Roller Coasting onward.....

Here comes 2010 - are we ready for another roller coaster of a year? Will it be more of the same stuff we ploughed through during 2009 or something completely different? Astrologers and psychics all around the internet have their own ideas. Why don't I chip in then?

Here's my intuitive take: As long as Uranus and Neptune continue as they have been for the past three years or so, hand-in-hand in semi-sextile, sometimes loose, sometimes tight, across the Aquarius-Pisces segment of the zodiac, no extreme changes will occur. A similar general atmosphere will continue, with minor peripheral change going on constantly, of course. I think it will only be when Uranus and Neptune finally separate from their semi-sextile that we'll notice an overall change of atmosphere. That kind of change is likely to begin around the middle of the coming decade. (Tarot coming on Sunday).

(Scanned from Pick of Punch 1958)

Happy New Year y'all!

"And ye, who have met with Adversity's blast,
And been bow'd to the earth by its fury;
To whom the Twelve Months, that have recently pass'd
Were as harsh as a prejudiced jury -
Still, fill to the Future! and join in our chime,
The regrets of remembrance to cozen,
And having obtained a New Trial of Time,
Shout in hopes of a kindlier dozen."-
(Thomas Hood)

PS: I'm late on-line today because of MERCURY RETRO-EFFECT # 4 (see Tuesday's post for others). A power surge yesterday evening blinked the TV but fried our wireless router in spite of everything being surge protected! So out in the snow for a new router we had to go.

Andrew Johnson - The Worst?

Andrew Johnson 17th President of the US was born yesterday, 29 December, in 1808 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Astrodatabank gives his time of birth as 12.30AM, but without official source it remains 'C' rated. A biography by R.W. Winston has stated that President Johnson was "Born at night, after the ball." I suspect that the time given at Astrodatabank is a rectification, and puts Mars on the ascendant. A 2:00AM-ish birth though would bring the first degree of Scorpio rising, which I suspect might fit Andrew Johnson better than Libra rising. But whoever did the rectification would have used some of the most critical dates in his life story to assess a likely birth time, so I'll stick with that.









This was no academic president. Born into poverty, he taught himself to read and write, became a tailor, but until age 17 when he married a school teacher who furthered his education, Andrew Johnson had no mathematical skills and only basic literacy. He obviously had a natural draw towards politics and public service though. After serving as Alderman of Greeneville, Tennessee 1830-33 he rose to Mayor, then Member of Tennessee State Legislature, House of US Representatives, Governor of Tennessee, US Senator m Military Governor of Tennessee and by 1865 became Vice President under President Abraham Lincoln.


From Andrew Johnson: A Biographical Companion, at Amazon, an extract mentioning his youthful appearance with little sign of having aged; and his piercing eyes. People with Sun in Capricorn are often thought to age well, mainly due to Saturn, Capricorn's ruler relating well to old age, I suppose. Piercing eyes usually denote Scorpio rising or Sun sign - which is what led me to think that his time of birth might actually be around 2:00 AM.




Andrew Johnson inherited the presidency after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He had the complex, well-nigh impossible task of reuniting the nation, and reconstructing the defeated southern states after years of bloody civil war. History records that he didn't do a very good job; in fact he is rated as one of the worst of all White House incumbents. Eventually Congress voted to impeach Johnson by a vote of 126 to 47 in February 1868, citing his violation of the Tenure of Office Act and charging that he had brought disgrace and ridicule on Congress. By a margin of one vote, the Senate voted not to convict Johnson, and he served the duration of the term won by Lincoln.

I've read a selection of on-line accounts of Johnson's presidency and find myself confused. Some accounts are far more sympathetic than others. This is bound to be the case though, bearing in mind what a divided country this was - and still is! It's obvious that President Johnson made some serious mistakes and wrong decisions at a time when national sensitivities on both sides of the political divide were raw and hurting. His actions were diametrically opposed to all that the civil war had tried to achieve in bringing freedom from slavery to black Americans.

"The debate about Johnson's role in Reconstruction is highly charged, and much ink has been spilled attempting to disentangle the truth from the rhetorical flourishes that have grown up around the debate. A cursory examination of Johnson's actions in the post war period is likely to be both contentious and simplistic. What can be made clear is that early on in his administration, Johnson found himself at loggerheads with both the Congress and members of his cabinet. Whatever his own sympathies and motivations may have been, there were many in the government who opposed many of his actions, and several legislative measures were passed in spite of a Presidential veto.
Within his own administration, too, Johnson encountered resistance."

