Horoscope for the Month of September 2014 and Week of September 1, 2014

You reap what you sew this September as a bunch of planets boogie through Virgo into Libra. We may start out rock solid but can wind up free as the breeze. Take one step at a time. Pacing is everything!

(Will Smith has Sun in Libra)

 Never miss your horoscope again -- free sign up here. Here is my favorite book on astrology and a "must" for anyone interested in learning more: Secrets from a Stargazer's Notebook: Making Astrology Work for You and here's a guide to the best books available this month. This column is (c) 2014 THE STARRY EYE, LLC., All Rights Reserved. For Entertainment Purposes Only. Madam Lichtenstein is the author of the best selling astrology book “HerScopes ” now in its 8th printing and available as an eBook.

ARIES   (MARCH 21 - APRIL 20)
Your workload piles up but you can dispatch any onerous task quickly and expertly now. Just try not to take on too much at one time, Aries. You only have two hands and only so much time in a day. But more hands make the work go even faster. How about enlisting some co-workers and delegate. Then you may even time on your hands.

TAURUS   (APRIL 21 - MAY 21)
There will be plenty of time for fun in the sun, even as the summer is starting to wind down. Plan a few last soirees and try to get in some extra sizzle before the autumn beckons. And you will become very creative and artistic, if you give yourself a chance to invent and implement. Taureans are masters of ceremonies and they do it masterfully.

GEMINI   (MAY 22 - JUNE 21)
Improve your immediate surroundings now while your decorating style is sharp and your budget is flexible. Geminis can also showcase the great pad they already have with assorted soirees and mixers. And include a few relatives in your plans. Outreach to them today puts you in a good position tomorrow when you might need a favor from them.

CANCER   (JUNE 22 - JULY 23)
Some of your great ideas find fertile minds now. So plant something provocative in someone’s mind and see what blooms later. And don’t just stick to the tried and true; Cancers need to expand their horizons so they can broadcast their opinions to a wider, receptive audience and become global leaders. Pack a map and a bunch of breadcrumbs so you don’t get lost.

LEO   (JULY 24 - AUGUST 23)
Now is the time to reassess your investments and find ways of adding more dough to your current loaf of bread. The secret to your ultimate success, Leo, is to manage your expectations, seek the right advisor and maintain discipline. Keep your eye on the ultimate early and cushy retirement prize. Splurging is only for a rainy day. Oh, do I feel a drop....?

VIRGO   (AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 23)
Life is pretty good and as you feel more confident and influential people will naturally gravitate into your social orbit. Start new projects, launch new liaisons, plant some new ideas and consider a new look or life direction. Virgos can become movers and  shakers where everyone seems to want a piece of you. Try not to give them your finger.

LIBRA   (SEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 23)
There is something secretive going on behind the scenes this week. It is very intriguing and may even involve a hint of romance. Your job is to find out the who, what, when and where. But also find time to focus on charitable giving and giving back to the community. Libras help spread the good karma around and then manage to slide into something great.

SCORPIO   (OCTOBER 24 - NOVEMBER 22)
Friendships are highlighted for you now so get out your dance card and fill it up. Scorpios can sometimes be loners but there is nothing to be gained by doing things on your own now. Join new groups, meet new people and get in with new organizations. Two or even three heads are better than one. Especially if you are into heady adventures.

SAGITTARIUS   (NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 22)
Your professional path suddenly becomes more open and expansive. Don’t rest on your laurels and expect the world to come to you, Sagittarius. Reach out, up and across to see who is the most influential and helpful. Before you know it you move another rung up the corporate ladder and consolidate your power. Will you use it for good or evil? Heh heh....

CAPRICORN   (DECEMBER 23 - JANUARY 20)
Travel is in the cards for you so put all hands on deck and get going. There might be something or someone very interesting waiting for you. But if you can’t get away, find ways to expand your horizon by trying new things and getting out of your rut. Don’t be a rat on an ever accelerating treadmill, Capricorn. Jump off, even temporarily, and take a well deserved rest.

AQUARIUS   (JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 19)
Aquarians are in for an exciting time now as your love life suddenly heats up. The possibilities are endless with known and yet to be known lovers. Are you ready for your close up? If not, use this time to appraise your technique, your look and your track record. Once you have cleaned out your cobwebs, you will be ready for absolutely everything .. and anyone.

PISCES   (FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 20)
Pisces will focus on relationships - both for business and for pleasure - with an eye towards improving their current ones and developing new ones. There will be ample opportunity to connect. But start with assessing your needs and see what you are looking for in a partnership. Don’t compromise. We have only one life to lead, as far as I can tell.

Lucky Numbers for the Week of August 29, 2014

Lottery ads tell us you only need a dollar and a dream. But it is also helpful to have a list of lucky numbers to help spur the good fortune ... or fortunes. So with that in mind, here are some lucky numbers that can be used in any helpful way. I gazed into a pool of water, Nostradamus-like, and contemplated the cosmos. Then I mixed the tarot cards and allowed the spirits to guide me to the cards that represent the lucky numbers for this week. Nothing is guaranteed but who knows ....?

