Category Archives for "Moral Philosophy"

Sep 12

Live Clip: “Summertime” (and some musicological musings on Jazz culture)

By Lars Rosager | Moral Philosophy , Music

Textual Chordophonics

September 11, 2020

 

Greetings! Just taking a second to share a brief clip (below) of a recent rendition of the standard “Summertime.” Apart from offering this bit of music for your listening pleasure and as a way to share some current developments with regard to my skills and knowledge, I thought I might tie in a little cultural context from the era of this tune’s publication with current events. So often one takes a seemingly American classic such as “Summertime” for granted as a representative and wholesome example of popular culture, but this music’s history, as in many other cases, may just change the course of its performers.

I have alluded to this idea in the past (“My Man’s Gone Now”), though now it finds special relevance given a strengthened movement for real racial justice in BLM—strengthened by force and under outrageous duress, a critical and urgent civil-rights issue: George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” (lyrics by DuBose Heyward) is an important reminder of how history has time and again witnessed Black and/or African music [Edited 10/20/2020 from “Black African music.” Thank you, Ayden Isam Bradley for your comments.] brought into a more mainstream and White space (related article from Smithsonian Magazine.) [The intentions behind the original phrasing Black African was to bring awareness to how native African musical stylings might be represented within a Black American musical context. For further reading see The Other Classical Musics: Fifteen Great Traditions, p. 201. Also, as I understand it, Dr. Anthony Brown wrote his dissertation on the transmission of native African drum stylings into Jazz music. I have not gained access to the text, but its author would be a great source for further inquiry.]

The at-times obscured Black and/or African centrality to American Folk Music as a general topic must be brought to the fore. Southern fiddle-tune stylings so often associated with the more politically dominant White cultures owe much to Black musicians. It has been proposed that so quintessentially American an instrument as the steel-string guitar is, at its roots, a cross between the Spanish guitar and the African banjo. Prevalent are the indelible and indispensable contributions of Black and/or African rhythmic sensibility to the regional musics of North and South America, particularly in the US and in Brazil. Should this and other non-Anglo traditions really be treated as such Others? How independent of non-Anglo traditions can American popular music really be, and which are the commonalities with regard to other phases in Western music?

One hopes the popularization (commodification?) of Black and/or African music has not in all cases been malevolent or otherwise an instance of plagiaristic opportunism. The potential inquiries into this topic are many and varied, though one thing is certain: today’s global moral climate invites a more prevalent awareness of the sociology behind Black and/or African music in so far as the latter has shaped the musical tastes of White-European America(s). [I invite you all to contribute discussion on the topic of sociological diversity in Music to the SF State Music Majors Facebook Group.]

Jan 28

Happy Year of the Rooster

By Lars Rosager | Moral Philosophy

PictureI would like to take a few moments at the start of this Chinese New Year to celebrate cultural plurality through the acknowledgement of world history’s various approaches to the calendar. Cyclical conceptions of time pervade, but are also inherently difficult for human beings. Owing in part to the fact that each one of us experiences life through a body that matures and dies, decaying into what can only be explained in material terms as nothingness, people may tend to find references to a cyclical notion of time unconvincing. No one has ever returned to some point in the past to repeat or amend his or her experience of a given period of time. Meantime, not everyone feels compelled to honor the fantastical astrologer speaking metaphysical murkiness.

The truth is, no time cycle is without linear motion. The idea that the universe is never in the same state twice is a large-scale illustration of the matter at hand. With this is mind, time becomes more like a sine wave, an interaction between clearly observable cycles and irreversible linear motion. Many are familiar the “lunar year” whose new beginning many Chinese and other East Asian people celebrated on January 28, 2017. The cycle of twelve animals is also a well-known aspect of the tradition. However, it is rarely explicit that solar cycles are integral to the many variants of what are commonly called lunar years.

