Decision to be indecisive

 
According to western astrology, people born between 22nd September and 23rd October each year belong to the sign of Libra. This sign is perceived as the Hamlet of the zodiac – Libra people are often described as indecisive. Clearly, indecisiveness is painted in a negative way which brands Libra characters quite weak and undesirable to have around. 
 
Despite popular opinion, let’s look beneath and beyond the labels and stereotypes. The trait of being indecisive usually involves three states of affairs: avoiding decisions, taking an incredibly long time to make decisions and being anxious about making the right decisions. 
1. Libra takes a long time to make decisions. 
Libra is an intellectual sign, very analytical, capable of objectively seeing and assessing all sides of the situation/problem. 
Libra knows that decisions have consequences (sometimes beyond their control), therefore they are determined to make smart decisions. This is impossible without collecting all the facts and listening to all the parties which requires time.
In this era of instant gratification, if you are annoyed with the time Libra takes to reach the verdict just agree on a reasonable deadline – the decision will be delivered on time by Libra.
 
2. Libra avoids making decisions. 
Do not be fooled – Libra is a cardinal sign, a sign of initiative, of moving forward. Libra people boldly and confidently make important, life-changing decisions. 
 
Still, they know that mental energy is limited. Frequent usage of the restricted reservoir of cognitive vitality for small, trivial decisions depletes it. Libra people steer clear of decision fatigue and apply the principle of  “choosing your battles”. 
 
They gracefully and charmingly will leave you to make every-day resolutions such as where to eat, how to shop, what movies to see. They are masters of discrimination. 
3. Libra worries about making the right decision. 
One thing needs to be clear here – Libras do not worry about arriving at the right conclusions because they are perfectionists. This is the realm of the Virgo zodiac sign.
 
Libra is the sign of justice and fairness. Libras want to reach a settlement that is fair to everyone involved because they posses amazing ingenuity to build relationships and import peace. 
All that sounds excellent, yet you are not convinced that it is Libra’s decision to be indecisive. You have experienced the suffering of the stuck-in-the-indecision Libras and the tiring wait for their decisions. I have a magical tip for you (the original idea is not mine) that works without fail. 
 
 
Libra is a sign of harmony who strives for happiness and balance.  So, invite “indecisive “Libras to flip a coin in order to resolve a situation. 
 
As crazy as it sounds Libras will do it. 
 
Their  motivation lies in the realisation that decisions and the changes that come with them lead to satisfaction as opposed to the discontent of decision-procrastinating and evasion.
 
Psychological studies have confirmed this and you already know Libra checks all the facts before deciding. 
 

The Greek myth of Icarus or what to do the next three years

We are naturally curious about the future. We want to know what is going to happen in order to navigate successfully through the complexities and challenges of life.
 
Astrology could give us a glimpse of the future (it is 
okay if you do not believe, read the post for fun) 
and could help us work beneficially with some
cosmic energies and vibrations.
 
A major shift will happen in the universe at the beginning of March 2023.  Saturn, the planet of mastery, the strict teacher, is moving into the romantic, dreamy and creative realm of Pisces and will stay there until 2026.
For me, the two most significant Saturn-in-Pisces impacts could be defined as:
1. Life is what you make of it 
2. Let it go
1. Life is what you make of it or the Greek myth of Icarus and his father Daedalus.
In essence, Deadalus  was a skilled craftsman, engineer and innovator. At some point in his life he was living with his son Icarus on the island of Crete. King Minos of Crete employed Deadalus to build a labyrinth where the cannibalistic monster Minotaur could be imprisoned. Dreadalus accomplished the project but later his relationship with the dictator declined and the King threw both him and his son in the labyrinth. 
 
Deadalus knew that eventually the Minotaur would find them in the maze so his inventive mind found the solution – he decided to escape by flying as a bird. A master plan was put in place and the hard work began – father and son diligently collected fallen feathers, carefully designed them into wings and glued them with wax. When the two pairs of wings were ready the father warned his son not to fly too high in the sky as the heat from the sun would melt the wax and ruin the wings. 
 
