Gianni Versace: The Poison of Shatabisha
The first quality in his work that must be noted is, of course, the element of sex that defined almost all of his creations. Yes, his work was more than just tight dresses and gaudy jewelry, but these were the defining characteristics that played a role in his incredible popularity. He loved making sexy objects and sending them out under the glaring spotlight of the catwalk to have them be visually devoured by the audience, the photographers and by anyone who dared veer to close to a magazine stand. His work was so electrifying, so shocking, anyone who made the mistake of shooting his photographs the slightest glance, even as they would be hurriedly on their way to work, would be stunned into paralysis just to take in the vibrant colors, red lips, and squeezed breasts of his ‘supertoys’ or ‘supermodels’.
Shatabisha is a lover of exciting and attention-grabbing objects that rile up individuals, firstly because it itself requires much stimulation as it gets bored easily but also because, much like a scientist in a laboratory, introducing new substances into a petri dish of bacteria or placing strange objects into a rat cage, Shatabisha loves to observe how other individuals react to any given stimuli.
They are fascinated by what turns others on, what tempts them, what provokes them and generally like to treat the world like a sort of social experiment. The pleasure Gianni derived was observing how other people reacted to his wonderfully adorned objects, his models, his supermodels. The nakshatras influenced by Rahu, and the planet Rahu in general, are very voyeuristic — they get off from watching others get off. In the case of the legendary fashion designer, his preferred quote unquote “carrot on the stick” where these hyper sexual creatures carefully crafted for maximum impact, whom he then used to parade around the world.
This extended also to his fascination for celebrity. Your typical celebrity, especially in those very controlled times (the 80s and 90s, where they had not their own autonomous ability to engage with the public directly), was essentially a puppet, fashioned by the obscure ‘powers that be’ for various purposes, but the method employed was diversion, or distraction. Celebrities incessantly provide the collective with ever newer happenings from divorces to sex scandals to cheating allegations to offensive remarks to showcases of luxurious homes to expensive and unique fashions and generally enviable lifestyles, all of which keep the masses glued to their screens, ever susceptible to suggestion, even those that are the most subtle and subliminal.
Of course, when one is mindlessly scrolling through the never ending gallery of Instagram or using half of their consciousness to read random tweets, one is not fully engaged with the activity, since these do not alert the more critical thinking aspect of the mind, making it so that the individual is that much more effectively influenced into thinking in certain ways or buying certain items, generally, behaving in a manner they would not if they were more aware and more alert. Watching television is not like reading — tv, if you will, is a passive activity whereas reading is a more active one.
This even relates to the connection of Rahu, Saturn and Shatabisha itself to alcohol and to poisons. There is an interesting quality to alcohol, in fact, I would liken it to house music or music that is very heavy in beats. Both of these have a strange way of both numbing and stimulating an individual — one feels more awake and yet strangely put to sleep. One can technically dance all night and laugh and play and yet at times it feels as though the actual individual is not even there and there is someone else taking his place.
Both house music and alcohol have a way of sneaking up on an individual without his total awareness and then slowly putting certain aspects of his consciousness to bed while maintaining others animated and proceeding to control and manipulate their actions, causing a person to dance, sing, reveal themselves, almost as if the actual, shall we say, “spirit” of the drink where the one pulling the strings of the individual and slowly unravelling him from within. Even this ‘unravelling’ quality is interestingly connected to Shatabisha, the one who puts others under a spotlight to watch them come undone, all for voyeurism.
It is in this way that Rahu relates to control. It is a different brand of control than solar or Martian control, which is more direct, upfront and authoritative, this brand of control is hypnotic, and truly manipulative. Celebrities and celebrity culture also have this stimulating-numbing or stimulating-sedative effect on an individual. Exciting him with silly and random occurrences yet strangely putting to bed his more critical and logical side, slowly snaking its way through one’s subconscious and turning the individual into a useful idiot, a doll. Getting him to mindlessly puppet ideas that are not his own but that strangely feel like his own after having been ‘poisoned’ by the tv screen. Subconsciously dressing in ways he would have never thought to dress but now calling it his own unique and personal style without any knowledge of his influences. Angrily pushing for philosophies, he has never taken the time to truly break down and analyze — the common man, in this way is, again, poisoned or possessed, animated by a foreign influence.
