Detailing

MERCURY GOES DIRECT

Mercury, planet of communication, has just returned direct on its course as of yesterday, and today, drifts through Virgo, the sign of meticulousness and detail, as well as service. This implies a refocusing on the details of one's life and the possibility of "fall cleaning" as people attempt to get their lives back in order after the Merucry-in-retrograde period. As Virgo likes to say, a place for everything and everything in its place.

Revamping one's life to return to order is more easily said that done. There are so many aspects of life to keep straight and this writer, for one, is feeling a little overwhelmed. Whether you are dealing with school, work, projects, partners, friends, enemies or just quotidian minutiae, one might hope that the Mercury in Virgo will be there to support and benefit you. As they say, "Life is in the details," but then they also say, "You can't see the forest for the trees," and who are they anyway?!

Details become a huge part of human life. You never hear a cat saying, "I'm sorry; can you run that by me again? I missed the part where you feed me and I eat. What exactly do I do first?" True, details are a natural part of life. One only has to look at the intricacies in a spider web or the patterns of dots on a lily to see that detail is what helps create beauty. Yet being bogged down in detail is certainly a human construct, is it not? We try to keep things simple, but eventually, all of the little parts begin to speak and soon, it is a cacophony of clamoring slices of the whole. After all, that is where the word "detail" comes from: detailler, meaning to cut up into pieces.

This is not to say that those pieces are not important. Far from it. After all, a word is comprised of letters - at least in the romantic and germanic traditions. These letters are associated with sounds and the sounds are then put together to create blended sounds, which we then associate with meaning, thus creating a word. Words are then put together to create sentences and sentences to create stories, or blogs just like this one. So without the details, the story in question could not exist. And then you come back and say, "Well, a picture is worth a thousand words." Of course. Let's examine the millions of brush strokes or pencil marks, etc, that make up that picture. Or if it's a mental picture, then the millions of details that you might notice in creating that picture - the colors, the movement, the textures, the expressions - and that's just the visual sense. Everything here is comprised of detail, including a blog about detail.

Then, of course, teachers ask you, "What's the gist of the story?" Well, now, although the detail is vital, that's not what the teacher is after. In fact, most people don't want to hear the innumerable details when a story is being told. It rarely matters whether the incident happened on a Tuesday, at 2:56pm, outside on a day of 83 degrees...no. Many people would get fed up with such a story. Vital in a police report; boring in a tale. Therefore, they want the gist, the overall action. What happened? One has to eschew the many details to pick out the important themes. The whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts. It's working through those parts to find the whole that makes it difficult, but once the whole is found, the parts don't seem to matter much anymore.

So go ahead and sweat the small stuff. Just don't let them take over.

Getting Reacquainted

SUN IN LIBRA
The sun has just entered the seventh sign of the zodiac, Libra, sign of balance, harmony, and relationships. Libra is currently sitting in the 7th House, the House of Partnerships. We should see a deliberate shift of focus from the quotidian minutae of Virgo to the more social, outgoing nature of our connection-centric selves.

It has been nigh a month since I last wrote and apologize for that. Things have been quite busy, not the least because of Mercury's decision to travel retrograde. Still, Libra brings relationships and balance to the forefront, so I return to connect with my readers.

A focus on relationships doesn't necessarily mean romance. And with Mercury in retrograde, there's high possibility for miscommunication and misunderstandings. Still, in examining our relationships, it's important to take a look at what benefits each of us in our connections with others, be they friends, family, or even foe. Yes, believe it or not, you have a strong relationships with your enemies too; consider the emotion involved. It's the acquaintances you have to examine in depth, since they are the ones you don't have such a deep emotional involvement with!

Sun-in-Libra is an special time for me because my natal sun is in Libra, meaning my birthday is coming up. Yes, I am a Libra; I admit it! I am charming, shallow, vain, and relationship conscious. We just can't help it. One of the hardest things for most Libras to deal with (besides making a decision) is handling the anger or depression of others with regard to them. Libras are a balance-oriented breed and the thought that someone could be upset with us is highly disturbing. We don't like to fight or argue and unless there's a strong water or earth streak in the chart, we don't hold grudges very well. The only time a Libra will come out swinging is if there is a question of fairness. We are sticklers for fair treatment - it comes from being able to see both sides of the story, which is a curse and a blessing.

