8/30/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:
The stars want to remind you that symbols are powerful things. They also want to remind you that symbols mean different things to different people.
While a swastika was symbol of pride for the Nazis, it was a symbol of terror, oppression and genocide for the Jews.
While the cross is a symbol of rebirth and a savior to Christians, it was a symbol of destruction to many cities and civilizations that did not share that belief.
Though corporate logos may be a symbol of technology, fashion, progress or the good life for first world nations, they are often a symbol of slave labor to third world countries.
And while your nation's flag might be a symbol of patriotism, or sacrifice, or values it may or may not possess, to others it might represent a fatal flaw in the machinations of the government it represents, and therefore may stir different feelings in them than it does you.
The very same symbol may mean different things to different people, and it shouldn't be so hard to understand that.
It also shouldn't be too hard to understand that symbols shouldn't come before people. We can have different interpretations without dividing us, and setting us against each other once again. Unless we were already divided beforehand, and the symbol in question has just forced that division out into the light.
The stars want you to ask yourself:
Now that it has been dragged into the light, what are you going to do about it?

8/29/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want to remind you that everybody learns from someone else. You may be the best at whatever you do, you might be the most amazing in your field, but you had to learn it from someone at some point.

Our whole life there are people we come across that teach us something. It might be something small and seemingly insignificant, or it might be something that sets us on a life course to who we will be.

It starts with your parents, or siblings, or grandparents, your whole extended family, passing their knowledge and morals down to you.

Then you go to school, and while you will encounter some bad teachers, the good teachers will have a huge positive effect on your life. A good teacher can mean so much to your life and who you'll end up being. They can unlock a whole new world for you, and put you on a path to discovering your passion and your life's work. If you had such a teacher, you are lucky.

Then there are bosses and coworkers. Again, there are good and bad ones, but you can learn from either. A good mentor is priceless, and you can glean so much information from them, usually just by the example they set.

Even a bad boss can teach you a lot. They may be lacking in people skills, but they usually are at their position because they are good at it. Sometimes the reason you resent someone is because they possess a quality you are lacking. If that's the case, you can still aspire to copy the good traits while ignoring their shortcomings.

Then there are a million other people you come across that can teach you something if you just pay attention. Little things about life, love, and happiness. Or maybe just fixing a toaster. You can even learn from the horrible people you meet, you can see their failings and learn to avoid those pitfalls.

The point the stars want to make is that you got to be who you are with a lot of help along the way, whether you realize it or not. So you should do the same for others.

Share your knowledge and experience. Don't hoard it or hide it away, and don't be afraid to be proud of what you know and what you've accomplished. Sharing knowledge makes us all stronger and might just change someone's life. So keep that in mind as you go about your day, and take that responsibility seriously.

We are all students and we are all teachers, whether we like it or not, and it's up to us to figure out what kind of each we want to be.

8/26/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want to let you know that you are in the majority, but it's not a great one to be in.

No matter what surveys or police or politicians or doctors or guidance counselors tell you, the stars see all. The majority of people, especially women, have been abused. Sexually, physically, emotionally, you name it.

We are bullied and raped, beaten and tortured, told we are awful and no one would want us, psychologically tormented and sadistically punished for no reason.

Few of us make it to adulthood unscathed. We are left with the rest of our lives to try to make sense of it all, many times while the abuse continues. Many of the people that do the abusing were abused themselves, and they are continuing the cycle without even realizing it.

The stars bring this up because most people don't. Many times shame, or fear of reprisal stops victims from ever talking about it, and if they finally do they are chastised because they didn't tell anyone about it the “right way” or at the “right time”.

These are issues that need to be addressed, and we have a lot of work to do, but the stars want to get back to the original point. You are not in the minority, and they know it, even if the world doesn't want to hear it.

So there is no shame, there is no right for others to level judgment, there is no fault , only something horrible that dominates your thinking and clouds your decisions. The stars know how we seldom get the closure we need, and we simply go on agonizing over it, again and again, because we just can't understand how something like that was allowed to happen.

