10/31/16

Today’s Horoscope

Some signs:

The stars want to remind you that there are an awful lot of people out there that don’t get it.  They don’t really understand most of the positions they have or even the things that they say.  It may seem like a large swath of humanity is just too stupid to live, but there aren’t really a lot of truly stupid people out there.  There are just a lot of people that have had seriously messed up upbringings, or no one in their lives that gave a shit and in turn they don’t give a shit.  

Or maybe they never learned any comprehension skills, or developed any critical thinking.  Maybe they were raised in different circumstances than you, and now they are connected to a world that is alien to them.  Maybe they are anti-intellectual because they never had a chance to learn about the things you take for granted.

The world has changed so much in the last few decades.  People that lived their lives in a simple and detached existence where many things didn’t even occur to them now are forced to think about things that they have no foundation in.  They are new to politics or pop culture or science, really anything that previously fell into a category that they could ignore and still get by reasonably well in their world.

But now they are connected, through the internet and 24 hour cable news.  They don’t know what is real and what isn’t.  They don’t understand abstract concepts and how to interpret a lot of what they see and hear, so everything loud and emphatic gets their attention and riles them up.

Let’s not even mention the fact that many of them hold outdated and borderline(or not so borderline) racist and misogynistic views. They were never taught any better and they don’t even see it as a problem, and they resent it when you point it out.

It doesn’t mean that they are stupid, or even wrong from where they are sitting.

What can you do if you are exposed to people like this all the time?  Not much.  You can try to calmly explain your side of it, but people don’t take kindly to being told what they think is wrong.  You can decide you hate them, and unfriend them or ignore them or mute them, although I don’t think that helps anyone. You can accept them and hope that your influence makes a difference.  

You might be surprised to find that most people are not evil, or hate filled, or even morons, they just don’t know any different.  Once they are exposed to the people they think are bad, they find that maybe those people aren’t the faceless monsters they viewed them as.  They start to humanize the people that previously disgusted them because now they have a face, and feelings, and redeeming values.  They find that they might have common ground.  They come to see that you can’t just lump a bunch of people together into one big catch all group.  Then their opinions change and maybe they aren’t as blind to things or racist or hateful as they used to be, and they grow.

The stars want you to understand, that scenario works for you too.

10/28/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:
The stars want to remind you that who anyone loves is none of your business. They don't care what religion you belong to, they don't care about your twisted ideas of what's right or wrong in this area, they just want you to shut up.
Some people just can't handle it when a man loves a man, or a woman loves a woman, or if a man wants to become a women or dress like a woman or vice versa. They have a whole range of issues with things that don’t even concern them. They do not understand or want to understand. Some people are brought up learning to hate, or they are frightened by things that they can’t comprehend. The problem these people have usually has nothing to do with what they think it is anyway.
People have a strange reaction to seeing others being free to be themselves. They admire it, but then for some, that admiration turns into anger and jealousy. It makes them ache inside because they can't be that free, that they can't be who they are. So those feelings manifest themselves into rage against what they truly wish they could possess. It is self loathing disguising itself as self righteousness.
They end up trying to keep others from doing the things that they desire. It is sad. These people live an existence that goes against everything they feel, and it must be horrible indeed.
The stars weep for those people, but they also refuse to legitimize their opinions. They are wrong, and the stars want to make sure that there is no wiggle room on this issue. It is nobody's business. None of it. Two consenting adults can do what they want with their bodies. Anyone can act or dress or feel how they like as long as it isn’t hurting anyone else. Period.
And if it is two people that love and respect each other, who bring each other joy and happiness, why would you want to deny them any of that? For any reason?
The stars want you to ask yourself, if it is love, or brings someone peace and happiness with who they are, why would you be mad about it? How can that be bad for anyone?

10/26/16

Today’s Horoscope

All Signs:

The stars want to tell you something, and they aren’t always poetic about it.  Life hands you a lot of shit.  It is neverending.  You get dealt a lot of shit, the people in your life are dealing with all of their own shit, everyone you interact with, be they strangers in the parking lot or workers in the store, are being bombarded with shit even as you are standing there annoyed at having to talk to them.  Your coworkers, your waiters and waitresses, the toll booth attendant, bums living on the street looking for spare change, all living in a near constant shit storm.

