Hello,
If any of my 'followers' would like a free copy of their natal chart, just send me your birth info- date, time, and place of birth, and I'll send one out right away.
My email address is: davidcrook108@gmail.com
The Moon enters her own sign of Cancer at 9:13 am, PDT, this morning. And the exact New Moon solar eclipse occurs Friday at 1:54 am, PDT. Emotions run high- ride the wave.
Cheers,
David
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
DK, Kalachakra, and Shambhala
This talk by David Reigle at the University of the Seven Rays is not overtly astrological, but does articulate some fundamental and universal concepts intrinsic to all metaphysical systems.
YouTube
Kalachakra for World Peace
Eastern Tradition Research Institute
YouTube
Kalachakra for World Peace
Eastern Tradition Research Institute
Monday, June 27, 2011
July Solar Eclipse and Antiscia
Not only is the July 1 solar eclipse in Cancer opposite Pluto, but the Dragon's Head(Moon's North Node) and the dwarf planet Pluto share antiscia.* This potent Pluto-Node contact suggests an intensity to the eclipse not otherwise seen. Plutonian issues around power, control, fanaticism, and obsessive ambition, may be an underlying theme of the eclipse. Astrological Pluto is also associated with the eternal process of death, rebirth, and renewal- the snake shedding it's skin, or a phoenix rising from the ashes. As it's the nature of the Dragon's Head to amplify and increase, it's contact with Pluto will tend to magnify the archetypal energy of dark Pluto. This may result in forceful power struggles, and/or the regeneration of such drives through a more conscious awareness. Of course, the probability of extreme or massive events in the natural world is increased as well.
Astrologer Reinhold Ebertin described the Pluto/Node midpoint principle as, "The common destiny(Node) of a large mass(Pluto) of people."
The annual Sun-Pluto opposition is exact tonight(PDT), June 27. EarthSky
*Antiscia & Contra-Antiscia
Astrologer Reinhold Ebertin described the Pluto/Node midpoint principle as, "The common destiny(Node) of a large mass(Pluto) of people."
 |
| From United States |
The annual Sun-Pluto opposition is exact tonight(PDT), June 27. EarthSky
*Antiscia & Contra-Antiscia
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Fatal Amtrak Crash near Reno
From The Daily Beast:
"The death toll from a Friday collision between a truck and an Amtrak train in Nevada has risen to at least six. Workers couldn't even enter the wreckage to retrieve bodies until Saturday afternoon because the passenger cars were so badly-burned and tilted. Twenty-eight people still remain unaccounted for, though the National Transportation Safety Board said some of the 210 with tickets might have gotten off the train before the crash. Emergency workers continue to look for bodies among the wreckage of the California-bound train, though the severe damage hampered their efforts to confirm a death toll. Investigators said visibility was excellent the day of the crash, and they said they don't know why the head driver didn’t stop when he saw the train approaching. The engineer, who survived the crash, also tried to bring the train to a halt. The truck was dragged half a mile down the tracks before a fire broke out in two of the passenger cars."
We would expect the June 15 lunar eclipse to portend such a dramatic event, and indeed the eclipse chart cast for the site of this crash near Reno is instructive, with Mercury spot on the Midheaven. Astrological Mercury is the natural significator of travel and transportation. And at the eclipse, Mercury was conjunct the red star Betelgeuse that has an affinity with disasters, but it's only at the longitude of this crash (119 west) that the trickster planet was actually culminating, i.e. at it's highest point in the sky.
"The death toll from a Friday collision between a truck and an Amtrak train in Nevada has risen to at least six. Workers couldn't even enter the wreckage to retrieve bodies until Saturday afternoon because the passenger cars were so badly-burned and tilted. Twenty-eight people still remain unaccounted for, though the National Transportation Safety Board said some of the 210 with tickets might have gotten off the train before the crash. Emergency workers continue to look for bodies among the wreckage of the California-bound train, though the severe damage hampered their efforts to confirm a death toll. Investigators said visibility was excellent the day of the crash, and they said they don't know why the head driver didn’t stop when he saw the train approaching. The engineer, who survived the crash, also tried to bring the train to a halt. The truck was dragged half a mile down the tracks before a fire broke out in two of the passenger cars."
 |
| From United States |
We would expect the June 15 lunar eclipse to portend such a dramatic event, and indeed the eclipse chart cast for the site of this crash near Reno is instructive, with Mercury spot on the Midheaven. Astrological Mercury is the natural significator of travel and transportation. And at the eclipse, Mercury was conjunct the red star Betelgeuse that has an affinity with disasters, but it's only at the longitude of this crash (119 west) that the trickster planet was actually culminating, i.e. at it's highest point in the sky.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Cancer Ingress of the Sun
The 2011 Cancer ingress/Summer Solstice chart reflects prospective world events for the duration of the summer season. This mundane map appears especially dramatic at the US capital with the cardinal grand cross between the Sun(0 Cancer), Saturn(11 Libra), Uranus(4 Aries), and Pluto(6 Capricorn) on the local angles and poised for dynamic action under tremendous pressure. The July 1 solar eclipse at 9 Cancer, aligns with these three planets even more tightly.
The collective stress keeps building with a host of major issues on the table pressing for an immediate response, while the politicians play politics and the Goldman Saks of the world rake in more dough, as the economic outlook gets bleaker for the rest of us, and revelations of grave developments already transpired at Fukushima slowly but continuously leak out.
NOAA has predicted an active hurricane season in the Atlantic, and the Cancer ingress suggests a destructive one for the US, with Pluto spot on the ingress 4th house cusp, and Uranus shaking things up in unexpected and shocking ways. As these planets were in similar positions at the Aries ingress/Vernal Equinox, before killer tornadoes slammed the south and epic flooding of the Mississippi river wreaked havoc- we should expect a relatively wild hurricane season this year. The slumping housing market will likely remain under renovation, as Pluto on the 4th house cusp of a mundane chart also reflects the condition of local real estate.
Syria and Spain
The violence in Syria will intensify(Pluto on the Cancer ingress Ascendant), as the people's uprising there is meeting with a cruel response from embattled President Assad and his regime. While in Spain, the rising revolutionary wave is likely to pick up energy and lead to more forceful clashes as well(ingress Mars setting in Madrid).
The Cancer ingress midpoint complex: Sun = Pluto/Node, suggests "the urge to impose one's will upon others with ruthlessness and vice versa." ~(Reinhold Ebertin) Power hungry world leaders(Sun)- especially those facing threats of removal, will tend to act out this midpoint complex, and the common people under duress will try to resist control and overthrow repressive conditions even more vehemently.
 |
| From United States |
The collective stress keeps building with a host of major issues on the table pressing for an immediate response, while the politicians play politics and the Goldman Saks of the world rake in more dough, as the economic outlook gets bleaker for the rest of us, and revelations of grave developments already transpired at Fukushima slowly but continuously leak out.
