'Life Cycles and The Dark Side' - Let's Start With Al Capone

This cycle of twelve posts will form the Fifth Lesson for you:- 'Life Cycles and The Dark Side'. Remember, every twelve months a new lesson and a new theme? Well probably not, if you were honest, but we have been dealing with 'Life Cycles-Relationships' for the last year, which will form the core of my next book and now we move ahead to this. Why am I particularly qualified to write on this topic? Well, I'm going to share with you the fact that my early career as a psychologist, included several years working in one of our state's most well-known maximum security prisons. I have interviewed and assessed many convicted felons, but on the lighter side I have got a collection of prison stories, that only a first-hand account can do justice to. Like being an eye-witness, when the state's then most-wanted man and two others tried to break out of gaol with hand-made weapons, or the prisoner who feigned blindness so successfully, that he was transferred to minimum security, from where he escaped. They made a movie of that one. Anyway, suffice to say, I was always in demand at dinner parties to tell a story.

Today, however, I'm leaving that all behind as we examine the career of arguably America's most well-known gangster, Al Capone, from the always unique 'Life Cycles' perspective. We'll look at two 'significant years' in terms of his criminal career ie. his age 24 'Year of Revolution' and his age 31 'Year of Broken Pathways'. Mind you, I'm assuming by now you know what I mean by these terms, but if you don't, your homework will be to read some more posts to find out. Alphonse 'Al' Gabriel Capone was born Jan. 17th 1899, so he would have been in his first adult 'Year of Revolution' for most of the year 1923. The question is :- "What happened then that could be considered a new age/direction in his criminal activities or life generally?"

Following success in the Chicago-based Torrio Gang, Capone decided to bring his family out from New York to settle. In August 1923 he moved into the new family home in suburban Cicero, which became his headquarters until his arrest for tax evasion. It was also done to avoid newly-elected Reform Mayor Dever, who promised to run Capone out of the city. Here he took over management of operations for the Torrio Gang at the Hawthorn Inn, which had bullet-proof shutters on every window. It was to be his beginning at running things on a permanent basis. This was his 'new age/direction' in this year. Now we skip ahead seven years to his age 31 'Year of Broken Pathways' (1930) and ask :- "What happened to change his course and give him a new challenge and direction?"

As Public Enemy No.1 Capone was pursued with a vengeance and in 1929 Eliot Ness began to investigate his business dealings. Capone was reported to have only ever signed one cheque, so he was a wily adversary. But Revenue Agent Frank Wilson was equally determined and the breakthrough to tracing income to Capone happened in the summer of 1930, when a set of accounts was linked to him and he got a witness prepared to testify. Capone sent his attorney Lawrence Mattingly to settle 'his indebtedness to the Treasury'. Capone threatened Wilson with the remark "Be sure to take care of yourself."

However what happened in his 'Year of Broken Pathways' happens to so many others in a myriad of ways. He could not avoid his date with destiny, no matter what he did. Wilson only redoubled his efforts and gathered more evidence and threatened more witnesses. Capone was taken down in the following year. His criminal career was over, never to return. Mind you he tried to bribe his way around the prison system for a while, but eventually he landed in Alcatraz. 'Life Cycles' is as powerful a predictor in crime as it is in every other facet of human behaviour. Till next month :- "may the cycles always bring you good fortune."

Abraham Lincoln, 'Confluence' and the Age 36 Amendment

THE AGE 36 AMENDMENT

"IT IS THE DUTY AND PRIVILEGE OF EVERY CITIZEN TO MAXIMIZE THEIR OPPORTUNITIES DURING THEIR 36TH YEAR"


I am going to provide the most detailed, mathematical piece of evidence ever assembled for 'Confluence' and for 'Life Cycles' generally. Other philosophies and ideas will say to you :- "Now do you believe?", however I say to you once again :- "'Life Cycles' is not a belief system. You are not required to accept me on faith. It is like saying I require you to believe in Pythagoras' Theorem. You only have to study my evidence and to find that it's true. That's because, like everything else I write about, it's only based on biographic records. Simple as that and yet complex as that."

