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The Cardinal Cross of Julya and August
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Let's put the end of the Mayan calendar on the back burner for a few months because this Summer's main astrological event is the entire concept of 2012. We're here-and-now and the Mayans are not for some very significant and mysterious reasons, so let's learn to accept and own this simple fact. Let's also assume that the Mother Ship is not coming to take us home, we need to look at our real-time planets – doing real-time stuff – in order to move fearlessly into our real-time future.
The key here is fearlessness, no matter how scary things may seem at the present. The future belongs to the fearless – just like it always has – and no human memorial has ever been erected commemorating cowardice. It's really that simple.
The Cardinal Cross, especially potent in the last week of July and the first week of August, consists of Jupiter conjoining Uranus in the Cardinal Fire of Aries, both opposing (180°) Saturn and Mars in Cardinal Air Libra, with all square (90°) Pluto in Cardinal Earth Capricorn. (If it were only that simple…) Such a configuration of the outer planets Saturn, Uranus and Pluto (not to mention Jupiter and Mars) has not been seen in at least the past two thousand years, and nowhere near as intensely focused and strong in the first four degrees of each of these Cardinal signs.
The word "Cardinal" here refers to zodiacal signs that the Sun enters at the Solstices and Equinoxes, including Cardinal Water Cancer, each of which ushers in new seasons. The Cardinal signs are no more or less significant than the other signs, they merely tend to express their elemental qualities in a rawer and less refined manner, just ask our economy when Pluto moved into Capricorn in January, 2008.
Perform this little ritual right where you are and keep it this simple. The most exalted and ideal way to imagine the Cardinal Cross would be to stand upright with our arms outstretched – in a strictly symbolic crucifixion pose – martyrs need not apply to deal with this correctly. Our left hand holds the ability for boundless (Jupiter) creativity (Uranus), our right hand holds the Universal wisdom (Saturn) and the ruthless determination (Mars) to make anything miraculous happen, and just over our heads is the complete knowingness of our karmic purpose (Pluto), even if our right hand might not know what our left hand may be doing – it's called faith.
Sounds pretty cool, yes? Of course, this scenario is only for folks who know that we've reincarnated for some reason – to correct the mistakes of the past and to help to co-create a better world. It should come as no surprise that not everyone is on-board with this level of awareness, so for them, the Cardinal Cross could go something like this – In their left hand is overblown (Jupiter) radicalism (Uranus), in their right hand is a tyrannical despot (Saturn) with a flame-thrower (Mars), and just above their heads is their satanic overlord (Pluto) screaming "Death to all! I must… become… a martyr… for… whatever… cause… I'm… fighting… for… ummmmm…"
Eeewwww!
Those are obviously the extremes, it is far more likely that the vast majority of humanity will be running around in circles wondering what the heck is going on, especially if they have any sensitive natal planets in the first few degrees of any of the Cardinal signs. It will seem to them as if the entire Universe is pushing them around, with everything seeming to be spiraling out of control. All kinds of planets bouncing off their heads can get quite messy, and is especially difficult to explain to the neighbors.
Shameless plug time: it's therefore very important to know how the Cardinal Cross will be effecting us as individuals, while global events will be pushing and pulling at the extreme boundaries. We can then develop strategies for how to deal with it all painlessly, otherwise we'll be invoking a headless chicken instead of realizing (making it real) that we are in fact the Crown of Creation, also known as the height of human evolution.
Another ideal way to picture the Cardinal Cross configuration is to keep it sacred (because it is!), so conjure up an image of a pyramid. Jupiter and Uranus are on the left (Aries) corner of the base, Mars and Saturn are on the right corner of the base (Libra), with Pluto in Capricorn at the top, ninety degrees away from both bases. Pluto therefore becomes the focus of an astrological T-square or a "right triangle" if we remember our elementary geometry. In more appropriate terms, this should be seen as a "get it right" triangle because so much could go so terribly wrong if too many people and institutions choose to live outside of the spiritual and karmic imperatives of this pyramid, or if they're over-identifying with any one of these three crucial points.
This is not an equilateral triangle which would be known as an astrological Grand Trine, a configuration that is usually considered beneficial, or at least benign. This pyramid is stunted, as if something oppressive and dire (Pluto) were squashing it from the top, in essence a heavy and burdensome (Saturn) yet electric (Uranus) energetic that many sensitive folks have been picking up on these days.
And please be very mindful that we can maneuver this Cardinal Cross any way we want to, with noble success or, not so much. During the non-time, our souls made agreements with us to experience this Summer's challenges, and we were not born to fail at it, although too many people have yet to grasp the whole concept of self-redemption – the Universally held wisdom that knows we sometimes need to die a symbolic death when things aren't going so well for us. Self-redemption can therefore be achieved by becoming reborn at each and any here-and-now moment. It's kind of like reincarnation in a box, with no required intermediation by a priest, minister or imam, and with no needed trips to the morgue as a passenger in the back.
Becoming "born again" (self-redemption) cuts through and across every religious faith and denomination, eclectic spiritual path, agnostic doubt, and even atheistic rationale, a fact strongly expressed and in high evidence while Pluto is the focus of this T-square. Speaking of which, complicating the Cardinal Cross will be Saturn's continuing inconjunct aspects to Chiron and Neptune, adding a spiritual (unseen) spin where Saturnian wisdom is essentially disconnected (inconjunct) regarding physical, psychological and emotional health issues (Chiron) from the rest of the Cardinal Cross. The eclectic and Universal spiritual path wins here because connections will need to be found where none will be too obvious, despite or because of the fact that the planet's archetypal energies have been so very blatant in the recent past, described in further depth below. At least Chiron and Neptune will be weakly sextile (60°) Pluto and semi-sextile (30°) Uranus/Jupiter to help balance some things out, but basically, anyone spouting delusional religious filth and venom about the "end times" simply won't know what they are talking about, as if they ever have.
Along these lines, the era most closely resembling the upcoming Cardinal Cross was around the year 1240, a time when mass communication was strictly reserved for the wealthy and literate. Around that time, European religious and political "leaders" tried to organize another Crusade to the Middle East – and shocks! – nobody showed up! Perhaps ordinary folks decided they weren't lemmings after all, or perhaps they rediscovered the birthright of their free-wills for the first (?) time, so this alone provides a really hopeful precedent regarding this Summer's energetics.
The intensity of the Cardinal Cross will reach an apex this Summer, although its energies have been building over the past few months, years, decades, and even the past few millennia as outlined below. The historical context of which is fascinating and important to know about, but for those who have already read enough, the most significant escape route is to lead from our hearts. If things are getting a little too intense throughout this Summer, simply go outside after each day's sunset and look above the Western horizon. Venus will be right there in Her role as the Evening Star, and by simply meditating on Her guiding light will infuse us with everything we need to know about the correct way to proceed – with Her aspects of love, balance, harmony and justice – as if we have any other choice.
In the meanwhile, I'll be reporting on other escape routes as they become available in the next few months' forecasts, especially regarding very intense lunation cycles, so please stay tuned.
The historical significance of the Cardinal Cross lies in the fact that the outer planets move so slowly that every time they move into tight aspects with each other, they effect global developments in major ways. This is true whether they are working together by conjunction (not always harmoniously), trine (120° apart), or sextile (60° apart), which are generally seen as "beneficial" aspects yet contain challenges of their own.
It's the "hard" aspects – squares (90°) and oppositions (180°) – that give astrologers the greater concerns because the opposition sees the archetypal energies of both (or all) planets involved seeming to want to rip each other apart. And the square represents what is off in our peripheral vision – we can't see what's out there until we turn to face it "squarely." These energetics are actually happening within each of us as seen in the Hermetic Law "as above, so below," the inescapable knowingness that rules astrology. The opposition is therefore an opportunity for either termination or resolution to whatever was happening at the previous conjunction and/or square, provided we haven't forgotten what it was, a sadly too often occurrence where we can repeat the mistakes of the past. And the square is an action-oriented aspect, although we might not always know what the correct actions might be.
Subsequent outer planetary squares and oppositions happen in very different signs (by element and polarity for instance), signaling generational shifts with different yet equally significant – and strangely similar – challenges to confront and overcome. In turn, these trends then tend to "wait" for closure and/or action at the next opposition, square and/or conjunction. Lots of sextile and trine developments happen in the meanwhile, often leading to a collective amnesia regarding the pivotal nature of the conjunctions, squares and oppositions, not to mention the inconjuncts. Got it?
(I'll be giving a few examples of the historical significance of each, but for a far greater detailed explanation of these hard outer planetary aspects, I'd highly recommend Richard Tarnas' seminal "Cosmos and Psyche, Intimations of a New World View," published by Plume in 2007.)
To break it down into basic astrophysics, the outer planets are Jupiter with a roughly 12 year orbit, Saturn with an approximate 30 year orbit, Uranus 84 years, Neptune 165 years, and it takes Pluto a full 248 years to orbit the Sun. (Planetoid Chiron has an elliptical 51 year orbit). It is therefore the infrequency of their simultaneous squares, oppositions and inconjuncts that make the Cardinal Cross so unique and compelling in strength. For example, in terms of exact aspect configuration, Jupiter and Uranus conjoin each other only every 13 years, the last Saturn/Pluto square was 18 years ago, the previous Jupiter/Saturn opposition was 19 – 20 years ago, Saturn/Uranus oppositions occur only every 45 years, and the previous Uranus/Pluto square was 76 years ago.
Making it even more rare, the previous "applying" (details below) Saturn/Pluto square was in 1974, and the previous "separating" Uranus/Pluto square was 130-plus years ago. And again, complicating the Cardinal Cross is Saturn's current and continuing exact inconjuncts (150° apart) to spiritual Neptune, a challenging "minor" aspect that happens only every 36 years or so. Is there a statistician in the house who can figure out how rare these outer planetary aspects – all happening simultaneously – really is?
(Saturn has also been making a long series of exact inconjunct and oppositional aspects to Wounded Healer Chiron over the past few decades, a major clue for what 2012 may actually represent, described far below.)
Of great significance (or not – we'll see!) is the fact that all of the planets involved in the Cardinal Cross – except Mars and Saturn – will be stationing (stopping) to move retrograde in time for the height of it's intensity. Pluto stopped to move retrograde April 6, Neptune moves retrograde May 31, Chiron turns retrograde June 3, Uranus moves retrograde July 5, and Jupiter follows suit July 23. Saturn moves direct (May 30) from His professorial retrograde cycle which began in mid January, dipping back into the crumbly Earth of Virgo, effectively imploring us all to seek wise council within where solid ground is guaranteed, despite (or because of) the ensuing earthquakes and volcanoes. And Mars is finishing up His debilitated warrior retrograde cycle completely in Leo, "asking" us just how much ego (Leo) we need to be carrying around, in order for us to deal with the upcoming weirdness successfully.
In an attempt to make this highly complex Cardinal Cross configuration as simple(?) as possible, I'll break each one of their aspects down into their individual components from the inside out. I'll try to describe significant global events as examples of how the planets "up there" have been effecting us "down here," with an emphasis on US history because America (for better or worse) is a microcosm for our planetary macrocosm – whatever happens in the USA doesn't stay in the USA.
Keep in mind that these will all be happening simultaneously, a mind-bending task for sure, just thank the higher powers that you didn't have to write it (during a Mercury retrograde – Oy!), or love it, although we will all certainly have to live with it.
Mars conjunct Saturn, exact July 31 .
This happens every two years on average. Mars swinging past Saturn tends to lend a militant edge to Saturn's restrictive presence, quite often as a start/stop energetic that usually lasts only a couple of weeks during "normal" times. Mars will be within a five degree orb of influence to Saturn from July 21 to August 9 , effectively bracketing the most intense phase of the Cardinal Cross.
Mars' previous conjunction with Saturn happened in July 2008, right when US voters were making up their minds about who would be next to enter the White House. Mars' touch of militancy signaled a turn-off of McCain's overly debilitated Saturnian (war-mongering) persona, switching many over to Obama's more Uranian side, just a few short months before Saturn (McCain) and Uranus (Obama) reached their first precise opposition on Election Day.
Mars' subsequent opposition to Saturn (April 2009) represented Obama's attempts to wisely (Saturn) utilize troops (Mars) in Iraq and Afghanistan, a process necessarily involving extreme Saturnian patience. This is "why" it took him so long to come up with effective strategies, and why the jury is still out on the effectiveness of those moves.
Mars square Pluto, exact August 4 , within 5° orb July 27 – August 12 ).
Happening within a two year frequency of its own, is a roughly two week process during "normal" times of somehow thinking that something needs to die (Pluto), although it's off in our peripheral (square) vision. Saturn's restraining influence on Mars should hopefully help keep the warrior at bay, although this energetic is complicated by Saturn's square to Pluto (and everything else), an energetic that began this past November, detailed below.
Mars opposed both Jupiter and Uranus, within 5° orb July 22 – August 11 .
In and of itself, not as stressful as an opposition might otherwise be. Mars will be in Libra (conjunct a hopefully restrictive Saturn), opposite Mars' ruling sign Aries. Mars in its ruling sign is raw, unencumbered and strictly initiating, while Mars in Venus' ruling sign is a lot more subdued. Mars as "Sub-dude" is therefore further tempered by Saturn's restrictive nature by folks who appreciate Venus-ruled and balance-seeking Libra, but not so much by the imbalanced ones among us. Mars and Saturn thus represents an alert vigilance, perhaps best seen in the eyes of a Times Square T-shirt vendor who noticed a mysteriously smoking SUV on May 1.
Jupiter conjunct Uranus, exact June 8 (both direct) Sept. 19 (both retrograde) & January 4, 2011 (both direct again).
Happening only every thirteen years, this duo packs the punch of the aforementioned boundless (Jupiter) creativity and inventiveness (Uranus), but strictly for folks who want to embody the exalted nature of both planets. It's the ones who will want to express the shadow side of each that we'll need to be on the look-out for, the wild-eyed fanatic in search of perceived, imaginary, and outright fraudulent threats to their lives and livelihoods – all of which are off in their fuzzy peripheral (square to Pluto) visions.
In perhaps the most exalted manner, Jupiter and Uranus working together can invoke Uranus' alter ego as Prometheus, the Titan of myth who stole fire from the Gods in order to give it freely to we humans. Modern Promethean myth is all about electricity, a fire of a different kind we'll all be needing a lot more of – freely from the Sun, wind, geothermal and other sources. So, look for the ghosts of Thomas Edison and Leonardo Da Vinci to be tapping on the shoulders of the Creative Class throughout this Summer, coming up with inventions far greater than these creative titans could only dream of.
Jupiter opposed Saturn, exact May 23 , August 16 and March 28, 2011, within 5° orb from April 30 to September 8 .
This happens only every 19 to 20 years, and is especially important because these two are our outermost visible planets, meaning that their hard aspects to each other were much more significant to our distant ancestors (without the aid of telescopes), but whose memories are still locked deeply within our DNA and in our subconscious minds. To the ancients, Jupiter conjunct (working with) Saturn represented the natural handing-down of rulership from father (Saturn) to son (Jupiter), also signaling the "positive" changes from one King to the next. Their oppositions (and squares) symbolized conflict between the old and new, often toppling the heads of state by force rather than by natural succession.
Jupiter and Saturn working together in early 2000 indeed produced a King, but strictly on artificial terms. George W Bush was handed tens of millions of dollars to run for President – well before the first primaries – pointing to his role as puppet of the plutocrats, and opponents didn't stand a chance. The Spring of 2000 also saw the rare Taurus overload with all of the inner planets (plus Saturn) lining-up in Taurus, slowly exposing the shadow side of Taurean stubbornness and greed, and the Dot-Com bubble was indeed about to burst. Fatalistic astrologers were warning that the Earth was about to literally spin off its axis, but it was "only" the usual democratic process that was about to symbolically begin spinning out of control.
We can therefore expect to see some political, institutional and business administrations brought down this Summer, especially those whose sense of justice (Saturn in Libra) is shaky to begin with, showing where their foundations "need" to come down, a sometimes painful function of the Saturn/Pluto square (Toyota, Goldman Sachs, BP, etc.). Strong governments and businesses will be expected to make more peaceful transitions though, and any revolutions should be more symbolic rather than actual.
Again, this Jupiter/Saturn opposition is compounded and complicated by the rest of the Cardinal Cross, but look for Saturnian justice (moving direct in Libra) to win out more often than not. We'll be seeing simultaneous examples of responsible closure and resolution from ten years ago at the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction (and 45 years ago described below), but we'll also be seeing the irresponsible rebel without a clue thing (Jupiter/Uranus) where no reasonable or meaningful closure or resolution can be found. Throw in the extreme inventiveness of the Creative Class, and we got ourselves one heck of an interesting Summer! Also look for resolution in the courts regarding the corrupt Bush years, and for further justice for the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks, which conspiracy theorists (misguided or not) believe are the same people.
(On a side note, a Jupiter/Saturn conjunction may well have been seen by ancient astrologers – the Three Wise Men – around the Winter Solstice of 6 BCE, signaling that a new King – a new Consciousness – had been born in Bethlehem. Look for people who claim to be Christians – yet who express the exact opposite of the Christ Consciousness – to experience further meltdowns this Summer.)
Saturn opposed Uranus, exact November 4, 2008, February 5, 2009, September 15, 2009, April 26, 2010 & July 26 .
Due to their respective retrograde and direct motions, this series of five exact Saturn/Uranus oppositions began on November 4, 2008 – precisely on Election Day in the US – and will culminate in their fifth and final opposition on July 26, right at the height of the Cardinal Cross. The positive vibrational effect of "Yes we can!" is still largely in evidence although evolved, defining Uranus' inventive change (we can believe in) at the expense of the "Party of No," whose patron saint of obstructionist behavior is a debilitated Saturn, acting in opposition to Uranus.
Saturn/Uranus oppositions occur only every 45 years or so, the previous ones were happening in the mid Sixties. Some of those primary concerns are of course still with us today: equal human rights regardless of race or ethnicity (recently opposed by the Arizona state legislature), Women's and Gay rights (opposed by the ultra Right – incorrect – wing "conservatives"), environmental awareness opposed by the plutocrats (Oy, the oil-spill in the Gulf of Mexico!), and the mid Sixties also saw the birth of the anti-war movement – just look at how far we've (not) come.
The correct way to maneuver, survive and thrive in any planetary opposition is to stand firm "squarely" in the middle of it, holding (in this case) responsible Saturnian wisdom in one hand, while also holding the fundamental nature of change (Uranus) in the other. The only thing that never changes is change itself, and this is the only way human evolution has ever worked, the scientific fact that the nay-sayers claim doesn't exist. If we are indeed the Crown of Creation (AKA the height of human evolution), it's about time we started acting like it, and this in turn is perhaps the fundamental nature of the entire Cardinal Cross.
(Saturn/Uranus oppositions also show us the maxim that "necessity is the mother of invention," perhaps better covered – and more of a function of – the approaching Uranus/Pluto square, a far more impressive and longer term aspect covered in more detail below.)
Our current first four exact Saturn/Uranus oppositions occurred with Saturn in Virgo and Uranus in Pisces, two signs of the Mutable/changeable modality, not to mention both in the Feminine polarity of Earth (Virgo/Saturn) and Water (Pisces/Uranus). Saturn and Uranus' fifth and final opposition will be in the first degree of Fire/Masculine/Cardinal Aries (Uranus and Jupiter), with Saturn (and Mars) in the Masculine/Cardinal Air of Libra, a change of pace both exhilarating and unrefined, befitting the essential energetics of any planet moving into the first degree of any new sign. Saturn in Libra had already begun when Saturn entered Libra for a relatively short stay from late October 2009 until moving retrograde back into Virgo in early April, during which time Saturn moved through two exact squares to Pluto.
Saturn square Pluto, exact November 15, 2009, January 31, 2010 and August 21, 2010 , within 5° orb from September 23, 2009 to October 1, 2010.)
Oy, what can be further said about this challenging aspect? During this stretch, beginning with a vengeance this past October, we've seen just about everything a Saturn/Pluto square can provide us with in earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, mining disasters, an oil-rig explosion and oil slick, deeply entrenched political divisions, the deaths of political leaders, Greece and other European nations' economies deemed as junk, etc. The list goes on and on and we can expect more of the same – perhaps on steroids – at the height of the Cardinal Cross. The major survival clue here is that some things are simply beyond our control – the only thing we can fully control is our reactions to them – which of course requires lots of true Saturnian wisdom in the face of change (Uranus) and Pluto's life/death/rebirth transformational qualities.
It may behoove us therefore to consider the benefits of living our lives in a more dispassionate manner, in the sense that every exalted spiritual Master since the beginning of time has tried to instill in their teachings. If you've never heard "be in the world, but not of the world" by now, you just did. It's a powerful coping mechanism that speaks of the need for unchaining ourselves from our emotional attachments, and of removing ourselves from people and things that would keep us separated from the Universal mandate of personal evolution.