But it happens all the time, and it's not your failing. In any way. You didn't deserve it then, and you don't deserve it now. All the hurt and anger and shame you've been harboring all these years is not your fault either. You have to realize that.

That's the first, most important step to moving on, and it's also the hardest, but for your sake you need to try, whenever you feel ready.

Sometimes you have to push yourself, or you'll find you've spent your whole life living in a self made echo chamber, closed off from those that love you, punishing yourself over and over. It will only get worse if unaddressed.

Time does not always heal, sometimes time just makes you accustomed to living with pain and discomfort, and that's not healing. That's just settling into a half life, with the slow, steady hum of dissatisfaction always barely audible somewhere deep inside.

Just remember, whenever you feel alone, or disgraced, or like something has been taken from you that you might never get back, that you are part of a terrible majority. You're not alone, you're no worse than most of the people living on this planet. Realize that there's nothing wrong with you that isn't affecting most of the other people you know, and then you can get busy trying to become part of another minority:

Those that have learned how wonderful and amazing they truly are and will not let someone else's crimes and transgressions against them define who they are and what they can be. Any of us can achieve that, the stars believe that to their core, and they need you to believe it too.

They know we are meant to rise above, that's what people have done again and again, throughout history, and that's what we will continue to do. It's our birthright, to look the world and those that harm us in the face and stare it down, and take back what is ours.

That might seem like a lot, and like an overwhelming thing to do, but just living with what you're living with now is just as hard, if not harder, and that in itself is amazing and heroic.

The stars see all, and they know. They know despite all the terrible and horrific things, that there is redemption and love, strength and rebirth, release and joy, all waiting for us whenever we want it.

8/25/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:
Maybe some days the stars don't need to tell you anything.
Maybe there's nothing in particular going on in your life, and you could use the break. 
Maybe all the problems and anxiety and uncertainty are still there, but right now you're too busy enjoying your life at the moment to notice them.
Maybe you're just stronger than you think.
Whatever the reason, the stars are silent today. They know you need some time off once in awhile, all the deep thinking and second guessing, and wondering what it's all about and if it will all be okay. And if they've taught us anything, odds are, it will all be okay.
So enjoy the lull, try to experience life in the moment and let the other stuff go for a bit, and if that's not the case, if your problems are still at the forefront, remember:
You're stronger than you think.

8/24/16

Today’s Horoscope

All Signs:

The stars want you to know that it is true that the smarter you are and the more aware you are, the less happy you will be.  That’s the trade off.  And in many cases it is a choice.  

Regardless of what you hear and see, there are very few truly stupid people in the world.  People that don’t know about the specific things you know about aren’t stupid, they just aren’t interested.  Those same people that don’t understand politics or physics or the significance of zero still have vast reserves of knowledge about sports or music or internal combustion engines.

The sad thing is that these people come to think of themselves as not being smart because they don’t read a lot of books, or care about ten part shows about space.  Human beings can’t help wanting to feel superior, and that comes at the cost of keeping others down.  We are natural elitists, and of course that all goes back to insecurity and fear.

So be on guard for that, and if you catch yourself doing it, stop it.  It is crappy behavior and we can control it with a minimal amount of awareness and effort.

We all have something to offer the world, and for all the geniuses that have changed the world by rising above their station in life, there are millions that never do because they have been made to feel like they are idiots or somehow lesser people.  They are afraid to try, because they see how others look at them, and the people looking down on them do it with no real knowledge of who that person really is.  

Smart or rich or high society people sometimes think they are part of a special club, and any club exists at the cost of keeping undesirables out.  Being exclusionary might ensure that no one shows up at your formal party in a t-shirt drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon, but it keeps you from experiencing people that have a lot to offer you.  It makes the excluded feel bad about themselves, and it holds back civilization on the whole.  If you are being exclusionary, chances are that you’re being an asshole.  

So if people have different interests than you, don’t just cut them out of your life.  While you might be mad that they don’t care about the things you care about, maybe they feel the same way about you.  Maybe you are doing that very same thing to them, and maybe it is based on your own insecurities.  Maybe you should become a little more well rounded, if you’re so smart.

