10 laws for a better life

i was reading through the inquirer yesterday and i ran across this article by cory quirino. it discussed dr. phil's (yup, of Oprah fame) strategies to strengthen our lives. makes a whole lot of sense to me. here's a quick summary of that article:

Life Law # 1: You either get it or you don't.
The key is to understand what motivates you and other people. Mastering those skills will get you everywhere.

Life Law # 2: You create your own experience.
Accept and acknowledge that you are responsible for your life. You, not anyone else, are accountable for your life, whether it is a success or failure, happy or joyous, good or bad. Don't be a loser by blaming someone else.

Life Law # 3: People do what works.
There is a payoff for every behavior. If you identify the payoffs, you can control them, and then you can control your life. Reward good behavior, not bad behavior.

Life Law # 4: You can't acknowledge what you don't acknowledge.
If you are unwilling to ackowledge a certain situation in your life, then you are not willing and able to change it. If you live in denial by not wanting to face your real life situation, then you are running away from yourself.

Life Law # 5: Life rewards action.
Thought without action is impotent. Better to just do what you say than just say and not do.

Life Law # 6: There is no reality, only perception.
What you see in a situation is the value you give it -- this is YOUR reality. And how you look at it will determine your happiness or peace.

Life Law # 7: Life is managed; it is not cured.
Holding on to your life and whatever situation you may be in does not guarantee instant results. Hanging in there with determination is the key. Nobody ever said life was easy.

Life Law # 8: We teach people how to treat us.
How you validate someone's behavior toward you determines how they will treat you. If you feel you deserve better, let him/her know it.

Life Law # 9: There is power in forgiveness.
Anger and bitterness can consume you. You gain everything by forgiving those who have hurt you.

Life Law # 10: You have to name it to claim it.
Know what you want. Once you do, you can claim it. Indecision breed inaction.

why people get married...

i recently watched the film "Shall We Dance?" starring Richard Gere (as John), Jennifer Lopez (as Paulina), and Susan Sarandon. it was an American version of the Japanese original filmed in 1997.

the movie wasn't as spectacular as i had thought, but one part which struck me the most was when Beverly (John's wife, played by Susan Sarandon) met with the detective that she hired to spy on her husband. they engage in a discussion why people get married. Bev shares the following lines:

"We need a witness to our lives. There’s a billion people on the planet… I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you’re promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things… all of it, all of the time, every day. You’re saying ‘Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness’.”

deeply enlightening.

credits to quote

road trip to lucban

as i've previously mentioned in my earlier posts, our family had our annual bisita iglesia yesterday. we passed through several towns in rizal and ended in the famous town of lucban, quezon.

of the many churches in rizal, everyone oohed and ahhed at the beautiful and picturesque church of morong. the church was built on a small hill overlooking the quiet town of morong. the interiors were lovely as well. it had a long aisle leading to a very simple altar, unusually unadorned with any of the saints that we know of. if i had the capability to finance an out-of-town wedding, i'd have it on my short list of venues for the ceremony.

being on the road trip was a sacrifice in itself, with the heat and humidity. the sun was as bright as could be for most of our trip. but as we passed through the mountains of caliraya, cavinti and luisiana, we felt a whole lot better. we were greeted by the very cool and refreshing breeze that only the mountains and forest could offer. it was a breather from the pollution in manila. the sights were undoubtedly breathtaking as we made our way to quezon.

lucban is not a new place for us as we have visited the town to witness the pahiyas festival in earlier years. (read more about lucban here.) my mother chose to make it our last station for the bisita iglesia to see the recently most talked about via doloroso grotto of healing and way of purification by fr. joseph "joey" faller.

even from a distance, we already knew that we were nearing the Kamay ni Hesus Healing Church and grotto, as there were vehicles parked on the shoulder of the highway for miles and people were walking along the road. traffic was no surprise. even from the highway we could already see the large image of Jesus and the people milling around to get to it.

when we finally found a place to park, my mother, brother and i took the long walk to the site. we initially thought that we could actually go up to the grotto but to our disappointment, we found a really long line of devotees waiting to enter the gates to the shrine and take the so-called stairway to heaven. from afar, we noticed that there were two routes to get to where Jesus was. one was the straight and therefore shorter one, but definitely tiring because you had to climb up 292 steps to get to the top. the other route was a longer one but less tiring since they constructed it into a winding road, with breaks in between as you had to stop and pray at each station of the cross.

there was an on-going mass when we dropped by. but since the place was crowded, we didn't bother anymore to seek our way in. we were way too tired then from our long trip. we got there at 5:30 already. it was enough for us to have seen it with our very own eyes. we just settled to pray at the foot of the shrine so that we could complete our yearly devotion. and what's going to lucban without eating their specialty pancit habhab? well, that was just one of the highlights of our trip.

last pit stop was at my stepdad's ancestral home in pagsanjan, laguna. after eating dinner and washing the dishes, i was a goner as soon as my head touched the pillow.

