Alfred, Bertha, and THAT Prize

News of the recipient of this year's Nobel Peace Prize award has spawned more vitriol than I recall ever accompanying it in past years. It's sad and rather peculiar that an award with such good intention has to be met with so much ill feeling, and really for no valid reason. I can only assume that people like to feel negative - about everything. Ah well, as my old Gran used to say, "All the world's queer save thee an' me - an' even thee's a bit queer". Garrison Keillor has it about right in his piece "Betting Against America", except that he should have included a good slice of so-called "progressive" liberals in his criticism of Republicans.

For Alfred Nobel to have specified, among the five awards he outlined in his will, one to reward a person who"....shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses...." seems surprising in view of the fact that Nobel's life's work and resultant fortune was based on producing and selling explosives.

It was probably the influence of Nobel's sometime secretary and housekeeper, Countess Bertha Kinsky, an Austrian noblewoman, which led to the inclusion of a Peace Prize. He and Bertha continued a lifelong correspondence, even after her marriage to Baron Arthur Gundaccar von Suttner. She was always very critical of the military applications of the dynamite Nobel produced and sold worldwide. She worked actively for the peace movement in Austria and Germany. Among her books is the classic, "Lay Down Your Arms" (1889). She also published a pacifist journal of the same name. Nine years after the death of Alfred Nobel, in 1905, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Their natal charts are below (12 noon versions, as no times of birth are known.)
In Alfred's chart it's very apt that Mars (which could be thought to represent explosives) lies close to his late Libra Sun, but is in the early degrees of Scorpio ancient rulership of Mars, and lies close to Mercury. Without a time of birth (and my usual software) we can't be sure that his natal Moon was in Aquarius, though chances are that it was, along with the sign's ruler, Uranus. This provides one link to Bertha's chart - the Aquarius content, the social awareness: she has Jupiter and Neptune in Aquarius. Their Airy Suns in Libra and Gemini would have provided an initial mental compatibility, and with the added underlying Aquarian input, I'm not surprised that they maintained relationship through extensive correspondence, aided in part by her (probable) Scorpio Moon linking to his Mars/Mercury also in Scorpio.

Alfred Nobel born 21 October 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden




Bertha Kinsky born 9 June 1843 in Prague, now in the Czech Republic

Arthur M. Young - Inventor, Mathematician, Scientist, Philosopher, Mystic, Astrologer

Arthur M. Young was born in Paris, France, his American parents lived there at various periods, while his father, a landscape painter, studied Impressionism. I'm going to call Arthur M. Young AMY, from here on, for brevity and ease of typing. He was a mathematician and scientist first and foremost, and inventor of the first Bell Helicopter. It was later in life that he slid into philosophy, metaphysics, ESP, and even astrology. Shock horror -a scientist who was also an astrologer! Would that there were more of his ilk around today.

In Jeffrey Mishloves "An Appreciation of Arthur M. Young" he writes:

"Arthur was also a student of eastern mysticism and yoga.............. was a master of astrology, and he enjoyed demonstrating its value with reference to my own chart. He did so in the most uncanny ways."

There's a website dedicated to AMY. It includes some of his essays, several of which mention his study of astrology, in fact one is dedicated to the subject.

THOUGHTS ON A SCIENCE OF LIFE
Part III: On the Value of Astrology for a Science of Life
by Arthur M. Young (1992)
In summing up his essay, AMY wrote:

To sum up: The rejection of astrology by science is based on the belief of science that there is no way for planets to influence life. This belief is opposed by the practitioners of astrology, who find a factual correlation between the position of the planets and the dates of important events in life.

But the principles on which physics is based do not predict or even accommodate life. Life requires a narrow temperature range and a periodic alternation of this temperature, and hence a very special environment, requiring a planetary system with a certain type of sun. This makes life depend on contingency rather than law, and indicates that while the laws of nature are necessary to life they are not sufficient.

Since alternation (periodic change) of temperature is necessary to the evolution of organic life in plants and animals, it would seem that the evolution of consciousness, which has its inception in organisms which move against entropy, should for its completion require an alternation of longer period than the daily or yearly alternation of temperature. This is what the outer planets supply.

