​Words, words, words, as Henry Higgins said. We talk to hear ourselves most of the time. The tone, thoughts and vibrations are reassuring to our soul and psyche. It is also a part of conscious understanding to try and see the unconscious. As we observe an ache or pain, perhaps rub it a bit, we also observe our thoughts and emotions. To analyze this is a strong part of our purpose.

As we move towards the darkest day of the year, we notice shadows more. Is time speeding up? The earth may be spinning faster? As this is an asset in our competitive culture, at times we cannot hold the atoms together.

Perhaps the five planets in retrograde are a bit helpful, to aid us in having a second look.

Saturn and Neptune in Aries may have contradictory desires but it will be interesting and exciting. Pluto in Aquarius and Uranus in Gemini will complement the rapid changes and innovation booming.

There are many tricks and disciplines that observes this desire for peace and calm. It is the time it takes, that is frustrating. Do you remember “patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace etc…”? 

Remember, that which we worry about, usually disperses within a day or two. Sing a happy song, dance in a way to loosen up.

Fairytales remind us of the beautiful and ugly images our soul requires. The thoughts that have wings, are those that blend reason and fantasy. Mercury, who loves a medley of discordant and harmonious lyrics, combined with Neptune, the master of the sea. Neptune is ferocious in his movements. He also provides the melodic rhythm of illusion, giving way to inspiration.

What is the difference between inspire and illusion? Breath is the power to keep going. Spirare is the Latin for breath. Love can be an illusion. Belief in it, can be a disillusion also. The feeling you can make anything work is what love delivers. As sustaining the perception is tumultuous, it may also cause feelings of remorse, depression and anxiety.

Drama and comedy come from the Greeks. But, the Egyptians performed religious dramas and Abydos was their initial stage production of the play of Osiris and his brother Seth. Isis collected all but his manhood—probably an attempt at humor.

There is a certain grisly humor when Aeneas, Venus’ son and founder of Rome, conquers his lover Dido, through her passion for him. There is always a kind of crime of passion involved with desire.

Hephaestus, the husband of Venus was often in despair over her lover Ares. His fiery talent for creating great works of art in metal, was admired. His lameness caused by his Mother Hera was curse but also gift. To be incapacitated, one is also more focused, as awareness often comes from what is lacking.

​Eclipses come in pairs. The south node is where you’ve been in a previous existence. The north node is where you’re going. In Greek, eclipse means abandonment. We periodically need to lose the shining moments of the Sun and the Moon. To be aware of our journey in this lifetime, we need time to assess the nature of light and dark. We want to make decisions with immediate benefit, but our instincts sometimes like to play the trickster. Voicing very emotional feelings can be disturbing to others, the rub is if we don’t, we eat the emotions. They do come out in more undesirable plateaus. If you can find a person who has been through this, they may contain your outbursts with velvet ropes.

As we enter the fall season in the northern hemisphere, the chilly winds bring needed action. The repetition of cycles brings already experienced aspects of the human conditions. The basics, to be born, to produce, to die are all on a revolving scale to allow us to figure out why the repeating, happens. 

Puzzles are a stimulating way to focus our over active brains. Can you find a partner to enhance this for you? Playing cards, backgammon, chess are all ways to suspend time. Slow down, you move too fast, you gotta make the morning last. Paul Simon gave us an anthem ending with: "Life, I love you, all is groovy."

This feeling of suspension is providing lightness of spirit.

​Where do you find silliness and relief? Generally I love romance books, movies and music. Some folks relate well to sadness and adventure. Adrenalin is what makes us move, but can also force too much speed. This ongoing dilemma of serving reality but loving illusion.

The global frustration of being competitive and yet wanting to help those in need has gotten so intense. To make money, one needs tremendous focus that doesn’t always play well with others. And yet, we do want to be generous and sympathetic. The different belief systems regarding how to acquire and spend government money is as frustrating and confusing as competing religions. 

Why are comic heroes still so popular? Could it be their consistent, fighting for justice? Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash, all have exciting and astounding moments.

Then we have the vampire stories which begin with premise of the power of blood. The Holy Grail legends are recognizing the importance of our copper smelling fluid that keeps our heart beating. Copper is the metal of Venus, which is our belief in our selves. “I’m worth it”!

Why do we love happy endings? Probably because they don’t happen enough. If you can believe it will all turn out alright in the end, it will.

​Sepia has always been a favorite. In between light and dark and brings a bit of action with a tinge of red.

Our lives are predicated by polarities and oppositions. Is it a jester's joke? Merging into one is so seemingly fraught with tension and anxiety.

A pair always sounds special. Love interest, a fabulous pair of shoes. Luxury of two homes. Decisions abound of which course to take with any project. Health, what kind of help? The theories that abound with regular allopathic medicine or plant based functional medicine, often contradict.

