Today is the 50th birthday of one of my favorite artists, Kate Bush. She found fame as a teenager with her first hit, “Wuthering Heights“, in 1978 (despite never having read it at the time!) Kate’s music is a favorite backdrop for many of my pagan friends as well.

The photo I’m using for this post is one of my favorites of Kate, taken from the cover of one of her earliest biographies. I’ll be adding more links to this post soon. Until then, Happy Birthday Kate, and many happy returns.

Thinking of you,  missing you, celebrating you, always.

Happy Birthday to the late, great Elliott Smith. He would have been 38 years old today. His music is like no other. Transformative, healing, powerful and most of all, brutally honest.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Elliott at Spaceland several years ago. He was sweet, self-effacing and warmly genuine. Completely guileless. After listening to his acoustic set, I picked up a napkin he left on the stage which was scrawled with fresh lyrics he’d just written. Something about pirates. Anyway, his music got me through some tough times.

Yesterday, Mr. B and I wound up turning a friend onto Elliott’s music, and I realized later on, that it was actually Elliott’s birthday.

In my head, I heard Elliott’s voice speaking to me. He said that his favorite birthday present was knowing that people were still moved enough to share his music with their friends.

For those of you who haven’t heard Elliott’s music, here are a few of my favorite songs of his: Christian Brothers, Everything Reminds Me of Her, Speed Trials, Everything Means Nothing to Me, Waltz Number 1 and 2. There are too many to list here. Everything he wrote just brims over with a heartfelt authenticity that just breaks the human heart.

Please visit the Official Elliott Smith Fan Site, and also make sure to check out Elliott’s many Youtube videos. You will discover a treasure in the music and lyrics of this truly great artist. You are loved and missed Elliott. I’ll be lighting a candle for him later tonight at the Elliott Wall on Sunset. Blessings and Light my friend.

For those of you who would like to see Elliott Smith’s Astrological Birth Chart, visit my Magickal Forum.

Seriously folks, nothing more need be said that can better explain the sound of Mars in Taurus than this clip.

Update:  The clip of J-Hol and J-Hud has been taken down — Sorry! Do a search for it. It’s bound to show up again.

Mars is sheer power, and Taurus is ruled by Venus, Goddess of the musical arts. Check it out. I dare you not to get chills down your spine.(Copyright Info: This clip was made last night when at the BET Awards show.) 

Today marks the 10 year Anniversary of the untimely death of Jeff Buckley. On May 29th, 1997, Buckley dove into the Wolf River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, only to surface as a beautiful ghost.

At the time of his passing, I had only heard tales of his music and live performances from friends and clients. Oddly enough, time and again I went to record stores and wound up holding his CD in my hands, studying the covers — staring into his face. Still, each time I left the store without purchasing his music.

Once, after giving a Psychic Reading to Maynard James Keenan (the vocalist for the magickal music group Tool), he told me he was going to see Jeff play at the Troubador. I wanted to go, but for some reason, didn’t — much to my lasting regret.

Buckley Virgin: On June 4, 1997 I was at a KROQ concert with Nancy Berry (the former Vice-Chairman of Virgin Records) and several of her friends. A friend of Nancy’s, a singer named Christopher Shinn, offered to give me a ride to an after party at the Chateau Marmont, which I accepted.

On the drive back, Chris told me his favorite singer was Jeff Buckley. I felt at that point the Universe was definitely conspiring to get me to buy Buckley’s CD, and made a mental note to get it immediately, after Chris continued raving about it. In the car, Chris put on Jeff’s debut album, Grace, and played the track So Real. By the end of the song I was in tears, completely blown away by the sheer beauty of not only the music, but the power and sincerity of Jeff’s mighty, angelic voice. After the song was over, Chris said, “Yeah, it’s a real shame he’s gone.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. When I asked Chris what he meant, he explained that Jeff had mysteriously “disappeared”, and no one had seen him since he went swimming on the night of May 29th, (1997). I was devastated twice that night.

The next day I went out and bought a copy of Grace, and played nothing else (except for a little Satchel and Pigeonhed) for months. His music is that good.

Getting back to my story, 6 days after I first heard Jeff’s music, his lifeless body was found, floating on the banks of the Mississippi River, near Beale Street. The music world went into a period of mourning. Anybody who was familiar with his music was absolutely devastated by the news. The legend of Jeff Buckley was born.

There is much left to my story, but I’ll post the amazing details on my Magickal Forum as soon as I can.

For those of you who don’t know Jeff’s music, please visit Official Jeff Buckley Site for more about his life, and his music.

All I can say now is, Jeff — wherever you are, thank you for the music, the beauty that you shared with all of us, stuck down here without you.

“Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!” (Shakespeare)

(- Horatio, Hamlet (V.ii.370-371).