Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Survival

Actual size of the passageway into the world. Ten centimeters.
Ask any mother and she'll give you the skinny on the force required to get the human being through this exit-entrance into life on Earth. The whole 5 to 9 pound body must get through this small circle. This is the thrust of Aries and survival. Astonishing. Mars is now starting his 6 week trip through Aries, and there is a replay of this act in everyone's life in some way.
The survival instinct is powerful. All this talk about annihilation is just what it is. Talk. Man has been impossibly inept at killing himself off, and likely will continue to fail.

Aries is the height of ambition and the will to flourish. Notorious for competetiveness, the Aries is not really trying to beat or extinguish his adversaries. He is trying to make them better to raise the level of competition, thus improving his own skills. He enjoys the game and wants everybody to be at his best. A more challenging contest is his interest with mighty players, all stemming from the will to triumph over adversity and live.
A key to this survival instinct is found in the prisoners of the Holocaust in Nazi dominated Europe. I've found a preponderance of Aries in the first-borns of these survivors, although I don't know of a study yet.
Enter Pluto. Mars squared Pluto deep in Pisces just before the entrance. Pluto guides the journey at death to the next dimension. I believe that Pluto is responsible for transition in labor as well and all transitions throughout life, as a sort of death, sometimes literal, is required. Pluto is now in the center of our galaxy and I think the movement of Mars has more significance than ever, as we learn what birth and death are all about. Is Scorpio an enemy of Aries and earthly life, or an ally? Will Baghdad teach us well?
Pluto was discovered in 1930 and with it came the knowledge of human destructive power, unleashed in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII. My theory is that this event profoundly influenced humanity's path, Pluto being the planet of evolution. It appears to me that the witnessing of this power turned people away from nuclear holocaust permanently, despite the games and posturing, and I also think this is behind the decrease in worldwide violence, which I think will continue. The recent diminishing of Pluto's status from planet to dwarf planet is indicative as well.
So as Pluto now transits the Galactic Center and the cradle of civilization burns, what are we to do? How does the Aries dance of life go with the Plutonian one of death and transition? We shall see.

Another reason Aries is so important now is the upcoming transit of Uranus lasting 7 years. An ending is occurring currently in Pisces. Uranus is connected to the political systems of the collective and another beginning is just ahead. And not surprisingly, a spacecraft launched in a mission called  New Horizons is due to land on Pluto in 2015, while Uranus is in late Aries.
"It's like the old days," said Alan Stern, principal investigator for the mission, called New Horizons. "We are going to the frontier." Stern calls New Horizons the first exploration of the third zone of the solar system, the region beyond both the terrestrial planets and the giant planets.
The movement of Mars will continue to be interesting and important for some time, as the human learns new ways to survive. I love the game, myself, being a mighty Aries rising. Come on in Mars! Make yourself at home.

65 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Jm et al! Just wanted to say a quick hullo from Paris
I walked by a shop called 'Sequoia' in the 3rd arrondissement today and felt great comfort that the spirit of the project is following me as I go. I look forward to joining the fray when I'm back home!

15/5/07 4:31 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Paris!!!!!!!

Gay Pareeee!

Wonderful wonderful news chrispito. Sequoia is coming to life bigtime. The fray is here awaiting your return.

La vie de l'artiste!

15/5/07 4:48 PM  
Blogger Tseka said...

Ah to be young and in Paris in May.
C'est trop bien.

15/5/07 6:27 PM  
Blogger Tseka said...

The graphic portrayal of 10 cm made me wince.
great use.
I'm liking mars in his own home a whole lot better.

15/5/07 7:12 PM  
Blogger Pat said...

OK, I know this is cliche, but I actually still have nightmares about the journey through that 4-inch hole. I weighed around 8.5 pounds, and my mother was under 5 feet tall. In the dreams, I get stuck in tight spaces such as hallways, stairwells, tunnels, and entrances to caves (you will never get me to go spelunking). I start to suffocate and panic, and when I wake up, sometimes I'm so disturbed that I can't go back to sleep.

Neith, what's your dreamtime remedy for that?

15/5/07 8:26 PM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

"Mars squared Pluto deep in Pisces just before the entrance. Pluto guides the journey at death to the next dimension."

In the news today, a controversial fundamentalist TV evangelist, who politicized conservative religious groups and powerfully influenced US election politics for decades, was found without a pulse today at 10:45 AM.

The man had a 12th house Mars in Libra square Pluto, so in a way he left by a door like that through which he entered.

15/5/07 8:28 PM  
Blogger ic said...

Mars square Pluto was all over my chart.....not a natal planet spared from the assault.

check out my post on May 14, we who survived sorely need this lunar phase right now. Om shanti.

15/5/07 8:59 PM  
Blogger jm said...

8.5 pounds!!!!!!!

Oy Vay izmeer.

Incredible reaction to this tight place! Those dreams make a lot lot of sense. Good thing we have Mars.

Jerry falwell dead???????? OMG!!!
Something's happening here and you don't know what it is. Do you, Mr jones?

Yogini, it's over!

15/5/07 9:32 PM  
Blogger jm said...

This death has a lot to do with our Pluto in the GC and Mars. I'm going to take a good look.

15/5/07 9:37 PM  
Blogger Pat said...

Incredible reaction to this tight place! Those dreams make a lot lot of sense.

Actually, JM, when I read your description of what that pretty pink illustration really was, I had flashbacks to the last nighmare. No kidding.

But I suspect I'm not terribly original and that many people, if they stopped and thought about it, would realize that they are remembering the trauma of coming into this world.

Just goes to show what you can do with a simple piece of art combined with the power of suggestion. I'm impressed.

15/5/07 9:42 PM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

"This death has a lot to do with our Pluto in the GC and Mars. I'm going to take a good look."

Hmm. Two points define a line. A chart for the time of passing, considered along with the chart for the birth, might be revealing of the life path he chose. Both birth and death are transitions.

15/5/07 9:50 PM  
Blogger jm said...

It's this medium pat. It's inspired my creativity in a brand new way. I never know from day to day what will emerge. Very exciting.

You put it well, since this was not calcultaed. It just came to mind and up it went. Things don't have time to get messed up and complicated, and lose the original spark.
Really amazing.

Even the choice of color was immediate, and second guessed later. But up it went. And out we came! And here we all are!!!!!

15/5/07 9:53 PM  
Blogger jm said...

The death charts are interesting. Yes, they are both transitions.

The death chart describes the conditions around the moment, and also something about the survivors' futures. So since he was such a powerful public figure, it might say something about the country.

15/5/07 9:56 PM  
Blogger jm said...

I would venture to guess that we remember the birth trauma a million times a day.

But I recently gave it some thought. I think maybe the trauma is mixed with relief. We're pretty cramped in there at the end and some I believe feel liberation from the mother as well as separation anxiety, since our motion, sounds, etc. are dictated by her for 9 months.

Out and in are always a mixed bag.

15/5/07 10:02 PM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

I thought at first that maybe it was an abstract representation of a cell. :-)

"Something's happening here and you don't know what it is. Do you, Mr jones?"

You try so hard
But you don't understand
Just what you'll say
When you get home

Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?


Well, he didn't stick around for 2008, so we won't get to hear his opinions of the Republican candidates and their religious bonafides (or lack of them). He once stunned a little girl by calling her a "heathen" because she was Catholic, so it would have been interesting to hear his opinion of the talented Mr. Romney.

"So since he was such a powerful public figure, it might say something about the country."

He was of the Pluto in Cancer generation.

His value to political powers was declining by 2004. He had made his imprint on his time period, his views writ large on the world, and the legacy he left includes the people who entered the political sphere aligned with them. So he as an individual hasn't been as crucial as he used to be.

And with all that he did manage to do, the present is not quite one that he and his fellows foresaw. None of the currently leading GOP presidential candidates have the luster that evangelicals crave.

Perhaps the world does have its own larger destiny apart from the dreams of those chasing rigid ideals. And the more that the world and society around them change, the more unhappily and loudly they complain. But false dreams are like ever-receding mirages.

In an alternate reality, a Teletubby channel-surfs his tummy and flicks past the news.

15/5/07 10:55 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Heheh.

None of the currently leading GOP presidential candidates have the luster that evangelicals crave.

None of them have much luster at all.
But the disappointment of the evangelicals is the end of the transit and the apparent success of rigid ideology. I thought the death nell was clear with the Schiavo debacle.

I think the Mars was still at 29 Pisces square Pluto in Sag. A big ending. He's just a symbol.
Also the New Moon in Taurus is up with a Full one in Sagittarius. The inconjunct again. Taurus-Sag: stubborn clinging to ideology.
The 29 Pisces is the biggie. This feels good to me.

