Aquarius 20° (February 8)

Still dealing with some fall out. I have eight pages of draft to create. It will be a challenge but it is absolutely necessary.

Mercury is the streetwise god of the crossroads, the marketplace, the agora and those who inhabit it, his namesake merchants along with barkers, buskers, businessmen and beggars, as well as thieves, thugs, urchins, snake oilers and every kind of streetwalkers. Gemini man, with his ear to the ground, is thus occupied with all the hustle bustle of life, the stuff of immediate existence, cutting a path through life like an artful dodger winding his way through a crowded avenue, reveling in covert action and certain legerdemain. He is a celebrator of the experiential self, an operator and a manipulator. That word has its negative connotations of course, but it once again speaks to Gemini’s premier superpower—that of positive thinking—which is the highest form of manipulation in that it suggests that experience itself is malleable and can be directed by the determination of our thoughts, which like Mercury, have wings—along with the nerves and breath, the sign rules the arms and shoulders, the blades of which are called wings. For as long as we can remember we have linked the pattern of the Old Testament to that of the zodiac, the first sign of Aries, cardinal-fire, being big-bang Creation; Taurus, fixed-earth, being Eden; and Gemini duality characterizing the consciousness of opposites like good and evil upon biting, the Fall and expulsion into the wilderness, the Geminian urban jungle. But in recent years, too, we see the zodiac pattern applies, as well, to the New Testament story of Jesus and it is uncanny how they synch up: The star appears to shepherds watching their sheep (Aries, the Ram), and then the “adoration” happens in the manger, a cow trough (Taurus, the Bull) and then, next thing we know, Jesus is this rebellious young upstart, preaching on the streets, expelling the merchants, moneychangers and thieves (those under Mercury’s godhead) from the temple, challenging the corrupt establishment orthodoxy which is ripping off the poor, doing his best Robin Hood, to even the score, with some pretty gangster moves. 

Still dealing with some fall out. I have eight pages of draft to create

Mercury is the streetwise god of the crossroads, the marketplace, the agora and those who inhabit it, his namesake merchants along with barkers, buskers, businessmen and beggars, as well as thieves, thugs, urchins, snake oilers and every kind of streetwalkers. Gemini man, with his ear to the ground, is thus occupied with all the hustle bustle of life, the stuff of immediate existence, cutting a path through life like an artful dodger winding his way through a crowded avenue, reveling in covert action and certain legerdemain. He is a celebrator of the experiential self, an operator and a manipulator. That word has its negative connotations of course, but it once again speaks to Gemini’s premier superpower—that of positive thinking—which is the highest form of manipulation in that it suggests that experience itself is malleable and can be directed by the determination of our thoughts, which like Mercury, have wings—along with the nerves and breath, the sign rules the arms and shoulders, the blades of which are called wings. For as long as we can remember we have linked the pattern of the Old Testament to that of the zodiac, the first sign of Aries, cardinal-fire, being big-bang Creation; Taurus, fixed-earth, being Eden; and Gemini duality characterizing the consciousness of opposites like good and evil upon biting, the Fall and expulsion into the wilderness, the Geminian urban jungle. But in recent years, too, we see the zodiac pattern applies, as well, to the New Testament story of Jesus and it is uncanny how they synch up: The star appears to shepherds watching their sheep (Aries, the Ram), and then the “adoration” happens in the manger, a cow trough (Taurus, the Bull) and then, next thing we know, Jesus is this rebellious young upstart, preaching on the streets, expelling the merchants, moneychangers and thieves (those under Mercury’s godhead) from the temple, challenging the corrupt establishment orthodoxy which is ripping off the poor, doing his best Robin Hood, to even the score, with some pretty gangster moves. 

