IS GHENT A ROMANTIC TRAVEL DESTINATION? YOU BET, SCORPIOS!

Feeling in a motivational dead zone?  Here’s a direction – let’s call it a romantic travel destination just for you intense, eagle-soaring Scorpios.

The great Scorpio-ruled city of Ghent  in Belgium has an astral pull that will pump you up to a sky’s-the-limit confidence and hope. And Scorpio sign travelers, this is the time to go there.  Crisp fall colors, air, (muted and blazing at the same time) filled with leaves in every hue of color, splashing waters and canals surrounding you and, high overhead, birds singing joyfully. It all converges to say, whether you are coming back or going forward, here is a city in which to rest and be energized. No motivational dead zones for you in Ghent.

A recent poll found that residents of this special Scorpio city – there are a quarter million of them – consider their home to be the most beautiful city in Europe and a romantic travel destination of the most discriminating tourists.

An ancient center of the great medieval wool weaving industry, the canal-riven city of Ghent nestles snugly in the triangle formed by the confluence of the Scheldt, Meuse, and Rhine Rivers.  The heart of Ghent is as much a museum to its towering medieval past as it is the vibrant center of a living present. Just a short walk from the center is the spectacularly beautiful flower area, where you will amble on your morning walks in this marvelous travel destination. You’ll see pink blossoms and beds of late-blooming pansies, along with daffodils trimming the edges of gardens.  And bursts of azaleas, tulips, peonies, dogwood and gladioli. Together they create a haze of color like a clear quiver over everything, like the colorless vibration about a flame.  Ghent has an incredible flower presence and fragrance all year long – truly a blessing to those who wander its cobbled streets.

Linger a while and watch the flowers being gently placed on trucks that carry them to ships at the North Sea port, or to the airport, bound for destinations throughout the world.  Wherever they go, the flowers of Ghent will lighten the hearts of people all over the planet.

Scorpios, you will unquestionably experience the return of confidence and sureness as you move into the aura of Ghent’s powerful Scorpio past. Deal seriously with this aura. Relax and enjoy the awe.  Good things are in the atmosphere. Past and present are in harmonious confluence. You can feel the disparate parts of your life and personhood moving towards each other. Your own past, present and future – you can feel it – are joining like the three-part delta of the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt – themselves born in the mists of time. Your life merges with the waters and like a dream, your own trinity of past, present, and future merges with the opening of a new day.

Try not to miss Ghent my passionate Scorpio explorers. It will not fail you. It is a romantic travel destination and so much more.

Posted in Travel | 2 Comments

ASTROLOGY: TO BELIEVE OR TO MAKE THE MOST OF?

The other day, as I was waiting to be seated at a restaurant, I overheard a conversation between two friends. One asked  the other if she believed in astrology. I wanted to jump in and give my “no-need-to-believe” lecture, but instead, I bit my tongue and continued to listen.

The friend said that she did not believe in astrology because none of the predictions ever come true. Once again, I wanted to bud in and tell her that this is happening because she’s seeking the wrong type of astrological advice, but I kept quiet. I was a bit saddened by the girl’s comment because I realized what a great disservice it is to allow astrology to be used as an entertainment tool rather than emphasizing it as an authentic therapeutic instrument. I’m all for entertainment at the right time and place. But when it comes to such an important subject as astrology,  it would be better to combine entertainment with deep inquiry and understanding.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Many practitioners of astrology still attempt to impress with their prophetic powers,   and as a result they  turn this symbolic language related to objective observation into a pseudo-religious discipline demanding faith.  That’s largely why astrology no longer commands the respect it once did. That said, here are some thoughts on the practice of astrology and its potential value as a healing profession.

First, you don’t have to believe in astrology in order to benefit from its insights. If you listen to the interpretation of your birth chart with an open mind and heart, and test the words against your own reality, you will know if what is being said is true for you or not.  Let yourself come to your own conclusions.

Second, the astrological practice I’m referring to is psychologically-based and humanistic in orientation. Its practitioners probe, in the same way as other mental health professionals, the psychological and spiritual makeup of individuals in order to promote understanding, growth and development.

Third,  predictive techniques are interesting to explore and experiment with, but they do little to guide the unfolding of a human soul. When concrete statements are made regarding a person’s destiny or identity, free will and universal kismet are removed from the equation. This practice might seem harmless but over the years it has done tremendous damage. The reason is that  the subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between true and false statements. Therefore  telling an impressionable individual that something will or will not happen, or that they’re this and not that, could hurt the  person for life by encouraging them to live out someone else’s  prophecy.

I’d like you to bear two things in mind in seeking astrological advice. The first is to  ask the astrologer you contact about the type of astrology he or she practices. Make sure that the response feels right for you in terms of the answers you seek. The second is to remember that, for the most part, astrologers are not psychics. So don’t book a session hoping to come out with a clear life-plan for the next forty years. Use the session  to review your personal cycles and see what energies will be influencing specific areas of your life in the near future. You can also explore thoughts and feelings regarding career, family, love, and other issues in your life. But don’t expect to be told what to do or what will happen. If you go into your session with a mindset of equal exchange, then it’s highly likely you will find the insight that you seek.

P.S. If you have any questions, or need a recommendation, please feel free to contact me.

Posted in Astrology | Leave a comment