Just as Pluto through Scorpio brought AIDS and changes in sexual behavior (sex=death), Pluto through Sag has equated religious belief with death in a new light, and will alter the power of extremism.

You posted the time. What about the place of death? For some reason I'm interested in this chart. It was just too accurately timed to ignore.

He had Pluto in the 9th like our darling Pluto in sag now.

15/5/07 11:11 PM  
Blogger jm said...

It's interesting. All this hyper murderous screaming banshee insanity that makes up daily conversation in this world, full of hate and violence, and this death of a man possessed with hatred was calm and quiet. There seems to be a feeling of relief in the air.

Hate will take care of itself in its own way I imagine.

15/5/07 11:19 PM  
Blogger jm said...

But false dreams are like ever-receding mirages.

How nice.

15/5/07 11:21 PM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

"There seems to be a feeling of relief in the air."

Well, it is a note of change. Something has been let go. And sometimes death brings healing, and grace. It's for others to carry on and see what they make of their lives. I don't wish the man ill; perhaps his soul will do well in another venue.

"What about the place of death?"

He was in his office in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Latitude: 37.399709
Longitude: -79.173084

15/5/07 11:27 PM  
Blogger jm said...

He never hurt me. I didn't pay much attention to him, to be honest. People like that are easy for me to bypass.
My mother was an atheist and no religion was forced on me, although a little attempt at remembering some origins and rituals was made. I was always glad to be out of this structure.

I was taught to be good and socially conscious because I'm human.
Of course, I try to be that way to keep myself out of trouble.:o)
Reason enough.

I'll look at the chart.

15/5/07 11:36 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Fascinatin'.

Saturn in the 1st. Died alone. This is what's interesting.
Mars was just 1 second into Aries according to this time. But he probably died at 29. So the actual time of death and the discovery time create a bridge. The ending in isolation and the discovery as we move ahead. The Mars was in the 9th.

15/5/07 11:51 PM  
Blogger jm said...

The Saturn in the first of the death chart was exactly on his 18 degree Leo natal sun. Eclipse of leadership. A lot of that going around.

15/5/07 11:58 PM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

Yes. Strikingly, he came in with a Sun-Saturn opposition but left with transit Saturn conjunct natal Sun.

Jude Cowell wrote something on her blog about Falwell's passing.

16/5/07 1:11 AM  
Blogger jm said...

I'm still struck by the calm around this event after the terror of all these years. Where really is the source of all this fear? It isn't Jerry Falwell. Right now it seems like one of those mirages you mentioned.

16/5/07 2:16 AM  
Blogger jm said...

Jude captures the essence. The end of Saturn in Leo. The USA has a NN in Leo and I think we've learned something as a whole.

You said that it really was a gradual decline and I think this is indicative of the transit. He seems so small and powerless. So diminished now. To me, Bush and the gang have appeared that way too. For quite awhile. Bush the whole time.

It's our mythologizing of people that is behind the whole thing. Back to the leadership of self.

We need people to do the various jobs of governing, not heroes and monsters.

At first I was entirely disenchanted when I saw the insipid crew running now, but maybe this is actually a good thing. Nothing to follow. No false expectations. We shall see.

Death is something. I wonder if hate and revenge often get lost when the time arrives.

16/5/07 3:17 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fascinating discussion, as always. Sometimes it's good to be able to savor the wisdom here without needing to jump in and say something. :o)

As for Falwell... interesting about the 29 degrees! I bear him less malice and more annoyance at his "Moral Majority" antics over the years. Making people feel inferior and less-than, and demonizing them because they don't fit into some pre-fab configuration. My four planets in Libra afford me no patience for this BS.

Better luck next time around, Jerry.

16/5/07 4:38 AM  
Blogger Diane L said...

As for Falwell... interesting about the 29 degrees! I bear him less malice and more annoyance at his "Moral Majority" antics over the years. Making people feel inferior and less-than, and demonizing them because they don't fit into some pre-fab configuration. My four planets in Libra afford me no patience for this BS.

Better luck next time around, Jerry.


LOL! You do have a way of striking right to the heart of the matter, Joe.

16/5/07 8:58 AM  
Blogger Donnie McDaniel said...

"Uranus on Saturn is liberation from authority. You are your own boss. A new man is being born taking orders from a new source."

