kristo’s blog

Vasilisa & Baba Yaga... Yes or No...

A reader sent me a very personal question concerning the advisability of continuing therapy with her current therapist...

It may be a personal question...but the answer concerns all of us

The Magic Tinderbox

I’m going to try something a little bit different right now...
which is to publish the latest unrevised progress on my jungian interpretation of The Magic Tinderbox.

And while posting the material in this raw form is less than ideal, I’ve come to the conclusion that if I don’t start sharing it as is...I’m NEVER gonna finish writing it out...much less finish revising it.

As I’ve said on my website kristo.com, I’ve already finished analyzing The Magic Tinderbox in the Jungian classes I held in Chicago.
But none of that information was ever written down; so I’ve been waiting for the time and space to put my analysis in writing.
GOOD writing, that is.

Naturally, the added pressure of writing an elegant, erudite analysis of ANYTHING a la Carl Gustav himself is driving me crazy.
But then it struck me today that just going ahead and blogging my unrevised notes might be the closest I can get to how it felt discussing the fairytale in real time; which was, in fact, exhilarating.

Now being the Hemingway fanatic I am, I remember eagerly and hungrily reading that awful, 1999 edition of “True At First Light”; a manuscript left by the old man and edited into a book by his son, Patrick.
The book was about hunting in Africa, and so it was probably assumed that Patrick, having the experience of being a so-called white hunter in Africa, might be a good editor for his father’s story.

Well...Patrick might have been a good editor, but you could easily tell that the old man had left mostly sketchy notes about a story that only came alive in the very few places where he alone had been able to spend adequate time working and revising the text.
And while the book as published was flat as a pancake, you just knew from those familiar moments when the old man’s true voice was strongest, that this would have been a dynamite story if only he had been able to spend enough quality time with it.

That said...I’m giving The Magic Tinderbox whatever time I’ve got.
And when I’m done it’s gonna change the way you look at fairytales.
In the meantime, here are the earliest drafts of the latest installment.

kristo's jungian interpretation of The Magic Tinderbox, part six

the text:
One evening, he realized he had never used the old witch’s tinderbox.
So he rubbed it, and as it sparked, the dog with the eyes like saucers suddenly appeared.

“Tell me your wish, sir,” it said.

“...bring me heaps of money!” gasped the soldier in amazement.

A second later, the dog was back with a bag of coins.
Every time he rubbed the tinderbox, the dog brought him more money.
Then when he rubbed it quickly twice in succession, the dog with eyes like mill stones stood before him, carrying silver coins.
And when the soldier rubbed the tinderbox three times in a row, the third dog came carrying gold.

Rich all over again, the soldier chose the best hotel in the town and went back to leading the life of a fine gentleman.

The soldier was told that the King would not allow anyone to meet his beautiful daughter, for he believed in a saying that the Princess’s destiny was to marry a simple soldier.

That evening, the soldier rubbed the tinderbox.
“Bring me the Princess,” was his new order.

kristo’s interpretation:
It seems hilariously clear that there’s some sort of masturbatory business going on here...but the emphasis seems to be on the sustainability of this resource.
Or at least, the sustainability of its rewards.
And so we have to wonder if the fairytale implies that orgasm on demand is the end-all and be-all of everyone’s fantasy.
(And I say everyone’s, not every man’s, because I must remind you that this was, in fact, the very same prize that the witch was originally after.)

Now considering that money itself is only a talismanic symbol of the power to motivate, move, and otherwise persuade others to obey our commands, we seem to be hot on the trail of understanding today’s typical investment banker.
And well, if not, our soldier certainly seems to be living the life of one.
Even despite the fact that current populist sentiment would hardly include calling these guys fine gentlemen.

The soldier was told that the King would not allow anyone to meet his beautiful daughter, for he believed in a saying that the Princess’s destiny was to marry a simple soldier.
That evening, the soldier rubbed the tinderbox.
“Bring me the Princess,” was his new order.

