This card was traditionally called Justice, but in more modern decks is now named Adjustment. This change reflects one of the deeper aspects of meaning that the card covers – the requirement for constant assessment and balancing which opens us to spiritual expansion.Life is a flowing river of energy – and when it is blocked for any length of time it behaves exactly as water does..it stagnates. When we fail to consistently assess our position and attitudes in relation to life – in general, and on a personal level – we too begin to stagnate.So on a day ruled by Adjustment, we need to take stock of ourselves. Have a look at habitual or routine behaviour, and decide whether it is appropriate to your current state of mind, and position. Sometimes a thing becomes outdated, and loses its value as we change and alter. If you find anything like this decide to let go of it, to clear the way for new more appropriate actions.Think about the ways in which you approach life – do you feel you’re getting the most out of it, and putting as much as you can into it? If not, think about why. For some of the fortunate people among us, happiness and contentment come as a result of simply deciding that these things are in our lives now, and then living each day reminding ourselves of that fact. So consider if you are one of those fortunate people who can simply choose to be happy, fulfilled and contented… and then do it.If you are one of those people who cannot, at this time, decide to be happy, because of surrounding circumstance, try for today, to find something to be happy about – a little ray of sunshine cutting through the darkness. It will make a difference to the imbalance you might be experiencing – and go some way toward adjusting your situation.
Affirmation: “I move towards balance and harmony.”
“On seeing one thing, you see all things. On perceiving an individual’s mind, you perceive all minds. Glimpse one truth, and all truth is present in your vision, for there is nowhere at all that is devoid of the Truth.”
Huangbo Xiyun (died in 850) Chinese Zen Master
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DAILY REFLECTION BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE SCHOOL OF PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY
The New Moon in Pisces is a deeply spiritual, dreamy, and intuitive time that invites healing, reflection, and creative inspiration. As the last sign of the zodiac, Pisces represents endings and transitions, making this New Moon a powerful period for releasing the past and setting intentions based on inner wisdom and emotional renewal.
Enhances Intuition and Spiritual Awareness
Pisces, ruled by Neptune, is highly intuitive and mystical, making this New Moon a time for deep introspection.
Your intuition is heightened, offering clarity on situations that may have felt confusing.
Meditation, tarot readings, and dream journaling can provide valuable insights.
Many people may experience vivid dreams, strong gut feelings, or a deeper connection to spiritual practices.
Trusting your inner voice will be essential during this time.
Promotes Emotional Healing and Release
Pisces energy is compassionate and gentle, encouraging emotional release and forgiveness.
This is an ideal time to let go of emotional baggage, past wounds, or toxic attachments.
Journaling, energy healing, and therapy can be extra effective now.
Many may feel a surge of emotions, leading to cathartic breakthroughs.
It’s okay to cry, reflect, and cleanse your heart of what no longer serves you.
Awakens Creativity and Imagination
Pisces is a sign of artistic expression and boundless creativity.
If you’ve been feeling uninspired or creatively blocked, this New Moon reignites your artistic passions.
Writers, musicians, painters, and all creative souls may experience a wave of inspiration.
Even if you’re not typically artistic, this is a great time to explore new creative outlets.
Strengthens Compassion and Connection
Pisces energy dissolves barriers and encourages empathy for others.
You may feel more emotionally in tune with loved ones, making it easier to understand and support them.
Acts of kindness and service feel more fulfilling.
This is a great time to mend relationships, help those in need, or simply be more present in your interactions.
However, be mindful of emotional boundaries—Pisces energy can blur lines between your feelings and others’.
Encourages Letting Go of Control and Surrendering
Pisces teaches us that not everything needs to be planned or forced—it’s okay to go with the flow.
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities or the need for control, this New Moon reminds you to surrender and trust the universe.
People may feel a mix of relief and uncertainty.
Learning to trust the timing of life can bring a sense of peace, even if things are unclear.
Supports Manifestation Through Visualization and Affirmations
Pisces energy thrives on faith and belief in the unseen.
Setting intentions using visualization, affirmations, or scripting can be especially powerful.
Unlike a New Moon in an Earth or Fire sign that demands action, this one asks you to trust the process.
Aligning your emotions with your desires will help manifestations unfold naturally.
Tips for Harnessing the New Moon in Pisces Energy
Meditate or practice mindfulness to tune into your intuition.
Engage in creative activities like painting, writing, or music.
Let go of past pain through journaling or energy-clearing rituals.
