Photo: chany14

Sometimes, you guys just say it better than we do.

Ok, I would go so far as to say you “often” say it better than us, because your voice is completely authentic when writing on your Matador blog. Your experiences aren’t edited for content, length, or need to get a certain point across. You are just speaking your truth.

In the spirit (ha ha) of celebrating this authenticity, we’ve (specifically, the extraordinary Eileen Smith and Julie Schwietert) been searching through the community blogs for the most poignant writing and expression. Trust us, there is a lot of great content there, so the job isn’t easy. And this will not be the only time we put together a collection.

But for now, check out these five fantastic pieces that exemplify the search for the sacred and profound:

1. Looking for the Sacred, Finding the Profane, David Defranza

Sometimes, we believe we are searching for something intangible and beyond words, and instead we find that which is normal or everyday. Interestingly enough, as David Defranza points out, memories of “the smell of snow and of people, dirty blankets and hot tea” of Mount Kailash in the Himalayas is where true beauty is found.

2. What it means: Jerusalem in 100 words, Alyssa C. Martino

How are we awakened (or reawakened) by place? And does it always happen in the moment, or does it sometimes take years before we fully feel the impact? Alyssa C. Martino ponders the meaning of her trip to the Wailing Wall:

Me, I can’t even recall what I wrote on that note in the crevice; I wish I could reclaim that prayer, make it count, make it matter, rewrite it like this history of stubbornness.

Photo: keithusc

3. I Just Need to Get Out, C-Sunshine

Many of us at Matador carry the “dream” to take off and leave it all behind, minus a backpack, a good utility knife, and enough pesos to make it to unchartered territory.

C-Sunshine writes of her sorrow over her mother’s death when she was only 15, and how the only time she has felt alive since is when she is traveling.

She desperately seeks to leave her world that includes a great job, wonderful roommates and loving boyfriend, in order to take on the wildness of freedom:

I wake up everyday go to work, school, and make love to my boyfriend, but I can’t wait to go home and fall asleep making a wish that I won’t have to wake up and do it again the next day…I dream of leaving, every moment.

4. An Incredibly Deep Translation Error, Jgbrandt

What is the power found in a simple language mistake? It might make you think about who you are in relationship with others. During a writing exercise in a class he taught abroad, Jgbrandt’s student wrote, “My friend and I were fighting this week because we don’t understand ourselves.” True, he probably meant to write “don’t understand each other”, but the lesson of his mistake is that we fight based more on our own misunderstood feelings than what others do.

As Jgbrandt notes, “that’s the nice thing about travel. It helps you understand yourself, and your world around you, a bit more truthfully.”

5. Life at Vimutti Buddhist Monastery, Turner Wright

Behold the meditative power of the run. Beyond caretaking duties at a Buddhist monastery in New Zealand, Turner Wright connects spiritualism to exercise, weeding to living in the present, and understanding how Monks can live and practice the Middle Way. Here’s a moving thought that also serves as a nice little reminder:

Mindfulness can be achieved by focusing on anything in the present: the sound of your breath moving in and out of the lungs, the chirping of birds in the distance, even the subtle development of painful tension in those reliable legs.

What are some of your favorite spiritual pieces from the Community? Share them below!

Community Connection

Interested in adding your own voice? Then go set up a blog in the Matador Community! If you are hoping to develop your skills further or make travel writing your profession, look no further than the cutting edge curriculum at MatadorU.

Not all gurus looks like this… Photo: baronvonhorne

Some years ago, I had a discussion with my friend over the value of spiritual literature. I had offered her a particular book (okay, I’ll be honest, it was The Celestine Prophecy) with the wish that she find some sort of insight into her own life.

Months passed. When I asked her about the book again, she confessed to tucking it into a drawer and promptly forgetting about it. After pressing her further, it was clear she had an aversion to even attempting to the read the book.

Granted, the Celestine Prophecy has its flaws. In fact, I can’t remember ever reading a novel where so many characters stared at each other “intensely.” But the narrative does contain an overall message that many around the world have found beneficial – the idea that there is more to life than what we tend to see with our eyes.

When I explained this to my friend, she remained unconvinced. “Why do I need to read about someone else’s version of spirituality?” she asked. “Why can’t I just find out for myself?”

I considered her question. “It’s true, you could do it yourself,” I replied. “But think about it this way: if you were about to head into an unknown jungle, wouldn’t you like to have a map?”

