Was it just a few years ago when we were cheering our “essential workers?”. Those were the people who went to work in the dangerous nursing homes and assisted living facilities to care for the sick and elderly. The pay was low, the protections minimal but still they went in. The facilities did next to nothing to protect the residents and workers and many died alone in the homes isolated from their loved ones. It was a dreadful time and the stories of bodies piling up in some facilities was a page out of the great bubonic plague.

Big signs were hoisted on building cheering our essential workers who went into hospitals to save the sick and dying. In New York City residents isolated in their apartments banged pots and pans out the windows to cheer those who tried to help and save us. I still see the sign “Heroes work here”. So much for our heroes. Most of the nursing homes and assisted living facilities are owned by private equity firms and always look to the bottom line for their investors. The workers are truly secondary. The workload is very hard and the pay is low and cruel. None is unionized. The rotation of staff due to harsh working conditions and low pay continues to create a revolving door of employees with constant shortages of workers. It is a disgrace for this country but not a surprise.

For all our caring, we are still indifferent to the aged in our society. We have just moved on from this hooray for our heroes to “heroes who?”. Why were we and are still unmoved by the plight of our aged and fragile citizens. These are our family members, friends and neighbors. We basically cannot raise the same sympathy for our senior citizens as we do for the children who are sick and dying. For example during the height of the Polio epidemic back in the 1950’s there were 3,000 deaths in the US. The national response to this was enormous. Not so for the elderly and sick patients. Politicians have not helped by calling them “old and sickly”. So, it continues. Years ago my Saudi friends wondered why we build “houses of death” for our family, friends and relatives. I had no answer other than the obvious, a lack of interest by our leaders and our citizens. He called nursing homes and assisted living facilities the warehouses of the dying. Not far from the truth. He couldn’t understand why family members would put their parents, relatives in these places.

How our about meat packers and farm workers. How about those who work in tight conditions such as assembly lines. How about no pay for sick days. So we go to work sick. These essential workers who keep the engines of our society moving and are mainly invisible continue to be the forgotten workers. They had their 5 minutes of fame but Americans have moved on.

Unfortunately, those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. We as a society, were lucky to have only 1.2 million people die of covid instead the possibility of 10 million. We are lucky to have swift, successful vaccines to turn the numbers around. Still, many of us experience long covid and covid itself is not done with us. It is still a risk and affects all of us, not just the elderly. There are many futures opportunities from strange sources to afflict our society. How about climate change affects exposing us to more respiratory diseases, Ebola, MERS, West Nile and even diseases that are currently contained within animals and somehow migrating to humans. We need to be on alert for possibilities and prepare our elderly, our essential workers and those who are more susceptible to diseases.

Perhaps, as our leaders age, they may be more sympathetic to the aging and frail. So far, there seems to be no movement in this area to subsidize long-term care for the aged, or regulate and enforce the major for-profit companies who control these places. The same goes for our “essential workers.” Maybe we should put signs on nursing home and assisted living facilities that say “Profitable Warehouses for the Dying.”


I don’t think I ever thought of my physical form as a prized race horse. I never even thought of it as pony. It didn’t really dawn on me until I got in my 40’s that maybe there was more going on than I thought. Someone told me long ago, before I dyed my hair, that I would live a very long life and that I had to take good care of my health because I would hate to be trapped in my body later in life. The thought of being stuck in there like in the lung machine of a polio patient gave me pause for what that could be like. It was a very scary thought.

I was blessed earlier in my life by meeting Adele Davis who was one of the early pioneers of healthy eating. It was she who said go ahead and eat your eggs just make sure they were fertilized eggs so that the cholesterol was emulsified. It has a natural lecithin quality to them. I have been eating as many eggs as I choose and I continue to maintain normal blood pressure as well as low cholesterol without medication. She also always said to avoid margarine and eat real butter instead. No problem there.

What is the underlying message of taking care of your prized race horse? Of course, each of us is given one and only one at birth. This is it. You have no other transportation through life. If you run your race horse too hard or feed it poorly, it will toss you out of the saddle and you will no longer be able to get around. If you are really injured when you have been thrown off, you will be out of here and contemplating future lives in other realms. Most of us don’t even realize we have been given a prized race horse. If cars are your thing, you can look at it as a very expensive racing car. It’s worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and requires careful maintenance, correct fuel, parts etc. I think we probably would take better care of the car or the horse than our bodies.

We really can’t fulfill our destiny, lifepath, dreams, hopes or wishes if we continue to disintegrate due to lack of rest, poor eating habits etc. We keep laughing it off and say if we have a problem we can just go the doctor and get it fixed–really??? Lots of our ailments can’t be fixed. They can be treated but the damage has been done. I don’t think we have reached a preventive type of thinking nor a preventive type of care. We continue to indulge. It is easy to do here in the States as we have a 5 life path that rules the 5 senses. Lots of food, booze and rock and roll. Loads of weight loss tricks, diets, books go with this indulgence. The latest is Ozempic family of drugs. They are considered miracle drugs and they are amazing in the weight loss. But, how do you get off of them? What got you there in the first place?

