Hurt, Hope and Mars by Holiday Mathis

hhd@get.creators.com (Holiday Mathis)

Hurt doesn’t last. Even if the condition that caused a pain response turns out to be permanent, pain fades, new things come in, attention shifts. This is the message of hope brought to you courtesy of a sweet lunar trine between the impulsive Aries moon and mars in the transient sign of Sagittarius.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You really don’t have to deal with negativity. There’s no point. You can do more to neutralize the situation by flowing love through your heart than you can by trying to hash out situations.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Usually, your to-do list is a mighty fine thing to keep track of, just not today, as you might get discouraged by the mountain that it is. Anyway, you’ll handle a lot of things quicker than you could write them down.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). One way to look at it is that they either want what you’re dishing or they don’t. If they don’t, you gain little by having them as a customer. Extend the principle to all styles of relationships.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). That spinning, centrifugal ride at the fair might be fun at first, but if you stay on it too long, you’ll get sick. It’s the same with circular thought processes. Recognize when you’re in one and hop off before things get toxic.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Some things seem like good ideas in the dark and terrible ideas in the light of day. This is why artists try to look at things in lots of different lighting. You’re the artist of your life.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Think of last year’s “Game of Thrones” finale. The characters who made it through all the war and drama to weren’t the mightiest, though many were clever and wise. There is little more valuable to you than clear thought.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You are afraid that if you put more effort into what you’re great at, you’ll stand out in a way that will be hard to manage. This is what’s stopping you from going forward. Take heart. The attention won’t come all at once.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). One person, place or thing is not inherently more important than another person, place or thing. People make it so. The attention of people is a gift of significance. Use this.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Your feelings have a way of depleting your energy or giving you more energy to work with. You’ll manage them very well today, steering in the direction of healthy flow.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). There are plenty of things you can lose in life, including relationships, jobs and possessions. This is why the things that cannot be taken from you are so wonderfully yours. Celebrate.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). For you, there is great excitement and pride in accomplishing something difficult. You’ll choose your pursuits accordingly. If it’s not hard enough, then you’ll move right along.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There’s so much talk of mindfulness, and, generally, awareness seems to be the way of evolution. And yet, your mind is already an expert at things you don’t need to worry about. Trust this.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 30). If there’s one thing to keep on repeat this solar return, it’s an investigation of your whims. The mixture of curiosity, impulse and action will lead you correctly time and again. Ongoing battles come to a happy close in March. Your new team will assemble in April. June will bring the exchange of promises. Scorpio and Aries adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 13, 30, 2 and 18.

APOTROPAIC WAND: The object is curved like a boomerang and made from the tusk of a hippopotamus. Images are engraved on it, the same ones appearing time and again — a strange dwarf, a pregnant hippo carrying a knife, lions, beetles, serpents and demons for instance. This is the apotropaic wand of Egyptian ritual commonly used between 1975 B.C. to 1640 B.C. in a period of time called the “Middle Kingdom.”

For most of human history, childbirth has been a risky affair, often with a 50/50 chance of death for mother, child or both. Modern science has greatly reduced the risk with amazing technologies and simple acts such as washing hands before touching a patient, a practice that has been widely practiced by doctors for less than 200 years. Before that, it was magic, prayers and rituals that people turned to in hopes of a good outcome for new life.

The apotropaic wands of the Middle Kingdom were used to create a circle of protection around mother and child to ward off death and invoke the spirits of vitality. Of course, there are occasions in which one would hope not to be alive, for instance in the case of being entombed. Interestingly, archaeologists have found Egyptians buried with the wand broken in half, as if to reverse its mission for the sleeping dead.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Christian Bale’s ability to transform his body and disappear into a character has made for an impressively eclectic mix of film roles. True to his astrological nature (Bale’s natal sun, Mercury and Jupiter are all in philanthropic Aquarius) the Academy Award-winning actor devotes his time and money to Green Peace and the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

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Last Updated: Thursday, Jan 02, 2020 14:23:21 -0800

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