Arty Farty Friday ~ WHAT IS ART?

A seemingly simple question, posed some years ago at Quora, has one of the longest threads of answers I've yet come across.

What is art?


Most responders took the question and ran with it - ran all over the place in fact, and at length! I patiently read through a majority of answers, some from as long ago as 2011, some from early 2019. I was searching for something that I felt answered the question without...erm...a certain element of "showing off" from the writer, there's a lot of that. One could almost say that defining art can be made into an artform itself!

A few answers which easily resonated with me are below, although a simple, one-line definition does it for me too:
Art is the creative expression of humanity.


Expanded by Jeffrey Colin, former Cryptolinguistic Specialist at National Security Agency (1986-1989) answered January 2019:

Anything requiring a creative element. That may not be the most popular answer to the question, but it is the most pragmatic. The level of subjectivity that so many applied to assessing what “Art” is represents a de facto arrogance. Art is ANYTHING that entails a creative component in its creation and understanding. The Universe itself is the greatest “Artist” of all.

Expanded a little more by Michelle Gaugy, Art gallery owner, author, art consultant.(Jan 2015)
:

"Art" does not have one definition. These three little letters are used to represent very different things at different levels of meaning.

At its shallowest level, art is entertainment - theater, movies, dance, popular music, etc., that we use to relieve ourselves of tedium and anxiety and to unite us socially.

At the next level, art is both an aesthetic expression and an experience that may provide emotive, imaginative and even spiritual responses, for those so inclined. Historically, at this level, it can also provide substantial community, or even national "glue", especially music, theater and select visual arts.

At its deepest level, art - particularly visual art and music - provides one of the few available ways we have through which we can attempt to comprehend and integrate experiences that matter very deeply to us, but that cannot be explained adequately through words - concerns such as love, faith, death, etc. (note: other ways are nature, prayer/ meditation)

Regardless of which level of art we discuss (or argue about), one thing is very clear. Art has existed as long as humans have, so it clearly "comes with the territory". Some of us make it. But all of us use it, in one way or another. Because we need it.

And, from Alex Tamkin (May 2013):

I've struggled with this question for a while, mainly because every time I come up with a definition, I keep on finding counterexamples to disprove it. The definition I've become tentatively satisfied for now is this:

Art is something created or presented with the intent to deliver an aesthetic experience.

This definition is very broad, and includes works where aesthetics is the primary motive (e.g. a painting), or is second in importance to other aims (e.g. perfume, architecture, or commercials).

This definition also emphasizes the matter of context: the same object that may not be considered art in one environment may be considered art in a museum.

Overall though, art, as well as the definition of art, is constantly changing.

While preparing this post I glanced across the room and caught sight of one of my favourite vintage store arty bargains hanging on the wall by a window, it is titled, The Creative Mind, and signed by the artist, Joyce Crowley. What better place to feature a photograph of it - again (see below)? I wrote a full blog post about it just after buying it, in 2015 - SEE HERE.



Joyce Crowley's website is - HERE. In the section titled "Bas Relief", among the group "Contemporary & Abstract", there are several pieces in similar style and colours to this one.

CLIP from website:

All skills of drawing, sculpting and painting are combined in this unique art form. The slow layering process using acrylics and sand creates a bas-relief sculpture presenting a three-dimensional illusion when side – lighted... whether bold abstract, contemporary flowing designs... The surface interest, combining sculpture and soft earth tones, is a feast for the senses. The creative designs command attention. The tactile durability and craftsmanship command respect.

The image below doesn't do the piece full justice - the sculpted texture of it isn't clear.

14th February is......

Unwelcome Atlantic Cross-overs

I've been away from Britain for long enough now (since October 2004) to feel a little out of touch with goings on there - other than news about flippin' Brexit! What follows isn't Brexit-related, thanks be, but it has some relevance to both sides of the Atlantic - a question from Quora, posed recently. The link leads to a complete thread of answers. I like the lengthy answer provideded by Simon Mark Blackburn, and have extracted a nap selection from Mr Blackburn's contribution.



Which American habits and mannerisms do you wish Britain hadn't adopted?

Parts of an answer by Simon Mark Blackburn, Chartered Architect RIBA

I am not anti - American. Americanisms are fine coming from North Americans. They often sound dynamic, humorous and colourful to my ears.

So much good has come from America. STEM, Medicine, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Chuck Berry, Elvis, the Moon landings and NASA, JFK, guitars, Hollywood's great past and the silver screen giants, generous funding of the Arts, the culture of philanthropy and enlightened self-interest. Don't forget "bring me your huddled masses etc...." And that lot's just for starters.

BUT….

It's a just a pity that us over here are now so culturally diminished that we now mainly absorb America's crass and pretentious characteristics. I’d feel less saddened if we at least adopted some of its better habits.

Sooooo…in no specific order and without further ado….

[These are just a selection extracted by your blogger, for the full list see Simon Mark Blackburn's answer at the link above]


The baseball cap. That ubiquitous symbol of the idiocracy.

"Can I get...?" instead of "I'll have..." or "may I have..." if one is being posh.

