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!

Happiness

EARTH TAKES OVER
Half of the major planets are sitting in Earth signs. Venus and Mars (love and strength) in Taurus (stubbornness), Moon and Saturn (hidden emotion and limitations) in Virgo (health), and Pluto (power, AND retrograde on top of it) in Capricorn (ambition). The one quality that all Earth signs share is practicality. They are the grounded signs, the ones who hold to stolid, steadfast logic.

Happiness is finding a pencil, knowing a secret, telling the time...

Happiness is fragile, isn't it? It drifts in and whispers in your ear and the corners of your mouth twitch. Your lips stretch into a smile; the quintessential sign that someone is happy. There are so many kinds of smiles, though. There are sad smiles, fake smiles, smug smiles, concealing smiles. There is so much meaning behind a smile and yet, we assume that when someone is smiling, it means that they are happy.

Yet, happiness itself can be a lie. It is fleeting. Only a word or a gesture and the feeling is gone. And we fear that. Even the Funny Girl tells us, "Don't rain on my parade!"

Life is so harsh. It forces us to be practical, even negative at times. There's the fear that someone will burst your bubble. And it takes so little, doesn't it? It's very often with respect to love. New relationships bring so much happiness, but have the potential for so much heartache. It may be ourselves that brings about the fatal pinprick. There's a tendency to watch everything we say for fear of breaking the euphoric trance that we're in. Relationships can be like a drug; they bring incredible highs and tremendous lows and we struggle to find the right way to achieve the fix that we felt at the beginning. Is that possible? Was that true happiness? Or does true happiness lie within the latter parts of the relationship?

What is true happiness? And in finding it, does it contain within itself the seeds of its own destruction, usually manifesting in fear? Can we recognize it when we have it? Hey, everyone, if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands! Clap and you get to save a faerie, for when a baby laughs for the first time, it becomes a faerie. So says J M Barrie. Clapping has been tied to happiness since we were children.

It's so hard to find this elusive element of life and yet, when you find a small pocket, you want to stay in its warmth forever. This is not always tied to relationships. There are many areas of life that may bring incredible happiness. Sadly, even then, it is a breakable quality and it usually takes something to small to douse the flame. Some way to "bring someone back to reality" that forces the happiness out, which begs the question, is happiness diametrically opposed to reality? Is it unreal? Surreal? Insane? Is ignorance really bliss?

This was explored somewhat in the previous blog Reworking Rene, but where that was a study of mind vs. heart, I want to know why happiness is so hard to pin down. Does the practical element of Earth have its own measure and method? Is its stolid take on life a weight that prevents those who attempt to soar from achieving flight? Or does it protect us from the Icarian fate that awaits those who soar too far?

I don't know these answers, but I do know that I shall cling to that sliver of insanity, that attempt to soar. As is said in Jeffrey, "How dare you not lunge for any shred of happiness?"

So I lunge. Don't rain on my parade.

Health Education

SATURN IN THE 1RST HOUSE
Saturn, planet of health, sits in the 1rst House, the house of self. People will be focusing more on themselves with regard to their diet, exercise, and overall health. Especially with the influence of Virgo.

Health is a recent issue for me due to the class I took this week. This is large part of why I've been blogless this week. I know, you've been desolate without new Sign In Ink to read, but it's been a long week, trust me. A large part of that was because of my Teaching Health for Special Education Students class. This has to be the most depressing class I've ever had the misfortune to attend. Of course it's a required class! No one would take it otherwise.

It takes me back to middle school, when they first started teaching health, especially sex education. It lacks the incredible awkwardness of those first years of learning about sex from a gym teacher, but I'll be damned if it doesn't make up for it in story after story involving injury or death. The class is only a week long, so they're clearly trying to shove as much insanity into these 2.5 hour classes and they succeed. Fortunately, the teacher is a very nice and somewhat humorous older man who has a lighthearted attitude about his age and a somewhat feminist outlook on life.

We began with child abuse. I learned all about the horrendous things that can happen to a child and what to do if I should encounter or suspect it. The laws are extremely strict regarding the treatment of children. I am all for the protection of children, but did we have to go through and detail the countless ways that a parent or guardian can harm a child? Really, I didn't need to know what "sock burns" are. (If you really want to know, it involves scalding water.) The class has gone downhill from there.

