Scott writes:

A common dilemma facing all artists is how much effort do you put in regarding the details at the expense of the underlying communication of the work? Or, in other words, one can get so caught up in perfecting every detail that one loses sight of the original intention and energy of the
work.

In my field of classical piano playing, this is a very common malady. There are literally scores of competent musicians out there that can do a respectable job of performing what are frightfully long and complicated works. Performing these things requires extended study for most of us, difficult memorization and intense practice and concentration to perfect.
Continue reading Scott Leather Writes: On The “IT” in “ART”

Now I have a packed 8th house and I will be the first to tell you that I like to go places I am not supposed to be. And I was this kid from the desert… I got to town and I took one look at that the biker bar on the main drag and I don’t know what to say. I wanted to go in it! I wanted to cross the threshold of that place for sure.

So at first I knew Scott. And Scott was an artist. He was a sheltered pianist, specifically. Sheltered because he was a child prodigy when meant he spent 15 or more hours a day in front a piano from the time he was 3 years old. He wrote this for my other blog some years ago. You can see the Mars Mercury all over this. Continue reading About that Biker Bar - Mars Does Not Give Up! Scott, the Soldier, Elsa P And Her Secret Life

On the idea of being a Saturn Neptune type, I have a story that illustrates the confusion, perfectly. Not just other people’s but my own.

Some years ago my friend and astrologer, cf, who thinks I am the quintessential Mars type woman suggested I see the movie, “Bagdad Cafe“, which is a great movie by the way.

“It’s a movie chock full of Mars symbols,” she said. ‘Wait’ll you get a load of the woman in there… Brenda. She’s just like you.”

Well I didn’t believe her at the time. No one is just like me. But I got the movie and sure enough… Continue reading Coping With The Current Saturn Neptune Opposition: Astrology and Movies - Bagdad Cafe - Just Who Is Elsa Anyway?

I messed with Scott too. Scott is a high falutin’ pianist. I am of course, a dipshit.

We were hanging out one day… one of those days when you never get out of bed. And we were talking about everything and music came up.

Now granted, Scott is a total connoisseur. However, he is also a fool. The conversation went like this.

“Blah, blah, blah, Paganini,” he said

“Paga-who?” I said.

“Paganini,” He said.

“Paaag… Paaagg… what did you say?”

“Paganini,” he said with a smile spreading across his face. ‘What? You can’t say Paganini?” He launched into a robust speech about how great he was.

“Um… yeah well I think I can. Sure, I can say it. Um… Paga… parmesan?” I said with a hapless smile.

He roared. “I can’t believe it! What am I doing with a woman who can’t even say Paganini’s name? Who would believe this? No one!”

I shook my head. “Well, wait. Let me try again,” I said humbly.

“Well, yeah. Why don’t you. Paganini was a great musician and everyone should be able to say his name.”

“Oh. Well, okay. Paga… paga… paganoozi,” I said. “I mean, paga… what was it again?”

He eventually gave up. And yup. To this day he thinks I can’t pronounce Paganini.

In fact when I told him 15 years after the fact that I was just messing with him that day, he did not believe me.

Add your Mercury trickster stories in the comments…

“So what do you think they see in me then?” I asked. “Since virtually every man I know is like this. An iconoclast.”

“I don’t know, Elsie. I don’t know what these men see in you but for me, I would say that you’re like a link to the world. You’re so visceral. It’s as if I can experience life through you. I have experiences with you I can’t have any other way. It’s as if I can feel life through you. You give me access to something I can’t get any other way and whenever I spend time with you, I know I am going to have some kind of thrill.”

“Oh. Okay, well that’s cool. I get that. A link, huh?”

I thought of Barbara Hand Clow’s book, on Chiron. She talks about a “rainbow bridge” that links… well, you can read it if you want. She states that Chiron rules Virgo and the 6th house and is the link between the inner and outer planets. Virgo grounds the ethereal, basically.

When I read that book some years ago, it resonated with me, but I’d never heard anyone express anything like it, since. Inside or outside of astrology, I mean. And I thought about mentioning the book to Scott, but figured it would be irrelevant to him. He doesn’t need to read a book that outlines exactly what he can already articulate, so I kept quiet.

So what about you? Does any of this resonate? What do you think of the idea of Virgo being the earthly link to the ethereal?

Now when you’re talking about Cancer men, you have to look at the Moon in the chart to see what you’re dealing with. And in Scott’s case, his Moon is in Aquarius, so he is going to want to shock his family.

But beyond that, Pluto and Mars are involved so it’s no big surprise that Scott decides to made this pronouncement: “All the women in this family are whores!” right in the middle of a holiday get together.

Now had I been there, I’d have snickered for sure. Actually, I’d have snorted loudly. He went on to elaborate…

“Every woman in this family is promiscuous! You’re more promiscuous than the men by far! My own mother doesn’t know who my father is, for chrissakes…”

Hee!

You think they’d string him up but no. He’s their boy, man. He’s their baby! He’s not Scott, he’s Scotty! So he can get away with this.

Matter of fact, if you say anything bad about Scott… if you complain about him in anyway, the women in his family will burn you down! And deny!!

“Oh no. Not, Scotty. Scotty’s not like that…”

So have you ever seen this sort of phenomena with Cancer Men? What about people with their Moon in Aquarius shocking their family? Tell us your stories!

pictured: Salome, Franz von Stuck. 1906

You voted:

Leopards can change their spots…
Yes - Scott (54%)
No - Arie (46%)

If I were on the jury, I would vote with Arie. A reprobate is a reprobate is a reprobate! And Arie would probably tell you he knows about reprobates because what do you think he is? He’s a reprobate, of course!