(Remind you of anybody? The more things change, the more they remain the same.)

Andrew Johnson's life and career show him to have been a man of great courage and integrity. He remained constant to his beliefs regardless of the personal cost to himself. Johnson's courage, dedication, and service to the nation in a difficult time of national transition reflect positively on Andrew Johnson and reflect well on his origins in the Old North State.Here.

Looking back at Johnson's natal chart, searching for the key to his professional persona, I keep going back to Pluto conjunct Jupiter in Pisces, in sextile to his natal Sun in Capricorn and trining Uranus in Scorpio. Pluto conjunct Jupiter in Pisces smacks of intensity colored by illusion aiding and abetting his serious-minded Capricorn Sun which is further flavored by a rebellious Fixed Uranus. This is another reason I see a Scorpio ascendant as being a better fit than Libra, which would have sugggested more of a tactful charmer - which he patently was not.

Saturn in Fixed Scorpio in opposition to natal Fixed Taurus Moon (if time of birth is correct) again emphasises a determination and clear stubborn element in his nature, whether pulled by Earthy Moon or a strangely emotional Saturn, he would have been hard to move from any course of action.

2 quotes from the 17th President of the USA:

I am sworn to uphold the Constitution as Andy Johnson understands it and interprets it.


Who, then, will govern? The answer must be, Man - for we have no angels in the shape of men, as yet, who are willing to take charge of our political affairs.

Thoughts on Prediction & Mercury Retrograde

The time around New Year is always fertile ground for prediction of one sort or another - astrological, psychic, tarot, cystal ball, entrails of an ox, clouds, tea leaves.....take your pick! It's useful at this time of year to read, or re-read, what Nicholas de Vore had to say about astrological prediction in his Encyclopedia of Astrology.

"Although predictions, as drawn from a birth Figure, often show a high percentage of correctness, the practice teaches a fatalistic philosophy that denies the gift of Free Will and Self Determination. The high percentage of correctness proves only that a high percentage of people permit themselves to be ruled by the emotions instead of the dominance of the reasoning faculties. It is only in the realm of Mundane Astrology, which deals with the mass reaction of large political or geographical groups, that predicting can be indulged in without inculcating a harmful philosophy."

Those are wise thoughts. To become "a slave" to astrology is to give up our freedom to be free. Considering what astrology has to offer is good, but becoming too enmeshed in, excited or worried by, detailed personal or communal predictions isn't good for anybody.


A postscript relating to the current Mercury retrograde which started in earnest on 26 December; the "shadow" period, when effects are also often felt, ran from 15 December. Mercury retrograde periods often bring upsets in communication, travel, and problems with electronic devices, not always, but quite often. You cannot usefully predict what, or if, anything will happen. For me, this time, things happened!

RETRO EFFECT #1 ~I hadn't remembered that we were in the retro-shadow period on 23 December when my computer monitor suddenly gave up the ghost, after more than 5 years' use with never a hitch. With the holidays around the corner, and bad weather forecast, we dashed out to a neighbouring town to replace the monitor.

RETRO EFFECT #2 ~ The bad weather arrived on time next day - worse than expected too, making travel even for very short distances hazardous. Our intended trip on 25th was a complete no-no as road conditions were worse than ever. On the morning of 26th December, while looking up something on Google my computer froze and various messages started appearing, including porn adverts and fake warnings. The dreaded Antivirus Live trojan had got me. It took my husband and me literally all day to find out how to rectify the situation. Luckily we have access to another computer and a laptop, which helped us find a solution. This is a very, very nasty trojan, and must be taking advantage of Mercury retrograde because on various help sites there are dozens of comments all dated this month, from people whose computers have been infected recently.

RETRO EFFECT #3 ~ On Sunday evening (27th) our furnace stopped functioning. We guessed that the problem might be with the thermostat. We have a gas fire in the fireplace - things were not as bad as they might otherwise have been, but it was still too cold for comfort in other parts of the house. The problem was an electronic part - limitation control - and now fixed by husband's son, a heat& air expert.

So this time around Mercruy retro has me in its sights! Mercury is in Capricorn now -so is my natal Mercury, at 21 degrees, just about the point where the retrograde began! Yes - "something is happening here, but we don't know what it is, do we Mr. Jones?"

