Yin Yang XXII
Chart for January 7, 2022, the day Boiling Point was released in theatres
No escape
Mars guards the exit
To find an exit in this world
an outlet
To come and go, out to sea and back to land, out to sea and back to land
But cover your ears
Venus in Capricorn holds the laws
retrograding during the inspection that brought them down from a 5 to a 3
If you can’t do the checks yourself, get someone to do them for you
Drinking coffee and drinking booze
Alarm bells ringing
Carly holding the boat
She mentions the items on the menu they have to push, but the waitresses haven’t arrived yet
A nut allergy written on a scrap of paper
The audience preparing for the worst
The lack of cohesion
Ketu in that space between Sagittarius and Scorpio
There can be expansion in Sagittarius, and expansion can come with added responsibilities, the checks, the orders, arriving on time for prep, firing and hiring and giving direction
Expansion can overwhelm, undo
Scorpio can rein in
Pay me back, said his friend
His friend came with a food critic
She said that men have it easier. Then she said that she didn’t know how they did it. How did they cope?
He wasn’t coping at all
He’d missed his son’s swim meet
He’d lost concentration
The Sirens were calling
His reputation was on the line and the Sirens were calling
Still, he wouldn’t betray, wouldn’t throw Carly under the bus
I’m sorry, my fault
He accepted her getting another job
Now let’s get back to work, she said
Two minutes, he said
He promised his ex that he would go to rehab, get help, Taurus stepping in to hold when the work of earth becomes undone
He would retreat
Find a place to heal
Bring back cohesion
He made his way back to the kitchen
unfit
and he collapsed
Release
Darkness
End of chaos
Unity in compassion.
Intervene, stop the gods, call the ambulance!
Chart for September 28, 2012, the day Looper was released in theatres
Time travel can break cohesion too
Mars guarding against it
He’d been a lost boy
The wish of the universe to prevent lost boys from falling out of the system
Abe had intervened, given him something that he could call his own, a gun, a pelt, a contract
A contract that could end at any time, and unlike other men who weren’t forward thinking, he prepared for it, stashed half his silver, studied French
He had a plan, an outlet that gave him a sense of freedom, control over his life, cohesion
He tried to intervene once, offered Suzie half his silver so that she could raise her kid right, but she refused
Silver has strings, she said, so let’s stick to services rendered
He would get a chance to intervene again, when he was on the run, no silver to lose
At a crossroads
he saw himself in Cid
riding the train car alone
lost
He knew what would become of that, he’d lived it
He knew what would become of that, The Rainmaker
He saw it outside of time
not a second had passed
To study the past and prepare for the future
change it, stop the ripples
make room for something new
He’d done it when he honoured the contract
He’d do it now, honouring something higher, bigger
the scales
He had the power to do it, a blunderbuss with a range of 15 yards
He would sacrifice himself to give the boy cohesion
exercise his free will
Unity in those last minute decisions
that come to us with force
Knowing
Nobody would know
except the woman who ran her hands through his hair
the woman who would raise him
What seals the soul in Pisces?
Unity.
Scorpio
place of spells
cast a spell
break a spell
Chart for January 3, 1892, the day J.R.R. Tolkien was born
He wrote a story about a ring
about its power
It could make us invisible, like Pluto’s helmet
It helped the hobbit escape
A story about a ring and its power of attraction
He could not part from it, tore himself away from it
bequeathed it to his nephew
Don’t wear it, the wizard warned him
It could overpower you, control your mind
youtube.com/watch?v=sBgmdLikado
0:50
He did good.
Chart for March 5, 2010, the day Alice in Wonderland was released
She followed a rabbit in a waistcoat
to a place of impossible things
pinching herself to wake up
they even pricked her feet
Never taken
She was never taken by it, even when she realized it wasn’t a dream
even when they told her she could stay
when the audience half hoped she would
she got ready to drink the Jabberwocky’s blood
her back to the Mad Hatter
She had found her muchness in Wonderland
rose to hold her chart, her destiny
and she brought us back with her, out of the rabbit hole
to say no to Hamish the lord
to tell her Aunt Imogene that she should talk to someone about her delusions
to tell her brother in law that he was lucky to be married to her sister
She would make her own arrangements
find something useful to do
daughter of Charles Kingsleigh
guardian of his memory
she would update what he had begun
Into the rabbit hole and out
place of mysteries, mysteries of the mind, place of healing
Unity in maintaining cohesion.
Chart for July 9, 2003, the day Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was released in theatres
She made sense of it, curled up on the boat, her face against the glass pane
what she’d seen, what Barbossa explained, the curse they were under
and she prepared to die, resigned herself to it, invisible
invisible transformation
down the rabbit hole, invisible
and when he only cut her hand, she asked
That’s it?
Waste not, he answered
Others sat around food, a cake, in anticipation
To satisfy hunger
Soul hunger
the kind that checks we’re in the right lake, following the right code, passing messages to the right people
the kind that checks we’re on the right path, set for us
It satisfies, seals the soul to be on it
Soul hunger on this day
the kind that checks we’re willing to break the code for the right reason
kill for the right reason, die for the right reason
There is inheritance in Scorpio, natural ruler of the eighth house
what we inherit
not just through possessions
but through blood
something owed, left pending
Son of William Turner, a pirate and a good man
against the mutiny, against marooning the captain
That’s why he sent the medallion to him
the last medallion they needed to break the curse
To do right by Captain Jack Sparrow
like Lord Ascot did right by Charles Kingsleigh when he apprenticed his daughter
A day of inclusion, morality in inclusion
They couldn’t see it until they did that they would include an untamed specimen
Digging in Sagittarius with Pisces in mind
an outlaw
An unlikely hero
When the Moon shone her light on him, she couldn’t distinguish him from the villains
The wish of the universe for a new archetype
the good pirate
In the end, she got her pirate and Norrington gave his blessing
and the captain got his boat back, the Black Pearl
rooted in his floating island
Unity in soul satisfaction.
Chart for October 8, 1993, the day Demolition Man was released in theatres
Nurture
the kind that turns someone like him into Scrap
youtube.com/watch?v=2SgwC0wv0I0
Jordan Peterson and Edgar Friendly
The wish of the universe to bring the friction between the instinctual and the civilized
that creative space
back into nurture
and the doctor who opposed it
To sterilize his lake and create an ideal society
free of violence, bad language and salt
Everyone tagged, watched, heard, their whereabouts known
Normalized
Today Pluto is in Aquarius, digging in the riches of Aquarius where there is a bird’s eye view and even light
and Uranus is making his entry into Gemini where we build bridges and make connections
Machine I thought you were on sick leave
Worker I was on sick leave
Machine Your sick leave coincided with the cruise you booked
Mars guarding the coherence that the doctor had created
with the help of Mercury
on the surface
Beneath the surface lived the Scraps
critical of this ideal society that stunted growth
a wall of protection, a wall of repression
repressed language and repressed thought
jingles instead of song
They too guarded their coherence with the help of Mercury
Ruler of Gemini where there is multiplicity, multiple points of view, dialogue, questions, the freedom to ask questions, differ, opine
Ruler of Virgo where we mind the gap in marginality, where Venus warns against perfection
To go down the rabbit hole and find a place for everyone
The doctor did not heed the warning
he would continue to build
Utopia
Bring forth Simon Phoenix
bring forth chaos
and from chaos
order and peace
Jordan Peterson is a Solar Gemini, and one of the things he says is that what makes humans different from other animals is the ability to split from thought. Here we are and there is the thought we had, and this separation allows for analysis. To analyze the thought we had before we take action.
The split continues in Libra, but when we raise our eyes to look at our thought in Libra, someone is standing there
giving us their two cents about the thought we just had
So when he called forth Simon Phoenix to act on his thought
the Sun Jupiter in Libra called forth John Spartan
This place of open enemies
in this place they battled
and the doors between the lake on the surface and the lake beneath the surface opened
Encounters with what is foreign to us
bring growth
and structural change
organically
With the doctor gone and the people in charge
John Spartan said, You’ll figure it out
Jordan Peterson says that language has changed organically over time, and dictionaries have updated according to the changes that have stuck. Never before by the force of a law. If it wasn’t forceful, as the people in charge argued, then why chuck him out?
Yoga and meditation practice and political correctness taken to an extreme
a comedy
Like watching children in a playground
defenceless
Grownups in a paternalistic society, grownups in their full capacity who’d never held their charts before
brains washed
He came to awaken
Nothing to live for, nothing to lose
He completed a mission left unfinished
Then he kissed her
Love that seals the soul
and brings it home, looks forward to the future.
Chart for October 4, 1996, the day Crash was released in theatres in Canada
youtube.com/watch?v=dK-St351mjw
Chart for October 4, 1996, the day That thing you do! was released in theatres
Consensus
They all knew what they were signing up for
To arouse the audience with an arrangement
that put the friction between the instinctual and the civilized back into nurture
to explored that creative space
Drums
The young one still living at home, ending the stage of learning to hold their own charts, suddenly rising to fame, their song on the radio
bodies shaking with excitement
youtube.com/watch?v=8EdOdfCM1hM
The adults, on the other hand, weren’t rising at all
they were dipping back into the nadir
gateway to the underworld of dreams
sleep
looking for pleasure that made them forget the charts they had to hold
bodies shaking with oblivion
To make silver
nourish the soul
holding their charts firmly
or letting their charts go
unseal
came an apprenticeship that took them out of their comfort zone
Play-Tone Records formed a barrier that kept the young ones safe as their song rose in the charts
Vaughan guided the grownups to take their seatbelts off, no bones to hold them up and not of service to society
where the friction in Capricorn meets invention
Priests and priestesses of Hera, witches and wizards
handing out contracts that aren’t binding
Tear it up if you’re unhappy, follow your heart
One by one the young ones tore it up
until only two remained, Faye and Guy
Unity in wanting them to stay
The audience wasn’t part of the equation in making Crash
Hermetically made
True to a book
The choice of the audience to make silver by leaving or staying for the ride.
Chart for April 19, 2013, the day Oblivion was released in theatres
The Titanic was released in theatres on December 19, 1997. The day began with the Moon in Leo, and by noon she was in Virgo.
youtube.com/watch?v=-aKncnZFEDM
Edward Scissorhands was released in theatres on December 7, 1990. The day began with the Moon in Leo, and by the end of the day she was in Virgo.
youtube.com/watch?v=d9PlKlirxT4
They both tell of romance in the past
romance that society would not allow
romance kept hidden out of necessity
There is compromise in Virgo
Not in Leo
On April 19, 2013, the day began and ended with the Moon in Leo
the day Vika dropped the flower back to earth
proof of Jack’s rebellious nature
A square can end up being a tug of war
the laws he had to follow
and what he felt and what he saw, direct experience, firsthand
Storyteller
he told her stories from the ground
she his only audience, and us, romancing us
we get to know him, like Malcolm Beech got to know him
His wish to escape
to stay on this earth
in the cabin by the lake
He wanted to show Vika, but she wouldn’t see it
She reminded him that they were leaving in two weeks
At first she did not have competition
and then competition dropped from the sky
his wife, Julia
broke through his mind erasure, his conditioning
Jupiter bringing him a gift, answers to his questions, who he was
changing his reflection
to his original self
Welcome back, commander
The Moon in Leo, a piece of the Moon, at the bending of the nodes
his reflection changed and the clan he was responsible for
not the clan hungry for the resources of the earth
but the clan that would preserve what was left
There is improvisation in Aries
it’s how Malcolm brought the Odyssey back and turned its reactor into a bomb
making good use of what he could get
recycling, repurposing
experimenting and improvising
He needed Jack to reprogram the drone that would carry it
and when the drone was destroyed
they became the barrier against extinction
People the greatest resource of the earth
to harness the power of the mind
and love, love that awakens, love that curbs, limits, disciplines
She looked at the sky and saw them win
No looking back, no compromise, the Moon still in Leo
They hadn’t known she was with child
and when her child asked, Who’s that?
there he was
Jack 52
Chart for July 25, 2025, the day The Fantastic Four: First Steps was released, still playing in theatres, for those who can go see it
Chart for July 29, 2022, the day DC League of Super-Pets was released in theatres
Superpowers and how they would use them, a moral choice
Krypto wanted to throw out Lois, and his conscience told him no
In Oblivion it was about survival and outwitting
Here it’s about doing the right thing
Ace told him how he’d compromised, saved a child and been taken to the shelter
he’d done the right thing and he’d do it again
to love unconditionally
A quest begins
The farm
Krypto promised to take them to his farm if they helped him save Supes
Supes and the entire Justice League
he’d lead them
and they led him, and they became friends and a team
When Lulu’s superpower threatened them all
he flew to the sun to activate his solar paw punch
straight to the Tet with a nuclear bomb
no compromise
But this is a children’s movie, a movie for all generations to drop the gravitas and loosen up, and Ace intervened and shielded him
Heroism divided between the two, between all of them, and everybody found a place, someone to hold them
locally
and Krypto had two people instead of one to take for walks
Unity in friendship, love, romance
Chart for January 29, 2021, the day The Little Things was released in theatres and video on demand
He worked for an institution of pooled resources, public funds, social accountability, every choice made accountable to others, curbed by Saturn
an uncompromising public, critical of every move
Later on he would learn to rest his mind to help him put the pieces of a puzzle together, later on he would learn to have a private life that nourished him and a demanding public life
but first he would be led astray by a red herring
first he would climb a mountain looking for answers, the missing piece
he would dig a hole looking for a clue
many holes
looking for absolution
next to him, a colleague looking for absolution too
a colleague
a friend
who built a pyre
and sent him the clue he was looking for
to break the cycle of Labours
to separate himself from thought
and see the children in front of him
Unity in a friendship that absolves.
The energy of a square can turn into a tug of war, and there is already one in Capricorn. It may be that Pluto releases it when he digs in the riches of the sign, when he digs in the riches of any sign, he may release a tug of war.
Chart for March 14, 1975, the day Cage without a key was released on television
youtube.com/watch?v=iytzWzf98IA
Pluto digging in the riches of Libra, Libra Balance that keeps an arrangement and Libra Claws that rearranges
To prove her innocence, keep her arrangement
To prove her guilt, bring rearrangement
She was caught in a tug of war, the public with her
Guilty, they said, and her arrangement collapsed and there was
rage
She could be me
she could be my daughter
Pisces can erase the boundaries between us
Mars guarding the will of society
Mars guarding the Promethean will to break away and bring reform
a school, not a prison
meditation, not solitary confinement
She would not be reformed
she would not choose a new lake, move with a new herd
she was in transit
But she had to, to ensure her survival
Venus, ruler of Taurus
ruler of Libra where there is what is of god and what is of man
what is of the gods and what is of people
the principles that guide a society and its laws
It began with Adam
and Eve, the temptress
Venus holds the laws in Capricorn
not in Aries
not held by the laws in Aries or there would be no change
and for change to come, all the men and women who upheld the laws of the past must be absolved
the times were different
absolution the key to moving forward
A period in time and a generation tasked with reforming more than the façade
So the lawyer asks his wife to interview Adam
it doesn’t matter that it’s unethical
It’s not a movie about changing laws
It raises a problem, shows it to us through Valerie’s eyes
to unite
To unite the public
before a quest begins
before we can weave and make room for new laws.
Chart for June 28, 1978, the day Heaven Can Wait was released in theatres
Cancer, natural ruler of the fourth house, house of the nadir.