A grubby little one bed-roomed flat over a chip shop being described as an apartment! Pretentious estate agents watching too much US telly I think. It's in a piddly little suburban town in middle England, not Greenwich Village or LA!

Black Friday.

Oriented instead of orientated.

Lootenant (somebody renting a toilet) instead of lieutenant (a subaltern).

Snuck instead of sneaked.

Burglarized instead of burgled.

Regular? As opposed to what? Irregular? What does an irregular coffee look like?

And so on.

Narcissism. Self-delusion about one's own importance and attractiveness. This is a real problem amongst our youngsters.

Victimhood. I'm fed up with hearing about LGBQTABCDEF or whatever the latest Venn diagram of gripes that we’re importing from America.

Social inflation. I heard a dinner lady referring to her...profession. Dinner ladies are great. Best people in a school, maybe the World even, but… surgeon is a profession, astronaut is a profession, barrister is a profession. Dinner lady isn’t.

Idiots driving about in cars painted with American flags and or US style plates (either Union or Confederate).

Honestly, does the Brit idiot who suggests we "touch base" realise how ridiculous he sounds?

As a postscript I'm adding contributions from two others - I liked these:

Mish Armo (Teacher at a Primary School 1990 - present) ended a list with:

The following are non-negotiables. If we ever adopt the following, I will stick pins in my eyes as I sail across the North Sea in a blizzard

Gun culture.
Healthcare that isn’t free at the point of need. Long live the NHS.
Saying Happy Holidays.
Telling a stranger our life stories when we aren’t drunk.

Nigel Foster (Much travelled writer) His 4 points:

Facebook. Twitter. Both are crimes against humanity.
Whooping to show appreciation.
Political correctness used as virtue signalling.
Virtue signalling.

Music Monday ~ "...they try to sock it to ya...."

Joe South - I remember him only from a hit song he wrote from the late 1960s, with its interesting and ever-relevant lyrics: The Games People Play. The song's title was taken from a book by Eric Berne, a bestseller on the psychology of human relationships.

There's a full post about Joe South and his natal chart in an old post of mine HERE.

That old song often comes to mind when reading about Theresa May's Brexit fumbles and foibles. Is she playing games, running out the clock, gaming the dissenters to her Withdrawal Agreement until toes are over the cliff edge and that dreaded "crash out" is nigh? Or is she.......?

On this side of the Atlantic, our current president has his own favourite gaming table: Twitter! Also, it's more than likely that games are already being played, prior to the 2020 presidential election, to ensure that anyone daring to voice policies even a smidgen left of establishment Democrat line (which, translated, means conservative) will never bask in the sunlight of media celebrity, but be constantly ignored, criticised or dismissed as "socialists". Socialist, a term which describes nobody currently on the list of candidates, and probably no more than a few dozen individuals in the whole of the USA! The word 'socialist', even though most don't understand its meaning, has gathered the same kind of horror here as 'leper' had in biblical times. ("Unclean, unclean!").

For this Music Monday, I was about to post Joe South's own rendition of his song, when I noticed this exuberant old version of it by Engelbert Humperdinck (now 82), Tom Jones (now 78) and Billy Preston (who, sadly, died in 2006 aged 59). Joe South, the song's writer died in 2012, aged 72.




Oh the games people play now
every night and every day now
never meaning what they say now
and never saying what they mean
while they while away the hours
in their ivory towers
till they're covered up in flowers
in the back of a black limousine

la da la da da da da,
I'm a talkin' about you and me
and the games people play

You know we make one another cry
we break our hearts and we say goodbye
we cross our hearts and we hope to die
that the other was to blame
we need a woman that will give in
so we gaze at our eight by ten
wanderin' 'bout the things
that might have been
and it's a dirty rotten shame

[chorus]

People walkin' up to ya
singing glory haleuajah
and they try to sock it to ya
in the name of the Lord
they're goin' to teach ya how to meditate
read your horoscope and cheat your fate
furthermore to hell with hate
c'mon and get on board

[chorus]

Look around tell me what you see
what's happening to you and me
God grant me the serenity
to remember who I am
cause you've given up your sanity
for your pride and your vanity
you turn your back on humanity
and you don't give a damn da da da......

Saturday & Sundries

Paris in the Snow - in Photographs






On a similar, though more intense, theme:

Russia's 'Dubak' challenge creates icy works of art

Temperatures of -40C (-40F) and -50C (-58F) in parts of eastern Russia haven't stopped people getting out and having some fun in the snow and ice.

According to the state news agency TASS, current temperatures in Russia are much colder than average for the time of year.

Unsurprisingly, the trick of throwing boiling water in the air and watching it turn into ice - which was popular in North America during the polar vortex - has become a trend. People across the country have been taking part in the "Dubak" challenge, which is Russian slang for bitingly cold weather.

Siberian Husky Temper Tantrum

What the Stars Foretell (Monty Python)

Red State Blue (Well...we can dream!)

Arty Farty Friday ~ 2 Arty Birthdays: Franz Marc & Joe Mangrum

A trio of short videos featuring two artists with birthdays today, 8 February, and on Sunday 10th February respectively.