Practice compassion and forgiveness, especially towards yourself.
Pay attention to dreams, as they may hold important messages.
Trust the flow of life rather than forcing things to happen.
Zodiac-Specific Impact
Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius): May feel extra emotional, but this is a great time for spiritual growth and deep rest.
Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn): Encouraged to loosen control and embrace creativity and intuition.
Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius): Likely to experience heightened dreams, creative ideas, and a desire for deeper emotional connections.
Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces): Feel completely in their element—this is a potent time for personal transformation and new beginnings.
The New Moon in Pisces is a time for healing, intuition, and creative inspiration. It’s not about rushing forward—it’s about pausing, reflecting, and setting soulful intentions. Let go of what no longer serves you, dream big, and trust in the magic of the universe.
Reliable sources tell the Bathtub Bulletin that The Prosperos class Translation® will be taught live by Calvin Harris, H.W., M. on the weekend of April 26 and 27 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
More details to follow…
What is Translation?
Translation is a 5-step process of “straight thinking in the abstract” comparing and contrasting what appears to be truth with what you can syllogistically, axiomatically and mathematically (using word equations) prove is the truth.
IMAGE: THE STUDY DESIGN ALLOWING COMPARISON OF VIOLENCE EXPOSURE AND EPIGENETIC MARKS IN GENOMES.view more CREDIT: CONNIE MULLIGAN
In 1982, the Syrian government besieged the city of Hama, killing tens of thousands of its own citizens in sectarian violence. Four decades later, rebels used the memory of the massacre to help inspire the toppling of the Assad family that had overseen the operation.
But there is another lasting effect of the attack, hidden deep in the genes of Syrian families. The grandchildren of women who were pregnant during the siege — grandchildren who never experienced such violence themselves — nonetheless bear marks of it in their genomes. Passed down through their mothers, this genetic imprint offers the first human evidence of a phenomenon previously documented only in animals: The genetic transmission of stress across generations.
“The idea that trauma and violence can have repercussions into future generations should help people be more empathetic, help policymakers pay more attention to the problem of violence,” said Connie Mulligan, Ph.D., a professor of Anthropology and the Genetics Institute at the University of Florida and senior author of the new study. “It could even help explain some of the seemingly unbreakable intergenerational cycles of abuse and poverty and trauma that we see around the world, including in the U.S.”
While our genes are not changed by life experiences, they can be tuned through a system known as epigenetics. In response to stress or other events, our cells can add small chemical flags to genes that may quiet them down or alter their behavior. These changes may help us adapt to stressful environments, although the effects aren’t well understood.
It is these tell-tale chemical flags that Mulligan and her team were looking for in the genes of Syrian families. While lab experiments have shown that animals can pass along epigenetic signatures of stress to future generations, proving the same in people has been nearly impossible.
Mulligan worked with Rana Dajani, Ph.D., a molecular biologist at Hashemite University in Jordan, and anthropologist Catherine Panter-Brick, Ph.D., of Yale University, to conduct the unique study. The research relied on following three generations of Syrian immigrants to the country. Some families had lived through the Hama attack before fleeing to Jordan. Other families avoided Hama, but lived through the recent civil war against the Assad regime.
The team collected samples from grandmothers and mothers who were pregnant during the two conflicts, as well as from their children. This study design meant there were grandmothers, mothers and children who had each experienced violence at different stages of development.
A third group of families had immigrated to Jordan before 1980, avoiding the decades of violence in Syria. These early immigrants served as a crucial control to compare to the families who had experienced the stress of civil war.
Herself the daughter of refugees, Dajani worked closely with the refugee community in Jordan to build trust and interest in participating in the story. She ultimately collected cheek swabs from 138 people across 48 families.
“The families want their story told. They want their experiences heard,” Mulligan said. “I think we worked with every single family who was eligible to participate in the study.”
Back in Florida, Mulligan’s lab scanned the DNA for epigenetic modifications and looked for any relationship with the families’ experience of violence.
In the grandchildren of Hama survivors, the researchers discovered 14 areas in the genome that had been modified in response to the violence their grandmothers experienced. These 14 modifications demonstrate that stress-induced epigenetic changes may indeed appear in future generations, just as they can in animals.
The study also uncovered 21 epigenetic sites in the genomes of people who had directly experienced violence in Syria. In a third finding, the researchers reported that people exposed to violence while in their mothers’ wombs showed evidence of accelerated epigenetic aging, a type of biological aging that may be associated with susceptibility to age-related diseases.
