Twisted

NEPTUNE IN AQUARIUS (RETROGRADE)
Planet of illusion, Neptune travels seemingly backwards through Aquarius, the sign of originality and eccentricity. Unusual experiences may occur in unexpected ways. Twists and turns of life shall surprise, sometimes delighting and sometimes depressing, but all surprise.

Illusion and twist is a fascinating part of human existence. We are fascinated by it. We crave it. We are seek it out: in books, in movies, in television. We are not always happy to see it in life, but we are conditioned to expect it. Things are not always what they seem. Humans rely on such and often are able to tell that something is up. It's called a sixth sense.

Speaking of sixth sense, I'm currently watching A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, starring Haley Joel Osment. I had never seen it before today. It's terribly frightening and the fascinating, not just because of the development of film-making progress used in this movie, but because of the study of human existence. Still, what captures me the most is how terrifying Haley Joel Osment's character is, though I don't believe he's meant to be. Let's face it, the kid was cute as a kid, though he has not aged well. There is nothing more disturbing than something that seems innocuous, but presents itself as much more in practice. Granted, the movie itself is supposed to be disturbing, but there is a further element in that this seeming child is, in actuality, a robot, and to see child-like reactions from a creature that is not a child strikes a minor chord in our brains.

We see this representation in numerous books and movies. The scariest enemy is the most innocent one. As I've always maintained, there is nothing that sets the searing rush of fear through my chest as a child singing a nursery rhyme in a darkened hall. Horror writers have used children for countless stories. Things associated with children have played major parts in such tales: dolls, clowns, toys. Stronger than a fear of the unknown, it is the finding of something unknown within the familiar. There is excitement and apprehension involved in the discovery of new information. We find it intoxicating. And so, no matter how many times it may hurt, there is always the possibility of it being something amazing. So we search again.

Just be ready for the twist.

Grab-Blog

DIRECT VS. RETROGRADE There is a split in the chart for today. Half of the planets are direct and in a row of houses while the other half are retrograde and in a row of opposite houses. What madness might occur from this, especially after yesterday's solar eclipse? This might be a great opportunity to try something you wouldn't normally explore.

A few friends of mine have subscribed to the madness that is the blogosphere. There is a great deal of joy to found in blogging and in reading blogs. I would like to introduce them to my readers.

If you love sweets, this first blog will whet your appetite. The Chocolate Swirl is a dessert company run by a friend of mine in New York. There are numerous confections that they offer, including truffles, cupcakes, cakes, brownie pops, and cookies. They ship throughout the country and will create specially designed desserts for numerous occasions. (I sound like an ad, don't I? I can't help it. I love The Chocolate Swirl.) When my mother graduated from college, I commissioned a cake that was made from two books and a graduating cap. It looked awesome; everyone commented on it. They just started a blog, complete with pictures and advice, one post of which is what you can do with leftover cupcakes. I would have never thought to use them the way The Chocolate Swirl does! Curious? Or hungry?

The second blog is a new blog by an author friend of mine. If you like the Star Child Trilogy, but feel that it's too old for your kids, you might want to check out The Wonky Witch. Author Becky Titelman has recently started a blog to track her endeavors with this fabulous series. Kids will find endless fun on the Wonky Witch website and book three is almost out! The adventures of Maude Sinks and her friends in Abracadabra Academy are wonderful for any age, but especially those who haven't quite reached Harry Potter or Star Child level yet. The adventures of Becky herself are a fascinating read for anyone who is interested in children's literature or enjoys writing themselves.

Whether your passion is sweets or books, be sure to check out these fabulous blogs!

Rising Sign!

NEPTUNE/JUPITER CONJUNCTION IN THE 3rd HOUSE
Neptune, the planet of escape, and the Jupiter, planet of expansion, are together in the 3rd House, the house of communication and writing. People may be returning to reading and writing for entertainment. There may be a renewed dedication to blogging or maybe folks will pick up that book they haven't been able to get through.

