1. Knew how to heel.
2. Had a well developed herding instinct.
3. Liked to lick our dinner plates clean.
4. Answered to the name of Mr.
5. Played fetch with sticks.
6. Liked to stick his head out of the car window.
7. Kept an eye on visitors.
8. Came when called.
9. Was loyal beyond his years.
10. Slept with a dog.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Ode to Mr. Gray
Today is my cat's last day here. He is nineteen years old and in failing health. Making the decision to put an animal to 'sleep,' as we so innocently call it, is not an easy decision. We have known for quite a long time that our cat was in declining health. With a large tumor that was inoperable-the doctors said an operation, while possible, would most certainly kill the cat. Hormones to make him more comfortable were possible and tried. Spitting out his pills daily, I didn't have the will to force him to take them. As life went on, our cat, a gray, neutered male lived on and one. One of the most stubborn, willful animals I have had the pleasure to live with!
He was part of our family for such a long time. He outlived his mother KC by a year. When he was born, he was part of a litter of seven kittens. He was the only gray one and always seemed part siamese due to his incessant meowing. He had us trained to open the door for him ( would knock our pottery off the counter if he couldn't get our attention), feed him on demand (same annoying habit) even though he had plenty of food in his bowl, and trip us up while walking. The last came about from growing up with our dog Beauty. They would sleep together, as Mr. Gray's mother, also living with us, soundly rejected him with fierce swats across the face. He really identified with Beauty. As Beauty had part sheep herder in her, Mr. Gray must have observed the herding instinct as for most of life he would walk with us at the heel and then cut in front of us to direct us the way he wanted.
My husband swore that Mr. Gray wanted to kill him as he would often herd him at night when he was walking back from our studio up to the house. We think it was an unfortunate behavioral trait that he couldn't help. He just thought that he was a dog, like Beauty. Maybe being a dog gave him more status. Since his mother was so openly hostile and also the favored cat, a sweet calico with no annoying traits, I am sure that if he couldn't be a real dog in this life, he will come back as one in the next!
Many people, including myself, believe that living with animals is a special honor. Whatever we experience with these creatures, they are always teaching us lessons about our life. Reflecting back our emotional state they teach us to care for the most vulnerable. Even if most animals could hunt and exist in society apart from the home environment, as many homeless animals do contracting disease, the cat or dog choose to eat our prepared meals and manufactured animal chow. They love us to feed them; they love us to care for them. They seem to be love junkies and then give that love back to us when we love them.
Cats are peculiar animals and some people are called cat people and some people are called dog people. If you are an animal lover, you recognize the essence of spirit in every creature, big and small, dog or cat, donkey or goat, bird or turtle. You are kind to them, try to do your best to make them comfortable, take care of their needs and let them surprise you with their fun, amusing, unique, annoying feats.
Mr. Gray you are one of a kind. I will look for you to return but please don't be a herder next time!
He was part of our family for such a long time. He outlived his mother KC by a year. When he was born, he was part of a litter of seven kittens. He was the only gray one and always seemed part siamese due to his incessant meowing. He had us trained to open the door for him ( would knock our pottery off the counter if he couldn't get our attention), feed him on demand (same annoying habit) even though he had plenty of food in his bowl, and trip us up while walking. The last came about from growing up with our dog Beauty. They would sleep together, as Mr. Gray's mother, also living with us, soundly rejected him with fierce swats across the face. He really identified with Beauty. As Beauty had part sheep herder in her, Mr. Gray must have observed the herding instinct as for most of life he would walk with us at the heel and then cut in front of us to direct us the way he wanted.
My husband swore that Mr. Gray wanted to kill him as he would often herd him at night when he was walking back from our studio up to the house. We think it was an unfortunate behavioral trait that he couldn't help. He just thought that he was a dog, like Beauty. Maybe being a dog gave him more status. Since his mother was so openly hostile and also the favored cat, a sweet calico with no annoying traits, I am sure that if he couldn't be a real dog in this life, he will come back as one in the next!
Many people, including myself, believe that living with animals is a special honor. Whatever we experience with these creatures, they are always teaching us lessons about our life. Reflecting back our emotional state they teach us to care for the most vulnerable. Even if most animals could hunt and exist in society apart from the home environment, as many homeless animals do contracting disease, the cat or dog choose to eat our prepared meals and manufactured animal chow. They love us to feed them; they love us to care for them. They seem to be love junkies and then give that love back to us when we love them.
Cats are peculiar animals and some people are called cat people and some people are called dog people. If you are an animal lover, you recognize the essence of spirit in every creature, big and small, dog or cat, donkey or goat, bird or turtle. You are kind to them, try to do your best to make them comfortable, take care of their needs and let them surprise you with their fun, amusing, unique, annoying feats.
Mr. Gray you are one of a kind. I will look for you to return but please don't be a herder next time!
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Curious Point in Time in which we are all living
I was sitting at my kitchen table eating breakfast and looking outside at the trees. I find a beauty in their nakedness with all their leaves stripped off. It may be from the time of year I was born, the fall, and those were some of my first images my retina was processing. What I like about the trees now is that you can see their basis structure. There are these straight, curvy, bent, contorted vertical wood shapes, each different from the other. I like looking at them.
While I was mulling over the view and enjoying my egg, this strange crashing sound was happenning at the same time. Several cardinals fly around the bushes outside and perch in my azaleas. I can't tell if it's the same one but a very bright red one, must be the male, keeps on crashing into a mirror I have hanging outside on my laundry wall. ( I have an outdoor laundry area that has a few walls around it.) It is the funniest thing. He darts by and then all of a sudden goes in front of the mirror fluttering like crazy and then slams himself into it. I have tried to photograph him from inside the house and also standing very quietly outside the house but he is way too quick to let me capture him. I would probably have to post a tripod with a video to record the smashing of the red bird. What astonishes me is the repetition. I assume its the same bird and he does this over and over again. He never gets that the image he is seeing is himself, so attracted is he to the likeness of himself. Obviously the pain of hitting the hardness of the mirror hasn't daunted him. He comes back for more pleasure and pain repeatedly.
The lessons of the red bird are not lost on me. So much of our life is repeated activities. Some of it works. Some of it doesn't. It's all life but I can't help thinking that, like the red bird, humanity needs to move on and quit hurting itself with repeated activites that only cause pain and never lead to real answers.
While I was mulling over the view and enjoying my egg, this strange crashing sound was happenning at the same time. Several cardinals fly around the bushes outside and perch in my azaleas. I can't tell if it's the same one but a very bright red one, must be the male, keeps on crashing into a mirror I have hanging outside on my laundry wall. ( I have an outdoor laundry area that has a few walls around it.) It is the funniest thing. He darts by and then all of a sudden goes in front of the mirror fluttering like crazy and then slams himself into it. I have tried to photograph him from inside the house and also standing very quietly outside the house but he is way too quick to let me capture him. I would probably have to post a tripod with a video to record the smashing of the red bird. What astonishes me is the repetition. I assume its the same bird and he does this over and over again. He never gets that the image he is seeing is himself, so attracted is he to the likeness of himself. Obviously the pain of hitting the hardness of the mirror hasn't daunted him. He comes back for more pleasure and pain repeatedly.
The lessons of the red bird are not lost on me. So much of our life is repeated activities. Some of it works. Some of it doesn't. It's all life but I can't help thinking that, like the red bird, humanity needs to move on and quit hurting itself with repeated activites that only cause pain and never lead to real answers.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Stalked by My Cat
The last few days have been rather peculiar. I am alone at my home because my husband is away at a seminar in Washington. I live in a rural area in the country and normally I have no problem living a the end of a road in the woods in Florida. The nights are incredible. I can see the full sky at night and relish those walks when the meteors are flying all over the place. I was reminded of the natural cycle of life and death last week when the full moon was aglow. The cows which border our property were mooing all night long. Calling out to each other, back and forth, back and forth. I realized that the females were birthing. It was February and from past years I began to remember that they give birth in the winter. The next day my husband saw small cows next to their mothers up the road. Sweet!
So I am alone and no one is around. It is getting colder and colder outside. From an afternoon temperature of 70, it has now dropped to about 42. I am relaxing after working in my studio all day and am rather exhausted from the concentration. I fixed myself an Indian frozen dinner, rice, spinach, and tofu with a few beans with sauce. It was great! Now a cup of after dinner decaf. I have been drinking a Kona coffee decaffeinated at night, no caffeine after 4 or I can't sleep, or worse, I sleep and then wake up at 2 when the caffeine really kicks in and then can't go back to sleep. So, settling down with my decaf and ready to watch a series on the telly that I love so much, Da Vinci's Inquest on Sleuth. It's an old Canadian Broadcast series, well, the latest episodes were produced on the first half of the first decade of 2000. The acting is terrific, the plot rivals the Wire, in my opinion, maybe a little tamer and the pathos is all there.
So I'm sitting, heater on, blanket on, drink nearby and up jumps Mr. Gray. Mr. Gray also known in his earlier days as PC or Pottery Cat is eighteen years old. He is trim, slightly demented with a notch in his ear from a cat fight about six years ago and all gray. He starts nuzzling my knee. Pushes his nose right into it. Not once but twice. I say, "Stop it." Then gently push him away. He has a nice blanket on the chair next to me that he will eventually go to. He likes to sit on the edge of the easy boy recliner when it is at full position, on top of my blanket. It's a great position because he can sleep and be warm and he is on the blanket and not bothering me.
I mainly don't want to have my drink spill on myself or him. I often let him sit on me if he doesn't do kitty biscuits. He is eighteen and still does kitty biscuits. I believe that he has problems stemming from mother rejection when he was a baby.
Mr. Gray grew up with our two dogs. And that relationship with one of the dogs has formed his personality and possibly warped him. A case of mistaken identity. One day my husband, to whom I had casually been talking about getting a dog for our two young children, brought home two young puppies, black labs. Not purebreeds. A mix of dachshund and shepherd perhaps. Rather strange in a way with shorter legs, the dachshund, and the shape of the face more like a German shepherd. They were sisters. I was kind of p***** off at my husband because I didn't have a say in choosing the animals, would of only chosen one, knowing that I would end up being the caretaker. But the children seemed to be okay with all of this so I was game. The problem was the alpha dog. The dominant female was so aggressive in guarding us that she wouldn't let the sister be first or come to us individually. If she tried to come to us, the alpha dog would make her grovel when she approached us. I hated that. I hate groveling period. And to see a wonderful animal like a dog grovel when she can be relaxed and confident in her dogdom was disturbing. This was going on for a very long time. Months turned into years and I was unsuccessful in changing either dogs behavior. I started praying for the alpha's demise. I couldn't stand seeing the abuse. I didn't know how to stop it and should have taken a doggie discipline class. Shoulda, coulda.
One day the alpha disappeared. Since the dog was in our care, we did make an effort to look for her. Secretly I was so happy! Maybe someone took her! Maybe she found another home! We kept on looking. Days went by. She never returned. A few months later my sister in law, who lived 1/4 mile away said she was taking a walk up by Brownlee creek. This is a huge tract of land that was originally going to be developed but the county didn't want to invest in utilities where we live. So it just sat there and was great for exploring. Linda said that in her walk she came upon a few bags of garbage in the woods quite a ways away. Nearby was the skeletal figure of an animal that she presumed to be our dog. We figure that Lady got into some bad garbage somehow and died. That was the end of her life on planet earth.
Well, Mr. Gray couldn't have been happier. His mother KC, a very sweet loving cat, had rejected Mr. Gray when he was a baby. We aren't sure if she did this to teach him independence or if she really didn't like him. KC was our cat too and she always seemed to swat him out of the way. He found companionship with the alpha dog's sister, our remaining dog, Beauty. Beauty and Mr. Gray would lay together. They were quite a twosome. Finally Beauty could walk around and hold her head up high. It took a while to teach her that she didn't have to grovel and a slight condensation remained but for the most part she came out of herself and seemed happier. She became our dog. And her and Mr. Gray were companions.
The only thing we began to notice is that Mr. Gray started herding us. Beauty used to chase the cows sometimes, a latent herding instinct, I guess. Mr. Gray was pretty smart and for some reason thought this was cool. He began herding us. Not cool. He would be walking with us down the path between our house and the studio which was okay. Then all of a sudden he would merge in front of us and make us stumble and trip over him. He never got over this habit. It is especially dangerous at night when I can't see him. I know he is there walking with me. I just don't know when he is going to turn into me. I have to tell him, " move over, don't get in front of me. I don't want to step on you."