Most of these epigenetic changes showed the same pattern after exposure to violence, suggesting a kind of common epigenetic response to stress — one that can not only affect people directly exposed to stress, but also future generations.
“We think our work is relevant to many forms of violence, not just refugees. Domestic violence, sexual violence, gun violence: all the different kinds of violence we have in the U.S,” said Mulligan. “We should study it. We should take it more seriously.”
It’s not clear what, if any, effect these epigenetic changes have in the lives of people carrying them inside their genomes. But some studies have found a link between stress-induced epigenetic changes and diseases like diabetes. One famous study of Dutch survivors of famine during World War II suggested that their offspring carried epigenetic changes that increased their odds of being overweight later in life. While many of these modifications likely have no effect, it’s possible that some can affect our health, Mulligan said.
The researchers published their findings, which were supported by the National Science Foundation, Feb. 27 in the journal Scientific Reports.
While carefully searching for evidence of the lasting effects of war and trauma stamped into our genomes, Mulligan and her collaborators were also struck by the perseverance of the families they worked with. Their story was much bigger than merely surviving war, Mulligan said.
“In the midst of all this violence we can still celebrate their extraordinary resilience. They are living fulfilling, productive lives, having kids, carrying on traditions. They have persevered,” Mulligan said. “That resilience and perseverance is quite possibly a uniquely human trait.”
JOURNAL
Scientific Reports
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Observational study
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
Epigenetic signatures of intergenerational exposure to violence in three generations of Syrian refugees
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
27-Feb-2025
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
The idea that consciousness and intent can influence physical systems—a concept central to the “experimenter effect” in quantum mechanics —finds a curious parallel in the legend of the “Pauli Effect.” Named after physicist Wolfgang Pauli, this phenomenon refers to the seemingly uncanny ability of Pauli’s mere presence to disrupt experiments and cause technical mishaps in laboratories.
While often treated as an amusing anecdote, the Pauli Effect raises intriguing questions about the relationship between consciousness and physical systems, providing a rich example for expanding the implications of the experimenter effect.
Wolfgang Pauli, one of the pioneers of quantum mechanics, was known not only for his intellectual brilliance but also for his reputation as a bringer of laboratory misfortune. Stories abound of experimental equipment failing spectacularly when Pauli was nearby.
On one occasion, an apparatus spontaneously caught fire during a demonstration Pauli attended. On another, a delicate piece of laboratory machinery collapsed—again coinciding with Pauli’s visit. His colleagues, including Nobel laureates, often joked that Pauli’s presence alone could cause malfunctions, dubbing this phenomenon the “Pauli Effect.”
While the Pauli Effect is often dismissed as a humorous superstition, it resonates with deeper ideas about the interplay between mind and matter. Pauli himself, a thoughtful and philosophical scientist, did not entirely dismiss the idea.
His interest in the work of Carl Jung, particularly Jung’s theory of synchronicity, suggests that Pauli recognized the possibility of meaningful connections between consciousness and external events. Jung’s synchronicity posits that certain coincidences are not purely random but arise from a deeper order in which the psyche and the physical world are interconnected.
The Pauli Effect, viewed through this lens, becomes more than scientific lore; it becomes a fascinating case study in how intent and presence might influence physical systems.
Adding another layer to this phenomenon is Pauli’s personal life and emotional state. By many accounts, Pauli was a deeply disturbed individual. Struggling with alcoholism, he was known to be verbally abusive and prone to intense emotional outbursts. These aspects of his personality suggest that the intensity of emotion may play a role in the Pauli Effect.
If consciousness and presence can influence physical systems, then heightened emotional states—whether positive or negative—might amplify these effects. Pauli’s tumultuous inner world could have created a kind of “emotional resonance” that interacted with the environments he occupied, contributing to the disruptions attributed to him.
In the context of the experimenter effect, the Pauli Effect provides a colorful example of how the expectations, energy, or even unconscious mental states of an observer might impact outcomes.
If we consider that consciousness can influence physical systems—as suggested by studies involving random number generators and quantum experiments I’ve written about here previously—then Pauli’s reputed ability to “disrupt” experiments might reflect an exaggerated form of this phenomenon.
Whether through subtle electromagnetic influences, unintentional movements, or a deeper connection between mind and matter, Pauli’s presence seems to have acted as a catalyst for unexpected outcomes.
