Neptune, the god who calleth those things that be not as though they were

Dear Reader,

(Reader is singular because I probably have only one reader, but to you I am grateful and i hope you conclude this post with a sense of inspiration).

Thank you for coming here to find out what I have to say today (it's after midnight and I just swigged my homemade brew of Starbucks coffee a little over three quarters of an hour ago). I pondered the topic for this edition of the Art of the Chart all day. 

I will attempt to keep this post short just because I have a bit of graphic design work to do before my brain comes to a screeching halt for the night (day).

So I have to write about Neptune again because it is such an indescribable planet. Of course now that I try to channel Neptune, I have no attention span (while watching 
Project Runway All Stars Challenge 2009 next to this screen.

Neptune doesn't get as much power credit as some of the other planets. Take the Sun. The Sun is where you shine. Mars. Mars is action, raw energy, sex drive, vitality. Even Saturn. Saturn scares you and kicks your ass  your whole life then Father Time says your time is up and you die. Yes, Saturn is a mother2^#! I mentioned Neptune's the generic influences in my February 17th blog.


But inspiration and imagination are two powerful forces. Since everything begins with a thought, the imagination allows us to visualize where we would like to go if we are not already there. Almost everything (manmade) around us first existed as a figment of someone's imagination before it materialized. How could we use the internet if someone didn't have the imagination to visualize and materialize something invisible? How did someone figure out that people's computers could talk to each other through some weird concept known as cyberspace? This imagination of the human mind includes all things good and bad. What is this concept called "mind," anyway? The word "mind" doesn't exist in German and probably many other languages (in French the word is "esprit," which is also the word for "spirit").

I have a lot of imagining to do right now as things in my life have to change drastically. Neptune gives relief when things get tough. I am currently experiencing an opportunity to tell my mind that my life is on a completely different level from where it actually is at this moment. Specifically, I am being sued by a credit card company and I need to go to court and deal with it (I can't pay it). But I am scared. I have been in court before under much more dire circumstances at a much younger age, so I can do this. 

Using mental pictures and associating powerful positive emotions will help me maintain the faith and strength to manifest my dreams. I absolutely must achieve my goals so that my children know that they can achieve theirs, too. I have multiple law issues to deal with, coming under the ruling of Venus and Saturn. This Friday, Venus day, I must deal with some legal issues and talk to my (hopefully) first mentor. I truly believe in my heart of hearts that I will be able to overcome anything because I will be able to surround myself with people who will help and believe in me to steer me on the right path.

astrologyblog

Today I went to a great class called Marketing Like A Pro at CAMBA, less than a ten minute walk from my apartment. I had NO idea that CAMBA had 55 locations in Brooklyn and a $70,000,000 annual budget. This was one of the best classes I have ever attended, anywhere, period. Before arriving, I didn't know what to expect. The title of the course itself seemed a little cheesy but I really feel like the class lived up to its name. And it was FREE. Only in New York. We really do have the best and worst of everything here. This free class was a better deal than an MBA Marketing class at Harvard (not dissing Harvard, but free is a better deal by default). The instructor started off by asking us what we wanted to cover in the course. We had thirteen points on the board—they were all covered in detail and I learned more about marketing in those two and a half hours than I have learned in my entire lifetime.

The first day I started this blog, I mentioned that I was working on the marketing section in my business plan. I have been gathering information but haven't been able to visualize the structure needed to execute the plan, nevermind convey it on paper. But now I can do it. And I am scared. The world of possibilities continues to reveal itself to me each day. And for that, I am grateful. Feeling like I am finally headed where I need to go, I vacillate between elation, excitement and tears of joy/fatigue, and being frightened (how the hell am I going to get this done?). I realized after taking this class that I have to go back to the drawing board and revisit my target market demographics.

The planet Mercury rules over Wednesday (in French, Wednesday is mercredi). Mercury rules Virgo and Gemini. I met a Virgo wedding planner who I think I can work with and vice versa (more on this later). Use Wednesdays and mercury hours for learning, research, and transferring information. Fait accompli.

