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Moving energy

When I was a young boy of six or seven, I asked my mother if I could have been a Persian in another life. As Baptist Christians we did not believe in past lives, but that did not stop my question. I was hypnotized by the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and how the words, Open, Sesame caused the door of a cave to unfasten and reveal a hoard of gold and silver and other riches. It was a part of an enchanting Arabian anthology One Thousand and One Nights.  This included an enchanting tale of how a young woman named Scheherazade charmed the King of Persia with her exotic tales night after night and subsequently saved her life. Those were the days of mystical reverie and fanciful journeys into a magical Persia. Those were the days of innocence of my youth.

In 1979 the Ayotollah Khomeini led a revolution in modern day Persia, Iran, and deposed the Shah of Iran, (Mohammed Reza Pahlavi) who died of cancer a few years later in exile in the United States. Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is controlled by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was elected president August 6, 2005. Ahmadinejad and others before him have caused the once magical Persia to become a hotbed of terrorism and chaos.

A few weeks ago, I was swimming in the pool, at my club and by chance (do any of you who know me and my work actually think I believe that there is anything called “chance”?) I met a young doctor who happens to be a neurosurgeon and who spent his childhood and young adulthood in Tehran, Iran. Within minutes of saying hello we were sitting under an umbrella talking.  Out of the blue, I suggested that we had met because the universe had brought us together to write a book (you know how I see and hear signs and wonders).  It would be about ancient Persia and modern Iran through the eyes of a little boy from America who imagined himself once a Persian—now grown up—and a little Persian boy now an educated man from Iran. I told him about my fascination with Persia as I have recounted here. This is what he wrote to me later in an email which convinced me that we must write this book together:

We are influenced by small things all around us. Isn’t it interesting? We behave very “natural” as kids. I think the story of my childhood In Tehran during the revolution in 1979 and then war (between Iran And Iraq) is an interesting “modern Eastern” story. There are sentiments in it but adventures are uglier than in the time of Scheherazade. The Myths are more like lies. The beauty of our book will be to combine the sweetness of old tales and mystic understanding of life by Persian scholars like Rumi and the ugliness of the current regime and the Ayotollah Khomeini.

My Persian’s identity will remain a secret until we have formulated how we want to tell our story.  We do know, however, that we will write for the people of this country and Iran, not to quote nor express official policies.

In preparation for this literary, I am rereading the brilliant profiles of celebrated and award-winning Italian journalist and author, Oriana Fallaci.  She interviewed world leaders like Yasser Arafat, Henry Kissinger, the Ayotollah, and many others, and dared to cut and bite her way through the interviews, railing and ranting at her subjects, accusing and damning them for their lies and treachery. Known for her abrasive interviewing tactics, Fallaci often goaded her subjects into revelations. “Let’s talk about war,” she challenged Henry Kissinger in their 1972 interview. “You’re not a pacifist, are you?” When a subject refuses to cooperate, he becomes a “bastard, a fascist, an idiot.”

Here is how Oriana describes herself as a sixteen year old discovering the power of words: “I sat at the typewriter for the first time and fell in love with the words that emerged like drops, one by one, and remained on the sheet of paper…every drop became something that if spoken would have flown away, but on the sheets as words became solidified, whether they were good or bad.”

Oriana Fallaci died of complications from breast cancer in September 2006. I would like to take up her mantle and continue her relentless pursuit of truth even from the scoundrels who dare not tell it.

How many times have I said that we people of the earth are interrelated and interconnected? How many times have I written that God is going to take his world back through people like you and me? Stay tuned!

The Summer Solstice begins June 21 as the Sun enters the moody, emotional rollercoaster, controlling sign of Cancer. On June 30 there is a Full Moon at 8 degrees of Capricorn so make sure you are being a bit more cautious with your financial nest egg as the sign of the Goat always demands its pound of flesh.

Mercury went retrograde Saturday June 16th at the 11th degree of Cancer and will go direct on Wednesday, July 11th at 2 degrees of Cancer. I only give you the temperature of the retrograde to let you Cancers know that you will be affected most by the Mercury retrograde along with Geminis and Virgos, signs ruled by Mercury. You know the drill about Mercury Retrograde.  I always like to give someone a second opinion, like one does when he gets a diagnosis from a medical doctor.  Here are a couple of tips from Ed Kluska, super astrologer, from Cincinnati, Ohio about Mercury Retrograde.

