Opportunity knocks

By girlredundant

Like most women, I am partial to a bit of shopping and admit an appreciation for the finer in clothing brands. To afford to fuel my passion, I have trained myself to only shop twice a year when that magical four letter word sale is prominently displayed in windows.

Being redundant, however, has turned that on its head. Apart from not having a cash flow to fund such luxuries, the truth is I hardly need to be dressed in the latest designer garb to roll out of bed and spend the day in my living room. So I thought, good time to re-think my shopping habits and consider (God give me strength), second hand.

Embracing recycling

I have a number of friends who have embraced recycling completely, opting to only love the pre-loved. And as much as it pains me, I have to admit they usually look bloody good. But I have learnt to refrain from telling them that, lest I unleash the brag where they literally point to every piece of clothing they are sporting and announce how little they paid (think whole outfits for under $20!), leaving me to merely smile sheepishly and attempt a topic change knowing I am going to lose the clothes-off miserably.

Vintage op shop

I thought back to the number of times, when driven by a supposed vintage trend, I ventured into my local op shop full of hope and anticipation only to throw in the towel a few minutes later completely overwhelmed by mothball fumes and lack of merchandising. A handwritten sign saying ‘tops’ sitting above a rack bursting with clothing, is not my idea of helpful.

But now, as a redundant, the nice to consider is changing to have to consider. So I thought it best I discover how to love the pre-loved.

Dead people’s clothes!

My friend Happy Hippy was full of pearls on this subject as we panted up the lighthouse stairs on yet another of my trips to Byron. He suggested I grab a hanky (do they still exist?) and sprinkle it with peppermint essence and hold it in my gloved hand (yet another piece of wisdom) ready to fling over my nose when the need arose. But his winning recommendation was that I should consider weaning myself slowly into the world of opportunity shopping by first frequenting the designer exchange haunts before attempting to wear what he described as “dead people’s clothes”… noice!

With that advice on board, I thought I was now ready to take the plunge and asked another friend, Second Hand Rose, who is pretty much head-to-toe pre-loved (“even your underwear?” I asked thinking it was a rhetorical question, but was a little taken back when she said even she drew the line there. Excuse the faux pas, who knew people even recycle their underwear?), to take me shopping.

The Mecca of second hand

There we were, her in her $12 ensemble and me in my designer clothes that a least were a few seasons old (I thought I should get into the spirit of things) outside our first shop. “It’s important to set your intention”, she said as she handled a dress and quickly returned it to the rack after seeing its overpriced tag of $45. I settled on jeans…I had worn pre-loved before so I thought I should wean myself in with the familiar.

“Don’t buy anything that needs fixing and try everything on”, she continued while ushering me out of that store with haste and directing me to the apparent op shop Mecca, Vinnies. “Brace yourself”, she warned sucking in her breath as she paused for a minute to soak in the glow. I tried to see what she saw, feel what she felt, but all that came was a queasy panic as I followed her to the rack marked shirts. I watched her handle one and replace it swiftly. Perplexed I asked her why. “It was from Target.” Brilliant, there is snobbery within the preloved world too…maybe I could fit here after all.

Does my bum look big in this?

I managed to find a few pairs of jeans to try on and got my next surprise (actually it was two, the first was a tissue in one of the pockets…eeewww!) – even at $8 a pair, the same decision-making process comes into place as if they were $800. Does my bum look big in these? What’s that hole? The hem is coming down. Not sure about this wash. Will I get an effective cost per wear ratio?

Sale of the century

Second Hand Rose wasn’t having much luck either as she gathered her rejected bits and pieces.  “I might wait until these go on sale”, she announced. Sale, how can a $6 item be reduced any further?

“You really have got to come in weekly”, she stated as we exited her haven. “Sure”, I replied knowing I would never return. “And when you are done with something, just give it back to where you bought it.” Recycling the recycled, I thought, wow this is endless. What happens if you then buy that piece back again without knowing it? I was getting dizzy… not to mention faint from too much peppermint essence. I needed to work again quickly!

Postscript:  Second Hand Rose bought the garments she was considering two days later at the half price red label sale. Her total investment for three pieces was $10. I have avoided her ever since.

“In 1940 a critical benchmark level for the mind was ascertained — it’s called the flicker frequency. It appears that your mind is able to distinguish up to and including 24 different signals per second. If things go faster – faster than 24 separate events or things per second – your mind cannot follow anymore. What happens when you expose your mind to more than 24 pictures per second? You begin to see a continuous, unbroken flow of images that appear to lack distinction between one frame and the next. We actually have a name for it: It’s called a movie! 

In 1960 electronic companies hit on the idea of quantum physics and the transistor was born. A few years later we saw the first microchips appear — laying the foundation of what would become the basis of our daily life — nothing in modern times remains untouched by this technology. These chips were running on 2 MHz – that’s 2 Million instructions per second.

In 2007 computer chips have reached 2 GHz computational speed — that’s 2 billion instructions per second. And that’s only mass-produced computers for the general market. Some science based computers have already passed 100 Ghz. Compare that to the maximum of 24 instructions per second your mind can handle and you understand the incredible mind-blowing increase in speed. Computers are an analogy of the increase in the speed of evolution itself. It’s not time that’s speeding up, it is evolution that’s speeding up! 

Here are a few examples:Excessive increase of choices in consumer products; Thousands of advertising interruptions per day; Millions of new websites are added per hour; New information is globally disseminated and available in seconds. 

Your mind was never built to handle this much information in such a short time. Stress, in one form or another, is the cause of almost any disease and it is the root cause of dissatisfaction millions of people experience in their lives, which creates various amounts of unhappiness. Don’t make life decisions based on an overloaded mind. Nothing good can come out of this state anymore.However, the mind is only one instrument of many at our disposal to navigate life, and there are others that are completely independent from physical law. It’s time to say hello to your intuition.”

Thomas Herold

There are twelve zodiac signs and over six billion people on Earth. Does this mean that each horoscope applies accurately to five hundred million people for any given sign? How can one prediction be accurate for five hundred million people all over the world? We ask Astrologer Kelly Surtees to explain it to us:

“The simple answer to the question above is that they can’t.  The 12 zodiac signs are only one part of the vast astrological playing field. Accurate predictions can be made using astrology, but you have to look further than the 12 zodiac signs.”

What are the zodiac signs?

The 12 zodiac signs are integral to astrology and have been around for thousands of years. There are many constellations in the sky, but only 12 that the sun is seen to pass through on his heavenly journey. These are the 12 constellations from which the zodiac signs are drawn. The zodiac constellations are literally the starry backdrop of the Sun’s annual passage through the sky. This is where the term ‘Sun signs’ comes from. The 12 zodiac signs literally refer to where in the sky the Sun was at a person’s birth.

Astrologically, the 12 zodiac signs represent 12 broad archetypes of development. On their own these signs have never been intended to describe daily details of people’s lives. Zodiac signs are defined as the clothing or persona different planets adopt. 

The Sun, being the primary life source, is often touted as the dominant planetary influence. As a result, the zodiac sign of the Sun falls into at person’s birth (commonly known as your star sign) describes the basic ego characteristics. Natal astrology (where things get spookily accurate) refines this simple interpretation by including birth time, place and detailed chart aspects to create a unique astrological chart. Sun sign astrology has blossomed from an oversimplified modern fixation on the 12 zodiac signs. They are like a bite-sized version of the real thing. 

Where did Sun signs columns come from?

Sun sign astrology (a modern branch of astrology that is less than 100 years old) was designed for the media. Sun sign columns printed in newspapers or magazines explore genral themes affecting each Sun (star) sign.  In fifty words or less your fortune will always be vague and non-specific. These predictions are not meant to be detailed transcripts of people’s lives. Through daily, weekly or monthly Sun sign columns you, the public, get a mini-me version of the cosmos at work via the perspective of astrology.

Annual almanacs, published by many high profile astrologers through the 18th and 19th centuries, were some the earliest manifestations of the modern obsession with Sun sign columns. Leading astrologer of the time published annual almanacs containing their predictions for the upcoming year in an effort to create publicity and an income for themselves.  Based on the 12 Sun signs, these annual almanacs fed a public desire for more information for what they perceived astrology to be. Modern newspaper astrology columns were the next step.

The birth of Princess Margaret early in the 20th century provided to be unlikely boon for Sun sign astrology. The editor of London’s Sunday Express, in his research for a unique story on the birth of a new Princess, asked one of the biggest names in astrology at the time to write an article. The finished story, “What the Stars foretell for the new Princess”, set the standard for the many daily, weekly and monthly Sun sign columns of today. 

A modern Sun sign column describes an essence or general theme pertaining to each zodiac sign. As one popular astrologer recently said, “Sun sign astrology describes the headlines of your life,” – not the minutiae. 

Where does astrological accuracy come from?

Astrological accuracy comes from combining the 12 zodiac signs with the positions of 10 celestial bodies and the 12 astrological houses into an astrological chart. This chart is constructed based on the time, date and place of one’s birth. It is a unique planetary arrangement that repeats only once every 26, 000 years. An astrology chart (sometimes known as a natal or birth chart is like a snapshot of the sky taken at birth, from the place on earth where the person was born.

Astrology has a solidly scientific bases (astronomy grew out of astrology), but you won’t find it by just looking at the 12 zodiac signs. 

Accuracy in Astrology

Accurate astrology requires an accurate time of birth. This allows the constantly moving celestial bodies to be pinpointed in a visual perspective as seen from any point on Earth. This combination of birth time and place creates the 12 houses, including the ascendant and midheaven. 

