This Memorial Day weekend feels like
a good time to reflect on what’s going on astrologically with our U.S. military
these days.
The military is an American institution that—from afar—seems to be avoiding the worst undermining instincts of the Trump presidency, but is it really? The answer might depend upon our perception of the military’s role in our collective lives. This is a far more complex issue than we might think.
The military is an American institution that—from afar—seems to be avoiding the worst undermining instincts of the Trump presidency, but is it really? The answer might depend upon our perception of the military’s role in our collective lives. This is a far more complex issue than we might think.
Full disclosure: I grew up during
the height of Viet Nam war protests and so was greatly relieved that my sons,
born during the 1970s and 80s, were coming of age after the military draft was discontinued. This was a purely
selfish sentiment, of course—if they had been critically needed for the
nation’s defense and a draft was reinstated, I would have had to suck it up
like any military mom and pray for the best. That’s one of the many hard
realities of citizenship.
Instead, my young adult sons and I
were able to enjoy a couple family “outings” to Washington, D.C. to protest (in
late 2002 and early 2003) the fraudulent excuses being given at that time for
attacking Iraq. The memories of the 9/11/2001 attacks were fresh, of course—a
real “coming of age” moment for my sons’ Pluto in Libra generation—but something
about the way the narrative underpinnings of the Iraq war were being
manufactured before our eyes just stunk of corrupt intent and fraudulent
misdirection.
I was convinced that the sons and daughters going off to that war
were being deluded and used by
powerful entities for whom human life is a mere “resource” to be deployed.
These entities find the military a useful tool, and their motives are not
always honorable or ethical. Long
story there.
Looking back, I have no regrets for
doubting our leaders’ motives for attacking Iraq in 2003; quite the opposite,
the nation has much to regret about
the Iraq War.
Even so, one of the hard lessons of the Viet Nam era and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has been that it’s one thing to protest an unjust, corrupt war, and it’s quite another to vilify or under-appreciate military service in general. If one or more of my sons had sincerely heard that call to serve, I wouldn’t have stopped them from following their own lights.
The life of a warrior is a calling like any other, and it can be an honorable, character-building profession. Since mythic times, warriors have been revered and lionized for their vital contributions, their strength in the face of battle, and for their courageous sacrifices. Simply put, we need these brave, committed individuals.
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Thank you for your service! |
Even so, one of the hard lessons of the Viet Nam era and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has been that it’s one thing to protest an unjust, corrupt war, and it’s quite another to vilify or under-appreciate military service in general. If one or more of my sons had sincerely heard that call to serve, I wouldn’t have stopped them from following their own lights.
The life of a warrior is a calling like any other, and it can be an honorable, character-building profession. Since mythic times, warriors have been revered and lionized for their vital contributions, their strength in the face of battle, and for their courageous sacrifices. Simply put, we need these brave, committed individuals.
There is, however, a major pitfall
built into this vocation: its dependence upon the character of its commanders. Military
officers and personnel follow orders, so
in one respect, their actions will only be as good, ethical or honorable as
those who issue the orders. Unfortunately, the military virtues of bravery,
selfless dedication and loyalty (“Semper Fi”) can be, and over the centuries
certainly have been, used and abused
for dubious purposes.
The Iraq War fits
here in my estimation, and if we end up going to war with Iran and/or North
Korea under Trump, I’ll probably feel the same way about those conflicts. To
unite people behind such causes would require a much more trustworthy, honorable
leader.
We have seen vivid results from our
leaders’ past abuses of power in the horrific suicide statistics among both veterans
and the enlisted. In the callous disregard for vets after their service concludes, as they’re trying to find post-service
jobs, medical and psychological care, and of course, when they’re trying to
find affordable housing. The statistics
are alarming:
Although flawless counts are impossible to come by – the
transient nature of homeless populations presents a major difficulty – the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that 40,056
veterans are homeless on any given night.
Despite all this, the military is a
noble profession whose first mission is to protect
the Constitution. All of the
military’s other duties flow from that mission. Here are the two oaths
administered in the U.S.
armed forces:
The Oath of Enlistment (for
enlistees):
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will
support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies,
foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the
orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the
Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
The Oath of Office (for
officers):
"I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in
the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do
solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of
the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear
true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely,
without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and
faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter;
So help me God."
