Rob Brezsny’s Astrology February Feb 22—28

0

 

ARIES (March 21-April 19): My astrological radar suggests there’s a space-time anomaly looming just ahead of you. Is it a fun and exotic limbo where the rules are flexible and everything’s an experiment? That might be cool. Or is it more like an alien labyrinth where nothing is as it seems, you can hear howling in the distance, and you barely recognize yourself? That might be weird. What do you think? Is it worth the gamble? If so, full speed ahead. If not, I suggest a course correction.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Someone on reddit.com asked readers to respond to the question, “What is the most liberating thought you’ve ever had?” Among the replies were the following six: 1. “If new evidence presents itself, it’s OK to change my beliefs.” 2. “I get to choose who’s in my life and who isn’t.” 3. “I am not my history.” 4. “You can’t change something that has already happened, so stop worrying about it.” 5. “I am not, nor will I ever be, conventionally beautiful.” 6. “I don’t have to respond to people when they say stupid s— to me.” I hope these testimonies inspire you to come up with several of your own, Taurus. It’s a perfect time to formulate liberating intentions.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): It has been a while since I told you that I love you. So I’m doing it now. I love you. More than you could ever imagine. And that’s why I continue to offer these horoscopes to you free of charge, with no strings attached. That’s why I work so hard to be a playful therapist and an edgy mentor for you. That’s why I am so tenacious in my efforts to serve you as a feminist father figure and a kindly devil’s advocate and a sacred cheerleader. Again, I don’t expect anything in return from you. But if you would like to express your appreciation, you could do so by offering a similar type of well-crafted care to people in your own sphere. Now would be an excellent time to give such gifts.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “I like the word ‘bewilderment’ because it has both ‘be’ and ‘wild’ in it,” says poet Peter Gizzi. I propose that you go even further, Cancerian: Express a fondness for the actual experience of bewilderment as well as the word. In fact, be willing to not just tolerate, but actually embrace the fuzzy blessings of bewilderment. In the coming weeks, that’s your ticket to being wild in the healthiest (and wealthiest) ways. As you wander innocently through the perplexing mysteries that make themselves available, you’ll be inspired to escape formalities and needless rules that have kept you overly tame.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Are you familiar with psychologist Carl Jung’s concept of the shadow? It’s the unflattering or uncomfortable part of you that you would prefer to ignore or suppress. It’s the source of behavior about which you later say, “I wasn’t acting like myself.” Jungians say that the shadow hounds you and wounds you to the degree that you refuse to deal with it. But if you negotiate with it, it leads you to beautiful surprises. It prods you to uncover riches you’ve hidden from yourself. I mention this, Leo, because any shadow work you do in the coming weeks could generate rather spectacular breakthroughs.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You could make a vow like this: “Between now and April 15, I will be relentless in getting my needs met. I will harbor a steely resolve to call on every ploy necessary to ensure that my deepest requirements are not just gratified, but satiated to the max. I will be a dogged and ferocious seeker of absolute fulfillment.” If you want to swear an oath like that, Virgo, I understand. But I hope you will try a softer approach—more like the following: “Between now and April 15, I will be imaginative and ingenious in getting my needs met. I will have fun calling on every trick necessary to ensure that my deepest requirements are playfully addressed. I will be a sweet seeker of unpredictable fulfillment.”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): How would Buddha ask for a raise or promotion? How would Jesus tinker with his career plans as he took into consideration large-scale shifts in the economy? How would Confucius try to infuse new approaches and ideas into the status quo of his work environment? Ruminate deeply on these matters, dear Libra. Your yearning to be more satisfyingly employed may soon be rewarded—especially if you infuse your ambitions with holy insight. How would Joan of Arc break through the glass ceiling? How would Harriet Tubman deal with the inefficiencies caused by excess testosterone? How would Hildegard of Bingen seek more emotional richness on the job?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I suspect you would benefit from acquiring a new bedroom name, my dear. But should I be the one to give it to you? I’m not sure. Maybe you could invite a practical dreamer you adore to provide you with this crazy sweet new moniker. If there is no such person to do the job (although given the current astrological omens, I bet there is), I’ll offer the following array of amorous aliases for you to choose from: Wild Face . . . Kiss Genius . . . Thrill Witch . . . Freaky Nectar . . . Boink Master . . . Lust Moxie . . . Pearly Thunder . . . Peach Licker . . . Painkiller . . . Silky Bliss . . . Slippery Diver . . . Swoon Craver.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Soon I’ll be off on my first vacation in 18 months. At first glance it might seem odd for an astrologer like myself to have selected two Sagittarians to be my housesitters. Members of your sign are reputed to be among the least home-nurturing people in the zodiac. But I’m confident that by the time I return, raccoons won’t be living in my kitchen, nor will my plants be dead or my snail mail stolen or my TV broken. The current astrological omens suggest that most of you Centaurs, at least for the foreseeable future, will display an uncommon aptitude for the domestic arts.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The near future will be mutable, whimsical, and fluky. It’ll be serendipitous, mercurial and extemporaneous. You should expect happy accidents and lucky breaks. Your ability to improvise will be quite valuable. Do you believe in lucky numbers? Even if you don’t, yours will be 333. Your sacred password will be “quirky plucky.” The cartoon characters with whom you will have most in common are Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner. The place where you’re most likely to encounter a crucial teaching is a threshold or thrift shop. Your colors of destiny will be flecked and dappled. (P.S.: I suspect that an as-yet-undiscovered talisman of power is crammed in a drawer full of junk.)

