Jennifer Countney Barr - Artist Birthday: June 3 Sun Sign: Gemini
I am the youngest of seven children born and raised in New London, Wisconsin. I liken this statement to being raised in a cardboard box. My mother made every effort to raise me with the Roman Catholic fear of damnation. This alone might explain my curiosity about other people’s human experience and my desire to find beauty through art. But, for me creating art is a cathartic process of expressing ideas about family, spirituality, nature and duality. I work on multiple artworks at a time on a table, easel or on the floor. I use pencil, ink, charcoal, pastels, wax, coffee, wine, oil, acrylic and water color paints. The surface of the picture may be layered with newspaper, pages from a book, wallpaper, wood, metal, paper or canvas. My style is a combination of photorealism and abstraction, allowing me to blur the lines of what is and what could be.
Jennifer Countney Barr – Fine Artist
1396 River Road, Montpelier VT 05602 Phone: (802) 229-5864
April 26 to May 3, 2009
Vermont Studio Center Vermonter’s Week Fellowship, Johnson, VT:
Mixed Media Paintings and Drawings created and shown at 25th Anniversary Gala.
May 2008
Group Show “Revelations” at Nectars, Main Street, Burlington, VT:
Mixed Media Collage Drawings based on the theme of interconnectedness.
Sept. 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001
South End Art Hop – South Burlington, VT:
Mixed Media Paintings and Drawings; abstract and photorealistic.
April 2007
“Spring, Sprang, Sprung” - Green Bean Gallery, Capitol Grounds, Montpelier: Drawings and Watercolor Paintings – photorealistic portraits of children, flowers and vegetables at various stages of growth.
Sept.2006
“Serenity” - The Cobblestone Deli – Battery Street, Burlington, VT:
Mixed Media Collage Paintings of nature.
Sept. 2005
Women Helping Battered Women Arts Auction – Daily Planet, Burlington, VT:
Donated a large scale Mixed Media Painting titled “Nightmares”.
Nov. 2003
Flynn Center for the Performing Arts Auction – Burlington, VT:
Donated for Auction a large scale Mixed Media Collage Drawing “Finding Common Ground” based on religious symbols from several major religions.
June 2001
Art’s Alive Fine Arts Festival – Church Street, Burlington, VT:
Collage Drawings at Echo & voted “Best New Vermont Artist”.
August 2000
“On the Line” Daily Planet – Burlington, VT:
Charcoal & Mixed Media Drawings hung on a clothesline with clothespins.
Sept. 1999
Rhombus Gallery – Cherry Street, Burlington, VT:
Mixed Media Collage Drawings & Paintings
Aug. 1999
Arts Alive Chair Painting – Main Street Landing, Burlington, VT
Donated a hand painted chair with a water nymph motif to benefit Arts Alive.
May 1999
Teaching Collage Style Drawing at So. Burlington High School
Volunteer based class for 40 students for Career Day creating Collage Style Drawings using the theme of “Life’s Road Map”.
Sept. 1998
Very Special Arts – Burlington, VT
Donated a pastel and mixed media drawing entitled “Roosters” for Auction at $3000.00 to benefit the Vermont based children’s organization.
May 1997
Steve’s ICE CREAM in Newtonville, MA
Charcoal Drawings of children, a Victorian house, a French model; self portrait.
Sept. 1996
Café Moca – Boston, MA
Mixed Media Drawings & Poetry reflecting imagery and impressions of city life.
June 1996
“Rebecca” St. Cloud Playhouse
Abstract and Photorealistic Mixed Media drawings and paintings of Women
paired with the play “Shirley Valentine”.
May 1996
“Lost & Found” at Keihle Visual Arts Gallery at St. Cloud State University, MN
Mixed Media drawings and paintings with the theme of opportunities and losses.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The Nature of Twins
Hi all! I am very slowly getting used to being a father. Most activities have increased in scope and intensity except for sleeping! I feel older now than ever before, yet there is also a freshness to the life experience that has truly grown since Abigail and Josh arrived on the scene on April 2nd.
It has been interesting to see my own twins in action during the last months and to ponder the phenomenology of “twindom” – I consider this performed work to be put to good use in this month’s Gemini blog.
As I write this post I am listening to old Prince music and truly there is no better musical communicator than his royal badness. His music and presentation are proficient and transcendent and he is a fantastic band leader and multi-instrumentalist. In a word, an amazing Gemini. The man is a million personas at any one time. So glad that he is still doing music. He and Miles Davis – double Geminian musical proficiency at its height.
