This iconic image was created for The Progressive Magazine’s calendar in 1992 (beautifully designed each year by Patrick JB Flynn). It illustrated this quote by Marge Piercy:
I will choose what enters me, what becomes flesh of my flesh. Without choice, no politics, no ethics lives. I am not your cornfield, not your uranium mine, not your calf for fattening, not your cow for milking. You may not use me as your factory. Priests and legislators do not hold shares in my womb or my mind. This is my body. If I give it to you I want it back. My life is a non-negotiable demand.
Original t-shirts for The Progressive, 1990s
I’m now making this image FREE to use for non-profit, pro-choice organizations to fundraise for supporting women being denied their basic, human rights. Personal use is also fine. Adding/tweaking colour is fine.
The opening image is a high res (300 dpi) jpg. Click on it, pause the slide show, and lift the image onto your desktop.
The image may not be used freely for personal or corporate profit, advertising, or other commercial exploits.
Examples of permissible use (copyright free) :
– pro-choice t-shirts, prints, posters, stickers, etc to fundraise – public mural – tattoo – small run of T-shirts/product for you and your friends – a nice print for yourself or a gift – signs for pro-choice rallies
Any for-profit, commercial use that does not donate the profits to such organizations will still require my permission and a negotiated contract/usage fee, as is usual for re-use of my work – i.e. if you want to use it on an album or book cover and keep the coinage, please contact me to discuss terms.
*Note that the original quote is not included, so please clear with Marge Piercy and/or her publisher for any use other than personal. (Alternatively, one could just put something simple like CHOICE or I WILL CHOOSE, or go wordless).*
I was thinking how Sinéad reminded me of another scapegoated, outspoken Dubliner – Oscar Wilde, particularly his sad story, The Nightingale and the Rose. Because she is that Nightingale. I had to compare their charts (see bottom of page), the two geniuses actually have much synchronicity. To start with, they have the same lunar nodes, North in Taurus, South in Scorpio. Her Mercury and Neptune (words/art/music) are conjunct his South node, his Uranus (future/genius) is conjunct her North node. She has Saturn conjunct Chiron, the ‘wounded healer’ (2 deg) in Pisces (sign of martyrdom) and he has Jupiter conjunct Chiron (3 deg) in Capricorn (sign of the scapegoat). She has Venus and Sun conjunct by degree and sign in Sagittarius, he Sun and Venus conjunct by sign in Libra. She has Mars at 2 Libra, he has Mars at 3 Sagittarius (each other’s Sun/Venus signs – remember both their lunar nodes are ruled by Venus and Mars).
Addendum: I also just looked at the death chart of Oscar Wilde, and it’s pretty mind-boggling to note that transiting North node, Sun, Uranus, Jupiter and Chiron were ALL in SAGITTARIUS at the time. As well, Chiron was in a wide conjunction with Saturn (Sinéad has them conjunct), Mercury the psychopomp was in Scorpio (as is Sinéad’s).
I have to look into it more thoroughly, but I wonder whether this might be a case of reincarnation…there’s no way to be certain, of course. I know, there is nothing in physical resemblance whatsoever, and there needn’t be, but…she does kind of resemble his long suffering wife, Constance Lloyd. Constance, a journalist, was a political activist and feminist, who fought for and spoke out on women’s rights, education for girls, dress reform (for women to wear comfortable clothing) and the ‘Irish Question’ (of home rule). She also may have died from botched fibroid surgery (a result of undiagnosed MS, it’s thought). Considering they would have had a soul contract and he was a Libra (partnership sign), might there have been some cross-over here?
Wilde himself, after being sentenced to two years hard labour for his homosexuality, wrote about the abhorrent conditions for inmates, calling for change. Like Sinéad booed on stage, he was jeered and spat on by crowds during his transfer to Reading Gaol Prison.
Constance Lloyd, wife of Oscar Wilde, by Louis Desanges, 1882
At the same time, charts can be so clinical. Poetry and song gets to the heart of things, especially since we are talking about people who were devoted to it. This is where the soul reveals itself best, and evolutionary astrology is about the soul’s travels.
“If you want a red rose,” said the Tree, “you must build it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with your own heart’s-blood. You must sing to me with your breast against a thorn. All night long you must sing to me, and the thorn must pierce your heart, and your life-blood must flow into my veins, and become mine.”