Union With The Divine

At the time, we were only speaking of spiritual literature, yet I feel the metaphor extends all the way back to the spiritual teachers… or as some call them: gurus.

The word guru tends to evoke mixed feelings in most people. You might conjure images of Indian sages who preach non-attachment on the hand, while using the other to pick the pocket of their devotees.

But to understand the true meaning of guru, you must first look to the Yogic system of beliefs, succinctly described by Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love:

Yoga is the effort to experience one’s divinity personally and then to hold on to that experience forever. Yoga is about self-mastery and the dedicated effort to haul yourself [to] a place of eternal presence from which you may regard yourself and your surroundings with poise. Only from that point of even-mindedness will the true nature of the world (and yourself) be revealed to you.

In this case, yoga can be swapped with any belief system that offers the tools and motivation to turn inward. To return to the question of my friend: of course you’re free to stumble about life on your own, making mistakes (and hopefully learning from them), until finally you arrive at the same place.

But often this stumbling causes much unneeded suffering to yourself and others. To use the same metaphor, it’s like trying to hack your own trail through the jungle again and again. Authentic spiritual literature can save us valuable time to practice self-inquiry much more effectively.

Finding A Guru

Fortunately, books can only bring us so far…which brings us to gurus. Elizabeth Gilbert offers her eloquent description:

A great Yogi is anyone who has achieved the permanent state of enlightened bliss. A Guru is a great Yogi who can actually pass that state on to others. The word Guru is composed of two Sanskrit syllables. The first means “darkness,” the second means “light.” Out of the darkness and into the light. What passes from the master into the disciple is something called mantravirya: “The potency of the enlightened consciousness.” You come to your Guru, then, not only to receive lessons, as from any teacher, but to actually receive the Guru’s state of grace.”

I’m sure you’ve experienced the presence of a graceful being at least once. They may not consider themselves gurus, but they appear to attract people to their calm; their inner peace permeates the air around them.

Photo: dey

Now imagine this presence offering you the guidance and wisdom to understand your own mind and self. If a book can quicken your path to enlightenment, the right guru can light a fire under your chakra.

So let’s say you agree with me on the value of having a relatively enlightened spiritual guide. How to actually find a guru that fits your heart?

If you take a stroll down the nearest big box book store, you’ll quickly drown under the warm smiles of “gurus” of every size, shade, and style. They’ll offer you spiritual laws of success, how to find the perfect love, how to attract a massive bank account, and how to banish suffering (along with those extra pounds on your hips).

In truth, offering enlightenment is big business. With the rising amount of people beginning to awaken from their slumber, many teachers fill the demand with their specific brand of spirituality.

How can you tell the holy from the hubris?

There’s no real guideline for how to discern the right guru for you. In fact, it may require much trial and error, along with intuition and insight.

15 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Choosing A Guru

With the help of my friend and Taoist teacher Casey, I’ve compiled 15 questions to ask yourself as you navigate the guru gauntlet. I’ve used the word “teacher” in place of guru, just to give the label a rest. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Does the teacher ask you for money before he/she offers their teaching?
2. Does the teacher believe in absolute certainty?
3. Does the teacher encourage you to think for yourself?
4. Does the teacher pose problems that only he/she can answer?
5. Does the teacher focus primarily on ideas without action?
6. Does the teacher make you laugh or smile?
7. Does the teacher laugh at themselves?
8. Does the teacher encourage you to talk to other teachers?
9. Is the teacher in good spirit and health?
10. Does the teacher mix physical, spiritual and mental techniques to help a student grow in a balanced manner?
11. Is the teacher just following mass media or mass market trends?
12. Does the teacher try to use complex language, other terms or jargon to hide what they don’t know?
13. Do you like the other students?
14. Does the teacher break their own system (make exceptions for themselves relative to their own rules of conduct)?
15. Does the teacher show the unexpected?

To reiterate: do you need to find yourself a guru? Of course not. You’re free to experience existence on your own, discerning your own lessons from your experience.

On the flip side, there is a very real danger of becoming dependent on the guru for their presence, wisdom, and clarity. In this way, the relationship can mirror an addiction and in fact, become an obstruction in your spiritual path. An authentic teacher should merely lead you back to yourself, to realize truth on your own terms.