PS: i just found out that there are now pilgrimage tours to the kamay ni hesus healing church. check it out here.

something to reflect on...

i thought it best to post this for the holy week. got it from my tita marina. have a great easter everyone!

TEN THINGS GOD WON'T ASK ON THAT DAY
1... God won't ask what kind of car you drove. He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

2... God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

3... God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

4... God won't ask what your highest salary was. He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

5... God won't ask what your job title was. He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

6... God won't ask how many friends you had. He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

7... God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived. He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

8... God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character.

9... God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation. He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.

10... God won't have to ask how many people you forwarded this to. He already knows your decision.

more updates

joseph just informed yesterday that he won't be availing of the airline fare promo. he found out from his travel agent that the promo flies you to the philippines via china air lines. according to joseph, CAL has had a bad track record in air safety. he'd rather spend a little more than risk his life. end of story.

with that in mind, we will still be attending the pre-cana seminar on the twentieth of august as originally scheduled and we will be having the civil rites as soon as he gets here.

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i called up the NSO this afternoon to inform them of the change in the delivery address of our birth certificates. since our helper, gina, will be the one to receive it for us, the NSO required us to present sooo many things once the certificates were delivered. on my part, i had to present an original ID, gina's ID, and a letter authorizing gina to receive my certificate. on joseph's part, on the other hand, i had to present the special power of attorney that he signed, an authorization letter for gina (which i signed in joseph's behalf), a certified true copy of joseph's passport/ID, my ID, and gina's ID. whew! that's a handful. but before they can process my request, i must fax them the SPA and notarized copy of joseph's passport. talk about red tape! anyways, i'll be doing that tomorrow. i hope they won't give me any more trouble when i call them up again after faxing the said documents.

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i rang saint james today, inquiring about their pre-cana seminar date for the month of july, just in case joseph decided to avail of that fare promo. the woman who answered the phone referred me to a ms. AC, bert's replacement. to my surprise, it turns out that she is the same "ms. AC" of the chancery of the diocese of parañaque. just my luck! i've been meaning to call the chancery because i had a few questions regarding the "freedom to marry" certificate that is to be issued by the foreigner's parish.

when she found out that joseph and i have already signed the petition at the chancery last january, she told me that she will request that our files be transferred to saint james so that we can process all our papers in one venue. that was soooo kind of her. really big convenience on our part. yehey! =)

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we're thinking of giving away small wine bottles as souvenirs for our wedding. we initially wanted CDs as give-aways, but i found out from kate's mom that they'll be handing out CDs as well. since we're cousins and most probably the same relatives who'll be attending her wedding will also attend mine, i didn't think the CDs were a good idea anymore. my mom suggested that we give away wine instead. Australian wine to be exact. joseph and i think it's a great idea. not to mention, lesser packaging costs as this only requires ribbons and bows. we can get the materials from divisoria. that equates to "cheap." hehe!

weirdo

somebody's getting weird and i don't like the looks of it. there's this new patient of mine who may have misunderstood my "over"-friendliness. he has been texting me sayings for the last 3 days at ungodly hours, if i may add.. i find that awfully creepy since none of my patients has ever done that. i've only seen him once, for crying out loud!

i hope it's not transference, as what us therapists fear it to be. i guess i'll have to put some distance now and be really professional about it when i see him again after the holy week. don't want to make him think that i'm the least bit interested.

sigh! now is one of those times when i wish i was born a guy.

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i just got word from my good friend girlie that she's the one who'll be sponsoring our invites. yipee! since she's quite busy with her work and preps for her own wedding, she informed me that she'll be sending me the moolah instead so that i can take care of it myself. great! time now to shop around for invites.