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Treat your body like a sublime temple, please. And regard your imagination as a treasured sanctuary. Be very choosy about what you allow to enter in to both of those holy places. This strategy is always a wise idea, of course, but it’s especially so now, when you are extra sensitive to the influences you absorb. It’s crucial that you express maximum discernment as you determine which foods, drinks, drugs, images, sounds, and ideas are likely to foster your maximum well-being—and which aren’t. Be a masterful caretaker of your health and sanity.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): What would your best mother do in a situation like this? Please note that I’m not asking, “What would your mother do?” I’m not suggesting you call on the counsel of your actual mother. When I use the term “your best mother,” I’m referring to the archetype of your perfect mother. Imagine a wise older woman who understands you telepathically, loves you unconditionally, and wants you to live your life according to your own inner necessity, not hers or anyone else’s. Visualize her. Call on her. Seek her blessings.


Homework: Find a new person or institution you can eagerly and earnestly respect. Report on your triumph at freewillastrology.com.

Solar Eclipse, New Moon in Pisces, Mardi Gras

Mercury (Sun’s messenger) enters Pisces on Saturday, joining the Sun in Pisces. This is our last week before the Lenten season (46 days) begins, starting with Mardi Gras next Tuesday. This is a week of festivals, a secret birthday celebration, preparations, a solar eclipse and a new moon. Each sign has a specific purpose and task. Pisces is called the “Light of the World,” and its task is to save the world. The light of Pisces reveals the light of life itself, ending forever the darkness (ignorance, unkindness, criticism, judgment, etc.) of matter. All of Earth’s kingdoms absorb this “saving” Pisces light.

During Pisces, and with Mercury in Pisces, humanity is informed of its sacred tasks—to save ourselves by loving each other in order to survive, sustain, create and thrive in the new world.

Sunday is Pisces’ new moon solar eclipse. All eclipses inform us that something has been completed and is disappearing, so something more vibrant and useful can come forth. Solar eclipses tell us something deeply essential to our lives is over. The eclipse new moon occurs at 8 degrees Pisces. Where is that degree of Pisces in everyone’s astrology chart? That tells us what area of life will be affected by this new moon eclipse. The keynote for Pisces new moon is: “Go forth in matter, in order to experience (and later save) the world.”  Tuesday is Mardi Gras. We bake our Three Kings Cake.


ARIES: A quiet, peaceful, yet startling change comes into your life. You become sensitive, compassionate and sympathetic towards everyone, especially those in need. You’re drawn to things mystical, religious, spiritual and meditative, and the why isn’t apparent. You seek forgiveness while offering it. You allow no persecutions of any kingdom. Here your Aries comes forth.

TAURUS: All that you do, consider and ponder upon has to do with groups, friendships, organizations and the forming of community that restores and reforms society. You know what’s coming. You are concerned with hosting new ideas, creating collective objectives, and helping others realize hopes, wishes and dreams that sustain life on Earth. There is a mantra that is useful to say: “Let reality govern my every thought and truth be the master of my life.”

GEMINI: The mantra for Taurus is important for you, too. It’s very useful for the dissolution of glamors—not only the glamors of self, but when encountering the glamors (distortions, miasmas, illusions) of others. Eliminating glamors helps us focus on accomplishing goals, achieve a successful public life, and maintain an honorable reputation. You have authoritative tasks to perform and an influential position to fulfill for the saving of humanity. You might begin preparing now.

CANCER: The light of Pisces is providing you with aspirations and high ideals to learn something new that develops deeper levels of awareness leading to wisdom. Remember to never assume a position of knowing until it is experienced, or its validity proven. You will expand your mind through travel, study, a philosophy or a serious encounter with soil and the Earth (gardening). Then teach others what you learn. Be adventurous and experiential.

LEO:  You search for your values. They have changed over the years. You explore the values of others, listening to their talk of sex, intimacy, money, death, regeneration. You discover your ability to diagnose illness in friends, extending this ability to pets. You like to be the detective, and for a while read mysteries that provide courage through conflict. Be not jealous or combative. You will lose. Life in the shadows is best for a while. Emily Dickinson understands this.

VIRGO: You find yourself through relationship interactions—whether intimate, close friends, partnerships, or who and what you identify with in the moment. You want to cooperate, seeking harmony within all situations so that a sense of life-in-balance emerges. From person to the political, from social justice to world peace, you travel the range of relationships within the world of humanity’s endeavors. Do you remember the esoteric formula for peace?

LIBRA: You become practical in all ways, tending to daily necessities for self and others. You become the social worker for the world, using your gifts and capacities to create roles for others so that they too can be of assistance and service. You make improvements wherever you go, tending to details, being scientific and concrete in your healing information. You drop all levels of criticism. You understand forgiveness.