As for the question of how the planets can influence mundane events, this problem already exists in biological rhythms, which have been found to be endogenous; that is, not dependent on known physical influence

That, I can (just about) understand. I'm not going to pretend that I understand his Theory of Process , his studies of consciousness and suchlike. I don't. It's all way over my head. His Theory of Process relies on a kind of wave-like effect which he considers applies to everything in one way or another, because it's the origin of everything, starting with "Light"..... (I think!)



Ahem (too deep for me) - quickly turning to AMY's chart then - it's not my usual format, because I don't have that software on the laptop. It'll have to do!

We should find prominent Saturn/Capricorn(mathematics and science) Uranus/Aquarius (invention and maybe astrology) and Jupiter/Sagittarius (philosophy)

Arthur M. Young born on 3 November 1905 in Paris, France. Astrotheme gives his time of birth as 10.23am.



His Sun and Mercury in Scorpio remind me that Carl Sagan has these placements (but with even more Scorpio planets). As well as its reputation for eroticism, passion, paranoia etc. Scorpio has that incisive mentality (especially with Mercury there) which can cut through stuff which leaves the rest of us highly confused. AMY's Scorpio Sun closely trines mystic Neptune in Cancer - here's his draw to mysticism - a draw which Carl Sagan didn't have.

Aquarius Moon trines Jupiter in Gemini. The harmony between invention and philosophy in AMY's life is here, for Jupiter is ruler of Sagittarius (his rising sign, and therefore Jupiter is his ruling planet) and it is in very helpful aspect to his inventive Aquarius Moon.

Now we come to more of what I was expecting to see: Saturn in Aquarius, and....Uranus in Capricorn. Aquarius, Capricorn, Uranus, Saturn - there's a peculiar link here.
Aquarius and Capricorn were originally both ruled by Saturn, modern astrology places Uranus as ruler of Aquarius, and in AMY's chart the planets swap homes, with Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Capricorn. I'm not sure how that can be interpreted except that it's a conglomeration involving mathematics and science(Saturn and Capricorn) invention and astrology (Uranus and Aquarius) - all kind of related to one another by marriage (as it were), bringing together two very different realms. In addition Moon in Aquarius is in helpful semi-sextile aspect to Uranus in Capricorn - a further blending of the two realms.

So, all in all, AMY's natal chart, even from my minimalist take on it, clearly matches his chosen paths in life.

NOVELS (& Columbus Day)

It's not easy to find novels to suit my taste, so I don't read many these days. I've come across three novels lately though which fit my bill. Though two of these aren't about astrology as such, they might appeal to the same people who enjoy astrology and mystical stuff in general.

Two are by the same author, John Nelson, a student of metaphysical thought for over 25 years, we are told. I've tried to find a biography on Mr. Nelson, or his birth data, without success, apart from "b.1947". In one of the books he's described as a writer and director in the film industry, book editor and (at the time) editorial director of Bear and Company. Lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico -lucky man!

"Starborn: A mystical tale". Published in several printings between 1978 and 1993. Edward Doolittle is born with the accumulated knowledge and psychic power of over 50 lifetimes, and is very quickly swept into an archetypal struggle against evil, personified by a female child psychologist and others who plot to conquer the world, and enforce global bliss with a carefully indoctrinated cabal of child geniuses.

It's a slim volume of only 133 pages, would be accessible to younger readers as well as adults. I enjoyed it, but wished I could get a vision, of Stewie from TV's Family Guy playing Edward, out of my mind's eye and ear as I read. (Chuckles).








"Transformations: A story of human evolution", published 1988 and 1997. Also by John Nelson, this is longer and more complex than his first novel, "Starborn". It's a blend of mystical and sci-fi, left-brain and right-brain issues.

A stranger appears in a California town and seems to infect those he meets with a peculiar virus, which eventually precipitates an evolutionary crisis. "They are becoming the image in their visions, an image recently discovered on the walls of excavated caves, the God of this valley's race of ancient humans."

I enjoyed this one too. I couldn't help thinking it'd make a very good movie, and as it happens, all of John Nelson's novels have indeed been optioned for motion pictures, according to a note in one of the books.



The third book might already be known to some astrology bloggers and blog readers:
"Rising Sign: Book One in the Star Child Trilogy", by Jared R. Lopatin, who also writes the blog "Sign in Ink", from whence the book can be purchased.

