Opening personal reactions to recent events

On episode 259 of the podcast astrologer Sam Reynolds joins the show to discuss the issue of racism in America, and to talk about some related topics that have come up in the astrological community in the past two weeks. These discussions resulted from the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and the resulting protests across the United States. In the first part of the show we discuss some of the underlying issues in the country related to systemic racism and police violence, while later we transition into talking about some of the discussions and activism that have sprung up in the astrological community recently. Along the way we touch on broader themes about what it is like to be a black astrologer in America, efforts Sam has made to bring greater diversity to the astrological community, and what can be done to help these efforts in the future. Sam has given a couple of related related talks in the past year, including The Astrological Destiny for African Americans for the Fresh Voices in Astrology summit, and a talk titled Race, Justice, and America's Pluto Return for the Association for Young Astrologers. You can find out more about Sam's work on his website: UnlockAstrology.com This episode is available in both audio and video versions at the bottom of this page. Show Notes Here are some of the topics we discussed, with links to related resources: George Floyd Donate to George Floyd Memorial and Family Funds Nick Dagan Best's Venus retrograde research The Astrology Podcast Ep 39: Venus Retrograde: Challenging Consensus (2015) Venus Retrograde: Cycles of Injustice (2007, content warning: graphic images) Deon Mitchell: Should White Astrologers Talk About the Riots? The appropriateness of post-mortem astrological analysis of notable figures Breonna Taylor Donate to Breonna Taylor family fund Spiritual Solidarity fundraiser for Black Lives Matter and related causes Organized by Six @BlackWomenCry on Twitter Spiritual Solidarity on Twitter @TheSSCoven and hashtag #SpiritualSolidarity International Society for Black Astrologers Facebook group Donations and Resources Please consider making a donation for the victims, protesters, and related organizations: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#donate - Sam's recommended reading list: Anti Racism Resources for White People Social Change: Everyone Has a Role to Play Research-Based Solutions to Stop Police Violence     Watch the Video Version of This Episode Here is the video version of my discussion with Sam Reynolds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioLirMV7KaA - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 259 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode You can either play the audio version of this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your device by using the buttons below: