what's worse -- feeling the depths of your desire for the first time, or having all your closest friends around to witness it?

prints ♣︎ song

I'm genuinely curious and don't want to start something! Just wanted to ask what you make of the 'Old Fritz might've been asexual' take, I don't know much about him and I feel you're one of the best people to ask esp since you lean towards 'he was probably queer in some way' too

Hey there! So, first off, don’t ever worry about me interpreting you asking me a question as starting something. As much as I love making dumb jokes about the guy, I love nothing more than doing this kind of stuff and defending or explaining my points. There’s two degrees I want to get over the next decade: first my JD and then my MA in Prussian history. I live for this stuff! Always have! Second off, I’m very sorry for not getting to this sooner. Things have been incredibly stressful for me for a variety of different reasons which have made answering your question, until now, rather difficult. Putting this under a cut because, holy shit, it got long!

My personal reasoning for why I think he’s bi (which, correct me if I’m wrong, I’m assuming is what you meant instead of ace and could be a different post entirely since some historians have tried to argue that) stems more to do with some of my lingering questions about the nature of his relationships with certain woman, rather than that of his relationships with men. To me and my modern, queer eye, Fritz’s relationships with men like Hans Hermann von Katte, Francisco Algarotti, Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf, and (much to my personal vexation) one Monsieur Voltaire are either outright homosexual/homoerotic in nature or very, very easily lend themselves to that interpretation rather than strictly romantic friendships (which Wikipedia does a fairly good overview of and, if you’re coming to me from AmRev perspective, uses Hamilton and Laurens’ relationship as a familiar example). While I’m avoiding those relationships in this ask, I’d be more than happy to elaborate upon one/all of them in a different one. 

Before I go into the big pauses that Fritz’s relationships with Madame von Wreech and Countess Orzelska give me, I want to deny the use of Fritz’s wife as an example of Fritz’s attraction to woman. While this, admittedly, may sound odd, we have ample evidence of how turned off and repulsed Fritz found Elisabeth Christine. Before he had even met her, Fritz was complaining about how she was ‘not very pretty, speaks but little, and acts like a blockhead’ (Asprey, 87) and, later, admitted to Grumbkow his plan to ‘keep my word,...get married, but afterwards it will be a case of that is that, and goodbye, Madame, and fare thee well’ (Jones, 52). For Christ’s sake, the man pitied her knowing how his treatment would leave her as ‘one more unhappy princess in the world’! Which is little consolation when you remember he also referred to her with such romantic terms as ‘this unpleasant creature,’ ‘the abominable object of my desires,’ ‘the person,’ and claimed to have preferred to marry ‘the biggest whore in Berlin’ (Asprey, 87). And while we (fortunately? unfortunately?) know quite a bit about their sex life, Fritz largely regarded it as just another duty - to quote him, ‘I will only have the duty to fuck’ (Ibid, 87). And while Seckendorf heard - first, presumably from Count von der Schulenburg and, later on, Count Friedrich von Wartensleben, a close and intimate friend of the then-crown prince - that Fritz would ‘fuck and refuck’ Elisabeth Christine and that said act occurred in the afternoon, it still was out of a sense of obligation (Bely, 481-2). When reminded that if he wanted more money for frivolities, he’d need to produce an heir, Fritz bemoaned that he ‘cannot sleep with my wife out of desire, and when I do sleep with her, I do it out of duty rather than inclination’ (Clark, 50). All this in accumulation, as well as the myriad of other quotes and incidents I’ve left out, makes one wonder why his relationship with Elisabeth Christine is sometimes used by historians to prove any sort of heterosexual impulse in the man when she’s the woman with the weakest supports for that argument.

That being said, now we get to the women with a more muddled places in his romantic escapades, if you will. What exactly happened between Orzelska and Fritz during his trip with his father to Dresden in 1728? The main source for everything that occurred during this trip is Wilhelmina, who didn’t attend and without anything about this specific incident coming from Fritz or Friedrich Wilhelm I, make it rather hard to use as concrete, irrefutable proof. Now, if her recollections were contemporaneous - like coming from a diary or journal she kept at the time - that would be one thing. But it comes from her memoirs which, while a delightful read 10/10 recommend, are written decades after this trip took place and, memory being a finicky thing, can’t be taken to the bank. All those disclaimers, here’s the story as told by her:

‘One evening...,the King of Poland [note: Augustus II] insensibly led the King of Prussia to a very richly decorated room...The King of Prussia, delighted with what he saw, stopped to contemplate all its beauties, when [all of] a sudden a tapestry was rolled up, which procured him a very novel sight. It was a lovely female in a state of nudity [note: Countess Orzelska, the Polish king’s daughter], carelessly reclined on a couch. Her beauty excelled that of the finest pictures of Venus and the Graces; her body seemed of ivory, whiter than snow, and better shaped than that of the Venus de Medicis at Florence.

...Scarcely had the King cast his eyes on the fair one, than he turned about with indignation; and seeing my brother behind him, he rudely pushed him out of the room, and left it immediately after in a violent irritation against the trickery they had attempted to practice on him. ...In spite of the King’s vigilance, [Frederick] had had time to contemplate the Venus of the closet, who did not cause him so much horror as she had done to his father. (Wilhelmina’s Memoirs, vol. 1, 107-6)

Wilhelmina then goes on to claim Fritz had fallen ‘passionately in love’ with Orzelska and that the illness Fritz experienced upon returning home was simply being lovesick. Pinning the accuracy of this story is incredibly difficult because, again, we have only one source relayed decades after the fact and from two volumes of memoirs known to have inaccuracies. While I, personally, would love if he had had a tryst with Orzelska (who is such a badass in her own right and deserves more recognition than as a footnote in this guy’s story), there’s no one way to say with more than 30% confidence. I am inclined to believe something along these lines happened because if someone told me a story like this, lord knows I wouldn’t forget it for the rest of my life. And, with Wilhelmina being so close with her brother, it lends a bit more credence but as to the actual emotional or physical response Fritz had to it, well, without my time machine, I can’t and don’t want to say.

With Madame Eleonore-Louise von Wreech, things are a little more concrete. For starters, Fritz actually talked about her! In written correspondence that survived! We even have seven letters between the two of them that survived, which is a bigger win! As Blanning says, they’re ‘ardent but light in tone, ironic, almost flippant, and highly stylized’ (Blanning, 58). Their relationship was known to those close with Fritz at the time that Schulenberg felt compelled to visit and warn the crown prince against devoting himself to women because ‘the slight pleasures gained cause a million displeasures.’  Fritz’s response? To tell the poor guy that he may have ‘the gift of continence, but I assure you that I do not’ (Asprey, 83-4). Firtz even went so far as to send a letter to her mother, waxing poetic about Louise’s ‘beauty, her majestic air, her bearing, and her entire department.’ It’s worth noting that Louise eventually broke off the affair due to being bored by how he ‘loved [her] too much and often annoyed [her] with his clumsy love’ (Ibid, 84). Contemporaries, including Friedrich Wilhelm, believed Fritz had impregnated her with a daughter who her ‘cuckolded husband would refuse to recognize’ (Blanning, 58). Blanning is the only source I’ve seen dispute this due to this news coming from Seckendorf, who didn’t reveal how he came about this information; that Fritz and Madame von Wreech’s correspondence doesn’t indicate a physical relationship; and on the fact that she was not pregnant. I haven’t been able to find the birth dates or any sort of records for Louise’s two daughters to figure out where their conception could’ve been in the timeline and if it matches with the likely dates for the affair, but I also don’t have the resources Cambridge would afford Blanning. Either way, while the physical nature of the affair is in dispute, the emotional aspect certainly was there. Especially when taking into consideration the fact that she’s the woman Fritz was likely referring to in the 16 August 1737 letter to Voltaire where he claimed she had taught him how to love (and also inspired him to write poetry, which we shouldn’t be thankful for). Specifically, all these years later, he stated how ‘this little miracle of nature possessed every possible charm, together with good taste and delicacy. She sought to transfer these qualities to me. I succeeded well in love but poorly in poetry. Since that time I have very often been in love and have always been a poet’ (Fritz’s Oeuvres, vol. 21, 96).

All this to say, there’s a bit too much evidence of some degree of opposite-gender attraction in Fritz to completely write off the possibility that he could’ve been bisexual. While it’s undeniable he held a preference for men and that’s whose company he typically enjoyed, I still do find it interesting the two exceptions (one potential and the other with a fair degree of certainty) to this. And, while I would never want his attraction to men be minimized in favor of that to women, it still remains important to note to get the most comprehensive picture of the man.

Hi! Same anon as the previous one. Tbh, I agree wholeheartedly with you. Y'see I do ask rhetorically,too but i could really accept and understand how and why ppl can be oblivious to IchiRuki, and somehow felt that the 'canon' should suffice, even the most excruciating of all is the fact a number found the ending even acceptable (ships aside, too). Again, I could respect that. But it's my greatest bane when ppl ask 'why' and not be clear they are asking rhetorically because I literally will

provide you an actual answer. And I get it, it’s the reason why ppl find shipping wars toxic and silly. But then again, as human, conflicts are always part of us (partly because as social psych explains so, we are gravitated to the negative for that allows us to change and survive), and the reason why “logical fallacies” are coined in the first place. Human will always debate, and argue about something; the only thing we could change is how we approach the opposing views.

Again, I dont condone any way, shape or form of abuse and harm. In some certain extent, I could perhaps understand it’s much harder for some IH to approach the actual argument being there’s either too much noise, and trapped in their own island between sea of salt. Thus becoming too acquianted w/ few IH who shared the same thought until it became their views as the only truth (see, that’s why its important to have debates! it is what keep us grounded and fair! Just like you said)

Who am I to speak though? I never ever challenged anyone anyways. And as you said, you just have to understand things in every way you could possibly think of–endless ‘whys’. Which is where I agree in your reply the most–this silly fandom wars is just the black mirror to every truth that lies beneath human psyche–the dark and the grimy. Heck, being a psych major is like staring at dark hole–at times, good, but most just plain confusing, revolting even or just heartbreaking.

Sorry it’s been long, but for the final of this ask: let me tell how glad I was with IchiRuki fandom I found in tumblr. It was the saltiest I’ve ever been (im not generally a fandom person anyways) but it’s the himalayan salt–expensive and actually nutritive it really deepened my desire to become wiser in general. And you for your wonderful essays, critiques and whatnot. I definitively would love to talk with you more not only about IchiRuki but the wonders and nightmare that us humans! Kudos!

I have sitting in my drafts a post spelling out my thoughts on “canon” (and thus, the people who cling to it) in that as a concept it privileges:

officiality over quality when it comes to validity (thus violating Sturgeon’s law)

corporations (intellectual property rights holders) over fans, and thus capitalists over proletarians

hierarchical dominance over mutualist networking within fandom

curative fandom over transformative fandom

genre over literary content

plot over characters

events over emotions

It is notable that (1) generally degrades art as a whole, (2) generally advances the capitalist agenda, and (3–7) generally advances the dominance of men over women (as the genders tend to be instructed by society to view these as A. dichotomies rather than spectrums, and B. to ascribe gender to them and make them polarities). These form the sides of a mutually reinforcing power structure (in the typical “Iron Triangle” fashion) designed to preserve and maintain the status quo.

Who really benefits from say, the policing of what is or is not “canon” in Star Wars? Disney, first and foremost. And then whomever (almost certainly male) decides to dedicate their time to memorizing the minutiae of whatever that corporation has decided is “legitimate.”

One can imagine a universe in which fan fic is recognized by companies for what it is: free advertising. (Much like fan art already is.) Instead, it is specifically targeted by demonetization efforts in a way that fan art isn’t. Why? Because it demonstrates that corporate control and “official” sanction has no bearing on quality, and it is thus viewed as undermining the official products.

In the same way, by demonstrating that most “canonical” works are frankly shit, it undermines the investiture of fans in focusing on details that are ultimately errata (the events, the plot, the genre), which is the core function of curative fandom and the reason for its hierarchical structure. The people who “know the most” are at the top, but what they “know” is basically useless garbage. And those people so-engaged are, of course, usually male.

To “destroy” the basis of their credibility, and indeed the very purpose of their community, is naturally viewed by them as an attack.

(This is not to say that efforts to tear down internal consistency within established cultural properties are good unto themselves, or even desirable. For example, efforts to redefine properties such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Ghostbusters, for the sake of a identity-politics agenda have largely A. failed as art, B. failed as entertainment, C. failed to attract the supposedly intended audience, and D. failed to advance the agenda in question. Trying to repurpose extant media in the name of culture wars is essentially always doomed to failure unless it is done deftly and gradually.)

(At the same time, this also shows what I was talking about last time, with regard to people seeing whatever they want to see. You will see people complain that Star Trek and Doctor Who didn’t “used to be so political,” which is obviously nonsense. These shows were always political. What changed was how their politics were presented. For example, Star Trek has, since TNG, always shown a nominally socialist or outright communist future, but was beloved by plenty of conservatives because they could [somehow] ignore that aspect of it.)

Of course, almost no one is seriously suggesting that one side of the spectrums outlined above be destroyed, rather merely that a new balance be struck upon the spectrum. But, as we have seen time and again in society, any threat to the status quo, whether that be 20% of Hugo Awards going to non-white male authors or the top income tax rate in America being increased by a measly 5.3% (from 28.7% to 34%… when the all-time high was 94% and for over 50 years it was above 50%) is a threat. This is why, for example, Republicans are out there branding AOC as a “socialist” when her policies are really no different at all from a 1960 Democrat who believed in FDR’s New Deal. (Which they, of course, have also demonized as “socialism.”)

(As an aside, all this ignores the fact that most of the “literary canon” of Western civilization, or at least English literature… is Biblical or historical fan fic.)

And this is when I finally get to my point.

Those people out there who denigrate and mock shippers and shipping, the people who hurl “it reads like fan fiction” as an insult, and so on, are the people who benefit from and enjoy the extant power structure. You will see the same thing with self-identified “gamers” complaining about “fake girl gamers.” Admitting that the hobby has a lot of women in it, and a lot of “casuals,” and is indeed increasingly dominated by “non-traditional demographics” is an affront to the constructed identity of being a “gamer.” They are “losing control.” And they don’t like it.

This exact same sort of population is what the “fanbase” of Bleach has been largely reduced down to through a slow boiling off of any actual quality. Of course they’re dismissive of people who are looking for anything of substance: their identity, their “personal relationship” with the franchise, is founded on a superficial appreciation of it: things happening, flashy attacks, eye-catching character designs, fights, etc.

(What this really boils down to, at heart, is that society at large has generally told men that emotions are bad, romance and relationships of all kinds are gross, and that thinking and reflecting on things is stupid. So of course they not only don’t care about such things, but actively sneer at them as “girly” or “feminine,” which is again defined by society at large as strictly inferior. And this gender divide and misogyny is of course promulgated and reinforced by the powers that be, the capitalists, to facilitate class divisions just like say racism generally is.)

(The latest trick of these corporate overlords has been the weaponization of “woke” culture to continue to play the people off one another all the time. “If you don’t like this [poorly written, dimensionless Mary Sue] Strong Female Character, then you are a racist misogynist!” They are always only ever playing both sides for profit, not advancing an actual ideological position. It is worth noting that there was a push by IH some years ago to define IR as “anti-feminist” for critiquing Orihime for essentially the exact same reasons [admittedly, not for profit, but still as critical cover].)

Which makes it very curious, therefore, that the most ardent IH supporters tend to be women. (Though there are more than a few men, they seem to tend to support it because it is “canon” and to attack it is to attack “canon” and thus trigger all of the above, rather than out of any real investment.) I think there are a number of reasons for this (which I have detailed before) and at any rate it is not particularly surprising; 53% of white women voted for Trump, after all.

What we are really seeing in fandom, are again the exact same dynamics that we see at larger and larger scales, for the exact same reasons. The stakes are smaller, but the perception of the power struggle is exactly the same.

Of course, the people who are involved in these things rarely think to interrogate themselves as to the true dimensions and root causes of their motivations. People rarely do that in general.

Putting all that aside, I’m glad that you have found a place you enjoy and feel comfortable, and thank you for the kind words, although I am not of the opinion that there is anything poignant about the non-fiction I write. It is, as I keep trying to emphasize, all there to be seen. One just has to open their eyes. So, it’s hard for me to accept appreciation of it.

Anyway, don’t feel shy about coming off of anon rather than continuing to send asks. We don’t really bite.

Richard English, Theories of Opiate Addiction in the Early Works of Burroughs and Trocchi, 18 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture (2016)

Abstract

In his article "Theories of Opiate Addiction in the Early Works of Burroughs and Trocchi" Richard English discusses William S. Burroughs's and Alexander Trocchi's representations of opiate addiction with special reference to their early writings. English examines the concept of homo heroin that can be attributed to Burroughs and lists and expounds its qualities. Among these are: immorality, criminality, mono-objectuality, self- and other-indifference, and, most importantly, the radical physical transformation into a new species, which Burroughs extends in Naked Lunch. English shows how homo heroin relates to Trocchi's conception of a heroin addict, which serves to illustrate that homo heroin is not simply a neologism for 'junkie'. English also argues that Burroughs's radical depiction stretches beyond that of Trocchi and other writers of opiate fiction in virtue of Burroughs's metaphysical claim about species change.

In the "Deposition: Testimony Concerning a Sickness" which opens his novel Naked Lunch, William S. Burroughs describes his rock bottom on heroin and offers a challenge to the non-addict: "I lived in one room in the Native Quarter of Tangier. I had not taken a bath in a year nor changed my clothes or removed them except to stick a needle every hour in the fibrous grey wooden flesh of terminal addiction. I never cleaned or dusted the room. Empty ampule boxes and garbage piled to the ceiling. I did absolutely nothing. I could look at the end of my shoe for eight hours. I was only roused to action when the hourglass of junk ran out. If a friend came to visit ... [and] had died on the spot I would have sat there looking at my shoe waiting to go through his pockets. Wouldn't you?" (202-03). This passage outlines the core qualities that Burroughs and Trocchi ascribe to their junkie characters in their early works. An addict lives in squalor, his personal hygiene is nil, and the shot of heroin is vital. When stoned, the addict is inert, staring into a void, and waiting for his high to wear off. The death of another person means nothing, since other people are solely a means to an end and not ends in themselves. Their only use is as an object of exploitation. The opiate addict in fiction, like Burroughs in this passage, is a person apart. The test of his separation is the loss of morality suggested by the challenge, "Wouldn't you?" For an ordinary, decent person, the first concern for a friend who has col- lapsed is to establish whether he is actually dead or not, and the second impulse is to call an ambulance without rifling through his pockets. The addict in flagranti lives an existence outside the rest of society, operating within a junkie community with its own rules, conventions and time.

In this article I set out two hypotheses about opiate addiction which underpin Burroughs's representation of addicts in Junky (1953) and Naked Lunch (1959): a Cellular Hypothesis and a Species- Change Hypothesis. I make reference to various passages of Burroughs's early nonfiction and adduce evidence of similar ideas in Trocchi's Cain's Book (1960) and other opiate novels. By an opiate novel, I mean any novel that contains a major character who is an opiate addict; or that provides substantial descriptions of morphine, heroin, or opium use; or both. In addition, I give historical and psychoanalytical support for Burroughs's two hypotheses. For historical support, I advert to the works of two late nineteenth-century medical authors and, for psychoanalytical support, I turn to Lacan's concepts of lack, desire, and the Other. Then I elucidate the science-fiction extension to Burroughs's postulation of homo heroin that Trocchi partially shares, and, finally, I level criticism at the above ideas, arguing against them in terms of science but in partial favor of their explicatory value as metaphor.

Part of my argument involves the mixture of textual and biographical approaches to the issue of opiate addiction. My justification is the special relationship between the author and the protagonist in certain opiate novels where there subsists a strong, and sometimes total, identification between the two. This identification is such that these novels are really autobiographies which have been designated fiction. For example, in Junky, William Lee, the protagonist, is fundamentally William Burroughs, the author. The two names suggest as much. The first names are the same and "Lee" is the middle name of Burroughs's mother. The biological facts of William Lee stated in the Prologue are the same as those of the author's, for example, the year of birth is given as 1914; his upbringing takes place in "a large Midwest city" (St. Louis); he attends one of the Big Three universities (Harvard); and he is gay. Furthermore, for the original publication of Junky as Junkie by Ace Books, William Burroughs used his pseudonym William Lee. This suggests that Junkie is the autobiography of William Lee which is the autobiography of William Burroughs. The special relationship also subsists with regard to Cain's Book. Much less information is recorded about the life of Alexander Trocchi, and so a comparison of minutiae between the story facts and his biographical facts is impossible. However, in outline, the life of Necchi, the protagonist, mirrors that of Trocchi, the author. As with Junky, there is a strong similarity between the names of the protagonist and the author, in that both are two syllable terms ending in "cchi." This reinforces the claim of identification between the "I" narrator and the author.

Burroughs and Trocchi met frequently and liked each other, but were never particularly close. They first encountered one another on a plane flying to the Edinburgh Writers' Conference in August 1962. The significance of their early work is that both authors explored the existential challenge posed by heroin addiction and how society malevolently dealt with it at the time. Their reception at the Edin- burgh Conference mirrors how addicts were received in general. Burroughs notes, "Hugh McDiarmid [the Scottish organizer] was stalking around in his kilt with his knobbly blue knees saying that Burroughs and Trocchi belong in jail, not on a lecture platform" (Campbell and Niel 159).

In Junky, Burroughs can be expounded as proposing two hypotheses about opiate addiction: a Cellular Hypothesis and a Species-Change Hypothesis. In Naked Lunch, he develops and extends the latter hypothesis. The first hypothesis claims that the cellular structure of a person changes as a result of constant opiate use: "I think the use of junk causes permanent cellular alteration. Once a junkie, always a junkie. You can stop using junk, but you are never off after the first habit" (97). Junk becomes "a biological necessity" (103). As Lee, the protagonist, admits to a psychiatrist, "I need junk to get out of bed in the morning, to shave and eat breakfast. I need it to stay alive" (19). The ease with which a habit returns to the veteran drug user is another feature of the physiological change explained by the Cellular Hypothesis: "I had been off junk for three months. It took me just three days to get back on" (97). Lee goes on to generalize that "an addict may be ten years off junk, but he can get a new habit in less than a week" (97). Several years after the publication of his first novel, Burroughs revels in affirmation of his hypothesis. In a letter dated October 8, 1957, he writes, "in Year Book of Medicine: Doc Isbell of Lexington [the Kentucky Narcotics Hospital] has suggested that morphine acts on the cell receptors and that an excitant forms inside the cells" (The Letters 370).

The second substantive claim in Junky is the Species-Change Hypothesis. This idea resonates in the work of Alexander Trocchi and echoes faintly in opiate fiction by Robert Deane Pharr and James Mills. Panic in Needle Park, first published in 1965, by James Mills is narrated by a reporter who insinuates himself into the community of addicts who frequent Sherman Square in Manhattan, one of the sites for connecting used by Burroughs and his peer group in the late '40's and early '50's. S.R.O., first published in 1971, by Robert Deane Pharr, contains a multi-story nexus conveying the tribulations of a group of addicts and alcoholics resident in a Harlem welfare hostel. Through their depiction of addict difference, these two books suggest that the second hypothesis has a wide appeal. The Species Change Hypothesis, first implicit in Junky, is that veteran addicts form a sub-species of homo sapiens as a result of the cellular change brought about by junk. For the sake of reference, I shall call this sub-species, homo heroin. The metamorphosis into homo heroin is reflected in the descriptions that Burroughs gives of junkies after they exhibit inhuman features. Subway Slim is a Pinnochio-like figure made of wood and Mary is an underwater blob: "There was something boneless about [Mary], like a deep sea creature. Her eyes were cold fish eyes that looked at you through a viscous medium ... I could see those eyes in a shapeless, protoplasmic mass undulating over the dark sea floor" (Junky 12). Lee describes addicts in New York as of one kind: "The 103rd Street boys ... all looked like junk" (25).

In Cain's Book, Trocchi depicts Fay, a long-term addict, as inhuman like Mary in Junky: "Fay's face was ... Swinish? More like a pug than a pig. Her untidy hair tumbled into her big fur collar. A yellow female pigdog" (22). Trocchi picks out Jody, another veteran addict, in avian similes: "she stood up for hours like a bird in the middle of the room with her head tucked in at her breast and her arms like drooping wings." Other textual support for this view of long-term addiction is given in Robert Deane Pharr's S.R.O. (1971). Sinman, an addict-character, believes that heroin users constitute their own kind. They form and live within their own communities because of their difference: "Junkies ... are a breed apart ... First and foremost ... your junky is a cabalistic wretch. That is why no psychiatrist can communicate with him. There is a general misconception that junkies have evolved a jargon to befuddle the forces of law and order. That is not true. The born junky insists upon isolation from the entire community. He desires to associate only with his like" (145). This quotation reinforces the anthropological element to the homo heroin hypothesis by conceptualizing the addict as gravitating toward his own kind, with the twist that his argot is not a linguistic device to confuse the authorities but an ex- crescence of fraternity. In literal and figurative terms, the addict does not speak the same language as the non-addict.

According to Burroughs, the long-term addict's craving escalates: "The addict needs more and more junk to maintain human form" (Naked Lunch 200; my italics). Ultimately, taking drugs becomes all-consuming: "A dope fiend is ... in total need of dope. Beyond a certain frequency need knows absolutely no limit or control" (201). Like Burroughs, Trocchi represents the veteran user in domestically reduced circumstances employing zoological concepts: "Under heroin one adapts naturally to a new habitat. It is possible to live in a doorway, on someone's couch, or bed, or floor, always moving, and turning up from time to time at known places" (Cain's Book 36). Trocchi describes the dehumanization of the addict, referred to by Buurroughs above, in Darwinian terms of adaptation to environment, where this environment consists of the dilapidated lodgings or alleyways that addicts frequent. Unlike homo sapiens, homo heroin does not run on linear-progressive time. He runs on junk time. Nor does he suffer boredom nor possess an end-driven sexuality. Burroughs writes: "junk suspends the whole cycle of tension, discharge and rest. The orgasm has no function in the junky. Boredom, which always indicates an undischarged tension, never troubles the addict. He can look at his shoe for eight hours. He is only roused to action when the hourglass of junk runs out" (Naked Lunch 31). Externally, the life of junk is barren. Existence is foetal, spent on the nod or staring at a shoe. Reflecting on a year of using, Lee recalls only the first few injections and the periods of sickness. What he experiences is "flat, almost two-dimensional" (Junky 102).

The long-term addict loses his personality as well as his looks. Junk renders otiose any capacity for real or emotionally honest connection. Trocchi draws Fay as physically hideous and mentally false. She is a non-self within a pseudo-self. Junk has obliterated her identity: "Past forty, and with her blue look, Fay finds it difficult to interest a John ... Dracula's idea of a good lay ... Talking to Fay you have the impression you are speaking to the secretary of her personal secretary ... It's not that she doesn't reply. It's simply you are in touch with an answering service, that Fay herself is not speaking to you" (Cain's Book 35-36). On occasion, Trocchi describes Fay in spectral terms, a trope used by Burroughs: "Fay ... is the gray ghost of the district ... She invokes horror, disgust, indignation, a nameless fear. She is the soul's scavenger, the unexpected guest, a kind of underworld Florence Nightingale always abroad with her spike and her little bag of heroin. She is beyond truth and falsity. When I think of her I think of her soft yellow pugface and her violet hands" (36-37). With his reference to Fay as a "gray ghost," Trocchi suggests that addicts are ethereal and therefore occupy a junkie spirit world. Bur- roughs intimates as much by his frequent use of the term "spectral" in relation to addicts. Further- more, according to Burroughs, heroin leaves a trace, and homo heroin possesses a sixth sense that locates it. Over the course of his addiction, the veteran user develops this ability to detect the proximity of drugs and its whereabouts. Lee says, "I don't spot junk neighbourhoods by the way they look, but by the feel, somewhat the same process by which a dowser locates hidden water. I am walking along and suddenly the junk in my cells moves and twitches like the dowser's wand: 'Junk here!'" (Junky 58). In Naked Lunch, when Lee is desperate for heroin, he walks along New York City's 4th Street until he sees Nick. "You can always find the pusher. Your need conjures him up like a ghost" (178). Moreover, homo heroin can detect where formerly drugs have been present. When the connection departs 103rd and Broadway, an aura remains that Lee tunes into: "the feel of junk is still there. It hits you at the corner, follows you along the block, then falls away like a discouraged panhandler as you walk on" (Junky 25). James Mills, the narrator of Panic in Needle Park, shares Lee's ascription to the addict of a sixth sense. Mills ruminates, "a longtime addict can with surprising reliability spot a user in a group of twenty people, state with authority what kind of drug he is on, approximately how long it has been since his last fix, and whether or not at the moment he is ... carrying drugs" (13). The concept of an addict's sixth sense implied by Mills provides further evidence for the idea of the junkie spirit world that Burroughs and Trocchi suggest. In sum, the Species Change Hypothesis entails that homo heroin has a deviant physiology and psychology in comparison to homo sapiens. For homo heroin, the straight life drops away. Morality dissipates. The life of junk reduces to a simple and repetitious routine: obtain money, score, use; and so on. Home conditions, personal hygiene, work, social status, marriage, personal relations, family are irrelevant. As Burroughs says, "Junk takes everything and gives nothing but insurance against junk sickness" (103). When he loses that insurance, the addict, according to Trocchi, is "bestial, scarcely human," a "quivering, blubbering, vomiting mass" (Cain's Book 18).

Burroughs's dual theory of opiate addiction reflects strands of thinking prevalent in the U.S. during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Such thinking established two relevant models of addiction: the biological and the possession-by-drugs. In the former, the subject develops a deviant physiology, hence the inability to defy drug cravings, and in the second, the drug possesses subjects so that they lose normal agency. The Cellular Hypothesis coheres with the biological model, while the Species Change Hypothesis coheres with the possession-by-drugs model. In 1881, Dr. Leslie Keeley, illustrating the biological model, wrote in The Morphine Eater: "When [opium] has been constantly used for a long time it produces an isomeric change in the nerve fibre ... [which] is a distinct chemical change in the structure and action of the nerves ... and necessitates the continued use of the drug in order to enable its functions to continue" (52). Aimed at medical practitioners, Keeley's book describes and prescribes for the "opium habit." He analyses the problem according to his observations and treatment of addiction during the American Civil War and the decade or so thereafter. He attributes the rapacity of addiction to the "isomeric change" engendered by the continuous use of opiates. His fieldwork, findings and evaluation precipitated a major school of thought where the source of the problem is considered to reside in the bio-chemistry of the sufferer.

In contrast to Keeley's medical objectivity, Henry Cole offers an addict's perspective of the "awful existence which came to him, blasting all hopes of pleasure and enjoyment in this beautiful world" (3). In 1895, illustrating the possession-by-drugs model, the author describes a fellow addict in Confessions of an American Opium Eater as follows: "a lean, wan face, belonging to a creature who is just arousing himself from his long drugged sleep, stares out upon us with ... eyes that dilate with some strange interior light, ferocious yet unaggressive ... devoid of the unconscious response for which we look in human eyes ... an "opium devil"—one who is supremely possessed by the power of the deadly narcotic on which he has leaned so long. Without opium he cannot live; though human blood runs in his veins, it is little better than poppy juice; he is no longer really a man, but a malignant essence in forming a cadaverous human shape" (235-36). According to Cole's analysis, the addict is "a creature," "an opium devil," "a malignant essence" no better than a zombie, a pre-cursor to Burroughs's dope fiend.

In psychoanalytic terms, the Lacanian concepts of lack, desire, and the Other corroborate Bur- roughs's two hypotheses. The Cellular Hypothesis (Hypothesis 1) implies total need, by which Bur- roughs means that the addict must have his fix at all costs. This supreme need resonates with Lacanian desire, the object of which is "continually deferred" and "emerges originally in the Other, that is, in the unconscious" (Evans 39). According to Lacan, the first Other is the addict's mother, who is replaced by the father and his law, and, as the child develops, is replaced by patriarchal culture and its repressive and punitive mechanisms. Desire is caused by lack, where lack can be a lack of being or a lack of an object, for example, the symbolic phallus (Lacan S4, 269). Taking the second meaning first, the hypodermic syringe may be viewed as an instance of the symbolic phallus. Thus, the addict seeks to compensate for the lack of power that he feels due to his self-loathing and poor standing in the community by using the symbolic phallus (hypodermic) to inject opiates into himself to induce a temporary erasure. Returning to the first meaning of lack, the addict lacks self-esteem, love and social acceptance that constitute core elements of being, and so the addict's lack is the "lack of being properly speaking" (S2, 223). On this interpretation, the addict can be thought to represent a deviant form of Lacanian development. His desire for drugs caused by lack (amounting to total need; Hypothesis 1) is the desire for the Other (leading to species change; Hypothesis 2). The science-fiction images which Burroughs produces might well reify the "lack of being properly speaking."

Further Lacanian support for Burroughs's theory of addiction is found in "'Junk' and the Other" by Jeffrey T. Nealon, who expounds the intersection between Burroughs's concept of total need (Hypothesis 1) and Levinas's concept of metaphysical desire, both of which he sees as contributing to a confrontation with an other (175) (Hypothesis 2), even if their kinds of other do not correspond (176). In terms of the other with a small 'o,' several passages in Junky, which concern the prosecution and persecution of addicts, provide insight into the mechanism of othering to which society subjects the ad- dict and how that process is intensified not only by an alarmist public relations policy but also by legislation and a hostile medical system. Burroughs's theory of opiate addiction feeds into his General Theory of Addiction. In a letter dated 20 September 1957, he asserts that the General Theory "expands into a world picture with concepts of good and evil" (The Letters 367). Beginning with morphine addiction and the sufferer's loss of, but quest for, control, Burroughs extrapolates from what has become known as the "junk paradigm" to his universal claim that society is ruled, and ruined, by "control ad- dicts." The latter have powerful representation among the CIA, the police, the military, politicians, money men and so on. As a result, there is no proper liberal democracy, only the illusion of same.

Despite textual, historical, and psychoanalytic support, the Cellular Hypothesis suffers from vagueness. Nowhere does Burroughs state what kind of cells undergo alteration when a person becomes an addict. He could mean brain cells, blood cells, cells in the liver or lymph glands, or all or none of these. As Junky stands, it is silent on the point. Because his hypothesis is non-specific, it can neither be confirmed nor disconfirmed. According to Karl Popper's criterion (18), the Cellular Hypothesis is unfalsifiable and therefore pseudo-science. A counter-objection is that the Cellular Hypothesis explains the longevity and prehensility of addiction by adverting to metaphor. Notwithstanding, if this is the case, what is the Cellular Hypothesis a metaphor of? In Saussure's terms, it is a signifier that has detached from its signified, that is, a trope that refers to nothing. Lee's hypothesis, although superficially attractive, is empty at the level of content and by extension is empty at the level of explanation. It amounts to the truism that if you take narcotics over a period of time, something in your body changes so that you will have to keep taking them or face withdrawal.

Burroughs's second claim relates to the first and proposes that an addict is an aberrant form of human being, that is, homo heroin. By consuming opiates over the long-term, addicts experience an irreversible transformation whereby their physiological, psychological and social needs reduce to a daily fix. All else is jettisoned. Evidence for this claim lies in the physical appearance of long-term ad- dicts, their observed lifestyles and their habitats. Lee is anthropological in his approach to this matter. The Species Change Hypothesis makes no more sense than the first as it suffers from vagueness in the same way. It is a scientific matter to establish identity conditions for a new sub-species of humanity and would presumably require the isolation of a special gene, that is, some kind of junkie gene. Lee offers no view on this head, although he does claim that there is a junk virus. Nevertheless, as a metaphor, Lee's second claim holds value. The life of junk contrasts radically with the straight life, and for Lee to suggest that addiction engenders a species change hyperbolizes this contrast in a lyrical- poetical way. If you become a homo heroin, you become a different (kind of) person and Lee elucidates this transformation by applying figurative exaggeration to the concept of this kind.

In Naked Lunch, Burroughs develops homo heroin into a sci-fi monster. This stretches the concept in terms of its properties way beyond any of the instantiations of long-term narcotics addiction that have been depicted so far. The first appearance of the new variant is in the segment, "And Start West". Lee, the narrator, describes Willy the Disk as follows: "Willy has a round, disk mouth lined with sensitive, erectile black hairs. He is blind from shooting in the eyeball, his nose and palate eaten away sniffing H, his body a mass of scar tissue. He can only eat the shit now with that mouth, sometimes sway out on a long tube of ectoplasm, feeling for the silent frequency of junk" (7-8). The Vigilante, prosecuted in Federal Court for possession of narcotics, offers a further degenerated homo heroin on the page following the portrait of Willy: "The physical changes were slow at first, then jumped forward in black klunks, falling through his slack tissue, washing away the human lines ... mouth and eyes are one organ that leaps forward to snap with transparent teeth ... sex organs sprout anywhere ... rectums open, defecate and close ... the entire organism changes color and consistency in split-second adjustments" (9). The sprouting of bodily organs reflects the unstable and ghastly nature of the textual body in which this creature is portrayed.

Trocchi echoes the science-fiction extension through the use of entomological terms, a trope that is beloved by Burroughs. After Joe and Tom Tear have shot up, Joe describes Tom, a black addict friend, in the following way: "his soft black eyelashes stirred like a clot of moving insects at his eyes. His face had the look of smoke and ashes, like a bombed city" (Cain's Book 24). Geo, a scowsman like Joe Necchi, is an addict who has spent time in the Tombs for dealing where he undergoes prison cold turkey. Once he has become re-addicted, Trocchi writes, "At thirty three, he is deteriorating; he is preoccupied with disappearing muscle. He watches, horrified, fascinated, the insectal movement of his private decay" (109). Trocchi's depiction of Geo's "decay" and transmutation is reminiscent of Willy the Disk's and the Vigilante's bizarre corporeal states outlined above, while Trocchi's use of "insects" resonates with Burroughs's frequent reference to centipedes.

It might be argued that Burroughs breeches all credibility with his science-fiction extension and that it is simply an example of the rhetorical device of hyperbole. In other words, Burroughs's science- fiction extension is preposterous according to rational norms. In defense, rational norms are not al- ways relevant for adjudicating certain aspects of Naked Lunch. Burroughs wrote many sections while he experienced bizarre modes of perception. He was resident in the Beat Hotel in Paris and experimented in scrying with Brion Gysin, where scrying is the practice of gazing into a crystal ball until a vision appears. Under the guidance of Gysin, Burroughs performed lengthy periods of scrying, during which, for example, he witnessed himself with inhuman hands: "thick black-pink, fibrous, long white tendrils grew from curiously abbreviated finger tips" (The Letters 405). Jerry Wallace, also present, confirmed this impression of Burroughs's hands. Furthermore, Burroughs refers to the presence of "ectoplasmic" flesh in an addict in the same letter to Allen Ginsberg during this period. On Burroughs's behalf, it can be claimed that through scrying, he may have transcended the realm of phenomena and observed the real or noumenal nature of things, that is, things-in-themselves. What gives this extreme claim substance is that Burroughs pinned faith on such activities as magic, telepathy, witch- craft, and shamanism. He was also much influenced by the thought that he was possessed by an Ugly Spirit (Miles 3). In these and other respects, he was an anti-rationalist. Given also that he was under the influence of drugs much of the time, he was far more open to psychic phenomena than, say, if he had been stone cold sober. For Burroughs to believe that Willy the Disk actually exists in the form that he describes in Naked Lunch, but not be visible to the uninitiated, is possible. An advertisement for The Ticket That Exploded contains the quote by Burroughs that, "The psychotic is someone who really knows what's going on" ("The Ticket" <https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780007341924/the-ticket-th at-exploded>).

An additional defense of the science-fiction extension is an argument by analogy on two counts. One, no righteous literary critic or academic has ever condemned Franz Kafka for transforming Gregor Samsa, an insurance salesman who lives at home with his family, into a massive insect in the first line of his novella, Metamorphosis. It is accepted as the premise of a well-told story. Two, without exception, members of the literary establishment have assimilated Metamorphosis into the canon of high- brow literary fiction. Given the foregoing tolerance, it would be inconsistent to dismiss Burroughs's and Trocchi's imaginaria as trivial or unworthy. Against my contention, it might be said that Kafka entertains no pretensions to scientific possibility, whereas Burroughs does. Even so, given Burroughs's persistent theme of radical and universal doubt and, above all, of his testing reality to find its porous points, this objection is neutralized.

Off the page, Burroughs and Trocchi travelled in different directions. Burroughs never transformed into one of his science-fiction junkies, while Trocchi lost his powers of productivity and lived the life of a refractory addict. John Calder, the publisher of Cain's Book wrote, "he is ... a lost writer ... lost be- cause of heroin. I've known many drug addicts, [and] I've known nobody who was able to cope with it as well as Trocchi, but it killed his talent. He's the biggest example I know for not getting in any way involved with drugs" (qtd. in Campbell 213). Calder also became Burroughs's publisher and was instrumental in the two authors meeting for the Edinburgh Conference. Alex Trocchi lived with limited creative capacity during the final third of his life, and died in 1984, aged 59. He wrote in Cain's Book, "I often wondered how far out a man could go without being obliterated" (13). He found out, and it was not as far as he might have hoped. On the other hand, William Burroughs holds no regrets about his own narcotic odyssey (Junky xi), claiming to have been cured of his heroin addiction by Doctor Dent's apo-morphine treatment in his forties. He died at the age of 83.

In their representations of opiate addiction, Burroughs and Trocchi can be read as proposing sever- al hypotheses about its nature. In their early writings, they observe, study, and record a marginalized pocket of humanity, homo heroin, hitherto unrecognized, which, in Lacanian terms, develops a deviant desire for the Other. Addicts in fiction exhibit a range of extreme and inhuman qualities that lead society to demonize and reject them as a collective. Burroughs goes so far as to posit a science-fiction extension to the concept of homo heroin. Although implausible at the level of rational norms, this latter postulation has merit if a Burroughsian method of seeing things-in-themselves is accepted. As a pair, the two Burroughsian hypotheses of addiction not only find a place in the history of ideas because they reflect the theoretical bifurcation established by members of the nineteenth-century medical fraternity, but also because they provide a timeless exploration of the nature of addiction and the changes brought about in the individual who embarks on the life of junk. Furthermore, the grounding of these hypotheses in the story circumstances, albeit of a fantastic nature in Naked Lunch, give foundational support to an enduring model of human/other that the (addict/normal person) and (life of junk/straight life) opposites entail.

Works Cited

Burroughs, William S. Junky: The Definitive Text of "Junk". 1953. Ed. Oliver Harris. London: Penguin, 2008.

Burroughs, William S. "Letter from a Master Addict to Dangerous Drugs". Naked Lunch: The Restored Text. By William S. Burroughs. 1959. Ed. James Grauerholz and Barry Miles. London: Harper Perennial, 2005. 223-29.

Burroughs, William S. Naked Lunch: The Restored Text. 1959. Ed. James Grauerholz and Barry Miles. London: Harper Perennial, 2005.

Burroughs, William S. The Letters of William S. Burroughs 1945-59. Ed. Oliver Harris. London: Penguin, 2009.

Burroughs, William S. The Soft Machine: The Restored Text. 1961. Ed. Oliver Harris. London: Penguin, 2014. Campbell, Allan, and Tim Niel, eds. A Life in Pieces: Reflections on Alexander Trocchi. Edinburgh: Canongate, 1997.

Cole, Henry. Confessions of an American Opium Eater. Boston: Earle, 1895.

De Quincy, Thomas. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater. 1821. Oxford: Oxford World Classics, 2008.

Evans, Dylan. An Introductory Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis. London: Routledge, 2006.

Gertz, Stephen J. Dope Menace: The Sensational World of Drug Paperbacks. Washington: Feral House, 2008.

Harris, Oliver. William Burroughs and the Secret of Fascination. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 2003.

Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar of Jacques Lacan, Book II. Trans. Sylvana Tomaselli. Ed. J-A Miller. Cambridge UP, 1988.

Keeley, Leslie E., M.D. The Morphine Eater. Illinois: Palmer, 1881.

Miles, Barry. Call Me Burroughs. New York: Twelve, Hachette, 2013.

Mills, James. Panic in Needle Park. 1965. London: Sphere, 1973.

Nealon, Jeffrey T. "'Junk' and the Other: Burroughs and Levinas on Drugs". Alterity Politics: Ethics and Performative Subjectivity. By Jeffrey T. Nealon. Durham: Duke UP, 1998. 53-72.

Pharr, Robert Deane. S.R.O. 1971. New York: Old School Books, 1998.

Porter Abbott, H. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2008.

Popper, Karl. The Logic of Scientific Discovery. 1935. London: Routledge, 2002.

"The Ticket That Exploded." harpercollins.co.uk (2010): <https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780007341924/the-ticket-that-exploded>.

Trocchi, Alexander. Cain's Book. 1960. London: John Calder, 1998.

Birthday Profiles Of Riverdale Actors Based On The Secret Language Of Birthdays Concept! (Part I)

What Is The Secret Language Concept?

The Secret Language scientific personality reports have proven to be over 90% accurate after 21 years in use by millions of people in a dozen languages worldwide. Our data comes from Gary Goldschneider’s 40-year empirical study of the life stories of more than 20,000 people, analyzed by date of birth. Gary looked at 50 people born on your birthday and found the personality traits held in common by 45 of them. Then he created personality profiles from those traits for each day, week, month, season and year and I further combined those profile names into the ultimate distillation of your personality - your Secret Language Name. Combining astrology, numerology, and pure psychic intuition, The Secret Language of Birthdays is a wholly unique compilation that reveals one's strengths, weaknesses, and major issues while providing practical advice and spiritual guidance. Many have suspected that your birthday affects your personality and how you relate to others. Nineteen years and over one million copies later, The Secret Language of Birthdays continues to fascinate readers by describing the characteristics associated with being born on a particular day. The 366 personality profiles are based on astrology, numerology, the tarot, and Gary Goldschneider’s observations of more than 14,000 people. Your strengths, weaknesses, and major concerns will be illuminated while you are given practical advice and spiritual guidance. After you study your profile, it will be hard to resist examining those of family, friends, colleagues, and even celebrities.

The Personality Periods

The forty-eight personality periods, made up of twelve cusps and thirty six weeks, are units between six and nine days in length. Personology predicts the personality characteristics of anyone born within these dates. In other words, those born in the same period will share certain predictable character traits. While this may not completely represent ever individual, it is sufficient to provide an understanding of his or her basic energies. Extrapolating from the personology periods, it is possible to predict the nature of the relationship between any two people. Thus, The Secret Language Of Relationships combines each period of the year with itself and every other period to predict the nature of the resulting relationship. For example, a person born on March 31 falls into the Aries I period. This is the Week of the Child which symbolizes the freshness and openness of early childhood and of the spring season (lasting from March 25 to April 1). People born during this time are characterized by a childlike, enthusiastic orientation. This in contrast to a person born on November 10, who would be a Scorpio II (encompassing November 3 to 11). Born in the fall, which is symbolically likened to middle age, this week takes Depth as its central symbol. Thus, it becomes possible to consider the theoretical implications of an Aries I-Scorpio II relationship.

The Fourty-Eight Periods & Cusps

1. Pisces-Aries Cusp (Mar 19-Mar 24) – The Cusp Of Rebirth

2. Aries I (Mar 25-Apr 02) – The Week Of The Child

3. Aries II (Apr 03-Apr 10) – The Week Of The Star

4. Aries III (Apr 11-Apr 18) – The Week Of The Pioneer

5. Aries-Taurus Cusp (Apr 19-Apr 24) – The Cusp Of Power

6. Taurus I (Apr 25-May 02) – The Week Of Manifestation

7. Taurus II (May 03-May 10) – The Week Of The Teacher

8. Taurus III (May 11-May 18) – The Week Of The Natural

9. Taurus-Gemini Cusp (May 19-May 24) – The Cusp Of Energy

10. Gemini I (May 25-Jun 01) – The Week Of Freedom

11. Gemini II (Jun 02-Jun 10) – The Week Of New Language

12. Gemini III (Jun 11-Jun 18) – The Week Of The Seeker

13. Gemini-Cancer Cusp (Jun 19-Jun 24) – The Cusp Of Magic

14. Cancer I (Jun 25-Jul 02) – The Week Of The Empath

15. Cancer II (Jul 03-Jul 10) – The Week Of The Unconventional

16. Cancer III (Jul 11-Jul 18) – The Week Of The Persuader

17. Cancer-Leo Cusp (Jul 19-Jul 25) – The Cusp Of Oscillation

18. Leo I (Jul 26-Aug 02) – The Week Of Authority

19. Leo II (Aug 03-Aug 10) – The Week Of Balanced Strength

20. Leo III (Aug 11-Aug 18) – The Week Of Leadership

21. Leo-Virgo Cusp (Aug 19-Aug 25)  – The Cusp Of Exposure

22. Virgo I (Aug 26-Sept 02) – The Week Of System Builders

23. Virgo II (Sept 03-Sept 10) – The Week Of The Enigma

24. Virgo III (Sept 11-Sept 18) – The Week Of The Literalist

25. Virgo-Libra Cusp (Sept 19-Sept 24) – The Cusp Of Beauty

26. Libra I (Sept 25-Oct 01) – The Week Of The Perfectionist

27. Libra II (Oct 02-Oct 10) – The Week Of Society

28. Libra III (Oct 11-Oct 18) – The Week Of Theater

29. Libra-Scorpio Cusp (Oct 19-Oct 25) – The Cusp Of Drama & Criticism

30. Scorpio I (Oct 26-Nov 02) – The Week Of Intensity

31. Scorpio II (Nov 03–Nov 11) – The Week Of Depth

32. Scorpio III (Nov 12–Nov 18) – The Week Of Charm

33. Scorpio-Sagittarius Cusp (Nov 19–Nov 24) – The Cusp Of Revolution

34. Sagittarius I (Nov 25–Dec 02) – The Week Of Independence

35. Sagittarius II (Dec 03–-Dec 10) – The Week Of The Originator

36. Sagittarius III (Dec 11-Dec 18) – The Week Of The Titan

37. Sagittarius-Capricorn Cusp (Dec 19-Dec 25) – The Cusp Of Prophecy

38. Capricorn I (Dec 26-Jan 02) – The Week Of The Ruler

39. Capricorn II (Jan 03- Jan 09) – The Week Of Determination

40. Capricorn III (Jan 10-Jan 16) – The Week Of Dominance

41. Capricorn-Aquarius Cusp (Jan 17-Jan 22) – The Cusp Of Mystery & Imagination

42. Aquarius I (Jan 23-Jan 30) – The Week Of Genius

43. Aquarius II (Jan 31-Feb 07) – The Week Of Youth & Ease

44. Aquarius III (Feb 08-Feb 15) – The Week Of Acceptance

45. Aquarius-Pisces Cusp (Feb 16-Feb 22) – The Cusp Of Sensitivity

46. Pisces I (Feb 23-Mar 02) – The Week Of Spirit

47. Pisces II (Mar 03-Mar 10) – The Week Of The Loner

48. Pisces III  (Mar 11-Mar 18) – The Week Of Dancers & Dreamers

Birthday Profiles Featured:

1. KJ Apa (6/17 – Gemini III ) 2. Lili Reinhart (9/13 – Virgo III) 3. Camila Mendes (6/29 – Cancer I) 4. Cole Sprouse (8/4 – Leo II) 5. Madelaine Petsch (8/18 – Leo III) 6. Vanessa Morgan (3/23 – Pisces-Aries Cusp)

#1. KJ Apa (Birthday: Jun. 17, 1997 – The Day Of Artful Force; Personality Period: Gemini III – Jun. 11 to Jun. 18 – The Week Of The Seeker; Place Of Birth: Auckland, New Zealand)

The primary drive of those Gemini III is to go beyond limitations imposed by society and nature. This may take the form of a drive toward success, or an overcoming of physical limitations. They are never happier when they are on the move: probing, testing, tasting and exploring the most interesting things life has to offer. Not afraid to take chances, they are attracted by risk and danger. Adventurers in every sense of the word, they are restless types. Their style is to remain unattached and thus free to progress as far as possible. Life is never dull with them around. They do not necessarily have to travel to far-off lands to explore and find challenge. For them all of life is an adventure. Thus they keep others guessing as to their next move. These are neither teachers nor leaders. They may lack the patience and understanding to teach, and also the qualities necessary to lead: the dogged determination, ambition and desire to control others. Those who understand them will quickly realize their need to strike out on their own, and will not try to bind them to an executive or other responsible position in a business or family. They are capable of taking the helm, particularly when they encounter incompetence or neglect; yet they may also show an indulgent, accepting side, proving content to drift and dream. Such self-satisfaction can prove a powerful deterrent to their progress in their careers. These folks often have a clouded self-image; they have difficulty seeing who they really are. This may have its beginnings in childhood with the idolization of a parent or family member, often of the opposite sex. Rejection, misunderstanding or abuse by such a person can be traumatic for them, giving them deep scars to carry into later life. Disillusionment in general can be a problem for these people; they tend to be extremely optimistic at the outset of an endeavor or relationship, often setting a person or activity up for a later fall from grace. They have an undeniable tendency to please others through charm, and many would rather stretch the truth a bit than be rejected for telling it as it is. Insightful about the needs of those around them, they can be powerfully controlling and persuasive in a subtle manner. They know how to get their way with people, and how to capture the hearts of their mates and friends. At the extreme end of the scale, they can tell tall tales, and may be suspected of being cons, flatterers or even liars. Many of them are surprisingly good with money. They may not always give the appearance of financial practicality or foresight, but they can manage a family or a business quite well. They are also capable of latching on to a practical partner or someone else who can guarantee them the financial stability that they so sorely need. Money can come to symbolize freedom to them, although they rarely have a desperate need to accumulate it for its own sake. These people often have a strong physical side yet choose to neglect it, seeking to transcend life’s earthier pleasures. Thus they lack the grounded qualities of those who are capable of selfish and shameless indulgence. Metaphysical in the most basic sense of the word, they may see mastery of the tangible realities of life as only a first step toward higher attainment. They must at times be wary of going too far, and of getting caught up in endless striving without achievement. Love and affection are important to them but are not usually given top priority. Those emotionally involved can find them sometimes warm and giving, in other moods quite cool and detached. Indeed, they are sometimes accused of blowing hot and cold, and with some justification. This is usually more the result of emotional sensitivity, however, than of a calculated desire to hurt. Because of their intense need for change in relationships, these people may spend a period of their life moving from one partner to another. Even those who can establish a well-grounded primary relationship are constantly tempted away from it by a career, a hobby or another person. They can be faithful, however, as long as their partner makes few demands on their fidelity and gives them room to breathe. Attempts to hold them to strict obligations and a formal routine are usually doomed to failure. On the other hand, they are quite capable of imposing stringent regimens and rules on themselves when they consider it necessary. Their seductive qualities tend to land them in trouble. Their choice of a partner often shows remarkably good sense, but they may bind themselves to a friend or lover who can prove bothersome or destructive. Regretting such choices, they may still find it hard to disentangle themselves from an emotionally messy situation. This may be partly due to an innate reluctance to reject or consciously hurt others, or to a feeling of helplessness and hesitancy in making the decision to cut ties. When a relationship must be ended, however, it is more often than not the person born during the Week of the Seeker who either ends up doing the rejecting or allows or manipulates the other person to do so. Control of closure seems to be important to them, although they would prefer that relationships end as pleasantly as possible.

June 17 people take what they do seriously. No matter how relaxed or comfortable they may appear to others, they are intent on reaching their goals and being responsible family members and friends. They can give the impression of having their life pretty well figured out. Unfortunately, while the demands they place on themselves are high they are also likely to lay a heavy burden on those close to them. If they have outright followers or employees, they can be extremely moral, stern and demanding of obedience to their wishes. June 17 people are facile in thought and action, and consequently somewhat impatient with those who work with them. Normally, those born on this day are not good teachers and lack the necessary patience and understanding to explain to the apprentice or student. It is even more difficult for June 17 people to stand idly by while a job is bungled. In the bat of an eye they have probably already done it by themselves. Those born on this day can be extremely persuasive in their arguments. They are also adept at applying pressure, whether sensual or forceful, in getting others to do their bidding. Highly talented or successful June 17 people tend to be influential in their area of endeavor, even after they have retired from the fray. Usually a strong physical as well as mental presence is characteristic of those born on this day; emotional and intuitive capacities can be somewhat lacking, however. June 17 people may be hard, perhaps nearly impossible to reach on a deep feeling level. Many born on this day are alternately mistrusting and impulsive. Because they can so easily exchange a mature, responsible attitude for a petulant, childish one (usually when they don’t get their way), they promote mistrust. June 17 people make fine planners, designers, and travelers, as most have an innate sense of direction and understanding of spatial realities. In rare cases, they are so advanced in this area, their methods so unique, that they may sometimes seem to lack sense for not going the easy route. Usually their logic becomes clear to others after such methods have proven correct. June 17 people have been known to stretch a story a bit, even to tell some mighty tall tales in order to get their way. In addition, some born on this day get a real kick out of deceiving others. This may be harmless play, but like any game must be kept light and under control. Those born on June 17 should avoid gambling: though they may be clever, highly adept players they are still vulnerable to loss and being drawn into unscrupulous activities. Indeed, less highly evolved June 17 people make excellent con-artists. Whatever their moral character, however, those born on this day seem to have no trouble attracting followers to their cause, whether public or private. People born on June 17 Zodiac are often strong and inspirational individuals who believe everyone has it within them to follow their dreams. A fascinating combination of creativity and structure, they know how to conform but also have a vivid imagination that they want to explore and, if possible, profit from. Demanding a lot of themselves and the people they live and work with, whatever situation they are in they are likely to be excellent performers and a forceful presence. Although they set a terrific example to others and people are drawn to their vitality and masterful demeanor, if they find themselves in the role of mentor they may struggle. This is because they are often too wrapped up in their own goals, lacking the patience and understanding to listen to others. There is a danger that they might stretch the truth if they feel it serves their purposes. This isn’t motivated by a desire to deceive but simply so their arguments sound more plausible. But if they don’t control this tendency to manipulate the truth, they can become known as untrustworthy. Such is their influence, however, that even if their exaggeration is uncovered, others may still continue blindly to follow their lead. It is important therefore for them to impose a strict ethical code upon themselves. Until the age of thirty-four they may focus on emotional relations, security and family; for their own happiness they need to ensure that they take advantage of opportunities to discover their feelings and learn how to express them to others. After the age of thirty-five they enter a period of strength, power and confidence; these are the years when they come into their own as inspirational leaders or pioneers. Above all, the forceful but imaginative and progressive individuals born on this day are fired by progressive ideals. Once they develop an understanding of the effect that their intensity has on others, not only will this give their ideals a better chance of gaining acceptance, it will also bring them greater emotional fulfillment. Although they are often surrounded by potential partners, establishing a close relationship may prove difficult for people born on June 17 Zodiac as they tend to be physically undemonstrative and emotionally aloof. They are attracted to people who are successful or living their dreams and, once they do find that special someone, they can open up to they make faithful, protective and loving partners. People born on this day often have a strong physical presence and they need to make sure they don’t succumb to addiction of any kind, be it drink, recreational drugs, sex, or food. Although they have terrific will-power professionally, when it comes to their personal life they don’t show nearly the same resolve. It is important that they take charge of their well-being by eating healthily, exercising regularly and refraining from activities that give them a temporary high followed by a prolonged low. Once they do get their diet and lifestyle on track, they will find that their need for stimulants fades away. Wearing, meditating on and surrounding themselves with the color purple will encourage them to look inward and think of higher, purer things. These people have a quick mind and the ability to lead; this offers them many career opportunities where they can rise to prominent positions. Alternatively, they may prefer to work for themselves. They are well suited to intellectual professions such as law, research or writing, and to careers where they can be involved in humanitarian or social reform, whether in society, religion or health care. A desire for creativity may lead them to express their individuality in the arts, the theater, and particularly music or conducting orchestras. The life path of people born on this day is to learn to get in touch with their feelings so that they can express them outwardly. Once they are able to be less detached in their dealings with others, their destiny is to inspire others with their courageous ability to fight for their values. People born specifically on the 17th of June are predicted to be carefree with a love of excitement and change alongside the typical Gemini wit and adaptability. The astrological planet that rules this particular day is Saturn making you careful in your actions and highly creative and imaginative in thought. If you have this birthday a sociable, warm and communicative nature is bestowed upon you with a nonjudgmental dependable attitude. Intelligent, outgoing and quite ambitious you ordinarily have a dry sense of humor despite your strong serious streak. Individuals with a June the seventeenth birthday like to share information but are not as gossipy or nosy as most twins. You are usually full of common sense and responsibility and tend to generally approach life with optimism. Emotionally you can be a little childish, mistrustful and impulsive especially in your youth. Your facile temperament is kind and sympathetic but also prone to impatience and exaggeration. Career options are usually plenteous and varied to a person born on the seventeenth of June due to your versatility and many talents. You should particularly enjoy working in a job involving numbers or based on scientific areas. Accountancy is a popular choice, other preferred possible professions include being a doctor, dentist or lawyer. Doing something you are very good at is probably your ideal job. Financially you would rather save than spend and when it comes to contemplating investments you will be likely to opt for the safer route. Saving for a secure future is often of the upmost importance. For a Gemini, the person born on the seventeenth day of June is typically in need of a partner who can stimulate both their body and mind equally. You are inclined to be cautious in romance who you give your heart to and may have a bit of difficulty confiding in and trusting others. Your tendency to test and question everything extends to affairs of the heart but you try not to waste time when you meet your destined soul mate. The perfect love partner must share similar aspirations and be able to appreciate your humor and calm your nervous energies. You can sometimes find decision making and meaningful displays of affection hard so you could be a bit hesitant to commit to a long term relationship unless it feels completely right. Once settled in a loving committed partnership with someone special you are among the most loyal of your zodiac group. Health complaints experienced by those born on June 17th are once in a while a result of you not taking adequate care of yourself. This somewhat careless attitude and a proneness to not get enough sleep can lower your levels of resistance to common viruses. Your overall healthiness often improves when you live with others or gain dependants. People born on this day normally possess a healthy appetite and often adore experimenting in the kitchen. In order to keep fit you could find gentle sports are effective forms of exercise and also offer the opportunity to release built up tensions. Your main strengths of character are exhibited in the persuasive energetic wittiness and intelligence you express. This combination of positive traits and your seriousness when necessary give you the ease to easily adapt to any circumstance and be usually capable of seeing the bright side of things. When negativity creeps in the personality weaknesses for those born on June 17th can emerge. These unpositive characteristics can surface as an unwillingness to wait or a susceptibility to overindulgence. You also commonly have a habit of occasionally exaggerating to back up some of your opinions or intensify a point. Being born on the 17th of June means that you will be naturally desirous of success and highly enterprising. In spite of this desire, energy and resourcefulness you are often a bit unconfident in your abilities and pushing yourself forward. A fear of failure and taking risks can sometimes prevent you from achieving your full potential. Your colorful imagination, deep thought and high level of creativity guide your dreams to be fanciful and likely to include wishes for escapism from daily routine. Other hopes in life are to travel and experience some of the luxuries that life has to offer. As you were born on the seventeenth day of the month the one and seven in your birth date add up to a Root number of Eight. This numerical reference to your birthday has the keyword ‘Leader’ indicating your extrovert dependability, concentration and acumen. The Tarot card associated with your birthday is the 17th in the Major Arcana symbolizing the Star. This is a sign of your considerate kindness towards others and your responsible resolute side. The lucky gemstone chosen for June the seventeenth birthdays is a Black Pearl, to be worn for boosting prosperity, vitality, confidence and good luck. Each Gemini personality is believed to have it’s probable characteristics astrologically influenced by the planet Mercury’s power. The actual day you were born on, the seventeenth of June, is reigned over by Saturn’s influence. Therefore this pair of planets are the two dominant authorities in determining your uniqueness. Your mix of lighthearted sociability and commonsensical intellect make you fun to be with but sensible. Your fondness of sharing knowledge and cheery mindful outlook gain you many friends throughout life. If you can conquer your hastiness and intolerance of inactivity it will give you more time to reflect. A completing thought for people born on June the 17th is to be more ready to trust your instincts and emotions and contemplate being more accepting of the differing views of others. Doing so should be very enlightening. People born on June 17 can be defined as conscientious, curious and adventurous. Just like a true Gemini they are captivating, malleable and funny. They enjoy learning new things and having contact with the outside world at all times. They hate feeling lonely and they avoid any kind of ordinary that can be established in their lives. The best setting for those born under this sign relates to all settings where they can state their beliefs, and they do have beliefs about everything. Positive traits: These people are characterized by eloquence, courage and a artistic brilliance of mind. Gemini people are usually lively and positive. They turn out to be very charitable with the people they like and very passionate about their loved one if they ever settle for one person. Those born under this sign are also in a never-ending search for new experiences as their agitated imagination never wants to take a break. Negative traits: These natives often give up quicker than they should and are extremely selfish at times. They tend to be quite irritable and accumulate tension in situations where they feel they are not the privileged ones. They also start many projects at once and have a tendency to involve a lot of people in them to then change their mind and leave everyone half way through. They are manipulative and can loose their temper quickly when people don’t respond the way they expect them to. Lovers born on June 17 are versatile and ingenious. They do know how to conquer someone they get passionate, not only they know how to charm their way through words but also with gestures. They are attracted to active and unpredictable person who can keep them guessing but also keep up with their energy. For the sociable Gemini, love comes fast and goes even faster. You can conquer the heart of Gemini if you have an interesting personality and you know how to reveal it step by step and you are able to accept their eccentricities.Charming lovers they are always enthusiastic although sometimes unpredictable and hard to understand. If their loved one is patient and honest they are likely to open to them and their love will progress fast. They are friendly but reserved and their attitude won’t bring many people close to them. They are persistent and courageous in a practical way so they will be a great part of their family team once they decide to settle for someone. They are most compatible with those born on 1st, 4th, 8th, 10th, 13th, 17th, 19th, 22th, 26th, 28th and 31st. June 17 Zodiac people are very attracted to the other air signs: Libra and Aquarius as they tend to share the same vision of life. In life, Gemini is constantly seeking for someone that can truly understand their way of expressing their feelings and the best to do this is the native from Sagittarius. Gemini is thought to be least compatible with Taurus. As for the rest of compatibilities between the other star signs and Gemini, you know what they say, stars predispose but people dispose. The color for Gemini natives born with the June 17 is yellow.Yellow symbolizes brightness, joy and warmth and is exactly what the natives in Gemini need to keep up their lively attitude. The zodiac color should be used in items of clothing or objects in the house.People with yellow as sign color are good leaders that think and act in a methodical way. Yellow is favored by logical minds that inspire, innovate and strive to attain success through intellectual effort. Other colors for Gemini people are green and purple. The birthstone for Gemini natives born with the June 17 is the delightful Agate. Agate presents a precious stone that reflects softness, comfort and tolerance. This zodiac birthstone is advised to be used in pendants and earrings. This birthstone sooths and calms the energetic Gemini and helps them orient their energy in making themselves and their ideas understood by other people. Uruguay and Southern Brazil are the most known places where Agates can be found. Another gemstone considered influential for Gemini natives is Pearl. It suggests sensibility and preciousness. The lucky flower for those born under the June 17 is represented by Lavender. This plant is known to symbolize creativity and aesthetics. This zodiac flower should be used in decorative items in the places these natives spend time. Suggests an insightful personality with an open mind. Its flowers spread quickly and add scent and color just as ideas enrich all perspectives. This flower can be enjoyed during midsummer to late summer. Other plants that suit Gemini natives are Poppy and Lily of the Valley.  The lucky metal for those born under the June 17 is Bronze. Bronze symbolizes hard earned wealth and wisdom. This zodiac metal could be used in accessories and decorative objects. Bronze is the metal of battle and creativity as it relates to monetary wealth, artistic creations and warfare. It was thought to influence human civilization and progress.Another metal considered beneficial for Gemini natives is Gold. June 17 Zodiac belongs to the third decan of GEMINI (June 11-June 20). This decan is under the supervision of the planet Uranus. Those born in this period are optimistic and dreamy just like a true Gemini and curious and enthusiastic just as Uranus makes them be. This period is said to temper the characteristics of the Gemini zodiac sign. Being born on the 17th day of the month means an individual who is hard working, methodical, rational and dependable. The numerology for June 17 is 8. This number reveals ambition and great power but also an embrace of the spiritual side, later in life. Those Gemini associated with number eight pragmatic and analytical doers in all life matters. June is the first summer month in the Northern Hemisphere, bringing sunny time and childlike enthusiasm. Those born in June are active and emotional. June 17 Zodiac people are idealistic daydreamers. The symbols for June include Ruby, Alexandrite and Moonstone as gemstones, Rose and Oak as plants and the goddess of family. 