This novel, unlike the two above, is astrologically based. "Rising Sign heralds the birth of the Star Child, the only one who can protect the universe from a deadly threat. On a seemingly ordinary day in Philadelphia, an unwelcome visitor awakens Tim Dalis to the Star Child's world, a world of astrological power. As decreed by prophecy, he is one of the 12 guardians of the Child." An enjoyable and imaginative novel; again one which could evolve into a good TV drama series or movie.

The books by John Nelson are available used at Amazon (Starborn), and new and used Amazon(Transformations) as well as other on-line outlets.


*******************************



AND, remembering today is .......................

Columbus Day

Mister Christopher Columbus
Sailed the sea without a compass
When his men began a rumpus
Up spoke, Christopher Columbus

There is land somewhere
Until we get there,
We will not go wrong,
If we sing, 'swing a song'

Since the world is round,
We'll be safe and sound
Til our goal is found,
We'll just keep rhythm bound

Soon the crew was makin' merry
Then came a yell, 'Let's drink to Isabelle,
Hum, bring the rum, Ho Hum'

No more mutiny,
What a time at sea
With di-plo-ma-cy
Christy made his-to-ry

Mister Christopher Columbus
He used rhythm as a compass
Music ended all the rumpus
Wise old Christopher Columbus.

Songwriters: Leon Berry & Andy Razaf

Sunday Supplement ~ Old Michaelmas

Old Michaelmas Day falls this weekend (10 or 11 October), opinions vary. After our calendar was revised in the mid 18th century 29 September became "new" Michaelmas for modern times.

Michaelmas is a festival in honour of St. Michael. He holds the scales of Libra (left), appropriately enough for the date, and because he is honoured as the administrator of cosmic intelligence. Archangel Michael is one of the principal angelic warriors, in legend he defeated Luficer and he's seen as a protector against the dark of night. We must not forget that, for folk in mediaeval times, the approaching long nights were very much darker and the oncoming cold more dangerous than for we spoiled 21st century dwellers in the lighted warmth of our homes. Martinmas comes along a month later, on 11 November, in honour of St. Martin. (The suffix -mas comes from an old English word maesse, meaning festival, feast day or mass)

In past centuries in Britain, as well as being religious festivals, and celebrations of the changing of seasons, Michaelmas and/or Martinmas marked Quarter Days when rents were due and accounts had to be settled. These times were also when servants and farm workers were hired for the coming year at The Hiring Fairs, in some cases called Mop Fairs because servants with no particular skills (carpentry, cooking, etc) would hold a mop.


Agricultural workers who wanted to move from their current farm would stand in the town's market-place where a fair was being held, and farmers needing extra or replacement labourers, shepherds , grooms, ploughmen etc. would come to take their pick. Workers travelled for miles to attend these fairs in market towns throughout the country. My own two grandfathers born in the south of England, in Suffolk and Wiltshire both travelled as young lads, mostly on foot, from the south to Yorkshire, (a journey of 2 or 3 hundred miles, I guess) to find work on farms there, and that's how I come to be a Yorkshirewoman.

As well as The Hiring Fairs at this time of year there were funfairs in certain towns and cities, and that tradition still remains in some locations. In the city where I was born, Hull, a huge funfair is held annually around 11th October: Hull Fair, and it celebrated its 700th anniversary in 1993!
Here, as it was in 2006:



Some old Michaelmas lore:

So many days the moon is old on St Michael’s day, so many floods after.
Traditional English weather marker

Harvest comes as long before Michaelmas as dog roses bloom before Midsummer.
Traditional English weather marker

On Michaelmas Day the devil puts his foot on the blackberries.
(So they should not be picked later!)
Traditional northern Irish proverb

St Michael’s rain does not stay long in the sky.
Traditional French proverb

If it does not rain on St Michael’s and Gallus [Oct 16], a dry spring is indicated for the next year.
Traditional English proverb

My Week That Was

For me, that was one of those funny ol' weeks. They come along every now and then. There should be some indication in the transits to my natal chart to account for it but the only vague connection I can see is my natal Neptune being "embraced" by transiting Saturn and Venus, one on each side, like a good cop/bad cop scenario. Transiting Uranus (my Sun's ruler) was/is opposing Venus from Pisces. None of that seems to translate clearly into my funny ol' week though.

