The Extraordinary Cosmic Vibes of February 1986
Excerpts from “Deconstructing EDSA,” the closing chapter of the book EDSA Uno, A Narrative and Analysis with Notes on Dos & Tres (2013)
February 1986 was a rare time for the Philippines and the planet. From February 3 to 7, six solar flares were observed that gave rise, February 7 through 9, to a very intense magnetic storm, said to be the largest observed in 26 years.[i] Also on the 9th, Halley’s Comet, hurtling through our solar system on its 76-year orbit, reached its closest point to the Sun, this as Moon and Sun, seen from planet Earth, exactly aligned.[ii] A rare confluence of cosmic events that wreaked havoc on Earth’ magnetic fields, instruments rendering off-scale variations said to set off weather and atmospheric disturbances, affecting even electric power grids,[iii] and, no doubt, our bodies and psyches, too.[iv] And as Halley’s Comet swang away from the Sun toward Earth’s orbit, it grew brighter and seemed to change structure around the nucleus, this as Cory’s protest campaign took off and Enrile et al coup-plotted; by the 22nd of February the comet was sporting not just one or two but a phenomenal seven tails![v] It was also, in the 12-year cycle of Chinese astrology, a time for revolutionary change.