Monday, March 09, 2015

Music Monday ~ John Denver

Harrison Ford's plane crash last week brought to mind the tragic flying accident that took John Denver from us some 18 years ago, in 1997. Happily it seems Harrison Ford's injuries are not fatal.

In booklet accompanying a double CD of John Denver's songs, Rocky Mountain Collection reviewer Colin Escott wrote:

"John Denver always offered more than music. Once he caught your ear with a melody, he had something he wanted to share with you. Taken together, his songs come close to offering an integrated version of how life can be lived, as well as an invitation to get concerned about our world, and see beyond ourselves. His work was, and still is,an unfailingly upbeat celebration of life and its possibilities. He has never shied away from sharing what he felt and what he knew, nor has he shied away from exposing his tender and vulnerable side, no matter the cost."


Astrologer Zipporah (Zip) Dobyns wrote about John's chart in 1997, John Denver Flies On , after the tragic flying accident in which cost him his life. I'll not even try to match her long, scholarly assessment, but will include a copy of John's natal chart here, and make a very brief note of what stood out for me.

Ms Dobyns had access to birth certificate data from Lois Rodden of AstroDatabank.




John was born on December 31, 1943 at 15:55 MWT in Roswell, NM. He died on October 12, 1997 when his private plane crashed into Monterey Bay, California.


Pluto lay, exactly, on North node of the Moon. I wonder if, for him, that was an ill-omen?
He was always going to be a communicator - Gemini rising with Uranus/Mars right on the ascendant, a forward-thinking communicator too, whose life could well be punctuated by the unexpected. Sun in solid, reliable Capricorn was in sextile to his gentle Pisces Moon this is a good blend for someone whose business is music. His Venus, planet of the arts, in Scorpio reflected the soft yet intense and sometimes melancholy flavour of his songs.

Among the several patterns in his natal chart this Yod stood out for me. It links natal Sun to Uranus (the unexpected) and Pluto (death, darkness) by quincunx (an uncomfortable aspect).


John travelled to China, Russia and Africa on missions of detente and mercy - his concerns covered nuclear power, nuclear arms and world hunger. He probably, quietly, did much more good than many of today's "celebrities" frequently lauded for their efforts. He was a man we could ill-afford to lose. His message, in this song of his, Rhymes and Reasons, remains timely:-


Some of the lyrics:

And you wonder where we're going
Where's the rhyme and where's the reason
And it's you cannot accept
It is here we must begin
To seek the wisdom of the children
And the graceful way of flowers in the wind

Though the cities start to crumble
And the towers fall around us
The sun is slowly fading
And its colder than the sea

And the song that I am singing
Is a prayer to non believers
Come and stand beside us
We can find a better way.

(Words and music by John Denver)

6 comments:

Sonny G said...

I listened to his music for hours and hours , usually on saturdays as I cleaned.. Many of his songs were favorites but none of the touched me as much as Grandma's Feather Bed.. I never personally had that experience but he could transport me "there" in my mind and that brought me comfort..
Rest in Peace John, you are a treasure sorely missed.

mike said...

Sonny - left a message for you on Thursday's "Cartoon Appreciation".

mike (again) said...

The yod you indicated, but also the yods: Sun-Moon-Pluto-N Node...Mercury-Jupiter-Saturn...Mercury-Venus-Saturn...and a loose Moon-Neptune-Pluto-N Node. Wow! I suspect he had a personal life that was not as pretty as his professional image. Too many weird aspects in his chart and that Mars-Uranus conjunction in his 12th would strongly indicate a hidden public persona. From Wiki:

"Denver and Annie Martell divorced in 1982 and the ensuing property settlement caused Denver to become so enraged he nearly choked his ex-wife, then used a chainsaw to cut the marital bed in half. Martell continues to live in Aspen.

Denver married Australian actress Cassandra Delaney in 1988, after a two-year courtship. Settling at Denver's home in Aspen, the couple had a daughter, Jesse Belle. Denver and Delaney separated in 1991 and divorced in 1993. Of his second marriage, Denver would later recall that 'before our short-lived marriage ended in divorce, she managed to make a fool of me from one end of the valley to the other'. In 1993, Denver pleaded guilty to a drunken driving charge, and was placed on probation. In August 1994, while still on probation, he was again charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence after crashing his Porsche into a tree in Aspen. Though a jury trial in July 1997 resulted in a hung jury on the second DUI charge, prosecutors later decided to reopen the case, which was closed only after Denver's accidental death in October 1997."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Denver

Twilight said...

Sonny ~ He wrote some beautiful songs, and sung them to perfection. My favourites are "Rocky Mountain High" and "You fill Up My Senses" - but any and all are lovely. He's one artist whose songs I never have to pick and choose between when I put on a CD of his. Just let it play! :-)

Twilight said...

mike ~ LOL! Well, we're back to the weekend's post aren't we - "Pedestals Not Required" ? He likely did have his darker side, flawed he probably was, as are we all. I agree that his chart has potential for intensity in matters of love relationships. To be fair, though, we don't know his side of those marital events, nor his wives' views about him in general.

Twilight said...

mike ~ Sonny's response to you on the cartoon post was for some reason lurking in "awaiting moderation" - have published it now.