At the time it was written, my family and I were homeless. An unofficial ashram kindly let us stay. The address was 26 Emanuel Avenue, London W3 6JJ. One of the residents offered to do my horoscope, and in retrospect I have no idea why he went to such trouble. As you will see, it is not some clichéd prose dashed off. No money was requested or paid. We had got to know one another superficially, not really as friends. In fact when he handed me these papers, on which he must have spent hours or days, it didn’t feel like a gift of friendship but something sinister and confronting. Till today I have hardly looked at them, intentionally avoided them, as with a mirror that doesn’t show you to advantage. It so accurately describes, at the time the horoscope was cast, the situation of its subject (referred to as “the native”—i.e. the person with the birth details as supplied), that I have no explanation. And I am inclined to believe that the process of transcription, on this day in March 2015, after forty years’ neglect, must have a certain significance. Another reader couldn’t care in the same way, unless he or she has a similar sense of personal recognition: “This is by someone who knows me better than myself!” And if this should actually happens, then it’s a victory for the sceptic, for it explains the mystery in terms of an illusion exposed; another magic trick that humanity loves to play upon itself. And if that’s not the case, then I’m left wondering what is left thinkable in the situation. But I’m interested to learn what you think, dear reader.
I cannot properly recall its author’s name, but he signs off with a monogram, and that might just be enough to jog my memory and try to trace him, if there’s any point. (To thank him properly for prophecies subsequently fulfilled in succeeding years?) I’ve reproduced the whole thing below: report first, calculations afterwards. 
ASCEN.—develops an extensive personality-attitude, expressing freedom associated with an urge to explore beyond one’s known environment
ASCEN.—gives an analytical, critical personality response
ASCEN.—gives underlying confused, self-deceptive and neurotic tendencies
—coolly affectionate, friendly, quiet, idealistic or touchy, uncompromising, unconventional desires. Intimate relationships could be formed through the native’s sense of uniqueness, power, resourcefulness; his sense of personal values will relate to an instinctive need for personal security (i.e. material possessions, direct environment, accumulation of money)
—gives a tendency to explore feelings
—generous, expansive emotional nature, ardent affections, charm, good understanding of values,beauty, harmony
—original, inventive, inquisitive or eccentric, abrupt, contrary. Communicative activities should be developed in the relationship of the native to his environment. Also the area in which necessary changes may be made
—gives extreme lack of confidence, apprehension, prejudice, procrastination, severed depression and melancolia
—gives good humour, wider opportunity for success in mental pursuits
—principle of self-integration is sympathetic, impressionable, artistic emotional or impractical, secretive, deceitful & timid. the native may best learn self-integration within his family, his role as a parent, his responsibility towards his home.
—gives conflict of Ego with others and with one’s own nature.
—gives greater struggle to overcome limitations, tendency to deep-rooted inhibitions, pessimism, self-pity, needless worrying, selfishness, fears and phobias, chronic ill-health.
—the native’s home and family may demand effort and sacrifice without reward. Possibility of ill-health in feet. Nebulous and/or impressionable attitude may bring misfortune.
—stable, methodical, endurance, constructiveness or materialistic, dour, avaricious. Personal limitation, frustration and suffering can be felt most in the area of re-creation and exposition of self (i.e. projection of self, offspring of mind (ideas) and possibly of body, expansion of creativeness or happiness, pleasures, creative art, speculation, love-making.)
—idealistic, creative impulses, given form and practical purpose.
—ambitious determined self-will, practical, mechanical-minded, alternating depressive and nervously tensed moods.
—the principle of limitation and form and the principle of communication work together although not in the same spheres of life and not in direct harmony with each other.
—freedom and originality of expression, unconventional experiences and drastic changes may be experienced through conformity and service to the community, also the same sphere of experience will challenge the native’s initiative, physical strength and combative ability. Industrious, tenacious, practical, purposeful or sensuous, obstinate, violent tendencies.
—energetic, enterprising impulses deviating from the normal, rebellious passions, excitable emotions, erratic self-will, restless, impatient, impulsive, fanatical courage, high nervous tension, tendency to sexual abnormalities, self-assertive, disciplined, formative impulses with limited or controlled emotion, constructive or destructive energy, self-reliant, practical, materialistic, hard, severe, ambitious.
The next paragraph was tricky to transcribe so I scanned it instead:
It continues as follows:
—enthusiasm successfully directed, creative inspirations.
