Billionaire Man and the Climate Emergency

Dead trees, parched earth, Lake Amistad, Texas

I'm reblogging this thought-provoking blog post from I Can't Believe it!, written by my other half. There's a question for you at the end - please feel free to comment and say what'd you'd do with a billion pounds.

 What would you do if you had a billion pounds?

Would you follow the technological dream of science and the colonial dream of new physical horizons, and fund a space program to take humanity another step down this road that has supposedly served us so well for hundreds of years – exploitation of supposedly virgin lands, ignorant of the life that is there? Become so convinced of the magnificence of your own ego and exceptionality, that you insist on being one of the first to go into space? Even model your spacecraft to resemble a large penis as you exhibit your contempt for lesser humans?

Or would you do something to help repair the earth and nature that has been ravaged by that technological/colonial dream, to the degree that our ecosystem is now under extreme threat, both in its loss of biodiversity, in its drowning in its own pollution, in the breakdown of its long-stable climate – all effects which have been made worse by you and your like, the rich and powerful extracting money from ‘the system’ to a degree that is surely obscene and has deprived the public purse everywhere of the means to ensure a decent life and environment for all, even undermining the democratic systems that of course put limits on your individual power.

Psychologically, the first path is chosen in humanity’s adolescence, the creation of ego that we all go through. Some appear to remain arrested at this increasingly narcissistic stage – ageing egos going in a circle of their multiple houses, yachts, private jets, exclusive parties, security obsession, separation from the masses. 

But modern psychological knowledge means we now know that this ego process is just the first stage of our development, as we grow to maturity, transcend our individual ego concerns and becoming co-operating adults and gradually becoming wiser and more spiritual. Our concern is wider than the individual; it is the good of the whole and all its parts.

Of course, this is also the perspective that will enable us to address all those problems that we have created in the world around us. Restoration of our living ecosystem becomes of paramount importance, the space ego trip seems somehow irrelevant. Not that we should not have more space programs, but that they are hardly today’s top priority.

So what would you do with your billion? And if you had more than one billion, why? What a weight of responsibility to have so much money, the weight of so much of the earth on your own shoulders? What on earth would you do, and why?

The ideas came to me after reading Prof Tim Jackson’s excellent post on The Billionaire space race; the ultimate symbol of capitalism’s flawed obsession with growth. Do read it.

 

What would you like to see more of in the World?

 

Twelve years ago today, on 3rd Augsut 2009, I completed my one hour on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London, as part of artist Antony Gormley's "One and Other" project.

I'd been randomly selected from those who applied to stand on the plinth (my  daughter entered my name without me knowing) and on reflection it was one of the most memorable things I've ever done, although it was both scary and challenging at the time.

My granddaughter - my first grandchild - was born while I was on the plinth, making the event even more significant, and today is her 12th birthday. She's now pre-teen, and will be a teenager in a year's time. I'm currently musing on what sort of world - the world we're in right now - she's going to inherit.

Ahead of my stint on the plinth, I asked friends and family "What would you like to see more of in the world" and they provided plenty of words expressing different qualities.  I read these out while I was up on the plinth, many of them receiving cheers and applause from the crowd down below (they also cheered enthusiastically when I announced the birth of my first grandchild, news of which had been shouted up to me by excited family down on the ground).

In these current times of uncertainty, pandemic, upheaval and ever-encroaching climate change I feel the need to reiterate and re-share some of the words I read out as a reminder and a memory-jogger of collectively held aspirations for a better world. We can always do better.

It's easy to be complacent, especially after 16 months of lockdowns and disappointments, so it's good to remind myself (you too if you take this on board) that we all have the power - the "power of one" (ourselves) -  to work towards something more positive in the months and years ahead. And to remember that children - like my increasingly grown up granddaughter -  are our future.

While I was on the plinth I read out most of the 94 words sent to me by family and friends saying what they would like to see more of in the world. Everyone involved offered words which have qualities and meanings that are universally understood and go beyond the personal.

It's time to reconnect with them and live them.

 

Taking responsibility, making choices

Model of Rosa Parks choosing & taking responsibility by sitting in a "whites only" bus seat. Montgomery Civil Rights Center, Alabama

It seems that our prime minister and government here in the UK are focussing just a little bit more on the need to be cautious, wary and considerate of others after 10 days of what has felt like a "way hey!" gung-ho, let's-let-it-all-hang-out approach to the easing of coronavirus restrictions.

