First, it starts small and insular, the microcosm within the macrocosm. I woke up at seven, heart racing (not normal for me unless I wake from a profound dream, which wasn't the case). It was a premonition.
I went into the living room to open the large metal shutters that every house in Spain has (I live in Madrid, Spain) on the outside of the windows. I came within inches of stepping on a cockroach lying on its back, which appeared to be dead; strange, considering we haven't ever even seen cockroaches outside, let alone inside, but then again, the city workers who handle the garbage are currently on strike. Trash is piling up on the street corners. Cockroaches are resilient, but it's on its back; I thought this was strange. I left it there, a little grossed out, to open the rest of the shades, then went back to meditate side-eying the cockroach. Getting grounded took me longer than usual; naturally, I felt preoccupied as the cockroach began to wiggle, and I assumed its intelligence, that it was pretending to play dead. I gently pushed a piece of cardboard under its back and took it outside and laid it on the sidewalk, still contemplating how cockroaches are resilient, but why was it on its back? I tried to decode its omen. Typically, cockroaches will be on their back if they have been exposed to pesticides, and our house is 100% organic (think clean cut, white vinegar), fertility, abundance, a warning. . .
I continued to go about my morning, having breakfast and walking the dogs, and then, as I sat at my desk, I opened laptop. "No internet," appeared on the screen. At that moment, my partner asked me from the other room if our hallway light sculpture bulb had burned out. I replied, "No, it was just on."
We switched the electrical box off and on again, and nothing.
First, the power is out in your house. Then you think it's just your computer, then the light, and the doorkeeper knocks on the door, so it must be the building. You walk outside to see the neighbors in the street, everyone looking down at their phones and trying to get cell service. It must be the street, and then someone yells, "It goes all the way down to the bank." As you continue walking to another street, you hear someone say, "There's no power in Madrid." Then it quickly escalated to no power in Spain, now Portugal, southern France, and now South Ireland (why it jumped up to Ireland, people get creative), Italy, too, no, not Italy.
I set my timer to see how long it would take for the power to be restored (as an astrologer, I've made a habit out of tracking events and dates religiously) and pulled up my astrology app that read, Leo rising for Madrid with Mars conjoined the ASC. opposing Pluto in Aquarius conjoined the Descendant (others), a show and also a power move. Venus nearing her anarectic degree in Pisces still conjoined Saturn, conjoined the north node in the 8th house, still within the New Moon in Taurus (something new, a secret) window, and as the Moon approached Uranus (sudden surprises related to security, safety, also finances), the 8th house financial exchnage, power dynamics echoed by Pluto on the Descendant.
Spaniards are great during a crisis; they love an excuse not to work; it's a Monday, it's sunny for the first time in six weeks, and everyone, after the first hour of the total blackout (let's get this straight, we are not talking lights out, we are talking nothing, no traffic lights, etc. – in an instance you realize just how codependant you are on everything city life, but yourself, and how little you know about what's happening), heads to the terraces for drinks and tapas; it feels good, like a party, yet every small convience store has a line around the block, every supermarket dark and intriguing, we step in to pick up some extra supplies; I know that this could be a bigger deal considering the cockroach this morning, now an obvious warning, my partner with a Taurus moon and Spaniard totally at peace, me, tense as I think about the astrology, but trying to think about what we may need in a worst-case scenario; realizing that in my amazon cart, I have saved camping gas/propane, a radio, more HEPA filters, headlamps, a portal toilet (yes, my mother advised me while preparing her shelter supplies during covid) you name it, it's probably in my amazon cart "saved for later."
In the supermarket, it's pitch black; it's now 14:36, and the power went out at 12:33. I grab canned beans, a massive olive oil (thinking that we can drink Tablespoons and I can also use it for my skin ;) at least we'll have solid supplies: more water, more nuts, and anything that won't perish so that we can stock up on for a week if need be. I realize this is the beginning of an apologetic dystopian set from "The Walking Dead," and I remember that I have hidden quite a bit of cash and sigh in relief; there's no atm, store, or credit card machine that works. . . the line in the supermarket is now spiraling down each aisle, we wait in line in the dark amongst strangers, some with sushi, queso, others thinking like us only with more panic on their faces clinging to jugs of water–everyone looking intensely into the eyes of the people next to them. Someone who works there tells us they can no longer stay open, their backup generator for the cashier drawer is no longer working, and they can't accept cash or cards, so please calmly leave. As we neared the exit door, a middle-aged man, angry, threw his filled grocery bag into the cashier's arms. As we continued to walk home, passing the laughing terraces that smelled of lingering cigarettes and perfume.
I again look down at the astrology ephemeris on my phone; now Madrid's rising sign is Virgo with its ruling planet, Mercury in Aries, unaspected (suspended like cell phone service, any honest communication about what's going on, totally disconnected from the rest of the world and country). It's now 19:29, seven hours after the blackout. We're at home huddling over a small AM/FM radio that we picked up from the little shop next to our place that's running on AA batteries, booms the news, "People stuck in elevators for 7 hours now, on trains, in the subway, children stuck at school, some with no contact from their parents."
In our kitchen, food melts in the freezer; it's hot and the first warm day in weeks (I mentioned that earlier); on the radio, the president, Pedro Sanchez, addresses his country for the first time to comment on the black out; he immediately thanked Morocco for their help (his tonation is confident, not the slightest bit concerned, and maybe even a hint of being on holiday while taking a break to address the blackout), this is alarming, considering that two years ago he sold guardianship (technically a protectorate) / a portion of Morocco, and also colonized Western Sahara in an illegal deal without announcing anything, nor getting approval from parliament. Would he sell the security of his own country to move massive amounts of illicit money during a staged blackout and blame it on a cyber attack, or climate change? This echoes another recent crisis, March 2020.
A total blackout happens when a country goes entirely black–no way to get more cash to pay for things, no stop lights, all subways, trains, and elevators stopped mid-journey with passengers; not all power can come back at once, but in steps, from the outermost borders first, then distributed to the inner city (capital) Madrid. We wait hopeful, but with even more awareness about how unstable and not secure it is to be dependent on a nation. I think about the Industrial Revolution and the urbanization into cities. While Smart cities are a plan, so will the retreat to country life again, solar panels, and off-the-grid services, and hopefully more awareness of how abundant and nourishing nature can be, especially with Jupiter entering Cancer on June 09. Jupiter is growth; Cancer is home, family, and real estate. The United States is a Cancer; this is good for the states, but how? We'll soon find out.
This, too, is part of the cosmic plan, unexpected suprises, but are you prepared for Pluto in Aquarius' continued to collapse and Uranus's transition from Taurus (security and economy moving towards its anarectic degree and tipping point (first when it joins the Sun on May 17, and again from June 16–July 07) into Gemini on July 07 (the internet communication, transportation, and, in this case, cell service, too + space travel focal points). Pluto challenges the status quo in Aquarius, a revolution around technology, while Uranus is the awakener in whichever sign it's in. Uranus nearing its anarectic degree means that Taurus themes of security, quality, and finances are becoming urgent so that we can lean in more and align even more to value.
This is one New Moon in Taurus with Mars opposing Pluto story, what's yours? Where are you experiencing a wake-up call to care for yourself, to live life fully, and to focus on quality?