AWAKE TILL DAWN
THE NATURE OF US writings on the earth community, love, body, embodiment, interconnection, our planetary moment, music - and the creativity and possibilities inherent in being human.
I found a few passages by Michael Ventura, still relevant though written in 1985, in his delightful book, Shadow Dancing in the USA:
I think of the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and how when the townspeople fell asleep their bodies were duplicated by alien “pods” from outer space. Only if the hero and heroine could keep awake could they resist being taken over by the body snatchers. In just that way, our consciousness is in danger of being overpowered by the surrounding cacophony. We have got to keep awake till the dawn of the new culture that must be taking shape out of all the chaos. Or is that a rash hope? Since only the future can answer us, we must keep faith with that future.
But faith is much too abstract a concept for most of us now. I like to think of it as dancing. For this is a time of tremendous movement, and dancing is the embracing of movement. Within a dance there are many changes and there is the necessity to remain centered within those changes. We dance among shadows and we cast shadows as we dance. And something moves within our movement: the unity of the dancer with what is danced. Such is the dance of the self with the outside world, and the dance of the self with our inner worlds. The thought dance, the love dance, the work dance—the grace we strive for, and the sense of movement that is sometimes all that keeps us alive.
Survival is a frightening word. Think of it as dancing. The new day starts at midnight. We have to dance till dawn.
This:
In just that way, our consciousness is in danger of being overpowered by the surrounding cacophony. We have got to keep awake till the dawn of the new culture that must be taking shape out of all the chaos.
Here we are in 2026, hoping for our new beginning, and at the same time witnessing the crumbling of our civilization. I love the metaphor of dancing with all the change in Ventura’s writing, as dance requires grounding and steadiness, and a centered focus on the structure of the music.
It may be like walking a tightrope at times, not being distracted by the sideshows of AI, the posturing of politicians, and the lure of the next headline. It is imperative that we focus intently on our own unique life path.
Relevant wisdom from Rumi:
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.
In last week’s essay I outlined the basics of how not to go to sleep:
Many astrologers believe we are entering a new era, a historic threshold, as Saturn and Neptune meet at the zero point of Aries. While Saturn and Neptune meet approximately every 36 years, they have not come together at this exact zero point for about 6400 years, before recorded time.
Saturn conjunct Neptune in Aries, occurring on February 20, 2026, marks a significant astrological event that combines the disciplined energy of Saturn with the idealistic nature of Neptune. This conjunction is expected to bring about a new beginning, challenging us to turn dreams into reality while navigating potential confusion and uncertainty.
Saturn is typically described as the beat, the part of the music that keeps us in the moment, clear and alert, firmly in our bodies. As well, Saturn is focused on doing what needs to be done to stay alive.
Survival is a frightening word. Think of it as dancing. The new day starts at midnight. We have to dance till dawn.
And Neptune is our dreams, visions, and our spiritual side, or illusions on the negative side. Together as they move through Aries we will ideally be focused on bring the formless into form—our dreams into reality.
As Neptune can also rule illusions, we are seeing many of our cherished understandings about how things are structured (Saturn) breaking down. We need courage to look clearly at the truths being revealed in our culture, and at the same time stay focused (Saturn) on building our own life trajectories—our dreams, which may also have been affected by the changes occurring.
It takes courage to follow your heart’s path in life.
Mary Oliver
And yet we come equipped, through our individual innate bio-intelligence, as I have been outlining in the past weeks:
Each body a lion of courage, something precious of the earth.
Mary Oliver
I think of many ways courage can serve us as we forge a new world: the courage to be honest with ourselves, to face our fears, to stand our ground, to be fully vulnerable, to lead the way, to speak our truth, to try new solutions. Most fortunately, the astrological sign Aries, ruled by Mars, is associated with courage, giving us an extra assist with our new dawn. While Saturn will take a few years moving through Aries, Neptune will reside there for 13 years,
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
E.E. Cummings
The planet Saturn asks us to grow up and face reality. I know that is often a challenge for me, and I suspect, many of us, especially as our ideas of what reality is are changing, with the technology available now to illuminate or distort and obscure.
Everything changes. Change and uncertainty are facts of life. Yet uncertainty can be a catalyst for growth and change. We are wired to improvise and find new solutions. More to come on that topic.
May we all dance fluidly with what life presents to us.
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
With much love,
Sabrina
Please support my work:
Sabrina Page, MA in Philosophy, Cosmology and Consciousness
You can reach me at sabrinapage@earthlink.net. I assist you in focusing on the deep knowing of your body, aligned with water. earth and all life - embodiment - to support you in living life fully, freely, and fluidly, intertwined with nature. Optimize your self-healing ability and embody presence and love by uncovering the new in yourself.
My background includes having studied meditation, somatics, movement, dance, and astrology - with some of the leading individuals in their fields. Sessions are individually tailored to your current needs.
More information is available on my website, sabrinapage.com
Delightful essay, Sabrina!
And thank you for the tip that apparently my subscription to your Substacks has been getting shunted into my Spam/Junk folder recently. I’ve moved them back to my Inbox, so now I get to “binge read” all essays starting from the New Year.
thanks for the astrology preview, Sabrina