We moved on to school violence. As if child abuse wasn't bad enough, let's talk about when the danger comes from inside the school. Children, parents, and strangers have been known to bring in weaponry, putting each attendee in jeopardy. It's a terrifying prospect. My professor was quick to reassure us that most of us would not encounter something like that, but now that he's declared that, it's fairly certain that I'm going to be one of those teachers. Beyond the gun issue, school violence also traverses the wild world of bullying.

Day three brought the most tumultuous subject: sexual education. Of course, it involves none of the joys; just the possible effects (STD and pregnancy) and how to prevent them. Ah, yes. There's nothing like American education to take all the pleasure out of sexual education.

Yesterday, we began forays into drugs, or as my professor likes to call it, "Better Living Through Chemistry." This time, there were none of the fun details to make us go, "Oooh." It was just a brief overview of the kinds of drugs and the ways that they enter our bodies. Of course, our professor was kind enough not to gloss over physical effects that could be detrimental. For someone who tends to have MSS (Medical Student Syndrome), that is NOT a good thing.

Monday, the last class will delve into nutrition. At this rate, the class will be exploring all eating disorders and the ways that food can negatively affect us. I know I can't wait.

I'm sure everyone is jealous that they don't get to take this class with me. If you really want to know how it feels, on Monday, June 22nd, from 430-7pm EST, just go back in your mind to your 6th grade health class. Remember sitting there with all of the other students, listening to a middle-aged teacher who usually forces you into dodgeball on rainy days, showing you the most revolting pictures they can find to scare you away from drugs and sex.

This is worse.

There Will Be Blood

1RST HALF
All of the planets, save Saturn, rest in the first houses of the zodiac, commonly ruled by Aries through Virgo. Currently, Capricorn through Gemini have usurped the usual rulers and taken over. The first half of the zodiac is commonly associated with the self, the individual's world. The 1rst House is especially self-associated. Yet, the planets in the first two houses are in retrograde. This would suggest that there's a warped sense of self going on and I can honestly say that I'm experiencing that today. Especially when it's the farther planet, Pluto, sitting in the 1rst House. Saturn, meanwhile, sits in the 8th House, the house of death, while traversing Virgo, the sign of health. An interesting combination. Perhaps that twist is what is affecting the introspection that accompanies a full first half.

Warning: Oddly dark thoughts ahead.

Blood. It's so powerful. So primal. So frightening. There is something about blood that is hypnotic and repulsive at the same time. The deep maroon river, coursing through our bodies to the heart current. It carries nutrients, drugs, disease, DNA. It oozes, pools, spurts, streams. It pulses and engorges. And it lightens to scarlet at the first taste of air. It is animalistic. Its presence may signify salvation or destruction.

Creatures are associated with blood: the hematophagytes. Leech, bat, mosquito. They feed on it. Vampire, of myth, is most easily identified as one who drinks blood. As Spike (vampire) says in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, "Blood is life [...] Why d'you think we eat it?"

It is the wine to accompany a carnivore's meal of choice.

Blood has religious significance. The Red Sea turned to blood. The transubstantiation of Jesus Christ. It has been used for decoration in Aboriginal rituals. It is a vital part of sacrifices from many religions.

The blood thundering in your ears. First blood of a fight. First blood of a maiden. Blood-ties. Blood-relatives. Signing a contract in blood. The significance of blood shows up in many ways throughout our lives.

I can't honestly say what prompted me to write this particular blog, unless one considers that I watched the season premiere of True Blood last evening and took a class examining child abuse and school violence this afternoon. There is so much hurting that happens in this world. People just seem so eager for it. Are we, at our basest natures, such fighters that when angered, we crave a way to affect the blood in someone else the way ours has been heated? To cause their blood to boil, to pool, and in extreme cases, to splatter. "Spilling blood" makes it sound like an accident, doesn't it? "Oops, I spilled your blood. Well, no use crying over spilled blood..." I wonder what it is within us that creates such an impulse. Is it instinct? Is it survival? I choose to think that we have evolved beyond that. Then why have we created such weaponry as to spill the blood of not just one person, but many within a very short time? There is such capacity for harm, for hurt, for hatred. Is this part of what it means to be human?

