic impulses behind the news. We want to show you how corporate media manipulates you into working against your best interests.We demonstrate how to anticipate the cycles and trends in the world so you can see that it is not linear, and learn to detect how the presumption of hierarchy's inevitability separates you from yourself and others.Instead, we bring you news from the ensouled universe where cycles within cycles suggest there is a greater consciousness enfolding us, moving through and around us, a larger intelligence that extends beyond what we could ever possibly imagine.Most importantly, we want to encourage you to participate in the unfoldment of what our universe has in store. To trust it, and not the status quo.Speaking of this important, unusually long Mars transit, which we define, Elisabeth runs down the things you should not do during this retrograde period, or else. Then Miss EG gets scary about hypothetical face lifts during a Venus retrograde. Listen if you dare. I needed a minute after she spooked me.Then, some personal reflections on how Mars retrograde square Neptune retrograde is shaking out in some personal horoscopes, as well as in the news, including how this is helping us think about Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter. Other transits, too.Then, we have our next installment of our new Department of They. It's sort of akin to being an “astrology as activism” segment. This time, we take on how the status quo has led you to not think twice about being shamed into hating the holidays because, horrors!, you might want to eat holiday food!!! No, no, make that — you have no agency and are going to have to eat fun things. In other words: you will suffer no matter whether or not you actually partake of holiday nibbles. Ugh, the insanity of being led around by our captive brains by profiteers. We skewer them now so you can enjoy your human right to eat off whatever damned skewers you want to later.And, all along, we welcome our new listeners and take the time to explain basic astro vocab so you don't get lost, plus we offer something sweet to our patron subscribers who might want to get their charts read. Thanks for all your support. If you'd like to share us, and we hope you do, here you go:If you'd like to become a patron subscriber, here is where you go for that:If you'd like to add your thoughts:And here's where to visit if you'd like to have Elisabeth's weekly forecast on which this podcast is based:Thanks dear friends! Until next time, vote and fill your hearts with hope. And, look up at the heavens.xx Whitney and Elisabeth This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    How to not be bummed out by 'bad' news

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2022 53:06


    vol. 2 issue 18Greetings,It's true. I am tired. Maybe you've noticed. It's not my thyroid, it's that I have had to struggle to keep up with many dramatic changes in my life lately. But I have been, and as I note in this podcast, I can thank my relationship to the stars, lucky and otherwise for that. Feeling assaulted by corporate news is not one of the things that I have let be on my list of “things to deal with”. Instead, I have a coping strategy for living in this world among the corrupt shenanigans and dubious prophets of doom: I pay them no mind. And if something does capture my attention, then what do I do? Read on…The Department of TheyCoping skills for shaggy times are what we talk about in this episode in our new segment, The Department of They (the DOT). It's our response to a listener who took us to task for not giving enough practical astrological advice for living in these radically shifting times. If you'd like some supplementary material on that segment, I wrote a more detailed explanation for how the media manipulated a moment from the campaign trail earlier this month by “failing” or more likely intentionally avoiding, to call out a senator who said inflammatory things. We give you tools to see through this kind of malarkey and sail peacefully through it. Evolution isn't easyAlso in this episode, I remind us that a Pluto return such as what the US is currently experiencing isn't supposed to be fun. It is supposed to be productive, though. Which is why as the world at large and the US in particular is shaking off the fleas, you can expect some things to get a little dirty. Elisabeth adds:“There's a happy medium in here somewhere. The idea is to regroup and reform, not annihilate humanity for some spiritual experience.”That's evolution for you.Saturn and the dominatrixAs Saturn is poised to turn direct, bringing with it news of debt and belt-tightening (as Elisabeth predicted when we recorded this earlier this week, and she has been proven correct),we find ourselves discussing in this episode how to not play victim to a dominatrix. It's soon to be Halloween season, after all, and that tends to bring out the leather clad nurses and cat women, so this bit might come in handy. Unless you like that kind of thing, then you do you. And that's really the thrust of this whole episode: take off the fearful costume demanded of you by the Powers That Be who run the status quo.Don't be afraid to come as you are: be yourself. That is powerful medicine.If you'd like more astrological insights on the news, you can visit GraceAstrology.com where Elisabeth's weekly forecast and other goodies live. Or, if you'd like to learn more about the thinking behind my own astrological insights, you can visit my other substack publication, documental: mapping the american states of mind.And feel free to share this post and our podcast. Thank you to all our listeners!Peace and hope, xx Whitney and Elisabeth This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    The stars point to our Greater Mind and what it means to be human

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2022 50:16


    vol. 2 issue 17Greetings Earthlings,First, I am going to borrow a protocol from my friend Val at How Not to F*ck Up Your Face, who begins each of her pithy, insightful, and well-written missives about true beauty by asking her readers to please give her a little heart tap. In Val's case, little birdies of peace and joy will flutter past the surprised visages of crusty world leaders and make them want to hug each other when you show her such love with your gentle tap-tap. Let's make the world an even better place! If you show your appreciation to Elisabeth and me, you'll see angels around every corner today!This message of love brought to you by a lousy salesperson of the “real” but an excellent dreamer of how the world could be if we but only put down our linear paradigm.Okay! As you probably have noticed by way of things and situations that seemed of late to have been on hold or stuck in place somehow, but which are now starting to gain momentum, all the planets that have been retrograding are starting to move direct this month. Add to that an Aries full moon this weekend, and all the ways we might have been feeling as though we were moving through gelatin are now about to get supercharged. That might explain how come this conversation that features tales of Elisabeth and my respective UFO sightings last week, and what the implications of alien visitations might be for those of us living on earth but looking at the stars, sounds super speedy, like it's caffeinated. Sorry about that, folks. I just got carried away with the editing out of all my thoughtful pauses, and instead of the little gambol through my mind, you get a speed tour. Of course, it's always worse when a Capricorn/Leo combo criticizes her own work, so you might not notice, but if you do, you're not crazy to wonder if I was trying to beat the clock on this one.Actually, no. Elisabeth and I, despite having to schedule ourselves around the combined effects of others behaving badly and persistent pesky covid symptoms, we are handily getting ourselves in steady synch with the coming retrograde of Mars while also locking into the rhythm of Pluto trining Mercury. We're ready to face the provocative truths this planetary combo suggest will come to the fore, requiring us to slow down and think before we act. This month is the time to make contact with our greater minds.Also in this episode 17, is our discussion about the current machinations of Neptune in Pisces and how it spreads its wavy resonance across the charts of folks in the news like Lizzo, the former POTUS, and apparently, ETs and me! The net effect is to get us talking about how the keys to our freedom as human beings on this earth, are found in learning the intricacies of duality and then being willing to play with them. Neptune is helpful for seeing that just like the tide coming in and going out — life is a cycle. It is definitely not the either/or cage of pain and loathing that our hierarchical world constructs around us to keep us imprisoned and hypnotized by hopelessness. That leads to a conversation about our violent lesser selves leaving behind a trail of anger and anguish for the earth to absorb, and how the sycamore trees along the banks of the Potomac River have inspired me to help sing them free of that pain. You have to hear it for that to make any sense. I also give a bird call!And that pretty much sums it up, my friends: it's a speedy, funny little romp through what it means to be humans who connect to the stars.There is a lot more laughter this time around, and we sing something — by request! even though Elisabeth turns karaoke time into a name that tune (and gets it wrong). But, hey, she's still recovering from covid. You can still send her a get-well card if you like…which reminds me, we do touch upon that little incident that involves Herschel Walker and his troubles of late, foretold by which transit? Let's see if you can guess…Even though Elisabeth's and my attention has been split a bit lately, Off the Charts! A Stellar Newscast continues to grow with each episode and bonus content material we release. That is extra special to us because it shows us that we have “something” here and that you are willing to invest your energy into fortifying us and helping us grow. What I am particularly encouraged by are the number of “shares” we seem to generate. I've created a little button to help you do that even more. Share away!If you would like to make suggestions for charts to cover, or add to our list of listener questions that still must be answered!, please leave a comment in the comments section. We're starting to get to know our listeners who send us encouraging emails. We love your enthusiasm, especially when you are so enthusiastic, you support us materially! Material subscribers receive access to our growing library of off-the-cuff, off the charts stories and insights and the extra little heart tap of synching up with others who, like you, know that this is an ensouled universe of love and hope.One last thing. Android users can now join iPhone users who read Ensouled and listen to Off the Charts on a new app!And with that, below are the links we mention in the podcast, and may you have a starry sky-filled weekend. Until next time, look up and fill your heart with hope!xx Whitney and ElisabethFor the forecast on which this podcast is based:Pluto Turns Direct; Lizzo in the News: Grace Astrology This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Don't believe us!

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2022 1:47


    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ensouled.substack.comvol. 2 special patron issue #4Greetings,Not to shock you, but have you noticed people say, and then other people repeat, a lot of utter nonsense these days? Maybe you hear all this dumb stuff and are so beaten down by it, you forget to question it and you let it create fear in you. The result is a low droning, ever-present anxiety…