SCORPIO: When observing you for a time, we sense a new level of dignity emanating from you. We also sense a new level of creative self-expression, which in time becomes a new art form that restores the art of living to yourself and the world. Sometimes, you focus on happiness, things that entertain, and you are playful with games, children and/or sports. You speculate on ways resources can manifest, and meditate upon this daily.

SAGITTARIUS: Family continues to be your concern—creating, tending to, or writing about one. Your history is like a tree growing within you; its roots go deep, the trunk is your life force, and the leaves how you interact with the world. Realize how important parents were. Whether they were good enough or not, all parents are “good enough” in terms of what we must learn (realizing we choose them). A radical thought. Moodiness and brooding may visit. Take shelter.

CAPRICORN: You’re interested in new ways of communicating, expressing yourself and talking with family, friends, neighbors and siblings. Most important will be things literary and artistic, either in books, attending museums, music fests or perhaps reconsidering how to once again bring forth your art. You love change now, and are very adaptable. Realize that others around may not be. Restlessness can upset an organized and artistic apple cart. Just keep going. Draw your greenhouse.

AQUARIUS: During this month, you will review and contemplate your values, gifts, abilities, talents, resources and possessions. You will realize you have vast resources; some hidden, some far away, and some to give away. You will seek ways of making money and will find a state of strength that understands and sustains conservative yet liberal values. You will seek comfort and new ways to keep safe and warm.

PISCES: There’s a sense of well-being, exaltation and a radiant willingness in all that you do. You initiate new ideas others will accept, reject and react to. Controversy is good, calling forth harmony at the core of chaos and conflict. The light of Pisces is creating within you a state of magnetism, poise, and confidence. Pisces is one of the signs of health (Virgo is the other). Tend carefully to diet and health. Think green (plants, drinks, food, clothes, shoes, etc.) and warm (golden milk).

Opinion February 15, 2017

1

EDITOR’S NOTE

Talking to locals at all levels of the restaurant scene for a cover story a few years back, I learned some hard truths about how things work here. One is that Santa Cruz diners are more willing to drop big money on a unique, ambitious dining experience in San Francisco than they are closer to home, where they typically want something cheaper and more casual. While there’s still great dining here, knowing that local foodies are willing to experiment only so much in their own neighborhoods has had somewhat of a chilling effect on what restaurateurs feel they can do.

Over time, this has led to the popular perception that Santa Cruz has a less-than-adventurous dining scene. But in truth, there have always been chefs and other culinary dreamers doing interesting things here—maybe not as extravagantly or as visibly as in bigger urban dining scenes, but they have been here, are here and will continue to be here.

Lily Stoicheff’s cover story this week profiles the newest members of these ranks—six up-and-coming culinary innovators who are primed to beat back the typical notions of what Santa Cruz dining can be. Good luck to them, and bon appetit!

Steve Palopoli | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

Beautiful Addition

Re: “The 20 Best Songs About Santa Cruz” (GT, 12/28): I appreciated your article on the subject and was tickled by a letter suggesting an album be made including them.

However, I did not see any mention of a track by It’s a Beautiful Day of “White Bird” fame in the late ’60s or early ’70s.

I caught them in two concerts back in the day, twice at the Catalyst some 20 years later, and more recently at Don Quixote’s.

They played a piece they named “Santa Cruz” at that last gig, and even had a CD of that name, if I recall correctly.

Hope that news is a useful addition to your collection.

Ed Lyon | Live Oak

Wage Wars

Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson’s more than $170 million package and other such imbalanced compensation to many others is contributing to a deflation of the minimum wage. Housing is less and less affordable, and even just a small sandwich now costs $8, which further deflates a paltry $15 per hour wage.

What was a 10-times disparity is now approaching a thousand times. Could the wage war be taking place at the wrong end of the pay spectrum? Instead of spending all the efforts upon the minimum wage of those struggling to eke out a living, maybe efforts should be directed at the outrageous salaries of the corporate leaders, sports figures and the many celebrities? Is anyone really worth the excessive millions they are receiving? Needless to say, those on a fixed income are particularly vulnerable to the wage inequality. Who will speak for them?

Bob Fifield | Aptos

 

Online Comments

Re: Sara Kelly Keenan

Sara it is an honor and privilege to know you. Triangle Speakers (and the world) is fortunate to have such a fierce, compassionate warrior who shares her remarkable journey in our community school and college classrooms with such eloquence and grace. Congratulations too on yet another summit you have climbed on my Mother Africa–the highest on the continent, Mount Kilimanjaro! Your courage to challenge the hegemonic norms and institutionalized orthodoxies of the gender binary is an inspiration. We are blessed!

— Lesley-Reid Harrison

Re: Cannabis Tax

Cannabis is the real thing. People need to get over this antiquated stigma. A thriving cannabis industry in the U.S. would benefit not only the economy but all the people that need cannabis for health reasons. Many different types of industries could flourish, like the CBD industry

— Delia

Re: Women’s March

Now, why wasn’t all this feminist activism roused up when Obama was declared “Deporter-In-Chief?” Ah, because it was far from the truth, right?

