TODD BENTLEY:CAN THE TRUTH BE KNOWN?
(Since posting the following comments, still meaningful on their own terms, it is clear to me from such as YouTube videos Bentley is quite simply an imposter who has caused a lot of harm to people).
“Handle with care” is sensible advice where anything to do with popular religion in America is concerned but one has to try not to be automatically cynical either. The following checks out a person/phenomenon as fairly as possible and I must say the picture is unusually complex. At the extremes - and many stand at them on this issue - there are those who see a saint, trigger of a global movement of exceptional spiritual power and healing, one that even raises the dead; and there are those who perceive a fraud, a false prophet, even a devil possessed individual deceiving multitudes. So far this is a controversy almost more among believers than one of believers versus skeptics.
At the time of writing devotees are nonetheless being disturbed by the sudden unexpected announcement on Aug 11 of a marital separation (not apparently caused by any third party involvements) but a breakdown, such as one would not expect from somebody supposedly healing people’s hurts and broken lives on a daily basis.
I have re-written this article in light of recent controversies and some facts I’ve come across. To my regret (since I don’t like the tone of the nay sayers and people claim to have been much helped the recent spiritual wave Todd Bentley launched) I have to lean towards the negative assessment at the same time as I detect a certain honesty of intention in Bentley which does not willingly deceive. But I think too few have sufficiently considered their hero’s background and I find serious irresponsibility among those who have “discovered” and promoted Bentley, people like Patricia King (whom I have criticized before as in The Confused and Confusing Michael Glatze Story of July 07) and Bob Jones and that they promoted Bentley possibly betrays they are themselves a false prophetic breed as some have long maintained.
AMAZING GRACE NOT QUITE SUFFICIENT FOR TODD BENTLEY’S DEVILS?
Fans like to ignore or pass over as a tribute to grace Todd Bentley’s background in Canada which was difficult before he converted at around 18 years old. His father who divorced his mother had been an alcoholic and drug addict and his mother, whom Todd apparently beat up when he was twelve, was deaf. Todd himself was early on an addict like his father and was in juvenile court for sex molestations and robberies. Todd also admits to have enjoyed heavy metal rock and if the report mentioned next is correct was involved in some satanic worship . His heavily tattooed appearance betrays the street kid past. True, God can choose anyone and do anything but what else might Todd himself have told us…..?
Unless it’s more total fraud, and there’s no special reason to think so, an almost cheerfully blasé You Tube confession from Todd betrays with the reckless frankness and too casual approach to the religious life (of which there are traces in his The Reality of the Supernatural World published this year) rather disqualifying things for someone in his position. Not long after his conversion he recounts how he frequented various charismatic groups and at a Catholic group suddenly heard “the audible voice of God” who told him he must tell one of the people in the room he was devil possessed. He felt extreme resistance (because didn’t he “love” Jesus and read the Bible etc?) but he did so confess and soon began to exhibit demonic behaviour including that of a snake writhing on the floor.
If this is true then it is a datum which fits with something I'll come to and has greater importance than might at first appear to those ready to leave all to simple grace. As a result of opening himself to this deliverance allegedly a whole slew of devils were expelled from Bentley. Perhaps they were expelled but if so it’s biblical fact (the seven devils from the Magdalene) and the experience of Catholic exorcisms that there can be multitudes of devils and they won’t necessarily all get cast out at one time. It must be doubted they were so in this instance as Todd goes on to describe events in his own home around his mother over following months, events fit for The Exorcist – the spirits kept making strange noises in the home apparently even broke her bones and one would have to hope this bizarre story isn’t covering for some memory loss for violence otherwise caused.
Whatever, it sounds like the satanistic heritage was still clinging to Todd who, I think, did basically want and wants to be good. But just this could be the problem. Scripturally it’s affirmed that the devil, a liar and deceiver, can appear “as an angel or light”. So it’s possible the dark side when still having a grip on a person for whatever reason will then use the very goodness to work deception. This idea corresponds to the skeptical, more conservative position on Todd Bentley even when the background I’ve just mentioned isn't known or cited in support of the claim.
I have made a critical reading of The Reality of the Supernatural World and I take it for what it is, a mainly visionary rather than theological piece and at that level interesting and sometimes persuasive but also sometimes plain silly. Originally I overlooked the silliness of some claims because I could attribute the same trait to more established figures even among the saints. And nobody can expect to get everything right. However now that I feel more obliged to be critical the following troubled me about the book.
• Even granted charismatics are allowed to “come boldly before the throne of grace” in line with St Paul’s advice there seems at important points to be an overly casual address and relation to God which doesn’t quite ring right (And in real life healings don’t have to be delivered with “Bam”s and “Boom”s in the style of the wrestling matches Bentley likes watching).
• There is an insistence about the need for tithing and offerings which reeks of a legalism Christianity tries to avoid unless in its American version which has become notorious for extravagance and greed.
• The notion that angels are playing football and shouting “go church go” is too absurd for words and I could indulgently dismiss it as daydream mistaken for more serious trance states Bentley evidently has except that this particular revelation is portrayed as somehow major which it oughn’t to be against others obviously more important if true such as about the Seven Spirits of God etc.
The following however is not an assessment of Bentley’s ideas which would merit a separate article. And in a sense his ideas are perhaps less important than a single belief that emanates from the charismatic, almost shamanistic expression of Christianity he represents and that is that we stand at a point in history at which believers can and must ask and expect far more from God in visions, healings and miracles than has ever occurred. And in so far as Bentley assumes we are in “the end times” (and whatever times we’re in it’s the end of the age of Pisces according to astrologers and Jungians), it’s a sort of Last Pentecost claim.
So …...the following is more a sketch of Bentley’s character and factors around him and with it proof against the purblind opposition towards astrology of especially many of those who are Bentley fans but refuse to perceive astrology as any meaningful commentary on religion or anything. The data shows just how relevant the skies are to what some Christians would prefer to consider wholly mysterious areas of life and faith into which they can beat safe retreat from the assumed heresies of doctrines of fate and the so called occult.
TODD BENTLEY: PROFILE OF A SEA GOAT
Bentley was born, 10.1 1976 at Schelt, Canada, under the sign of Capricorn, the best sign if you want to become a saint (if you're a Catholic which Bentley isn't) and perhaps also the easiest sign under which to assume the role of hypocrite like tele-evangelist, Jim Bakker (or like the Tarfuffe so memorably portrayed by Capricorn playwright, Moliere). If Capricorn, which is an energetic rather ruthless sun sign ruled by the often Satanic Saturn, turns its hands to religion like St Ignatius Loyola or St Therese de Lisieux (who knew from childhood she must become a saint), St Bernadette of Lourdes or Joan of Arc, the ambitious efficient dedication of the sign is boundless.
It’s been like that with Todd Bentley. He will think nothing (again rather Catholic style a la Brother Lawrence or Mme Guyon, the Quietist who practiced the presence) of spending if need be 12 hours a day just “soaking” in Jesus’ presence. (Such practices may have helped cause the marital separation which cites no third party!) Bentley will also tirelessly lay hands on hundreds at meetings after sometimes 4 hrs at the pulpit as at the current Lakeland Florida revival rallies. And the fact that the CHRIST asteroid is on a world point for Bentley insures the world will not be ignorant of one of the stated chief belief factors in Bentley’s life though of course for a charismatic, Uranus, symbol of the Spirit in religious contexts is vital. For Bentley it’s in powerful, secretive Scorpio in tense difficulty square to communicating Mercury a signature for the mixture of controversy and mystery that surrounds him and perhaps the mixed signals he gives out.
Bentley, like before him the Washington Seeress, Jeane Dixon, and Nostradamus is less the saint of Capricorn than a classic case of what astrologers traditionally portray as a Sea Goat. The curious medieval image of the Goat of Capricorn with the fish tail betokens the person of vision and prophecy who has affinities with the dream and visionary qualities of Pisces and its ruler Neptune rather than the limiting earthy realism of Capricorn. And actually, Neptune is hugely important for Bentley’s birth pattern no matter what time he was born (though there’s a good chance he was born when Neptune along with other planets was in his health sector reflecting his association with healing ministries). It is however the Saturn factor which for a Capricorn must have the last word in this analysis and I will be giving it that. All else is illuminating and interesting but with Saturn and its neighbours we reach nearest to truth.
ASKING AND SEEING A LOT TODD BENTLEY STYLE
The late Catholic seeress, Jeane Dixon, maintained those born like Todd Bentley on 10th Jan are in danger of problems with drink and drugs. As already indicated, Bentley had those problems big time before his conversion at which juncture a signature for potential addiction problems, a potent Venus/Neptune conjunction, instead turned visionary – especially as it’s in Sagittarius, sign of faith and organized religion. This potent conjunction sets up certain aspects including to asteroid THEOTES (Godhead) and Bentley has repeatedly claimed visions of the Trinity. Maybe a few too many for credibility but as said, part of his mission is to declare how this kind of visionary experience is now meant to become more commonplace.
It’s a message, shocking to many but quite in line with Bentley’s Mercury (message, communication, mind) natally in shocking, futuristic, revolutionary Aquarius. It’s also a message of potential empowerment for believers which could be correct, but not as much as Bentley assumes under the influence of American egalitarianism.
While arguably there’s no such thing as a completely bad aspect of the luck/grace/truth and preaching planet Jupiter Bentley’s Jupiter stands in tension square to his sun. Apart from reflecting a weight problem he has been obliged to tackle the aspect suggests either he could expect almost too much of people, or people could expect too much from him. It’s one thing to suggest it’s time to ask God for more, another to deny the possibility that some, like possibly Bentley himself, are genuinely more gifted in some areas than others. With asteroid APOSTEL directly aspecting his Uranus and perhaps also his moon Bentley should maybe just accept he has a special talent or role. He certainly has an apostolic potential which people will project upon him. Whether he has been and can realize it is another matter. Jupiter is traditionally ultimate register of truth in a chart. In the case of a person for whom truth and preaching is supposedly of supreme importance an afflicted Jupiter could diminish the capacity for truth to be seen by or about the self.
WHY TODD BENTLEY IS SO HOT AT THIS TIME
This year with the faith, religion and preaching planet, Jupiter, back and forth across his natal Capricorn sun (at 19 degrees) obviously Bentley has been highlighted. Less positive happenings like the marital split have something to do with his ruler Saturn approaching his Venus but keeping to the visionary side there’s more than the faith supporting Jupiter.
In this year that Todd Bentley is widely seen as helping to launch a global superwave of the Spirit, by transit the mystical, visionary planet Neptune (often Christ identified by astrologers) has been moving on and off closely conjunct Bentley’s natal asteroid SPIRIT. And his SPIRIT asteroid is in the sign of Aquarius, sign of shocks, surprises, excitement and revolution. Suitably one of the most original chapters of The Reality of the Supernatural World published this year concerns the Holy Spirit seen as the seven spirits of God in line with the Book of Revelation.
As to surprise more generally, Bentley has been invoking plenty since around especially April when the now famous Lakeland Revival in Florida began. April is the month of Aries and natally Bentley has Jupiter natally in that sign known as a particularly “evangelical” position for the preacherish Jupiter to be placed in. When in Florida on April 3rd the Lakeland Revival (seen less as any conventional “revival” than trigger to an unprecedented global Open Heaven season) began, Jupiter was conjuncting Bentley’s sun while Mercury (message, communication) was on a world point, THE main world point, viz 0 Aries, and thus challengingly opposite Bentley’s CHRIST asteroid. Things could happen and did.
Like the prophets and shamans of many traditions Todd Bentley emphasizes travel to the Beyond. However it’s this year that Uranus, planet in religious contexts of the Spirit, of surprises etc, is transiting back and forth over his natal PARADISE which for him is in the dreams and visions sign of Pisces. Whether he’s been there in reality or more helped by new age visualization techniques favoured by his mentor Patricia King at expensive conferences for the elect is open to question.
TODD BENTLEY AS REPRESENTATIVE OF A HEALING MOVEMENT
Despite all his paradise visions Bentley passes first and foremost today as a healer rather than a prophet, theologian or evangelist even though he can preach at length. The healing and healer’s asteroid is HYGEIA. In Todd Bentley’s chart HYGEIA closely conjuncts CHURCH. And the church is being challenged (opposition aspect) by Bentley’s healing deeds and claims because it’s in 2008 in which he launched the revival wave, PLUTO, (the planetary God symbol if any), has been back and forth opposing Bentley’s HYGEIA/CHURCH conjunction. This conjunction is also joined by HIERA (mysterious things) which is what Bentley is challenging the church with as perhaps never before. Critics would perhaps say HIERA reflecting less divine power than the occult or new age additions they don’t favour. I don’t know sufficiently how HIERA works to comment.
Of course it matters a lot whether Bentley really is healing, especially if, as some imagine, it’s virtually at the level reported in the book of Acts (where even Peter’s passing shadow could produce miracle) rather than merely affecting suggestive minds. I haven’t been to Lakeland (the healing aura of which some maintain can now be felt for miles around this area long associated with Satanism and drug dealing) and I hardly know what to make of the testimonies for and against the healings but I would imagine the sheer extreme volume of testimonies to healing attests to rather more than just the suggestibility which obviously could apply in some, even many, cases.
Noticeably what’s happening seems contagious. People who visit Lakeland take and impart the force elsewhere. Recently there have been reports of notable healings in Melbourne and Sydney, one Sydney doctor said she lost 90 people off her list to the healings. Again there can be exaggerated claims and pious tales around healers and there doubtless are some for Bentley, but we should also probably consider the principle “no smoke without fire”. Something of the kind probably applies to the vexed question of “resurrections” claimed. Some persons may have been revived rather than outright resurrected – there seem to be no hospital records to support the by now extensive and extreme claims of what prayers during the meetings have achieved but then not everyone conveniently for the record dies, or just goes into deep faint, in hospitals!
I leave astrologers to sort out the fascinating following signatures. Asteroid ANASTASIA (Resurrection) loosely conjuncts Bentley’s ruling Saturn, and recall that materialistic Saturn materializes, in dramatic Leo. At the same time, Asteroid ANGEL conjunct ALETHEIA (Truth) in shocking Aquarius opposes the Saturn. A shocking challenge/or opposition to truth in the claims made here? Certainly if there’s any truth here better record should be kept. This would apply to healing more generally. For American TV's Nightline Bentley was unable to present any meaningful proof of any healings. Bentley had promised to supply them at least three well documented cases but didn’t. The husband of one of the three alleged healed persons indicated to Nightline she was still seriously sick. Another person was still receiving regular treatment. There was no proper record from doctor or hospital at all!
Not all faith healing can anyway automatically merit the label “divine healing” and a certain rigour of report should surround major claims – if Bentley were a Catholic it would have to do so. Witches, spiritualists etc can produce miracles though it is often said that the mark of a divine healing is that it lasts whereas by more alternative religious methods one can have major relapses or worse diseases, even death may suddenly overtaking the cured person – the sort of pattern critical examination of Benny Hinn has too often turned up. The fact that Bentley speaks well of the princely living, imperiously tempered Benny Hinn is perhaps no recommendation of Bentley and certain others who do the same.
So the worst case scenario would be (as some charismatic critics have been claiming), there sometimes is a power and there are “angels” (spirits) at work at Bentley’s meetings but Bentley has them less from the Spirit than from “impartations” from the Kansas City prophets who look back to the gifted but controversial figure of William Branham (d.1965) who finished life questioning the Trinity and entertaining various heresies. Certainly I would have some reservations regarding both Bob Jones (who surely sees too many angels and more frequently than any biblical figure and who was also an alcoholic like Bentley before conversion) and Patricia King who have been prophetic mentors of sorts to Bentley and themselves have Kansas connections. I note that asteroid KING fortunately trines Bentley’s Uranus (the Spirit) so the King influence seems anticipated here, and the Jones influence by asteroid JONES fortunately trine Bentley’s Mars.
TODD BENTLEY AND POINTS OF CONTENTION: PAUL AND EMMA
Bentley has received much criticism for maintaining he has met St Paul in heaven and that at one time a female angel called Emma scattered gold dust and assisted healing at his meetings. This is interesting because these two flashpoints of controversy appear indicated on his chart.
The asteroid, PAUL (and I’m persuaded from familiarity with the astrology of Christ and Pentecost that this will signify St Paul in religious contexts) makes exact fortunate aspect to Bentley’s crucial visionary Neptune. While this can’t prove he’s met St Paul it’s clear why he would think he’d done so and the aspect is undeniably a favourable one whereas negative aspects to Neptune frequently bespeak lies and deception.
Emma is an Old German name meaning completeness or wholeness, something healers like Bentley try to bestow. Asteroid EMMA conjuncts Bentley’s crucial Neptune/Venus conjunction. A lot of the objection to Emma is to the idea that any angel could be female. This is nonsense and if anything betrays ignorance including of scriptures by those who set most store by them. Two winged women, plainly angels, are flying about doing God’s business in the book of Zechariah (Zech 5:9) and that angels have sex/gender can be supported by the Genesis story of the angels mating with the women of earth – unless one cares to imagine that genitals are an effect of the Fall so that fallen angels somehow managed to evolve sexually! So maybe Bentley has seen an angel called Emma. Given his pattern he would be disposed to think so even if he hadn’t. All I can say is I believe he’s not been merely inventing for the sake of it. I always feel Bentley has a kind of honest intention though he lacks rigour in pursuing truth. However...