So, the King has forbidden anyone at all to meet his daughter...and the fairytale goes on to explain why.
And even while it’s obvious that our soldier is the prototypical bad-boy the King fears as a son-in-law, this simple and effective device for creating storytelling tension packs quite a wallop.

In typical, yuppie fashion, our nouveau riche banker...er, I mean soldier...decides that he wants nothing but the best of the best.
And since money is no object for material things, he can easily afford to live in the best hotel in the town.

But why, when faced with a royal prohibition against obtaining a fairytale trophy wife, does he turn to his newfound masturbational / orgasmic skills???

I suppose that if I'm going to insist that this fairytale has everything to do with a metaphor for orgasms...I’d better explain.

But I can’t.
Not quite yet, anyway.

And that’s the way it goes with metaphor and hermeneutics.
We’ve simply got to try this quirky metaphor on for size, a little bit at a time, and see how well it fits.

More to come...

Pluto transits...

Having more time for myself is both a blessing and a curse...
On the one hand, I get to work on those things I love, but ordinarily have no time for...
On the other hand, I’ve got to narrow my focus and choose just one of those things to actually do...
(One at a time, anyway.)

Consider this, then, an experiment in selectivity...

To my mind, transiting Pluto conjuncting any natal planet is one helluva blockbuster astrologic event.
And it usually means that the victim is being forced to make some impossible choice.
A choice in which neither eenie, nor miney, nor moe is remotely possible...
and only meanie stands out as the completely logical, yet utterly repulsive alternative.

Consider Anthony Hecht’s poem “More Light! More Light!” as a dramatization of the typical feeling conjured by transiting Pluto.

Not to alarm anyone...but I’d like to experiment by making some observations about those who may be most obviously affected by the current position of Pluto...
and then asking for some feedback.
Feedback that may be useful for all of us.
Since no one can predict the specifics of any astrologic event with pinpoint accuracy...it might be possible to improve our collective intuition by sharing some of the specifics regarding the Plutonian events that certain people are currently experiencing.

For instance, my decision to quit the practice of OB / GYN came to a head during the period in which transiting Sagittarian Pluto Conjuncted my natal Mars.
And while it’s no secret that Pluto demands we let go of what is weighing us down, it doesn’t feel that way at all until we actually allow ourselves to entertain letting go as a possibility.

Our natural instinct is to clutch ever tighter to those familiar, yet now dangerous, stones even while the Plutonian current is dragging us into the middle of a some very powerful, personal river.
And up until the moment when letting go revealed itself as an option, my natal Mars was producing nothing but fear and anger.
Fear and rage, actually.

I won’t call that a moment of enlightenment...but under Pluto’s influence (i.e. through this particular, awful circumstance) I found the courage to do what my heart demanded...but that logic wouldn’t allow.
And I hesitate to call it courage, because afterwards, when close friends expressed admiration, they often spoke of the courage it must have required.
I, on the other hand, spoke of it as simply a matter of survival.

Survival of the soul, perhaps...but survival, nonetheless.

So...in the interest of promoting more understanding of the Plutonian nature of events that feel otherwise impossible to fathom...here is a brief list of those among us who may be involved in the most obvious...and perhaps most difficult...of current Pluto transits:

As I write this, Pluto is currently at 4 degrees, 9 1/2 minutes of Capricorn.
This would mean that for anyone born roughly between December 23rd and December 29th of any year, transiting Pluto is conjuncting their natal Sun.

Pluto transits (according to my personal, astrologic preference of 3 degree orbs) take about 5 years to complete...which is why I'm including about a week’s worth of birth days.
And those born around December 25th are likely in the most difficult part of their ordeal...
while certain birth years are also more difficult, simply because there are other planets to consider.

Those born in late December of 1988 have Uranus and Saturn in Capricorn Conjunct their Sun!
And so they must contend with a slightly longer period of a much busier and more complex ordeal than most.

