My email is:  suningem@gmail.com (stands for sun in Gemini, my sun sign).

PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT ANSWER ANY EMAILS PURPORTEDLY FROM ME, UNLESS WE HAVE BEEN COMMUNICATING. SOME ONE IS SENDING “PHISHING” EMAILS, PRETENDING THEY’RE FROM “TIM STEPHENS.” IF YOU OPEN THESE, YOUR COMPUTER WILL BE INSTANTLY INFECTED.

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“NO DOUBT THE UNIVERSE IS UNFOLDING AS IT SHOULD.” ~ Desiderata

START NOTHING:

2:22 am to 5:16 am Sun., 12:07 pm to 2:56 pm Tues., and 6:38 am to 10:22 pm Thurs.

PREAMBLE:

(There’s an AFTERAMBLE this week, after “Pisces” weekly message.)

A few weeks ago I said the BC and California wildfires would abate by July 20. A few months earlier, I wrote that ISIS would be defeated in (was it May? June?). In both cases, I should have said that the flex point, or pivot, would come on these dates, that they were the turn-around toward defeating both fires and ISIS. (Mosul fell on the “flex date,” but Raqqa, etc., remain.) (Also, because Mars is now in Leo, the fires might actually increase or flare higher, until Sept. 5. But from early June to July 20, the flames should have burned many homes; from July 20 to Sept. 5, the fires should mainly burn the brush and forests, with fewer homes lost. A child might die from fire in the July 20-Sept. 5 period.)

WEEKLY FORECAST:

       ARIES:  March 21-April 19

The romantic trend continues, Aries. So do the creative, risk-taking, pleasure and beauty seeking influences. (Risk-taking: you are riding a winning streak.) A slowing, indecisive and mistake-prone period begins Sat., but tends to affect this entire week. It will affect work matters most, might bring back an old job, into September. Not a good time to start anything major. Sunday dawn (PDT) to Tues. noon brings happiness, popularity, optimism, entertainment and social delights, and flirtations. The last of these can be important if you’re single. You could meet love in a group, amongst friends, especially Monday daytime. A wish could come true! A single Libra is looking for a mate. Retreat Tues. afternoon to Thurs. night — rest and think over your options (especially those that appeared Sun./Mon.). All goes well Tues./Wed, but Thurs. brings back a two-year problem involving your career, legalities, education, citizenship, or government dictums/rules. Your energy and charisma surge back late Thurs. night through Saturday. Use this to impress others, to solve problems (esp. of career, status or home/family) but DON’T start a new project nor relationship. Friday’s affectionate, almost spiritual or magical, helping you create peace and love in your home. (Great day for painting that room.)

       TAURUS:  April 20-May 20

The emphasis on home, family, security, nature, nutrition, soul, stomach, real estate and business “territory” continues. Don’t start new projects this week, as a mistake-prone slowdown looms. Although it will not technically begin until Sat., the slowdown will affect this entire week. Think of this week as the outer rim of a whirlpool, slowly descending. Be gentle, long-suffering on the home front, as you’ll tend to be a little rougher, more aggressive than usual. Pay homage to your career and prestige contacts Sunday dawn (5 am PDT) to mid-afternoon Tuesday. All goes well here, so charge ahead, speak to the boss, etc.  (But DON’T agree to start a new project before Sept. 6, evening.) Happiness, social joys, wish fulfillment, entertainment, popularity and optimism visit you Tues. afternoon to Thursday night. A loving friend can “make your day” Wed. However, good investments, financial progress, secrets/investigation, and sexual intimacy, are all “denied.” Retreat Fri./Sat. — rest, contemplate, reconnect with your spiritual core, and deal with the gov’t, admin., charities, institutions — but don’t plan. (New plans will be useless in a few weeks.) A loving “friend” could be a source of poetic joy Friday. All’s well!

