Gemini 2° (May 22)

I am still in a blackout, that is to say that the original entries, here, got lost or I never wrote anything to begin with. And will be if not many moons than a couple before I start writing in real time what actually happened on this day besides what I ate: Linguine Bolognese

In eastern form, the divine archetype for Virgo man is Ganesh, another blessed abomination. He is referred to by scholars as “the god of the Everyman,” who plays a special interceding role to humanity. His festival day falling in Virgo season, late August to early September, he is “remover of obstacles,” which, again, points to alchemical transmutation, “getting the lead out, so to rid the current state of affairs of baser elements and thus achieve a more purified state. (It’s not so much that the sign of the Virgin signifies purity, but that she is holding what is called the spica (spike), which, whether a seeded phallic symbol or an alimentary one, is going to be transmuted, whether through gestation or digestion.) The divine monstrous, Ganesh has an elephant head and typically four arms, in one of which he holds one of his broken tusks—disability, on theme. Beyond literal digestion, the symbolism here points to the human conscience the development of which is synonymous with spiritual elevation. Just as the digestive system, metes out nutrient from detritus, the human conscience likewise functions. Uncoincidentally the abdomen and digestive system is ruled by Virgo, along with the spleen which fights germs in the blood. The debilitated, humbled image of that all these deities share is the source of their godhead, which is contingent upon “giving back,” to humanity. (The demigod Prometheus is thus in this mix.) Indeed, the divine mutable-earth (read: making substantial change) energy of the sign is hinged on the dynamic of give-and-take synonymous with the conscience. Mercury is god of the crossroads which, in its rule of Gemini, is literally about the exchange of ideas, social intersection, and the marketplace. Here we are speaking about the moral crossroads of said conscience. As a god of intercession, Ganesh heeds humanity through chants. The Om and the Hum are derivative of what scholars identify as the Hu, arguably the most ancient name for god; the vibration of Hu is meant to elevate spirituality, removing baser human elements and courting the more divine. I don’t know if Dr. Seuss had this consciously in mind, but I don’t think Horton Hears an Om quite rolls off the tongue. Virgo man is cosmically designed to heed what ails the world and its people and, at his best, he will divine ways and means of diagnosing and curing ills in his purview. He is also prone to a certain savior complex, especially when targeted at specific individuals, especially would-be love objects, playing Svengali. He is the elephant in the room in that his sharp analysis of people, places and things leads him to make accurate assumptions that escape the notice of others. 

Typos happen. I don’t have a proofreader. And I like to just write, post and go! Copyright 2022 Wheel Atelier Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Gemini 0° (May 21)

I am still in a blackout, that is to say that the original entries, here, got lost or I never wrote anything to begin with. And will be if not many moons than a couple before I start writing in real time what actually happened on this day besides what I ate.Linguine w/ Clams,

If the previous sign of Leo is all about the lion’s pride then the all-too-human sign of Virgo is powered by humility, which, as we circle round the upward spiral of the zodiac, each sign building on the last, is arguably, potentially stronger than pride.  Let’s revisit the cosmic rulership of Virgo: in astrology the “disabled” planet Chiron is “the wounded healer” fittingly named for a miscreant centaur-like god with human front legs (actually unrelated to those famed savage sages), who was shot by a poison arrow. His condition was incurable but, being divine, he could not die; and yet, or so, we see him emerge as the greatest healer in all mythology. Let’s look to at planet Vulcan, the Roman namesake of the literally lame Greek god of the forge, Hephaestus, a smith and a potter, a nod to Virgo’s mutable-earth status, who despite his own disability, you might say, found healing in making functional tools and weaponry for the gods and men alike. The sign of Virgo begins on August 23, which is the festival Vulcanalia dedicated to him. Now take the namesake god Mercury, whose staff wound by two serpents, called the Caduceus, is the modern symbol of the medical profession. Mercury points to two kinds of magic: Where his assignation as the trickster god suits his namesake planet’s rule over the tricky sleight of hand brand that suits the  mutable-air sign of Gemini’s mercurial, prankish nature, the more substantial form of alchemy fits the Virgo’s mutable-earth sign. All three gods are alchemists. Mercury’s Greek name is Hermes from which we get both the words hermit and the hermetic, which itself as the dual meaning of a) “complete and airtight,” warding off contamination and disease; and b) an ancient occult tradition of combined alchemy, astrology and theosophy. Alchemists are wizards of sorts working solo, often in secret, whether it be Doctor Faustus ( a name arguably derived from Hephaestus), Batman or Gandalf the Grey (the color associated with the sign of Virgo). Another fun fact: Just as we see Gandalf go through his own alchemical change into the victorious Gandalf the White, DeWitt also means “of the white” which points to the fact that he is the ultimate good guy in the end, the only one to bring down the main eponymous protagonist in All About Eve. And, while we are at it, the name Addison translates to “son of the ground”, hello Virgo the earth sign, or “son of man” which befits Virgo man’s status as the Everyman of the zodiac and his focus on improving the real and metaphoric human condition. Let’s not forget that that the damaged Bruce Wayne transmuted into Batman has no superpower other than his own very human ingenuity and still he ends up kicking Superman’s supposedly omnipotent butt.

