Vivienne is for Vivien Haigh-Wood Eliot, the poet TS Eliot’s first wife.
(She was born Vivienne and later spelled it Vivien.)
Her most famous published lines live inside The Waste Land, first etched in the margins of an early draft:
“What you get married for if you don’t want children?”
Virginia Woolf famously called her the “bag of ferrets” Tom wore round his neck.
She did publish a handful of stories and sketches of her own, but only under pseudonyms, in her husband’s magazine.
In college I was obsessed with tracking down her writings — a fruitless endeavor. My mentor had tried to get her hands on them years earlier and said it was impossible.
Eliot’s second wife, Valerie, inherited the works of the first and wasn’t letting them out. Or so I was told. (And it turns out, much has changed in the past 18 years.)
I once received a writing award for a poem called “The Love Song of Vivien Haigh-Wood.” At the time I might have told you I channeled it.
Vivien died alone in an asylum in 1947 — the same year my father was born.
When my father died, I gave away his last name for my great-grandmother’s name, and took on Vivienne as my middle name, an offering to all the women whose works and stories I will never know.
A secret nestled between two family names, and a reminder to keep writing, for myself and Vivien.
In hindsight, completely audacious. Who am I to speak for the dead?
A few years later, after the death of my closest aunt, I discovered her middle name was Vivienne.
Sometimes we honor the dead.
And sometimes they trick us into honoring them.
A Message From Above
This Friday, November 13th, Venus stations direct after an eventful sojourn to the Underworld that has, for many of us on Earth, been a rollercoaster of emotions.
Last Thursday I hopped on Substack Live with my friend LAINIE LOVE DALBY to swap Venus stories and ways to work with the last phase of this cycle.
This stationing marks the final phase of her journey: as the warrior of the morning, she is older, wiser and empowered by the depths of her experience and the confidence that comes with living enough life.
She has conversed with the dead and returned with a message.
What is it? I have some ideas, but I like surprises, and I’m enjoying this change in perspective.
If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!
We meet weekly to explore the sky in real time and make sense of what is unfolding in our lives and in the collective. This is your chance to ask me questions about your chart, share stories, and connect with a cohort of fellow astrologers.
Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:
Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.
Beautiful