Astro-Political Predicting

Clinton, Obama. Obama, Clinton. Polls are up, polls are down, popular vote, electoral college, superdelegates, pledged delegates.... la-di-da-di-da! This way is madness found.

If the upcoming presidential election in the USA were not so very important, to the world at large, as well as the USA, I wouldn't be feeling so unsetled and uncomfortable. This election is important - much more important than I think we are able to fully appreciate at this point (that's gut-feeling from yours truly!)

[This blogpost is written by Twilight at Learning Curve on the Ecliptic. If reading it elsewhere, please link back by clicking on this message. Thank you.]
Astrology, one of the loves of my life, should at least be able to point a shadowy finger in the right direction to settle my mind. It doesn't. A crystal ball might well be a better bet in this instance!

Vedic astrologer Christopher Kevill here with further assessments here and tropical astrologer Jonathan Cainer (at Previous Thoughts for the Day, March 10 2008), amongst others are sticking to early predictions, despite some doubts, that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee and/or next President of the USA. Other astrologers favour Barack Obama, others John McCain.

Yesterday I set out seeking further astrological guidance, Googled "Barack Obama astrology". I chose one link I respect and trust - Astrodatabank. There's a discussion there, between astrologers, on Senator Obama's natal chart and his chances in the primaries and the general election.

I pondered over the wide variety of comments and approaches in the Astrodatabank discussion for a long time. Is it ever possible for an astrologer, however expert he/she may be, to be purely objective? Doesn't each astrologer's view rely upon their own astrological makeup? There could hardly ever be agreement, especially on predictions, because each astrologer is coming at the situation from a different place, their own astrological place, each guided by unique personal placements and aspects.

Some astrologers predict a Clinton victory, an Obama withdrawal in May/June, others say Obama will be victorious, and others are confident that McCain will beat the Democratic candidate, whoever it turns out to be. Different astrological reasons, (reasonable ones!) are found for each potential eventuality. So, astrology leaves me little nearer to a settled mind.

My American husband is pretty level headed and completely non-astrological about politics. His view:
"There's a long long way to go - every day a different page of the story is turned, new information emerges. You can't measure what will happen in November by what goes on in the present.....bottom line, most important of all, hold this thought.... we CANNOT have another Republican president - CAN NOT!!"

My response, because due to very strong gut-feeling I am unswervingly in favour of Senator Clinton's candidacy:
"Erm, but.. but......huh....okay."

Only time will solve this unsettled feeling of mine - a long time, many months. Until then I'll no doubt continue to search for astrological hints.

*********************************************************************************
(I have included the cryptic hyperlink message after paragraph 2 because somebody, or some mechanical device has been "borrowing" some of my posts, (and those of other astrology bloggers), for display on another website, without the courtesy of a request or a direct link back to my blog. While the site doesn't appear to be making money, nor am I and nor do I wish to, and while they also carry a linkable list of astrology sites (also "borrowed") which includes Learning Curve on the Ecliptic, there is nothing to link "Twilight" to my blog name. "Twilight" at the head of the posts is not linkable back to this blog. If the "borrowers" are reading this, please do the polite thing. Either desist from borrowing posts, send me a courteous request via comments here, or provide proper links back to this blog on every post you "borrow". Thank you.)

Randi Rhodes and Other Bitter Tastes

I glanced at an article about Air America broadcaster Randi Rhodes. This week she was suspended indefinitely for making inappropriate remarks, on stage, about two prominent females, Senator Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro, at an event sanctioned as a fundraiser for Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign (see here). I found the information a bit of a yawn initially. After all, it's becoming de rigeur for so called "progressive liberals" to denigrate the two women in question. How "progressive" is it, though, to use gutter language? The group of political left-leaners in the USA who label themselves "progressives", to this onlooker seem like the exact opposite, it's a misnomer if ever I saw one!


I wasn't too intrigued by Ms Rhodes' lack of vocabulary and good taste until I saw her date of birth. 28 January 1959, Brooklyn, NY. She's younger than me, by a stretch, but her birthday is the day after my own. I had hoped that an intelligent Aquarius Sun might display rather more class and evidence of grey matter than this woman appears able to do.

I can immediately think of three other January Aquarians who are less than classy these days - Dick Cheney, Keith Olbermann and Bill Maher, but even they would, I think, stop short of calling Senator Clinton or Ms Ferraro "fucking whores" while on stage.