We all have so much shit, and when we come in contact with anyone else, their shit that they are dealing with dictates their actions. When that all comes together, everyone usually gets new, exciting shit out of that too.

The point is, there is always going to be some shit you have to deal with.  So deal with it, and try not to take your shit out on everybody else.  If you do, well, not to be glib, but shit happens, so try not to make a habit out of it.  

The stars want to point out though, that just because life is filled with a lot of shit, life is not shit

Well, sometimes it can feel like it, but not for long.  

Human beings are all quite capable of handling their shit.  So many of us do it every single day, and the stars wonder if we don’t give ourselves enough credit sometimes.  It’s not easy, and most of the time the reward is simply that you got that shit done and over with.

And that’s it, really.  The stars simply want you to know that they understand, and they are proud of you.  They aren’t sure they could come close to handling the huge amounts of shit you do every single day.

They also want to remind you to be a little nicer to others as you go through your day.  You have no idea what shit they’re dealing with.  And if someone is going through some shit, give them a hand if you can.  Let them complain a little, and don’t get into a contest about who’s shit is worse.  Just listen and commiserate, and keep in mind that they are still going through that shit after they leave.

Maybe if we realize that we aren’t the only ones dealing with it, we can all get through this shit together.

10/25/16

Today’s Horoscope

All Signs:

The stars want you to understand that even though you might know what the right thing to do is, doing the right thing is not always easy.  They aren’t talking about murder or rape or anything, the stars are talking about the same small(and sometimes big) failures we all have, sometimes on a regular basis.

We are quick to judge others, and even ourselves, harshly and unfairly.  No one that fails to do the right thing is happy about it, at least if they’re not a psychopath.  

Sometimes there is a pain so great that they sabotage themselves because they think that’s what they deserve.  They make the wrong decision because then they can tell themselves and prove to you that they are the horrible thing they think they are.

Sometimes they have an addiction, because of that pain, or because of their upbringing and genetics.  They struggle with it everyday, and everyday they fall deeper and deeper down a cold, dark hole.

Sometimes we just think “what the hell’ just this once, and we do the wrong thing just because we want something for ourselves, to make us feel alive, or to let people know we matter or we can’t be controlled anymore.

Sometimes they just don’t know any better.  Not everyone is brought up with the same benefits you were.  Some people are born into situations where they have no guidance or role models and end up rudderless.

Sometimes the “wrong thing” isn’t even wrong, it’s just that society’s mores haven’t caught up with humanity yet.  Laws and morals  are constantly in flux.  What was “wrong” a decade or two ago might be perfectly acceptable now. Maybe it’s “wrong” because different people have different belief systems.

Many of the people doing these wrong things mostly hurt themselves.

The point of bringing up all these wrong choices is because the stars want you to understand one simple thing: Making people feel worse about them doesn’t really make anything better.  Yes, some transgressions warrant punishment.  No, you shouldn’t let anyone hurt you with their choices on a continual basis.

But when someone screws up, or makes a foolish decision out of pain or youth that is part of a set pattern or can set them on the wrong path for the rest of their lives, maybe you should react with kindness first and see if that helps.  Maybe you can temper your chastising with pity.  Maybe compassion can make a difference, in their lives and yours.

It’s a tricky thing figuring out when to be lenient and when to be tough, either way you can always be caring and loving no matter which way you go.

And most importantly, treat yourself the same way when you mess everything up yet again in your life.  

The stars are more than willing you give you another chance to do the right thing.  That’s all anyone can ask for, and it’s yours to give, so choose wisely.

10/24/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars know. They know that sometimes life can seem like a sadistic test with nothing but trick answers.

They know that others can cut you down carelessly and take the wind from your sails and leave you adrift at sea.

They know that even when you see every angle, and comprehend the logic and reason of a situation, when you realize why things are the way the are and that they must be that way, that this knowledge only makes it more excruciating.

The stars know that there is a whole world in each and every one of us that no one else ever sees, even though it is right there in front of them and you want nothing more than for someone, anyone, to notice and get it. It seems no one ever will, either they can't see it or they just don't care because they are too busy with the big beautiful scary indescribable world swirling inside of them.

The stars know.