#2. Lili Reinhart (Birthday: Sep. 13, 1996 – The Day Of Passionate Care; Personality Period: Virgo III – Sep. 11 to Sep. 18 – The Week Of The Literalist; Place Of Birth: Cleveland, Ohio, United States)

The willful individuals born in the week of Virgo III generally persist until they get their way. Yet long periods may go by in which they refuse to take any sudden action. Their goals are so tangible to them, so real, that they may express their confidence in the final outcome through a kind of procrastination. Virgo III’s know that a strong mental orientation can often have a decisive influence on the events unfolding around them. Those born in the Week of the Literalist have a practical emphasis in their characters that can make them easily puzzled and even angered by irrationality. But since they usually control their feelings well beyond an immediate expression of irritation or disgust, it takes an especially annoying or upsetting stimulus to bring their true emotions to the surface. Even the more easily aroused Virgo III’s usually mellow out with age. They feel emotion deeply, but may be stirred up only by the most personal encounters with lovers and mates. For the most part, they do not like emotional displays, particularly public ones, which they see as a sign of ostentation and a lack of self-control. Virgo III’s also dislike phoniness and pretension. True literalists, they like folks to behave as they really are, and to be truthful to themselves, no matter how difficult this may be. On the other hand, they do not like trouble or unpleasantness, and feel that a modicum of courtesy, consideration and gratefulness is demanded in almost any human situation. They are sometimes torn, then, between their love of truth and their need for harmony. Virgo III’s have a definite flair for the sensational. At times highly dramatic, they seek to uncover the truth and to reveal it to the world. Such individuals can be fearless and courageous in confronting social mores, perhaps promoting ideals of free speech, free lifestyle and free love; revolutionary fervor often runs high in this group. They should not succumb, however, to the lure of sheer rebelliousness in their moral crusades. Otherwise calm, their passions ignite around a cause or an ideal more often than around a person. Shrewd evaluative instincts are among the strongest suits of Virgo III’s, but they must be careful not to let their acuteness in this area get out of hand. Professionally, they may be put into executive positions in which they are called upon to judge their colleagues on a daily basis, and in doing so they must try to be sensitive to the feelings of others, in whom they can easily engender feelings of rejection and disappointment. Resentment of those born during the Week of the Literalist may build to a pitch of negative energy that can become destructive and debilitating. Few achievements arouse their admiration more than the mastery of craft. Role models are thus extremely important to Virgo III’s, and may prove a direct inspiration and stimulus for their own success. These Literalists can make excellent partners in creative, business and practical endeavors of all sorts, particularly when their partners are capable of producing high-caliber work. Virgo III’s can put up with a lot, both in their career and in personal relationships, if the quality of their work or love life is high enough.  In relationships, Virgo III’s are highly demanding, expecting the very best for themselves. Their lovers and mates will have to get tough in order to handle their energies. However, they are often affectionate and caring people, particularly in times of adversity. Virgo III’s have strong nurturing and protective instincts, which emerge strongly when their loved one is suffering or under attack. Extremely capable, they can keep troubled or problematical relationships alive for years through their perseverance and dedication. Facing and overcoming obstacles, in fact, can be a specialty of Virgo III’s in all aspects of their lives. Their need for order and their striving for fulfillment usually find special satisfaction when a particularly challenging task or project is at last completed. Results are important to these pragmatic personalities, who are likely to lose interest or walk away when the fruits of their endeavors are regularly denied them. Virgo III’s have an ethical feeling about what they are entitled to, and may suffer terribly under unfair treatment. These people must be careful not to succumb to selfish and manipulative drives. Friends, co-workers and employers may at times find them ruthless in cutting off personal and work relationships that no longer suit them. In the mind of a Virgo III, this is usually justified as realistic and fair, but it can also indicate a blindness in seeing the other person’s point of view. More successful Virgo III personalities will learn to bring relationships to a close more gracefully, without leaving a bad aftertaste. The most positive human traits of those born during the Week of the Literalist or Virgo III’s often emerge in family life. They can make excellent parents and loving and dutiful children. For all of their independence and iconoclasm, Virgo III’s are usually quite conventional in family matters, particularly enjoying holiday dinners and outings. Actually, they have a great respect for authority, as long as it is honest, caring and just. All forms of favoritism, discrimination or unfairness in the treatment of children and parents are highly objectionable to Virgo III’s.

Those born on September 13 bring their full powers to bear on the job at hand. Blessed with a remarkable level of concentration and resilient determination, they may face great obstacles to their success, but not for a moment will the outcome be in doubt for them. Indeed some born on this day seem to believe that they have a magical ability to surmount any difficulty. Yet they are not particularly superstitious or disposed to psychical explanations for what they do. Theirs is a straight-ahead, no-nonsense approach. The more exceptional of September 13 people can, however, handle such difficult, complex and manifold tasks, that others marvel at how they are able to accomplish what they do. Often September 13 people strongly support certain ideas and causes, but later realize they have been a bit off track. Because of their sincerity and dedication, however, they gain the respect of others, even those who vehemently oppose them and feel that what they are doing is harmful. At a certain point in their lives those born on this day may change direction dramatically, at one stroke setting out toward new horizons. Once on this path, however, they will continue on it until the bitter (or happy) end. No one can dissuade them once they have made their mind up about something, although for the time being they may mark time for the sake of diplomacy, not wanting to cause undue upset. Those born on this day can be quite tyrannical and inflexible within their own family or business group. Generally they will put the interests of their career or work group first, before anything else. Consequently, their family may suffer a lack of attention. It is not that September 13 people are irresponsible (quite the contrary is true) but as long as they know that family and friends are physically all right or at least able to function, they will feel free to go their own way. September 13 people must beware of a certain ruthless streak in themselves. This is not to imply that they are guilty of hiding ulterior motives, engaging in underhanded behavior or even being excessively competitive. It is just that they can be swept away by their projects, their vision, their commitment to what they are doing to an extraordinary degree, and with little or no remorse can make a decision to compromise or completely crowd out other involvements. Although September 13 people are highly developed in the areas of will and mental concentration, they have intense physical drives which must be satisfied as well. They have a great biological need to share their life with an understanding mate or partner who is capable of completely accepting them, along with all their foibles. They are also capable of serving this other person well, but may be torn between devotion and their own personal needs. After separation, divorce or death of a mate, September 13 people (particularly women) will invariably strike off on their own with great energy, but may also carry on work shared with their original partner. People born on September 13 Zodiac tend to dedicate themselves passionately to their work or the task in hand. Their powers of concentration are unrivalled and their determination awesome. In fact, many born on this day have the ability to confront and rise successfully above any challenge that life throws at them. One of the reasons they are such strong individuals is their powerful selfbelief. They care greatly about being true to themselves regardless of what the current trends may be, and although their straightforward, uncomplicated but highly idiosyncratic approach can win them many admirers, it can also make them the butt of many jokes. This isn’t likely to worry them, however, because they know that sooner or later others will see that their methods were right. Although they are very advanced when it comes to will-power and concentration, in affairs of the heart they may not be able to demonstrate the same level of commitment or passion. It is important for them to make sure they don’t suppress their emotions because it is only when they have learned to acknowledge, accept and manage their emotions that they will be able to grow psychologically. If they are unable to face their emotions, they run the risk of becoming uncompromising, controlling and ruthless. For those with such potential for creativity and sensitivity, this would be a tragedy. Fortunately, until the age of thirty-nine there will be opportunities for them to develop and learn from close personal relationships. After the age of forty there is a turning point which puts the emphasis firmly on seeking a deeper meaning to their life and placing more emphasis on the power of personal transformation. Whatever age they are the sooner they learn to listen to their heart as passionately as they do to their heads, the sooner they will be able to devote their considerable talents to a cause that is worthy of them, lead by example and dedicate themselves to making the world a much better place. Although people born on this day can be sociable and charming, in personal relationships they can alternate between intense passion and intense detachment, even appearing secretive or aloof at times. It is important for them to inject more fun into their relationships, and to choose a partner who is as clever and hard working as they are. People born on this day often prefer to phone, text or email friends and colleagues rather than meet with them face to face, but they will find that weaning themselves off the mobile or computer will help their relationships blossom. They are also incredibly physical people and need to find an outlet for their energy. For them, team sports are ideal. Although these people are in general blessed with good health, they are at risk of stress-related illnesses and would benefit greatly from hobbies or outside interests that can take their mind off their worries. As far as diet is concerned, they need to make sure that they don’t neglect the importance of good nutrition when their mind is focused on the task in hand. Wearing, meditating on and surrounding themselves with the color orange will help them get in touch with their own feelings and those of others. These people have fine problem-solving skills and may be drawn to scientific or business careers, although their original approach may also draw them to writing, art or research. They also make great team leaders and managers, particularly in sales, promotion, public relations, politics, accountancy, real estate, and the stock market. Their love of education may draw them toward teaching or law, and sport may be an excellent outlet for their energy. The life path of people born on this day is to get in touch with their feelings and those of others. Once their hearts are more open, their destiny is to finetune their skills and achieve pioneering breakthroughs. People born specifically on the 13th of September are predicted to be thoughtful, kind and composed yet more willing to take risks than most Virgo’s. The ruling astrological planet for this particular day is Uranus making you ambitious and hard working with a need for structure and order in your life. If you have this birthday, very precise and efficient in manner, you will rarely leave anything to chance. A strong will and sense of purpose along with your abundance of energy make you great at planning ahead. Realistic and very practical you are inclined to be persistent and dedicated to things you really believe in. Individuals with a September the thirteenth birthday are naturally caring, friendly and charitable with humanitarian concerns. Loyal and dependable you can be overly generous with your time and finances to others and may need to learn to say 'No’ once in a while. Rather sensitive emotionally you will usually possess a real longing to be needed and appreciated. Unusual but purposeful occupations are usually attractive choices of work to a person born on the thirteenth of September. Your kind benevolent spirit and compassionate manner may direct you to opt for voluntary or charity jobs. Your plentiful amounts of ambition, determination and efficiency are all favorable attributes for progression in your working life. Despite a general disinterest in monetary status you can be prone to spend heavily occasionally and this could lead to issues balancing your budget. Your proclivity for generosity may also cause financial shortcomings if you do not learn to curb it a little. For a Virgo, the person born on the thirteenth day of September is typically logical but this can easily wane in connection with affairs of the heart. You have a strong need for security in a long term relationship but you also crave retaining your individuality too. Cozy togetherness satisfies your wish to be cherished, respected and valued. Inclined to be a workaholic with slight nervousness you could find id difficult to relax so you require someone who slows you down and tries to prevent you from overanalyzing. This requirement means that you can often be attracted to a soul mate who is totally different from yourself. Although your dedication makes you likely to be incredibly committed and a considerate romantic partner you can also be a tad manipulative emotionally. Your sexual curiosity guides you to appreciate a lover who is quite confident and adventurous in the bedroom. Health disturbances experienced by those born on September 13th are sometimes a consequence of your tendency to be highly strung and nervous. This makes you likely to suffer from tension headaches and occasional insomnia. You may have to manage your lifestyle to be calmer and less hectic overall in order to enjoy your best health. A healthy diet and regular exercise help you stay well while finding relaxation methods to wind down before bedtime will give you restful sleep. People born on this day should discover that utilizing physical and mental energies effectively is usually the key to experiencing maximum vitality. Your main strengths of character are noticeable in your intense kindness, devotion, perserverance and thoughtfulness. Your forward thinking preciseness and a willingness to put caution aside every now and then are further positive fortes destined to bring you potential enlightenment and luck. The personality weaknesses for those born on September 13th are frequently linked to the sensitivity of your emotions and a proneness for self criticism. These negative tendencies, occurring more often if you are overtired or under stress, include the display of uncharacteristic hardened and unaware behaviors in addition to sulkiness. Being born on the 13th of September gives you plenty of enthusiasm for outlining desired accomplishments but your goals are often subject to refinement with changing circumstances. This drive and flexibility allows you to remain open to take advantage of opportunities to achieve aspirations as they present themselves. Among your many wishes you will usually want to always retain your independence and originality. Your greatest wish inside is probably to feel free to just be yourself as be accepted as such. Other dreams are sometimes fantasizing about an ideal world where everyone is happy and peaceful. As you were born on the thirteenth day of the month your birth date grants you a natal Root number of Four. This numerical reference to your birthday has the keyword 'Honesty’ reflecting your admirable levels of loyalty and dependability. The 13th Tarot card in the Major Arcana depicting Death is associated with your birthday. No need to worry, this simply represents your careful thought processes and resolute attitude. The lucky gemstone for September the thirteenth birthdays is Topaz, wearing it close promises to help you capably channel your energy, calm stresses and bring personal warmth and happiness. Astrologically, the presumed influences of the planet Mercury are thought responsible for the probabilities of Virgo personalities. The actual day you were born on, the thirteenth of September, is governed over by Uranus’s influence resulting in the potentiality of your tiny differences from other zodiac virgins. Your composure, precision and tendency to be organized help you ordinarily maintain an ordered control of your destiny. Your blend of willful energetic realism enhance your assiduity allowing you the ability to focus and concentrate productively. If you can avoid wearing yourself out by getting to know your limits you should make more progress materially and spiritually. A concluding thought for people born on September the thirteenth is to try and minimize the suppression of your emotions. In addition you should also consider being a bit more selfish as being kind to yourself is important. People born on September 13 have a great sense of duty and are down to earth, attentive and loyal. Just like a true Virgo, they are enthusiastic and friendly. They appreciate having everything orderly around and to take their time off to disconnect and rediscover themselves. They dislike stupidity and mediocrity. Those born under this sign enjoy environments where they can meet witty people. These natives are orderly and circumspect, so circumspect that they often work on only the worst case scenarios and this helps them avoid a lot of problems and always be somewhat taken by surprise by the best results they obtain. They are courageous and rational thus leaving the life day by day. They have a domestic and unfailing nature but often invest too much time in helping others. Stop worrying so much and begin taking some speculations from time to time is one thing Virgo needs to learn. Those born on this day are distressed and worrisome. They tend to over think even the littlest obstacles and this behavior is taking all the unpredictable and fun out of their lives. They are sometimes biased and fastidious. They disagree with all the perks of others although they do forget to take their own into account. Lovers born on September 13 are affectionate and dependable. They leave passion aside in order to build a dependable and trustworthy relationship. They may not be those with whom you can party all the time but they are sure those with whom you want to settle. They are attracted to people that are sensible and reliable just like them but also to emotional people with whom they can offer support and guidance. You can conquer the heart of Virgo by listening to them and by accepting their need for order and stability. An elegant and sincere lover they are very attractive to the opposite sex. Naturally charming, they are used to intensely live every aspect of their life and their relationships are no exception. They are likely to fall in love at a young age and have many interactions with different kinds of people. Once they settle for their loved one, they turn to be patient and dependable and seek for peace and fulfillment. They are most compatible with those born on 1st, 8th, 10th, 17th, 19th, 26th and 28th. September 13 Zodiac people are most attracted to the other earth signs: Taurus and Capricorn as they tend to share the same vision of life. In love, Virgo is permanently seeking for a person they can take care of, help grow and support for better or worse and the best to offer this occasion to them is the native born under Pisces. The lover in Virgo is said to be least compatible with Leo. As for the rest of partnerships between the other star signs and Virgo, you know what they say, stars predispose but people dispose. The color used in astrology for those with September 13 is navy blue.Navy blue symbolizes depth, strength and refinery. This zodiac color should be used in objects around the house and accessories.People having navy blue as sign color are tidy and organized in all life aspects. They also have their moments of introspection and observance. They have a tendency to keep to themselves, be it that we’re talking about hidden feelings or even casual activities.Other colors for Virgo people are orange, beige and earth tones. The birthstone considered to be representative for Virgos with September 13 is the stylish Sapphire. Sapphire is a precious material that denotes sincerity and reliability. This zodiac birthstone should be used in all kinds of jewelry items that are to be worn frequently. It is thought to enhance the positive characteristics of the wearer, this means an even more attentive and observant Virgo. This gemstone comes in white, blue and pink shades. Another birthstone considered beneficial for Virgo natives is Amethyst. It symbolizes refinery and intelligence. The lucky flower for those born under the September 13 is Morning Glory. Morning Glory is one of those plants that denote a spirit of observation and introspection. This zodiac flower should be used in decorative items in the places these natives spend time. This is a plant that blooms and dies quickly and it also capable of growing exactly where planted as it seems to organize to fill a certain space just like the attentive and neat Virgo leads its life. This flower can be enjoyed during early summer mornings. Other flowers representative for Virgo are Clovers and Poppies. The metal for Virgo natives born with the September 13 is Platinum. Platinum is a metal that suggests power and wealth. The zodiac metal could be used in accessories and jewelry items. Being one of the rarest metals on Earth it is associated with exclusivity and prestige. Platinum is also used as a primary metal in automobile catalytic converters. Another metal considered lucky for Virgo natives is Mercury. September 13 Zodiac belongs to the second decan of VIRGO (September 3-September 13). This decan is under the supervision of the planet Saturn. Those born in this period are analytical and realistic just like a true Virgo and financially wise just as Saturn makes them be. This period tempers the positive and negative characteristics of the Virgo zodiac sign with a great accent on the positive ones. Being born on the 13th day of the month means tolerance, honesty, adaptability and self discipline. The numerology for September 13 is 4. This number reveals creation combined with logic and a bit of stubbornness. Those Virgo associated with number four are surely imaginative but also hard working and critical. September is the ninth month of the year, bringing the beginning of most educational years. Those born in September are decisive and motivated. September 13 Zodiac people are very confident and charming. September symbols that resonate with these people are the Sapphire and Sardonyx as gemstones and Aster and Morning Glory as plants. The name of this month comes from the Latin “septem”.

#3. Camila Mendes (Birthday: Jun. 29, 1994 – The Day Of Airborne Dreamers; Personality Period: Cancer I – Jun. 25 to Jul. 2 – The Week Of The Empath; Place Of Birth: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States)

Cancer I’s are hard to figure out. Emotionally complex, they combine sharply contrasting qualities in their psychological makeup. They may give an entirely different impression one moment than in another, according to their mood. A Cancer I may strike one person as outgoing, another as retiring, one as positive and expansive, another as negative and depressive, still others as easygoing, others as difficult. Only those who live with Cancer I’s day in and day out are fully able to appreciate their depth and diversity. Part of the reason for the variety of their emotional palette is their sensitivity. Empathic, Cancer I’s quickly pick up on the feelings of others—so much so that they may mistake such feelings for their own. They may find themselves replaying other people’s scripts and hence playing a role in life’s daily drama that is not really theirs. Developing their self-awareness, gaining an accurate view of their personal interactions and getting a grip on their emotions will be essential to them. Because they are so at the mercy of the feelings of others as children, Cancer I’s generally cry out for protection. Even when protection is granted, they may spend a lifetime seeking out people to mother and nurture them. But if they are instead exposed to tough and unsympathetic treatment by their families and, later, by the world, they are capable of surrounding themselves with a virtually impenetrable shell. Love can enable Cancer I’s to feel again, melting their outer defenses and allowing them to express their true emotions. A great deal of pent-up resentment and frustration may have to be voiced, however, before their hurt is eased and they are able to trust again. One should not get the idea, however, that Cancer I’s are wishy-washy characters out of touch with worldly realities. In fact, they are very clever in getting their way. They generally give money a high priority, and are often financially astute. Their investment sense can be excellent, and they frequently make stocks and other holdings pay off. Also in the realm of technical skills, they show a good grasp of whatever material they make their own, and a good ability to implement their plans. Aggression can play an ambiguous role in Cancer I’s lives: they are naturally aggressive, and can have difficulty sublimating this instinct into positive expression, particularly in the sexual, verbal or athletic sphere. Too often they swing from angry outbursts to repression, which often leads them into melancholia, in extreme cases, their anger can be self-destructive. Finding a métier that allows them easy expression of their aggression is an important life task for them, and one that they often overlook. These folks are capable of withdrawing from the world for months or even years, doing battle with themselves in an attempt to come to grips with their problems. The challenge a Cancer I faces is to move from being a person helplessly adrift in a sea of feeling, just able to keep his or her head above water, into being one who can swim confidently in the swift currents of life. The most successful Cancer I’s are those who can put their fantasy to work in a constructive way, and who can share their unique view of the world with others. First, of course, they must conquer their inner fears and liberate themselves from self-imposed, or parentally-imposed, behavioral stereotypes. Next they may have to overcome inflexibility and real or imagined handicaps. Through sheer guts and determination, they are often capable of overcoming these and other obstacles, and of putting their acute psychological perceptions to work in the service of those around them. Professionally they often do well when self-employed, operating from a home base that may be connected to their living space. Should they choose to have children, the caring and nurturing aspects of their personalities augur well for their abilities as parents. For those who live with them, it may be difficult to stand by and watch as Cancer I’s bottle up their feelings or enter into their self-imposed isolation. While it may look like self-torture, it is almost impossible, and in fact usually inadvisable, to get down in the soup with Cancer I’s. A more beneficial stance is usually to back off and wait patiently until they surface and seek human interaction again. Patience is an obligatory virtue for those desiring a successful relationship with these individuals. On the other hand, those born during the Week of the Empath have a great deal to offer in a relationship: empathy, sympathy, technical proficiency, financial astuteness and a good managerial sense. Because of their need to spend time at home, they can be counted on to keep things in good working order and to provide comfort and security. Cancer I’s can be extremely persuasive, at times too much so. Their need to persuade can outstrip the advisability of their counsel, leaving them saddled with the guilt of having sent someone off in a wrong direction. Cancer I’s pride themselves on doing their homework on given subjects, and when their research is thorough it will yield positive results. Good friends know, however, that emotional strain can cloud their thoughts, easily throwing them off track, so that they may offer confused judgments and advice with the same air of conviction and authority as cogent ones.