"Mercury Retrograde time periods are favorable for reflecting, reviewing and reconsidering as well as writing, research, meditation and problem solving. On the other hand, many people believe that everything is supposed to go wrong when Mercury’s retrograde.  It has become a handy scapegoat for mistakes and problems when in fact there may be far more significant factors operating in their horoscope and in the sky-at-large.  For example, many of the other planetary “events” discussed in my newsletters can be far more significant than Mercury Retrograde will ever be.

Mercury also rules anything to do with data and information and its transmission.  So during this time period, expect more “screwy things” to occur with: computers, software, data, messages, phone calls, cell phones, e-mails, faxes, text messages, cable TV, palm pilots, appointments, meetings, trips and lectures."

The other planets in retrograde are Jupiter in Sagittarius (its luck factor is diminished during retrograde), Uranus in Pisces (not as much sudden upsets under retrograde), Neptune in Aquarius (less confusion) and Pluto in Sagittarius (less unsettling phase).

Better days are ahead for Cancers under a New Moon at 21 degrees of Cancer on July 14th.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22)

You had better clear off your messy desk at work and clean up the kitchen at home—clean up and clear up but don’t air all your dirty laundry. Check your attitude because when the Moon is full on June 30th you may be in hot water with someone around the house or at work. Nobody is perfect even though you have a tendency to think you always are. With Mercury retrograde for three weeks in Cancer, you may want to slow down and double check your paperwork and monitor closely what comes out of your mouth. The good news is that if you have planned a family vacation or a getaway with your main squeeze, the harmony and peace and quiet visits you under a New Moon on July 16th. The best foot you can put forward is to keep the peace everywhere you go.

Leo (July 22 – August 22)

You lions and lionesses had better get your house in order, especially your financial matters—turn your red ink to black—before Venus leaves your sign July 15th; your chances for fiscal gains are always better when the gods smile on your money matters. Venus retrograde will diminish your chances at love and money for about seven weeks. And as far as your love life goes, Mars—the planet that rules your kind of impish behavior—is in Taurus which squares Leo. But never fear—I never saw a Leo who couldn’t talk his or her way into an affair to remember or out of one they’d live to regret. Business affairs for you Leos may be coming off a rocky road. If you avoid costly decisions while Mercury is retrograde you should roll snake eyes after July 10th.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22)

Ladies and gentlemen of the picky and critical variety, walk lightly and carry a packet of excuse me cards to hand out to the ones who find you shrill and abrasive. Mercury retrograde is doing you a bit of a favor with the retrograde in Cancer, a sign with whom you meld. But be aware of all the pitfalls of a Mercury gone haywire. Circle these dates: July 1, 9, 10, 13, 14, 17, 18, 22, 23—chances are good that the other zodiac animals will look past your analytical side on these dates and see the fun guy or gal hiding behind all that serious no-nonsense exterior. Reread Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and pay attention to the chapter Six Ways to Make People Like You.

Libra (September 23 – October 22)

This is an open call for all diplomats and purveyors of good taste and courtly manners, better known as balanced Librans. You know from experience that July is not your fertile ground month, but it is never a dry run for Scales of Justice types anytime or anywhere—you are the Zen masters of the zodiac so you know how to make do under the worst of aspects. Like Virgos before you, there are some better days than others and here are yours: July 2, 3, 11, 12, 15, 16, 20, 21, 25, 25, 30 and 31. No sign needs company more than you balancing act types, so I would suggest that you explore a different playground, take up a new hobby or say yes to a blind date. There are times in life when even a Libra needs to make up his or her mind to do something that takes them out of their comfort zone.

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)

The next time you examine your stinger to see if you have enough protective venom left to attack your enemies, consider this: Don’t trouble, trouble ‘til trouble troubles you. In other words since you have the sun on your side this month, give looking for enemies under every rock a rest and stop reading something devious into what your less-than-friendly rivals have to say. If I can talk you into peaceful coexistence you may want to roam around to see if there aren’t a few new friends to make your acquaintance. Pick your fights carefully this month because you Plutonian-ruled types are as compatible with Cancer as fraternity brothers and sorority sisters. Hell, why not have a good laugh and let the usual slights go right over your heads. Remember, you are always up for a little romance. Mild or wild, be prepared to pay the price for your id bumping up against your libido.

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 20)

Quit griping about the way the planets are messing with your free range chicken game plan. The Cancerian cycle never leaves you much room to move around because emotional roller coasters are not for you. You’re Johnny or Jane one note: fun! It’s fun all the time--are you going to stay in bed? Do your own thing—tear down all barriers to your foot loose and fancy free mind set. The only way you can win is to accept the fact that if you are going to find any solace this month it is to change you. Did it ever dawn on you that planetary movements affect how you feel and act? Keep a low profile and learn to play a board game. The Sun in Leo next month will kick you into high gear.

