Extra Extra! Check the Curricular!

SUN AND MARS IN SAGITTARIUS
The two most masculine planets are bookending the exploratory sign of Sagittarius. There's an upsurge in passion for higher learning. People might feel a little bit of wanderlust. There will be a little more outward joy shown during the Sun's transit through happy-go-lucky Sagittarius.

Mars in Sagittarius brings up an interesting struggle about the priorities we form in life and when those value systems begin. Mars, with its aggression and passion, in a sign of learning, creates an almost dichotomous struggle between mind and heart. Unless, of course, your passion is learning.

The problem with this is that it doesn't seem that many people are as passionate about learning as they are about their other hobbies. And it seems that the American value system feels the same way, especially in our schools. Extracurricular activities, be they sports, clubs, or organizations, take center stage, forcing academics into supporting roles, and that's if they're lucky. Usually, academics are simply the ensemble. Oh, who cares about the progress made in school as long as they're scoring that game-winning goal or singing the leading role?

I know this is not a new phenomenon. We place a stronger emphasis on the extracurriculars than on the academics. How can this be? For all that we claim to support education and educators, there are constant cases of teachers whose authority is undermined by the administration who wants to see another trophy in the case or have the publicity of an organization's event. Now, don't get me wrong - I do not believe that these extracurricular activities are unimportant, nor do I believe that the teacher should be the end-all, be-all authority with regard to the students, but there should be some balance set up here. If there is any kind of imbalance, it should be in FAVOR of the school subjects, not against them!

We're communicating apathy and our children pick up on that. They lose interest in their own grades and show disinterest in the classroom. School becomes more of a social environment, and of course, that has its own place as well, but it should not be the focus. Can we please refocus our sights on the development of our students' minds?

Granted, this is a bit of a soapbox, but there have been a number of incidents recently wherein teachers have been unsupported in favor of extracurricular activities. This is not every administration, nor is it any administration all of the time, but the run of such happenings needs to be addressed.

School is for the curricular. That's why we tag the word "extra" on other activities.

Beyond Schadenfreude

FIERY SUN AND MOON
The sun has been in Leo for over a week now and the moon is currently in Sagittarius. Both are fire signs, and therefore very passionate, and Leo is a very dramatic sign, while Sagittarius is the sign of exploration. Our outer nature will be drawn to drama and bombastic adventures, while our inner self longs to travel.

Speaking of travel, I am coming to you from the road. That's right, folks, I'm in transit from New York to Philadelphia, and thanks to yet another element, water, what should have been a two hour jaunt has turned into a five hour excursion. Still, I can't blame it all on the rain. There is a fabulously obnoxious practice that will never fail to create traffic even under the best of weather conditions.

As we crawled under the dark, pendulous clouds with gray rain sheeting around us, I suddenly saw the light. No, I had no epiphany; it was the familiar blue and red lights of a squad car. Aha! There was an accident. Being on the other side of the bus, I could not see what unfortunate event had occurred, but I did note that no sooner had we passed by that our speed began to increase and traffic seemed to disperse.

What could have possibly caused this phenomenon? There is a term that is an apt description of the situation: rubbernecking. The act of twisting one's head in order to observe and event more easily. However, when driving, that act can be very dangerous; ergo, most people will slow down in order to perform this irritating action.

What is this fascination we have with accidents? We describe other things, such as someone's outfit, this way. "It was like a train wreck. I couldn't look away." The human race is infinitely fascinated with seeing people fail. It's incredible to me. Specifically with roadside trauma, unless you are a police officer, an EMT, or some other service member who is able to assist, keep moving! Besides, if it's a big enough issue, it'll be on the news later.

Which brings up another point: why must the news be inundated with accidents, deaths, rapes, shootings, killing, murder, etc? It's so rare to hear about a good thing. The television has been referred to as the "idiot box." Why? Because it enables escape. It's supposed to free our minds; hence it being mind-less. The news does just the opposite; it smacks us in the face with reality, forcing us to acknowledge such horrible aspects of our world with wild abandon that it's overwhelming at times. I am amazed by people who can sit and watch the news all day. I go to my television to escape reality.