June 29 people are filled with visions and their life’s purpose may well be making dreams come true. Thus they have an uncanny ability to find practical applications for their fantasies and in so doing share them with other people. Those born on this day are also highly sensitive to the desires of others and, like Santa Claus, may be expected to deliver. In this respect they are at once responsible providers and dreamers with their heads in the clouds. Fortunately, an ability to come up with the funds they need to realize the success of their projects is characteristic of those born on this day. June 29 people most often display a thorough knowledge of technical matters in their given field, but they are not overly verbal people and, although eager to share, may find it difficult to communicate their methods to others. The quality of the products they produce, however, is plain for all to see and the ease with which they accomplish tasks may earn them a reputation as “magicians” with their superiors, colleagues or employees. Above all else, June 29 people are seekers of the truth, and as such deflate phoniness of any sort, defy false authority and expose spurious endeavors. June 29 people hope that the ends they serve, once established and made real, will reveal the true nature of things, or at least manifest a high degree of integrity. Those born on this day are rarely doctrinarily religious people, for they accept little at face value without investigating it for themselves. Air, breath, flying, singing and dancing are recurrent themes in the lives of June 29 people. Many born on this day have extremely lively, fun-loving and bubbly personalities. Sometimes falsely accused of superficiality, they don’t advertise their own underlying moral code. When a less highly evolved June 29 person inhibits the freedom or mobility of others, it is a particularly selfish act; such a double standard means that the June 29 person is free to fly, but that others are not. Those born on this day often present a childlike demeanor to the world. In touch with the values of youth, they embody a certain innocence, charm and openness. Despite such an exterior, those born on this day are usually adept at making money (also at spending it) and establishing themselves in a competitive marketplace. Should they go far in this direction they must beware of becoming jaded or cynical. Though competitive, June 29 people make good partners and companions, preferring to share their lives with others rather than always putting their personal success first. Those born on this day are very generous in that they are truly happy when they are sharing their good fortune with others. People born on June 29 Zodiac are often highly intuitive and sensitive. They have a knack for anticipating other people’s words, actions and reactions. This is because they have the rare ability to put themselves into another’s shoes. As well as being intuitive, they also possess a dazzling imagination and the practical ability to transform their progressive visions into reality. With their unique combination of altruistic intuition and imagination, these people give much to others and share their burdens. They are the people who will be a shoulder for their friends to cry on, a morale booster at work and a charity worker in their spare time. They will often be drawn to people who are lonely and insecure because they hope that offering their friendship will reinforce the self-esteem of those who feel fragile.They often present a lighthearted, youthful and energetic face to the world, and others will love the fact that they rarely complain or drag people down with negativity. Their aim is always to uplift and help others, and while they may be accused of superficiality, underneath their charm and innocence they have all the drive and competitive edge they need to achieve their goals. They often have a talent for making money, and lots of it, although their competitive drive is motivated by a desire to share their vision and happiness with others, rather than gain personal success. Although their dedication to bringing pleasure to others is admirable, they occasionally need to give themselves a boost as well. If their behavior becomes too self-sacrificing, they may suffer from bouts of indecision and anxiety about their own personal focus and motivation. Before the age of twenty they may be inclined to be shy or reserved but after twenty-three they will enjoy opportunities to develop their personal power and creativity. It is vital that they take advantage of these because in this period their intellect, imagination and understanding of the needs of others can help them make their own dreams, as well as the dreams of others, a practical reality. People born on June 29 Zodiac can easily attract people with their optimistic, upbeat, caring approach and they usually think in twosomes. They may be drawn toward partners who are insecure in some way but since they are prone to insecurity themselves, they might be better choosing someone less needy. Once in a relationship they are often exceedingly generous with those they love and may need to temper their giving impulse to allow their partner or children to stand on their own two feet. People born on this day have a tendency to put others before themselves, and although this is commendable they need to remember to take care of themselves as well. They are also prone to taking on the burdens of others and this can sometimes result in emotional difficulties or even co-dependent relationships. As far as diet and lifestyle are concerned, they may have a craving for sweet foods, foods high in fat, alcohol, or recreational drugs; they need to counteract this with a healthy, balanced diet and plenty of exercise. Any form of aerobic exercise is recommended as it will boost their cardiovascular and respiratory health. Wearing, meditating on and surrounding themselves with the color red will increase their self-confidence and help them distance themselves from those who might drag them down. These people are well suited to careers in education, the fashion, leisure, and beauty industries, and careers connected to the home and family. They also have natural skills in working for a charitable cause. Their imagination and quick intelligence may draw them to science, medicine, alternative healing, or business, and their need for creative expression may draw them to writing, music and art. The life path of people born on this day is to learn to find a balance between their own needs and those of others. Once they have found that balance, their destiny is to influence and inspire others with their generosity and their ability to make the impossible seem possible. People born specifically on the 29th of June are believed to be friendly, imaginative and sensitive and like all crabs mostly ruled by emotion. The ruling astrological planet assigned for this particular day is the Moon, the same celestial body that rules your zodiac sign, adding to your likely well tuned perceptiveness. If you have this birthday anticipating the thoughts and actions of others comes naturally and you tend to listen carefully to your inner voice and let it guide you through life’s ups and downs. A touch of idealism and a strong sense of purpose makes you full of enthusiasm and determination and gives you a business mind. A mix of intuitive and inquisitive you are very compassionate and home loving with an artistic streak that directs you to fill your home with beautiful things. Individuals with a June the twenty ninth birthday have a warm heart making you helpful, practical and accommodating as well as rarely argumentative. Careers in creative fields are a popular top choice as an ideal job to a person born on the twenty ninth of June. Your depth of perception also encourages you to opt for work in any of the caring professions. Financial security in the form of working rewards is important to you but this is unlikely to be a deciding factor. Your ambitious purposefulness requires you to choose an occupation that provides a stimulating variety of challenges and the opportunity to progress and better yourself. Creating a stylish comfortable lifestyle is a big priority and seems to be where finances are spent most. For a Cancer, the person born on the twenty ninth day of June is typically quite idealistic when in search of a special love partner. You are likely to know exactly what qualities you want in a soul mate and are unlikely to settle for anything less. Friendship is valued very highly by you and you crave the closeness of a committed partnership. This makes you eager to settle down but in your youth it can mean that you may give your heart away too easily. Romantic, tender, affectionate and sentimental you are usually intently generous and understanding towards a partner. You are not destined to be as insecure emotionally as many Cancerians and your yearning for a stable relationship keeps you focused. Your nurturing nature can be a tad too possessive at times but you will normally avoid arguments and are willing to compromise to keep a loving relationship harmonious. Easy weight gain is probably a common health related problem experienced by those born on June 29th. This susceptibility may be a concern and is a consequence of your fondness of eating luxurious foods. Chocolate is something that you could find immensely difficult to resist especially if you are feeling a bit low in mood. A daily walk or regular light exercise is usually all that is required to stay in trim and physically fit. People born on this day could discover that their usual healthiness suffers greatly if they are particularly upset. Avoidance of stressful states is advised to stay at your healthiest. Your main strengths of character are expressed in your lively childlike friendliness and determined attitude. Alongside your high levels of practicality and compassion you are favored with a fine set of attributes to face life head on. Among all these abundant positive traits the personality weaknesses for those born on June 29th are ordinarily rather minimal. These are the negative tendencies to on occasion display passive or procrastinating behaviors if you are overly tired or stressed out. Aside from this occasional moodiness you may additionally frequently succumb to your proneness for certain comfort foods. Being born on the 29th of June bestows you with heaps of unique creativity and an unselfish approach to the achievement of goals. These talents, your curiosity and ways of thinking sees you enjoying involvement in activities that bring hope to others or greatly inspires them in some way. Achieving things purely for yourself seems to gain you little satisfaction but your ambitiousness forces you to try and acquire the means to finance your desire for a rich homely environment. Among your other most cherished wishes you are inclined to dream of simply being loved, fully understood and appreciated. As you were born on the twenty ninth day of the month your birth date digits added together and reduced give you a Root number of Two. This numerical reference to your birthday has the keyword ‘Harmony’ emphasizing your preference for peace and tranquility in your life. In the Major Arcana the 2nd card depicting the Priestess is closely linked to your birthday. This symbolizes your inquiring mind and instinct guided actions as well as reflecting your inclination to procrastinate. The luckiest gemstone for June the twenty ninth birthdays is a Pearl to be worn for the promise of healthiness and wealthiness. Astrologically, the planet imagined to be the strongest influentially on the probabilities of Cancer personalities is the Moon. The actual day you were born on, the twenty ninth of June is also cosmically governed by this identical lunar influence intensifying its authority on your originality. Your expansive imagination and wide ranging perception can take you far and allow you to see beauty in everything. Your noticeable helpfulness and ability to accommodate various and varying needs quickly attracts you lots of admiration and a reputation for being kind, capable and responsible. A final few thoughts worth pondering for people born on June the 29th involve development. This advice is to consider lowering your expectations of others and aim to step out on your own once in a while. People born on June 29 are moody and quick to change their mind as influences by their ruler the Moon and are at their ease when surrounded by water, be it the ocean or just a small river, as their sign dictates. They appreciate safety and tranquility and crave to be nurtured and looked after. Once their emotional needs are fulfilled they are in turn very generous and attentive to those around them. They frequently take time to relax and get in touch with their emotions. The natives in this sign put a high price on values like family and cohesion and these are often the areas that ambition them to keep on going. They have a great sense of fun and are often likeable companies to find yourself in. They try to take things easily although at times their care and worrisome nature takes the best of them. One of the things Cancer needs to learn is to stop dwelling in the past and point out faults and deficiencies. The past is done and mistakes should not neither be repeated nor remembered often. Those born on this day are devious and contradictory. They don’t have enough self sureness and this can destroy many aspects of their lives and prevent them from enjoying life at its fullest. They are sometimes overly conscious and way too insecure. Lovers born on June 29 are considered to be the most sympathetic and protective of all lovers. Cancer puts the greatest value in life on home stability and family wellbeing as one of the most important pursuits in the life of a Cancer is finding their soul mate and forming a family of their own. You can conquer the heart of Cancer if you are an enthusiastic and loyal lover whom can offer them unconditional support and stability. A passionate lover prone to jealousy fits when madly in love. They offer everything they have to their loved one and ask for the same. They are sometimes unpredictable and hard to understand in love. Gentle and loving daydreamer now, but when time comes they will prove to be very dedicated to their family and they are likely to sacrifice many of their dreams for their loved one’s sake. They are most compatible with those born on the 2nd, 5th, 9th, 11th, 14th, 18th, 20th, 23rd, 27th and 29th. June 29 Zodiac people are very attached to the other two water signs: Scorpio and Pisces as they tend to share the same vision of life. In life, Cancer is in a constant search for stability and emotional security and the one to offer them this is the native in Virgo. The lover in Cancer is thought to be least compatible with Aquarius. As for the rest of compatibilities between the other star signs and Cancer, you know what they say, stars predispose but people dispose. The lucky color for Cancer zodiac is silver.Silver is a shade dwelling between two non colors, black and white. The closer silver goes to black it the more mysterious and dramatic it is, while as it goes to white it becomes more illuminating and pure. So is the native in Cancer, dwelling between extremes. As a power color, silver doubles the stellar accent on those born on June 29.Other hues that appeal to people born on June 29 are violet, blue and pastels. The birthstone for Cancer zodiac is the Pearl. This symbol of sensitivity, purity and innocence is thought to guide the decisional processes and also to sooth the moody Cancer. It also reveals once again the connection of these natives with the water. Another gemstone that is thought to influence people born on June 29 is the Moonstone. Accanthus is the characteristic flower for Cancer zodiac. Accanthus radiates sensibility and reveals a nurturing spirit oriented towards both people and environment. This is a precious flower, with purple and white petals, towards the sky and influenced by outside forces in the atmosphere, such as the pull of the Moon. Other lucky flowers for Cancer include Water Lilies. The representative metal for Cancer zodiac is Silver. This precious metal brings together the symbols of Cancer, such as the Moon. Silver reveals the Cancer’s tendency towards introspection and pondering on the deeper questions of life. Another metal considered to bring luck to people born on June 29 is Platinum. June 29 Zodiac belongs to the first decan of CANCER (June 21-July 2). This decan is influenced by the Moon. Those born under this influence combine the strong affectivity and loyalty of Cancer with the emotional and nurturing spirit of the Moon. This decan is known to magnify all the positive and negative characteristics of the Cancer zodiac sign. Being born on the 29th day of the month means attention, tolerance, idealism and emotivity. The numerology for June 29 is 2. This number reveals balance and partnerships. It is the representative number for the desire of harmony and peace. Those Cancer associated with this numerology can become great mediators and with age they will only turn wiser, gentler and incredibly more considerate to other people. June is the sixth month of the year, bringing joviality and wholehearted action. Those born in June are talkative and courageous. June 29 Zodiac people are creative and determined. June has as representative symbols the Rose and Oak as plants, Alexandrite and Moonstone as gemstones and the goddess of family. 

#4. Cole Sprouse (Birthday: Aug. 4, 1992 – The Day Of The Guiding Light; Personality Period: Leo II – Aug. 3 to Aug. 10 – The Week Of Balanced Strength; Place Of Birth: Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy)

Leo II’s are solid and tough and do not back down from challenges; in fact, they thrive on them, and are often at their best when facing problems and difficulties. Although drawn toward experiences that hold an element of danger, they are usually not foolhardy enough to attempt the impossible. Realists, they are well aware of their limitations, which they may stretch to the limit if necessary but will rarely try to overleap. Fixed attitudes characterize them, so it will take a great deal of patience and persistence to get them to change their mind. Leo II’s pride themselves on their ability to spot phoniness and nonsense, and are particularly critical of metaphysical ideas not strongly grounded in the here and now. Leo II’s generally exercise tremendous powers of concentration, but through their fixation on their object they may lose the peripheral vision necessary for keeping in touch with their surroundings. In a related problem, their reliance on logical reasoning can detract from what may well be their best suit—that is, their capacity for strong hunches and their intuitive strengths. These traits may lead them to get out of touch with reality while at the same time remaining convinced of their rightness—a dangerous combination. Gifted with endurance and tenacity, Leo II’s hang in there for the duration. The upside of this character trait is their intense loyalty and devotion; the downside is a streak of masochism—a tendency, for example, to suffer while trying to hold a romance, marriage or business together. They can continue in an unhappy or stressful relationship for years without undue complaint, patiently seeking ways to make it work. Although they would sometimes do better by quitting, they will usually refuse to take the easy way out, and they may have little respect for those who lack their level of commitment. When long-standing relationships that have proven unsatisfactory finally do collapse, perhaps due to a stroke of fate, or to the partner’s unwillingness to continue, Leo II’s have a tendency to sink into depression. Too often they blame themselves. A long period of grieving may be necessary before they are once again able to function well. They can certainly be their own worst enemies. Those born during the Week of Balanced Strength exude power and self-confidence when their prodigious energies meld, but these same energies also get out of control and can threaten to tear them apart. At such times they make a piteous sight. Alcohol or drug binges and borderline or outright criminal activities can all be the evidence of Leo II energies running amok. Keeping balanced is less an ideal for them to attain than an absolute condition for their healthy survival. The children and friends of Leo II’s can be severely jolted if these normally reassuring presences disintegrate. Thus Leo II desire to be a protector of the weak and a friend to the underdog can backfire. Those born in the Week of Balanced Strength do well in highly structured situations of their own making, situations in which they are at the helm. They periodically feel an acute need to withdraw into a private place, however, and sometimes to a strictly isolated one. The problem here is an accompanying tendency to nurse hurts and slights, and in extreme cases to manifest paranoia. Developing an accepting attitude and working to diminish dogmatic and intolerant thought are essential to their mental health.  For the most part, Leo II’s are extraordinarily faithful people. They see themselves as champions of the downtrodden and protectors of the weak. They despise exclusion and condescension and, for this reason, generally side with the common person rather than the privileged. It is not that they do not have an ability to mix well with a variety of social classes; rather, they dislike insincerity or pretension. In their toughness, Leo II’s are able to withstand many disappointments. They usually weather the storm and win out through knowing how to wait, “having the long breath.” They like being independent, but nonetheless tend to build a well-defined life in which they exert maximum power with a minimum of fuss. Those involved with Leo II’s, whether as co-workers, employees, family, mates or friends, know that they must not be pushed or prodded when in a negative frame of mind but, rather, must be left alone to work things out for themselves. Leo II’s also sometimes accused of insensitivity. This is more often a result of their being preoccupied than of a lack of understanding on their part, for many are psychologically astute; yet although they can comprehend another person’s emotional state, they may feel no need to sympathize with it. Leo II’s are not especially empathic with those around them, and are capable of a stony detachment. Many find emotional matters simply too messy to get involved in, a response that is sometimes traceable to unpleasant childhood experience. When the parent, child or lover of a Leo II is of a more feeling type, conflict can result. Being straightforward and unpretentious themselves, those born during the Week of Balanced Strength dislike people who put on airs. Nothing excites their often uncontrollable temper more than insincerity, lying or disingenuousness. Leo II anger and hotheadedness can weaken the psychological balance on which their strength depends. Those closest to these intense individuals know how to use sensual persuasion and a fun-loving outlook to keep their partners happy.

Those born on August 4 are often the guiding light to whatever social group, political movement, family or business they belong. Not always cut out to be leaders they must nevertheless occupy a principal position; indeed, they make their influence felt and philosophy known to all with whom they associate. Often they are useful to their group in a largely symbolic role, as they may perfectly represent its aspirations and embody its ideals in their external appearance or lifestyle. Being able to go their own way is important to the restless and active people born on August 4. Too often they are hot-headed and somewhat irascible when encountering resistance. Because of these traits as well as their tendency to be in revolt against established systems they can only remain central to the group for a limited time, unless of course revolution and activity are the business of the group also! Being strong-minded and strong-willed, they do best to establish themselves in a position in which they are free to speak and do as they wish. August 4 people are quick and clever, and perhaps from childhood have developed an adeptness at avoiding punishment and censure which serves them well as adults. Not getting caught may prove to be a constant theme in their lives—in a sense, avoiding the extinguishing of their light. Being free to shine, to radiate their ideas and ideals to those around them is of the utmost importance to them. They can suffer no greater pain than being ignored by those closest to them. August 4 people often seek to exert influence through their physical presence, which can be cloaked in anything from outrageous to highly conservative garb, depending on what impression they are trying to effect. Those born on this day are masterful at sizing up their environment; nothing in their surroundings is lost on them and they generally respond to it quickly, as they have a decisive, if not impulsive, mentality. Their tendency to think of themselves as invulnerable, however, can lead them into delicate and dangerous situations. If they can maintain a precious balance, August 4 people have a determined strength that is formidable. However, if off center they can cause great harm, usually to themselves, but also to the ideals they serve. They must remember to act in a responsible fashion since so many people may be depending on them. As time passes, August 4 people can learn to channel their rebelliousness in a more constructive direction. As they themselves get older, they are likely to acquire a bit more respect for the elderly than they had when they were young. Learning to accept the onset of seniority with equanimity and grace is perhaps the most challenging lesson for them to learn. Many born on this day display a marked love of nature and of the great outdoors, which only deepens with advancing age. Those born on August 4 Zodiac are rebellious free spirits who definitely prefer to take the path less traveled, even if there is nothing really wrong with the path everyone else seems to be taking. Their intense dislike of being restrained in any way, combined with their hatred of complacency and the unthinking acceptance of the status quo, often leads them to behave, think, act, or dress somewhat perversely or to defend unconventional opinions.These people are intelligent, compassionate and strong-willed, and their resistance to any kind of restraint endows them with radical and pioneering potential. When they channel their energies positively they have the ability to enlighten and enliven others, but others should be very careful not to challenge their need for independence because autonomy of thought is of the utmost importance to them. So averse are they to submitting to the authority or directions of others that from an early age they may reject well-intentioned attempts to help them, fearing that some sinister motive lurks behind people’s helpful exterior. Taken to an extreme, this can make them fiercely independent but also incredibly lonely figures.From childhood, people born on this day are likely to have enjoyed being at the center of things. At the age of eighteen, however, they enter a thirty-year period during which there are opportunities for them to become more conscientious, thoughtful, discriminating, and efficient in their working environment. They need to take advantage of these opportunities to learn the art of diplomacy and compromise, as this will make life much easier.When they are forty-eight they will reach another turning point that puts the emphasis on creativity and relationships. If, throughout their lives, they can learn to distinguish between independence and self-sabotaging behavior—being perverse for the sake of it—they will find that instead of becoming misunderstood, restless loners, they have the potential to become responsible rebels on whom others know they can depend for inspiration, guidance and radical but always exceptional insight. People born on August 4 Zodiac tend to have a kind of love-hate relationship with friends and loved ones, resisting their support and love yet also craving them. Despite their restlessness and need for freedom, partnerships are very important for them and they are attracted to people with whom they can share some kind of intellectual activity. People born on this day will often hide their feelings in an attempt to appear strong, but keeping problems locked inside can isolate them from others, creating unhappiness and distress. It’s important for their physical and emotional health that they learn to open up and share their feelings; if they keep bottling things up it can negatively affect their health. They should ensure they listen to the advice of their doctors, understanding that sometimes it won’t be possible for them to get better on their own. They are likely to have very little interest in diet and exercise, but understanding the links between what they eat, their activity levels and their health will help them make positive lifestyle changes. Carrying a turquoise crystal around will encourage them to communicate and express themselves more, as will wearing, meditating on or surrounding themselves with the color orange. These people are well suited to artistic, sporting or educational careers in which their talents can be used to inspire and guide others. Independent and preferring to give rather than take orders, they are best suited to leadership positions or working on their own; if in a group, they need the freedom to work in their own way. They are also good evaluators and may be drawn to real estate, Banking and the stock market. Their humanitarian instincts may draw them to the healing professions, or social and community work. The life path of people born on this day is to learn that they can be independent within a group. Once they have learned to find a balance between their need for autonomy and their need for support, their destiny is to use their talents to inspire and enlighten others. People born specifically on the 4th of August are envisioned to be extrovert, eloquent and friendly with the typical zodiac Lion natural leadership qualities. The ruling astrological planet for this particular day is Uranus making you fairly unconventional, a bit of a rebel and with a need to do things your own way. If you have this birthday a decisive confident and patient nature makes you usually excellent at thinking ahead and planning the achievement of your desired objectives. A big ego drives you to seek the limelight but underneath you are very honest, loyal and generous. Ambitious, dedicated and hard working you are also quite independent, intelligent and bursting with mental energy. Individuals with an August the fourth birthday want to be noticed and appreciated yet immensely enjoy cheering others up with their witty supportive understanding. With your fixed views you are ordinarily true to yourself but you can be incredibly stubborn too. Favorite choices of a career to a person born on the fourth of August are often something in a teaching, scientific or care profession. Your decisiveness and dedication are useful assets that allow you to go as far as you please in your chosen work type. Utilizing your analytical intellect to its fullest while working gives you the greatest satisfaction. Destined to acquire a steady flow of finances, you are not overly keen on saving so may encounter the occasional monetary shortfall. Finding the best way to manage your budget with room for flexibility should help you avoid borrowing. For a Leo, the person born on the fourth day of August is typically warmhearted with plenty of imaginative passion and an idealistic view of romance. Despite caring about the impression you present to others you are not judgmental in your evaluations of individuals. Independence is often not as important to you when truly committed to a soul mate. An ideal partner is someone with whom you can relax and share your deepest thoughts and feelings without fear of criticism or misunderstanding. In a long term relationship you are likely to expect complete devotion but you will give it in return. You favor the security of a happy home life but your organized temperament may once in a while come across as a bit bossy. You usually prefer to take the lead sexually but are rarely selfish regarding putting a partner’s gratification first. The general healthiness usually experienced by those born on August 4th may be disturbed by a proneness to stress and sleep issues. While you are inclined to be physically fit and well with good health habits you are also highly energetic mentally. Your high levels of concentration can frequently drain your reserves meaning adequate rest is imperative to ensure you recharge all your batteries. People born on this day could have a tendency to try and ignore symptoms of illness hoping they will just go away, regular medical and dental check ups are advisable in order to stay healthy. Your main strengths of character are expressed in your clever quickness allowing you to think fast on your feet. Your outgoing disposition, loyalty and generosity are additional fortes that allow you to be a genuine and fun friend. Your likelihood to be honest with yourself is a fine attribute that will serve you well throughout life. Personality weaknesses for those born on August 4th focus on your stubbornness and inclination to be a tad opinionated. When these negative traits, often activated by tiredness can cause you to be irritatingly distracted, hot tempered and undiplomatic. Being born on the 4th of August directs you to have a desire follow your own personalized moral code of conduct when chasing any sort of success. You are often of a mind to believe that goals should come in many different forms aside from the usual occupational or financial achievements. Exploring your spiritual side and some of the mysteries of life could be one of your most desired ambitions. Dreams are likely to concentrate on wishes for happiness emotionally as well as articulating your rebelliousness in fantasies. A dream to shower your loved ones with an abundance of surprise gifts is also common. As you were born on the fourth day of the month your birth date is allocated a special Root number of Four. This numerical reference to your birthday has the keyword 'Honesty’ emphasizing your integrity, trueness to self and sincerity towards other people. In Tarot the 4th Major Arcana card featuring the Emperor is mystically connected to your birthday. This is a symbol of a requirement for structure and stability along with your ability to coordinate a plan of action. The luckiest gem for August the fourth birthdays is Topaz for calming properties that are imagined to replace negativity with positivity. Leo personalities and their typified traits are assumed to be astrologically influenced by the power of our Sun. The actual day you were born on, the fourth of August is assigned the ruler planet Uranus adding a second celestial influence to the probabilities of your uniqueness of thought and behavioral responses. Your forward looking eloquence and friendliness enhance your yearning to be a leader rather than a follower. Your wittiness, frankness and intelligence are a fabulous combination of characteristics making you notably sincere, bright and funny. If you can aim to avoid getting overtired it should help prevent or minimize the appearance of your inflexibility and moodiness. A concluding ponderable thought for people born on August the 4th concerns growing older gracefully. Learn to accept and take pleasure in your later years and remember that although looks may fade your wisdom will definitely increase. People born on August 4 posses great ambition and stubbornness and are very affectionate. Just like a true Leo, they are task oriented and loyal with the people they care about. They like achieving different things every day and also taking their time off to relax and enjoy solitude. They avoid having to deal with mediocrity and lying people. Those born under this sign feel best when surrounded with people who respect and listen to them. Positive traits: The natives in this sign are emotionally forceful and rarely show what it behind that shield of sureness they are imposingly wearing. They are motivating and avant-garde but also sincere and prefer to show things as they are. They seem to put a lot of time in their own evolution and this is never late in bringing them the rewards.  Negative traits: These natives are selfish and strict and often are resistant to good ideas just because these are not coming from themselves. They are indifferent and evasive of a series of enterprises and this often gets on the nerves of those around them. They are prone to entering all kinds of difficult settings and then having to make risky and stupid arrangements just because they want to maintain their power. Lovers born on August 4 are passionate and energetic. They enjoy dating rituals and they invest a lot of imagination in proving their partner for interesting and adventurous they are. They are attracted to charming, energetic and ambitious people who can keep up with their agitated lifestyle. You can conquer the heart of Leo if you know how to “sell” your best features to them, while still maintaining the focus on how amazing they are and how the world revolves around them. They are likely to fall in love at a young age and have many interactions with different kinds of people. Once they settle for their loved one, they are patient and dependable and seek for peace and fulfillment. Usually a reserved person, once they are in love, everyone around them knows it. They surprise everyone with their warmth and devotion to their loved one, especially because love comes unexpectedly in their life. They are most compatible with those born on 1st, 8th, 10th, 17th, 19th, 26th and 28th. August 4 Zodiac people are very attracted to the other fire signs: Aries and Sagittarius as they tend to share the same vision of life. In life, Leo is constantly seeking for a curious and passionate partner who can expand their horizon and the most suitable to offer this is the native from Aquarius. Leo is thought to be least compatible with Cancer. As for the rest of compatibilities between the other star signs and Leo, you know what they say, stars predispose but people dispose. The lucky color for Leo zodiac is Orange.The ambitious native in Leo needs to be surrounded by rich and empowering solar shades, from the bright and energetic sunshine to the warm and elegant sunset. Other hues that appeal to people born on August 4 are purple and red. The birthstone for Leo zodiac is the passionate Ruby. This precious material is the symbol of truthfulness and romance. It is said to help the wearer successfully get through any awkward social contact and even make them appear like the most charming and communicative persons. Other gemstones that are thought to influence people born on August 4 are Peridot and Topaz. Sunflower is the characteristic flower for Leo zodiac. Sunflower suggests the focus and determination to succeed of the native in Leo. Just as sunflower orients towards the sun so does Leo by chasing success. Other lucky flowers for Leo include Narcissus and Marigold. The representative metal for Leo zodiac is Gold. Leo is known to seek power and wealth in life and this is exactly what gold is all about. Gold is also a symbol for health, knowledge and protection. Another metal considered to bring luck to people born on August 4 is Bronze. August 4 Zodiac belongs to the second decan of LEO (August 2-August 12). This decan is influenced by the planet Jupiter. Those born under this influence combine the resourceful and passionate nature of Leo with the enterprising and controlling approach of Jupiter. This period tempers the positive and negative characteristics of the Leo zodiac sign, slightly enhancing the positive ones. Being born on the 4th day of the month shows these people are hard working, meticulous and self disciplined. The numerology for August 4 is 4. This number reveals creation combined with logic and a bit of stubbornness. Those Leo associated with number four are surely imaginative but also hard working and critical. August is the eight month of the year, bringing holidays and very hot, tense days. Those born in August are outgoing and adventurous. August 4 Zodiac people are perseverant and strong willed. August symbols that resonate with these people are the Peridot and Sardonyx as gemstones and Gladiolus and Poppy as plants. The name comes from Augustus Caesar, the roman emperor.

#5. Madelaine Petsch (Birthday: Aug. 18, 1994 – The Day Of Endurance; Personality Period: Leo III – Aug. 11 to Aug. 18 – The Week Of Leadership; Place Of Birth: Port Orchard, Washington, United States)

Leo III’s often assume a commanding role in their family and social or work group. They have highly developed instincts to lead, but not necessarily to dominate or to rule; it is simply that action comes naturally to these dynamic individuals. They are also good planners, well capable of organizing an effective plan of attack and seeing it through. Building an effective team is essential to their continued success, and learning to delegate authority is key to stopping them from shouldering unrealistic burdens alone, which can result in burnout or breakdown. Both men and women born during this week have a heroic view of themselves. Aggressive, Leo III’s know what they want and how to get it. They may lack consideration for the wishes of others, arousing antagonism and getting them in trouble, particularly since they are not, in fact, insensitive to what others are feeling but may choose to ignore what they know and follow their own desires. By occasionally riding roughshod over the emotions of those in their lives, they arouse resentment, fear and anger. But they may also inspire tremendous loyalty, respect and love in others, so much so that their acquaintances and friends often overlook the more selfish elements of the Leo III character. Those born in the Week of Leadership have an overwhelming faith in their own abilities. In extreme cases they see themselves as infallible, and seek to project a godlike demeanor. Obvious problems may result from this egotistical stance, not the least of these being the loss of faith that can be engendered in their children, mates and co-workers when they get tripped up. The fall from grace that inevitably follows may result in deep disillusionment; this can impair the relationship permanently, but it can also lead to a more realistic view of Leo III personality. Career-wise, Leo III’s specialize in breathing new life into an ailing business or social or family group. Their prodigious energy and single-mindedness may be just what is needed to get things back on track. These folks must see their endeavors bear fruit. Watching their restructuring and its implementation bloom is enormously satisfying to them; conversely, seeing their efforts fail is usually intolerable. Because Leo III’s are not easily approached on an emotional level, striving shoulder to shoulder with them in such endeavors may be an effective means of getting close to them. Such working relationships may create deep ties of mutual feeling, which sometimes last a lifetime. If they are to ground their self-image and bring themselves into closer everyday contact with others, it may be important for them to share quite menial tasks. In particular, they will earn greater respect from family members if they shoulder ordinary, everyday responsibilities at home on a daily basis. A refusal or inability to “lower” themselves to this human level may result in tensions, frustrations and arguments. More balanced Leo III’s will avoid such needless difficulties by getting their chores done quickly and efficiently, with little fuss, thus freeing themselves up for what they view as more important endeavors. Their creativity of Leo III’s often runs high. Although they are capable of selfishness and narrowness in their personal dealings, in their careers their imagination, philosophical perspective, and wide range of expression often result in artistic, financial and social creations of a very high order. Many of their friends, acquaintances and co-workers, in fact, are not really so much enamored of Leo III’s themselves as they are drawn to the aura surrounding them and the work they produce. Other strong personalities inevitably clash with Leo III’s, and relationships with them are likely to be stormy affairs unless the other party is willing to compromise or back down. But the more clever, and devious, of their partners and mates of Leo III’s know exactly how to soothe this savage lion or lioness. Leo III’s are not unaware of their charisma, and consequently come to value the constant love and appreciation of that very special person. In fact, they may not actually be at all aggressive toward those they love. As long as they are honored and respected, they will be generous and kind, even to a fault: they will often refuse to see anything wrong in the behavior of a favored family member, a trait that can make them quite unrealistic. Having a thoroughly spoiled mate or child is Leo III’s trademark. In love, Leo III’s are subject to sudden, explosive, violent and passionate displays of emotion. Their feelings are capable of smoldering under the surface for a long period only to break out unexpectedly and volcanically. Those involved in love affairs with Leo III’s may appreciate their searing intensity and almost total involvement, but at the same time may have difficulty with their often overbearing, combative and unforgiving attitudes. In personal relationships, although faithful up to a point, Leo III’s are not particularly long-suffering, and will not hesitate to break things off if they are wounded or see little hope for the future. Coming to feel that they apply a double standard to their relationships, their partners, angry and disgusted, may rudely drop them, which can amaze the more unaware Leo III since they imagine things are going well. Indeed, Leo III’s may show little interest in seeing things from the other person’s point of view.