Let’s see if my comment makes it in print as the Good Times prides itself on presenting varied opinions (except for mine!). LOL

—  Don Honda

Re: Kelly & Lex

What a great story! And knowing Kelly and Lex, the love that is written in the story is truly there, and then some. They are an amazing couple that donates their time for great and worthwhile causes.

So glad to hear you have a match, Kelly!

— Kenneth


PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

Submit to ph****@*******es.sc. Include information (location, etc.) and your name. Photos may be cropped. Preferably, photos should be 4 inches by 4 inches and minimum 250dpi.


GOOD IDEA

HOME OF THE BRAVE
After making connections at the local Women’s March on Washington event, community members have come together to support immigrants. Santa Cruz Women’s Action, a group that march organizers started, has announced a partnership with Santa Cruz County Immigration Project. They are launching a fundraising effort to help families stalled in the visa process, where federal fees range from $535 to $1,140 per application. To donate, visit https://store.sccwomensaction.com.


GOOD WORK

MEET THE BEETLES
David Dunn, a UCSC music professor, has teamed up with two scientists at Northern Arizona University to study the bark beetles that are wreaking havoc in North American forests. The trio has been awarded a patent for a device that Dunn came up with to listen to beetle activity. He says the invention took less than $10 to build, and he released his recordings on an album titled The Sound of Light in Trees.


QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I’m in favor of liberalizing immigration because of the effect it would have on restaurants. I’d let just about everybody in except the English.”

-Calvin Trillin

7 Things To Do In Santa Cruz This Week

0

 

Green Fix

‘Democratizing the Green City’ Conference

things to do santa cruz green city
‘Democratizing the Green City’ Conference at UCSC

Urban planning faces a paradox: sustainability initiatives that are crucial to battling climate change can, through their improvements, drive up rents and drive out residents, exacerbating sprawl, emissions, and climate change. From Santa Cruz’s housing crisis to Mexico City, Seattle, São Paulo and beyond, the issue of green affordability persists. How do planners battle the negative effects of these initiatives? Speakers from universities across the nation will speak on how it’s possible to break that link, how to include affordable housing and equitable sustainability efforts, and the consequences of ignoring these negative byproducts. Registration Preferred.  

Info: 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. Rachel Carson College Red Room, UCSC, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz. Free.

 

Art Seen

Distinguished Artists Concert: Sofya Melikyan

things to do in santa cruz Distinguished Artists Concert: Sofya Melikyan
Distinguished Artists Concert: Sofya Melikyan at Peace United Church

She’s been hailed for her “magnificent singing line and an exquisite artistic sensibility” and combining “high-wire virtuosity” with “deep musical intuition and ability to connect with the audience.” Internationally acclaimed pianist Sofya Melikyan has been awarded the Prize for outstanding Music Talent at the Marisa Montiel International Piano Competition in Linares, First Prize at the Ibiza International Piano Competition in Spain, First Prize for Music Interpretation awarded by “Amigos del Colegio de España” Association in Paris. Melikyan will perform this Sunday, Feb. 19 at Peace United Church.

Info: 4 p.m., Feb. 19. Peace United Church, 900 High St., Santa Cruz. distinguishedartists.org.

$20-$35.

 

Friday 2/17

‘$7.99 and a Wish’ The Musical

Dac is a rebellious, channel-surfing teen and Jiggy is her best friend, a sassy feline with “a good head on her shoulders.” When an infomercial sells them a product gone wrong, Dac and Jiggy are sucked into their television set. They have to find their way out before the 10 o’clock news or else they’ll be stuck in TV land forever! Santa Cruz artists Tera Torchio, Jace Hardwick, Ariana Rice, and Erin Loofbourrow bring the zany tale of rollerblading bumble bees, a nerdy octopus, and a valuable lesson to life beginning this Friday, Feb. 17 through Feb. 26.

Info: 7-9 p.m. Center Street Theater, 1001 Center St., Santa Cruz. dreambeeproductions.com. $12.

 

Saturday 2/18

East Cliff Brewing Company Anniversary

things to do in santa cruz East Cliff Brewing
East Cliff Brewing 1st Anniversary Party

East Cliff Brewing Company’s first anniversary will take place this Saturday, Feb. 18, for a rip-roaring good time with music by Coffee Zombie Collective and the New Shockwaves (where are the old ones?) rockin’ all day and into the night. It will be the first time the ECBC has had live music in the taproom. Food Trucks A Go Go will provide food with three trucks for the day: Saucey’z, the Organic Taco, and Lindsey’s Palate Pleasure.

Info: Noon-10 p.m. East Cliff Brewing Company, 21517 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz. Free.

 

Sunday 2/19

Piano Ensemble’s “A Piano Extravaganza”

things to do in santa cruz Piano extravaganza
Piano Ensemble’s “A Piano Extravaganza” at UCSC

The Celebrate Piano Ensemble will present its annual benefit concert with two matched grand pianos. A small army of four pianists will tackle the Sabre Dance on two pianos, and Leah Zumberge will perform a portion of recently deceased Stephen Tosh’s piano concert. There will also be ultra modernist compositions of Johanna Beyer and duets by Piazzolla and Guastavino. This annual concert benefits the Talent Bank, a merit scholarship program that awards $3,000 every year to inspire and support Santa Cruz County music students.

