We have some big Big BIG news!

Yes, we sure do! That's why I got top billing this month :) I couldn't wait to share the latest with everyone. It's been busy busy here this month in hopes of bringing our members more fun stuff. I think, We've come up with something you'll really really, enjoy!

I was asked a long while back last year by one of our members about blogs. I've been puttering with them for a while now. These last few months I have worked on them in earnest to see how we might be able to use them here at Rosewillow.ca. Well lemme tell ya.. I think I've Got it!!

Personally I'm just loving this new medium for many reasons. Not only have I come up with a great way for us to implement blogs here at Rosewillow. I've also found a way to customize them too. Which the designer in me just loves! So I want to officially announce..

We are now offering Blogs here at Rosewillow.ca

.. but that's not all..

We'll install your blog software and give you a FREE Subdomain to run it on!

What's a subdomain you ask? That means your blog address will read something like this..http://YOURNAME.rosewillow.ca . Easy peasy huh? You'll have your very own site hosted by Rosewillow.ca.

On your blog you can link to your regular Rosewillow chat, forum and guestbook if you like and you may also have a redirect on your existing main page to take you strait to your blog. To see an example of it all just follow this link. http://joy.rosewillow.ca Or try my rosewillow page http://rosewillow.ca/members/Joy/ and see how the redirect would work.

At the moment we will be using Wordpress blog software but we're experimenting with other programs to see which we like best. Wordpress has hundreds of templates to choose from and they are so easy to use. With the click of a button you can change your backgrounds and not have to worry about all the editing yourself. The whole process is really slick.

Is your head spinning yet? Let me run this all down for you. Once you join up here at Rosewillow.ca and become a Full member you will receive our original package of;

-A Webpage
-A Forum
-A Chatroom
-A Guestbook
- Email

And if you request it
-Your own Rosewillow.ca subdomain (http://yourname.rosewillow.ca)
-Your own BLOG!

Oh.. did I mention it's all FREE?!!!

We DO NOT charge for membership here at Rosewillow.
Our site is run strictly on donations from our members and friends.

You get all this and get to meet some wonderful people too.

I hope you'll give this new format a try. It's easy. Start by Creating Your Handle. Then sign up for a full membership or if you are already a full member and want your domain space and blog drop me an email joy@rosewillow.ca. We'll have you set up in no time!

Each and every member of Rosewillow.ca and everyone who signs up in April and May will be entered into a draw for some beautiful PYSANKA - UKRAINIAN EASTER EGGS. The draw will be held May 30th, 2009 and announced in the June edition of Oracle.

Happy Easter to all!
x
Joy

Happy Spring!

Well they tell me it's officially Spring but.. I think they're lying! I've been getting weather warnings in my mailbox all morning. The attached photo was taken this morning which is March 25th! I'm still holding out hope we'll see grass again.. sometime.. in oh...September.

So even though we don't have daffodils blooming at Town Hall yet there is a lot going on behind the scenes. As our Joy has announced, Rosewillow.ca is now offering personal subdomains and Blogs. I've had a look at some of these and they seem quite fun and from what I'm seeing on the internet, the wave of the future. I may just have to give one a try myself. She's always into something and looking for new things to bring us so if you have something in mind you like to see in the Community don't hesitate to drop us mail at the Town Hall.

Just to let you all know. In order to keep spam out of our site you may from time to time get a notification there has been a post made in your forum or guestbook and once you go to check there is nothing there. It was spam. I try to leave messages when I go in and delete spam but I don't always remember if there have been many posting. We are not trying to invade anyones privacy we just want to keep the spam under control. We have found by leaving spam on boards this encourages even more postings but if it's removed quickly we have far less. Spam IP's are also blocked from the site. You may see blocked IP addresses on your board editors this means we've caught the spammer and blocked them from your board.

I've noticed a few of you shopping over at The RoseWillow Town Mall. Each time you do we earn a small commission for our site. The commissions we make help offset webhosting costs here at Rosewillow. The more you shop the more we make so please keep checking back there if you have something you are in need of. We have over 160 vendors already with more on the way soon. Your patronage is greatly appreciated.

Thank you also to those of you who have made donations to the site. Since we decided to offer free memberships these donations are of great value. They help with hosting costs allow us to bring you more fun things and also let us know we matter to you.

