It's All in the (Vice Presidential) Game

Listening to a BBC programme on-line I made an interesting discovery. After playing a particular recording the presenter explained that the music had been written by a former Vice President of the United States. I pricked up my ears. Thoughts of the likes of Dick Cheney writing a beautiful melody boggled my mind.

Vice President Charles Gates Dawes had penned the music in 1911, it was originally known as " Melody in A Major", and became a kind of signature tune for him when he later became President Calvin Coolidge's VP.

40 years later lyricist Carl Sigman came along, added words and VP Dawes' work became the pop song "It's All In the Game". It is the only number one pop single in history written by a Vice President of the United States. Tommy Edwards sang the hit version in 1958, since then many other artists have recorded it.

You can be reminded of the song at YouTube HERE




VP Dawes must have been quite a character. He was Vice President between 1925 and 1929. According to Wikipedia:

"Dawes' Vice Presidency was one of the most disastrous on record. Soon after his election he sent an insulting letter to President Coolidge informing him that he would not be attending cabinet meetings. This is believed to be the beginning of a feud between the two which brought the Vice Presidency to its nadir for the 20th century.

Having insulted the President, he then proceeded to publicly insult the entire US Senate. The inauguration of the Vice President was held in the Senate Chamber in those days, and the VP would give an inaugural address before everyone headed on to the outside platform where the President would take the oath. Dawes made a fiery, half-hour address denouncing the rules of the Senate, the seniority system and many other things that Senators held dear.

Eveyone was so shocked at the speech that President Coolidge's own inaugural address was completely overshadowed, leaving him even angrier at Dawes than ever before."

Charles Gates Dawes was born 27 August 1865 in Marietta, Ohio. The chart above is calculated for 12 noon in absence of birth time. Sun at 4 Virgo, Mercury 22 Virgo, Mars 28 Virgo. Jupiter in Sagittarius is square his natal Mercury. We can see here the aggressive, critical and outspoken character he obviously was! Mars (aggression) conjunct Mercury(communication) in Virgo(critical), squared by Jupiter(excess) in its own sign of Sagittarius(outspoken), with Sun in critical Virgo also, and natal Moon in passionate Scorpio, though the degree is uncertain without birth time. Venus and Uranus in gentle, sensitive Cancer may indicate his musical abilities. Uranus sextiles his natal Sun - here may reside the rebel.

This tale makes some current dramas seem pretty mild. I reckon the United States could use someone like the obtuse and outspoken VP Dawes right now.

An Aquarian's Take on The Trendy Trap

Following a link from a current article in Huffington Post's "Living Now" section, I discovered a piece written by Lesley M. M. Blume last August. Ms Blume had written opining that trendiness and style, though related are not the same thing, and that trendiness is the "insidious enemy of individuality". I assume from her article that Ms Blume considers all who display indviduality also attain style. A dubious premise, I'd have thought. Anyway, she goes on to list 15 suggestions to help ensure that we do not fall into the trendy trap, but instead become stylish individuals. She adds: "And I mean trendiness (in) all aspects of our lives: in our dressing, our thinking, our topics of conversation. All of these things conspire to drown us in a sea of same-iness."

I'm not too sure whether the article was meant to be ironic, tongue-in-cheek, serious, or a mixure of all three, but as a Sun Aquarian I had to burst into peels of laughter on reading it - not a bad thing in itself.

For Sun Aquarians individualism comes as our stock-in-trade. Different? You bet! Stylish? Highly doubtful. Stylishness belongs to the bourgoisie, not the avant garde.

Cast your eye down the list of Ms Blume's suggestions on how NOT to be trendy but how to be individualistic and stylish. My comments are added in blue. I apologise to any passing readers with Leo dominant in their natal charts - you'll enjoy Ms Blume's full article (as linked) much better than mine, avert your eyes return to the top if the blog, and follow the link.


1. Find an amazing tailor and have him/her construct you a custom-made wardrobe. Amazing tailor - are you kidding - in deepest Oklahoma? Trailers (and tractors) they can do, tailors - not a chance.

2. Have an interesting, beautiful calling card made. Calling cards? Are you living in the 19th century or what?

3. Develop an interesting, lively vocabulary. OK - how about stellium, quincunx, decanates, duads, midpoints...oh, and sesquiquadrate? Betcha can't say that after 3 martinis.

4. Don't talk excessively about yourself at parties and such. Parties ? Such?

5. Give unusual gifts. Patent tractor cleaning gadgets and good chewing tobacco?

6. Concern yourself with the art of conversation. You say conversation.... I say conservation...let's call the whole thing off!

7. Concern yourself with the art of listening. Huh?

8. Wear a daring hat. Like this one that HWK is wearing? Not daring enough? Try coming near me with a dead animal on yer head, sweetie !



9. Vow not to hold a clichéd event, ever. I am particularly referring to bridal showers and bachelorette parties. I vow, I vow - but how about funerals - what's the stylish version?

