Bill Maher (Aquarius) vs. Bill Hicks (Sag)

Who gets top Bill?

I had the great misfortune of watching Bill Maher (0 degrees Aquarius) the other night on Larry King. II used to be a fan of Maher, but he’s lost me as of late. I’m going to step on a few toes here, so if you are a diehard Maher fan, you can either go to another post, leave, or simply read on and hit me back with some comments, but as I disassemble Maher, I will introduce you to the most spiritually and politically enlightened comedian of my time and how Maher pales in comparison to the breadth and scope of the late, great, Bill Hicks. But first let me briefly re-cap Maher’s tete-a-tete with Larry.

One of the things that Maher is great at is dismissively deriding anyone that isn’t in his circle of intellectual and political persuasion. A self-described Libertarian only in name, Maher succumbs to what I call, “socially progressive, elitist entitlement.” It reared it’s ugly head when Sarah Palin emerged as a voice for the mute middle whose values are quickly being disregarded as not only inconsequential and obsolete, but God forbid, un-hip. While I may or may not agree with every position Sarah Palin has, people like Maher and even Deepak Chopra have gone to great lengths to demonize and even shame those that don’t ascribe to progressive viewpoints and attitudes.

The other night, Maher gleefully lanced “Joe The Plumber”, questioning his intelligence and knowledge of politics in general, then went onto laud The Clintons, who although were not about changing government, knew the system well enough to make it work. When Maher taps into his Jupiter/Pluto conjunction in Leo, 28/29, he launches his vitriol and opinions with authority, hammering home points with impressive and cutting force. But this conjunction can lead to tremendous hubris and it was clearly on display the other night, as he pontificated on the stupidity of “The Joe The Plumbers” of the country. It was abundantly clear and has ben since Palin arrived on the scene that the most regressive qualities of the progressives was on display, a quality which manifests as an intellectual superiority and quote-un-quote knowledge of the issues that the “Joe Sixpacks” of the world, due to their superstitious ignorance just don’t get.

As I laid out in my examination of “The Palin Effect” espoused by Chopra, I believe that these smug and self-assured attitudes accelerate the culture wars even more, creating a deeper divide between classes, races and faiths. The socially progressive left, often preaches “tolerance” for causes and ideals that they are invested in, but when it comes to ideas and attitudes that run counter to their “ism” it’s not tolerance, but rabid intolerance as displayed by Maher two nights ago on Larry King.

In addition to the aura of entitlement that surrounds Maher and to some extent, the bulk of The Boomers also born with Pluto in Leo, he has a powerful Sag aspect in his chart, including a Mars/Saturn conjunction in Sag. This can begin to explain Maher’s vehement dislike for religion and his faithful support for animal rights, both ruled by Sag. His moon in Taurus squares his Mars/Saturn conjunction, which gives him a decidedly fixed and intractable position on those views. Freedom seems to be important to Maher, but clearly it’s on his terms and not readily extended to those that doesn’t feel that intellectually or morally qualified. His natal Mercury is retrograde in Aquarius, which speaks to me as the force in his life that separates and divides, rather than joins and unifies as might be the focus if his Mercury were direct. I won’t succumb to bi-partisan spiritual bashing, so I’ll even point out that Maher has Venus, exalted in Pisces at 2 degrees. Somewhere beneath the bluster and bullying is a very sensitive soul, with lots of heavy artillery to protect it from the cruel, harsh, nasty and stupid people of the world. Mahers full frontal assault on “The Joe The Plumbers” and Sarah Palins is in some ways an elaborate agreement between his quick mind and caustic tongue to protect the vulnerable underbelly of his desire to experience unity and merging as exemplified by his Venus/Pisces.

In essence, Bill has trust issues.

However, his latest blitzkrieg on the mute middle only widens the gulf between the unification that I think he desperately seeks, yet simultaneously destroys with glee.

Now let’s have a look at another comedian named, Bill.

Ladies and gentlemen, the late, great, Bill Hicks.

Bill Hicks shot onto the national comedy scene in the eighties where roamed the country as part of Sam Kinnison’s Outlaw Comics. He and Kinnison were kindred souls in many ways, outrageous, sharp, funny, take-no-prisoners practitioners of comedy. Both were Sags’ and both had a flippant disregard for authority as well. Anything but subtle in their approach, they were rock and roll comics, the Meatloaf and David Lee Roths of stand up. But there was something special about Hicks, something I have never seen any other comedian do. Hicks was able to do much of the same things that Maher does, only better and, here’s the kicker, he was inclusive. He could rail against the left and the right with equal force, he could illuminate foibles and stupidity with a 50,000 watt searchlight and yet, at the end of his set, people usually felt better, more connected and even a little smarter.

The astrological parallels between Hicks and Maher are fascinating. Sag Hicks has his Moon in Aries and Jupiter in Sag. His exact birth time is unavailable so I’m not certain if his Moon and Mars trine, but both Hicks and Maher share strong Sag and Aquarian aspects, which manifest in a similar emotional dynamic for moral outrage. Hicks had a stellium in Sag, highlighted by an exact conjunction of his Sun, Mercury and Mars at 23 degrees. This powerful trio allowed him to have no fear when it came to expressing his views and made him painfully truthful at all costs. His honesty and desire to get to the bottom of social BS allowed him to tackle topics like “Drugs” and “The Kennedy Assassination” with a razor-like-wit, getting close to the nerves of conspiracy, all the while enlightening and making us laugh. Hicks didn’t preach and he often made fun of himself, employing outlandish physical comedy in the process. Although he could rail against stupidity with as much bile as Maher, occasionally adopting a southern drawl, one would often get the sense that the person that Hicks was satirizing was himself. In name and in spirit, he was one of “The Hicks,” unlike Maher, whose antipathy for the common man treads painfully close to the surface, but Maher is often too cool to hold the mirror up to himself

As Maher has his Mercury in Aquarius (retrograde), and Jupiter in Leo, Hicks had his Jupiter in Aquarius and therein lies the rub, the differentiator. Maher expands as he pontificates by decree, powered by the authoritarian Jupiter/Pluto conjunction, while Hicks sought to reach levels of unity and possibility, often ending his shows with a declaration that we are all part of a whole that consists of pure, un-condtional love, a testament to his Jupiter/Aquarian perspective. In Bill Hicks’ world, everyone has a ticket to come along for the ride. This is what sets him apart from Maher in the most dramatic and empowering way.

Bill Hicks, like most prophets and turned-on pundits got taken from us early, succumbing to cancer in 1994, but his message is all over the internet and lives on. In fact, it is rumored that Russell Crowe will play Hicks in an upcoming feature film. I highly suggest that you quickly watch a Hicks segment after having any exposure to Bill Maher. For one thing, you’ll laugh more (oh yeah, Hicks is still funnier) and for another, you’ll feel better.