7-3-98 DECONSTRUCTING WOODY ALLEN

The other night I had a chance to watch Woody Allen's new movie called "Deconstructing Harry." Harry, like most of Woody's other lead male characters, is actually Woody Allen in thin disguise. What does Woody say about himself through his characters? Here are some of his themes together with my comments about them:

1. A sometimes-immoral man and yet, one who is passionately concerned with moral issues even if bewildered by all of their subtle nuances (a weakness in dharma).

2. A creative artist who, if it were not for his art, would flounder in life, having no other real sense of purpose (a weakness in the field of wealth or primal desire nature). This weakness also causes him to futilely seek spiritual fulfillment through ideal love relationships.

3. A creative artist skilled in all aspects of drama (the Sun governs his field of creative play).

4. A man who seeks to be gentle and compassionate in his dealings with others (the Moon governs his field of interpersonal relationships).

5. Someone with a poor self-image due to a very unhappy childhood (a poorly placed Mercury in the 12th house governing self-image).

6. A rebel who uses his movies as a tool to strip away societal institutions, ideas and mores that are outmoded and antiquated (the Nodes of the Moon govern his career nature).

7. A man whose destiny brings him into constant conflicts in the moral arena (his destiny relates to the field of dharma).

8. A soul who is, above all, courageous enough to stare the abyss in the face and do battle with it (a powerful Mars governs the spiritual nature).

9. A very humorous man (the Sun governs his creativity and the Sun signifies humor displayed to the public through dramatic performance).

10. Preoccupied with questions of knowledge and existence (he is a member of the Brahman caste).

11. Someone whose core focus in life and relationships is deeply sexual (Mars is the predominant ruler in the personality).

Thus, it is apparent that Woody Allen has enormous self-insight as well as the ability to engage in quite accurate self-criticism. That he can do so with great humor is a gift to all of us, as is The Art of Multi-Dimensional Living® that provides such a clear insight into his character.