Mercury's coming OUT of retrograde!--Whew!!!

Please visit our worthy sponsors;
view and visit links in a new window.




Hello!


Mercury's coming out of retrograde Tuesday,16 August, but we'll feel the effects until week's end. I sure have. All that new work that I was going to do for my Just Prints Gallery has gotten stuck on the drawing board. The "Muses" were very uncooperative, co-ordination of everything was off, heat wave muddled this ever aging brain--you name it! I'd like to think of times like this as recharging the batteries, letting the sub-conscious take over--can be hard though when the subconscious is muddled by a Mercury retrograde, or plain old rest and relaxation. Whatever, like Jacob, of Biblical fame, sometimes we just have to lie on out backs and watch the angels go up and down the ladder. Is this what the shrinks call burnout?

But something very strange happened on the way to chalking up another day to confusion. After a cool shower and a nice fruit drink, this old head started to clear. Honestly, I don't know how it happened. Found myself drawing away; & what I couldn't accomplish in a week was done in an hour or so. Sometimes wonder if I suffer from temporary retardation. Strange how things sometimes fall into place when we cease to make an effort. Maybe my mother was right about holding your mouth right.

Satchel Page said it best: "Sometimes I sets and thinks and sometimes I just sets." Lot of wisdom in those words!

Have a great week!
~Paula Gaon

Harry Potter, Hype, & The Half Blood Prince

Please visit our worthy sponsors;
view and visit links in a new window.




Hello, and greetings, Everyone!

Well, the Half Blood Prince has been out for about 3 weeks now, so I don't feel bad about writing a S-P-O-I-L-E-R. Scraped up my pennies and finally managed a copy. Lost a couple of nights sleep reading, and voila! I'm a bit disappointed. There's no other way to put it. The best of everything, literature, popular fiction, movies, art, you name it, seem to all fall pray to hype in the end. As an artist and web merchant, I can't criticize. If you don't stick some hype in there, nobody's going to notice, no matter how great the work. And, let's face it, nobody wants his/her hard work and sacrifice to produce a work of art that will be totally unrecognized.

But with all that said, I'd really hoped for a little more plot development in the series--at least a few explanations of some of the things that have been hanging us up all this time--like how do house elves apparate within Hogwarts? And, what the heck was some of that stuff in the Minestry of Magic. I was especially disappointed that Neville was hardly mentioned, not to speak of his parents, in HBP. Really expected some kind of revelation here.

From my astrological reading for Harry, I expected a significant influence from a woman, but who would have guessed that the spacey, Trelawney would be the one to reveal to Harry Snape's involvement in the death of his parents? Frankly I've never liked or trusted Snape; always felt that Dumbledore was really hoping against hope. But to have Snape turn into the cold blooded murder of the most "divine" character of the series...Wow! The only thing that I can figure is that JKR had to kill Dumbledore off to force Harry to become a real adult. But where does that leave our hero's blood protection spell, worked by DD? Now that DD is gone, is the spell still in force? Or, since Harry will turn 17 in just a few months at book's end, maybe this is a moot point.

It's clear enough HBP's end that Harry is no longer the poor, undernourished, bespecaled, victimized kid. He's on his way to manhood, understanding more fully the real nature of evil and the falacy of so-called prophesies. Ok, that's no small feat, but for goodness sake, we've read five substantial books with lots of information (leaving room for lots of speculation) that seems to have fallen by the wayside. Was most of it simply hype? How's JKR going to tie it all together? What's going to become of the Order of the Phoenix now that Snape's on the loose with so much info?

Well, like everybody else, I have no choice but to wait. But am certainly hoping for some real earth shattering developments in Book 7. And really hoping that our hero doesn't meet the same fate as Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot!

That's it for now,

Have a great week!

~Paula Gaon

Happy Birthday, Leos!

2 August 2005
Please visit our worthy sponsors
View and visit sponsors' ads in new window.

Greetings Everyone,



And a special Happy Birthday to all Leos.

Yes, it has been awhile since I posted, but warned you about the Mercury retrograde. Decided to take my own advice, rest, and regroup. Hope all is going well for everyone. I certainly have felt the effects of the retrograde, but one has to learn to change these astrological whamos into opportunities--a real challenge sometimes, right?

Here we are, starting another new month. The year is more than half over. Where does the time go? Let's all hope and pray for a calm and peaceful month. Sun has moved into Leo, and will be there until 23 August, when it moves into Virgo. But that's not all for you, Leos. Mercury will be in retrograde in Leo until 16 August 2005. Mercury rules all communications and short distance travel, so during Mercury retrograde things can simply go awry. This is not the time to bring things to a conclusion; best to concentrate on laying groundwork and plans--and be ready for unexpected "snafus". So dear Leo, before you go into one of your flamboyant acts, better consider carefully what you say and to whom you say it.

Mercury also rules Gemini and Virgo, so you guys may suffer some of the effects of this retrograde too. Since Mercury is at an uncomfortable angle with the Sun of those born early in the signs of Taurus, Scorpio, and Aquarius, those born in the first half of these signs should be a little more careful too. One final note, dear Leo, as if you don't have enough to worry about. Saturn has moved into Leo. Your self-esteem may take a beating, but do try to lighten up and not be so serious. Focus on your goals and you'll get the recognition you want.

Venus is in Virgo until about 16 August--not very conducive to romance. But in Libra, Venus' natural home, we'll see a different story; and remember that Mercury comes out of retrograde on the same date. The stars can be gracious. But, let's be careful of our romantic feelings. When Venus is in Libra, our romantic feelings can get out of hand. Venus and Jupiter will conjunct, combine energies, in Libra around the 26th. This conjunction can bring about generosity and optimism and a touch of laziness. We deserve it after the Mercury retrograde, don't you think?

Mars will be in Taurus all month, producing plenty of practical and emotional energy with a pretty flat physical side. Not so awful with everything else going on this month. Mars will square (be about 90 degrees from) Saturn in Leo for the first two weeks of the month. We may feel defensive in personal relationships and find it hard to be optimistic. But take heart, after the 16th, we should all feel the cloud lift! Have a great month.

Be sure to check MoonTrek often for Moon's latest influences.

Wishing all a peaceful and prosperous month,
~Paula