Thank you, and bless you!

Doria Gambino
Editor, Metamorphosis Magazine

IN THIS ISSUE:

This Month’s Planetary Healing Focus
Practicing Unconditional Love
Astrology for Parents: The Moon Sign: Your Child’s Emotional Nature
Global Citizenship Project for This Month
Recommended Reading
This Month’s Health Tip
Money Corner: The Global Citizenship Project Helps Families Save Money

THIS MONTH’S PLANETARY HEALING FOCUS:

YOU’RE INVITED! -- Every week, people from all over the world are invited to participate in a synchronized, worldwide prayer/meditation to promote World Healing. I welcome you to join us and combine your energy along with thousands of other people in sending love, light, and healing consciousness to the planet by focusing on various “affirmative prayer” topics in prayer or meditation every Sunday at 12:00 noon Eastern Time. This Sunday, at 12:00 noon, wherever you are, please take ten minutes to pray/meditate on the following:

Peace cannot exist within a vibration of hatred, or anger, or resentment. Peace can only exist within a spirit of love and benevolence. Therefore, the focus of this month’s Planetary Peace Gathering is LOVE. We are going to work together this month to generate as much unconditional love as possible -- for ourselves, for others, and for the world, because LOVE is the highest, most positive, most powerful form of energy we can create here.

Begin by closing your eyes and centering yourself in a feeling of peacefulness. Next, focus your consciousness on connecting with all of the other people around the world who are participating in this meditation, knowing that you are not alone in your desire to bring peace to the world. Then, when you are ready, begin your prayers. Start by praying for the health, happiness, and well-being of all of your loved ones.

After you spend a few moments sending out as much love as you can for your loved ones, start extending this love out into larger groups. Begin by praying for the health, happiness and well-being of everyone taking place in today’s meditation (don’t forget to include YOURSELF in these prayers!). Fill your heart with unconditional love, and send a wave of love and light to everyone in the group.

Next, fill your heart with another giant wave of unconditional love, and send it out to everyone on the planet who is in need of healing: people who are ill, people who are depressed, people who are abused, people who are hungry, and so forth.

Now for the “hard part”: Generate another giant wave of unconditional love in your heart, and send it out to everyone you personally do not like. Send love to people who disagree with your points of view. Send love to every person you find annoying, distasteful or offensive. Send love to people you consider to be the “bad guys,” people who are mean-spirited and destructive. This part of the “LOVE” prayer is extremely important, because if you can open your heart and find love and compassion even for the people on this earth you dislike the most, you have truly accessed a higher spiritual dimension of consciousness and accessed the greatest power that lies within your soul: unconditional love. Try to remember that people who are dishonest, mean, violent and so forth are people who are the MOST lost and in need of our help! (Note: This does not mean you have to condone everything these individuals have done.

The purpose of this prayer is simply to add more LOVE to the world rather than adding more hatred.)

Finally, end the meditation by praying for the well-being of the earth itself, and all beings who live on this planet. Send a wave of love into the center of the earth. Send a wave of love into the oceans, for all of the creatures of the sea. Send a wave of love for all forms of animal life. Send a wave of love for all forms of plant life. Surround the entire planet with a giant cocoon of love energy.

“HOMEWORK”: To keep this wonderful energy going beyond the weekly meditation, you can practice mentally sending a wave of love from your heart to EVERY person who crosses your path this month: every person you pass on the street, every person you talk to, and even the people who annoy you like the guy who cuts you off in traffic and the woman at work who says unkind things about you behind your back. If you remember to send out “love waves” as much as possible, you will feel GREAT this month!

For complete information on participating in the weekly Planetary Peace Gathering, please visit the “World Healing Projects” section of www.MetamorphosisMagazine.com

(New Subscribers: Please read about the project on the website before participating.) There is a lot of fascinating information about the power of human consciousness, including scientific evidence indicating that prayer DOES have the power to create measurable results!

PLEASE HELP ME INVITE MORE PEOPLE TO JOIN THE “PLANETARY PEACE GATHERING”:

Feel free to forward this e-zine to anyone you know who is interested in spiritual growth, planetary healing, and self-improvement. We can each make the world a better place by combining our energy and working TOGETHER to create Planetary Peace.

THIS MONTH’S FEATURED ARTICLE:

PRACTICING UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

PART I: LEARNING TO LOVE OURSELVES, written by Doria Gambino

As with any global issue, community issue, or interpersonal relationship, everything ALWAYS starts and ends with OURSELVES. Therefore, without adequate love for ourselves first, we often don’t know how to truly love and respect others, nor do we allow them to love and respect us in return. Therefore, in order to develop peaceful relationships with others, we must first begin to nurture a sense of love for ourselves. How many of the following self-love criteria can you say “yes” to right now in your life?:

1) While you may not always admire or feel pleased about everything you DO, you basically like and accept who you ARE. This does not mean you have to be perfect. This also does not mean that you have to like and accept every single thing about yourself. It simply means that you feel that who you are is basically okay, and you are not ashamed to be this person.

2) You take care of yourself. This begins with taking care of your physical health, but also involves making sure other basic needs are met. In general, it means that you value and nurture your own well-being.

3) You respect yourself. People who have self-respect have certain standards and guidelines that mean something to them, and they work at living up to these ideals. When you make your choices based on what you believe to be right, it makes it much easier to face yourself in the mirror every day and feel proud of the way you are trying to live your life.

4) Your attitude towards the future, for the most part, is hopeful. You have positive, productive goals that you are actively working towards, and you encourage and support yourself in these endeavors. You believe that your own ideas and goals have merit, and you seek out and work to maintain situations and conditions that will make you happy.

5) You are willing to take risks in order to learn and grow. You are interested in life; you explore different places, activities, philosophies, interactions, and so forth. And you work on overcoming whatever fears and insecurities get in the way of your pursuits.

6) You believe you deserve to have good things in life, and you treat yourself well. You allow yourself to have and enjoy special things simply because you want them, without having to justify your reasons or “prove your worthiness.” You know that as long as you are not harming others, you are allowed to have anything you want simply because you want it.

7) You value yourself and thus you take steps to protect yourself and your lifestyle from people or situations that would have a negative impact on you. This involves steering clear of anything that might threaten your physical, emotional, spiritual, or financial well-being. This also involves recognizing and standing up for your rights as a human being -- you refuse to put up with behavior from others that is inappropriate, inconsiderate, or abusive, and you are able to say "no" to others without feeling guilty. When something is damaging your life in some way and it cannot be fixed, you are able to let go of it and move on. You value peace and tranquility in your life rather than seeking "excitement" through turbulent situations, relationships, and dramas.

8) You are willing and able to be honest with yourself and with others, and you can evaluate yourself in realistic terms. You are able to make mistakes, learn from them, forgive yourself, and move on without being overwhelmed by feelings of guilt or failure. You are able to acknowledge your problems, and look for solutions. You don't blame others for your problems but rather you take responsibility for your own life.

9) You seek to establish and maintain friendships with people who add a positive influence to your life, and you are able to develop trusting, intimate ties with appropriate individuals. You allow others to love you, to be good and kind to you, and to give to you.

10) You are also able to spend time alone and enjoy your own company, without feeling empty, frightened, lost, or needy.

11) You strive to handle interpersonal conflicts in positive, productive ways. You try to seek “win-win” solutions to disputes whenever possible, and you are able to forgive both yourself and others and get on with your life. You recognize that others are responsible for their own lives, and you cannot change other people. You do not waste your time trying repeatedly to “fix” the people around you, nor do you get hung up on resenting people who do not live up to your ideals.

12) You are conscious of the fact that you are a part of a bigger whole and your actions often have an effect on more than just your own life, and you strive to act with caring and respect towards the environment and towards other living things.

Please be aware that the above list illustrates ideal conditions, and therefore it’s unrealistic to expect yourself to live up to all of it every minute of every day. Each one of us is constantly fluctuating and changing; we have good days, and not-so-good days, and we make mistakes, and sometimes we forget the things we've learned and revert back to old patterns. Therefore, while this list represents the ultimate goals to strive for, know that becoming unconditionally loving towards yourself is a process rather than an end result. As human beings, we keep growing and changing all of our lives; we never reach a point where we're "finished," so don't expect perfection from yourself.

However, there are many things you can do to along the way to increase self-loving feelings and behaviors. Here are some exercises you can use to strengthen your sense of self-love:

EXERCISE #1: Say loving things to yourself, out loud. Tell yourself that you are wonderful and special. Tell yourself that you have many great qualities. Tell yourself that you are a good person, well worth knowing. Practice saying "I like you" and "I love you" to yourself. You will probably feel silly doing this, but practice this several times a day anyway. You may also find at first that you feel unable to believe the wonderful things you are saying about yourself, but keep at it, and it will eventually start to feel true.