Perhaps Bentley in the way of Neptunian dreamers bends truth and doesn't consider particular facts too important where people are offended or confused. The Emma business is disturbing on two counts. He has recently been speaking and writing of an angel, plainly his Emma, who has turned male evidently to pacify critics. Worse, some critics have been pointing out that Emma could be a satanic figure Emma-Dai-0, the Japanese Yama, Lord of the Dead or Satan. If this sounds far fetched consider that it seems his various tatoos do show Chinese and Japanese signs and symbols including it's said of the Emma entity. Maybe so, maybe not, but what's certain is Bentley can't get the matter of his tatts straight. He has said they are pre conversion but photographic evidence would suggest they were not. He has said Jesus gave them to him (by miracle, by suggestion?) which could hardly be the case and absolutely not if they were including Asian religious symbols and deities. So where is truth in all this?
TODD BENTLEY AND FILTHY LUCRE
Although to his credit Bentley hasn't been living the high life of some tele-evangelists but retains a modest dwelling, owns no private jet, and is said to have taken nothing for the Lakeland revival (beyond his regular salary), in some respects he is still money obsessed. Capricorns frequently are and measure their success in material terms. Years ago I met someone whose friends had worked for the late Jeane Dixon and dismissed her (excessively I felt) as “all about money” despite the vision and spirituality otherwise. It may be for “good” causes that Bentley’s mission serves in India and elsewhere but some have been understandably off-put by Bentley’s money obsession which may involve several collections all within a single meeting. Not (apparently) greedy for himself Bentley can be voracious for his work and organization and recently questions have been raised about expensive property deals for the organization in Florida. As said his teaching is somewhat tithes and offerings obsessed. Whatever, I feel Todd’s Capricornian money obsession however impersonal in its way is reflected in asteroid MONY (asteroids always appear to work by sound vibe not spelling) within conjunction his sun.
TODD BENTLEY: THE THUG LOOK AND AGGRESSIVE ACTS OF HEALING
To his critics it doesn’t help that with his shaved head and plentiful tattoos Bentley looks a bit like a street thug, a sociopath, or even Satanist, though to fans it helps make him more irresistible. No need to comment on this one except to speculate on what it might mean as regards his birth time and hence ascendant.
There’s no substitute for a properly timed chart or a speculative chart carefully rectified against the life, things I am unable to provide. However for the curious and specialists I’ll have an educated guess at the birth time.
Whatever the birth time it probably has to be after 4am. It’s possible, but Bentley being famous it’s unlikely that he would have a late Aries moon weakened by being void of course. Luna is almost certainly in Taurus. Bentley’s visions are anyway full of luscious fruits, strong scents, gold dust, exquisite scenes, Eden, Heaven, you name it. This is the sensuous stuff of Taurus, its luxury and its eternities. This moon is moreover quite likely to be opposite Bentley’s Uranus where it would help reflect his strange early home life and necessarily strange relation to his mother who was deaf. Moon in the twelfth would fit such a wide range of visions and pronounced introspection in someone otherwise relatively extravert.
My guess, then, is that Bentley, who talks like a machine gun with incredible gusto once he gets going, has Gemini rising with aggressive Mars in Gemini within conjunction of the ascendant and so was born around 1.50 pm. This would then place 3 planets and the fated nodes within the house of health, healing or claims to it being his forte. Mars rising belongs with aggressive healing, (in one instance, by faith booting supposedly someone into cure!). However more testing and biographical information for tests would be useful to establishing a birth time.
TODD BENTLEY AND THE SATURN/SATAN FACTOR
If Gemini rises at birth for Todd Bentley (as it did for another sea-goat, Jeane Dixon), then an afflicted Mercury rules Todd’s birth pattern but it is still Saturn which is Capricorn’s ruler. And Saturn as Satan has a disturbing attraction, interest and affinity for especially Capricorns as almost a father figure. Capricorn Marianne Faithful admits to find Satan the most entertaining figure, has acted his part on stage and influenced Mick Jaggers Sympathy for the Devil song. Capricorn Marilyn Manson records trembling with excitement in the hope of meeting the Devil. Dennis Wheatley became a best selling author writing fiction and research on Satan. And so Todd had his adolescent fling with Satan. But where might he stand with him now and otherwise?
Todd’s Saturn is strong if little aspected at 0 degrees of dramatic Leo. He thrives on an audience and may feel he can never quite have enough of one. It is important to consider planets before the supplementary asteroids and my original article placed too much stress on interesting asteroids. I felt I’d not found enough of them which seemed relevant to what I really wanted to know or felt I ought to be finding. Among other things I wanted to see a challenging Lucifer or Malin to indicate that the devil and hell that Todd’s “deliverance” ministry was supposed to be releasing people from, was somehow genuinely opposed to him. What I found was merely factors like a Lucifer at 27 Cancer, a bit too wide to call it a significant conjunction with the Satan of Saturn. In fact it seemed to be saying nothing at all….But obviously it would and could be saying something if it were conjuncting another asteroid that was within clear conjunction of a “ruling” Saturn.
Conservative criticism of Bentley is this. He is allegedly running a fake super revival ahead of the real thing and in such a way as to deceive people and muddy the waters. He is less in touch with God than the devil as light (Lucifer) and has powers from him but the whole phenomenon is incredibly and dangerously deceptive. With so many people claiming to feel blessed and healed I don’t like to admit this might be the truth and is what I would be inclined to read the heavens as saying…
I felt I had made a real discovery for asteroid research when amid my researches for the astrology of Christ and the Church I came across a truly deadly and malign influence in asteroid VIPERA i.e. VIPER because originally asteroids were named in feminine form. It became clear to me this could almost be called the asteroid symbol of something like original sin and/or the subtle, hidden wisdom of the serpent. And at 29 Cancer for Bentley this horrible influence is half a degree conjunct his Saturn on one side while on the other side it conjuncts LUCIFER. Here is a deadly potion if ever which suggests how strongly this Saturn ruled person may be, even against his will, linked to the dark side and conveying improper "impartations". We have already seen he was/is possessed by some kind of snake spirit. Even if this were the case this wouldn’t of course mean Bentley could never get out of any satanic clutches but he should have had vastly more preparation for the work he got into and he should have heeded distinct warnings someone in the prophetic field gave him to avoid his overblown teaching on angels which can be a gate to let alien spirits enter. (Perhaps he enjoyed the power trip of working with “angels” more?). Whatever, the crisis Todd represents it is far greater, deeper and older than some passing marital woes which Todd fans like Wendy Alec of GOd TV (who is sending out urgent messages for worldwide prayer for Todd) imagine it to be.
AN ALTERNATIVE TO TODD BENTLEY
If I am right in the analysis and if there is also yet some super wave of the Spirit due of which Bentley has offered the counterfeit, then it seems you might begin to hear something of this other movement as early as around mid September. One group of prophets in Colorado Springs is forecasting as much only this day that I write this. They are in a 90 days 24/7 vigil of praise in the style (they hope) of the followers of David around the ark according to the book of Chronicles. They say the force of God is becoming overwhelming and will pour out onto the world.
The very fact that people think such things and that the emphasis is so strong upon “living in the presence” tells us something about the times and as far as stellar patterns are concerned it has something to do with Pluto near the Galactic Centre (events in religion) which goes direct in mid September and Uranus (the Spirit) in mystical Pisces. But if something happens I can assess that in due time and I hope a bit more positively than as regards Todd Bentley.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
ANWAR IBRAHIM AND SODOMY
SEXUAL POLITICS MALAYSIAN STYLE
Malaysia won’t win any prizes for its treatment of opposition leader and former deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim (b.10.8.1947). Whether he’s innocent or guilty of sodomy as charged - and my main point here is I believe he’s innocent - what’s been happening and getting said isn’t the way to conduct politics or life, to be democratic or to respect privacy. Malaysia needs to know the world is looking on.
Greater men than the poor beleagured Anwar Ibrahim have been “guilty” of sodomy including with chauffeurs and guys in cars, like of course one of the twentieth century’s leading novelists, Marcel Proust, whose chauffeur, Alberto, had his gender discreetly changed for purposes of fiction to become the adored and missed Albertine of A la Recherché du Temps Perdu.
When last year I wrote in assessment of various rumours and theories about the Pope being gay my analysis was able to include a number of wonderfully accurate but little used gay relevant asteroids. I regret that despite all their wonderful variety pointing to everything from effeminate types to leathermen, there’s no asteroid will give us sodomy as such – unfortunately no one has named a celestial rock after the Renaissance artist, Sodoma (whose name derives from his rather exceptional desire to be "out" about his interests) which might have helped. I can’t employ the Part of Homosexuality in assessment either as Anwar’s birth time is unknown and anyway I find the Part is more involved with an individual’s image and beliefs as a gay person than specific sexual proclivities.
WHY ANWAR IBRAHIM ISN’T GAY AND PROBABLY NOT BISEXUAL EITHER
In standard (planetary and traditional) astrology there has been some association of sodomy with (in its negative expression) the rather rape prone, down and dirty Pluto if and when Pluto conjoins other factors like notably Mars (the sex drive) which it doesn’t do in Anwar Ibrahim’s case. The Pluto-sodomy link is however suggestive of historical associations of sodomy with the kind of violence and humiliation which historically, and sometimes still today, could be vented upon prisoners. Associations of love and/or pleasure seem excluded from the symbolism but it is possible that Anwar's enemies would like to make precisely plutonic style associations and imply that among other things Anwar is a man of violence.
Undeniably Uranus (the most gay associated planet) does conjunct Mars in Anwar’s case and this can be a gay signature. However, the conjunction is in Gemini (speech and talking and people talk about Anwar as gay) and there’s no connection to Neptune. And this matters because really I think Anwar Ibrahim, who’s a married man with a daughter, to be behaving as alleged with risk to his career and reputation would need to be rather strongly bisexually inclined (like Obama according to some reports and a good few Muslim poets who didn’t live in societies as censorious as Malaysia’s) but for that we need something connecting to especially an afflicted Neptune which again Anwar doesn’t have ( but Obama does).
What Anwar shows is a devastatingly exact conjunction (exact to the minute) of Saturn (his politics, his career, any authority figures in his life) to asteroid Lie, (13 Leo 0 to 13 Leo 0). It is virtually certain that THE AUTHORITIES IN ANWAR’S LIFE ARE SENDING OUT LIES and he is involved in a (plutonic style) life-and-death type power struggle with them. More loosely than with LIE Anwar Ibrahim’s imperial Leo sun at 16 degrees is conjunct PLUTO, a set-up notorious for extreme power struggles and perhaps a sort of “rape” of one’s being by that power if one can’t win over it all - as Anwar may yet do. In fact there’s a horrible and rare struggling line-up of Sun at 16 Leo, Pluto and Saturn both at 13 and Lie at 13.
I repeat. I think Anwar Ibrahim is innocent of the charges, or, I am as convinced as I can be, so call that 95% convinced. If there has been some carrying-on of a kind politically and socially unhelpful to Anwar's career (but not that most of us could consider criminal or meriting an absurd 20 years in jail) then to be frank about it it’s more likely to be things you’d do with your hands (Mars/Uranus in Gemini sign of words and hands) than things more intense. And does Malaysia reckon to be down like a ton of bricks on that too?!
TALKING SODOMY OUT OF THE CLOSET
You’re entitled to believe certain behaviours are “wrong” but not to pursue people in the way Malaysia apparently reckons to do and almost certainly for reasons of power. Some cultures and some of the more conservative Christians seriously dislike, object to and would wish to see banned the kind of “out” displays of sexual issues and preferences that gay pride parades bring out of the closet onto the street. But this distaste to which anyone is entitled (and I don’t belong to those PC gays who want to jail everyone who criticizes them) must be put against the too common alternative: a will to hide and disguise the facts of life to make it easier to punish, blackmail and intrigue.
Christianity has done this kind of thing all too often siding with mere corruption and oppression to keep uncritiqued, unrevised elements of its ethical systems going. I don’t care as a Christian to be associated with that kind of dishonesty and I can’t approve it in the Muslim version either.
When it isn’t rape (as in the Sodom story) or exploitation sodomy has to be considered by law and society as an aspect of natural life (even of the animal kingdom that Aristotle didn’t know or realize it was but helped persuade Christians and Muslims as regards “unnatural acts”). We maybe need to find a better balance between the closeted and the blatant where gay sex is concerned but it’s better to talk about sodomy frankly than intrigue about it. I hope the embattled Anwar will go free to do whatever he wants or needs to do as a politician and that Malaysia will become more tolerant and sophisticated in its attitudes.
[I promised to make Todd Bentley the next subject but events in Malaysia have irritated and outraged me enough to cause the postponement]
Malaysia won’t win any prizes for its treatment of opposition leader and former deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim (b.10.8.1947). Whether he’s innocent or guilty of sodomy as charged - and my main point here is I believe he’s innocent - what’s been happening and getting said isn’t the way to conduct politics or life, to be democratic or to respect privacy. Malaysia needs to know the world is looking on.
Greater men than the poor beleagured Anwar Ibrahim have been “guilty” of sodomy including with chauffeurs and guys in cars, like of course one of the twentieth century’s leading novelists, Marcel Proust, whose chauffeur, Alberto, had his gender discreetly changed for purposes of fiction to become the adored and missed Albertine of A la Recherché du Temps Perdu.
When last year I wrote in assessment of various rumours and theories about the Pope being gay my analysis was able to include a number of wonderfully accurate but little used gay relevant asteroids. I regret that despite all their wonderful variety pointing to everything from effeminate types to leathermen, there’s no asteroid will give us sodomy as such – unfortunately no one has named a celestial rock after the Renaissance artist, Sodoma (whose name derives from his rather exceptional desire to be "out" about his interests) which might have helped. I can’t employ the Part of Homosexuality in assessment either as Anwar’s birth time is unknown and anyway I find the Part is more involved with an individual’s image and beliefs as a gay person than specific sexual proclivities.
WHY ANWAR IBRAHIM ISN’T GAY AND PROBABLY NOT BISEXUAL EITHER
In standard (planetary and traditional) astrology there has been some association of sodomy with (in its negative expression) the rather rape prone, down and dirty Pluto if and when Pluto conjoins other factors like notably Mars (the sex drive) which it doesn’t do in Anwar Ibrahim’s case. The Pluto-sodomy link is however suggestive of historical associations of sodomy with the kind of violence and humiliation which historically, and sometimes still today, could be vented upon prisoners. Associations of love and/or pleasure seem excluded from the symbolism but it is possible that Anwar's enemies would like to make precisely plutonic style associations and imply that among other things Anwar is a man of violence.
Undeniably Uranus (the most gay associated planet) does conjunct Mars in Anwar’s case and this can be a gay signature. However, the conjunction is in Gemini (speech and talking and people talk about Anwar as gay) and there’s no connection to Neptune. And this matters because really I think Anwar Ibrahim, who’s a married man with a daughter, to be behaving as alleged with risk to his career and reputation would need to be rather strongly bisexually inclined (like Obama according to some reports and a good few Muslim poets who didn’t live in societies as censorious as Malaysia’s) but for that we need something connecting to especially an afflicted Neptune which again Anwar doesn’t have ( but Obama does).
What Anwar shows is a devastatingly exact conjunction (exact to the minute) of Saturn (his politics, his career, any authority figures in his life) to asteroid Lie, (13 Leo 0 to 13 Leo 0). It is virtually certain that THE AUTHORITIES IN ANWAR’S LIFE ARE SENDING OUT LIES and he is involved in a (plutonic style) life-and-death type power struggle with them. More loosely than with LIE Anwar Ibrahim’s imperial Leo sun at 16 degrees is conjunct PLUTO, a set-up notorious for extreme power struggles and perhaps a sort of “rape” of one’s being by that power if one can’t win over it all - as Anwar may yet do. In fact there’s a horrible and rare struggling line-up of Sun at 16 Leo, Pluto and Saturn both at 13 and Lie at 13.
I repeat. I think Anwar Ibrahim is innocent of the charges, or, I am as convinced as I can be, so call that 95% convinced. If there has been some carrying-on of a kind politically and socially unhelpful to Anwar's career (but not that most of us could consider criminal or meriting an absurd 20 years in jail) then to be frank about it it’s more likely to be things you’d do with your hands (Mars/Uranus in Gemini sign of words and hands) than things more intense. And does Malaysia reckon to be down like a ton of bricks on that too?!
TALKING SODOMY OUT OF THE CLOSET
You’re entitled to believe certain behaviours are “wrong” but not to pursue people in the way Malaysia apparently reckons to do and almost certainly for reasons of power. Some cultures and some of the more conservative Christians seriously dislike, object to and would wish to see banned the kind of “out” displays of sexual issues and preferences that gay pride parades bring out of the closet onto the street. But this distaste to which anyone is entitled (and I don’t belong to those PC gays who want to jail everyone who criticizes them) must be put against the too common alternative: a will to hide and disguise the facts of life to make it easier to punish, blackmail and intrigue.
Christianity has done this kind of thing all too often siding with mere corruption and oppression to keep uncritiqued, unrevised elements of its ethical systems going. I don’t care as a Christian to be associated with that kind of dishonesty and I can’t approve it in the Muslim version either.
When it isn’t rape (as in the Sodom story) or exploitation sodomy has to be considered by law and society as an aspect of natural life (even of the animal kingdom that Aristotle didn’t know or realize it was but helped persuade Christians and Muslims as regards “unnatural acts”). We maybe need to find a better balance between the closeted and the blatant where gay sex is concerned but it’s better to talk about sodomy frankly than intrigue about it. I hope the embattled Anwar will go free to do whatever he wants or needs to do as a politician and that Malaysia will become more tolerant and sophisticated in its attitudes.
[I promised to make Todd Bentley the next subject but events in Malaysia have irritated and outraged me enough to cause the postponement]
Saturday, August 2, 2008
THE OBAMA IDOL: MESSIANIC SMILES AND AMERICAN CRISES
NOT THE ANTICHRIST BUT IT’S SERIOUS
Barack Obama is not the Antichrist but those people determined to imagine he is are not so totally off the wall they aren’t picking up on some rather disturbing trends and attitudes. The sheer idolatry of Obama’s followers raises serious questions – even the now disillusioned (or just jealous) Jessie Jackson originally spoke of triumphs so wonderful they deserved a chapter added to the Bible. New Agers are referring to a Light Worker, an Enlightened Sage. Clearly America and perhaps the world is looking for Messiahs as never before.
It’s not just that Obama mania, Obama euphoria, Obama ecstasy is redolent of the cult of rock and film stars and - in the political sphere where it shouldn’t belong – of Hitler and the Roman emperors. It’s not simply that the cult seems largely undeserved in that it indiscriminately surrounds a person without notable experience or qualification beyond the ability to utter stirring phrases, flash a broad smile and perform the part of leader in line with the thespian potential of his native sign of Leo.
What’s serious – and I don’t say it as a secret Republican sympathizer bent on scoring points because like perhaps most non Americans I’d prefer a Democrat sea change - is that the archetypal Pied Piper themes of the Antichrist, the elements of lie, of seduction, of false spiritual value are well to the fore. And as it happens something of this is objectively certified in no uncertain terms in the heavens in ways Obama dispraisers like myself couldn’t have invented better if we’d tried.
But before pitching in let me be fair to Obama (and all of us). I’ve often had occasion to refer to the strange accuracy of the new dimension of stargazing, the asteroids, about which we’re still researching and learning. We all have their most negative indications like Lucifer and Malin (Devil) and Lie somewhere in our charts because we’re all imperfect and if we don’t side with evil it attacks us in a vulnerable place. So that’s what could be shown in a pattern.
Accordingly we mustn’t rush to conclusions about where and how the negatives are placed for people. However it’s undeniably healthier if most can be placed inconspicuously and avoid contact with magnifying planetary or angular factors - which they often can since they’re normally only allowed a small orb of connection (like 2 degrees) with any planet(more with sun or moon).
ALIENATING OBAMA INDICATORS
Here then are the kind of troubling indicators for Obama one would prefer not to be confronted with in light of what appears to be the case and another consideration I have yet to mention. I should incidentally before proceeding point out that finally we do now know Obama’s place and time of birth to read any asteroids against. There was not the same certainty last December when I wrote about Hillary’s seemingly good chances this year. Place and time have had to be certified to insure Obama was seen as even an American citizen following recent claims he was born abroad and, according to a Kenyan relative that Obama had in fact been the Muslim he denies having ever been.
So now we know that Obama’s birth time on 4th Aug 61 was 7.24pm in Honolulu with 18 degrees of Aquarius rising over the horizon. And actually this does make a difference to how we see the presidential race though it’s still exceptionally hard to pick a winner because Obama (who might yet have setbacks and has recently offended many Americans with his prematurely “presidential” world tour which ignored wounded soldiers) and Hillary (who might yet return despite the setbacks) and the wooden McCain all presently have the kind of features to their charts that could make for winners.
But given Obama’s populist Aquarius rising at birth this means Uranus rules his natus and this Uranus, powerfully angular for him (and helpfully conjunct America’s natal moon), is eclipsed, (thus indicating some prominence) by the mid August lunar eclipse. That’s a positive sign towards winning though given what the two August eclipses possibly bode for America generally it might not prove so wonderful an experience for Obama or anyone to be assuming power in these times. More than rock star abilities would be needed to manage the kind of crises considered below. But whatever the future holds, the following details don’t inspire confidence in the immediate.
Asteroid LUCIFER conjuncts Obama’s sun. This doesn’t mean he’s wickedness incarnate but it could mean he would be too easily proud or more vulnerable than some to the channeling of negative spiritual influence. Also conjuncting Obama’s sun is asteroid, LIE which doesn’t exactly help if what I’ve just said is relevant. (By comparison with a figure like Dixon ’s false prophet we find LIE conjuncting a Neptune that squares Mercury - an aspect itself often a signature for lies – and asteroid ACHRISTOU conjunct his natural ruler Uranus and LUCIFER probably conjunct the IC angle if the birth place were certain).
Trying to avoid unduly emphasizing these possibly only coincidental negatives we are still confronted by the fact that asteroid, MALIN (Fr for Devil) conjuncts Barack Obama’s Mercury (his message, what he says). In fact, since his Mercury thus conjuncted opposes his Jupiter (chief register of truth in any pattern) the whole mendacious (or just self deceptive) personal picture seems emphasized.
Suitably for someone who has gone along with ideas of Black Liberationist Fr Pfleger that Jesus was black and Israel lacks any claim to Israel (a theory itself linked to a demotion of Jesus’ messianic role) the Jesus asteroid, ISA, is directly opposed by limiting, sometimes Satanic, Saturn.
With Pluto (itself ruler of Obama’s career/reputation Scorpio Midheaven) directly opposed to asteroid JERUSALEM if Obama gains power one could expect plenty of the zigzagging about as regards dividing Jerusalem and any promises about Israel. These are problems an Israeli journal like Arutz Sheva, is already anticipating - reasonably enough given Obama’s past easy acceptance of the anti Semitic doctrines of his pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Obama’s faith/church problems are exquisitely reflected by his afflicted Neptune in his sector of religion and beliefs.
Obama is not so much a leader as a gifted actor and orator who knows how to pick up audience vibes and run with them. If anything, Obama’s sun squaring Neptune, the sort of framework against which the above supplementary asteroid evidence must be read, warns of limited and weak leadership ability (and hence his own vulnerability to weak leaders like his whacky pastor). However Obama’s main contact to the chart of America is this glamorizing (and wonderful for photo ops) but also potentially deceptive and disillusioning conjunction of his Neptune to America’s ascendant (the people and national mythos) almost to the minute. (I’ll not attempt to justify my attachment to the US Scorpio rising chart except to say it has the advantage of being timed to when White House record shows America was sworn into being, a point many ignore if they know it).
The absence, apart from Neptune, of factors for Obama in any really “elevated” positions in his pattern adds to the impression that leadership is less natural to him than might appear while his emphasized relationship sector is descriptive of plenty of audience sensitivity. If he does come to power he will probably rely, and need to rely, on skilled advisors (seventh house agency) rather heavily.
OBAMA AND OPRAH WINFREY.
However, let’s leave the asteroids for the (sort of) Antichrist factor that some have been sensing amid the excesses of Obama idolatry. Long ago when the late Washington seeress, Jeane Dixon, claimed to have seen the birth of the Antichrist she maintained it would be American media that would chiefly foist this person upon the world. If there is/was any truth to that vision and the person of Dixon’s visions actually exists then two highly influential Americans are better placed than some to welcome the Aquarian messiah and set him on a global path because certain of their beliefs and their stellar patterns connect to his pattern leaving them more open than some to this phenomenon. The first person is the internationally influential Aquarian, Oprah Winfrey, plus the person her own promotion has now put in the forefront of America, namely Barack Obama. With Oprah’s Saturn (ambitions, any political issues) directly conjunct Obama’s Neptune Oprah found Obama’s species of politics irresistible, irresistible enough to drop former friend, the more experienced Hillary Clinton.
Obama’s 18 degree Aquarian ascendant conjuncts Dixon’s prophet’s Venus/Jupiter conjunction on this degree signifying, if ever they met, Obama could easily be overwhelmed, charmed, flattered and maybe willing to promote like crazy. (Obama’s own Venus is loosely conjunct the Achristou asteroid which I insist works among the likes of Satanists as the Antichrist sign).
Obama’s Jupiter (his religion, his beliefs) conjunct the prophet’s Mars while his (Obama’s) moon favourably, and very verbally in Gemini!, aspects it. Dixon’s prophet could thus easily use Obama to promote his aims and Obama could go along with this because his beliefs range from the uncertain to the bizarre but favour whatever makes some show of unifying everyone – since it’s pretty clear he has an “I want to rule the world” syndrome he needs the broadest of ideologies. Oprah who chose Obama over Hillary cannot be called Christian in any normal sense - no one with his odd religious mentors and almost total agnostic indifference concerning the afterlife could be thought so.
If I think or know more I shan’t say more here and shall just hope I’m wrong but it does look like the Obama road show is a sham with a peculiarly negative spiritual potential at this time. But, then, what is this time that Obama and Obama mania might dominate?
CALIFORNIA WARNINGS IN THE OBAMA ERA
If there’s one thing likely to wither Obama’s messianic smiles and popular appeal it could be the kind of mega disasters in America that require extreme statesmanlike abilities. Like many people I’ve become almost bored, insensitive and ready to yawn as regards forecasts of American, especially Californian, disasters and the fabled “Big One”. Today I read most prophecies rather as others read newspaper sun sign astrology, namely as light entertainment because I can’t take most of it seriously. However…. we have just had a quake of moderate proportion across LA and it’s just possible that finally the time for the Big One approaches. You could have thoughts especially if you use the American chart I use and have read a few of the recent prophecies which, even while some derive from people I question (and who would question me in turn) carry a bit more weight than usual.
Let’s be simple as regards the astrology....
August sets the scene for coming months with 2 tricky eclipses that do more than hit the pattern of presidential hopefuls. The Solar eclipse is in close enough conjunction with America’s fated nodal axis and near its destiny Midheaven (hence opposite its IC, the part of its pattern involved with the land and weather conditions) to leave one wondering and speculating uneasily. The lunar eclipse is conjunct America’s moon (homes, domestic security) in the sector of its land and territory. One has to note too that at the time of these eclipses Saturn makes harsh aspect to America’s Uranus which, as at the Katrina disaster, seems truly sensitive for shocking occurrences in America. Finally let’s note the volcanic and devastating Pluto transiting the O Capricorn world point earlier this year gave us death and horrors as in Burma and China. Will it omit to do so later this year and in America when it returns to this zone?
PROPHETS GETTING MORE SERIOUS
As to the prophets, that’s a bit more complicated….of course! Even so, an interesting case is report regarding a certain Sean Malone and his group of 3 friends called the CRI (Crisis Response International). These guys unlike some prophets actually appear to know what they’re doing and saying. The simple fact is that Malone took up residence in New York to intercede and preach warnings ahead of 9/11 and give help when the disaster occurred (another plus as against some doom sayers!). He likewise went ahead of the Katrina disaster and gave assistance in New Orleans. He has always said there would be 3 major disasters to hit America and the third would be the real wake up call for America and its churches alike and it would occur in California. He and others seem to anticipate less a Big One than a Big One plus tsunami with major destruction in much of NW America. Ominously, Malone and the 4 are now training and organizing 44 prophets and preachers for California in anticipation of something very major.
Who else has been saying things? I would note the elderly charismatic, Bob Jones - not my favourite person or prophet for various reasons - suddenly warned in April that disaster in California will now be coming sooner than people imagine and especially in San Francisco. That city, says Jones, will have had it when the prophets (Malone’s?) will have abandoned the streets. More recently Jones has said the Californian disaster would be preceded by two major quakes in Japan and California. Whether or not we have just had those these last few days of July or not (they were moderate sized not exactly big) is hard to tell.
Prophet Bob Hartley declared earlier this year that before he would leave office Bush would have the chance be merciful towards California (perhaps he means will do more and sooner than he did at the Katrina disaster!). The British prophet, and co-founder of God TV, Wendy Alec, has recently said she felt obliged to release a vision she had held to herself for some weeks (since June). She had a terrifying vision about the destruction before too long of northern Californian and especially San Francisco. (LA would also be hurt but less so than Frisco). She had been woken to the words of “The Bay, the Bay, the Bay” which, though she grasped the vision was about California, being British she said didn’t mean to her what it would to Californians. Only later she made the specific connection with Frisco as main flashpoint for the coming disaster.
Alec claims vision of almost unbelievable levels of destruction in town and country, the sky turned completely black, people long trapped and lost and many cursing rather than calling upon God in what she considers a city of idolatry that has turned to self indulgence and other gods – the sort of reason it seems Malone’s people feel necessity to preach in the Bay Area so that if nothing else many will be repent and die well. All pretty dark and stuff if valid and I won’t cite others in the same line at this time.
FATE AND “JUDGEMENT” IN CALIFORNIA
Whatever the truth I’m disposed to pause on the idea of judgement as against fate (the more astrological idea) that the slew of recent visions raises. Even if you believe you have it on revelation there’s ome some serious indulgence and idolatry prevalent in California, does God really have to judge it by wiping out thousands, many of them ordinary innocent people or babies?
One could wish for the prophets, especially if they actually are seeing true, a more enlightening and nuanced approach in this area. One simple point almost never really made by them is that the NT of their bibles repeatedly indicates that the (at least temporary) ruler of this world is not God but the Satan who offers Jesus the kingdoms of this world. It follows…arguably….that even the Creator scarcely has the right in a free will universe to intervene to defend people if they have gone beyond a certain level of idolatry and ethical abandon. Accordingly what is often portrayed as God’s judgement wrath is something more like God’s abandonment of a certain level of protection.
A person I came to realize had truly exceptional prophetic ability and who used to write to me in their last years in response to a website I once had, insisted he’d been shown protection being bit by bit withdrawn from America. Natural disasters (which are mostly natural and belong with the fate patterns of astrology) can, it seems, be at least mitigated if a population is “right with God”. If they’re not right then this world is free to become the devil’s destructive playground.
If third time round Malone and friends genuinely are onto something one would hope the residents, especially the gay residents of Frisco who have things to blame the churches for but who in turn have too easily tolerated events the likes of the profane hunky Jesus competitions for Good Friday, won’t totally dismiss the prophets. Also that in turn the prophets would emphasize the negatives of “idolatry” and greedy indulgence rather than the evil of being gay as such. That kind of unnecessary emphasis which seems to want to make out that every major US city is “Sodom” and the ethical measure how much one people tolerate gays (a line which has caused the tiresomely narrow Repent America group in Philadelphia such legal troubles) could make the work of the 44 ineffective before it even began. (Date setters for disaster may wonder how long the CRI prophet preaching “training” reckons to last!)
LIGHT AND DARK IN OBAMA TIMES
But to return to the fray regarding prophecy as prophecy conventionally understood (i.e. right forecasting rather than the moral pronouncement which it can also be) all the prophets have a bit of trouble with the fact that the ultra revival going global that emanates from Lakeland Florida, is happening now. This super Pentecost, or Last Pentecost was years ago forecast by some as something that would accompany a time of disasters in especially America. So in effect if heaven is beginning to open, the disasters (hell?) will need to come forth fairly soon too. We shall have to see. But perhaps I need to turn next to consideration of the person and stellar signs of the improbable Capricorn facilitator of the mega “revival”, Todd Bentley. In fact I had been going to do this but between recent quaking and what I have been asked to write on Obama I haven’t done this, but it can follow next.
Barack Obama is not the Antichrist but those people determined to imagine he is are not so totally off the wall they aren’t picking up on some rather disturbing trends and attitudes. The sheer idolatry of Obama’s followers raises serious questions – even the now disillusioned (or just jealous) Jessie Jackson originally spoke of triumphs so wonderful they deserved a chapter added to the Bible. New Agers are referring to a Light Worker, an Enlightened Sage. Clearly America and perhaps the world is looking for Messiahs as never before.
It’s not just that Obama mania, Obama euphoria, Obama ecstasy is redolent of the cult of rock and film stars and - in the political sphere where it shouldn’t belong – of Hitler and the Roman emperors. It’s not simply that the cult seems largely undeserved in that it indiscriminately surrounds a person without notable experience or qualification beyond the ability to utter stirring phrases, flash a broad smile and perform the part of leader in line with the thespian potential of his native sign of Leo.
What’s serious – and I don’t say it as a secret Republican sympathizer bent on scoring points because like perhaps most non Americans I’d prefer a Democrat sea change - is that the archetypal Pied Piper themes of the Antichrist, the elements of lie, of seduction, of false spiritual value are well to the fore. And as it happens something of this is objectively certified in no uncertain terms in the heavens in ways Obama dispraisers like myself couldn’t have invented better if we’d tried.
But before pitching in let me be fair to Obama (and all of us). I’ve often had occasion to refer to the strange accuracy of the new dimension of stargazing, the asteroids, about which we’re still researching and learning. We all have their most negative indications like Lucifer and Malin (Devil) and Lie somewhere in our charts because we’re all imperfect and if we don’t side with evil it attacks us in a vulnerable place. So that’s what could be shown in a pattern.
Accordingly we mustn’t rush to conclusions about where and how the negatives are placed for people. However it’s undeniably healthier if most can be placed inconspicuously and avoid contact with magnifying planetary or angular factors - which they often can since they’re normally only allowed a small orb of connection (like 2 degrees) with any planet(more with sun or moon).
ALIENATING OBAMA INDICATORS
Here then are the kind of troubling indicators for Obama one would prefer not to be confronted with in light of what appears to be the case and another consideration I have yet to mention. I should incidentally before proceeding point out that finally we do now know Obama’s place and time of birth to read any asteroids against. There was not the same certainty last December when I wrote about Hillary’s seemingly good chances this year. Place and time have had to be certified to insure Obama was seen as even an American citizen following recent claims he was born abroad and, according to a Kenyan relative that Obama had in fact been the Muslim he denies having ever been.