So who or what is a Gemini? Well, supposedly this sign tends to manifest the very idea of twindom!There is a twoness to twins, obviously, and as far as my own twins go, I imagine that as they grow older they will be having to work on the problem of what is me and what is my sibling and, perhaps, what is us together. Already one can notice the definite complexity of the Gemini. Anyone who spends time with a Gemini native understands that there are many folks appearing from out of that one human body and mind. I have known many Geminis over the years and indeed they are communication specialists and seem forever youthful both in appearance and in demeanor. Often they are great talkers and tend to act as butterflies flying from one rapid social transaction to another. They also tend to forever be on the go.
This month I would like to simply feature a Geminian artist. She is the Vermont artist, Jennifer Countney Barr. Jennifer has been a friend of my wife’s and it has been a pleasure getting to know here and her husband, Rick. Jennifer works in a variety of mediums, but her favorites generally involve works on canvas. Jennifer captures the complexity of color and texture and always produces work that is rich in meaning and theme. She makes amazing collages.
So what makes Ms. Barr particularly Geminian? Well, there are a number of qualities that do. When Jennifer walks into a room she has a youthful appearance and cheeriness that is impossible not to be lifted up by.
It has been interesting to see my own twins in action during the last months and to ponder the phenomenology of “twindom” – I consider this performed work to be put to good use in this month’s Gemini blog.
As I write this post I am listening to old Prince music and truly there is no better musical communicator than his royal badness. His music and presentation are proficient and transcendent and he is a fantastic band leader and multi-instrumentalist. In a word, an amazing Gemini. The man is a million personas at any one time. So glad that he is still doing music. He and Miles Davis – double Geminian musical proficiency at its height.
So who or what is a Gemini? Well, supposedly this sign tends to manifest the very idea of twindom!There is a twoness to twins, obviously, and as far as my own twins go, I imagine that as they grow older they will be having to work on the problem of what is me and what is my sibling and, perhaps, what is us together. Already one can notice the definite complexity of the Gemini. Anyone who spends time with a Gemini native understands that there are many folks appearing from out of that one human body and mind. I have known many Geminis over the years and indeed they are communication specialists and seem forever youthful both in appearance and in demeanor. Often they are great talkers and tend to act as butterflies flying from one rapid social transaction to another. They also tend to forever be on the go.
This month I would like to simply feature a Geminian artist. She is the Vermont artist, Jennifer Countney Barr. Jennifer has been a friend of my wife’s and it has been a pleasure getting to know here and her husband, Rick. Jennifer works in a variety of mediums, but her favorites generally involve works on canvas. Jennifer captures the complexity of color and texture and always produces work that is rich in meaning and theme. She makes amazing collages.
So what makes Ms. Barr particularly Geminian? Well, there are a number of qualities that do. When Jennifer walks into a room she has a youthful appearance and cheeriness that is impossible not to be lifted up by.
Her art is as complex as she is. Best of all, Jennifer is ever changing as is her artwork! The Geminian is forever fascinating.
Behold, then, my Cancerian wife at left and the Geminian artist on the right.
Happy Twinning!
Please view Ms. Barr's Profile and Bio below:
Thursday, May 7, 2009
A Trio of Tough Taureans
Ahhhh, how the soothing temperature shifts and how the bird songs of May have been washing over all of us in beautiful springtime Vermont! As I sat on our deck the other evening, I watched the neighbors actively feeding a fire that they had built in their fire pit. The smell of smoke was heavenly as various tendrils of hickory lifted off into the cooling night breezes. Our neighbors were gathered around a newborn and a multitude of generations intermingled as the fire was fed. In the distance you could hear the sounds of nocturnal birds crying in the distance. All in all I would call this a perfect Taurean moment. A simple enjoyment of the season and the outside world is important to the Taurus native. The typical Taurean scene of a bull lazily chewing in a verdantly green meadow communicates this same feeling of earthy contentment. What else could the month of May possibly be about?
For this month’s column, I would like to explore three Taurean figures all of who exemplify the solidity of this sun sign. These three figures are male, so sorry ladies not to include you in on this one, but the point that I am driving home in this instance involves three long-lived males of societal prominence in American life. And these 3 gentlemen have certainly lived life to the fullest!