Now here's a question for you :- "What happens if we put two serious and career-minded 36 year old individuals, of roughly the same ability, together when they are aiming for the same job?" Well it happened when prairie lawyer and state politician Abraham Lincoln was running against volunteer soldier and national politician, General John J. Hardin, to be nominated for a term in Congress. Now here's where it gets mathematical. Lincoln was born 12th Feb. 1809 and Hardin was born 5th Jan. 1810, which means they were both 36 during the narrow window of 1 mth (between 5 Jan and 12 Feb 1846). Why this matters is because they were both aiming for the same job during this time ie. the Whig nomination for a 2 year term in Congress.

Hardin had already served one term and it was Lincoln who introduced the principle of rotation, meaning that it would be his turn next. He had never been elected to Congress. Hardin, like many another politician, did not abide by this gentleman's agreement and so in 1845 they fought a spirited contest. They were also friends, so things were bound to get sticky. Now my question is simple :- "When was this nomination settled?" Was it during the one month period of 'Confluence' that the two shared in Jan. 1846? Did it seal both their careers and ultimate fates? I have the Lincoln Log of his voluminous correspondence for research purposes.

It says explicitly that the matter was not settled at the start of the year. Then in Jan. Lincoln did some dedicated campaigning and won several key districts. Hardin could see the writing on the wall and eventually in early Feb. he formally withdrew his candidacy. Yes, this month of Jan. where the two shared 'Confluence' is when it all happened. Both being at the 'Life Cycles' major mid-life 'Year of Revolution' together. Both ambitious and talented members of the same Whig party and both wanting to be Congressman. This sealed both their fates at the one time.

Why so? Well it began Lincoln's first term in Washington. His quest for influence and his growing distaste for slavery, now saw the beginnings of a credible national profile. He co-wrote a bill to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia and spoke out against the Mexican War. Hardin, on the other hand, returned to the Illinois Militia and recruited the First Volunteer Regiment to fight in the Mexican-American War. On 23rd. Feb. 1847, he was killed at the Battle of Buena Vista, just one year later. His untimely demise did weigh on Lincoln thereafter and as President, he looked out for Hardin's widow and appointed his brother-in-law to a diplomatic post in Panama.

Does the month of Jan. again feature in Lincoln's life in one of 'Life Cycles' significant years? Does it again feature Hardin? Yes it does, but you'll have to wait for a full account in my next book "Life Cycles-Relationships". One final question for you :- "The movie 'Lincoln' featured almost exclusively one month in Lincoln's life. What month was that? Does it feature in 'Life Cycles' terms? " Till next month "may the cycles always bring you good fortune".

The Fight Against Cancer-Never Give Up!

"For we will never have our freedom,
From the enemy within,
Till we fight a constant battle
And not stop until we win.

For all those who've gone before us,
Left too soon, we share the pain,
But you will live on in our memories,
And your legacies remain.

You're a stalker, you're a coward,
You're a robber and a thief,
And I swear your day is coming,

And it's a fact.........not just belief."

I'm writing this post as part of a Bloggers Unite, March 15th, 'Do The Right Thing' initiative by Tony Berkman. Both my blogs will feature stories about cancer victims and survivors. These are some of the bravest people you'll meet. They have to face down their demons and fight. The most inspirational blog I have ever read was by Australian cancer sufferer Kristian Anderson:- "There is a crack in everything- That's how the light get's in". Kristian sadly lost his battle with cancer recently, but he bravely detailed every inch of his journey in his blog. He gained a profile when he appeared on Oprah Winfrey's Sydney show, and she donated $250K for his treatment and his family's future. He used his public profile to get a Government subsidy for Erbitux (an expensive drug he was using). This resulted in thousands of people across the country benefiting. We salute you Kristian.

Sarah Mamalai, whom I have featured before, is a brain cancer survivor, who completed the gruelling Kokoda Trail walk and has been a spokesperson for her cause. Sharon Cohrs. a breast cancer survivor, became the first such woman to climb Mt. Everest. We salute you both. These are stories that should inspire us all. But there is probably not one person whose life has not been changed by cancer. If we haven't had to deal with it personally, then we've known a family member, a close friend or someone from our local community, who has. Not everyone gets a second chance. We need to remember them and remember the efforts of countless medical researchers as they test and implement their ground-breaking treatments.

