Celebrating Taurus

April 21 through May 21

It's so appropriate that Earth Day falls on April 22, after the sun has moved into the sign of Taurus.

Taurus is a fixed earth sign, and people born under its influence are typically described as "down to earth". Many, like my mother, have green thumbs and enjoy gardening. My mom loved nothing more than to get outside and dig her hands in the soil. I remember helping her plant tulip and daffodil bulbs when we lived back east. I never enjoyed it as much as she did, but it was fun to watch the flowers bloom come spring.

Taureans tend to be homebodies, not wanderers like Sagittarius, and their homes are often havens of peace and tranquility. My mother, the Taurus, hated to move more than anyone I ever knew. Unfortunately, she married a Scorpio afflicted with the Wanderlust. (He had some Sagittarian influences in his chart.) Generally, Taurus and Scorpio are a good match, and other compatible signs include Virgo and Capricorn, the other two earth signs, plus water signs Pisces and Cancer.

Taurus is "feminine" sign ruled by Venus so there's a sensual, "earthy" side to the sign. Taureans love beauty and all sensual experiences. They can be quite easy going, but watch out when they get riled up.

Is there a Taurus in your life?

Linda

For more about Taurus, check out this page at astrology.com.

Welcoming Spring and Celebrating Aries

Spring began officially yesterday, March 20, as the sun moved into the zodiacal sign of Aries. This is the beginning of the astrological year, so Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac.

As such, Aries is considered the "baby" of all the signs. It's the one that represents individualism and ego. People born under this sign are sometimes thought to be self-centered, just as the infant thinks himself the center of the universe, as he or she indeed is. Personally, I don't think people born under the sign of Aries are any more infantile or self-centered than other signs, but maybe I'm biased since this is my sun sign. Aries isn't the only one who likes to be the center of attention, right, Leo? Hm, maybe that's why my cousin Beverly and I didn't get along as children. (She's a Leo.)

Aries's symbol is the Ram, its ruler is Mars, and it's a cardinal fire sign, so there's often nothing subtle about Aries, and women born under this sign are no exception. Consider Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. It's also interesting that the actresses who played Xena and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are both Aries. People born under the sign do kind of tend to go after what they want in a single-minded, head down, look out kind of way. It's a good thing the Ram has strong horns. Aries people can be headstrong, impulsive, and hot-tempered, but also warm-hearted, generous and idealistic.

Compatible signs include the other fire signs, Leo and Sagittarius, and the air signs of Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. I married an Aquarian and it's a pretty good match. His rational calm keeps me from racing off the edge of a cliff, while my need to get out and go keeps him from falling into too much of a rut!

Famous people born under the sign of Aries include Otto Von Bismark, Marlon Brando, Charlie Chaplin, Russell Crowe, Sarah Michelle Geller, Harry Houdini, Thomas Jefferson, Ahley Judd, Lucy Lawless, Clare Booth Luce, Nikita Khrushev, Eugene McCarthy, Andrew Mellon, J. P. Morgan, Gloria Swanson, Vincent Van Gogh, Werner Von Braun and Tennessee Williams.

Is there an Aries in your life?

Linda

PS Apologies to my Pisces friends for missing your sign last month. I'll try to do better next year.

Click here for more information about Aries.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today is the beginning of the Chinese new year. The holiday, known as the Spring Festival, begins on the first day of the first lunar month and ends on the 15th day, called Lantern Festival. This is a major holiday for the Chinese and is also celebrated in places with large ethnic Chinese populations like California. It's also celebrated in other Asian nations that have been influenced by China, like Vietnam where the holiday is known as Tet (yes, as in Tet Offensive).

Chinese New Year is celebrated with dragon dances and fireworks.

Red is the color associated with the holiday because of the belief that red chases away evil spirits and bad fortune.

In Chinese astrology, 2009 is the Year of the Ox and it is a Yin Earth year. Since the ox is described as calm and steady, dare we hope for a less volatile year than the last one which was a Year of the Rat? I do hope so.

My friend Teresa tells me that on Chinese New Year's eve you are supposed to eat fish so you'll float into the new year on a sea of prosperity. On New Year's Day you're supposed to wear new clothes so you can start the year with a clean slate. I like these ideas, just wish I'd had a chance to plan ahead a little more. Actually, Teresa had told me some of this before the end of 2008 so I had clam chowder on New Year's Eve to ensure prosperity in 2009. Hope it worked.

Linda

Wikipedia has lots of information on the holiday and on Chinese astrology. The photos are from my trip to Portland's Chinese Garden last March. (Note: link to Teresa's blog added at 10:40AM)

Astrology: Aquarius plus Mercury Retrograde

First, let me apologize to my Sagittarius and Capricorn friends for neglecting them these last two months. Since my back problems started in September, my blog posts have dwindled to about three per month. I'm in physical therapy now and slowly getting better, but I'm still not supposed to sit for more than twenty minutes at a time, which makes it a little hard to focus on much of anything. I'll try to do better in the blogging department, but with no guarantees.

January 20 saw the sun move into Aquarius as well as the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States: Barack Hussein Obama. An auspicious occasion for all, but not without its glitches. Even the president can't avoid the consequences of Mercury Retrograde as we saw when the oath was taken late (after 12 Noon) and the words were garbled. Liz Rose wrote a good post about this at Huffington Post entitled Even Obama Must Contend With Mercury Retrograde. She concludes that this is a "a poor time to communicate and make initial decisions but a great time to review, reconsider and redo." Mercury goes direct on Feb. 8. Personally, I can't wait.

Now back to Aquarius, the eleventh sign of the Zodiac, and one of only two symbolized by a human: the water bearer. A masculine, fixed, air sign, Aquarius was originally thought to be ruled by Saturn (along with the sign Capricorn) but modern astrologers assign it to Uranus, and I think it's a good fit. The dual rulership means that Aquarians can be very forward thinking, even visionary (Uranus plus air sign), but may yet be rigid in their opinions (Saturn plus fixed sign). That doesn't mean we'll find balance here. Some Aquarians are reformers who change the status quo (Abraham Lincoln, for instance) while others, like Ronald Reagan, are unabashed conservatives. Uranus is given to extremes and the same can be true of Aquarius. The Saturn Uranus combination doesn't necessarily make for an easy partnership.

Aquarians are caught between innovation and practicality. How this works out in the individual is represented by other aspects in the chart. For instance, Mercury in Capricorn or strong aspects from Saturn can keep the Aquarian down to earth while Mercury in Pisces or strong aspects from Neptune can send him soaring to the stars. Linda Goodman describes the typical Aquarian as "half Albert Schweitzer, half Mickey Mouse".

In any case, being a fixed air sign means Aquarians can be quite fixed in their ideas and impatient with others who disagree or fail to follow their rapid thought processes. They can also be quite outspoken. My husband's favorite mantra is "I never apologize for speaking the truth". Of course, that's the truth as he sees it. :)

For more information on Aquarius, go to http://www.astrology.com/allaboutyou/sunsigns/aquarius.html

Is there an Aquarian in your life?

Linda

Happy Belated Birthday, Scorpio

Scorpio was a recent Urban Word of the Day, which reminded me I'm late with my monthly astrology post. Here's the Urban Dictionarydefinition of the word:

Scorpios are sensual, sexy and mesmerizing. they're loyal and sweet to the very end. they're highly intelligent have a quick wit. All the Scorpios I know are adventurous, curious and very loving.

damn that wendy girl is hot! she must be a scorpio!

In astrological circles, Scorpio definitely has a reputation as one of the sexier signs. Scorpio's passion is legendary, and not just in matters of the heart. Your average Scorpio will throw himself into whatever interests him with abandon. (Like her or not, after this year's primary election, I doubt anyone will dispute Scorpio Hillary Clinton's passion for politics.) Scorpio intensity can be either intimidating or mesmerizing and can be used for good or ill. Consider the fact that Billy Graham, Leon Trotsky and Senator Joseph McCarthy were all Scorpios. One used his powers of persuasion to bring people to God, one to foment revolution and the latter conducted a modern-day witch hunt. All were forces to be reckoned with.

Other famous Scorpios include Sarah Bernhardt, Charles Atlas, Johnny Carson, Kevin Kline, Pablo Picasso, Jaclyn Smith, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, Jonas Salk, John Cleese, Bill Gates, Richard Dreyfuss, Winona Ryder, Kate Jackson, Truman Capote, Henry Winkler, Harry Hamlin, Dan Rather, Steven Crane, Larry Flint, Marie Antoinette, Burt Lancaster, Pat Buchanan, sex researcher Shere Hite, Roseanne Arnold, Will Rogers, Loretta Swit, Vivian Leight, Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon, Tatum O'Neal, Sally Field, Maria Shriver, Marie Curie, Albert Camus, Bill Graham, Katherine Hepburn, Bonnie Raitt, Hedy Lamarr, Richard Burton, General George Patton, Kurt Vonegut, Demi Moore, Grace Kelly, Whoopi Goldberg, Prince Charles, Ed Asner, Rock Hudson, Martin Scorsese, Martin Luther, Indira Gandhi, Ted Turner, Jody Foster, Robert F. Kennedy and Presidents James K Polk, James Garfield, Theodore Roosevelt, and Warren G. Harding.

My apologies to my Scorpio friends for being late with this post and to all my blogger friends for not visiting their blogs as often. I hope to get back to regular blogging some day soon. The back is improving, but it's a slow process.

Linda

Happy Birthday, Libra!

I can't believe it has been a year since I started doing my monthly astrology blogs, but here we are, a year later. The sun enters Libra at the Autumnal Equinox when the days and nights are of equal length. Libra's symbol is the Scales, the only inanimate object to represent a sign.

Note: Most signs are represented by animals, but two are human: Virgo the Virgin and Aquarius, the Water Bearer. Sagittarius, the Archer, is reprsented by the Centaur, a mythical being.

Libra, the seventh sign of the Zodiac, represents balance and harmony. In the natal chart, the seventh house is the sign for matrimony. However, as we all know, balance in life, or marimony, is never static but something to strive for. Venus rules the sign of Libra, as well as the sign of Taurus. Though Venus energy is typically seen as feminine, Libra is a "masculine" sign in the zodiacal system. Personally, I don't give much credence to the masculine/feminine designations for the signs, but traditionally this is what's done.

Libras have a reputation for indecisiveness as they weigh the pros and cons of everything, alway seeking the balance and harmony in life. Libras value fairness, justice and beauty; they dislike conflict and vulgarity. On the positive side, they can be diplomatic, idealistic, trusting, romantic, charming, and sensitive. On the negative side, they can also be manipulative or gullible, unreliable, or frivolous. In romance, they are supposed to be most compatible with the other air signs of Gemini and Aquarius, and with the fire signs, Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.

For more on Libra, go to http://www.astrology-online.com/libra.htm.

Is there a Libra in your life?

Linda

Happy Birthday, Virgo!

Virgo is the sign of the virgin, but in these modern times, don't take that too literally. The sign is generally symbolized by a young woman in a toga, sometimes with a sheaf of wheat in her arms. Virgo is sometimes associated with Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Persephone was kidnapped by Hades where she spent part of the year as Queen of the Underworld.

Ruled by Mercury, Virgo is thoughtful, practical, analytical and often serious, but with Mercurial charm and wit. Bob Newhart is probably the quintessential Virgo comedian with his sly, dry wit and understated persona. On the negative side, the sign can be "fussy, prissy and dogmatic", as Linda Goodman puts it. But lest anyone think Virgos can't be sexy, consider this list of actors and actresses born under the sign: Lauren Bacall, Anne Bancroft, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Greta Garbo, Richard Gere, Mark Harmon, Sophia Loren, Cliff Robertson, Charlie Sheen and Raquel Welch!

Virgo is an Earth sign, hence the practicality, but since it's also a mutable sign, Virgos are more adaptable than their fellow earth signs, Taurus and Capricorn. As the sixth sign, Virgo rules over sixth house matters, specifically health and medicine. Virgo colors are green and brown, fitting for an earth sign. Virgo's gemstone (or starstone) is variously given as the sapphire or sardonyx.

Other famous Virgos include Agatha Christie, Elvis Costello, Queen Elizabeth I (the Virgin Queen), Gloria Estefan, Goethe, O. Henry, Buddy Holly, Ivan the Terrible, Michael Jackson, King Louis XIV, President Lyndon Johnson, the Marquis de Lafayette, D. H. Lawrence, H. L. Mencken, Margaret Sanger, Peter Sellers, President William Howard Taft, and Mother Teresa.

Is there a Virgo in your life?

Linda

Links to articles on Virgo:

http://www.astrology-online.com/virgo.htm

http://www.astrologycom.com/virgo.html

http://www.astrology-insight.com/virgo.htm

Happy Birthday, Leo (July 23 - August 22)

Leo is one of my favorite signs, probably because my Moon is in Leo, so I usually get along well with people born under this sign. (The one exception being my only first cousin but that's not a story I want to get into here.)

A fire sign ruled by the Sun, Leo is represented by the Lion and is known for his warmth and flamboyance, his ego and his temper. After all, the lion is king of the jungle and loves being the center of attention. Consider the reports that Bill Clinton, a Leo, stole the stage from his Scorpio wife while she was running for the Democratic nomination for president. He couldn't help it; he's a Leo. People born under this sign are natural leaders with a flair for the dramatic. Leos are warm, generous and friendly, but they can also be arrogant and self-centered.

It's rare, though not impossible, to find an introverted Leo, but chances are he secretly dreams of being king. As always, a lot depends on the individual chart. Leo is a fixed sign, so Leos can get a bit set in their ways or even authoritarian. The sign rules the heart, both literally and figuratively. In the natal chart, the fifth house rules love and romance, but on a more serious note, Leos can be susceptible to heart disease.

Given Leo's flair for drama and penchant for the limelight, it's no surprise to find a lot of familiar show biz names in any list of famous Leos, including Gracie Allen, Lucille Ball, Ethel Barrymore, Bill "Count" Basie, Clara Bow, Walter Brennan, Arlene Dahl, Eddie Fisher, Olympic skating champions Peggie Fleming and Dorothy Hamill, director Alfred Hitchcock, rockers Jerry Garcia and Mick Jagger, Peter O'Toole, Arnold Schwarzenegger, playwright George Bernard Shaw, Martin Sheen, Wesley Snipes, Robert Taylor and the marvelous Mae West, who provides a quintessential archetype for the lioness.