Capricorn (December 21 – January 19)

Don’t give me that dumb look like you don’t know that in the July cycle—with all the opposition an army would need to surrender and accept the terms of defeat — come out of your shell and prove to the world that a Capricorn knows how to play. Now is the time for you to put your best foot forward and come to terms with why you always seem to convince yourself and others that you’re okay as you are. Not! With all the stability and tenacity the law allows, you need to show your face and dance the last dance with the belle or the beau who is brave enough and smart enough for you. July is the right time and you’re in the best place to end up with the perfect fellow or femme fatale. Go on, get out there!

Aquarius (January 20 – February 17)

If you have been getting a lot of static interference lately you may have your head too far in the clouds. Perhaps it’s better with airy fairy delusional Neptune in your Sun sign to ground yourself with something basic like Economics 101—how to live on what you make, unless where you work is not paying for essentials. This is a wake-up call to evaluate where you live and where you work, who you hang out with and what you do. You Water Bearers are famous to care for the misbegotten and the underfed. But before you get too deep into philanthropy, be advised that you can’t give away something you haven’t got. Hook up with something or somebody this month that’s a little more basic than you are.

Pisces (February 18 – March 20)

On your mark, get set … oops, I forgot to tell you that Uranus is still around and may be about to pull the rug out from under your tootsies. We started to call this month a foot race because we forgot that no one gets along better with watery Cancer than does the Fish; it’s no race, it’s a love fest. The Full Moon and the New Moon are both making purring sounds to pull you into the fun game of life. This may be the time of year to go steady—you know—settle down with one person—let them get to know the real you (God forbid) rather than being lost in the crowd of one-night stands. Hang out—devil-may-care—live a little. But you had better be careful—the man or woman you have chosen for your lover of the month may be a “player”, or worse yet, have your tendency to lose interest after a hot week-end. A better idea than settling down: find a good old fashioned workshop on “How to Live with the Only One who can Make you Happy—You!”

Aries (March 21 – April 20)

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. The Indy 500 may have come and gone but the stars are just warming you up for the ride of your life. Boys and girls, check your tanks and make sure you’ve got enough gas for what could be a thrilling but bumpy car chase. Saturn in Leo and Jupiter/Pluto in Sagittarius are conspiring to give you an exhilarating month of people, places and things that will have you seeing star dust.  Just because Cancer is known to be the penultimate water sign don’t let it rain on your jam-packed parade. The only warning you’ll get out of me is if your still small voice is telling you to throw caution to the wind and place your bets willy nilly, make sure you ask the voice who’s going to pay for all your hasty mistakes. What the hell, you only live once and you are known to make a silk purse out of rough cloth.

Taurus (April 21 – May 20)

As long as you don’t let Mars in Taurus make you too sensitive and thin-skinned this month you are going to be able to move mountains, or better yet break ground for the home of your dreams. The stars are forecasting sunny skies for all your home and hearth desires. Since you are known to take a long time to make up your mind and even slower to pay for what you order, Mercury retrograde is a good excuse to move into a slower lane with your development plans. No, I suggest you stop what you are doing.  Review the blueprints and take a few more trips with the decorator to get what you will be able to sit on and live with for a long time.  In a little over two weeks you can pick up pace with your showstopper house plans.  Oh, and don’t forget to let the one you love weigh in on what he or she would like to see in the new palace.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20)

After having had such a fabulous May and June, in July the band is going to play a different tune—which means that you’ll have a chance to slow down to catch your breath. I know you think you can go anywhere, do anything—even get by with murder—“who doesn’t love a Gemini,” he says, she says. It may come as a shock to you but not everybody changes their mind as fast and as often as you do. This is our way of saying, sit out this dance and recharge for Leo next month. Then you can be the conductor and make music wherever and whenever. If you knew a little more about astrology than reading this column, you would understand that the planets are not exactly in your corner this month. Why not have a silent week-end or practice learning to listen and listening to learn?

Moment to Moment

Recently I had the fortunate opportunity to travel to Tanzania, Africa on a week long tent photo safari.  This trip may have been the longest week of my life—in the most incredible way!  Time stopped.  I was in awe of what surrounded me.  The sights, smells and sounds were overwhelming.  I didn’t have anything to worry about.  Every moment was completely captivating.  I began to realize how much there is to experience in such a short amount of time, not only in that week, but in life.