EXERCISE #2: Go back to childhood and start over. After all, it is the lack of feeling loved as a child that is usually at the root of diminished self-love in adulthood. Get out old photographs of yourself when you were little and take a good, long look. Talk to this child, and give her all the love she should have had. Tell him how smart and special and beautiful he is. Tell her that she can do anything she wants to in life. Tell him that he deserves to have all good things in life; she deserves to be safe and happy and healthy, and he deserves to explore and play, and she deserves to have people who love her and support her. It's easy to feel love and compassion for an innocent child, and once you get the hang of this, you can move forward in time by projecting love to yourself as you were as an adolescent, and then finally as you are today.

EXERCISE #3: Become your own best friend. Picture everything you've ever had or ever wanted from a great friend, and give these things to yourself. A best friend would cheer you up when you are down, give you sympathy when times are rough, laugh with you at life's funny moments, lend you a hand when you need it, and so on. When you feel in need of such a friend and none are available, just imagine a best friend in your mind, someone who really cares about you and has your best interests at heart, and ask yourself what this person would do. What would this person say to you, do for you, and want for you? When the answers come, take the advice and use it to help get through the situation at hand.

EXERCISE #4: Begin talking back to that nasty little voice inside your head. You know the one I’m talking about -- it’s the one that's always criticizing you and putting you down. Imagine that this voice comes from a tiny little troll doll inside of you, and every time it says something bad about you, stick up for yourself. Picture the "troll" in your mind, and speak firmly to it using phrases such as, "How dare you speak to me like that! I am a good person, and I am trying my best, and I do not deserve to be insulted or ridiculed. I deserve to be treated with kindness, respect, and understanding, and I deserve to be supported in my efforts to learn and grow."

When you detach yourself from the negative voice inside your head and make it a “separate entity,” it's easier to come to the understanding that it is simply a thought-pattern in your mind -- one that cannot hurt you or control you unless you let it. And by recognizing that this "troll's" intentions are only to harm you and make you feel bad about yourself, you can see more clearly that such a voice is simply not worth listening to.

EXERCISE #5: Have more fun. Part of the joy of being “in love” -- in this case, with yourself -- is a sense of playfulness and laughter. Find ways to bring this joy into your life, by renting funny movies, reading humorous books, putting some music on and singing along, and so forth. Life will be much more enjoyable and feel much less like a chore if you inject some fun into your daily routines. Plus, you will probably find it easier to like yourself when you're smiling and upbeat. Aren't cheerful people always more enjoyable to be around than sullen, angry, or depressed people?

PART II: LEARNING TO LOVE OTHERS, written by Diana Lynn.

(This article is excerpted from her book “Soul-utions: Your Intuitive Makeover.” Diana Lynn is a graduate of the School of Energy Mastery and offers heart-centered empathetic healing services. She can be reached at: LoveDianaLynn@comcast.net)

We as individual human beings have a myriad of beliefs that steer our thoughts and actions in each and every moment, so we cannot expect to agree with our partners, our friends or any other persons on everything nor can we expect them to always agree with us. Therefore, since we can’t see eye to eye with everyone, how can we learn to love unconditionally?

One huge obstacle to unconditional love is that many of us cling to our beliefs out of a need for righteousness. We hold on to our beliefs with such an attachment that it can become a major drawback in our growth process and in serving our life purpose. We all know the imprisoning pain and frustration of being in conflict with others. When people butt heads and get into heated debates, their emotions can escalate into arguments, fights, or even war. To argue who is right and wrong is pointless, because there are unifying issues beneath the surface issues of what we disagree about.

What is your definition of right and wrong? Annoying little things like not hanging the toilet paper in the “right” direction or squeezing the tube of toothpaste the “wrong” way may get on another person’s nerves. So can more significant arguments over the “wrong” financial decisions and the “right” way to raise children. The anger that can surface from any of these situations is more likely from deeper complex issues of personal power, control, self-worth, self-responsibility and identity. The issue that shows itself on the surface of an argument is like the tip of an iceberg. If you were to look under the surface of the water or issue, you would certainly find a much larger iceberg or deeper problem blocking your view.

How can we ever expect to have peace amongst nations, when we still haven’t been able to figure out how to keep the peace in our own homes? Do we insist on satisfying our desire to be right, or do we want happiness? We are responsible for our own enlightenment. We are in charge of our own mental clean-up. Be aware that whenever you are angry and want to lash out at someone, what you are really feeling underneath is HURT, and you are actually crying out for love. Next time you get angry, why not take the symptom of anger out of the situation and ask yourself instead, “What hurts? What am I afraid of?”

When our beliefs are built around the temper tantrums of our egos, we can get caught up in playing the roles of aggressors and victims, and we continue to hold onto feelings of shame, guilt, mistrust, and unworthiness. However, if our beliefs are built on compassion, we can heal and give ourselves the opportunity to come back to Love. When we stop allowing ourselves to be dragged down into conflict, we can create a new energy field of self-love and self-respect around ourselves. And as we love and respect ourselves more, we love and respect others more, and people will start reflecting this energy back to us, because our inner attitude reflects our outer world. At this point, we become masters of our environment instead of allowing toxic things to take hold of us.