The flip-side of this is way cool though – both natural and human made calamities can also bring out the best in human nature. Simply put, signing health care reform into law brings about responsible (Saturn) change (Uranus) to crumbling (Pluto) health-care (Chiron) institutions (Pluto in Capricorn). And perhaps the greatest example of responsible change (Saturn/Uranus) has been in bringing the world's heads of state (Saturn) together in the hopes of responsibly (Saturn again) curtailing our world's nuclear weapons (Pluto), in order to transform (Pluto again) their inherent danger into fuel rods for nuclear power plants, which are ruled by Uranus (electricity/uranium). This in turn has brought us an ideal example of "beating our swords into plowshares," quite possibly like nothing else has.
To throw a monkey wrench into the equation, there are two types of squares that Saturn and Pluto (and all of the other planets) make to each other – one "applying," in this case with Saturn moving towards Pluto, and one "separating" with Saturn moving away from Pluto. The Saturn/Pluto square of the Cardinal Cross is of the applying variety, meaning that we need to be looking at what was happening when Saturn was opposing Pluto to see what specific things need closure and resolution at this time, no matter how fuzzy they are off in our peripheral visions.
That would have been 2001 to 2003, the defining moments of which included the events of 9/11 and the ensuing unnecessary wars in the Middle East, actually described as a Crusade by unenlightened (a debilitated Saturn) "leadership" ruled by the plutocrats (Pluto – duh). The archetypal energetics of Saturn and Pluto were seemingly trying to tear each other apart (in opposition to each other), and were allegedly sponsored by the same – yet opposing – leadership elements in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Again, Saturn in Libra promises justice on many fronts, and indeed we've already been seeing movement along these lines. But the previous applying Saturn/Pluto square was actually in 1973 and 1974, which saw the Arab oil embargo and long lines at the world's gas pumps, resulting from and coinciding with the Yom Kippur War. We may yet see a resolution of the Israeli/Palestinian impasse this Summer, but I wouldn't bet the ranch on it.
Pluto rules the wealth that lies beneath the surface, from oil and coal (gems and gold) to whatever lurks in our subconscious minds. The links between oil slicks, gas shortages, wars in the Middle East and sky-rocketing oil prices are in our faces once again, courtesy of Saturn's exposing our thirsty greed for wealth at the expense ($$ Pluto) of the lives of coal miners, oil-rig operators and countless Iraqi civilians, not to mention how fossil fuels are helping to destroy our planet, one Gulf Coast at a time.
Sheesh! If we only had a celestial agent of change, preferably working in conjunction with something big – something that would refresh our memories that necessity is indeed the mother of invention… That would be Jupiter and Uranus both square Pluto, but it's highly revealing to see how each square has been unfolding (via a necessary side-excursion), and for what each of them foretells about this Summer.
Jupiter square Pluto, exact July 25 , w/n 5° orb from June 3 to September 26.
Again, the astrological square (in this case a separating square) is an action-oriented energetic, generally signaling that something occurring at their conjunction hazily needs to be resolved at this time. Jupiter conjoined Pluto in December 2007, right as economists (in hindsight) have said that our current recession had begun. Pluto had already been hovering around our galactic center the previous two years, and astrologers were predicting the probability of a major (Jupiter) economic (Pluto) downturn, especially as Pluto would be moving into Saturn-ruled Capricorn just a month later.
Wall Street reform – resolution – is now (early May) being debated in the US Congress, so we can hopefully expect to see some sweeping and more stable changes coming in the global economy, that is if only the CEO's lap-dog "Party of No" can be put in their place, something that will require a rare combination of Herculean determination, Saturnian wisdom, and Promethean inventiveness and courage. December 2007 was also five months removed from the culminating Saturn/Neptune oppositions, a year-long process of exposing the literal dead-end of religious (delusional Neptune) extremism (debilitated Saturn), as seen in Jihadist suicide bombers and the ensuing meltdown of the hard-right US Evangelists. The end result has been an increasing awareness that "holy war" is an oxymoron (reserved for morons) and that there is no substantive difference between the misguided Party of No and the delusional Jihad, only in their tactics of lies, terror and fear-mongering. Speaking of which…
Saturn inconjunct Neptune, exact September 12, 2009, May 2, 2010 and June 27 , off-and-on within 5° orb from October 12, 2008 to August 16, 2010 .
Saturn has been moving through a series of applying inconjuncts to Neptune, the previous one happening between late 1973 to early 1975. Remember disco balls and (- cringe -) cocaine-sprinkled wide lapels? My, how sparkly and delusional they were! Our current Saturn/Neptune disconnect is more about trying to make sense of the Saturn/Neptune oppositions mentioned in the previous paragraph (mid 2006 to mid 2007), where common sense (inconjunct) absolutely needed to be explored in great depth. This Saturn/Neptune inconjunct was less than three degrees of exact on November 4, 2008, so a whole bunch of American voters fortunately did make the most appropriate connections.
(And let's thank our lucky stars [Saturn, Uranus and Neptune] that Sarah Palin isn't one heartbeat away from… shudder!)
Also, congratulate yourself if you have sworn-off organized religions, creating your own theology over the past four years, and/or if you've discovered how to learn loving living with less, otherwise Pluto in Capricorn would have sadly been doing it for you.
Uranus square Pluto, not exact but within 3° orb July 20 – August 12 .
Using a ten degree orb of influence – very wide yet substantial considering their ultra-slow movements – Uranus and Pluto have been squaring each other since May 2007, beginning essentially right at the third and final exact Saturn/Neptune oppositions. Uranus and Pluto won't exactly square each other at the Cardinal Cross, but they will be within three degrees of exact square which is close enough, especially since both will be sharing their respective Cardinal (raw) modalities for the first of many times. The first exact Uranus/Pluto square won't be happening until June 2012 (if that year rings a bell), and they'll continue forming precise squares to each other another six times by the end of it, in March 2015.
This Uranus/Pluto square is of the "separating" variety, meaning that resolution to the previous Uranus/Pluto conjunction in particular requires some sense of closure or resolution at this time, and that would have been at the height of the mid Sixties, with all of the stuff that was happening back then. Perhaps the words "closure" and "resolution" aren't the right words to use here because the potentials are also inherent for an exponential leap in awareness of all of that positive and idealistic Sixties stuff. Make love, not war – peace baby peace! Imagine people living in harmony with the Earth, equal rights for all of humanity, an eclectic merging of Eastern and Western (and everywhere else!) spiritual thought, etc. A pipe dream perhaps but again, we can make this Cardinal Cross and beyond look like anything we want it to!
In fact, a return of 1960's idealism has been echoed and mirrored in many hopeful and positive predictions about what awaits us at the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012, the ones that speak of a metaphysical and unifying global Consciousness that may – in some mysterious way – lead to the splitting-off of a parallel Universe, at the very least in a symbolic manner. Along these lines, it is important to remember that Uranus and Pluto were working together in the Mutable (changeable – unfulfilled) Modality of Virgo during the mid Sixties, and that the Cardinal Cross sees them in the Initiation Fire of Aries (Uranus) and on solid ground (Earth) of Cardinal Capricorn (Pluto).
The exalted end result (in the year 2024) of Pluto's extended stay in Capricorn (rebirth after life and death) is where new foundations can arise from the dust of the old foundations, much like what happened at the end of Pluto's previous stay in Capricorn, at the founding of the US itself. Perhaps the past 240-plus years has only been an experiment in democracy and capitalism, and that the Cardinal Cross and 2012 are gateways for us to pass through to the ultimate goal – Phase Two? No one knows for sure what it will look like, but it is clearly time for all of us to either lead, follow or get out of the way of the inevitable and transformational (Pluto) changes (Uranus) that are coming, and to do so in responsible Saturnian ways.
One of the iconic images of the Sixties was Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, diametrically (literally and politically) opposed to the US Capitol. Just two short years later, Civil Rights legislation was passed while Saturn was beginning to move into a series of exact oppositions to both Uranus and Pluto. During the very next set of Saturn/Uranus oppositions – 45 years later – the Reverend King's ghost and legacy added a sense of matured (Saturn) electricity (Uranus) as the first African American was sworn into office of the US Presidency – on the steps of the US Capitol – directly opposed the Lincoln Memorial.
Between the Sixties and now, Uranus and Pluto moved through a series of lazily separating semi-sextiles (30° apart) and sextiles (60°) to each other, giving rise to a collective amnesia about what the Sixties idealism was all about. Their semi-sextiles of the late Seventies culminated in the birth of Reagan-style "greed is good" conservatism, while the sextiles of the early to mid 1990's brought Newt Gingrich's "Contract on America" and the rise of Rush Limbaugh's brand of hate radio, very much anti-Sixties mentalities. Regardless or because of these downward spiraling developments, they also helped to spur the urgency of the Harmonic Convergence in 1987, the supposed apex of a penultimate cycle that portends the end of the Mayan calendar.
A lot of the unfortunate developments of the late 1980's and most of the 1990's can be "blamed" on Neptune's prolonged stay in Saturn-ruled Capricorn, signaling a more conservative religious approach by way too many. However, Neptune has been in unconventional Aquarius since 1998, and Neptune will begin moving into its ruling sign Pisces – following Chiron's lead – where Neptune will be staying for fourteen years, starting for good in February 2012. Notice a pattern here, connecting our here-and-now to 2012?
Jupiter and Uranus both square Pluto, within 5° orb May 24 – October 8 .
This threesome therefore (Eeks!) guarantees the fundamental nature of necessity, while Jupiter and Uranus are indeed one mother of a combo. Their line-up at the Cardinal Cross is a virtual guarantee that the Creative Class will come up with better ways to wean us from our addiction to fossil fuels, while also probably helping to come up with innovative ways to clean up the Gulf of Mexico. That is, if another hurricane like Katrina doesn't come in to create a real sh*t-storm of a mess, which is unfortunately a highly probable scenario happening there or somewhere else in the world. Let's try not to imagine a typhoon on top of a volcano, but the Cardinal Cross will guarantee that something like it will indeed happen, in either symbolic or literal ways.
In an idealistic manner (do we really have any other choice?), the Cardinal Cross will be the time for everybody to deliver a new "I Have a Dream" mission statement, one that might as well include the sound-bites of, "I have a dream, that one day the oil and coal industries will become the Sun industry, the wind industry and the geothermal industry. I have a dream that all of our cars, trucks, planes and trains will run on free electricity, and that this electricity will no longer spew pollution into the air, into our oceans, or will need to be buried underground." Well, that's at least the gist of what has already been said by many, and this growing chorus will just need a whole lot of extra Saturnian patience between now and 2015, when Uranus and Pluto will finish their precise squares to each other.
Reasons for further optimism along these lines can be found in looking at the previous separating Uranus/Pluto square, along with a seemingly unrelated set of planetary events, as well as the last aspect of the Cardinal Cross discussed later. Taken together, these all point to the potentials for unprecedented and exponential developments, that is if we can continue to keep the loonies on the sidelines – the Herculean task in search of Promethean heroism and Saturnian wisdom – and no more martyrs.
Now, history never repeats itself in quite the same way, but the previous separating Uranus/Pluto square – the Mother of Invention – occurred from roughly 1873 to 1880 (using a ten degree orb of influence). Uranus and Pluto were mostly in the Fixed signs of Leo (Uranus, moving into Virgo) and Taurus (Pluto throughout), but the other outer planets were essentially out of the mix at their precise squares. That relatively brief time period gave humanity arguably the greatest transformational (Pluto) inventions (Uranus) of the electric light bulb, the first electricity-producing power plant, the telephone, phonograph, the first experiments into motion pictures, and the beginning of the construction of the Statue of Liberty. Today, we can hold all of those gizmos in the palm of one of our hands, with the exception of the power plant although the Creative Class is certainly working on that one as we live and breathe. The Statue of Liberty's significance will be explored in a few paragraphs.
As these technologies get smaller and smaller, the reach and scope of them has obviously become wider and more pervasive. We've become much more aware that what happens on Wall Street, Main Street, Hollywood and/or Borneo is happening worldwide at the exact same moment, and we can also increasingly see how one event effects the other. And, as our knowledge and technologies increase exponentially, perhaps disappearing altogether in time, so too does the awareness that absolutely everything is interconnected with each other, both on the conscious and the subconscious levels.
Despite – or because – the information super-highway has evolved into the information tsunami, our conscious minds can't realistically or possibly deal with it all, so we'll increasingly feel the need to turn it all off and to go within. Further, it has been extrapolated that by the year 2012, the lump-sum of human knowledge will be doubling every day. So, by a collective (inevitable?) effort of going within, we can absorb this accelerated leap of consciousness in profound personal ways, the manner of which is naturally expressed into the outside world. For instance, by knowing that everything happens within us, including the truth that God Him/Her Self resides within each of us – and by extension – that heaven is a place that lives within each of us as well, the outside world can eventually evolve into this same collective and blessed awareness.
Of course, we can also arrive at the knowingness that within us all is where war and hell can live too, if we're merely being fixated on all of the negatives. Garbage in, garbage out – the trash will settle and fester on the inner and make itself manifest on the outer – it's really that simple. It's therefore our choice as individuals – what do we want our future to look like?
The other, seemingly unrelated planetary development mentioned above, involves Venus and Her long-time retrograde cycles, times when past-life memories can reach across the veil to us much more readily than usual. Back in Edison and Bell's heyday, Venus passed twice directly between the Earth and Sun in what is known as a set of "Venus Combustions," one happening in 1874 and the other in 1882, effectively bracketing the milestone inventions of the day. Venus and the Sun were in Sagittarius (from our vantage point) both times, with the Earth in Gemini from the Sun and Venus' "vantage point," acting very much as if our life-source (Sun) were trying to infuse us with Venus' archetypal energetics.
These Venus Combustions happen only in a pair of eight-year cycles, repeating themselves only once every 130 years, happening simultaneously with our consecutive separating Uranus/Pluto squares. In other words, we had the next Venus Combustion on June 8, 2004, and the next Venus Combustion will occur precisely on June 5, 2012 – both in Gemini – another example of what that mysterious year may yet hold in store for us.
(The first precise Uranus/Pluto square – the Mother of Invention – will be happening on June 23, 2012, just eighteen days after the last Venus Combustion of our lifetimes.)
So, if all of those monumental inventions were bracketed by the previous set of Venus Combustions, what incredible inventions are we in the midst of seeing today, especially right at the height of the Cardinal Cross? The major clue here is that all of those creations were related to, and ultimately divinely inspired by, the Universal Divine Feminine (Venus) whose aspects of light (bulbs), good communication (Gemini – telephone), music and harmony (phonograph), and liberty (the statue) where the real power (power plants) resides, and our current and growing Goddess Consciousness can all be seen in those Promethean inventions.
This is why it will be so important and helpful to meditate on the actual image of Venus the planet this Summer – just above the Western horizon after every sunset through to October. Divine inspiration will be virtually guaranteed for people who want to follow Her guiding beacon of love, harmony, balance – and justice – something that Saturn in Venus' ruling sign (Libra until October 2012) will be handing out to people and institutions who refuse to own up to their karmic responsibilities throughout the Cardinal Cross and beyond.
Venus makes Her own significant contribution to the Cardinal Cross as it winds down in mid August, essentially cleaning up whatever residual silliness the Cardinal Cross has left in its wake. Venus enters Her ruling sign Libra August 6, leading Mars and Saturn for a while before moving into Her last retrograde cycle before the bigger one in 2012. This will be the penultimate chance to get some things right before the alleged big show, leading to further opportunities for the Creative Class to invoke their inner Edison, Bell, Da Vinci, Newton, or even Nostradamus, whatever major dude or dudette from the past will help us achieve our own karmic legacies.
The Venus clean-up, with Venus entering Her ruling sign Libra August 6 .
Venus inconjunct Neptune August 4 ,
Venus inconjunct Chiron August 6 ,
Venus opposed Uranus August 7 ,
Venus conjunct Saturn August 8 ,
Venus opposed Jupiter August 9 ,
Venus square Pluto August 10 , and
Venus conjunct Mars August 20 , the same day Mercury begins a retrograde cycle entirely within it's traditional ruling sign Virgo, yikes!
You go girl!, or more appropriately, we should all be following Her example. In case we've missed anything along the way, Venus, Mars and Saturn will be putting on a light show as the Cardinal Cross comes to an end, visible together at the sunsets of early August and into September, urging us all to wisely (Saturn) find common ground between our polar opposites (Venus/Mars), and not just exclusively along the male (Mars) female (Venus) divide. Saturn's role here will essentially be acting as a peace-maker in Venus' home turf, helping us to find Libran balance in the middle of the storms.
The last piece of business to describe here involves another major clue about moving correctly with the Cardinal Cross – with an eye toward 2012 – and this is Saturn's ongoing relationship to Chiron, seemingly hiding in full (telescopic) view, that is if it's not too hard to follow.
Saturn and Chiron
Saturn inconjunct (separating) to Chiron five times from late 1981 to late 1983, Saturn opposed Chiron eighteen times from early 1986 to mid 1995, Saturn inconjunct (applying) to Chiron eight times from late 1997 to early 2001, Saturn opposed to Chiron (again!) six times from late 2003 to mid 2006, Saturn inconjunct (applying again) to Chiron five times from late 2008 to the final one, July 20 . Whew! What's it all mean?Chiron was discovered in 1977 when Saturn and Chiron were busy making beneficial trines (120° apart) to each other, as if the Good Professor were welcoming this newcomer into our collective awareness. Since then, Chiron began moving into the "fastest" part of its elliptical orbit, effectively mirroring Saturn's round orbit and forming nothing but challenging inconjunct and oppositional aspects to Saturn from 1981 up to now – that's a total of 42 nasty aspects described in the previous paragraph.
Chiron is now beginning to move through the slowest part of its orbit, plodding along into the spiritual depths of Pisces, well before Saturn moves into Pluto-ruled Scorpio. Saturn and Chiron will then begin to set-up their first beneficial trine to each other since 1979, and this first exact trine will be occurring in November 2012, just one month before the end of that darn calendar.
On spiritual (unseen) levels, Chiron was discovered when humanity was "ready" for its archetypal energetics to arrive (back) into our collective awareness. The late Seventies saw the emergence of organic farming and "health food" stores, solar panels, breakthroughs in medical science and the beginnings of the New Age spiritual/holistic movement. Since that time, we've seen refinements in all of these areas, but also way too many glaring examples of where we've not been taking responsibility (Saturn) for our individual and collective health (Chiron). Saturn and Chiron finally agreeing with each other by trine – just a month before the end of the Mayan calendar – may yet result in healing potentials we haven't yet imagined.
Chiron has been hanging around Neptune in Aquarius for the better part of the past year and a half, finally arriving within the same degree as Neptune in May and June of 2009. Jupiter simultaneously conjoined them in that same degree from May 20 to June 10, the first time in at least 2,009 years they'd all met up in the same degree – any degree – of the zodiac. This "Jupiter/Chiron/Neptune" communion was promising big-time (Jupiter) spiritual (Neptune) healing (Chiron) for anyone who was asking for it, signaling the official dawning of the Aquarian Age in the process.
This was something we could only imagine at the beginning of the New Age movement, a baby-steps return to an eclectic and all-encompassing spirituality that essentially began with Chiron's discovery. Remember the continuous harping about "the coming Earth changes" back then? Well, quite frankly those days are here-and-now and we have met the enemy – they are us – so what are we going to do about it?
The Age of Aquarius – the beginning of which we're in right now – signals the end of the Age of Pisces, the overriding energetic of male dominant religious and political oppression of the last two to three thousand years. In the meantime, Neptune has completed one full orbit around the Sun since its discovery in 1846, showing humanity every conceivable aspect of spirituality from the grotesquely delusional and genocidal, to the highest possible vibrations.
Can we handle the transitions of the Cardinal Cross and 2012 correctly, in the spirit of the Age of Aquarius and the inevitable return of the Universal Divine Feminine? This is the main question that hangs over us these days and again, perhaps the most important thing we need to pray for – in whatever way we do it – is to hope that the loonies stay on the sidelines, and that they come to the light of self-redemption.
Universal Law dictates that we need to show compassion for the imbalanced among us, but the little known escape route here is that we are not required by Divine Law to like what they've been doing, something that would be impossible if we're living and speaking our truths. We also need to know that we can't fight them because this only makes them stronger and more deeply entrenched. Fear breeds more fear, hatred begets more hatred, so the best we can hope for is to live our lives within the sacred imperative of this Cardinal Cross pyramid, to observe, to speak out when necessary, and to channel whatever we're feeling while we're meditating on Venus.
Okay, so that's the Cardinal Cross in one over-sized nut-shell, with updates coming in each new monthly forecast, at least it is from one perspective that refuses to allow for failure. Once again, do we have any other choice?
Peace, Phil
Order an Astrological Reading by Phil
On May 12, 2010 / Astrology, News / 4 Comments
ShiAnn
3:07 pm on June 3, 2010
Can you help I see ghost I an 11 years of age
7:09 pm on August 3, 2010
Somehow computers have to fit in here.
I had the most amazing day today (Aug 6) and it was the computer that was sane!
correction….it was August 3
FYI – The Mayans are still here……I celebrated the Mayan New Year with them in Guatemala a few years back. They didn't mysteriously disappear like we have been told. When they heard about the Spaniards destroying everything, they fled into the jungles, thus deserting places like Machu Pichu. The Mayans are alive and well!!!


ENGLAND, Nov. 27, 2017 (AMP) — Championship / Match day 19: The match between QPR and Brentford ended in a 2-2 draw on Monday.
No goals in the first half and two each in the second, Smith ('90) and Freeman Luke ('90) for QPR, Vibe Lasse ('52, '81) for Brentford.
Brentford FC are down in 14th place with 24 points from 19 games, 2 points behind Preston North End FC.


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There are Mexican candies which come in small packets of 100 grams. One of the most popular examples is Miguelito Chamoy Chilito Polvo Mexican Candy Chili Powder, which comes in small bags and are perfect to be carried anywhere.
These are a mixture of lemon, tamarind, salt, sugar and chilly. The blend of all these makes it tastier, especially for the ones who love chilies. It tastes be like sweet lovable and tart chilies. After tasting a bit, you will feel that your mouth as started watering and you will want it more and more.
You can taste it raw, directly from the packet or if you want to add extra spices to your food or snacks, simply you can add a chilly power bag to it. It will make your meals more delicious. Or else, it can also be added for more lip-smacking taste on the top of your fruits, like chilly toppings over the fruits. To have more delicious food tonight, go to amazon.
This can also facilitate you in adding more flavors to your kids' get-together and other festivities. As, children love these. This also works as a good low-calorie snack but do take care as having too much of chili powder is going to cause serious stomach cramps.