Other famous people born under this sign include emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, poets Robert Burns and Ogden Nash, dictators Fidel Castro and Benito Mussolini, pioneering pilot Amelia Earhart, authors Emily Bronte, John Galsworthy, Aldous Huxley, Dorothy Parker, Sir Walter Scott and Percy Bysse Shelley, pioneering psychiatrist Carl Jung, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Princess Margaret, and Sydney Omarr, astrologer to the Hollywood stars.

You can find a list of more famous Leos http://www.ecentral.com/astra/fleo.html here and more information about the sign at http://www.cafeastrology.com/zodiacleo.html Cafe Astrology .com

Is there a Leo in your life?

Linda

Happy Birthday, Cancer!

Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, as well as the day the sun enters Cancer, the fourth sign of the Zodiac. Cancer is ruled by the Moon and sometimes people born under this sign are referred to as Moon Children.

Like their symbol, the crab, Cancerians can have a hard shell, but underneath you'll usually find a softy. Cancer is a cardinal water sign and Cancerians can be very emotional, even moody, but don't be fooled by the unassuming manner. Moon children enjoy being the center of attention as much as any Leo, and they can be quite determined when they've got a head of steam up about something. They're also fiercely protective of family and friends, and will stick with them to the end.

In the horoscope, the fourth house represents home, and Cancerians are known for being homebodies. Their homes are very important to them, and some display real nesting qualities. This sign also rules the stomach and Moon Children will often have sensitive digestive systems.

For more information, click here: http://www.astrologycom.com/cancer.html

Famous people born under this sign include Presidents John Quincy Adams, Calvin Coolidge and George W. Bush, also Julius Caesar, James Cagney, George M. Cohan, Tom Cruise, John Cusack, Phyllis Diller, Will Ferrell, astronaut John Glenn, Oscar Hammerstein, King Henry VIII (I'd have put money on him being a Leo), Helen Keller, the Dalai Lama, Ann Landers, Lindsey Lohan, Nancy Reagan, Rembrand, John D. and Nelson Rockefeller, Barbara Stanwyck, Ringo Starr, Thoreau, Liv Tyler, Abigail Van Buren and Robin Williams..

Cancer is considered to be most compatible with the other water signs, Scorpio and Pisces, and the earth signs: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. As always, much depends on the individual's chart.

Is there a Moon Child in your life?

Linda

Happy Birthday, Gemini

I'm a couple of days late with this and Mercury isn't even retrograde yet! Not until May 26 anyway.

Gemini is symbolized by twins, and the dual nature of those born under the sign is legendary, though not always obvious. I did have a Gemini boss once, though, who exhibited this quality. Whenever one of the engineers needed to talk to him, he'd first approach the boss's secretary to inquire: "Who's in today, Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?"

Most Geminis aren't that schizophrenic, though some are. Take Gemini Marilyn Monroe, for instance, a sex goddess with a vulnerable, "little girl lost" quality. Men wanted to make love to her; women wanted to take her home and mother her. Her death saddened all of us. Another example is Angelina Jolie, another sex goddess known for her humanitarian work.

Gemini is a mutable air sign ruled by the planet Mercury, and the word "mercurial" was invented for people born under this sign. They are clever, versatile, changeable, impatient and easily bored. Geminis tend to think and talk fast, and just try keeping up with them when the ideas get to flashing quick and fast. Theirs is often a restless nature, and stick-to-it-ive-ness may not be a strong suit. Mercury rules writing and communications, and there seem to be an unusual number of writers in this month's list of famous personalities. Mercury's birthstone is variously listed as the aquamarine or the agate, both of which reflect different colors, in keeping with Gemini's changeability.

Famous people born under the sign include Johnny Depp, mobster John Dillinger, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Bob Dylan, the Duke of Edinburgh, Senator John Edwards, Ian Fleming, Errol Flynn, Michael J. Fox, Morgan Freeman, Judy Garland, Paul Gaugain, Thomas Hardy, Bob Hope, Angelina Jolie, Al Jolson, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Paul McCartny, Marilyn Monroe, Cole Porter, Rosalind Russell, Brooke Shields, Wallis Simpson, director Michael Todd, Rudolph Valentino, Walt Whitman, Frank Lloyd Wright and Brigham Young. More Gemini personalities can be found here.

Gemini is considered to be most compatible with the other air signs, Libra and Aquarius and with the fire signs: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. As always, much depends on the individual's chart.

Do you have a Gemini in your life?

Linda

Was William Shakespeare a Taurus?

A few days ago, I wrote a post on the zodiac Taurus and listed William Shakespeare as a famous person born under the sign. Since then I've delved a little deeper and learned that although April 23 is widely accepted as Will's birthday, no one really knows when he was born. What we do know is that he was christened at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, 1564. Since the sun enters Taurus on or about April 20, chances are good that he was a Taurus, but if he was born a day earlier, he'd be an Aries.

Are there any clues in his works, I wondered. Clearly, he was a romantic, as evidenced by his sonnets and many of his plays. That indicates someone ruled by Venus. On the other hand, he loved a good sword fight, at least in his plays, and wrote movingly of King Hal leading his men into battle in Henry V. "Once more unto the breach..." So I'd say he was influenced by both Venus and Mars and probably had a planet or two in Aries, as well.

I've seen his plays performed on stage and watched some of the movies. Being a romantic myself, I love the comedies and romantic plays like Romeo and Juliet best. The Zeffirelli version of Romeo and Juliet is just beautiful and I love the score. I'd have to say, though, that A Midsummer Night's Dream is my favorite of all his works. It's so silly and funny and wildly creative.

What's your favorite Shakespeare work?

Linda

Happy Birthday, Taurus

Do you remember Ferdinand the Bull, from the story by Munro Leaf and the Disney cartoon? Ferdinand was the bull who prefer to smell the flowers rather than fight in the bull ring. Well, Ferdinand was a perfect metaphor for the sign of Taurus.

In real life, the bull is a symbol or power and potency, but the sun sign Taurus is a "feminine" sign ruled by Venus, the love planet. Like the bull, Taurus is slow to anger, but dangerous when provoked. My mother was a Taurus, and while she was usually quite easy-going, I learned that she was a force to be reckoned with on the rare occasions she lost her temper. Most of the time she played peacekeeper, a role much needed in a household containing two Scorpios and an Aries!

Taurus is a fixed, earth sign. My mother wasn't crazy about change, but she sure had a green thumb. She could make almost anything grow and loved to garden. Like most people born under the sign, she had a lot of patience, but could be stubborn. It's a fixed sign, after all. The typical Taurus has a love of beauty combined with exquisite taste. My mom used to joke about having champagne tastes on a beer pocketbook. But being a practical Taurus, she never spent more money than she had. (Taurus can be notoriously tight-fisted, but also good at managing other people's money.)

Taurus can be a loving, peaceful companion. Compatible signs include the other earth signs of Virgo and Capricorn as well as the water signs Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

Taurus often has a musical or artistic bent. My mother loved music and had a lovely singing voice, which I, alas, did not inherit. Famous people born under the sign include Fred Astaire, Lionel Barrymore, Johannes Brahms, Catherine the Great, Gary Cooper, Oliver Cromwell, Bing Crosby, Elizabeth II, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Henry Fonda, ballerina Margot Fontyn, Sigmund Freud, Ulysses Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Adolph Hitler, Willie Mays, Vladimir Nobokov, Robespierre, William Shakespeare, Barbra Streisand, Shirley Temple, Harry S. Truman and Orson Welles.

Is there a Taurus in your life?

Linda

Happy Birthday, Aries

Finally, we get around to my sun sign. :D

Today is the first day of spring, also known as the Vernal Equinox, and the day the sun enters Aries. Since Aries is the first sign, it's known as the baby of the Zodiac, which some astrologers take to mean Aries thinks he's the center of the universe. I don't like to take the "infant" analogy very far, though Aries Nikita Khrushchev did bang his shoe on a table at the U.N. when he wanted attention! However, I don't think people born under this sign are any more infantile or self-centered than other signs, but maybe I'm biased.

Aries' symbol is the Ram, its ruler is Mars, and it's a cardinal fire sign, so there's often nothing subtle about Aries, and women born under this sign are no exception. Consider Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. It's also interesting that the actresses who played Xena and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are both Aries. People born under the sign do kind of tend to go after what they want in a single-minded, head down, "damn the torpedoes" kind of way. It's a good thing the Ram has strong horns. Aries people can be headstrong, impulsive, and hot-tempered, but also warm-hearted, generous and idealistic.

Compatible signs include the other fire signs, Leo and Sagittarius, and the air signs of Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. I married an Aquarian and it's a pretty good match. His rational calm keeps me from racing off the edge of a cliff, while my need to get out and go keeps him from falling into too much of a rut!

Famous people born under the sign of Aries include Otto Von Bismark, Marlon Brando, Charlie Chaplin, Russell Crowe, Sarah Michelle Geller, Harry Houdini, Thomas Jefferson, Ahley Judd, Lucy Lawless, Clare Booth Luce, Eugene McCarthy, Andrew Mellon, J. P. Morgan, Gloria Swanson, Vincent Van Gogh, Werner Von Braun and Tennessee Williams.

Linda / Lyndi

Go With The Flow: More on Pisces

I don't know who came up with the slogan "Go with the flow" but it could be the unofficial slogan for the sign of Pisces. As a mutable water sign, Pisces can be pretty hard to pin down. Conventional wisdom says that the best matches for Pisces are the other water signs of Cancer & Scorpio and the earth signs: Taurus, Virgo & Capricorn. I can see how someone born under an earth sign could act as an anchor for a Pisces, but I can also imagine that the Piscean tendency to go with the flow could be a bit difficult for a more practical-minded earth sign to understand.

