It’s Christmas and someone out there is in trouble, danger, pain…I truly believe that your energy can heal. When pulled together and aligned with a task it takes pure energy to transform a situation (metaphysical alchemy). So I ask you to think back for a moment on the great times you’ve had in life, perhaps one or two experiences, that made you think how very much life was worth living, how beautiful and precious an experience it is to live and to learn and to share in this life. Pool all those positive sentiments together and then help me to channel your feelings. And now send your benevolent energy to someone you don’t know but who really needs it right now.

Photo: Jena.us

Jena.us took this photo of me, my friend Jack Kappler, and Jena’s friend Wayne at the Thursday night all-stars show at the Laugh Factory. The host was Stevie D., who goes to my gym, and the captivating Dane Cook headlined. Yet in this photo you would think we were posing for a Public Enemy album cover.

It seems as though a flurry of energy is suddenly all around me. Just found out my Dutch friend Bart got a curatorial position at the Witte de Wit museum in Rotterdam, Holland (congratulations, sweetie!).

I completed my first reporting assignment for People magazine covering an art show thrown by Giovanni Ribisi and Beck for the former’s mother’s photography. Had a nice chat with Giovanni about bio-architecture and mutual contacts Benjamin Bratton and Hernan-Diaz Alonso. He said, “RES is one of my favorite magazines,” which made our editor Holly Willis’ day. The crowd was very interesting–LA’s most beautiful and creative people…more hipster than Hollywood, a nice change, all in all. Check out Jena’s Photo Blog of the event.

Tomorrow I get to see the images my friend George Pitts took of me while I was last in New York. I’m really looking forward to this. His work is beautiful and sleek…reminds me a bit of Helmut Newton.

My friend Seb finished up his first feature film, “TransAmerica.” I look forward to seeing it and giving him press coverage.

My friend Dave Naz just released his book, “Legs,” a fetishistic exploration on that part of the female body. Now why wasn’t I invited to model for this one? Just kidding, check out–he’s awesome and he and his lovely girlfriend Barbara Ann are now neighbors in the LC.

And congratulations to my good friend Teresa who just started working at Disney. All in all this is starting out to be a fun productive month. And I love my new Canyon home…ah, to finally curl up with a good book, a roaring 20’s fireplace and do what I do best…nest…

Photo: Michelle Lolli

I wish this could be my author’s photo or creative photo. The flash in the background is my good friend Michelle. That is how I often feel…collaboration and inspiration from my friends is what informs my writing. And it’s kind of cool to see yourself through the lens provided by your friends. Of course, if she had taken a wretched photo of me, you would not be seeing it here. It would be in my personal collection of Shana’s inner-beast images. So thanks, Ms. M. for lending me your eyes. Next time, I will return the favor.

Speaking of friends, this is a live telephonic blog. Welcome, my good friend Mieke Eerkens from San Francisco to shanatinglipton.com. So, let’s rant. There is an inclination to say something profound. But, let’s face it, quoth Mieke, “I’ve had half a bottle of Chardonnay, so anything I say at this point would sound profound to me.”

Here’s something smart, but honest. Mieke and I were talking about Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” the other day. And, she informed me, “I had a dream that I was being marched with a line of prisoners in a cave. People were being shot in the front of the line. When I got to the front of the line they shot me. I thought I was fine but then my friend looked at me and started crying and said that I was missing half my face. I put my hand to my face and realized it was all bloody. Half my face was gone but I felt fine.”

Mieke had this dream when she was a teenager and had never read “Allegory of the Cave.” “I did connect it to E.M. Forster’s Passage to India.” I believe that Plato’s work is the collective psyche or Akashic Records come to life. We all share certain symbols. Joseph Campbell explored this in “The Power of Myth.” We leave you with our ramblings and links to explore the Allegory and myths yourself and come to a conclusion worthy of discussion or at least much-needed diversion. Mieke and Shana signing off.

Ok, so I just moved and I’m back in a neighborhood that I have lived in before and loved living in. There’s a sense of sweet nostalgia surrounding me. It’s like I haven’t closed a door on a certain chapter. On the other hand, it’s all completely new to me. This house is like a person that I need to get to know. There are all these hidden facets to this ‘person,’ that I have yet to discover. Like some eager young girl in the throes of first love, I want to know it all NOW. But I will in fact be living here for a long time and I have a long time to get to know my new environment.

As I was cleaning up my back patio today, throwing the leaves in the bin, trimming, shearing, etc. I began to have nostalgic feelings as well. I remembered the first time I got into gardening and connecting with nature through it, at a place I lived in just down the street from my new place…the conflict between past and present, again. At the same time I saw tremendous possibility before me, looking at this tiny patch of landscape, waiting for me to shape it.

Maybe I always feel a little bittersweet during this time of year. Maybe I always go back to when I was a little girl and looked forward to Christmas and all the promise that one day had to offer. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t that one day that meant so much. Maybe it was the feeling, just prior to Christmas–when we examine all things old and anticipate all things new–of infinite possibility. That’s what I miss…the purest, most potent form of possibility.

I’m posting my December horoscopes a few days early because I will be moving this week. I’m not sure how many days it will take to get my DSL hooked up again.

Also, a beautiful simple quote that I hope will inspire:

“Weak men wait for opportunities. Strong men make them.”

EAST-MEETS-WEST ASTROLOGY

Like the DJ always says, “We’re going to go way back…” Twenty years deep into the dance vinyl archive sits Evelyn Thomas’ butt bumpin’, aerobicizing classic tune, “High Energy.” This is our theme for December as several planets pay a visit to sexy dancin’ machine Scorpio. One of those planets, powerful Mars, is Scorpio’s ruler. Here’s where the “way back” part comes in: Mercury is retrograde most of the month in Scorpio as well-”Instant Replay.” The nightclub’s filled to capacity. But wait, there’s more. The Mayan calendar this month shows (not just the usual two) but three high voltage “13″ days (December 1st, 14th and 27th). Wild Scorpio challenges heady, unconventional Aquarius to a dance-off between the 20th and the 23rd. Boogie down into the New Year!
Check under your birthdate for your…

(January 15th-February 12th)
It won’t surprise you that this month-the biggest holiday month of the year-will find you at the Cheers Nexus, “Where everybody knows your name.” Old faces crop up everywhere. Canned laughter abounds. Gather round for jokes and ale from the 1st through the 15th. At some point between the 20th and 23rd some drunk old pal with a bone of contention-due to finances or plain insecurity-provides a moment of tense denouement. Stay friendly and open-minded and you’ll get high ratings on your season finale.

(February 13th-March 13th)
This month your life looks like Swimming with Sharks meets Nine to Five. Work hurdles teem and eventually square off just before the holidays as mojo locks horns with rationality. Much of this quagmire will have to do with past career projects, issues and people throwing wild cards into your current scenario. While you’re taking a much-needed break around the 26th, epiphanies occur as mental but multi-tasking Gemini insists that the solutions are manifold and creative. Give in and they’ll transform your work ethos for years to come.

(March 14th-April 13th)
Time to don your holiday attire. No worries, red and white caps are not your style. Fuzzy slippers, pajamas and a cozy robe are your required uniform for December. The first half of the month you play Amelie as you entertain yourself with your creativity and imagination. Perhaps you fall headfirst into a good read. The second half of the month you’ll grudgingly exit the cave for some mandatory socializing. New Year’s should be infused with more creativity or a very comfy romantic dalliance. Don’t forget to wear your polar fleece g-string.