So we have to wonder what happens
when the Commander-in-Chief (who would ideally deserve that “Semper Fi” allegiance) is him- or herself not protecting the Constitution, but
abusing the power of the presidency. And what happens when the “enemies,
foreign or domestic,” are entangled
with the sitting president?
And—worst case scenario—what happens when the sitting president was probably not elected legitimately, as
former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper (a career military
defense professional) affirmed in a recent interview? If the Constitution is the military’s
guiding light, how can it proceed when heavy shade has been thrown on that
light by its Commander-in-Chief, his enablers and cohorts? Will the military
ultimately be part of the problem, or
part of the solution?
These are serious questions for our
murky, troubled times, but as we’ll see, astrology can provide some insights
into why we’re going through this, and why now. Let’s begin with a
consideration of the U.S. Sibly chart, from the perspective of military service
and national defense. These concerns are usually considered the business of the
6th and 7th houses respectively, yet confining the
impulse to defend the nation to these limited sectors of the chart seems
counter-intuitive. Even so, let’s start there and see where this leads.
The astrology
The astrology
What follows is a biwheel featuring
the sunrise chart for this year’s Memorial Day against the nation’s Sibly
chart. As we’ll see, the affairs of both 6th and 7th houses
are firmly interwoven and permeate throughout the chart.
Biwheel
#1: (inner wheel) U.S. Sibly
chart, July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (outer wheel) Memorial
Day 2018, May 28, 2018, 5:46 a.m. DST, Washington, D.C.. Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.
Sibly Taurus 6th house is ruled
by 7th house Venus in Cancer; Sibly Venus conjoins Sibly Jupiter
(Cancer) and is opposed by MDay Vesta-Saturn (Capricorn). One key takeaway here:
security-conscious Cancer Venus is the glue that binds the 6th and 7th
house together here, and she may be inspiring the defensive, fear-mongering
rhetoric we’re hearing out of D.C. these days. Trump is the shrillest voice, of
course, telling our Homeland Security Secretary to basically lock down our
borders and ignore the rule of law when it comes to people crossing our
borders. “We’re
closed!” he says.
Apparently, immigrants = criminals
in his mind—an irrational (many would say hateful) position that mirrors Saturn’s transit opposite
Trump’s Cancer Mercury (chart not shown), as well as the nation’s Venus-Jupiter.
It’s important here that Saturn and Vesta are transiting the
nation’s 1st house: this
explains the stressful time We the People have been having lately, up to and
including the issue of public health and welfare (the opioid crisis comes to
mind).
Being dominated by a cruel, fearful
bully also comes to mind as a stressor (Trump’s bullying Leo Mars also exactly opposes our Sibly Moon, as well), and
this is no small concern for our national soul. His constant angry assault on the
truth and his attempts to destroy our trust in institutions such as the FBI and
the Justice Department is an assault on our minds and hearts—again, no small concern.
But is Trump truly that fearful of outsiders coming in (he married two of them and he’s super-cozy with foreign nationals who want political access), or is he simply fear-mongering for political effect?
Importantly for today’s exploration,
Trump has already used his executive power to place the National Guard at the
border, as though we’re being invaded by a hostile power. They’re already being
overly abusive, separating parents from their children at the border and
overturning centuries of tradition in regards to granting sanctuary to
deserving individuals. This makes us a much crueler nation: will these domestic
armed forces be called upon to violate their humanity and break the law to satisfy the Commander-in-Chief’s hateful
campaign promises?
And what about the quasi-military,
Homeland Security forces of ICE? Besides the fact that ICE’s very existence
reflects how we’ve officially criminalized immigration, perhaps its cruel
treatment of longtime immigrant residents under Trump is one reason we’re
seeing bipartisan pressure to get an immigration bill on the floor for a vote? Congress
(Saturn)
really needs to do its job on this
issue and stop allowing Trump and his ICE storm troopers to call the shots
entirely.