NOAA has predicted an active hurricane season in the Atlantic, and the Cancer ingress suggests a destructive one for the US, with Pluto spot on the ingress 4th house cusp, and Uranus shaking things up in unexpected and shocking ways. As these planets were in similar positions at the Aries ingress/Vernal Equinox, before killer tornadoes slammed the south and epic flooding of the Mississippi river wreaked havoc- we should expect a relatively wild hurricane season this year. The slumping housing market will likely remain under renovation, as Pluto on the 4th house cusp of a mundane chart also reflects the condition of local real estate.
Syria and Spain
The violence in Syria will intensify(Pluto on the Cancer ingress Ascendant), as the people's uprising there is meeting with a cruel response from embattled President Assad and his regime. While in Spain, the rising revolutionary wave is likely to pick up energy and lead to more forceful clashes as well(ingress Mars setting in Madrid).
 |
| From Mundane Charts |
The Cancer ingress midpoint complex: Sun = Pluto/Node, suggests "the urge to impose one's will upon others with ruthlessness and vice versa." ~(Reinhold Ebertin) Power hungry world leaders(Sun)- especially those facing threats of removal, will tend to act out this midpoint complex, and the common people under duress will try to resist control and overthrow repressive conditions even more vehemently.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
A Solstice Approaches, Unnoticed
By James Carroll
Published June 20, 2011 in the Boston Globe
"Once, humans were intimate with the cycles of nature, and never more than on the summer solstice. Vestiges of such awareness survive in White Nights and Midnight Sun festivals in far northern climes, and in neo-pagan adaptations of Midsummer celebrations, but contemporary people take little notice of the sun reaching its far point on the horizon. Tomorrow is the longest day of the year, the official start of the summer season, the fullest of light — yet we are apt to miss this phenomenon of Earth’s axial tilt, as we miss so much of what the natural world does in our surrounds.
In recent months, catastrophic weather events have dominated headlines as rarely before — earthquakes and tsunami in Asia; volcanic cloud in Europe; massive ice melts at the poles; tornadoes, floods, and fires in America. “Records are not just broken,” an atmospheric scientist said last week, “they are smashed.” Without getting into questions of causality, and without anthropomorphizing nature, we can still take these events as nature’s cri de coeur — as the degraded environment’s grabbing of human lapels to say, “Pay attention!”
To our ancestors in the deep past, that attention to nature was, well, natural. They made the evolutionary leap into human consciousness through close observation, among other things, of what heavenly bodies do in the sky. In a cosmos over which they had no control, paying attention to patterns of heat and cold, light and dark, rain and drought was a matter of survival. The invention of agriculture depended on awareness of seasons, so that times of planting and harvesting, herding and grazing, could be depended upon. Movements of the sun and moon were seen to have both influences on, and counterparts in, individual human experience — from mood swings to menstruation to aging. Astrology opened into astronomy, calculation into mathematics, scrutiny into science. Definitions of the calendar were essential to culture. The solstice was a marker of all this.
But this habit of regard for nature was essential also to the transition into modernity. Contemplation of the sun was nothing less than the incubator of our age. Copernicus and Galileo, after all, ushered humans into the breakthrough of testable knowledge by means of their study — one theorizing, the other experimenting — of Earth’s place in the solar system. The solstice, previously perceived as the sun’s standing still for a moment before reversing course on the horizon, would never be understood that way again. Heliocentrism initiated the maturing of science, which eventually would demonstrate that seasonal rhythms not only produce global dynamics of climate but also hormonal changes — daily, weekly, monthly — within the individual human body, each person biologically synchronized to the cosmic clock. Because of science, we were able to grasp the age of the earth — to know that there have been more than 4 billion summer solstices. Humans awakened to the full complexity of the universe.
Ironically, the accompanying social revolution of industrialization led to illusions of human mastery over nature, and ultimately to detached indifference toward it. Contemporary technological civilization became blinded to key phenomena of the living world, much as the night sky is blotted out by the artificial light of cities. Most recently, the cycles of time have given way to the eternal present of the computer screen — detachment squared. As humans came to know so much, we lost our grip on the knowledge with which we became human: our familiarity with the physical universe we live in. Imagining that we no longer needed nature, we ourselves became the great threat to nature. As our sense of the complexities of life quickened and deepened, our destructiveness of life also quickened and deepened. Through ambitions of unlimited growth, consumption, competitive manufacture, and self-expanding technology, we humans have become a mechanism of extinction. When we stopped noticing Earth, we began to destroy it.
Intimate awareness of nature and its cycles, as we saw, was an ancient mode of survival. But survival is at issue again. Noticing the length of light now, reveling in the sun’s achievement, rejoicing in Earth’s perfect balance, honoring the summer solstice — loving it: This is how we became human, and it is how we stay human."
Summer Solstice Starts with Solar Storm
Published June 20, 2011 in the Boston Globe
"Once, humans were intimate with the cycles of nature, and never more than on the summer solstice. Vestiges of such awareness survive in White Nights and Midnight Sun festivals in far northern climes, and in neo-pagan adaptations of Midsummer celebrations, but contemporary people take little notice of the sun reaching its far point on the horizon. Tomorrow is the longest day of the year, the official start of the summer season, the fullest of light — yet we are apt to miss this phenomenon of Earth’s axial tilt, as we miss so much of what the natural world does in our surrounds.
In recent months, catastrophic weather events have dominated headlines as rarely before — earthquakes and tsunami in Asia; volcanic cloud in Europe; massive ice melts at the poles; tornadoes, floods, and fires in America. “Records are not just broken,” an atmospheric scientist said last week, “they are smashed.” Without getting into questions of causality, and without anthropomorphizing nature, we can still take these events as nature’s cri de coeur — as the degraded environment’s grabbing of human lapels to say, “Pay attention!”
To our ancestors in the deep past, that attention to nature was, well, natural. They made the evolutionary leap into human consciousness through close observation, among other things, of what heavenly bodies do in the sky. In a cosmos over which they had no control, paying attention to patterns of heat and cold, light and dark, rain and drought was a matter of survival. The invention of agriculture depended on awareness of seasons, so that times of planting and harvesting, herding and grazing, could be depended upon. Movements of the sun and moon were seen to have both influences on, and counterparts in, individual human experience — from mood swings to menstruation to aging. Astrology opened into astronomy, calculation into mathematics, scrutiny into science. Definitions of the calendar were essential to culture. The solstice was a marker of all this.