Music Monday ~ Bo Diddley & Del Shannon

Two musicians from past decades had birthdays this week, and on the same day, 30 December: Bo Diddley (1928) and Del Shannon (1934).....Ah yes! I remember them! They're not alike in style or personality though; their natal charts contain very different configurations, linked only by a common Sun and Mercury in Capricorn. I'm taking a quick drive-by look at these two musicians, and their natal charts.


Bo Diddley: his signature beat is often heard but nowadays not often associated with its originator. Rolling Stone describes the beat as "bonk-de-bonk-bonk, de-bonk-bonk", but that doesn't do it for me. I have to think of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" before I can get a fix on that Diddley beat.

Bo Diddley is a legend among fellow-musicians and fans alike, yet listening to his music now, or watching a few videos of his performances at YouTube, it can seem tame compared with what has come after. Bo was one of the first rock 'n-rollers, back in the 1950s. He was part of the musical avant garde then, he and a handful of others: Little Richard, Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, they set the ball rolling, and it hasn't stopped since.
From Rolling Stone:

At age seventy-six, reeling from diabetes, back problems and a pending divorce, Diddley still brims with life and enthusiasm, displaying the maverick spirit that made him one of the inventors of rock & roll, as well as the square guitar he used to play, to say nothing of the beat that bears his name. Much ink has been spilled in an attempt to figure out just where the oft-imitated Bo Diddley beat came from. But to meet Diddley, who's in Manhattan to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his first single, "Bo Diddley," is to understand the answer: The man is simply inventive.

Bo Diddley died of heart failure on June 2, 2008.



Born 30 December 1928 in McComb, Mississippi. No birth time available, so a 12 noon chart is shown, but the rising sign and exact Moon degree will not be accurate.

Sun and Mercury in steady Capricorn, flanked by a sextile between Venus (the musical planet) in inventive Aquarius and his Sun's ruler, Saturn, in happy-go-lucky Sagittarius. Now that's a nice configuration, providing stability, but with a lighter and brighter feel. There's a harmonious Airy trine aspect between Venus in Aquarius and Mars in Gemini, which I suspect links to his inventive trait, with Mars in Gemini "giving it legs", as they say - the ability to get it out there. This same feel is repeated in another trine, this one between Neptune, the planet of creativity and Jupiter, planet of publication in the Earth signs of Virgo and Taurus, bringing his creativity to the public, and matching his Earthy Sun/Mercury. Without a birth time we can't know which sign was rising, but I'd not be surprised to find his natal Uranus in Aries near the ascendant angle, where planets are at their most powerful, for this would combine his avant garde inventiveness and Aries rising: strong initiative and bountiful energy.



Del Shannon's real name was Charles Westover; his musical style comes under the general "pop" label rather than rock 'n roll proper. His roots were in country music, but his most popular songs were mainstream pop ballads, tear-jerkers reflecting his battles with depression and feelings of vulnerability and rejection.

In high school, he was too small to play football, and if you couldn’t play football in Coopersville, you didn’t amount to much. Westover was the waterboy, who brought his guitar to the games to entertain. Young Charles was never quite popular with the girls in school. One day he asked a girl named Karen if she would go to the senior prom with him. She said yes. Two weeks later, as the prom drew nearer, she dumped Westover for another boy, one of Charles’ rivals. This put Westover in a huge depression he seemingly never recovered from, for many of the songs he would write later in his adult life would result from his feelings of early loss, hurt, and betrayal.(See here.)

In the liner notes from the CD This Is Del Shannon, Dawn Eden wrote:

"When I met Del Shannon, nine months before his death, he had a childlike innocence unlike anyone I`d ever seen. It was backstage at an oldies show. While his contemporaries on the bill were all jaded to various degrees, Del`s eyes sparkled brightly. When he took the stage, his whole body was infused with the youthful brio of one for whom rock was a genuine means of expression. He wasn`t just going through the motions. Del was sensitive, but not just in the sensitive artist sense. He reached out to friends and strangers alike, taking a genuine interest in their well being. But the flip side of sensitivity is vulnerability, something he knew only too well. The feelings of loneliness and isolation in his songs were real. However, as he noted to me, he didn`t compose them through a veil of tears. He said, "When I wrote `I Go To Pieces` I was in a great place. I usually write when I`m in a great place. When I`m depressed, I don`t usually write. So I take all of when I`m depressed and throw it into when I`m feeling good. Weird, I guess." (Here)

He died of a gunshot wound to the head, February 8th, 1990, ruled as suicide.



