©3-15-2011, a Rare Rant by Donna Cunningham, MSW
“Beware the Ides of March!”
William Shakespeare‘s play Julius Caesar
Today is March 15, a.k.a. the Ides of March …that date some fortuneteller supposedly warned Julius Caesar he should beware of, and it turned out to be the day he was assassinated.
So, a friend of mine from my earliest days in astrology emailed me this morning. She follows all the earth changes stuff by that guy with three names. The one with the map of the world after half of it is underwater. You know who I mean?
She wrote to tell me some geologist has forecast a huge earthquake here in the Pacific Northwest on Saturday. I wish that expert had said what time, so I could arrange to be out of my 8th floor apartment in this high rise when it happens. Maybe go out to lunch.
Am I nervous about it? Sure, I was for 10 minutes or so, until my usual cynicism about predictions kicked in. Pretty universally, dire predictions are attempts to gain glory and attention for the predictor by feeding on our fears.
At best, scary predictions are entertainment—we sometimes love to be scared by them the same way we’re scared by ghost stories. At worst, they create extreme stress about things that Might happen but seldom do. Think about it—aren’t those doom and gloom, end of the world predictions aimed at scaring us into some sort of costly action?
Take the economists for example:
“An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn’t happen today.” – Laurence J. Peter
The ones that strike me as the most cynical hucksters are weather people. Those fortunetelling laws that are still on books ought to invoked against THEM. They love to predict terrible storms, the kind of Breaking News forecasts that clear out the shelves of the nearest convenience stores.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, other than up in the mountains, we seldom see more than a dusting of snow one morning a year, and it’s all melted by noon. If a flake or two falls, we get continuous coverage…reporters out on location until it stops.
But let weather people predict snow, and suddenly they’re the lead on the evening news. They’ve studied all the tricks to draw out the drama and suspense and have us hang onto their every word. News in general is nothing but entertainment any more, but weather people really know how to get you going. And how often are they right? It’s a joke!
Likewise the people who hype up the end of the Mayan calendar. I am sooooo bored with the end of the world, and we still have a year or so left of the hysteria about it.
If I had $1000 for every time the world was supposed to end in my lifetime so far, I’d have enough for a down payment on one of those hybrid cars to do my part to end global warning.
Predictions are a win/win for the predictor. If they’re right, they get to build their reputation; if they’re wrong, nobody remembers….except those debunkers and skeptics out there who are so rude as to remind us and laugh at us.
They love to laugh at astrologers, but you don’t hear them laughing as much at weather forecasters. Weather forecasters PROBABLY took a science class or two, so they’re respectable.
Do dire things happen? They surely do. Japan, the Indian Ocean, Haiti, Chile in just the past year or so. Did anyone predict them? Nope. Only in the most general of terms, and with no specific dates attached. Anyone could have done that.
(Don’t bother to email me with exceptions. We all hit it lucky with our predictions now and then, or we’d go out of business. As my early mentor, Rod Chase used to say, “A stopped clock is right twice a day.”)
Do I believe in taking sensible precautions? Absolutely, I have a first aid kit, emergency supplies, cash on hand.
But I’m not living my life on red alert. And I’m not leaving the Pacific Northwest as some friends have begged me to, to avoid 9.0 earthquakes and a volcanic meltdown.
It’s beautiful here and very livable. I refuse to live in some God-awful boring, ugly place with a terrible climate. I figure if I’m meant to die, I’ll die wherever I am. And if I’m meant to survive, I’ll simply be somewhere else when catastrophe strikes.
One thing I do predict. I’ll probably get some flack about this piece. People who make their living scaring the wits out of rest of us are not going to be happy with me.
What about you, Reader? Where do you stand on dire predictions? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
UPDATE: We’re having a very productive discussion in the comment section about the difference between fear mongering and prudent preparation for a possible emergency. As a result, I asked Dr. Deborah Bier, one of the leaders in creating an emergency preparedness system for Concord, MA, to conduct a special Question and Answer Session on practical steps you can take to prepare for an emergency. See it here: Emergency Preparedness—A Q&A Session by Dr. Deborah Bier.
Follow-up articles on this topic:
Articles about Predictions:
- Catastrophobia: What Causes it and How to Heal it
- People who Misuse Pluto and Saturn—Don’t be Fooled by Scare Tactics!
- 10 Impossible Things—Do You Believe?
- Mayan Calendar Jokes: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the End of the World
- Awful Things Astrologers Say to Clients
- What to Tell Astrology Clients about Pluto in Capricorn
- Facing the Difficult Potentials of a Transit
- Talking to Clients about Difficult Transits–Readers Have Their Say
- Enough with the Mercury Retrograde Hysteria!
- Shields Up! Fight Second-hand Fear and Despair!
- 10 Strategies for Killing Negative Thoughts
- EFT-Another Self-Help tool for Freedom from Fear
- Red Clover Essence–A Gentle Antidote to Mass Hysteria, by Sheryl Karas
- Saturn Remedies–Flower Essences for Overcoming Fear and Worry
Sky Writer 
I live in the Orlando area and tourist make up much of our economy. The weather reports predict hurricanes that never happen and reservations get canceled. People ask me how can you live there with all the hurricanes. I have lived in centeral Florida for over 35 years and the only year we had hurricanes was 2004.
The weathermans perdiction gets people in a panick. Yes be prepared but you should see the panic they cause for weeks and weeks and then no storm they start tracking thousand and thousands of miles away.