But this habit of regard for nature was essential also to the transition into modernity. Contemplation of the sun was nothing less than the incubator of our age. Copernicus and Galileo, after all, ushered humans into the breakthrough of testable knowledge by means of their study — one theorizing, the other experimenting — of Earth’s place in the solar system. The solstice, previously perceived as the sun’s standing still for a moment before reversing course on the horizon, would never be understood that way again. Heliocentrism initiated the maturing of science, which eventually would demonstrate that seasonal rhythms not only produce global dynamics of climate but also hormonal changes — daily, weekly, monthly — within the individual human body, each person biologically synchronized to the cosmic clock. Because of science, we were able to grasp the age of the earth — to know that there have been more than 4 billion summer solstices. Humans awakened to the full complexity of the universe.
Ironically, the accompanying social revolution of industrialization led to illusions of human mastery over nature, and ultimately to detached indifference toward it. Contemporary technological civilization became blinded to key phenomena of the living world, much as the night sky is blotted out by the artificial light of cities. Most recently, the cycles of time have given way to the eternal present of the computer screen — detachment squared. As humans came to know so much, we lost our grip on the knowledge with which we became human: our familiarity with the physical universe we live in. Imagining that we no longer needed nature, we ourselves became the great threat to nature. As our sense of the complexities of life quickened and deepened, our destructiveness of life also quickened and deepened. Through ambitions of unlimited growth, consumption, competitive manufacture, and self-expanding technology, we humans have become a mechanism of extinction. When we stopped noticing Earth, we began to destroy it.
Intimate awareness of nature and its cycles, as we saw, was an ancient mode of survival. But survival is at issue again. Noticing the length of light now, reveling in the sun’s achievement, rejoicing in Earth’s perfect balance, honoring the summer solstice — loving it: This is how we became human, and it is how we stay human."
Summer Solstice Starts with Solar Storm
Monday, June 20, 2011
July 1 Solar Eclipse in Cancer
"It may very well turn out to be the solar eclipse that nobody sees." This is what NASA's eclipse expert Fred Espenak has to say about the July 1 event. The eclipse occurs at the Moon's Descending/South Node and is only visible in a region of the Antarctic Ocean south of Africa. It's the first lunation of the 1226 year Saros series 156, composed of 69 solar eclipses.
Astrologically, the July 1 solar eclipse at 9 Cancer is significant as it completes a cardinal grand cross with Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. The epic t-square involving those 3 planets that's been in effect for the last 2 years, is the primary indicator of the global financial crisis, among other major events. Technically speaking, Saturn has actually moved on and is no longer opposing Uranus or square Pluto. But the eclipse squaring Saturn brings it back into the planetary mix informing world and personal events. Dynamic, creative changes, or solutions to old problems are now possible, but the heightened developmental tension can also exacerbate polarization. The dysfunctional US government is an obvious example.
This partial solar eclipse occurs in the Moon ruled sign of Cancer the Crab, and thus Luna is in her own domicile and strongly dignified. Home, family, emotional and security issues are magnified by the eclipse. But these personal matters may seem under threat from Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. Saturn's goal is to establish structures that persevere, but it first challenges the integrity of existing structures. And it's the nature of Uranus to evoke change, freedom, and revolution- the status quo tends to undergo sudden shocks that may liberate or disrupt, but destabilize. While Pluto demands profound, regenerative change, by revealing what's lurking below the surface, and/or what has decayed. Oftentimes, things need to breakdown before we can breakthrough.
Since the Moon, lord of the solar eclipse, is in a position of power- She can probably hold her own despite the stressful tension, without losing the things that matter most. That said, some changes in our personal lives may be necessary if things are not sustainable in their current form.
Any natal planet or angle at the 9th degree of a cardinal sign(Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn) will receive activation. But it's important to understand the condition of whatever is being activated, as well as the nature of the stimulus. A planet in good shape will easily weather the eclipse, while a planet in bad shape may feel under siege.
"Eclipses in Cancer bring political changes, incite men to violate treaties and take up arms, and cause deceit and cunning among men in high office. Navigation and sea travel is dangerous; rivers dry, and there is an increase of sicknesses affecting the stomach. (Scotland, Holland, Africa, Venice, Amsterdam and York.)" ~Deborah Houlding
Astrologically, the July 1 solar eclipse at 9 Cancer is significant as it completes a cardinal grand cross with Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. The epic t-square involving those 3 planets that's been in effect for the last 2 years, is the primary indicator of the global financial crisis, among other major events. Technically speaking, Saturn has actually moved on and is no longer opposing Uranus or square Pluto. But the eclipse squaring Saturn brings it back into the planetary mix informing world and personal events. Dynamic, creative changes, or solutions to old problems are now possible, but the heightened developmental tension can also exacerbate polarization. The dysfunctional US government is an obvious example.
This partial solar eclipse occurs in the Moon ruled sign of Cancer the Crab, and thus Luna is in her own domicile and strongly dignified. Home, family, emotional and security issues are magnified by the eclipse. But these personal matters may seem under threat from Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. Saturn's goal is to establish structures that persevere, but it first challenges the integrity of existing structures. And it's the nature of Uranus to evoke change, freedom, and revolution- the status quo tends to undergo sudden shocks that may liberate or disrupt, but destabilize. While Pluto demands profound, regenerative change, by revealing what's lurking below the surface, and/or what has decayed. Oftentimes, things need to breakdown before we can breakthrough.
Since the Moon, lord of the solar eclipse, is in a position of power- She can probably hold her own despite the stressful tension, without losing the things that matter most. That said, some changes in our personal lives may be necessary if things are not sustainable in their current form.
Any natal planet or angle at the 9th degree of a cardinal sign(Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn) will receive activation. But it's important to understand the condition of whatever is being activated, as well as the nature of the stimulus. A planet in good shape will easily weather the eclipse, while a planet in bad shape may feel under siege.
"Eclipses in Cancer bring political changes, incite men to violate treaties and take up arms, and cause deceit and cunning among men in high office. Navigation and sea travel is dangerous; rivers dry, and there is an increase of sicknesses affecting the stomach. (Scotland, Holland, Africa, Venice, Amsterdam and York.)" ~Deborah Houlding
Friday, June 17, 2011
The Antikythera Mechanism
This video from Nature journal is one of the best I've seen about the amazing and brilliant antikythera mechanism.
Nature video
Nature video
Thursday, June 16, 2011
How Consciousness Becomes the Physical Universe
By Menas Kafatos, Ph.D.1, Rudolph E. Tanzi, Ph.D.2, and Deepak Chopra, M.D.3
~Abstract
Issues related to consciousness in general and human mental processes in particular remain the most difficult problem in science. Progress has been made through the development of quantum theory, which, unlike classical physics, assigns a fundamental role to the act of observation. To arrive at the most critical aspects of consciousness, such as its characteristics and whether it plays an active role in the universe requires us to follow hopeful developments in the intersection of quantum theory, biology, neuroscience and the philosophy of mind. Developments in quantum theory aiming to unify all physical processes have opened the door to a profoundly new vision of the cosmos, where observer, observed, and the act of observation are interlocked. This hints at a science of wholeness, going beyond the purely physical emphasis of current science. Studying the universe as a mechanical conglomerate of parts will not solve the problem of consciousness, because in the quantum view, the parts cease to be measureable distinct entities. The interconnectedness of everything is particularly evident in the non-local interactions of the quantum universe. As such, the very large and the very small are also interconnected.
