Soul Connections IAM#21 Sept/Oct 2018

 I've been a contributor to Smiljana Gavrancic's Infinity Astrological Magazine (IAM) since the first issue and now write a regular movie column.

The online mag has grown from strength to strength, featuring articles from every branch of astrology, written by astrologers - many of them very well known - from every corner of the globe.

Now, 21 Issues in, it's reached a major landmark - its first print issue.

Here's the link should you wish to order a print or online copy.

And here's an extract from my movie column in this issue, where I unearth the astrology of horror director George A. Romero and his iconic zombie movies....

The dead have risen from their graves. But these are not seductive, hyperaware vampires, nor are they incorporeal spirits of dejected souls hopelessly seeking restitution for wrongs done unto them in lives long past.  These are the zombies – repulsive and rotten, shrouded in the dirt of their burial place and wearing the un-healed wounds of forgotten lives. Devoid of human emotion, save for the irresistible and insatiable urge to consume flesh, theirs is a slow death march, mindlessly relieving humanity of its soul and consciousness one bite at a time.

Welcome to the world of George A. Romero, king of the zombie movie. See beyond the shocking violence and gore and Romero’s series of ‘Dead’ movies reveal a satire for the times.

The social comment in Romero’s work is reflected in Sun Conjunct Mercury in Aquarius*, a combination also suggesting an active imagination. A fixed Square from Uranus in Taurus brings tension and shock (Uranus) from the Zombie’s slow (Taurus), relentless (fixed Square) pursuit of the living. Uranus also represents what we find revolting and repulsive on a collective level and in earthy Taurus it’s unsurprising that the social comment is about mindless (Mercury) materialism and that the mindless consumers are flesh eaters that rise from the ground.  Sun-Mercury Square Uranus is also about going against convention and unlike other popular supernatural monsters in the horror genre, for zombies and their victims there is no redemption – a decapitation or a stoved-in head is the only way out. Jupiter in Aries Trine Pluto in Leo also fits with the dramatic and overblown gory visual of how the dead meet their finality of death – first they lose their minds and then they lose their heads.

And heads brings us to Aries (which rules the head). Romero has the two traditional malefics, Mars and Saturn, and also the South Node in Aries. Whenever a chart is strong in Aries we look for ways in which the individual expresses a pioneering instinct. Indeed, Romero’s Wikipedia page notes he was an “influential pioneer of the horror-film genre”¹ and also held the status of “father of the zombie film,”² reflecting his prominent Saturn in Aries which is the dispositer of his Sun and Mercury in Aquarius and possibly his Moon in Capricorn (unfortunately we don’t have a birth time).

Mars Conjunct Saturn is heavy enough, but they also make an out of sign Square with Pluto. A grim combination, suggesting deeply buried rage clawing towards manifestation. The South Node joining this mix means the energy needs to find a release. Sun and Mercury in Aquarius (social comment) Quintile the Aries stellium encourages release through creativity and what’s more creative than the imaginary world of a movie? In fact, a number of Quintiles in Romero’s chart (Neptune to Chiron and Uranus to Pluto) suggest a generational urge to find creative expression through dark themes.

Venus in Pisces is both a creative and an idealistic placement, evoking pretty images of peace and love, rainbows and unicorns and Venus’ exaltation in Pisces suggests the potential for Venus’ energy to rise to its highest expression. Venus in Pisces also bestows empathy with the underdog and compassion for the suffering of others, which can draw the native into experiencing the uglier side of life and this comes out in the imagery and subject matter of Romero’s movies.

Venus’ opposition to Neptune in Virgo, the sign of Venus’ fall, brings a fear of loss and chaos, perceived in an overactive imagination and in the case of his movies, the loss and chaos is imagined through the zombie apocalypse. It brings tension to the yearning for perfection, promising perpetual disappointment of Venus’ high ideals. More mundanely it’s about learning that other people will always let you down when you set your expectations too high. Even as we are asked to root for Romero’s ‘human’ characters, he expresses his disappointment in their ability to cooperate and get along peacefully in the movies. It is human error and aggression which allows the zombies to breach their protective boundaries, spelling humanity’s doom. Venus in Pisces Opposite Neptune of course has issues with maintaining boundaries and Mars Conjunct Saturn speaks of the massive effort of trying to maintain literal – and emotional – boundaries against the relentless and bloody assault of the dead risen from Pluto’s underworld. Chiron in Cancer - Trine Venus and Quintile Neptune - describes the wounds that never heal, illustrated in the zombies, who wear their festering injuries and deformities like badges. Those bitten are robbed of their individuality, reducing them to their most unconscionable baseline - animated meat, with no purpose but to consume living flesh.

Here's the link should you wish to order a print or online copy of IAM 21.

IAM #21 Contents