Teeth, Worry, and Chocolate

Another sign of the recession: Ira Glass recently reported on This American Life that there’s a surprising increase of people going to the dentist with broken teeth these days. Apparently there’s plenty of grinding, gnashing and serious worry going on–another indication of Saturn-ruled Capricorn’s influence on Pluto. Saturn rules teeth and worry, bones and fear. My teeth would probably suffer too if I had just lost my job with the mortgage due. The church billboard down the street says “Why worry when you can pray?” I remember seeing the following on a coffee mug belonging to a hospital billing clerk: “Name one problem worrying ever solved.” It’s true–I could not name one. The Neo-Platonist Marcel Ficino believed that the best antidote to Saturn’s worry and depression is Venus. Evoking the spirit of Venus can be a kind of prayer. If you find yourself worrying now, you could try this. Find the prettiest thing in the room and stare it for a good long while. Eat some chocolate. Spray the room with the scent of lavender and roses. Make sure you’re surrounded by beauty, especially before you go to sleep and when you wake up. It just might save a trip to the dentist.