On this day in 1860: The Pony Express mail service makes its first run between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California.
This mail service only lasted 18 months, but it lives on as a memory of the Old West, no doubt perpetuated by thousands of westerns. I’m curious about what its ‘event’ chart looks like.
April 3, 1860 was a Tuesday. That is why I have chosen 7:15 PM as the time, although the July 1, 1861 poster shows Wednesday and Saturday @ 11:00 PM as setting off times, while suggesting these are new times. I’m sticking with the way I originally raised the chart (and it is confirmed on Wikipedia):
St. Joseph Mayor M. Jeff Thompson, William H. Russell, and Alexander Majors gave speeches before the mochila was handed off. The ride began at about 7:15 pm. The St. Joseph Gazette was the only newspaper included in the bag.
So, with the accuracy of the timing confirmed, here are the inconjuncts that show up: one Yod pointing at the Ascendant; and one inconjunct between Mars and Uranus.
Venus Inconjunct Ascendant
You should realize that others will respect you if you stand up for yourself and ask for a reasonable return in a relationship. If you constantly seem to be apologizing for who and what you are, people begin to wonder if they have overlooked something that is wrong with you, and they begin to lose confidence in you. Thus you may bring about the criticism that you are afraid of. You are as good and as worthy of being loved as anyone. Be yourself with others, and many people will love you.
Neptune Inconjunct Ascendant
This aspect can be a sign that you feel you must give way to others in order to get along with them. This can take two forms, both of which will be difficult to handle while you are young. The less positive form is simply yielding to all outside pressure and always giving in to others’ desires. This will produce unconscious feelings of resentment that you can’t express, but that make your relationships with others rather difficult.
But the other, more positive, way of dealing with this energy is by giving freely before others try to take it from you. In the highest expression of this aspect, what you gain for yourself will not mean as much as what you gain for others, which is the effect you should work for.
Mars Inconjunct Uranus
You have a tendency to be rash and impulsive, which may get in your way. If matters proceed too slowly, you are likely to make a sudden move that upsets the whole situation and forces you to start over again. You must learn to be patient if you want to achieve your objectives.
The energy may also be expressed as a hot temper, especially when you have to endure restriction or limitation. You have a rebellious streak that needs to be disciplined, because everyone has to endure some restrictions, and it takes so little to trigger your temper.
We’ve come a long way in 162 years. Overseas airmail takes about the same 10 days, but email allows us to deliver our message in about 10 seconds. Now that the real Pony Express!
On Thursday, Ian, from our Faith and Science group, sent us all a link to a Goodreads post about this book. I recognized the title instantly, since it has been sitting in my library, unread, for a couple of years. I started reading it yesterday. Oh, boy…
Over the years, I’ve shared with you on these pages that I am a Gnostic Christian. That puts me in a very precarious position. Either Jesus is a real person, or he’s not. So, the question is, can I have it both ways?
Blurb from the Back Cover:
Why were the teachings of the original Christians brutally suppressed by the Roman Church?
* Because they portray Jesus and Mary Magdelene as mythic figures based on the Pagan Godman and Goddess
* Because they show that the gospel story is a spiritual allegory encapsulating a profound philosophy that leads to mythical enlightenment
* Because they have the power to turn the world inside out and transform life into an exploration of consciousness
Drawing on modern scholarship, the authors of the international bestseller The Jesus Mysteries decode the secret teachings of the original Christians for the first time in almost two millennia and theorize about who the original Christians really were and what they actually taught. In addition, the book explores the many myths about Jesus and the Goddess and unlocks the lost secret teachings of Christian mysticism, which promise happiness and immortality to those who attain the state of Gnosis, or enlightenment. This daring and controversial book recovers the ancient wisdom of the original Christians and demonstrates its relevance to us today.
Jesus and the Lost Goddess
One Small Illustration
At the bottom of page 15
I’ve written about the initiations before in the context of “The Star of Bethlehem”. Perhaps, I knew more at the time of my book manuscript’s writing in 1996 than I was consciously aware of. Such is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Moses (and Joshua) in Exodus are being ‘echoed’ in the New Testament Gospels as Jeshua (Jesus).