10. Make eye contact. Poke 'em in the eye?

11. Once in a while, sit alone in a restaurant. HeWhoKnows won't let me, in case I attract the flies.

12. Jolt your wardrobe with an amazing period piece. A period piece like HeWhoKnows?

13. Read National Geographic Magazine I know that this sounds a tad far-fetched, but you'll be instantly fascinating afterwards. This goes along with being an artful conversationalist. You will become an expert in narwhal activities and barracuda habits, and this new expertise will most certainly set you apart.
Plus, it's so divinely Wes-Anderson-ish. We knew that!

14. Be unjaded. OK - green doesn't suit me anyway.

15. Don't be afraid to make a bold statement. This is a cartload of pretentious you-know-what. Bold enough?

Pluto, Capricorn and Religion

A somewhat disturbing article in our local newspaper led me to reconsider my thoughts on what Pluto's move into Capricorn might have in store during the next few decades. I had previously surmised that Pluto moving into old fashioned Capricorn, which represents established institutions such as "the church" in whatever flavour or guise, would herald a gradual transformation - but a transformation which would reduce religious fervour, and more especially seemingly inevitable religion-driven wars. However, this may have been wildly over-optimistic.

The article in question was written by one Terry Mattingly. He is a director of the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and leader of the GetReligion.org project to study religion and the news.

Mr. Mattingly's piece bore the title "On religion, Europe out of step with rest of world". The basic premise put forward is that because populations are declining in Europe, where there has also been a decline in religious fervour, when compared to the state of things in the USA, Latin America, parts of Asia and Africa, where birth rates are not declining, then in the future "the whole religious question is going to become even more important in terms of global affairs". Mr. Mattingly seems to relish the thought as he adds with some glee, "When it comes to weighing the role of religion in world affairs, Europeans who worry about America have to ask "Who looks strange now?" (Neener neener neener....?)

A better question for Europeans to ask, in my opinion, would be "Why haven't you caught up with us yet? Our planet is sick, part of the reason for this is over-population. Is religion going to solve this problem? And why hasn't the high percentage of American people who say that religion is very important to them (senators and representatives included) stood up and demanded that the war in Iraq where one million lives have been squandered needlessly, cease immediately?"

I'm tempted here to wonder whether it's relevant to point out that the USA is a very young country, less than 300 years old, as against Europe's long, long background of history and experience. Perhaps Europe has learned some lessons along the way, grown up as it were, evolved even! The other countries quoted by Mr. Mattingly are mainly under-developed. Countries whose populations are likely to be, in the main, under-educated, probably under-nourished and badly governed.

The article goes on to explore the question of how Europe will respond to high rates of immigration by religious believers, can Africa avoid being shaped by Christian/Islamic conflict, how will the move of more Catholics into high octane Pentcolstalism inside the Church of Rome and in Protestantism affect Latin America, Central America and finally North America ?

In a nutshell, if Mr Mattingly's ideas are anywhere near correct, Pluto's visit to Capricorn will be transformative in quite the opposite way from that for which I was hoping. There will be more, not less, religious conflict arising.

We may have to wait for The Age of Aquarius to roll in before a sufficient amount of good sense develops on this our blighted planet. That's going to be a long time coming - well into the next millennium if some astrologers are correct in their calculations. But can the planet wait that long?

I found an on-line version of the full (obviously syndicated) article HERE

Frida Kahlo - Her Art and Her Pain

Frida Kahlo was not a happy woman, it seeps through her paintings. Heck - it yells from them! She had good reason to be unhappy. She suffered from polio as a child, then from horrific injuries as a result of a 'bus accident in her teenage years. These injuries precluded her from bearing children, as well as leaving her with painful spinal problems. She married Diego Rivera, another artist, many years her senior. Her marriage was tumultuous, with infidelity both heterosexual and lesbian. It's hardly surprising that her paintings are not filled with joy.

Frida died in 1954, she had lost one leg to gangrene, suffered pneumonia, and was in frail health. The official cause of death was given as pulmonary embolism, though some suspected that she had died from overdose that may or may not have been accidental. (Information from Wikipedia).

Frida Kahlo was born on 6 July 1907 in Coyoacan, Mexico.Time of birth is given as 8.30am at StarIQ.


Leo ascendant, Cancer Sun and Taurus Moon. Neptune lies within a degree of her Sun. Pluto and Venus are within a degree of each other in Gemini. Mars is 3 degrees from Uranus in Capricorn. Neptune/Sun opposed by Mars/Uranus, and a Pluto/Venus conjunction looks, to me, a very challenging configuration!

It was a blessing that she found some release for her pain and frustration through her surreal paintings.

Astrologer Nick Best wrote an article, a few years ago, about Frida Kahlo and the actress who played her in a movie biography, Salma Hyek. "Two Peas In a Pod or Saturn in Pisces" appears at Star IQ . Natal charts for both Frida and Salma are included, with a comparison of the two. Nick Best points out that in both charts Saturn lies at the same degree of Pisces. I noticed that the general shape of the two charts is quite similar.

Once again (as in the cases of Ed Harris/Jackson Pollock and Kirk Douglas/ Van Gogh) here's astrology linking artist and actor.