That is what you said at Neith's place. Does that mean I'm all growed up now? :) Feeling better now. I'm not ready to go back a put up a full fight yet, but Lawd help them when I am! New thoughts are starting to come back now. Liberation!

16/5/07 10:05 AM  
Blogger Donnie McDaniel said...

One of the hardest things that I have dealt with, is not having many others like me to talk to. I have lived with a gift that I could not talk about. Nice to have someone that understands it, and will listen to what is going on. The biggest thing I went through before this, was having to learn to control anger. It is an awesome trigger, and can bring out great power. But takes something away from you each time. I guess a gift teaches you to a certain point without being guided. But before it's over, you still need something to steer you from danger.

16/5/07 10:12 AM  
Blogger jm said...

LOL! You do have a way of striking right to the heart of the matter, Joe.

I agree. His comment made me laugh too.

16/5/07 2:02 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Donnie, for pete's sake, talk to us when you can without fear. You're just like me. You worry too much about everyone else.

Yes, liberation. In a big way. Maybe your father's illness revealed weakness and that's part of it. The military is based on obedience, but Uranus won't have any part of it. If there is a military obedience to authority tradition in your family, now is the time to break it. No wonder you're upset. It makes you vulnerable and stuck out alone with a feeling of no defense, but you can do it. Protection will come back in a better way. Uranus frees you from defense mechanisms that no longer work. Even your family political tradition is being smashed by you. No wonder, is all I can say.

Saturn in Pisces is a real spiritual quest, way way way more than most. It probably hasn't been encouraged, in fact it might have been frowned upon in the way you are seeking it. but now you can go full speed ahead. That's why you found this place where this quest is un'quest'ioned.

It's hard to look at the world and see the cruelty not knowing what to do, but we have to keep trying. This time for you is an awakening of spirituality. Uranus is also awakening.

Saturn in Pisces has too much compassion for this miserable world and has to learn ways to help that work and don't drown him in the process. Sink or swim with this one.

Are you afraid of snakes in everyday life?

I would like to talk to you about this danger thing. I'll put up another comment in a mo.

16/5/07 2:22 PM  
Blogger jm said...

When I first came to Light up the Darkness I was in one of the saddest parts of my life. Then when Pamela started Dem Daily, things started to perk up. But the real perk came when you arrived. I loved you instantly as you know. You brought life and warmth that stood out above the rest and emotional honesty, tenderness, and caring. And humor!
I felt safe with you there.

I share with you the feelings about danger, being a Cancer myself that needs a crab shell always intact. Uranus is stripping this now which is why the fear.

It is an awesome trigger, and can bring out great power. But takes something away from you each time. I guess a gift teaches you to a certain point without being guided. But before it's over, you still need something to steer you from danger.

This says it all. I've been working on this all my life. I realize that in the end I have to trust some inner guidance now that my protectors are all dead, and the world is calling me out from my cacoon. They scare me, these folks. Not the big guns as much as my so-called allies who aren't with me as much as I'd like. The back stabbers and all. Cancers need a lot of security.

But people have their own troubles, so we have to really call on this spritual ally.

I think what you said is brilliant and correct about the double edged sword of anger. I know this one very very well. We have it for a reason and the ideal is to use it for motivation. Maybe it's time to let go of George Bush and some of those bosspeople the are so obviously fucked up. It's a waste of this gift of anger. It accomplishes nothing but circulates back to make you sick. Or it does for me. Also for me, the only way I can avoid this is by walking entirely away from what they're doing. It will always be going on, and I can't do anything. So I'm trying to focus on the good people.

I always have the impulse to charge into the wrongdoing and straighten everyone out, but it doesn't work. The valiant soldier gets pummeled and spit out. So I'm interested in what alternatives we can come up with. Uranus also rules alernative pathways.
The anger won't leave, but the expression of it is within our control. You can't imagine how much I share your frustration with the things people do. The two facedness and all. The hypocrisy, the bullshit, the refusal to do what needs to be done to get better. The enemy that always lurks. But who and where is that enemy really?

16/5/07 2:49 PM  
Blogger jm said...

One more comment on this cause it's so important.

Cancers pick up on the feelings that are all around. Everyone is terrified, there are so many things coming at us in each moment. Few can really give, they are too busy trying to defend themselves. What masquerades as caring, usually isn't the real McCoy. They want to be seen as kind and compassionate more than really doing it. And what is given is often snatched back at the soonest opportunity. A lot of emotional commotion.