Aquarius does have the reputation of being a rebel, a radical, a maverick, of course. How this emerges in each individual varies a lot.

Here's a 12noon version of Randi Rhodes' natal chart, I wasn't able to find a time of birth for her.



The first thing I noticed was Saturn at 2 Capricorn. Transiting Pluto is currently one degree away from her natal Saturn at 1 Capricorn. (Saturn in Capricorn is classic hard-nosed Saturn in its own sign. Pluto a powerful and potentially nasty and transformational influence). Add to this the fact that Ms Rhodes' natal Pluto is at 3 Virgo and transiting Saturn is at 2 Virgo, and we have a double whammy of Saturn/Pluto clashes. Nasty, and it doubtless has something to do with current events.

Other notable aspects in this natal chart are an opposition (180*) between Aquarius Sun and ruler of Aquarius, Uranus, in Leo. It's a tense aspect and I'm not sure of its meaning when a sign and its ruler are involved. Even more significant, an out of sign fixed Grand Cross involving 24 Taurus/26 Aquarius/28 Scorpio and 3 Virgo - which is 4 degrees from 28 Leo) planets involved are Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Pluto (out of sign because Pluto is in early Virgo rather than late Leo). Even if the Grand Cross isn't tight enough square aspects (90*) remain between Jupiter, Venus and Mars - so there's plenty of aggravation and challenge here.

The term Grand Cross refers to "a chart where there are two sets of planets in opposition at right angles to each other." (When the aspects are drawn in the configuration looks like a square with a cross inside it.) "This is an aspect representing very difficult energy; it often denotes frustration, anger, stress, and intensity. However, this aspect also helps with self-growth and endurance."

Coincidentally ascerbic comedian and chat show host Bill Maher and TV talking head Keith Olbermann (both mentioned in the second paragraph, above) have Grand Crosses in their natal charts too - see Bill Maher's natal chart at Astrodatabank (here), and Keith Olbermann's is in an earlier blogpost of mine (here).

So - three January Aquarian Suns all with Grand Cross configurations in their natal charts, all given to ascerbic commentary, which, if unchecked can descend from ascerbic to downright offensive. Coincidence? I think not.

A Sample of Aries The Initiator

On this Aries date of 4th April, in several past years the zodiac sign lived up to its reputation as a cardinal initiator, bringing lots of "firsts" and new beginnings:



APRIL 4TH


1814 - Napoleon abdicates for the first time.



1818 - The United States Congress adopts the flag of the United States with 13 red and white stripes and one star for each state (then 20).


1841 - William Henry Harrison dies of pneumonia becoming the first President of the United States to die in office and the one with the shortest term served.



1850 - Los Angeles, California is incorporated as a city.





1887 - Argonia, Kansas elects Susanna M. Salter, the first female mayor in the USA.



1949 - Twelve nations sign the North Atlantic Treaty creating NATO.



1958 - The CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) Peace Symbol displayed in public for the first time in London, England.




1964 - The Beatles occupy the first five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.




1965 - The first model of the new Saab Viggen fighter aircraft plane is unveiled.


1969 - Dr. Denton Cooley implants the first temporary artificial heart.






1973 - The World Trade Center in New York is officially dedicated.

John Adams & Hillary Clinton

We're watching the HBO series "John Adams". The subject matter didn't appeal initially, but as I need to learn a little American history for my upcoming citizenship interview and civics test I decided that watching this drama could be helpful. Amazingly I'm completely hooked, after three or four episodes. I'm not sure whether it's down to the excellent production, the feel of authenticity, brilliant portrayals by talented actors, or just the truly fascinating story of the birth of the USA.

John Adams was the second president of the USA, coming after George Washington.

After peeking at the natal charts of John Adams and his wife, Abigail. Something clicked! Surely Hillary Clinton's chart contains some similarities to one of these, I thought.



John Adams born 30 October 1735, Quincy, Massachusetts (12 noon -unknown birthtime)

Hillary Clinton born 26 October 1947, Chicago, Illinois (8.02 am)

Closer inspection reveals interesting similarities:

Hillary Clinton's natal Sun is at 2 Scorpio, John Adams' at 6 Scorpio
Venus is at 16 Scorpio in both cases
Hillary Clinton's Mercury is at 28 Scorpio, John Adams' at 21 Scorpio

Those positions, of three of the most personal of planets, Sun/Mercury/Venus are so similar ! I'm not suggesting that this is an omen - I wouldn't dare bring down the wrath of Obamaphiles upon my blog! (Wink) I do like finding stuff like this though, and these charts are 212 years apart ! It keeps on underlining the fact that "something is happening here, but I don't know what it is" (do I, Mr. Jones?)