Gemini loves the world of the living, gravitating toward social hubs of activities, where a vibrant demonstration of life can distract him from what is a signature underlying loneliness (not to mention an intense fear of his own mortality, but we’ll get to that). At the root of Gemini not wanting to think too deeply, is that more underlying fact that he doesn’t want to feel things because he has a sneaking suspicion, and he might be right, that doing so might be too much for those infamously delicate nerves. And what is the best way to ward off feelings? For one, staying busy, and second, having others around to distract him from being forced to face them. Gemini likes to keep it light and keep it moving, (did we say for Taurus?) immersed in temporal activity; and yet he is more prone than most to subscribe to an eternal element of self—let’s call it a soul. He takes from various religions and philosophies that which they all share, tending not to fully subscribe to any one path (though he may pretend to do so). In love he is the least monogamist most philandering of fellows, forgiving what he might label human frailty, particularly in himself. He doesn’t linger on thoughts or doubts that might undo him—there is always something more cheering to alight on. A nod to his airborne archetype, the winged capped and footed Mercury, Gemini likewise wings it on his way through life, not one to become, what he might consider waylaid, in processes of preparation. He doesn’t aspire to higher and higher achievement in the course of his professional life—rather he seeks to reap fullest benefit for doing what comes most easily to him, which tends to fall under the larger heading of processing and proliferating his own personal observances. Gemini man is the master of the three-minute pop song, the elevator pitch, snappy patter, killer slogan or pithy pun. He is ephemera incarnate, living life to its fullest, like a mayfly on limited liberty. Truly owning the fact that we live on borrowed time, Gemini doesn’t become mired in guilt, doubt or regret. Each next moment provides a new opportunity to rewrite the proverbial headline. Being mercenary comes with his etymologically rooted Mercury rule, such that money-grubbing is just one of the ways he gets all he can from life. Lucrative deals are just human interaction with material pay off; another form of whistling in the graveyard and challenging the notion that you can’t take it with you. The management of people, too, is one of his greatest talents. If not the poet of the age, or the singer-songwriter with a string of top singles, we find Gemini at his happiest when heading some kind or other of a creative agency, the meaning of that word not being lost on this free-wheeling character. He revels in endless meetings and brainstorming sessions and in the fostering of a work family, forever blurring the lines between professional and private life. Seriously, of all the guys in the zodiac, Gemini is mostly likely to have what he will deem casual affairs with colleagues, employees or employers. Though the motto of the sign of Gemini is I think, it isn’t necessarily followed by the words it through. 

The following blocks of text are exceprts from my first year of  Blagues, nos. 1561-1565. I am reading through all of my Blagues, five per day, and posting some samples here. Now, in my sixth year of writing this Blague, by the time I get to my seventh, I will have journeyed through all the daily Blagues of my first five years. If that’s confusing I apologize. Year seven, I’ll only have to read through year six, once a day.

I was looking up Ezra Miller for obvious reasons; he is from my same home town of Wyckoff, New Jersey. And he is also quite the extraordinary being, if not only, in looks. I would be a liar if I didn’t admit that I would have given anything to look and have a body like Ezras when I was in my twenties. I probably wouldn’t need a sex coach like he does; or be as insecure. In fact, even with my squidgy little body I had way more confidence at that age than he does. Okay, well…I was going to say I take it back but I don’t. Imagine what an incredible person like me would have done with the amazing form he has. Oh this is stupid. I’m kidding for the most part. The thing is is he is lost in the cosmos as much, well, actually, more than I ever was at that age. And he has that terrible hanger-on who people seem to accept as valid. He is the worst charlatan on the planet. And no J.W. it is not because he isn’t white. That was one weird thing: I felt at various times that I had to defend myself against someone who was an invitee just like me. I’m not sure why exactly that she guns for me but she does. She went after me at dinner in NYC in regard to what kind of women I like and then she did it again on consecutive nights on vacation together. She said she was following me but she doesn’t. I know too many sort of famous people who think they are the cat’s meow. Really they just act like kitty litter.

Mercury retrograde in 1sthouse

Mercury’s energy is somewhat interiorized for me, manifesting in a reflective, subjective, contemplative manner. Being in my first house, I think it makes me self-critical (in Virgo yikes!) and self-conscious. I think I felt apprehension, tension in expressing who I was from an early age. Though I am “spritually” outgoing, I was not physically so in youth and therefore spent a lot of time alone, playing. And I didn’t even rely on toys. Rather I would draw people, cut them out and play with them. I could almost perfectly draw cartoons like the Flintstones who I would then move around a set, also of my own design. Having my own personal nearly living-breathing cartoon to play with. Solo, obsessive stuff like that. Conjunct Pluto intensifies this. I believe this placement makes me easily misunderstood. I have an unusual way of expressing myself. I internalize experience. Repressing information. I love the concept Erin Sullivan points to of the planet Mercury mirroring the god Hermes going from the surface world to the underworld as mirroring the communication between the conscious and unconscious which I think is a well worn path of information for me. I might repress information, and not express it. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not perfectly aware of what that information is. I understand the symbolic language of my own selfconscious. My dreams communicate to me. My “shining” first house abilities are surfacing as I mature—even those I studied as a child (like piano) I only  now “understand” how to play it (though I haven’t played it in nearly 30 years until I sat at one recently). Suddenly it clicks. The “information” is just now formulated and being articulated. I learn from going inward. I find connections to the external worlds through information that arises from inside me, not from information in books. I think this makes me a good predictor of trends…I can sense manifestation and then think to express it. My relationship to the world is one intrinsically designed, not adopted through learning. More on my Mercury retrograde is discussed below in exercise.

