SATURN RETURN SUMS UP THE CHAOS OF THIS TIME IN MY LIFE—THE CELESTIALLY ORGANIZED CHAOS. MESSY BUT WITH PURPOSE. THE OTHER PIECES IN THE SERIES—CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS AND MADE WITH PLANETARY BODIES OF VIBRANT, TECHNICOLOR, AND SWIRLY PASTEL—ILLUMINATE ALL THAT WAS GAINED AND MADE VIBRANTLY CLEAR. BEING HUMAN IS A BEAUTIFUL MESS.
Around age 29, each of us goes through our first Saturn Return when the planet Saturn returns to the part of the sky it was in when we were born. It’s said to mark a doorway into a new phase of life. Many people give birth, get married, discover their calling, etc. Mine is coming to a close as I write this and reflect on these Saturn pieces I’ve written.
My return is in the 11th house, meaning it holds themes of community and belonging. Many of my relationships and endeavors of all kinds crashed and burned. What was lost was replaced by clarity, closure, a new city, a new home, new friends, new love, new animals, new dreams, and so much new music and art. Astrology is a fascinating combination of math and philosophy that has been practiced for 4,000 years, centered around everyone’s unique map of the heavens—a snapshot of the sky calculated at the moment each of us was born.
It is based on astronomical patterns and their corresponding philosophical meaning and impact on our lives. It would take multiple lifetimes to learn all there is to know about astrology and I’m no expert but to me, it is a beautiful practice that connects us with 4,000 years of humanity before us. It’s a rich and mystical part of human history that speaks to our connection with the universe as a whole. It reminds us to look within ourselves and gaze beyond ourselves, to the stars.—Thérèse-Marie ChaiX
THERE’S AN ART FORM LOST TO TIME CALLED EYE MUSIC, OR AUGENMUSIK. IN THE EARLY RENAISSANCE, MUSIC COULD BE FOUND HAND-DRAWN ON ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS IN THE SHAPES OF CIRCLES AND HEARTS. ARTIST AND COMPOSER THÉRÈSE-MARIE CHAIX TAKES THIS ANCIENT ART FORM TO CONTEMPORARY WHIMSICAL EXTREMES CREATING SCORES IN THE form of a MUSICAL GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS, RAINBOWS ON PUFFY CLOUDS, SATURN’S RINGS, AND NOODLES TANGLED AROUND GIANT VIOLET CHOPSTICKS. SHE METICULOUSLY HAND-DRAWS HER ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS FOR SOLO PIANO WITH GRAPHITE, COLORED PENCIL, WATERCOLOR, AND PASTEL. HER PROCESS BEGINS WITH THE DESIGN OF THE ARTWORK FULLY FORMED EXCEPT FOR THE NOTES. THE LENGTHS AND SHAPES OF THE STAVES THEN DICTATE THE LENGTH AND SHAPE OF THE MUSIC. THIS VISUAL APPROACH TO MUSIC COMPOSITION IS INTEGRAL TO THERESE-MARIE’S CREATIVE PROCESS. EACH PIECE TAKES BETWEEN TWENTY AND TWO HUNDRED HOURS TO COMPLETE FROM THE CREATION OF THE HAND-DRAWN ART SCORE TO THE COMPOSITION OF THE MUSIC ITSELF. “IT’S puzzled ME FOREVER that CLASSICAL MUSIC IS DEFINED AS ‘SERIOUS MUSIC’ AND YET MUSIC IS SOMETHING WE PLAY. WITH MY WORK, I TAKE PLAY VERY SERIOUSLY.”