So we have this old cat now. Still does kitty biscuits. Herds. Rubs into me obsessively. Stares.
Okay, cats stare. I have had cats my whole life and I love them. But Mr. Gray has an old, I've been around for 100 cat lives kind of stare. I have gotten used to it but sometimes it is creepy.
So he gets up and goes into the kitchen. Food is there. Water is there. Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow. Okay, Okay, Okay. Put Da Vinci on pause. Maybe if I give some Boar's Head chicken he will leave me alone. It's worked before. I put one half of a slice in his bowl shredded. He goes for it. Great! Now leave me alone!.
I go back to my perch. Da Vinci is fighting with the mayor and police chief. A conspiracy is brewing. It is getting good although my drink has cooled down too much. I wonder if I should heat it up in the microwave. All of a sudden I look up and the cat is on the counter staring at me. I decide not to get up. I continue to watch my show. It's really heating up. One drug dealer is so devious; he is setting up another detective to discredit her so he can advance. Real slimy. Now the cat is on the table in front of me sitting full stance between me and the TV. "What's the matter," I ask. He continues to stare. Now he is getting ready to jump on me. He puts his paw on my blanket, timidly. You can come over, I tell him. Just don't do kitty biscuits. He comes over but doesn't listen.
He starts trying to climb up to the upper body position. I watch and wait to see if he does kitty biscuits. He starts doing kitty biscuits. I take his paws and gently fold them under. "See, like this," I tell him and gently try to push him to sit or lay down. He finally settles down by my stomach on the blanket.
This will be repeated each day, each night, each month forever. He is Mr. Gray.
So I am alone and no one is around. It is getting colder and colder outside. From an afternoon temperature of 70, it has now dropped to about 42. I am relaxing after working in my studio all day and am rather exhausted from the concentration. I fixed myself an Indian frozen dinner, rice, spinach, and tofu with a few beans with sauce. It was great! Now a cup of after dinner decaf. I have been drinking a Kona coffee decaffeinated at night, no caffeine after 4 or I can't sleep, or worse, I sleep and then wake up at 2 when the caffeine really kicks in and then can't go back to sleep. So, settling down with my decaf and ready to watch a series on the telly that I love so much, Da Vinci's Inquest on Sleuth. It's an old Canadian Broadcast series, well, the latest episodes were produced on the first half of the first decade of 2000. The acting is terrific, the plot rivals the Wire, in my opinion, maybe a little tamer and the pathos is all there.
So I'm sitting, heater on, blanket on, drink nearby and up jumps Mr. Gray. Mr. Gray also known in his earlier days as PC or Pottery Cat is eighteen years old. He is trim, slightly demented with a notch in his ear from a cat fight about six years ago and all gray. He starts nuzzling my knee. Pushes his nose right into it. Not once but twice. I say, "Stop it." Then gently push him away. He has a nice blanket on the chair next to me that he will eventually go to. He likes to sit on the edge of the easy boy recliner when it is at full position, on top of my blanket. It's a great position because he can sleep and be warm and he is on the blanket and not bothering me.
I mainly don't want to have my drink spill on myself or him. I often let him sit on me if he doesn't do kitty biscuits. He is eighteen and still does kitty biscuits. I believe that he has problems stemming from mother rejection when he was a baby.
Mr. Gray grew up with our two dogs. And that relationship with one of the dogs has formed his personality and possibly warped him. A case of mistaken identity. One day my husband, to whom I had casually been talking about getting a dog for our two young children, brought home two young puppies, black labs. Not purebreeds. A mix of dachshund and shepherd perhaps. Rather strange in a way with shorter legs, the dachshund, and the shape of the face more like a German shepherd. They were sisters. I was kind of p***** off at my husband because I didn't have a say in choosing the animals, would of only chosen one, knowing that I would end up being the caretaker. But the children seemed to be okay with all of this so I was game. The problem was the alpha dog. The dominant female was so aggressive in guarding us that she wouldn't let the sister be first or come to us individually. If she tried to come to us, the alpha dog would make her grovel when she approached us. I hated that. I hate groveling period. And to see a wonderful animal like a dog grovel when she can be relaxed and confident in her dogdom was disturbing. This was going on for a very long time. Months turned into years and I was unsuccessful in changing either dogs behavior. I started praying for the alpha's demise. I couldn't stand seeing the abuse. I didn't know how to stop it and should have taken a doggie discipline class. Shoulda, coulda.