There’s a Zen saying: If you meet the Buddha on the road…kill him.

But that’s a topic for another article.

What do you think about choosing a guru? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo: Jazz Defo

I’ll often join a group on Facebook, without much thought, when a friend requests me to do so. I wanna share the love, and don’t necessarily take the time to delve deeper into the meanings of of groups like, “Hot Chocolate” “F-ck Gluten, I’ll Punch Gluten In the Face” and “Those Who Enjoy + Partake In the Distribution and Acquisition of High Fives” (yes, all groups I am a part of).

But it is certainly interesting to check out some of the groups on Orkut, India’s Facebook equivalent, as did a recent Global Post article. That’s because it is a place where “young, urban” Indians can meet people in their caste, as part of groups such as Brahmins of India, The Great Marathas and i love intercaste marriage.

Oh, right, the caste system. Something we sometimes forget (or maybe assume has changed in the youthful, urbanized centers of the country?) about India, what will all of the yoga this and spiritual that, and even with the well-publicized slums that we consider somewhat comparable to our homeless in the West.

Seems the caste system, according to social media expert Gaurav Mishra, has failed to shift much at all:

Surprisingly with urbanization, with education, with more people traveling and getting exposed to other cultures, these divisions have not really gone away. Caste even now — even in urban, educated India — is still an extremely big issue.

Caste Vs. Class

It really should come as no surprise that the caste system ended up playing a role in social media. From the more simple voting in polls about the shyness factor of Brahmin (one of the highest castes) girls to the more complex socio-political ramifications of discrimination, programs similar to affirmative actions, and empowerment or disempowerment within tribes, social sites are simply a microcosm of culture the same way they are in the West.

Hearing about this setup made me ponder our own social networking ways. Then I remembered an article I read about the caste…ahem, class divisions popping up between MySpace and Facebook users, beginning in 2007. As Facebook initially was an “invite only” platform for college students developed by a couple of Harvard minds, it quickly became the “cool clique” to get into.

Even though it opened to high school kids in 2005, their beginnings, and the negative media coverage that MySpace was beginning to get about being “sketchy”, made the divisions between Facebook and MySpace clear: one was for college students, the other was for musicians and those who didn’t quite make the cut. And to some extent, although Facebook has grown by leaps and bounds since then, the socio-economic breakdowns have remained the same.

So, I can’t help but wonder – are our social networking habits really that different from India’s? They may not be quite as well-defined, but there certainly seems to be a similar flavor.

What do you think of India’s caste system showing up in their social media, and the class system showing up in ours? Share your thoughts below.

Photo: alicepopkorn

In my first year of university, I’ll never forget the moment I was browsing the shelves, thinking about my next class.

I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. I was more interested in passing the time. Various covers caught my eye briefly, before my gaze and thoughts continued on.

Finally, just as I was ready to leave, I found myself drawn to a particular book titled “The Zen Commandments.” Aside from the clever play on words, there wasn’t anything that particularly stood out… yet I felt compelled to pick it up. And buy it.

On the bus ride home, I cracked open the pages and began reading. I didn’t stop until the bus driver had pulled up to my stop and I’d almost missed getting off.

Turns out, the book was my first introduction to Eastern wisdom, presented in a witty and entertaining format by the author, Dean Sluyter. I had never encountered the idea of “the present moment” or the joy of watching your breath. Though I’d been baptized in the Catholic church, my family had shed organized religion early on in my childhood – hence I’d grown up technically agnostic.

But it all changed when I read that book. I guess you could call it the start of my spiritual journey, or more appropriately, the awakening of my spiritual self.

Get A Spiritual Life

Blogger and spiritual coach Tom Stine recently shared his own story behind the origins of his spiritual journey. He writes of a doctor’s visit:

After a thorough examination that lasted over an hour, Norm and I sat down to chat. As we neared the end of our time together, he looked at me and said, “What do you believe in?” I had to ask him to repeat the question because, well, no doctor had ever asked me such a thing. I said, “Well, you’re born, you live, you die. Nothing before or after. No soul, no God, nothing. I guess you could say I’m an atheist.”

Norm looked at me with a kindly smile, and said, “About 5% of the population believes as you do. And that’s okay. But statistically, people who believe in something beyond themselves tend to be healthier and happier. The research is pretty clear on that score.”