The first figure who I would like to mention is Pete Seeger who recently turned an amazing ninety! This man of song and social activism exemplifies the very best of Taurean qualities. Pete’s solid approach to living rests in his values of social justice and achieving peace and equality for all peoples. At his ninetieth birthday party celebration in New York fellow Venutian Bruce Springsteen said of Pete Seeger that: “At ninety, he remains a stealth dagger through the heart of our country’s illusions about itself.” This phrase truly exemplifies what a morally strong Taurean can accomplish! The Taurean super citizen is grounded enough to teach others by example no matter how dysfunctional or compromised others around them appear to be. The fixed sign of Taurus can teach others how to “live right” in this complicated world. I have always loved the phrase that appears on Pete Seeger’s banjo: “This instrument surrounds hatred and causes it to surrender.” No more beautiful life credo has ever been written on any instrument.
Recently deceased Studs Terkel also is a prime example of the “super world citizen”. His life work of bringing the history of the common person out into the front of American privileged life is extraordinary. Terkel possessed an unparalleled enjoyment of hearing people’s personal stories and recording them for history, but I also believe for his own individual enjoyment. Indeed, there is no stronger device for the study of history, than simple oral tradition. Terkel was as tireless and as solid as they come and within his examination of people’s lives within the pages of his books, it is easy to see how American social policy was eventually steered towards the light through his efforts.
Finally, I would like to raise another figure up to the light as a Taurean dynamo and that would be good old Willie Nelson. In the tradition of Seeger and Terkel, Willie has stubbornly stayed on the road playing that extremely beat up nylon string and connecting with causes such as Farm Aid. Willie has not changed his image or his music to match the times, yet old and new fans coming under his spell are instantly transported to a place of the best that the heartland offers to Americans of all faiths and cultures. His music and persona exemplify a belief in the land itself. Also a noteworthy Taurean quality of Willie’s is his love of marijuana; Taureans love their earthly pleasures, right?! British studies have recently linked a decrease in Alzheimer numbers among men forty and older who moderately smoke marijuana (conversely men under forty who smoke are putting themselves at risk for prostrate and respiratory diseases!). Older gentlemen, then, especially Taureans should be able to enjoy their earthly pleasures without the guilt!
Learn to be grounded by spending time listening to Pete, Studs, and Willie telling their stories.
For this month’s column, I would like to explore three Taurean figures all of who exemplify the solidity of this sun sign. These three figures are male, so sorry ladies not to include you in on this one, but the point that I am driving home in this instance involves three long-lived males of societal prominence in American life. And these 3 gentlemen have certainly lived life to the fullest!
The first figure who I would like to mention is Pete Seeger who recently turned an amazing ninety! This man of song and social activism exemplifies the very best of Taurean qualities. Pete’s solid approach to living rests in his values of social justice and achieving peace and equality for all peoples. At his ninetieth birthday party celebration in New York fellow Venutian Bruce Springsteen said of Pete Seeger that: “At ninety, he remains a stealth dagger through the heart of our country’s illusions about itself.” This phrase truly exemplifies what a morally strong Taurean can accomplish! The Taurean super citizen is grounded enough to teach others by example no matter how dysfunctional or compromised others around them appear to be. The fixed sign of Taurus can teach others how to “live right” in this complicated world. I have always loved the phrase that appears on Pete Seeger’s banjo: “This instrument surrounds hatred and causes it to surrender.” No more beautiful life credo has ever been written on any instrument.
Recently deceased Studs Terkel also is a prime example of the “super world citizen”. His life work of bringing the history of the common person out into the front of American privileged life is extraordinary. Terkel possessed an unparalleled enjoyment of hearing people’s personal stories and recording them for history, but I also believe for his own individual enjoyment. Indeed, there is no stronger device for the study of history, than simple oral tradition. Terkel was as tireless and as solid as they come and within his examination of people’s lives within the pages of his books, it is easy to see how American social policy was eventually steered towards the light through his efforts.
Finally, I would like to raise another figure up to the light as a Taurean dynamo and that would be good old Willie Nelson. In the tradition of Seeger and Terkel, Willie has stubbornly stayed on the road playing that extremely beat up nylon string and connecting with causes such as Farm Aid. Willie has not changed his image or his music to match the times, yet old and new fans coming under his spell are instantly transported to a place of the best that the heartland offers to Americans of all faiths and cultures. His music and persona exemplify a belief in the land itself. Also a noteworthy Taurean quality of Willie’s is his love of marijuana; Taureans love their earthly pleasures, right?! British studies have recently linked a decrease in Alzheimer numbers among men forty and older who moderately smoke marijuana (conversely men under forty who smoke are putting themselves at risk for prostrate and respiratory diseases!). Older gentlemen, then, especially Taureans should be able to enjoy their earthly pleasures without the guilt!
