Into each life a little unbelievableness must fall. Here’s my story.
Donating to charities has always been important to me. Actually, just giving to those less fortunate than myself has. I’m not saying I’ve given a lot, but I have at times donated to different people and nonprofits.
When I was a kid I began handing out money to the homeless. My attitude toward that changed one day in Santa Cruz when I realized that the money I handed to a homeless man would almost certainly be used for drugs or alcohol. After that I donated directly to soup kitchens for many years, believing it was a more constructive way to mete out assistance.
I also sponsored a child for several years in my teens and 20s. For a few bucks a month I helped a kid get food and clothes. I hope that really happened. That particular program used to advertise in Time magazine, but I haven’t heard hide nor hair of it in decades.
I’m a pretty basic guy, and my primary interest has always been to provide people with food. Let people with more money give more elaborate necessities, I say.
But all of this is merely a prelude to what this Press Pass is really about.
I worked for a software company in Alameda for 11 years, and its corporate policy dictated that each year each employee receive a “tithing” allotment of X dollars to donate to up to 3 different nonprofits of said employee’s choice. If the money was not used, it did not accrue. The amount began at $1,000 per employee per year and grew to $1,500 by the time I left. I found significant satisfaction donating to charities that directly helped the poor eat, whether by giving Africans solar cookers or by feeding Oakland’s urban homeless.
But here’s the kicker: When the company sold, after my 11th year there, the owner/CEO insisted that the tithing continue, forevermore, for every individual who had ever worked for the company.
You read that right.
And so it goes. It’s been 6 years since I quit, and I still tithe every year. Hell, we all do.
I don’t make much money these days, and I have little to give directly except for occasional chocolate bars and fleece throws I sometimes hand out to the destitute. But it’s all good.
Giving always felt good. It still does.
Mark Fernquest lives and writes in West County. When he isn’t sticking the pen to the paper, he’s Mad Maxing it up in the Painted Desert.
I was in the most spiritless city the world has ever known—no, neither Sodom nor Gomorrah, but rather Las Vegas—having dinner with colleagues. Discussion turned to movies, and M. Night Shyamalan’s film, Signs, came up. I thought myself one of the few who could explain the movie in one sentence, so I asked a peer what he thought the movie was about, and he replied, “Uh, aliens invade earth?”
I scoffed superciliously and said, “No, it’s simple: God exists, and everything happens for a reason.” How foolish I feel now, nearly 20 years later—for I was right, I just didn’t realize I’m in the same movie.
At the beginning of the 2002 film we meet a character played by Mel Gibson, who lives on a rural farm and wears a work shirt. The camera pans across a photo of him on the wall, however, that shows him wearing a priest’s collar. Later, the townsfolk refer to him as “Father,” but he reminds them that he doesn’t want to be called that anymore. We learn that his wife was killed in a car accident, and this made him lose faith in God.
Then aliens actually do invade Earth, and this is the genius of the film. Against the backdrop of an alien invasion and with moviemaking meant to induce anxious popcorn-chomping, Shyamalan subtly reveals how a man who lost all faith gets it back. It happens when life on Earth is threatened with extinction. Is God looking out for us in the wake of invaders bent on our destruction, or are we just intelligent apes left on our own?
As the final scenes unfold we see that all the tragedies, misfortunes and failures that Gibson’s family have gone through were actually part of a preordained divine plan that would one day save them from evil. Their curses are actually blessings in disguise.
Stoicism teaches us that everything is opinion, and Gibson finds out that his opinion of everything—his wife’s death, leaving the priesthood because he thought God had abandoned him, his family’s illnesses and neuroses—was all completely wrong.
And now here I am, all these years later, telling my readers that the theme of the movie is true, and that all my personal tragedies and failings led up to the moment when I would have a newspaper column to bring them this message. The most awe-inducing result of a spiritual awakening is that life reorganizes itself around the principle of synchronicity, or meaningful coincidence. Carl Jung said a person’s life is typical of them, another way of saying that our lives are written in the stars.