    When Venus invites you to dinner

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2022 59:47


    Issue 2. Episode 16Greetings,I'd like to welcome you to the first day of Fall in the Northern Hemisphere by telling you a story and linking it to how and what we do at Off the Charts: A Stellar Newscast!First, I want to say that when “reading” the skies, I find helpful to indeed read them. I like perceiving the planets as celestial intelligences, greater beings than we humans, off on jaunts from familiar to strange lands, chatting with one another as they go, offering loving or stern (or both!) opinions about what each other is doing. Because our lives are best lived and understood when we understand, share, and learn from our own personal stories, it makes sense to me that a technical grasp of what makes a good story helps with the practical application of astrology.That's why I assign the gods roles based upon their history as specific character actors. I also give them plotlines and dialogue, while taking note of their place in certain environments: I am mindful of how a love story feels different if it takes place on the Titanic compared to how it might if it were unfolding in a Parisian café post WWII. All of this comes from the techniques I learned from my teacher, Acytua-bhava Dasa.So, back to our story.As I stressed previously in a post to patron subscribers, as Venus picks her way through Virgo in the sky currently, she invites us to look in earnest at what is a mere simulacrum of what we think is beautiful and true, versus what is everlastingly transcendent.This is not an idle, dinner party prompt, but a considered question, pondered by our beauty queen Venus who, even before her trek through Virgo, has already made it through some potentially rough terrain.Whatever she's seen, it will certainly make her a great conversationalist at dinner parties, and a source of wisdom gained from her travels we might well heed, as Episode 16 gently but most certainly demonstrates.In her most recent travels, Venus first found herself earlier this year near the terminus of Cancer, where the quiet Moon doesn't rough anyone up, but when dark and inscrutable Pluto flashed his junk at our queen from across the platform in Capricorn, it probably left our lady with a case of the scaries. By the time Venus entered the Land of Leo and found herself looking across the way at Saturn, most likely, all the girl wanted to do was party and be pampered.In response, Saturn might have said, “If that's what you want, girlfriend, then here're all the goodies you need to make a beautiful, even if false, impression – but I want those back, and when I come for them, I'm taking you with me.”If she took that bait, then Venus shouldn't be surprised when, just as he did for Faust, just as he did for Don Giovanni, even as he seems to be doing now for our former president who has a penchant for simulated gold and glitter, Saturn in his Grim Reaper guise will indeed come for what is his.But not so fast. While in Virgo, Venus has been able to sneak in a stimulating and harmonious rendez-vous with the electrifying Uranus, the vacationing Venus's guest back home in Taurus. Maybe this thrilling triste (conducted by way of a trine through the airwaves, a very Uranian activity!) restored her confidence in dealing with Saturn.We won't know for sure until after Venus has checked in with Neptune.If we only consume pop astrology sources, then Venus in Virgo is a b***h. But for me, Venus in Virgo brings the kind of melancholy I remember feeling as a teenager who was lonely and at times even desperate and suicidal. That was at a time when thoughts of suicide were still considered so horribly taboo, you would never breathe a word of it to anyone, unlike today where there is even an expectation that at some point in our Modern Western Living lives, we will experience these feelings and will know to get help.Decades later, I look back and see that Venus in Virgo experience for what it actually is: a longing to be whole and beautiful, to unite with what is perfect.But of course, once something is perfect, it's dead. Life is dynamic. Once a threshold is reached (Virgo is the sign of the thresher, after all), it must give way to what is new. That is the core of Saturn's message.While ancient doctrine describes Venus in Mercury's home of Virgo as being where she is most homesick for her naturally voluptuous, receptive, and unified land of Taurus, soon she will be able to host her own dinner parties. If Venus in Virgo represents our secret desires to be loved, flaws and all, this might be the topic of conversation a week from now, when on Sept. 30, Venus leaves Virgo and enters her second homebase of Libra, the place where she leans on her more extroverted side.But first, she will check in with Neptune, who might say to her in a soothing way, “If it makes you happy, I will sprinkle glitter dust upon the deceptions you've created from the goodies Saturn gave you; or, if you prefer, I will wash away the false bits from Saturn's material treasures, and you can use those renewed and refreshed resources to ground a new dream you wish to build.”Considering Venus's perambulations around the Zodiac and back to Libra is occurring within the cycle of “walk your talk”, which is what Mars in Gemini about to retrograde indicates we need to do, as Elisabeth explained in Episode 14, we can imagine what Venus will choose, that is to say, what each of us might choose in the episodic unfolding of our own lives.In many ways, episode 16 is a very Venus in Virgo episode. Reunited again after about a month of being pulled in opposite directions for various reasons, Elisabeth and I not only hammer the corporate broadcast media for their neglect of what our country, and our world, actually needs coverage of, we also look at how Venus is reflecting to us the signal to pay attention to what is real, what is beautiful, what will carry our hopes from this exasperated and gasping end-of-an-era to the next.Applying what is happening in the skies to what is happening here on earth, also known as mundane astrology, is what Elisabeth and I do in these podcasts. Except instead of my fictional accounts of what is happening between the gods, Elisabeth painstakingly documents each week, how the celestial conversations actually do play out.It's important to note, the news isn't happening as it does because the gods have little puppet strings attached to our limbs. The news of the day is as it is thanks to our free will, and how we are choosing our own adventures individually and collectively. My stories of the gods are morality tales that I make up as a sort of mnemonic device for understanding how the archetypes of the universe might manifest in and through us.My hope is that after you have a listen to this episode, the headlines Elisabeth and I – both former corporate media insiders – discuss and suggest are likely not true, are certainly deceptive, and/or created for the sake of draining your power and your dreams rather than enhancing it, you will gain insight into the kind of framework you must build for yourself in order to see the world as it truly is, rather than have your attention slotted according to someone else's manipulation of you so they can vampirically feed off your power for their own gain.Back to our dinner with the gods…We see that as Venus sets the table, Uranus and Saturn are preparing to square off from their current fixed stances in Taurus and Aquarius. We'll get dinner and a show, a throw down of some kind!And don't forget, whereas Uranus is Venus's guest in Taurus, Saturn is her most favored guest in the Halls of Libra, according to ancient doctrine. That leave the Sun, though welcome, not the one most high, literally so. Will that mean that Venus will focus our attention on what Saturn says must die, and that perhaps what we have “held on high” might not be what we want to continue to love and invest our time in, two very Venusian activities?Will Venus, having made it through the gauntlet, now feel empowered because she has evaluated what is beautiful at a granular level, and is ready to decide for herself what is valuable, what is real, what is true – and best of all, what is meaningful to her – instead of letting anyone else, such as the corporate media, do it for her?If you think of yourself as an avatar of Venus, you can ask yourself these same questions.With all these celestial musical chairs, what masks might slip, what falsities crumble, what sudden revelations, might echo and reverberate in our next forecast?Look up!xWhitney and ElisabethSHOW NOTESWe had the usual Mercury retrograde snafus, so apologies for it being later than we normally like to deliver it. I am hotspotting from my cell phone in order to publish!Erratum: Exxon-Mobile's profits most recently hae been reported at $20bn US, not $30bn US, as I say in the show.And lastly, here are the promised links from the show:Regarding the artist, Karen Fitzgerald:FitzgeraldArt – The art of Karen Fitzgerald: The Energy of Visual Art Changes EverythingRegarding HRH Queen Elizabeth II:Why Capitalists, not the queen, were responsible for the British Empire's crimes: How the East India Company Became the World's Most Powerful Monopoly - HISTORY Why HRH is responsible for the British Empire's crimes: Queen Elizabeth II Wasn't Innocent of the British Empire's Colonial Sins (foreignpolicy.com)How colonial Africa feels about the queen: NY TimesThe Crown on NetflixRegarding our astrological traditions:Nightlight Astrology School of Traditional AstrologyThe teaching of the late Noel TylRegarding where to get unbiased news:Popular InformationThe TangleRegarding King Charles's (implied) approval of astrology:A Royal Seal of Approval for Astrological Studies? - Astrology News ServiceRegarding my work exploring the connection between corporate greed and our depression rates: docu-mentalThe forecast that is the foundation of this newscast: Grace Astrology The astrology business of yours truly, Whitney Fishburn: Ensouled Astrology This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Astrology as activism:

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2022 81:37


    vol. 2 episode 15Greetings,Woot, woot! With Episode 15 you are in for a real treat, friends.If you're a fan of Off the Charts! A Stellar Newscast, chances are you also a “news junkie”, as Elisabeth calls fans of her forecast.Beyond that, in addition to your love of astrology, you probably are also passionate about politics, or at least keenly interested in them. That's why I promise you that this interview with BIPOC astrologer and author, Alice Sparkly Kat, will be one of the most memorable and provocative conversations you will have ever heard about these topics together.Alice, who prefers to be called Ace, is the author not only of my most favorite non-technical book I've ever read about astrology, but one of my all-time favorite books about astrology, policymaking, and politics, period. Published last year by North Atlantic Books, Postcolonial Astrology: Reading the Planets through Capital, Power, and Labor, is the kind of leading-edge treatise on how astrologers can actually help push a post-Capitalism paradigm forward with every consultation they sit, that I hope we see more of. It's also one of the influences I drew upon last year as I put together a talk called, “Astrology as Activism”, an idea I am still developing as I consider the future as a place where knowledge of the stars, a firm grasp of history, and an open mind about how to read and trust the cosmic cycles of Nature – not just “sustainability”, but the omnipotence of Nature – will be applied to mundane concerns, and in particular, policymaking.Although I speak for myself and not for Elisabeth when I put forth such a bold idea, Elisabeth's weekly forecast is another of my influences.When I think of Capitalism, I think of the status quo. And when I think of the status quo in terms of astrology, it is to Capricorn (my personal Sun sign), and its ruler Saturn, that my attention is drawn. That's why, as Mercury is stationing retrograde at 8 degrees of Libra, the sign that exalts Saturn (as I explained last week), it is only fitting that I would (re)post this interview with Ace. I say “re-post” because it originally aired as part of my other weekly newsletter, docu-mental: mapping the american states of mind. And as a bonus, there is a video of the conversation at that link, too.Some of the ground we cover in this interview (explored far more deeply in the book) is that if astrology is to be relevant in a post-Capital world, what has to happen in the field first? Do we need to re-examine our nomenclature of the Gods and their temples? Do we need gender? Do we need to settle the ideas put forth by Hellenistic v. modern astrologers? Does the moon have to mean what we say it does? How do we keep the integrity of astrology's inherent logic if we change the meanings of all our symbology?But there is a lot more, including how can astrology help us see and navigate what is, to me anyway, the obvious end of Capitalism as we know it, and prepare for what is next. Here's the link again to the original interview, including the video.Thank you for your continued support and interest in this podcast, specifically, and in the Ensouled publication overall. It has been thrilling to witness your enthusiasm for the notion that astrology and astrologers deserve the same respect as any other specialty and its experts. That can only happen if the coverage of what astrologers are doing is done well. That is what makes Off the Charts unique. Where else will you find a real journalist (me) who brings years of experience covering the health sciences, policy, and economics, who not only takes astrology seriously, but seriously understands it, and asks the kinds of probing questions journalists are supposed to ask, with the respect and thoughtful preparation due any expert in his or her field? Where else will you find the same kinds of economic, socio-political, and domestic trend punditry offered by professional analysts who don't think astrology is “cute” or “edgy” but real, and helpful?The answer: nowhere else.That's why I am asking that you consider becoming a material subscriber.Doing so will help make this kind of unique and serious paradigm-shifting journalism and commentary possible. It also gives you access to a growing library of essays, outtakes, and behind-the-scenes conversations that sometimes get heated, sometimes get silly, and sometimes show us for the probing philosophers we like to think we are. It also gives you access to Thanks for being there! You're a star.We'll be back with later this month with Episode 16, when we take a look at all these retrogradations…and whether or not my prediction that the Equinox will have us finally admitting, if only to ourselves, we don't really want to believe the lies anymore, even if it means we have to take the hit to our self-image in the process of getting real as a nation, as individuals. (Oh, but wait! That's also covered in this interview with Ace! How fab!)x Whitney (and EG) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    More money than God