Learn to be grounded by spending time listening to Pete, Studs, and Willie telling their stories.
Friday, April 10, 2009
I think that most people simply love the spring! There can be little doubt that this time of year creates at least in New England a sense of explosive energy that is perhaps like no other season that exists in the calendar year. It is a time of incredible growth and new things coming at everyone at top speed: the garden begins to grow, the projects pile up at work (depending on the industry) and the light begins to glare from the sky; we suddenly remember sweating as we begin to worship the sun anew.
People simply go crazy during the spring in Vermont; when that sun finally comes out from behind the clouds life begins again in Burlington as if the government were spraying the masses with Oxycontin and cocaine from the sky. Large waves of color sweep through the previously brown fields and forests as birds begin to sing – loudly – when just a few weeks ago there was simply a cold silence ever present in the outside world. Even if it snows or hails – the sun will eventually clean up the mess.
As far as my reasoning goes, after the spring equinox occurs on March 20th, we, in the western hemisphere, have entered into the time of Aries. And if nothing else, the Ram is all about super powerful beginnings and forward movement. Up and up is the direction. Burn baby burn!
The Aries sun sign manifests the energy of spring, which is virtually unstoppable once it gets going. Newness and power are the birthright of this forward moving sign. I contend that Aries is also the most athletic sign with natives born in this time period of the year having tremendous nervous energy to use for projects; most Aries will have a nervous foot tapping or roving eyes that keep scanning the room for the next interesting thing to pursue. Both the male and female Aries exemplify a natural physicality that is second to no other astrological sun sign. They are competitive and eager to be number one in virtually any area of life and they will delight also in the pursuit of this action. Aries loves action and even loves the love of action!
Now the funny thing with Aries is that other sun sign natives actually can very much enjoy the company of Aries when the Aries is in competitive mode because Aries shines during this moment. The sun that burns on the spring beach bringing in the happy cries of seagulls and returning geese is pure Arien energy released into nature. And when an Aries is performing at the peak of its capability all are suddenly blinded. A blazing start to a season of growth begins here!
As a double Libran, I am always fascinated by the Arien energy for its incredible explosiveness and consistent power.
Lest you believe I know something about astrology, I present to you my own Aries children, Joshua and Abigail – both of whom will surely kick my Libran ass into a real understanding of sun sign number one!
People simply go crazy during the spring in Vermont; when that sun finally comes out from behind the clouds life begins again in Burlington as if the government were spraying the masses with Oxycontin and cocaine from the sky. Large waves of color sweep through the previously brown fields and forests as birds begin to sing – loudly – when just a few weeks ago there was simply a cold silence ever present in the outside world. Even if it snows or hails – the sun will eventually clean up the mess.
As far as my reasoning goes, after the spring equinox occurs on March 20th, we, in the western hemisphere, have entered into the time of Aries. And if nothing else, the Ram is all about super powerful beginnings and forward movement. Up and up is the direction. Burn baby burn!
The Aries sun sign manifests the energy of spring, which is virtually unstoppable once it gets going. Newness and power are the birthright of this forward moving sign. I contend that Aries is also the most athletic sign with natives born in this time period of the year having tremendous nervous energy to use for projects; most Aries will have a nervous foot tapping or roving eyes that keep scanning the room for the next interesting thing to pursue. Both the male and female Aries exemplify a natural physicality that is second to no other astrological sun sign. They are competitive and eager to be number one in virtually any area of life and they will delight also in the pursuit of this action. Aries loves action and even loves the love of action!
Now the funny thing with Aries is that other sun sign natives actually can very much enjoy the company of Aries when the Aries is in competitive mode because Aries shines during this moment. The sun that burns on the spring beach bringing in the happy cries of seagulls and returning geese is pure Arien energy released into nature. And when an Aries is performing at the peak of its capability all are suddenly blinded. A blazing start to a season of growth begins here!
As a double Libran, I am always fascinated by the Arien energy for its incredible explosiveness and consistent power.
Lest you believe I know something about astrology, I present to you my own Aries children, Joshua and Abigail – both of whom will surely kick my Libran ass into a real understanding of sun sign number one!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Understanding Pisces or Pisceans is never easy. Although I have had numerous friends and two mothers-in law with this sun sign, it is still challenging to define them exactly. Since we in the northeast are now entering once again into the time of Pisces, I thought to share an experiential viewpoint of the twin fishes.
