Arty Farty Friday ~ REINCARNATION

After yesterday's post considering a possible reincarnation, and Wednesday's about Manly P. Hall and his beliefs, thoughts about reincarnation still hover.

An Arty Farty reincarnation medley for today then: illustrations, a poem, a story, quotes......but first some words on astrology and reincarnation.

I'm on the fence. I don't know. Nor, actually, does anyone else. But many have written trillions of words on the subject. The best few words on the topic I've found, from an astrologer, are at The Real Astrology website. Astrologer Kevin Burk has a section there devoted to answering readers' questions. In response to a question about finding evidence of reincarnation in a natal chart he wrote this:

Peg,
I don’t think that any single element in the chart can identify what our Sun Sign was in a past incarnation. As you’ve no doubt noticed, the books that present these various theories also tend to be the books that greatly over-emphasize the importance of the Sun Sign in the first place.

Astrology can most certainly provide information about past lives, and one of the key sources for this information is the South Node. But before we go any further, it’s important to remember that time, and particularly our three-dimensional linear perception of time, is an illusion. Personally, I believe that it is impossible to tell if something is from a ‘past life’ or from a ‘future life’ because ultimately there is no difference...and therefore, trying to find out who you were the last time you were here is rather futile.

The South Node describes experiences that we have had in a past life, or in past lives. We are meant to take these experiences and bring them to the next level by working with the North Node. However, the South Node may represent a collection of past lives, or a single, specific past life, but not the most recent life. My personal philosophy is that whatever I did and whoever I was, I’m here now and that’s all that matters. I’m always open to insight from my past experiences, particularly when it applies to patterns and issues that I’m working on in this current lifetime, but my interest in my past lives doesn’t go much deeper than that.

With strong reservations, I mention Martin Schulman’s Book, Karmic Astrology: The Moon’s Nodes and Reincarnation. Schulman does explore the various past life lessons presented by the South Node; however he does so in (what I feel) is a very fatalistic and almost accusatory manner. It is, however, the only book on the Nodes that I have seen that specifically addresses the question of past lives.
http://www.therealastrology.com/

PAST LIVES by Maxine Olson




QUOTES:

"Doctrine of reincarnation is neither absurd nor useless. It is not more surprising to be born twice than once."
- Voltaire

"We all have some experience of a feeling, that comes over us occasionally, of what we are saying and doing having been said and done before, in a remote time - of our having been surrounded, dim ages ago, by the same faces, objects, and circumstances."
- Charles Dickens (David Copperfield)

"It is conceivable that I might well be reborn as a Chinese coolie. In such case I should lodge a protest."
- Winston Churchill

"The most promising evidence bearing on reincarnation seems to come from the spontaneous cases, especially among children."
- Ian Stevenson

"Have you never observed that children will sometimes, of a sudden, give utterance to ideas which makes us wonder how they got possession of them? Which presuppose a long series of other ideas and secret self-communings? Which break forth like a full stream out of the earth, an infallible sign that the stream was not produced in a moment from a few raindrops, but had long been flowing concealed beneath the ground?"
- J. G. Herder

STORY:

The King Milinda once asked the Buddhist sage Nagasena: "When someone is reborn, is he the same as the one who just died, or is he different?"

Nagasena replied: "He is neither the same nor different....Tell me, if a man were to light a lamp, could it provide light the whole night long?"
"Yes."
"Is the flame then which burns in the first watch of the night the same as the one that burns in the second...or the last?"
"No."
"Does that mean there is one lamp in the first watch of the night, another in the second, and another in the third?"
"No, it's because of that one lamp that the light shines all night."
"Rebirth is much the same. One phenomenon arises and another stops, simultaneously. So the first act of consciousness in the new existence is neither the same as the last act of consciousness in the previous existence, nor is it different."

(http://www.amazon.com/Questions-King-Milinda-N-K-G-Mendis/dp/9552400678)

POEM: by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882)

Sudden Light

I HAVE been here before,
But when or how I cannot tell:
I know the grass beyond the door,
The sweet keen smell,
The sighing sound, the lights around the shore.

You have been mine before,—
How long ago I may not know:
But just when at that swallow's soar
Your neck turned so,
Some veil did fall,—I knew it all of yore.

Has this been thus before?
And shall not thus time's eddying flight
Still with our lives our love restore
In death's despite,
And day and night yield one delight once more?

AND can't forget this song... words by Lorenz Hart music by Richard Rodgers - Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman Trio perform "Where or When"

VERSE


Sometimes you think you've lived before
All that you live today
Things you do come back to you
As though they knew the way
Oh, the tricks your mind can play!



REFRAIN


It seem we stood and talked like this before
we looked at each other in the same way then,
But I can't remember where or when.
The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore.
The smile you are smiling you were smilimg then,
But I can't remember where or when.

Some things that happend for the first time,
Seem to be happening again.
Amd so it seems that we have met before
and laughed before
and loved before,
But who knows where or when.

NOTE: Eagle-eyed passing readers might notice that I am not providing many direct hyper-links these days. Reason: Blogger techies have provided an updated editing facility, which I don't care for, and which has caused a "bug" in the old editing program. The "bug" collapses paragraphs when trying to use the hyperlink facility - other stuff too. Blogger is working to sort the problem out - it is said. So - apologies for lack of hyperlinks and other niceties.

A Reincarnation? Another look at Tallan Latz & Stevie Ray Vaughan

A comment on a 2009 post of mine arrived last week. The post featured a young prodigy: guitarist, Tallan Latz. Link to the 2009 post http://twilightstarsong.blogspot.com/2009/07/prodigy-tallan-noble-latz.html

The comment, from David H. Larsen:

"This kid blew me away. As a practicing Buddhist, the idea that he was a blues/rock performer in a past life is not at all fanciful. He really reminds me of Stevie Ray Vaughn, and given that SRV died in the middle of his career appogee it would make sense that he would want to come back to finish what he started. Not to take it away from Tallan though; he is a talent in his own right."

That partially echoed my own feelings and those of an earlier, anonymous, commenter who had written:

Thanks for the article! I strongly suspect Tallan to be the reincarnation of Stevie Ray Vaughan due in part to these similarities in birth and death: SRV died in the sign of Virgo in Wisconsin near the birth place of Tallan in Elkhorn. The comparison of their birth charts and SRV's death chart also show uncanny connections.

Stevie Ray Vaughan, a highly successful blues guitarist died in August 1990.
From Wikipedia:

At around 1:00 a.m. on August 27, 1990, Vaughan was flying by helicopter from East Troy, Wisconsin to Chicago with members of Eric Clapton's tour crew. The helicopter crashed into the side of a 300-foot–high hill. Vaughan was killed, along with Nigel Browne and Colin Smythe. Earlier that evening, Vaughan had played with Double Trouble at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, featured as a special guest with Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Jimmie Vaughan. Vaughan was interred at Laurel Land Memorial Park in Dallas, Texas. Martha and Jimmie Vaughan sued the helicopter company, Omniflight, based in Addison, Texas, for negligence in allowing the unqualified pilot, Jeff Brown, to fly and for allowing the flight in dense fog.

At the beginning of my 2009 post I had said:

I'm not sure I believe in reincarnation, but when I see someone like 9-year old Tallan Noble Latz, hear his guitar playing - I do have to wonder! I heard this young lad when he appeared in American's Got Talent. Apparently he is already quite well known in some circles - a prodigy, nicknamed "The T-Man".

A video from a blues festival in 2010.

I should take a look at the charts of the two guitarists. Here they are. I have no time of birth for Tallan so use 12 noon. Astrotheme gives 3:40 AM for Stevie Ray - I've used that.

I have no idea what to look for to find hints of possible reincarnation. All I can do is look for similarities in the charts.






SRV had Virgo rising (if birthtime is correct). He died when Sun was in Virgo (27 August 1990 - chart @ right).
TL has Sun in Virgo.

One link between TL's birth chart and SRV's death chart is Uranus at 4.56 Aquarius in TL's chart conjunct Moon's North node in SRV's death chart (5.50 Aquarius.) Moon's nodes are linked to reincarnation by some astrologers. In addition, Pluto (planet associated with death) was at 15 Scorpio at time of SRV's death, close to his natal Venus (21 Scorpio) and close also, on the other side, to TL's natal Venus(12 Scorpio).

SRV had Venus (planet of the arts) at 21 Scorpio
TL has Venus at 12 Scorpio.

SRV had Jupiter & Uranus conjoined, in Cancer.
TL has Jupiter & Uranus conjoined in early Aquarius and with Neptune in the conjunction from 27 Capricorn (all 3 retrograde).

SRV had Moon at 19 Gemini. If TL were born sometime close to noon his Moon would be exactly opposite, at around 19 Gemini. Conjecture only, as I am without TL's time of birth.

My only other thought, perhaps one that might be more palatable to passing readers who think that reincarnation is fanciful at best. Tallan was born in the same state as Stevie Ray, who was doubtless idolised there. He could have been exposed to the playing of SRV from the time he emerged from the womb if his parents were fans. Rather than reincarnation, might this be an example of a child with prodigious talent simply emulating an idol?

Any other thoughts?


Stevie Ray Vaughan with Pride and Joy

MANLY P. HALL, Astrologer, Mason, Mystic, etc.

On our recent travels in Texas I found another old astrology-related book in an antique store. The Best of the Illustrated National Astrological Journal covering the years 1933 to 1935, edited by E.A. Wagner, published in 1978. As might be expected, much of the content is dated and/or has been superseded by more modern trains of thought and styles of presentation. Still, it's an interesting curiosity.

An article, by Manly P. Hall, caught my eye. Everything he wrote here, with slight modification, could be applied to the USA in 2011! Our current problems, no longer related to machines, now stem from corporations.

An excerpt from the longish piece:

The Mechanistic Complex by Manly P. Hall (1933)

The autocrats ruled antiquity, the aristocrats dominated the Middle Ages, while the mechanocrats have a stranglehold upon modern civilization. Consider feudal america - a land of filching knights and robber barons. Competition has broken up the unity of the nation and transformed the lane of the free and the home of the brave into a vast battlefield of economic exploitation.

The petty princes of medieval Europe sallied forth from their castles on strategic hills to maraud the countryside. today great industrial magnates from their strongholds upon the high crest of wealth ravage the fertile plains of the nation. The armies of the robber barons of old were composed of "robot" serfs, fed and clothed that they might have strength to extend the boundaries of their scheming liege.

The modern brigand has discarded weak, puny man and is now served by an army of machines. Modern competition is a war of giants. Great grinding mechanisms, whirling with ever increasing velocity, compete in a wild banditry of production.

Humanity is forgotten, races are forgotten, nations are forgotten. The bonds of state and community, which are the warp and woof of civilization are forgotten. Every man's hand is against his brother. Ambition rides in the vanguard of each faction. .....Great industries relentlessly destroy their competitors and justify themselves by the code that life is a survival of the fittest. Why should man be more gentle and considerate of machinery than he is of a fellow human creature?............but machinery is habit-forming......A machinery-obsessed, wealth-mad creation is dashing headlong into oblivion.

The name Manly P. Hall is familiar to me from past forays into esoteric writings. I've never been strongly drawn to matters esoteric, especially anything connected with theosophy, reincarnation, the masonic community or theories about a New World Order and the Illuminati, all of which were a feature of Mr. Hall's lifestyle and writings. Such subjects do provide rich fodder for novelists and other authors and lecturers but, in my view, little in the way of simple truths applicable to everyday life. Manly P. Hall wrote about astrology too. I have his Astrological Keywords.

For any passing reader unfamiliar with Manly P. Hall and his works, some background:

Manly Palmer Hall (March 18, 1901 – August 29, 1990) was a Canadian-born author and mystic. He is perhaps most famous for his work The Secret Teachings of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy, which is widely regarded as his magnum opus, published in 1928.

He has been widely recognized as a leading scholar in the fields of religion, mythology, mysticism, and the occult.

Carl Jung, when writing Psychology and Alchemy, borrowed material from Hall’s private collection.

In 1934, Hall founded the Philosophical Research Society (PRS) in Los Angeles, California, dedicating it to an idealistic approach to the solution of human problems........ In his over 70-year career, Hall delivered approximately 8,000 lectures in the United States and abroad, authored over 150 books and essays, and wrote countless magazine articles. (From: http://www.manlyphall.org/)

Above: Manly P. Hall, at age 89.

Data for the natal chart of Manly P. Hall, as shown below, comes from Astrodatabank, who give the time of birth (6.02 AM) only a DD rating: "dirty data" - not reliable. I've used this time of birth even so. I have a nasty suspicion that this time might have been suggested by those who'd wish to place his natal Moon into Aquarius rather than allowing a later time of birth putting Moon in Pisces along with Ascending degree, Sun, Mercury and Venus. Aquarius lends a hint of the clear intellectual among all that foggy Pisces imagination, dreams and visions! (My opinion only, of course.)

What stands out?

South node of the Moon (a sensitive point in the chart)is at 25 Taurus - the degree of Fixed Star Algol. Algol can sometimes be found prominent in the charts of those who have some unfortunate circumstances surrounding their lives or deaths - or those who are exceptionally intense and passionate in their endeavours; extreme creativity and some connection to "the dark side" can be noted too. Although Mr. Hall lived to age 89, according to some on-line sources there were rumours that he had been assassinated. Though why someone would consider murdering a man of that age, whose time was limited anyway, is beyond me!

Heavy emphasis on Pisces - the dreamer, potentially addictive (to dreams or other substances), creative, sensitive, mystical.

Saturn in Capricorn, sign of its rulership, is the strongest positioned planet in this chart, and conjunct Jupiter represents something of an enigma. Limitation conjoins excess; restriction conjoins exaggeration. Dreams and creativity conjoin business/career (Saturn).

Neptune, modern ruler of Pisces, in Gemini lies in challenging aspect to natal Sun and, if time of birth here is correct, in harmonious trine to Moon. Such aspects to personal planets draw Neptunian traits (creativity, nebulousness, illusion) into an individual's personality.

Hall was of the Pluto/Neptune in Gemini generation which spawned some incredibly talented characters. There's no doubt at all about the talent of Manly P. Hall as a communicator, or his passion for his subject. However, talent allied with passion for a topic does not necessarily result in accurate conclusions.

A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ~ Astrology & Radiestesia/Radionics

GUEST POST FROM GIAN PAUL (IN BRAZIL)

Having broken a knee more than 3 weeks ago and torn most of the ligaments around it, I've passed some days and nights in considerable pain. And if not pain, half numbed by drugs which only address the symptoms, but per se don't cure.

Astrologically my accident (happened while cutting a ripe banana tree on a wet day) was perfectly foreseeable:

Being Aries, it happened 3 days after Uranus entered my sign and Neptune was leaving its conjunction with my natal Mars in Aquarius, ruling the tibia (and that's where I have the most pain). Also Saturn opposing Jupiter in Aries (Saturn being the bones and Jupiter one's general well-being), I received my dose of "astrological teaching" on that day! (Who reminded me of Saturn signifying the bones was Fabienne, of Astrology Unboxed, often commenting on this blog - and I don't know if I should really thank her for that. But good astrologers cannot mince the truth, so I am sending her belatedly a special hug.)