When we follow the guidance of our Higher Selves, we will learn compassion. We will discover that we do not have to mentally dwell on problems for hours or even days. Instead, we can create soul-utions. We will soon discover how to consciously respond lovingly in situations. We will learn to act, not react. By becoming responsible, we can eliminate blame, and learn to flow with the energies present instead of getting caught up or stuck in them.

I have found that spiritual principles are really quite simple. Love. Give Love. Go in Peace. Be in Joy. So then why is it so hard to live these principles? I have found that we unnecessarily complicate our lives. Most arguments occur because one person emotionally believes their viewpoint to be right and justifies that another’s viewpoint is wrong. Here come those beliefs into play again! You may or may not be right, but if you don’t let go of your need to control the situation, you can remain in a power struggle and not be at peace. And if you stay wrapped up in an energetic cocoon of being right, you end up in separation.

It is not our job to make a person right or wrong. When we release the need for righteousness and self-justification, we will release the desire to dominate and control. For what is right or wrong anyway? Is there really right or wrong? How can there be, if everyone’s frames of reference are different? Try seeing right and wrong as simply an opinion based on your own present belief system.

Every moment is a window of opportunity to come into the light of truth and mercy within. When I personally feel resistance to somebody or something, I have trained myself to ask myself this question: “Do I want this energy to win, or do I want to return to Love?” In choosing Love, I connect within for Love’s answer and then do what Love would have me do.

We can choose in any given moment to step into our spiritual mastery, or we can remain stuck in conflict. We can choose peace. Peace is more than just living in a state of existence between wars. We as individuals can mature and take responsibility for our own actions and deeds to give birth to a new age.

It is time to fulfill our magnificent potential by becoming fully conscious. It is easy to love people you get along with. Would you accept the challenge to give that kind of love to the entire world? Love is not something that you apply more to some people and less to others. It is unconditional. Yogi Bhajan said it beautifully: “If you can’t see God IN all, you can’t see God AT all.”

Can you come to the realization that the Light of Love is present in all people and all living things? As each individual takes full responsibility to discover oneness, our collective consciousness will restore the Divine Plan of Love on Earth. We can either continue to move toward extinction through the misuse of our willpower, or we can choose to consciously communicate and cooperate to achieve win/win situations.

Diana recommends working with the following questions in order to bring more love into your relationships:

1) Is there anyone in my life that I still feel a need to forgive? Can I see my part in the situation? Do I need to forgive myself for something? Do I feel regret? Do I still blame and judge myself for something that did or did not happen? What would I clear up in my life right here and now?

2) Am I allowing anything or anybody to currently pull me out of my center? Who am I angry with? Underneath the anger, what is really bothering me? What don’t I want to experience again? What hurts? What am I afraid of? Do I still need to be right, or do I want to be happy?

3) How have I judged others? Am I now willing to observe instead of judge? Am I mentally dwelling on a situation? What would Love do to neutralize and handle this situation? How can I better love myself and others? (I encourage you to share this article with anyone you know who needs more LOVE in his/her life)

FEATURED SELF-EMPOWERMENT TAPES FOR LEARNING HOW TO BE MORE LOVING TOWARDS YOURSELF:

Tape #7: Raise Your Self-Esteem: Do you feel that good things will never happen to you? Do you feel unworthy of the best life has to offer? Do you worry that other people won’t like you and accept you? If low self-esteem is interfering with your ability to enjoy life, a self-esteem boost can help you feel better about yourself and embrace life’s many rewards.

Tape #35: Say Goodbye to Guilt: Are you constantly beating yourself up over things you’ve done in the past? Do you always feel like your behavior somehow isn’t “good enough” and you should have done better? Are you frequently doing all kinds of things you really don’t want to do simply because you’re afraid that other people won’t like you unless you do? Guilt is an extremely self-defeating emotion, one that can prevent you from ever feeling happy or accepting positive rewards. Stop “punishing yourself,” and learn to accept yourself as you are: a human being, full of flaws like the rest of us, but also full of goodness, too!

FEATURED SELF-EMPOWERMENT TAPES FOR LEARNING HOW TO BE MORE LOVING TOWARDS OTHERS:

Tape #11: Improving Your Partnership: If you’re in a marriage or steady relationship and you don’t feel as close to your partner as you’d like to feel, or if petty bickering and resentments are coming between you, this tape can help you reconnect with your partner and “fall in love all over again.”

