Tag: Saturn

Born To Run? Jon Stewart Does Saturn!

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“Welcome to your Saturn Transit, Mr. Stewart – this is your captain speaking. Your flight time will be approximately 2 years and the weather at your destination is looking clear and cool.”

Image credit: JDH Rosewater
Image credit: JDH Rosewater

In cased you missed it, on Thursday night Sagittarius Sun Jon Stewart had his last hurrah as fake news anchor of The Daily Show. Jon is having just a wee bit (that’s a joke, BTW) of a Saturn transit – or more correctly, series of Saturn transits  – for the foreseeable future, perhaps being spurred on by the Cosmic Taskmaster to move onto something more “legit” (also tongue-in-cheek). Jon has his Sun, Moon, & Mercury  in Sadge, which means Saturn will steamroll all of them by the time it leaves this sign in late 2017. Further, during this same time The Ringed One squares his Pluto, Uranus, Jupiter, & Chiron – that’s a boatload of Saturn energy to have happening in such a comparatively short window!

Saturn transits are decidedly Not Fun(ny)…we tend to become more serious under this planet’s auspices and are apt to experience internal or external pressure (usually via a sense that time is ticking) to figure out what it is we REALLY want to achieve in life. Saturn imbues us with ambition, pragmatism, and a healthy dose of wisdom via trials and experience. And where we stumble, we come to know our limitations. We grind onward, however, knowing with inner certainty that hard work always pays off in the end and that nothing worth having is ever easy.

So how has Jon’s Saturn transit – which started last year – manifested thus far? Well, it began when he decided that he had apparently reached the pinnacle of his late-night television career, as there were certainly no mountains for him to climb and this had been the case for quite some time. Sure he was riding high, but his progress had more or less plateaued due to hitting the ceiling and there wasn’t any room for him to grow – an anathema to Sagittarius.  Saturn was a mere two degrees from his Sun when the announcement of his August departure came – Saturn transits can tend to have a very limiting, confining feel to them which would certainly be enough to make any Sadge restless; let alone one that might not have been feeling sufficiently challenged from a creative & professional standpoint! Sagittarius is not a particularly simpatico placement for this planet overall since this is a sign that’s all about EXPANSION, and the (conscious or unconscious) sense of having to deal with this kind of astrological internment can be quite claustrophobia-inducing to our Centaur friends. “The walls are closing in – quick, make for the exit!!” Anyone who has ever observed a Sadge contemplate the prospect of marriage can surely attest to the veracity of that little statement, LOL! 😉

But what really struck me as a fairly literal manifestation of all that Saturn energy he’s been/‘bouta be rockin’? WTF, The Boss (aka Saturn in his Bruce Springsteen guise) serenaded him offstage on his last night with the show?!? With “Born To Run” – are you kidding me?!

Here’s the other wacked thing about this: Though Jon has long dismissed the idea of entering the political arena, he IS born under the sign of The Politician and in some ways this would seem like a fairly natural transition for him – a sort of “next level” advancement, if you will. And if Saturn loves one thing in Sadge, it’s literal or metaphorical grad school.  This would not be an altogether unprecedented move, either – hell, Al Franken managed to successfully make this same journey from comedian to government official in recent times. So what’s the deal, Jonny Boy – are you being a cheeky monkey there with your choice of song by just fooling around and jerking the chains of those who clamor for you to make a run, do you really just love “Born To Run” that much to where you would pick it to mark the end of an era in your life, or is this actually not-so-subtle wink that a job in public office may indeed be in your future? Sadge has always had a wicked sense of humor, after all……

Despite the candid disdain he has expressed for politicians,  this is a man who is clearly passionate about politics or else he wouldn’t have spent 16 years of his life calling “Bullshit!” on them.   I will tell you one thing – if *any* Sadge were to even remotely toy with the idea of running for office, this would certainly be the kind of transit they might be likely to do it under.  Jon has waaaay more than just the Saturn activity going on in his chart, too – he’s already most of the way through a series of disillusioning Neptune hits to many of those same planets and he’s gearing up for “Big Time” Jupiter boost via its soon to be approaching square to his Sun and opposition to his own natal Jupiter.  So here we have a Jupiter-ruled Sagittarian about to be doubly augmented by transiting Jupiter, which could certainly be enough to crank up the decibel level on his own political ideologies.  It will be interesting to see exactly what Jon decides to do with all of this energy….regardless of the direction he takes, I certainly wish him Buona Fortuna in all of his endeavors – Onwards and Upwards; onto Bigger and Better, Sadgie-Ho!

