Okay, so maybe I'm slightly lovable.

You Are A: Pony!

Who doesn't love a pony? You are one of these miniature horses, renown for your beauty and desired by many. Full of grace, you are a beautiful and very special animal, full of strength and majesty.

You were almost a: Duck or a Squirrel
You are least like a: Puppy or a MouseThe Cute Animals Quiz

(Thanks to Ethereal Girl for the link!)

The point was the rope.

What happens to us when we get into our forties? After a lifetime of appeasement and making nice, I have absolutely lost the knack for putting up with people's crap. I'm practically brawling with people in the streets. Granted, transiting Pluto has been squaring my natal Mars seemingly forever, so mine is perhaps an exaggerated case. But it's worth noting that at around the age of 45 (I'm currently 44), all of one's solar arc directed planets are at semi-square angles to their natal placements. You're literally at war with yourself.

My advice: Even if you're a notorious placater, as I am by nature, blow off some steam in your twenties and thirties. Make it a point to piss somebody off like, once a week. Otherwise you arrive at the threshold of your fourth decade of life feeling like a high-pressure water heater, just ready to blow. Example:

For anyone who didn't catch it, my article Letting Go of the Rope is posted at my website. It chronicles my inner struggle dealing with the Katrina fiasco, a struggle illustrated by my reaction to a fellow patron at my hair salon who had a different response to the disaster. Since I posted the article - and it appeared also at MoonCircles and Beliefnet, so it's been seen by a number of people - I've received some surprisingly rabid mail from people who chose to (a) take me to task for my refusal to engage in a public screaming match with someone who blamed the victims of the hurricane for their trouble or (b) defend people who blamed the victims of the hurricane for their trouble, since "those pesky black folks down in New Orleans obviously refused to evacuate just so they could steal shoes."

Brother.

People, beyond the fact that I entirely disagree with you, you completely missed the point of the article. True, I deliberately used an emotional situation from my own life to provoke an emotional response in my readers... but neither the guy in the salon or my response to him was the point of the article. The point was the rope. The point was letting go of the tension of opposing viewpoints that we seem willing to defend to the death, rather than find any way to compromise and listen to each other.

That includes me, by the way... I'm not just accusing people who disagree with me of being intractible. As I said in the article, I'm no saint. The fact that people can still get me pissed off enough to write a blog entry about them is proof of that fact.

Autumnal Equinox, Mars retrograde, general exhaustion

The Sun entered Libra at 3:23 pm PDT today,signalling the beginning of Autumn here in the northern hemisphere. I'm working on my newsletter, but it's not going very smoothly. Perhaps I'll get something posted in time for the October 3 Solar Eclipse/New Moon in Libra.

Meanwhile, Mars will be retrograde October 1 - December 9. In Taurus. Yes, that is as sucky as it sounds. If you have any planets in fixed signs, especially around 23 degrees, they're screaming for mercy about now. Having a hard time keeping your cool? With Uranus at 25 Leo, I know just how you feel.

Meanwhile, all hell is about to break loose down in the Gulf. Again. Ya'll take care down there, hear?

"One of the worst disasters to hit the U.S."

Sorry, I promise a return to astrology eventually. Meanwhile: I'm in love with somebody at Sky News Ireland (thanks to Daily Kos for link):


Funny, cuz it's true.

"A place where they felt at home..."

The Moon has just entered Scorpio, a perfect atmosphere in which to read this essay from New Orleans-born author Anne Rice (thanks to MoonCircles reader Augustine for the link):

But to my country I want to say this: During this crisis you failed us. You looked down on us; you dismissed our victims; you dismissed us. You want our Jazz Fest, you want our Mardi Gras, you want our cooking and our music. Then when you saw us in real trouble, when you saw a tiny minority preying on the weak among us, you called us "Sin City," and turned your backs.
- Anne Rice, from "Do You Know What It Means to Lose New Orleans?", NY Times, September 4, 2005.

The buck stops here.

Our fearless leader, August 29, 2005

I know my fellow citizens here in Arizona and across the country are saying our prayers for those affected by the -- Hurricane Katrina. Our Gulf Coast is getting hit and hit hard. I want the folks there on the Gulf Coast to know that the federal government is prepared to help you when the storm passes. I want to thank the governors of the affected regions for mobilizing assets prior to the arrival of the storm to help citizens avoid this devastating storm.

I urge the citizens there in the region to continue to listen to the local authorities. Don't abandon your shelters until you're given clearance by the local authorities. Take precautions because this is a dangerous storm. When the storm passes, the federal government has got assets and resources that we'll be deploying to help you. In the meantime, America will pray -- pray for the health and safety of all our citizens.

Saturn's crossing your ascendant, George. The buck stops here.