Reading the stars with Steven McFadden.
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SFR: How did the Star Talk astrology discussions end up at the Annapurna Chai House?
SM:
For years the Star Talks took place at the Longevity Café but they've gone out of business, so Arielle Guttman-she's the godmother of the Sophia Center and Star Talks-called around and asked who would like to have us. Now we have a new home at Annapurna. And we're good for business too. They sold a lot of chai last night. Chai and pie.
Why is Santa Fe more receptive to astrology than, say, Lincoln, Neb.?
Spiritual seekers are drawn here…and that's been the case going back a long time. There is a very large community of people in Santa Fe who are astrologically literate. Astrology is another language, like Spanish or French, but it's a language of the soul, not only an individual human soul but the national soul or the global soul as well. Star Talk is a conversation about that every month and Arielle is the leading light.
Was 2005 a time for bad vibes, astrologically speaking?
I'm not sure I would characterize it that way. One thing that's been happening is the planet Pluto moving through the sign of Sagittarius. That stirs up a lot of the Jihad versus Crusade energy that we see not only in the larger world but also in our personal lives.
Tell me about your background in astrology.
I'm primarily a journalist…I've written several books on contemporary [Native American] elders and their view of what's going on in the world and also a couple books on farming and a couple on aging. I'm about to publish a book called
Odyssey of the Eighth Fire
, which tells the story of my walk from the Atlantic to the Pacific with the keepers of the Algonquin traditions.
Damn. How long did that take?
It took a long time-eight months.
What was the most striking thing about walking across the country for eight months?
As we would go through cities, people in the more expensive cars who were apparently wealthy would shun us as if we were lepers. They would draw back as if we had some sort of contagion we might be spreading. Contrast that with the generosity of the poor people we met all across the country who if they had one egg left in the refrigerator were glad to share their egg or their last cup of coffee with people on this wild and crazy mission to save the earth. I'd like to point out that we did. If you notice, the world hasn't ended and you can thank us for that [laughs].
Hasn't ended yet you mean.
Right.
What is the book about specifically?
It's a compendium of teachings that we gathered as we made our way from ocean to ocean. We met with so many learned and distinguished elders and they shared teachings with us. Those are all woven into the book along with the basic story of a motley crew of people…[dealing with] a maelstrom of interpersonal hassles. I regard our journey as a metaphor for the larger journey that world culture is making from an old time to a new time. A big part of that new time is the electronic world that we live and weave in now. In astrology, that's symbolized by the energy field of Aquarius. We're in the early stages of the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.
So that 5th Dimension song was a little premature?
It was greatly premature. Technically, the Age of Aquarius from tropical Western astrology won't get started for about another 180 years but the early influences are here. It's there in the iPods, the DVDs, the cell phones, the computers and e-mail, the electronic atmosphere we live in.
How do you discern between a good and bad astrologer?
Caveat emptor
-buyer beware. Talk to other clients, check out recommendations. If you're going to be talking to them about the central issues of your life, you want to shop carefully and have confidence in that person's integrity. Which, just to mention, an astrological factor that's significant this year is the transit of the planet Saturn through the sign of Leo. The key word there is integrity. Saturn right now is very strongly impacting President Bush. This began just about the time of Hurricane Katrina and he's being held responsible for not only what he's done, but what he has failed to do.
So what was influencing Bush before Saturn and Leo?
I could answer that question but I'd need to research it. It's a good question, but I'm not up to speed.
So…uh…what's your sign?
I'm a quadruple Capricorn. It means I have four planets in Capricorn.
Is there a danger in people expecting definitive answers from astrology?
Yes. Never surrender your free will or your discernment. If you're just doing what some astrologer told you simply because you're putting your full faith and trust in them, you're being a fool. It's a wise person who rules the stars and a fool who is ruled by them.
