Hudson Valley Astrologer

“A bird is one egg’s way of becoming other eggs.”

~ Alan Watts

Nelson Rockefeller was the governor of New York at the time, and he was trying to convey to the architect, Wallace Harrison, his vision for a state of the art meeting hall. Construction began in 1966, modernist and brutalist architecture were trending. “The Meeting Center” was the structure’s first official name, and wasn’t completed until 1978, 12 years later, an entire Jupiter Cycle.

The building is now officially called The Egg and has become a performing arts center. The public began nicknaming the new building “The Egg” and the name stuck. Looking at the monolithic shell lying on its side, as if cut in half for breakfast after just being poached, it makes sense to call the building “The Egg”! Although one could argue it looks more like a a grapefruit perched atop a coffee cup, which is how Rockefeller supposedly demonstrated his vision to Harrison at their breakfast meeting. “The Egg” is certainly more fitting, or at least catchier than “The Grapefruit.” Naming conventions are like that! We might “think” we are being clever and coming up with the perfect name ourselves, but at the end of the day “the symbol is the thing symbolized.” In esotericism “The Egg” is a symbol of perfection, and the public “perfectly” named the performance center in Albany, N.Y.

The building has become a landmark on the skyline of the city of Albany, and hosts cutting edge musical acts, transforming from relatively unknown acts to being “discovered,” and as well hosting performances of some living legends passing through town. Fans might still have their music tucked away in a box somewhere in the house, recorded on vinyl, 8-tack, or cassette. There are other performances too: comedy, theatrical performances, and dance.

I have never been to “The Egg” but have always been intrigued, even more so now after learning a little bit about its history and how it got its name. I thought of writing about “The Egg” namely because there isn’t an attraction in the Hudson Valley that I haven’t visited yet except for “The Egg.”

Last night I was reading about synchronicity and how the outer triad of planets beyond Saturn, got their names. So, naturally, I found it pleasantly surprising that “The Egg” itself shares a public lore with how it stepped into its own identity. Digressing briefly let me skim the names of the three outer most planets in our solar system.

Uranus: Discovered March 13, 1781, just before the American and French Revolutions. Uranus has something to do with “going beyond the pale” and breaking boundaries; there is an intensification of needs, and the emergence of individuality.

Uranus was the “Father or Saturn” and symbolically represents the elevation of originality and radical thinking. William Blake’s work reigns as a shining example:

“Seeing eternity in a grain of sand…”

~ William Blake

Neptune was the name adopted by the Romans after the powerful Greek god of the sea, Poseidon. On September 23, 1846, Neptune was discovered, just prior to the Civil War. Infernal strife seems more representative of Neptune than rebellion (Uranus).

But with Neptune there is also Art and a nurturing, receptive, all-encompassing spirit, suffused with compassion. Neptune is The Dissolver mirroring and embracing Venus’ pleasing nature in the form of loving surrender:

“The dewdrop merging into the shimmering sea.”

~ Rabindranath Tagore

Pluto was discovered on February 18, 1930, coincident with World War II and the development of nuclear power. The themes of the underworld and what is hidden come into play. Pluto the Roman god of the underworld is related to Hades/Persephone in Greek mythology.

Pluto viewed through a wide lens, offers perspective on life’s impermanence and cycles of transformation. It reveals what William Wordsworth called “Intimations of Immortality,” hinting at a deeper, enduring essence beneath surface changes; constant cycles of death and rebirth, connecting us to the concept of eternal return, experiencing the ongoing process of renewal and regeneration.

There is a fascination about naming conventions and researching how apropos a name can be. “The Egg” has certainly become more than “The Meeting Center“ it was meant to be, like Pluto, even after its demotion from planet status by the IAU (International Astronomical Union). Astrologically, Pluto, which has grown an outsized reputation for a “planet” 1/3rd the size of the Moon, still garners respect, and a hat tip from those who know better.

The smallest oceans still get big, big waves.

~ Eddie Vedder

HVA

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