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2022 48:37


    vol. 2 episode 14Greetings,When you hear the expression, “More money than God,” I would reckon that like me, your mental calculus tallies that as meaning someone has so much money, that individual is richer than any god or mortal could ever be. There is more than a little validity in this perspective. Croesus (circa 585 BCE), the richest ruler ever in the Hellenistic world, loomed so large in the minds of the Greeks that when he was drop-kicked by Cyrus the Great, Croesus also was moved from man to myth, becoming a talisman of Greece's Golden Age, literally so: Croesus was the first ruler to set commerce according to a gold standard. Which is why another common phrase to denote someone is super-duper rich is to say, “He's richer than Croesus.”But, what if the semantics of this observation are to compare money and god? As in, a person chooses to have more of one and less of the other: Croesus had more money than he had God, for example. Or so we might surmise.You can thank Elisabeth for putting that into our heads in this episode, and thus setting me off on a trail of thought that ends here in these show notes. In actuality, the whole show is threaded with references to choosing more of one and less of another, with references both subtle and not so subtle to the shifts in how we value what money can and should do for us, and more generally, what we value and how we live those values overall. Sins of ingressionsComparing one to another and acting accordingly is a classic call out that Mars transiting through Gemini would make, and so, since Mars has indeed recently ingressed into this double bodied sign and is also making a trine to its host god Mercury also just ingressing into Venus's house of Libra, we have the energy for some inspired thinking about how we can align our hearts and minds.Meanwhile, the old guard Saturn has his own thoughts on how we think about god and money. He communicates these to us within a trine to Mercury and Mars, by house if not by degree, in preparation for his near perfect square off with Uranus, now just turning retrodrade in Taurus (home sign of personal values), in October when other transiting patterns suggest we will start to accept that indeed, our collective values require new expression. Or, as we discuss in this episode: soon comes the time to put up or shut up.Sinematic sweepIt is therefore no surprise that in this episode, we end up discussing why the natal chart of Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D), with her tense natal aspect between the old of Saturn and the new of Uranus, makes her the perfect pivot point for how the so-called “new order of the ages”, as printed in Latin on our money, is actually becoming the “old” guard soon to be pulled down by a new age with its intimations of cryptocurrency and data bytes being in the ascendant over oil. It's a phenomenon underscored as the two planetary gods themselves, Saturn and Uranus, are currently moving towards one another in a tense aspect, signaling to all of us here on earth that a clash is coming.And so, Senator Sinema would of course only vote in favor of the Inflation Reduction Act if it didn't mean — as had been originally intended — that her private equity band of secret money bros didn't have to start paying taxes on all the pillaging of our economy they so gleefully engage in. (Pluto is currently churning away on my natal Mercury, so confident stridency is currently how I roll. Plus, I am right about this.)Once she had the restrictions on the old guard removed, then she was fine with passage of the bill. Let the future commence, and the old guard be warned.When Mars retrogrades in Gemini at the time of the mid-term elections in early November, we will have tangible evidence for our evaluations of how well we are walking and talking in alignment as individuals and as a nation. That's because…Being and becomingWe in the States are currently experiencing our collective Pluto return in the second house of money in our country's natal chart, during a time when the Great Mutation, as we have discussed in previous episodes, means that how we express our values cannot help but change. And that change is moving from what is tangible to what is intangible. How we have commerce, therefore, is shifting from what we can hold in our hands, to what we can only imagine with our minds. We will still need to measure it or else, how can we trade it? This is what is yet to be revealed, as our cycles of being and becoming continue to spin. If we are to believe our other Great Seal motto as printed on our dollars, “Annuit Cœptis”, loosely the Latin for “it is destined”, then the gods will favor us in the end. That's what I believe anyway: in the grand elegance of celestial time, the cycles of life spiral up and around all that is good. That doesn't mean it won't pinch a little.New moon, new meaningsThis weekend is also a new moon in Virgo, and with all this emphasis on how we think, is a great time for re-seeding our thinking about what matters to us. It's especially a good time for this kind of introspection as Mercury, Virgo's ruler, and the god of mind, is shadowing its imminent retrograde during the next full moon in mid-September. What does this mean practically speaking? In concert with the rest of the transits, it could mean that you take your reflections about what matters to you, and ask yourself if your life reflects this value system. If not, it's a good time to start devising a plan for change. It might also mean, in that Virgoan detailed way, that as you live more deliberarely, you begin to watch your step and choose your words with more care.Eclipsed and bewilderedAlso in this episode, we talk about the many ways the eclipses manifested with proof of our predictions that they would. We bust some stupid human tricks of both legislators and astrologers, we wonder about the war on words (courtesy of Mars in Gemini) happening in some weird ways but as always, aptly reflected in the headlines, and we consider that huh, Americans are actually worried about democracy. What light can the stars shed on this phenomenon?The Thema MundiThere are several listener questions we just keep batting around the answers to off-mic because they lead us into such complex philosophical waters, we figure we will only confuse folks. But one question I think deserves a little bit of love. Specifically, we have a listener who wants to know if there is a natal chart for the world. And the answer is, of course, yes and no, and depends upon how you view astrology overall. I will prepare something to share on our next episode, but until them, consider this explanation of the world's birth chart, the Thema Mundi, written by Hellenistic astrologer, Chris Brennan.And finally…I am back in Washington, probably only temporarily, and the transition from the peaceful wilds of Tennessee back to the incessant noise of ahem, progress and politics in DC, has been difficult for me. The fact is that I live where excessive and loud noise is the new normal, and I am not coping well with it. I have written about my inability to deal well with noise before, if you're interested. Of course, it's a personal truth that I wrap up in one to do with democracy, but to know me is to love me. :) In any case, surrounded by jack hammers and back hoes whacking at the earth and macadam as I currently am, (because eclipses!), assume I am functioning at a dysfunctional level until otherwise stated, and know that I am sorry about it and am doing my utmost best.If you'd like to learn more about the forecast on which this podcast is predicated, or if you are simply a news junkie, then Elisabeth's forecast is for you. If you'd like to learn more about my work, then please visit docu-mental, and my astrology consulting business, Ensouled Astrology.And for some fun:1,850-year-old Roman coin with Cancer zodiac sign found off Israeli coast - The Washington PostCongressman Votes for, then Forgets Ten Commandments - SPINUntil next time, thank you for listening. Look up!xWhitney and Elisabeth This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Elisabeth drops a bomb about life and death

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2022 59:52


    vol. 2 episode 13Greetings,When I was a medical reporter and editor, I would occasionally have deep conversations with various specialists. If there was a theme, covert or otherwise, to my sideline interrogations, it was to gain insights into what these physicians thought about the meaning of life. One such conversation was with a cardiac surgeon regarded for his work with cardio-electric devices. He also was a professed, devout Christian. We talked about what it was like to work within the electrical wiring of God's creation, namely the human heart, and how sacred a task he thought that was. Another such conversation with a different cardiologist I was interviewing went in a different direction. We were talking about an ablative technique in which cold burns are used to scar the heart muscle tissue. It's a procedure done in order to calm the irregular and often chaotic cardiac rhythm that occurs in atrial fibrillation. Thinking that having the power to redirect the beat of a person's entire being and thus diminish the chaos in their life was a pretty noble thing, I asked him, where did he think the original electric impulse of the heart comes from?The sinoatrial node, he said, but I knew that. I meant, before that. As in, why do cells in our hearts know they need to pulse electricity in order to get the beat going, and, in the case of people with “a-fib”, what might be the reason they literally are moving to the beat of a different drum, or in this case, a differently calibrated sinoatrial node? He got exasperated with me, and probably thought I was dumb, or annoying, which I suspect a lot of the doctors I interrogated over the years thought whenever I tried to move the conversation beyond their science and into the deeper meaning behind their science.I re-framed my question: Why do the cells know how to do what they do?He said if he knew, he'd be rich.Well, I think it's fair to say he'd not be the kind of person who would get much out of this podcast, but for those of you who think past dollars and cents, you will appreciate how in this episode, Elisabeth drops a pretty hefty bomb of a question to do with the meaning of life — and death. We then move on from the topic because, that's sometimes the nature of how this show gets put together. It's why I like to fill in the gaps with the show notes page. So, here I am telling you that I can't get out of my head what Elisabeth says in this podcast about pig parts.The story in question is from the science journal, Nature. It explores how a Yale scientist who previously restored some limited brain function in a pig four hours after its death, has now shown that it is also possible to resuscitate the heart of a pig an hour after death. Although the chemical compound the researcher experimented with to achieve this feat also seemed to preserve the integrity of some of the pig's brain tissue, there was no coordinated brain activity. This would indicate that there was “life” in the pig, but no consciousness or sentience.Here is the actual study for the geeks among us. For now, the findings don't have any clinical relevance, such as perhaps helping facilitate organ transplants, but what the study hints at is the coming ethical debate over how we should define medical death. And as Elisabeth points out, this will also invariably lead to a discussion about what evidence we need to help us define just what constitutes the beginning of life.If your mind just alighted on a certain political morass happening in the US right now, then you get a gold star sticker and an extra hall pass. But there is an even bigger context for all of this.The further along into the Age of Aquarius we find ourselves, the more astounding our medical technology will become, but what of the heart, soul, and imagination? Will we care more or less about these intangible factors as we assess the meaning and value of life? These are questions I believe we will find ourselves facing evermore as the heavens indicate the time has come for us to reflect on the spiritual lessons we have learned (or still need to learn, and to integrate) from the Age of Pisces, the “spiritual, religious” age, and increasingly benefit from the innovation promised by the Age of Aquarius.And what shall be the bridge between the two?Even though science keeps pushing the boundaries of what is “true” about the human body and mind, and thus keeps calling into question the validity of dualism, linearity, and hierarchy as the underpinnings of any workable system, including the circulatory one, the capitalist, hierarchical mindset of money über alles prevails. Thus, it is still common — and acceptable! — to tie together something as profound as how it is that a heartbeat even happens, as well as how amazing it is that we humans can even figure out how to re-direct that heartbeat, with how much profit that knowledge could mean. I don't think whether a medical professional believes in a power greater than his own in matters of the heart — and mind — is correlative to his skill. However, I prefer the God-loving cardiologist's approach over the latter physician's mechanistic view. Although I am not a Christian, thinking of myself as having a personal rhythm that was first conceived of within the vast mind of God is closer to my world view where we are all part of an ensouled universe, than is a world that isn't nuanced, but is instead reductive, all about the money.To me, that humans are as intricately amazing as we are, seems to be impelled by a design that was intended for some purpose. But for what? I think asking that question will help us build the bridge over the gap of knowledge we are meant to cross as we go from one age to the next. Consider that the bridge will be built not with ledger lines but by way of how our hearts and our minds reach toward infinity, crossing by way of our imaginations.Where do our imaginations find their own electric impulses? I do not know, but I love the quest to know.The more you listen to this podcast, the more I hope you are finding yourself pondering reality beyond the lines because no matter what our policymakers and moneymen want us to think, theirs is a paradigm that is pulling them down, whether or not they even know it. Their world is dying. We don't have to go down with it. We can learn to anticipate the waves and spirals, the cycles and circles, that move like the waves of the sea that always returns to itself.Oh, my! What a world we entered in this decade, by way of the pandemic, with the painful pile up of outer planets in Capricorn. Think of how much has changed just since the start of 2020. As the decade continues, and we see Pluto pull up to the bumper of Aquarius, while Neptune swims closer to Aries, and Uranus blasts through Taurus, I suspect it will be an entirely different world, a surprising one, we will likely be eager to leave behind. But will we be prepared to enter the new one?Yes, I think so — if you have gained skill at working with rhythms and cycles.Anyway, that's what I wanted to share with you before you listen to this podcast. As usual, Elisabeth and I also have a few good laughs, and review what happened with the most recent transits we had our eyes on.And we also entertain the question of evil, death eaters, and beasts of burden: do we need them and if so, who answers that casting call, as Elisabeth puts it.We did not have time to get to our listener questions, but rest assured, we are definitely hashing out our answers to them. Our listeners are the best, the best! With each episode, our patron subscriber list grows longer and our plans for deeper and more inclusive discussions also grows.Stay with us, and please leave your comments in the comment section below. And, we love hearts, too, so please click on them. :)Until next time, have hope and look up!Whitney (and Elisabeth, too) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    'No poop July' and other bull crap in the news