Recent events have brought to my awareness the way that different people deal with issues of injustice, unfairness, and hurt. I have many friends who are able to close a door. Some of them slam it shut. Do not get on their bad side for you will never recover from it. They encourage others to do the same, seeing former friends who have hurt them as a cancerous element of society that they prefer to cut out. With the power of "defriending" someone on Facebook, there's an added way to make the point.

Others are more willing to forgive. My parents taught me that in every relationship, you start out with 100% trust. Once that trust is broken, you go down to 0% and you have to work your way back up. I've adopted this theory because I like to believe that people are basically good. They have their faults, of course. Everyone has their baggage. It's whether we can handle the baggage that matters. I want to be a forgiving person who understands that people make mistakes, but there comes a point where you have to recognize that no matter how much you may understand their side of the story, you still ended up hurt. Self-preservation has to play a part at some point, doesn't it?

One of my friends subscribes to the adage, "Forgive, but don't forget." This is becoming increasingly sensible as I watch the events around me. I'm studying to be an educator, after all. Understand that people make mistakes. Know that they will. Expect it. Students are encouraged to try and not be afraid of failure. Intention should count for something, even though the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Still, if something is not meant to be malicious, I can usually understand it. Even so, learn from it. Don't forget. Forgetting dooms the victim to repetition. Learn and be guarded next time. Go into things with eyes open. "Forgive, but don't forget," seems to embody the balance required by a Libran Sun. We must remember that people are not always out to get us, that they might see things in a different way and it can be misconstrued, that they are acting on their behalf - then so must we. Learn from the situation, and move forward.

The sun continues to shine and there are more relationships to be explored.

Happy Equinox!

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!

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.

Stupid Pervasive Annoying Mischief

RETROGRADE MERCURY TAURUS/GEMINI
Mercury, perceived to be spinning backwards, straddles the fence between Taurus and Gemini, creating an odd energy across the monetary/technology cusp. Ebay, Amazon...all shopping online should be carefully considered for there is a great possibility for mixup and mayhem. Mercury is, after all, a trickster planet and when retrograde, anything can happen.

Today, I opened my email to see that a new person had commented on the Guestbook on my website: www.starchildtrilogy.com. Imagine my surprise to see the following message:

Interested in Brunette celebritys? Right place for it! [and proceeded to list a website]

Besides the obvious spelling error (shudder), who in the world thought to spam a guestbook? I had no idea that this spamdemic had reached the guestbook world. Can you imagine if this happened in the physical world? You're at a wedding and you look down at the guestbook to see that someone had written a note inviting the bride and groom to visit a site that boasts shemale pornography. Unless that's a theme of the wedding (and seriously, what flowers would go with that theme?), most would consider it highly inappropriate.

"But Jared," you say, "your website is hardly a wedding. It's barely an event, let alone a formalized black-tie affair." Well, reader, you're right. Though hardly the momentous occasion that heralds the incipience of matrimonial bliss (can you think of a more cumbersome way to describe a wedding ceremony?), my website is dear to me and holds great importance in my mind. After all, it's a way for me to communicate an aspect of my being in the form of a novel, which, by the way, has absolutely nothing to do with brunette women with extra appendages (just in case you were wondering).

Curious, I decided to take a look at that infamous "spam" folder in my various email accounts. Within one email, I had pharmacy news (i don't take any medication, although those of you reading my blog probably think i should; member enlargement pills (yeah, thanks for the self-esteem blow) that brag about the pleasure I'll be able to give a woman (check the demographic); an ad to lose weight (again, thanks for the therapy session); and the offer of a relationship from someone named Wendy who claims to be the best thing that could ever happen to me.

It pervades other areas. Twitter has it (in fact, spam has its own profile - www.twitter.com/spam). Myspace has it. Some would consider the numerous quizzes that are found on Facebook to be spam. Even cell phones have spam nowadays. I've received calls from phone numbers that I didn't know and I let them go to voicemail and it's just gibberish. It's amazing to think that spam has moved in and shares a common law marriage with technology.

Ah, but it started long before that. Remember chain letters? That's old school spam. Not even emailed chain letters (although those are a high annoyance as well); snail mail chains. "Count the number of letters in your last name. You must send this letter to that many people within the number of days that equals number of letters in your first name or else you will ripped apart by a purple bear in an overcoat." Oh, please. Like the real chain letters were any less ridiculous? At least Internet spam is ecofriendly.

Bottom line: Spam is annoyingly pervasive and seems unavoidable.

Or perhaps it's just Mercury's sense of humor.