Arie was a little 14-year-old reprobate criminal when he got his ass kicked but good. Crafty and arrogant, Arie decided he was going to extort money from a grown-up big time drug dealing reprobate, which turned out to be a major mistake.

In lieu of the payday he anticipated, he found himself beaten half to death, and that was before he was tied up and stuffed in the trunk of some killer’s car and driven around half the night!

And when Arie survived that night, yes. He did decide to take another career path.

And yes. He did spend roughly 35 years in service, and performed countless heroic acts. But please. Arie is still is a reprobate!

Like a sober alcoholic is still and alcoholic. Or like me.

I am a committed commitment-phobic! But I am still a commitment-phobe, are you kidding? I was born a commitment-phobic and how is that going to change? It’s not.

“Oh boy! I love this commitment stuff!”

Hah! That’ll never happen. You will never hear me say that.

Like the Aquarian who wakes up one day and wants to be smothered. You do what you want. I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for something like that to happen. Arie is right. A reprobate is a reprobate is a reprobate. Scott is right. People have free will.

I have decided the consequences of acting on my commitment-phobia are not worth the candle. I have decided not to act in a way that is criminal; however I still have a criminal mind! I stole a truck when I was 10, for Godsakes! I moved into a male barracks without bothering to join the army. I went undercover as gay man! Let’s face it! If I think I can get away with it, I’m going to do it.

And now I am the very grown-up advice-giving mother of two. And one of the things I am committed to is writing this blog. But that does not mean I do not wish to escape it on a weekly basis because I do. And it does not mean I do not have another escapade planned, because I do.

And if a random opportunity for some other outrageous exploit crosses my path, I will be on that thing in 2 seconds. How could I not? This is what I do. It’is who I am. And meantime?

Well, just like reprobate, Arie when he is out there saving lives for three decades. my criminal mind is all over this blog. It’s in virtually every post.

So there you go. A reprobate is a reprobate is a reprobate. And Scott, a compassionate person, is a compassionate person, is a compassionate person.

This is my story…

That was a great poll. 61% of you sided with Scott. 17% with Arie. 22% on the fence.

These are my thoughts on this matter…

I agree with Arie. I’m an astrologer after all. And you are born with your nature and your nature is your nature. Evidence of this abounds! And Arie could tell you all about it. About reprobates that is. Because I didn’t even finish listing his credentials!

Arie has been shot in the chest at close range. And he lived obviously. He was shot in a gas station toilet. By a whore no less, so how Scorpio is that? Hah!

So, Arie knows reprobates and he knows them at close range. And I am sure he would tell you when the thief gets out of jail and steals again it is no great surprise! Who would be surprised at a thief that steals, anyway? Or a rapist who rapes or killer who kills?

Further who would be surprised when a doormat acts like a doormat or a generous person acts generously? This is human nature. It’s astrology in action!

Show me a leopard who changed his spots. Come on! Find me one. It doesn’t happen. A reprobate, is a reprobate, is a reprobate!

So where does that leave Scott?

Well come on, people. Anything is possible. How can you say it’s not possible? It’s not possible to say something is not possible! Where talking about possibilities here, right? And miracles. And it is obviously possible there can be a miracle!

And what would Arie say to that?

Miracles, yes! But not when it comes to reprobates!

Ha ha ha!

And now you’re the jury. How do you vote? Do you still believe in spot-changing leopards? Or no?

And there is no “other” this time. Because this is court, maaan. You’re on the jury and you’ve got to pick side!

And I’m coming back read on this. My real read that is. This is merely my argument(s) for the court.

Thanks for all your comments and answer to the question, “Can people be redeemed?” I have Libra so I can see both sides of this debate on human nature and further, I could easily argue either one of them.

This is why Libras make such good attorneys, by the way. If you walk into court without fully understanding your opponent’s position you’re at a terrible disadvantage!

But anyway, I’m going to come back and do this. I’m going to argue both sides for the hell of it. But meantime, what about you?

And do you have any planets in Libra in your chart? What about the opposite sign, Aries?

Speaking of different perspectives, if you are going to run with a divergent crowd the way I do, there are time you find you have friends you respect at opposite ends of the spectrum. For example, take Scott and genius, Arie (a pseudonym). They are both derangedly intelligent men, who are fully actualized. By that, I mean they have both developed into distinct people. Neither of them is going to get blown around all that much.

Now Scott believes that redemption is possible for all human beings. He believes in miracles, he has seen them occur. He has seen people come from the depths and turn their lives around.

In contrast, Arie is quoted to say, “A reprobate is a reprobate is a reprobate!” And he has another one. He told me once that, “motherfuckers are going to do what motherfuckers are going to do”. And the thing is both men have life experience to support their theories.

Arie was a soldier in Special Forces and followed that up with a 30 year career as an Inspector for the San Francisco Police Department. He followed that up with a few more years service as part of the NYPD. On top of this, he has two degrees in the field of criminality, and a genius IQ so you’ve got to figure he knows something about reprobates!

On the other hand, Scott knows me. And I am sure if pressed I would be one of the people he would offer up as evidence to support his beliefs.

So what do you think? Can all people be redeemed?

And do you have stories to support your beliefs? Please share!

pictured - Hieronymus Bosch. Death of the Reprobate. Oil on panel. Private collection, New York, USA.