Website for more illustrations and further information on Frida Kahlo.

Virgo Sings Country.

Idly glancing down a list of "celebrities" born during Sun in Virgo times, I was struck by the number of well known names. Many Virgo Sun people will have at least one personal planet in show-bizzy Leo, which is going to help balance that somewhat serious, practical Virgoan side they are very likely to have.

I noticed at least four female country singers in the list. Three of them more or less contemporary, one from the past. I thought it would be fun to look at all four charts. (See below). Might there be a common denominator, other than Sun in Virgo? I was unable to trace times of birth, so I've had to use 12 noon charts, which is a pity. Ascendants and Moon positions could uncover more similarities.

The four singers:


Patsy Cline born 8 September 1932, Winchester, Virginia. USA.


Trisha Yearwood born 19 September 1964, Monticello, Georgia.USA.


Shania Twain born 28 August 1965, Windsor Ontario, Canada.



Faith Hill born 21 September 1967, Ridgeland, Mississippi. USA.




Well, all do have either Mercury or Venus in Leo.

The three contemporary singers' charts show a roughly funnel or bucket configuration - most planets in one half of the circle, with a planet outside the semicircle - in this case it's Saturn, the career/work planet. Even in Patsy Cline's chart Saturn lies broadly opposite most of her personal planets. Perhaps Saturn in such a configuration does add drive and determination to achieve career ambitions, with extra ability to focus on these issues. Oddly, using 12noon charts, these ladies' natal Moons all came up at 0 or 1 degree of a sign - coincidence I suppose.

All the ladies have Pluto and/or Uranus close to personal planets or Sun. The three contemporaries particularly seem to benefit from this, with Sun Pluto and Uranus all close. Here is the clue ! This, together with the Leo input, is what helped Virgo move into the limelight - and with a fair amount of pizzazz in these cases.

The fact that these 4 ladies gravitated to country music, rather than jazz or rock or opera, could have to do with Virgo. Virgo is an Earthy sign. Country is an earthy genre and Earth is being given extra emphasis here by outer planets.

Virgo Dominant

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September

September brings with it memories of two portentous events - in September 1939 Germany invaded Poland, World War 2 followed. September(11th)2001 brought us another fateful, never to be forgotten event. This year a solar eclipse adds to the drama.

It's sad that September carries such dreadful memories.

Sorrow and scarlet leaf,
Sad thoughts and sunny weather.
Ah me, this glory and this grief
Agree not well together!
(Thomas Parsons, 1880, A Song For September)

September, so named because once upon a Roman time it was the 7th month. (Septem = 7th in Latin).The first three weeks of September fall within the tropical zodiac sign of Virgo, with just one week left for Libra.

You know, September, as a month, here in the northern hemisphere, doesn't strike me as being a typically Virgoan time, or for that matter Libran. Yes, I know that in mythology Virgo holds a sheaf of corn, and in most places September is harvest time, but September is also when the leaves fall from the trees, and life starts winding down. September is not a neat Virgoan month. Leaves pile up all over the place then chilly winds blow them messily around. If anything, Virgo describes the work of clearing up the leaves, I guess.

September is when the kids go back to start a new school term. The boys, in Britain anyway, play soccer and rugby again, after a summer of playing tennis and cricket. They often get themselves very muddy in the process - how Virgo is that?

One of Frank Sinatra's loveliest offerings, "September Song"....."And it's a long long time from May to December, and the days grow short when they reach September....." describes our life's September, our autumn/fall. On the back of the old LP cover to the Sinatra album "September Of My Years", writer Stan Cornyn says:

"...............September can be an attitude or an age or a wistful reality. For this man it is a time of love. A time to sing. A thousand days hath September"

My goodness those liner note writers were good! It's a big loss that cds don't have the space for their purple prose.

Sinatra in his songs, though a Sun Sagittarian, remains in essence a September man. Often melancholy, whether for the dying of the year, or for a love, a memory, a feeling - yet with hope always for Septembers still to come. And that, for me, is the true essence of September.

A YouTube presentation of Sinatra and John Denver singing "September Song" together - a rare and lovely combination. John Denver didn't live to see the September of his own years, and that is so very sad.

The Challenger Astronauts

On January 28, 1986 America was shocked by the destruction of the space shuttle Challenger, and the death of its seven crew members. See Wikipedia entry.

After I bought my astrology software last year one of the first exercises I did was to study the charts of the astronauts who died in the Challenger disaster. I had recently decided to use the subject for a blog entry. I noticed that Out The Comet's Ass blog carried an interesting article about astronauts on 6 September - "12 Men Who Walked on the Moon". Anyway, here's what I found:

What I was looking for, when I studied the seven charts, was any link to eclipses.
The closest 1985 eclipses were:
Lunar 5 Scorpio/ Taurus (28 Oct 1985)
Solar 20 Scorp/Taurus (12 Nov 1985).

