More on those funny early degrees, feminine style.

We're on the last lap of a long journey home - so here's another post I had stashed away in draft:

After an earlier blog entry about cartoonists, all male, I felt a slight pang of feminism, so set about looking for some female counterparts. There are a few, but none as well known as their masculine colleagues.

One of the earliest women cartoonists was Dahlia (Dale) Messick, originator of the "Brenda Starr" comic strip about a glamorous red-headed a reporter who has a taste for fashion, romance and intrigue. (Source of graphic: http://www.toonopedia.com/br_starr.htm).

Ms Messick shortened her name from Dahlia to Dale in order to fool editors into thinking she was a man, so great was the prejudice back in the 1950s and even in the 1960s. She was born 11 April 1906 in South Bend Indiana, died aged 98 in 2005. Talented and witty as she was though, her work doesn't have quite the same whimsical appeal as that of, say Charles Schulz. It's a different style entirely. Even so, she had 3 planets in those early degrees, which might possibly be a kind of signature for cartoonists -Venus 4*Taurus, Jupiter 5* Gemini and Uranus 8* Capricorn. Her pioneering Aries Sun is possibly the main factor driving her determination to overcome prejudice against female artists.

Nicole Hollander, whose birth date isn't available, other than "1939" invented "Sylvia". her style when drawing her cats is more on the whimsical side, but, again, it's a different "feel" altogether from the male cartoonists I mentioned yesterday.

Any other female cartoonists I've been able to track down, such as Cathy Guisewite who draws "Cathy" focus mainly on feminist or feminine issues. Cathy Guisewite was born 5 September 1950 in Dayton,Ohio. Early degrees as follows: Mercury 2* Libra. Jupiter 1* Pisces, Uranus 8* Cancer.

Is it time to rest my case for the early degrees often playing a significant part in cartoonists' birth charts?

The male cartoonists I featured in an earlier blog have/had a flair for using whimsy and fun whilst still making a serious point. I haven't yet encountered a female counterpart. Women cartoonists I've found so far focus more on female issues, or graphic soap opera type stories. Vive la difference!

Ye Olde Astrologie Shoppe

A thought from the romantically named, but rather unlovely, Poplar Bluff in southern Missouri, where Poplars are strangely elusive. After several days of exposure to America's midwest, I'm experiencing a feeling of relief that astrology is not as commonly accepted as some other services and commodities. Were my favourite subject ever to become more widely accepted, it might suffer badly in translation.

I've seen numerous "shoppes" over past days. "Vitamin Shoppe", "Beauty Shoppe", "Book Shoppe", "Flower Shoppe", "Coffee Shoppe", "Computer Shoppe", to name a few. And what about "Kountry Kubbard" - let's not even go there!!

Imagine what the Great Unwashed would do to astrology!
Ariez, Kancer, Skorppio, Capricorne, Marz, Merkury......Gawd help us all!

Dale Chihuly - Sun conjunct Neptune in action!

Here's one I made earlier. We're busy dodging the storms, taking a more southerly route home, via Kentucky.

Dale Chihuly was born on 20 September 1941 in Tacoma Washington, USA, no birth time known. He studied interior design initially, but later was inspired by the art of glassblowing, which became his route to world fame. I'm not sure, though, that Chihuly is as well known generally in Britain and Europe as he is in the USA. There was an exhibition of his work in Kew Gardens, London a couple of years ago. I'd never heard of him until I came to live in America, and we visited an exhibition of his work in Oklahoma City -his largest permanent collection. There are frequent exhibitions of his art in glass in most major cities here. I was entranced by what I saw. It's not glass as we know it, Jim! It's glass with stage management.

After a car accident in England in 1976 Chihuly lost the sight of one eye badly affecting his depth perception. A later accident to his shoulder put an end to his own glassblowing, but he continued to design, using other glass blowers to manufacture the products of his inspirations. His "empire" has grown and grown into really big business. Examples of his work can be seen both in galleries and outdoor gardens, entwined with nature, his pieces are owned by "luminaries" of the 20th century such as Queen Elizabeth II, Bill Clinton. Elton John, Bill Gates, Mick Jagger. It's impossible to describe this art in glass in a few bloglines, except to say that, in situ, in its stage managed settings, it is more than spectacular, it's truly magical.

I'd always advise anyone who has the opportunity to do so to see an exibition of Chihuly's work, whether an art enthusiast or not.

Chihuly was born with Sun conjunct Neptune. Why doesn't that surprise me? This must be the key component in his chart. Neptune, the planet of dreams, visions and imagination. Sun and Neptune are in Virgo, the Moon will also be in Virgo, but without birth time it's degree is uncertain. Saturn in Taurus trines Sun and Neptune. Chihuly is said to be a demanding master. He probably expects his assistants to reach his own Virgoan high standard of perfection! The Earthy prominence in his chart may account for his shrewd business head, something that doesn't often go with an artistic temperament. The same Earthy prominence in his nature corresponds to the organic style of almost all his works of art. Retrograde Mars, strong in Aries opposes Mercury in Libra, possibly indicating that he has an easy-going, charming side, but can be equally dynamic, even aggressive. He's known as a skilled dealmaker and is credited with saying "I don't get this less-is-more business, more is more!" His multi-million dollar business proves it, I suppose. I wonder if he has Capricorn rising - or maybe Leo.