And back to the stars original point.  Being truly smart and aware can bring you a lot of misery. It can make you understand the world on a deeper level, and see things that others can’t or won’t.  You can’t ignore them because they are there, they exist, and to ignore them would go against all that you are.  

But you must always remember, there are good things you can see that others can’t or won’t, and instead of always warning them about the bad things, you can also tell them about the good things.  The things you know that are wondrous and amazing will interest them if you let the joy you feel come through in telling it.  Your passion will carry you, and people respond to passion.  

Passion is what kept all the people that changed the world going.  It’s more than just knowledge, it’s the infectious and imaginative drive that kept them on the path to greatness.  

And they made life better and took all of us with them.  Even the “stupid” ones.

8/22/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

Some days you're on your own. Be it horoscopes, or loved ones, or stars, there are times when none of them will be there the moment you feel you need them.

That's okay. You are more than capable of holding down the fort for awhile. You'll be okay until help arrives. Maybe you won't even need the help this time.

You also might find that the people you love most, the people you count on, are always there with you anyway. You know them so well that you carry a piece of them around with you, and you can hear their voice and know what they would say if they were there. Take comfort in that.

These are the special people in your life, and they have a piece of you tucked away too.

These are the bonds that make us stronger. This is the love that makes humanity great. Figure out who those people are, and cherish them, and let them cherish you.

Then we might all make it through this thing called life, buoyed by love and smiling as we go.

8/21/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want you to know that you are not unique. Okay, that sounds like a horrible thing to say, and of course all of us are unique in some way or another.

We are not as unique as we think we are when it comes to problems and emotional distress. Our first instinct when we feel bad, or sad, or depressed or embarrassed is that no one could possibly know how we feel or understand what we are going through. That is wrong.

We all have experienced most of the things you have, and if not in exactly the same way, we are blessed with imagination and empathy that let's us fill in the blanks.

One of the biggest mistakes we make is not giving the people that love us the chance to prove it. We think our secrets are so big and so scary and so terrible that even they will look at us with disappointment or disgust.

They all have the same secrets hiding inside them, that is a fact. We all feel that way, and we all get it, we just aren't good at admitting it to others. Maybe we don't talk about it because we don't like hearing it verbalized, because we can barely admit some things to ourselves.

The sooner we work past that, the sooner we can unburden ourselves and get closer to others in the process. You will find that the people that truly love you will usually be nonplussed by your confession, and maybe breathe a sigh of relief to find you feel that way too.

Some might be shocked at first, but give them a moment to process it and they will still love you as fiercely as they did before. If they don't, then maybe they didn't love you as much as you thought they did. And if someone does love you, isn't it fair to let them know the person they love, warts and all? That's just common decency.

The stars shine out through the universe for all to see. They hide no secrets, they harbor no guilt. Everything they are is beaming out, unadulterated and pure, across billions of light years of space, and all the other stars shine back. Together, they make up the night sky, and bring an order and beauty to the cosmos that we can only marvel at.

The only way to get closer to each other is by sharing who we are, on every level. Tear down any walls that block the light, or you may find yourself living in the vast, empty region of space  where no light reaches you and you are unbound by the gravity that holds everything together.

Shine with everything you have.  It's all you, the good, the bad, and the spectacular, but we'll never grow and we'll never see it, and we'll all drift through this life never knowing each other at all.

And if you never really know anyone, how will you ever know yourself?

8/19/16 Friday bonus

BONUS FRIDAY Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want you to enjoy your weekend and they want to say that they hope you have a home.

By that, they mean they hope you have some people that love you unconditionally. Sometimes we mess up, and we get drunk or make bad decisions or get exasperated at the world and we blow up on those closest to us and use them as a punching bag.

People who are your home understand that, and they still love you and welcome you with open arms. Your home should be a place where the people that love you, truly, without question and completely, is always available to you.

You can be that jerk because you know it's safe, and these people have seen you at your worst and it doesn't matter. And it goes both ways. To have a home, you need to be a home, and being a home for those you love should not be too big a chore.

So go out and have a great, fun weekend, and hopefully you don't get in too much trouble.

But if you do, know you can always find your way back home.

