Saturday Mercury turns stationary retrograde (20 degrees Pisces). Mercury remains retrograde until March 17. Sunday is the festival of Purim (deliverance of the Jewish people from destruction). Monday is the Pisces solar festival (full moon) and the Lantern Festival, signifying the end of Chinese New Year. By Wednesday Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Neptune are in Pisces—waters that purify, cleanse and prepare us for the fires of spring.

Plus Letters to the editor

What inspires you? What helps you become more empowered? We tap into those ideas, in part, in this week’s cover story. And we have 18-year-old Jackie Partida to thank. Partida is at the helm of the all-girl indie pop group Dressed In Roses. The local has been singing and performing since she was a toddler but what readers might walk away from the article appreciating—and learning more about—is how songwriting can actually empower teen girls. It wasn’t the main intention when we first began exploring Partida, but we soon stumbled upon a fascinating tool for personal growth.

No they should not. That would be absolutely horrifying to let gay men handle the Boy Scouts.
Richard Wood
Santa Cruz | Mechanic

Valentine’s Day is Thursday. Aries moon says, “Let’s do something new and different. Let’s get out and about, move around, challenging the ways we’ve done Valentine’s Day before.” Valentine’s Day this year is free and easy, nurturing, friendly, happy-go-lucky, cheery, light-hearted, happy and optimistic. Let’s make Valentine’s day all of these. With sweet treasures in between, ”be(ing) of love a little more careful …” (e.e.cummings).

It's definitely preferable that they live in the communities they serve. I used to be the mayor of Santa Cruz, so I understand that police have difficulty finding housing like everyone else. The city needs to do more to make it available to all types of city employees, so that they can understand the community they're in—being located here.
Tim Fitzmorris
Santa Cruz | Retired

Chinese New Year begins Sunday, Feb. 10, at the new moon of Aquarius (22 degrees). It’s the Year of the Black Water Snake (known in the Midwest to be gentle). The element of the year is water, element of changeability. “Snake sleeping in winter” is a year of transformation, warning of a period of preparing for hard times. It’s a year of transforming and awaking humanity from its slumbering belief in all that’s untrue. A year of learning the difference between illusion and reality. It’s a year of transformation, the snake shedding its skin at times blinded. Colors of the year are black, dark green and indigo blue—darkness of the seed underground. The darkness needed to gestate a new reality.

Have you ever felt like our politicians in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. are never getting anything done? It’s gridlock baby and it’s our own fault.

There is a deep-seated human need to identify with a group and see other groups as the enemy. We haven’t evolved much from the Stone Age. It's one of the reasons sports are so popular—I have my team to cheer for and everybody else is the opposition to be defeated.

The duopoly that we call our political system today with the Democrats and Republicans fits cleanly into this deep psychological need that we have. Sadly, it has devolved into something akin to sport or even warfare. And the Internet, with the anonymity of attacks, has sharpened the edge of the divide.

First Friday is upon us and once again, one of Santa Cruz’s more festive monthly events promises to impress. You can peruse the First Friday pages (27-29) for information, but here’s a shout out to Santa Cruz Pedicab. The local entity will be on hand to shuttle art gazers between various First Friday hot spots. Fun.

My motto would be "live life to the fullest." My wife, however, would say "more cowbell!"
Nate Witten
Santa Cruz | Health Information Associate

There’s a lot of planetary movement (planets changing signs) this week. Mars (energy) enters Pisces and Venus (love) enters Aquarius on Friday. On Tuesday, Mercury (communication) also enters Pisces. This creates a shifting of energies in our world. Pisces attempts to save the world as Aquarius attempts to change the world. Friday (Feb. 1) is St. Brigid’s Day. Saturday (Feb. 2) is Groundhog Day, Candlemas Day and Imbolc, a “cross-quarter” day - between winter solstice and spring equinox with the Sun’s light each day is increasing in power.