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Things We Know About Our Current Season of Crisis, by Jo Graham

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

There is no longer a question of whether the Crisis of 2020 will happen—we are deep in it. The question has now become what will happen. Impeachment, which a few years ago would have been the event of the decade, is now totally eclipsed by the COVID-19 epidemic. By the end of the year, that, too, may be eclipsed by the next crescendo of the crisis. This is how the saecular season of Winter unfolds: one storm after another batters us.

The concept of the saeculum, the Great Year, comes to us from the Etruscans. Like the Wheel of the Year, the Great Year has four seasons, each about twenty years long, with the entire cycle taking about eighty years—the length of a long human lifespan. In other words, every eighty years or so, we pass through an era of crisis, our saecular Winter.

Let's count backwards. Eighty years back from 2020 is 1940, with the world at war and the US on the brink of World War II. Eighty years beyond that brings us to 1860 and the beginning of the Civil War. Eighty-four years beyond that brings us to 1776 and the American Revolution. And so on back: the rhythm of our lives is the rhythm of the long seasons. Winter comes, a crisis comes to a head and is resolved. Spring comes and we expand in optimism and hope. Summer comes and we are laden with passionate uncertainty as society undergoes social change. Autumn comes and we grow cynical at the same time that the pursuit of wealth becomes paramount. Each season repeats in its turn throughout history.

Therefore, it's no surprise that 2020 is a year of crisis in a season of crisis. While we cannot ever entirely predict the exact form of the crisis, we can absolutely predict there will be crises, just as we can predict cold weather in winter. We may not be able to say months ahead that it will snow on a particular date, but it's no surprise if you live in Minneapolis that it snows in January!

In other words, we might not have been able to exactly predict COVID-19, but we could certainly see the signs that our medical systems and infrastructure have been stressed for a long time, leaving them vulnerable to an outside event that would test them to the max. Sooner or later, some event would. It's like driving on a tire that's low. It might not blow this time, but sooner or later it will unless you fix the tire. When it does blow, it's not a shock.

History tells us that each crisis era lasts 4-7 years before it reaches resolution. Based on our Pagan understanding of the Great Wheel, in mid-2020 we have perhaps five years of Winter ahead of us. What can we expect in the next months? What is our long-range forecast?

In the summer and autumn of 2020 we can expect an increase in climate-related natural disasters. Record warmth over the winter has left sea temperatures unusually high, which often presages an active hurricane season with strong storms. What storms will reach the US and when is entirely variable, but it is likely that at least one major hurricane will come ashore in the Gulf or Eastern Seaboard with serious consequences. Likewise, the corresponding dry and hot temperatures in the West make an active fire season probable. It's no secret that fire season has been getting worse. We can expect that to continue.

The Election of 2020 will be unlike any other in our lifetime, perhaps unlike any other in American history. Bluntly, if Donald Trump loses, do you think he will shake hands, say the best man won, and quietly retire? Or do you think he will challenge the legitimacy of the election, refuse to relinquish power, and ask his supporters to rise in his defense? How this plays out depends on many things, including the makeup of state legislatures who will choose electors to the Electoral College and certify/refuse to certify their states' returns, the exact nature of election day disruptions, and whose orders various military and civil authorities decide to obey. Astrologically, we are headed for enormous upheavals in late December, just at the point when the election may finally be decided. By January 2021 we may have either president or multiple claimants to the presidency, each recognized by different states or different groups of people. The dice are rolling. The only certainty is crisis.

Early in 2021 we will be in the thick of it. As with hurricanes, it's impossible to predict this far out exactly which communities will see major disruption, though it's safe to say some will. Will this simply be a few armed radicals having stand-offs with local law enforcement? Or will it be official bodies squaring off—ICE against the Coast Guard, Blackwater-style companies against urban police departments, or National Guard units against militia? We don't know. But we do know that tempers are high, guns are available, rhetoric is increasing in intensity, and the cohesive bonds that prevent violence are waning. The momentum is running toward a change as profound as the American Revolution or the Civil War.

Spring will come. Somewhere around 2025 Winter will end. We will pass into the next season with this crisis resolved. What that resolution will be depends on the events of the next few years, but inevitably, certainly, Spring will come.

So how do we, as individuals and responsible members of society, weather these crises? First, we bear in mind that others always have. Because the Great Wheel is 80 years long, few people experience the same season twice except as very young children and again in old age. Today, those who took an active part in World War II are few and far between. We feel that our era of crisis is unique because we literally cannot remember the last time this happened. However, those who came before us left us road maps to the season, something I explore in my book, Winter: Rituals to Thrive in the Dark Cycle of the Saeculum. We can find and follow the maps our ancestors left us.

Second, we must each do our part. No one can sit this out. Whether it's by creating a haven for people displaced by wildfires and hurricanes or taking care of the children of medical professionals fighting an epidemic or by taking an active role as guardians of our communities ourselves, the way to the best resolution of the crisis is by being the heroes we need.

Third, we must conserve the things of value, protect the things that make life rich and beautiful so that in the Spring we will have nice things. Whether through the arts or through scholarship, whether through virtual curation of music or actual protection of cultural treasures, we can't lose sight of the things that make our lives and communities joyful.

As Pagans, we have an intuitive understanding of cyclical time. The Great Wheel is simply the Wheel of the Year writ large. We can use that understanding, and our connection with the gods, to do what needs to be done to resolve the crisis era well. In Winter I provide examples of rites for each of these actions, calling upon Classical deities such as Diana Nemorensis in her role as protector of the vulnerable, Mars the warrior who guards the community, and Mercury who aids clear and accurate communication. With their help, we can be our best selves and rise to the occasion of our times.

The main thing to remember is that while we may not be able to predict the exact events of the next five years, we know that they will challenge us. We are already in the Crisis of 2020. We are deep in Winter. It is going to get worse before it gets better. But it will get better. Just as winter inevitably comes, so does Spring. It's on us to make our Winter choices wisely so that when the time comes we can step into Spring unafraid.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2020. All rights reserved.

I have a job I love, but lately I've been feeling paranoid at the office. It seems like someone is trying to cause problems for me. I can't exactly put my finger on what's happening, it's more of a feeling. I realize that I could be obsessing over nothing, but I have always been somewhat intuitive, and have never had a feeling this strong. I feel like I shouldn't ignore it, but usually I am able to clarify what a hunch means through meditation or my dreams. This time it's very hazy - I'm just left with this general feeling of uneasiness. Is there some way I can figure out what this means and what I should do about it?

Mary

Dreamchaser:

In a nutshell, you are paranoid to a point. Whenever you work in an office-type setting, there will be someone causing problems for someone else. Not everyone is going to get along with everyone else in ANY situation, be it school, church or work.

There are also those jealous people who will start trouble just because they want what someone else has. Ladder climbers will step on your head to move up to the next rung of success. That is to be expected and dealt with when it happens.

I feel there is no one directly causing problems for you. You have not been shown any answers via your regular methods of "enlightenment." You have come up empty when you asked the Universe to show you what's wrong, so is it possible that your answer is "all is well?"

I do not in any way mean to offend you or hurt your feelings with the following statements, but you have always been the type to look for problems. If you do not have one, you will find one. If there is nothing happening, you will make sure that something starts to happen. You find it very hard to live in peace and quiet.

You need to ask yourself why that is and how you can change - unless of course you LIKE living with all this drama and trauma. If that's the case, feel free to continue as you have been. I have a feeling you do not really like it, however.

You can let go of this habit, but you will need to do some soul work. I think this issue relates to you only getting attention when you were younger when you had a problem or issue. You learned that to get attention, you had to have something happening. When you were doing just fine, you would just blend into the background.

If you would like an easy way to combat corporate assassins, put yourself in the Bubble. I have written about this many times here, so you may already know how. Choose your favorite material substance and your favorite color, and then picture a bubble made out of that. Mine is purple water. (It used to be stars, but I changed it to water.)

Then picture yourself stepping into the Bubble and the Bubble sealing around you. When you are in your Bubble, it's like you've made a pact with the Universe: Your energy can get out, but no one else's energy can get in to you. It really does work well in situations where you feel paranoid or attacked.

It would work extremely well in this situation. You would not feel anyone's energy around you, and you could just work and mind your own business and have a great day inside your Bubble.

I wish you peace, harmony, contentment and joy in your everyday life, both at work and at home.

*****

Astrea:

From the dawn of time, all civilizations have left us evidence of affirmations and spells they used to protect their homes, families and occupations. Even hunters in caves drew drawings on the walls of the protective dances that were done before and after hunts.

These days, the wildest animals most of us face are encountered in the workplace! Whether someone is causing you to feel uneasy or you're imagining things, it never hurts to create some protection for yourself so you can feel at ease at work and at home.

For centuries, people have done affirmations to reflect negative energies back to their sources. I like this approach, and whether you do this mentally or employ actual mirrors, it works!

Go to the dollar store (we have five here in Snot, Texas) and buy four small mirrors. If there is a crafts store near you, they have tiny ones that work well. The mirrors should be round or oval-shaped. It doesn't matter how big they are, just that they are a shape without points on their sides.

Inscribe the backs of each with the runes eolh (Z) and is (I). This will charge your mirrors to deflect any negativity around you. You can invoke the divine protection of these "magic" mirrors whenever you feel the need to do so.

To initiate this protection, place one mirror at each compass or directional point around you, reflection side up. In a spray bottle, mix distilled water and four drops each of lavender and patchouli oils. Extend your hands over the spray bottle, forming a magic triangle with your thumbs and forefingers. Visualize a Divine Beam infusing this mixture with purifying, protective energy.

Sit in the middle of your mirrors. Mist the air around the mirror you placed at the northern point of the compass (that's the northern side of your house or wherever you're charging your mirrors). Mist over each mirror, visualizing your Beam shooting into their centers. Move in a counter-clockwise direction until you've finished all four.

Place the mirrors facing the appropriate directions inside your top desk drawer at work. (Sometimes it helps to glue them down so they don't shift all around). It doesn't matter if you put stuff on top of the mirrors as long as you're gentle and you don't break them.

When someone who doesn't want the best for you comes to your desk, the mirrors will automatically deflect the negativity that they are sending you BACK to them, whether you can see the mirrors or not.

I highly recommend that you place your mirrors when no one else is around, so that you can form your triangle/beam over each one for extra oomph!

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.