The sun has more to do with lunar calendars than just making the moon visible to earthbound humans. The solstices and equinoxes mark divisions of the year as it is experienced through the cycle of the seasons. These points in the solar cycle may be used to determine a beginning of the lunar year. In the Chinese system, this starting point usually falls near the midpoint between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. In a system of my own devising (if there are other traditions that parallel my thinking, then I am yet unaware of them), I have come to the conclusion that the first new moon after the vernal equinox marks the beginning of the lunisolar year. For related ideas, see the Textual Chordophonics blog post from September 23, 2016.

Taking a more anagogical approach, the more astrologically minded are able to relate the intertwining lunar and solar cycles with the human condition. This is a clear example of the classical notion of macrocosm-microcosm. The sun marks crucial points of the year, namely with regard to temperature, light, and other immediately perceptible conditions on earth. The moon may seem to be more of a random factor, but also holds important relationships to natural cycles that are close to the human experience.

Prior to the modern business calendar, much of the human understanding of time and timekeeping was defined by the relationship between the sun and the moon. The presiding  astrological thinking as it has developed up until now sees the sun as essentially a forward-moving agent, a representative of initiative and long-suffering commitment. The moon has come to signify a much more mysterious side of human affairs, being associated with work behind the scenes, psychic fields, and the innermost reaches of the soul. Thus, the sun relates to linear time in its capacity to define one’s outward presentation of oneself. The moon, in contrast, is associated more with the comforts of home, where one can hide from the outside world and retreat to the customs and routines—cycles!—with which one is most familiar.

I hope this brief discussion is inspiring to those looking to balance their brave, exploratory sides with components of their personalities that act in more measured, conservative ways. May you find the best approaches to building skills, finding your talents, and fitting your work into the fabric of our ever-evolving world. All comments are encouraged. Thank you.

Nov 17

Zodiacal Fertility (cont.): The Perfect Fifth

By Lars Rosager | Moral Philosophy


Image credit: http://www.positivehealth.com/img/img/image-article/b78320/heatherB.gif

This blog post continues on the topic of fertility and creative energy within the construct of the zodiac. See my blog post from 09/17/2016 for the first post on this subject. The comments to this earlier post are useful as well. Before, I touched upon the perfect unison and the perfect octave, the ratios 1:1 and 2:1, respectively. Here, I explore the perfect fifth, expressed in ratio form as 3:2.

First of all, it is useful to note that, in cultures across the globe, the perfect fifth is considered to possess a high degree of stability. In fact, its consonance is widely seen to be second only to the perfect octave. One way in which this manifests within an astrological context is the elemental agreement between two
signs 120 and/or 240 degrees apart.


Picture


​Image credit: https://www.twolittlefleas.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/hindu-zodiac.png


​The ratio 3:2 signifies, in music, a length of string or pipe divided into three equal parts; the length equivalent to two of these three parts vibrates. The traditional theory of astrological aspects (angles, angels?) calls the 120-degree aspect “trine.” Referring to the image of the zodiac above, one may find that this trine aspect connects Aries at nine o’clock (the ram) to Leo at one o’clock (the lion). One may be tempted to read the traits of the perfect fifth into only the trine, but it is essential to realize that the vibrating portion of the string or pipe would actually correspond to the larger angle, the 240 degrees from Leo clockwise to Aries. This information could be interpreted by an astrologer in a number of ways.
Elemental agreement is the most salient characteristic of the relationship between signs 120 and/or 240 degrees apart. Aries and Leo are both fire signs; as is Sagitarrius, which is found at six o’clock (the archer). Considering the fact that these are all the fire signs of the zodiac, and that there are always 120 degrees from one to the next, one begins to understand why astrology has considered the trine to be an inherently harmonious aspect. The trine signifies a smooth, comfortable relationship.With regard to how this might translate into a symbol of fertility, one might look into how each successive sign of a single element demonstrates maturation. Continuing with the example of the three fire signs, one could investigate the maturation of the self. The three iterations of the four earthly elements are, in part, representatives of firstly, the individual; secondly, the one-on-one relationship; and thirdly, the group interaction.

