Photo Credit: Margarita Cabre. Note three distinct patterns with the whitecap wave “cusp”
Living on the Cusp
The origin of “cusp theory” comes from medieval astrology and alchemy, the divining of the future and the transformation of elements. In Astrology of the Zodiac, the “cusp” is the transitional period between sun signs. People born “on the cusp” posses traits and characteristics of both zodiac signs they were born under. If your birthday is about three days before or after the change in sun signs, you were born “on the cusp”.
There is controversy about cusps among astrologers. While some utilize “on the cusp” interpretations, most do not. How can one have two Sun signs? However, many individuals truly feel the influence of two zodiac signs and believe that they express characteristics of both these signs. With twelve weeks of “on the cusp” birthdays each year, that is almost one fourth of the population.
The twelve constellations of the zodiac do not fall within perfect thirty degree slices of the sky, nor do they lie perfectly along the plane of the ecliptic, the earth’s orbit. Perhaps we are all living on the cusp with the influence of all the sun signs, planets and twenty seven stars affecting us proportionately.
In general understanding and popular vernacular, a “cusp’ is a signal of change; it is the point when something is about to change into something else. Being “on the cusp” implies to be at a dynamic place in time in which an energy shift is bringing about transformation:. Of a situation, of an interpersonal relationship, of a workplace situation, of a state of affairs, of a personal perspective, of a trend in fashion, or a human behavior pattern, of a social or political system.
In the physical Science of Thermodynamics, vocabulary, the cusp is an azimuth a zenith of energetic action which is resolved as entropy dissipation of energy into thee environment occurs. Energy accumulation and entropy dissipation are a process of balance known as dynamic equilibrium. The famous First and Second Laws, those of Conservation of Energy and Increase in Entropy are derived from the concept of dynamic equilibrium in which a self organizational, that is life-like, system is a process of accumulating energy from and losing energy to its environment.
In Oriental cultures, the balance of Yin and Yang is a prominent concept. There is a cusp to be identified in this interpretation of dualistic processes. Where is the cusp in which Yin becomes Yang ?Would this cusp be an observation ;or a rationalization? In Gestalt Psychology, there are figure-ground oppositions in perception: perception of cusps is a cyclical pattern. In figure ground perception there is a point of no return in which the cognitive resolution becomes “concrete”.
In Chaos Theory, there is a “Butterfly Effect” tipping point in a causal chain in which a gradual accumulation of subtle events result in a “straw that breaks the camel’s back. A minuscule events has initiated an ultimate a maximization. Counterbalance of structure goes into a massive chain reaction like cascading dominoes. The typical example is a Butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil causing a tsunami in the Pacific Ocean. Taking this concept from weather patterns and applying it to the realm of perception and cognition is the “cusp” being referred to here.
Another intellectual discipline that features honors cusps, leading edges, tipping points, eureka moments, and spectacular realizations is Complexity theory. The take-away from complexity theory is the concept of “emergence” in which “becoming” is realized. A New conceptual paradigm or a new structural reconfiguration in space time reality takes precedence over and supplants longstanding traditional theoretical constructs which have been called into question.
For were there no cusp, no tipping point, no zenith of structural inference, the entire process of dynamic equilibrium would have no reference point and thus rendered meaningless. This consideration necessarily invokes that there is a “Nadir” opposite that “Zenith”, so there are TWO cusps in opposition and balance. In terms of wavelike structure: Crests and Troughs; just like electromagnetic oscillations; Frequency and Wavelength; and in terms of human behavior: Intention and Action.
Sometimes a cusp it is a source of wonderment, bringing about goals longingly sought after. Sometimes it is a dreadful abomination seemingly as inevitable as the heat death of the Universe.. However, a cusp of wonder might lead to frustration and disappointment when a delightful harmonious equilibrium is dissipated. In the second case, a dreadful cusp will eventually pass and take one’s anxiety and fears away with it. Negative self fulfilling prophecies will then subside, leading to a gradually more harmonious equilibrium. This is the paradoxical cycle of living “on the cusps” of Zeniths and Nadirs.
Since the extract boundaries between constellations of the sun signs are not geometrically equal divisions of the earth’s orbit, it is pretentious to declare that each house of the zodiac is mathematically the same. To deny gradation of intensity of zodiacal affectations and influences would be to deny the basic intuitive pretexts of astrology. If Cusp theory is true, it is not applicable for just a few days each month, but a pervasive cosmological feature like relativity. Therefore we are all born “on the Cusp”.
So a “Cusp event” could be disturbance of a stable equilibrium, a precursor. harbinger, signal that transformation is in process and a new harmonious balance of forces, energies and intentions will emerge. Cusp events are usually cyclical and may well turn out to be predictable. Nevertheless, many cusp events stand alone as major turning points in the process of being transitioning into becoming. The Big Bang of the Universe comes to mind, as does the meteor shower that ended the Jurassic Period.
Therefore, The Cusp is Universal! Each and every one of the sun signs of the zodiac has affectations and influences upon up in a proportionate way. We are all on the a leading edge of technology, Our subtle Actions create Tipping Points. We are all on the cutting edge of the artistic avante-garde, We all have Eureka moments and experience Spectacular Realizations. We are all Forces of Creativity and proactive in transformation of the mundane into the spiritual. We are all the Universal Observers of the Wave-function which we become a part of. There is a point at which we are all Living On the Cusp!