These little cakes are gluten and grain free, refined sugar free, paleo and amazingly delicious.
These raspberry cakes have been my go-to dessert for more than a decade. They are fast and simple to prepare, and I am able to adapt the ingredients to different dietary preferences. Take this version- Since I have been participating in Whole 30 this month, dessert has been pretty much off the table. The only sweeteners allowed on the Whole 30 plan are fruit. Dates, applesauce, fruit juice, you get it. And though baking is not exactly a Whole 30 condoned activity, well, this is what I do for a living and I am not about to give it up for a month! Now, to be clear, I'm not hiding in my closet pounding little cakes every spare moment I get. Pregnancy is over. I've made these for the occasional treat!
And OH what a treat they are. They are 100% compliant with my current way of eating, containing egg, cocoa powder, ghee, coconut butter, vanilla bean, sweetened with fruit only preserves. I usually go for raspberry, but you can choose any kind you prefer. Black raspberry, blackberry, and pomegranate would all be good options. I always serve these cakes chilled. When cold, they take on a decadent, truffle-like texture that is HEAVENLY. They are rich and just sweet enough. If you really want to make the most of these cakes, serve them with a sweetened whipped coconut cream(sharing an incredible made from scratch naturally sweetened version soon!) and fresh raspberries. It is unbelievably good.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 8 wrappers.
Add the eggs, ghee, coconut butter, cocoa powder, raspberry preserves, vanilla, and almond flour to a mixing bowl. Whisk toether until well combined and smooth.
Divide the mixture between the 8 cupcake wrappers.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes are puffed and slightly cracked.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Place in an airtight container and chill for 3-4 hours.
Serve topped with crushed freeze-dried raspberries, a little sea salt. Even better? Serve with sweetened whipped coconut cream and fresh raspberries!


