Saturn in Libra, The Rise Of The Singer/Songwriter, “The Bosses” Tragedy, The Spirit Of Lennon And Stevie Ray Finds Balance With Albert King

Libra rises.

We’ll return to the tugging of the heartstrings of Saturn in Libra and the male/female dynamic tomorrow, but for now, let’s look at how Saturn in Libra will affect the arts, mainly singers/songwriters. This is a column that will appear sometime in the future at emusic:

As Saturn moves into Libra for the next two-and-a-half years, Bruce Springsteen is already feeling it as transiting Saturn conjuncts his natal Sun, he loses his cousin, a member of his road crew in a hotel in Kansas City. I have a feeling that this will shape Springsteen’s attitude towards not just touring, but his career overall. Springsteen just turned 60 and while he continues to defy the laws of time with his hyper-kinetic, marathon performances, the death of his cousin will cast a shadow over the rest of the tour and his career.

Above and beyond almost any sign, Libra is the sign of the singer/songwriter; Springsteen, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Sting, John Mayer, Chuck Berry, Bryan Ferry, Bob Geldorf and Paul Simon are all Libras and that’s just the top of the list. Throw in a little Snoop Dogg, P. Diddy, Usher, TI and Eminem, to add some flava in your ear and you can see the breadth and scope of Libra; harmony and flow. Libra is naturally poetic and wired to explore the contours and dynamics of relating. Love songs, songs about relationships, etc, are endemic to Libra. Understanding the self through the other is the key to Libra. But Libra also concerns itself with rights, fairness and equality. Each of the above artists have explored those aspects as well. Simon even went so far as to defy his critics and employ South African musicians on Grace Land and thus bring more attention to apartheid than supporting as his ill informed detractors accused him of.

While Saturn is in Libra, Jupiter will be in Pisces, so the urge to merge, to dive into the mystic and be inspired will have it’s impact on the arts as well. Jupiter in Pisces will inspire, while Saturn in Libra will accentuate the qualities of equality, social justice and balance, all inherent in Libra. Look for not just a rise in love songs, but the return of protest songs as well. Saturn will cross over John Lennon’s Sun during this phase and we will no doubt see a resurrection in all things Lennon. Look for a Lennon inspired collection of songs, some of which will be covered by a few of the aforementioned artists, but it will be Lennon’s spirit that will help reanimate a call towards social awareness and peace. 2010 will be the 30th anniversary of Lennon’s dubious death and he will be with us now, more than ever in the year to come. All of those are great artists, but when it comes to Libra being personified in perhaps one record, by one artist, its In Session with Stevie Ray Vaughn (Libra) and Albert King.

While Vaughn is officially listed as a Libra, (October 3rd) his chart is dominated by Scorpio and a Sag Moon. Scorpio is synonymous with death, sex and drugs. The motto for a Sag Moon is “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.” Contrary to popular belief, Libra’s are not inherently balanced abut are engaged in a lifelong quest FOR balance. With Vaughn’s Mercury, Venus and Saturn in Scorpio, achieving balance for Vaughn was considerably more difficult. His homeostasis dwelled in the abyss. It would take years of hard rocking and hard living for Vaughn to eventually hit rock bottom and ultimately find peace and balance in his life. But on In Session, recorded in 1993, just before his launch into the stratosphere of rock stardom with David Bowie, Vaughn was in a natural state of balance with the legendary Albert King. Together on this fantastic recording, Vaughn and King trade licks back and forth with searing electricity and buoyant sense of goodwill. “Overall Junction” might showcase the give and take and too and fro the best out of all the tracks. Ironically, King is a Taurus, also ruled by Venus, though decidedly more grounded than Libra’s airy ascetics. Taurus also opposes Vaughn’s planets in Scorpio, giving the duo an almost alchemical connection, bring together light and dark, water and earth with the sensuous and sensual sides of Venus.

While Vaughn went onto more personal, solo recordings and became a guitar legend worthy of mention alongside of Jimi, it’s this early recording that personifies the Libran actualization of balance in Stevie Ray Vaughn’s turbulent quest for the equanimity of his soul.