The stock plunge has stirred up superstitions as individuals struggle to make sense of this unfolding crisis. To my surprise, I have heard a steady trickle of references to planetary alignments, astrological charts and Illuminati conspiracies from otherwise sober, hyper-rational acquaintances.
And then yesterday, a small ad on page A17 of the San Francisco Chronicle jumped out at me — picture below. According to an Australian astrologer Blossom Goodchild, we are to be visited by aliens on October 14th, who will hover in our skies for three days in order to knock some sense into our silly earthling heads.
This ad is an indicator that the outre´ is in once again. As Wall Street hands out pink slips, this collapse will become a full employment act for seers, psychics, channelers, and conspiracy buffs as the vast confused masses look for meaning in the wreckage of their assumptions.
But I expect this is only the beginning. Just as the 1987 crash was a crucial factor in mainstreaming the New Age Movement, today’s larger upheavals will trigger a proportionately larger social response. A vast social shift may be just around the corner, so dust off your crystal ball and grab your Nostradamus and get ready for the ride. In the meantime, if Goodchild’s aliens show up, let’s hope they have lots of cash in holds of their vast spacecraft, and are inclined to bail out GM and a couple of banks.