Tape #36: Breaking the Anger Cycle: Do you walk around simmering with resentment all the time? Are you holding onto “grudges” -- sometimes for years -- letting the past eat away at you? Are your interactions with others often full of arguments? Do you snap at the people you love, only to feel bad about it later? Getting angry is simply a learned habit, a “defense mechanism” you developed in the past as a way of avoiding feeling threatened. This tape can help you master your emotions, develop calmer reactions to situations, and become more tolerant of other people. Think of how much your relationships will improve when you stop arguing all the time!

Each self-empowerment tape is only $15. For more information, please visit the “Self-Improvement” section of www.MetamorphosisMagazine.com

ASTROLOGY FOR PARENTS:

THE MOON SIGN: YOUR CHILD’S EMOTIONAL NATURE
By Doria Gambino

(NOTE: Although this article is written for parents, the Astrological information it contains can be applied to the charts of adults as well)

While the sun sign and rising sign rule the basic personality traits in an individual’s chart, the moon is what rules a person’s emotions: How s/he reacts to both positive and negative stimuli, and what s/he needs from the world in order to feel safe, secure, and content. Therefore, the moon placement is especially important in a child’s chart, because children are much more influenced by their FEELINGS than they are by their intellect. Their responses to any given situation will most likely stem from whether or not the situation makes them happy or sad or fearful than from any “logical” assessment of the situation.

The moon changes sign approximately every two-and-a-half days; therefore, it is possible to have any combination of sun sign and moon sign in a chart.

Certain moon signs will enhance and work well with the sun sign, and others will make the individual’s emotions more difficult to integrate or process. For example, a child with a Gemini sun sign is a born communicator already, so if the moon is in Aries, this means she will have no trouble freely expressing her or his feelings. However, if this child had a Scorpio moon, she would likely be more secretive about her emotions. She’ll talk to you for hours about the characters in her favorite video game, but if something is upsetting her, she will probably hide her feelings and brood in private.

Studying your child’s moon placement (both sign and house) can greatly help you understand many key factors in his or her development, such as: What he needs in order to feel confident in approaching new tasks and situations. The types of environments that will feel harmonious to her, and the types of environments that will make her feel stressed or threatened. What do to, and what NOT to do, to give him a strong and healthy sense of self-esteem. And what will work best to soothe this child when she is upset.

MOON IN ARIES OR FIRST HOUSE: This child’s emotions will be very spontaneous and in the moment, and also will be strongly expressed. When this kid is excited, sad, or angry, everyone in the house will know about it! The good news is that even though Aries moon may have a strong temper and be prone to dramatic outbursts of anger, his emotions pass quickly. If you just let him get it out of his system, chances are he’ll be happily playing again ten minutes later. An Aries moon child is more independent that others, and she is happiest when she has freedom to roam and explore. Don’t smother her or force her into confining routines, as she can get depressed if her freedom is limited too much. This child needs challenges and new adventures Deal with his emotions directly and immediately, and try to teach him to be less impulsive and impatient. Aries moon wants what it wants RIGHT NOW, and will jump enthusiastically into new situations, but he becomes easily bored, and may walk away from something just as quickly as he jumped into it. Teach him the value of following through on the things he starts, and reward him for doing so -- a trip to an amusement park will generally turn this child into a very happy camper.

MOON IN TAURUS OR SECOND HOUSE: The good news is that the Taurus moon child is usually fairly tranquil, easygoing, and even-tempered. The bad news is that she is generally stubborn and resistant to change. She feels secure when her life is filled with the familiar: people, places, things, and routines. She’s a creature of habit; she tends to stick with what she knows, and is very cautious when it comes to approaching new things. As long as her familiar habits and routines are not disturbed, she’ll be the mellowest kid on the block.

However, if you make her life too unpredictable, or try to force her to deal with too many changes, she will dig in her heels and refuse to budge. Changes must be approached slowly and methodically, giving her plenty of time to get used to the idea of a new routine coming into play. This stubborn resistance to change also tends to make Taurus moon very possessive about what he has. He will not like to share his toys, or even share the people who are important to him -- he can feel very jealous if a parent spends too much time with a sibling, for example. Taurus moon child is soothed by creature comforts: a soft blanket, music, her favorite foods, being touched, and by being surrounded with all of her favorite people and possessions.

MOON IN GEMINI OR THIRD HOUSE: A child with a Gemini moon will have moods that change like the wind. He might be cranky one minute, then smiling the next, then crying because you won’t let him have a cookie. His emotions are restless and unpredictable, and stem from nervous energy. He can be high-strung at times, and if he’s overstimulated, he can get hyper, irritable, and impatient. There is also a tendency for his emotions to be fickle -- he may bug you for weeks to buy him a specific toy, and then once he has it, he plays with it for five minutes and never touches it again. This child gets very enthusiastic about new things, but then gets just as easily bored. The positive side of her nature is that she adapts easily to new situations -- this kid will not freak out if you hire a new baby-sitter, for example. In fact, she needs variety and new things in her environment in order to feel happy and content. When upset, Gemini moon needs to be removed from overstimulating situations and put into a calm and quiet environment until he cools off. He also needs verbal soothing -- talk to this child, explain to him WHY he has to or cannot do something, and give him an opportunity to explain his feelings to you, because he needs to feel understood in order to feel soothed.

MOON IN CANCER OR FOURTH HOUSE: A Cancer moon child will be more sensitive than most. The positive side is that she is very sympathetic and caring about the feelings of others, and will be loving and nurturing towards siblings, friends, and pets. The down side is that her feelings can be bruised by the slightest little thing: a raised voice, a criticism, even a harsh look from a parent or teacher. Try to deal gently with her when you must discipline her, and throw in lots of reassurance that even though you may not like something she did, you still love her with all your heart. To Cancer moon, life revolves around his moods, and he is easily overwhelmed by his emotions. He reacts deeply to things, and his emotions can fester for weeks. If someone or something hurts this child’s feelings, she may nurse a secret grudge for a long time. Therefore, when she is upset, it becomes an ongoing process to soothe her out of it. She is comforted by lots of physical affection -- hug her frequently, and let her sit on your lap if she’s upset. She needs to feel safe and protected -- think of the crab retreating inside its shell when it feels vulnerable.

She is also soothed by creative, artistic activities. Because she attaches emotional memories to every experience in her life, she tends to cling to everything and resists letting go. Don’t throw away her old toys even though she’s outgrown them -- she’ll never forgive you! This moon placement also gives a child a tendency to be sneaky and manipulative when he wants to get his way. Teach him that being honest and direct will give him better results in relationships in the long run.

MOON IN LEO OR FIFTH HOUSE: A Leo moon placement tends to make a child warm-hearted, affectionate, social, and outgoing. She thrives on being the center of attention and can be very demanding, but she rewards her “audience” with her warmth, generous nature, and fun-loving playfulness. In order to feel happy and secure, Leo moon needs to feel important. Don’t ignore him, or he will be miserable. He needs to feel like a priority, and needs lots of attention and praise. If you must criticize him, please do it in private, because if you scold this child in front of other people he will be mortified and deeply ashamed. Remember, Leo is the symbol of the Lion, and the Lion is the king/queen of the jungle. If you treat this “royal” little person like a common peasant, you will have a very unhappy monarch on your hands! Leo moon can be very dramatic when she is upset or angry -- you may be tempted to honor her with an “Academy Award” for some of her emotional performances. But try not to laugh at him when he’s upset-- that will only add fuel to the fire. His “royal” nature also gives him natural leadership tendencies, which can make him feel that he has the “right” to boss other people around. While he absolutely needs to feel admired and respected in order to feel secure in life, he needs to be taught to share the spotlight with others as well.

MOON IN VIRGO OR SIXTH HOUSE: This can be a difficult placement for the moon, because the influence of Virgo tends to make the individual a bit of a perfectionist. And when the need to be “perfect” gets tied into your emotions, it’s a no-win situation. Since this child will often fail to live up to her own impossibly high standards, she spends much of her time feeling insecure about her own abilities. This can make her a bit shy as well, since she projects this perfectionistic mindset onto others and assumes that people will not like her if she has any faults. The worst thing you can do to this child is criticize him and point out his shortcomings -- believe me, he criticizes himself enough already! He needs to be told, over and over and over again, that he is loved and valued no matter what. The best way to make Virgo moon child feel secure is to reassure her that it’s OKAY when she makes a mistake, and that everyone makes them, and that the important thing in life is to have experiences and learn from them. You can be a helpful role model for this child if you allow her to see you make mistakes, because if she sees that adults mess up, too, and that it’s not the end of the world, she will learn a valuable life-lesson. Other ways to help this child feel more secure are to be very clear with him about what is expected of him so that he doesn’t have to guess, and giving him tasks that make him feel useful and purposeful, because he feels good about himself when he is helping others. This, coupled with the fact that Virgo also feels best in a neat, clean environment, makes her a great help around the house. While other kids may groan and complain if you ask them to help you in the kitchen or help with the laundry, Virgo moon child will feel pleased to be included, and proud to be of service.

MOON IN LIBRA OR SEVENTH HOUSE: Moon in Libra people are ruled primarily by two things: a strong need for relationships, and an equally strong need for peace and harmony within those relationships. While some children are fine entertaining themselves and can play for hours on their own, Libra moon children will be unhappy if forced to deal with too much solitude. If she is an only child, make sure she has plenty of companionship available. Get used to having her best friend in your house night and day -- she will even want her friend to sleep over at night. Because harmonious relationships are such a priority for this child, he will have trouble dealing with confrontations, and may often avoid them even to the point of becoming a doormat and letting other people take advantage of him. You will probably have to work hard to teach your Libra moon child how to stand up for herself, because she just hates fighting with anyone. It is her nature to be gracious and well-mannered and to try to keep the peace, but don’t allow these traits to turn her into a perpetual people-pleaser. Libra moon child needs to understand that it is better to lose a “friend” than it is to be constantly mistreated. To make your Libra moon child feel most secure, keep his environment free from strife -- don’t have heated angry arguments with your spouse when this child is nearby, or he will literally feel sick. Another thing that is soothing to this child is an aesthetically-pleasing environment. Make sure her room is beautifully decorated, and let her pick out her own clothes (I’ve seen Libra moon children as young as two years old pitch fits if they’re not allowed to wear the exact outfit they want to wear. These kids are literally born with a flair for fashion!)

MOON IN SCORPIO OR EIGHTH HOUSE: Scorpio lends intensity to the emotions. Whatever this child feels, he feels to the extreme -- however, he may repress his emotions rather than express them. Trust is a major issue for children with Scorpio moon -- it can be difficult to even understand what’s going on inside this child’s mind, because she tends to be secretive about her feelings if she feels at all vulnerable in a situation. However, even though Scorpio moon kids like to keep their own secrets, they don’t like it when other people keep secrets from them, because it fuels their suspicious nature. Moreover, don’t lie to them or break important promises, because once they’ve been betrayed, they will withdraw from you, and then it’s very difficult to regain their trust. When they are upset, their moods can get pretty dark, and they are prone to lashing out if they become too angry. If he is dealt with honestly, patiently, and consistently, and if you earn his respect, this child’s anger should not get out of control. On the plus side, all this intensity of emotion means that once this child becomes interested in something, she will commit to it one hundred percent, spending hours and hours engrossed in a favorite activity.

The best way to channel your Scorpio moon child’s emotionally obsessive nature is to help him find hobbies that capture his focus, and support these hobbies as much as possible by supplying this child with all the equipment and resources he needs to fully pursue his hobby.

MOON IN SAGITTARIUS OR NINTH HOUSE: Moon in Sag children are often easier to raise than children with other moon placements, because Sagittarius energy lends an attitude of optimism to the emotions. These are the kids who are most likely to be cheerful no matter what, and to bounce back from disappointments as if they never happened. However, even though they can handle setbacks well, they can’t tolerate having their freedom restricted. Sag moon children crave travel, action, adventure, and fun. Lively activities and frequent changes of scene refresh them. If this child does become angry or upset, sending him outdoors for some fresh air and physical exercise should snap him right out of it. This child will usually be quite social, as Sag lends her an air of charm that other people respond to favorably, and she also tends to be generous and willing to share her toys and so forth. This child is friendly, outgoing, honest, and direct -- she’ll tell you exactly how she feels about something, whether you want to hear it or not! You may have problems dealing with the restless nature of your Sag moon child, as he often will not want to sit still for anything he considers “boring,” like homework, or cleaning his room. Rewarding him for seeing a boring task through to completion often helps -- if he knows that something FUN will follow on the heels of something tedious, he tends to be much more cooperative.

MOON IN CAPRICORN OR TENTH HOUSE: This sign can be a difficult placement for the moon, because Capricorn is very serious, logical, practical, and businesslike -- not very compatible traits for the planet that deals with FEELINGS.

Children with moon in Capricorn will not wear their hearts on their sleeve, and they will probably be downright uncomfortable with excessive displays of emotion from others as well. As a result of this emotional reserve, others tend to see them as cool and aloof. Capricorn moon children are actually deeply caring individuals; they simply have trouble showing it. They also have trouble asking for help or comfort when they need it; they tend to brood in silence, and can get lost in their own pessimistic thoughts. However, even though she may not ASK for emotional support, she still needs it as much as any other child does, so be sure to offer her plenty of praise and affection. Play, for a Capricorn moon child, is also often a “serious” event. Although they have a keen sense of humor, they are not frivolous or giddy -- they like their activities to be structured and purposeful, because they feel best about themselves when they master tasks and achieve their goals. Success is very important to this child -- she feels most secure and has a stronger sense of self-worth when she is being recognized for excelling at something. Moon in Capricorn children do not hand out their trust to just anyone. You must prove yourself worthy and stand the test of time -- however, once this child does let someone become part of his “inner circle,” he remains deeply loyal and generous to this person.

