This is it. Our biggest issue of the year: Best Of 2019! In this week’s 96 pages of all things Marin, our readers weigh in on their favorite people, places and things that make Marin County the world wonder it is. The Pacific Sun staff offers a few of their favorite things, too. The issue is easy on the eyes thanks to the great photography from Marin County’s own Aubrey Trinnaman. Have a look and cheers to you, Marin County.
It’s the battle of the housing bills.
First, there’s SB 50, San Francisco Sen. Scott Weiner’s attempt to end local control over zoning decisions in “transit rich” areas of the state. He proposed a similar bill last year, SB 827, which was met with various levels of alarm and support among localities and housing activists—but died in committee.
Then there’s SB 4, Healdsburg Senator Mike McGuire’s response bill to Weiner’s bill. McGuire says his bill seeks similar aims—to streamline the process for building high-desnity housing in transit-rich zones by giving the state a bigger hand in local zoning decisions—but of a less draconian nature, given the number and scope of the exemptions in SB 4.
McGuire, who helped kill Weiner’s bill last year in the Senate Transportation and Housing committee, put up a trio of housing-related bills this year as he was also elevated by Sen. Majority Leader Toni Atkins to his position as second in charge of the senate Democrats.
McGuire emphasizes workforce housing in his legislative package this year and criticized Weiner’s “one-size-fits-all” San Francisco–centric housing bill.
McGuire is also seeking a reanimation of the state’s redevelopment program, with the introduction last month of SB 5. That bill aims to ramp up state and regional efforts at building middle and low-income housing.
With SB 4, he offers a rejoinder to Weiner’s bill, which has received surprising support from construction trade unions and the construction industry, along with “YIMBY” groups, while being condemned by Marin electeds, Marin Independent Journal columnists, and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Both bills passed through their respective committees earlier this month, with both men refraining from voting on the others’ proposal and pledging to hash out their differences in advance of hearings and committee votes on the bills this week.
Critics of Weiner’s proposed SB 827 last year variously accused him of being a “WIMBY” (Wall Street in My Backyard), and for abandoning any pretext of building an affordable-housing component into his bill. He responded with an upgraded bill this year that mandates a 20 percent affordable housing ratio in new housing developments in transit rich zones. The criticisms continue over the bill’s core push to end local control over sensitive zoning issues—even as a broad consortium of developers, housing advocates and unions have supported Weiner’s approach.
McGuire’s bill, by contrast, pushes for a 30 percent affordable housing set-aside for new residential projects in transit-rich areas. That’s twice the average in the North Bay, and represents the Highway 101 and SMART train corridor. Cities up and down the line have development projects in the pipeline that, in their own way, underscore the region’s dilemma when it comes to building affordable housing in a region with the highest valued real estate markets in the country that’s also facing a huge population boom in coming years to go along with various natural and man-made disasters.
McGuire’s bill would limit the new state zoning mandates to cities and towns with a population greater than 60,000 in a county with fewer than a million people. Marin’s population is 250,000; Sonoma is about 500,000.
In McGuire’s district, his bill’s population parameters mean that while Santa Rosa, Petaluma and San Rafael could be subject to new state zoning mandates (and be impelled to approve, for example, three-story mixed-use apartments near SMART stations), smaller cities such as Cloverdale and his own high-end home base of Healdsburg would not.
In Healdsburg, home to Sonoma County’s priciest median home value ($888,000, according to the latest Zillow figures), the city council recently gave the green light to an ambitious build-out of an old lumber yard that’s located yards from a proposed SMART station scheduled to arrive in town by 2022. The plan is very Healdsburg to the extent that it cozies up to the tourism industry while making an earnest effort at dealing with its workforce-housing crisis.
Replay Healdsburg LLC is a corporation under the umbrella of Vancouver-based developer Replay Destinations, which is mostly in the hotel business. Their public-private plan was approved by the city council and, when fully developed, will include 208 new residential dwellings split between 146 market-rate residencies, 40 multi-family rental units, and 48 “micro units” of 500 square feet or less. The latter represents twice the number of low-income units required under Healdsburg’s zoning code.
