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There is a new survey out that claims Greed and Narcissism are at an all-time high in America. If you trust the conclusions of this character analysis profile, get what it predicts: the next Presidential Election will be decided not by whether or not we are ready for a woman president or an African-American leader (as if it were a done deal—therein lies the rub) but how these candidates have positioned themselves as a true reflection of those who will elect them, i.e. greedy and narcissistic. I have my own opinion about politics (and religion) which just might align with this survey, but I do not for one minute believe that skewered thinking or a reliance on someone human high up to save us from ourselves, like the President of the United States or the religious leadership. The election will be won by the one candidate that Americans feel will best serve the country. The “it’s all about me” (narcissism) and “receiving for the self alone” (greed) will go down in flames because the optimist that I am knows by experience that there is more to living than self and money—and I hope you do, too. The tougher things get—and they are going to get a lot more trying—we will roll up our sleeves and see what can we do to help someone else; we will see how interrelated and interconnected we all really are.
Speaking of greed and narcissism, I saw an interview with Morley Safer and the convicted white collar felon, ex-Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski on 60 Minutes recently, and Safer asked the free-spending former executive (remember the million-dollar birthday party in Sardinia for his then-wife and the $400,000 shower curtains?) if he had had a religious experience while in prison—seen the error of his ways. Kozlowski said, “Spiritual awakening, not religious.” However you try to dress it up and call it working your way up from the bottom (Kozlowski was born a poor boy from the wrong side of the tracks in Newark, New Jersey), greed is the end run of a rapacious ego and narcissism, which often are twin defects, more often than not lead to prison or being ostracized. No character defects are more loathed or less tolerated than these. The ego will promise as the Great Tempter did to Jesus Christ—“bow before me and I will give you the world”—but what the demon within never says is that in the process you might lose your soul.
I am always reminded of the line, “To what lengths are you willing to go and what price are you willing to pay?” Ask a dying man how long was his life and in the snap of a finger he is gone. That’s how long, he would say if he were still here.
I suggest we all inventory our lives and see purpose, not ambition; that we see ourselves on a larger than life ark. You cannot come aboard but that you bring your brother—preferably someone who represents what you have learned and feared within you—to assist your brother to overcome.
Don’t jump from a tall building or leap from a bridge if you are one of the mutable signs (Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo or Pisces) but there are two eclipses that are going to affect you in a powerful way. There is a Lunar Eclipse Full Moon at 4 degrees of Pisces on August 28th. Lunar Eclipses signal endings: it can be the ending of something you are ready to let go of, and then again it can be the end of a relationship that has you tied in knots. However you look at you, these are not cake walk times for mutable signs—but time to find the courage to change the things you can. And don’t forget that eclipses are in power from the last one (the Lunar Eclipse Full Moon at 13 degrees of Virgo on March 3rd this year) to the present one. For instances I decided to be less of me from last eclipse and lost weight just in time for the current one. If you broke up with a man or a woman, left a job and took a new one—or bought or sold a house—you are in the change cycle of eclipses.
I have never seen one person when presented with change who joyfully and graciously accepts it, including yours truly. There is that old adage, “Nothing is constant but change.” If you live and die by Dow Jones, you’ll oftentimes die more than you live. If you are controlled by what others think, you’ll find it hard to get out of bed. But if you see all of these changes as getting you closer to who God created you to be—authentic and connected to a power greater than yourself—praise God and go to the head of the class!
But it doesn’t stop there. There is a Solar Eclipse New Moon at 18 degrees of Virgo on September 11th (the last Solar Eclipse New Moon was March 18th this year) which portends new beginnings for all mutable signs mentioned above. All of these eclipses have a less stressful and more beneficial charge on other water (Cancer and Scorpio) and other earth (Taurus and Capricorn) signs. No change is bad change it is perception. The more attached to material and “here” rather than guided by “there” you’ll fume and fuss and make everyone around wish you would go home and stay there. |
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Virgo (August 23 - September 22)
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Girls and boys, if you thought your carefully-laid plans were a lock, think again. Both Lunar and Solar Eclipses (see Signs of the Times above) are going to give you the stress test of your life. It doesn’t mean that your life is falling apart—oops, I take that back, kinda—it says that your best thinking may have gotten you to build from a blueprint that did not have the approval initials of the Divine before you ran to implement your hopes, wishes and dreams. I don’t know how many times I have to preach the same old sermon: “God’s will, not your will!?” Your predicament reminds me of a story I read this week about a man that had gotten rich selling old doors, marble floors, fixtures and do-dads from condemned buildings. Recycle and reuse what you can, Virgos. And when all else fails, start from ground zero and rebuild from scratch.