Before meeting my most excellent wife, I was a very lonely man. I believe that this specific time period was towards the end of winter in 2003. The skies were gloomy as I sat sulking. As I looked back at my life, it all seemed quite painful and meaningless. I stood alone upon the cliffs overlooking Lake Champlain at Oakledge Park in Burlington. I was cold and twilight was beginning to settle. I felt exhausted and did not feel life; I felt death. As I sat quietly in the stillness involved in this negative vibe, I suddenly started to hear cracking and dripping. Wow! Winter was around BUT the lake was starting to defreeze and the dripping became louder and louder until I realized that all around me was water flowing and moving. Soon I had escaped my prior feelings of no movement and no life. This I believe is at least one of the powers of Pisces. It is all about water flowing and morphing and flooding and dripping and if we realize that the planet is mostly water, well then, water is no small deal. It would appear that water ultimately controls all.
As I write this month’s astro piece, I am also pondering the huge belly of my pregnant wife. The twins in there are floating in water and though they are not supposed to be Pisceans according to the delivery predictions, I can’t help but feel that they are Piscean symbols nonetheless attached to cords and swimming inside a living fish tank.
Anyone reading about astrology will inevitably get to the entries about Pisces saying that they are old souls and the Buddhist in me acknowledges that perhaps if they are really old souls, they just might not be coming back after this lifetime at all. Perhaps they are off to Nirvana upon the end of this life. This being said, then, let it be known that to nail down a Piscean is just silly and a waste of time. It is a nebulous and undulating creature that has many artistic, psychic, and healing abilities. These natives tend to have liquid eyes that stand out even from their rising sign characteristics. Keep gazing into those eyes and you will see a whole aquarium in there! Perhaps the first celled creatures that came out of the primordial ooze were Piscean – liquid made flesh! Other physical characteristics that stand out in Pisces individuals seem to be a kind of porpoise quality in the body or a flipper-like quality in the arms. I am not saying that they all can or like to swim, but can you imagine them suddenly morphing back into a mermaid or into Poseidon? I realize that this is a stretch, but give it a try next time you are having an intense conversation with a twin fish.
Pisces tends to absorb all like an emotional sponge and needs real solitude to recover. Though the same can be said about Cancerians to a degree, I feel that the Cancerian recovery from stress is markedly different. The Cancerian will simply need to eat some home cooking-style comfort food (OK – a lot of it) and more or less upon the conclusion of the meal be recovered. Not so for the Piscean. They are going to need much more time and much more solitude to extract themselves from everything and everyone that has globed onto them. This is what happens when a liquid creature comes onto land – all kinds of things stick to it suddenly and it is painful to them. They need to stay well lubed like a tadpole.
The other typical connection with Pisces is of course the planet Neptune, which in astro terms always bespeaks illusion and nebulousness. This could take the form of pursuing many relationships and marriages such as in the case of Elizabeth Taylor, Piscean par excellence or the multitude of conflicting images and stories we have of America’s first president, George Washington. It is noteworthy that one of the most enduring images of him is his crossing of the Potomac River on the bow of that little skiff. Old George even connects to a Piscean image with the myth of him pleading guilty upon the chopping down of the cherry tree. This image has been portrayed many times and often there is an illusionary quality to it.
Please see the image for this month, which is so Piscean! It is the book cover to author evolutionary biologist Neil Shubin’s “Your Inner Fish”. I got the chance to read it before it hit the shelves of the major book stores through a friend of mine. Though I am no scientist, I understand that a major premise of the book is that we are all carrying vestigial fish elements in our skeletal structures. Perhaps in a fashion, we are all Piscean. You go Tiktaalik roseae!
Before meeting my most excellent wife, I was a very lonely man. I believe that this specific time period was towards the end of winter in 2003. The skies were gloomy as I sat sulking. As I looked back at my life, it all seemed quite painful and meaningless. I stood alone upon the cliffs overlooking Lake Champlain at Oakledge Park in Burlington. I was cold and twilight was beginning to settle. I felt exhausted and did not feel life; I felt death. As I sat quietly in the stillness involved in this negative vibe, I suddenly started to hear cracking and dripping. Wow! Winter was around BUT the lake was starting to defreeze and the dripping became louder and louder until I realized that all around me was water flowing and moving. Soon I had escaped my prior feelings of no movement and no life. This I believe is at least one of the powers of Pisces. It is all about water flowing and morphing and flooding and dripping and if we realize that the planet is mostly water, well then, water is no small deal. It would appear that water ultimately controls all.