I have been touched by the loss of two close friends in the last couple of years. Their lives cut, so unnecessarily short, by this awful disease. I want to remember them and the joy they brought to my own life. Nick Purdy, who was both a colleague and a close friend, lost his long battle with prostate cancer. His warm personal presence and good-natured approach to life..... you are missed mate. Many a social get-together that we should have been having, won't take place. Those cigars we used to smoke. Those "have you heard this week's bizarre story?" moments. Also my good friend and visionary architect Dragan Nikolovski, who was taken by brain cancer. Your hearty laugh. Your supportive nature. Originally from Macedonia, you are part of the migrant success story and your name with many others is proudly upon a public wall in Sydney. You live on, of course, through your works. Your contribution to the re-development of our General Post Office, into a leading hotel. Your work with our historic Queen Victoria Building, where you were the official architect. Any visitor to Sydney knows this building, which is a major city shopping venue.

So let us remember everyone we know who is currently fighting cancer, or is no longer with us. Read my poem at the top out loud. By supporting cancer research and treatment, we can make this a reality. This 'day' when we can say :- "cancer is no more". But in the meantime live sensibly. Sometimes cancer will just strike like a thief in the night, but sometimes our habits and lifestyle can play a part. You owe it to your family. Now just read the poem one more time. It's simple evocative message will lie inside you from now on.


P.S. Please feel free to leave your own story about cancer as a comment and to celebrate others.

The Second Time Around- 'Confluence', Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio

We are going to explore the beginnings of their romance; their brief, disastrous marriage and their second chance, which was cut short by Marilyn's tragic death. I am going to shed a new light on the love life of the uber-famous Marilyn Monroe, using the brand new concept of 'Confluence', taken from the all-new 'Life Cycles' theory. I am going to show you what underlies their somewhat improbable romance and just why they were 'the loves of each others lives', even though Marilyn's behaviour did not always demonstrate this. Be in no doubt, they had a fated life as a couple and could have arguably grown old together.

Joseph Paul DiMaggio, born Nov.25th, 1914, was a legendary baseball hero in the US and in his age 36 'Year of Revolution', injuries and poor form forced his retirement. He saw some publicity shots of Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortensen Jun.1st, 1926), who had just had her career breakthrough moment in her age 24 'Year of Revolution', when she signed a seven year contract with 20th Century Fox, after successes in 'All About Eve' and 'The Asphalt Jungle'. She was now a recognised Hollywood star. Can you see the issue here? Their new age/directions, ushered in the year before had them going in opposite directions. There is no doubt that they shared over 7 months of 'Confluence' in every shared 'significant year' (ie. 24/12, 31/19, 36/24, 43/31). Neither of Marilyn's other two longer term relationships:- with her 'marriage of opposites' to Arthur Miller or her 'serious fling' with Frank Sinatra, featured any 'Confluence' whatsoever.

Marilyn was reportedly not keen on dating 'a jock', but they met at Villa Nova restaurant on Mar. 8th, 1952. She was two hours late and Joe hardly spoke at all. Still there was a spark and no denying his charisma. He managed, simply by being there, to command the whole room. They drove around for a couple of hours after this, finding each other fascinating. This perfectly describes the magic that can come when opposites, who have a good level of 'Confluence', get together. He wanted her to give up acting and become his wife in a traditional sense and Marilyn's friends advised her against this union. He was also jealous, because the attention she got was what he was used to getting. This was to become 'a short ride and a not so merry one' when they decided to marry.

He was advised by a friend, who was a Hollywood agent, to accept her career as being like his former career, when he was on top. However, he could not control his jealousy and quite a few accounts talk of him beating her. He said she brought out the worst in him. It all came unstuck when he beat her up in their hotel room, after seeing the filming of the sexy skirt-flying shoot for 'The Seven Year Itch'. She received an uncontested divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty. She went to live with her then friend, Frank Sinatra, who was separated from his wife, Ava Gardner. That really should have been it, pure and simple. This union was a big mistake.