First, here's the chart for the time of the explosion: 28 January 1986, 11.38AM at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Pluto was just 3 degrees from the Moon's South Node, and 2 degrees from the lunar eclipse point of the previous October.



There do seem to be links to the eclipse pattern in several of these charts. Also,
in 6 of the 7 charts there is some emphasis on the solstice axis (Cancer/Capricorn) either natally or natal + transit. I am not sure how relevant this is to the subject in hand, if at all. It may be connected to fixed stars in Cancer. Several of the charts have Procyon/ Sirius prominent.


Commander F.R."Dick" Scobee born 19 May 1939 Cle Elum, Washington.

Michael Smith born 30 April 1945, Beaufort, North Carolina.

Judith Resnick born 5 April 1949, Akron, Ohio.

Ronald McNair born 21 October 1950, Lake City, South Carolina.

Gregory Jarvis born 24 August 1944, Detroit, Michigan.

Christina McAuliffe born 2 September 1948, Boston, Mass.

Ellison Onizuka born 24 June 1946, Kona, Hawaii.


In the absence of birth times, 12 noon charts are used.


SCOBEE: Tr Pluto was exactly conjunct his North Node @ 7 Scorpio, which is close to the eclipse point of 5 Scorpio. There is a cluster of planets around Oct. and Nov. eclipse areas (Mercury 8 Taurus, Venus & Saturn 29 and 25 Aries, Sun 27 Taurus, Uranus 18 Taurus. In his natal chart the Cancer/Capricorn axis is emphasised by Pluto opposing Mars.



SMITH: Tr Pluto @ 7 Scorpio opposed his natal Sun at 9 Taurus - in the area of the Oct '85. eclipse.
Tr Neptune at 4 Capricorn opposed natal Saturn at 6 Cancer (Cancer/Capricorn axis).



RESNICK: Tr North Node at 4 Taurus was within 8 degrees of her Natal N.Node at 26 Aries in the( wider) area of the eclipse.
Tr Neptune at 4 Capricorn opposed her natal Moon at 5 Cancer - but depends on exact birth time (Cancer/Cap axis).




McNAIR: His Sun is at 27.44 Libra - a little wide to connect with 5 Scorpio eclipse, but close. Natal Saturn is conjunct his Virgo-Pisces nodal axis.
Tr Neptune at 4 Capricorn opposes his natal Uranus at 9 Cancer (Cancer/Capricorn axis).




JARVIS: His natal Moon at 12 noon was at 4.55 Scorpio- any significant conjunction depends on exact birth time of birth, of course (eclipse at 5 Scorpio/Taurus) there's a chance Moon could have been fairly close though. His natal nodal axis is Cancer/Capricorn.



McAULIFFE: Tr North Node was at 4 Taurus, her natal North Node was at 7 Taurus (eclipse area), and was also opposed by Tr Pluto at 7 Scorpio.



ONISUKA: His natal Moon was at 3.56 Taurus at 12 noon. There's a chance here, again that it was fairly close to the Oct.'85 eclipse at 5 Tauurs/Scorpio, depending on time of birth, also may have been opposed by tr Pluto at 7 Scorpio.
His natal Sun at 2.46 Cancer was opposite tr Neptune at 4.35 Cancer (Cancer/Cap axis)





The shuttle Challenger flight STS-51L crew members who died January 28, 1986. In the back row, from left, mission specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, Teacher in Space Participant Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist Greg Jarvis and Mission specialist Judy Resnik. In the front row, from left, Pilot Mike Smith, Commander Dick Scobee, and Mission specialist Ron McNair.

Mind-boggling

While we contemplate our astrological maps, Voyagers I and II are out there exploring the real thing.

Here's a fascinating article from the New York Times of 5 September to boggle sleepy Sunday minds.

"The Mix Tape of the Gods" by Timothy Ferris

Excerpt

"If all continues to go well, Voyager should pierce the heliosphere’s outer skin by around 2015. It will then depart into the void of interstellar space, where it is destined to wander among the stars forever. Mindful of this mind-boggling fact, the astronomers Carl Sagan and Frank Drake persuaded NASA to attach a gold-plated phonograph record to each of the Voyager spacecraft. Containing photographs, natural sounds of Earth and 90 minutes of music from all over our world, the record was intended to preserve something of human culture beyond what an intelligent extraterrestrial, encountering the craft at some far-distant time and place, might infer from the spacecraft itself.

The information etched into the grooves of the Voyager record is expected to last at least one billion years. That’s a long time: A billion years ago, life on Earth was first venturing forth from the seas......................................

Contemplation of Voyager’s billion-year future among the stars may make us feel small and the span of our history seem insignificant. Yet the very existence of the two spacecraft and the gold records they carry suggests that there is something in the human spirit able to confront vast sweeps of space and time that we can only dimly comprehend."

Movie Remakes, Evolution, Cycles.....

I can often be heard complaining, "Why do they produce so many movie remakes? A blindfolded person could go into any library, pick out four books at random and find four new plots for movies. Why are we subjected to remakes, sometimes even more than one remake?"