But if inner protection is built and a source found within, a person can find the freedom to give of himself. He can afford all the losses. I think we all have that impulse, but it has to be learned to do it well. Sometimes the smallest person in the least likely place is the one who is really able to do it.

Saturn (inner protection) in Pisces (spirituality) can do this.

16/5/07 3:41 PM  
Blogger Tseka said...

Oh JM!
Kisses to you and Donnie too.
Both of you are in my circle...

16/5/07 3:50 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Venus in Cancer loves these kisses, tseka. From a knowing Uranus.

16/5/07 4:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Saturn. Inner protection. That's the internal structure we were discussing awhile back. And it explains so much about what I know of my early life before my conscious memory developed.

BTW, Neith and jm, I'm glad you enjoyed my comment on Falwell. The word of the day, incidentally, is pithy. For fun, look it up here.

16/5/07 7:51 PM  
Blogger jm said...

I like that word.
I also like the word of the day idea. I added the sight and will follow. Good for vocabulary building. I think I'm going to need it.
Thanks joe..:o)

16/5/07 9:40 PM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

"Death is something. I wonder if hate and revenge often get lost when the time arrives."

It depends, I think, on the individual. It's important to clarify the heart when that time comes for each person.

I came across some interesting reading today, so I think we have a little more to go on this. A second person to remember, to balance the first.

Although one has received the lion's share of press, two people of note from opposite sides passed away the same day.

One one side is Jerry Falwell who spoke out against Martin Luther King, Jr., supported South African apartheid, and railed against gays. Weirdly, a few of his admirers today compare him to Mr. King.

Jerry Falwell's grandfather was an atheist. His father was an alcoholic bootlegger who detested preachers and who died when Jerry was 15. It was his mother who was deeply religious.

On the other side: Yolanda King, firstborn child of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, was an theater director, producer, actress, human rights worker and speaker. Her company, Higher Ground Productions, proclaimed itself "committed to celebrating diversity and embracing unity."

She believed that the civil rights movement paved the way for other social justice movements. And she walked the civil disobedience talk: examples include her being arrested in a protest to end discrimination against gays, and, before that, being arrested in a demonstration against the South African policy of apartheid.

Her father died when she was young, too, but he made her lasting gifts of happy memories. The New York TImes reported, "Her deepest memories were the love of her father, who taught her to swim and playfully pummeled her but never spanked her. She called him 'my first buddy,' saying, 'I was tremendously loved.'" Even so, she felt inadequate as a young adult, comparing herself too soon and too critically to her parents.

According to a revealing article about her spiritual path, "King's outward appearance concealed pain and anger of which she wouldn’t even become aware until many years later. 'I didn’t really mourn my father until I was thirty, at the time of the first national holiday,' King recalls. 'I remember being miserable because I missed my father so much. For the first time I allowed the loss to really take hold of me. I also was angry – which was a really new thing for me. Because anger was really kind of suppressed in us as young people. Both of my parents – but my mother even more so – taught us that was an emotion we were not allowed to express.'"

The article concludes that Yolanda King's "true legacy" is "a marriage of mysticism and social thought that honors both the larger community and the individual's need for inner growth. 'I understand that people would look to me to pick up the torch and run with it,' King says. 'And to some extent I have done that, but in my own way.'"

16/5/07 11:29 PM  
Blogger jm said...

This is very interesting in light of the duality of Pisces and the square to religious Sagittarius.

Good information on Falwell and the family patterns that are often behind these things. This death I know is highly significant and marks an ending in general. I feel it strongly as well as see it. One of the main tip-offs is the lack of buzz, at least around the Net. I find often that the most important things go largely unnoticed. That's always a clue.

Quite a noteworthy one here. He had SN in Leo and the dictatorial monarchical persona he was, will eventually fade as the NN in Aquarius develops. This 28 degree NN is conjunct the USA Moon! So my theory is that the end result will be a move away from this rigid Moral Superiority(Leo) to an understanding of aberration and tolerance. His ministry was based on aberration. This is so interesting. I have a very good feeling about this event.

The addition of Yolanda's passing completes the picture.

Now here is an added development. Today a new think tank was launched to change foreign policy in keeping with the Pisces end and the Sagittarius square. It happens to be led by two Sagittarians; John Kerry and Gary Hart.