In May 2020 I was a victim of domestic violence, and I ended up homeless—living in my truck for 11 months during the “shelter-in-place” that occurred at the beginning of the pandemic. I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was on blood-pressure meds from my physician. Repeatedly I reached out to administrators of homeless shelters in Sonoma County, and repeatedly I was told I had to be homeless in this county for one year before I qualified to get their help. Basically, I wasn’t “homeless enough.” Even with a mental condition and a medical condition I wasn’t able to get into a shelter in Sonoma County. I was run out of church parking lots by local PD, when only seeking a safe place to sleep. No longer homeless, I have to wonder: Sonoma County, what are you really doing for our homeless? Due to my own experience, this is a real problem—it isn’t going away, and you’re not handling it properly.
Jodi Bowers
Sebastopol
Weed Whacked
I was reading an article by Michael Goitis (“Joint Passing,” Oct. 6). I got as far as “Military Grade Weed” and stopped reading. What the Hell is Military Grade Weed? I served for almost 30 years, and as far as I know, IT’S STILL ILLEGAL!
David Henry
Windsor
Votes for All
Attention Senators Feinstein and Padilla, as a resident of Fairfax and a citizen of the United States, I am outraged that Republicans continue to do everything in their power to restrict voting! Our very democracy is under threat by the same fascist forces responsible for the attempted coup on Jan. 6. We need the Freedom to Vote act, and we also need to end the filibuster.
SPOTLIGHT ON WOMEN Jazz-pianist and composer Helen Sung shares selections from her new album and speaks about artistic women in an online presentation hosted by Healdsburg Jazz on Sunday, Oct. 24, at 5pm. Healdsburgjazz.org.
Cloverdale
Good Scares
Do you like scary movies? Then you’ll want to head to the Citrus Fairgrounds this week for a frightfully fun Halloween Double-Feature as part of the Alexander Valley Film Society’s Drive–In Series. The pop-up event features two seasonal favorites, 1992’s delightfully macabre feature adaptation of the classic TV series, The Addams Family, and the Sonoma County-filmed 1996 horror classic, Scream, both screened with Spanish subtitles. Before the main event, AVFS also screens student films centered on “life during the pandemic.” The movies play outdoors on Friday, Oct. 22,(Rescheduled to Wednesday, Oct. 27, due to rain) at 1 Citrus Fair Dr., Cloverdale. 6:45pm. $5–$30. Avfilmsociety.org.
Sebastopol
On the Edge
Earlier this year, galleries and museums in the North Bay kicked off the first round of exhibits connected to the international project, “Extraction: Art on the Edge of the Abyss.” The multimedia, multi-venue art intervention seeks to provoke societal change by exposing negative consequences of industrialized natural resource extraction. This week, the exhibit takes up residence at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, which continues its 2021 exhibition program centered around themes of climate change and the environment. “Extraction” opens with a reception on Saturday, Oct. 23, at 282 S. High St., Sebastopol. 1pm. Free. Sebarts.org.
Napa
Make Art
The late Marin County artist William T. Wiley’s iconic studio became a hub for and inspiration to generations of Bay Area artists. Now, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art recreates that studio and collects over 50 original works and archival objects for the exhibit, “Fort Phooey: Wiley in the Studio.” The exhibition is both immersive and participatory, and di Rosa hosts an inclusive art experience this week to welcome visitors into Wiley’s studio to create their own expressive works. “Making Art with Everyone” is open to all ages and provides materials to get artsy on Saturday, Oct. 23, at 5200 Sonoma Hwy., Napa. 1:30pm. Free. Dirosaart.org.