There are numerous examples of the neglect of our race horse. You would never ride it as hard as you do your body. You would always feed it well, ride it sensibly and give it needed water and rest. Why can’t we look at our bodies the same way. For all the hoopla of prosperity, living your dreams, finding your soul mate and your dream house, how about taking better care of your body/race horse first. You can’t stay here as long as you might think, if you haven’t. I have buried loved ones and friends who left too soon due to a breakdown of the body. Could we try to eat less chemicals in our food? Cancer has to have a catalyst to start its move. It can sit for years just waiting for the right conditions and then it surfaces. Surprise, here I am. I have been waiting for you. Why can’t we live to 120 and a normal life span. We are prematurely leaving with Alzheimer, cancer, strokes, diabetes and heart disease. There are also more immune deficient disorders and more and more COPD as well. What gives? Do we move to cleaner air to breathe? Do we give up the processed foods and start learning to cook our own food? What a thought! Are we in so much of a hurry that we won’t take time to prepare healthy foods for the race horse. I’ll tell you if your race horse stood at your kitchen door and needed to be fed, would you give it a pizza? Not if you paid a fortune for the horse!

People come to me for private sessions. This happens especially when they are transitioning from ending of their careers and on the brink of starting a new life. That is great, but what kind of health condition are they in to start this new life. One of the normal answers I get is I exercise several times a week or I walk. Really!! How about the rest of the story. Retirement should be a four letter word. The Soul doesn’t come here to do that. It is an artificial man-made time frame that will fade away. Meantime, what about the years after this date? What about the next 30 years or 50 years past this age? Did you ever think your body could last that long? Could it move around with ease?

I am learning to be better about my eating habits and I am amazed at little things that have resulted in such a big difference in my health. I eat fish twice a week sometimes 3 times. I eat chicken. I don’t like pork, lamb or really steak cooked inside a house. It’s the smell. This is from childhood so I didn’t concoct this as an adult. I do like brisket or pot roast but in minimal amounts. I erroneously thought that including more plant based meals would do the trick. I have found, however, I now have to get 3 weeks of iron infusions followed by 2 months of iron capsules to get the proper amount for healthy blood. Who knew? So much for my smarty pants habits. I recommend everyone get a blood check once a year and get a stool check as well. We need to know what is going on in our guts so we can absorb our nutrients well and nourish our bodies. The trick is to repair and restore so we can be healthy, productive race horses out there running around the track and carrying our riders safely without exhaustion.

We created these lives with great, sometimes weird, blueprints. Sometimes our success will come later in life and it shows in the chart. You want to be around to enjoy that success well into your 90’s and consider your wisdom years going out to 120. Sounds good. I’ll see you around the track!


I used to travel often. I didn’t think too much of air travel. I just did it and made an adventure of it. All that changed with the pandemic. I hardly travel by air any more. The hassle, the drive to get to the airport in LA, the lines, the exhaustion from poor sleep the night before, the security lines and the expense. It’s like a job. You have to work with your anxiety of the unexpected, the delays, the cancellations etc. One of the things I always remember about air travel are the moving sidewalks. O’Hare airport in Chicago was one of the early sidewalks. I thought it was so smart and a great idea.

Over time and years on earth, I also began to look at my own life as a moving sidewalk. The moving sidewalks give you a chance to acknowledge lots of people but no time to really get to know any of them. As the years go by, I have often promised myself I would get back to visit a certain person or a place. Most often, it never happens. Life just keeps moving forward bringing you more experiences and challenges and the time to get back to the people and places has been taken up by more pressing issues. If you wait long enough, the person is gone or their phone or email is no longer operational. Currently I am “hunting down” an old friend in India who always invited me to come over and stay. I don’t know if he is alive, moved etc. I do know it is my fault for letting it all slip away.

I was born with a 5 life path and a 9 destiny. The path of the 5 is one of change, adjustments and freedom. The destiny of the 9 is a goal of being more of a humanitarian and reliever of suffering. I do my best not to add to the suffering of others as we ALL suffer. It is part of the human condition. The number 9 is also a completion number so this life is intended for me to accomplish detachment, letting go and finishing up a certain level of development. The 5 and 9 work well together but can be very tiring. There has been constant change and lots of letting go. Most of the changes were not self-imposed. My former husband was a fighter pilot and we moved 8 times in 6 years. Even as a baby, my Mother’s mother died and she had to leave me in the hospital to attend the funeral. What a beginning! What a change. There were to be more changes before I was even 7. Due to my Mother’s poor health and too many children, I was sent to live with my Aunt Betty in Detroit. I was about 3 years of age. I loved it and was spoiled well. I actually didn’t want to return home. About age 7 I traveled by myself on the train from Grand Central Station in New York to Detroit. It was an adventure. I had a lunch in a shoe box and a note pinned to my coat. The conductor looked after me. Can you image that today?

I look back and I see that all the years were teaching me about constructive changes and letting go. It was one after the other of abrupt changes. It is, of course, going on as I write this. Most of you know about my husband’s bout with cancer and then the terrible brain injury from a fall. He is still in the land of the living but continues to deteriorate. I did sell the big house and made all kinds of adjustments around that. I’m living in a rental that I own and never expected to live in. I know there will be another move within the next year or two as this is only a way station. It is typical of a 5 life path. I am learning again the adjustments and the letting go. This is why my life feels like it is living on a moving sidewalk at O’Hare. It will just keep moving whether I like it or not.

I am lucky to have lived this long to realize the purpose of my life and its learning. I can now pinpoint timeframes completely in line with the timing of my own blueprint. It is important to assess where I am and what I want to still do before I leave. Knowing what I now know, I can stop fooling myself into any grand illusions. I don’t need all the stuff any more and I definitely don’t want to pay for storage or for moving it. Everyone here is really doing the best they can with what they know. If they knew better, they would have done better. If not in this lifetime then in another. Life is a continuum. It doesn’t just end because our bodies die. I have already made some suggestions for future lives. I definitely do not want another 5 Life Path any time soon. It is just too many adjustments. One of these is, of course, how to travel light. It really is the “lean horse” for the “long race.”