Omens and Portents and Subways! Oh my!

MERCURY IN RETROGRADE
Mercury, planet of the mind, entered retrograde today. It's sitting in Gemini, the sign which it rules, the sign of communication. It's going to be an interesting time for introspection and expression. There will be an overhaul in the way we think through things, which could be a refreshing change from quotidian mentalities. I just wouldn't enter any contracts for a few weeks if I were you.

With communication being reevaluated, it sparked a new line of thinking (thanks, retrograde!): how do we communicate with the world around us? More importantly, how does the universe communicate with us? There are many "signs" (both literal and figurative) that we experience on a daily basis. Advertisements are the most obvious signs that we see, being actual signs. Standing on the very crowded subway this morning, I couldn't look right in front of me (into the hair of a woman who would have slapped me for such contact in any other context). Nor could I look to either side of me where I was bracketed by two very large men in suits. There was really only one place to look: up. Whoever thought to put advertisements at the top of the subway car was brilliant. When you're stuck on a crowded subway, or even on an empty subway and bored, you tend to look for some kind of stimulation. For a small amount of time, you're entertained (or, in some cases, slightly nauseated) by the colorful pictures on display. On the subway this morning, I saw ads that helped me if I was bankrupt, pregnant, had a hammer toe, or even bad skin. I also so ads that recommended the best new book, alcohol, and English-learning language center. How convenient!

Were these mere signs or were they "signs?" When I was in college and agonizing over the decision of whether to transfer schools, a friend of mine suggested that I go on a "vision quest," a practice commonly traced back to Native American culture. She said that you walk around wherever your feet decide to go (obviously, not into traffic or anything) and look around and notice what's happening around you. That will give you your answer. So I did. I walked all over the campus and saw numerous things, but were these signs? The bird that took flight when I came near - was that a sign to leave? The leaves changing colors - was that a sign to change schools? While this was a valid suggestion, I think this was closer to a Rorschach test for me than actual signs of what to do. It brought out my deeper desire to leave and I began to look for validation in the world around me. While the vision quest may not have worked the way it was meant to, it certainly worked. I had my answer. If I was looking for a reason to leave, then obviously, that was the right thing to do. Turns out, it was.

I still have to wonder, are there signs that occur in our lives that might change the way that we live if we saw them? I've often heard that illness is a sign that you need to slow down. Or a missed connection means that you just weren't meant to get that job or meet that person. Everything happens for a reason, right? We've all heard that at one time or another. Should we have read the signs beforehand? Would that have given us a clue as to what was coming up? And if we did read the signs, could we have changed our destiny?

If I'm feeling down and I look up and see the words "Yes, you can!" on a subway car, was I meant to see them and feel better about myself, even though the ad is about losing weight? How much of this applies? Do we see signs because we want to see them? Is there harm in seeing signs? I don't think so, but I certainly don't think you should always wait for a sign before you take action. That's a "speak when you're spoken to" rule and as Alice (that crazy girl from Wonderland) pointed out, if everyone followed that rule, nobody would ever speak at all!

One of the major areas that I think signs might be a possibility is the iPod. Strange as it sounds, that "shuffle" option can be awfully oracular, can't it? You're thinking of a song and it starts to play. Or the song that reminds you of your friend starts to play and two minutes later, they call you. Does the iPod know? Is music a conductor of universal communication? I mean, it's a universal language. Maybe that phrase has more meaning than we think. I wonder what a vision quest would be like with an iPod shuffle soundtrack. Would that change our perception of signs?

Everything is symbolic. That's part of what gives our dreams such meaning. And dreams are personal, so the symbols mean different things. My dream of a snake may be a sign of danger, but your dream may be a sign of wisdom, and another's dream may be phallic and sexual. It all depends on the context and the person. So that "Yes, you can!" ad that gives me so much hope may be pushing another person towards suicide. Extreme example, of course, but you get the point. A symbol is a sign only if you see it as such.

It might be time to discover our modern-day oracles. It's not such a crazy thought. After all, people still read their horoscopes and astrology is an ancient art/science dating back to before 2000 B.C.E. People are still interested in getting their Tarot cards read (said to go back to at least the 14th Century). There are so many ways that people read life around them: numerology, rune-casting, I-Ching, graphology (handwriting analysis), etc. It's not really so far-fetched to think that subway ads and iPods are the wave of the future. It is the Age of Aquarius (technology), after all.

Plus, it beats the hell out of studying sheep entrails.