While lying in bed during repeated sleepless nights, the only noise to hear being my Rottweiler chasing occasionally an opossum nibbling at some bananas, and besides that only distraction, really intensive pain, I was wondering about some article I recently read on how yoga "can help to overcome pain".

In general I detest drugs (Voltaren, Tramal etc. which help killing the pain but leave us numb). Also I believe that they are not really so helpful as they let one move a limb where one shouldn't, the pain, a normal signal to stay tranquil, being artificially suffocated.

But the thing with yoga/radiestesia/radionics started to occupy my mind during those difficult nights. When pain is intensive, any mind-occupation other than to focus onto where it hurts, is a benediction.

I do not know by what "mental combination" I had some days ago the idea, instead of "counting the sheep" in order to be able to sleep, to think of the type, category of pain I was having. But not just of my own, rather of that affecting many of those who recently must have been hurt by the tsunami in Japan and left without care on some destroyed beach or similar place. Or of those poor fellows, fighting (or defending Gaddafi) and having a leg (or more) blown off by some mortar explsion or similar projectile.

AND ALMOST MIRACULOUSLY (!): the more I was able to focus attention towards the (imagined) pain of others (imaginary for me, but certainly existing beyond my capacity to actually see and feel), my own pain RECEDED.

I cannot say for how long and to what degree, but for fact, I felt relief, and even could fall asleep. This was repeatedly the case, during subsequent recent sleepless nights.

In order to rationalise (not being totally romantic, after all):
Astrologically speaking (astrology being the most rational type of tool helping me in general to explain to myself what's going on), I presently have several "heavy transits" going over my natal chart:

Neptune opposes natal Moon, squares natal Venus/Uranus. Uranus (in transit) opposes my natal Neptune and MC and is in sextile with itself and natal Venus. Sun and the stellium in Aries is conjunct my natal Sun. Saturn (the "bones") opposing.

As mentioned, I gave some thought to radiestesia and radionics as I lay sleepless:

Radiestesia: In my personal experience I had a friend, partner in one of those "huguenot, protestant" private banks in Geneva. Whenever he planned to shift a major position in one of his client's portfolios, he had to tell the client beforehand. The latter would then, with the help of a pendulum, go over the stock's name and confirm his agreement for a shift or not. It worked, apparently, as my friend, at every year-end, was inundated with French fois-gras (the business of his client). More specifically on Radiestesia, it was officially invented by a Frenchman named Tourenne. Before him Radioestesia was known under the name of "Rabdomancia" and two other Frenchmen, Drs. Thouvenel and Bleton wrote about their findings involving magnetism, health and electricity. And then there was the "great Messmer", decried by the official medicine of his time.

Radiestesia: From the Greek, estesia = to feel and the Latin, radio = the vibrations.

Radionics: Albert Abrams (called "the dean of gadget quacks" by the American Medical Association) was the one who popularized this "science". I personally think that this type of "activity cum research", when seriously undertaken, can effectively open new frontiers. As astrology and other esoterica. The risk of abuse or simply being carried away by one's experiments being obvious.

Radionics: Wikipedia says: " The use of blood, hair, a signature, or other substances unique to a person as a focus to supposedly heal a person from afar".

In my recent experiencings with pain, I am convinced that something psychological in us can relieve pain. As is claimed by the proponents of yoga. My problem with yoga is that it seems impossible (for me at least) to keep my mind genuinely focused on one object for more that 30 seconds. Some yoga specialist even admit that that's quite normal. And they then add: "at least at the beginning. So that's were I (still) am...

Music Monday ~ Idol Shock - 'Bye Pia ~ Was Uranus "at it" again?

As your friendly neighbourhood Idol junkie, which in some people's view makes me a numbskull without two half brain cells to rub together (they could be right) I shall use Music Monday this week to report that American Idol brought viewers one of its "shock" eliminations last Thursday night.

One of the judges' favourites, Pia Toscano, received the lowest number of votes - or so we were told. She was eliminated from the Final 9.

Pia had been riding high since the live shows began a few weeks ago. She has a super voice - of the "diva" genre. Pitch perfect, never a bum note. Celine Dion is probably her personal idol. I admired her talent but found her performances boring - my husband grew tired of hearing me complain about this. Perhaps the majority of voting viewers (of which I'm not one) agreed with me.

The week's "theme" was Songs from The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Pia, who had previously relied on ballads chose to sing River Deep Mountain High. Oh my! Tina Turner she ain't! She gave a creditable rendition though, but visions of Tina's loose style, so different from Pia's kept invading my mind.



Pia was visibly shocked to be eliminated. She is reported to have needed some aid from a medic. The judges appeared shocked too. Their comments:

Jennifer Lopez (In tears): “I have no idea what just happened here. I’m shocked. I’m angry. I don’t even know what to say.”

Randy Jackson: “We’re all in shock, I’m gutted.”

Steven Tyler: “A mistake is one thing, but a lack of passion is unforgivable. But This is America. They’re wrong.”

Pia will have no problem finding work from now on. She's a beautiful young woman with a voice - and looks - to kick-ass on Broadway or Las Vegas. In fact, before I'd finished drafting this I spotted a report that she has already been signed up by the recording company Interscope, chaired by Idol mentor Jimmy Iovine. They aim to release her debut album "as soon as possible". Hmmm.

I'll take a look at her (12 noon) chart, to see if there's any astrological correlation with her shock exit. She was born on 14 October 1988 in Howard Beach, New York.

Something hit me in the eye right away. Look at natal Mars at 1 degree Aries! Transiting Uranus - planet of the unexpected - was right on that very degree on Thursday night!



It's useless to try to embed a video of Pia singing live on American Idol - it'd be blocked due to copyright. I found this very short clip of her singing The Prayer outside of her Idol performances. I've also posted a video featuring her studio version of River Deep Mountain High in case that manages to avoid the copyright police.

PS~~ The four contestants (Scotty, Casey, James & Lauren) with a Uranus/Neptune conjunction linked to personal planets in their natal charts, as outlined in my earlier post, link below, are all still standing - going strong in fact.
http://twilightstarsong.blogspot.com/2011/03/uranusneptune-conjunction-in-charts-of.html

Careering along on..... automatic astro-pilot ?

In almost any basic astrology book one can find a list of careers/professions best suited to each zodiac sign/Sun sign. While these are fun to read and match to actual situations they aren't always reliable. The full chart needs to be considered in order to find any guidance at all on career paths, and even then success cannot be guaranteed.

Relying on those basic lists I (Aquarius Sun) should have been looking towards such career paths suggested by Saturn and Uranus, the sign's ruling bodies. For instance, in a list from Manly P. Hall's book Astrological Keywords I find suggestions of (Uranus) humanitarian, aviator, astrologer, electrician, singer (?), psychologist, radio technician. And (Saturn): routine worker, detailed thinker, professor, real-estate agent, builder, miner, farmer, nightwatchman. Mr. Hall was, apparently of the opinion that women need to be kept in the kitchen and bedroom - "barefoot and pregnant" as the saying goes.

So, how about a real life example - mine?

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.

"If wishes were horses beggars would ride....." My youthful wish was to be a journalist. It still simmers away on a backburner of my subconscious. It may be what led me into the blogosphere. Here I can play at being a journalist of sorts, and talk about astrology at the same time, satisfying 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, a gateway to understanding the mystery more clearly. The computer has changed my life in so many ways, it was even instrumental in bringing me to the USA !

Thinking back to early ambitions, my best friend and I (two Sun Aquarians born a week apart)used to pretend to be writers. We invented 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 magazine for girls - first on the market ! Just 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 from straying into further spheres.

I've often studied my chart, looked back to see how my career history fits. There is a rhythm connected to the cycle of the Moons' nodes. The vertex also 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 and travelling 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 is, for sure, represented by Saturn (law) in Aries in 10th house of career - again Jupiter at midheaven (Jupiter also represents legal matters).

I didn't ever get the chance to do the job of my youthful dreams, but things worked out well, just by taking the roads that opened up naturally. Astrology may well guide us, whether we know it, believe it, or deny it. Mine has guided me. Without realising it at the time, I was always on a kind of automatic astro-pilot.

Arty Farty Friday ~ Joseph Stella

Joseph Stella (self portrait, left). Not a household name, except perhaps in the households of real art aficionados. I'm not one of those, but having seen some of his work online, I admire his versatility. He was equally skilled in sensitive charcoal sketches of an almost classical nature, and bold futurist oils.

Biographical information which follows is taken from http://www.clpgh.org/exhibit/stell31.html Thoughts on his natal chart come later in post.


Stella was born in 1877 in a mountain town in southern Italy, and in 1896 he emigrated to New York. After a brief fling with medical studies, Joseph Stella trained for two years at the New York School of Art under painter William Merritt Chase, who instilled in him the value of artistic experimentation and an appreciation for the Old Masters.

Fascinated by the urban melting pot around him, the young Stella began to depict fellow immigrants, laborers, vagabonds and characters from New York's lower East Side in fine drawings that showed the "crude side of their life," as he put it. In 1905 Stella produced for the social reform weekly The Outlook, a series of illustrations of immigrants at Ellis Island, entitled "Americans in the Rough." This group of pencil-and-charcoal character sketches from life--precise, carefully shaded and filled with empathy for their subjects--reflected a strong Old Master influence.

Below 1.Old time Irish Immigration. 2. British-born. 3. Tired Out

In the Bread Line

In 1907 another social welfare publication, Charities and Commons--which later became The Survey--dispatched him to Monongah, West Virginia, to illustrate an account of the mine disaster that had wiped out half the working population of the town. Stella was deeply moved by the human tragedy he encountered, and his powerful drawings enhanced the periodical's plea for improved mine safety laws. Below: Rescue Workers, Monongah Mine.

The following year Stella was commissioned by The Survey to illustrate "The Pittsburgh Survey", an ambitious investigation of what were termed "conditions of life and labor of wage-earners of the American steel district." The series of articles examined transportation, courts, charities, housing, water supply, public health and prejudice against immigrants. The Survey concluded by calling for enforcement of stricter working and housing regulations, improved medical services and educational opportunities, and tolerance and acceptance of the workers themselves.

The artist is reported to have said:

"I was greatly impressed by Pittsburgh. It was a real revelation. Often shrouded by fog and smoke, her black mysterious mass--cut in the middle by the fantastic tortuous Allegheny River and like a battlefield, ever pulsating, throbbing with the innumerable explosions of its steel mills--was like the stunning realization of some of the most stirring infernal regions sung by Dante"

At the Base of the Blast Furnace

Pittsburgh

Factories

ASTROLOGY

Born on 13 June 1877 in Muro Locarno, Italy. chart set for 12 noon. Moon's degree and ascending sign will not be accurate as shown.



Sun and Mercury in Gemini easily translate to the following description taken from the piece linked above.

Stella was peripatetic and volatile, and his personal life was equally unsettled. Although married for years, he and his wife lived apart frequently and he had a number of mistresses. An animated conversationalist with a bombastic personality, he made many friends--and enemies.

Much of the following description of his appearance though says (to me) Taurus. I'd not be a bit surprised to discover that Taurus was rising as he was born. His Cancer Moon (it'd be in that sign whatever birthtime) might also connect to his rather "rounded" appearance.

Describing him in 1926 a friend noted "his huge dome pierced by two black mobile eyes of liquid lava...a stubby nose and a large, articulate mouth...all planted on a large, robust neck firmly attached to a dynamic torso."

His versatility and lack of adherence to one particular style is inherited from Gemini Sun and Mercury. Note the following:

By the time he died in 1946 he was pretty well out of sight. Commentators expressed perplexity about how to evaluate his seemingly enigmatic, stylistically diverse body of work. It was, Baur commented, "a nightmare for the art historian." Because it was impossible to pigeonhole Stella in any particular movement or group, he tended to be ignored. Starting around 1970, art historians and museum curators, unfazed by the difficulty of identifying him with any single classification, began to pierce the Stella enigma. Many have come to regard the variety of subjects, styles and media in which he worked as a plus, the singular vision of an individual artist of quality and importance.

More examples of Stella's painting:
Battle of Lights. Coney Island.

Apotheosis of the Rose

Old Brooklyn Bridge

Fountain



Brooklyn Bridge

More Presidential Ponderings ~ Tim Pawlenty

Following presidential ponderings in my previous post, I'm taking a quick look at the natal chart of Tim Pawlenty today. He's a likely Republican presidential candidate for 2012, opposing current Prez Barack Obama. He's one of the non-Tea Party types who will probably appeal to the more staid old-style Republicans. Tea-Party types are good for a laugh, they're like mothers' milk to comedians. Some will be able to gain traction locally, in certain areas, but strong enough to be voted in as president? I doubt it.

But would Tim Pawlenty be able to draw on similar Neptunian crowd-pleasing powers of illusion, via Neptune, as Barack Obama did in 2008?

Brief background from National Governors' association website ~

Tim Pawlenty grew up in South St. Paul, Minnesota. The only child in his family to graduate from college, he attended the University of Minnesota and practiced law in the private sector. His public service career included serving as a criminal prosecutor, Eagan City Councilmember, and ten-year member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, including four years as House Majority Leader. Pawlenty was first elected governor in 2002 and reelected in 2006. Besides bringing Minnesota from historic budget crisis to financial security, Pawlenty pursued the successful passage of a dramatic overhaul and improvement of the state's education standards; an $800 million increase in K-12 education spending along with a nation-leading teacher performance pay program; significant health care, welfare, and tort liability reforms; a range of new government efficiency initiatives; the creation of a nation-leading prescription drug website; and a doubling of the state's ethanol standard to increase use of renewable fuels and reduce dependence on foreign oil. Pawlenty served as Chair of the National Governors Association in 2007-08.

Good background for a president!

Born 27 November 1960 in St. Paul Minnesota. No time of birth available so chart set for 12 noon. Moon would be somewhere between 25 Pisces and 8 Aries. Ascendant - anybody's guess.



I'm not trying to define what kind of guy he is - just assessing his "charisma-factor" and identifying any planetary transits which might aid or impair progress in the presidential race.

Sun in Sagittarius has warmth and brightness enough to endear him to many. Sun links by two semi-sextile (60*) aspects, mildy helpful, to the stelliun (tight cluster of 3 or more planets) in Capricorn and to.....Neptune in Scorpio.

Without knowing exactly where the planets are in respect of the chart angles (ascendant, midheaven and opposite points) it's not possible to assess the strength of Neptune here. Were it on the ascendant or at midheaven I'd say: "Watch out Obama!"

His Capricorn stellium (Jupiter/Venus/Saturn) probably defines him more than his Sagittarius Sun. Saturn is part of the cluster, and is ruler of Capricorn. Saturn and Capricorn link to structure, conservatism, business.....all that Republicans represent.

Transits of Pluto and Uranus are important here. Pluto is transiting Capricorn now and is at 7 degrees as I type and will be back in the same degree after some to-ing and fro-ing in the meantime. Note that Pawlenty's Jupiter is at 6 degrees Capricorn, and pulls in the rest of that Capricorn cluster. Pluto = transformation, but usually only after some fairly traumatic events. Strong enough to transform him to being President of the United States? Yes.