While we are going about normal day to day activities most of us are unaware of a greater change that is taking place across the world. We are given bits and pieces of seemingly disjointed pieces of the new and we have yet to step back and see a greater picture that is being painted. As in all transitions from one Age to another, there is great upheaval and chaos. We stand poised at the dawn of new Era and Age, the Age of Aquarius and the Era of Humanity.
We have been letting the old Age of Pisces detach from our lives. With any type of ending and new beginning, there is excitement, hope, fear, chaos and anxiety. This has been actually going on since the late 1700’s and is about to go into high gear as we enter the New World Renaissance, a cycle that is repeated every 500 years.

Where does this leave you and me? Based on the inclusion of Numerology, Astrology, the I Ching and other sacred books, we are in a personal Renaissance in our own lives. There is always the “as above, so below” consideration–the macrocosm and the microcosm. What is happening globally is also happening personally. We are experiencing massive change and stand in the presence of a great opportunity to develop ourselves, our will and our minds within our collective group. We can no longer operate successfully with our old way of thinking. As you can see from our current situation as a culture, we are bring forced to take more responsibility for our own lives. We must now make constructive changes in our thinking, judgments and in our behavior.

Numerology tells us that we are now in the millennium of the 2000 and no longer operate under the vibration of the number one as in 999 through 1999 (1000 years). This alone is setting up a domino affect in many areas of our lives. The number two teaches us cooperation, diplomacy, tact, interdependence and patience. We must learn that in our own lives. In order for us to be successful now, we will be persuaded to cooperate more, to be more tactful, to understand the art of compromise and to become more patient. Just as the policies in the world will require interdependence, so too will our lives be undergoing the same lesson. There are certain key years that will help you better understand these lessons. The Soul downloads everything it learned the prior 7 years of its birth starting at age 7. In our personal lives we need to know what are these ages and what to expect.

Our country has a Life Path in Numerology of the number 5. This sets up the dynamics for a plan that has freedom as its essential characteristic. If you have been born into this country or arrived after birth, you absorb this energy immediately and begin to take on the same quality. Freedom allows us to be a catalyst for others in the world. We as a nation can help others make change constructively through this period. We must first learn it ourselves.

Both Numerology and Astrology point out the big shift that is occurring. The last Piscean Age was based on an emotional premise and was represented by the use of water throughout the time. There are many examples of this, one of the most notable being Jesus walked on water and turned water into wine. This represents in our own lives the time of learning and how to handle our own emotions. Religion was a part of this period and our major religions of today were born during this period. New Age teachings are transforming and reducing the old religions as part of this ending of the last Age.

Astrologically, we are about to undergo a major transformation of government, laws and the social contract. You will personally be affected by these and should know which ones will be changing. Already you are feeling the squeeze financially as it affects the housing and finance markets across the world. This will spread into other areas. The sign of Aquarius is an air sign and is representative of the individual and the mind. It is detached and yet interested in humanity as a whole. It is impersonal yet humanitarian. It is the practical over the sentimental. You should by now feel that sense of detachment and aloneness in your own lives. The interesting note on this detachment is you can know what is going on in Ukraine and yet not know your neighbors across the street. Further examples of this will help you understand why even all our buildings have become box-like and made of cement, glass and metal. The practical is used over the sentimental of the old Age which included the gingerbread and Victorian structures.

Fear, anger and anxiety exist right now because fear was the teaching tool of the old Piscean Age (each Age lasts approximately 2000 years), We need to learn the teaching tools of the Aquarian Age and prepare for the events that are to come. 2024 is the pivotal year. We can call it the “get-ready year”.


YOUR PERSONAL YEAR—by Gail Minogue from Gail’s book “Divine Design—How You Created the Life You are Living”

Each of us has not only Pinnacles in our lives but we also have our Personal Year.  This Year is your individual energy for the year.  Remember I spoke earlier about timing.  We should know our own timing so that we can begin projects or end projects at the right time.  One of the biggest losses on the Earth plane is a lack of awareness of our own Personal Year.  It very important to understand and work with your personal timeframe.  This Personal Year is found by simply adding the month of your birth to the date of your birth to the Universal Year.  What is the Universal Year?  This is the year you are living in today.  For example 2001 is a 3 Universal Year.  2002 is a 4 Universal Year.  2003 is a 5 Universal year.  We derive the Universal Year by adding the year together.  2+0+0+1=3, 2+0+0+2=4, 2+0+0+3=5.

If your birthday is February 10th, you would add 2 (February is the 2nd month) to 10 (the day) to 8 (the Universal Year for 2024).  Your Personal Year would be 11/2.  2+1+0+8=11/2.

                                    Create example of math computing personal year

It is important to remember that a Personal Year begins January 1st of each year.  It does not start on your birthday.  However, you will be experiencing stronger qualities of the year the closer you get to your actual birthday.  Keep in mind that the first two months of each year, January and February, are always involved with the energy of the old year.  You really don’t get things moving forward until March or April.  You will also see more of the energy consolidating as you get into the fall and end of a year. 

Personal Year 1

This is your seed-planting year.  The year to begin new projects, new jobs, new house and in general a fresh start.  It is year of new beginnings.  If there is anything you need to clean up from the year before, try to do it early in the year.  You want to use most of the energy from this year to start new endeavors.  Seed wisely this year as the garden will last a long time. Much of what you harvest 8 years from now will be the result of what you planted during this year.  It is extremely important.  Don’t be lazy about your life.   Be aware of new people you meet—even though they may seem to be just a passing interlude.  You are preparing your garden.  Don’t wait for somebody to do it with you.  It is a year to take risk, be courageous and take care of what you need to do.  Take the initiative.  Do not expect the plans to be completed in this year.  You are just getting started.    It is not a particularly good year for partnerships.  You need to do many things on your own and devote time and energy to getting your plans started.  You will have plenty of time next year for relationships.