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we're exactly nine months away from our church wedding. feels like i just conceived and i'm due to give birth in december. hehe!

long vacation

it's good to finally get some rest after all the "toxicity" of work at the clinic the past few weeks. it's been like hell and i was practically dragging myself to work when friday came.

at last! a long well deserved vacation is in place. i have still yet to recover from a relapse of the colds and cough. the weird weather is the culprit. i'm sure everyone could attest to that.

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my family's thinking of going to lucban, quezon this holy week for our annual major roadtrip. That is, the bisita iglesia. there's this priest-cum-healer that we want to meet. i'm not really a believer of such things, but hey, i suppose it won't hurt to try. who knows, right?

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joseph just told me that he might be coming home a little bit earlier than planned. a travel agent/friend of his informed him of a promo that could save him hundreds of dollars on his fare. i think to avail of the promo, he must leave Australia on or before 30 june 2005. he has yet to confirm though the inclusions of the said promo.

i think it's a good deal and i don't mind (of course, i don't! i miss the guy terribly!) having the civil wedding take place a month earlier. i am definitely not complaining. =)

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my good friend, marivic, just got back from her three-month maternity leave. she gave birth to a cute baby girl. they named her keona cahlyl. quite unique, huh? she asked me to be one of the godparents. i accepted without batting an eyelash.

vhic has been one of my closest friends in the clinic. well, she was actually the first friend that i made when i was just starting out at our facility. it was really great to see her again.

some good and not so good news...

i haven't been online much these past few days to keep our blog updated. my PC, although it just got back from the repair shop, still can't seem to work properly. i have to use my stepdad's PC for all my online needs. in my PC's case, i can't open my internet explorer and YM. my only consolation is that i can still use skype and joseph and i can talk for hours.

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i'm off to my ob-gyne this afternoon. i'm getting my last dose of GnRH. finally! next month, i'm scheduled for an ultrasound to see if there has been any improvement in my condition. i should hope so, after all the expensive meds and nasty side-effects!

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work has been sooooo toxic lately. i'm drowning in referrals and i have no more slots left in my schedule so that i can accomodate them. i'm still on the look-out for volunteers to help me with work load. it's a relief to have day offs in the middle of the week to get away from all the stress.

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lalam, my kababata from kindergarten days, was in town recently for her interview at the Australian embassy in makati. she called me right after the interview to tell me the great news that she was granted her spouse visa immediately after the case officer interviewed her. the CO didn't even bother to look at her album of pictures. imagine that! only one-day processing! wow! i am sooo happy for her. she'll be flying out to melbourne to join her hubby after the holy week.

if it's that fast to apply and for them to process an Aussie visa these days, then i cannot wait to start our application in august. chances are, i'll be granted the visa even before our church wedding in december takes place. now that's cool! things are looking good.

videographer... check!

i went to see frank dizon of imagineer digital this morning at the glorietta in makati. we both signed the contract and i paid him the downpayment for his video services. the deal's been sealed and that part is done. i'm moving on to other wedding prep stuff.

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my brother, Rex, just came in from Bacolod yesterday. he's here to recuperate from his appendectomy (he showed me his scar!) and of course, catch up on some bonding time with our family. he admits it can get pretty lonely out there, even if you are with your friends. nothing beats being with your family and spending real quality time with them. he's going back after the holy week.

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since we were at glorietta this morning, we decided to drop by BPI's installment madness at the activity area of the mall. it was madness, alright! we went home buying a dvd player, a watch for Rex, and a digital camera (yey!!!) for me. i've been eyeing one since i saw all these gadgets being sold at zero percent interest. you can even opt for an installment plan that will suit your budget (in 3, 6, 12, 18 or 24 months). cool!

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the weather was pretty awful today. talk about heat wave! and as if that weren't enough, a brown-out occured in our area. the heat was intolerable so we thought of heading off to the nearest mall (SM bicutan) to cool our perspiring bodies. lo and behold! they were also experiencing the power failure so they were running on their generator. it seemed like everybody else in our area had the same idea as ours, so that didn't help at all. the mall was crowded and the aircon was running on low. too low, i might add! hay! it was a good thing though that after 30 mins., the power went back on and the aircon was running at its usual level. but i still felt really hot! must be the meds... darn those meds!