The trailblazer Aries commences the first of the three phases. The competitor Leo commences the second. Gregarious Sagittarius commences the third. Perhaps most directly related to fertility and birth is that which takes place from Sagittarius to Aries. This transition crosses the Pisces-Aries cusp, a point representative of the vernal equinox as well as of sunrise. It is transcendence and regeneration, transformation of the spirit.

As the elemental progression of group interaction (the signs from Sagittarius through Pisces) comes to a close, the Sagittarius-Aries trine marks a reconsideration of the self in light of collective experience. This is surely a marker of just how crucial it is to reach out to one’s community in service as well as in receptive modes. The give-and-take of social consciousness brings the fullest manifestations of one’s own potential.

It is necessary here to entertain the notion that the perfect fifth is related more closely to an angle spanning from Leo to Aries, skipping Sagittarius in a sense. But is anything really skipped here? How might one relate the 240-degree aspect to fertility? Briefly, I propose that the association of Leo with one-on-one relationships reaches across the regenerative Pisces-Aries cusp into Aries, the so-called baby of the zodiac. The imagery is quite literally fertile; the meeting of two individuals progresses into a nascent presentation of the self.

What role does Sagittarius have to play here? The duality of Leo leads ultimately to the freshness of Aries, but one must not forget that this process passes through Sagittarius. Thus, one might argue that Sagittarius here represents marriage. Weddings and life partnership have long been consecrated with spiritual or religious ceremonies, so this interpretation would not be far off mark. Sagittarius is typically associated with higher learning and spiritualized thought.

As the initiator of the elemental progression of group interaction, Sagittarius has other roles to play in the progression from Leo to Aries. It is linked to familial matters, perhaps relatives involved in making the pregnancy happy and healthy. The relationship between parent(s) and doctor further solidifies the interpretation presented here. The service-oriented human being is integral to so much of the spiritual consciousness of the world; as parents find ways to provide for their child(ren), the image of the active and community-minded, fully matured adult possesses, in this case, a Sagittarian likeness.

The manner in which I have illustrated zodiacal fertility in this post need not be restricted to procreation in a literal sense. The tripartite manifestations of each element all have much to offer. It would be a pleasure to discuss these topics with you further! Look out for my next blog post on this theme, which will focus on the perfect fourth, the ratio 4:3.

Sep 17

Fertile Constructs in the Zodiac

By Lars Rosager | Moral Philosophy

Picture

I would like to share some thoughts on the processes of birth within the system of the tropical zodiac. To be sure, the sidereal systems exhibit these ideas to a certain extent. However, I find that the manners in which the zodiac may be considered as essentially a fertile and birth-oriented system is most easily construed through the tropical arrangement. The tropical zodiac is also quite accessible to a contemporary layman in that it aligns to some extent with the Gregorian calendar.

This blog post does not aim toward an exhaustive treatment of the idea that the tropical zodiac presents multiple symbols of birth and regeneration. I will simply present a few examples of the notion and follow with some brief analogical explanation involving music. In the interest of organization and logic, as well as to provide a mathematically sound exposition, I will move from the most general to the most detailed.

A tour through all twelve signs of the zodiac from Aries to Pisces has traditionally illustrated a process beginning in birth (spring) and ending in death (winter, though Pisces arguably covers part of the spring season also). Most spiritual traditions figuratively, if not literally, entertain one or another interpretation of renewal as the result of symbolic or actual physical death. In this sense, following the unimpeded circular motion of the zodiac as a celestial calendar, one easily observes the inevitable life-after-death symbolism inherent in the completion of a journey through the twelve signs. The net effect is that of returning to the point of origin with a different perspective.

A parallel in music would be the concept of the interval of a perfect unison. One might imagine a single string being plucked twice in succession. Though the pitch is identical both times, attached to the second articulation of the note comes a comparison with the first. Nothing in the universe is exactly the same twice, if only by the simple explanation that an original statement’s reiteration occupies an entirely new temporal space. To be more firm in terms of portraying rebirth, one might ponder the unison as the same note sung by two different voices. 360 degrees of the zodiac’s circular system corresponds to the musical interval of a perfect unison.

