Enough of an Artist

Einstein said “I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.”

Pisces Season begins next Saturday, February 18th.. Einstein was an ultimate Pisces, giving primacy to wonder and awe over knowledge and understanding. Like the fish, he could in a sense breathe underwater, that is to say he could rely on his creative imagination to nourish and sustain himself and his pursuits.

The imagination does something very strange. It makes whatever you imagine an ‘other’ to which you can relate. Just as the words you read right now are something ‘other’ to which you relate and try to make sense of, the images in your imagination are an ‘other’. Just as the person who rang up your coffee this morning is an ‘other’, so is the heroine you aspire and imagine yourself to become.

With every varying ‘other’ there is a potential for renewed wholeness. A certain phrase or melody, a person’s charm, a place, even a flavor can evoke a ‘thou’ experience; where whatever you are relating to makes everything bigger and more real. This is because you are enough of an artist to let your skills of relating generate a certain amount of awe and undeniable resonance. 

It’s easy to picture a “thou” experience while standing before the Grand Canyon. Less intuitive is seeing the potential of generating such reverence for your own archetypes that swim about in potentia. With an active imagination, pertinent narratives and myths take shape and offer guidance. Not only do they offer guidance, they offer energy through their archetypal charges. One gets a taste for something; a way of living, a way of getting something accomplished, or in Einstein’s case, a way of solving seemingly impossible abstract problems.

Imagination is free, as are you to use it well. That is, if you are enough of an artist.

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Understanding Venus. Part two of two

To recap from last post, the primary principle of Venus is RELATEDNESS.  How a person relates to others as well as how they relate things to other thing (art), themselves to other things (personal style) etc etc… Here are the next 6 signs of the zodiac as examples:

Grace Kelly has Venus in Libra and is know for her highly sophisticated (Libra) sense of style (Venus). Her look was always classic and elegant (Libra).

Few can match Montgomery Clift’s magnetic pull when he interacts with his co-stars on screen. He is Venus in Scorpio which relates by merging deeply with the other’s emotions.

Jimi Hendrix has Venus in Sagittarius. His music and style (both Venus) seeks to EXPAND our perceptions (Sagittarius). HIs look is pure Sagittarius as the iconic gypsy, and his band title “The Jimi Hendrix EXPERIENCE” says it all. Sagittarius is about the trip not the destination.

Diane Lane has Venus in Capricorn. Her feminine appeal (Venus) is very much based in a classic maturity (Capricorn). She comes off very self possessed and in control (Capricorn)

Muhammad Ali has Venus In Aquarius. It takes a true original (Aquarius) to come up with such phrases as “dance like a butterfly sting like a bee”. His unique (Aquarius) style elevated his fame quite a bit. His Aquarian drive to identify himself with the group is reflected in him converting to Islam and changing his name.

There is nothing insincere about Michelle Obama’s capacity to empathize (Pisces) with those in need. Her Venus is in Pisces. New research has shown that Americans are more influenced by Michelle than any other celebrity to give to charity.

Where is YOUR Venus?

Understanding Venus. Part one of two.

There are many words used to describe Venus, the planet of Love.  Wonderful words such as;  harmony, balance, beauty, enjoyment, romance, magic, peace, pleasure, kindness, fairness, etc…. the list can go on.  But there is ONE word that I think gets to the root of understanding the real meaning of Venus.

RELATING…..

How we relate to others.  How we relate things to other things and find beauty.  How we relate flavors in our mouth for optimum deliciousness.  We are constantly relating and seeking peace in these relations.  This is the realm of Venus.

Everyone has their own personal Venus in a sign that shows their best way of relating.  Relating to others…  relating things to other things and finding beauty, such as in art or their own personal style.

Let’s take a look at some examples!

Bear in mind that each example shows one of MANY shades of the sign’s archetype.

Katharine Hepburn has her Venus in Aries. She was a pioneer (Aries) in setting forth a new style (Venus) for women to dress more like men (Aries). Not to mention her way of relating to others (Venus) in a very assertive and straightforward energetic way (Aries).

Documentary-maker, Michael Moore does best relating to people in a stubborn way (Taurus). None of his movies would have ever happened if it weren’t for this quality. His passion is in creating physical security (Taurus) for people.

Bob Dylan’s Venus is in Gemini. He finds beauty in words (Gemini) and is a master at assembling them into works of art (Venus). Gemini is as much about LISTENING as it is about talking. People that know him well report that he didn’t say much in his first few years hanging around Greenwich Village. Instead he listened. He took things in, from his surroundings, from other artists (like Woody Guthrie). And when he finally started talking he had ALOT to say!

Angelina Jolie has Venus in Cancer, the natural mother archetype. Relating to others comes with an instinctive protectiveness (Cancer). Motherhood is clearly extremely important to her, as is providing support to other people in need. With Venus on the Ascendant, her identity is very tied into this principle of relating to others with care.

Alfred Hitchcock has Venus in Leo, and shows a deep love (Venus) for the dramatic (Leo). He is known for doing spontaneous (Leo) tricks to his actors, like making the water go ice-cold at the moment that the curtain opens in “Psycho’s” shower scene to make Janet Leigh’s face truly shock-believable. And as you can see from the above photo, he is notorious (no pun intended!) for his sense of humor (Leo).

Jimmy Fallon’s Venus is in Virgo. He does best when he relates to people with humility and modesty. This is one of the things that helps him be such a grand success with his talk show. He never seeks to intimidate, or overshadow his guests. Even when certain guests (ahem- Jay Leno) are a bit insulting he will take the high road and not feed into it. He is humble and respectful. Such a class act!

We will take a look at the next 6 sign examples in the next post!

Where’s your Venus??