Horoscope for the Week of October 1, 2018

There is a buzzy swarm of activity in the passionate sign of Scorpio now. We can in and out of love, get a lucky break or just stand around and shine. What will you choose 

(Katy Perry has Sun in Scorpio)

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) 2018 MADAM LICHTENSTEIN, LLC., All Rights Reserved. For Entertainment Purposes Only. Madam Lichtenstein is the author of the best selling astrology book “HerScopes ” now in its 10th printing and available as an eBook

ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 20)
Your love life gets complicated, Aries. Maybe your passionate expressions will hit their target ... or totally miss. You could be someone’s object of desire ... but they may not be yours. Confusion reigns and anything can happen. But one thing is guaranteed; The fates have your back and whatever happens will be all for the best. Even if you don’t think so now.

TAURUS (APRIL 21 - MAY 21)
If you find that you are getting wrapped up in complicated relationship issues, it may be time to take a step back and reassess, Taurus. You may not be clearly listening to your partner. And you may feel that you are not getting the communication you need. But sometimes things can be cleared up without any conversation at all. Actions speak much louder than words.

GEMINI (MAY 22 - JUNE 21)
If you have been feeling sluggish, this may be a good time to focus on your health and diet. Geminis are usually peppy and energetic. But stress may be putting a damper on your enthusiasm. Get out of your usual routine and see what you can do to feel better. Sometimes it just requires a short break. Sometimes you may need something a little longer and stronger.

CANCER (JUNE 22 - JULY 23)
Tap into your creativity and see if you can find new ways to enhance your life. Quiet Cancers will find that life becomes much more exciting and lively. Go for the gusto but also know when you need to make a tough decision from an array of wonderful choices. Taking on too much at one time could result in you not being able to fully enjoy anything.

LEO (JULY 24 - AUGUST 23)
Leos may have to deal with more family issues than they would like to now. There are things boiling up and you may find yourself mediating between two contentious relatives. Old issues rise up. But do you really need to get involved? See what you must do with family and see where you can avoid getting into the middle of things. Maybe a vacation...

VIRGO (AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 23)
Expect some surprises to take place in any local endeavor. Virgos who are active in their neighborhood may find that their activities take a detour or turn into something unexpected. It may be stressful but, in fact, any crazy change has the potential to lead to an even better outcome than expected. So embrace the craziness and see where it can lead you.

LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 23)
Libras are some of the most generous people and now you are easily swayed into parting with your loot for a great love. But before you write that big check, wait and see if the cream could curdle. You don’t need to be mercenary but it would be nice to know that someone loves you for you and not for your money. Unless that doesn’t matter to you...?

SCORPIO (OCTOBER 24 - NOVEMBER 22)
While you enjoy being the mysterious behind the scenes manipulator, there will be no hiding in the background for you now, Scorpio. So get out in front of things and make your best moves when everyone is watching you. Not only will you wow the crowds, you will also be able to get a few personal things off your chest... and maybe onto others?

SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 22)
Learning to meditate and reduce your stress levels will have greater beneficial effects than ever. You need to find healthy outlets for your intense situations. But for those Sagittarians who are still figuring out how to get away from it all, use this time to refocus on what (and who) you truly enjoy in this life and do more of that. Less of the intensity.

CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 23 - JANUARY 20)
If you are feeling particlarly friendly, use your powerful charismatic balm to massage (and elevate) your social standing. Capricorns not only mix and match with the most influential folks, they can also gain entry to some of the more exclusive clubs around. But is this really what you want? Maybe create your own exclusive club ... of no more than two members.

AQUARIUS (JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 19)
They love you at work and you are tempted to take advantage of that adoration. Aquarians who are sure that their past efforts warrant rewards will go to the top of the heap. For those who have been less than diligent, show the bosses how valuable you really are. They are watching and are open to giving you the benefit of the doubt. Work so you leave no doubt.

PISCES (FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 20)
You may lose your heart to some exotic stranger now, Pisces. For those practical souls who are motivated more by creative inspiration, expand your knowledge base by taking extra classes or exploring a new hobby. You can then lose your heart to a new way of thinking. Life will be a marvelous journey no matter which path you decide to take.