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2022 56:37


    vol. 2 episode 12Greetings,Well, it's “No Poop July” apparently. And while that headline and the subsequent story managed to turn Elisabeth and me into a couple of giggling frat boys for a moment in this episode, there are some more sobering considerations this headline points to, which we are sure to explain.Stories of stuckness are exactly the kind of “news” we'd expect during a certain astronomical-astrological cycle, namely, Mars in Taurus (sign of the bull). That's important because it's evidence of how we experience cycles within cycles in our lives every minute of every day, and those cycles and their unique kinds of energy are indeed predictable. It's no different than meteorology. Think of us as your astro-weatherwomen.The value of being able to predict these cycles is that when you can anticipate what is coming, you can leverage the energy. You can protect yourself. You can stay calm and centered, and you can find your power within. You can decide when to act, and you can do so powerfully.Conversely, the way the network news functions is to cause you to feel alarm, to stay focused on what they are saying, how they are interpreting the news for you, which is to say, you are giving your power away to them because you are paying them with your attention.What do you get in return for your investment? For me, the dividends were zip, nada, zilch. However, I came to see that the pay-off for the networks was, shall we say, astronomical.Letting infotainers and newscasters tell me what to experience, I found, was disempowering. Besides allowing my mind to be colonized by whomever was funding the particular broadcast, I found it sucked my attention out and up, toward whatever they were telling me was important to focus on. It's subtle, but it's like being led around on a leash. And while advertisers make themselves obvious, there are always secret shareholders behind the scenes whose motivations I might not ever know unless I invest still more time finding out; at that point, I just figure it's better to take my time and attention and place it somewhere else. Like — how can I empower my community? How can I be effective at applying my value system that is transparent and easily interrogated by anyone who wants to see what I am doing? What can I achieve by aligning with others who are similarly engaged, finding solutions and resolutions to what actually is happening around us, and that we can see and feel and experience?I am certain Elisabeth agrees with this, and that many of you understand what I am talking about, too.Here's a powerful example of what it's like have your mind colonized. Elisabeth sent it to me after we wrapped episode 11, where I talked about the power of story:This clip makes me both sad and angry. This woman is clearly scared. I get a pit in my stomach watching it. But why is she scared? Because the infotainer she has chosen to pay her attention to is making her scared and then telling her that if she keeps paying him attention, he and others like him will make her safe. She's been told a story by an extremely artful storyteller, who has succeeded in cultivating this woman's identity and allegiance. He has colonized her mind.That's not being centered, that's being suckered. That's awful. She is an unwitting victim, and that is an outrage.This clip underscores why in every episode of Off the Charts, we emphasize that we are offering you ways to reconsider how you trade in information. We might not explicitly call it out and say, “Here's the checklist you need to quit the news media!”, but I am not sure if that's helpful. Maybe it is, but I suspect the more authentic way to work with our podcasts is to just listen and then think about how you experience the world once you've taken in what we have to say, versus how you experience the world after you listen to the news networks, or anyone else who says, “This is what is happening, this is what is true”.For me, if I consume network infotainment without doing so consciously and without purpose, I find that I feel hollow and disturbed. It's akin to eating lots of crap food. It makes me feel off-center, buzzy, bloated, off-kilter. It's harder to be centered in that condition. And it is from a still and quiet center, a little bit of a void, that we find our power. That hollowness of inattention to ourselves, but attention to whatever the media says we need to focus on, can then return to us as potential. Hollowness or potential. They're both voids, but one is sucking you away from yourself, the other is pulling you in. Which would you prefer to be in communion with? Choosing our own adventure. This is the realm of mature souls. And I am invested in the potential of that more than I will ever be in the hollow gains of being cultivated by someone else.Also in this episode…Okay, now that my indignation has been made clear, let me share with you what other fun things are in this episode. Naturally, Elisabeth bursts into song. This time it's “War is a Science” from the musical Pippin, plus a little nod to the brave Sir Robin from Monty Python and the Holy Grail because you know, it fits our discussion of the manly man Senator from Missouri, Josh Hawley.Plus, lots of discussion about what Mars in Taurus will mean on Monday, August 1st as it meets up with Uranus and the North Node. Think “big, explosive, potentially violent, but also potentially liberating,” among other possibilities.And! We begin taking listener questions! Thank you to all of you who sent in your questions and musings. We begin with one from avid listener “Frank” who wants to know how the US Pluto return is being experienced by the various generations. We love our patrons!!!Thank you to all of those listeners who have become material supporters of OTC. We have now begun talks with hiring a production coach, and we are shopping for new equipment. YOU made that possible. And we are starting to keep a rapidly expanding library of goodies just for you, such as interesting outtakes from EG's and my conversations about the philosophy of astrology among other bits and bobs. There's one I especially like — a deep conversation we had in the making of this episode but couldn't figure where to place it. It's on how the evolution of the Placidian house system was the natural response to how Christianity had disrupted the holistic nature of pantheism that I believe is reflected in the Hellenistic house system. That hasn't been posted in our premium content library yet, but it will be soon.And finally… a little survey:Please let us know, because it will help us streamline our production process. If the majority of you don't really refer to the charts, we will not bother you with them, and will probably just put them in the paid content library as reference material. Thanks for your time and attention. We do not take it for granted. One last thing, please tap the little “love” button at the top of this post, leave your comments in the comments section by using the little “comment” icon, and please share this podcast with others you think will benefit from it, or at least find it pleasingly provocative. And of course, if you haven't yet, then:Thanks!Be hopeful. Look at the stars. (And don't flip anyone off this weekend… listen to the episode to find out why…)x Whitney and Elisabeth This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Astrologers, Baptists, and biscuits

