From Profit to Prophecy: The Call for Collective Healing

We are shaped by our environments and often carry things that were never truly ours: patterns of survival, layers of social conditioning. The economic systems we live in aren’t just systems; they are psychological and emotional forces that mold our beliefs, behaviors, and sense of self. In Joel Bakan’s 2003 documentary The Corporation, corporations are compared to psychopaths: no empathy, no accountability, just relentless self-interest: profit, profit, profit.

While personal freedom is important, I think it’s just as necessary to point out the flaws and oppressive dynamics in the systems we live within. I'm not saying other economic systems are without their own difficult effects; however, we have to recognize the damage done by the world we grew up in if we want to make meaningful change. I can only speak to the harms I see around me. Many people carry invisible trauma from living in a world that reduces human value to productivity and profit, a world where environmental and human concerns are seen not as necessary priorities, but as roadblocks to profit.

Astrology has taught me a lot about cycles; cycles of contraction and expansion, of visibility and quiet. In a modern world full of artificial light and profit-driven values, we tend to forget about nature and its rhythms. Sunrise and sunset are often only appreciated on vacation.

We're taught that if you're not being 100% productive, you're being lazy; that making money should take precedence above all else. Many are told their health comes first… until they become unhealthy, and then they're quietly discarded by their workplace after too many sick days. Women are conditioned to downplay their periods, as if this natural rhythm is something to hide or quietly manage. We’re expected to push through discomfort, exhaustion, and irritability, often without support or acknowledgment. This cultural pressure undermines reproductive health, sending the message that even our biology is inconvenient.

Yes, we all need to survive. But when a person starts to feel like a cog in a machine for someone else’s profit, something vital begins to shut down. Creativity fades. Optimism dries up. And what settles in is a kind of quiet despair, a downtrodden mentality that becomes hard to shake.

Many find themselves obligated to suppress empathy or compassion just to keep going. Maybe they’re expected to manipulate and upsell to someone they know can’t afford it. Or they work tirelessly for a paycheck that barely covers their basic needs. Some are told to deny legitimate requests, pushing aside empathy because it’s “just business.” Others are expected to mistreat animals, ignore safety issues, or look away from harm, all in service of efficiency and profit.

Blatant and subtle advertising, along with media messaging, has played a major role in late-stage capitalism and deeply affected our psyches. Diet culture, anti-aging campaigns, and television all send the same message: you need more, and you are not enough as you are. It keeps us stuck in a perpetual loop of competitiveness, insecurity, and consumerism. Being famous, renowned, or highly visible has long been seen as a marker of success. And of course, it feels good to be recognized for one’s contributions. A successful life doesn’t have to be highly visible. Fame doesn’t guarantee happiness. In fact, being famous comes with pressures that most of us can’t even fathom. Still, this idea drives many people to put their egos on display and to overlook the quiet wisdom that a simple life can be enough. Things like downtime, creativity, and meaningful connection are often pushed aside in the pursuit of external validation.

Feeling like an expendable resource triggers our defense mechanisms. It lays the groundwork for mental health struggles and a deep sense of hopelessness, and that pain bleeds into every corner of society. How can we be truly healthy when so many of our fellow humans are denied dignity? Most of us are just living in silos, blinders on, trying to make it through. When profit bulldozes over ethical and environmental concerns, the impact ripples outward, affecting us all.

There is a deep, often unseen collective trauma woven into the economic systems we live in. Naming it is the first step toward recognizing it, and maybe even healing from it. We can’t change what we refuse to see. Astrology offers a lens to understand these larger cycles of change and healing. In astrological terms, we’re living through a time of profound collective awakening. With Pluto moving through Aquarius and Uranus in Gemini, the energy supports new ways of thinking, connecting, and reshaping society. There’s potential now to create something more conscious, something that honors both our humanity and our interdependence.