The plan was executed beautifully and the two man escaped from the labyrinth. However, Icarus was full of adrenaline and the ecstasy of flying. He forgot his father’s words and reached for the sun. The wax on the wings melted, Icarus fell into the sea and drown. Only Deadalus survived. 
 
 
 
 
In the Saturn-in-Pisces light, the lesson of the story could be defined as the”defiance of limitations” or the “desire to transgress human boundaries”. 
My interpretation is that hard work and controlled passion (as opposite of being controlled by passion) pay off in the end. If you have a dream which you want to fulfil or an idea you want to pursue, or a project you want to achieve, the next three years are yours to make it happen. It will be hard, it will require effort, time and sweat but if you are consistent and do not give up, the reward will be yours. Life is what we make of it.
2. “Let it go” or the Ponte Morandi collapse
In 2018 the beautiful Morandi bridge, built in Genoa in the 1960s, partially collapsed. The investigation revealed a “construction defect” and negligent maintenance as the reasons for the disaster. The bridge was completely demolished in June 2019 and the new Genoa-Saint George Bridge was built in 2020. 
 
How does this extreme example relate to Saturn in Pisces theme?  
The moral is that the structures in our lives  – habits, daily routines, personal and professional relationships, education etc will be tested in the next three years. 
The solid constructions will stay  and the outdated, fragile, defective and outgrown forms will collapse. The crumbling could bring sorrow, pain and tears but in the longer term it is good. 
We may miss the old designs but we will not want them back.
Challenging! Exciting! Let’s meet in three years and share the Saturn-in-Pisces experience.  

Love story or a story of imperfection

On 3rd February my ballet buddy Catherine and I attended the Swan Lake performance by the Birmingham Royal Ballet at the Mayflower theatre in Southampton. 
 
The nearby car park was full. A long, but fast-moving queue led us to the theatre entrance and another to the desk to buy a programme. The foyer was packed with people chatting happily. I spotted many opera coats, silk dresses and velvet jackets and trousers. 
 
Catherine and I were breathing this air of exciting anticipation. People like love stories and ballerinas, but for me I love the music of Tchaikovsky above everything else. Its amazing ingenuity and divine flow is out of this world. 
 
 
The original libretto of Swan Lake presented a romantic story with a tragic end. 
 
The young Prince Siegfield went hunting and saw a beautiful swan near a mystical lake which transformed into a stunning girl at midnight. That was Princess Odette. She was cursed by the evil sorcerer Baron von Rothbart and became a swan along with her companions. The Prince fell in love with the innocent Princess and declared his forever love to her. 
 
But the sun was rising and the cursed Princess had to change back to a swan and fly. 
 
The Prince was truly in love, yet the evil did not sleep. Baron von Rothbart presented his daughter Odile, disguised as Odette, to the Prince at the ball in the castle. The black swan Odile tempted and passionately seduced the Prince. 
 
This was a game-changer because the curse upon Odette could only be broken if the Prince was faithfully in love with only her. When the Prince realised what he had done, he and Odette jumped into the lake and drowned. 
 
 
 
 
The audience did not like this ending so the libretto was changed and different shows offer different endings. 
 
 
The Birmingham ballet chose the tragic exit. The Prince was forgiven by Odette and they both disappeared into the lake. Their unconditional love lifted the spell from the swans.
 
The audience in the Mayflower theatre was so captivated by the show that at the crucial moments of the ballet the only sound I could hear was my own breath and the tapping of ballet shoes on the stage.
Swan Lake was performed for the first time by the Imperial Ballet of the Bolshoi Theatre in the 19th century during the era of romanticism. Looking at the narrative through the glasses of the 21st century I feel that this beautiful story is about acceptance. 
Self-acceptance and a true acceptance of people we love. We love to love with pure, devoted and innocent love but we also want to experience passionate, adventurous seduction.
Baron Rothbart is not the external evil, he is actually the inner complexity of Prince Siegfried’s soul and it is up to him to find a way to deal with it. But the first steps are self-awareness and self-acceptance.
 