So now we know that Obama’s birth time on 4th Aug 61 was 7.24pm in Honolulu with 18 degrees of Aquarius rising over the horizon. And actually this does make a difference to how we see the presidential race though it’s still exceptionally hard to pick a winner because Obama (who might yet have setbacks and has recently offended many Americans with his prematurely “presidential” world tour which ignored wounded soldiers) and Hillary (who might yet return despite the setbacks) and the wooden McCain all presently have the kind of features to their charts that could make for winners.
But given Obama’s populist Aquarius rising at birth this means Uranus rules his natus and this Uranus, powerfully angular for him (and helpfully conjunct America’s natal moon), is eclipsed, (thus indicating some prominence) by the mid August lunar eclipse. That’s a positive sign towards winning though given what the two August eclipses possibly bode for America generally it might not prove so wonderful an experience for Obama or anyone to be assuming power in these times. More than rock star abilities would be needed to manage the kind of crises considered below. But whatever the future holds, the following details don’t inspire confidence in the immediate.
Asteroid LUCIFER conjuncts Obama’s sun. This doesn’t mean he’s wickedness incarnate but it could mean he would be too easily proud or more vulnerable than some to the channeling of negative spiritual influence. Also conjuncting Obama’s sun is asteroid, LIE which doesn’t exactly help if what I’ve just said is relevant. (By comparison with a figure like Dixon ’s false prophet we find LIE conjuncting a Neptune that squares Mercury - an aspect itself often a signature for lies – and asteroid ACHRISTOU conjunct his natural ruler Uranus and LUCIFER probably conjunct the IC angle if the birth place were certain).
Trying to avoid unduly emphasizing these possibly only coincidental negatives we are still confronted by the fact that asteroid, MALIN (Fr for Devil) conjuncts Barack Obama’s Mercury (his message, what he says). In fact, since his Mercury thus conjuncted opposes his Jupiter (chief register of truth in any pattern) the whole mendacious (or just self deceptive) personal picture seems emphasized.
Suitably for someone who has gone along with ideas of Black Liberationist Fr Pfleger that Jesus was black and Israel lacks any claim to Israel (a theory itself linked to a demotion of Jesus’ messianic role) the Jesus asteroid, ISA, is directly opposed by limiting, sometimes Satanic, Saturn.
With Pluto (itself ruler of Obama’s career/reputation Scorpio Midheaven) directly opposed to asteroid JERUSALEM if Obama gains power one could expect plenty of the zigzagging about as regards dividing Jerusalem and any promises about Israel. These are problems an Israeli journal like Arutz Sheva, is already anticipating - reasonably enough given Obama’s past easy acceptance of the anti Semitic doctrines of his pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Obama’s faith/church problems are exquisitely reflected by his afflicted Neptune in his sector of religion and beliefs.
Obama is not so much a leader as a gifted actor and orator who knows how to pick up audience vibes and run with them. If anything, Obama’s sun squaring Neptune, the sort of framework against which the above supplementary asteroid evidence must be read, warns of limited and weak leadership ability (and hence his own vulnerability to weak leaders like his whacky pastor). However Obama’s main contact to the chart of America is this glamorizing (and wonderful for photo ops) but also potentially deceptive and disillusioning conjunction of his Neptune to America’s ascendant (the people and national mythos) almost to the minute. (I’ll not attempt to justify my attachment to the US Scorpio rising chart except to say it has the advantage of being timed to when White House record shows America was sworn into being, a point many ignore if they know it).
The absence, apart from Neptune, of factors for Obama in any really “elevated” positions in his pattern adds to the impression that leadership is less natural to him than might appear while his emphasized relationship sector is descriptive of plenty of audience sensitivity. If he does come to power he will probably rely, and need to rely, on skilled advisors (seventh house agency) rather heavily.
OBAMA AND OPRAH WINFREY.
However, let’s leave the asteroids for the (sort of) Antichrist factor that some have been sensing amid the excesses of Obama idolatry. Long ago when the late Washington seeress, Jeane Dixon, claimed to have seen the birth of the Antichrist she maintained it would be American media that would chiefly foist this person upon the world. If there is/was any truth to that vision and the person of Dixon’s visions actually exists then two highly influential Americans are better placed than some to welcome the Aquarian messiah and set him on a global path because certain of their beliefs and their stellar patterns connect to his pattern leaving them more open than some to this phenomenon. The first person is the internationally influential Aquarian, Oprah Winfrey, plus the person her own promotion has now put in the forefront of America, namely Barack Obama. With Oprah’s Saturn (ambitions, any political issues) directly conjunct Obama’s Neptune Oprah found Obama’s species of politics irresistible, irresistible enough to drop former friend, the more experienced Hillary Clinton.
Obama’s 18 degree Aquarian ascendant conjuncts Dixon’s prophet’s Venus/Jupiter conjunction on this degree signifying, if ever they met, Obama could easily be overwhelmed, charmed, flattered and maybe willing to promote like crazy. (Obama’s own Venus is loosely conjunct the Achristou asteroid which I insist works among the likes of Satanists as the Antichrist sign).
Obama’s Jupiter (his religion, his beliefs) conjunct the prophet’s Mars while his (Obama’s) moon favourably, and very verbally in Gemini!, aspects it. Dixon’s prophet could thus easily use Obama to promote his aims and Obama could go along with this because his beliefs range from the uncertain to the bizarre but favour whatever makes some show of unifying everyone – since it’s pretty clear he has an “I want to rule the world” syndrome he needs the broadest of ideologies. Oprah who chose Obama over Hillary cannot be called Christian in any normal sense - no one with his odd religious mentors and almost total agnostic indifference concerning the afterlife could be thought so.
If I think or know more I shan’t say more here and shall just hope I’m wrong but it does look like the Obama road show is a sham with a peculiarly negative spiritual potential at this time. But, then, what is this time that Obama and Obama mania might dominate?
CALIFORNIA WARNINGS IN THE OBAMA ERA
If there’s one thing likely to wither Obama’s messianic smiles and popular appeal it could be the kind of mega disasters in America that require extreme statesmanlike abilities. Like many people I’ve become almost bored, insensitive and ready to yawn as regards forecasts of American, especially Californian, disasters and the fabled “Big One”. Today I read most prophecies rather as others read newspaper sun sign astrology, namely as light entertainment because I can’t take most of it seriously. However…. we have just had a quake of moderate proportion across LA and it’s just possible that finally the time for the Big One approaches. You could have thoughts especially if you use the American chart I use and have read a few of the recent prophecies which, even while some derive from people I question (and who would question me in turn) carry a bit more weight than usual.
Let’s be simple as regards the astrology....
August sets the scene for coming months with 2 tricky eclipses that do more than hit the pattern of presidential hopefuls. The Solar eclipse is in close enough conjunction with America’s fated nodal axis and near its destiny Midheaven (hence opposite its IC, the part of its pattern involved with the land and weather conditions) to leave one wondering and speculating uneasily. The lunar eclipse is conjunct America’s moon (homes, domestic security) in the sector of its land and territory. One has to note too that at the time of these eclipses Saturn makes harsh aspect to America’s Uranus which, as at the Katrina disaster, seems truly sensitive for shocking occurrences in America. Finally let’s note the volcanic and devastating Pluto transiting the O Capricorn world point earlier this year gave us death and horrors as in Burma and China. Will it omit to do so later this year and in America when it returns to this zone?
PROPHETS GETTING MORE SERIOUS
As to the prophets, that’s a bit more complicated….of course! Even so, an interesting case is report regarding a certain Sean Malone and his group of 3 friends called the CRI (Crisis Response International). These guys unlike some prophets actually appear to know what they’re doing and saying. The simple fact is that Malone took up residence in New York to intercede and preach warnings ahead of 9/11 and give help when the disaster occurred (another plus as against some doom sayers!). He likewise went ahead of the Katrina disaster and gave assistance in New Orleans. He has always said there would be 3 major disasters to hit America and the third would be the real wake up call for America and its churches alike and it would occur in California. He and others seem to anticipate less a Big One than a Big One plus tsunami with major destruction in much of NW America. Ominously, Malone and the 4 are now training and organizing 44 prophets and preachers for California in anticipation of something very major.
Who else has been saying things? I would note the elderly charismatic, Bob Jones - not my favourite person or prophet for various reasons - suddenly warned in April that disaster in California will now be coming sooner than people imagine and especially in San Francisco. That city, says Jones, will have had it when the prophets (Malone’s?) will have abandoned the streets. More recently Jones has said the Californian disaster would be preceded by two major quakes in Japan and California. Whether or not we have just had those these last few days of July or not (they were moderate sized not exactly big) is hard to tell.
Prophet Bob Hartley declared earlier this year that before he would leave office Bush would have the chance be merciful towards California (perhaps he means will do more and sooner than he did at the Katrina disaster!). The British prophet, and co-founder of God TV, Wendy Alec, has recently said she felt obliged to release a vision she had held to herself for some weeks (since June). She had a terrifying vision about the destruction before too long of northern Californian and especially San Francisco. (LA would also be hurt but less so than Frisco). She had been woken to the words of “The Bay, the Bay, the Bay” which, though she grasped the vision was about California, being British she said didn’t mean to her what it would to Californians. Only later she made the specific connection with Frisco as main flashpoint for the coming disaster.
Alec claims vision of almost unbelievable levels of destruction in town and country, the sky turned completely black, people long trapped and lost and many cursing rather than calling upon God in what she considers a city of idolatry that has turned to self indulgence and other gods – the sort of reason it seems Malone’s people feel necessity to preach in the Bay Area so that if nothing else many will be repent and die well. All pretty dark and stuff if valid and I won’t cite others in the same line at this time.
FATE AND “JUDGEMENT” IN CALIFORNIA
Whatever the truth I’m disposed to pause on the idea of judgement as against fate (the more astrological idea) that the slew of recent visions raises. Even if you believe you have it on revelation there’s ome some serious indulgence and idolatry prevalent in California, does God really have to judge it by wiping out thousands, many of them ordinary innocent people or babies?
One could wish for the prophets, especially if they actually are seeing true, a more enlightening and nuanced approach in this area. One simple point almost never really made by them is that the NT of their bibles repeatedly indicates that the (at least temporary) ruler of this world is not God but the Satan who offers Jesus the kingdoms of this world. It follows…arguably….that even the Creator scarcely has the right in a free will universe to intervene to defend people if they have gone beyond a certain level of idolatry and ethical abandon. Accordingly what is often portrayed as God’s judgement wrath is something more like God’s abandonment of a certain level of protection.
A person I came to realize had truly exceptional prophetic ability and who used to write to me in their last years in response to a website I once had, insisted he’d been shown protection being bit by bit withdrawn from America. Natural disasters (which are mostly natural and belong with the fate patterns of astrology) can, it seems, be at least mitigated if a population is “right with God”. If they’re not right then this world is free to become the devil’s destructive playground.
If third time round Malone and friends genuinely are onto something one would hope the residents, especially the gay residents of Frisco who have things to blame the churches for but who in turn have too easily tolerated events the likes of the profane hunky Jesus competitions for Good Friday, won’t totally dismiss the prophets. Also that in turn the prophets would emphasize the negatives of “idolatry” and greedy indulgence rather than the evil of being gay as such. That kind of unnecessary emphasis which seems to want to make out that every major US city is “Sodom” and the ethical measure how much one people tolerate gays (a line which has caused the tiresomely narrow Repent America group in Philadelphia such legal troubles) could make the work of the 44 ineffective before it even began. (Date setters for disaster may wonder how long the CRI prophet preaching “training” reckons to last!)
LIGHT AND DARK IN OBAMA TIMES
But to return to the fray regarding prophecy as prophecy conventionally understood (i.e. right forecasting rather than the moral pronouncement which it can also be) all the prophets have a bit of trouble with the fact that the ultra revival going global that emanates from Lakeland Florida, is happening now. This super Pentecost, or Last Pentecost was years ago forecast by some as something that would accompany a time of disasters in especially America. So in effect if heaven is beginning to open, the disasters (hell?) will need to come forth fairly soon too. We shall have to see. But perhaps I need to turn next to consideration of the person and stellar signs of the improbable Capricorn facilitator of the mega “revival”, Todd Bentley. In fact I had been going to do this but between recent quaking and what I have been asked to write on Obama I haven’t done this, but it can follow next.
Monday, July 14, 2008
NEWS FOR WYD: PROVING MAJORIE LIDDY AND HER VISION RIGHT
AN ABORIGINAL VISION OF THE SPIRIT
The symbol dominating Pope Benedict’s visit to Australia and World Youth Day (WYD) is an image of the bird of the Holy Spirit as seen in vision by an Aboriginal woman, Marjorie Liddy on Melville Island in August ‘04. It’s unusual for churches, especially the Catholic, to emphasize the Holy Spirit. One reason it’s now doing so is because Australia, as noted by the Pope at the start of his journey to WYD, is Terra Australis del Espiritu Santu, (Great Southland of the Holy Spirit) according to a declaration in 1606 by the Portuguese explorer, Pedro Fernandez de Quiras. It’s a title Catholics and Protestants alike have subsequently taken as “prophetic” for a country so far not notably spiritual – even “godless” according to the Pope back in 2005.
But now it seems the Holy Spirit has appeared and done so to signify what many believe could be a turning point in Australia’s spiritual destiny. However, much hinges here on the credibility of Majorie Liddy’s vision which it would be easy to dismiss as a superstitious tale seized upon in the interests of Vatican hype. But this would be wrong. The coincidences I shall outline are too many to dismiss and if Christians care to dismiss them then perhaps they should start protesting reference to the Magi and their signs get extracted from their Bibles. But first and briefly there is the vision itself. It is undeniably precious since visions of the Holy Spirit are almost never reported though I have considered the significance of a modern case in the article: If the Holy Spirit Can Be Seen (19th March ‘07 on this Blog)
A VISION AT FULL MOON
August 30th 2004 was the day of the full moon. That evening Majorie Liddy, a devout Catholic of the Tiwi tribe, had been fishing on the Timor Sea with her son. Around 9pm Majorie’s son began staring at the sky. Majorie looked and saw a vast “painting” of a bird in dots (i.e like many Aboriginal dot paintings), its wings covering the whole sky and touching the ends of the horizon. A golden halo surrounded its head. Majorie began to sing a hymn and dance with joy. Her son who saw a large bird was puzzled but Majorie insisted it wasn’t just a bird it was the Holy Spirit, upon declaring which the halo burst showering “sparkles of gold” such as Majorie had never seen towards the earth. The indigenous picture of this bird of the Spirit is adorning the chusables (priestly over garments) of Cardinals during the current WYD celebrations.
IT WAS TRUE AND A MOMENT OF REVELATION
Apart from affirming a person involved in a vision is honest and reliable and effects of the vision positive there’s no way unless one to certify what was seen was somehow objectively the case and that is to take the qualities and symbols of the time if known. In this instance the pattern of meaning within the same heavens Majorie was looking at (but in a different way!) could hardly be stronger. I’ll take data of the event bit by bit - connecting the dots one might say!
Rising over the eastern horizon at 9pm was the asteroid, VERITAS (truth). There is an asteroid, Lie, in case you were wondering. And the truth of this moment was involved with a revelation. How can we affirm “revelation”?
In event patterns the moon is deemed the timer/trigger. Suitably enough for a vision while out fishing the moon was in the fish and seas sign, Pisces, conjunct THE PART OF REVELATION. And this same Part was, besides, in the sector of dreams and visions (the 12th). The PART OF REVELATION like all so called Arabic Parts is only a mathematical point yet it works. As I noted in an article of New Zealand’s Investigate Magazine last April at the time Seven Colombians alleged that in 1995 they were transported to hell and saw among others there John Lennon who called out to Christ, not only were the asteroids for Lennon and Christ in conjunction, reflecting a claim they met, but they were so in the hell sector of the Event chart in which was placed THE PART OF REVELATION.
A TIME THAT WAS JESUS LINKED
The same truth telling VERITAS that was rising over the horizon at 9pm, was doing so in Aries the same sign rising in the commonly accepted chart for modern Australia. By convention Aries rising in any pattern means the “ruler” of that pattern has to be Mars. Significantly Mars at the time of the vision was conjunct the JESUS asteroid as though the event had Jesus’ authority or permission. In any case the sun of the day was conjunct the CHRIST asteroid, which surely reinforces any such religious readings of the vision event…..
THE EVENT WAS ABOUT AUSTRALIA
To inquire what any event is “about” one needs to look especially especially at the Midheaven angle (destiny/reputation/career) of the time and its adjoining sector (the 10th). The vision’s Midheaven was Capricorn, birth sign of the Australian Federation (1.1.1901). Fortunately trining it was asteroid AUSTRALIA as though to make the Australian association absolutely clear. (Specialists might also note the sun on the fateful day was likewise in exact fortunate aspect to Australia’s foundational Saturn the nation’s “ruling” planet given the Federation’s birth under Capricorn).
THE POPE WAS DESTINED TO GIVE THE VISION PROMINENCE
Conjuncting the destiny Midheaven was asteroid RATZINGER, the Pope’s name. This if nothing else seems like a promise that what happened at this moment is something that subsequently the present pope would absorb, endorse and associate with as he is presently doing.