I featured Franz Marc in a full post, a few years ago:

Franz Marc, Casualty of World War I

Joe Mangrum, birthday on 10th February when he'll be 50 is, among his other arty talents, an amazing sand artist.

The artist's own website, with many photographs of his work, is HERE

Two Eccentric (?) Sun Aquarians

I came across this pair separately while searching for something else, I couldn't resist featuring them this week, especially as they both have Sun in Aquarius birthdays.

Billy Meier born February 3 1937 in Bulach/ZH, Switzerland

Bob Lazar born January 26, 1959 in Coral Gables, Florida, USA

I have been known to scoff at the idea that Sun in Aquarius, especially when aided and abetted by other planets and/or sensitive points in that sign, necessarily has attributes connected to Uranus: eccentricity, the unexpected, interest in all that is futuristic. Unless there are clear aspects and connections to Uranus in a natal chart, I (with Sun in Aquarius myself) tend to lean towards the traditional ruler of Aquarius, Saturn. I like to think that Aquarius is the Airy version of Saturn with an inventive turn of mind, socially conscious and with great respect for logic; while Capricorn is the Earthy version, business oriented, regimented, disciplined. These two guys might just persuade me otherwise though!

In addition to the Wikipedia links above, here are nutshell and rather more friendly explanations of who they are and why they are well-known, at least among certain segments of society.

Billy Meier- Supposed life-long contactee with the 'Pleidians', humanoid life forms who fly in 'Beamships'. Has provided hundreds of beautiful photos of their craft, which all have stood up to professional analytical scrutiny, as well as rheims of technical info provided by the extraterrestrials, which has also stood up to scientific scrutiny. For someone with one arm and no access to a photolab or computer facilities (most of the photos were taken in the 70's) with education at a fifth grade level, it is difficult to believe that this is a hoax. However, because of the potential implications and outrageousness of the story, it is also difficult to believe that this is real!


Bob Lazar- A 'Mad Scientist' who invented such crazy contraptions as a rocket powered car. He was drafted by the US government to work for them at Area 51, or more specifically the 'S4' facility a few miles from it. At S4, he claimed, there are 9 UFO's being studied in an 'amateurish' fashion by the US military under the highest secrecy level (Bob had a clearance about 30 levels higher than the President). He was chucked out after taking some friends to see a test of one such craft, and went public to ensure the authorities didn't kill him.

Above clips are from:

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread31491/pg1


So...I'm investigating their natal charts for similarities - just for the hell of it. Without exact times of birth what can be gleaned from the noon charts, below, is limited. The rising signs of this pair would be most enlightening!

After pondering on the two charts for a while, I have not been struck with the thought that either one was "the chart of a real nut job". "Crazy like a fox" could be nearer the mark though.

Both men have mentally oriented Aquarius Suns, neither of their natal Suns is in tight harmonious aspect to Uranus, planet of eccentricity, but Lozar's is in rather wide opposition to it.

Neptune, planet of imagination and dreams, is more of a significant feature in Meier's chart. Neptune in Virgo trines his Mercury/Jupiter conjunction in Capricorn, and sextiles natal Mars, and possibly Moon in Scorpio. Meier has Saturn in Pisces, the sign ruled by Neptune, and it lies in sextile to Mercury and Jupiter in Capricorn. I certainly see Meier as more of an imagination-led character than Lozar, but still with a certain innate business sense, courtesy of his Capricorn planets.

Bob Lozar, with additional emphasis on Aquarius from Venus and Chiron, along with natal Sun, also has some strong Capricorn emphasis from Mercury and Saturn. So, again, a grounding and business-related quality is present. Mars from Taurus adds more "feet on the ground" flavour, further emphasised by a trine to his Capricorn Mercury. In Lozar's case Neptune, king of imagination, is in close square to Aquarius Sun - so not as harmonious to his nature as in the case of Billy Meier.

Conclusion from limited detail available: It isn't possible for anyone to know for sure whether there have ever been concrete, real-life happenings and reasons behind the stories the two men have told, or whether all has grown from pure imagination. Both men do know, full well, when they are onto a good thing, though! They have not been shy to continually embroider and continue their stories, whether in the cause of fame, fortune, or fear of loss of face.

 Billy Meier

 Bob Lazar

Music Monday on World Cancer Day

World Cancer Day is an international day marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. (See more at Wikipedia, here.)

For all who are, or have been, afflicted with this terrible disease, and in memory of those of our loved ones already lost because of it, I can't think of a more appropriate song than this one. Here the song was sung in 2016, on America's Got Talent by a 16 year old cancer survivor, Calysta Bevier.
Fight Song, written, and recorded earlier, by Rachel Platten.

There's more about Calysta Bevier here:
Calysta Bevier – Biography, Wiki, Quick Facts, Where Is She Now?




Fight Song
by Rachel Platten

Like a small boat
On the ocean
Sending big waves
Into motion
Like how a single word
Can make a heart open
I might only have one match
But I can make an explosion

And all those things I didn't say
Wrecking balls inside my brain
I will scream them loud tonight
Can you hear my voice this time?

