Books and Poetry

Fiction and poetry dwell happily in Neptune's fluid realm, while non-fiction -- which is based on fact -- belongs to Mercury and the Third House. Although the crafts require discipline, knowledge of the rules of language, and a deliberate structure, the subject matter knows no boundaries.

When you're reading, you escape temporarily from the humdrum or the stress of your everyday life. We all need to escape now and then, whether it be through pulp fiction, comic books, bestsellers, or literature.

Reality is something you rise above.
--Liza Minnelli

No one should feel ashamed of the types of books they like to read. Who wouldn't want to lead a sexy, adventurous life from the security of one's own home? Or to take part in a human drama beyond the scope of our own lives, to absorb ourselves in the antics of fictional characters who seem as real as our own best friends? Stories that can transport us out of our daily reality are a blessed gift from Neptune. Myths are the stories that have been with us since people first gathered together in groups, told and re-told to teach, inspire and entertain.

Poetry expresses what might otherwise seem unutterable. Many consider poetry to be the highest use of language. A poem awakens the imaginative parts of our brains -- and our souls -- as we make the intuitive leap to understand what the poem means to us.

Even rigidly structured poetry, such as limericks, sonnets and haiku, falls under Neptune's rule because of its openness to interpretation. You understand a poem through your own experiences and beliefs; a poem can have as many meanings as it has readers.

Neptune rules artists, musicians, writers and other creative right-brained people. Dorothy Parker wrote poetry, stories, plays, films and non-fiction throughout her literary career, crossing borders of genre and form as if she were Neptune's first daughter. Sylvia Plath's poetry showed many women that they were not alone in their confusion and depression in a rapidly changing world.

We revere writers who put our own feelings into words -- whose works remind us that we humans share the same basic joys and fears.

The dark side of this aspect of Neptune's influence manifests in the depression, addiction and even psychosis that can afflict creative people.

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