A theory of how it may be when we go back home to rest
in peace
He protested
he raised a problem that shook the arrangement in heaven
To dig in the riches of Libra Balance and Libra Claws and create something new with the mysteries in mind
Dead before his time
his body cremated
His body his soul, he needed a body that played ball
and spoke English
He narrowed down the choices
and united heaven in a quest
and we follow them around
While he was in transit, he fell in love
with someone who looks like Venus in Leo and acts like the Moon in Aries
an activist, advocating for a community that the company he now owned would displace
She wouldn’t let him speak
Act, don’t speak
He acted, rearranged the company
less for the shareholders now, but a more trusted company in the long run
He couldn’t tell her his dilemma like he could tell his coach
but he gave her hints, and she would remember
He wouldn’t remember anything at all
Mars guarding the order of things
Mars guarding the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Chart for March 23, 2012, the day The Hunger Games was released in theatres
A grand trine in earth
law, order, resources
If it turned against the Capitol
it would be Pluto digging in the sign of Enki who defied the higher gods and spoke to a wall of reeds, the wall of Utnapishtim’s abode
It would be Mars in opposition to Neptune, the wish of the universe in Pisces where there is a war in the heavens, and a change of order
Neptune in a trine to Saturn in Libra, preventing and making room for a new arrangement
And it would be Jupiter Venus in Taurus where we protect and where we hold
Something they couldn’t see until they did
Mercury and Pan searching for it until they found it in District 12
a string pouch with sinews
Katniss
she would come to know that in hunting to feed her family, she was training to become a tribute
The lunar work in Gemini and the ruler in Pisces
she put her sinews on behind the scenes and hunted
She said that if she were caught, they would cut her tongue as punishment
She was never caught
She volunteered
In Aries there is the experience of being a barrier between life and death
When Valerie left the kitchen, a pot of boiling water fell on Sara
When the escort pulled his soul out of his body, Joe refused to board the craft
When they chose her sister Prim as tribute, Katniss volunteered
Peeta was chosen at random
The power to do that, the kind of power slave owners had
At the beginning of the movie, when the host for the hunger games interviews Seneca Crane, Crane says that at first the games were a reminder of the rebellion, the price the districts had to pay, but he felt that now it was something that knitted them together
He’d never been to the districts, never seen the electric fences, the marginal existence
His misperception allowed the grand trine in earth to work against the Capitol
Jupiter transiting the second decan of Taurus, prosperous decan, where we can become neglectful
Pluto digging in Capricorn, releasing the friction in the sign, sign of Pan, sign of Enki Ea, lawmaker and lover of mankind, to create something new with Aries in mind
First sign of the zodiac where ego is important, or we become slaves, or we die
To make silver in Aries with Venus in Taurus
Cinna dressed her
Peeta confessed his love for her
Haymitch mentored her
They held her, gave her confidence
to fight for survival
The skills she needed to survive and get sponsors
Mercury conjunct the Sun Uranus
to make gold one day
There is independence in Aries, different from Aquarius, not a conscious break from society
It grows within, it says I am, and if it’s strong enough, it can unite
to break an order, the chains of slavery
When Rue died, just a child
she surrounded her body with a bed of white flowers, put a bouquet in her hands
then turned to look at the districts and made a sign
She added meaning to the sign
They weren’t playing a game with set rules
The rules changed to allow two winners if they were from the same district
Katniss and Peeta
and then they changed back to one winner
and she showed them up
The making of a symbol
rahu in Sagittarius
She would become the symbol that would unite
the Moon in Aries.
Chart for February 4, 2005, the day Hotel Rwanda was released in theatres
His body wasn’t the barrier between life and death
his social connections were
in a place where a voice on the radio controlled a mob holding machetes
Mind the gap in authority
youtube.com/watch?v=TKRW29kp3TU
A frenzied dance around the fire, the Moon in Capricorn
something moved in the bushes and the children thought it was the beast
kill the beast
then a conversation, it was murder, it was an accident
Here it was directed action
justified by a colonial past that had divided them, made one more favourable than the other
a reason, a target
a cleansing
The friction in Sagittarius
civilized and uncivilized
tamed and untamed
directed and not directed
Sign of Pabilsag, guide of souls
he looks forward and looks back
warrior
he looks forward and looks back
not an independence that comes from within
an independence that deals with looking back
at the past
where it comes from
memories of a lake
Entangled sign, social sign, above the horizon
weaver and unweaver
follower and guide
The wish of the universe to break away and send a ladder down with solutions
Cut the tall trees now, said the voice on the radio
the fountain that directed followers
followers that in Pisces can turn into an unthinking mob carrying out orders
He was different, singular, his family made up of the opposing sides
neighbours found refuge in his home
He would have liked to go back to sleep, just take care of his family
but Mars guarded against him staying in his comfort zone
and he found himself in charge
Jupiter was transiting Libra where we see ourselves in the eyes of others
cockroaches, traitors
African
and he saw himself in the eyes of the Colonel and Madame Archer, guides
who counted on him to help save innocent lives
First he felt he was lowering the standards of the hotel, then he learnt to make room, expand it
he expanded the hotel into a refugee camp
He made phone calls, he called the owner of the hotel, reached for his hand and held it
The favours he had stored up served and did not serve him
he still had to pay the General
when he paid and the General wouldn’t take him back to the hotel, he made the General see himself in the eyes of others
a war criminal who failed to protect the people at the Mille Collines
A contract with his wife, a contract with Sabena
a contract with a higher purpose, higher than he could have imagined
There’s a mountain in Sagittarius
but it’s not about reaching the mountain top
it’s about the journey
Somehow clichés work in this sign
like symbols
backed by meaning
Unity in his journey.
Chart for December 25, 1962, the day To Kill a Mockingbird was released in theatres
We are careful who we blame in Leo
who we send through the seven doors of the underworld
not until we have evidence
and even then
It is Mercury who holds it, god of day and god of night
They can seed Venus and Mars
in the mind
in the mirror
and they can block
punishment
Jem’s wish, the children’s wish to take a peek at Boo
to solve a mystery
he led them on a dangerous mission, under the barbed wire fence, crawling through the backyard
and when he leaned up to look through the window
a shadow
the shadow of a monster
who left Jem’s pants neatly folded over the fence
and left him presents
until the monster’s father sealed the hole in the tree
blocking friendship
friendship with a black boy, friendship with Boo
the mind not ready yet
but seeding
and fertilizing in the Pisces Virgo polarity
Jupiter in Pisces where there is raw material, and Uranus in Virgo where there is culture
The spirit of the times in Virgo, sign of Dikē, daughter of Themis
she tells Jupiter who’s been good and who’s been bad
In her courtroom Atticus gave a speech that would be of influence
He broke a taboo and spoke of desire, the desire of a white woman for a black man
her guilt, doing away with her guilt by accusing him of rape
and then he asked his audience what was wrong with a black man feeling sorry for a white woman
and helping her
Pluto digging in the riches of Virgo where Demeter walked the margins of the earth
To this place of servitude Atticus brought dignity
and friction in the air
The Moon in Sagittarius breaking boundaries
venturing into uncharted waters
to defend an innocent man
To protect children, keep them from harm, Boo left the confines of his home
A night of expansion
like seeing Santa
when Scout recognized Boo, Arthur
Unity in her wisdom
in her understanding that to denounce him would be like killing a mockingbird
Mars guarding him from the light
There are individual rights in Leo, and in Aquarius universal rights
entering consciousness
changing a lake.
Today the Moon enters Leo and Venus is in the last degrees of Leo. They may bring to the light.
Chart for June 23, 1964, the day A Shot in the Dark was released in theatres
There are many ways of getting at the truth
Clouseau gathered all the facts and said that they weren’t true
Maria who’d been found holding the gun wasn’t guilty
truth wasn’t so obvious
The lunar work in Capricorn and the ruler in Pisces
Saturn in Pisces can gather all that came before, consolidate
and hand it over to Virgo
Virgo can weed
and the Commissioner kept trying to weed Clouseau out of the case
but Clouseau kept getting reinstated
The lunar work in Capricorn and Rahu in Cancer conjunct the Sun
We can skip a few steps up the ladder with Rahu
to be included in a lake
Virgo can weed, but not with the ruler in Gemini
Mercury in Gemini opens doors, and Clouseau kept getting Maria out of jail
His instincts told him that she was innocent, and his loins
The wish of the universe in Scorpio where there is hunger, where we can control hunger
across from Jupiter in Taurus, fertilizing god
Stories can begin with Jupiter, with his desire
Stories that entertain
like Baubo entertained Demeter at the well of Eleusis
Loss encountering laughter, the friction between the two
temporary relief
joining hands with the art of multiplicity in Gemini
up and down the stairs, one death after another
unintended consequences in all directions
and with Helen
Helen meets Persephone
she tripped in the fields with Miguel
she cried a little after, and he smoked
Why do men smoke after?
All the goings-on never blinded him
Saturn in Pisces can navigate chaos
and Mars in Gemini can guard against blindness
he made all the connections that led to the bump on her head
his focus on a detail amidst all the distraction
The rest everyone confessed
confessions that satisfied a Moon seeking for truth
a Moon with a taste for the foreign
Baubo, goddess of laughter, and Demeter, dignified
they can bring out all the infants and the toddlers of the zodiac
to play with the centaurs.
The oldest people living on the earth today have Pluto in Cancer
If they were born before 1930, they were born before Pluto was discovered
He was discovered in 1930, and in the 30s he was in Cancer
Place of Hera, goddess of the breast
milk that seals the soul
blinds it to what came before
to search for Eros in this world, this home, this lake
Place of Karkinos who will fight to the death to defend her
There is an opening to the underworld in Cancer
place of dreams, prophetic, foreboding and sweet
In this place of the nadir, feelings that are personal
Memories that are shared and feelings that are personal
the friction there can be between them
With Pluto’s discovery the universe grew bigger
and within us grew bigger as well
Pluto in Cancer and the Moon in Scorpio
a planet unseen
a side of us unseen
unmapped
Chart for February 18, 1930, the day Pluto was discovered
Pluto asked Saturn in Capricorn to map it
“Map what?” asked Saturn
“This new dimension I’m digging into, new terrain-“
“Can’t see it,” said Saturn
“Don’t worry,” said Jupiter coming to the rescue. “I’ll unblind you. Watch their behaviour. Listen to them.”
mapping the unseen
opening the mind to the unseen
like trauma, depression and pain
to feel compassion, to treat them
“So they can hold themselves whole again,” said Neptune
or not
The choice to die, to access the Eleusinian Mysteries may have begun here
the understanding of why someone with dementia chooses to die before they lose the capacity to remember
in this place where Jupiter is transiting today
We have skeptics,” said the Moon
“They should stand in people’s shoes and walk around in them,” suggested Sagittarius
“Unfortunately that’s the friction I bring into Cancer,” sighed Pluto. “Everyone experiences an event differently. Some are traumatised and some are not.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” said Mars. “We have advocates-“
“Yup,” Uranus chipped in
“advocates using their promethean will to enlighten-“
“Willing to force your hand to map, Saturn.”
“Don’t touch my bones, Uranus!”
“Hurry up,” said Taurus, “or King Kong will be a flop.”
“Which one?”
“The original one, 1933-“
“But that’s just 3 years from now!”
“So hurry up.”
Chart for April 7, 1933, the day King Kong was released in theatres
They offered him a perfect bride, and instead of eating her, he kept her alive, protected her from reptiles and flashing lights
but all she did was scream, she screamed to put things back in order
What do you expect? The poor thing was traumatised
True, but what if she had made contact?
Are you crazy?
Dian Fossey made contact. She was of the same generation, Pluto in Cancer and Uranus in Aries. She studied gorillas, made us more empathic to their plight
We owe people like her laws that protect endangered species
They should have left him in his own habitat. I mean, someone should have intervened
Yeah, they intervened with machine guns
Listen, we can improve it, you know, do a remake
As long as Mars isn’t in Gemini blocking remakes
He isn’t. He’s in between and the ruler is in Pisces
Trining Pluto. What does that mean?
Be careful who you empathise with. I mean, what if she made contact, and in his excitement, he ate her?
So what you’re saying is that all the screaming kept her alive
The friction, yes
We need a different gorilla
Less scary
Chart for December 17, 1976, the day King Kong was released in theatres
It does not come from nothing
It adds to what came before, builds on it
looks back
cannot escape, entangled sign
He is the Aries of 1933
mapped, better mapped
the side of us that is unseen
43 years old
He studies the terrain and understands that Kong is central
the foundation of a tribe
Take it away and the tribe falls apart, dissolves
loses meaning
To penetrate a wall, to pool resources
To penetrate not just a wall
but a wall that separates people from a god
with an offering, a bride, on a full moon
On a full moon the god fell in love with perfection, more than perfection, ideal beauty
and beauty stroked his hand, made contact
Intimacy, the intimacy in Cancer
It was a breakthrough for Dian when the gorillas let her touch them
she worked through the friction
she understood their plight
She understood that he did not want to rape her
playing with patterns
the shower in the waterfall and the breath that dried her
primordial dance
the dance of courtship
primordial and social, recognisable
a dance of courtship and good riddance to his competitors
the jealous type
possessive
We observe his facial expressions and behaviours, and get to know him, his psychology
Jack understood he wasn’t the only one who loved beauty
Beyond empathy, to break into the skin of another, walk in it
The wish of the universe to go beyond what we know
Mars guarding against staying in our comfort zone
trining Saturn in Leo
where Hercules stands at the moral crossroads
In Sagittarius, a follower and a guide
He was the guide who found the courage to say no
Today Pluto is transiting Aquarius
activating the Aquarius Leo polarity
squaring the Taurus Scorpio polarity
They call them fixed signs
The search for resources toppled a hierarchy
Ideal beauty tested his beliefs
she gave him insights, recognised the ceremony to be a wedding
but she tested his beliefs based on his studies in paleoanthropology
There is light and there is shadow in every sign
light and shadow in Libra, and judgement based on the principles of a society
and based on a hierarchy
who comes first
it depends on the context
Aquarius asks for context
On Skull Island, a beast
In New York City, people
In the context of the oil company-
Jack updated them
this wasn’t the 19th century.
Chart for December 14, 2005, the day King Kong was released in theatres
The lunar work in Libra
in this place of arrangements
where the ugly can grow beautiful
a matter of rubbing shoulders long enough, a matter of habituation
a matter of learning the significance behind it, the meaning
This ugly spider is a mother
A mother? How beautiful
In Libra, the principles that guide the laws we make, the laws we change
the wish of the universe for a law applicable to all, universal
retroactive
Venus, ruler of Libra
ruler of Taurus where the past and the present co exist
the tension between them
layered sign
In 1930 Pluto in Cancer, where we come from a mother that came from a mother all the way to the beginning of time
the Moon in Scorpio where there are mysteries, the mysteries of mind
in Taurus the body that houses the mind, the earth that houses the body
The island was his territory
he guarded his territory and his possessions
his new possession, a gift from Jupiter
She tried to entertain him with the tricks of a vaudeville act
not good enough
and when he risked his life to save her
she reached deeper
she shared in his appreciation of beauty
the sunset
beautiful
Undifferentiated, one, in a natural arrangement
a gap in authority, a gap in belonging
his solitude
the solitude of a singular beast
the human being its closest family
Venus and Mars can seed and they can block
They could not live in the same territory
his untamed side was too unruly
They could not marry, they could not procreate
suspended in a gap
a temporary arrangement
she let him hold her
Friendship
there are friendships that enter the seventh house, Libra the natural ruler
bound by an unwritten contract
bound by a sense of responsibility
She couldn’t change the ending, entangled as they were
but she could hold him back
75 years later
she would climb the ladder and hold him until he died.