—imaginative, inventive, secientifically inclined mental faculties, combine with the subtle, intuitive, spiritually-inspired impressions and creativity—much emotional and mental sensitivity and nervous tension.
—the aforementioned Ego-conflict finds its expression in the field of conformity and service to community as an underlying exaggerative, extravagant self-opinionated attitude and a greater struggle to achieve desired expression and results, test of conscience, tendency to extravagance, exaggeration, conceit, serious misjudgements, false sense of superiority. (N.B. this is the other major feature of the chart.)
—highly intelligent, varied talents, broadminded or crafty, diffuse and scattered interests, indiscreet. Opportunities for material expansion or growth of consciousness and compensation for life’s disappointments may be found through conformity and service to the community.
—transformations resulting in explosive endings and beginnings to distinct phases of life through self-sacrifice and shared resources with others, true spiritual experience, ego-death, possible bequests, legacies.
—reserved, modest, meticulous or fastidious, timid, nervous manner of response. Special interest in the native’s need and capacity to establish himself successfully and usefully in the community—i.e. career)—will influence changes of habit or residence.
—very indiscreet, intolerant, impulsive, forceful, passionate.
—with greater sensitivity, limited response, emotional disappointments and misunderstandings, very self-conscious, deep depressive moods.
—the native may be attracted to mystical and religious ideals and may encounter peculiar, mysterious or chaotic developments through his material responsibilities and necessity.
—the native may expect to receive benefits through no conscious effort in the field of his career.
The report above was supported by the following workings-out:
12 Comments:
To anyone who has already looked at the post, please note that 12 hours later I've updated the introduction and slightly reorganized the scans.
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I think the monogram is his initials, IKJ. I already knew the surname and this jogged my memory. A quick online check suggests to me that he lives in Edinburgh.
I followed your prompt and found an online Ephemerides chart which instantly drew a fancy circular diagram. It didn't yield the real sid. time but I wouldn't know what to do with that anyhow. In 1974 it was impressive: today it's some intricate New Age frippery - except to the true believer. You have opened my eyes, dear WBM.
As for the homelessness, it was a temporary foolishness and not the worst we'd been through at all. Entirely self-inflicted---or perhaps ordained by the stars, against which my fate had no cunning or resilience. In any case, I took no notice of his report & carried on with my compulsive foolishness.
And yet there may be some wisdom among the gobbledegook, in teaching us about tendencies outside our control, which when we acknowledge them can be dealt with constructively, so that we can make something of our lives despite the throw of the dice, "the real sid. time" and all the rest.
We are more than mere flotsam and jetsam; in myriad ways belief systems regardless of their scientific truth or otherwise provide a bulwark against hopelessness. Belief systems can also, as I was to realize retrospectively, assist us to make an unholy mess of our lives.
I think we're all somewhat psychic , though by what means we can't understand, so I'm less interested in the truth of the insights (I'm sure there is a good deal) than in the remarkably literate and analytic text. I wondered if any of the text had been copied out of a standard handbook, so I did a Google search on "principle of self-integration is sympathetic" and "the native may expect to receive benefits through no conscious effort" , and in each case I found only this post. Of course there's every chance that esoteric handbooks from the 1970s may not have been digitized yet. (I did find "the pinciple of self-integration" described in an astrological text - www.uraniatrust.org) Anyway, through-composed or not it's a remarkable document, acute and comprehensive though necessarily limited by the psychological preconceptions of its time.
Michael you are my first choice on lit.crit. - above Leavis etc. I always enjoy your blog posts even when, or especially when, I would never consider reading the author in question.
Yes it is an extraordinary text and while transcribing I was curious just as you were and googled a few phrases, with the same nil result. I do remember there was a young woman in the same commune/ashram who lugged a dog-eared Linda Goodman's Sun Signs but we can rule that out altogether.
In a wild surmise, I suddenly think of Dane Rudhyar. I've never read any but his Wikipedia article looks promising.
As you say, detailed, microscopically detailed. The person/s who can truly and critically walk through all of this with you, include you and your immediate intimates.
I marvel at the manual time effort that went into the work at no charge...a labour of love, a special gift? There are people who charge for providing similar documents, which, no doubt, these days can be sped along with dedicated computer programmes.
As ever, ZACL, your remarks are astute. Critical walkthrough, yes, immediate intimates---you have given me an idea!