08/10/2015

Saturn Turns Direct!

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LOL, in the animal kingdom, tortoises are a perfect representation of Saturn energy: slow-moving, covered in armor, and long-lived!

Just a little reminder that Saturn stations (turns) direct today, while in an almost exact square to Jupiter & Venus in Leo, no less! This may present a last chance for us to shut the door on energy-sink situations, relationships, or commitments – especially those with an overabundance of drama. Time is up and the train’s about to leave the station for good, as Saturn is departing for Sagittarius and won’t return to Scorpio for roughly another 26 years….that’s a loooong time to wait if you’re (literally and figuratively) stuck at the station.

08/02/2015

The Pluto/Saturn Mutual Reception, Revisited

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Saturn is just about to dip back into Scorpio tomorrow for a final 3 month long foray before leaving this sign for good (well, the foreseeable future, anyway!) in September. This reignites a mutual reception between Saturn and Pluto, as both planets will once again come to reside in each other’s domicile. The vibe of this is heavy and intense, and one thing that has been a recurring theme for me in contemplating the co-mingling of these energies over the last 2 1/2 years is the concept of a power:weight ratio.

The power:weight ratio is something you hear about often within the context of auto racing circles. You want enough weight on your vehicle to keep the rubber on the road – this helps you to have better control and avoid doing a wheelie, as the most effective use of energy always involves a straight line since the least amount of waste occurs when this happens. But you also don’t want so much weight on your car that too much drag is created, as this would essentially render your horsepower ineffective.

If we were to take this premise and look at it in a more metaphorical sense, Saturn is an energy that we associate with weight; i.e. responsibility, burden, duty, etc.. Pluto, on the other hand, concerns our personal power and the ability to make major gear shifts (transformations) in life. It is the internal combustion powerplant that takes stored energy and transmutes it into kinetic energy in order to propel us forward.

It takes skillful management – and sometimes lots of trial and error – to get this ratio just right. We need to be grounded in reality and aware of the responsibilities we carry so that we use our personal power correctly and not corruptly. Doing so prevents us from the repercussion that would otherwise come from dumping them off somewhere they don’t belong. Conversely, we also need to be very aware of the weight of duty so that it doesn’t suck us down the tubes, because it does have a definite undertow now. Some time ago, I wrote in one of my newsletters about how this is an optimal time to cut losses – when we’ve invested a lot of time, money, energy, support, etc. in something or someone and it just hasn’t provided a concrete return for our efforts, we also need to know when it is time to fold. It is self-protective to do so and provides us a lesson in survival basics to cut the rope on any anchor we’ve been holding that would otherwise pull us under.

I believe there is value in honoring our commitments even when the road seems treacherously difficult. But that said, when this moves to an extreme point that it actually on some level threatens to kill us (psychically, emotionally, energetically) with its crushing weight, this is something altogether different. Under this mutual reception, I have seen a lot of people learning the hard way to protect their energies by cutting certain ties – even when they have been previously afraid to do because of the prospect of loss (emotional, financial, etc.). I have also witnessed those who have had the weight of the world held up on their shoulders (either by circumstance or on a self-imposed basis) and cringed when this got to the point their knees eventually bucked under the strain and they were sent crashing to the ground. Being “the strong one” or “Man/Woman of Steel”, if you prefer, can carry its own shadow – it may actually be something that limits intimacy and the capacity for deep exchange on a soul level. If this sounds like a resonant theme in your life, definitely work on it, because this mutual reception is all about grinding out our psychological “baggage” so we can fortify ourselves from the very core of our being outward and reclaim our power.