Words of caution are creeping in (Q - why weren't they emphasised right from the start?) as many commercial outlets are still requesting people wear face coverings. The large crowds at the Euro2020 matches, the opening up of nightclubs and the return of open air festivals are crowd magnets. Scenes of people mixing and mingling as if nothing has happened begs the question of how many people will pick up the virus from this so-called return to normal? Numbers of cases from 19th July are yet to be seen, even though  cases generally appear to be going down. That's because the figures shown are for prior to this date. We'll know more in a couple of week's time.

Coronavirus, the pandemic, Covid-19, the Alpha, Beta and Delta variants - call it and them what you will - the current situation we're right now in the UK is one where the importance and significance of being autonomous, making wise choices and taking responsibility for ourselves and our actions is paramount.

Regardless of whatever the government and scientists say (personally, I think the scientists have the edge here, and have had for some time) we have to be responsible for ourselves and consider the needs and safety of other members of our society - the "herd" if you like - regardless of who they are, what they do, what they look like and whether or not they have been vaccinated. Just because the government has said we can get back to normal it doesn't mean we should.

One of the key features of astrological psychology as a tool for personal growth is that it places taking responsibility for ourselves, our lives and what goes on within them into our hands, and our hands alone. It becomes more difficult to blame anyone else if things go wrong as the buck stops with us. This might be the government's plan, but in my opinion personal responsibility should have been emphasised and reiterated long, long ago. People need frequent reminding of such things.

Here comes the astrological psychology bit. Using the birth chart as a tool and a non-predictive guide, we find it offers us choices. Once we’re aware that we can exercise choice in our everyday lives, things are unlikely to be the same again because we’ll be responsible for the direction our life takes, and no-one else.

At this point I want to briefly mention the fact that underpinning the Huber Method of astrological psychology is Assagioli’s psychosynthesis, which leads us - through the use of the birth chart -  towards integration of the personality. This is a kind of ever “onwards and upwards” approach towards our own individual wholeness.

An important way of working towards this greater wholeness can be achieved by developing our own sense of self, which is astrological psychology is symbolised by the Sun. The Sun can be likened to the conductor of an orchestra, the captain of a ship, the leader of an expedition - it's the Sun/conductor/captain/leader who calls the shots, makes the choices and the decisions.

However you wish to see the role of the Sun, it’s a very significant planet, and one which is involved in the development of our sense of self, our autonomy, our ability to take responsibility - and as well to accept that yes, we do sometimes make mistakes.

 The Sun, the sense of self and the will   

The Sun in astrological psychology is linked to the use of the will in psychosynthesis. We have 3 main types of will:

• the strong will which gives us determination and the capacity to keep going
  
• the skilful will which endows us with sound common sense and the ability to be flexible and adaptive as we work towards our goals, and
  
• the good will which enables us to include others and to work selflessly for their benefit as well as our own. 

If we're individually putting our Sun/sense of self to work in the current pandemic situation we're anxious to move on from, then all aspects of our individual  will which we might engage with are relevant. There's the need to be strong and determined and keep going through these challenging times. There's the ability to be flexible and adapt our behaviour along the way, and the situation also requires a large amount of good will towards others as well as ourselves, so it becomes a win-win situation where we can all help and support each other. 

 

I suspect anti-vaxxers and "no mask" wearers are unlikely to agree with much of this; it's my personal viewpoint formed over years of experience of working with people using astrological psychology and psychosynthesis, plus a good dollop of common sense.

The Great gathering of Planets 2020

Editorial comment: I'm wondering where we are now, in November 2021, as one again Christmas approaches, the number of Covid cases in the UK are still alarmingly high, and the government shies away from making anything which might help ease the spread of Covid, mandatory. Vaccination is but one way of combating the spread; a many-faceted approach of Covid passes & mandatory mask wearing ( to mention just two useful things to remember) would ease, and help, and add strength to the way out of the pandemic. Your thoughts on this are welcome.

 

I wrote this post in April 2020 when almost everywhere was in lockdown as Covid-19 rampaged through most countries and many people were confined and restrained in what they could do and where they could go. It's now late November and Christmas looms. Although lockdowns have been eased then resinstated, and face coverings made mandatory in various locations and countries, we are still  - in spite of the breakrthrough success of a vaccine, yet to be rolled out - living with uncertainty on what the future holds. The possibility of a new wave of cases in the autumn has come to pass, and this post - written for non-astrologers - is my current view on the movements of Pluto, Saturn, Uranus and Jupiter.

