In a very real sense, absolutely!

Today is my “actual” birthday (from AstroDienst), with the sun lining up precisely with where it was when I was born in 1945 (!) at 9:25 p.m. tonight, rather than tomorrow, my calendar birthday. This has to do with the imprecision of the numbers, things slipping, the impossibility of our wretched artificial calendar ever truly reflecting the orbits of the stars and planets or the alignment of the galaxies. Not that precision really matters in this instance though. For my birthday, it’s more of a general field of energy with the needle pegging in the night:

Today is your astrological birthday, even though it may be different from your calendar birthday. As would seem appropriate with this transit, today is a day of new beginnings, and the influences you feel today will affect the entire year to come. However, this does not mean that the whole year will be disappointing if today doesn’t work out exactly as planned. You are receiving a new impulse from the energy center within you, as symbolized by the Sun. Therefore any new venture that you start at this time will ride the crest of this new energy and will very likely come to an acceptable conclusion. Whatever you do or begin today will bear the stamp of your individuality more than anything else. This is the day to assert yourself anew.

Detonated over beautiful Nagasaki on the day I was born

So I may do anything today, and that covers a LOT of ground. Actually, I’ve already thought of a couple of “new ventures” to launch. No, they don’t involve climbing Mt. Wheeler (13,151 feet). That was my intended birthday ritual, but what happened was that a couple of friends wanted to have a dinner party for me tomorrow, and I realized it was stupid to turn down such a friendly and generous offer. The mountain isn’t going anywhere, and I can try that next week if I don’t have to go to Tucson to find a nursing home for my mother or pick up her ashes from the funeral home. Life is strange, is it not?

One thing I’ve thought of involves writing more openly and matter-of-factly about intangibles. This could be tricky, because of all the ridicule it provokes and because I already have a deplorable tendency to manipulate and preach. Wow: just from writing that, I can already feel the self-censorship wanting to kick in — the thing that always holds me back — but what’s more important than personal truth? That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do in my life, to be as clean, clear, and true as possible, without conflicts, to go through life like a dophin without leaving a wake… And believe me, I’m all too well acquainted with the opposite.

Probably my favorite milagro

It strikes me that this is all about heart. Listening to and following my heart. Not about politics, economics, the environment, making a living, finding a home, what my old friends think of me, or what that lump is on the back of my neck. There have been times during the past couple of years when I’ve felt inexpressible joy and unity with all creation. Occasionally to the point of tears, like I was consumed by cosmic love and acceptance. NO SHIT! Hell, that happened once last week.

So Happy Birthday to you all, and we shall see what we shall see.