The Last Station and the Galactic Center

For the last few years I've heard a lot of talk about the Galactic Center of our galaxy, a puzzling, possibly heavily mystical spot in the Milky Way. All kinds of theories were discussed as Pluto transited, and then it finally happened. In realtime. Barack Obama accepted the US Presidential nomination with the Midheaven exactly conjunct the GC. Exceptional precision. Did anyone notice? Of course not.

Pluto is just about to turn direct and leave Sagittarius for 248 years, and the nomination taking place in this choice spot stirs up many questions in my mind. What is the central experience of life on earth? What, if anything, lies within this point while the mad flux circles around? Everything has a center. For what? What does this nomination have to do with the center of our galaxy?

As the last station ends some people feel that the country is in an undertow, slipping back to a former state of displeasure, or even horror. Others feel that no progress is ever made and we keep circling around going nowhere. In terms of my own life, I haven't decided whether or not there's noticeable forward evolution. Probably. Just as character is molded in the individual, so is it in humanity.

Because the highest point of the chart is positioned as it is, I get the impression that the nomination is illuminating collective aspirations, and that people are being offered a chance to take an evolutionary step up, if such a thing exists. My theory of the Center and the Pluto transit was that toxic waste matter was being flushed out in a purifying moment to make way for the fresh to enter. A cosmic regeneration.

I was struck by the stage design at Mile High. The rings look like an ancient temple and the circle around the podium stands out markedly.

Is the globe being invited to go into the Galactic Center and take its chances? Is the Sagittarian search for the god-perception at the center of man's journey at this point? It's too suspenseful. I travel between my fears and tensions of everyday life and the sublime comfort in my knowledge that a larger-than-life orchestration is taking care of things outside of my control .... fortunately. People are equally significant.

Orchestration

The chemicals of the Mile High Obama nomination are still coursing through my system. The event was so beautifully choreographed. It's impressive when 85,000 people can spend a long day together harmonizing.

Maybe it's because I was in downtown Denver. Maybe it's on account of my Uranus-moon transit. This time of year the sunsets are especially enchanting. The weather was as perfect as it gets on earth.

The special sensation I mentioned intrigued me so I took a look at the chart of the time Obama accepted -- 8:14 PM mountain time, to get a cosmic glimpse.

The midheaven was 26 degrees Sagittarius, in the center of our galaxy. Pluto was 2 degrees away in the 10th. Fiery emotional inspirational power out front.

Neptune and the North Node were in the 12th house adding to the spiritual aspect of the gathering, and Pisces was rising at 23, all contributing to the flow, emotional sensations, and easy music, well paced with a wide variety. Throw in Denver's 29 Sag Venus square Neptune at 29 Pisces and you have quite a poetic convergence.

Uranus was conjunct the ascendant describing the collective experience, and the moon was in Leo in the 5th, a perfect night for grand theater. The moon was quincunx Jupiter in Capricorn in the 10th. Leo-Capricorn, regal and dignified. Uranus on the ascendant also shows the more rebellious tone of the speech, and Mercury conjunct Venus square the elevated Pluto speaks of the beauty of the words.

And then. By another act of destiny, the news cycle was abruptly taken away, freezing the moment forever without the normal second day destruction. Just amazing. The busy cosmology.

I Have a Dream Too

That the Obama Presidency will be the most productive, the most inspiring, and the most endearing I've experienced in my not-so-short span. Lucky to be here. Thank you life.

I think that what I am reverberating to right now, singing to right now, is not the astounding level of oratory or the fact that he met McCain on all the points he needed to and all that sort of stuff...it's the utter spirituality (for lack of a better word) that permeated the speech, permeates his campaign. The sacredness.
Radical gardener

Beyond the Eclipse

The future isn't what somebody else tells us it is.
The future is what we decide it's going to be.
Barack Obama

August 28, 1963
"In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the 'unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'

~I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
Martin Luther King Jr.

When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke that day Saturn was at 18 degrees Aquarius, exactly where the North Node of the Moon is now on Obama's 18 degree ascendant, nearing the end of a long station. The recent eclipses occurred close to these points and on Obama's South Node in Aquarius and Sun in Leo. This fact tells me something about the nature of light.

Almost everyone responds to the fiery spark that emanates from this man. People move toward it naturally like creatures to stimuli. Could his political opponents express themselves so fully and capture that much attention without him? Why did foreign leaders give him such a regal and loving welcome. The solar flaring from this individual is unmistakable and irresistible with three planets and a North Node in Leo. But there's something else, and the connection to the node can only make me think of one thing. Ye olde lunar. Obama was raised in a family of mostly women and he lives in another one now. He has a Moon on the cusp of his fourth house, the base of his entire everyday life, reflecting his bright solar center and carrying the water of his South Node in Aquarius.

