The Four Philosophers

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I have also set a membership there (that’s the equivalent of the paid tiers in Patreon); it’s currently empty, but I plan to post things there, some of them exclusive. I’ll tell you when I do.

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This is “The Four Philosophers”, by Rubens.

Left to right, the people in this picture are Rubens himself, his older brother Philip Rubens, Justus Lipsus, and Joannes Woverius.

Whenever there are four of something, my astrosense starts tingling.

And the four of them are depicted in curious ways, which seem to indicate that we’re dealing indeed with the four elements here.

Note: I said four elements, not temperaments. I have no idea if they had these temperaments in real life; all I am saying is that these four images of people seem to have painted each of them according to one element.

First, there is a clear difference here: two of them are higher, two of them are lower, The highest two are also the more colorful ones, while the lower are paler. That made me think both of them are hot, and the other pair, cold.

The highest one is also the one with the brighter hair (and there is a striking similarity between him, Rubens, and Woverius, the lowest one at the right, to which I’ll come back later).

He’s the only one who looks at us. Yes, he might to that because he’s the one who painted the picture, but it also feels like he’s the one inviting us to action, to do something.

Look at his hand, on his waist, and his arm, pointing the elbow towards us: he’s not holding anything, not even remotely connected with books or any stuff on the table, he’s ready for action.

Each of them has a different background, and the curtain behind Ruben is bright red; it does look like a flame. He’s the higher head, and fire is also the lightest of the elements.

There is also an obvious division in the picture. The scene outside the room split them in two pairs, the brothers to the left and the friends to the right.

Next to Rubens, his brother is pale, lower, and looking away, interested in something else. He has a pen, but it’s not for writing things that belong to that philosophy desk with these philosophy books. His hair is curly, but darker, his skin is paler, he’s almost as low as Woverius, but a bit higher.

Above his head, there’s a pink curtain with what seems ivy or flowers, which seem to be going down, not up. His ruff (contrast it with the ones from the other pair, and notice that his brother doesn’t have one) looks like waves.

He looks moist: this is water.

Well, if these are fire and water, we have air and earth to the right.

Lipsus is tanned; his clothes suggest heat (he is, after all, the only one with leopard fur), his ruff is also wavy, but points upwards; he’s the second highest head. Behind him, there’s a column with flowers painted on it. But, while this may also imply moisture, his flowers, as opposed to Philip Rubens’s, rise. If this is not enough, the reflection on the column points upwards.

And he is, of course, the only one really concerned with what the books actually say — he’s holding one, pointing at some sentence, his other hand facing the sky.

He’s also the only one who looks to something, or someone, at his same level. The brothers look down, Woverius looks up. As if he was gazing fellow men. Air.

The last one should be earth, then. But not just because he’s the only one left.

Woverius is the lowest; he is also the palest, and paleness is cold. You could say paleness is watery, but not here, with such sharp features — his face, hair and beard resembles Rubens; it’s a cold version of him.

He’s also holding a book, but look at his hands; he’s not explaining anything, he’s grabbing it with both of them. His ruff points downwards, but it’s not convoluted (not “wavy”). Earth is the heaviest element. And, of course, behind him we have Seneca’s marble bust and the wall. There’s a brown dog on his legs, too, if you’re still not convinced.

There’s more.

Woverius’s head is right below the frame for the bust — he’s its base. Seneca, while above them, looks upwards, as if he was lower.

The symbol on the tablecloth, on the right part of the image (that is, “pertaining” to the right pais) has one arrow down, pointing to the ground, and the opposing arrow pointing… to Lipsius.

There is another one, less visible, in front of Rubens, which does the same thing: one arrow down, one towards him. Inclined this time, because this is the motion (fire and water) part of the picture.

The feathers — from birds, beasts of the air — are also visually on his part of the table (although closer to Woverius).

There’s a second picture of the elements in the vase, between Woverius and Lipsius. Four flowers, two opened and higher, two closed and lower.

It is, of course, right above Lipsius’s head, evoking the water that flows from head height in the image of Aquarius, the water bearer — Aquarius is an air sign, that “water” comes from the head.

The other moist thing: the ink well. This is water-water; it is the moist stuff that conforms to our thoughts. It is right in front of Philip, next to his other hand.

Below Ruben’s curtain, the colours suggest smoke, right where fire and water touch. No such thing between Lipsius and Woverius, Lipsius’s hand and clothes just appear above Woverius’s darkness.

This picture is gorgeous — and I’m just talking about a lateral aspect of it.

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Back to horse races. I won the last one.

Histoire du Lupin got me 3.5 LILLYCOIN, which will be invested again (and I still have 47 more to play).

Let’s go, then.

I’m using the race at Colonial Downs racecourse, (August the 14th, 2025, 13:28 local time, 14:28 in my time — happens in twenty minutes).

This is the chart.

Mars is hit by the fifth cusp by antiscion.

These are the horses:

Three marsy mares: Black Rose (Mars in Libra opposing and in the exaltation of Saturn), Arete (the Goddess of Excellence and Virtue), and Courageous Diane.

I’m going with the favorite, because “Black” hit more of the symbols, because it’s the favorite (Diane is the last one), and because I don’t have time to search all weird aspects and check if there is any asteroid by the name of Diana or Diane or similar, and where it is. I’ll do it if I get it wrong.

So, 3.5 LILLYCOIN on Black Rose to win.

See you soon!