Reality TV shows are no better. While they don't quite provide us with "reality" as they claim, it's certainly enough of it to make me cringe. Shows like American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance are great shows in their own right, I suppose, especially when (and if) you get to the point where everyone is incredibly talented. However, they televise the auditions and I have many friends who are uninterested in the show once the auditions are over. They love to watch people get shot down. That is not fun for me at all. People who have dreams of performing get crushed on those shows. And folks argue, "But it's good for them. Someone has to tell them that they suck." Fine, go ahead. I don't want to watch someone's dreams destroyed. I'd rather watch the last episode when someone's dreams come true.

This is beyond schadenfreude ("happiness at the misfortune of others"). I admit that, when watching a movie, I want to see the bad guy get what's coming to him, but it's not exciting to me to see the the average human being harmed for the entertainment of others. And roadside accidents are certainly not for the entertainment of others, but people certainly seem to view it that way. If you're one of those people who has to watch to see what happened, fine, but pull over! Otherwise, drive on!

The drama of misfortune has its appeal, but I prefer to attend such an event when it's planned and brilliantly written, rather than accidental or shallow. Perhaps the sun in Leo will not let us get away with banal tragedy. Yet, Leo's sun is playful as well and as I finish this blog, I can see it winking at me from behind the clouds.

Here comes the sun.

Independence Day Fireworks

SUN IN CANCER/MOON IN SAGITTARIUS
Sun in Cancer, the sign of belonging and home is going to push people towards finding their own sense of unit. The moon in Sagittarius will color that with a great deal of wanderlust. People may travel in their journey to find a place that they call home.

That sense of belonging and home extends to the nation and the patriotism that naturally arises during Independence Day. It brings pride and comfort to know that you are celebrating with many others throughout a given nation. It's what draws us together during the Olympics. Well, that, and the sense of sport that churns the blood of many. The Olympics are a wonderful forum for nations to come together in healthy competition and for those of each country to show patriotic pride.

It seems that we love celebrate with ways that mimic that which frightens us the most: war. Some sports are highly war-like. Take a look at football, hockey, soccer, even capture the flag. Okay, that's not an official sport, but goodness, it certainly felt that way when I was playing. And don't even get me started on dodgeball. (Yes, I was picked last for everything; what of it?)

Moving on from that, all over America tonight, there were fireworks displays. People all over the country eagerly turned their eyes to the night sky to see "bombs bursting in air." Interestingly enough, fireworks predate the Independence Day celebration and were incorporated into the first Independence Day in 1777 (the war wasn't even won yet). Color wasn't even added until later.

When I was a child, I loved to see fireworks, but I was terrified of the loud noise that they made. Especially those that are most bomb-like. You know which ones I'm talking about; the ones that explode with a huge bang and a flash of white light and disappear immediately. Gosh, I hated those. I still do. What a pointless display. They're the bravado fireworks. It's like, geez, get over yourself. Look at the other fireworks. They have something to say. They have staying power and color and sometimes, sparkle. You are just loud. But then, so is war. So, I must acknowledge your right to be there.

As the night sky explodes throughout the country, I say, happy birthday, America.

A Funny Thing Happened...

JUPITER IN AQUARIUS
The expansive planet Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius (sign of exploration), is in Aquarius, the sign of originality. A wider realm of exploration opens before us. Travel to exotic places will be highly attractive now. New ways of learning will develop.

I am happy to announce that I've adopted one of the newest developments: the forums. I realize that online forums are not well-known, but I've seen them used in many ways. One is for education, as used by the Grey School of Wizardry. Another is for authors to communicate with their readers, such as Skyla Dawn Cameron's forums. A friend suggested to me that this might be a wonderful medium for my own novel. I thought it was a great idea and thus, the Star Child Trilogy forums have been created.

I'm so excited about the forums that I just had to announce it and invite all readers to check them out. They're easy and fun to use. You can create a profile. You connect with friends. You can discuss numerous topics. It's definitely a new world to explore. I encourage everyone to take a gander at the forums and maybe take a chance by creating a profile. Hope to see you there!

So Over It

SUPER SAGITTARIUS
Sagittarius is rising, taking over the 1rst House, the house of self. Additionally, we just experienced a full moon in Sagittarius. There's going to be a strong desire to travel (perfect for vacation season) and explore.