Consciousness and matter are not fundamentally distinct but rather are two complementary aspects of one reality, embracing the micro and macro worlds. This approach of starting from wholeness reveals a practical blueprint for addressing consciousness in more scientific terms. The Journal of Cosmology
"Everything in the future is a wave, and everything in the past is a particle."
Quantum Mechanics / Physics and Astrology
"And herein lies the importance of astrological insight, for the very act of knowing the nature of the particular archetypes that are seeking to manifest, combined with an awareness of their potential timing, can play a significant role in positively influencing the outcome. Then life becomes more of a dance--a subtle interaction between archetypal forces and human awareness, a play of consciousness between the gods and the human mind and will and heart which they inform." ~Richard Tarnas
~Abstract
Issues related to consciousness in general and human mental processes in particular remain the most difficult problem in science. Progress has been made through the development of quantum theory, which, unlike classical physics, assigns a fundamental role to the act of observation. To arrive at the most critical aspects of consciousness, such as its characteristics and whether it plays an active role in the universe requires us to follow hopeful developments in the intersection of quantum theory, biology, neuroscience and the philosophy of mind. Developments in quantum theory aiming to unify all physical processes have opened the door to a profoundly new vision of the cosmos, where observer, observed, and the act of observation are interlocked. This hints at a science of wholeness, going beyond the purely physical emphasis of current science. Studying the universe as a mechanical conglomerate of parts will not solve the problem of consciousness, because in the quantum view, the parts cease to be measureable distinct entities. The interconnectedness of everything is particularly evident in the non-local interactions of the quantum universe. As such, the very large and the very small are also interconnected.
Consciousness and matter are not fundamentally distinct but rather are two complementary aspects of one reality, embracing the micro and macro worlds. This approach of starting from wholeness reveals a practical blueprint for addressing consciousness in more scientific terms. The Journal of Cosmology
"Everything in the future is a wave, and everything in the past is a particle."
Quantum Mechanics / Physics and Astrology
"And herein lies the importance of astrological insight, for the very act of knowing the nature of the particular archetypes that are seeking to manifest, combined with an awareness of their potential timing, can play a significant role in positively influencing the outcome. Then life becomes more of a dance--a subtle interaction between archetypal forces and human awareness, a play of consciousness between the gods and the human mind and will and heart which they inform." ~Richard Tarnas
Zawahiri is Al Qaeda's New Leader
From BBC News:
"The long-serving second-in-command of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has been appointed its head following the death of Osama Bin Laden, the militant organisation said in a statement. Bin Laden was killed by US forces in Pakistan in early May.
Al-Qaeda warned it would continue to fight a holy war against the US and Israel under Zawahiri's direction- while a US official dismissed Zawahiri's appointment, saying he had "nowhere near" Bin Laden's credentials.
The statement announcing his appointment was posted on a militant website and attributed to al-Qaeda's General Command.
"Sheikh Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri, may God guide him, assumed responsibility as the group's amir [leader]", it said.
It vowed that under Zawahiri, it would pursue jihad or holy war against the US and Israel "until all invading armies leave the land of Islam". Read More
Al Zawahiri's promotion in status came with the total lunar eclipse in Sagittarius, and he was born June 19, 1951 in Egypt on a Sagittarius full moon. Sagittarius is the sign most related to religion and belief systems. The full moon at his birth fell within about a degree and a half of the Galactic Center, that I wrote about yesterday. Al Zawahiri may somehow feel called to jihad(holy war) by a perceived higher power that emanates from the center of our galaxy. Nevertheless, the Gemini-Sagittarius polarity emphasized in his birth chart, suggests he's not only a doctor(Chiron), but an intelligent man- despite his violent agenda informed by a fundamentalist ideology(the dark side of Sagittarius).
Yesterday's full moon lunar eclipse belongs to Saros series 130 that began with it's first event on June 10, 1416, at 27 Sagittarius 40. When we convert the date of this 1416 eclipse from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar by adding 9 days, we arrive at June 19 in our modern calendrical system. Ayman al-Zawahiri was born on June 19, 1951. Therefore, he was honored and appointed leader of Al Qaeda on a lunar eclipse, that belongs to a Saros series begun 600 years ago with a lunar eclipse on his date of birth. Saros Series 130
The solar eclipse preceeding Zawahiri's birth took place on Mar. 7, 1951 in the mystical sign of Pisces the Fishes, on the Moon's Ascending Node(Dragon's Head) that conjoined Jupiter to the degree. (Jupiter is the ancient ruler/lord of Pisces.) And interestingly this eclipse, which was visible in varying degrees across the US, was the first eclipse ever televised on TV to a national audience. This pre-natal eclipse belongs to Saros series 129 that began with it's first eclipse on Oct. 3, 1103 at 15 Libra opposite Pluto(15 Aries). So the extremely intense(-180- Pluto) first eclipse of Saros 129 conjoins Zawahiri's natal Neptune(dreams, ideals, and spiritual aspirations)- while the conjunction between eclipse Neptune and his natal Pluto(power, obsessions, and ruthless force) is also tight. Saros Series 129
Analysis: Al-Zawahiri takes al Qaeda's helm when influence is waning
More on the birth of Al Qaeda soon.
"The long-serving second-in-command of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has been appointed its head following the death of Osama Bin Laden, the militant organisation said in a statement. Bin Laden was killed by US forces in Pakistan in early May.
Al-Qaeda warned it would continue to fight a holy war against the US and Israel under Zawahiri's direction- while a US official dismissed Zawahiri's appointment, saying he had "nowhere near" Bin Laden's credentials.
The statement announcing his appointment was posted on a militant website and attributed to al-Qaeda's General Command.
"Sheikh Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri, may God guide him, assumed responsibility as the group's amir [leader]", it said.
It vowed that under Zawahiri, it would pursue jihad or holy war against the US and Israel "until all invading armies leave the land of Islam". Read More
Al Zawahiri's promotion in status came with the total lunar eclipse in Sagittarius, and he was born June 19, 1951 in Egypt on a Sagittarius full moon. Sagittarius is the sign most related to religion and belief systems. The full moon at his birth fell within about a degree and a half of the Galactic Center, that I wrote about yesterday. Al Zawahiri may somehow feel called to jihad(holy war) by a perceived higher power that emanates from the center of our galaxy. Nevertheless, the Gemini-Sagittarius polarity emphasized in his birth chart, suggests he's not only a doctor(Chiron), but an intelligent man- despite his violent agenda informed by a fundamentalist ideology(the dark side of Sagittarius).