The implications of the Pauli Effect extend far beyond the laboratory. If individual consciousness can influence physical systems, it suggests that the thoughts, expectations, and mental states of people—particularly those in positions of influence—may shape reality in profound ways.
This dynamic mirrors the broader theory that collective consciousness can co-create societal realities. Just as Pauli’s presence appeared to “realize” chaos in a lab, the rhetoric and intent of influential figures like political leaders or cultural icons might shape the social and physical environments they inhabit.
Consider how the Pauli Effect might apply to societal narratives. When a public figure repeatedly invokes a negative or fear-based message—for instance, labeling certain groups as dangerous—they set the stage for a kind of “macro-level” Pauli Effect.
The expectation of conflict, danger, or failure creates conditions in which those outcomes are more likely to manifest. This aligns with the psychological principle of self-fulfilling prophecies, where beliefs and expectations influence behavior and perception in ways that bring about the expected outcome.
At the same time, the Pauli Effect suggests that such influence is not limited to deliberate intent. Pauli’s laboratory mishaps were not, by all accounts, intentional acts of sabotage. Instead, they appeared to arise spontaneously, perhaps as a reflection of unconscious factors or an inherent connection between his presence and the environment.
Similarly, influential figures may unintentionally shape societal dynamics through their unconscious biases or unexamined mental states. For example, a leader who harbors unconscious fears or prejudices might project these into their rhetoric and actions, subtly influencing societal outcomes in ways they do not fully understand or control.
From a spiritual perspective, the Pauli Effect invites us to consider the possibility that consciousness interacts with reality on levels that transcend traditional cause-and-effect mechanisms. Many spiritual traditions describe the mind as a co-creator of reality, capable of influencing the material world through thought, intention, and energy.
The Pauli Effect, though grounded in anecdotal accounts, serves as a playful yet profound metaphor for this idea. It suggests that our presence, whether consciously directed or not, carries an energetic signature that can shape our surroundings in unexpected ways.
The broader implications of this perspective are both exciting and sobering. If consciousness and presence can influence reality, it underscores the importance of self-awareness and intentionality.
Leaders, scientists, and individuals in all walks of life thus bear a responsibility to examine their thoughts, beliefs, and emotional states, recognizing that these internal dynamics may ripple outward to influence external events.
By cultivating a mindful and intentional approach to our presence in the world, we can mitigate unintended negative consequences and foster positive outcomes.
Critics of the Pauli Effect and related ideas often argue that such phenomena are anecdotal and lack rigorous scientific validation. They point out that stories of Pauli’s disruptive presence could be exaggerated or the result of confirmation bias, where people notice and remember incidents that align with the legend while ignoring those that do not.
While these criticisms are valid, they do not diminish the broader insights offered by the experimenter effect and its implications for consciousness. Anecdotes like the Pauli Effect serve as a springboard for exploring deeper questions about the nature of reality and the role of the observer.
In conclusion, the Pauli Effect—whether viewed as an amusing legend or a profound metaphor—provides a unique lens through which to explore the experimenter effect and its implications for consciousness and reality.
It highlights the subtle yet powerful ways in which presence, intent, and unconscious factors can shape outcomes, both in the laboratory and in the broader context of society.
By embracing the interconnectedness of mind and matter, we open the door to a more integrated understanding of existence, one that honors the profound influence of consciousness in shaping the world around us.
Of uncertain origin. Possibly a nonstandard past tense of crank, a variation of drunk, or a blend of crazy + drunk. Earliest documented use: 1972.
NOTES:
The first recorded use of crunk appears in Dr. Seuss’s 1972 book Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! where it describes a strange vehicle. This early usage seems unrelated to the later senses of the word. The word is also the name of a hip-hop subgenre, characterized by heavy bass call-and-response chants, and accelerated tempos.
Stacy Bare (L) is an Army war Veteran that fears losing the public lands that have meant so much to his health. Here he receives a Bronze Star for Merit from Colonel JB Burton prior to leaving Iraq. Photo: Kenny Church
…it is the possibility of severely declining access to mystery, beauty, and health that worries me the most.”
I came home from a tour with the US Army in Iraq in 2007. Things got dark quickly. I shoved myself into graduate school for an easy identity shift but was weighed down by unresolved trauma from the war that played out in heavy drug and alcohol use, suicidal thoughts, and me being a real asshole in relationships.
