The Aesthete

Yo Mama!

Mercury enters Taurus and the Sun and Jupiter meet up on Mother's Day bringing luck and a love of order

by Shelley L. Ackerman

There’s something about the second Sunday in May that elicits a sentimental pang from even the most cynical and jaded among us.

Whether you had a mother in the traditional sense of the word, are on the best of terms with her, or whether she still walks the earth, we have all, during the first few years of our lives, been birthed by, fed, diapered, and rocked by a nurturing female presence (not necessarily gender-specific, mind you) that shaped who we became in the world.

Many Eastern philosophies subscribe to the belief that we “select” our parents prior to our birth, which makes you think: Why would we choose people with whom we have such difficulty and so many challenges? The simple answer is that on a soul-level, we all want to clear up past karmic situations and above all else we want to grow. So when The Good Book says “Honor your Mother and your Father”, might we all in fact be encouraged to stop bitching and honor the choice we made in the first pace?

Though many of us associate Mother’s Day with Hallmark cards, it was Julia Ward Howe who first proclaimed a celebration for mothers in 1870. It wasn’t “official” until signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson and celebrated for the first time in USA on May 9, 1914.

This week, leading up to Mother’s Day, Mercury enters Taurus (on May 9th, to be exact) and it travels through the sign of the bull rather quickly, in only 15 days! Mercury in Taurus turns our thoughts and words towards the practical, the sensual, and the financial. It is the very embodiment of methodical thinking.

The extra celestial bonus comes on Mother’s Day itself, with lucky and expansive Jupiter conjoining the Sun on May 13th. There’s a bounty in there for all signs of the zodiac, easing what often is an emotionally charged visit with family. Mother’s Day 2012 could well be one of the most pleasant ever!

 

Horoscope's for the week of May 7th to 13th

Things may be moving a little too slowly for your Martian sensibility, but they are moving and in the right direction! Taurus is a methodical sign, and since it occupies your 2nd house of finance and values, why not come to terms with the notion that building your place in the Sun is best achieved via putting one foot in front of the other, period? Mercury (planet of words and ideas) enters said house this week and combined with the Sun/Jupiter meet-up on Sunday, you can literally do no wrong. Don’t screw it up!

ARIES Mama Gift Giving: If your mother is an Aries, gift her a gym membership or first-rate exercise equipment from TechnoGym, martial arts classes, an acupuncture session or a sculpting class. Be delicate and sensitive if gifting her any weight-loss associated classes though. And if she's more cooking inclined, a gourmet knife set will be an earnest gif. Just don't combine the culinary with the cardio.

Upon making his 1984 entrance at Radio City Music Hall, Liberace (the Taurean King of Bling) said, “Too much of a good thing is wonderful”. And this week, as Mercury enters your sign, you’re not only that much more quotable, but it’s Providence with a capital “P” all the way! Expansion is yours on every level, including your waistline, but heck, this oh-so good feeling comes but once every 12 years- enjoy it to the max!

TAURUS Mama Gift Giving: If your mother is a Taurus, it’s all about quality, fine foods and furnishings. She'll appreciate the cuisine at a resto like Masa, Per Se, Daniel, or Le Bernadin. But if she’s detoxing before summer, sign her up for Victoria Moran’s Main Street Vegan Academy. If she's on the Master Cleanse? Forget food and head to  Cartier, Tiffany & Co. or Van Cleef and Arpels which can be just as satisfying.

As an air sign, you live comfortably in the realm of the intellect. Concepts are just as real to you as physical realities. With your ruler, Mercury, entering tangible Taurus, the edict is for you to imagine, then build. Create it completely in your  MIND and then bring it to life in the physical plane. In other words, “first the thought and then the thing”. The Sun/Taurus meet-up insures that your imagination will be rich, active, and abundantly full of vivid possibilities and ways to make them happen.

GEMINI Mama Gift Giving: If your mother is a Gemini, she’s great with languages of all kinds including sign and mimicry. Has she always wanted to learn a foreign language, be it for easier communication with her mother or openly gossiping in public about how your sister-in-law can’t discipline her wildebeest of a child. Find out and buy her a course at Berlitz. If not, she deserves a gift that caters to her curious nature and enhances mobility. A new cell phone, a bicycle or even a driver may make her happy.

The richness of community/friendship is emphasized this week (especially on the 9th and 10th  before 3 PM) but resist the temptation to get involved with gossip, however juicy it may be. That doesn’t mean you can’t listen to what’s being said, but no response is the way to go, at least for now. Be aware that one of your buddies could be helpful regarding a neighborhood issue or one involving education, transportation, or a sibling. Could be a pal has a cool car to loan or sell.

CANCER Mama Gift Giving: If your mother is Cancerian, her tribe, ancestry and roots mean everything. She’ll enjoy a trip to Ellis Island, a gift certificate to Ancestry.com, or the DVD box set of the PBS series Faces in America. Want to upstage your know-it-all-sister-whose-family-drives-a-better-car-than you? Trace your own family history, paint your family tree onto a ceramic plate, bake brownies, place brownies on said ceramic plate, present to Mommy Dearest with a pun about brownie points. Game on!

Your glorious ruler, the Sun, conjoins with Jupiter at the top of your chart and there’s nothing grander or more bountiful than that. Career options are magnified as is your status and profile in general. There’s literally no excuse for having a bad hair day (or your mane being out of place) this week at all. This gift is a once in 12 year deal. What was going on for you in 2000 that you weren’t ready to cash in on? Now is the time for that bill to be paid in full- and with interest! Mercury at the crown of your chart asks that you clear your throat and make your thoughts and words known. 