“Death is a great price to pay for a red rose,” cried the Nightingale, “and Life is very dear to all. It is pleasant to sit in the green wood, and to watch the Sun in his chariot of gold, and the Moon in her chariot of pearl. Sweet is the scent of the hawthorn, and sweet are the bluebells that hide in the valley, and the heather that blows on the hill. Yet Love is better than Life, and what is the heart of a bird compared to the heart of a man?”
So she spread her brown wings for flight, and soared into the air. She swept over the garden like a shadow, and like a shadow she sailed through the grove.
The young Student was still lying on the grass, where she had left him, and the tears were not yet dry in his beautiful eyes.
“Be happy,” cried the Nightingale, “be happy; you shall have your red rose. I will build it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with my own heart’s-blood. All that I ask of you in return is that you will be a true lover, for Love is wiser than Philosophy, though she is wise, and mightier than Power, though he is mighty. Flame-coloured are his wings, and coloured like flame is his body. His lips are sweet as honey, and his breath is like frankincense.”
The Student looked up from the grass, and listened, but he could not understand what the Nightingale was saying to him, for he only knew the things that are written down in books.
But the Oak-tree understood, and felt sad, for he was very fond of the little Nightingale who had built her nest in his branches.
“Sing me one last song,” he whispered; “I shall feel very lonely when you are gone.”
So the Nightingale sang to the Oak-tree, and her voice was like water bubbling from a silver jar.
~ from The Nightingale and the Rose, by Oscar Wilde
The Singing Bird, yet another of her Irish ballads that makes my heart burst.
Thank you Sinéad, beautiful soul, for all your healing, celestial voice and utterly fantastic songs. And thank you Oscar Wilde for your brilliant writing that inspired so many other great artists.
Birth Charts of Sinéad O’Connor and Oscar WildeDeath chart of Oscar Wilde (should be Paris, France, but won’t make a huge diff).
What does this famous line, chanted by the three Weird Sisters in Shakespeare’s MacBeth actually refer to? It’s Gemini season, so let’s deep dive into doubling.
The Tragedy of MacBeth
The Weird Sisters are basically the Fates (Moirai) or the Graeaes. We’ve spoken about three being the magic number of Hermes, but of course it is also the magic number of the Lunar Goddess, that maiden-mother-crone of past-present-future who spins the cycles of earthly existence. Hence three witches, fates, etc. The allegory of lunar Fortuna as black and white illustrates that ‘Some are born to sweet delight/Some are born to endless Night’(William Blake, Auguries of Innocence) and the changeability of fortune in general.
Fortuna with black and white Moon face
As the Sisters chant ’round the cauldron, they concoct and prophecy General MacBeth’s destiny – that he will become Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland. Hurray, but unfortunately MacBeth is not qualified to achieve the spiritual gold, because he lets his own demons run amok and, well, not to get too far into it, an unholy bloodbath ensues. According to my teacher mum, the tragedy demonstrates a perversion of the alchemical stages, which occur in backwards/out of order, from gold to black. ‘Fair is foul and foul is fair.’
Poster for Polanski’s MacBeth film – note the reverse Ace of Swords
So ‘Double Double’ refers to the two sides of fate and of human duality. With ascension to power, fame, wealth, there are pitfalls, if the destructive/shadow side of a man’s nature is not kept in check. This poster for the Polanski film depicts the reverse of an emblem we recognize as the Tarot Ace of Swords. In the card, the sword of Truth, pointing up, is both penetrating and girdled by the yonic crown of Wisdom (Sophia); the olive branch (lunar) of peace and palm frond (solar) of victory are held in equilibrium. I believe the symbol might possibly come from the Isis lotus flanked by two serpents, below.
Water canister (detail) Pompeii Isis temple, Ace of Swords (negative for comparison )
‘Toil and Trouble‘ is a forewarning that might refer to ‘the work’ and its inherent dangers. Be careful what you wish for. They famously tell him ‘none of woman born‘ shall be able to harm him, but neglect to mention the fine print, that C-sections don’t count. There are ‘doubles’ all through the play – specifically MacBeth and his wife, Lady MacBeth (she has no first name, for starters), who, in absorbent, lunar fashion disappears further into madness as her husband commits crimes. In reverse process, they start out unified, but become separate, Lady MacBeth eventually committing suicide.
