Today, Friday April 20th happens to be the 175th Birthday of the City of Buffalo.
Who knew? I didn’t even have a chance to send a card!
Being interested in astrology, I’ve always wondered about that. I knew that Manhattan was an Aquarius city; a city of continuous changes prompting the tag line, “the city that never sleeps.” That’s totally true. Anyone would know that.
But Buffalo? This was tough. There had to be some clues into the psyche of our fair city if we could just take a look at Buffalo’s astrological chart. I do know that an awful lot of Scorpios LIVE here, but I’ve never been able to put my finger on what “sign” the City of Buffalo is. Actually, the City of Good Neighbors has always felt a bit “conflicted” to me, in its past, its present and certainly its future. Why, I’ve wondered, is Buffalo so tightly bound by tradition, yet so expansive in areas like philanthropy and the arts?
Well, voila!
I discovered the answer this morning over a cup of coffee and my morning online reading, courtesy of the NYPost’s Resident Astrologer, Sally Brompton:
IF TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY April 20, 2007 -- Because you were born on the cusp of two signs you sometimes find yourself torn between opposing ambitions, but that will be less of a problem over the coming 12 months as you appear to have decided, once and for all, what it is you want out of life. Now all you have to do is go out and get it.
Just as I had expected! Without running a full natal chart of Buffalo, and just dealing with the position of the Sun at the time of “birth,” Buffalo is indeed conflicted because it is a “cusp sign.” This means that it sits at the end of one sign and the beginning of another, in between if you will, and therefore is influenced by BOTH. In this case, April 20 is at the very end of Aries and the very beginning of Taurus. In terms of astrology, this is huge and quite telling indeed.
Aries is a fire sign, which means that its overlying elemental characteristic is inspiring others. Many actors and entertainers are Aries. Aries is also the “infant of the zodiac.” Think about what that means; a beautiful baby that every one adores; wide-eyed wonder and boundless exhuberence; a blank slate for all to project their dreams upon; unlimited possibilities for the future; the infant cries, Mommy and everyone else runs to console it; people “baby” it, thereby creating the potential of the wee one becoming a self-indulged brat.
Then we have Taurus, an Earth sign, which is the element of reality and deep practicality. Although Taureans love beauty, they are not the dreamers of the world; they are the practical doers. As the “toddlers” of the zodiac, Taurus the Bull boldly sets off. Bull in the china shop? Delicate is not the first word to pop into ones mind here. The toddler will dig in their heels because “it’s MINE!” Anyone who has spent time around a toddler will be very familiar with the annoying game of “WHY? WHY? WHY?” I’ll also just add the word “earthbound.” Strong, loyal, practical. You could do worse. As an astrologer friend of mine once said of a dear Taurean friend, “Ah, she was born with a whim of iron.”
We contain multitudes.
I tend to visualize most things and situations through the symbol for YIN & YANG. You’ve all seen variations of this many times throughout your life. It’s the perfect circle that contains two equal swirling “paisleys,” one black/ one white. It represents what certain cultures call the “spiral of life.” It is the image of dichotomy and opposites.
Everything in the universe contains equal parts yin and yang, and this includes astrological signs. No sign is “better” or “worse” than the next. It’s all about the balance and finding ways to bring out the best in each and working together for a greater good.
When looking astrologically at the city of Buffalo, there are patterns and conflicting traits. An example: as I mentioned above, the traditional “ties that bind” are at the same time one of Buffalo’s strengths and one of Buffalo’s greatest weaknesses. The ties to our beautiful past, whether one is discussing architecture, national history, faiths place in the community, etc. are part of why people love our city. This is the reason that people will spend their summer vacations coming back for the big hug of Buffalo. Yet at the same time, those same ties, if bound too tightly, can cause constriction to occur where rigidity can quickly turn to rigor mortis, ending the possibility for structural and bureaucratic change to ever occur. It’s a delicate dance of balance and mutual respect.
The same lessons can be applied to the good will and philanthropy issues of Buffalo. Buffalo is so fortunate to have many who volunteer their time and resources to helping others. There is never a good cause that goes unsupported. Yet the flip side of helping others can become convoluted and mired in bureaucracy where the needs of the needy are overshadowed by the greedy.
Yin/ yang. Dig?
Perhaps there is a well-versed astrologer amongst BRO readers, with a little time on their hands, that would be willing to take the time to run a natal and more importantly, a progressive chart for the City of Buffalo. It could explain some of the city’s “physical, local, and emotional” characteristics; explore its risks, pleasures, health & well being, look at “birth & death” issues as well as its goals & aspirations…..and much more.” The progressive chart could provide a “plan” for the next year as to what Buffalo should be concentrating its efforts on rather than wasting energy on frustrating endeavors which lead no where.
As Sally optimistically said, we “appear to have decided, once and for all, what we want out of life. Now all you have to do is go out and get it!”
Go GET IT, Buffalo!
Happy Birthday!
NYPost Astrology http://www.nypost.com/horoscope/horoscope.htm
Sally Brompton http://www.sallybrompton.com/
BRO/ Buffalo Remembered http://buffalorising.com/story/on_this_day_april_19_1997_buff#sca