Since 2020, there have been a lot of people writing anti-establishment, conspiracy theory slogans and even full paragraphs with chalk on sidewalks around downtown Regina. Regina has a “dancing man” who dances with his shirt off on high-traffic downtown locations beside big signs with conspiracy theory warnings on them. Conspiracy theory, Bible verse, and anti-global-warming, and generally lewd stickers get slapped on light posts, power boxes, and any other kind of infrastructure. There was a sticker of a dick on a light post for weeks in downtown this summer. I’m super grateful for whoever cleans them up. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but actual people like me live downtown and we have to look at that stuff, and we want to enjoy our neighborhood too.
Projection is the the bedrock of the q-anon and conspiracy theory movement, where unpleasant feelings and characteristics that are disavowed from within are projected onto people in authority and experts- anyone whose head sticks out above the crowd is a target for their projections. Projection is the defence mechanism of the Enneagram type six who scares themselves on purpose to make themselves more courageous against often imagined or aggrandized threats.
I want to tell these people that we’re not some empty white projection screen to project their inner terrors onto. We are a neighborhood, not their psychological toilet. If they need help integrating their projected hostile suspicions into their inner goodness, they should get a counsellor.
I had to pause though, because when I’m angry around election time, I can write some pretty caustic things on Facebook, and I know most of my friends are women who are not interested in politics and just want to see positive stuff and family updates. I am picking the wrong outlet for my anger, and I feel bad when I use Facebook as my dumping ground.
I have struggled since Trump came into office with what to do with my anger. I know spiritual teachers say “channel it into positive action”, and I agree with that, but what does that mean practically? Like should I be applying for jobs in the government in the the hopes of one day being able to inflence a policy maker? Should I be going back to school to get a masters in public policy? Should I be running for office? None of those feel like the right step. Maybe? Although I wouldn’t get enough votes. Should every citizen whose conscious is piqued be running for office, or be working for the government? What is positive action that is the appropriate to my astrological chart?
If I asked this question to astrologers, they’d want to know where my mars was – mars being our anger planet – and then we can start to get specific. My mars is in Gemini, the ruler of communication. Saturn is another great place to look, as that is the planet that frustrates us, or slows us down, or makes us feel dumb or afraid. Saturn points to where hard work is needed to overcome difficulties. Saturn rules my third house of social media. Does this mean don’t share my opinions on social media? Or does it mean try harder? I know I want to educate, but if my university experience was akin to how I talk on social media, it would have been uncomfortable. I honestly don’t know what the answer is. What can we do with our uncomfortable feelings? Maybe I need to learn to communicate better. I’m not sure, but it sure is tempting to blast out my opinions to make other people feel the pain and anger I’m feeling, just like I know the people who graffitti downtown are exploding with discomfort as well.
I forget where I read this (Gurdjieff? Jung?) but it was something like, “Deal with that which is inner, inside, and deal with that which is outer, outside.”