In Hebrew the name Joshua/Jesus is written with the letters Yod Heh Shin Vah Heh. The letters Yod Heh Vah Heh, known as the Tetragrammaton, were extremely significant to Jewish Gnostics, as they were used to signify the unpronounceable name of God, usually rendered today with added vowels as either Jehovah or Yahweh. As Philo explains, when the middle letter Shin, known as the Holy Letter, is added, the name means ‘Saviour of the Lord’.
Ibid (page 14)
The basic structure of the Exodus allegory, representing the fundamental stages of Gnostic initiation, is the framework upon which the Jesus myth was constructed. The first stage of initiation is one of purification and struggle. In the Exodus myth this is the crossing of the Red Sea, which inaugurates 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. In the Jesus story, this stage is represented by Jesus’ baptism, followed by his 40 days in the wilderness. The nest stage in the process of initiation is the ‘death’ of the old self which precipitates Gnosis. This is represented in the Exodus myth by the death of Moses and in the Jesus myth by the death of Jesus on the cross. The experience of Gnosis is represented in Exodus by Jesus [Joshua] crossing to the Promised Land and in the New Testament by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and ascension to Heaven.
On a whim, we watched this film on Netflix last night. In some ways, I wish we hadn’t. It makes depressing viewing, but it is informative as to how to take on a manufacturing giant with a class-action lawsuit.
Plot
Robert Bilott is a corporate defense lawyer from Cincinnati, Ohio working for law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister. Farmer Wilbur Tennant, who knows Robert’s grandmother, asks Robert to investigate a number of unexplained animal deaths in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Tennant connects the deaths to the chemical manufacturing corporation DuPont, and gives Robert a large case of videotapes.
Robert visits the Tennants’ farm, where he learns that 190 cows have died with unusual medical conditions such as bloated organs, blackened teeth, and tumors. DuPont attorney Phil Donnelly tells him he is not aware of the case but will help out in any way he can. Robert files a small suit so he can gain information through legal discovery of the chemicals dumped on the site. When he finds nothing useful in the EPA report, he realizes the chemicals might not be regulated by the EPA.
Robert confronts Phil at an industry event, leading to an angry exchange. DuPont sends Robert hundreds of boxes, hoping to bury the evidence. Robert finds numerous references to PFOA, a chemical with no references in any medical textbook. He then discovers that PFOA is perfluorooctanoic acid, used to manufacture Teflon, used in American homes for nonstick frying pans and carpet flooring. DuPont has been running tests of the effect of PFOA for decades, finding that it causes cancer and birth defects, but did not make the findings public. They dumped thousands of tons of toxic sludge in a landfill next to Tennant’s farm. PFOA and similar compounds are forever chemicals, chemicals that do not leave the blood stream and slowly accumulate.
Tennant has been shunned by his local community for suing their biggest employer. Robert encourages him to accept DuPont’s settlement, but he refuses, wanting justice. He and his wife both have cancer. Robert sends the DuPont evidence to the EPA and United States Department of Justice, among others. The EPA fines DuPont $16.5 million.
Robert, however, is not satisfied; he realizes the residents of Parkersburg will suffer the effects of the PFOA for the rest of their lives. He seeks medical monitoring for all residents of Parkersburg in one large class-action lawsuit. However, DuPont sends a letter notifying residents of the presence of PFOA, thus starting the statute of limitations running, giving any further legal action only a month to begin.
Since PFOA is not regulated, Robert’s team argues that the corporation is liable, as the amount in the water was higher than the one part per billion deemed safe by DuPont’s internal documents. In court, DuPont claims that the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has found that 150 parts per billion is safe. The locals protest and the story becomes national news. DuPont agrees to settle for benefits valued at over $300 million. As DuPont is only required to carry out medical monitoring if scientists prove that PFOA causes the ailments, an independent scientific review is set up. To get data for it, Robert’s team tells locals they can get their settlement money after donating blood. Nearly 70,000 people donate to the study.