There are clear differences too, of course. The Moon's position is an important one. John Adams' birth time isn't known. If here were born before 10pm his natal moon would have been in Aries, after 10pm, in Taurus. Hillary Clinton's Moon, if her time of birth is correct, is in Pisces. From the portrayal of John Adams on screen I'd find it difficult to choose between Aries and Taurus Moon. On balance Taurus well suits his dogged determination, and his down to earth-ness. Hillary Clinton's Pisces Moon remains fairly well hidden from her public, but the fact that it's there indicates a deep compassion and sensitivity, far removed from the hard-nosed image she has gained in some quarters.




John and Abigail Adams (Abigail born 11 November 1744, Weymouth Massachusetts) both had heavy Scorpio influence in their charts, but John's matches Hillary's more closely. Abigail's Scorpio Sun was exactly conjunct Scorpio's ruler, Pluto - no wonder she seemed to have such power, even in those days, long before female emancipation!

Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney play the parts of John and Abigail in the HBO series.


Trailer for the TV series:

Idol Suns

American Idol has winnowed its contestants to 9 already, the three I mentioned back in February (here) have all survived thus far. Last week the singers had to choose a song from the year of their birth so I now have a list of birthdays. I still haven't found all their places of birth, but a list of their Sun signs will tell a small amount. There are three with Sun in Capricorn, two in Virgo, an Aries Sun, a Sagittarius Sun, a Gemini Sun and a Libra Sun, as listed below.

Pluto has moved into Capricorn recently, it will retrograde back into late Sagittarius this summer - probably after the winner of American Idol has been decided. With three Sun Capricorns and a late Sagittarian here I wonder whether Pluto's transformational influence might help or hinder those singers. So far Pluto seems to be doing good, three of those four are doing very well indeed in the judges' estimation. Saturn is currently transiting Virgo, which may be significant for the 2 Virgoans, inclining them to make efforts above and beyond normal.

My own pick of the bunch is Michael Johns (the Libran), but the two Davids are close contenders too.

Jason Castro 25 March 1987 ~~~ ARIES

Brooke White 2 June 1983 ~~~GEMINI

Ramielle Mulabay 6 September 1987 ~ VIRGO

Carly Smithson `12 September 1983 ~~ VIRGO

Michael Johns 20 October 1978 ~~~LIBRA

David Cook 20 December 1982 ~~~ SAGITTARIUS

David Archuleta 28 December 1990 ~~ CAPRICORN

Syesha Mercado 2 January 1987 ~~~ CAPRICORN

Kristy Lee Cook 18 January 1984 ~~~ CAPRICORN



Left to right back: Ramielle, Jason, Brooke, Michael, Carly, Kristy
Left to right front: David A., David C., & Syesha. (The guy at front-center, Chikesie, was eliminated last week, another will be voted out tonight.)

Different Drummer

Purely on a whim I took a look at the natal charts of two of Hillary Clinton's best-known supporters, Maya Angelou (famous American poet) and Ed Rendell (Governor of Pennsylvania). I wondered whether they might reveal something in common with my own chart, and that of Hillary Clinton. Something which might account for our being drawn to Hillary Clinton's candidacy, against the tide of Obama-mania, some harmonious astrological connection.

Back in Britain I was a loyal supporter of the Labour Party (pre-Tony Blair). Labour used to be a long step to the left of USA's Democratic Party. The sad demise of candidacies I saw as being of the true left here in the USA, those of Dennis Kucinich and John Edwards, left a narrow choice between Obama and Clinton. Most acquaintances on-line and off, Brits and Americans, seem to prefer Barack Obama. Writers and commenters on websites and TV channels I used to frequent are no longer on my wavelength, and "in the tank" for Obama. This has been a disconcerting experience, I am badly out of step, for I much prefer Hillary Clinton's candidacy.