I choose eight numbers because 8 is the number of wealth.

Here are the lucky numbers for the week of August 29-September 4, 2014:

5, 7, 12, 19, 33, 49, 50, 75

There are many ways to delve into your own consciousness to find luck and intuition. Try reading Dream Power/Improve Your Luck (Super Strength Series) and see if your dreams give you any clues and premonitions. Here's a guide to the best books available this month

Meditation 101 - An Introduction

When it comes to me and meditation, the spirit is willing but the flesh is over-scheduled. I can't tell you how many times I have said to myself, "Now is the time to start learning how to meditate." But the time fills up with other things and I never seem to be able to get to it. For those of you in the same situation, here is Gaiam Life - a wellness website that introduces you to meditation.

Gaiam Life says that “In Buddhist tradition, the word ‘meditation’ is equivalent to a word like ‘sports’ in the U.S. It’s a family of activity, not a single thing,” University of Wisconsin neuroscience lab director Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D., told The New York Times. And different meditative practices require different mental skills.

It’s extremely difficult for a beginner to sit for hours and think of nothing or have an “empty mind.” But in general, the easiest way to begin meditating is by focusing on the breath — an example of one of the most common approaches to meditation: concentration.

Concentration meditation

A concentrative meditation technique involves focusing on a single point. This could entail watching the breath, repeating a single word or mantra, staring at a candle flame, listening to a repetitive gong or counting beads on a rosary. Since focusing the mind is challenging, a beginner might meditate for only a few minutes and then work up to longer durations.

In this form of meditation, you simply refocus your awareness on the chosen object of attention each time you notice your mind wandering. Rather than pursuing random thoughts, you simply let them go. Through this process, your ability to concentrate improves.

Mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness meditation technique encourages the practitioner to observe wandering thoughts as they drift through the mind. The intention is not to get involved with the thoughts or to judge them, but simply to be aware of each mental note as it arises.

Through mindfulness meditation, you can see how your thoughts and feelings tend to move in particular patterns. Over time, you can become more aware of the human tendency to quickly judge experience as “good” or “bad” (“pleasant” or “unpleasant”). With practice, an inner balance develops.

In some schools of meditation, students practice a combination of concentration and mindfulness. Many disciplines call for stillness — to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the teacher.

Other meditation techniques

There are various other meditation techniques. For example, a daily meditation practice among Buddhist monks focuses directly on the cultivation of compassion. This involves envisioning negative events and recasting them in a positive light by transforming them through compassion. There are also moving meditations techniques, such as tai chi, chi kung and walking meditation.

Benefits of meditation

If relaxation is not the goal of meditation, it is often one result of it. Back in the 1970s, Herbert Benson, MD, a researcher at Harvard University Medical School, coined the term the relaxation response after conducting research on people who practiced transcendental meditation. The relaxation response, in Benson’s words, is “an opposite, involuntary response that causes a reduction in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system.”

Since then, studies on the relaxation response have documented the following short-term benefits to the nervous system:

• lower blood pressure
• improved blood circulation
• lower heart rate
• less perspiration
• slower respiratory rate
• less anxiety
• lower blood cortisol levels
• more feelings of well-being
• less stress
• deeper relaxation

Contemporary researchers are now exploring whether consistent meditation practice yields long-term benefits, and noting positive effects on brain and immune function among meditators. Yet it is worth repeating that the purpose of meditation is not to achieve benefits. To put it as an Eastern philosopher might say, the goal of meditation is no goal. It is simply to be present.

In Buddhist philosophy, the ultimate benefit of meditation is liberation of the mind from attachment to things it cannot control, such as external circumstances or strong internal emotions. The liberated, or “enlightened,” practitioner no longer needlessly follows desires or clings to experiences, but instead maintains a calmness of mind and sense of inner balance.

How to meditate: Simple meditation for beginners

This meditation exercise is an excellent introduction to meditation techniques.

1. Sit or lie comfortably. You may even want to invest in a meditation chair.

2. Close your eyes.

3. Make no effort to control the breath; simply breathe naturally.

4. Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation. Notice the movement of your body as you breathe. Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage and belly. Make no effort to control your breath; simply focus your attention. If your mind wanders, simply return your focus back to your breath. Maintain this meditation practice for 2–3 minutes to start, and then try it for longer periods.

Get your Zen on! Watch meditation videos on GaiamTV.com.

 

http://life.gaiam.com/article/meditation-101-techniques-benefits-beginner-s-how

 

 

Ask Madam Lichtenstein - What About Astrology and Predicting Death?

Jacksonville, Fla.: Do you think that the stars have much to do with the time of our passing? Do you think we choose in some way the time of our death? I experienced a loss in my family recently and I guess I'm trying to make some sense of it all. Thanks for any insight.

Charlene Lichtenstein: Death is one of those areas that I avoid forecasting although they say that there is a way to forecast death in a chart. It has a lot to do with locating the Alchochoden in the chart. Please check the Zodiacal Zephyr site for more information on that.

