AEON reading for 2021

How can I not.

Last years reading on January 2nd 2020 was prescient to say the least. On re-reading it again today, there's even more there than I realized - gems like:

"This collectivism brings an interesting shift for 2020, one that suggests we need to align on the things we all want to see in the world, rather than focus on the things benefit us personally and individually. "

"...the imbalance already exists, and it is our job to rectify it. No good hoping it will all work out or fooling ourselves that the imbalance isn’t as bad as we think… This card is telling us it is going to take a collective effort to make sure the imbalance is overcome and corrected."

"This card, in this position, tells us that in 2020 there will be severe and unexpected disruption and we are likely to find ourselves with a sense of hopelessness and huge disorientation..."

"In 2020 our carefully laid plans will not go as we plan them. Some of the things we once counted on will not be there for us as expected. The proverbial rug will be pulled from beneath us and we will feel at sea, without direction or leadership. Chaos. Uncertainty. This experience of disorientation will be a critical moment in our journey and the necessary catalyst to push us to the realizations mentioned in the two previous cards."

"In this position, the ultimate outcome for many of us in 2020 will be an awakening, an eye opening. We will be challenged, possibly to the point of despair, but this experience will teach us what matters and what we can (individually and collectively) do about it. 2020 stands to be a year of revelation."

So, on this day January 4th 2021 this is the reading for 2021:

The first card for the reading is selected by the reader.

Last year I started with ELPIS, hope. This year, it seems like we have been through so much and are potentially coming out the other side. In some ways it feels like we've given birth to something. Something new. Something different and for that reason, I've chosen METRICOS - The Mother - as the first card for the reading. She rules the Spring, fertility, pleasure, feasting and all that delights us. The origin here is Sanskrit, Matrika, which literally means “divine mother.” The divine mother is the energy of natural creation. The energy that gives birth to new ideas, new concepts, and new life. This reading will help us understand what we are giving birth to (or have already given birth to) and what new life or new beginnings can we expect in 2021.

The second position tells us the energy that is in play.

This card is EPINOIA - the card of creation - the conception of ideas. The card of manifesting, bringing to reality what we imagine with our minds. EPINOIA is the origin of all things because without being conceived of, nothing can be created. This AEON has been described as an "unbounded power" that was the source of the divine creation of the universe. But, as well as this divine power, it is also the origin of every human idea, creative thought, innovation and crazy hypothesis that each of us has the capacity for. EPINOIA gives us our uniquely human ability to conceive of new futures and new possibilities and therefore to imagine our own destiny. The symbols in this card tell us we have to look inward first to find such 'ideas' (the suit of Hearts, represented by the downward facing triangle) rather than our normal approach of looking for outward to others to lead us. Politicians, priests, prophets and palm readers cannot tell us our futures, it is for us to imagine and for us to build.

To quote Carl Jung (as i often do):

"The world of the inner is as infinite as the world of the outer. Just as you become a part of the manifold essence of the world through your bodies, so you become a part of the manifold essence of the inner world through your soul. This inner world is truly infinite, in no way poorer than the outer one. Man lives in two worlds."

The energy in play in 2021 will be one of revelation. A revelation of self-knowing and self-determination. If you don't have a sense of what you want really, truly want of 2021 then it's time to start conceiving of it for yourself.

So often our own ideas and intuitions are concealed from us (and from others for that matter) and in 2021 we must stop ignoring our inner guidance systems. Blindly following others and acting against our better instincts is causing real problems. Our education systems, and discriminatory social systems have taught the majority of us to have little confidence or trust in our own conceptions, ideas and creativity. So many of us have been tricked into believing that the ideas and beliefs of others have more merit than our own and that we must therefore support their conceptions rather than manifest and develop our own - this is a massive manipulation. A manipulation that means so many potential futures, many of which would greatly benefit all of us, remain unbuilt and under-resourced.

The great sorcerer Simon Magus (as reported by Hippolytus) recognized that this “Great and boundless power” [Epinoia] has been “sealed, hidden and concealed” and placed within the "dwelling [body] that we call humankind". Simon Magus goes on to say that "the concealed portion must be met through “imaging” and by “art” otherwise it will perish unknown". 2021 is a year that we must look inward and trust our ability to both imagine and build what has never been seen before.

The third position tells us the actions we need to take.

This card is the card of MACARIA - Happiness.

As Americans would say, this is our "unalienable right" to live life in a way that makes you personally happy. We tend to think the "pursuit of happiness" is the important thing here - chasing after it, knowing that if all goes to plan, if we put in the effort, if we suffer the trials and tribulations and follow the rules, then maybe, just maybe, one day we will find what makes us happy. We have foolishly decided that MACARIA (happiness) is a thing you seek, not a thing you have. But this is not how the ancient texts describe happiness. MACARIA is the practice of happiness, rather than the pursuit of it. The practice of happiness here and now. The experiencing of happiness with what you have and from where you are. MACARIA is more than just our modern sense of a fleeting moment of joy or pleasure that keeps you going, it is to know happiness as a continuous, inner state of being.

MACARIA is the sense of feeling blessed or feeling protected and safe in yourself. Such a state comes from not only knowing what makes you happy (in a moment) but also knowing a role or purpose that makes you happy in the world. An existence that has meaning for you and meaning for those around you.

2020 has, more than any other year, given us time with ourselves. Hopefully it was a time where we came to know ourselves better. Hopefully it gave us a sense of where our happiness lies, not just in terms of fleeting joys and pleasures but hopefully in some deeper, more long-lasting fashion. If this 'great pause' of 2020 has not given you such insight, then 2021 is as good a time as any to start experiencing rather than pursing or hoping for happiness.

The fourth position tells us a truth that we will discover

This is the card of AINOS which means 'praise'. Quite literally, AINOS means 'to tell good stories about'. To celebrate and most importantly to have rituals of recognition and appreciation. Of course, we most commonly associate this with religious 'praise', such as church services and prayer, but this Aeon emerged before there were such formalized approaches to spirituality. When good happens, AINOS is the human desire to recognize that good and give credit where credit is due. It is the origin of almost all pro-social behaviors such as good manners, 'doing unto others'...etc. It is also our hard-wired instinct for reciprocity, generosity and gratitude.

AINOS brings with it a additional bonus. When we shift our focus to appreciation and thanks for what we have, we reduce our desire and striving for things that we don't have or that are difficult to achieve. The revelation of AINOS is that so much of what we want and need (both tangible and intangible) is abundant and easily available to all. All too often we overlook the potential that exists within us, the potential of the people around us and the potential within the environment surrounding that we think all this has to change. We think we have to go somewhere else, be someone else, work with someone else and do something else. Seeing the good that is before us and seeing good in what is abundant, not just what is scarce, helps us realize that we don't actually have to wait for change, instead we can start on any new path with what we have.

2021 will teach us to be thankful for what we have. We may come to terms with the idea that 'less is more' and that there are diminishing returns from taking, taking, taking and constantly chasing additional gratification. Our place in nature, and our true natures are only fulfilled when we recognize that we are part of our environment's regeneration. Such rejuvenation is achieved by connecting with our environment and connect with others within it. 2021 will also teach us that we also have a responsibility to make sure that we use our connections within this system in ways that create good for all of us, rather than to causing harm or suffering to others. Within an ecosystem like ours, what goes around comes around. We will come to learn how damaging the spreading of 'bad stories' about people truly is. How the vicious cycle of negativity, 'fake-news', trolling, cynicism and suspicion has a destructive effect not only on ourselves (our psychology and our spirituality) but also on our society. This next year will teach us how essential it is to see good and assume good in others if the system is to work as intended. To change the default from an assumption of negativity and instead to assume positive intentions and good will. Coming out of the isolation of 2020 we will do well to focus on bridges of connection with others, rather than building walls of difference.

The fifth position tells us what we do not expect.

The fifth card is the kicker, the thing we do not expect.

AGERATOS in reverse.

In the upright position, AGERATOS means eternal. Ever-present and stable but in the reversed position it is a reminder of our mortality. Our ephemeral and fleeting existence. Our vulnerability and our fragility.

We might be hoping for some stability in 2021 but this will not come. We've seen the shifting sands of politics and of our economies. We've seen the fragility of our institutions and our social infrastructures. We've seen how both democracy and economics can be easily undermined and manipulated to achieve outcomes that none of us are happy with. This instability is not going away and if anything, it's just going to get worse. A crack in glass never repairs itself. Once the weakness is exposed it remains a weakness until replaced.

AGERATOS in reverse tells us that the stability we seek will not occur until we revisit and replace some of the foundations on which our society is built. We've attached ourselves to ideas, people and things that we believed had stability and resilience, but the reality is that they do not. We are going to have to change our views on these things and accept this reality. We've let confidence and popularity lead us over truth and integrity. We've let ourselves believe in tactical and temporary (quick and easy) solutions to our problems but are then surprised to discover that these do not endure. We are going to have to find ourselves some real grounding. Revisit some of our past choices and rethink a lot of what has gone before. We might have to question the foundations of some of our most sacred cows and sacrifice them when we discover they are flawed and weak. Part of the challenge with finding more stable foundations on which to build is that we are going to have to look beyond our own lifetimes to evaluate success. We are going to have to take a multi-generational view rather than an individual view. If we want to overcome our current vulnerabilities and fragility, we will have to start by designing for generations beyond our own. For anything truly stable, must be as valuable for them as it is for us.

The sixth position, brings this story to conclusion.

‘What will be’ in 2021

The final card and the conclusion to the story is the ultimate outcome of 2021. This card is AGAPE. The card of LOVE.

This card featured heavily in a reading I did a few weeks ago for the "Great Conjunction" that was boldly imagining the next 800 years. I'm so happy that it features again here. As I said in that reading: "AGAPE is the love of loves. The highest form of love. The most divine, infinite and universal love. A love between self and others, a love between God and mankind and a love inclusive of all other loves."

It is especially pertinent that AGAPE is the conclusion to the reading that started with METRICOS (the Mother) for these two are a syzygy pair.

As described in the ebook "Syzygies of AEON":

A mother gives of herself, holds nothing back, and the reward for this complete and immersive sense of giving, this self-sacrificing, is the bond of Love. The actions of a mother and the nature of love are one and the same. This is the origin of all growth—all change, all renewal, all re-generation. A father’s love protects and maintains, establishing the norms, setting limits and rules which must be obeyed. A mother’s love works from within, nurturing and growing, empowering and ultimately liberating. METRICOS is the origin of everything in nature and everything alive, because everything alive is born. AGAPE is the origin of everything divine, because everything divine is created from love.

Whether it is the uncovering of your own ideas; the giving of stability to future generations; the love of your fellow man; the connections you make because of the assumption of good will; the praise of our Gods and spiritual beings for all that is abundant, this year promises to be a year where we must cultivate love in its many forms. 2021 is the year that we should all consider planting some seeds of love and work to maintain an environment where AGAPE can grow and bear fruit.