by Robert Wilkinson
A friend of the site raised an interesting question. She thought that "... a lot of people think of Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix as prophets. Are there any astrological configurations that indicate a prophet?" The question posed in the second sentence has profound implications for all of us.
First, rather than confine the question to prophets, I believe we can include Sages, Saints, Gurus, and other Holy Beings in the question of whether these beings have "special qualities" in their charts that indicate such possibilities. All these, and prophets, bring a message of and for the future for some group of humanity. That said, I believe that all Sages are prophets, but not all prophets are Sages,
Thus to some extent we can also include as "prophets" both leaders of great movements, as well as figureheads whose lives are associated with large scale changes affecting the future of great numbers of people. If we consider all these possibilities as within reach of any of us, then the answer to the question must be that ANY human's chart "could" be that of a Sage, prophet, leader of a movement, figurehead for mass change, or any archetypal expression of that Soul's purpose.
Everything depends on spiritual Karma and personal development. In the former, if your Soul comes into life highly evolved, then it's easy to tap into Higher Self expressions. However, as is the case for most of us, if your Soul comes in somewhat evolved with many unhelpful habits of personality to transmute, then you have to work on overcoming the negatives and turn them to positives before the elements of the Higher Nature come forth with any consistency.
As for personal development, there are countless possibilities for our Higher Self expression to come forth. That's why the choices we make while growing up, what to read or not read, what to learn or not learn, entire determine which possibilities express themselves.
All of us are evolving primarily along one of three arenas of enlightenment: Art, Science, and Philosophy. We could only become a "prophet of a new order" if we learned all we could learn from conventional thinking and approaches, and allowed the Divine Light of Higher Inspiration to come to us in a flash, changing our comprehension so that a new order could be realized and applied in ways that move others to bring forth new expressions of the new way.
I take this approach since what a prophet is cannot be confined to those who "prophesy" only with words. A true prophet is the herald of a new order, one who sees what is coming and releases those energies in their own persons. How long it takes for the world to adapt and embrace that new order is indicated by the timing of what is cut loose, and when, relative to the larger cycles of change.
So I believe there have been many "prophets of a new order" in three areas of life:
Prophets in Art, like the first cave painters, craftspeople, and sculptors of antiquity, Doryphoros, Gu Kaizhi, DaVinci, Bach, Beethoven, Son House, Jelly Roll Morton, Siegel and Shuster, Robert Johnson, Walt Disney, the Weavers, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, George Martin, Bob Dylan, Jimi, David Hykes, Frank Stack, Stephen Halpern, Constance Demby, and others who have opened a door to a new way of doing and experiencing their particular type of art.
2) Prophets in Science, such as those unknowns who invented the rudder, sail, and keel, Archytas, Abbas Ibn Firnas, Roger Bacon, DaVinci, Galileo, Newton, the Montgolfier brothers, Watt, Franklin, John Stringfellow, Marconi, Samuel Pierpont Langley, Emile Berliner, the Wright Brothers, Edison, Elisha Grey and Alexander Graham Bell, Norman Walker, Burbank, Mikao Usui, David Sarnoff, George Beauchamp, Royal Rife, Tesla, Velikovsky, Jonas Salk, and other "prophets of a new science" who changed our world forever, such as those who invented the transistor, computer, and internet, along with the remarkable Steve Jobs who took technology to an entirely new level. We can also include in this group people like Brian Weiss, the prophet of a new psychiatry, and George Soloman, Herbert Benson, Robert St. John, Edward Bach, Larry Dossey, and other physicians who pioneered in various areas of their specific mind-body health fields. 3) Prophets in Philosophy, such as Buddha, Lao Tzu (Li Ehr), Zoroaster, Kuan Yin, Pythagoras, Socrates, Aryasanga, Bodhidharma, Nagarjuna, Patangali, the Biblical prophets, including St. Issa the Anointed One, Shankaracharya, Mohammed, I'bn Araby, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Bahá'u'lláh, Gandhi, and of course, Madame Helena P. Blavatsky. All these and many others offered the world a vision of a better Way, Truth, and Light/Life, and so all may be considered prophets of the highest order.So I would offer than anyone could become a prophet in some area of life they choose to pursue with excellence and unbounded imagination, offering a vision of the future to their world that either moves others in the present, or will move others in the future. And there's the rub of "prophesy."
There is one thing about being a Herald, Sage, Holy Being, Guru and other such "prophets of a New Order" that was pointed out by St. Issa and is truly spot on. One version offers "For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country."
I would think that could be taken as a prophet not necessarily being recognized or acknowledged by those who cannot see the vision and blessing of the future they offer. From that we can infer that any true prophet worth his or her salt doesn't worry about publicity, or acknowledgment, or even understanding, whether these be offered or not.
A prophet is a vehicle of the eternal future and for the eternal future. They are usually not recognized or accepted by those who think inside conventional boxes, or those who believe that the only future that could be derives only from a past that is known. There are moments when any human being could open to a vision of a possible future, and express whatever needs to be expressed of that vision.
So it would seem that any birth chart could reveal the life of a prophet, or Holy Being. If we accept in our hearts the willingness to be trained to reveal a future that opens the doors of human imagination, we shall find ourselves able to do that in our own ways and times.Just don't expect to be honored as such. Being a vehicle to release a beneficial future evolution in some way is reward enough.
A long answer to a brief question.....
© Copyright 2011 Robert Wilkinson
Interesting post! On a related note--I was just looking up the chart of Townes Van Zandt, though I don't have birth time. I guessed at his ascendent from anecdotal info. Do you happen to know, oh ye Texas music maestro? Thanks!
Posted by: Reefaroundme | September 29, 2011 at 12:16 PM
Very informative Robert, thank you!
Posted by: Deb Marcoux | September 29, 2011 at 06:33 PM
I love this post. Perhaps it is not being a Sage, Prophet or a Holy Being to live simply open to attending (moving to act from deep listening, seeing, sensing and feeling) but rather being a fully functioning Human Be-ing. When individuals deeply attend to what is happening inside themselves they quicken those around them to living as they do not as a prophet or a sage but a fully emancipated Human Being. Nice post Robert.
Posted by: gaye | October 01, 2011 at 04:51 AM
lovely post i really enjoyed reading it Robert!
Posted by: AceStar | October 01, 2011 at 10:27 AM
Robert, how do you feel about southern crosses and five pointed stars in a birth chart? Some people say they are significant, and I suppose, depending on the planets, that might be true. Or are the houses involved more important?
Posted by: Jonathan | October 02, 2011 at 05:30 PM
Early Dylan was a visionary and uncannily attuned to the times he lived in (60s). As he matured, he became 'the Bard'. I like this designation in acknowledgment of him as a brilliant, insightful, and sensitive writer.
Posted by: Beth in SoCal | October 02, 2011 at 06:45 PM
The point about the "prophets of a New Order" that was described by St. Issa was quite interesting. To me, it seems likely that if these particular prophets did want recognition, they might choose not to reside in the country of their birth when they delivered their messages. You're right, this is spot on. Robert, you are so good with bringing out these little bits of truth! Thanks!
Posted by: Deb Marcoux | October 02, 2011 at 08:05 PM