And they want you to know that you're beautiful and amazing and terrible and imperfect and almost too wonderful to exist.

But you do. You and that frighteningly gorgeous world you carry with you everywhere you go.

The stars know.

10/21/16 Friday Bonus

Today’s Friday Bonus Horoscope

All Signs:

The stars want to let you know that when you go out tonight, most of the stars you see when you look up at the sky don’t even exist anymore.  They burned out or exploded millions of years ago, and the light you’re seeing now is how they looked then.  That light still shines for a seeming eternity after they are gone.

They know that you have some friends who are like those stars, passed on, but still shining their light on you as you carry a piece of them around with you everywhere you go.  Who they were was too big to be contained in just their physical self.

Tonight when you have a drink, toast them and honor their memory.  Someday that ghost of a star will be you.  Shine as bright as you can now so people remember you fondly in their toasts when your light is all they have.  

10/21/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want to remind you that most wounds are self inflicted. You have a lot of tools, but many of them have sharp edges, so handle them with care, around others and especially around yourself.

10/19/16

Today’s Horoscope

All Signs:

The stars would like to remind you that life and happiness is actually a very simple equation.  The problems arise when you introduce variables that inevitably mess up the math and give us all the wrong answers.  

Some of these variables are unavoidable.  The things life throws at you, big or small will disrupt things for a bit, but if you take care to keep them separate from the main equation, you can work them back out of the formula.  People are generally good at the small things and not so great when the math gets confusing with the big things.  We get lost in the numbers and our simple, beautiful refined theory starts to look like one of those massive chalkboards covered with alien looking characters trying to describe quantum physics.

The same thing happens when we let ego, fear, insecurities, and biases into our equations.  We start gumming it up with numbers that have no business there and soon we can’t even figure out what the original idea was.  There are also a lot of other bad mathematicians out there. Then when you start letting others that don’t have your best interests at heart mess around with your math it can really gum up the works.

The problem is that very few of us are good at math, and we end up trying to come up with formulas for things that are nearly impossible to express mathematically, and certainly not within our limited knowledge of numbers.  We insert all kinds of things that don’t even belong there and then we are surprised when one day we look at our lives and it is an incomprehensible mess.  

Both sides of the equation have balance out, and that never seems to be the case with life, but it can be.  You just have to look at your equation and start working out the parts that shouldn’t be there.  If you’re having trouble doing that, ask for help from the people you can trust with your chalkboard and see if they see something you’re missing.  Sometimes the best thing is a new set of  eyes on it.  Again though,  don’t let anyone that you don’t trust at your work, or they will make it a point to change numbers on you while you aren’t looking.  These people are working on their own equations, and that math is nothing you want any part of.

The stars wish you luck.  They know it is hard working through all the algebra and calculus you have accumulated up on that board through the years without even noticing.  That’s the point though.  Life should be simple, like 2 + 2 = 4, so once you get it back to basics you won’t need to know all the advanced stuff.  Part of the math of life is keeping it to what you understand.  

Once you get into territory where the numbers are over your head you are lost.

10/13/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want to remind you that you can't change the world, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

10/12/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want to tell you about something you should watch out for. There are a lot of people that suffer from low self esteem. Almost everyone on the planet suffers from it at some point or another. That's normal. We all have our moments of doubt, questioning ourselves into inaction. Often there's that nagging suspicion we might not know what we're doing or that we're not good enough. That's unfortunate, but not crippling.

Some go deeper than that, though. Some are full of self loathing. Somewhere along the way, someone else put their very core into flux, and took something away from them that they might never get back.

Maybe it was their parents. Maybe they controlled them with fear and derision, tearing them down on a daily basis. Maybe the people that raised them had issues of their own, and rather than figure them out first, instead found themselves saddled with children that they were ill equipped to raise.

Then the child grows up thinking that they are the problem. They might feel that they are the reason that their mother or father’s life is a mess. They wind up hating themselves for something that isn't their fault, for something that was in place long before they came along.

Maybe their parents were just indifferent. Maybe they never had a place to go to ask about what was right or wrong, or to discuss the feelings they had. Once they got a little older, they were easily swayed by peer pressure because they had no base, no unconditional support and love.

