We are Living in a Spherical World

One of the most damning ‘observations’ made of astrologers, by defenders of modern objective science, is that they make decisions based on how the planets are aligned.  Aside from the obvious corollary of making a thousand daily decisions based on the motions of a mechanical device that crows from beside the bed, this reminds me of the doctor who forcefully asserts that levothyroxine made in a lab is eggsactly like what your thyroid makes.  Thus speak the righteous scientists.  And then there’s religion.  But of course its all political to me.  Its all political to me.

But then I think love is political.  I think love is a highly charged political action.  Like, who you love is a political choice.  I think a lot about the politics of love- what rules a society imposes on acts of love.  What makes an act of love illegal?  Are acts of love privileges which require license?  Driving a car is a privilege.  Like a lot of privileges, driving is taken for granted by those who have a license.  But many of our neighbors are denied a license to drive.  Why do we deny people a license to drive?  A license to enter our country?  Why is it ok to have our cookie and appliance factories in Mexico?  Is it because the labor and environmental laws there are more favorable to corporations and work is mas barata.  All life is basically cheap there.  Death is where the money is.  Down in Mexico guns are illegal, but we don’t respect their border and let them flow across freely, so they have heads literally rolling in the streets.  Gun control rules in Mexico.  Guns are big in Mexico, like they are in Russia, Afghanistan- where else do we see guns in the streets, strapped over the shoulders of people in public (usually men).  How did those guns get there?  Where did those madrassa students get all their weapons and pick up trucks?  Where did the money come from?

Right, though, we’re talking about those stupid (stupid!) astrologers (how could they be so turned off by reality?  How hard they work at weaving their stories of la la land!)  And when a prediction comes out wrong, they just change the date.  They are worse than prostitutes and we can’t seem to get rid of them.  But people give them their hard earned money!!  They are worse than high interest credit card offers and pawn shops.  They are worse than NASA, the EPA, and ICE combined; astrologers just want to run our lives and it’s a real shame to see people get caught up in that bull.

Well, the moon is catching up with mars in libra today.  This is like the visit of a loved one or the food truck at the camp.  Mars is really showing off his most charming side this month whether he or she likes it or not.  It is really important to see mars in the females in your life as well as the males.  The will to survive is strong in every one.  Right now we are actually starting in on a wrap up of almost thirty months of gaining a sobering understanding of fairness.  Saturn will soon descend even further down the ecliptic, below the celestial equator.  This month mars is catching up with the old one, and today, the swiftly changing moon.  All three in libra-saturn, mars and the moon.

Mars will catch right on up beside Saturn about Aug 16.  When that happens the sun, moon and mercury will be in leo, with venus in cancer.  That should be fun. 

The new moon was beautiful last night.  How could any people who follow the moon believe the earth is flat?  It is when the moon is really new, or really old and all we can see lit up is a curved sliver, like a tiny blanket of light on the bottom side of a Christmas tree ornament, perfectly curved, illuminated by a candle from a lower branch; that it is obvious we live in a spherical world.

Astrology Slut

Sorry, for the offensive title, I'm super bummed.  Just had a great day exploring astronomy sites, ancient history- getting to know the difference between a Philistine and an Amorite.  It was such a great day of study.  I had stumbled onto a really cool astronomy site called Bad Astronomy.  I was looking for more info about the Vela C region.  The European Space Agency just published some beautiful images of this region 2,500 light years from our sun which was referred to as a star nursery.  The Bad Astronomy blog didn't have additional info about that but did have a neat video showing water drops in slow motion, forming craters in various substances (to illustrate how peaks formed in craters on the moon).  I was so excited.

After reading the most recent posts on the Bad Astronomy site I clicked on an archived post about astrology.  Heart break.  It seems that astronomers respect astrologers about as much as Christians respect atheists.  So I did leave a very brief comment.

I guess it is just these awful moments that remind me why I devote so much time to astrology.  It has made me whole.  It has made me feel that I am not crazy for feeling lost in a world of clocks and calendars; that time is holy and not something generated by a mechanical device, but something spun out of the same miracle that gave birth to the stars and planets and me.

In the last 18 months of writing a monthly horoscope column, I have gained a better understanding of why astrology is so reviled.  Some of the comments posted on the Bad Astronomy blog provided even more insight.  In fact in my studies today I came across a Christian site about Armageddon that was astonishing in the depth of detail and number of posts and followers. Religion really is powerful stuff!  So powerful I don't see it going away any time soon.  I think the best approach is to marry religion with what we know about the real world. 

I will continue to enjoy the Bad Astronomy site.

But I think that dose of disrespect calls for some serious poetry.  Here is one (of five) by Adrienne Rich which was reprinted with original date of publication, in The Nation magazine, on the occasion of her death in March 2012 at the age of 82.  She had contributed twenty one poems and several essays to The Nation over her lifetime.  I have no idea what Ms. Rich's attitudes were about astrology; I do believe she had a deep love for humanity.

At Willard Brook
November 18, 1961

Spirit like water
moulded by unseen stone
and sandbar, pleats and funnels
according to its own
submerged necessity-
to the indolent eye
pure wilfulness, to the stray
pine-needle boiling
in that cascade-bent pool
a random fury; Law,
if that's what's wanted, lies
asking to be read
in the dried brook-bed.

I feel like such a feeble and inadequate champion of such a worthy cause.  But then I am reminded of Boethius and my eyes are lifted from this dull earth to the starry heavens.  I know of no better faith than that which bows in reverence to the real firmament.  The stars, conscious or not, gave birth to us.  They do not need me to speak for them.  It is other humans, longing for some sense of life's purpose, that need to be acquainted with their real origins, their real home, the real flame that they carry within their mortal selves.  We did not create the stars and planets.  We come from them.  It is right and proper that we follow them and seek to feel at home among them.  Clocks are mere inventions of humans, crude imitations of earth's relationship to the sun.  Astrology follows all the planets as though they are our neighbors, as though they matter to us, as though they are something more than objects to mine for minerals or water.  The other planets in our solar system are extensions of earth just as electrons and protons cohabit atoms.  Astrology helps us feel as snug in our corner of the Milky Way as an electron in a carbon atom.

Good astrology fosters reverence for the real universe. 

Our Sky Horoscopes July 2012

Hey!  Here is July!  I feel so extraneous posting these horoscopes after I look at the fields of them all over the internet; I have seen one with cool illustrations by the  astrologer who writes the horoscopes.  The following link Ode To Scorpio video by Michael Lutin was sent to me by my friend Todd Clayton.  Mr. Lutin is a first rate performance artist bringing quality astrology to the public.  Michael Lutin NY     <--------click on that for his web site.

 

So here's MP's contribution for July, 2012

Aries:  A complicated string of contacts, beginning with a friend that’s like a brother or sister, will tune you into a lunar channel and take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions July 3-21.  The tension will be high on the 17^th when you’ll get a chance to weigh all sides of a contentious issue.  July 28 as you approach a test of fairness, you’ll be eager to argue your case.  July 30, 31 though severe restrictions are highlighted, you will have a sporting attitude.

Taurus:  The apostle Thomas had to touch the wounds of the survivor before he could fathom the miracle.  You are walking away from a fact gathering mission to understand your own twist of fate.  Like Thomas you will have a range of emotions to sort through until July 22 when enough celebratory energy is spinning out to brighten all feelings.

Gemini:  Penetrating humor July 1,2 gives way to darker insights the 3^rd and 4^th followed by work on a far reaching vision.  July 9, 10 you get kudos for originality and then on the 14^th meditation gives way to socializing and family fun.  July 22 you come under the spell of summer.

:Cancer:  July 17 be there and be square- People will be motivated to forge some kind of holistic agreement.  Pour a little sweetener in that big jar of cool aid, stir in ice cubes for an attention getting clink against the glass and watch folks get down to business.  July 24, 25 a courageous push to build lasting support systems is highlighted.

Leo:  Some high energy days are July 1, 2, for lively conversation and 9-11 for defending an opinion.  July 14, 15 are friendly days.  The 17^th is a tense day as several conflicting needs compete.  The moon is a thin crescent July 22 when sun enters Leo.  July 24,25 you’ll have to take care of business.

Virgo:  July 3^rd is your day of independence- when the martial planet of survival leaves your neighborhood and crosses below the celestial equator.  Still, until July 22, the spirit of generosity will have you at the mercy of fluctuating emotions.   After that you’ll be like the traveler in Rome enjoying the colorful customs without judgment.

Libra:  Virgo’s independence is your new challenge, but with 2 years of carrying the weight of the world you are prepared to handle anything.  As the sun descends from the Tropic of Cancer your main concern will be reading emotional cues like tail wagging, ears back, teeth bared or belly presented for a friendly rub.  By the 22^nd even mad dogs will fetch a toy from the water.

Scorpio:  A beaver having its way is not building a cement pond.  Protect the trees you really need and relax.  Some people pay good money to have experts alter their landscapes, while you are getting organic changes for free and the unexpected surprises that come with friendship.

Sagittarius:  This year Sagittarians are finding out what their dream looks like when it comes to fruition.  Don’t panic if you suddenly realize something that should have been obvious- like behind every successful business is an owner juggling problems.  By month’s end you’ll accept what you’ve gained like a good sport.

Capricorn:  The looping chain of communication that you are stuck with until August leads to the dreaded boogie dwarf July 3, 4.  You are becoming very familiar with this marginalized subject, but the rest of us only get a sound bite once a month.  July 22 your self restraint will begin to pay off and you’ll have a couple of weeks to get a few persuasive words in.

Aquarius:  You have 5 more years of being a hero.  This month you’ve got the job of befriending someone at a time when they are talkative but speaking in riddles.  At first you’ll be challenged to sort out the moods behind the performance.  By July 22 you’ll be familiar enough with their quirks to enjoy their humor without mental translations.

Pisces:  Sometimes the most important way we show love is through meaningless conversation with no points to be driven home or lessons to be grasped: the delight of language just for fun.  Then too a free flow of information is the best support for those who want to stand on their own two feet.  This year you are nurturing with words more than deeds.