Speaking of books, I have a bit of an announcement, if you'll forgive the shameless plug. My first novel, Rising Sign, is now available for purchase. If you're looking for that great summer read, this is a great choice, if I do say so myself (and I do).

"What's it about?" you ask. Well, imagine if the astrological signs were made human. What if they had special abilities on top of that? Now, throw in a deadly enemy and an child who can save the world. Sound interesting? If that doesn't sell you, head over to the Star Child Trilogy website and read the first two chapters. Here are a few of the reviews from folks who have read the novel:

"This novel kept me enthralled from start to finish."

"[...]it consumed my lunch, my train ride, and into the wee hours of the night."

"The development of each character in conjunction with his/her astrology is a remarkably intriguing twist on the sci-fi adventure epic[...]"

"This is a great book for both teens and adults who love adventures in the world of the supernatural."

So stop by and grab a copy today! :)

And now, back to your regularly scheduled blogging...

Silence is Fool's Gold

MERCURY TRINE SATURN The planet of communication (retrograde) is in harmonious aspect with the planet of limitations. Subjects that might not normally be touched will come to the surface. Other subjects will seem completely off-limits. Be prepared for new realms of conversation to be explored.

Censorship is an interesting topic in this day and age. We like to think that we have moved to a place where any subject is able to be discussed, that we've moved beyond Farenheit 451, but many people say that there are two subjects never to be brought up in conversation: religion and politics. Interesting. I realize these are intensely personal topics that can be volatile, but without the ability to discuss such things, how can we further expand our own feelings and views regarding certain topics? It's so hard to reexamine ideas that one has had for so long. It also depends on the environment.

One such environment is the school environment. Ironically, the place meant for learning and exploring is often censored with regard to topics and manner. Curriculum becomes very important. However, are we doing our children a disservice by ignoring those subjects that they may find out about in other ways? Sex? Death? Throw in evolution/creationism and we've got the triumverate of forbidden school subjects.

Still, children are curious. What about those who want to learn about subjects that we don't normally teach? Take 6th grader, Natalie Jones, for instance. She worked hard on an independent study about Harvey Milk, creating a PowerPoint. The day before she was to present it, she was called into the principal's office, who told her that the presentation was very good, but that she might not be able to show it because of the sensitive subject nature. The district sent out a permission slip for all parents to sign. For a project about a man who fought for equality, one of our basic rights, along with the freedom of speech, this seems ironic. I applaud Natalie for broaching a controversial subject and I bet Harvey Milk himself would be proud of her.

Writing With The No. 2 Pen

SUN ENTERS GEMINI
The Sun officially enters Gemini today, so all of you who are born under the Twins, cheer! Gemini is the sign of communication, writing, and mental activities. It's also the sign of two-facedness, superficiality, and flightiness. As always, there are positive and negative aspects of each sign, but when you're a twin in your own body, it can get complicated! Get ready for verbosity, pranks, and a lot of fun.

With Gemini being the sign of writing, I am thrilled to introduce my guest blogger for today, a fellow Blogathoner, Sara Lancaster! Sara Lancaster is the primary writer and company owner of the No. 2 Pen, a Denver-based freelance writing company that specializes in writing Web content and other marketing materials for small businesses. Take it away, Sara!

I have to be honest, when Jared and I first discussed our blog post trade I thought to myself: What in the world do I have to say about astrological signs?

At the start he mentioned that today is the day the Sun enters Gemini so I could try to incorporate that into my post. And again I thought to myself: I am going to be so embarrassed after this show of my ignorance is put on display.

Finally, Jared said the one thing that changed it all. He told me that Gemini is the sign of communication and writing, and then I was all … Astrology rocks and I can’t wait to blog about it.

Funny how all I needed was one small connection to relate to and I was excited to write again. I think this concept is true of so many areas of life.

As a full-time writer I find that some days are tougher to write than others and some topics are harder to write about than others. It all comes down to energy, mood, and motivation, which I think we can all agree has everything to do with the state of the universe. I may not know much about astrology, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see the truth in it.