Then, he absolutely floored me with what he said next: “I’ve examined you thoroughly, and as far as I can tell, there isn’t anything physically wrong with you. You are quite healthy. Yet, you feel lousy. If I were you, I’d get a spiritual life.”

I’ll never forget the next words out of my mouth: “How the hell do I do get a spiritual life?!”

With that, Tom began an exploration into his spiritual life, and has been profoundly changed ever since.

Starting the Journey

That’s how it starts…with a doctor’s visit, or a particular book in your hands. From such humble origins, nobody can predict where the path with take you, who you’ll encounter, or the place you’ll end up.

But if anything, the spiritual journey is a willingness to delve inward, listen to the inner voice, and surrender to the flow of life.

I suspect many BNT readers have their own stories on the start of their spiritual journey (or spiritual awakening).

Share in the comments: how did the spiritual journey begin for you?

Community Connection

Don’t miss “20 Questions for Every Spiritual Seeker”, and the classic “Art of Spiritual Travel.”

Photo: Beth Rankin

Without going into what I think about the increased TSA enhanced screening techniques implemented after the attempted December 25th attack, I found this editorial comment to the Town Talk fascinating.

The writer, Jerry Doyle, is referring to guest commentary written by Mary Manjikian, former U.S. Foreign Service officer and visiting lecturer at Regent University, to the newspaper. In it, she notes that new airport screening techniques such as body scans and pat-downs, with targeted use to visitors from Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Yemen and other countries of interest:

…subjects Middle Eastern women to sexual harassment and to a hostile environment upon their arrival in America.

Given, we’ve got some real winners over in the TSA, including the guy who was recently fired for a prank on a 22-year-old college student, after producing a bag of white powder from her computer case and demanding to know where she got it from.

Plus, the effectiveness of the TSA certainly has left something to be desired over the past nine years. As writer Becky Akers noted in a 2006 piece on Alternet, Rep. Christopher Cox, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in May 2005, explained why the TSA spent $4.5 billion on manufacturing equipment:

He also inadvertently admitted that the agency is merely window-dressing for the Feds: “After 9/11, we had to show how committed we were by spending hugely greater amounts of money than ever before, as rapidly as possible.”

But do these new techniques, supposedly put in place to make us safer, really feel that threatening to Muslim women?

Personal Freedoms Vs. Security

Photo: Bohman

Alright, getting back to Doyle and his response to Manjikian. He argues that Manjikian is “suspiciously quiet” about the “gross human rights violations against women and religious minorities in these countries.”

He continues that the Koran “in many ways dehumanizes and subjugates Middle Eastern women,” notes that in Pakistan, an average of two women a day die from “honor killings,” while in Tunisia and Algeria, Muslim women cannot marry legally outside the faith while men can, and that in many Muslim countries, marital rape is not recognized at all.

Here is his final point:

Ms. Manjikian’s sulfurous anger over [enhanced screening techniques]…strikes no emotional chord with me…the United States is in the midst of a war on terrorism and as our society moves forward in countering the terrorists’ aggressive acts to kill Americans, it will be a struggle for all Americans, but especially for Middle Eastern Americans (including Ms. Manjikian), to reconcile contemporary life with the ancestral truths of Islam.

Wow. On the one hand, this brings up the same debate that occurred after 9/11 about whether or not we (often meaning those of Middle-Eastern descent, of course) must give up our personal freedoms for the good of freedom overall, or if that approach simply defeats the purpose.

But I think this is the first time I’ve seen the argument made within the context of women, in this case of Middle Eastern descent, needing to give up what they consider their rights around their body, based on the fact that we consider what they have to go through at home as being worse.

I’m not trying to say that Doyle does not make good points about what a lot (though not all, let’s remind ourselves) Middle Eastern women face. But would we stand for white American women being “processed” in a fashion that we considered sexual harassment in another country, even though that country did not have the same beliefs? Better yet, would we stand for white men facing such trials?

I’m extremely curious to hear your thoughts on the subject. Please share them below.

Community Connection

Be sure to check out Tom Gates’ harrowing experience with security at Heathrow Airport in Locked Down At London Heathrow.

Photo: PBS

It’s hard not to see how the world is growing closer. With the outpouring (though not necessarily the execution) of love and support for Haiti, it seems as if the pain and suffering we see others experiencing is truly hitting us in the heart.

