The Buddha Had a Mowhawk

The Punk movement began in the mid-1970's, when Saturn and Uranus were in a particularly tense angular alignment known as a "square" (I was born under this very alignment). Saturn's archetype symbolizes authority and conservative values, as well as traditions and austerity. Uranus is in many ways the opposite of Saturn. It is the archetype of rebellion, disruption, revolution and freedom. Since the two planets, and thus their archetypes, were combined in a tense square angle in the mid-1970's we saw them struggling against one another, yet embodying one another. For instance, in Great Britain Margaret Thatcher was the first female elected to lead Britain's conservative party. We see Uranus present as the rebellion against the tradition of male leaders. Yet we also see Saturn present because Thatcher was a conservative leader elected to a conservative party. This same polarizing yet creative mixing can be seen in the creation of the punk movement. Mostly centered on music, the punk movement allowed individuals to rebel (Uranus) against traditions (Saturn) so that they could be free (Uranus) to be their own authority (Saturn).

I bring up the punk movement because it arouses in me something even broader and deeper than the combination of Saturn and Uranus. Developing one's own inner authority is a wonderful way to use this life. There is a man who works at a burger joint near my house. He seems to be always working, yet he is always smiling and treating his customers with genuine personal consideration. He never seems bored or fed up with being at work all the time. He seems not even to notice societal pressure to regard work as a burden, or to foster a need to always be somewhere else, doing something else. To me, he is punk rock. Anyone who relies not on external opinion to determine their reality, but their own inner authority, is punk rock. The famed Indian philosopher of the 20th century, J. Krishnamurti was punk rock. The Buddha was the most punk rock of them all. He may not have had a mowhawk like the title suggests, but he wore the punk rock crown, for sure. The most punk rock question anyone can ask is: what is this reality? Why are we here? What's really going on?

Have you ever asked yourself this?