My most recent complaint came up as I looked at our cinema's current listings:

"3:10 to Yuma - For Pete's sake! That was a crusty old western. Why did they need to remake that one? And Russell Crowe is nobody's idea of a character from the old west....(grumble grumble).....His face is too podgy. The old west needs craggy, lean and mean, they didn't have McDonald's and high fructose corn syrup in those days!"

HeWhoKnows sighs patiently and says, "$$$$$$$."

"But.....but..."

I decided to ask Google, who landed me upon a site which had nothing to do with Hollywood.
Science Daily. Extract from "Life - the Remake".

"If the history of life were to play out again from the beginning, it would have a similar plot and outcomes, although with a different cast and timing, argues UC Davis paleontologist Geerat Vermeij in a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Evolution at this level, like the rest of history, is predictable, perhaps more predictable than people want to imagine," Vermeij said. "Many traits are so advantageous under so many circumstances that you are likely to see the same things again and again..........Vermeij argues that some innovations, such as photosynthesis, plant seeds, mineralized bones and even human language are just such good ideas that they would reappear, although at different times and in somewhat different forms."

After reading this, I started thinking about astrology, then I managed to answer my own question.

We are made up of cycles, here on Earth. Everything is a cycle. I ought not to be surprised about remakes. They will be as inevitable a part of life on Earth as the turning of the clock or the seasons, or the Moon's waxing and waning. Hollywood moguls probably don't realise exactly why, of course, all they care about are the $$$$$.

Planetary cycles often bring with them a remake of our own life story, especially in the case of Saturn, Uranus and Pluto cycles. Our lifestyles can be remade, our life stories re-written - different cast, different setting, variations in plot, but with us always in the starring role.

To be fair, some movie remakes, like some planetary cycles, have been worth sitting through. Bringing a classic story such as "Ben Hur" up to date for a new generation, with modern technology, bigger screen, and technicolor was well worthwhile, back in the early 1960s. I'd feel pretty annoyed though if they tried to produce yet another version of it.

I'd be miffed to have to live through another Pluto to Venus transit, too!

Enough is enough, after all.

Grandma Moses' Birthday

Here is another female artist to add to my meagre collection. Today would have been the birthday of one of the USA's national treasures - the artist known as Grandma Moses.
She's seen here with Norman Rockwell - perhaps it was taken on her 100th birthday.




Extract below from here.
Astrological comments related to natal chart added,in red, by me.

"Anna Robertson, later to become "Grandma" Moses was born on September 7, 1860 in upstate New York. She didn't marry until she was twenty seven, but still bore ten children. Only five of those lived to adulthood. When her husband was alive they lived in Virginia, but after his death in 1927 she moved back to New York. People who knew her say she was feisty and strong willed.(Mars in Capricorn on the ascendant) A necessary trait, no doubt, in the Depression years.


She started painting at age 75, after arthritis prevented her from doing needlework. Her work was discovered by a collector during the Depression.

Grandma Moses's work was known as American Primitive in the art world ( she said that primitive is what they call amateur art that sells). She painted her scenes on pieces of old wood which she painted white. Her paintings are simple in texture, but complex in content( Virgoan eye for detail). She depicted happy scenes from real life, much as she might have stitched them on canvas before her arthritis took hold. She said she painted from the sky down. Sky first, then the mountains, then the land, then the people. Her people were shown doing anything she might have seen someone do in her long, active life, and were rich in color.

Between the start of her painting career at age seventy-five and her death at age one hundred and one in 1961, Grandma Moses painted approximately sixteen hundred paintings.
Some two hundred and fifty of those were painted after her hundredth birthday!(Moon/Uranus in Gemini - youthful and energetic outlook) Some say her family never took her paintings seriously, but the art world certainly did."


Two quotes from Grandma Moses

"Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be". (Amen!)
"Painting's not important. The important thing is keeping busy.'(Saturn conjunct Mercury, Mars in Capricorn on ascendant)

You have only to look at the paintings of Grandma Moses (explore them via Google Image)to know that Earth will be the predominant element in her natal chart. 5 planets and ascendant in Earth, 2 each in Air and Fire, one in Water.

Tuning into the Planets ?

I'm noticing recently that I'm itching to listen to more classical music. Not the really obscure heavy stuff though. I'm drifting into it, not leaping headlong!

We saw "No Reservations" at the cinema this week. The soundtrack is really nice -there's some opera among it which I enjoyed - the movie's not bad too. It's a nice, gentle story and there are lots of shots of yummy gourmet food.

I'm wondering if this veering of my musical taste could be due to feeling celestial shifts. "As above, so below". Saturn has moved into into Earthy Virgo and Pluto is heading ever nearer to Earthy Capricorn, the next eclipse is due in an Earthy area too. Classical or classical-type music probably belongs to Earth more than do pop, rock, or jazz. Country may well have Earthy tones too, but on a different level.

Coincidentally, I stumbled yesterday upon some YouTube videos of performances on "Britain's got Talent" - Paul Potts, a shy cellphone salesman, won the final of the series singing opera! He does a great version of Nessun Dorma. The audience went crazy, even Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan were effusive in their praise. Perhaps I'm not the only one feeling this classical yen! I've already ordered Paul's new CD !