As I write this month’s astro piece, I am also pondering the huge belly of my pregnant wife. The twins in there are floating in water and though they are not supposed to be Pisceans according to the delivery predictions, I can’t help but feel that they are Piscean symbols nonetheless attached to cords and swimming inside a living fish tank.
Anyone reading about astrology will inevitably get to the entries about Pisces saying that they are old souls and the Buddhist in me acknowledges that perhaps if they are really old souls, they just might not be coming back after this lifetime at all. Perhaps they are off to Nirvana upon the end of this life. This being said, then, let it be known that to nail down a Piscean is just silly and a waste of time. It is a nebulous and undulating creature that has many artistic, psychic, and healing abilities. These natives tend to have liquid eyes that stand out even from their rising sign characteristics. Keep gazing into those eyes and you will see a whole aquarium in there! Perhaps the first celled creatures that came out of the primordial ooze were Piscean – liquid made flesh! Other physical characteristics that stand out in Pisces individuals seem to be a kind of porpoise quality in the body or a flipper-like quality in the arms. I am not saying that they all can or like to swim, but can you imagine them suddenly morphing back into a mermaid or into Poseidon? I realize that this is a stretch, but give it a try next time you are having an intense conversation with a twin fish.
Pisces tends to absorb all like an emotional sponge and needs real solitude to recover. Though the same can be said about Cancerians to a degree, I feel that the Cancerian recovery from stress is markedly different. The Cancerian will simply need to eat some home cooking-style comfort food (OK – a lot of it) and more or less upon the conclusion of the meal be recovered. Not so for the Piscean. They are going to need much more time and much more solitude to extract themselves from everything and everyone that has globed onto them. This is what happens when a liquid creature comes onto land – all kinds of things stick to it suddenly and it is painful to them. They need to stay well lubed like a tadpole.
The other typical connection with Pisces is of course the planet Neptune, which in astro terms always bespeaks illusion and nebulousness. This could take the form of pursuing many relationships and marriages such as in the case of Elizabeth Taylor, Piscean par excellence or the multitude of conflicting images and stories we have of America’s first president, George Washington. It is noteworthy that one of the most enduring images of him is his crossing of the Potomac River on the bow of that little skiff. Old George even connects to a Piscean image with the myth of him pleading guilty upon the chopping down of the cherry tree. This image has been portrayed many times and often there is an illusionary quality to it.
Please see the image for this month, which is so Piscean! It is the book cover to author evolutionary biologist Neil Shubin’s “Your Inner Fish”. I got the chance to read it before it hit the shelves of the major book stores through a friend of mine. Though I am no scientist, I understand that a major premise of the book is that we are all carrying vestigial fish elements in our skeletal structures. Perhaps in a fashion, we are all Piscean. You go Tiktaalik roseae!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Finally, so very finally, it is time to leave most of January behind and thus begin to see more light, more movement and the first dawning of the new reality that the starkness of November, December, and January just can’t go on forever and forever. To quote the defunct Kerry & Edwards (preadultery – not judging!) campaign: “Help is on the way.”
Temperatures will rise with the growing light and a sense of help indeed suddenly comes into being even in freezing Vermont. Though February will have cold and snow, the qualities of this cold and snow will be less severe than of the white stuff of January. February sends the message that the darkest and deepest part of winter is already over… and some kind of thaw is just around the corner. This is where I like to think the sign of Aquarius begins.
The Aquarian sensibility is all about applying a briskly fresh approach and about looking away to a vista that is far off on the horizon. The Aquarian character does things in a determined fashion and at its best involves both innovation coupled with considerable perspiration.
Aquarians seem to know how to make systems, devices, machines, and new inventions work. If they are having a problem with a gadget or some such thing, they will simply retreat into some form of solitary space and try to figure it all out and usually they will succeed. The Aquarian is nothing if not persistent and innovative. Often, they are the mad genius.
Since I know a little about music, I would put forth two innovative and mad genius types: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Eddie Van Halen. Both of these musicians changed things up quite a bit and were able to not only perform original music, but they also came up with new forms of musical expression coupled with glamorous if tumultuous public personas. As a boy of five Mozart was able to read and write music; as a teen he wrote original compositions that transcended genres and later reinvented several of the operatic forms not only musically, but thematically as well. The idea of fiancé swapping that occurs in Cosi Fan Tutte was certainly risqué and novel for the time and Mozart’s opera audiences loved it.