From its position in the 7th,
Jupiter
rules the Sibly 1st house of identity and national outreach,
so the opposition by transiting Saturn also implies stress to our
national relationships, i.e., our allies (7th).
We’re seeing it in the on-again-off-again talks with North Korea, with our
European allies pursuing a way to preserve both the Paris Accord and the Iran Nuclear Deal without the
U.S., and that’s just for starters.
All of these broken and undermined
relationships could have military ramifications down the road: how will we know
if our military is being used for honorable purposes or not? Will any military
action that results be legitimate, or Trump ego trips?
Chiron transiting into Aries is highlighting this situation, too: directly opposing the Sibly MC from the Sibly 4th, it’s currently forming a grand-square with transiting Vesta (Capricorn) and Sibly Venus-Jupiter (Cancer). Aries Chiron is a “wounded warrior,” but this configuration suggests that the pain could motivate all parties to push for balanced geopolitical relationships. Here’s where our honorable, experienced national warriors can help tame the Commander-in-Chief’s natural volatility: those who know the pains of war (Trump enjoyed multiple deferments) are the least likely to see war as the solution to all disputes.
Chiron transiting into Aries is highlighting this situation, too: directly opposing the Sibly MC from the Sibly 4th, it’s currently forming a grand-square with transiting Vesta (Capricorn) and Sibly Venus-Jupiter (Cancer). Aries Chiron is a “wounded warrior,” but this configuration suggests that the pain could motivate all parties to push for balanced geopolitical relationships. Here’s where our honorable, experienced national warriors can help tame the Commander-in-Chief’s natural volatility: those who know the pains of war (Trump enjoyed multiple deferments) are the least likely to see war as the solution to all disputes.
In fact, a short month after Chiron
last entered Aries in February 1969, “wounded warrior,” WWII hero and
33rd president Dwight D. Eisenhower
(natal chart[1]
ruler fell opposite at 2+Libra, among other issues) was laid to rest. Richard
Nixon—a troubling model Trump is often compared to—was sworn in that January,
just before the Aries ingress. During the course of that year he began drawing
down U.S. troop levels from Viet Nam, but caused a lot of domestic controversy
with his methods. From Wikipedia:
“On 27 October 1969, Nixon ordered a squadron of 18 B-52s loaded with nuclear weapons to race to the border of Soviet airspace to
convince the Soviet Union, in accord with the madman
theory, that he was capable of anything to end the Vietnam War
("Operation Giant Lance").[212][213]
“
At 3+ and 11+ Aries respectively
that October day, the Chiron/Eris (midpoint, Aries) was
quite snugly conjunct Nixon’s natal No. Node (6+Aries), with transiting Uranus
adding a “mad” erratic punch from (6+Libra), square Nixon’s natal[2] Mercury-Jupiter
in Capricorn. Eris also brings a warrior mindset
to bear: Nixon was clearly looking to exploit the power in madness and unpredictability, but what of the military
forces in harm’s way at the time, not to mention the stakes of such nuclear
brinksmanship?
The parallels between Nixon’s
“madman theory” and Trump’s “fire and fury” tweets with Kim Jong-Un should be
troubling, but perhaps not for the obvious reasons. Interestingly, at 5+Libra,
Trump’s natal Neptune ties into this 1969 early cardinal stress pattern, and
into Nixon’s chart. Has he been instinctively (or perhaps even intentionally)
channeling Nixon for a new military conquest?
Other parallels leap to mind, as well: Nixon was known to rely on the defense that “national security” depended upon him being allowed to act with impunity, right or wrong. “If the president does something, that means it’s not illegal” was his response to a famous question asked by David Frost during the Watergate investigation. Early in his presidency, Trump claimed that “The law’s totally on my side, meaning, the president can’t have a conflict of interest.” And he and his family have been exploiting this controversial loophole in our conflict of interest norms ever since.