I was wracked by guilt for leaving my fellow service members and the Iraqi people, believing that if I stayed, perhaps things would be better for everyone. I also lived with the fear that I took somebody’s place on the flight home. That it would have been better, certainly easier, if I had come home in a flag draped box and someone else, I can give you their names, could have made the flight back to the States.
Stacy Bare climbing in the Beartooth Mountains in Montana with other veterans. Photo: Rick Meade
Two plus years at home, confused and angry, a friend encouraged me to get outside with him and I began to get healthy on public lands. An hour walk in a city park, learning to climb in USFS forest, a weekend overnight in a national park, a multi-day trip on a wild and scenic river flowing through property managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It was out there, in landscapes as diverse as the American public that I found hope, resilience, and a reason to keep going. I made a community, first with veterans, then with non-veterans. I met so many people who were willing not only to lend a hand or point me in the right direction, but who were willing to listen to my stories and share their own.
I made a career of taking others outside with me. Together with Dr. Dacher Keltner and his team at the Greater Good Science Center at UC-Berkeley, we worked on the foundational research that proves the benefits of time outdoors for physical and mental health. We showed that time outside results in dramatic downshifts in stress, increases prosocial emotions and feelings of curiosity and connection, improves sleep, and makes one feel more connected to the people they are with and the environments they move through.
Our system of public lands, our greatest health asset managed across multiple agencies from municipal to national are now all under threat. At the national level, agencies have been dealing with understaffed departments since at least 2010 even as visitorship, an American Public thirsting for better health and deeper connection to one another and our nation, has surged. City, county, and state parks across the nation report similar challenges as millions of people each year go in search of awe.
The economic and environmental impacts are of course massive, but it is the possibility of severely declining access to mystery, beauty, and health that worries me the most.
What we need now more than ever, is that connection that happens on trail between two strangers when they witness the majesty of our natural world, together.
Take Action
Call your state and federal representatives today and tell them to restore funding to USFS and Department of Interior, as well as the grant programs each agency manages. Get involved locally supporting your community and nearby parks, forests, and bodies of water. A local friends group, conservation district, or watershed group would love your help. Nationally, you can engage and get action items from the Outdoor Alliance, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, National Parks Conservation Association, American Forests or similar organizations.
Author
Stacy BareStacy Bare is the Executive Director of Friends of Grand Rapids Parks supporting the maintenance and improvement of parks, trees, and trails in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He served in Bosnia and Iraq, worked as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician in Angola and the Republic of Georgia. He is a 2014 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and has represented brands like The North Face, Trew Gear, Pret Helmets, and Faction Skis. He led a team of fellow veterans to the first recorded ascent and descent on skis of the tallest mountain in Iraq, Mt. Halgurd chronicled in the award-winning film Adventure Not War. His latest film project, Champions of the Golden Valley about the Afghan Ski Community is currently making its rounds on the film festival circuit.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries author Anne Lamott articulated a thought that’s perfect for you to hear right now: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” I might amend her wisdom a bit to say “for a few hours” or “a couple of days.” Now is a rare time when a purposeful disconnection can lead you to deeper synchronization. A project or relationship will improve after a gentle reset. Your power mantra: “Renew yourself with quiet inaction.”
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Beavers are the engineers of the natural world. The dams they fabricate not only create shelters for them, but also benefit their entire ecosystem. The ponds and marshes they help shape provide rich habitats for many other species. Boosting biodiversity is their specialty. Their constructions also serve as natural filters, enhancing water quality downstream. Let’s make beavers your inspirational symbol for the coming weeks, Taurus. In their spirit, build what’s good for you with the intention of making it good for everyone whose life you touch. Ensure that your efforts will generate ripples that nourish your tribe and community.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I predict that you will soon have reason to celebrate a resounding success. You will claim a well-deserved reward. You may even shiver with amazement and gratification as you marvel at how many challenges you overcame to emerge triumphant. In my view, you will have every right to exude extra pride and radiance. I won’t complain if you flirt with a burst of egotism. In accordance with my spirituality, I will tell you, “Remember that this wonder you have spawned will live for a very long time.”