THE VISION’S SPECIAL ABORIGINAL RELEVANCE
Beyond specific associations with political Australia earthy Capricorn is very much the sign of any aboriginality and long tradition. The aboriginal roots of Australia, the suffering and historic complaint of such as “the lost generation” seem highlighted within the picture by the fact that Chiron, the “wounded healer” planetoid, is near the Midheaven in the destiny house in Capricorn. Something ancient, powerful and wounded is being emphasized and it is this energy which is perceiving the vision. And this vision must to some extent be linked, as here it is, to Venus – traditional symbol of art and of any doves, the doves of Venus. And here I am going to be a bit precise….
LINKS OF THE VISION TO THE FIRST PENTECOST
I claim to possess the true and still working chart for Christianity, i.e. the chart of the first Pentecost when the spirit descended as a fiery dove. That pattern shows Venus in fire conjuncting Christianity’s destiny Midheaven. I knew this pattern was correct and relevant to this day years before I could also know the asteroids for remote dates which now support my assumptions about various exactitudes of the chart. So I knew Venus was the symbol of the Holy Spirit in at any rate any visible, revealed form – in other contexts the proper symbol would be Uranus and this planet was again highlighted in Majorie’s pattern albeit by certain technicalities (like its empowerment on a so-called critical degree, one also corresponding to the degree of the fated nodes that day). But what is the relevance of the Venus factor to Majorie’s vision of the Spirit?
Majorie is an Aboriginal who sees things in terms of the land and the earth. She has maintained the Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of the Land itself. Suitably the wounded Chiron symbol is in earthy Capricorn directly opposite Venus in watery Cancer. Accordingly the Spirit which appears to Marjorie over the waters challenges her beliefs (after the manner of oppositions) so she declares the Spirit is also the Spirit indwelling the land. However Majorie who doesn’t name the bird did, in Pentecostal style, see a bird and still fiery in its way – it showers supernatural golden sparkles over the land.
MAJORIE’S “BIRD” WAS A DOVE
Years after I was convinced that Venus represented the Spirit at Pentecost against all probability confirming this I discovered that at Pentecost Venus was conjuncted by the asteroid, COLUMBIA, a variant of the latin Columba and meaning DOVE. So I find it significant that at the time of Majorie’s vision, the wounded Chiron in aboriginal earth that opposed (was challenged by) Venus was itself conjuncts COLUMBIA. We may take it that the unnamed bird of the vision that assumed an aboriginal aspect was, as we might expect, still the Dove of Pentecost.
THE MESSAGE WAITING FOR A MARJORIE TO RECEIVE
Any messages are linked to Mercury. Mercury at the time of Majorie’s vision was not only fortunately trine the Galactic Centre (events in religion) but Australia’s own Mercury which itself is conjunct the Galactic Centre. Small wonder Australia would get to hear what she said and the message would have strong reverberation in the world of religion. And small wonder that a Majorie would give the message. Though purists might prefer a slightly closer conjunction for an asteroid with a planet the fact is there happens to be an asteroid MARJORIE and it was within 2 degrees of conjunction with Mercury!
PROPHECYING AUSTRALIA: WILL IT BECOME THE SOUTHLAND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
It has always been a slight problem for interpreters of modern Australia’s birth pattern that it almost incongruously shows a strong ninth sector, traditionally and principally “the house of God”, of philosophy religion and pilgrimage. This has been explained, (or explained away!) by emphasizing linked themes of the sector like emigration and the tyranny of distance. More likely however it is a prophecy. One day, Australia might actually become a very spiritual and visionary place.
If that’s so it could happen and soon. The Pope’s visit and WYD in some respects only helps exteriorize and reflect more subterranean trends beginning to surface of which Majorie Liddy’s vision is symptomatic and would be more recognized if some of us were not so pre- censored by a mostly disinterested Australian media and publishing that we can’t get important facts and information out.
I have given a little indication of this situation in my article of July 1st, Ruckins McKinley Chooses a Good Time, Ruckins being a prophet who has declared truly dramatic things over Australia. Even there I haven’t described just what was said or what was going on, the crowds calling down the fire of the Spirit in what some would have felt was a very unnerving and special performance of something. At least on some (like someone I trust reporting on an occasion I didn’t attend) the effects were devastating even by the standards of those perfectly familiar with the more charismatic expressions of religion – it was like being hit by bolts of lightning.
More than the Pope the Holy Spirit, it seems, has special designs upon Australia and you have seen and heard nothing yet.
CHRISTIANITY AND FULL MOONS AND THE FUTURE
In the days before astrology and horoscopes as we know them even existed the prophet Isaiah inveighed against those who forecast by new moons. Times have moved on and not only was Christ’s birth an event for astrology but full moons are rather important if you know how to read them as they didn’t in Isaiah’s times. Full moons are not just the property of witches dancing in a ring. Majorie’s vision occurred at full moon. Last month’s full moon hit the Galactic Centre and had affinity for the likes of Ruckins’ mid month declarations. This month’s full moon conjuncts Australia’s destiny Midheaven and puts the country under the international spotlight as the Pope comes here. Sydney’s papal mass of this Thursday falls just prior to the full moon which oversees Friday’s Stations of the Cross around Sydney.
When the excitement of the papal visit is over it is unlikely to be the end of something ,it will only be a beginning. All the signs are that a lot more is on the way, that something right now is only beginning and it could indeed be that the ancient Portuguese “prophecy” will turn out to be Australia’s unexpected new reality.
.
The symbol dominating Pope Benedict’s visit to Australia and World Youth Day (WYD) is an image of the bird of the Holy Spirit as seen in vision by an Aboriginal woman, Marjorie Liddy on Melville Island in August ‘04. It’s unusual for churches, especially the Catholic, to emphasize the Holy Spirit. One reason it’s now doing so is because Australia, as noted by the Pope at the start of his journey to WYD, is Terra Australis del Espiritu Santu, (Great Southland of the Holy Spirit) according to a declaration in 1606 by the Portuguese explorer, Pedro Fernandez de Quiras. It’s a title Catholics and Protestants alike have subsequently taken as “prophetic” for a country so far not notably spiritual – even “godless” according to the Pope back in 2005.
But now it seems the Holy Spirit has appeared and done so to signify what many believe could be a turning point in Australia’s spiritual destiny. However, much hinges here on the credibility of Majorie Liddy’s vision which it would be easy to dismiss as a superstitious tale seized upon in the interests of Vatican hype. But this would be wrong. The coincidences I shall outline are too many to dismiss and if Christians care to dismiss them then perhaps they should start protesting reference to the Magi and their signs get extracted from their Bibles. But first and briefly there is the vision itself. It is undeniably precious since visions of the Holy Spirit are almost never reported though I have considered the significance of a modern case in the article: If the Holy Spirit Can Be Seen (19th March ‘07 on this Blog)
A VISION AT FULL MOON
August 30th 2004 was the day of the full moon. That evening Majorie Liddy, a devout Catholic of the Tiwi tribe, had been fishing on the Timor Sea with her son. Around 9pm Majorie’s son began staring at the sky. Majorie looked and saw a vast “painting” of a bird in dots (i.e like many Aboriginal dot paintings), its wings covering the whole sky and touching the ends of the horizon. A golden halo surrounded its head. Majorie began to sing a hymn and dance with joy. Her son who saw a large bird was puzzled but Majorie insisted it wasn’t just a bird it was the Holy Spirit, upon declaring which the halo burst showering “sparkles of gold” such as Majorie had never seen towards the earth. The indigenous picture of this bird of the Spirit is adorning the chusables (priestly over garments) of Cardinals during the current WYD celebrations.
IT WAS TRUE AND A MOMENT OF REVELATION
Apart from affirming a person involved in a vision is honest and reliable and effects of the vision positive there’s no way unless one to certify what was seen was somehow objectively the case and that is to take the qualities and symbols of the time if known. In this instance the pattern of meaning within the same heavens Majorie was looking at (but in a different way!) could hardly be stronger. I’ll take data of the event bit by bit - connecting the dots one might say!
Rising over the eastern horizon at 9pm was the asteroid, VERITAS (truth). There is an asteroid, Lie, in case you were wondering. And the truth of this moment was involved with a revelation. How can we affirm “revelation”?
In event patterns the moon is deemed the timer/trigger. Suitably enough for a vision while out fishing the moon was in the fish and seas sign, Pisces, conjunct THE PART OF REVELATION. And this same Part was, besides, in the sector of dreams and visions (the 12th). The PART OF REVELATION like all so called Arabic Parts is only a mathematical point yet it works. As I noted in an article of New Zealand’s Investigate Magazine last April at the time Seven Colombians alleged that in 1995 they were transported to hell and saw among others there John Lennon who called out to Christ, not only were the asteroids for Lennon and Christ in conjunction, reflecting a claim they met, but they were so in the hell sector of the Event chart in which was placed THE PART OF REVELATION.
A TIME THAT WAS JESUS LINKED
The same truth telling VERITAS that was rising over the horizon at 9pm, was doing so in Aries the same sign rising in the commonly accepted chart for modern Australia. By convention Aries rising in any pattern means the “ruler” of that pattern has to be Mars. Significantly Mars at the time of the vision was conjunct the JESUS asteroid as though the event had Jesus’ authority or permission. In any case the sun of the day was conjunct the CHRIST asteroid, which surely reinforces any such religious readings of the vision event…..
THE EVENT WAS ABOUT AUSTRALIA
To inquire what any event is “about” one needs to look especially especially at the Midheaven angle (destiny/reputation/career) of the time and its adjoining sector (the 10th). The vision’s Midheaven was Capricorn, birth sign of the Australian Federation (1.1.1901). Fortunately trining it was asteroid AUSTRALIA as though to make the Australian association absolutely clear. (Specialists might also note the sun on the fateful day was likewise in exact fortunate aspect to Australia’s foundational Saturn the nation’s “ruling” planet given the Federation’s birth under Capricorn).
THE POPE WAS DESTINED TO GIVE THE VISION PROMINENCE
Conjuncting the destiny Midheaven was asteroid RATZINGER, the Pope’s name. This if nothing else seems like a promise that what happened at this moment is something that subsequently the present pope would absorb, endorse and associate with as he is presently doing.
THE VISION’S SPECIAL ABORIGINAL RELEVANCE
Beyond specific associations with political Australia earthy Capricorn is very much the sign of any aboriginality and long tradition. The aboriginal roots of Australia, the suffering and historic complaint of such as “the lost generation” seem highlighted within the picture by the fact that Chiron, the “wounded healer” planetoid, is near the Midheaven in the destiny house in Capricorn. Something ancient, powerful and wounded is being emphasized and it is this energy which is perceiving the vision. And this vision must to some extent be linked, as here it is, to Venus – traditional symbol of art and of any doves, the doves of Venus. And here I am going to be a bit precise….
LINKS OF THE VISION TO THE FIRST PENTECOST
I claim to possess the true and still working chart for Christianity, i.e. the chart of the first Pentecost when the spirit descended as a fiery dove. That pattern shows Venus in fire conjuncting Christianity’s destiny Midheaven. I knew this pattern was correct and relevant to this day years before I could also know the asteroids for remote dates which now support my assumptions about various exactitudes of the chart. So I knew Venus was the symbol of the Holy Spirit in at any rate any visible, revealed form – in other contexts the proper symbol would be Uranus and this planet was again highlighted in Majorie’s pattern albeit by certain technicalities (like its empowerment on a so-called critical degree, one also corresponding to the degree of the fated nodes that day). But what is the relevance of the Venus factor to Majorie’s vision of the Spirit?
Majorie is an Aboriginal who sees things in terms of the land and the earth. She has maintained the Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of the Land itself. Suitably the wounded Chiron symbol is in earthy Capricorn directly opposite Venus in watery Cancer. Accordingly the Spirit which appears to Marjorie over the waters challenges her beliefs (after the manner of oppositions) so she declares the Spirit is also the Spirit indwelling the land. However Majorie who doesn’t name the bird did, in Pentecostal style, see a bird and still fiery in its way – it showers supernatural golden sparkles over the land.
MAJORIE’S “BIRD” WAS A DOVE
Years after I was convinced that Venus represented the Spirit at Pentecost against all probability confirming this I discovered that at Pentecost Venus was conjuncted by the asteroid, COLUMBIA, a variant of the latin Columba and meaning DOVE. So I find it significant that at the time of Majorie’s vision, the wounded Chiron in aboriginal earth that opposed (was challenged by) Venus was itself conjuncts COLUMBIA. We may take it that the unnamed bird of the vision that assumed an aboriginal aspect was, as we might expect, still the Dove of Pentecost.
THE MESSAGE WAITING FOR A MARJORIE TO RECEIVE
Any messages are linked to Mercury. Mercury at the time of Majorie’s vision was not only fortunately trine the Galactic Centre (events in religion) but Australia’s own Mercury which itself is conjunct the Galactic Centre. Small wonder Australia would get to hear what she said and the message would have strong reverberation in the world of religion. And small wonder that a Majorie would give the message. Though purists might prefer a slightly closer conjunction for an asteroid with a planet the fact is there happens to be an asteroid MARJORIE and it was within 2 degrees of conjunction with Mercury!
PROPHECYING AUSTRALIA: WILL IT BECOME THE SOUTHLAND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
It has always been a slight problem for interpreters of modern Australia’s birth pattern that it almost incongruously shows a strong ninth sector, traditionally and principally “the house of God”, of philosophy religion and pilgrimage. This has been explained, (or explained away!) by emphasizing linked themes of the sector like emigration and the tyranny of distance. More likely however it is a prophecy. One day, Australia might actually become a very spiritual and visionary place.
If that’s so it could happen and soon. The Pope’s visit and WYD in some respects only helps exteriorize and reflect more subterranean trends beginning to surface of which Majorie Liddy’s vision is symptomatic and would be more recognized if some of us were not so pre- censored by a mostly disinterested Australian media and publishing that we can’t get important facts and information out.
I have given a little indication of this situation in my article of July 1st, Ruckins McKinley Chooses a Good Time, Ruckins being a prophet who has declared truly dramatic things over Australia. Even there I haven’t described just what was said or what was going on, the crowds calling down the fire of the Spirit in what some would have felt was a very unnerving and special performance of something. At least on some (like someone I trust reporting on an occasion I didn’t attend) the effects were devastating even by the standards of those perfectly familiar with the more charismatic expressions of religion – it was like being hit by bolts of lightning.
More than the Pope the Holy Spirit, it seems, has special designs upon Australia and you have seen and heard nothing yet.
CHRISTIANITY AND FULL MOONS AND THE FUTURE
In the days before astrology and horoscopes as we know them even existed the prophet Isaiah inveighed against those who forecast by new moons. Times have moved on and not only was Christ’s birth an event for astrology but full moons are rather important if you know how to read them as they didn’t in Isaiah’s times. Full moons are not just the property of witches dancing in a ring. Majorie’s vision occurred at full moon. Last month’s full moon hit the Galactic Centre and had affinity for the likes of Ruckins’ mid month declarations. This month’s full moon conjuncts Australia’s destiny Midheaven and puts the country under the international spotlight as the Pope comes here. Sydney’s papal mass of this Thursday falls just prior to the full moon which oversees Friday’s Stations of the Cross around Sydney.
When the excitement of the papal visit is over it is unlikely to be the end of something ,it will only be a beginning. All the signs are that a lot more is on the way, that something right now is only beginning and it could indeed be that the ancient Portuguese “prophecy” will turn out to be Australia’s unexpected new reality.
.
Friday, July 4, 2008
HIDDEN ASPECTS OF THE ANGLICAN GAY SPLIT
HOMOSEXUALITY DIVIDES THE ANGLICAN CHURCH
On Monday June 30th The Australian newspaper declared what had happened in Jerusalem that weekend (Saturday evening according to London’s Sunday Times ) was perhaps the most historic event for the Anglican Church since the Reformation.
The statement may yet prove a bit extreme but the now actual or virtual declared split of the church into opposed liberal and conservative factions, the former under the Archbishop of Canterbury and the latter guided by Australia’s Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Jensen and Nigeria’s Archbishop Akinola(Christianity’s version of Robert Mugabe for high handedness) is undeniably unprecedented and serious. But it shouldn’t have been a surprise and amid all the uncertainties afflicting the Anglican Churches worldwide one thing was reasonably certain and that is that the split that has created FOCA, (The Fellowship of Conservative Anglicans) was pretty inevitable - “fated” one might say.
Since I regularly claim to have a unique knowledge regarding the astrology of Christianity which is working clearly for this crisis I shall emphasize this hidden aspect of affairs but there are others and I mention these especially later on.
ANGLICANISM AND THE DANGEROUS MONTH OF JUNE
At the beginning of June just prior to the month’s lunation (new moon) as this would be falling so closely conjunct the Saturn of Christianity’s birth I wondered what restriction or loss of rights somewhere on the globe it might portend given so much report of persecution recently. I was puzzled because, as indicated in my June 11th article about Ruckins McKinley’s declaration over Australia and the coming spiritual big wave, by contrast the full moon (which so often brings the promises of a lunation to fruition) was right on the Galactic Centre (events in religion) at 27 Sagittarius. So, to the extent I considered the matter I preferred to be positive and imagine contested but important affirmations, not historic church splits. And I didn’t give the subject much thought since, thanks to Telstra, I still wasn’t netted for purposes of research and was anyway much otherwise preoccupied.