The image at the top of this post depicts a zodiac moving clockwise from Aries at nine o’clock to Cancer at twelve o’clock, and so on (this particular image of the zodiac is skewed slightly counter-clockwise, but is still effective in the following explanation). Find Pisces, identified by two fish occupying eight o’clock to nine o’clock, and Virgo, the sign diametrically opposed to Pisces and represented visually by female figure, actually what has been established as a virgin reaping the fall harvest. These two signs are in opposition, or separated by 180 degrees of the zodiacal circle. Here, it is instructive to recall the Christian story of the virgin birth, which has, believe it or not, been identified as a rehashing of pre-Christian mythology. The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is born of a virgin. Pisces, a sign identified with water (e.g., the waters of the womb), leads into Aries, which is represented by a lamb (i.e., sacrificial lamb, spring sacrifice).

If one were to imagine that a diametric line was drawn from Virgo to Pisces, and then this line were turned so that each end point moved clockwise one sign, the line would reach from Aries to Libra. Now, instead of symbolism indicating analytical thought and earthly efficiency (Virgo) as well as the watery womb and the transcendental processes and mysteries of death (Pisces), one notes the essence of the 180-degree opposition is a statement of new life and self-motivating originality (Aries) across from the sign of justice, balance, and relationships between two individuals (Libra). Entrenched in this thinking is the concept of generation via conflict, or synthesis by way of opposing forces. Seen in terms of the sun’s journey through the seasons, the descent through Virgo into Libra marks the autumnal equinox. The mirror image is the sun’s ascent through Pisces into Aries at the vernal equinox. Thus, provided one holds, for the moment, to studying the signs in diametrically opposed pairs, the progression from Virgo into Libra brings the progression from Pisces into Aries.

I find it interesting to note that for all that seems to mark the contrasts between the opposing signs, there are significant unifying constants. Many have identified the male-female, positive-negative, or electric-magnetic alternation exhibited by the signs starting from Aries. Following this logic, all opposing signs share the same quality—Virgo and Pisces are both female, negative, magnetic and Aries and Libra are both male, positive, electric. According to the theory stating that, beginning with Aries, the signs follow the pattern cardinal, fixed, mutable, one finds that opposing signs share the same quality in this regard as well. Virgo and Pisces are both mutable, while Aries and Libra are both cardinal. Most astrologers agree that an opposition signifies a tension that must be resolved. Another way to think of this is the idea that the opposing signs, planets, houses, etc. have no choice but to confront each other; they are literally confronting each other, geometrically speaking. Thus, they may well be considered as a non-matching pair, but a pair that must achieve some sort of harmonious resolution to a conflict.

Think of the zodiac stretched out on a string, the first segment of the string being Aries and the last being Pisces. As I alluded to above, a full revolution around the zodiac is obviously 360 degrees, or the entire string. Diametric oppositions represent half of the journey, so half of the string. Holding any string at the halfway point and plucking it results in a pitch one octave higher than the pitch produced by plucking the full string length. Thus, the opposition relates to the musical interval of a perfect octave.

As you can see, this sort of analysis is both involved and potentially immense in scope. One natural phenomenon indispensable to the project of seeing the zodiac as being innately fertile is the overtone series, which can be related back to early music theorists and their experiments with the division of the string that brought about modern tuning theory. If you would like me to write more on this topic and continue with the various divisions of the zodiac in a manner similar to that found above, please just let me know. I would be happy continue the exploration little by little. Trust me when I say it is a lifelong process, but it is also great practice finding ways to relate these ideas in brief! Thank you.


 


2 Comments

veronica

9/18/2016 03:31:45 am

very interesting. can you speak about gemini and it’s opposite? how does this theory apply to one’s chart given that the configuration of the stars change and one’s sun sign at birth evolves over time?


