Retro Gaga
So Lady Gaga has a new scent, launched smack-bang the moment Mercury goes Retrograde. Perfume called Fame. Mercury Retro in Leo – the sign of Fame!
It’s either mental – as this is an occult-aware woman who cancelled some tour dates because of Mercury Retro OR a genius strategy…As in Mercury Retro in Leo is a crazy-bats time when one could technically re-think the concept of fame and/or branding herself as sort of surreal odalisque Mae West giantess in a world of midgets by way of Helmut Newton character might actually work.
The perfume itself is actually BLACK – a concept i would adore – if i had not sworn off petrochemical fragrances since going Haute Hippy last Dark Moon. I imagine squirting black frag all over yourself in the morning could feel sort of empowering and protective, like squid ink blended with narcissus and patchouli.
THOUGHTS?
Oh and speaking of strange Mercury-Retro-Bats manifestations: My site was down for a short time just before because it could not be found. Seriously, it was a weird DNS thing, sorry about that. AND I did a rant re Mercury Retrograde Hair Karma over on my Facebook. It’s here and it’s real.
Quick question: do you think Mercury retro would affect someone born with Merc in retrograde differently? I’ve never seem to notice it that much. I’m sure this has been covered in the blog before, but I’ve forgotten (I blame all of my recent Neptunian indulgences, lol).
It would intensify your mercury
u know poets are heaps more likely to be born under merc retro, right? Also gifted scientists, oddly enough.
I envy those with Natal Merc Retro…
Ahhh I have a natal retrograde Mercury. I’ve been writing poetry since I was 11
And a loaded third House in Scorpio – communicate with intensity. And a tendency to do too many things at once 
I have been writing poetry since I was little too! Natal Merc Rx in the 4th in scorpio.
How does natal retrograde jupiter, uranus, neptune and pluto affect someone? For example does that mean you are not lucky?
I’m not sure. I’ve got mercury, jupiter and chiron all retrograde. I’d be curious to see what that means. I don’t think I’m any less lucky than most; sometimes things really go my way, and others they’ll fail horrendously. But that could just be various transits.
I read somewhere that Mercury retro periods might cause you less trouble if you have natal Mercury retro. Gaga was born with Mercury retro in Pisces going by Astrotheme so maybe that’s her reasoning behind this launch. I’ve got Mercury retro natally and I’ve found the retro periods do have an effect – but it’s from everyone else going haywire around me. The energy itself feels normal to me (ie back to front and upside down!)
My silly little Mercury in Pisces (“I love you – no, I’m not in love with you, I don’t even know you that well, but I just love who you are right now”) is retrograde. Feeling better about it now!
Excellent! I do happen to be an engineering student, and maths, science and writing have all come fairly easily to me. I’m not terribly good at poetry, though. My mercury is in sagg conjunct my ascendant so I can’t exactly say subtlety is my forte.
So that’s what she means by her little monsters!
i can’t tell if it’s because I’m jaded by ads that are being clever and high arty about how they flog their wares but the odalisque pose + the mask is a bit obvious no? referencing and inverting the veil and letting us know being famous and your minutia closely inspected by people who are ‘smaller’ (read less famous) than you makes you feel naked ? Do you think she has an actual love of jonathon swift’s work? Or the tiny man thing is just a convenient visual metaphor ? I know I should be impressed by her – or her creative team – but it always seems so contrived… laughing at people/society/the system at large whilst using that same system to flog your goods to the peeps you’re satirising seems disingenuous and its getting old.
or is it that the smell will make em crawl all over you like you’re a great big enigmatic theme park? It’s actually about having power? This is the odour that will make the people who irk you pale into insginificance? OMG it’s a mars T square thing – she IS a genius.
