This October has been extraordinary for Downtown Santa Cruz. As the executive director for the Downtown Association, I have had the privilege to host a series of events to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. The occasion was certainly a somber remembrance of the community’s losses; lost buildings, many lost businesses, lost jobs and, most tragically, loss of life. It was also, however, an undeniable time for celebration.
As I have been reliving downtown’s devastation of ’89, I have heard hundreds of stories of near misses and irony, stories of awe and adrenaline. Perhaps my favorite recount is of the 4-year- old girl watching Sesame Street, looking up for just a moment to respond to the frightened beckoning of her mother through the falling books and shaking furniture “But mom, I didn’t do it!” And while everyone has their own memory to share, the theme that continues to be retold is the one we all remember of the selfless service that the whole town seemed to gravitate toward. As people assessed the damages to buildings, the displaced businesses, with the very future of downtown in question, a remarkable community united around the idea of helping. Soon the question everyone was asking themselves, and each other, was, “What can I do?”
A workout gym is one of those “third places” that sociologists talk about—not work, not home, a kind of familiar refuge from daily realities. But it’s different from, say, a favorite coffee shop or bar— mostly because you perspire a lot and, when the workout’s over, you get naked and shower in front of strangers.
Saturn, the Dweller on the Threshold (Gates of Initiation), enters Libra (till Oct. 5, 2012) Thursday at 10:09 a.m. (west coast). The Dweller (like St. Peter at the Gates of Heaven) can be likened to a Halloween character, at times looking like a gargoyle—creatures carved to protect sacred sites. The Dweller has a partner, the Angel of the Presence, appearing when the disciple has passed tests and completed the preparatory stages that build in the aspirant the strength and wisdom needed to enter the Holy of Holies. Saturn (Ray 3, Divine Intelligence & the Law of Economy) is The Teacher who disciplines and restructures our relationships with each other and with money (the state of the dollar and the world economy). Saturn & Libra concentrate on fairness (in the light of unfairness), justice, diplomacy and cooperation. The Dweller on the Threshold informs us that through experiencing relationships we will learn to work within and then beyond these restrictions, growing into a new, more worthy and valued self. As Saturn is structure and Libra is relationships (intimates, lovers, marriage and business partners, our connection to money and resources) new information (Ray 3) will transform of the next three years all our ways of being.
It showed that things can change very fast and that we are not in control of things that we think were in control of.