       GEMINI:  May 21-June 20

A mass of errands, missives, calls, contacts, minor chores and short trips continues to flow your way, Gemini. You revel in such an “environment,” mainly because you love quick, short tasks and meetings. You will also feel a peculiar liking for those you meet, all August. However, strive to complete tasks (esp. in errands, mail, travel, etc., and domestic, security zones) this week, rather than start anything. A major period of delays, mistakes and second thoughts looms. Though it begins Sat. (August 12) and lasts to September 5, it will affect you and your projects even now. Your money picture looks good until August 25, which can help fill the hole left by your June/July overspending. Sunday dawn (PDT) to mid-afternoon Tues. features understanding, wisdom, learning, intellectual pursuits, far travel, foreign cultures/art, and love. In fact, you could fall in love Monday — lightly, subtly at first, then heavily down the road. Be ambitious, mingle with big shots, show off your skills Tues. afternoon to Thurs. night. All’s well, but expect little co-operation, and don’t invest nor investigate. Trust the surface. Your popularity grows Fri./Sat. — as do your optimism, social joys, and general happiness. Steer away from sexual intimacy and financial commitments. Paradoxically, you might be offered a pay raise or career plum Friday.

       CANCER:  June 21-July 22

Your grace and physical charms shine, now to August 25. You might attract/chase a sensual affair, with a person you would never want to marry. If so, be open, honest and fair with this — don’t take advantage of a vulnerable or gullible person. Money rushes toward you all month, but also has a puzzling way of fleeing you — bank it, don’t overspend! Complete projects now rather than start — especially mail, communication, travel and paperwork programs. These, and other initiatives, will tend to hit a molasses slowdown, mistakes and indecision, late this week to September 5. Sunday to Tues. afternoon brings deep forces, feelings and urges to the surface, which heightens your intuition, reveals valuable information, and could spark financial actions and/or sexual temptations — all of which, this time around, proceed benevolently and with mild good fortune. (These could be connected to home, family or real estate.) A gentle, mellow mood flows over you Tues. afternoon through Thursday. If you are in love, say it. (Love is a magical thing right into Friday.) Travel, publishing, education and cultural/religious themes are highlighted — and lucky — but DON’T start a new project here. (E.g., don’t buy far-travel tickets.) Be ambitious Fri./Sat. (NOT Wed./Thurs.) — you can impress higher-ups, which at least stabilizes your employment picture.

       LEO:  July 23-Aug. 22

Your energy, charm, magnetism, sex appeal, determination and wisdom remain at a peak, Leo. Use this personal clout to advance ongoing projects and plans, rather than begin anything new. A slowdown, complete with mistakes and indecision, begins August 12 — but the week ahead is a slope, gradually pulling you into that environment of delay. Love is part of the picture — could be general love of humankind, or of a special person. In any case, you attract admiration.  Your inner or private world remains affectionate, healing until the 25th — you’ll notice this Friday. Relationships, relocation themes, public dealings, negotiations, co-operation or enmity, opportunities and challenges — these fill (and reach a climax of sorts) Sun. to Tues. afternoon. If single, you could talk about joining with a lovely, gracious, careful person, especially Monday. Sexual lures, financial openings, secrets and hidden information,  lifestyle changes and medical procedures draw you Tuesday afternoon to Thursday night.  All goes well, but don’t try any of this with a co-worker — and don’t invest in machinery or personnel firms. A mellow wisdom flows over you Fri./Sat. You might be drawn to someone’s private paradise (probably a sexual one) but don’t expect a few nights of bliss to translate into a vibrant, fresh life/love. (Sometimes, paradises eventually suffocate.) (All this year, and last, you can be drawn to a co-worker:  I have no opinion about this.) Themes of far travel, foreign cultures, education, publishing and intellectual pursuits fill Fri./Sat., but DON’T start anything new in these (or any) zone.

       VIRGO:  Aug. 23-Sept. 22

Continue to lie low, to rest and contemplate your life, Virgo. Deal with gov’t people, institutions, head office, charities and spiritual needs. But don’t plan anything, as your plans will change. A good time to complete projects, not begin. A major slowdown looms, will start in earnest August 12. Despite your weariness and quasi-solitude, a friend (or wanna-be-more) can accept, invite, socialize with you all August. This sweet, supportive person deserves love. Tackle chores and protect your daily health (eat, dress sensibly) Sun. dawn (PDT) to mid-afternoon Tues. All goes well. (However, it might be a little late to buy any machinery — maybe not — you choose. But if “delivery” is after August 11, don’t buy.) Relationships blossom Tues. afternoon to Thurs. night — except “heavily” romantic ones. (2016 and ’17 tend to end romances rather than support them — that’s just “timing,” it’s no reflection on your attractiveness or “ability to endure.”  2018/19 might bring a major, deep love, slowly but healthfully.) Despite this, you might meet a “perfect mate” on a social, light romantic level, now or Friday. Be diplomatic, reject self-absorption. Major finances, investments, debt, sexual lures, lifestyle changes, research, medical diagnoses fill Fri./Sat. Again, deep romance won’t work, but sex will, and light romance will. A pretty good week!