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Libra (September 23 - October 22)
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As we look over the constellations to see how much longer you are going to be standing in high cotton, all I see are rainbows and arcs of compliance. You even-handed, never saw a man or a woman you couldn’t afford not to get involved with or a deal you could pass up—and forget how long it takes you to sign the papers or say, “I do”—I am going to do the laundry list of why you are feeling like King Kong or Queen of the Jungle: Jupiter and Pluto in Sagittarius; Saturn in Leo; Mars in Gemini; Neptune in Aquarius. And don’t forget 12 days a month you have the yummy-yum-yum of the Moon swinging on your star. May I remind you to receive to share? Your stellar neighbor Virgo might need to borrow a cup of sugar or crash in your guest room while she regroups. Count your blessings. Worms turn! |
Scorpio
(October 23 - November 21)
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This month you’ll have Grammy winners, Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder singing your song, “For once in my life, I have someone who needs me…For once in my life I won’t let Sorrow hurt me, Not like it hurt me before…” because ladies and gentlemen of dimly lit haunts and a mother lode of hurt, this may be the turnaround time for you—you will be rewarded for your patience with the best deal of the draw. Your troubles only exacerbate when you don’t ask direct questions and expect straight answers. Need a job? Take your pick. Tired of the old Pondersosa? Pick up your purse or brief case and skedaddle. Want the spotlight? Deserve it! The roars you hear are eclipses signaling, “It’s your turn and time!”
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Sagittarius (November 22 - December 20)
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You’ve never been known to dress up for any occasion—jeans and a “T” or a slit skirt with a tube top is more your style but break your sloppy dress code because you too are going to live it up or live it down this month. Jupiter is making its last call on you Archers so belly up to the bar if you must but there will be accountability for how you handle your run of good luck. I would suggest salting some bread away for a rainy day or investing in a good solid pad—you can’t live in a tent forever. Oh, what the heck—nobody tells you what to do except the fuzz or momma. The one good thing about those of you born in the shadow of the baby Jesus’ star is that you always seem to make do with the hand life deals you. (Just don’t hang with a pair of twos when the stakes are too high!) |
Capricorn (December 21 - January 19)
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If you have been feeling like you’re living under the El train or smack dab on a fault line stop kvetching and start planning for what your world is going to be like when Pluto goes into the sign of the Goat late January 2008. September will seem like a reprieve from the condemned man or woman you feel like when you start eating from the banquet table instead of crumbs from the left overs. There is no sign in the celestial Zodiac who handles change and tough times better than you do. My suggestion would be to start taking an inventory and see what has to go and what is a keeper. Start the check list with your up close and personal relationship(s) and imagine what life would be like without his or her negative vibes or good wishes. If you don’t like your neighborhood, you might consider down-sizing to a cottage. You might want to look at your portfolio with the eye of a jeweler. Pluto is going to change everything in your life. |
Aquarius (January 20 - February 17)
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You may want to put away your technocratic tools like state-of-the-art computers, turn off your I-Pods and high-resolution television sets and turn on your inner voice because you are in a monthly cycle of too much information coming from useless sources. It is time to catch up with what the higher self is trying to say and not contaminated by what ESPN throws at you or even the babe babble of The View. What you are about to plug into is priceless and ageless and is not stored in any high frequency source available at Blockbuster or Dell or Apple. This old new news is the beginning of the information you need to realign yourself with purpose and not worthless currency of yesterday. You are about to understand sharing and connecting. Welcome to a connection that will give peace at an affordable price.
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Pisces (February 18 - March 20)
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As maligned as you dreamers are you are about to break out of the primordial egg to furnish your castle any old way you like. The two back-to-back eclipses have sent a message through the kingdom that you have at long last learned how to plant seed and watch crops grow rather than beg for your breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Solar Eclipse New Moon on September 11th is going to free you of old ideas and worn out tools that have relied too much on fantasy and not enough on feet-on-the-ground strategies. Pipe dreams are of the past. You are now ready to self-legislate—with the game plan of the Divine of course—andyou’reexactly where you want to be doing what you have always thought you could.
Don’t fret over Uranus sitting in your sign—look at the noise he makes as the roar of the crowd welcoming you to a game you can win and win big!
