Easter

Easter Day
by Oscar Wilde

The silver trumpets rang across the Dome:
The people knelt upon the ground with awe:
And borne upon the necks of men I saw,
Like some great God, the Holy Lord of Rome.
Priest-like, he wore a robe more white than foam,
And, king-like, swathed himself in royal red,
Three crowns of gold rose high upon his head:
In splendour and in light the Pope passed home.
My heart stole back across wide wastes of years
To One who wandered by a lonely sea,
And sought in vain for any place of rest:
'Foxes have holes, and every bird its nest.
I, only I, must wander wearily,
And bruise my feet, and drink wine salt with tears.'

An astrologer's comments on
Oscar Wilde's natal chart at
Astrology Mundo.

His chart and brief bio at
Astrodatabank.

Stuck In An Elevator ?

I'm not sure how I arrived at Plinky Prompts the other day, but having arrived I lurked long enough to read responses to the question:

"Who would you not mind being stuck in an elevator with ?"

It was heartening to see that many responders had answered, "my husband". I don't recall seeing anyone replying "my wife", but I shall optimistically assume that most people attracted to the site were female. The next most popular answer seemed to be "McGyver". Very astute!

Let's try giving the question an astrological spin. Who, astrologically, wouldn't I mind being stuck in an elevator with?

Someone with plenty of Gemini in their natal chart would be good, at least it wouldn't be boring as we waited for rescue. And a Sagittarius-heavy individual would keep the optimism levels nicely high. I'd hope not to have too much Pluto/Scorpio input from companions - too paranoid by far, too much of the dark side for that kind of situation. Ideally, if it had to be just one other person, and I was in a hurry to get out, catch a plane or whatever, I'd prefer my companion to have some Aries energy (to support the bit I have myself). Together we'd lead the Great Escape! As it happens the husband has Sun in Aries. That'd work out well.

Arty Farty Friday ~ Art Deco

Fast-forward from last Friday's look at Art Nouveau to the next arty cycle, the style now known as Art Deco. Art Nouveau declined rapidly with the outbreak of the First World War. After that dreadful bloodbath when so many young men perished, a new attitude, new designs and new approaches to almost everything emerged.






Art Nouveau's delicate organic curves and beautiful images gave way to angular, geometric design in architecture, furniture and graphic arts. Some designers drew on classical motifs from Egyptian or Greek art and sculpture, and merged these with their new, sleek, brittle and urban designs. Art Deco spanned the years between the two World Wars, approximately 1920 to 1940, and its influence is seen most easily in the architecture of that period. While artists proper experimented with cubism, abstract and surrealist art, the architects and poster painters left a clearly identifiable imprint of the style known as Art Deco.




It's not surprising that this abrupt change took place. During the period of the first World War Uranus had transited Aquarius, its own sign, brewing up change of all kinds - change which wasn't able to permeate everyday life until the war had ended , with Uranus' transit of Aquarius in its last degrees.

As Uranus moved into Pisces, that new creativity, brewed during the Aquarius transit, was given its head. With Neptune (Pisces' ruler) in flashy,sophisticated, urban Leo, this new style was born.



Once you "get your eye in" it's easy to spot architecture from the Art Deco period. There's a lot of it still around in American cities, even as far afield as Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was no doubt the influx of money from oil in the 1920s and 30s which brought on a flurry of new stylish building in Okie land. New York's skyscrapers are good symbols of Art Deco, of course, as are old movie theaters to be found in almost every American town. Just this week, we were round and about in Oklahoma and I spotted this building in a little town called Purcell. The husband dutifully stopped the car, leapt out and obliged me with a photograph.



In Europe and Britain it's not quite as easy to find this style because of the destruction during World War II. There are still some examples though.
I've spotted private houses or blocks of apartments displaying the style, and many cinema frontages have survived. For many years I lived in an apartment, constructed in 1938, attached to a building which was originally a cinema with a clearly Art Deco frontage. The apartment definitely had elements of Art Deco - flat roof, long narrow horizontal-paned windows. The whole structure was destroyed by fire in 1996, sadly my photographs of it were inside.


Art Deco houses are often found in English seaside towns for some reason, and usually they're painted white. The style does appeal to me. I used to joke that one day I'd find an Art Deco house that I could afford, and live in it in my old age. Instead, I find myself in Oklahoma in a house with not even a whisper of Art Deco about it. Never mind!

A good 3 minute video: ~~~

Ray Bradbury - A Surprising Chart

I've just finished reading Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451". Bradbury is probably the world's most repected science fiction writer. I read many of his short stories in my youth, but hadn't read anything of his for many years until now. When I started the book I was a wee bit irritated by his over-done, highly descriptive passages. My reading eye had been too much exercised by reading journalist news reporting and dry astrology text books! I soon got re-oriented, and began to appreciate and enjoy the difference.

I wondered whether Mr Bradbury's natal chart would reflect his lifelong obsession with fantasy and the future. He was born on 22 August in Waukegan, Illinois, at 4.50pm.




Hmmmm - Well, that's not exactly what I'd expected ! Old fashioned Capricorn rising; future oriented Uranus opposing his Sun and other planets.... Saturn conjunct Venus. But wait - Mercury, the writer's planet is conjunct Neptune (fantasy) and there are 4 planets in Leo - one of the most creative signs in the zodiac. Maybe I should find out a little more about him before I complain!

There's evidence of his attraction to fantasy here, but old fashioned Saturn conjunct Venus planet of the Arts, Capricorn rising, and Uranus (which I'd have thought was the science fiction writer's planet) is opposing his natal Sun.

From Astrodatabank's Wiki pages

"Bradbury collects things - books, toys, antiques, auto parts and literally anything that he can get his hands on, all of it going into the bric-a-brac chaos that he calls his office. During lecture tours he has cris-crossed the country by train inasmuch as he never flies, and has never learned to drive a car. Railroad timetables are stacked in his office, suggesting a story to him as does every other item of his odd flea-market of junk. (He declares that he will only ride in a car if he can cower in the back seat.) Perhaps it is his amiable wit as well as his grasp of the fascination of the odd and macabre that makes him so beloved a writer of the genre."

Aha! He might write about the future, but he's stuck in the past himself!



To get more a "feel" for the man, some of his quotes are helpful. These, on the topic of computers, shine even more light on his Capricorn rising and his Uranus-Sun opposition:

Bill Gates and his partners are flimflamming America. (1995)

I don't understand this whole thing about computers and the superhighway. Who wants to be in touch with all of those people? (Brown Daily Herald, March 24, 1995.)

Who do you want to talk to? All those morons who are living across the world somewhere? You don't even want to talk to them at home. (On the topic of Internet chat rooms)

Video games are a waste of time for men with nothing else to do. Real brains don't do that. On occasion? Sure. As relaxation? Great. But not full time -- And a lot of people are doing that. And while they're doing that, I'll go ahead and write another novel. (Salon.com, August 29, 2001)

Fee-fi-fo-fum....I smell the bood of a reactionary! There's more.......

The current science fiction writers are a bunch of jerks. As for cyberpunk, it's crap -- you can't read it. (Brown Daily Herald, March 24, 1995.)

And - shock horror - his politics!!

[George W. Bush is] wonderful. We needed him. Clinton is a s***head and we're glad to be rid of him. And I'm not talking about his sexual exploits. I think we have a chance to do something about education.... It doesn't matter who does it -- Democrats or Republicans -- but it's long overdue. (Salon.com, August 29, 2001)

The great thing is our counter-revolution that occurred in the polls a few weeks ago. I think it's great. All the Democrats are out and the Republicans are going to have a chance in a couple of years. It doesn't make a difference what party you belong to--it's a chance for a fresh start. It's very exciting. (Speaking about the "Republican Revolution" of 1994)

These, I like though:

If we listened to our intellect we'd never have a love affair. We'd never have a friendship. We'd never go in business because we'd be cynical: "It's gonna go wrong." Or "She's going to hurt me." Or,"I've had a couple of bad love affairs, so therefore . . ." Well, that's nonsense. You're going to miss life. You've got to jump off the cliff all the time and build your wings on the way down.


Stuff your eyes with wonder. Live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made up or paid for in factories.

So, his natal chart does describe him after all! I have a feeling that he and I would not get on, much as I love science fiction, and much as I admire Mr. Bradbury's writing skills.




Quotes from
http://www.spaceagecity.com/bradbury/quotes.htm

Idol's Music of the Spheres ?

The American Idol theme for last night was "Songs From The Year You Were Born". That theme whispered to me "astrologicalities" (I invented a word).

These are the birth years of the remaining 8 contestants. The line-up of the generational planets for the birth years is added in each case, in this order: Uranus/Neptune/Pluto. Perhaps the types of songs chosen will reflect something of the flavour of the genrational planets? Or perhaps not!


Danny-1980 ............Scorpio/Sagittarius/Libra
Adam-1982 ............Sagittarius/Sagittarius/Libra
Lil-1984 ...........Sagittarius/Sag&Capricorn/Scorpio
Kris -1985 )
Scott-1985 ) .........Sagittarius/Capricorn/Scorpio
Matt-1985 )
Anoop-1986 ...........Sagittarius/Capricorn/Scorpio
Allison-1992 ..........Capricorn/Capricorn/Scorpio

Hmmm - a strong Saggittarius/Scorpio flavor going on there! Plenty of passion, good time, good humored feeling perhaps, a smattering of philosopy, a hint of secrecy?

While drafting this post earlier on Tuesday, I took a quick look at some lists of songs popular in those years - there were more good ones than I'd expected - the 80s aren't usually thought of as a vintage decade, music-wise. Lists included such songs as The Rose ('80), Eye of the Tiger('82), Against All Odds ('84), Careless Whisper('85), Take my Breath Away ('86) and I can't Make You Love Me ('92").

Let's see whether songs actually chosen match generational planets of their years of birth in any way.
In the order they sang:
Danny - Stand By Me (Not really a match, but he sang it with a hint of Gospel style - so Sagittarius = religion?)
Kris - All She Wants To Do Is Dance (Happy Saggie?)
Lil - What's Love Got To Do with It ? (Capricorn/Scorpio - yes!)
Anoop - True Colors (Not really a match)
Scott - The Search Is Over (Not sure)
Allison - I Can't Make you Love Me (Yes- Scorpio)
Matt - Part Time Lover (Sort of Scorpio)
Adam - Mad World (Yes - philosophical Sagittarius!)



That was just a daft experiment. The best performances last night were: Adam - of course; Allison; and Matt, in that order; Danny was good too. No chance of any one of that group going home this week. Adam's still my first choice - by miles. The way it's going these two (Adam and Allison) could be battling it out at the finale.

Paul Giamatti

We saw "Duplicity" at the weekend. Didn't like it - will not waste energy writing about it. The brightest spark in the movie, for me, was Paul Giamatti.

I first became aware of him, by name, when he played John Adams in the HBO TV series of the same name, last year. He was absolutely brilliant in the part. Once I'd connected the name to the face I remembered other movies in which we'd seen him playing character parts - "Lady in the Water", and "Cinderella Man" among them.

Paul was a guest on one of the late night shows recently. He displayed a delightful personality, so different from the characters he plays. In real life, he comes over as an easy-going, amiable and funny guy. He never stopped joking and laughing - so far from the weirdo, scum-bag, or deadly serious characters he's most often been selected to play on screen.

During that jolly late night interview I was reminded more than ever of a well-loved British comedian (now no longer with us): Eric Morecambe. Look!


























Anyway, here's a rapid drive-by look at Paul Giamatti's natal chart (and a furtive glance at Eric Morecambe's - just because I can.)

Paul was born in New Haven Connecticut, 6 Jun 1967. No time of birth available, so a 12 noon chart has to suffice.




Sun in Gemini - here's his sociable, likeable and versatile side . Moon was in Taurus before 6pm, in Gemini if born later than that. Now, to me he doesn't look like a double Gemini - he's not wiry, lanky, slim-faced. His facial structure and stature is more Taurean - I'd go for a birth time before 6pm - but on appearance only. His ascendant sign remains unknown (but his round face whispers Cancer).

Sun is in close trine (harmonious aspect) to Mars - plenty of energy, self confidence and enthusiasm for life in and out of his chosen profession. Sun also sextiles (60*) Saturn, and Saturn trines Jupiter. Those are two more very helpful connections, and they link Saturn's stability and Jupiter's beneficence back to Paul's core self, the Sun. Mercury and Venus are both in sensitive, caring Cancer which adds a softer side to Paul's nature (I think this shows clearly in his face), and Jupiter, though in the early degrees of the next sign, is conjunct Venus, adding a further link to the chain already mentioned.

In a nutshell, I'd say that Paul Giamatti as well as being so clearly talented, is a very nice guy.

As for the late Eric Morecambe, he was born with Sun in Taurus and Moon probably in Gemini, so there could be a similarity in basic astro-makeup there. Also they both have a planet at 22 Scorpio and they both have planets at 8 or 10 Aries - which may mean nothing at all, but I found it interesting. Paul does very much remind me of Eric - when he's being himself. Moviemakers might also take note of this, if ever they make a bio-pic of the lives and careers of famous British comedy duo Morcambe and Wise.

Of Delays, Teeth, Astrology and...... Delays

A snippet from the April forecast for Aquarians, from my Sun sign astrologer of choice Jonathan Cainer, went like this....

"....... For some while now you have had to wrestle with a series of awkward delays and impediments. Around the middle of this month, a conjunction of Mars and Uranus will change the tide of your fortune. You'll notice an almost immediate effect......"

Fits like a glove!


Delays and impediments in my own life have been of fairly minor importance, but have certainly been very noticeable for the past few weeks. Since my husband's birthday on 22 March we've intended taking a celebratory road trip.

The first delay was occasioned by a doctor's appointment for himself which unexpectedly needed a follow-up. That was dealt with. Then, as if on cue, I broke the crown on one of my front teeth. This necessitated three appointments with the dentist. The laboratory didn't make a good fit the first time around, it's still not dealt with and I still have a temporary crown and bi-color front teeth. Later today, with luck, this problem will be rectified.

We recently noticed that Easter falls just when we'd decided on a good re-arranged take-off date. Extra traffic and booked-up motel rooms don't appeal to us, so, a little more delay.

The day after Easter would be a good departure date, we thought. Then we discovered that my husband's son and family will be away that week. They usually collect our mail and newspapers when we're away; we reciprocate by keeping their family dog company for a while each day when they are away.

Another postponement.

Will the Mars/Uranus conjunction, as mentioned by Jonathan Cainer, release us to take that longed for road trip I wonder? Our current plan is to set off on Sunday 19 April. My ephemeris tells me that on 19 April Jupiter will be at 22 Aquarius, which is my re-located ascendant degree. As Jupiter rules travel, this is a good omen, along with Mr. Cainer's point regarding the Mars/Uranus conjunction. Mars and Uranus happen to be my husband's and my Sun's respective rulers too! This time we might actually take off on schedule....as long as I manage not to break more teeth before then....at $700+ a pop, it's a scary prospect!

The Week That Was

Keith Olbermann announced that a fellow presenter, Ed Schultz (below, right) also born 27 January, like himself, has joined MSNBC's early evening news programme line-up. Both he and Olbermann were previously sports commentators. I'd like to be able to say that Aquarius, at 27 January, breeds leftwing political folk with a love of sport. But I was born on that day too. I'm interested in left-wing politics, but sport was always a big blind spot for me.


Chief Justice John Roberts was also born 27 January, by the way. He's almost certainly right wing politically, whether he's a sporty type remains a mystery.




There was a bit of tut-tutting, among the more strait-laced protocol upholders, about the photograph of Michelle Obama and Queen Elizabeth II with, fleetingly, arms around each other. It's reported that they seemed to get on well. That's not surprising, thought I - one lady with Capricorn Sun, othe other with Taurus Sun - two Earthy ladies. It was refreshing to see someone unafraid to demonstrate affection towards a monarch who is often thought of as unapproachable.