Chart for January 29, 1959, the day Sleeping Beauty was released in theatres
A time of dissatisfaction
people dissatisfied with the old cultural stereotypes
breaking away to create new reflections
Prince Philip, for example, wasn’t going to marry the woman assigned to him
but the peasant girl he’d met once upon a dream
Eris, uninvited
had brought the girl a gift when she was born
eternal sleep before she reached the age of sixteen
Athena-
The three good fairies counteracted with a gift of their own, an antidote
not sleep eternal, but sleep that could be woken by true love’s kiss
Shadow and light
A dream
and a curse
the future somewhere up there
“I’ll hold them,” said Venus
The tug of war in a square
between Venus and Mars
There are remedies in the sky for Venus applying and blocking in a natal chart
like a Venus transit, conjoining the natal Venus and moving further, to a degree where she doesn’t apply anymore, a degree higher than Mars
or a Uranus transit, Uranus making an aspect to the square
Here Venus held the dream and the curse unable to block, in astrological parlance she was debilitated
So Mars guarded the girl extremely well, lest misfortune befall her, he guarded her whilst keeping an eye on the prince, the antidote
“The one keeping an eye on the prince is me,” said Mercury. “He’s making his way to the castle today, riding through the forest. Let down your guard, Mars! Now’s our chance!”
“But you’re debilitated too, Merc. If I let down my guard, in come the medicine and the poison. Both the prince and Eris will find her.”
The tail of a dragon cannot speak, but the tail of a dragon can excrete to call attention
The work was in Aries and in Aries there’s a test
“I see, I see,” said Mars, letting down his guard. “The test of true love.”
Indeed
The prince and Aurora fell in love, and Maleficent drew Aurora to the spindle of her curse
She imprisoned the prince and told him who Aurora really was
not a peasant girl after all
he wasn’t going to shake the establishment after all
“Not with me holding the lowest degree in the chart,” said Saturn
Still he would have done what he did for Aurora the peasant girl or Aurora the princess
his mind was set
With the help of the good fairies, he broke through all the obstacles Maleficent put in his way, all the silver she conjured
namely a thorny forest around the castle where Aurora lay asleep
then came the final test, to defeat Maleficent herself, to defeat the dragon that she turned into
Purification through Labours
ready for marriage
ready to make a dream come true
he kissed her.
Chart for May 30, 2014, the day Maleficent was released in theatres
Since ancient times there has been Aphrodite of discord and Aphrodite of order, Venus before her séjour with Ereshkigal and Venus after her séjour with Ereshkigal
Since ancient times there has been Libra Claws and Libra Balance, Eris and Themis
Not women, but forces of nature, forces within us
personified as women
Maleficent
initiated Prince Philip
On this day, May 30 2014, Venus was having a party. She had guests over. Libra was visiting. She wanted to play a game. What kind of game? A game of sextiles, she said.
Neptune We could make up a story, a story that turns the world upside down
Pluto I know! I know! Order before chaos!
Saturn But we should be really serious about it
Neptune Not just make believe?
Saturn No. We should try really hard to make people believe there was order before chaos
Mercury Eris should play the main character
They all looked at Eris and they all knew that there was no way she could even pretend to be anything other than what she was
Mercury Venus, you can play Eris
Venus There’s no way I can play that
Mercury Okay, so here’s what we’ll do. You play yourself-
The Bull of Heaven Before or after Ereshkigal?
Mercury After. She begins with Venus after Ereshkigal, and then she plays Venus before Ereshkigal, but she adds elements of Eris
The Bull of Heaven I see what you mean by turning the world upside down
Pluto You know what we should do, we should take an existing story where Eris has a part and build on it
Saturn Well, we just did Sleeping Beauty
Pluto That’s it! Maleficent! A background check on Maleficent
Venus I can’t be called Maleficent right from the start
Mercury Yes you can. In fact, you must. It will test our storytelling abilities
Saturn Mind control. A good person can be called Maleficent
The Sun The ultimate test, of course, will be the Moon
In the wee hours of May 30, the Moon was at 24 degrees Gemini
Gemini Where there’s freedom of thought, where the soul is free to roam
and the day would end with the Moon at 7 degrees Cancer
Cancer Sealed
Mercury You forgot the censorship part, Cancer
The Moon Oh. What are we censoring?
Mercury Manhood, as understood in Sleeping Beauty
Philip You’re casting me away!
The Sun Oh, stop it. This is just another example of true love
Jupiter Maternal love. Let’s see if we can turn Maleficent into-
Hera Me?
Jupiter Goodness, Queen of Heaven, never-
Philip You’re going to neutralise her, aren’t you? You’re going to neutralise her and rob me of my manhood!
Themis Listen to me, Philip. They can do whatever they want in the movies, but I assure you, nobody neutralises Eris, just like nobody neutralises the Furies, no matter what the stories say
Mercury As a matter of fact it’s the Furies who will drive Maleficent into Cancer. Guilt will awaken her maternal instincts
Jupiter My gifts don’t come easy, you know. A gift of sleep is a gift in my domain at the moment
Mars But this time nobody will judge her when she bestows the gift of sleep upon the child
Venus My, so eloquent in Libra
Chart for September 19, 1991, the day Sam and Me premiered at the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival
Scorpio that can puncture what becomes too inflated
puncture itself
Sign of Ereshkigal
and Nergal who resisted and gave in and resisted and gave in-
the friction between them
He gave in to taking care of Mr. Cohen
smartened up and blocked the exit
a contract that took him into the house of friendship
Schvartze and Zaida
The son holding the laws at home while the two gallivanted around town
Saturn in between the laws and the web
an immigrant’s experience
to be suspended in between
the bones that hold us up, before they’re studied and integrated and become the reality we live in, accepted, invisible
He’d been a loafer where he came from and Canada was his reform school, an opportunity, a choice
he was still learning
the wish of the universe for him to become his own authority
He did not listen well, did not heed to his uncle’s warning about bringing Zaida over
and then came the medical emergency that separated them
and the slap
Mars in Libra guarding against judgement
An experience he would never forget
punctured for a long time
but when the hurt subsided, he would do better, he would manage friendships that developed from a contract better
The chart progresses, the original imprint and chart progressions that bring change.
There is a side of Libra that holds, not in the same way that Taurus holds
The king held her wings, the golden fleece that allowed him to be king, and like Medea, she cursed him, held him in her curse
Mars, ruler of Aries, in Libra
She would unite the two kingdoms.
Here the uncle had sponsored the nephew and paid for his ticket
He held the nephew in his debt
Mars, ruler of Scorpio, in Libra
When the nephew paid him back and was going to strike out on his own, the uncle threatened to write a letter to his mother, and the nephew told him that before doing that, he should read the letters from his wife
A contract, a friendship
A contract, a romance, the romance the movie begins with
He held his uncle back
Equals.
Pisces
in this place of raw material
to recycle, to be original
to be original in this place of all that came before
the angst of the artist
Venus and her child
fish in the waters of the sign
while a war plays out in the heavens
going with the flow
going against it
the friction between them
Chart for March 2, 1979, the day Norma Rae was released in theatres
Mars wasn’t guarding her reputation
in fact it travelled all the way to New York
Warshowsky didn’t care, not in this place that erases the differences between us
because she was driven
helping him mold people, to stop being victims, to hold the laws in their hands
There is something her husband had to give up in their relationship
youtube.com/watch?v=LhTSWChvG5U
he had to give up control
Mars in opposition to Saturn
there is discipline here, focus
Once she found a worthy cause
it was beyond her control
Mars in Pisces where there is interference
where the boundaries are thin and the past is present
where the unremembered dead roam
Does he guard against having control?
Mercury That’s a good question. Care to answer it, Mars?
Mars Test me
The angst of the artist
in art it is resolved by copying the old masters, until they find a style of their own
if they find it
Chart for June 15 1973, the day The Day of the Jackal was released to the general public in the UK
No leads
except the ones they got from torture
Made to give up control-
Your house won’t sell itself, you say?
Maybe he guards against losing control as well
slippery fish, swimming in opposite directions
To pin the Jackal
Rahu in Capricorn
to colour him in and give him shape
the ruler conjunct the Sun in Gemini
to put all the clues together and differentiate him
before he shapeshifted again
He wanted to pass unperceived, undifferentiated, in the style of others
He knew how he’d do the deed, where and when, and he also knew that everything in between wasn’t always something he could control, so he prepared for the unexpected, carried a bag of tricks, different arrangements
When he was told that the Jackal was blown, he found himself at a crossroads, Paris or Rome
He turned left to Paris
Driven, perhaps to test his skills, his luck
not to abort
What?
You need help filling up plates? How about writing a jingle and putting it on the radio? Weave a food drive. Something that says we’re all one and everybody needs to pitch in, you know, be a city we can all be proud of-
A food bank? Excellent idea, no better way to guard against poverty and hunger
Here they were guarding against someone who kept slipping through their fingers
The detective who’d been coordinating the chase, painting and differentiating and painting again
decided to go for a walk on the day he knew had been chosen for the deed
his eyes checking to see where would be the best place to take a shot
checking to see if the guard had let anyone through
Upstairs the Jackal took a shot and missed
he prepared to do it again, to bring the president under his control
but the detective got him first
bang bang.
When the movie was released in France, on September 14 1973
it touched different chords in people
A people had been liberated, given their freedom, their right to self determination with a new arrangement
and there was mounting opposition to the new arrangement
in the form of the Jackal, an underground force
guarding what was theirs, their possession, their heritage, an old mentality
Venus (to Mars) Darling, we can still visit. Together we can block the old mentality and seed a new one
Mars was silent, caught in a t square with Jupiter and Venus, both stronger than him
The way out was Leo, where there is a mirror, where reflections can change.
Chart for April 3, 1992, the day Beethoven was released in theatres
In Pisces there is a monster, the father of all monsters who went out of control
he stole Jupiter’s sinews, some say the sinews of his hands and feet, and left him lying limp
When Jupiter got them back, he struck the monster with his thunderbolt and trapped him under a volcano
a monster, a force of nature, the forces of nature we can’t control
hence prayer and sacrifice to calm the earth, the winds, the waters, the fires
to run their course until they’re spent
to send rescue and leave us unharmed
the Dioscuri, Pabilsag and the Golden Ram
A time of satellites
to dig in the mysteries, study patterns of the past, foresee and intervene with a siren’s call
to evacuate, to move to higher ground, under the table
not to control
Mars in Pisces guarding against thoughts of omnipotence
never to neglect worshipping the gods
He didn’t think himself omnipotent
but he did want everyone up at 7 am on a Saturday morning
the old do as I say father mentality
then Jupiter sent him a gift, a pet, and he scrubbed after the pet, tried to keep the order of things, you sleep over here, outside, and I sleep over there, inside, nice hierarchical order
but the pet didn’t agree and a rivalry began between them
He came from Jupiter in Virgo in a quincunx to Mercury R in between, Aries and Pisces, where Helle fell into the water
he would make silver being a golden ram, better than the golden ram, to win his place
youtube.com/watch?v=gCE5175IkoY
but the father couldn’t see it
the father dreaming of expansion
he dreamt of expansion and Jupiter sent him a gift to fulfill his wish
he does have a sense of humour
Before that came the evil vet who took the pet away
and the father broke through the glass roof to save him
equals, giving in to a co rulership
giving up control.
In City of Joy, Max Lowe gave in
destiny, fate, Piscean words
he could not turn back
beyond his control
Chart for March 11 1981, the day Diva was released in theatres
The pressure to record her voice
She held on to her chart and would not give in, it was against her belief
He made a recording for his personal use, out of her control
and played it for her, the only copy, he gave it to her
the first time she listened to her voice outside herself
It must have brought understanding, why people wanted a recording of her voice, the voice, ephemeral
If she gave in to an official recording after this, it would not feel like spiraling out of control
it would feel like an informed decision.
Mars in Pisces
to give up control, to give in
Mars in Aries
never
Chart for January 11 1972, the day The Night Stalker aired on TV
He’d been hired and fired multiple times in multiple cities
issues with compliance
he wouldn’t just report, stick to the official story, repeat the party line
he investigated, gave his opinion, drew conclusions
If anyone held him, he wouldn’t say, don’t touch me
the phone would ring instead
and he’d get in the car, not just to get from here to there, but to go on a journey
Truth versus falsehood
Mercury at 29 degrees Sagittarius
which one would avoid a catastrophe was the question
Saturn at 29 degrees Taurus
a social catastrophe or a personal catastrophe in the context of society
Venus in Aquarius
The doctor said the victim had been bitten in the neck and drained of blood, tooth marks, like the teeth of a dog
the work in Leo
highlight it or whitewash it
Some worried about their reputation
Some worried about causing panic
He wanted to tell the truth-
blackout
In libra there is friction between what is of people and what is of the gods
the lightning bolt, of the gods
Uranus came up with a permit to step into the realm of the gods, intervene, avoid catastrophes
guns
But they didn’t work against the vampire
so they looked across the polarity for medicine and saw Mars in Aries
Aries
where the body and the soul are not yet separate entities, body and soul, one
where a golden ram, divine, stepped into the realm of people
the divine was called and the call answered
limitless
Mars guarding against limits
In this place where Jason faced the dragon alone
and in this place where Medea took the lead and taught him alchemy, and they put the dragon to sleep
Here, somewhere in between
His girlfriend had thrown a book on his lap, all about vampires
and there he was, minding the gap in survival, holding a cross and a stake and hammer
They gave him conditions, to follow police procedures
in exchange for exclusivity
but he went at it alone, spur of the moment, live or die
and they held him for murder
unless he left town
To fulfill the wish of the universe
step outside his comfort zone
find a space where he could be limitless
to tell the truth.
Every time there has been a pause in the bombing of Gaza, a nameless and faceless person is quoted saying that they are glad about it, they have lost a son and a daughter, but they are glad to be able to go home
Reader 1 I guess it’s okay then
Reader 2 They don’t seem to mind
To normalise
with words emptied of emotion
and quotes that don’t have a reference
losing a child
Chart for December 19 2003, the day House of Sand and Fog was released in theatres in the United States
Appearances
he had kept up appearances
but now his daughter was married and well settled, and Jupiter was transiting Virgo
He made a move
dropped appearances
She kept them
her husband had left her
they took her house away
and she didn’t tell her family
There is bureaucracy in Capricorn
all the paperwork that keeps things organised in a lake
who owes who, who owns what
and there are small courts in Virgo in case of disputes
If a holder of this chart grows up in a family working for the city or the government or a law firm, they may one day create a system to unclog the small courts
She wanted the house back by the 18th
He had made improvements on the house and was selling it at a higher price
A system to bypass the small courts
Jupiter at the bending of the nodes
in Virgo, natural ruler of the sixth house of unequal relationships
no contract between them
he owned the house
she didn’t
He thought of what he would leave for his son
She thought of what her father had left for her and her brother
Ketu in Scorpio
the rulers
Pluto in Sagittarius unable to move forward without resolving the past
and Mars in Aries guarding against limits
Rahu in Taurus
the ruler
Venus holding the laws in Capricorn and applying Mars in a sextile
not very strong
chiding him, a slap on the hand
He can fight back, and the laws he fights against, and how he fights, would depend on his background
When Lester was taking Massoud and his son to the county office, someone stopped him to thank him for the guidance he had given him
Mars in a square to the Sun, the Sun throwing him off balance, to reconsider
but he carried on, shirt untucked, limitless
The Moon in a quincunx to Mars
to protect a woman on a floating island
To correct an unequal relationship
the son took Lester’s gun
minding the gap in authority
To protect a woman on a floating island
his wife
to protect her from the pain of losing her son
no law mattered
the life giver’s morality did not matter
prayers unanswered
he knew what to do
breakaway
To make room in the nadir
from a place where we are together but separate
the stories that separate us
the audience made aware
the Aquarian attempt to shine an even light
Kathy too would break away
Uranus in a semi sextile to Venus and Mars
nobody’s house
Chart for February 2 1990, the day Flashback was released in theatres
They would guard his place, consider it a leave of absence
That’s what a passport does, doesn’t it?
It guards our place when we travel
it holds us too, it holds us accountable
To represent the badge we hold, the document we hold
they thought him impermeable
they couldn’t see that behind Lamassu
planets were singing
and the waters of the abzu bubbling
seminal waters
A time when the seminal waters flooded and washed an ideology away
Marxism in practice
and people who had kept their hunger in check
people who had guarded their place
rose to take it
His lunar work in Leo
victim of an upbringing that called him Free
carrot juice instead of coke
it made him care about what he put in his body
but still he blamed his parents, rejected them
to form his own identity
and with Jupiter’s transit through Cancer, he ended up in the commune where they raised him
Huey Walker the catalyst of an initiation
the next stage of development
to one day hold our parents in their old age
with shared and separate identities
They held his place to travel back
explore the terrain of his past
integrate it to who he was, dream himself anew
to hold the laws again.
Chart for October 3, 1986, the day Children of a Lesser God was released in theatres
There was a boy in his class who refused to speak
like the woman he loved
The woman he loved
a broken contract between them
When she saw herself in him, she saw that she wasn’t enough, because she would not speak, because she was content with a cleaning job
and when she left him, she traveled back in time, to resolve things from her past, and then she went exploring, found a job in a beauty salon, considered going to college
Self sufficient, he saw that she could be self sufficient without him
Relationships that transform
take us out of our comfort zone
bring greater understanding
How he related to students who refused to speak would surely change
How he related to her
Mending a broken contract
allowing her to guard her place
in the mold she came from, with all its broken pieces and limitations
allowing him to guard his place
molding students to read lips and enunciate words
put on a show
if the bones allowed it
In Capricorn where there are bones that hold us up
bones that we can change
and bones that we cannot change
Venus in a sextile to Mars, with an orb of 10 degrees
Venus in Scorpio where there are the mysteries of the mind, and medicine, surgery
they can seed and they can block
do the best we can with what we’ve got
She screamed so that he could hear her voice before she left him
They told him that she was different, she was born deaf
He plunged into the pool to listen to her silence
There are opportunities to build courage in this chart, with the guidance given
to integrate into mainstream society and fulfill a wish of the universe
guarding one’s place and guarding the place of another.
There is more in this sign where Utnapishtim took craftsmen and scribes in the boat that saved humanity from the flood, to make a record of all that happened
recording all that happens
making history
Chart for March 2 1990, the day The Hunt for Red October was released in theatres
The wish of the universe
to dream, to build, to make a record
give it a place in history
guard its place
In Christendom, there was a time when the Inquisition did not allow records that contradicted the teachings of the holy book a place in history
Pluto digging in the riches of Scorpio where there is an underworld filled with mysteries and all things taboo
to create something new with Capricorn in mind
bring it to the surface with a record
Mars guards a place and Venus holds the laws in Capricorn
If Mars were guarding a place for a record on astrology, the Inquisition applying would have blocked him
sent it back to Scorpio’s underworld
Here she is on his side
The movie begins by telling us there is no record of what it is about to tell us
making a record of an unrecorded event
He killed, took possession of the second key and full command of the submarine, in the sign of the father, archetypal father, provider, lawmaker
Venus holding his laws
He had sent a letter, a record of their defection
Mercury (holding the letter) Not just a critic
They would be held accountable if anyone changed his mind
charged with treason
Mars guarding his place
According to the movie
the Soviet Union was a step ahead in technology
the submarine, key to their admittance into the new world
Jupiter at sea
in between
checking his blind spot
His wish
to escape the laws and go fishing
like he used to, with his father
The stage of life we call retirement
An ideological war still playing out in the heavens
If we look at Flashback from Huey Walker’s point of view
he rose from the underworld of Scorpio to leave a record for his fans
confessions of a hippie
Troublemaker
once on the cover of Life magazine
Tricking the law
getting the FBI agent to be on his side
Guarding his place in the history of the land.
The next time Mars and Venus conjoin will be in Capricorn
He will enter Capricorn on December 16 2025, and she will follow on December 25, with an orb of 7 degrees
The exact conjunction will be at 18 degrees 9 minutes of Capricorn, on January 7 or 8 2026, depending on the time zone
Here they are, approaching conjunction on January 7 2026
The lunar work and the Moon in Virgo, and Mercury in Capricorn at the lowest degree
If Mars were guarding a record on astrology, taking a stand for the ancient pagan gods, the Inquisition would be torturing him to recant
In Virgo there are places of worship, there is culture, the courts of Díkē, the order of things,
a list, perhaps, a record of things to do to end a war, for example
Uranus will have retrograded back into Taurus one last time before settling down in Gemini for the next 7 years
Pluto in Aquarius, this sign of universality and service, where there is the will of society and the conscious will to break away
and Uranus in Taurus where there is the body and the earth, where we hold others, where there is heritage
A test
to see clearly what really matters
A test
to make room
Chart for February 20 2026
in that place between Pisces and Aries, where we can take a step forward or fall back
the Moon asking for unity
in a square to Jupiter in Cancer where there are many lakes, and one lake.
Chart for January 15 1993, the day Alive was released in theatres
Based on a true story, a record
Mars retrograding in Cancer
in this sign where we re member
and censor
Otherwise, how would we all get along?
So many clans, scents, beliefs, and the different levels of acculturation from a constant flow of immigration
can stress the censor circuits of a land
Today Jupiter is transiting Cancer
and Ketu Rahu are in the Virgo Pisces polarity
Schools, learning centres, correctional facilities, face the biggest task in teaching the ways of a land to newcomers
asking for relief, a pause to de stress
Here Mars guards against censorship
it made them less polite
able to consider and to speak unspeakable things
and then the pledge, Jupiter transiting Libra
whoever dies agrees, to use their body as food
Like communion
making it acceptable, to keep cohesion
The lunar work in Gemini
in the telling
telling it all
with Venus in Pisces applying Mars in a trine
In Pisces where there are forces we can’t control
a war in the heavens
She took refuge
in prayer
The awareness of god, of what is of god and what is of people
and prayers
coating their decision and blocking them from censoring that what they were doing was wrong
Then the captain of the team said that if he had meat in his belly, he intended to get something done
make the most of it
fix the radio, send a message
walk to find an exit
from the mountains
bring the two little shoes together
and bury the dead.
Chart for May 17 1989, the day Jesus of Montreal was released in theatres
With Jupiter transiting Gemini, he brought Jesus down to earth, to the pedestrian level
he added elements to the official story that weren’t authorised by the church
and made room in Capricorn
Censored
but they ignored it, broke through it
broke through a seal sacred to the Church
He researched for the role, played the role
and became undifferentiated
Then he died
The miracles he had performed in his play, raising the dead, curing sight
he would perform with his body, his type O blood, a match for anyone
breaking through the body’s censor circuits
breaking a sacred seal in Hera’s sign
Hera of the breast, the milk that seals
Changing the public’s mind
about what is sacred, permissible and sacred
making room in the sign of Enki, lover of mankind
He held them during production, coached them
Ketu Rahu finishing their lunar work in the Virgo Pisces polarity
a period of apprenticeship ending
now it was up to them to become established, let the branch of a tree set roots
in a theatre that would carry his name, his ideals
to be remembered.
With Pluto in Aquarius and Uranus making his entry into Gemini, and Jupiter transiting Cancer, concerns have been raised about MAID and organ donation, and thought has gone into it.
Chart for February 12 1993, the day Groundhog Day was released in theatres
Born uncensored
he couldn’t stand anyone, couldn’t stand any place, he couldn’t stand himself, and most of all, he couldn’t stand Punxsutawney
One night stands is all he got
until the day Venus aimed the arrow of love at him
from a place that is intrinsically unselfconscious, Aries
anything for love
They seed and they block
and he was blocked from breaking the contract to cover Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney
blocked until he fertilized a new contract, the wish of the universe in Capricorn, sign of the archetypal father, there for a long period of time
The lunar work in Gemini, in this sign of freedom
he could do whatever he wanted
except exit
In the sign of making connections, building bridges, opening doors
language the basic unit, signs
he slept with Nancy and called her Rita, Rita, that’s how he came to know, and the audience comes to know, that he was struck with love
To give in to it
love that colours the world
rosy
every human being a sentient being
and Punxsutawney heaven
Not bypassing permanence anymore
with measured words, like the weather report, for a tumble in bed
slap, slap
but searching for permanence
Saturn conjunct the Sun in Aquarius asked to be freed
to be useful, to be of service
impress her, be her dream come true
She bid on him and won
and in the cover of night, he whispered his first words of uncensored love
the beginning of arete in uncensorship.
Chart for June 12 1981, the day Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in theatres
He went through all the trouble, only to give up the golden head and run for his life
in the sign of the Dioscuri who once took care of Helen when Menelaus was away. They invited their twin cousins for dinner and their cousins brought along a shepherd friend, Paris. The cousins came bearing news of their betrothal to twin sisters. Upon hearing the news, temptation descended upon the Dioscuri. Excuse us, they said. We’ll be back in a sec.
Many seconds later, the cousins went searching for them and found them taking the sisters for themselves. A fight ensued and Castor died and the split in Gemini began, the mortal body and the immortal soul.
He ran for his life and went back to lecturing
In the middle of a lecture about a burial site, the dean walked in and waited against the wall until the bell rang
the bell rang and the last student to leave the classroom left a green apple on his desk
the dean picked it up, polished it and almost took a bite, but kept it in his pocket instead
he’d come to tell him there were people who wanted to see him, people bearing news
news about the Ark
Un possession
Belloq had come to teach him un possession
it was already in him because he didn’t keep the pieces he found for himself, he sold them to a museum
traded them for money to travel, he mentions Marrakesh
but he went to Nepal
Something about the past in earth signs, looking back
In Capricorn the patterns of the past, geographical, the patterns of a river, when it floods and when it dries
In Taurus the layers of the past, geological, genealogical, local
In Virgo grandmothers telling their grandchildren love stories that never reached the horizon, unequal in some way
Well, she wasn’t a grandmother yet, and she was in possession of the medallion
the medallion she used as bargaining chip to become his partner
circular, it captured the light of the sun
and the crystal in the centre beamed the location of the well of souls. if the shaft was the correct size
Partner, he loved her, drowned his sorrow in alcohol when he thought he’d lost her
the day he saw Belloq again, Belloq working for the nazis, he listened with abhorrence
the day he went to see the old man who deciphered the writing on the medallion
the measurements for the shaft, and the warning, not to disturb the Ark
Possession
Un possession
the friction between them in Gemini
It interfered with rescue
when he found her alive, he did not rescue her, so that he could dig without sounding the alarm
and he did not rescue her the second time around because he wanted to see what was inside
Of people and of the gods, the friction between them in Libra
the ruler in Cancer making sacred
He had never hesitated bringing the sacred to the horizon, in the name of scholarship, in the name of archaeology, objects of study
He brought the Ark up
and there he was, tied to a post with her
tied to a post, he and his soul. the awareness of the soul as a separate entity, a soul that could be tempted and possessed
the eyes, windows to the soul
He heard them open the Ark
and his sixth sense sent warnings, memories of the furies
Close your eyes, he told her. No matter what happens, keep them closed
The Moon traveled that day from Libra to one degree Scorpio
The influence of Scorpio, deflating
those who did not guard their souls
All the nazis dead.
Chart for June 12 1968, the day Rosemary’s Baby was released in theatres
There are relationships that guard the soul and there are relationships that do not guard it
The woman who wrote, I can no longer associate myself, may have been in a relationship that did not guard it
To lose possession of one’s soul
he gave it away to a clan that offered him a jump in his career, the lead role in a play
but there was a catch, the body of his wife
Pigeon 1 Not another holy conception
Pigeon 2 No, an un holy one this time
Pigeon 3 Say, what’s all the commotion in Virgo?
Cultural revolutions led by students, awakening from their stupor, taking their souls back
Pigeon 1 I thought it was Pluto harnessing the horses of his chariot
Pigeon 3 Who’s he racing?
Pigeon 1 Jupiter, I think
Pigeon 2 Where’s Jupiter?
Pigeon 1 In Leo
The Annunciation by Fra Angelico, ca 1430
Her friend left her a book that brought understanding, gave her proof
and she began to reject her neighbour’s offerings, the drink, the cake
and she ran away to see Dr. Hill
Pigeon 2 Poor thing. She doesn’t know that miracles and witchcraft don’t sit well with doctors
Pigeon 3 So it’s the same on both sides
Pigeon 1 The same
He listened to her, and we listen to her, and we know that he thinks she’s mad, because we would think her mad too
judgement that blocked rescue
A holder of this chart may have worked on changing culture to ease judgement in some way, the stigma of divorce, perhaps, the stigma of abortion, advocating for individual rights.
He sent her back home, back to guarding her soul
the ruler in between
guarding the soul and censoring
guarding the soul and nurture, the instinct of a mother to seal the soul.
Uranus is making his entry into Gemini
The last time he was there
Chart for August 6 1945
he un masked
the soul
possessed
A time of demi gods, three times more powerful, concentrated power
un masked
Fertilizing a new temple, pedestrian
the atomic bomb made sacred
source of negotiations, a surrender, when Jupiter conjoined Neptune in Libra
source of fear, a weapon that could bring the end of civilization
Uranus
higher octave of Mercury
Mercury bringing new teachings, spreading word of a new order
Mars guarding the soul
Chart for May 24 2000, the day Mission Impossible II was released in theatres
Do you remember the conversation Mercury once had with Prometheus chained to a rock? All those questions that un masked Prometheus, Titan god
Here he uses masks and vocal cords to fill the gaps in information, to move forward and rescue humanity from the chimera
a biological weapon
to fertilize a biological weapon, to fertilize a cure, to free destruction, to free preservation
light and shadow in every sign
He questioned McCloy who confessed and asked him to hold his soul
He wasn’t interested in holding anyone’s soul, not even Nyah’s
Venus ending her transit in Taurus and the Sun in Gemini where what we do we let go
He had installed the alarm system
She had robbed
Before they left, he asked her to return it, bringing her into Gemini
He would burn the remaining samples of the virus except for one
She would stand between the friction in Gemini, the soul possessed and the soul un possessed
she would stand between them holding the last sample
death in both directions
she injected it into her body
life and death in both directions
The Moon in Aquarius lit by the Sun in Gemini
social consciousness like an unintended consequence
She was the sample Ambrose wanted, and the carrier
She was the humanity Ethan wanted to rescue
and he rescued her
In the end he accomplished his mission without bringing back a sample of the virus
like he had been instructed to
Destroyed by fire, he said
temptation destroyed by fire
Guardian of souls, guide of souls
Nyah a recruit
the director a recruit, whether he liked it or not.
Chart for November 2 2001, the day Monsters, Inc was released in theatres
Aquarius
In this place of parallel universes
Monstropolis
Monsters, Inc. the energy company that pooled resources by breaking a barrier
doors that became portals into the human world
the bedrooms of children
monsters scaring children tucked in bed to collect their screams
screams that powered Monstropolis
The belief that children were toxic prevented Scarers from making any contact with the children
no time to see their fear, little souls unsealed
until the day Scorpio said it was time to give them a taste of their own medicine
it would go hand in hand with fulfilling the wish of the universe
So when Mars transited Aquarius, conjoining Neptune
Boo invaded Sulley’s privacy
just like Sulley invaded the privacy of children night in night out
There is social consciousness in Aquarius, horses walking on water, a dividing line, the awareness of what is public and what is private
Mars can erase the dividing line, guard against privacy
There was Boo, sleeping in Sulley’s bed, calling him, the scariest of Scarers, Kitty
He discovered that she wasn’t toxic
and the invisible web he lived in became visible
based on a false belief
He discovered that her laughter was more powerful than her screams
unweaving and weaving again
He had mastered possessing a child, an unfair exchange
To master possessing unpossessing, a fair exchange
It had been a relationship, an arrangement that strained the censor circuits and unsealed the soul
To build a relationship that decensored and didn’t unseal the soul
He had seen his scariest self in her eyes
betrayed her trust
To hold and not betray.
An oathy chart. A holder of this chart could be bound by oath. The oath of Tyndareus. The oath of Asclepius.
