I was a HUGE fan of The Wire (still am), and consider it the best show ever to have been on television. The Corner seemed to be a run-up to David Simon's masterpiece, and so it was with unbridled enthusiasm that I waited for Treme to begin. 

The first few episodes were, well, slow. We met the cast of characters, most of them quirky but suffering in some way. In fact, the weight of their daily lives pressed down on us, the viewers, so heavily that the show was actually painful to watch at times. John Goodman's righteous anger was the lone scream in the darkness until Davis' most recent idea -- a sarcastic run for public office. It took awhile for the show to take off and I became increasingly worried that it was going nowhere, that healing from the storm was the whole point of the show. It wasn't enough, I thought. Just like the levees, it won't hold up. All the cutting back and forth between the musical numbers, the stunt casting with musical legends and celebrity chefs seemed a little un-Simon-like. Only the big production numbers, like the second lines and Mardi Gras floats, have sung. 

Then I realized that the pace of the show mirrors the city exactly. I used to have a  boyfriend whose parents lived in the Big Easy and spent a good deal of time there, enough to love the people, food and the music. But the city literally doubles back on itself, forming a crescent (hence the nickname Crescent City). It takes its time getting from here to there, just as its people have their own rhythms and ideas. 

For now, I'm rededicated to this interesting, if sometimes irritating, show. Don't know where it's going this week, and don't really care. I'm along for the ride, no matter where we're going. 

I love doing good deeds, not become I'm some wonderful person (OK, maybe sometimes) but because it's the right thing to do. That's why we have periodic sales, to encourage people sitting on the fence that a reading might help them break out of a rut, and move towards greater happiness and fulfillment. 

It's also why I try to move through my life in a friendly and unpretentious way. It's hard, when most of us are facing financial issues and worrying about job security, to remember that people all over the globe are enduring the same, or potentially worse. It's hard to even see past our own little universes, through new eyes. But that's what being enlightened means. 

I don't see enlightenment as some rare spiritual state that only the highest people can attain. Instead, it's a way of walking through the world that allows energy to move through you. Impermanence is unavoidable. We'll all have to move through rough spots, sadness, anger and fear. But if we adopt this way of being, those states are shorter and aren't able to take root in our bodies and minds. 

The first step to adopting an enlightened attitude is to bank a few karma points. You don't do this in order to get a reward, though that would be nice. :)  You do it because you want to live in a world free of anger, fear, unhappiness and dis-ease. You want to love in a world filled with love, satisfaction, friendliness and financial abundance, and over time you make this a habit. 

So let someone into traffic today. Hold a door open. Smile. Believe, on some deep level, that you can move through any tough things you may be facing. We are all patterns of light and information, nothing more, and can ALWAYS create a new reality. 

A few people have asked about how to use the TWINS code, good for the 2-for-1 email readings through June 20th. Since we use PayPal, and it's hard to send a discount code through their system, the best way to claim your discount is to choose the number of questions you want answered  then pay for half that many. If you want two questions answered, pay for 1. If you want 4 questions answered, pay for 2, etc. 

As long as you use the code TWINS in the message box, you'll receive an email back from us, asking for your specific questions and birth information. Depending on how fast you need your answers (choose from regular, rush or super rush scheduling before you check out), you'll receive your reading(s) back as soon as possible! 

Hope that clears things up. We're going to be adding a traditional shopping cart over the summer, so you'll have more than one method of payment to choose from in the future. 

Looking forward to reading all of you! 

In honor of the soon-to-be Gemini Sun, I'm offering a 2-for-1 sale on emailed astrology & tarot readings through June 20th. Woo hoo!  Pay for 1 question at checkout and get 2 answered, or pay for 3 and have 6 answered. Whatever your needs, each reading will come with one remote Matrix Energetics healing, completely free of charge. 

Use code TWINS in the message box while paying for your reading, and you'll receive an email confirmation, asking for your questions and birth information. Once I have that information, I can get to work on answering your most pressing life issues. You'll also receive a free energy work healing, courtesy of the wonderful Matrix Energetics modality. Some see instant results!