The Replay plan also calls for a 53-room hotel with a spa, and the company specifically noted in its 2017 proposal to the city that it would “take advantage of . . . the future SMART transit center,” along with providing numerous amenities to the town that include a new park and commercial district. The low and very-low income housing would be managed by Eden Housing, a Hayward-based supportive housing nonprofit that’s emerged as a go-to agency for private-public partnerships that are simultaneously pro-business and pro–affordable housing.
Under McGuire’s bill, Healdsburg, with a population of 12,000, would be exempt from any future state-driven attempts to seize control of local zoning decisions in the downtown area.
Meanwhile in Santa Rosa, there’s a SMART station at Railroad Square but an empty former freight train depot lot across the tracks that’s been a hot potato property since the SMART District was created in 2002 and subsequently purchased the land.
In the aftermath of the 2017 wildfires, which saw Santa Rosa lose five percent of its housing stock, the property has continued to languish under the weight of known soil contamination and complex issues related to the five acre lot’s extensive title history, according to city documents and published reports on the Santa Rosa snafu.
SMART’s been trying to jump-start trackside development where it’s been flagging—especially in Santa Rosa. According to SMART documents, General Manager Farhoud Mansourian tried to fast-track a development deal with the Santa Clara–based ROEM Development Corp. in 2018 with a planned high-density development of 321 apartments, including 48 below-market rate units. But, citing title and oil contamination issues, ROEM backed out of the deal early this year. Cornerstone Properties then stepped into the breach and bought the land from the SMART district for $5.4 million. A project plan is pending from Cornerstone.
What impact might a McGuire-Weiner compromise bill have on Santa Rosa? It’s unclear. Santa Rosa has the highest population in the North Bay, at 175,000, which puts it squarely within the population parameters set by McGuire. But McGuire’s bill also offers exemptions to areas where there’s a high risk of wildfire.
Marin County has been especially vociferous in denouncing Weiner’s bill and any legislative attempt to seize control over local zoning decisions. Marin’s been the much-publicized flashpoint for local control over high-density development along the travel corridor, with its rich “NIMBY” culture of older homeowners who have resisted the renewed rush to develop, met with a new YIMBY push that’s highlighting an outsized cost of living in Marin that’s driven largely by its pricey real estate market. San Rafael has seen several projects in recent years that demonstrate McGuire’s overall point about the “one-size-does-not-fit-all” approach to residential development.
In one pending project, San Rafael and the county have tentatively embraced a public-private partnership model that also makes use of support services from the nonprofit Eden Housing. Several years ago, BioMarin and the Whistlestop senior services facility both put forth ambitious redevelopment plans that were approved by city planners in San Rafael, only to have them face the regulatory buzzsaw of the county and the state—not to mention a funding wall for Whistlestop, thanks in part to the end of redevelopment.
Last year the entities combined their plans into one new project that would see a new plant for the local pharmaceutical firm, a residential tower for seniors and as well as parks, bikeways and other amenities. That plan is now being reviewed by numerous county departments, and an environmental review is underway. The Biomarin-Whistlestop plan serves as a demonstration model for how local control can play out and provide the maximum benefit to all parties—including those who are having a hard time making the rent in Marin. But as the YIMBYs like to point out, Marin County has been very slow to approve new residential developments in the past decade and has exacerbated its own housing crisis through a local control regime that’s heavy on the control.
Weiner says his bill is designed to remediate the failings of local control when it comes to upzoning transit-rich areas, and it remains to be seen how or if Wednesdays hearings will address projects in the pipeline. McGuire’s staying mum on the subject. “Nothing to report yet,” says McGuire spokeswoman Kerrie Lindecker. “But more to come on [April 24] when the bills come to [the] Governance and Finance Committee.”
Pull quote: Marin County has been especially vociferous in denouncing of Weiner’s bill and any legislative attempt to seize control over local zoning decisions.