Chart for December 7 2001, the day Ocean’s Eleven was released in theatres
He recruited men, tame untame, to do something never done before
For this they built a replica of the safe, not just to practise
but to weave a parallel reality
superimpose it on the security camera screens
A time of updates and improvements
on a guidance system, perhaps on drones
on medical diagnostic tools
on surveillance systems
making room in Aquarius Gemini, and Sagittarius
There is a lighthouse in Aquarius, even light, 360 degrees
and in Gemini that can travel from the heavens to the earth to the underworld, there is x ray vision
a light more piercing
and heightened accuracy
to hit a target
protect a lake
The eyes of Hera
Tess
When she asked him if he liked the painting, he said, I like it if you like it
She leaned toward him to kiss him and he stopped her
reminded her of the eyes of Hera everywhere
eyes to catch a thief
She had been married to one before, a thief who made her cry
now she was involved with a catcher of thieves who did not make her cry, but did not make her laugh either
One night he asked her, What are you thinking?
and Venus in Sagittarius told him the truth
You, she said
Venus in a sextile to Neptune in Aquarius, with Mars, guarded the rest, they guarded her privacy
True love would not put me on guard, she thought to herself
Venus in a sextile to Neptune, with Uranus and Mars
a lightbulb moment
she still loved the thief
How to put the eyes of Hera to sleep, the men, tame untame, asked themselves
Telling the truth, said Venus
practising walking in other people’s skin and telling the truth
truth shall set you free
But they needed something more powerful
to restrict the eyes of Hera, guard their privacy, and switch from one reality to another
Venus in a sextile to Neptune, with Uranus and Mars, trining Saturn at 11 degrees Gemini in a semi sextile to Jupiter at 13 degrees Cancer
They pooled their knowledge together and one of them came up with the answer
a type of bomb.
They can fertilize, Jupiter and Uranus
surveillance that invades privacy
it can be of influence, change people’s behaviour
They say that if we talk about swimsuits near a cellphone, the cellphone brings up swimsuit ads
The ability to block
they can fertilize that too.
Chart for February 13 2009, the day Confessions of a Shopaholic was released in theatres
The lunar work in Leo
victim of a sensible childhood
How to fix it?
Shopping three times more than anyone else, to reach, reach the gates of Olympus
happiness for the rest of her life
her goal to land a job in a fashion magazine, decided at age 14, her progressed Sun in Pisces
another decade and it would conjoin Uranus
Pluto digging in the riches of Capricorn, abiding by the laws and escaping the laws
and in Pisces, crowd behaviour, giving herself to the crowd
There is also Typhon in Pisces and the thunderbolt that trapped him under Mt. Etna
but a lot would happen before that happened
Leo, natural ruler of the fifth house of friendship
People who enter our chart through the fifth house get to know us in ways that others do not. It is here where we share our victimhood and private thoughts, here where someone is on our side, where we unburden ourselves and resolve
Suze, her best friend, knew that she spent more than she earned, credit card bills under her bed
medicine across the polarity, a group to belong to, a group that could help her, shopaholics anonymous
a group that had to erase the dividing line between public and private to be of help, Mars in Aquarius
Mars Jupiter at the point of Rahu, a holder of this chart could lead such a group
but as a transit, she became an attendee and the group would be of great significance in her life
As a transit, she got a new job and met her future husband, and the debt collector took the next step of making physical contact
From shopaholics anonymous to national TV
Venus could not block it
If Mars in Aquarius guards against privacy, Venus in Aquarius guards it, she maintains the dividing line between public and private
youtube.com/watch?v=jKSss3fDY2g
Venus retrogrades in her chart at 7 degrees Aquarius, strong, stronger than her contract with the village that raised her
Before this day, March 22 2024, while she prepared this message, Venus and Mars transited Aquarius together, with Mars applying.
Venus in Aries
She doesn’t hold the laws in Aries, otherwise how would the laws change? Laws to do with losing control of our finances, for example. A holder of this chart could intervene
But she can set limits. Mars in Aries guards against them and she can set them
She would not accept her parents selling their camper to hold her
and the idea would come of making good use of her public and having a sale
designer clothes for a bargain, cash only
to pay off her debt, put her life back in order
She was told that her appearance on the TV show had struck a nerve with many many girls. They identified with her
and what followed was the offer she had wanted since age 14
when her progressed Sun was in a semi sextile to the point of Rahu, now crowded with Mars Jupiter
when she wanted to belong to a dreamy world full of perfect things and magic cards
Wishes can change, Mercury told her. They can become more aligned with the wish of the universe
To leave her mark with a lesson learned
insights and advice for future generations
about a contract
There are contracts with the heavens in Libra, what is of people and what is of the gods, and there are contracts here on this earth, mundane, like the one behind a credit card.
Today Venus stepped into Scorpio
Chart for October 2 1869, the day Mahatma Gandhi was born
He said that if the Raj existed, it was because Indians were cooperating with the British
if they stopped cooperating, it would dismantle the Raj
In Scorpio, Mars can guard the psychological cohesion of a person, a clan
and Venus can block it, and together they can seed
a different glue that holds people together, made of salt from their native land
a new mentality
to fulfill a wish of the universe, in Aries that gives birth to I AM
Mars guards cohesion
if Venus breaks it, we’d all go mad during her transits
and perhaps we do, in varying degrees
She can make us doubt
like Steven Spielberg made Ronnie doubt Roy’s psychological cohesion in Close Encounters of the Third Kind
youtube.com/watch?v=jrgkKsoazEo
On that day Mars was at 7 degrees 21 minutes Leo, keeping Devils Tower away from the spotlight, evacuating the area with the excuse of toxic nerve gas
On that day Venus was at 7 degrees 18 minutes Scorpio, a square between them
Put your mask on, said Mars
Venus played along, until she was out of sight, and then she took it off and nothing happened, the air was clear
Maybe what she breaks is psychological manipulation
Mars guards cohesion
in a colonial state, the psychological place of the powerful
the psychological place of the powerless, constantly reinforced and fed salt from England
Venus can apply and say, What’s wrong with native salt? It’s free
Cohesion
Humour can break it, the local type. Tracey Ullman has Venus in Scorpio on the Ascendant
The inexplicable, it can break cohesion too
Chart for November 2 1990, the day Jacob’s ladder was released in theatres
A full Moon with Venus involved
the day they all went mad
their platoon chosen for an experiment
given a drug to become three times stronger, defeat the enemy
but they killed each other instead
Mars guards against possession, but Venus undid him
he lost cognition and became possessed
by the drug
and by the earth, attached to the earth
looking for answers, Mars in a quincunx to Mercury Pluto in Scorpio
to leave a record, the movie a record of the army’s betrayal and his victimhood
In the end came integration and un possession
and ascension.
Venus stepped into Scorpio yesterday, 1 degree of Scorpio
while Mars transited Sagittarius, 2 degrees Sagittarius
a semi sextile between them
Mars in Sagittarius can guard against staying in our comfort zone, with the sign’s expansive quality and its taste for the foreign
(Venus applying can put into doubt the psychological cohesion behind expansion, behind tasting the foreign. She can limit Mars)
(Or she can push him further out with euphoria)
On Monday he will be stronger, at 4 degrees 30 minutes Sagittarius, and she at 4 degrees 50 minutes Scorpio
Let’s say he was thinking of climbing the Himalayas or converting to a different religion
(this could be a weekend of doubt, a weekend that stumps growth)
(Or the weekend he begins making arrangements)
Monday may see renewed resolve
Monday may see him come within reason
Chart for June 17 2016, the day assisted dying legislation was passed in Canada
If Mars in Gemini guards against possession
then the theory would make Venus in Gemini vulnerable to being possessed, or that, in Gemini, she possesses
un possession guards freedom of the soul
possession doesn’t guard freedom of the soul
There is the story that Helen studied the alchemical arts in Egypt
When the warriors came back from Troy, they couldn’t recount their stories without reliving them, stories told with emotion, evoking undifferentiation in the listener, possessing
until she poured a potion in their drink, a potion that made them detach and recount their stories without reliving them, stories told without emotional involvement, differentiated, un possessing
On this day Pluto was digging in Capricorn to create something new with Aries in mind, Aries, where the body is the barrier between life and death
Opportunities to play with patterns of emotional involvement, painful stories, possessing and being possessed to arrive at a decision
Mars in Scorpio applying, stronger than Venus. A decision that has to be arrived at while the person seeking assistance has psychological cohesion
Permission to unseal the soul
Permission to exit, a guided exit
Gathering the reasons why, the bag of faults that would allow it
Saturn stronger that Jupiter, Saturn at the bending of the nodes, making room for new legislation that allows an exit, examining the bag of faults, limiting.
The movie Finding Dory was released on this day, July 17 2016
enough cohesion to remember her parents
the trail of seashells that led her to them
Chart for July 13 1990, the day Ghost was released in theatres
Sanity and madness, the friction between them
to stay sane in the midst of the inexplicable, in the midst of a mystery, in the midst of contradicting undercurrents
He looked for bones to hold him up, an institution that could help him
Not the Church, no, not as official as the Church, not in his current state
something more like the Ark
the Ark that began with Enki Ea breaking away from the senior gods, instructions whispered in a dream to build a boat of reeds
the Ark, the first renegade institution
It’s been absorbed by the Church, it’s true, but it left a pattern
to be emulated
Nothing like that around, no
What he saw instead were the remains of an ancient institution, pagan
the temple and its Oracle
It has survived as a private business, unregulated
Mars guarding against limits, Mars guarding his heritage, the past
There can be mischief under these conditions
and It is the public that decides whether the branch of an Oracle grows roots and becomes established
the public in Pisces where the walls are thin
He walked inside
called her a quack
and she heard him
She had been told that she had her mother’s gift, her grandmother’s gift, the ability to communicate with the dead, remembered and unremembered
but she had been faking it, until this day, when Mercury was conjoining the point of Ketu, in a quincunx to Uranus
the work she came to do in Leo
She had been putting on a show, until this day that opened the entrance to what remained of the ancient institution, Mercury holding the key, activated
Her work, to participate in a Renaissance
a revival
The institution in Capricorn Cancer
bones that hold people up without discrimination
dead or alive
An institution that operates under the friction in Scorpio, sanity and madness, reason and un reason
somewhere in between
where the dead and alive can meet
She could not see it until she did that it required her to be a channel
Saturn in a quincunx to Venus in Gemini
Venus
goddess of love, the labour of love
in Gemini where the split begins between body and soul
The first time it happened, the first time she channeled, a spirit took possession of her body without permission
Venus looked over at Mars and said there had to be some ground rules. She understood that in Aries he guarded against limits, and that in Taurus he’d give his life to save humanity, but there had to be some ground rules over here. This wasn’t Embrun and Oda Mae wasn’t the Oracle in the Temple of Op-Pollo. It wasn’t a god taking possession of her body, it was Tom, Dick and Harry, and there had to be some ground rules. She had to be given time to prepare and she had to give permission
Between Aries and Pisces there is a golden ram
Between Aries and Taurus there is a dragon guarding a golden fleece
a golden fleece that holds a king or queen’s right to rulership
In Gemini there is a split
He saw Molly holding his body
he found someone who could pass on his messages
intimate messages to convince her it was him
to protect her
and to end, or at least disable, a renegade institution, he told Oda Mae what to do
In the end she gave him permission to possess her body, to touch Molly, to love her with his touch one last time.
Chart for February 14 1992, the day Wayne’s World was released in theatres
The American dream
to hold the laws of the American dream
It meant leaving their basement to promote real products instead of bogus ones
the bogus ones that made people laugh
Carried away
Suddenly they were in a world where sponsorship controlled culture
and Wayne’s World lost its purity
Carried away followed by refusal
and they lost Wayne’s World
They can fertilize Uranus and Jupiter
in Capricorn where there are bones that hold us up and renegade bones that hold us up
in Virgo where there is culture and counterculture
careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater
careful choosing sponsors
Mars guarding a record, the dream that nourishes a lake
and Venus refusing to hold its laws
A look behind the scenes of the invisible web, a look at the sponsors
amusement arcades behind Wayne’s World
and whoever sponsors their idol Alice Cooper must certainly have more substance
morality according to the sponsors, the agents of the dream
A look behind the scenes in a square to Pluto in Scorpio, under the friction of sanity and madness, comedy that punctures
It brings out Baubo, it brings out Enki and his funny bones
Authority
a loss of authority, kinetic energy they couldn’t control
to find it they went back to their basement
the lunar work in Cancer
Venus and Mars can block and they can seed
silver in Cancer, a dream that seals the soul
lit by the Sun in Aquarius
Chart for March 24 1972, the day The Godfather was released in theatres
A grand trine in fire, and in this trine, the right to say no
Mars in the third decan of Taurus, a talisman to ward off evil
In a way he was a talisman
He held people, like he held the undertaker, and in return, the undertaker took care of Sonny’s body
Mars conjunct Saturn in Gemini, reciprocity
The Turk offered him 30 percent in return for his support, a fair offer
but he said no
because it took him out of his comfort zone
Mars Saturn in opposition to Neptune in Sagittarius
In the grand trine in fire and In this opposition, the right to say no
with Venus applying and bringing with her responsibility of clan
Uninitiated, she can bring coercion, Inanna threatening to open the gates of the underworld and bring back the dead if the sky god did not release the Bull of Heaven
The Turk and the families that supported him brought coercion
All the action happens in the orb between Venus and Mars, coercing the Corleone family to give in
He came to a compromise for the sake of peace
and in the meeting where peace was restored, a piece of information was revealed to him
Mercury retrograding in Aries
information that would be key to his son Michael’s leadership
Michael, a war hero
He told Kay that he wasn’t like his dad, and even his dad wanted him spared, wanted him to be the family’s exit
to take part in the official bones of society, a congressman for example
Neptune in Sagittarius in a semi sextile to Jupiter in Capricorn
but coercion and a sense of responsibility and a taste for power blocked his exit
seeding the next talisman
romancing the public with the making of the next godfather
To consolidate power, his father would mentor him
hand him the key, Barzini not Tattaglia
whoever arranged a meeting between him and Barzini was a traitor
his brother in law was a traitor too
Justice
Libra above the horizon
Taurus below the horizon, this place of magpies.
