Page 812 – Good Times

Music Picks June 21—27

GT Staff

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June 21, 2017

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Live music highlights for the week of June 21, 2017.

WEDNESDAY 6/21

COUNTRY

BITTER DIAMONDS

An outlaw country outfit from San Francisco, the Bitter Diamonds play “old school country for modern times.” Comprising Charles Verlin on vocals and guitar, Ian Michell on bass, Jody Clarke on pedal steel, Mike Saliani on lead guitar and Mark Grupe on drums, the band got its start—as legend goes—when Verlin finished a thermos of day-old coffee in the parking lot of the Say When Casino in McDermitt, Nevada. Although it’s not clear what that has to do with the band, it’s their story and they’re sticking to it. Also on the bill: the Western Wednesday Allstar Band, featuring standouts from our local country and honky-tonk bands. This month’s featured player is the one and only Jim Lewin. CJ

INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.

THURSDAY 6/22

ELECTRONIC

CRYSTAL METHOD

Twenty years ago, ’90s electronic duo the Crystal Method released their classic album Vegas to much acclaim and remarkable sales. It’s important to remember that during this time electronic music was primarily a niche genre. The Crystal Method was one of a handful of bands in this era (Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers) that took the sound to a mainstream alt-rock audience. Their aggressive, punk-charged dance music sound felt oh-so-cozy in the ’90s, and carries on today. AC

INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $25. 429-4135.

THURSDAY 6/22

JAZZ

BASSDRUMBONE

With its unusual instrumentation, fearless approach to improvisation, and four-decade track record of extraordinary music, BassDrumBone should be a left-field jazz institution. But the collective trio is still something of an underground phenomenon, due to a long hiatus or two and a confusing discography. What’s crystal clear is the interactive brio of bass master Mark Helias, exploratory drummer Gerry Hemingway, and muscular trombonist Ray Anderson, a player with a startling vivid vocabulary of bluesy smears, burry blasts and singing phrases. Following up on the double album The Long Road, one of last year’s most consistently inspired recordings, the trio hits Santa Cruz on a tour marking the band’s 40th anniversary. ANDREW GILBERT

INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $25/adv, $30/door. 427-2227.

THURSDAY 6/22

AMERICANA

WALCOTTS

If you think it’s strange that a band from L.A. is playing Americana, don’t worry. Walcotts, the band in question, injects a bit of theatrics into the sound, and bends the rules of the genre in unexpected ways. The nine-piece band play elements of old-timey jazz, heartland anthems and good old-fashioned American folk. It’s an authentic tribute to the roots music of this great country, but a song like “Coalinga” is something only a Californian would ever think to write. AC

INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.

FRIDAY 6/23

ROCK

THE WEIGHT

Ahhh, the Band. So many hits, so many memories. “The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” “The Weight.” The hits just keep coming. The Weight is a band of musicians who were either in the Band or “are deeply connected to [its] legacy.” Comprising Jim Weider from the Band, Brian Mitchell from the Levon Helm Band, Marty Grebb, who wrote for the Band, and more, the Weight pays loving tribute to the pioneering country-rock act whose legacy and influence is alive and well. CJ

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 479-1854.

SATURDAY 6/24

SOUL/VOCALS

ALICE SMITH

Singer-songwriter Alice Smith experienced both rural and urban life growing up in both Washington, D.C. and on a farm in Georgia. She masterfully blends these two cultures in her music, which spans folk, blues, rock, soul and R&B. From her 2006 debut album, For Lovers, Dreamers & Me, which showcases Smith’s easy handle on country, classic funk and everything in-between, to her 2015 cover of Nina Simone’s song, “I Put a Spell on You” on Nina Revisited, Smith has carved a unique space for herself on the contemporary vocals landscape. CJ

INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $27/adv, $37/door. 427-2227.

SUNDAY 6/25

ROCK

RACHEL LARK

Witty, bawdy, and with a deceptively innocent voice, San Francisco musician Rachel Lark is unlike most singer songwriters. Her sexually positive songs like “Warm, Bloody and Tender” and “It’s Hard to Be a Feminist and Still Want Dick” have earned her major props from critics, and she’s a regular guest on Dan Savage’s podcast, Lovecast. Admittedly, her music might not be for everyone, but for those who want gender equality and keep their sense of humor during the fight, Lark will quickly become a favorite. Sunday night she rocks Don Quixote’s with her multimedia rock opera Studies Have Shown. MAT WEIR

INFO: 7 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $10/adv, $12/door. 335-2800.

MONDAY 6/26

INDIE

CAT POWER

It’s been five years since the last album of original material from Cat Power aka Chan Marshall. Sun relied heavily on synths and autotune, a departure for her that left open the question of what exactly Cat Power sounds like now. But it doesn’t really matter, because Cat Power has evolved into a musical force unto herself. When she started in the ’90s, her lo-fi indie-folk sound fit within a larger context of the era’s alternative scene, but by the end of the century, her hypnotic songs had taken on a character of their own, and every expansion of her sonic palette seems natural. AC

INFO: 8 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $35/gen, $50/gold. 423-8209.

MONDAY 6/26

REGGAE

GAPPY RANKS

For those who like to give big thanks and praise in the form of booty-shaking dance moves, look no further than Gappy Ranks. The London born Jamaican Dancehall artist first hit the major music scene with the dancehall collective Suncycle. After two albums, Gappy left the group in 2004, cutting his own path in the reggae scene. Thirteen years and seven releases later, Ranks also owns the label Hot Coffee Music, and has made a name for himself producing other reggae and dancehall artists like JBoog, Busy Signal and many more. Opening acts for Gappy Ranks include the 7th Street Band, and Rocker T, turning those Monday blues into the red, green, and gold of rasta. MW

INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $13/adv, $15/door. 429-4135.

IN THE QUEUE

MEDFLYS

Monterey Bay ska, new wave and rock. Friday at Don Quixote’s

ACOUSTIC ALCHEMY

Renowned acoustic guitar fusion band. Friday at Kuumbwa

SPIRIT OF ’76

Grateful Dead tribute. Saturday at Don Quixote’s

SMASHELTOOTH AND THE PIRATE

DJ power-couple and friends benefit local mural project. Sunday at Moe’s Alley

GALACTIC

Funk and jazz out of New Orleans. Tuesday at Catalyst

Giveaway: Hop N Barley Beer & BBQ Festival

Cat Johnson

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June 21, 2017

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Santa Cruz has become a destination town for appreciators of craft beer. With a growing number of breweries, pour rooms and beer events, the town’s reputation is solidly established. On July 15, more than 50 craft breweries and 12 cideries will sample their creations at Skypark in Scotts Valley for the eighth Hop N’ Barley Beer Festival. Also on tap for the day are food vendors, lawn games and two stages of live music featuring Kaa Pow, the Leftovers, Windy Hill, Daze on the Green and Ancestree (above).

INFO: 10 a.m. Saturday, July 15. Scotts Valley Skypark, 361 Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley. $5-$55. hopnbarley.org. WANT TO GO? Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Friday, June 30 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the festival.

Love Your Local Band: Dan Too

A&E
Music

Aaron Carnes

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June 21, 2017

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Dan Too sounds like part of an incomplete sentence. Also, who is Dan One? Clearly, this name requires some context. “Dan One” is actually Dan Juan, a musical project belonging to Daniel Talamantes. He started Dan Juan about a year ago. Then last September, he started Dan Too, because he didn’t have enough “Dan” themed bands, apparently.

In truth, though, he’s a little ambivalent about the names.

“I did not come up with either of those names, but they’re sticking at this point, I guess,” Talamantes says.

The first “Dan” band, an indie rock project, features members of bluegrass ensemble Steep Ravine, who are on the road frequently. “There’d be a month or two recess and I’d want to keep playing and writing,” says Talamantes.

The second “Dan” band he started, to fill in the gaps, ended up being more in the realm of alt-country. Now that both bands are fully formed, he has the ability to take material to whichever band it fits the best. Or sometimes, whoever happens to be practicing next.

“I bring it and if it doesn’t catch with one, I’ll bring it to the other and see what happens,” Talamantes says.

The remaining members of Dan Too include drummer Jon Payne, pedal steel/guitar player Ian Park, and bassist Tyler Larson. People might be familiar with them from a whole slew of local bands like the Painted Horses, Scary Little Friends and Dos Osos. I guess you could call it a local all-star band, although Talamantes says that just about every local band is an all-star band, so maybe that’s not a huge deal.

“Santa Cruz these days almost feels like a lottery machine. You pull the trigger and see who shows up for what instrument. This is what’s happening these days in Santa Cruz music,” Talamantes says.

INFO: 9 p.m. Saturday, June 24. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.

Class Honors Mary Holmes’ Life of Meaning, Paradox and Love

Local News

Andrea Patton

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June 21, 2017

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Class Honors Mary Holmes’ Life of Meaning, Paradox and Love

In his four years helping UCSC students search for deeper meaning in their lives, artist Addi Somekh has seen firsthand the impact of young people discussing big concepts.

“Teaching is a very spiritual job, because you’re broadcasting these seeds, and you don’t know where they’ll end up in the future,” says Somekh, a UCSC grad himself, reflecting on his recent class, Meaning, Paradox, and Love, which wrapped up earlier this month. “You’re almost like a prism where the light shoots through you, and then it shoots out in all these different directions, and the light gets picked up by someone else and they’re going to run with it.”

Somekh’s spring class—inspired by many conversations with his mentor Mary Holmes—is part philosophy and part writing, with an emphasis on connecting with others through deep personal conversations. Every student interviewed someone in the community more than 70 years old to talk about life. In a town where many locals often bemoan the disconnect between university students and the rest of the city, each conversation bridged a “generational divide,” Somekh says, establishing an intimate bond between complete strangers.

“It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life,” says Georgia Sullivan, a freshman anthropology student.

Somekh was a student at UCSC from 1990-1994, and he met Holmes when he was 19 years old at Penny University, an informal gathering created by Cowell College Founder Paige Smith. (The group has been meeting every Monday for nearly 40 years.) Holmes, who was among Cowell’s founding faculty, was 80 at the time, and she taught lessons that he’s passed onto his students, he says.

“Mary would say that everybody has to find some meaning in life,” says Somekh, who’s bounced back and forth over the years between Santa Cruz and Los Angeles, where he returned after the school year ended. “People won’t live meaningless lives. So the search for meaning is universal. The nature of paradox is universal, because paradox is the mystery of the operating system of the universe. And that love is so powerful that even the absence of love affects people. So the search for meaning, the nature of paradox, and the power of love are universal experiences that connect all human beings.”

The foundation of the class, Somekh says, was the interview assignment, with students mining their subject’s experiences for priceless insights.

“The DNA of the class is for a college student to find someone who is older and ask them questions about what this whole thing is about,” he explains. “When you’re in the fourth quarter, you can look back and start making sense and be at peace with things that you were never able to change—that could be a cautionary tale for somebody who is about to enter the real world.”

Back in Somekh’s student days, his own conversations with Holmes—who died in 2002—turned into 80 hours of interviews that later served as the subject of his book, Mary Holmes: Paintings and Ideas. A few years ago, Faye Crosby, then the provost of Cowell College, saw the book and invited Somekh to start teaching a class. The first class, four years ago, only had 13 students. The following year that doubled. This year, 130 students signed up.

“The way Mary affected me is that she was like emotional Windex. When she would talk, everything that was murky was clear. I could see better. I had better perspective,” Somekh says.

Students in his class read books like Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, and heard from perspectives from various speakers, including a man who was released from jail at age 70, eager to live the rest of his life.

For her assignment, Sullivan interviewed an intersex Vietnam veteran who she met while working at the Penny Ice Creamery’s downtown kiosk. The two met several times afterward, with Sullivan accumulating eight hours of interviews. The interviewee told Sullivan that she liked that the 19-year-old wasn’t afraid to ask anything. “We established this really close connection because her tears were falling on my hands, and she was sharing these really intimate things,” Sullivan says.

Sullivan says the class inspired her to ask questions that she never would have asked before.

For many students, the experience has been life-changing. Somekh says one student had had a bad year and interviewed a man who had scoliosis and had been told he couldn’t heal from it. But he managed to get better by stretching with a stick. “All the shit that she was depressed about—she realized that she could take control of her destiny,” Somekh says. “She said, ‘I’m not a victim. If I see how this guy survived something that was so much worse than what I was going through, I could handle this.’ That’s really the whole point.”

When each student finished their paper, they sent a copy to the interviewee.

The challenge is for students to break out of their comfort zones and learn in unconventional ways, says Somekh, an artist best known for his life as a balloon-twister. (He will have an installation at the Museum of Art and History in August that will touch on similar themes, Somekh says, and include a giant balloon sculpture called “Elephant and Six Blind Indian Guys.”)

Next year, Somekh—who owns his own company, New Balloon Art—may take a break from the class while he focuses on his craft. Last spring, students told Somekh that, out of the three class sections, they enjoyed paradox the most.

“Paradox is the mysterious ecosystem of the universe—the yin and yang—the fact that two things can be totally opposite and both true,” Somekh says. “For instance, if you’re a surfer, you have to be submissive to the wave, but you have to be in control.”

Film Review: ‘Beatriz at Dinner’

A&E
Film

Lisa Jensen

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June 21, 2017

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She’s a selfless woman of color, a massage therapist and healer who works with cancer patients—so attuned to nature, she keeps a rescue goat in her apartment. He’s a toxic, filthy rich, white, male real estate developer with the morals of a jackal, who thinks nothing of displacing entire communities and ecosystems with his gigantic global building projects. What happens when their worlds collide at a dinner party?