This mutual reception says above all else: Learn exactly what you can (or can’t) let go of. If a debt is legitimately yours, make good on it because this will help keep Saturn’s karmic “wheels” (or perhaps that’s “rings” LOL?) planted firmly on the ground so they don’t come boomeranging back at you later. But don’t keep a death grip on a burden that is not yours (or entirely yours) to bear, either, because it can crate hellacious drag and under this energy others may be all too willing to try pawning theirs off on good old reliable, responsible You – shut that shit down! There is a higher likelihood of there being joint responsibilities (energetically, emotionally, fiscally) in a scenario that has broken down now – accept only your part in it and don’t take on somebody else’s shit on top of your own, because doing so robs them of the necessary lesson that they do indeed have to clean up their own messes.

If you are dealing with a situation in your own life where your energy is feeling sapped but you are unsure of whether or not the right thing to do is to suck it up or to stop and drop, consider putting a hard deadline on making a firm decision about whether to pull your chips out. Ideally, this would be before Sept 17th when Saturn leaves Scorpio for good and this mutual reception comes to a close.

06/13/2015

Saturn Has A Theme Song….

~ EmpwrdDstny ~ 2 Comments

….And this is what it sounds like:

Much as I love the original, I must say I’m quite taken with this cover.

Lyrics:

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run; you missed the starting gun

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you’re older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over, thought I’d something more to say…

A frightfully apt song with Saturn passing back into Scorpio – especially when we take into account the broader astrological context that it will eventually creep toward a square with Jupiter/Venus in Leo during early August! If ever an advertising slogan fit a particular transit, I’d say the old Reebok tagline “Life is short; play hard” seems pretty damn apt for this upcoming square. Jupiter + Venus in Leo is hedonism to the nines, ostensibly spurred by Saturn’s realization that it could all end at any moment and that nothing in life is guaranteed except death and taxes.

I think that if you’re grimly hanging onto anything that you shouldn’t be at this point in life and thinking you still have time to make up for it, the tension of this square could be quite the wakeup call. Entrenchment in defunct situations because we are locked in and too afraid to let go (perhaps due the prospect of loss) could be preventing something wonderful and life-affirming from entering our lives – things like happiness, abundance, joy, and love, for example. When Venus and Jupiter are in league, our cups may runneth over…but with Saturn and Pluto back in mutual reception once again, there may be a contrasting psychological barrier where we’re putting ourselves on lockdown for some reason. Perhaps in true Saturn/Pluto fashion, we find ourselves making an effort to delay the inevitable and may fear the potentially life-changing ramifications of opening ourselves up to whatever opportunities Venus & Jupiter present. Saturn squaring Venus especially calls to mind possible issues regarding self-worth that inhibit pleasure because on some level we might not feel deserving of this bounty. While we can’t take it all in one bite and forgo paying the piper entirely with this square, we can certainly work on any psychological complexes that stand to limit personal growth and fulfillment.

Ergo, during this square I say to hell with the concept of “hanging on in quiet desperation”- in a case like this, I think it’s important we know when to quit and then steel ourselves to take that hit, because the alternative may mean staying stuck in a dysfunctional scenario that does indeed have severely limited growth potential. Jupiter & Venus in Leo are all about opening and expanding the Heart Center; especially as it relates to self-love. Remember they are the Greater and Lesser Benefics, respectively – are you sure you want to shut the door on them if they come knocking?

06/09/2015

Brian Williams: A Cautionary Tale For Saturn In Sadge

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Yikes – so “Get with the program!” Saturn entered truth-seeking Sagittarius for an almost 3 year long stay back in late December 2014, and guess who has already found himself “regulated” by Saturn? NBC’s Brian Williams recently got himself into big trouble for fudging a story about how, during the Iraq war, a helicopter he was supposedly in came under fire and had to make an emergency landing. Needless to say, this was not the truth and it seems Saturn has now come along to fact-check his ass!