As for me, I would rather not know. I think it leads one to avoid accomplishing things.

You can ascertain what your later life will be like by seeing the sign on the cusp of the 4th house. I do not have your birth info here, but I have Scorpio on the cusp and have been told that I will get stronger as I get older. I'll let you know if that is so!

Horoscope for the Week of August 25, 2014

If this week offers you a not-so-gentle nudge, take the hint and get moving. The Sun enters Virgo and enables us to move mountains by taking aim and push, push, push through them. Wear a helmet.

(Billy Ray Cyrus has Sun in Virgo)

 Never miss your horoscope again -- free sign up here. Here is my favorite book on astrology and a "must" for anyone interested in learning more: Secrets from a Stargazer's Notebook: Making Astrology Work for You and here's a guide to the best books available this month. This column is (c) 2014 THE STARRY EYE, LLC., All Rights Reserved. For Entertainment Purposes Only. Madam Lichtenstein is the author of the best selling astrology book “HerScopes ” now in its 8th printing and available as an eBook.

ARIES   (MARCH 21 - APRIL 20)
Aries begin to feel the heat at work. Before you feel like a rat on an ever increasing treadmill, consider this mantra: “Slow and steady wins the race....slow and steady wins the race...” and focus on the nitty gritty details of your job. You succeed at almost anything in almost any surrounding, if you just put your mind to it. So put your mind to it.

TAURUS   (APRIL 21 - MAY 21)
Is there more to life than tawdry, cheap and dissipated good times? Maybe, but who the heck would want it? This week highlights fun, fun, fun and no self respecting Taurus would give up a having a ball for a chain (unless of course that is your “thing”). You muster enough perspiration for your inspiration. Let those creative juices flow. And bring a bucket.

GEMINI   (MAY 22 - JUNE 21)
There comes a time in every life when compromise is simply not a viable option any longer. Dear Gemini, this is one of those times. This week shows you that you can no longer abide by the constraining attitudes of certain family members. Break free. We’ve only got one life and it never seems to be long enough. Ain’t THAT the truth!

CANCER   (JUNE 22 - JULY 23)
You might have never thought of yourself as a great spokesperson, but now you might begin to be so. This week mandates that your loud and clear voice will be heard above the din, ready or not. Choose your forum carefully, Cancer. It is time to clearly set your personal agenda and push it one giant step forward. If not now when? If not you, who?

LEO   (JULY 24 - AUGUST 23)
The fates shine a welcoming light on your finances. Leos can’t be expected to stick close to the bottom line all the time because there always seems to be too many folks to impress and too many palms (among other things) to grease. Luckily, you can now put every one of your pennies in its proper place. Let’s hope that place is not in a slot machine, though.

VIRGO   (AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 23)
Even staid Virgos will be giddy and extravagant this week. You look fabulous from tip to tip even if your fashion statement consists of question marks, fog, tape and a few mirrors. Use this time to demonstrate to the immediate world why you are outstandingly special and why you set the style at any speed. Will you drag race or slowly pace the room?

LIBRA   (SEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 23)
Face it Libra, there are simply no secrets left in the world. So why should you be the exception? Try as you may, there is no hiding from the glare now. Your secrets will be swept out of the dark corners with a rather large broom. Ain’t liberation wonderful? There are no secrets worth keeping so don’t even try. In fact, you find that it pays to have a bit of tabloid press.

SCORPIO   (OCTOBER 24 - NOVEMBER 22)
The festive group dynamic provides a welcoming melody for any Scorpio with an urge to dance. The fates conspire to enhance your level of camaraderie and give you an energy surge for your usual overly cautious personality. The social possibilities are enormous as long as you don’t mind that others are calling the tune. They not only call the tune, they call the dance.

SAGITTARIUS   (NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 22)
Sagittarians are not always the most focused of people when it comes to professional goals. Thankfully, you get a jolt of ambition, vision, gumption and professional, political practicality this week. Second string just won’t play your tune right now. Orchestrate a corporate coup. Overturn the maestros and install your own rowdy band. Cause a racket.

CAPRICORN   (DECEMBER 23 - JANUARY 20)
The world is your oyster, Capricorn. Open it up and check for the pearl. Check out new vistas, take advantage of the clear sailing and seek an opportunity to expand your horizons during this current life lull. Maybe even travel to exotic locales. But remember that your high standards must be obeyed; be sure to stay in comfortable and adequately priced hotels.

AQUARIUS   (JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 19)
If you’ve been feeling as flat as last nights champagne, count on a refreshing surge of energy that comes your way this week. Romance is in the air! You find zip in your zipper and pop in your cork. Now you only need the perfect lover to make this merriment complete. Seek and ye shall find, Aquarius. You have a nice choice of tail but don’t settle for just any wag.

PISCES   (FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 20)
Relationships (and the lack thereof) become a red hot issue for Pisces. This week accentuates the need for one to one companionship. For those lucky souls who are in a relationship, spoil your partner mercilessly. For the rest of us, remember that no one is an island. Dive into the social whirlpool to catch your own big fish story. Avoid carps.