Happy Summer Solstice, readers! 2024 is set to be a historic year for global elections. Approximately 1.5 billion people will be going to the polls this year as significant elections are scheduled in more than 50 countries which between them hold almost half of the world’s population. Add to the list recent snap elections called in Britain and France and by December we’ll gain a clearer insight into the state of international democracy and its future geopolitical ramifications.

Here in the UK we’re embroiled in the final weeks of an election campaign with all the graceless animosity between political parties that it entails. Fortunately, under this elegant Capricorn Full Moon, we are less likely to be fazed by the backbiters and haters. What others think of us won’t necessarily be a major concern either as we fix our gaze firmly on aspirations for personal and collective future success and happiness. Voting is a democratic extension of that process of course, and with personal opinion unusually clear, the next fortnight presents a fitting opportunity to express those beliefs at the ballot box.

It’s not enough to just want change …. you have to go and make change happen by voting.

(Taylor Swift)

Giving thought to the bigger picture and the benefit of society as a whole is vital in an evolving, engaged population. Democratic elections allow us to ask ourselves: how we want our societies to function and with which values? We naturally gravitate towards those candidates that promote similar ideas to our own even if the plurality of current political thinking is at an all-time low. If we can't encourage the political detractors and egocentric agitators to join us on the progressive path we want to follow, our next vote might allow us to compassionately let them go their own way, to continue their small-minded (post-Brexit) populist dramas without the rest of us.

Every political party worth its salt tirelessly campaigns for ‘change’, preying on electorate dissatisfaction with current governance in the hope of catching votes. Change, of course, is a laudable goal. It’s how intelligent evolution advances; how the natural world adapts to new circumstances in order to perpetuate the cycle of life on this singularly beautiful planet.

There is nothing permanent except change.

(Heraclitus)

The Law of Change states that nothing remains the same forever and everything is in a state of constant flux. It is a fundamental principle of the universe that governs everything in existence. One could say it’s the natural order of things. However, the ‘change’ offered by political parties is rarely that radical or true. Change of the global monoculture of political and economic systems in which mainstream politics has a vested interest, is rarely on the table for discussion. The thundering juggernaut of capitalist ideology heads relentlessly for catastrophe at high speed with largely unchallenged free markets at the helm. The balance of our planet’s biosphere and the lives of millions of displaced, vulnerable people already lie in its disastrous wake.

In astrological circles, full moons are traditionally seen as favourable times for a purge, and under Capricorn, the mood for general detox, in our personal and business lives, can be heightened. The next couple of weeks might therefore represent a splendid opportunity for a clear-out on every level; a window in which to reject poisonous political posturing; to grasp the metaphoric spreading stinging nettles that crowd our personal plots and pathways, uproot 'em and make some space for the flowers and fruits of summer to prosper in new found light.

Weeding is an appropriate analogy here as it represents progress through the elimination of unwanted distractions: the choking weeds that can suffocate the delicate shoots of germinating intentions. With confidence in our intuition and resilience we can accurately assess, then consciously get rid of the unhelpful crap we’ve subliminally attracted and prepare positively for the outcomes that change will bring.

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

(Wayne Dyer)

The major Capricorn clearout should rid us not only of outdated politics and politicians, but the cloying material stuff (off to the charity shops with your bin bags) and limiting ideas we hold (usually about ourselves) that hinder progress on the pathway we more consciously want to tread. The physical, mental, and emotional space we create through a carefully considered purge then becomes available for new growth or change, free from the restrictions of the past.

So, gently does it, but 2024’s voting season might be the window in which to wean ourselves off those time consuming, unproductive, judgemental social media; to edit our profiles and 'friends' to those truly worth the title; to consciously jettison anything or anyone that's spoiling the view of a bright tomorrow. One doesn’t need to broadcast the intention, particularly if feelings might be hurt, but the trick is to be clear in one's own mind about the focused application of one's finite energetic resources.

The message here is to trust our own intuition rather than the received ‘wisdom’ of societal norms or pressures. Take a broad overview of your circumstances and those of others nearby, then ask yourself whether there is a need for positive change. If there is, you can vote for it immediately through your thoughts, words and actions - the world will change instantly. We don’t need to sit through any more party political broadcasts or interminable, mealy-mouthed leaders’ debates on telly. The Law of Change suggests change is going to happen anyway providing a strong argument to align with and encourage that process for the benefit of All rather than fighting obdurately for more of the same.

In a year of elections, might that argument be extended to encourage us all to devise a personal manifesto around which we can build a lifelong campaign of care and respect with our every thought, word and deed for the benefit of All. A committed vote for this, above all else, will change the world.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

(Barack Obama)