The Astrology Page Events and Advice Astrology Blog by Susan Custer

Almonds, Industry, and Astrology

The US almond industry has decided to subject all raw almonds to heat or chemical pasteurization. The Cornucopia Institute is leading a campaign to convince the USDA to reopen the public comment period on this issue. The previous 45 day comment period was not publicized, and resulted in only 18 comments, none of which were submitted by private citizens or consumer advocate organizations. This campaign will be launched late this week or early next. Check their web site for information on who to contact to make your opinions heard. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Markets both have policies stating that they will be selling only almonds pasteurized with steam, rather than those treated with propylene oxide.

Click here to learn about modern industrial food preparation http://www.blackherbals.com/dirty_secrets_of_the_food_processing_industry.htm

In Chinese astrology almonds are associated with the rat, Vedic astrology, associates them with Jupiter, Renaissance astrology and William Lilly related the almond tree to Venus, and Al-biruni believed the hard shell made almonds of the nature of Saturn. What do you think? My Venus is strong in my chart and I like almonds, but they are not at the top of my favorite foods.

During my herbal training, I was told that eating one almond a day was good for the immune system. In The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable, Juliette de Bairacli Levy writes that it was a well kept secret that Arabain horse breeders used almonds to boost the immune systme of their Arabian horses.

Sally Fallon in her book Nourishing Traditons says that it is a good idea to soak almonds overnight to make them more digestible.

A good cereal recipie for oatmeal and almonds. In a covered bowl, on the counter, soak oats, pre-soaked almonds, raisins, a pinch of salt, and raw milk or raw cream overnight. If you don't have raw milk substitute water.

Summer in the Northern hemisphere is a good time to support your local farmers by shopping at the Farmer�s Markets. There is plenty of healthy, often organic food at reaonable prices. I have been told that Massachusetts is supporting the local farmers by giving money to the cities who have a weekly Farmer�s Market.

Lunar Eclipse 8/28/07

There will be an eclipse on 8/28/07 at 4 Pisces 46. Here is a great description from NASA Science News. It makes me want to get up before sunset and view the eclipse. at 5:22 AM EDT.

The event begins 54 minutes past midnight PDT (0754 UT) on August 28th when the Moon enters Earth's shadow. At first, there's little change. The outskirts of Earth's shadow are as pale as the Moon itself; an onlooker might not even realize anything is happening. But as the Moon penetrates deeper, a startling metamorphosis occurs. Around 2:52 am PDT (0952 UT), the color of the Moon changes from moondust-gray to sunset-red. This is totality, and it lasts for 90 minutes. To understand why the change occurs, close your eyes and dream yourself all the way to the Moon. Once again, you're standing on a seashore�the Sea of Tranquillity. There's no water. You're surrounded by hundreds of miles of dusty, hardened lava. Overhead hangs Earth, nightside down, completely hiding the Sun behind it. The eclipse is underway.

With the Sun blocked, you might expect utter darkness, but no, the ground at your feet is aglow. Why? Look back up at Earth. The rim of the planet seems to be on fire. Around Earth's circumference you see every sunrise and sunset in the world�all at once. This incredible light beams into the heart of Earth's shadow, transforming the Moon into a landscape of copper moondust and golden hills.

Wake up! This is really going to happen, and some planning is necessary. Set your alarm an hour or so in advance to gather snacks and dress warmly. (Even in August, four o'clock in the morning can be chilly.) Waking up early also allows you to catch some of the partial eclipse before totality.

The eclipse will be visible from Australia, Japan, parts of Asia and most of the Americas, but not from Africa or Europe. Pacific observers are favored. On the west coast of the United States, the entire eclipse will unfold high in the post-midnight sky. On the east coast, totality will be truncated by sunrise. That's okay; even a little eclipse can be a dream.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/03aug_dreamyeclipse.htm?list816542

The dreamy description suits Pisces to a T.

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Almonds, Industry, and Astrology

Lunar Eclipse 8/28/07