I was unable to find the exact date of the accident in which he lost the sight of one eye. Ironically it was glass which partially blinded him, and glass which has brought him fame and fortune. The accident happened in 1976 - I'd guess it was in the summer. Transiting Saturn conjoined his natal Pluto in July, Mars hit his Sun Neptune conjunction in August and Uranus conjoined natal Venus in October. A potentially devastating hat-trick of blows, which were unable to stop him on his route to fame.

All photos (except the first and the boat) taken by HeWhoKnows - you can see him in this one.the boat photograph is from chihuly.com (I think).

ARTY-FARTY FRIDAY #2

Arty-farty Friday #2

We're in Columbus now, a nice weekend with HeWhoKnows Junior ahead. Four different motel rooms have garnished our trip so far, with pictures on their walls ranging in quality from the barely mediocre to the frankly ridiculous. These offered up nerry a single inspiration for Arty-farty Friday. A covered bridge we found on a by-way in Cumberland County, Illinois, near a little village called Greenup was considerably more inspiring. It's a work of art, for sure - shades of "Madison County"! Eat your heart out Clint Eastwood, HeWhoKnows had Nikon at the ready!

This is a re-constructed bridge, built a few years ago at a cost of 2.8 million dollars. It's said to be an exact replica of the original bridge over a river called Embarass (pronouned Am-braw). The story goes that Abraham Lincoln helped build the original.

How to connect this lovely construction with astrology is a puzzle. Let's see - Saturn must represent the solid craft and skillful planning and workmanship it took to build this bridge. Virgo represents the close attention to detail required, and the Earthy pathway of wood which carries travellers safely over water. (Click on photos for larger view - I think!)

ODE FROM THE ROAD

(Doggerel from a motel room in Terre Haute, Indiana)

Without any warning
One bright April morning
Astrologers found themselves nicked,
The lawmen of Philly
Were driving them silly,
But Saturn they can't contradict.

Using rules of the ancients
The astrologers may chance
To give their opponents the slip,
With Merc. on their side
They may yet turn the tide -
Those stargazers better get hip!!

"Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car"

Transiting Jupiter, planet of travel, is still hanging around my natal Venus in Sagittarius, and North node of HeWhoKnows. Another adventure coming up! We are off to Columbus, Ohio to see my husband's younger son, who I have yet to meet in person. As E.B. White said,(above) we'll get there in a car.

Bill Bryson's comment about Ohio, in his Book "The Lost Continent", isn't too encouraging but I'll not be disheartnened:

"In the morning I awoke early and experienced that sinking sensation that overcomes you when you first open your eyes and realize that instead of a normal day ahead of you, with its scattering of simple gratifications, you are going to have a day without even the tiniest of pleasures; you are going to drive across Ohio."

Bill Bryson's books are a joy . He's American, his wife is English. They have lived for long periods in both America and the UK. His observations about the two countries always ring bells for me. He's a Sun Sagittarian with Mercury in Capricorn. Mercury (writing planet) is square his Sun's ruler Jupiter(publishing planet and planet of travel). His writing discloses a wry sense of humour combined with shrewd observation and candid commentary, which results in a very readable and entertaining style.

We're bound to discover plenty of interest on the journey, which touches five states. One visit en route is already planned: an Air Museum in Dayton, Ohio, where HeWhoKnows hopes to see a Lockheed SR.71, also known as "Blackbird", a reconnaissance aircraft. My husband has a "thing" about aircraft. Odd really, because he has not a single planet in an Air sign or Air house. Aircraft? I can take 'em or leave 'em - but I'd prefer to be a passenger, rather than gawping at one marooned on the Earth. It'll be an interesting side-stop though, as a trade-off he can accompany me around a few upscale stores.

HeWhoKnows is the first male I've known who actually enjoys shopping. He will even search through rails of bras to help me find my size. Neither my Dad nor my late partner would have dared to venture among rails of bras, or within 100 yards of a lingerie department! I put this characteristic down to his kingly Leo Moon and Leo Rising. He's not imperious in any way, quite the opposite, but he has very few inhibitions. His own wardrobe could be accurately described as "random". On one occasion, last fall, I remember him answering the doorbell, wearing some enormous fluffy slippers which look like lion heads, and a clown wig (he uses it to keep his head warm). The person at the door turned out to be a Republican candidate campaigning in the November 2006 election....who backed off immediately!

Anyway....

ARTY-FARTY FRIDAY #1

"Wordless Wednesday" already appears around the blogosphere, but how about "Arty-Farty Friday"? New Rule (for me): each Friday I'll post a photograph of a piece of artwork from the walls of our abode, then decide to what it relates astrologically. I think that'll be very arty-farty!

