The constellation of Leo is emphasized in the skies at present, until Virgo takes over towards the end of the week. Leo is the sign that demands love, passion and creativity. (And do these aspects target or mark the individual at some part of his/her life, especially if you are a Leo sun-sign!) This fixed, fiery sign’s demands are often dramatic and larger than life itself. There has been much activity in this constellation over the last weeks… affecting all of us in different ways. Most of the planets have traversed this space just recently... Venus for one, in her forty day retrograde period at present… she continues to weave havoc in the money markets globally. (See last month’s newsletter!).

Venus started her retrograde on the 27 th July and continues until 7 th September 2007. This traditionally is a period where “Love and/or Money” are pressurised. Well the “sweeties” of life might be a little unsettled for most of us at present. On individual levels, we are advised to work conscientiously and intent fully during this period, then great gifts potentially emerge from the first week of September as the sign of the Virgin begins to strengthen. This sign represents purity and service; Venus coincidentally moves into her direct motion during this time. So see this as a changing period, a deadline to your struggle, if you like.

Claim your values at this point and allow the rest to find its own space without you worrying about how it all will happen! Consider this forty-day period as being a major clean up of both financial issues and relationship dilemma’s. If you achieve this, then that truly is first prize!  We need precision and a measured understanding to cope with this time frame. Organise brainstorming sessions with people you trust and care about also use professionals to cater to your self analysis’s needs.

Our summer/winter seasons are almost over, so we now unconsciously get ready to meet the next season in space; this starts on the equinox, the 21 st Sept, as the sun reaches the position of the earth’s equator; another deadline in your clean up process! New growth starts from the 21 st September onwards.

By Anita Noyes-Smith
Classical/Medieval Astrologer
To contact Anita, click here

The heart is believed to be the seat of the soul as all emotions and feelings are stored here as well as in the brain. The heart never stops working; it is nourished with each beat by the most oxygenated portion of blood. It has its own electrical system and is surrounded by an electric field that is registered by ECG. It produces two distinct sounds: systolic and diastolic. The heart communicates with the rest of the body through the cardio-peptides that it secretes. Interestingly, the heart does not develop cancer, nor is it affected by metastases. The heart works together with the small intestine. An efficient assimilation of nutrients ensures a strong heart function.

Because the heart is a muscle, it is strengthened by adequate exercise, but excessive exercise can lead to initial hypertrophy of the heart muscle followed by gradual weakening later in life. Good circulation depends on efficient heart function - if the heart muscle is weakened the circulation is sluggish. Breathlessness and swelling of the legs are the first symptoms of poor circulation. So don’t forget to have a cold shower in the morning. It keeps you warm throughout the day.

The heart meridian starts from the tips of the small fingers on the inner side. The best thing to do during a collapse, therefore, is to apply strong pressure to or bite the small fingers next to the nails. This will bring the person back into consciousness within a few seconds. The tip of the nose reflects the heart’s condition, and short nails show a disposition to heart disease. A burnt body smell indicates heart imbalance, while excessive talking is a sign of heart problems.

The heart is strengthened by joy, laughter, bitter foods, and the colours purple and red. Love nourishes the heart on a subtle level. The heart is weakened by grief, disappointment, a monotonous life, dehydration, deficiencies in oxygen, potassium, calcium, iodine, zinc, selenium, vitamin C/E, and coenzyme Q10. Smoking, alcohol, drugs, viruses, bacteria, parasites, coffee, sugar, gluten and lack of exercise also weaken the heart. The best herb for strengthening the heart muscle is hawthorn.

Keep your heart in tip- top shape and enjoy a healthy and abundant life full of joy and laughter.

By Dr S V Bulatov
Registered homeopath, iridologist and nutritionist
To contact Dr Bulatov, click here

Take back your Life
By Judy Klipin

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With all the recent media and publicity about the crime statistics, Joburgers are understandably feeling stressed and fearful of crime. Judy Klipin, the resident Life Coach at Soul Zentre, offers a process to enable people to identify what they are scared of, and how best to address that fear. Through enabling clients to identify exactly what makes them feel vulnerable and afraid, rather than just having a generalised feeling of anxiety and panic, I empower them to take the steps necessary to feel braver and less isolated. Life coaching is an incredibly valuable process that empowers clients through taking them through a process which allows them to identify where they are their lives, where they would like to be, and how best to get there. Life coaching can be – and is- used in many different areas – executive coaching, relationship coaching, general life design coaching. Coaching around fear of crime is a logical combination of my skills and experience in the criminal justice sector in SA with my life coaching skills.

The fact is that we live in a country that has incredibly high- and currently rising levels of crime in general and violent crime in particular. It is not surprising, then, that people feel scared and vulnerable. This fear is fed by various things such as the media, dinner table conversation, and the fact that more and more people have either been victims themselves, or are close to someone who has been victimised. Aside from the experience- direct or indirect- of victimisation, factors such a sense of isolation and the physical environment also contribute enormously to people’s levels of fear and feelings of vulnerability.

Fear of crime can have a profound impact on the quality of life of individuals. We all know people who are too sacred to go to certain places, to drive at night, etc. And as security companies know, often people respond to this crime by building higher walls, increasing their security and reducing the time spent outside of their personal fortresses. The irony is that we know, and international research shows, that the more isolated a person is, the more vulnerable they feel and probably are to crime. Fear of crime therefore becomes a vicious cycle that feeds off of itself.

There are ways to address fear of crime. We can address issues of environmental design (increased lighting, palisade fencing instead of high walls, etc) and target hardening (burglar alarms, armed response, electric fencing) which in turn may help us to feel safer inside our homes. But in order to address fear of crime really effectively, and start to create more social and community cohesion, which will in turn reduce feelings of isolation, I think we need to intervene at individual and group levels.

By Judy Klipin
Stellar Life Design
Martha Beck Certified Life Coach
To contact Judy, click here