Magnolia Sun Bathing

It's so gorgeous here today that I just had to share. The sky is clear and blue, the temperature is in the low 80's and the birds have been singing all day. This morning it was so nice that I had my coffee out in the backyard beneath the two magnolia trees who stand there. The tress are so old here in Carolina. You look at them and their trunks stretch up forever into the blue sky. On the way in, I saw this flower on the magnolia tree. The sunlight was lighting her up so perfectly that I just had to take a photo. I can't wait until one is low enough on a branch for me to sniff. In the meantime, enjoy.

With love,
Elizabeth

What's Up Doc?

Now and again I have these exasperating moments when I seriously wonder about the world. I think, “Am I oversensitive or out of touch, or has our culture lost its collective mind?”

The last time I went to the eye doctor’s office in Beverly Hills the Israelis were bombing the Hell out of Lebanon and in their coverage the Fox News team was cheerleading for the Israelis. They simply didn’t cover the human side of Lebanese experience. I couldn’t believe that in a “health profession’s” office anything like this would be on in a waiting room. Remember, in waiting rooms patients are stuck there until their appointments. Patients are there for anything from routine exams, such as my case, to very serious illnesses. Illness or uncertainty about it creates a level of stress to start with. So who in their right mind would subject people with health problems to a military offensive into an urban center? Sure, I know that the Israelis will say that their violence was targeted at terrorists. And I hope it was. But really, the images of large buildings crumbling to the ground (remember that ten-story apartment building?) in an urban center was reminiscent of the Twin Towers on 9/11. But this isn’t about politics and the Middle East.

Today I accompanied my dad, who is having serious tests, to the doctor in a small town in North Carolina. The entrance to the waiting room had a candelabra which gave me false hope about the experience. As soon as we were inside the TV blared at us, rotating the following scenes from a network soap opera. In one a woman was undergoing regression therapy for being gang raped (with flashbacks), in another a man held two women hostage at gunpoint, having already shot one in the arm, and in yet another there was some scenario or other about a murdered baby who may have only really been kidnapped. Not sure on that. The volume level was set so loudly that my dad and I could hardly hear each other talk. Horrible acting aside, we noted how completely disturbing this was for a doctor’s office. He became so agitated that he went outside a few times before he was called in. Luckily, unlike the multi-story facility my old eye doctor was in, this office was on the ground floor so we could walk out to the parking lot. When he was finally called in for his appointment, we said something about the content on the TV to the nurse.

Her response is what floors me. “You’re the first one to ever complain,“ she said. “We just put it on in the morning and people watch whatever is on.”

My local Wal-Mart (it is the only place to shop here for 30 miles) has a wellness section. I found DVDs of nature there just last week and bought one with arial photography of Ireland. The really cool thing I had found the week before at a New Age trade show were DVDs of nature and sacred mandalas by an artist named Robyn Nola. Her work is based on Angels (in a nonreligious way) and is simply exquisite. She photographs nature and works with color to create images that are soothing to watch. She in fact healed herself of kidney disease and strongly believes in nature’s healing properties. I was telling a friend in medical sales last week that I’d love to walk into a doctor’s office and see work like Robyn’s playing. After today, I’d gladly settle for the Wal-Mart DVD of Ireland.

I don’t guess that this will be part of the Obama healthcare industry reform we’re hearing so much about. It’s too woo-woo I suppose and he has enough on his hands. But really, the content in waiting rooms should be examined. Democrat or Republican, we all go to the doctor. Subjecting people to violent images cannot be healthy. And isn’t health/healing the whole point of going in the first place? We have to go to the hospital for surgery next week. In case they’re playing the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” I’m bringing my iTouch w Robyn’s DVDs loaded into it.

Sun into Gemini

The Gemini mind runs nonstop. This mutable air sign is ever changing, always on the quest for something new and likes to simultaneously place its attention on as many people, places and things as humanly possible. 2009’s solar trip through this inquisitive, effervescent sign might just satisfy Gemini’s seemingly insatiable appetite for experiences. That’s because this Sun’s trip through the sign of the Twins serves up a bevy of intriguing, thought provoking and rapidly shifting planetary activity.

It all kicks off Wednesday when the Sun enters Gemini at 2:51pm PST. The 20th is also the start of what can be called the main course of this year’s Gemini journey, a very special 21 day alignment of Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron at 26 degrees of Aquarius. If you’re up for delving into the Divine, clearing out old vibrations and any other work to enhance your spiritual life, this is a beautiful window. This celestial combination of planets reflecting optimistic growth, the transformation of wounds into wisdom and the soul’s urge to merge with all things dreamlike and spiritual meets in the sign of vision and collective unity. Yum! The 23-27th host some of the strongest aspects of this blissful and delectable alignment. Dig in.

Next up on the 2009 Gemini menu is the new moon in Gemini on the 24th, an excellent time to make nice with your inner journalist, documentarian or writer. May 24th happens to be Gemini’s Bob Dylan birthday, a stellar and stunning example of the communicative gifts lavished upon humankind by this sign. The 27th sees Neptune turn retrograde. Neptune moving backwards is always an interesting dance. By the time the planet of the unknowable goes direct on November 4th many an illusion, or delusion, will be shattered. That’s always a good thing because it brings us closer to our Truth. If we take care when it comes to the dreams and ideas (Neptune in Aquarius) we invest ourselves in all summer, our worlds will arrive at early November in tact. If instead we choose to disregard that nagging little voice that warns us that this or that is indeed a dangerous dance with destruction, our fantasy will likely come crashing down under Scorpio’s dark skies. Either way, we learn something. Giving us the chance to think things through very carefully, for a few days at least, will be Mercury in its retrograde, or review, stance until the 30th when it goes direct (Alleluia!).

May 31st marks Mars’ entrance into earthy Taurus. This dose of energized stamina is an excellent influence for working toward and accomplishing goals. If the Jupiter, Chiron, Neptune lineup gives you some deep Guidance, Mars in Taurus offers the inspiration and the fortitude to put your vision into action. On June 3rd Chiron turns retrograde, offering us perhaps deeper insights into turning the hurting into healing, on the 7th we get a healthy dose of enthusiasm with the full moon in spirited Sagittarius, and on the 15th Jupiter joins the retrograde planets. As you can see, this Gemini season gives us plenty of food for thought.

And for dessert? Astrologer and author Mark Husson will be teacing a series of online classes based on his new best-seller "Lovescopes." This live online companion to the book is the official “Lovescopes” webinar and your opportunity to go beyond the bookt o learn even more about your love life. Dates and details will be announced shortly. And that brings us full circle, to the start of the Gemini season, May 20th.



On that day if you buy a copy of “Lovescopes,” Mark will send you five free minutes for a reading at either 12Listen or 12Angel. He’ll be posting a special email address on both sites that day where you can send your proof of purchase. Whether you want to catch and keep a Capricorn, lose a Leo or seduce a Scorpio, “Lovescopes” has the how-to. This delightful and insightful guide goes through every possible astrological combinations to let you know the weaknesses and strengths of each match. More importantly, Mark explains each sign’s motivation, an invaluable tool for understanding yourself, your partner and your relationship. Free minutes and an indispensable guide to your love life? Those are excellent reasons to come celebrate love with the 12Family on May 20th. Hope to see you there!