Friday 30 January 2015
}Lounging With the Moon{
I do not want to be talking about myself here, except insofar as my experiences help you to see what is going on astrologically for all of us. That is the only reason I talk about myself.
And I prefer not to do it . . . but It is harder to write objectively "for everyone" while Mercury is retrograde, because we all get tangled and re-tangled in our personal concerns, tendencies, neuroses, confusions. That is going on, whether you realize it or not.
I see it in everyone, but more definitely in myself because I am aware of what is happening with me "internally," with others only "externally."
I emphasize all this because I have found that I myself need to remind myself, continuously, hourly, that we are in the Dark Hermetic Epoch and the most difficult part of it, Mercury Retrograde. And I have to remind myself that, no matter what the skeptics say, making fun of the whole thing, it is very solid and true and a clue, constantly, as to how to live during these times.
I saw this for the first time 36 years ago, and every time we enter this cycle I see it over again--as if I were rediscovering the whole phenomenon.
Some insights:
1. We can have bad timing at these times. Last night I bungled things so that I missed a wonderful opportunity which came up late at night--I declined the opportunity, and the reason was that I had mis-handled my timing of other things I needed to do and got behind. "Getting behind" in timing is a besetting sin during the Mercury Retrograde period.
2. At other times, we can forget about timing to our profit! I realize this sounds like doubletalk. But it's not. These are two prongs of the "timing" question during MR and the DHE: 1. Don't get behind too far. Don't procrastinate or fiddle or blow bubbles so much that you then have to struggle to catch up with needed routines. But also 2. Do allow yourself times to "just play it by ear" and have a blast, enjoy whatever happens, relax into "going with the flow" or whatever simile works for you, to recover your inner poise through spontaneity. This can happen wonderfully. It's when the Mole, when invited by the Rat (in Wind in the Willows), to go out boating, says he can't because of spring cleaning, and then finally says "Oh, hang spring cleaning!" and goes to have a delightful time with the Rat. There are times during MR when we should say, "Oh, hang this stupid job!" and go out for fun.
3. Balancing these two worries may seem impossible. "Oh, I need to get this done by 4 o'clock." Then a friend invites you to do something exciting. Do you take the advice of 1. above or the advice of 2.? Unfortunately, there are no answers! You could do a horary chart, if you are an astrologer--but are you going to say to your friend, "Oh, wait for five minutes while I do a chart to see if I should go with you"? Not likely, and the friend may disappear. You could shuffle the cards or throw a coin. You could pray--I am not making fun of prayer--and do whatever seems best. Not knowing what is best at a given moment is extremely hard to bear during these time, so we can only do our best. We have to "play it by ear" much more than usual.
4. "Time out of joint" is another problem, related to the previous three. You juggle your schedule because the usual schedule has too many problems or impossibilities. So your schedule is out of joint. I am writing this report, for example, before I do my regular morning routines, and I have not done that in many months. But it seems best today. I had to get these insights down while they were coming to me. (Then after starting, I heard the coffee maker, in the bathroom because my kitchen is still unavailable, making strange sounds, went in to see and found it was running over, because I had forgotten, apparently, that there was still some coffee in the pot from the day before. This does not happen to me except in a Dark Epoch . . . )
5. So, "enjoy the chaos" could be a good motto. And I know no way of doing that other than knowing about these cycles, which is why I write about them, endlessly, as if in a strange circling fever dream . . . because I am a serious phenomenological astrologer trying my best to help us all to cope with this strange dream . . .
Let me add that as I write the moon is void-of-course as it will be all day today. The above problems can be much harder to deal with while the moon is also void-of-course, and it is so quite a lot now because of the positions of the planets. Virtually all day Friday, which is right now as I write. That does not mean we can do nothing important or useful. I hope what I have just written is both. Thinking, pondering, reflecting can be excellent while the moon is void-of-course.
I just read, online, unexpectedly, an interview with Bob Dylan. He is an "old timer" in relation to the current music scene. During MR and DHE we are likely to be reviewing things more than usual, even getting involved in the past or someone else's past. And in the interview, Dylan talked about his deep appreciation of Frank Sinatra, so that he was "reviewing" or going into the past of popular music--one "old timer" reviewing an even earlier "old timer." I found all this interesting and useful.
I hope I can hear Dylan's new album of ten songs from earlier eras, golden classic songs he loves from those decades. Dylan loves Sinatra, but I wonder why no one ever mentions Frankie Laine and Dick Haymes? These were "crooners" from Sinatra's era who, in my view, equaled him in many of their performances. Listen to Dick Haymes singing "The Way you Look Tonight" and you will sense that no one, not Sinatra even, has done a better job on that song. It is my favorite version of that classic. But Peggy Lee's version is also very good. And has everyone completely forgotten Jo Stafford? She was very popular in the 1940s and early 50s and has a huge recorded ouvre. She is a no-nonsense singer, not jazzy or scatty but straightforward and wonderful. I wonder when she will enjoy the renaissance she deserves. All these singers are available on Spotify, which is so wonderful in preserving old classics.
There I go, way into the past----Mercury must be retrograde.
It is probably too late for me to help you get through Friday (January 30) but I will post this now in case it catches you mid-day and gives you helpful perspective while the moon is v-c.
And who was the pop singer from the '40s whose theme song was "Racing With the Moon"? Anybody know?
{Friday} {Lounging with the Moon}
Cosmic Piper
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