Four singer/songwriters with natal Sun in Aquarius are enjoying the presence of helpful Jupiter in their Sun sign. Jupiter entered Aquarius soon after New Year 2009 and will remain in the sign until mid-January 2010 when it'll slide into Pisces.
The four guys have each made news this year:
Garth Brooks (7 February 1962) has recently come out of several years' retirement to star on-stage in Las Vegas. Reports say that Garth mused that his fans might have moved on. He was wrong! Tickets for his first 20 shows sold out in less than five hours.
Robbie Williams (13 February 1974) has recently released a new album which is looked on as something of a re-launch for him, after spending some years in the doldrums, and periods of fighting addiction. It was anounced last week that Robbie will receive an award for outstanding contribution to music at the 2010 Brit Awards. He has already won 11 Brit Awards in the past, but this one is special.
Neil Diamond (24 January 1941) played to a still adoring audience at Madison Square Garden in his hometown, New York a couple of months ago, the concert was also shown on TV and there's a cd/dvd of it avalilable. His new album was released earlier this year too. I recall that Neil 'tweeted' nervously "....but will they still like me?" The answer was plain to see: "You betcha!"
And the newest star in the Sun Aquarius stable, Adam Lambert (29 January 1982), is featured singing the theme song "Time for Miracles", in the new movie "2012" due for release next month. His first solo album, since being declared runner-up in this year's American Idol, will drop on 23 November and is titled "For Your Entertainment". His album is rumored to be quite different from the "2012" song in style - more avant garde, as befits Aquarius.
Fortune has smiled on this talented and charismatic young man all year long, and continues to do so. By the time Jupiter leaves Aquarius, Adam will have established himself firmly, and will be heading for superstardom. That's one prediction I can make without the aid of astrology.
Interestingly, Adam's first album title, "For Your Entertainment" bears a close resemblance to the title of a single from Robbie's first album - "Let Me Entertain You", (from "Life thru a Lens"). All four of these guys are spectacular entertainers and a credit to Aquarius!
Below: a taste of "2012" and Adam singing "Time for Miracles" (if it isn't taken down by the copyright police.) I understand that the song was written by a husband and wife team, when the wife was fighting cancer. She has since died. That makes the lyrics even more pognant than when applied to a general "end of world" scenario.
Our tumble down the rabbit-hole with Alice continued unabated. Other news has been practically drowned out by tales of hate speech and unfair accusations hurled around at town hall meetings on the health care debate, in states throughout the USA. While my treatment of the issue (linking it to Lewis Carroll's masterpieces) may seem flippant, facetious, I'm hiding sincere concern at the way things are shaping up in the USA.
Is there any astrological sign of a return to common sense on the horizon? Will Saturn's move into Libra, sign of diplomacy and balance, in late October turn things in a better direction? Or will Saturn's influence on the sign's characteristics modify or blight them? It's not clear.
Alice laughed, "There's no use trying," she said, "one can't believe impossible things." "I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
Right-wing extremists have continued to disrupt town hall meetings. Neither side can focus on what is important when tempers flare - that's their motive for disruption. They are running scared of change. They want Obama to fail in all his attempts, however mild, to make the USA a fairer country for all its citizens. Talk about wrong-headed! When the health care issue has been dealt with,one way or another, this mob will display the same tactics to disrupt discussion on environmental issues, education, transport. Everything. Reports of at least one individual attending a meeting last week armed with a loaded gun sent shock waves of memory among many citizens old enough to remember their country's fairly recent history. More here
The horror of that moment," the King went on, "I shall never, never forget." "You will though," the Queen said, "if you don't make a memorandum of it."
Something which did raise a smile came via Stephen Hawking who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease. He chose to set the record straight after an editorial in a financial paper dragged him into the US health care debate. Blasting the U.K.'s National Health Service, Investor's Business Daily said the brilliant Hawking "wouldn't have a chance" if he was British. Hawking who is due to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom as one of 16 "agents of change" - is British. And he says he owes his life to national health care. "I wouldn't be here today if it were not for the NHS."
Britain's NHS (National Health Service) has been in place since 1948. I lived most of my life in England, have seen how my parents and other elderly relatives were treated, how I was treated myself when I needed a major operation - fast. I cannot speak highly enough of the NHS. It's not faultless - nothing is, and if the USA ever gets its act together sufficiently to construct anything similar (very doubtful) it will not be faultless either.
