Ichigo ichie
Reflections on the US Pluto Return
True power is only found in a moment. Too often, we allow it to leak out of us due to the worries around what has yet to happen or sent back down the rails of regret to what has already occurred. Worry is the enemy of our power and is often weaponized by those in power. The Japanese saying Ichigo Ichie is the antidote to this. It’s a four-character idiom that translates to “once in a lifetime,” “one time, one meeting,” or “now or never.”
I first learned of Ichigo Ichie in tea ceremony, which is where it originates from. Rikyū, a 16th-century tea master is where it can be traced back to. The idea is meant to tune us completely into the moment, to offer the eternal respect needed to the host, the tea, and the quality of the moment. It’s a practice we could all learn from, especially in the face of the global uncertainty being brewed up lately by Pluto.
You are probably aware the Pluto Return has just occurred for the United States (2.22.22; 27º 33' Capricorn). Even if you don’t reside within the US, the implications are still felt. The tendrils of the “most powerful nation in the world” run deep and are far-reaching. It is no coincidence that WW3 was trending on Twitter yesterday when it happened. Yet, I think it’s safe to say that it has been happening for some time and will continue for some time still. Exact hits of transits are important, but they don’t tell the whole story. To understand the themes of the entire return I think it’s wise to study the origin of the nation, the ingress of Pluto into Capricorn (2008), and also the space within 10º of the exact transit. When we do that we are faced with the carousel of images from the banking crisis, economic collapse, the opioid epidemic, drone strikes, fires, floods, heatwaves, the Red King, Jan 6th, the pandemic, and the magic money tree (MMT) producing trillions of dollars out of thin air. Now, I understand fully much of this isn’t US-centric, yet it can be argued that those tendrils mentioned before were finagling offshores. In essence, Pluto exposes the truth. This “non-planet” at the edge of our solar system has an uncanny ability to reveal power dynamics and to force all toxicity out of a system. If Capricorn is symbolic of systems, well, allow your imagination to run wild.
I’m not going to pretend to know exactly what is going on. None of us should. No matter how well-read or informed you are on any of these political topics, I would argue you still are missing all the vital facts. Why? Because they are hidden. We aren’t allowed to know. Yet, we do know more than we were allowed back when Pluto was discovered in the 30’s. It’s precisely why so many don’t trust the government or institutions these days. Praise be to the decentralized nature of the internet and how information spreads through it. But still, we don’t know enough to worry.
Ichigo Ichie. This should be our practice. If we can enjoy our tea while the dark forces of the world duke it out, we have found some power in that. We are holding down the opposition. True power is only found at this moment. So much light is found in a cup of tea and a good conversation. It’s one of my favorite things about living in England. They get this. As do many others.
First tea,
then we talk
May Pluto continue to do what he does best:
Purify. Compost. And ready the Earth for new life
Eudaimonia,
Adam
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