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Aries (March 21 - April 20)
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While nobody’s looking, go ahead, run right past those who’re getting in your way—like the folks who queued up before you did. Oh, no, the rules don’t apply to you, your ruling planet is Mars—and whatever Mars wants, Mars gets. Okay, enough already with my high jinx tease. I was joshing you because it doesn’t matter that it’s Virgo’s turn and time to shine, nobody steals someone else’s baby spot quite like you Arians. There are so many planets twinkling and crying out for you to do one more star turn. But what I can tell you is that it rains on the just and the unjust—and you had better save some of the spoils of heaven’s largesse because in a few months—January to be exact—Pluto is going to begin to square you real good (And boy or girl, will you ever need the Ben Gay for your sore muscles!)
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Taurus (April 21 - May 20)
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Don’t touch that slice of bourbon drenched pecan pie or apple tart smothered in ice cream with double chocolate syrup topped with crème fraiche and Maraschino cherries—do you want to end up in the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa like some people I know? Put down the fork and strategize how you’re going to spend all these over the rainbow benefic days. Both eclipses are benefiting you as well as the lucky old Sun for thirty whole days. You know you like to shop but you hate to deny yourself anything that won’t eat you first. Here’s a plan: before you leave the house every day plan your menu—loaded with fruits and vegetables—and then go shopping ‘til your heart’s content. Just remember, what they adjust to your size you can’t take back if your sweet tooth gets the best of you. Aw, knock yourself out. There’s always a new day for a new diet. Did you hear about the one that says “high in fat…” How about a First Class seat on the next UFO leaving Sedona? Lots of luck.
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Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
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Besides the fact that both eclipses are squaring you this planetary cycle, take it with a grain of salt because there are so many positive aspects on the radar for you that I would keep wool gathering to see where my next opportunities lie and what man or woman is included in the blueprint. Consider that Mars is in Gemini throughout the Virgo run—that gives you all the get-up-and-go that you need to hook up with Saturn in Leo and Neptune in Aquarius. I don’t expect you to know what this means, but these are signals that you are in better shape than you think. To be honest with you Twins, you are about to put it all together and find the hope and happiness that has been alluding you. When your ship comes in, ask for a suite on the top deck—you’ll be closest to the action and when it’s time to fall asleep you will snooze like a baby without a care in the world. Lights, action, camera! |
Cancer (June 21 - July 22)
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Get your girdle pulled into place or your belt cinched just right because you are going to be able to strut your stuff late August and three weeks in September. Although you find Virgo kinda picky and rather annoying and Pisces a bit passive aggressive and too much of a cry-baby, thank them for all the positive and powerful fallout from those eclipses that are crashing against their 6th and 12th house cusps. You will be able to walk around the messes they make on their way to a new beginning and pick up a bargain or two that they’ve kicked to the curb. If you Crabs are thinking about sound investments you are picking up on the right celestial vibes. As a matter of fact, with the house market in the tank, with your luck this month you might just pick up a property for a song. Never forget that old adage, “One man’s meat is another man’s poison.” Happy hunting! |
Leo (July 22 - August 22)
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Attention! Attention! Hear ye! Hear ye! I am here to announce and proud to spread the word that on September 3 Saturn will move at long last—after two and a half frustrating years—out of the sign of Leo and into the waiting but reluctant arms of Virgo. May I be the first to congratulate you but also remind you of the hard-learned lessons this long run of show of Saturn has taught? First, be as kind and generous to all people because you never know who is your next boss or an I.R.S. agent waiting to audit you. Second, humility will not only qualify you for Heaven but it will get you invited back into the Club that threw you out for bad boy or worse girl behavior. And last but not least, when Virgos are suffering from having gotten a lot of things wrong, invite them over to show them how to learn from the lessons Saturn is fated to teach them. Nobody knows better than you do. Right?
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The Journey not the Destination
I once declared to a respected mentor of mine, “I am sick and tired of taking inventory and growing!” So simply and wisely he responded, “What else is there to do?” At the end of the day, he hit the nail on the head. Does this mean that our spiritual path is all that matters? Absolutely not. Does this infer that we don’t have any fun along the way? Actually, just the opposite. It means enjoy the journey of never ending opportunities for growth and change. Recall the phrase a wise sage once proffered, “A life not inventoried is a life not worth living.”
The path of spiritual growth can appear serious and heavy at times, but it is not meant to be. The next time you find yourself at a crossroads of change ask yourself, “Am I having fun yet?” If not, perhaps you are taking yourself and life far too seriously. Enjoy the journey of the game called Life.
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