This is my fight song
Take back my life song
Prove I'm alright song
My power's turned on
Starting right now I'll be strong
I'll play my fight song
And I don't really care if nobody else believes
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

Losing friends and I'm chasing sleep
Everybody's worried about me
In too deep
Say I'm in too deep (in too deep)
And it's been two years I miss my home
But there's a fire burning in my bones
Still believe
Yeah, I still believe

And all those things I didn't say
Wrecking balls inside my brain
I will scream them loud tonight
Can you hear my voice this time?
This is my fight song
Take back my life song
Prove I'm alright song
My power's turned on
Starting right now I'll be strong
I'll play my fight song........................

Saturday & Sundry observations ~ Another Would-be President of the USA: Cory Booker

Yesterday Cory Booker, Junior Democratic Senator, New Jersey, added his name to the growing list of contenders in the presidential election, 2020. I've "had my eye on" Cory Booker for around 10 years, feeling pretty certain that we'd see this happen, sooner or later.






Below are links to my archived posts on Senator Booker:

Drive-by astrology - Cory Booker (2008)

Cory Booker (2013)

Booker, VP? (2016)


He was also mentioned in these posts:

With Bells On (2017)


Another Broken Reed (2017)


Some current thoughts:

At the time those posts were written there was no information available as to Cory Booker's exact time of birth, so charts at these links were calculated for 12 noon, meaning that his true ascendant sign and degree remained unknown. At some point an astrologer, well-known at astrodatabank, Sy Schofield, produced a birth time for Senator Booker - 1.10AM, said at the website to have been provided by Booker himself, from memory. The time is given an "A" rating - so deemed reasonably reliable. Here is Senator booker's natal chart using the time of birth provided at astro.com:

Cory Booker, born in Washington D.C. on 27 April 1969 at 1.10 AM

For me this, in this regard, time of birth makes a huge difference. My cynical side begins to wonder at what point did the Senator come up with this time of birth, and does he have any astrological knowledge himself, or has he taken astrological counsel? Why? Because this particular time of birth gives Senator Booker a rising sign of 1.20 degrees Aquarius. Transiting Saturn will be conjunct this point in November/December 2020 at election time. Saturn is the planet most often connected to law/legal matters, public status, profession. Saturn transiting a person's ascending degree often indicates a change in one or all of those areas.

I wouldn't bet that, in Senator Booker's case, it means the presidency - we need to see the full line-up before making that kind of bet! I would bet, though, that it means at least some change of status in the public's eye. If not the presidency, then an important post in the administration, perhaps.

All of that, of course, depends on the time of birth now available being accurate, and not provided in the hope that it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy! (I must try to control my cynical side!)

Another interesting factor relating to Booker's natal Saturn is the Yod (Finger of Fate)linking natal Saturn by two quincunx (150 degree) aspects to sextiled Neptune and Uranus/Jupiter. This Yod stands irrespective of ascendant placement. As I wrote in one of the posts linked above of this Yod :

Here the point of the arrow hits Saturn - law maker. Astrologers say that the planet at the arrow point indicates a compelling focus on the energies of that planet, driven by the combined energies of the two in sextile, here it's Uranus/Jupiter and Neptune. So this Yod can be translated thus: optimistic dreams of social reform brought into focus via laws and hard work.

That focus is quite a classic Aquarian focus, so finding Aquarius rising is a bit like Cinderella finding the glass slipper to fit!

From my post on 19/20 January I found that Elizabeth Warren also had indication of change coming around election time 2020, I'll add Cory Booker, tentatively, to that and wait to find out who else will throw their hats into the ring.

Arty Farty Friday ~ Venezuela

It's not often that news stories precipitate a change of decor chez Twilight and Anyjazz, but worsening news of the plight of ordinary people in Venezuela, due to a game of political Monopoly being played by governments (US government included) has done just that.

In 2015 I wrote a post about a bargain piece of artwork I had found during a trip in Texas. After some research, and with help of a commenter friend, "mike", it was discovered that the signed and titled limited edition print is of a watercolour by Bart Forbes; it is titled "Venezuela". The painting was, very probably, painted as part of a commission by Exxon-Mobil, the world's largest publicly traded international oil and gas company.

This week I've taken down the framed print from its place beside my computer, replaced it with another of my "bargains". I don't wish to celebrate, in any way, what is happening in Venezuela at present, which has got to be, at root, due to the country's oil reserves.

Anyway - to re-cap - here, again, is my 2015 post on the painting titled "Venezuela".



During a short trip to north Texas in late April I bought a signed limited edition print (97/780) of a watercolour painting by Bart Forbes, the picture measures around 25" x 30" in its frame. It was being sold 50% off (original price was only $25). A bargain, I thought, even though the painting's backing was damaged and the framing needed some strengthening, it had once been well-framed, and with expensive non-reflective glass. It was the subject matter of the painting that had first caught my eye though.

Painting's title, written in the artist's own hand is "Venezuela". I hadn't deciphered that until I got a closer look. I did appreciate, or suspect, that the painting was a kind of potted history of the oil industry. Yeah - I know, it's in bad books these days due to environmental destruction and contribution to climate change. However, in a similar way to coal, for use of which our predecessors were eternally thankful I feel sure, oil was another natural resource which catapulted civilisation forward at an amazing rate - possibly too fast - but that's another story.

