Family Astrology ~ Family Portraits

As seen in Friday's post on the Vernet family of artists, astrology via the natal chart, as well as heredity via DNA, can be seen to have connection.
ISAR, International Society for Astrological research some time ago began a project to investigate this:

"We are convinced that astrological heredity research is a
promising field. Some results have already been found, and
a great deal of good quality research material, i.e. family
birth data, is simply waiting to be exploited to reveal its
secrets. "

There's a pdf file on some preliminary work HERE.

Michel Gauquelin wrote about family astrology in his books Planetary Heredity and Cosmic Influences on Human Behavior.

From introduction to Planetary Heredity:

"Over one hundred years ago, Gregor Mendel discovered the fundamental laws of genetic heredity. His work was too revolutionary for the authorities of that time to accept. But, today, Nobel prizes are numerous in the science of genetics. Michael Gauquelin may have made a discovery of the same nature. Through extremely hard work (gathering the birth data of more than 100,000 deliveries) he has demonstrated that we were born under similar cosmic conditions as prevailed at the birth of our parents. Thus, he is the founder of a new genetic science. Mendel, an obscure monk working with plants, discovered patterns of human heredity. Gauquelin graphs a relationship between human heredity & the stars.... "

From a review of Cosmic Influences on Human Behavior

Chapter 14. Cosmic Genetics shows that statistically children have more chances to have the Moon, Venus, Saturn, Mars or Jupiter on angles if their parents had them. It is an argument which sustain astrological heredity which is more complex and can be observed easily manifesting in other ways like: planets in the same signs, the same planetary aspects etc.

Speaking of families - and just because I can, I'm borrowing some vintage photographs of families, identities and astrology unknown, from my husband's collection at Lost Gallery and Flickr

If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.
Thich Nhat Hanh quotes (Vietnamese Monk, Activist and Writer. born 1926)

The family is one of nature's masterpieces.
George Santayana

Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life! ~Albert Einstein

The Only child?

In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.
Alex Haley

Proud Relatives of Sons "called to arms"?

A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold. ~Ogden Nash

"The occasional animal" (+ my husband's caption)

Oh. I was just looking for my um...ball. Yeah, that's it. Pork chop? No. No, I haven't seen any pork chop.

Arty Farty Family Friday ~ The Vernets

Artistic talent often runs in families, passed down via the DNA and, of course, in the astrology. One such family, the Vernets, were painters in 18/19th century France.





(Claude)Joseph Vernet (born Avignon, 14 Aug. 1714; died Paris, 3 Dec. 1789) was one of the leading French landscape painters of his period. He became a leading exponent of a type of idealized and somewhat sentimental landscape that had a great vogue at this time. Vernet was particularly celebrated for his paintings of the seashore and ports.

Marine Landscape with tower and fishermen hauling in their nets







His son Antoine-Charles-Horace, known as Carle Vernet (born Bordeaux, 14 Aug. 1758; died Paris, 27 Nov. 1836), painted large battle pictures for Napoleon, notably the Battle of Marengo, and after the restoration of the monarchy he became official painter to Louis XVIII, for whom he did racing and hunting scenes.

Napoleon on a Hunt in the Forest of Compiegne





Carle's son Horace Vernet (born Paris, 30 June 1789; died Paris, 17 Jan. 1863) was one of the most prolific of French military painters, specializing in scenes of the Napoleonic era. A portrait of Napoleon and four battle pieces by him are in the National Gallery, London. He also produced animal and oriental subjects.

The Battle at the Bridge of Arcole


ASTROLOGY

Joseph and Carle, father and son were both born 14 August, so their natal Suns are at the same degree of Leo. Carle and Horace, father and son have Venus (planet of the arts)close in Cancer at 15 and 17 degrees respectively. There's a broad Leo/Cancer link between all three charts. The strongly featured Virgo in the eldest Vernet's chart peters out though, with just Mercury there in his son's chart, and no Virgo in the grandsons's. Exact times of birth might throw up more similarities, via ascendant and Moon. It does looks as though grandson might have inherited grandfather's Libra Moon (ruled by Venus).

Dylan Ratigan's Aries Rant

"Mad as hell....." etc. Dylan Ratigan let it all out this week. An unusually frank outburst for MSNBC talking heads who are usually careful not to criticise the Democrats and president too strongly - or at all. Their usual ploy is to harp on and on about the idiocies of the Republicans, when, in truth both sides are working for the same masters - and it ain't We The People - those they swore an oath that they would serve.