I am on a bus reading this on a mobile so can’t possibly comment properly but just wanted to say that I totally dig all your ‘discussion points’ . Lady G fascinates me in so many ways , how she polarises people!! And yes, using the system to question(?) The system, she’s not the only one, but then again how else can we communicate? Book title idea ‘Fame for fun and profit’ xo
god the irritating thing (because for some reason – possibly my current saturn transit makes everything seem to be crap-fest – I wanted to dismiss the ad outright and not give it another thought – off with it’s head
)… is that I knew Guliver’s Travels was a satire but I didn’t know what about so I checked it out on wikipedia and whoever her creatives are, they might actually be being properly clever. sigh. clever people. they’re so… clever.
if you’re interested go here and scroll down to the themes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulliver%27s_Travels
on your way to school? Have a good day x
This week I’ve been quite irritable it’s actually annoying me, I’m mostly keeping it under control biding my time till this week’s astro passes! Interesting link but I think your first assessment was probably right ; )
why, yes I was indeed on my way there! here. whatever. First day of lectures for semester 2. My brain is hungry. Brainfood buffet this term!!
I bought a copy of gulliver’s travels 2nd hand the other week, reminds me to read it now. Makes sense that it’s a satire, i will read with that in mind!
Gullivers Travels is by many critics considered one of the top 10 books written in the last few hundred years. It’s absolute genius. The perfect description of the absurdity that fills peoples lives, the cruelty of slavery, the destruction of the ego ? In my top 5.
Multi dimensional.
cool. +1 from DL
It seems contrived to me too. However, to pre-teens it’s all new and exciting to them.
However, I am one of those rare ones that didn’t become a Madonna Wanna-Be either. I liked the weirder more obscure (in comparison) singers. Grace Jones, Missing Persons, Lydia Lunch, Nina Hagen for example.
I just don’t like being herded into being a follower or worshiper of a celebrity. Admire and respect but, not blind worship no never. I also do not like organized movements, religions, cults or brain-washing, programming on any level.
I LOVE LYDIA! Have seen her live and she is powerful good medicine (said in an appalachian accent) one of my friends worked with her and was rendered mildly emasculated by the whole experience.
Lady gaga…. *YAWN*
That’s exactly what I thought
I’m glad I saw your post, it stopped me from having to write that myself.
My question is, “yay, your a great artist, yep, great songs, yep, so your a musician, performer ? yep, is that not enough of you ? do you now have to sell me perfume, clothes, credit cards, etc etc.
Whats the next game to play on your adoring fans ?
It’s all about money and capitalism, It is expected in America and the fans do want it, at least that’s what we are told.
Milk the cash cow while you can, because the music industry is fickle or pop stars can die unexpectedly from overdoses.
I have never fell in love with a celebrity designer perfume to date. It’s too strong (toxic chemicals) for me.
Yes, yawn, yawn, yawn. I was bored with her five minutes after I heard about her. Let’s move on…
I love Lady Gaga… smart and creative in keeping her audience attention. She is another Madonna.. I always thought Madonna was so smart with her controversial songs, events, etcs. She made millions when Pepsi denied her commericial access to their product. She Thanked them at some award and I thought it was fabulous.
Today, every friggin’ page I open (bar this one) is warning me of Trojan alerts, virus attacks, etc!!! And every file I send is getting a message back from my recipients that the doc is not opening, corrupt, bizarrely-coloured, etc. Hello Merc Retro.
BUT I warily did send a script through to a producer with whom I worked years ago. No contact for ages and then suddenly outa nowhere, she’s interested in my script. Yes, ’tis the season to not start anything new but I kinda liked that it happened when everything’s gone retro. It felt oddly right.
Or have I just done something mental that’s bound to fail – a la Gaga launching a new eau de slut? (Really, little men crawling all over you? That makes me think of ants and discomfort. Hardly makes me want to race out and buy it. Not that I can stand perfume anyway…)
‘have I just done something mental that’s bound to fail ‘
I have quite good luck with contracts and gigs when mercury is retro – it’s always renegotiated, usually on the next mercury retro – but I’m not seeking a job for life scenario so renegotiations are de rigeur. My work isn’t about security or longevity and I suspect your realms are similar – also ‘retro’-grade is supposed to be OK for returning to contacts from the past because you’re not technically initiating communication, it’s a continuation or return to something… I say harness the backwards power in an informed way and GOOD LUCK x
Squid ink blended with narcissus and patchouli: I’ll take two.
Gaga’s swamp spray: Pass!
Agreed.
I mis-read “Gaga’s swamp spray: Pass” as P@ssy Swamp Gas
What?!!! I am NOT awake!
lol!
Gaga is interesting and talented, I like her but she is not the new Madge – I get a bit irked by the comparison. (Astro bias alert: Neptune in Scorp, Pluto & Uranus in Virgo) Madonna changed the way we dressed, the way women in music performed and she was all about an empowered sexuality. Gaga represents something different and the music industry is so decentralised now that it would be difficult for any performer to have the sort of impact Madonna had.
That said, the idea of an intoxicating, black fragrance called fame sounds like marketing genius for Gaga – but I’m really disappointed with this ad, I love a good ad and this just doesn’t do anything for me at all! It somehow looks like it’s trying too hard and lacks any kick, despite the little men idea it all looks sort of trite. Sorry this is not really astro, just disappointed that Gaga with all the potential, didn’t deliver a visually arresting ad. I’m giving this ad the polished turd award.
I agree Fifi, she can’t hold a candle to Madonna.
Look before Madonna. Femme fatales through-out history have been pushing the envelope Madonna just put the looks together and put it into pop music videos. Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Clara Bow that’s where Madonna’s look came from.
Each look can be traced back much, much further in history.
but the thing about femme fatales is that they and their ilk were an invention of the hollywood machine. I understand you mean powerful, independent women at large but that term is all about manufactured ideas of women.
I had a night fragrance in a black vial for the exact reasons you describe. It feels plutonic to me. Natal Venus square Pluto (in Scorpio).
Loving this astro. Feel like I’m starring in my own Woody Allen movie but with much more edge. (so it’s not really a Woody movie but Bats)
A hair stylist was eyeing my mane the other day but I won’t let anyone touch the hair right now & also his salon is in a geographically undesireable area.
When can we cut our hair? I need a trim. Is Mystic ever going to do the hair alerts, they’re so needed.
I enjoy Gaga.
However -
I am aware that I generally knee-jerk sneer at celebrity issued scents as I assume they are conceived in greed. Perhaps that is unfair … ?
Really – how much money is enough?
Most perfumes make me gag. Some give me a migraine.
Maybe her perfume will make you Ga Ga.
(could not resist)
I agree Liz, I just posted above a similar sentiment.
“Really – how much money is enough?” God, I have been saying that for years – just how much money does one person need? Really, it’s ridiculous, people are abandoning their children in Greece because they can’t feed them and celebs are still trying to get up to buy crap just because it has their name on it – so eighties.
It’s over, it didn’t work.
Worse yet when they bitch publicly about all of the taxes “they” have to shell out on all of the gold they gather. Here in the states the wealthy enjoy taxes which are a much lower percentage of their take than all of us groundlings.
Go Gaga!
Not much into the Gaga or her smells.
But I am curious how Moon in Libra people cope with no-scent living?
I have been no-scent in all my lotions and soaps for a while now – it’s all QV – or if I feel like lashing out in an olfactory fashion – dermaveen (mm, oaty).
Having Moon in Scorpio, it’s all a bit subtle for my thinking.
Does Libra rule smells? Libra rules my 5th.
Perhaps I smell famous. Or am creatively on-the-nose?
Aries rules the head – does that include smells?
I think of smell as a Taurean thing (yet I know 2 Toros with no sense of smell at all. Maybe that isn’t relevant).
I don’t have Moon in Libra but, am extremely picky about scents.
Must be organic, nature essential oils and incense only.
I am way too sensitive to toxic chemicals. (which is almost every cosmetic and parfume on the market)
I have Libra in my 11th/12th House. I chalked up my sensitivities to excessive Virgo planets.
Okay, you feel smell & sensitivity for scent is a Virgoan thing?
interesting. I have venus in Libra and Virgo stellium (mars included) but also Neptune conjunct Sun Scorp. EXTREMELY sensitive to smell.
i see smell sensitivity as a scorpio moon/neptune
but love of smells as a libra thing…
I noticed the site was down. It was very strange and I panicked a little – ‘cos I’m addicted
But I calmed down when I remember Merc Retro. Figured that’s all it was 
Black perfume. Super cool!
I’m more interested in the exact scent of my favorite celebrity’s skin. Specifically after he’s been out and about for a while. I love that busy, lived-in smell some people get. I want to wear it like that t-shirt you stole from your partner early in the relationship.