Kolour is proud to present their biggest outdoor event of the year "Kolour In The Park with Sven Vath" where guests will enjoy 12 hours of gourmet food, spectacular art and music at the open air venue of Thai Wake Park on February 21, 2015 from 12pm to 12 midnight.
Kolour is best known for their open-air event series Kolour Sundays held in various secret locations which made its debut in 2011 and has been on-going with over 20,000 fans.
This time around, party goers are in for a treat with an extended set from world famous DJ Sven Vath who has been a leading innovator in the techno music scene for over 30 years and also the founder of Ibiza's Cocoon parties. He has been a key figure in the global expansion of house/techno and one of the greatest DJs in the world. Others confirmed to play on the day include a host of Kolour's hottest past DJs Nakadia, Darragh Casey, Adam Swain, Coran and Sunju Hargun.
"It took us 3 years to find such an amazing venue to host this event so we're thrilled that it's finally happening. It's going to be the biggest outdoor party that we've ever organized since the venue has a capacity of over 2,000 people. We're excited to introduce this new concept to the Bangkok party scene," says Coran Maloney, co-founder of Kolour.
This is the first time that such an exciting music and lifestyle event will be held at the open air venue of Thai Wake Park. Guests will get to experience the popular open air Thai Wake Park like never before with breathtaking views of the surrounding rice fields, 3 lakes including one that will be available for swimming, and plenty of lush green grass. Enjoy a full day of gourmet food, swimming in the lake, art displays, performances and music from Bangkok's hottest DJ's.
B850 general release tickets and B950 final release tickets will be available at www.kolourinthepark.com. Limited B1,100 tickets will be available at the door on the day.
The main bar sponsor of the event is Super Dry with additional drinks booths by sponsors Singha, Redbull and Syder Bay.
Thai Wake Park is located 15 minutes outside of Bangkok at Lum Luk Ka, Pathum Thani. Guests can enjoy discounted transportation by using the Uber promotion code available at www.kolourinthepark.com.