Arty-Farty # 1:



This is a large piece,click on it for a bigger view. I bought it at a yard sale 2 years ago, it was propped up under a tree in a front yard, in a very posh district of town. It called to me! The couple who sold it had been in the oil business, and had lived in Burma and Borneo. This is one of several items they brought back. It's called a "kalaga"- a Burmese artform, sometimes incorporating Thai themes. Kalagas are tapestries, individually created from hundreds or thousands of beads, stones and sequins. Mostly they are used as wallhangings, but the couple from whom I bought this had it beautifully framed.

It depicts 5 (Thai?) musicians - we call 'em our Spice Girls.

Astrologically - well, it's got to represent Venus (music and beauty) and Sagittarius (because it came from from a distant land.)

Is there more fun in the early degrees?

Things have been somewhat serious of late. I'd thought of adding a cartoon today, by way of a change, but sidetracked while looking for a suitable "funny", I started to look up the birthdates of a few old favourite cartoonists, then compared charts. There is a common astrological factor - details below. Cartooning also appears to be a predominantly male preserve. Why should I be surprised - they never do grow up!

From the British press of the 1950s and 60s Wally Fawkes aka Trog ("Flook") 21 June 1924, Vancouver, Canada.


The incomparable Carl Giles ("Giles"). 29 September 1916, Islington, London, England. Giles is the odd one out of this group of 5 because he didn't specialise in cartoon strips, he put everything into one big drawing. You had to study it carefully to see all the fun.This example is too small , but the best I could manage.
From the USA, the legendary Walt Kelly ("Pogo"), 25 Aug 1913, Philadelphia PA
Charles Schulz ("Peanuts") 26 Nov 1922, Minneapolis, Minnesota and
Bill Watterson ("Calvin and Hobbes") 5 July 1958 Washington DC
Berkeley Breathed ("Opus", "Bloom County", "Outland") 21 June 1957, Encino, California.
Do they have any astrological factor in common? No birth times are available, so scope is limited.
I noticed, and it's not necessarily astrologically significant - but it might be -they were all born with the Sun or Mercury on the edge of, or in early degrees of the zodiac sign, and often there are other planets in early degrees too.

Wally Fawkes: SUN 00* Cancer
Walt Kelly: SUN 1* Virgo. Pluto 00*Cancer, Uranus 4*Aquarius
Charles Schulz: SUN 3* Sagittarius. Venus 1*Sagittarius, Jupiter 6* Scorpio.
Carl Giles: SUN 5* Libra, Jupiter 3* Taurus, Pluto 4*Cancer
Bill Watterson: (a bit later) SUN 13*Cancer, but Mercury slipped into 1* Leo, Pluto 00*Virgo, Neptune 2* Scorpio.
Berkeley Breathed: SUN 00*Cancer, Mars 00*Leo, Uranus 5*Leo

All this proves nothing, of course, it could be pure coincidence. I chose the 6 cartoonists because I like them, and they are well known. I wonder, though, could the early degrees of all zodiac signs carry some qualities of Aries, first sign of the zodiac.....a childlike, fun-loving flavour, which might lead an artist towards cartooning ?

How could I forget "The Far Side" by Gary Larson, born 14 August 1950, Tacoma, Washington ?
The Sun and Mercury are not in early degrees here though. But Mars is at 2 Scorpio, Jupiter at 3 Pisces, Uranus at 7 Cancer,the Nodes at 00 Aries/Libra. The Moon is more than likely to be in early degrees - 5 Virgo at noon.

American Idol Reaching Out

Was it "As Above, So Below" last night ? American Idol went out to its huge audience with the aim of raising donations, "giving something back" to children living in poverty in Africa, and here in America.

In yesterday's chart there were sextiles between Jupiter/Neptune/Mercury, and trines Jupter/Saturn/Mercury. The Grand Fire Trine which, a couple of weeks ago, included the Sun, last night included Mercury. Dynamic Fire and Air in harmony with Mercury provided a good background for reaching out with help and hope to those in need. Yes, there was an opposition, still, between Saturn and Neptune, and another between Jupiter and Venus, but difficult aspects had related helpful ones. I think yesterday's chart was filled with hope.

The 6 remaining Idol contestants chose songs which have inspired them. The songs were interspersed with film clips of the judges during their visits to Africa and some American states. Simon Cowell was visibly shocked at what he encountered in both countries. Most people are already aware of the gravely desperate need in Africa. But here, in the fabled "land of plenty", why are so many children living without adequate food and health care ? This has to be a disgrace! As a foreigner here I try not to be too critical, but really and truly American people should demand more from the government they voted into office!

We heard no hard criticisms of the singing last night. It would have been difficult to find fault with good, sincere performances of songs such as "Imagine", "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "There Will Come a Day".

There's a follow-up live 2 hour show tonight when celebrities from show-biz will join the effort to raise money for needy children.

Kucinich v. Cheney

Dennis Kucinich is reported to be about to introduce a bill of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney, perhaps on 25 April. Another report HERE.

I have great respect for Dennis Kucinich. This news strengthens my opinion that he is one of the few politicians with true integrity.

I've looked at the natal charts of Kucinich and Cheney, along with current transits.