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i'm sure you've noticed the new header we posted for the site. the layouting was done by none other than my sweetie joseph (naks!). we decided to change the previous one because we found it a bit drab. i love the colors in our new header. way to go baby!

updates

i'm down with the cough. must be the sudden change of weather. i remember quite well, a few weeks ago in february, i was complaining about the very humid weather. these days, it's been very windy with the tail end of the cold front passing through our country. weird!

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we've already booked with frank dizon of imagineer digital. after all the bargaining, we're very happy with the outcome. frank is such a very easy person to talk to. not to mention, accomodating and fast in his replies. he has no hang-ups at all. i think we got a good deal with imagineer. i'm soooo happy that's all settled now. all that's left for us to do is meet with him for the contract signing and downpayment. hopefully, that will come into fruition this weekend.

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i hate it that my PC is still in the repair shop. somehow, with all the upgrades to windows XP and in RAM, it can't seem to operate properly. now, i have to temporarily settle with my tito's PC in the other house. joseph calls me up on the phone if the PC isn't available so that we still get to talk every night. with the latter, expect our phone bills to skyrocket next month. geez!

.dreamboy (daw!)

here's a cute collage of our baby pictures that joseph made on adobe photoshop. this really made my day! =)

on endo

in this month's issue of cosmopolitan philippines, fellow egroup endophil member, owen santos, talked about endometriosis in her article. she tackled the topic with so much information about the dreaded disorder among females.

it's good to come out with these sort of articles because they become effective eye-openers for women who just regard their painful monthly periods as ordinary dysmennorheas. as of this writing, rita, our group moderator, said that there are two new members who have registered in our group. see what i mean?

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it's our monthsary! yey! seven months and still going strong. i cannot ask for anything more. =)

tomorrow is joseph's birthday. too bad we're apart. oh well, i only wish him the best. i miss him terribly. =(

10 things you didn't know about love...

as if this wasn't enough... hehe!

10 Things You Don't Know About Love

1. Love is like chocolate. There's a reason newlyweds can't get enough of each other: Love is a kind of chemical addiction, says Helen Fisher, Ph.D., an anthropologist at Rutgers University, who scours MRI bran scans for the secrets of love. Falling in love activates the "pleasure" centers of the brain and increases production of the feel-good chemical dopamine, which plays a key role in addictions. And eating chocolate affects the same brain regions, which is why it's hard to stop at one piece of candy. How? A surge of dopamine is part of a chemical cocktail that boosts your mood and energy levels, and sharpens your ability to focus on ‑- read: obsess about ‑- your sweetie. Is it possible to feel that rush even after you've been married for years? Absolutely. "Novelty drives up dopamine too," says Fisher. So you can get a boost from moving your bed, trying a new sex move or ordering takeout Thai food instead of your usual pizza.

2. Your nose knows he's the one. Did you just know he was the man for you? Thank your sense of smell. "Women can sniff out a partner who is a good genetic match for having kids," says James V. Kohl, a clinical laboratory scientist and coauthor of The Scent of Eros: Mysteries of Odor in Human Sexuality. Kohl and other smell researchers have found that women are instinctively drawn to the scent of men who are genetically different from them, which is a good thing. "If you choose a partner whose genes are too similar to yours, your children are at an increased risk for health problems," he explains. What draws you to one guy over another is his pheromones, unique chemical by-products of sex hormone production. Women are especially good at detecting pheromones during ovulation, when our sense of smell is strongest. When you like what you smell, your estrogen levels go up, sparking desire.

3. Marriage doesn't make you crazy -- it keeps you sane. Forget the popular image of the married couple driving each other nuts. "Studies show that getting married improves mental health and decreases depression," says Linda Waite, Ph.D., a sociologist at the University of Chicago and coauthor of The Case for Marriage. In fact, one study found that people who've never walked down the aisle are more likely to be admitted to a psychiatric facility. "Many women gain a deep satisfaction from the intimacy found in marriage," says Scott Haltzman, M.D., clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Brown University in Providence. "That sense of belonging bolsters their sense of self-worth and purpose," enhancing their mental stability.

4. Marriage keeps you healthy, too. Saying "I do" isn't just good for your mind. Married people ‑-even those in less-than-perfect unions ‑- are physically healthier than those people who aren't married. They have stronger immune systems, better resistance to viruses such as colds and flus, fewer long-term illnesses and disabilities, fewer hospitalizations, better survival rates for the illnesses they do get and longer life spans ‑- by up to eight years! Interestingly, though, when it comes to preventing heart disease and strokes, studies have found that being hitched helps only if your relationship is happy. "Your heart knows whether your marriage is good or not," notes Haltzman.