That’s the setup for Beatriz at Dinner. But while it talks a good game in the preview trailer, it can’t quite rise to the challenge of its premise. This third collaboration between screenwriter Mike White and director Miguel Arteta (after Chuck and Buck, and The Good Girl) is all about the meticulous construction of these two opposite worlds, and setting them on the road to confrontation. But all the filmmakers’ credibility is used up establishing this premise. Once that’s done, the movie loses steam, and starts flailing around in search of a conclusion.

A profoundly de-glamorized Salma Hayek stars as Beatriz, a Mexican native from a tiny village who immigrated to California as a child, to be raised by her grandmother. A practitioner of reiki, tai-chi, massage, and other healing arts, she works with patients at a Los Angeles cancer center, and also chugs around in her dilapidated old car to private clients. Beatriz believes that people with “unfinished business” in one life come back in another form to make amends. A vegetarian, she’s so empathetic with the natural world that she says she can “feel the pain” of dead animals.

One of her clients, Cathy (Connie Britton), is a society wife in a ritzy gated community in Newport Beach. Cathy’s teenage daughter was a cancer patient for a while, where she and her mother both bonded with Beatriz; Cathy credits Beatriz with saving her daughter’s life. So when Beatriz’ car conks out in her driveway, Cathy is happy to invite Beatriz to stay for dinner while waiting for her mechanic to arrive.

But it’s not just any dinner. Cathy’s husband is a contractor whose biggest client, real estate mogul Doug Strutt (John Lithgow), is the guest of honor. Arriving with his third wife in a chauffeur-driven Lincoln SUV, Strutt (as you can tell from his name) is a smug peacock, proud of his shady business practices—like defoliating “protected” lands before he gets permits to develop, so there’s nothing left to protect. His philosophy is “the world is dying . . . so you might as well enjoy yourself.”

Strutt’s sycophantic young lawyer and his wife (Jay Duplass and Chloe Sevigny) round out the guest list, alcohol is consumed, and agendas are revealed. At first, everybody ignores deferential Beatriz, until Strutt, assuming she’s part of the staff, asks her to refresh his drink. The gulf between these two worlds is underscored when Cathy’s tale of her daughter’s cancer scare makes the other women so uncomfortable, they quickly switch the conversation to a “reality” TV star, whose travails are much more real to them.

Screenwriter White is accomplished in the cinema of discomfort, and there are times you can’t bear to look at the screen as the characters attempt to cope—or not—with an increasingly embarrassing situation. But the expected clash-of-the-titans between saintly Beatriz and deplorable Strutt never quite materializes. For one thing, they’re written as such extreme polar opposites, we know they are never going to have a dialogue. And as soon as the filmmakers figure this out, there’s a great deal of floundering around in search of an exit strategy.

Unfortunately, the one they finally come up with makes no sense in terms of everything we’ve been told about the character, or even the simple mechanics of how things work in daily life. We’re left to view the story as metaphor, but since any similarity between the odious Strutt and the current blowhard-in-chief is entirely intentional, the movie doesn’t even satisfy on that level. It seems to address the chasm between the top 2 percent and the rest of us without offering either solutions or catharsis.

BEATRIZ AT DINNER

**1/2 (out of four)

With Salma Hayek, John Lithgow, and Connie Britton. Written by Mike White. Directed by Miguel Arteta. A Roadside Attractions release. Rated R. 83 minutes.

Cork and Fork Offers Wine, Food, and Knowledge

Aaron Carnes

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June 21, 2017

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Cork and Fork Offers Wine, Food, and Knowledge

So, you love wine. Where do you go to be surrounded by other people who love wine as much as you—maybe more? Cathy Bentley’s new wine and food bar Cork and Fork is just the place. Bentley knows pretty much everything about wine, but the good news is that you don’t have to know as much as her to fit in. She loves educating wine newbies just as much as she loves getting into the nitty gritty details with fellow wine obsessives. I spoke to Bentley about her new establishment, which opened in the spring.

Does the name mean that you place equal importance on food and wine?

CATHY BENTLEY: We’re getting there. I am a wine person. I’ve been in the wine industry for about 10 years. I also wanted to add food. There are nine items on our small plate dishes. And we’re going to be adding fresh-made pizzas to order. Last week we did mozzarella-stuffed turkey meatballs, which were a huge hit. Yesterday I did a big batch of pulled pork sliders. Just trying different things each week. I don’t want to be a full restaurant, but I want to have substantial food that goes well with the wine. The pizzas have been my plan all along. I like the thin crust handmade pizzas. We’ve also got truffle Parmesan popcorn, sweet and spicy nuts, cinnamon roasted almonds.

Tell me a little about how you choose wines.

