Thursday, September 20, 2012

Dancers and Tycoons

 
Pluto in Capricorn square Uranus in Aries
I understand there is a war against women underway, being waged by rich white men of the Republican persuasion. I'm also aware of the eternal (so far) battle between the sexes with women often identified as the weaker sex. My own experience has pointed to unnamed conflicts within all people that frequently find a hook in the victim-perpetrator dynamic played out continually in personal relationships. The war is ongoing, and those humans who are wise enough to pursue inner peace through negotiations with their warring selves are sometimes fortunate enough to get off the treadmill and find reason not to blame others for their frustrations and failures. Societal injustice does, of course, figure in, but the problem with focusing too intently on outer circumstance is that the chances for correction are slimmer. Dismantling a patriarchy is not an easy task if possible at all. It's much more difficult to change everybody else than it is to adapt and adjust within the individual self. But you know that. In some societies the overt oppression of women is hard to witness, but the United States has been friendly to female advancement in many ways despite some traditional impediments that fluctuate like all societal trends normally do. 

A precedent was established in the beginning when settlers came out west and women were often left to fend for themselves when their burly husbands got an arrow through the heart or never returned from a wild night on the town. Some simply dropped dead in the corn field since quadruple bypass was unavailable at the time. Fend they did, those women, setting the example of fortitude, resourcefulness, and self reliance, and they developed considerable skill at self defense. Some of them even chose not to marry again, even though it was easy to do so with the preponderance of men who needed a cook, a warm body, and someone to make the cabin curtains. They chose rather to brave the elements alone, fiercely guarding their hard won independence. These memories are within the collective female psyche to this day.

When Uranus touches the Moon and/or Venus, the traditional expressions of femaleness can be rerouted and the female biological role comes into question. A rejection of the role is often unacceptable to society and it poses a threat to the propagation of the species, but it's up to the woman herself to stick to her chosen alternative path. Femininity doesn't always have the "normal" outlet with Uranus, which sometimes leads to very creative results.

Well, now Uranus is tampering with USA Venus in Cancer (moon), as is Pluto. The Pluto-Uranus square is on US Jupiter in Cancer. Uranus in Aries (war) is pushing women to thoughts of independence and personal achievement even if rebellion is required. Pluto in Capricorn is bringing in urges to forge ahead in the outer world away from the protection and sanctity of the home. This is the perfect storm of inner tension involved in this so called war, regardless of what some man, or all men, are doing, be they Democrats or Republicans. Or Communists. The arbitrary divisions assigned to political parties are not as clear cut as many believe. The intelligent Democrat with its heart open wide pouring out infinite love is food for cartoons. The mean spirited  Republican wishing to return to a dark and evil age need not travel at all. That age is the present and always is in one way or another. Recognizing the source of the conflict helps enable resolution of the problem. The fatal flaws of the time are often blamed on a manufactured enemy. The source of oppression, real as it is, can often elude rational recognition. So ages vacillate between enlightenment and darkness apparently on a trajectory of their own.

Stay at home mothers are now pariahs bringing a new twist, especially since career pursuits have not borne fruit as hoped and career mothers are particularly conflicted. A woman can cry in pain and despair with hatred toward Republicans and all assorted enemies, but it distorts the picture and clouds pathways to personal fulfillment. She can hate men all she wants, and I admit that for some women it is an enjoyable sport. Or she can align with males and pick up some knowledge.

 I've found men to be supportive of and often inspired by women's power. They sometimes take pride in facilitating that development and sponsor them on their rise. Another player in the competitive game is always fun for them, especially pretty and pert tycoons. It's up to women to pick these educational specimens and walk away from the troublesome ones that might restrain them and try to hold then down. It's a wide world. Instead of a liability, a smart woman can turn her perceived disadvantage into an opportunity.

The last time Uranus was in Aries,  from 1927 to 1934, women kicked themselves free while Pluto was in Cancer disrupting their security at home. Life made them restless, and they broke out in wild dancing, smoking cigarettes, drinking spirits with the guys, gambling, cutting their hair, and breaking the confines of femininity in many ways. The flapper was the symbol of the modern unconventional woman.

 Coco Chanel initiated a fashion revolution in the 1920s that liberated women from their corsets in favor of soft stretchy fabric that breathed and moved, and some outfits that took on a masculine character. She came from nothing and created a huge business empire, never marrying and consciously refusing to be shackled by societal norms. The changes in clothing took the nation by storm and women were unleashed, free to do what they wanted and shake up the world. (Uranus in Aries)

They wanted to be different, to announce their departure from the Gibson Girl's morals. So they smoked. Something only men had done previously. Their parents were shocked.
"I was sure my girls had never experimented with a hip-pocket flask, flirted with other women's husbands, or smoked cigarettes. My wife entertained the same smug delusion, and was saying something like that out loud at the dinner table one day. And then she began to talk about other girls.'They tell me that that Purvis girl has cigarette parties at her home,' remarked my wife.
She was saying it for the benefit of Elizabeth, who runs somewhat with the Purvis girl. Elizabeth was regarding her mother with curious eyes. She made no reply to her mother, but turning to me, right there at the table, she said: 'Dad, let's see your cigarettes.'
Without the slightest suspicion of what was forthcoming, I threw Elizabeth my cigarettes. She withdrew a fag from the package, tapped it on the back of her left hand, inserted it between her lips, reached over and took my lighted cigarette from my mouth, lit her own cigarette and blew airy rings toward the ceiling.
My wife nearly fell out of her chair, and I might have fallen out of mine if I hadn't been momentarily stunned."
.The trends follow social and political conditions, not oppression of one group over another, although that might be a symptom. The historical facts in the time of the flappers and the last Uranus in Aries transit are interesting.

"Before the start of World War I, the Gibson Girl was the rage. Inspired by Charles Dana Gibson's drawings, the Gibson Girl wore her long hair loosely on top of her head and wore a long straight skirt and a shirt with a high collar. She was feminine but also broke through several gender barriers for her attire allowed her to participate in sports, including golf, roller skating, and bicycling.
Then World War I started. The young men of the world were being used as cannon fodder for an older generation's ideals and mistakes. The attrition rate in the trenches left few with the hope that they would survive long enough to return home. They found themselves inflicted with an 'eat-drink-and-be-merry-for-tomorrow-we-die spirit.'  Far away from the society that raised them and faced with the reality of death, many searched (and found) extreme life experiences before they entered the battlefield.
When the war was over, the survivors went home and the world tried to return to normalcy. Unfortunately, settling down in peacetime proved more difficult than expected. During the war, the boys had fought against both the enemy and death in far away lands; the girls had bought into the patriotic fervor and aggressively entered the workforce. During the war, both the boys and the girls of this generation had broken out of society's structure; they found it very difficult to return.
They found themselves expected to settle down into the humdrum routine of American life as if nothing had happened, to accept the moral dicta of elders who seemed to them still to be living in a Pollyanna land of rosy ideals which the war had killed for them. They couldn't do it, and they very disrespectfully said so.
Women were just as anxious as the men to avoid returning to society's rules and roles after the war. In the age of the Gibson Girl, young women did not date, they waited until a proper young man formally paid her interest with suitable intentions (i.e. marriage). However, nearly a whole generation of young men had died in the war, leaving nearly a whole generation of young women without possible suitors. Young women decided that they were not willing to waste away their young lives waiting idly for spinsterhood; they were going to enjoy life.
The 'Younger Generation' was breaking away from the old set of values."

I grew up in a progressive environment during the wave of women's liberation in the 1960s. Brassieres were burned and nipples burst free. It was uncomfortable in ways in its disturbing newness. Women sang meaningful songs about life and wore work clothes and nonsexy flat  shoes. They charged into the world of men and rose to the top of professional ladders only to regret what they'd sacrificed to get there. They discovered what it's like to play unethical games which are a requirement in the high powered business world. They suffered. They then struggled to marry the traditional female roles with professional ones eventually mimicking the ills of manhood with rising levels of heart disease and other such side effects. They smoked their way into lung cancer and finally into psychological depression, feeling possibly even more thwarted than they originally did. Naturally, they blamed the men.

Then a strange thing happened. The big retrograde. Nipples were covered again and now a woman can't purchase a bra without protective padding. Cleavage made a huge comeback, though, and high heels shot up inches beyond where they were before. Women are hobbled once again. Voices returned to Betty Boopness, a sign of repressed sexuality. Then hemlines traveled back up to the crotch further inhibiting freedom of movement, but maybe I'm getting a little too technical here. Suffice it to say, that a certain regression has occurred. Why? The vicissitudes of life I suppose. Or the pullback before the next wave of freedom. It's always a matter of contrast and progression is circular it seems. One always returns to square one.

Now what? Women are on a threshold with more choice than ever, and maybe the terror of that freedom is making them a little crazy. What is the nature of the new liberating force? Can they return to traditional female roles without censure? Are not the women themselves holding each other back with the current wave of public criticism and emotional violence? Cat fighting is enjoying a resurgence which contradicts feminism as I understand it. The women's rights activists are extremely strident but the cause is unclear, other than to publicly eviscerate and humiliate women they don't care for. If there is a sisterhood, what form does it take? And maybe Uranus in Aries is freeing women from the sisterhood itself, allowing them to cut a completely unique and independent path, allowing their distrust of other women to freely exist without guilt. Perhaps our daughters will inherit greater freedom and find the road to self respect and power which will translate into societal admiration and whatever paycheck they want, big or small. Or none. Maybe they can get their feet out of the hobbles.

There's always Pluto in Aries coming right up. That could influence the course of events. At any rate, I'll not panic until Uranus gets through Aries. But I'm  a cheat -- an Aries rising with Mars square Uranus. It's old hat. Men, women, mothers, fathers, they're all complicit. God is too, I think. Jesus seems to be off the hook. He's a strange sort of guy.

Anyway, back in the olden days, women were involved in wars, literally, but the difference then is that they were not in the role of victim. They smartly took advantage of the greater war to charge into the battlefields of their choosing, armed with flasks and cigarettes. Ready for freedom.

21 Comments:

Anonymous Joe said...

My friend, this is what I like best about your style: you take the long view, as I (usually) do.

Or the pullback before the next wave of freedom... and progression is always circular it seems.

This. It's like tides, or cosmic breaths, in and out. Few can see that there's really no need to freak out about the incoming or outgoing forces that affect them. Sooner or later the exhalation will cease and inbreath will begin, and you're on your way to a whole new place. I'm starting to get that, after almost 40 years. :)

I've been sidelined for a week after surgery (playing it by ear, if you get my drift) and have a lot of time to sit and contemplate. I used to worry about making ends meet since I can't work right now, but matters are working out, and we will have enough to get by until I can return to work. I remain amazed by how things work out, in eddies and currents, preventing this quasi-disaster by encouraging this other thing to neatly toss the oncoming problem into next week. And so on.

Anyway, been seeing a lot of daytime TV (traditionally a women's area), and marveling at how open some women are to reinventing themselves, given the chance. Isn't it funny how the ladies are sometimes the vanguard of personal change, while the menfolk resist, yet it takes gay guys to break down the barriers and make it acceptable for these same uptight men to feel free enough to do what was formerly a woman's perogative? Earrings, hair coloring, etc come easily to mind.

And then the hidden disorders that only women seemed to talk about on Oprah, are nowadays coming to light in boys and men: eating disorders, distorted body image, destructive compulsions, etc.

I think, very broadly speaking, men historically have been the more visible or celebrated trail-blazers, while the women were more subtle in their ground-breaking, but no less earth-shaking.

Cool stuff.

21/9/12 2:20 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Joe this is music to my ears.

Sooner or later the exhalation will cease and inbreath will begin, and you're on your way to a whole new place. I'm starting to get that, after almost 40 years. :)

So beautifully expressed. Jupiter in Gemini is not bypassing our resident wordsmith and master of poetic prose.

I include peristalsis in this movement of life. Contraction and release pushing us through life's digestive tract. sometimes we get caught in contraction and think we are imprisoned into perpetuity, but relaxation comes just in time and exhalation proceeds.

I also associate it with diastolic and systolic rhythms. The cosmic dance of shifting pressures. Like weather patterns.

It all comes down to our trust in life. Scorpios are experts in these matters.

So glad the surgery is over. Now you can relax.:-)

Currently it seems that men have been somewhat emasculated by the years of women's power, which they seem to accept. Apparently they are enjoying the pleasures of parenthood more and more, and kicking back a little, getting introspective as you suggest, while women forge ahead.

You know how much I enjoy blurred gender identification lines so it sounds good to me. Men are weary after thousands of years of burdens of responsibility on their little bodies. Time for a rest maybe.

It's a luxury having time to muse. And also good to have stereophonic hearing! I pray it's not as acute as mine, though.

21/9/12 4:41 PM  
Blogger jm said...

The long view is how I endure life. I've always taken that position, but in the years I had a demanding relationship I was more caught up in my own news cycles. They can be daunting. It's taking me time to fully return to my state of detached wisdom, but I'll get there. Then I can coast through my last 20 years in spiritual bliss. Unless I start doing triathlons!

21/9/12 4:44 PM  
Anonymous Joe said...

Relationships is exactly "it" right now. The old gender roles are reversing and morphing at a quantum speed, and into the mix, we get the institution of marriage, traditional and otherwise. i don't know if you know, but in MN, there's an amendment being proposed to add to the state Constitution that marriage shall consist of one man and one woman. Same-sex marriage is already illegal here, so why this extra step? That's the cunning nature of those pushing for the amendment: to make it harder to reverse later on.

It's ironic: supposedly fewer straight people are marrying, or are delaying it, or are divorcing at record rates. Yet the traditionalists project the changes and the failure rates onto the convenient scapegoats. Why not make divorce illegal?

So everyone riled up hereabouts about gender roles, in some manner or other.

21/9/12 5:54 PM  
Blogger jm said...

The traditional marriage move is nationwide. My theory is that the populace is not yet ready for radical change and they are longing to return to normalcy. This is Capricorn and conservative philosophy which is why conservatives are on the upswing. It's a reality that can be faced with equanimity. It will pass.

I think we are close to marriage equality, though, and this is just the spurt before it becomes accepted.

The theme of Capricorn-Aries is the individual against the state and radical change (Uranus) vs stability and presevation of the status quo (Cap). It's just beginning, so the change will come in time, especially when Pluto transits Aquarius.

The economic insecurity, and now the international fears, combine to make people grab for what they know and can count on. A return to some sort of prosperity could bring more social change, but it will happen anyway in due time.

Not to worry about the new laws. They will be repealed. People get crazy when they are insecure. Liberal power is about to be curtailed for awhile in Capricorn, but it will find its proper balance eventually. Pluto in Aries might be the big new frontier.

Education is required as the citizens are exposed to same sex families and discover for themselves how happy and healthy they can be. But there are still adjustments within these situations since they encounter public opposition which has hindered their blossoming. And there are natural fears about the goodness of it all.

Marriage isn't always what it's cracked up to be as homosexuals will soon be discovering. And if they want to get married now, they can, simply by relocating.

21/9/12 6:26 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Gender roles are only one factor in the autonomy of Uranus in Aries. Since I have this energy natally, I have always lived like I wanted to against much opposition. I decided aginst the traditional female role long ago.

Now we are being urged to stick up for ourselves bravely. The resistance to marriage equality is already showing holes, and hopefully, the same resistance to individual life choices will dissolve.

It will be tested, however, as it encounters the wall of Capricorn. This conflict exists in microcosm in each individual psyche, so the freedom to think and live according to our own rules is up for serious consideration. Look to all the pariahs of society for guidance. Especially the ones who choose abstinence. They are the real outcasts. And there are way more than we know. They'll be speaking up soon. Old Maidism will be the next big fashion wave. The anti-marriage crowd.:-)

21/9/12 6:38 PM  
Blogger jm said...

You can see the return to tradition in the Hollywood crowd. It's not their acting performances any more. It's their baby bumps. Multiple Academy Awarda have not delivered the fulfillment they thought it would, So a belly full of humanity is an option and a lifetime of belonging to others. They'll leave that again in time to pursue another round of professional achievement(?).

It's hard to get it exactly right.

21/9/12 6:47 PM  
Anonymous Joe said...

Yes, I'd forgotten that Cap is a conservative, consolidating energy. But like the tide analogy, even as the wave crests and breaks, there's an undertow moving the other way. I like your word peristalsis. Greek peri "about" or "surrounding" + stalsis "contraction." And contraction is another Cap energy, right?

I struggle with this marriage equality thing on some level. I like the option being present, but I don't know that I want to bind myself to one other individual. Probably the Gem Asc, and Uranus in Libra that I have. That's yet another example of how astrology has enabled me to accept the way I am wired.

21/9/12 7:16 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Absolutely. Contraction is the name of the Capricorn game. Deep. Pluto. A python squeeze is upon us.

It's not about the welfare state and pennies from heaven.

Net worth is climbing back to pre-recession levels I read today. But it's based on stock market holdings. WTF???? So here we go again. They're trying to get people to pump money into the economy. It's ominous. Could an even bigger contraction be coming? How can people learn not to count fictitious money?

It's Pluto in Capricorn which is merged finances. They're going to go crazy trying to figure out when to cut loose and sell.

Yeah. I have Venus-Uranus and marriage doesn't appeal to me.

21/9/12 8:07 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Gemini rules breath, so Gems need breathing room. My Venus-Uranus is in Gemini so I'm familiar with this urge. Geminis need to circulate freely and have all the friendships they desire, not always deep. The desire for loyal bonded alliances sometimes conflicts with Gemini surface skimming, but Gemini rising is destined to breathe in and out this way. Easy in and out. Like the way you like to flutter from blog to blog making new friends all the time and checking in briefly with old ones. Gemini is the man about town who keeps up with current social events.

I remember a quarrel I had with a Gem once that left me feeling guilty and wanting to make amends. When I encountered her and brought it up a few days later, she said, "Oh, that was a long time ago." End of story. No resentment. No apologies required.

So that doesn't make for deep soul searching relationships with the required emotional pain. Sometimes Gem would rather enjoy your company than go into the 7th circle of hell with you. Sometimes they will, but they serve to lighten people's spirits very often and I love them for that. So marriages have to keep this in mind. They are deeper than their reputation suggests, though. They enjoy flirtations for the information they get. The variety of experience.

Which reminds me. Joop is in my Gem 3rd house. It's time for some fun. Time to run around town looking for amusement.

21/9/12 11:03 PM  
Anonymous Joe said...

Ironically, I am better at making friends online than in person. I think perhaps Gemini and Scorpio don't mix in that respect: Gemini being surface skimmer and Scorpio being anything but.

Thought of another gender-morph social development: if you pay attention to food trends and foodie personalities, men outnumber women by about 75-80%. Gardening for the home, mostly men. Farming (both large scale and small scale), about half and half, at least locally. Very unscientific observations, mind.

Personally, I think we are all bits of the Universe exploring itself, and when it plumbs the depths or reaches as far as it can go, then circumstances turn and twist, and voilà, there's a new permutation to explore. Ooh I like that word: Latin permūtāre, "to change throughout." And by extension, we get the word mutable, as in the mutable signs.

Here's hoping you found some fun on a lovely fall day! :o)

22/9/12 1:57 PM  
Blogger jm said...

I was not allowed entrance into the female clique when I was young so I never got addicted to that sort of thing. As a small child I grew up with many many kids in the neighborhood and we were perfectly mixed, male and female. Even when we played "King of the Mountain" the girls sometimes gained rulership. They stayed away from the snakes though. The boys adored them.

Left out in the cold later, I developed relationships with one girl at a time usually (a Gemini) and several boys. I liked the boys since they didn't gossip or agonize about their relationships. They were more adventurous and active and I joined them enthusiastically, all dangers aside. My girl friends and I did not compete since the boys were fun and generous. We all stimulated each other's intellect and humor. We made fun of teachers a lot.

I was OK with the early feminists who freed themselves from bondage, but I was thoroughly dismayed when the Democratic convention revealed how far down women's liberation has descended. Dancing vaginas is a long way from some of our original great feminists like Jeannette Rankin, the first woman in Congress.

The convention reduced women to nothing but their sex organs, screaming for free contraception, yet also celebrating the violent end to the natural behavior through abortion for one and all on demand at any stage of pregnancy. Women are greater than this. Somwhow their talents got shunted aside during this macabre event.

There is a theory that women cluster together as a habit from ancient times when men were out hunting and women were left alone to protect the children. So they chattered noisily to ensure safety.

In some tribes, menopausal women who can't sleep gather in the forest at night to chat. The noise also protects them there.

But now maybe we don't need this protection as much, and perhaps it even stymies some women's independent reach into the world and the development of bravery.

I once worked in a corporate environment with mostly women and it was so horrifying I have yet to recover. Men stomp openly on one another to climb the ladder, but these women used silent hate and subterfuge to rise in the ranks. Men were usually helpful to women on the rise. Women didn't seem to trust themselves, so self esteem is probably still a big problem. The feminists now are not helping in that regard. Maybe as men share the parenting more, the girls will respond with more confidence in their abilities, and won't have to fabricate oversized fake vaginas to parade in.

My hopes are still alive.

24/9/12 4:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't see what's to envy about so called male power. It's no fun being a boy with dreams and then being forced into doing all this stuff, and then on top of it all being judged by (most) women for one's performance in this game. It doesn't work out all that well for many, forces men into unnatural shapes until they forget their own, or never even find their own. I'm all for equality... now anyone can be a soldier or struggle up the corporate or academic ladder.

24/9/12 4:53 PM  
Blogger jm said...

I've always sympathized with men's trials and tribulations. The pressure to perform in those cutthroat situations always seemed cruel to me.

That's a good way of putting it...

It doesn't work out all that well for many, forces men into unnatural shapes until they forget their own, or never even find their own.

I think that applies to most of us. The thought of living in my natural shape comfortably is pleasurable indeed.

Yeah. Being a "man" is not always easy. Especially with some bigger man barking at you to toughen up or something.

24/9/12 9:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

JM, thanks for this wonderful blog post. I don't have anything to offer at the moment... I need to sit with this one for sometime.

25/9/12 11:47 AM  
Anonymous Joe said...

By chance--or not--I picked up a book at a garage sale that is an interesting echo of our conversation here. At times, it seems as though I'm holding this blog in paperback form-- it's that similar at times. It's called "My Lesbian Husband: Landscapes of a Marriage" and it's about relationships and relating, about marriage both traditional and not, about women's roles, changing gender expectations, etc. The author has a knack for describing how things have changed over decades, and it's clear, from her descriptions, that women (lesbian or not) initiated among themselves tremendous stages of growth and change and upheaval, just as you describe the period of 1927 to 1934.

I hope you can find a copy somewhere, JM. :o)

3/10/12 3:15 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Joe, thanks! The Gemini connector. It will be interesting to see if my library has it.(:-o)

Women's studies. How 'bout that? It's surprising what old age will do.

5/10/12 3:48 PM  
Blogger Lynn Hayes said...

Hi JM! I'm updating my blogroll and realized you have an old link for me. Do you mind changing it to www.astrodynamics.net/astrologicalmusings? Thanks and glad you are still here. :)

23/10/12 10:02 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Will do, Lynn.

24/10/12 3:06 PM  
Blogger Inspector Clouseau said...

Nice blog work. I came across your blog while “blog surfing” using the Next Blog button on the Nav Bar located at the top of my blogger.com site. I frequently just travel around looking for other blogs which exist on the Internet, and the various, creative ways in which people express themselves. Thanks for sharing.

18/12/12 10:00 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Ha ha Clouseau! People really are interesting in their unique creative expressions. What a gold mine at your nimble fingertips. You never know what's coming up next.

19/12/12 10:17 PM  

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