On this most American of holidays, Thanksgiving, let’s remember all the great notions that this country was originally built on and celebrate them.

-The choice to eat turkey OR tofurky

-The freedom of speech to tell your family members that you disagree with them (thus setting off a chain reaction that culminates in the annual Thanksgiving argument)

-A propensity towards individuality that inspires you to show up at dinner dressed in a top hat n’ tails, slutty red dress, as a muslim cleric or even as Michael Jackson or Mark Geragos.

-A sense of diversity that could provoke a mix of dinner guests such as: your old club kid friends who are still in a k-hole, that one Right Wing friend you have (so you can say, “I have a right wing friend”), your spiritual buddy who prays for the turkey, that lecherous older single guy who’s never got plans, that lecherous older single woman who’s never got plans (but refuses to be friends with that lecherous older single guy who’s never got plans) and of course that irritating couple who just had a baby and can’t stop talking about it until you’re driven to have your tubes tied.

choice, freedom, individuality and diversity…great attributes…now let’s ponder them and whether they will still be permitted to exist in this country in ten years.

This is the decade of the Slut. Thanks to Christina (above), Brittney, and the deification of porn and stripper culture, in today’s world, little is left to the imagination. It started with the subtle stylings of Calvin Klein and has taken flight in a flurry of brazen belly buttons, cleavage and jiggling rears. We are in the thick of the “put ‘em on the glass” era. And sadly, as much as it’s liberated a small sector of the population, it’s the death knell for sensuality. Here’s an analogy: Madonna’s career. While some may time her downfall post-Ray of Light there is another school that believes that after she exposed it all in her show-all Sex book, there was no longer anything sexy or mysterious about her. Fantasy is sexy. Imagination is sexy. This is because we get to see the subject through our own individualized fetishistic lens. Throw it at us like it’s meat in a slaughterhouse and eventually we become de-sensetized to it. We no longer react. Oh, a buttock, a breast, who cares?

It sort of reminds me of nudists. Everyone thinks they’re such sexual deviants because they parade around naked. But have you ever been around nudists? There is nothing less sexy or more clinical. In Europe there’s a commerical that depicts a hot young couple on a couch, slowly, languorously putting articles of clothing ON eachother. At the final moment, the door swings open. Their eyes widen, as if they’ve been discovered. Then we see the girl’s family, a bunch of nudists, standing there in disgust. Get the message?

I predict, in the next decade a wave of concealed sexuality: subdued, suggestive desire hidden beneath a completely cloaked body–a pilgrim’s outfit, a burka, anything that conceals and suggests. We’ve already seen this in the fetish community with the advent of the catsuit. It covers every part of a woman’s body yet introduces the suggestion of her shape, the womanly hourglass as a fetish symbol. It’s not a far fetch considering, a few years ago circumstances were such that very few people had even heard of a burka; now it’s practically a household name. Ok, well, that’s a bit extreme, going too far on the other end of the spectrum. Or is it?

If you look at life as a sort of cloak and dagger game, riddled with intrigue, enigma and moment-to-moment discoveries it’s easy to understand the idea of ‘point people.’ In a mystery or suspense thriller there is often an off-beat ‘point person’ who hands our hero or heroine a suspicious package or gives them an odd message (in cliche form: ‘it ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings’). Put simply, the ‘point person’ furthers the plot. The main character learns something from the point person and then moves on to the next location or scenario.

The protagonist can never be certain in what form the point person will come. To follow the standard thriller format it could be that homeless guy warming his hands above a garbage can fire, or some floozy at the end of a seedy bar, drinking herself to death. Similarly, in life, we encounter (perhaps in less dramatic and obvious forms) ‘point people’ throughout. They are the pivotal but sometimes (usually) fleeting people in our lives who arm us with vital pieces of information about ourselves and the world around us. Just like the movie format, they lurk around the corner and pop out when we least expect them, ready to make us pivot in a completely different direction.