In the very early hours of Monday morning I had to leap out of bed and dash to the loo vomiting (the rest came later)- a side effect of the anti-biotics the doctor had prescribed for my sinus infection and headache the previous week. I rang the doc's office after 9 o'clock, told the receptionist of the problem, asked should I stop the tablets or finish the 10-day course. She took details of my pharmacy etc. and said she'd get back to me asap. She didn't. I felt too bad to chase and chide. Tuesday, still no call from the doc's office by late morning. My husband, who had to go out on another errand, decided to call in personally and remind them. They'd call me, they said. Eventually someone did and said the doctor advised not to continue the tablets, and wanted me to have a blood test; no reason given. "Can you come right now, we close at 2pm". I went. The nurse said, "We'll let you know if there's anything abnormal". Wednesday - nothing from the doc's office, Thursday likewise. Friday likewise. I'd been kind of expecting them to tell me there was a new prescription faxed to my pharmacy. Nothing.


At the same time as the above was happening - or rather stagnating, there was the issue of my sick computer which had been deposited at the computer shop the previous Friday. I got a call from a tech on Monday who told me that one problem is a defective fan, but he wasn't sure a replacement would be available from Dell. He would make enquiries and let me know. It took me less than 5 minutes to check on-line that there seems to be a fan available on the Dell parts site for that model. I had still not heard further from the tech by Friday 3pm, when the shop closes for the weekend.

I had been feeling generally disgruntled, so to cheer myself I started looking at possibilities for a replacement computer at the Dell Refurbished Outlet site. I noticed one, not refurbished but categorised as "Scratch and Dent" (outer case blemished but not affecting performance - bit like myself!) at a very reasonable price. After hemming and hawing for hours I ordered it, it seems exactly what I need. That was Tuesday late afternoon, by noon on Thursday the new computer had been delivered! Amazing! And I had still not heard from the the computer tech, or the doctor's office.

As I said, it's been a funny ol' week, filled with discomfort and inefficiency on the one hand, and incredible service and efficiency on the other. I suppose that the doctor is angling for another visit and the attendant $$$, before he'll prescribe an alternative anti-bio; and we can't get the new computer on-line and onto our home network without the help of a tech....and the circle goes round and around!





So our President Obama has been honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. I was happy to hear the news, but my pleasure soon turned to dismay as I read some of the articles and comments which quickly followed the announcement. What is wrong with so many Americans (on both sides of the political divide, by the way) that they cannot feel happy that their President, and by association their country, has been thus honored? What right have they to question a sincere decision made by a group of people in Europe? I see such objections, criticisms and rude comments as extreme bad manners. But then, the internet is highlighting so much that is wrong here nowadays.

I did read a few nice comments, however. The quote from "Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway" by Susan Jeffers below is taken from a comment at the BBC's website and comes from someone in the UK. I've taken the liberty of copying it here:

At 5:28pm on 09 Oct 2009, ukwales wrote:

"People are unreasonable,illogical and self-centred:
Love them anyway!

If you do good,people will accuse you of selfish motives:
Do good anyway!

If you`re successful,you will win false friends and true enemies:
Succeed anyway!

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow:
Do good any way!

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable:
Be honest and frank any way!

The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds:
Think big anyway!

People favour underdogs but follow only top dogs:
Fight for some under dogs anyway!

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight:
Build anyway!

People need help but may attack if you help them:
Help them anyway!

Give the world the best you`ve got and you will get kicked in the teeth:
Give the world the best you`ve got anyway!"

Don`t stop Mr Obama.

HEAR HEAR!!

John Lennon & Jackson Browne

On skimming through Wikipedia's lists of people born during this week in previous years I noticed that John Lennon was born on 9 October. Everybody and their dog has chewed on Lennon's natal chart already, but interestingly, 9th October is also the birthday of Jackson Browne. Also interestingly, Jackson Browne is a political activist, in similar vein to Lennon, and an environmentalist (Wikipedia has details). He lives on a ranch in California, entirely off the power grid, his own wind turbine installed. I suspect Lennon would have been doing something along those lines too, had he lived.