Adrienne
Adrienne
By: Adrienne on March 15, 2011
at 7:31 am
My mother suffered in her youth during the great depresson and she spent her life waiting for the next one. She was ready for it!
She loved the story of ‘Chicken Little’ and whenever there was a dire prediction she would follow the news carefully. She hung on to her money, and she had a cold room in her basement with more than a year’s worth of food storage.
Of course her lifetime was one of plenty, and when she died we had all that food to get rid of. There were bags of wheat, big buckets of beans, fruit leather that was 20 years old and still edible….
Like you Donna, I live in an earthquake zone and I have to admit that scarry predictions make me a bit nervous.
Mom taught me…. Save water, even if it is only for washing (when the big one hits). She taught me that if you don’t rinse out your empty bleach bottles you can fill them with water that will be safe to use for your lifetime.
Sigh… I have to admit that there are a few water filled bleached bottles squirrled away under my stairs… did you guess that mom had a Capricorn Moon?
By: VT on March 15, 2011
at 8:07 am
Sure, she had a Capricorn Moon! Funny, though I’m a water sign, the one Emergency Preparedness step I don’t keep up with is to save water, as they have to be replaced every now and then. That bleach is a good tip, thanks. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on March 15, 2011
at 8:11 am
I’m with you, Donna! I don’t call it journalism anymore – they’re just making stuff up to sell more papers. That’s fine by me – if they call it fiction, because that’s what it is. I rarely buy newspapers – why would I want to read about some worse case scenario that most likely will not happen? I saw it with the swine flu scare – the newspapers/TV made it sound as if we were all going to die in a couple of weeks, and fewer people died from that than from the regular flu. A lot of people got scared, nobody tried to find out about side-effects, costs, etc. (I told people to read The Stand by Stephen King instead – much better fiction). What worries me is that all this hyping up of doomsday predictions that will never happen – and news people know most things are not as dramatic as they try to make it – makes people start to ignore legitimate warnings. People loose faith in the news, and that can’t be good. I want to know what did happen, not what might happen if so and so happen- W. I don’t need to be spooked everytime I turn on the news. (Personally I think the weather people are in cahoots with the people who sell “heat” – the electricity people, gas people, firewood people …).
By: Natalie on March 15, 2011
at 8:29 am
Beats me. I am currently worried about the risk of The Big One happening in Northern California going up since the Japan quake, though. Unfortunately, that does seem more likely under the circumstances. I don’t usually buy into OMG 2012 crap, but the earthquakes… are harder for me to blow off.
By: Jennifer on March 15, 2011
at 8:39 am
Hi Donna.
I am confused about where you are. The Pacific northwest would be by Alaska. I thought you were in NY…the Atlantic seaboard.
I like the Edgar Cayce predictions because they are based on the INTENT of the mass mind at the time of the Vision. If humanity changes their course and does better, than the outcome will change as well. This is also in keeping with Hopi Prophecy and Mayan techniques of prediction.
It was said that the Mayan did not make any predictions for 2012 because at the time it was too close to call….the foreseen intent of humanity was evenly divided, as we enter the new 5th world coming.
Personally just concerning me…I have had visions of things I was about to do that were dangerous. So by examining my INTENT at the time of the vision and tweaking and changing part of my INTENT, the outcome is better.
When dealing with movements that effect the masses , what I can do as one person, can in effect be a block thrown at a stampeding herd which will hopefully alter its course; but if not , then I have done my best from where I sit. If you see a train coming down the track…get off the track. Simple.
Put up nuclear reactors and you ask for trouble.
The one thing they are NOT mentioning is that spent fuel rods must be gotten rid of after they sit cooling for 3 or four decades….oh where will that be? Not in my backyard, where they contaminate ground water and the environment for a thousand or more years.
Just think of all the yellow cake..dirty uranium bombs made from spent fuel rods ,they dropped on Iraq and how it alters the DNA causing defects and cripples for infinity.That is if it doesn’t outright kill with cancer proliferation.
How people can be so dense, and so demanding of deadening comforts, to risk future generations? Nuclear power building, should be treated as and considered a heinous crime against all life forms on earth. People existed for thousands of generations without it and it is not regression to look to the past and pick up those things that are great for the well being of the planet.
At the end of each age corruption is rampant ,,,as we see.
It is great to be alive at this time and years of transition.We have a great opportunity to learn from our mistakes.
By: Barehand on March 15, 2011
at 8:42 am
We generally refer to the Pacific NorthWest as Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, sometimes Idaho. Alaska is probably included, though so far north it’s in a class of its own. I’m in Oregon, left NYC close to 20 years ago, although some websites that don’t do upkeep still have my NYC address despite several notices. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on March 15, 2011
at 9:19 am
Thanks for the clarification. Oregon energy is good….I wouldn’t worry about an earthquake there; not with a force field like Oregon Tilith and Harry Mac Cormack in Corvallis! Hes a great person to know.
By: Barehand on March 15, 2011
at 9:51 am
Thanks, BH, I feel good about the future here too. We have a lot of small quakes out in the ocean as well as volcano plumes from Mt. St. Helens, so I think it keeps releasing the underground pressure. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on March 15, 2011
at 9:55 am
I hear you, Barehand. Animal friends have often warned me– two times saving me from fatal situations.
