Profile: Film Director David Cronenberg

I was drawn to see Cronenberg’s new film, “Eastern Promises,” yesterday. After noting my reactions to various aspects of it, I thought to look up his list of films on IMDB. My suspicion was correct: I’ve been drawn to his films for years, and always have a major discomfort when watching them, even as I know I need to watch them.

It’s something like 8 of his films that I’ve seen, not that many, really. But the impact they’ve had on me has been deep, and brought me to look up his chart (March 15, 943, Toronto, ON Canada, no time).

The first thing that jumped out at me from his chart is retrograde Chiron in the same degree as the Leo North Node. It tells me that his own unique brand of creative expression in the karmic past had no outlet, or was not supported or possible (given the circumstances of the situations in which he found himself), and that its expression may feel like an imperative in this life. Pluto is also retrograde and in the sign of Leo…and directly opposite Mars in Aquarius. This tells me that his conscious and unconscious desires (Mars and Pluto, respectively), have an argument running, and that the product of the argument will be an outward expression of Martian stuff that can shock and disturb, but that will support the needs of the Rx Pluto in a way that perhaps only makes a clear sort of sense to Cronenberg himself.

South Node ruler Uranus is in Gemini, conjunct Saturn in Gemini, the former being square the nodal axis. Uranus therefore represents unresolved issues from the karmic past this time around for him. From Steve Forrest I’ve picked up a great phrase for when the South Node ruler squares the nodal axis: He was his own worst enemy. In Cronenberg’s case, it looks like he achieved status as his own worst enemy by what he communicated and how he did it.

The asteroid Lucifer is also square the nodal axis, from the last degree of Scorpio. This tells of the perception in the karmic past that he did things that were bad, wrong - or, if you prefer, evil. Given the relative nature of right and wrong, the perception of having done wrong is enough to have this asteroid square the nodal axis. In Scorpio, we’re talking about intensity, probing the depths, telling difficult truths - we’re talking about the use of power. The dialogue between Lucifer in Scorpio and Uranus in Gemini, the opposition squaring the nodes in Aquarius/Leo, centers on the right use of information for the right reasons, the right expression for the right reasons. One read on them is just because you can surprise the stuff out of people with your message and how you deliver it doesn’t mean that you should. The opposition can serve to keep both energies in check, as they’re having a conversation and can offer each other the differing perspectives (the signs they’re in) they each understand. If they do serve to keep each other in check, Lucifer will ask Uranus if the message needs to be as explosive as Uranus wants it to be, and Uranus will ask Lucifer if anything out of the ordinary is automatically wrong to express.

When going down the list of films yesterday, one of the big ahas was when seeing “Dead Ringers” there. I’ve been hypnotically drawn to see that movie twice (forgetting between viewings everything about it), and each time felt my skin crawl, and my resolve to remember my own version of sanity dissipate…and I couldn’t just quit it and move on to something else. For me, Cronenberg’s work offers the opportunity to see this kind of Mars-Pluto/Chiron expression in action, and I seem to be hooked. And fully disturbed. In the end, I objected to the fact that the film was even made (yes, I can laugh at myself for this now), and understanding the Uranus/Gemini-Lucifer/Scorpio opposition in square to the nodes offers the energy I was responding to with my objection.

The last thing I’ll mention is the true Black Moon Lilith (listed as “osc.” in the embedded chart). With the messages we can/I do variously assume Cronenberg offers us, the data I’ve mentioned so far can come into play. With his true BML, however, I offer that understanding his reasons for his own expression (taking the content of the work out of the picture) are helped by understanding this placement. It’s retrograde, and conjunct Jupiter in the sign of Cancer. What I see with true BML when conjunct other bodies is that there’s a specific dependence on the expression of that other body and the willingness to experience, be, view or meet Lilith. Conjunct Jupiter, his sense of bigness, his ability to risk optimism and fulfill his natural human need to develop a sense of largeness within and for life, is tied to admitting (and perhaps being) Lilith.

This tells me that when he risks sharing his vision, he risks being treated as a Lilith figure. That he’s a man makes no difference to this story; when you bring Lilith, you run the risk of being labeled and treated as dangerous, a malcontent, deserving of abuse for what you brought. (One of the giantly needed teachings surrounding Lilith is that each of us, male and female, has her as part of our makeup.)

When we have conjunctions to Lilith, it’s natural to avoid knowing or expressing the energy of the conjuncting planet, because we’re taught to fear Lilith and avoid learning who she is and what she has to offer. When I see Lilith with Neptune, for example, the typical, default orientation is to avoid knowing the direct connection with God/Goddess/Spirit that we each as humans on some level crave. When Lilith is with the Sun, being seen is the issue; creative expression of ourselves as a cohesive unit (the job of the Sun), is what’s avoided…until, of course, it isn’t.

It makes me curious about Cronenberg’s sense of Jupiter, his willingness to Jupiter, in his early days (he clearly has no problem exploring this energy now). I guess I’ll add that to my Lilith homework list.

And I didn’t even mention that the Mars-Pluto opposition is actually a t-square between Mars-Pluto-Eros, the Sun-Arjunsuri conjunction in Pisces, or the square from Venus in Aries to Moon-Jupiter-true BML…

Tom is available for consultations and lessons. See http://tdjacobs.com for more information and to book a consultation.

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September 27, 2007 By Tom Jacobs