Yesterday's full moon lunar eclipse belongs to Saros series 130 that began with it's first event on June 10, 1416, at 27 Sagittarius 40. When we convert the date of this 1416 eclipse from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar by adding 9 days, we arrive at June 19 in our modern calendrical system. Ayman al-Zawahiri was born on June 19, 1951. Therefore, he was honored and appointed leader of Al Qaeda on a lunar eclipse, that belongs to a Saros series begun 600 years ago with a lunar eclipse on his date of birth. Saros Series 130
 |
| From Asia & Mideast |
The solar eclipse preceeding Zawahiri's birth took place on Mar. 7, 1951 in the mystical sign of Pisces the Fishes, on the Moon's Ascending Node(Dragon's Head) that conjoined Jupiter to the degree. (Jupiter is the ancient ruler/lord of Pisces.) And interestingly this eclipse, which was visible in varying degrees across the US, was the first eclipse ever televised on TV to a national audience. This pre-natal eclipse belongs to Saros series 129 that began with it's first eclipse on Oct. 3, 1103 at 15 Libra opposite Pluto(15 Aries). So the extremely intense(-180- Pluto) first eclipse of Saros 129 conjoins Zawahiri's natal Neptune(dreams, ideals, and spiritual aspirations)- while the conjunction between eclipse Neptune and his natal Pluto(power, obsessions, and ruthless force) is also tight. Saros Series 129
Analysis: Al-Zawahiri takes al Qaeda's helm when influence is waning
More on the birth of Al Qaeda soon.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The Galactic Center
The prevalent notion that the 2012 winter solstice Sun will align with the Galactic Center is incorrect. But the winter solstice Sun has been roughly aligning with the Galactic Equator, which is the equator of the Milky Way galaxy. According to master astronomer Jean Meeus the exact alignment occurred in May 1998. And earlier posts here noted how this extremely rare Galactic Alignment may have foreshadowed recent events in Japan- as the mundane astrology of 1998 showed the major aspects of that time, most sharply focused at Fukushima. But the Galactic Center is located at the center of the Milky Way, in the direction of the constellations Sagittarius, Ophiuchus, and Scorpius. It was believed and recently proven, that there's a supermassive black hole at the Galactic Center of our galaxy, on the order of 4 million solar masses.
One might think of the Galactic Center as the Sun of our Sun, and the probable source of most of the gravitational energy present in our galaxy. Two years after the discovery of the Pluto in 1930, Karl Jansky, a Bell Telephone Laboratories engineer, found that a partial source of static affecting overseas telephone lines, came from the center of our Milky Galaxy at 26 degrees of Sagittarius. And then in the late 60's, astronomers finally honed in on the GC (Galactic Center) with radio and infrared instruments. They were amazed by the immense energies radiating from this source at many frequencies. According to "Astrophysical Directions" by Michael and Margaret Erlewine, energy emerges from the GC over 2 entire degrees of longitude near the last degrees of Sagittarius.
Of course, the GC has spiritual significance for those so inclined, and I have seen the importance of this point in the horoscopes of special individuals who seem to have a deep, instinctual connection with a higher source of energy and information.
Because of the phenomena known as the precession of the equinoxes, caused by a subtle wobble in the earth's rotational axis, the GC and fixed stars move forward about one degree of celestial longitude every 72 years. So the the Galactic Center is currently located at 27 Sagittarius in the tropical zodiac.
Today's full moon lunar eclipse, apparently the longest in 11 years, falls at 24 Sagittarius, conjunct the GC at 27 Sagittarius. And the so-called 'Solstice Eclipse' of Dec. 21, 2010, was at 29 Gemini, with the Sun 2 degrees from the GC. Moreover, these two eclipses linked with the massive energy coming from the GC, happen to bracket the March 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, almost exactly. However, the once in 26,000 year Galactic Alignment of the winter solstice degree(0 Capricorn) with the galactic equator in 1998, was probably the key portent of the unfolding nuclear and environmental crisis at Fukushima, which has profound implications for the earth and world community.
Fukushima's Apocalyptic Threat Demands Immediate Action
One might think of the Galactic Center as the Sun of our Sun, and the probable source of most of the gravitational energy present in our galaxy. Two years after the discovery of the Pluto in 1930, Karl Jansky, a Bell Telephone Laboratories engineer, found that a partial source of static affecting overseas telephone lines, came from the center of our Milky Galaxy at 26 degrees of Sagittarius. And then in the late 60's, astronomers finally honed in on the GC (Galactic Center) with radio and infrared instruments. They were amazed by the immense energies radiating from this source at many frequencies. According to "Astrophysical Directions" by Michael and Margaret Erlewine, energy emerges from the GC over 2 entire degrees of longitude near the last degrees of Sagittarius.
Of course, the GC has spiritual significance for those so inclined, and I have seen the importance of this point in the horoscopes of special individuals who seem to have a deep, instinctual connection with a higher source of energy and information.
Because of the phenomena known as the precession of the equinoxes, caused by a subtle wobble in the earth's rotational axis, the GC and fixed stars move forward about one degree of celestial longitude every 72 years. So the the Galactic Center is currently located at 27 Sagittarius in the tropical zodiac.
Today's full moon lunar eclipse, apparently the longest in 11 years, falls at 24 Sagittarius, conjunct the GC at 27 Sagittarius. And the so-called 'Solstice Eclipse' of Dec. 21, 2010, was at 29 Gemini, with the Sun 2 degrees from the GC. Moreover, these two eclipses linked with the massive energy coming from the GC, happen to bracket the March 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, almost exactly. However, the once in 26,000 year Galactic Alignment of the winter solstice degree(0 Capricorn) with the galactic equator in 1998, was probably the key portent of the unfolding nuclear and environmental crisis at Fukushima, which has profound implications for the earth and world community.
Fukushima's Apocalyptic Threat Demands Immediate Action
Monday, June 13, 2011
Earthquakes Rattle Christchurch Again
(Reuters) - A series of powerful tremors rattled the quake-prone New Zealand city of Christchurch on Monday, destroying buildings and sending boulders tumbling down hillsides nearly four months after a quake killed 181 people.
There were no reported fatalities. New Zealand's Civil Defense said 10 people suffered minor injuries in the quakes, with the strongest put at a magnitude of 6.0 at 2.20 p.m. (10:20 p.m. ET on Sunday) local time. Buildings were evacuated and infrastructure damaged across the city, still trying to recover from the February 22 6.3 magnitude earthquake.
Monday's quake knocked the New Zealand dollar lower and was seen as another hurdle to rebuilding New Zealand's second largest city, likely encouraging the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to keep interest rates on hold for longer.
As with the initial quake, Monday's aftershock sent boulders on the city's Port Hills tumbling toward houses. Parts of the eastern city which suffered the most damage in February's tremor suffered from flooding and liquefaction - where solid ground is turned into liquid by the force of the quake.