For anyone unable to play the video there's a rundown on its contents HERE...Ratigan Rants Against Bought Congress, Naked Empire




Dylan Ratigan, born 19 April 1972, Saranac Laky, NY.



Sun in late Aries, Mercury in early Aries denotes someone unafraid to enter the fray and stir it up a little - or a lot. Mercury is sextile Saturn in Gemini - a hard edge to his Fiery communication style. Mars (ruler of his Aries Sun) is also in communicative Gemini and conjunct Venus....extra weight on communication skills.

THIS is what we need more of - much more!

Leon Panetta ~~ Is his chart a bad fit?

Leon Panetta previously director of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), in charge of the mission earlier this summer to kill Osama bin Laden, now has the top civilian job at the Pentagon: Secretary of Defense.

Speaking at his first Pentagon news conference, Panetta called on Congress to raise tax revenue and cut mandatory spending programs, which include Medicare and Social Security, rather than slash defense more than the roughly $400 billion required over the next decade under the debt-reduction bill signed last week by President Obama.
See here

What kind of man, I wondered, would see the sick, needy and poor fall by the wayside so as to allow tons of money continue to be shovelled into the budget which enables US troops to go kill brown people in far off lands?


Leon Panetta was born on 28 June 1938 in Monterey, California. A 12 noon chart is shown in the absence of information on his time of birth.



Well, well, well.... this could be another instance of "too much of a good thing"!
Sun, Moon and cluster of planets in Cancer. Cancer, ruled by the Moon, known to astrologers as the nurturing, motherly sign; soft, sentimental, intuitive, withdrawn shy...etc.etc. Perhaps, as with salt and sugar, a little Cancer goes a long way, too much is not a good thing.

I've noticed this phenomenon before, in charts where there's a big cluster of planets in the same sign as the Sun. Somehow the essence of the sign, as usually understood, morphs into something else entirely with the sign overloaded.

Perhaps, in his private life his Cancerian attributes shine through - we cannot know this.

Jupiter in gentle Pisces trines his Cancer Sun, which only adds to my puzzlement about this guy.

Saturn in Aries trines his Leo Venus, here's a slightly harder Fiery edge, but still scarcely enough to outweigh that cluster in Cancer.

Perhaps Panetta's rising sign would clarify a lot, but without a time of birth that remains a mystery.

Any thoughts from a passing reader?

Born On This Day: Larkin, A Rather Unlikely Leo Poet

LONG LION DAYS
Whatever conceived
Now fully leaved,
Abounding, ablaze –
O long lion days. (P.A.L 1982)

The above was one of the last poems written by Philip Larkin, born with the Sun in Leo. It was found written on the back of an illustrated postcard, one of a calendrical set (this for July), depicting illuminations from The Book of Hours, and a representation of the zodiac sign for each -in this case Leo.
(HERE)

"A man reaps wheat in a field bordered by vivid green. Above him burns an intense vermillion sky, laced with leaping tongues of gold (real gold on the real thing). To the right, separated by the master’s ruled margin and Leicester city’s postmark, is a magnificent flourishing lion: the sign of Leo, Larkin’s sign. And on the back? Carefully written out is the poet’s lyric translation of the scene."

Philip Larkin is better known for his somewhat dour poetry, often harping on death and other depressing matters. Not Leo-like at all! He's not a favourite of mine, though I once had 15 seconds of fame speaking to him on the telephone. My very first job was as assistant to the County Archivist in East Yorkshire, England. The Archivist was a friend and colleague of Philip Larkin, with a common connection to the University of Hull Library. I spoke to Mr. Larkin, then Librarian at the University, on the phone one day in the absence of my boss. It was quite unremarkable, he didn't speak in iambic pentameter, sprinkle the conversation with metaphor, nor did he entrance me with his charisma! Ah well, poets are just like the rest of us mortals when caught without their poetry hats on. Disappointing.

Philip Larkin was born on 9 August,1922 in Coventry, UK. He died at a relatively young age, 63, in 1985. Perhaps his depressing turn of mind was born of some subconscious knowledge of an early demise. I can find no note of his time of birth, the chart below is set for 12 noon on his birth date.



Wow! Look at that - Sun sandwiched tightly between Mercury and Neptune in Leo - what an astrological signature for a poet ! Mercury is the writing planet, Neptune planet of imagination and creativity. Jupiter the publishing planet is harmoniously linked by sextile (60*) to the Leo cluster. Mars (energy, aggression) trines the cluster from Sagittarius. Uranus (change, the avant garde) in Pisces is qunincunx (a scratchy, irritable aspect) to the Leo planets, which fits with this poet's reputation as being something of a reactionary, a curmudgeon, racist & misogynist . He totally lacked charm as far as I can tell!