       LIBRA:  Sept. 23-Oct. 22

A major life wish can come true this month, Libra — probably involving marriage/love, a partnership, opportunity, relocation, fame, public dealings, negotiations, contracts or an agreement (or litigation) — especially Friday/Saturday. If you spy an opportunity, jump!  BUT only grab what can be grabbed quickly, this week. Saturday August 12th, to September 5 brings a sluggish, mistake-prone, indecisive influence, which will eventually “kill” most projects begun in that period. However, the same period can present opportunities, loves, etc., from the past — one of these “returnees” could be your ticket to major wish fulfillment. Oddly, this might come through secret, private, governmental, spiritual or organizational channels, rather than through, say, a garage sale.  Sunday to mid-afternoon Tuesday is romantic, creative, and pleasure-filled. You might fall in love. (In any case, emotions climax/gush late morning Monday PDT.) Tackle chores and protect your health Tues. afternoon to Thurs. night. All’s well here, you get lots done and are even inspired, work-wise, but avoid errands, communications, and paperwork, as these “fight” your progress. Relationships, opportunities and challenges fill Fri./Sat. All month, higher-ups favour you — particularly Friday, when you might pluck a plum from the work/career tree, or float up the ladder of success. Be intuitive, flow with your hunches, with events. Realize this: a partner (or one you’re attracted to) has a better chance of success than you — rather than envy them, jump on his/her bandwagon, and let their success be yours.  Again (as in past years and a few to come) your domestic situation might interfere: overcome this with a good heart, not with frustration.

       SCORPIO:  Oct. 23-Nov. 21

The emphasis remains on your career, status, ambitions and prestige relations. The good is, your work and your career “dovetail” into an effective determination to succeed. The downside is, bosses and authorities can be testy, impatient. Don’t cross them!  Another consideration:  the present week is like a slowing engine, prior to the “reverse gear” of August 12 to September 5. This, unfortunately, advises against starting any new projects, especially social, financial and, less so, career ventures. My advice: complete things, start nothing, this week. By next week onward, you can stumble upon a past career, social or financial opportunity.  Failing these, remain loyal to ongoing projects, and protect them from deals, shortages, mistakes, misunderstood directions, etc. Sunday to mid-afternoon Tues. brings domestic nudges, fortunate ones. Be with your family. (BTW, your path to money this year is through gov’t, head office or other “background” routes — this path can “open” Monday) Romance calls Tues. pm to Thurs. night — you’ll be a passionate admirer of someone’s beauty, you’ll be creative, a risk-taker, a pleasure-seeker, and why not?  Pursue these, but realize they all run counter to your money interests, so don’t, for example, gamble (risk-taking) or quit your mundane job for a more creative role. Tackle chores Fri./Sat. — you’ll get a lot accomplished (especially if you don’t follow “conversational” distractions). Friday is touched with the joy of love’s or beauty’s magic. A good week, Scorpio.

       SAGITTARIUS:  Nov. 22-Dec. 21

Your “higher mind” remains intrigued, excited, and expanding, Sage. Far travel, love, social rituals (e.g., weddings, bat mitzvahs) intellectual pursuits, media/publishing, legalities, foreign cultures and philosophy — right and wrong — these are at the forefront of your life. They can also, for singles, bring powerful romance. (Or creative streaks.) E.g., you could meet love in a foreign country, or write a good poem. But don’t start new projects now — complete ongoing ones instead. Saturday (the 12th) will bring a period of delay, mistakes and “two steps back” until September 5. Until August 25, your net worth, investments, and sexual needs will meet mild good luck. Errands, short trips, communications and paperwork fill Sunday to Tues. afternoon. All goes well — you could meet some delightful friends, or see a wish come true Monday. Head for home Tues. pm to Thurs. night — take a rest, hug the family, do minor repairs, contemplate your accomplishments thus far. Romance, beauty, pleasure, sports and games, love of children, creative surges and gambling urges greet you Fri./Sat. Yes, you might meet true love. You might also receive a blessed inspiration regarding needed changes in the home, with family, or in your intimate life. An investment Friday could yield fine rewards in future. But all/any of these could “get in the way” of your earnings or earning power. A former “prestige role” will return soon!

       CAPRICORN:  Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Work to complete projects rather than launch new ventures, Cap. August 12 to Sept. 5 brings a mistake-prone, indecision-plagued slowdown. This week, you’re at the “outer edge” of this slowdown whirlpool. Relationships are affectionate, mildly lucky until August 25. The main accent, this week and next, lies on sexual desires, large finances (investments, etc.), lifestyle changes, investigation and diagnosis. You can “see” hidden forces and trends, especially in real estate, family matters and sales territory patterns. However, don’t be impulsive nor overbearing in all these (sex, finances, hidden trends, etc.). Sunday dawn (PDT) to mid-afternoon Tues. accents money, earnings, purchases and possessions. Don’t overpay – comparison shop. You might be granted a pay raise or gain a good new client — chase these, especially Monday, but DON’T violate good sense, and good morals. A “semi-exciting” sensual attraction might genuflect into a sexual clinch: be honest with someone.  Errands, paperwork, communications, trips and casual contacts fill Tuesday pm to Thurs. night — all’s well, with one exception: don’t discuss secrets, nor communicate with the govt, or head office. Head for home Thurs. night through Saturday. All’s well here. Friday offers “love’s magic” — welcome it, follow loving hunches!

       AQUARIUS:  Jan. 20-Feb. 18

Relationships are of utmost importance this week and next. Heated words and heated attraction, love/war are possible. Indecision, delay might be entering a bond or association (in love or business) but a former lover waits in the wings, might appear soon. (This is a tempting sexual link, and needs care/caution in terms of fidelity, triangles.) All week, strive to complete projects rather than launch new ventures, as you’re on the verge of an August 12 to September 5 slowdown, replete with mistakes, second thoughts and misunderstandings. Your energy and charisma rise Sunday dawn to mid-afternoon Tues. — press forward, be the leader, give ongoing projects a push, contact VIPs (and love prospects). A legal, far travel, cultural, media or intellectual involvement gets a lucky boost Mon. — seek it, grab it. Money, earnings, buying/selling, possessions and sensual attractions fill Tues. pm to Thurs. night. Luck rides with you here, but a social restriction could dampen results. Your workplace remains affectionate, pleasant until August 25 — this should be very evident Friday, a good day to ask for a pay raise — and to show you deserve it by performing well. Both Fri. and Sat. bring errands, calls, short trips, casual contacts, paperwork and other “easy” chores. But (as all this decade) avoid gossip, letting your secrets be known, and be cautious in communicating with gov’t, admin workers.

       PISCES:  Feb. 19-March 20

Two more weeks of work and health concerns, Pisces. A fine streak of romance or a creative or pleasure project will provide some relief. Overall, this is not a good week to start anything significant, as you’re on the outer edge of a slowdown (which technically starts Sat., August 12 and lasts to September 5). So complete chores — have a list and check them off when done. Work safely, as accident potential is high. On the plus side, your work now can yield good financial rewards. Retreat from the bustling crowd, rest, contemplate, Sunday dawn to mid-afternoon Tues. (PDT). Monday brings financial luck, good investments — and valuable, formerly “hidden” information. Tuesday morning’s great for contacting civil servants, large corporations, therapists and advisors. Your energy and charisma jump upward Tues. pm to Thurs. night. Charge forth — everything succeeds (within reason!) except career wishes. Chase money, new clients, buy/sell, Fri./Saturday. Don’t expect “social co-operation” (e.g., your friends won’t help, or help in the wrong way). But do believe in your “right to be paid.” (Although if you ask for a pay raise now, it could spark a review of your performance over the next few weeks — how you eventually fare will depend on that. But after asking, if you do, don’t ask again before mid/late September.) Friday’s special — you could experience a poetic, beautiful connection with someone, or have a genius creative inspiration. Remember, start nothing big!

The End.

AFTERAMBLE:

Readers keep emailing me, saying “I know you love Trump, but —“ Or, “I know you hate Clinton, but —“.  Look, here’s the bottom line: (and if you don’t believe me you can go back and check old columns):

Back in 2015 I wrote that Hillary should not run for President. A little later, I wrote that she should better spend her time on the back porch with grandkids. Then much later I called her “a bag of dust.” The problem wasn’t that I thought she would lose (tho’ I did) — it was that, by running, she prevented a better person from running. (Though I didn’t see that before she was nominated.) I have always been a liberal, democrat, call it what you want — but the Democratic party in the U.S. has become a tired collection of lip-servers who accomplish nothing and seem to have lost their fire and their commitment to helping the disadvantaged. They seem to care more about their expensive suits. Hillary was, unfortunately, the acme of this hollow Democratic party, which was why I labelled her “a bag of dust.”

