Descriptions of the Planets
I am in no way an astrologer or an astronomer. I'm simply fascinated with the night sky. My Night Sky project is a combination of astrology, the study of celestial bodies on the influence of human affairs, and astronomy, the science that deals with the material universe beyond the earth’s atmosphere. And, think about it. Astrology came before astronomy.
Back to my night sky fascination for a bit. Speaking mere mortal to mere mortal, do we really know what goes on in the night sky? It's dark out there. What if, when we close our little eyes and go to sleep, the planets leave their rotations and get together for a jazz jam session? Imagine the fun they are having! My painting is all about the question, "what if?" What if we woke up, looked out and saw it the planets playing jazz in the night sky? What would that look like?
My images of the planets were derived from the astrological descriptions of Susan Miller in her book “The Year Ahead 2004” (so you see I’ve been working on this project for a time now). I meditated on each description until I could begin to see, in my mind’s eye, an image of the planet and which instrument the planet would play. I wanted to intuit everything in the paintings. These are the descriptions I worked from.
Moon
Rules your private life, especially your home. Feminine in nature, rules how you perceive women. Rules your history, your background, emotional development, and your ability to get in touch with your feelings. Drives your deepest feelings, the fine-tuning of your character, instinct, intuition, emotions and reactions. Rules the stomach and the breasts.
Mercury
Little planet. Messenger, communicator, non-emotional, rational, objective thought. Quickly moving, flexible, responsive, and adaptable. Disburses information. Rules perception, language, writing, editing, research, speaking, learning experience, and assessment of data. Rules telecommunications, computing, software, electronic gadgets, mail, shipping, couriers and transportation. Also rules sibling relationships, maps, letters, travel plans, appointments, roadways, vehicles, advertising, publishing, sales and public relations. Close to the sun.
Venus
Rules affections, heart, love life and pleasure. Feminine. Also rules gifts, beauty, adornment and art. Governess of all that is beautiful. Venus is alluring, magnetic and receptive, never aggressive. Uses charm instead of force. Can be seen as hedonistic, not deeply thoughtful, ethical or moral. Like Mercury, stays close to Sun. Brings opportunities to hear music, eat good food, enjoy a beautiful perfume, appreciate a fine wine or see a great art exhibit.
Mars
Energizes other planets. Aggressive, assertive, forceful, energetic, competitive and daring. The Red Planet governs the whole spectrum of masculine elements from sex to war. (Warrior Planet) Known for its courage, passion, strength and stamina. Governs sharp instruments, fire and anything combustible. Mars allows you to keep progressing even when the going gets rough.
Jupiter
Planet of good fortune. Rules wealth and financial or material gain. Brings vision, faith, optimism, loyalty, justice confidence and wisdom. Paints a broad picture and makes you think big. Physically larger than all the planets combined. The expansive planet – The Great Benefactor. Allows us to philosophize and find a higher meaning or purpose. Encourages reflection, study, and attainment of higher education. Inspires us to travel far and wide.
Saturn
Planet of concentration, permanence, tangible rewards, tenacity, ambition and productivity. Also rules caution, delay, constriction, limitation, responsibility, rules and regulations, pain, fear, authority, discipline, control and denial (task master planet). Without Saturn we would have chaos. Saturn forces us to confront reality. Saturn is cold and icy. A great teacher. Brings maturity and teaches us the value of patience and sacrifice. Rules the base structure of everything from teeth and bones to organizational hierarchy of a company. Governs historical, artistic and archeological artifacts.
Uranus
Rules surprises and all things unexpected, the future and new technology, all that is unimagined and yet to come. The father of electricity. Rules creativity and scientific genius. Innovative, unpredictable, resourceful, imaginative, idiosyncratic and experimental. Uranus’ job is to break rules and demolish established patterns or structures, creating sudden – even radical change. Works in sudden ways and is called The Great Awakener. Gives strong impulse for rebellion, independence, even shock. Exciting and liberating. Will overturn anything traditional or orthodox that it deems has outlived its usefulness. Produces quick, liberating results, blending fact with intuition in its quest to discover universal truths. Considered the higher octave of intellectual Mercury, strongly objective and brainy with no emotional side.
Neptune
The planet of inspiration. The higher octave of Venus, Neptune brings beauty to a higher, more spiritual level. Holds sway over dreams, the subconscious, illusions, fantasies and all things magical and enchanting. Intensifies intuition and teaches us to be deeply compassionate. Asks us to sacrifice for the greater good or for love of another. Refines, purifies and cleanses any visitors. Cannot bear coarseness. Gets us in tune with subtlety and increases the artistic side of one’s personality. Neptune rules all visual communication such as photography, movies, ballet and other dance arts, music, painting and poetry. Rules the sea and all other bodies of water. Governs rain, ice and liquids of all kinds including beverages and alcohol. Rules drugs – those that make us suffer and those that makes us well. Known as the Planet of Mist. Makes us want to escape the mundane, everyday reality and enter a more ideal, heavenly state. Urges us to excel and reject limitations.
Pluto
Rules transformation. Father of the Phoenix as it rises from the ashes. Symbol of rebirth. Governs the act of ultimate survival in the never-ending cycles of beginnings and endings. Catalyst for change and metamorphosis cannot be overemphasized. Intensifies and strengthens any sector or planet if touches. Rules obsessive behavior, taboos and compulsions, even crises. Rules fundamental issues including life and death, the ultimate transformation of energy. Rules all that is hidden, unseen or buried, including secrets, undercover work, strategic planning and even the roots of plants. Drives the unearthing or unmasking of that which is concealed.