The Pac Sun’s been tracking Napa Sen. Bill Dodd’s SB 253 since he introduced it early in the legislative session; this week the bill passed a key vote in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee. Now it’s headed to the Appropriations Committee.
SB 253 is a bill of potentially great interest to the farmers and ranchers of Marin, as Dodd’s bill sets out to enhance conservation efforts at California’s 76,000 farms through a set of incentives “and technical assistance that help wildlife and the environment,” the Senator says in statement this week. Dodd introduced his bill, he says, after similar efforts underway took a nosedive in the aftermath of the 2008 economic meltdown and never recovered. He’s looking to reanimate old-fashioned conservation efforts at the ground level in a $54 billion state agricultural industry that generates $100 billion annually in economic activity.
“Good stewardship of rural lands is crucial to the sustainability and economic vitality of our state,” says Dodd in a statement, further noting that his bill would provide assistance to anyone in the ag sector who wants to voluntarily make “wildlife friendly improvements on their land”—including wildlife that swims. Dodd claims his bill would help improve water quality and erosion-control efforts, while also conserving groundwater. The California Association of Resource Conservation Districts is a supporter of SB 253 and its executive director, Karen Buhr, says in a statement that “what’s really important is that farming and ranching have the potential to be part of the solution for climate change, habitat protection and so many of the environmental challenges we face in California.” —Tom Gogola
Cabernet Franc isn’t the first varietal I think of for springtime sipping. The spicy, floral white wine called Gewürztraminer—that’s more like it. When samples of both showed up on our doorstep, with a note linking them to a springtime event, it begged for inquiry and a full report. The standard package for Bordeaux-style Cab Franc is the French region’s high-shouldered bottle style. So what’s this one doing in a more gently curved (one hates to say, “feminine”) “Burgundy” glass?
In France’s Loire Valley, the wonder twins of white and red wine are crisp Chenin Blanc and silky Cabernet Franc. There they get to express their true selves instead of playing referee between Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Paul Mathew Russian River Valley Cabernet Franc ($29) must be the softest, most supple (again, one hates to say, “feminine”) Cabernet Franc I’ve run across in these parts, showing pretty aromas of red licorice, soft leather and warmed olives. It’s the kind of easygoing bistro wine that plays nice, but doesn’t feel cheap.
This wine is made in 100 percent stainless steel, “and also made by a guy who predominately makes Pinot Noir,” says Barb Gustafson, co-conspirator in Paul Mathew Vineyards with winemaker Mat Gustafson, “so he’s trying to bring up the elegance of the wine, instead of oaking it and making a big, huge, chunky wine.”
You can pair this wine with small bites by Boon Eat + Drink, Agriculture Public House, Big Bottom Market, A La Heart Catering and other food vendors at the fourth annual Spring Fling, a benefit for the Guerneville Chamber of Commerce, which could use a little benefit after a soaking wet winter.
They’re calling it their coming out party after the floods, says Gustafson. Should the weather warm enough to mandate a splash of spicy white, try Paul Mathew’s Russian River Valley Gewürztraminer ($24). This is no sweet thing, like many wine drinkers expect of Gewürz. The aroma’s just a touch creamy, with accents of rosemary and juniper berry, and it drinks like a spicier Sauvignon Blanc, with zesty, kiwi cocktail acidity for days and a nice and dry finish.
For $50 you can bet there’s more wine at the Spring Fling: the seldom-seen Flowers and Wild Hog come down from the mountain, plus Woodenhead, and more. Korbel brings bubbles. The Thugz bring Grateful Dead cover music. And Michelle Anna Jordan brings cookbooks. Bring a thirst and an appetite, and this fling is sprung.
Spring Fling, downtown Guerneville, Saturday, April 27, 1–4pm. $30 food only; $50 food and wine. 707.869.9000. RussianRiver.com.
The venerable Ross Valley Players have a long history of presenting original works to their audiences. In 1984, they initiated the Ross Alternative Works (RAW) program, dedicated to staged readings and full productions of works by Bay Area playwrights. This season brings Scott & Zelda: The Beautiful Fools, running now through April 28.
Written by Sausalito resident Lance S. Bellville and directed by Lynn Lohr, it’s a look at the tumultuous relationship of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda. It’s not a strict bio piece per se, but a “stream of consciousness” play that takes place in the mind of Fitzgerald.
Set in the late 1930’s, we first meet Scott (Frankie Stornaiuolo) in the apartment of his mistress, Hollywood gossip columnist Sheila Graham (Marissa Ellison).
The play zips back and forth between the times and places—when he first meets Zelda (Emily Dwyer), their time together in Paris, his friendship with Ernest Hemingway (Izaak Heath), their Long Island residency with next-door neighbor Groucho Marx (Peter Warden), his parenthood of daughter “Scottie” (Charlotte Curtin), and Zelda’s decline due to mental illness. It’s all sort of “book-ended” with comments and exposition from Fitzgerald’s literary agent Harold Ober (Warden again) and editor Max Perkins (Ron Talbot).
There’s little depth to the characters and the hopscotching around their lives amounts to a Classics Illustrated approach to their story. Performance-wise, Dwyer does well as Zelda, a fascinating individual who deserves to have her story told (better). Stornaiuolo, who overcame script deficiencies with his character in the last RVP production, has no such luck here and is given little to do other than resemble Fitzgerald. Among the supporting players, Warden’s agent and Heath’s Hemingway come off best.
To paraphrase Fitzgerald’s contemporary Gertrude Stein, when it comes to Scott & Zelda, there’s no there there.
(This letter is in reference to efforts to change the name of the Dixie School District)
Rededicating the school to Mary Dixie neatly resolves the dispute! A Miwok named Mary Dixie has a logical connection to James Miller, founder of the Dixie Schoolhouse. I believe a false narrative was created in 1972 when, hastily, an application was filed for the Dixie Schoolhouse as a landmark, without fully examining the heirlooms and analyzing the history.
James Miller had ties to the Gold Country (and not the Confederacy). If you will follow history you will know that Irish people faced discrimination. Prejudices existed for the Irish for their religious beliefs when they first set foot in America. As tensions built, the Irish immigrant men often joined the army to gain acceptance from Americans; others headed West. Eventually, many Irish men were recruited for the Union Army because it more closely aligned with their beliefs. Throughout the Union army, Irishmen and their sons served with distinction. Most Irish came after the potato famine of 1845 to New York, though Miller came much earlier by way of Canada. A native of Wexford Ireland, Miller never served the Union Army, but he accepted a Union Captain into his family. Here is his story.
Like other Irish emigrating first to Canada, Miller made his way to America and settled briefly in Missouri, a hotly contested slave border state. Not satisfied with life in Missouri, Miller and his wife Mary Murphy, headed West through Iowa, a Union state, to meet up with the Martin Murphy family and other Murphys, where the family formed a 10-wagon train and eventually merged with a 40-wagon train to Oregon and California. It was an eight-month journey with an overlay at Truckee Lake. Miller eventually made home near Mission San Rafael, which was Mexico at the time. Miller named the Truckee River and Lake after a Miwok/Paiute chief who helped him navigate the region. At Mission San Rafael, Miller met his wife’s extended relation, Don Timoteo Murphy, defender of the indigenous people.
Along with his wealth, James Miller grew his family to 10. The Latin word for “ten” is Decem, the numeral X or Dixie, which coincidentally is also the baptismal name given by missionaries to Miwok-Paiute, such as Mary Dixie, who was born well before the Civil War. As an Irishman, Miller was grateful to the indigenous people and likely aligned with them. It’s highly plausible, as our Miwok historian tells us, that James Miller named the school after Mary Dixie, head of her family. It’s possible the school was named Dixie in honor of Mary Dixie and for his 10 children. The only thing we really know is that the school was named at the cusp of the American Civil War—and in that time the Irish were recruited for the Union Army. What’s more, the Union army benefited from the gold rush and Miller would have had much interaction with Union men in his journeys. James Miller’s daughter married Captain John Keys of the Union Army.
