It was no easy road to the throne of England for Charles. His mother Queen Elizabeth II held onto the royal scepter until she was on her death-bed at age 96. His life, laid bare by decades of tabloid coverage, and recapped in poignant detail in the Netflix series The Crown, evokes sympathy for a […]
Sinéad O’Connor: Nothing Compares 2 U
July 26th saw the passing of Sinéad O’Connor, the remarkable Irish singer with the incredible voice. She’d come on the scene in the late ’80s with a debut album that garnered some attention, and in the early ‘90s released a second album, I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got, which took her to […]
Profiles in Passion: Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty (30 March 1937 – ) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. Strikingly handsome with a style that is self-consciously cool and opaque, he was the classic screen idol of his day. He has been nominated for 14 Oscars, including his performance in 1967 for Bonnie and Clyde. He won the Oscar […]
Thich Nhat Hanh: spiritual warrior
Thich Nhat Hanh, after a lifetime of service to Buddhism, died recently at age 95. Born 11 October 1926 in central Vietnam, he entered a monastery at age 16, where his primary teacher was a Zen master. He received training in the Vietnamese tradition of Mahayana Buddhism, and was ordained as a Bhikkhu in 1951. […]
Vladimir Putin: the spy who came home with the gol...
When most astrologers look at Vladimir Putin’s chart and see Venus rising in Libra opposite Jupiter in the 7th house, they say, no, that can’t be right. In fact, I recently read an article in which an astrologer suggested at the outset that it was incongruous that such a configuration, with its implications of art, […]
Hugh Hefner: Playboy of the western world
Author’s note: I know at first glance this might seem inappropriate, posting an article on Hugh Hefner the week after the Harvey Weinstein scandal, revealing the latter’s systemic sexual harassment and assault upon young women in the film industry. Bad timing for this article, perhaps, but good timing for Hefner to have died just three […]
Chuck Berry: Reelinâ and Rockinâ
Like Pablo Picasso, Stephen King and several others, Chuck Berry is proof positive that having three debilitated planets in your birth chart is no impediment to reaching the top of your game. But Americaâs iconic rock ânâ roll pioneer was frequently in trouble, and we can only credit his chart â not his parents or […]
Carrie Fisher: Postcards from the edge of the gala...
When Carrie Fisher entered the public consciousness like a shooting star, playing Princess Leia in the first Star Wars movie, she was already a showbiz veteran. At age 13, sheâd shared a nightclub act with her mother Debbie Reynolds, was in the chorus of a musical when she was 15, and by age 19 had made […]
NCGR book reviews: Parivartana Yoga & Mutual Recep
This book review of two books by Alan Annand — Parivartana Yoga and Mutual Reception — appeared in the November-December 2016 issue of the memberletter for the National Council of Geocosmic Researchers (NCGR): Parivartana Yoga, by Alan Annand, Sextile.com, 2015, paper (252 pp) $14.95, digital $6.99. I was very excited when astrologer Alan Annand (who also writes […]
Keith Richards & Jimmy Page: mutually in tune
What do Keith Richards and Jimmy Page have in common? Theyâre both British-born and 72 years old. Both are renowned guitarists steeped in the blues, founding members of world-class rock bands. Both are songwriters and innovators â Richards in 5-string open tuning, Page in technical virtuosity. Both are avid readers â Richards of WW2 history, […]