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2022 55:12


    Vol. 2 episode 11Greetings,What do Baptists and astrologers have in common? You will have to listen to this episode to find out. Oh, how the plot here at Off the Charts! thickens.Oh, okay, I'll tell you. It's story. A good Baptist preacher and a good astrologer, or the kind Elisabeth and I like anyway, know how to tell a good story. There is a plot line, a setting, a cast of characters, a conflict that must be overcome in order to grow and be at peace…and you can identify with the whole shebang. You can derive meaning from it. You can see how it instructs the way you matter to the world, in whatever way small or large.Now, am I endorsing the Baptists? Not necessarily. But neither am I knocking them. There is nuance here, and for that, you will need to listen to this episode, since, naturally, I tell you a story of my summer among the Southern Baptists that helps flesh out my meaning.Story is the gateway and substation for how we can approach what is real and enduring in our world. For me, this is Nature. For some, such as the Baptists, it's God, but if you follow that line of thinking, God made nature, so, if you're really going to listen to the Gospel, you will have to encounter and reckon with your relationship to Nature.And if you're not ecclesiastically inclined, well, as Elisabeth (who counts several atheists among her clientele) points out, the recent photos from the Webb telescope, reaching back 4.6 billion years and perhaps reaching forward just as many years in time should stop us cold in our tracks if we think our dramas are without precedent.Here in this photo, contained in one little pinprick of starlight in the darkness, are thousands and thousands of galaxies, maybe more! Each fleck of light contains multitudes. As Elisabeth asks, how is it possible we are the only sentient beings with that many possibilities of reality creation? How can we seriously think our little boundaried lives full of up and down hierarchies and either/or thinking are a match for the mighty swell of endlessly shapeshifting light? With every photo, the blasphemy of a linear paradigm becomes more evident.Regardless of how you seek meaning and mattering in life, whether through a gospel, a clinical study, a critical analysis, a canon of some kind of literature, or like me, through Nature…story is the gateway, and with our technology showing us how endless and beautiful our possibilities are, the more important it becomes to choose which stories we want to help establish some way of being intimate with the world, lest we become lost in its infinity. Similarly, if we chose to temporarily allow ourselves to be lost in our universal infinity, we need a story to tether us to our lives, to help us find our way back.If there is a straight line, it merely intersects a circle. Where in the universe is anything proscribed by a right angle, a parallel line? Straight lines connect us to the stars, but only when we draw them, superimposing geometry onto the cycles within cycles that loop through and around us across the universe. Whether they be plot lines or lines of thought, we choose to draw lines to proscribe and describe what is too vast for us to comprehend without aid. But too often, we become fooled into thinking the lines are what are real. Yet, they are impermanent, not the truth, and entirely manmade.Our minds and our hearts are where we hear the echo of infinity.They are both the vehicles and the vortices for traveling the myriad possibilities all around us. The more we learn about the universe's past and future, the more we will be called upon to understand the import of the now. How can we do that if we do not allow ourselves to see beyond and through the lines?And astrology is one of multiple ways we can do that, as we make plain in this episode.Also in this episode…We discuss how the New York Times, per usual, when reporting something pretty damned amazing, miss the point entirely. But you won't miss the point, and it will really excite you — whaddya know!? The world is made up of cycles within cycles! And so are we! Who knew? You did because you are a fan of Off the Charts!Also, a well-known, highly respected journalist, Amanda Ripley cries foul on the media and admits she doesn't even consume news herself. Hmm. We have thoughts about this.Plus, the usual planets in review. This time we talk about Mars in Taurus and why it feels like such a slog. Maybe you've noticed. We tell you how and why. Boris Johnson, Joe Biden, and maybe you, too, can expect to feel a little burn next week.Also, who is the current poster child for this transit? None other than outgoing and disgraced UK Prime Minister BoJo whose chart also gives us an opportunity to explain a few other astrological terms you might find interesting. What might any of this say about the UK itself?We also wonder, were you impacted by the recent eclipses? How would you know? What does it even mean to be eclipsed? And what do they have to do with this damned covid that just won't stop dogging our heels in this country?Ask Us Anything!Our next episode will feature your questions. If you have wanted us to cover something or wondered why we think what we think, now's your chance to ask! Please leave your comments and questions for us by responding in the comments section of this post. Or, by clicking here:You can also visit Elisabeth's website and fill out her contact form or tweet at her!I am still here in Tennessee, where the Baptists do not mess around when it's supper time. We're talking fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and oh, I can barely stand it — cheesy biscuits. And, cakes. Lots of them. My mother helped herself to mine before dinner. (The gravy was way better than it looks.)Goodies for paid subscribers onlyIf you want more silly bits from Elisabeth and me, like proof of my obsession with Southern baked goods, or Elisabeth's penchant for bursting into song, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. I want to thank those of you who have committed your material resources to us in the past couple of weeks — I am now shopping for a new mic and better editing software!!Thank you!For you, we are sending you a special email of outtakes, including a conversation Elisabeth and I had about Jack Welch, the late CEO of GE, about whom a new book has just been released, The Man Who Broke Capitalism by David Gelles. Why now? His chart tells why. Also included, what do the Amish know…? Elisabeth can't remember.Be on the lookout for that in the next week. We will send it just when you need a little jolt of fun. :)And if you've not subscribed yet, why not? Let us know what we might be able to do that would make it worth your while. Until then, we are so grateful to you all for your continued fandom and support. Don't forget to leave a comment even if you don't have a question. And, please “like” us if you do indeed like us, because we are starting to get more attention and that can only help us get better. Until next time, look up!Whitney (and Elisabeth, too)*The answer is me! I am an astrologer who has been spending time eating biscuits at Baptist church suppers. But there are other overlaps, too, of course.Below are charts and links mentioned in this episode.The Quest by Circadian Medicine to Make the Most of Our Body Clocks - The New York TimesOpinion | What news designed for 21st century humans might look like - The Washington PostWhy Media Billionaires Gather in Sun Valley - New York Magazine This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    We're back!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2022 52:11


    vol. 1 episode 10Greetings,Here in the States, for many of us, it feels as though life as we know it is slipping away, or as the poet Rilke once described such a time, as though we stand on fishes. The ground is not solid. The light feels dark. Reaching out to touch can leave us disoriented when the other does not reach back.In the US we are experiencing our Pluto return; that is the constant “news” story for mundane astrologers and will be through the first weeks of 2024. In other venues, I have described what we are experiencing is like a slow-rolling occupation, a fascist take-over of our hearts and minds, although as I have also written elsewhere, and mention again in this podcast, there are many controlling interests involved in our current systemic breakdown for whom politics is not the point, but only a tool of expedience. And, in the US and other countries, who is right and who is wrong about who those machers actually are, is rapidly turning disagreement into fragmentation, and potentially violence.There is a lot to either fear, or face, or both.Using both classical and modern/Placidian houses, from our position here on Earth, Pluto, which talks to us about extremes and collapses, is currently appearing to move backwards in the later stages of Capricorn, a sign that talks to us about organization, status quo, and limitations. In the natal chart of the US, the version Elisabeth and I use in this podcast anyway, Pluto is thus positioned in the second house, signaling an extreme breakdown in manners to do with values, resources, and what sustains us. Here in the Northern hemisphere, Capricorn signals a return to the light in late December. Because astrology is a symbolic language, I don't get hung up on the literalness of whether it is being interpreted from the Southern or Northern hemisphere, so long as the inherent logic of the symbolic language remains intact.Regardless of whether it is becoming summer or winter, the important point is that there is a solstice that occurs in the sign of Capricorn, and so is a time we are acutely aware of how the earth turns toward and away from something simultaneously. Succinctly put: It is a threshold.Now, combine all these pieces and you can see that we are crossing a threshold which requires we turn away from what has been and face what will be. Whether we like it or not, we are being carried away from what we have sought to know as The Establishment, for good or for ill; there is a natural collapse of old structures that have organized us around our values, monetary systems, and systems of governance in the United States.There is opportunity here, and while much of it is out of our control, a lot is very much within our control. It's our ability to manage our emotions and wield our curiosity that will make all the difference. If we keep our wits about us, sometimes, we might find the solution we need is right on the tip of our nose. Learning the skill of repose also requires, as Elisabeth points out, that we face our grief over the endings we are encountering.There are other planetary transits that support this process of breakdown, but this Pluto return is the context, and thus why it is the main story for Elisabeth and me as cosmic reporters, and will be through the end of 2023.In this episode, we address what might be the necessary tools for crossing this threshold, and how astrology can better prepare you for the breakdowns that are inevitably coming. We discuss how having an understanding of the current and upcoming planetary patterns can better prepare you for what will at first seem like unending chaos, but is actually the natural motion of the cosmos that supersedes us all. And, as usual, we look at a few charts and perhaps against our better judgement, get a little snarky. Most of the charts are at the end of this post.We'd thought we'd not return from our break until mid-July, but several listeners prevailed upon us to get back in action, and since we love doing this so much, we figured why the heck not. Thank you for caring enough to bring us back from our respective kayaks in Maine and Tennessee.If you like this podcast, and regularly listen, consider subscribing to it on Substack, where it lives. Also, please share it with others. We are starting to get some attention that could lead us to help expand what we offer, but it only happens when you get involved and do your part to help us grow. You can learn more about Elisabeth's work at graceastrology.com and more about mine at ensouledconsulting.com.Until next time, which will be our regular bi-Friday (July 15), don't forget to LOOK UP!Whitney and ElisabethOff the Charts! A Stellar Newscast is a listener-supported production. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Source for charts: Elisabeth Grace/SolarFire/Astro databank. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    'O Fortuna': how much of life is destined?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2022 43:14


    vol. 1 episode 9Greetings,What's the point of it all? Are we enslaved hamsters on a wheel going nowhere, or are we participants in and witnesses to a never-ending wave of cycles and patterns that turn like the seasons, whirling its majesty through and around us?It's a topic Elisabeth and I get into in this episode, musing how even when we think we're in control, maybe we're not, and when we think we're acting of our own accord, we're just fulfilling our destiny. Most of all, why astrology can be trusted to give us the keys to the ride, and a map for the journey, even if it's a circular one.Ironically, we kick off philosophizing with silliness that turns out to be utterly on point. If you're a Cole Porter fan and know his song “Let's Call the Whole Thing Off”, and you're familiar with this rousing ass-kicker by Carl Orff:then you'll get my stupid intro joke. But even if you're not, what's faaahscinating, as Elisabeth would say, is that without realizing it, in our goofiness, we allude to this early 20th Century German work, one of the classical Western canon's greatest hits, that points to the very conversation we have about the nature of human existence. Funny how that happens…these little synchronicities of life. Carmina Burana's opening piece, “O Fortuna”, laments that no matter how hard the narrator tries to live his up and down, hierarchical life, that damned other paradigm, the one that features the Wheel of Life, just keeps pulling him under. I mean, what a crank. All he can see is that whatever he tries to build and hold on to disappears. He's pretty bitter about it, too: “Fate, monstrous and empty, you whirling wheel, you are malevolent…” yada, yada. Lots of complaining. Here's the full text if you want to get a load of all that tsuris.But, as this fun video performance of the work shows by way of some spectacular special effects, structures of stone and steel do eventually collapse, even the cathedrals we have imbued over centuries with the ideals and beliefs we hold sacrosanct. It is inevitable because Nature, which includes the wheeling cosmos, is the ultimate paradigm, the one that will always supersede the straight up and down linear one. The grousing over dashed aims, such as in “O Fortuna”, is the sound of self pity that arises when Saturn, god of structure, tradition, and karma (among many other areas of human experience) meets with Neptune, bringer of dreams and inspired visions, but also soggy, foggy, delusions.Is it possible for these two visions of reality to exist and more to the point, function simultaneously instead of piteously? Well, one of these paradigms is currently falling down around our ears while the other one rolls on…that alone should tell us that we are the ones insisting on our limitations by trying to keep Saturnian things like corporations and governments “in line”. Maybe if we choose to accept the wheel as the true pattern of life instead of the line, then the line becomes more productive, a spoke instead of the point of it all. We do need structure, after all. In this episode, we talk about how this dynamic is currently taking shape in the US, as Saturn and Neptune are unable to see each other from where they currently are traveling in the heavens, but how being blind to one another, they still each have a line of site to all the other celestial components that signal what goes in to making a society civil, or not. How will this play out?Well, lots of things have to happen between now and the summer of 2025, but Elisabeth in her inimitable way of clearly breaking down the technical stuff, explains why by then, we should have a pretty good idea as to whether the US will succeed in switching paradigms, or will commit itself to living, and now clearly dying, by the sword of Damocles we set up over all our heads when we insisted on building a nation predicated on the hierarchy of genocide and slavery. After all, you can't hold your place in a straight line unless you determine that some people don't deserve to ever be ahead of you in that line. You'd have to kill and chain them back! Will enough of us conclude the dream/delusion of specialness conferred by donning these Neptunian, shimmery robes embroidered with “entitled to be first” were woven from a fantastical betrayal, more than they were made of reality? How might the energy of that dream/delusion be repurposed if enough of us slip out of these robes and seek to try on something else?At the very least, think of the summer of 2025 as a critical turning point.We make a few predictions, too, including when I suggest that our generation's Emmett Till moment, currently being called for by a lot of people across all sectors of society, is coming, probably as early as this weekend when Venus meets Uranus. What would such a moment look like, and why will it be shocking? Elisabeth wants me to issue a trigger warning for how I go about telling you, but that annoyed me, so this is our compromise. Consider yourself warned. I think it's well past time we get graphic if that is what it takes to rip down the curtain of secrecy that shrouds the priests of patriarchy, the pillars of the linear paradigm, the sickos who are just fine with our nation's children being decimated.However, although we recorded this before the Congressional hearings about the insurrection on January 6, 2021, I am writing these show notes after a night of fast and furious texting between myself and Elisabeth about the riveting and shocking (Uranus) testimony by female Capitol Hill Police Officer Caroline Edwards (Venus), the first police victim to testify. In graphic, disturbing detail, she told how she endured hours of hand-to-hand combat:"There were officers on the ground, they were bleeding. They were throwing up. … I saw friends with blood all over their faces. I was slipping in people's blood.“When I fell behind that line … I can just remember my breath catching in my throat because what I saw was just a war scene,” Edwards said. “It was carnage. It was chaos.”And we answer a listener's question: why is Elisabeth so much gloomier about the future than I am? By way of explanation, Elisabeth offers a nifty Chinese proverb that when my husband overheard it as I was editing this podcast, he said it's featured in the rather good and surprisingly humorous Tom Hanks' movie, Charlie Wilson's War. That movie gives some context to how a short-sighted decision not to remain in Afghanistan in the 80s paved the way for the Twin Towers to be brought down.The moral of the story in both the movie and Elisabeth's telling of it, being that if you can't see how the good and bad always contour one another, you risk being ill-prepared for what is to come. Put another way, nothing's over until it's over.Two other interesting events of note that happened after we wrapped production of this podcast: actor and Uvalde, Tex., native, Matthew McConaughey's impassioned speech in favor of no more weapons of war in our streets, and in which he asks about how do we prove we value what we say matters, yet another theme of this episode; and, a suicidal-homicidal man was arrested after he called authorities asking for help to prevent killing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a bizarre story that fully illustrates every current transit Elisabeth spells out is happening now, including that between May 29 and today, June 10, the only exact aspects among the planets are ones that involve the Moon. That leaves lots of space between all the other kids in the cosmic sandbox. Will they start throwing sand in each other's eyes? Or, as the Moon is carrying the light of all the other celestial bodies to and from one another, will the she help them see one another more clearly, especially as they try to inform Saturn of what Neptune has to say, and vice versa…If you'd like to learn more about the forecast that precipitated this podcast, including why Elisabeth is itching to share just what it is in McConaughey's chart that she says makes it plainly clear that he'd be a rising star right about now, and that the right wing media would attack him, then please visit her website: graceastrology.comFor more about me, poke around this page here. You will get a good sense of why and how I do what I do. And of course, I encourage you to subscribe.Meanwhile, I am looking up at the stars. I hope you are, too.Peace,Whitney (for Elisabeth, too)Thank you for reading Ensouled: The Journal of Cultural Astronomy. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    They fear death so we die instead