LEO Mama Gift Giving: If your mother’s a Leo, she’s the proverbial lioness guarding her cubs. Know that no matter what how often she softly chides you for your wrinkled shirt/mustachioed boyfriend, your mother loves you. Leo resonates with gold but if jewelry is not her thing, theater tickets to A Midsummer Night’s Dream (or a timeless film), will feed her flare for the dramatic.

Your higher mind and sense of philosophical, educational, and religious expansion is quite the liberating feeling! Even the atheists and agnostics among you will benefit from and enjoy the connection to something greater, whatever that something is! ‘Tis the season for you to broaden those horizon(s), enroll in a seminar, book a trip to wherever, and consider property purchase on a distant shore that calls to you every so often. If there’s a legal situation hanging over your head, look to a favorable resolution and soon.

VIRGO Mama Gift Giving: If your mother’s a Virgo, her work is never really done. She insists that she doesn’t want help so get her the help she deserves in a way where she's in control. A nifty find: A gift card from Task Rabbit lets her select the help she needs. If she's  a bookworm, fellow Virgo Temple Grandin’s book signing is on May 7th at the Upper East Side Barnes & Noble. Or, if she’s more drawn to the theater, try The Caretaker at BAM. Virgo, the caretaker, get it? 

Though talk is often cheap, Mercury’s entrance into your eighth house of shared resources and other people’s moola makes it anything but these days. For the next couple of weeks, consider putting in for a raise and/or working those financials to better work for you. The opportunity to further pad those coffers (and enjoy some of the most amazing sex ever) continues on Mother’s Day. How wonderful it is to be on the receiving end of such good will. Feel the love and share it, but wisely. 

LIBRA Mama Gift Giving: If your mother’s a Libra, she’ll respond to days of beauty, top of the line cosmetics, fine chocolate and romantic dinners for two. The niggling question will be: is she inviting you or her significant other to dinner? Either way, check out Gentleman Prefer Blondes at the NY City Center. 

Going it alone and veering off into one of your undisclosed locations simply isn’t in the cards right now. There’s too much (wonderful) activity in your social and other-centric 7th house for your under-the-radar self to escape, let alone thrive. So surrender to being popular and get into being the host with the most. Not only will you enjoy it, but you’re likely to mix with any number of folks who will be of enormous help to you.

SCORPIO Mama Gift Giving: If your mother is a Scorpio she’s either wildly eccentric (think Ruth Gordon Inside Daisy Clover), possessive, modern (à la Julia Roberts), very present (think Hilary Clinton) and in some cases, quite traditional (like Laura Bush). No matter what, they’re intense and transformational figures who appreciate gifts that are clever and challenging. (What fun for you!) Depending on where she’s at these days, consider a Gangster Tour of New York; an evening with fellow Scorpio theater icon Ruby Dee; or something totally weird from Abracadabra.

The bounty of celestial goodies is firmly planted in your 6th house of work, health, service and routine. And while on the surface, it doesn’t sound terribly glamorous, think about how comfy your life would be if and there was some divine force that accompanied your every move on the work-front and supplied you with all of the helpful cooperators one could ever need whenever you need them. Not bad, eh?

SAGITTARIUS Mama Gift Giving: If your mother is a Sagittarius, your culture-vulture mama would love a membership to the MoMa, starting off with fellow Sagittarius Diego Rivera’s exhibit. Or, join Gail Collins, Gloria Steinem and Lizz Winstead for a Mother’s Day evening of invigorating conversation lead by these three witty feminists.

Your creative, romantic, and fun-centric aspect of yourself is getting quite the visit from up above. And though it’s tempting to immediately dispatch all of that good stuff for practical use wherever needed, why not savor the moment and succumb to the realms of diversion, amusement, and speculation for a bit? It’s a lucky week, with no doubt that whatever gains made will ultimately be used purposefully. But for now you have permission to take five and let the universe (or someone else) pick up the slack.

CAPRICORN Mama Gift Giving: If your mom is a Capricorn, she is the embodiment of responsibility and perseverance but boy does she have an eye for excellence. Honor her sophisticated aesthetic sensibility with tickets to the charity benefit Posh at the Pierre benefiting The Lighthouse, a charity that helps treat and prevent vision loss. Or, tickle her wicked funny bone with an outing to Silence! The Musical—the hilarious unauthorized parody of The Silence of the Lambs. Where did you hear about it again? Oh yes, on The Aesthete… Shameless self-promoting aside, we hear that Jodie Foster approves. 

Dare to admit how much sprucing up and beautifying your home means to you? It may not be something you talk about or even think about that much, as your attention is so outer-directed, but the energy from up above is emphatically anchored at home base. Be with family (or core unit), and feather that nest of yours, so that when you next fly off into the wild blue yonder, you can do so with peace of mind and a great place to land when you return.

AQUARIUS Mama Gift Giving: If your mother is an Aquarian, she is unconventional, avant-garde and unpredictable. While she can be a little cool and distant at times, it’s a small price to pay for the part of her that backs up your individuality. Her community spirit might enjoy New York’s Cooperative Economy exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York on May 9th or a little sci-fi fun at the new Avengers flick.

Speak now or forever hold your peace. The substantial build up in your 3rd house communication needs an outlet, in fact several of them. So if you ever wanted to get up and teach a class, write a book, or sing karaoke, for heaven’s sake, don’t hold back. The blast of good fortune promotes a healing between siblings and better relations with neighbors... all good news. It might be time to focus on some curb appeal too.

PISCES Mama Gift Giving: If your mother is a Pisces, on a good day, she is empathetic, gentle and all you could ever want in a mother. When in shadow mode though, she can be quite the doting martyr. Mood aside, celebrate her self-sacrificing good side with the Mildred Pierce exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image. Since she’s got so much more to share these days, she might be up for the Stories the City Tells Itself walking tour on May 10th. Let her talk, she needs to now.