If you've been meaning to jump in and check out my services, this is a great incentive to get started. If you're still on the fence, check out my testimonials page. I love meeting new people and helping them see how to delete old and unhelpful energetic patterns so they can attract all they desire. Hope to hear from you soon!

Ever have that moment in meditation when you're watching your breath, or chanting your mantra, or doing whatever you do to bring your attention back to the present, when there's just this deep, expansive feeling of OK-ness? And it feels so strange because we're so trained to panic all the time, to be comfortable with stress and internalize everyone else's issues while we're trying to make some sort of path through life? Bizarre, no? 

I had that moment this morning. I've been meditating for 13 years now, started mostly so I could deal with my lifelong insomnia, and found that along the way it had a lot more uses than that. Not that I was trying to get meditation to DO something for me (that would probably be a mistake), but it did that, and ended up being more than I had originally intended. It's helped me eat more consciously, act more intentionally and allow in a way I'd never have been capable of doing before. 

It's difficult to describe the sensation, but I just knew that despite my writing, speaking and teaching schedules, which are arduous, and my obligations to friends and family members (more than one of whom is currently ill), and my own desires to be as open to new experiences as I can be, that everything would be fine. That it would work itself out, or be energetically directed -- or something. It would just be. And that would be all right. 

I wish the same feeling for you, today and every day you want to grab for some wisdom from your own mind. It's in there somewhere. Just have to let it come forward. 

Yesterday Mercury went direct in early Taurus, meaning that it's time to let your natural communication skills to rise to the surface. For the past three weeks, we've been dealing with computer crashes, missed appointments and general irritation due to the planet of communication's flip in a not-so-cooperative sign. Taurus is fixed in nature, meaning it's not great at rolling with the punches. It prefers to have its own way, to control events. Of course, that's not always possible. 

For the two or so days after a planet goes direct, we call it a "wobble," meaning the planet's not quite up to full strength (think of Bambi struggling to his little legs here). So until about Friday, best to hold off on any major repairs, or signing any legal agreements. You may feel a bit wonky, too, as if you want to say what's on your mind but can't, or not in the way you'd like. If you need to use your powers of persuasion, or can't put off a public speaking event, try taking a few moments beforehand to gather your thoughts, and quiet your breathing. Going inward, a little more than you normally would, can help you keep it together for the next few days. This goes double for anything requiring patience. 

Meanwhile, Thursday has a New Moon in Taurus, which will conjunct the Sun, and sextile Jupiter. Your ego needs are satisfied in a big way as you put new plans in motion, and your emotional life isn't far behind as Jupiter, plant of expansion, luck and creativity, provides some needed encouragement. 

All in all, we'll all heave a sigh of relief as this crucial planet gets moving in the right direction again. 

It's that time of year, when the cold is dissipating, the heavy, layered clothing is going into storage, and the allure of spring and summer clothing calls. Heck, no one's perfect. We all slack off on gym time during the winter. But if it's time to take a few pounds off before you step in front of the mirror to try on swimsuits, my book may be able to help. 

Wake Up to Your Weight Loss came about as a result of my own struggles with food, weight and my own body. I started to meditate about 13 years ago, and soon realized that as it helped my mind stop exacerbating my suffering, that the same could be applied to my struggles with my body. Soon, my reactivity around food diminished and my energy increased, I found myself drawn towards what was good for me -- healthy food, more sleep and water, exercise -- instead of what wasn't. I began to lose weight, slowly at first and then more rapidly as new behaviors became second nature. 

I decided to share what I'd learned with others, combining a personal narrative practice with guided meditations and follow up exercises to help deal with temptation in the real world. I lost over eighty pounds on my own, so if you need some assistance, check out the book -- there are only 3 copies left in stock as of today! 

http://www.amazon.com

If you like that one, my first book -- Wake Up to Your Stories -- is available as well. 

