Houston Heals (Indigo Sun article, September 2005) & Lone Star Risin' (Op Ed piece) 
 
Rita and Katrina: Before and Afterthoughts
When I first moved to Houston, I slept on the floor, because I refused to buy furniture. I thought for sure I would move away after a year or so. After 3 years of sleeping on the floor, I finally realized I wasn’t leaving this town. I liked the darn place. I loved the diversity in the city (30% Hispanic, 30% black, 30% white). I loved hanging out with Chinese, Pakistanis, Turkish peoples. I loved the international festivals and jazz festivals that occurred in spring and fall. People were well-educated and cosmopolitan. Architect Philip Johnson had built buildings here, just as he had built the glass house where I came from. Dominique Menil, friend and patron of Dadaists and surrealists, had built a museum here. I met many of my musical heroes here personally at that gold mine of music, Rockefellers. And most of all, when other cities rioted, Houstonians partied together in the streets.
It was years before I ran across Houston’s birth chart: it’s a Gemini with Virgo rising. I’m a Virgo with Gemini rising. And we both are Aquarian (read that—weirdo) in our religions. Many peoples coming together with diverse and sometimes unusual religions and with a certain faith in science as well. (Yes, we are a town of engineers and physicists.) No wonder I felt right at home in this place. Houston’s chart mirrored my own. I really became interested in Houston’s birth chart when the flood Allison hit.
I knew Houston was destined for a deluge, but what surprised me even more, so apparent in these recent days, is that Houston is a city of healers. Houston’s sun is conjunct (together, in sync with) the planetoid (or kuiper) Chiron, and Chiron, in traditional mythology, is the healer. I knew, as my stay here in Houston lengthened, that I was in a remarkable place meeting remarkable people. Houston had accumulated some amazing people in the fields of healing, in addition to the huge hospital network. I have felt for the last few years that, even while I heard people speak of Houston’s “darkness”, that a number of amazing and powerful spiritual people were being gathered here for a reason. When I experienced the floods of Allison, I knew why. I had seen these floods in my mind’s eye since I was a child. Back then, I was frightened of them. And when Allison spread her waters over Houston, I knew I had foreseen the first of the floods that were destined to come. So the greatest of the floods has come, Katrina—with the energy of Kali in her name—and Houston, the city of healers, has opened her arms to the citizens of New Orleans.
We have seen the beginnings of compassion in the United States—an experience that so often comes coupled with tragedy. I am glad Houston is here to welcome those that need, to demonstrate the best of humanity not just to our Aquarian brothers and sisters (for, New Orleans is, after all, an Aquarian city) but also to show others what an open heart and open arms can do. Yet, Houston must remember, that what the healer Chiron could do for others, he could not do for himself.
Houston needs to learn the lessons of Katrina and Allison and prepare for what will come in September 2007, Houston’s third test, after Allison and Enron. Houston must continue to prepare, with Virgoan detail and action, for the floods that will come, bringing with it to the surface that other Houstonian resource—oil. Yet, Houston is currently building its good karma by its actions. Every act of kindness and helping others helps ourselves, clears our own personal karma, and ensures that we will be safe in order to continue good works helping others. Many of those reading this magazine are world servers—even if they are not Virgos—and that’s why they have gathered in this town that is both light-hearted and yet so concerned with getting down to serious business.
Houston will forever be connected to The Big Easy by these acts of kindness and brotherhood.
Heal on, Houston! Heal on!
The previous article was written before Hurricane Rita hit the Texas Gulf Coast. As the early reports came in for Rita, the editor of the Indigo Sun, Ginger, called me to see if I could add a few things. She also asked me if I wanted to switch my prediction from September 2007 to September 2005. I had been asking that myself—but inside myself, the message I got was, “No”. Besides, the planets don’t lie. While group fear may attract certain negative energies, I am, after all, rather scientifically inclined with regards to astrology. I try to remove myself and my personal feelings from the equation. I did not see that the hurricane would cause mass destruction to Houston—or Galveston—for that matter. You may ask how I could say that when millions of people left town, gas was gone, and nearly a million people were without electricity.
