Hudson Valley Astrologer

My father had a nickname for each of his children, a sobriquet meant to be endearing or funny. Apparently, my legs didn’t stop moving whenever he put me down in the crib… spinning in circles, round and round and round. He called me “Wheels” but a buddy heard it as “Whales,” and so that was the name that stuck.

Back in the day, long before Miami Ink, my wife and I set off to get tattoos. This would have been in the early 90’s, there was a well-known shop in Woodstock, N.Y., that occupied the old Mobile station. Her’s was a solitary rose strategically placed on the small of her back. I remember how painful it was for her to endure the needle popping in and out, metal on bone. She passed out and fell to the floor. After a little orange juice and a small break she was right back in the saddle to finish the job. She is a tough lady!

I got on the table and the artist began to needle my right thigh. Immediately I was grateful for the pound of flesh and muscle because it still hurt like hell. I understood why my wife passed out, and later learned that bone and nerves are close to the skin on the small of the back, so probably one of the more painful placements.

I don’t think I would get another tattoo. the Orca, or “killer whale” is all I need. My wife recently got another one however, with her daughters, on a girls outing in Alexandria V.A. Their wish was for me to draw their Sun sign symbols so that a tattoo artist could then replicate my drawing in ink on their backs, near the outer reaches of where the lat muscle connects to the posterior trapezius muscle. I’m not really sure about the description of the location, my anatomy is only as good as my drawing. So I ordered a how to draw book and two sketch pads. The plan is to develop my drawing skills further and come to know the symbols at a much deeper level. Drawing symbols use to be a part of any astrological curriculum as a way to meditate on the meaning and significance of forms. The whale represents the form of wisdom, harmony, and longevity. Perhaps the object of my first meditation.