Old Sol and J. D.

[Friday's forecast was posted earlier, beneath this.]

In Memory of J. D. Salinger

Today, in orange lettering, I mentioned "old Sol," namely, the sun, ruler of the sign Leo. Later in the day I saw that J. D. Salinger had passed from this world. And, in the NYTimes obituary, we learn, concerning the Salinger children, that Their father, Sol, was a Jew, the son of a rabbi, but sufficiently assimilated that he made his living importing both cheese and ham.

If anybody says that was "just a coincidence" in my presence they will get something drastic from me---at least a scowl!

No, it was not just a coincidence. I have been an admirer of Salinger for long and love his writing. I am going to re-read The Catcher in the Rye very soon.

Oddly enough, I saw my copy of it floating around my apartment a couple weeks ago and thought, "I wonder how old Salinger is doing?" He is the kind of writer millions of readers would have loved to meet. Me too.

Sol as his father's name was no doubt an abbreviated Solomon, and yet the Latin Sol meaning the sun is the same name whether it is the same or not, that is, whether or not philologists think there is any connection between them. "Only connect . . . " said another great Capricorn novelist, E. M. Forster, in fact both were born on January 1 (different centuries).

I connect. Salinger was born in 1919, a double 19 year, and the Tarot card number 19 is---could you have guessed?---The Sun.

There was a reason I mentioned "old Sol" on the day of Salinger's death.

That card, the Sun, is extremely important in connection with Salinger, who idealized youth in a remarkable way in all his writing. The Sun card shows two pre-pubescent naked children holding hands, with old Sol smiling on them from above.

Blessed be J. D. Salinger! A remarkably wise man who loved and understood youth, as many Capricorn individuals can do.

Since he also loved and valued his privacy, I shall not go into a full-scale analysis of his horoscope at this point. I note, however, that the backward-moving Mars in Leo at present is at 10 Leo, while Mars in Salinger's birth-chart is at 9 Leo. This does not mean death! (it happens, for all of us, a little more than once every three years) but it indicates something fascinating about the time of Salinger's passing, namely, that his Holden Caulfield---nicely denoted by Mars in Leo since Mars is a male and Leo is perhaps the foremost sign of youth (with Aries)---(Capricorn understands and loves youth but is not young, even as a child)---is a paradigmatic young male, which is why The Catcher in the Rye remains an extremely popular book among young people (that includes me) the world over. In other words, J. D. passed from this world at a time when he could become Holden! He is now Holden: to Sol beholden.

May he rest indeed peacefully, and then have many more youthful adventures, to be recorded by him, no doubt, in a future lifetime.

Old Sol is smiling.

Cosmic Piper