Seven years pass with no result from the study. Tennant dies and Robert becomes destitute following several pay cuts, straining his marriage. When Supervising Partner Tom Terp tells him he needs to take another pay cut, Robert collapses, shaking. Doctors tell Sarah he suffered an ischemia, brought on by stress. She tells Tom to stop making Robert feel like a failure, since he is doing something for people who need help.
The scientific panel contacts Robert and tells him that PFOA has been linked to two cancers and four other diseases. At dinner with his family, he is informed that DuPont is reneging on the entire agreement. Robert has to take each defendant’s case to DuPont, one at a time. He wins the first three cases with multimillion-dollar settlements, and DuPont settles the remaining more than 3,500 disease cases for $671 million.
The use of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” at the beginning was inspired. It made me stay with the film. The song is the best bit.
So, the warning is this: if you had a Teflon frying pan in the 1980’s, you may have been been poisoned, too. Such was the corporate greed of an American icon that it didn’t admit to anything until it finally came unstuck.
Hans Christian Andersen (April 2, 1805 – August 4, 1875)
1869
Today is his 217th birthday. And I never thought to do his birth and death charts before. Silly me.
This time is based on his birth certificate, so it is considered ‘excellent’. When I initially raised his birth chart, the randomization showed a Yod pointing at Saturn from Pluto and the Moon. At 1 am, the inconjunct to the Moon is missing, but only by a very short measure (1°). Perhaps a slightly later time would have yielded the same thing. However, I am not going to contradict the Danish authorities, am I?
Venus Inconjunct Midheaven
You have a strong need to be loved and to love others as well, but this may create some problems in your life. You are afraid that if you appear to others as you really are, they won’t accept you. This problem can be corrected only by the most careful upbringing, such that your parents correct your behavior in ways that help you feel self-confident rather than undeserving and unworthy.
Saturn Inconjunct Pluto
Even under favorable circumstances, this aspect usually means that you are resistant to change, that you hold on to any situation, no matter how bad, until it is totally intolerable. Then when change does take place, it has to create a revolution and a total breakdown of everything that came before it. You must learn to adapt to circumstances a bit more gracefully and not be afraid of occasional compromise.
This aspect usually does mean that you are tough and can contend with a great deal of adversity, but don’t develop an attitude that makes adversity inevitable.
You may find it difficult to get along with others, because you are unnecessarily afraid of what they want from you. Learn to associate only with people whom you can trust.
The Ugly Duckling (a self-portrait)
When the story begins, a mother duck’s eggs hatch. One of the little birds is perceived by the other birds and animals on the farm as an ugly little creature and suffers much verbal and physical abuse from them. He wanders sadly from the barnyard and lives with wild ducks and geese until hunters slaughter the flocks. He finds a home with an old woman, but her cat and hen tease and taunt him mercilessly, and once again he sets off alone.
The duckling sees a flock of migrating wild swans. He is delighted and excited, but he cannot join them, for he is too young, too ugly, and he cannot fly. Winter arrives. A farmer finds and carries the freezing little duckling home, but the foundling is frightened by the farmer’s noisy children and flees the house. He spends a miserable winter alone in the outdoors, mostly hiding in a cave on the lake that partly freezes over. When spring arrives, a flock of swans descends on the lake.
The ugly duckling, now having fully grown and matured, is unable to endure a life of solitude and hardship any more and decides to throw himself at the flock of swans deciding that it is better to be killed by such beautiful birds than to live a life of ugliness and misery. He is shocked when the swans welcome and accept him, only to realize by looking at his reflection in the water that he had been not a duckling, but a swan all this time. The flock takes to the air, and the now beautiful swan spreads his gorgeous large wings and takes flight with the rest of his new family.
This is the first time in many a year that I’ve seen a triple interactive Yod in a chart. Starting with Saturn (what else?) the inconjuncts point to Mercury, back to Mars, over to Pluto and then back to Jupiter (conjunct the Ascendant @ 28° Libra). That’s the full journey of Ugly Duckling to Literary Swan…
If you’ve been reading my posts for the past seven years or so, this man will need no introduction.
