Toronto, Saturday, June 18 (from Eric...) It was a truly fun and productive day teaching and learning Chiron in Toronto. The astrologers who atteneded, about 35 of them, were a clear-headed bunch, dedidated to the work, curious and excellent students. I now see it took a friendly little conspiracy make it all come off, and I want to thank everyone who helped. In the morning session, we covered Chiron's astronomical history, its mythology and its astronomy. In this process, we had a good, basic discussion of the discovery of the modern planets, and noted how long it took for Uranus, Neptune and Pluto to be accepted at all. In this context, we began looking at Chiron, the discovery and the unprecedented speed of its acceptance, and the highly unusual cooperation between the scientific and astrological community that made that happen. In the afternoon session, we broke into small groups and began working with a Chiron intake process that helps astrologers understand their client's charts through the eyes and experiences of person whose chart it actually is. I was actually surprised how well it went, and how well received the work and the process were. I didn't really have any expectations, I just did my best to convey the basic message I've been writing about quite a lot in the past five years or so. Here are two articles from early 2001 along these lines: When Astrology Listens http://www.planetwaves.net/Chiron2001.listening.html Overview of Chiron http://www.planetwaves.net/chiron2001.intro.html + + + Regarding some of my more recent writing, I have a few clarifications. One is a ***JUST KIDDING*** alert on my statement about "everyone knowing" about sunlight taking 10 years to reach the Earth, in Friday's newsletter. (Chelsea's boyfriend TJ, also a Fishboy like myelf, is always saying outrageous things, and then adding, "Just Kidding!" Now I see why.) I am aware it takes just over eight minutes for sunlight to reach the Earth. I received a good number of corrections on that. Ten years? I was being a wiseass, though thank you kindly to all those who wrote in earnest, including my old friend Lane (also the Planet Waves earthquake and volcano consultant from New Mexico). What was nice about the test question is that you didn't have to know the answer to get it right (please see the article, "Twice: The Capricorn Full Moon", above). Logic would have done the trick. I was not, however, kidding about thinking that Alpha Centauri was just a light year from our Sun -- assuming the test question was correct (I have not fact checked it), it takes light five years to reach Earth from the nearest star. I had a really good discussion with some of the Toronto conference organizers tonight about the need for helping others develop their fact-checking and media literacy skills so they don't swallow their media whole, without chewing first. Very little in the way of media literacy is put out into the world, though I do truly appreciate the work of both http://adbusters.org/ and http://fair.org/ along these lines. Great stuff -- check it out. http://truthout.org ain't bad in this respect either. Regarding what the allged ice cream depicted in advertisements is made of, I received an itneresting letter from a photographer who in fact did work for McDonald's, and who said that in his experience, they use the real stuff in their photos. It's just one of their corporate things -- what integrity! He blamed the mashed potatoes look in the billboad I saw on bad printing or bad photography. He added a few things about formulas for other kinds of faux ice cream. Last, regarding my traveling pharmacy. I was alarmed to receive an email from a client who asked, "So what DON'T you take pills for?" Yikes!, or is it Yipes! I never meant to imply that I do. What I meant to imply was that I usually travel prepared to deal with what I'll call first aid emergencies, including keeping basic, traditional household over-the-counter stuff like Ibuprofin and Benadryl on hand. But I didn't say I take it -- it's been a few years since I took anything like Tylenol, and that was during recovery from surgery in 2002. Personally, I prefer to avoid pharmaceuticals, if remotely possible. I know enough about homeopathic remedies (not pharmaceuticals in any conventional sense -- if you analyzed the remedy, you would find nothing but pure lactose in all of them, much to the chagrin of "debunkers") to deal with the kinds of things they are good for. The reference I gave was for pyrogrnium, a kind of rare remedy, developed in the UK, that can be used in the event of infection (See a book called The Spirit of Homeopathic Medicine, by a French doctor named Grandgeorge -- very good book). It's on the level of cleaning a cut with alcohol. When I am having any kind of health problem, the first person I talk to is my friend Gail, a licensed midwife, who helps me figure out how to deal with it with herbs -- and who has some excellent herbalist friends we can work with. If I consult an MD, it's to get that point of view and to discuss what they know, medically and from the standpoint of conventional science. I consider doctors scientists; in theory, they are (they drill a lot of science into their poor heads). I am good at asking scientists questions, and moreover, I'm not afraid to do it. Most doctors I've talked to in my life have had to endure lengthy interviews. I'm blessed to know MDs who take me seriously enough to have a real discussion, and I collect what they say and make my own decisions. There is a real challenge in integrating the wisdom of alternative practices and mainstream ones. More and more, I see that MDs live in different universes than homeopaths and naturopaths. They intepret facts differently, they can come to very different conclusions, and they see the world rather different ways. Bridging these two worlds is a subject that I am sure many readers of this web site have had to deal with, at differnt times in their lives, as has everyone who has stuggled with an issue that doctors could simply not help them with. But then, entering the world of alternative medicine can be daunting, because often it's not possible to know what to do or where to start. Yet I realize from talking to my friends and clients that it can really take some guts to "challenge" a doctor with an inquiry, or even to seek a second opinion. And it takes guts to go over with your doctor what your herbalist told you. Yet the world is making progress. Two people in Washington State who I know through Vashon Island connections have recently published an extensive textbook on botanicals (herbs) designed specifically for the mainstream medical world. It's meticulously researched, scientifically substantiated, thick, and serious (if you're interested, I'll post the reference). This IS progress. REAL progress. But in any event, if I'm at home (wherever I am) and somebody says, "Hey have you got some Ibuprofin," I would really prefer to say yes, whatever my personal values, though if I know the right homeopathic remedy... I'll add this -- and I've never read it anywhere else, or heard it anywhere else, frankly speaking. Does everyone know not to take Tylenol after you've been drinking alcohol? I learned from a medical doctor I know well, who is on a liver transplant team, that the damage can be so serious from mixing the two as to require a new liver. But you won't read that on the package. And a lot of times people will take this for headaches related to drinking too much. Medicine and doctors are both subjects that require a high level of awareness, good information and caution. Doctors are people, and I encourage you to reach them on that level -- and to spend some time researching what they tell you. Google -- very good for this... I'll catch you again soon. It's nice, the wireless service that's only supposed to be in the lobby reaches up to my room. So I can type you little missives as I please. Have a great Sunday. Chironically, Chirotically, Chronologically and generally happy, Eric F. in North Toronto, Ontario (for the moment, bookofblue@gmail.com)