But the connection doesn’t necessarily need to be all about pain – it can also be about joy, movement, music. And maybe a little bit of drama, politics, and revolution just for fun. Which is exactly why I’m looking forward to a new travel series on PBS based on stories behind world music (and countries) you may not otherwise hear about.

It’s called Soundtracks: Music Without Borders, and it premieres this Monday, January 25th at 10pm on your local PBS station. Here’s a little clip to draw you in:

If you can’t wait, aren’t in the States, or prefer to watch shows online, they’ve already got the pilot episode on their website. Along with telling the story of Fela’s Afrobeat, seen in the clip above, the reporters find out what’s behind a pop-inspired Putin propaganda song, and my favorite – why the hell an internationally-known Kazakh violinist would ask Borat’s (Sasha Baron Cohen) brother to write a symphony for the country.

If you dig the episode, let PBS know on their comments page. This is what they have to say:

If enough of you agree that SOUND TRACKS is the kind of series you’d like to have on PBS, you can look forward — starting next year — to a world of exciting music, surprising destinations and unforgettable stories.

Some of those possible places include the “bayous of Louisiana to the backstreets of Havana, from the nightclubs of Paris to desert music festivals in Mali.” Plus, they promise to interview Bollywood singers, and you know you’re dying to ask if they are being serious when they sing and dance like that.

Community Connection

Need some help to find the best world music available? Then bookmark Paul Sullivan’s fantastic resource, #MusicMonday: 50 Music Sites That Matter.

Photo: h.koppdelaney

The usual collection of travel quotes tend to focus on inspiration and reflection. These, however, are meant to tickle your funny bone, and remind you of the inherent humor of the journey.

1. “When you come to a fork in the road….take it” – Yogi Berra

2. “Kilometers are shorter than miles. Save gas, take your next trip in kilometers.” – George Carlin

3. “If you’ve seen one redwood tree, you’ve seen them all.” – Ronald Reagan

4. “I’ve been to Paris. And it ain’t that pretty at all.” – Warren Zevon, from the song Ain’t That Pretty At All

5. “Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversations.” — Elizabeth Drew

6. “Another well-known Paris landmark is the Arc de Triomphe, a moving monument to the many brave women and men who have died trying to visit it.” – Dave Barry

7. “The major advantage of domestic travel is that, with a few exceptions such as Miami, most domestic locations are conveniently situated right here in the United States.” – Dave Barry

8. “Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything.” – Charles Kuralt

9. “The worst thing about being a tourist is having other tourists recognize you as a tourist.” – Russell Baker

10. “You can find your way across this country using burger joints the way a navigator uses stars.” – Charles Kuralt

11. “You got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.” – Yogi Berra

12. “Do not insult the mother alligator until after you have crossed the river.” – Old Haitian Proverb

13. “Canada is the vichyssoise of nations – it’s cold, half French and difficult to stir.” – Stuart Keate

14. “On a New York subway you get fined for spitting, but you can throw up for nothing.” – Lewis Grizzard

15. “Gaiety is among the most outstanding features of the Soviet Union.” – Joseph Stalin

16. “San Francisco is like granola. Take away all the fruits and the nuts and all you have left are the flakes.” – Unknown

17. “France is the only country where the money falls apart and you can’t tear the toilet paper.” – Billy Wilder

18. “Boy, those French. They have a different word for everything.” – Steve Martin

19. “Climbing K2 or floating the Grand Canyon in an inner tube. There are some things one would rather have done than do.” – Edward Abbey

Always look out for the hostage Buddha / Photo: antwerpenR

20. “There is science, logic, reason; there is thought verified by experience. And then there is California.” – Edward Abbey

21. “If you are going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill

22. “I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places”. – Henny Youngman

23. “Two great talkers will not travel far together.” – Spanish Proverb

24. “Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel.” – Yogi Berra

25. “I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad.” – George Bernard Shaw

26. “I had a prejudice against the British until I discovered that fifty percent of them were female.” – Raymond Floyd

27. “Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun every year.” – Unknown

28. “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money”. – Unknown

29. “Knock Knock! Who’s there? Tibet! Tibet who? Early Tibet and early to rise!” – Aha Jokes

30. “Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.” – Mark Twain

Add your favorite funny travel quotes in the comments section below!

Photo: Bracketing Life

There is something about a brief glimpse of understanding the self that feels like a window into humanity. Rarely does it last. But hopefully, it comes around again, albeit in small pieces and unexpected moments.

To me, seeing an astrologer (a good one, at least), is a bit like getting a glimpse. They will explain to you some fundamental aspects about yourself, how the stars take part in making it so, and that at different periods of your life, you will be forced to stare deeply in the mirror in order to propel forward.

Sure, one can say “I already know myself well, and understand I will face some hard times in life,” but it is often helpful having someone else clarify, at least in part, why you do what you do. A lot of “ah ha”s can come from that.

Yeah, if you haven’t guessed by now, I love my naturopaths, massage therapists, and psychics. Fine, call me a new-age hippie – I can take it. But even if you can’t get on board with any of those alternative approaches, astrology tends to be a bit more of an accepted genre – who doesn’t read their horoscope at least every once in a while?

Well, it’s time to forget that horoscope, since it’s never right (it’s almost impossible to tell the whole world of oh say, Capricorns, what’s going to happen that day; so much is dependent on a person’s time and place of birth) and open your mind to something that can help you figure out a good time to push your career forward, when love might approach, and maybe most importantly, the best time to travel.

Here are five things to keep in mind when you decide to get an astrology reading:

Photo: Oslo In The Summertime

1. Get a recommendation.

Yep, same goes for astrologers as psychics. Really, get a recommendation for any professional you are paying good money, from a lawyer to a bikini-line waxer (very important).

Would you drop off your beloved dog after randomly coming upon some house with a broken-down sign outside that says, “We luv pets”? No. Don’t just pop in an astrology establishment because you are on vacation and think it might be fun to ask what’s happening in the stars. Unless, of course, you don’t really care about the answer.

2. Do your homework.

Learn a bit about astrology before you make an appointment. For example, the astrologer will need to know your exact time of birth, and usually specifically what questions you would like answered. Not only is your sun sign (the one most people know) important in defining your personality, but so are your moon and ascendant signs.

Astrology will become a lot more clear to you if you learn about your chart in this way. You can hit Astrology.com to get a free natal chart. Although you only receive part of it for free, you’ll get the essence.

Also, understand that there are different types of astrology, including evolutionary astrologers and Chinese astrology, among many others. Get clear on which one you are most on-board with before you make an appointment.

3. Think about the bigger picture.

I know I can sometimes get caught up in what is going on in the moment, and desperately want to know if that hot guy is interested or if that proposal will get accepted. What a waste of time to see an astrologer and ask these piddly-little questions.

Before the most recent trip (via phone) I took to an amazing astrologer, I deliberately decided to mark it as a practice of mapping out 2010. This is the second year in a row that I’ve used my birthday, which neatly falls at the end of the year, as a stimulus to both plan for the coming year, and see what makes the most sense to focus my energy on. Usually, what has already been in my thoughts ends up showing up in my chart, but rarely in the way I thought they would.

Learning that May might be the best month for you to try and make some extra cash because the stars are aligned is helpful information. Also knowing when it is best to sit back, relax, and rework (like during the dreaded Mercury in retrograde, which occurs four times a year for three weeks at a time – THAT’S why it feels like it’s always happening) can save you a whole lotta aggravation.

4. Be emotionally prepared.

Seeing an astrologer can be a bit like going to a psychologist. Hopefully, through recommendations and homework, you’ve happened upon a very loving astrologer (as far as I can tell, there are a lot out there). But, they are also here to tell it like it is, and not sugar-coat the work that needs to be done.

They should skillfully take you through the process of understanding yourself a bit deeper, but as with any self-inquiry, some of it certainly can sting if you aren’t already aware.

Photo: Image Editor

5. Have fun.

Although astrology, like meditation or travel, gives you a chance to go deeper, it also gives you a chance to get out of yourself a bit at the same time. I often laugh uncontrollably when I’m “called out” by an astrologer (it is scary how dead-on they can be).

For example, in my last reading, the astrologer noted my Scorpio (dark, brooding) in Venus (sign of love) would have me always attracted to that which I shouldn’t be attracted to, so I’d better start working on accepting it instead of fighting it. Thinking about my propensity toward men who are for some reason or another out of reach, I couldn’t help but respond with a “touché”.

Let knowledge give you a chance to make fun of yourself. We all gotta take things a little less seriously, right?

What do you think about astrology? Share your thoughts below.