The Moon would have been somewhere in the first half of Pisces whatever time Larkin was born. This must have brought in a strand of compassion and softness, which seems to have been most evident in his love of animals.

"The margins of his pencil-written manuscripts are frequently crowded with mice, rabbits, sheep, and owls. And, although he himself never kept an animal, the pets of his friends would concern him as much if not more than the friends themselves did."
(HERE)

He had love for the female sex too - several at a time if some reports are to be believed. It is from his letters to Monica Jones, the woman who was his longest lasting partner (he never married, seemed to be terrified of commitment) that a clearer idea of his personality might be gleaned - and it appears he did have a much softer side. (HERE)

Venus in Virgo, and Saturn in the last degree of Libra: these two are close enough to be considered conjoined, but in different signs. Saturn (restriction, limitation) so close to Venus could well represent this man's aversion to marriage. Saturn being very close to the North Node of the Moon too - an extra sensitive point - gives Saturn's hard edge extra potency. I wouldn't be surprised to find Capricorn (rulership of Saturn) rising in his natal chart, but we can't know without a time of birth.

It appears that Larkin had no time for astrology nor any esoteric subject. Apparently he was sent a copy of his natal chart by another famous poet, Ted Hughes, just to tease, Larkin being known to deride what he called the "myth-kitty".

I began with one of Larkin's poems, so will finish with a couple more, a couple with less of his signature dourness. The first reflects his Sun sign (though that was quite unintended I'm sure), the other simply appeals to me, as a "wish it were true" poem.

SOLAR

Suspended lion face
Spilling at the centre
Of an unfurnished sky
How still you stand,
And how unaided
Single stalkless flower
You pour unrecompensed.
The eye sees you
Simplified by distance
Into an origin,
Your petalled head of flames
Continuously exploding.
Heat is the echo of your
Gold.
Coined there among
Lonely horizontals
You exist openly.
Our needs hourly
Climb and return like angels.
Unclosing like a hand,
You give for ever.



HOMAGE TO A GOVERNMENT

Next year we are to bring all the soldiers home
For lack of money, and it is all right.
Places they guarded, or kept orderly,
We want the money for ourselves at home
Instead of working. And this is all right.
It's hard to say who wanted it to happen,
But now it's been decided nobody minds.
The places are a long way off, not here,
Which is all right, and from what we hear
The soldiers there only made trouble happen.
Next year we shall be easier in our minds.
Next year we shall be living in a country
That brought its soldiers home for lack of money.
The statues will be standing in the same
Tree-muffled squares, and look nearly the same.
Our children will not know it's a different country.
All we can hope to leave them now is money.

Music Monday: The Song Not the Singer ~ Blizzard of Lies ~ Dave Frishberg

Blizzard of Lies. Listening to a show on BBC i-player recently I heard this song, on that occasion sung by the late Susannah McCorkle, whose version could hardly be bettered - see/hear below.

Lies - they're everywhere - big ones, small ones, white ones, dangerous ones. We are so used to hearing them that we hardly recognise them as lies anymore. This song reminds us of a few we see and hear daily. The last two lines are my special favourites, cynic that I have become: "Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart.
And you're in for a big surprise." Full lyrics are below.

Blizzard of Lies was written by jazz pianist, composer and lyricist David Frishberg, once labelled "a Woody Allen of song". His compositions are, sadly, becoming lost in the mists of time, except among jazz fans "of a certain age". Two of his better known songs which might ring a memory bell are Peel Me a Grape and My Attorney Bernie. (Links are to versions by Nancy Wilson and Blossom Dearie respectively.)

Mr Frishberg's official website has some interesting bio detail and other stuff - well worth a visit.

Dave Frishberg was born in St. Paul Minnesota on 23 March 1933. He has Sun and Mercury in early Aries, Moon in either very late Aquarius or early Pisces, Saturn in Aquarius sextile its ruler Uranus.
The quirkiness, humour and cynicism in his lyrics bear the marks of Aquarius/Uranus to my ears.
Mr Frishberg "the writer" is defined by a stellium (cluster of planets) in Virgo (one of two writers' signs ruled by Mercury - the other being Gemini). Chart is set for 12 noon as time of birth isn't known.

BLIZZARD OF LIES

We must have lunch real soon. Your luggage is checked through.
We've got inflation licked. I'll get right back to you.
It's just a standard form. Tomorrow without fail.
Pleased to meet you. Thanks a lot. Your check is in the mail.