MOON IN AQUARIUS OR ELEVENTH HOUSE: This moon sign tends to make the individual a series of contradictions. For example, he is very friendly and socially oriented, yet emotionally detached. She is idealistic and humanitarian, yet can be very judgmental and disapproving if a friend’s point of view is markedly different from her own. In general, he is not comfortable with intense emotions, and may often have trouble understanding his own feelings, creating a sense of ambivalence about getting involved in situations. Aquarius moon is often more comfortable “observing” life than fully “experiencing” it for themselves. Generally, these children are easy to deal with as long as they are given plenty of freedom and independence. Aquarius is the most “unique” sign, and therefore they must be allowed to do things their own way as much as possible. Breathing down their necks night and day, telling them WHAT to do and HOW to do it and WHEN to do it will lead to rebellion, for as easygoing as they are when they are left alone, they can become almost as stubborn as Taurus when they are pushed too far. The best way to deal with your Aquarius moon child is to let him do his own thing, as long as it’s not potentially dangerous. One common trait in this child that can drive everyone crazy (including herself) is the tendency to want things she can’t have. The more she cannot have it, the more appealing it becomes. You will have to exhibit considerable patience when this happens, because once Aquarius moon becomes fixated on something, it is very hard for her to let go.

MOON IN PISCES OR TWELFTH HOUSE: This moon sign is not always so easy for a child to bear, because Pisces is already an extremely sensitive energy, and when you add this extreme sensitivity to the emotional nature of the moon, it can be overwhelming. This is a child who will feel every emotion vividly, the positive ones like joy and compassion as well as the not-so-fun ones like sadness and fear. Because they react to the world through the lens of strong emotion, these children tend to be moody and deeply impressionable, and their imaginations are extremely overactive (like “Ralphie” in the movie “A Christmas Story”). As a defense mechanism against their overwhelming feelings, they often do several things to protect themselves: Number one, they become secretive about their feelings, hiding them so that other people can’t “poke sticks” at their already raw and vulnerable emotions. If he feels unsafe, a Pisces child has no problem telling lies in order to escape the consequences of an unpleasant situation, and he needs to be taught the importance of honesty and of “facing the music” and taking responsibility for mistakes. Number two, if things get to be too much for her, she will seek to escape into a fantasy world created by her vivid imagination, a world where everything is safe and beautiful. This is normal for a Pisces moon child, and parents need to understand this and support positive means of “escape” (such as art, music, or other creative endeavors) to ensure that this child does not end up escaping instead into drugs or alcohol, or something equally harmful. While other moon signs like Aries will suffocate if you smother them, the Pisces moon child will thrive on it.

To prevent her from sinking into feelings of self-pity or a martyr/rescuer complex stemming from the fact that her heart bleeds so much for the suffering of others, be sure to shower your Pisces moon child with plenty of unconditional love and affection so that she grows up to believe the world is a safe and loving place. He needs peaceful environments free of conflict -- keep “mean” children away from him.

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GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP PROJECT FOR THE MONTH:

Here’s a great consciousness-raising exercise: Pretend we live in a world where everyone is telepathic. If you knew that other people could hear what was in your mind, would you be so quick to walk around thinking disparaging thoughts about others? Being AWARE of unkind thoughts helps you eliminate them. In any situation, all you have to do is ask yourself if you’d be embarrassed if the other person knew what you were thinking about them, and if the answer is yes, work on shifting your thoughts to something more benevolent.

The goal of “The Global Citizenship Project” is to help anyone who wishes to make a difference find something suitable to their interests and talents, and availability of time and resources. Listed on the website are hundreds of suggestions that any person can use to make the world a better place by following “global citizenship” practices -- feel free to send in a suggestion of your own when you visit! (Parents and teachers -- help the world by raising “globally conscious” kids. Check out the website for complete details... www.MetamorphosisMagazine.com)

Small contributions to the common good add up to big contributions when enough people are inspired to participate. Each small act of kindness adds up; there is power in numbers. One person may not be able to change the world much, but 1,000 people can make a huge difference, and 100,000 people can move mountains! Think about it: If EVERYBODY on the planet committed just ONE tiny, little act of kindness or generosity every day, that’s 6.3 BILLION positive contributions to the world, every day, every week, every year. How powerful is that!

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