What stood out, at first glance was that Cheney has natal Uranus at 22 Taurus, Kucinich's natal Uranus is at 21 Gemini - and transiting Neptune is at 21 Aquarius just now, forming a square with Cheney's natal Uranus (possible revelation of secrets) and a trine with Uranus in Kucinich's chart (heightened intuition and idealism).

The recent eclipse at 28 Virgo hit Cheney's natal Neptune. Transiting Neptune forms a square with natal Uranus and is 3* away from natal Mercury. Transiting Jupiter has just passed over natal Mars (possibly has been prone to risk-taking?). Neptune seems to be the significant planet for him just now.
Neptune, planet of illusion, delusion, dreams, perhaps even deception or self deception.

Kucinich has natal Uranus trined by transiting Neptune, sextiled by transiting Saturn at 18 Leo (working for change) and opposed by transiting Jupiter at 19 Sagittarius (arousing a desire to reform even though it may be disruptive). This seems to put his natal Uranus in the spotlight, and not too unfavourably. Uranus represents the reformer, the revolutionary, bringer of unexpected change.

I reckon that, whatever the outcome of Dennis Kucinich's brave proposal, astrological indications currently in the charts of these two men, fit the present news story very well.

Skeptical questions. Sincere answers.

I stumbled upon a website for astronomy students: "Astronomy 10". In Lecture 4, after information about the history of astronomy, 11 questions are posed, following this statement :

"Ptolemy also codified the pseudoscience of astrology into the form which is still in use today. That just goes to show that great genius is no guarantee against being dead wrong."

Using my own knowledge and experience of astrology, which is limited as compared to that of professional astrologers, I've attempted to test myself by answering these :

Skeptical Questions for Astrology:

1. What is the likelihood that 1/12th of the world's population is having the same kind of day?
There is no likelihood at all. This proposition is based purely on Sun sign astrology. Anyone who had bothered to obtain a bare minimum of astrological knowledge would never pose such a question.

2.Why is the moment of birth and not conception critical?

The moment of birth, the first moment that a human being breathes and encounters the Earth independent of his/her mother has been seen over many centuries to be the significant marker upon which a birth chart can be calculated with reasonable accuracy. The moment of conception, if it could ever be acccurately established (very unlikely) may also have some significance, but there is no way to obtain accurate date and time.

3.If the mother's womb can keep out astrological influences until birth, can we do the same with a cubicle of steak?

No. The baby grows, part of its mother, using the mother's system. A cubicle of steak is a cubicle of steak, nothing more. Silly question - this from a university!

4. If astrologers are as good as they claim, why aren't they richer?

Some are quite rich, some are poor, some practice astrology only as a second occupation. As in all walks of life, it depends how well they do their job, how well they promote themselves, where they live, etc. etc. No different from any other profession. This question hints at an idea that astrologers should be able to predict results in gambling or financial dealings - my personal opinion is that they cannot do so, most do not claim to be able to do so.

5.Are all the horoscopes done before the discovery of the three outermost planets incorrect?
No. The outer planets mainly affect generations rather than individuals, due to the planets' slow rate of movement. Including the outer planets in astrological interpretation adds extra information and depth, but does not render astrological work done without them incorrect.

6.Shouldn't we condemn astrology as a form of bigotry?

Bigotry!? No, but the condemning of astrology as useless superstition, without due investigation, might be categorised as bigotry. The definition of bigotry is "being blindly and obstinately devoted to a party or creed." Those who see astrology working are not blind. Those who refuse to learn more about the subject before expressing an opinion are both obstinate and blind, devoted to their creed of skepticism.

7. Why do different schools of astrology disagree so strongly with each other?

They do not "disagree strongly". They use different approaches, the destination of all approaches is the same, different roads are taken

8. If the astrological influence is carried by a known force, why do the planets dominate?
Astrologers do not claim any "known force". Astrologers do not know how and why astrology "works", there are theories. Astrology is a process, or tool which has been designed to try to disentangle and use a natural phenomenon. That phenomenon has been observed over many centuries, without its source being understood. Observation of planetary cycles, over time, has led to astrologers' theory that these movements and cycles are a predominant factor.

9. If astrological influence is carried by an unknown force, why is it independent of distance?
See previous answer.

10. If astrological influences don't depend on distance, why is there no astrology of stars, galaxies, quasars, etc.?
There is astrology of fixed stars, this is used by some astrologers. Maybe some day galaxies and quasars will be studied in relation to astrology. Not enough is known at present.

11.Why can twins have different fates?

For many reasons. Time of birth is always different, by several minutes. Some twins are fraternal rather than identical, and will therefore carry different gene structure. Astrological factors can manifest in subtly different ways. Astrological factors are not the only thing to consider. The way the twins were raised is an important factor, were they treated absolutely equally by parents and others? Were they both influenced by the same external factors throughout life? No two snowflakes are exactly the same - as with snowflakes, so with humans. The general pattern in the life of twins can often be seen to be similar, however.

*****************************

My own general opinion, for what it's worth: astrological factors are one tiny, but important, strand in the whole web of life. Astrologers make heroic attempts to disentangle astrological factors from the myriad of others. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don't. The phenomenon involved isn't even partly understood, it's not surprising that efforts of researchers to find indisputable proof can fail.