Enough people have asked me over the years about learning how to read charts that I've been working on putting together a simple kit for learning astrology. Yay! The first one should be finished in a few weeks' time, with individual horoscope predictions due later this year. 

For those, I'm going to do one for each sign. If you know your rising sign, you can check out that one, too, for the most complete picture. The Ascendant, or Rising Sign, is determined by the hour of your birth, and will determine how others perceive you, and how you are likely to put yourself into the world. 

The Ascendant can also become important when considering the choice of career. I'll never forget the first time I saw Marilyn Monroe's chart, for example. In it, her Leo Rising (great for actors and performers) gives her a power in the way she's perceived. Others may tend to see her as stronger than she really is, or friendlier and more "together." All of these worked for her, then against her. 

The most interesting thing about the chart, through, is the Neptune placed in the 1st House. Neptune, planet of illusion, poetry and dreams, is also where we tend to see things with a lack of clarity. It's where we project onto others, almost like a film (also ruled by Neptune). Audiences all over the world projected what they wanted to see on Marilyn, and she famously told Susan Strasburg that she could turn "Marilyn" on and off, preserving her privacy as she saw fit while in public. 

Anyway, I hope you'll find astrology as fascinating as I do. Heck, it may even help you make a living! I'll be offering the kit at a very affordable price, so check it out! 

Is it me, or does the new poster for The Prince of Persia, featuring a decidedly hirsute Jake Gyllenhaal, look like he's guarding his hot girlfriend (Gemma Atherton) from harm? 

Get away from my hot girlfriend! he seems to be saying. 

OK, Jake is hotter than Georgia asphalt. He can basically do no wrong, and has proven that he can make even a Christmas stocking cap look good (in Jarhead, check it out if you haven't had the pleasure). He makes eclectic choices with his roles, and manages to not seem like a complete idiot in interviews. So WHY this movie? 

The poster itself is laughable enough, what with Troy, Alexander and the like in the rearview mirror for the better part of five years now. Don't even get me started on 300. Who watches this stuff? Who wants to spend a hot spring-summer afternoon or evening in the company of these people? 

To top it off, the trailer had me howling. Jake, a good actor, does a pretty good British accent. I should know; I used to live in London. But why has an English accent become the standard for any characters from Greece, Rome, Persia or seemingly anywhere in the Middle East? Is it the influence of Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Alec Guinsess and others, or just laziness? 

Whatever the case, it's just annoying. With so much resting on fate of summer movies, I don't begrudge Jake wanting to be on a Slurpee cup. But you deserve better, man. Really. 

Leave it to a worldwide financial downturn to make everyone a little more self protective. After all, with money at a premium, raises almost non-existent, and benefits a quaint relic of the past, we all need to work a lot harder to ensure a comfortable future. But 25+ years of metaphysical work and research has taught me that this is the opposite of what it will take to turn things around. 

Instead, it's what we can give that will make our individual and shared situations a lot better. Before you sniff in indignation and turn off your mind, hear me out. I'm not suggesting that we sign away our meager earnings to charities headlined by  unbelievably rich celebrities and live in abject poverty. Rather, it's being aware of our gifts on a moment-to-moment basis that means we won't sell our skills short. When we have true self-esteem, we'll treat ourselves with respect, as well as others, the planet and all we encounter. Relationships flourish, our jobs become a lot more meaningful and we're able to manifest the kinds of circumstances that will bring happiness. 

To that end, I thought I'd mention a cause I'm really into. Givology asked some Ugandan school kids how they would spend $50 and the answers were sweet, moving and revealing. The kids made drawings of their answers, which organization leaders put in display in New York. But best of all, you can own one of these drawings for, yes $50. It may seem like a lot, especially when your own needs are pressing, but all proceeds go to fund the Circle of Peace School, which provides free tuition and board to kids from disadvantaged backgrounds. Many of them are AIDS orphans, so your gift really does keep on giving. And every time you look at the drawing in your wall (or someone else's), you'll know what you have inside you. And that kind of power doesn't come along every day. 

http://www.50dollars.org for more info and to see available drawings.