Sagittarius is the sign of broadcast journalism, and when Saturn visits the sign he definitely requires that we “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” or face the consequences. Brian Williams may be the first newscaster casualty to be felled by their own hand during Saturn in Sagittarius, but I doubt he’s likely to be the last – especially with the approaching square between Saturn & Neptune activated this year & next. Lo-Fi Neptune represents self-undoing and deception, and as this planet clashes with Saturn during 2015 & 2016, we should expect hard truths to hit if/when we’ve been fibbing to ourselves or others. For the field of journalism as a whole, this transit is definitely all about integrity & ethics – those involved in this profession are well advised to walk the straight-and-narrow.

A simple & accurate equation for the Saturn/Neptune square. Let’s not get all Eeyore with it; rather treat it more like a Buddhist philosophy so that we avoid being Pollyanna-ish!

For the rest of us, we should know the disillusioning potential of this transit comes into play whenever our expectations are held too high. That phrase about expectation being the companion of disappointment comes to mind – especially as this pertains to our journalists, politicians, and religious leaders with Saturn in Sagittarius. I think this is a good time for the humanity as a whole to be asking itself …Read More…

(Unfortunate) Signs Of Saturn Into Sagittarius, Part 2

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TheInterviewPosterIt began with Sony Pictures’ controversial decision not to release the film “The Interview” as scheduled on its proposed release date of December 25th, 2014,  just two days after Saturn’s entrance into Sagittarius. The movie in question is a political satire lampooning the N. Korean government, and Sony made the decision to pull film from theaters ahead of its release following terrorist threats believed to be made by hackers associated with the hermit kingdom.  Controversy quickly ensued as debate broke out about public safety vs. freedom of speech, and resulted in the movie ultimately being released online on December 24th and then being shown at select independent movie theaters on a limited-release basis as of December 25th.

JeSuisCharlieThen came the horror of the Charlie Hebdo massacre in France.  For those not familiar, Charlie Hebdo is a weekly satirical publication in France known for its left-wing, often irreverent views.  Apparently, their comical depictions of the prophet Muhammad angered some Muslims, 1) because their religion was being spoofed and  2) because according to Islamic law,  depictions of the prophet Muhammad are forbidden.  Two such individuals took this perceived affront to an extreme by breaking into the newspaper’s headquarters in retaliation – armed with guns (likely supplied and funded by Al Qadea) – and carrying out a mass shooting where 12 were killed and 11 more wounded.

I’m sorry to report that both of these unfortunate events can serve as examples of one particular facet of Saturn in Sagittarius’ energy  – see this excerpt from my December 2014 newsletter about the effects of Saturn in Sadge:

“Over-seriousness: This tends to be a more “politically correct” energy overall and as a result our collective sense of humor may become a bit dampened by this influence. Comedy that relies heavily on the use of stereotypes is most strongly affected, such as ethnic jokes. Similarly, political satire or humor that disparages religion may be particularly subject to Saturn’s censoring if/when a line gets crossed. ……..At the very least, people will be most certainly inclined to let us know when something is “not funny” and/or if a line has been crossed, because Saturn is all about showing self-restraint and staying within bounds.”

I have to tell you that when the the astrological correlation between these two events hit me and my own words came echoing (hauntingly) back, I felt my blood run cold.  But I find myself compelled to write about these recent geo-political events nonetheless for educational purposes so readers can see one potential expression of Saturn In Sagittarius in action for themselves. In bringing up this tie-in, I also want to put forth a disclaimer that Saturn in Sagittarius – by itself – isn’t inherently “bad” or “negative” so that nobody gets the wrong impression from reading this particular post in a vacuum.  As is always the case, much of a planet’s expression is dependent upon the consciousness level of the individual responding to it, and I think it’s pretty safe to assume that both parties responsible for these two incidences probably have a consciousness level somewhere between “in the basement” and “below sea level”.  Indeed, no astrological force is ever one-dimensional – there’s a whole spectrum of possible expressions, some of which are going to exemplify the Hi-Fi side on an energy, others the Lo-Fi vibration, and others still may be inclined to be more neutral in nature.  If you’re looking for an explanation of some of the more positive manifestations of this energy, go back and re-read my December newsletter in full because it does  give a pretty balanced point of view on this topic.  Or read the first Saturn in Sagittarius post in this series.  But for the purposes of this article, we’re going to explore factors involved in what made these events exemplify (or “resonate with”, if you prefer) the Lo-Fi end of Saturn in Sagittarius.