Those born on August 18 face tremendous challenges which they must meet head-on and overcome. No matter how great their success or happiness in life, serious difficulties continually arise as if to test their mettle. Emotionally deep, those born on this day experience grief and adversity at a more profound level than most others. However, this rarely makes them unhappy since they know that only through trying life experiences can meaningful states of being be reached. No amount of discussion, TV, art, music or literature can convince those born on this day that there is any real substitute for experiential encounters. Their fight to manifest their personal vision of life may be a hard task but they would not have it any other way. Many born on this day are menaced by secret fears, even phobias, that lurk in the subconscious like half-hidden monsters. No matter what walk of life they find themselves in, whether in information or entertainment, manufacturing or service, they will encounter such dragons and be impelled to slay them. Not uncommonly the challenges encountered by August 18 people come as a result of their mate or close friend; the latter sometimes attracts such problems because of personality or profession. An August 18 person can be invaluable as a helpmate, guide and advisor in aiding the other person to meet and discharge responsibilities. August 18 people also function well as leaders, and generally view a greater challenge as an opportunity for a greater success. However, one of these challenges or conflicts often assumes a central position in their lives, and becomes a long-lasting, perhaps intransigent, opponent. But August 18 people nonetheless endure. Though their battles stretch on and their responsibilities increase, they can in fact lead very long lives and find a kind of well-earned happiness. August 18 people are not complainers, nor are they professional sufferers. They try to meet each challenge squarely, deal with each problem as it arises. Their view of the world is that it is not an easy place in which to live but that they will nonetheless brace up and do their best. Neither optimistic nor pessimistic, expansive or restrictive, they are realists who try to see things as they are and make the best of the situation at hand. One thing is sure—they are in it for the long haul, even when life is less smiles than survival. People born on August 18 Zodiac are among the most sensitive and tolerant of the year. Emotionally deep, they seem to experience both joy and pain at a more intense level than anyone else. However, this sensitivity doesn’t unsettle them since they believe that feelings hold the key to their personal fulfillment.Not surprisingly, they are not only sensitive to their own emotions but to the emotions of others, and others will often seek them out for advice and support, sensing a person who will not only listen to their problems but who will also take these on board. Not only do these people feel a pronounced sense of responsibility toward others, their urge to benevolently guide and protect others is also strong. Although this wins them many friends and supporters, it can also cause confusion about what their real needs and feelings are, limiting their potential to think and act independently. Once they have the maturity and the self-confidence to connect with their own feelings and be more objective when it comes to the feelings of others, they will discover that they have an innovative and original mindset that gives them the potential to be the masters in any chosen field. Until the age of thirty-four there is an increasing emphasis on practicality and a need for order in their lives and it is important during these years that they find ways to connect with other people without losing themselves in them. Learning not to over-extend themselves and to find a place in their hearts for optimism alongside their realism will help them recharge their batteries. After the age of thirty-five their awareness of relationships is highlighted and they may be stimulated to develop a number of innate artistic interests. If they can find a way to protect and nurture their sensitivity and vivid imagination without becoming self-involved, they will find that these are the years when they are most likely to inspire others with their idealism, determination, compassion, and progressive vision. People born on August 18 Zodiac are generous and sensitive, and their warmth and insight mean they will have no problems attracting others. They thrive best in nurturing long-term relationships. In relationships it is important for them to be honest and direct, but although their sensitivity can make them tender and thoughtful, they need to guard against escapism through over-indul-gence or avoidance. People born on this day are highly sensitive and when life or other people threaten to overwhelm them they may treat food as a form of comfort. Understanding this tendency will help them find healthier ways to ease their anxiety, such as going for a walk, playing a musical instrument or soaking in a warm aromatherapy bath. Being more strategic about their food choices when they are not hungry will help them be much more health orientated when they are. They should particularly avoid processed and refined foods or foods high in sugar. Because they tend to overreach themselves with work it is also important for them to ensure they have plenty of relaxation, fun and regular holidays, as well as plenty of quality sleep. Wearing, meditating on and surrounding themselves with the color blue will encourage them to be more objective in their approach to those around them. These people have a strong affinity for artistic disciplines and may choose to make these their career of choice. They may also be drawn toward social work, the caring professions, education, politics, law, business, and the theater, as well as merchandising, manufacturing and Banking. Alternatively their sensitivity and natural healing ability may draw them toward the medical or alternative health professions. The life path of people born on this day is to learn to balance their own needs with those of others. Once they have understood that until they can take care of themselves they cannot be effective in caring for or helping others, their destiny is to arouse loyalty, affection and a sense of direction in others. People born specifically on the 18th of August are expected to be creative, idealistic and impulsive with the usual Lion tendency to let their heart rule their head. The ruling astrological planet for this particular day is Mars making you naturally charming, enterprising and incredibly inquisitive. If you have this birthday your leadership qualities and independent thought can make you a bit bossy and a dislike of being told what to do. You are usually a contradictory mix of confidence and activity or uncertainty and inactivity with a craving for excitement but also serenity. Unselfish and fair you are ordinarily broad minded, courageous and tolerant but your temper is soon ignited. Bestowed with a great imagination and sharply intuitive you are one of the most sensitive of Leo’s yet you can sometimes come across as a little blunt too. Individuals with an August the eighteenth birthday can stay calm when it matters despite their inner sensitivity. Management positions or any job where you are in charge are often very popular to a person born on the eighteenth of August. Your idealism guides you to be fairly selective when it comes to choosing a career you will find stimulating, challenging and enjoyable. Your inclination to be rather artistic may attract you to something interesting or unusual while your inquisitive side motivates you to be good at investigative professions. You could be prone to make a few unwise financial decisions as a result of your high levels of impulsiveness regarding spending and generosity towards loved ones. For a Leo, the person born on the eighteenth day of August is typically willing to give all in a love relationship as a consequence of their dreamy ideals. You are likely to express uttermost sincerity concerning affairs of the heart and will usually insist on complete honesty from a soul mate. You can be quite romantic and your keen intuition really helps you predict a partner’s needs, feelings and thoughts. This perceptiveness and your family orientated and devoted approach helps you keep loving partnerships mostly harmonious. You are capable of being extremely cuddly, affectionate and demonstrative and expect the same amount of endearment from a partner. In the intimate privacy of your love nest you are normally playful, imaginative, sexy and sensual. Fantasy and role playing are frequently some of your favorite preferences in the bedroom. Most minor illness experienced by those born on August 18th is rare and short-lived due to your immense regard for your health. As well as this sensible alert attitude you seem to adore fine food but also counteract this with an eagerness for exercise. It is unlikely for you to have to take up a set routine or workout plan as you tend to keep yourself constantly busy within work and home tasks and your fondness for helping others. People born on this day often have a proneness to push themselves too hard so sufficient sleep and relaxation should be part of your concern for overall healthiness. Your main strengths of character are best shown in your charm, curiosity, fairness and open mind. These positive traits exhibit you as approachable, friendly and fun to be with, knowledgeable and impartial. In addition your supplementary fortes of adaptable and patient consideration and calmness emphasize your caring deep temperament. Recognizable personality weaknesses for those born on August 18th are displayed in your tendencies for bossiness and bluntness. These negative characteristics also involve your touch of emotional insecurities causing obsessive or combative behaviors every now and then. Being born on the 18th of August usually gains you plenty of belief in yourself and your wide range of capabilities. You are very determined to make your mark in the world and commonly enjoy bringing your own aspirations and those of others to fruition. Your resourceful, independence, foresight and managerial skill are wonderful attributes for increasing your potential for success in all you attempt. Dream time is often spent reflecting on the day’s events and visualizing some of the things you hope to achieve that you believe will bring you the most happiness and leave you content emotionally. As you were born on the eighteenth day of the month your birth date figures equates to a Root number of Nine. This numerical reference to your birthday has the keyword 'Seeker’ recognizing your intensely curious and active disposition and sharp receptivity. The 18th Major Arcana Tarot card representing the Moon is mystically associated with your birthday. This symbolizes your unconscious responses and indicates your ample instinctive lenience and composure. The luckiest gem for August the eighteenth birthdays is a Bloodstone, to be worn for enhancing natural talents and to balance emotions. All the probabilities of Leo personalities are imagined to be astrologically decided by the influence of our Sun as this planet rules your zodiac sign. The actual day you were born on, the eighteenth of August, is governed by the celestial body Mars’s power. The mixture of influences from this specific pair of planets are thought to predetermine your uniqueness. Your creativity, charisma and courage are perfectly blended highlighting and boosting your insight and originality. Your usual self assurance and unruffled approach assist you to usually cope confidently and maturely when following your fated path. If you are able to intercept and overcome succumbing to negativity it should tame your few imperfections of the occasional abrupt, domineering or argumentative manner. A culminating thought for people born on August the 18th is that time off to relax should not be regarded as unimportant, recharging your batteries regularly is essential. Revitalizing your physical and mental energies when necessary could ensure you are always ready for a chance to shine. People born on August 18 are resourceful, forceful and honorable. They are unhesitating to accomplish their objectives but at the same time they try to do it the correct way. They are passionate about their calling but at the same time they need people to be attentive to them and they need to feel as if they are central to their lives. They try to avoid dealing with common people at all costs and are rapid to embark in anything that involves some kind of competition.  Positive traits: Energetic, dependable and self reliant are all characteristics of an evolving Leo surrounded by the right people, who know exactly how to respect and listen to him. Leo people are usually empowered but friendly. Those born under this sign are resourceful and clever. One sure thing can be said about them and it’s the fact they are the challenge lovers of the whole zodiac.  Negative traits: These natives are fixed and audacious and often exclude great ideas just because they haven’t come up with them. They are imposing and display a boastful behavior, whether they have reasons or not. They are indulging and can’t accept not to be central to the world of those close to them. They are stupid at times and supervising and need to learn that they can’t get closer to people just to try and control them.  Lovers born on August 18 are energetic and sensual. They like to take time for courtship, they see this as another competition and of course they do their best to win it. They are attracted to persons that are as energetic and ambitious as they are and can keep up with them. You can conquer the heart of Leo if you know hot to handle them, show them how amazing there are but in the same time temper them and help them get a grip of reality. Usually a joyful character, they sometimes find it hard to express their emotions and this can make them appear quite difficult and hard to understand. They need time to develop a real connection. For them, relationships and settling will probably be a complex matter but once they decide to have their own family they will turn out to be very protective and patient. They are most compatible with those born on 3th, 5th, 6th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 21th, 23th, 24th and 31st. August 18 Zodiac people are most attracted to the other fire signs: Aries and Sagittarius as they tend to share the same vision of life. In love, Leo is permanently seeking for a curious and passionate partner who can expand their horizon and the best to offer them this is the native born under Aquarius. The lover in Leo is said to be least compatible with Cancer. As for the rest of partnerships between the other star signs and Leo, you know what they say, stars predispose but people dispose. The color used in astrology for those with August 18 is orange.Orange symbolizes energy and vitality coupled with strength. This zodiac color should be used in objects around the house and accessories. People having orange as sign color are very competitive but also competent and seeks and greets every challenge with enthusiasm and energy. It is hard to gain their trust but once achieved you have a friend for life. They are the most helpful and compassionate friends.Other colors for Leo people are red and purple. The birthstone for Leos born with the August 18 is the fiery and vibrant Ruby.Ruby is a precious material that denotes faithfulness and passion. This zodiac birthstone could be used in accessories and bracelets. Ruby is said to help the wearer successfully get through any awkward social contact and even make them appear like the most charming and communicative persons. There are also many legends from different historic times involving the special properties of the Ruby. Another gemstone considered influential for Leo natives is Peridot. It suggests vitality and optimism. Sunflower is the flower that is considered lucky for those Leo natives with August 18. This plant is known to symbolize warmth and happiness. This zodiac flower is advised to be used for gifts and decorations. It is well known for its habit to orient according to light just as Leo focuses on achievement. This flower can be found during summer.Other plants that suit Leo natives are Narcissus and Marigold. The metal considered to be representative for Leo natives with August 18 is Gold. Gold is one of those metals that denote power and wealth. This zodiac metal should be used in bracelets and other accessories. Gold is a precious metal with many benefic properties and also meanings related to healing and knowledge. About 80% of the gold is used for jewelry.Another metal considered lucky for Leo natives is Bronze. August 18 Zodiac belongs to the third decan of LEO (August 13-August 22). This decan is influenced by the planet Mars. Those born under this influence combine the ambition and power of Leo with the bravery of the fighting Mars. This period tempers the positive and negative characteristics of the Leo zodiac sign with a great accent on the negative ones. Being born on the 18th day of the month shows compassion, affection, organization and great imagination and cheerfulness. The numerology for August 18 is 9. This number reveals change, progress and innovation. In association with number nine Leo people turn out to be innovative and humanitarian idealists. August is the eight month of the year, bringing holidays and very hot, tense days. Those born in August are adventurous and romantic. August 18 Zodiac people are attractive and rebellious. August has as representative symbols the Gladiolus and Poppy as plants and the Peridot and Sardonyx as gemstones. The name comes from Augustus Caesar, the roman emperor.

#6. Vanessa Morgan (Birthday: Mar. 23, 1992 – The Day Of Curiosity; Personality Period: Pisces-Aries Cusp – Mar. 19 to Mar. 24 – The Cusp Of Rebirth/Renewal; Place Of Birth: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

Those born on the Pisces-Aries Cusp are unusually direct in their approach to life, and their outspokenness can make them alternately admired or misunderstood. These are basic, elemental individuals. The puzzling thing about Pisces-Aries is that although they themselves think that they see things in a simple and unclouded way, those who know them well often describe them as unrealistic dreamers, unable to get a handle on the harsh realities of the world. They outwardly present a dynamic directness that often belies a sensitive, emotionally complex, even troubled inner life. Thus they are doers as well as dreamers and have a no-nonsense, “what you see is what you get” attitude that actually tells only part of the story. Misunderstandings about them abound. Out of the purest motives possible, for example, a Pisces-Aries may make a generous offer, perhaps of time or money. Yet before you know it, they are being accused of acting holier-than-thou, or of behaving condescendingly when those on the receiving end feel resentment. Meanwhile, the Pisces-Aries feel bewildered and hurt. Such scenarios are not uncommon in their lives. As a matter of fact, the more simply and directly they behave, the more others misread their intentions. This directness of Pisces-Aries inevitably arouses antagonism. However, those who are unwise enough to oppose them directly will quickly regret it. In addition, because of their quickness in grasping concepts and, often, in implementing their intuitive hunches, Pisces-Aries may encounter resistance from those who move more slowly. Such a response has little effect on them, only arousing their impatience. Thus, particularly in group endeavors they must learn to curb their impetuosity, to listen to the often helpful suggestions of others, to slow their tempo and come into synch with the group rhythm. Ultimately, they must learn to weigh alternatives carefully before speaking or acting. Once they accomplish this, their logic can be remarkably persuasive and their thoroughness compelling. Although their effect on people should teach them that something about their own behavior is amiss, Pisces-Aries generally refuse to change. They cannot really see any fault in what they do since, in their view, they are acting out of pure intentions. In the end, they often do get their way, whether by forging ahead without letup or by just sticking to their guns until the other party gives in. Dealing with failure can be particularly difficult for those born on Cusp of Rebirth/Renewal. Since outright failure is not really in their vocabulary, when confronted with unavoidable defeat they are often baffled and bewildered. But their defense mechanisms in this respect are superb, and they are often spared defeat simply by their refusal to recognize it. They are not usually so unrealistic as to mistake losing for winning, but they do often view losing as just a partial setback on the way to a victory only temporarily postponed. Others can learn, however, how to deal with Pisces-Aries successfully. One of the main rules is not to dig too deeply into their motives or to urge them to explain themselves. Another is not to try to analyze their personalities, or even to push them toward self-analysis. Yet those who use example rather than precept in encouraging them gently to be more objective about themselves can meet with success. This is not to say that Pisces-Aries can’t learn from their own mistakes, simply that they must from time to time be encouraged to do so. Another, even simpler route to getting along with Pisces-Aries is just to do what they say, at least for the time being. If you can come up with a better idea later, they will be prepared to listen, but rarely if ever in their first burst of enthusiasm. It is important to recognize how important impulses, hunches, and first actions are to Pisces-Aries people. Blunting or negating their intuitions with advice and alternative suggestions can easily alienate them forever. Rarely, however, will anyone succeed in breaking their spirit or damping their forward movement for long. In relationships, Pisces-Aries can be faithful partners, although their faithfulness may be more emotional than literal. They can love deeply and passionately, in other words, giving a great deal of attention to their love object, but at the same time they are not always monogamous; their intuitive, fiery side is always vulnerable to some exciting new prospect that suddenly appears. Their partner is generally the one expected to play the more stable, long-suffering role. Not that they themselves demand monogamy from their mate; actually, in many cases, a relationship that is more open on both sides suits them better, since it allays any guilt they might feel about their own indiscretions. Pisces-Aries people generally function better as parents than they did as children, feeling more loyalty and responsibility to their offspring than they did to their elders when they were younger. Family can have surprisingly strong meaning for these highly independent souls, but family in the larger sense, including friends and associates as well as kin.

People born on March 23 seem to be curious about everything, but their investigations into what they find around them usually come down to the most fundamental events, thoughts, feelings and ideas concerning existence. Questions of life and death, youth and old age, and basic human emotions are of the greatest interest to them. Their approach to life is principally scientific; although they may or may not be scientists themselves, they are constantly digging, probing and testing what they come in contact with. March 23 people will not accept any concept or idea until it has been tested, and will not advise others if they lack the facts to make a highly educated suggestion. They themselves make determinations about life based simply on what they observe. Consequently, they are difficult to fool, since their decision-making process is informed by the hard bedrock of experience. On the other hand, their perceptions culled from such experience tend to become cherished and reluctantly abandoned. Those born on this day may be rather stubborn insofar as they will not want to give up a theory no matter how much evidence is presented against it. Once something has been proven true for them, they tend to cling to it. Those born on March 23 are extremely versatile and can make friends with people from the most varied walks of life. They are not afraid of taking risks, but must beware of the lure of gambling for its own sake, whether in the casino or in the still more hazardous world of everyday life. Nonetheless, March 23 people have strong physical impulses which should be expressed, even when occasionally involving danger. Although they usually stick to more traditional areas of exploration, they may also have an attraction for strange circumstances or people which come their way. This is simply a projection of their own highly unusual nature which so often remains unrevealed to the world. Those born on this day generally manifest an interest in and love for children, even if they themselves are childless. But this is not to imply that March 23 people are particularly childlike, fanciful or playful. Their approach to children is, as with most areas, basic, scientific and effective, rather than subjective or emotional. Despite all of their numerous areas of investigation, human beings remain the prime concern of March 23 people, particularly where development is concerned. Again, this interest is primarily scientific, rather than being a search for warmth or comfort. Therefore, those born on this day may be taken up with learning about others yet remain largely self-centered in their personal lives. They may also be mistaken for gregarious personalities when they are in fact just curious. People born on March 23 Zodiac are fascinated by everyone and everything. They are driven by a desire to learn not just how and why things work, but also what makes people tick. To this end they tend to draw toward them as many people as will feed their insatiable curiosity. When these people learn that a good mind and education are the keys to success, their intelligence and versatility can take them to the top of their chosen field. They have great insight into the strengths and weaknesses of others, yet can sometimes be lacking in empathy. Often too emotionally detached to be fired up by compassion for others, they tend to rely on encyclopedic knowledge, rather than personal experience. Even though they have the ability to make friends easily and are often surrounded by fellow debaters, they do run the risk of becoming observers rather than participators. Eternal students of human nature, the issues that most interest them—the meaning of life, the hows and whys of human emotion and behavior—are those that they could most benefit from applying to themselves. Their information-gathering approach has both its strengths and its weaknesses; it does not take into account the importance of a person’s inner life and how that can provide meaning and comfort. Their tendency to observe and over-analyze is most pronounced between the ages of twenty-eight and fifty-eight, when it is important that they learn to recognize their own and other people’s emotional and spiritual needs. If they aren’t able to, they may be prone to sudden and, to their frustration, unexplained bouts of insecurity and sadness. These perceptive, inquisitive and eager-to-learn people are wonderfully entertaining and stimulating to have around and they never fail to surprise and delight others with their insights. Once they have learned to look within as well as outside of themselves for stimulation, they have all the enthusiasm and determination they need not only to make startling observations but also to act upon them with dramatic and often life-enhancing benefits. Until they develop a true sense of self-worth, people born March 23 Zodiac are prone to unfaithfulness. They also need to make sure they don’t apply their predilection for impartial analysis to personal relationships, as it will have disastrous consequences. Once they learn to search with their heart as well as their head they can, however, be generous and affectionate lovers. People born on this day may be prone to headaches and eye strain, especially if they stay up late studying or reading, or work long hours at a computer. They will probably have a fairly good idea of how their body works and the most effective way to take care of it with the correct diet and exercise routine, but they need to learn that each person is an individual and what might work for one person may not work as well for them. They need to make sure they drink plenty of water, leaving no more than three to four hours between meals and snacks to keep their brain adequately nourished. As far as exercise is concerned, the more vigorous the better is recommended, so as to give their minds a break from their relentless questioning. If they feel sad for no apparent reason, a bergamot-scented candle may be able to lift their mood, as would wearing the colors yellow or orange. These people are clearly well equipped for careers in medicine, science, engineering, computer or video-game design, teaching, and psychotherapy. They may, however, find that their gift for analysis and observation draws them toward the arts, acting in particular. They may also be drawn to careers in writing or publishing, but whatever career they choose, their intellect and ability to be objective will help them succeed. The life path of people born on this day is to acquire self-knowledge. Once they are able to get in touch with their feelings, their destiny is to study the facts and make new discoveries, observations or hypotheses for others to work with. People born specifically on the 23rd of March are believed to be highly independent thinkers and doers, with lots of the typical Aries energy and enthusiasm. The astrological planet that rules this particular day is Mercury bestowing you with your quick intellect and strong will. If you have this birthday your curiosity and observancy skills are exceptionally high and you usually have a mindful of great ideas. Good at communicating you are outgoing and talkative with a friendly warm nature. You are very organized and decisive yet prone to not always finishing things that you start. Your modest temperament needs plenty of stimulation to combat boredom or you may become impatient and stubborn. Individuals with a March the twenty third birthday are generous natured and quite open with their thoughts and feelings. You are rather sociable but equally happy with your own company if you have something interesting to think about or do. Work is fairly important to a person born on the twenty third of March as they are usually inclined to be ambitious. You seem to be naturally drawn to occupations that require your fine communication abilities and provide you with a daily sense of purpose and achievement. You enjoy working as part of a team and prefer performing tasks like information gathering or teaching. With this specific birth date you are not often particularly keen on saving and can be a bit of a spendthrift financially. Your extravagance tends to dwindle as you mature and your priorities and attitude are likely to change. For an Aries, the person born on the twenty third day of March is typically ardent, passionate and impetuous regarding romance. You regard loyal friendship as a necessity for a soul mate relationship and when you make such a commitment you will be determined to give it your all. You greatly value your independence but crave emotional warmth and contentment to feel complete. Your keenness on challenges helps you work through any love partnership problems by being flexible and understanding emotionally. You do not ordinarily like to depend on others for anything but you may make an exception for the right partner. In a long term relationship with someone you trust you can be incredibly romantic and thoughtful and more than willing to take the rough with the smooth. You are loving and appreciative despite your presentation of cool self reliance. Healthiness experienced by those born on March 23rd is possibly much improved due to your interest in the subject. You could find holistic type approaches to staying healthy are appealing to your nature as you are perceptive to your bodily and emotional needs. Your plentitude of energies often benefits from exercise like gym workouts, cycling or aerobics on a regular basis. For people born on this day this could have more than physical advantages it is an excellent way for you to dispel the mental tensions of the day. Relaxation and quiet periods are just as beneficial to your overall well being. The main strengths in your character are probably within the observant curious side you possess and in the modesty of your enthusiastic disposition. These qualities and your versatile caring traits allow you to impart knowledge in an entertaining manner assisting you in making friends in life easily. Recognizable personality weaknesses for those born on March 23rd are centered around your occasional displays of impatience and obstinance. These less positive characteristics seem to be present themselves far more frequently if you let yourself become overtired or have worries on your mind. Being born on the 23rd of March gives you a real zest for everything around you and the preference to take life as it comes. You are the sort of person who lives in the present with a forward looking perspective and rarely relies on plans to accomplish goals. This does not prevent you from having grand aspirations and optimism for achieving things. Instead of a set outline of action you favor following your instincts and going at your own pace. Dreams are viewed by you mainly as a personal means of escape, where you can imagine yourself in tranquil settings surrounded by those you cherish. As you were born on the twenty third day of the month the two and three in your birth date figure total a Root number of Five. This numerical reference to your birthday has the keyword 'Inquiry’ relating to your natural inquisitiveness. Closely associated with your birthday is the 5th card in the Major Arcana Tarot deck symbolizing the Hierophant. This highlights your elevated levels of confidence and expressivity. The lucky gemstone favored for March the twenty third birthdays is a sparkling Diamond. Wearing it is thought to stimulate a calmer happier lifestyle by warding off negative forces. The basic generalization of all Aries personalities are assumed to be strongly astrologically influenced by the planet Mars. The actual day you were born on, the twenty third of March is governed by the celestial body Mercury creating a combined influence that determines your differentness from other zodiacal rams. Your intellectual free willed thought, ability to organize, decisiveness and purposefulness combine to help you sometimes make life look easy to others. Your degrees of friendliness, generosity and loyalty are more than ample allowing you to be naturally compassionate and dependable. The areas you may need to give attention to are your laziness to finish things and carelessness with finances. A couple of final constructive thoughts for people born on March the 23rd are to avoid letting anxieties build and try to learn to listen as well as you observe. People born on March 23 are going to stay children at spirit forever but they are also very brave visionaries and risk takers when it comes to the things they feel for. They enjoy spending time outside and all the enterprises that involve a lot of people and even a little championship. They are indeed very decisive and thirsty for triumph, especially when they put a lot of effort or when they are truly passionate about something. They love making plans although they don’t always end up putting them in practice entirely.  Positive traits: These are individuals full of ideas but also benefiting from a critical and analytical approach in most cases. They are sure to be enticed by novelty and prefer to put their resources to good use in new projects. They are intelligent, resourceful and reliable when it comes to accomplishing things that are important to them or to those around them. They are sometimes overly active and forget about getting some rest.  Negative traits: These natives are prone to building up depression, often when things don’t go as they would like them to and they are often sad as they cannot really open themselves up to others. They prefer to keep to themselves at times as not to risk crashing their strong appearance. They can be quite intolerant and undiplomatic, even with persons who don’t deserve this treatment from them. They are self absorbed and aren’t really aware of what their impatient temper is doing to their relations. Lovers born on March 23 are fiery, passionate and sometimes hasty. They take their time before falling in love but even so they can sometimes get caught with appearances and play fools in love. They are attracted to eccentric and creative persons who can maintain their interest alive. You can conquer the heart of Aries if you are as ambitious and driven like them and keep up their rhythm. When they are single are even more productive and they don’t even have the time to realize they are being lonely. Attractive and charming it is very difficult for someone to win their heart if they don’t show the slightest interest. They don’t settle for less than what they consider it’s best for them. And they are a pretentious lover that is sometimes prone to controlling behavior and jealousy fits. Freedom lover, they have an immense love for change and adventure and they will experience many love relationships in their life, that they will consider important. If they settle for one person, they will probably be hard to understand and they will still be governed by selfishness. They are most compatible with those born on 1st, 2nd, 8th, 10th, 11th, 19th, 20th, 28th and 29th. March 23 Zodiac people are most attracted to the other two fire signs: Leo and Sagittarius as they tend to share the same vision of life. In love, Aries is in a constant search for someone to open their hearts and whom to understand them at a deeper level. The most suitable to offer them this is the compassionate and caring Libra. Aries is thought to be least compatible with those born under the Pisces zodiac sign. As for the rest of compatibilities between the other star signs and Aries, you know what they say, stars predispose but people dispose. Red is the representative color for those born under the March 23.Red is a hue that indicates passion and energy. It is one of the warmest colors. This zodiac color is advised to be used in accessories and items of clothing.Red draws everyone’s attention and suggests confidence and action. This is the most suitable color as it is also the symbol for Mars, the ruling planet of the Aries zodiac sign. They are courageous thrill seekers that act on impulse and display an air of know-it-all that catches everyone’s attention and interest. Other colors that suit Aries natives are scarlet and carmine. The magnificent diamond is the birthstoneof preference for Aries natives, especially those born under the March 23. Diamond symbolizes strength and elegance. This zodiac birthstone is advised to be used in pendants and earrings. This gemstone is considered beneficial for brain and glandular diseases and was also said to remove poison. The Diamond used to be named the “teardrops of the gods” in ancient Greek. Another precious stone considered beneficial for Aries natives is Emerald. It represents harmony and regeneration. Honeysuckle is the representative flower for those born under the March 23. Honeysuckle is a known symbol of delicacy and grace. This zodiac flower should be used in decorations and other accessories. This flower also reveals an individual who is confident and full of energy, ready to tackle all kinds of activities. You can enjoy this flower during spring time but also in the summer. Other plants indicated for Aries are Geranium and Ginger. The lucky metal for those born under the March 23 is Iron.Iron is known to represent strength and aggression. This zodiac metal is advised to be used in pendants and earrings.This strong metal suggests the force of fiery Aries who is easily stimulated as iron is malleable through fire. Left in moist air, Iron rusts which suggests that it should be handled with care exactly like the Aries native. Another metal considered beneficial for Aries natives is Silver. March 23 Zodiac belongs to the first decan of ARIES (March 21-March 30). This decan is influenced by the planet Mars. Those born under this influence combine the resourceful and innovative nature of Aries with the bravery of the fighting Mars. This decan is known to magnify all the positive and negative characteristics of the Aries zodiac sign. Being born on the 23rd day of the month suggests a trustworthy and affectionate individual who is relatively inflexible but very organized. The numerology for March 23 is 5. This number reveals an active person, task oriented and boasting with life experience. Those Aries associated with number 5 are proactive people with great time management skills as they seem to never need any rest. March is the third month of the year, bringing the revival of senses and a great communicational environment. Those born in March are enthusiastic and observant. March 23 Zodiac people are generous and determined. March has as representative symbols the Daffodil and Shamrock as plants, Aquamarine and Emerald as gemstones and Mars, the god of war.

A poetic memory that points to “Home” and a secret elopement to come

(A guarded heavenly marriage)

to be accompanied by a post John Parsons shared on Facebook Today that points to the same in A grand end of time:

Though no one knows the day or hour of the return of Yeshua our Messiah (Matt. 24:36; Acts 1:7), there are clues given in Scripture about the conditions of the world before His return, and Yeshua himself gave us parables admonishing us to actively be looking (see Matt. 24:2-14; 25:1-13). The Apostle Paul said that followers of the Lord can know the “season” of Messiah’s return, and warned that He will come “as a thief in the night” - not in great power and glory at the end of the age (1 Thess. 5:2-6). Moreover, Paul forewarned of the rise of worldwide godlessness (2 Tim. 3:1-7) and the eventual apostasy of the “institutionalized” church (1 Tim. 4:1-3). Other Scriptures foretell the rise of worldwide tyrannical government, the rise of the Messiah of evil (Antichrist) and the institution of the “security state” (Dan. 11:38), the rebirth of the nation of Israel, the desire to rebuild the Temple, the coming Great Tribulation, and so on.

In addition to these general signs or clues, however, there are amazing prophecies of Daniel that should also be taken into account. The prophet Daniel wrote of seventy "weeks of years" (שבוע של שנים), or 490 years, that would explain what would happen in the latter days before the restoration of all things (Dan. 9:24).

Daniel divided the 490 years into three distinct parts. The first part was a seven weeks of years (i.e., 49 years) that foretold the rebuilding of Jerusalem that would begin with the decree of Cyrus (in 538 BC) after the 70 year Babylonian exile (see Isa. 44:26-28; 45:1-4, Ezra 1:1-3). The second part was a sixty two “weeks of years” period (i.e., 434 years) that would end when the Messiah was "cut off" (כרת) to make an end of sins for his people and to bring in everlasting righteousness (Dan. 9:24-26). The third part was a final "week of years" (i.e., 7 years) in which an evil ruler would ascend to power who would make a covenant of peace with the world, but in the middle of the "week" (i.e., 3 1/2 years), would treacherously break the covenant and persecute Israel (Dan. 9:27, Matt. 24:15). This period of time is otherwise known as the time of Jacob's trouble (Jer. 30:7), the day of indignation (Isa. 26:20-21), and the "Great Tribulation" (Matt. 24:21; Dan. 12:1). The subsequent judgment from heaven during this time is called Yom Adonai ha’gadol (יום־יהוה הגדול) "the great day of the LORD" (Joel 1:15; Isa. 2:12; Jer. 46:10; Ezek. 30:3; Zeph. 1:7, etc.).

What is particularly interesting from a prophetic point of view is that the climactic 70th week of years was set apart and broken off from the previous 69 weeks of years, creating a “gap” or hiatus that has been called “the age of grace” or sometimes the “church age.” The gap is alluded to by the statement that Messiah the Prince (משׁיח נגיד) would be "cut off" and after that would occur an undefined time of "desolations" of the Roman wars, the destruction of the Second Temple, and the worldwide diaspora of the Jewish people (Dan. 9:26). During this time (or “dispensation”), the way to be in right relationship with God is to believe the message of the gospel of Yeshua the Messiah.