Fred Jay Ross fredjayross@gmail.com
Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
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Living on the Cusp
Code of the Streets
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This rowdy crowd is going to a rave, New York City, 1991; Photo: Getty Images
Code of the Streets
Most of us know more than we wish to about the code-of-the-streets, that is: “what comes around goes around”. The rationale of this say-so is that wherever and whenever there is hard luck and trouble, including survival risks, the same adverse circumstances are visited upon everyone and thus become mutually shared experience. One common misinterpretation of this rationale would have it that misfortunes and troubles are personal attacks instigated by deceitful and dominant personalities and directed onto other subjugates like voodoo or witchcraft. Sadly, by a different misconception, there are those who would interpret code-of-the-streets as proof of vengeful spirits or supernatural forces. Lastly, there are those who knowingly discern that the code-of-the-streets is nothing other than the Law of Karma rephrased. You make your own luck or misfortune through things you think, do and say..
There is an opposite to the downward-spiral-into-adversity perception. This uplifting viewpoint implies that a simple act of kindness however insignificant or trivial, sets into motion a reversal of widespread doom and gloom. Still, there are those who are insistent that kindness gifting or forgiving invokes a karmic debt that can never be repaid. Downward spiral misconceptions are usually ego driven, self justified retribution for some perceived slight against the perpetrator’s pride and arrogance. In all actuality, downward spirals into negativity are merely defense mechanisms and unjustifiable transgressions. There is never a call to lash out against your neighbor or fellow man or woman-kind in general. By instigating hatred and fear towards others, negative spiral personalities are actually attacking themselves, dragging themselves down into a viscous regress.
Never forget that the reverse of negative spiraling is invariably true: good fortune, prosperity, health, security and compassionate love are also distributed on a “comes around, goes around” basis. Nevertheless, all too often the code of the streets is about being between a rock and a hard place. Sadly, this downward spiral interpretation of reality, focused on negative emotions such as misfortune, woe and retribution, can become a pervasive way of thinking. Such is the Code at its worst? Not even, there is more: The toxicity of downward spiral thinking is extremely contagious and there are dominating, deceitful personalities who would foment this toxicity to attain status, wealth and power.
These so called leaders would implement psychological manipulation and the social bandwagon effect. Propaganda, skillful exploitation of the power of suggestion, along with the human need for a sense of belonging can and does insinuate an agenda of domination and control onto the general population. It never goes away that people can be told who to hate. It also never goes away that ideologies are like pendulums, they come and go. The twin perils of nationalism dominion are presently being egged on by the ominous rise of oligarchy and theocracy.
The co-opting of fundamentalist religiosity by propagandists with goals of world domination through nationalist political agendas has been a recurring theme since the beginning of recorded history. Entire cultures and civilizations have been subjected to decline and fall due to downward spiral group thinking. Every time the dominion of an oligarchy theocracy comes to into existence, it creates its own demise: there is a resurgence of the power of peace, love and understanding. “What comes around goes around” is not just for the streets. It is also pervasive on social, national and cultural levels.
Even in the Bible there is a dynamic like code-of-the-streets. In the days of the Old Testament, fire and brimstone awaited those who transgressed against the Ten Commandments. In the New Testament, Jesus of Nazareth cleverly restated the Ten as Two Commandments: Love the Lord thy God and Love thy neighbor as thyself. Remarkably, the Code of the Streets is quasi-religious: Fire and Brimstone to those that spiral downward; Love to others who aspire upward. It is your choice, your karmic choice.
The Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” describes the same balancing act as does the Code’s “comes around, goes around”. The Law of Karma, the belief that one’s actions and intentions have consequences, is commonly accepted by the vast majority of Americans. The idea that there is a collective karma, or that a whole nation can spiral toward good or bad karma is also widely accepted. The consensus that the United States of America has “Good Karma” is being called into question.
Individually and collectively there is need to reverse any implicit emphasis on negativity, misfortune, loss, grief, larceny, betrayal, avarice, hatred, bad luck that is the inherent in code-of-the-streets. By living well, reinstating and empowering the basic human need for harmonious balance, that proverbial hard place goes away and leaves the rock to becomes a foundation. Only by living a benevolent and altruistic life by being in an upward spiral flow of can the karmic returns of reciprocal kindness and generosity be realized. Fomenting downward spiral behavior in others will only make that swinging pendulum swing go into action against your wishes, whether it is for yourself or for your nation. Seen properly, the code of the streets is a balance, a harmony of opposites in which good fortune obliterates misfortune.
Good perceptions must be empowered by the intention to have good perceptions, otherwise negativity will prevail. Only by having harmonic balance within yourself can one be an active instigator of harmonic balance for others. Change the world by changing yourself. It is basically a challenge of fighting or allowing altruistic Love to transpire. Rather than joining a fight to enable downward spiral ideologies of oligarchy and theocracy become pervasive, allow the beautiful harmony of peace, love and understanding to “come around and it will go around” just like the Code-of-the-Streets says.
Fred Jay Ross
Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved