Friday,
June 30, 2006
Mark
Knopfler and Emmylou Harris
My
wife and I went to see a wonderful concert with Mark Knopfler
(of 1980’s band Dire Straits) and Emmylou Harris, billed
as “An Evening of Duets.” They sang songs from
their new CD, All the Roadrunning, as well as past songs they
had done on their own. The band that accompanied them was
excellent. Personal highlights: Mark Knopfler’s “Our
Shangri-La” and Emmylou Harris’s “Michelangel”
(read
the awesome lyrics) and “Red
Dirt Girl”—the latter made me cry.
The audience: almost 100% Pluto in Leo Baby Boomers (including
my wife and me), just another indication that this generation’s
a lucrative audience for performers who can remake our past
while adding some fresh ingredients so we don’t think
we’re just an oldies crowd.
Emmylou Harris is a pioneering Aries Sun. With Gram Parsons,
she helped to popularize modern alt.country. I got Emmylou
Harris’s birth data from Lois Rodden’s Profiles
of Women, which notes the birth data as coming from the birth
certificate. Click
here to see her horoscope.
Harris’s rising sign is Cancer, her Moon’s in
Virgo, and her Sun’s in Aries. At 59 years, she looks
stunningly good. Her Venus is exalted (a term from traditional
astrology meaning that is where a planet is at its best) in
Pisces in the sexy 8th house. I’ve often thought how
“coincidental” it is that many gifted singers
are also so damn good-looking. I think it must be because
of a strong Venus—the planet of both voice and beauty.
When it’s strong in a horoscope, both of these attributes
can be enhanced.
Emmylou Harris’s Moon is in Virgo in the 2nd house,
the house of the throat. She is very unassuming on stage,
despite her Aries Sun. I think this must be due to her Virgo
Moon and Cancer Ascendant, two signs which are quite modest.
I don’t know Mark Knopfler’s birth time, but he
is a Leo with the Moon in either Pisces or Aries. My guess
is that it’s in Pisces. He, too, does not come across
as a dynamic Leo on stage. He seems very modest and retiring,
like he’s got some Pisces holding him back but giving
him tremendous musical depth.
While we walked from our car to the concert, my wife and I
stopped to take some pictures. My wife had me pose on somebody’s
doorsteps because she liked all the foliage. Then we had to
take the camera back to the car because cameras are not allowed
in the Santa Barbara Bowl.
Astrology:
What it Is and What it's Not
In
the next few blogs, I am going to depart slightly from my
usual astrology commentaries. I'll still be blogging about
astrology connections in the world around us, but I'm also
going to work in some blogs where I briefly explain the astrology
behind the Sun, Moon, and planets. Each blog will explain
a planet. When I'm done, I'll put it all together and post
a new Planets page on my website.
The planets in astrology rule signs of the zodiac. The Sun
and Moon are sometimes referred to, somewhat oddly, as planets.
More correctly, they are the two luminaries in the solar system.
They give and reflect light.
A common critique of astrology is that, due to a phenomenon
called precession of the equinoxes, the constellations are
no longer where they once were in ancient times, so that someone
who supposedly was born with the Sun in Aries may in reality
now have the Sun against the starry background of Pisces.
Vedic astrology uses this actual placement of the planets,
a method called sidereal astrology.
Most Western astrologers, however, use a system called tropical
astrology which is based not on the constellations but on
the solstices and equinoxes. Much of the symbolism of each
zodiac sign is derived from their seasonal nature and not
from the constellation itself. The sign of Libra, for example,
is the sign of balance; it begins at the fall equinox, when
the day and night are of equally balanced length. The summer
and winter solstices are 0° of Cancer and Capricorn respectively.
The spring and fall equinoxes are 0° of Aries and Libra. These
are known as the four cardinal signs and they form the four
90° angles—the cardinal cross—of the natural horoscope.
Tomorrow: A blog about the Emmylou Harris/Mark Knopfler concert
I'm going to tonight. Then, a blog about the Sun.
World
Cup Soccer Players and Sun Signs
As
the World Cup competition heats up, I thought I'd repost
this earlier blog, since it's about World Cup soccer players.
I originally posted it almost two months ago.
Does the horoscope present the individual with potential
or simple twists of fate? The authors of the best-selling
Freakonomics, Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt,
recently had an
interesting piece in the NY Times.
They cited research which demonstrated that “elite
soccer players are more likely to have been born in the
earlier months of the year than in the later months.”
Specifically, being born in January, February, and March
greatly increases one’s prospects of becoming a World
Cup soccer player.
One reason suggested by the authors, with tongue half in
cheek, is astrological signs: January (Capricorn), February
(Aquarius), and March (Pisces) births make one more destined
to excel in soccer. However, the authors conclude much more
prosaically:
“Since youth sports are organized by age bracket,
teams inevitably have a cutoff birth date. In the European
youth soccer leagues, the cutoff date is Dec. 31. So when
a coach is assessing two players in the same age bracket,
one who happened to have been born in January and the other
in December, the player born in January is likely to be
bigger, stronger, more mature. Guess which player the coach
is more likely to pick? He may be mistaking maturity for
ability, but he is making his selection nonetheless. And
once chosen, those January-born players are the ones who,
year after year, receive the training, the deliberate practice
and the feedback — to say nothing of the accompanying
self-esteem — that will turn them into elites.”
In other words, birth month is destiny—although our
fate (dear Brutus) lies not in our stars, but in cutoff
dates for picking teams. The other way of looking at this
astrologically, though, is to examine the traditional rulers
of Capricorn (January), Aquarius (February), and Pisces
(March). These signs are ruled by Saturn, Saturn, and Jupiter
respectively. I am using Jupiter here as the traditional
(pre-Neptune) ruler of Pisces and Saturn as the traditional
(pre-Uranus) ruler of Aquarius. Saturn is associated with
preparation and training, the hard work essential to becoming
a star athlete. Jupiter has long been associated with athletic
skill—and the high self-esteem and confidence necessary
to reach the top in a sport. Through the simple destiny
of a Jan.-March Sun sign, soccer players are chosen and
coached. Then, through the potential of their Sun sign rulers,
they have the resources to respond and develop where fate
has placed them.
Sun/Leo/5th
House and "Artistic Darwinsim"
In
astrology, the Sun, Leo, and the 5th house share similar themes.
Among these is creative self-expression, which can take the
form of art, poetry, drama, romance, and sexual creation—having
children. A
recent article, "Peacock's Tail Fans Our Flames," in an Australian
newspaper explores
the concept of artistic Darwinism, “…a growing
academic movement that is trying to apply Darwinian principles
to the study of art and literature.”
One of the leading advocates “…of this approach
is New Zealand-based philosopher Denis Dutton, who argued
in a recent article that the arts ‘echo the sexual display
that accompanies Darwinian selection.’ As with everything
else humans do, it all comes back to the ruthless competition
to ensure the successful transmission of our genes. Whether
we are conscious of it or not, say the followers of Darwin,
art is essentially the creative means to a biological end…
Dutton, in common with other Darwinists, draws an analogy
between art created by humans and the elaborate displays that
certain birds put on during the mating season.”
In other words, the peacock’s tail, a sexual come-on,
is very much related to poetry and art. This would directly
tie Leo/Sun/5th house sexual propagation to creative self-expression.
The lion is, after all, the king of the jungle.
To say that this theory has its detractors would be putting
it mildly. Some nay-sayers are quoted in the article, deeming
artistic Darwinism among other things a sexist view of art.
It would also seem to Freudianize art—everything is
about sex and, no that poem about a cigar is not really a
poem about a cigar.
The point of artistic Darwinism, however, seems to be that
art is the human’s peacock’s tail. It need not
be about sex, but rather the simple act of artistic creation
itself is a sexual display. Count me on the sidelines on this
one, although I do think that the Leo-Sun-5th house theme
of creative self-expression can encompass both sex and art.
Pluto
in Sag.: "Immaturity Levels Rising"
I
commented in a recent blog (“Pluto in Leo ‘Rejuveniles’,”
June 22, 2006) about how the Pluto in Leo Baby Boom generation
is exhibiting a strong need to connect with, and give voice
to, its inner child. There’s more to this story, which
might help explain why the phenomenon of adult immaturity
is not limited just to the Pluto in Leo generation.
Sagittarius is a sign associated with fun-loving youthfulness.
It is ruled by Jupiter, the party planet. The Roman god Jupiter
(same as the Greek god Zeus), despite presiding over the other
gods and goddesses, was not known for his emotional maturity.
He was given to fits of extreme temper and was a sexual philanderer,
driving Hera jealous-crazy with his adolescent exploits. For
the past eleven years, Pluto—the planet which brings
things to the surface—has been in Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius.
As a result, we are seeing an increase in Jupiter-like behavior—positive
as well as negative. Jupiter, as ruler of a mutable sign and
co-ruler of another (Pisces), is also a flexible planet. Add
to this the 2000 Jupiter-Saturn
conjunction in youthful, fecund
Taurus and there suddenly seem to be a lot of 50-year old
teenagers running around.
This is not necessarily a bad thing. A
recent article posted on Discovery News, “Serious Study:
Immaturity Levels Rising,”
claims that
“The adage ‘like a kid at heart’ may be
truer than we think, since new research is showing that grown-ups
are more immature than ever. Specifically, it seems a growing
number of people are retaining the behaviors and attitudes
associated with youth. As a consequence, many older people
simply never achieve mental adulthood, according to a leading
expert on evolutionary psychiatry…
“Since modern cultures now favor cognitive flexibility,
‘immature’ people tend to thrive and succeed,
and have set the tone not only for contemporary life, but
also for the future, when it is possible our genes may even
change as a result of the psychological shift.”
“Cognitive flexibility” also brings to mind the
momentous 1893 Neptune-Pluto conjunction in adaptable Gemini.
Uranus-Neptune
and the Conectivity Revolution
The
Uranus-Neptune
conjunction in 1993 ushered
in the connectivity revolution. This revolution—powered
by the Internet—has been given new force by
the Uranus-Neptune mutual reception
which began in 2003. How does this
revolution look to someone whose job it is to see the future?
Best Buy is a chain of consumer electronics and technology
superstores based in the United States. They have maintained
their successful sales edge by seeing the next trend—and
acting upon that insight. Just going out and browsing in stores
like Best Buy and Urban Outfitters can give a lot of insight
into future trends. The Chief Marketing Officer of Best Buy,
Mike Linton, said
in a recent Hub Magazine interview that
letting shoppers customize and connect their purchases is
a key to future growth:
“The digital evolution is at its next phase. When the
digital wave first arrived about eight years ago —what
were you going to buy? Maybe a desktop computer …maybe
a nice TV with a DVD player. What else were you going to buy?
Not much. Then digital cameras and videogame players arrived
and the internet started connecting everything. Fast-forward
seven years, and we are now in the age of customization. There
are desktops, laptops —you can network your home. There
are digital cameras, digital camcorders, broadband, cable
—you can get all kinds of different TVs. You can get
a signal from your cable or satellite company. Cell phones
are now much more than just a way to call someone. You can
port your music anywhere you want —you can port your
movies anywhere you want. What you see is customers linking
all of these technologies together in a much more individualized
way. They are using media in a more customized way.”
This
is all part of the merging, shared energies of Uranus and
Neptune.
Pluto
in Leo "Rejuveniles"
The
Pluto in Leo generation, born roughly between 1939 and 1958,
is characterized by a strong need to connect with, and give
voice to, its inner child. Leo is the sign of the individual.
Leo is ruled by the Sun and a Leo must express him or herself
as the center of the solar system in order to feel fully alive.
Did you ever see one of those National Geographic shows that
featured a family of playful lion cubs—rolling around
like kittens under Mom’s tender eye, then lounging for
awhile, then frolicking, then lounging some more, and finally
going out to get something to eat at a nice veldt? That “inner
lion cub” is what drives many Pluto in Leo Baby Boomers.
A newly released book, Rejuvenile
: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the
American Grown-up, by
Christoper Noxon, describes in positive terms this generation’s
kid-quest—the “new world of successful adults
who play in rock n' roll nursery rhyme cover bands, attend
Disney World without kids, and happily plunk down 10 bucks
to see Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie.”
One reviewer on Amazon
commented that “Geezers wearing blue jeans and watching
cartoons and playing videogames is not precisely what Bob
Dylan had in mind (‘May you stay forever young’)
back in the countercultural day. But as Christopher Noxon
smartly and definitively explains, never-ending youthfulness—that
is, the mass refusal to swear off fun and comfort for the
sake of grown-up propriety—is the enduring legacy of
the Woodstock generation.”
Pluto
in Capricorn and Cell Phone Surveillance
Pluto
is approaching Capricorn, having been in Sagittarius for the
past eleven years. Pluto is now less than five degrees from
Capricorn. Trends related to the outer planets begin to manifest
early, then reach a “tipping point” with a new
sign ingress or major aspect. Since Capricorn has to do with
vigilance, surveillance, security, and boundaries, we are
beginning to see a lot more of these. An
article in the Los Angeles Times (“Cellphones:
Just a Leash for Children?”)
discussed the use—by parents—of GPS devices in
cell phones. GPS (Global Positioning System) technology is
not new, but it has become more and more embedded in our everyday
lives. It is used for the mapping systems in new cars, for
example. However, its use by parents as a way to monitor the
whereabouts of their children is growing in popularity (at
least with the parents—the young people being monitored
are not pleased), and is associated with Pluto’s approach
to the cusp of Capricorn. According to the L.A. Times
article:
“Sprint Family Locator, which debuted in April, is just
one of many newly released cellular services that use global
positioning satellites — originally developed for military
use — to allow family members to keep tabs on each other
via their phones. Disney Mobile, which opened for business
earlier this month, includes child tracking among its basic
features. Verizon Wireless' Chaperone service lets parents
enclose up to 10 areas in virtual fencing, and to receive
a text message if their children breach a boundary.”
The
Sixties Trend in Music
The
sixties is back, thanks to the Uranus-Neptune
mutual reception. Sixties
trends are growing in many different ways, some of which I
have commented on in recent blogs and in an
article on my website. In
the mid-1960’s, Uranus passed over Neptune in the horoscopes
of Baby Boomers, and this—along with the Uranus-Pluto
conjunction that happened around the same time—contributed
to the flowering of a generational alternative counter-culture.
Especially with Uranus’ 2003 entry into Neptune-ruled
Pisces, we have seen an acceleration of 1960’s-era influences.
A
recent article by Will Hermes in the NY Times, “Summer
of Love Redux,” discusses
sixties-style music trends which have
“…grown steadily and expanded sonically, getting
less folkie and more, well, freaky. It has also gone international.
And this season — the Summer of Love 2.0 — it
comes into full, wild bloom with releases, tours and festival
appearances that promise nothing less than a new age of Aquarius.
“The new music is more a mind-set than a genre. It usually
employs acoustic instruments, though it's as likely to have
roots in progressive rock, free jazz or Brazilian pop as in
Appalachian ballads.
“Vocals tend toward the willfully eccentric, arrangements
toward the exotic, lyrics toward the oblique. The sound can
range from gentle ensemble music befitting a Renaissance fair
to electric psychedelia befitting an acid test. The musicians
often conjure the 60's in grooming and countercultural/utopian/back-to-the-land
vibe. Many are friends, cultivating a communal network of
informal collaboration: they tour together, play on one another's
records and sing one another's praises. But with a tendency
toward art that's both homespun and solipsistic, and that
shows little interest in music industry trappings, they can
seem less interested in Making It Big than in keeping it small.”
Live
Oak Music Festival
Yesterday
I went with friends and family to the Live
Oak Music Festival, a three day multi-generational
celebration of musical eclecticism held annually in a campground
north of Santa Barbara, California. It’s like Woodstock,
but without the drugs and nudity. We heard some great music:
the Bills from Canada; Rosie Ledet’s smoking Zydeco
blues (see accompanying picture I took); and the Iguanas (who
have been compared favorably to Los Lobos) with their New
Orleans Tex-Mex mix.
One of the most wonderful things about music is that by its
very nature it crosses boundaries. It truly is a universal
language which unites people. It thus has the qualities of
Neptune and Pisces. One could go a step further and assign
different planetary rulerships or zodiac signs to different
types of music. I’ve always felt folk music was Virgo,
rap’s Scorpio (and thus appealing strongly to the Pluto
in Scorpio generation) ruled by Mars, etc.
In addition to helping people cross their own boundaries,
music itself crosses borders and so it is Piscean in that
way, too. Elvis Presley fused different musical genres. So
did Tchaikovsky, who incorporated Russian folk music into
his compositions. I’ve written
on my website about Shakira’s multi-cultural influences
and cross-border music. She’s an Aquarius, another sign
associated with inclusiveness. Neptune is in Aquarius and
we have seen musical borders falling as world music becomes
more popular.
At Live Oak, the Bills showed this Piscean musical merging
when they segued from “Sicilian Tarantella/The Berlin
Busker's Polka” to Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust”
to Tennessee bluegrass. Rosie Ledet fused Cajun Zydeco with
the blues, and the Iguanas cooked up a musical jumbalaya of
Memphis horns, Zydeco, and Tex-Mex party rhythms.
I also had an opportunity to observe generations at play,
from young Pluto in Sag. through older Pluto in Cancer, dancing
together and united by the power of music.
Pluto
in Leo and Surfing
Could
there be a more Pluto in Leo sport than surfing? Or a more
Baby Boomer movie title than Endless Summer, the
classic 60’s surf movie which is receiving its own revival?
The Baby Boom generation was born while Pluto was in Leo,
the Sun’s sun sign, which makes Boomers want to search
for that endless summer. The Washington
Post reports on a special screening of Endless Summer—essentially
a home movie about two surfers traveling the world to find
the perfect wave—at a movie theater in Encinitas, California,
where I used to live. Encinitas is the home of Swami Paramahansa
Yogananda’s Self-Realization Fellowship hermitage and
ashram, and the surfing beach right below the ashram is the
legendary Swami’s.
Surfing gained popularity during the 1960’s when California
culture began to extend its reach. I grew up in California
during the 60’s, so Mustang convertibles, the Beach
Boys, peroxide hair, and 3rd degree sun burns are all part
of my heritage. Well, not mine personally, but I mingled.
Today’s Pluto in Leo generation is on a quest for its
own perfect wave during an endless summer. In fact, my wife
and I take frequent walks past a local surfing beach and I’m
amazed at the number of surfers with gray hair, paunches,
and wobbly knees. There are other "perfect waves," too, that
this idealistic generation (although their ideals have shifted
on the sands of time) still seeks to ride.
Saturn,
Neptune, Uranus--and Dada
Art
movements are often tied to strong planetary patterns. An
art movement, such as French Impressionism, is a creative
expression of social and cultural forces. We are coming up
on a Saturn-Neptune opposition, which will become exact at
the end of August. However, its effects are already being
felt and will be felt for quite some time. Planet patterns
involving Neptune usually do not manifest as dramatically
as those between, say, Saturn and Pluto. Neptune is an elusive,
watery planet, and its influence is often subtle, seeping
into culture like mist.
There was a Saturn-Neptune conjunction in 1917, followed a
year later by a Saturn-Uranus opposition. This happened to
be the same time period when the Dada art movement—the
subject of a current exhibit at the NY Museum of Modern Art
and just
profiled in a fascinating review in the NY Times—took
shape. The Times article includes a few pictures
to get an idea of just how revolutionary (Uranus) the Dada
movement actually was.
In the words of the NY Times, “…Dadaists
figured it was time to throw away the rules, and you can tell
they had a ball doing so. Out with jingoism and the clichés
of romanticism and Expressionism, whose self-centeredness
they particularly despised, and in with a new spirit of internationalism,
collaboration, serendipity and transparency…Dada stood
for freedom.” Neptune and Saturn, by the way, were then
in Leo (self-centeredness, romanticism being eroded by Neptune),
and Uranus (freedom) was moving into its own sign, Aquarius.
Dada was thus the perfect artistic embodiment of a Saturn-Neptune
conjunction and a Saturn-Uranus opposition. It also came out
of the wreckage of World War I, a world many artists felt
had gone mad. We are about to experience a Saturn-Neptune
opposition, followed in 2008 by a Saturn-Uranus opposition—a
lot like the cosmic patterns that helped the Dadaist movement.
Will a new artistic movement be born out of the present?
Uranus
in Pisces Footwear
Pisces
is the zodiac sign associated with the feet. Uranus is a rebel
and rules kooky, non-conforming Aquarius. Uranus is presently
in the foot-sign Pisces (where it will be until 2011). Pisces
is co-ruled by Neptune (as well as Jupiter). In fashion, Uranus
is off-beat, the quirky and anti-establishment fashion statement.
Uranus often takes a familiar piece of clothing or accessory
and tweaks it into something different and unusual. Neptune,
on the other hand, is a fashion planet—but it’s
in Uranus’ sign, Aquarius.
Take a look down at footwear next time you are out. Sure,
we have the way-too-comfortable Jupiter-Saturn
in Taurus flip-flops at a White House
sports reception. But a lot of Pisces footwear is getting
a Uranus makeover. Sneakers—not running shoes, mind
you, just good ol’ sneakers—are getting way out
in a Uranus way. Check out this website: http://www.greedygenius.com/
You’ll need flash player to view it. Cool, colorful
sneakers. Or just drop by any shoe store and get an eyeful
of sneakers. It’s all a part of the Uranus-Neptune
mutual reception.
Astrology,
Spirituality, and the Human Genome
In
a Mountain Astrologer article last year, I wrote
about the astrology of the human genome and biogenetics. One
thing I pointed out in my article was that there is a unifying
quality to our decoding of the human genome. It connects us.
Uranus is a planet of revolutionary discovery. While it was
in Aquarius, we saw a computer and technology revolution.
Now that Uranus is in Pisces—a sign associated with
medicine, the collective unconscious, spirituality, and those
things which unite us—we are seeing a similar revolution
in biogenetics. I mentioned specifically in my article that
every person on earth shares 99.9% of the same human genome.
In that sense, the decoding of the human genome has brought
to the forefront our transcendental similarity.
Francis Collins, a pioneering medical geneticist who once
headed the Human Genome Project, has written a book (due out
in September), titled The
Language of God. He writes
(quoted on Amazon.com) that "the experience of sequencing
the human genome, and uncovering this most remarkable of all
texts, was both a stunning scientific achievement and an occasion
of worship.” A
news story about Francis Collins
quotes him as saying that unraveling the human genome gave
him a "glimpse at the workings of God…You can't survey
the human genome without having a sense of a we”—which
sounds very much like Uranus in Pisces.
Cars
Two
thoughts on the movie Cars, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
First, the Uranus-Neptune
mutual reception—especially
Uranus in artistic Pisces—has given movie special effects
an incredible turbo boost. Pixar, along with Weta
Digital (the animation studio
used by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson),
is revolutionizing popular movies. I don’t want to go
into this too much, because I discuss this phenomenon at some
length in my soon-to-be-released book,
Cosmic
Trends. However, suffice
to say that Cars amply demonstrates how digital technology
is stretching the 21st Century definitions of cinema.
Second, the heartwarming message of the movie is one we could
all use in our lives. The world has been moving so quickly
that many have forgotten what’s truly valuable in our
lives. The movie’s charming nods to nostalgia are, I
think, very much in tune with the zeitgeist. Pluto in Capricorn
(starting in 2008 and also a big part of my book) will signal
a cultural mood in which many will look to the idealized past
(exemplified by the old Route 66 in Cars) with a
desire for deep connections.
Saturday,
June 10, 2006
Caribbean
Festival
I
went to a Caribbean Festival in
Santa Barbara (California)
yesterday. I loved the music, especially a Cuban percussionist
named, simply, Melena.
She had an eight-piece band. I was struck, once again, by the
ability of music to connect us and move us—literally.
With a 3rd house Venus in Cancer, I have always loved music
of all types. Melena’s band played Afro-Cuban jazz rhythm
music, which is especially flowing and foot-tapping. It seemed
like Neptune just took over. Even
the most out-of-sorts looking people in the audience came alive
and danced. I snapped a few pictures, trying to capture the
Neptune energy.
I’ve
blogged recently about happiness in the horoscope. I went home
and looked at the astrology of the afternoon. While I was transported
into happiness, listening to the music, the Moon was trining
my Mercury, which sits on the cusp of my 5th house,
and the passing Ascendant was ticking rhythmically over my Neptune.
The Sun was a degree past my Part of Fortune.
A
trend: Baby Boomers were born with Pluto in individualistic
Leo and this generation is marked by a strong tendency to march
to their own inner drummers. Even though the hair on many male
Baby Boomers is graying, many still manage to make it their
own. Back in the mid-1800’s, thick gray beards were a
symbol of hoary wisdom and accumulated life experience. Old
men proudly let their chin hairs grow. We’ve come full
circle. I saw one man at the festival whose beard was about
four or five inches long and grew only from his chin. Another
man had his grey hair fastened in a long thick braid—a
male Boomer fashion I have observed more and more. I enjoy watching
the Pluto in Leo generation age, yet still find ways to exert
their Leonine spirits.
The
Astrology of Virtual Communities
Uranus-Neptune
social communities just seem to keep morphing into new forms.
Uranus and Neptune conjoined in 1993.
for the first time in 170 years, then in 2003 they “traded
signs.” Neptune
is in Aquarius and Uranus is in Pisces, a mutual reception
which greatly empowers both planets.
This shared planetary energy is giving rise to a number of
new types of social communities. MySpace
is the biggest (and, some would say, the baddest) of the new
breed of online social communities. Now www.tribewanted.com
is planning to take an online community and give it a real-world
existence. The idea is to have online community members pay
to share in ownership of a Fijian island, which will become
a planned Utopian community. From the website:
“This is your chance to join a unique tribe and help
build both an online and real- life community. It’s
an opportunity to join a virtual meeting of minds that will
generate a new kind of utopian existence, from the comfort
of your own computer. As a tribal member you will have the
chance to visit one of the most beautiful islands on earth,
knowing you’ve contributed to the development of its
ecological community. This is your moment to make history
on a tiny ripple of rock, jungle and sand in the middle of
the South Pacific Ocean…It is tribewanted’s aim
to create a sustainable and ecological community on Adventure
Island and to encourage tribe members to actively take part
in this challenge.”
This is a trend—the blending of virtual and real-world
communities—which will continue to grow and develop
in new and often astonishing ways. In addition, the search
for viable, earthly Utopias will also capture the imaginations
of many in the online world.
More
Sixties Redux
And
the sixties live again. Only this time, the "revolution" seems
to have begun in marketing meetings rather than college dorms.
As I've noted before, a sixties fashion look is going strong.
This has to do with a convergence of several astrological
factors, including the current Uranus-Neptune
mutual reception. In the later 1960's,
Uranus passed over many a flower child's Neptune-in-Libra,
causing outbreaks of rose-colored granny glasses and ankle
bells. Now, with the mutual reception of these two planets,
sixties fashions--and street demonstrations--are once again
visible.
This
past weekend, I was at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo
Alto, California (a hotbed of far left marketing practices)
and took a picture of this window display, featuring a sixties
collage. There's a picture of Jimi Hendrix in the middle
left part of the picture and "Jefferson Airplane" at
the bottom. I think the store was selling loose-fitting, sixties-style
clothing and bead necklaces.
More
on the Astrology of Happiness
Neptune is closely associated with happiness. (Gilbert's book
does not include any astrology, but I find myself quickly relating
his ideas and examples to my own thoughts about astrology).
The frontal lobe of the brain enables us to plan ahead, to imagine
the future. Individuals without a frontal lobe lack this basic
planning ability. We often speak of the advantages of living in
the now, being in the moment. However, if we cannot imagine our
own future happiness and plan how to get there, how can we truly
be happy? Saturn is of course associated with planning, but Neptune
is a planet which in astrology is most often equated with the
imagination. To envision the future is also Uranian because Uranus
is a visionary planet, like the slash of the lightning bolt across
a darkened sky, suddenly and momentarily illuminating the landscape.
So planning is Saturn, imagination is Neptune, and sudden visionary
insights into the future are associated with Uranus.
Neptune is a planet which overflows the boundaries of the present,
a tide cresting the banks of a river of time and flowing in new
ways. Emphasis on the future is often associated with fire signs,
but Neptune—a watery planet and modern planetary ruler of
Pisces—is necessary in order to imagine a world that does
not yet exist because it has not happened.
A quality that makes human beings unique is that we are able to
envision the future (unless, that is, we are missing our frontal
lobe). An individual human horoscope therefore has that quality
of being able to imagine that which has not yet happened. A horoscope
for a cat or a dog does not. Not that I don’t love cats
and dogs. I do, and I know that they can communicate. But communication
is not envisioning the future. It is not Neptune. If an animal
cannot itself see the future, can we use an animal’s horoscope
to predict its future? Animals may be able to sense the future,
but that is not the same thing as imagining it, creating a future
landscape of possibility.
Every human horoscope has within it the ability to imagine tomorrow.
The very act of looking at a horoscope also carries with it that
Neptunian imaginative quality. In reading a horoscope, we are
invoking the imagination. This is true whether we are forecasting
the future or just looking at the person in the horoscope, seeing
(imagining) potentialities.
|