EARTH DAY

Today, 22 April, is Earth Day. Astrologically this is an appropriate date, in the first degrees of Taurus, fixed Earth sign of the zodiac.. There's stability and comfort in Taurus, appreciation of nature's wonder. Ruled by Venus, planet of love, beauty, relatedness, grace and harmony. Now, more than ever we humans need to appreciate and be aware of what we owe to our planet. Our time here may be in jeopardy.


"What a joy it is to feel the soft, springy earth under my feet once more, to follow grassy roads that lead to ferny brooks where I can bathe my fingers in a cataract of rippling notes, or to clamber over a stone wall into green fields that tumble and roll and climb in riotous gladness!" (Helen Keller)

"The whole world is, to me, very much "alive" - all the little growing things, even the rocks. I can't look at a swell bit of grass and earth, for instance, without feeling the essential life - the things going on within them. The same goes for a mountain, or a bit of the ocean, or a magnificent piece of old wood." (Ansel Adams)


"A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature."
--Henry David Thoreau


Please, let it not be that "We could have saved the Earth but we were too damned cheap." ~ Kurt Vonnegut

Photgraphs from the Rocky Mountain National Park, taken by my husband..

The Week That Was

A sad week indeed. The same week in recent years also brought tragedy and sorrow to the USA. I don't know if there is an explanation for this. Some perverse "anniversary" syndrome by the perpetrators? A common astrological factor ? Both of those?

The dreadful events at Virginia Tech University on April 16th will stay in our minds for a long time.

We also remember the tragedy at Columbine High School when 12 students and a teacher were killed in a shooting on 20 April 1999, and

The Oklahoma City bombing a terrorist attack on April 19 1995 aimed at a US government office complex in downtown Oklahoma City. The attack claimed 168 lives and left over 800 injured.

74 men, women and children died in the inferno at Waco, Texas on April 19, 1993.

And let us not forget - we must never forget - the too many who have died in Iraq this week, and in every week over the past few years.

I'll not attempt to find astrological correlation. There is correlation enough in the devastation wrought upon the lives of so many. Motive, method, and root cause may differ in each case, but results do not. The result was then, and is now, pain and sorrow.

There's a beautiful and peaceful National Memorial in Oklahoma City, for those who died in the bombing. Above one of The Gates of Time (see above): monumental twin gates which frame the moment of destruction, and mark the formal entrances to the Memorial, are these words:

"We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity"


A couple of lines from the lyrics of a song currently sung by Martina McBride are particularly apt just now:

This world's gone crazy and it's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today -
BELIEVE IT ANYWAY !!

We have to believe it.

Below are two tiny excerpts from a speech entitled "Spirit and Stardust", made almost five years ago by Dennis Kucinich, a current but oft overlooked presidential candidate:

"When death (not life) becomes inevitable, we are presented with an opportunity for great clarity, for a great awakening, to rescue the human spirit from the arms of Morpheus through love, through compassion and through integrating spiritual vision and active citizenship to restore peace to our world. The moment that one world is about to end, a new world is about to begin. We need to remember where we came from. Because the path home is also the way to the future."

"Violence is not inevitable. War is not inevitable. Nonviolence and peace are inevitable. We can make of this world a gift of peace which will confirm the presence of universal spirit in our lives. We can send into the future the gift which will protect our children from fear, from harm, from destruction."

TRANSITS of URANUS and other adventures. Part 2.

Part 2 - Uranus into Pisces, Neptune into Aquarius, Pluto in the wings.

Soon after moving to the bungalow on the coast, my partner's health began to fail, both mentally and physically. He was much older than me, and we'd been together for more than 30 years. From 2000, until he died in the first weeks of 2003, I looked after him, heart breaking, knowing that I'd lose him painfully and slowly. Throughout this time, transiting Pluto was approaching my natal Venus at 19.59 Sagittarius, 6th house.

To help things along (or not) Neptune conjoined my natal Sun exactly from September to December 2001, and wasn't far away for months after that. Looking back, I can see that Neptune acted somewhat like an anaesthetic, or some kind of drug which, along with the computer I'd just bought, helped me through what was, without doubt, the worst period of my life. I'm pretty sure that from time to time I acted as if I were under some kind of intoxication - which WAS purely astrological!

That first home computer of mine arrived along with Neptune in Aquarius. Because I was tied to the house, caring for my partner and unable to go very far for very long, the computer became something of a life-raft. I made a few on-line friends via message boards, and instant message programs, who, bless 'em, along with Neptune's intoxication, kept me afloat through those bad times. I doubt that I could have coped without the computer.

Uranus didn't leave Aquarius until late 2003 and before Pluto left its conjunction with my natal Venus another adventure awaited me. Still reeling from the loss of my partner, I met my (now) husband, aka HeWhoKnows. At first he was an e-mail penfriend, then, during a short holiday in the USA we met in person. He later came over to the UK, spent time there, and we eventually married. I sold the bungalow, went through the rigmarole of visa and immigration hoop-la, arrived in Oklahoma, USA late in 2004. Events seem rapid, with hindsight, but at the time it didn't feel that way. Life seemed to be proceeding in ultra-slow motion.