Is the killing instinct really an instinct anymore? Animals kill to survive. Humans rarely do. We kill for sport, for game, for fun. We kill in the name of our country, our god, our people. And the blood spills. To what end? What good is it to have the intelligence that we profess to have when it seems that animals cherish life far more than we do? I do not understand.

Perhaps the British phrase "Bloody Hell" is more literal than we thought.

Boxing Rules

MOON/SATURN IN VIRGO
As the moon approaches a conjunction with Saturn in Virgo, we shall see more emotional limitations and restrictions, especially with regard to service. There may be some coldness on the emotional front for many people and it might be time to delve deeper into the details to find out the real source of the issue.

As they say, "Life is in the details." There is no better evidence of this than when you have to pack up and move. Believe me, it's not my favorite activity. I'd rather watch an elementary school production of Beckett than pack up my life into boxes. Yet, in the process, it made me think how vital a role boxes play throughout our lives.

Now, forgive the crude vernacular, but in one of its slang meanings, we all started by emerging from a "box." Without that anatomical requirement, we're missing one-half of the gift of life. How interesting that our first action in the outside world is emerging from a confined space, when, for the rest of our lives, we will move from box to box and, in many cases, take pleasure in the confinement.

After all, rooms are very similar to boxes. In fact, in American Sign Language, the sign for "room" is just the reverse action of the sign for "box." Room really is a misnomer isn't it? There isn't much room in most rooms. It's outside that has the room. In fact, it's the March Hare of Wonderland who states, "We are here in the great outdoors, and there are certainly no rooms here." In such a statement, it does make obvious the foolishness of calling a room such, for indeed, it is a box. Instead of the open room, humans have chosen to live inside various boxes.

Boxes played enormous significance in childhood. Leaning to draw boxes. Learning the third dimension from boxes. Learning whether someone liked you by their checking of a box. And we haven't stopped checking boxes yet! They're on almost every form imaginable. Especially with regard to age and folks dread entering that next age bracket. This is all symbolized by a box, and as Samantha of Sex and the City states, "Honey, welcome to my box." We check box after box, further confining ourselves. These boxes represent more ethereal boxes which label us by age, race, gender, and so on. We spend our lives within the various boxes.

Finally, depending on the decision of the person, a person may end up in a box. The coffin is yet another box that we humans have created for ourselves. We do not die and go straight into the earth. No, we choose to put our bodies into a box within the ground.

From box to box. That seems to be how we experience life. And our things are no different. I'm packing up all of my possessions and putting them into boxes. Big, tall, short, long, small, all different kinds of boxes. I'm then going to unpack these very same boxes and be "reborn" in a new room...excuse me, box. Boxes within boxes. No wonder we use boxes to explain dimensions. It's the most familiar example of layers and dimensions we can come across.

Ah well. Back to boxing...

Commitment

MAY 27, 6PM
The sun is in Gemini, as are the moon and Mercury. Venus and Mars share Taurus. Those of you who read charts are looking at the chart on this page and thinking, that's not right at all. The moon is in Cancer, Mercury's in Taurus, and Venus and Mars share Aries. I'm using a chart from thirty years ago. Saturn is back in Virgo in the 10th House, having returned.

Thirty years is quite a long time. I still haven't lived that long. However, it was on this day, thirty years ago, that my parents declared their love before friends and family. They committed themselves to each other and have remained committed for all these years.

Commit. Such an interesting and multifaceted word. Forgive the digression, but it must be explored for a moment. Interesting that we use the same word in reference to marriage as we do for battle (commit troops), insanity (commit to a mental institution), faith (commit to God), destruction (commit to the flames), politics (commit to an issue), and crime (commit murder).

Marriage is such a huge issue nowadays and has been for quite awhile now. Yesterday, California upheld Prop 8, a law that marginalizes a group of people and denies them the right to declare their love in a lawful ceremony. Perfect timing, California. Today is the thirtieth anniversary of the day Dan White was convicted for the assassination of Harvey Milk. Milk was committed to the cause of making sure that a group of people weren't marginalized for being who they are. Yet, today, the fight is still going on today. Strange to think that in thirty years, we haven't progressed as much as we might have thought. The battles that were being fought at the time are similar, if not the same as, the battles that are being fought today and on the same basis, one of which is religion.