One day the alpha disappeared. Since the dog was in our care, we did make an effort to look for her. Secretly I was so happy! Maybe someone took her! Maybe she found another home! We kept on looking. Days went by. She never returned. A few months later my sister in law, who lived 1/4 mile away said she was taking a walk up by Brownlee creek. This is a huge tract of land that was originally going to be developed but the county didn't want to invest in utilities where we live. So it just sat there and was great for exploring. Linda said that in her walk she came upon a few bags of garbage in the woods quite a ways away. Nearby was the skeletal figure of an animal that she presumed to be our dog. We figure that Lady got into some bad garbage somehow and died. That was the end of her life on planet earth.
Well, Mr. Gray couldn't have been happier. His mother KC, a very sweet loving cat, had rejected Mr. Gray when he was a baby. We aren't sure if she did this to teach him independence or if she really didn't like him. KC was our cat too and she always seemed to swat him out of the way. He found companionship with the alpha dog's sister, our remaining dog, Beauty. Beauty and Mr. Gray would lay together. They were quite a twosome. Finally Beauty could walk around and hold her head up high. It took a while to teach her that she didn't have to grovel and a slight condensation remained but for the most part she came out of herself and seemed happier. She became our dog. And her and Mr. Gray were companions.
The only thing we began to notice is that Mr. Gray started herding us. Beauty used to chase the cows sometimes, a latent herding instinct, I guess. Mr. Gray was pretty smart and for some reason thought this was cool. He began herding us. Not cool. He would be walking with us down the path between our house and the studio which was okay. Then all of a sudden he would merge in front of us and make us stumble and trip over him. He never got over this habit. It is especially dangerous at night when I can't see him. I know he is there walking with me. I just don't know when he is going to turn into me. I have to tell him, " move over, don't get in front of me. I don't want to step on you."
So we have this old cat now. Still does kitty biscuits. Herds. Rubs into me obsessively. Stares.
Okay, cats stare. I have had cats my whole life and I love them. But Mr. Gray has an old, I've been around for 100 cat lives kind of stare. I have gotten used to it but sometimes it is creepy.
So he gets up and goes into the kitchen. Food is there. Water is there. Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow. Okay, Okay, Okay. Put Da Vinci on pause. Maybe if I give some Boar's Head chicken he will leave me alone. It's worked before. I put one half of a slice in his bowl shredded. He goes for it. Great! Now leave me alone!.
I go back to my perch. Da Vinci is fighting with the mayor and police chief. A conspiracy is brewing. It is getting good although my drink has cooled down too much. I wonder if I should heat it up in the microwave. All of a sudden I look up and the cat is on the counter staring at me. I decide not to get up. I continue to watch my show. It's really heating up. One drug dealer is so devious; he is setting up another detective to discredit her so he can advance. Real slimy. Now the cat is on the table in front of me sitting full stance between me and the TV. "What's the matter," I ask. He continues to stare. Now he is getting ready to jump on me. He puts his paw on my blanket, timidly. You can come over, I tell him. Just don't do kitty biscuits. He comes over but doesn't listen.
He starts trying to climb up to the upper body position. I watch and wait to see if he does kitty biscuits. He starts doing kitty biscuits. I take his paws and gently fold them under. "See, like this," I tell him and gently try to push him to sit or lay down. He finally settles down by my stomach on the blanket.
This will be repeated each day, each night, each month forever. He is Mr. Gray.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Ending a Decade of the Wild Side
2008 has been quite an adventurous year. Campaigns that went on too long but then became exciting, financial markets collapsing, and housing markets vanishing are just three of the zingers we all witnessed. For me personally I feel like I have been holding onto my hat and feeling a very strong wind blowing all around me. Sometimes I ignore it and sometimes I feel frightened. One thing I have learned about fear is that when I feel it, it has to be transmuted. I need to let it out from my solar plexus and send it on its way. I let in a breath of spirit, my own essence and tell myself that fear is false, does no good, and that I need to listen to my higher intelligence which is always giving me solutions and paths to follow for my own good. This has never failed me and is a great source of comfort. Sometimes I whisper from my heart for the guidance and it also never fails. Of course I have to be willing to be open and trust in the infinite wisdom of the manager and the open hand that is holding me and taking me on this journey.
