Yul Brynner, who died of lung cancer in 1985, helped reverse glamour image in late 80s with a chilling PSA which began, “Now that I’m dead … please don’t smoke.”

If you’re wondering what this has to do with spiritual development and seeing things clearly, let me continue.

If you didn’t go through process of consciousness raising with cigarette smoking, here’s an example from 21st Century. The same thing is occurring with obesity. The same long, time consuming process has begun. This time you can be a part of it, waking up slowly to what is before your very eyes.

I visited Russia this summer and people in Russia are not overweight. I really noticed it when I got back home. I have a friend from India who moved here because he wanted to be in a country where “even poor people are fat.”

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in United States. Fast food chains are being sued to hold them accountable for selling food high in fat, salt, sugar, and cholesterol content, “despite studies showing a link between consuming such foods and obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, elevated cholesterol intake, related cancers, and other health problems” and despite a recent published finding by Surgeon General that obesity costs Americans almost as much money per year as cigarette related illnesses. John F. Banzhaf III (http://banzhaf.net) is nationally-known professor and practitioner of public interest law who is bringing these legal actions to public forum.

The Chicago Tribune reports that suits initiated by Banzhof’s students have already forced McDonald's to apologize for "duping" people, and pay out over $12 million in damages. McDonald’s claimed their French fries were “vegetarian”. [They are fried in animal fat.]

According to ABCNEWS Internet Ventures, “a second law suit filed by a disgruntled customer in Florida, outraged when she learned that a so-called low-calorie and low-fat ice cream had at least three times calories and fat she was led to believe, has likewise been granted class action status by a judge, and could involve one million customers.”

Banzhof comments, “We know from tobacco litigation that initial suits have real difficulties because public has real problems accepting new ideas and new concepts. It took us many years to get us to point of educating juries about tobacco, so now they are [learning about fast food industry].”

In one of finer uses of evolutionary nature of law, Americans are being shown -- until they can “see” for themselves -- connection between junk food and poor health. We are also being shown correlation between weight gain and disastrous health consequences which we know intuitively. Obesity, watching television and eating junk food and go together like Whoppers and SuperSizeItPlease.

Connecting dots can help us to correct misapprehensions from childhood and see world around us with new eyes. It is these new eyes of seeing that are both goal and process of enlightenment.

In addition to learning a common language like lingua franca (Latin was lingua franca of educated people in Europe for many years), crossroads experiences stimulate a desire to learn a foreign language. Did you know that learning a foreign language increases your intelligence? One reason is that it builds bridges of communication between right and left side of brain, increasing flexibility. A person who can come at a problem with right and left brain flexibility has double resources of someone relying on just one or other. In addition, on Gemini side, you learn to speak another language but on Sagittarian side, you develop telepathic ability to understand someone else's language. This ability often transcends words being spoken and heard as many people with language ability will tell you.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION IS EXCHANGED AT CROSSROADS

Here is an example of some of kinds of important information that are exchanged at a crossroad.

Be careful, it is no longer safe to drink water at xx Be careful king of xx is dying and country is run by renegades who no longer honor our trade agreements Warning, there was a spring flood which washed away trail at xx Good news! The mountain pass is clear now. Good news! The king of xx wants trade in his country and has cleared bandits out of gulch at xx. The price of amber has dropped. Don't be fooled into paying high prices. The market for silk has shifted further west … be careful not to buy more than you can sell. Xx's supply of xx is terrible this year. Best go in another direction with what you have to sell. People who stay at home in town and village don't need this kind of information. But if they are wise, they listen to news from travelers because it can portend things in future. For example a traveler returns and says, "I have been to xx and they will pay fabulous sums of money for this stuff that washes up on shore around here [amber]". Or he might say, "There are restless tribes marauding close to here. We need to be careful or they will wipe us out." There is no way for a connection to be made between towns and villages if someone doesn't travel.

THE INTERNET IS RULED BY MERCURY: IT IS MERCURIAL

Today of course internet is very Mercurial. It brings information back and forth between people who find each other through common interests. They are traveling air waves, so to speak.

A characteristic of staying at home in village is that things change very slowly in village. Along trade routes there is constant change. The energy is "mercurial", fast changing along trade routes. It is like quicksilver where cultures collide. People learn to borrow good things from one another to improve their own. There is an open mindedness among traders and among people who live along all borders of world. Such places are ruled by Mercury. What can we learn from all of this?

The planet Mercury rules sign Gemini. There are 12 signs but there are really only 6 "polarities". Gemini and its opposite sign Sagittarius make up one of these polarities and it is best to understand these two signs as complimentary opposites. They are different degrees of same qualities. Therefore, when we speak about Mercury, which rules Gemini, there is always a Sagittarian flavor in stew.

PETER THE GREAT WAS A QUINTESSENTIAL GEMINI/SAGITTARIUS PERSON

An example of a quintessential Gemini/Sagittarius individual is Russian Tsar, Peter Great. Peter Great (1672-1725) had his Sun and Mercury in Gemini in 3rd house opposite his Moon in Sagittarius. Peter was a genius and master of many trades. He was an innovator and facilitator. He traveled to and borrowed from various countries in Europe, bringing back best of England, France, Netherlands and Italy. He consolidated Russian territory, created Russian Navy, dredged city of St. Petersburg from swamps and introduced new styles of dress and customs to his people. He was "ahead of his times".

The flexibility and open mindedness of someone like Peter Great are characteristic of "crossroads" energy ruled by Mercury. In a manner of speaking, Peter Great visited everywhere and took best of everything. His open mindedness and flexibility were winning qualities and they are "crossroads" qualities.

Peter had both Gemini and Sagittarius qualities. A typical Gemini trait was his interest in "curiosities". At a time when many rulers created museums to preserve freaks and oddities of nature, Peter was no exception. You can still visit his museum in St. Petersburg today. Peter was a Sagittarius in his love of everything "foreign" and in his mastery of many different talents.

SPREAD OF IDEAS, INFORMATION AND DISEASE ALONG THE TRADE ROUTES

For a graphic idea of spread of ideas and information, consider spread of black plague contagion which began in 14th century Europe by following caravan routes. From lower Volga River basin in 1345, it spread to Caucasus and Crimea by 1346, Constantinople by 1347, Alexandria in autumn of 1347, Cyprus and Sicily in that year, Italy by winter 1347, Marseilles by January of 1348, Paris in spring 1348, followed by Germany and Low Countries in that year, Norway in May 1349, eastern Europe by 1350, and finally Russia in 1351.

Epidemics have been tracked historically and illustrate prinpciple of exchange or cross pollination that takes place at crossroads.

MERCURY IS THE GOD OF BORDERS

Mercury is also god of borders. Living in Southern California, our population is a mix of Caucasian, Arab, Mexican, African-American, Oriental and Island people. I can't say that we get along easily all time, but we do get along. Hopefully Southern California gets best of all these cultures and wins. When I leave California I miss stimulation of border/crossroads energy. If I go someplace homogenous like a town in midwest, I find it fascinating by contrast. The upheaval and change that occurs when 7 different cultures "collide" has its special challenges and gifts and a homogenous culture has its stability.

MERCURY REMINDS US: WHEN YOU STAND AT THE CROSSROADS OF LIFE, KEEP AN OPEN MIND

Mercury is also god of symbolic crossroads. This reminds us how important it is to be open minded when we stand at a crossroads in life. Mercury reminds us that keeping our minds open to as many choices as possible is best way to face unknown.