However the Galactic Centre contact might be expected to produce rather more than the powerful, but still somewhat secret, events surrounding McKinley on which I have yet to comment. And I should have given more thought to how anything to Saturn in Gemini, the divisions sign, could be involved with undermining disputes, disputes that could especially affect the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. The Archbishop happens to be born under the Twins and has been regularly accused of two faced behavior and (in effect) sitting on the Geminian see-saw where his beliefs and policies are concerned. But Christianity itself was born under Gemini. It suffers this tendency to split, something that has bedeviled (Saturn equals Satan in religious contexts) the entire history of the faith in contradiction of Christ’s wish that “you may all be one”. Then, by tradition, though I’m not sure of its basis in dates historically, pragmatic Virgo is Anglicanism’s sign. (The Anglican Communion is a rather moralistic, pragmatic, rather than mystical sort of church much influenced by policies of the Virgoan Elizabeth 1st). If tradition is right then Saturn currently in Virgo should make things tricky for Anglicans and perhaps too for churches beyond it since currently Saturn in Virgo is setting up afflictions to factors in the birth of Christianity such as Sun (its identity) and Jupiter (its beliefs).
When in November ‘03 a gay bishop was consecrated in America Jupiter (religion/beliefs) was going direct in Virgo (sign of Anglicanism) and making positive aspect to Christianity’s Mercury in its leadership sector. Now that the same ordination is being declared an abomination, Jupiter, currently in conservative Capricorn, is moving in retrograde so in line with this is the call to “get back” to basic, traditional beliefs. But significantly Saturday’s declaration occurred almost exactly as Uranus (any issues to do with homosexuality) after many months also turned apparent retrograde, so that the desire is to reverse, go back upon, the whole development of openness regarding gay issues.
ASTEROID CANTERBURY MARKS THE ANGLICAN LEADERS, URANUS IS ANY GAY CONTROVERSY
While Anglicanism as a religion is associated with Virgo its leadership is indicated by the asteroid, Canterbury in another ritualistic earth sign, Taurus. Asteroid Canterbury though still unnamed at the time was at almost 28 Taurus at Christianity’s birth. Two thousand years later, in November 03, when gay Bishop Robinson was consecrated as first(out) gay bishop - there have been plenty of the closeted variety across history! - the always gay relevant Uranus was making direct difficulty square to asteroid Canterbury from 28 of Aquarius, the sign of Uranus’ rulership while Venus (ceremonies and good feelings) was opposing Canterbury from 28 Scorpio. And there would of course be plenty of difficulty and on any purely PR rather than theological basis arguably Robinson was not the best candidate for any first gay bishop and only a certain American emotionalism pushed him in. But that’s another issue.
On June 16th in London what some saw as a virtual gay marriage, an Anglican first, was celebrated in St Bartholomew’s Church for a New Zealand priest and his chaplain. This was the final straw for the conservatives. On Saturday 29th June ‘08 the aggressive action planet Mars was at 28 of Leo, opposing the position of Uranus at Robinson’s consecration and making difficulty square to Christianity’s Canterbury. Anglican leadership was in trouble, indeed its Archbishop was copping a lot of flack. Gayness, in religion at least, was in trouble too because if we take asteroid, Gaily as the gay asteroid (which empirically there is every good reason to believe we should), Mars at 28 Leo last Saturday was declaring war though a conjunction with Christianity’s Gaily at 29 Leo.
Uranus of course can never be overlooked whenever there’s any controversy around gays or almost any controversy about anything the problem for gays being that they are all too often allowed to be the symbol of any dispute and function as the proverbial scapegoat. Typically and disgracefully in recent controversies over a gay parade in Jerusalem, a leading rabbi was trying to organize opposition on the basis Jewish gays were all “evil criminals”.
HOMOSEXUALITY WORSE THAN ATHEISM? AND WHAT ABOUT ARCHBISHOP JENSEN’S INTEGRITY?
Even if you believe homosexuals and homosexuality are immoral what mental trick arrives at this criminality idea? And we may well ask that regarding the abrasive, fanatical Archbishop Akinola. He has been actively encouraging the Nigerian government to jail gays for 5 years at a time. At the last Lambeth conference of Anglicans in ‘98 which nearly came to blows over homosexuality with Akinola doing a lot to turn up the heat (one bishop present told me the atmosphere was so aggressive he would prefer never to attend another Lambeth) gay and revolutionary Uranus was directly afflicted by conservative Saturn in the horoscope of Christianity. And now again for this July’s Lambeth conference Uranus is again in aspect to Saturn though less drastically.
There is a huge irony in what is going on. Strictly speaking, the Anglican Communion should have been soul searching, (and if it wanted to heresy hunt then heresy hunting) over priests who denied the church’s creed or even the existence of God through the Christian atheism of the Sea of Faith movement. Yet just this got passed over in favour of making mere blessings on gay unions (marriages aren’t even in question as in the Scandinavian churches!)and the ordination of gay clergy (which the church has always tacitly been doing) its trigger point for schism. But then, although as mentioned the St Bartholemew’s ceremony of gay blessing whose ritual was seen as virtually a marriage was a trigger for the wrath of conservatives , it’s pretty clear the split is interested beyond simply the gay issue that is its pretext.
There is an urge outside of England and America (in the “Global South”) to establish what is thought of as a post-colonial, non western independence from foundational Anglicanism plus, over in Nigeria where the church has been periodically harassed by Muslims, Archbishop Akinola seeks to appease Muslim criticisms that Christianity is decadent and the pervert church. So, respectability and power issues come into play here. But also some rank fanaticism. As said, Akinola supports jailing gays. We don’t hear all his evangelical supporters condemning him for this. Many may even tacitly support it thus encouraging the suspicion of liberals and secularists that all contemporary talk from conservative Christians about loving the sinner but not the sin and that of course gays must have their rights (an idea none would have had and never voiced prior to Gay Liberation) is convenient lies or at least serious self deception best ignored. And what about Archbishop Jensen? Precisely who and what is this Sydney cleric who makes himself party to support of the Akinola who doesn't wish to sit at table or be in the same room as a homosexual?
It is interesting that Archbishop Jensen of Sydney is a Cancerian (11.7.1943). Cancer is a prime difficulty sign as regards homosexuality. On the one hand Gay Liberation itself was founded under Cancer (on the 28th, rather than the 29th of June, 1969 and at that in America, the nation founded under Cancer, the mother sign. The Great Mother can seem at once permissive and threatening. She tolerates and includes much that others wouldn’t so easily but certainly she troubles heterosexuality, or at least that of heterosexual males. Cancerian males frequently distrust their own and other men’s feminine side and can quite sensationally overcompensate a la Ernest Hemingway who was all for boxing and bull fights and abusing gays in the street. It is in America that homosexuality is most promoted and contested. So, within Anglicanism it is not surprising that once again Cancer will produce the schism trump card – and although homosexuality wasn’t the basis of the schism but rather a divorce let’s note that Anglicanism’s great schism began through the work of the Cancerian Henry V111.
The fire-cracker natal astrology of the rather impossible Archbishop Akinola, an Aquarian (27.1.1944) is something I had better not comment upon. As rebel and maverick Akinola is all of a textbook Aquarian but the sign is also traditionally the sign of all things alternative while a conjunction of Mars and Uranus such as Akinola sports is quite a feature of gay charts (Akinola himself has six kids). So Akinola is finding his own ways to be subversive and different and above all divisive since his Mars/Uranus is of course, in Christianity and Archbishop William’s Gemini.
THE LEGACY OF AFRICAN CHRISTIAN INTOLERANCE
Since this July the Lambeth Conference brings Anglicans from all quarters together it is interesting that the July full moon hits within minutes Christianity’s Part of Homosexuality - interesting because obviously despite, (or even because of), the split the issue will continue to be discussed and I gather that some people, like those of the Other Sheep organization, are pressing for consideration of matters the bullying approach of Archbishop Akinola and other African clergy and their Australian supporters are overlooking.
African clergy may protest that English and American Anglicans (i.e. Episcopalians) have gone too far for the church to be recognizable but they also conveniently ignore the incredible and themselves unchristian oppressions they have been overseeing in the African churches. They constantly promote the lie any anthropologist can refute that homosexuality is not native to Africa but an English import; they have silenced and dismissed theologians from colleges if they express any kind of sexually liberal view and are so damning of gays there is a legacy of depression and suicides among gay African Christians as a result.
I fancy that with Canterbury in easy trine in one direction to Christianity’s Part of Homosexuality mainstream Anglicanism would always be something of a gay friendly church no matter the consequences – and as said, all that has really happened is that what was previously closeted has become open - but it will be interesting to see just what the consequences now are. However, I’m inclined to suppose that events in church and world over the coming year may somewhat distract from this question, pressing though it is and may be expected to remain. I suspect the solar and lunar eclipses of August will keep things lively in and out of the church in more ways than one.
J’ACCUSE: AUSTRALIAN CENSORSHIP DIDN’T CHALLENGE ARCHBISHOP JENSEN
My final word is the sour grapes one from someone writing in Australia which is not quite the West of the controversy (though it would like to think so) nor the Global South of many dissidents but simply a place where too much censorship and secrecy favouring every cabal and intrigue prevails. It is plain now that it would have been better for church and world if there had been more close examination and intelligent debate of the divisive Archbishop Jensen’s ideas. Like so many who presume to deal with the issue of gays in the church he gives no indication beyond conservative cliches of really knowing anything about the subject whether at the social or theological level. Developments in thought and scholarship regarding it pass him and others of his kind by and the whole crudely dismissive Australian system allows it.
My A Special Illumination, published in London at the end of '04 was based on a world first, trans-cultural, trans-historical doctoral study on the varieties of gay spirituality from a religious studies department. It included what a friend of the Archbishop of Canterbury judged as probably the best survey of gay theology available. But I obtained no support whatsoever in Australia for promoting it. Likewise a friend from the same dept, Michael Carden, who has published on what is probably the definitive study of the history of Judaeo-Christian understanding of the Sodom story has not been inquired of here. What is the point of study and research in Australia?.....
I was rudely told by a member of the ABC religion department that I hadn’t even written about religion. The editor of a leading paper pompously assured me Australia had experts enough to talk about these religious affairs – in this area that’s hardly true, but at least he didn’t deny I was talking about religion. I could go on but the roll call of questionable conduct in this area just goes on and on. I have never even had apology from another paper for the terrible trouble caused by the disinformation I had done a doctorate not on gay issues but Jesus’ sexuality! Australia’s black and white crude approach to the gays and religion subject makes for simply dismissing Archbishop Jensen as a conservative. That’s not good enough, it reduces everything to media bites and it’s ineffective to assist real change. Information and intellectual pre-censorship keeps Australia behind Europe in mumbers of ways and it has helped to support the questionable policies and actions of the Archbishop of Sydney at what The Australian would define as a historic moment.
On Monday June 30th The Australian newspaper declared what had happened in Jerusalem that weekend (Saturday evening according to London’s Sunday Times ) was perhaps the most historic event for the Anglican Church since the Reformation.
The statement may yet prove a bit extreme but the now actual or virtual declared split of the church into opposed liberal and conservative factions, the former under the Archbishop of Canterbury and the latter guided by Australia’s Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Jensen and Nigeria’s Archbishop Akinola(Christianity’s version of Robert Mugabe for high handedness) is undeniably unprecedented and serious. But it shouldn’t have been a surprise and amid all the uncertainties afflicting the Anglican Churches worldwide one thing was reasonably certain and that is that the split that has created FOCA, (The Fellowship of Conservative Anglicans) was pretty inevitable - “fated” one might say.
Since I regularly claim to have a unique knowledge regarding the astrology of Christianity which is working clearly for this crisis I shall emphasize this hidden aspect of affairs but there are others and I mention these especially later on.
ANGLICANISM AND THE DANGEROUS MONTH OF JUNE
At the beginning of June just prior to the month’s lunation (new moon) as this would be falling so closely conjunct the Saturn of Christianity’s birth I wondered what restriction or loss of rights somewhere on the globe it might portend given so much report of persecution recently. I was puzzled because, as indicated in my June 11th article about Ruckins McKinley’s declaration over Australia and the coming spiritual big wave, by contrast the full moon (which so often brings the promises of a lunation to fruition) was right on the Galactic Centre (events in religion) at 27 Sagittarius. So, to the extent I considered the matter I preferred to be positive and imagine contested but important affirmations, not historic church splits. And I didn’t give the subject much thought since, thanks to Telstra, I still wasn’t netted for purposes of research and was anyway much otherwise preoccupied.
However the Galactic Centre contact might be expected to produce rather more than the powerful, but still somewhat secret, events surrounding McKinley on which I have yet to comment. And I should have given more thought to how anything to Saturn in Gemini, the divisions sign, could be involved with undermining disputes, disputes that could especially affect the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. The Archbishop happens to be born under the Twins and has been regularly accused of two faced behavior and (in effect) sitting on the Geminian see-saw where his beliefs and policies are concerned. But Christianity itself was born under Gemini. It suffers this tendency to split, something that has bedeviled (Saturn equals Satan in religious contexts) the entire history of the faith in contradiction of Christ’s wish that “you may all be one”. Then, by tradition, though I’m not sure of its basis in dates historically, pragmatic Virgo is Anglicanism’s sign. (The Anglican Communion is a rather moralistic, pragmatic, rather than mystical sort of church much influenced by policies of the Virgoan Elizabeth 1st). If tradition is right then Saturn currently in Virgo should make things tricky for Anglicans and perhaps too for churches beyond it since currently Saturn in Virgo is setting up afflictions to factors in the birth of Christianity such as Sun (its identity) and Jupiter (its beliefs).
When in November ‘03 a gay bishop was consecrated in America Jupiter (religion/beliefs) was going direct in Virgo (sign of Anglicanism) and making positive aspect to Christianity’s Mercury in its leadership sector. Now that the same ordination is being declared an abomination, Jupiter, currently in conservative Capricorn, is moving in retrograde so in line with this is the call to “get back” to basic, traditional beliefs. But significantly Saturday’s declaration occurred almost exactly as Uranus (any issues to do with homosexuality) after many months also turned apparent retrograde, so that the desire is to reverse, go back upon, the whole development of openness regarding gay issues.
ASTEROID CANTERBURY MARKS THE ANGLICAN LEADERS, URANUS IS ANY GAY CONTROVERSY
While Anglicanism as a religion is associated with Virgo its leadership is indicated by the asteroid, Canterbury in another ritualistic earth sign, Taurus. Asteroid Canterbury though still unnamed at the time was at almost 28 Taurus at Christianity’s birth. Two thousand years later, in November 03, when gay Bishop Robinson was consecrated as first(out) gay bishop - there have been plenty of the closeted variety across history! - the always gay relevant Uranus was making direct difficulty square to asteroid Canterbury from 28 of Aquarius, the sign of Uranus’ rulership while Venus (ceremonies and good feelings) was opposing Canterbury from 28 Scorpio. And there would of course be plenty of difficulty and on any purely PR rather than theological basis arguably Robinson was not the best candidate for any first gay bishop and only a certain American emotionalism pushed him in. But that’s another issue.
On June 16th in London what some saw as a virtual gay marriage, an Anglican first, was celebrated in St Bartholomew’s Church for a New Zealand priest and his chaplain. This was the final straw for the conservatives. On Saturday 29th June ‘08 the aggressive action planet Mars was at 28 of Leo, opposing the position of Uranus at Robinson’s consecration and making difficulty square to Christianity’s Canterbury. Anglican leadership was in trouble, indeed its Archbishop was copping a lot of flack. Gayness, in religion at least, was in trouble too because if we take asteroid, Gaily as the gay asteroid (which empirically there is every good reason to believe we should), Mars at 28 Leo last Saturday was declaring war though a conjunction with Christianity’s Gaily at 29 Leo.
Uranus of course can never be overlooked whenever there’s any controversy around gays or almost any controversy about anything the problem for gays being that they are all too often allowed to be the symbol of any dispute and function as the proverbial scapegoat. Typically and disgracefully in recent controversies over a gay parade in Jerusalem, a leading rabbi was trying to organize opposition on the basis Jewish gays were all “evil criminals”.
HOMOSEXUALITY WORSE THAN ATHEISM? AND WHAT ABOUT ARCHBISHOP JENSEN’S INTEGRITY?
Even if you believe homosexuals and homosexuality are immoral what mental trick arrives at this criminality idea? And we may well ask that regarding the abrasive, fanatical Archbishop Akinola. He has been actively encouraging the Nigerian government to jail gays for 5 years at a time. At the last Lambeth conference of Anglicans in ‘98 which nearly came to blows over homosexuality with Akinola doing a lot to turn up the heat (one bishop present told me the atmosphere was so aggressive he would prefer never to attend another Lambeth) gay and revolutionary Uranus was directly afflicted by conservative Saturn in the horoscope of Christianity. And now again for this July’s Lambeth conference Uranus is again in aspect to Saturn though less drastically.
There is a huge irony in what is going on. Strictly speaking, the Anglican Communion should have been soul searching, (and if it wanted to heresy hunt then heresy hunting) over priests who denied the church’s creed or even the existence of God through the Christian atheism of the Sea of Faith movement. Yet just this got passed over in favour of making mere blessings on gay unions (marriages aren’t even in question as in the Scandinavian churches!)and the ordination of gay clergy (which the church has always tacitly been doing) its trigger point for schism. But then, although as mentioned the St Bartholemew’s ceremony of gay blessing whose ritual was seen as virtually a marriage was a trigger for the wrath of conservatives , it’s pretty clear the split is interested beyond simply the gay issue that is its pretext.