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L-R, David Frost and Richard Nixon--a memorable, Watergate-era interview. |
Other parallels leap to mind, as well: Nixon was known to rely on the defense that “national security” depended upon him being allowed to act with impunity, right or wrong. “If the president does something, that means it’s not illegal” was his response to a famous question asked by David Frost during the Watergate investigation. Early in his presidency, Trump claimed that “The law’s totally on my side, meaning, the president can’t have a conflict of interest.” And he and his family have been exploiting this controversial loophole in our conflict of interest norms ever since.
Trump clearly resonates with Nixon’s
mindset and views of executive power, but perhaps that’s where the comparison
ends. As one writer put
it, “Don’t insult Nixon by comparing him to Trump!” Among other issues,
Nixon had the decency to resign when
his impeachable offenses were uncovered.
Interchart
Grand Earth Trine: Sibly Vesta (Taurus)
trines Sibly Neptune (Virgo), trines MDay Pluto (Capricorn). Demetra
George and Douglas Bloch[3]
characterize Vesta-Pluto aspects as signifying “a sense of destiny and
personal commitment to the transformation of society,” and with Neptune,
they suggest there’s a tendency for Vesta (here in the public
service-oriented 6th house) to focus on spiritual ideals. This
can certainly be construed to be the military ideals of honor and valor, but we
might want to be wary about any attempt to “transform” our society into a more
military-style state.
As noted above, we’re seeing too much militarization
already in local police forces, along our borders, and with ICE. This is not
militarization in the service of
democracy—it’s an erosion of
democracy for the sake of what Trump perceives as “national security.” Or
perhaps his own security?
The houses linked by this earthy
triad are key here, of course: as a mutually-reinforcing circuit of energy and
resources, the Sibly 2nd-6th-10th house triad
represents what Dwight Eisenhower dubbed the “Military-Industrial
Complex.” It’s no surprise that under
Trump our Defense budget has skyrocketed. From DefenseNews:
“Senate leaders have reached a two-year deal that would set
defense spending at $700 billion for 2018 and $716 billion for 2019.
Those top-lines, part of a deal announced by Senate leaders
Wednesday afternoon, hews to those authorized by National Defense Authorization
Act for 2018 and President Donald Trump’s expected 2019 defense budget.
Not all of the details were announced immediately, as
bipartisan talks continued, but sources close to them said spending limits for
defense and non-defense combined would be raised by $300 billion over two
years.”
We also know from Trump’s own
comments that updating our nuclear arsenal is a major priority for him: Pluto’s
role opposite Sibly Mercury (Cancer)—ruling the
Sibly 7th—is spelled out pretty clearly here. We’ve been down this
“arms race” path before: it’s a sure path to crippling national debt and insecurity. It’s also a sure path to
great moral dilemmas for our military: can our military leaders refuse to
follow a Commander-in-Chief order that involves dropping a nuclear weapon for
unjust or fraudulent reasons? Doomsday scenarios abound, for good reason.
But, like a schoolyard bully or
worse, Trump insists on boasting about the size and power of our nuclear
arsenal. Then there’s the issue of nuclear
energy production itself, which Trump wants to boost, but only in concert
with efforts to boost the much more polluting coal industry. He’s been working, in fact, to claim wartime powers that hark back to the
Korean War for the sake of boosting these industries. From Bloomberg
News:
“Under the approach, the administration would invoke sweeping
authority in the 68-year-old Defense Production Act, which allows the president
to effectively nationalize private industry to ensure the U.S. has resources
that could be needed amid a war or after a disaster.”
While an updated, more secure
nuclear energy infrastructure could be a positive, and while some states, like
coal-rich West Virginia, welcome any boost to their industry, there’s no
consideration of the “big picture” here—the environment
is probably our greatest security
threat (Vesta would agree here), and sacrificing that on the altar of defense
(when we seem to be taking mostly offensive
positions in the world) is more than troubling.
Pluto transiting trine to
Neptune is very busy energizing the “Fog of War” machine, it seems, and
as always, our military will pay the heaviest price for these machinations. The fact is,
we’ve been attacked by Russian
interference in our 2016 election (an ongoing threat): is anyone talking about
using military action against Russia?! No, we’re talking about the threats
posed by other countries who haven’t
come anywhere near our shores!