I would ask anyone who reads this post, who has doubts about the way a national health service works, to treat the right-wing's ignorance on the matter with the contempt it deserves. I'm not surprised that some people across the Atlantic are very, very annoyed at the crass ignorance of some right-wing activists in the US denigrating a system and way of life which they value.
"Now, I give you fair warning," shouted the Queen, stamping on the ground as she spoke; "either you or your head must be off, and that in about half no time! Take your choice!"
(Quotes in bold type italics come from either Alice in Wonderland or Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll)
So as not to end on a sour note, a mention of something much more pleasant from the week that was.
Last night CBS aired an hour-long programme featuring Neil Diamond, one of my all-time favourite singer/songwriters. There were excerpts from a recent concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, his hometown, and some brief chat and film of him interacting with fans and New Yorkers. I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Neil looks good and sounds as good as ever. If it hadn't been for Neil's presence and tweets on Twitter, I'd almost certainly have missed this TV show - so Twitter ain't all bad! He was gracious enough to thank his fans for their supportive tweets too - so nice to see this! I suspect that he's a really, really nice guy. I've written about him on this blog in at least three past posts, so for any passing readers who are fellow-fans here are links to these:
I doubt that Adam Lambert, the sensational singer currently competing in American Idol, would welcome this comparison. He has been likened by many commentators to a young Elvis, or Freddie Mercury. His own idol is David Bowie. I have a different idea, and it's based on astrology as well as what I get from listening to them both: Neil Diamond.
Times and styles have changed a lot since the days when I wore out my LP of Neil's "Tap Root Manuscript". In Adam, under the eyeliner and his rather campy, vampy, but engaging presentation, I see the same kind of drama a young Neil first brought to the scene back in the late 1960s. Neil has always had a large and very loyal fan base, but for some strange reason has never been considered quite "cool" by those who consider themselves "the musical elite". Perhaps he was just too easy to appreciate. Those who chase "cool" like to support much which is very difficult, for mortals such as me, to like. Perhaps the definition of what is "cool" should wait for another time, it's an interesting topic.
Adam has said, in interview, that his background in musical theater has helped him to understand "what the people want to hear". This, I believe is Aquarius coming out - he primarily cares about what "the people" want. Compare this with a quote from Neil Diamond:
"I really believe live performance has been equally important to me as recording. It's inspired me and given me a perspective on what an audience likes and doesn't like and put me in close contact with the people...".
One might think that this is common to all performers - I'm not so sure it is. Will this characteristic define Adam Lambert as "cool"? Probably not, but if he has a career as long and successful as Neil Diamond's, I guess he won't be complaining.
Look at the two charts (click on image to enlarge). I've rectified Adam's to show Libra rising, which comes from information he himself has given, though the degree might well be incorrect. I've estimated his time of birth as 9.45pm, 29 January 1982.Neil Diamond was born on 24 January 1941 at 11.04pm.
Born 41 years and a few days apart, both singers have Aquarius Sun/Mercury, Venus Capricorn, Libra rising. They were born at opposite sides of the USA, Neil in New York, Adam in California.
Obvious generational differences reflect the times into which both singers were born. These stem from placement of two of the outer, slow-moving planets, Uranus, their Sun's ruler, and Neptune. Neil's natal Uranus is in Earthy, stable but artistic Taurus - he's a quieter, serious version of Aquarius Sun. Adam has Uranus in ebullient, exaggerating Sagittarius (element of Fire), outgoing - a more vividly colored version of Sun in Aquarius. Neptune, planet of creativity and imagination is in discerning Earthy Virgo for Neil; in Sagittarius along with Uranus for Adam - underlining the generational difference already mentioned. Neil was born into a grey world at war, Adam into the buzzing era of yuppies and designer labels. In spite of these differences, I sense a similarity. It's a feeling I get from them both, something not easy to describe in words. Perhaps it's just me sensing a connection because of my own astrology - could be that, I guess.
Neil has written most of his own songs, as well as songs for other performers. I wonder whether Adam will, in time, follow suit. He would seem, astrologically, to have that capability.
The Final Four contestants on American Idol tonight will sing classic rock songs from the '70s and '80s. Transiting Jupiter and Neptune, presently conjoined in Adam's Sun sign ought to provide a boost for him - if any is needed. We shall see!
Adam's Idol performances so far can be seen (or heard in videos with added photographs) at YouTube. Trying to link or embed leads to blanked screens due to copyright.
Something else I heard on the car radio while travelling back from San Antonio sparked my interest: Neil Diamond is to be honored at the Grammy Awards, this weekend.