Back to my night sky fascination for a bit. Speaking mere mortal to mere mortal, do we really know what goes on in the night sky? It's dark out there. What if, when we close our little eyes and go to sleep, the planets leave their rotations and get together for a jazz jam session? Imagine the fun they are having! My painting is all about the question, "what if?" What if we woke up, looked out and saw it the planets playing jazz in the night sky? What would that look like?
My images of the planets were derived from the astrological descriptions of Susan Miller in her book “The Year Ahead 2004” (so you see I’ve been working on this project for a time now). I meditated on each description until I could begin to see, in my mind’s eye, an image of the planet and which instrument the planet would play. I wanted to intuit everything in the paintings. These are the descriptions I worked from.
Moon
Rules your private life, especially your home. Feminine in nature, rules how you perceive women. Rules your history, your background, emotional development, and your ability to get in touch with your feelings. Drives your deepest feelings, the fine-tuning of your character, instinct, intuition, emotions and reactions. Rules the stomach and the breasts.
Mercury
Little planet. Messenger, communicator, non-emotional, rational, objective thought. Quickly moving, flexible, responsive, and adaptable. Disburses information. Rules perception, language, writing, editing, research, speaking, learning experience, and assessment of data. Rules telecommunications, computing, software, electronic gadgets, mail, shipping, couriers and transportation. Also rules sibling relationships, maps, letters, travel plans, appointments, roadways, vehicles, advertising, publishing, sales and public relations. Close to the sun.
Venus
Rules affections, heart, love life and pleasure. Feminine. Also rules gifts, beauty, adornment and art. Governess of all that is beautiful. Venus is alluring, magnetic and receptive, never aggressive. Uses charm instead of force. Can be seen as hedonistic, not deeply thoughtful, ethical or moral. Like Mercury, stays close to Sun. Brings opportunities to hear music, eat good food, enjoy a beautiful perfume, appreciate a fine wine or see a great art exhibit.
Mars
Energizes other planets. Aggressive, assertive, forceful, energetic, competitive and daring. The Red Planet governs the whole spectrum of masculine elements from sex to war. (Warrior Planet) Known for its courage, passion, strength and stamina. Governs sharp instruments, fire and anything combustible. Mars allows you to keep progressing even when the going gets rough.
Jupiter
Planet of good fortune. Rules wealth and financial or material gain. Brings vision, faith, optimism, loyalty, justice confidence and wisdom. Paints a broad picture and makes you think big. Physically larger than all the planets combined. The expansive planet – The Great Benefactor. Allows us to philosophize and find a higher meaning or purpose. Encourages reflection, study, and attainment of higher education. Inspires us to travel far and wide.
Saturn
Planet of concentration, permanence, tangible rewards, tenacity, ambition and productivity. Also rules caution, delay, constriction, limitation, responsibility, rules and regulations, pain, fear, authority, discipline, control and denial (task master planet). Without Saturn we would have chaos. Saturn forces us to confront reality. Saturn is cold and icy. A great teacher. Brings maturity and teaches us the value of patience and sacrifice. Rules the base structure of everything from teeth and bones to organizational hierarchy of a company. Governs historical, artistic and archeological artifacts.
Uranus
Rules surprises and all things unexpected, the future and new technology, all that is unimagined and yet to come. The father of electricity. Rules creativity and scientific genius. Innovative, unpredictable, resourceful, imaginative, idiosyncratic and experimental. Uranus’ job is to break rules and demolish established patterns or structures, creating sudden – even radical change. Works in sudden ways and is called The Great Awakener. Gives strong impulse for rebellion, independence, even shock. Exciting and liberating. Will overturn anything traditional or orthodox that it deems has outlived its usefulness. Produces quick, liberating results, blending fact with intuition in its quest to discover universal truths. Considered the higher octave of intellectual Mercury, strongly objective and brainy with no emotional side.
Neptune
The planet of inspiration. The higher octave of Venus, Neptune brings beauty to a higher, more spiritual level. Holds sway over dreams, the subconscious, illusions, fantasies and all things magical and enchanting. Intensifies intuition and teaches us to be deeply compassionate. Asks us to sacrifice for the greater good or for love of another. Refines, purifies and cleanses any visitors. Cannot bear coarseness. Gets us in tune with subtlety and increases the artistic side of one’s personality. Neptune rules all visual communication such as photography, movies, ballet and other dance arts, music, painting and poetry. Rules the sea and all other bodies of water. Governs rain, ice and liquids of all kinds including beverages and alcohol. Rules drugs – those that make us suffer and those that makes us well. Known as the Planet of Mist. Makes us want to escape the mundane, everyday reality and enter a more ideal, heavenly state. Urges us to excel and reject limitations.
Pluto
Rules transformation. Father of the Phoenix as it rises from the ashes. Symbol of rebirth. Governs the act of ultimate survival in the never-ending cycles of beginnings and endings. Catalyst for change and metamorphosis cannot be overemphasized. Intensifies and strengthens any sector or planet if touches. Rules obsessive behavior, taboos and compulsions, even crises. Rules fundamental issues including life and death, the ultimate transformation of energy. Rules all that is hidden, unseen or buried, including secrets, undercover work, strategic planning and even the roots of plants. Drives the unearthing or unmasking of that which is concealed.
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