7th house Sibly Mars (Gemini)
quincunxes MDay Pluto (Capricorn) while MDay Saturn/Pluto (midpoint, Capricorn)
opposes Sibly Sun (Cancer). This Saturn/Pluto midpoint falls in the
Sibly 2nd (ruled by Saturn), which may explain the
harsh, aggressive tone permeating our national economic discourse (Sibly 2nd)
these days. Trump’s trade negotiations (opposition to Sibly Sun, the Executive)
are often characterized as battles for total conquest, with “what’s in it for the U.S.?” being his only concern.
That’s
probably why his about-face on the Chinese telecom firm ZTE is so suspicious
and considered a “national
security risk” by a bipartisan group in Congress that is pushing back on
the idea. There are also suspicions that Trump’s turnabout was inspired by a
Chinese plan to put $500
million towards a Trump “theme park” project planned for Indonesia. The
corrupt possibilities for this conflation of personal and national financial
ambitions here are breathtaking.
The security risks seem related to China’s
breach of sanctions the U.S. placed on Iran, and indeed, ZTE’s
role in helping the Iranian government to spy on its citizens. We might
wonder whether Trump envisions having some use for similar services, in fact.
If it sounds too much like Orwell’s “Big Brother,” it’s because it is. Perhaps
this is another reason to avoid over-militarizing domestic law enforcement.
This Saturn/Pluto midpoint falls square Sibly Saturn (Libra)—we need to hope that Congress will continue pushing back on any movement toward a “Big Brother” state. Remember the “Thought Police” in Orwell’s 1984? This may sound too “Hollywood” to be taken seriously, but other peoples have suffered through this (Iran may be the latest) and we’re in no way exempt, given our present circumstances and the transits bedeviling our national chart at the moment.
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Orwell's dystopian vision is not as far-fetched as it seemed. |
This Saturn/Pluto midpoint falls square Sibly Saturn (Libra)—we need to hope that Congress will continue pushing back on any movement toward a “Big Brother” state. Remember the “Thought Police” in Orwell’s 1984? This may sound too “Hollywood” to be taken seriously, but other peoples have suffered through this (Iran may be the latest) and we’re in no way exempt, given our present circumstances and the transits bedeviling our national chart at the moment.
Another ethical and moral dilemma
for our military to puzzle through. Who will
they serve in the end: the Executive, or We the People?
And now we come to the all-important
issue of Mars in our Sibly chart and its current challenges. The
quincunx with transiting Pluto (Capricorn) speaks volumes:
our military (Mars) is caught in a powerful web of power dynamics right now,
and the Plutonian crowd will probably win out because their financial clout
trumps all (pun intended). I don’t
foresee this situation improving until after
this Pluto completes its return journey into its radix Sibly
position at 27+Capricorn in 2022.
Unfortunately, by then, the nation
and the military may have well experienced a transformation that crowds out all
other priorities. Worst case scenario, we’ll be committed to a corporate-financed
perpetual war footing because the military has been essentially privatized.
With accelerating climate change, natural resources will
perhaps become scarce enough to justify (to those corporate powers, at least) a
new wave of imperialistic adventures. Anything that amounts to a war footing will allow the Executive to wield broad powers the Constitution reserves for wartime--martial law, among other onerous possibilities.
This is a story for another day, but
the Sibly Pluto return chart for February 20, 2022 features Capricorn Mars-Venus-Vesta
widely conjunct Pluto, again stressing out our radix
Gemini Mars by quincunx. Resource wars will be quite
possible if the intervening years haven’t been marked by progress against
climate change. That’s the best case scenario
here: that we all wake up to what’s being lost and do something about it!
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Crumbling beneath our feet? |
Interchart
T-Square: MDay Neptune (Pisces) opposes
Sibly Neptune (Virgo) and this axis squares Sibly Mars (Gemini). This
murky, mutable configuration is a preview of things to come, as well—at Pluto’s
return to its Sibly position in 2022, Neptune will be exactly opposite (within minutes) of its radix Sibly position, as
well. Between now and then we will likely be “dis”-illusioned by our so-called
“American Dream.”