In the painting, starting top left, is a representation of the forest where basics of oil were laid down aeons ago, to the right of that is a basic oil derrick. At bottom left oil has become the means of easy travel in the 1920s and 30s. The inset illustration shows a couple of oil men standing before a fully fledged oil field. At far bottom right - hmmm - was that patch foggy darkness a depiction of oil itself - or a prophecy, I wonder ?

The picture hasn't translated to computer screen too well, the frame is not black, it's a mid-brown wooden frame. The painting's colours are more subtle yet more distinct, a little sharper than shown. It does have a generally faded look but I don't think it has faded, I think it's in an intended washy water colour style, in shades of aquamarine and grey, with just one splash of a pinkish shade. Click on image for a slightly bigger version.

Husband has now replaced and strengthened the picture's two layers of backing and fixed remaining frame problems - good as new! It now hangs to the right of my compuer desk.


Bart Forbes, I have now discovered was born on 3 July 1939 in Altus, Oklahoma, now lives in Dallas Texas. Wikipedia has a short piece on the artist; there's a 2 minute video featuring Mr Forbes:



More images of his paintings, including lots of sports subjects, can be seen via Google Image.

Midweek Musings ~ "They reach out in their mystic language For us to read between the lines."

The post's title is borrowed from a lovely song written by Neil Diamond titled, appropriately enough, "Signs" - first two verses:



Signs that burn like shooting stars
That pass across the nighttime skies,
They reach out in their mystic language
For us to read between the lines.
Some are born who would defy them,
Others still who would deny them, signs.

Signs like moments hung suspended,
Echoes just beneath the heart
Speak in voices half remembered
And half forgotten play their part.
Signs that come as we lay sleeping
Left behind for our keeping, signs.

On the topic of signs, astrology-wise, below are a trio of my own answers, offered on Quora's astrology section. The first, from a few days ago:


What in the world happened to the Age of Aquarius? It was dawning in the '60s and then just disappeared?


My answer:

The Broadway musical “Hair” has a lot to answer for! It was a song from that show that got hippies and some astrologers over-excited about the Age of Aquarius.

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
Age of Aquarius
Aquarius
Aquarius.

Not correct astrologically, but it does rhyme!

I like a theory put forward in a book and website, “Signs of the Times” by Robert Fitzgerald. The author divides the lengths of time between astrological ages into slices, more accessible bite-sized chunks called Eras and Phases.

At present, according to Mr Fitzgerald, we are in transit through the Age of Pisces. By this author's calculation the Aquarius Era of the Pisces Age ran from 1800 to 1980 - which could well account for some astrologers' insistence that we were already in the Age of Aquarius.

Then, dividing time into even smaller slices, 1950 to 1965 becomes the Aquarius Phase of the Aquarius Era of the Age of Pisces....that slice includes the psychedelic 60s - thought to be quite Aquarian, so with a double dose of Aquarius: phase and era, it was.... with a background of Pisces dreaminess.

1965 to 1980 = Pisces Phase, Aquarius Era, Age of Pisces.

From 1980 to 2160 is the Pisces Era of the Age of Pisces and we are presently in the Gemini Phase - 2010 to 2025 of the Pisces Era of the Age of Pisces.

The Cancer Phase will be 2025 to 2040.

For a brief rundown on what this means, and comparisons with similar eras and phases throughout history, do take a look at the website and/or the book.

http://www.signsofthetimeshistory.com/time.html

This one, from a few months ago, still occasionally gathers an 'upvote' or two (in Facebook language, foreign to me, I guess that 'upvotes' translate as 'likes'):


If each zodiac sign were a person and they all lived together in a house, what would each sign be doing?



Aries is telling the others to “hurry up, let’s do SOMETHING - I’m bored!”

Taurus is enjoying preparing a future meal.

Gemini, of course, is chatting, at some length, on the phone.

Cancer? Planning the next family get-together, feeling a bit teary when hearing that a dear relative will not be able to attend..

Leo is sorting through the wardrobe, deciding which outfit will make the best impression.

Virgo is checking accounts and complaining that the rest of ’em have been over-spending again.

Libra is attempting to calm down Aries and Scorpio who have gotten themselves into a heated argument about going out adventuring…Aries can’t wait, Scorpio wont go and won’t lend the car.

Scorpio - See Libra.

Sagittarius is reading some tome on philosophy, but on hearing the Aries and Scorpio scuffle loudly declares an intention to go adventuring, and that Aries is welcome to “come along”.

Capricorn is avidly checking how stocks and shares are performing , grimacing at the raised voices.

Aquarius is on the way out - to join a protest group, after preparing a large sign for use during The March for Equality - seeing this, Libra follows and they leave together.

Pisces? Who knows what Pisces is ever up to? Pisces, right now, is sitting by the window, gazing out, dreamily humming a tune, sipping a glass of wine, deciding whether to send the poems just written to that gorgeous individual met last evening.