New Zealand's GNS Institute said the earthquakes were within the expected pattern after February's tremor and could well trigger fresh seismic activity. "We would expect a number of aftershocks in the magnitude 4.0 to 5.0 range on the coming days and weeks," said Kelvin Berryman, GNS's Manager of Natural Hazards Research.
Power was cut to about 50,000 houses and there were reports of damage to roads, buildings and water supplies. A number of homes were likely to remain without power overnight, with the temperature likely to dip close to freezing.
Christchurch has experienced a number of strong earthquakes since a magnitude 7.1 quake struck the city on Sept 4 last year.
On Monday, five tremors of magnitude 4.3 or greater were recorded from 0029 GMT. A 5.5 tremor at 0100 GMT was believed to have caused most of the damage 10 km (6 miles) south-east of the city center at a depth of 11 km.
Parts of the city center have been closed since the Feb 22 quake. One of the city's tallest buildings, the Grand Chancellor Hotel, has been declared unstable and is being prepared for demolition. The cost to rebuild Christchurch after the quakes has been estimated at around $12.2 billion."
The total lunar of June 16 is powerfully placed in Christchurch as it occurs just after sunrise, and thus aligns with the local horizon. This eclipse is also sharply focused at the longitude of SF, Portland, Seattle, Victoria, and Vancouver. The eclipse chart for Rio De Janeiro is reverse the one for Christchurch.
There were no reported fatalities. New Zealand's Civil Defense said 10 people suffered minor injuries in the quakes, with the strongest put at a magnitude of 6.0 at 2.20 p.m. (10:20 p.m. ET on Sunday) local time. Buildings were evacuated and infrastructure damaged across the city, still trying to recover from the February 22 6.3 magnitude earthquake.
Monday's quake knocked the New Zealand dollar lower and was seen as another hurdle to rebuilding New Zealand's second largest city, likely encouraging the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to keep interest rates on hold for longer.
As with the initial quake, Monday's aftershock sent boulders on the city's Port Hills tumbling toward houses. Parts of the eastern city which suffered the most damage in February's tremor suffered from flooding and liquefaction - where solid ground is turned into liquid by the force of the quake.
New Zealand's GNS Institute said the earthquakes were within the expected pattern after February's tremor and could well trigger fresh seismic activity. "We would expect a number of aftershocks in the magnitude 4.0 to 5.0 range on the coming days and weeks," said Kelvin Berryman, GNS's Manager of Natural Hazards Research.
Power was cut to about 50,000 houses and there were reports of damage to roads, buildings and water supplies. A number of homes were likely to remain without power overnight, with the temperature likely to dip close to freezing.
Christchurch has experienced a number of strong earthquakes since a magnitude 7.1 quake struck the city on Sept 4 last year.
On Monday, five tremors of magnitude 4.3 or greater were recorded from 0029 GMT. A 5.5 tremor at 0100 GMT was believed to have caused most of the damage 10 km (6 miles) south-east of the city center at a depth of 11 km.
Parts of the city center have been closed since the Feb 22 quake. One of the city's tallest buildings, the Grand Chancellor Hotel, has been declared unstable and is being prepared for demolition. The cost to rebuild Christchurch after the quakes has been estimated at around $12.2 billion."
 |
| From Mundane Charts |
The total lunar of June 16 is powerfully placed in Christchurch as it occurs just after sunrise, and thus aligns with the local horizon. This eclipse is also sharply focused at the longitude of SF, Portland, Seattle, Victoria, and Vancouver. The eclipse chart for Rio De Janeiro is reverse the one for Christchurch.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
June 15th's Deep, Eastern Lunar Eclipse
From Sky & Telescope:
"We're in the midst of an interesting eclipse trifecta. Partial solar eclipses occur during the New Moons on June 1st and July 1st, which are sandwiched around a total lunar eclipse during the Full Moon on June 15th.
During June 15th's total lunar eclipse, the lunar disk will spend 100 minutes completely inside Earth's umbral shadow. Unfortunately, none of these are really visible from North America — which is too bad, because this lunar eclipse should be a doozy. Those of you in Europe and elsewhere in the Eastern Hemisphere are in for a real treat.
The Moon will plunge deeply into Earth's shadow, passing almost directly through its center. Consequently, totality lasts a whopping 100 minutes — the longest umbral immersion since July 2000, and nearly 40 minutes longer than the well-observed lunar eclipse last December 21st."
Read More
"We're in the midst of an interesting eclipse trifecta. Partial solar eclipses occur during the New Moons on June 1st and July 1st, which are sandwiched around a total lunar eclipse during the Full Moon on June 15th.
During June 15th's total lunar eclipse, the lunar disk will spend 100 minutes completely inside Earth's umbral shadow. Unfortunately, none of these are really visible from North America — which is too bad, because this lunar eclipse should be a doozy. Those of you in Europe and elsewhere in the Eastern Hemisphere are in for a real treat.
The Moon will plunge deeply into Earth's shadow, passing almost directly through its center. Consequently, totality lasts a whopping 100 minutes — the longest umbral immersion since July 2000, and nearly 40 minutes longer than the well-observed lunar eclipse last December 21st."
Read More
Saturn Direct and Lunar Eclipse
Saturn is finally going direct today after being retrograde for 4 and one half months. Many of us probably felt like we were treading water, or actually swimming against the current. The painstaking process of review and deliberation is now over and we can get on with the business at hand, while focusing on long term goals- especially in relationships(Saturn in Libra).
The June 15 total lunar eclipse in fiery Sagittarius magnifies optimism and enthusiasm as we aspire to expand our horizons in all areas of life.
The June 15 total lunar eclipse in fiery Sagittarius magnifies optimism and enthusiasm as we aspire to expand our horizons in all areas of life.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Epic Solar Flare
National Geographic News ~ June 8, 2011
"A mushroom of cooled plasma popped like a pimple and rained onto the surface of the sun yesterday—shooting perhaps the largest amount of solar material into space ever seen, scientists say.
The solar flare—an unusually bright spot on the sun—wasn't surprising as a "moderate" event. Space observatories in the past year recorded about 70 such solar flares, each roughly ten times weaker than "extreme" flares, of which only two have occurred since 2007.
Instead, what shocked scientists was the unusual amount of material that lofted up, expanded, and fell back down over roughly half the surface area of the sun. The event's simultaneous launch of particles into space is called a coronal mass ejection (CME).
"This totally caught us by surprise. There wasn't much going on with this spot, but as it came from behind the sun, all of the sudden there was a flare and huge ejection of particles," said astrophysicist Phillip Chamberlin of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), one of several spacecraft that recorded the event.
"We've never seen a CME this enormous."
Read More
"A mushroom of cooled plasma popped like a pimple and rained onto the surface of the sun yesterday—shooting perhaps the largest amount of solar material into space ever seen, scientists say.
