Returning Families
"For it is not histories, but lives that I am writing; and in the most glorious deeds there is not always an indication of virtue or vice, indeed a small thing like a phrase or a jest often makes a greater revelation of a character than battles where thousands die..."
— Plutarch, Life of Alexander, 75 CE
The Gracchi and Kennedy families
The Gracchi family were important reformers in ancient Rome. Tiberius Gracchus was a tribune whose zealous concern for the welfare of the common people and his lobby against the undue power of the Senate and the aristocracy of Rome resulted in his assassination. Gaius, his younger brother and also a tribune, then sought to avenge the brutal murder. Tiberius had been clubbed to death by his fellow Senators. Gaius pursued his older brother’s democratic policies of reform; favouring the common people while curbing the power of the elite, but he too was murdered (involuntary suicide). Tiberius and Gaius reappeared as John and Robert Kennedy. The Gracchi brothers' great political opponent was the plebeian Pontifex Maximus (High Priest) of Rome, a wealthy aristocrat named Nasica. As one of the largest owners of public lands, he felt bitterly resentful at having to give them up under Tiberius’ agrarian law for the redistribution of land. Nasica eventually incited revolt and led a rabble of senators against Tiberius. The unruly mob clubbed and stoned Tiberius and his supporters to death, and then threw their bodies into the Tiber. It was a dishonourable death since none were killed by sword. They were also dishonoured in death as none could be buried. According to Plutarch, it was the first outbreak of civil strife in Rome.
Public outcry forced the Senate to take reconciliatory action and Nasica was threatened with impeachment. Instead, he discretely left Rome and wandered from place to place as a despised outcast until his death. Nasica reappeared as Richard Nixon. Once again we find the same actors re-enacting all too similar dramas.
The Severan and Bush families
After expanding the empire's frontiers to the east and south, Emperor Septimius Severus (145 – 211 CE) took his family with him on campaign westward, to Britain, hoping to keep his young boys out of trouble. Here Septimius fell ill and, according to legend, his dying words to his sons were: "Agree with each other, make the soldiers rich, and ignore everyone else." It was his last wish that they co-rule and continue his expansionist exploits. Caracalla and his brother then journeyed back to Rome with their father's ashes, arguing continuously until their already fragile relationship fell apart. Within a year Caracalla had Geta killed by his Praetorian Guard and, henceforth, reigned as sole-ruler of the empire. Caracalla indulged the army with generous pay rises, bonuses and benefits. He began to imitate their dress and adopt their manners while identifying himself with Alexander the Great. His confused soul believed itself to be the reincarnation of Alexander. After waging war against the Parthians for three years, Caracalla was killed by a disgruntled soldier while taking a pee somewhere along the road near modern Baghdad. According to El Ochre (30 July 2003), then President Bush (Caracalla) and Prime Minister Blair (Geta) took their War on Terror back to the same region. Their ill-conceived and deceitful invasion of Iraq is among the worst presidential 'lies' in America’s military history. Around this time El Ochre predicted: "They who were considered to have been co-emperors in succession to their father will be reconciled at the end of their contemporary coalition. The two leaders shall become friends." The prediction certainly proved true, While we can only speculate on this karmic turnabout, it seems their personal agendas serve the purpose of a larger complex of forces to be worked out on the world stage. No doubt the 'dynastic' name given to Caracalla — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — was coveted by his younger brother since he made sure to be called Antony this time around. Tony Blair was also the youngest prime minister of the United Kingdom in the 20th century.
Severus and the Brits
These three Conservative leaders were not only three consecutive Prime Ministers (2010 – 2022) but also the three Tories responsible for Brexit and its divisive vision (in-vs-out) for the future of the United Kingdom, including the problem of mobility and immigration. Their stance on migrants was a karmic irony since Macrinus had been a Berber from Mauretania (today Algeria) while Maesa and Elagabalus were Syrian Arabs from Emesa (modern Homs). The latter's reign was notorious for its cultural intervention, religious controversy and sexual debauchery, something that would recur during his modern premiership. ​ Alexander was from Arca in Phoenicia (now Akkar, Lebanon) and the last emperor from the old Severan dynasty. He succeeded the slain Elagabalus, also a teenage emperor, with the help of his grandmother Maesa and mother Mamaea. His reign was prosperous but problematic — notably invading armies, mutineering soldiers — ending abruptly when he and his mother were slain by their troops. The soldiers were angered by his lack of fighting spirit and his willingness to negotiate with the enemy. In his current life the anti-war theme would recur through political activism and his support for anti-fascist, anti-apartheid and anti-nuclear movements, plus a bold stance on a united Ireland and Palestinian statehood. The above examples show how karma has a way of turning events around to maintain a balance in the world. (El Ochre, 20 January 2024) As Plutarch points out, small things often reveal more than great deeds. When it comes to Severus Alexander, this detail stands out, albeit based on hearsay: "He was extremely tolerant of Jews and Christians alike. He continued all privileges towards Jews during his reign. The Historia Augusta, a source considered to be generally unreliable, relates that Alexander placed images of Abraham and Jesus in his oratory, along with other Roman deities and classical figures such as deified emperors, Orpheus and Apollonius of Tyana, and prayed there every morning." — Wikipedia Severus Alexander was replaced by his army commander, Maximinus Thrax ('the Thracian'), about whom we have more to share under Roman America. Alexander is said to have returned as William McKinley and Maximinus as Teddy Roosevelt. (El Ochre, 4 August 2024)
Macrinus came from a Berber family in Mauretania (now Algeria) and was made Praetorian Prefect by Caracalla, against whom he later conspired and had killed. With help from the soldiers he became Emperor and adopted the name Severus to honour the dynasty while adding legitimacy to his reign. Macrinus was the first emperor not to hail from the senatorial class and the first to not visit Rome during his reign. He was deposed the following year by Caracalla's aunt, Julia Maesa, who led a rebellion to have her own grandson Elagabalus recognised as the rightful dynastic successor. Elagabalus would rule until he, in turn, was killed by the Praetorians... as was his grandmother.