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2022 63:51


    vol. 2 episode 8Greetings,When the shattered bones and sinews of 9- and 10-year-olds, and the entrails and hearts of community elders, lay mutilated at the feet of 50 senators who refuse to loosen their grip on power, there is indeed a mental health crisis in this country.It is in the fossilized minds of these holdouts of l'ancien régime, the old and dying dynasty petrified of toppling from where it is perched at the top of our decaying system of government. But topple, it will. That is what Episode 8 of Off the Charts! explores. Our democracy in its present form is a simulacrum of its intended truth and beauty. It is a classic trick of Saturn, whose commitment to time and tradition fools us into thinking what was, is now and forever what will be. The 50's lack of will to vote on legislation, already crafted, that would help stem the tide of weapons of war — not handguns, body-destroying weapons of war — being used to randomly kill and decimate American citizens goes beyond their slavishness to the gun lobby. It is evidence of their abject fear of Death's power over them. Do they think they can outsmart it? Outrun it? Overcome it? The foolishness of their belief that power stays put in the hands of those who cling to it is coming to light. But Saturn is also the energy of the Grim Reaper, and while Death is, appropriately so, now on our collective minds, it is the fear of its inevitability that makes The 50 and their kind crazy. While they hide from Death behind their altars of false piety, altars not to God or whatever is holy, but altars only to themselves, we see there glistening, the shattered bodies of the children and elders The 50 have left as sacrifices to their cowardice.Death has many faces, including Liberation. It is in this face of Death we are witnessing our splintered “leadership” fracture further into insignificant white dust. For as current celestial patterns indicate we will continue to see, Liberation equates with the end of their reign, the end of their occupation over us. The cosmos is signaling that it is a time of explosions, piercings, brittle shards scattering. The less aware of these powerful tides washing over humanity now, the more terrifying, random, and chaotic the world will seem. Which is why at this time in our painful, violent history, to focus only on the potential legislation The 50 refuse to acknowledge is a potential trap. If they sign it into law, Death will not cease to come for them, for us, or for our current system of government. Death will come, bidden or unbidden. But the forms of life it takes from us, the way in which it liberates us, the kind of commerce it and our souls might have — that is not determined. Negotiating these intimacies with Death requires a conscious awareness The 50, quaking in their secret caverns of crusty power, clearly do not possess, and show no interest in developing.But the rest of us can develop such commerce with Death and its many liberating faces of change. What's more, we can show others how to also accumulate the light of that kind of power.Elisabeth and I earnestly hope that this episode will help you find the peace and resolve to help you float atop this wave of terror that the fossilized 50 and their kind are helping transmit by remaining intractable, immovable, frozen to their shell of power.This is a dense episode, where we are both philosophical, reassuring, and committed to using the pain of this present moment of uniquely American violence to help you develop a new perspective, one that will properly inflame your indignation, and ignite the passion of your own, individual heart and mind's connection to the future. That future is there, reaching through us with its potential for goodness to elevate us, even when it seems we are sinking ever lower.In this episode, we cover the astrological, cosmic perspectives on:Why in a country were mass shootings occur regularly, has the one in Buffalo, NY and in Uvalde, TX happened at this particular moment and in this particular fashion?Why can we expect more of the same and when?Why are violent and untimely deaths of our nation's children inevitable in this paradigm?How do current cosmological patterns ensure we will see more grasping — but also a loosening of the grip — from the fossils in Congress, especially the Senate?What lessons of President Lyndon Baines Johnson's Great Society can we anticipate as possible rising again in the next decade, and why?Why are we seeing so much disruption in what has traditionally given us a sense of peace and security in our country?What goodness can come out of this decay?What are the cosmological roots of “disaster”, and how can we prevent it?What is the harm (it's real) in dedicating ourselves to reformation instead of making space for a new paradigm?Why does the astrology of the upcoming hearings on the attempted coup of our nation on January 6, 2021, favor the truth coming to light and a turning point in our current entrenched battles for control?Why are we hopeful and what sustains us?With gratitude for your continued support and encouragement, we ask that you share this episode with at least one other soul you believe would be inspired by our message, and also click the “like” button.Thank you for your support. You can also become a sustaining member of our growing community by clicking this link:To read the forecasts from which these podcasts are produced, or to book a consultation with Elisabeth, visit: graceastrology.comTo learn more about my own consulting practice, visit: ensouledastrology.comBelow are links to charts and other information mentioned in this episode.Peace,Whitney + ElisabethPS: sorry about some crackles in the audio, here and there. The US natal chart, The “Sibley” chartWhen Empires Fall: meditations on being an occupied nationFrom historian, Heather Cox Richardson, PhD:And the charts of the NRA, the Republican Party, and the shooter in Ulvade: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    They fear Death and so we die instead

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2022 63:51


    vol. 2 episode 8It is in the fossilized minds of these holdouts of l'ancien régime, the old and dying dynasty petrified of toppling from where it is perched at the top of our decaying system of government. But topple, it will. That is what Episode 8 of Off the Charts! explores. Our democracy in its present form is a simulacrum of its intended truth and beauty. It is a classic trick of Saturn, whose commitment to time and tradition fools us into thinking what was, is now and forever what will be. The 50's lack of will to vote on legislation, already crafted, that would help stem the tide of weapons of war — not handguns, body-destroying weapons of war — being used to randomly kill and decimate American citizens goes beyond their slavishness to the gun lobby. It is evidence of their abject fear of Death's power over them. Do they think they can outsmart it? Outrun it? Overcome it? The foolishness of their belief that power stays put in the hands of those who cling to it is coming to light. But Saturn is also the energy of the Grim Reaper, and while Death is, appropriately so, now on our collective minds, it is the fear of its inevitability that makes The 50 and their kind crazy. While they hide from Death behind their altars of false piety, altars not to God or whatever is holy, but altars only to themselves, we see there glistening, the shattered bodies of the children and elders The 50 have left as sacrifices to their cowardice.Death has many faces, including Liberation. It is in this face of Death we are witnessing our splintered “leadership” fracture further into insignificant white dust. For as current celestial patterns indicate we will continue to see, Liberation equates with the end of their reign, the end of their occupation over us. The cosmos is signaling that it is a time of explosions, piercings, brittle shards scattering. The less aware of these powerful tides washing over humanity now, the more terrifying, random, and chaotic the world will seem. Which is why at this time in our painful, violent history, to focus only on the potential legislation The 50 refuse to acknowledge is a potential trap. If they sign it into law, Death will not cease to come for them, for us, or for our current system of government. Death will come, bidden or unbidden. But the forms of life it takes from us, the way in which it liberates us, the kind of commerce it and our souls might have — that is not determined. Negotiating these intimacies with Death requires a conscious awareness The 50, quaking in their secret caverns of crusty power, clearly do not possess, and show no interest in developing.But the rest of us can develop such commerce with Death and its many liberating faces of change. What's more, we can show others how to also accumulate the light of that kind of power.Elisabeth and I earnestly hope that this episode will help you find the peace and resolve to help you float atop this wave of terror that the fossilized 50 and their kind are helping transmit by remaining intractable, immovable, frozen to their shell of power.This is a dense episode, where we are both philosophical, reassuring, and committed to using the pain of this present moment of uniquely American violence to help you develop a new perspective, one that will properly inflame your indignation, and ignite the passion of your own, individual heart and mind's connection to the future. That future is there, reaching through us with its potential for goodness to elevate us, even when it seems we are sinking ever lower.In this episode, we cover the astrological, cosmic perspectives on:Why in a country were mass shootings occur regularly, has the one in Buffalo, NY and in Uvalde, TX happened at this particular moment and in this particular fashion?Why can we expect more of the same and when?Why are violent and untimely deaths of our nation's children inevitable in this paradigm?How do current cosmological patterns ensure we will see more grasping — but also a loosening of the grip — from the fossils in Congress, especially the Senate?What lessons of President Lyndon Baines Johnson's Great Society can we anticipate as possible rising again in the next decade, and why?Why are we seeing so much disruption in what has traditionally given us a sense of peace and security in our country?What goodness can come out of this decay?What are the cosmological roots of “disaster”, and how can we prevent it?What is the harm (it's real) in dedicating ourselves to reformation instead of making space for a new paradigm?Why does the astrology of the upcoming hearings on the attempted coup of our nation on January 6, 2021, favor the truth coming to light and a turning point in our current entrenched battles for control?Why are we hopeful and what sustains us?With gratitude for your continued support and encouragement, we ask that you share this episode with at least one other soul you believe would be inspired by our message, and also click the “like” button.Thank you for your support. You can also become a sustaining member of our growing community by clicking this link:To read the forecasts from which these podcasts are produced, or to book a consultation with Elisabeth, visit: graceastrology.comTo learn more about my own consulting practice, visit: ensouledastrology.comBelow are links to charts and other information mentioned in this episode.Peace,Whitney + ElisabethPS: sorry about some crackles in the audio, here and there. The US natal chart, The “Sibley” chartWhen Empires Fall: meditations on being an occupied nationFrom historian, Heather Cox Richardson, PhD:And the charts of the NRA, the Republican Party, and the shooter in Ulvade: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Religion isn't real, but let me tell you what is