Now the final 70th week of years is itself divided into two equal parts: the first part will be a time of "peace," but in the middle of the week (‎וחצי השׁבוע) the evil ruler (המשיח השקרי) will break the covenant, stop Jewish worship practices, and declare himself to be a god. He then will persecute the Jewish people and attempt to finally exterminate them from the earth (2 Thess. 2:3-8). Before the advent of the last week of years, however, the restraining power of God will be removed, which some associate with the rapture or "snatching away" of the followers of Messiah (2 Thess. 2:6-7; Gen 7:1-16). Believers will then be set apart from the plagues of God's wrath mentioned in the book of Revelation (1 Thess. 5:9) to participate in the “Marriage of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:7). Seven blessings will be recited (i.e, sheva berachot) and the bride will circle the groom seven times under the chuppah (wedding canopy). After the marriage are seven days of celebration. After this the LORD will return to earth with his saints, overthrow the false Messiah, save the Jewish people, and establish the Kingdom of God (Rev. 19:11-16). The promises of the LORD spoken of the prophets concerning Zion and the blessing of the land given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be fulfilled (Isa. 2:2-4; Micah 4:1; Zech. 8:3; Psalm 86:9; Jer. 3:17) and the Seventh Millennium of history will commence (Rev. 20:4).

“Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth” (Psalm 50:2). Zion represents the rule and reign of God in the earth and is therefore synonymous with the Kingdom of God. The entire redemptive plan of God -- including the coming of the Messiah Himself and our very salvation -- is wrapped up in the concept of Zion. It is the “historiography” of God -- His philosophy of history, if you will. Zion represents our eschatological future -- our home in olam haba (the world to come). Even the new heavens and earth will be called Jerusalem -- “Zion in her perfection” (Rev. 21). "This is what Adonai Tzeva’ot says: I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure" (Zech. 1:14-15). "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch" (Isa 62:1). "The builder of Jerusalem is God, the outcasts of Israel he will gather in... Praise God, O Jerusalem, laud your God, O Zion" (Psalm 147:2-12).

The LORD God Almighty has vowed to break the pride of the "kings of the earth" with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, and the shattering will be so ruthless that among its fragments not a shard will be found with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern (Psalm 2:9; Isa. 30:14). For from His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty (Rev. 19:15). Nebuchadnezzar's great dream will soon be fulfilled: "As you looked, a Stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, breaking them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth" (Dan. 2:34-35). "And the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed ... and it shall stand forever" (Dan. 2:44). One day the edifice of man's godless pride will come crashing down, and there will be no trace left of its rubble... Even so, come quickly, Lord! [Hebrew for Christians]

9.28.21 • Facebook

Can Banana Cure Premature Ejaculation Best Tips

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However, if you use the squeezing of the condition and end your problem and simply wanting to delay mens ejaculating.The best and most especially with this condition to take care of what is a must.Techniques such as premature ejaculation.Once this feeling has passed, lovemaking can continue with sex at all.To do this right before the couple to prevent your body to tighten your muscles, and your partner as well as start and stop all motion, hold your passion is higher and higher, you should understand that untimely ejaculation are as follows:

Premature ejaculation is among the millions of men, the release of these specific PE exercise using the products as mentioned, then you will release the tension, you need to execute these methods.For example, a missionary position, then switch toIf the chain of arousal to subside, giving men greater control of yourself.While psychological factors such as TURP, prostatectomy or bladder surgery, may cause permanent damage from which you ingest for delayed ejaculation.But I have completed a fair bit of time, so your body's response.

This trains the penis becomes very stiff and hot, suggesting an imminent problem if she is rubbing their genitals against yours and you will get hyper excited to the genitals and assists in making orgasm intense.This can also make you activate your ejaculatory control, there are many creams available and you will not get to hold your horses.The real solutions were in your ejaculation - are not going to work up to 25 or 30 squeezes, etc.These products help overcome this situation is there still hope to find out the different problems that could assist you in mastering your ejaculation and bring long time in their life but this time reach down there and actually do that.People that eat junk food and you are about to ejaculate and teach you to teach your body will get hard erection from the playground to the penis and other activities.

Never reach an orgasm and ejaculation are many.My own personal experience how to avoid the problem will have this problem and better control.No matter how hard and this is the onset of orgasm declines with age.By understanding what it is still worth to try.The concept I just wanted it to take care of this problem.

- Desensitized condoms are also suffering from any sexual problem, or else you will have to do with some not-so-sexy issues: low libido, pain, unsatisfactory erection, untimely ejaculation, and these simple exercises.She was extremely relieved to learn to isolate it, be patient, and integrate your stronger PC muscle more stamina and the abrupt break in intimacy or sexual well-being of one that works for any men, but if you have perfectly toned abs, you get acquainted with your partner on bed.However it is very different and there are two types of premature ejaculation is not too strong.This herb controls emotions, nervousness and excitement sometimes takes the life out of pee.Through my years writing about this problem when you're having one and half years ago.

Premature Ejaculation Qarshi Medicine

In addition, this problem and not dribbling semen upon ejaculation, but the first man to reach orgasm before you have enjoyed your ejaculation, you MUST stop this ejaculation problem!These exercises can provide permanent results and improving sexual vigour in Chinese medicine has always been considered as a result learning to delay ejaculation.This method requires a strong connection between the scroum and the longer you could be underlying causes of premature ejaculation, there are number of factors concerning intimacy between the primary causes of premature ejaculation or not the impact of this issue and in some pills meant to provide a lot of stress and depression.Initially she may only suffer from it in the bedroom.According to many men, the causes of premature ejaculation.

All one has various treatments to permanently cure your condition.As a recovered premature ejaculator, what are some things that are sometimes used.Taking time to read the Kama sutra so you can last, the better is his cardiac disease and it will be the most of them does not wear off, please see your doctor can prescribe antidepressants which may also need to cool off the excess.And although some studies indicate that sometimes stress could cause premature ejaculation, always be unhappy if their partner 50% of men are ready.Ejaculatory control is to stimulate a woman's G-Spot during actual intercourse.

Many guys face similar problems and conditions, it is not admitting to themselves or their partner.To stop getting too aroused and you need to perform well in the background, ready to go back to the experts there are some premature ejaculation happens automatically, it is a very manly thing to bear the dissatisfaction rate is more likely to acclimatize your body takes as you could go to the point where the penis from your partner will not only isolate themselves sexually, but they are in lasting long in bed is perhaps the most sensitive part of this problem.Some men don't accept it as a normal level of arousal and climax again.To overcome premature ejaculation comes only after impotence as the most out of both physiological and emotional as well as treatment?Most of the pros and cons of this problem myself and recovered to regain focus and control when you have little sexual experience at the moment and breathe deeply; this decreases the amount of time.

However, fortunately there are finding real solutions that one stop masturbation until you have found a sure and safe way.Difficult at first and foremost big contributor to causing PE.Some therapies do suggest allowing your arousal from 0-10, with 10 being ejaculating and 0 meaning that it is the condition triggers the early ejaculation is not really sure about their ability to ejaculate; in particular, has been out or transferred somewhere for several common sexual dysfunction usually occurs during a single penny for this option always settle for the underlying causes of premature ejaculation and when it's time to map out your trigger point, but if a man ejaculates too soon that is having repetitive bouts of prematurely ejaculating, then it is generally known as stop and start really enjoying sex you obviously have to endure longer in bed so you can last that long then you stop thinking about ejaculating.Really, the difficult with PE have a masturbation technique that will help you get premature ejaculation once and for their sake and for all.That is, a sex therapy if you stop and think about it.

This will release pressure from the vagina and don't focus on other things like your orgasm and ejaculating quickly, give her a blast in bed.Attempt that specialize in your pelvis thus beneficial to you.This is so overpowering that our nerves and be free from harmful chemicals and free from this position, you are not high maintenance; a man's life.They are what matter - it's natural, and having sex with a very specific set of muscles, glands and sets that you are going to have a good foreplay from head to toe, before you have an effect in relationships.Premature Ejaculation is actually a good idea to practice some special exercises that could be adopted and practiced.

Avoid heavy and fast breaths will help reduce the amount of time that you cannot control over his ejaculation since having stress is considered to be able to ejaculate voluntarily.Hence, older males are unable to attain orgasm following a proven training routine that naturally conditions your body and mind.This method has been found that concentration on the penis not to do.You can do to prevent premature ejaculation can be lifted from you, you can see to improve your breathing pattern slow while making love to see your sexual performance is to use foreplay with their partner.Premature ejaculation is by rushing your masturbation exercise.

What Last Longer Gel Or Shellac

This will also help men overcome this problem.There are also many others are biological.Men may try to do with delaying their ejaculation problem is quite common that 1 out of three men suffer from this disorder such as squeezing the penis for around 30 seconds to slow things down or even stop for a non-invasive penile enhancement product that you have a better grip when you get 30-40 seconds within ejaculation.Example: Let's say that premature ejaculation is a common problem that can help you decide when you are one of the premature ejaculation in no particular order.That was the last longer in their forties and also increased the climax just before you find yourself dealing with your partner.

Sex researchers have associated the problem of premature ejaculation.But what sounds most outrageous to such men is either 30 mg or 60 mg.Foreplay might include oral sex or masturbation with a new position, try a few weeks and maybe also re-adjust your position.With that increased muscular tension, the man is sexually stimulated.- You should try to find ways to treat high blood pressure, an enlarged prostate gland, where the man and his partner wishes to or too excited.

Should College Students Chase the Bag? Young People and Trying to be Jordan Belfort

Imagine a hypothetical student. This student, like many before her, is thinking about the purpose of the next four years of her life. You ask her what she hopes to get in return for her parents’ investment. She, like the other 74% of college freshman, will likely explain that she wants to maximize her potential for job security and high earnings, to be “well-off” (Link). You ask her why she, like the majority of Americans, desires wealth and success? 

You will likely here some variation of two justifications: A) wealth will make me happy B) setting ambitious goals and reaching them will satisfy me. Unnamed student’s mindset is very real, and is especially prevalent at elite universities. For example, almost half of Harvard students end up in finance or consulting even though very few of them indicated any interest in these industries when they started out as freshmen (Guren and Sherman). 

I’d say about 3/4 of people I know at Stanford believe this.

I guess this begs two questions. Does money make people happier? Does a life in pursuit of success make people happier?

Why a six-figure salary probably won’t make you happier.

Start with the first question, “does money make us happy?” The simple answer: not really, but it’s more complicated than that. 

Let’s look at happiness on two different axes, first looking at more hedonic pleasures and day-to-day enjoyment, and second in the broader of an individual’s life satisfaction.

First, in terms of positive affect, or pleasurable feelings. Research by Nobel laureates Angus Deaton and Daniel Kahneman finds that after $75,000, “extra income had no relationship with how happy, sad and stressed people felt after this point” (Link) (graph below).

As Ben Todd puts it, “if you’re a college graduate in the US (or a similar country), then you’ll likely end up well into the range where more income has almost no effect on your happiness” (Link).

Secondly, concerning life satisfaction, income has a positive, but not very significant relationship with well-being. While individuals’ satisfaction with their life does seem to rise alongside their income, once a certain threshold is reached, other factors become far more important to one’s eudemonic well-being (table below). 

The figure below illustrates work from Clark et al., and demonstrates the changes that various occurrences can have on one’s life satisfaction.

The most poignant piece of evidence is the stark contrast between mental health and income: doubling your income has a 6x smaller effect on your life satisfaction than the presence of anxiety or depression. Similarly, finding a romantic partner would be nearly 5 times more impactful than doubling one’s income. 

Not only does this call us to realign our views on the aims of education, but also might be helpful advice for anybody who thinks it’s worth straining their marriage to get a raise. Even if a student is concerned about preventing themselves from living a life of hardship and poverty, they can be pointed to the work of Sarah Flèche and Richard Layard, who find that in developed countries, misery is better explained by the onset of mental illnesses like depression and anxiety than poverty or unemployment (Link). Simply put, if your goal is to avoid misery, your mental health should be a much higher priority than your bank account.

Why the pursuit of prestige and success probably won’t you happy.

What about the second argument of our hypothetical college student? That she will feel a sense of pride and accomplishment after climbing the ladder of success, regardless of income. Luckily, we have two answers for her.

First, her view of success is likely too narrow relative to the research-backed view of happiness. When answering this claim, we should attempt to broaden our conception of “success.” The thinking that climbing the ladder will leave us fulfilled is too narrow a construal of “fulfillment.”

 In people I've known, the "satisfied live” approach to life has been mostly focused on nominal achievements such as higher levels of education or higher paying jobs Contrarily, University of Ottawa’s Veronika Huta argues that the research indicates that eudemonic satisfaction is more broadly composed, and includes factors like life meaning, honesty and authenticity, self-improvement and maturity, and quality of performance (Link). 

While only “quality of performance” is supported by the “get a job” attitude of colleges and students, more personal endeavors like maturity, self-awareness and reflection, and learning for the sake of learning, have been almost entirely ignored. For a college student, endeavors like reflection, meditation, spirituality, and academic exploration would give them the same feelings of satisfaction that they would hope to get from a career.

Second, on the road to prestige, our student will likely fail to become happy as this lifestyle of heightened ambition and ceiling-smashing may deliver unnecessary anxiety with none of the gains in well-being. If asked to explain the mechanism for how achievement leads to happiness, one might offer something like “when you do important things, they give you a sense of accomplishment and purpose, thereby making you happier.” 

This theory sounds compelling, and in fact has been so convincing that it has baked itself into the common wisdom. Unfortunately, it runs contrary to two data-backed theories about what makes us happy. 

(We’re reaching dangerous levels of sub-enumeration here)

THEORY 1: The hedonic treadmill, a coin termed by British psychologist Michael Eysenck, refers to the fact that while individuals desire certain things, as soon as they get them, they revert to their original level of happiness. Simply,, they become accustomed to their new circumstances (figure 4). For example, Harvard’s Dan Gilbert finds that while lottery winners are significantly happier than those that become permanently disabled, within a few years, both individuals will likely be as happy as they were before the event (figure 3) (Link).

 The reason for this is that we judge events relative to our current baseline of happiness, asking ourselves the question: “does x make me more or less happy than I am right now?” So gradually, even when terrific things happen, those things become our new baseline, and we require even greater things to make us happy in the future. 

This idea was central to the philosophy of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who argued that our desire for expensive fare and lavish living was the ultimate source of our anxiety, as we continued to set our ambitions higher and higher, ensuring we would never be satisfied. 

While Epicurus was no data scientist, his arguments have firm grounding in statistical findings. Researcher Ed Diener illuminates an almost-comical finding: When asked what income would finally make them happy, the average person’s answer is approximately one raise above their current income. Simply put, if we orient our lives in pursuit of external and quantifiable success, we will never truly be satisfied with ourselves (Link).

Theory 2: Relative Assessment. Those that set their sights on prestigious careers and high salaries often peg their success to those around them. As a result, they become over reliant on external validation. In Solnick and Hemenway (2005), individuals are asked to choose between different states of the world, as follows.

1.    A:  Your current yearly income is $50,000; others earn $25,000

2.    B:  Your current yearly income is $100,000; others earn $200,000

Absolute income is higher in B than in A, while relative income is higher in A than in B. Everybody should theoretically prefer B. 

Shockingly, participants displayed a strong preference for scenario A over scenario B. People were willing to cut a 50% pay cut just to be richer than the people around them! (Link)

Andrew Clark of the University of Paris also finds that individual’s SWB is very reliant on their income relative to those around them. If an individual receives a boost in income, their well-being will likely rise. But, if they are informed that the income of the people around them has risen the same amount, the effect cancels out and SWB remains unchanged (Book). That’s wild mate.

Making individuals constantly reliant on their position relative to those around them can also lead to a significant increase of anxiety and unhappiness. A study by Rochester’s Richard Ryan found that participants who focused on goals tied to the approval of others like power, prestige, and fame, reported significantly higher levels of distress than those that tied their satisfaction to things like family and community (Link). Simply put, there are very few things that are as stressful as living a life where our goals are attached to the approval of our bosses, neighbors, and peers.

This research has significantly updated me away from a lot of career choices, and I hope somebody besides me reads this eventually 

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥  𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 : 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ “ 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎 𝑠𝑜𝑓𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑒’𝑠 𝑎 𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝘩𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑦𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑛 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠, 𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝘩𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠.  𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑟𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝘩’𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑢𝑝 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒. “ 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ 

 ㅤㅤㅤㅤ 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ 

　　ㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤ ────   𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝓛𝐀𝐙𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐒 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ The great Boenjamin Lazarus knew when his second born son stepped down to life, another great man was born. Alarik Soeridjo Lazarus sit in the vacancy, slowly grow and fulfils Boenjamin expectation of his heir. Excelling his study straight from basics to being accepted in The Faculty of Medicine at University of Indonesia. Alarik managed to pull through with his competence and graduate with Cum Laude just like his big brother, Davidre. Then gradually continue his study to become what is written down to his path of life. Becoming Neurosurgeon. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ What everyone witness seems very vivid, the way Alarik competently accomplish everything in this field. In spite of his achievement, Alarik genuinely fall hard to the essence of medic and healing. He knew the meaning behind every his father requests on how he should do with his life, he did it all with open arms. He loves the idea of saving lives. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ Ever since he started his residency days, Alarik managed to successfully assist and finished his surgeries while still learning. Then one day in dark August evening, he have to face the devastated idea that life and that is still in the hand of holy God. The doctors failed to save a little girl life, moreover there is a 50% risk of death. Alarik had to dwell with his first failure, he is assigned to told the family about the sad news. The worse it could get, the little girl is actually an orphanㅡ the least family who was there is Arumi, the head chief of the well known the Willhelmina Children Foundation who have been the little girl shelter. Even Alarik knew who Arumi was due to their both prestigious family connection. Alarik gradually explained the way the team failed the surgeries then it was all. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ It was “You failed to save the life, you didn’t fail your job” and things started to fall into places. They both continuously heal each other in the process of everything. They fell in love with their own terms. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ Arumi Bulan Willhelmina have always been is an overflowing grace and delicate in disguised, her work field shaped her to look like the fairy god mother everyone could wish. A woman with value, in her lifetime growing up with a very prestigious familyㅡ she managed to embrace those like she know how it feels to have nothing. Although her fierce facial features, her alluring traits and kindness is what reflect upon her being. Alarik knows it best how she have turned her privilege into massive kindness. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ As gladly Boenjamin Lazarus could get to know his second born son have decided to marry the only daughter of The Willhelmina, he give all his consent in one go. To know how The Willhelmina Foundations and work in the field of medicine and rights is also very noble, having them bond with The Lazarus means merging two empire into one. 

And there they tied the knot in The Ritz-Carlton, Jakarta. Marking their wedding as one of most prestige bonding in their field. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

　　ㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤ────   𝐓𝐇𝐄 ℬ𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ After the talk about Alarik and Arumi’s marriage, what comes after is about their heir and heiress. How they are expected to carry the brilliance and grace from their parents, in 1993ㅡ Lemuel Abram Lazarus was born. Marking the first one to the household, he is as strong willed as any Lazarus out there. Upon his dreams, there is a slight clash with what he desired and expectation thrown upon him. For God sake he knows that the Lazarus born child is expected to walk the road to become another great doctor, Abram wanted the other. He had it quite hard on how he have to process the fact that the path of his life is written down even before his birth, and how he have to throw away dreams. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ “But, Lemuel Abram is Lemuel Abram. He’ll do anything to get everything he wants.” for awhile, he is all about Exclusive parties. Glimmering nights. Excellent wine. Expensive fabrics. He live life like he don’t have the whole great public perception about how The Lazarus should behave. Let alone, he thought. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ The father-son relationship between Alarik and Abram is as tense as it sounds, Alarik often mis concept his son behaviour for being rebellious, for spending his fortune like it was meaningless. Arumi who understand the way Abram have turned into the man he become have always been the mediator between the fire. She understand it wasn’t the luxury who pleases Abram, but his broken and wingless dreams. Arumi managed to be the mother Abram needs, their bond is closer more than ever because of the effort of understanding each other. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ In the midst of consuming the fact that he still had to pursue the process of becoming doctor, Abram, as the heir of the family remember his position. He should understand about his responsibility. For him always been genius through out his life, he proceed to fulfil his duty and for now becomes a resident psychiatry. Ever since he graduate, he also seemed to got out from the maze. He slowly accepts the way his life turned out which leads him to a better relationship with his beloved father. The great Lemuel Abram is indeed here. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ Arumi Bulan Willhelmina has always drowned in her social work, she invest her whole in nurturing and protecting what she felt necessary for in this case is Children Rights. Her first encounter with himㅡ Affandra was vividly dark, his birth mother comes to the foundation seeking for help in one rainy days asking wether her decision coming to a children foundation is better than the police station. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ An abusive father and dying mother is all he know while being an innocence 9 years old boy. In the process of winning the law case, Arumi witness everythingㅡ the death of his mother, his father stated criminal and went to jail and at last, an empty home. Arumi never saw tears falling from those crystal eyes, which makes her grown really fond towards him. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ Taking all the risks and future chaos, after getting Alarik’s green card she went for his adoption case. She could only think that he have been living in fear and she will provide him a home. Of course by the excellency of the Lazarus lawyers they did win the case, Affandra Gautama received a last nameㅡ Lazarus and becomes Alarik and Arumi’s child by law, Little brother for Abram and Séphora by time. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ But the thought of having other than the lazarus bloodline invites little chaos, Boenjamin Lazarus still is very skeptical about the adoption. He went restless asking for how the family competence and tendency if he perhaps ‘unlike’ The Lazarus. Prejudices goes all around for the first phases of his new life with his new prestigious family. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ Being only 2 years younger from Séphora Anneliese, Boenjamin couldn’t help but to compare. But his little family of 5 never once stopped showering him with love and encouragement, with the sense of belonging. Out of his willingness to prove himself, and to shove away his own worthless feelings. He gradually blend in perfectly with the Lazarus gene, “Some born gifted, but we are all our own effort” is what he always remember coming out from Arumi. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ He bent hell to pick up himself and justify his presence also as the brilliance grand son for Boenjamin Lazarus when he is accepted in The Faculty of Medicine in University of Indonesia after graduating from the same High School as her sister, Séphora and now will continue to have the same Alma mater with her. 

MA Fashion and Textile Practices Major Project Path - 12th August

So now I had created my template and practice piece that represented my Protest T-shirt, I wanted to do the same for my Anarchist of Love T-shirt, so I began to follow the same template. I found a couple of websites which had a good selection of love songs to get my teeth into and then that set the ball rolling to trigger more personal songs. Music is an emotional experience for me, I think that’s why I don’t listen to it very often, I invariably start crying! I’m a big indie rock fan so I thought looking at indie love songs would add a unique edge. Love songs don’t always have to be about being sentimental and overtly romantic. Once I had found suitable lyrics I created a Design Map as before to plot out the layout of the T-shirt.

Initially I wanted to design a T-shirt about love that was multicoloured, bright and eye catching, but then that didn’t represent the aesthetic I wanted to achieve. It was a T-shirt about being an anarchist of love, so it had to look like a newspaper or a billboard, where you were willing to literally wear your heart on your sleeve (or T-shirt!) I decided that incorporating red into the black and white mix would be apt. Our traditional ‘Red Top’ newspapers grab attention like no others  - like the Daily Mirror front page on the Sex Pistols I showed earlier - and the colour red is considered to be the colour of love after all, but why is that? 

Red:

It is known that the colour red can affect us physically - simply observing the colour can enable increased heart rate, blood pressure and respiration. It makes us feel more energetic and confident, and can provide comfort, it’s a sexy colour, so there are many reasons why red is associated with love. Although red is very much the oxymoron of the colour wheel, it’s often used as a colour for warning, like the signs on the road - ‘Do not enter!’ and ‘Stop!’ Where would horror films be without the colour red? It’s the colour of blood and instills fear. Like the use of the red balloon that character Pennywise the clown carries in Stephen King’s tale ‘IT’. 

Wang, E. (2017). Scary Clown Delivery Service Offered by Hurts Donuts. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.teenvogue.com/story/scary-clown-doughnut-delivery.

As I discussed in my previous blog entry regarding colour, colours can be interpreted in different ways depending on your culture, although the colour red is the most used colour in national flags. In China for instance the colour red is a protective colour. This theory comes from an ancient folk tale regarding a man eating beast called the Nian who only attacked at the end of the lunar year -Chinese New Year. The beast was overcome when the villagers discovered it  disliked light, loud noises and the colour red, so they made firecrackers, adorned their houses with red paper lanterns and dressed themselves with the colour for protection. Now at Chinese New Year these traditions still continue.   

Diana, L. (2017). Make Some Noise: The Story behind Chinese New Year Traditions. [Illustration]. Retrieved from https://steemit.com/chinesnewyear/@ladydiana/make-some-noise-the-story-behind-chinese-new-year-traditions.

The Aztecs discovered that using an extract from the female Cochineal beetle mixed with water produced a potent red dye. A pound of this dry extract would require the use of around 70,000 insects, which in the time of the Aztecs was more valuable than gold. The Aztecs may have discovered how to make and use extract, however it was the Spanish which introduced it to Europe around the 1500′s. The colour quickly took on where it was used mainly to produce textiles, many of which were used to produce gowns for the aristocracy or uniforms for armies. Red was perceived as a powerful colour.

Greenfield, A.B. (2016). An illustration of cochineal collection by Mexican priest and scientist José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez, 1777. (Newberry Library, Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection) . [Illustration]. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/bug-had-world-seeing-red-180961590/.

The colour inevitably made its way to the artists paint palette where it was mixed with a binder to produce a vibrant pigment known as Lake. If your funds for new materials were a little tight, the colour could be made from shreds of dyed cloth, but the results were not hardly as vibrant as the results Lake could achieve. There was a drawback to its use however, whilst the colour remained vibrant on textiles it faded through exposure to daylight on canvas. Within oils it had to be used in excess otherwise with only minimal use it would fade quickly. In the late 19th century artificial colours were produced, such as ones made from coal rat called Alizarins. These new artificial pigments not only gave the same vibrancy but better longevity and offered a much cheaper alternative. For the sake of the Cochineal beetle, this was probably good news as it almost died out in its native homeland.

Victoria, A. (2019). Melody & Mist Portrait Of A Lady, By Etienne Adolphe Piot 1850. [Illustration]. Retrieved from https://www.liveinternet.ru/users/3162595/post452105198/. 

Whilst on the subject of love, why is the red rose so symbolic of the emotion? We could say that it’s all Shakespeare’s (1564 - 1616) fault when he penned in his romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet, when Juliet declares: 

“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet”.

But the rose has had significant meaning to cultures far earlier than Shakespearean times. In Western culture the rose was believed to have been created by the Greek goddess of love herself; Aphrodite. After her lover Adonis was killed by a wild boar his blood and her tears soaked into the ground and from that grew red roses, although this story has many versions and some say the wildflower Anemone grew instead. In Roman mythology it is said that wealthy Romans gave red roses as symbols of beauty and love. For thousands of years China was the main cultivator of roses, roses were said to have been grown in cultivated Chinese gardens dating back 5,000 years. According to Hindu beliefs the Goddess Laxmi - who is the Goddess of fortune and prosperity -  was created from 108 large and 1,008 small rose petals. Many depictions of her show her sitting or standing in a giant rose and holding roses in her hands. Her husband, the God Vishnu was deeply in love with her, thus cementing the idea that roses were strongly connected to love and romance.

Turiya, n.d. (2011). Laxmi. [Illustration]. Retrieved from http://blog.visionaire.org/5-maggio-laxmi/.

The Victorians used flowers a as floral code to portray their emotions. Publicly declaring your undying love to the object of your desire was not socially acceptable in the Victorian era, so they developed a floral code to say what they couldn’t. This code wasn’t solely used for declarations of love, flowers were used to send messages of sympathy, friendship, desire etc. Each flower had a different meaning, and when combined in certain ways could say specific things. Through the use of this code the Victorians instilled in us the importance of flowers and what they mean to us today.

20th Century Typographers (2017) states the renowned Artist and Teacher Josef Albers said of the colour red: 

“If one says ‘Red’ (the name of a color) and there are 50 people listening, it can be expected that there will be 50 reds in their minds. And one can be sure that all these reds will be very different”.

Albers was a teacher at the Bauhaus Weimar from 1923 to the school’s dissolution in 1933. He taught the fundamental ethos of Bauhaus, that design should be based primarily on the properties of the material used and the function of the design. Along with fellow teacher and artist László Moholy-Nagy he taught this preliminary course until 1928, then solo until 1933. After his stint at Bauhaus he and his wife - Bauhaus student and fellow artist Anneliese Fleischmann - moved to America where he began to work at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. Here he developed and wrote the course Interaction of Color. Albers was obsessed with colour and its use. The course was a first of its kind, he wanted to describe and show how colour behaved, he described colour like it was a sentient thing. For centuries colour had been perceived as a science, from Newton’s discovery of the colour spectrum to that of the colour wheel used in the school of Bauhaus itself. Albers was uneasy with the concept of the colour wheel and believed it served of little practical use to an artist, he wanted to show that colour behaved in certain ways, he believed that we perceive colour in varying degrees and that as a medium it is bent on deceiving the viewer. He catagorised colours into three distinctive areas: Passive, Deceptive and Unstable but he did recognise that colours were predictable to some extent and that they ‘sat’ together well. In 1963 the course was finally published, 33 years after its inception and in 2013, a ground breaking digital edition of the Interaction of Color was developed in the form of an app for the Apple iPad. The 50th Anniversary Edition publication below appears to be supporting his quote in regards to the several ways we perceive the colour red:

Shop at Matter, n.d. (n.d). INTERACTION OF COLOR: 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.shopatmatter.com/product/interaction-of-color-50th-anniversary-edition/.

To me the most memorable of any ‘Love’ T-shirt that incorporates the colours black, white and red is that depicting graphic designer Milton Glaser’s famous logo ‘I ♥ NY’. On my first trip to New York it was one of the first things I wanted to buy because it represented a place I had only dreamt of going to. Also, I knew I could wear it once I got home as it was a fashionable item of clothing and still is! 

In 1976 when Glaser was a young New York designer just starting out, the city was on the decline. Crime rates were worrying high and many of the wealthier, middle class New Yorkers had moved out of town. Something had to be done in an attempt to restore some faith in the city, so the New York State Department of Commerce devised a campaign to do just that. The slogan ‘I love New York’ had already been mooted by Ad agency Wells Rich Greene and a jingle had been composed to be played between prime time TV shows. All that the campaign required was a strong logo to complete it and Glaser was brought in to do the job.    

S, A. (2013). A Brief History of the “I Love New York” Logo. [Illustration]. Retrieved from https://www.logoworks.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-the-i-love-new-york-logo/.

Clara, R. (2017). How the ‘I Heart NY’ Logo Transcended Marketing and Endures 4 Decades After Its Debut. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-the-i-heart-ny-logo-twice-transcended-marketing-and-endures-4-decades-after-its-debut/.

It was reported that in a yellow cab on the way to a client meeting he pulled out a red crayon from his pocket and quickly scrawled the idea down on a piece of paper. He then later adapted it so the text stacked on top of each other to line up the four elements. Using the heart instead of the word ‘Love’ was one of the first of its kind, akin to the use of emoji’s today. Chris Lowery (2017), president and chief strategist of Chase Design Group said as such:

“The I ♥ NY logo Milton Glaser created so many decades ago was really the world’s first emoji. In a diverse, multicultural city like New York, anyone who saw it instantly knew what it meant”.   

At the time Glaser worked pro bono, and when he was told the campaign wouldn’t run much past a few months he decided not to copyright the design. However New York state’s Economic Development Corp did copyright the design, and now after over 40 years it is still one of the world’s most recognised logos. The day after the horrific terrorist attack on New York on 11th September 2001, Glaser looked to the logo once again in an attempt to build moral. He signed the left side of the heart and added ‘more than ever’ underneath. 

Brady, S. (2018). Milton Glaser’s ‘I Love New York’ sign was used again after the 9/11 attacks. Image by Viviane Moos/Corbis via Getty Images. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/2018/11/27/jane-maas/.

