It started last night at 10:54 when Venus was setting in Raleigh. As I was opening a new tab I noticed and clicked on a Guardian headline: Israeli former leader and security chiefs threaten legal action over ‘Jewish Terrorism’. I felt amazing relief and hope as I read the article. It was kind of late. I did a chart for the moment, noted that Venus in Leo was setting, answered a text (a customer offering leftover key lime pie from a recent get together!) rolled over in bed and got busy at the very important job of resting.
 |
| Venus is just above the horizontal line on the right side of the chart. It's about to go under the line, or set in the west. |
This morning I revisited the article, it was that inspiring. One of the signers of the letter was David Grossman, a writer. The name reminded me of the author of Life and Fate (Vasily Grossman), I googled him wondering if he was related. He wasn’t, but I googled his 2014 book Falling out of Time. NPR had a gushing review: A Lyrical Meditation On Grief In Falling Out Of Time. One of his children was killed in action on the last day of the 2006 Lebanon War. He has remained a devoted peace activist.
I’m not. Not a peace activist. But I don’t want to imagine a world without peace activists. I read a lot about war and the history of war. As an astrologer I can’t stand up for one against the other, peace or war. I’m compelled to observe and wonder. I never feel that I know what’s right, mostly I’m just aware of my own drive for self preservation.
I’ve had a lot of Jewish customers over the years, every one of them model citizens, above and beyond citizens. It was such a relief to see coming from the heart of Israel the kind of leadership I’ve seen in all my customers, friends and associates. The people signing the letter did not condemn Jewish Terrorism. They warned of impending legal action to stop it.
I’ve had only a few Arabs in my life, and none in recent years. One young Arab man in the 1980’s loaned me a book about the very recent history of Palestine. I thought of him often after 9/11. This ongoing war in Gaza and Lebanon is pushing me to learn more about Palestinians and the history of the region. Then there’s Sudan. History, science, astrology; they are my rocks. But sometimes fiction strikes a beautiful chord. At the end of the excellent synopsis of Falling out of Time, the reviewer, Alan Cheuse, called it the Israeli version of Our Town.
I only know of Thornton Wilder because my old boyfriend was in a local production of Skin of our Teeth and he had a book of Wilder’s short stories. I read the Wikipedia synopsis of Our Town. I was in tears at the end of it. I did a chart for the moment. Venus was rising.
 |
| This morning Venus was on the left side of the chart, just under the horizontal line. It was about to come up over the Eastern horizon. |
Chiron, the planet of healing passed from Aries into Taurus Friday night. We still have Saturn and Neptune in Aries. Jesus said the poor will always be with us, I’m guessing that includes the victims of war. Venus rules Taurus. The planet of kindness and harmony rules the sign of peace. It is a big relief to see kindness shining a bright light on the power of setting limits. The signers did not condemn anyone’s drive for self preservation, they just drew a line and said this we will not tolerate.
