I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep.
I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.
– Alexander the Great (attributed)
It’s Monday Meme time again (on a Tuesday, I know; blame Berry – she was late!) and this one’s written in the stars: the Zodiac Meme. I’ve already written a post about my RL sign at the Zodiac Event, but these questions delve a little more into the whole horoscope thing that inspired it.
1: What is your birthday and/or Zodiac sign?
My birthday is August 21st, so that makes me a Leo. (Actually, it makes me a Leo/Virgo cusp, as the wheel turns over onto Virgo on or around August 22nd). Skell’s rezday is June 24th, so he’s Cancerian ;-)
2: Do you believe in or follow astrology?
It interests me to a point, in that it influenced so much of history (for example: John Dee casting a horoscope to divine the perfect day for Elizabeth I’s coronation, etc). Anything that held so much sway over human lives for so long is worth reading about, whether you believe in it or not. And, whether you do believe in astrology or not, the stars and planets in general have been guides to mankind since the beginning, from the giant henges that acted as clocks to the ancients, to the almanacs that medieval farmers used to consult.
3: Do you feel your sign’s attributes reflect who you are?
In some ways, yes. I’m a ‘typical Leo’ in that I’m loyal, independent, generous and encouraging (and, on the bad side of the traits coin, I can also be stubborn and melodramatic). But – blogging aside (!) – I don’t like to be the centre of attention in RL, and I’m certainly not one to jump up and immediately be ‘the leader’ of anything.
4: Have you ever been to a psychic or astrologer either in RL or in SL (are there any in SL?)
I’ve been to a psychic, several years ago, and I’ve had a full, 10-year horoscope cast (again, several years ago). The main thing that I took away from the psychic was something that I kind of knew anyway: I am extremely sensitive to (for want of a better word) ‘vibes’. If someone around me is in a bad mood, I can pick up on it instantly (and, if I’m not careful, that bad mood can infect me).
I’ve also had my palm read, while I was in India. I was told never to go into water that came above my waist. I didn’t figure out why that would be important (I’m a good swimmer, and I pay heed to warnings about undercurrents etc), but the next year – while on holiday in Greece – I was swimming in a completely placid ocean up to my shoulders, and suddenly a ring that was very precious to me slipped off my hand and vanished into the sand underfoot. If it hadn’t been for a group of snorkellers nearby, who dove down until they found it, the ring would have been completely lost to me. So the old palmist was right.
Yeah, there’s something to it, I think.
5: Do you read your horoscope daily and try to follow any advice, recommendations or warnings it may have for you that day?
No, I don’t. If I happen to be flipping through a newspaper during my breaks at work (at home I get my news online) then I might glance over my horoscope, but I’m more likely to be the silly fucker putting on a portentous voice and reading others’ horoscopes out to them ;-)
The only ‘horoscopes’ that I read religiously are the ones by Madame Clairevoyant, in The Rumpus. She readily acknowledges that she knows sod-all about astrology, and instead just writes down inspirational things that feel right for that zodiac sign each week. They come out every Monday, and… I dunno. I just love them. Here’s Leo for this week:
This week, you might be worried that your brain is too weird, that you don’t know how to navigate the winding streets of your life. This week, you might feel your thoughts spinning and getting weird, and it’s okay. Try to trust your vision and try to trust the way your voice sounds, when it’s quiet, when it’s shaky, when it’s strong, when it’s loud. Try to trust the things you see in your dreams, even if they scare you, even if you don’t understand. Trust your own eyes and trust your own truths and trust your hunger for ice cream late at night.
6: Do you have very strong feelings about astrology, either negative or positive?
Not really, no. They interest me, on the general level that I mentioned in reply to Q2, but I don’t have any strong feelings about them, one way or the other.
And now, have the fashiony stuff!
Isn’t that lion gorgeous?
Vest: Egoisme – Snake Vest [ ramses.meredith ]
Pants: Yasum – Hippi Leather Pants [ azlyn.vaher ]
Hair: Nikita – Cruel Mohawk (coffee) [ nikita.fride ]
Necklace: HANDverk – Lion Tail Necklace (wheat) [ daphne.klossovsky ]
Feet: Slink – Mens Natural Barefeet [ siddean.munro ]
Bracelets & Cuff: Mandala – Sinra2 Bracelet Set (vintage gold) [ kikunosuke.eel ]
Nails: Mandala – Sinra2 Nails & Rings Set (vintage gold) [ kikunosuke.eel ]
Makeup (gold): Nomine – Dirge 1 (colorable)* [ munchflower.zaius ]
Makeup (brown): Nomine – Thistle (colorable)* [ munchflower.zaius ]
Eyes: IKON – Ascension Eyes (leonine) [ ikon.innovia ]
Skin: Fruk – Bennett (Rock of Ages – old Mens Dept limited edition) [ chucky.hollak ]
Hairbase: Exile – Basic Hairbase 2 (pecan) [ kavar.cleanslate ]
Lion: Mesh Mafia – Full-Perm Lion & Lioness set [ meshtakesweremade ]
*Review copy
It was still Monday where I live when I posted it! :P
Also, your ring story totally freaked me out, that is amazing. And I love the Madame Clairvoyant tumblr, followed, thanks for the link!
*points* Slacker! XD
I kind of freaked out a bit about the ring, too. At the time, I was despondent as all hell (until one of the snorkellers quite literally rose out of the water, hand first, brandishing the ring like some Greek Lady of the Lake) but later in the bar I remembered the old Indian palmist and it was definitely a ‘holy shit’ moment.
The Tumblr is actually for The Rumpus itself (Madame Clairevoyant only posts on Mondays) but it’s a great one to follow.
Another Leo! I’m on a mission to comment on all Leo’s post because y’all remind me of my dad. Especially with your photos and quote, cos Dad is mad about Alexander the Great (and by extension, so am I).
“the stars and planets in general have been guides to mankind since the beginning, from the giant henges that acted as clocks to the ancients, to the almanacs that medieval farmers used to consult”–You have a point there…
Madame Clairvoyant’s advice to my sign is to be lazy. At least that is what I interpret it as, so I shall be following this advice to a T. XD
If you or your dad haven’t read it, I can highly recommend Manfredi’s three-part Alexander trilogy. I read it several years ago, and it’s overdue for a re-read sometime soon. I might save it for a Christmas vacation treat.
Madame gives wonderful advice. I shall heed hers for me this week, and trust my hunger for ice cream late at night ;-)