The Sumatra Earthquake

by Malvin Artley		print version
		print version (graphics)

THE SUMATRA EARTHQUAKE

Happy New Year, my Friends!

Given the events of the past week, though, such greetings for the New Year almost seem to be in bad taste. I have been trying to write this letter for the past week in response to people’s queries as to what I saw around the meaning of the quake, but every time I sat down to write I felt completely blocked from doing so. In fact, I have not really been able to do any correspondence at all. Such has been my inner state. In hindsight, however, this time of year is a period that should be given over to deep reflection and withdrawal from the mundane existence, and I have found that to be the case for me this time around. Be that as it may, duty calls and after speaking with a dear friend last night, I finally feel the inspiration to get this short letter out to you.

Like most people, I went into the holiday season ready for a good break, looking forward to communion with loved ones, the usual amazing food that gets prepared, the opportunity to catch up with people I have not the chance to see at other times and a chance to sleep—a luxury for me given the past year. But, I could tell something was not quite right as I left for Melbourne on Christmas Eve. The day before, I had begun to notice heaviness around the heart and a lot of pains darting out from that area. I had also been having joint pains and a lassitude that had been difficult to move through. I knew something was going on in the environment because I particularly get pains in the joints when there is heightened seismic activity in the area and, sure enough, there was a quake off the coast of Tasmania around that time. The joint pain eased after the Tasmanian quake, but the pains through the heart didn’t lift after that and I began to have niggling fears about my health. Many readers know that Christmas can be a depressing time of year and that the heaviness may have been more about depression around the holidays than about outside factors. Christmas has always been a happy time for me, though, so I knew there was something else going on. Then the quake off Sumatra occurred on the 26^th and almost immediately the pains and heaviness in the heart lifted. One would think that it would be the other way around. It was as if I’d had a premonition of the heartache to come. The body is a wonderful barometer and environmental stresses affect us much more than we like to admit. If we know how to read the signals, however, these sorts of sensations can act as a sort of early warning system and we can see them as gifts rather than simple annoyances.

The Sumatra Earthquake occurred at 7:58 AM local time (00:58 GMT) at 3N18 latitude and 95E47 longitude (epicenter), off the coast of Sumatra near Banda Aceh. This places the Ascendant of the chart at the 23^rd degree of Capricorn according to the Sabian symbols. I will not go into an exhaustive analysis of the chart here because that has already been done by so many others. My purpose in this writing is to look at some of the deeper factors at work with this tragedy and to give a bit of perspective on things. Human memory and perception has a tendency to be notoriously short and we, as a species, are more prone to look at events rather than the meaning behind them. The world thus seems a dark and cruel place at times for those who have not the greater Light of the Soul to guide them in life. Let us have a brief look at the main points in the chart of the event and see what we can glean of the symbolism contained therein.

The main feature that jumps from the chart is the Saturn/Chiron opposition stretched out across the Ascendant/Descendant axis. From previous letters we know that this has been called a heart-break aspect, and we have no better proof of that than in this chart. The purpose of the chart, as contained in the Ascendant and its ruler, is thus tied in implicitly with Chiron, since Chiron is conjunct the Ascendant. The fact that it is opposed by Saturn, the ruler of the chart from both the orthodox and the esoteric perspectives, points to a karmic necessity in the purpose of this event, the need for awakening to the realities of relations between neighbors and nations (since the opposition is an aspect that creates acute awareness through conflict and psychological cleavage), the pain of enforced and permanent separations between people—especially intimate relations—and the need for a more just and equitable sharing between people. This is further indicated by Saturn sitting firmly on the 7^th House cusp and its being retrograde as well. It also points to the fact that some hard choices are going to have to be made about relationships of all kinds in terms of how we deal with eachother at a very intimate and basic level. Saturn is the planet that forces choice upon us and thus brings opportunities for those who are able to adapt to the structures imposed by its actions. Saturn is the Lord of Karma in any horoscope, after all.