Finally, on this day (well, now it's technically yesterday) I went downtown and taped up a couple of flyers around the area where I lost my camera. I hope the police don't call me (yes, I printed my phone number) tomorrow morning saying that I committed a federal offense by posting flyers on private property ( a subway entrance, a telephone booth). I was desperate to do something to alleviate my grief. If I go to jail, at least I will have a lot of time to plan. Siiiigggh.

Ugh. Neptune, you swampy water god

I am heartbroken. Saturday was my toddler's third birthday so we went to a Family Art Making Day at BRIC—a Brooklyn gallery. I took a grand total of three pictures and remember putting the camera back into its carrying case before returning it to my backpack. After we left, someone tapped me on the back saying my bag was open and of course the camera fell out but I didn't realize this until today. Priceless pictures gone forever. Losing things has always been a past time of mine.
Neptune in the first house makes be prone to daydreaming, confusion, forgetfulness and disorganization. The positive traits I get from this placement include daydreaming, escapism (speaking of which, I sure could use a drink right about now*), imagination, mystical tendencies, ability to tune into psychic energy, artistic and musical ability. I am kind of too upset to write now. I cried a little because I felt a loss for the pictures of my kids. The only way I felt a little better after posting a lost ad on craigslist and seeing that I am not the only one who has recently lost something of value. Someone actually posted that they found an envelope with a thousand dollars in it!  My belief in humanity has been temporarily been restored but I am still aching in the heart area. My husband bought that camera for me to photograph our baby. Sighhhhh.

OK so I really need to just post this. Remember how yesterday I mentioned I have trouble sustaining my energy levels? I got a chance to listen to February 9th's edition of James' Martinez's show with Richard Bandler who helps severely mentally ill or phobic people get rid of psychological problems really quickly (I need to see him myself!). For over forty years, Bandler has studied the techniques used by successful people and how they control their thought patterns and how they harness their behaviors in order to be successful. Interestingly, he mentions that the people who are finishers become MORE motivated as they get closer to their finished results and they don't wait till the last minute to do things (hmm, the opposite of my usual tactics).

I am going to force the more evolved side of Neptune to prevail at the moment so, it's better if I work on my moon app art now. Maybe I will design a flyer to hang up around downtown.

Going to a free business seminar tomorrow. I hope it inspires...

* I chose to finish my broccoli soup with a dash of port in it and drink a cup of British Blend Tetley tea instead.

New Moon, Retro Mars

Ugh, too much time has passed since I have written. A week goes by in the blink of an eye. This motherhood, work-at-home-mom thing is impossible. Men just don't understand. The two of us are here all the time (my husband and I) but it's still me who is on call 24/7. I am not complaining (well, maybe a little bit) but truthfully, my time management skills have always left much to be desired.

This past week has been one adventure in mother hell. The other night, my toddler was on the potty and my baby was around the potty. For some reason, the baby enjoys knocking down the potty cover while my toddler sits on it (and draws for hours) and basically quietly heckles my overdue potty trained daughter. I stepped out of the room to look through some sketch books for blank pages for busy-time drawings. No more than two minutes passed before I got back to the children—my baby had brown smeared all around her mouth and her hands. A tiny brown hand print was (wet) plastered on my older daughter's white (it was a gift!) sweater. I screamed bloody murder as my baby had literally eaten sh*$!@. Typical! My toddler might has well been whistling dixie. She just sat there as though her baby sister's sampling her second hand foodwares was no different from her eating Gerber.

As much as all of these incidents go on in life, I have to stay focused on what I am supposed to do. How can I remain focused? I just try to remember what my Sun is about. Achievement. That fable
The Tortoise and the Hare didn't get lost on me as a wee one. Not surprisingly, I feel like this time, if I can hammer away a little each day, time (good ol' Saturn) will definitely be on my side and I can really accomplish this.

Today the Moon is in Pisces. I tend to have very low energy and feel a bit blaaahhh when the Moon is in this sign--even more so than when it's in Cancer which is supposed to be sort of ugly for Capricorns. Capricorns don't generally like to tune into the moon energy (or at least this one doesn't). It's too moody and unpredictable for me. I like the intuition and all that, but I just don't like being all erratic and affected by stuff. A case in point is that I missed the New Moon again. This is bad because I need to do some money spells. I also forgot that it is Chinese New Year of the Tiger (I have to look that one up). The New Moon in Aquarius has definitely brought some far out hopes and wishes to the forefront. But now it's imperative to harness the Mars Retrograde in Leo energy so as not to burn out my enthusiasm and let the dreams fade away. I have super weak fire (a little debilitated Saturn in Aries, oy vey) in my chart so my stamina really is about slow and steady wins the race. I think this fixed nature of Leo will help me to really push my career along (it's placement is in my tenth house of career. When it goes direct in early March, I hope to have my first app done).

I wanted to just make everyone aware if you are trying to put together a marketing plan, check out this Facebook link and make this machine work for your whatever you're trying to do. There's so much information on this site that I am still sifting through. The potential here is incredible! Exciting!

Plutonium

Wow, it actually feels weird to miss a day. I had tonight's blog all planned out in my head. I was going to write about the Sun in our charts and how the Sun sign is our "get-out-of-jail" card. But that topic will have to wait till another time because I feel the need to bring another issue to your attention.

I've been listening to radio (on i-Tunes. I listen to an astrological/
numerological radio show entirely in French by an elderly gal called "Granny" and the jazz station WKCR), and James Martinez's podcasts these days. I am so glad that my conscious mind takes me away from the garbage being spouted on regular radio (including the music) and has led me to being able to stay informed by another type of reality that is more aligned with my natural state of existence. If any of you out there are struggling with financial problems, it is important to know that a great engineered financial crisis is being planned by the (unseen) Powers that Be. There is a lot of information available on this and it's beyond the scope of this blog but for those of us who are not where we want to be in life at this time, it behooves us to learn how to de- and reprogram ourselves immediately.

James Martinez has a spot on Achieveradio which I heavily endorse for those in need of financial and spiritual realignment (I am raising my hand on that one). I only just now got a chance to listen to Thursday, February 4th's podcast. He included a part of a speech given by Texas Congressman Ron Paul. Now I am not particularly fond of the politics that come out of the State of Texas, nor am I a fan of most Republicans (and for those of you who are, that's fine. I am not a Democrat, either and that topic is also for another day) but I do think he is at least tries to warn the masses about where we're headed. Please listen to the  radio show for details, but basically Ron Paul shows us how the Pluto in Capricorn situation is unfolding.

In a nutshell (or a bullet shell is a more appropriate metaphor), the people behind the scenes are trying to take advantage of this crumbling infrastructure to crack down on our civil liberties and our so-called freedom in the name of our security. I have news for you—any time someone tries to take away any of your liberties or freedom, it is NEVER for your own security. Don't fall for that. The naked body scanners in airports all over the world are NOT there for your security. A scan of every person who passes through them will have a digital image stored in a satellite that will be used for the purpose of tracking us. No, you won't see this on CNN or Fox News but people like James will tell you the truth because—let's say if they really are trying to imprison us—we can use the truth to set us free.

This is really how we need to survive Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto exposes the truth under a huge pile of rubble.  Despite its demotion from being considered a planet, Pluto shows us in our chart what and where we have to survive. The Plutonian (read plutonium) energy will blow everything in its path to kingdom come. Pluto is transiting somewhere in your chart right now and that is where you will feel him for better or for worse. Pluto will be visiting my communication sector till around 2024 so I am doing my part to tell you how it's really going down.

Luckily (and unluckily), I am very familiar with survival and the plutonian energy since this planet both rules my chart and is one of my dispositors (in layman's terms, Pluto kicks my ass all the time). As you all know, I am a Capricorn too. Simply put, this means that Big Business and Big Brother are going DOWN and they are going to try to take us with them. What they don't want you to know is that you have control over your own thoughts and actions (if you chose to) and don't have to go out like that.

