Lunar Epilogue

We are emerging out of eclipse season––the last of 2023. It is now a moment to release all that has been pent up, especially after a collectively intense period. Despite the tumultuousness of our current moment, I hope you were able to find some time for internal reflection during yesterday's partial lunar eclipse.

Eclipses have been perceived as bad omens since the inception of astrology in Mesopotamia. From the death of kings to defeats in war, eclipses have correlated significantly with dramatic events. However, as astrology evolved out of its traditional roots (in some fields), eclipses have begun to be held with a sense of balance between positive and negative attributes.

Adopting an archetypal view of astrology is always helpful in order to gain a clear understanding of what is occurring. But first, let's take a look at the orbital structure of these planets: the Sun and the Moon are in major alignment twice a month––a conjunction (0°) during the New Moon, and an opposition (180°) during the Full Moon. Every 6 months we experience eclipse season, as the Earth enters into a precise geometric alignment with the Moon.

During a Solar eclipse the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, casting a shadow from the perspective of Earth. During a Lunar eclipse, the Moon orbits away from the Sun and into the Earth's shadow, making the Moon look dim from Earth's perspective.

Archetypally, the Sun represents our individual ego, conscious will, and autonomous drive to exist. While the Moon symbolizes our emotional matrix, relational capacity, and creaturely need for community.

The conjunction (New Moon) can be perceived as a sacred marriage between the Sun and the Moon––the masculine and feminine merging in harmony. While the opposition (Full Moon) can be seen as creative tension between the individual and the collective––the struggle between "me" vs. "we". So during eclipses, these energies become amplified whether it's through the dominance of the "me"or the "we" or whether it's through a deepened unification between the divine masculine and the divine feminine.

As the next eclipse season comes our way in April 2024, tune into yourself and into the collective. Observe and jot down the energetic shifts––live like a naturalist.

Philosopreneuer

Episode #5 of Philosopreneur is now live. My dear friend from college, Alejandra Peña was my guest. This was probably one of my favorite episodes. From diving into the archetypal realm of entrepreneurship––discussing how women often have to step into their masculine side to embark on such ventures––to the role that spirituality plays in business, we touched on a multidimensional sense of what it means to be a philosopreneur. Tune in to the episode via YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

The philosopreneur movement continues to unfold. And if you haven't heard me talk or write about this topic already, then I suggest you explore some of the principles I have developed. The aim is to publish this into a manifesto for philosopreneurs in the near future.

Integrate This

​Abeer and I are in a deep learning cycle with Integrate This. We've made mistakes and will continue to do so, but the beauty of it all is that we're integrating the feedback and moving forward with important lessons. Currently, we're in the midst of creating new social media ads (follow our Instagram to be in the loop), conducting customer interviews, re-strategizing our marketing campaign, rebuilding our website, and planning out our next collection for the Jupiter-Uranus transit.

Living in New York while launching this business has been phenomenal for us. As mentioned in earlier issues of the newsletter, Integrate This came into inception in the Spring of 2022 while we were still living in a tiny beach town in Northern California called Santa Cruz. The energy there was slow and relaxed, and so was the energy of our venture. The moment we moved to NYC, everything shifted and a tremendous amount of momentum was gained. From attending fashion shows to directing late-night photo shoots in Times Square, we've wholeheartedly jumped into the relentless spirit of this remarkable city. The more we create, the more we realize that a build in public approach is the way forward for Integrate This. So stay tuned!

Our limited edition hoodie Paradigm Crack will be available to pre-order until November 15th, and only 50 pieces will ever be sold. Join us at the forefront of a cosmological revolution.

Archetypal News

FTX-SBF

During the Lunar eclipse of November 2022, a major cryptocurrency exchange called FTX collapsed. This event caused a domino effect, leading to a major crash in the entire crypto industry.

I am not going to go into all the details here, but if you are interested in diving deeper into this story then I suggest you watch this documentary. It is very interesting. What is most shocking is that exactly during the Lunar eclipse from November 7th to 8th the house of cards came tumbling down, as shown in this chart:

Traditional astrology has correlated eclipses with market crashes as well, so some astrologers were not phased by this occurrence. Along with that, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) the founder and CEO of FTX was experiencing a fall from grace (he was the poster child for the effective altruism movement) as he was accussed of commiting fraud. As mentioned earlier, many kings experienced defeat or died during eclipses. SBF held a kind of kingly archetype in the crypto world, and thus it seems synchronistic that he lost his status during this Lunar eclipse.

What makes this story even more interesting is the fact that SBF is on trial right now. In fact, he took the stand two days ago right in time for the Lunar eclipse. It seems for him, and for the many victims of this fraudulent case, a story is truly coming to an end. From one Lunar eclipse to the next, we witness the death and rebirth of our collective psyche.

World Wide Protests

As the Israel-Palestine conflict continues to unfold painfully, many have taken to the streets to protest in support of a ceasefire. As universities in the US erupt with activism, I am reminded of previous Uranus-Pluto periods (2007-2020; 1960-1972; French Revolution) in which such energy was moving through the collective.

The archetype of Uranus symbolizes youth, liberation, and independence. While the archetype of Pluto represents empowerment, aggression, and transformation. So when these two planets come into alignment, we witness the liberation of the masses as well as radical uprisings. No doubt, we're seeing a lot of both happening right now.

I highly recommend you watch the first (free) episode of Changing of the Gods documentary which is based on Richard Tarnas' research on the Uranus-Pluto cycles. This episode will give you a feeling for why protests and activism is related to the Uranus-Pluto combination––an alignment we're all experiencing right now.

Take care, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments.

In Mystery,

Somya