Marooned, marooned, marooned in a blizzard of lies.
Marooned, marooned, marooned in a blizzard of lies.

Your toes and knees aren't all you'll freeze
When you're in it up to your thighs.
It looks like snow, but you never know
When you're marooned in a blizzard of lies.

You may have won a prize. Won't wrinkle, shrink or peel.
Your secret's safe with me. This is a real good deal.
It's finger lickin' good. Strictly by the book.
What's fair is fair. I'll be right there. I am not a crook.

Marooned, marooned, marooned in a blizzard of lies.
Marooned, marooned, marooned in a blizzard of lies.

Better watch your step when your old dog Shep
Can't even look you in the eyes.
You're cold and lost and you're double crossed
When you're marooned in a blizzard of lies.

We'll send someone right out. Now this won't hurt a bit.
He's in a meeting now. The coat's a perfect fit.
It's strictly fresh today. Service with a smile.
I'll love you darling 'till I die. We'll keep your name on file.

Marooned, marooned, marooned in a blizzard of lies.
Marooned, marooned, marooned in a blizzard of lies.

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart.
And you're in for a big surprise.
When you're marooned, marooned, marooned,
marooned, marooned, marooned in a blizzard of lies.

Susannah McCorkle's version of this song isn't available at YouTube, but here's one that is:

Rick Perry, Bilderberg, New Apostolic Reformation

In one way I'm hoping that Texas Governor Rick Perry, who has said that he is considering a presidential run in part out of a religious calling, decides not to enter the 2012 presidential campaign, but in another way I'm curious to watch the outcome if he joins the fray.

Let me first direct any astro-interested passing readers to two excellent views of his natal chart - then add just a couple of thoughts of my own. (1) Fellow astro-blogger Jude Cowell again comes up trumps with her piece: Rick Perry Prez Bid Awash with Controversy. (2) Michael Wolfstar: with Rick Perry's Mercury
Here's Perry's natal chart. He was born on 4 March 1950 in Paint Creek, Texas. No time of birth is available online, so 12 noon chart used here.



Salient points have been pointed out in the linked articles above, but two things stand out for me: the fact that his Mars and south node of Moon conjoin Fixed Star Vindemiatrix. From Skyscript:

Vindemiatrix, which Ptolemy defined as like Saturn and Mercury, and referred to as 'the bright star in the northern wing', is the third brightest star of the constellation, being less brilliant now than it was in Ptolemy's day. The name is a feminised Latin deviation of the original Greek name, Provindemiator, meaning 'the Grape Gatherer', since the heliacal rising of this star announced the time to pick the grapes.... Although symbolically associated with a time of harvest and thus, one would assume, associated with the rewards of previous efforts, it is generally accorded an unfortunate influence in keeping with its predominantly Saturnine nature. Robson claims that it gives falsity, disgrace, stealing, wanton folly.......

I'm generally wary of Fixed star interpretations, but do feel it's important to note them in cases such as this, where we might glean additional information as to their significance from watching how things unfold.



Secondly, a Yod (Finger of Fate) linking Neptune and Pluto in close sextile (a generational aspect between two slow moving planets) to his Sun via two quincunx (150*) aspects. His Baby-Boomer Leo Pluto links harmoniously to a crowd-pleasing but potentially delusional Neptune in Libra then both funnel into his natal Sun in religiously-oriented, but dreamer-like Pisces Sun.

His three Aquarius planets are quite surprising - though I should be used to finding Aquarius strong in some conservative charts by now - there's a lot of it about! It stems from Saturn, as Aquarius's traditional ruler. Perry was originally a Democrat though, but "changed horses" mid-stream. This is often the sign of an opportunist - and I suspect that is what we may have here.

Perry is no doubt a practiced crowd-pleaser when among "his own", in Texas, but if let loose upon a wildly diverse nation he might not find it as easy to peddle his dreams, as dictated by Bilderberg backroomers.

Bilderberg ??

Here's is what really cranks up my curiosity: Gov. Perry has links to both the New Apostolic Reformation movement of Dominionist Christians (NAR), and the Bilderberg Group. Many of the NAR's leading lights took part in Perry's prayer rally on 6 August in Houston ; and he has attended, and addressed, meetings of the Bilderberg Group.

NAR+ Bilderberg? That is not a combination I'd be happy to see embodied in the POTUS. One of those ingredients, the Bilderberg connection, probably what the US has been experiencing in its presidents for many years past, is much more than enough!