The solar flare—an unusually bright spot on the sun—wasn't surprising as a "moderate" event. Space observatories in the past year recorded about 70 such solar flares, each roughly ten times weaker than "extreme" flares, of which only two have occurred since 2007.
Instead, what shocked scientists was the unusual amount of material that lofted up, expanded, and fell back down over roughly half the surface area of the sun. The event's simultaneous launch of particles into space is called a coronal mass ejection (CME).
"This totally caught us by surprise. There wasn't much going on with this spot, but as it came from behind the sun, all of the sudden there was a flare and huge ejection of particles," said astrophysicist Phillip Chamberlin of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), one of several spacecraft that recorded the event.
"We've never seen a CME this enormous."
Read More
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
The Truth About Fukushima
From EarthSky:
On June 6, Japan’s Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters confirmed that Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant experienced full meltdowns at three reactors after the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, according to a CNN report.
Watch this CNN video interview with Michio Kaku, professor of theoretical physics at CUNY. In it, Kaku explains why the sudden influx of seawater into the plants prevented an explosion he describes as “3 Chernobyls.”
CNN video
My feeling is that the nuclear disaster at Fukushima is the worst environmental catastrophe ever- and a warning shot across our collective bow, as the Uranus-Pluto squares gear up to churn epic changes and upheavals.
We antipate that global warming will bring more extreme weather events, as extreme weather is powered by large fluxes of energy, much of which comes from latent heat, that is condensation of water vapor. Since a warmer atmosphere will contain more water vapor, it makes sense that we should expect more violent weather events in a warmer world.
About time...Protesters in Japan Challenge Nuclear Power
Are Baby Deaths in US Linked to Fukushima Fallout?
On June 6, Japan’s Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters confirmed that Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant experienced full meltdowns at three reactors after the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, according to a CNN report.
Watch this CNN video interview with Michio Kaku, professor of theoretical physics at CUNY. In it, Kaku explains why the sudden influx of seawater into the plants prevented an explosion he describes as “3 Chernobyls.”
CNN video
My feeling is that the nuclear disaster at Fukushima is the worst environmental catastrophe ever- and a warning shot across our collective bow, as the Uranus-Pluto squares gear up to churn epic changes and upheavals.
We antipate that global warming will bring more extreme weather events, as extreme weather is powered by large fluxes of energy, much of which comes from latent heat, that is condensation of water vapor. Since a warmer atmosphere will contain more water vapor, it makes sense that we should expect more violent weather events in a warmer world.
About time...Protesters in Japan Challenge Nuclear Power
Are Baby Deaths in US Linked to Fukushima Fallout?
Monday, June 06, 2011
Europe's Deadly E-Coli Outbreak
From BBC News:
"EU agriculture ministers are to hold emergency talks, as efforts continue to find the source of an E.coli outbreak which has killed 22 people.
The first tests on bean sprouts from a German farm suspected of being the source of the outbreak were negative. Of 40 samples being examined from the farm in Uelzen, south of Hamburg, 23 tested negative, officials said.
More than 2,200 people have fallen ill in 12 countries. Cases outside Germany have been linked to travel there. Initially, German officials had pointed to Spanish cucumbers as the likely cause."
This e-coli outbreak began in late May 2011, just before the June 1 partial solar eclipse at 11 Gemini. And the June 15 total lunar eclipse at 24 Sagittarius marks the climax of the current lunar phase birthed at the solar eclipse. "Europe will miss the early stages of the lunar eclipse because they occur before moonrise. Fortunately, totality will be seen throughout the continent except for northern Scotland and northern Scandinavia." ~Fred Espenak
My astrological colleague Peter Stockinger has previously noted the work of the great English astrologer William Lilly wherein he says about lunar eclipses in Sagittarius; "A Plague followes, and great evils afflicted all mankind, Consumptions, more than ordinaire.' Clearly, Lilly's observation appears significant now given the current circumstances regarding a deadly bacteria wreaking havoc.
Stars and Stones
The June 15 total lunar eclipse is part of the 1262 year Saros series 130 that began on July 10, 1416 with a lunar eclipse at 28 degrees of Sagittarius opposite Pluto- not discovered until 1930. So the first eclipse of Saros 130 to which the June 15 eclipse belongs fell in Sagittarius, and featured Neptune(in Cancer) spot on the Midheaven in Germany. Now Neptune was not discovered until 1846, but modern astrologers consider Neptune(and Pisces) to have an affinity with infectious diseases and epidemics, as the influence of Neptune is to transcend boundaries and make them more porous. Plus, astrological Neptune suggests a sense of chaos and uncertainty, that makes it hard to discern between what's real and what's illusory. Moreover, this Neptune influence is directly linked to Germany by angularity in the June 10, 1416 eclipse chart, that set the tone for Saros series 130.
6/15/11 Lunar Eclipse AstroCartoGraphy for Europe
As noted in an earlier post- the lunar eclipse aligns with the local meridian in SF, Portland, Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver. The eclipse Full Moon rises in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Spain has long been associated with the sign of Sagittarius.
Sagittarius the Archer
"EU agriculture ministers are to hold emergency talks, as efforts continue to find the source of an E.coli outbreak which has killed 22 people.
The first tests on bean sprouts from a German farm suspected of being the source of the outbreak were negative. Of 40 samples being examined from the farm in Uelzen, south of Hamburg, 23 tested negative, officials said.
More than 2,200 people have fallen ill in 12 countries. Cases outside Germany have been linked to travel there. Initially, German officials had pointed to Spanish cucumbers as the likely cause."
This e-coli outbreak began in late May 2011, just before the June 1 partial solar eclipse at 11 Gemini. And the June 15 total lunar eclipse at 24 Sagittarius marks the climax of the current lunar phase birthed at the solar eclipse. "Europe will miss the early stages of the lunar eclipse because they occur before moonrise. Fortunately, totality will be seen throughout the continent except for northern Scotland and northern Scandinavia." ~Fred Espenak
My astrological colleague Peter Stockinger has previously noted the work of the great English astrologer William Lilly wherein he says about lunar eclipses in Sagittarius; "A Plague followes, and great evils afflicted all mankind, Consumptions, more than ordinaire.' Clearly, Lilly's observation appears significant now given the current circumstances regarding a deadly bacteria wreaking havoc.
