The past 20 years have been ruled by the 8 Earth Time Star. 8 Era industries involve land (real estate developers, builders, architects/designers, etc), agriculture, building, and technology. It’s also connected to the young male. Consider the rise of the “Silicon” valley and people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg.
In the past 20 years technology has flourished. Remember that before 2004 much of the technology that we now have become so comfortable with didn’t exist or was in the very beginning stages. I remember the first home computers, internet, and cell phones of the 90s/early 2000s, which boomed in the past 20 years. Farming reached new levels of productivity with corporate industrialized agriculture and industries connected to it. Of course, the extraction and distribution of fossil fuels over the past 20 years has received a lot of publicity the past 20 years. Housing and land development have also been in the spotlight, reaching new heights and controversies during Era 8. It’s one of the more contentious issues of our time that the average person working a full-time job cannot house themselves and their families. Multiple families are now sharing housing and the number of unhoused has reached ridiculously high levels, particularly in areas where climate is more conducive to outdoor living.
Earth is damp and still. It doesn’t move as readily except when water is added. It’s considered “stable” and “grounded” but it’s also often stubborn and immovable. Mountains are immovable. Sand drifts, but slowly. That slow or immovable energy can be frustrating when we are trying to solve problems and move forward with solutions. We’ve seen slow progress in many areas of society such as human rights and our ability to wrest power from those who have too much influence on our global family.
ENTER the Fire era…ruled by the 9 Purple Fire Star, with bright, happy, expansive, passionate energy! It is the era of the middle-aged female, so we can expect to see more women in the spotlight and women in high positions of government. The last Fire Period presented the peak of the Victorian era. That was so influential in all aspects of life that we still have vestiges of it (i.e., Victorian architecture). It was a time of inventiveness and higher/abstract thinking. New inventions like the bicycle, typewriter, motorcar, moving film, steel, and the telephone made huge impacts on modern society as a whole. It was also the first time that more people were moving to and living/working in cities than in rural areas. There were new technological advances and advances in the education of children. There was a boom in the arts as well, including theatre, live music venues, and literature (Browning, Bronte, Dickens, Wilde). Even healthcare made great strides with people like Florence Nightingale worked with the English government to make healthcare facilities clean to reduce infections.
Fire moves quickly and expansively, versus the slow-moving and often immovable Earth. Some Fire-related industries are electronics, computers/IT, marketing, optical, e-commerce, psychology, designers, artists, military, healthcare, legal/consulting, firefighting, HR, department stores, hair salons/spas, and manufacturing. It also supports more ethereal thinking and spirituality (vs. religion). We could see a rise in practices such as meditation and mindfulness. Higher thought processes overcome stagnant and recessive ideas and ideals. We will likely begin to see the recessive attitudes that have been evident over the past 20 years in the rear-view mirror as we begin to move forward to a more inclusive and compassionate society.
We can expect to see a rise of women in important and influential jobs, as well as more access to services for women and women-owned businesses. The US will likely see its first female POTUS before 2044. We are already seeing a rise of women in governments around the globe and the patriarchy is likely to see a reduction in its pervasive presence and reach. Patriarchal religious and political organizations will begin to be replaced by more compassionate and humane ones. We hope to see a rise of the sacred feminine and human qualities of hope, kindness, level-headedness, and compassion. Wherever there are/have been matriarchal societies in the world, they live more cooperatively and compassionately. Let’s look forward to and support this energy to help heal our global family. We need the harsh patriarchal characteristics to take a back seat or go away entirely so we can live together in harmony and cooperation. Power is the root of all that is wrong with humanity. It’s time to use our ability to think, communicate, and work in cooperation to form a global society that looks after one another rather than leaving bodies in the wake of a struggle for power and possessions.
We are on the edge of a new, enlightened age…the ‘Age of Aquarius,’ as it were. New technologies could very well remove the centralization of the power of corporate industrialization and wealth. But the struggle will be real as the wealth hoarders and power mongers hang on for dear life to the influence they have dealt in the past. Now is a good time to dream new dreams and gather the people and mentors into a cooperative that can make those dreams come true. Social influencers are the future of networking so make sure you understand and use that technology as you build your business.