My elderly cat pulled me back from a smoke inhalation stupor by clawing the top of my head. A smoldering fire (started when the cotton sweater I’d thrown onto a chair before going to sleep slid down onto the bulb of my nightlight) had filled the room with smoke. When I had come to my senses, I was able to go back in for the 80 lb. dog, still at the foot of my bed, and drag him to safety. Dear cat, long gone tho I still have the beautiful scars on my scalp.
The other was pure evil on the prowl. I didn’t know my neighbors, just to say hello to outside, but our yards adjoined and having no animal companions of my own at the time, I always left the side gate open so their Dobermann could visit my yard. We became great pals. One day my landlord came to the front door on a pretext, slipped me a “mickey” and was loading my body into the trunk of his car–which he had parked farther down in the back alley totally out of sight…As my neighbor told me later, “All of a sudden, Buster went crazy…he was throwing himself at the back door, we thought he’d break the glass, we let him out and then the same at the back gate…we looked down the alley and saw your feet sticking out of the trunk..”, etc. The evil-doer told them I’d had too much to drink and he was taking me home but didn’t want to put me in the back seat because he was a married man and I was a hooker!! They knew better and so did Buster!
We found out that he didn’t even own the house, -his mother did, that he was a convicted sex offender and had been suspect in the PERMANENT disappearance of two women. He left town immediately.
Thanks to Buster, and the Watchers…I’m still growing.
By: Berta on March 16, 2011
at 10:13 am
One more point: domestic cats (with no escape route) will seek refuge from a house fire by heading for the lowest levels- where the survivors, or their remains, are most often found. A cat as first responder to humans is, well, more than just a cat…I attribute my animal saviors to positive Moon/Neptune/Pluto aspects.
This topic might make a good Q+A.
By: Berta on March 16, 2011
at 10:44 am
EEE Gads what astrological aspects do you have that are in play ? I’d be curious…..thanks to the pet friendships you are fine!
By: Barehand on March 17, 2011
at 9:08 am
What I read (if I read the same thing as you) is that that person said the Cascadian Subduction Fault had a 50/50 chance of going sometime soon.
The guy didn’t name any particular date.
Part of that prediction is due to the linkage of the subduction to the plates that shook Japan and part is do to the looming Super Full Moon (which will make the gravitational pull of the much much stronger than normal) this coming Friday, as well as the M-Class Flares that are nuking us from the Sun.
I don’t think that the prediction I saw is looney and it is scary. Your part of the country is on a big quake zone and it is overdue for a big one, timewise.
Americans tend to be under-prepared for disasters, be they natural, manmade or financial or a combination thereof. We tend to be caught with our pants down.
I think VT’s mother may have been a bit obsessive, but to be totally unprepared, especially with the challenging astrological aspects (Cardinal Grand Cross, anyone?) that are hitting us repeatedly, is foolhardy.
Hell’s Bells, no one would have thought the James River would have run backwards 17 miles from a hurricane and that greater Richmond in Central VA would lose power for two weeks and lose a quarter of her trees, either, but By Gawds that is just what Hurricane Isabelle did to the inland Mid-Atlantic.
I’d like to think our area learned a lesson in emergency preparedness from that debacle.
Better to keep some emergency supplies (a little food, some water, a blanket, some first aid supplies,etc,and such and keep important personal documents close at hand) than have nothing should you get shaken by the big one.
BTWY: There is a very accurate weather guy out there but he is not on the major channels. He is Weather Risk and he is a weather forecast for commodities traders and other businesses that are weather driven such airlines and tourist attractions.
I also have found Joe Bastardi on Accuweather to be quite accurate vis-a-vis long term, seasonal forecasts. Not to mention the Farmer’s Almanac!
By: MEL810 on March 15, 2011
at 9:00 am
Very Good point to keep in mind :
” it was said in the Tsunami in SE Asia that many animals headed for higher ground hours before it struck…etc why can’t people….”
Back in 92 my summer home was arsoned. In the Fall at the usual time I packed up ready to canoe back to ” civilization”; when I took stock of the fact that ,all summer the usual cabin inhabitants had been missing.
These were the spiders, white man mice who came in with the Lumber Jacks a generation previous, the nightly bat that picked off misquotes before they could land, and the christian saw ants in the logs who never worked on Sunday.
The only constant that last summer, was Toad, who hopped out with me. At the door I paused, looking down at him as he looked back at me , as if trying hard to tell me it was good bye after a long and harmonious life as roommates . He tried to warn me but I was NOT really paying attention.I did sense a death, vanished energy, emptiness, the end of something but this too I shrugged off.
A few days after leaving, the cabin was arsoned and completely vanished into molten earth, by what must have been an unusually hot fire.
I have learned my lesson to keep strict watch on what the creatures are doing. Thanks for this important reminder.
By: Barehand on March 16, 2011
at 8:18 am
Don’t want to get too long and off topic, Barehand, but since you asked…the natal aspects I mentioned above ( 21d.SAG Moon/Merc on 12th H. cusp sextile 21d.Lib Nept.9th and trine 21d.Leo Pluto in 8th) were my saving grace. It’s the SAG Moon/Merc that gives me the grace of “animals”.
What makes me a TARGET is my natal 10th H.Venus (22d. Scorpio) square that Pluto 8th.
The abduction attempt was back in the 1970’s–before the term “serial killer” was used–when a man with $$$ and connections could get away with this stuff by leaving town–and the local police stance was that I “wasn’t raped or hurt none”.
Anyway, I think the topic of “unusual animal rescues” would be interesting to persue if Donna was interested…
I’m not Native American but I married into a Native family in the 1960’s so my son is. The marriage was brief but my close connection with my Bird Clan mother-in-law (and astrological mentor) lasted till her death in ’99…and beyond.