There is an urge outside of England and America (in the “Global South”) to establish what is thought of as a post-colonial, non western independence from foundational Anglicanism plus, over in Nigeria where the church has been periodically harassed by Muslims, Archbishop Akinola seeks to appease Muslim criticisms that Christianity is decadent and the pervert church. So, respectability and power issues come into play here. But also some rank fanaticism. As said, Akinola supports jailing gays. We don’t hear all his evangelical supporters condemning him for this. Many may even tacitly support it thus encouraging the suspicion of liberals and secularists that all contemporary talk from conservative Christians about loving the sinner but not the sin and that of course gays must have their rights (an idea none would have had and never voiced prior to Gay Liberation) is convenient lies or at least serious self deception best ignored. And what about Archbishop Jensen? Precisely who and what is this Sydney cleric who makes himself party to support of the Akinola who doesn't wish to sit at table or be in the same room as a homosexual?
It is interesting that Archbishop Jensen of Sydney is a Cancerian (11.7.1943). Cancer is a prime difficulty sign as regards homosexuality. On the one hand Gay Liberation itself was founded under Cancer (on the 28th, rather than the 29th of June, 1969 and at that in America, the nation founded under Cancer, the mother sign. The Great Mother can seem at once permissive and threatening. She tolerates and includes much that others wouldn’t so easily but certainly she troubles heterosexuality, or at least that of heterosexual males. Cancerian males frequently distrust their own and other men’s feminine side and can quite sensationally overcompensate a la Ernest Hemingway who was all for boxing and bull fights and abusing gays in the street. It is in America that homosexuality is most promoted and contested. So, within Anglicanism it is not surprising that once again Cancer will produce the schism trump card – and although homosexuality wasn’t the basis of the schism but rather a divorce let’s note that Anglicanism’s great schism began through the work of the Cancerian Henry V111.
The fire-cracker natal astrology of the rather impossible Archbishop Akinola, an Aquarian (27.1.1944) is something I had better not comment upon. As rebel and maverick Akinola is all of a textbook Aquarian but the sign is also traditionally the sign of all things alternative while a conjunction of Mars and Uranus such as Akinola sports is quite a feature of gay charts (Akinola himself has six kids). So Akinola is finding his own ways to be subversive and different and above all divisive since his Mars/Uranus is of course, in Christianity and Archbishop William’s Gemini.
THE LEGACY OF AFRICAN CHRISTIAN INTOLERANCE
Since this July the Lambeth Conference brings Anglicans from all quarters together it is interesting that the July full moon hits within minutes Christianity’s Part of Homosexuality - interesting because obviously despite, (or even because of), the split the issue will continue to be discussed and I gather that some people, like those of the Other Sheep organization, are pressing for consideration of matters the bullying approach of Archbishop Akinola and other African clergy and their Australian supporters are overlooking.
African clergy may protest that English and American Anglicans (i.e. Episcopalians) have gone too far for the church to be recognizable but they also conveniently ignore the incredible and themselves unchristian oppressions they have been overseeing in the African churches. They constantly promote the lie any anthropologist can refute that homosexuality is not native to Africa but an English import; they have silenced and dismissed theologians from colleges if they express any kind of sexually liberal view and are so damning of gays there is a legacy of depression and suicides among gay African Christians as a result.
I fancy that with Canterbury in easy trine in one direction to Christianity’s Part of Homosexuality mainstream Anglicanism would always be something of a gay friendly church no matter the consequences – and as said, all that has really happened is that what was previously closeted has become open - but it will be interesting to see just what the consequences now are. However, I’m inclined to suppose that events in church and world over the coming year may somewhat distract from this question, pressing though it is and may be expected to remain. I suspect the solar and lunar eclipses of August will keep things lively in and out of the church in more ways than one.
J’ACCUSE: AUSTRALIAN CENSORSHIP DIDN’T CHALLENGE ARCHBISHOP JENSEN
My final word is the sour grapes one from someone writing in Australia which is not quite the West of the controversy (though it would like to think so) nor the Global South of many dissidents but simply a place where too much censorship and secrecy favouring every cabal and intrigue prevails. It is plain now that it would have been better for church and world if there had been more close examination and intelligent debate of the divisive Archbishop Jensen’s ideas. Like so many who presume to deal with the issue of gays in the church he gives no indication beyond conservative cliches of really knowing anything about the subject whether at the social or theological level. Developments in thought and scholarship regarding it pass him and others of his kind by and the whole crudely dismissive Australian system allows it.
My A Special Illumination, published in London at the end of '04 was based on a world first, trans-cultural, trans-historical doctoral study on the varieties of gay spirituality from a religious studies department. It included what a friend of the Archbishop of Canterbury judged as probably the best survey of gay theology available. But I obtained no support whatsoever in Australia for promoting it. Likewise a friend from the same dept, Michael Carden, who has published on what is probably the definitive study of the history of Judaeo-Christian understanding of the Sodom story has not been inquired of here. What is the point of study and research in Australia?.....
I was rudely told by a member of the ABC religion department that I hadn’t even written about religion. The editor of a leading paper pompously assured me Australia had experts enough to talk about these religious affairs – in this area that’s hardly true, but at least he didn’t deny I was talking about religion. I could go on but the roll call of questionable conduct in this area just goes on and on. I have never even had apology from another paper for the terrible trouble caused by the disinformation I had done a doctorate not on gay issues but Jesus’ sexuality! Australia’s black and white crude approach to the gays and religion subject makes for simply dismissing Archbishop Jensen as a conservative. That’s not good enough, it reduces everything to media bites and it’s ineffective to assist real change. Information and intellectual pre-censorship keeps Australia behind Europe in mumbers of ways and it has helped to support the questionable policies and actions of the Archbishop of Sydney at what The Australian would define as a historic moment.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
TELSTRA TROUBLES
A WORSE THAN USUAL TELSTRA TALE
Almost everyone in Australia has their Telstra story but my own might be a bit worse than some, It's also the principle reason I have put nothing to this Blog for the nealry two months since I returned from China. Two politicians and the department of the Ombudsman for Communications has been contacted in the course of this sorry tale but it doesn't mean resolution has been or will be any faster. In fact, not even for a politician is Telstra necessarily available to give answer.
Under unforeseen circumstances pressing in since January in early April I left Hong Kong where I had been teaching and living a fairly leisurely existence for around 15 months on Lamma Island. Lamma used to be referred to as Hippie Island and you still walk or bike around because there are only paths not roads but it's not so remote from civilisation I didn't have all mod cons including phone and full broadband access and within days of obtaining myself a apartment with a view there.
One reason I'd been in HKong was to be in reach of my elderly father who had had a triple by pass operation. Early this year I realized he was in various difficulties where he had been living for years and I needed to get him back to Australia rather fast, buy and settle him into a property there. We moved into a house in rural but not outback Queensland (back of Sunshine Coast Hinterland) on April 18th. Things have been fairly good here except......we have had no phone and myself no internet apart from what the kindness of the local real estate office has allowed me to use as I am doing right now for basic work.
BLOCKS AND BLINDSPOTS AND TRENCH DIGS
Australia's main communication service, Telstra, promises, and is supposedly under some kind of legal obligation to provide phones within 2 or 3 days to anyone having, or, as in my case, dealing with anyone who has some kind of potentially serious medical condition. My father has had a heart condition and was under a doctor in HKong as he is here in Australia. Already since being here he has been briefly in the nearest hospital for a bleeding condition after a minor op ..... So there isn't much case my father qualifies for speed as regards phone installation and when I applied for a phone the point was not disputed. True anyone can use a mobile phone and I have done that. I have used an expensive Telstra pre-paid one, the only one said to be able to manage the "blind spots" which the hills and ranges of this area can produce. You make two or three calls and you find you need another card recharge and if you take the phone out with you shopping or anywhere, there's no house phone for my father.
The house which, given our situation, got bought rather quickly stands at the end of a road at the edge of the town/village. On one side is an open field on the other a vacant block which for the time being has little chance its owner will build on it. But they nearly did so last year and there begins the problem. Our house which had been unoccupied for some time used to have phone connection but the neighbour who never built at some stage in their plans had an accident with the cable that runs in front of the vacant block, There now needs to be a new cable laid and a new trench dug for it by Telstra and a new trench dug by us to the front of the road from our house to join the cable, but that should be no big deal. There are people with bobcats can easily serve us for that little problem.
Initially any delay was supposed to be because a Telstra technician didn't have the right length or type of cable or that the waiting list to have anything dug was too long to deal with us immediately and I was receiving promising mobile calls about that. Then it was supposed to be that Telstra could go ahead but that the council couldn't, it needed to give permission for the cable laying. When I finally obtained somebody who was council related they spoke with the local mayor and it was agreed nothing of the sort was involved. Nihil Obstat to laying cable,the responsiblity was all Telstra's. A month had gone by.
Periodically I received letters from Telstra about what I could do and who contact about whatever. Chiefly it was that I should consider accepting a temporary radio phone. This of course would be no help to me personally and my work as it gives no access to internet but my own situation that prevents me from sending files to such as magazines or publishers is of no concern to Telstra only the case of my father even slightly counts. It is notorious people in Australia can be left waiting months for internet facilities.
However, locally I was receiving serious warnings about accepting any radio phone, which incidentally is said to be a "free" service but isn't, (this merely means it is delivered free, otherwise one pays despite levels of inconvenience that could well justify a free ride for anyone!). I was hearing that radio phones assuming they work can be a trap i.e. you could be stuck with this substitute instead of the real item plus related internet access for months. One friend's sister in Brisbane, (which being an urban area one wouldn't even expect to be saddled with what is normally a rural area option), complained she couldn't work her radio phone. About all she could contact or be contacted by was some mad number in Mumbai, India! It seemed one should consent to radio phone as a last desperate resort. It is incidentally a fact that many people in Australia feel so exploited by Telstra that they have cancelled their landline services and use mobiles exclusively (but they need to be urban - I have already alluded to the mobile problem for rural areas!)
POLITICOS AND THE OMBUDSMAN'S OFFICE
As time went by I was advised to try the influence of state politician, Dorothy Pratt, with whom I had had friendly meetings in the past over the legal case, just recently settled to media attention, of queensland artist, Ken Wenzel, who had been nearly three years battling an absurd charge of indecent exposure....on a deserted beach, which is the sort of place you feel you're situated when battling Telstra. Dorothy had had successes obtaining Telstra cooperation in the past but they must have got tired of her successful complaints as she couldn't even get a reply out of them. In the face of this frustration she advised getting hold of a federal politician, Bruce Scott, or pursuing the deparment of the Communications Ombudsman as a last resort. Bruce Scott's office was sympathetic and helpful but as they could not get back to bring me joy I approached the Ombudsman's office for which one rings Melbourne (from the real estate office here).
Around the time I did so I received a communication from Telstra that the first stage of the job could begin on 13th June (Black Friday 13th, lucky for some) and the actual connection could be made on the 16th (As this isn't busy China it seems it would be too much to dig and connect the same day!). I was told I could agree to accept this delay into June or ring and discuss this at a certain number. Not unsurprisingly the person I was advised to ring was uncontactable. So too was the person at the default number provided. But as I didn't see waiting more weeks for a simple job I chose to contact the Ombudsman's office.
I waited from 9th in call line to tell my tale and receive their special job complaint number and though I had hoped the office itself might use its authority to ring Telstra I was next given a number, the office's number, for contact with a high official within Telstra to re-tell my woes. If this didn't do the trick and the matter hadn't been settled by Telstra within 10 days (working days!) I could get back to the O's office for further action. (Back in 10 working days to sort out a job Telstra should supposedly solve within 48 hours and which they had already left undone for 5 to 6 weeks?!)
FORTRESS TELSTRA
The special number given to penetrate fortress Telstra is hardly worth having or perhaps it is so only for the very determined which I somewhat am. Evidently there is a desire not to answer because for forty minutes I just heard music, none of it interrupted with the usual promises or apologies for waiting. It's psychhological warfare to get complainants to ring off in despair. Finally I was speaking to somebody who didn't sound or behave much like any high official except that he was on all of a high horse when his best response to my understandable irritation at how I had been treated was: "If you speak to me like that I will put this phone down". He could not be drawn on what Telstra's much touted promises actually are, or once were, but said I was free to go through the 10 (working day complaint system of the Ombudsman) otherwise....I had kept on insisting upon an alternative until I learned, yes, I could otherwise speak to "Connections" if I wished though it would be no improvement. I hesitated at more runaround but declared I did so wish.
At Connections I at least encountered some polite helpfulness from Christine (down on the Gold Coast rather than Melbourne but still nowhere near me). Christine took all details and said I could wait while she tried to sort things out. When she came back she said she had been trying to twist arms but could get no one to budge on the issue of first work to be done on 13th June, i.e, almost 2 months after application for a job Telstra promises and is supposed to sort out within 48 hours. Asking for the firmest of promises that receiving a temporary phone would not interfere with my place on the list for cable laying, I took the advice to receive a radio phone. I was told it would arrive within 24 hrs and probably the same evening.
I can report that it was brought around at about 8.30pm by some courier, contracter hired by Telstra (i.e.not any Telstra engineer) who wasn't quite sure what the phone would do but efficieintly enough set it up into working order. He believed since the latest kind of modem was involved a USB cable would be sufficient to give me radio Internet. But no such luck as I discovered upon inquiry with Telstra next day. There is no question the phone works but not perfectly. I sometimes have to ring more than once to a number to obtain any ring and the sound is sometimes a problem. One can't seem to leave volume up at a desired point; you ring and are may have to start hitting volume plus in order to hear or be heard. But I concede it's better than nothing at all. Whether I shall be so positive in mid June is another matter. .
Yet perhaps something just might cause connection before the given date. At the very end of May I have received a form from Telstra telling me ( and my doctor) to sign up, for priority treatment with Telstra. This communication is likely to be a response to my various complaints but is also very likely to be material that should have been sent to me long ago and which if it had been sent to me might have speeded a process that I have always been told can't be speeded up. I suspect the simple office problem is that I am not, as the papers assume I would be, an existing customer of Telstra requesting an extra service as opposed to a new customer, a situation not bureacratically foreseen. But how many more surprises will this tale turn up?
TELSTRA AND A VALUES QUESTION
By now I have questions of another more philosophical kind especially as soon as this issue is raised - and by now I can hardly meet anyone or enter a shop and not be asked on the progress of the affair - I am hearing other stories, not just Telstra tales though they do seem particularly symptomatic. I hear about people left with problems councils here or there in Australia couldn't deal with in years, of money constantly lost - in one case $8000 a week because promised decisions re buildings are postponed - the buck passed on to others. It is a picture of almost unbelievable inefficiency, unreliability and no feeling of proper consideration towards people. I ask myself what is the reason? What is Australia about?
As someone not native born and somewhat disadvantaged for that - the Aussie style and accent and savvy is a help at least sometimes - I do ask questions. I suspect that at least part of the problem could be that the much vaunted egalitarianism is paralyzing action. With no one willing either to give or take direction people finish victim to either somebody's resentment or endless will to postpone as soon as the obvious course of action is declared. Whether I am right or wrong about this the simple fact is a lot of people across Australia are unnecessarily suffering for often quite silly pretexts. Since it is the basis of communications in the nation reform not just the organization but attitudes of Telstra might be a good place to set about reforming a few things out of kilter in Australia.
TELSTRA TROUBLES UPDATE June 17th
TELSTRA MAD, BAD OR INDIFFERENT BUT ALWAYS OUTRAGEOUS
After ringing for and obtaining confirmations the work could begin on the 13th June I went ahead to obtain the bobcat and get the trench cut outside the house towards the street on the 12th. This is a job supposed to be done within 24 hrs of Telstra's own work as one shouldn't leave open trenches in front of the street into which people might trip - it's a potential legal liability. A member of Kingaroy council told me to ring her Friday if this time no one turned up or did anything as she would wish to speak to Telstra herself. (Several friends were saying it's time to contact media itself).
Too late to cancel the job and because anyway I received a third confirmation that I would be visited on Friday between 8am and midday, at the last minute I open a letter to discover that, without explanation, the job would be done not as indicated in an earlier letter on the 13th June but 15th July (recall the first Telstra visit was in April!). However this could mean almost anything and is no guarantee either way of action or delay from an institution which by now I knew footballs you back and forth from dept to dept undecided whether you represent a "fault" or a "new line" or unsure whether you even have the job number you cite.
Accordingly, and despite July 15th, I was contacted by Ernie on Friday at 11 am apologizing he could not arrive that day but he would come Monday. I conveyed this information to the councillor and that I felt since something was happening I would have to wait. On Monday it was Alan was in contact, he was coming but then he couldn't come, he would come Tuesday. On Monday afternoon I had spent over an hour listening to music and Telstra pre-recordings while waiting as some persons, and eventually one fairly helpful assistant rang back and forth between depts inbetween which I learned she said there were such terrible arguments raging she was glad I couldn't hear them. (But I could imagine!). I received two calls from Alan on Tuesday (after another assistant) Lackshmi swore someone would be with me Tuesday, it was all arranged and set) but Alan is a technician - better than nothing but we need the contractor as well - and Alan recalled he had visited us in April to do things he couldn't do. He said he was ringing different depts to try to settle things and would ring back later that day but didn't.
Today, Wednesday, by deliberately trying to trick the silly system by ringing a couple of wrong numbers (after having checked my specific pin number for call up was as usual not available - is the pin no assistant on permanent holiday and using an answerer for secretary?) I actually got hold of a, or the, case manager for the job. He seemed more interested in Alan the technician than I am in the circumstances and said he would contact him and get back to sort all this out. Not hearing anything after about 3 hours I went through the slow process of ringing the more automatic than person manned Telstra system again and learned, after suitable wait, that though the case manager thinks my case is a new line, I am all of registered as a "fault" case.