Point Reyes Station
Wild Poetry
West Marin poet Ellery Akers uses her writing to inspire activism and action on the behalf of the planet. The author of three poetry books, her most recent collection, Swerve: Environmentalism, Feminism, and Resistance, gives voice to the climate anxiety and fear many in the North Bay live with, while also celebrating the wonders of the natural world around us. Swerve recently won Book Authority’s Award for Best Environmentalism Books of All Time, and Akers reads from the collection in an online event hosted by Point Reyes Books that also features readings from poets Gerald Fleming and Julia Levine on Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 7pm. Ptreyesbooks.com.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Even the wisest among us are susceptible to being fascinated by our emotional pain. Even those of us who do a lot of inner work may be captivated and entranced by frustrations and vexations and irritants. Our knotty problems make us interesting, even attractive! They shape our self-image. No wonder we are sometimes “intensely, even passionately, attached to suffering,” in the words of author Fyodor Dostoevsky. That’s the bad news. The good news, Aries, is that in the coming weeks, you will have extra power to divest yourself of sadness and distress and anxiety that you no longer need. I recommend you choose a few outmoded sources of unhappiness and enact a ritual to purge them.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In Norway, you don’t call your romantic partner “boyfriend” or “girlfriend. You say kjaereste, which is gender neutral and is translated as “dearest.” In Sweden, you refer to your lover as älskling, meaning “my beloved one.” How about Finland? One term the Finns use for the person they love is kulta, which means gold. I hope you’ll be inspired by these words to experiment with new nicknames and titles for the allies you care for. It’s a favorable time to reinvent the images you project onto each other. I hope you will refine your assumptions about each other and upgrade your hopes for each other. Be playful and have fun as you enhance your empathy.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The band Creedence Clearwater Revival, led by Gemini musician John Fogerty, achieved tremendous success with their rollicking sound and socially conscious lyrics. They sold 33 million records worldwide. In 1970, they were the best-selling band on the planet, exceeding even the Beatles. And yet, the band endured for just over four years. I foresee the possibility of a comparable phenomenon in your life during the coming months. Something that may not last forever will ultimately generate potent, long-term benefits. What might it be? Meditate on the possibility. Be alert for its coming. Create the conditions necessary for it to thrive.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote, “I am unlike anyone I have ever met. I will even venture to say that I am like no one in the whole world. I may be no better, but at least I am different.” I urge you to make that your own affirmation in the coming weeks. It’s high time to boldly claim how utterly unique you are—to be full of reasonable pride about the fact that you have special qualities that no one in history has ever had. Bonus: The cosmos is also granting you permission to brag more than usual about your humility and sensitivity, as well as about your other fine qualities.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Nigerian poet Ijeoma Umebinyuo writes, “I will always want myself. Always. Darling, I wrote myself a love poem two nights ago. I am a woman who grows flowers between her teeth. I dance myself out of pain. This wanting of myself gets stronger with age. I host myself to myself. I am whole.” I recommend you adopt Umebinyuo’s attitude as you upgrade your relationship with yourself during the coming weeks. It’s time for you to pledge to give yourself everything you wish a lover would offer you. You’re ready to claim more of your birthright as an ingenious, diligent self-nurturer.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): As author David Brooks reminds us, “Exposure to genius has the power to expand your consciousness. If you spend a lot of time with genius, your mind will end up bigger and broader than if you spend your time only with run-of-the-mill stuff.” I hope this strategy will be at the top of your priority list during the next four weeks. You will have abundant opportunities to put a lot of “excellent stuff into your brain,” as Brooks suggests. Uncoincidentally, you are also likely to be a rich source of inspiration and illumination yourself. I suspect people will recognize—even more than they usually do—that being around you will make them smarter. I suggest you help them realize that fact.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Self-help author James Clear describes a scenario I urge you to keep in mind. He speaks of “a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow, it will split in two.” Clear adds that “it was not that last blow that did it—but all that had gone before.” You’ll thrive by cultivating that same patience and determination in the coming weeks, Libra. Proceed with dogged certainty that your sustained small efforts will eventually yield potent results.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Nobel Prize-winning poet Odysseus Elytis was speaking like a consummate Scorpio when he said, “What I love is always being born. What I love is beginning always.” Like most Scorpios, he knew an essential secret about how to ensure he could enjoy that intense rhythm: He had to be skilled in the art of metaphorical death. How else could he be born again and again? Every time he rose up anew into the world like a beginner, it was because he had shed old ideas, past obsessions and worn-out tricks. I trust you’ve been attending to this transformative work in the past few weeks, Scorpio. Ready to be born again? Ready to begin anew? To achieve maximum renaissance, get rid of a few more things.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “I haven’t had enough sleep for years,” author Franz Kafka (1883–1924) once confessed to a friend. It showed in his work, which was brilliant but gaunt and haunted. He wrote stories that would be written by a person who was not only sleep-deprived but dream-deprived. The anxiety he might have purged from his system through sleep instead spilled out into the writing he did in waking life. Anyway, I’m hoping you will make Kafka your anti-role model as you catch up on the sleep you’ve missed out on. The coming weeks will be a fantastic time to fall in love with the odd, unpredictable, regenerative stories that well up from your subconscious depths while you’re in bed at night. They will refresh your imagination in all the right ways.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “The reason life works at all is that not everyone in your tribe is nuts on the same day,” writes author Anne Lamott. I will add that on rare occasions, virtually everyone in your tribe is functioning at high levels of competency and confidence. According to my analysis, now is one of those times. That’s why I encourage you to take extraordinary measures to marshal your tribe’s creative, constructive efforts. I believe that together you can collaborate to generate wonders and marvels that aren’t normally achievable. Group synergy is potentially at a peak—and will be fully activated if you help lead the way.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I believe your plan for the rest of 2021 should borrow from the mini-manifesto that Aquarian author Virginia Woolf formulated at age 51: “I will go on adventuring, changing, opening my mind and my eyes, refusing to be stamped and stereotyped. The thing is to free one’s self: to let it find its dimensions, not be impeded.” Does that sound like fun, Aquarius? It should be—although it may require you to overcome temptations to retreat into excess comfort and inertia.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “Anyone who isn’t embarrassed of who they were last year probably isn’t learning enough,” writes author and philosopher Alain de Botton. That’s too extreme a statement for my taste. But I agree with the gist of his comment. If we are not constantly outgrowing who we are, we are not sufficiently alert and alive. Luckily for you, Pisces, you are now in a phase of rapid ripening. At least you should be. The cosmos is conspiring to help you learn how to become a more vibrant and authentic version of yourself. Please cooperate! Seek all available updates.