Lifestyle changes will be required for the new, far more
resource-conscious world we will be inhabiting. Housing needs to become more
efficient and compact; water needs to be stretched beyond anything we’ve
imagined, and every hectare of land (Neptune transiting Sibly 4th) needs
to be used sustainably. All of these imperatives will be matters of national
security (Sibly Mars).
It’s hard to miss that Trump’s natal
Sun-Node-Uranus
stellium in Gemini (chart not shown) conjoins Sibly Mars, while his
aggressive Sagittarius Moon opposes: this, along with the
fact that this Sun disposes his chest-thumping Leo Mars, probably
explains why he’s so emotionally invested in his role as Commander-in-Chief .
Bring on the parade!
Unfortunately, none of this bodes
well for waging peace, as opposed to war—a former ambassador to Panama under
the Trump administration likened Trump’s competitive style to a velociraptor,
saying that Trump “has to be boss, and if you don’t show him deference, he
kills you.” This style impacts every level on which Trump exercises
presidential power, of course—domestic and foreign. It will certainly impact
the outcome of the Special Prosecutor’s
investigation.
At this writing the investigation looks vulnerable, like it could be fatally
undermined by Trump’s demands for classified information he shouldn’t be able
to access at this juncture. Rod Rosenstein needs all the support (and backbone)
that we can lend him.
Needless to say, Trump’s “velocipator”
style will tremendously complicate
the lives of our military personnel. The tone is set at the top, and that tone
is pretty oppressive right now.
The ambassador also pointed out
that, while his approach to diplomacy has always been to seek out “win-win”
solutions, Trump’s own book, The Art of
the Deal reveals that Trump doesn’t believe in “win-win” solutions. It’s
all or nothing for him. We’ve all heard him complain to high heaven that other
countries have “taken us for a ride.” Even children are taught to share and play nice with others, aren’t
they? Not in Trump’s world.
This uncompromising, give-nothing
approach to foreign affairs (except, strangely, to Russia, China and ZTE) can’t
help but cause problems, and our military will bear the heaviest brunt for
them.
Final
thoughts
It would be disingenuous of me to
soften what the astrology seems to be saying these days for the sake of a
“feel-good” ending. Unfortunately, the astrology confirms the red flags that
many, many political analysts are waving these days for our democratic system of
checks and balances. The importance of Election 2018 cannot be overstated here,
but even a shift in Congressional dynamics may not entirely stop Trump from
using his executive power to diminish this nation and recreate it in his own
image. Megalomania in a leader demands nothing less.
We may, unfortunately, be stuck with
him for the duration—even if Mueller does
finally bring some charges against him. Trump’s insistent mantra that Election
2016 was being “rigged” against him was the perfect, hermetically-sealed
defense against ever being held accountable for anything, and the country fell
prey to it, with a lot of help from
Russia and other outsiders, like Wikileaks.
Now he’s deploying that same strategy to avoid taking responsibility for what appear
to be some breathtakingly corrupt entanglements.
Bottom line, the heavy,
divide-and-conquer dynamics of Neptune and Pluto transiting our
national chart have been pretty overwhelming, and we’re still not out of the
woods. From one coast to the other, we can’t even agree on the facts of our current politics, so uniting to protect ourselves from the current dangers is going to take some doing.
So, there’s more rocky road ahead, but
my hope is that we will emerge from this dark passage with transformed
appreciation for the mechanics of democracy and renewed kindred feelings for
each other, as co-creators of that blessed order. Like our military, we’re all part of the solution!
Thank
you for your service!
Raye
Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former educator. A graduate of
the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane,
collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs,
culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as
education and health. The critical ways in which our personal and collective dimensions
overlap in everyday life is a particular area of study these days. Several of Raye’s
articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and
other publications over the years.
She is
also available to read individual charts—contact her at: robertsonraye@gmail.com.
© Raye Robertson 2018. All
rights reserved.
[3]
Authors of Asteroid Goddesses: the
Mythology, Psychology, and Astrology of the Re-emerging Feminine, 2003
updated edition, Ibis Press, Lake Worth, FL, pp. 148-49.