In Part One of this article, we looked at the placement of asteroid Lameia, named for a mythic progenitress of the vampire, in the charts of literary individuals who were instrumental in popularizing this undead creature, and crafting our modern image of it. Part Two will focus on the individuals and films who brought the vampire to “life” on the screen.
On Monday, 18 October 2021, four-star general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell passed away unexpectedly, from COVID-19 complications while fighting multiple myeloma cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Though fully vaccinated for COVID and awaiting his booster shot, the 84-year-old Powell acquired a breakout case of the coronavirus, and his compromised immune system was unable to shake it off. He is survived by his beloved wife of almost 60 years, Alma, who also acquired a milder COVID infection at the time of her husband’s illness.
Lamia is a figure from classical Greek myth, originally a Queen of Libya who caught Zeus’ roving eye, a not uncommon occurrence. Their affair was of some duration and produced several children, until Zeus’ wife Hera discovered his infidelity, and flew into a jealous rage, as was her wont. Unable to truly punish her divine husband, Hera was typically vindictive toward his paramours, but the penalty she devised for Lamia was exceptionally cruel. The Queen of Heaven forced Lamia to eat her own children, an act which drove her rival insane and transformed her into a night-roaming monster who fed on the blood of infants. (Hera also cursed her with insomnia, though Zeus, perhaps as a parting gift for services rendered, kindly granted her the power to remove her eyes so she could get some rest.)
Well, the cosmos has done it again! With unerring precision, the celestial sphere has once again placed its astrologic finger on the nub of current events. It’s Hell Week in Washington, with Democrats in disarray, struggling to pass the signature legislation of the Biden administration, keep the government from closing its doors, and facing some of the most momentous votes in recent years. Given all the Capitol Hill drama, how can this fail to register on the cosmic etch-a-sketch? Short answer – it doesn’t!
It’s that season again – fall! Cool, bright days, crisp clear nights, nature pulling out all the stops on its color palette, displaying all its tones in a vibrant burst of life before winter’s slumber. Autumn is my favorite time of year, and not just because it includes Halloween! Before the ghosties and ghoulies and long-leggedly beasties come out to play, there’s falling leaves, tangy apple cider, pumpkins and gourds galore, and a riot of color in the September garden.
Some asteroid names are resonant to particular job titles or accomplishments. In this article, we’ll examine three, two of which have been featured in the news lately.
On August 23rd, Pope Francis acquiesced to a rather unusual request: 52-year-old Xavier Novell i Goma, Bishop of Solsona, Spain, submitted his resignation for “strictly personal reasons.” In good health, at the prime of life (for clergy), the bishop’s departure raised eyebrows and caused speculation in sacred and secular circles. Novell was elevated to his see in 2010, at age 42, one of the youngest bishops Spain had ever known. It took the Spanish press awhile to smoke out the details, but on September 5th the sordid story broke – the ex-bishop had left the church to cohabit with a 38-year-old divorcee, Silvia Caballol Clemente, with whom he had fallen in love. Caballol is a novelist. Of erotica. Satanic erotica. Well, at least she doesn’t have a penis.