>Those born in late December of 1978 will also have transiting Pluto conjuncting their natal Mars...right after they’ve gone through their Solar Conjunction ordeal.
Those born in late December of 1953 have Saturn in place of that 1978 Mars...and so will have an even more serious experience to deal with.

In 1951 Chiron was Conjunct the Sun for late December births and in 1954 the Dragon’s Head was Conjunct the Sun in late December.

Those born in late 1946 also have a Sun ordeal to be followed only a few years later by a Mars ordeal.

But the greatest and most significant of Plutonian transits for late December births is doubtless the one that must be endured for anyone born in 1943.
The new Moon occurred in late December of 1943...so transiting Pluto conjuncts Sun and Moon almost simultaneously.
While this is significant in itself, the complexity rendered by the remainder of planets is such that there are numerous associated Yods, Squares, and Quincunxes.
And to my mind, Yods and Quincunxes are symbolic of serious Guilt issues.

>Okay.
So that’s the bad news.
Like the Death card in Tarot...Pluto often carries out the difficult initiation rites that can bring about true Transformation by means of death, loss, destruction, or the threat of any of them.
Worse news is that we can easily (perhaps) screw up our own initiation.
And so instead of transformation, we're left with a kind of stillborn initiation that just leaves us emotionally crippled...or at an absolute loss.

The good news is that Pluto is all about real Transformation...i.e. death to the old situation, attitude, or goals...not literal death.
And we’re not meant to fuck up...or get fucked by...that initiation experience.
But it takes a healthy dose of intuition and / or experience in order to see what’s proper to do when one is immersed in the depths of any such Pluto transit.

>And that’s why I’d like to know what it is that you are going through now if Pluto is conjuncting your natal Sun.
I’d also like to know what you can share if you remember any past Pluto transit involving a conjunction.

>Now I know that my favorite astrologer, Steven Forrest, has already written about the concept of each sort of Pluto transit in The Book of Pluto (and so, of course, has Rob Hand) but I’m looking for the evidence of your direct experience.

Let’s see where it goes.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude

I just heard yesterday that Jeanne-Claude had passed away on Wednesday...
and it got me to revisit a whole lotta feelings that are all wrapped up in my love for their work.

Amazingly enough...I actually found words that come close to describing those feelings...
i.e. they transport me directly into a fairy tale.
...and move me in (those famous) mysterious ways.

On the Christo and Jeanne-Claude FAQ page there is this response to the question:
Why are their works so big? What's the point?
“Christo and Jeanne-Claude's works are entire environments....
The effect is astounding.
To be in the presence of one of these artworks is to have your reality rocked.
You see things you have never seen before....
(It) lasts longer than the actual work of art....
There is no other way to describe the feeling of that effect other than to say it is magical.”

Indeed, it is.

facts and factoids...

Today’s astrology (11/12/09) has an interesting significance that I thought worth sharing in this venue:

the planets
The Virgo Moon Sextiles Scorpio Mercury (in his / her Sextile to the Dragon’s Head, Trine to Uranus, and Square to the Jupiter / Chiron / Neptune Coniunctio) at 2:13 AM EST -5GMT, and goes Void of Course for 10 hours and 9 minutes.

kristo’s intuition
Don’t ever confuse “facts” with “truth.”
Anything examined out of context is probably as true a fact as you can manage to find...but put it back into context...
any context at all...
and it becomes a factoid.
Something like a pointy stick used to defend whatever incomplete and one-sided argument (i.e. your version of “the truth”) you choose to champion.
And perhaps more commonly...to poke holes in somebody else’s incomplete and one-sided argument (i.e. their version of “the truth”).
Conservatives and liberals alike use ’em.
Usually dipped in the poison of sarcasm.

the planets
Luna BiQuintiles that Aquarian Stellium of Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune (in their Squares to Sol and Mercury) with a Biquintile Jupiter at 3:03 AM, a BiQuintile to Chiron at 7:40 AM, and a BiQuintile to Neptune at 11:52 AM.