I’m always happy to see your handle on a new post.
By: Berta on March 17, 2011
at 2:39 pm
Donna,
What a timely piece. I live in Northern California. I am originally from Southern California. My family and I went through the ’94 Northridge earthquake. That same year my husband’s work transferred him up north to where we currently live. It is beautiful here. Mountains, open areas, and the Bay area only 90 miles away. We have the best of everything. Are there earthquakes? Yes. Are there floods? Yes. Do I want to relive the earthquake of a decade-and-a-half ago? No. BUT, I could die falling down my front steps. If I am supposed to go, I will. If not, I won’t. We use common sense, prepare ourselves the best we can ( I do have a stash of food and water under our stairs closet – I am a Virgo after all) But when it is all said and done. We must live and love in the moment. BTW I think downtown Portland is so beautiful. It is so walkable too!
By: Adela on March 15, 2011
at 9:09 am
Great post, Donna! Sooo tired of “if it bleeds, it leads” news and if I read one more astrological prediction of disaster, I’m going to scream. 🙂 Guess I’m too old to keep the adrenaline pumping day in and day out. Living through Mt St Helens was enough excitement for me!
Building nuclear reactors on active fault lines does seem like hubris to me. As does building sports stadiums instead of shoring up infrastructures like the Alaska Way Viaduct in Seattle.
diane~
By: Diane L on March 15, 2011
at 9:56 am
Very astute observations, Diane. Maybe some of the more dire and strident predictions do arise out of trying to warn the oblivious of the obvious and not being heard. LOL!! Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on March 15, 2011
at 10:38 am
Maya Shmaya! I hate that 2012 rubbish.
By: Christina on March 15, 2011
at 11:37 am
Oops I pressed the return button with to much vigour. I wanted to add this:
But I do find the astrology of the recent series of events fascinating.
By: Christina on March 15, 2011
at 11:39 am
what about the OMG 2000 crap? anyone remember THAT? all the millions of dollars wasted on making sure everything didn’t grind to a halt?
I do find it fascinating that predictions rarely come true…
By: mimitabby on March 15, 2011
at 12:19 pm
Actually, millions of $ were spent that prevented things from grinding to a halt. That was a very real situation.
By: Deborah on March 16, 2011
at 3:33 pm
I guess I put “warnings” in different categories. Scaring people just for the sake of gaining a little notoriety – and without serving any useful purpose – is different than a warning/prediction that could potentially save lives. I think a lot depends on the source, including predictions that are prophetic in nature, which at best, can serve to remind us to live more mindfully and compassionately, as if every day might be our last. Having said that, we still need to exercise our powers of discernment and not allow ourselves to become overwhelmed by vague fears about our future – easier for some than for others. Being prepared doesn’t mean we should live in fear.
As far as weather reporting goes, I agree it’s always frustrating when weather reports fails to deliver. Not 100% reliable for sure, but still much better than no warning at all. Here in the United States, many of us benefit greatly from severe weather warnings that alert the public to potential hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, flash-floods, etc.; those reports help save lives. Weather conditions can change so quickly, and just looking up at the sky isn’t nearly so reliable a predictor as weather reports based on meteorological studies. Imperfect system that it is, there’s much to be grateful for.
Just a side note, I’ve noticed the “Weather Channel” is often the most reliable source for Tsunami warnings, which can (and do) wreck havoc in coastal areas. Donna’s mention of having emergency supplies on hand is good advice – don’t forget to include a radio and extra batteries!
By: LB on March 15, 2011
at 12:33 pm
Good thoughts, LB, and I agree that we do need legitimate warnings and emergency supplies. That about the radio and batteries is a good reminder. What happened to me is that in my move last summer, I downsized my belongings to fit a much smaller apartment, and donated a few too many things to Goodwill. I need to find a battery powered radio for the emergency information.
You know those drills where the tv starts broadcasting on the emergency frequency, but it’s not real, just a test? Well, last week, the morning after the big quake, the real emergency broadcast came on, because they thought a tsunami would hit the Oregon coast.
It didn’t, just a couple feet high, but all the Tsunami trails and provisions were already in place for years already, and they all got a good test and worked like a charm. Reverse 911, people living at the coast evacuated, the whole thing.
(There was just one town, a few miles from the California border where the harbor was hit fairly hard.) Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on March 15, 2011
at 3:30 pm
” . . . I downsized my belongings to fit a much smaller apartment, and donated a few too many things to Goodwill.”
Boy, can I ever relate! I’m still having to replace things I gave away, thinking I’d never need them again. My super efficient Pluto in Virgo was a little too efficient!
Thanks for understanding my point about some of the warnings. I thought of you the day after the quake and was glad your part of the coast was left relatively unharmed. We live just a few blocks from the ocean, and although the waves here never got very high, a nearby town wasn’t nearly so lucky. The Tsunami warning (and Reverse 911) may not have saved the town, but at least it allowed people to collect a few precious belongings. Not much, but something.
I keep thinking of the Serenity Prayer – all this seems like the perfect opportunity for us to learn to recognize the difference between those things we can control versus the things we can’t. After that, it’s all a matter of maintaining that all important sense of inner calm. No one makes wise or loving decisions when they’re living in a constantly elevated state of anxiety and/or fear. Being a fellow Plutonian, I understand the value in “surrender”. It just doesn’t prevent me from taking a few practical precautions. 🙂
By: LB on March 15, 2011
at 4:10 pm
I am glad you mentioned the “be prepared” part. While I certainly do not advocate living in a constant state of fear and anxiety, I think sensible preparedness is just common sense.