I decided it'd be interesting to compare the charts of Lennon and Browne, they're nowhere near being astrological twins, of course. Browne was born 8 years later than Lennon, and in a different country, though both in Europe. Jackson Browne was born in Germany, son of an American serviceman stationed there. Lennon's time of birth, in Liverpool UK, is still being questioned in some circles; the chart I'm using is set for 6.30pm. We don't know Jackson Browne's time of birth, so comparison of exact Moon positions and ascendants won't be possible, but there's plenty more to compare.









Both Suns are at 16 Libra. Browne's Sun is conjunct Neptune, planet of imagination and creativity. In Lennon's chart Neptune is hooked into a Grand Trine circuit combining Neptune, Uranus and the Moon. So Neptune features strongly in both charts, though in different ways.

Both men have Mercury in intense Scorpio, Browne at 5*, Lennon at 8*.

Both men have Venus in Virgo at 3*.

I find it quite significant that Sun, Mercury and Venus are so closely similar sign and degree-wise, yet the charts are 8 years apart.

Lennon's Moon at 6.30pm was in Aquarius, which does seem to be a good fit for his quirky and socially aware nature. Browne's Moon, whatever his time of birth would be in Capricorn. That's a significant difference personality-wise. Whereas social awareness and activism feature in both men's stories, I'd say that Jackson Browne is a steadier type, and more business oriented, anchored by an Earthy Moon. Although, if Lennon's true time of birth were found to be before noon, his Moon would be in Capricorn too - late Capricorn. I'm convinced Lennon had Aquarius Moon though.

I read through some on-line lists of quotes of Jackson Browne, then some of Lennon's, and found it fascinating that several of Browne's quotes were on the topic of money, whereas Lennon's didn't touch on the subject at all. Capricorn Moon and Aquarius Moon - there's one explanation for the difference!

Jackson Browne's rebellious, socially aware nature links to Uranus (the rebel) at 0* Cancer trining his Mercury in early Scorpio.

Lennon's rebellious Uranus at 25 Taurus, is afflicted by the malefic Fixed Star Algol (a sinister placement, bearing in mind the tragedy which overtook him), and also is linked into the Grand Trine already mentioned.

Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it.
John Lennon

We have an open society. No one will come and take me away for saying what I am saying. But they don't have to, if they can control how many people hear it. And that's how they do it.
Jackson Browne

JACKSON BROWNE - "Doctor My Eyes"

JOHN LENNON - "Working Class Hero"

MERCURY CHIT-CHAT

If the dreaded Bloggers' Block strikes I often reach for a book and open it at random. This time I pulled out my copy of Robert Hand's "Horoscope Symbols", a book I'd recommend to anyone who hasn't come across it yet, by the way. I opened it and my eyes were drawn to these words:

"Mercury is often underplayed in astrological writing. In part this may be because it is not often an obvious source of difficulty to people. Also, I suspect, people find its symbolism less exciting than that of some other planets. Yet it is a symbol of immense importance. It is connected to the mind, especially the logical and reasoning capabilities, and to all forms of communication".

That is something I've noticed. Mercury is almost taken for granted. I've always thought it should be included along with Sun/Moon/rising sign when producing a rapid pencil sketch of any personality.

How we communicate is such a huge part of who we are, it colours the perception of those we meet, it's almost always the first thing others notice about us - it's instant.

Because of its position Mercury can only ever be in the same sign as the Sun or in one of the adjacent signs (previous or following). In many natal charts Sun and Mercury are in the same sign, which simply adds to the Sunsignliness (made that word up) of the native, but where Mercury is in a different sign from the Sun, the properties of Mercury's sign can often be sensed first: Mercury governs communication and communication is instant.

I've noticed this in a few people I've known well, whose charts I've been able to investigate. My husband, Sun Aries, Leo Moon and ascendant has Mercury in Pisces - he comes across initially as very quiet and thoughtful, certainly nothing like outgoing Aries/Leo. My mother, with Sun in Libra and Mercury in Scorpio definitely could come across as rather sharp and biting, not at all tactful and diplomatic as Libra is usually perceived.

My own Mercury in Capricorn reflects my father's, we were both Aquarius Sun with Capricorn Mercury. I can't, of course, say how I come across to others, but my father had a definite Capricorn feel, until you knew him better. I suspect I might be the same. Still, I like this combination because it unites Aquarius's ancient and modern rulers, Uranus and Saturn. That has to be beneficial, I reckon. It's only when Sun is in the adjacent signs of Aquarius or Capricorn that this uniting of ancient and modern rulers can happen. Scorpio has Mars and Pluto, ancient and modern rulers, but Aries and Scorpio are too far apart to house both Sun and Mercury. Pisces has Jupiter and Neptune as ancient and modern rulers, but Sagittarius and Pisces are too far apart for Sun to be in one and Mercury in t'other.