I’ve been in Santa Cruz maybe 25-30 years. I’ve worked at several of the wineries out here. There are certain wineries I really like and admire. I initially went to five different wineries and told them what I was doing and what my goal was. I kept it local, and with the people I know well. I wanted an up-to-date wine list that could be easily managed. I’m going to be doing research and carrying wine from the Paso region, and also the Murphy’s area and El Dorado Hills, and Anderson Valley. This is very personal for me, so I want to buy directly from the wineries. I want to know everything I can possibly know about that winery, so that when I bring it back, I can talk about it. I want to take pictures. I want to have wine club trips. I want to bring people into the wine side of it.

Do you see Cork and Fork as a space for wine geeks to go and geek out?

I love explaining things to a beginning wine person, but I also love talking to winemakers and people that really know a lot. Not just winemakers. And a lot of consumers are really into wine. I love talking to them, also. I don’t know which is more fun. Probably the beginners. I can spew all kinds of information about wine. I started taking classes 12 years ago. I started teaching a of couple years ago.

312 Capitola Ave., Capitola. 435-1110. corkandforkcapitola.com.

Testarossa Winery’s Fruit Forward Chardonnay

Josie Cowden

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June 21, 2017

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Testarossa Winery’s Fruit Forward Chardonnay

The Italian word for “redhead” is testarossa. Years ago, when Rob Jensen was a university student in Italy, he had very red hair and was given the nickname “testarossa.” When he co-founded a winery with his wife Diana Jensen, the name was an obvious choice.

Although Jensen’s degree is in electrical engineering, a minor in the Italian language and culture led him to Assisi, a hill town perched on Mount Subasio in central Italy. An interest in winemaking was even more heightened by experiencing the wonderful wines of Italy.

It’s hard to fault wines made by Testarossa’s longtime winemaker Bill Brosseau—and on a recent trip to their tasting room I was particularly impressed with the 2014 Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay ($38), with its lovely scents of fig, apricot, and lemon, and flavors of apricot and honey. “There is a soulful and engaging element to the finish of the wine,” says Brosseau, “which keeps the taster coming back for more.”

Testarossa Vineyards, 300-A College Ave., Los Gatos. 408-354-6150. testarossa.com

Skov Winery’s Grand Reopening

Remember the lovely boutique Skov Winery in Scotts Valley? After a break of a few years to concentrate on raising teenage daughters and having a house built on their property, owners David and Annette Hunt will have a grand re-opening—and all are welcome. I was glad for the opportunity to visit their new tasting room recently, which has been impressively remodeled—including a brand new deck—and is now spacious, bright and airy. Skov, which is Danish for “forest,” is an appropriate name, as the bucolic property is down a tree-lined road and surrounded by redwoods. Wines are priced reasonably, between $15-$18 a bottle, and Skov will soon offer bottle-your-own events. Skov will be open every Saturday following the re-opening, which is noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 24. Tickets are $10, which includes a wine tasting and some small bites, and music by the Aquacats. Skov Winery is at 2364 Bean Creek Road, Scotts Valley. Visit skovwinery.com or call 854-7384. You can also contact Annette Hunt at [email protected].

How to Work Turmeric Into Your Diet

Andrew Steingrube

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June 21, 2017

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Turmeric, a tropical-plant cousin of ginger, has roots that are so deeply orange they make tanning bed enthusiasts twinge with pangs of jealousy, and they have left yellow stains on many a cutting board. Native to southern Asia, turmeric’s richly hued roots may bring a wealth of health benefits to those who consume it.

“Turmeric is good for people with inflammation,” says Talya Lutzker, a local certified Ayurvedic practitioner for more than 16 years. “Most holistic practitioners believe inflammation is at the root of most diseases.” This includes cancer, arthritis, autoimmune disorders, heart disease, and digestive issues, among others. Many studies have confirmed turmeric’s ability to mitigate inflammation in the body, including a 2009 review published in The International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology that provided evidence that circumin, turmeric’s main bioactive ingredient, may play a role in both the prevention and treatment of inflammatory chronic diseases.

But turmeric’s health-supporting qualities may also extend beyond the body to the mind. A 2013 study published in the journal Behavioural Brain Research showed that curcumin can increase levels of the brain hormone BDNF—low levels of which have been linked to many diseases of the brain, like depression and Alzheimer’s disease. “Turmeric is good at cleaning the blood and opening circulatory pathways,” says Lutzker, who compares the blood and lymph systems to the two rivers of the body. “There is no way that doesn’t reach the brain.”