Look back on your life as if it was a screenplay and note who the ‘point people’ were and what information they gave you or where they sent you. I think you’ll find that the more open-minded you are (to different types of people–age-wise, looks-wise, background-wise, etc.) the more ‘point people’ you are able to perceive in your game of life. The more ‘point people’ you have, the more dynamic your life is. Lessons come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes an antagonist can be a ‘point person,’ much to our dismay. But if we accept the information and directions they give, we find that they are not so daunting after all. So forget everything I just said and go on your merry way. That’s exactly when the next ‘point person’ will turn the corner to give you your new instructions.

You’re probably already feeling it, that sense of upheaval and the changing tides of life. Maybe you’re having a “breakdown” or a “crisis.” Or perhaps you just sense a strange “vibe” in the air. This is all thanks to a set of eclipses that are hitting this month–the more emotional of the two in just four days in sidereal Aries and a new moon eclipse on the 23rd in sidereal Scorpio. To top it all off, Mars is still in sidereal Aquarius, occupying the same house as unpredictable Uranus (it’s been there since June, causing lots of confusion and sometimes turmoil). The good news is that after this month when Mars FINALLY changes signs, and the eclipses have left their mark, we’ll all be ready to start a new, more promising cycle. Check under your birthday below to see which areas of your life will be affected.

(January 15th-February 12th)
The first eclipse on the 8th hits your home sector bringing domestic matters to fruition. This could signal an immediate change in your living situation. Perhaps someone moves out, you find a new place, a renovation occurs. It could also bring about confontations or altercations with family members, roommates or domestic partners. The second eclipse on the 23rd launches you onto a whole new stata of social contacts–both groups and individuals. Expect to understand what I’m talking about during the holiday season. That will be the beginning of your entree into some new scenes and people who will be part of your life in 2004.

(February 13th-March 13th)
Eclipse number one, on the 8th hits the part of your chart that governs your intellect and communications. It is likely that your phone will not stop ringing this month or that those close to you will want to share a lot with you verbally. Another possibility is that your mind is so buzzing with ideas that you can hardly sleep a wink. Insomnia is not uncommon under this influence. Certain communications may also come screeching to a halt due to disputes. The full moon energy can sometimes make it, conversely, difficult to communicate. The second eclipse, a much lighter one, occurs in your career sector–a beautiful omen of opportunities in the year to come. Get the ball rolling in December and January. Remember, December is the time to re-visit old career possibilities since Mercury is retrograde–but do not try to initiate new ones.

(March 14th-April 13th)
Money matters reach a boiling point around the 8th as this powerful eclipse touches on your second house of financial matters. One form of income may dry up while another appears on the horizon. Any financial issues that you tried to sweep under the carpet will not stay there for long as full moon eclipses shed light on dormant or non-active things. It is also possible that possessiveness will flare up around this time if you want to look at this from an emotional angle. The solar eclipse on the 23rd opens you up for at least six months worth of learning, growing and probing new and exotic ideas, milieus and people. Get ready to have your old shell cracked wide open. There is a great big cosmos out there waiting to be discovered. This eclipse will simply not let you limit your ideas via ‘tunnel vision.’

(April 14-May 14)
You of all people will feel the first eclipse the most, as it hits your very sign. Things may feel a bit too hot to handle during the first couple of weeks of November. Remember that this is a shedding of skin. Everything is bubbling at the surface now and you can finally see yourself clearly for the good and the bad. If you let go and open your eyes this promises to be a rebirth of sorts. If you hold on and lament it will only be painful. Either way, you’re in destiny’s path and will experience rebirth whether you like it or not because the second eclipse occurs in the mysterious depths of your 8th house. This house also rules sex and intimacy, so if you’re open to it you could learn a thing or two from face-to-face or body-to-body contact in the winter months.

(May 15-June 14)
If you’re a naturally spiritual or inquisitively inclined person, the first eclipse may feel like an epiphany of sorts. If not, you may struggle as you feel overcome by the ghosts of your psyche and dreams gone-by. Eclipses are already purifying, rejuvinating events that uncover that which has been obscured. With one in your 12th house of subconscious, fantasy, secrets and your psyche, you are bound to get more of your share of Freudian discoveries. This is all necessary, as it’s clearing the way for a brand new cycle, launched by the second eclipse in your house of partners. If you’re already with someone, you will move into a new phase of intimacy in the next few months. If you are alone, expect to meet someone who may become a partner, over the holiday season.

