Charles Darwin called Anglican clergyman Thomas Malthus a "great philosopher," and in The Origin of the Species said his theory of evolution was based on Malthus' ideas. Yet as Darwin knew well, Malthus advocated genocidal measures to control population growth. In his famous "Essay on the Principle of Population as It Affects the Future Improvement of Society," Malthus proposed killing off underprivileged people. "Instead of recommending cleanliness to the poor," he wrote, "we should encourage contrary habits. In our towns we should make the streets narrower, crowd more people into houses, and court the return of the plague. In the country, we should build villages near stagnant pools, and encourage settlement in marshy and unwholesome situations. But above all, we should reprobate specific remedies for ravaging diseases; and those benevolent, but much mistaken men, who have thought they were doing a service to mankind by projecting schemes for the total extirpation of particular disorders." So the evidence is clear that Darwin's theory of evolution had a grotesque pedigree. Should we therefore dismiss it altogether? Not in my opinion. What's useful is not always derived from what's good. Is there a comparable situation in your own life, Cancerian? Are there essentials you benefit from even though their origins are problematical? The time is ripe for coming to terms with this weirdness.

You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny in 2007. Each report in the three-part series is about 6-8 minutes long. A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.

*

SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
You probably don't grow much of your own food or sew your own clothes, and you didn't build your own house or car. You may not know where your water comes from or where your wastes go. The last time you doffed your clothes for a whole day was when you were two months old, and you may not know the names of your great-grandparents, let alone what they were like.

Maybe it's time, then, for you to find some sources to return to. How might you do that? Here's one suggestion for how to begin: Sleep all night under a tree, lulling yourself into the dreamtime with a cruise through your oldest memories. What other things can you try?
*
The preceding oracle comes from my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings. I'll be performing the soundtrack for PRONOIA in San Francisco on Wednesday, March 28. Come see me and sign my Slam Book.