They danced together in Taurus, Venus and Mars, before conjoining in Gemini
Like they will dance together in Sagittarius soon, the first two week of December, with an orb of more than 10 degrees, before Mars enters Capricorn
Chart for December 17 1993, the day when What’s Eating Gilbert Grape was released into theatres
There is a side of Sagittarius that is unsupervised and off the record
it can bring forth what is foreign to the public, to be woven into the fabric of society
with the public’s acceptance
Mars in the last degrees of Sagittarius, decisive
to be woven or not
A supermarket had come into town, and later a fast food place
taking people out of their comfort zone
on site
Venus can bind him to locality and relationship
and Mercury to the market place
promotion swaying the public
and there was a case of necessity, when the cake fell on the ground
He came out of the supermarket and there was his boss
the owner of the mom and pop store where he worked and where he was allowed to bring his brother
the awkwardness, the tension between the old and the new
the possibility of co existence
to compete, join in the competition, rebuild, renew, advertise
or make due with less
shut down
move out of town
At least one person did, because her circumstances changed
but her displacement was heralded by Becky’s arrival
Becky who showed him beauty in Endora, opened the skies for him to see
asked to be woven
He was once compelled to leave
but responsibility held him back
and good guidance, not to do what his father had done
Exapansion on site
this time his brother made it all the way up, and got arrested
and his mom left home, first time in years, to get him from the police station
To be seen in the eyes of others
a joke
and his friend the mortician talking about jokes he sometimes played with the dead
Jupiter preparing him, Jupiter transiting Scorpio
bringing him a gift
Knowledge lying beneath the surpace
He found out that the first floor of their house was unsupported
and there were problems with the foundation
A time of initiations
his brother turning 18
and his mom passed away
Dignity
he and his brother and sisters would leave a record of dignity
silver in Aquarius
and gold in Sagittarius, sign of Pabilsag, guide of souls
youtube.com/watch?v=sDG9XiAWhLM
Chart for Alex Haley, born August 11 1921, Ithaca, NY, data from birth record
youtube.com/watch?v=zSd7QYXAVoc
He wrote a story without heroes
an oar passed from one generation to the next, until it reached him
He left the oar for others to pick up
and saw that where he was standing a branch was growing roots, making him central
he attracted the spotlight
Venus supportive
part of his task was to learn how to use it
not to lose himself in it
He didn’t
but he found it taxing and was unable to write
so he fell back from time to time, guarded himself from the light
It is behind the scenes that he began writing, on a ship
love letters for his mates
they would describe the women and he’d take notes
and later, when he was alone on deck, looking at the vastness of the sea, he’d turn blond hair into something more poetic
It is here where he wrote the story of his family, based on his research and the resources of others, accounts left by others that helped him fill in the details
it made his family the family of every slave descendant
In the spotlight and guarding against it to honour the place where it all began
the source
the labour of love
Chart for August 9 1996, the day Jack was released in theatres
They had kept him isolated, home schooled, afraid that children would make fun of him, based on their own experience, the mom’s experience of school, you know how children are, they point at faults
he’s a giant, a freak, don’t poke me four eyes
Then came a tutor who pushed them out of the t square into Libra
social skills begin here, birthday parties, the ability to celebrate another, get along, call a truce, diplomacy
But what they feared the most happened, they laughed at him, un censored
until necessity led Louis to pick him for a game of basketball, the game the ice breaker
Venus applying, asking for acceptance, the kind of laughter that says it’s just the way he is
Saturn applying, turning isolation into discipline, making room for him in school
The Moon travelled from Gemini to 0 degrees 30 minutes of Cancer that day, the soul unsealed and sealed, and Venus Mars conjoining in Cancer blocked blindness
The film’s attempt to show how integration can take place
finding strengths in the faults
There was no denying he was different, between the familiar and unfamiliar
they had reached a level of acceptance that prevented them from blaming him for the collapse of the treehouse
a hint that they were rebuilding it, making it stronger.
A period in time that
Skeletal structures from printed bones by Monika Horčicová
made room in the bones that hold us up.
Chart for July 7 1989, the day Lethal Weapon 2 was released in theatres, and Le Maitre de Musique
youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2rSElYqhBs2VJS6rzP0tyeVV9Z9n0-I7
Athena whispers in Leo, words of wisdom
it was time to leave the stage
No, he wouldn’t change his mind
and no, he wasn’t interested in recording his voice
What he would do instead was to seed and share his light
teach his technique
the technique his teacher taught him, his teacher’s teacher taught him
unwritten, how to help students find their voice, particular to their character and their physique
unwritten, like the oral tradition that can change a story with each telling
but the results can be measured
They would be measured in a competition
the public in Virgo, sharing the same craft
fertilizing reputation according to technique and skill
inclusion for those who passed the test
Leo too paid attention to Athena’s words of wisdom
he decided to provide evidence against his clients and was placed under protective custody
he got to share his light with his protectors, teach them the technique of money laundering
youtube.com/watch?v=f-J6EpRoZ6o
renegade institution
adaptable to the circumstances
Who goes to see a sequel?
Film critics have to go see it, their public waiting for them to share their light, approval or disapproval
the number of stars, measurements that can make or break a film
the power to do that
to be handled with care, with morality
giving the reasons why a film gets one star of four
because so much is personal
choosing a film critic, a source of opinion, is personal and changeable
There is Hercules in Leo
and Eurystheus hiding in a pithos
There is Athena, daughter of Jupiter
born from his head, goddess of wisdom
He was singing on stage, following his heart
when his heart murmured
it was the third time it happened
he announced his retirement and did not give a reason
time would tell
To follow his heart
to listen to the whispers of Athena
the friction between them
Jupiter bringing him a gift, a student and the chance of a second one, in flight
he took it
two students, two wards
hearthfire, hearthfire for two wards
There can be guardianship in this chart
Chart for July 21 1989, the day When Harry met Sally was released in theatres
He was boastful about his prowess in sex
and like he said, she gave him a different perspective on the subject
in the most public house
youtube.com/watch?v=6pQgbEEFPq0
Rob Reiner’s reputation in technique, switching the spotlight seamlessly from him to her and back again, and in basing a movie in conversations he’d had with female friends
coming up with a scene that was unique
With Venus Mars in Leo there were two voices that were the same, they sparked a duel
Reiner’s reputation in the hands of the public, the Moon was conjunct the point of Rahu when the day began
and by this time
youtube.com/watch?v=QCqiHZdDnZI
she looked at all the scenes with him, scenes that had endeared the public to the couple
the realisation that he loved her
Mars free to change his mind, Venus supportive
Before it was too late, no compromise, no regrets
he ran
following his heart.
Chart for August 12 1976, the day The Devil’s Playground was released in theatres in Australia
youtube.com/watch?v=rJeRnRzJw-4
It was voluntary
to uphold the principles of mind over body
to guard the order
Based on vocation
vice or virtue
secular or religious
They kept him away from the fanatics
keep your innocence, they said
A time that tested their innocence
puberty
a time when they put their innocence to the test
in the bar, in the pool
Venus joining Mars in Virgo, bringing turbulence into the seminary, the turbulent body
to go with nature, to go against it
With Mercury between them, the brothers sent mixed messages
puberty was a miracle of life and they had to do penance for it
Maybe they were too young to live with the contradiction
One of the brothers had a nervous breakdown trying
his battle between body and mind, the body pure, the mind sinful
Weeded
a time of weeding, take your pen and leave
And there was the boy who died in the lake, Turner
he could not live with the contradiction either
reaching for total denial of the body
reaching for perfection, the narcissus
His death brought up an old discussion, the tug between keeping the order and changing the order
the possiblity of combining their junior program with the normal boarding school, they must have run a normal boarding school as well
Solutions
he ran away, weeded himself
and the brothers who gave him a ride did not turn the car back
Not everyone lasted a Venus transit
not everyone could live with the contradiction and hold themselves whole
1:06:02
Confessing to the priest how puberty was interfering with his vocation, and how he’d been scared to tell him
hold me, he said
and the priest replied, You’re too old for this sort of nonsense
Mars guarding the order
and maybe he guards holding oneself whole as well, the ability to carry the bag of faults we accumulate dealing with a contradiction
in the sign of the goddess the servant, the maiden the matron, loss and laughter
Venus bringing a test.
Chart for August 2 1978, the day Interiors was released in theatres
https://m.ok.ru/video/1804203854516
This time the test wasn’t the turbulent body, it was the turbulent soul
the turbulent soul seeking refuge in the old order of things
when the lunar nodes asked for a new order
Ketu in Pisces, in this place of raw material, and Mars conjunct the point of Rahu in Virgo
dismantling and building anew in the home
To do this, he guarded holding oneself whole
so the father took it one step at a time, in consultation with the mother’s doctor
He wasn’t seeking refuge, he was seeking freedom
a freedom that tied him to the past, his daughters, their mother
He would give them time to transition
time to take charge
Calla lily vendor by Alfredo Ramos Martinez
First he announced he wanted a separation
Pluto in Libra taking Scorpio into consideration
creating a new arrangement with coherence in mind
stability of the mind
the mother could stay in the house, he would move out
No, she said. Bring back the old order
She said it louder when he wanted to finalize the divorce
but he didn’t let her break his own coherence
There is freedom with obligations in this chart
but a freedom that won’t be denied
rebellious, vermillion amidst pastels
A time that brought his daughters together
shared memories remembered differently
love and blame between them
their partners
their mother
turbulent relationships, turbulent souls being tested whle Venus and Mars seeded the new order
The youngest daughter apprenticed the mother, allowed her to decorate her place
her husband making corrections, bringing limits, Saturn Mercury can teach humility, the ability to say I made a mistake, to carry faults
Tell your father to take me back, her mother asked her. Tell him I’m better, he listens to you
the only daughter who did not give the mother hope
she never really told her why until the night of the wedding
when her mother entered a house that was no longer hers
the night the Moon travelled to zero degrees Leo, that place in between, in a semi sextile to Saturn Mercury in Virgo
She had held back before
she did not hold back now
and what she said was too much for the mother to carry
the mother who could not hold herself whole.
Jupiter’s gifts
in this case an addition to the family
God of hospitality, the written and unwritten laws of hospitality, on this earth and in the heavens
They had a conversation at the table
the theatre piece they went to see, two sides, the French doctor and the Algerian, hard to decide between them
the newcomer said it wasn’t hard for her, one guy was the squealer and other one wasn’t, you stay faithful to your clan
It wasn’t that simple, they told her, and she asked them if she had missed something
They didn’t fill her in on what she had missed
the next step in the new order would be to fill her in.
Chart for October 11 1974, the day Black Christmas was released in theatres in Canada
youtube.com/watch?v=6rjEZLZ7k24
There is the story of Hephaestus, son of Hera, born lame, she threw him out of Olympus
and the waters of Neptune received him
In these waters he found a place of refuge and became an unparalleled craftsman, a metalsmith
god of the forge, he created magic metal, golden, and made a throne like no other, intricate, delicate, irresistible
and sent it to his mother
whose eyes could not resist looking at it, her hands could not resist touching it
Who sent me this, she asked, and when she was told that her lame son sent it, she said it was impossible, his form did not match such beauty, such handiwork
such a masterpiece she could not resist sitting on it
and it held her captive
No one could free her, no one except her son, but her son did not answer to her bidding, nobody’s bidding
like his craftsmanship, his resistance was unparalleled
To break the barrier of resistance in Cancer
Three monkeys, Theravada Temple in Semarang, Indonesia
the gods sent for Dionysus
Dionysus who inebriated Hephaestus with wine, broke his barrier of resistance and put him on a donkey, his lame leg facing forward and the rest of his body the donkey’s ass
‘
It’s what a horror story tries to do, break the public’s barrier of resistance, get everyone involved
Mercury holding the key in Scorpio
Sexuality, a turtle’s sexuality
and Jess was pregnant, she was going to have an abortion, a subject that was and can still be polarising, of the gods, of people
but she wore a cross and was going to have one, it was her right, Black Christmas was being filmed the year Roe v. Wade was decided
permission to abort, no judgement
You’re going to be very sorry, her boyfriend Peter told her
And there was Billy, the intruder, the killer
hiding in the attic
his phonecalls
It’s true that Jupiter is retrograding in the chart, making it harder to break the barrier, adding caution, just enough to get people involved
to solve a mystery
Jupiter at the bending of the nodes
to get to the truth
make judgements
If Mars guards against judgement in Libra, then Venus can make them based on the evidence provided, behaviour
Peter’s threat, the bashed piano, his shadow coming down the stairs, lurking outside the sorority house, breaking the window to ask her what was wrong
Arranging and rearranging, Pluto and Uranus, Christmas carols and foreboding music, artifice, atmosphere, playing with the mind
it was Peter, it wasn’t Peter
Play with the mind enough and it can break the barrier
it could be Peter
he could kill her
she could kill him too
justified
and the phone rang.
Chart for October 17 1974, the day Benji was released in theatres
All Dr. Chapman saw in Benji was a carrier of disease
a street dog
and someone in the family, uncle Chris, had been bitten by a street dog and almost died
so Mary and the children hid Benji’s visits from him
Mars in Libra can work hard at not being judged
a lived experience can trigger it, guarding against judgement above all other considerations
Like the son in Sam and Me who would not send his father to Israel, What would people think of him?
In Black Christmas Jess wasn’t even going to tell Peter about the abortion
but she did
Venus in Libra can attract judgement
There came a time when the children didn’t want to hide Benji anymore, but the doctor wouldn’t change his mind, they could get a pet from the pet shop instead
When he asked Mary, How do you know when you’re right or wrong? Am I really doing what’s best or am I just being a rotten heel?
Venus had joined Mars
Mary answered, No sir, and, yes, sir
Then the children went missing and there was a mystery to solve
they had been kidnapped
there was a ransom note
Benji
To win the hearts of people, with Saturn aspecting the Moon
he had to be loyal and on time
To break the barrier of resistance
he had to show how intelligent he was, his street smarts
Serendipity helped him make connections, the crumpled piece of paper in the building where he was trapped made him think of the crumpled draft of the ransom note
When he came into the house with it
the kidnapper’s girlfriend Linda Sue was there, guarding against judgement
she took the draft from him and he took it back and showed it to Mary
evidence that made Linda Sue break down
What followed was that everyone followed Benji to rescue the children
They can block the feeling of superiority
not in Black Christmas, in Black Christmas Billy evaded judgement and reigned supreme
the horror of no resolution in Libra
youtube.com/watch?v=mzL_a-2tGVk
1:09:26 – 1:11:24
Chart for October 25 1978
the day Halloween was released in theatres
and the day La Cage aux Folles was released in theatres in France
A son who came bearing news, he was getting married to a woman
he wanted to make a good impression on her parents and what he asked of his dad bordered on betrayal
send Albin away
but Albin wouldn’t be sent away
A son who made them feel self conscious of their mannerisms and their Greek decor
breaking cohesion
purposefully
hanging a crucifix
It made her parents feel at ease
the rigour of the first impression
until Albin burst in, Albin who would not be denied
a place at the table
The parents got up to leave, the father disinherited his daughter
he opened and closed the door, there were journalists outside, ready to smear his good name
journalists who blocked the door
No way out but through the front, right through la cage aux folles
There is an underground tunnel that leads from Scorpio, this place of crises, to Taurus, this place of strengths
Albin put her strength to good use, her aesthetic, she introduced the father to her aesthetic
and he left la cage unnoticed, invisble, and in her debt
The children got married, and the biological mother showed up
and she wouldn’t stop, sensitive to intruders
From this insular and local polarity something was made public at the Oscar’s
Aquarius got involved
Chart for September 19, 1997, the day In and Out was released in theatres
His student said he was gay
and it interfered with his cohesion
He wasn’t gay, denial, denial, denial, a gayness that would not be denied
denial followed by admittance at the altar on his wedding day
A generation that is bringing us new archetypes
transitioning is one of them
They’re not asking who am I, they’re asking what am I
unable to move forward without looking back at gender archetypes
coming of age when Uranus in the sky transited Taurus, squaring Aquarius
and before that in Aries
Saturn in Aries where the body is the soul
Consolidation of the Self
in a comedy
There is a closet in Taurus, and he came out of the closet, confessed, in the light of Aquarius
a scandal
They had been together for 3 years and never had sex, he was old fashioned
but even the day he burst into her room, when he needed to prove himself, they didn’t have sex
To hold themselves whole during a Venus transit
with Chiron at the lowest degree in Scorpio
The student came to mind the gap in people’s psychology
to prevent a weeding, the scandal had provoked a weeding
There was public and there was private, said the principal, and the teacher’s gayness had become public and could influence the students
The way out in Leo
a community that stood in solidarity
and did not deny the teacher his place in the school
A generation bringing in new archetypes
expanding what is male, what is female
Flammarion engraving
Chart for December 14 1984, the day Starman was released in theatres
An intruder in her house who took the shape of her deceased husband
Pluto in Scorpio, the battle between giving in and not giving in
in a square to Venus in Aquarius, guarding her privacy
She would not give in, asking for help, that she had been kidnapped, and almost boarding a bus and leaving him behind
this man who had erased a boundary with his appearance
Medicine man
she watched him bring a deer back to life
She would give in and guard his privacy
Hunted down by Fox, to be dissected
But he’s our guest, said Shermin. We invited him
You will do as I command or your’re out, Fox told him
To hell with your command, thought Shermin, and he let them escape
Weaver of dissent
He’d been the one to find the golden record in the spaceship, the record he’d worked on
the one who deduced all that had happened correctly, how the guest had cloned a body from hair, how he’d learned the language
greetings from earth
Digging in the mysteries looking for answers, he managed to get inside, past Venus
He saw this as an opportunity to know, to learn
They had avoided telling the public
a meteorite, not a spaceship, said the radio
Even the people pursuing them did not know
But the orb between Venus and Mars is more than ten degrees
and the day began with the Moon in a quincunx to Venus
and everyone would see what they had not seen before
everyone would stand still and in awe at the foreign object in the sky
so big and visible that it freed Saturn trying to hold Mars back
and what had been kept private became public knowledge
Digging in the mysteries under the cover of Venus in Aquarius
they fell in love
he could not stay and he could not take her with him
but he left his seed
Chart for January 25 1985, the day The Falcon and the Snowman was released in theatres
The unintended consequence of sending an invitation into space
Morality in the guidance we give
What is morality in Aquarius, in this place of the invisible web
Maybe it’s what we do when the web becomes visible
He found out that his government was interfering with the government of Australia
and he couldn’t tell anyone, he’d been sworn to secrecy
Shred it and forget it
but the chart blocks forgetting, it blocks unremembering
Uranus How many times has he broken out?