I ain't getting paid to throw funk on you, I do it for free. My tunes are FUNKALICIOUS, I guarantee! I've got hard to find rare groove, soul jazz and funk playin' 24/7. Click >>here<< to get down with the get down on FUNK YOU r.a.d.i.o.
Amazing mashup of YouTube videos. Pretty funky.
Wes Montgomery was perhaps one of the best jazz guitarists of the sixties. Amazing that he was able to have created such a unique style with the picking of the guitar with just one thumb. Gotta love the way the black & white filming creates such a mood. Subtle use of depth of field, focus on the hands, and unique angles make this filming a true gem. If only concerts were filmed with such detail today. Enjoy this one...it gets really kickin' around 4:55. Feel the groove.
As everybody knows, YouTube is a goldmine. I thought I'd take some time to post some of the gems I've found.
This one is off of the "Sax Kari & Others -- Fumigate Funky Broadway - The New Orleans Sessions".
According to Dusty Groove, this is "A great batch of rough New Orleans soul -- recorded by Crescent City impresario Sax Kari and a host of other acts that he handled during the mid and late 60s! Sax is a lesser-known name in the annals of New Orleans soul ..."
I dig it cuz the drums are funky and the bass line is deep. On top of this the lyrics are spot on. Francine sings about hard headed women and 2 faced men. We've all met them before, maybe you've dated one, but hey, at least you ain't alone. Heck I even met a 3 handed woman once. She was left handed, right handed and underhanded. Doah!
His solo career was short lived at best. However his contribution is not to be overlooked as he may have been the one to set James Brown on the right path by getting him a place to sleep and a job so he could get out of doing time in a juvenile detention center. In addition to being his bandleader and arranger until 1970, he also wrote more than 40 of his biggest hits.
This particular song came off a 1994 album with roughly the same name, "On the Move", which was many years since the brilliance of 1970's soul had faded.
This acid jazz outfit from downtown New York City was formed in 1990 by flutist Richard Worth. Groove Collective has had 5 or so albums since then. They're best seen live as their studio albums do not capture their raw live essence.
This particular song is off the out of print "Live and Hard To Find" album. If you can find it I suggest picking it up as it really contains some great material. "The Great Escape" is a wonderful track with keyboard licks that will knock your socks off. Groovy! This track sounds like it easily could have come out in the very early 70's.
They just played this last weekend so it seems as they are still together in some shape or another. Keep an eye on the radar to see if they're coming to your town.
Samuel Moore and David Prater spent their childhood singing in church in the South. Their chance meeting took place in Miami at the at the "King of Hearts Club" in Miami in 1961. Their chance meeting lead to many highs and lows. The highs were the creation of some incredibly soulful songs. The lows, were creative indifferences, drug use and David's untimely death.
Their best years, albeit short occurred between 1966 and 1968. They released such greats as "Hold On! I'm Comin", "Soul Man" and "I Thank You". It's a shame that two guys who produced such quality work hated each other behind the scenes.
Enjoy this one off their "Soul Man" album. The drums and horns keep this one funky.
If you live near San Francisco then come on down to Sublounge this Friday 03/25 for a little soul clappin' and booty shakin'...Heck you may even get a chance to meet me. I'll be wearing my Speed Racer T-shirt so feel free to introduce yourself.
Happy hour drink specials all night long: $2 beers and $3 well drinks!
Parlet was essentially comprised of back-up singers from P-Funk. George Clinton was their producer on each of their 3 albums. "Play Me or Trade Me", "Pleasure Principal", and "Invasion of the Booty Snatchers" have roots in Funk, R&B, Soul and Disco.
This particular song doesn't stray from the established vibe that the Mothership always brought. It's basically more of the same under the guise of female singers who in this case take center stage. This being said there is just something here that works. Maybe it's the keyboard riff or funk laiden backstage. The women of Parlet can also belt it out when not singing the reprise.


Please get in touch to see if space is available. Phone (best option), email or use the form on the Contact page.
Questions relating to health matters are not answered on email – please phone me, I am more than happy to help you.
Why would you like to call?… People practise yoga for many reasons, as it's a very healing practice. You may wish to ask questions in relation to a specific health matter personal to you, also to see how yoga can help your particular needs and how suitable it is for you. Once again, please phone if you are unsure I am more than happy to help you. You are under no obligation to attend if you call.
Information relating to costs, times and how classes operate, can be found on the Classes page.
Classes are popular. If classes are full when you enquire don't be put off, this indicates quality of class content, effectiveness, teaching experience and that the sessions are enjoyable.. Spaces will come available shortly.
Places are allocated in date order of enquiry.
If classes are full, most students are enjoying their first session within 3 – 6 weeks, not long. Sometimes it may be longer depending on the time of year, and if it is peak season. Peak times are JAN to MAR & SEP to OCT.
It is worth being patient and going on the waiting list if classes are full… WHY… classes can be totally full one week and then several spaces may come available all at once the next week – it happens, that's life, that's people. People come and go for so many different reasons.
If you find your circumstances have changed after you have been waiting and a space comes available, you are not obliged to take the space; you can remain on the list until the time is right for you again. The opportunity will simply be passed to someone else….. Just tell me when I contact you.
You can book to attend for a later date in the year if you wish. Advance booking is always advisable for the NEW YEAR – book from November the previous year. Also advisable if you wish to join from SEPTEMBER (the start of the academic year) – book from July. Advance booking is not always a guarantee that space will be available but it will mean you should get in relatively close to your reserved time.
Around the globe every year £££ are lost due to people booking things and not showing up, meaning lost income, inconvenience, and opportunities missed for others. This is why many organisations ask for pre payment on bookings – the yoga school doesn't!
Yoga is also about ethical living and I like to apply it to classes and offer some trust to you and trust you show the yoga school kind respect. Once you have agreed a start date, if for any reason you cannot attend on the agreed date please let me know at least 1 week in advance or with as much notice as possible. So the space can be passed to someone else. I will thank you for telling me. You are more than welcome at a later date if your circumstances have changed.
We all know the famous quote "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Your Karma depends on your action. Thank you.
The Beginner page will provide you with further information.
I teach One to One sessions for pregnant ladies. You can learn more on the Pregnancy Yoga page.
Please see the venues section for all class venues, timings and directions.


text:
Олег Николаевич Загумённов (род. 5 февраля 1974, Вольск) — российский актёр театра и кино, режиссёр, театральный педагог. Лауреат V и VI Областного театрального фестиваля «Золотой Арлекин»

Биография
Родился 5 февраля 1974 года в Вольске (Саратовская область). Поступил в 1991 году на филологический факультет Саратовского государственного педагогического института им. Федина (оставил обучение в 1994 году). В 1999 году закончил театральный факультет СГК им. Собинова (ныне СаТИ) в мастерской Риммы Беляковой.

В 1999—2000 г. работал актёром в Вольском драматическом театре. В 2002 году снялся в эпизоде фильма «Звезда» (режиссёра Н. И. Лебедева).
В 2004—2008 был режиссёром в Центральном Доме Актёра им. Яблочкина. В 2005 году работал в качестве актёра и режиссёра-стажёра в международном проекте «Кухня» по пьесе А. Уэскера в Валенсьене и в Монсе.
В 2006 году закончил режиссёрский факультет Российской академии театрального искусства (мастерская народного артиста РФ Л. Хейфеца). С 2008 года в должности главного режиссера возглавляет труппу Вольского драматического театра.

С 2010 года преподаёт мастерство актера в СаТИ в мастерской Народной артистки РФ Риммы Беляковой.

 2014 — Член жюри конкурса-фестиваля в рамках Международного проекта «Душа моей Родины» (Астрахань)
 2014 — Член жюри V Всероссийского фестиваля «Театральные витражи» (Заречный)

Постановки в театре

Вольский драматический театр
 2000 — «Sorry...» по пьесе А. Галина
 2008 — «Дом Бернарды Альбы» Ф.-Г. Лорка
 2008 — «Записки подлеца» А. Островский
 2009 — «Полиция» С. Мрожек
 2009 — «Мы едем, едем, едем...»  Н. Коляда
 2009 — «Оливер!» по Ч. Диккенсу и Л. Барту
 2010 — «Бальзаминов. Сновидения» А. Островский
 2011 — «Банкет»  Н. Саймон
 2015 — «Не было ни гроша, да вдруг алтын» А. Островский

Саратовский театр русской комедии
 2010 — «Горько!..» М. М. Зощенко, А. М. Бонди
 2011 — «Дед Мороз, ау-у-у-у!» М. Новаков
 2011 — «Палата бизнес-класса» А. Коровкин
 2011 — «Люди, звери и бананы» А. Соколова
 2012 — «Новогодние чудеса, или Баба-Яга против» Б. Аронов, А. Чупин
 2012 — «Двенадцатая ночь, или Что угодно» У. Шекспир
 2012 — «Мамаклава» П. И. Морозов
 2013 — «Брак поневоле» Ж.-Б. Мольер
 2014 — «Играем детектив» по пьесе «Ловушка для одинокого мужчины» Р. Тома
 2014 — «Лев Васька» П. Морозов
 2016 — «Царевна-Несмеяна» В. Илюхов
 2016 — «Любовь до потери памяти» В. Красногоров
 2017 — «С любовью не шутят» Педро Кальдерон де Ла Барка
 2017 — «Фанатки» Р. Белецкий
 2018 — «Шкаф» В. Леванов

Другие театры
 1999 — «Русалка» по пьесе А. Пушкина (Саратовский муниципальный театр пластической драмы)
 2003 — «Случай в Ялте» по И. Бродскому (Московский Центральный Дом Актера им. А. Яблочкиной)
 2004 — «№13» по пьесе Р. Куни (Семипалатинский Русский драматический театр им. Ф. Достоевского)
 2006 — «Золушка» по пьесе Е. Шварца (Российский академический молодёжный театр)
 2011 — «В джазе одни девушки» по мотивам американских мюзиклов (Саратовский областной театр оперетты)
 2014 — «Федра» по пьесе Ж. Расина (Саратовский муниципальный театр "Балаганчикъ")