Or worse yet, maybe they run into abusive and controlling people. Maybe they are bullied, or beaten, or raped. Maybe they form damaging relationships with sociopaths and psychopaths. Maybe they have crippling emotional or mental health issues, but their family was never there for them to get them the help they need, or they never got the tools to fix it. They are lost, without a map, or even a compass, so they wander along, not recognizing the landscape, frightened and alone.

They never learned to trust anyone, because there was never anyone that gave them something to believe in, only indifference or brutality. They are ungrounded.

So now they try to navigate life, but they are so damaged that their guidance systems are permanently down. They want love, but they don't know what it is. They want safety and security, but they can't offer it in return.

They feel no personal responsibility to do the work to repair themselves because they never saw that trait in the people that raised them. Their parents never tried, so why should they?

These people walk among us everyday. We all know them. We all love them at one point or another, just to have our hearts broken by them again and again. We think we can help, we think we can save them, but more often than not, we can't.

We often arrive at a place where we are forced to decide to continue trying to help or to just cut them from our lives. Many times these people warn us that they are no good, that they will disappoint and hurt us, that they are going to drag us down with them.

We should listen. When someone tells you that they will only hurt you, be assured that they mean it, and they plan on it. They will do anything to prove to you that they are the horrible person they see themselves as. They exonerate themselves from all blame, too. They warned you. They will tell you that it's your fault for caring.

They see love and commitment as a liability, and you as a weakness and a curse, and the paradox is that the more you love them, the more it makes them hate you and themselves.

In other words, you can't win. There is no way out. The stars have no wisdom to impart to you, no solution, no encouraging words or comfort. All they can tell you is that you should never give more than you can afford to lose to anyone. You need to figure out how damaged someone is from the get go, and walk away if they are too far gone.

They know that some of us are not capable of doing that, though. They know that some of us might have our own self esteem issues, or just be too caring and empathetic, and we will hold on much too long, and maybe destroy ourselves in the process.

And the stars will weep for them too.

10/11/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want to tell you a story. A story about who we are. They want you to know that they have watched over us for a long time. A very, very long time.

They watched us come down from the trees. They watched us migrate out of Africa, they watched us spread out across the globe. They saw us teeter on the brink of extinction, they saw us outlast other primates and hominids, they saw it all.

The story they want to tell you starts some 20,000 years ago. Mankind was dealing with an ice age, and all the other trials and tribulations that came along with living as nomads on a cruel and inhospitable planet.

It was a turning point that would decide what we would become, just another species eking out an existence alongside everything else, or something the world had never seen before or since.

We tamed the wolf, and then slowly mutated them into every dog species we see today. We took the grains and vegetables and fruit in the field and changed their DNA until they suited our needs. We regulated the growing seasons, we domesticated herd animals for milk, food and clothing. Settlements, and villages sprung up, and gave way to cities, huge metropolitan sprawls before there was even concrete or steel, or even the arch.

We changed the very world to suit our needs. All with the exact same brains and backs we possess today.

Then came science, and math and philosophy, as we figured out the riddles of everyday life and the stars themselves. Art, literature, unbound creativity that has no ceiling.

We have accomplished so much, collectively, and we still have a long way to go. There is no limit.

The story that the stars are telling you is still a work in progress. We are here now, to play our part in this amazing, glorious saga, to make our mark and write our own chapter.

When you think back on it like that, how a mere 20,000 years ago humans starting molding the very world to suit their needs, with so much less of an advantage that we have today… well, you wonder if we could be doing better.

We have been civilized for millennia, yet with all the advances, with all the achievements, with all the near godlike accomplishments, we often seem like we aren't civilized at all. We have so many more advantages than those first world shapers, but we often leave the better parts of our humanity behind.

We have a duty to our ancestors and our children. We have a responsibility to do better, and the stars wonder if we are shirking that duty. Are we caught up in pettiness and greed, short sighted and ruled by fear? We have unlimited power and possibilities, but are we earning the right to posses them? Are we amazing and worthy of being heard, or just loud and abrasive, with no content and nothing to offer or fulfill but our own selfish needs?

The stars think it's high time we start working on that aspect of the story, and start thinking about where the narrative is going. We should decide once and for all what the outcome will be, if it's a fairy tale or a tragedy.