With this degree of mix and muddle no wonder they can't sort out what the council plainly tells them (told them) weeks ago and what the contractor understood he would be doing weeks ago. I was told by Tony the case manager would ring in about ten minutes (two hours later he hasn't) but that he believed the job's preliminary works were for 15th July. Would or could anyone know that and what would be the guarantees?
TELSTRA, THE NIGHTMARE, "CAN'T DO" COMPANY FROM HELL
This is how Telstra treats PRIORITY cases for which I have a certified letter, following a doctor's signed application that we supposedly are such. When I spoke this morning to one assistant I could barely hear her for the fade effect of the radio phone whose volume control I kept adjusting to understand her at all. How can this inferior substitute for a phone cover Telstra's legal obligations or professional work conscience if it has any in the case of priority persons. Clearly if I have these problems my father who is hard of hearing can't be expected to use the phone easily in my absence for any problems or emergency that might crop up.[The answer to this I learn is one is not priority enough!. We can give you another better radio phone - I doubt it, it's how the waves carry over the ranges here - or the condition must be so extreme one is linked to some data flow and a life support machine]. Can you do anything at all before July 15th? "No we can't". Can you give any guarantee that 15th July would deliver anything? "No we can't guarantee anything" As has been expertly pointed out to me alternatives are possible,a temporary wire could easily be laid and arguably the trench along the front of the road which needs endless inquiries, checks, permissions, isn't even necessary. But Telstra the incarnation of Can't can't do anything. It has now been suggested I might take on their radio internet service. This needs looking into. I long ago read an advertisment for it and I recall it said such was a more than a leisurely 28 days to arrange for. (Actually, June 19th, I was told I would be rung between 9 and 10 am about radio internet - but no one rang. Perhaps there isn't a service to talk about. I am living about 130 kms outside Brisbane which is not super rural or outback by Australian standards but the alternative, Optus, tells me they still haven't set up South Burnett Shire as a wireless region!)
Telstra, this seemingly shameless, almost totally disorganized bureaucratic maze, a Kafka's Castle of a can't do company for so many people (I went into the real estate office for essential internet work today only to hear two more tales in variation on my theme) has put my working life on hold since April when I returned from abroad and it makes things between difficult and risky in the case of my father. The stress is terrible every time just to deal with them and waste time and energy again and again telling the details of a story they can't or won't understand or deal with...... And this company needs months to lay and connect a single line?
Who are these people that place Australia in company with the worst organized third country systems, so busy saving or making money on their privatized system they never have staff enough to deal with what's basic? No civilised society should tolerate such shoddiness and mess. Telstra should be round here within hours (or even work through the night if necessary to just keep their word and responsiblities!) No doubt they are, or consider themselves, legally protected against such matters and couldn't care less about anyone and clearly they don't understand what it means to "provide a public service".
Almost everyone in Australia has their Telstra story but my own might be a bit worse than some, It's also the principle reason I have put nothing to this Blog for the nealry two months since I returned from China. Two politicians and the department of the Ombudsman for Communications has been contacted in the course of this sorry tale but it doesn't mean resolution has been or will be any faster. In fact, not even for a politician is Telstra necessarily available to give answer.
Under unforeseen circumstances pressing in since January in early April I left Hong Kong where I had been teaching and living a fairly leisurely existence for around 15 months on Lamma Island. Lamma used to be referred to as Hippie Island and you still walk or bike around because there are only paths not roads but it's not so remote from civilisation I didn't have all mod cons including phone and full broadband access and within days of obtaining myself a apartment with a view there.
One reason I'd been in HKong was to be in reach of my elderly father who had had a triple by pass operation. Early this year I realized he was in various difficulties where he had been living for years and I needed to get him back to Australia rather fast, buy and settle him into a property there. We moved into a house in rural but not outback Queensland (back of Sunshine Coast Hinterland) on April 18th. Things have been fairly good here except......we have had no phone and myself no internet apart from what the kindness of the local real estate office has allowed me to use as I am doing right now for basic work.
BLOCKS AND BLINDSPOTS AND TRENCH DIGS
Australia's main communication service, Telstra, promises, and is supposedly under some kind of legal obligation to provide phones within 2 or 3 days to anyone having, or, as in my case, dealing with anyone who has some kind of potentially serious medical condition. My father has had a heart condition and was under a doctor in HKong as he is here in Australia. Already since being here he has been briefly in the nearest hospital for a bleeding condition after a minor op ..... So there isn't much case my father qualifies for speed as regards phone installation and when I applied for a phone the point was not disputed. True anyone can use a mobile phone and I have done that. I have used an expensive Telstra pre-paid one, the only one said to be able to manage the "blind spots" which the hills and ranges of this area can produce. You make two or three calls and you find you need another card recharge and if you take the phone out with you shopping or anywhere, there's no house phone for my father.
The house which, given our situation, got bought rather quickly stands at the end of a road at the edge of the town/village. On one side is an open field on the other a vacant block which for the time being has little chance its owner will build on it. But they nearly did so last year and there begins the problem. Our house which had been unoccupied for some time used to have phone connection but the neighbour who never built at some stage in their plans had an accident with the cable that runs in front of the vacant block, There now needs to be a new cable laid and a new trench dug for it by Telstra and a new trench dug by us to the front of the road from our house to join the cable, but that should be no big deal. There are people with bobcats can easily serve us for that little problem.
Initially any delay was supposed to be because a Telstra technician didn't have the right length or type of cable or that the waiting list to have anything dug was too long to deal with us immediately and I was receiving promising mobile calls about that. Then it was supposed to be that Telstra could go ahead but that the council couldn't, it needed to give permission for the cable laying. When I finally obtained somebody who was council related they spoke with the local mayor and it was agreed nothing of the sort was involved. Nihil Obstat to laying cable,the responsiblity was all Telstra's. A month had gone by.
Periodically I received letters from Telstra about what I could do and who contact about whatever. Chiefly it was that I should consider accepting a temporary radio phone. This of course would be no help to me personally and my work as it gives no access to internet but my own situation that prevents me from sending files to such as magazines or publishers is of no concern to Telstra only the case of my father even slightly counts. It is notorious people in Australia can be left waiting months for internet facilities.
However, locally I was receiving serious warnings about accepting any radio phone, which incidentally is said to be a "free" service but isn't, (this merely means it is delivered free, otherwise one pays despite levels of inconvenience that could well justify a free ride for anyone!). I was hearing that radio phones assuming they work can be a trap i.e. you could be stuck with this substitute instead of the real item plus related internet access for months. One friend's sister in Brisbane, (which being an urban area one wouldn't even expect to be saddled with what is normally a rural area option), complained she couldn't work her radio phone. About all she could contact or be contacted by was some mad number in Mumbai, India! It seemed one should consent to radio phone as a last desperate resort. It is incidentally a fact that many people in Australia feel so exploited by Telstra that they have cancelled their landline services and use mobiles exclusively (but they need to be urban - I have already alluded to the mobile problem for rural areas!)
POLITICOS AND THE OMBUDSMAN'S OFFICE
As time went by I was advised to try the influence of state politician, Dorothy Pratt, with whom I had had friendly meetings in the past over the legal case, just recently settled to media attention, of queensland artist, Ken Wenzel, who had been nearly three years battling an absurd charge of indecent exposure....on a deserted beach, which is the sort of place you feel you're situated when battling Telstra. Dorothy had had successes obtaining Telstra cooperation in the past but they must have got tired of her successful complaints as she couldn't even get a reply out of them. In the face of this frustration she advised getting hold of a federal politician, Bruce Scott, or pursuing the deparment of the Communications Ombudsman as a last resort. Bruce Scott's office was sympathetic and helpful but as they could not get back to bring me joy I approached the Ombudsman's office for which one rings Melbourne (from the real estate office here).
Around the time I did so I received a communication from Telstra that the first stage of the job could begin on 13th June (Black Friday 13th, lucky for some) and the actual connection could be made on the 16th (As this isn't busy China it seems it would be too much to dig and connect the same day!). I was told I could agree to accept this delay into June or ring and discuss this at a certain number. Not unsurprisingly the person I was advised to ring was uncontactable. So too was the person at the default number provided. But as I didn't see waiting more weeks for a simple job I chose to contact the Ombudsman's office.
I waited from 9th in call line to tell my tale and receive their special job complaint number and though I had hoped the office itself might use its authority to ring Telstra I was next given a number, the office's number, for contact with a high official within Telstra to re-tell my woes. If this didn't do the trick and the matter hadn't been settled by Telstra within 10 days (working days!) I could get back to the O's office for further action. (Back in 10 working days to sort out a job Telstra should supposedly solve within 48 hours and which they had already left undone for 5 to 6 weeks?!)
FORTRESS TELSTRA
The special number given to penetrate fortress Telstra is hardly worth having or perhaps it is so only for the very determined which I somewhat am. Evidently there is a desire not to answer because for forty minutes I just heard music, none of it interrupted with the usual promises or apologies for waiting. It's psychhological warfare to get complainants to ring off in despair. Finally I was speaking to somebody who didn't sound or behave much like any high official except that he was on all of a high horse when his best response to my understandable irritation at how I had been treated was: "If you speak to me like that I will put this phone down". He could not be drawn on what Telstra's much touted promises actually are, or once were, but said I was free to go through the 10 (working day complaint system of the Ombudsman) otherwise....I had kept on insisting upon an alternative until I learned, yes, I could otherwise speak to "Connections" if I wished though it would be no improvement. I hesitated at more runaround but declared I did so wish.
At Connections I at least encountered some polite helpfulness from Christine (down on the Gold Coast rather than Melbourne but still nowhere near me). Christine took all details and said I could wait while she tried to sort things out. When she came back she said she had been trying to twist arms but could get no one to budge on the issue of first work to be done on 13th June, i.e, almost 2 months after application for a job Telstra promises and is supposed to sort out within 48 hours. Asking for the firmest of promises that receiving a temporary phone would not interfere with my place on the list for cable laying, I took the advice to receive a radio phone. I was told it would arrive within 24 hrs and probably the same evening.
I can report that it was brought around at about 8.30pm by some courier, contracter hired by Telstra (i.e.not any Telstra engineer) who wasn't quite sure what the phone would do but efficieintly enough set it up into working order. He believed since the latest kind of modem was involved a USB cable would be sufficient to give me radio Internet. But no such luck as I discovered upon inquiry with Telstra next day. There is no question the phone works but not perfectly. I sometimes have to ring more than once to a number to obtain any ring and the sound is sometimes a problem. One can't seem to leave volume up at a desired point; you ring and are may have to start hitting volume plus in order to hear or be heard. But I concede it's better than nothing at all. Whether I shall be so positive in mid June is another matter. .
Yet perhaps something just might cause connection before the given date. At the very end of May I have received a form from Telstra telling me ( and my doctor) to sign up, for priority treatment with Telstra. This communication is likely to be a response to my various complaints but is also very likely to be material that should have been sent to me long ago and which if it had been sent to me might have speeded a process that I have always been told can't be speeded up. I suspect the simple office problem is that I am not, as the papers assume I would be, an existing customer of Telstra requesting an extra service as opposed to a new customer, a situation not bureacratically foreseen. But how many more surprises will this tale turn up?
TELSTRA AND A VALUES QUESTION
By now I have questions of another more philosophical kind especially as soon as this issue is raised - and by now I can hardly meet anyone or enter a shop and not be asked on the progress of the affair - I am hearing other stories, not just Telstra tales though they do seem particularly symptomatic. I hear about people left with problems councils here or there in Australia couldn't deal with in years, of money constantly lost - in one case $8000 a week because promised decisions re buildings are postponed - the buck passed on to others. It is a picture of almost unbelievable inefficiency, unreliability and no feeling of proper consideration towards people. I ask myself what is the reason? What is Australia about?
As someone not native born and somewhat disadvantaged for that - the Aussie style and accent and savvy is a help at least sometimes - I do ask questions. I suspect that at least part of the problem could be that the much vaunted egalitarianism is paralyzing action. With no one willing either to give or take direction people finish victim to either somebody's resentment or endless will to postpone as soon as the obvious course of action is declared. Whether I am right or wrong about this the simple fact is a lot of people across Australia are unnecessarily suffering for often quite silly pretexts. Since it is the basis of communications in the nation reform not just the organization but attitudes of Telstra might be a good place to set about reforming a few things out of kilter in Australia.
TELSTRA TROUBLES UPDATE June 17th
TELSTRA MAD, BAD OR INDIFFERENT BUT ALWAYS OUTRAGEOUS
After ringing for and obtaining confirmations the work could begin on the 13th June I went ahead to obtain the bobcat and get the trench cut outside the house towards the street on the 12th. This is a job supposed to be done within 24 hrs of Telstra's own work as one shouldn't leave open trenches in front of the street into which people might trip - it's a potential legal liability. A member of Kingaroy council told me to ring her Friday if this time no one turned up or did anything as she would wish to speak to Telstra herself. (Several friends were saying it's time to contact media itself).
Too late to cancel the job and because anyway I received a third confirmation that I would be visited on Friday between 8am and midday, at the last minute I open a letter to discover that, without explanation, the job would be done not as indicated in an earlier letter on the 13th June but 15th July (recall the first Telstra visit was in April!). However this could mean almost anything and is no guarantee either way of action or delay from an institution which by now I knew footballs you back and forth from dept to dept undecided whether you represent a "fault" or a "new line" or unsure whether you even have the job number you cite.
Accordingly, and despite July 15th, I was contacted by Ernie on Friday at 11 am apologizing he could not arrive that day but he would come Monday. I conveyed this information to the councillor and that I felt since something was happening I would have to wait. On Monday it was Alan was in contact, he was coming but then he couldn't come, he would come Tuesday. On Monday afternoon I had spent over an hour listening to music and Telstra pre-recordings while waiting as some persons, and eventually one fairly helpful assistant rang back and forth between depts inbetween which I learned she said there were such terrible arguments raging she was glad I couldn't hear them. (But I could imagine!). I received two calls from Alan on Tuesday (after another assistant) Lackshmi swore someone would be with me Tuesday, it was all arranged and set) but Alan is a technician - better than nothing but we need the contractor as well - and Alan recalled he had visited us in April to do things he couldn't do. He said he was ringing different depts to try to settle things and would ring back later that day but didn't.
Today, Wednesday, by deliberately trying to trick the silly system by ringing a couple of wrong numbers (after having checked my specific pin number for call up was as usual not available - is the pin no assistant on permanent holiday and using an answerer for secretary?) I actually got hold of a, or the, case manager for the job. He seemed more interested in Alan the technician than I am in the circumstances and said he would contact him and get back to sort all this out. Not hearing anything after about 3 hours I went through the slow process of ringing the more automatic than person manned Telstra system again and learned, after suitable wait, that though the case manager thinks my case is a new line, I am all of registered as a "fault" case.
With this degree of mix and muddle no wonder they can't sort out what the council plainly tells them (told them) weeks ago and what the contractor understood he would be doing weeks ago. I was told by Tony the case manager would ring in about ten minutes (two hours later he hasn't) but that he believed the job's preliminary works were for 15th July. Would or could anyone know that and what would be the guarantees?
TELSTRA, THE NIGHTMARE, "CAN'T DO" COMPANY FROM HELL
This is how Telstra treats PRIORITY cases for which I have a certified letter, following a doctor's signed application that we supposedly are such. When I spoke this morning to one assistant I could barely hear her for the fade effect of the radio phone whose volume control I kept adjusting to understand her at all. How can this inferior substitute for a phone cover Telstra's legal obligations or professional work conscience if it has any in the case of priority persons. Clearly if I have these problems my father who is hard of hearing can't be expected to use the phone easily in my absence for any problems or emergency that might crop up.[The answer to this I learn is one is not priority enough!. We can give you another better radio phone - I doubt it, it's how the waves carry over the ranges here - or the condition must be so extreme one is linked to some data flow and a life support machine]. Can you do anything at all before July 15th? "No we can't". Can you give any guarantee that 15th July would deliver anything? "No we can't guarantee anything" As has been expertly pointed out to me alternatives are possible,a temporary wire could easily be laid and arguably the trench along the front of the road which needs endless inquiries, checks, permissions, isn't even necessary. But Telstra the incarnation of Can't can't do anything. It has now been suggested I might take on their radio internet service. This needs looking into. I long ago read an advertisment for it and I recall it said such was a more than a leisurely 28 days to arrange for. (Actually, June 19th, I was told I would be rung between 9 and 10 am about radio internet - but no one rang. Perhaps there isn't a service to talk about. I am living about 130 kms outside Brisbane which is not super rural or outback by Australian standards but the alternative, Optus, tells me they still haven't set up South Burnett Shire as a wireless region!)
Telstra, this seemingly shameless, almost totally disorganized bureaucratic maze, a Kafka's Castle of a can't do company for so many people (I went into the real estate office for essential internet work today only to hear two more tales in variation on my theme) has put my working life on hold since April when I returned from abroad and it makes things between difficult and risky in the case of my father. The stress is terrible every time just to deal with them and waste time and energy again and again telling the details of a story they can't or won't understand or deal with...... And this company needs months to lay and connect a single line?
Who are these people that place Australia in company with the worst organized third country systems, so busy saving or making money on their privatized system they never have staff enough to deal with what's basic? No civilised society should tolerate such shoddiness and mess. Telstra should be round here within hours (or even work through the night if necessary to just keep their word and responsiblities!) No doubt they are, or consider themselves, legally protected against such matters and couldn't care less about anyone and clearly they don't understand what it means to "provide a public service".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