Given that his family was Union and that James Miller was sympathetic and grateful to indigenous people, we can be certain that he was neither a racist nor a confederate. We can all confidently conclude that the school was named in the Latin “Dixie” and that the surname Dixie (as in Mary Dixie) applies. Mary Dixie was an exemplary person. She was head of household in her triblet of Miwok, and a skilled artisan.
We stripped the Miwok of their land. We have no reason now to strip the Miwok of the surname, which is the last vestige of the indigenous people in our parts. A surname does not offend anyone. Only people can offend other people. It’s time to put and end to the nonsense. Rededicate the school to the woman named Mary Dixie! She is the name behind our school. I’m hoping you will now associate the surname with missionaries and not Confederates.
—M.C. Nygard
Via Pacificsun.com
Hero
Finally, after months of personal attacks and general misbehavior, the Dixie School District Board of Trustees voted to change the name of the district and Dixie Elementary school. We say better late than never, but this action should have taken place decades ago when it was first suggested in 1997 by Kerry Peirson of Mill Valley. To the three trustees who voted yes, Marnie Glickman, Megan Hutchinson and Brooks Nguyen, hats off to you.
Zero
A Santa Rosa man, on his way to go hiking in Novato last Sunday morning, made a quick stop at a coffee shop in Cotati, leaving his dog and keys inside the vehicle. When he came out 10 minutes later, his car and 11-year-old pooch Kada had vanished.
After flagging down a Cotati police officer and filing a report, James did what anyone would do: he turned to social media to find the beloved mixed-breed who’d been with him since she was three months old. His Facebook post garnered hundreds of shares and comments, but no one had seen her.
A break came on Tuesday afternoon when police in Port Orford, Oregon pulled over a woman driving James’ stolen car. Unfortunately, Kada wasn’t with her. Suspect Danielle Lormer, 37, arrested and booked on several charges, said the last time she’d seen the dog was in Santa Rosa. It’s one thing to steal a car, but only an inhumane Zero would put a senior pooch out on the road.
Later that evening, James received a call from Marin Humane saying a woman reported she recognized Kada from Facebook and had seen her at the Marin Gateway shopping center. James rushed to Marin City and with the help of a Marin County Sheriff’s deputy searched for her for two hours. Around 1 a.m., Deputy Kevin Guinn spotted her under a bush in a nearby residential area and phoned James, who was still out looking.
Kada and James were reunited in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, three days and 37 miles away from where they were last together. We’re happy to report that both man and dog are doing well.
email: ni***************@***oo.com
Hero
Finally, after months of personal attacks and general misbehavior, the Dixie School District Board of Trustees voted to change the name of the district and Dixie Elementary school. We say better late than never, but this action should have taken place decades ago when it was first suggested in 1997 by Kerry Peirson of Mill Valley. To the three trustees who voted yes, Marnie Glickman, Megan Hutchinson and Brooks Nguyen, hats off to you.
Zero
A Santa Rosa man, on his way to go hiking in Novato last Sunday morning, made a quick stop at a coffee shop in Cotati, leaving his dog and keys inside the vehicle. When he came out 10 minutes later, his car and 11-year-old pooch Kada had vanished.
After flagging down a Cotati police officer and filing a report, James did what anyone would do: he turned to social media to find the beloved mixed-breed who’d been with him since she was three months old. His Facebook post garnered hundreds of shares and comments, but no one had seen her.
A break came on Tuesday afternoon when police in Port Orford, Oregon pulled over a woman driving James’ stolen car. Unfortunately, Kada wasn’t with her. Suspect Danielle Lormer, 37, arrested and booked on several charges, said the last time she’d seen the dog was in Santa Rosa. It’s one thing to steal a car, but only an inhumane Zero would put a senior pooch out on the road.
Later that evening, James received a call from Marin Humane saying a woman reported she recognized Kada from Facebook and had seen her at the Marin Gateway shopping center. James rushed to Marin City and with the help of a Marin County Sheriff’s deputy searched for her for two hours. Around 1 a.m., Deputy Kevin Guinn spotted her under a bush in a nearby residential area and phoned James, who was still out looking.
