Back to Birth

Perhaps it's the English teacher in me that continues to be captivated by symbols. Gatsby's green light. Holden's ducks. Melville's white whale.  I find them intriguing because they represent and suggest rather than dictate or define.  Symbols are the medium through which art engages its audience. They hint, they allude, they drop clues. Do you know what your name means? Explore it here or here. . . Or are you particularly moved by the sign you were born under - read up on it here or here. My birthday is July 12th, and the crab, derived from the latin Cancer, is meant to symbolize our nature. It's also because the sun enters my sign on the summer solstice and appears to move backwards or retreat, taking cover like a crab who moves cautiously in backward, sidesteps. I know that walk all too well. We are tentative beings, but tenacious, and whether you're into it or not it's nice to spend some time reading what the ancients have to say about your birthdate. I love being a Cancer Moonchild - and while I'm not the maniac on the horoscope hotline, the more I explore what has been written about my sign, the more I am inclined to believe that there might be some truth to it all. . .  just a coincidence that Cancer's constellation resembles the number 69, which is the street I moved to when Back to A started?

Or maybe I am finally, after all these years, exactly where I have always meant to be.

We know what happened to Romeo when he said, "Then I defy you, stars!" And don't get me started on Caesar - "I am as constant as the northern star" - and then arrogantly marched onward while the soothsayer trembled. Caesar and I share the same birthdate, and I'm trying to avoid his mistake of dismissing the stars. Coincidence that I loved Pablo Neruda's poetry for years, and only recently found out we share the same birthday? Or my favorite founding father, Alexander Hamilton, died on mine? That Winston Churchill died of cancer at age 69? Believe it or not, the symbols still persist, have been studied through the ages, and exploration is always an interesting journey. Symbols can be brought into the home through decorative pillows, like these great zodiac needlepoint ones from Jonathan Adler:

When you have a symbol you connect with - be it your zodiac or the meaning of your name, www.kaboodle.com is a great source for the web's best products - simply enter in the the subject and you will see what is available, and how you can acquire it immediately.

I love this watercolor print:

And I find these pillowcases very soothing:

Or this crab necklace by Tiffany's (with diamond eyes, obviously):

Okay that may not be for the home, but Back to A is all about flexibility. The choices are endless, and I think it's meaningful and fun to sprinkle your home (and self) with symbols that tie who you are and what you think best represents you with your surroundings. It was hardly a surprise, then, when I read on Astrology.com that "Cancer, the fourth sign of the zodiac, is all about the home. Those kind of people born under this sign are 'roots' kind of people, and take great comforts in the pleasures of home. . . it can be a Herculean task to pry a Cancer out of its secret place." 

Yeah, that's me. Who are you?


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