So - back to the astrology:

Maya Angelou (chart on left) was born in St Louis MO on 4 April 1928 at 2.10 PM
Ed Rendell was born on 5 January 1944 in New York City, NY. (12 noon chart below).
Click to enlarge.



Without even looking at the charts I'd know that these two individuals, though basically different, fueled by natal Suns in Cardinal signs, Aries and Capricorn, are likely to be initiators, enthusiastic and ambitious, but in vastly different ways. Maya Angelou has no planets in Earth signs, though her midheaven is in Taurus, Ed Rendell has none in Water signs. Maya's poetry needs little support from Earthy planets, Ed's political talents need little input from emotional Water.

There are similarities too. Ed Rendell's Jupiter is in exactly the same degree as Maya Angelou's Neptune, 26 Leo. Maya's Neptune is just 3 degrees from her ascendant. Jupiter is connected to law, Neptune to creativity and poetry, so inspiration could said to be sourced from the same degree of the zodiac in both cases - interesting! Going further with 26 Leo, Marc Edmund Jones' interpretation of this degree via his Sabian Symbols is "a rainbow".

Comparing these two charts, my own, and that of Hillary Clinton, I find that there are links around 21 Capricorn, Scorpio and Pisces:

Ed Rendell and myself share Mercury at 21 Capricorn, which is sextile to Hillary Clinton's Mercury at 21 Scorpio. Angelou's Mercury/Venus at 20/21 Pisces is close to Clinton's Moon at 22.51 Pisces and trine Clinton's Mercury at 21 Scorpio.

And:

Rendell's Sun at 14 Capricorn sextiles Clinton's Venus at 15 Scorpio.

My natal Saturn at 12.55 Aries, and Angelou's natal Sun at 14 Aries trine Clinton's Mars at 14 Leo.

My natal Jupiter at 6 Pisces trines Clinton's Sun at 2 Scorpio, and my natal Mars at 28 Scorpio is close to Clinton's Mercury at 21 Scorpio.

Are these aspects and common degrees some of the reasons I, along with Maya Angelou and Ed Rendell, are marching to a different drummer from all those wildly enthusiastic Obama supporters? Perhaps so. Or perhaps it's just that Hillary Clinton IS the better candidate!

Maya’s recent poem for Hillary:

Rise Hillary Rise.

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

This is not the first time you have seen Hillary Clinton seemingly at her wits end, but she has always risen, always risen, much to the dismay of her adversaries and the delight of her friends.

Hillary Clinton will not give up on you and all she asks of you is that you do not give up on her.

There is a world of difference between being a woman and being an old female. If you’re born a girl, grow up, and live long enough, you can become an old female. But, to become a woman is a serious matter. A woman takes responsibility for the time she takes up and the space she occupies.

Hillary Clinton is a woman. She has been there and done that and has still risen. She is in this race for the long haul. She intends to make a difference in our country.

She is the prayer of every woman and man who long for fair play, healthy families, good schools, and a balanced economy.

She declares she wants to see more smiles in the families, more courtesies between men and women, more honesty in the marketplace. Hillary Clinton intends to help our country to what it can become.

She means to rise.

She means to help our country rise. Don’t give up on her, ever.

In fact, if you help her to rise, you will rise with her and help her make this country a wonderful, wonderful place where every man and every woman can live freely without sanctimonious piety, without crippling fear.

Rise Hillary.

Rise.
**********************************

...............or else (here)

Home Again

I'm back in the saddle again after a very pleasant trip to Taos, New Mexico. Astrologically, the only thing I have to report from the trip is that, sadly, we were there a few days too early for a workshop held by author of "Cosmos and Psyche", Richard Tarnas. The workshop, titled "Planets and the Birth Imprint", will take place on 6 April. It appears to be somewhat connected to "The Birth Imprint" theme for the 8th Annual HDP Symposium (Association of Human Design Practitioners), being held in Taos 3 to 6 April. The announcement says "He (Richard Tarnas) is an inspiring speaker and uses great music to experientially evoke the energies of planetary archetypes." Sounds interesting. Not for the first time I was in the right place at the wrong time - astrology-wise.

Even in the lovely town of Taos we couldn't escape politics:



And we walked around a lot leading to this:



Nice mural:



Around the galleries, both in Taos and in small outlying villages, the variety and volume of local creativity and talent is truly amazing. As I said to one artist/gallery owner, "I don't often wish to be rich - only when I see work like this." Some artwork is priced in tens of thousands of dollars. We did wonder just who buys at such prices, in the current financial climate. Luckily it's all free - as eye candy.

