Capricorn 2002 completes our third year of publishing this newsletter. As I look back at all those newsletters, I’m struck by all the personal growth that I’ve experienced in that time. At the same time, I feel a daily frustration and lack of patience with the rate of progress in my growth and that of the world around me. This clearly demonstrates why Inga advises us all to keep a journal to combat this feeling. That feeling of frustration does serve one good purpose in that it indicates to me that there is more work to be done on my worldview.

Something that has been giving me lots to think about regarding my worldview is The Lord of the Rings books and movies. Tolkien presents us with many themes and archetypes to ponder and I can’t help but look at our present world through his material even though he stated that it was not meant to be allegorical. One example is when Frodo and Gandalf are discussing the One Ring and the danger it presents to Middle Earth:

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

More and more, I am beginning to deeply believe that the only true power that each of us possesses is that of free will: how we use the time we have on Earth, how we manage our various bodies (physical, emotional and spiritual) and how we use the various energies, Earth and Spirit, available to us to create or destroy. What seems to govern our free will process is our worldview. To paraphrase the definition of worldview in Inga’s environmental textbook from her recent class: “Worldview is how people think the world works, what they think their role in the world should be, and what they believe is right and wrong behavior.”

What is so intriguing for me about The Lord of the Rings is the issue of the pursuit of power and how it is such a slippery slope for every character in the story. As Galadriel says in the first movie’s prologue, the various great rings were imbued with the “strength and will to govern each race”. It sounds like a good idea to have that kind of power. After all, most of us would use such power from a desire to do good even if it meant domination over others. Clearly, such a worldview will only provide a short term solution to planetary transformation and it will eventually lead to darkness because it is out of our fears that we feel a need to control others. On the other hand, true healing power comes from Father/Mother/God as Unconditional Love gives all of us the support we need to transform ourselves and the world around us.

And so my worldview is changing. My role in the world is to heal my emotional and physical bodies and to bring them into full alignment with my spiritual body. To heal all my fears in all my lifetimes and replace them with Love. To be at one with Earth and Spirit. The only government I need is that of Love. Without fear in our daily lives and with only Love to shape our worldviews, how will we decide what to do with the time that is given us? I believe that we’ll cause the transformation we all seek and crave.

Meanwhile, when I was not reading or watching The Lord of the Rings, Inga and I engaged in some very Capricornian activities. We attended a company Christmas party that called for festive attire so I went in formal Scottish attire which was a real treat. (Pay no mind to the woman lifting up my kilt. She bought me a drink for the privilege.)

We attended a New Year’s Eve celebration for the first time in 15 years and we had a wonderful time celebrating, sharing stories and sharing traditions.

Inga’s mom, Stephanie, is visiting us for a few weeks and we went up into the Cascade Mountains to enjoy some winter splendor while snowshoeing. It is amazing how healing an outing like this can be. To get out of the artificially hectic reality of our daily lives and just walk in the woods can reset our internal clocks to Earth time and reconnect us to Nature. Happy New Year everyone! */:-)