Reply

Lars Rosager
link

9/20/2016 07:48:40 am

Fitting my mother should be the one to continue the discussion! The diametric opposition to Gemini is Sagittarius. Both may be thought of as masculine, positively charged, electric signs. They are both mutable signs, meaning that in the universal cycle of generation, preservation, and dissolution, both of these signs are associated with dissolution (mutability).

One zodiacal schematic I did not mention in the original post above is the fact that each sign is associated primarily with one of the four earthly elements—earth, water, air, and fire. This cycle goes through three complete iterations in one tour around the cycle of the twelve signs of the zodiac (again, sticking to the tropical arrangement for now). Every sign’s opposition holds an element adjacent to said sign. More precisely, every earth sign sits opposite a water sign and every air sign sits opposite a fire sign. This is telling in terms of generation by way of two opposing forces. The order of the elements is not random. It starts with earth, then, water, air, and fire. Ether is the traditional Western conception of the heavenly fifth element, which is generally concerned with a cosmic soul of which the individual forms part.

Each opposition takes a step either toward the heavenly fifth element or toward the most earthly earth element. The direction each sign represents depends on counting the signs from one to twelve beginning with Aries. Here, examples are useful in order to avoid confusing verbosity.

Aries (fire) is the first sign, so one counts through Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, and Virgo, and arrives at Libra (air). With this clockwise counting, one sees the symbology of Aries as a sign that actually steps toward the earthly side of things, moving down, as it were, one elemental stage from fire to air. The interpretations of this are many, and not so important now. Briefly, one might entertain the proposition that fire should be transcendent and bring about the fifth element. Yet, Aries and Leo, the first two of three fire signs, oppose air signs. Both of these signs step toward earth. Only Sagittarius, when one counts clockwise, breaks through, so to speak, the Pisces-Aries cusp when (counting clockwise) to arrive at none other than Gemini. In this light, one can see that Gemini hold a special position among air signs due to being separated by its opposite—if one assumes Sagittarius to be the point of origin of the clockwise motion—by the transcendental restarting of the zodiac at the Pisces-Aries cusp.

Another potentially interesting idea is that while Gemini represents two separate parts of one cohesive structure, Sagittarius conveys a sense of one cohesive structure comprised of two separate parts. The visual representation of Gemini is a pair of twins, and that of Sagittarius is a centaur, half-horse half-human. With this in mind, one might venture to propose that Gemini, a typically two-part symbol, finds completion in Sagittarius, a symbol defined by unification. Gemini, traditionally tied to communication, the written word, and divine revelation, sees a reconciliation of sorts in Sagittarius, long associated with generosity, spiritual and philosophical wisdom, and jovial outlooks—the word jovial, meaning cheerful and friendly, is derived from the word jupiter, the widely accepted ruling planet of Sagittarius.

As far as the application of the fertile qualities of zodiacal geometry to the gradual shifting of the stars and one’s sun sign goes, it is not a problematic matter. I understand that over the course of around seventy-five years, the entire zodiac shifts about one degree. It is important to take this into account, but does not interfere with what I have been outlining. My ideas are pertinent to either configuration, tropical or sidereal. The explanation of the difference between these two is quite well known by now, and I don’t think explaining it is worth the time here. One easy concept that I think would help you understand the difference between the tropical zodiac and the sidereal zodiac—the latter does take into account the gradual shifting of the heavens—is that the tropical zodiac may be thought of as being similar to the phases of the moon. It is basically a measure of the duration of sunlight each day, and relatedly corresponds to the seasons. The vernal equinox is something of a parallel to the waxing quarter moon, the summer solstice to the full moon, the autumnal equinox to the waning quarter moon, and the winter solstice to the new moon. The sidereal zodiac is an accurate map of where the celestial bodies appear when one looks to the sky. In our era, as an example, the vernal equinox is marked by the sun entering the TROPICAL sign of Aries. If one were able to look up at the sun and see the stars behind it, they would actually be the stars of early Pisces because the difference between the two zodiacs right now comes out to the better part of thirty degrees (forgive my

Aug 22

More Lunisolar Interplay

By Lars Rosager | Moral Philosophy

Picture Textual Chordophonics
08/23/2016

The division of the ecliptic into twelve equal parts (i.e., the zodiac) has long been contested, one key charge being that the twelve thirty-degree signs are human constructions and do not reflect the spacial distribution of the constellations of the signs as they appear to the human observer. However, this twelve-fold division gains credence as one considers the twelve full lunar cycles of each solar year. There are actually more than twelve, but not quite thirteen. Therefore, this last fractional lunar cycle might be considered the first complete cycle of the next solar year.

