Aries New Moon: The Law of Diminishing Returns

Over coffee, I asked Jonny his plans for the day. He detailed a quest for some particular hot peppers he needed for a new chili powder recipe, followed by warfare with the gophers that have taken over our back yard. Hot peppers and war? I’m just writing about Aries today; he’s living it. I have to marvel at these gophers. The soil in our area is expansive clay, and it’s … [Read more...]

Virgo Full Moon: To Serve Man

A classic Twilight Zone episode tells the story of seemingly benign aliens who have come to earth and pledged their help to mankind. Indeed, one of their seminal texts is entitled "To Serve Man." Imagine the dismayed surprise of the humanoids who, having clasped these aliens to their bosoms, belatedly discover that the book is not a paean to intergalactic relations, as they'd … [Read more...]

Cancer Full Moon: Belonging

This Full Moon in the family-oriented sign of Cancer brings to mind a story from my recent trip to New Zealand. Jonny and I are standing in a tiny house, part of a museum in Okains Bay, a remote village on an out-of-the-way peninsula southeast of Christchurch. We’ve made a pilgrimage here to visit the general store, built by Jonny’s great grandfather in the 1870s. The little … [Read more...]

Sagittarius New Moon: Walkabout

A few years ago, just before a Sagittarius New Moon, our indoor cat Spike escaped the secure confines of our home and went walkabout. I soothed my anxiety by imagining him on a kind of exciting Spirit Quest, possibly involving medicinal-grade catnip. When he returned 36 hours later, Spike seemed calm and fairly mellow, if ravenously hungry; but he paid the price for his … [Read more...]

Taurus Full Moon: The Sorcery of Benign Neglect

We visited a Taurus-rising friend in her Bay Area home, and she treated us to a tour of her thriving garden. My husband and his Taurus Moon were especially taken with her “tater totes"—recycled tote bags, perfect for growing potatoes. But nothing impressed him more than her elaborate, three-section composting shed. While the two discussed, at length, its design, construction, … [Read more...]