Outlaw Music: Hippie Rock meets Country Western


Sadly, the last few years have seen the passing of two of the greats of modern country music: Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash. As the movie 'The Dukes of Hazzard' hit the silver screen, I was reminded of the singer of its theme song -Waylon Jennings. The last few lines of that tune sum up the impact of Jennings' career. "Just good ole' boys, wouldn't change if they could -fightin' the system like two modern day Robin Hoods."


In the post-hippie era of the early 1970's, a controversial and wildly popular new genre emerged in popular music. It was all started with a song sung by Waylon Jennings, a former bass player in Buddy Holly's band, the Crickets. 'Ladies love Outlaws' spawned a new genre that came to be known as Outlaw Country. At the forefront of the movement was the collaboration of Jennings and Willie Nelson, two musicians who grew their hair long and wore the denim and leather of the working class.



The origins of this movement came from the seeking of an alternative to the Nashville sound (formulaic compositions sung by clean cut performers in rhinestone suits) by roots musicians and songwriters in Austin, Lubbock, and Bakersfield who remained true to the honky-tonk sound 'represented by such greats as Jimmie Rodgers, Left Frizzell, and Hank Williams. The basic thrust of this distaste is delivered succinctly in Jennings lyrics to 'Are you sure Hank done it this away':

"Lord it's the same old tune, fiddle and guitar, where do we take it from here? Rhinestone suits and new shiny cars, it's been the same way for years... -We need a change. -Now tell me one more time jus so i'll understand... -Are you sure Hank done it this away?"

The two other musicians that became most associated with Outlaw Country were Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. Cash had achieved commercial success long before, but fit perfectly into the Outlaw genre with his concerts in prisons and his 'Man in Black' image.


Haggard was quite literally an outlaw, who, upon hearing Cash's concert from inside prison, decided to become a performer!


 All four men echoed Hank Williams' life-style in that they were prone to 'hell-raising' and substance abuse and sang songs about their addiction to the road ("I've Been Everywhere" -Cash; 'Ramblin Man' -Jennings; 'Ramblin Fever' -Haggard; 'On the Road Again' -Nelson).

As Astrologers, when we look to the charts of these men, we will obviously make assumptions about what we 'should' find there. In this case, the 'Outlaw' planet Uranus would be expected to resonate with the planet of the Arts, Venus. As usual, the simple truths of Astrology come shining through! Jennings observed in the song 'The Conversation' (with Hank Williams Jr.) that the elder Williams "is still the most wanted outlaw in the land." When we look to the chart of the original "Ramblin Man" we see a t-square formed by a 5th house Moon to the opposition of Uranus with a 3rd house Sun/Venus conjunction. Cash has Venus/Uranus conjunct in Aries in the 1st 'trine Jupiter in Leo in the 5th. Jennings, whom they called 'Hoss,' has the conjunction in Taurus 'trine Neptune in Virgo. Haggard also has the conjunction in Taurus in the 3rd with Mercury along for the ride.

Of all five men, only Willie Nelson's chart strays from the expected Venus/Uranus signature (although the angle is not entirely insignificant 18 degrees = 1/20 of the circle = 'vigintile'). It is interesting that he became the most successful cross-over artist. Nelson does, however, share the Sun/Venus conjunction with Williams. Uranus in Aries square to Pluto is made prominent by its involvement with the horizon (the red-headed stranger!). Uranus is also in the 3rd with Mercury and the Sun, pointing to a second theme of Gemini, Mercury, and 3rd house placements.

Williams had Sun, Venus, and Mercury in the third. Cash had the Sun, Mercury, Mars in stellium. Haggard had the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Uranus all in the 3rd with South Node in Gemini. Jennings had Mercury, the Sun, and South Node in Gemini. This reminds me of the dual nature of Mercury/Gemini and how the ancients gave him rulership over thieves and highways. Of course it is only fitting that Cash, Nelson, and Jennings (with Kris Kristofferson) eventually formed a group and had a hit with an album/song called 'The Highwayman.'

The Astrological Alphabet

This theme of finding Gemini/Mercury/3rd House placements in the charts of these "ramblers" gives credence to what modern astrologers call the "Astrological Alphabet" -which was pioneered by Zip Dobbyns. The basic idea is that because all three symbols are loosely associated with the same general type of energies -when we see a repetition of these very similar energies -this is something the astrologer should pay attention to.

For instance, take the chart of yours truly. As chronicled on the "about me" page -I have been known to do a little rambling of my own in my time. I have Gemini on an angle of my chart (the 4th house of "home"!). I also have Mercury conjunct Venus -who is in opposition to the Outlaw planet Uranus (go figure!) I also have the dispositor of half the planets of my chart, Mars in the 3rd House (he who rules all my Aries planets and Neptune in Scorpio -the focal point of my "bucket" chart). So this theme is repeated three times -and therefore embedded deeply in my chart.