5. It's better to be hitched than rich. What makes people happiest? Being wealthy helps, but it's a solid marriage that seems to rank highest on the smile scale. According to a Dartmouth study, having a good marriage is equal to the satisfaction gained from earning an extra $100,000 a year. So you really can be rich in love.

6. A dad's love runs deep, too. If you think there's nothing more amazing than a dad nuzzling his newborn or walking hand-in-hand with his grade-schooler, you're right: "When a man holds his child, he experiences a very distinct and powerful hormone change," explains Fisher. "We see this in humans and in animals." His levels of testosterone ‑- a.k.a. the aggression hormone ‑- go down, while his levels of the connecting hormones oxytocin and vasopressin increase, which triggers bonding by making him crave closeness. These physiological changes have been around since the dawn of time, but today's fathers are much more hands-on, which actually deepens their attachment to their kids as they grow. A recent survey found that 93 percent of dads with school-age children hug them at least once a week, which is up from 90 percent a decade ago; 60 percent hug them every day. Hugs have a biological benefit, too: They reduce heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormones, and boost the immune system ‑- of the hugger and the huggee.

7. Puppy love is powerful. Many studies have found that pets can lower blood pressure and ease loneliness. Now, new research from the University of Missouri-Columbia suggests the hormonal changes that occur when people and dogs interact could counteract depression and stress disorders, too. Just a few minutes of petting Fido causes a release of happy hormones like serotonin and oxytocin, while reducing stress hormone levels. You don't even need your own pooch to reap the benefits, says researcher Rebecca Johnson: "You get them when you pet any dog."

8. Getting busy keeps you young. People who have sex four to five times a week look more than 10 years younger than those who have sex twice a week, according to a 10-year study of 3,500 people at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland. Why? Experts aren't sure, but they do know from previous research that the testosterone released during orgasm helps men maintain muscle mass. As for women, the estrogen surge experienced during sex may make our hair shinier and skin smoother, both signs of youth.

9. Chick flicks turn him on. Your man may not realize it, and he certainly won't admit it, but this romantic genre is more likely to inspire sexy feelings in him than his favorite action flick, according to a study at the University of Michigan. Researchers there found that watching a romantic movie can boost a guy's progesterone levels by more than 10 percent, increasing his lovey-dovey feelings. Still, getting him to sit through Bridget Jones's Diary on DVD may be tricky ‑- even on Valentine's Day. So rent a chick flick with romantic leanings cloaked in a tough-guy hero. For that, Casablanca never fails.

10. Love is a wonder drug. No, really. As if there weren't enough reasons to put on some Barry White, here's more good news about sex. During an erotic encounter, your body pumps out 200 percent more endorphins (those feel-good chemicals responsible for a runner's high), according to a recent Johns Hopkins University study. Other research has found that sex relieves headaches and zaps mild depression instantly. The adrenaline released during sex can act as a natural antihistamine, clearing up the winter snuffles. One study even showed it was10 times more effective than Valium at giving people a calm, contented feeling. No Rx required!

it's my birthday!

yeah, you heard it right. i turned 29 today. wow, my last year in the second decade of my life, my last year as a single woman. this year is momentous alright, with all that's going to happen in the coming months. i'm loving it!

joseph surprised me today with 2 dozens of roses (god, that bouquet was enormous!), a blueberry cheesecake (one of my faves) and an AVP that he did all by himself. the latter made the most impact on me. i had a tough time holding in back my tears as my stepdad was just nearby. hay, i am so blessed!

the only thing that wasn't so good about my day is that my mom is still in bacolod with my brother and joseph is far away in oz. amidst all the food and gifts, nothing beats having your loved ones around on your special day.

12 better explanations to love (daw!)

i know the love month's over, but i can't help but post this. got it from my friendster bulletin board.

12 better explanations to love
1) Don't turn your back to love when it's already in front of you. Don't drive it away from you, because if you do, someday, you'll think again, why you let love flew when it was there next to you.

2) In Love, think things first over if you're sure about how you feel. Don't fall too hard not knowing where you will stand, 'coz it will hurt real bad if things don't go the way you want them to be.