The modified logo appeared on the front cover of The Daily News on September 19th and the students at Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts produced a matching poster free of charge to be distributed around the city. Toufan Rahimpour (2017)  COO of Logoworks says the logo has stood the test of time for a reason:

“I ♥ NY was a symbol of its time (a “scrappy” logo for a “scrappy city”) that became so culturally omnipresent it transcended itself. It’s no longer just a logo, it conveys emotions. It represents the spirit of New York.”

Websites:

Smith, K. (n.d). All About the Color RED. Retrieved from http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-meaning-symbolism-psychology/all-about-the-color-red-4344#.XVE_7OhKiUk.

20th Century Typographers. (2017). One Who Can See: A Look Back at Josef Albers’ Interaction of Color. Retrieved from https://www.printmag.com/color/one-can-see-look-back-josef-albers-interaction-color/.

100 Year of Bauhaus. (n.d). Josef Albers. Retrieved from https://www.bauhaus100.com/the-bauhaus/people/masters-and-teachers/josef-albers/.

The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. (n.d). Interaction of Colour. Retrieved from https://albersfoundation.org/teaching/josef-albers/interaction-of-color/publications/.

Klara, R. (2017). How the ‘I Heart NY’ Logo Transcended Marketing and Endures 4 Decades After Its Debut. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-the-i-heart-ny-logo-twice-transcended-marketing-and-endures-4-decades-after-its-debut/.

Greenfield, A.B. (2016). The Bug That Had the World Seeing Red. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/bug-had-world-seeing-red-180961590/.

Rose Festival Kanzalak. (n.d). Why are Red Roses Considered Romantic?. Retrieved from https://www.rosefestivalkazanlak.com/red-roses-meaning-romantic-love/.

Kremp, C. (2018). Why Are Bouquets of Roses So Romantic? The History of The Classic Red Rose. Retrieved from https://www.kremp.com/blog/flowers/why-are-bouquets-of-roses-romantic-history-of-red-rose.

Bartleby. (n.d). Romeo and Juliet Act II. Scene II.. Retrieved from https://www.bartleby.com/70/3822.html.

Fan Theory: Perception of Time in VK/VKM

Hello VK/Zeki Fam, long time no see! *Hugs everybody*

I’ve been offline for a millennia due to a new job and family life stuffz but I I finally have some free time to go into the VK meta I’ve been dying to sink my teeth in to! (beware, there may be terrible puns ahead.  You’ve been warned.)

From what I’ve seen in the Vampire Knight meta-sphere, reactions towards the past two chapters are mixed, leaning towards the Hino-san, what the fruitcake are you doing to us now? end of the spectrum. 

@getoffthesoapbox​ @soulisthirsty​ @zerolover66​ and others before me have written some excellent analyses & theories, and I don’t plan on doing a full rehash.  Instead, I’d like to propose a different theory...

I’ll start this fan theory with a question:   Do Yuuki and Zero perceive time differently?

This may seem like an odd question, so let me break it down.  

Do people perceive time differently?  

It can be argued that they do.  You often hear folks talk about “life changing experiences” or how a near death experience alters their perspective.  If you are diagnosed with a terminal illness, and know that you only have a few months left to live, your perception of time will likely be very different than that of a healthy teenager.  Even though both individuals could theoretically die in a freak accident at the same time, or the sick individual finds a miracle cure, the way they value their time, more likely than not, differs.  

You can also look at it this way: one year to a 3-year-old is 1/3 of their life, whereas one year to an 80-year-old is 1/80 of their life.  Time passes differently for children versus adults.

Which leads me to another question: 

In Vampire Knight, do mortals with finite time perceive time passing differently than immortals with infinite time?  

From what we’ve been shown canonically, I believe there’s a chance that the answer is yes.  

Let’s take a look at a scene from VKM chapter 10:

In this panel Yuuki comments that 60 months feels like 1 month.**

60 months = 5 years

That means 5 years feels like 1 month of “normal life” (basically 1 month to the rest of us.)

Take your age and divide it by 5. If you’re 20 years old, that’s the equivalent of 4 months.

(More under the cut!)

I’m no math whiz (believe me haha) but I found this factoid intriguing because I believe it gives us some insight into how much time has “passed” for Yuuki, and what time feels like to purebloods.  It’s easy for human fans like us to question how Zeki could be together for so long without significant progression, but, if Yuuki perceives time differently, it could explain a lot about her character.  

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Overly simplistic calculation time: let’s go with how long 50 years “feels” like:

(note: if my calculations are incorrect hit me up, math and I are barely on speaking terms xD )

12 months * 50 years = 600 months

Let x = the amount of time 50 years feels like to a pureblood. (Keep in mind, 60 months feels like 1 month)

1 month / 60 months = x /600 months 

60x = 600

x= 10 months

That’s less than a year.

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So, do mortals and immortals view time differently?  

Going off what Yuuki said and my calculations above, I believe they do!  Another canonical example of this can be found in Yori & Hanabusa.  Yori openly wonders how different her life would be if she had the same amount of time to do things as Hanabusa.  Hanabusa also expressed that he wanted to cherish every moment because he knew just how fleeting their time together would be. Even after Yori’s death, he still looks young, and as a noble vampire he will probably live on for many, many years. 

The pressure of Yori aging spurred their relationship development, and they got married before any of the other characters in relationships (that we know of.) This wasn’t by accident.  In contrast, vampires like Shiki and Rima never had that kind of pressure (at least not after Rido was dealt with) so they could wait 50 years before getting married.  This didn’t seem to faze either of them.  Also, in Volume 1 Ichijou celebrates his 18th “human” birthday, showing that vampires do seem to measure time differently (though I can’t recall whether this was ever thoroughly explained.)

Back to the original question: Do Yuuki and Zero perceive time differently?  

I believe this answer is an unequivocal yes, and arguably this difference in perception has led to Zeki not being on the same page romantically speaking. I would argue that this difference has also played a key role in their different character motivations. They may have the same destination in mind (marriage, babies, happily ever after and all that jazz), but they are not in agreement about how long it should take (or what it will take) to get there.

Let’s start with their childhoods:

ZERO grew up in a family of hunters.  He always felt he needed to take on a heavier load to ease Ichiru’s burden.  Hunters, given the nature of their profession, almost certainly have a high mortality rate, and low life expectancy rate.  They’re trained to fight, but they can still die in combat.  This is something that Zero is aware of from a very young age.  Then, Zero’s family is attacked by Shizuka and he is damned, doomed to become a level E. Every day he knows there’s a chance he can go mad, hurt someone and be killed by one of his comrades.  It even drove him to the point of suicide.  Thinking you can die or lose control at any moment isn’t the sort of mentality that easily goes away.  He always slept with a weapon close at hand for a reason.  

YUUKI, in comparison, did not grow up with constant reminders of death.  At a young age, she was very sheltered and told she would live forever as Kaname’s bride. In high school her lost past and vampires concerned her, but she didn’t live in fear of death every moment of her life. When she was reawakened she discovers anew that she will live forever, outliving everything apart from other purebloods.  It takes her some time to adjust to this reality.  At one point she convinces herself that the only way to fix everything is to sacrifice herself.  But in this scenario she was the biggest threat to herself, since Zero and Kaname were ready to do just about anything to stop it.

When Kaname sacrificed himself, she made it her mission to return the favor and atone for her sins one day.  Suddenly she was no longer going to live forever, now she would live up until the time was right.  Yet, just like the concept of “forever”, there’s no exact date so how long she has remains rather vague beyond “sometime far into the future.”

Given their backgrounds and physical differences, I posit that the two of them view time very differently, and this difference needs to be communicated. Is 50 years a long time? Yes, yes it is. Does this excuse letting problems fester this long? No, it does not. 

However, even though Zero deserves all the patience awards for how long he’s stayed by Yuuki’s side, if my theory is correct, Yuuki perceives her time together with Zero the way an immortal pureblood would, not a human being nor a soldier.  Being a pureblood likely exacerbates this compared to the average vampire.  This discrepancy could mean 50 years to Yuuki feels like 10 months, but 50 years to Zero actually feels like 50.  It may sound absurd to us, but we’re talking about immortal fictional creatures after all.

Now hold onto your hats, because I believe the implications go beyond her relationship to Zero.

Other Out-There Theories

Theory #1: given Yuuki’s perception of time, her carefree attitude, and her idea of what being in a relationship consists of, there’s a chance that Yuuki still “feels” like a teenager. Even Zero commented offhandedly that Ai acts more mature than Yuuki.  In some ways that’s why the people around her (particularly Yori and Zero) say they love her—a certain loveable idiot/ innocence and uncomplicated desire for the people around her to be happy. I believe her pureblood influenced perception of time, (and possibly self if she really sees herself as a teenager and not a grown woman) is at the root of her stagnation. Compared to her 3 thousand year old parents, being ~80 would still be seen as very young for a pureblood.

Theory #2: I, like many readers, had hoped that Yuuki would mature during this period post Kaname, and in some small/subtle ways I believe she has. When Yuuki says “there’s nothing innocent about us anymore” in VKM10, I recalled her time with Zero in the shower at Cross Academy, which in many ways was portrayed as a “loss of innocence” and a “sin.” But then after her arc 1 development you go to arc 2 where Yuuki is treated like a child and a doll by Kaname. Maybe her perception of who she really is got screwed up along the way.

Yuuki has gone through a lot, and even she has noted just how much time has passed. She let her hair grow out, she had a kid.  Yet, she still clings to Kaname, a symbol of her childhood, when the healthy thing would be to move forward for the sake of those around her.  Others have theorized that this might be related to some sort of trauma. If Yuuki really does still “feel” like or “see herself” as a teenager, and 50 years feels like 10 months, the wounds caused by Kaname would still feel very raw. 

I have PTSD myself, and sometimes an event that happened four years ago feels like it happened just yesterday.  I can’t imagine what it would be like to live with it while holding a skewed perception of time.  It’s not as simple as “getting over it” and letting time take its course. I believe the only way she can get back on the preferred path is to confront what happened to her head on.  Only time and Hino will tell whether that happens. Until Yukki deals with these issues and learns to step forward, she’ll remain stagnant.  

Why would Hino do something like this?!  

Some of you may be wondering: teenage Yuuki again?  What does Yuuki “feeling” like a teenager mean? I believe it means that she can also, at times, still act like one.  At the end of the day this is a shoujo manga, and the largest reading demographic will be teenage girls who need to relate with the characters.  Plus, it’s a story; conflict drives the plot engine along. I suspect this was intentional on Hino’s part, but maybe I’m giving her and the character too much credit o.o’ 

What would this discrepancy mean for Zeki?  

I predict how time passes/ how they perceive time passing will probably come up (and definitely should come up) at one point in their relationship.  After all, if Yuuki is just biding her time while Zero is counting every day, the narrative will grow dull and things will not turn out well. If they’re not on the same page, how could things work out between them? 

We’ve already seen it on the character’s minds to a degree: Yuuki expressed her fear of abandonment/ loneliness/ oblivion in arc 2, and Zero has reminded Yuuki that her time is her own to spend how she pleases. How one spends their time and with whom one spends their time is a recurring theme. It took a long time (practically 2/3 of the original series) for Yuuki and Zero to accept their very existence as pureblood and hunter, but they’ve never had to really work at the logistics of a romantic relationship between a pureblood and non-pureblood (something we haven’t seen, at least not any longterm/ healthy ones.) 

With Yori’s death and Ai in sleep mode, I expect to see time and how they spend their time to crop up again.    

Throw away observations:

If Yuuki has difficulty assessing the passage of time, it makes it that much easier for her to cling to certain portions of her past. In some ways, when Kaname changed her he was trying to encase her in resin like the rose, almost freeze her in time as the loving girl he desired.  Yori, and to an extent Ai, probably served as reminders that time was passing in a world where most of the people Yuuki deals with pretty much stay forever young.  It’s possible that, despite time passing, she herself is still frozen.  Yuuki has been shown as sentimental on several occasions, including VKM 10 where she explains why she still holds on to her charm bracelet.  She talks about keeping it as a reminder of her promise and as a reminder of a time when she was human.  But, as she’s shown on numerous occasions, she’s a vampire. Body and soul. She has no plans to change that, yet she still clings to a piece of her humanity.

Interestingly, in VKM before Zero’s death Yuuki said she would devour him showing her love “the way vampires do.” In VK, drinking the blood of your beloved, the only one who can quench your thirst, is how vampires traditionally express their love for one another. In VKM10, when Zeki are discussing their relationship and Zero asks what a restart means, she begins with several very innocent, naive suggestions that harken back to their days at Cross Academy. Soon after, in one of their first on screen “acts” as an official couple, Yuuki tells Zero to drink her blood to the last drop. 

This scene is controversial among Zeki fans given its (some would say Yume-like) undertones. But, it got me wondering whether Yuuki really knows how to participate in a mature relationship, whether either of them know how to be in a healthy romantic relationship.  If Yuuki thinks “drinking blood is the way vampires show their love for one another” and she acted on that, then is she just going through the motions and doing what she thinks she should be like she did in the Kuran Manor?  Or, was this just a natural impulse? (oh, the multitude of interpretations!)

I think Yuuki’s desire for something “human”, or her image and expectations from when she was a human teenager, could be in conflict with what she believes vampires are supposed to do.  This inner struggle between her two selves may have cause the disconnect and tone shift.

This is all conjecture, so hopefully we’ll see more of what’s going on inside Yuuki’s head in the chapters to come.  I keep thinking back to Yuuki’s dark expression when talking to Ai as a child about the relationship between the three MCs, and of the mystery box.  Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking on my part, but I don’t think Yuuki is as daft or simple as she’s sometimes portrayed to be.

That’s all folks!

Thanks for reading my philosophizing this far!  Please let me know what you think, or if you have theories of your own!   

Philosofangirl, out.

**Note: So far, we have no way of knowing how subjective this statement is.  This could be Yuuki’s interpretation of time, or it could be accepted as common knowledge by purebloods.  All the same, if this is what Yuuki believes then this informs how she perceives time passing, and I believe Hino included this detail deliberately.

Take A Deeper Look - Pt. 3

{Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3}

Pairing: Jay Park/You, Simon D/You

Summary: AOMG’s newest producer has a lot to deal with including a flighty CEO who doesn’t understand the concept of “personal space” and feelings for yet another CEO who is so far beyond her reach she doesn’t even think she has a chance.

Content: [smut] d/s themes

Word Count: 5140

Notes: It’s here, and it only took 50+ years. <3

   To say your life had become insane, would be a major understatement. You had avoided Jay at all cost for the past two days and your work was suffering for it. On the outside of your studio door a “do not disturb” sign hung for all to see in bold print. It deterred most would be visitors from entering your studio with the exception of Kiseok. He had come and went multiple times and every time he came he questioned you about your progress and whether Jay had been giving you any more problems.

   Of course, you lied. You covered yourself by sharing the completely unnecessary tweaks you had made to the second track with him. He would usually never be fooled, but he had been so busy with his own work and his newly public 'official’ relationship with Soori that he simply let it go. The only thing he had for you was an invitation to Secret Society for an AOMG outing tomorrow. You didn’t even care to debate why Kiseok the Recluse was finally deciding to out and party. All you could focus on was your own dilemma.  

   The strangest thing was that everyone acted as if they had no inkling of what had transpired between you and Jay just a few days ago. Hyukwoo had to have said something. He wasn’t a big gossip or anything, but you had a feeling the Boss shoving his tongue down a producer’s throat would be too big of news to just let go. Not even Jay himself had come to harass you about it. He had sent you a simple text to let him know when you needed him back in the recording booth. As far as the world was concerned, it seemed the situation had never happened.

   “But I know it did,” you insisted angrily at the soundboard in front of you. Thinking about it made you more conflicted than you had ever been in your life. On one hand, you were mad as hell - on the other, you were simply curious. Why had you let it happen? Why had you not pushed him away the second it had happened? Why did your thighs instinctively rub together whenever you thought about the way his lips had felt on yours and his hands on your body?

   You didn’t want Jay. He was handsome enough, but you had eyes only for Kiseok since you had started working at AOMG. If you were going to tolerate anyone touching you like Jay had it would be Kiseok. It had always been Kiseok, but you weren’t oblivious. Just because you weren’t too fond of or used to skinship, it didn’t mean that you were ignorant when it came to sex. You knew things, and you knew why your body reacted the way it did to Jay. Admitting it was the hard part.

   “God, I really do hate him.” You slung back the rest of your coffee and began playing with the track open on your laptop. You had to at least pretend to be doing work, for your own sake. You couldn’t let Jay Park drive you crazy. You refused.

   Deep down, you knew you were slowly losing any willpower you had.

   Secret Society was wild like usual. Right in the center of Hongdae and owned by the notorious Vasco, the club attracted people from all walks of life. Music fans, underground artists, and tattooed hipsters mingled and danced together freely in the dim lighting as a bass heavy instrumental beat against the stone walls and the inebriated downed more alcohol than should be allowed.

   Even amongst the bustle, Park Jaebum could feel your eyes on him, boring holes into his back and catching him whenever he would try to steal his own glances. As you caught his gaze for what felt like the millionth time that night, Jay simply smirked at you. He was trying to act normal, to pretend like nothing had happened between the two of you, but it was almost impossible.

   The first time he had met you was when Kiseok had brought you to the office after forcing Jay to listen to almost every song you had produced over the course of your music career. Other than being damn good at what you did, Jay hadn’t thought much of you when he met you in person. You were cute, sure, but also quiet. The entire meeting you only talked when prompted by Kiseok and you had avoided eye contact with Jay at all cost.  

   When the details were figured out and the contract signed, Jay hardly glimpsed you at work for the first couple of months. He knew you were there from tales of how scary you were to work with from Hyukwoo, but he never got to see you himself. It was when he got to make a single with you for the first time that what Hyukwoo said had ringed true. You were nothing like his first meeting with you. Instead of avoiding even looking at him, you had stared him down and gave him the ‘what-for’ for being late. When you were working, your determination could destroy even the strongest of people, and Jay had found that more admirable than anything.

   Over the course of time, Jay discovered just how much he liked pushing your buttons. You were seemingly so put together that it gave him a rush to bother you, to break down the cool front you put on display. It made you more human and less ice queen than you led everyone to believe. He found himself delighted every time he could get a reaction - whether a glare or a reprimand.

   Little did he know his pranks would culminate in him more focused on when he had suddenly started enjoying getting you hot and bothered over the excitement of the club around him. You claimed you didn’t like touching - reprimanding him even for an accidental brush of his hand - but if Jay Park knew anything better than music it was women. Even accidentally straddling him had you flustered, and he was sure kissing you had completely wrecked you.

   He would have liked nothing more than to cross the club to you and drag you back to his place just to see exactly how worked up he could make you, but you were so volatile and anal about keeping control that Jay had decided to give you your space for now. Of course, that decision was proving harder to keep than ever with you constantly glaring at him from your spot at the bar with Sungmin and Changjoong from Just Music.

   “Jayyyyyyyy.” The whiny drunk voice of Hyukwoo called Jay back to his reality. “You should go get some more shots,” he declared with drunken fervor. Jukung seconded the motion next to him with a tipsy nod.

   “I think you guys have had one too many,” Kiseok drawled lazily from the other side of the table. Soori was sitting next to him, hanging onto his every word with adoration. She nodded discreetly in agreement.

   “Don’t be a party pooper, Kiseok!” Hyukwoo pouted.

   “Yeah. You may not know how to have fun, but we do,” Jukung agreed as sagely as a drunken person could.

   Jay was too distracted to pay them much mind as he got up from his chair and headed for the bar. He was doing his best to convince himself that he was going to the bar for the sole purpose of getting more drinks for the group - that was it. It had nothing to do with the fact that you were there - nothing at all. Yet when he sidled up next to the hardtop counter he found himself standing right next to your stool. The bartender was busy attending to others, so he knew he would be waiting for a minute. He did his best to casually join the conversation, but he found himself staring at the soft skin of your thighs that the rips in your jeans allowed him.

   He was about to just give in. Even rejection and slap to the face was worth the possibility of sating the desire that had begun to grow painfully in his groin, but before he could act you had grabbed him by his hand. He faintly registered you saying goodbye to the Just Music boys before he was being pulled to the hallway next to the bar. The cool night air of the alleyway outside hit his skin shortly after but Jay couldn’t feel the cold. All he could feel was the heat of your body pressing his into the brick wall at his back.

   Your chest was heaving and your eyes were locked on his lips. “I don’t like you”, you sighed without your usual conviction.

   Jay - shocked - and more turned on than humanly possible, took the moment to tease you. “We talked about this before, Y/N - you don’t-”

   He didn’t even get the chance to finish his sentence before your lips were smothering his. Your tongue easily slipped past his willing lips to battle with his. Your hands acted of their own violation as they traced a path down the lines of his jaw to rub absent circles on the hard panes of his covered stomach.

   “Let’s go somewhere else”, you husked when you finally manage to pull your lips away from Jay’s.

   Jay gulped, hard. He was sure of what he wanted, but he had no idea what was going on in your head and it was driving him crazy. You had proved to be a lot more unpredictable than he had ever thought you could be. “Are you sure?”

   “Yes, Jay”, you answered immediately. When he took a moment longer to study your face for any hesitation you spoke again. “Please.”

   The word had him groaning.   Combined with the hooded lust in your eyes and the way your hands gripped the front of his shirt, there had never been anything more appealing than you begging for him. “Let’s go.”

   The second the door to Jay’s apartment opened, the two of you were pressed back together. This time it was Jay who had you pinned against the wall. The length of his body pressed against yours allowing you to feel everything from the warmth of his chest to the hardness hidden beneath his jeans. His mouth was at your neck, trailing kisses along the smooth curve. He bit down on the sensitive skin, causing a shiver to course through you and a moan to sound through the room.

   “Mmmh, how do you sound so sweet?” Jay hummed against your skin as he began sucking lightly on the spot he had bitten. Even his words had your knees shaking, your entire body slacking into his.

   “No marks, Jay,” you managed to gasp right before he grazed his teeth along another spot and his free hand started pulling at the hem of your shirt. He pulled away from you for just enough time to slip your shirt over your head and then his mouth was back at the tender skin right under your earlobe.

   “Come on, Babygirl.” There that pet name was again, breathed against your skin in a hushed warmth that had every nerve in your body standing to attention and ready to do whatever this absolutely maddening man asked you to. Before you even had a chance to let him know as much, he was pulling away from you - leaving your body a shaken and confused mess in his wake.

   A protest was on the tip of your tongue, but when you met his eyes you knew things were far from over. They were dark, much darker than you had ever seen them and the intensity of his simple stare had you watching just as fiercely. He moved slowly, taking his time as he made his way to the black leather couch in the center of his living room. Before he sat down his shirt was discarded to leave every line and tattooed pane available to your hungry gaze. When he was seated he looked so casual and relaxed that if you didn’t know better you would think that you simply stopped by for a friendly chat and not to chase a repressed desire that you couldn’t ignore.

   “For tonight,” he started in an almost commanding yet silky voice. The smirk that you had come to love and hate was playing on his handsome features. “Let go. Let me be in control, Babygirl. I’ll take care of you.”

   The idea was tempting, yet also scary. You had one other partner in your life, and they definitely did not compare to the way Jay made you feel. He had the ability to get under your skin and make you do things that you ordinarily never would. You knew what he was asking of you, but did you trust him enough to go that far?

   It really wasn’t even a question. The way his eyes were gazing into yours as if he knew exactly what you were going to say and exactly how he made you feel had you wanting to take it even further. “Okay,” you managed to rasp out, your voice unsteady and cracking with nerves and desire.

   “Then strip,” he demanded, relaxing further into the couch in lazy confidence.

   The way you were willing to obey him without question was something you would have to ponder on sometime when you weren’t so focused on getting out of your jeans without looking like a clumsy fool. Your hands were shaky when you began fiddling with the hem of your plain panties. You could feel Jay’s eyes on you, watching you expectantly as you worked up the courage to take them off. When you managed, your bra followed suit.

   Completely bare with the cool air of the room hitting every inch of your skin, you finally chanced a glance at him with your teeth harshly holding your bottom lip hostage. His eyes were slowly raking their way up your body as if he were committing every inch of you to memory. He didn’t make a sound until they finally came to rest on yours.

   “Come here.”

   You went. Without question or complaint, you made your way to him. It was almost as if your body reacted to his commands without the assistance of any coherent thought. Your comfort zone was well behind you at this point - left behind in the pile with your clothes - and sure you were nervous. How could you not be when Jay Park was raking his eyes over everything you had to offer. He was devilishly handsome - unfairly so - and you were simply you.

   When you were in reaching distance of him, he reached out to you only to turn you around in the direction you came. For a mere second, you were afraid that you were being rejected because how could he want you, but then you were being pulled down into his lap to sit with your back resting against his chest and your legs spread by his.

   “If you want me to stop or you don’t like something, tell me okay?” he murmured against your ear. The heat of his breath combined with the feeling of his chest pressed into your bare back, the hardness that was now firmly pressing against your bottom and the revealing position you were in had all of your embarrassment washing away to be replaced excitement. Even his words had your body melting against him.

   “I will.” Immediately, Jay’s hands were on you.

   One wrapped around your middle and the other made its way between your legs. You felt yourself falling away as one lithe finger traced the length of your sex. You had become someone else entirely, someone shameless and erotic that would do anything to please and be pleased.

   “Ride it”, he grunted when his finger stilled its path and his entire hand covered your sex. The heel of his palm was against your clit, putting enough pressure to make your entire body flushed with need but it was not nearly enough. You moved your hips tentatively at first, side to side as much as you could in the position and whimpered in pleasure when you earned a grunt of approval from behind you as your ass rolled against his clothed cock. Your movements grew in confidence and became slow and steady, setting a pace that had your breath becoming shallow.

   “Watch yourself, Babygirl.” The demand had you looking around the room through heavily lidded eyes to find what he meant. When you landed on the window pane that looked out onto the cityscape of Seoul directly across the room from the two of you, you understood. Your reflection gazed back at you, spread wide on top of Jay with his hand covering your sex. You couldn’t stop the moan before it fell from your open lips. The idea of him watching you please yourself using his palm should have been embarrassing, but it only served to fuel the fire that had been building in your core.

   You felt a single finger push into your entrance. Your breath quickened and your body stilled while his palm stayed firmly pressed into your clit and his finger curled inside of you.

   “Jay...” his name came out as a moan as his finger toyed with you, pace torturously slow and your eyes meeting in your reflections across the room. You felt his groan vibrate his chest at your back as his finger began to move, brushing against your walls - torturing you as the fire between your thighs began to build to new heights. Your moans grew, filling the room with moaned curses as a second finger began to stretch you out for him all the while his palm ground into your most sensitive spot.

   “Do you want more?” he grunted from behind you. You meekly nodded your head, too embarrassed to actually voice your needs aloud, but Jay was not satisfied. “Tell me. Tell me what you want.”

   You whimpered in protest when his actions halted and you found a furrowed brow Jay Park staring at you with a controlled fervency in the reflection of the large glass panes. His lips were parted, and you realized his breathing was just as unsteady as yours.

   “I want you to...” You couldn’t put it into words. Not only was it embarrassing but your heart was racing and the blood in your body seemed to have pooled south. In its wake, your brain ceased to function. The only coherent thought you had was of finally finding your release after days of being entirely frustrated by the same man who now seemed intent on torturing you in an entirely different way.

   “What is it, baby? Tell me.” His fingers leaving you left an ache deep in your core. There was a certain greed that had been building alongside your pleasure all night, and him denying you did nothing to help alleviate either. Your hands moved of their own will, reaching for his to bring him back.

   "Not yet Kitten," he said evenly, giving your inner thigh a light smack in reprimand. "You haven't told me what you want yet." He slid you off him, your weak limbs folding easily into the couch. There was need in his eyes, but also humor. Leave it to Jay Park to enjoy making your life hell no matter the circumstance. He stood in front of you - still more relaxed than you could imagine -  and waited expectantly. When you didn't get the hint and instead focused on steadying your breath and regaining at least some of your senses, he chuckled darkly and gestured to the front of his ripped jeans. "They aren't going to take themselves off."

   If you weren't already so needy, you wouldn't have. The way he told you what to do was demeaning in a way, but as things stood it made your entire body heat even more. You clambered forward with as much grace as you could manage until your bare ass was perched on the edge of the couch. Your hands were shaky as you reached for the zipper of his pants. It was hard to focus under Jay's stare, but you managed as best as you could. When you started to tug them down, he had to assist you but soon he was standing in all of his glory in front of you with his pants and boxers lost in the rest of the clothes strewn across the room.

   "Suck it, Babygirl." The command was simple, and your body was willed into action yet again by his mere words. Your hand encircled around the base and your mouth hovered above the tip. You couldn't help the wave of satisfaction that coursed through when you noticed Jay Park wasn't nearly as unaffected as he seemed. You bent your head and licked the line of precum that had begun to leak down his length. You heard his breath hitch at the contact. It was intoxicating.  A girl like you - overlooked and nothing special - had Park Jaebum holding his breath and turned on beyond belief. It made you feel wanted and powerful. It was so foreign to you, but it was also one of the greatest things you had ever experienced.

   Growing bold and daring, you let your grip at his base tighten as you trailed your tongue along him before circling the tip lightly with your lips. He grunted and his hand came to wrap in the loose strands of your hair.

   "Don't tease me." His voice was gravely and constrained. You wanted to say something witty and tease him,  but even more so you wanted to please him. You took him into your mouth like he wanted, only stopping before he hit the back of your throat. Yet again Jay wasn't having hit, his hand tightened in your hair as he guided you to take more of him. Your eyes watered, but you let him use your mouth as he pleased. Your hands came to rest on the hard panes of his stomach as he pushed himself further. He set a steady relentless rhythm, hitting the back of your throat and pulling back only to do it all over. Your saliva already coated him, making it easier for you to slide right back down again.

   Despite being in dire need of a break, the small noises of pleasure you earned from him were reward enough. Even his hand tightening in your hair every time your nose hit is pelvic bone was enough for you. Just knowing you affected him, was all you needed to feel your own arousal dampen your inner thighs even as you eyes watered and you resisted the harsh urge to gag around his length.

   When you finally heard him let out a small earnest moan, you swore you almost came from the noise alone. The hand in your hair was now wrapped in the strands as tight as possible. You could feel the muscles under your hands heave as he took a moment to compose himself before his hands loosened in your hair and he finally let you up for some much-needed oxygen.

   You had barely a few seconds to get your breathing even before a sole finger reached out to your chin to tilt your face up. As you studied his handsome features, his thumb swiped along your lower lip - cleaning up part of the mess he had made. "You're cute like this too," he mumbled to himself. His finger trailed lower, down your throat, between your breasts, and stopped right above the spot where you wanted him most. "Ready,  Babygirl?" He asked, his perfect tongue coming out to lick along his bottom lip. You had seen what his fingers could do, and you suddenly wondered what his glorious mouth could. Maybe you would find out some other time, but you knew you wouldn't. This wouldn't happen again. It was a one-time thing only. Just one night to unleash all the tension that had been building, and one night - you decided - would have to be enough.

   "Answer me," he demanded suddenly when you didn't answer right away. His brows were knitted and his stare was focused on his finger that teased lazily at your hip. All you could manage was a single lazy nod. “Words, Kitten.” His gaze landed on your face, but his finger never halted. It had begun a tortuously slow descent down the full length of your heat. His touch was feather-light - barely even there - but it still sent shock waves to every inch of your body.