Keep in mind that Houston is under a slow Uranus Return. The planet Uranus returns to its birth position approximately every 84 years. Uranus brings major intermittent change, chaos, lots of crazy business (I mean that in every sense of that phrase), and sometimes revolution. Couple that with a Neptune Return (approximately 160 years in the making), bringing spiritual renewal, a return to the unlikely partners of faith and logic—and in Houston’s case, fun, and we have a gateway to major transformation happening right here under our own toes.
Neptune in Aquarius brings humanitarian efforts coupled with WATER. Uranus in Pisces brings both spiritual and WATER upheaval. After the fall of the 2001 floods of Allison and the fall of Enron, I predicted a comeback for Houston—new economic growth, more visible in the nation’s limelight (guess that was the Superbowl!), and Houston growing larger, due to a Jupiter Return. Jupiter brings opportunities and growth, so despite the hard hits of the last few years, Houston has made some positive strides, and with a North Node in Aries connecting with Houston’s Pluto in Aries, our destiny has arrived to show the world that we can be leaders in many areas—as healers, as compassionate peoples, as peaceful and cooperative folk.
With the current planets in Libra (sharing, cooperation, negotiation) connecting with Houston’s Part of Fortune, Houston gets to show the world how it can be done. Houston has Jupiter in Leo in the 12th House, making it a natural leader that has been a quiet power behind the throne, shall we say. Houston also has a Virgo Mars in the 12th House too, making it a diligent and yet flexible silent partner to power. We’re a city built by oil, after all.
Yet we now have an opportunity to show what we are really made of: not just an economic power but an ecologic power, not just a spiritual place but a place of spiritual action, not just a silent power but a proactive, cooperative example for the nation. As Rita passed by, I had my electric and cable throughout, and as city names were called out, I went to my computer, checked incorporation dates (birth dates) of the cities being hit, and looked at charts. The commonality among the cities included Saturn/Pluto (pressure and transformation) on the Moon (Mother) and a release of energy via Jupiter.
Keep in mind Jupiter is not always a good guy, in human eyes. Jupiter, that harbinger of growth and prosperity, also brings divorce and endings. Jupiter—more than Saturn—is the bringer of change. Saturn simply tells you what you should mind and how you should discipline yourself. Jupiter’s massive release of energy in this region was expressly to bring not only healing but also a new era of teamwork with others to these areas. (Jupiter connected with Apollo in Libra) There is so much more to this story—much more than I have space to write about here.
I still hold to my prediction that Houston and Galveston need to take care in September 2007. Therefore, this was only a dry run. Preparations need to be made now. We will have a few instances of water madness early next year (2006) as well, so I hope we get our act together. Meanwhile, I am comforted knowing that I live in a city that will show that healing and caring for others is not just responsibility but can be fulfilling, inspiring, and uplifting. Go, Houston!
Lone Star Risin’ Overhead
When I first moved to Houston fourteen years ago, I was hesitant of what I’d find. Although my heritage is a mixture of Oklahoma Sooner and Texas Ranger, I had spent most of my life on the extreme western and eastern coasts of the United States. I had visited mostly rural areas of Texas in my lifetime and had spent a few years living in Oklahoma where outsiders are not welcome. No wonder that when I was transferred to Houston, I worried that I might find myself in a narrow-minded, bigoted, rigid culture. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered that Houston was a cosmopolitan city with a wide variety of peoples from around the globe, some of the best art museums in the world, architecture by some of the finest architects the world has seen, an entrepreneurial spirit, and the Astrodome to boot!
Soon, I too was laughing when the Yankee bigwigs sent a marketing team down to survey my store, and they suggested everything but saddles for chairs, thinking Houston to be a “Cow Town”. Within a few years, I was saying “y’all” and understood that Houston wasn’t about cows, it was about oil, and that meant money.
Houston’s history began way back in1836 when the Allen Brothers made a pretty good deal by buying some acres down by Buffalo Bayou. Texas was a republic then, and the boys, who named their swampy plot of land “Houston” after Sam of the same name, had a dream to make Houston the capital of the lone star republic. Texans (and Houstonians) like that “lone star” image. The symbol implies independence, strength, know-how, and most of all, a mind and spirit that forges ahead of the others.