8/19/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want to remind you that you never know what it's like to be someone else. Ever.

So when there is someone you love that hurts you to your core, remember that maybe as bad as your pain is, sometimes it hurts them even worse.

The stars are taking about mental illness, and it is a very harsh thing to live with, for you and the person afflicted. There are so many people suffering with it, and when we get hurt by them we tend to pity ourselves. That's okay, nurse your wounds because your pain is valid. But realize, sometimes the horrible things people do are out of their control. Sometimes the shitty way they act is because their brains don't work the way ours do. Some people are sociopaths, and they don't quite understand the pain they inflict because they either just can't or maybe they have been through so much trauma that they can't deal with emotions anymore. And the joke's on them because at that point all they are is raw emotion.

Maybe some of them have been through unimaginable things that you couldn't even conceive of, and would dwarf your tiny hurt feelings. Maybe there is just something physically damaged in their brains that you don't understand, and sure, you can hate them for it, but if you truly loved them you would feel only pity.

That doesn't mean you have to leave yourself open for abuse, or expose yourself to violence or misery.  You can't compromise your own life, or subject yourself to anguish 24/7. It just means you grasp the concept that maybe sometimes it hurts them more than it hurts you.

And that's a really tough thing to comprehend, especially when your heart is torn out and the world has been pulled out from under you. But loving anyone is never easy, and when you do, you sign up for some rough times, so know that going in. Love never works exclusively on your terms, whether it's romance, a child, a sibling, a parent or a friend.

So if someone you care about is suffering from some mental health problem, for a moment you might want to put aside how bad it makes you feel and just try to imagine how it makes them feel. Imagine if you were engaging in behavior that made you hate yourself, but some compulsion you don't understand drives you to do it. Imagine if you could see yourself hurting the people you loved, but you couldn't stop and you don't know why. Imagine if you had no control over who you were, but you lived in that body and got to watch yourself act in a manner that made you sick, physically ill and sick of yourself and torn apart and you couldn't stop and you don't even understand who you are anymore.

Imagine if you lost yourself completely, and were scared and alone and couldn't even trust your own mind.

Because that's just the tip of the iceberg for a lot of people.  God help them all.

So the stars want to remind you that God either can't or won't help them all, so he leaves it up to us.

The stars want you to know that you're here to help; not judge, not scold, not to take everything personally and be petty or turn a cold shoulder.

The stars are firm on this one.

You are here to help.

So dry your eyes, straighten your back, and be a beacon that calls those poor lost souls back home.  Be that home.

That's how you help.

8/18/16

Today’s Horoscope

All Signs:
The stars want to let you know that life has it’s rewards, but you have learn to recognize them and appreciate them for what they are.
Rewards are not dependant on what you want or expect. Most of the time they occur naturally and are what they are. We tend to get caught up in what we think we deserve, but who ever gets what they deserve? Why do we think we know just what we deserve anyway? We are the least impartial people involved to make that judgement.
If you are doing everything in your life expecting a reward you are going to be sorely disappointed. Most of the time the reward is just that you got done whatever you were working on. Rewards rarely outweigh the work you put into attaining them. In fact, most times it’s never remotely close.
Many times though, the rewards come in small doses, and we don’t even realize that we are getting a return on our investment. Sometimes the reward is not something you get, it’s seeing someone else lifted up or their lives made better by what you did. That is no small accomplishment, and it is a reward you should take to heart and feel proud of. In helping others we help ourselves, in very important ways. Our reward is self esteem, self love, self respect, and sadly, those are commodities that are very hard to come by these days.
We receive gifts everyday, and many times they are not so much gifts, but hard earned rewards we take for granted or overlook. Slow down, breath, and think about why things are happening in your life right now. Life could be rewarding you for the good you’ve done, or punishing you for screwing up, or maybe the big wheel just landed on your number out of chance. But the rewards are there. You just have to accept them when they come along and not get down because they are not exactly what you expected.
The stars know all about rewards. They watch us everyday as we obsess on something trivial and insignificant and completely miss something big and important and beneficial. They know life is not always fair, but they also know that life is good and generous, but when we want something impossible we tend to miss out on the thing we need.
Sometimes getting the opposite of what you wanted is exactly the thing you needed most.

8/17/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

At times in your life you will arrive at points where you are overwhelmed or exhausted or just feel like you are shutting down because thinking about what you are dealing with is just too much.

The stars want you to know that it's okay to feel that way. It is a natural reaction to sometimes feel numb or incapacitated. Your mind is basically hitting the reset button.

Try to enjoy the respite. Let yourself calm down while your subconscious reshuffles and reorganizes all the jumbled thoughts in your head. Life is hard, and our brains may be amazing, but they have a hard time keeping up with all the demands and stimuli modern day life throws at us.

So when it all gets too much and you don't know which way to turn anymore, just let it all go for a moment. It will all be there when you get back, and if you let your brain sort it out on its own, you might find it knows what it's doing. You may realize that you no longer obsess over things beyond your control, you might see some situation or problem from a whole new perspective, you could find that things that seemed so important and urgent really aren't worth it anymore.

And you let it go permanently.

Sometimes your brain does what you're not capable of, and it blows the whole shaky house of cards down and starts rebuilding, and that can be a huge relief.

Your brain is all about survival, so let it help you survive rather than fight it. While your brain can get you into trouble more often than not, it can really save you when you need it most.

The stars know it can be scary at times like these, because we feel like we are not in complete control, but control is an illusion, just like the constellations and the man in the moon. They want you to know that it's okay to just go with it and to let yourself find some peace.

They will always be there, guiding you, watching over you, and ready to welcome you when you get back.

Like always, all you need to do is look up.

8/16/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

Today the stars want to remind you to hold onto yourself.

Chances are you have spent the majority of your life figuring out who you are. You have suffered and questioned and learned everything you could and made yourself into the person you really want to be. You'll be fine tuning that the rest of your life, but you should have a pretty good idea who you are and why you do the things you do. If not, you should really get right on that.

Life has a way of dealing you blows that make you question whether you are right at all, and it will tempt you to abandon who you are and turn you cynical or hateful or send you down a well of depression.

While it is always good to question your beliefs and to try to become a better person, don't do it when the world has just hit you with a sucker punch. That kind of self examination is best done when you are calm and at your most rational.

When life deals you a harsh blow, that's when you need to cling to who you are. Find the inner strength that comes with knowing you were doing the right thing for the right reasons. And keep doing it.

The worst thing that can happen when it all goes wrong is that you lose yourself and become something you're not. Or you just end up lost and confused, drifting along with no direction or will of your own.

So be the person you want to be and hold on tight to yourself. Then, when it all falls apart, and it will, because that's what life does, you will always have one person you can trust and believe in. Yourself.

Hold onto yourself.

8/15/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

Today the stars want to remind you of something that they really don't have to remind you of, and that is that life can be devastating.

Sometimes no matter how good you are or how hard you try or how much you want it, nothing is going to work out at all.

You can even be doing nothing in particular and get waylaid by disaster. Disease, blood clot, car accident, crazed gunman, we are all so perilously close to having our worlds destroyed at any moment.

If you survive whatever thing it is that pulls your whole world down, you have to keep going. Sometimes you feel you don't want to, sometimes you use it as an excuse for bad and self destructive behavior, sometimes you let it drive you into depression and give up, but those are all bad options.

Talk to friends and family, or a professional, do your best to come to terms with what happened and move on. Life can be good again, even if it doesn't seem like it now.

And if none of that seems like a good option and you really feel like your life is over, well… here's your chance to start a new life. You have nothing to lose at this point, right? Reinvent yourself. Be the person you always wanted, doing the things you want to do. Be selfish for once.

You are playing with house money, so bet the longshot and laugh the whole time. Figure out what makes you happy and then just do it. This is your ultimate chance to really turn a negative into a positive.

And if it doesn't work out exactly as you planned and you end up back where you started? Try it again.

Don't ever stop trying. Ever.

The stars know that life is trying. They have watched life arise on Earth, and a billion other planets and moons, and in every case it was a struggle. In every instance, life clawed its way into existence, and then struggled and competed and toiled to keep its toehold.

