Auntie Moon

Philosophers and Wise Guys ~ I have to admit I love ’em!

They make you think, try to get you to see beyond a limited perspective. They make some people nuts and turn others into acolytes and sycophants. Be very wary of falling into that role. I want to think it was Joseph Campbell who said something to the effect of when you look at the picture of the guru in your locket, it should be a picture of you. That’s not the quote, but it’s the gist of what I remember. If you can set me straight on the quote, I would sure appreciate it.

Osho was a Sagittarian guru/mystic/philosopher born Dec. 11, 1931 in  Kuchwada, Madhya Pradesh, India. He spoke often about the similarities of priests and politicians and his blatant dislike of both. You may recall the scandalous negative publicity his commune in Oregon received in the early 80’s. He continues to have many devotees, however, and countless books, videos, and cds. His readership continues to grow in the West, 20 years after his death in 1990.

Those of you who aren’t familiar with the majority of his work might recognize the Osho Zen Tarot. Many people owning the deck count it among their favorites. I would have to say it’s my personal favorite, too. I have a great appreciation for the Introduction of Tarot in the Spirit of Zen, an additional book of essays for use with the Osho Zen Tarot. The Introduction is entitled On Predicting the Future. It’s a very interesting introduction for a divinatory tool. Here’s a brief excerpted quote on prediction:

…It has nothing much to do with the future. It has more to do with the past…If you know the past of a person, unless the person is a buddha, you will be able to predict his future because he is going to repeat it. If he has been an angry person in the past, he is carrying the tendency to be angry; that tendency will have effects in the future.

Good advice to keep handy for our Mars transits.

Seeing as he was a philosopher with an ever-expanding following, I thought I’d pick him as a prime example of a Sagittarian Wise Guy. I happen to like him. He cracks me up. There are plenty of jokes sprinkled throughout his work.

He has a grand trine involving Sun/Jupiter/Uranus. This chart shows his Ascendant to be in Gemini. He was definitely a talker. He never wrote a book, but there are gazillions of them available. All are transcriptions of his numerous discourses on countless topics.

Joseph Campbell has been a great inspiration to me. He’s a true master of symbolic translation in myth. (Why in the world hasn’t someone created a Joseph Campbell tarot? Anyone up for the job?) His chart reveals Uranus in Sagittarius/3rd in a T-Square formation with Neptune in the 9th and a Sun/Mercury/Jupiter conjunction forming the apex in the 6th house. That’s a whole lot of goobledegook that you’ll understand better by looking at the chart. Think about combining :

• Neptune (myth/inspiration)
• with Uranus/3rd/Sag (sudden insights for inspirational communication)
• with the Sun/Mercury/Jupiter (identity/writing and speaking/philosophy)
• in his 6th house (work).

Talk about fulfilling your chart! He did, indeed, follow his bliss. Campbell offers some very sage advice on gurus in Joseph Campbell on the Guru by Lorin Roche, PhD.

Philosophers often come in the guise of comics and satirists ~ Will Rogers and Lewis Black are two who come to mind. Humor is one of the best ways to educate people, and absurdity can certainly make a point.

Two of my other favorite “philosophers” are more or less Wise Guys in true Jupiterian funny form. I get a daily Duhism (and smile) from Bob Tzu, “the long-lost American cousin of the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu” and the founder of Duhism. “Duhism is a faux-losophy of Bob’s Impractical Wisdumb. Follow it at your own risk. The practice of Duhism is said to guarantee a rebirth in Newark, New Jersey.” Bob will help you keep it unreal.

Another major Wise Guy is Swami Beyondananda. He’s a philosophical “pun”dit who has given me a lot of great laughs. If you aren’t familiar with the Swami, you can get an introduction to him here, Swami Beyondananda: Who is the Man Behind the Turban? An Interview with Randy Peyser. Toward the end of the article, you’ll find the Swami’s 10 Guidelines for Enlightenment. Here’s a taste:

1.  Be a FUNdamentalist — ensure that the Fun always comes before the Mental.  Realize that life is a situation comedy that will never be cancelled.  A laugh track has been provided and the reason we are put in the material world is to get more material.  Have a good laughsitive twice a day, which will ensure reguhilarity.

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