Thirdly, I was asked to answer by questioner "Imran":

How can our zodiac signs tell us about our personality so exactly while astrology is considered to be pseudoscience?

If you are using “our zodiac signs” as another way of saying “our Sun signs”, then it is far from accurate to say that these will “tell us about our personality so exactly”. Sun signs will tell about one facet of personality only, and that facet could well be modified by the rest of the full natal chart’s content.

If you are using “our zodiac signs” in a general way - that is “all 12 zodiac signs”, then the unique mix of planetary positions in the signs, in a person’s natal chart , when interpreted by a competent astrologer, will tell many things about a personality - but still not everything. Outside influences, background, education, experience, location also have input to any person’s character/personality.

People can define astrology in whatever way they see fit. Because some define it as pseudoscience, does not mean that they are correct, it means they do not have the insight needed to see further than what appears on the surface. It is for each individual to define astrology, as they perceive it, after having the courtesy of studying the basics of astrology, experimenting with it, before validating or demeaning it.

As a Cockney Bingo-caller Might Say of my Weekend Birthday: "There you go matey!""

I can't find much to make it sound nicer - I could say quatre-vingts, or ottanta, or ochenta, or achtzig. I could even say, echoing another bing-caller "Ghandi's breakfast" [translation: "ate nought" or looking down from above on Mahatma Gandhi sitting cross-legged in front of a plate.] TSK!


However it's termed, nothing will change the fact that I shall arrive at the big
Eight-Oh, birthday-wise, on Sunday 27th. I'll arrive not particularly bloody, other than bloody-minded, and not particularly unbowed except for the joint and muscle pains brought on by a pesky medication which will have to be given the old heave-ho.

So, in honour of all the above considerations, I'm giving myself a long weekend off-blog to mark the...erm...event.

“I see birthdays as a reward for having shown up 365 in a row. It's like getting a badge for attendance.”
― Gina Barreca. "If You Lean In, Will Men Just Look Down Your Blouse?": Questions and Thoughts for Loud, Smart Women in Turbulent Times.


“Don't celebrate how old you are, celebrate the years you survived.”
― Touaxia Vang.

Arty Farty Friday ~ Burns Night

Robert ("Rabbie") Burns born in Scotland on 25 January 1759 - 260 years ago today. Burns wasn't a painter but he qualifies for the "arty farty" banner for his poetry and quirky style.

Most people will recognise a few of Burns' poems: Auld Lang Syne (a New Year favourite when put to music); My Love is Like a Red Red Rose, for instance.

Others need a wee bit of translation - To a Mouse is one of these. The poem is available at Wikipedia with "a modern translation".
The original last two verses go like this

But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men,
Gang aft a-gley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy.

Still thou are blest, compared wi’ me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But Och! I backward cast my e’e,
On prospects drear!
An’ forward, tho’ I canna see,
I guess an’ fear!


I like this summary explanation of the poem from Schmoop

The speaker is plowing a field and accidentally turns up a mouse's nest. The mouse is shivering and terrified. The man stops his work to try to comfort the mouse.

He tells her to relax. He didn't mean to break into her nest. But then the speaker starts thinking more about it—the mouse is, after all, pretty justified in being freaked out. Mice should be scared of humans. We set traps for them, we set cats after them, and we plow up their winter nests. The speaker apologizes on behalf of all humankind. He says that the mouse might steal little bits of food from human farms, but who cares? That one little mouse doesn't eat much. And now her little winter house is all in a ruin. He imagines the mouse planning ahead carefully for the winter—she worked so hard to make her nice little nest, and then, BOOM. The plow goes right over it.

But hey, says the speaker—that's life. Whether you're a mouse or a man, your plans—however well-laid—often get messed up. And after all, the mouse has it easy, compared to a human. Mice live in the present moment, while humans look to the past with the regret and to the future with fear. Lucky mouse.

Also notable:
John Steinbeck took the title of his 1937 novel Of Mice and Men from a line contained in the penultimate stanza: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley" (often paraphrased in English as "The best-laid plans of mice and men / Go oft awry").

In Douglas Adams's Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series, mice are the physical protrusions into our dimension of a race of hyperintelligent pan-dimensional beings who commissioned construction of the Earth to find the Question to the Ultimate Answer of Life, the Universe, and Everything. When their plans go wrong they lament that "the best laid plans of mice" don't always work out.

At the Burns Birthplace Museum in Scotland, there stands a piece of arty fartyness in tribute to the "Mouse" poem:

Fast-forward two and a quarter centuries: Alloway, Scotland in 2010. The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum was under construction, almost completed. Its caretaker, the National Trust for Scotland, had launched a competition to find an artist who could create a public work of art, to celebrate the poet, that would be situated on the walkway of the new museum. The contemporary Scottish sculptor Kenny Hunter received the commission; he had already established his name around the globe with large works of animals and people and skeletons that have been labeled ‘anti-monuments.’ The artist has noted his sculptures “look as if they have just popped out of a machine or a Kellogg’s cornflake packet—yet they are monumentalised and subversive.” For the winning work Hunter chose to pay homage to none other than Burns’s mouse, a seven-foot bronze that he titled Monument to a Mouse. In an interview, he said, shortly after hearing his proposal had been selected “my cat deposited a dead field mouse outside my door just before bedtime. It’s a common thing for cats to do of course, but the mouse was in just the right pose and unusually for my cat she had left it perfectly intact. So I put it in the freezer and took it to the studio in the morning to begin work on the model. It helped tremendously in developing the form that my monumental mouse would take.”
https://mouseinterrupted.wordpress.com/tag/kenny-hunter/

I've always enjoyed reading another of Burns' poems:
A Man's A Man For A' That.
Last verse:

Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a' that,)
That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an' a' that.
For a' that, an' a' that,
It's coming yet for a' that,
That Man to Man, the world o'er,
Shall brothers be for a' that.