I do think of it as a labour of love and a special gift, though the giver in other ways adopted the guise of a harsh cynic. His presence in the commune/ashram was an anomaly, though far less so than mine. Moreover, I was “not in a good place” to use the hippy-psychological jargon of the time: indeed “f****d-up” would be more apt.
It was also, I guess, analogous to the free cut you might get from an apprentice hairdresser, or even a wannabe. In the case of this giver, he was curious and experimental in a number of directions. I shall fight his verdict of “indiscreet”, and say no more, especially as I have purposely given the address of the ad-hoc community in question, which was well-known to our tribe, indeed legendary---though I find no other mention of it on the Web. Perhaps just as well.
Just a quick note to say I'm impressed with the work you've put in this post displaying all those images and symbols.
As for astrology - or horoscope matters - I'm in two minds about its veracity. One thing is for certain, however, is that as a branch of speculation (or, some might say, knowledge) it has a VERY long history behind it, stretching much further than the principles of modern science.
Reading some of your later posts it strikes me that you have spanned many more years than me and have a larger frame of reference. Your work has made me appreciate this aspect of seniority much more, aided of course by your supreme writing skills.
I'm also intrigued by your background which seems very rich and culturally diverse. Do you still speak Dutch, out of interest? It seems to me that multilingualism makes one especially suited for intellectual and philosophical pursuits, since being fluent in two or several languages enables one to juggle different perceptions of the world.
Anyway keep up the good work, always a pleasure to read you!
Dear Ian,
This is the most important post you have ever put out. I will interpret your horoscope the vedic way, the original way horoscopes are meant to be read, as far as my limited knowledge permits. In my first email to you, I will try to paint your life so far based on various years. If 80% of it is correct, I will send you another one, outlining the years to come. I have not played this game for a while and definitely never found a person who has an eventful long life behind him. If you confirm my findings, I will dive deep. If I fail, then also I will try and find other sources of knowledge on the subject. Because my understanding is that this stuff is eerily correct. The misfires, all of it, is the shortcoming of the interpreter.
Expect my first email in two days.
Thank you, dear Ghetu. When I put up the post I wondered whether it could be of any interest to someone else, for each of us is primarily concerned with his own case. At the back of my mind was a vague hope that someone might approach it with a level of inside knowledge, find it meaningful and have more to say. I didn't think it would be you! Could not ask for more.
Thank you Bubo. On the matter of learning Dutch, at five years old I was ready to learn anything, and being sent to an ordinary school without any special tuition (so far as I can recall), just into a normal class, I cannot remember any special effort involved.
The odd thing however was almost forgetting how to speak English when my mother returned to pick me up, and then when I had become re-accustomed to it, forgetting Dutch again. My aunt continued to send school reading text books for a year afterwards - of gradually increasing difficulty! But the ability slipped away. Then later at University I chose French & Italian, but was always poor at hearing these languages when spoken fast. In written form I only know the classic forms (as in Molière, Racine, Dante, Leopardi), and cannot easily read a newspaper, full of modern clichés, slang & jargon.
But somehow philosophy seems to yield its secrets to an older brain, when enough effort is put in. I've printed out that piece from Walter Benjamin on language that I mentioned over at your place, and may have a lot more to say about it:
http://users.clas.ufl.edu/burt/chaucer%27swake/LanguageofMan.pdf
In his first paragraph he says:
“There is no event or thing in either animate or inanimate nature that does not somehow partake of language, for it is in the nature of each one to communicate its mental contents.”
I had been pondering over a phenomenon I’ve never found words to categorize, but probably constitutes the main inspiration of this blog for the last nine years. Pressed for a single sentence, I’d say that when we’re in a state of (ecstatic) awareness, Nature (the surrounding world of sense-inputs when I venture outdoors) speaks to us. I was pondering over this and intending to write a post about “personal symbolism”, whereby every little thing conveys a meaning to us, just as a red traffic-light conveys meaning to a driver.
In your post you say “language communicates itself in communication. We communicate in language and not with language. Language has its own being, it is not a medium but an entity admitting of its own reality and, as Benjamin would say, magic.”
Do you think that Benjamin means that the traffic-light has mental contents, and conveys them in its choice of coloured lights? Certainly we can see that red, amber and green have been taken from their original context as a simple language, used in many contexts.
I should have linked to your post too: http://commemoratum.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/language-benjamin-and-heidegger-thought.html
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