Turmeric comes in two forms, which Lutzker notes have different properties. Traditionally, turmeric has been thought of as a spice, when its roots are ground and dried. This is also the form available in supplements, which Lutzker advises should be combined with black pepper in order to significantly enhance absorption. She adds that the dried form is most appropriate for people whose constitution is wet, oily, and congested, and for those with high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

The fresh form, which can be purchased at Asian markets and health food stores, is better for people who tend to have drier and hotter constitutions, says Lutzker, who emphasizes the Ayurvedic principle of taking an individual-based approach. “When you use foods and herbs medicinally to shift an issue, feel better, or heal, you should feel their effects,” she says.

Regardless of whether you choose the dried or fresh, the functionally relevant question is how to regularly incorporate turmeric into the diet. For the dried and ground form, Lutzker, who is also the author of the cookbook The Ayurvedic Vegan Kitchen, recommends making a simple spice mix that highlights turmeric’s healing ability. She suggests mixing one-fourth cup ground turmeric with one tablespoon each of black pepper, cinnamon and cardamom, and two tablespoons each of ground coriander and dried rosemary. This mix can then be easily added to a variety of foods like mashed potatoes, salad dressings, vegetables, and even to-go and take-out foods in order to increase their healthfulness. “Always put turmeric with two to three other ‘spice friends’ to aid in assimilating it deep into the tissues,” says Lutzker. “I also really love to put turmeric on eggs. It is a digestively supportive spice for protein digestion,” she says, adding that the spice mix makes a great rub for meat dishes. Another trendy way to eat more turmeric is in “golden milk,” which is simply any type of milk—animal or plant-based—warmed to infuse it with turmeric and other spices. It’s easy to make at home, but is also beginning to appear in stores.

To get more fresh turmeric into the diet, Lutzker says you can use it exactly like garlic or ginger. “One of my favorite things to do with turmeric is to grate it,” she says, recommending two tablespoons on top of soups. “You can also chop it into discs and infuse any pot of grain, like rice,” she adds.

But no matter which form of turmeric is consumed, Lutzker emphasizes the importance of breathing and mindful eating, too. “The most powerful anti-inflammatory we have is oxygen,” she says. “If someone really wants to get the most out of their turmeric, take five deep breaths before taking the first bite. It makes a world of difference to get present before you eat.”

Summer Solstice, Midsummer Night’s Dream

Risa D’Angeles

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June 21, 2017

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Summer Solstice, Midsummer Night’s Dream

Tuesday night (West Coast) and Wednesday morning, just after midnight (East Coast), summer 2017 began. When the Sun enters the sign of Cancer and settles for three days in its northern-most position—the Tropic of Cancer—it’s summer solstice. Solstice is derived from the Latin word sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the Sun stands still (“sun-standing”), before reversing direction. Summer Solstice is the longest day of light for the year. From winter solstice to summer solstice, we are in the “light half of the year.” When the Sun begins to journey southward, we enter the “dark half of the year.”

Summer solstice, also called Midsummer, lasts five days with celebration from solstice bonfires (to drive away demons and dragons) to St. John the Baptist Nativity Day (Friday, June 24), a Christian and Masonic festival. St. John was a forerunner to Jesus the Christ. He is like the New Group of World Servers, forerunners to the reappearance of the Aquarian Christ, the Coming One. We are in the “Time of the forerunner,” now.

At summer solstice, or Midsummer, the fairy or Devic (angelic) kingdom (green and violet-colored builders of the plant kingdom), having completed their work for the year, now prepare for a golden wedding celebration. Shakespeare had the Devic kingdom in mind when he wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This celebration (wedding) takes place within humanity’s bodies, hearts and minds, too.

As summer unfolds, the great Archangel Uriel assumes protection of the Earth and gathers his students in pastures, fields and meadows for summer mystery teachings. Perhaps we will meet each other there.

ARIES: Opportunities are presented along with challenges. You find the courage to meet each one because of your nature—fiery, willing, enthusiastic. This year and for six more, you will experience vast changes, radical shifts, a state of impermanence that, in the end, will constitute unusual creative endeavors and ways of living based on new archetypes. Keep moving, pausing for rest here and there.

TAURUS: You were or will be told in a dream that all you have wished for will come to be. An angelic presence will inform you. Know, however, that what you wish for includes lots of work, much thinking and studying, detailed planning, and waiting for right timing (astrological). Your research and good judgment have others seeking your advice. At some time you will travel for information gathering, comfort and the search for beauty.

GEMINI: Notice if (and when) much of the past, including people and events, slip away. This is neither good, bad or something to be frightened about. It means you’re traveling upward and onward. A clearing away of obstacles hindering you from your future path. Healing occurs, loosening ancient patterns of thought no longer useful. “Healing,” the Tibetan writes, “allows for the Soul to be free.” You need to be free.