From Corbett Report

The annual meeting of royalty, politicians, business moguls and academics known as the Bilderberg Conference - a yearly get-together of 130 of the who’s who of Europe and North America, from David Rockefeller to Josef Ackermann to Queen Beatrix. The group, which takes its name from the name of the hotel where the first meeting was held, has traditionally convened under a media blackout, with those members of the press and media moguls in attendance agreeing to forego reporting on the proceedings.
Since the group’s founding in 1954, a handful of researchers and independent journalists have worked to expose the group and its activities, but it is only with the rise of the online alternative media that Bilderberg has come to mainstream attention.

The organization has had to become more open in recent years, and now operates an official website, BilderbergMeetings.org, which lists the group’s steering committee membership, agenda of past meetings, and press releases repeating the official justification for the group’s secrecy:
.............. As the annual meeting brings together heads of state, finance and defence ministers, state governors and other elected representatives with private business moguls, attendees are generally breaking the laws of their respective countries in engaging in the conference. Under the Logan Act, for instance, it is a crime for any US citizen to negotiate with a foreign nation on the USA’s behalf.
As a gathering of some of the richest and most influential people on the planet, the conference is a lightning rod for criticism and speculation about the group’s true purpose. This speculation is not unfounded, as investigative journalists like Jim Tucker and Daniel Estulin have been able to predict numerous world events from discussions that their sources were able to smuggle out of past conferences. Such instances include:

Jim Tucker’s successful 2002 prediction based on Bilderberg intel that the Iraq War would be launched in March of 2003.

Daniel Estulin’s on-camera revelation from the 2006 conference that the Bilderberg members were planning to pop the housing bubble later that year to precipitate a general banking crisis.

And Jim Tucker’s 2009 prediction that Bilderberg were going to use the financial crisis to work behind the scenes on the construction of a closer North American governmental integration, something that was once again confirmed by newly-revealed Canadian diplomatic cables detailing how lawmakers have been quietly working on just such an integration for years.

In 1991, a then-unknown governor of Arkansas (Bill Clinton) was invited to attend Bilderberg, the year before becoming President of the United States.

In 1993, Tony Blair attended the Bilderberg meeting in Athens, Greece. The next year, he was appointed leader of the Labour party.

On the campaign trail in 2008, Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama disappeared for a secret meeting near Washington. Their private limos were seen entering the Chantilly, Virginia hotel where the Bilderberg meeting was taking place that same day.

Gov. Rick Perry attended the Bilderberg meeting in Istanbul in 2007, so he is not unknown to the Bilderbergs. However, that fact alone isn't proof that he could be their new "chosen one", as some surmise. We shall see.

"History is a vast early warning system"

I try hard not to fall for conspiracy theories. Series of events which lend themselves to be woven into such theories are fairly common. Like an optical illusion picture which looks like one thing viewed one way, a squinting of the eye brings something else entirely into view. Sometimes though, a series of events, conversations or coincidental reading of something quite unrelated to the original topic, link up and one thinks...."HUH?....Hmmm!" Synchronicity - or something.

This happened to me a few days ago. Following the debt ceiling debacle in Washington DC, reading some comments on an article at at Common Dreams, I came across this from commenter "Diana" (I've added dates):

The SuperCongress is the most frightening act of governance I've heard about in my lifetime, the final phase of the coup (coup d'etat.)
Phase I could be any number of timepoints, but starting with contemporary politics, I'd say it is:

Phase I = the Supremes giving the presidency to Bush (2000)

Phase II = 9/11 (2001)

Phase III = Neoliberals/corportists install the perfect trojan horse obama into office (2008)

Phase IV = Citizens' United (2010)

Phase Out = SuperCongress (2011)

I responded:
"Diana ~ The Super Congress is the thing that started loud alarm bells ringing for me too. I hadn't yet linked it to the progression you suggest, but it all fits; and one doesn't need to be a conspiracy theorist to see it."
(This "super congress" was mentioned in Wednesday 3 August's post.)

A little later, while looking for something quite unrelated, among entries on a page of quotes, I saw this:

"What no one seemed to notice. . . was the ever widening gap. . .between the government and the people. . . And it became always wider. . . the whole process of its coming into being, was above all diverting, it provided an excuse not to think for people who did not want to think anyway . . . (it) gave us some dreadful, fundamental things to think about . . and kept us so busy with continuous changes and 'crises' and so fascinated . . . by the machinations of the 'national enemies,' without and within, that we had no time to think about these dreadful things that were growing, little by little, all around us. ...Each step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained or, on occasion, 'regretted,' that unless one understood what the whole thing was in principle, what all these 'little measures'. . . must some day lead to, one no more saw it developing from day to day than a farmer in his field sees the corn growing. . . .Each act. . . (was) worse than the last, but only a little worse. You wait for the next and the next. You wait for one great shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes, will join you in resisting somehow.” -- Excerpted From Milton Mayer’s book, They Thought They Were Free, The Germans, 1938-45 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1955)

I felt a cold shiver. I haven't read that book, a study of the lives of a group of ordinary Germans under the Third Reich, but intend to seek it out.