(Photos by the husband)

New Clothes

The people of the USA will, later this year, decide into whose safe keeping they will entrust the country, and possibly the world, for the next four years. Will it be a Sun Leo, Sun Scorpio or Sun Virgo?

In basic Sun sign terms, I guess the Scorpion could sting both Virgin and Lion to death, but that's not the whole story. In reality all three contenders have a dangerous side, and wear the non-existent clothes of tempting promises. It's all in the wonderful but often dirty game of politics, so it's wise to remember that we ought never to get too many stars in our eyes.





I'm leaving this homemade video compilation here, while we head off tomorrow morning to New Mexico for a few days, as a cure for cabin fever and a late celebration of my husband's birthday.

'Bye for now!

As the lyrics say, in a different context, but still apt enough here:

"We refused to admit that we wore this disguise
Every inch of us growing
Like Pinocchio's nose
As we walked around in the emperor's new clothes

We flew by our wits and by the seat of our pants
In the state of illusion
In the nation of chance"

(It's as non-partison as I could manage.)

Sign of a Quote

Hand-picked quotes which accidentally reflect, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, the flavor of each zodiac sign:


ARIES
What reason would grope for in vain, spontaneous impulse ofttimes achieves at a stroke, with light and pleasureful guidance.
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

TAURUS
I am firm. You are obstinate. He is a pig-headed fool.
--Katherine Whitehorn

GEMINI
Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.
--Anne Morrow Lindbergh

CANCER
They say it is better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable, but how about a compromise like moderately rich and just moody?
--Princess Diana

LEO
The nice thing about being a celebrity is that when you bore people, they think it's their fault.
-- Henry Kissinger

VIRGO
Anyone nit-picking enough to write a letter of correction to an editor doubtless deserves the error that provoked it.
--Alvin Toffler

LIBRA
Equal opportunity means everyone will have a fair chance at being incompetent.
-- Laurence J. Peter

SCORPIO
Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot.
--D. H. Lawrence

SAGITTARIUS
A pessimist is a man who has been compelled to live with an optimist.
-- Elbert Hubbard

CAPRICORN
The gambling known as business looks with austere disfavor upon the business known as gambling.
-- Ambrose Bierce

AQUARIUS
The difficult and risky task of meeting and mastering the new, whether it be the settlement of new lands or the initiation of new ways of life,is not undertaken by the vanguard of society but by its rear. It is the misfits, failures, fugitives, outcasts and their like who are among the first to grapple with the new.
--Eric Hoffer

PISCES
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.
--Albert Einstein

Aries and Mars Dominant

Astrotheme's extensive lists of dominant Planets and dominant Signs in the natal charts of famous people offer some interesting insights. These lists are different from the usual "celebrities who are Librans, or Aquarians, or whatever" types of lists, based purely on birthdays and Sun signs.

The Sun has just moved into the zodiac sign of Aries, so I've compiled a list of the best-known names of folk with Aries or Mars (ruler of Aries) dominant in their natal charts. Those in the lists below have from 80% to 40% of the zodiac sign, or 30% to 20% of the planet in their personality, so potentially offer a clear representation of the Aries/Mars type.

Keywords are a good way to briefly describe the heavily Aries/Mars personality, the good, the bad and the ugly of this, the first sign of the zodiac. From Manly P. Hall's "Astrological Keywords": courageous, enthusiastic, energetic, proud, excitable, impulsive, hasty, quick tempered. Executive, enterprising, pioneering, confident, independent, aggressive, competitive, dictatorial. From me, married to an Aries Sun person, and myself with Moon and Saturn in Aries: spontaneous, humorous, not complicated or deeply mysterious - what you see is what you get.

In previous months I've used a video compilation with photographs of the individiuals listed, this time I decided to list the names and add a video from YouTube featuring two of the individuals named here.

Of the Aries dominant people, for me, Steve McQueen personified Aries in his role in "The Great Escape". His one-time wife, Ali MacGraw, is in the same list with Mars, Aries' ruling planet dominant in her chart. I loved watching Steve in any movie he made. In the Music section, Gordon Macrae was another, very early, heart-throb of mine. And in the Art section - William Morris is an all-time favourite artist/designer. I put it down to my Aries Moon!