(c) 2018 THE STARRY EYE, LLC., All Rights Reserved. For Entertainment Purposes Only.
Lichtenstein’s blog www.thestarryeye.typepad.com covers everything new age. Her astrology book HerScopes is the best in sun sign astrology.

Lucky Numbers for the Week of September 28, 2018

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 September 28- October 4, 2018:

5, 17, 28, 29, 31, 55, 70, 72

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

Hey Boss, You Don’t Want Your Employees to Meditate

An interesting opinion piece from the New York Times:

Mindfulness Meditation, a Buddhism-inspired practice in which you focus your mind entirely on the current moment, has been widely embraced for its instrumental benefits — especially in the business world. Companies like Apple, Google and Nike provide meditation rooms that encourage brief sessions during the workday. Chief executives publicly extol its benefits. And no wonder: The practical payoff of mindfulness is backed by dozens of studies linking it to job satisfaction, rational thinking and emotional resilience.

But on the face of it, mindfulness might seem counterproductive in a workplace setting. A central technique of mindfulness meditation, after all, is to accept things as they are. Yet companies want their employees to be motivated. And the very notion of motivation — striving to obtain a more desirable future — implies some degree of discontentment with the present, which seems at odds with a psychological exercise that instills equanimity and a sense of calm.

To test this hunch, we recently conducted five studies, involving hundreds of people, to see whether there was a tension between mindfulness and motivation. As we report in a forthcoming article in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, we found strong evidence that meditation is demotivating.

Some of the participants in our studies were trained in a few of the most common mindfulness meditation techniques. They were instructed by a professional meditation coach to focus on their breathing or mentally scan their bodies for physical sensations, being gently reminded throughout that there was no right or wrong way to do the exercise.

Other participants were led through a different exercise. Some were encouraged to let their thoughts wander; some were instructed to read the news or write about recent activities they had done.

Then we gave everyone a task to do. The tasks were similar to everyday workplace jobs: editing business memos, entering text into a computer and so on. Before embarking on the tasks, the participants were asked about their motivation: How much effort and time would they put into the assignment? Did they feel like doing it?

Among those who had meditated, motivation levels were lower on average. Those people didn’t feel as much like working on the assignments, nor did they want to spend as much time or effort to complete them. Meditation was correlated with reduced thoughts about the future and greater feelings of calm and serenity — states seemingly not conducive to wanting to tackle a work project.

Then we tracked everyone’s actual performance on the tasks. Here we found that on average, having meditated neither benefited nor detracted from a participant’s quality of work. This was bad news for proponents of meditation in the workplace: After all, previous studies have found that meditation increases mental focus, suggesting that those in our studies who performed the mindfulness exercise should have performed better on the tasks. Their lower levels of motivation, however, seemed to cancel out that benefit.

Mindfulness is perhaps akin to a mental nap. Napping, too, is associated with feeling calm, refreshed and less harried. Then again, who wakes up from a nap eager to organize some files?

By some accounts, motivation is just as important as intelligence and personality when it comes to an individual’s success, and has the advantage of being largely under an individual’s control. Companies benefit, too, when workers are motivated: A 2013 worldwide survey by Gallup found that companies with more engaged employees outperform other companies in growth and productivity.

Management theorists and organizational leaders often think about motivation in terms of financial incentives. So as part of our research, we studied whether offering a financial bonus for outstanding performance would overcome the demotivating effect of mindfulness: It did not. While the promise of material rewards will always be a useful tool for motivating employees, it is no substitute for internal motivation.

Mindfulness might be unhelpful for dealing with difficult assignments at work, but it may be exactly what is called for in other contexts. There is no denying that mindfulness can be beneficial, bringing about calm and acceptance. Once you’ve reached a peak level of acceptance, however, you’re not going to be motivated to work harder.

Kathleen D. Vohs is a professor of marketing at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Andrew C. Hafenbrack is an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Católica-Lisbon School of Business and Economics.

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook and Twitter (@NYTopinion), and sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter.

Horoscope for the Week of September 24, 2018

The good vibes wash upon us now as the Sun enters graceful Libra. It’s time to channel our passions into playful pastimes and groove to the beat of a different drummer. Turn up the volume and dance!

