The West End NEWS
Volume 7, Number 8
June 15-27, 2007

LIZ LOOKS AT THE STARS
By LIZ MCMAHON
*** Your keywords shall inspire you***


ARIES (March 21 - April 19) Your ruler Mars keeps you company til the 24th, energizing your projects. You can achieve wondrous feats right now! The negative manifestation of this energy, however, is the danger that it tips into an overly steamroller type of focus or over-aggressiveness. Your “child spirit” will be activated, and will start asking questions. Simple questions may be fraught with complexity. The Gemini Sun this month emphasizes your mental acuity, though with Mercury going walkabout after the 15th there will be some frustrations, delays, or real estate glitches. Misunderstandings between siblings or the old spats may be infuriatingly irresolvable, do not expect to clear things up totally till after the 9th of next month. Keyword: I AM. Aries is the sign of self.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20) No one is more determined than a Taurus with a problem. You want to fix what’s broken, and you want results ASAP! Mars in Aries until the 24th warns against harboring anger, because you risk self-sabotage with your indignation backfiring on you. It’s called "cutting off your nose to spite your face". On the 24th, when Mars finally moves into your own sign, Taurus’ will feel a new motivation. It is important to make this energy constructive rather than confrontational. At least this shift will enable you to have the opportunity to express your residual displeasure in an honest and constructive way. Keyword: I HAVE. Taurus is the sign of personal possessions.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Happy 30th Birthday to Lisa McNeil on June 25th! Sometimes when people have Pluto opposition (as you do until January) they go into a primordial swamp, into the murky unknown. Going through the dark is the only way to find the light. No way around it with Pluto. You can be assured, however, that a phoenix will rise out of the ashes. Befriend your dark side to create the light. Someone once said something like “If you chase all your devils away, all your angels run off too.” When your dark sides emerge, they carry you through dark puddles, void, vortex, crazy dreams, and into a more creative consciousness. On a lighter note, your love life is currently compelling, with the scent of possibility wafting in the breeze. Keyword: I THINK. Gemini is the sign of self-expression.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22) Happy Summer Solstice on the 21st, Crabs! Your emotional attachments and treasured memories are so important to you that sometimes you keep them too tight to your chest. Your “hard shell” exterior is only there to protect your prized feelings. You may need the extra armor since your well water runs deeper than most - you don’t want a stranger to fall in and drown! Keyword: I FEEL. Cancer is the sign of domesticity.

LEO (July 23 - August 22) The deal is that you toil with patience and humility; admit your faults and weak links; know when to battle fear and when to be realistic and cut your losses. You also know you have to earn the divine right of kings and can’t expect to be bestowed by birthright. When you do and know these things, the rewards will be regal, indeed. The Leo Moon on Father’s Day this year intensifies your quest to “find the father”. Since your sign is the one of the ruler and protector, others may gravitate toward you in their own search! Keyword: I WILL. Leo is the sign of personal pleasure.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22)
You may be tied up in knots right now, Virgo. Figuratively speaking, if grim subjects are causing you worries, take the secure thought that a creative solution will present itself by July 14th. Keyword: I ANALYZE. Virgo is the sign of work and self-improvement.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22) Prepare to take charge of a situation that may go awry. Nothing major, but there may be a monkey wrench thrown into the works, and you shouldn’t rely on others to fix it. From Libran Lee Iacocca: “My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, then you've had a great life.” Keyword: I BALANCE. Libra is the sign of partnership.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21) End of June will find Venus opposing Neptune, with artistic and romantic idealism ruling your perspective. At this juncture in your sojourn, keep the past in the past, and focus only on the future. From Scorpio Johann Schiller: “It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.”
Keyword: I DESIRE. Scorpio is the sign of legacies and shared possessions.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21) The dullness of others may be sticking to you like a thorn in your side. Your desire to be a free agent and create your own world is putting distance between you and those closest to you. Pluto is in a powerful and rare transit, causing ends of chapters to loom and beginnings of new ones to follow. You may be facing a realization that something meaningful has come to an end. Sagittarian Mark Twain had this to say about Fathers: “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” Keyword: I SEE. Sagittarius is the sign of philosophy and expression on a wider level.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19) Mercury’s backward journey begins on June 15th, and will be in effect until July 8th. The retrograde energy allows you greater insight into the past. It’s a wise time to study history, make a family scrapbook, or go into psychoanalysis. Keyword: I USE. Capricorn is the sign of public life.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18)
The Leo Moon mid-June encourages you to hold your head up high, just don’t hold it so high that you ignore the people around you who’ve been supportive and encouraging all along. Mercury’s retrograde period will inspire you to retread old ground, and revisit old friends. Revising plans for the future may begin, also, but may take a while.
Keyword: I KNOW. Aquarius is the sign of hopes and ideals on a large scale.

PISCES (February 19 - March 20)
The Summer Solstice on June 21st brings you a power surge. You had better get yourself into motion, expending some of that energy, otherwise you’ll blow a fuse. To those Piscean friends whose fathers are in their lives, let ‘em know how glad you are that Newt Gingrich wasn’t your father. By the way, Happy Birthday to Newt Gingrich on June 17th. Here’s a sentiment from your fellow Piscean, Ralph Nader: “Ours is a system of corporate socialism, where companies capitalize their profits and socialize their losses...in effect, they tax you for their accidents, bungling, boondoggles, and mismanagement, just like a government. We should be able to dis-elect them.” Keyword: I BELIEVE. Pisces is the sign of dreams and self-delusion.



Fire Victims’ Fund Tops $3500
A fund set up to aid victims of an April 5th explosion and fire at 36 Salem Street has drawn over $3500 in donations from neighbors and other contributors. The explosion demolished the house, leaving two people homeless and destroying nearly all their personal belongings. No one was injured in the accident, which is still under investigation.

Jo Coyne, owner of the house, and former president of the West End Neighborhood Association, said that all of the money would probably not be used, but that she plans to set up another fund to help other fire victims. Coyne plans to rebuild a house on the same site. The original house was built in 1870. Coyne is currently living in an apartment on Pine Street.

The fund is set up at the Five County Credit Union in Portland. Checks should be made payable to "The Salem Street Fire Fund" and can be mailed to: Five County Credit Union,P.O. Box 598, Bath, ME 04530The Credit Union also belongs to branch-sharing, so if you are a credit union member and your branch belongs to branch-sharing, a deposit can be made at that branch.You can go to http://www.mainecul.org/ to find a branch.