17/5/07 12:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Remarkable assessment on these two deaths, jm. A good reminder that we can't always know what goes on behind closed doors and what factors may cause an individual to behave or believe a certain way.

17/5/07 3:50 AM  
Blogger jm said...

My dictum, joe, is always read between the lines. Things are never what they seem. That's why astrology is my great tool.

17/5/07 12:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm appreciating that more and more as I observe my betters at their discourse, here and elsewhere. :o)

17/5/07 7:17 PM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

"Now here is an added development. Today a new think tank was launched to change foreign policy in keeping with the Pisces end and the Sagittarius square. It happens to be led by two Sagittarians; John Kerry and Gary Hart."

That sounds excellent. Definitely fills a great need. :-)

Kerry should let Geminis do most of the PR and explaining, though, I think. :-)

17/5/07 9:02 PM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

Well, it would be an interesting study that examines the parenting patterns of people who crusade on "family values" issues, and who worry about proper fathering and mothering. Could be much potential for irony.

Okay...not to belabor the points I'm trying to make, but I was thinking that it would be interesting to take at least a quick look at Yolanda King's chart. (And y'all thought we were done here.)

Astrology's not my forte, but just at a glance, it's intriguing that whereas Falwell was born with the Sun opposite Saturn, Yolanda King was born on a day when the Sun precisely conjoined Saturn. Younger than he, she integrated for herself and for others what he polarized.

His Sun-Saturn opposition was in Leo-Aquarius, and her Sun-Saturn conjunction was in Scorpio. Each had lunar nodes in opposite elements from the other. They both have Jupiter-Pluto aspects, hers being a 1.25 degree conjunction. Ms. King's father had a 9th house Sun conjunct the Midheaven in Capricorn; his Saturn was in Sagittarius right about where her Moon and lunar north node were.

What to make of it? Who knows. :-)

* * *

I do think we've all noticed that there are two different cognitive models between conservatives and liberals. For example, I've heard it said that the Democrats have been described as "the party of the mother", whereas the Republicans are described as "the party of the father".

The differences in cognitive models are why conservatives and liberals have separate vocabularies in political discourse, allowing them to talk past each other and laugh at each other's use of language, and why they end up holding two different worldviews though they appear to live on the same planet.

Falwell represented the patriarchal "Strict Father" model of conservatives. Yolanda King represented the egalitarian "Nurturant Parent" model of liberals.

To each of them, the model that was most desirable and real was matched the mix of abundances and deficiencies in each of their early experiences. It would be inconceivable for them to give as much weight to the other person's worldview.

Looking into the parenting connection, I found this discussion today: "In his 1996 book, Moral Politics, Lakoff described how political discourse in America is structured in terms of two family models--the patriarchal 'Strict Father' model for conservatives and the egalitarian 'Nurturant Parent' model for liberals. As with cognitive metaphor generally, mappings from both domains could be applied to a wide range of different realms, carrying over elements of structure and logic from their source domains. Lakoff spent most of the book describing the theory itself, and showing how it made sense of the clustering of ideas that qualify as liberal and conservative--how being anti-tax and anti-abortion are part of a coherent whole. But at the end of the book, he presented an argument about why liberalism was superior, based on the shortcomings of the 'Strict Father' model in its source domain.
     "It turns out that nurturant parenting does a better job of producing the morally autonomous individuals that conservatives just love to picture themselves as."

(And I guess that we know which type of parenting was most exemplified in the King family.)

Chapter Two of the Lakoff book is available online through this link. According to Lakoff: "To date, I have found only one pair of models for conservative and liberal worldviews that meets all three adequacy," conditions, a pair that (1) explains why certain stands on issues go together (e.g., gun control goes with social programs goes with pro-choice goes with environmentalism); (2) explains why the puzzles for liberals are not puzzles for conservatives, and conversely; and (3) explains topic choice, word choice, and forms of reasoning in conservative and liberal discourse. Those worldviews center on two opposing models of the family.
     "...Each model of the family induces a set of moral priorities. As we shall see..., these systems use the same moral principles but give them opposing priorities. The resulting moral systems, put together out of the same elements, but in different order, are radically opposed."