These are all what fascinate Shatabisha natives — to learn more about this nakshatra, you can read my general description of it here. Indeed, there are many that wish to free the masses of these influences, but in truth, even these so-called activists are themselves taken by the idea of mass influence and control and ultimately come up with clever ways, whether consciously or subconsciously, of getting others to act as they see fit. This of course helps us understand the general fascination the planet Rahu has with the idea of celebrity, which extends to fashion, an industry in which it is very prominent.
“All the blood rushes from the brain and into the penis at the sight of a beautiful woman.”
This also helps us understand the fascination Mr. Versace has always had with sex, as sex is a powerful tool to quickly call attention to oneself, and much like house music, alcohol and poison, it works to both stimulate and sedate. When a man or woman looks upon a body red of flesh and buxom in form, his attention is dragged away from wherever else it was placed and focused almost totally on the lustful figure. Some people like to joke that “all the blood rushes from the brain and into the penis at the sight of a beautiful woman” not that this is in any technical way true of course, because biologically when horny the brain gets even more oxygenated blood, but the idea behind this joke is so very true.
A fourteen year old boy, let’s say, could be walking in a supermarket with the plan to buy groceries with a list given to him by his mother and then he makes the fatal mistake of walking passed the section of sports illustrated magazines — famous for their sizzling hot covers. He instantly regrets it and does his best to rid himself of this affliction, telling himself “No. I need to finish my task,” and even trying to appease his throbbing by telling himself “Ok. Ok. I’ll do it when I get home.” but it is too late. He has been ‘bitten’. He is still too young and too weak and without the tools and willpower to fight off this psychic attack so what does he do? He shoves the list into his pockets. He abandons his shopping cart and walks hurriedly but stealthily to the bathroom to relieve himself of this ‘poison’.
Gianni’s Shatabisha has this desire to “poison”, “lasso” and influence others without itself being perceived and so makes use of these heavenly objects: tight leather pants, flashy gold accessories, lavish apartments and of course sexy women to pull in energy.
“Armani dresses the wife. Versace dresses the mistress.”
He grew such a deep attachment to them, these supermodels, and the proximity was such that they were often even invited to his private homes, which in truth was a common practice among the crème de la crème of the industry during this time. This calls to mind Shatabisha’s own sexual nature. Of course, the idea of the harem as it relates to Shatabisha is commonly known — this desire to have multiple, varying and exotic options at their disposal. It can even be explained by their instinctual nature, his sexual animal, or yoni, being the horse. It can also be understood when considering the natural position of Aquarius in the 11th house of network circles.
Though, especially in his later years, he would enjoy solitary time and live as a recluse, he would sometimes frequent night clubs but not to dance, he would sit in shadow and watch. He would watch the “beautiful people” with their attitudes and fashions and study them for his own work. He himself never drank alcohol but watch others.
This point is so interesting because it calls to mind something Claire Nakti once said about rahu individuals. She said in one of her videos that usually, when rahuvian individuals develop an interest in social behavior, it is not an innocent interest but it is to serve a more mysterious goal — to increase their understanding of an aspect of reality into which they have no other access. Rahu is the outcast planet and finds its own very roundabout way to enter into spaces it has been strictly barred from, it gains its powers through unusual and complex methods snaking its way in in order to learn secrets.
It is interesting that, even backstage of his own photoshoots and runway shows which were notorious for their loud music, flowing champagne and pristine cocaine, he would be the only one sober. Everyone else, by the end of the day, would be goofy and flirty and giggly and silly, but he alone would be still.
As many of his former models and photographers recount those days, they would speak of themselves having fun and remember the faces of others too, but they would not too often mention what Gianni himself was doing. Though, knowing what we do about this asterism, it is possible that he derived much pleasure from simple observing them. This also ties into his reasons for moving to a place like Miami which was described as vulgar and ostentatious and even cheap.
One man in one of his documentaries even referred to Miami as “the Babylon of Hollywood”. Many of his friends were against this because they thought the idea too extravagant and sleazy even for him. They even expressed to him the danger of such a place, because there was a great degree of crime and drugs and prostitution, but he desired it because Miami was full of young people. Young people from whom to draw inspiration. Young people with whom to learn more about the world. Young people to keep his roaming mind occupied. But, even in this new kingdom, where all of his celebrity guests would stay up and party and do drugs all night long, he himself could stay up barely later than midnight.