Deciding to investigate any astrological similarities between Germany in the years around 1933 and USA in the 21st century, Google led me to an archived post (Feb. 2011) of fellow astrology blogger Jude Cowell at Stars Over Washington Jude has set out the situation better than I ever could:
I'll copy a few lines here, but a reading of the post in full is necessary to get the whole astro picture:

The spiritual emphasis of the events and social conditions of 1933 resonate with those of 2011 through the sharing of a generational Uranus/Pluto square (to be discussed more fully below) and which undergirds the upheavals and protests now occurring throughout the world, and made easier to organize with the tech aid of Twitter and FaceBook.............................................................

As a message to us in 2011, 1933's Uranus to Neptune (in Aries, sign of uprisings, riots, strikes, protests, and pioneers - tr Uranus approaches the Aries Point as I type) transit typifies an era when a spiritually-inspired aspiration to fulfill high ideals is needed by the people, yet the freedom to express social, political, religious, artistic, musical, divine, and/or other ideals is suppressed, potentially disappearing altogether.

Neptunian circumstances of loss and grief were a long time coming (then as now) as traditions and bonds of family, church, communal sense/commonwealth, marriage, partnership, etc, were slowly eroded making them easier to topple (then as now; Hitler's desire to establish a worldwide 'new world order' shows him as the military arm of a long-standing movement toward global fascism and one-world-government - as you have noticed, they're baa-a-a-ack... - never having really gone away.)

I'm not sure how to wrap this up, except to finish, as I started, with the heading:

History is a vast early warning system.
~Norman Cousins

Too Darn Hot ~ Summers Now - and Then

Time for another mild whingeing session about the weather here in S.W. Oklahoma. There's still no let up in triple digit heat, no sign of rain, nor does the weather forecast offer any hope of improvement.




I consulted astrology blog The Weather Alternative, but again, unless something major blows into the Gulf of Mexico and drums up the father of all storms from which we might get at least the dregs: a downpour or two, it seems we're stuck with the intense heat, and the drought, until September - maybe even later than that for precipitation.


A local newspaper reports that the last ten months are the driest since at least 1921, when records begin for this state. The last two months are likely to rank as the hottest June/July period in the state's recorded history. Since the first day of June this year we've seen only 2 days with temperatures less than 100 (97 and 98 degrees in fact) - and no rain. It doesn't cool down much beyond mid-80s all night long. The cold tap/faucet brings forth lukewarm water, denying me a necessary first-thing cold water wake-up splash. So I tend to wander around like (as my Mum would have said) a clock half-struck.



While such heat isn't unknown here on the fringe of the great south-western desert, for it to continue unbroken for as long, with no rain at all is not normal.

Is this a sign of permanent climate change? We can't really be certain until several summers of a similar pattern have passed. Summer of 2011 could be a flash in the pan, or it could, just as easily, be the tip of....can't say an iceberg.....the tip of the lowest flame in the fireplace.

The BBC has a video and article touching on the problem, with details that I find quite shocking. "In Steinbeck's footsteps: America's middle-class underclass" by Paul Mason. A 15 minute video and transcript are available at the link.


On a brighter note - an old "found" photograph from my husband's vast collection at Lost Gallery. The feeling from this one is just - well - happy! One summer day, somewhere in the USA, sometime in the early 1900s a group of young women were enjoying the summer weather.



A couple more caught my eye - these from beaches, somewhere...sometime, maybe around the 1920s or 30s:





Rivers - a good alternative. How's that for a poseur?




When beaches or rivers were out of the question there was always The Picnic:

Cynicism, Debt Ceilings...and all that jazz

From 20th century astrologer C.E.O. Carter's Encyclopedia of Psychological Astrology(1924):

Cynicism has, like Epicureanism, suffered in reputation with the lapse of time. Originally the cynic was a follower of the Stoic School who carried its doctrines to their logical conclusions, living the simplest of lives and teaching to all and sundry the supremacy of the enlightened Will. This was probably one of the earliest manifestations of the real Uranian ray, acting along scorpionic lines (self-abnegation combined with a strong sense of personal dignity and self reliance) and Aquarius (brotherly love).