Personal Year 2

This is the year for patience, diplomacy, partnerships and teamwork.  Patience is essential.  All the plans you started last year are now growing roots.  You need to tend the garden.  So much of what you started needs work and refinement.  This can be a year of delays as you must work with others and wait on them for many of your decisions.  If you try to force your own way this year, it will not work.  You will find yourself frustrated and may lose some friendships and/or relationships because you pushed too hard.  There may be a natural end of some of your relationships in July of this year.  You will feel more sensitive this year and will not want to be alone as you were last year.  It is an excellent year for relationships particularly an important love relationship.  In August you will begin to solidify your efforts and by fall much of what gave you frustration will be resolved.  I urge you to keep your plans to yourself this year.  You have certain hopes, wishes and dreams but they need time to root themselves.  If you divulge your plans to others, you risk the chance of them being blown away or delayed.  Keep your secrets.

Personal Year 3

This is a year of expansion and creativity.  A very good year to expand your efforts and promote the plans you made in your #1 year.  It is a highly creative year so I encourage you to choose an area of expression that you love and focus on it this year.  Really make the effort to use your imagination.  Concentrate on the ideas and inspirations that you planted in your #1 year.  It is a wonderful year to make new friends and improve your appearance.  Change your hairstyle, change your clothes and do everything you can to present yourself as being attractive.  Your networking will pay off.  Make contacts and socialize.  This can be a good financial year if you do your work. Do not drift along.  The wind is at your back and if you concentrate on your creative project you will do well.  Consider travel this year.

Personal Year 4

This is the year you roll up your sleeves and work.  The plans you made in the last few years have been expanding.  Now they need structure so they will have concrete form.  This is year to be very practical and industrious.  It is not a year to take long vacations.  You have work to do and it will be the focus of this year.  It is also not a year to change jobs or move.  Wait until next year if you can.  If you change jobs, be very cautious.  Make sure the job is what it appears to be.  It is not a year to be unemployed.   I consider this to be a contracted year rather than an expansive year.  If you make a move this year, the wind is in your face.  It is better if you make all the changes next year.  You are actually laying the foundation for future years.  This can be a very rewarding year but only if you have put in the effort.  Your finances may seem slow in materializing.  You may have more expenses than you expected.  During this year, keep your overhead low and postpone unnecessary purchases until next year when your finances will improve.  Pace yourself as you may find yourself working very hard this year.  You need this year to make sure your plans can be implemented.

Personal Year 5

Okay, this is the year to make the changes you have been waiting for.  Five can be a pretty nerve-wracking year as there is so much change going on.  Just when you think you are going north, you are going south.  The change continues until about October when things begin to solidify.  It is very important to take the opportunity this year to promote and market yourself.  It is not a year to stay stuck.  Make the changes in your career, change your location, change your thinking and embrace change in general.   Pay attention to clues on your path.  Someone may say something or give you needed information about an opportunity in your life.  This is the time to make decisions without knowing all the facts.  It will take courage but there are many opportunities this year.  Be careful how you make change this year.  You do not want to leave chaos behind.  Evaluate your situation.  Look at the situation you have gotten yourself into and make the appropriate changes to balance your life.

This year can also be a “sexy” year.  If you are single, it is a year to date and socialize.  Be careful you do not overindulge in the physical plane.  Five rules the five senses.  Watch out for too much drinking, food, sex, drugs and rock and roll.  Be very wise.  It is a great year to travel so get out there and enjoy yourself.  Above all don’t be overly cautious.  You are shedding the heavy coat of the restrictions from the last four years.

Personal Year 6

This is the year of family and domestic responsibility.  You will be needed a great deal by others and may find yourself many times feeling burdened by the responsibility.  Not to worry.  This is a golden opportunity for you to be of service to others and to assist where you can.  You will feed loved and needed this year.  There is also a “luck” factor regarding this number so you may find good opportunities in your business and financial areas.  The year is very busy.  You will have to pace yourself so that you don’t get exhausted from your responsibilities.   An interesting characteristic about this year is that it can bring a change in your eating habits.  There is usually a change to a healthier eating pattern.  You will be doing things that improve your health.

Another improvement is an improvement in your home.  During a six year you might fix up your existing home, add an addition or even more to a better home.  It’s a very loving year, you will feel more appreciated, needed and might even find yourself getting married. Because the number six is the number of marriage and family, there are many adjustments made in those areas during this year.  It could be a marriage (or a divorce), the birth of a child or the releasing of a child that goes off to college.  All involved with love, family, commitment and the home.

Personal Year 7

After all the responsibility of the six year, all the changes of the five year, the work of the four year, the new creations of the three year, the planning and patience of the second year and the planting and innovation of the one year, you have earned a rest.  Here it is.  This year is intended to be a sabbatical year, a year of rest, recovery, reflection and planning.  It is not a year to be very active in the outer year.  It is a year in which you will develop your higher mind and your higher self.  You may feel very tired this year.  Don’t worry that feeling is needed so that you will slow down and take it easy.  You have been charging forward for six years.  Everything is to rest in this important seven cycle.  Nature rests every seven years.  We as a population are to rest on the seventh day.  Keep this in mind.  You will not have this opportunity to rest for a long time. 

You also need this year to plan your future activities.  If you are rushing around in your old pattern of work and activities, you will not have time to think things through.  Take this time out to do that.  Cut back your work hours, spend time in nature, take some classes of higher learning, improve your skills, study Spiritual teachings, develop the higher mind and pay attention to the “self”.  I once told a woman that she should take it easy in her 7 year and postpone her move if possible to the next year which was only three months away.  She was insistent on moving.  During the move, she broke her ankle and went through “enforced rest” for several months. 