Taking this approach to fitting twelve complete lunar cycles into one solar year, one finds the current state of lunisolar astrology ripe with synchronicity and harmony—auspicious in terms of pragmatic applications of analytical thought.

The tropical sun is now moving into Virgo, the sixth sign of the zodiac. The moon presses on toward the waning quarter, this lunar-mansion parallel to Virgo being realized during the sixth lunar cycle of this solar year. This union of lunar and solar cycles is remarkable, a special time in nature which, of course, will have various bearings on human life or lives in conjunction with the types of astrological questions posed and charts employed. Overall, this phenomenon may be seen as an indicator of the importance of putting solar, lunar, and planetary phases at the forefront of astrological interpretation. Such a mindset highlights the importance of visual observation and a recognition of one of astrology’s founding principles, that it is a study of light.   


blog_post_08_23_2016.mp3
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2 Comments

Lars Rosager
link

2/5/2017 08:46:05 pm

Just a quick correction, the thirteenth lunar cycle of the solar year, which is never complete, should be considered to be prior to the first complete lunar cycle of the next solar year.


Reply

Lars Rosager
link

2/5/2017 09:24:40 pm

Actually, after observing the moon-phase calendar for the coming years, I found that the completion of twelve lunar cycles per solar year is not even a constant! I still feel the first new moon after the vernal equinox should be the beginning of the lunisolar year, and that the only acceptable measure of time is a joining of lunar and solar cycles.

Jul 20

The Study of Lights

By Lars Rosager | Moral Philosophy

Picture Textual Chordophonics
07/20/2016

The bold horizontal line in this chart (see left) represents the horizon. More specifically, it serves to show the portion of the sky that may be seen to rise (AC, Ascendant in the east) and the portion that may be seen to set (DC, Descendant in the west). As the Sun sets here in Gurgaon, Haryana, India, there will be a brief few moments during which the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are all above the horizon. I will begin a prayer at 7:45 pm in accordance with this celestial arrangement.

Unfortunately, these six of a total of seven classical celestial bodies will probably be obscured by the terrain of most places on Earth. However, thanks to the modern astrological process, one is able to track down the exact moment at which this phenomenon will occur.

From the point of view of the low-technology sky watcher, a flat terrain with very little light pollution would be necessary to view the Sun’s light reflected from these six planets at once. While the perfect stargazing environment does not always present itself, it is still crucial, in my view, to approach astrology from an observational, experiential perspective. Given optimal circumstances, this planetary extroversion would be a delight to the naked eye. I have depicted the symbolism in the brief sample of music below.


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Jun 20

An Especially Bright Solstice

By Lars Rosager | Moral Philosophy

a>Picture Textual Chordophonics
06/20/2016

Photo Credit: http://orig14.deviantart.net/6dd1/f/2009/170/c/3/sun_and_moon_by_zias.jpg

Today, on the longest day of the year, the moon will shine full. At the luminous apex of the sun, the moon reaches plenitude. The last time this happened was on the summer solstice of 1967. In terms of astrology as a readily observable study of nature, this coincidence of apices represents a fulfillment of the self.

Let us not be confused, for the fulfillment of the self may potentially sound hedonistic and egotistical. With the possibility of sincere realizations of self-worth come temptations of pride, ignorance, and tyranny. Perhaps one is able to temper the negative connotations of the word “individualism” toward an appreciation for each and every component of the giant that is human consciousness past, present, and future. For now, enjoy the light—balance, harmony, wisdom.


