The Scorpio New Moon arrives during the cross-quarter holiday honoring the dead and the dearth of the coming winter. From October 31 through November 7, when the Sun reaches the middle degree of Scorpio, we in the Northern Hemisphere reach the midpoint between fall and winter. Christians call it All Soul's Day; for children, it’s Halloween; for pagans, it’s Samhain (pronounced … [Read more...]

In the film "Up in the Air," George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, whose career takes him all over the country to fire employees for companies that are downsizing. Ryan moves through life quickly, precisely, and without hesitation. He wields the machete of professional job termination with efficiency and (at least superficial) kindness, and once he has finished a job, he doesn't … [Read more...]

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 deserved it. It fell to Paris, Prince of Troy, to select the fairest. He awarded the apple to … [Read more...]

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 Neptune was squaring my Midheaven – an angle associated with the mother. Thankfully Mom recovered, … [Read more...]

Steve Chu went the extra mile… Late one Thursday afternoon, Vermont-based Brandon Jones emailed the restaurant Ekiben in Baltimore, MD, requesting their recipe for tempura broccoli. He wanted to make his mother-in-law’s favorite dish, so she could have it one last time before succumbing to the final stages of lung cancer. But when co-owner Steve Chu read the request, he had … [Read more...]