Of all my studies, I love what I can gleam from the astrological research of many individuals. As an intuitive cosmotrologer (new ID, I love it) I can tell that upheavals will be the course of the day. Renewals will be there hand in hand as well. And new structures will be placed in our lives both personal and global that we will have to live with. Personally Pluto digs deep and eliminates all the garbage that is holding us back from being free and happy. Of course, we don't always know this and hang on to our stuff, emotional and material, for dear life. The weight of the throw off is so freeing that it may be confusing as a more lighter open space is created for us to operate and we get used to the new construct.
Just like throwing off heavy winter clothes, you sometimes want to feel the weight because that is what you are used to. Once you get used to the feel of lightness you may never want to go back and add those dense, heavy coats onto your psyche.
Pluto's reign in Capricorn will take place over many years, having begun in 2008 and ending in 2023, and where that sign falls in your chart will determine the area of life where you will have the most reorganization taking place. I have prepared some thoughts about each of these areas and can help you with this transforming event taking place. An interpretive natal chart can guide you through life's adventures. Decoding the planetary symbols and learning about the geometric aspects of the planets interacting with each other in a very unique way in each chart is a personal revelation. Seeing the plan that was put in motion at your birth is instructive and an eye opener.
Pluto in Capricorn in the First House:
Two of your greatest strengths are a very reasoned approach or mental strength and the intensity of emotion that goes with its expression. A more moderated approach and gentleness with your interactions with others will go much further and keep the honor and integrity that means so much to you intact.
Pluto in Capricorn in the Second House:
New strategies for dealing with finances may need to be considered. The same cautious disciplined approach may not be adequate for where you want to go in the next decade. The pragmatic attention you give your finances should continue but get rid of what hasn't been working. New ideas can work even better than the tired old approaches.
Pluto in Capricorn in the Third House:
Your serious interest in the mysteries of life or the goingons in your neighborhood point to your inherent talent as a researcher. New areas of interest and study will be bubbling to the surface and you can't wait to talk about it. Don't be too bummed if the usual suspects don't respond. Find some new ones who share your concerns.
Pluto in Capricorn in the Fourth House:
Security, comfort, and an pleasant environment for family and entertaining has always been important to you. Upheavals in how you live, where you live, who you live with may be in store. Realize that the new structures you may have to build at home are for a new time and will serve you better for the coming years.
Pluto in Capricorn in the Fifth House:
Deeper responses to love, people and life in general will be desired and felt. Your creative activities and/or dealings with children will take on brighter intensity and more meaningful associations. Your ability to see the best in everyone will be felt by others and attract many wonderful encounters.
Pluto in Capricorn in the Sixth House:
Accuracy, mental soundness, and devotion to duty have always asserted themselves in the workplace. Let the mental magnetism that is your personal attribute surface and help push you to a position of respected authority and worldly security.
Pluto in Capricorn in the Seventh House:
This is your time to rise to great heights through following your ideals or goals. By using your magnetic personality and inspirational faith but compromising when necessary you will make more progress in your relationships. Cooperation will take you much farther and bring about more success with people. Try not to learn this the hard way.
Pluto in Capricorn in the Eighth House:
If you were ever going to benefit from the assets of others this could be the time. Prizes, inheritances, profits from property, and other gifts may come from unusual sources, certainly not what you expected. Be a good steward and invest your newly found wealth conservatively and to benefit others as well as yourself.
Pluto in Capricorn in the Ninth House:
If you have ever considered exploring a new philosophy or religion, you won't be able to help yourself from going there. It's time to consider what's really true, as truth is important to you; don't worry about the change. You will quickly get behind your new beliefs and enjoy the greater understandings and how it benefits the deeper meaning of your life.
Pluto in Capricorn in the Tenth House:
You have been climbing to the top for a long time. Maybe a new approach is in order. Let your instincts that you sometimes ignore and stiffle come through and lead you to the life you really want. Consequently, you may not be able to stop the subconscious from showing you how to get there. It's all for the good. Let it rip!