ARIES and MARS Dominant


ACTORS
Aries Dominant
Anthony Perkins
John Gielgud
Chico Marx
Angelina Jolie
Ali MacGraw (+Mars dom)
Patricia Arquette
Omar Sharif
Max von Sydow
Steve McQueen
Jon Voight
James Woods
Gordon Macrae (+ Mars dom)

Mars Dominant
Heather Locklear
Richard Burton
Lloyd Bridges
Mia Farrow

MUSIC
Aries Dominant
Lene Lovich (+ Mars dom)
Carl Perkins
Tiny Tim
John D. Loudermilk(+ Mars Dom)
Celine Dion
Johannes Brahms
Loretta Lynn
Gordon Macrae (+ Mars dom)

Mars Dominant
David Crosby (Crosby Stills & Nash)
Helen Reddy
Barbra Streisand

WRITERS
Aries Dominant
Emile Zola
Algernon Swinburne

Mars Dominant
Alex Haley

ASTROLOGY
Aries Dominant
Adze Mixxe (+Mars dom)

Mars Dominant
Philip Sedgwick

ART
Aries Dominant
William Morris
Mars Dominant
Grandma Moses

MIXED BAG
Aries Dominant
Rolf Harris

Mars Dominant
Mike Todd
Albert Einstein
David Beckham
Billy Graham
Christian Dior

Here, in a video from YouTube, two for the price of one - Barbra Streisand (Mars dominant) and Celine Dion(Aries dominant) singing "Tell Him"

Divisions

Astrology, in particular Sun Sign astrology, is continually criticised for categorising people as 12 "types". Those who have delved deeper into astrological discipline know that these 12 "types" are not even the tip of the iceberg, they're the shadow on top of the ocean where an iceberg lies beneath.

As in astrology, so in polls and politics. One would think that counting votes would be a simple matter. 1,000 votes for candidate A, 2,000 for candidate B, 3,000 for candidate C. But no, political pollsters and pundits then segregate voters and their mode of voting in various ways. Male/female, blue collar male/"educated" male ( - cheek!! Why are blue collar people considered uneducated?). White males/black males. White "educated"/white blue collar. Black "educated"/ black blue collar. Same for Hispanic male/female, and for all females. Age groups: under 25, over 40, over 50, over 60 - and on...... along with any possible permutation of all of the above factors. Religion also has to be added to these investigation exercises in the USA -Roman Catholic, Baptist, Evangelist, Black Churches, and all the other denominations. They don't bother with atheists and agnostics - I wonder why?

So really, political polling analysis and astrology have a lot in common. Astrologers must juggle with Sun, Moon ascendant sign, all the planets, points, fixed stars, asteroids, centaurs, nodes.....and more, mixing, blending, analysing, weighing strengths, and synthesising. In most cases, I have to say that astrologers come up with better, more accurate results than the pollsters and pundits ever manage to do.

Leading on from that, a thought from the BBC's Washington correspondent Matt Frei (here)

"When it comes to race, religion and even class, America, the great melting pot, is still an archipelago of hundreds of tribes living largely separate lives in their own communities.
Perhaps it is one of the luxuries of space in a vast country. Perhaps it is proof of prejudice. It certainly undermines real efforts to understand each other, to mingle, to melt in the same pot. "

For all the stated wishes of those on high, or those who aspire to be on high, integration ain't happening in much of the country. There are Black Churches, Black beauty contests, Black TV shows, Black Nationalists, Black Panthers, Black Pride. Comparable White categories could be identified for some of those. In a perfect world, which this is never going to be, there would be no such segregation, only integration - always.

I don't see Senator Obama being "the one" to start bringing full integration about, sorry to say. For this onlooker, at this point, it's nothing but the wishful thinking of his fans. Either it's not the right time, or it's not the right person. I believe the latter. Perhaps Barack Obama is a forerunner (as John the Baptist was a forerunner "preparing the way"). Another, true, uniter may appear in coming years. That's my personal hope.

My Zodiac with Wings

This is something I dreamed up some time ago, after spending a lot of time watching the many birds who visit our backyard in Oklahoma. I noticed that they seem to have distinctive personalities, and tried to relate them to the 12 zodiac signs. The photographs included were all taken by my husband, mainly in our backyard.