Being translated:

Then let us pray that come it may
(As come it will for a' that)
That Sense and Worth over all the earth
Shall take the prize and all that!
For all that, and all that,
It is coming yet for all that,
That man to man the world over
Shall brothers be for all that.

I fear that the prediction in those final lines will still, even in 2019, be a long time coming. But ten out of ten to Rabbie Burns for his optimism!


Finally, recalling Robert Burns' wise, but unlikely to be granted, plea...:

No Walls - Heresy or Freedom of Thought?

An astrolger, years ago, name escapes me, once pointed out that "there are no walls in space". We can't argue with that, though I wouldn't argue against Donald Trump demanding one be built at some future point in time! Graham Greene once said, or wrote, "Heresy is another word for freedom of thought." I'm about to commit the heresy of freedom of thought - on one facet of astrology.

Traditional astrology does build theoretical walls in space - both types of astrology are guilty of this. Sidereal astrology, based on the constellations, widely used in India and the East; and tropical astrology, based on the seasons - the system with which we in the west are familiar. In astrologese these theoretical walls are known as 'cusps' - the divisions between the 12 zodiac signs, Aries to Pisces.

When comparing tropical and sidereal versions of a natal chart, I've found that often both can provide a reasonably accurate interpretation, yet there are around 23 degrees difference between the two zodiac systems.

What if, in both versions of the zodiac, the division into 12 signs, passed to us by ancient astrologers is just too detailed and precise to fit real-life, living breathing mortals in the 21st century? Astrologers tend to look on the system handed down to them in much the same way as Americans look on the Constitution : sacred. Perhaps, after the passing of centuries, both could benefit from some updating and adjustment? Ain't gonna happen, of course, in either case, but it's interesting to surmise.

All widely used astrological systems are based on 12 traditional sign divisions: Aries through Pisces, apart from Uranian astrology and Harmonics, both of which ignore signs completely and concentrate only on planets. I've found that there's proof enough that zodiac signs have value, but I do get the feeling that there is much more "wiggle room" between them than is, traditionally, assumed. Most astrologers, even my favourite astrologers, have declared that the cusps are definite borderlines; one is born on one side of these, or on t'other - no wiggle room allowed, no 'bleeding over' of characteristics, no blending.

I've always thought that astrology has to be based upon natural phenomena, but phenomena as yet not understood. People who look on astrology as a mathematical phenomenon, or in the realm of the spiritual or metaphysical, or those who adhere firmly to the system of the ancients, would not find my view tolerable, this I understand and respect. We don't know any answers about astrological methods for sure - we just don't! If some astrologers were to accept that much and remain a tad more open-minded, it would be helpful.

A "blending in" phase between each cusp would result in a more complex system for sure, but one which would follow the rules of nature more nearly. Nature doesn't move, abruptly, from one situation or stage to another, it does so gradually. Even in the case of what seem to us to be abrupt events: earthquakes, hurricanes and such, the causal factors have gradually built up over a period of time, sometimes centuries, sometimes days, but never instantly, as in on/off.

Using a zodiac of 12 signs, any blending-in phase couldn't account for the 23 degrees of difference between tropical and sidereal systems. While keeping in mind that any theoretical walls in space could have some slight degree of flexibility, I've often thought that natal positions of Mercury and Venus ought to be given more prominence in basic astrological interpretation, and not just labelled as "communication style ", and regarding "art and love".

Sun/Moon/ascendant positions are seen by many as the key trio. While not arguing about that trio's importance, I'd add Mercury and Venus. Mercury can never be more than the space of one sign from the Sun's position; Venus never more than the breadth of 2 signs. These two factors very often bring into a personality 'flavours' of signs adjacent to the Sun sign in a natal chart. It's possible that this might account for the fact that, sometimes, both sidereal and tropical astrology can seem to fit a personality - even discounting the ticklish question of cusps and blending-in periods.

I'm in a picky, prickly mood today, one of those moods when, though my belief that there is validity in some parts of astrology still holds, I do not believe everything the text books and teachers propose as being inarguable. Heresy? Dunno - but I don't "expect the Spanish Inquisition". :)

Music Monday ~ Champions

For the next few weeks an America's Got Talent spin-off (or sequel) of the original show - with the words "The Champions" added to the title, will be airing. Each week, past winners or runners-up of AGT proper, along with winners from "......Got Talent" in other countries (for example, Spain, Russia) will compete to discover who is "Champion of Champions". Voting isn't being done by viewers this time, but by panels of "super-fans" in each of the USA's 50 states - a similar system, I guess, to the voting system of the dreaded, and occasionally hilarious, annual Eurovison Song Contest.