Info: 2 p.m. UCSC Music Center Recital Hall, UCSC, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz. $10 Donation.

 

Tuesday 2/21

14th Annual Songwriters Showcase

Got a song and a dream? The 11-week Songwriters Showcase is the event for you. Open to any unsigned songwriters, the showcase is a competition to bring closet musicians out of their shells and inspire music making. Eight prize winners will receive everything from recording time at Mars Studios to gift certificates from Jansen Music and Guitar Works. Songwriters will be judged on their musical creations based on originality, content, and composition. All proceeds benefit Guitars Not Guns, a nonprofit that works to get at-risk youth out of the streets and into into music. Registration required.

Info: 6 p.m. Britannia Arms, 110 Monterey Ave., Capitola. 688-8435. mars-studios.com. Free.

 

Wednesday 2/22

‘Dark Deleuze in the Dark’ with Andrew Culp

‘Dark Deleuze in the Dark’ with Andrew Culp at UCSC
‘Dark Deleuze in the Dark’ with Andrew Culp at UCSC

How can darkness help us see beyond our own reality? That’s the question that Andrew Culp asks in Dark Deleuze, a reinterpretation of theorist Gilles Deleuze’s challenge to today’s world of compulsory happiness, overexposure and decentralized control. Culp’s politics urges us to get rid of our idols and cultivate “hatred for this world.” Culp will lead a discussion in the dark and on the dark Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Info: 5-7 p.m. DARC’s Dark Lab Room 108, UCSC 1156 High St., Santa Cruz. Free.

What’s your favorite conspiracy theory?

0

“Chemtrails. ”

Ahuti Ferid

Ben Lomond
Acupuncturist

“September 11th, 2001. The way the building collapsed. ”

Christian Martinez

Santa Cruz
Landscape Designer

“That there are Russian bases on the dark side of the moon.”

Tim Smith

Santa Cruz
Merchant Seaman

“We reached the tipping point in 1995, and there is no turning back.”

Gregory Pearl

Santa Cruz
Intersex Activist

“It’s not a conspiracy theory, because the reptilian overlords are a fact.”

Tony Catz

Santa Cruz
Pool Shark

What One Vet Learned During a Harrowing Burglary

0

[This is part two of a series on veterans and public safety. Part one ran last week.]

Paul Damon woke up five times in the middle of the night on Saturday, Jan. 14. Each time, he told himself that he should climb off the lofted bed in his studio apartment on Cedar Street and lock the front door, but his back had seized up from a day of shoveling dirt.

The fifth time, Damon, a veteran, woke and said, “Ain’t nobody coming up in here, anyway.” But the next thing he heard was “Wake up, motherfucker. Give me your money, or I’m gonna shoot you.”

Down below, a man with long dreadlocks was yelling at Damon’s friend Adam Binckley, another veteran who was crashing that night on Damon’s spare bed.

Damon remembers that night vividly, as he sits on his mattress, which is now resting on the floor. Blankets and sheets off to the side, Damon’s wearing only a pair of pale plaid blue boxers, which are safety-pinned up high on his right leg, revealing a strap of gauze over a scabbing gash and layers of stitches on his thigh. Damon, founder of the nonprofit Holistic Veterans, says the experience taught him the value of a strong community and strengthened his understanding of spirituality. Using the type of healing practices he advocates at his nonprofit, he believes he’s been able to speed up his recovery.

Property crime in Santa Cruz is notoriously high, among the highest in the state. According to newly compiled police statistics, there were 3,620 reported property crimes last year. After declining in 2013, such crimes have trended up slowly, increasing by 14 percent over the three years since.

That January night in his apartment, Damon wanted to take a swing at the suspect—who Damon says was visibly drugged-out—but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Once the man, who wore a green raincoat and short beard, sprinted out the door with an armful of medical cannabis and cash, Damon bounded after him, taking long strides. He leapt forward, arms outstretched to tackle the suspect as he fumbled with the apartment complex gate.

Chasing after someone in a situation like this, Binckley advises, is never a safe bet. “Speaking as a martial artist and a former weapons inspector in the military, I would never advise anyone to go after someone with force if he may have a weapon,” he says. “There are too many instances of people getting their lives lost.”

As Damon soared through the air toward the thief, he heard a booming voice in his head—a “spirit,” Damon calls it—ask “‘What the fuck are you doing? You are not allowed to harm yourself or others any longer.’”

Damon tried to punch the suspected burglar, but instead felt his hands glide slowly over the top of the man’s head. He was attempting to do a hip-throw, a judo move that he learned in the Army, when suddenly he felt a knife pierce his leg’s skin, tear deep into his thigh, poke out the other side and then come back out again the way it came in.