There are 3 themes of Saturn’s energy that strike me as being most applicable to these scenarios:  protection, fear, and control.  I am almost certain that – in both instances – the terrorists’ goals was to 1) protect their ideologies (religious, political, and philosophical ideologies are all Sadge’s domain!) , and then as a response to this impulse, they made a choice – based on their level of consciousness – to (duh) 2) spread fear, because that’s what terrorists do.   And Sadge is a propagator extraordinaire – there’s a reason this sign is known as “The Promoter”.    Now obviously in doing so, they were attempting to control how the world views them (and worldviews are again something that falls under Sagittarius’ umbrella). The outcomes could have been very different if either of these two groups had a more elevated level of consciousness and focused instead on the capacity for ethical morality that Saturn in Sagittarius is quite capable of; however we all know how looney people can get when they feel as if their politics or religion are being disrespected/laughed at.  And Respect (with a capital R!) is always, ALWAYS a Saturn-related issue.  As I have mentioned before, Saturn is (and will be) engaged in a loose but ongoing square with Neptune in Pisces for about the first year and a half+ that it spends in Sadge – this can very easily blur lines when it comes to our sense of personal responsibility for what we believe is “right” or “wrong”, especially as this square tightens up between late this year and most of next year.

 

01/15/2015

A Saturn In Sagittarius Theme Song?

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Saturn enters Sagittarius for the first time in approximately 29 years on December 23, 2014. Saturn is the Celestial Taskmaster, charged with teaching us important life lessons surrounding our ability to set limits for ourselves and tell ourselves “no”. Ergo, one effect this placement will have upon all of us is to present lessons about curbing excess. Sadge is *the sign* of excess, and there’s nothing quite like Saturn to teach us how to set limits, suck it up, & grow the eff up, is there?  On that note, this could possibly be an unofficial theme song for “What *NOT* to do” during the next roughly 2 1/2 years while Saturn makes its way through Sagittarius –


“Too Much”, by Dave Matthews Band

Lyrics:
Straight in, suck up and go,
cool it, swallow, swallow
Breathe deep, take it all
it comes cheap
Push it through the doors
because in between the lines
I’m gonna pack more lines
so I can get down in

Ooh traffic jam got more cars
than a beach got sand
Suck it up, suck it up, suck it up
fill it up until no more
I’m no crazy creep, I’ve got it coming to me
because I’m not satisfied
The hunger keeps on growing

I eat too much
I drink too much
I want too much
Too much

I’ve got to get it somewhere
I mean, you never know, maybe
you’re dreaming
Who do you think you’re watching
Who do you think you need
Play for me, play more.
ten times in the same day
I need more. I’m going
over my borders
I’m going to take more, more
from you, letter by letter

I eat too much
I drink too much
I want too much
Too much

I told god I’m coming
to your country
I’m going to eat up your cities.
your homes, you know
I’ve got a stomach full
it’s not a chip on my shoulder
I’ve got this growl in my tummy
and I’m gonna stop it today
I eat too much
I drink too much
I want too much
Too much

Suck it up, suck it up
Suck it up, suck it up, suck it up, yeah
Suck it up, suck it up, suck it up,
Suck it up, suck it up, suck it up, suck it up, baby

I eat too much
I drink too much
I want too much,
too much…..

Gotta get it somewhere….

 

So the million dollar question is: How do we know when something is “too much”?  Saturn’s about to help us figure that all out, because we can rest assured if we’re going overboard in any respect and *not* checking ourselves, Saturn will send someone along to do this for us.  It could be a parent, teacher/mentor that we respect, law enforcement, or some other “authority figure” getting on our case, but if we get a tap on the shoulder from anyone requesting that we cut back or tone it down (whatever “it” is), we should do ourselves a favor and take the first warning that comes along.  If we don’t, it’s highly likely that it will only get progressively harder from there because that’s how Saturn works – in degrees of incremental difficulty.  If instead, however, we take the first cue we get and figure out how to self-regulate whatever it is we’re overdoing, we’re golden – Saturn only whacks us with the ruler when we fail to get with his program and keep on goofing off!

