My mother, a steadfast Taurus, used to say that the hard times in life make us appreciate the good ones. A sensible view—but with my Moon/Pluto temperament, I’ve always felt the opposite: that painful experiences can linger in the shadows and make us cautious, even when life is good again. It’s the old story of the Garden. We begin in Eden—innocent, open, unguarded. Then … [Read more...]
My husband recently decided to make a significant change to his diet. Since we eat most of our dinners together, I figured I would jump aboard and try it myself. It was a pretty big change for me, though, and during the day I hewed to my usual habits, which included a regrettable volume of Cheez-its crackers. Still, within a couple months my clothes were fitting looser, so I … [Read more...]
Like a lot of driven types, I move through the world a bit roughly. Whether along my career path or on a trip to the supermarket, I focus on the destination and pay scant attention to the journey itself. Down to the smallest gestures, my approach is instinctively direct and graceless. I’m hard on the physical world, breaking, tearing, staining, or chipping nearly everything I … [Read more...]
One recent morning, when I was on deadline and stressed out, an email landed in my inbox that made me angry. Angry, in fact, to a degree far out of proportion to the offense. Mars, the warrior planet, is strong in my birth chart, and I've always had a temper. But as a woman in her sixth decade of life, a professional, a mentor, and a counselor, I was unnerved that such a … [Read more...]
Virgo’s gift is for the work of the everyday – work that is never-ending, self-perpetuating, like washing the dishes or trying to keep your closet organized. Work that will never, ever be finished, because it’s the work of supporting and sustaining… what, exactly? That's a tricky question for our Virgo natures to grapple with. Virgo is a foot soldier, and remaining … [Read more...]