It was said in the tsunami in SE Asia that many animals headed for higher ground hours before it struck. If animals can do so, why do people, who are supposed to have more intelligence, often stick around and gawk?
Lack of any sort of preparedness for the sort of problems and or disasters that might occur in your life style and area of residence.
I am originally from Oklahoma City, OK, which is tornado alley central.
I have had a tornado pass over my head. I was five years old and out trying to find my dog. However, once I entered schools, I endured monthly tornado drills. Almost all OKies have basements or storm shelters and keep some stocks of water and food there. They know where to go and what to do in case a damn F-5 careens their way.
Who does not try to have savings for retirement or for the proverbial rainy days, for example? Health insurance even though you might now be young and healthy? Car insurance? Home owners/renters and/or life insurance?
I think what bothers me almost as much as the doom and gloom naysayers are the bliss ninnies who tend to be oblivious and say “If it’s my time, I’ll go, so who cares about tomorrow? I think the answer, as usual lies between those two extremes. But in modern day America, we tend to go to the extreme poles of thought in most any area, don’t we?
I didn’t, by the way, take the advice of the idiot doomsayer astrologer who told me to move to Brazil or my life would crash and burn. I decided to stay where I am until I decide to move somewhere I want to move and have the resources to do so. Being as that Cardinal Grand Cross is rocking my angles, I probably will move someday soon.
By: MEL810 on March 15, 2011
at 5:59 pm
Actually Donna, that town I was referring to is more in your neck of the woods. And I should have said the town’s harbor (which provides the town’s residents with one of their main sources of income) was destroyed. We had a few harbors in our area get pretty bashed up as well. But at least the Tsunami Warning allowed some of the fisherman to save their boats when they headed out to sea.
By: LB on March 15, 2011
at 6:01 pm
Thoughtful response, LB!
By: Mary on March 15, 2011
at 7:02 pm
Thanks Mary. 🙂
By: LB on March 15, 2011
at 8:02 pm
Thank you, Donna! The doom and gloom folks drive me nuts. At least we’re not being told to cower in fear for more than a few days!
I might add that the geologists who thought Japan was primed for a big earthquake never guessed it would happen on the fault line it did happen on. Earthquake science is still in its infancy (unlike astrology!).
By: Margaret on March 15, 2011
at 12:33 pm
I don’t get it. If my building collapses after a quake, how is a molded tuna sandwich supposed to make me feel any better? And what am I supposed to do with a handful of beans without at least a pot and a cooker? Hatch them?
I have no pets, no plants, no weekly food supplies (just a mustard in my fridge as we speak), and, certainly no emergency kits!
I don’t plan for the worst, I plan for the best, and when the worst happens, then I deal with it. People who live their lives in constant fear and paranoia over [ever]pending disasters annoy me. They AnnOy me. I don’t want them in my life, they depress me. I know them well enough by now to know they’re only lazy cowards- that’s all there is to them. Doom is their hobby- and their comfort zone. Mine not.
Am I in trouble?
By: VR on March 15, 2011
at 12:53 pm
not to be a smartass, VR, but i think people generally stock up with canned goods rather than fresh sandwiches and dry beans. a can opener is useful, though these days a lot of cans already have a pop tab on them. 😛
By: erin on March 15, 2011
at 10:15 pm
And some spoons!! You forgot the spoons!!! 🙂
Ah, *sigh* take it from an amateur climber, erin, the return to nature is not that simple- one couldn’t do that overnight, he’d lack basic survival skills/training for that.
Being alert and prepared for a couple of weeks after Japan when a Pacific area resident sounds perfectly reasonable and scientifically justifiable. I feel for these people and I totally get their fear- it’s pretty legitimate.
But, apart from the specifics of this particular situation, I still don’t believe one can ever get to the point of being prepared enough for doomsday, as much as my Virgo stellium would want that.
VR, Smartass of the Year, for 30th consecutive year 😉
By: VR on March 17, 2011
at 6:37 am
If yiou are into EFT you will enjoy a beautiful tapping meditation by Jessica Ortner.
http://www.thetappingsolution.com/blog/tapping-for-japan/
It fits right in with remaining calm and positive
By: catherine stevens on March 15, 2011
at 1:51 pm
THANK YOU DONNA! I have been thinking of you today and hoping you would write about this, after reading a load of hysterical nonsense from folk who’ve bought into all the fear, on an astrologer’s Facebook page, which just had me feeling like a grumpy ole woman and fizzing with anger at the scaremongering. Thank you all who have echoed Donna’s words of reason and intelligence and wisdom. Fear paralyses, hope inspires. Adela is my kinda woman..VR, Mimitabby and lots more..thank you for making me feel normal again! Bless you Donna..we need you!
By: Lynne on March 15, 2011
at 2:09 pm
haha, Lynne, I’m another grumpy old woman. I get REALLY REALLY tired of people trying to stir us up even more “THE SKY IS FALLING !!!! “
By: mimitabby on March 16, 2011
at 6:12 am
I don’t pay attention to any “future predictions” because it’s always the things that aren’t predicted that change everything forever.