11/04/2014

A Saturn In Scorpio Reminder!

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SaturnInScorpioOne potential manifestation of this placement can be staying locked into a screwed-up situation because we fear letting go. Maybe we think we’ll be obliterated if we do, and left with nothing. But Saturn in Scorpio has been challenging many of us to know when to cut our losses. It may be time to acknowledge the reality that we have to fold – even if we think we stand to lose a lot – rather than keep on throwing in more time, energy, effort, etc, into a situation that has kept on degrading. This can apply to relationships, jobs, friendships – anything, really – in addition to literal financial situations. The Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) have been getting the brunt of this energy since late 2012, and if you have planets or angles in any of these signs, you definitely know what I mean even though we’re all seeing this theme playing out somewhere in our lives to a greater or lesser degree.

The alternative to this, as I have said before in my newsletter, is that we wind up in a metaphorical “moneypit” scenario where we continue throwing in good money after bad despite their being no chance of a Return-On-Investment. Sometimes the best you can manage is to pull out before you’re sunk, and protecting ourselves from situations that are unduly taxing is a far wiser use of this energy. It takes a lot of maturity to be able to look at a situation and admit “This is not working for me” and then steel ourselves to take the hit. But some do not know when to quit – if this is you, time is running out. Saturn will be leaving Scorpio for good next year, and when that happens you definitely don’t want to find yourself with an “F” for this particular life lesson. Saturn is the Cosmic Taskmaster, and when we don’t make the grade by failing to do the right-but-hard thing, it means we wind up paying for it in spades and living with the consequences for a very long time. As always, the choice is ours. This may seem harsh, but it’s really not – Saturn is actually quite fair. We’ve had almost 2 years (so far) to straighten this out, and Saturn’s mission is to teach us there are consequences to every choice we make. This is an important part of being an adult – we gain valuable life experience whenever we deal with the ramifications that come from our decisions, hopefully resulting in an increased level of maturity and wisdom as we age.

06/17/2014

The Saturn/Pluto Mutual Reception & The NSA Scandal

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OuroborosUpon mulling over the tale of Edward Snowden & the NSA, it conjured to my mind the image of an ouroboros – a serpent eating its own tail. I found this quite interesting, as the snake is 1) a symbol of Pluto energy and 2) also another word for traitor. Interesting, and decidedly not coincidental as these two appear to have a mutually parasitic relationship to one another where they do seem to be going around & around in an eternal circle….

The story of the NSA scandal has Saturn/Pluto written all over it on a number of levels. The government (Saturn) reaped the consequences (Saturn) of spying (Pluto) on its citizens w/ Snowden’s exposure (Pluto) of what the NSA has been secretly doing to …Read more….

Saturn in Scorpio: Defining Sexuality?

~ EmpwrdDstny ~ 3 Comments

I thought this a really interesting topic for Saturn in Scorpio – sure I’ve covered various interpretations of Saturn’s journey through this sign in my newsletter since Saturn arrived here in fall of 2012 (such as the consequences of sex, working on building or fortifying intimacy, and also the angle of how Saturn in Scorpio can actually limit sex & intimacy), but this was a new spin on the topic that I wanted to discuss.  Beyond feeling a need to define sexuality, Saturn in Scorpio can sometimes test it, or even repress it.  But we’re in Venus-in-Aquarius territory right now, so perhaps it’s an apt time to have a discussion about NOT fitting love into a neat, square little box – especially once Venus moves in to square Saturn on March 29th!  Venus in Aquarius defies convention when it comes to matters of attraction and love – and what exactly IS normal, anyway?  I don’t think there is such a thing, at least if not you buy into the findings of the Flexuality test.  The terms “hetero-” and “homo-“ are passé anyway; globally speaking, we seem to be finding new ways to define this aspect of our being without necessarily having to slap a label on it – this is very Aquarian Age chic!

…Read more…