Pluto Once. January 1980. Caught after 19 months.
Mars He’s okay now. He’s given in to his incarceration.
Uranus I’d double up the guard with Venus approaching, Venus asking him to take control-
Venus I’m asking him to seed. The film will inspire him.
Neptune He’s going re examine and leave a record.
Jupiter He already has one.
Sun A useful one, of service to society.
Mercury Turn things around.
Saturn That’s right. Ponters on how to curb the urge of escaping the laws.
Jupiter Are you looking at me?
Pluto Better screening. Polygraph tests. And none of this old boy network.
Sun You’re not looking at me, are you?
Uranus He’s going to demystify being a spy.
Chiron It took away his freedom.
Rahu They should have held him better. He was only 21.
https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP09T00993R000100100008-4.pdf
Chart for Christopher Boyce, The Falcon, born February 16 1953, Santa Monica, CA, data from birth record
Uranus in Cancer in a square to Mars in Aries
he came to stir the pot
In an interview he says that he thought they’d catch him right away, but it took two years. In fact it was his friend who got caught and implicated him
The snowman was arrested when Mars began his transit in Capricorn and Venus began her transit in Pisces, on January 6 1977. Mars coming to guard his records, minding the gap in authority, and Venus seeking control
He was arrested on January 16 1977 and convicted on April 28 1977
On April 28 Mars ended his transit in Pisces and was at 0 degrees Aries
and Venus turned direct at 8 degrees Aries, conjunct his natal Moon. She ingressed Aries on February 3, and transited Aries in direct and retrograde motion during his interrogation and trial, setting limits
youtube.com/watch?v=gadjBh0pkU0
18:39
In the interview he says it was a life of high adventure but it tainted everything else in his life
still he carried on until he was stopped
Mars in Aries guards against limits, but this sounds more like the head of a dragon, the head, the mouth, cut off from the rest of the body, insatiable
Lunar work that could not begin until he was stopped, until he was held, until the gap in Capricorn was filled
Saturn the ruler conjunct Neptune in Libra in the fourth house
He came to make room in the contract with the homeland, room for more limitations
Chart for April 27 1979, the day A Little Romance was released in theatres
They knew they would be caught, eventually
Mercury standing between them and those who would limit them
a pickpocket with imagination, he passed on a legend
to hold them together forever
Mars in Aries and Pluto in Libra
to kiss under the Bridge of Sighs at sunset, when the bells of the Campanile tolled
against all odds
Against all odds
to be united and re united
weaving memories to look back on, memories for their foundation
Still too young to fly
that tender age that begins to separate from home
first love
Richard recognised it
he also recognised what was going on between the director and his wife
Time to bring back order, he realised it was time, Venus in a quincunx to Saturn R
and below, Venus trining Jupiter in between
an opening
Venus, goddess of the labour of love
and Jupiter, bringer of gifts
They thought of Julius, told him Lauren’s mother was ill, her mother in Venice
and he made silver
he made sure they had the resources and the adult company they needed to cross the border
safe passage
In his mind, he was within limits
until the newspaper told him he was not, Mercury in a quincunx to Saturn, with Saturn applying
The lunar work in Pisces, this place of raw material
this place of shapeshifters
there came a moment of truth
unblind, tell the truth
He wasn’t the adult they thought he was, but he was the only adult they had
willing to ensure their safety
mnding the gap in Taurus
taking them to their destination
keeping his word
He held himself whole and gave himself in, standing in between, until the bells tolled.
My name is Go, my nickname, really. My dad says it’s because I’ve always needed a push to get going. My mom says it’s because I’m ruled by a planet that isn’t visible. Well, it’s not invisible either. It’s actually close, but hard to see, close to the sun, that is.
My sister thinks that people brush it off with superficialities over and over. They take the easy way out, but it has a way of catching up to us, reminding us of his mystical side, his synchronicities and serendipity.
She says that he allows for a safe encounter with the gods, he who is one of the rulers of astrology, he who can reduce a god to a symbol. I mean, look what happened to Semele. Symbols are like a patina covering the gods.
“I thought he brought us messages from the gods, you know, the more powerful gods,” said my friend Shul. “I thought he was the safest one, on our side.”
“Wait till you hear this,” said my other friend Vin.
“What?”
“I was sitting on the porch yesterday, wondering what to do, when I suddenly knew what I had to do. I went inside to help my mom polish her silver.”
“No way!”
“Yes way, and listen to this. She set me up with a cloth and polish, and gave me a small statue of your god to begin with, believe it or not. She knows that I’ve always admired it, but let me tell you that the more I made it shine, the more I couldn’t see it. I told her that the reflection was hiding it from me, and she told me to give it a day or two to calm down. Keep it beside the onions in the kitchen, she said. They will help it tarnish faster. Skin oil also helps. Look, I brought it with me.”
“But that’s not-“
“It’s Thoth, his Egyptian counterpart, with the head of an ibis.”
“God of writing and hieroglyphs. And your symbols!”
“That’s pretty powerful.”
“I didn’t realise.”
“Can I see it?” said Ali, sitting beside us. “My mom has the exact same one, I think, but she never polishes it. She and my dad were polishing their silver yesterday, and I heard her say, Not the god, Stan.”
“Why not?”
“It’s his nature to be visible and invisible-“
“I told you he’s among us!”
“It’s his nature to be stealthy in plain view.”
“It’s how he got King Priam through enemy lines to see Achilles,” said Augustus. He wouldn’t let us call him Augie.
“We’re getting away from the main subject.”
“What’s the main subject?”
“How he allows for a safe encounter with the gods, between us and the gods, like taking the god of the thunderbolt and reducing him to a symbol. It’s like a patina that covers the god.”
“It sure makes it easier to look at,” said Vin, taking the statue back from Ali.
“Hmm,” said Augustus. “We have the same one and ours never grows dull.”
“You probably live in a sulfur free environment, Augie-“
“Onion free.”
“Please don’t call me that.”
“Chill, Augustus!”
“Maybe your parents use a special kind of polish, like a museum polish that prevents silver from tarnishing,” Ali told him
“I’ll ask them.”
“Okay,” said Vin, trying to get to a conclusion. “So there’s study in him, comprehension, maybe even formulas-“
“There’s mischief too,” said Shul. “Remember the first thing he ever did? He stole his brother’s cattle, made them walk backwards.”
“He made up for it, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he made peace with an exchange.”
“What about the Oracle?” said Ali. “She makes for safe encounters too, doesn’t she?”
“The Oracle. I forgot about the Oracle.”
“Yeah, but we don’t go to her to understand a god. We don’t go to her to comprehend something big and abstract.. We go to her for advice, and the advice she gives is- is-“
“Muddled, to say the least.”
“She needs an intermediary,” said Augustus.
“But she herself has to give in to channel. My god doesn’t ask us to give in or to channel. He asks that we make things more manageable.”
“Language certainly makes things more manageable.”
“Not always. Look what happened to the word Mrs. Mayrock told us about, the Japanese word. I can never remember it.”
“Mokusatsu.”
“I know I’m getting off topic here,” said Vin, “but there’s something I’ve always wondered about.”
“What?”
“What if the Japanese had accepted the terms and surrendered right away, would the atomic bomb still be untested? I mean on a city and on people, because that’s why they made it, right?”
“It would have been like a ticking bomb, waiting for the first opportunity to be tested.”
“Mokusatsu was the perfect opportunity because it didn’t make a choice,” said Shul. “It stood still and stillness asks to be broken, it asks for a push.”
“Now the reason they won’t use it is because it’s been tested,” said Ali. “Now it’s a symbol!”
“That’s different though.”
“Invent anything and it comes with a key waiting to be turned, so be careful what you invent. That’s what my dad says,” said Augustus.
“Doesn’t he hold a key?” said Shul reaching for the statue.
“He holds a caduceus.”
“But this looks like a key to me. Maybe it’s the key to study without taking the patina off.”
“But now we know that not all environments are conducive to keeping the patina on,” said Dave. “Take Augustus’ environment.” Dave had been trying to read his book.
“It’s not about the patina,” said Go. “That was just a comparison. It’s about reduction and making manageable. But obviously there are environments that put a barrier against reduction and making manageable, environments that aren’t conducive to making symbols.”
“Maybe they free us from symbols, prove them to be untrue-“
“False!”
“That’s a kind of reduction in itself, isn’t it? Reducing them to dust,” said Dave.
“I never noticed if ours has a key,” said Ali. “And I suddenly feel the urge to go check.”
“Me too, actually,” said Augustus.
They were all on their knees looking for the key in Ali’s living room.
“It must have dropped when your dad moved the statue yesterday. It was never glued like yours, Vin. It’s about a centimetre long and it looks like three or four staples stuck together.”
“I found it!” said Go.
“Thank goodness! Thank you,” said Ali’s mom taking it from him and putting it through the statue’s fist.
“What’s the key for, mom?”
“Simply put, to unlock. He can turn into smoke and go through keyholes, but we need to find the key, don’t we?”
“God of the crossroads,” said Stan surprising everyone. He’d been lying on the couch all this time. “He walks with us whichever path we choose to take. But there’s something the Greeks and the Romans forgot.”
“What?”
“One way or another, he is tied to the sun.”
“I think he’s holding a stapler this time,” said Augustus’ mom.
“What do you mean this time?”
“Well, you know how your dad and I take the collection to be polished every year- We have a collection of gods with animal heads. He’s the only one with a bird head- Anyhow, we take them every year to be polished, and Thoth returns holding something different each time.”
“Made of silver?”
“I think so.”
“What was he holding last time?”
“We think it was a papyrus scroll.”
“A papyrus scroll makes sense, not a stapler.”
“Ali’s is holding a bunch of staples. What’s yours really holding, Vin?”
“I guess it could be a stapler remover.”
“Who polishes your collection, mom?”
“The silversmith in Pico.”
“Have you ever asked him about it? What’s going on? What was was the statue holding orignially?”
“Nothing. Arms down, fists clenched, I didn’t even notice the hole through one of them. Next thing I know he comes back holding a tool. I thought it was a pencil, your father a screwdriver. I haven’t spoken to the owner about it because I know it isn’t him. It’s one of the people in his workshop and I don’t want to spoil the fun.”
“How do you know?”
“A curtain separates the front of the store from the workshop. I saw him pull it aside once to see my reaction, whether I’d say something or stay silent.”
“You stayed silent.”
“Mhm. The owner caught him looking and sent him back to work. Kemosabe, get back to work! I asked if Kemosabe had polished our collection and he said yes. Was I pleased? Very pleased. Then he told me about the polish they use and the coat of wax that protects silver from tarnishing, but only for a year or so. He said something interesting, he said the moment they put the wax on, a battle begins between the wax and the sulfides in the air, the sulfides looking for a weak spot to get in. So it’s important for the coat of wax to be even. And you know what?”
“What?”
“Ever since he said that, I hear the ongoing battle between the statues and the sulfides. Every time I walk by the collection, I feel it. My eyes don’t rest easy-“
“Have you considered omitting the wax?”
“Letting them tarnish naturally?”
“I am considering it now. Maybe I’ll go back to see if they can remove it.”
“I’m coming with you, mom.”
“I’d like to come too,” said Shul. “I’d like to meet Kemosabe.”
“I’d like to meet him too,” said Dave.
“Me too,” said Vin, “but I have to ask my parents.”
“So do I,” said Ali.
“There’s not enough room for all of you in the car,” said Augustus’ dad.
“Dad, where were you?”
“In the kitchen. I’ll drive your mom to the silversmith, but you can take the bus. The bus stop is right across from the shop.”
“Isn’t Pico where the pilgrim road begins?” said Go.
“That’s right. Why, Go? Are you thinking of walking the pilgrim road?”
“Ali’s mom told me she got the statue from a peddler on the pilgrim road.”
“So did we,” said Augustus’ dad.
“I’d like to get one.”
“I can’t believe I got stuck with six teenagers going on a field trip,” said Mitch. She was Go’s sister. “I feel like, what’s her name?”
“Miss Frizzle.”
“God!”
“Last stop!” said the bus driver.
“Okay, we’re here. Let’s get off. Where’s the shop?”
“Right there, across the street.”
They went inside and there was no one minding the front.
“Hello?”
“Let’s go to the back,” said Augustus pulling the curtain open.
They slipped inside and saw three work stations, but only one was occupied. The man occupying it was polishing a vase. He looked up and smiled, “Can I help you?”
“Kemosabe?”
“Yes?”
“My mom has a collection of silver gods with animal heads. She wanted to know if you could remove the wax covering them. The battle with the sulfides is hurting her eyes.”
“It would be unwise. Removing the wax would remove some of the silver. Tell her it’s best to wait for the wax to disintegrate on its own.” He pointed at their backpacks, “You seem to all be ready for the pilgrim road.”
“We are. Go here wants to buy a statue of Thoth. There’s a peddler on the road who sells them.”
“Readiness begins with understanding.”
“Understanding what?”
“That you are crossing a limit and not just going shopping.”
“Do you mean a sacred and profane type of limit?” Mitch asked him.
“More like the limit between a place of symbols and a place without them. Another example I like to use is, a place where staples fasten and a place that removes them.”
“Why do you like using that example?”
“Because I once walked the road holding a manuscript I wrote, the pages held tightly with multiple staples. I was going to ask the Oracle if it was good enough to publish, but before I got to her, a strong wind removed the staples and sent the pages flying.”
“How’s that possible?”
“What did you do?”
“I managed to catch a few and took those to the Oracle. She said- Well, she meant to say, Read them. So I sat down somewhere and read them and re-read them, and I ended up writing a new manuscript, a better one, I think.”
“Has it been published?”
“It will be, soon.”
“Funny thing is that you crossed the limit because of Thoth, god of writing and hieroglyphis and symbols, and we’re about to cross the limit because of him too,” said Dave.
“He’s the reason why,” said Vin pulling out his statue from his backback.
“Do you want me to polish it?” said Kemosabe. “I can have him ready by the time you come back.”
“No, thank you. I can see him better with the patina.”
“The patina can make you forget that he’s just as powerful as the other gods.”
“I’m not sure I want to go to a place where he loses his power of reduction,” said Mitch.
“Maybe he was in the wind that reduced my manuscript.”
“Op Hermes,” whispered Shul.
“I’m beginning to change my mind about this field trip,” said Ali.
“Then we better get started,” said Go.
“I want you to have this,” said Kemosabe taking a small piece of silver from a tray and giving it to Go.
“It’s a caduceus.”
“For your statue.”
“Thank you. You made it?”
Kemosabe nodded.
“Vin, you better put your statue away,” said Augustus pulling his out of his backpack. “I’ll hold mine. The stapler may come in handy.”
Kemosabe laughed, “Let me put some temporary glue on it so you don’t lose it.”
“There’s a magpie following us, have you noticed?
