THIS TOO....

I've sometimes wondered what astrologers do when in need of a lift out of the doldrums. We ordinary mortals often reach for the chocolate, the apple pie, ice cream, or the bottle of Scotch, Vodka, etc. I'm not insinuating that astrologers aren't ordinary mortals, of course, perish the thought! But they are in a position to know more about themselves and the future, and their future than the average person on the street. So, do they have an antidote for the blues?

I ask this because current events, news and commentary on-line these days can lead one to feel despairing, desolate, downright depressed. So, what could astrology offer as a pick-me-up of the non-fattening, non-inebriating kind?

As a non-astrologer, but with some knowledge of the subject, I'd say this: "Nothing stays the same for long, everything changes. Just as the planets move in regular cycles, so does life. A bad patch is followed by a good patch, and vice-versa. Some patches take longer than others to give way to the next stage - these are what we call "the bad times" and "the good times". Enjoy the latter while you can and during the former resign yourself to putting on weight and drinking more than you should".

The old adage "This too shall pass" tells much the same story as astrology. That sentiment, Wikipedia tells us,

is often expressed in wisdom literature throughout history and across cultures, this particular phrasing appears to date to the early 19th century, appearing in a collection of tales by the English poet Edward Fitzgerald. It was notably employed in a speech by Abraham Lincoln before he became the sixteenth President of the United States. Fitzgerald's usage of the phrase is in the context of a retelling of a Persian fable. Some versions of the fable, beginning with that of Attar of Nishapur, add the detail that the phrase is inscribed on a ring, which has the ability to make the happy man sad and the sad man happy.

Coué: Imagination v. Will....Winner: Imagination

Reading one of John Galsworthy's follow-up novels to his famous Forsyte Saga, set in the late 19th/early 20th century England, I kept encountering a strange French word/name: Coué. I didn't immediately look it up, but gathered from context that it was some kind of method for ...what's nowadays called "self-help"; a specific system which, in the early 1920s, must have been "the fashionable in-thing" from France. On finishing the novel I searched the net for information on Coué/Couéism. It turns out that it was the brainchild of Émile Coué, French Pharmacist and Psychologist .

From THIS website

Émile Coué (1857-1926), a French Psychologist and Pharmacist, introduced a new method of psychotherapy based on the simple use of auto-suggestion, or ‘self-suggestion’, whereby a person repeats suggestions to themselves in order to spur the imagination. He believed that where there was conflict between the will and the imagination, the imagination invariably wins the battle. So rather than using will power alone, one must also make use of their imagination to better health. He believed that repetition of suggestion increased the likelihood of images being projected into reality; most especially when implanted in the morning, and again before sleeping. Coue learned hypnosis from Liébeault and in 1913 founded the Lorraine Society of Applied Psychology.

Coué's best known affirmation was, and still is : "Day by day, in every way, I am getting better and better." Followers of his system were advised to repeat to themselves, in a clear and focused state of mind this, or other custom-designed affirmations, over and over several times each day, especially first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Coué noticed, also, that he could improve the effectiveness of a medication by praising its effectiveness to his patients, producing a kind of placebo effect.

Coué 's natal chart:

Born on 26 February 1857 in Troyes, France at 3 PM (data from astro.com - AA rating = reliably accurate).

Émile Coué certainly lived up to that Aries pioneering reputation! He had four personal planets plus North Node of the Moon in Aries. His natal Sun was in Pisces, however, along with the sign's modern ruler, Neptune, planet of imagination, creativity, dreams, illusions, which points to his gravitation to the particular area of his pioneering - a type of mini-hypnosis or auto-suggestion. His Pisces Sun harmoniously trines Saturn in Cancer blending in Saturn's work/career connection. A helpful sextile from Mercury in Aquarius to Jupiter in Aries points to the blending of a forward-thinking mind with philosophical yet dynamic purpose. Leo rising speaks to the degree of showmanship Coué surely exhibited, helping him to propel his method to a wider, international audience.

SMARTS - Another Parable for Our Times

Here's another piece from Dr. David K. Reynolds' book Pools of Lodging for the Moon, from which I quoted last Thursday.

This one isn't hard to interpret and relate to personally, on a few levels. Astrology-literate passers-by will be able to see connections to .......let's see.....Saturn cycles, Pluto conjunct a personal planet. For Chiron fanciers, there's something there too. There might well be much more to find. Thoughts welcome.

SMARTS

Once upon a wishful time pocket-sized dragons roamed the land. They attacked humans at will. They attacked anything in sight. Their bites rarely killed, but they were painful and took time to heal. People walked about with scars.

A philosopher arose who claimed that getting to know the dragons would cause them to cease their attacks. He and his followers made great efforts to understand and communicate with the miniature dragons. As a result, they suffered many bites, but they gathered much information about the dragons' habits.

