Astro Alchemy

My thoughts have been occupied lately by a very dear Libra man. His name is James Hubbell, and he turned 90 last October 23. Many San Diegans know him as the gifted artist-sculptor who created a wonderland of adobe dwellings inlaid with mosaic and stained glass in the peaceful mountains

When reasons to despair are everywhere, staying happy can be a challenge. Yet happiness is our natural state, and we feel best and do the most good when we stay tuned to that frequency as much as possible. Some people manage to be genuinely upbeat most of the time. Aries

In his book Man’s Search for Meaning, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl writes of an elderly man who came to him two years after the death of his wife. Dr. Frankl sat quietly as the widower poured out his still-fresh grief. When the man was done, Frankl asked him

Do you remember the Hopi Elders’ message that was circulating widely about 20 years ago? It read, in part: “There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore.

Animals fall in love just as deeply as we do, says Ellie Laks, founder of The Gentle Barn, an animal rescue organization in Santa Clarita, CA. Many loving couples have gotten together there over the years, she notes in a recent newsletter, including a goat and a turkey who cuddle

An idea is a living entity. It can change the trajectory of our lives and open up new possibilities. But exciting new ideas, as powerful as they are, tend to also create chaos and trigger pushback, as they challenge the status quo. It can take years for a new idea

We wouldn’t normally imagine beavers thriving in the scorching heat of Utah’s Moab Desert. Yet over the last three years, more than fifty of these intrepid creatures – all formerly slated for death as pests – have been relocated from populated urban areas to small, struggling waterways in the arid

At the New Year, we long for a fresh start and a clean slate. Yet all over the world, illness and restrictions continue. How are we to set our 2022 intentions and feel confident about meeting them, when things are still so unclear? There are several astrological factors at play

In a recent talk at Agape International Spiritual Center, Rev. Julie Moret spoke to the crazy times we live in. She gave tips on learning to roll with life and build up resilience, so you won’t be buffeted to and fro by all the fear-mongering and changeable circumstances. One simple

I just deleted my profile on an online matchmaking site. Ninety dollars down the drain! The endless parade of unappealing men and clever scammers was just too much for me. I realized I’d fallen prey to a “cat-fishing” scheme after communicating with one of these fakers for an entire week.

In his book Why the World Doesn’t End, Michael Meade shares the Apache tale of an ancient woman who lives in a cave, unaffected by the strife of daily life. She spends her time weaving the most beautiful cloak she can imagine. Occasionally, she interrupts her task to go stir

You’re swimming along the cold, dark bottom of a river, fingers probing the mud, when suddenly you feel something hard and metallic. After carefully prying it loose, you rise to the surface with the bronze head of an ancient Hindu god, liberated from his watery grave after twelve centuries! That’s

In the Greek myth of Eris, this warrior goddess was not invited to a wedding on Mt. Olympus, due to her reputation as a troublemaker. But she turned up anyway – bearing a golden apple inscribed, “To the Fairest One.” Hera, Athena and Aphrodite began quarreling about which one of them

In two talks last month on climate change, Pope Francis called on us to heed the cry of the earth and pledge meaningful sacrifices for the planet’s sake. “There must be harmony between men and women and the environment,” asserted the pontiff. “We are not enemies; we are not indifferent.

In the miserably hot summer of 1963, when I turned eight, my next-door-neighbor Virginia took care of me while Mom was in the hospital, battling cancer. I adored Virginia, and spent as much time at her house as my own, hanging out and helping her with chores. That year, transiting