(June 15-July 15)
Eclipse number one occurs in your house of friendships so you may see a lot of compadres busting out of the woodworks. You may in fact be social binging. Just remember that where there’s a binge there’s also a purge. I envision you getting rid of dead weight friends in your life before it’s time to ring in the new year. As for the second eclipse on the 23rd; it hits your 6th house of service, work and health. It’s not the most exciting house as far as changes go but it could give you a chance to start on a new health and work cycle (i.e. get organized and create some positive structure in your life). Be conscious over the holidays, because by launching a new regimen for yourself you can expect great successes to follow in other quarters of your life.

(July 16-August 16)
The first eclipse on the 8th occurs in your career house bringing a rush of energy into existing projects or culminating a job or project. This is the end of one cycle of careers and the beginning of a new one. Chances are you’ve been sensing this for a while, as your sign is rather intuitive and sensitive. If you’re not ready to let go…do, it will bring you closer to your destiny. This surely involves creativity as the November 23rd eclipse occurs in your 5th house of creativity, romance, fun and children. This one launches a new cycle, starting in December, of fun and romance in your life. If you feel that things have been a bit too stale or sober lately, buckle your seatbelt because you’re about to get totally inspired and swept away.

(August 17-September 16)
The November 8th eclipse should teach you a thing or two about yourself, others and the world around you. It occurs in your 9th house of teaching, learning, philosophy and foreign cultures. It’s a time when you could have a realization or expansion at a moment’s notice. You are broadening your horizons and it will feel like your whole world is changing. Then, on the 23rd a solar eclipse in your 4th house of home, family and domesticity begins a new chapter in your home life. You may move, get closer with family (especially females in general and your mother) or find a new way to enhance your existing home situation.

(September 17-October 17)
The eclipse on the 8th deals with the deeper more intuitive parts of your life such as intimacies, sex and the mysteries surrounding life itself. You could find yourself more emotional and intense than usual. Or issues surrounding a shared resource could demand resolution. Intimate matters are also crying for attention. You must now decide whether to ‘kill’ a certain intimate contact or allow it to move onto the next level. The lighter eclipse on the 23rd falls in your third house promising a new cycle of communication and intellectual pursuits. Also, if you have siblings they may play a larger role in your life in 2004.

(October 18-November 15)
The first eclipse occurs in your 7th house of partnerships. Relationship matters will certainly come to a head and things may get pretty intense in that sector. Expect to resolve that which was tossed aside before or prepare to drop it completely. Either way, one phase of your partnerships is ending and a new one is beginning. For singles, this could imply that a new person ’suddenly’ shows up on the scene. On the 23rd a brand new financial cycle begins. It will likely unfold at the beginning of the new year. If you were banking on more in the bank, now is the time to plant seeds and take chances. Things could reach fruition by the spring. An old monetary resource no longer serves you. It’s time to make way for a new one.

(November 16-December 15)
The lunar eclipse on the 8th falls in your 6th house so you should be very careful about your health. Routines will be upset (whether by health issues or by general upheaval). Any ailments you hadn’t been taking care of will surface and you may be forced to see a doctor. The good news is that a solar eclipse on the 23rd promises to usher you into a grandiose rebirth. Get excited, 2004 promises to be your power year. You’ll see these great changes start to materialize in the winter but they’ll really take off by the time the holidays are over. This is the last eclipse in your sign for a while so it should be a big one. Maximize it by being open-minded to new things, expanding your horizons and getting out there and being proactive.

(December 16th-January 14th)
The first eclipse of the month falls in your 5th house and it should be a pretty wild one. The pace will be frantic and gushing with creativity. Expect things to be rather intense but in a fun, bubbly, social way. You’ll be bursting with ideas and opportunities should abound. If however you don’t have the energy or gusto for this, burnout could ensue so watch out. The second eclipse on the 23rd falls in your 12th house indicating that you’ll be focused on rather inward matters in the coming new year. You’ll be reflecting on new dreams and how they gel with the old ones as well as fighting (and usually overcoming) the demons of your subconscious.