“Where?”
“In the trees.”
“They’re attracted to shiny objects, you know.”
“I don’t care. I’m not putting him away. I want everyone and everything to know that we walk with the symbol maker-“
“And a stapler.”
“Look ahead, so colourful. He’s selling fruits and vegetables like those old peddlers from China and Japan. They did more than sell their produce and wares back in those days, they also carried news from one village to the next.”
“All peddlers did that. Someone from Village A would ask him to tell so and so from Village B that a family member had given birth, or a family member was ill, come soon-“
“Oho!” said the peddler. “What do we have here? A group of young people. Young people never buy from me. They carry ready to eat, am I right? Oho! So you’re after silver, are you? You’re looking for the other peddler. You didn’t see him at the entrace? If I see him, I’ll tell him to wait for you. You’re heading to the Temple, aren’t you? Do you have your question ready? Make sure you word it well or the Oracle might give you the wrong answer,” he chuckled.
“Not really. We don’t have-“
“I have a question,” said Shul.
“You do?”
“Very good,” said the peddler. “Now’s your chance to tell your friends and word it well. So long!”
“I thought I’d ask about augury since we’re already here. What are my chances of becoming an augur.”
“What’s an augur?”
“Mrs Mayrock told us about them when we studied Ancient Rome, remember? They were the priests who interpreted signs sent by the gods. They didn’t look at symbols like astrologers do. They believed in undiluted experiences. They looked directly at nature and at the sky, at the flight of birds, and they interpreted what they saw as good or bad omens.”
“I’ll tell you now, Shul, that your chances of earning a living as an augur in this day and age aren’t very good,” said Mitch. “But you could become a political analyst, say, and study the patterns of the past, and you could weave augury in.”
“He’s the one who noticed the magpie,” said Ali. “How would you augur the magpie, Shul?”
“Not very good. I mean, Kemosabe warned us that this place doesn’t appreciate symbols or staples, and here’s Augustus ignoring the warning.”
“I’m protecting us,” said Augustus.
“He’s protecting us from undiluted experiences,” said Dave.
“Speaking of warnings,” said Go, “my mom and dad warned me, they warned Mitch and I never to-“
“Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap.“
“How would you augur that woodpecker? Look at him. He’s so handsome.”
“They warned us never to look at a woodpecker on the pilgrim road,” finsihed Go. “Avert your eyes, Ali. He’s the bird of the unnamable god-“
“The god of war!” said Vin. “It’s so tempting to say his name.”
“Don’t,” said Mitch. She stopped walking and everyone stopped with her. “We need to make a choice. Back to the entrance where the silver peddler hangs out or to the Temple.”
“You’re exactly half way,” said a woman walking with her sisters. “But the sun is setting and everyone’s getting together over there for the night. Can you see the smoke from the campfire?”
“I see it.”
“You should join.”
“We should put it to a vote,” said Mitch.
Shul, Vin and Dave wanted to go to the Temple. Augustus, Ali and Mitch didn’t. They waited for Go to make up his mind.
“We’re going,” he said, getting into his sleeping bag.”
“What took you so long?” Mitch asked him.
“I covered my ears and went to sit by the fire, then I uncovered them.”
“What was the first word you heard?” Shul asked him.
“Onions. Someone bought onions from the peddler to make soup.”
“I can’t believe how many stars are out tonight,” said Ali.
“I’ve been thinking about undiluted experiences,” said Dave. “We only make sense of them after we experience them.”
They fell asleep.
“We made it.”
“Look at the lineup.”
“It’s okay. We can take turns going to the washroom.”
“Where’s the washroom?”
“Over by the trees.”
They turned to look at the trees and in the trees was the magpie. She swooped down and flew straight at them-
“Watch out!”
and she took Augustus’ statue.
“How’s that possible!”
“She grabbed it by the stapler!”
“Where did she go!”
“Oho!” said the peddler. “I saw that! She took it from you, did she? She was eying it when I last saw you. Now, look at her, standing it up beside her-“
“Where?”
“On the branch of that tree, the magpie and the statue. But, what’s that, right below? A woodpecker climbing the tree, making his way up. He doesn’t look too happy. He’s probably jealous. Oh no, he’s turned to look at you! He probably blames you for the statue taking his place. We need to find you refuge.” He waved at the Attendant, “Attendant! These young people are in need of refuge! Urgently!”
The Attendant to the Temple of Op Pollo motioned them to come inside.
“Go, go!” said the peddler, directing them up the stairs and through the doors. “Good luck!”
The doors closed behind them and they took a moment to adjust to the dim light. It was quiet inside and there was an aroma, a scent that made it cozy.
“What is that smell? It’s woody and musky, and very nice,” said Mitch.
“It’s religious,” said Ali.
“Ah,” said the Attendant, “it’s probably a mixture of the frankincense and myrrh I burn and El Cristo’s perfume, patchouli and shavings of palosanto, I think.”
“El Cristo Negro?”
“Shh.”
“He’s here?”
“He’s legendary.”
“Yes, there’s trouble in a valley and he’s come to seek the advice of the Great Op Pollo. He doesn’t like me to interpret, so he’s in there, pacing up and down, trying to interpret the words of the Oracle himself. Now, how about you? Do you have a question for the Oracle or is it just refuge you seek?”
“I think we have a question,” said Go.
“I’ll let you think some more in the sitting room. Follow me.”
They followed him.
“Could we meet him?”
“Who?”
“The mercenary.”
“i don’t think now’s a good time. He’ll be leaving through the back door. You can actually see his horse through the sitting room window, over there.” They all went to look out the window. “When you see him ride off, it will be your turn.”
“Okay, everyone, we need to concentrate. Shul, are we still asking about augury?” said Mitch.
“We should ask about my statue, how to get it back,” said Augustus.
“I think we should ask about getting home safely,” said Ali.
“Ready?” The Attendant came to get them. “Who’s asking the question?”
“Me,” said Go, and the Attendant instructed him on how to address the Oracle.
“Greetings to the Oracle who speaks the words of the god Op Pollo.
“The silversmith Kemosabe told us that when we walk the pilgrm road, we leave behind a place of symbols and enter a place without them. We entered carrying a statue of the symbol maker for protection. It’s made of silver and a layer of wax prevents it from growing dull. On our way here, a magpie took it from us, and now the magpie and the statue are sitting on a branch of a tree outside the Temple. It seems that the statue has taken the place of a woodpecker and made him jealous and angry at us.
“Shul warned us about the magpie. Our original question had to do with him and augury, whether he had a chance of becoming an augur. Then the magpie took the statue, it is Augustus’ statue, and he wanted to ask you how to get it back. But we all agree that Ali’s question is the most important. How do we get home safely, considering the circumstances?”
The Oracle began to speak with a melodious voice, so soothing to the ears that it took them a while to realise that she was scrambling Go’s words. “Kemosabe walk the told we silversmith road when pilgrim us behind carrying to leave of wax…”
“Looks like Op Pollo is having a bit of fun,” whispered Dave.
“You think he’s playing?” whispered Ali.
“He’s making it a point that we left a place of symbols behind,” whispered Vin.
“I guess he has a sense of humour,” whispered Augustus.
When the Oracle closed her eyes, the Attendant made a sign and Go thanked her for her advice. Then they all followed the Attendant back to the sitting room.
“She says no harm will come to you on your way home. You can leave through the front doors, but just like she gives in in this place of no symbols, so must you.”
“Give in to what?”
“She didn’t specify.”
“What about the statue? Did she say anything about getting it back?”
“She said that when it grows dull, the magpie will drop it and take the woodpecker back.”
“But that could take a whole year!”
“Well, she said that you should have listened to the augur.”
Shul smiled and then lost his smile, “Isn’t that dangerous? To have a woodpecker angry at us for a whole year?”
“It could bring us trouble,” said Go.
“It may already have,” said the Attendant. “Where are you from?”
“Ink Valley. Our dad’s the king,” Go pointed at Mitch and himself.
“El Cristo was here because of your valley.”
“What happened!” said Mitch getting up.
“A tremor and an ink spill. One yesterday afternoon, I think, and one last night.”
“We need to go back. We need to explain.”
“What advice did the Oracle give El Cristo?”
“I didn’t hear. I was with you, remember?”
“We need to take possession of the statue-“
“We need a ladder-“
“Something to knock it down-“
“Be careful!” the Attendant called after them.
The statue was standing alone.
“She must have gone to get some food.”
“Now’s our chance.”
Dave who was the tallest took a rake and turned it around. With the handle of the rake, puck, he pushed the statue off the branch, and Augustus standing below caught it.
“Put it in your backpack, quick.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
They rushed away.
“Chuck chuck chuck!”
“She’s back.”
“CHUCK CHUCK CHUCK!”
“She noticed. We better run.”
Mitch looked back, “Man, she’s growing in size.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s getting bigger! Run faster!”
“Maybe we should play dead!”
“I don’t know!”
They kept running with the CHUCK CHUCK CHUCK closing in, and suddenly they lifted off-
“What’s happening!”
“We’ve been scooped!”
“We’re in a net of some sort!”
“Where is she!”
“There! Flying afer us!”
“Guys! Look at the hand holding the net! It’s- it’s-“
“Black and red! Avert your eyes!”
“HAHA! HAHA!”
“The god of war!”
“The mighty Op Maul!”
“Mitch! Behind me! There are two onions in the front pocket of my backpack! Take them out!” said Go.
“Where did you get onions!”
“From the soup people! Take them out! Anyone have a pocket knife!”
“Me!”
Go took the pocket knife from Vin’s backpack. He cut the onions in half.
“We’re so high up! Where’s he taking us!”
“HAHA! HAHA!”
“CHUCK CHUCK CHUCK!”
“Get the statue out of Augustus’ backpack! Careful, Ali! Don’t drop it! Here, rub it with the onion! Get the wax off!”
“Is it working!”
“It’s working! I think it’s working! Look!”
“Keep at it Ali! Here’s another half!
The chase continued, and when the magpie was a beak away, the god of war swung the net around and the statue went flying out of Ali’s hands.
“Oh no!”
The magpie caught it, looked at it, and dropped it back into the net.
“I got it!” said Augustus.
“Look! She’s turned around! She’s flying back!
“He’s lost his shine. He’s growing a patina!”
“Put it away, Augustus!”
The moment Augustus zipped his backpack, Op Maul swung the net up and they all went flying-
Aaaaah!
Help! Somebody help us!
Aaaaah!
Haha! Haha!
The mighty god caught them in his net one by one and swung it up again-
“Stop! Oh mighty god, please put us down!”
“We’re sorry!”
“She’s all yours now!”
“Haha! Haha!”
“Caw! Caw! Caw!”
“Crows, birds of the great Op Pollo.”
“That one’s not a crow.”
“No, it’s an ibis.”
The crows surrounded Op Maul’s net and the Ibis flew over them, and Op Maul brought the net down, gently to the ground.
African sacred ibis in flight by Eva Lechner
He gave it a tug or two to make them crawl out, and then vanished.
They found themselves lying on the ground where the pilgrim road begins and ends, at the limit.
“Was it a dream?”
“No,” said Go holding up the peel of onions.
Augustus unzipped his backpack and took out his statue, “I feel like I need to mark this moment somehow. I know how-“
“How?”
“Call me Augie from now on.”
“Oho!” said the peddler giving them a fright. “Oho, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said, putting down his carrying pole and sitting beside them. “I see you got your statue back, that’s good. It’s the same one the silver peddler left for you in one of my baskets.”
“Can I see it?” said Go standing up.
“You can help me find it.”
Go rummaged and found it tucked among the vegetables. He looked at it and held it to his chest, “My very own.”
Mitch got a hold of herself and stood up as well. “Thank you,” she said. “How much do we owe you please?” She took her backpack off her shoulders to get her wallet, and when he didn’t answer, she raised her eyes. “You’re shimmering.” she said reaching an arm out to touch him. “You’re breaking up,” she said touching nothing but air. She instinctively lowered her eyes. They all did.
“Op Shiva,” whispered Shul.
Japanese vegetable peddler by Kusakabe Kimbei
“Next stop, Ink!” said the bus driver. “The ink factory remains closed for tours. The king’s apologies.”
“Oh dear,” said the woman sitting next to Mitch. “They must still be having trouble with tremors.”
“You know about it?”
“I was there! I was taking a tour of the factory when all of a sudden, there was a tremor and a vat began to shake, spilling black ink all over the floor, and then the vat next to it started to shake, spilling red ink all over the floor. I thought it was part of the tour, to add some excitement, but the look on the tour guide’s face told me it wasn’t, and when I saw the design the colours made on the floor, I immediately called my nephew. He’s a friend of the king, you know. I told him to get on his horse and ride over to Ink Valley right away. Trouble, I said.”
“What was the design?”
“A mask with red and black stripes, marks of war, a symbol of the god of war. The king must have displeased him.”
“Ink!” said the bus drivier.
Red and black stripes by Holly Atkinson
They would have liked to run to the factory, but the woman, Pat, got off the bus with them and slowed the pace.
“I heard there was another tremor at midnight,” Pat continued. “This time the blue and yellow vats spilled ink and made a mask of contentment. I haven’t seen it, but a factory operator described it on the radio. He said it has infuriated the black and red vats and they’ve been shaking and spilling ink ever since. He thinks they’re trying to smudge it. Luckily the factory floors are covered with a spill proof film.”
Yellow leaves by Holly Atkinson
They saw their parents standing outside the factory with El Cristo.
“Mom!”
“Dad!”
“Aunty Pat!”
“What took you so long?”
“We decided to go see the Oracle.”
“I was there too. I must have missed you.”
“We saw you!”
“What did the Oracle say? About the tremors?”
“Take the wax off-“
“It made me think of the war between the wax on our statues and the sulfides,” said Augie’s mom. “So I asked the king if he had any silver statues in his factory-“
“Our bird collection over here,” said the king, pointing at his bird collection on the steps outside his factory.
“But they’re all growing a patina,” said Augie.
“That’s because we rubbed them with onions,” said Vin’s mom.
“We improvised and it worked,” said Vin’s dad.
“But it hasn’t stopped the tremors,” said the queen with a worried look on her face.
They sat on the steps to look at the birds, and Ali held one of them, “A woodpecker.”
“Hey there!”
They looked up and saw someone wave at them.
“Kemosabe!”
“What brings you here?”
“I polish the king’s collection this time of year. Why are they outside?”
“Long story,” said Dave.
“Could you polish the woodpecker first?” said Ali.
“Sure,” said kemosabe, setting up on the steps. “Do you want me to leave the wax off?”
“No, no, please do as you always do-“
“The whole works.”
“I’m going to take a look inside,” Go told Mitch and slipped away.
They gave him coveralls so that he wouldn’t be splattered with ink, and he went to see the vats. Two of them were shaking uncontrollably, black and red, but as he got closer, they grew calmer and the splatters became sprays, and when he reached them, they stopped shaking altogether. His place restored, the unnamable god wasn’t at war anymore.
Red swirls by Holly Atkinson
He then went to look for the mask of contentment that Pat had mentioned, to see if it was smudged. It wasn’t, but there was something in there- He leaned down to take a closer look, to look inside the eye that was open, and what he saw made him catch his breath and his heart pick up. Op Maul flying toward him, extending his arm holding the net- He fell backwards.
“Haha! Haha!”
He tried getting up but the ink made it slippery, and when he finally did, he was a mess.
He took the coveralls off and dropped them in a dustbin before leaving the factory.
“Go, we succeeded!”
“The tremors have stopped!”
“What happened to you?”
“I’m going home to shower,” he said.
“We’ll see you later. Everyone’s coming for dinner.”
He went home and into his room, closing the door behind him. He unzipped his backpack and took out the statue of Thoth, placing it on his desk. Then he reached into his pocket and took out the caduceus Kemosabe had given him. He carefully slid it through the hole in the fist. It fit perfectly.