Here's what I wrote in April 2020:

 

With my astrological psychology hat on, I'm pondering on our current global situation. Most countries  are in lockdown in an effort to stop the spread of the coronvirus - Covid-19 - which is dominating our lives. The pandemic has halted everyday life. People are dying. We're in uncharted waters while a vaccine is being sought; life is on pause and hold as far as the everyday activities we've grown so accustomed to are concerned.

Here in the UK we're told to stay at home, work from home, don't socialise or go out unless you're getting shopping, and then only a few people at a time in the shop please, each keeping 2 metres apart. Children are being schooled at home by parents who are trying to work from home; the  schools closed a few weeks ago, and while it's OK to go for a walk or take some kind of exercise, this must be done in the locality - there's no driving off into the countryside allowed. Oh yes - frequent handwashing is essential to kill the virus. Lather up for at least 20 seconds.

If we'd been told we'd be living like this just a few weeks ago, most of us would have thought it was a joke. But it's not and although I can't pretend I saw it coming, I did know - from an astrological viewpoint -  that we were likely to face considerable challenges and changes all the way up to 2024 as the planet Pluto made its way through the sign of Capricorn. I wrote about this in November 2017, and you can read my thoughts here,  about this great unravelling which had already begun back in 2009.

For non-astrologers and sceptics (1) I'll try to put my ideas and take on the current situation into a context you can understand, using non-astrological language. So I ask you to imagine a large and impressive building - maybe iconic like the United Nations HQ in New York City, or the offices of a powerful global institution. It's a place where a lot of different but interconnected businesses, organisations, charities, churches, banks, non-governmental groups and long-founded, traditional establishments gather under one roof. The building is called Capricorn House, it's architecturally solid and sound, rather plush, and it is imbued with Tradition with a capital T.

Pluto

In 2009, a newcomer arrives, takes a long hard look at what goes on there, assesses that things are looking out of kilter because there seems to be a whole load of inequality about in the world. Not only that, the environment is taking the hits and the way things are being run, by businesses of all kinds, is destroying our world - not just for us but for furture generations. The newcomer, not unlike the Stranger in Clint Eastwood's film High Plains Drifter, sets about levelling the playing field. He has considerable power and it's not long before the cracks appear and the walls of safety surrounding more dubious organisations and businesses start to crumble and fall. The stranger is called Pluto and yes, he has powers alright, but he can use them to right wrongs and injustices and inequalities. The old, outworn, outdated, irrelevant-to-current-times practices take the hits. Pluto likes nothing better than a good clear out and a fresh start, and that's what the world starts to get.

Some of the effects of this are painful for us on a personal, everyday life level, so of course, humanity tries to resist. But Pluto is an energy/entity on a mission and he's got plenty of time; he will stay on this job until 2024, and in 2020 we're at last starting to wake up to the fact that things have to change. Coronavirus has woken us all up to that, and strangely has brought us closer together as we realise what is important in life. And it's not "stuff" and possessions, it's people and our environment and the way we're living.

Saturn

But that's not the end of it. In January 2018, another visitor arrived in Capricorn House. It was Saturn, a rather rigid, go-by-the-book kind of entity whose forte in life is systems, organisation, structure, and interestingly, the physical body. You'd expect Saturn to be in his element in Capricorn House, with all those traditional, long-founded organisations there (Saturn really doesn't like change) but it wasn't long before he bumped into Pluto, who proceeded to bend his ear about all the changes that were needed to the current systems and way of running things, otherwise there wouldn't be anything much to run at all.

Uranus

This was aided and abetted by Uranus, who had been messaging Pluto repeatedly since 2011, putting in his two penn'rth from his temporary offices in both Aries and Taurus Towers on the same campus, and adding a bit of global revolutionary spice to what Pluto was doing with the more general clear out.

Jupiter

In December 2019, Jupiter arrived in Carpricorn House, found Pluto and Saturn were already there at work, and as I write, is locked even now in close cahoots with Pluto to offer the opportunity of bringing some vision and long term planning to what our world and our society could be like. Jupiter sees the big picture, of how the future might be, and comes to share wisdom and experience before moving on in December 2020. That gives us a year - maybe to find a vaccine for Covid-19 - and to find new ways as our perceptions and priorities change.

 

Edit November 2020 - Three vaccines have been found; have our perceptions  and priorities changed? Probably not.There's still talk of everything going back to "normal" in the UK by Easter. Note - Jupiter is not concerned with retrograde steps to what was and neither is Pluto.

Saturn, meanwhile, has scarpered and left Capricorn House to take up temporary residence in Aquarius Hall, where the techies live and work and the egg heads and boffins hang out. Saturn will return to Capricorn House for a while during 2020, but will then settle in at Aquarius Hall for the long haul, possibly while new systems, which include ways of communicating and working on line, maybe at home, are perfected, and yes, by then, a vaccine might have been found by the scientists and techies.

The astrological bit

This is my take on what effects on humanity the outer, transpersonal planets Uranus and Pluto are currently having.  Jupiter and Saturn are not outer planets, and are more personal, Saturn being appropriately on the boundary (a Saturnian word - Saturn likes boundaries) between the inner and outer planets in the solar system.

Here are links to short videos on my YouTube channel explaining the meaning and qualities associated with Pluto and Uranus, and the revolutionary spirit of Uranus.

(1) Please don't poo-pooh any of this unless you have something useful to say and have studied astrology yourself; I've studied it for 36 years. Just saying.

 

Please add your own thoughts though. Are things going as you'd hoped or do we have more of this saga yet to come?

Update 

Uranus is firmly bedded in at Taurus Towers, Pluto - of course - is still hard at work in Capricorn House, Saturn is settled in Aquarius Hall and Jupiter, also there, is chafing at him to get on with it please, before shifting on to Pisces Palace in January 2022.

The Uranus /Pluto square, tax avoidance, banker's bonuses and the Eighth House

The 8th House in astrology is on the Possessions Axis of the chart, which relates to "my" possessions in the 2nd House, and to "your" (i.e. everybody's and shared) possessions in the 8th House. My short YouTube video, recorded back in September 2009, focuses on the 2/8 House axis and what we might consider to be our possessions alongside our communal, shared possessions in society as a whole. You can view it here.

I wrote about the Uranus/Pluto square earlier this year, and you can read what I said about it here. I've also added a recent update since the news broke about tax avoidance schemes. 

The Uranus/Pluto square reached its first point of exactitude on 24th June, and around this time there was an eruption of news in the UK about the British comedian Jimmy Carr who had publicly let it be known that he partook of a tax avoidance scheme and managed not to pay his full whack. PM David Cameron responded by saying that it was morally wrong to avoid paying tax. This was followed by an outcry from those who said it wasn't morally wrong, because it was legal, and those who agreed that it was morally wrong.

Legal or not, I fall into the morally wrong camp. To earn a lot of money and to not pay taxes whilst being resident in the country and enjoying the benefits of having a police force, a National Health Service, the armed forces, roads, street lighting, refuse collections, public parks and playing fields - to mention just a few of the things that paying tax supports - is simply unfair. And it seems wrong that those who have enough money to hire the accountants to help them circumnavigate paying taxes are getting away with non-payment, whilst the average person who duly pays their tax is supporting them.

The administration on the Channel Island of Jersey has recently said it will seek to become independent if the government makes life hard on tax avoiders/evaders. This stance will probably be taken up by the neighbouring islands of Guernsey, Sark and Alderney, along with the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. All these islands have long been known to be tax havens and good places to keep off-shore bank accounts.

Now banks, banker bonuses and even more scandals are in the news once again, with the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, quoted in the Telegraph as saying that the bosses of Barclays bank must "pay the price" for rigging interest rates in a scandal caused by a culture of systemic greed and irresponsibility.

It is morally wrong and offensive to avoid paying tax. Surely it's time for the government to make it illegal to participate in such schemes, and clamp down on those who spend some time not living in the UK so they don't have to pay UK taxes, but who partake of the facilities that honest tax payers contribute to when they are here.

Astrology and Astronomy

Astronomers can be very snidey and dismissive of astrology because it doesn't fit neatly into their scientific parameters, and can't be "proved". Yet astrology and astronomy were originally twin sciences and were studied side by side at the great European universities in the middle ages. Up until the 17th century the two subjects were two sides of the same coin, astronomy being more scientific and astrology more philosophical.

Any astrologer who has undergone formal training in the subject will have also had to learn some astronomy and at the very least be able to understand how a birth chart relates to the positions of the planets in the sky. Media sientists such as Richard Dawkins and Brian Cox take note, and pause for a moment or two before you publicly slag off the subject, asking yourselves if you have studied astrology for yourself before you denounce it.

As an astrologer with formal and intensive training in the subject, along with over a quarter of a century's experience of working with astrological psychology, I enjoy moving into the astronomical field from time to time, and often the simplest way to do this is to look up on a clear night and see the stars and planets and identify some of the constellations. On a trip into the deserts of New Mexico, where a lot of space observation takes place, I visited the museum of space discovery near Alamagordo. The roll of honour included men and women instrumental in breaking barriers by their space flights, along with such key astronomer/astrologers as Kepler and Copernicus. Included in the names honoured was that of Clyde Tombaugh, whose observations from an observatory in the desert of New Mexico led to the discovery of Pluto in 1930. And I remembered learning about this way back in the 1980's when I was taking a formal course in astrology.

Also located in the same desert area is The Very Large Array (VLA) - an impressive line up of 27 radio telescopes which track and pick up signals from space, rather like the Jodrell Bank Telescope, close to where I live in the UK. The work at the VLA is highly scientific, yet it focusses on space and what is physically beyond us, making it for me, a fascinating place to visit. The VLA, which has been featured many times in films as the backdrop formed by this Y-shaped alignment, is dramatic and impressive.

If you look up at the night sky, and if there are no clouds in the way, it's a good way of reminding yourself - if you're an astrologer about to set up a chart - of the old, old saying: "As above, so below".

Sex, Money, Relationships and Scandal on the Fixed Cross

Have you noticed that many of the current scandals which have beset the British government of late have a strong theme of money, sex, relationships and possessions?

The recent exposure of MP's expenses claims comes to mind, with loud protestations from them that they were only following the rules and hadn't done anything wrong. Acknowledging that the rules may not have been clear, along with prompt repayment on the part of many MP's, there's also been an element of wanting to hang on to what possessions and privileges they have.

The current financial crisis and the dire situation with the banks which went into a tail spin last year is another example of Fixed Cross behaviour. Some bankers are STILL walking away with huge bonuses, while small businesses can't get the loans they need to keep them going and the banks will not lend.

The Fixed Cross in astrology is about hanging on tightly to what you already have. This is usually money and possessions, both personal and shared. The 2nd house, associated with the sign of Taurus, is about personal possessions - all the things you wouldn't want to give up because you've worked for them and they are yours. You want to hang on tight.

The 8th house, associated with the sign of Scorpio, is about shared, communal possessions - like paying tax (please note, any offshore tax evaders who may be reading this - we need your money and it's time to pay your whack if you use UK benefits when you come here but don't contribute to them). Shared possessions are for the benefit and good of all, like street lighting, bin collections, maintaining roads etc. The 8th house is also about large corporations (like banks, already mentioned).... and if you're beginning to wonder where the sex comes in, that's associated with Scorpio too, the sign which is supposedly the sexiest in the zodiac. Or so they say....

Recent scandals in the new coalition government have seen a manifestation of the Fixed Cross at work. The newly-appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Laws, has resigned because of accommodation expenses he claimed which were bound up with his relationship with someone he declared was not his partner, sexual or otherwise.

Enter then the relationships axis on the Fixed Cross. This is found in the 5th house, associated with the sign of Leo, and the 11th house, associated with the sign of Aquarius.

The Fixed Cross is the most difficult one to break away from and not be bound to, because to let go of what we own, what we have, what we are and who we like to associate with is one of the hardest challenges we can face. You can hear me talking about the 2nd and 8th houses here:

Pluto and the art of reinventing yourself

I spotted this this graffiti on a boarded up entrance in the city of York. The building on the other side of the enclosure looked like an empty warehouse. It was dilapidated, awaiting attention, demolition, destruction, reinvention, regeneration. If and when someone starts using it again it could take on a different form and have a different use. If you look at the bottom left hand corner you'll see there are already suggestions in graffiti of a hotel, and flats.

I photographed these words as they reminded me of how we, when we're undergoing a lot of change and feel the need to reinvent ourselves, or change direction and do something new, are getting a big nudge from Pluto. Responding to the call of Pluto is not for the fainthearted because making changes often means giving things up, things which are a cosy and safe part of our existence, things through which we identify ourselves. This takes courage and demands we engage our will, through using the Sun, the planet associated with the mind, which we use to choose, decide and ultimately to create with.

The potential creativity of choosing to be something else was what drew my attention to these words. They provoked me to wonder what else I could be if I wasn't a professional astrologer, a writer, a teacher of astrological psychology and all the other things I am that I could list here.

Pluto is not always about tough, cataclysmic destruction. It can be about making conscious changes as and when we know the time is right, and more importantly, when we also feel the time is right and has come. So take away this thought-provoking piece of graffiti and ask yourself, "What else could I be?". Choose wisely, too - you may be starting on the next big step in your life.

The Saturn-Uranus opposition and the global economic crisis

On New Year’s Eve 2007 I posted a few thoughts about the possible forthcoming planetary influences in 2008, and said:

Capricorn has a strong line-up of planets, and Pluto enters this Sign at the end of January, slips back out into Sagittarius in mid-June, but returns at the end of November. Pluto in Capricorn may well bring about transformational changes in structures and forms, organisations and “earthy” practical matters. It may also herald changes in the way personal and global responsibilities are handled. I’m all for that, especially where financial systems and environmental issues are concerned. Saturn, currently in Virgo and set to stay in this Sign throughout 2008 will support, aid and abet by consolidating and making manifest responsible attention to detail and highlighting where duty and true service lies. Oh for a turn around from the “me first and s*d you” attitudes that are seen in many walks of life, towards a more caring and helpful world.

It’s now 1st October, and we are in the throes of global panic and crisis in the financial world. The air is thick with chickens coming come to roost after years of distasteful, disgraceful and inappropriate greed by the so-called Fat Cats. They have run out of their nine lives as far as many ordinary and justifiably angry people are concerned, and as news bulletins offer increasingly depressing news about an impending global depression, attention is focussed on tightening belts and making savings.

Saturn, master player in the qualities of restraint, restriction and taking responsibility is in Virgo. Opposite is Uranus in Pisces. The two planets reach exact opposition on 4th November - the day of the American Presidential election. Many other astrological bloggers are writing about this interesting coincidence. One astrologer I know has pointed out that Saturn/Uranus is symbolic of Republican stasis and the Obama-driven message of change.

In more general terms, Saturn in Virgo will not stand for any messing about. Things have to be done thoroughly and properly, with due care and attention to detail, making sure processes are pip-squeak clean. Nothing will be allowed to be swept away out of sight under the carpet because the carpets will all be taken up and the floor scrubbed clean. Watch out, you Fat Cats. Saturn in Virgo will focus attention on making savings, being more aware of the needs of others and taking greater responsibility, not just for ourselves but of others as well. As someone said to me today “We’ll all have to help each other”.

You can see my video about Saturn on my Astrochat channel on You Tube.

Uranus is surprisingly similar to Saturn in principle. Whereas Saturn seeks to keep things static and maintain the status quo, resisting change because security has been achieved, Uranus also seeks security. But it does so by bringing change, by tearing up the old and often outworn blueprints and drawing on creative, innovative new approaches which will provide security and stability at a different level and of a different kind to the outworn Saturnian version.

In general terms again, Uranus in Pisces suggests a whole lot of turbulence. Forget smooth, calm waters because these watery Piscean oceans are going to get decidedly choppy. If it comes to sinking or swimming, some new and innovative ideas are going to be needed to build the life rafts that will work, because the old kind are not going to work any more. Changes of thinking, of attitude and approach are needed, not a desperate clinging to the known, tried and tested.

I’m reminded of the famous Chinese saying “Crisis is danger and opportunity”. Saturn in Virgo will have an eye out for danger and how best to ride out the situation, leaving Uranus to the task of implementing new opportunities for regaining stability and security. Come the end of November, Pluto will be in Capricorn so don’t expect an easy ride here. Change is the name of the game.

Venus, Mercury and Beauty

Beauty. Peace. Power. Wonder. Joy. Compassion. What do these have in common? They are all transpersonal qualities, pure manifestations of energies which exist around us and beyond us, yet can find a conduit into the world though us. Beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder, which places the concept of beauty in a subject/object relationship. If we see something we regard as beautiful, that surely is a reflection of something equally beautiful within us - and in that we should most definitely rejoice. Beauty is all around but is not always easy to see. Urban landscapes and inner city life can mask it; the erosion of natural environments and wild life degrade it; bad taste, bad manners and the cult of personality can deaden it.

The Italian psychiatrist Roberto Assagioli says in his book Transpersonal Development, “The fact that beauty is the essential attribute of the Supreme, Divine Being has been recognised and proclaimed by thinkers since the dawn of history, and by the great mystics and most gifted artists of all ages. . . in all that has been created there must be some vestige, some trace of this essential attribute of the Prime Creator”. And Plato says in The Republic “the aim of all education is to teach us to love beauty”.

Canova's Three Graces, National Gallery images

Beauty is generally accepted to be a combination of shapes, colours, textures, sounds, ideas and qualities which please the aesthetic senses. A piece of music, magnificent natural scenery, a painting or sculpture, an intellectual argument - all of these, plus many more you can probably think of for yourself - can be beautiful. Venus at it highest level of expression is the planet we might associate with the expression and manifestation of beauty. At this level the harmonious blending of all the components (in, for example, a work of art) combine to make an aesthetic whole. A personal favourite of sheer beauty and the expression of Venus at this high level is Canova’s sculpture “The Three Graces”. I had to return to look at it several times during my visit to the National Gallery in Edinburgh, and the astrologer friend I was with at the time was equally bowled over by the beauty and perfection of this piece. Conceptual art leaves me cold and baffled. But maybe that’s because I’m looking at it through Venus eyes; if I switch to viewing it through the expression of Mercury at its highest level I can “get it” because here Mercury is pure creative communication. But to me, alas, it’s not art. Well, not the sort I like, anyway.

In the 6th form I had an English teacher called Tom Gibson who encouraged us as students to be critical. When discussing anything new we’d seen, or read, he told us to ask three questions: What does it say? How does it say it? Was it worth saying? Tom is long gone, but his advice has stayed with me. In the pursuit and appreciation of beauty in art, music, literature, theatre and numerous aspects of everyday life, these same questions can be applied. And maybe that is all you need to know. . . . but here I’m going to let the poet John Keats have the last word quoting from Ode on a Grecian Urn :

“Beauty is Truth, truth beauty, - that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know”

Music as torture

I heard a very disturbing item on BBC radio last week about music being used as a form of torture on inmates at Guantanamo Bay. There's probably nothing new in this "technique" - in fact the American representative who was interviewed in the item called it "coercion", claiming it was not torture.

Imagine having a song for children, sung by the Barney the Dinosaur character, played loudly and continuously - way above safe or normal decibel levels - for 24 hours in an environment you can't get away from. Or "Babylon" by David Grey (a favourite at Guantanamo apparently), heavy metal, even classical music. Is this torture? Or is torture defined as beatings and water-boarding? That was the issue being explored in the item.

My response was yes, it is torture to use music in this way. It was described by someone who had experienced it as worse than physical torture because it is disorientating and creates long-term psychological disturbances.

What does this have to do with astrology? Music and its creation relate to the planet Venus, which is the manifestation in form of relationships of all kinds. In the case of music, it's the relationship of the notes, the intervals between them and the emotions and qualities which are conveyed. Shakespeare's opening line in "Twelfth Night" is "If music be the food of love, play on." Venus, like all the planets, operates on different levels of conscious awareness - asleep, waking and awake. At the awakening level, Venus can express aesthetics, creativity and art; at the fully awake level higher qualities such as beauty and a perception of the divine. To use music as a form of torture is so far removed from its roots as to be obscene and profane.

More than the misuse of Venus is involved here. Venus/the use of music is the method, but the intention is fuelled by the lower manifestations of Pluto. This transpersonal planet, which can lead us from the depths to the heights in personal journeys of growth and understanding is here being expressed on the lowest, most asleep level of its energies. Pluto asleep is power for change and transformation used externally rather than internally. In short, forcing one's will on others, megalomania, manipulation and destruction.

The singer David Grey spoke out strongly against the use of his music as an instrument of torture, and the issue of whether musicians whose work is likewise being abused could sue. Sadly and wrongly, it seems that the only grounds they would have for this would be for payment of royalties rather than the immoral and inhuman use of their creative works.

Next time you're choosing to listen to music, whether it be by David Grey or Barney the Dinosaur, remember that someone somewhere is probably also listening in. But they don't want to, and the music is loud, and goes on and on. . . .

Dona Nobis Pacem

Today, June 4th 2008, I'm supporting the Blog Blast for Peace 2008, started by blogger Mimi. The idea is to get as many blog postings headed "Dona Nobis Pacem" out there, and spread this urge for peace throughout the world as far and wide as possible.

You can read more on Mimi's blog, and if you're a fellow blogger you can join and make your own peace globe, sign it, decorate it and display it with pride. Here's mine:

Venus, the planet associated with harmony, concord and relating in a peaceful and peace-loving manner, is in Gemini, the Sign of communication. So spread the word, and do something positive too - be the peace you want to see in the world.

Here's my thought for the day, a quote from Carlos Santana:

"Peace has never come from dropping bombs.
Real peace comes from enlightenment
and educating people to behave in a more divine manner"

Scientists catch up with the Huber's Age Progression!

The Daily Mail newspaper reports that a group of researchers at Warwick University in the UK and Dartmouth College in the US have found that age 44 marks the start of the mid-life crisis. The scientists have found that happiness and depression follow a U-shaped curve, with the deepest trough of the curve occurring when we are approximately 44 , saying "the low period does not lift significantly for several years".

This is what astrological psychologists trained at the Astrological Psychology Association have known since the 1980's!

The horoscope is seen as a clock for the person's lifetime, with the Age Point indicating their age as the "time" on the clock. As the Age Point moves around the birth chart it corresponds to changing life phases. Each of these phases has its own Low Point.

When the Age Point reaches age 42, we enter a period of mid-life crisis. Here, beginning at age 43, we move through the Low Point of the whole chart and the Low Point of life. A phase of change, transformation and reorientation takes place, and continues for several years after this.

Bruno and Louise Huber, in their book LifeClock say: "Between ages 42 and 48 the phase corresponds to what we call 'mid-life crisis'".

Speaking out for Astrology

I always speak out in support of astrology in one-to-one situations when it's being discussed, and I've had a lot of experience of live broadcasting on radio phone-ins on the subject.

"The Observer" newspaper ( a Sunday national for overseas readers info) printed an article which appeared on Sunday 12th August, in advance of Richard Dawkin's TV programme "Enemies of Reason" (see previous post). Their astrologer at the time, Neil Spencer (also a journalist who writes on other subjects), appeared in the programme and wrote the article about his experience of being done over by Dawkins. He came out rather well as he refused to be drawn or rattled.

Feedback was invited from readers so I sent mine in response to the article. The feedback special was published on Sunday 19th August and my comment was included. To be truthful, I'd even forgotten I'd written it once I'd got it off my chest, but do confess to being rather pleased that, not only was it published, but that the Astrological Psychology Association got a mention in a national newspaper.
Here's what I wrote:

Alongside it appears in the "Your letters special" column published by the newspaper.

Superstitious?

It's Friday 13th, a day and date thought unlucky by some. Today I've been out in the rain (yes - it's still raining hard in my neck of the UK woods!) and have taken to the roads by car to accompany someone on a hospital appointment. All went smoothly.

I arrived at the hospital in time for a leisurely cup of coffee in the friendly and well-run snack bar (a tick for the NHS). Even the appointment began at the appointed time. Full marks NHS - Saturn would be proud of you.

I didn't go out with salt in my pocket in case I needed to throw it over my shoulder to keep the devil at bay. I wasn't forced to walk under any ladders in my path. I left the garlic at home as I forgot to take it with me. Good job I didn't meet any vampires. Even Mercury isn't retrograde.

In the light of no unlucky events happening today so far, it's been a pretty good day in spite of the persistent drenching rain. The Sun is shining somewhere - aha! maybe it's mine!

Aries and me..me.. or is it meme?

I've been away for a week in France, and during that time several of the charts of people or events that I've written about in previous postings have been in the news.

Here they are:

• Nicolas Sarkozy (posted May 2007) was inaugurated as France's new President. I watched this event on French TV and had it explained to me by our French family hosts. Interesting to see it from the point of view of the French media.
• It was announced that Prince Harry (posted May 2007) would not be going to serve in Iraq (but he subsequently did).
• Gordon Brown (posted February 2007) will become Prime Minister, unopposed by any challengers to the leadership of the Labour party.
• Tony Blair (posted March 2006) came under attack during his final visit to Iraq as Prime Minister.
• Life on Mars (posted April 2007) the quirky and innovative TV series, won accolades at the TV Bafta Awards ceremony.

And did I mention that whilst in France, I was staying in Picardie where the Battle of the Somme (posted July 2006) took place?

On my return, I also discovered I'd been "memed" by GreenAbby and asked to recall a pop song or two from the year I was 18 and to write about why it influenced me. I cringe at the memory of "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" and "Dominique" by the Singing Nun ( yes, I kid you not! - her name was Soeur Sourire and as I was learning French at school it was fun to learn the words and sing along - those were very innocent days back in 1963...). The melodies were good even if the words weren't up to much.

And if, like me, you're not sure what a meme is, here is the dictionary definition:

"a cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behaviour) that is passed from one generation to another by nongenetic means (as by imitation)"
Somehow, a meme sounds very like Aries as in "me...me!" and I guess I prefer to focus on the charts of others and discover a theme - a sort of thee...me. Thee, not me.