Born 30 December 1934 in Grand Rapids Michigan, at 3:30 AM (Astrodatabank).

Del, like Bo, had Sun and Mercury in Capricorn but with an additional dose of serious Capricorn from Venus. Venus is in harmonious sextile to Jupiter the publication planet, helpful for bringing his music to the public. Venus is also in a second harmonious trine to planet of creativity, Neptune. However, Sun and Mercury are in challenging square to Mars, and this square isn't the only challenge in Del's natal chart. There's Grand Cross configuration made up of square and opposition aspects between Moon/Pluto/Uranus/Venus, which tells of constant inner conflict. A more helpful, Airy, aspect between his Sun's ruler Saturn in Aquarius and Moon in easy-going Libra provided some balance to his inner challenges.

On the day his took his own life, by shooting himself in the head, this was how transiting planets lined up around his natal Sun, Mercury and Venus. (Outer segment = transits, inner segment = natal positions). Transiting Mars (relates to explosions) conjunct Uranus (the unexpected) at the exact degree of his natal Sun/Mercury. Transiting Saturn, planet of limitation conjunct transiting Venus were close to the degree of his natal Venus, planet of music - symbolising the end (limitation) of his art.

For Christmas......

I came across this gem in the course of researching family history, and the area from whence my paternal grandfather is likely to have originated. A small village called Hemingstone in Suffolk cropped up from time to time in my studies and:

According to the 13th century Liber Feodorum (Book of Fees), the annual rent for the manor (of Hemingstone) was the performance of "unum saltum et siffletum et unum bumbulum" (one jump, one whistle, and one fart) at the king's court every Christmas.
In 1597 the entire parish was cited before a church court for laxity. This may have been the influence of the incumbent manorial lord, Ralph Cantrell, a recusant Catholic. (Wikipedia)

Either local aristocracy in medieval times had more sense of humour than I credited them with, or Wiki is having me on! "Unum bumbulum" is now etched in my memory !

This Christmas, I recommend giving a mental jump, whistle and fart in the direction of those who would hold us down, communally or personally, and towards those in power who refuse to offer compassion to people in need.

Wishing everyone who passes by this blog from time to time, reads it or looks at the pictures, a healthy, happy and peaceful Christmas.

Blog hibernating 'til Monday.

Zodiac Sign Capricorn

It's difficult to make clear enough, in a short post, that when keywords for any zodiac sign are listed, they relate to the SIGN itself, and not to a person born when the Sun is in that particular sign. Keywords offer potentialities, not certainties. Separating the sign from the Sun sign, and potentialities from certainties is key to understanding more about astrology than simple horoscope columns can convey.

The Sun has entered Capricorn now. So, a few potentialities for people with either Sun, Moon, ascendant or any of the personal planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) in the sector of the zodiac we call Capricorn.

Cautious, economical, conservative, reliable, restrained, dogmatic, honours tradition, efficient in business, hard worker, practical, serious-minded.

So far Capricorn doesn't sound like a lot of fun does it? It reflects its ruling planet, strict old Saturn, of course, its element: solid Earth, and its modality: Cardinal go-getter.

What has to be remembered is that Capricorn's neighbours, Sagittarius and Aquarius will more than likely contain one or more personal planets when the Sun is in Capricorn, and the keywords for those signs are vastly different from Capricorn's. The mix of any of those along with a different Moon sign and ascendant has potential to brighten and lighten the nature of a person born when the Sun was in Capricorn. However, a decent helping of Capricorn in anybody's natal chart, no matter what sign the Sun was in, helps to ground that personality. Some Capricorn is always an asset in a natal chart, I reckon.

I have Mercury in Capricorn, fairly close to an angle, so it's a part of my nature, especially in regard to the way I communicate. The position of Capricorn, the sign, in your natal chart also has a bearing as to how strongly it'll feature, whatever planets may be within that sector. You need a reasonably accurate birth time to find the position of the signs in your chart though, but if you have that, then the signs near the ascendant (1st house) midheaven(10th house) descendant (7th house) and nadir (4th house) are considered prime positions for "coming through" in the personality, when emphasised by the presence of planet(s). For instance, say Saturn (Capricorn's ruler) happened to be in its own sign of Capricorn, AND very close to the ascendant or midheaven - then there'd be an excellent chance of seeing how Capricorn can come through very clearly in an outer personality. If the Sun or Moon happened to be close to Saturn's position too - an even better chance of seeing Capricorn personified.