The Sacred Marriage
2 Twos of Cups
A more joyous union, or at least the beginning of one, is beautifully illustrated in the 2 of Cups. Typically in Tarot de Marseille, the two dolphin-fish are slightly different in appearance. This twin fish theme, besides being Piscean, can also be traced back to the ancient, pagan world. In the sanctuary of Didyma (“twins”, thought to refer to twin temples of Apollo and Artemis), Greece, for example, we find a figure not unlike the split-tailed melusine (aka the Starbucks mermaid), who grasps her two tails, or sometimes two fish, much like the ones in the Cups card.
Didyma figureTwo versions of Mesuline
The 2 of Cups was one of the minor arcana cards with a space where a printer could put their name or an emblem. In these two examples, the emblem beneath the cups is not unrelated, heralding love and peace (the heart and olive branches). This card had come up in a discussion, recently, regarding the two ‘trumpets’ therein. Are they in fact trumpets? If so, what kind? Though they resemble telescopes, it’s probably something like a buisine or the North African import, below, played at processions, celebrations funerals and especially weddings.
Medieval double trumpet from North Africa
The Myth of Marsyas
What my little eye spied, however, was the Greek Aulos, a double flute that long ago served the same function, and is associated with the myth of Marsyas and Apollo. (Perhaps the lyre shape behind them was a clue).
The Aulos was said to have been created by Athena, who, upon catching a glimpse in the water of her puff-cheeked reflection playing it, threw the instrument away. It was then found by the satyr Marsyas, who was so elevated by it’s music, he had the crazy idea to invite Apollo and his lyre to a contest – winner ‘have his way’ with the loser. As judges, Apollo chose the Muses and Marsyas chose King Midas. Marsyas won the first round and was pretty excited at the prospect of sex, but for round two, Apollo demanded they play their instruments upside down, putting the satyr at an obvious disadvantage. Apollo was declared the winner, whereby he promptly had Marsyas strung from a tree and flayed alive for his hubris (divine insult against a god), then gave Midas donkey ears. Like MacBeth, Marsyas’ ambition blinded him and didn’t read the fine print of prophecy (Apollo).
Apollo, Marsyas and a Scythian waiting to flay him (relief, middle of the 4th century BC).
The myth is symbolic of the continual battle between the Apollonian reason and the Dionysian madness that make up man’s nature – as viewed by the Athenians. (Presumably women are better versed in this particular polarity, due to our physiological ties to the inconstant Moon…unless they have a partner like MacBeth).
Athena’s horror at her own reflection might have been too much of a reminder of her Medusa side (PMS – a most irrational affliction!). The aulos itself, being a double, wind instrument, can be viewed as expressing two winds or two spirits that ‘make beautiful music together’.
Roman Medusa cameo, 2nd-3rd c – what Athena saw?
As such, there is a deeper meaning to the flaying of Marsyas than the dangers of hubris. In his essential book, Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance, Edgar Wind explains:
‘The musical contest between Apollo and Marsyas was therefore concerned with the relative powers of Dionysian darkness and Apollonian clarity; and if the contest ended with the flaying of Marsyas, it was because flaying itself was a Dionysian rite, a tragic ordeal of purification by which the ugliness of the outward man was thrown off and the beauty of his inward self revealed.’
and:
‘The cry [of Marsyas]: ‘Why do you tear me from myself?’ expresses then an agonized ecstasy and could be turned, as it was by Dante, into a prayer addressed to Apollo: ‘Enter my breast, and so infuse me with your spirit as you did Marsyas when you tore him from the cover of his limbs.’ To obtain the ‘beloved laurel’ of Apollo, the poet must pass through the agony of Marsyas…The torture of the mortal by the god who inspires him was a central theme in the revival of ancient mysteries, its illustration in Apollo and Marsyas being only one of many variations’.