Maybe all of this is due to vibes from above...or maybe it's me just searching for something new - or something old. Perhaps it's regression. My first ever LP, bought with pocket money back in the 1950s, was of Mario Lanza singing opera and operetta. I loved his voice, and his passion - still do.

Mario Lanza's birthday was 31 January (mine is 27 January). In all these years I never did realise he was a fellow-Aquarian. Some old fashioned astrologers used to tell us that Aquarians are cold and unemotional. WRONG! Listen to Mario Lanza for proof! Of course, in Lanza's case, Scorpio Moon and the Pisces planets were very much involved too. Water is the predominant element in his natal chart. I have no birth time for him, but I'm pretty sure that the Moon would have been in Scorpio whatever time he was born.

Lanza's life and career were all too short. He died aged only 38 after several health problems culminating in a pulmonary embolism. His widow died from a drug overdose five months later, and their younger son died aged 37 of a heart attack. Sad stories. Lanza's chart shows several oppositions including: Saturn and Jupiter in Virgo opposing Venus and Mars in Pisces (perhaps that big voice of his was involved here), and Sun opposite Neptune. Obviously, with his great talent came great challenge.

A YouTube video of Mario Lanza singing Nessun Dorma.

Eclipses of the Sun

There's a solar eclipse coming up on 11 September. Predictions for events following eclipses occasionally prove to be partially, or even wholly accurate, but sometimes they don't. If ever I feel depressed after reading eclipse predictions I dilute that feeling by remembering that eclipses are a regular part of life on Earth. It's a bit like the slight feeling of risk involved in flying (by plane, not on a broomstick!). If ever I feel nervous I think of the number of flights in a day, all over the world, of the staff on board all those planes - the stewardesses or whatever they are called these days. They fly many times a week, month in, month out, without problem. Why would anyone feel nervous about one single flight - or one single eclipse ?

Eclipses of the Sun are dramatic events, I can't argue with that. They feature in several novels and films - there's a list of some of them at Wikipedia HERE. The only one from that list I can recall is "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court", in which Bing Crosby (playing a time traveller to the past) convinced adversaries of his power by using knowledge that a solar eclipse was due to take place.

I discovered another story involving an eclipse of the Sun quite accidentally this week. I was searching for information about Borodin's opera "Prince Igor", from which the music of the stage show and film "Kismet" was borrowed. I can't seem to get this music out of my mind these days. "Kismet" (see my husband's blog) was set in Baghdad - in the time when it was a beautiful city - it's very sad to think about that now. "Prince Igor", however, was set in Russia.

The synopsis of "Prince Igor" goes something like this: The Prince is mobilizing his army against the Polovtsians (a nomadic people) who have been attacking and raiding the Russians' territory and carrying away their people into slavery. There is an eclipse of the Sun and the sky grows dark.


The people see this as a bad omen and plead with Prince Igor to abandon his mission. Igor sees it as an omen - but whether good or bad is to be seen. His wife, Yaroslavna, begs him to stay home but he is not persuaded. He must defend his and Russia's honor. Things go badly, Igor's brother plans to depose him in his absence, Igor and his son are taken captive by the Polovtsians. In the end though, Igor escapes and returns to his wife and to defend his city. There's a sub-plot involving his son's love affair with the daughter of the Polovtsian leader.

So....there was bad news, and there was good news, after that eclipse.

I understand that Igor's story is based on historical events See HERE -

"There was apparently opposition to this campaign among members of Igor's retinue. On May 1, 1185, there was an eclipse of the sun, which the Nikonovskaya Chronicle describes: "A Portent. That same year, in the month of May, on the fist day, there was a portent in the sun; it was very dark, and this was for more than an hour, so that the stars could be seen, and to men's eyes it was green, and the sun became as the [crescent] moon, and from its horns flaming fire was emitted; and it was a portent terrible to see and full of horror." Although the Russians interpreted this phenomenon as an evil omen, Igor insisted that the campaign continue, saying, "No one knows the mysteries of God. God is the maker of this sign and of the whole world. And whether that which God does to us is for good or for ill, this too we shall see."

With regard to the coming eclipse - as Prince Igor said..... "this too we shall see".

Me an' Dick Cheney ? Say it isn't so!

Astrology has a part to play in every facet of life, so it must have some bearing on how we think politcally - or, indeed, if we do think politically at all. Even so, it's doubtful that the most skilled of astrologers could exactly pinpont the way a person thinks politcally from their natal chart. Too many outside influences come into play both in childhood and in adulthood. I'd still be very surprised though if a person with heavy Capricorn and Saturn natally were to become a rebel socialist, or a heavily Aquarian/Uranian person leaned far to the right politically.


The spectre of Dick Cheney keeps haunting my mind as I type this. We are of the same generation, early Sun Aquarians, but our politcal views could not be further apart. He's on the left below (odd, that!)