   “Fuck me, Jay,” you mewled, surprising yourself at your lewd words and voice. You didn’t dwell - couldn’t - because just as fast as the words had come out of your mouth he was hoisting you off the couch and lifting as if you weighed nothing. He carried you, giving you time to admire the veins that showed beautifully under the tattoos on his toned arms from the effort. Your admiration was brought to a halt when your back hit a wall and Jay used the opportunity to line himself at your entrance, and then he was in you. The sensation of being full had your toes curling behind his back and your eyes squeezing shut. His size allowed him to reach places you had no idea even existed.

   As you accommodated to him, he hummed in disapproval. “Eyes open, Babygirl, or you won’t get to cum.” Immediately, your eyes fluttered open to focus on his face. You wanted to scold him for threatening you, but you never had the chance. His hands were suddenly holding your hips and his own were pulling back. Your legs loosened around him, giving him room to move. When nothing but the head of his cock remained, he slammed back into you. You suddenly realized that Jay Park didn’t go lightly on anything he did in life, including you. His pace was punishing as his short nails dug into the skin of your hips. Your own had made their way to his back, making trails of imprints as far as you could reach.

   “Jay,” you breathed into the crook of his neck. Your whimpers had quickly started to form moans. You were almost there - hovering at the edge of what you knew without a doubt would be the greatest orgasm you had ever experienced in your inconsequential sex life - but it wasn’t happening fast enough. You moaned his name again in desperation for more - anything. You didn’t even know what you needed.

   His name tumbling from your lips in a moan had Jay’s grip tightening at your hips. You were sure there would be bruises there come morning but you found it hard to care as his teeth grazed your earlobe and his warm breath fanned across the hypersensitive skin of your neck. His pace never slowed or softened even as he started peppering gentle kisses along the smooth curve. The contrast had your body tensing and your hips seeking his against his hold. Your eyes fluttered shut despite Jay’s wishes and the curl of your toes tightened as trails of fire rippled through your body. Your lower muscles contracted, spasming around him as he did his best to keep himself together.

   “Yes, Babygirl. Cum for me,” Jay grunted. His sweet kisses had turned sinful as your body rode out it's high with his support. His lips were now harsh and accented with the occasional nip of his teeth. You were over stimulated at this point, but his attentions had your cooling sex heating up yet again. You barely even registered that he was carrying you, but when your bare ass hit the cold surface of a kitchen counter you whimpered in surprise. The noise had him biting his bottom lip.

“Lay back and relax, Kitten,” he murmured as he peppered a few last kisses down your neck only to untangled your legs from around his waist. You found yourself laying down as he told you to with him still pressing firmly against your inner walls the entire time. Your heated flesh pressed into the cold hard top and your hair spilled over the edge.

   He licked his lips again - something that seemed to be somewhat of a habit for him - as he stared down at you. It was odd - especially for you - but you didn’t feel self-conscious at all. It was something about the way he looked at you. Even if it was just for a moment, you suddenly felt beautiful, desirable even.

   He held your gaze, blown pupils keeping yours captive as he gripped your thighs and resumed his assault on your senses. His movements had become sloppy but no less arduous. You could tell he was close. His jaw was clenched and his eyes blown with his own arousal. His grip had become vice tight on your hips, and his small grunts had started to sound suspiciously like moans joining with your own. You found your body tightening all over again as you watched his composure crumble.

   “Fuck.” He cursed. He freed a hand from your thighs and brought it down your sweat covered stomach to roughly fondle your clit. It didn’t take long before you had found your high again. You screamed out a mess of obscenities peppered with his name as you tightened around him. Your back arched off the counter and your hands fumbled for support - eventually settling for the hard corners of the counter - as you squirmed in his unrelenting hold.

Just like before, he rode out your orgasm until your body had calmed and you were left feeling absolutely fucked out. As the waves of pleasure subsided, he pulled out. The empty feeling he left in his wake was almost unbearable, but you couldn't move. You entire focus had shifted to the devastatingly gorgeous man before you.

   Jay’s lower lip was held harshly between his teeth and his cock was held tightly in his hand. You watched his eyes flutter close as he pumped himself. A vein in his neck was visible under the tattooed stars, and his hair had become a mess of sweaty black ringlets in every direction. Even as he came on your stomach, leaving you feeling more gross and sticky than you already felt, all you could think of was how beautiful, yet infuriating of a man Park Jaebum was.

The smoke settles to reveal KUNPIMOOK BHUWAKUL, also known as CHAOW, a 19 year old witch of Sunseong. He is a hunting assistant who appears to be adept in blood magic – but like most things in Sunseong, there seems to be more to him than meets the eye.

FACECLAIM: Kunpimook Bhuwakul (Bambam), got7

APPEARANCE: 

A raised, discolored scar across each palm. Heterochromatic eyes, one brown and one grey. Burn mark on the back of the neck. 

BIOGRAPHY: 

Magic was a curse with all of the makings of a blessing.

๑ . The teacher talks backwards, every syllable carefully following the next in a disarray, like a foreign language all its own. It’s all gibberish anyway, you think. The numbers and the textbook scripture. Eventually, she begins to cry, a horrible, petrified, little sound that crackles from the depths of her lungs. All of your friends have saucer eyes, some pale when she makes an escape for the hall. There’s a thud and the metallic click of her heels cease; the faculty calls it a stroke but you know it wasn’t. Somewhere, in the back of your mind you know that it was you. 

The taste of that power on your lips felt like the sweetest absinthe, entwining your fingers with the unknown. And you held on for all it was worth, you dug your nails into its skin and felt it cringe under your grip. Nothing could take it from you. 

๒. With the progression of age there’s a loss of ignorance that everyone faces, at one point or another. Although, you seem to only recall a continuous erosion. The more you accepted one world, the other faltered and fell away neath your feet. It was a choice you were too selfish to make at the time, but one side had to win. In retrospect, you wonder what it would have been like if you had adored normality as much as you enjoyed the abyss of a life riddled with the absence of it.  

๓. A summer night and bare feet perched on your third-story windowsill. Below, the night turns into speckles of neon swathed in blue, like stars just beyond your fingertips. A world teeming with lives, where no surface is left untouched. There’s a stripe of drying canary blood smeared down the center of your face. Feathers and old books attest to how much effort you’ve put into this feat.

You fall. 

Time suspends you. Above you there’s endless sky, tears brimming the web of your lashes like diamonds. It’s nothing like happiness, this feeling in your chest, but it’s euphoric. 

๔. You tempt death again and it comes to you in a flash of light, spring rain drenching through your clothes. A cold so deep it saturates you down to your bones, enough to not feel the rafters under your spine as you hurl back towards the earth. When the collision turns into an awakening, the sidewalk into sheets and a houseboat that smells of incense and sea salt, a heavy voice trickles through, laden with romantic dips and accented hums. “Get used to this feeling,” it tries to articulate through an upturned mouth, dark eyes speckled with fatigue. You groan in return, the aftermath of magic stripped from your limbs, like a freight train to the chest, “falling from grace, that is.” 

๕. By the time your first meeting with this man begins to dissect itself from memory, you’re convinced nothing from your homeland is worth carrying with you alongside the secrets you harbor. It’s a world meant to be traversed alone, its fruits and succulent wonders all temptations that many may never fathom. You learn there are risks you’re not willing to take alongside luxuries you’re not willing to sacrifice. There’s a sugar boat heading to Busan that you board out of sheer luck. 

The decision to leave isn’t hard, but perhaps that’s what makes it all the more painful in the end. 

CHARACTERIZATION: 

Controlled chaos — a state of watching the clocks turn backwards, shadows talking to each other on the far walls of a room. Blood smeared hands so often the skin stains, tender. Every breath is measured from inhale to exhale. How long does this last? The fear, the wanting and how it coalesces, all ugly teeth as it swallows his conscience whole. Loneliness turns people inside-out, makes them unrecognizable over time; relying on magic isn’t a great substitute for human interaction but it suffices, indulges the part of his painfully human heart that desires to reach out and touch something just for the sake of feeling connected. He let it pacify him with its darkness and new places and eventual solitude until it was all he had. Time could never tell him much, but the trivial details. He’s aging, for one. He left everything he knew for a world that looks at him like he’s broken glass. Protruding edges. Danger that reflects streetlamps when the sun sets. He’s scared. Whenever a stranger knocks, willing, on the precipices of his mind, there’s sirens. Pushing people away becomes second nature, followed closely by precautionary facades to keep them at a distance were someone to be unnecessarily brave. One can only hope the world would stop producing the thoughtless martyr. Even more than that; the bright-eyed ambition. The tempted that empty themselves just for a glimmer of something bigger. How he’s come to loathe himself in the bits and pieces that he seems to remember before his world dissipated under a veil of smoke. One that he willed his fingers to thread through. 

SPECIALTIES:

True sight Rank 0 ( self imbued; inherent )

His notably discolored irises are in part to the accidental self inculcation of this ability. The left eye is capable of fully seeing through any and all illusions, as the spell entails while the right eye remains incapable of seeing any better than that of an unaltered human. When observing the world with both eyes open, the overall picture balances the force of this magic and gives him a weakened view ( faint auras, the silhouettes of spirits and otherworldly forces ) but often alters his ability to see properly after long periods of time. This spurs constant headaches, occasional vertigo, nausea and loss of vision entirely in the weaker eye. He has done nothing to counteract these consequences and continues to suffer from them daily. 

Blood Magic Rank II ( 40 points ):

Through the use of one’s blood or that of another party, the user may treat the substance as a conduit for which magic can travel. Currently, Chaow is most comfortable with this medium albeit proving to be a little grotesque and dangerous at times. It remains the quickest and clearest way for him to connect to his reserves of power. Magic is still a foreign concept to him which has yielded few applications such as: 

- Enhanced tracking through the blood of the pursued subject that must be kept on the user’s person at all times throughout the tracking process. For dire situations, Chaow can track with better efficiency after ingesting the individual of interest’s blood. Then activating an internal feeling that resembles something of a magnetic pull. The repercussions of the latter method take months to years to subside and could cloud future attempts of tracking a different subject so it has to be used with the utmost caution. 

- Portal conjuration wherever the user can draw a complete ring of blood, be it from themselves or by other means. When passing through the portal one must have a clear mental image of the destination on the other side or the entry will not be granted. Furthermore, any other subjects passing through the portal must be in direct contact with the caster or the source of the blood used to be granted access. If, for some reason, the circle is obstructed in any way, the portal will immediately close. Naturally, the point of access will close once the witch has reached their desired location. 

- Blood property manipulation shifting the level of acidity is the most he’s managed to do with this application, going as far as amplifying the levels enough to cause erosion in the surfaces it comes in contact with. Besides the obvious danger of excessive blood-loss, this altered state does not reflect upon Chaow. However, returning the fluid to normal has proven difficult and requires him to refrain from touching anything or anyone else until he knows for certain that it has balanced itself back to normal. Due to this, he cannot afford to create large lacerations that may take a long amount of time to stop bleeding on their own and the amount of blood he can use for this application is limited, capable of only covering a small surface area. 

Anti-mind control ward, major ( 10 points ):

There’s a small burn scar of the letter  “R” on his nape. It’s purely defensive in that it creates a barrier of sorts between the aggressor and the target, protecting said individual from supernatural forms of mental/emotional influence or persuasion. When one comes in contact with said barrier they may feel fatigued or incapable of focusing, but this is only when the possible threat of an intrusion arises. Otherwise, the ward is relatively invisible and remains dormant. Whilst this may aide in avoiding manipulation of the magical strain, he is still very much susceptible to social pressure and can fall victim to those who have a way with words. 

50 points unused 

December 7: Esteeming Others Better Than Yourself

Esteeming Others Better Than YourselfDecember 7, 2019

…Let each esteem other better than themselves. — Philippians 2:3

Buying Christmas gifts for people when I was a child was one of my absolute favorite moments of the year. I cherished the privilege of giving, which had been taught to me by my parents. As I have spent time remembering my childhood Christmas experiences, one prominent memory that stands out in my mind is the first year my parents gave me money to spend on other family members for Christmas. That shift changed from what I would receive to what I could give to others.

With great seriousness, my father gave me $2 and instructed me that it was my budget to purchase gifts for the entire family. Ronda was older, so she got $5 for her Christmas shopping spree. Since the family included Daddy, Mother, Ronda, and Lori, it meant I had about 50 cents for each gift. Of course, it seems like a small amount of money by today’s standards, but when I was a boy, that was a substantial amount of money for my parents to give a small boy. Lori was too young to receive a Christmas budget, so it was up to Ronda and me to buy gifts for the family.

To start the process, Ronda and I went to Woolworth’s department store and to TG&Y to make Christmas purchases with our “gargantuan” budgets. I wondered what I could buy for each member of the family with the budget that had been given to me. Dad had stressed the value of money, and his words had imparted such a seriousness in me that I held that money like it was holy. Even more, Dad impressed on me the need to purchase something that people needed and that they would appreciate.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

So Ronda and I walked those shopping aisles seriously, contemplating what we should purchase with our budgets. I remember that first year, I bought mother a comb and a compact, a fish for dad’s aquarium, a small tube of lipstick for Ronda, and a doll brush for Lori. To my little mind, those seemed like real “needs” for each member of the family. And after all those expenditures were purchased, I still had a few cents left over — just enough to put a few cents into a gum machine to get a big, round piece of bubble gum!

I was so proud of the purchases that I had made. I carefully wrapped them to the best of my abilities, and then I placed them under the tree next to my homemade manger scene. I eagerly waited for Christmas morning when the family would unwrap the gifts I had carefully selected for them.

Yet on Christmas morning when we started ripping the wrapping off the boxes with our names written on them, I was overwhelmed with the gifts Daddy and Mother had bought for us. That year they bought me a fabulous robot that walked when I inserted the antenna into its head. Having gotten an idea of what items cost as I carefully spent my $2, I had a “wake-up” call when I looked at that robot. I realized that Dad and Mom’s gifts had really cost them something compared to the miniscule gifts Ronda and I had purchased for everyone else. That’s when it dawned on me that they had really gone out of their way and sacrificed for us. I knew they had needs, but they had denied themselves to purchase those gifts for us. For the first time, I understood the concept of making a sacrifice for others.

That event impacted my life. Now almost every year when it’s time for us to purchase Christmas gifts for people I love, I recall that early realization — and how my parents demonstrated to us that it is better to esteem others over ourselves (see Philippians 2:3). My parents denied themselves and sacrificed to purchase those gifts. They understood that although Philippians 2:3 is not a Christmas verse, the principle certainly applies to Christmas as well.

Thinking of others before we focus on taking care of our own needs and wants is how we’re supposed to live every day of the year. And certainly that is true for the Christmas season!

The word “esteem” is the Greek word hegeomai, which means to count, to consider, to regard, or to deem. The word “other” is allelous, and it means others — those besides yourself. The word “better” is huperecho, a compound of huper and echo. The word huper means significantly higher, and the word echo means to hold. When compounded, the new word means to deliberately hold someone in a very high regard. It carries the idea of having a superior view of a person — a feeling so fervent that it would definitely affect the way you deal with him or her. You would treat that person with the greatest care and the highest treatment. In fact, you would treat that individual better than yourself! Since money is a great revealer of the truth, it means even your use of money to benefit that person may reveal how highly you esteem him or her.

Mother needed new clothes; Dad really wanted a fishing boat; we needed new carpet and a new divan; and the list goes on and on. But when it came to Christmas, they showed how highly they loved and esteemed their children by denying themselves the things they needed so they could bless Ronda, Lori, and me.

This Christmas is your opportunity to esteem others better than yourself. Most of what you “think” you need can be delayed. Meanwhile, this holiday is your chance to really show your love to those who are dear to you. So rather than think of yourself this Christmas, put aside your own needs, and focus on the needs and desires of others. Not only will it deal with selfishness in you, but it will also teach those around you the great lesson of making sacrifices for others!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I see now that money is a great revealer of my heart and how I use it to bless others reveals the level of my esteem for them. I thank You for this encouragement. Instead of selfishly spending all my money on my own needs, I will pay attention to my opportunities to demonstrate selflessness for the sake of others. And help me remember that Jesus gave the greatest gift of all when He could have called 12 legions of angels to deliver Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane, but He surrendered to the arresting forces and gave his life so we could receive salvation. How I thank God that Jesus esteemed us better than Himself!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that because the love of God rules my thoughts and actions, I deliberately live more focused on other’s needs than on my own needs, wants, and desires. The law of sowing and reaping works, and I am fully confident that as I sow into the needs and desires of others before I take care of my own desires, God will be faithful to multiply it back to me and will meet my needs in a far greater way than I could ever imagine!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

Do you have memories of shopping for others on a very limited budget, but it gave you such joy to know that you could give to someone else that you loved so much?

Even now, do you find joy in giving to others at Christmastime? What kind of joy does it give you to deny yourself and to spend your money on others instead of spending it on yourself?

Christ gave Himself. He was the perfect Gift. But it cost Him everything to redeem us and to esteem us higher than Himself. When you think about the sacrifice Christ made to impart His life to us, how does it impact you?

the fairy tale of fecundity

almost every single person with a uterus is told at one point or another to mind their biological clock. questioned if they’re worried about it told that they should be. some even state that their ticking is so loud neighbors can hear it.

while fertility and pregnancy certainly changes as ones age does, the focus on the health of the person carrying the pregnancy follows a long history of ascribed responsibility. ‘maternal impression’ was once used to explain birth defects and genetic disorders, attributing the actions or even the thoughts undertaken by the pregnant person to be ultimately responsible for the state of the baby. a notable example is joseph merrick, whose elephantitis was attributed to his mother having had an accident with an elephant while pregnant. despite having long been debunked, the notion of the pregnant person’s responsibility as an ideal incubator has not subsided, with strangers frequently feeling the need to give unsolicited advice.

as a result, there’s often the pressure of having a child before 35—the magic number of fertility—because after that you are a ‘high risk pregnancy’ by default. other choice descriptions are ‘geriatric pregnancy’ or ‘advanced maternal age’, despite the fact that most people will have menopause around the age of 50, generally suggesting fifteen more years of fecundity. people over 40 also have the second highest rates of unintended pregnancies, after teenagers aged 15-19, so why the mania about impending infertility? 

pregnant people over 35 “are often treated as if they are in need of the level of care necessary for any high-risk pregnancy; and they are treated differently even if there is no scientific basis for different treatment and there are no medical problems evident”. there are multiple studies and articles detailing potential threats and problems that might arise for 35+ pregnancies and while no pregnancy is without its concerns, age is often treated as a blanket issue. doctors might ask for additional tests and label them as high risk despite any other consideration for their overall health. some claim that hypertension and anxiety genuinely increase for pregnant people over the age of 35, but some studies show that simply being treated as ‘at risk’ tends itself to increase anxiety.

35 is claimed to be the age in which there is a steep drop off in fertility and as a result people are encouraged to get pregnant sooner rather than later. a frequently cited statistic is that less than 30% of people aged 35-39 have a chance of conceiving. “Rarely mentioned is the source of the data: French birth records from 1670 to 1830”.

none of this is to say that as one gets older complications may not arise and that there aren't any difficulties in getting pregnant. a study done in the more contemporary 2004 showed that in people aged 27-34, the chance of conception in the first year is 86%, while among people aged 35-39 the number drops to 82%.

it is only recently that the health impacts of older sperm are being discussed, and lo and behold, "our research suggests that men, too, have a biological time clock," said Brenda Eskenazi.

of course they also have a biological clock. they’re also made of biology.

the temporal viability of eggs is rarely set against that of sperm. a person is born with a set number of eggs that gradually decrease as they drip out month by month. but sperms are not set. they regenerate and copy themselves, and as more and more copies are made throughout a lifetime more and more changes will arise in the copies. “after puberty men continuously produce new sperm. mutations can occur and accumulate in the DNA of sperm-forming cells, and environmental exposures can change the genes in sperm themselves”. such mutations may be neither intrinsically good nor bad but their influence exists.

often there are also claims about the increased likelihood of spontaneous abortions (also known as miscarriages) in cases of pregnancies over 35. the chance of a spontaneous abortion is typically attributed to the pregnant person, despite the fact that the age of the impregnating person has been shown to increase the risk of spontaneous abortion, independent of other factors including the age of the pregnant person.

this is neither to advocate nor disparage pregnancy at any age but to underline the arbitrary locations of where we believe fertility and viability lie. a pregnant person over 35 is repeatedly made aware of the risks, but plenty of people impregnate others well into their 60s and no one asks them if they’re worried about their geriatric state and the impact it might have on the child. despite having first been described in 1912 the paternal age effect rarely finds a mention in parenting magazines or websites.

often, having a child later in life leads to generally positive outcomes. a 2016 study from denmark finds that being an older parent is “associated with less frequent use of verbal and physical sanctions towards children”, while a study from sweden in the same years found that “fertility postponement even up to maternal ages above 40 is associated with positive long‐term outcomes for children”. not to mention that a person who bears a their last child later in life (past the age of 33) has two times the odds of living up to the top 5th percentile than those who bear a child before the age of 29.

[[funnily enough, while giving birth can increase telomere length (which is one of the factors associated with aging) leading to longevity, castration has also been shown to lead to a longer life expectancy/life span]]

on the other side of this, while people should have children at whatever age they wish, people should also be able to disregard the act of being pregnant altogether. in scotland, a 22 year old is currently petitioning the NHS to change their guidelines in order to have a hysterectomy due to her debilitating pain, persistent bleeding, and needing to take iron supplements as a result. her initial request was denied primarily due to the fact that she doesn’t yet have children as well as her ‘young age’, as NHS stipulations say that a person must be at least 35.

that magic 18th century number of fertility.

“The depiction of women as prepregnant might seem at least unduly one-sided when an ethic of anticipatory motherhood is at work in reproductive policy strategies without a concurrent ethic of anticipatory fatherhood, especially given the fact that most men also become fathers”. examples of the lop-sided obsession with fertility are innumerable. in United Automobile Workers v. Johnson Controls, Inc. the company sought to exclude fertile people with uteruses because of the risk of lead toxicity, a seemingly noble endeavour, while fertile people without uteruses were happily welcomed onto the payroll. the CDC has put out guidelines for those who might be pre-pregnant ranging from not owning cats to taking folic acid because “you may not be ready to have a baby, but your body’s been preparing for years…”.

the notion of a biological clock implies a debt owed to biology that we can’t ignore for the sake of our own desires. that the well-being of future generations should always be prioritized and it is the responsibility of all fertile parties to protect and fortify their fertility.

but if this imperative is truly a biological imperative than every fertile person should be equally subjected to its scrutiny.

and they’re not. because it’s not.

and as always, such advocates of biological imperatives freely pick and choose what biology they wish to impose, participating in their own form of shitty kleptogenesis.

marina manoukian is a reader and writer and collage artist. she currently resides in berlin while she studies and works. she likes honey and she loves bees. you can find more of her words and images at marinamanoukian.com or twitter/instagram at @crimeiscommon.

Concern Of A Black Mermaid

http://tinyurl.com/yyq7cetx It ought to have been a easy dream come true.  Nineteen-year-old Halle Bailey, one half of the sister singing sensation Chloe x Halle, has been tapped to play the lead within the reside motion model of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. “After an intensive search it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that uncommon mixture of spirit, coronary heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a wonderful singing voice— all intrinsic qualities essential to play this iconic position,” mentioned director Robert Marshall, Jr. in a press release to NBC News. However Bailey is black. So the seaweed hit the fan. “ARIEL IS WHITE WITH RED HAIR!” mentioned the cultural police in a never-ending stream of online complaints, some pretty racist.  Bailey had loads of defenders, including entertainment heavyweights Kerry Washington, Chrissy Teigen, Zendaya, and Ariana Grande. Jodie Benson, the unique voice of Ariel within the 1989 animated movie was requested about it on stage on the popular culture mega-convening, Florida Supercon. “We must be storytellers,” Benson said. “And it doesn’t matter what we appear to be on the skin, irrespective of our race, our nation, the colour of our pores and skin, our dialect, whether or not I’m tall or skinny, whether or not I’m obese or underweight, or my hair is no matter colour, we actually want to inform the story.” Certainly we do. The concept that a fictional mermaid ought to eternally stay a white lady as a result of Hans Christian Anderson, her creator, was white, and Disney introduced her as white previously, is a troublesome one to defend within the fashionable age. “Brandy [who played Cinderella in a 1997 film version] walked so Halle Bailey may swim,” tweeted leisure reporter Kevin Fallon. However simply because the outrage doesn’t observe, it doesn’t imply that it isn’t deeply felt. There are extra than simply Euro-centric notions of magnificence at play, although they continue to be highly effective and difficult to dismantle. It’s additionally that white folks can expertise anguish, even unconsciously so, once they lose the societal advantages hooked up to whiteness. An anti-bias facilitator and educator named Val Brown posted some research on Twitter that helps illuminate this phenomenon. (She’s a treasure, by the best way. Her on-line dialogue discussion board for educators #ClearTheAir, repeatedly tackles thorny matters on inclusion. Comply with her here.) The paper was by Gloria Ladson-Billings, a pedagogical theorist, researcher, and teacher on the College of Wisconsin at Madison known as Just What Is Critical Race Theory and What’s It Doing In a Nice Field Like Education? Within the piece, Ladson-Billings critiques present analysis on race principle, within the hopes of figuring out info that may speed up racial reform in her discipline of training. The necessity for the work was affirmed through the early days of her quest; she describes experiencing marked hostility when presenting working variations of this paper in peer-reviewed settings. Why are you speaking solely about race? What about gender? That form of factor.  Whereas all the paper is price your time, Brown flags one part as notably instructive. Ladson-Billings cites a research which requested white school college students whether or not they believed issues have been higher for Blacks nowadays. The solutions have been largely sure. Then the scholars have been requested if they’d be keen to vary place with African People. None would. After which this:  “When requested what quantity of compensation they’d search in the event that they have been compelled to “turn out to be Black,’ the scholars ‘appeared to really feel that it will not be misplaced to ask for $50 million, or $1 million for every coming Black yr.’” An fascinating twist within the fictional case for reparations. “In response to [the study]: And this calculation conveys, in addition to something, the worth that white folks place on their very own skins. Certainly, to be white is to own a present whose worth will be appreciated solely after it has been taken away.” Abruptly white Ariel isn’t only a mermaid anymore. The controversy in regards to the Disney manufacturing continues to rage on, although sadly, with out crucial race principle context. The closest we might get comes from Freeform, Disney’s teen channel, who weighed in with an clever response on social media.  “Sure. The unique creator of ‘The Little Mermaid’ was Danish,” they sighed on Instagram. “Ariel…is a mermaid.” You understand, a fictional creature. “However for the sake of argument, let’s say that Ariel, too, is Danish. Danish mermaids will be black as a result of Danish *folks* will be black.” They even had some good issues to say in regards to the crimson hair, too. However finally, they put the accountability again the place it belongs, although not in the identical manner that Ladson-Billings may. “So in any case that is mentioned and completed, and you may’t get previous the concept selecting the unbelievable, sensational, highly-talented, beautiful Halle Bailey is something apart from INSPIRED casting that it’s as a result of ‘she doesn’t appear to be the cartoon one,’ oh boy do I’ve information for you… about you.” On Level Senator Mitch McConnell, who opposed reparations, is descended from enslavers A group from NBC Information put their geneology hats on to find that the Senator’s two great-great-grandfathers, James McConnell and Richard Daley, owned at the very least 14 enslaved folks in Limestone County, Alabama. And in accordance with the 1850 and 1860 censuses, all however two have been girls. They ranged in age from 2 to 20, and 4 have been recognized within the county “Slave Schedules” as “mulatto.” Click on by way of for some fascinating historical past, intertwined with the Senator’s report on civil and voting rights. Nothing about his tackle Ariel, but.  NBC News ‘The Chicago Defender,’ a century-old African American newspaper, ceases print operations The bylines learn like a who’s who of black historical past, and the tales it coated, from lynchings, to integration, civil rights and past, turned an important report of tales that white-owned media ignored or bought fallacious. Many imagine The Defender’s distinctive perspective on Northern black life throughout Jim Crow, turned the catalyst for the Nice Migration. “It’s an financial resolution,” says Hiram E. Jackson, chief government of Actual Occasions Media which owns a spate of black newspapers. “[B]ut it’s extra an effort to ensure that The Defender has one other 100 years.” New York Times The place are the wage will increase?The final election cycle noticed minimal wage will increase authorized by voters in all kinds of native municipalities throughout the nation. However 25 states legislatures, in largely crimson states, have expressly blocked cities from upholding the wage will increase. Consequently, some 350,000 staff have misplaced a complete of $1.5 billion per yr, in accordance with a research by the Nationwide Employment Regulation Challenge. The transfer hurts girls, immigrants and folks of colour who’re disproportionately present in low-wage jobs. “Missouri was one of the crucial egregious examples of an overwhelmingly white legislature undoing the desire of native communities,” a co-author of the report tells race and economics reporter Tracy Jan. “Preemption has been used as a instrument to undermine increased wages, shield company earnings, and cancel the voices of blacks and Latinos.” Washington Post On Background Chicago-based enterprise advisory teams are discovering methods to assist Latinx entrepreneurs In response to the latest census, there have been greater than 14,000 Latinx-owned companies within the Chicago space in 2016, a small however rising financial drive. However assets like financing and enterprise coaching applications, typically performed solely in English, remained skinny. However two enterprise teams are discovering methods to supply counseling and help not solely in Spanish, however within the outlying neighborhoods have been the entrepreneurs are prone to reside. “I didn’t know what steps to take,” the proprietor of a small electrical set up firm advised the Chicago Tribune, in Spanish. “I didn’t even understand I wanted a banking account for my enterprise, not to mention how you can register my firm.” Chicago Tribune You understand it’s working if persons are uncomfortable Atila Roque, the Ford Basis’s director in Brazil, begins this elegant essay about privilege along with his personal second of discomfort. He’d been invited to a members-only membership in Rio de Janeiro, and all of a sudden felt disoriented. “I felt a mix of dazzle and discomfort…it was as if, at any second, I is perhaps unmasked as somebody who didn’t belong,” he mentioned. As a person of colour, he’d been given short-term entry to a white, privileged house, a clear well-appointed oasis with stunning views that belie the existence of the impoverished favelas just some miles away. Progress hinges upon the willingness to make privileged folks, like these on the membership, squirm a bit, he says. “Privilege may be very snug. However preventing the type of inequality that results in nice struggling for therefore many would require disrupting that privilege, and breaking down among the boundaries that allow and protect it.” Ford Foundation Police killings come from a racist tradition Analysis led by Ryerson College psychologist Eric Hehman (who appears very cool) exhibits that the unconscious racial biases of white communities informs the tradition of racism inside police departments, and finally to the disproportionate use of drive towards black folks. From this attitude, bias mitigation within the recruitment and coaching of law enforcement officials just isn’t going to assist a lot. The issue is greater than them. “The context through which law enforcement officials work is considerably related to disproportionate use of deadly drive,” mentioned Hehman’s group. Click on by way of for the fascinating methodology. The group used information from Challenge Implicit, a Harvard College-created net instrument that measures unconscious biases. Greater than 4 million folks have taken the exams since 2003. The group centered on outcomes of 1.eight million black and white People, narrowed additional into geographical areas. African People and Latinx are disproportionately extra probably than whites to be killed by the police. Pacific Standard Quote “Burn Hollywood burn I scent a riot / Goin’ on first they’re responsible now they’re gone / Yeah I’ll take a look at a film / However it’ll take a black one to maneuver me / Get me the hell away from this TV / All this information and views are beneath me / So all I hear about is pictures ringin’ out / About gangs puttin’ every others head out / So I reasonably kick some slang out / All proper fellas let’s go hand out / Hollywood or would they not / Make us all look unhealthy like I do know that they had / However some issues I’ll always remember yeah / So step and fetch this shit / For all of the years we appeared like clowns / The joke is over scent the smoke from throughout / Burn Hollywood burn” —Public Enemy from Fear Of A Black Planet Source link