We’re in the season of gifting, a holiday ritual that, for some, brings terror (What do I give? Who am I? What do they like? I have no money!), and for others it’s a way of being festive, showing gratitude, participating with family, friends and loved ones and giving all we have unconditionally. 

It’s a busy time of year and we may feel like we are being pulled in a thousand different directions. At the top of the list of to-dos is this reminder: Express gratitude. It’s a good reminder but I always like to chase it back with a shot of “count your blessings,” too. In other words: Take a look around, check in and see if you’re taking anyone or anything for granted. Let’s face it, we lead busy lives—so much so that we can lose track of the people and things that actually make our lives vibrant. The following three questions were recently presented to me and I’ll share them with you.

I think it's looking better than it was in 2012. I'm about to get into the job market in another month, after I graduate, and I'm not really that scared about it. Ryan Freund
Santa Cruz | Student

Our first week of December, candles lit for Advent, we remain under the shadow of the lunar eclipse. The end of the Mayan calendar occurs in three weeks as the Festival of the New Group of World Servers begins. We have gifts to make (no more buying), food to prepare, guests to invite, trees (or Hanukkah bushes) to trim, lights to hang as the days move deeper into dark stillness. 

It’s a powerful time of year, but do you feel empowered? Somebody keeps telling me that one way to feel good is to feel good. Maybe it’s that easy? In the meantime, it doesn’t hurt to help others feel better. Now that the holiday season is upon us, we are bombarded with messages about giving—to each other, and to the many local nonprofits in the county who make huge strides during the year to add some levity to the lives of those in need. To that end, I suggest learning more about Second Harvest Food Bank’s Set A Plate For Kate campaign this year.

It's very simple: You can express all your thoughts in every action. So whatever is troubling them, whatever they want to improve, whatever they're not happy about with the government, they just do it themselves. So that’s how you solve it: just do it. Do the solution.
Amre Amer
Santa Cruz | Programmer

The Sun is in Sagittarius, sign of good food, journeys, justice and jurisprudence (study of law). Thursday is Thanksgiving, a day of Gratitude. The day is void-of-course (moon making no connections with planets, therefore we have difficulty making connections and creating comfort). This can be complicated as Thanksgiving is a day of making contacts through gratitude and great feasting. With Sun (personality) and Venus (loved ones) squaring (challenge) Neptune (confusion or deeply religious), we may be rather baffled, the food may not cook in time or taste the same, people may not show up, we may lose our way. Anything can go wrong. 

Inevitably, there are times when we are void of inspiration. “What does it all mean?” we ask. “Where is it all headed?” Or ... “Is what I am doing really making a difference?” These are good questions to ask, and, sometimes, the answers are clear. Other times—not so much. Which is why the story of William Ow is so inspiring. Ow, a longtime local, is at the helm of the former Wrigley Building on the Westside of Santa Cruz. He’s the subject of this week’s cover story, which illuminates how far one man’s vision—or any clear vision, for that matter—can reach with the right amount of focus and determination. Perhaps Ow’s tale will inspire you with your own entrepreneurial ideas in the weeks to come. Read on ...

“Popping off.” Like, what are you doing this afternoon? Gettin' poppin. Oh, are you at work? Poppin' off? Are you hanging out with your friends tonight, you could be a little pop-tart. Popping off. Get it? Poppin'!
Amy Hill
Santa Cruz | Airbrush Technician 

In our last week of Scorpio, sign of Discipleship, the hidden, sacred and the Ageless Wisdom teachings, we begin inner preparations for the upcoming season when dark turns into the light. This time of preparation is referred to as Advent (advenire, Latin), when we sense “something new is about to arrive.”