On that basis, he goes on to explain the clustering of seeming contradictory ideas in each camp that puzzle the other camp, and for which each camp often mocks the other. "Liberals...find it illogical that right-to-life advocates are mostly in favor of capital punishment. This seems natural to conservatives. Why? Conservatives are opposed to welfare and to government funds for the needy but are in favor of government funds going to victims of floods, fires, and earthquakes who are in need. Why isn't this contradictory?"

And he offers some advice on what to do and what not to do. From another of his books: "A third mistake is this: There is a metaphor that political campaigns are marketing campaigns where the candidate is the product and the candidate’s positions on issues are the features and qualities of the product. This leads to the conclusion that polling should determine which issues a candidate should run on....But their real practice, and the real reason for their success, is this: They say what they idealistically believe."

17/5/07 9:22 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Kerry should let Geminis do most of the PR and explaining, though, I think.

LOL. He COULD use an editor.

This is exciting. Hart and Kerry go back a long way and they are visionaries, but still within the system. I think this portends a changing of the guard in many ways. They both have an intelligent grasp of world issues and are ahead of the curve. I'm very pleased.

17/5/07 9:32 PM  
Blogger jm said...

HA HA HA HA HA!!!!! LOL!!!

I was thinking that it would be interesting to take at least a quick look at Yolanda King's chart. (And y'all thought we were done here.)

I do give you credit for this investigation that is probing more depths as we go!

This is getting good. Let me grab my artesan rosemary toast and study the situation.

17/5/07 9:36 PM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

Thank you. I would love to hear more astrologers investigate such connections. Sigh. :-)

17/5/07 9:39 PM  
Blogger jm said...

why they end up holding two different worldviews though they appear to live on the same planet.

This could be in question.:o)

I love this line of thinking, and have given a lot of thought to the two parties' characters.

It turns out that nurturant parenting does a better job of producing the morally autonomous individuals that conservatives just love to picture themselves as."

The authoritarian figure could never achieve this result since it's based on diminishing the other.

This is all so so fascinating. The Cancer nurturing family model that arose after the Depression with Pluto in Cancer is now up for review as Pluto opposes in Capricorn. I'm not sure that Cap is really the authoritarian, I think that's more Leo and the fixed signs. Capricorn ideally is the levelheaded boss that keeps the unit functioning. So I think that both Dems and Repubs don't exactly fit and both will be changing to fit the times.

Let me look more. This has a lot to do with my theories on the Saturn in Libra and upcoming political changes with Mars retro in Libra by progression.

17/5/07 9:48 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Thank you. I would love to hear more astrologers investigate such connections. Sigh. :-)

Sigh is right.

17/5/07 9:50 PM  
Blogger jm said...

Now let's go back for a second to the deaths and the Saturns. Let's most of all consider King and his Capricorn Sun. He was perceived as a good father type leader, just, mature, and in some ways actually nurturing. this could very well portend the blend of these qualities as the two parties start to debate in earnest.

Today was a sign. The agreement on the immigration bill.

17/5/07 9:55 PM  
Blogger jm said...

But their real practice, and the real reason for their success, is this: They say what they idealistically believe."

Very good. Then the lack of issue definition is not really that important.


Sometimes strictness in the father is required and probably will be as the economic conditions determine up ahead. In actuality, I don't see the conservatives now as anything near strict or even orderly. They've become irresponsible. This is why I think they've lost power at this time.

I mentioned before about the Mars in Cancer retrograde next year. This will be the bridge to Capricorn, and it's so easy to see how these two models will be studied extensively and put to use practically.

I've always thought we have this 2 party system to learn the Libra one on one debate and compromise lessons. This is ahead. The absurd part bickering and madness of today will be a thing of the past. Another dimension. So they'd better enjoy it now while they can.

17/5/07 10:38 PM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

"this could very well portend the blend of these qualities as the two parties start to debate in earnest."

Forced to communicate. :-) Much further down the road, not sure how much things will continue to blend as much as fragment or splinter. I guess that'll be determined.

17/5/07 11:33 PM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

"They've become irresponsible. This is why I think they've lost power at this time."

Incoherence below the surface, lack of integrity or real integration of aspects of the personality.

Per Lakoff, Democrats must do more than criticize the level of competence, because people will imagine that all that's needed is more competent conservatives, a war czar, secretary of state, or whatever. They must get at the flaw in ideology. Perhaps the new think tank will contribute to that.

17/5/07 11:47 PM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

"Very good. Then the lack of issue definition is not really that important."