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2 Comments

JT Bymaster

6/21/2016 10:12:41 am

Yes, yes, yes! Thanks for the right/left brain reminders. Your music and writing are beautiful offerings!


Reply

Tarun

7/14/2016 05:50:58 am

It’s beautiful…power


Reply

May 15

The sky looks so ______ tonight.

By Lars Rosager | Moral Philosophy

Picture Textual Chordophonics
05/15/2016

How would you describe it? Part of the beauty is the myriad ways to describe and interpret what is visible to all. One thing is for sure tonight: much light! From east to west we are blessed with saturn, mars, the moon, and jupiter. Four out of the seven celestial bodies visible to the naked eye.

I have recently arrived at a distribution of the five elements in an ordered fashion among the strings of my seven-string guitar. I am very excited about putting this wisdom to use. If tonight’s, or any heavenly configuration piques your interest, send the description my way and I will reply with an improvisation for voice and seven-string guitar depicting the arrangement of the sun, moon, and five Classical planets. Have a great week.

#TextualChordophonics
#CasaMontalvoGuitars
#ThomastikInfeldStrings

Jan 19

Important Research on the Gregorian Calendar

By Lars Rosager | Moral Philosophy

Picture Textual Chordophonics
​01/19/2016

With my birthday approaching this January 30, I decided to look into just how far from natural cycles the Gregorian calendar really is. It was not difficult to discover that the exact moment of my solar return will differ by eighteen hours eleven minutes between this year and next.

Though I was born at 6:54 pm, the sun will arrive at the same position, in relation to the solstices and equinoxes, this year at 7:47 pm. Next year, as a result of this year’s being leap year, that position will be reached at 1:36 am. In my particular case, this phenomenon does not change the date of my so-called birthday according to the Gregorian calendar. But, had I been born just one hour thirty-seven minutes earlier, the completion of my twenty-ninth year will have taken place on January 29. As you can see, for some people, the shortcomings of the Gregorian calendar as a measure of natural cycles result in a frequent change of birthday.

Because a year is defined by one orbit of the earth around the sun, the Gregorian calendar effectively occludes the true observance of time. If one felt like lighting a candle at one’s exact time of birth on one’s birthday as it is measured by the Gregorian calendar, that moment is not likely to coincide with the moment at which the earth returns to the “birthday point” of its orbit. In this particular case, I am thankful for astrological technology embedded in computers. Without http://astro.com, I would have been unable to arrive at this conclusion. Furthermore, it is a long and arduous task to calculate the exact moment of a solar return, especially according to the tropical system, by simply observing the skies.

In my opinion, at this moment anyway, the lesson to learn from this study of the Gregorian calendar is that this method of tracking time does not harmonize with nature. It harmonizes with money. Everybody rushes toward the “end of the year,” doing all they can to fill their coffers from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve. When the next calendar year begins, so does the next round of monetary frenzy. The so-called leaders of the world push enslavement of humanity under a system in which some self-important pattern printed on a piece of fancy paper rules time. Time is money, they tell you. But the US government is in control of its citizens’ money. The following is from http://federalreserve.gov:

The Federal Reserve System, often referred to as the Federal Reserve or simply “the Fed,” is the central bank of the United States. It was created by the Congress to provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system. The Federal Reserve was created on December 23, 1913, when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act into law. Today, the Federal Reserve’s responsibilities fall into four general areas.

  • Conducting the nation’s monetary policy by influencing money and credit conditions in the economy in pursuit of full employment and stable prices.
  • Supervising and regulating banks and other important financial institutions to ensure the safety and soundness of the nation’s banking and financial system and to protect the credit rights of consumers.
  • Maintaining the stability of the financial system and containing systemic risk that may arise in financial markets.
  • Providing certain financial services to the U.S. government, U.S. financial institutions, and foreign official institutions, and playing a major role in operating and overseeing the nation’s payments systems.


. . .