In looking at a list of famous people born under this sign, I noticed that it seems to include more than the usual number of creative people. Here are some famous Pisceans:


Edward Albee, playwright
Harry Belafonte, singer
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poet
Sir Richard Francis Burton, explorer & translater of the Kama Sutra into English*
Frederick Chopin, composer
Grover Cleveland, president
Albert Einstein, mathematician
Georg Handel, composer
Victor Hugo, novelist
Senator Edward Kennedy
James Madison, president
Michelangelo, artist & sculptor
Zero Mostel, comedian
Vaslev Najinsky, ballet dancer
Rudolf Nureyev, ballet dancer
Auguste Renoir, artist
Rimsky-Korsakov, composer
Dinah Shore, singer
Anthony Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowdon, photographer
John Steinbeck, novelist
Elizabeth Taylor, actress
Earl Warren, governor & chief justice of the Supreme Court
George Washington, president

* Richard Burton was the first Western explorer to trace the source of the Nile, so how's that for a literal example of a Pisces going upstream!

Linda / Lyndi

Happy Birthday, Pisces!

Pisces is the 12th sign of the Zodiac and thus represents the end of the human journey through life that starts with Aries. Does that mean every Pisces has absorbed the wisdom of the ages? Not exactly, though there have been some extraordinary people born under this sign, like Michelangelo and Albert Einstein.

Pisceans tend to be creative and intuitive, often artistic, charming, good-natured, compassionate and free-spirited. Not that you won't occasionally meet a sarcastic, acid-tongued fish. The sign is ruled by Neptune, god of the seas, and as the tides ebb and flow, so does the moods and energy of the Piscean.

The sign's symbol is that of two fish swimming in opposite directions. Or are they swimming in a circle? Sometimes it can seem that way. Pisceans aren't generally known for their ambition, but they can be single minded. While it's all too easy to get distracted by all the pretty coral in the ocean and the sandy beaches and sunlight, salmon are driven to swim upstream to spawn, often against tremendous obstacles.

In her classic book on Sun Signs, Linda Goodman says that the fish facing in different directions represents a choice not a dual nature. Pisces will be tempted to swim downstream, after all, it's easier, but "to swim upstream is the challenge of Pisces -- and the only way he ever finds true peace and happiness." *

Watch for more on Pisces in the next couple of posts.

Linda / Lyndi

Happy Birthday, Aquarius!

I'm a little late with my birthday wishes this month, since the sun entered Aquarius on January 20. Let blame Mars being in retrograde, at least for a few more days. The good news is it goes direct on Jan. 30, so if you've felt like you're being held back by some unseen force, you can expect that to ease in the next week or so.

Speaking of retrogrades, the bad news is that Mercury goes retrograde on the 28th, so don't be surprised if communications and travel go awry for a few weeks. It goes direct on Feb. 19.

Getting back to our main topic, Aquarius, the Water Bearer, is one of my favorite signs. Maybe that's because I'm married to one, but it's also because Aquarius is compatible with my own sign of Aries.

Aquarius is an air sign and people born under this sign are thinkers. The sign is ruled by Uranus, however, so don't expect conventional wisdom from an Aquarian. They tend to be free thinkers, but since it's also a fixed sign, Aquarians are caught between innovation and practicality. How this works out in the individual is represented by other aspects in the chart. For instance, Mercury in Capricorn or strong aspects from Saturn can keep the Aquarian down to earth while Mercury in Pisces or strong aspects from Neptune can send him soaring to the stars. Linda Goodman describes the typical Aquarian as "half Albert Schweitzer, half Mickey Mouse".

In any case, being a fixed air sign means Aquarians can be quite fixed in their ideas and impatient with others who disagree or fail to follow their rapid thought processes. They can also be quite outspoken. My husband's favorite mantra is "I never apologize for speaking the truth". Of course, that's the truth as he sees it. :)

In the natal chart, the eleventh house represents friends and Aquarius is the eleventh sign, so many of them have an active social conscience. They know it's really about us, not just me. That's why the Age of Aquarius is supposed to usher in an era of peace. We've been waiting a long time for that, and I hope it actually happens one of these days.

Famous Aquarians include: Francis Bacon, Helen Gurley Brown, Lord Byron, Lewis Carroll, Colette, Charles Darwin, Angela Davis, Thomas Edison, Betty Friedan, Galileo, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Lindbergh, Somerset Maughm, Mozart, Paul Newman, Yoko Ono, Leontyne Price, Ronald Reagan, Vanessa Redgrave, Norman Rockwell, Franklin Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, Oprah Winfrey and Virginia Woolf

For more on Aquarius, go to http://www.astrology.com/allaboutyou/sunsigns/aquarius.html

Linda

Happy Birthday, Capricorn!

The sun enters the sign of Capricorn at the Winter Solstice and stays there until app. Jan. 19.

This sign is represented by the goat and the wise old man, like the symbol of Father Time we sometimes see at New Year's. Capricorns are sometimes thought to be "born old" as they tend to be very serious minded. They're also known for their ambition. No one climbs to the top of the mountain quite like the goat!

The planet Saturn, father of the gods in Roman mythology, rules Capricorn, and the Romans celebrated the Winter Solstice as Saturnalia. Saturn is the taskmaster of astrology. Hard work is rewarded and luck plays no part in it, a lesson Capricorns usually learn at an early age.