Transiting Uranus is now at 2 Aries and by November 2012 will be at 5 Aries - Pawlenty's natal Moon was somewhere between 25 Pisces and 7 Aries, unless he was born very early in the day he will, at some point now or in coming months, receive a jolt, a change, unexpected events.....you know the Uranus drill!

So....is there indication that, should Tim Pawlenty run (very likely)that he would provide a serious worry for the Democratic National Party and for President Obama? Yes, I think a run by Pawlenty would have to be taken very seriously.

NEXT PRESIDENT? Astrologers' Thoughts.

US election cycles seem endless. One runs into the next with hardly time to draw breath, wage a war, or do down a few more of the poor and needy before the whole sorry mess starts again. Already there is mention of politicians declaring their candidacy for the next presidential election, to be held in November 2012 - and it's only April 2011!
Yesterday current president Barack Obama officially launched his own campaign for re-election.

There's talk of HUGE - really HUGE piles of money available to candidates on both sides of the divide - from (who else?) the corporations.

As I've said before on this blog - there's hardly anything to choose between today's Democrats and Republicans. They all work for the same master - and it ain't "We The People" - as it ought to be.

If you don't believe me (a relative newcomer to this land), believe the late George Carlin, who does not mince his words. Would that he could have stayed with us a little longer - we need such voices.

Come November 2012, the best courses anyone who thinks like me can make at the voting booth, unless there's a viable third party candidate available on the ticket, will be to a) abstain; b) write in "We The People"; or, c) using what insight and intuition we can muster, try to ascertain which of the evils on offer has the chutzpah and spine to keep the corporations happy while still helping the poor and needy and winding down wars - fast.... c) is a pipe-dream of course!

All of the above apart, seeing as we have to live through these incoming months and months and months of political circus we may as well look on it all as raw experimental material to test astrology. I've wandered around the net looking for astrologers' thoughts on the outcome of the next "do-over" in 2012, in particular relation to the current president's chances of re-election.

If it's early enough for them to be filling their campaign coffers, it's early enough for us to be considering their chances.

Here are links to some predictions I found, with a few lines from each piece. I'll add here that I like these long-distance predictions, they are made so far ahead that circumstances and events (of the unexpected kind) happening later on cannot colour these predictions, consciously or subconsciously - they have been formed purely from astrological indications.

Starting with The Political Blog where the astrologer is looking at first things first:

Posted by Patrick Watson, the Political Blog on Wednesday, March 2 2011.

http://politicalastrologyblog.com/2011/03/02/the-astrological-importance-of-presidential-run-announcements-for-2012/

We must be vigilant to make sure that we record the time and place the candidates make their announcements (that they will run) because they can be extremely useful in determining what the themes of the contest will be, as well as who may end up being the winner.
Neptune ingress into Pisces
Considering Obama’s strong ties to Neptune, I think the Neptune ingress in April will most likely be relevant for him. Knowing his history with the planet, all his major political success has taken place while Neptune has been in Aquarius. It is his 1st house, he became famous under Neptune’s opposition to his Sun in Leo and even became President while it was on his Ascendant. When Neptune moves into Pisces, he may lose his magic touch for good. However, once it is in Pisces, Neptune will square his Moon at 5 Gemini. This could represent one final burst of his campaign charisma, although it will be very different for him this time around.

By Gurmeet Singh Vedic astrologer (posted Nov. 2010)

http://www.vedicnakshatras.com/BarackObamaPredictions.html

President Obama’s approval ratings will go up after June/July 2012, and the public opinion will again shift in his favor just before 2012 elections Hillary Clinton will replace Joe Biden for the Vice President’s position in 2012 elections.

Obama will win 2012 elections very easily and will get re-elected as the President of United States for the second term. Year 2013 and 2014 will be the golden years in Obama’s second term and for United States President Obama will run out of luck between Oct 2014 and Dec 2015 when transit Saturn will be in Scorpio.

From Funk Astrology, posted in Nov. 2009.

http://funkastrologypolitics.blogspot.com/2009/11/can-obama-win-2012-election.html

So now for the next election. 06 November 2012 – Presidential election. Solar Eclipse trine Jupiter Lunar Eclipse trine Sun Full Moon trine Pluto They are very promising lunations, and added to that Pluto transit he would have a good shot at it if he does run.

By Chryl Lee Terry at Astrology and Beyond.

http://www.astrologyandbeyond.com/beyond/political-prognostications/

President Obama’s Astrological chart has a particularly lucky aspect in that, it’s not that he wins his races — it’s that his opponents lose the race. Between September 2011 and October 2012 President Obama is in a politically vulnerable phase: will face big challenges, roadblocks and adept political adversaries. But, if he chooses to run in 2012, once more, it will be his opponent – who wins or loses the race.