In the short run, monetary policy influences inflation and the economy-wide demand for goods and services–and, therefore, the demand for the employees who produce those goods and services–primarily through its influence on the financial conditions facing households and firms. During normal times, the Federal Reserve has primarily influenced overall financial conditions by adjusting the federal funds rate–the rate that banks charge each other for short-term loans. Movements in the federal funds rate are passed on to other short-term interest rates that influence borrowing costs for firms and households. Movements in short-term interest rates also influence long-term interest rates–such as corporate bond rates and residential mortgage rates–because those rates reflect, among other factors, the current and expected future values of short-term rates. In addition, shifts in long-term interest rates affect other asset prices, most notably equity prices and the foreign exchange value of the dollar. For example, all else being equal, lower interest rates tend to raise equity prices as investors discount the future cash flows associated with equity investments at a lower rate.
In turn, these changes in financial conditions affect economic activity. For example, when short- and long-term interest rates go down, it becomes cheaper to borrow, so households are more willing to buy goods and services and firms are in a better position to purchase items to expand their businesses, such as property and equipment. Firms respond to these increases in total (household and business) spending by hiring more workers and boosting production. As a result of these factors, household wealth increases, which spurs even more spending. These linkages from monetary policy to production and employment don’t show up immediately and are influenced by a range of factors, which makes it difficult to gauge precisely the effect of monetary policy on the economy.
Monetary policy also has an important influence on inflation. When the federal funds rate is reduced, the resulting stronger demand for goods and services tends to push wages and other costs higher, reflecting the greater demand for workers and materials that are necessary for production. In addition, policy actions can influence expectations about how the economy will perform in the future, including expectations for prices and wages, and those expectations can themselves directly influence current inflation.
In 2008, with short-term interest rates essentially at zero and thus unable to fall much further, the Federal Reserve undertook nontraditional monetary policy measures to provide additional support to the economy. Between late 2008 and October 2014, the Federal Reserve purchased longer-term mortgage-backed securities and notes issued by certain government-sponsored enterprises, as well as longer-term Treasury bonds and notes. The primary purpose of these purchases was to help to lower the level of longer-term interest rates, thereby improving financial conditions. Thus, this nontraditional monetary policy measure operated through the same broad channels as traditional policy, despite the differences in implementation of the policy.

It is slavery, or at least an undeniable attempt at it; and the timetable on which it operates is hopelessly out of sync with human beings’ real source of value, nature. I am not the only person for whom it seems that a true appreciation of our natural lives is under attack. Putting a number on nature has proved very dangerous! There is more work to be done. There are more battles to be fought, and more sincere and pure moments of joyful repose to be welcomed with wisdom.


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Dec 11

The Pair Signs of the Zodiac

By Lars Rosager | Moral Philosophy

Picture By pair signs, I mean the signs whose symbols convey two entities. There are three such signs in the traditional twelve-sign Zodiac: Gemini, Libra, and Pisces. I have recently been pondering the possible interpretations of these pair signs.

Firstly, I noticed the mathematical sequence into which these signs fit. Beginning at Aries, one counts two signs before Gemini, the third sign. Then, one counts three signs before Libra, the seventh sign. To end, one counts four signs before Pisces, the twelfth and final sign. The space between each pair sign grows as one proceeds around the Zodiac: two, then three, then four. What immediately comes to my mind is the potentially spiraling effect this could imply. The pair signs are therefore very important, signifying a spiraling outward, growth of consciousness, transcendence.

Second, I thought of the widespread importance of the numbers three, seven, and twelve. Gemini, Libra, and Pisces occupy these positions in the Zodiac. Many are the cultures who have highlighted three, seven, and twelve as spiritually significant numbers.

Overall, I think recognizing these pair signs plays into defining the human being as a social creature. Seeing that there are no pair signs at the very bottom of the Zodiac, one is reminded that in death one dies alone. But this discussion need not be entirely grim; the bottom of the Zodiac is also associated with introversion and the subconscious, as well as philosophy and abstract, independent thought. To cut this discussion shamefully short, one may do well to pay attention to the properties of these pair signs and how they inform the sociology of sacred mathematics and a deeper understanding of the human psyche.


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