Uranus conjoined my natal Jupiter at 6.03 Pisces in February 2005, just after we had bought a house in Oklahoma and moved from my husband's previous home. I'd already bought a new computer, soon afterwards astrology software followed, and a boxful of secondhand astrology text books. Much study and experimenting ensued.

As for blogging - last November, Jupiter, the publishing planet, danced around the vertex in my chart (natal Mars conjoins this sensitive point). Last November was when other astrology bloggers were kind enough to notice my blog, and later Elsa added it to Astrology News. I'd been writing the blog previously purely for my own amusement, but around this time I had submitted it to Technorati. Jupiter the publishing planet gave my vertex, and me, a boost.

That's the story so far.

Summing up: the transit of Uranus through Aquarius was a little like a tornado passing through a small town. When that planet first entered Aquarius I had a Mum, a long-standing partner, a home of many years, and a job. When Uranus left, none of those remained.

Amidst the chaos in my life, Uranus, ruler of technology,left something for me to hold on to - the computer, which became my life raft, eventually guiding me across the Atlantic to a new way of being and, incidentally, to blogging.

What shouts "astrology at work" to me in all this is the timing, and the way events dovetail with transits. Skeptics migh respond that there are "ordinary" reasons for these events. Maybe so, but there are no ordinary reasons for such exact timing.

I feel that I must add, in case a passing reader feels nervous about an impending transit, that I'm pretty sure Uranus transits to natal Sun do not usually result in the amount of havoc I experienced. These adventures were the result of multiple astrological events affecting my own individual chart and personal circumstances, in a way peculiar to me. It has been my experience that astrology never acts in exactly the same way twice.

TRANSITS OF URANUS, and other adventures.

Chrispito at Astroturf commented, after one of my earlier posts, that perhaps transits of Uranus are connected with my feeling that the computer has changed my life. Uranus, modern ruler of my natal Aquarius Sun also rules technology, which includes computers. Yes, I believe she's right, but it's a long story. Uranus arrived in my life long before I had a home computer.

I guess this will be a 2-day blog job!

Uranus transited Aquarius from mid-1995 to late 2003. Uranus' transit of Pisces commenced March 2003. My natal Sun is at 6.46 Aquarius, natal Jupiter at 6.03 Pisces.

I actually received a "multiple-whammy" during these Uranus transits. My second Saturn return happened within that time span, as well as a transit of Pluto to natal Venus, and Neptune's transit of natal Sun. In addition, as I mentioned HERE in January, Comet Hyakutake, in May 1996 passed close to natal Uranus which conjoins South node of the Moon in my chart. I did tell the first part part of this story briefly, back in January, but it's re-told now with a more astrological detail.

At the time of these adventures, I was unaware of any planetary transits. With hindsight, I'm very glad of that ignorance.

PART 1.

The story begins on 21 April 1996 (11 years ago this week),on a Sunday evening, in a big northern English city, at around 9.20 pm. Uranus on this date was a little past 4* Aquarius, 2* from my natal Sun. A partial solar eclipse had occured on 17/18 April at, I think, 28 Aries. My natal Moon is at 24.40 Aries. Transiting Mars was at 21 Aries.

My long-time partner watched TV in the living room as I prepared to take a bath. A fire, which had started, unknown to us, in an adjoining empty building spread close to our second floor apartment. I heard a strange crackling noise, went to the kitchen to investigate. Flames licked the window. We realised what had happened, grabbed coats (I was only semi-clad), thankfully I grabbed my handbag (purse) as well. We hurried down two flights of stairs, as fire engines drew up outside. As we reached the ground an explosion occurred above, probably from gas boilers in the building. We stood with two other tenants, all thankful to be alive, and watched everything we owned, in our home for the past 23 years, disappear in an horrendous fire. The whole block of buildings later had to be demolished. We still had our car, parked in a nearby garage, the few clothes on our backs and my handbag containing credit card and a little cash.

That was the start of a difficult phase. Three days later my partner, probably still affected by shock, fell in the street and damaged his hand so badly that he needed plastic surgery and was admitted to hospital. I remained in a bed and breakfast place.

My workfriends and my mother were a great help to us, both with contributions, and moral support. Our insurance helped a lot too, as did the result of legal proceedings against the owner of the adjoining building - but not until some years later.

Within a month or so we found another apartment, which proved not ideal. We had one break-in during the year we lived there (those burglars were unlucky, we owned next to nothing!) Then, early spring 1997, as Uranus exactly conjoined my natal Sun, we moved into a rented house in a nice area . The whole episode had come to seem like a nightmare turned adventure.

More changes were to come, however. That summer of 1997, Uranus started its retrograde movement. My mother was diagnosed with terminal illness. This happened very rapidly and unexpectedly, and affected me deeply. My second Saturn return was exact in April 1997. Mum seemed fine when she visited us at Easter, by mid-August she died. She left me a bungalow on the coast where she and my Dad had spent a good part of their retirement. On the day Mum died retrograde Uranus, was at 5.59 Aquarius, one degree from my natal Sun, 8th house.