Houstonians know that they are more “Texan” than people from Dallas. Why? Because Houstonians made their money themselves from scratch, from guts, perseverance, and big ideas. I myself follow the stars, and Houston was not only born under that big lone star on the flag but also is born under a configuration giving Houston the gift of gab, making it a polyglot nation of sorts.
The same stars give our city the distinction of being a city of healers (like M. D. Anderson), as well as wheelers and dealers. We are also Spin City: we watch the earth spin--and the planets and the spaceships, and we talk. Houston is a very heterogeneous city. The census for 2000 reported that we are now seriously Hispanic (37%), Caucasian (31%) African American (25%) and lots of Others! University of Houston also shows diversity: 39% white, 18% Asian, 18% Hispanic, 13% African American, and still others. There is a large international community in Houston. This is something I love about Houston: I tend to “fall in” with persons from other countries. I met many Pakistanis, Turks, and Chinese when I first moved to Houston, and it’s one of the reasons I fell in love with the city. Even in the short years I have been here, there have been many changes in the city.
When I first came here in 1990, downtown was dead. Everything was bedraggled, there were a lot of homeless people downtown, and you could get around quite easily. Houston had a female mayor, the Astros were still in the Astrodome, and there were some of the best homegrown grassroots festivals I’ve ever seen: the Art Car Parade & Ball, the Italian Festival, the Houston International Festival. The buildings had their own names: the Summit, the Astrodome, the Transco Tower. Now, every building and festival is named for a product, living monuments to products that I hope we will someday forget. The festivals are now being relegated to enclosed areas, and, yes, horror of horrors, 1991 saw the first zoning laws passed. Houstonians are famous for fighting them, so it must be those durned outsiders taking over that have passed those laws. (Who’s an outsider now?)
I loved the funky old Houston, a huge city with friendly, small town appeal, easy to get around, and full of weird people, weirder happenings, and people of all nations. I loved that I could get a suntan in January (sometimes!), meet all my favorite musical heroes just by going down to my neighborhood bar Rockefeller’s (carved out of an old bank along with the legend that Bonnie & Clyde had robbed it), and, indeed, meet all my childhood heroes from Mickey Mantle to Buzz Aldrin and Captain Kangeroo, just because of where I lived! Now, the city looks pretty, but the thrill has gone. The theatre is no longer in its Heyday.
I remember outrageously lavish galas brimming with a Houstonian style palette: big hair and diversity. I remember parties with bands on every floor or every street corner. Pay $5, and you get endless free food and beer! Pay $5, and hear the best players in jazz all day long on a hot Houston weekend! Protests, conventions, real art happenings, instead of manufactured corporate parades and events. Nowadays, everything is corporate, though I admit a few things haven’t changed: everything is still for sale in Houston; there’s still lots of diversity, and doncha’ love that warm weather! Now the construction industry is turning us into one of the many lookalike cities you see as you drive across the United States. It’s also turning us into a flood zone, which is why our days of no zoning (much as those of us who have businesses in our homes or who like to see houses painted purple or made of beer cans hate it) are at an end.
Houston is now one of the most polluted cities in the United States. According to the National Resource Defense Council, we are ranked 15th worst in the nation. When speed limits were reduced to reduce pollution, the citizens screamed, so now we’re back to driving 60 and 70mph. Who cares if my great grandchild dies of asthma? I want my SUV.
There is good news: the metro train. Not everyone agrees, but we have to do what we can to reduce emissions and pollution. Metro rail is good. Even I, missing the Houston I found when I first arrived, can see that we need to progress, that we need to change and move forward. The stars over Houston are in a configuration last seen just after Spindletop and the Port of Houston turned Houston into a Boom Town. A Boom Town we are becoming again, what with entertainment growth, the SuperBowl, and our new downtown.
So, here’s to my fun city: the place where, when other people rioted, we got drunk in the streets and danced and celebrated our differences. Let’s hope we still do that, onward ever into the future! Here’s to Houston’s Lone Star: it has five arms and points in many directions. |
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