Дипломные спектакли САТИ
 2011 — «Поздняя любовь» А. Островский (Саратовский театр драмы)
 2014 — «Лысая певица» Э. Ионеско (Театр кукол «Теремок»)
 2014 — «Геркулес и авгиевы конюшни» Ф. Дюрренматт (Саратовский ТЮЗ)
 2017 — «Будем знакомы» класс-концерт (Саратовский ТЮЗ)
 2018 — «Однажды в Лондоне» по мотивам романа «Оливер Твист» Чарльза Диккенса (Саратовский ТЮЗ)
 2019 — «Дон Жуан или Любовь к геометрии» М.Фриш (Саратовский ТЮЗ)
 2019 — «Клетка» М.Фратти (Саратовский ТЮЗ)
 — «Шекспир.Диалоги» по произведениям У. Шекспира (Саратовский ТЮЗ)
 2022 — «Хроники московского захолустья» по пьесе ««Не было ни гроша, да вдруг алтын» А.Н.Островского (Саратовский ТЮЗ)
 2022— «Случай в Ялте» по произведениям И.Бродского (Саратовский ТЮЗ)
 2022 — «Церковь присвятого Макчикена» М.Малухина (Саратовский ТЮЗ)

Фильмография
 2002 — «Звезда» — разведчик, эпизод
 2003 — «Случай с доктором Лекриным» — аспирант Богданов
 2003 — «Следствие ведут знатоки» — милиционер
 2003 — «На углу у Патриарших 2» — официант
 2004 — «Всадник по имени Смерть» — официант

Награды
 2010 — «Золотой Арлекин» специальный приз жюри «За режиссёрский дебют» в спектакле «Дом Бернарды Альбы», Вольский Драматический театр
 2011 — «Золотой Арлекин» специальный приз за постановку спектакля «Мы едем, едем, едем…», Вольский Драматический театр

Публикации
 Сценическое событие — важнейший элемент программы обучения актёрскому мастерству // Проблемы исполнительской интерпретации и музыкальной педагогики. Сб. ст. по материалам Всероссийской научно-практической конференции 5-6 марта 2011 года. Саратов, 2012

Примечания

Ссылки
 Страница на сайте Театральнального института СГК им. Собинова
 Режиссёр Олег Загумённов ставит «фантазию на тему Шекспира»
 «Брак поневоле» номинируется на «Золотой Арлекин»

Выпускники Саратовской консерватории
Лауреаты премии «Золотой арлекин»

