Sagittarius and the Family of Man

A Mile High and Getting Higher

On Obama's nomination speech in Denver

Mayor John Hickenlooper said the city would accomodate Obama if that's where he wants to give his speech. "From the point of view of the city of Denver, if the Obama team were to request us to go in this direction, we would move heaven and earth because it's a historic moment."

I promise you the end of Pluto in Sagittarius will be enriching. The sign of Sagittarius reaches upward and outward, the human's first experience beyond the familiar, closed, interpersonal, when the seeker connects to the larger family, broader horizons, and finally to the god-figure. A rocket ship to the cosmos, inclusive, ever-expanding, and dimension altering.

I have a Moon-Jupiter conjunction in Sagittarius in the 9th house. I feel at home anywhere in the world. I easily adopt the customs and fit into the life of the people whose home I'm visiting, and even if my Aries disagrees individually, I have an overall feeling of belonging with the human race.

One morning in a tea shop high in the mountains of Chitral, Pakistan, my traveling companions and I met a small, wiry, energetic man who invited us to his village. We set out on what was to become one of the most unusual experiences of my life. He took us along the cold mountain stream, over rocks all day as we leapt to keep up with him. We had no idea where we were going but we trusted him completely. Dedicated followers.

At sundown we arrived at one of the strangest places I'd ever encountered, a tiny village in the state of Kafiristan. The Kafirs are not like anyone else in the world. They are thought to be descendants of Alexander the Great's army when he conquered the territory in ancient times. They are small, stunningly beautiful people, with shells and ornaments all through their hair and the most luminous smiles I'd ever seen. They were thrilled to greet us and immediately provided a hut for the night leaving us dazed by their gentleness and lightness. Soon we heard a sound outside the door and upon opening it, found no one -- just a large basket of fruit and nuts. Later that evening they joined us in the hut around the fire in the center of the room, all of us animatedly sharing so much information knowing how brief our encounter would be. I think that's when my Sagittarius planets reached the pinnacle of ecstasy, an experience that's colored my whole life.

My mother was Hungarian and came to the States when she was in her 20s. I grew up in a typical American town in both the black and white neighborhoods, easily accepting of human variation in my large tolerant multi-racial and multi-ethnic family. I don't thrive in tense, hateful environments, so when I found Denver, I knew I'd found a place I might enjoy. Denver has a Venus at 29 degrees Sagittarius square Neptune at 29 Pisces, and is perhaps the most accepting and friendly place I've been to in the US. It's no wonder this historic breakthrough is happening high in these rocky peaks.

When I moved here we had a typical bloated white establishment mayor and I paid no notice. He was inoffensive. But soon after, with about a 12% Hispanic population, an American of Mexican descent was elected, Federico Pena, with great enthusiasm. Then came another white guy. Then with about the same percentage of Blacks, an African American was elected, Wellington Webb. I thought, "These people seem to have no prejudice". I'd noticed a relaxed attitude in daily life anyway. But the real proof came when they elected Hickenlooper, a science geek, not even a politician! I can't imagine what's next.

So it's with great joy that I look forward to this revisiting of the diversity of the human race, the human trust despite very obvious differences, as Pluto transits Denver's Venus and Neptune, opening up the experience to the people of the city, the country, and the world, outside under the heavens. There's a lot to celebrate.
Reclining Buddha of Zinathukha Pagoda: Thierry Falise