As the two men fell to the ground, Binckley came running down the path and proceeded to lob punches at the suspect. Damon pulled the man’s pants down, so that he wouldn’t be able to run, and gripped his dreads, accidentally pulling some out of the crown of his head.

“I just felt horrible about that part of it,” Damon reflects. “The guy’s messed up on drugs. I still felt bad that he took the beating he did, and I’m also very thankful for Adam being there, because if he wasn’t there, I’d have had my ass whipped and handed to me 10,000 times over.”

Damon says he learned early that morning about the strength of his community, as people came out of their homes before sunrise to call 911, talk to law enforcement and stay with Damon as he bled on the sidewalk. That kind of commitment to community, he says, is the only way to make neighborhoods safer.

As he sat there, a neighbor came up and told him the same burglar had just broken into her house as well, and had been trying to get in bed naked with her. Damon says he decided this was all just a part of his call to service, something that he feels didn’t end when he left the army.

Every medical expert who saw the wound said it was a miracle that it didn’t sever any arteries or tendons. It did rip a muscle in half, though; Damon has been rebuilding it through exercise.

Damon spent four nights in the trauma room at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. He avoided eating hospital food, and his friends brought him large bowls of kale salad. He practiced meditation and found unique breath patterns.

In the weeks since, medical staffers have been impressed with his recovery, interviewing him to see how he has improved so quickly and avoided developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)—or, as Damon calls it, “simply post-traumatic stress.” As a vet who’s suffered from the condition before, he doesn’t like the word “disorder” because, he says, “it isn’t a positive outcome. It doesn’t leave the door open for growth.”

After he returned home, he caught up with his friends in the veteran community who lived two blocks over. “A couple of vets said they heard the screams, but they didn’t come because they didn’t know it was me. It’s like, ‘Man, if you hear screams like that, you should always go. You’re a veteran. Remember that,” Damon says.

But haven’t veterans done enough, after already putting their lives on the line for their country overseas?

“To me, service is what feeds a veteran’s soul. It’s a key component of a veteran’s healing process when they come back—remembering that they are here to serve,” Damon says. “It’s not something you signed up for. It’s something you were born with.”

Downtown Leaders Try to Bring in Clean-Up Program

0

With a smile, Suna Lock remembers the first time she went to a meeting for the Downtown Streets Team in San Jose, nearly a year ago.

The program, which provides work to homeless people, filled the whole room with positivity and cheer, as staffers used yoga exercises and stretching to keep people engaged, says Lock, board president for the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz (DTA) and owner of the store Stripe.

The Downtown Streets Team pays stipends for groceries and other basic needs to team members on their cleaning crews, which pick up trash from the streets, sidewalks and parks of Silicon Valley.

“It’s extraordinary, really,” Lock says.

They just needed someone to bring it over the hill.

Since then, Chip, the no-last-name executive director of the DTA, has led the charge to create a streets team chapter in Santa Cruz, one he hopes will kick off in July.

After searching for someone to spearhead the effort, Chip decided to take a crack at it himself. He came up with a goal to try to raise $48,000 by his 48th birthday, which falls on Sunday, Feb. 19, and he’s holding a fundraising concert at Motion Pacific on the 18th, with tickets going for $25.

“It’s always easy to say ‘They should do this.’ And then there’s this realization that we’re ‘they.’ I really believe in this program. I think it’s going to be successful in Santa Cruz. I could have asked the City Council to do it, but if we start it ourselves, they will follow us. I have friends. I’m about to turn 48, I can exploit that,” says Chip—who honestly doesn’t look a day over 46—explaining his fundraising efforts and thought process.

Sunday’s benefit show will feature music from Keith Greeninger, playing with his old Americana group City Folk, and Tammi Brown.

The Downtown Streets Team began in Palo Alto 12 years ago before spreading to half a dozen other communities around the Bay Area. The organization’s website says its goal is to end homelessness “through the dignity of work.”

Chip says the campaign has raised around $40,000 so far, and he’s optimistic they’ll raise the remaining $8,000 by Sunday. To fill out the budget, he’ll ask local governments for the rest of the funding this spring.

If the chapter gets off the ground, it could possibly bring cleaning crews to areas all over town, including to the beaches and river levee. The group strikes a balance, Lock says, between structure and flexibility, offering a number of classes and services to help crew members in need.

“It’s brilliant because it’s remarkably simple in how it’s put together,” she says. “The part of it that’s so exciting is that they give people job interview techniques. And they partner with Goodwill to provide clothes that people can use.”


The Downtown Street Team fundraiser is at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18 at Motion Pacific. Tickets are $25. For more information, visit justchip.com. To donate or learn more about the Downtown Streets Team, visit streetsteam.org.

The Often-Forgotten Benefits of a Daily Meditation Routine

0

Lately, many friends, family members, co-workers, strangers on the street—even my therapist—have expressed a certain weighted despair hanging over their outlook. There is an anxiety tattering the nerves of the nation, refueled by each day’s fever pitch of headlines.

Many of these same friends have also admitted that they wish they meditated more—that they mean to, that maybe they even have a reminder set in their phone, but somehow the habit fails to stick.