Furthermore, upon closer inspection -this theme of the "letter 3" (the third sign, third house -and their ruling planet)  in the Astrological Alphabet -is very central to the reason you are reading this article! You see, -I have absolutely no planets in the signs of the Air element (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius). This is somewhat atypical for a writer -and a novice looking at this chart may say that this person has no chance becoming a successful writer. Yet, I have managed to publish in the most prestigious astrological journals and I have been invited to speak at largest astrological conference in the World! So, it seems to me there really is something to this "Astrological Alphabet."

In fact, it is this system that makes the often uncanny predictions of the Sun Sign astrologers possible. You may wonder -how can they tell what was likely to happen to me based merely on the month of my birth?!! Well, what they are doing is tracking the rest of the planetary pantheon as it moves in relation to your Sun Sign -so they are not tracking just a single factor -but tying 10 complex factors into a symbolical interpretation based on how many signs these 10  fall away from your Sun. This number -the number of whole signs removed from your Sun -gives them a reference point -a "key" -into the Astrological Alphabet.

One of the most successful of the Sun Sign columnists, Michael Lutin -Astrologer for Vanity Fair -recently published a book where he reveals uncannily your innermost psychological processes -using this very simple Alphabet. Using just the Solar house of your south node –this guy can nail you cold. And he simply counts the number of signs between your Sun and the South Node.

For instance, in Sunshines, for a particular Aquarius Sun/S Node combo -he writes about the fear of rejection: “you eventually have to fight your way out or disappear entirely.”

That’s the rebel without a cause -James Dean folks!  –Aquarius 9 (1931).

 Unfortunately, for him the fighting and disappearing went hand in hand...He was rejected by his father who sent him away to live with relatives when he was 9 years old. He had a powerful Sun-Pluto aspect -a combination I also looked at in depth in my article on Johnny Cash & Evolutionary astrology (see triarchic astrology page). In Deans case, this aspect takes on a double dose of Scorpionic type energy. The Sun-Pluto angle is the closing quincunx -the Sun is 8 signs ahead of Pluto -so it takes on qualities of the 8th sign/house. With Pluto also being the planetary ruler of this letter -that's a double dose of Letter 8 -a lethal dose in this case. Notice also the emphasis on the Letter 3 -Gemini on an angle, 3rd house Sun, -and the Mercury opposition to Pluto ties the Letter 3 theme to the letter 8 theme -symbolizing perfectly Dean's tragic death in an automobile crash. And that's the whole point of the Astrological Alphabet -when we see different symbols saying the same types of things -we need to pay attention!



So, without further adieu, here is the very basic -yet extremely profound -Astrological Alphabet. Beware, for it is deceptive in its simplicity -because it applies equally well to every set of factors in the horosope! So, study it often -and maybe someday you'll figure out how to use it well enough to replace Michael Lutin on the Astrology totem pole -and inherit his gig with Vanity Fair!

The Astrological Alphabet
  Planet =What? House
=Where?		 Sign
=How?		 Aspect
=With?		 Season
of the
Soul
Letter 1 Mars 1st House Aries Conjunction Early Spring
Letter 2 Earth
Venus		 2nd House Taurus Opening Semi-Sextile Mid Spring
Letter 3 Air
Mercury		 3rd House Gemini Opening Sextile Late Spring
Letter 4 Moon 4th House Cancer Opening Square Early Summer
Letter 5 Sun 5th House Leo Opening Trine Mid Summer
Letter 6 Earth
Mercury		 6th House Virgo Opening Quincunx Late Summer
Letter 7 Air
Venus		 7th House Libra Opposition Early Fall
Letter 8 Pluto 8th House Scorpio Closing Quincunx Mid Fall
Letter 9 Jupiter 9th House Sagittarius Closing Trine Late Fall
Letter 10 Saturn 10th House Capricorn Closing Square Early Winter
Letter 11 Uranus 11th House Aquarius Closing Sextile Mid Winter
Letter 12 Neptune 12th House Pisces Closing Semi-Sextile Late Winter

References:

Sunshines, by Michael Lutin. 2007. Simon & Schuster: NY

Glenn Perry, An Introduction to Astro-Psychology. 1998, The Association for Astrological Psychology: San Rafael, Ca.

Glenn Perry, Psychological Astrology: Theory and Practice. 1998, The Association for Astrological Psychology: San Rafael, Ca. pg.95.

Maritha Pottenger & Zip Dobyns -the founders of the Astrological Alphabet
-see: Astrology: The Next Step and Expanding Astrology's Universe