It's been said that fashion goes through a thirty year cycle. Well, we can see that happening around us. Moving from flared jeans and peasant-y shirts to long, tunic-y shirts with wide belts around them in neon colors and skinny jeans? Oh, the 80's are back, dear friends. Is it the same with politics? Granted, it's pretty difficult to find an offense worse than skinny jeans, but I'd say that the marginalization of an entire group of people takes precedence. California, dear state, did any of you see Milk? Have you noticed the progression that has been made? Basic, human, unalienable rights. Does the right actually care about rights? We came here for freedoms and wouldn't the freedom to love be a basic, human, unalienable right? One would hope so. With the right trying to secure rights only for a select group of people, and the left fighting for who is left, then we're choosing security over freedom, and as Ben Franklin said, "Those who sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither."

Thirty years ago, my parents made a decision to entwine their lives in public fashion, a decision that has kept them happily together for three decades. Marriage was an option open to them. Denial of choice to those whose lifestyle is not a choice seems inane to me. And before you argue that marriage is a sacred practice, let's look at some reasons that people get married. There are people who get married because the girl is pregnant. Some people do it for the benefits of law. Some to keep certain people in the country. Some are lonely. Some want to escape their parents. Some to have sex. There are so many reasons and not all of them adhere to the sacredness of this strictly sanctioned ceremony. For something that's held up on a pedestal, we seem to do a lot of chipping away in our attempt to reach it.

And of course, there's love. Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad.

Perhaps we should all be committed.

Walking in a Positive Direction

SATURN DIRECT
Saturn, planet of limitations, time, and health, has been in retrograde since December of 2008. Today, it goes direct, meaning that it appears to move forward again. This energy in Virgo sits on the cusp between the 11th and 12th Houses (hopes/fears and dreams/secrets). Health is a focal point again, especially with regard to that which has been brewing during the retrograde period. That which lies dormant while life continues. We can keep an eye out for symptoms of time in our lives.

I awoke early this morning to head into Manhattan for the annual AIDS Walk New York in Central Park. It's something that I try to do every year and though I didn't raise nearly enough this year, I was there, proud amongst the other walkers, with a friend by my side (it was her first AIDS Walk). When the cold, moist breeze blew in my window this morning, I groaned at the thought of leaving my warm bed to journey under a heavy sky. Still, though waking early is never my cup of tea (as anyone who's ever had to awaken me with the dawn will tell you), I always enjoy attending this fabulous event. Choosing my outfit with care, I donned my Laramie Project t-shirt, tucking my pride rings beneath, and drew on a hoodie against the elements.

We attended the opening festivities, hearing from Carson Kressly (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy), Michael Urie ("Mark St. James" from Ugly Betty), Brooke Smith ("Dr. Erica Hahn" from Grey's Anatomy), and Hillary Duff (oh come on; I'm sure you've heard of her even if you don't want to admit it!). There were many wonderful people who organized the event and seeing so many people sitting up there on that stage was inspiring. Then, to the live performance of "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel, we were off.

Last year, with an enormous group, it took almost four hours or so to complete the 10K/6.2mi walk. This year, with one friend by my side, we completed the walk in 2.25 hours (we would have completed it faster, but as my friend likes to put it, we were "bottlenecked"). Not that speed is the goal. Completion is the goal. I barely noticed the time, the weather, or the fact that my knees and back had stopped talking to me because I was enjoying the company. People around us were laughing and striding along with volunteers affiliated with the Gay Men's Health Crisis cheering us on the whole way. Actual cheerleaders were dancing on the sidelines, drag queens with fantastic wigs, folks with strollers and babies, dogs of every kind; everyone was united together against the syndrome that has been a modern-day plague. The enthusiasm was infectious. I'm looking forward to next year - it's the 25th annual walk.