Tonight the Moon is back in Leo touching these eclipse points. Along with the 18 degree baton, it could be a clue in learning how to implement collective ideals, born of the universal mind, traveling along a thread that weaves through history and connects the generations in specific tasks. The Moon being emphasized, but shining in solar Leo does point to a partnership of luminaries, if ever the group is to be cared for properly.

So here it stands. A mile high, near the mountain, close to the sun and moon.

Joy Unbounded!!!!!!!!!

A great day in America

What a moment. What a day. What a joyous noise came from the Pepsi Center as Barack Obama was nominated for the Presidency of the United States. It's beginning to sink in that we've all been witness to something that will be in the history books forever. We got it live in REAL TIME!!!!!!

Yeeeeeeay Clintons!!!!!!!!! Bill Clinton was wonderful. With Neptune (in his first house) there's always a chance for redemption and today he did it. And Hillary got to my heart too when she turned the nomination over.

John Kerry was great great great and Beau Biden touched the room's heart as well as the country's introducing his soulful father. We're in good hands.

A lot of you know a favorite blogger around these parts -- Billmon -- one of the biggest cynics of all time. He wrote a beautiful piece and I agree with him. I am so proud.

Let us celebrate.

Ride 'em Cowboy!!!!!!!

My god in heaven!! Eeeeeeeeeee-hah!!!!! Steal the heart of a Western girl.

This was the best moment of the convention for me so far after Michelle Obama and Teddy. Brian Schweitzer is the face of the future in American politics. A controversial figure and staunch Democrat, he has 70% popularity in a very Republican state. His Lt. Governor is a Republican too. On the road he listens to right wing radio and he is devoted to his dog and his family ranch. He fishes when not working.

The American West is poised to exert a lot of influence as a new energy boom is in the cards. The states are turning democratic after a long tradition of conservatism, and Schweitzer will certainly be leading the charge with his love of independence, his folksy style, his populist policy, his ease with bipartisan cooperation, and his energy, spirit, optimism, and enthusiasm.

True to the usual, he was almost completely overlooked as the stoopids chattered aimlessly, depressed with the National Enquiresque Democratic Party feud coming to an end. Clinging to the pain. It was definitely a downer after the Governor's rousing moment which only the live audience had the good fortune to experience. And a few die-hards who don't watch the popular cable networks.

One of the best things he did was tear into McCain without hurting him personally. He had numbers, facts, figures, and a clean approach to battle. Oh how I hope this catches on. He rides roughshod over fear and pity and makes politics joyous. There is no reason in the world why people can't bring a sense of fun to the political stage in between the bouts of tragedy and sorrow. The west can offer that style and as the rise progresses, maybe more and more people will feel inclined to participate. I think the most can be accomplished through positive expression and confidence in the chances for success. Banking on assets, cohesion when possible and bipartisan law-making could lead to stellar results. The torch is passed.

Love that Moon in Aries!!

Barack is still my main man of course. You remember. Barack Obama? The Democratic nominee?

Passing the Torch

Daddy gets a techno kiss

I think Ted kennedy's stirring speech was the defining moment in the turning point, then clarified by Michelle Obama in her call to action. She rallies troops like no other. It really is a generational shift -- frightening, exciting, and hopeful all at once.

Michelle represents the new direction in feminism and I think the convention will complete the passing of the torch. Interesting that it came directly on the heels of the Olypmic rituals. Tonight, of course, is a major step forward in the big step. It can be done with grace. The moon goes deeper into Cancer.

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How can anyone not love the Obamas? OMG.

I fell in love with Joe Biden tonight. The camera kept turning to him, and his expressions under this Cancer moon with his Jupiter in Cancer got to my heart. The guy's got soul. And maybe this country does too, after all.

Interesting night.

Michelle

If there ever was a close to perfect inspiration for women achieving their goals against the odds, it's Michelle Obama. From the upper floor of a small South Side Chicago house to the White House, proving herself all the way. She's amazing.

A strict disciplined Capricorn with a South Node there too, she runs a tight ship with an innate sense of how to do things right. She's one of the most responsible people you'll ever meet. People trust her.

With SN in Capricorn square Jupiter in Aries, and Venus, Mars, and Saturn in Aquarius, Michelle is angry with the system and knows full well its cruely, injustice, and rigidity. The Aries accounts for her especially hard edge, yet her destiny lies in the yielding North Node in Cancer that longs to leave the system behind and come home to a life of emotional growth and nurturing. In this video of her arrival in Denver you can see her innate sensitivity and intimacy waiting to be developed to its full capacity. Michelle Obama is a mighty protector.