I have always thought that because Saturn was also traditional ruler of Aquarius (before Uranus was discovered), the two signs Capricorn and Aquarius, odd as it may seem, have traits in common. Textbook-wise they couldn't be more different, but that has not always been my experience. I suspect that Aquarius is simply the Airy side of Saturn. These are neighbouring signs with the same traditional ruler, the only example of this in the zodiac. It's something worth keeping in mind.

AVATAR & James Cameron

We saw Avatar on Sunday. I'd read a few reviews praising the movie to the highest, and thought we ought not to miss it. We had a few reservations because James Cameron's movies are not always to our taste (eg Terminator I and II, Rambo.....)

Avatar is long, 2 hours 40 minutes. I doubt it will be a classic in the way 2001 A Space Odyssey is a classic - I can watch that movie again and again and never tire of it, for me that's the definition of "a classic". Avatar is visually beautiful in parts, and the skills behind the CGI and special effects are wondrous. 3D is used to its best advantage, not overdone. The depiction of plants on alien planet Pandora reminded me a lot of some Dale Chihuly installations we've seen - I wonder if the artist who designed these was influenced by Chihuly (a brilliant artist in glass)?

Though visually lovely the movie's dialogue is full of painfully trite 20th century cliches, as is some of the characterisation. Cameron spent an obscene amount of dosh on this movie ($300 million?) He could surely have engaged someone to write imaginative dialogue to match the visuals. In the 22nd century, 2154, when the story is set, I very much doubt that anybody will still sound exactly like John Wayne and comic book characters from the 20th century. I also doubt that someone will still be smoking cigarettes. For goodness sake! Talk about anachronistic! One more thing: those dreadful mechanical steel killing machines on legs, driven by a human - the idea is getting very old and needs a serious re-think!

Apart from those complaints, we enjoyed the spectacle, and the very clear analogies presented, in some cases rather ham-fistedly - but Cameron means well. I'll not expand on that here.

Avatar, when compared with the best of science fiction verges on tacky and gamey (computer gamey), but compared with other pure fantasy movies I've seen - it's out ahead of them.




James Cameron then - let's have a look at his natal chart. Born 16 August 1954 in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada. Time of birth unknown, so the rising sign and exact Moon position shown here isn't accurate.



Cameron is reported as being obsessive, workaholic, perfectionist, "hell on wheels", cruel, demanding, has "an explosive temper", uncompromising, dictatorial. He has been married five times.
Cameron's view? "What people call obsession or passion, for me it's just a work ethic. I think it comes from an insecurity that I'm not good enough." (Here) .


Sun (self) conjunct Pluto in Leo- need I say more? Mercury is close too. Pluto = passion and obsession. In addition Mars, planet of energy and aggression in excess-driven Sagittarius is in harmonious trine to his natal Sun/Pluto. Neptune, planet of creativity and illusion with connection to photography and film, lies in Libra in helpful sextile to Sun/Pluto. Cameron is said to be a talented artist as well as magical movie maker. His Moon in Pisces(unless he was born very close to the end of 16th August) is ruled by Neptune and key to a highly fertile imagination. Moon almost certainly trines Uranus, planet of all that is futuristic - sending that imagination reeling into the future.

But where's the feeling of insecurity he mentions? I don't see it, but perhaps his time of birth would provide a hint, showing us where his natal planets fall in relation to the angles of the chart. There are no grounding planets in Earth signs -could a feeling of insecurity stem from that? I don't know. Saturn, planet of structure is without major aspect, perhaps that holds a clue. The driving force of Sagittarian Mars in trine to Sun/Pluto in Leo could bring about a feeling of never being able to do enough - I suspect that could be at the root of his insecurity.

Winter Solstice on Music Monday

SOLSTICE GREETINGS!







An extract from School of the Seasons

Celebrating Yule
You should enjoy yourself as much as possible on the Winter Solstice because this will bring back light (and lightness) into the world. Different traditions mention feasting, gambling, playing pranks, giving gifts, visiting, drinking, dressing up, fornicating, putting on plays and staying up all night. During the dark of winter, invoke all the forces of pleasure and love which make life worth living.

