6/24/2016

Today’s Horoscope

All Signs:

Today the stars want you to learn how to settle.  I know that seems like terrible advice, and the exact opposite of what people tell you, but it’s really not.

There are many good reasons not to settle.  Do not settle for anything less than real love, don’t work at a job you hate, never just accept a subpar life because you think you can’t do better or you don’t deserve it.

When the stars say settle, they mean recognize what you have and cherish it.  There are many things we take for granted that are rare and wonderful.  Stability and trust are vastly underrated in this world.  Life is not meant to be lived in one extreme or the other.  Moderation really is the best way to go for almost everything in life.  

Life is long, if you’re lucky, and you can’t have excitement and craziness 24/7.  You need to dole that stuff out in small doses, and maybe you will find contentment.  

But there are some of us that can’t be happy that way, and it is a shame.  Some of us can’t see when they have a good thing going, and they constantly feel like there is something missing.  They throw good money after bad, they hang on way too long and feel everything so much deeper.  Sometimes it is because they are too smart or imaginative for their own good, sometimes because they are just damaged and incomplete, and they are aware of it and it is a constant struggle trying to figure out which one it is.

They continually drive down dead alleyways, and zig when they should have zagged, out of some ideal of being a hopeless romantic or because the real world just bores them to tears.  These people end up either being revered as geniuses or more often vilified as fools and dreamers.  

Either way, they waste many of the good things that come their way, because they are never satisfied.  They cannot appreciate what they have, no matter how hard they try.  They will let you down over and over, they will drive themselves crazy, simply because they will never learn to accept the world as it is and be happy with what they have.

They are larger than life, but in many ways so small and so disconnected from the world.  If you know someone like that, let them go.  You will never be able to make them happy, they will never be satisfied or content. The best they can hope for is that they can deaden enough of themselves so that they can bear to live day to day and not think about all the great and amazing things that they see but no one else can.  In many ways these people strike a chord in us because they give voice to some of the vague dissatisfaction in our daily lives, but then you go to work or your kid’s ballgame or get some ice cream and forget it.  These people can never forget it, and they live it 24/7.

Who can say if those visions of the way it all could be are even valid?  The problem with visionaries is that some of the best things you can envision can never be.  The world doesn’t work that way, there are too many variables, and those variables are people, all with their own free will and dreams and paths to destruction.  

If you can’t reconcile what you want with what you can have, you can never settle.  Settle into a life that brings you happiness and contentment.  Security and love, joy and fulfillment, where you can sleep through the night at least a few days a week, happy knowing that you know what you know and can let all the other things go and stop tilting at windmills and searching for imaginary treasures.  

So the stars want to offer their condolences and send their love to the unsettled.  It is a sad, lonely life in many ways, and although it has it’s rewards, those rewards can be a curse.  

But even the cursed deserve our love and pity.

6/21/16

Today’s Horoscope

All Signs:

We all do big important things.  All of us.  Most of the time we don’t even know we are doing them.  Many of the things that we do that impact other’s lives we do on autopilot.  It is who we are.  

There are most certainly people in your life that you look at with amazement and can’t quite understand how they do some of the things they do.  When you tell them that, they seem shocked and downplay it, because to them it just the only way they know how to be.  

Be aware that there are people that look at you the same way, we are just programmed not to see it.  Most of us do not want the spotlight shining on us.  Sadly, fear and insecurities make us immune to praise at times.  The only reason we still function and go on is because we are all combatting those fears and insecurities with the amazing, big things we do constantly.

So we go on, day by day, all doing these things that don’t seem like anything out of the ordinary to us.  That is what makes people so spectacular.  We don’t expect thanks, we don’t think we are better, we just all play our part, and in the course of that we excel and inspire, and maybe save a life now and then.  

And most of the time we never even know it.

So the stars want to tell you that you are all amazing, and you should pat yourselves on the back and maybe get yourself some ice cream or a cookie or whatever type of thing you view as a reward, because you deserve one.  

Now go out and be amazing all over again.

6/20/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want to remind you to be kind.

That's it.

When someone has a problem or they are down, instead of being judgemental and lecturing them due to your own insecurities or self-righteousness or control issues, be positive and supportive.

