Happy Birthday, Gemini!

Birthday greetings to our cool and interesting friend, the sweet Gemini!

Ruled by Mercury, Gemini loves to communicate; not just talk, but listen too.  Geminis tend to be intelligent and love mental stimulation.  Whether it's a quiet night at home reading books or a big party with tons of movers and shakers, the Gemini is ready to go!  Learning and connecting with other people come naturally to Gemini.  It's true that Gemini people tend to change their mind quickly, but that's just because they find the world so interesting, and they want to experience it all.  But they are also genuine and sincere folks who love to immerse themselves in whatever (and whomever) interests them.  A Gemini  can inspire others with their natural interest in people around them, and their tendency to love new adventures.

These are the communicators of the zodiac!  With a Gemini by your side, you're guaranteed to have a lot of interesting conversations!

Happy Birthday, Gemini friends!  We love you!

P. S.  I made some cute birthday images of each zodiac sign... keep checking back all year for more!  I hope that you enjoy these!  They're licensed under "Creative Commons" (non-commercial only) so feel free to share them and use them for personal stuff on Facebook, Myspace, or wherever you like to network with your friends.  Have fun!

This work by ConsultTheSage.Com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

A Troll Poem

Just something I was thinking about lately... I remember it from childhood, and had no idea that Tolkien wrote it until today!

~~~

Troll sat alone on his seat of stone,
And munched and munched a bare old bone;
For many a year he had gnawed it near,
For meat was hard to come by.
Done by!  Gum by!
In a cave in the hills he dwelt alone,
And meat was hard to come by.

Up came Tom with his big boots on.
Said he to Troll, "Pray, what is yon?
For it looks like the shin o' my nuncle Tim,
As should be lyin' in graveyard.
Caveyard!  Paveyard!
This many a year has Tim been gone,
And I thought he were lyin' in graveyard!"

"For a couple o' pins," says Troll, and grins,
"I'll eat thee too, and gnaw thy shins.
A bit o' fresh meat will go down sweet!
I'll try my teeth on thee now.
Hee now!  See now!
I'm tired of gnawing old bones and skins.
I've a mind to dine on thee now."

"My lad," said Troll, "this bone I stole.
But what be bones that lie in a hole?
Thy nuncle was dead as a lump o' lead,
Afore I found his shinbone.
Tinbone!  Thinbone!
He can spare a share for a poor old Troll;
For he don't need his shinbone."

Said Tom:  "I don't see what the likes o' thee
Without axin' leave should go makin' free
With the shank or the shin o' my father's kin;
So hand the old bone over!
Rover!  Trover!
Though dead he be, it belongs to he;
So hand the old bone over!"

But just as he thought his dinner was caught,
He found his hands had hold of naught.
Before he could mind, Tom slipped behind
And gave him the boot to larn him.
Warn him!  Darn him!
A bump o' the boot on the seat, Tom thought,
Would be the way to larn him.

But harder than stone is the flesh and bone
Of a troll that sits in the hills alone.
As well set your boot to the mountain's root,
For the seat of a troll don't feel it.
Peel it!  Heal it!
Old Troll laughed, when he heard Tom groan,
And he knew his toes could feel it.

Tom's leg is game, since home he came,
And his bootless foot is lasting lame;
But Troll don't care, and he's still there
With the bone he boned from its owner.
Doner!  Boner!
Troll's old seat is still the same,
And the bone he boned from its owner.

-- J. R. R. Tolkien

Erotomania: Is It Real?

I drew this picture of Jenna Elfman as
Ellena Roberts, wearing an orange prison
jumpsuit.  I love drawing with PhotoShop!

If you're at all familiar with the Lifetime movie "Obsessed," you must be wondering about the details of erotomania.  The therapist in the movie described it as "a condition where one believes that one is loved by someone, when in fact, one is not."  That is just the tip of the iceberg.

It is a type of mental health disorder where the person believes that someone else -- often a stranger, and usually a celebrity or person of high status -- is in love with him or her.  Patients will often manifest an entire relationship that exists solely in their own minds.  The disorder occurs in people who have bipolar disorder during mania, schizophrenia, a psychosis of some type, or a disorder involving delusions.

When a person experiences an episode of erotomania, he or she often interprets the actions of their "love interest" as directed solely at him or her.  The "love interest" may, in the erotomaniac's opinion, be sending them secret messages via actions, gestures, or facial expressions, as well as messages via regular media.  The erotomaniac may also return this imaginary affection through contacting the love interest, through calling, emailing, sending gifts, or even visiting the love interest.  

Although these gestures are not expected or wanted, the love interest's denial of this "relationship" is often viewed by the erotomaniac as some type of scheme to conceal their relationship from the public.

In "Obsessed," the main character, Ellena Roberts, was erotomaniacally obsessed with Dr. David Stillman, a renowned surgeon that she pursued relentlessly.  Toward the beginning of the movie, the viewer is lead to believe that their relationship is real but clandestine, as Dr. Stillman is married and a very public, well-known physician.  As the movie progresses, we begin to understand the depth of Ellena's madness.  Her delusions and compulsions extend far beyond simply Dr. Stillman, and in fact are seen as not just a nuisance, but a potential threat to the safety of others if left unchecked.

The movie, "Obsessed" is, in fact,  based on the true story of Diane Schaefer who stalked Dr. Murray Brennan, chief surgeon at Sloan-Kettering in New York City, for about eight years.  She sent him letters, called his home and his office, brought gifts, and even managed to sneak into his home to greet him in a see-through negligee.  Although the fictional Ellena Roberts (who is played by Jenna Elfman) never threatened to harm her doctor in any way, the real Diane Schaefer is quoted as saying to Dr. Murray: "I can't live while you're alive on this earth.  I am going to kill you!  Kill you, or kill myself -- I am degraded by your being alive."

External Symptoms and Signs of a Spiritual Awakening

Major life changes.  While this is not necessarily a symptom of a spiritual awakening, it is often a trigger.  Significant life events, such as divorce, job loss or change, death of someone close to you, moving, or major illness (yours or someone else's) can give impetus to a newfound spiritual status as well.  While we cannot always prevent these life changes from occurring -- and indeed, in many cases, have no control over these at all -- we can control our reactions to them.  Even negative changes may manifest something positive at the end.  You are stronger than you realize.

Technical difficulties.  It feels like Mercury is in retrograde all the time!  Your computer may crash, your cell phone might lose its signal, or your car refuses to start.  Yes, these things can happen to everyone from time to time.  However, if you notice a significant increase in the technical difficulties with machinery and mechanical devices, this may be your higher power trying to tell you something.  Some folks actually do reiki healing techniques on their cars or computers.  Couldn't hurt!  But more than anything, try to keep these issues in their proper perspective.

You notice cycles which seem to repeat themselves over and over again.  Issues that you may have had in the past (and avoided) are much more likely to resurface.  Incidents that you have put aside may keep coming back to pass as they require your attention and resolution.  People that you have avoided, pushed away, or whose issues you have failed to handle adequately may suddenly be thrust back into your life, prompting you to finally resolve the issues between you.  Even if the people themselves are not presenting themselves back into your life, the old issues that you've had with others can still keep cropping back up into your consciousness.  It's also possible that new people will trigger these same negative feelings or dealings.  This is your consciousness's way of trying to clear the air with you.  In order to properly attune yourself to your new spiritual level, you must first clear away the toxic emotional debris and ineffective ways of dealing with these issues.  Try to take these occurrences as the lessons which they are intended, and work on the issues so that you can more formally immerse yourself in new and exciting arenas.

A keener sense of mystical coincidences, miracles, and cosmic "gifts."  Your eyes may open to interesting new experiences such as symbols and signs which may have ordinarily been ignored by you in the past.  Seemingly innocuous aspects of your life may start to carry extra significance and meaning.  You may find these in day-to-day life, but they may also manifest during sleep in the form of meaningful dreams and visions.  Spiritual awakenings will often bring those hidden meanings out into the open for people, whether they are seeking them or not.  Coincidences may also happen more often; strange or unusual occurrences can often cluster together and help to you dictate your path in life.  Try being on the lookout for cosmic messages, as it can be a fun and interesting experience.

Your own personal "Law of Attraction" success.  Remember that thoughts, even when unuttered and discarded, are still going someplace.  Although you may not act on all thoughts, they are still existing on some level, and you are still putting them out to the universe.  Perhaps you're manifesting some great things, but be careful what, good or ill, you're wishing for -- you might just get it!

What's more, it seems that the opportunities to learn lessons and to put personal issues into their proper places seem to be cropping up more and more.  This is the universe's way of telling you that it is time to handle your emotional and personal baggage now, in order to prepare for the changes which are about to come.  You may see signs throughout the course of your day which point to certain thoughts or ideas at hand which you need to tackle -- take those hints for what they are, and do your best to try to see them through.  You already know what you need to do; but now, it is time to do it.

Vedic Astrology for Potential Love Matches

Astrology involves studying the aspects of stars, planets, and other bodies in space with the belief that these celestial bodies can guide occurrences and human traits here on earth. Astrological forecasts can be utilized in order to predict various things within our lives; our livelihoods, our fortunes, even our loves and friends can be determined through astrology. Astrological predictions can help to steer you in the pathway of success. The effect on celestial movements in our day-to-day living can't necessarily be dismissed. There are millions of people using astrology to help them every day.

Some people even use astrology to determine whom they should marry. Marriage is a sacred bond between two people, and although divorce rates are high, most of us take our marriages seriously as an important part of life. However, it can be very difficult to find the right woman or man who can unite with your body, heart, and soul. Astrology can help you to find the right person, though. Folks can use astrology to determine how compatible two people might be. In India, people use Hindu Astrology (or Vedic Astrology) to determine which people are best suited to one another. It's a very common procedure; the astrology specialists can also help to settle on just the right time for the marriage to occur, as well as which dates should not be chosen for the wedding. A bride or groom's natal chart and horoscope can provide much inside information on the future, but also the present and past as well. An astrologer can also forecast where the couple's rough patches may begin or end, such as when Saturn or Venus are in bad placements for the bride and groom. Astrology can be a valuable tool in determining when breakups or divorces are most likely to happen, in order to soften the blow or avoid the breakups entirely.

In order to do a bride and groom's natal charts and compatibility assessment, the astrologer needs the birthdates, birth times, and birth locations of both people. The natal chart is cast with this information. Each planet and celestial body was in a specific position at the time of birth, so those specific locations have an effect on the bride and groom's individual personalities. The astrological information does not need to be perfectly compatible, but generalities are very important. People can also learn about one another with this information: how to communicate with them most effectively, what they are seeking in a potential partner, and which aspects of yourself that you need to work on as your marriage grows.