As I'm posting predictions of some fellow-bloggers I ought to add my own: Obama is astrological Neptune personified in spite of his Leo Sun/Aquarius rising/Gemini Moon. Fog and illusion/delusion surround him. Gemini Moon has a scent of the Trickster about it, adding to the illusion. He'll use his Neptunian talent for illusion again, it'll be less effective this time around because many of his past followers have seen through him (myself included). Unless his opponent whoever he/she is has comparable Neptunian powers and can work similar "campaign magic" on gullible crowds, Obama will be our president for another term.

Maybe what we on the REAL left need, is "a hero" to join the race. Cue Bonnie Tyler"

Music Monday ~ Wayne Coyne, Flaming Lips, Do You Realize?

Those of a different generation, and more in tune with alternative rock than I am, might be more familiar with the name Wayne Coyne. He is frontman of the band Flaming Lips. I have heard of them, as it happens, mainly due to their hit song Do You Realize? The band hails from Oklahoma, my (transplanted) home state:

"Even within the eclectic world of alternative rock, few bands were so brave, so frequently brilliant, and so deliciously weird as the Flaming Lips. From their beginnings as Oklahoma weirdos to their mid-'90s pop culture breakthrough to their status as one of the most respected groups of the 2000s, the Lips rode one of the more surreal and haphazard career trajectories in pop music. An acid-bubblegum band with as much affinity for sweet melodies as blistering noise assaults, their off-kilter sound, uncommon emotional depth, and bizarre history (packed with tales of self-immolating fans and the like) firmly established them as true originals. The Flaming Lips formed in Oklahoma City in 1983....." (See here.)

Do You Realize, written by Wayne Coyne, is now our official "State Rock Song". In an interview with Mojo, Coyne revealed that during the recording of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, band member Steven Drozd was trying to kick a heroin addiction. When they took breaks from playing, Drozd would have a really tough time with his withdrawal. Listening to him cry, and with the death of his father in mind, Coyne wrote Do You Realize?. Wayne Coyne, commenting on the song said, "Whenever I analyze the scientific realities of what it means to be living here on Earth – in this galaxy – spinning around the sun – flying through space – a terror shock seizes me!!! I'm reminded once again of how precarious our whole existence is..."

1, 2, 3, 4
Do you realize
That you have the most beautiful face?
Do you realize We're floating in space?
Do you realize That happiness makes you cry?
Do you realize That everyone you know someday will die?
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes
Let them know you realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round
Do you realize?

Do you realize That everyone you know someday will die?
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes
Let them know you realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round
Do you realize
That you have the most beautiful face?
Do you realize?? (Video below).

All US States have state songs, but only Ohio (Hang On Sloopy by The Mccoys) and Washington State (Louie Louie by The Kingsmen) also have State Rock Songs, so this achievement is all the more impressive. Do You Realize? only achieved its honor after some opposition and controversy though:

"Oklahoma rockers/sonic explorers The Flaming Lips are no strangers to weirdness. But even singer Wayne Coyne found the recent controversy over Lips track “Do You Realize?” becoming his state’s official rock song a tad off-the-wall. “It was silly,” he tells EW. “People were talking about the fact that I used bad language. I mean, Jesus, I’m not running for office! Last time I checked, a guy in a rock band is allowed to cuss if he wants to.” The saga began last year when folks in Oklahoma voted on what song they wanted to become their official rock anthem, and an overwhelming number plumped for “Do You Realize?” On March 2, the Flaming Lips visited the Oklahoma Senate to see that body pass the appropriate resolution. But the measure subsequently failed to get the necessary amount of support in the House of Representatives after some Republican members objected to Coyne’s potty-mouth and bassist Michael Ivins having worn a hammer and sickle T-shirt during his Senate visit. Finally, Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry signed an executive order making “Do You Realize?” the state rock song...." (See here).

Do you Realize? was the first single from the Flaming Lips album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots . A more recent album, Embryonic, a concept album, has "a recurring unnamed female protagonist, a subplot about an earth-visiting alien, the preoccupation with astrology and the cosmos (including several zodiac-named tracks), perpetual themes of existentialism, the insignificance of humanity, and the search for meaning and morality, etc."





Considering their weirdness, songs about astrology, zodiac-named tracks, the cosmos etc. I'd have expected some strong Aquarius or Uranus influence in the natal chart of frontman Wayne Coyne. I was wrong! Here's his chart set for 12 noon (time of birth unknown).

He has a stellium (tight cluster of planets) in Capricorn, including the sign's ruler Saturn conjunct his natal Sun. This doesn't immediately indicate any kind of weird individual - nor is he, in his off-stage life - I'm pretty confident of that. He's very creative though! Sun conjunct Saturn & Mercury could translate into a rather scientifically oriented mindset (Saturn rules science).

Whatever time of day Wayne was born his natal Moon would have been in Sagittarius - sign of the philosopher. With Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius linked into that Capricorn stellium, which also includes Mercury, planet of mental processes, some philosophical ideas, metaphysical ones too, will appeal to him (See highlighted item in quote about Embryonic album).

A Grand Trine of planets in Water signs confirms his sensitivity and creative credentials: Venus/Neptune/Mars linked in such harmonious circuitry involving planets representing art, imagination, creativity and dynamic energy found in signs representing sensitivity, emotionalism and passion.