Astro Alchemy

We are living through extremely chaotic times. As Thomas Paine said just prior to the American Revolution – another very volatile period – “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Yet great challenges can open the door to positive change, if only we can summon the courage to do

I’d paddled out far into the tranquil bay on that warm summer afternoon. Close enough that my parents could still see me, but far enough away that I was blissfully alone. With an inflatable device around my waist keeping me afloat, I surrendered to the salty green water. Seagulls were

It was July 21, 1944, a blustery day at Mitchell Field, Long Island. As gale-force winds buffeted the plane he was in, Dad’s heart raced. He knew it was not safe to jump. But his commanding officer was determined to impress a visiting general. So the signal was given. The

Just before his death on July 17, Rep. John Lewis insisted on visiting Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC. “I just had to see and feel it for myself that, after many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on,” said the civil rights leader and congressman

What would you do if someone you trusted implicitly, who’d been your angel for many years, suddenly became your devil? That’s what astrologer and TV personality Walter Mercado had to deal with, when his long-time manager stole his name, likeness and ability to earn a living – sparking a six

What does it mean to be a patriot? The term commonly signifies a person who loves his or her country enough to support and defend it. We tend to think of the American colonists who, in 1773, dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston harbor, precipitating the bloody American Revolution

Kimberly Baskett Gunter was terrified. It was the third time her two-month-old daughter had nearly choked to death, yet doctors still couldn’t find anything wrong with her. This time, the new mother demanded to see every specialist in the hospital. And a surgeon discovered that the baby had a serious

Rioting in the streets. Cop cars torched. Protests in at least 140 cities. After the horrifying May 25 killing of George Floyd by police, frustrations already stretched to the breaking point during Covid-19 lock-downs could no longer be contained. And around the world, people are standing in solidarity with those

Lately we seem to be living in a parallel universe. Fact or fiction?  Wisdom or delusion? When reality is as distorted as a fun-house mirror and people are at each other’s throats, it’s hard to say for sure. As the specter of death and financial ruin continue to loom, do

What do you do when you’re at your wits’ end? You step outside and howl. You howl for a front-line worker who died in a car wreck on her way to work. For your dog that’s about to be put down. For your wedding that had to be cancelled. For

“The times are urgent. We must slow down.”  –African proverb. Watercolor by Isobel Lillian Gloag What are you doing these days to stay relaxed and connected? Lately I’ve been taking afternoon siestas in the garden (when it’s not raining), where I created a sitting area. Stretching out my bare legs

This time of worldwide illness and quarantine is frustrating beyond belief. But it has also proved to be an incubator for creative collaborations – from teenagers shopping for elderly neighbors to people rescuing foster pets at drive-through shelters. And, things can happen quickly when motivation is keen. For instance, manufacturing

In the midst of a pandemic, as we scramble to shore up our financial resources, comes a timely blessing and opportunity. Tomorrow, March 27th we have Venus, powerful in her own sign of Taurus along with the Moon, exalted in Taurus, on a Friday, the day that’s sacred to Venus,

A new season is upon us and all of nature is coming back to life. The March 19 Equinox marks a fresh start. Yet here we are in the midst of a pandemic, trapped in our homes, insecure about our physical and financial well-being.  It’s a strange state of affairs,

Sometimes it’s hard to know which end is up. We’re living in a time of hype and fear-mongering, especially over the last few weeks with Mercury retrograde in fuzzy-headed Pisces (it has now backtracked briefly into Aquarius, where it turns direct on March 9). The latest virus scare is a