Just ask “how can I help?”

And then try to help.

It seems like the easiest thing in the world to do, yet most of us are incapable of it. Most of us are incapable of seeing that others are just going through things. They want to label them as losers or weak or pathetic instead of taking a moment to wonder why they are acting that way and to have some compassion instead of scorn.

And yes, some people might take advantage of that, so never give more than you can afford to lose and let it go if that happens. Sometimes even when someone doesn't seem to appreciate any help you gave them, you actually have helped. Every little bit makes a difference, all of our actions send out ripples that affect so many others, even though you might never see it.

You can't give up on all people just because some of them hurt you. Everyone is in some kind of pain, whether you choose to see it or not. That pain manifests itself in some really crappy behavior at times, and many times the person that wrongs you is damaging themselves much worse.

Yes, caring and helping is work, and involves some sacrifice, but what kind of person are you if you aren't willing to do a little work to help others?

Stop punishing the world, stop feeling so put upon all the time, stop blaming others for simply having a rough time of it, stop living in your own little bubble and open your eyes and develop some empathy and start caring about the world around you.

Basically, the stars want to tell you to get your head out of your ass and stop acting like douchebags, and make the world a better place for the people around you.

You just might find that your world gets better in the process.

6/19/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:
Today the stars want to remind you that even though moms get a lot of the praise(and deservedly so), dads are pretty important too. Too many TV sitcoms have made fathers out to be clueless, bumbling idiots, and horrible stories about deadbeat dads have tarnished all of them for some reason.
Often dads are seen as people that can't do anything right, or the lovable guy that tries but just can't connect with his kids. Like many things that form our opinions, that is ridiculous.
There are plenty of dads out there that have sacrificed and given everything for their kids. They still are, even when we are adults and supposedly shouldn't need our fathers to bail us out yet again.
Dads get the short end of the stick much of the time, and that's a shame. If you were lucky enough to have a dad that was a real man and took care of his family, you know how great it is.
It's true that some dads, especially from older generations, weren't always great at the tender and emotional moments. The great dads tried, though. It may have been awkward for them, but they did the best they could and it was more than enough.
A lot of the time, dad was working, and when he wasn't working he was fixing the house or making it better for his family. Dad showed his love in the ways that he could, and they were important and vital ways, and if you had that type of dad you know that.
Nothing made you feel safer than dad. He had your complete trust, and no one seemed more capable and you had nothing to fear as long as dad was there.
Then there are those that didn't have that type of dad. Maybe your dad had issues, and maybe they weren't his fault, but the fault of his upbringing, and no one gave him a proper example of how to be a dad. Mothers were always expected to be nurturing and doting, but a father's role is still evolving to this day.
The stars aren't telling you that you have to love or forgive or excuse any of your father's bad behaviors or shortcomings, but sometimes even dads that couldn't handle it in the beginning figure it out as they get older. Maybe your dad was a mess of a parent when you were a kid, but if he's trying now to make amends and be a dad, maybe give him a chance. Being a dad is a lifelong commitment, and you're the other half of that relationship.
Maybe he never had a dad that showed he cared. Maybe, though it seemed like he wasn't there like he should have been, his dad was much worse and it took everything he had to give the little he did give you.
Maybe he's figuring out out now, and he realizes what he did wrong. It might mean a lot to him and yourself if you give him the chance to make it up to you.
Or maybe he never will. Some dads never even try.
The bad thing is that while dads get short shrift, and we have been conditioned not to expect much, a father's role is so important and helps inform who we are and how we feel about ourselves.
So if your dad was one of the truly bad ones, abusive, or indifferent or not even there, do your best to not let that make you feel bad about yourself. It was his problem, and it doesn't mean you were bad or unlovable or worthless. It just means your dad wasn't any good at being a dad, and sadly there are people having kids everyday that probably shouldn't.
Step-dads hey a bad rap too, but many times they are more heroic than your real dad. They stepped in and raised someone else's child as their own, and that's no small feat.
Some of us have dads that aren't here anymore, and if you feel bad about your dad situation, think about the fact that he could be gone entirely. You only have one dad, and you might not get a chance next father's day to tell him all the things you should have.
And if your dad isn't here anymore, the stars want you to know that he is still watching over you, and he's proud of you and he cares, even if he never knew how to tell you that or show you just how much when he was alive.
He's your dad, and that's what dads do, whether we ever know it or not.

6/15/2016

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want to take a moment to acknowledge one of the great joys of life. That joy is the relationships we have with our beloved pets. There is something about the bond we have with our animal companions that is even greater than the bond we have with each other in some ways. Maybe it is unconditional love or maybe it is just because we control the snacks. Maybe it is because they are always there caring for us like we are one of the pack, or maybe it's just because they can't talk back. Perhaps it is something deeper than we can put into words or maybe it is just mutual dependency.

If you've ever had a pet, you know it is pure love, perhaps the only true love you will ever really know. If only we could love each other with the love we have with our pets.

Our animals are there for us in a way no other human can ever be. They see us at our lowest points, and never criticize, never lecture, they only give us more love. They are there for our good times too, and they share in them, always happy for us, not always understanding the joy but just glad to be a part of it.

We tell them things we could never tell anyone else. We let down our walls and let them see the part of us that we may never show to another person as long as we live, and they are fine with it. Where else would we ever get a gift as precious as that?

Where else could we find that kind of grace?

Where else could we get that kind of selfless love and devotion?

Pets give us the rare gift of allowing us to be who we truly are and still climbing in our lap or curling up next to us and loving us as just as fiercely as ever.

They are a part of us. They know our secrets and they know our hearts and they only respond with more love.

And they know how to let us love them. They don't question our motives, they don't play games, they don't shame or belittle us. They just accept the love you give them for what it is, and give it right back to us. They are grateful for us, without fear or trepidation, just so happy that we are their human.

The stars know the bad part, too. They know that our companions life spans are so much shorter than ours. They know we will suffer the loss of our beloved pets over and over again. They know when we are still raw and shattered after saying goodbye yet again to one of our babies that we feel like we could never go through it again, that we couldn't bear to suffer the heartbreak like this ever again.

But it is precisely that heartbreak that tells us we will, that what we lost is something so precious and so good. That is why we are so devastated now, and we will find that joy again down the road. There is a strange thing that happens when you choose a pet. When you see them for the first time, you just know. You can see a thousand dogs or cats and love them, but when you see that dog or cat that is destined to be yours, you just know instantly.

To might try to talk yourself out of it, to tell yourself that you don't need another pet right now, that you're not ready. But you know. You will welcome that animal into your life because it seems like it is preordained.

You just know.

And the love affair begins all over again.

The stars want you to be thankful for the time you have with your companions. They want you to cherish and hold all the moments you shared with them close to your heart.

They want you to understand what an amazing gift you have in them, and they want to thank you for loving your pets and treating them so well.

Our pets are on loan to us for much too brief a time, but they will always be a part of us and we are so much better for it, and we will be reunited with them all one day, amongst the stars.

RIP my beloved bunny. You gave me so much in your 9-½ years with me that I could never begin to repay you for. You saved my life in a way nothing else could. There is such an empty space in my life right now. Thank you for everything. I will be with you again some day, amongst the stars.

6/14/2016

Today’s Horoscope

All Signs:

Today the stars want to remind you that you are free.  Free to be what you want, who you want, whenever you want.  Freedom is such a funny thing.  It is such a basic right and denied to so many, but most people that have it take it for granted.  Chances are though, if you are reading this, you are free.  

Of course, none of us are totally free.  We parcel off little bits of our freedom all the time.  Through work, relationships, any commitments we make, we strike a balance where we trade off a little freedom to get something back in return.  Money, love, security, companionship, whatever.  Still, we are essentially free to negate any of those contracts on the spot, as long as we understand we will suffer some consequences.  That is our choice, and we are free to make it.

Then there is the bigger threat to our freedom.  All the self imposed restrictions, the chains and prisons we make for ourselves.  Whether it is fear or shame or guilt that stops us from being truly free, or lets us give power to others to control us, it is our enemy.  If the only thing stopping you from doing what you really want to do is a vague feeling that you are wrong for wanting to, then that’s a shame.  You are squandering a precious gift.

If you are with someone that keeps you from being who you truly are, then you are not living a full life.  Many times we end up with someone that is even more insecure and frightened by freedom than we are, so they restrict themselves and they restrict you in the process.  They are afraid of who you really are, and if someone else sees it they will lose you.  So they beat you down, and they make you think you’re bad for being who you are.  They ruin you for yourself and others, and for themselves, but they would rather have a chained up, stunted version of you than let you be the wonderful person you are.  They are so afraid and insecure that they think if you were ever free to be who you are you wouldn’t want them anymore.  

Make no mistake, it is you giving them that control.  It is you allowing them to take your freedom.  Perhaps on some level, you are now convinced that no one would want you if they knew who you really were.

So we live our lives in cages that we make, and the door is open but we never leave.  We never truly dance or sing or fly.  We never love completely, ourselves or others.  We sit, envious of those around us that seemingly have no limitations, but never realize that we have none either.  

So while you will always have responsibilities, and you should take care of those, you also have the right to be free.

Free to love who you want to love.

Free to be who you want to be.

Free to not settle for anything that you don’t want to settle for.

Free to laugh and sing and cry and do it all in the face of whomever wants to stifle you. There is no exhilaration greater than freedom.

There will always be someone that wants to take your freedom from you.  They want you to be afraid, they want you to be unsure, they want you to doubt who you are.  They want to control you and swindle you and break you, and it is your job to smile and waltz right past them and flaunt your freedom in their face.  Being free sometimes means being brave, and sometimes it means suffering for it, but it is always better than the alternative.

Nothing scares people in power more than someone that is unbreakable, that continues to live their life, free and unafraid.  When we are free, we are unstoppable.  We are strong because we choose who we are and who we answer to.  We have taken all control away from them, be they government or lover, criminal or parent, or your own fear.

Only when we are free of all those things can we be everything glorious and wonderful that we can be, and damn anyone that wants to stop us.  Damn the politicians and fearmongers, creating bogeymen to keep you in line. Damn the chastising voices from the TV and the pulpits, making you feel shame.  Damn anyone telling you that you deserve whatever abuse and pain you get for just wanting to be who you are.  

Damn anything that takes even a tiny bit of your freedom just so they can feel safer.

When you are free, you make your own rules and you shape the world you live in.

The stars want to remind us all that we are free.

So be free.

6/13/2016

Today's Horoscope

All signs:
The stars are always there. Some nights the clouds get in the way. Some of us live in the city, and the light here on earth drowns them out, but they are there. Even in the day, when the stars are hidden by the sun, remember that the sun is a star also.
When it seems you have lost your way, when it seems you are all alone, when it seems like no one in the world understands you, when it seems that everything that can be wrong with the world is bearing down on you, the stars are always there. Even when you can't see them.
Trust me.
Remember that there are people that need you, even if they don't seem to appreciate it or realize it. Keep in mind that many of the people that hurt you are hurting themselves, and they don't even know what they're doing. Understand that even as someone is throwing away all the love you've given them, they are punishing themselves more than they are punishing you.
So hold on.
Hold on to everything and anything you have ever loved or has ever brought a smile to your face.
Because the stars are always there.
And they know who you are and how amazing and beautiful you can be, and they love the shit out of you.
And they always will.

6/12/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:
Today there is more horror in the news then usual. The stars want you to remember that there is always more good in the world than bad. Civilization has seemingly been on the brink many times over. We have endured heartbreak and genocide and slaughter. We have seen the innocent, the bystanders, the children put before the gun and the machines of war. We see senseless violence, fueled by fear, hatred and greed. We see what horror countries, organizations and individuals can visit upon society. We have seen cities laid waste and the images of bodies twisted and maimed so as to be unrecognizable. We have seen it all until it seemed our poor hearts could take no more.
But we have endured. We have endured because no matter how much evil there is in the world, there is always more love.
Keep that love with you. Let it light your way and share it with the world when the world needs it most. Hold those dear to you a little tighter and be assured that the world will keep on turning and the stars will be there to guide you no matter what. When the darkness and light clash, the light always wins. Light penetrates and vanquishes the dark, so we all need to be that light.
That light is love, and there is always more love than hate, or we wouldn't still be here, calling each other out of the darkness again and again.

6/11/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:
The stars remind you to always share. It is only by sharing that we learn that the things about us that make us feel isolated and shameful are not unique. The hardest blows come not from the things that are done to us, or from our failures or lapses in judgement. They come from what remains inside; the guilt, the shame, the feeling that we are bad and unlovable, the blame for things that aren't even our fault.
Carry around too much of that stuff and we soon get the feeling that we are unredeemable, too far gone for anyone to respect, even ourselves. That is why we must confide in others, so we can learn to understand that we are not alone. We are all full of secrets and things we think no other person on earth could know about or understand, but they can. Most likely they are hurting too, but they are hiding the same dark secrets inside.
So if we share our pain and guilt with others, we see that they will not recoil in horror or disgust, but will find relief and comfort.
As with all things in life, the stars realize nothing is this cut and dry. They realize that some secrets are too great. We all carry some things within us that are so personal and so grievous that we cannot ever utter them aloud. We can't even admit them to ourselves. We bury them so deep that we think they will never surface and we pretend they don't exist.
But they do.
They exist, way down deep, in the sub strata of our minds, and they poison everything that grows above them. They rot and fester and expand like some lethal fungus, and they infect every thought you have, inform every decision you make.
That's precisely why there should be no secrets too great. That's why you need at least one person in your life that has your best interests at heart, and will help you dig them up and burn them, and fill in the hole with good soil.
The stars know that too many of us will go on carrying this poison around with us. It is our nature. Not our nature to hide our secrets, but our nature to make others feel like they should. We have done an amazingly thorough job of restricting and stunting each other through shame and guilt. Society has made it so we feel terrible just for experiencing some of the horrors life throws at us. That is a shame.
So we will go on, and our world will be shaped by all the poison festering away inside the minds of our loved ones, of our leaders, of ourselves. We won't even know the reasons because we are working so hard to ignore them.
As always, our secrets will be our undoing.

6/7/2016

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want you to understand that even though the universe seems stable and orderly, it is really non-stop chaos spread out over millennia. It's the same for life.

Life is messy, and turbulent, and the longer you live, the more chaos you navigate and the more you learn that life is full of things you never expected.  Of course life is full of wonderful things, but there are so many things in life that are horrific and devastating and unimaginable.

Sadly, we live these things in the moment, day by day. We don't have the luxury of seeing them from afar, spread out over the course of a lifetime, we get to see them up close as they happen. They are instant and constant and they hurt.

There is no miracle answer, no short cuts. You just have to live through it best you can, and we need to help each other. We forget this simple thing.  Help each other.  We are all besieged with problems at one time or another, but when we have a lull in our own battles, we should look at the people around us and offer a hand if we can.

It can be something as simple as listening to their problems, and just acknowledging the things they are dealing with.  A little encouragement goes a long way.  You might be the difference between that person giving up or persevering, even if just for another day.  

You might find that helping others makes you feel better, and maybe someone will be more inclined to help you one day.  You get out of life what you put into it.  Put nothing in, you will get nothing out and you will wonder why nothing seems to work out for you.  Put only bad things into it and you will wonder why you are constantly on the wrong end of everything and why your life is nothing but abuse and punishment.

It is so simple, yet we are such a confused and battered population that we can’t all keep any of the simple truths in life simple.   We complicate and distort everything, and make our lives and the people’s lives around us so needlessly difficult.  

So we careen through our days, amidst the chaos of the natural order of things and the chaos we create, and we think it is normal and unfathomable at the same time.   We blame ourselves where there is no blame and shun our responsibilities when we are liable.  

We cripple and blind ourselves and wonder why we can’t move forward and avoid the pitfalls.

The stars see us, they see our place in the chaos and upheaval, and they see our role in the misery and uncertainty we create.  They peer at us through the nebulae and they try to influence and guide us, yet we seem to resent them their help.  Still they try, even if they can never make us fully realize our potential and even if they can never save us from ourselves.  The stars will never abandon us, but they can only do so much.

That is why we must help each other, because we all need all the help we can get.