This video is a tad long, but worthwhile watching if you wish to understand where he is coming from.
This timing of his chart is considered ‘good’. When I originally raised it, last year, I randomized it. Now, I see that that randomization may have created a ‘false’ Yod, so I’m sticking with this ‘new’ time.
There are two inconjuncts.
Sun Inconjunct Saturn
You will have to learn the difference between having self-control and discipline, on the one hand, and totally denying yourself any self-expression, on the other. This aspect can mean that you feel extremely unworthy, which undermines your self-confidence and makes it hard to face obstacles in life with confidence and determination.
You may even feel that persons, forces or circumstances are conspiring to prevent you from doing what you want. You may be limited by fear or by the belief that you don’t deserve to get what you want. With this aspect there is a danger that your frustrated energies will turn into physical ailments that further limit your freedom of action.
Mercury Inconjunct Mars
You often find it difficult to separate yourself from what you believe. You fight very hard for your ideas, even when you suspect you are wrong. You must learn that you are not your ideas, that you have them but are not them. If you do not learn this, it will be difficult even to have a friendly talk with friends, because you are always trying to make a point, defend your opinion or prove somebody else wrong. It also makes you irritable and touchy, so that others prefer not to be around you. Of course, you should not give in about something you seriously believe in, but it is unlikely that you would make that mistake.
(Ah, now I understand.)
* a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles.
Is it possible to ‘pinpoint’ a past life using Astrology? I think so, and A.T. Mann thought so, too. In his book’s Chapter 9, entitled “The World Age”, he postulated that one can calculate the ‘when’ of these lives by having an accurate birth chart erected, and then looking for the specific placements of the planets.
“The limits of the world age of 48,000BC and AD1950 are graded by an astrological sequence from Aries to Pisces. The same log sequence divides history as individual life, but in the reverse direction of time.”
“The intermediate dates occur at 5000 years and 500 years before AD2000, which places them at 3000BC and AD1500, equivalent to the beginning of Leo and Sagittarius.”
The Chart
Using my own birth chart, I will endeavour to demonstrate how this works.
The Planets
The Sun
20º Aquarius 3′
This may have been a Great War life, but not the one I ‘remembered’ during my Hypnotherapy session. What I specifically saw was my death on the battlefield after being blown up by some sort of bomb. The birth of that life corresponds to 1892 AD. (It could have been an earlier echo of WWII.)
It turns out that this life may have extended into the rest of the first half of the 20th century as “Ramsay”. The ‘death’ I experienced may have just been an NDE from the Great War. My ‘spy’ persona is strong in this one.
The Moon
14º Scorpio 45′
I thought this could have been the Christian Rosenkreutz lifetime, as discussed in my recent blog. Scorpio is secretive and the 11th is the house of groups and fraternities. The timing of that life corresponds to 1330 AD. It finally has shown up as Cecco d’Ascoli, who pissed off the Church authorities and was burned at the stake in 1327.
Mercury
24º Capricorn 12′
This one will most definitely have to do with William Blake and John Varley (and their collaboration). Mercury is the writer, and the 1st is the house of expression. The date would be about 1822-23 AD.
Venus
5º Aquarius 44′
I haven’t had the pleasure of remembering this experience yet. But the indication is of a life sometime in 1855 AD. Turns out I was President Lincoln’s police protection officer who didn’t prevent his assassination. The date refers to John Frederick Parker‘s marriage (Venus) on July 16, 1855 to Mary America Maus.
Mars
10º Libra 59′
I originally thought this might be my Cathar life, but it’s too early in time. Anyway, the energy of Mars is more warlike. Two events which have significance to me happened in the year 720 AD: a stone church was built at Glastonbury Abbey; and the Muslims began a long siege of Carcassonne. Further research indicates a life as Count Roland.
Jupiter
15º Aquarius 45′
Again, I don’t know the life which this one might represent. The year is 1883 AD, and a lot of things happened in this year, including Karl Marx dying in London. (Again, further research found that Blavatsky and Olcott began working together to start the Theosophical Society.) It is also the year that Rudolf Steiner left university without a degree. Perhaps the Swami of Baltimore?