"Diamond is being honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year in recognition of his exceptional artistic achievements as well as his philanthropic work, which has included many generous charitable donations over the years. Most recently, Diamond has been donating 100 percent of merchandise sales from his October concerts in Houston, Dallas and Oklahoma City to the hurricane relief efforts in Texas for areas ravaged by Hurricane Ike."(Here)
Neil is benefitting just now from Jupiter transiting very close to his natal Sun. The lucky planet will move on to transit his natal Mercury next month. Generous Jupiter had conjoined his natal Venus in Capricorn last October, during the concert tour mentioned in the extract above. The recent solar eclipse occurred within a couple of degrees of his natal Sun; whether we shall be aware of any changes Neil experiences, which could be related to this, remains to be seen.
One more tidbit I now notice in addition to what was posted in 2007: Venus, planet of music lay conjunct fortunate Fixed Star Vega as Neil was born. This star was said by ancient astrologers to bestow artistic talent. Vega is also a Behenian Star -
"The Behenian fixed stars are a selection of fifteen stars considered especially useful for magical applications in the medieval astrology of Europe and the Arab world. Their name derives from Arabic bahman, "root," as each was considered a source of astrological power for one or more planets." (See here).
It's worth noting that the planets involved with Vega are Venus and Mercury, and the star is conjunct Venus in Neil's chart. While the Behenian Stars were used in magical applications rather than interpretation of a natal chart, it's not too big a stretch to consider that there could be an interesting connection to Neil's artistic talent as both songwriter and performer.
Neil sings "Play Me" in the video below - what else on an astrology blog?
You are the Sun I am the Moon You are the words I am the tune
Elsewhere in the lyrics is a line which causes the husband to tear out some of his remaining hair - "Song she brang to me". "He can't say "brang" - not even with poetic licence", says he. "Yes he can", says I, "Neil Diamond can do no wrong!"
I don't see Neil Diamond as a typical example of Sun Aquarius - not that there could ever be a typical example of such a maverick sign. He's an early Sun Aquarian, 24 January 1941, New York City, 11.04 pm according to Khaldea
Neil's a very Earthy Aquarian. 3 planets in Taurus, Moon and Venus in Capricorn, Neptune in Virgo. Airy Libra ascendant, which blends well with his Aquarius Sun. No planet in Water, but Cancer at midheaven.
In interview Neil has described himself as "a meat and potatoes kind of guy". That's not Aquarius - that's Earth.
He is said to be shy when off stage. This must be why, over the years, he has stayed in the background of show-biz razzamatazz. He gives few interviews. Yet on-stage he sparkles just like his name.
DIAMOND: -- the performing is -- you know, it's all about noise and being extroverted, which I'm not an extroverted kind of person, but that's evidently part of my personality and... KING: You're basically shy, right? I presume -- you don't do a lot of interviews. DIAMOND: No. Very few. KING: You don't like talking about yourself a lot, right? DIAMOND: Don't like talking about myself. And you know, the music should say everything and the performance should say everything and... KING: So let's say you're introverted. You're shy. What happens on stage? DIAMOND: Well, that's... KING: You're the last one to have a shy act. DIAMOND: That's a different person. That's not me. That's that other guy up there."
The close opposition between Pluto in Leo and Sun in Aquarius in his natal chart may indicate two sides to his personality. Many Sun Aquarians of around his age (myself included) have this aspect between Sun and Pluto. Neil's is a much tighter opposition than my own though, and his natal Pluto in Leo is in 10th house - "on the public stage", with Sun at the base of the chart, in 4th - in "the home".
"Safety is a priority for Diamond, who has worked with much the same staff in the same L.A. offices for thirty years. Tiny frog figurines, some of them strumming guitars, decorate available surfaces, and the bathroom walls are covered with needlepoint sayings (over the toilet, inexplicably: HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS)".
How Taurus is that!? Or maybe Sun in 4th? It ain't Aquarius!
"He doesn't sound happy, in person or on the turntable.
'That's what I am. I'm one of those guys who can't get rid of that melancholia.'
Where does it come from, this melancholia?
'I don't know. I was born that way'. "
Hmm - I don't know either! Moon and Venus in Capricorn, perhaps. They happen to be semi-sextile Sun and Mercury in Aquarius. Or is it that Sun/Pluto opposition again, I wonder?
I've been tagged to write about 5-10 songs that had an impact on my life. I want to relate this in some way to astrology, so I'm going to bend the rules a little.