I was nearing retirement. We didn't want to live on the coast, but after trying unsuccessfully to sell the bungalow, we decided we'd have to move there after all. In March 1999 we moved home, as Mars hovered at 13 Scorpio, Moon's North node in my chart which opposes natal Uranus/South node. Transiting Uranus had moved on now and lay 7* away from natal Sun, but Neptune was inching slowly towards it.

End of PART 1. To be continued.

Surrealism, abstract art, and astrology

At Astro Future Trends, astrologer Philip Brown's interesting article about an artist, Uranus and Saturn had me digging out the blog entry which follows. I compiled it some time ago but abandoned it due to difficulties getting images to stay in place. I've adjusted it somewhat and tried again. I hope it behaves!

Styles of art have always intrigued me, especially surrealism and abstract art, which tend to overlap. These are expressions of the unconscious mind, concepts, emotions and ideas. Some artists who embraced these styles eschewed representational art entirely, in favour of symbolism form and colour, while others retained almost photographic depiction of their subject, but set it in surreal situations.

I wondered whether any indication towards one or other of these styles might be found in the charts of some well known artists. Using the "stand well back" approach I concentrated on two generational planets, Uranus and Neptune, along with Saturn. Reason: Saturn represents the establishment, the status quo, and probably representational art - realism. Uranus represents the new, the avant garde, the inventive. Neptune is involved with the dreamy and imaginative. Although Uranus and Neptune are generational, I think that the way Saturn interacts with them might be significant here in the way the artists gravitated towards two different styles of expression. Next to each birth date below I've listed the sign positions of Uranus, Neptune and Saturn, in that order. Harmonious and inharmonious aspects are within reasonable orb!

Salvador Dali used strange dream-like images in his pictures , yet the figures and objects he used were mainly recognisable and intricately drawn. Likewise in the case of Rene Magritte and Escher.

Dali -11 May 1904 Figueras, Spain. (Sag/Can/Aqua) - Uranus and Saturn in harmony, Neptune not.





Magritte (left) - 21 Nov. 1898, Lessines, Belgium. (Sag/Gem/Sag) - All in harmony.








Escher 18 June 1898, Leeuwarden, Netherlands. (Sag/Gem/Sag)- All in harmony





Dali, Magritte and Escher are what I'd call "representational surrealists", depicting real people, creatures or objects in surreal situations. In their charts Saturn and Uranus are in harmony, perhaps giving these artists the wish, and the ability to express ideas in new ways, but without fully abandoning the traditional.

Artists such as Klee, Miro, and Mondrian used shapes, symbols, balance and colour to convey their message.


Paul Klee 18 Dec. 1879, Munchenbuchsee, Switzerland. (Virg/Tau/Aries) Uranus out of tune with Saturn

Mondrian 7 March 1872, Amersfoort, Netherlands. (Can/Aries/Cap) Uranus opposes Saturn

Miro 20 April 1893, Barcelona, Spain. (Scorp/Gem/Lib) Uranus out of tune with Saturn

Klee, Miro and Mondrian painted in symbols, with forms and colour to get their message across - no hint of realism at all. In the natal charts of these artists Uranus and Saturn are not in harmony. The artists have moved right away from the traditional to new means of expression. There is no merging of old and new.

Thoughts

The post I'd written for today seems inappropriate now. It's difficult to know what is appropriate to write after the tragedy at Virginia Tech University yesterday. All our thoughts remain with those bereaved, and those still in shock after Monday's dreadful events.

Astrologers will analyse yesterday's events, in the hope that anything gleaned thereby might help in the future. Bloggers will discuss the tragedy, as will all branches of media. I don't know enough about it though, except that, to me, it appears to be another display of a sickness which now stalks our planet. Astrologically, perhaps our best hope for better days will be when Saturn and Pluto move from Fire signs of Leo and Sagittarius into Earth signs of Virgo and Capricorn. Perhaps then, for a while at least, a steadier, more caring and careful atmosphere will replace the extremes in all areas that we are now seeing.

Ages of Violence

This article "A History of Violence" by Steven Pinker is interesting and a little uplifiting. As a prelude it states:

"In the decade of Darfur and Iraq, and shortly after the century of Stalin, Hitler, and Mao, the claim that violence has been diminishing may seem somewhere between hallucinatory and obscene. Yet recent studies that seek to quantify the historical ebb and flow of violence point to exactly that conclusion."

Steven Pinker goes on to present his theory that, in spite of current world events, in his opinion man has become less violent over the millennia, centuries and decades.

He finishes with this paragraph:

"But the phenomenon does force us to rethink our understanding of violence. Man's inhumanity to man has long been a subject for moralization. With the knowledge that something has driven it dramatically down, we can also treat it as a matter of cause and effect. Instead of asking, "Why is there war?" we might ask, "Why is there peace?" From the likelihood that states will commit genocide to the way that people treat cats, we must have been doing something right. And it would be nice to know what, exactly, it is."

I wanted to shout out "Astrological Ages, sir!!"