3) It's an irony to know that it takes hours for someone to have guts to say "hi" to the one he likes, days to admire, weeks to miss the person, months to love, but just a blink of an eye to say goodbye...

4) Go for the person who loves you. It is not wrong to love someone who belongs to someone else, but it is much better to love someone who could also love you in return.

5) Love isn't something we hold, it is something we set free, It's not something we just do, but it's something we don't imagine to be. Lastly, it's not something we choose, it chooses us...

6) The scariest thing about falling in love is getting hurt. The scariest thing about getting hurt is not being able to love again. The scariest thing about not loving again is being alone forever.

7) When you follow your heart, worry not where it will lead you, for your heart knows the way. And if you do get lost or reach a dead end, use your head to lead you back home.

8) When you truly care for someone, you don't look for faults, you don't look for answers, you don't look for mistakes. Instead, you fight for the mistakes, you accept the faults, and you overlook excuses.

9) It's better to lose your pride to the one you love, than lose your loved one to your useless pride.

10) Love is not "it's your fault," but "i'm sorry,"; not "where are you?", but "i'm here,"; not "how could you?", but "i understand,"; not "i wish you were here," but "i'm thankful you are."

11) The beginning of love is to let those we love be just themselves, and not twist with our own image. Otherwise, we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.

12) If a relationship is truly meant for you, your love will find a way to make it happen, and God will be there to make sure it will stay.

naks! seems like the person who wrote this must have really gone through a lot. i can relate to a lot of them. can you?

my solar return birthday reading

i have this thing for astrology. i really do not believe in them but it's fun reading them, especially if my horoscope coincides with the things that have actually happened in my life. anyway, i got a free birthday reading in the mail today. here it goes...

Sun Aspects Uranus
Uranus aspecting the Sun suggests that the individual desires to make changes, possibly in rapid succession. Generally, any solar return year that has a major Uranus-Sun aspect also has a corresponding significant life change or development such as a pregnancy or birth, career or job transfer, relocation, illness, etc. Changes tend to be more disruptive and less controllable when they involve a conjunction, square or opposition aspect, but all aspects can ultimately indicate beneficial changes. Issues involving boredom versus originality, or creativity and
freedom versus restriction, are common.

Sun Aspects Mars
Mars symbolizes the energy necessary for successful accomplishments. When Mars aspects the Sun, it is a good time to work on a project that requires a great deal of energy to complete. Success can come in the form of personal or professional achievement, or with defense. Relationships tend to be competitive, and you need to balance self-centered drives with the needs of others. Learning to deal with aggression, conflict, and anger in an effective rather than detrimental way can enable the individual to handle negative situations positively. Less spiritual themes involve destructive or self-destructive urges. Prolonged anger creates blockages which waste energy in a cycle of negative emotions that have no real purpose or goal. It is better to direct efforts into positive endeavors.

Sun Aspects Venus
Just as in the natal chart, the solar return Sun is never more than 46 degrees from Venus, so it does not form any major aspects other than the conjunction. Venus conjunct the Sun indicates that personal reward or sacrifice in the form of money, self-esteem, values, or relationships is intimately tied up with the goals of the Sun. Laziness might be very detrimental, while one can reap great benefits from a personal best.

Mercury Aspects Pluto
Pluto aspecting Mercury in the solar return chart may indicate that your conscious mind is very aware of unconscious material and psychological complexes. This awareness may originate from naturally occurring insights into human behavior or educational pursuits. You are better able to perceive what is unspoken or hidden. Motivations will be clearer to you even when they are not stated. Manipulations and
psychological games will also be more obvious. Most likely this awareness will not be one-sided. You will be as aware of your own unconscious nature as you are of psychological complexes in others. Resurfacing unconscious material can spill over into everyday consciousness and distorting perceptions and thinking patterns.

Mercury Aspects Saturn
Saturn aspecting Mercury suggests a more serious and structured perception of reality. Life is organized in such a way that decisions and changes have serious consequences. Choices may be studied in depth before decisions are made. For some, there will be no good and clear choice. Dilemma situations can plague the Mercury-Saturn combination. It is likely that at least one major decision will be made during the year. Sometimes this decision is made under stress and usually it involves great responsibility. For these reasons, the individual tends to be conservative. He or she is looking for changes that produce greater stability, not chaos.