Indeed, there is something daunting about pursuing a thoughtless calm within the mind’s torrent of chatter—a task that journalist and former meditation cynic Dan Harris likens to “holding a live fish in your hand.” The most common excuse, though, is simply that life is busy. Setting aside a chunk of minutes to do nothing is all too easy to deprioritize.

But the outer chaos of today’s world has aligned with meditation’s extensive list of physiological benefits—which includes salutary effects on depression, addiction, stress, the immune system and worry—in such a way that makes the ancient practice seem as important as eating vegetables and drinking water.

Two years ago, modern science turned up one of its most profound findings: meditation actually changes the structure of our brains. Using MRIs, a Harvard study found that subjects meditating for eight weeks (approximately 30 minutes a day) had thicker gray matter in the hippocampus—the area of the brain associated with learning and memory. This effect flies in the face of the natural aging process, in which the brain shrinks as we get older. The study found that brain structures associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection had also increased, while the area of the brain associated with stress shrank.

A study out of the U.K. published last month found that the frequency of negative thoughts drastically decreased after 10-minute sessions of acceptance-based mindfulness meditation—a technique in which the meditator takes note of the thoughts, emotions and physical sensations that arise. Attention-based breath meditation was slightly less effective in reducing negative thoughts, but still helpful.

“Two and a half millennia before Eckhart Tolle started cashing his royalty checks, it was the Buddha who originally came up with that brilliant diagnosis of how the mind works,” Harris writes. Among the mental habits identified in Buddhism is the concept of papañca, “mental proliferation,” or the tendency to run away with a thought or worry, entertaining various negative, hypothetical scenarios—something many of us are prone to lately. It’s harmful not just to mental well-being but to our bodies, too.

My own phone has buzzed with a meditation reminder every day at 1 p.m. for more than a year now, ever since I finished reading Harris’ wit-fest of a book, 10% Happier. I’ve come to realize mid-afternoon is an ill-planned time to dive into my mind’s abyss in search of calm; waking up a little earlier to meditate first thing is a more promising strategy, at least for many beginners. And while 30 minutes is a long time, Harris suggests beginners commit to just five minutes a day, and see what happens.

“Every time you get lost in thought—which you will, thousands of times—gently return to the breath. I cannot stress strongly enough that forgiving yourself and starting over is the whole game,” writes Harris, whose meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg says, “Beginning again and again is the actual practice, not a problem to overcome so that one day we can come to the ‘real’ meditation.”

Among the plethora of helpful, no-nonsense advice for the beginning meditator laid out in 10% Happier is something I’ll be doing a lot of in the coming weeks: “Every once in awhile, do a little reading about meditation or Buddhism,” writes Harris. “Even though the basic instructions are simple, hearing them repeatedly can be useful. It’s the opposite of airplane safety announcements.” He adds that glancing at even a few passages of a good book can be a helpful reminder of the compelling intellectual underpinnings of the practice, and among his recommendations is a title that seems most relevant to the times: Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart, by Dr. Mark Epstein.

Preview: A Discussion of Joy in the Face of Adversity

0

Last year, Santa Cruz-based author and editor Douglas Abrams was in Dharamsala, India learning meditation techniques from the Dalai Lama and hearing from Archbishop Desmond Tutu about cultivating compassion toward one’s political enemies. Abrams moderated a five-day series of dialogues between the two spiritual icons and social leaders, documenting the discussions in The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, published last year. The book was originally conceived by Abrams and Dr. James Doty, who now heads Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE).

The meeting was also documented for a film which is currently in production. Abrams previously worked with Desmond Tutu on a number of books, including the children’s title God’s Dream.

On Feb. 22, Abrams will join Dr. Bruce Eisendorf for a discussion of The Book of Joy, including addressing one of the book’s underlying questions: How do we live a life of joy in the face of adversity?

The presentation—which is from 5:30-7 p.m. at Santa Cruz Support Center, in conference room B—will include a Q&A period and the screening of short videos from the Dharamsala dialogues between the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu. A suggested donation of $25 (not required) will benefit programs and services of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation for people with chronic pain. I caught up with Abrams to talk about his book.

 

At the beginning of The Book of Joy, you write, “I am very skeptical about the magical sensations that some attribute to being in the presence of spiritual teachers, but from the very first day I found my head starting to tingle. It was startling, but perhaps it was simply an example of how my mirror neurons … were internalizing what I was witnessing in the eyes of these two extremely lovely men.”

DOUGLAS ABRAMS: The scientific skeptic in me says that the tingling could have been adrenaline. We had this incredible time. The trip was conceived of quite a few years before. The Dalai Lama was supposed to be the guest of honor at Arch’s 80th birthday, and the Chinese government leaned on South Africa, and the South African government would not give the visa, and the Dalai Lama was not allowed to come. So we really wanted to bring the Archbishop to the Dalai Lama for his 80th birthday.

To come back to your original question about the tingling; yes, looking into their eyes for five days, witnessing this incredible gaze of compassion and love and being there as this kind of representative for people was incredibly powerful. I did have this really extraordinary experience of tingling from head to toe. We have these amazing things called mirror neurons, which are the foundation for empathy. They’re what allow us to experience what others experience. That might have been my neurons firing with a kind of receiving from the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop what they experience on a regular basis.

