The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) in the Earth’s magnetic field seems almost like science fiction. This is a zone that stretches through most of South America and southern tip of Africa. It was discovered when satellites hovering above this zone malfunctioned or were destroyed by cosmic radiation – and it didn’t happen anywhere else.

The magnetic field of Earth is strongest at the north and south poles, and the northern hemisphere is pretty consistent until you get to this region towards the south. The Earth’s iron core is what generates the strength of the field in what is known as the Van Allen radiation belt.

The Earth tilts on an axis, which means the core is sort of misshapen. A better description would be to say that it’s lopsided. This asymmetry forces a dent, causing the Van Allen belt to be pushed closer to the Earth’s surface under this region covering the south Atlantic.

In other words, right beneath South America, there is a patch of “reversed magnetic flux”—a giant whirlpool in the molten iron that is spinning the opposite way. The SAA is an unusual junction where the deepest interior of our planet and the harshest radiation of deep space are having a direct conversation.

To put this in perspective: the majority of the Earth’s magnetic field weakens by about 5% every 100 years. Between 1970-2020, the SAA field dropped by 8.3%. That’s weakening at a rate almost 3x as fast.

The region is also expanding westward towards Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean at a rate of about 12 miles per year.

The SAA was discovered by accident in 1958 when two U.S. physicists used radio signals to track Sputnik, the Soviet Union’s first satellite in space launched in 1957. By tracking the satellite, they found that the radio frequency shifted as it passed overhead, demonstrating what is known as the Doppler Effect. This was how our modern GPS navigation system was born.

The SAA having a weaker magnetic field does not expose South America and Southern Africa to more solar radiation in the way you might think, but it does make this part of the world more sensitive to geomagnetic shifts.

By now, many of us know at least one person who has travelled to Peru for an Ayahuasca ceremony. I know many, but then again, I did grow up in California. I took Ayahuasca once in Mount Shasta (I will write about it at some point). South America is known for its deeper connection to spirituality and plant medicine because it still has its vast expanse of old growth forests. These forests are dense, complex and alive – unlike anywhere else on the planet.

But there’s more to it. Shamanism is a Chthonic form of spirituality – meaning it relates to what is dwelling beneath the surface of the earth. The rituals and ceremonies in places like Peru involve journeying into the underworld; communing with the dead and the fertility of the soil. This is spirituality at its darkest, most adventurous and most therapeutic.

The SAA connects South America to how the earth operates in the cosmic ecosystem. Science is just as mystical and fascinating as shamanism. It’s just that science wants to isolate rather than integrate.

The etymology of Chthonic is Greek. The deities depicted in ancient mythological tales – monsters, gorgons, hydras – wasn’t just imaginative storytelling. The ancient Greeks used to ingest their fair share of mind-altering substances. These psychotropic journeys became intertwined with celestial observation. As Above, So Below. It was an inner adventure for the mind and the soul that had meaning – however outlandish, dark and implausible.

Without our ability to connect with the deeper forces of Earth, we struggle to tame the monsters within. That’s when the monsters outside of us become too powerful. This is how humanity lost its spiritual center. We forgot who we are (well, some of us did).

Remember when you were a kid and you discovered some hidden place – maybe a cave or an abandoned house. You came up with some crazy story to go along with it – like a family of Trolls was living in it. You collected whatever souvenirs you could find to go along with your story. Some twisted piece of wood you claimed the trolls used to bury treasure.

You rushed home to tell your mom – so full of excitement and panic, you could barely catch your breath. You felt alive.

Underworld themes are also a big deal in the language of astrology. It’s for the same reason. It’s proof that you aren’t living in a dead universe because you choose to see it as alive. That your life has meaning beyond what you can produce and claim rights to. That your imagination is more important than your rationality.