[Editor: Here’s this week’s homework:]
Homework: Tell me why you’re such a gorgeous creature. https://Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com
Margie Belrose—longtime Marin County dancer, teacher, actor, writer and legend—passed away last week of natural causes at the age of 92.
It hardly seems possible.
Peter Pan, after all, is supposed to live forever.
Belrose, co-founder of the San Rafael theater that bears her name, was 40 years old when she first realized her dream of playing the Boy Who Never Grew Up. It was at the Belrose, of course, in a self-produced staging of the magical musical she’d loved since childhood, a childhood she wrote about with charmingly brutal specificity in her self-published 2018 memoir, The Me I Found: A Journey. Abandoned by her parents as a child, she grew up in a series of orphanages in New Jersey and Michigan, eventually making her way to Marin County. Every obstacle and success is chronicled in the book, told in Belrose’s unmistakably frank and persuasive prose.
That Belrose would publish her autobiography herself, at the age of 89, was illustrative of her whole life, a life routinely milestoned with self-made opportunities, from the day she began paying for her own dance lessons as a high school freshman—essentially willing herself to become a dancer—to that moment 25-years-or-so later when she cast herself as Peter Pan, finally embracing the inner actor and the flying mischief-maker she’d long known was there, even if others hadn’t always seen it. Belrose, true to form, made her own dream come true, obeying the same advice she’d been giving to dance students ever since she and her late husband David started their small theater school in 1956, ultimately purchasing a vacant church on Fifth Street and transforming it into the Belrose Theatre in 1962.
That advice?
“Always believe in yourself. That way, even if others do stop believing, the most important person in your life always will.”
I remember standing a few feet away from Belrose as she shared that particular piece of hard-won wisdom during the acceptance speech she gave in 2015, as she was receiving the Jerry Friedman Lifetime Achievement Award, bestowed annually by the San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Association. I had the privilege of presenting that award, then watching as Belrose, after a record-setting four-minute standing ovation from the 300 assembled theater-makers—a large number of whom had taken singing or dancing classes at the Belrose at one point or another—thoroughly charmed the crowd by flourishing a hardcopy list of all the roles she’d played over the years. With expert comic timing, she held up the list, pages and pages of it, as it unfolded like a paper streamer across the stage. She even did a spirited faux tap dance, reminding her former students of another long-held belief.
“It’s simply impossible to be unhappy while tap-dancing.”
The award was just one of many honors Belrose received over the course of her life. In 1997 she was inducted into the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame, and she was named San Rafael’s Person of the Year in 2010. But no trophy or proclamation meant as much to Belrose as the knowledge that she’d positively affected the lives of literally thousands of people during her long career. Her favorite stories were of adults reaching out to say how much her attention meant to them when they were children learning to sing or dance or act at the Belrose.
A celebration of life for Margie Belrose will take place Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Belrose, 1415 5th Ave., San Rafael. An open house begins at 3pm with a special program starting at 5pm. The family asks attendees to consider wearing pink, Margie’s favorite color. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Belrose Performing Arts Center are appreciated.
Marin County moved a few steps closer last week to transforming a shuttered skilled nursing facility in Greenbrae into permanent supportive housing for 43 chronically homeless people. Despite enthusiastic backing by the County, not everyone is happy about the project.
The Marin County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution to apply for up to $16 million from Project Homekey, a state funding program enabling the rapid expansion of housing units for the homeless during the pandemic.
The funds, if awarded, would go toward the purchase of the property at 1251 South Eliseo Drive, renovations and a portion of the operating costs for three years. The property is in the community of Greenbrae; however, that part of South Eliseo is under the jurisdiction of the City of Larkspur.
California announced last month that $1.45 billion in Homekey funding is up for grabs by local municipalities to provide housing for the homeless. The turnaround time to spend the funds is quick: all capital expenditures must be made within eight months of the award.
To assist with the project, the County supervisors unanimously authorized increasing the amount of a contract with Episcopal Community Services from $49,000 to $1,085,300. The significant increase includes deposits for property purchases and initial payments for professionals, such as architects and engineers. The County selected ECS, a San Francisco–based nonprofit, to identify, vet and secure up to two potential Project Homekey sites, one of which is the South Eliseo property. The other site has not yet been identified, according to Beth Stokes, executive director of ECS.
Some neighbors say the Greenbrae project, which is near condominiums, apartments, MarinHealth Medical Center and medical offices, does not fit into the community. An anonymous flyer distributed throughout the immediate neighborhood urged people to oppose the project.
A man who spoke during the comment period at the Board of Supervisors meeting last week voiced several objections, including his fear that the project would attract homeless people from San Francisco, drug use which could affect children and panhandling.
Complaints about the project on social media also run the gamut, from the high price tag of the property to wasting taxpayer dollars to political graft and corruption. The homeless themselves did not escape unscathed in the comments. One man said the homeless have severe alcohol and drug abuse issues, as well as “mental problems, anti-social behavior, child abuse and shoplifting.”
Little evidence was offered for any of the allegations against the project. Conversely, the data surrounding permanent supportive housing programs is extremely positive, especially in Marin County.
The permanent supportive housing model is a proven success nationwide, housing chronically homeless people with a qualifying disability. In Marin, 95% of the people in the program do not return to homelessness. Currently, 629 people live in permanent supportive housing in Marin. Adding the Greenbrae facility will increase the number of people served in the program by 7%.
ECS, which has worked with the homeless for more than 35 years, will run the planned Greenbrae housing facility. The nonprofit specializes in permanent supportive housing, currently operating more than 1,800 units in San Francisco. With a resident retention rate of 98% in its permanent supportive housing programs, ECS has earned a reputation as a well-respected partner.
Staff will be present 24/7 at the South Eliseo location. Case managers will visit the households regularly to assist with life skills. Over time, some residents gain self-sufficiency. Other services may include connecting individuals with healthcare, education, job programs, addiction treatment and mental health treatment, depending upon their needs.
Residents will pay 30% of their income in rent. They will also be required to sign a lease, laying out policies around quiet hours, smoking and trash disposal. Although there will be no curfew, there will be restrictions on the number of guests on the property, Stokes said.
If Marin County receives the greenlight for Project Homekey funding, not only will ECS run the Greenbrae facility, it will actually own the entire property. ECS has contributed $50,000 to predevelopment costs of the project.
“Marin County isn’t in the business of owning any housing,” Supervisor Katie Rice said. “I think it really makes sense that the operator is the owner of the property.”
Although the County would not retain any ownership in the property if the deal comes to fruition, it would still provide $8 million to fund the project. Marin will also have to give ECS a multi-year guarantee of financial support for an operating subsidy and supportive services. Currently, the County is seeking public and private funding for the multi-year costs.
The South Eliseo property, a 1.3-acre site on Corte Madera Creek, is listed for $11 million. Somewhat of an eyesore after remaining vacant for seven years, the 26,638-square-foot building is marred by graffiti and boarded-up windows. Old, rundown cars dot a few of the parking spaces.
Renovated buildings in the area sell for $1,000 per square foot, according to Nick Egide, the real estate listing agent. The 1251 South Eliseo property is priced at $413 per square foot due to the need for rehabilitation.
Neighbors against the project say that the $11 million asking price is steep. The property last sold eight years ago for $5 million.
“It was a distressed sale the last time the property sold,” Egide said. “All properties in the area have appreciated since then. The pricing is on point, judging by the comparables. Offers keep coming in around that number.”