I have posted this before, back in January 2007, but with spring is springing higher with each day here, I decided to give it another airing.

"The spring is sprung, the grass is riz - I wonder where the birdies is?"

They're here!

ARIES
The Red-bellied Woodpecker - quick and decisive in his movements, quite impulsive in his choiceof materials on which to "drum".He will drum on a metal gutter for the sheer enjoyment of hearing the noise sounds -music to his ears , or perhaps a mating call? His scarlet head and pinkish tummy match the fiery element of Aries.


TAURUS The chubby American Robin is typical Taurus. He stays close to the earth, walking around on the grass or soil, digging for food, of which he consumes a large amount. This bird is different from the little English Robin. Early settlers named him because of his Robin-like habits and his russet-coloured chest. He is actually one of the Thrush family.

GEMINI
The Goldfinch displays many typically Geminian traits. These tiny birds are very sociable, move around in flocks, descending upon birdfeeders en-masse. They are
quick, fluttery, twittery, and appear unafraid of other birds 3-times their size. Golden and mercurial!


CANCER The Mourning Dove represents the gentle nature of Cancer.

Her rather sad cooing call seems typically Cancerian. She looks dignified and a little old-fashioned when compared with more exuberant cousins. She doesn’t often mix with other birds, appearing shyly aloof.


LEO
Who would argue against the Cardinal being designated Leo ? With his flashy scarlet feathers, almost fluorescent, and his regal bearing he stands out from the crowd - however big the crowd. Eyes are irresistibly drawn to him. He is devoted to
his mate (evidence of his fixed Leonine nature), they usually appear together. Lady Cardinal is more soberly dressed in a variable light brown, but still attractive - her beak is a nice shade of lipstick pink!

VIRGO
The Junco displays many of Virgo’s virtues. Sleek
and neat, no flashy plumage here. The Junco, like the robin,
stays on the ground to feed - evidence of his earthy nature. These tidy little birds are quiet and industrious, finding all the food they need for themselves and their young. They never cause squabbles mix quietly with whatever other birds are around. One might at first consider them boring, but with patient observation their admirable traits become clear.

LIBRA The Mocking Bird represents Libra. This classy bird, quietly but elegantly dressed in subtle shades of grey, white and black, with brilliant white stripe appearing on each wing when in flight. Sings beautiful songs sometimes throughout the night. The song is repeated 4 times, then he/she changes its mind (typically Libran) and starts a different ditty - repeating 4 times then changing again!

SCORPIO
Traditionally the Eagle is one of the two symbols of Scorpio, but eagles do not frequent backyards - something less rare can carry the Scorpio banner. The American Crow is much maligned and misunderstood, like some Scorpio-heavy humans. He is, in fact, quite majestic, highly intelligent and very resilient. Humans have slaughtered many of his kind, but still they flourish. His glossy black feathers are mirror-bright as he strides around in the grass.

SAGITTARIUS
The wise old Owl would have been appropriate, but since the writer has yet to see one locally, another side of Sagittarius is represented - the rover. The Brown-headed Cowbird fits the bill - often looked on as something of a vagabond or prairie tramp. They don't build nests, but deposit eggs in nests built by other birds - having no use for a home of their own! These birds once followed buffalo and cattle through the plains .

CAPRICORN

The third Earth sign is represented by the lovely Eastern Meadowlark, who is actually not a Lark, but related to the Starling. The Meadowlark has very similar feeding habits to the American Robin - walking around in fields and open spaces looking for insects, grubs, worms etc. From the back he's a stripey grey and rather uninteresting, but when he turns, the sight of his brilliant yellow breast comes as a surprise, and, like the sense of fun often present in Capricorn humans - it brings a smile to the observer.

AQUARIUS
Looking now for the oddball of Birdland ! The Blue Jay. Some people love him, others hate him because he doesn’t conform to their views of how a bird should act or look. He is stunning in his bright blue plumage with random markings of black and white, and a rakish top-knot. His call is either Crow-like (he is cousin to that bird) or a beautiful bell-like sound when he wishes to impress. These birds are curious and intelligent, like their cousin the Crow, not usually inclined to mix. They can appear at times to be imperious or bossy, and are certainly unique.

PISCES I'm nominating this group of juvenile Eastern Bluebirds to represent Pisces, they used to visit our birdbath regularly last summer - they loved the water like good Neptunians!