CANCER: Summer belongs to you. Communicate more with friends and neighbors. It’s good to have a balance of both seclusion and social engagement. Be aware of power struggles with others. Don’t create any. Know you can be in charge and still listen deeply to others. Harmony is created when we listen with compassion, give praise and are curious. You learn what’s most important in relating to others.

LEO: As work comes with more responsibilities, you notice how strong and courageous you are, able to assume multiple tasks with skill and agility. Many people seek your help, trusting your constancy, sense of patience. Simultaneously, you’re harboring secret thoughts, hopes, wishes and dreams. It’s important to take time away from the world. Step into the shadows. What do you see? Who do you love?

VIRGO: Take time to consider what you would like in the future. Create a picture/photo journal depicting how you want your life to be. Begin a month before your birthday so that when it arrives you have a clear idea of what to communicate to your angels. Don’t be predictable. Be groundbreaking, inventive and original. Use nothing from the past—no beliefs or plans—to create your possible future. The past needs to be transcended completely.

LIBRA: You like to run away to faraway places. You like to travel, have adventures, discover new people to communicate with. You need things harmonious, beautiful and more than good. You sometimes think of the impossible. Your ideas become ideals and then they become real in form and matter. You often need change, a feeling of being submerged in a completely new reality. Take the time to look around a bit at work, at home and in your relationships. Tend to all of them very carefully.

SCORPIO: As daily life changes, and continues to, relationships take on new meaning. You seek a deeper level of harmony in the way you think and act in relationships, including everyday interactions. Daily life is bright with the light of spiritual understanding. Over time, the unusual becomes the usual. The past, showing up in dreams and at times on your doorstep, arrives in order to disappear again. Reminders to extract what’s good and bring it all into the future.

SAGITTARIUS: You need the same things Libra needs, but more so. Something of fantasy may always be on your mind. It will have two faces. Don’t be confused. Be spontaneous, curious, cautious and say yes more. Careful with money. The usual warning, but more so now. Home feels like it’s transforming every moment; your creative expression assumes Aquarian tones; work expands. You accomplish all of this with poise, equanimity and joy. Identify it. A group calls.

CAPRICORN: Here are the energies for Caps as they enter the summer months: A new, expanded self-identity, something precious (about the self) being found, tasks and communication refined, making sense of the Art of Living, work in the world becoming a reality, nurturing intimate relationships, understanding the wound, making a Vesta box, bringing forth balance through Right Relations in the world. And … having an interlude of rest in between.

AQUARIUS: You work and make contact with many different groups of people. This is your spiritual task. To be an acquaintance to everyone, gathering and dispersing information about the present and future endeavors of humanity. The Hierarchy looks down on Earth seeking to find who carries an inner “light.” You carry that light. Therefore, here and there, you are to disperse that light. Rest a while sometimes. Play more. Share. Do laughter yoga.

PISCES: New, different events and experiences are occurring. An unexpected opportunity is being introduced. Follow this path and simply do the work needed each day. Work, rhythmic and every day, heals all hurts and separations. Listen deeply and make contact with all people, kingdoms and events. Place them in your heart. Visualize all separations harmonizing. Love then happens. Know that you live in a monastery.

Rob Brezsny’s Astrology June 21—27

Rob Brezsny

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June 21, 2017

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): There are places in the oceans where the sea floor cracks open and spreads apart from volcanic activity. This allows geothermally heated water to vent out from deep inside the earth. Scientists explored such a place in the otherwise frigid waters around Antarctica. They were elated to find a “riot of life” living there, including previously unknown species of crabs, starfish, sea anemones, and barnacles. Judging from the astrological omens, Aries, I suspect that you will soon enjoy a metaphorically comparable eruption of warm vitality from the unfathomable depths. Will you welcome and make use of these raw blessings even if they are unfamiliar and odd?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I’m reporting from the first annual Psychic Olympics in Los Angeles. For the past five days, I’ve competed against the world’s top mind-readers, dice-controllers, spirit whisperers, spoon-benders, angel-wrestlers, and stock market prognosticators. Thus far I have earned a silver medal in the category of channeling the spirits of dead celebrities. (Thanks, Frida Kahlo and Gertrude Stein!) I psychically foresee that I will also win a gold medal for most accurate fortune-telling. Here’s the prophecy that I predict will cinch my victory: “People born in the sign of Taurus will soon be at the pinnacle of their ability to get telepathically aligned with people who have things they want and need.”