The renovation costs are estimated at $8.5 million, Stokes said. All in, the price of the property and rehabilitation total almost $20 million.
Critics say the amount is too high to house 43 people, noting the cost comes to $465,000 per person, not including annual operating expenses.
“It is so expensive to develop any kind of housing in Marin County,” Rice said. “As far as the County is concerned, because the state is coming forward with such a big chunk of funding, they’ll be funding over half of the cost of the property, and then part of the operating costs for a few years going out. It really reduces the cost to the County itself. Our costs for this project will be under $250,000 per door. Project Homekey is making this possible financially. It sounds like a huge number, but that’s just the reality of construction and development in the 21st century.”
While not everybody is convinced that a permanent supportive housing project is right for Greenbrae, opposition by neighbors cannot stop the project, according to Rice. At this point, the Board of Supervisors is determined to move ahead, barring financing or property inspection issues.
“I have been addressing homelessness for the last six to eight years, and I have total confidence that this can be a project that will totally work for the community,” Rice said.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to my understanding of the upcoming weeks, life will present you with unusual opportunities. I suspect you will find it reasonable and righteous to shed, dismantle and rebel against the past. Redefining your history will be a fun and worthy project. Here are other related activities I recommend for you: 1. Forget and renounce a long-running fear that has never come true. 2. Throw away a reminder of an old experience that makes you feel bad. 3. Freshen your mood and attitude by moving around the furniture and decor in your home. 4. Write a note of atonement to a person you hurt once upon a time. 5. Give yourself a new nickname that inspires you to emancipate yourself from a pattern or habit you want to leave behind.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus poet Donte Collins’ preferred pronouns are “they” and “them.” They describe themself as Black, queer and adopted. “A lover doesn’t discourage your growth,” they write. “A lover says, ‘I see who you are today, and I cannot wait to see who you become tomorrow.’” I hope you have people like that in your life, Taurus—lovers, friends, allies and relatives. If there is a scarcity of such beloved companions in your life, the next eight weeks will be an excellent time to round up new ones. And if you are connected with people who delight in your progress and evolution, deepen your connection with them.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author Lisa Cron advises her fellow writers, “Avoid exclamation points! Really!! Because they’re distracting!! Almost as much as CAPITALIZING THINGS!!!” I’ll expand her counsel to apply not just to writers, but to all of you Geminis. In my astrological opinion, you’re likely to find success in the coming weeks if you’re understated, modest and unmelodramatic. Make it your goal to create smooth, suave, savvy solutions. Be cagey and cool and crafty.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu told us that water is in one sense soft and passive, but is in another sense superb at eroding jams and obstacles that are hard and firm. There’s a magic in the way its apparent weakness overcomes what seems strong and unassailable. You are one of the zodiac’s top wielders of water’s superpower, Cancerian. And in the coming weeks, it will work for you with even more amazing grace than usual. Take full advantage of your sensitivity, your emotional intelligence and your empathy.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo author James Baldwin told us, “You read something which you thought only happened to you, and you discover that it happened 100 years ago to [Russian novelist] Fyodor Dostoyevsky. This is a great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that he is alone.” In that spirit, Leo, and in accordance with astrological omens, I urge you to track down people who have had pivotal experiences similar to yours, either in the distant or recent past. These days, you need the consoling companionship they can provide. Their influence could be key to liberating you from at least some of your pain.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Poet Octavio Paz described two kinds of distraction. One is “the distraction of the person who is always outside himself, lost in the trivial, senseless, turmoil of everyday life.” The other is “the distraction of the person who withdraws from the world in order to shut himself up in the secret and ever-changing land of his fantasy.” In my astrological opinion, you Virgos should specialize in the latter during the coming weeks. It’s time to reinvigorate your relationship with your deep inner sources. Go in search of the reverent joy that comes from communing with your tantalizing mysteries. Explore the riddles at the core of your destiny.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “We must never be afraid to go too far, for truth lies beyond,” declared novelist Marcel Proust. I wouldn’t normally offer that counsel to you Libras. One of your strengths is your skill at maintaining healthy boundaries. You know how to set dynamic limits that are just right: neither too extreme nor too timid. But according to my analysis of the astrological potentials, the coming weeks will be one of those rare times when you’ll be wise to consider an alternative approach: that the most vigorous truths and liveliest energies may lie beyond where you usually go.