CANCER (June 21-July 22): When you see the stars in the night sky, you’re looking at the ancient past. Light from those heavenly bodies may have taken as long as 4,000 years to reach us. So we are beholding them as they used to be, not as they are now. With that as your inspiration, I invite you to spend quality time gazing into your own personal past. Meditate on how your history is alive in you today, making its imprint on all you do and say. Say prayers and write messages to yourself in which you express your awe and appreciation for the epic myth that is your destiny.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I mourn the growing climate calamity that is heating up our beloved planet. Among many other distortions, it has triggered yellow forsythias and blue gentians to blossom during winters in the Austrian Alps—an unprecedented event. At the same time, I am also able to marvel at the strange beauty of gorgeous flowers growing on the winter hills of ski resorts. So my feelings are mixed—paradoxical and confusing—and that’s fine with me. I regard it as a sign of soulfulness. May you be so blessed, Leo: full of appreciation for your capacity to hold conflicting ideas, perspectives and feelings.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The quietest place on earth is a room at Microsoft’s headquarters near Seattle. It’s made of six layers of steel and concrete, and its foundation includes vibration-dampening springs. Within it, you can hear your heartbeat, the swishing of your clothes, and the hum of air molecules colliding. The silence is so eerily profound that many people become flummoxed while visiting. Here’s the moral of the story: While you Virgos are naturally inclined to favor order and precision, a modicum of noise and commotion in your life is often beneficial. Like background sounds that keep you oriented, minor wriggles and perturbations ensure you remain grounded. This will be extra important for you to acknowledge in the coming weeks.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): To make a Möbius strip, you give a half twist to a strip of paper and attach the ends. You have then created a surface with just one side and one edge. It’s a fun curiosity, but it also has practical applications. Using Möbius strips, engineers can design more efficient gears. Machinists make mechanical belts that are Möbius strips because they wear out less quickly. There are at least eight other concrete functions, as well. Let’s extrapolate from this to suggest that a similar theme might be arising in your life. What may seem like an interesting but impractical element could reveal its real-world value. You may find unexpected uses for playful features. One of your capacities has dimensions you have not yet explored, but are ready to.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Sandra Cisneros is a visionary writer with Sun and Mercury in Sagittarius. She is always in quest of the next big lesson and the next exciting adventure. But she also has the Moon, Venus, and Saturn in Scorpio. Her sensitive attunement to the hidden and secret aspects of reality is substantial. She thrives on cultivating a profound understanding of her inner world. It took her years to master the art of fully expressing both these sides of her character. I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because you’re primed to go in quest for experiences that will open your heart to novel amazements—even as you connect with previously unknown aspects of your deep self that resonate with those experiences.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The Moeraki Boulders are spread along a beach in New Zealand. Many of the fifty big rocks are nearly perfect spheres and up to six feet in diameter, so they provide a stunning visual feast. Scientists know that they have steadily grown for the last four million years, accumulating ever-new layers of minerals. I propose we make them your symbols of power until July 1. In my astrological estimation, you are in a phase of laying long-term groundwork. What may seem to be a tedious accumulation of small, gradual victories is part of a grander undertaking. Like the Moeraki Boulders, your efforts will crystallize into an enduring foundation.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A Japanese proverb says, “The bamboo that bends with the wind is stronger and more resilient than the oak tree that resists.” That’s true. When storms bluster, oak branches get broken and blown away. Bamboo may look delicate, but it is actually strong and capable of withstanding high winds. It flourishes by being flexible instead of rigid. That’s the approach I recommend to you, Capricorn. Challenges may emerge that inspire you to stay grounded by adapting. Your plans will become optimal as you adjust them. By trusting your natural resilience, you could find unexpected chances for interesting transformation. Your potency will lie in your ability to bend without breaking.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Seattle’s Space Needle serves as an observation tower. It’s 605 feet high. For years, there was a restaurant with a rotating floor at the top. In its early days, the movement was so brisk that some visitors got dizzy and nauseous. Engineers had to recalibrate the equipment so it was sufficiently leisurely to keep everyone comfortable. Your current situation resembles this story. The right elements are in place, but you need to adjust the timing and rhythm. If there are frustrating glitches, they are clues to the fine-tuning that needs to be done.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Octopuses have three hearts, each with a different function. Every one of their eight limbs contains a mini-brain, giving them nine in total. Is there any doubt, then, that they are the patron creature for you Pisceans? No other zodiac sign is more multifaceted than you. No other can operate with grace on so many different levels. I celebrate your complexity, dear Pisces, which enables you to draw such rich experiences into your life and manage such diverse challenges. These qualities will be working at a peak in the coming weeks. For inspiration, consider putting an image of an octopus in your environment.