Unfortunately the philosopher was wrong. Knowing a lot about dragons didn't stop them from attacking. The people felt despair. Some tried to appease the dragons with every kind of personal gift and sacrifice imaginable. But giving in to the dragons seemed to be ineffective, also. In fact sacrificing their material possessions to try to keep the dragons at bay proved more costly than enduring the occasional bite. What could they do? The people were at a loss.

All sorts of methods proved unworkable. Heavy armor restricted the wearer's movements. Flight to the mountains and beachs demonstrated only that dragons existed in those places, too. Prayers didn't destroy the dragon demons.

In time people learned to live with occasional pain. They avoided areas heavily infested with dragons. They kept their eyes open to avoid stepping into the path of a dragon. But they learned to go about their daily lives wearing a bandage here and there. Often, they were so involved in their work or play that they forgot about the pain, the bandages, the dragons. Such was the nature of the country.

Psychological insight doesn't erase pain or prevent its reoccurrence. It may help us spot potential trouble areas. Though we avoid what is avoidable, we cannot escape from hurt altogether. We live alongside it; we live within it; we live it. And the way we live in spite of our pain is a measure of our character.

I am told that in the dragon-infested country introduced above some people actually befriended and even married particularly large dragons. And, despite differences in their temperaments, they seem to have gotten along together pretty well.

Water World: A parable for our times

Self-help books are the ones I usually ignore when scanning shelves of used books in junk/antique stores, but one lying alone on a table caught my eye because of its title: Pools of Lodging for the Moon by David K. Reynolds, Ph.D.

I half suspected it would be a poetry book. It isn't. Some of the book's contents are quite poetic though.

Dr. Reynolds has written several books describing his principles of "Constructive Living, a positive life-style that is a synthesis of two forms of Japanese psychotherapy: Morita and Naikan. The combination of Morita, with its emphasis on doing what needs to be done, and Naikan therapy, which stresses recognising our debt to the world around us, form a the basis for appealing solutions to our daily problems."(From the book's back cover).

I think there must be an astrological connection or equivalent to Naikan and Morita -perhaps something akin to what was discussed in yesterday's post and comments touching on the topic of higher consciousness.....Back to the astrological elements, and their balance within the personality then? Or perhaps there's similarity in considering the balancing "effect" of opposing signs eg: Leo/Aquarius, Cancer/Capricorn.

Anyway, what persuaded me to part with my $1 was this little "parable" which happened to be the first I saw when, standing in the store, I opened the book :

Water World

Once upon a fragile time people lived on the surface of a huge body of water. They walked on a thin film that covered the water's great depths. Sometimes the surface tension weakened in spots and someone began to sink. Those around the sinking person risked breeching the surface tension in order to rescue him or her. It was the custom. Such self-sacrifice was necessary in that world. When the rescuers were in danger they, too, could expect help.

Sometimes the tear in the surface film spread, there were whole chains of people lending a hand to their fellows. In that risky world it was good to know that supporting hands were ready to help when needed.

Nearby, another group of people lived on a small island. They were proud that each of them walked by the individual's own strength with no help or support from others. In other ways they were a very bright people. Yet because of their pride they were confined to their island. And they knew a chilly loneliness that their water-borne cousins never felt.

One of the part-truths in American culture is the part-myth of the self-made individual. That notion has both stimulated us and limited us. The other side of that truth is that we are all dependent on others for our successes and for our moment-by-moment existence.

My politically slanted brain read that wee tale as an analogy for socialism and conservatism/capitalism. Others might read it differently....if so it would be interesting to hear about it.

SELF-HELP

I'm not a great fan of self-help books or articles explaining better ways to look at life and its problems. Even so, I do still glance at such pieces from time to time, to discover whether anyone has hit on a new idea - one which satisfies me and my astrological makeup.

Astrology is a self-help tool in itself - or it can be used as such. In my travels through the net I came across an unfamiliar astrology site the other day. It's actually called Self Help Astrology. I especially admired the 'basics of astrology' pages, and for any passing reader who hasn't yet mastered the natal chart and its secrets, Phil Bowler gives a clear and simple rundown.

As for self-help in general, while I appreciate that the oft-given advice to "let it go", "don't resist", etc. may be helpful to some people, there's something within me which resists the advice not to resist. Perhaps the problem's source is my Sun in Aquarius & Moon in Aries: being told what to do for this combination is a no-no. It certainly seems as though my softer, more biddable, side led by Jupiter in Pisces and natal Cancer rising get shouted down quite easily, if not by the Aquarius/Aries combination, then certainly by Mars in Scorpio. This is not to say, however, that I'm not a pacifist - I am, and I absolutely hate guns. Non-violent resistance and speaking out when appropriate, is what I have in mind, as against ignoring wrongs, letting stuff wash over you, letting it be, or being a doormat etc.

If everybody had always stood by and "let it be", didn't resist, where would the world be now? This is the one thought I cling to to convince me I'm not wrong. Slavery would still be an accepted way of life, women would still be chattels with no vote, workers would have no rights.