Hopefully you will familiarize yourself to some of the people I mention in this blog so that you can begin to get ready for whatever life or God or your stars has in store for you. It's time to train because we are going to need a lot of endurance.

Easy like Sunday morning, not Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Keeping true to my word, I wrote an audacious letter to my prospective mentor yesterday. I started off said letter by stating that I had originally wanted to choose Anita Roddick but since she has been dead for a couple of years, the person I addressed the letter to was my next choice. I didn't send it yet since I want to format it flawlessly and stamp my logo on it. I didn't mention my project(s) directly, just some important common points we have. I will send it tomorrow, Sunday because Sunday is a great day for looking good (it's a day to SHINE, whether you are a sweaty preacher in a pulpit or a Sunday painter showing watercolors at a gallery opening...).

Just a side note--I used to DREAD Sundays. When I was young, I always lived with people who spent the entire Sunday attending church. This includes my extended family of aunts when I lived in Wichita, Kansas (New Covenant), three foster homes (The Goddards in Asbury Park, NJ, Reverend Gerald Cobb in Freehold, NJ and the late driving to New York City to see Reverend "Ike"* with Sue Williams) and finally, my father in Los Angeles (I religiously attended one of the three Sunday services at Crenshaw Christian Center*). Depending on who I was living with or where I was, I would sometimes go to worship services two or three times in a day. What I hated most was having to get up at 6 am. What I hated second most was my hair. No matter what the circumstances, let's just say, I wouldn't have wanted to go to heaven on any of those given Sundays and  have to spend the rest of eternity with my hair like that.

Looking back I am grateful for having had some form of faith to lean on. Though it isn't what I believe now (not literally anyway), I know I got a lot out of those Sundays. If you still don't think Sunday is a day to shine, go to any black church in the US and look at the sistahs dressed in their Sunday best complete with hats I bet you didn't know they made anymore. Ordinary people shining with all their might as they sing praises to the Lord. Preachers getting hearty hallelujas and praise Jeeee-sus with spatterings of AAAY-MAN! All very theatrical. The Sun rules Leo, which among other things, rules the theatre...People getting filled with the Holy Ghost and going into a sort of trance dance that undoubtedly comes from the dances rooted in African ceremonies. Someone getting up and spontaneously speaking in tongues, or glossolalia. Now that's the power of the SUN.

Much later,  I loathed Sundays in a much different way. I had countless daymares and nightmares, fearing what unspeakable doom would await me on Mondays at work. Inevitably, Monday brought the usual generically genial and benign "how was your weekend?", " good but too short" call and response script,  followed shortly by the dreaded cycle of waiting for the weekend all over again. How depressing. For me, this was the most certain and painful way to die an slow, hellish death. For anyone going through this, something CAN be done. If you are at a loss on where to begin change, look to your chart (or horoscope). The answer can be found by examining your SUN!

Between Venus and Jupiter

Hi From the Depths of Cyberhell. Still plugging away on this marketing thing. I have to say that I am extremely excited, even though I feel so far away from my goals. Can I just have one goal, please? Here we are, Venus hour, hour of socializing. Luxurious, lovely leisure-seeking, lusty Venus rules Friday. Why do we love Fridays? One reason I can think of is that those of us who are in the working world (not me) look forward to the hour on the clock when we are free for the weekend. Thank God it's Friday represents a chance to engage in leisure—Venus loves to kick up her heels and chill—go out for a drink (or several), hang out, take the paycheck and shop (Venus rules money and shopping--especially luxury). It's also a good day to ask for favors (so if you are looking to ask for a raise, you know which day to ask), settle quarrels, start investing and make improvements to appearances. 


I had a packed day as usual, but managed to do a bit more research on my prospective mentor (I watched a video of a speech that this prospective mentor gave on Youtube and I have to admit I was a little bit intimidated because this person has a razor sharp wit and I tend to spar with people with this type. But when I am asking for a huge favor, maybe not such a good idea. I left a message on this CEO's assistant's machine yesterday, introducing myself as an alumna of the same undergraduate college seeking mentorship. She called me back within thirty minutes and said she was already booking for August.