And as for idiot criticisms of what Michelle Obama wore to the palace (e.g. "You don't go to meet the queen wearing a sweater"), or what she chooses to wear at any time - exactly who gives anybody the right to tell anybody else what to wear? In any case, I'd be very surprised if Buckingham Place officials and advisors hadn't been in touch with the First Lady's advisors with pointers as to the type of meeting it would be, and how formal or informal, just so as to avoid embarrassment on either side. Apparently the meeting was very informal - an invitation to share afternoon tea with the queen, who was herself informally dressed in a pink frock. Of course, nothing ever pleases the fashion police. I bet Michelle Obama has a good laugh at it all, if she ever reads some of the drivel written about her choice of clothes.





Bob Geldof had a few words to say about the G20 meeting in London this week. He speaks much sense. His natal chart and biography are at Astrodatabank here.
There's a discussion about the chart on an Astro.com forum here

In a nutshell he's a blend of Libra diplomacy and charm, Sagittarian philosophy and Virgo discernment, with a dynmic opposition between his cluster of Libra planets and Jupiter in Aries which I suspect is the main driving force which spurs him on to his good works, and prevents him from being simply a charming academic or run-of-the-mill musician.

See a brief interview at G20 below.






A Broadway revival of "Hair" opened this week. The show presented in Central Park last summer now moves to an indoor stage. Hair has perennial appeal, and remains relevant more than 40 years after its original showing. Uranus and Neptune currently semi-sextile (30*) in Pisces and Aquarius, and in mutual reception (in each other's home signs) probably offer a suitable asto-atmosphere for the hippie musical. A harmonious blend of radical opinion and mystical creativity seems just about right !

Arty Farty Friday ~ Art Nouveau & the Outer Planets

If I had to choose a favourite art style, it would be Art Nouveau.

Art Nouveau (New Art) had a limited reign in the art world: from around 1890 to 1914, straddling the turn of 19th/20th centuries. It died with the outbreak of the first world war.




I suspect that the movement's reign coincides with astrological cycles of one or more of the outer planets. Pluto had just moved into Gemini in 1890, at 2 degrees of that sign. It remained in Gemini until 1915. In addition, Neptune, in 1890 was at 5 Gemini, and remained in the sign until the turn of the century. Pluto and Neptune in Gemini were strongly in evidence in the communal atmosphere then, as Art Nouveau came to the notice of the general public.


The proponents of this art style, though, had mostly been born when Pluto, and perhaps Neptune, were both transiting Taurus. It was the influence of Taurus on the artists' sensitivities, but Gemini on the public's sensitivities at work that helped propel Art Nouveau forward.


Art Nouveau, as a movement, was evidence of a breaking away from traditional, rather dry art styles of 19th century painters. Artists began to feel that art should be more universally appreciated. They set about putting art into everyday objects, into architecture, jewellery, furniture and furnishings. The movement flourished throughout Europe. The term Art Nouveau was the name of a Paris shop, which somehow attached itself to the whole art movement.


The hallmark of Art Nouveau is its connection to nature, and organic patterning. Sinuous trailing vegetation, flowing shapes, beautiful women, delicate coloring. Here's where Taurus, ruled by Venus, planet of the arts comes in to the picture. Many of the best Art Nouveau artists were born when Pluto and/or Neptune lay in Taurus. Taurus loves nature and beauty. The public cottoned on to this art style during the period when Pluto and/or Neptune were in Gemini - Gemini ruled by Mercury, planet of communication. It all fits rather well!


At the outbreak of war the communal atmosphere and peoples' attitudes changed. Artists began seeking further change, and as Uranus moved into its home sign of Aquarius, and Pluto neared the end of its transit through Gemini, Art Nouveau was being replaced by more modernist and abstract styles of art.


Some of Art Nouveau's best known artists have already been featured on this blog: Alphonse Mucha, Aubrey Beardsley, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Gustav Klimt, Toulouse Lautrec. Posts can be accessed vis the "Arts" logo in the sidebar.



More examples: