Hudson Valley Astrologer

“Even if we are in a simulation, the simulated world is no less real to us. But there is no compelling evidence that we are, and the default hypothesis should be that our world is as it seems.” ~ David Chalmers, Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy (2022) My day starts as it…

“Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile — especially a candy apple.” ~ Mark Twain The food that brings me back in my mind’s eye to wax nostalgically about an idealized past is the candy apple. I’m not really sure…

“Wine comes in at the mouth And love comes in at the eye; That’s all we shall know for truth Before we grow old and die.” ~ William Butler Yeats Happy Solstice! The Sun moves into Cancer tonight at 10:42 p.m. and the chart for the summer solstice appears to be focused on power dynamics.…

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci has always been an intriguing figure in my mind. He was born in the sign of Taurus, a little over…

“Skambha upholds both heaven and earth; Skambha upholds the wide firmament.” ~ (Atharva Veda 10.7.38). The south of India is home to some of the most ancient and sacred temples in the world. Kodaikanal is an especially sacred place in its own right. Temples such as the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Brihadeeswarar Temple in…

“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” ~ Oscar Wilde When push comes to shove, I am like The Fool, the first card in a Tarot deck. I will in the words of Alexander Pope, “rush in where angels refuse to tread.” But with age I am much less impetuous in regard to…

“What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.” ~ Henry David Thoreau My goal for retirement is to channel my energies and resources into behavioral patterns that help others, and that bring me as close as possible to experiencing the inherent joy I get from exercising those behaviors. In other words, my dream retirement is to…

“A father is someone you look up to no matter how far up the ladder you go.” ~ Anonymous My father-in-law gave me his ladder many years ago. He bought it back in the late sixties and god only knows how many times he climbed up and down those rungs. God only knows how many…

“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep.” ~ Rumi Facing the vast and powerfully dark depths of the ocean, I imagine her as not being composed of individual water molecules, jellyfish, whales, seashells and sand, but as one thing — the ocean. Yet, she is much more than…