​Magic is about light. The word comes from the Persian Magi. The Magi followed the star. Or followed the light. We seem to endlessly die to be reborn. The death can be quite and gentle but often needs to shake us up. The energy of anger is not helpful but can be useful.

Eclipses bring up the idea of looking at past events. Where were you 19 years ago when there were similarities to what is happening now in your life lessons.

“May” is a gentle way to request something. Is this true of the month of May? This month is about a renewal of sorts. You must choose it, or it will pass you by. The sign Taurus appreciates the tangible. It seems these days there is a taboo on this idea. Physical connections are being trampled on. It is easier to join zoom. But, as entities that are 90% water, how can we not merge with each other?

Back to magic, we all would love to have more bewitching moments. Science fiction produces the possibilities of bewitching. It is truly our imaginations that need ongoing healing.
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We are so busy being mad at someone’s loud opinions that we lose sight of our own power to create a world inside of endless “Maypoles”. Moods are watery in our natures. The liquid that produces ego driven antics and the liquid that soothes like a bubble bath. The energy it takes to engage in physical meetings is fraught with rules. We may be tearing down old heroes and statues but will the replacements be so very different? We used to say Romance is on the run, but when it is strictly virtual, can it run? We developed parameters of the nature of beauty and now it is a satirical premise.

The refrain today is to rethink fairy tales. Sweeney Todd couldn’t refrain from slitting throats. Rumpelstiltskin wasn’t so bad, he did love what he couldn’t have. The green witch in Wizard of Oz was encouraged to hate her sister. It is hard to dream up new folklore or enchanting stories. Jung and Marie Louise von Franz believed the self could be found in the soul which is mostly the theme of the fairy tale. Most folks find solace in the realm of storytelling.

The word change is so prevalent now.

The Celts May have initiated the word around the need for trade. The Latin cambiare refers to the barter system.

We are indeed in a state of innovation and variation to evolve.

Unity beyond polarity is, I believe the ultimate goal.

It could be that war and the news, increases our empathy for those we don’t know. It could also be that deciphering our inner dark doubts is replaced by attempting to rationalize the process of the collective. The old saying “charity begins at home” is not enough when the change and chaos within each of us would rather contemplate the horrors of the extended world dilemma.

After a fearful experience we tend to want to be extreme in our process to remedy it. The endless amount of information we intake from the ethers is distracting but as a reminder, perhaps quite soothing.

How much can human nature actually change? We extend boundaries and suffer with the enormity of the dilemma of others.
Questions about race, sex and morality can expose rigidity but can they accept the myriad of many conflicting truths?

Perhaps things, objects, cars, houses and hotels can broaden the imagination, but the chemistry and psyche inherent in us may not always be so accepting. If you can have anything you want, you might find it less desirable.

The race to find total equilibrium is like the carrot on the stick to the donkey.

Most of us experience failure that comes from over stimulation. If we take a step back and recreate a passion that is idealistically suited to our firm faith in the divine, we can reinvent anything.

Urania and her grandfather Uranus were the heavenly ones who represented the stars.

As one of the Muses, Urania inspires us to dream. Uranus is more electric and eclectic, the blue light that is constantly in our lives is the color of the planet. We could say the universal changes we experience come often through the erratic enlightenment of this deity.

In Fantaisie-Impromtu Chopin wrote what became “I’m always chasing rainbows”. The theme of it, is an absence of hope with a beautiful poignant melody. As in many myths and fairytales, the point is really, to never give up. Seeing the emotional despair gives birth to new beginnings. The lyrics were written by Joseph McCarthy, in 1917-18. Is it not amazing that it was first performed at the end of WWI and reintroduced at the end of WWII?

The reorganization of a way of thinking is definitely a conundrum. A big motivating factor is distortion and emotions. The philosophy of today is seemingly about throwing the baby out with the bath water. Perhaps large portions of societies have been contributing to judgmental thoughts and attitudes. There are also many who hope to be allowed a simple lack of drama. In learning and reading, all sides must be examined. Different cultures and their customs are hard to integrate if you haven’t been an integral part of them. 

In storytelling, the hero’s quest is the need to merge with a primordial truth.

In most mammals the ears are the first alert. We sense our emotions through the tone of voice. Depending on projection and rhythm, the drum beat often matches the heart. With age we need to fight to keep hearing as it keeps awareness active. 

This Pisces season, think about love coming in all forms. Connecting to what is old and familiar can feel new and expansive. 

​My good friend Leonard asked me how do I respond to criticism of astrology. My predominant memory is Carl Sagan, the scientist’s, remarks. He described it as hogwash. My belief is the science he describes of the stars and planets is hypothetical. He never went to Pluto, to know how it would demonstrate the concepts of the intuitive imagination, and influence our life experiences. Science is theory until it is disproven.

As a Scorpio, with Taurus rising he has some of the fixed ideas that is reminiscent of Freud. Freud was Taurus with Scorpio rising. Does it all come down to sex and money? Scorpio digs deep. Taurus enjoys and respects the sensual. As humans we need our physical body to point out our strengths and weaknesses. But our ephemeral attraction to the intangible can be displayed in our belief systems and the irrational illogical non-scientific nature of exploring the ether. Me thinks, he does protest too much.

This is an appropriate musing for the planetary experience that happens next week on February 22, 2022. It is the Pluto return of the United States. Read any mention of this and it describes the death and rebirth cycle. Also light and dark. Persephone brought Pluto light. It is a collective and not a personal understanding. North Americans are reevaluating their belief system.

Money is ruled by the planet Venus. She in turn is compelled to examine self-worth. The nature of money is changing. How you acquire money often influences how you take care of what you get. If your gift is making it, usually the spending is more accentuated. If you receive it, you either squander it or try to hang on to it. All of these possibilities are connected to your understanding of self-worth. Pluto rules extreme wealth. He also rules sex, and we know how that is playing out.

​Repetition is the name of the game. Think of the involuntary muscles that repeat without thought or emotion. Breathing, eating, eliminating, the heartbeat. If we could remember these inevitable truths, many disturbing ideas become tame.

When we perceive our abilities to ponder or act on most anything with love, the invariable light heart ness of being, grows. Why is polarizing such a habit? Experience teaches us many variables. The trick is to allow the possibilities of different consequences. Loved not wisely, but too well, is Othello’s remark on the betrayal of Iago. 

Memories remain that can entertain by remembering the best outcomes. Let the calamities be forgotten. Remind yourself like Shakespeare or Donna Reed said, “the best is yet to come.” The 1950’s were a time of apple pie, nurturing and swaddling. Mainly as an anecdote to the horrors of WWII. We do that because the human condition is filled with believing in, the best we can be. 

The drama of the last few years will get resolved. The overburdened information highway will take a nap. The sum of the word “happy” is “3”, which is the child. To have fun, play and be silly are the most precious moments in life. 

To enjoy your own style, taste and kindness is the supreme veracity. See happiness in the chemistry and rhythm of your nature.

Stay with these ideas as the challenges do take over. I mainly write to remind myself, but hopeful it pleases.

​As we head towards the winter solstice, the darkest days are with us. Hope brings the light back. Feel from the center connection to the earth, the support you are being given. Structure is needed to contain our decisions. The ultimate freedom is to have free choice, but also to let it go.

Writing is about perceiving our inner realities. If we can convince ourselves of the purpose of exposing ourselves to being alive. Describing the need of nothingness and security, is trusting the human experience. 

Is there a connection between dharma and drama? Studying the characteristics of an individual is to observe patience, forgiveness, self-control, reason and knowledge. A play is inspired by these observations too. The human heart with all its intangibility is hopefully where we reside, once we can “be” without turmoil.  

How to explain objects? Perhaps we collect them to remind us of our connection to memories? Is observing lineage any different? As we love “facts” we also love “fantasy”. Hence the many many forms of Emotions and the desire to ground them. Contemplating water is a useful goal. It surrounds us, it supports us, it shakes us up and is the idea of us all being connected.

Am very hopeful this winter solstice will mediate and ameliorate the oversized polarization, we are all experiencing.

The wheel of fortune has many interpretations. Keep the center axle close to your heart.

As we head towards the darkest day of the year, we immerse ourselves in examining the ephemeral. The imagination is heightened to encompass the outrageous and enlightening. The holy days are all around us and we need to slow down to observe them.
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Movement is always attractive as we can let the body take over the rhythms we need to individuate. Matching another’s rhythm is a tantric exercise. Integrating to become one, is a huge part of our human longing.

Comic book characters and science fiction are our new heroes. As early traditions had animal symbols and miracles, reality has always needed the counter balance of fantasy. Do you enjoy romance novels and or sports? Things that help the mind step outside itself, without consuming something. Puzzles or gin rummy are good. Competition can be ok if you allow your partner the awareness to perceive your need to win.

Peacocks, lollipops, and rattles encourage succumbing to silliness and tranquility. Let the gifts of generosity and understanding be prevalent. Remind yourself as you do others. When the dark fairy arrives, let her have her rant and rave. Let go of cause and effect. Merging is the operative word. Music is a necessity.

The dramatic changes happening everywhere will play themselves out. The end of the rainbow, or light at the end of the tunnel always appear when we are not looking. Practice seeing the bouncing lights of fairies and alternative reality. Why not?

To explore further, check out these interesting links:
The History of Cinderella
and
Sleeping Beauty and the Fates of Mythology

Row row row
Your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily merrily merrily merrily 
Life is but a dream.

Seemingly one of Ram Dass’ meditations. The language we are taught by our Mothers is the prevailing one.

As we head into the hibernation time of the year, we contemplate emotions and our senses to feather our dreams of new growth.

Hecate, the Goddess of boundaries was able to pass thru them. Magic and the underworld were her domaine. Borders, gates, doorways, the passages from one reality into another, were ideas she had the keys to. She also carried the lights. Perhaps like the Puritans she cultivated a dark prescience to give a greater appreciation to the light. In aiding Demeter in her search for Persephone, she displayed a compassion. Rather like the new version of the wicked witch in Oz, she is a combination of what came before her. Shakespeare and others described the terrifying aspects, but she also came into situations with kindness. In Greece, Anatolia, (Turkey), and Egypt she was revered. In manifesting the three sides of herself, she kept vigil as protection to the hearth and home. The mistress of the “in between” she recognized the illusion and reality of the poison that cures.

How do we make choices? Solitude and contemplation are necessary, but also discussion and observing the reactions of others. The in person connection cannot be dismissed. The five senses, including smell, touch and perhaps intuition come in the physical presence. The world of air and the internet cannot provide the instinctual chemistry of our mundane bodies. With Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius we just might see how to be like Hecate and exist in the in-between. Acceptance of a virtual world may be necessary but we cannot spare the connection to the other elements, earth, water, fire and ether.

As a Cancer, July 4, country, our deepest desire is security. The mother, the womb, the feeding of the world. And the meddling in world affairs. The essence of motherhood is to protect. As this is where our greatest wounds are as well, we often want to find solutions to incomprehensible disasters. But accidents and chaos are not linear and liminal spaces are disorienting. Feeling disoriented is one of our greatest fears. The facts and discussions of opposing forces are broader than ever. Try to remember we will change and mutate again as the Sun comes up.

​Isn’t it funny how things speed up in September? “La Rentrée”. The cycle of the earth is slowing down and we have to be busy to get reborn for the winter. All of our collective history has been about hibernating. Yes, we must collect supplies for our inactivity. But, the contemplation of our lives does not just come when we have aged. If we do it right, it is a muscle that we learn to use so that when we can’t move around as much, we use our time as well spent. The gossips or godmothers told wonderful stories reflecting the consistent sequences of time we live through.

Time is ruled by Saturn. The old man with the synth who ushers in the newborn, is his image. Hermès Trismegistus, another character that has Saturnine qualities wrote on the Emerald Tablet, The 7 truths, about accepting dualities. The principles of Mentalism, correspondence vibration, polarity, rhythm, cause and effect, gender are the contemplative ideas that hopefully grow and transform with age. It is often about the emotions that are difficult to perceive in the unconscious. Also the nervous system does transform into a slightly less peaceful place, with time. The accumulation of observing our feelings and thought processes can mutate into a love of ourselves. Most often we have trouble believing. I write to explore and express so I may be more patient with myself.

Aging requires more patience with our selves. When we get there, we are confounded as to how it happened. What is truly important is hopefully less emotionally charged. Saturn gives the gift of necessity. It personifies the cause and effect principle. Saturn is about seeing the childhood as formative, but not without recognizing the dilemmas of any trauma. Thankfully we may not have too many details of what it means to be a grown up, Peter Pan was a little bit right.

The most important feeling and thought we need is hope. In the need to save Venice we are also believing in the Renaissance. In the Middle Ages, there was a devastating plague. What came next was a rebirth of sorts. The discovery of concrete was one of many new projects. The embracing of perspective in art, observation and reasoning became a unique part of education.

Money and art started walking hand in hand. The beginnings of Protestantism are seen threw the humanist philosophy. The moralism of extremism is seen through the need to present a different kind of hierarchy. The complexity of a blend of science, art, logic and graciousness cannot expect perfection in the human condition.

A classical definition of a pure Democracy says there is almost limitless power over minorities, through the voting process. A Republic prohibits government from limiting or taking away inalienable rights. Of course, interpretation is provocative.

The Black Death increased the focus on the living and religion morphed. The common man’s life was enhanced by the monumental decrease in population. King Matthias Corvinas of Buda in Hungary, made his country, the second to embrace the ideas of humanism and the Renaissance in 1476 after his marriage to Beatrice of Naples.

​There are those who say the Renaissance was of a romantic perspective that drew a veil over reality at the same time it enhanced realism of perspective. Marxists comment that it only chose capitalism over feudalism. The Dutchman Erasmus encouraged all to think for themselves, perhaps the greatest gift of all.

But not necessarily in today’s world of instant communication.