I also wrote, sometime in 2016, that Bernie Sanders was my favourite, and I thought he could beat Trump. I cheered for him to win the nomination. But Hillary and her elites cared more about preserving their hegemony than about reflecting the desires of the population. With a few dirty tricks, they showed Bernie, the true reflection of the liberal base, the door.

Trump was actually my last choice. I labelled him a fascist, a Hitler. (Again, read my preambles if you don’t believe me.) But after Clinton knifed Bernie in the back, and especially after Hillary’s criminal acts, I threw my lot in with Trump. To me, anyone was better than Hillary.

And as time went on, I began to admire Trump — not for his many flaws, but for something more rare: I began to admire the meta-Trump, what he represented. I began to see him as heroic. In literature, heroes have almost always been flawed. Oedipus, through pride, murdered his father and coupled with his mother; Hamlet was indecisive; Lear was mad; Icarus was proud; Achilles had a vulnerable ankle (and was proud, sulking because his king had insulted him). Macbeth, pride leading to paranoia; Sigurd from the Volsunga saga, physical vulnerability (which represented his social blindness); Agamemnon, greed; Frankenstein, curiosity and hubris led him to create the monster. Even modern heroes have flaws: Pete Rose (baseball great) — a gambler; General Petraeus — sexual infidelity. Modern film and TV is filled with flawed heroes: in Elementary, Sherlock Holmes is an arrogant, disdainful (recovering) drug addict; Saul (Better Call Saul) is a conniving, sneaky (but good hearted) lawyer. Star Trek’s Mr. Spock is heartless. Most heroes, especially in “olden times” were arrogant bullies, impulsive, disorganized, petulant and ignorant of others’ feelings. This is what heroes are. It’s what they have to be in order to accomplish their heroic deeds. On the plus side, they perform great deeds, and either change the world, or become the representative, the acme, of a human quality.  (Before the 19th century, this quality was always some form of strength, but with the advent of antiheroes, this quality can also be a weakness.)

In this sense, Trump is heroic. From nowhere, and universally impugned, despised and ridiculed, he managed — by his “superhuman” bullying — to become the Republican nominee. Then, by an unexpected show of empathy and astuteness, he grabbed the tenor and zeitgeist of Middle America, and became President of the most powerful nation on earth. Further fulfilling the “requirements” of a hero, his election has changed the “world” of Washington and beyond. He’s an unknown force, a disruptor, a lying truth-teller. Like most heroes, his flaws cannot be divorced from his strengths. If he were not arrogant, he would not be President. And like many heroes, he is likely to suffer, even to die, as a sort of cosmic sacrificial lamb. Whether Trump falls early in his presidency, or overcomes the massive opposition still weighing on him, he has already done enough to be classed as heroic. Who else, for instance, could have made us see that the major media, NBC, ABC, The NY Times, Wapo, etc., were severely manipulating the “news?” (To a degree that could be called fraudulent.) Who else could have exposed the violence of the democratic millennials, or made us see the swamp of Washington, or made us realize what a skein of lies haunts the corridors of political power? Someday, you will see a book or two written about Trump in this light. I can only tell you he is a hero, in the classic vein.

I wish the Dems had a heroic figure, and I do fear Trump will be America’s Nero (who presided over Rome’s destruction). I dislike his arrogance, and fear his paranoia (yes, both written about in prior blogs!) but I can’t deny he is heroic, and, if you like, destined to be where he is. And, who knows, he might (probably will) do America some “deep” good. (E.g., he cleaned up the scandalous Veteran’s Administration, which displayed the same corruption that haunts Washington, especially the Dems.) As I wrote before the election: if Trump wins, he will speed America toward the civil split it is already headed for; if Hillary wins, the crisis, and the resolution, will be delayed in an unhealthy, festering, “false covering” way.

So perhaps I do like Trump more than Hillary, but now you know why. I did like Bernie even more. Sadly, Bernie’s wife is under indictment for fraud exceeding $1,000,000, which makes me suspect old Bernie isn’t free of the D.C. corruption either.

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