The Fortunate Fish: Reflections on the 1st Quarter Moon, 15th December 2018

This month’s first quarter Moon makes an exact square to the Sun from the degree of 23 Pisces 27 on 15th December at 11:49 am GMT and occurring in the 28th Lunar Mansion, known in Arabic as “Batn al-Hut”: The Belly of the Fish. As might be expected from the last in the cycle, this Lunar Mansion carries with it associations with gathering-in of the harvest and reaping the results of work that has gone before.

The 9th century grimoire of astrological magic “Picatrix” incorporates references to the correspondences of Pisces, Venus (who is exalted in this sign, and Mars (who rules the decan most closely allied to this Mansion, when it says; “make images (talismans) to increase merchandise, besiege cities, increase harvests, to get rid of things and to destroy an area, to make treasures be lost, to travel safely by wagon and safely return, to cause peace and concord between man and wife, to make the incarceration of captives firm and to inflict evil on sailors on the sea”.

The primary image of this Mansion is a giant fish, swimming amongst a shoal of its smaller fellows, whilst fishermen cast their nets to harvest the abundance of the sea. The fish is a creature of the water from which all life springs (the symbol for Pisces is believed to have originated from the Babylonian zodiac, where the two fishes were associated with the goddesses Annunitum and Simmah, who symbolised the rivers Tigris and Euphrates), hence its association with material and spiritual sustenance. The name Annunitum is believed to have been closely associated with Ishtar, the Babylonian Venus. The 28th Mansion was originally marked by stars in the constellation Andromeda, which according to Ptolemy is of the nature of Venus. Additionally, Venus is exalted in this mansion (at 27 degrees Pisces) and is herself traditionally a bringer of love, wealth and the finer things in life. Her Hindu counterpart, Lakshmi, is the goddess of beauty, wealth and prosperity: In Hindu culture, a wife may traditionally be referred to as ‘the Lakshmi of the house’ and is considered to have the power to attract wealth and prosperity into the home.

In the Chinese practice of Feng Shui, fish are believed to bring wealth-luck – not to excess, but enough to live happily and without worry. A tank of goldfish or koi carp, (or an image depicting them) can often be seen in Chinese places of business to draw in prosperity.

Water is also symbolically the realm of mystery and spirituality; the Bible relates how Jesus by the lake of Gennesaret exhorted Simon, James and John to become ‘fishers of men’ (Luke 5:1), there is also reference to the miracle of the feeding of the multitude with five loaves and two fishes (Matthew 14:13) and the tale of Jonah who was swallowed by a giant fish and released only when he repented for reneging on the task set for him by God (Jonah 1:11): The themes of abundance, gratitude and the obligation to nourish the self and others, both materially and spiritually, are all contained within the 28th Lunar Mansion and also within the tarot card linked with the final decan of Pisces; the 10 of Cups.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn called the Ten of Cups “The Lord of Perfected Success”: Mars acting through Pisces supplies the will and drive to turn inspiration into reality. The famous Rider Waite Smith deck depicts a scene of domestic contentment overarched by a miraculous rainbow – combined images of material and spiritual happiness, and a message that we should not ignore one in favour of the other. There is a Buddhist tale of a giant fish who was so enamoured with the beauty of his wife that he failed to see the fisherman’s net until he had swum into it and was caught. His life was saved by an enlightened man who told him; “You foolish fish! If I had not seen you today, you would have been killed. Your blind desire was leading you to continued suffering. From now on, do not let yourself be trapped by your own desires!”.

By Louise Of Arabia www.louiseofarabia.com

Chart by Astrogold for mobile

Bibliography:

The Holy Bible (KJV)

The Mansions of the Moon (Christopher Warnock)

The Picatrix : Liber Atratus Edition (trans. John Michael Greer and Christopher Warnock)

The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology (Vivian E. Robson)

Tarot and Astrology (Corrine Kenner)

Parker’s Astrology (Julia and Derek Parker)

http://www.buddhanet.net

The Spirit Animals of Freda Kahlo

This Saturday, as the Sun transits her natal Venus, one of the world’s most iconic artists will again find herself in the spotlight when the V&A in London hosts an exhibition of the wardrobe and belongings of artist Frida Kahlo, many items of which have been locked away from public view for over 50 years.