It seems to me the most important kind of intelligence is of the emotional variety. The facts or rules that are agreed upon, work, part of the time. The cycles of the earth remind us that any set guidelines change with great speed when needed. Know that flexibility is the name of the game. The security we seek is, like our life span, ephemeral.

The god Pan would often require fear as he enjoyed the extreme emotional turmoil. Not unlike our entertainment stories; i.e., the news, the drama series, like NCIS, can make blood pressure rise. He was also the example for the court jester and closely related to Thoth, the god of wisdom, writing, knowledge and wisdom. Passing along information is tricky as it is often misinterpreted or even creates fear. Again we see the polarity of opposites.

With numerous planets in retrograde throughout the summer. The key word is patience. Try and ignore the need to speed.

School comes from Greek scole, literal meaning: leisure. Later it came to mean a place for learning.

What it is it to learn? Is it the process of going by rote? Memorize or syncopation, a  flattering  rhythm? Learning to be loved? Leisure vs duty? The Greeks natural way of living, learning, living is condensed into the word. 

Teachers, influencers, gurus, lawyers, religious leaders, political leaders, develop a way of persuasion, that is coming from a certain point of view. So often, it is the case of the myriad of different points of view that share a really extremely similar perception.

Which is preferable? Progressive or permissive? Educational or political? We seem to want a definitive answer.  

Information is ephemeral, as facts seem to evolve with different language and the emotional intelligence of the moment.

Divine truth is what we are searching for. We want to be inspired but do we truly want to embrace the illusion the information highway provides? 

“What do you most desire?” Says Lucifer in the tv series of his name. It is mostly directed at criminals, who then are seduced into telling him their crime. But, the dilemma often is, if you’re not a bad guy, how do know what you most desire? The necessity is to make money. Often, the wish is for intangibles, like happiness or peace. The unusual thing is, it is so fleeting, it is hard to hang on to.

If one is single, the hope of a partner is strong. Some believe it is impossible without knowledge and self-love. Couples stay together to try and get it right. Full consciousness can precipitate the blending of opposites. Our past experiences predicate habits, that need tweaking. Ironing is a skill that carries a meditative focus. As do our sensational reactions to another’s perhaps misguiding opinions. To observe as much as possible, our senses is key. To smell a certain perfume, or see a blossoming flower is focusing on merging our senses into contemplation.

The idea of the one is founded on letting go of polarities. As we most often try and save ourselves of being consumed by another’s pleasure and pain. The one has had the most appeal throughout history. We have one hero and one villain. But how do we perceive a one God? By concentrating on the One within.

To lighten the mood, it is important to develop our style and humor. My favorites are nursery rhymes and dancing to the rhythms. The lyrics to the melody “twinkle, twinkle little star” became “Ah Mamma, if I could tell you what causes my torment, father wants me to reason like a grown up, but I say that’s sweets are more than reason.” Baa baa black sheep and singing the alphabet are also set to the Star melody. Mozart enhanced it.

To embrace the oneness often requires the illogical.

Do you feel energized? The skies are embracing Aries. The exalted fire sign can make us think that anger is the predominant emotion. Look carefully as to why you may feel that way. We are still in the duality mode of preferring activity over acceptance. We hear a lot about the mind being the trickster. We all love those who make us laugh, after all it’s the best medicine. The rage in us is motivating and can emphasize the death and rebirth.

The difference in hearing makes the eyes more open. Musicals like The Sound of Music” give us delicious hope. The lyrics “climb every mountain” and “how to solve a problem like Maria” appreciate each of our part in the universal consciousness. The arts in all forms struggle to give us alternative ideas. Can we not polarize our fears? The bottom line is, we usually muddle through.

Eostre is one name for the celebration of spring, rebirth, and hope. The renewable, sustainable energy is grand. The egg and its oblong circular nature is the circle of life. The suffering we all fear can be short circuited with the focus of any moment. Sustain a tune or run that mile, it requires one focus. This is our goal and gift.

​Facts are elusive like truth. With the brain, heart and soul, the predominant factor is feeling and intuition.

We know planes, trains and world clocks have a consistent pattern, so we can coordinate. Time changes within our own country or traveling to a foreign one can slow our reactions. But our intentions mutate constantly. In traveling to another place, the scenery changes but do our interior monologues? The need to have different wallpaper is generally encouraging. The most important is to recognize the subtlety of complete observance. Breakfast in Paris is a different feel from breakfast in Mobile Alabama.

The complexity of reactions may confuse our inner being to decipher. The novelty is the appeal. How we perceive the five senses is essential. Trying to remember the taste, touch, smell, and sight of a different culture, can put us in the habit of being more centered at home.

The days when our focus is impaired, makes us long for speed, excitement and premonition. As many have brains with issues, dyslexia, or chemicals that color our mood, it is most confusing to communicate. We must; as the observance of ourselves through others, pushes us more towards living and growing and evolving.