(April 14-May 14)
Because you’re in familiar territory with many planets traveling through Scorpio (a planet with which you share a ruler) the tendency may be to roar and howl first; ask questions later. This makes for good fodder for shared asses (i.e. sex life), but may complicate matters pertaining to shared assets (i.e. joint finances). If you’ve leant or borrowed money from friends sort it out before Christmas. Communication is key. Around the 27th, if you’re clever enough to find creative ways to communicate without offending you’ll still have friends with whom to share New Year’s.

(May 15-June 14)
Now is your time. Does that mean today, this month, this year? Does it matter? Recent cosmic events have conspired to endow you with power and personal transformation that only Shiva or Superman could contend with. Shiva is the Hindu God of creation and destruction-the Yin-Yang forces that rule life. Superman is able to perform superhuman feats but not without the tips (and love) he receives from Lois Lane. Relationships will further your growth this month (and beyond) but only if you are willing to keep Shiva on a short leash around the holidays.

(June 15-July 15)
This month, be a good little Buddhist monk and give attention to every detail in your life. Whether it be work, your health or any of your so-called mundane everyday chores; do each with total reverence and impeccability. You may feel as though the world around you is chaotic and mentally unstable, but as long as you keep focused on the task at hand you can move, unharmed through the maelstrom. Your reward or Christmas present, for unwavering focus, will be one of your most potent and significant personal days of the year on the 26th.

(July 16-August 16)
Recall that classic piece of 80’s cinema verité, Angel. Live it. In December you’re the proverbial “High school honor student by day, Hollywood hooker by night.” There’s an element of innocence to the taboo corners of your world and an element of illicitness to your sweet and unassuming hearth. This is apparent on the 1st when the moon, in your sign, strikes a loud chord in the Mayan calendar, launching a month of intensity. By the 27th you’re forced to cook up an unconventional bouillabaisse of the diverse ingredients you’ve been sampling.

(August 17-September 16)
This month Martha Stewart may just get a tattoo of your name on her back. Even if they don’t do that sort of thing in white collar prison, the homemaker extraordinaire would be proud to see you exploring your dramatic flair for home entertaining this month. Some of your party guests could be surprise visitors from your distant childhood. The more the merrier, as long as it’s on your home turf. Martha would also give you a green thumbs up for throwing a New Year’s eve party, as the moon graces your sign.

(September 17-October 17)
“Show me the money!” How could that cheesy Tom Cruise line apply to someone as smart and pragmatic as you? Well, it does. An intense December 1st sets the tone for a financial windfall occurring in the first half of December. Mercury’s retrograde indicates that some past payments or money from old employers or friends is coming your way. The second half focuses on your favorite topic: communication and the mind. Sit back and laugh as things get erratic and feet are firmly positioned in mouths, especially around the 22nd.

(October 18-November 15)
Was it cheesy when Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh sold the rights to the song “Whip It,” to Swiffer, giving birth to, “Swiff it, swiff it good?” This month, like Mothersbaugh, you find yourself between the rock of creative integrity and the hard place of financial duress. The new moon offers a chance at a fresh financial cycle. Yet Mercury retrograde in your house of money says you must take care of past finances first. At month’s end, a project related to publishing, education, law, philosophy or foreign influences is exposed for what it is, or simply ends.

(November 16-December 15)
“I am a star. I’m a big, bright, shining star,” said Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights. This month, you too will look proudly in the mirror at your proverbial large phallus as planets galore pump into your sign. You’re really packing heat in the second half of the month with Mars joining the orgy (the 27th is your power day). Between the 20th and 22nd get out of the house and socialize, as domestic issues could be tricky. Ultimately, the full moon on the 26th in your house of sex, transformation and shared finances is your “money shot.”

(December 16th-January 14th)
Please type “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” over and over again on 150 sheets of paper. After October’s intense jolt to your career you’re ready to isolate yourself a little, perhaps become the caretaker of a large old hotel. Whatever you do, don’t forget the light of your life. It’s a good time to nest and focus on rehashing old issues with a partner. By month’s end startling transformations and beneficial revelations overflow. Just be gentle with your honey. Put the bat down, Wendy!