Yesterday's Tomorrow is Today (1993)

Marion D. March - 16188 Royal Oak Road - Encino, CA 91436
Tel: 818/990-1010 - Fax: 818/783-6553

YESTERDAY'S

TOMORROW

IS

TODAY!

A while back a friend of mine was due to speak at a historical society. Whatever
can I tell them, whatever should I tell them, she moaned. Tell them that there
is no future without a past, was my quick and automatic reply. Yes, I really
believe that there is no tomorrow without yesterday, or, as philosopher George
Santayana so wisely said: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to
repeat it." Yet here we are, at the edge of the future, the millennium, the
year 2000 we've all been waiting for, that magical moment in time when one
century ends and another one starts. . .that elusive tomorrow, part of so many of
our yesterdays, is finally here.

Are we ready for it? Have we learned enough from the past to take advantage of
tomorrow? In Europe the past is not so hard to remember or reconstruct -- their
cobbled narrow streets, old bridges, castles and aqueducts are daily reminders.
But sometimes, because their history is still alive, they resent it and strive
forward, stripping themselves of yesterdays encumbrances. In North, Central and
South America, New Zealand and Australia, only traces of native Indian culture
remain to remind us that we too have a past, so we tend to either ignore it or
romanticize over what was versus that which is.

We also tend to idealize the present -- When the Iron Curtain lifted, when the
Berlin wall and all it signified came down, we were ecstatic, hopeful that
mankind had learned and would now,

at least for a while,

live in peace.

Instead we have Bosnia, a so-called ethnic cleansing reminiscent of Hitler and
the Nazis; the former Soviet Union is now divided into many countries, each

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fighting for survival, the Czechs separated from the Slovaks, diverse Somalian
tribes try to starve or kill each other, the Muslims are still fighting the
Hindus, the Irish Catholics can't get along with the Irish Protestants and so on
at nauseam...

What about astrologers, we who supposedly are wise enough to see ahead? What
progress have we made? How ready are we for tomorrow? We pride ourselves for
having left fated and predetermined astrology behind, a fact, by the way, I also
delight in and have extolled time and again. Nowadays we use psychological and
new age terms, such as: The Free Will, Making your own Reality, Growth,
Evolvement, Ego, Id, Crisis intermingled with such sentences as the Moon in the
6th house square Mars in the 3rd, as though astrology has always expressed
itself partially in its own patois and partially in psychological buzzwords.

As above, so below... As we peered deeper into the universe, we not only sighted
three transcendental planets, we also learned to peer deeper into ourselves. As
we integrated the new planets, we changed our attitude about traditional
astrology, especially Saturn. To the ancients Saturn represented the outermost
reaches of space, the limiting factor between them and eternity; to us it
represents the often welcome ability to self-discipline, the capability to
organize, to concentrate, to accept responsibilities. Now Pluto has replaced
Saturn as the farthest out planet in our Solar system. But there is one enormous
difference: We now know that no mere planet can restrict our access to eternity;
that we can travel in space, that planets do not impose limitations, only we can
do that to ourselves. As a result Pluto does not instill us with the same fears
as Saturn did. Instead we have chosen Pluto to lead us into the darkest corners
of our sub- or unconscious.

In doing so, we are standing on the shoulders of great thinkers like Carl Gustav

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Jung and Joseph Campbell, who made us aware of concepts like

the Collective

Unconscious and gently reminded us that the old truths found in myths and
archetypes are always viable. They used the past to integrate into the present
and thus form the future. Yet some of their followers, in their anxiety to undo
a fatalistic approach to astrological interpretations, may have gone a step too
far by nearly eliminating important traditional approaches. The pendulum tends
to swing too far and rarely stops in the reasonable middle.

Let me insert a quick aside, I would like to leave some time at the end for
questions and discussion -- with that in mind, if I touch on any subject that
particularly stimulates you, that you want to have input on, make yourself some
notes and we will discuss it at the end.

As technology and computers have become part of our daily world,

formerly

herculean astrological tasks have become easy as child's play and opened new
vistas and discoveries. Real research can be undertaken, data checked and
rechecked. In fact there is so much new information that it sometimes overwhelms
US. We have made much progress in astrology, but we have a long way to go.

The Catholic Church still considers the use of astrology a sin, even in its
newest catechism. Now I don't mind sinning along with the best of you, but at
least it should be worth my while... If I'm accused of being a sinner, I want to
have some fun along the way. Instead we've been trying to convince everybody how
much we've changed, that we now don't predict or foretell the future, that the
future is ours to choose. . .but none of our assurances seem good enough -- to the
church we are and will be sinners!

Thdia'91eaction is not much better. They still regard us as
In fact Steven Forest, a well known and well liked American astrologer, makes a
very sad statement in his latest book THE NIGHT SPEAKS:

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The synchronicity of the Universe, which I happen to believe in, is working now
and preventing us from throwing all the past away. An interesting development
has occurred in the United States and by chance, I became part of it a few years
ago. It seems to be taking hold in Europe too. Denmark's Christian Borup, in a
chapter in the latest Llewellyn anthology series, "The Astrology of Crisis,"
comments on the return to such old techniques as Horary Astrology. In fact he
calls the birth chart: "the Horary chart erected for the time, date and place of
birth." He does not make fun of the old technique, on the contrary, he brings
it forward to the present. Of course I totally agree with him, only I call it
an Electional Chart since, in my opinion, we elect or choose the moment we wish
to be born and become independent, whereas our parents elect when to conceive us

This movement not to throw the baby out with the bath water started just a few
years ago. After railing against anything that seemed pre-determined, we were
on the best way of losing some of the old truths that make astrology the helping
tool that it is supposed to be. I myself realized it a while back, when a client
of mine, who had been with me for about five years, bitterly complained about
the last three movies he had produced and partly directed, which had barely recuperated their expenses and not been the hits he felt they should have been and
deserved to be.

