This Way Out - HIPFiSHmonthly

FREE WILL ASTROLOGYSeptember 29 - October 19© Copyright 2010 Rob BrezsnyARIES (March 21-April 19): I’ve got a challenging assignmentfor you. In accordance with your current astrological omens, I aminviting you to cultivate a special kind of receptivity -- a rigorouslyinnocent openness to experience that will allow you to be penetratedby life’s beauty with sublime intensity. To understand theexact nature of this receptivity, study Abraham Maslow’s definitionof real listening: to listen “without presupposing, classifying,improving, controverting, evaluating, approving or disapproving,without dueling what is being said, without rehearsing the rebuttalin advance, without free-associating to portions of what isbeing said so that succeeding portions are not heard at all.”TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Government officials in SouthernSudan are proposing to build cities in fantastic shapes. Theysay that the regional capital of Juba would be recreated toresemble a rhinoceros, as seen from the air. The town of Yambiois destined to look like a pineapple and the city of Wau will bea giraffe. I’m confused by all this, since I know that most of thepeople in South Sudan live on less than a dollar a day. Is that reallyhow they want their country’s wealth spent? Please considerthe possibility, Taurus, that there are also some misplaced prioritiesin your own sphere right now. Hopefully they’re nothing onthe scale of what’s happening in South Sudan, but still: Allocateyour resources with high discernment, please.GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You have cosmic clearance to falldeeply, madly, and frequently in love, Gemini. In fact, it’s OK withthe gods of fate and the angels of karma if you swell up with aflood of infatuation and longing big enough to engorge an entirecity block. The only stipulation those gods and angels insist onis that you do not make any rash decisions or huge life changeswhile in the throes of this stupendous vortex. Don’t quit your job,for instance, or sell all your belongings, or dump your temporarilyout-of-favor friends and loved ones. For the foreseeable future,simply enjoy being enthralled by the lush sexy glory of the liquidblue fire.CANCER (June 21-July 22): Among the surprises spilled byWikiLeaks some months back was the revelation that U.S. diplomatsthink Canadians feel “condemned to always play ‘Robin’ tothe U.S. ‘Batman.’” If that’s true, it shouldn’t be. While Canadamay not be able to rival the war-mongering, plutocrat-coddling,environment-despoiling talents of my home country America,it is a more reliable source of reason, compassion, and civility.Are you suffering from a similar disjunction, Cancerian? Do youimagine yourself “Robin” in relationship to some overweening“Batman”? This would be an excellent time to free yourself ofthat dynamic.LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Enigmatology” is an infrequently-usedword that means the study of puzzles and how to solve them.I’m invoking it now to highlight the fact that you need to call onsome unusual and idiosyncratic and possibly even farfetchedresources as you intensify your efforts to solve the puzzles thatare spread out before you. The help you’ve called on in the pastjust won’t be enough for this new round of gamesmanship. Thetheories and beliefs and strategies that have brought you this farcan’t take you to the next stage.VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): This would not be a good time for youto read the book called The Complete Idiot’s Guide to EnhancingSelf-Esteem. In fact, it will never be the right time to readit. While it’s true that at this juncture in your life story you canmake exceptional progress in boosting your confidence andfeeling positive about yourself, you’re not an idiot and you don’tneed idiot-level assistance. If there was a book called The ImpishGuide to Accessing and Expressing Your Idiosyncratic Genius,I’d definitely recommend it. Likewise a book titled The Wild-EyedGuide to Activating Your Half-Dormant Potential or The BrilliantLife-Lover’s Guide to Becoming a Brilliant Life-Lover.LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “When I was born,” said comedianGracie Allen, “I was so surprised I didn’t talk for a year and ahalf.” I suspect you will soon be experiencing a metaphoricalrebirth that has some of the power of the event she was referringto. And so I won’t be shocked if you find it challenging toformulate an articulate response, at least in the short term. Infact, it may take you a while to even register, let alone express,the full impact of the upgrade you will be blessed with.SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “During a game of Apocalypseagainst the Witchhunters,” reports Andrew_88 in an onlineforum, “I authorized my Chaos Lord to throw his vortex grenadeat the oncoming Cannoness and her bodyguard. Safe to sayhe fluffed it and the vortex grenade scattered back on top ofhim. Then he proceeded to take out my allies, the Havocs, LandRaider, and Baneblade, before disappearing, having done nodamage to my opponent.” I suggest you regard this as a helpfullesson to guide your own actions in the coming days, Scorpio. Donot, under any circumstances, unleash your Chaos Lord or lethim throw his vortex grenade at anyone. He could damage yourown interests more than those of your adversaries.SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): According to my analysis ofthe astrological omens, it’s high time for you to receive a floodof presents, compliments, rewards, and blessings. You got aproblem with that? I hope not. I hope you are at peace with thefact that you deserve more than your usual share of recognition,appreciation, flirtations, and shortcuts. Please, Sagittarius?Please don’t let your chronic struggles or your cynical views ofthe state of the world blind you to the sudden, massive influx