Okay, so it's a little late in the year for senioritis, but seems like everyone has it right now. Yesterday, all of the status updates were frustrated messages that clearly stated, "I'm over it," and it was only Monday. I woke up feeling disgruntled and the morning proved to exacerbate the situation. I had a total MTA Fail morning. Every train seemed to be running as slowly as possible and was crowded as Hell (and I mean that literally) when and if it finally arrived. So, I opened the door to my office with a cinder block on my shoulder.

Then, I opened my numerous networking sites to find out that I wasn't the only one. Rounding out the "over it" crowd was my boss. She radiated apathy and annoyance (I didn't realize one could radiate synchronized elements of caring and not caring, but somehow, she managed it) from the moment I saw her. It was more contagious than swine flu.

A friend and I began talking and she expressed her desire to be elsewhere. She asked if there was anything astrologically that would indicate this feeling and, doing my research, I saw that Sagittarius had just experienced a full moon. At first, I couldn't understand it. Why would such a happy-go-lucky sign affect us in such a negative way? Ah, but then the desire to travel suddenly made sense. The wanderlust had taken over due to full moon influence and universal senioritis took over.

Fortunately, we're coming up on summer, when everybody loves to get away. Hopefully, we can all hold out until our vacations kick in. If we can do it through years of school, eagerly awaiting that moment when classes end and we cavort into the free days of summer (oh, admit it, you cavorted). Even though there's no end of the semester, we're still feeling those confining bonds of the routine. My advice? Do something that might change your routine, even if it's slight, and as soon as you can, grab a vacation to somewhere new.

Hang on to your sanity, kids. We can do this!

MOM

MOON TRINE VENUS
According to one of my favorite sites, www.alabe.com, the Moon Trine Venus suggests that "[i]nteractions with others, especially females, feel natural and balanced now. It's a time of warm feelings and affections, cooperation, and emotional comforts. Public events are positive." Could there be a more positive aspect for Mother's Day?

Okay, okay, I know everyone's going to blog about Mother's Day today and talk about how cool their mom is. My mom actually is cool (and I'm not saying that just because she follows my blog). Using the energy of the moon (a very feminine planet) in Sagittarius (travel), my mom made her way to to NYC to visit and see me perform in a cabaret (public events are positive). While waiting for the show to begin, she made friends with two gentlemen, who pronounced her "fierce" (see? there's proof that she's cool).

Mom had me when she was only 21, so there's only a double decade between us, which is not the widest expanse, especially when you work in the theatrical world. You develop friendships with people of all age groups, so it's only natural that Mom and I are good friends as well as parent and child. Don't worry; we haven't quite crossed the line to Gilmore Girls-land, but we're buds. Both of us are artistic, sensitive types, who have a slightly "out-there" view on the world, especially when compared with my more practical sister and father.

Having her attend the show was a honored treat, as she doesn't get to see me perform very often; admittedly, schedule and my lack of auditioning don't provide many opportunities. The fun part is that I'm betting a few of my creative genes come from her. She is an artist, a performer, and a teacher, and I seem to follow in those footsteps. Both of my parents have encouraged me to be myself and shown enormous support through my many projects and milestones in life.

However, in a treasured reversal of role, I had the opportunity to witness one of her greatest milestones: graduation from college. Having never matriculated, my mother took it upon herself to return to school at a slightly older age than most of the student body, determined to earn her Bachelor's degree. Last winter, I had the privilege of watching my mother parade down the aisle in full cap and gown to receive her degree in education. It was easily one of the proudest moments of my life, knowing the innumerable obstacles she overcame to get to that place. There are few moments in my life that are comparable to that one. Now, as a teacher, she watches over others the way she watched over me.

I could go on extolling her virtues and accomplishments, but I think you get the idea. My mom's pretty awesome. Forgive the somewhat sappy mentality, but of course, I'm still coming off of a moon-in-Scorpio, so it's only natural.

I hope that everyone who is out there reading this has a chance to thank a mother figure in their life whether she hears you or not. It's still good to feel the gratitude, knowing that someone's there for you. Who knows? Someday, you might get the opportunity to be a mother too.

This blog is for you, Mom. Stay fierce.