The stars are telling us our story, but only we can write the ending.

10/10/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want to remind you that you are going to be aggravated, frustrated, and even disgusted by many of the people you see, especially during the last month of an election cycle. Whole segments of the population will infuriate you, disappoint you, and horrify you with some of the things they do.

The stars want you to remember that they are not you.

You, and others like you, make up a sizable chunk of the population. You're not alone, you're not the only one being dazed and flabbergasted by what you are seeing.

So don't get discouraged, don't think the world is coming to an end, just realize that although there are a lot of deplorable, misguided people out there, they are not you, and they are not the other people you know that feel the same way you do. We are all here to make a difference, and there are plenty of people that have your back.

Also, the stars want you to keep in mind that some of those horrible people are not so horrible either.

In your anger and frustration you are painting with broad strokes because of one aspect of their personality that really pushes your buttons these days. Some of the people you know or see on social media might just have one small part of their beliefs that differs from yours, and we toss them into the dustbin along with the rest.

I know that there are some reclamation projects that aren't worth it, but isn't it better to use compassion and eloquence to get them to see your side of things rather than just be as big a jerk as they are? People grow and change all the time. Make an enemy into an ally. It's very possible, people do it all the time. Isn't that better than outright aggression?

That's why we are in this mess. Making everything black and white, my way or no way, polarizing ourselves so there is no hope of compromise or unity.

The stars want to remind you that we are all in this together, whether we like it or not. Eventually we will all have to lick our wounds and face each other again, so knowing that, shouldn't we keep those wounds to a minimum.

10/8/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:

The stars want you to take the time to ask yourself some questions. Maybe not now, but when you have a few moments to think clearly and really search yourself.

Is your life on an upward trajectory, a downward trajectory, or just holding steady?

Are the people in your life treating you the way you would like to be treated? Are they selfish, do they lie and make excuses, do they want what's best for you?

Is your spouse or lover your best friend?

Are you happy with the way you treat others?

Are you happy with the way you treat yourself?

Does your job bring you any happiness or fulfillment, or is it something that you dread?

Do you feel like you express yourself? Who you truly are? Do you give others the chance to know the important things about you, or do you cover them up in shame or embarrassment?

Do you get what you want out of life, or do you feel like you are constrained by the will of others? Are you free? Truly free, to be who and what you are and not feel the need to explain yourself or make excuses?

Are you the type of boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife, mother or father, son or daughter, brother or sister or friend that you want to be, or do you think you can do better in any of those relationships?

Do you ever experience any moments of pure joy?

Do you even know what would bring you pure joy if you had the chance to attain it?

When you think of the future, do you have an idea of what that future looks like, or is it just misty shades of gray?

And after figuring out the answers to all those questions, now the stars want you to ask yourself the big one:  are you satisfied with those answers?

If not, you've got some work to do, because they are all fixable. You just have to get over the fear of getting what you truly want.

10/3/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:
The stars want to make sure that you understand that most of the time there is no grand purpose in life. Unless you're Alexander The Great or something, you are not born into some destiny or legacy that drives you and consumes you.
Instead, most lives are made up of smaller, manageable purposes, and that's what helps and trips us up all at the same time. 
We are impatient, by nature. We have egos, that need to be fed more and more, now that we are all Internet stars. Most importantly, we need to know that we matter.
We need to believe that there is a purpose, a reason we are here, and we want that purpose to reveal itself so we can achieve it already. We are champing at the bit, but the universe never works on your time schedule, and it knows nothing of your destiny.
So ironically, we chase shadows and try to will our destinies into reality, all the while wasting time and energy that could be put towards crafting our own fates.
Life is a million little purposes, one after another, quietly sitting there, waiting for us to mark the achievements off of our list. Our egos tell us that this can't be it. Surely we are meant for something more.
We are. The something more is the sum of all we accomplish, but like everything it is spread out, scattered all through our lives so we never see the whole, at least not until the end. And only then if we know how to look.
We build our lives a pebble at a time, and when we're done we have a monument to who we are. The old adages about “slow and steady wins the race” and “Rome wasn't built in a day” are all too true, but we somehow think that we are exempt from these rules.
So we fret and worry, and charge ahead when we think we see fulfillment or glory, only to find that there are no shortcuts once again.
The stars want you to know that you possess something better than a grand destiny, better than some all important purpose: you have a plethora of them. Your purposes are multitude, you are not pinned to one set fate.
You will touch many lives, you will accomplish so many things, you will matter. You do matter. You are changing the world and you are making a difference. Fulfillment also comes in small dosages.
So instead of looking for a shortcut, for your life's meaning to come in one fell swoop, just fulfill all the smaller destinies sprinkled through your life day in and day out, and stop trying to dictate what they will be.
They will let you know, if you only slow down and listen.

