RIP Mary Oliver

Thursday January 17th 2019

From Wikipedia Commons


"...I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?...


Just a few days ago, someone reminded me of this poem by Mary Oliver called Summer Day. What a grand and precise vision she had…

And what a chart for a poet. Born 10 September 1935, not only did she have Virgo Sun, Oliver was born with a Venus Rx-Neptune conjunction in Virgo too, plus, if you’re counting Lilith, Pallas and Ceres in a giant stellium across the writer’s sign.

She died today. But her poems, of course, live on: Saturn in Pisces.

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  1. Iris says:

    She spoke to the soul.
    Did you mean to post the chart Christina?

    • Christina says:

      I don’t have a birth-time, so just drew it up for the birthday.

      • Christina says:

        Will post though because it’s so interesting anyway. Chiron squares that stellium from Gemini.

        Meanwhile

        “Praying

        It doesn’t have to be
        the blue iris, it can be
        weeds in a vacant lot…

        Just pay attention, then patch
        a few words together and don’t try
        to make them elaborate, this isn’t a contest
        but the doorway

        into thanks…”

        • Iris says:

          Perfection.
          Such an immediate, sensual sensibility. Watery? Or earthy given that stellium. I feel her poems in my body, it’s as peaceful and huge as breathing.
          “You only have to let the soft animal of your body
          love what it loves.”

          “Sleeping in the Forest

          I thought the earth remembered me,
          she took me back so tenderly,
          arranging her dark skirts, her pockets
          full of lichens and seeds.
          I slept as never before, a stone on the river bed,
          nothing between me and the white fire of the stars
          but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths
          among the branches of the perfect trees.
          All night I heard the small kingdoms
          breathing around me, the insects,
          and the birds who do their work in the darkness.
          All night I rose and fell, as if in water,
          grappling with a luminous doom. By morning
          I had vanished at least a dozen times
          into something better.”

        • Sabrina says:

          Beautiful and simple…

  2. R says:

    How sad. Her poems are beautiful – I read Summer Day at my aunt’s funeral last year. It summed up her approach to life so completely.

  3. Doug says:

    Beautiful Virgo ‘ earth ‘ poem , but obvious to me is she doesn’t consider the regeneral possibilities of reincarnation. ( from Doug a typical ‘ smarty pants. Virgo. )

  4. Doug says:

    Regenerational ; ( sorry ) on the last comment.

  5. harfbuzz says:

    If only we did have a choice over what we do with our life!

  6. Doug says:

    “Choose to love or choose to hate , the choice you make becomes your fate. ” The conundrum of free will.I think good intentions are the only way to go , and hope we make the right choice.Have a good day ! ????

    • harfbuzz says:

      The road to hell is paved with good intentions;)

      • harfbuzz says:

        We may be able to choose to love of hate most of the time, but a choice of where we live. who we live with, who we are surrounded by, what our careers will be etc is not so easy to chose all the time – and I know.:)

  7. Doug says:

    He’ll on earth maybe ; but I’ve found there’s a silver lining on the backside if your patient.

  8. Doug says:

    I do believe that we are victims of circumstances or fate if you prefer at times. ( one example : (the notorious Saturn return. )
    I had lost my job of many years.I could have fought and gotten it back.There was an inconjunct with the transiting sun and my natal sun at the time.From what I recalled incunjuncts are a type of break , a kind of fork in the road and a catalyst for change. ( that may not necessarily be voluntary. ) I considered my options and followed another path that was an option for me.I left the past behind and moved forward ; as it turned out it has been a very satisfying decision for me.I try to make a point to try and stay away from anything that smacks of riding on S. Node energy. ( I. E. Things that bog u down. ) keep the faith !

    • harfbuzz says:

      “…an inconjunct with the transiting sun and my natal sun at the time”

      In my book anything to do with career is Chiron for example look at May and all the trouble she is having; she has had for months transiting Chiron going over an aspect with her natal Saturn, then joined by Uranus. Anything bad in career look to both Chiron and Saturn aspecting each other; its not normal western linda goodman sun sign style astrology, and many of this type of astrologer would simply poo-poo the idea – Chirons the wounded healer yes and Saturn is structure etc… yes – but it seems to correspond.

      Most astrologers make astrology too complex, when its really simple if you get it right.

      All the best

      Now lets see thiis post be dissapeared in 5…4…3…2…1

  9. Doug says:

    I didn’t say chiron wasn’t involved.I just happened to notice the inconjunct at the time and thought it might have contributed as a trigger .I also use some asteroids and regalus at times.I incorporate the Hindu nodes because I’ve found them to be important , but otherwise I don’t follow other aspects of it.I have chiron on my zenith in Capricorn , but I did like Linda goodmans book ! : )

    • harfbuzz says:

      I hate to picky 😉 but you did not mention chiron. I know nothing about hindu nodes or hindu astrology, apart from someone doing some kind of hindu chart for myself that stated that I had trouble with neighbours but I had a good mind – didnt help me though as I know I have trouble with neighbours. Yeah- that Goodman book was really awesome, I never got over it 😉 Chiron in Capricorn – sounds like you are roughly born in the mid to late fifties – mid sixties myself.

  10. Doug says:

    Good times to be born ! A good book to read on nodes is: Celeste Teals book on nodes.I have done my own research on it.I find the N. Node to be most useful.You seem to be somewhat adept at astrology.I think you would pick up on it easy.Hindu astrology does not incorporate the outer planets , so I only use western astrology and only the nodes from Hindu.Chiron is also the healer.Theresa May does seem to have some issues.The chiron thing u mentioned makes sense. You are right ! I’m 9 / 1 / 54.9 : 48 cst.Have a good day ! , buzz