Feb 5, 2010

The Yellow Rose Again



Sync Along With Mitch


The Yellow Rose of Texas, Mitch Miller with his Orchestra and Chorus - 1955.

This march is a Texas standard, probably the one song guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye of every red-blooded Texan. It memorialized the state’s founding myth, which according to this Youtube comment was enabled by a certain incident:
 “Little known fact: The Yellow Rose of Texas was a mullet woman, a high yeller in the raciest language of the day, who, in service to the Texas Republic, volunteered to entertain the lecherous Mexican President Santa Anna as Sam Houston’s troops closed in on San Jacinto. The General was literally caught with his pants down.” --caitlan97



Another “virtuous whore” story! I’ve looked at the archetype of the “virtuous whore” before, mostly through the Mary Magdalene mythos, but also through a very old “founding myth” - the Battle of Jericho.

Little known fact: Rahab of Jericho was a prostitute who, in service to the invading Israelites, hid Joshua and his spies in her brothel, allowing the Israelites to scheme undetected, and finally take down the walls. Jericho was a city on edge with fear of invasion by the Israelites, an army that no city-state could defeat because the LORD had blessed them. Rahab had seen the writing on the wall, and decided to aid the invaders, in exchange for leniency. She made Joshua’s spies promise to save her and her family from the coming slaughter, and the Israelites kept their word: Rahab and her kin were the only survivors of the Battle of Jericho.

Was the town of San Jacinto playing the role of "Jericho", with Sam Houston starring as “Joshua” and the Yellow Rose as "Rahab"? A fun question, especially considering the synchs surrounding Texas, the bible belt, Orion and the red star, oil reserves, deserts, and the “killing of the king” ritual from Dallas - 1963.

Who IS this glorified whore? To answer that, I first need to know who is Joshua, and what is Jericho/Jacinto, or for that matter, Jerusalem, AKA the Promised Land?

The Battle of Jericho is yet ANOTHER mythic version of the epic battle between left and right brains - Ego vs. Id. Jericho represents the citadel or ”tower“ of ego-centric awareness, and Joshua is the commander of the invading forces of Id. ”The Promised Land“ is Jericho (ego) under the banner of Id Consciousness - same city-state, but flying a different flag.

Id can only rule when it has torn down every wall and destroyed every enemy - every illusion that ego sits in the center of the Universe. Thus, Joshua/Jesus (same name actually: Yeshua) are always perceived as war-like invaders from the Id by ego. Jericho isn’t so much destroyed as transformed, a transformation brought about by a shift in consciousness - a change of view from egoic to cosmic.

Now, consider the Yellow Rose: she is a secret servant of the Id, something buried within our own egoic consciousness, like a spy in hostile territory. She collaborates, with Id, hides Him, even makes a DEAL with Him!

Could this ”whore“ be our own holy, horny, sexual nature? The ”thorn“ in our side, the ”scarlet letter“, the subconscious drive that overcomes all walls of propriety and ego-imposed morality codes? Is it not my own sexual NATURE that has defined me, and caused me to be defined? I’m a faggot. A burning bush, and sometimes even a flame thrower. I’m the rainbow flag that flutters in the wicked heart of Jericho. I’m a spy, a secret agent of the Id! I’m a yeller rose - a ”halfbreed“. It almost makes me a citizen of another country, as if I were merely traveling through this land of Nod, east of Eden.

Homosexuality is just one side of this amazing subconscious Being, but I hope, if the myths are true, then it is a side of particular affection. Not because our love is any better than any other, but because of what we have endured, just to express it. Id likes being expressed, which sorta makes us a First Press - Extra Virgin.


You may talk about your Clementine and sing of Rosa Lee, but the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me!


NOTES:

Yellow, besides being a solar color, is associated with cowardice. The ego, being eternally on the edge of death, is truly a coward. The ”sell-out“ of the Yellow Rose to the Id would almost appear virtuous once the odds of egoic success were actually laid out.

The Cowardly Lion - my favorite Wizard of Oz character - and as gay it gets.

Jacinto is Spanish for hyacinth. Hyacinths are sometimes associated with rebirth. The Hyacinth flower is used in the Haftseen table setting for the Persian New Year celebration Norouz held during the Spring Equinox.

Hyacinth was a beautiful youth loved by both the god Apollo and the West Wind, Zephyr. Apollo and Hyacinth took turns at throwing the discus. Hyacinth ran to catch it to impress Apollo, but was struck by the discus as it fell to the ground, and died.[2] A twist in the tale makes the wind god Zephyrus responsible for the death of Hyacinth.[3] The youth's beauty caused a feud between Zephyrus and Apollo. Jealous that Hyacinth preferred the radiant archery god Apollo, Zephyrus blew Apollo's discus off course, so as to injure and kill Hyacinth. Apollo did not allow Hades to claim Hyacinth. Instead, Apollo made a flower, the hyacinth, from Hyacinth's spilled blood.

The San Jacinto Monument. Look familiar?




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, that one had a little bit of everything in it!

The story of Rahab was always one of my favorites from Sunday School. Maybe I was just hoping for 2 strangers to steal into my house, tell me of their secret, manly plans and then promise to save me from impending destruction. I'm easy that way...

Michael said...

Ha! an ego-death moment for sure. Thanks for commenting, I sometimes get carried away with the metaphors...

The Secret Sun said...

How many turning points in history have been decided by ladies of ill repute? Maybe the saying should b amended- Behind every great man is a great whore.

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