THIS TOO....

I've sometimes wondered what astrologers do when in need of a lift out of the doldrums. We ordinary mortals often reach for the chocolate, the apple pie, ice cream, or the bottle of Scotch, Vodka, etc. I'm not insinuating that astrologers aren't ordinary mortals, of course, perish the thought! But they are in a position to know more about themselves and the future, and their future than the average person on the street. So, do they have an antidote for the blues?

I ask this because current events, news and commentary on-line these days can lead one to feel despairing, desolate, downright depressed. So, what could astrology offer as a pick-me-up of the non-fattening, non-inebriating kind?

As a non-astrologer, but with some knowledge of the subject, I'd say this: "Nothing stays the same for long, everything changes. Just as the planets move in regular cycles, so does life. A bad patch is followed by a good patch, and vice-versa. Some patches take longer than others to give way to the next stage - these are what we call "the bad times" and "the good times". Enjoy the latter while you can and during the former resign yourself to putting on weight and drinking more than you should".

The old adage "This too shall pass" tells much the same story as astrology. That sentiment, Wikipedia tells us,

is often expressed in wisdom literature throughout history and across cultures, this particular phrasing appears to date to the early 19th century, appearing in a collection of tales by the English poet Edward Fitzgerald. It was notably employed in a speech by Abraham Lincoln before he became the sixteenth President of the United States. Fitzgerald's usage of the phrase is in the context of a retelling of a Persian fable. Some versions of the fable, beginning with that of Attar of Nishapur, add the detail that the phrase is inscribed on a ring, which has the ability to make the happy man sad and the sad man happy.