Not until my mid-fifties did I understand why I so often had the urge to travel. It was then that I studied Astrological Psychology which answered my question: with Jupiter conjunct the North Node on my Ascendant, it was the path to follow for my soul’s journey. Jupiter is in Pisces and as my Age…
Ever since I discovered Astrological Psychology and what the Large Talent Triangle represents, I have been wondering what my talent is – my real talent – with Uranus in Cancer in the 4th house, the Moon in Scorpio in the 8th house and the Sun on a low point in Pisces in the 12th house.…
André Gide was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947 “for his comprehensive and artistically significant writings, in which human problems and conditions have been presented with a fearless love of truth and keen psychological insight.” He also wrote the first gay novel ever published. In his outstanding biography, ANDRĖ GIDE.…
I recently watched a documentary on Yves Saint Laurent and wondered why he seemed ‘not present’. Surely the French fashion designer who is regarded as being among the foremost fashion designers of the twentieth century should not be so ‘absent’ when his models are on the catwalk? Then I discovered that he abused both alcohol and…
Gustav Klimt, an Austrian symbolist painter, is not only known for his paintings, but also for his murals, sketches and other objets d’art. In the Artist Context series of books – GUSTAV KLIMT – its writer Frank Whitford quotes Klimt as saying: “Whoever wants to know something about me – as an artist, the only…
Wanda continues her reflections on her life experiences related to age point aspects to Jupiter in her chart. See also part 1. My Age Point was now wandering through the 3rd quadrant of Thinking which kept me wondering about everything I had done up to then, without thinking. In 1992 a few months before the…
Wanda Smit reflects on the strong Jupiter on the ascendant of her chart, and relates her life experiences to this, particularly through the age point aspects. This first part covers the period from birth round to the descendant and opposition to Jupiter. Jupiter on the Ascendant in my chart asserted its energy to such a…
Joseph John Campbell was an American professor of literature who also studied and worked in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His best-known work is his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, in which he discusses his theory of the journey of the archetypal hero shared by world mythologies, termed the monomyth. He is most famous for his quote, “Follow your bliss”, which could be…
Together with Dante Alighieri and Francesco Petrarch, Giovanni Boccaccio is part of the so-called “Three Crowns” of Italian Renaissance Literature and Poetry. Their works initiated the dramatic change western civilisation was about to undergo. They revolutionised literature even before the development of the printing press. Boccaccio is best known for The Decameron. Together with his contemporary friend and…
Isadora Duncan, the Mother of Modern Dance, was an American who performed to great acclaim in many different countries in Western Europe, as well the Soviet Union, from the age of 22 until her death at age 50. Her philosophy of dance moved away from rigid ballet technique and towards what she perceived as natural movement. She wanted to restore dance…
Lawrence Durrell was an expatriate British novelist, poet, dramatist and travel writer. Although he never won the Nobel Prize for Literature – his books were considered too ‘heterodox’ – by the end of the 20th century, he was a bestselling author and one of the most celebrated writers in English. The great French writer Gustav Flaubert said: “Language is…
Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer and literary critic. He was one of the key figures in the philosophy of Existentialism. After WW2, he became a leading figure in 20th-century French philosophy and Marxism. His work has also influenced sociology, critical theory, post-colonial theory and literary studies. To this day, his influence in these disciplines continues. Sartre was also noted for his open relationship with Simone de Beauvoir…
Venus is known as the goddess of aesthetics and, in the case of Simone de Beauvoir, of the beauty of thought: philosophy. This French writer and philosopher involved in Existentialism, is known primarily for The Second Sex, a scholarly and passionate plea for the abolition of the oppression of the feminine, of Venus in thought and action.…
The German philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, was also a cultural critic, poet and philologist. His body of work had a profound influence on modern intellectual history and consequently on human consciousness, covering a wide range of topics, including art, philology, history, religion, tragedy, culture and science Unfortunately his achievements were marred by his sister Elisabeth (and…
Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski) was an English novelist and short-story writer of Polish descent, whose works include the novels Lord Jim, Nostromo, The Secret Agent and the novella Heart of Darkness. He is still viewed as a writer of complex skill and striking insight, but above all of an intensely dark vision. He has been increasingly…