In times when I feel stuck or lack that motivation, the easy fix (besides a cup of coffee and a stern pep talk) is to focus on how the task at hand relates to me personally. My clients come from all walks of life—from graduate students to car sales people to lawyers—and obviously I can’t say I understand where each of them is coming from every time.

The solution is to communicate with the client and ask for one thing: How does your business impact me? “Me” being the proverbial “reader.” Once I understand where he or she is coming from and I find a way to relate to it personally, the words seem to flow much easier.

Couldn't agree more, Sara. Communication and connection are key! Connect to Sara's blog at No 2. Pen, where you can find more tidbits about writing and my guest post for today.

Still Learning

SIGN/HOUSE REVERSAL
Right now, at least here in New York, every sign sits in the House that plays host to its opposite. If that was too confusing, I'll give an example. Libra, the 7th Sign and natural in the 7th House is in the 1rst House, while Aries, the 1rst Sign and natural in the 1rst House is in the 7th House. Make sense now? Everything's reversed. What does this mean for the world? Not much without the planets to give us some kind of direction. Then why bring it up? It's fun and quirky and, to those in the know, it looks odd.

College is over and college is gone.
I graduated and had to move on.
School was the base that I built dreams upon,
And I'm still learning...

It was six years ago today that I graduated from college. That's right: I'm old (stop nodding in agreement). This time, six years ago, I had just taken one of the biggest steps of my life into adulthood and I had absolutely no idea what to do next. I ended up performing in A Chorus Line, getting a job waiting tables in Center City Philadelphia, moved to Indiana for 9 months for a season of theatre, and then gave myself culture shock by moving to New York City a week after returning. That's where I've been for the past four and a half years.

College. It's such an influential time in our lives and it's been gone for six years now. Interestingly enough, I'm back in the scholastic environment, having started graduate school this semester and this week, I have finals. Five of them. Ah, the joys of academia. I have to admit, though, that I thrive in such a setting. I'll bitch and complain and moan about it, but on some level, I always enjoy the world. Granted, graduate school is not the same as undergraduate. I attended two different undergraduate schools - two years at Rider University to be followed by two years at Muhlenberg. I had a double major - English and Theatre (Unemployment and Lying) and I unofficially minored in Dance. This time, six years ago, I had two degrees, a bright-eyed outlook, and no clue as to what it meant to be an adult.

Six years later, I have a hint of a glimmer of a whisper of what it means to be an adult. Boy, it sucks. Princeton, Kate, and Nicky are right when they say, "I wish I could go back to college." Graduate school is not going back to college; it's going on to college. Again.

In the same theme of this blog, I just got notice of my high school's ten year reunion. Now, if I thought I didn't have a clue leaving college, I was truly lost leaving high school. I started as an Elementary Education/Psychology double major. That lasted until October of freshman year. And I changed schools soon after. (My parents LOVED me for both moves.) Now, I'm ten years out of high school, six years out of college, a semester into grad school, and what have I to show for all of this schooling? Not a whole heck of a lot. I had bigger dreams of what I would be when I hit 28 (I'm not quite there yet; don't rush me).

Still, I can't help but feel that all of this was laying the groundwork for the 30s. Everyone says that 30s are the new 20s. I'm actually looking forward to the 30s (again, don't rush me). By that time, I'll be 13 years out of high school, nearly ten years out of college, and just finished graduate school (if all goes according to plan). I have a novel in the works to be published (if you haven't checked out the site yet, go! it's linked on pretty much every post! no excuses!), two more in my head, an educational career in the works, years of theatrical and varying work/life experience, and pretty awesome support. Far from Romy and Michelle-ing, I am excited to go to my high school reunion. It'll be cool to see where people are in their lives. Let's be honest: none of us are really where we thought we'd be. I'm betting that's true of most people, regardless of age.

For now, I'm enjoying the odd reversal of astrological weather; it's quirky and interesting. Six years later, quirky and interesting is the best way I can describe my college experience.
...and my life.