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The Prophet

This book had a profound influence on me when I read it during the 1970’s. In fact, I would go so far as to suggest that my spiritual poetry developed because of him. So, you can imagine that it came as a complete surprise to learn today that Kahlil Gibran was influenced by William Blake and Walt Whitman. Talk about coming full circle…

In fact, my second wife and I incorporated this quote into our wedding vows (July 15, 1978):

On Marriage
You were born together, and together you shall be forever more.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your
days.
Yes, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness.
And let the winds of heaven dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but each one of you be
alone–even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver
with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not in each other’s keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the Cyprus grow not in each other’s shadows.

Beautiful words, for sure.

So what do we really know about the man?

His Birth Chart

As always, other astrologers have looked at his birth chart, and their consensus is that he was born at 4 in the morning. The certitude for that time is missing, so I have rectified his chart. The timing is based on his falling in love with Mary Haskell at age 21, signified by the position of Venus @ 9º Sagittarius. The fact that Venus is conjunct the Moon and both are opposite his Gemini Rising makes this feel more authentic.

This illustration demonstrates how Blake influenced him

There are two inconjuncts, and they are both dependent on the timing, so if I’m wrong they won’t have any meaning for him. Shall we have a look?

Mars Inconjunct Ascendant

Th difficulty with this aspect is to find a balance between getting what you want in life and getting along with others. More than most people, you will have to learn the necessity of compromising to get along with people, especially because you often seem more aggressive than you are. While you are young, the need to compromise may be frustrating, because youth is a time when your needs seem especially urgent and demanding. At times you may feel that nothing is going your way, that you continually have to give in to others and put your own needs aside. However, it is not really this bad. You do not actually have to compromise any more than anyone else, but you are more reluctant to do so.

Uranus Inconjunct Midheaven

You need to express your thoughts and feelings, but you often upset the people around you with your words. You seem to enjoy creating a stir every time you say something, but this can get you into quite a bit of trouble with parents, teachers and authority figures. The underlying principle of this aspect is the need to balance your individual self-expression and manner of communicating with your need to learn and grow under the guidance of older people.

Certainly you will discover your own routes to what you want in life. Now you need to be given the confidence and encouragement to look for these routes on your own with total freedom.

The Final Word is His