Lunar Eclipse Musing on Determinism & Moral Injury

Normally on the Full Moon I write a monograph spotlighting a medicinal or nutritive herb, and indeed, I was looking forward to writing about Lucerne this month. However, I must follow my heart, and right now I feel compelled, instead, to write on more philosophical topics. (The Moon is conjunct Jupiter, after all.)

When I told you this eclipse season was going to be wild, even I couldn’t expect or appreciate the heights of exactly HOW bad it was going to get. (Believe me, I am not happy to have been right in this situation! ☹️) I hope you took my advice and have started drinking calming herbal teas every day! Because, I tell you what, we all need them more than ever.

Herbalism and Health

As you know, I practice herbalism. The term “Herbalism” is a bit of a misnomer, because herbalists are trained to work with more than just herbs. We are trained to look at the entire person, and to help our clients work on lifestyle issues that may be contributing to poor health. Unlike medications, herbs on their own are not strong enough to help many conditions that plague modern society; we MUST address the rest of the life, if we want to be effective.

Many herbalists use a model called “The Four Pillars of Health” as a starting point. These pillars are Food, Sleep, Movement, and Mental Health. In my practice, I have added two other pillars to the model: Social Connections, and Spirituality.

Many, many pages could be written about the Pillars of Health, and you will see them come up in many of my articles… but today I would like to focus a bit on the Spirituality pillar.

What is Spirituality?

I truly believe that spirituality is as vital to one’s health as the other pillars. Does this mean you have to belong to a religion to be healthy? No, far from it. Spirituality means connecting with and identifying with powers greater than yourself, and there are many good choices— Nature, the Universe, Justice, Music, Love, even Math! (But if religion is your path, then that is excellent as well.)

Spirituality also involves morality—our sense of right and wrong. Moral codes could be considered “powers greater than ourselves,” having existed for millennia, and being built deeply into our psyches. Connecting with our spirituality involves reflecting on whether we are truly doing our best to make choices that align with values of love, compassion, and other moral values.

Make choices… Hmm…

Making Choices… as an Astrologer?

One question which comes up pretty quickly when you first start working with astrology (and which recurs frequently!) is: How much free will do we actually have over our lives, anyway? When you see how the symbolism of astrological events plays out in actual real-world events, it is pretty mind-blowing. It makes you wonder: Are the planets controling everything? Is everything predetermined? Do we actually have choices in life?

Astrology is just one doorway into the centuries-old philosophical debate between determinism and libertarianism (aka “fate vs. free will”). It is an issue that is unlikely to be resolved any time soon.

Some astrologers are convinced of “hard determinism,” or complete Fate. I am not one of those astrologers. Of course, many things in our lives are determined— genetics, where we were born and to whom, etc. But I still believe we have real, meaningful choices within the boundaries we were given. Astrological symbols are very broad in their potential manifestations! So just because a certain event occurs at a certain astrological transit, does not mean that was the only possible event that could have occurred to fit the symbolism.

Morality and Choice

One problem with hard determinism is that it conflicts with morality. Complete fate would completely negate the very concept of morality, because morality only makes sense if the people involved have actual choices. Video game characters are not moral agents, for example.

What point is there in feeling guilty about something you did, if you actually had no choice in the matter? Why would you get angry at someone who harmed you, if you don’t believe they could have chosen otherwise? What point would there be in laws, medical advice, or any other prescriptions for behavior, if we have no ability to decide anything? (This is why, whenever someone loudly publishes that they don’t believe in free will, I always wonder if they are feeling guilty about something!)

The built-in sense of right and wrong that (almost) everyone has is a strong sign that we do have choices, and our choices are meaningful.

The Spirit can be injured, just as the body can.

With the recent upheavals occurring in global affairs, I have been musing on the concept of moral injury. Anyone who has a conscience can be injured morally, by exposure to injustice or evil. The distress that arises from moral injury is not a mental health issue, but a spiritual one. Moral injury can occur when you make choices that violate your conscience, but it is usually discussed in situations where the victims are powerless against injustice.

• Soldiers who witness atrocities in the chaos of battle.

• Healthcare workers who are prevented from healing others, due to being stuck in a system built on profit.

• Journalists who cover horrific events.

In my opinion, it is the very sense of powerlessness that seems to cause the most damage from moral injury. The Spirit is meant to identify with powers greater than ourselves, and when we encounter powers that are Not Good, it creates an identity crisis.

A couple weeks ago, I submitted a complaint at my work, documenting instances of abuse occurring in upper leadership. Technically, I am legally protected from retaliation… but realistically, I know that such laws are nearly impossible to enforce. I’m not sure what the fallout will be, but I’m bracing myself to be fired soon. I feel some fear, but I don’t feel regret. While it would be painful to lose my job, that would not be as painful as staying silent in the face of injustice. I also don’t feel a sense of moral injury, because I used the power I had to try to correct the situation. Staying silent would have injured my conscience, but I went to the proper authorities and exposed the problems. Even if the abuse does not stop, at least I know I did everything I could.

But what about when I don’t have the power to do anything? What do I do with my conscience when I see systemic injustices that I can’t change? What about the migrant children ripped from their families? What about worker exploitation, police brutality, mass shootings, racism, environmental devastation, poverty, corporate greed…? What about when I hear that my own government is actively encouraging and funding genocide, and when I write them to protest, they ignore me? I feel like my conscience is bombed daily with blasts of evil. When something occurs in my personal life, I can take steps to defend what is right, in order to keep my conscience clean. But in so many cases, I can’t assuage my conscience, because there’s nothing I can do.

Yes, I join protests, write letters, donate to and volunteer for aid organizations, post my opinions online, etc, but these are mere drops in a very large ocean. Realistically, one individual cannot make a dent. Systemic changes require large groups of people taking organized, cohesive, sustained actions over time. Sometimes a long time.

A very long time.

Meanwhile, my conscience suffers. THIS IS WRONG, it screams, and I can’t turn it off.

Nature suffers too

It reminds me of a verse in the Bible that says “all of creation groans, hoping to be set free from the bondage of corruption.” I often think about how Nature is also a victim of the terrible systems humans have made.

It is a spiritual problem, requiring spiritual care. For me, turning to plants is comforting, because individual plants probably feel just as powerless as I do in the face of injustice. Yet they keep growing, keep trying to bring light, keep helping those who ask. Because they are part of Nature, and Nature is greater than everything else. Even though there are evil powers creating terrible suffering, I believe that in the end, Nature will win. That is a higher power that I call on.

Most herbalism training emphasizes a two-way relationship with the plants: we take care of the environment, and it takes care of us. I find great comfort in that relationship. Solidarity with Nature gives me strength to keep on patiently working for a better world.

I know this is probably an unsatisfying answer. But there is no satisfying solution that can be attained with the snap of a finger. I don’t know what else to do.

So I tend my little garden. I only purchase herbs only from ethical sources. I drink herbal tea and connect with the spirits of the plants. I try to make my voice heard.

And I wait for healing.