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2022


    vol. 2 episode 7Greetings,Elisabeth wants to know, has anyone ever told two professional astrologers to expect major delays and snafus during periods of Mercury retrograde, especially when it comes to it being in Gemini (communication) and there is a podcast and newsletter that needs to go out?I wonder.Meanwhile, it seems I have nothing better to do with my life than re-record, re-edit, re-record, re-edit, and re-gret not having started this sooner in the week, but here it is, Episode 7!It's a lot of fun to listen to. It even starts with a joke. Then it gets a little dark when I tell you my heavier thoughts about the pain of religion, why people with opinions are getting on my nerves, why I am so thin-skinned lately, and why you might have felt that way too this week, and how our national rates of depression, anxiety, and what's happening in America now astrologically are related. (And yet, we still manage to laugh throughout the episode…)We discuss why some of that is in the rearview mirror, but don't look now, because here come the holy rollers to crusade with a passion for the next several months as Jupiter hangs out in Aries, something I suggest means we will see more anger in the streets.Which is going to matter as Roe v. Wade unravels. We discuss why the important court decision is under attack now, at this moment in history, according to its own natal chart. Elisabeth reminds us how the predictions she made last episode about how women and sexuality would come under attack, have uh, neatly transpired, and what to expect next.In fact, astrology has some very keen insights to offer about why it was Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's thoughts in particular about what to do with the problem of, you know, women, that got made public. Astrology also tells us when more of his private thoughts will likely be made public again, and why. We talk about SCOTUS Judge Brett Kavanaugh's chart, too, and how he will play into this moment of crunch time where if you meet these three criteria: 1) you have a uterus, 2) you like to be the one to decide what happens to it and 3) you vote.And then we don't cry over the crocodile tears shed by former staffers to the late Senator John McCain, who only now would like to inform us that they knew years ago about the corrupting influences in the Republican Party but didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Like Senator McCain's.Astrology has a lot to say about that, too. And I have thoughts about the media, as you can imagine. As for the astrology, it's a great lesson in how to interpret Jupiter and Neptune together in a natal chart. Lastly, I tell you a funny story about the time I rode in the Capitol Hill subway with Senator McCain.Are there charts you might want to see to aid your comprehension of the more technical side of what we discuss here? Yes! Of course there are! See the end of this note.Thank you for all your support. Please keep telling others about our podcast, and consider becoming a material supporter.To see the long division that is the backbone of this podcast, check out Elisabeth's weekly mundane forecast here: graceastrology.com.You guys are stars in our eyes.Look up!Elisabeth and WhitneyCHARTS REFERRED TO IN THIS EPISODEhttps://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Alito,_Samuelhttps://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Brett_Kavanaughhttps://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Law:_Roe_v._Wadehttps://www.astro.com/astro-databank/McCain,_John This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    When bad guys do bad things, do they know they are bad, and when will they stop it?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2022 57:37


    vol. 2 episode 6Greetings, On this episode, we take a question from a listener who wants to know about the karmic nature of evil and what astrology might have to teach us about finding our way back to the light after spending time elsewhere. My take on this is that what is light to one person is still darkness to another, and vice versa — some people prefer the dark and see their way through it just fine. For peace in our lives, I suggest it's important we not impose our version of good and evil on others, or else we're just reiterating the same old hierarchical paradigm that has gotten us into our current global existential crisis. I offer a whole different plan of action, one I personally have found productive and so plan to continue. Hint: it's something you probably learned how to do when you were still too short to ride the rides. Okay, I will tell you: Be nice. Respect the circle of life, as in the cycles and patterns of the spheres. This has powerful effect.To make my point, I refer to the conflict between Batman and R'as al Guhl, the head of the League of Shadows that hopes to recruit Batman to their side. It leads Elisabeth and me to a trippy conversation about a perversion of the feminine (yin), hierarchy, and rising above the old paradigms that trap us all, if we agree to be trapped. I think you will like it, but you can let us know by putting your thoughts in the comments section of this post.Also, per usual, we analyze recent events in the news from an astrological perspective, including more US Pluto return news and the various ways the Neptune/Jupiter/Venus conjunction in Pisces is playing out. We explore how two radically different individuals, Greta Thunberg and Kyle Rittenhouse, born on the same day, can have similar charts but diametrically opposed destinies. And, Elisabeth does a boffo job explaining how Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis's recent threats to yank special tax status and other privileges from Walt Disney World in Orlando are happening right on time, according to Walt Disney's own natal chart.It's also eclipse season, so we tell you what you can expect now that it's that time when the lights go out for a wee spell…Remember, the astronomy of this is that a new moon eclipse, which is what we will have tomorrow (April 30 at 4:41 PM EDT), is a solar eclipse, because the Moon is blocking the light of the Sun from us here on Earth. Before you cruise on to reading the next astronomical explainer, recall that our Moon is essentially the exact same size in diameter as the Sun when viewed from Earth! The elegance and symmetry of this does blow one's mind, well it does mine, when I think about how perfect that is. Then, on May 16, (12:11 AM EDT), we'll have a lunar eclipse because, why? C'mon, you can do it…yes! The Moon's light is blocked by the Earth. And extra credit if you said that it's not really the Moon's light, but the Sun's light as reflected by the Moon, which leads me to this quick astrological reflection (nice pun): the Moon, which tells us about our emotional temperament, is what silvers the fiery gold will of the Sun, which gives us insight into our sense of purpose on Earth.Because Earth rotates on its axis at a slight tilt, eclipses only occur when things line up within the same plane of the ecliptic, which is the perceived path of the Sun around the Earth from our geocentric perspective. If you were to diagram how this looks over the course of several eclipses, you'd get an undulating line, like a serpent, and that is why in Jyotish and Hellenistic astrology, this path of the Moon is referred to as the head and tail of the dragon, known astronomically — and less poetically — as the lunar nodes.In astrology, we get the extra layer of meaning because we consider in which Zodiacal sign and degree the eclipses are occurring. This time around, it's a solar eclipse in Taurus, and a lunar eclipse in Scorpio. Here's what Elisabeth says about that in her weekly forecast:A New Moon in Taurus needs to establish and maintain material comfort and security. The keywords for Taurus are I HAVE. Moon in Taurus people are more likely than others to be tactile. Famous people with Moon in Taurus include: Prince Charles, Elizabeth Warren, Mick Jagger, Meryl Streep, Amma (the Hugging Saint) and of course, President Joe Biden.Solar eclipses act like a “bottleneck” of energy. Light flowing from the Sun is temporarily interrupted, focusing attention on that interrupted point. As light is held back, something new and possibly fragile may enter the picture and grow. And here I would be thinking of Michael, the kindhearted policeman in the storybook Make Way for Ducklings, who stopped the flow of traffic on Beacon Street so Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their brood of eight could safely make their way to the Boston Public Garden. Otherwise, they would have been roadkill. Got that?Often the seeds planted for growth during an eclipse are hidden. Sometime later, when the eclipse is activated by a transiting planet, whatever was planted can make itself known quite suddenly and forcefully. And once it's out, there's no going back.Here's an example of an eclipse trigger. On January 10, 2020, we had an eclipse at 20 degrees of Cancer/Capricorn. It was a lunar eclipse, offering illumination and release. This is when the novel coronavirus was named and its genetic sequence released. Countries began mobilizing to deal with it. In early March 2020, Jupiter hit 20 Capricorn, followed by Mars on March 17th. That's when most of the world went into lockdown. Then, on December 14, 2020, Mars was at 20 Aries for the third time this year (because Mars was retrograde). 20 Aries is a square to 20 Cancer/Capricorn, thus triggering the eclipse again. That's the day the first Covid vaccine was administered in the U.S. The planet representing the vaccine in the chart for that event is Mars! Meanwhile, in the UK, a mutation of Covid-19 that spreads faster than the original was identified. Coincidence or conspiracy?This week's solar eclipse will be triggered by Mars on July 20th. Make a note of it, especially if you are Willie Nelson, who celebrates a birthday on 4/30.We recorded this early in the morning, so Elisabeth sounds grumpy. Don't take any notice — she's not mad at you, she's just not fully caffeinated. She still offers useful insights into how what a person “needs” motivates how they choose to act, and how she uses the natal chart to predict these choices.She also tells us about Sabian Symbols, how to anticipate what the Piscean conjunction has yet to bring, and other newsy tidbits, although she does come after me when I try to offer you some free astrological advice…but I have to agree in the end that she was right, you shouldn't do what I said. Or at least, if you do, you should run it past us after you do. Ensouled: The Journal of Cultural Astronomy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.Naturally, we encourage you to become a material supporter of our podcast, as doing so will mean you have invested in its success, which we hope is something you're rooting for!Below are links that will help make sense of topics discussed in this episode. If you'd like to check out the mundane forecasts on which this podcast series is based, visit her website at graceastrology.com.And, if you'd like Elisabeth to give you a sweet and short, and eminently affordable ($52), look at how the upcoming eclipses will affect you personally, you can do that here, and be sure to put “Ensouled Eclipse Report” in the message.If you want to learn more about me and my services, here's where to go for that.Thanks for listening. Look up!Whitney and ElisabethLinks and references used in this episode:Batman BeginsBatman's nemesis, R'as al Guhl A short piece I previously wrote about kindnessMore on fixed stars that sting: Algol and Ras AlhagueSabian Symbols, explainedCourt filing with Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony embeddedNote the use of word "dissolves" in this headline about Disney World losing its special status; in the language of astrology, Neptune signifies things that “dissolve”, and it is all things Neptunian that are highlighted in Walt Disney's chart currently. Yes, even posthumously. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Jupiter meets Neptune in Pisces: Kiss the mermaid before she swims away

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2022 51:23


    vol. 2 episode 5Greetings,Well, it's here. Sweet redemption. Jupiter, Elisabeth's favorite Cosmic Sugar Daddy, now holds the hand of Neptune, Lord of the Waters, and Venus has joined them in her temple of exaltation, Pisces, where this love-in, the first of its kind since 1856, washes us in waves of oceanic love. Yes, even you, worried as you are about the return of covid (Neptune can herald viruses, Jupiter heralds expansion and thus, things that spread), or the spread of war from the Ukraine to parts beyond (see Jupiter and “big”, as in big egos), you, along with everyone else, are now swimming in a sea of beautiful possibilities. Sure, we always are, but sometimes the mermaids come and grant us our wishes, and sometimes we are just treading water either waiting to be rescued or catching our breath before we start paddling again. Time to say hello to these shimmering beauties, maybe even give them a smooch before they swim away, not to return for another 188 years when this party repeats.That is about as frou frou as I get, so let's plunge on…in this episode, Elisabeth and I not only celebrate this celestial event, occurring most potently now through Easter Sunday, April 17, we break down why it's so important, especially if you are the sort of future-oriented person who knows that what you do today does in fact shape what happens tomorrow. Not just in your own life, but in the lives of others. We tell you how this particular star pattern works in service to future dream seeding and why. Might as well take advantage of it so you can bend the universe toward what is less shitty than viruses and war.But it's not all sweetness and light (although it's mostly that).I go on a few rants, too: how the New York Times gets it wrong on astrology (really, not just bad manners, but stupid, bad journalism); how astrology is NOT a language of generalities and inanities, but a precise language of syntax, even if it is full of nuance in our lives; and most important, how to understand cause and effect v. personal agency when considering how astrology works.And, as part of our examination of the ways in which Neptune and Jupiter together have a dark potential, we rip through CBS's dastardly decision to hire an accomplice to criminality, namely, White House Chief of Staff under the former president, Mick Mulvaney, and what this means for you as a person who needs accurate information to assess the world at large.As always, we are highly skeptical of the corporate media's motives, and remind you that as a thinking, caring citizen, you have the real power to mediate what is good and true in the universe. Also, I note that there are places to go when the media lets you down. Here is one of them: my most recent podcast over at our sister publication, docu-mental, this time with novelist-turned-citizen-journalist, Greg Olear. He's the author of Dirty Rubles: An Introduction to Trump/Russia, as well as the publisher of a three-times weekly newsletter dedicated to the bringers of the light of good times ahead, PREVAIL. Greg and I talk about what to do when no one else is doing what you know needs to be done, even if you're not the obvious person who should be the one to do it. And even though I make a point in this episode of saying that you need to ask the experts for expert insight, there are times when other experts can see what the insiders don't. If we're going to stop being spoon fed what to think, then knowing who to trust requires an open mind as well as some street smarts. Thank you, thank you for your continued support. And if you'd like to support us materially, it will help us toward our goal of replacing our current producer (that would be me) with a better one. You can do that by becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter by clicking the link below:If you want to read the forecasts on which this podcast is based, subscribe to Elisabeth's weekly update here.We love your feedback, so thank you for sending it to us. You can also leave your comments on the iTunes app and other places where you get your podcasts, like this app!Thank you for everything, and until next time, Look up!xx Whitney and Elisabeth This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    Toppling kings, tyrants, and holier-than-thousies

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2022 42:41


    vol. 2 episode 4Greetings,Who cares about all that bleep that went down at the Oscars? When it comes to the gossipy bits, not us. But when a man (Will Smith) who is being decorated for playing a “king”, publicly slaps a man (Chris Rock) with impunity, Elisabeth and I see a celestial pattern at play, one that Americans of all stripes might want to clue in on because it's a pattern that has been intensifying, one which has the potential to lead us to a more humanitarian ethos if we examine it and participate in how it plays out in the future. You know, stuff you won't hear about on the mainstream news.In Episode 4, we also examine how patterns that show us what happens when we put ourselves above others are starting to shift, and what that might mean for the fossils (and fossil fuel paradigm) among us.And, how come astrologers can easily predict why certain people like Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Tex.) will make headlines, and why do we have Senator Cruz's natal chart anyway?Elisabeth brings our attention to a peculiar overlap between the US Pluto return and the charts of Supreme Court Justices, and suggests that some significant shifts are poised to occur… Plus, a philosophical discussion about fate vs. free will, making peace with the ghosts of crumbling structures, why Elisabeth wants you to know why she doesn't “believe” in astrology — and neither do her atheist clients who consult the stars — but why we both believe something more evolved and advanced is coming, hastened by activities such as this podcast. And, not to be outdone by the appearance of Executive Producer (and miniature Schnauzer) Schroeder Fishburn on a previous episode, Pepper the Cat demands your attention. It's all here in Episode 4.Be sure to go outside and look up, share this podcast with others, and download the new app!To read the materials on which this podcast is based, visit Elisabeth's forecast at graceastrology.com.And, please, because your support means we can hire a better producer than our current one (me), consider materially supporting Ensouled.Thank you!Peace,Whitney and Elisabeth This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

    You're smart so why do you believe in astrology?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2022 41:05


    vol. 2 episode 3Greetings,“You're educated. Why do you believe in astrology?”It's a question I get asked a lot. Or, worse, not asked, but judged quietly because I have gone to “the dark side”. Except my dark side twinkles with light and it's beautiful.There are those who tell me in confidence that they, too, believe in astrology, but don't want to flaunt that. Yet, many of my peers and former colleagues (I was a clinical medicine reporter), who are 50 years of age and upwards, are mystified. Younger generation Americans and others who make up the majority of my clientele get it — they know without question how busted our current paradigm of reality is and find meaning in the archetypal metaphors the universe offers.And, of course, there's that I live in Washington, DC where back in the 1980s, when it became known that President Reagan had an astrologer, the field became an easy target of mockery.Nevertheless, I persist. And with good reason. More on that in a moment.First, I want to invite you to relax that sneer and take a deep breath. There is reason for hope in the world, even today, as bombs rain down on an innocent nation.Regardless of how much you know about astrology, in Episode 3, Elisabeth and I make it clear how today's Virgo full moon opposing the Sun in Pisces strongly signals that despite the grim chaos currently enveloping Eastern Europe, there are currents of hope that we all have access to right now, and how knowing how to connect with and ride them can help us calmly root to a more peaceful and productive future.Think I am talking bull puckey? That puts you in a growing minority of people who desire to cling to our world's broken and outdated paradigm of pain and separation, as we discuss in this episode. The rest of us are ready to face the future with anticipation, not trepidation, nor the ersatz causes for anxiety and depression manufactured for the sake of keeping us sedated and Zombified. And you thought The Walking Dead was just an enduring network franchise, kind of like its namesake. No. It's a metaphor for how we're limping through the motions of the Old World, constantly reinforced by the lazy and increasingly useless corporate media monopolies. In the new paradigm of the living, indicated by a weirdly named but wonderfully productive celestial event called The Great Mutation, opportunities abound for making new myths that are lush with meaning, connection, and personal significance. It's a paradigm where if you can properly read the landscape, there is a place for you to relax, feel grateful, and not harassed by the prescriptive world of hierarchy where you are supposed to know your place and not step away from it. In this episode, we describe the signposts of this dawning world, beginning with my own impassioned, but not defensive, explanation for why I have come to see the stars as the most exquisite of navigation systems. Elisabeth then connects the dots between the full moon in Virgo, the Sun in Pisces, the coming Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, Jupiter and Neptune's coming conjunction in April, and a few other planetary passages that have led to this moment in time where we can see a future that is not all doom and gloom.If you want to know more about how “conjunctions” function (sounds catchy, like School House Rock!) and retrogrades appear to move planets backward, among other astro-jargon, please listen to our first two episodes.But you don't need to have a tight grasp on the inner workings of astrology to understand our meaning here. All you need is a willingness to stop believing life is random and meaningless, full of drudgery and survival of the fittest.It's a shorter than usual episode, in part because of technical difficulties that meant I had to edit out more than I would have liked. It is an issue that you can help solve, however by becoming a member of the Ensouled community. Your material support will help us meet our high production values by allowing us to hire a producer and upgrade our equipment. We know our content is fresh, novel, and relevant. Your support will help us become smoother, and more polished. If you're considering supporting us but figure it's just as easy to keep enjoying content without paying for it — we all do that somewhere, myself included — then Elisabeth and I would like to offer you a few gifts to entice you over to the paying side. Elisabeth has created a Mercury Retrograde Survival Guide she will send you if you join at any level, and I will give those who join at the $150 level a recorded astrological reading, a $125 value which you can read more about here. The offer is good through March 31, 2022.If subscribing is not something you can do right now, there are other ways you can support us, such as sharing our podcast with others. Just forward this email to them or send them the link on your favorite podcast platform. Ensouled even has a new smart phone app you can download and share:As always, thank you for listening. And don't forget to leave your comments and to rate us on iTunes and elsewhere. We read and respond to it all.One last thing…Look up!Peace,Whitney show notes:To read mundane astrologer and co-host of Off the Charts! Elisabeth Grace's weekly forecast or to book an appointment with her. Visit her website.To learn more about my own astrology consulting business, you can go here.To listen to my podcast with author, Zen Buddhist, and business professor, Ron Purser, on his book McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality, go here:And to get a giggle but also an education on how the petroleum industry makes you feel to blame for carbon emissions, Jon Stewart is right here: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ensouled.substack.com/subscribe

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