They are a wonderful look at human nature and the way things work. Sort of a picture of the collective conscious. When you hear the same thing from people all over the globe, and from all time periods, you can't help but take note of the wisdom.

Moroccans have a saying, "If fate throws a knife at you, there are two ways of catching it: By the blade and by the handle."

Since I read, I have the opportunity to talk to people who have had a knife thrown at them. In fact a reading can show you ways to wisely and kindly choose to catch it by the handle. Or, as the Germans say, choose to "Drive gently over the stones."

Catching something by the blade means fighting the inevitable, engaging in shame and blame, not trusting in Spirit to know what's best in the long run, taking it out on yourself (who needs that?), or getting stuck (think what you'll miss!). For instance, during a Venus Retrograde, many relationships do "end." Some transform to a different sort of relationship -- and this can be a better relationship, while others end so the two can go on to something better.

Sometimes we choose to catch it by the blade and things like this run through our minds:

How could he?

I should've known better

If only I'd ...

This is unfair and I'll never survive it/get over it.

Yes I'm bitter/cynical. You would be too.

How can I get even with him for this?

The feelings are justified, yes, feelings are what they are. But with greater insight, we can realize we still have a choice about how we react and respond to those feelings and that ultimately its our wellness that's at stake. If we get stuck, we're going to miss all the good things that lie ahead.

Are fixed signs worse about this? Probably so. Or those with Saturn in certain placements. But generally speaking everyone's got the possibility. It has to do with consciousness, which is one reason why readings help at these times.

When we get lost and can't see the Light, when we forget, and chose adverse ways of dealing with adversity, we compound the harm. What happens is we get through what happened, but then we have to clean up the messes we made because of our reaction to it.

What are some examples? Let's say a woman's husband leaves her for another woman. That always hurts so much, and causes anger, too. Driving hard over the stones would be ... a Pisces who decides to get Neptunian and goes back to drinking after 10 years of sobriety ... an Aries woman who decides to let herself go, gains 50 lbs. and and turns against men ... a Leo who gets depressed and loses her job and then has financial problems on top of everything else.

A better way? A Gemini woman who gets creative about the anger, and blazes through graduate school in record time with record grades, and focuses on a brilliant new career for herself. One woman told me, using a proverb incidentally: "We Italians say 'Anger is an expensive luxury' and one I can't afford. I want to enjoy my life, and I won't give anyone else the power to take that from me."

When we dwell in negative thoughts and mind-frames, there's another proverb that applies, this time from Africa: "Whether the knife falls on the melon or the melon falls on the knife, it is the melon that suffers."

You can't be angry without being anger, or as the Koreans say, "If you kick a stone in anger, you'll hurt your own foot."

Proverbs. Lots of wisdom there. Stay in the Light!