Summer may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose your luscious beach waves… Here is how to create and maintain perfect messy waves without having to dive into the ocean…

Every child deserves a gift on Christmas, and sometimes Santa needs a little help spreading Christmas cheer. Spirit Of Sharing (SOS) is a nonprofit organization which works to collect donations year round in person, by mail, and online, including automobile donations and other assets, to help our active duty military families throughout SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA each year during the holiday season.

Each year SOS shows our service members that we care by providing Holiday assistance to those most deserving, yet the most in need of assistance, help and support — our local military community. Help bring the magic of Christmas into the households of our military families’ lives here in Southern California. One small gift can make a world of difference in a child’s life. 

http://www.spiritofsharing.org

Photo by Eric Ray Davidson

I love the spirit of Halloween and the energy that comes with it! It’s said that All Hallows’ Eve is one of the nights when the veil between the worlds is thin – and whether you believe in such things or not, those roaming spirits probably believe in you, or at least acknowledge your existence, considering that it used to be their own. Even the air feels different on Halloween… Autumn-crisp and bright. Be safe and have a happy Halloween!

If you live in Gaza, you don’t have easy access to Kentucky Fried Chicken. The closest KFC restaurant is 35 miles away in the Egyptian city of El-Arish. But there was a time when you could pay smugglers to bring it to you via one of the underground tunnels that linked Egypt to Gaza. Each delivery took four hours and required the help of two taxis, a hand cart, and a motorbike. (Alas, Egypt destroyed most of the tunnels in early 2014.) I recommend, Aries, that you be as determined and resourceful to make your longed-for connections as the KFC lovers in Gaza were. Halloween costume suggestion: smuggler, bootlegger, drug-dealer, black-marketeer.

*

It’s urgent that you expand your options. Your freedom of choice can’t lead you to where you need to go until you have more possibilities to choose from. In fact, you’re better off not making a decision until you have a wider selection. To playfully drive home this point to your subconscious mind, I suggest that this Halloween you consider disguising yourself as a slime mold. This unusual creature comes in more than 500 different genders, at least 13 of which must collaborate to reproduce. Here’s a photo. 

*

In the animated sci-fi TV sitcom Futurama, Leela is the mutant captain of a spaceship. In one episode, she develops an odd boil on her hindquarters. It has a face and can sing. The actor who provides the vocals for the animated boil’s outpouring of song is comedian Craig Ferguson, whose main gig is serving as host of a late-night TV talk show on CBS. Telling you this tale is my way of suggesting that you consider going outside your usual niche, as Craig Ferguson did, to offer your talents in a different context. Halloween costume suggestion: Kim Kardashian as a nurse wearing ebola protective gear; science educator Neil deGrasse Tyson as a male stripper; a cat wearing a dog costume, or vice versa.

*

Native American hero Sitting Bull (1831-1890) was a renowned Lakota chief and holy man. He led his people in their resistance to the U.S. occupation of their land. How did he become so strong and wise? In large part through the efforts of his doting mother, whose name was Her-Holy-Door. Let’s install her as your exemplar for now. May she inspire you to nurture beauty and power in those you love. May she motivate you to be adroit as you perform your duties in service to the future. May the mystery of her name rouse you to find the sacred portal that ushers you to your next big gift. Halloween costume suggestion: a sacred portal, a divine gateway, an amazing door.

*

This is one of those rare times when it’s OK for you to just throw out the dirty dishes that you are too lazy to wash. It’s also permissible to hide from a difficult person, spend money on a supposedly foolish indulgence, eat a bowl of ice cream for breakfast, binge-watch a TV show that provokes six months’ worth of emotions in a few hours, and lie in bed for an extra hour fantasizing about sex with a forbidden partner. Don’t make any of these things habits, of course. But for now, it’s probably healthy to allow them. Halloween costume suggestion: total slacker.

*

Our evolutionary ancestors Homo erectus loved to eat delicious antelope brains. The fossil evidence is all over their old stomping grounds in East Africa. Scientists say that this delicacy, so rich in nutrients, helped our forbears build bigger, stronger brains themselves. These days it’s harder but not impossible to make animal brains part of your diet. The Chinese and Koreans eat pig brains, and some European cuisines include beef brains. I’m confident, however, that your own brain will be functioning better than ever in the coming weeks, even if you don’t partake of this exotic dish. Be sure to take advantage of your enhanced intelligence. Solve tough riddles! Think big thoughts! Halloween costume suggestion: a brain-eating Homo erectus.

*

“The egromenious hilarity of psychadisical melarmy, whether rooted in a lissome stretch or a lusty wobble, soon defisterates into crabolious stompability. So why not be graffenbent?” So said Noah’s ex-wife Joan of Arc in her interview with St. Crocodile magazine. Heed Joan’s advice, please, Libra. Be proactively saximonious. I’M KIDDING! Everything I just said was nonsense. I hope you didn’t assume it was erudite wisdom full of big words you couldn’t understand. In offering it to you, I was hoping to immunize you against the babble and hype and artifice that may soon roll your way. Halloween costume suggestion: a skeptic armed with a shock-proof bullshit-detector. (For inspiration, check out these visuals.)

*

In AMC’s famous TV drama, a high school chemistry teacher responds to his awful luck by turning to a life of crime. The show’s title, “Breaking Bad,” refers to what happens when a good person cracks and veers over to the dark side. So then what does “breaking good” mean? Urbandictionary.com defines it like this: “When a criminal, junkie, or gang-banger gets sweet and sparkly, going to church, volunteering at soup kitchens, and picking the kids up from school.” I’m concerned that you are at risk of undergoing a similar conversion, Scorpio. You seem so nice and kind and mild lately. I guess that’s fine as long as you don’t lose your edge. Halloween costume suggestion: a criminal with a halo, a sweet and sparkly gang-banger, or a Buddhist monk junkie.

*

I’ve got two possible remedies for your emotional congestion. You might also want to make these two remedies part of your Halloween shtick. The first remedy is captured by the English word “lalochezia.” It refers to a catharsis that comes from uttering profane language. The second remedy is contained in the word “tarantism.” It means an urge to dance manically as a way to relieve melancholy. For your Halloween disguise, you could be a wildly dancing obscenity-spouter.

*

You are at a point in your astrological cycle when you deserve to rake in the rewards that you have been working hard to earn. I expect you to be a magnet for gifts and blessings. The favors and compliments you have doled out will be returned to you. For all the strings you have pulled in behalf of others’ dreams, strings will now be pulled for you. Halloween costume suggestion: a beaming kid hauling around a red wagon full of brightly wrapped presents.

*

Two physicists in Massachusetts are working on technology that will allow people to shoot laser beams out of their eyes. For Halloween, I suggest that you pretend you have already acquired this superpower. It’s time for you to be brash and jaunty as you radiate your influence with more confidence. I want to see you summon reserves of charismatic clout you haven’t dared to call on before. Costume suggestion: The X-Men mutant named Cyclops or the legendary Native American creature known as the thunderbird, which emits lightning from its eyes.

*

The African nation of Swaziland has passed a law prohibiting witches from flying their broomsticks any higher than 150 meters above ground. That will a big problem for Piscean witches. There is currently an astrological mandate for them to swoop and glide and soar as high and free as they want to. The same is metaphorically true for all Piscean non-witches everywhere. This is your time to swoop and glide and soar as high and free as you want to. Halloween costume suggestion: high-flying witch, a winged angel, the Silver Surfer, or a mythic bird like the Garuda.

*

I have been on a few volunteer missions with Operations Smile and am currently finalizing the details for another one I shall go on this summer. Working with Operation Smile is a completely life altering experience and an organization I am truly passionate about and grateful to be a part of.

Each and every one of us has the ability to bring hope and give smiles.

It is incredible and truly inspiring to be a part of something with so many unique individuals who come together for the greater good of helping others and saving lives one smile at a time. I never knew my heart could hold so much love before joining Operation Smile and spending so much time with these wonderful, beautiful children and families.

For anyone who asks how volunteering can change your life, I challenge you to go and see for yourself.

In every community, there is work to be done.  In every nation, there are wounds to heal.  In every heart, there is the power to do it…

Visit http://www.operationsmile.org

Bernard Lee Shaw is my father. He was a good soul and always kind to everybody. Anyone who ever had the honor of meeting him loved him – He was the kindest, truest most thoughtful, sincere and genuine man that I (and those who met him) have ever known. The smile that would come upon his face every time he saw my mom, sister and me made us feel so cherished and adored. He taught my sister, Gillian, and me all of life’s important lessons and was our close friend and hero. Dad taught us what we needed to learn in life by setting an example through his own life. His goodness cannot and need not be expressed by words. The memories of my father are great… He loved making jokes and having a laugh. And, he was a talented guitarist – he would always play, sing and write songs for me and Gillian. He was extremely intelligent and spent every moment that he could with us. The relationship my sister and I have had with our dad has influenced every aspect of our lives… Describing my father should be easy… But finding the words in a time of loss and sadness is far from simple.

I am my father’s daughter, daddy’s little girl… I will love, cherish and remember him always.

RIP

Bernard Lee Shaw

September 3, 1945 – December 17, 2013