We all have light and darkness inside, impulses of destruction and renewal and dealing with these forces is part of human nature. It seems to me that 
 
The white Odette and the dark Odile live all the time inside our lovers and even though we find it difficult to believe they make the person whole. 
 
 
 
 
As hard as it is, when we accept that human nature is far from perfect, love becomes invincible and a fact of life.

Indulge in pleasure

 
At the end of January it feels like winter goes on forever. One way of dealing with the end-of-winter blues is to have a spa day. Even better if the spa day voucher is the present left under the Christmas tree by your loving husband.
The best spa in the local area, by far, is Chewton Glen. Chewton Glen is a luxury country hotel situated between Highcliffe and New Milton. 
 
The most appealing feature of the spa is its spaciousness. The swimming pool hall is roomy, with natural light coming from huge windows and  the ceiling is high. It radiates an atmosphere of relaxation. However, the Chewton Glen spa was recently renovated and I do not fully appreciate the results. The walls were painted white and although the colour enhances the dimensions it reminds me of a hospital. The previous design, in the style of Roman baths, was better for me but let’s put that in the category of personal taste.
The spa bar is comfortable with a stunning view across the gardens. The breakfast is healthy and, importantly, the bartender is Italian. He makes an excellent espresso coffee, which ensures the day kicks off very well. Lunch is served until 15.30.
The changing room is a gem – it contains all the provisions and equipment needed and also has a steam room, sauna, cold drenches and a feet jacuzzi. Here you can spend hours detoxing, healing and energising yourself. The standard of hygiene is very high and it is maintained consistently during the day.
The swimming pool is 17m long and the area is surrounded by snuggly beds. The pool does not have lanes, and at particular times of the day can be overcrowded. Around 11.00 an instructor gives a water aerobic class attended by 6 to 8 ladies. 
The real sense of adventure comes when you go to the jacuzzi outside the hotel. The air is cold and fresh, the water is pleasantly hot. The pressure streams gently massage all areas of the body that need more oxygen and blood. 



Inside, in a spacious conservatory, there is a very big jacuzzi. Nearby are heated beds where you can lie and feel the heat on your lower back and knees. 
This jacuzzi has many sections. There are benches and beds with water pressure massaging your whole body. Other sections direct the water pressure towards your legs, your core muscles or your neck and shoulders. You can focus on all your aches and pains and ease them in the most enjoyable way. 


There is always an idiot in the jacuzzi. They stay upright under the pressure water for the neck and shoulders and splash it all over other people until they finally realise what they are doing or the most impatient spa user enlightens them. 
 
My favourite treatment is the full body massage. This time the treatment room is very disappointing. It is just unpleasant. It reminds me of what the Americans call a “closet”. However, the treatment is very good and the passion fruit sorbet at the end of the procedure is tasty. 
 
 
 
I leave Chewton Glen around 17.00. My body, mind and spirit feel a very pleasant type of tiredness. I can face the rest of the winter now. Spring will be here soon!

The most miserable day of the year – does it exist?

 
 It is winter, it is January. It is freezing cold, it is dark and it is miserable. Spring is miles away. 
Some years ago I read in the newspapers that the third Monday of January was known as  Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year. I miscalculated and thought that tomorrow, 23rd January is Blue Monday 2023. 
The story behind Blue Monday is enlightening. In 2005 a travel agency called Sky Travel used the concept of the most depressing day of the year as part of their marketing strategy.
The travel agency claimed that the day was calculated using the formula:  
[W+(D-d)]xTQ=MxNA 
where W is for weather, D – debts, d – monthly salary, T – time since Christmas, Q – time since failed quit attempt, M – low motivational levels and NA- need to take action.
The media liked the idea and Blue Monday became news and 18 years later it still is. 
 