Saturn's release from retrograde to direct was anthopomorphized in the mass of caring people who walked in support of a cure. There are many ways to show support and many worthy causes to get involved in. I suggest everyone find one. It's good for your health.

History of the AIDS Walk (thanks, Wikipedia):
The first AIDS Walk was AIDS Walk Los Angeles, which took place in 1985, and was produced by MZA Events on behalf of AIDS Project Los Angeles. It took place on the lot of Paramount Studios in Hollywood. Shortly afterwards, MZA Events started producing an AIDS Walks for local AIDS organizations all over the country, including AIDS Walk New York for Gay Men's Health Crisis in New York City, and AIDS Walk San Francisco for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. The model that MZA Events created was has since been replicated widely by local AIDS organizations, and today most major cities in America have AIDS Walk events.

For those who are seeking out AIDS Walk in their own area, please visit the AIDS Walk site.

Can You Stomach It?

VIRGO HANDLE
If you look at a chart for today, all of the planets, except for two, are lined up from Capricorn to Gemini, from the 5th House to the 10th, skipping the 7th. Interestingly enough, directly opposite the empty 7th House, you'll find our miscreant planets, the moon and Saturn, chilling in the 1rst House in Virgo. The picture appears to be a basket with Virgo as the handle. With Saturn in retrograde (see Retro-Virus), and the moon's influence, this is a very detail oriented time, where most of us will get bogged down in minutiae. Keep an eye out for the forests, people, and try not to let the trees get in the way. We may see an onset of anal-retentiveness as well as a focus upon health and cleanliness. Spring cleaning, get going!

Information about Virgo can be found here.

Virgo rules the stomach. Makes sense for a sign that's health concerned, no? Since we're getting a handle on Virgo, I got to thinking about the number of things that we ingest on a daily basis and what effect that can have on our bodies. I never really considered the reactions that I would have as a result of food or drink (except for alcohol, of course, but that's an obvious reaction). I'd heard the word caffeine bandied about, especially in connection to coffee and more recently, soda, but I never stopped to think about what caffeine would actually do to my body. Does it really wake you up? Is it really that bad for you? I mean, I jumped on the diet soda kick, but mainly because it seemed like everyone else knew what was going on. I know, jeep + cliff. Guess I answered that question, huh?

Recently, a friend mentioned to me that she takes green tea supplements because it curbs her hunger. Is that natural? Should we be staving off hunger? I mean, there are a million diets out there and hunger even has a face nowadays, according to Weight Watchers. There are also numerous food plans that are supposed to help you not "diet," but eat healthy. Yet, everyone I talk to keeps telling me something different. Carbs are bad. No, carbs are good as long as you're eating good carbs. Fruit is a good source of carbs, but man, they're high in sugar. Sugar is good for you for energy, but you don't want too much of it. Cereals are good sugar, but then you're back to carbs. And where are you getting your protein? You should be eating a fistful of protein at every meal. That's only if you're exercising. If you're exercising, you should be eating more. It depends on how many calories you've eaten that day. The number of calories you eat depends on how big you are and how much weight you want to lose. Weight is just a number; it's all about being healthy.

STOP! Everyone is different, but if everyone is different, how can we eat healthily for ourselves? Isn't there SOME kind of master plan that would teach us the basics of correct eating? I'm sure McDonald's has a great one and it's being instituted with their McCafe. For a country that's dealing with an obesity epidemic, you'd think it might behoove us to learn a little bit more about the foods we're eating. Like what those labels on the back of the foods mean. My yogurt today is 90 calories. Is that enough for a meal? Should I be eating more? Should it just be a snack? And some fat is good fat, I've been told. How much good fat should I have? Without a nutritionist, I haven't a clue what these numbers mean. What about organic? Are organic foods better for us?

Now is the perfect time for developing the right eating habits. After all, summer's coming up. Bathing suit season, folks. I have friends who are worried if they have a piece of pizza. Others claim sushi is the healthiest thing as long as you don't eat the rice. Still others say that you should eat only 2/3 of your meal, never the whole thing. Perhaps, but I want to be able to enjoy pizza without the guilt. I want to have my sushi and eat the rice too! What is eating healthy?