Cheney has Sun at 10.48 Aquarius, Mercury in Aquarius too. Uranus in Taurus, square Mercury.

I have Sun at 6.46 Aquarius, square Uranus in Taurus, with Mercury in Capricorn widely trine Uranus in Taurus.

I'm desperately seeking differences! His Virgo ascendant and Pisces Moon belie the person we see in public life. I have Cancer ascendant(but Aquarius relocated) and Aries Moon. Hmmm. Nothing there provides much evidence.

I'll try putting our two Suns under the astrological microscope. Decanates and duads break down each zodiac sign into "cells". Decanates are 3x10 degree cells within each 30 degree sign, and duads are tiny 2 and a half degree cells within each decanate. Each decanate and duad has its "sub-ruler" which imparts an additional subtle tone.

My Sun falls within the first decanate of Aquarius (the Aquarius-Aquarius decanate), and the third duad of Aquarius (the Aquarius-Aries duad). Supposedly this indicates the true revolutionary, impatient for action and social change. Yep!

Cheney's Sun is just into the second decanate of Aquarius, the Aquarius-Gemini decanate and in the fifth duad of Aquarius - the Aquarius-Gemini duad -so it's a more communicative version of Aquarius. ( Thinks....the fourth duad, Aquarius-Taurus would fit him better - more fixed and in keeping with his chart - and his Sun is just barely into 2nd decanate and fifth duad).

Cheney's chart has a Grand Trine in Earth (Venus/Uranus/Neptune) There's a similar configuration, in mine, but it involves Mercury, Uranus and Neptune. In my case Mercury is hooked up harmoniously to Uranus by element, in his case Mercury argues with Uranus, Sun's ruler. This may be the key, together with the fact that Cheney has 3 planets in stubborn and somewhat old fashioned Taurus (Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus) adding to the fixed nature of his Sun.

He has 6 planets in fixed signs, 1 cardinal, 3 mutable.
I have 3 cardinal, 4 fixed, 3 mutable - an easier balance.

The differences I've found are not enormous, but they are significant.

After I'd gathered my own ideas I looked for an astrologer's thoughts about Dick Cheney and found them at star IQ - see Pat Lantz's assessment about the VP, from 2000.

Conspiracy Theories and Astrology.

I'm not sure what led us to watch "The Murder of Princess Diana" on TV, Friday night. I was never much interested in Princess Di and the royal family, but we watched the movie anyway. It's hard not to be affected when a young life comes to such an abrupt end - whether it's that of a princess or a pauper. As a piece of fiction, which the film largely was, making use of the conspiracy theory which grew out of the event, I found it quite an absorbing tale.

The death of Diana was one of those indelible time-markers for many people. JFK's assassination and 9/11 are two others, events which sliced through our communal consciousness like a knife through butter.

It's significant that conspiracy theories have emerged from all three of the events I've mentioned - Princess Di's death, JFK's assassination and 9/11. Conspiracy theories have blossomed (if that's the correct verb) in the past few decades. I guess that throughout history they were around, but in the past only the high and the mighty were privy to them. We, "the great unwashed", only started to hear whispers about these theories as easier communication became widespread. The whispers rose to a crescendo with the advent of the internet.

I wonder what astrological configuration might relate to conspiracy theories?

C.E.O. Carter's Encyclopedia pf Psychological Astrology is of no help in this - there's no entry under "conspiracy" or "conspiracy theory". I doubt that it was a term in common use when this book was first published in 1924. Something in the communal consciousness must have shifted between then and now - in line with the developments in technology and communications.

A generational quirk? Perhaps. A good bet for starters would be the Neptune in Scorpio generation. Did the generation born between 1957 and 1969 (now aged around 38 to 50) pick up the idea of conspiracy theories and, in boardroom-speak "run with them"? Neptune represents imagination and mystery. Scorpio represents secrets and death. This particular generation may well be instrumental in keeping these theories alive and well.

My own natal Neptune in Virgo is not given to believing easily in wild theories without a bit of concrete proof. I have to admit though, that in all three cases mentioned, there is room for doubt about official explanations. It's always good to keep an open mind, but never wise to become paranoid. That is as far as I'll ever be able to travel on the conspiracy bandwagon.

War & Peace, & Brian De Palma's "Redacted"

To live in a world totally without war is a dream most people cherish. I've hoped to experience this for as long as I can remember, probably stemming from my experiences as a very young childhood in wartime England. I may not have appreciated fully what awful risks we faced in the city port where we lived, but in later years I came to understand, and to realise how lucky we had been to survive. Like many others of my generation (John Lennon from another port, Liverpool, is a famous example). We grew up hating the very word "war".

Until half-way through the second world war more women and children in Britain had been killed than soldiers. Over three-quarters of the total housing stock in our city was either destroyed or damaged. Some families were 'bombed out'of their homes two or even three times.