The Cynic attitude, as a modern world understands it, is rather a habit of sneering at harmless pleasures and a disbelief in the worth of human aims and life in general. This is very far removed from the vigorous doctrine of the ancients and is probably more often the result of severe Saturnian afflictions, denoting disappointments (often due to lack of real character) and consequent bitterness. It would probably be often found under Virgo, Scorpio and Capricorn ascendants. Capricorn is very easily depressed by failure and non-recognition.

Since that little book was written I suspect the understanding of cynicism has evolved even further.

I find life in the USA tends to have me feeling far more cynical than I used to feel in the UK....though perhaps "distance lends enchantment"!

Recent theatrics in Washington DC and in the mainstream media relating to that darned debt ceiling kerfuffle had my cynicism revving up into full gear. How dramatic.....how convenient....how very, very sickening!!

After all the hamming up they've all done, the end result (delivered right on cue too) has been, as one commentator expressed it: mainly to "kick the can down the road" until after the 2012 election. That, and to legislate for a "super congress" with the mandate to come to decisions behind closed doors about spending cuts etc. So much for Candidate Obama's promises of transparency. The only transparency apparent in 2011 is that President Obama is transparently different from Candidate Obama.

Cynically speaking....what else would we have expected?

Congressman Ron Paul, who is usually no hero of mine, says something important here:

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this deal is the “Super Congress” provision. This is nothing more than a way to disenfranchise the majority of Congress by denying them the chance for meaningful participation in the crucial areas of entitlement and tax reform. It cedes power to draft legislation to a special commission, hand-picked by the House and Senate leadership. The legislation produced by this commission will be fast-tracked, and Members will not have the opportunity to offer amendments. Approval of the recommendations of the “Super Congress” is tied to yet another debt ceiling increase. This guarantees that Members will face tremendous pressure to vote for whatever comes out of this commission-- even if it includes tax increases. This provision is an excellent way to keep spending decisions out of the reach of members who are not on board with the leadership's agenda.

Does that sound like democracy? Is it even in line with the much revered Constitution of the United States?

So...on we go, then, cynically onward to the next big dramatic production! A short intermission may follow, for the buying of popcorn and cola (if you can afford either).

This quote is from a politician who died in a tragic "accident", a politician whose like we probably will not see again this side of a revolution. It isn't cynical - it's simply true:

“If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for, at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them.”
(Paul Wellstone)

Thoughts on Misogyny, Misandry & Sexism

Misogyny: The hatred of women. Misandry: The hatred of men. Sexism: The belief that one gender is superior to the other.

A few years ago, when Sedna and Eris arrived on the astrological scene, two recently discovered celestial bodies both given names of goddesses from mythology, some saw it as an indication that, at last, women or at least "the feminine" would come more to the fore in world events. Bearing in mind, though, that Eris was Greek goddess of strife and discord, Sedna goddess of the Inuit underworld and sea creatures, who went through all kinds of tribulations before being killed and sinking to the bottom of the sea, portents were not too good!

C.E.O. Carter in his Encyclopedia of Psychological Astrology has no entry for misogyny, misandry or sexism. I suspect because in the mid 1920s when the book was written these were not yet perceived as problems; or if so, in certain enlightened circles, an author - even an astrologer - might shy away from voicing an opinion on the matter, if selling books and maintaining a reputation was the aim. I've noticed quite a bit of sexism arising in casual turns of phrase in old astrology books I've picked up in antique/junk stores.

If a tendency to be misogynist/misandrist/sexist could be found in a natal chart (which I doubt) it'd stem from Mars and Moon (representing male and female respectively) and antagonistic aspects between them.

But there's this, too:

Allied with Venus in honourable positions Saturn makes his subjects haters of women, lovers of antiquity, solitary, unpleasant to meet, unambitious, hating the beautiful, ...
— Ptolemy, 'Of the Quality of the Soul', 2nd century

I wonder if there's a word for the hatred of those who embrace misogyny, misandry or sexism? If so - that's moi! If we simply have to hate something let's hate war, poverty, injustice, cruelty.....Alright - I know someone's already thinking that the greatest perpetrators of those ills have traditionally been males. But ALL males were not involved. Hatred, if at all, should be directed at the actual perpetrators not at a whole gender.

Misandry is not nearly as common a word as misogyny....in fact I'd wager many people don't even know what it means, but that doesn't mean hatred of men doesn't exist. Rabid feminists display what many see as hatred of men. That would be truly ironic if so!