Temperatures will rise with the growing light and a sense of help indeed suddenly comes into being even in freezing Vermont. Though February will have cold and snow, the qualities of this cold and snow will be less severe than of the white stuff of January. February sends the message that the darkest and deepest part of winter is already over… and some kind of thaw is just around the corner. This is where I like to think the sign of Aquarius begins.
The Aquarian sensibility is all about applying a briskly fresh approach and about looking away to a vista that is far off on the horizon. The Aquarian character does things in a determined fashion and at its best involves both innovation coupled with considerable perspiration.
Aquarians seem to know how to make systems, devices, machines, and new inventions work. If they are having a problem with a gadget or some such thing, they will simply retreat into some form of solitary space and try to figure it all out and usually they will succeed. The Aquarian is nothing if not persistent and innovative. Often, they are the mad genius.
Since I know a little about music, I would put forth two innovative and mad genius types: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Eddie Van Halen. Both of these musicians changed things up quite a bit and were able to not only perform original music, but they also came up with new forms of musical expression coupled with glamorous if tumultuous public personas. As a boy of five Mozart was able to read and write music; as a teen he wrote original compositions that transcended genres and later reinvented several of the operatic forms not only musically, but thematically as well. The idea of fiancé swapping that occurs in Cosi Fan Tutte was certainly risqué and novel for the time and Mozart’s opera audiences loved it.
As a result Mozart needed to work quite a bit in order to keep up with the demand for new works. He worked hard as a composer and as a pianist and as a violinist and creativity undoubtedly was an obsession for him.
Eddie Van Halen, too, has made a contribution to Pop Metal and rock music in general. His incendiary guitar playing created new lick patterns culminating with the most original two-handed tapping styles highlighted in the instrumental “Eruption”. His guitar playing technique is novel with the role of his middle finger of his right hand and his use of keyboards. Additionally, he designed many of his own guitars and amps having not been satisfied with playing the gear available at the music store like an Eric Clapton did. Van Halen created artistic designs on his equipment and strangely made the wearing of overalls work as a rock ‘n’ roll outfit.
Mozart and Van Halen together show a bit of the picture that an original and gifted Aquarian is capable of painting. There is the classical skill and poise, yet there is also the innovation and the calculation necessary to achieve greatness.
On a bit of a side idea, in observing a Capricorn-Aquarius cusp friend the other day, I was struck by how these two signs are, in fact, quite similar to one another. As a Capricorn is much grounded in the understanding of hard work and the pursuance of societal betterments (think Cappie Martin Luther King Jr.), so is the Aquarian (think Abraham Lincoln). Maybe it is the winter aspect of both of these signs that so clearly bespeak of the need to accomplish hard work for the good of the larger community. Whereas Cappie will get the work done through traditional and conservative means, the Aquarian will be innovative and perhaps shockingly radical in the pursuit of a fix.
Aquarius tends to govern things like nuclear power and electricity. It is interesting to note that currently we are in a mercury retrograde period in Aquarius, so I suppose that socially radical and innovative communication will be delayed until mercury turns direct on February 1st.
Finally, still up for grabs is whether planet earth has entered the Age of Aquarius with many famous astrologers still undecided about this fact. Let me also put out there that President Obama is Aquarius rising and in this way he resembles my most excellent brother-in-law who is long and lean and smart and kind. Three cheers to our new and fresh President! The young Farrah is included in an image form because she makes me remember my boyhood – and my early love for all Aquarians!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Time of the Sea Goat
Dick Nixon -- A Fallen Cap
It is only weeks away from 2009 and suddenly, we, in the western hemisphere, are in the midst of the winter solstice and I, for one, am really feeling it. Outside it is dark and cold and Christmas music is blaring in every retail outlet that I wander into. Every year this sudden “winterization” and Yuletide megabomb happens up here in Vermont and it all seemingly takes place right out of nowhere. The snows fall and holiday traffic locks everything up and it all becomes tedious bedlam. Indeed, Hanukah and Christmas Eve (Eid has already ended) are approaching and with these cultural milestones our direct movement towards shorter and darker days will finally end, but the movement toward the gradual increase in daylight hours and sunshine seems deathly slow going at this point.