 

You were in Dharamsala with the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu for a week, eating, drinking tea and talking. Tell me about being with these two men.

The night before the dialogues I was thinking, “Who the hell am I to be doing this, five days of interviews? And will the real Anderson Cooper or Oprah Winfrey please step in and take over?” But then I realized I was just there as a kind of ambassador for people. As Arch says, to help me overcome my self-regard. Our insecurities are part of our self-regard as well. We had this amazing opportunity not just to have this incredible five-day dialogue, but also to have the Dalai Lama teach us to meditate. And for Archbishop Tutu to give the Dalai Lama Eucharist, which is communion. That was amazing. We had meals and were able to break bread.

 

What stands out as one of your favorite moments during this time with the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu?

Many Buddhists talk about detachment and separating from worldly distractions and pleasures. I was sitting next to the Dalai Lama during lunch, and he turns to me with a bowl of Tibetan rice pudding in his hands and says, “I love this!” It was just so wonderfully humanizing. You can be the Dalai Lama, and you can still like a good bowl of rice pudding.


INFO: The “Book of Joy” discussion event with Doug Abrams and Dr. Bruce Eisendorf  is from 5:30-7 p.m. at Santa Cruz Support Center 1, Conference Room B, 2200 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. Register online or call 458-6391. Hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Preview: Pianist Yuja Wang to Play Two Shows in Santa Cruz

0

Yuja Wang, the Chinese-born piano virtuoso, turned 30 last Friday, but she’s already spent half of her life as one of classical music’s most celebrated young musicians.

Tackling some of the most demanding works in the canon, particularly Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 29” (the “Hammerklavier”), her fluid and preternaturally mature performances inspire critics to rapturous superlatives. Meanwhile, Wang continues to expand her repertoire and her audience, which has multiplied exponentially via Youtube.

She alights in town for an unprecedented two-day engagement with the Santa Cruz Symphony Orchestra, performing Saturday night at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium and Sunday afternoon at Watsonville’s Henry J. Mello Center. The program features Brahms’ emotionally expansive “Piano Concerto No. 2” and Prokofiev’s boisterously magisterial “Piano Concerto No. 5,” which she recorded with the Venezuelan Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.

“The fact we’re able to showcase the very final piano concertos of two famously pianistic composers is so exciting,” says Daniel Patrick Stewart, the symphony’s music director and conductor. “This would be an event with any of the world’s great venues or symphonies.”

Indeed, Wang is usually heard in the company of legendary orchestras like the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic. She comes to Santa Cruz to join forces with Stewart, a friend from their student days at Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

Since taking over the symphony’s reins four years ago, he’s brought in a number of world class artists, but Wang “is the most high-profile concert in our history,” Stewart says. “She simply doesn’t play with regional orchestras. In the classical world, it’s the equivalent of Beyoncé or Taylor Swift playing a small club.”

Born in Beijing to parents immersed in the performing arts—her mother is a dancer and her father a percussionist—Wang demonstrated extraordinary keyboard facility as a child. Only 15 when she enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, she spent five years under the tutelage of storied pianist and teacher Gary Graffman.

She’s earned numerous awards and distinctions, and Wang seems to embrace the drama of her genius. In a Hollywood-worthy breakthrough, she gained international attention in March 2007 as a last-minute replacement for the brilliant and famously temperamental Martha Argerich. Stepping in, Wang performed Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1” and before long had signed a recording contract with classical music powerhouse Deutsche Grammophon.


7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 at Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19 at Henry J. Mello Center, $27-$75, santacruztickets.com.

Rob Brezsny’s Astrology February Feb 22—28

Astrology, Horoscope, Stars, Zodiac Signs
Free Will astrology for the week of February 21, 2017

Solar Eclipse, New Moon in Pisces, Mardi Gras

risa d'angeles
Esoteric Astrology as news for week of February 22, 2017

Opinion February 15, 2017

Plus Letters to the Editor

7 Things To Do In Santa Cruz This Week

things to do santa cruz songwriter showcase
Event highlights for the week of February 15, 2017

What’s your favorite conspiracy theory?

Local Talk for the week of February 15, 2017

What One Vet Learned During a Harrowing Burglary

holistic veterans paul damon
Paul Damon, of Holistic Veterans, chased down a man who broke into his home

Downtown Leaders Try to Bring in Clean-Up Program

downtown streets team briefs 1707
Chip, executive director of the DTA, leads effort to start Downtown Streets Team

The Often-Forgotten Benefits of a Daily Meditation Routine

daily meditation
The ancient brain exercise grows new brain cells and eases stress—if you remember to do it

Preview: A Discussion of Joy in the Face of Adversity

Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in The Book of Joy by Doug Abrams
Local author Doug Abrams discusses a message of compassion and joy from Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu

Preview: Pianist Yuja Wang to Play Two Shows in Santa Cruz

Yuja Wang
Pianist Yuja Wang arrives for the biggest show in SC Symphony history
17,623FansLike
8,845FollowersFollow