Message Bringer, Wave Maker, Aquarian Activist, John Trudell

Opening the sacred hoop

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve had the great opportunity to meet and connect with people through this site. Emily Trinkhaus, the curator of her own site, Virgo Magic, reached out to me with a number of breathy epiphanies regarding poet/activist, John Trudell and his recent birthday. Since it zoomed past me, I offered her the chance to post her findings here.

Backstory

I have moved in and out of Trudell’s orbit over the years. I first met a friend of his on a street corner in Flagstaff, then would bump into him at various music festivals. He spoke to the audience after the showing of the amazing documentary on his life and his words were profound, prophetc and troubling. He likened mainstream culture (read white) as now being in the same bucket as native culture and how things that we have taken for granted, like freedom of speech and privacy were now under the same scrutiny and rule of law for white and red. So without further ado, here’s Emily’s take on “Tru.”

John Trudell Is My New Favorite Aquarius (Emily Trinkhaus)

“I am a human, a member of a tribe, not a subject for corporate mining and exploitation. I don’t trust their corporate ‘democracy.’ We humans must think for ourselves. That’s what we need to give to the next generation.”- John Trudell

After months of intending to watch the movie Trudell, I finally got around to it Sunday night – and quickly realized I had chosen the perfect moment. Right from the beginning, this documentary about Native American activist-poet John Trudell screams AQUARIUS.

Aquarius is this year’s headline, and an especially active energy right now – coming off the January 26 Solar Eclipse in Aquarius, the February 5th opposition of Saturn and Uranus (the two planets that rule Aquarius), and leading up to this year’s rare super-conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune – all in Aquarius.

John Trudell epitomizes the Aquarian archetypes of the Revolutionary, the Truth-Teller and the Humanitarian. Born to a Mexican mother and Santee Sioux father, in his early 20’s he became active in Native American rights, and served as the spokesperson for the Indians of All Tribes occupation of Alcatraz from 1969-71. He was the national chairman of the powerful American Indian Movement (AIM) from 1972-79. Between 1969-79, the FBI compiled a 17,000-page file on Trudell, noting that his eloquence made him dangerous.

On February 12, 1979, Trudell burnt an American flag on the steps of the FBI headquarters, and that night his wife Tina Manning, their three young children, and his mother-in-law were all killed in a fire – widely believed to be an act of arson by the US government. After this devastating tragedy, Trudell started “hanging on lines” – writing and speaking the lines of poetry that came into his head, and which he later put to music. Enter Chiron and Neptune – the Wounded Healer Poet/Musician.

Aquarius Rules Synchronicity

Moved and inspired by the story of Trudell’s life, the first thing I did Monday morning was look up his birth info. It turns out that not only is Trudell an Aquarius, his birthday is February 15 – the date I watched the movie!

Trudell’s Moon appears to be in Leo, opposite his Aquarius Sun – another synchronicity, as the Leo-Aquarius polarity was recently activated by the February 9th Lunar Eclipse. Leo rules the heart, creativity and individuality – balancing Aquarian logic and “group mind” orientation. Trudell, the Revolutionary Artist, offers a beautiful example of Leo-Aquarius integration.

Not surprisingly, Chiron, the Wounded Healer, is strong in his chart – conjunct Jupiter in Libra, and forming a Grand Trine with his Aquarius Sun and Venus, and his Gemini North Node. The Grand Trine in Air reflects his gifts as a communicator, a bridge, a translator, teacher and writer. With Chiron squaring his Mars-Saturn conjunction in Cancer, he uses these healing gifts to fight for his tribe and people, and for the Great Mother of us all – planet Earth.

Trudell was born in 1946 – just a year after the last super-conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune. Although Neptune is out of orb of his Jupiter-Chiron conjunction, I suspect the planet ruling spirituality, sacrifice, grief, poetry and music nevertheless plays a strong role in Trudell’s chart. Without knowing his birth time, I can imagine a Libra Ascendant (attractive and politically-oriented as he is) with Neptune rising.

This May, the first conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune will be at 26 degrees Aquarius – exactly on Trudell’s Sun. After seeing this movie about his life, not only do I agree with Robert that John Trudell is “one of the most important Americans of our time” – there’s also something about him that is very specifically about this time, this uber-Aquarian moment in history. As we begin to take a great leap forward into the Aquarian Age, Trudell’s life serves as a guide and inspiration for how to embrace the new consciousness that wants to be born – how to live in integrity with our humanity and in service to the Earth.

Let’s give it up for Emily!!!!