This is a year to be selfish.  Your future actions will be based on well-thought plans.  If you don’t take the time to do this, you could possibly make many mistakes in your decisions in the years to come.  You will come to a head in your decisions so this year may feel like a door is closing.  It is.  You will not, however, end this cycle of time until two years from now.  Once you complete a seven year, the eight and nine years will be used to complete the cycle.  This is not a beginning year.  You are actually winding this cycle down.

Personal Year 8

This is your harvest year.  If you have planned well in your seven year, you know what you need to do. Remember the seeds you planted in your one year?  These were the risks you took, the new job you started and the new business you created.  Now is the time to reap what you have sowed.  It is a great year to go after what you want.  Do not be shy.  Knock on doors you would have previously been reluctant to open.  This is the time when all you have done pays off.  That is why it is so important to plant wisely in a one year.  Last year in your seven year, you were mainly concerned with the self and probably didn’t experience very much on the material plan.  That all can change this year.  This is the year that you can get that big contract, the job promotion and other material successes.  As dry and lonely as the seven year might have been, this year is the opposite.  You can be ambitious, forceful and more confident.  It’s the year to bring home the rewards.   Be focused and pursue your goals.  If you spent time in your seven year on your plans, then you know what to do. 

If you have not put the effort in over the last seven years, this can be a year of meager return.  All results are in direct proportion to the effort you have put in during the last seven years.  You could have large expenses connected to making money this year so be very efficient with your resources.  Remember resources are not just money.  They are time, energy and money.

Personal Year 9

This is your year of completion, endings and letting go.  You are finishing up a nine-year cycle.  It is a year to discard the old to make way for the new next year.  During this year you may feel that you need to get rid of old clothing and clean out the cobwebs of your life.  There is a general trend throughout the year of finishing up unfinished business.  You may have debts still to be paid.  Take care of them this year.  You may be contemplating the end of a relationship or a job.  This is the year when chronic illnesses may also end.  Do not cling to things that want to leave your life.  This is where the year can be very painful.  It is a letting-go year and when something or someone wants to leave your life, you should let them go.  If a relationship was a strain or a job unfulfilling, do you really want to carry them forward in your life?   In order to make room for the new that is coming next year, you must clean out to create a fresh space. 

In addition to completing things in this year, it is a year of charitable service.  Spend part of this year in compassionate work for humanity.  You get to choose which area to serve but try to fit it in.  This is not work you get paid for.  It is giving of yourself freely without worrying about what is in it for you.  Another area of interest this year is in the arts.  Your creativity is very high this year.  You may find yourself doing sculpturing or photography.  Enjoy this aspect of the year.  Be courageous.  Letting go can be painful but remember you have a brand new exciting year coming.  By October and November you will be anxious to have it begin.  Make good use of this year, mourn your losses if you need to and then remember the new dawn that is just ahead.


First, I want to apologize to all of you who commented on my last post. Thank you to all who did. It is greatly appreciated. 2nd, unfortunately, due to my getting covid followed by another bout of bronchitis, umpteenth trips of my husband to the doctor; I failed to approve postings. They are all posted now and I am healthy. My husband has been moved to another facilitity with more services. I can step back from this ongoing and debilitating care involved with being a caretaker. I went to a gym for a short time yesterday after months of neglect. Just great to be back and start being normal again.

America continues its struggle assigned to it at birth by the position of the heavens and its destiny and lifepath by its sacred geometry. I have written about this before but it bears repeating. America has a lifepath of the number 5. This is the road it must travel (it can’t be changed unless you change its date of birth). The number 5 for a country or a person, always requires freedom and results in much change. It is for those it meets, an agent of change. Notice the big change agents from our past–Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abe Lincoln and Hitler. These were all born with the 5 life path and changed the face of their country and the world. No, none of the current candidates has a 5 life path. Let’s expect the 2028 candidates will have one in their midst. When the US is serious about change, it will bring in a 5 candidate. (The entire birth date reduces to the number 5).

America (itself a number 5 word–all letters reduce to the number 5 with A being the number one) has a job or purpose in its founding and that was and is the “agent of change”. It must learn assimilation of its people and as it progresses, it must export assimilation to the rest of the world. This is its purpose. It is easy to say but very tough to do. As you can see, we seem to be going backwards in assimilation as parts of our leadership tries to eliminate various rights. This backward movement is not surprising. People are threatened by change. Most people do not want to change but change is the main currency of creativity. It can be temporarily stymied but it must move forward. It is the source of all advancement on the planet and in the heavens. Imagine if we hadn’t changed from our kindergarten class. Here we would be 50 years old and still learning how to read. How about living your teenage years all through your life. You are still just getting your period at 80.

It is so with the USA (incidentally another 5 word for America–the letters reduce to the number 5). However, the downside of the number 5 is destructive change–versus constructive. You can easily see the destructive side being played out in limitations of freedoms, book bans, abortion punishment and limits on the female body, continual erosion of the separation of church and state and many others. A big downside is the loneliness you now see as an epidemic in the USA. In order to have individual freedom, you must respect the rights of the individual. America, therefore, became a country of “individuals”. Individualism is respected in many speeches, especially when related to the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps”. The extended family became diluted over the generations and now we have many isolated seniors separated from their children and other extended family members. We have become a nation on the move. The covid epidemic took away the sense of community and it has not returned. As much as we like the convenience of Zoom, it has perpetuated the isolation of many. Now we work from home, more isolation, and the community formed at work has eroded. Yes, commutes are shorter but the need for a sense of community persists.

America will continue to struggle with the need for change, individual freedoms and the need for community. Places of worship are being sold off, bowling alleys are now down to only a few, in-person lectures and workshops are now on Zoom. Theaters struggle to fill the seats. In-home streaming has replaced trips to the movie theater. It is all progress but the price paid is subtle and damaging. We physically need others. We crave the energy of in-person meetings.

This is all in line with the beginning Age of Aquarius which is an air sign and prides itself on intelligence, detachment and high tech progress. Notice the rise of social media and its detached emotions. You can say just about anything you want to say to a screen and to people you do not know. We now buy and pay on our phones, ipads and restaurant tip screens. (that one is so annoying). We have become our own customer service as we punch this number or that number to get assistance. We do electronic chats with a bot to get help and eventually call their 800 number to wait an hour or so for help.

The transition to moving forward continues to remain challenging and several will feel left behind. I am sure those who were in the horse and buggy business at the beginning of the 20th century hung on for dear life until the automobile ran them over. It will be the same and those who resist forward constructive changes to the culture will be eating dust. Organized religion of the past is being forced to accommodate young adults who do not want the stifling rules of the past. Even the Pope has become more accommodating for those of same sex marriage, those who are divorced etc. In the older days, if you even married outside your faith, you would be excommunicated by the Catholic church. These are consistent and continual changes that go with progress. We will gradually move away from fear-based religions as they morph into their original teachings of “do onto others as you would have them do unto you.”

I am very positive for America’s forward push. She has a habit of creating extreme chaos in order to make necessary changes. So, about every 80 years, America finds herself in an extreme chaotic condition. The last crisis was World War II, the one before that, the Civil War. 80 years before that, the American Revolution. We have not had the extreme crisis but it is building. We need to make some important changes in our institutions and our culture. During the 2020’s, I would anticipate it. It is not bad, it is a pattern of our nature. We still crave freedom and that will win out. If we did have an authoritarian leader, we would rebel all over again.

The powers that be run the heavens and all its inhabitants (that means us) and we have been given a purpose/task that we are responsible for fulfilling. We have some crazy people who would rather be powerful and perform than serve and be accountable. It will take time to change this ship in the right direction again but it will be done.


It’s that time of year here in America where we revisit our annual feast of gratitude–Thanksgiving Day. I do love this holiday. It has no religious connotation so there is no being left out due to a religious persuasion. You can still have a great Thanksgiving as a vegan, Arab, Jew, Christian, Buddhist and agnostic. In fact, most of your temples, mosques and churches are closed.

I remind myself what I am grateful for and it is never the material stuff that is my priority. I am glad I have a comfortable roof over my head and a nice bed. I see all the homeless situations and I am reminded how lucky I am. I am grateful I can get out of bed on my own, go to the bathroom, see myself in the mirror and tend to the morning rituals. I am grateful I have family I want to see and share time with. So many people don’t have these basics in life. I am grateful for my car, that I can safely navigate the freeways of Los Angeles with a reliable vehicle. For all the basic things of life we take for granted, I am grateful.

I try to not focus too much on the trauma in the Middle East. This area has been at war with itself for thousands of years and its’ history is rich with various tribes and traders. If we return to the ancient past, this area was settled along the entire coast of the Mediterranean by the Phoenicians. Later their name became Philistines, which morphed into Palestine. The Phoenicians were sea people and known to be very smart traders with trading posts along all their routes. They traded all along the ancient Mediterranean coast and formed some ancient cities such as Tyre and Carthage. Later the Romans ended up controlling much of their territory. Not only was their territory on the Coast, but it was also in Lebanon. Today you have a large population of Palestinians in Lebanon. This area was settled by the Philistines.

Of course, the Philistines are mentioned in the Bible but they are given a negative reputation. They actually passed down their alphabet which was passed on to the Greeks. This a is poor representation of their society but it makes for good reading. It is not surprising that this land is now a convoluted mess. It has never really been settled and its’ boundaries have changed over the years based on who is controlling the region. It can give the impression that the world is going to the dogs and the theme is pumped up by social media, the talking heads etc. who know next to nothing about the history of the Levant and the bigger region. Lots of nashing of teeth and crazy behavior and performance. All the countries in the area fight over religious rights.

I usually return to Wallace Wattles’ Wisdom. Though he wrote his thought in approximately the late 19th century, his work is very relevant to today’s human condition. Humans are still humans and keep the same behavior. We are still evolving and moving into higher awareness and rational thinking. It takes time but it is not impossible.

“This shipwreck view of the world teaches us to think that the world as essentially bad and growing worse; and to believe that existing discords and inharmoniusness must continue and intensify until the end. It robs us of hope for society, government, and humanity, and gives us a decreasing outlook and contracting mind.

This is all wrong. The world is not shipwrecked. It is like a magnificent steamer with the engines in place and the machinery in perfect order. The bunkers are full of coal, and the ship is amply provisioned for the cruise; there is no lack of any good thing……The steamer is out on the high seas tacking hither and thither because no one has yet learned the right course to steer. We are learning to steer and in due time will come grandly into the harbor in a great way.

The world is good and growing better. Existing discords and inharmoniousness are but the pitching of the ship incidental to our own imperfect steering; they will be removed in due time. This view gives us an increasing outlook and an expanding mind; it enables us to think largely of society and of ourselves and to do things in a great way.”

As best you can, focus on the good and the beautiful. The clouds after our recent heavy rain were just beautiful The sky is bright blue and the rain is appreciated when it arrives. I never go to bed hungary nor cold. Nobody is shooting at me and I don’t get lost in the headlines. If you are free of serious diseases, you are blessed and can enjoy this planet while there is time. Our visit here on Earth is short. Watch what you focus on and keep reminding yourself of the good, the beautiful and the kind. In the end that is what we will want to remember. Enjoy your holiday and be patient with humans who test our patience.


In light of our current world situation and the various wars taking place around the globe, I thought I would check back in to see what Wallace Wattles, the American philosopher, might say with regards to the current conditions. Wallace lived at the early part of the 20th century and was a farmer in upstate New York. His English uses the words of that era.

“The people make society what it is, and as the people rise above the bestial thought, society will rise above the beastly in its manifestations. You can work to complete an unfinished society, instead of to renovate a decaying one; and you can work with a better heart and a more hopeful spirit. It will make an immense difference with your faith and spirit whether you look upon civilization as a good thing that is becoming better or as a bad and evil thing that is decaying. One viewpoint gives you an advancing and expanding mind and the other gives you a descending and decreasing mind.

One viewpoint will make you grow greater and the other will inevitably cause you to grow smaller. One will enable you to work for the eternal things; to do large works in a great way toward the completing of all that is incomplete and inharmonious; and the other will make you a mere patchwork reformer, working almost without hope to save a few lost souls from what you will grow to consider a lost and doomed world.

THIS MUST BE YOUR POINT OF VIEW: THAT THE WORLD AND ALL IT CONTAINS IS PERFECT; THOUGH NOT COMPLETE.

You must learn to see the world as being produced by evolution, as something that is evolving and becoming–not as a finished product. It is true of the world today, physically, socially and economically, it is all good, and it is all perfect. It is not complete anywhere or in part, but so far as the handiwork of God has gone, it is perfect. When the majority desires a world without disord, they will create such a world.”


If you are feeling more detached from others or have a diminished sense of community, you are with the majority of Americans. Health authorities are now saying that “Loneliness is an epidemic, and the health risks are ‘profound,’ US surgeon general warns.” I probably could have told them that. Senior Americans prefer the human checkout lines to the self-checks just so they can speak to their favorite cashier. We are being told that isolation and loneliness are as damaging to Americans’ individual and public health as are smoking and obesity. Maybe that is why Trader Joe has only cashiers–no self-checkouts. You always engage in a Trader Joe’s checkout.

Nearly half of the US adults reported loneliness in recent years. In 2021 Cigna healthcare showed 79% of people ages 18 to 24 reported feeling lonely–a rate nearly twice as high as that of seniors ages 66 and older. Some of the figures are startling. It puts people at greater risk for anxiety and depression, increases the possibility of dementia by 50%, stroke by 32% and heart disease by 29%. How about this one–the risk of premature death from heightened isolation is comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day and may be greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity.

Still 20% of people who feel this way do not recognize it as a major problem. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy points out that the US needs to address this epidemic with the same intensity it does to the opiod crisis or smoking. “If we fail to do so, we will pay an ever-increasing price in the form of our indiviual and collective health and well-being. And we will continue to splinter and divide until we can no longer stand as a community or a country.”

Of course, covid only added to this isolation and loneliness. We experienced the decline of social connections, as well as isolation and loneliness, by cutting people off from their support networks. It also gave people a sense of how important those connections are. They saw how less time with friends or family harmed their well-being and that of those around them. We are still trying to rebuild connections and gain back a sense of connection lost during covid.

Recently, I had time with two wonderful friends I had not seen in 3 years. We were just like children. We couldn’t get out all we wanted to say and share in the time we had. It was heaven. We laughed and laughed. We all told each other how much we loved each other and made plans to share Thanksgiving. We were all exhausted from the covid fallouts and agreed how much it had damaged our sense of community. Each of us had been cut off from our favorite activities due to covid. We, as a society, were already on our way to isolation with the telling book “Bowling Alone–The Collapse and Revival of American Community” by Robert Putnam. “

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community is a 2000 nonfiction book by Robert D. Putnam. It was developed from his 1995 essay entitled “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital“. Putnam surveys the decline of social capital in the United States since 1950. He has described the reduction in all the forms of in-person social intercourse upon which Americans used to found, educate, and enrich the fabric of their social lives. He argues that this undermines the active civic engagement which a strong democracy requires from its citizens.” Wikipedia

We all need to wake up and pay attention. This is not a passing phase. It can and probably will get stronger as we get deeper entrenched in the detached Aquarian Age. If we want our democracy to prosper, we need to bring back a sense of connection and community. Just as access to voting is essential, social connections make the citizens relevant and included. I do believe religious services and activities are just as much for social connections as religious ones. People from the beginning of time operated in groups and tribes. They were essential for the survival of the species. They still are. We need to put a priority on this.

For me, I would prefer live audiences but everyone is now accustomed to Zoom–even though, I think, they are burned out from Zoom. Just putting a program together and taking it on the road is fraught with the unknown; find a venue, airfare, car rental, hotel, publicity. We have become used to sitting at home and streaming or attending a Zoom lecture, class. Why should we bother to drive to a venue, park etc. when we can just stay home and watch the show? Build a sense of connection and community–that’s why. We will have to go out of our way to attend an event in person. The rewards are subtle but powerful. We make connections.