But Joe, according to biographers, never stopped loving Marilyn and went on to become her close friend and ally, genuinely caring for her welfare. He spent time in therapy himself and came back into her life with the unwinding of her marriage to Arthur Miller. This is the friendship side of 'Confluence', as displayed with Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Wilding. After leaving Miller, Marilyn took up again with Sinatra, who undoubtedly was in love with her. However, she was now in a self-destructive phase, taking a variety of drugs and alcohol and ended up being admitted to the Payne Whitney Psychiatric clinic. Unable to check herself out she called her friend DiMaggio. Others did not help, but he did and interestingly claimed her as his wife.

During 1961 their relationship continued to grow and they enjoyed looking after each other. Her quote was :- "to know Joe is there is like having a lifeguard." When she was advised to buy a home and her finances weren't good, it was Joe who loaned her $10,000 for her place in Brentwood. She also was not constant during this time and when he was travelling with his job, she fell back in with Sinatra and the Kennedy's. Joe was enraged when he saw her sing at Kennedy's birthday on May 19th, 1962. We now enter her tumultuous and brief age 36 'Year of Revolution' on June 1st, which can see a major transformation in many, many different lives. Following an argument soon after, they then reconciled and she admitted Joe had been right about so many things. This marked her beginning of wisdom. He flew from New York to Los Angeles four times in July to be with her and quit his job, that had meant constant travel. Quite a few different sources said they were going to remarry. I'll quote from DiMaggio's niece, June:- " They had planned to remarry on the day that turned out to be her funeral. She had a dress and had picked out her china dishes. Joe had a ring for her and there was talk they might adopt a child. If she was remarrying Joe, the love of her life, is she going to take her own life four days before?".

This transcendent moment never happened, but ironically she knew who loved her the most and who was the true love of her life. Joe honoured his earlier promise, given during their first relationship, to ensure fresh flowers were placed on her grave three times a week for the next twenty years. He never remarried and would not allow friends or associates to utter the names of Sinatra, the Rat Pack or the Kennedy's in his presence. For a man with a difficult personality and who had fall-outs with his own family and many past friends, he gave of his very best for Marilyn. For a woman, who was so conflicted and capricious, who told Joe in Feb.1962, that she was buying furniture in Mexico, and returned with a handsome young Mexican screen writer instead, she finally managed to reach her deepest emotional level with him. Together they could have had a great life the second time around. This is the power of 'Confluence' that sometimes makes the impossible, possible. They tragically were never together for any of their past periods of 'Confluence' and their next period would have begun in late Nov.1962 when Joe turned 48. Their best story, unfortunately, lies unwritten. Till next month :- "May the cycles always bring you good fortune."

2012-The World Did Not End Or Shift-Wake Up!

There is a scene in the first James Bond movie -Dr.No- where a character called Professor R. J. Dent opens Bond's hotel door and pumps six bullets into what he believes is Bond's sleeping body. Little did he know that Bond is waiting behind the door and with a perfect turn of sardonic phrase he says:- "That's a Smith and Wesson and you've had your six!" Then the Professor is shot and killed. Well that's what I want to do in this post about the hoo-ha surrounding the Mayan Hoax and the New Age belief in a positive global shift instead. There was never any proof, or even one shred of credible evidence, in either of them. Yet I see that an estimated 1 in 10 Americans were worried or concerned about the coming 'end of the world' and a smaller number celebrating a coming "new era".

Let's give them their six ill-timed shots and then shoot them down one-by-one shall we? After all, 2012 was the year of the big hoax. Bullet No.1 :- Astrology. This ancient culprit, with plenty of adherents, has never passed any attempt to prove 'better than chance' outcomes with personal readings, and a litany of disasters, when it comes to predictions. Don't take my word for it. Check it out for yourselves on Google. It's behind the Mayan calendar, Nostradamus, who had everyone scared in the 80's, and the so-called 'dawning of the Age of Aquarius', with even less backing than its other flimsy concepts. Every time you see this in the future just shoot it down.

Bullet No.2 :- Numerology. This similarly doesn't add up. Numbers aren't, in and of themselves, magical. Personal readings can be quite ego-enhancing, but they have no foundation of proof. But once again don't believe me, Just Google "numerology, sceptics view" or the Wiki article on it. It's behind all these Bible Codes, hundreds of years worth of 'we know the actual date the world ends' etc. I actually Googled the "World will end November, 2012" and saw an article by Harold Camping (radical preacher and prophet of doom merchant) saying that the world had already ended in October, 2012. Yeah right. I was told the world would end in Nov. because of some numerology-based idea, and then that it would end on Dec. 23rd (no, not the 21st, that was the Mayans). This one was based on the 'sacred nature of the number 19'. Give me a break! It's endless and it's insidious. Put a bullet in it. Shoot it down. Don't be scared of your own shadow.

Bullet No. 3 :- Astronomical calamities. Collision with comets/hidden planets/reversal of the polar axes/solar storms etc. etc. Yes 2012 seemed to have had it all. Now I grant you, there is always some remote chance of these occurring. No-one knows when. NASA will tell you if there's anything passing close to the earth and you should know, that although NASA considers polar reversals to be relatively commonplace over a 3 billion year period, that they happen currently about every 300,000 years and take hundreds and sometimes thousands of years to complete. So, was 2012 going to be to be the year of the big axis shift? I think not. There was also a recorded solar storm event in the 1850's, that caused interruption of worldwide telegraphy services, and 2012 was the end of an 11 year solar cycle, but the leading astrophysicist in this area, says such events are expected about every 500 years or so. So, no big solar storm in 2012 either. Are you getting the picture. Put a bullet in this one too.

Bullet No. 4 :- Alien Invasion. Now I grant you there have been many unexplained sightings, including one that I saw personally over 30 years ago, but so far we don't know if they're unmanned (if that's the right word for it) probes or what. Are aliens living with us? Do they want to invade and destroy us? Here's where it starts to get silly. I think a response given to a Chinese mass sighting in 2012 about sums it up :- "there's nothing to tell us that there isn't extraterrestrial life, but so far there's nothing to tell us there is." The aliens haven't made themselves known, despite apparently being sighted for thousands of years. Will they come and destroy us in 2012? No more so than they might have done in all of recorded history. No, fascinating as it is, give it a bullet.

Bullet No. 5 :- Natural disasters. Mega-tsunamis/massive volcanic eruptions/violent storms/earthquakes etc. Of course these can and will periodically happen. We can do little to stop them. But they will not follow a predictable timetable. I'm afraid I simply can't lose sleep over them. Yes, there may be a landslide in the Canary Islands, that sends a mega-tsunami to the entire East Coast USA, but there's way more chance that it might not happen in my lifetime. That's just how it is. If someone tries to tell you they know when, don't believe them. Put a bullet in their ideas as well.

Bullet No. 6 :- World will become a better place in 2012/new astrological age/cosmic shift/higher vibrations etc. etc. Look, admittedly this is designed to be a force for good, so it may seem a bit unfair to shoot it down. But honestly, do you think a relatively small group of people, dancing till dawn around the campfire at the Mayan temple, or anywhere else, is suddenly going to make everyone a better person and the world a better place? Will it solve our economic woes, our wars, our crimes, our poverty etc., overnight? It may make for an enjoyable night for the participants, but in the morning, we'll all have to get on with adapting to our current circumstances, as best we can. No, unfortunately put your final bullet in this one too. However, make it a round-edged dum-dum bullet.

Wait a minute I can hear some voices saying :- "Isn't your 'Life Cycles' theory part of all this? Isn't this just numerology, astrology, or some other pseudo-scientific New Age twaddle?" The answer is a resounding "NO!" I only study certain years in people's lives, to see if they correlate with important change and that's it. I only have the biographical facts to work with. I don't predict the future in ordinary terms. I don't know why this happens and I know it isn't exactly science, because "correlation does not equal causality" (although I don't deal in causality) and it contains some subjective elements. However it is startlingly better than mere chance occurrence. Billions of times actually, if you only look at my many case histories. It's also brand new. There is nothing new about the so-called New Age. It's as old as the hills. I'm the newest voice you'll ever hear and I intend to create a peaceful and modest revolution in how you think of your life. Is it important? Oh yes, it's important alright, but I accept that it'll take some time before people catch up to me. Till next month :- "may the cycles always bring you good fortune".