Pluto in Capricorn in the Eleventh House:
Social ties are important to you but your usual groups may feel stale and uninspiring to you. Express yourself and listen to others. Connections will come about that will give you new friends to socialize with and inspire with your natural charisma.
Pluto in Capricorn in the Twelfth House:
Whatever is holding your back may not even be obvious to you. Psychological constraints, confining dreams, strict environments may have been a part of your life for a very long time. Pluto says a life of more freedom with a more mature structure that you can get behind is coming. We can't live without structure but having a humane caring world for yourself can be achieved.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The Palin Push
One thing that is disturbing about politics to me is its emotional content. Words are used to sway the minds of the voters to one way or the other. A simple phrase can invite havoc. When I realized that many of the individuals behind the conservatives were ad men from forty or more years ago, everything began to make sense. That Karl Rove is just a newer version of the older mouthpiece. To them it truly doesn't matter is the stuff they put out there about the other candidates or their own candidates is based on truth or honesty. They just want to win at all costs.
One of the stranger twists of politics has to be George Bush telling John McCain the last time around, "It's not your turn yet." Then the whole smear about his baby, that he fathered an Afro-American child, is so disgusting. Not that if he did would it matter to me? No. What mattered to me is that: 1) He let Bush do that to him and then forgave him. (Good quality, the forgiveness, bad thing, to be manipulated). 2)The premise that elections are decided by
'turns' and not the will of the people. 3)That McCain was hardly ever a 'Maverick'; if he was wouldn't we have known about it and wouldn't some things be different now considering how long he has been in office as Senator. That to have a contrary personality is not being a Maverick. That getting angry is not being a Maverick. That standing up for things that count to the American people is what we need and I don't really see that manifesting in McCain.
He just seems wooden, can't articulate worth beans...please let us get an articulate man in the White House. Please let us get someone who can see through all the bs and move our country forward in all ways. Please let us get someone who can do the tough things and understands all Americans and their needs and concerns.
I don't really like feeling like that only the religious right has valid points of view. That only they have the 'right' moral stance. And that everyone else is going to hell. It is a mental defect to think that in all the incredibleness of this vast universe of molecules, nano particles, magnetic fields, beautiful flowers, hugh life giving and destroying waters, wonderful cloud formations and myriad colors, shapes, languages, cultural identities, and ways of thinking there is only one way to view the world. And it is quote: only the religious right's way.
I do think that something scared these people, some feeling of hopelessness, or not being loved, or wanting to be in control; I am not talking about an actual experience of spirituality.
Because if God or the Father, the Maker, the Universal Manager, or what ever you want to call this force that pervades everything exists or you believe it exists, there can be no limit on it. There can be no one point of view, no only I am right viewpoint, no my way or the highway.
That's why it is so important to have leaders that want to work for the 'common' good, for a pluralistic country, for the interests of all Americans.
That's why firing officials who aren't part of your social circle is not a good policy. That's why no bid contracts are not fair to all concerned. Why in the interest of some really desperate people, we have Rode vs. Wade, actually saving lives of women as it does not save their fetus. And why sex education and the use of condoms can do both so simply and it is so stupid to not see this.
Why is Palin being pushed through on us? Why won't they let us find out more about her without constantly being told, stop the press from going after her, stop being sexist? There is a lot to learn about her and I don't think she is the one who will work for all of our concerns.
I think someone could grow up in Alaska and be intelligent and understand issues as much as someone growing up anywhere if they have an inquiring mind. I don't think she is one of them. She is charismatic and that is her strong suit. Working with diverse people and being able to address their concerns without an agenda I don't see for Sarah Palin.
Please read the Huffington Post for the NYTimes read on Electing Sarah Palin. It addresses many questions and details her actions through time.
One of the stranger twists of politics has to be George Bush telling John McCain the last time around, "It's not your turn yet." Then the whole smear about his baby, that he fathered an Afro-American child, is so disgusting. Not that if he did would it matter to me? No. What mattered to me is that: 1) He let Bush do that to him and then forgave him. (Good quality, the forgiveness, bad thing, to be manipulated). 2)The premise that elections are decided by
'turns' and not the will of the people. 3)That McCain was hardly ever a 'Maverick'; if he was wouldn't we have known about it and wouldn't some things be different now considering how long he has been in office as Senator. That to have a contrary personality is not being a Maverick. That getting angry is not being a Maverick. That standing up for things that count to the American people is what we need and I don't really see that manifesting in McCain.