Age of Taurus, Age of Aries - two Ages when violence and inhumanity to man flourished. The Bull and The Ram - neither signifies peace and friendship, and the history of those Ages match the symbolism. It wasn't until The Age of Pisces dawned, that there was any sign of a very, very slow movement away from violence - but SO very slowly that unless someone like Steven Pinker outlines the stages, and spells it all out, it's impossible to see. If we could have a magical video of the history of man on Earth, fast-forwarded at lightning speed, then it might become clear that we are indeed heading in the right direction, strange as it seems.

Mr Pinker does add

"It is not a license for complacency: We enjoy the peace we find today because people in past generations were appalled by the violence in their time and worked to end it, and so we should work to end the appalling violence in our time. Nor is it necessarily grounds for optimism about the immediate future, since the world has never before had national leaders who combine pre-modern sensibilities with modern weapons."

We could all name a few of those!

Across the Universe

We went to the cinema last night, saw "Perfect Stranger", it was not bad, not wonderful either. What gave me goosebumps and has remained in my mind, was a trailer shown before the main feature.

A movie called "Across the Universe", due to be released at the end of September is being advertised already. It was this trailer which touched a nerve for me. The movie is set in the 1960s with Beatles music threaded all the way through it.

During the 1960s I wasn't a hippie or a Beatles fan. My own life was in some turmoil, living through and getting rid of a bad marriage, so I had other things on my mind.

Since I met HeWhoKnows and came to live in the USA I've become a "Born Again Beatles Fan". Surprisingly, for such an avid jazz fan, HeWhoKnows practically idolises the Beatles, as do most of his family. I've been indoctrinated, I guess, because as soon as the trailer began last night with deafening strains of "Hey Jude", and a lad with a Liverpool accent, I got goosebumps, even more so as the trailer progressed into the Vietnam war era.

I remembered that in the late Maya del Mar's piece "The Road to 2012", which I linked to the other day, she had said that the years around 2011 will be
a "breakthrough time of the revolution begun with the Uranus-Pluto conjunction in the 60’s. During this period, the seeds planted in the 60’s can break through to expression. Those people born during the 60’s will have special parts to play."

I wonder if this movie will be an overture to the coming years, a "ghost of revolutions past" pointing the way to revolutions to come. I wonder if the producers and director were 1960s babies with the echo of those years imprinted in their very being.

"Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow waves of joy are drifting through my open mind
Posessing and caressing me ... jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world" (Lennon-McCartney, "Across the Universe")

Careering along on automatic pilot

Although I've always loved astrology, I never harboured an ambition to be a professional astrologer. In my days of ambition-harbouring, back in the UK, in the 1950s, astrology seemed far out of reach, something enthralling and mysterious. The ambition of my youth was to be a journalist. It still simmers away on a backburner of my subconscious. That may be what led me to the blogosphere. Here I can play at being a journalist of sorts, and talk about astrology at the same time. My blog satisfies two cravings. I've never had much opportunity to discuss astrology, my companions in life haven't shared my enthusiasm for the subject. Computers and astrology software have been my saviours, my gateway to understanding the mystery more clearly. The computer has changed my life in so many ways, it was instrumental in bringing me to the USA !

Thinking back to my early ambitions, my best friend and I (two Sun Aquarians born a week apart)used to pretend to be writers. We invented a magazine - a girls' magazine. In those days, girls' mags were non-existent. We'd prepare "articles" and pictures for inclusion. With the right connections, we thought, one day we would publish our own girls' magazine - first on the market ! We were a couple of young dreamers.

Writing as a profession didn't happen for me, or my friend. She went on to Art School, but never did achieve the career she craved and deserved, in the art world.

I worked with the archivist of our county for some years, then, overcome by itchy feet I left home and worked in hotel offices, moving around the UK season by season.

By my mid-30s I had a stable relationship, and found the job which carried me through to retirement, in the UK's civil service. The department in which I worked, with lawyers and judges, deals with employment disputes (unfair dismissal, redundancy matters, sex and race discrimination, equal pay). I didn't get to do much in the way of writing, other than letters and staff performance reports. The job satisfied my Sun Aquarian idealistic streak though, and that's what kept me there.

I've often studied my chart to see how my career history fits. There is a rhythm, which I've mentioned before in these blogs. The cycle of the Moons' nodes, and the vertex have had a significant part to play in timing the changes. As for planetary "influence", I guess natal Mercury (the communications planet) close to the descendant angle, and Jupiter (the publishing planet) close to midheaven made themselves felt in my wish to be a journalist. Planets close to any of the angles are said to have "strength". Venus in Sagittarius and Jupiter (Sagittarius' ruler) at midheaven gave me itchy feet, and set me on the road, working in hotels for a few years. My longest career stint of 23 years in the civil service might be represented by Saturn in Aries in 10th house of career - and again Jupiter at midheaven (Jupiter also represents legal matters), Saturn represents laws and their enforcement too, I guess.

I didn't ever get the chance to do the job I'd dreamed of, but things worked out fine, on the whole, just by taking the road that opened up naturally. I think that in the absence of clear instructions to the contrary from our free will, our astrology does guide us, whether we know it, believe it, or deny it. Mine guided me, like an automatic pilot.