This year the story has a different flavour. The journalists questioned whether the formula has a scientific basis. It appears that the travel agency prepared the statement about Blue Monday in 2004 and offered it to a few professional psychologists to approve it for money. Some declined but one of them Cliff Arnall from Cardiff University’s Centre for Lifelong Learning signed it. It also appeared that the same Cliff Arnall is now campaigning  against the concept of Blue Monday on Twitter.
The answer the journalists received from the professional psychologists when they asked about the calculation was – the formula is  “nonsense”. I am inclined to agree with them and wonder whether the blooming health and wellness industry is there to help us or to make money for some  people. 
 
However, as I said, my calculation that 23rd January is the most depressing day of 2023 is wrong. 16th January has the honour and I recall what I was doing on that day. Would you believe it – Adrian and I went to a travel agency and booked trip to North America in May. The agency was very busy and the pleasant travel agent explained to us that they are inundated with people phoning to book their holiday.
 
So Sky Travel and newspapers sensed in 2005 that the idea of Blue Monday reflected something that we all experience at this time of year – we are craving for the sun. 


Moreover, there are 2 million people in the UK that struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).  SAD has symptoms similar to depression such as low mood, lethargy, lost interest in hobbies, irritability, sleeping longer and finding it difficult to get up, putting on weight and a decreasing sex drive. 
Even though the formula is speculative and not scientifically proven I think the media do good by broadcasting it every year. It raises awareness of the fact that the reduced exposure to sunlight during the short and dark autumn and winter days affects us. So, we can do something about it? 
 LOOK OUT FOR THE NEXT POST!

On the first day of the New Year

The New Year’s Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is exclusive. For me, it brings the nostalgia and the joy of the childhood. The concert was broadcast by National Television when I was a child and every year on Ist January I watched it with my sister. The orchestra was world-class, the conductor was an international distinguish conductor and the venue – Musikverein – was outstanding. 
People say, the first day of the year indicates how the year will go. The New Year’s concert in Vienna and the joyful music of the Strauss Dynasty always brought hope and a sense of a vie est rose. 
 
I have not watched the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert for ages. 4 years ago I attempted to re-create the euphoria by attending a New Year’s Day concert in the Lighthouse in Poole. The concert was a disappointment which I kept to myself in order not to discourage my husband from joining me in my musical adventures. 
 
A new opportunity arose recently. The Barbican Centre in London offered an afternoon New Year concert performed by the London Concert Orchestra. 
First impressions – the Barbican Centre building is ugly. Its architectural style is called brutalist as it emphasises the raw materials (concrete) to the detriment of fine finishes and decorations. The foyer is full of mature people holding glasses of wine in their hands. Later I was enlightened  that  every ticket holder was entitled to a free glass of wine – a great marketing trick to ensure attendance and a jolly mood in the concert hall. The cafes and the restaurant are unappealing with long queues in all of them. 

The actual concert hall is huge. There are nearly 2000 seats spread on three levels and they are all  taken. The orchestra musicians seemed tired to me, their shirts and jackets creased and no smiles on their faces. The conductor explained that the orchestra played in Birmingham the night before and travelled to London in the morning.

 
The concert begins, beautiful music fills the air and everything changes. Musicians are good.The conductor Anthony Ingles is the master of the ceremony. He not only skilfully conducts the orchestra but his dry sense of humour appeals to the audience.
Suddenly Nicole Kidman enters the stage. Wait a minute, she is not Nicole Kidman, she is soprano Sky Ingram. Like Nicole Kidman, Sky is Australian, she is tall, slim with beautiful curly hair. Sky has an amazing voice. She is accompanied by the tenor Robyn Lyn Evans who brought the audience  to their feet with his performance of Nessun Dorma. 
Some tricks to engaging the audience (from The Proms) follow – we are led by the conductor to perform specific moves, to sing as a choir and to clap to the rhythm of the music. The tricks work very well. 2000 people are clapping, moving, laughing and enjoying themselves. The mood is uplifted. It is a real delight to watch the sea of smiley faces. 
And that is great because Adrian, our friends Catherine and Paul and I are going again to the Barbican centre on 22nd April to watch Gustavo Dudamel conducting the orchestra of Opera National de Paris. Cannot wait. 

Making memories at New Year’s Eve

Usually New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are the times for making our New Year’s resolutions. The resolutions are supposed to change us in a positive way – “New Year, new me”. 
I would suggest a different approach – make memories before making resolutions. 
Adrian (my husband and a distinguished art and music lover) and I decided to make New Year memories in London. 
The best place for that was the City area around the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. 
In the late afternoon on 31st December we were sitting in the All Bar One on Great Tower Street. The weather was gloomy, raining constantly. From my seat I could see through the window and the amber lights of festive decorations the mystical contours of the Tower of London and the brightly lit Tower Bridge. The picture in front of my eyes was stunningly beautiful and breath taking. My heart was full of appreciation of life and beauty even though Adrian expertly said that I was easily pleased.  
Later we went to our favourite restaurant, Wright Brothers, in Borough Market. The fish and seafood restaurant is a charming place, offering excellent food and great service from a hard-working international team. Without them this memory wouldn’t be possible. The restaurant is very cosy and cleverly designed. The atmosphere is informal, friendly and festive. The clienele were also international  – next to us at the bar was an interesting eccentric Dutch couple. 
Around 23.00 the crowd began moving towards London Bridge in order to watch the fireworks. London is really cosmopolitan – I could hear all the languages in the world around us. We were all there for the same reason – to enjoy the anticipation that something new, something positive was on the way to meet us. Only two more seconds and the hope would be reality. No, No, please,  wait for a moment, one more shot on my iPhone….
The counting on the Shard tower began and then 0 appeared and the New Year arrived – new wishes, new opportunities, new us. Kisses, love words, champagne. Could the moment last a bit longer. 
 
 
I am writing this two days later and the quiet content in my soul is telling me that despite the benefits of mindful practice the memories we made this New Year’s Eve will be evoked and treasured in the years to come. 

The luck of having a big sister

I do not know whether there is  a statistic of how many people in the world have a big sister. At Christmas time I hope there are many. Having a big sister is the greatest luck in the world. 

1. Having a big sister means you have someone who cares and protects you for the rest of your life. One of the first things I remember as a little girl was my mum saying to my sister that she must look after me and not allow anyone to upset or hurt me. Big sisters grow up quickly, they mature early because they are responsible for caring and nurturing the annoying little sibling from a very young age. Do not get me wrong – they have their revenge later in life when a stranger looks at the two sisters and innocently asks “Excuse me, who is the oldest one?” and points to the younger one “Probably you!”. The big smile on my sister’s face was unforgettable.

2. You have someone who you trust implicitly. Your big sister knows everything about you  – your strengths, your weaknesses, your eccentricities, fears and deep insecurities. She knows your triumphs and your failures, your secrets and your desires. You can tell her anything and you know that it is safe, it is secure and you can be who you are without any pretence or facades. 
And you know that your trustworthy big sister has your best interest in her heart. She would strongly encourage you to read the most interesting book all night and pretend that you were asleep when your parents checked on you. Or she would lift your mood straightaway by insisting that divas usually live in Los Angelis, that prima donnas are in the La Scala or dramas are shot in Bollywood so why not skip the nonsense and come down to earth. In any case, a walk will help.
3. Lastly, my big sister is my role model. It is not surprising that she is a Capricorn zodiac sign – the sign of the mountain goat who never gives up and reaches the peak of the mountain where no-one has been before. 

I was two years behind my sister at school and that was great for me. She was an excellent student and had a brilliant reputation. So I felt like a “nepo baby” – fully relying on the reputation of my celebrity sister. Until disaster struck. I will always remember my teacher of physics in secondary school who looked straight into my eyes and said – “ Nina, you have a long way to go to level up with your big sister”. I am still on the road. 


Happy Birthday to my big beautiful and clever sister!
 

Avant-garde at Christmas

The Christmas Festive Season is the time when we indulge in long-standing traditions such as the  Christmas tree, presents, Christmas cards, carols, families together around the Christmas table and turkey. 
Christmas is also a wonderful magical time of superpower and irrationality. 