Sigh. I hope my desktop PC gets well soon because, somehow, this laptop inclines me to waffe.

Roland Emmerich & "2012"

Roland Emmerich's upcoming movie "2012", for release in November, looks like being the blue touchpaper ready to ignite a whole new fluster about 2012 and the Mayan calendar's ending in December of that year. He and his PR team obviously intend the public not to overlook his new movie. There was something called a "roadblock" of commercials for it on TV last Thursday, when almost every TV channel carried the same commercial and clip from "2012" - at the same time. I understand a similar tactic will be used in Europe and elsewhere later this month. Overkill?







Emmerich seems to enjoy making movies with an apocalyptic theme - "The Day After Tomorrow" and "Independence Day", for instance. When I looked at Emmerich's natal chart, it reminded me instantly of one I was looking at just last week - Weird Wenesday subject's, Claude Vorhilon aka "Rael".

Roland Emmerich was born on November 10 1955 in Sindelfingen, Germany. Time of birth is unknown, so a 12 noon chart has to suffice. Rising sign will not be accurate, nor will exact position of Moon - if born before 11am Moon would have been in Virgo, later than that, in Libra.



With reference to the similarity between Emmerich's chart and Vorhilon's, it's not only emphasis on the same signs, and the clustered pattern of the chart, it's the fact that there's a peculiar coincidence in that Mars and Mercury occupy the same degrees of the same sign, but reversed in each chart (sounds muddled).......Emmerich has Merury at 3 Scorpio, Vorhilon has Mars at 3 Scorpio. Emmerich has Mars at 17 Libra, Vorhilon has Mercury at 17 Libra. I really don't know whether there's any sound astrological sifnificance in this or not, but I found it weird!

Whereas Vorhilon (chart on right, click to enlarge) has Sun, Mercury and Neptune (imagination & creativity) conjoined natally, Emmerich has
Mercury and Neptune conjoined, though in different signs, in his case the Sun is a degree or two too distant to form a triple conjunction, but it's a similar line-up to Vorhilon's.

Emmerich has Jupiter and Pluto conjoined in Leo, which could be translated as an exaggeration of paranoia and concern with death put on the show-biz (Leo) stage. Vorhilon has Saturn and Pluto conjoined in Leo - which might be translated as business interests and concerns with death put on the public stage via his cult activities.

Neither Emmerich nor Vorhilon has any planets in Earth signs, so grounding for their creative imaginings is absent; each uses his free-range imagination in different ways. Superficially there's no obvious similarity between them, but their inner drives do have things in common.

LETTERMAN etc.

We didn't see David Letterman's unexpected confession last week, in his late night show, but the internet was full of reports of it later, so we caught up rapidly.

I wasn't too surprised by the news. Letterman's a show-biz celebrity, "the casting couch" is, after all, part of show biz legend. Why would we be surprised? As far as I can tell, celebrities, including some politicians, march to a very different drummer from many of us who live outside of those privileged circles.

It did surprise me when the identity of the perpetrator of the proposed extortion was revealed. A man like Robert J. Halderman, with all his experience of journalistic life and show-biz would surely not be naive enough to think he'd get away with his plot - at least, not on the evidence we've seen so far. Unless, perhaps Mr. Halderman is suffering some kind of breakdown following what seems to have been a succession of personally traumatic times, family-wise and finance-wise. If so, his actions could be something akin to, but on a very much more damaging scale than, the celebrities arrested for shoplifting, reports of which surface with some regularity.

I've looked for Mr. Halderman's birth data without success, for I think his chart might be useful in fathoming why on earth he though he could get away with what almost seems like the plot of a bad episode of a TV drama.

Proper astrologers have discussed Letterman's chart at the weekend - Lynn Hayes at Beliefnet, and Shelley Ackerman at Karmic Relief. Shelley does mention Mr. Halderman's date of birth, but I can't find the source or his place of birth, so felt it wise to wait. I'm sure details will surface soon.

My own last assessment of David Letterman and his chart, some months ago during the Sarah Palin debacle, is HERE. I downgraded my previously warm opinion of him then. Looking again at the chart in my old post, I see that Black Moon Lilith conjoins his natal Moon - and I did try to interpret that at the time. I'm beginning to get the hang of BML - there's a little more evidence here to add to my collection!

Letterman obviously did the right thing by making public what would otherwise have been rooted out by media and made even worse. I feel sorry for his wife and son, and of course, for his mother who occasionally appears on his show. Those ladies probably were well aware of his shenanigans. Even so, current publicity will be embarrassing and hurtful.

I have a funny feeling that there's more to this story - another chapter to open. I decided to ask the Tarot, and the 3 cards I drew after shuffling were:
Queen of Swords/3 of Swords/6 of Coins. I'm always amazed at the aptness of the cards! There's a woman, a heartbreak and money (though 6 of Coins is usually linked to philanthropic matters). I won't interpret further, but others will probably see what story might be contained in those cards. Actually, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting. We'll see.

WEEKEND WINKS

I look on it as a daily necessity to check "People of Walmart" to make sure nobody has presented a shot of me or himself or both of us (chuckles!) It could happen. We must remember, from now on, never to go shopping in our jammies, and his dinky lion's head slippers.

I saw these two photographs earlier in the week (29 September) and thought:

"Could that barcode on the guy's head be his astrological data - scan it and a beautiful natal chart appears in hologram?" It might be a thing of the distant future - a prediction waiting to happen.


"And is the tall guy in the other photograph an astrologer?" With a tie like that he ought to be, either that or he should be arrested by the fashion police. To be honest, I do quite like that tie, he's brave to wear it, and I'm brave to admit to liking it. Wonder if he has Sun in Aquarius?






After discovering "The Funny Times" the other day I decided to subscribe. A monthly dose of cartoon humour could be a useful antidote to newspapers, on-line and off, which tend to raise blood pressure. We impatiently await our first issue, but in the meantime I hope the paper's publishers and the author of this cartoon strip, Eric Per1in will allow my inclusion of this example. It's from from sometime in 2008, I think. Threre's a point embedded in it, one which could vary depending on one's own point of view....:


BASELESS BELIEFS by Eric Per1in





PS~~~~ My desktop computer crashed on Friday morning, I'm using the laptop until techs at our local computer shop can diagnose what went wrong, and whether or not I've lost everything on the hard drive. Typographical errors and other nonsensities might emerge more often than usual now, so - apologies in advance!

ARTY FARTY FRIDAY ~ Kees van Dongen

I can almost hear a passing reader mumbling "Who the heck is he then?" I said the same when the husband handed me a copy of an old "Réalités" magazine from 1960. The cover bore an image of the painting shown at left. "There's an artist who might be a good subject for you", said the ever helpful spouse, "that painting has always attracted me". "A tad too much eye makeup", I grumbled, "and it reminds me of that dreaded anime style." The painting is "Corn Poppy" by Kees van Dongen



Kees van Dongen, it turns out, was a Dutch painter, born in Rotterdam on 26 January 1877, at, according to Astrodatabank, 7am. He moved to Paris in his twenties and achieved some success, using inspiration from the raw sensuality he found in that great city.

Wikipedia:

"Kees van Dongen developed the lush colours of his Fauvist style. This gained him a solid reputation with the French bourgeoisie and a resultant profitable lifestyle. As a fashionable portraitist his subjects included Arletty, Leopold III of Belgium, Louis Barthou, Sacha Guitry, Anna de Noailles, Maurice Chevalier. With a playful cynicism he remarked of his popularity as a portraitist with high society women; ' The essential thing is to elongate the women and especially to make them slim. After that it just remains to enlarge their jewels. They are ravished.' A remark that allies itself to another of his sayings - ' Painting is the most beautiful of lies.'"

Painters with Sun in Aquarius are not too thick on the ground. Offhand I can only think of Jackson Pollock and Manet. They embraced two very, very different art styles. Kees van Dongen's style is nearer to Manet's than he is to Pollock's, but really it's akin to neither.

A quick look at van Dongen's natal chart then. I'm looking for the key to his pull towards the overt eroticism evident in many of his paintings. This obviously had to do with making his work commercial, as well as satisfying any drive within himself. Still, it ought to be represented in the chart somewhere.