Capricorn is a cardinal sign, meaning an initiator of action, and an earth signing, meaning down-to-earth, practical action. You won't find many dreamers here, unless, perhaps, the natal moon sign is in Pisces or conjunct Neptune. Of course there's always an exception. John Denver, Elvis Presley, Rod Serling and J. R. R. Tolkien were Capricorns.

When it comes to romance, Capricorns are considered to be most compatible with other earth signs, Taurus and Virgo, or the water signs, Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio. Of course, much depends on other aspects of the chart.

More famous Capricorns include Clara Barton, Robert Bly, Humphrey Bogart, Pablo Casals, Benjamin Franklin (talk about a wise old man!), Barry Goldwater, Alexander Hamilton, Lady Bird Johnson, Isaac Newton, Mao Tse Tung, Richard Nixon, Louis Pasteur, Edgar Allen Poe, Albert Schweitzer, Denzel Washington, Woodrow Wilson, and Loretta Young.

Happy Holidays!

Linda

Happy Birthday, Sagittarius!

(Note: Due to time restrictions, this is a slightly revised reprint of my Sagittarius post from last year.)

If sun signs had theme songs, the Archer's would be "Don't Fence Me In". Or perhaps, "I've Gotta Be Me", sung by Sagittarian Sammy Davis, Jr. Or Billy Joel's "It's My Life". Sagittarians hate to be tied down and they don't like being told what to do.

Sag is a fire sign and people born under this sign tend to be warm and generous, enthusiastic, more than a bit restless, and occasionally a little too truthful. Satittarius has a reputation for putting his foot in his mouth, albeit unintentionally. He never means to hurt or offend, but as it is thought, it is often spoken. (Aries sometimes shares this tendency, as I know all too well.) If you ask a Sagitarrian for an opinion, prepare to hear the truth as she sees it. You'll get nothing less.

The ninth sign of the Zodiac, Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of luck, and represented by a centaur carrying a bow and arrow. In the natal chart, the ninth house represents long distance travel, higher education and religion. Sagittarius can be quite spiritual, though not always in a traditional way. They usually love to travel and can be impatient.

When it comes to matters of the heart, Sagittarius considered to be most compatible with the other fire signs, Aries and Leo, and the air signs of Libra, Aquarius and Gemini. (In nature, air fans a flame, while earth and water can put it out.) In real life, things are never quite so simple, of course.

Famous Sagittarians include Beethoven, Maria Callas, Andrew Carnegie, Winston Churchill, Noel Coward, Sammy Davis, Walt Disney, Mary Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Mark Twain.

For more on the sign, go to: http://www.astrology.com/allaboutyou/sunsigns/sagittarius3.html

Linda / Lyndi

Happy Birthday Scorpio!

Congratulations, you were born under the influence of the most fascinating (and misunderstood) of all the signs. Scorpios are said to be passionate yet controlled, sexy, secretive, vengeful and strong-willed. I once heard a Scorpio woman say, "I don't hold a grudge; once I get even!"

Is Scorpio's reputation justified?

Well, yes and no. In astrology, the sun sign is never the whole story. The other planets and Rising Sign or Ascendant (the sign ruling the first house of your individual chart) will modify the influence of your sun sign.

Scorpio is the eighth sign of the Zodiac and is represented by the Scorpion, a creature whose sting can paralyze its victims. Astrologers also list the eagle and the gray lizard as symbols of Scorpio. The eagle represents the noble side of this complex sign.

Originally Scorpio was ruled by Mars, the planet named for the Roman god of war. Though modern astrologers now say Pluto rules scorpio, it's true that a number of famous warriors were born under the sign of Scorpio, including General George Patton and his chief rival in North Africa, Feld Marshal Erwin Rommel.

The eighth house of the chart rules sex, among other things, and there's no denying the sexual aura of some Scorpios. Welsh actor Richard Burton was a Scorpio with a mesmerizing screen presence. It was partly his marvelous speaking voice, but there was something about his eyes that drew your attention. My mother was crazy about him, despite his personal problems with womanizing and alcoholism. She called him "a fascinating devil" and I have to agree.

Scorpio is a fixed water sign, and as my maternal grandmother used to say, "Still waters run deep and the devil's at the bottom". Fixed water can mean a calm pool or an iceberg. Scorpio Grace Kelly always seemed cool and composed, regardless of circumstances. And speaking of sexual aura, Grace had it in spades. Other self-contained Scorpios, like Senator Hillary Clinton, are sometimes accused of being cold when they don't open up easily to strangers. Marie Antionette, of "let them eat cake" fame, was a Scorpio.

Did I mention that Scorpios don't trust easily, and once their trust is betrayed, they find it hard to forgive? Scorpio's prayer is: Forgive our trespassers, even if the bastards don't deserve it.