"Can't astrology help?" was his question. "1 guess so," I answered, I
when to initiate something, such as a

occasionally do

marriage or the sale of a house, a move into a place, the start of a business or
conference, so I guess I could calculate the onset of a movie, as long as you
can tell me what you consider the start...

We found a good time for him to begin his next picture, it was a great box
office success and even received two minor Oscars. My client now not only uses

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Astrology for himself, but will openly admit that he does so and recommend it to
others - a great step forward from the years when he was my client, but, shades
of Ronald Reagan, would never own up to using astrology. Since then, I have
become a great of Electional Astrology and considerably expanded my
use of it. In fact my partner Joan McEvers and I have just finished another book
(number 6 in our series) on Electional and Horary Astrology.

Why were we so ready to throw out something that can be so helpful. Why did we
look down on it as old-fashioned or pre-determined. All we are doing is choosing
an appropriate moment in time to start a certain venture, we don't have to start
the venture if we do not want to, but at least we have the choice of starting at
a good rather than difficult or indifferent time. The same goes for Horary
charts. What is wrong with asking a question and using the moment the question
has formed in our mind as that point in time which contains the right answer? We
believe in the synchronicity of time and the synchronicity of other matters, why
are we hesitant to give it a name or to utilize it. Does that make us greater
sinners in the eyes of the church. As long as it helps someone, how much of a
sin can it be? Or does the church maybe fear that we can manipulate time?

Though we are rushing toward tomorro' 'ur basic instincts are telling us to
hold on to certain traditioneardi es to give

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continuity. That is

probably why other so-called old wisdoms such as Feng-Shu, the 1-Ching and the
power of Chi seem to experience a revival,

just now,

at the turn of the

millennium. That is possibly why astrologers like Rob Hand have delved into such
'kt7e all seem to feel protective of the past and

subjects as_______

want to preserve it before it is forgotten,

just like some families are

searching for their roots before their background is forgotten. Or maybe it is
just the reality of Capricorn wanting practical,

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provable testimonials?

Whatever it is, we all seem to feel it, the past calling to the future:
up to today,.

don't

wait

leave me behind or you may have to re-

invent me for the future.

Of course many of the old wisdoms have been and should be modernized. Just as
the everyday astrology we use has streamlined itself, such tools as Horary or
Electional Astrology, or Feng-Shue or whatever else you may use, have to be
brought into the 21st century and should incorporate Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
If we believe in the past, we know that the future may bring us more
discoveries. We may be very Capricornian now, but Aquarius is just over the
horizon.

Maybe people feel the typical Aquarian sensation of change, of awakening, of
something new and different in the offing when they talk about the Paradigm
Shift, that new buzzword on everyones lips. You've probably all heard the

expression, but do you really know what it means? Don't be embarassed if you
don't! A Paradigm is a worldview held by a large group of people, such as an
entire nation or even civilization rather than a personal opinion. According to
Michel Gauquelin, for example, "Paradigms are universally accepted scientific
truths which, for a time, provide the community of researchers with a model for
all the problems and all their solutions." Right now, many of those models are
breaking down, giving rise to the possibility of a major paradigm shift.

Many astrologers seem to hope for a shift away from the so-called materialistic
approach into a more metaphysical climate. Others feel that because Aquarius is
the natural 2nd house to Capricorn, we may find new tangible and concrete
solutions to existing enviromental or political problems. Personally I do not
foresee a real paradigm shift, I think we are in what I would call a Seachange,
a not so gentle changing of our economy and our type of productivity.

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Industry is realizing that a lean work force is better than a fat one. The
workers let go recently will most likely never be replaced. The new types of
work available, for example the Cottage Industry, will need different
educational proficiency. The uneducated may be left behind forever or stay in a
type of welfare stage for the rest of their lives. Countries like Switzerland
and Germany have discovered that they can support up to 9% of unemployment, soon
the United States may discover the same thing.

In early 1995 Uranus will enter Aquarius, Neptune follows three years later. In
1834 to 1847, when Neptune last was there, we used anesthetics, the deadening or
numbing of the senses, for the first time. What will the combination of Neptune
with Uranus bring? What social, philosophical and political changes are in
store from the union of Neptune's creative and intuitive capacity with the
ability of Uranus to understand the abstract as well as its need to be free? A
new way to numb our senses or could we discover a new type of awakening of our
sense of awareness?

By 1995 Pluto will finally leave Scorpio, and instead of stirring the murky
waters of our stagnant unseen depth,

it will enter Sagittarius. Instead of

transforming relationships as it did when it was in Libra, or probing into
sexual mores and ensuing illnesses like AIDS, as it is doing now while in
Scorpio, maybe it will bring a return to the more fundamental laws of nature
while in Sagittarius. In a less positive vein,

perhaps we have to penetrate

through layers of phony religions, or, per chance, we can reach for the stars,
the future, tomorrow!

When first Christianity and then Islam came into being, they revolutionized
mankind, because, according to historians, they empowered people. They removed
gods and fate and put the power where it belongs, into the hands and minds of

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people. And that, of course, is what astrology can and should do. We have
removed the so-called fated aspects. Astrology is, can and should be a tool of
personal power, strength and insight. May we all be ready for tomorrow. Let us
us once again be proud to say: I am an astrologer!

And now I would love some of your comments and questions.

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