kristo’s intuition
It’s more than spectacular that we have an intelligent and intellectual president who tends to eschew the use of sticks...er, factoids.
Even though it often makes him appear like a victim of the usual right wing punji sticks.

the planets
Luna enters Libra at 12:22 PM, Conjuncts Saturn (in his Square to Pluto) at 2:53 PM, and Squares Capricorn Pluto at 3:12 PM.

kristo’s intuition
Well can’t have it both ways.
Or can we?
We can’t be on both sides of an argument.
Or can we?
Life demands Truth.
And as long as we’re cooking up arguments with sticks...the real Truth is gonna be a Paradox.

what’s the use of astrology???

Not much, you say??

Well, the way I personally use the daily horoscope at kristo.com is to look at the previous day’s horoscope, and see if there are any correlations between the intuitions I’ve written and the subsequent events of my day.

I’ve simply gotta do it this way because, trust me, as soon as I've posted the horoscope, I completely and promptly forget all about it.

The cool thing about this method is that nearly every single day I can see how a predictive intuition came true (so to speak) for me...i.e. how it actually manifested during my day.

And occasionally, I get some very positive feedback reminding me that some readers do the very same thing....

Today I'm gonna start something new...and report some of those personal occurrences....

Not because I’m so interested in tooting my own horn...because really, who (besides my friends and girlfriend) cares what the fuck happens to me during the day...

but because this might be a brilliant way to illustrate how to use a daily horoscope...which is: to exercise your own intuition.

So yesterday I wrote:

“Oh man!

Talk about big!

Today is the day for some all out wild, big, and beautiful installation.

One that requires a huge investment of everything you are.

And not necessarily everything you own...unless of course, you define yourself by that.”

the way it manifested was this:

My parents own a place in upstate NY on some really beautiful farm land...

and yesterday I got to drive up there for the first time since August...

I love being up here...and the experience of this place isn’t something that can easily be put into words...

but last night after dinner I walked outside into the cold country night and threw my head back to look at the stars...

Now even though the light pollution is slowly making its way up here, making it difficult to see the milky way on a typical summer night...well...last night it wasn’t difficult at all...

At first, coming from the brightly lit kitchen into the night darkness I swear I could only see maybe Polaris and Jupiter...

but then slowly, as my eyes adjusted...stars began to pop up and out like mushrooms... and before long...the whole damn sky became that “wild, big, and beautiful installation” that my intuition had somehow known of in the morning.

Of course I was only able to connect that experience with the horoscope after my girlfriend said that she had a similar experience of being all in during her day....

Now...I write the daily horoscope as a kind of personal mandala, meditation, or connection to the unconscious...and it’s a real exercise of my intuition. One that’s maybe not quite as useful as doing cardio or Qi Gong (although at times, it can be as much of a struggle as 45 minutes on the stairmaster) or flipping securities and leveraging debt....

But it’s more along the lines of walking outside to fill a birdfeeder each day...and then going off to start my day....

Whatever and whomever shows up is really none of my business...but doing this every day, I occasionally find the equivalent of a phoenix feather...

Like the one I’ve just told you about.

Have any of you made similar intuitive discoveries based on a daily horoscope...?

Please let me know...

It might be interesting to compare notes...

acts of god...

new dream interpretation at kristo.com today:

“a dark blue commercial jet flew very low over me...suddenly ascended...only to then nose dive and crash into a church a few blocks away....”

not just your run of the mill act of god, this....

more on what’s the use of art...

Dominic Eichler has a piece in the current issue of Frieze Magazine in which he attempts to somewhat obliquely answer that peculiar question...“What’s the use of art?”

You can find his rather interesting article here...

For my part...I find his preamble to be seriously interesting and engaging...but find the myriad particulars of his answer (e.g.“ art is the sibling of language, and sometimes they have good fights”) to be just the sort of thing that drains the Qi right outta me....

But that’s only because there is no “reasonable defence” of art...except maybe the experience of art itself.

