The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding
oneself in the ranks of the insane. --- Marcus Aurelius

" It is easier to fool people than to convince them that they’ve been fooled." 
--- Mark Twain

DARKNESS ADVISORY:
CHIRON in ARIES THEN, and NOW

(Courtesy of Jesse Colin Young, Bob Dylan & George Harrison)
[Dedicated to RFK Jr.]

       The last time Chiron was in Fire Sign Aries, within three days, antiwar MLK was taken out at the height of his influence. Two months later, antiwar RFK (Sr.) was taken out just before he would have received presidential nomination and probable presidency. The disastrous Viet Nam debacle literally napalm-burned on, Operation Popeye geoengineering et al.

       But, there was groovy Peace and Love and Light at home then though, right? Not so much. Then as now, nothing was as hated as Peace and mutual tolerance. As then, it seemed best to turn your back on seemingly endless obscene war profiteering. Then: America: Love It or Leave It. Now, stand by the dictator of Ukraine (the unofficial 51st state). Don't worry about that gruff little narcissist though. He can be safe himself in his mansion in Florida where he can retire to comfortably, far from the stench of the tens of thousands of bodies of the boys and old men he forced into their unavoidable doom, far from the country he ruined in every way. (Think not? Have you ever seen and heard the reporting of Patrick Lancaster, on the ground there?) Will he and The West start WW III there and blame it on Putin?
       Then: Paris riots; now: Paris riots; Paris is burning, with cruelty, violence and destruction spreading to other countries. Is yours next? Maybe it'll include BLM arson parties, the sequel? Maybe instead it will involve some of thousands of young men who have recently crossed the U.S. southern border. Maybe it will be both; maybe neither.
       Then: the U.S. geo-engineering of Viet Nam skies. Now: non-stop, dare-not-call-it, ignore the patents, geo-engineering. The later is best described as THE DIMMING, including the widespread burning forests almost everywhere. (Thanks Sun in Aries Chiron in Capricorn Dane Wigington.) Website: GeoEngineeringWatch.org
       Our skies are not the only darkening presence. Foreign policy and domestic policy, then, and especially now, are fed by the same lies, greed and cynical divide-and-conquer tactics. "Darkness" is almost everywhere you look. As the old saying tells us, though, cursing the darkness is not our best adaptive strategy. It is better to use the torch-lit wisdom of Chiron Aries, the potential antidote to human-caused fires raging seemingly almost everywhere.

DIFFERENT DARKNESSES

Kaleidoscope Grey Scale
Credit: Linnaea Mallett

       Although commonly used interchangeably, blackness and darkness are not really the same. The most ebony "black" person can experience "darkness" and/or "Darkness." With genuine darkness, nothing, good or bad, can be seen. As Simon & Garfunkel sang, Darkness and Silence are a pair. ("Hello Darkness my old friend…." Sounds of Silence – 1964)

       "You know the Day destroys the Night, Night divides the Day…." --- Jim Morrison
("Break On Through To The Other Side")

       Darkness and Light, of course, are commonly paired, usually rightly so: nighttime and daytime; the longer darkness of Winter in contrast to the longer days of Summer. There is a different kind of Darkness though --- just think of the centuries-long "Dark Ages." Lighter times may be a long time coming, and perhaps not in our lifetimes, if ever. Martin Armstrong, whose computer program, Aristotle, predicted major historical and economic events, predicts a turn for the better in 2032. However, I am not sure if he factored in the possibility of WW III. Let's hope that he is right. Even if he is accurate, though, that means about eight or nine more years of "Dark" times.

       There is darkness, but there is also Darkness. Small "d" darkness is unquestionably very serious business, but uniquely personal, including loneliness, heartbreak, grieving the loss of one or more loved ones, struggles with addiction, and/or other personal challenges. Even more challenging is capital "D" Darkness, which encompasses millions (albeit some few more aware than others) and including multiple challenges simultaneously. Of course "darkness" and "Darkness" can befall one simultaneously. Call that Double Deep Blues, if you will.

MYTHOLGICAL CHIRON: FROM KITHERA to GUITAR: WISDOM & MUSIC

       Mythological Chiron was considered the wisest of all, human or immortal. He also made and played his own stringed instrument. When he played, it was said that all people, all creatures, the trees, the flowers, and even the rocks themselves listened enraptured. Let's call it the original "rock music." The guitar as a solo or lead instrument came in coinciding with the astronomical discovery of Chiron, as did, oddly enough, young people turning to such string-strummers for life wisdom.