Stars and Stones
The June 15 total lunar eclipse is part of the 1262 year Saros series 130 that began on July 10, 1416 with a lunar eclipse at 28 degrees of Sagittarius opposite Pluto- not discovered until 1930. So the first eclipse of Saros 130 to which the June 15 eclipse belongs fell in Sagittarius, and featured Neptune(in Cancer) spot on the Midheaven in Germany. Now Neptune was not discovered until 1846, but modern astrologers consider Neptune(and Pisces) to have an affinity with infectious diseases and epidemics, as the influence of Neptune is to transcend boundaries and make them more porous. Plus, astrological Neptune suggests a sense of chaos and uncertainty, that makes it hard to discern between what's real and what's illusory. Moreover, this Neptune influence is directly linked to Germany by angularity in the June 10, 1416 eclipse chart, that set the tone for Saros series 130.
 |
| From Mundane Charts |
6/15/11 Lunar Eclipse AstroCartoGraphy for Europe
 |
| From Mundane Charts |
As noted in an earlier post- the lunar eclipse aligns with the local meridian in SF, Portland, Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver. The eclipse Full Moon rises in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Spain has long been associated with the sign of Sagittarius.
Sagittarius the Archer
Volcanic Eruptions in Chile
Volcanoes in Chile's Puyehue-Cordon-Caulle range have been erupting, sending 3 mile wide columns of ash and pumice stones into the air. The crucial position of Pluto on the IC(4th house cusp) of the 2011 Aries ingress(vernal equinox) chart cast for Santiago is a classic portent of eruptions, upheavals, extreme weather, and earthquakes. As this mundane horoscope generally covers the entire astrological year, we may see further events in Chile that resonate with a powerful plutonian vibration, as whatever is underground(IC) makes itself known with ruthless force.
Amazing images of volcano's erupting in Chile
Amazing images of volcano's erupting in Chile
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Jupiter Enters Taurus
Benefic Jupiter entered the sign of the Bull today for about a year. Wherever Taurus falls in one's natal chart will begin to receive some positive support for growth, expansion, and opportunities. As Taurus is associated with resources, we will seek to grow and expand these resources during Jupiter's passage through Taurus. Enjoy...
Jupiter in Taurus
Jupiter in Taurus
Identical Twins Pass Together
The current Gemini informed celestial trend could not be better reflected then by this classic story of identical twins leaving the world together on the day of a solar eclipse in Gemini, the sign of the Twins.
"My brother and I, you will recollect, were twins, and you know how subtle are the links which bind two souls which are so closely allied." ~Arthur Conan Doyle
From Associated Press:
Identical twins Julian and Adrian Riester were born seconds apart 92 years ago. They died hours apart this week. The Buffalo-born brothers were also brothers in the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor. Professed friars for 65 years, they spent much of that time working together at St. Bonaventure University, doing carpentry work, gardening and driving visitors to and from the airport and around town.
"It was fun to see them, just quiet, gentle souls," Yvonne Peace, who worked at the St. Bonaventure Friary for nearly 21 years, said Friday.
They died Wednesday at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., Brother Julian in the morning and Brother Adrian in the evening.
Both died of heart failure, said Father James Toal, guardian of St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, where the inseparable twins lived since moving from western New York in 2008.
"It really is almost a poetic ending to the remarkable story of their lives," St. Bonaventure spokesman Tom Missel said. "Stunning when you hear it, but hardly surprising given that they did almost everything together."
Julian and Adrian Riester were born Jerome and Irving on March 27, 1919, to a couple who already had five daughters. They took the names of saints upon their ordination in the Catholic church.
"Dad was a doctor and he said a prayer for a boy," Adrian once said, according to St. Bonaventure. "The Lord fooled him and sent two."
After attending St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, the brothers were turned away by the military because of their eyesight, the university said. One had a bad left eye, the other a bad right eye.
Eventually they joined the friars of Holy Name Province in New York City. They received separate assignments before reuniting at the seminary at St. Bonaventure from 1951 to 1956. After serving parishes in Buffalo for 17 years, they returned to St. Bonaventure in 1973 and spent the next 35 years there.
They had separate rooms in the friary but one telephone extension that rang into both, Peace recalled. It was usually the more talkative Adrian who answered, though Julian possessed a quiet authority. They never said who was born first.
"Brother Julian was like the big brother. Brother Adrian would defer to him," Peace said. "They picked up one of our friars at the airport one time and the friar said, 'Can I take you to dinner?' "Brother Adrian looked at Brother Julian and said, 'We aren't going to dinner?' 'No, we'll go home,' Peace said. "So that was it. No discussion, no contradicting. 'No, we aren't going today.'"
Funeral services are scheduled for Monday at St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Church in St. Petersburg. The brothers will be buried together at Calvary Cemetery in Clearwater.
"We came into the world like brother and brother; And now let's go hand in hand, not one before another." ~William Shakespeare
"My brother and I, you will recollect, were twins, and you know how subtle are the links which bind two souls which are so closely allied." ~Arthur Conan Doyle
From Associated Press:
Identical twins Julian and Adrian Riester were born seconds apart 92 years ago. They died hours apart this week. The Buffalo-born brothers were also brothers in the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor. Professed friars for 65 years, they spent much of that time working together at St. Bonaventure University, doing carpentry work, gardening and driving visitors to and from the airport and around town.
"It was fun to see them, just quiet, gentle souls," Yvonne Peace, who worked at the St. Bonaventure Friary for nearly 21 years, said Friday.
They died Wednesday at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., Brother Julian in the morning and Brother Adrian in the evening.
Both died of heart failure, said Father James Toal, guardian of St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, where the inseparable twins lived since moving from western New York in 2008.
"It really is almost a poetic ending to the remarkable story of their lives," St. Bonaventure spokesman Tom Missel said. "Stunning when you hear it, but hardly surprising given that they did almost everything together."
Julian and Adrian Riester were born Jerome and Irving on March 27, 1919, to a couple who already had five daughters. They took the names of saints upon their ordination in the Catholic church.
"Dad was a doctor and he said a prayer for a boy," Adrian once said, according to St. Bonaventure. "The Lord fooled him and sent two."
After attending St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, the brothers were turned away by the military because of their eyesight, the university said. One had a bad left eye, the other a bad right eye.
Eventually they joined the friars of Holy Name Province in New York City. They received separate assignments before reuniting at the seminary at St. Bonaventure from 1951 to 1956. After serving parishes in Buffalo for 17 years, they returned to St. Bonaventure in 1973 and spent the next 35 years there.
They had separate rooms in the friary but one telephone extension that rang into both, Peace recalled. It was usually the more talkative Adrian who answered, though Julian possessed a quiet authority. They never said who was born first.
"Brother Julian was like the big brother. Brother Adrian would defer to him," Peace said. "They picked up one of our friars at the airport one time and the friar said, 'Can I take you to dinner?' "Brother Adrian looked at Brother Julian and said, 'We aren't going to dinner?' 'No, we'll go home,' Peace said. "So that was it. No discussion, no contradicting. 'No, we aren't going today.'"
Funeral services are scheduled for Monday at St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Church in St. Petersburg. The brothers will be buried together at Calvary Cemetery in Clearwater.
"We came into the world like brother and brother; And now let's go hand in hand, not one before another." ~William Shakespeare
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