PREVIOUS THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY June 9 2008 to June 15 2008 Monday June 9 MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb Astronomers have found a distant planet, three times bigger than ours and about as far from its central star as we are from the Sun. Maybe, just maybe, there's life on MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb. Will it, like Earth, contain life that likes to think of itself as 'intelligent'? If so, do they know about us? Perhaps their people are at the same stage of evolution as us. In which case, they too must be worried about climate change and the prohibitive price of fuel, unable to see that the latter is part of the solution to the former! Tuesday June 10 Date of birth Dear Jonathan, Is there significance to the year in which you turn the age of your birth year? I was born on June 4,1954, and turn 54 years old this birthday. Deborah Dear Deborah, This might be of interest to a numerologist but to an astrologer it is just a coincidence of the 'civil calendar'. Astrologers track the positions of the planets when you were born and compare them with the positions they hold now (and will be soon). Your date of birth matters to us only because we need it to work out where your planets were! Jonathan Wednesday June 11 Saturn, schmaturn Dear Jonathan, Jewish tradition states that every 28 years, the Sun returns to the same position it was in on the day of Creation. We make a blessing called the Birkat ha-Hammah which we recite every 10,227 (28 x 365.25) days. It happens next on April 8, 2009. Matt Dear Matt, That's fascinating. Saturn, of course, takes roughly 28 years to travel round the Sun, but I wonder what the rabbis think the Sun travels around? And how can they be sure when the first day of Creation was? I keep finding more hidden astrology in the world's ancient religions. Jonathan Thursday June 12 Nostradamus Dramas Dear Jonathan, Is it true that, according to Nostradamus, a person's zodiac sign is simply their month of birth. Anyone born in December is a Sagittarian while all January born people are Capricorns etc. Jana Dear Jana, Nostradamus mainly wrote in cryptic verse, using a hybrid language that could mean just about anything. For over 500 years writers have twisted his words to suit their purposes. I suspect this is just another mystic misinterpretation. (Note to self: Must take a leaf out of his book. Clearly, the way to earn endless respect in astrology is to remain eternally obtuse!) Friday June 13 Luck A few years back, a UK superstition survey found that 86 per cent of the population sometimes 'touched wood', 49 per cent avoided walking under ladders, 34 per cent percent were scared of breaking mirrors and 25 per cent carried a lucky charm. People were also asked if they considered themselves lucky or unlucky. More than half those who said 'unlucky' dreaded the number 13. Far fewer 'lucky' people were bothered. This surely tells us all plenty about the power, (or otherwise) of Friday the 13th. Mind you, I'm pushing my luck today, even mentioning this. The survey was done by my notorious nemesis, astro-sceptic academic, Richard Wiseman! Saturday June 14 Your Weekend Mercury changes direction. Mars forms a 'difficult' alignment to Uranus followed by a tense opposition to Neptune. The Moon grows full in Sagittarius. The Solstice grows nearer by the day. But before a new cosmic climate descends, the old one turns out to have a few more surprises up its sleeve. It's going to be an intense week, during which a lot of us feel as if the irresistible force has finally collided with the immovable object... while we have become squeezed between the two. But then, just when it all seems to be too much, the pressure lifts. Back to Index   Click here for Jonathan Cainer's Daily Zodiac Forecasts