The rules: 1. Each person who wants to join in has to write about 5-10 songs that had an impact on them in their life. 2. They should link back to me as well as Michelle and Jeff. 3. Then, if so inclined, tag one to five more people.
OK.
Singers and singer/songwriters seem to affect me more when there's some astrological connection between my natal chart and theirs. I've been surprised to note this, but it's true enough.
Everything Neil Diamond has ever written and sung always "hit the spot" for me. I've known for a long time that he's a Sun Aquarian, but with the computer came extra evidence that his Sun is only a degree from my own, his Mars is 5 degrees away from my Venus in Sagittarius. We're of the same generation - early Pluto in Leos with Uranus in Taurus and Neptune in Virgo. To pick one special song from those he's written is well nigh impossible. Let's see - "I Am, I Said" says how I've often felt, "Red, Red Wine", and "Longfellow Serenade" also come immediately to mind.
"Well, I'm New York City born and raised But nowadays, I'm lost between two shores LA's fine, but it ain't home New York's home but it ain't mine no more" (Substitute England for New York, and Oklahoma for LA - and it fits!)
Songs - any songs - from two famous Sun Sagittarians always soak right in. Frank Sinatra's Sun and Mercury conjoin my Venus in Sagittarius, he had Jupiter in Pisces like me, too. How to choose a song from the Sinatra repertoire? Off the top of my head - "Love's been good to me", and "Witchcraft", but literally any and every song he has ever sung becomes, for me, the definitive version. "My Way" always makes me smile, too - it fits me like a glove!
Tina Turner, another Sagittarian Sun, has Venus in Sagittarius within degrees of my own Venus, her Saturn in Aries matches mine and is also within minutes of my Moon. She's of my generation too. "Simply the Best" has always made me feel happy, and anything she sings grabs my attention.
Paul Simon is a songwriting genius. Those early songs he sang with Art Garfunkel are true modern classics, I can listen anytime anywhere and am always entranced. "American Tune" sends shivers down my spine, being a (legal) immigrant in the USA. Paul's Mars at 16 Aries is 4 degrees from my Moon. His Moon is 3 degrees away from my Cancer ascendant, and his Mercury conjoins my North Node in Scorpio.
"We come on a ship we call the Mayflower, We come on a ship that sailed the moon We come at the age's most uncertain hour And sing the American tune But it's all right, its all right You can't be forever blessed Still, tomorrow's gonna be another working day And I'm trying to get some rest, That's all, I'm trying to get some rest."
Eric Idle can always make me laugh. His "Galaxy Song" from Monty Python is priceless. His natal Jupiter is smack dab on my Cancer ascendant, his Sun in Aries is 5 degrees from my Moon, and his Mars 8 degrees from my Sun. The last lines of "Galaxy Song" always crack me up -
"So remember when you're feeling very small and insecure how amazingly unlikely is your birth And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space ''cause there's bugger all down here on Earth."
I'm tagging my husband Anyjazz, at "Thinks Happen" and Chrispito , at Astroturf- who I suspect might enjoy this challenge.....and anyone else who'd like to join in, of course.
Something which did raise a smile came via Stephen Hawking who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease. He chose to set the record straight after an editorial in a financial paper dragged him into the US health care debate. Blasting the U.K.'s National Health Service, Investor's Business Daily said the brilliant Hawking "wouldn't have a chance" if he was British. Hawking who is due to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom as one of 16 "agents of change" - is British. And he says he owes his life to national health care.
So as not to end on a sour note, a mention of something much more pleasant from the week that was. 
Times and styles have changed a lot since the days when I wore out my LP of Neil's "Tap Root Manuscript". In Adam, under the eyeliner and his rather campy, vampy, but engaging presentation, I see the same kind of drama a young Neil first brought to the scene back in the late 1960s. Neil has always had a large and very loyal fan base, but for some strange reason has never been considered quite "cool" by those who consider themselves "the musical elite". Perhaps he was just too easy to appreciate. Those who chase "cool" like to support much which is very difficult, for mortals such as me, to like. Perhaps the definition of what is "cool" should wait for another time, it's an interesting topic. 
Neil is benefitting just now from Jupiter transiting very close to his natal Sun. The lucky planet will move on to transit his natal Mercury next month. Generous Jupiter had conjoined his natal Venus in Capricorn last October, during the concert tour mentioned in the extract above. The recent solar eclipse occurred within a couple of degrees of his natal Sun; whether we shall be aware of any changes Neil experiences, which could be related to this, remains to be seen.