True misogyny and misandry are, I guess, more rare than commonly thought. They are often, maybe always, the result of life experiences, "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" as The Bard called 'em. Some people can quickly get over unfortunate and uncomfortable experiences such as rejection, the cruelty of abuse, or something even worse. Some never do though, and that's completely understandable. Still, even in the worst possible case, spreading hatred to cover a whole gender isn't going to take away the pain; in fact I suspect it only serves to keep the pain alive.

Sexism, an overall -ism covering both misogyny and misandry, can and does operate in the absence of both. What often passes for misogyny/misandry could be more accurately described as sexism, which does not entail actual hatred. The prevention of women from voting didn't spring from hatred of women. It sprang from the idea that the genders are not equal. Tacky comedians' jokes at the expense of women (or men) could, in a few cases, spring from misogyny or misandry, but more often simply from sexism.

The little rift between the sexes is astonishingly widened by simply teaching one set of catchwords to the girls and another to the boys. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

All this pitting of sex against sex, of quality against quality; all this claiming of superiority and imputing of inferiority, belong to the private-school stage of human existence where there are 'sides,' and it is necessary for one side to beat another side, and of the utmost importance to walk up to a platform and receive from the hands of the Headmaster himself a highly ornamental pot.
— Virginia Woolf (A Room of One's Own)

Music Monday ~ The Song not the Singer ~ All Along the Watchtower

Bob Dylan plucked imagery for his songs from the bible, esoteric writings, tarot and other mystical sources. Trying to interpret his lyrics is like trying to knit fog! Yet they do entice us to try.

All Along the Watchtower is an intriguing example, first aired on Dylan's 1967 album John Wesley Harding, it has since been much covered by artists of all genres, Jimi Hendrix's version being possibly the best known after Dylan's own renditions.

Dylan wrote All Along the Watchtower with the other songs on John Wesley Harding over the year or so following his motorcycle accident in the summer of 1966. His recuperation from the accident enabled Dylan to escape the excesses of touring and make a dramatic change in his lifestyle. With one child born in early 1966 and another in mid-1967, he settled into family life and even took a growing interest in reading the the Bible, which is reflected in the album's Biblical allusions, particularly in songs such as All Along the Watchtower, Dear Landlord, I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine and The Wicked Messenger. (Wikipedia)

For the astrologically inclined, astrologer Neil Spencer wrote a very good piece on Dylan and his natal chart: Gemini: Bob Dylan - The Voice of His Generation.

There's also a post about Dylan in my archives Dylan & I'm not There.


Back to the song.

There's little doubt that for this song's imagery Dylan borrowed from the bible.
See Book of Isaiah, Chapter 21, verses 5-9:

"Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise ye princes, and prepare the shield./For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth./And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with such heed./...And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground."

Imagery is simply a trigger. The insight and imagination of each reader or listener comes into play. Lyrical imagery isn't meant to be taken literally. Dylan, I'm pretty certain, was not writing a song about biblical Babylon. Or maybe I'm being too certain. What if he was....that's what comes of trying to knit fog! However, each reader or listener is entitled to find their own meaning, that's how "the magic" emerges. The same kind of thing happens when looking at an abstract or surreal painting. What the writer or painter had in mind at the time of creation of the piece matters only to that painter or writer, not to their audience.

All Along the Watchtower.
First act: a conversation between two individuals characterised by a joker and a thief (archetypes or two sides of a single personality?) discussing life and its frustrations. The joker isn't happy. He would like to change the status quo. The establishment (the corporations and the elite?) are extracting the best from life, the earth and its bounty without appreciating their true worth. The thief figure responds, presents a more laid-back attitude, yet shrewdly points out that they should know well enough, through experience, that though others might look on the status quo as some kind of joke, talking falsely (propaganda, kidding oneself?) now isn't wise because "the hour is getting late" - facts must be faced.

There must be some way out of here
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief

Businessmen, they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line
Know what any of it is worth

No reason to get excited
The thief, he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke

But you and I, we've been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now
The hour is getting late

Act 2: Backdrop changes to a castle with elevated watchtower, the scene is peopled by princes and servants (the establishment, the status quo?) with a distant view of two riders - are they the joker and the thief from Act 1, coming to warn of imending change? We are not told. The atmosphere has become sinister, dangerous even. Wild animals wait to pounce, a howling wind threatens......Is the establishment in danger? Are the two riders representative of the avant garde of a revolution to come ?

All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants, too

Outside in the distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
The wind began to howl..............

I have the last lines of these lyrics permanently placed at the foot of my blog page - because I find a grain of hope within them. Thanks Bob!