Venus rules beauty in all forms, so it is appropriate that the exhibition will not only reference Kahlo’s paintings but also feature her clothing, jewellery and even items of makeup.

The Midheaven and 10th house give clues to the extent and form of our fame and public image. Frida Kahlo’s Midheaven at 23 Taurus 20 is ruled by Venus in the sign of the twins, appropriate for an artist with two dates of birth: A passionate political activist, she was born in 1907 but gave her year of birth as 1910, the year of the beginning of the Mexican Revolution.

In keeping with the communicative nature of Gemini, Frida’s paintings were a means to tell her own story; “They thought I was a Surrealist but I wasn’t. I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality.”

The dual nature of Venus in Gemini is present in her paintings and in her self-image. She refused to conform to traditional stereotypes and her self-portraits display the many facets of her complex personality. In some the artist is in traditional Mexican costume, in others clothed in the European fashion. Most striking are those in which the she appears as a boy, sporting the three-piece suit she famously wore for a family photo.

The duality of Venus in Gemini was also present in her romantic life. In the words of Dusty Springfield, she was ‘as capable of being swayed by a girl as by a boy’ and even while married to fellow artist Diego Riviera, had affairs with some of the most glamorous women of the age, including (it is said) the beautiful dancer, activist and agent of the French Resistance Josephine Baker.

Frida was fascinated with Mexico’s pre-Columbian cultures. Many of her paintings contain iconography related to Aztec beliefs and mythology. She and her husband even built a model of an Aztec temple in courtyard of their home (the ‘Blue House’ in Coyoacán) which can still be visited today. Many of the animals which appear in her self-portraits reference the Aztec and Mayan belief in the ‘nahual’; a spirit animal companion very similar to the concept of the daemon (a person’s ‘inner-self’ in animal form) which will be familiar to readers of Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ books. Unsurprisingly, the animal companions which appear in Frida’s paintings are all Geminian in nature; agile monkeys, talkative parrots, variegated butterflies and hummingbirds which were her constant companions, both in art and in life.

Natal chart of Frida Kahlo by Astrogold for Mobile 6 July 1907 from Astrodatabank (Rodden Rating AA)

Picture credits: 'Self portrait with Monkey' 1940 and 'Me and My Parrots' 1941 both by Frida Kahlo 

Astrology by Louise Of Arabia www.louiseofarabia.com

The Art of Parties: Salvador Dali’s Surrealist Cookbook

Chart set by AstroGold for GMT. Info from Astro-Databank Rodden Rating AA

Showman of the surreal Salvadore Dali was born with Sun in Taurus, a sign renowned for an appreciation of the finer things in life – including a love of fine dining. Dali claimed that he was drawn to the pleasures of cooking from an early age, saying that “Beauty should be edible – or not at all”: His dedication to the culinary arts bore typically exotic fruit when he published “Les Diners De Gala”; a lavish compilation of fantastical recipes dedicated to the wife he adored, featuring creations designed to challenge the skills and palate of the most adventurous cook. This is not a cookbook for the faint of heart: The lucky diner can look forward such delights as frog pasties, a modern take on the Chinese delicacy “Thousand Year-Old Eggs” and an eel-based triumph called “Conger of the Rising Sun”.

“The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant” – Salvador Dali

In Dali’s recipes, just as in his paintings and sculptures, crustaceans are a recurring motif. He was fascinated by the contrast between the soft innards of crabs and lobsters and their armour-like shells: The sign of Cancer (the crab) was rising at Dali’s birth, giving a nature and outward identity which is intuitive, empathic and very sensitive to the moods of others but also adept at hiding their own emotions behind a protective mask or ‘shell’. A powerful (often photographic) memory is one of the gifts of this sign, which Dali used to advantage when recalling the dreams which inspired many of his most famous works.