People who lived in the USA during WW2, and since then, have no such experience to use as a yardstick. There are still many in the US who support the current adminstration's determination to continue war in Iraq, and even expand the conflict into Iran, thereby risking a World War 3. I wonder if they would be so keen to support it if they had ever experienced war as a civilian? Even in Europe, those who lived through WW2 as children or adults become fewer in number with each year that passes. Their wisdom is becoming scarce.

Movie director Brian DePalma's latest film "Redacted" aims to bring home to audiences some of the horror of the war in Iraq. DePalma's long career in film has been quite controversial. He has gathered much criticism, and is apparently one of those directors one either loves or hates with a vengance. Until now many of his films have been fairly violent and gory - certainly not pacifist in nature. (Movie list here.)

The word "redacted" isn't one in common use - I had to look up its meaning - Wikipedia tells us "Redaction generally refers to the editing or blacking out of text in a document, or to the result of such an effort. It is intended to allow the selective disclosure of information in a document while keeping other parts of the document secret."

Brian De Palma was born on 11 September (fateful date!) 1940, in Newark, New Jersey. I can find no time of birth, so use a 12 noon chart.

Wow! what a lot of Earth - Virgo and Taurus, with Moon certainly in Capricorn, but degree can't be known without time of birth. Pluto and Venus conjunct in Leo are the only variety in this Earthy natal chart. Not one planet in Air or Water.
His Virgo and Taurus planets are in trine - Uranus with Neptune/Mercury and Jupiter/Saturn with Sun/Mars. Depending on time of birth the Moon might hook up into a Grand Trine in Earth.

He says about his films in general:

"My films deal with a stylized, expressionistic world that has a kind of grotesque beauty about it. I like stylization. I try to get away with as much as possible until people start laughing at it."

"I've never been accepted as that conventional artist"

In this case I have to admit that I'm stumped to find him/his work in his natal chart. Uranus trine Mercury/Neptune possibly accounts for being unconventional. He is probably very at ease with himself (the Earthy trines), and cares little what critics say about him and his work. Perhaps the key to finding "him" will be in the ascendant and house configuration.

I'd guess that his ascendant will not be in an Earth sign - perhaps Aquarius, or Leo. A 5p.m.-ish time of birth would put ascendant just into Aquarius, with Sun/Mercury/Neptune in the 8th house, Taurus planets close to the IC (nadir) angle, opposite midheaven. That's a fit, tailor-made by me !

I wish Mr De Palma the best with his new film. It will certainly not be easy viewing, but could help to bring home the horrors of war to US audiences. More on the new film HERE.

Some current estimates of civilian casualties in Iraq since the start of the conflict are as high as one million. Casualties of any World War 3 would be between 6 and 7 billion.... man's exit from planet Earth.

I trust that Americans who truly believe in 'Peace on Earth' will consider carefully before casting their votes in the primaries and in 2008. There is one candidate whose focus is, and always has been, on peace - Dennis Kucinich. Journalists delight in telling us that he is unelectable. What does this say about us?

"War! When I but think of this word, I feel bewildered, as though they were speaking to me of sorcery, of the Inquisition, of a distant, finished, abominable, monstrous, unnatural thing.

"When they speak to us of cannibals, we smile proudly, as we proclaim our superiority to these savages. Who are the real savages? Those who struggle in order to eat those whom they vanquish, or those who struggle merely to kill?"
—Guy de Maupassant, Sur l'Eau

Beryl Cook - putting the fun into art

I've blogged about a lot of artists in the past year, most of whom were male. Georgia O'Keefe is possibly the only exception. In an attempt to redress the balance here's a look at Beryl Cook, an English artist whose work is great fun - not seriously "arty" or pretentious - just fun.

Beryl Cook was born 10 September 1926 in Surrey, England. The town is uncertain, I've used Woking, it will make little difference, Surrey isn't enormous. 12 noon chart is the best I can do, as no birth time is available. She's a Sun and Mercury in Virgo person, so fits in well this week!



"Beryl Cook found fame as a painter by accident in her late 40s, after buying her young son a box of paints. The flamboyant fun-loving characters featured in her work were largely inspired by the people of Plymouth. Beryl has lived in Plymouth ( on England's south coast) for over 25 years and remains fascinated by life in this lively naval port which is full of pubs, fishermen and sailors.

Having left school at 14, Beryl worked in a variety of jobs (splash-like chart pattern) but at that age showed very little talent for painting. ..........At one time she was a showgirl in a touring production of 'The Gypsy Princess'............ She also worked in the fashion industry, which inspired her life-long interest in the way people dress and how they look. (Her Leo planets)"

"Beryl’s personality though is in great contrast to her paintings. She is a shy and private person, (Virgo Sun and Mercury) often depicting the flamboyant and extrovert characters she would love to be (Venus and Neptune conjunct in Leo). She prefers to observe a crowd of people, her acute eye missing nothing. She records in minute detail scenes of everyday life and has an almost photographic memory (all Virgo!)."

See how those extracts from HERE and HERE describe something of the personality shown in her natal chart.

Update: Sadly Beryl Cook died aged 81 in May 2008.

A video from YouTube : an accompanied tour of a UK exhibition of the late Beryl Cook's painting.