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Author William S. Burroughs claimed his greatest strength was a “capacity to confront myself no matter how unpleasant.” But he added a caveat to his brag: Although he recognized his mistakes, he rarely made any corrections. Yikes! Dear Scorpio, I invite you to do what Burroughs couldn’t. Question yourself about how you might have gone off course, but then actually make adjustments and atonements. As you do, keep in mind these principles: 1. An apparent mistake could lead you to a key insight or revelation. 2. An obstruction to the flow may prod you to open your mind and heart to a liberating possibility. 3. A snafu might motivate you to get back to where you belong. 4. A mess could show you something important you’ve been missing.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In her novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Sagittarian author Shirley Jackson wrote, “Today my winged horse is coming, and I am carrying you off to the moon, and on the moon we will eat rose petals.” I wonder what you would do if you received a message like that—an invitation to wander out on fanciful or mysterious adventures. I hope you’d be receptive. I hope you wouldn’t say, “There are no such things as flying horses. It’s impossible to fly to the moon and eat rose petals.” Even if you don’t typically entertain such whimsical notions, the time is favorable to do so now. I bet you will be pleased with the unexpected grace they bring your way.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn author Susan Sontag wrote about people who weren’t receptive to her intensity and intelligence. She said she always had “a feeling of being ‘too much’ for them—a creature from another planet—and I would try to scale myself down to size, so I could be apprehendable and lovable by them.” I understand the inclination to engage in such self-diminishment. We all want to be appreciated and understood. But I urge you to refrain from taming and toning yourself down too much in the coming weeks. Don’t do what Sontag did. In my astrological opinion, it’s time for you to be an extra vivid version of yourself.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “I am diagnosed with not having enough insanely addictive drugs coursing through my body,” joked comedian Sarah Silverman. Judging from current cosmic rhythms, I’m inclined to draw a similar conclusion about you. It may be wise for you to dose yourself with intoxicants. JUST KIDDING! I lied. Here’s the truth: I would love for you to experience extra rapture, mystic illumination, transcendent sex, and yes, even intoxication in the coming weeks. My analysis of the astrological omens suggests these delights are more likely and desirable than usual. However, the best way to arouse them is by communing with your favorite non-drug and non-alcohol inebriants. The benefits will last longer and incur no psychological cost.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “The truth is,” writes cartoonist Bill Watterson, “most of us discover where we are headed when we arrive.” I sense this will describe your life during the next six weeks. Your long, strange journey won’t come to an end, of course. But a key chapter in that long, strange journey will climax. You will be mostly finished with lessons you have been studying for many moons. The winding road you have been following will end up someplace in particular. And sometime soon, I suspect you’ll spy a foreshadowing flash of this denouement.
1 VISUAL: This winter we’ll be rooting for the arrival of those strong, warm and persistent flows of heavy precipitation extending from the Hawaiian Islands towards the California coast, commonly known by what fruity 2-word nickname?
2 What two holidays generate the most candy sales in the U.S.?
3 VISUAL: What actor played the title role of blind genius singer Ray Charles in the 2004 film Ray?
4 How do fish get oxygen?
5 The lowest prevailing interest rate at which banks lend money to corporations and customers with good credit has what 2-word name?
6 The United States Post Office Department inaugurated airmail delivery in 1918, connecting what three cities?
7 The U.S. tennis center in Queens—in Long Island, New York—is named after what female tennis star?
8 What are the world’s two largest islands? (Hint: Not Australia, which is a continent).
9a. According to the 1968 Three Dog Night song hit, what is … “the loneliest number you’ll ever do”?
9b. What well-known singer/songwriter (HN) composed that song?
10 Former President Jimmy Carter had these installed on the White House roof, but President Ronald Reagan later had them removed. What were they?
BONUS QUESTION: VISUAL: The world’s highest passenger railway reaches 16,627 feet, passing through what country or countries?
Tagline: Want More Trivia for your next Party, Fundraiser or Special Event? Contact ho*****@********fe.com.
ANSWERS:
1 Pineapple Express
2 No. 1: Halloween / No. 2: Easter
3 Jamie Foxx
4 Water passes through their gills, which absorb oxygen and dispel carbon dioxide.
5 Prime Rate
6 Washington—Philadelphia—New York
7 Billie Jean King
8 Greenland and New Guinea
9a. “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do, Two can be as bad as one, It’s the loneliest number since the number one”
Please thank this author for her measured response to the outrageous column by Mr. Zebulon. I hope the editorial finds a way to apologize and correct his lies. It is not a question of point of view but as outrageous a set of statements as those produced by holocaust deniers. I expect better from the Bohemian.