The ascendant is a simple concept to understand. It represents the horizon at the time and place of your birth. Born at dawn? The Sun is rising and will be sitting on the ascendant. Born at midday? The Sun is culminating and will be sitting in the uppermost point of the chart. The Sun can be placed at any point of the astrological chart (commonly depicted as a circle). What if you were born when some other celestial body or planet was rising? The celestial body or planet then becomes a super strong energy in your chart and therefore your life, making the Sun sign much less influential.

A person may have the Sun in Taurus (making their Sun sign Taurus) however they may have a cluster of planets  in a different sign indicating this other zodiac sign is more important in their life. Or the Sun in Taurus in one person’s chart may fall in the 10th house – a very public and confident area. This person will be more outgoing and confident than their fellow Taurean whose Sun falls in the shadowy and private 12th house. The only difference here is the house the Taurus Sun falls in. 

Astrological accuracy comes from combining key principles, not just from looking at the 12 zodiac signs, as is commonly portrayed by the media. It is the unique blending of planets, signs and houses that creates an accurate astrological birth chart for an individual. 

Why the focus on the 12 zodiac signs?

The general consensus seems to be that the 12 zodiac signs are astrology. In fact the 12 zodiac signs are only a small (albeit essential) part of astrology. Nine other celestial bodies are included (the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) along with the 12 zodiac houses (each house detailing an area of life). To achieve accuracy in astrology the zodiac signs these nine other celestial bodies occupy, as well as the houses they fall into, need to be considered. The media, in their frenzy to sell publications filled with the bite-sized chunks of anything at all, have boiled astrology down to a superficial and easily digestible product for mass consumption – the 12 zodiac signs.

FAST FACT: Gallileo is usually remembered as the founder of modern astronomical science. But did you know he was also an expert astrologer, preparing horoscopes for Medici nobles as well as his own family? Galileo used his new telescopes to improve the accuracy of his horoscopes by carefully observing planetary movements.  When Gallileo discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610 he named them after his patron, Cosimo de Medici. This was because Jupiter held a prominent midheaven position in charts he had prepared for the young prince. Galileo and his telescope not only found the science of modern astronomy, but also expanded the world of astrology.

By Kelly Surtees

ARIES – The Ram..

DAILY –  The good times continue. And while you may not have everything you think you want if you look around you will see much that you have to be grateful for. Today is all about gratitude and connection. Spend time valuing who and what you have in your life. Apart from making you feel good, saying a big thank you for all the gifts that you have experienced will open the gates for more. Spend time with those you love or reach out to someone you care for and share.

LEO – The Lion

DAILY - Opportunities on the work front will mean the chance of some extra cash in your pocket.  Enjoy the abundance. In other areas of your life, there may not be so much free flow today. Don’t accept the status quo. If you want things to move, you must take right action. So what’s right action? If you are in doubt, ask someone you trust about how to move forward and be prepared to see how things need to change and what part you have played in creating the situation you are in.

PISCES – The Fishes

DAILY -  Change – you want it, but you just don’t quite know how to make it happen. The question on every Piscean’s mind right now is, “is it possible for me to have what I want?”. Of course the answer is yes but you have to overcome your doubts, fears and limiting beliefs to get there. Why? Because in doing this, you can teach others to do the same. Take risks, as for help, put yourself out there in an unfishy like way. Change will come.

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SAGITTARIUS – The Archer

DAILY - You may be feeling a little unsettled today. Insecurity, feelings of guilt or just some old emotions may surface. This is partly because you have relaxed after a busy time and it’s a space where you can look at what’s beneath the surface. And it’s also because part of you might believe you don’t deserve to have it so good. Trust. Good things can stay. Stability can become permanent. Don’t let the fear of loss, stop you from enjoying the good things on offer right now.

AQUARIUS – The Water Carrier

DAILY - Aquarians have been receiving a lot of insights recently. A new way of seeing their situation and what has to happen to move forward has been coming to light, one aha moment at a time. While this would be frustratingly slow for some, for Water Carriers who have felt stuck in a rut for what seems like ever, this inspiration is very welcome. The pieces of the jigsaw that make the picture of freedom are coming together. More are coming today. Keep an eye out.

LIBRA – The Scales

DAILY - Frustration at things moving slowly might be around today. Projects might seem to be dragging on. People in your life might seem to be stuck. Stalemate, obstacles are there in the background – despite recent wins. What to do? Patience and acceptance are key, as is the knowledge that you have the power to say no and walk away or work with the situation. Feeling personally empowered will make the waiting much easier.

VIRGO – The Virgin

DAILY -  In the last few days most Virgoans will have experienced both a gift and a loss. Something new received, something taken away. There is an opportunity here to accept the ever changing wheel of life. Virgo’s like order and control but the truth is, change makes life delightful and exciting. Today embrace the new, whether it appears as loss or gain. Actually it’s all gain, if you can see it that way, so don’t stress about the uncertainty it brings.

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