“I would love to live in an airport to see what happens around me. Not in an ivory tower.”- Gianni Versace
An interesting quote by Gianni is the following:
“I think to be superficial, you have to be very profound”
The above quote is fascinating when one recalls the deity of this asterism, Varuna. Now, there is a, shall we say, superficial side to Varuna in that he pays a lot of attention to exteriors and is very wide in his scope, having his eyes as a main organ and ruling the skies. But, his rulership of the underworld suggests that he understands what lies beyond every gesture and every word spoken — this side of him also shows that along with his ability to be broad and wide and general, he can be narrow and specific. In a similar way an ordinary Shatabisha native may not know someone very well, his mannerisms, his intentions, but through watching this person behave, he derives from this a plethora of information: his personality, his background and his moral character. Varuna is also linked to Ṛta or cosmic order, the order of the nature of all things small or big.
Shatabisha nakshatra, much like Chitra nakshatra with its deity being the architect of reality and so the one who actually designs the orders and beings of our entire reality, is fascinated by what others call “superficial” and “empty” because it can sense a depth within it. A truth that only those with eyes that can see and ears that can hear are capable of perceiving.
Varuna is also lord of the cosmic pools from which consciousness emerges and so this again shows that Shatabisha natives, and by extension Rahu natives as even Claire Nakti has pointed out, have an intuitive understand of what sort of thoughts and actions are correlated to what sort of people.
Another interesting fact about the legendary Gianni Versace is, he bleached his sister hair, Donatella, when she was only 11. It is likely that at such a young age, she didn’t even ask for it. He used to play with Donatella and use her as his own doll, even, according to her, taking her out to nightclubs and other outings that are commonly thought as incredibly inappropriate for a girl of such an age. Donatella has joked that his own Mother called him ‘the devil’ for such behavior.
He was always fascinated by the taboo as even in youth, he would frequent whore houses and make friends with prostitutes, having been rejected by much of the more respected community in Calabria, his home town. This is where much of his inspiration comes from. The aesthetics of his days at Calabria, the classic art in his surroundings, and also the underbelly of this society. So, both the loftier aspects and the more carnal aspects of his society, much like Varuna was a god who lived in-between worlds, between heaven and the underworld, a fascination for both.
Something that would be interesting to touch upon is this, his love of the Medusa. There is a story that is told of him from a very young age, the age of 10. He had gone to the museum and saw there a figure that transfixed him. He paid little attention to the greater mass of stone, the large man holding the head, but he was absorbed by the severed head itself.
He saw the Medusa and was paralyzed in awe. It was a fascination, a love that he could not even explain and this sentiment would remain with him until his very death. How does one explain this? To begin with, it is clear that the Medusa was a naga, for she possessed all of the themes. She was serpentine. She could sting a man into total paralysis with a simple look. Some tales tell us that she and her sisters, collectively known as the Gorgons, lived in underground lands of great treasure. There are yet other tales of exile connected to the Medusa, having been mistreated by the gods and forced to reside in the underworld.
We, the more mystically inclined, do not believe that these are merely terrestrial myths, instead we believe that the essence of the nakshatras are by their nature celestial. There are actually gods and goddesses operating behind these stars and they simply make use of human avatars to express themselves. Gianni, even without any real knowledge of what this headless, serpent-haired creature even was, instantly connected to her at such a young age.
This was a pure and innocent relationship, uncorrupted by the psychological constraints and inhibitions and influences that plague an older age. As a young boy, he looked upon this image and he saw himself in it as if they both emerged from the same pool of consciousness. As if they had both been cradled by the same heavenly womb, because in a sense they do come from the same place.
One way to see how such an experience could have taken place in Gianni’s life is by observing his chart. He has both Jupiter and Venus in the 12th house. Of course, Jupiter relates to our personal guru, or teacher and he representing the grace of God, offers us systems and methods of getting in touch with the divine and even our own personal deities but Jupiter as an energy can be too abstract for your average person.
Then we have Venus, a more terrestrial energy that allows us to connect to anything through our senses both physical and psychic. Such a combination can make it so that an individual can intuitively recognize objects, places and energies that carry divine forces even without the ability to articulate why such is the case. Jupiter, being a planet that connects to the highest of realms, can do wonders in the 12th house because it is capable of extending well beyond the mundane and ordinary and then with the combination of Venus, it allows the individual to experience the extra ordinary through the senses.