Saturn
17º Virgo 59′
I call this life the “Roman Governor”. Whether or not it’s Pontius Pilate remains to be seen, but the timing is 10 AD, so definitely in the early part of the 1st Century. Subsequent investigation concludes that it was a Centurion of the Roman Army in Judea instead. In the end, I decided to make the connection with Tiberius Julius Alexander.
Uranus
1º Cancer 17′
My friend Christina thinks we were part of the Atlantis ‘experiment’ which went horribly wrong. I’m not sure, but it seems entirely possible, given that the date for this placement is 6700 BC.
Neptune
17º Libra 14′
Again, I’d hoped that this represented the Cathar life, but again it’s too early. The year is 862 AD and the most notable event in the West is the death of King Donald I of Scotland after a 4 year reign. In Eastern Europe, Saint Cyril and his brother do some great work with the Slavic language and a translation of the Gospels.
Pluto
16º Leo 56′
There are no records which would help me decide which life I had lived in the first decade of 1600 BC. However, my friend Christina, when asked if she could come up with the name of a Greek god that might be connected to me, said that the only name she got was Homer. That was a surprise! His great poems the Iliad and the Odyssey were written between the 9th and 8th century BC (according to scholars). The Trojan War occurred in the 13th century BC, and Sinon seems to fit the bill, but then again, history has a way of telescoping events into a single narrative.
North Node
10º Aries 2′
This date corresponds to 39270 BC. Could this be when I incarnated for the first time? Perhaps. It also represents the last time, too. It is the Alpha/Omega point of my life.
Ascendant
18º Sagittarius 51′
This is my fur-trader/explorer life. The date relates to 1650 AD. This is the one that makes me restless for the open road. It also keeps me from being complacent. Radisson is sooo me.
Midheaven
12° Libra 47′
This is related to energy of Mars, as noted above. It is conjunct a South Node of a friend’s chart @ 13° Libra 00′. That year relates to Charlemagne being crowned. Hmm, most intriguing.
Chiron
19° Sagittarius 38′
Further proof of my Radisson life. This position is conjunct my Ascendant and is tied to the date March, 1655. The following quote from “A Brief History of Canada” notes this for 1659 (which is the date for 20° Sagittarius):
Following the loss of trade with the demise of the Huron Nation, the King of France commissioned Pierre-Esprit Radisson and his brother-in-law Médard Chouart des Grosseilliers to explore westward and set up trade relations with any natives they discovered. During their voyage, they discovered the headwaters of the ‘Michissipi’ River. The reactions to their return to Quebec would cause them to change allegiance to England (see 1665) and ultimately create the Hudson’s Bay Company for England.
Chronological Order
39270 BC – North Node
6700 BC – Uranus
1600 BC – Pluto
10 AD – Saturn
720 AD – Mars
768 AD – Midheaven
862 AD – Neptune
1330 AD – The Moon
1650 AD – Ascendant
1655 AD – Chiron
1822 AD – Mercury
1855 AD – Venus
1883 AD – Jupiter
1892 AD – The Sun
Conclusion
After connecting with most of my “past lives”, I would like to explain something intrinsic: The energy of the times is symbolized by at least one ‘hero’. In my case, the overarching energy is that of a “Warrior”. I’ve been through a few battles, that’s for sure.
In the times past, especially the ones closer to the present time, there seems to be a doubling or trebling of incarnations. It seems entirely feasible that one’s spirit can inhabit more than one life at any one time. This may have been explained better in Jane Robert’s “The Education of Oversoul Seven”. The people from the past seem to be whispering in my ear: ‘Look here, look here.’
Whatever this Divine Life is actually about, I am always being exhorted to:
He recently has been diagnosed with aphasia. But no one is sure of why. This is where astrology can help us understand better.
This birth time is considered quite accurate. And, when I first looked at it, I was hoping to see something for his present age (67), and I wasn’t disappointed: Mars @ 14° Taurus 48′. Talk about grounded… (I won’t investigate the two inconjuncts, although they may yield extra ‘proof’.)
