PREVIOUS THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY July 4 2011 to July 10 2011 Monday July 4 Soonish Dear Jonathan, In your predictions, you often use the word 'soon'. This is a very subjective word and it could serve to feed false expectations in this sense. Have you thought about replacing it with a more specific term? Adriana Dear Adriana, Soon is, indeed, a very subjective word but then, the whole experience of reading a zodiac forecast is a very subjective experience. Two people born under the same sign may well read the same prediction differently. It is my job to allow for that in the way I write, without being overly vague and open to interpretation. Tuesday July 5 Dear Jonathan, My Dad is an engineer. I am a lawyer. My sister teaches technology and my brother is a science graduate. Our Dad would always tell us, 'Astrology is not science'. I always pointed out to him that science started as alchemy! You can't say things are only real if they have been scientifically proven. Anything 'scientifically proven' is based on a big assumption that may be out of date in a few hundred years. Astrology, by contrast, is thousands of years old, older than most languages. And as a language at least, it is time proven. Melissa. Wednesday July 6 Jonathan, I've been studying personality types used in psychology (extrovert, introvert etc). Have you noticed a similarity between these types and particular sun signs? Bruce Bruce, Some say they 'oscillate' through the zodiac. Extrovert or outgoing signs include Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius and Aquarius. Introverted or shy signs include Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces. But just as those psychological definitions are a bit narrow (nobody is entirely introverted or extroverted), so the signs defy such simplistic categorisation. It is perfectly possible to find a reserved Leo, an assertive Virgo, a quiet Gemini or a limelight-loving Piscean. Thursday July 7 True Potential Hi Jonathan, Following on from your comments about meditation, in Nichiren Buddhism we say, 'earthly desires are enlightenment' and 'the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana'. This means we need not separate ourselves from our desires or try to find a higher realm to exist in because we are already there. We just need to see that what we really want is to be happy and to recognise that true, lasting happiness doesn't come from achieving our material desires but from the inner transformation we make in striving to achieve those desires and revealing our true potential. Meredith Friday July 8 Dear Jonathan, Meditation makes us feel more peaceful and want less. There's nothing wrong with wanting good external conditions but results from meditation depend upon intention. I find that meditation makes me calmer and more inclined to develop inner qualities than external ones. Mike Dear Jonathan, I am amazed how many people just do not understand what meditation is. You sit and watch the flow of thoughts without responding to them. As a wise Buddhist said, be like an old man watching a child play. Don't get involved. This is how we learn detachment and self-mastery. Helen Saturday July 9 Your Week Ahead Uranus, this week, is stationary. Only an astrologer can say that. Planets don't ever truly stand still. They move at a constant, steady pace. But, then, so do we. Imagine the sky is a track and the planets are trains. If you are on one train, passing a slower train and you look through the window, it will appear as if the slower train is standing still or moving backwards. There. That's the astronomy. Now here's the 'symbolic astrology'. Uranus, 'the magician', is waiting to pull a rabbit out of its hat. Expect the unexpected in your life soon! Sunday July 10 Your Week Ahead - Love Focus Uranus, this week, is stationary. Only an astrologer can say that. Planets don't ever truly stand still. They move at a constant, steady pace. But, then, so do we. Imagine the sky is a track and the planets are trains. If you are on one train, passing a slower train and you look through the window, it will appear as if the slower train is standing still or moving backwards. There. That's the astronomy. Now here's the 'symbolic astrology'. Uranus, 'the magician', is waiting to pull a rabbit out of its hat. Expect the unexpected in your life soon! Back to Index   Click here for Jonathan Cainer's Daily Zodiac Forecasts