They probably should address real issues, and not be delicate about them, nor vague about their stances. The heart of the campaign, as communicated to the public, should probably not be dictated by polls.

That is, polling to find out what issues have strong support can sometimes help a campaign, but it is a losing strategy when it is the main strategy.

17/5/07 11:57 PM  
Blogger jm said...

It might depend on this Kennedy*Kerry*Hart faction which has been behind the scenes for a long time. Then the DLC which is aligned with the Republicans. The money is going Left and how far it swings back remains to be seen.

Once the Neocons are out it will be a new game.

The Dems are by nature splintered. The Repubs have had a chokehold with their unity and they are the ones really due for splintering. There are many many Repubs waiting for the chance to change the party. In the meantime there are legislators actually creating bills, and there is probably more cooperation than meets the eye.

In the end, as in all groups, the splintering is more within than among. this is why no one faction usually maintains power for long.

It will be a little less than 3 years for the USA Saturn in Libra return which doesn't give them much time to do useless splintering. The Repubs have to rebuild first. The chaos will end on time as this Pisces winds up.

I still think the Cancer/Cap polarity will dominate and motivate whatever change is afoot. The square to Libra is the resolution for now.

17/5/07 11:58 PM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

"I'm not sure that Cap is really the authoritarian, I think that's more Leo and the fixed signs. Capricorn ideally is the levelheaded boss that keeps the unit functioning. So I think that both Dems and Repubs don't exactly fit and both will be changing to fit the times."

If Capricorn is a realist, then I think that will probably be a good thing. :-)

18/5/07 12:00 AM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

"The Repubs have had a chokehold with their unity and they are the ones really due for splintering."

Yes, a unity that glossed over and ignored differences. So maybe the analysis is correct that a successful approach would be to create new draws appealing to the progressive qualities already possessed by many people who think of themselves as conservative.

"It will be a little less than 3 years for the USA Saturn in Libra return which doesn't give them much time to do useless splintering."

I'm inclined to expect to see, much further down the road, more than two major parties in my lifetime.

18/5/07 12:07 AM  
Blogger jm said...

The think tank is smart. Some Mr. Jones is going on. Something big behind it. Prepping for position maybe. Power. Connected to Kerry's decision not to run yet.

One of the reasons I prefer ideals to issues is not only the polling factor but the ease in which these promises can be broken.

An example is Jim Webb who ran on the "issue" of economic disparity, but represented it as an ideal. Aquarius-Cancer. He won a surprise victory. The people responded in a big way.

A lot to ponder on this.

18/5/07 12:08 AM  
Blogger jm said...

I don't know when there will be a change in the party structure. The Mars retro progression is 80 years and this is when the one on one will be worked with. There is a possibility that alternative parties could get going on the local level especially as Pluto transits Aquarius. It's all about the financial structure which will change with Pluto in Capricorn. That's the only thing holding us up. After they learn how to have a civil conversation which could conceivably take the entire 80 years.:o).

18/5/07 12:15 AM  
Blogger jm said...

There is lots of talk about the demons of Pluto in Capricorn, but this Neptune coming to the USA Moon is going to be a big factor. The Moon rules all the Cancer planets. So the nurture vs strict, we the people vs establishment game, and all of that will be in full swing.

18/5/07 12:22 AM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

"An example is Jim Webb who ran on the "issue" of economic disparity, but represented it as an ideal."

The main thing seems to be that they need to be connected. False ideals have no grounding in real people's lives, and issues promoted without heartfelt conviction are unconvincing and may have little real longterm commitment.

18/5/07 12:23 AM  
Blogger jm said...

I also think the issues will have to have more practical appeal in coming times. Not this ideological spreading of democracy poppycock.

18/5/07 12:34 AM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

"There is lots of talk about the demons of Pluto in Capricorn..."

No other way but through! :-) We have to go through the period some time.

18/5/07 12:36 AM  
Blogger kadimiros said...

"After they learn how to have a civil conversation which could conceivably take the entire 80 years.:o)"

Ha ha ha! Well, I'll probably get to see another half century at least. There will be surprises along the way, I'm sure.

18/5/07 12:38 AM  
Blogger jm said...

I stepped back and looked at the USA chart this week and thought, "This is a person I would like". Cancer, Moon in Aquarius, Sag rising, NN in leo, Mars in Gemini, Saturn in Libra.

My kind of people.

18/5/07 12:53 AM  

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