In the interests of balance, though, I'm posting a couple of links to recent articles I found to be good - of their type, along with brief snippets. I'll keep in mind the advice offered; maybe passing readers will find the articles useful.

Judith Parker Harris's "The United States of Anger"

1) How many times have you had to swallow a difference of opinion only to feel it knot up in the pit of your stomach?
2) Have you ever had intense pain in your neck and shoulders just before or right after an argument?
3) Do you recall holding in frustration, anger, and resentment all day only to find yourself losing it later on with a family member or close friend? Stress causes 54% of Americans to fight with people close to them.
There isn't much that unites us these days except that a lot of us are really angry. We've got liberal vs. conservative, choice vs. life, young vs. old, rich vs. poor, male s. female, My God vs. your God. Why so angry? Maybe it is because everyone's feeling out of control about everything. Try substituting consciousness for control. Listen to what is coming out of your mouth and then decide who's running this show?

And Dr. Cara Barker's
Learning To Go With The Flow: What Ted Kennedy, Michael Jackson, And The Buddha Have To Teach Us About Resistance

I am, however, a believer that the news contains tidbits that we can use, if, that is, we want to do better than yesterday, and, dare I say it, have a better time.
Today's Remnant of News to Use. Let's take a gander at today's news shipment. In one column, we have commentary about Edward Kennedy's passing, burial, legacy. In another, there's continuing speculation about Michael Jackson's homicide, right next to predictions regarding this bugaboo healthcare reform debate. The list goes on. Throughout each story there is, however a common theme: resistance. Stories present one position, as though it were the gospel, unwavering, static. What is it that makes resistance to 'what is' so commonplace? What price tag do we pay for it?
"What we humans are unaware of in our moment-to-moment existence is a constant, incessant resistance to life...We are displaced people wandering aimlessly in the desert of our minds...Resistance keeps us in a constant state of anxiety, and spiritual, mental, physical, financial and material impoverishment...." - Dr. Hew Len

What Secret?

Watching Larry King interview someone in connection with"The Secret", the latest phenomenon in the self-help genre, set me thinking about the whole self-help industry. I took an instant dislike to the intviewee, who I thought came over as just another slickeroony out to fleece a gullible public, especially when a fee of over $900 was mentioned for a weekend seminar!

Because I didn't like the messenger does not mean the message isn't of value. It's an old message. It's not a "Secret" either - at least not to those of us of a certain age. When I mentioned to HeWhoKnows that I intended writing on this topic today, he wandered off into the garage, where he stores an obscenely large collection of LPs, and came back with "The Strangest Secret" an old 10-inch LP narrated by one Earl Nightingale (record sleeve above). I'd never heard of this gentleman, but apparently, in America he was one of the the motivational gurus of the 1950s.

The message contained in "The Strangest Secret" is the same as in countless other books, tapes, records, films, some from even before the 1950s, and many more since. For successive generations the message has been presented differently packaged in a variety of guises : Creative Visualisation, The Power of Positive Thinking, How to Make Friends and Influence People, Cosmic Ordering, and even in astrology we have New Moon Wish Lists. These are but a few examples which spring immediately to mind - and now we have "The Secret". A whole industry has sprung up, ostensibly advising people how to enjoy their lives more.

The message, or "secret", in all of the above can be distilled to two words "think positive!" For some of us this is sufficient, and a natural part of our makeup. Others need to be coaxed and given confidence, helped by anecdotes, examples and illustrations. Still others just need someone to "flick the switch" for them, and a dormant natural tendency will come to the fore.

I got to thinking that our natal chart might well incline us to one of the above groups. I feel certain that anyone whose chart is weighted towards cardinality, is unlikely to be at the front of the queue (line, in American) buying self help literature. Likewise for anyone with an abundance of planets or sensitive points in fire signs. Most of us, though, are not so clearly defined. I'm not a great fan of this type of product, as Danny Glover often says in the "Lethal Weapon" films, "I'm too old for this shit!" I've managed to positively think myself this far, I'll probably be able to negotiate the last lap.

One of the most frequent criticisms of "The Secret" is that it concentrates on, and creates a materialistic mindset. There's a downside to everything. Perhaps in today's climate, materialism is the only thing strong enough to attract the attention of a great number of people. I did buy Jonathan Cainer's "Cosmic Ordering" book which, I was pleased to find, proved to be based mainly on non-materialistic goals. It's an enjoyable read and does not cost a lot.

In "The Strangest Secret" the accent was somewhat different. Mr Nightingale's aim was to inspire listeners to form a "worthwhile goal", imprint it in their mind by writing it down and repeating it every morning. They were then advised to work day by day, without fail, towards that goal, and to keep the goal in mind in every small decision, every minor action, every day.

To my mind, "working every day towards that goal" is the key in this endeavour. If you don't follow through with THAT, nothing will happen - trust me ! It's in the small print of this, and every other "Secret".