In addition, this Saturn/Chiron opposition is square to the nodal axis in this chart. The nodes represent fated occurrences for people. The North Node represents that which we must assimilate, whereas the South Node points to that which we must release and move beyond, to be very simplistic about it. We find the North Node in this chart at the first degree of Taurus by sign, and very near the star Sheratan in the constellation of Aries. Sheratan confers unexpected gains, wealth and leadership ability in its positive expressions. In the negative, though, it yields accidents, fiendishness, meanness and mercilessness. I think eventually we will see the positive side of this with respect to this event, but I will have a bit more on that later. Saturn in aspect to the nodal axis indicates the necessity for the occurrence of the events due to causes set in motion often far in the past—one’s karmic liabilities. The fact that it is square to both Nodes points to great tension in both the releasing of the old and the assimilation of the new. It generally means that familiar people are forcibly removed from one’s life (South Node) and that new people and experiences are likewise forced upon one at the same time (North Node). On the whole, this is seen as a most unfortunate combination. It represents the agonizing frustrations around this event, blockages of aid to the people affected, slowness in the response of aid agencies and the lack of infrastructure that has both lead to the high human toll and which has hampered the relief effort. In the end, though, much good could come from this in the lessons learned, the new structures put in place to deal with future problems of this nature and the relationships established in the working out of the immense difficulties with which people are faced at the moment. The fact that much good can come in the future is indicated by the sextile of Uranus to the North Node along with the trine of the Sun to the same Node.

In addition, this event occurred very close to the Capricorn full moon—roughly 14 hours before—and much that was said in that letter applies to the spiritual energies impacting upon the world at that time. The North Node in Taurus in the 4^th House and conjoined to that cusp points to the need for development of infrastructure in the affected areas, for proper distribution of goods and services and for a recognition of the value of the affected areas and of the people involved. This last point is further highlighted by the aspects to the nodes and by the sextile between the Sun and Uranus, which is placed in the second House in this figure, pointing also to the need for new means and ideas for the use and distribution of resources in those areas.

Backtracking a bit, then, we can see the immense pain and shock engendered by the initial event. The oppositions and square just described proved to be a powerful buildup of force within the planetary psyche. All we need do is to look back over 2004 to see how that might be so. Saturn has a curious and most disconcerting way of bringing people together and in taking them away. It is almost as if all the people who were killed or traumatized by the quake were brought together for this one great event. It was a tremendous release, both of energy and of human life. This sudden release is shown to us in the chart by the square between Mars and Uranus. We have had more than our fair share of frustration as Saturn has transited through Cancer, as it has opposed Chiron and as it has squared the Nodes. Something has had to give, and in the cathartic release of the energy of this quake profound healing can eventuate through the struggle to save the lives of those left behind and in the rebuilding of their shattered lives.

When we get to the essentials about the basic meaning of this chart it is all about the setting right of old relations, of the establishment of better partnerships (Saturn in the 7^th), of the healing of ancient wounds that can be done by no other means than by sacrifice and through selfless giving (Chiron opposed to Saturn and on the Ascendant), through a re-working of homeland and infrastructure so that it is better suited to people’s needs—and all this through the old official channels, which will themselves be re-vitalized and redeemed in the process (the nodal axis along with all the aspects to it). I am leaving out a copious amount of detail here, but it would distract from what really needs to be said. What is important is that we grasp what is going on behind the symbols represented by the chart and in the symbolism of the event itself. In effect, this event was a great release and a reckoning of old scores. It was, in addition, a culmination and a recognition of responsibilities and liabilities as represented by Saturn and Capricorn. But, we need a better perspective on this to really understand what has happened on a grander scale.