This short video on his biography by Biographics, give more details about his first interactions with the Medusa.
It is curious to note that, if it is truly the case that at the age of 10 Gianni had such an experience, which would place the year of this occurrence at 1956, then he would have been well within his Jupiter mahadasha and Venus antardasha. And of course, a general prediction of any individual in such a period with such planets in conjunction in the 12th house would be, ‘The native will have a deep spiritual experience. The native will meet God.’ — or in this case, one’s own personal deity.
In effect, the Medusa and all she represented, was a personal idol, a personal deity to Gianni. She was not merely some ‘cool’ or ‘interesting’ figure that he randomly decided to put on his logo after 2 hours of sitting around in a coffee shop with his friends. The Medusa carried his essence and he acted almost like a worshipper of hers. The Medusa was not merely an emblem of his brand, where she was ubiquitous and covered every bag, scarf and panty. She was also carved into the bottom of his pool. She was on his towels. On his candles. She was an image he himself carried into his own life personally. She was his personal gateway into worlds that lie beyond the ordinary. Who knows how much Gianni himself realized this?
Of course, the Medusa and Rahu have many similarities, but an important one is this, the ability to stun an individual such that he loses all his other functions and remains transfixed, totally swallowed and totally veiled. The Medusa, of course, does this with her image, her face.
Any man that looks upon her face is frozen. He is trapped in this one moment and loses connection with any other moment. Rahu and its relation to the illusions, especially those of material reality, also freeze individuals. Rahu traps us into false realities such that we no longer have any awareness of anything that has occurred before.
We become separated from everything else and all our awareness is swallowed into whatever experience Rahu has thrown us into. Both Rahu and the Medusa separate us from other realities and focus our senses to wherever it is they decide to direct it. There is no escape from the Medusa’s stare and, as Rahu would desire it, there would be no escape from his either. This is the effect of poison, alcohol, house music, sex — all of these elements are invasive to the psyche, grip the individual and make it so that focusing on anything else is made more difficult — they attack the mind because they can be so stimulating and exciting. These substances swallow us into their own reality, hypnotizing us, trapping us within their circle, and such is the effect of Shatabisha’s poison.
There are those that say that one reason for Gianni’s choice of the Medusa as his symbol was, and I quote,
“because she made people fall in love with her and they had no way back. He hoped his company would have the same effect on people and on those who wore his clothes and shoes.”
Continuing on this point. Jupiter rules his 5th house of creations and 2nd house of outward expression and manifestation, so in his chart it rules creativity. Venus also rules our creations.
Again, the conjunction of both of these planets suggests that, through his works of art he can assist others as well in connecting to a sort of divine energy. His work can make others feel that, despite its garish exterior, there is something about his work that inspires devotion, a following, because people feel as though it is uncommon and connects to something much deeper. And, in effect, his creations allowed women to experience their more carnal side. Those who are worshippers of Versace are indeed worshippers of Medusa, and as devotees, their wish is to also have the ability to stun others into love and admiration, through digging deep into their more carnal and instinctual side, often represented by serpentine energy.
More points in his chart that can show an instinctual connection to celestial forces is this: Gianni has Ketu conjunct his ascendant, his sun and also conjunct mars — all of this suggests an ability to channel forces through himself.
Mars relates to energetic forces from the most subtle to the most manifest. Mars does not generate energy but it is through him that it flows. Mars becomes a “soldier” or “slave” to the most worthy energetic force and acts in perfect accordance to it. So, a conjunction between mars and ketu could suggest some ability in “giving in” or “being possessed” or “being animated” by powerful forces and doing their biding. To an extent, this may have been his relationship to the Medusa.
Ketu is also conjunct his sun. The Sun is our soul, our most subtle and intimate side. Sun is our heavenly identity and Ketu is our roots, so such a conjunction can make it so that the native separates himself from much of the external world and looks to base his identity on his ancestral line, his past, his history (whether the genealogy is biological or celestial). This again can explain why he connected to the Medusa so powerfully, because she, in a sense, is part of his genetic line/pool, both being Nagas.
And finally, all of this happens within the sign of Scorpio, and specifically in Anuradha nakshatra, both relating to slavery and total domination from foreign forces.
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