I've always been a fan of talent shows, mainly singing shows, but we've also watched AGT fairly regularly through the years. A few singers or musicians are always included in these shows. My husband has tagged along, watched beside me stuff he never would've watched before we met. I have to say, though, my fandom has been wearing very thin in relation to The Voice recently - so much so that this year we didn't even watch the finale. It remains to be seen whether American Idol will meet with the same fate when it returns later this year.

Anyway - back to AGT the Champions.

Last week a singer new to America, Cristina Ramos, appeared; she was winner of Spain's Got Talent. She sang a great version of "Bohemian Rhapsody", and was one of two contestants voted through to the final.





In the previous week's show we saw, again, Susan Boyle. It has been some 9 years since Susan Boyle first came to the notice of people on this side of the Atlantic - and of most on t'other side too. America's Got Talent, in 2009, was her vehicle, her vocal talent was the power driving her. In The Champions episode she was awarded a "Golden Buzzer" by Mel B, one of the judges, for her rendition of "Wild Horses", so will automatically proceed to the final.

Here it is. If you'd prefer to miss the intros, skip to around the 2 minute spot.



I'd recommend also listening to her album version of the song, linked at the first link below, from 2009.

https://twilightstarsong.blogspot.com/2009/11/sunday-supplement-horses-wild-others-no.html

My first ever post about Susan is at:
https://twilightstarsong.blogspot.com/2009/04/susan-boyle-phenomenon.html

A later one is here:
https://twilightstarsong.blogspot.com/2009/11/susan-boyle-realising-her-dreams.html

Saturday & Sundry Thoughts ~Would-be Presidential Ladies: Tulsi Gabbard, Elizabeth Warren & Kirsten Gillibrand

It's early days to be blogging about the USA's presidential election in November 2020, nevertheless I've been interested to read recently of three potential candidates from the Democrats - three ladies who appear to be preparing to throw their hats into the ring, hoping to be part of what's likely to be a crowded platform of candidates. These are: Tulsi Gabbard, who supported my guy, Bernie Sanders strongly in 2016; Elizabeth Warren, who should've supported Bernie in 2016 but didn't; and Kirsten Gillibrand who is an unknown quantity to me, so far. I shall take a quick look at the natal charts of the three ladies, not to interpret their personalities, but to decide, from coming planetary transits, which of them is most likely to experience massive change in the next couple of years.

I suspect that the time is ripe, now, for a female president - perhaps one of these ladies?


Transits of the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, along with Jupiter and Saturn are those I'm looking at in relation to these charts. If any of these planets will be making close contact or aspect to natal planets of one of these ladies, then she'll be the one to watch.

These charts are all set for 12 noon, as no birth times are available, so house positions, rising signs and exact Moon positions will not be accurate as shown.

Between now and early November 2020
Uranus will traverse the last few degrees of Aries and up to 8 degrees of Taurus
Neptune: between 14 and 20 degrees of Pisces
Pluto: between 20 and 24 degrees of Capricorn
Saturn: between 11 and 27 Capricorn
Jupiter: between 11 Sagittarius and 22 Capricorn







Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. Representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district since 2013.

Elizabeth Warren, academic and senior United States Senator, Massachusetts, since 2013.

Kirsten Gillibrand, attorney and politician, junior United States Senator from New York since January 2009

CONCLUSION

No doubt at all in my mind - Elizabeth Warren has the best chance of major change happening after November 2020. Look to her natal Jupiter at 0 Aquarius. Saturn, planet which most signifies profession, public position, law, will be exactly conjunct her natal Jupiter by mid-December 2020, just after the election, and will be close enough, on the date of the election, to be considered conjunct. That signifies, at the very least, some big change in her professional public life; if not the presidency, then at least a move to a more significant position in government.

Time isn't yet ripe for Tulsi Gabbard or Kirsten Gillibrand. Ms Gabbard is probably too left-wing, at this time, for main-stream Democrats, and media characters under control of "big money" (all of 'em), who will put her down in any way they can, or alternatively ignore her completely between now and 2020, as they did in respect of Bernie Sanders candidacy in 2015/16. Main stream Democrats will wish to keep their ties to big money sources, and those sources will look on any truly leftist positions, as set out by Bernie Sanders and his followers, including Ms Gabbard, as an anathema to be opposed at every opportunity.

Elizabeth Warren is definitely the most likely of this trio to do well in the election - if she does choose to run, and that is due to much more than her astrology. She did not support Bernie Sanders in 2016, she supported Hillary Clinton - for which I do not forgive her, but that is a fact main-stream Democrats will have noted. Senator Warren knows the way to the presidency much better than I do, of course - or for that matter, better even than Bernie, whose main aims, always, has been to try to improve things for "we the people" in any way he can.

As weeks and months pass, we'll be seeing more presidential hopefuls throwing their hats into the ring - on both sides. I'll repeat this exercise later on, with a different cast of characters.