I have to meditate on which approach to take for my mentorship letter. Business-like bullshit? Or should I use Capricorn candor and tell it how it is? Although my sun sign is Capricorn, my mercury resides in Aquarius. This means I communicate and process information in an Aquarian manner (read: there's a fine line between genius and insanity). This means I have a tendency to lean toward eccentric or unexpected. I am unable to genuinely say what I think people want to hear—I have to speak the truth as how I perceive it. A few years ago, I asked potential employers their astrological signs and told them that I had to know if I was able to tolerate working for them based on their signs—I got the job.


Refusing to toe the line has gotten me into trouble my whole life but today I must present myself as how I really am, weaknesses and all. Today I am going to muster up the courage to ask someone for help. 

February the First, Part Deux

Welcome my blog Art of the Chart, although I originally wanted the title to be: The Art of Changing Crisis into Opportunity: Or How to Really Start a Business with Literally No Money. Too long. As the current title suggests, I will to show you how I use astrology of my horoscope and the horoscope of the day of the week to change my life. I hope to inspire you to do the same.


I know I called the first posting February the First but it was uploaded yesterday, the second. That's because I must brush up on my very rusty HTML skills and I am currently surfing the crest of a new learning curve. On Monday, I wrote a great deal more than I posted, so I would like to catch up by posting some of the highlights over the next few days with changes (Monday is ruled by the Moon which changes like the tides of the ocean) (the Moon rules the ocean and tides—astronomically verifiable phenomenon) :


This blog will help keep me on track and I hope it will help others who are in similar situations. I am a mother of two girls--ages three as of February 13th and eight months. With no regular income and no nanny, time and money constraints force me to distill The Business down to the bare essentials and keep my nose to the grindstone every single day.


My day requires constant prioritization and re-prioritization of immediate to-do lists. A typical day might look like this:

1. Upload this blog entry (after tweaking)
2. Upload a picture or two
3. Flesh out the marketing section of my business plan
4. Send said plan to business coach, the wonderful
   Elisa Balabram
5. Sketch designs for iPhone apps
6. Start laying out User Interface screens for apps
7. Design tee shirts to be sold on Café Press or similar tee shirt vendor site
8. Write introduction to prospective mentor
9. Take children to park after naps
10. Cook dinner
11. Stay up till three am to do more of 3-8

Doesn't thist list seem a bit unrealistic? I might be able to do two of the non-child related tasks today if I am lucky. But which ones do I choose? (I have Moon in Libra, so making decisions can be challenging for me sometimes) Which priority is most likely to go quickest and most smoothly if I do it at the right time?


Today Wednesday, so I know that this day is ruled by Mercury—the planet of communication of all types. If I can focus on the list items that involve communication, starting with number one, working my way down the list, I will have accomplished something by three a.m.


Well, it looks like number nine has moved to the top of the list so I will be back later...

February the First

We the unwilling led by the unknowing have been doing the unthinkable for so long with so little, we now attempt the impossible with nothing.” ——Anonymous

BILL E. GOTE represents the zodiac sign Capricorn—the billy goat with the fish's tail. The cookbook description for Capricorn goes something like this: Capricorn lives by his life-long ambition to reach the top of the mountain. He will bide his time, surviving by eating tin cans or in the case of Three Billy Goats Gruff using his ingenuity, wit or creativity because he has little else at the outset of his voyage. Armed with maddening patience, rock-solid perseverence, practicality, and painstaking effort, he eventually achieves his goals when others have long since given up the ghost (Capricorns, along with Sagittarians tend to live longer than other
signs). Of course there is more to this story but we will get there in due time.

For now, I invite you to accompany me on this journey to creating an astrological lifestyle company started from little more than ingenuity (free), inspiration (free), insight and innovation (mostly free).

I want to share all the cheap and free ways I find to get this business off the ground, as well as the information that will help get things done by using the astrological forecast to guide us to our destinations (destinies).

If I can build this business and I will, you will know that you can do whatever it is you set out to do, too. Most importantly, we can inspire others to create value with their lives and be the change we want to see (be).