Far from being a nutritionist myself, I decided to do a little bit of research and I see that many sites recommend eating in moderation and eating often. They also suggest eating a wide variety of foods. Rainbow takes on yet another meaning. You want to eat as many colors as possible in a given day. Apparently, around 2000 calories is a healthy intake (guess I'm gonna need more than that yogurt). Carbs, protein, and fats are all needed, but in certain amounts - don't overdo it. Drink lots of water. One of my favorites was to slow down and enjoy the food more. Eating is a pleasure. I think the Taurean sun will help us with that. Obviously, these are basic guidelines, but hey, you gotta start somewhere.

These are all great rules, but I think the most important one that I found was listen to your body. Something that I haven't done for 27 years. Most of the time, it seems to know what it wants and I say if my body's craving chocolate, I'll give it chocolate - in moderation. In a lot of ways, our bodies have an intelligence all their own and they speak up often. It's a matter of listening and attuning. In addition to the quotidian blog, I plan to work on listening more to my own body and seeing what it wants. Maybe I'll get a better feel for what I should be eating (within the parameters of the general rules).

Time to get a better handle on food. Virgo, lead the way.

Retro Virus

RETROGRADE SATURN IN VIRGO
Saturn, the planet of limitations and health, is floating around in Virgo, the sign of health. Royal pairing, right? Perhaps, except for Saturn being retrograde; meaning, it appears to be going backwards from Earth's point of view. Unexpected results can happen when a planet is in retrograde and in this case, it's health related. Swine flu, anyone?

Virgo qualities can be found here.

Yes, I'm caving in and talking about the porcine pandemic that's sweeping the world just like the Furbies did in the late '90s. (I think they were bigger than the Y2K scare.) Today, the illness-du-jour is pork. Kosher diet's looking better and better, huh? For those who just became alarmed, you can't get it from eating pork, so don't worry. Ham sandwiches and crispy bacon are a go. Thank goodness I didn't know about swine flu until after I got over being sick. Of course, now everyone's asking me, "Oh, did you have the swine flu?" Yes, it was delicious, thank you. No, of course not.

The terror that erupts when a new illness hits the streets is almost as infectious as the illness itself. It's all over the papers, in the news, on TV...even on that infamous source of important knowledge, Facebook. Everyone is convinced that the tiniest sore throat or cough is a symptom of the new disease and quarantine must happen immediately. It didn't really hit me how frightened people get until I saw someone walking down the street wearing a face mask to prevent germs. Is this person smarter than others or paranoid? There's a fine line there. (In case you hadn't noticed from previous blogs, I have a major curiosity when it comes to drawing lines.) People have died from this illness and others have been afflicted throughout the world. So at what point do we panic?

In other health news, the weather is changing. Stop rolling your eyes. Of course you knew that. With the weather unable to make up its mind (it must be a Libra), our bodies are left to fend for themselves and we don't have a great arsenal when it comes to meteorological indecision. Especially with the onset of spring, which last weekend was somehow bypassed for the 90 degree weather of summer. Pollen count jumps up and the air mischievously delivers all kinds of allergens to cause itchy eyes, sneezing, and other fun activities as our bodies try to defend themselves. With our bodies fighting so hard to stave off allergies and weather attacks, is it any wonder that so many people are getting sick, pig-oriented or not?

Add to that the fact that Mercury, the mind-planet, is in Gemini, the multitasker, which is going to have our minds moving faster and concentrating on a lot at once. That's not going to be the best for resting, which adds to the weakened body state. Hopefully, with the weekend coming up, everyone will get a chance to calm down a bit. Try to use the grounded energy of Taurus and make lists of things that you want to remember or explore later. It might help your mind quiet down if it knows that there is something to refer to at another time.

As for swine flu, be careful, but don't panic. Do everything you can to keep yourself in good health, including mental. Meditate if you have to. Do yoga. Wash your hands. Take your vitamins - pills before swine. And of course, if you're feeling sick, unless you're heading out to see a doctor, stay home. It's better for you; it's better for everyone else. Your immune system is down and opening yourself up to all the bacteria and other lovely bugs out there is probably not the best idea. So stay home. Others will probably thank you for it.

Just be glad it's not bird flu. At least pigs don't fly.