We want to feel good. The primary motivation behind every action we take is desire to feel happy. Even when we're focused on moving away from pain, we are, in effect, moving toward feeling good-physically, emotionally and spiritually.

What Do They Get from Opera?

As a kid, I often asked myself, "Why do people engage in life-endangering activities like sky-diving, car racing and mountain climbing?" And I wondered, "Why do people choose dangerous jobs like being a firefighter, cop or ambulance driver? I was also confounded by large amounts of money and time people spend going to opera, rock concerts and sports events. The budding journalist in me asked, "What do all these activities have in common? What's compelling force driving people to invest most of their precious free time, or whole lives, in these pursuits? What, in heaven's name, are people looking for?"

A Rush Is a Rush Is a Rush!

At one point in my teens, I saw light. It's so obvious really. We want to feel! We want to feel something.

On some level we all know that life is about feeling. If we don't feel life we miss life. And, of course, most popular choice is to feel good. Whatever way we choose to get ourselves to feel end goal is same: to experience good side of life-as fully and powerfully as possible! We want to feel really alive and happy. Some people call it Joy. Some Pleasure. Some Rush, Electricity, Juice, Fire or Passion!

The Pursuit of "The Zone"

If you listen to language of street throughout world you'll hear what's on minds of most folks. There's one prevailing theme running through most peoples' conversations. They're talking about their desire to feel good. And they want to find quickest, easiest way to feel good. I call this pursuit of "The Zone." The Zone is place of feeling good. It goes by many names. On a roll. In flow. In a groove. Steamin' Jivin' Clickin' Rockin' or Cookin'. Many different names, one essence, one feeling.

What is The Zone?

Being in The Zone is when everything goes right! You feel great! You're on top of world. Somehow you're magically in right place at right time and everything is working out just like you want. To be in flow is to be dialed into your natural state of clarity, presence and personal power. It's being free of tension, worry and draining emotions. It's living with a sense of ease, vitality and deep inner calm.

Or for that matter why isn’t Jeanne Avery being asked to head up a committee to explore peaceful resolutions to conflict in Middle East or Deborah Houlding among those advising Tony Blair on national policy? Why isn’t Rebecca Trents speaking at United Nations? Again, for not-so-well informed, Jeanne Avery is an astrologer for rich and famous who can be visited at www.jeanneavery.com. Deborah Houlding is a world-class “classical” astrologer in UK who can be visited at www.skyscript.co.uk . Rebecca Brents an astrologer and editor of Enchanted Spirit, one of most successful metaphysical ezines on internet which you can visit at www.enchantedspirit.org .

This question is worth contemplating. Why aren’t astrologers being included? I am not inclined to a powerless, exclusionary or conspiratorial interpretation as if these talented and capable people were sitting at home by phone waiting for it to ring. On contrary, I would rephrase question and reverse it. Why don’t world’s leading astrologers “get” themselves asked to high profile conferences on global matters? They could, so I guess answer must be that they aren’t pursuing opportunities. Why, then?

I think this has something profound to do with nature of astrology and astrologers, and perhaps with their tacit understanding that this is “not way”. Before I explain what I mean by this, let me set stage for you.

Astrology and its practitioners are ruled by planet Uranus and sign Aquarius. Aquarius is opposite sign Leo, which among other things represents ruler or king. Aquarius also represents “everyman” or “the common man”, as in a brotherhood of equals and also represents a revolutionary force opposed to king or more correctly, opposed to mythical heroic image of king. We might understand from this that astrologers find themselves or put themselves at opposite “ends” of spectrum from hierarchy. This polarity worked well through many centuries of history. For example, at some times in our heritage as human beings astrologer was natural opposing companion of king, not unlike Fool, king’s other stalwart companion. The Fool is ruled by Uranus as well.

We see many fools in Shakespeare’s play, most famous being one in “King Lear”. To get a little Shakespearean on you, then does this mean that astrologer is a Fool? Certainly not! Or, wait a minute, does it?

How are Fool and astrologer one and same? The Fool told king true things that those close to him sometimes wanted to keep him from knowing, out of fear of repercussions or because they were fawning for favors. Here’s an example from Barbara Tuchman’s book, "Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century". It is year 1340 and French have just been soundly defeated in a naval battle at port of Bruges. No one wants to tell king. Back then, sometimes even messenger of bad news got killed. “Jester” is another name for Fool. Tuchman states, "No one dared tell outcome of battle to Philip VI until his jester was thrust forward and said, ‘Oh, cowardly English, cowardly English!’ and on being asked why, replied, ‘They did not jump overboard like our brave Frenchmen.’ The King evidently got point. The fish drank so much French blood, it was said afterward, that if God had given them power of speech they would have spoken in French.” [pg. 7, “Distant Mirrors”]

The purpose of Fool is to -- and power of Fool is derived from -- standing permanently outside circle of power so that he is immune both from punishment and from temptation or corruption. This way he is “allowed” to tell truth. It creates a pure, idealistic Uranian environment. Uranus at its very best! The “real truth” about some important things seems to come from a very far away place and is often so simple as to sound like it came from a fool.