Chariot and Hanged Man of Jean Dodal, 17th c
In traditional TdM, the golden-haired Charioteer at first appears to be a solar-heroic, Roman emperor type. But his stance says Dionysus and, indeed, the very word ‘triumph’ comes down to us not from Roman victory processions, but from hymns to Dionysus sung in processions in his honour. So rather, the Charioteer is a conglomerate – albeit, like MacBeth, he is more Apollonian on the outside.
His epaulettes are indicative of his solar-lunar natures, facing opposite ways, while the two horses also want to go off in either direction. There definitely is a sense of hubris about him. The three stems growing underfoot in the black soil, here, foreshadow his reversal from hero to scapegoat; The Hanged Man, strung up between two boughs, not unlike Marsyas, and the dismemberment/decomposition that follows in arcanum 13.
Jacques Vieville 2 of Cups and Hanged Man duality detailsChariot detail showing solar and lunar horses (anonymous, 15th c Milan)
As with the fish and horses, the two tree bases in arcanum 12 are usually different, sometimes even containing sun and moon in them, as in the Vieville example. The figure can be flipped vertically and viewed two ways; hanging or dancing. His golden, solar hair is a clue to what’s going on – ‘the beauty of his inward self’ is slowly being revealed as he undergoes ‘living death’. Two of these oldest TdM examples (Vieville, Dodal) require flipping the card to read the number correctly – printer mistake?
The strange placement of his epaulette-ish hands might represent wings (sprouting or hidden), most apparent in this 17th c Jean Noblet card. Also of note, his reddish hair, a basis of discrimination and choosing sacrificial victims, especially Jews – Noblet himself being Jewish. But looking at it alchemically, ‘red gold’ was ‘pure gold’:
‘The oftener gold is subjected to the action of fire, the more refined in quality it becomes; indeed, fire is one test of its goodness, as, when submitted to intense heat, gold ought to assume a similar colour, and turn red and igneous in appearance; a mode of testing which is known as “obrussa.” [Pliny, “Natural History,” 33.19]’
Noblet Pendu, 17th c – note his elongated ears
The Hanged Man (Le Pendu/Pandu) was once called ‘The Traitor’ and the figure held two money bags, a reference to Judas, aka Didymus, ‘the Twin’ (also a supposed redhead). We know the two cards are related, because 7 is 3 + 4 and 12 is 3 x 4. (3 and 4 began separately as Empress and Emperor).
Alchemical fountain
Summation
Obviously we are complex creatures, made up of many polarities, but the most basic one is that we live consciously, outer or by day (solar) and unconsciously, inner or by night (lunar). This was expressed in Egypt as the two eyes of Horus. Right now, you are reading this and having both an outer and inner experience.
The alchemical equivalent of Marsyas and Apollo is the torture of base metals, such as lead, in order to extract the precious, pure one – namely gold, but also its ‘mate’, silver, and others. Lead is the metal of Saturn, who, strangely enough, ruled the Golden Age and is associated with Pan, satyrs, nature, etc. Apollo is of course the solar gold.
Devil and Sun cards, Nicholas Conver TdM, 18th c
Seeking material gold (symbolized by the physical crown, in MacBeth) is the ‘lower mystery’. But, as the alchemists discovered, this corporeal quest is often how initiation to the ‘higher mystery’ begins. In the end, after all our ‘toil and trouble‘, we might be fortunate enough to attain spiritual gold.
Self-knowledge (gnosis) is not just about understanding one’s own personality (another ‘lesser mystery’), but rather, understanding the entire workings of the universe as being within oneself, and vice versa; ‘As within, so without’. But this must be done in stages and is not something that can merely be understood as some intellectual concept.
I leave you with the last lines from William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence ‘ which, though we love to quote the first verse (‘To see the world in a grain of sand…’), in it’s entirety, puts it all in a nutshell. ~rb
‘Every Night & every Morn Some to Misery are Born Every Morn and every Night Some are Born to sweet delight Some are Born to sweet delight Some are Born to Endless Night We are led to Believe a Lie When we see not Thro the Eye Which was Born in a Night to perish in a Night When the Soul Slept in Beams of Light God Appears & God is Light To those poor Souls who dwell in Night But does a Human Form Display To those who Dwell in Realms of day‘
The Titan Goddess Mnemosyne (‘of Memory’) ~ Mother of the Nine Muses
“After the Olympians defeated their Titan rivals, who were known as superb creative deities, the gods asked Zeus to create divinities who were exceptionally innovative and capable of infusing mortals and immortals with abundant gifts and talents.” So he sought out the most gifted one, and charmed her into letting him spend nine nights in her boudoir, resulting in the birth of nine daughters of divine creation.