Sun and Mercury conjoined in Aquarius in first house, Black Moon Lilith within a few degrees of them. I haven't made up my mind about Black Moon Lilith yet, I don't necessarily accept its mythical relationship to any demon goddess or negative feminine symbolism. It is actually the point at which the Moon is at its furthest from the Earth - the Moon's apogee. The Moon represents the feminine and all its attributes, so Black Moon Lilith might represent, rather than all the best of "the feminine", i.e. grace, compassion, caring etc. perhaps the more superficial, worldly side of feminine. If that were so, then an artist with this point linked their personal planets could be particularly drawn to that side of "the feminine".

Kees van Dongen's natal Venus (planet of the arts) lies in Capricorn, earthy, business oriented Capricorn, and is in mildly helpful semi-sextile to Black Moon Lilith. For me this symbolises his use of superficial feminine images for commercial motives. This is further underlined by Saturn (ruler of Capricorn) in Pisces, semi-sextiling Sun/Mercury from the other side of Aquarius, and again echoing a purely business link to Piscean creativity. Those two links (to Venus in Capricorn and Saturn in Pisces) are very similar in flavour, I think.

This, from New York Times "The Moment" blog is relevant to those links. It refers to the mutual dislike that existed between van Dongen and Matisse, the more established painter and his contemporary.

"Indeed, Van Dongen enjoyed off-color pleasures that would make Matisse blush, from sketching prostitutes on the piers in Holland to portraiture work of society women in his later years. The joke is that, as a painter for hire, Van Dongen himself became the prostitute. But by refusing to do prim and proper landscapes, he changed the face of Expressionist Fauvism — inadvertently setting the tone for the lascivious dance between art and commerce yet to come."

A few examples of his work, more at Google Image:

THE GOOD, THE BAD, and the ugly truth.

Once again, Shepard Smith proves that he's the one news anchor at Fox News to have any semblance of conscience and intellect. See HERE There's a video of the incident included at the link.

"The Fox Report" on Fox News, hosted by anchor Shepard Smith, ran a piece by reporter Dan Springer on how Canada's single-payer health care system is forcing Canadians to come to the United States for care because the waiting period for treatment is too long. The report was intended to contrast negatively with proposals in the U.S. to include a public option in health care reform, however Smith questioned whether the report they just ran was actually fair....."

This may not seem like much, but I'd give Shep Smith yet another gold star for it. At the very least it might encourage viewers to stop and think, or ask a few more questions of their representatives.

My previous posts on Shepard Smith and his astrology are at:
Shepard Smith - Fair and Balanced
and Shepard Smith of Fox News.

That news item ties in with something I've been steaming about for a couple of days. I wrote to our two Senators a while back, urging them to support a public option as part of the proposed health care bill in the USA. Both our Senators had indicated that they intended not to support this proposal. I didn't expect to hear anything further, but writing helped me feel I was doing what I could. I received a response from one Senator: James Inhofe.

What was written would be funny if it wasn't so damned pathetic. He has sent me what I assume is the standard response prepared for sending to "pesky left-wingers" like myself who dare to write in. He has the gall to criticise the UK National Health Service, and the Canadian system too, offering examples of their faults. He neither knows nor cares, of course, that one recipient of his letter spent most of her life under the wing of the National Health Service and sees the lies in his letter for exactly what they are. For myself it doesn't matter, but for others who receive a copy of the same letter, without the experience I'm so lucky to have had, it is tantamount to brainwash.

Sen. Inhofe and his astrology have been the subject of two of my previous posts:HERE
and HERE

I've also read this week that Sen. Inhofe is to attend the international meeting on climate change in Copenhagen. See here. He gives this peaceful state of Oklahoma a bad name.

"How more removed from the day-to-day reality of most Oklahomans can you get than flying to Copenhagen, Denmark to tell the international community the United States will not pass legislation anytime soon dealing with global warming?

But that’s just what U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe says he intends to do, according to the National Review. Inhofe says he will lead a “truth squad” to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December. This squad will argue there’s not enough support in the U.S. Senate to pass a bill."

I don't blame James Inhofe for being who he is, he can't help it. I blame the people of Oklahoma for voting him into the Senate and giving him such power over their lives.