What the 21 December Solstice means (reprise)

Ever since I relocated to Magick River, I've been observing the Solstices and Equinoxes. The ancients used these cardinal positions of the Sun as a marker of seasonal changes. When humans lived according to these celestial signifiers they were naturally and rhythmically connected to the earth and were constantly appreciative of the life-giving energy of our Sun. This is why Solar Temples were found in all antediluvian cultures and the myth of the Returning Sun God is still deeply embedded in the human psyche - even in Christianity, which plagiarized the entombment, resurrection, and ascension of the Sun God from Solar God rituals dating back from time immemorial. These were the magical ceremonies of an agrarian community who knew the miraculous properties of seeds. The seed is a highly compressed package of genetics containing survival-enhancing permutations. Bury the seed in the ground and it appears dead but a few months later - lo and behold, it resurrects itself into a seedling and wastes no time ascending to the heavens

In today's consumer reality where almost all the food we eat is produced by agro-giants using slave labor in less developed countries and then processed and packaged for the hypermarkets, it's virtually impossible to feel any sense of wonder at how it's possible that nature can give birth to such a prolific variety of edible plants and animals. "Eat! Eat!" that's what nature seems to be saying, like any Mama who loves spending all the day in the kitchen, cooking up more goodies for her kids.

Anyway, a few days ago my SkyView Astrologer friend Katharina Bless sent me a link to a fascinating report that absolutely blew my mind. Apparently a group of astronomers have cautiously arrived at the conclusion that our Solar System was not originally a member of the Milky Way galaxy. It was, in fact, a small part of the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy which slowly got drawn into the stronger magnetic field of the Milky Way.

A new infra red digital survey of the entire sky was made in 2003. Teams from the universities of Virginia and Massachusetts used a supercomputer to sort through half a billion stars to create a NEW STAR MAP showing our Solar System (yellow circle) to be at the exact nexus crossroads where two galaxies are actually joining. [David Law/University of Virginia]

This would indicate that stellar constellations are not static - bits and pieces end up joining other star families... or get munched up like in some Pacman game. I leave you to ponder the significance this discovery.

AHAU 13 ~ by Jonathan Star

Gone to the Unseen

At last you have departed and gone to the Unseen.
What marvelous route did you take from this world?

Beating your wings and feathers,
you broke free from this cage.
Rising up to the sky
you attained the world of the soul.
You were a prized falcon trapped by an Old Woman.
Then you heard the drummer's call
and flew beyond space and time.

As a lovesick nightingale, you flew among the owls.
Then came the scent of the rosegarden
and you flew off to meet the Rose.

The wine of this fleeting world
caused your head to ache.
Finally you joined the tavern of Eternity.
Like an arrow, you sped from the bow
and went straight for the bull's eye of bliss.

This phantom world gave you false signs
But you turned from the illusion
and journeyed to the land of truth.

You are now the Sun -
what need have you for a crown?
You have vanished from this world -
what need have you to tie your robe?

I've heard that you can barely see your soul.
But why look at all? -
yours is now the Soul of Souls!

O heart, what a wonderful bird you are.
Seeking divine heights,
Flapping your wings,
you smashed the pointed spears of your enemy.

The flowers flee from Autumn, but not you -
You are the fearless rose
that grows amidst the freezing wind.

Pouring down like the rain of heaven
you fell upon the rooftop of this world.
Then you ran in every direction
and escaped through the drain spout...

Now the words are over
and the pain they bring is gone.
Now you have gone to rest
in the arms of the Beloved.

"Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved" ~ posted by Jonathan Star
New York, 1997

MAY THE DECEMBER SOLSTICE 

BRING NEW BEGINNINGS 

FOR ALL OF US!

[First posted 21 December 2009]

I miss my Uncle Frank! Happy Solstice, Folks...

FRANK ZAPPA (21 December 1940 ~ 4 December 1993): I was a true fan

Munich 1978

New York 1978, featuring Terry Bozzio on drums

City of Tiny Lights, New York 1978, featuring Adrian Belew on guitar & lead vocal

Rome 1982, featuring Steve Vai

Steve Vai gets spanked

Black Napkins @ The Palladium, New York, 1981

Chick Corea jams with Dweezil Zappa, 26 August 2011, in Kansas City

Last interview: Frank Zappa talks about his friend, Nicholas Slonimsky

Stravinsky conducts Zappa (just a clever and charming spoof, Zappa was a great fan of Igor who died in April 1971, long before Zappa wrote "Strictly Genteel")

“Music is the only religion that delivers the goods.” ~ Frank Zappa

“If you end up with a boring miserable life because you listened to your mom, your dad, your teacher, your priest, or some guy on television telling you how to do your shit, then you deserve it.” ~ Frank Zappa

“A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open.” ~ Frank Zappa

“I never set out to be weird. It was always other people who called me weird.” ~ Frank Zappa

“There's a big difference between kneeling down and bending over.” ~ Frank Zappa

“Take the Kama Sutra. How many people died from the Kama Sutra as opposed to the Bible? Who wins?” ~ Frank Zappa

“The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.” ~ Frank Zappa

“A composer is a guy who goes around forcing his will on unsuspecting air molecules, often with the assistance of unsuspecting musicians.” ~ Frank Zappa

“Government is the entertainment division of the military-industrial complex.” ~ Frank Zappa

“Anybody who wants religion is welcome to it, as far as I'm concerned - I support your right to enjoy it. However, I would appreciate it if you exhibited more respect for the rights of those people who do not wish to share your dogma, rapture, or necrodestination.” ~ Frank Zappa

“May your shit come to life and kiss you on the face.” ~ Frank Zappa

“The essence of Christianity is told us in the Garden of Eden history. The fruit that was forbidden was on the tree of knowledge. The subtext is, all the suffering you have is because you wanted to find out what was going on. You could be in the Garden of Eden if you had just kept your fucking mouth shut and hadn't asked any questions.” ~ Frank Zappa

Pauline Butcher with Frank Zappa backstage in Anaheim in 1968 (Plexus Books)

FRANK ZAPPA, HIS GROUPIES AND ME
Zappa's one-time personal assistant, Pauline Butcher, has written a book, titled Freak Out! My Life with Frank Zappa - 43 years after she relocated from London to Laurel Canyon, a suburb of Los Angeles, to work for the man with whom she was utterly besotted. She subsequently returned to England, continued her studies, and married a guy named Bird, who's now a banker with Rothschild's, based in Singapore.