Subject: Re: Venus and Mars From: ingria@bbn.com (Bob Ingria) Date: 1991-06-10, 09:00 Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks Reply-to: ingria@BBN.COM In article barb@zurich.ai.mit.edu (Barb Miller) writes: So much for Yeats' view of his children's personalities. As far as the poem goes, a very interesting link between the first stanza and the second is that Great Conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn were used as markers for the new World-Ages (when the sun rises in a different sign of the zodiac at the vernal equinox, which happens about every 2,000 years as a result of the precession of the earth's rotation). In fact, a great conjunction of these two planets in Pisces is thought to have been the Star of Bethlehem in 6 b.c., ushering in the Age of Pisces, dominated by Christianity, one of whose central symbols is the fish. There's been a lot of speculation about the astronomical/astrological symbolism of Jupiter and Saturn meeting. At this 11th hour, I'll suggest one that occurred to me. Earle: What do the signs mean? Briggs: There is a time...When Jupiter and Saturn meet, they will receive you. Who is ``they'' meant to refer to? One possibility is the dugpas of the Black Lodge. Another is Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter and Saturn can refer not merely to the so-named planets, but to the Roman gods of the same names, and also to the titularly spirits of those planets. So, one possible paraphrase of the Major's statement is: ``When the ruling spirits of Jupiter and Saturn meet, they (the spirits) will receive you.'' This would get around there not being a conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn in the time frame of the relevant TP episodes. This is probably all wrong, but it's one possibility I hadn't seen mentioned. -30- Bob