And to my mind...that’s the issue. An experience. Because those in the art world couldn’t possibly be in that world unless there was an experiential passion driving them on. And without that experience of passion one would have to be awfully silly to remain there...just as it’s awfully silly to go bowling unless you truly enjoy it, and the friends you go bowling with.

Of course, then there is the professional. But a professional is someone who earns their living exclusively from their activity. And that definition makes amateurs of nearly every artist alive. (Not to mention the fact that a con artist should more properly be referred to as a con professional.) Now, if passion were the main currency...well...not only might art have the highest percentage of passionate professionals...but who then wouldn’t be willing to re-consider engaging more art in their lives tomorrow?

Those who would dismiss art (or bowling, for that matter) for any reason whatsoever can only realize that their experience of art is simply bloodless. Without passion. Or conversely, just too frightening to admit...or return to.

And perhaps the better question then is “Just where do you find your passion?”

Because the answer can only be “That’s where you find your art.”

Art doesn’t need a reason...or a defence. Neither does bowling. But if your passion is in danger of deserting you...well...maybe it’s time to rethink a few things. 

another new dream post...not exactly about an ostrich...

I just succeeded in posting another new free dream interpretation at kristo.com

dreamer particulars:

birthyear: 1968

gender: female

“I am on the second floor of a large, busy shopping mall or school.

I believe I am wearing rollerskates or otherwise gliding quickly (definitely not walking).

There's a flurry of sudden action for a second, and I stop abruptly at a potted plant that overlooks the sides of the second floor onto the ground floor.

At the plant's base lies a very large baby ostrich (that's what it looks like).

It is lying there as if sleeping when it suddenly bursts awake....”

Once again, I think you’ll find my Jungian interpretation interesting...to say the least...

Check here at kristo.com to read the full text of the dream...along with my interpretation...

kristo

Which is more important...the Diploma or the Education?

Files Vanished, Young Chinese Lose the Future

I had wanted to comment on this article in the nytimes...but it must have struck a nerve out there, since they closed the comments...

Anyway, this article really struck a chord with me...

After handing in all of the necessary forms and documents to graduate from medical school, the university administration office lost my libretto...

This was in the 70's, in Italy...a country (and a time) famous for its inscrutably confucian, beautifully handwritten, baroque bureaucratic traditions...

But for all of its faults, it is a country that I dearly love...and not only for having generously and graciously given me my formal medical education and degree...

I don't know how things are today, but the libretto was a one of a kind document that had each of my exams written in it, along with the date of the exam, my grade, and most importantly...the professor's signature...

All of this information was also recorded on computer sheets and signed by the professor (after signing the more personal and dramatic libretto)...

but in those earliest days of personal computers, each of the day's exam sheets were apparently meant to be entered into some university computer database that (as far as we students knew) may or may not have ever existed...

The bottom line was that if I hadn't made photocopies of each of the pages of my libretto, I couldn't have graduated until each of those computer sheets were found...

and I was told that the process could take months...

I was also immensely fortunate to have taken the advice of friends to make those simple photocopies before handing in that amazingly precious document...   

Now as an educator, what I find so subversively and perversely important about this headline is the question of what is ultimately more important...? 

The education (i.e. the educated student)...or the diploma?

In a world where greater and greater numbers of people are being given (or rather going in to debt) buying expensive educations...the number of fraudulent pieces of paper out there must be rather large...

Either that, or we're all being duped into spending literally thousands of dollars having our educational credentials examined, verified, and re-certified every time we make a move....

And so I suppose that we must have both...

The papers (along with the necessarily expensive certified paper sniffers) as well as those graduates who can readily demonstrate their true education...

But producing a bona fide piece of paper is not the same thing as demonstrating an education...!

Or is it?

Of course not...!

But unfortunately, here is compelling evidence for the dominance of the damn piece of paper...bona fide or not...

what an awful shame!

...and yet there but for the grace...