Kada and James were reunited in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, three days and 37 miles away from where they were last together. We’re happy to report that both man and dog are doing well.
email: ni***************@***oo.com
<50 Years Ago>
The strains between the hip and the straight communities in the San Geronimo Valley have erupted into gunfire and arson. A committee will attempt to cool things off. Shirley’s Cafe, a gathering place for the hips, has been the target of the violence. Co-owner Richard Green said shots have been fired through his windows and somebody tried to burn down the place by setting fire to a trash bin wedged up against the door. At a meeting which drew 200 Valley residents and a score of county officials, the straights gave vent to their anger, some people even applauding when Green mentioned the arson and gunfire. But in the end it was agreed that a committee be formed to get the rival factions together. Supervisor Bud Baar, certainly no friend of long-hairs, said that peace would come only when everybody respected the rights of others. —Newsgram, April 23, 1969
<40 Years Ago>
Synanon likes to sue newspapers. In recent years its bustling legal department has filed suits and/or demands for retraction from coast to coast. Targets have included the Chronicle, the Kansas City Star, Time magazine, the Pacific Sun and oddly, even the I-J, which often sounds like a Synanon house organ. . . . The Pulitzer citation said the [Point Reyes] Light “ . . . had found evidence of [Synanon] beatings, of hoarding of weapons, of revenge attacks and other legal and extra-legal goings on.” It was coverage of these events which prompted Senator Peter Beher to praise the Light glowingly when he ran into [co-publisher] Dave Mittchell outside the Inverness Store last Thanksgiving. “I told him that considering the quality of your writing, and the risk you are running, somebody ought to nominate you for the Pulitzer Prize,” remembers Beher. —Steve McNamara, April 20, 1979
<30 Years Ago>
There will probably come a day when we look upon television with nostalgia.
God forbid. —April 21, 1989
Compiled by Alex Randolph
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the U.S., the day after Thanksgiving typically features a spectacular shopping orgy. On “Black Friday,” stores sell their products at steep discounts and consumers spend their money extravagantly. But the creators of the game Cards Against Humanity have consistently satirized the tradition. In 2013, for example, they staged a Black Friday “anti-sale,” for which they *raised* their prices. The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to try something similar. Is it possible you’re undercharging for your products and services and skills? If so, consider asking for more. Reassess your true worth and seek appropriate rewards.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Whether or not you believe in magic, magic believes in you right now. Will you take advantage of the fancy gifts it has to offer? I guess it’s possible that you’re not interested in seeing deeper into the secret hearts of those you care for. Maybe you’ll go “ho-hum” when shown how to recognize a half-hidden opportunity that could bring vitalizing changes. And you may think it’s not very practical to romance the fire and the water at the same time. But if you’re interested, all that good stuff will be available for you. (P.S. To maximize the effects of the magic, believe in it.)
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 1815, the most ferocious volcanic eruption in human history exploded from Mount Tambora in what’s now known as Indonesia. It flung gas and ash all over the planet, causing weird weather for three years. Sunlight dimmed, temperatures plummeted, skies were tumultuous, and intense storms proliferated. Yet these conditions ignited the imagination of author Mary Shelley, inspiring her to write what was to become her most notable work, *Frankenstein*. I suspect that you, too, will ultimately generate at least one productive marvel in response to the unusual events of the coming weeks.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): For over 40 years, Cancerian musician Carlos Santana has made music that blends rock and roll with Latin and African rhythms. In the early years, his creations sold well, but by the mid-1980s his commercial success declined. For a decade, he floundered. His fortunes began to improve after a spectacular meditation session. Santana says he was contacted by the archangel Metatron, who told him how to generate material for a new album. The result was Supernatural, which sold 30 million copies and won nine Grammy Awards. I mention this, Cancerian, because I suspect that you could soon experience a more modest but still rousing variation of Santana’s visitation. Are you interested? If so, the next seven weeks will be a good time to seek it out—and be very receptive to its possibility.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Expergefactor” is an old English word that has fallen out of use. In its original sense, it meant something that wakes you up, like an alarm clock or thunderstorm or your partner’s snoring. But I want to revive “expergefactor” and expand its meaning. In its new version, it will refer to an exciting possibility or beloved goal that consistently motivates you to spring out of bed in the morning and get your day started. Your expergefactor could be an adventure you’re planning or a masterpiece you’re working on or a relationship that fills you with curiosity and enchantment. In my astrological opinion, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to identify and fine-tune an expergefactor that will serve you well for a long time.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): We live in a cultural moment when satire, sarcasm, cynicism, and irony are prized as supreme emblems of intelligence. If you say that you value sincerity and earnestness, you risk being considered naive and unsophisticated. Nevertheless, the current astrological omens suggest that you will generate good fortune for yourself in the coming weeks by making liberal use of sincerity and earnestness. So please try not to fall into the easy trap of relying on satire, sarcasm, cynicism, and irony to express yourself. As much as is practical, be kindly frank and compassionately truthful and empathetically genuine. (P.S. It’s a strategy that will serve your selfish aims quite well.)