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Film review – ParaNorman (2012)
Norman Babcock (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee)
Norman Babcock (voiced by Kodi Smith-McPhee) is an outsider who can see dead people and prefers the company of his grandmother's ghost to any of the living inhabitants of the small town he lives in. In an early scene he is shown gloomily stuck between his parents' stomachs to emphasise the banality of his day-to-day life, in contrast to the world of horror movies he retreats into when given the chance. Many early gags in the stop-motion animation ParaNorman are associated with Norman's collection of horror paraphernalia, which include a phone with the Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978) theme for its ringtone. When a distant relative gives a reluctant Norman the task of placating a witch who has threatened the town yearly since the 18th century, things go wrong and Norman must face a zombie threat.
It would be easy to assume that a stop-motion family horror/comedy about a misunderstood young boy who is bullied, considered a freak, can see ghosts and loves classic zombie films, was a Tim Burton film. Indeed if you replace the focus on zombies and witchcraft in ParaNorman to reanimation and monsters then on paper you would have a film that seemed very similar to Burton's stop-motion animation Frankenweenie, also made in 2012. There is even what could possibly be a fleeting tribute to Burton in ParaNorman in the form of a briefly seen missing pet poster for a dog named Vincent. Both films are about misunderstood young boys and the 'monsters' they befriend and both films are loving tributes to older horror films, both in style and narrative tips of the hat. Yet despite the narrative and thematic similarities, ParaNorman is a distinct film able to co-exist alongside the equally marvellous Frankenweenie without suffering in comparison.
On the surface ParaNorman is impressive simply because it manages the juggling act of being scary, being funny and remaining accessible for a wide range of ages. Directors Sam Fell and Chris Butler very adeptly raise the stakes of key scenes where the characters are being threatened to then dilute the moment with a fun gag without completely compromising the tension. Allowing the audience to feel the chills, but with the knowledge that nothing truly horrific will happen is a skilful and kind strategy necessary for a film pitched at younger audiences that will still appeal to older audiences. There are even some surprisingly audacious gross-out moments, such as when Norman is trapped under a dead body and the corpse's tongue flops out onto his face, to generate delighted squeals of disgust. Where Fell and Butler don't hold back is the emotional intensity that the film unexpectedly crescendos to towards the end. The concluding scenes where Norman realises the true extent of why his town is cursed are remarkably powerful in terms of the striking animation, emotive voice acting and thematic resolution.
The real strength of ParaNorman is how it presents the themes of bullying and misunderstanding. The film goes into considerable depth to explore the links between taunting somebody for being weird to full blown persecution with devastating results. It's a sophisticated presentation of how victimising behaviour on a small scale is an expression of victimisation on a much larger scale, and how both are symptoms of a fear-based culture. The film also acknowledges how violence from the past continues to manifests in the present when not reconciled adequately. Not that ParaNorman is preaching that there is nothing to be afraid of, in fact it acknowledges that being afraid is natural and frequently useful in order to survive. Instead the film is saying that fear is okay if it doesn't change who you are or transform into hatred. Hence Norman is the hero while the hysterical townsfolk who attack the zombies with disturbing relish become yet another threat for Norman to navigate. It is no accident that the music used to accompany the zombies is also used to accompany the attacking human lynch mob.
Most impressive is how ParaNorman handles ideas of redemption and understanding. There are very few innocent or blameless characters in the film with most of the human and supernatural characters having blood – literally or metaphorically – on their hands. It's not simply a case of the wronged versus the wrongdoers as throughout the film victims become aggressors and aggressors become victims. It's about how characters respond to their torments, and with Norman as the film's quick-learning moral compass, forgiveness and acknowledging the mistakes of the past without self-justification are the key to ending the cycle of fear and violence. Even the narrative of the film follows this advice, teaming Norman up with an unlikely ensemble of helpers based on how they are initially introduced in the film.
Funny, frightening, exciting and extremely thoughtful about the nature of the conflict at the core of the film, ParaNorman is a standout feature animation and family film from recent years. Not only does it recall some of Tim Burton's better films, but it also evokes many of the films of the 1980s directed by Joe Dante and/or produced by Steven Spielberg, with lots of pleasing nods to American horror maestros such as George A Romero and John Carpenter. It's a reminder of how strong films for younger viewers can be, and should always aspire to be.
This entry was posted on Sunday, January 6th, 2013 at 8:49 pm and is filed under Film review.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
3 Responses to Film review – ParaNorman (2012)
Tomo Tadel says:
Dear Mr. Caldwell,
Thank you for your insights which I've been following, and valuing for quite a while – even a bit before you decided to stop giving numerical marks as to the "value and worth" of the film reviewed.
However, excuse me for being pushy, I believe you should rethink that decision, as your reviews do carry a strong affirmative message also in the formative appreciation sense for less sophisticated viewers.
Thomas Caldwell says:
Hi Tomo
Deciding not to list star ratings at the end of my reviews is something I did give a lot of thought to, but I decided to stop doing it as I find it can be reductive since too many people focus on the grading rather than what I had written. However, I do still list the star ratings on my Index page.
8 April 2013 at 10:20 pm
This review is spot on. You covered basically everything i thought about the film. Easily one of the best animated movies I've ever seen, and also one of my favorite movies in general I've seen recently.
Film review - The NeverEnding Story (1984)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Carlos Wizard Martins: Brazilian entrepreneur and Latter-day Saint
As Antônio Martins entered an elevator in Curitiba, Brazil in the late 1960s, he noticed that the elevator operator was reading a book that looked like a Bible. "Brother, do you read the Bible?" asked the young father and businessman.
Jose Athaydes, the elevator operator and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, replied, "I read the Book of Mormon. Are you also Mormon? What branch do you belong to?
Antônio Martins, who did not know the Church, answered: "I belong to the branch of business and commerce.
With a smile, Athaydes asked if he could send missionaries to visit his house. When Antônio Martins asked what they were going to talk about, Athaydes simply replied: "About Jesus Christ".
It's a story that Carlos Wizard Martins, the eldest of Antônio and Hilda Martins' seven children, often tells. He well remembers the day when the missionaries dressed in suits, white shirts and ties came to their house, accompanied by Athaydes. Carlos and his parents joined the Church when he was 12 years old.
Now a 65-year-old father, grandfather and one of Brazil's most successful entrepreneurs, Carlos Martins' eyes fill with tears when he thinks of Athaydes, his willingness to share the gospel of Jesus- Christ and the influence he had on generations of the Martin family.
"He was a very simple man," Carlos Martins said of Athaydes. "He used to cycle to work. He didn't have much education. He was never a leader in the Church; he was just a member. But somehow he believed that every member was a missionary.
Athaydes, 90, still lives in Curitiba. Antônio Martins passed away on April 6, 2022, at the age of 88, leaving behind a legacy of faith.
Carlos Martins, right, is pictured with his father, Antônio Martins, middle, and his wife, Vânia Martins, left, at a Latter-day Saint church in Orem, Utah, shortly before Antônio died in April 2022.
Provided by Carlos Martins
Antônio Martins' seven children have served or will serve a mission (one is preparing to serve a senior mission with her husband), in addition to several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "We are indeed a missionary family," Carlos Martins told Church News.
Carlos Martins' missionary service includes a full-time mission in Portugal as a young man, presiding over the Brazilian João Pessoa Mission from 2001 to 2004, and a humanitarian mission from 2018 to 2020 helping Venezuelan refugees. Now he and his wife, Vânia, serve as ward missionaries in Taquaral Ward, Campinas Brazil Castelo Stake. They have six children and 19 grandchildren.
"I like the concept that when you open an apple, you can count the number of seeds. But once those seeds turn into an apple tree, you can never know how many fruits that tree will give," Carlos said. Martins: "That's what I believe now, that's the great impact the gospel has had in my family."
Influence of the gospel on the career of Carlos Martins
Carlos Wizard Martins, born Carlos Roberto Martins, is known in Brazil for establishing the Wizard Language Institute, which he made part of a chain of 3,000 English learning schools. He sold his multi-million dollar business in 2013. Since then, he and Vânia have expanded their investments and philanthropy.
Brigham Young University graduate Carlos Martins has said throughout his career that the Lord has often placed like-minded people in his path, people with similar purpose, direction, and values. He also found answers in the scriptures—not necessarily in the words on the page but in the feelings of the Spirit.
"I believe the Holy Spirit touched me, influenced me in many of my decisions, day-to-day decisions in fact," he said. "Somehow, in ways we don't fully understand, the Lord directs our way."
For him, inspiration comes through intuition and conversation with others. As he discusses an idea and solicits feedback, his plan is adjusted and it becomes a more solid concept. "That's what we call in the Church 'the advocate,'" he said.
Starting a project is like walking through a dark tunnel with only the light from a cellphone, he explained. "If you're paralyzed, if you're not moving because you're scared, all of a sudden the battery will drain and you'll be completely lost during that time.
"But if you have faith, and you believe in yourself, the people, the project and your plans, you're going to follow one meter, two meters, three meters, four meters until you see the light at the end of the tunnel."
This lesson in stepping forward in faith proved invaluable not only in Carlos Martins' business ventures, but also in his family's Church service.
Serve at the border
As Carlos and Vânia's son, Nicholas Martins, prepared to serve a full-time mission, they feared he could not serve for two years away from home due to developmental issues. Vânia suggested that she and Carlos do a service mission and take Nicholas with them.
The timing was inspired, Vânia Martins said, because the Brazil region presidency was looking for a couple who could work with Venezuelan refugees in Boa Vista, the capital of the Brazilian state of Roraima, which borders Venezuela. They accepted the mission.
Carlos Martins, right, is pictured with his eldest son Nicholas Martins, middle, and his wife, Vânia Martins, left.
She will never forget the heartbreaking scenes she saw when they arrived in Boa Vista in July 2018. The refugee camps were overcrowded and thousands of people were sleeping on the streets, hungry, sick and desperate for food. assistance. There were elderly people and pregnant women, as well as young families with babies who needed diapers and clothes. She was overwhelmed.
"When we arrived, I saw so many problems that I thought I wouldn't be able to do the job," recalls Vânia Martins. "I started praying, 'Heavenly Father, give me some of your love for these people. Put some of that love in my heart so that I can do this job.
His prayers were answered and love came. "I started to see them as God does. I began to have compassion, the compassion that Christ showed. … With that feeling, it became easy to help them, helping them solve their problems as best we could," she said.
Carlos Martins is pictured with a young child in the Venezuelan refugee camp in Boa Vista, Brazil, where Carlos and his wife, Vânia, served a humanitarian mission from 2018 to 2020.
Carlos Martins, too, was at first intimidated by the task at hand and made a similar plea to the Lord for help: "A very strong feeling came to me and said, 'Calm , it's easy Carlos. This job is not yours. This work is mine.
"At that time I became very humble because I thought I was doing everything. I thought I was solving all the problems. But in reality I was just a small instrument in the hand of the Lord and he took care of her children.
Thanks to the compassion of Vânia and the business connections of Carlos, as well as the support of various organizations, the Martins helped to relocate some 20,000 refugees to other regions of Brazil to find work and have a brighter future. sustainable.
Carlos Martins, right, and his wife, Vânia, middle right, are pictured with a family of Venezuelan refugees at the airport in Boa Vista, Brazil. During their 2018-2020 mission, the Martins helped relocate some 20,000 refugees to other parts of Brazil for a more sustainable future.
Carlos and Vânia Martins were recently named Freedom Award recipients at the 2022 Freedom Awards Gala in Provo, Utah for their service on the Brazil-Venezuela border.
"What we do for missionary work in the Church brings a lot of joy", Vânia Martins. "It's a different kind of joy that we can't find in other things."
"Like, Share, Invite"
During the pandemic, after his return from Boa Vista, Carlos Martins received a message from a woman who wanted to talk to him about his faith on an Instagram live. Soon Vânia Martins and the woman's husband joined in the conversations.
Carlos and Vânia invited the couple to go to church and meet the missionaries. A few months later, the woman, her husband and her children were baptized.
They continue to host weekly Instagram Lives to talk about the gospel. "We've been doing this for two years now, a weekly devotional Instagram live on Sunday nights," Carlos Martins said. Dozens of viewers across Brazil requested copies of the Book of Mormon and visits from missionaries. Many went to church and some were baptized.
The Instagram Live experience reminds Carlos Martins of the "love, share, invite" principles that Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles emphasized during the April 2022 general conference.
"That's what we did, really. We like, share and invite people on the internet," said Carlos Martins.
Vânia Martins added, "We have seen the difference the gospel makes in their lives. This joy we see in them is the joy we also feel.
And it is the same joy that Carlos Martins feels when he thinks of José Athaydes, the elevator operator, and the countless fruits that have come from his willingness to literally open the doors of the gospel to the Martins family. in the elevator that day.
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Shopaholics, H&M is on sale! You can get discounts up to 50% off on your favorite fashion pieces—from tops, bottoms, dresses, jackets, and more. Just head over to any H&M store nationwide, stat, so you can get first dibs on the most stylish fashion pieces.
Makeup junkies, this is not a drill: Your Maybelline Fit Me faves are all on sale! Score the covetedMatte + Poreless Liquid Foundation is now just P299, the Concealer is now P199, the Stick Foundation is now P299, and the Matte + Poreless Pressed Powder is now P299. Just shop at any Maybelline counter before the month ends!
Converse just opened their first ever outlet store (and their biggest store in the country) in Luzon at Laguna Central, Greenfield City in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. To celebrate, they're slashing the prices of some of their classic pairs! Score pairs from P500 to P750 during the sale! That includes the coveted Jack Purcell kicks, classic sneakers, the Chuck II, Converse bags, and more. Better plan that roadtrip ASAP because the sale is ongoing only until they run out of stock!
Looks like it's time to get a bigger shoe rack because Payless is having a Buy-One-Get-One promo from March 12 to 18! Tell your besties because if you buy one pair, you get the second pair at 50% off.
Been eyeing a pair of sneakers from Lacoste? Now's your chance to get your hands on them because Lacoste is putting their pairs on a Clearance Sale from March 14 to 18. You can score discounts up to 60% off! Just visit their Robinsons Galleria or Robinsons Magnolia branches.
Time to get a bigger closet because Fully Booked is on sale from March 14 to 18! Get up to 20% off on select titles when you shop at their stores in Mall of Asia, New Mall of Asia, Conrad, and Cebu.
Shopaholics, score cool deals at Robinsons Malls' Hot Summer Sale happening from March 15 to 18! Just visit these select Robinsons Malls and get ready to shop till you drop.
National Book Store is having a Warehouse Sale from March 16 to 18, from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m., at the National Book Store Building, Quezon Avenue corner Scout Borromeo, Quezon City. You can score imported books from different genres for as low as P50!
Makeup junkies, it looks like your beauty arsenal is about to get bigger: Club Clio is having a Club Day Weekend from March 16 to 18. You can score discounts up to 30% off on Club Clio's bestsellers as well as new products when you shop online (Lazada and Zalora) on March 16 or when you visit any Club Clio store from March 17 to 18!
Get ready for some serious shopping because The SM Store is having a three-day sale from March 16 to 18. Score discounts up to 50% off on participating brands!
Time to shop for new denim jeans! Folded & Hung is letting you get two pairs of jeans for only P1,499 when you shop at any Folded & Hung store nationwide ASAP because promo is only until supplies last.
Bookworms, ready your wallets and your shopping bags because you can score books for as low as P20 at the Books for Less Warehouse Sale. It's happening from March 1 to 28, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 643 Frankfurt Street, Mercedes Avenue, San Miguel, Pasig City (in front of La Consolacion College).
Ladies, Quirks is letting you score discounts on selected items every Wednesday of the month! Get 15% off on cool finds when you visit any Quirks branch nationwide.
Linya Linya is letting women score 20% off on shirts every Wednesday of March! Just visit their store located at the lower ground level of SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.
Arrow is letting you score 20% off on suits and slacks, 15% off long sleeve shirts, and 10% off neckties this month! Just visit any Arrow store nationwide before March ends.


The Big Cat is an air-conditioned 30 metre catamaran travelling to Green Island, 15 nautical miles (27 kilometres) from Cairns. Departing at 9:00am daily from the Reef Fleet Terminal in Cairns. Passengers spend five and a half hours on Green Island and arrive back in Cairns at 5pm. Big Cat has spacious and luxurious interior cabins as well as outside decks to enjoy the warm, tropical climate. Passengers will therefore be ensured of a comfortable and relaxed journey to the Great Barrier Reef.
PAK4 includes Buffet Lunch and Semi-submarine coral viewing tour.