Richard Burg
Healdsburg
Unsettled
A friend recently expressed dismay that the Bohemian published “Unsettling” by Michael Zebulon because the piece was “so full of lies.” I admire your Open Mic policy. Opinions buttressed by fabrications, lack of historical knowledge and ideology are best kept in the open because this provides a public forum for clarification and refutation. Mr. Zebulon’s article reads like propaganda. After stating the liberal-progressive labels that frame the argument in his favor, Mr. Zebulon states his first lie: “most of the land in the unincorporated territories is still unsettled by anybody.” The lands of the West Bank have been farmed by Palestinians for millennia. Burning Palestinian olive groves and confiscating grazing lands has been par for the course in establishing Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Not to mention terrorism. Just a few weeks ago, 60 masked, armed settlers attacked a West Bank Palestinian village, slicing the throats of three sheep, breaking windows, throwing stones, one of which fractured the skull of a three-year-old boy. Other mis-statements follow. For example, the West Bank territories are recognized internationally as “occupied.” It is the supremacist, colonizer mindset that denies indigenous people the right to live on the lands of their ancestors. Israel is no different than the United States or South Africa in that regard. All are nations that appropriated land from indigenous peoples who neither had nor understood European concepts of private property, nation state sovereignty dictates or manifest destiny.
Into each life a little unbelievableness must fall. Here’s my story.
Donating to charities has always been important to me. Actually, just giving to those less fortunate than myself has. I’m not saying I’ve given a lot, but I have at times donated to different people and nonprofits.
When I was a kid I began handing out money to the homeless....
I was in the most spiritless city the world has ever known—no, neither Sodom nor Gomorrah, but rather Las Vegas—having dinner with colleagues. Discussion turned to movies, and M. Night Shyamalan’s film, Signs, came up. I thought myself one of the few who could explain the movie in one sentence, so I asked a peer what he thought the...
Homeless Enough
In May 2020 I was a victim of domestic violence, and I ended up homeless—living in my truck for 11 months during the “shelter-in-place” that occurred at the beginning of the pandemic. I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was on blood-pressure meds from my physician. Repeatedly I reached out to administrators of homeless shelters in Sonoma...
SPOTLIGHT ON WOMEN Jazz-pianist and composer Helen Sung shares selections from her new album and speaks about artistic women in an online presentation hosted by Healdsburg Jazz on Sunday, Oct. 24, at 5pm. Healdsburgjazz.org.
Cloverdale
Good Scares
Do you like scary movies? Then you’ll want to head to the Citrus Fairgrounds this week for a frightfully fun Halloween Double-Feature as part of...
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week of October 20
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Even the wisest among us are susceptible to being fascinated by our emotional pain. Even those of us who do a lot of inner work may be captivated and entranced by frustrations and vexations and irritants. Our knotty problems make us interesting, even attractive! They shape our self-image. No wonder...
Margie Belrose—longtime Marin County dancer, teacher, actor, writer and legend—passed away last week of natural causes at the age of 92.
It hardly seems possible.
Peter Pan, after all, is supposed to live forever.
Belrose, co-founder of the San Rafael theater that bears her name, was 40 years old when she first realized her dream of playing the Boy Who Never Grew...
ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to my understanding of the upcoming weeks, life will present you with unusual opportunities. I suspect you will find it reasonable and righteous to shed, dismantle and rebel against the past. Redefining your history will be a fun and worthy project. Here are other related activities I recommend for you: 1. Forget and renounce...
QUESTIONS
1 VISUAL: This winter we’ll be rooting for the arrival of those strong, warm and persistent flows of heavy precipitation extending from the Hawaiian Islands towards the California coast, commonly known by what fruity 2-word nickname?
2 What two holidays generate the most candy sales in the U.S.?
3 VISUAL: What actor played the title role of blind genius singer Ray...
Outrage
Please thank this author for her measured response to the outrageous column by Mr. Zebulon. I hope the editorial finds a way to apologize and correct his lies. It is not a question of point of view but as outrageous a set of statements as those produced by holocaust deniers. I expect better from the Bohemian.
Richard Burg
Healdsburg
Unsettled
A friend recently...