10/2/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:
The stars want you to know that we all need anchors at times. We all need to be tethered sometimes, to wait out a bad storm and rough seas.
When times are hardest, it helps to have a safe harbor where we feel protected and we can regroup. At these times we cling to what we know, the familiar, the comfortable. We regress a little, often retreating to a time or a place where things made sense.
That's fine. It's one of the ways we deal with trauma, or the feeling of helplessness or frustration.
The problem comes when we stay anchored for too long. We find ourselves unwilling to pull up the chains and set sail again. What ends up happening is that our troubles find us there, too. Our comfort masks the fact that we are are slowly taking on water again, but it's so gradual that we don't notice until it's too late.
We then find that we trapped ourselves in situations that are harming us and we can't see it, and even if we can, we can't or won't pull up anchor and move on. We've become mired where we are, held fast by delusion and excuses.
We often imprison ourselves in scenarios that are no good for us or the people around us, yet we refuse to walk away. Stay too long, and immobility seems like safety.
Immobility is not safe, not productive, not the way we should live our lives. We stop growing, stop experiencing life, we cease learning and throw away our chances at true happiness, simply because we fear the unknown.
So the stars want you to look at your life, and take notice if the scenery has changed at all lately. Have you taken any real chances? Have you shaken up your routine in any way? Are you learning, growing, feeling satisfied and accomplished? Or are you simply treading water, expending your energy inefficiently, just to stay afloat?
It might be time to haul in your anchor and get moving again. If you've been stuck for so long that the anchor is mired too deeply, cut the rope and let the wind fill your sails and live without an anchor for awhile.
You might find that it's exhilarating, being free to go where you want, or just letting the wind take you. There are a million places for you to get a new anchor when you need one.
We live in the midst of an ocean of stars. They are all out there, shining, calling to you, just waiting for you get moving again.

9/30/16

Today's Horoscope

All signs:
The stars want you to know that none of you make any sense, to them, or to each other. No one seems capable of expressing themselves about what they want or what they need, or even who they are.
This is somewhat normal, but with the invention of the Internet, it is all on display constantly. Everyone has access to everyone else's thoughts and opinions, and finds out about things that we never wanted to know.
Most people are involved in somewhat superficial relationships. We all have friends that are more acquaintances that we have a few things in common with, but we don't know on a deeper level.
Suddenly, on social media, you discover that the guy from the bowling team is for a different political party than you, or is racist or a bleeding heart. You can't understand how they think the way that they do, and if you engage them about it you will find that they don't seem to have any good reason either.
It's ironic that in an age where we have so much technology readily available to keep in touch and share information that we seem like we are losing the ability to communicate at all. We all know what we know, and damn anyone that tries to tell us different.
Many of us don't even have well thought out reasons about why they think the way they do. Like everything else these days, they just let outside forces tell them what to think, usually by preying on their fears or insecurities. These outside influences use specious reasoning and half truths to trip us up, and we increasingly fall for it every time.
Thus, when you try to engage people to debate their positions, you end up in a straw man argument that goes nowhere. People are happy to let others do their thinking for them. Most people put a very low premium on thinking, and social media is making that obvious.
The stars want to remind us once again that just being a decent, well rounded person takes work. There is no shortcut, and while you think there is, you are cheating yourself and the world around you. You are giving the essential things that make you who you are short shrift.
Examine yourself everyday. Question what you think and why you think it. We are never going to agree on everything, nor should we. Our differences are our strengths in so many ways.
Just make sure who you are makes sense, to yourself and to those around you, otherwise we will soon find ourselves well connected and completely isolated at the same time, and that is a very lonely place indeed.