ofluck. Pretty please open your tough heart and skeptical mind tothe bounty that the universe is aching to send your way.CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I like how astrologer HunterReynolds encapsulates the Capricornian imperative. If you “canmanage your ego’s erratic moods and uneven motivations wellenough to offer a service with consistent quality,” he says, “theworld confers social recognition and its accompanying materialadvantages on you.” The members of other signs may appearwarmer and fuzzier than you, but only because you expressyour care for people through a “strictness of focus,” “disciplinedwork,” and by being a “dependable helpmate.” This describesyou at your best, of course; it’s not easy to meet such high standards.But here’s the good news: The omens suggest you nowhave an excellent opportunity to function at your very best.AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Not being omniscient is a reallybig drag for me,” says poet Charles Harper Webb. I sympathizewith him. My life would be so much easier and my power wouldbe so much more graceful if only I knew everything there is toknow. That’s why I’m going to be a little jealous of you in thecoming weeks, Aquarius. You may not be supremely authoritativeabout every single subject, but you will have access to far moreintuitive wisdom than usual, and you’ll be making extra good useof the analytical understandings you have. Bonus: You will alsobe absorbing new lessons at an elevated rate.PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): John Tyler was President of theUnited States from 1841 to 1845. Believe it or not, two of hisgrandsons are still alive today. They’re Lyon Gardiner Tyler andHarrison Ruffin Tyler, born late in the life of their father, who wasborn late in John Tyler’s life. I invite you to find some equallyamazing connection you have to the past, Pisces. How is yourdestiny linked to the long ago and faraway? I suspect you mightfind that distant history will be more vital and important thanusual in the coming weeks.Homework. At least 30 percent of everything you and I knowis more than half-wrong. I’m brave enough to admit it. Are you?Describe your ignorance at FreeWillastrology.com.Featuring biking quips, quibbles, and some damngood advice from Margaret Hammitt-McDonald.Mile-High Cycling (and Beyond)Every few years, Seth and I visit his familyin beautiful Boulder, Colorado. Boulderhas a well-designed system of cycling lanesand trails, including the fantastic BoulderCreek Path,a scenicpedestrian/cyclepath thatconnectsriders andstrollers todifferentparts of thecity withminimalcontactwith motorizedtraffic.SinceBoulderreceivessun much of the year, a sizable outdoorslovingpopulation (including students at abig Colorado University campus) keeps thecity cycle-friendly. The roads leading fromtown to the mountains also make for enjoyablerecreational rides.Much as all of these inviting featurescause these cycle commuters to get excitedabout our periodic visits to the Rockies, onefactor always gives us pause: the altitude.It’s a challenge, to say the least, to makethe transition from our coastal home, richin sea-level (and sea-smelling) oxygen, tothe rarefied heights of the mountain West.Should you be considering a similar adventure,I would like to share my alpine ridingwisdom with you. Please note, however,that the following suggestions are generalin nature and are not medical advice. Forrecommendations suited to your individualhealth history, please speak with yourhealth care provider.Soon after you hop off the train, plane,or bus and start breathing that bracingmountain air, you’ll notice how thin it is.Adjust your plans accordingly, giving yourselftime to acclimatize. On your first day at ahigher elevation, go at a leisurely pace andset the distance bar low. You’ll notice thathills that seem mere hiccups of the landscapeat home become epic Everest-likeascents, so instead of chastising yourselffor being out of shape or anxiously checkingfor flat tires, be aware of this physiologicalresponse and treat yourself kindly. This isall the more important if you have a loadto carry, when you’re going to be workingharder anyway.Your body compensates for the decreasedoxygen by cranking up red bloodcell production in the bone marrow andreleasing more of these oxygen-carryingcells intothe bloodstreamtodeliver theirload tohard-workingmusclesand othertissues.Rememberto drink lotsof water(don’t waituntil you’rethirsty—you’realreadystarting to get dehydrated then), as youneed to increase your fluid volume totransport all these new blood cells around.An electrolyte replacement beverage canbe handy in these often hot, arid places.Hematopoiesis (the process of making redblood cells) also demands protein, so carryalong some nuts, seeds, salmon jerky, orother favorite protein-rich foods.Acute mountain sickness is a commonresponse to altitude changes. The symptoms,which tend to occur within ten hoursof getting high…up, include headaches,nausea, lightheadedness or dizziness, thirst,and sore muscles. If you can, sleep at alower altitude than you ascend to duringthe day. All of these signs indicate that yourbody is adjusting to the new environment,and they should resolve within a day ortwo. Rarer but more serious altitude-relatedillnesses include high-altitude pulmonaryedema (AMS symptoms plus shortness ofbreath, cough, chest pain, and muscle painand weakness) and high-altitude cerebraledema (AMS symptoms plus a moresevere headache, loss of coordination, andchanges in consciousness—either lossof consciousness or delirium). These twoillnesses are life-threatening and requireimmediate medical treatment.Now that you’re well hydrated, tossingback those almonds, and not scoldingyourself for a pokey pace, you’re ready toenjoy your ride into the sky. Just be careful:singing lyrics from “The Sound of Music” asyou ride may be illegal in some areas.oct11 hipfishmonthly.com26