I grew up with two Scorpios, my dad and his mother, who occupied the lower floor of our duplex. Their birth dates were a week apart, and being Scorpio, they both wanted to be both. Living in the same house meant a constant power struggle between them, with my poor Taurus mom caught in the middle, playing peacemaker. Not that Grandma was overt in her attempts to control my dad. That wasn't her style. My mother often described her as "the iron fist in the velvet glove". An Aries like me may go at things full tilt and damn the torpedoes, but Scorpio usually takes a more subtle approach.

When I was little, my dad decided to make wine in the basement, which horrified my grandmother who was a member of the WCTU. "What will my friends say?" she asked my mother. "Can't you do something?" My mother just shrugged and said, "Have you ever been able to stop him when he's made up his mind to do something?" LOL, Grandma said no, but that wasn't exactly true. There were times when she was able to exert control. Like a said, a constant power struggle. It wasn't that they didn't love each other. They were just too much alike to live together comfortably.

When it comes to compatibility, conventional astrological wisdom says that the best choices for Scorpio are the other water signs, Cancer and Pisces, and the earth signs of Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. It's interesting the Scorpio Prince Charles married two women born under the sign of Cancer. (Yes, believe it or not, Princess Diana and Camilla Parker-Bowles shared the same sun sign.) Fire and air signs are considered astrologically incompatible with water signs, which may help to explain a little about the marriage between Scorpio Hillary Clinton and her Leo husband. In addition, Leo and Scorpio are in a natural "square" (90 degree) aspect, a classic sign of conflict. But we romance authors believe love conquers all, and their marriage has certainly endured more tests than most.

Famous Scorpios include US President Theodore Roosevelt, Newsman Dan Rather, Hustler publisher Larry Flynt, writer Shere Hite, scientist Marie Curie, actresses Sally Field, Katherine Hepburn, Hedy Lamarr, Vivien Leigh, Bo Derek and Demi Moore, authors Sylvia Plath and Voltaire, director Martin Scorcese, and Senator Robert Kennedy.

For more on the sign, go to http://www.astrology.com/allaboutyou/sunsigns/scorpio.html.

So what's your sun sign? Any Scorpios out there?

Linda

(Note: This was cross-posted at Servants of the Muse.)

Happy Birthday, Libra!

Tomorrow is the Autumnal Equinox, the first day of autumn as well as the day the sun enters the Zodiac sign of Libra.

That realization had me reaching for my copy of Linda Goodman's Sun Signs, a classic of astrological literature and an excellent introduction to the signs. (It can also be very useful to writers looking for help with characterization, esp. in showing how the signs relate to each other.)

Actually, until I first read Sun Signs, way back in the 1970s, I used to say astrology was bunk, because for an Aries, I was a pretty typical Scorpio. But when I read Linda Goodman's description of Aries, I was able to relate to much of what she said. So I read a bit more, then signed up for a class at the local Y and discovered I had Scorpio Rising.

LOL, when I registered for that first class, my thought was "six weeks and I'll know all about astrology". But that was only the first class of many, as I discovered that learning astrology is like peeling the proverbial onion. There are layers upon layers upon layers. Though I don't study the craft any more, I still find it fascinating, so thought I'd explore the subject a bit here on a monthly basis.

The sign Libra is represented by the Scales, leading people to think it is the sign of balance, when as every Libran knows, it is really the sign of imbalance. Librans are known for their indecisiveness. Years ago, someone circulated a list of Sun Sign prayres, many of which I've forgotten, but I remember Libra's prayer:

Lord, help me to be more decisive. On the other hand, do what you think is best.

Linda Goodman swears that Charlie Brown of Peanuts fame is a Libran.

Libra is a cardinal sign. Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) are "the initiators of the Zodiac" according to astrology.com. Cardinal signs are goal-oriented, though some (especially Arians) are better at starting than finishing.
However, Libra's cardinal quality is tempered by it being an Air Sign.

Air means thinking, and with reason comes doubt, hence Libra's reputation for indecisiveness. As an Aries (a fire sign), I'm used to making gut decisions. Aries and Libra are polar opposites on the zodiac which means they complement each other. IMO, the best decisions come from taking a look at all the options, pros and cons, and only then checking to see what your gut says.

Libra is ruled by the planet Venus. It's the seventh sign of the Zodiac, which corresponds to the seventh house of the astrological chart, the house of marriage and relationships. In general, Librans are lovers not fighters, who hate conflict.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Dwight David Eisenhower, commander of the Allied Armies during World War II, was a Libran. A Libra general may seem like a contradiction in terms, but Ike was not just a general, he was a diplomat, too. He managed to rein in his subordinates, including such well known prima donnas as Patton and Montgomery, and got them to work together as a team. As president, he projected calm and balance that comforted a nervous country in the midst of a Cold War and nuclear arms race.

Other famous Librans include Julie Andrews, Sarah Bernhart, John Lennon, Mickey Mantle, Eleanor Roosevelt and Oscar Wilde.

For more information on Libra, go to astrology.com.

Lyndi / Linda