Saturday, November 27, 2010

What's In a Horoscope?

Another Saturday has arrived and with it another glorious opportunity to explore my creative writing wherewithal. Yes, its Saturday Centus time...a time when we are given a writing prompt, and are put to task to write a 100 word or less response. This week's theme is Daily Horoscopes. We are to creatively respond to a randomly selected horoscope. This presents a particular dilemma for me, for I am an Aquarian, and not prone to do anything in purely random fashion. I am however quite prone to seeing connectivity in everything, and so with this prompt, I find myself connecting some dots. So, without further ado, I will take the leap and see where this week's assignment leads me.

Many years ago (perhaps during my college days at Wyoming) I cultivated a habit of reading my daily horoscope, found in the local Laramie Boomerang. Each morning, and for many months, I would eagerly anticipate opening a fresh morning paper, and head straight to the horoscope section. Why, you might ask? Well, this particular astrologer was writing about me in an uncanny, spot on fashion. How could this person know so much about me?

One day, and not a day that seemed different than any other, this deep, soulful connection with my own personal astrologer stopped. Was the newspaper purchasing astrology information from a different source? Perhaps...yet what I have found is that you can read a dozen different horoscopes on any given day and end up...well, end up terribly confused. The science of Astrology is less than perfect.

What is consistent in them is what binds us together as human beings...our common need, desire to give and get love, our desire for security (=money), and our inherent desire for creativity. We are truly of one body, one spirit, interchangeable one to another based on these yearnings for love, security and creative expression.

So, now that I have solved a big chunk of the world's problems (I'll leave it up to you to act on it), I will do something quite random, wholly in the spirit of this week's assignment. Mrs C has sack full of oriental fortune cookies intended for her Pre-K class. I am opening the sack, and without looking in, I am randomly picking out a fortune...my fortune. With some difficulty (as if these are X-rated fortunes, intended for adult eyes only), I am opening the cellophane, finding a broken cookie (ohhh, that can't be a good sign). I am plucking the narrow strip of white paper from the broken cookie..."Be yourself, and you will always be in fashion".

Note to Jenny...sorry I went over 100 words. You can choose to blame it on my rusty writing skills, since I have missed a few weeks. OR, you can blame it on the fact that I am an Aquarian, and tend towards non-conformity. Either way, and in keeping with my Aquarian roots, I can take the punishment. I am bending over now...
Jenny Matlock

19 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this! You are so spot on about how we are all tied by common bonds and in our desire and hopes we may look to things like horoscopes to bring us some news of what is to come. Well done.

    oh, and i went over 100 words this week too.

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  2. Sweet. Thanks Jeff.

    It's been a dityll visit.

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  3. I've never been a horoscope reader, but was pretty sure I could weave one into my ongoing story. Interesting week, isn't it? Loved how you got fortune cookies in there as well.

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  4. You should be made to stand in the corner, lose your playtime AND be sent to bed with no tea for at least a week! ;)

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  5. Fortune cookies always taste so bland, but the fortunes are fun to read! Good work, Jeff!

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  6. I loved your take on this. What a great fortune. Sounds just about right for you ;-)

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  7. Hey, Jeff,

    Great take with the fortune cookie twist. "Be yourself, and you will always be in fashion" makes me smile and feel good about myself.

    As usual, you have outdone yourself!

    Namaste..........cj

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  8. That's interesting about the horoscope change. I wonder if the paper actually got a new person to write it.

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  9. This is a great tale and it is very true that these horoscopes always play to those universal desires.

    Teresa

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  10. Jeff---I think I went into a state of meditation reading your piece. Thanks.

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  11. You must be true to yourself and to your nature! You rebel you!

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  12. This was great Jeff! Loved your take on this week's challenge. And as far as your punishment goes, all I can come up with is a line from Animal House - "thank you Sir, may I have another" LOL Kat

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  13. You rule breaker, you! It is amazing how each person who reads a horoscope can get a totally different interpretation of what it says. We see what we want to see. Thanks for sharing your story!

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  14. what a risk taker I am too scared to go one word over incase I get detention

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  15. I took away my first attempt at this, in case you tried to visit my post and found that it was not accessable. But it's working now. I have written a Centus for week 30.
    Best wishes,
    Anna
    Anna's SC wk 30

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  16. Such a creative post! Loved it!

    I am Aries. I wrote ripples depicting that!

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  17. No whacking of butts today. I'm too tired and it's the Holiday season.

    This was excellent! A super tough prompt for sure. I hope this weeks was a bit easier for you.

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  18. You are very naughty! Having said that, I enjoyed reading this.

    ;)

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  19. you are a good wordsmith .... and obviously well received.

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