Jupiter retrograde in Aries in 6thhouse

My Jupiter retrograde definitely falls into the Sun-opposition category, rather than one of the trine aspects, as mentioned by Erin Sullivan. And this is meant to “collude” well with the Sun even when in this position. Ego inflation is meant to be a symptom of this configuration. There may be truth in that. What I relate to most from reading her is the sense of feeling restless or unsatisfied with my home background. And needing to branch out, even emigrate in hopes of finding my own “tribe”. I definitely am at odds with my family. I think I mentioned once that I picture my parents and sister as hurtling through time and space in some sort of cosmic construct or prison. And that I’ve always felt outside of that. If Jupiter and the Sun together explain my relationship with society then with Jupiter in the 8thhouse I might feel even more the outsider. I think that my Jupiter retrograde dictates a need to find my own way and place in society at large, separate from the world I come from. Indeed, I am cut off from the world of my origin, and through no fault or action of my own. I have rather been cast out in so many ways. The idea of Jupiter retrograde specifically in my 8thhouse is initially hard to get my brain around. I think of hidden assets, even hidden talents, the unconscious, other people’s money, mysteries and occult matters, the inner workings of things, sex, death, regeneration etc. (and it has been very helpful as of late, in reading Bil Tierney, to think of the 8thhouse in terms of being in the 3rdquadrant, therefore the most mundane “of the world” and the least personal area of the chart—because the 8thhouse can seem so personal (the sex and death bit especially) but it really is so much about other’s isn’t it. In this light, Jupiter in the 8thhouse, retrograde might simply translate to being less materially motivated, more focussed on inner growth, self-wisdom and expansion of philosophical and spiritually insights. Having a more “ponderous” Jupiter—you would think I wouldn’t like the sound of that but I do! I am so NOT materially minded, it’s not real. I never think about money except when being urgently flat broke necessitates action. But I am not materially hungry by any stretch of the imagination. I want to feel expansive within myself. I like knowing what I know, but I don’t feel a need to telegraph it to others. This placement in the 8thhouse seems like a good fit to me where I can thus explore philsophical mysteries. I have strong inner visions and I do even get messages in my sleep. I trust my self and my own abilities and aren’t as open to opportunities offered by other people as a result. I don’t trust people as much as I trust myself. And I am probably not as receptive to other peoples money as I could be—oh, boy: I would change this first and foremost. Not from a greed point of view, but because delegating could make my path easier. But I can’t help living by the old adage: if you want something done right you better do it yourself     ! Money mightn’t greatly manifest for me—oh well—but my vision of abundance is rather of an internal wealth of truth, beauty, principles, freedom, artistry, all the intangibles I suppose. My 8thhouse mightn’t appear lucky unless, as Tierney says, you dig deeper.

Saturn regrograde in Aquarius in 6thhouse

Well, I have to first address the most startling revelation here triggered by Erin Sullian who is brilliant by the way. The Sun-Saturn relationship as referring to father in her book has sent a shiver down my spine. Working the center and perifery of experience, signalling an absentee father who nontheless made himself the center of all experience nonetheless. I get a panic attack just thinking about him in this regard. Satellite and central star. Ugh. And thus, I am meant to feel alternately powerful and centered and then completely impotent as a result Pretty accurate.Strength and vulnerability. My Sun and Saturn are somewhere between trine and quincunx, but for purposes here more trine (right?) which is chacterized as having difficulty with being zapped of energy and having creativity being stymied. Hello “pre-creative” depression. And of course it’s in my sixth house. That means I get to experience this lovely feeling everyday. Jealous? On top of all this, it seems I can be meglomanical. Great. I’m not sure which trine I have as I can’t get my brain around that as yet. But the concept of quincunx is intriguing in this Sun-Saturn relationship as my penname/character Quinn Cox is based on this aspect and much of his mythos is taken from an upbringing riddled with father angst. Anxiety over being loved is definitely something I felt as a child. Daily life feeling like a chore—yes. Fear surrounding health issues—I’m a paranoid when it comes to diseases and won’t even go to doctors. Chiron in the 6thhouse as well opposed my ascendent must have something to do with this as well. The Saturn-myth interpretation of swallowing ones creativity definitely rings true in terms of never liking what I create. I am not at all accessed when it comes to exercise or daily routines. I am naturally healthy with my diet. But I have had my issues with cigarettes and alcohol. I can be extreme with habits. And self-destructive to some degree. Or rather I think I am because I’m hard on myself. Hard to tell.

 I may unconsciously construct a rigid construct for self protection based on fears, anxiety, lack of self-worth. I self-generate pressures and am much more vulnerable than I might appear. In short, I’m way too hard on myself. Instead of structuring my world externally, and in this case the 6thhouse points to routines, I do so to myself and guilt myself for not living up to expectations. Tierney is really bleak on this subject—wow: Oversensitive to perceived lack in oneself. Self-negating, self-denying, masochistic. One who can withstand stress without seeking to change the cause.Frustrated, resentful, easily intimidated. Blocked toward fulfilling own desires. Difficulty weilding power in a balanced manner. Feelings of incompetency. And then there is a bit of sunlight: Ability to face difficulties with detachment and insight. That’s something to look forward to. Otherwise, there is fear of not being accepted by the status quo, or not having creative works well received. I’d love to hear some good news on this if you have any?!