THREE DARKNESS GUIDES:

George, and two self-named guitarists: Bob the Poet and Jesse the Peace Outlaw
(In no particular order)

~ Beware of Darkness ~ Darkness, Darkness ~ Darkness At the Break of Noon ~

ALL THINGS MUST PASS: "Beware of Darkness" (1970) [George Harrison]

"…. Watch out now, Take Care, Beware of the thoughts that linger,
Winding up inside your head, The Hopelessness around you,
In the Dark of Night, Beware of Sadness.
It can hit you, It can hurt you,
Make you sore, and what is more,
That is not what you are here for.

"Why in the world are we here? Surely not to live in pain and fear!"
-- Fellow ex-Beatle John Lennon, "Instant Karma" (1970)

[George continues in his Darkness-cautioning song:]
…. As each unconscious sufferer wanders aimlessly...
Watch out now, take care, beware of greedy leaders
Who take you where you should not go,
While weeping Atlas Cedars, they just want to grow, grow and grow –
Beware of Darkness, Beware of Darkness"

       Bob Dylan's "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" from BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME was recorded and released in 1965 – Chiron in Pisces, not Aries. However, the lyrics include Sun, Moon and Eclipse, and speak to capital "D" Darkness, so some relevant lyrics are included here.

"Darkness at the Break of Noon,
Shadows even the silver spoon,
The Hand-made blade, the child's balloon,
Eclipses both the Sun and Moon,
To understand, you know too soon,
There is no sense in tryin'.
…. He not busy bein' born is busy dyin'...
Watch waterfalls of pity roar,
You feel to moan but unlike before
You discover that you'd just be one more person cryin'..."

       Astrologers, including myself, have shared a lot about specific Eclipses, different types of Solar Eclipses, Eclipse pairings, Eclipse shadow paths, Synodic cycles, etc. Above all (pun intended), though, the most important thing to remember about Eclipses is the archetypal Darkness, shocking and enormously disconcerting.
       Christopher Columbus, aware from his celestial guide of the eminent coming of a Solar Eclipse. He used this knowledge, and the likely great fear and anxiety of the Taino people of "The New World." He tricked them into seeing him as all powerful, the master manipulator of the Sun. "Worked like a charm" best defines his Dark Magic of deception, Leading to enslavement, rape, theft, suffering, torture and death of people of "a gentle race." Rather than just a long ago historical tragedy, consider that sad and horrible story as a warning to us all that the unscrupulous powers-that-should-not-be can exploit "Dark" times. Watch those eclipses, especially Solar Eclipses, especially below the Dark Shadow of Solar Eclipse paths (like 10/14/2023).

Attribution : © Glenn Francis,
www.PacificProDigital.com

       Now 81 year-old South Carolinian Jesse Colin Young chose (for some reason) for his first name that of Jesse James. I know not the reason why, but outlaws are outsiders, and outsiders of any sort are Chiron types. (See the mythology of Chiron.) Unlike the famous James brother, though, Jesse Colin Young lived the wise advice of fellow outsider Bob Dylan: "If you live outside the law, you must be honest."

"Darkness, Darkness" from the LP: ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN (1969)

       There are different mountains in different U.S. states, but there is also a world famous Elephant Mountain in Taiwan (if the U.S. and China don't blow it away).

Darkness, Darkness, be my pillow
Take my head and let me sleep
In the coolness of your shadow
In the silence of your Deep

Darkness, Darkness, hide my yearning
For the things that cannot be
Keep my mind from constant turning
Towards the things I cannot see now
Towards the things I cannot see now
The things I cannot see now

Darkness, Darkness, long and lonesome,
Ease the day that brings me pain
I have felt the edge of sadness
I have known the depths of fear

Darkness, Darkness, be my blanket
Cover me with the endless night.
Take away the pain of knowing
Fill the emptiness of right now
The emptiness of right now now
The emptiness of right now now now

[repeats first & fourth verses ]

FROM THE YOUNGBLOODS to "the True-bloods": TIMELESS DARKNESS

       Jesse and the other Youngbloods start off the song with predominantly acoustic musical accompaniment, implying the timelessness of Darkness, Darkness: Before "the Grid" – any time in human history. They then bring to the song loud electric instruments, bringing the song into "the emptiness of now" (1969). The message is as timeless as ever, 54 years since, and will remain true, unplugged, even if the grid goes down.

       Note that each of these artistic renderings were meant to be heard sung, with music. Click here or on artist's image:

The Youngbloods - Darkness, Darkness (1969) Munrow's Retro on Vimeo

It's alright ma - Bob Dylan [posted by Vinnie]

George Harrison - Beware of Darkness (Bangladesh)

In closing, as Robert Cray sang, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark."

Chironically,
 Dale