Tonight she's the headline speaker and it probably will be one of the most emotional nights of the convention. Ted Kennedy is appearing and the moon is just going into Cancer. Their past will be covered and family members are scheduled to speak. I especially like his sister Maya. Tune in and you can meet this woman with a full rich voice like her big brother's. Obama's lunar lineage shimmers under the Cancer moon.

The Working Man

The USA Presidential election continues to be extraordinary. The most outstanding aspect of the Vice Presidential announcement chart is the packed Virgo 10th house -- Saturn, Venus, and Mercury -- and Joe Biden's hard-working North Node in Virgo exactly conjunct the transiting Sun on the 3 Virgo Midheaven. Obama's natal Mars and Pluto are included. A practical earthy Moon in Taurus in the 7th house of partnership trines the Virgo stellium. The planets also cover USA Neptune in Virgo in the 9th so foreign relations are due for major repair. The Mercury-Venus conjunction of the announcement hits the 21 Virgo Saturn of the inauguration chart. Lots of kind words, geo-politically speaking. Couldn't be more perfect. Amazing.

One thing that this combo represents is potency. There is nothing more creatively powerful than the Leo-Scorpio square and Joe's Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars in Scorpio square Obama's Mercury, Sun, Uranus and North Node in Leo. Power, power, power. Republicans are not known for this. They usually have to bolster the image with weapons, sex, and sewer politics. They're in trouble. This is a very strong relationship. A working man's agreement. Put on your hard hats!

Affection in the Halls of Power

Jimmy and Michelle

Jimmy's got a Sun in Libra. I think he likes Michelle. Libras can be like that. Openly approving. They can be very sweet.

Michelle and Joe

Joe's got Saturn in the 7th. Smack dab on the descendant. Uh-oh! Be careful, Joe!
Michelle is a Capricorn.

Partners in Governance

The Red Whites, and the Blues

Excellent choice. Biden will be a fantastic help to Obama when he takes charge next year. There's huge money accompanying grandiose egos in the halls of power, and a young, new, outsider taking over is not easy. Not at all. Biden will be the perfect bridge in creating a new relationship between the executive and the legislative branches of government. It was a dream for some to bring radical change to Washington with the help of another outsider, but it can't happen now. A team like that would be paralyzed. His cabinet choices will reflect the same dichotomy symbolic of the coming years when progressive politics are introduced into the existing system while decayed parts are excised. Uranus in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn. It really doesn't matter how fast good policies arrive as long as they do.

I'll go into the astrological details soon but I will mention one highly fortuitous aspect during yesterday's announcement. The Sun at 0 Virgo was exactly on Joe's North Node. My tax-paying dollar is smiling.

Ladies and Gentlemen, May I Introduce ....

The Mayor of Denver
Sun in Aquarius
Moon in Cancer

John Hickenlooper is a science geek with a literary wife and a weird kid. He developed a sudden impulse to become mayor a few years back and so he did. He's not a politician, but he'll be hosting thousands of them, plus tens of thousands of interested parties a mile up in the air, far away from the political capital of the nation.

It promises to be a wild affair. Intoxication comes easily at high altitudes, and with Denver's Venus at 29 Sagittarius square Neptune at 29 Pisces, the jubilation becomes exponential. While it may be true that some folks will be arriving with something less than fun on their minds I imagine they might be swept up in the hilarity with their protestations secondary. But if they insist on battling law and order, we're secure and ready. Never mind that this is the first encounter with real security enforcement.

Since marijuana is legal in Denver, it's been decided not to prosecute visiting users under state and federal laws. That makes their job that much easier. Denver is one of the premier beer cities in the world. Mayor Hickenlooper had a brewery before he ran for office. An innovator in the new local brew trend of the modern age.

On November 7, 1861, the Queen City of the Plains was incorporated with Saturn at 20 Virgo, Jupiter at 21. Is it clean? Yes. Will it be tidy next week? ROFL!!!!

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, pesky Uranus has just arrived at 21 Pisces to exactly oppose that conjunction. Disruption? Who knows. But here's the skinny. The Sun is in Virgo, and Mercury will be conjunct Venus in Virgo the entire time. Saturn is now in Virgo as well. There is a possibility that the darn thing will be well-organized and with Venus conjunct Mercury, the speeches will be beautiful, I guarantee. Pluto, of course, hanging out at 28 Sagittarius will be activating that dreamy intoxicating Venus-Neptune square. Diverse crowd? Believe it. Add the nominee's Mars at 22 Virgo on the conjunction coupled with USA Neptune and you end up with Virgo to the max. All the better for recovery after the Rocky Mountain Piscean nights.

One really interesting occurrence around Pluto at 28 Sag is that for the first time in history, the convention will be starting with an inter-faith gathering. A beautiful theater in the new Denver center was chosen for the event, and actually, the CEO of the Convention Committee is an ordained minister.

There are the normal fears of coups, cries, and warfare but with Mars newly in Libra I expect intense debate to be the chosen avenue. Spirits at high altitude can work both ways, however. Unity and peace are the longed for results and with Libra, this could very well be the case. But Mars? He swings both ways.

It's our great great fortune to have a Moon in Capricorn which will hopefully provide a modicum of control when the 100,000 or so descend on the Queen City under the planetary influence. Thank god for small miracles.

Taxing Circumstances

It seems like just yesterday that we were being bombarded with images of ears being cut off and buildings being attacked, but here we are again. Trying to elect a president.
Obama is working to wean us from the Republican attack machine and the gothic horror of the last few years. That's why he rejected public financing; so he wouldn't have to depend on outside frightening ads. He's hopeful he can lead us from the edgy panic that has no logical basis. It's deep in the limbic brain, this automatic reaction to perceived coming political threat, but slow rewiring is certainly within reach. It's hard not to jump like trained laboratory specimens but will-power can be learned and exercised. Some habits are made to be broken.



In this beautiful ad, McCain is attacked with facts, but it ends with an upbeat message leaving the viewer with a good feeling. Obama has clear ideas of what constitutes good politics and he believes that uplifting emotions when possible will create better results. He's entirely against fabricated disaster and fear with no basis. In this ad he ends on a high note, but not without inserting, in his wily way, that gorgeous image of himself as president. Nicely done. I hope it continues.

Fired Up, Ready to Go!

The Prismatic Electric fountain

Denver Colorado, August 19, 2008.
"The fountain on City Park Ferrill Lake sprang back to life Tuesday night in colorful bursts of water that gushed like fireworks -- just as it did a century ago, the last time the Democratic Convention came to Denver. William Jennings Bryan was the nominee.

As the Denver Municipal Band played 'Stars and Stripes Forever,' hundreds cheered the ceremonial relighting of the city's dancing lights in the lake tonight. Columns of water colored red, white and blue burst against the charcoal night, like fireworks, then the 90-foot Old Faithful geyser rose from the middle to salute its return to the city.
Denverites cooed at every change in color in the dancing spires, minutes after Mayor John Hickenlooper told the crowd, 'This is part of our history; now it's part of our future.'

The original was created by the famed designer Frederick W. Darling. 'Denver becomes the first city to ever recreate his work,' said Larry Kerecman, a design engineer who founded the Friends of the Electric Fountain and a consultant for the project. 'There's no other fountain like it in the world.'

From mid-May through September, the fountain will put on a different show each half hour. It had been dark for more than a decade, limping along, falling apart from age and use, By the 1990s the fountain pumped out only a single unchanging stream, and eventually that broke, too.

The Prismatic Electric Fountain at City Park was originally installed in Ferril Lake in 1908. The fountain made its debut on May 30, and Denverites delighted to the modern technology.
In the park's pavilion tower, a city employee sat at a rolltop desk and pulled and pushed levers to choreograph 12 separate geysers and 11 brightly colored beams in a dance set to the music of the city band. More than 4,400 gallons of water a minute sprayed through the fountain across the 1,500-watt pillars of colored lights. The new fountain is run by computer software and LED lights that consume 80% less energy than the old fountain, which in 1908 required three men and a rowboat to operate."

The original fountain

This park is funky. The homeless live there. A magic transformation, indeed. I know it won't disturb their sleep. Forward we go!
Denver Post: Joey Bunch. Rocky Mt. News: John Ensslin

Evangelism Turns Metaphysical

Through the Cracks

In keeping with the final Pluto station in Sagittarius, last Saturday night a peculiar religious forum was held by Evangelical Christians in a large California church. Billed as a way to bridge the partisan gaps that have widened so markedly in this country, the cosmic intention apparently was to introduce the young quizzicle emerging leader to another segment of the population. And to further enlighten those already in the know. The event has been getting a lot of attention and you know my dictum ... things are not what they appear to be.

Mars in Virgo was exactly square Pluto that night. The enthusiastic faithful applauded with gusto at the suggestion of war, more war, and finally World War III. The beloved of the night sang the praises of destruction as he waxed nostalgically about his Prisoner of War days. Oh how gay the crowd was. Evil was anthropomorphized as a Middle Eastern terrorist and the crowd laughed and hoped for even more human demolition. Jesus, lord and saviour, was a forgotten icon, perhaps still standing on a few dashboards as he did in my day.

But I don't know how it happened. How the not-so-bright United States of America ended up with an intellectual, a philosopher, a religious thinker, and a genuine metaphysician as a candidate for the presidency. Sometimes the odd manages to get out through the tiniest of slivers.

The forum was supposed to be just that. A serious discussion of religion. It turned into a vaudeville act and story-telling hour enjoyed by all but not before a mysterious revelation peeped through the cracks. The first gentleman interviewed was asked if he thinks evil exists and what the world could do about it.

"We see evil all the time. We see evil in Darfur. We see evil sadly on the streets of our cities. We see evil in parents who viciously abuse their children, and I think it has to be confronted. It has to be confronted squarely and one of the things I strongly believe is that we are not going to as individuals be able to erase evil from the world. But we can be soldiers in that process and we can confront it when we see it. Now the one thing that I think is very important is for us to have some humility in how we approach the issue. A lot of evil has been perpetrated based on that claim, that we were trying to confront evil in the name of good. I think it's important to recognize that just because we think our intentions are good doesn't mean we're going to be doing good."

This is a true to the core metaphysical viewpoint .... "evil is within". I especially felt a quiver when he used as his metaphor our own American streets. But the crowning glory was a particularly advanced statement. The truth that some who say they are combating evil are in fact perpetrators at times failing to see the reality of their actions. That one, of course, escaped common grasp. This sort of self-critique is refreshing to observe along with the sober response to important questions. Mars square Pluto in Virgo and Sagittarius is known for philosophical reflection and analysis.

It certainly was a stark contrast. The sham, the joke, the hypocrisy, the evil in them over there, the glorification of murder positioned next to the search for answers, questions, morality, and ethics. It could be a good sign that the public is lingering for a moment.
Sculpture: Robert Gober

Miswired Up, Ready to Go!

Agatha, don't you remember? I'm your husband!

Onward to Denver!

The Water Bearer

When I lived in Nepal, I carried my water in a clay jug. The smell of that wet earthenware is still with me and often brings back the unique memories of that journey.
I spent my days with foreign travelers who came from all over the world, regular people with a grand curiosity and the motivation to travel far far from familiar territory on limited means. They were a most interesting and varied aggregate of homo sapiens.

In Katmandu there was a young fellow who was in a trance, almost immobile, although ambulatory. He sat day after day staring blankly, never uttering a word, not moving, and never showing any response. In the people's accepting way, they didn't question it or try to get him help. Many human aberrations were considered normal with this odd assortment of travelers.

I was given a house to stay in while the local Peace Corps volunteer was off on a Himalayan trek and the group stayed with me in the little cottage nestled in the rice paddies. Late one night, when everyone was asleep after a cauliflower dinner, I was washing up and across the room a commotion started. It was the inert gentleman suddenly come to life with exuberance. All the others were asleep and he frolicked and leapt about, although still not speaking. I thought, "I need a spoon", and suddenly there he was, handing me a spoon. Beaming.

The next day he was back to "normal", his face expressionless, his responses nil, never to come back again as long as he was there. The human creature with its unimaginable mind is more than I can comprehend.

One thing I recall is the group's relative ease with the situation and the overall communal attitude of the crowd I traveled with. We shared all our money and lived together in whatever rooms we occupied in these strange lands. It reminds me of this full moon eclipse at 24 Aquarius near the US moon. I've mentioned before the connection between the nurturing qualities of the moon and the Aquarian ideal of caring for the human family. Plus the comfort level with deviations from the norm. The water bearer pours his liquid on everyone and the commonality is felt, however subtle. You see that especially with a South Node in Aquarius, as Obama has at 27, and with the United States, who has one at 6.

Until the native is ready to embrace the ego fully, a SN in Aquarius foregoes personal glory for the good of the group, and this is the case with Obama's ascendant and node. This is also the case with the United States of America and her South Node, contrary to what's mostly expressed as fact about her relationship with the world. He is of course eclipsing himself at the Democratic convention, letting the light shine on others who need it as well. Political requirements motivate the decisions in conjunction with the Aquarian node and the supremacy of collective needs. There is a teeny tiny itty-bitty infinitesimal little sliver of a chance, though, that he'll get one teensy tinsy fragile moment of recognition for what he's achieved when he accepts the nomination under a Leo moon hitting the eclipse points. You never know.

Another unusual development during this eclipse was a shocking move by his opponent in the presidential contest suggesting that the 1922 water rights' agreement in Colorado be revised. Water is divinity in the American west. Precious stuff. Big reaction. This summer has been dry as an aged desert bone until yesterday. It's been raining for two days straight and somehow the connection to the future of humanity seems to be emerging with the water bearer and the eclipsing moon. Water claims are the wave of the future. Neptune will be transiting the US moon and all the watery Cancer planets will be meeting up with Pluto, so you can just imagine. Hot wars, cold wars, useless wars, endless wars, water wars, or no wars. That's one of the questions in debate. What to do with everyone?

The Moon and Aquarius bring up the delicate relationship between the emotional-intimate and the non-personal. Sometimes personal needs are overlooked in the quest for group cohesion, but still feeling enough in its togetherness to satisfy the moon. How much to dwell? How big the jug? A quandary, for sure.

History and the Future

Healing in Hawaii

Faith and sainthood .. who dunnit?

Aiea, Hawaii. When cancer spread into her lungs, doctors told Audrey Toguchi she had six months to live and suggested chemotherapy as the only option. Toguchi, however, turned to another source: a Catholic missionary who died more than a century ago. "I'm going to Molokai to pray to Father Damien," Toguchi told Dr. Walter Y.M. Chang after hearing her death sentence. "Mrs. Taguchi, prayers are nice and its probably very helpful, but you still need chemotherapy," said Chang.

Defying Chang and the pleas of her husband and two sons, Toguchi caught a flight from Honolulu to the remote peninsula of Kalaupapa to pray at the grave of the priest who had ministered to people with leprosy, until he too caught it and died in 1889. "Dear Lord, you're the one who created my body, so I know you can fix it." Toguchi prayed. "I put my whole faith in you ... Father Damien, please pray for me too because I need your help." On a doctor's visit on Oct. 2, 1998, a month after cancer was detected in her lungs, doctors expected the tumors to have grown. Instead they had shrunk, and by May 1999 tests confirmed that they had disappeared without treatment.

The Vatican conducted an extensive review and concluded Toguchi's recovery defied medical explanation. On July 3, Pope Benedict XVI agreed and approved the case as Damien's second miracle, opening the way for the Belgian priest to be declared a saint.
Jaymes Song: Associated Press . Rocky Mt. News, August 10, 2008
Photo: kalalau Valley: Holger Leue

Hot Tip For Travelers!

The end of summer is approaching and for all of you going on some last minute jaunts, especially with "gas prices declining", this looks like a great place to stop in case you're traveling in Arizona on one of the last stretches of historic Route 66. The Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona. These concrete tee-pees are the finest remaining examples of Route 66's roadside architecture. American talent at its best.
Photo: Witold Skrypczak.

My Fellow Africans

You Americans might be interested in meeting a group of Kenyans. The collective concept is certainly popular worldwide. Talk about homogeneous. I'm sure they see their differences.
They live in the plains of Kenya with their neighbors: crowned plover, crested francolin, red-crested and black-bellied bustard, bataleur, Fischer's starling, taita fiscal, lilac-breasted roller, and many others. I wonder what they do for a living? There are a million of them in Lake Nakuru.
Photo: Mitch Reardon

14. Ta Yu

Possession in Great Measure
Supreme success

My one in two month I Ching reading revealed this gem of a hexagram. I get a bump whenever I see the title. The judgement says "power is expressing itself in a graceful and controlled way." 6 in the 5th place was included:

He whose truth is accessible, yet dignified has good fortune. The situation is very favorable. People are being won not by coercion but by unaffected sincerity. However, benevolence alone is not sufficient at the time of possession in great measure, for insolence might begin to spread. Insolence must be kept in bounds by dignity, then good fortune is assured.

Good enough. But I guess the message is really trying to get through since the hexagram changed to 10. Lu: Treading (Conduct)

The situation is really difficult. That which is strongest and that which is weakest are close together. The weak follows behind the strong and it worries it. The strong, however, acquiesces and does not hurt the weak, because the contact is in good humor and harmless. In terms of a human situation one is handling wild intractable people. In such cases one's purpose will be achieved if one behaves with decorum.

Thus the superior man discriminates between high and low, and thereby fortifies the thinking of the people.

Born in the Pacific

My favorite politician is back home for a family reunion. And what a proud family they are. His grandmother, called "Toot", is 85 now and the one most responsible for his parenting. They say part of his relaxed, loose-legged response to life is due to his upbringing in Hawaii known for its easy-going attitude. There's a beguiling simplicity in the culture well-illustrated by the language. The alphabet only contains fourteen letters, yet something richer and more complex lies beneath.

The Hawaiian language has a musical and flowing quality due to the fact that every syllable ends with a vowel. On the surface this makes the language appear simple. And in fact, pronunciation is simple if certain rules are understood and if the word is written correctly. The complexity of the language becomes clear when one realizes that most words have multiple meanings.....and can have meanings that are not translatable, may be hidden, or even be magical.

I've never been but I love the music. The traditional folk music is especially beautiful. There's a unique way of playing the guitar called "slack key" that perfectly represents Hawaiian relaxation. The musician loosens several of the strings in the natural tuning to form one chord. Then of course comes the trademark oozing slinky sound. Throw in a little sliding steel guitar and you have the quintessential Hawaiian smooth, elastic, and melodic sound.

Hula dancing is another good example of the feel. It's known to relax the ever-tense midsection of the human body. Hard to believe this is the USA. What an ocean can do.

It's interesting how hot and volatile this volcanic planetary spot is, yet how cool the people are. I think islands often lean in that direction with currents, breezes, and a feeling of freedom.
I hope this native son brings his slack keys to the White House and disperses them throughout the land. I'd love some of them sprinkled on me. Maybe I'll even start my tap dancing lessons.
Photo: Hawaii: Michael Melford

Tired Up and Ready to Go

"I fear no man when I've got truth on my side"
Barack Obama, August 5, 2008

The American people are supremely dependent on their cars as everyone knows. I love my tiny 1986 Honda which gets great gas mileage being a subcompact. It's also easy for me to do nothing so when the cost of fuel rose too high, I quit driving.

But not everyone has that luxury. Now the shock of gas prices is working its way into the psyche and our current hyperbolic chamber, the presidential election. The subject of energy policy has also risen.

Yesterday with the Moon, Mars, and Saturn in Virgo, the Mars-Pluto in Virgo candidate suggested a simple and practical solution for now -- keep your tires inflated. Everyone who knows cars knows this is the truth.

Efficiency is the word and Virgo is the master. With over a year remaining of Saturn in Virgo, practical solutions are the name of the game. Mars in Virgo might not be aggressive, overtly combative, blood-thirsty, cruel, malicious, hateful, ugly, or even personal, but the attacks are accurate and often correct. Fighting clean. Leadership. How refreshing. Can you imagine how many people checked their tire pressure today?


The wheels of fortune spin efficiently.

Supreme Beings

More Pluto in Sagittarius

A World That Stands as One, Obama's speech in Berlin, struck a collective chord, not the least bit surprising with Uranus stationing in Pisces and Pluto at 29 Sagittarius. Some were moved, some were afraid, as usual, many were critical, and several didn't care. The event was a rather sedate affair, a sort of outdoor festival with good beer and probably some ground up pigs to chomp on. People came from all over Europe to hear the beautiful Obama voice declare its desire for global cooperation, and to assist in introducing a possible New America to the world's stage.

There was something unique about it and the attempt to diminish the man and the moment has come quickly and furiously. The United States' right wing smear machine came through with two ads comparing Obama to a couple of popular icons, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, and to the ancient guy himself, spiritual icon Moses. Moses, however, was in the guise of Charlton Heston cartoonishly parting the seas. I finally saw the ad and there's a lot to contemplate here, since it aroused another collective yelp. Praise The One.

I enjoyed the ad, corny and brief, and found parts of it highly flattering toward Obama. It was funny in ways too, a parody really of our entire culture and its star worship. It's love of melodrama. The ridiculous. (Aquarian Moon?). Fact is there. And Obama's voice is always a pleasure.

I mentioned previously that Uranus is just finishing a station on US Neptune ruling her mythic image and Hollywood obsession. This ad says it all. It shows where the public has landed, not only in who it worships but how political discourse operates. Discourse?

So far humans have the need to look beyond empirical reality for the existence of a "supreme" being. Some entity that embodies their highest aspirations. They feel a need to communicate with this supreme self and thus the complex web of religious expression woven throughout the world today, along with the inclination to share it.

So people create pop icons, and interestingly, the symbol of these last years has been a Sagittarius, Britney Spears. I've always thought she was a mirror to edify the public in some way. Today I think I was proven right. She's the embodiment of where unintelligent adulation has arrived, and as much as Moses is lauded, his commandments are not adhered to as much as some think best. Heston epitomizes the American style of worship quite well. Interesting that he just departed the earth plane.

Onward the human race goes in its urge to rise up and be good, along with the desire to plumb the evil depths. Maybe the low level of worship people have enjoyed is being slightly understood, but the problem of how to express feelings toward the god-figure remains. The way things are going it looks like Obama will not be the stand-in for that figure, although he could symbolize a bridge to better behavior. I think the event is reminding people to be sensible about the future leader (his trusty Saturn in tow), and also to recognize the cultural improvement that's needed, without abandoning all thrills, hopefully starting when Pluto transits poised Capricorn. Though I can't imagine what could replace the Three Stooges.

As a performing artist I'm daunted by the task of fitting myself into this hapless underdressed pantheon but if there are signs of any change at all -- I'm heartened. It was an interesting group endeavor, with the eclipse on our two current stars' Leo planets. No matter what, I think the US will retain her sense of play.

Life in the Desert

Long ago, on a hot summer Southern night, a stormy artist was born one month too late.
Raised in North Carolina amongst strict Baptists, the tempest discovered his love of bourbon in an empty bottle behind the barn when he was a tender five years old.
He was musically gifted, and years later in sunny Santa Fe, the ever-active creator built this bourbophone in the bathroom with those familiar empty bottles. It played interesting notes when struck with a mallet.

Of course, days could get hot in the desert too, so cool sounds were appreciated by all.

Genius at Work

Do you think it odd that he'd paint toes on his shoes? I didn't.

Crowd Enthusiasm

The second my shoes clicked in the hallowed halls of Vestal Jr. High School I knew I wanted to be a cheerleader. Aries Rising, grand fire trine, four planets, Moon-Jupiter conjunct in Sagittarius in the 9th. In spiritus dominus.

I made the Freshman squad as soon as I got into High School and in a moment of history-making, I was the first one ever to jump from Freshman to Varsity in my sophomore year, skipping Jr. Varsity. There were three slots open when try-outs came and it was a championship team under the leadership of proud Mrs. Dinga. When it came down to the finals it was between me and another girl, one adored by the clique which made up most of the squad. For hours they agonized and then in a moment of high drama, they chose me. I was great. Too good to pass up. And I was thrilled.

Next fall, my first Varsity football game arrived on a beautiful autumn Friday night, and in my deep gold sweater, deep green V on my chest, and matching gold skirt, I was embraced by one of the most exciting experiences in my life thus far. The band, the blazing lights against the black sky, the finest team in the Southern Tier, thick pom-poms, one dark green and one bright gold, a huge green megaphone, an enthusiastic crowd cheering uninhibitedly in unison and correctly, dancing and singing with the pom-poms non-stop for hours -- oh it was magnificent. Oh my god. And we won.

I was complete. I came home to a quiet house and sat before the fire sinking into the deepest feeling of contentment you can imagine. Every fiber of my body felt relaxed and fulfilled.

I always connect my love of cheerleading with my Sagittarius planets. The Friday pep rallies before the games were particularly uplifting. I've often thought that stadiums and the throngs of humans shouting together is a sort of cry out to the gods, maybe to remind them that we're here, or to tell them that we're not to be messed with. We have power too. It's a curious blend of fear and confidence, this ancient ritual. Jubilation as the trigger for calling to the invisible entities. And now with Pluto in the finale of its transit of Sagittarius, I do believe the planet is experiencing some crowd thrills a little out of the ordinary. Welcome aboard.

When Pluto crossed the USA ascendant, the Trade Towers fell heralding the fall of the dollar but the rise of something else -- the start of a new 248 year cycle and an awakening of spirit never before mined in the American psyche. Now that Pluto is leaving Sagittarius, crowd enthusiasm is at a height. It's a brief moment to celebrate life with exuberance, the Sagittarian birthright.

As for winning, I've learned that you don't ask anybody or anything if you can, or if you should, or how and why, you just win. But the real lesson of Sagittarius is acceptance of loss just as much. It's all in the game; and rolling with the punches, then getting back up and shouting with jubilation once again. Live and let live to the limit.

Some fear being swept up in crowd fervor, some love it, but no matter what, it's a worldwide ritual that has persisted throughout human history and shows no signs of diminishing. There's a spot for those who wish to whimper under the SE bleechers. Now where did I put my pom-poms?

Man the Dock!!

Well none too soon. With Pluto stationing in Sagittarius it's Anti-Christ time again. Hallelujah! The omnipotent Swiftboaters are headed downstream and all hell is breaking loose. The prurient ones are busy projecting a picture of the mesmerizing Obama as evil incarnate, heralding the end of civilization, just in time for the Mayan 2012 date. Darn good orchestration. But isn't O a few years too old? I forget.

For some reason the cosmic disaster fear chip is in the human brain, forever ready for action. Probably an alien implant. I wonder if the eclipse had something to do with it. They've been known historically to bring about some creature jumpiness. Thinking about God and them.

Then I got to thinking myself. People are aghast that others could believe such things. Some claim that these faithful are underdeveloped regarding mental skill. But how is this different from believing that the government is conspiring to enslave the masses or at least raise prices and not wages? Or that the earth is going to heat the human race into oblivion? Or that e-mails will be read by unseen forces? Or that Mars made me do it? Or that inebriated Mayans knew anything?

Hell. They just discovered liquid on Titan, one of Saturn's moons, the only other body besides the earth where fluid has been found. So maybe a lucky bunch of us could hightail it to Titan and start over. It was the Titans who started this whole thing, wasn't it?

Jumpin' catfish.

Anyway .. there's a slowboat to China in dock in case anyone's interested in getting out of here.

But ......

A bear's butt is better than a bare butt sometimes. Especially when it's cold.