He just seems wooden, can't articulate worth beans...please let us get an articulate man in the White House. Please let us get someone who can see through all the bs and move our country forward in all ways. Please let us get someone who can do the tough things and understands all Americans and their needs and concerns.
I don't really like feeling like that only the religious right has valid points of view. That only they have the 'right' moral stance. And that everyone else is going to hell. It is a mental defect to think that in all the incredibleness of this vast universe of molecules, nano particles, magnetic fields, beautiful flowers, hugh life giving and destroying waters, wonderful cloud formations and myriad colors, shapes, languages, cultural identities, and ways of thinking there is only one way to view the world. And it is quote: only the religious right's way.
I do think that something scared these people, some feeling of hopelessness, or not being loved, or wanting to be in control; I am not talking about an actual experience of spirituality.
Because if God or the Father, the Maker, the Universal Manager, or what ever you want to call this force that pervades everything exists or you believe it exists, there can be no limit on it. There can be no one point of view, no only I am right viewpoint, no my way or the highway.
That's why it is so important to have leaders that want to work for the 'common' good, for a pluralistic country, for the interests of all Americans.
That's why firing officials who aren't part of your social circle is not a good policy. That's why no bid contracts are not fair to all concerned. Why in the interest of some really desperate people, we have Rode vs. Wade, actually saving lives of women as it does not save their fetus. And why sex education and the use of condoms can do both so simply and it is so stupid to not see this.
Why is Palin being pushed through on us? Why won't they let us find out more about her without constantly being told, stop the press from going after her, stop being sexist? There is a lot to learn about her and I don't think she is the one who will work for all of our concerns.
I think someone could grow up in Alaska and be intelligent and understand issues as much as someone growing up anywhere if they have an inquiring mind. I don't think she is one of them. She is charismatic and that is her strong suit. Working with diverse people and being able to address their concerns without an agenda I don't see for Sarah Palin.
Please read the Huffington Post for the NYTimes read on Electing Sarah Palin. It addresses many questions and details her actions through time.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Transparency in Politics
One thing I have to give to the Bush administration is the number of officials who just couldn't live with the party line. The number of resignees who, once out, just couldn't stop talking about their experiences, leads me to believe they were truly muzzled. The fact that they were so strong about criticizing Bush and Cheney and the way they are running the government should not be forgotten. The cave that Cheney lives in and his snarling attitude toward the American people, although to select groups he presents a congenial "you and me are together on this thing" personality, plus his unwillingness to be our servant, after all we elected him, as opposed to representing his own interests, both need to be transformed. At least as VP Al Gore worked diligently on budget issues which really helped our country get in balance. As opposed to sending up our debt to stratospheric heights. The talking points that are issued to keep us focused off of real issues and problems affecting the daily lives of Americans exist to keep the media spinning and the minds of people listening to this chatter full, unclear and distorted.
What I don't like about McCain as an idea, you know, the Maverick thing and a different Republican kind of guy, is that he is still owned by them. I read, if it can be believed, that last time around when he was trying to run for President, and they smeared him and his wife, he was told to cool it, next time is yours. Like this whole election event is predetermined. I have one thing to say to that: not on your life!
That's why I love the Obama movement. We do deserve a guy that we actually like! We can choose someone who is charismatic, why not? We can have a President who can articulate, has some decent brains, and is thoughtful. McCain's recent 'strong' expression over the Georgian conflict contrasted with Obama's more nuanced response is not for me. I want a candidate who can look at each situation, evaluate the facts, and come to conclusions based on the individual characteristics of the case. Not some predetermined emotional canned diatribe. One of my favorite mantras in these trying times is let cool heads prevail. McCain can be a hothead and I don't think that is good. Plus, actually saying, I don't know much about the economy. Granted that is why a President has advisors but I want the President to have a basic understanding of one of the most important areas of our lives, our financial well-being. Or at least fake it so that the people will feel like he cares about it! Okay, now he has his plan. whoopee do. I should hope so.
Listen people, don't forget, please don't be led off of this point: If you want a chance at a different America, an America that will lead a path toward innovation, technological advancement, intelligent discu3333333333
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