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): While reading Virginia Woolf, I found the perfect maxim for you to write on a slip of paper and carry around in your pocket or wallet or underwear: “Let us not take it for granted that life exists more fully in what is commonly thought big than in what is commonly thought small.” In the coming weeks, dear Gemini, I hope you keep this counsel simmering constantly in the back of your mind. It will protect you from the dreaminess and superstition of people around you. It will guarantee that you’ll never overlook potent little breakthroughs as you scan the horizon for phantom miracles. And it will help you change what needs to be changed slowly and surely, with minimum disruption.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Now that you’ve mostly paid off one of your debts to the past, you can go window-shopping for the future’s best offers. You’re finally ready to leave behind a power spot you’ve outgrown and launch your quest to discover fresh power spots. So bid farewell to lost causes and ghostly temptations, Cancerian. Slip away from attachments to traditions that longer move you and the deadweight of your original family’s expectations. Soon you’ll be empty and light and free—and ready to make a vigorous first impression when you encounter potential allies in the frontier.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I suspect you will soon have an up-close and personal encounter with some form of lightning. To ensure it’s not a literal bolt shooting down out of a thundercloud, please refrain from taking long romantic strolls with yourself during a storm. Also, forgo any temptation you may have to stick your finger in electrical sockets. What I’m envisioning is a type of lightning that will give you a healthy metaphorical jolt. If any of your creative circuits are sluggish, it will jump start them. If you need to wake up from a dreamy delusion, the lovable lightning will give you just the right salutary shock.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Signing up to read at the open mic segment of a poetry slam? Buying an outfit that’s a departure from the style you’ve cultivated for years? Getting dance lessons or a past-life reading or instructions on how to hang-glide? Hopping on a jet for a spontaneous getaway to an exotic hotspot? I approve of actions like those, Virgo. In fact, I won’t mind if you at least temporarily abandon at least 30 percent of your inhibitions.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I don’t know what marketing specialists are predicting about color trends for the general population, but my astrological analysis has discerned the most evocative colors for you Libras. Electric mud is one. It’s a scintillating mocha hue. Visualize silver-blue sparkles emerging from moist dirt tones. Earthy and dynamic! Cybernatural is another special color for you. Picture sheaves of ripe wheat blended with the hue you see when you close your eyes after staring into a computer monitor for hours. Organic and glimmering! Your third pigment of power is pastel adrenaline: a mix of dried apricot and the shadowy brightness that flows across your nerve synapses when you’re taking aggressive practical measures to convert your dreams into realities. Delicious and dazzling!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Do you ever hide behind a wall of detached cynicism? Do you protect yourself with the armor of jaded coolness? If so, here’s my proposal: In accordance with the astrological omens, I invite you to escape those perverse forms of comfort and safety. Be brave enough to risk feeling the vulnerability of hopeful enthusiasm. Be sufficiently curious to handle the fluttery uncertainty that comes from exploring places you’re not familiar with and trying adventures you’re not totally skilled at.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “We must unlearn the constellations to see the stars,” writes Jack Gilbert in his poem “Tear It Down.” He adds that “We find out the heart only by dismantling what the heart knows.” I invite you to meditate on these ideas. By my calculations, it’s time to peel away the obvious secrets so you can penetrate to the richer secrets buried beneath. It’s time to dare a world-changing risk that is currently obscured by easy risks. It’s time to find your real life hidden inside the pretend one, to expedite the evolution of the authentic self that’s germinating in the darkness.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): When I was four years old, I loved to use crayons to draw diagrams of the solar system. It seems I was already laying a foundation for my interest in astrology. How about you, Capricorn? I invite you to explore your early formative memories. To aid the process, look at old photos and ask relatives what they remember. My reading of the astrological omens suggests that your past can show you new clues about what you might ultimately become. Potentials that were revealed when you were a wee tyke may be primed to develop more fully.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I often ride my bike into the hills. The transition from the residential district to open spaces is a narrow dirt path surrounded by thick woods on one side and a steep descent on the other. Today as I approached this place there was a new sign on a post. It read “Do not enter: Active beehive forming in the middle of the path.” Indeed, I could see a swarm hovering around a tree branch that juts down low over the path. How to proceed? I might get stung if I did what I usually do. Instead, I dismounted from my bike and dragged it through the woods so I could join the path on the other side of the bees. Judging from the astrological omens, Aquarius, I suspect you may encounter a comparable interruption along a route that you regularly take. Find a detour, even if it’s inconvenient.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I bet you’ll be extra creative in the coming weeks. Cosmic rhythms are nudging you towards fresh thinking and imaginative innovation, whether they’re applied to your job, your relationships, your daily rhythm, or your chosen art form. To take maximum advantage of this provocative luck, seek out stimuli that will activate high-quality brainstorms. I understand that the composer André Grétry got inspired when he put his feet in ice water. Author Ben Johnson felt energized in the presence of a purring cat and by the aroma of orange peels. I like to hang out with people who are smarter than me. What works for you?

Homework: What were the circumstances in which you were most amazingly, outrageously alive? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com.

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