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Most people don’t find their creativity,” mourned Libran author Truman Capote. “There are more unsung geniuses that don’t even know they have great talent.” If that describes you even a little bit, I’m happy to let you know that you’re close to stumbling upon events and insights that could change that. If you respond to the prompts of these unexpected openings, you will rouse a partially dormant aspect of your genius, as well as a half-inert stash of creativity and a semi-latent cache of imaginativity.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Do you know the word “sfumato”? Its literal meaning in Italian is “smoked.” When used to describe a painting, it refers to blurred borders between objects or fuzzy transitions between areas of different colors. All the forms are soft and hazy. I bring this to your attention because I suspect the coming weeks will be a sfumato-like time for you. You may find it a challenge to make precise distinctions. Future and past may overlap, as well as beginnings and endings. That doesn’t have to be a problem as long as you’re willing to go with the amorphous flow. In fact, it could even be pleasurable and useful. You might be able to connect with influences from which you’ve previously been shut off. You could blend your energies together better with people who’ve been unavailable.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “You have a right to experiment with your life,” declared author Anaïs Nin. I agree. You don’t necessarily have to be what you started out to be. You can change your mind about goals that you may at one time have thought were permanent. I suspect you could be at one of these pivot points right now, Sagittarius. Are there any experiments you’d like to try? If so, keep in mind this further counsel from Nin. It’s possible “you will make mistakes. And they are right, too.”
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You have one main task to accomplish in the coming weeks, Capricorn. It’ll be simple and natural if you devote yourself to it wholeheartedly. The only way it could possibly become complicated and challenging is if you allow your focus to be diffused by less important matters. Ready for your assignment? It’s articulated in this poem by Rupi Kaur: “bloom beautifully / dangerously / loudly / bloom softly / however you need / just bloom.”
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When the forces of the Roman empire occupied the British Isles from the years 43 to 410, they built 2,000 miles of roads. Their methods were sophisticated. That’s why few new roads were built in England until the eighteenth century, and many of the same paths are still visible and available today. In this spirit, and in accordance with astrological omens, I recommend that you make good use of an old system or network in the coming weeks. This is one time when the past has blessings to offer the future.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “I’m not enigmatic and intriguing enough,” writes a Piscean blogger named RiddleMaster. “I really must work harder. Maybe I’ll start wearing ankle-length black leather coats, billowing silk scarves imprinted with alchemical symbols, and wide-brimmed hats. I’ll listen to Cambodian folk songs and read rare books in ancient Sanskrit. When someone dares to speak to me, I’ll utter cryptic declarations like, ‘The prophecies will be fulfilled soon enough.'” I understand RiddleMaster’s feelings. You Pisceans need mystery almost as much as you need food. But I believe you should set aside that drive for a few weeks. The time has come for you to show the world who you are with crisp candor.
Homework: Compose an exciting prayer in which you ask for something you’re not “supposed” to. FreeWillAstrology.com
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