I’m writing the day before the annular solar eclipse, when the moon partially obscure’s the sun’s light, creating an illusory “ring of fire” in the dark, evoking Mount Doom and the bondage of marriage. I love a Mordor. I write this as I drink cold coffee out of a plastic cup; next to me, an influencer films herself as she applies her makeup.
On the 20th, Neptune and Saturn come together in Aries, the first union of the respective planets of authority and imagination since 1989: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the protests at Tiananmen Square, the end of an era. In a recent podcast episode about the conjunction, I talk about 1989’s dominating cultural artifacts: Queen Latifah’s Ladies First, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, Madonna’s Like a Prayer, and, of course, Tim Burton’s Batman. The assignment was to take those forces of domination—nationhood, authority, race, religion—and make love to them, meld them into something malleable and beautiful.
The ring of fire, Sméagol, Sauron. When Lord of the Rings came out, just after 9/11, the specter of an eye in the sky, a surveillance supervillain, inspired fear in the hearts of lesbian hobbits and their viewers. Now, we are on all fours for the Dark Lord. It’s just the way of the world. But the way is changing.
The debut of these planets in Aries simplifies everything to a battle against ultimate evil, a relief after years of processing and unpacking and apologizing. The boot of the monolith stomps down on the innocent, and shock troopers act as emissaries of the Free World. Go topple them. But the work of the dreamers will be to make sense of what is. We fuck in the factory, dress superheroes in dungeon garb, and summon our inner overlord, oppressive parent, or vengeful god. We face them in loving union. From there, we create something new.
I don’t want to be too cruel about the new attempt at Wuthering Heights, but, suffice it to say, it takes a lot of emotional work, and the earned cultivation of a point of view, to understand the beauty of ruin, and to not smooth the edges when contemplating the worst of what we do to people we love. Apparently, an erotic imagination (and not just a penchant for laying out tumblr stills) is a rare marvel to cultivate. But the world may need it now more than ever: to evoke, to unite, to collage the crap and cruelty into an orgasm. These creators tried valiantly, and failed. Consider that to be your invitation…
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IN OTHER NEWS…
All readings are 20% off, now through the 22nd, with the code ECLIPSE. Book here.
I got to hang with my beloved Emily Olcott and Kiko Soiree (and receive love advice) on my favorite podcast, Saviour Complex. I know you’ll get something out of it.
New episodes of my podcast, Heavenly Bodies, air every Wednesday, and I promise, I’m only just getting started. If you enjoy it, please become a subscriber (and tell your hot friends to check it out). Available on Apple, Spotify and Youtube.
I’m honored to have been mentioned on Uneasy Going. It’s a really good read, and puts into clarity a lot of things I often feel when people talk to me about astrology.
See you on the dance floor, in the dungeon, and down the way…
David Odyssey
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