(Eminen 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) 2018 MADAM LICHTENSTEIN, LLC., All Rights Reserved. For Entertainment Purposes Only. Madam Lichtenstein is the author of the best selling astrology book “HerScopes ” now in its 10th printing and available as an eBook

ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 20)
Be prepared to cast refocus your attention to on a particular relationship that needs a calming balm and a careful rubadub. For those Aries in a happy relationship, make it even happier. For those seeking a connection, check out various watering holes. You will find plenty of opportunity to lure and land your big catch. Ah but then what will you do?

TAURUS (APRIL 21 - MAY 21)
Taureans go from Party Central to Paycheck Junction where you find that a go along / get along attitude can make work easier. Ride the political wave and begin to settle down in a comfortable routine. You may find that you have more control over your job than you previously thought. Will you be content to be just another cog in the corporate wheel or the engine?

GEMINI (MAY 22 - JUNE 21)
What lights your fire now Gemini? This week you are able to unleash the festive beast from within and can take command of any basheroo party, small gathering or even a tiny coffee clatch. Will you decide to make it a theme event or something more demure? Whatever you do, boogy til the cows come home. They won’t call you a party animal for nothing!

CANCER (JUNE 22 - JULY 23)
Cancers may find that family matters now demand more attention. Will it be something that has been irritating you under the skin for a while or a fresh itch? Tell it as you see it and rest your case. It is tiring to push your agenda on a fence sitter. Turn inward instead and become a happy homemaker for those who love you. Cook up a stew next week.

LEO (JULY 24 - AUGUST 23)
If Leos have been taking advantage of market conditions to make a few bucks, this will be the time to tell others of your exploits. You exude confidence and can sell anyone anything, including how brilliant you are. You can also use this time to reach out to those who can offer you expert advice. Take every seed and grow it into a tree, not a weed.

VIRGO (AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 23)
Virgos are now encouraged to cash in on their charisma and expand their area of influence. But first you need to find your inner core - what really motivates you and makes you feel special. Once you discern your true you, take that internal knowledge and apply it to improving your overall life from money to love to gratitude. You have expert balance now.

LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 23)
You’re the center of the social swirl so surround yourself with influential powermakers and be elected leader of the pack. Libras take this popularity in stride as the lure of the crowd can soon become overwhelming. If it begins to wear on you, be more discerning and picky on your mingle and glad-handing time. Sometimes an audience of one is the best.

SCORPIO (OCTOBER 24 - NOVEMBER 22)
Philanthropic deeds are amply rewarded as Scorpios rev up their charitable efforts. Karmic opportunities abound and hidden undercurrents are revealed. Give to the community and you’ll soon discover that there will be many able hands to help you in any of your loftier endeavors. Make your personal mark on the world bigger than an oily smudge.

SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 22)
There is a social revolution percolating among your friends and you find yourself in the right place at the right time to help push it along. Lucky breaks abound. Make the most of the moment, Sagittarius. Your best moves must be played with deftness and confidence. Before you know it you will be the decider in how the group dynamic plays out. Play it loudly.

CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 23 - JANUARY 20)
If your career has seemed too regimented, now is the time to take it in a new direction. The secret to your success, Capricorn, is to either find a place where your priorities come first, or decide to play the corporate game and chew with the upper crust. Worst case, take a few mental health days off and recharge your batteries. You’ll electrify when you return.

AQUARIUS (JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 19)
If you have been feeling stale and bored, now is the time to do something about it. Find ways to make your life more interesting and exciting through travel, study, breaking from a routine and meeting unique folks. Aquarians ache for international adventure and are not adverse to taking a special someone along. Pack the cooking oil.... and the frying pan.

PISCES (FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 20)
You are at your pinnacle of sexual perfection now, Pisces. You seem to know all the right things to say to sway your prey. So make your best moves now as your emotions are stirred and shaken. What is the best combination of you, me and we? Really, it ain’t calculus. See how it all adds up as you turn on the sexy heat and boil over.

(c) 2018 THE STARRY EYE, LLC., All Rights Reserved. For Entertainment Purposes Only.
Lichtenstein’s blog www.thestarryeye.typepad.com covers everything new age. Her astrology book HerScopes is the best in sun sign astrology.

 

Lucky Numbers for the Week of September 21, 2018

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 September 21-27, 2018:

2, 9, 17, 23, 32, 46, 50, 59

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