Just think of all the world-altering inventions/events that NOBODY saw coming: the personal computer, the creation of the internet and the world wide web, the collapse of communist USSR, online shopping, search engines (especially Google), GPS, 9/11, iPod and iTunes, the smart phone, social networking (and the phenomenal growth of Facebook), the totally unexpected populist uprisings in the Arab world…
As far as I can tell, the only predictable thing about the future is its unpredictability.
By: Sally on March 15, 2011
at 2:20 pm
What is that book, I believe a NY Times BestSeller, that talks about random and improbable events having a far bigger impact on history and the world than the predictable ones?
I do believe the name of it was Black Swan, but I’m not talking about the recent ballet movie. (The point of the book was that we believe all swans are white, but it takes only one black one to destroy that belief.) I gave it to someone who’d come up with a similar theory on her own, but not so academic and intellectual. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on March 15, 2011
at 3:21 pm
Thanks Donna, I feel the same way you do. I sometimes speak up and then feel like I’m the only one who objects to fearmongering and doomsaying. It makes me feel like a voice in the wilderness.
By: Charles on March 15, 2011
at 3:04 pm
I’m with you, Donna – And I not a particularly cynical person.
(at least I don’t think I am)
I’ve been in 5 Major Earthquakes, as far back as the early 1970’s, So it isn’t like I’m speaking from ‘no experience’.
And a look at my natal chart would show you someone who’s seen a few scary things in her life. But I’m like you:
When my number is called, I’ll be glad to hand my ticket over; until then – I’m keeping my survivor-shades on and grinning though what ever comes my way.
By: ej runyon on March 15, 2011
at 3:07 pm
Like a great man once said: We have nothing to fear but fear itself!
By: Natalie on March 15, 2011
at 3:19 pm
And, let’s not add to the hysteria and sensationalism out there
concerning apocalyptic change. As someone smart mentioned in one comment – it’s the things that weren’t predicted that upset one’s apple cart. Laissez les bontemps roulez!
Molly K.
By: molly on March 15, 2011
at 6:28 pm
I agree with every word of your post. Remember, there is only Love and Fear.
By: Donna on March 15, 2011
at 6:43 pm
I sure hope it doesn’t come to pass, as I have family in Portland. I can’t place the person sounding the alarm, diminishing intellect here.
Accuweather has become my Weather location of choice.. This has been a very nasty Winter here in the NY Metro area, and they were usually right.
I watch the Weather Channel when I want to remind myself of what I Cannot Control, which is a great deal.
Immediately post 9/11, I did hit the atm for cash, gas up my car and get bottled water. Don’t know what hit me, I am mostly Neptunian, but It seemed like the right thing to do. I did not hoard duct tape or get gas masks. But there is a long history of denial in my family. My Father did Not build a Fall Out shelter, which greatly distressed me as a child. His theory was we would not survive, so why waste the time and effort? Him a Taurus of all signs. And ironically, I went to an elementary school next to a Nike Missile Base with Nukes. So Dad was probably right about our survival potential.
I do now have a *Go Bag* with medications and documents etc, but if my dog isn’t going with me, I am not leaving. I draw the line there.
I am not a fan of the Mayan Calendar endtime predictions. My theory is they got bored with their Venus Cycles, which is my understanding of what it is based on.
I am deeply saddened by what little I let in via TV or Internet at this point. When I was a Travel Writer, Japan was my beat and I have been in Sendai and all along the coastline. I wish there was more I could do. I am trying auctions to raise cash, and awareness. We in the US understand so little of Japanese culture. Their Death rites, for instance, are very personal, family members usually pick the bones of their deceased loved one out of the ashes at the Crematorium. Starting with the feet and working upwards. I doubt that any of these traditions will be possible given the displacement and destruction, and those wounds will haunt folks, quite literally if I understand properly.
What does this have to do with your dire predictions Donna ? Well probably nothing, other than I am a very Plutonian person and know things like Japanese death rituals. I do not know Anything about predictions of disasters and sure wish folks would find something better to do on the *Interweb*.
Wishing you all safety andthe best, thanks for letting me wander a bit in my thoughts.
Belle
By: belle on March 15, 2011
at 7:21 pm
Not wandering at all, Belle, appreciate your contribution to the discussion. I am sad about what you are saying about the death rituals–I do believe that having distinct rituals helps both the deceased and their loved ones to say goodbye in a comforting way, rather than having unfinished business. We don’t do a good job of it in this culture. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on March 15, 2011
at 7:54 pm
I dislike scary predictions because when the sky is actually falling, cynical people with long memories don’t duck.
By: Jara on March 15, 2011
at 8:28 pm
through this article, donna, i am reminded of WHY my parents moved us out to iowa in 1990 – 1) they had been to oregon and liked it, but 2) i remember they read a few books about how “safe” oregon was from natural disasters – NO JOKE!! and here, we were used to tornadoes and that sort of thing. i recall they read that earthquakes were NOT common in the pacific northwest. sure enough, “springbreak quake” of 1993 hit and all the talk about the fault line running pretty much under I-5 came up. amazing…
i cannot STAND the way the media treats the faintest hint of hail or sleet – something to be feared here. people lose their sanity and cannot drive a foot without chains. last year when the freeways filled with cars in a derby, sliding around on icy snow. i didn’t even learn to drive in iowa – i was all of 15 when we moved here – but i knew damn well how to drive safely from things my parents taught my older siblings and made it safely home from work out in tigard to north portland.
no doubt if we DID have an earthquake on saturday – or any time, for that matter – there will be the folks who freak out and the folks who deal. it is that way in all aspects of life, natural disasters or otherwise! i’ve got some things in case of emergency – even in my car – because my mom always warned me to be prepared. she herself keeps a huge bin filled with jugs of water, canned goods, batteries, a radio, flashlight, etc. it’s not a bad thing to do a tiny bit of prep work for the “some day” thoughts. however, i would be better off in a disaster at home than my workplace where the building is one of the oldest in town and i’m on the –> 13th floor <—!! dun Dun DUNNNNN!!!