Decorating for this festival is easy since you can use all your Christmas decorations. Evergreens and wreaths represent rebirth and the circle of life. Fill your home with candles and Christmas lights. Place them on mirrors, hang up lots of sparkly ornaments and prisms and tinsel so you can create as much light as possible.

Well now - there are activities there to satisfy all tastes. We should get to it then!

"So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, fest, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!!"
(Susan Cooper, The Shortest Day).

It's also Music Monday, so: Jethro Tull backing this rare animated video: "Solstice Bells". Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull's leading light, is well qualified to sing about the Solstice. In his natal chart Sun plus 3 planets are all in Leo, ruled by the Sun!

Sunday Supplement (astrology free)

I am sick, sick, sick of reading depressing news stories! Health Care Reform/Deform, COP 15/SOP 15, all made ten times worse by on-line articles and sniping among commenters, not to mention some morbid prognostications by astrologers.

As our President once said: ENOUGH!

Now for something completely different.



I like vintage American pin-up art, don't know why, I just do. Those illustrators often painted in accordance with the season, in fact much of their work was produced for use on calendars. So.... (Note to feminists: please avert your eyes and retreat!)


From Esquire (1939), “Personally, I’m willing to close my eyes to Reverend Thornton’s methods - after all, the basket fund has already doubled last year’s record.” (By Campbell.)

Two by the pin-up daddy of 'em all: Alberto Vargas





Two by unknown artists





By Wendi Egan (copy) - I suspect of a Gil Elvren original.



AND ....Elvira


Hmmmm - finally ~~~

Astro-antennae ?

Thoughts I continue to chew on, edited from one of my early posts (December 2006) ~~~~

I believe those who feel drawn into astrology have a particular type of built-in sensitivity. I haven't yet found where, or if, this is represented in a natal chart. Perhaps it isn't - or not completely. An example of this astro-sensitivity occurs when we feel "drawn to" a particular actor, singer, writer, teacher, or anyone actively communicating, communally or personally with us. I've found that in almost all cases of such attraction there turns out to be some correlation between my astrology and that of the other person. This is most remarkable when it arises from non-personal communication such as TV or film . How can it be ? Actors in film and TV are portraying fictional characters. How does their astrological self bleed through their performance to find my astro-antenna ? I don't know, but it has happened to me too many times for mere coincidence. I suspect that this type of experience is not uncommon.

Astro-sensing, as I call it, seems to me to be enormously significant. It's different from being psychic; and a thing apart from "magick" and New Agey stuff.

A commenter in 2006 wrote:
Anonymous... I think its energy sensitivity. People are always projecting their energy whether their medium is being onscreen, through their writing, art, or even by having an online presence!
Astrology definitely explains this chemistry in a tangible form of language.-KR!SS

Reply:
Yes, KR!SS, agreed - and isn't it remarkable that those energies are retained over countless years on film and video, in books and paintings?
I find it truly fascinating !

Seasonal Arty-Farty Friday

What shall I feature on the last Arty-Farty before Christmas? Nativity scenes by the Old Masters? No. I find them rather silly to be honest. Beautifully painted for sure, but Jesus was born in the Middle East, into relative poverty, and even if you're going to accept word for word, detail for detail, the traditional accounts of his nativity, those old paintings do not portray it honestly. They portray it as the artists thought their patrons and the people would understand it and wished to see it. I guess that's what art is all about though - portraying events and things in differing ways. Even so - no nativity scenes today! Instead a few versions of that other seasonal motif: Santa Claus aka Father Christmas.


First two are by Peggy Abrams. Astrologically we could say one is a Sagittarian Santa on his annual long journey, the second a Virgoan Santa, organising and planning.




Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a look at Norman Rockwell's wonderful illustrations. Here his Santa is in Capricornian mode - busy in his workshop, and sorting out his order of business.




Two by Tom Browning, one shows Santa in cuddly Cancerian mode, in the other he's working a bit of bubbly Piscean magic.




I like this, by an unknown artist - Santa seeks information -he has to be showing his Aquarian side.


Another two by Tom Browning: one with Santa feeling summery for a change - has to be his Leo time-off, or during his spell in the southern hemisphere - mustn't forget our friends down under; it's titled "Merry Mariners" so there's a hint of Neptune too.....And next, a classic pose to cover all signs not yet mentioned.





A rather different, vintage, take on Santa Claus in his true persona St. Nicholas, giving presents to the children. (From the archives of LIFE magazine).



Finally - in lunar mode: