In tonight’s edition of Planet Waves FM, I cover the Gemini New Moon square Neptune. This is quite an aspect pattern, involving the asteroid Apollo in Virgo. I do the chart of the Isla Vista shooting from Friday night and comment on the toxic combination of advertising images, anti-depressants, hero-worship, guns and alienation.
After a song break by Suzanne Vega, I talk about the desire to go beyond alienation that led to my becoming an astrologer, and read some thoughts of Dane Rudhyar, published in 1936. Finally I give a shout out to Bob Dylan and acknowledge him for the turn of phrase after which Planet Waves is named.
As promised here is the signup for the free Mercury retrograde discussion at 8 pm EDT on the evening of Sunday, June 1. You’ll be able to listen by web, Skype or telephone.
Just a reminder that there is still space in my Introduction to Reading a Natal Chart, scheduled for Saturday morning, May 31. This is a two-hour class that will get you started reading and understanding any natal chart. You will have access to the teleconference and the recording.
There is a lot in that chart. Not only with Pholus and Mars on the angles, but that Gemini Sun had just passed through an exact square to Nessus in Pisces. There was something distorted about this situation, something that got twisted in Elliot Rodger’s perceptions about himself and where the abuse was coming from.
There is a lot in this chart.
Notice the Moon late in the 3rd nudging into the 4th. Notice the Chiron discovery degree on the 5th cusp. Notice Saturn in the 11th, opposite Juno.
Congratulations, Eric, on your 1000th horoscope!
One thing that stuck out to me while listening to the different segments of the program was the common thread of isolation and our ability to heal it. I’m sure everyone deals with it (or is overcome by it, as in Elliot Rodger’s case) in different ways, but the fact that is so prevalent is something that is totally stifled in our culture. We haven’t really evolved past the peer pressure of high school, and while we can all sympathize that it may suck, we don’t see a lot of creative and productive ways to deal with it. I saw that news footage of the grieving father in Santa Barbara screaming out for gun control reform– it seems that we are helpless to these shadowy sides.
Eric,
Just heard last night’s broadcast, and as is often the case, find myself having a visceral reaction, something like shivers. This time at the pit of my stomach when you speak of men fearing a woman who upturns his world view and women fearing a man who may kill her. This shiver is of an ancient origin, recognized and played out like an archetype, compelled to express over and over in the garb of each individual, living their own gender story against the backdrop of their own culture.
I can relate to being harshly rejected for challenging my male friends/lovers/kin’s worldview. My heartstrings have a unique octave of emotion that vibrates the terror of anticipating the previously unspeakable fear of them killing me–if not through violent means, then by the more subtle, sophisticated means of shaming, shunning, belittling or alternately, imbibing my “alien worldviews” as if by osmosis, and when they become popular or socially advantageous to do so, claiming these views as his own, sometimes even quoting me verbatim (without attribution, of course). He’s either annexing me, competing with me or trying to annihilate or disappear me.
I can barely breathe as I write these words, and have taken deep cleansing breaths to steady my hands enough to type.
I originally planned to write you about young people, medication and extreme behavior–I have a lot to say about this, but not now. Your words strike a chord in me and help me articulate and understand my own growth. If they can serve you in presenting your message, of course you have my permission to use them, and again, I thank you for presenting material that synthesizes so much.
Peace,
Katie
A very thoughtful presentation, thank you.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of the “Wine” in all these myths. This substance of former sweetness that has undergone its own transformation and now has the power to help us celebrate the bounty of the Earth or it can ruin lives and be the cause of rampant destruction. Perhaps the wine in these myths has multiple levels of meaning. The idea that a single substance can have such a profound effect on us may be more than just a tale of alcohol’s toxic effects (though that is one layer of the onion) but perhaps the “wine” is also a metaphor for illusions and delusions of all sorts that become deeply rooted in our subconscious minds when what was once one thing becomes transformed into something else. The warning of the myths may be about the consequences of when we let ourselves get fooled by the false promises of the shiny bubbles of our own fantasies and we forget to be the guardians and protectors of our own sacred storehouses of magic and power.
I’m reminded how much the Borasisi story had in common with the Pandora myth. Perhaps this being the time of the Twins it all just fits together. The major difference of course is that when the male/Yang/God version of the story is told, death and destruction are the final result… where the feminine/Yin/Goddess version has all manner of terrible things unleashed upon the world and she acts alone in the story and is thus held responsible and accountable yet Hope remains. I think this says a lot about how we view ourselves and what we as a culture project onto the genders.
I think that part of the toxicity of our modern culture arises from the fact that there are so few ways for the Hero archetype in all of us to have ways to express itself in healthy ways. The Hero in its purest form is the guardian and the protector of that which is Holy. There is no place for this purer form of energy in our modern era any more (except for some mostly male professions like Fire-fighter/Police/Soldier and so it has become twisted and corrupted into the “Sports hero” or the “business tycoon” or even the “Tiger Mom” just to name a few of the degraded modern versions. The Hero archetype has been endlessly butchered misrepresented in movies, video games, bullying tactics, books etc. As a result that part of us is suffering terribly and this is causing us as a collective to suffer terribly because without a job to do, the Hero will make one up. It is one of the strongest parts of our psyche.
When we lived more physically-oriented lives, the Hero could channel itself thru hard work and mastery of talents and skills and being a good person in the community. As we’ve become a more sedentary/mental society and more cut-off from our own bodies, from Nature and from each other it has been harder and harder for the raw power and energy of the inner Hero to find ways of expression that are clean and direct, thus more toxic versions have become the norm.
In my experience, the Hero is the one in me, in you, that carves out pockets in space and time to create places of sanctuary and safety. The Hero says “In this space there can be softness, vulnerability, innocence and receptivity because I am here to defend these qualities because they are valuable and need protection”. In this modern era where we live in a soup of constant threats and toxic bombardments, the adrenal circuits of the inner Hero are stimulated to the max…. and yet the Hero is rejected, twisted, and corrupted and ultimately abandoned by us because we don’t understand the role this essential archetype plays in our lives. When we cut ourselves off from our inner Hero we feel unprotected and powerless and the temptation to over-compensate become enormously attractive and addictive… our sweetness has fermented and now has the power to lead some into some very dark and dangerous delusions… very much the shadow material of Neptune and also of Apollo.
This edition has given me a lot to think about.
Drive-by shootings in Santa Barbara http://bit.ly/1m6YyVB