We should always keep in mind that the Earth is alive. The physical world we see is the dense body of an immense Being and, as such, it is only the smallest part. This world, just as it is with our own physical body, is subject to psychic stresses and strains that pull on the physical fabric and which can thus eventually cause weaknesses and illness if left unchecked. We should also keep in mind that our world is undergoing more than its usual share of strain at the moment because of changing cycles and energy impacts. There are cosmic rays entering the earth’s atmosphere as of now that are causing major disruptions in weather patterns throughout the globe, for one small example. All of these things impact upon humanity as well and add their share to our collective unease. All told, this is a time of tremendous shifting upon our globe and it is unprecedented from the standpoint of recorded history. As in any organism, then, if there are stresses, then the weakest part of the system will be the one most affected.

Consider, for a moment, the main areas affected by the quake. There were 8 in all. In order of the worst affected, we have Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Burma, Maldives and collective East Africa (Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania). Most of these areas have been through major periods of recent political unrest, civil war, factional in-fighting, ethnic cleansing or some combination of the above. In many of these areas the populace lives in abject poverty. More than a few of them are breeding grounds for despair and ill will among people. There are ancient hostilities and unresolved racial and cultural problems in many of those areas. In short, it has not been a well part of the world. I don’t mean to paint a totally dark picture, but the backwardness of much of this part of the world is a problem that has needed to be addressed for some time and the rich countries have been laggard in their response to it. Interesting, too, is that fact that in the countries of Southeast Asia that were most affected, tourism is a major part of their economies and many citizens of the affluent countries of the West –particularly Europe and Australia—have many of their vacation playgrounds there, and mostly along the coastal areas. The contrast between the local populations and the tourists couldn’t be more marked and shows the extent to which those countries have fallen behind even in terms of basic infrastructure. But, nature is not concerned with how much money a person has or not. It only seeks to maintain balance, and there are definitely imbalances to be redressed in that part of the world.

Also, we need to look at the basic geology of the Earth itself and ask ourselves some serious questions. This quake occurred in an area of the world that is highly prone to seismic activity. It occurred in a major active subduction zone (an area where a thin oceanic plate is pushed under a thicker continental plate). There have been two major quakes in this area previously (over 8 on the Richter scale) and there are several active volcanoes in that area. That particular zone stretches from Aceh to the eastern-most southern part of Indonesia. Probably the most famous seismic occurrence along that zone was the explosion of Krakatoa in 1883. The best-known subduction zone is the now- famous “Ring of Fire” that arches from the northern half of California, along the Aleutian Islands, down through Japan and finally ends at the north island of New Zealand. These subduction zones are where the many of the most powerful earthquakes occur and since most of it is under water, tsunamis are the inevitable outcome. There is a further extension of the Ring of Fire that starts in Central America and follows south the entire western coast of South America. Many readers of these letters live along some of the most active parts of these zones—Vancouver Island, California, Washington state, New Zealand, and parts of southern Europe.

The deadliest quakes on record, though, have occurred near the fault lines in between intercontinental plates. In those places there is not the safety valve of subduction and the pressures build up much higher before releasing. Although this last quake was deadly enough, it is not the deadliest by any means. China, for instance, has lost around ¾ of a million people to quakes in the last 100 years alone. Italy has lost 210, 000 in the past 250 years. Iran has lost 500,000 in its history. Japan lost virtually the same number in 1923 as the Sumatra quake. And, Syria lost 230,000 in the Aleppo quake of 1138. The deadliest quake on record was the Shansi Earthquake of China in 1556, with 830,000 dead. The only reason I put these figures in is to give some perspective on the numbers. It is in no way meant to negate the need and suffering caused by the current quake. But, we do need to realize that we live on a dynamic and, at times, unpredictable planet and we thus need to take due care and learn to recognize the signs if we find ourselves in one of those areas. We should note as well, if we are students of occult history, that in the areas where the deadliest quakes have occurred, there has often been a heavy karmic load that has needed to be released and that people who have congregated in those areas were there by karmic necessity to participate in those events, terrible though those were from the human perspective. Curiously, too, Australia and Africa seem to be particularly free of major seismic events.

I mentioned that there were questions to be asked around the geology of the earth and these quake zones. Why is it that people tend to congregate in these areas? There are often heavy populations in those areas where the deadliest quakes have taken place. There have been no less than 60 major recorded quakes along the Ring of Fire alone, but most of those have not resulted in large numbers of fatalities. What is it that draws us all to be together in a given place at a given time? What is it that brings us together in collective grief or joy? It has been said that we all incarnate in groups, whether family, community, spiritual or national. We come in together and we often go out together. From the standpoint of the inner planes, then, these massive releases of Earth-energy and human karma are great occult events. There is release and healing that takes place on a world scale in these events and a “clearing of the slate” in terms of individual, national and racial karma. We should realize, too, that humanity is the kingdom of nature that mediates between the spiritual worlds and the “lower” kingdoms of nature, and where humanity fails to do its needed work, nature will make due adjustment.

Also to be kept firmly in mind is the fact that the people affected directly by these events are not the only ones who bear responsibility or who are directly called into action or account. With an event of this magnitude we are all called to action, and we all have responsibility for our fellow world citizens in some way. To ignore this fact is to create reactive energies for ourselves that will come back upon us in the future. We are all very blessed to live in the places in which we find ourselves and in the relative comfort we have. We have earned the right to that through our struggle over numerous lifetimes and the selfless sacrifices we have made in our long Soul history. But, greater privilege always carries the onus of greater spiritual responsibility to those less fortunate and particularly in times of crisis. Wealth is meant to be shared, albeit wisely, and if we are able to give in times of need, then we are duty-bound to do so. The governments of the world have thus far responded well in terms of financial aid and support and relief agencies are fairly pleased at the moment. But, so much more could be done. Let us put this in perspective.

On Boxing Day—the day of the quake—people knew well the magnitude of the event and the need thus engendered. The Australian government quickly pledged 45 million dollars to the relief effort—a good sum of money and very generous in relation to the rest of the world. Yes, it amounted to a contribution of about 2 dollars per person in Australia. Of course, there are many people in Oz who have contributed much more than that. Meanwhile, on that same day, people hit the streets and spent 145 million in the after-Christmas sales on that day alone and in South Australia alone. It was much the same in all the developed countries. Think what could be done if people in the West contributed just 20 dollars apiece to the relief effort. The mind boggles, both at what could be done and also at people’s sense of priorities. The fact that so much has been given already by world governments is an indication of progress in the evolution of human consciousness, but the fact that many individuals have given so little points to the fact that much more needs to be done to make people more aware of their fellows. Of course, there are many who are not in a position to give much monetarily, but there are many ways to serve and to give and each of us should give bountifully according to our abilities.

These events are always multi-leveled with regard to their purposes and effects. The headlines in the papers go on about Nature’s Fury and make out as if people are somehow being punished and how nature seems cruel in its methods. We are given to think that a great act of violence has been committed against us. But, in geologic terms, all that has happened is that there has been a gentle settling and release of pressure in a small area of the Earth’s crust. It goes to show how insignificant we are as individuals in the larger scheme of things. We are also told that there was little or no warning for the tsunami that followed after the quake. Yet, the signs were all there for people who had the eyes to see. There had been a series of lesser quakes leading up to that one. There was thus known to be geologic instability in the region. Yet, people went on about their business, oblivious to what was going on beneath their feet. One of the more curious things of note to come out after the fact is that very few wild animals were found among the wreckage or dead anywhere else for that matter. We, as a species, have lost the art of looking at the signs. Animals especially have a lot they can tell us about the environment, and they often begin to behave very oddly before an event such as this one. Further, we are all highly developed animals ourselves in our physical nature with a profound sensitivity, yet we flatly refuse to pay attention to the signals our body gives us, or we simply are not educated in the methods. For myself, I feel these sorts of things in my joints and general energy levels, but everyone’s “barometer” is different. We simply have to re-educate ourselves and pay attention to energy impacts when they come.

Nature has come to a point of resolution around this quake, but the human toll has yet to be determined. As terrible as this is and as emotionally painful, there will eventually be a silver lining for those left behind with resultant better conditions--hopefully. The same scenario we had with 9/11 is being played out again on a much grander scale with regard to the opportunity being presented to us. The dead are now at peace or will soon attain it in the heart of God and are well looked after. The living are left to pick up the pieces and to make their world better than before, if possible. But the biggest thing to come from this is the call from the collective Soul of humanity and the rallying of the human Spirit and Will-to-Good, just as it is in any catastrophe. The possibilities are immense for this area of the world regarding future development, stability, infrastructure, common good and vastly improved relations with sister nations throughout the region and with the rest of the world, and great things can be realized with strong and forward-looking leadership in all countries. This is not a Utopian view. It is well within our means and would take surprisingly less than we think. The Guides of the human race on the inner planes are watching all this closely, especially with regard to the willingness of people everywhere to come forward and sacrifice a bit of themselves in service to those less fortunate.

We are told not to fear devastation, physical or otherwise. Life continues on and all things come to a point of balance. Devastation wipes away the blockages of the past, the accumulated baggage of past karma and renews the natural order as a result. Where there is a wiping away there is also profound possibility. That which has held us before is no longer a hindrance to our growth and the Soul moves upon the face of the waters anew, so-to-speak. The people of the affected regions should eventually come out of this much better off. Hopefully the countries of privilege will open their hearts and wallets wide. Hopefully, governments and factions will forget their petty differences and “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”. Hopefully, all of us will do our part in the rebuilding of the devastated regions and lives and show what is possible in this most magical of times. Let us be vigilant, united, of wise and loving hearts and ingenious in the gifts our Souls present in this time of need. The real gifts will not come to those people until after things are stabilized and they can return to some sense of normalcy. In the interim, though, let us keep the inner pressure on and see to it that we influence those who can do the greatest good toward the greatest world healing.

In my time away over the holidays I have had time to reflect on what has transpired and I have spoken with many people about it. Some have felt a shared grief with the people who lost loved ones. We do have the right to grieve, and events such as these are catalysts for release of long-held grief even if we are not immediately affected. Some have expressed guilt that they live in luxury while others have suffered. Guilt is a luxury to which we have no right, especially on this occasion. Guilt should always be turned toward firm resolve and full action for the aid of those who suffer and for the setting right of injustice and imbalance. Many have given generously. Let us see to it that we all do. No matter what our lot is in life or what we feel about the event itself, let us see to it that proper and prompt aid is given. Once again, we are being roused from our slumber and called to account for that over which we have been given care. Let us see to it that we are wise stewards of the gifts we have been given and that all benefit from those gifts. Once again, the Spirit of the Grace, Wisdom and Charity has moved upon the Earth in this Christmas season and has called followers in all faiths (for Itknows no religious distinctions) to express the highest Good to which we are all capable. In the months that follow let us all watch the need of the world very closely and respond as best we can. My thoughts have been with you all in this season, as well as with the affected peoples of the quake. May we all seize this opportunity and strike a strong blow for the peace and stability of our wonderful little planet.

My most profound blessings go out to all the victims of the Sumatra Earthquake, alive and passed on.

In loving service,

Malvin.

26 DEC 2004

Please give generously!

Malvin Artley, Author & Esoteric Astrologer

Malvin Artley has been a practising astrologer for the past 10 years and is an accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers. He is the author of "Bodies of Fire: An Exploration of the Lesser Chakra System". He has authored numerous articles and was a member of the faculty of the Universtiy of the Seven Rays, a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching of the Trans-Himalaya tradition as expressed through the books of Alice Bailey, Helena Blavatsky and others. His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His special interests are the human subtle energy system and all the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all aspects of Chinese occultism. He now lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

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(all photos used in this article are from clip art, with the exception of Malvin's portrait)