The one planet I have which changed direction as per Exercise 2c was Mercury. And I really do think that it has both intensity and significance in my chart, which the planet rules. Mercury’s placement is in my first house in retrograde (stationary direct)  just about at its station before going direct. All that which is associated with stationary direct seems to ring true in my case—as I am definitely over-anticipatory, anxious, hyper-expectant and urgent in my need to self-express. Indeed, I define myself in terms of how I communicate and yet I’m often self-conscious in my expression, sort of desperate to be understood, as I feel people don’t readily comprehend me, either in what I’m saying, or as a person, all together. I am a quck study. I typically don’t miss a trick, and I am rather gymnastical with my verbal skills. However, I do think that I see things rather differently than most people. And that I internalize much of what I could communicate, just because I feel it is a chore to explain my perceptions, and the mental connections my mind makes. I know what I mean. But it’s hard for me to tell others, easily or succinctly. People probably think I ramble. You may be thinking that right now. I also can’t stand anything hanging in the air—that urgency factor of stationary direct really hits home for me. I can’t abide dangling conversations. I must always clear the air. I over-analyse down to a nub. I used s in analyse instead of z because I think that’s how the english spell it. I am incredibly impatient. It really is something I need to work on. I am often too busy. I need to do everything now. If I think of a great idea, I must put it into motion. Never mind the fact I already have a full schedule. That plus being a libra to begin with which is already refracted, indeed prismatic, in its expression (cardinal air, to me, symbolically translates to “light” –apollo god of light, order, reason all those libran things—lucifer, the morning and evening star, venus, the prince as opposed to elias the king—not the blaring sun, but reflected light, light has seven colors in its spectrum, 7 notes to the scale…the scales) this all adds up to doing a lot of things a little bit which only, over time, can add up to anything “accomplished”.

 I like a lot of what Erin Sullivan has to say. I think that having a mercury retrograde, lending a subjective view, which is stationary direct, for me, means that I can’t help but constantly verbalize and otherwise express my inner connections with outer reality. I think and express myself abstractly and symbolically. I am a believer, and a willing participant, in synchronicity. I do think that reality is abstract and abstraction reality. I sense a paradoxical pattern of accident, and I am happy with that. I enjoy the serendipities of life and I am eager to express my subjective experiences with them. I look before I leap. I put that cart before the horse. And I do so gladly. Action does precede thought. It is rather seize the day, isn’t it? I’m ever willing to translate my “sensory perceptions into concepts.” I think people can find me fatiguing. Because, symbolically, my mind is just coming out of a rest (retrograde) and is thus refreshed, with ideas assimilated, and ready to speak itself. Lynne, for instance, has Mercury stationary retrograde also in first house, and is therefore not ready to receive my machine-gun ideas at any given point. Especially not over breakfast. The Epimethean vs. Promethean concepts are also very interesting. And I am definitely experimental in my attitudes. Yet, in this view of “promethean retrograde” I am experimental with caution. “Driving with the emergency brake on”—that’s a fantastic analogy. Excitement for the new combined with sense of restraint. I’ve always chalked that up to Libra. But perhaps my Mercury explains it better. (Funny too that I have always equated Prometheus with Libran energy anyway as he is the lightbringer, the way lucifer is—the bearer of the lightning stick, stolen from the father. Luke Skywalker—cardinal air, hello!—whose name means light moving across the sky. He gets his arm chopped off from trying to overthrow his father just as lucifer was cast into the pit and prometheus was bound and then de-immoralized. Mark Hamill who played Luke was a Libra. I love that tidbit.) You see, I don’t have a problem with reality reading symbolically. I don’t put much stock in introspection, but rather seek to bring about my accomplishments. I’m very ready, steady, go about things and figure I have what I need in the mental bank so to speak. And what I mightn’t have, I’ll wing it. A good Mercury phrase. Much beauty and genius can be had through improvisation, learning on ones feet, trial by fire, hitting the ground running and all such cliches that carry similar meanings.

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To view the original Sabian Symbol themed 2015 Cosmic Blague corresponding to this day: Flashback! The degree point of the Sabian Symbol may at times be one degree higher than the one listed here. The Blague portrays the starting degree of for this day ( 0°,  for instance), as I typically post in the morning, while the Sabian number corresponds to the end point (1°) of that same 0°-1° period. There are 360  degrees spread over 365/6 days per year—so they nearly, but not exactly, correlate.

Typos happen. I don’t have a proofreader. And I like to just write, post and go! Copyright 2020 Wheel Atelier Inc. All Rights Reserved. Get your HAUTE ASTROLOGY 2020 Weekly Horoscope ebooks by Starsky + Cox.