The Aquarian Age is a powerful, dynamic time period. We are still in the early years of the Age and it will be going out in time for approximately 2000 years. This means that the earth is passing through the constellation of Aquarius and our weather and behavior are affected by this heavenly transit. Aquarius is a fixed air sign. Fixed signs are the most powerful. Air quality means that we will travel more and further by air and our climate will be drier. It is known for its mind and ideas and advanced technology. We will continue to advance in these areas and no doubt will discover and invent things that we can’t even dream of. In order to achieve success with this sign, it requires a degree of detachment. It is not known for its emotional quality as would be a water sign, i.e. Pisces, Scorpio or Cancer. It’s success is in the mind. It is rational and welcomes freedom to think and create through the mind. Hence, more technological advances and less sense of connection. We will have to go out of way to put emphasis in this area if we are to survive. This sign is considered the most dangerous of signs as many civilizations have been lost during this Age. Advancements can happen so quickly that the human cannot keep up with the advances. This is where we get these wild rogue ideas to change water flow or create incredibly advanced weaponry.

America has powerful Aquarian planets in its birth chart. It has always attracted the best and the brightest. It was born at the beginning of the Aquarian Age and encouraged the individual to try and fail. For that reason we have had numerous and ongoing discoveries that improve lives and push futher the human advancement. The downside to American thinking is that of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.” Unfortunately, some of us don’t have boots. We focused on the rights of the individual, which is very Aquarian. We forgot that we need to have a community or the collective for lasting success. We were to build the individual on the shoulders of the prior collective Age, the Age of Pisces. We have forgotten to build the social net that connects each and every person

Currently, the system in America is very dysfunctional and cannot survive in the present state. Cracks are showing up all over. “We have growing problems and the potential for a crisis. Could the kind of reforms that would soften the crisis get through this messy process? In today’s bitterly divisive environment, it’s hard to see how we get there before a crisis forces us to think and do what we now consider unthinkable and undoable.” John Maudlin

Contents


I was reading an interesting article by the Economist magazine. It was titled “Authoritarians are on the march”. It really was talking about Democracy and Human Rights. It may not be your normal morning reading but it does give you a nuanced look at how we have gotten into this predicament of dehumanizing those who are opposite one’s point of view. It is pretty primal and very understandable.

We had all this great promise back in 1990 when the Berlin Wall fell. I remember a few days later I was in East Berlin with a group of middle eastern businessmen who were considering putting in new bakeries for this part of the city. The whole experience was pretty rare. I got to stay in the “best” hotel which still had the 1940’s switchboard. We also went to the best restaurant where our waiters stood in one area and never approached our table for service. The restaurant was nearly empty. Finally, one came over and asked what we wanted. Almost everything on the menu was not available. They told us what we could eat which ended up being a certain fish. They served the food and never came back to ask if we needed anything. This was a society not used to giving or receiving service.

When the wall fell, we had such hope and promise for Russia and all the surrounding countries. Unfortunately, Russia was prosperous for awhile and then reverted back to the old authoritarian leader. This is true of many countries today. We are having a rise in authoritarians. Throughout Africa, the Middle East, Russia, China, parts of Europe and Latin and South America, authoritarians are the bulk of the world’s leaders. Only northen Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand can tout democratic models. We have proven that even when America has gone into a country to “westernize it”, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Viet Nam, we have failed. Why? What are we missing that perpetuates the model of authority figures leadership, even when the country becomes a more wealthy country. What are we currently missing in America with the rise of an authority figure such as Donald Trump? What don’t we get? Why does the US and other northern Europen countries continuously perform better in prosperity, social programs and personal freedoms? China misses the subtlety of their argument. “This is the fact that cynical politicians sometimes set out to engineer insecurity because they know frightened people yearn for a ‘strong man’ rule.” The Economist

Trump saw that he could exploit “left-behind” voters’ anxiety to moblize support. He and his minions have set about warning that their political opponents want to destroy their supporter’s “way of life” and threaten the very survival of the country. This, of course, spreads alarm and hostility on the other side. The same playbook can be said for prior Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. You will hear a similar cry from various leaders like Putin. Putin was able to capitalize on the ethno-nationalist insecurities, especially when growth later faltered.

Part of the answer for a more secure and safe country comes from prosperity built on the rule of law. Wealthy countries have more resources to spend on disasters, such as the pandemic. Also, citizens of rich countries know that they are less vulnerable to the chance events that wreck lives elsewhere. Such as famine in Africa.

A bigger part of the answer lies in how countries cope with change, from global warming, AI or the growing tensions with China.” The Economist. Countries that manage change well will be better at making a society feel confident in the future. This includes tolerance, free expression and individual inquiry. All help harness change through consensus. This consensus is forged by ” debate and reform”. This is the best way to bring about consensus.

Be aware of the authoritarian model of leadership. It doesn’t work for America. We started out with an authoritarian, King George. That did not work out well for him. We were born with a 5 Life Path, the number of change and freedom. Just wave the red flag of the authortarian saying that another will take away your freedom and Americans go ballastic. We are in a messy phase of American democracy. It will stay messy through the 20’s but cooler heads will prevail and we will finally reach the 2030’s when much of a dream future will start to be a realty.

In the meantime, do not take the bait. Stay with virtue and dignity as we adjust to the uncertainties of these times. We forgot to remember that every day in uncertain and always has been. The moment we are born we begin to die. Do not take your life for granted or feel depressed, lonely etc. Do not waste your time on too much screen time. Be with people and don’t eat alone too much. Don’t ruminate over the indictments, scandals and who did what to whom. You can’t control it but you can say no and manage yourself. Our young people will lead us out of this nutty phase. They will race ahead, burning the Koran, the Bible and know that it is tolerated. Censoring books and rewriting history is not their rule book. Pay attention to the small moves being set up now. For example, the newly won Montana case brought by young people ages 5 to 22 regarding the disregard for their health and well being by Montana’s drilling and mining. More to come in this area. Watch for young people running for office. The old order is cracking. It will take time for it to be removed and replaced.