The shyness usually associated with a Phlegmatic/Sanguine temperament is not immediately obvious in Dali’s case; his great fame and the enduring popularity of his work is likely the result of the Moon’s placement in Aries on the 10th house cusp. The Moon on the Midheaven usually promises a life lived in the public eye, while attention-getting Aries shouts ‘look at me!’ The Moon shining a spotlight on Aries – key phrase ‘I am’, is also beautiful astrological shorthand for one of Dali’s most famous paintings “Metamorphosis of Narcissus’.

Nevertheless, there was a strongly spiritual and deeply contemplative side to Dali, shown by his fascination with the world of dreams, fantasy and the occult, never more evident than in the creation of his own Dali Tarot deck.

” Take me, I am the drug. Take me, I am the hallucinogenic” – Salvadore Dali

The Phlegmatic nature can often find intoxicants a powerful distraction, but Dali appears to have avoided this, once famously stating; “I don’t do drugs. I am drugs”. The Phlegmatic/Sanguine type is highly adaptable but needs to work on maintaining focus and direction Harmonious relationships are highly important to the happiness of the Phlegmatic/Sanguine; many of his most famous pieces were produced following his meeting with his muse and future wife, Gala. Nine years his senior (Capricorn on the 7th house cusp can often indicate an older partner , Gala took charge of the day-to day management of his life, providing him with the tranquil and structured environment he needed to produce his best work. So important was his marriage, that Dali often acknowldged its significance by signing his artwork with both his and Gala’s names..

“Repulsion is the sentry that guards the gate to all that we most desire” – Salvadore Dali

Closely conjunct Mercury (Rx) and disposited by the Moon, Mars is Dali’s significator of manners; the planet through which the temperament expresses itself. Mars in Taurus, the sign of his detriment, bestows a stubborn and uncompromising streak; volatile and confrontational when crossed or when jealous feelings are aroused. Mars is in the sign of Venus, Lady of the Geniture (most dignified planet in the chart); these two planets working together contribute a deep sensuality and significant erotic drive to Dali’s nature and his work.

Mars is exactly conjunct Algol; the brightest star in the severed head of the Gorgon Medusa. As John Frawley writes in his article on Fixed Stars in issue 22 of ‘The Astrologer’s Apprentice’ (www.johnfrawley.com); Algol is a warning against the potentially dangerous consequences of untrammeled desire; ”Medusa can be read as the seduction of desire for all the things of the material world” which kills the soul, reducing it to stone. However, significant artistic achievement is possible when Algol’s powerful desire nature is channeled creatively. From Medusa’s blood sprang Pegasus, whose “wings allow him to aspire towards the heavens”; the symbol of aspiration born from desire and “the Hippocrene from which poets draw their inspiration”.

Mars is disposited by Venus, goddess of the arts, dignified in her own sign in the 10th, allowing Dali to positively channel the influence of Mars and Algol into works of art which fascinate us even as they speak to our hidden fears and desires.The fixed star Algol is also linked to intoxication; both the name Algol and the word alcohol are thought to be are derived from the same root, the Arabic “Ra’s al Ghul” (the demon’s head).

Which brings us back to the pages of “Les Diners De Gala”, and Dali’s recommended ‘remedy for sobriety’; the “Casanova Cocktail”: A heady potion not for the fainthearted,  as a birthday toast to Dali there can surely be no better choice.

CASANOVA COCKTAIL

The juice of 1 orange

1 tablespoon bitters (Campari)

1 teaspoon ginger

4 tablespoons brandy

2 tablespoons old brandy (Vielle Cure)

1 pinch Cayenne pepper

“This is quite appropriate when circumstances such as exhaustion, overwork or simply excess of sobriety are calling for a pick-me-up. Here is a well-tested recipe to fit the bill. Let us stress another advantage of this particular pep-up concoction is that one doesn’t have to make the sour face that usually accompanies the absorption of a remedy. At the bottom of a glass, combine pepper and ginger. Pour the bitters on top, then brandy and “Vielle Cure.” Refrigerate or even put in the freezer. Thirty minutes later, remove from the freezer and stir the juice of the orange into the chilled glass.

Drink… and wait for the effect.

It is rather speedy.”

By LouiseOfArabia www.louiseofarabia

Title inspired (with thanks) to Sylvian, Karn, Jansen and Barbieri