Arousal and Impotence

Sorry to disappoint but it's about work this month. The Aries zine is out covering:

Vocational Arousal - loving your work.
Your style - can you be yourself?

Photo from the BBC site.

I use Kofi Annan and Bashar Al-Assad as examples. They are the men of the moment in terms of trying to achieve peace in Syria. What negotiation styles do they have? And can they function well in their jobs?

Visual overload

Now there's yet another thing we probably should use on the big bad web. I must admit this one is easy and fun and probably is a good idea in the scheme of things. I just added a pin (yes it's actually the old-fashioned kind meant here I think) of friend and astro colleague Liz Hathway and she said "there we go again! Neptune in Pisces." And she's right. Neptune went into the sign of Pisces this year so after years of us all being  'geek addicted' (Neptune in Aquarius with all that technology), we are now going to be 'picture addicted' with Pinterest. They have got it spot on! It fits this time period beautifully. It's a visual method of liking stuff and having your say about it. It's easy and I am already addicted - under the illusion perhaps that I am  helping others. It's quite a creative process to find the right image.

Of course the online trawlers are getting all sorts of useful info about us but I have a sort of Neptunian idealistic view of the world that this doesn't matter. It probably does but I don't care! But marketers are already saying it's the way to go because people buy from people they know. So a recommendation from someone you trust is worth a lot. Use it wisely if that's at all possible...
But I am already suffering visual overload.

note Turquoise = Neptune/Pisces so using any or all of these fits the times...

US vs NZ

It may sound like a game but it's about comparison. Lately I came across two things comparing these two countries. One is a article on a book called Fairness and Freedom by David Hackett Fischer. The other is an article from the New York Times called Elephants Down Under by Thomas L. Friedman.

Both are written by Americans who have spent time in New Zealand and are comparing the two countries. Fischer is talking of core values, Friedman more about the politics and what he calls moderate republicanism. Having just been in New Zealand and having experienced the culture again you forget when you are away) I can see what they mean. But as I am an astrologer I can't  help a certain amount of - 'well that would be obvious if you understood the country horoscopes!'

The chart I use for New Zealand (when it became a dominion on September 26, 1907), is all about fairness and equality. It has the sign of Libra very strong, which incidentally is a sign of beauty, peace and harmony, not unknown descriptions of NZ. The values, norms and ideals - read core values - are Libran. The 'Fairness' in the title of Fischer's book. The authority figures are shown by this sign. The people in NZ (Moon in a country chart) are Taurean, sensible, stable (stubborn?), earthy and with common sense, to name a few qualities. You can see how this combination would lead to the type of decisions made.  That's not to say that the chart doesn't show a pioneering mission though.

The US on the other hand, is very different. And perhaps more complex. The chart most astrologers use for the US is for the declaration of independence -  4th July 1776. Independence being the operative word. The people are shown by the Moon in Aquarius. A very independent, mentally stubborn sign that suggests everyone will want to do their own thing and will want to do it their way. A type of mental freedom. But that's not all. This chart has Sagittarius strong which is also a sign about 'Freedom' - the rest of the title of the book. Making anything compulsory will always get a backlash even if it's a great idea.

At its heart though the US is Cancerian. This is patriotic and protective authority figures who value the family. But you have to belong to a 'family'. The looking after one's own is clear in the current climate.

If politicians knew these simple astrological facts they would run a much better campaign!