That makes me wonder what a meeting of the magic of avant-garde art and the traditions of Christmas would look like. 
The answer came in the form of an Interesting story by Ann Swanson published in the Washington Post. 

 

Hallmark Cards is the oldest and the largest American company in the greeting cards production business. It was established by Joyce Hall in 1910. It is a family-own company and its headquarters are in Kansas City, Missouri. Since 1940 the company have promoted the art of famous painters such as Pablo Picasso, Paul Cezanne, Paul Gaugen, V. Van Gough and Georgia O’Kaffee to the Americans through the  greeting cards market. 
In 1959 they approached Salvador Dali, the well known and popular surrealist painter. The deal was very lucrative for Dali – he was paid $15,000 in advance for the creation of 10 Christmas card designs without a deadline, subjects and he retained the copyright.
Eventually Dali produced 10 surrealist interpretations of the Christmas tree and the Holy Family. Hallmark cards company use only two of them – “The Nativity” and “Madonna and Child”. The greeting cards were not subjected to a great demand by the American public and Hallmark took the unsold cards off the shelves. 
It seemed like an unhappy ending for modern art. No, no, do not forget – it is Christmas, the  magical time, 
The Christmas Fairy made everyone happy. The Hallmark greeting card company was awarded the National Medal of Art in 1985. The few hundred Christmas greeting cards by Dali that are still in existence today are a collector’s dream. At Christmas everyone wins. 
I wonder which Dali Christmas card you would choose to send to your family, friends and neighbours. Please write your answer in the comments. 

My favourite is: The Christmas tree

Ten minute miracle on a cold winter’s day

The cold winter has arrived – the sky is grey, darkness spreads early in the afternoon. If you need something to lift your mood I have a solution for you. I guarantee that this 10 min experience will brighten your day.
What you need to do is simple and free – open your Internet device, browse “Danzon 2 (Marquez) conducted by Dudamel” and watch and listen. It lasts less than 10 minutes and afterwards you will feel uplifting joy. 
I speak from personal experience. Some years ago I heard this dynamic, elevating music and immediately wanted to know more about the music, the orchestra and the conductor.
 
Danzon 2 is a musical piece for an orchestra created by one of the most prominent living composers of our time, Arturo Marquez. He is Mexican and lives in Mexico City. 
 


The orchestra, performing the music, was the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra until some years ago. Due to the growing age of the musicians it is no longer the Youth Orchestra but the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. 
The Orchestra is a wonderful result of a very successful social project in Venezuela called El Sistema. The project was the brainchild of an economist, Jose Antonio Abreu and commenced in 1975.  It involved 5 children and took place in a garage. The idea was that access to music could give children from poor, underprivileged communities a purpose in their life and keep them away from crime and drugs. If they like music and it inspires them they would naturally strive to improve  their lives. 
The Orchestra is enormously successful. Half a million children were involved in this immersive musical training over the years. They received instruments, training and academic support. Older children were mentors for the younger ones and professional teachers and musicians were engaged. The Orchestra toured around the world and worked with two outstanding conductors, Caludio Abbado and Simon Rattle. 
The charismatic conductor of the Orchestra, Gustavo Dudamel, is also Venezuelan. He was born into a musical family and got involved in the Orchestra as a violinist. One day the professional conductor of the Orchestra was late and Gustavo, who was 12 at this time, impulsively took the baton and began conducting the Orchestra. Remarkably, when the professional conductor arrived he said “You are doing a good job here” and left Gustavo to continue conducting. The rest is history.
You may already have guessed that Gustavo was a kind of Wonderkid, a Venezuelan Mozart.  Five months later he took the position of assistant conductor for the orchestra and the following year he had his own chamber orchestra. In 1999, at18 years of age, he became the Musical Director of the Orchestra.  Nowadays he is also working with the Los Angelis Philharmonic Orchestra and  the Opera National de Paris. 
If Danzon 2 helps you feel better I have another little miracle for you. Gustavo Dudamel and the Symphony Orchestra of Opera National de Paris are coming to the Barbican Centre, London on 22 April 2023. Tickets are still available. 
See you there.