“Alice In Wonderland” – Submerging Beneath the Waves to Play the Cosmic Pinball Machine
The workings of the astrological Universe will many times act in a “pinball” effect, that is to say, they will act at first in an indirect manner, hitting upon something almost exclusively personal but then relating and including a number of people, places or things until the pinball of the Universe has bumped against every cosmic “point maker” giving way to a message that is for society at large.
While Jupiter, as it swims through the deep sea sign of Pisces, was finishing making a trine (harmonious angle where 2 planets will work in synch with each other) with my Cancerian Mercury (Cancer = Past or History, Mercury = Rational Mind or Communications) and was about to begin a trine with my Scorpionic Neptune in my natal 4th house of ancestry or heritage, a young relative contacted me after being told I was the only genealogist of my clan.
Being the youngest of the youngest of the youngest, I often would be a full generation older than same aged relatives who were born the eldest of the eldest. Thus as a child, I found a special thrill announcing to people that my grandmother was not born in the same century I was. I was recounting this very fact to my inquiring young cousin when I realized that my grandmother was christened with a name in 1896, that according to Wikipedia “was most popular in the United States in the Victorian era and at the turn of the 20th century.” – Alice.
The same Victorian name that inspired a particular Anglican reverend in England to create an entire fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatures 30 years before my grandmother’s birth which in turn hurtles me forward to the most possibly present moment as Hollywood debuts the newest celluloid creation of Tim Burton, “Alice in Wonderland”.
Let’s pinball back to the ringing in of this current year, when I gave my societal predictions for 2010 which was based in Jupiter’s entrance into the sign of Pisces:
“Pisces is ruled by Neptune, the planet that rules the stuff that movies are made of, namely illusion and make believe. 2010 stands to be the year of some major advancements in the film industry especially with technology and special effects.”
If we move even slightly ahead into the new year, it’ll be no surprise to see that the sci-fi animation film “Avatar” with its latest and greatest state of the art special effects became one of the top grossing films of all time to date in February of 2010.
“Alice in Wonderland” was first filmed with regular cameras and then had specialized 3D equipment brought in afterwards. Although attempts have been made, this film will not be the trailblazer of cutting edge film technology as once thought. Per Leornard Maltin in his review on Indiewire.com:
“I have never been less impressed with 3-D. The imaginative CGI sets would seem to invite an imposition of depth, through the 3-D process, but my eyes became desensitized after a point. What’s more, in the wake of Avatar, where James Cameron invited us to immerse ourselves in a rich, dimensional environment, audiences have every right to expect more from the 3-D experience than this movie can offer.”
It then occurred to me that “Alice” plays a much more subtle but in a way, more critical role than “Avatar” does for us at this moment in time, including its less than thrilling special effects. We must submerge beneath the waters of society’s consciousness in order to not only get the big picture but also see the full effect of the cosmic pinballing. We must look at the sign that Jupiter, the planet of blessings, faith and hope currently is in, Pisces and its watery ruler, Neptune.
I call every Piscean a “psychic anemone” in that they have psychic or emotional radar that is able to pick up even the slightest changes of emotion in their immediate environments, making them truly the most sensitive sign of the zodiac. With Jupiter transiting their sign, most Pisceans are feeling a sense of overall “goodwill towards men” as well as a sense of forward moving hope for both themselves and the world they reside in.
I only recently read that Neptune, the planetary ruler of Pisces, should be likened to a person with a severe perception disorder. This person has developed very keenly all of his other senses to make up for the fact that in regards to his or her vision, the person sees from the “outside in” and not the inside out. Given that I have awarded Neptune the title of “most challenging” planet in the Solar System to deal with, I completely understood this metaphor. Although this planet rules UN-reality and hazes anything over it is near, Neptune rules over things that are not obvious to our sight, or should I say, not easiest seen, such as the highest forms of aesthetics: poetry, opera, ballet, as well as the most fantastical flights of fancy which “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” were taken to be at the time of their creation. Although visually flawed in its attempts to become “too” real, the release of “Alice in Wonderland” could not be more welcome. Need we remember that perception and dimensional changes are some of the most important themes of this fairy tale with Alice’s choices of fluid intake greatly altering her size!
Watching the cosmic pinball appear almost stationary as it moves so quickly between the point making borders, the past and present are working in synch in a number of ways with this film starting with its release date, when the Sun was rising smack dab in the middle of the sign of Pisces, March 5th. As with Saturn, I tell the sign that is the polar opposite of the sign that Jupiter transits to look for blessings in their relationships. Director Tim Burton, known for his astounding attention to detail, is born under the polar opposite sign of Jupiter’s current residence, Virgo and “Alice in Wonderland” is receiving unanimous laud mostly in part from the tour de force performance of Burton’s live in partner, fellow mutable, Gemini Helena Bonham Carter as “The Red Queen”.
Using a right cosmic flipper and pinballing into the furthest point of the past, much has been said and debated about the moral misgivings of the creator of this out-of-this-world world, Lewis Carrol. However when viewing his natal chart, Carrol’s energies seemed to best function in a forward propulsion being that he was born under the futuristic sign of Aquarius with that sign’s planetary ruler, Uranus, in conjunction (next to) his Sun! However libidinal or not his motivations were, there is an astrological quality to Carrol’s inherent sense of self that cannot be overlooked when considering how “Alice” came into being – joy. Lewis Carroll was born an Aquarian with the other 2 main components of his overall personality being Jupiter ruled having his Ascendant and Moon placed in the sign of Sagittarius. Coming up with and subsequently recounting the tales of young Alice as she proceeded through her many surreal adventures must have been a source of great joy for the Anglican minister. Lewis Carrol seemed destined to use his powers of fantastical imagination, expand upon them, and create a tangible body of work that would be greatly enjoyed by those around him as well as for generations to come.
With Jupiter, the planet that oversees expansion and growth, traveling through the Neptunian sign of Pisces, society is being nudged into the cosmic waters where fantasy and the distant past converge with the present. To refer to one of my favorite pieces of celluloid, “The Shining”, “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.” Big, constant doses of hyperreality can be quite detrimental for anyone. With Jupiter being one of the futuristic planets sailing through the element of water which unites the past with the present in the sign ruled by the planet of acute imagination, the time is nigh to let ourselves be washed over by the waves of old world fantasy that will clear our visions as the time of action encroaches soon after when Jupiter enters the element of fire.
Oh, my manners! I started this piece by recounting how the name “Alice” started the pinball effect by being rooted in my individual past. I almost forgot to let you all know what the most popular name of girls born in Sweden was during the most recent calendar year of 2009 – a resurgence of that very Victorian name, Alice.
The Cosmic Pinball rolls into the “Game Over” slot.
*03/08/2010 - "Alice in Wonderland," their update on Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass," had a mammoth opening weekend of $116.1 million. - Yahoo.com
"This is just one of those cultural phenomenons that has caught everybody's interest," said Chuck Viane, Disney's president of distribution. "They don't come like this very often." - Yahoo.com
I'd say it's more a cultural astrological need, indeed.)
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