By: erin on March 15, 2011
at 10:26 pm
oops, moved us out FROM iowa, not TO. d’oh!
By: erin on March 15, 2011
at 10:28 pm
Hello,
A humble contribution of my own, personal sense of what the “end” is all about with respect to the Mayan prophecy. I believe the prediction is entirely accurate, in that it predicts, from the perspective of the ancient Mayans, the end of the “world”; that is, their world. Based on chaos/complexity theory as it applies to the evolution of consciousness, I think it has to do with the integration of Mayan consciousness into global consciousness. At that point, the “pure” or attractor basin of Mayan consciousness will no longer exist. This is not due to conscious effort on the part of humans–it has to do with the inexorable flow of consciousness evolution. Kind of like one of the major ocean currents. It is flowing along; and we are pulled along with it. Our choice is whether we go along, as Caroline Myss put it, “with a bit of class” or we bumble and stumble as we’re dragged along. Filling our minds so full of joy, gratitude, compassion, loving-kindness and reverence for life in the Now–which is the only reality we have–so there’s no room left for fear, frees us to find the middle way–to walk the razor’s edge between hope and despair. I call it K.A.R.M.A.–Keeping A Realistic, Mystical Attitude. All is well, all is well, all is well AND don’t forget to stock up on water, cans of food, cash……
By: Judith on March 16, 2011
at 1:15 am
I think it’s not what happens to us, it’s how we deal with it.
Like the line from an old REM song:
It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.
By: Anne on March 16, 2011
at 7:27 am
My son and his wife live in Tokyo and I am starting to freak. The days are going by and they aren’t making headway with the reactors….
As for newscasts…. this 24hour reporting is difficult to take. They make it seem as though every minute that they aren’t able to sove this thing…. All day long.
I am avoiding the news channels… yet my anxiety builds.
By: VT on March 16, 2011
at 9:47 am
Saturn in my 5th… It never seems to end.
By: VT on March 16, 2011
at 9:49 am
As far as I know, they left Tokyo last night, driving south with 1/2 tank of gas.
They couldn’t buy gas in Tokyo. She is a nurse working in a local hospital. She is dutiful, and she believes her government & the local news reports. My Ex-husband and I kept calling to tell her that their news is too polite and should not be trusted.
She has agreed to leave Tokyo for two days and they will call us for information before returning. I told my (frustrated and overbearing) son that with some people you have to go ‘one day at a time.’
I am Canadian, by the way.
By: VT on March 17, 2011
at 7:59 am
Oh my, VT, that brings it home – what a frightful wait and see that must be for you.
Blessings & prayers for a safe outcome.
By: pdw on March 16, 2011
at 10:12 am
“THEY” are never going to solve this thing…only WE are…via NO more nukes! Best wishes for your family, bring them all home safely, VT.
By: Berta on March 16, 2011
at 11:07 am
Sorry to hear it, VT. How difficult it must be, not to be able to do anything to help at such a distance. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on March 16, 2011
at 5:51 pm
can they not leave?
By: uhanepono on March 17, 2011
at 12:22 am
I responded above.
By: VT on March 17, 2011
at 8:00 am
Thank you everyone for your contributions – it is great to listen to some sanity. Here in New Zealand a local moon man, who apparently predicted the Christchurch earthquake, is now predicting one at the weekend for the area I live in.
I dismissed this for a while until realising that the timing was the full moon, perigee – and that yes since the earth is just a series of crusts floating on magma the extra strong pull of the moon might make a difference.
But then I thought, well, that full moon is happening over the whole of the earth so why predict an earthquake here – surely it could happen anywhere – and it might not happen – we simply don’t understand the dynamics to predict these things.
My aquarian side is quite logical and rational about things, but my virgo moon/pluto gets scared, particularly at night, and to my frustration I find I have trouble sleeping and lie tensed up, ‘waiting’ for the shake.
Watching the tsunami footage was a mistake – shocking and dreadful – we are only half a kilometre from the coast and I keep asking my partner – but how will we know if there is a tsunami coming – how will we know to head for the hills and will there be time??
I don’t like living in this kind of fear and boy will I be glad when this weekend is over, hopefully uneventfully. In the meantime to calm the inner child, I am going to pack the car boot with sleeping bags, tent, food, clothes etc, and keep a weather eye on my cat.
Blessings to you all
By: Jay Linden on March 16, 2011
at 12:57 pm
One very reliable predictor of earthquakes and/or volcanic activity is to watch the Moon, especially when it is full. When an earthquake is impending (within a couple of weeks or so) , the Moon will have a rusty cast to it and sometimes even rust and dark-smoke like appearance in its rings and across its face. The Moon itself will be more golden and full looking than usual.
The only problem there is that that method can’t give you the exact time or place. But if you combine it with scientific data and the reactions of animals, you probably can get a fairly good idea.
Reading the Moon has been accurate as far as announcing the approach of a quake or volcanic eruption 100% of the time.
I’ve been doing that for years and I’ve (or rather the Moon has) never been wrong.
I looked at the last Full Moon and said to a friend: “There’s going to be an awful, awful earthquake, probably somewhere in the Eastern hemisphere, in the next few weeks or so. The Moon’s aura was much heavier than usual.
By: MEL810 on March 16, 2011
at 6:32 pm
I studied the mayan calendar and day keeping system in the 80s (and still find it a viable tool) and there was no talk of the end of the world when the end of this current long cycle ends but a promise of a new cycle evolving out of it beginning. I love to study cultural systems of making of sense of history through such tools as calendars and such. The “long count” of time is present in all cultures and was/is as a natural part of our psyche. The endings and beginnings of the ages such as the hindus, Chinese or Babylonians, mayans and even modern western astrology are easy targets for catastrophic portending simply because they correspond to times of great changes. When there are great changes afoot that we all feel from a collective unconscious level some of us translate it as fear as do the catastrophic portenders, others and opportunity, still others as a good reason to go looting. None of these reactions changes the simple fact that there are great changes underfoot. It will be our ability to stay in a joyous place that will “in the end” be what most we cherish and will seek from one another as we transit into becoming what we have never before been. ALoha
By: uhanepono on March 17, 2011
at 12:19 am
hello there; thank you for this .. even though i do not believe in predictions, it at times affects me as I am very impressionable- i however am bored and tired of it all. just half an hour ago i read lori from multiply who did annoy me to an extreme, and who i attempted to write back, as she was extreme in her predictions= on one way she talks about ascension which am unsure to this day what it’s all about, as she never explains in proper human terms should i say. and next she rattles about the end of the world mentionning uranus pluto pisces blahblah whatever- anyway i didn’t get to send my annoyance as my pc froze- but i got this just next to uncreate this malaise after reading jer..i relate totally to what you’re saying, and this brought a smile back on my face. thank you, and as you say: a clock is right twice day. best, Grace
By: Corinne on March 17, 2011
at 3:04 am
Something I just added to the post:
One final note. On Saturday–International Astrology Day worldwide AND the day my old friend assures me we’re going to have a major earthquake here in the Pacific Northwest–our local astrology group is having our annual AstroFaire. It will include a panel of astrologers speaking on the current patterns and their predictions. No doubt the Japan quake will come up.
Wouldn’t it just be the supreme irony if the predicted earthquake DID hit in the midst of that event? It would make every newscast, every tabloid tv show, every monologue by Jay Leno et al, and eventually be a tv movie. And you could all write in the comment section and tell me what an idiot I’ve been to ignore all those warnings. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on March 17, 2011
at 9:07 am
Don’t get me started! (lol)…How many astrologers does it take to shake a building?…(Doesn’t matter–their clients do all the quaking).
How many astrologers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?–(Just one if she’s a Leo…she holds on to the bulb while the world revolves around her)…
How many does it take to climb a ladder? How many does it take to recant Gallileo? (with or without thumbscrews?)…
Well, if the BIG ONE hits, Donna, you can bet Jay Leno will be out of town…(So this astrologer walks into a bar with a duck on his head…)
We’ve already lived long enough to get the irony…and, sooner or later, it will get us.
By: Berta on March 17, 2011
at 4:18 pm
LOL! You cracked me up, especially with that one about how it’s our clients do all the quaking. We needed a laugh. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on March 17, 2011
at 5:12 pm
“Be Prepared”. Boy Scout motto. Can’t hurt. I live in Colorado where the weather can be 70 in the morning and snowing two hours later. What scares me is that if “thoughts become things” and we “create our own reality” – all this fearmongering and apocalyptic thinking can’t be good!
By: JIll on March 17, 2011
at 7:55 pm
My Earthiness got ready many, many years ago and stayed ready.
The Mayan Long Count calender (Tzolk’in) merely starts over again when it gets to the end in 2012.
Here’s the deal on how the myth of Mayans predicting the end of the world started.
Neither anthropologists nor archeologists ever dreamed that anyone who could understand the Mayan Calender still existed. They had deciphered the Tzolk’in calender and could tell it ran up to a certain date, but had no idea what that meant. So, their imaginations went to town, and then the imaginations of writers went with them, and then Hollywood got on board, and on and on.
The neo-shamanic psychiatrists and psychologists, who’ve worked to befriend the various shamans and shamanic traditions around the world to learn from them, discovered that Mayan Counters of the Days were still around. They were so far back in the woods, and had been there for a few centuries, that not many Mayans themselves knew they were still there.
The Counters of the Days are very specialized shamans who work to keep the energies of the world balanced by ceremonies determined by the 17 calenders that the Mayans developed. Literally, they count the days and keep up with time as Mayans reckon it.
Carlos Barrios has written about the mistakes made in interpreting the resetting of the Long Count calender as meaning that the world will end. His books are excellent to clear the fog.
Deeper consciousness, surges in energies personal and global, greater enlightenment, catastrophes, all sorts of things may happen while Pluto grinds through Capricorn. But the Mayans never predicted that the world would end at the end of the Long Count Tzolk’in calender.
It might. But if it does, it’ll be contrary to Biblical scriptures which predict a renewed Heaven and Earth, not an end to Earth. If the world does end when the Tzolk’in calender resets, it won’t be due to anything related to the calender.
What it will be is the biggest New Year’s Day that the Mayans have ever recorded, but hopefully they’ll party like it’s 1999. 🙂
By: Parin Stormlaughter on March 31, 2011
at 1:01 am