Homework: Make a promise to yourself that’s hard but not impossible to keep. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com
It has been a difficult year — politically, personally. Through it all, I have found solace in taking a more telescopic view — not merely on the short human timescale of my own life, looking back on having lived through a Communist dictatorship and having seen poems composed and scientific advances made under such tyrannical circumstances, but on far vaster scales of space and time.
A 2017 Moon seen through my telescope at home under the Brooklyn skies.
When I was growing up in Bulgaria, a great point of national pride — and we Bulgarians don’t have too many — was that an old Bulgarian folk song had sailed into space aboard the Voyager spacecraft, the 1977 mission NASA launched with the scientific objective of photographing the planets of the outer solar system, which furnished the very first portrait of our cosmic neighborhood. Human eyes had never before been laid on the arresting aquamarine of Uranus, on Neptune’s stunning deep-blue orb, on the splendid fury of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot — a storm more than threefold the size of our entire planet, raging for three hundred years, the very existence of which dwarfs every earthly trouble.
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot as seen by the Voyager. (Photograph courtesy of NASA.)
Neptune as seen by the Voyager. (Photograph courtesy of NASA.)
The Voyager‘s farewell shot of Uranus. (Photograph courtesy of NASA.)
But the Voyager also had another, more romantic mission. Aboard it was the Golden Record — a time-capsule of the human spirit encrypted in binary code on a twelve-inch gold-plated copper disc, containing greetings in the fifty-four most populist human languages and one from the humpback whales, 117 images of life on Earth, and a representative selection of our planet’s sounds, from an erupting volcano to a kiss to Bach — and that Bulgarian folk song.
The sunflower fields of Bulgaria.
Bulgaria is an old country — fourteen centuries old, five of which were spent under Ottoman yoke. This song, sung by generations of shepherdesses, encodes in its stunning vocal harmonies both the suffering and the hope with which people lived daily during those five centuries. You need not speak Bulgarian in order to receive its message, its essence, its poetic truth beyond the factual details of history, in the very marrow of your being.
Carl Sagan, who envisioned the Golden Record, had precisely that in mind — he saw the music selection as something that would say about us what no words or figures could ever say, for the stated objective of the Golden Record was to convey our essence as a civilization to some other civilization — one that surmounts the enormous improbabilities of finding this tiny spacecraft adrift amid the cosmic infinitude, of having the necessary technology to decode its message and the necessary consciousness to comprehend it.
But the record’s unstated objective, which I see as the far more important one, was to mirror what is best of humanity back to itself in the middle of the Cold War, at a time when we seemed to have forgotten who we are to each other and what it means to share this fragile, symphonic planet.
When the Voyager completed its exploratory mission and took the last photograph — of Neptune — NASA commanded that the cameras be shut off to conserve energy. But Carl Sagan had the idea of turning the spacecraft around and taking one final photograph — of Earth. Objections were raised — from so great a distance and at so low a resolution, the resulting image would have absolutely no scientific value. But Sagan saw the larger poetic worth — he took the request all the way up to NASA’s administrator and charmed his way into permission.
The “Pale Blue Dot” photograph captured by the Voyager 1 (NASA/JPL)
And so, on Valentine’s Day of 1990, just after Bulgaria’s Communist regime was finally defeated after nearly half a century of reign, the Voyager took the now-iconic image of Earth known as the “Pale Blue Dot” — a grainy pixel, “a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam,” as Sagan so poetically put it when he immortalized the photograph in his beautiful “Pale Blue Dot” monologue from Cosmos — that great masterwork of perspective, a timeless reminder that “everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was… every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician” lived out their lives on this pale blue dot. And every political conflict, every war we’ve ever fought, we have waged over a fraction of this grainy pixel barely perceptible against the cosmic backdrop of endless lonesome space.
In the cosmic blink of our present existence, as we stand on this increasingly fragmented pixel, it is worth keeping the Voyager in mind as we find our capacity for perspective constricted by the stranglehold of our cultural moment. It is worth questioning what proportion of the news this year, what imperceptible fraction, was devoted to the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded for the landmark detection of gravitational waves — the single most significant astrophysical discovery since Galileo. After centuries of knowing the universe only by sight, only by looking, we can now listen to it and hear echoes of events that took place billions of lightyears away, billions of years ago — events that made the stardust that made us.
I don’t think it is possible to contribute to the present moment in any meaningful way while being wholly engulfed by it. It is only by stepping out of it, by taking a telescopic perspective, that we can then dip back in and do the work which our time asks of us.
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