Amidst all the struggling and setbacks, there is more than enough good to make it worthwhile, otherwise why would the struggle continue billions of years later?

There is always enough joy and happiness and grand moments, you just have to hang on until they arrive. The reward is always worth the effort, otherwise none of us would be here.

But we are here.

We are here to keep on trying.

8/9/16

Today’s Horoscope

All Signs:

Today the stars want to remind you to take a moment to recognize your tiny victories.  Many times we don’t appreciate or even notice when we get a win.  There are so many times we don’t see how good we had it when it was happening, only to realize later that we wasted the time we had with someone or something or some circumstances that now looks so good in hindsight.

We would not get through life if we didn’t have more wins than losses, yet we always seem to think that life is one setback after another.  So instead of dwelling on what went wrong all the time, think about what went right.  Then remember those things and when they happen again so you will recognize and build on them.

Life is much happier when you notice how good it really is.  Forget about the fact that your body goes through an astronomical number of tiny calculations and executes them every second to keep you breathing and walking and seeing and so many other things.  Think about when you throw a piece of paper across the room into a trash can.  Do you even realize the immense amount of computations and actions your mind and body perform in that split second?  Calculating distance, speed, the physics of the entire operation, the mechanical processes of bending and uncoiling your arm, letting go of the paper ball at the right moment, all done with billions of little electrical signals pulsing through your brain and tissue.  

Hell, even if you miss, that’s a win just getting it close considering all the math and signal routing you just did without even seemingly thinking about it. Again, now think about all those things it takes constantly just to keep you breathing and walking upright.

Whether you get a win or a loss in this moment, just remember the inconceivable amount of tiny victories it takes just to live each second.  You are already so far ahead of the game it’s ridiculous.  And you thought life was hard.  

Okay, regardless of all that, life is hard sometimes.  But just the fact that we are still here to experience it is a miracle.  The odds are so stacked against us, yet here we all are, living, breathing examples of incredible luck and spirit.  

The stars know about all of this.  Although it seems like we are all fixed in the universe, comforted by the fact that cosmically everything is constant and in the same place we saw it last, the stars know that we are all hurtling through space at astronomical speeds, flung out in an ever expanding arc.

They know how lucky all of us are, and them too.  They appreciate it, and thrill to the fact that they are still here from one moment to the next, and they couldn’t be happier.  Every day they get to share in all of our little victories, whether we ever notice them or not.

8/8/16

Today’s Horoscope

All Signs:

Today is Monday, and Mondays are hard.  Maybe it’s because we are coming off of two days where our time was our own.  Well, relatively speaking.  Our time is very seldom our own.  We have friends and family and children and pets and all kinds of other things that put demands on our time, but at least we’re not at work.  Or we might hate Mondays more just because that’s the way we have been conditioned to think.  

Whatever the reason, Mondays are hard.  

But you have gotten through every other Monday so far and you will get through this one.  Like most everything else in life, you can choose to be positive or negative about it.  So head into Monday not thinking about how it’s the end of your weekend, but as the first 20% of the way through your week until your next weekend is here.  

Maybe you can only afford to go out to go out for lunch one day a week, but why not make that day Monday?  Go sit down in a nice place you like and take it easy for a half hour or so.  Or pick up something you like, even if you have to eat it at your desk.  Treat yourself, so at least you have something to look forward to on Monday that also marks the halfway point until your day is done.  

Perhaps you can reward yourself when you get home.  Get something for dinner you have been craving, or plan a date or a movie or just a walk in the park.  Anything that makes you look forward to Monday and a little treat for your accomplishment.

Because don’t kid yourself, getting through any day is an accomplishment.  We have trained ourselves not to notice the hazards and pitfalls we navigate everyday, but they are there and you should always be grateful you arrive home safe and sound at the end of the day.  

So go out and kick another Monday’s ass and feel good about doing it.  And if sometimes Monday kicks your ass, don’t worry about it.  There’s a rematch coming next week and now you know all its moves, so you’ll do fine.

Like you always do.