If you'd like to contribute it's easy. Click the PayPal donate button and you'll be stepped through the process. If you don't have a PayPal account and would like donate another way just email my office mayor@rosewillow.ca .

I suppose it's time to head out with the shovel. Hopefully for the last time this season. Remember there's some great things happening so keep watching.

Have an enjoyable Easter.

Your Mayor

How to pick your Easter Bunnies!

I don't know about you but Easter is Chocolate pig out time in my household. We all get one solid bunny and make it last as long as humanly possible.... or a week which ever comes first. Oh you have to love fresh chocolate bunnies.. But.. which bunny is best? That would be a Dark chocolate one.

You see, dark chocolate contains more flavonoids than milk chocolate. A flavonoid is a type of polyphenol antioxidant found in cocoa. Of course we hear more and more about how good antioxidants are for us so if they are in dark chocolate all the better to eat them with!

Milk chocolate requires more processing and this causes a loss of the flavonoids. White chocolate has no pure cocoa at all. Dark chocolate contains at least 70% cocoa which means it contains five times the antioxidants of blueberries and even more than antioxidant rich red wine and green tea. Sounding better and better isn't it?

So you ask just what do these Antioxidants do for your health? Well .. they are really great for your cardio-vascular system. They keep your blood pressure down and also prevent the clogging of arteries which in turn lowers the risk of coronary heart disease. Now this doesn't mean you should be pigging out on Dark chocolate at your leisure and especially if it's mixed all up with toffee fillings and such. You'll just be defeating the purpose eating a few dark snickers bars daily. BUT.. a recent study at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine found that a few squares of dark chocolate a day can reduce the risk of a heart attack by nearly 50 per cent. Researchers speculate the substances in cocoa beans reduce blood platelet clumping and possible blockage of a major blood artery in much the same way as aspirin.

Chocolate may also help combat the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) according to a UK study.In the study, participants received 45g of specially formulated dark chocolate which contained 85 per cent cocoa and rich in flavonoids. They were given the chocolate every day for eight weeks.

Researchers said that people felt less fatigued after eating the chocolate, but felt more tired when given a placebo. Interestingly, no study participants reported any weight gain as a result of the study. (The chocolate used in the study is not sold commercially, but was specially formulated for research purposes.)

Chocolate may enhance the activation of neurotransmitters such as serotonin which regulates sleep and mood, researchers speculated. The symptoms of CFS include severe and prolonged tiredness that is not relieved by rest and is not directly caused by other conditions. The causes of CFS are not fully understood.

Dark chocolate is what you want to be eating. It contains the most cocoa. Stuffing yourself with a candy coated, carmel filled cookie crusted bar isn't going to do you much good. There is tons of fat and calories in those. Not that there aren't in a plain old dark chocolate bar or bunnie as the case maybe but MODERATION is the key!

Now..Go buy those bunnies and enjoy!

Happy Easter!

Ah, where would we be without our favorite tipple? Whether you like wine, beer, or spirits, they all have one thing in common. Of course I'm talking about alcohol. Alcohol is created in only one way - through fermentation. Basic fermentation needs only yeast, a food supply, and proper temperatures in order to take place. This article concerns itself with yeast, and in order to keep things more simple, we're going to talk about Joe's favorite drink. Beer!

Yeast likes to eat sugar. It gives them food to reproduce and they will continue to do so until the food supply is exhausted. There are many sources of sugar available for fermentation and there are thousands of different yeast strains that can take advantage of the various food sources. For the purposes of this article we'll concern ourselves with two general classes of yeast: Saccharomyces cerevisiae or ale yeast, and Saccharomyces carlsbergensis or lager yeast. There are others, but these two categories cover the majority of the ale and lager strains.

So what is the difference between a lager and ale? Many would say that lagers are clear and golden and ales are dark and opaque. Those people would be wrong. There are pale ales and there are dark lagers. So what's the difference? Well, since this article is about yeast you might suspect it has something to do with that. In fact, it has everything to do with that.

Lager yeast is a bottom fermenting strain and ale yeast is top fermenting. It's a fundamental difference in how the yeast processes the sugar and turns it into alcohol. Lager yeasts work at much lower temperatures than ale yeasts so that certain flavors that are produced at higher temperatures are minimized. In fact, the term ‘lager' refers to cold conditioning of the beer at around freezing temperatures. This produces a very clean crisp beer without any of the fruity overtones that you would find in ales.

Many of us might be familiar with the dry yeast packages that come with beer and wine kits. While these yeasts do a very good job at what they're intended to do, there are only a few strains that can survive the drying process intact. If you're brewing a beer that requires something other than what can be delivered by dehydrated yeast, you'll have to choose a liquid yeast to do the job.

Yeast strains have different properties, such as flocculation (dropping out of suspension) and attenuation (how much sugar the yeast eat) that affect the flavor of the beer. One of the most commonly quoted example is that of the yeast used in wheat beers. The yeast itself is a major part of the flavor profile of this beer. In fact, the beer is served very fresh and cloudy so that the yeast is consumed along with the beer.

The two major suppliers of yeast are White Labs and Wyeast. For the homebrewing community White Labs yeast come in vials and Wyeast yeast comes in "smack packs". The smack packs have a small pouch of dead yeast that act as food for live yeast. In order to wake the yeast up, the pouch is warmed to room temperature and then "smacked" to break the inner pouch. When the food reaches the live yeast they begin to feed which in turn causes the pack to swell. In either case the yeast count should be stepped up before pitching. This is done by creating a mini beer. The yeast consumes the sugar in the mini beer and reproduces. When the proper cell count is achieved the yeast is pitched into the waiting wort (beer before it's fermented).

Yeast can be harvested from previously fermented and re-used. The yeast is ‘washed' to remove trub (the gunk left behind by hops and the process of fermentation) and stored until the next brew is ready to go. Of course there are mutations that take place as the yeast is propagated from generation to generation so many homebrewers limit the number of times they will reuse their yeast. In the lab the companies that specialize in yeast production work their science magic to keep the strains pure and available to the general public as well as large breweries.

So the next time you imbibe in a glass of your favorite social lubricant, take a little time to marvel at the billions of tiny creatures who gave their all so that you could enjoy the fruits of their labors. Give the glass a swirl hold it high in the air, and to our little friends give a friendly PROST!

Stop into Joes today and add some drink mixes of your own or try some of the ones posted. We're sure you'll find something you like.

Spring Cleaning.

Yes.. it's once again Spring Cleaning time. ARGHHHhhhhh.. But if it's got to be done why not go green?

Here are some recipes to make your own Green Cleaners for your task ahead. All-Purpose Kitchen Cleanser: Dissolve 1 teaspoon of borax with 1 cup of hot water. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 1/4 cup of liquid soap. Mix well and put in a squirt bottle. Great for cleaning countertops, appliances and walls. Ideal product for everyday use.

Disinfectant: Use lemon and salt to clean cutting boards. Cut a lemon in half sprinkle salt on your cutting board and rub it in with cut side of the lemon.. give it a good scrub.. I've also used this to get tuff grime out of the bath tub and sink. The salt acts as an abrasive but doesn't scratch.

Floor Cleaner: Mix 1 cup of vinegar with 4 cups of water. Add your favorite essential oil and 2-3 drops of tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is a great disinfectant. Works well for the floors all over the house.

Smelly vacuum cleaner: take a cotton ball and drop several drops of lavender oil onto it. Place it in the vacuum cleaner bag or the collecting tube if it is a bagless cleaner.

Garbage cans: Sprinkle the bottoms with the natural mineral borax to prevent mold and fungus, and to keep away insects.

Lime scale:To remove lime scale from porcelain or enamel, Use a pumice stone. Dampen it, then just scrub the lime scale off.

Wood polish: Mix one part olive oil with one part lemon juice. Rub on furniture or apply with a spray bottle, then polish with a dry cloth. Use this mix to make wood floors gleam.

Brass- Ketchup or soured milk. Scrub the brass down with either and polish well. Make sure the item is washed in a mild soap solution afterwards and dried thoroughly.

Just say NO to paper towels!!

I seldom by paper towels anymore and I usually feel quite guilty when I do. I've taken to cutting up old sweat shirts, towels and t shirts for rags. T-shirt material is great for windows they are lint free. Sweat shirt material is good for just about everything from general cleaning rags to wax cloths and polishing rags floor cloths furniture polishing etc. Old towels are great for drain cloths for when you're washing all those precious knick knacks around the home. I use them for general purpose scrub rags too. You'd be amazed at how much you can get out of an old piece of clothing that would just end up in the land fill.

My old Tom Cat came home all battered up after one of his nightly prowls. He was terribly beaten and some of his wounds abscessed. We had to clean and dress the wounds at least twice a day sometimes more if he got out and got his bandages dirty. The cost of bandages was getting to be a bit much so what I did was cut an old t-shirt into strips, then slit the end about 3 inches back. We'd put the ointment on the cats wounds and then wrap it with the clean t-shirt material and tie off the end around the cat's leg. This worked pretty good but for some of the areas it wouldn't stay put. We bought some narrow tensor bandage, cut it into 3 lengths, then wrap the leg first with t-shirt material then the tensor to keep it secure. Everything held a bit better and everything could be washed, disinfected and reused. We saved a whack of money The cat healed up really nicely and I have a nice set of clean bandages for the next time he goes brawling.

I've also used this same method on skinned knees when I didn't have a bandage or gauze pad. I folded the strip of shirt to fit and give a bit of padding to the wound then taped it over with a bit of ointment underneath. It worked Great!

When I mentioned I don't buy paper towels often the usual reason I get them at all is to drain things that have been deep fried on.. But in a pinch I also use old sweat shirt material. Smooth side up. This works really well too but any cloth you use for absorbing grease or waxing make sure it does NOT get tossed in with your normal laundry load! I cannot stress this enough. There is nothing worse than having a basket of clothing smell like it just came out of a deep fryer.

Keep them separate wash any vegetable oil cloths in your dishwater and hang to dry. Furniture polish keep those in a container under your sink for re use.

Are you using disposable floor cloths for your mopping? Shame Shame on you! There are some wonderful alternative to the disposable pads on those floor mops. I bought a no name brand flat floor mop to do my laminate floors with. What really attracted me to it was that it came with a washable cloth mop instead of a throw away one. Plus you can purchase more than one so you can just do your floors toss the dirty one in the laundry and have a spare. If you are a sewer it's super easy to make your own out of old towels too.

One other neet idea I found was a Knit Mop Top or Swifer Sweater. For those knitters with some spare wool laying about this is a fantastic way to use it up!

It's easy to be green when you're cleaning this spring.. Give it a try!

Chchchchanges.....

As you can see we're trying something a bit different with The Oracle this month. Our new format is done in Css instead of the html tables which never seemed to look the same in any 2 browsers or computers. It's going to take us a bit to get used to this CSS way of doing things so please bear with us a while until we can get completely organized.

If you look at the address space in your browser you'll notice we are a subdomain of Rosewillow.ca instead of one of the member pages. This is to make us easier to find. We have a large distribution of our community paper and this just makes it a bit easier for folks to remember the address. We're still in the process of adjusting some links in the archives and on webpages here at rosewillow but that should all taken care of very soon.

We would really appreciate your feedback and have set up a poll on the paper and site in general in our forum. Please take a few moments to answer the questions after you've read this months issue.

Take The Poll

Thank you to our contributors this month. Remember we are always looking for writers so if you'd like to submit something for the paper please contact me pierre@rosewillow.ca

I hope you will enjoy this months edition of The Oracle.

Pierre

Traditional Easter breads and buns.

Traditional breads and hot cross buns are as much a part of Easter as coloured eggs and chocolate bunnies.

-Ukrainian Easter bread, or paska.
Paska is a round bread that's much richer than ordinary bread. The top can be ornately decorated with fancy dough ornaments and with a cross as the central motif. It's tradition to take the paska to church on Easter morning in a special basket to be blessed.

-If you're looking for a typical Italian dessert for your Easter table, there's Panettone, a tall bread-like cake made with eggs and raisins and candied fruit.

-Tsoureki is a traditional Greek Easter bread. The braided or twisted decorative sweet dessert bread can include a light citrus flavor, can be topped with nuts, and can include the traditional red egg cooked with the bread.

Hot Cross Buns are typically eaten on Good Friday and during Lent.

There are all sorts of stories about the origins of these sweet spiced buns made with currants, or raisins and/or candied fruit, and adorned with a cross on top usually made with icing.

One story goes.. Hot cross buns date back to the 12th century, when an Anglican monk supposedly placed the sign of the cross on buns to honour Good Friday, a Christian holiday also known as the Day of the Cross.

Yet another was.. The buns originated with an English widow who, when her son went off to sea, vowed to bake him a bun every Good Friday. When he didn't return, she continued to bake a hot cross bun for him each year, hanging it in the bakery window as a sign of faith that he'd return to her some day.

Then there are those who say hot cross buns have roots in pagan spring festivals. The cross was symbolic of the sun wheel, which represented the perfect balance of the spring equinox. The church then "Christianized" the bread. And Queen Elizabeth I passed a law limiting the popular buns consumption to proper religious ceremonies, such as Easter, Christmas or funerals.

The following hot cross buns and paska recipes are courtesy of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB).

HOT CROSS BUNS

-1 cup milk
-2 tbsp yeast
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 tsp salt
-1/3 cup butter
-1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
-4 eggs
-5 cups all-purpose flour
-1 1/3 cup currants or raisins and/or candied fruit
-1 egg white
Glaze
-1 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
-1 1/2 tsp finely chopped lemon zest
-1/2 tsp lemon extract
1-2 tbsp milk

Pre-heat oven to 400*F
In small saucepan, heat milk to very warm (about 110*F). Pour warm milk into a bowl, sprinkle in yeast and mix to dissolve. Let sit for five minutes.
Add sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs while stirring constantly. Gradually mix in flour. Dough will be wet and sticky. Continue kneading for about five minutes until dough is smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 to 45 minutes.
Knead dough again until it is smooth and elastic (about three minutes). Slowly add currants or raisins and/or candied fruit to dough and knead until well-mixed. The dough will be fairly wet and sticky. Butter a dish, shape dough in a ball, set in buttered dish, cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in the refrigerator. By morning, the excess moisture will be absorbed.

In the morning, remove dough from refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about a half hour. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper, you could use a greased baking pan. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (in half, half again, etc., etc.). Shape each piece into a ball and place on baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm, draft-free place until the buns double in size. (about 11/2 hours).

After the buns have risen, use a sharp knife to cut across the tops of the buns. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the buns with egg white. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350*F and continue to bake until golden brown (about 15 minutes more). Transfer to a wire rack. Whisk together glaze ingredients and spoon glaze over buns in a cross pattern. Serve warm if possible.

Makes 24 buns

PYSANKA-UKRAINIAN EASTER EGGS

This craft is becoming a dying art form and it was only being carried on by the elderly Ukrainian women in my community. To keep the craft alive they began teaching this art and I was fortunate to have taken some classes in it. I have put my hand to different crafts over the years but this is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things I have done.

Rather than being painted, the Ukrainian Easter Egg is created by applying the design using a style (kistka) and beeswax. The colours are achieved by submerging the egg in progressively darker dyes. The name PYSANKA is derived from the Ukrainian word "pysaty" (to write). The egg is divided into sections by using an elastic to fit around it and then drawing lines down the elastic edge with a pencil. The egg can be divided into as many sections as you want. Symbols are then drawn in the spaces. Just some of the symbols are:

-RIBBON or BELT- Around the egg, means the endless line of eternity
-DOTS- Represents stars and constellations.
-SIEVE or NET- Suggests fishing for men.
-BASKETS or TRIANGLES- Symbolizes the Holy Trinity.
-LADDERS- Means prayer or prosperity.
-8 POINT STAR or Sun- life, fortune and growth.
-CROSS- Means the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ, the for courners of the world.
-LEAF or FLOWER Life, growth.
-DEER, HORSES, Rams- Means wealth and prosperity.
-FISH- The symbol Christianity.
-BIRD- A sign for Fertility and Fulfillment of wishes.The bird is always shown at rest never flying.
-CIRCLE, POPPY, SPIDER WEB- These are the signs of the Sun and the symbol of Good Fortune.
-Pine Needles- Health, Stamina. Eternal Youth.
-Wheat- Wishes for Good Health and Harvest.
-Curls-Defense or Protection.
-Roses- Mean Love and Caring.
-Poppies- Ukrainian art motif, symbolizing Joy and Beauty.
-Triangles- Trinities eg. Fire, Water, Air or Father, Son and Holy Spirit or Heaven, Earth and Hell.
-The Saw- Fire, Life giving Heat, also known as wolves teeth symbolizing Loyalty and Wisdom.
-Fruit- Good Fellowship and strong Loyal Love.
-Rake- Successful Harvest.
-Windows- Window to the heavenly world, Female Fertility.
-Snake- Protection from catastrophe.

The colors on these eggs also have meanings.

White- Purity, Innocence and Birth
Yellow-Light, Purity, Youth, Happiness and Hospitality.
Orange- Strength, Enduarance, and the Eternal Sun.
Pink- Success, contentment.
Black- Eternity, the Dark before Dawn.
Blue- The Sky, Air, Good health.
Green- Spring, New Growth and Hope.
Red- Happiness in life, Hope, Passion and the Sun.
Purple- Fasting, Faith, Trust and Patience.
Brown- Mother Earth.

Some meanings of color combinations.

Black and White Mourning, respect for the souls of the dead.
Black and Red Ignorance arising from passions.
Red and White Respect, protection from evil powers.
For or more Colors Family Happiness, Peace and Love.

Select white, unblemished eggs. If washing is necessary, rinse carefully (do not rub) in a solution of one quart warm water to one tablespoon white vinegar. Do not use soap or detergent. Put egg on a clean cloth to air dry.

Draw your designs very lightly with a pencil. If you make a mistake do not erase because this causes smudging. Have separate jars with all your dyes in them ready to go. When you have completed your designs in pencil then cover with wax the areas that you want to stay white. You do this by heating the head of the kistka (writing tool) in the flame of a candle. When hot, scoop a little beeswax into the funnel of the kistka and begin to write, keeping the kistka at right angles to the egg. Over heating of the kistka or too much wax can cause blobs. As soon as the kistka stops writing smoothly, reheat, add wax and continue. Anything that you have covered with the wax will be white.

Now dip the egg into the yellow dye with a spoon. Make sure that it is totally submerged. We start with the lightest color and work to the darkest. After about 5 minutes remove the egg and pat dry with a soft paper towel. Do not rub. Now cover with wax any areas that you want to stay yellow. The order in which the egg can be dyed is then orange, scarlet, dark red, purple, blue, green, wine, brick, then lastly black or royal blue. When your egg has all the colours you wanted on it, it is now ready to have the wax melted off.

The most exciting step of all is removing the wax and watching the design come to life! Hold the egg to the side of the candle flame for a few seconds until the wax starts to melt. With a tissue or cloth wipe away the melted wax in small portions at a time.

I will never forget the first egg that I did. Although a total amateur job, blobs of wax and all, I couldn't stop admiring it and it had a very special place on the mantle a long time after Easter. This year I spent over 3 hours working on one egg only to drop it on the floor and crack it. I varnished it and it will last at least until after Easter. Polyurethane, high gloss clear works best.

Hannah

I would like to thank Everyone for the overwhelming positive response and emails I have received since joining your community here at Rosewillow.ca! I was amazed by the requests for personal card readings and the lovely emails from your members. This has kept me very busy on top of my regular business. I hope to contribute a monthly coloum here at The Oracle once I get all caught up adjusting to "Net Life" as it were.

Please drop into the Mystic Rose and choose from the many readings offered that you can do yourself or, email me with your queries and I will do a personal card reading. Include your Question and Birth date (Day, Month and Year ) Your Full Name and I will tell you what the cards say. Send emails to madamemaya@rosewillow.ca

Blessed Be
Madame Maya

Your Horoscopes for April, 2009.

Aries: Relationships with loved ones and friends are especially good now. You are able to share openly with others and experience mutual appreciation and respect. The love and good will you share with others may also lead to a pleasant gift or other unexpected benefit. Beware of a tendency to be too lazy to take advantage of some of the enjoyable and beneficial occasions that are available at this time. It is good to relax and enjoy yourself, but becoming a "couch potato" may not be the best way of doing this!

Taurus: The emphasis is now on long-range financial planning, thinking about future security, and formulating strategies to achieve your ambitions. Your ability to study quietly, to concentrate on complex mental work, and to think deeply about serious matters is much better than usual. This is a good time to organize your affairs and also to seek professional advice about your concerns. Try to do as much as you can on your own without trying to force others to agree with you or join you.

Gemini: At this time you are attracted to foreign cultures and art forms and to people and experiences that are different from anything you've encountered in the past. The exotic and unknown have much more appeal to you than the familiar. This is an excellent time for a vacation, particularly if you can travel to someplace you've never been before. Also, sharing and comparing your spiritual, religious, or philosophical interests with a friend or loved one may open up a whole new dimension of your relationship.

Cancer: You find it stressful to balance needs for freedom and independence with needs for love and intimate companionship. You really behave quite oddly or aloof right now which will put others off considerably thus affording you the space you need, but at a cost. You are also attracted to the exotic, offbeat, unusual, or bizarre at this time. People or things which might offend your senses at other times now arouse your appreciation and interest. This will not be a boring time if you can help it! But it is apt to be a tense time if you are in a close, bonded relationship.

Leo: You feel the desire to make several minor, but significant, adjustments in your work. For example, if you are engaged in a business activity, you may discontinue some advertising, use new sources for various services that you use, assign new tasks to employees, change advertising to appeal to a new market, make changes in the product line, etc. The worst mistake you can make at this time is to procrastinate and not act on your ideas! At this time you have an excellent sense of balance and proportion and how to efficiently meet goals and objectives, and you should utilize this sensitivity to improve upon existing situations.

Virgo: This is an excellent time to eliminate whatever is unnecessary and outworn in your life from clutter and disorder in your environment to an unhealthy relationship or even a long-held attitude or belief which keeps you from going after what you really want in life. You are also more perceptive than usual. You see other people's true colors more clearly and you may discover a secret or the hidden aspect of some situation.

Libra: You need other people's ideas and opinions now. A significant personal encounter or confrontation occurs this month. You cannot, and probably will not want to, be alone now. This is a time to reach out to people and to get others' input or counsel. Listen to your mate or a friend who can enlighten you at this time. Also, consulting a professional for health, business, or personal reasons will be very constructive and fruitful now.

Scorpio: You have an urge to be more committed, loyal and dedicated to your mate or marriage partner. If a difficult situation arises in your relationship now, you will probe beneath the surface to find the underlying problem. Superficial relating will not satisfy you. Instead, you search for depth and deep involvement with your partner. This is a favorable time to heal any resentment or jealousy that has previously plagued the relationship. With little effort, you and your partner can effectively achieve greater emotional intensity and passion during this phase.

Sagittarius: Minor adjustments or changes may be necessary in work-related, business, or creative matters in order for you to make good progress. Perfecting or fine-tuning your skills and mental capabilities is a must at this time. Try not to waste your energies on nonproductive or inefficient work practices and avoid a tendency to bottle up your creativity. To accomplish your goals, you may need to rebuild your confidence and regain a sense of organization in your daily affairs and work patterns.

Capricorn: Your feelings of love may be somewhat reserved, modest, and unobtrusive at this time. Differences may develop over personal plans or financial affairs in a close association or romantic relationship. You might have to work extra hard when playing the role of peacekeeper or negotiator in solving problems with a lover, mate, or friend. It may help to relieve existing tension by discussing things on a less emotional level. At this time, you may feel that you do not have a clear understanding of where you stand with a partner or lover on important issues, such as financial, commitment, or security needs in the relationship. This can also be a difficult period for furthering creative plans and ventures. Close associates are not likely to be cooperative or you sense that your talents and abilities are going unnoticed.

Aquarius: You will want to express your most favorable side to your mate or marriage partner. You are more apt to seek romantic and domestic security and encourage more cooperation and equality in the relationship. The behavior and actions of your mate or spouse may influence your own personal affairs, and you find yourself acting out a role which suits your partner's image. You should be especially careful not to let your mate take advantage of your good nature and sensitivity.

Pisces: You may need to concentrate more diligently on work at this time. Your performance can be lacking in both focus and inspiration because of confusion or anxiety about your work obligations. Other people may attempt to undermine or frustrate your efforts, leaving you prone to deception and disappointment at work. You may discover you are sacrificing your own personal interests with regard to your work or intimate relationships. The reverse is also likely, as you might choose to retreat from heavy responsibilities and commitments and take a more emotionally detached or aloof approach to your work or personal relationships

-Deborah Browning

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