Mnemosyne made sure her daughters’ gifts were well honed, knowing they would ignite the forces of creativity wherever they went, and taught them that to memorize with meaning was to ‘know it by heart’, not just by brain.
*
Clio ~ Muse of History and Writing
“The Muse Clio discovered history and guitar. History was named Clio in the ancient years, because it refers to ‘kleos’ the Greek word for the heroic acts.”
Historians and biographers are inspired by Clio to weave stories out of our collective past, but so are each of us when we put our own life memories down in words, be it in a journal or a song.
*
Euterpe ~ Muse of Music
“Euterpe discovered several musical instruments, courses and dialectic.”
Euterpe inspires not only the musician, singer or composer, but also anyone who wishes to develop or already has developed an ‘ear’ for music. Beethoven was so well-loved by Euterpe, even going deaf didn’t stop him.
*
Thalia ~ Muse of Comedy and Idyllic Poetry
“Thalia was the protector of comedy.”
Hers is the face of Comedy in the theater masks, Comedy and Tragedy.
‘From joy springs all creation By joy it is sustained Toward joy it proceeds And to joy it returns.’
might as well be Thalia’s slogan.
*
Melpomene ~ Muse of Tragedy and Sorrowful Song
Melpomene’s theatre mask is that of Tragedy, Comedy’s polarity.
Tragedy comes from the Greek ‘tragoidia’, meaning ‘goat-song.’
Those who sing the blues are inspired by this muse to elevate their soul, and thereby others, in times of suffering, through music.
*
Terpsichore ~ Muse of Dance
“She was called Terpsichore because she was enjoying and having fun
with dancing.”
Terpsichore inspires one’s entire body to become an instrument of rhythm and musical self-expression.
*
Erato ~ Muse of Love and Love Poetry
“Her name comes from the Greek word ‘Eros’ that refers to the feeling of falling in love.”
Erato’s inspiration is present in our lives when we are moved by any form of love, be it erotic, parental, universal, but particularly when we love what we do, thereby putting Eros into our creations.
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Polyhymnia (Polymnia) ~ Muse of Oratory, Sacred Hymns and Poetry
When we recognize and are moved by the sacred or mystical in anything enough to want to express it, this is through Polyhymnia’s inspiration. Everything from Haiku to Handel.
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Urania ~ Muse of Astronomy (Astrology) and Science
“Ourania was the protector of the celestial objects and stars;
she invented astronomy.”
Urania’s name is of course the feminine of Uranus (Ouranos) the Sky God. Thus, she opens our minds and imagination to the beyond, awakens our curiosity and exploratory urges, ‘to boldly go where no one has gone before’ and to ponder the mystery of our own existence.
In ancient times, there was no distinction between astronomy and astrology, so Urania was also associated with prophecy.
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Calliope ~ Muse of Eloquence and Epic Poetry
“Calliope was the superior Muse. She accompanied kings and princes in order to impose justice and serenity. She was the protector of heroic poems and rhetoric art.”
The oldest and most accomplished of the muses, Calliope was also the mother of Orpheus. In ancient Greece, epic poetry was considered the most esteemed form. Calliope’s inspiration turns poetry into story-telling and performance, where it becomes part of the collective consciousness. I think we can agree Calliope was Shakespeare’s muse.
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CREDITS:
Mnemosyne excerpt from Angeles Arrien, The Nine Muses/
painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1881
Clio painting by Charles Meynier, 1800
Euterpe painting by Egide Godfried Guffens 1892
Thalia poem from Mundaka Upanishad/painting by Jean-Marc Nattier, 1739
Melpomene painting by Edward Simmons, Library of Congress, 1901
Terpsichore engraving by Pierre Blanchard, 1900
Erato painting by Angelica Kauffmann, 18th c
Polyhymnia plate 13 from Parnassus Biceps, 1601
Urania painting by Francesco Cozza, ca 1670
Calliope engraving by Goltzius, 1592