These sensations and perceptions are all part and parcel of “the slowest time of year.” As the lights dim, we are all forced to take stock of our prior year if not “our entire lives” and to feel that it was all worth it (or not!). As the freneticism of the holiday season blazes on, it is often impossible to slow everything down and to simply accept where we all are positioned. The snow keeps falling and the holidays can make us feel that we are not “where we wanted to be.” I am here, but I really wanted to be there! And of course there is no escape to “there” – whatever “there” may represent to you personally. This is the difficult feeling of the holidays.
This very deep feeling of taking stock of your life and your place within it is beautifully aligned within the sign of Capricorn that begins during the winter solstice. Even though I am only a Capricorn rising, I believe that I understand a bit about this sun sign, especially because many of my friends are double Caps. These folks are a force to contend with to be sure. They are powerful and ever moving toward big goals, yet they are careful in existing in the definite present as they slowly aim quite high in their life pursuits.
The saturnine quality of the Capricorn is undeniable. There is a stark realism to the Capricorn native and even though this realism may result in the ultimate kill joy effect, it is very much a permanent state of affairs with Capricorn. The sober light of day is where the Capricorn native exists best.
As a large peasant family sits around the table during the middle ages in present day Eastern Europe, let’s say on January 1st, the decision must be made as to what animal needs to be killed, so as to have enough food to get through to spring. A wrong choice could very well result in starvation of the family or the destruction of further animal husbandry. This kind of high stakes decision making is what the sea goat excels at. He or she or it knows how to survive and how to plan accordingly.
Here, then, is where the Capricorn resides. The Capricorn native is more able to make this decision than any other sign. They know the right way to turn from within their very bones! And of course Saturn tends to govern bones and the skeleton. The relationship between time and the human skeleton is one of the most undeniable connections that exist on planet earth. Cappie feels the aging process taking place. Gravity slowly pulls everything down. The seriousness of time passing is a wave length that anyone touched by Saturn understands.
The connection, then, between Christ’s birth (though probably not the right birthday – most sources point to him as being Aquarian) and Capricorn is apparent in a little baby sleeping in the hay. Mary and Joseph have no money nor do they have a hotel/motel room and they don’t even have Skype. Yet, they have hope and some wonderful stars glimmering in the sky and they can simply wait it all out. Peace be onto all beings.
These sensations and perceptions are all part and parcel of “the slowest time of year.” As the lights dim, we are all forced to take stock of our prior year if not “our entire lives” and to feel that it was all worth it (or not!). As the freneticism of the holiday season blazes on, it is often impossible to slow everything down and to simply accept where we all are positioned. The snow keeps falling and the holidays can make us feel that we are not “where we wanted to be.” I am here, but I really wanted to be there! And of course there is no escape to “there” – whatever “there” may represent to you personally. This is the difficult feeling of the holidays.
This very deep feeling of taking stock of your life and your place within it is beautifully aligned within the sign of Capricorn that begins during the winter solstice. Even though I am only a Capricorn rising, I believe that I understand a bit about this sun sign, especially because many of my friends are double Caps. These folks are a force to contend with to be sure. They are powerful and ever moving toward big goals, yet they are careful in existing in the definite present as they slowly aim quite high in their life pursuits.
The saturnine quality of the Capricorn is undeniable. There is a stark realism to the Capricorn native and even though this realism may result in the ultimate kill joy effect, it is very much a permanent state of affairs with Capricorn. The sober light of day is where the Capricorn native exists best.
As a large peasant family sits around the table during the middle ages in present day Eastern Europe, let’s say on January 1st, the decision must be made as to what animal needs to be killed, so as to have enough food to get through to spring. A wrong choice could very well result in starvation of the family or the destruction of further animal husbandry. This kind of high stakes decision making is what the sea goat excels at. He or she or it knows how to survive and how to plan accordingly.
Here, then, is where the Capricorn resides. The Capricorn native is more able to make this decision than any other sign. They know the right way to turn from within their very bones! And of course Saturn tends to govern bones and the skeleton. The relationship between time and the human skeleton is one of the most undeniable connections that exist on planet earth. Cappie feels the aging process taking place. Gravity slowly pulls everything down. The seriousness of time passing is a wave length that anyone touched by Saturn understands.
The connection, then, between Christ’s birth (though probably not the right birthday – most sources point to him as being Aquarian) and Capricorn is apparent in a little baby sleeping in the hay. Mary and Joseph have no money nor do they have a hotel/motel room and they don’t even have Skype. Yet, they have hope and some wonderful stars glimmering in the sky and they can simply wait it all out. Peace be onto all beings.
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