Typos happen. I don’t have a proofreader. And I like to just write, post and go! Copyright 2022 Wheel Atelier Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Taurus 29° (May 20)

I am still in a blackout, that is to say that the original entries, here, got lost or I never wrote anything to begin with. And will be if not many moons than a couple before I start writing in real time what actually happened on this day besides what I ate: Yoghurt Berries then Calamari, Linguine Bolognese.

And I can take it one better: If women of the sign draw most on flightless birds, the Virgo man inversely draws on that of flying mammals, namely, bats. Talk about finding a niche, the bat is the only non-bird animal to truly fly. As I’ve divined, and stated in previous books, Batman is a modern day Virgo archetype that fits him to a tee and provides him practicable examples in the development of his character. I will elaborate on this theme as the narrative unfolds:             For starters, I have long mused that Virgo performs infamous disappearance acts, dropping out of touch with friends and family, sometimes for years, or permanently. As personally as one is prone to take this, it is always about him and not about you. (As loath as you are to hear this, Virgo, you know it’s true.) Virgo man doesn’t really, fully want to be known because he doesn’t feel it is truly possible to be. He believes the human condition is hinged on solitude, being born alone and dying alone, and, on some level, that the in between time shouldn’t be any different. One doesn’t think of the proverbial critic, like DeWitt, having many friends. In the Tarot, the Hermit card is associated with Virgo,. The critic, like the hermit, literally works behind the scenes. And in astrology, the sign of Virgo rules the sixth astrological house of habits, work, duty, behavior and the daily experience. If we deepen the routine of quotidian existence it becomes ritual; and life therefore becomes in itself a devotion. Virgo’s mottos are I work and I serve. To the Virgo mind: You are what you do. And a worthwhile life should be a dedicated life; and others, by and large, can be a distraction from whatever form of consecration Virgo’s life takes on. He is designed to be fully functioning human whose prime goal is to contribute to the common good, the paradox being that he often does this best by solitary means. In Sextrology I titled Virgo man’s chapter The Vehicle as he is designed to be a catalyst, that unseen puppet master pulling the strings, and to take it up a notch, even something of a vigilante. Cue that bat signal, Bruce Wayne’s secret identity as the caped crusader is hinged on “alchemically” transmuting his personal trauma and loss, having witnessed his parents being murdered by a random criminal (upon exiting a theater I might add) into fighting crime universally. His fear too is transmuted as the young Bruce Wayne was pathologically afraid of bats, which in adulthood become emblematic of his superheroism. Likewise Virgo man’s signature doubting, his skepticism, and his corresponding feelings of disappointment or deficit, are sources of fuel for creating a better life for himself. 

Typos happen. I don’t have a proofreader. And I like to just write, post and go! Copyright 2022 Wheel Atelier Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Taurus 28° (May 19)

I am still in a blackout, that is to say that the original entries, here, got lost or I never wrote anything to begin with And will be if not many moons than a couple before I start writing in real time what actually happened on this day besides what I ate: Pork Chop + Polenta from Terra Luna.

He is astrology’s Addison DeWitt (the theater critic character from All About Eve), who can wield double-edged power with his at turns careful and caustic assessments of others and their works. I prescribe ways for him channel his astute opinions into making rather than breaking people and situations in his sights. Like DeWitt, Virgo can be a powerful puppet master. While some say the sign is ruled by disabled Chiron, once a planet that was pummeled by asteroids, or the as-yet undiscovered Vulcan suspected to be orbiting between Mercury and the Sun, the traditional ruler of Virgo is Mercury, named for the winged god, which rules Gemini also. But it is this element of uncertainty about his planetary parentage that is most telling. Virgo lives by the power of the question mark—nothing for him is ever written in stone. He is infamously noncommittal, keeping his options open and others guessing. If we consider Mercury’s rule: In the mutable-air sign of Gemini, all manner of breeze-born birds and insect have emblematic impact; while in the mutable-earth sign of Virgo, we are symbolically grounded in the more terrestrial species, the gangly strutting storks and cranes, and the flightless emus, ostriches and other such big birds. Flightlessness in birds isn’t actually a disability, but a mark of evolution. It signifies filling/finding a niche in an environment where there is no competition or danger from earthbound predators. It is symptomatic of certain safety. These types of birds have lost flight. In my philosophy, however, it is the Virgo woman who primarily draws on these gawky, grounded birds, metaphysically and even in appearance. Metaphorically, it is somewhat telling about the Virgo male, too, as he is all about finding his own solitary niche, for sure, and being, of all the males in the Zodiac, the least fond of competition, which can make him anxious in the extreme. He opts instead to carve out an existence for himself where he isn’t open to comparison or censure. (As a Virgo friend of mine, the folk performance artist Taylor Mac has been quoted as saying:  “comparison is violence”). Virgo isn’t comfortable under others’ authority. He is an isolationist and thrives, most, in that mode, both professionally and privately. And I can take it one better:

Typos happen. I don’t have a proofreader. And I like to just write, post and go! Copyright 2022 Wheel Atelier Inc. All Rights Reserved.