If Saturn had been there, I might have thought that this diagnosis was something longstanding that has crept up on him very slowly over time, but Mars is the sign of accidents. So, his thinking ‘out of phase’ may be due to a bump on the head, which isn’t out of character, especially since he has been in so many physically demanding acting roles. But they’re not saying that out loud, so there could be negotiations going on with one or other movie studios to get him compensation for his injury/injuries. We shall see.
The Moonlighting(title) reference comes from the Moon being conjunct his Descendant (@ age 24). This man became very popular, very quickly, winning an Emmy for his wisecracking role as David Addison. His co-star, Cybill Shepherd, played Maddie. Hmm: Maddie’s son? Strange twist of a name.
This man is the Director of the FSB (formerly the KGB). He is considered by many to be the next President of Russia, after Putin steps down (or is forced out, somehow). Change the head, nothing else.
I purposely randomized the timing of this birth chart, and then decided against rectifying it. The timing (accidentally) looks to be correct. And as there are no inconjuncts, I can only surmise that there are no hidden agendas, which seems counterintuitive for a man with his natal Sun in Scorpio. But a Sagittarius Rising individual tends to be more open and upfront, sometimes to the point of being brutally honest.
“Meet Your New Boss, Same as Your Old Boss”
Nothing changes in the outer planets in less than a year, so Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are roughly in the same signs for these two men. But are their destinies the same? Their conjunct Moons in Gemini give me pause. I’m not entirely confident that Bortnikov will succeed Putin, since Putin is a shrewd politician and will inevitably ‘smell a rat’ long before he appears. As always, Biden had better be careful what he asks for, or he might just get it, to the utter dismay of the USA and the world. Time will tell, won’t it?
On this day in 1867: The U.S. buys Alaska from Russia for US$7.2 million.
Big deal, eh?
‘Historian Ellis Paxson Oberholtzer summarized the minority opinion of some American newspaper editors who opposed the purchase:
Already, so it was said, we were burdened with territory we had no population to fill. The Indians within the present boundaries of the republic strained our power to govern aboriginal peoples. Could it be that we would now, with open eyes, seek to add to our difficulties by increasing the number of such peoples under our national care? The purchase price was small; the annual charges for administration, civil and military, would be yet greater, and continuing. The territory included in the proposed cession was not contiguous to the national domain. It lay away at an inconvenient and a dangerous distance. The treaty had been secretly prepared, and signed and foisted upon the country at one o’clock in the morning. It was a dark deed done in the night… The New York World said that it was a “sucked orange.” It contained nothing of value but furbearing animals, and these had been hunted until they were nearly extinct. Except for the Aleutian Islands and a narrow strip of land extending along the southern coast the country would be not worth taking as a gift… Unless gold were found in the country much time would elapse before it would be blessed with Hoe printing presses, Methodist chapels and a metropolitan police. It was “a frozen wilderness.” — Oberholtzer’
Wikipedia
When gold was found next door in the Yukon Territory, later, that helped to populate Alaska.
One in the morning… yields one inconjunct:
Moon Inconjunct Uranus
Your relationship with your mother [country] may be rather unstable. She may be very involved in her own interests, which prevent her from being as close to you as she would be otherwise. She may be an unconventional person, a real free spirit. The problem is that your feelings about her are mixed, both loving and unloving. You may secretly resent her. Probably you don’t feel that you can express this consciously, but it could come out when you are angry or upset. Certainly this will result in not wanting to form close relationships with other people, especially women. And the people you do choose as close friends are likely to be exciting and different from anyone you have known in the past. However, they may also be rather upsetting.
(One thought occurs to me: will Vladimir Putin decide to invade and ‘liberate’ Alaska, too?)
Famous astronomical clock at Prague, Czech Republic. Fire illustration.
I’ve even chosen the cover (see above). But instead of actually publishing another non-seller, I’m going to link the first nine chapters here, for reference sake.
cdsmiller17 