The 9th issue of Dharma Direction unveils some of the contradictory traits of this month’s sun sign … the shy yet social, loyal yet self-seeking, hardworking worrier with a somewhat judgmental side. Virgo the Maiden bestows these gifts upon us with nothing but good intentions.

Are you ready to Go With The Flow?

Virgo: The Maiden

August 24 - September 22

No worries.

Angels: “More Like Me”

Personal Essay by Debbie Abbott

Read time: 10 minutes

As we explore the traits and qualities of the Zodiacs each month, I am realizing that I embody a little bit of every sign.

I suppose a non-believer would say that the generalities of Zodiac descriptions are crafted to fit practically everyone— regardless of the sign. The truth as I see it is …

Horoscopes and astrological personality influences are really more about our similarities than our differences.

As a species, humans generally behave in a similar fashion. The means to the ends we seek are diverse and worlds apart, but the combustion of our internal engines— the mind, the heart, the soul— share a collective desire that is designed to bind us, not divide us.

When I recognize myself in each of the Zodiacs, it gives me comfort. I feel like I’m a part of the whole rather than being separated from it.

This month’s sign of Virgo the Maiden is one that I previously knew very little about. But by the time I finished reading several interpretations of this sign, I was almost ready to swear that I should’ve been born a Virgo instead of a Taurus.

Tricks or Traits

According to a recent article in Cosmopolitan, UK, the traits I have in common with Virgos are…

Being judgey… Yes, I have high standards. (There are worse things I could do.)
Experiencing imposter syndrome… Staying confident is hard when you don’t have a big ego.
We’re both control freaks… Misunderstood because we care more than others do about the quality of EVERYTHING!
And we wear a martyr’s badge… Unable to risk not being as helpful as possible to anyone who asks, and even a few who don’t.

Digging deeper into these traits only revealed more similarities between my bull-born nature and the ways of the Maiden.

When it comes to the high standards that Virgos are famous for, this is not just a nit-picky attribute. The quality is essentially rooted in an innate ability for noticing details. This type of habit isn’t something a person just decides they’re going to create within themselves.

I believe that being super observant is one of those survival mechanisms that has evolved over eons.

My husband swears that my ability to see, and remember, facial details is something close to a “Super Recogniser” skill. It’s spelled with an s instead of a z because the term was coined by researchers from London and Harvard. According to their findings, a person with this talent can remember 80% of the faces they see.

There’s even a test you can take online, through the University of Greenwich in London, to see if you’ve got the skills of a super recogniser.

Knowing Better

I found out about this test last year but put off taking it because of the vexatious Virgo imposter-syndrome that my own Taurus nature clings to so tightly. What if I don’t really excel at something that I appear to be so good at? What if I’m just normal? Or below average? I would have to re-evaluate my entire life and there’s not enough road ahead for that kind of reconstruction.

So, when I sat staring at the computer screen of the test page before writing this article, my heart was pounding so loud I wondered if I should just abandon this silly attempt to validate my skills.

Why was I so nervous?

I laughed at the part of my psyche that stressed out in these kinds of situations.

And I was thrust into a memory of junior high aptitude tests. I loved those kinds of tests because they ranked your rationale, your abstract reasoning, and your ability to solve problems against that of your peers. The tests weren’t devised to see if you were a math genius or a science whiz. They were windows into who we were at our core. Where our strengths were. And how those strengths compared to the rest of the kids in the country.

I excelled at those tests, always ranking above the ninetieth percentile. Abstract reasoning was my greatest strength, scoring 98% all but one time… when I scored 99%. This meant, on average, that only 2% of my peers were better than I was at solving certain kinds of problems.

So, you can see why this Super Recogniser test was so important to me. The results had the power to rock my world as I have always known it. Or, they might boost my confidence in the things I know I’m good at.

Can I risk peeling back a layer of belief for the reality of what is?

How can I not?

Seeing is Believing

What a relief! Good gravy… that was stressful. And it wasn’t.

You see, as I went through the tests— identifying faces of strangers on my computer screen that I only had seconds to memorize— the assurance I felt with each of my answers gave me confidence to move swiftly forward and not second-guess my intuition.

There were three different tests that took a total of about 30 minutes to complete. I did not find out my results until the end.

At times I was unsure… having difficulty picking out the right face. (In hindsight, I should’ve put on my glasses.) But most of the time, I saw the right answer immediately. (Well, I was pretty sure I did.)

My scores are listed below alongside the averages for people designated as super recognisers and for those of the general public. Keep in mind that these numbers are not percentages. Rather, they are the number of correct answers given on each test.

*Results above from test taken by Debbie Abbott on 09.05.2022*

I Am Who I Thought I Was

Just as I did when I was a young teenager, I allowed my natural abilities to guide me. Having faith in myself let me tap into this skill, talent, or gift— however you choose to see it— that I knew I’d always possessed.

In each of the three tests, my score was higher than the average scores of people truly recognized as Super Recognisers. And what this tells me is that my natural ability to notice details is more acute than the general public (which includes most of the people I know and love).

Over many, many years, I’ve come to learn that having this ability can cause other less-observant people to belittle my assuredness. It’s hard for them to comprehend how I can remember the face of a store clerk from 30 years ago, or pick out an actor from a one-second cameo, or hear the miniscule differences of singers’ inflections.

Thanks to the advent of the internet, I can instantly prove myself right. I avoid gloating when this happens.

It happens a lot. And when it does…

I can’t stop my left eyebrow from raising in a way that implies they should know better.

In this, I can totally relate to the Maiden, Virgo.

Let me clarify though that I am not saying I’m always right. There are many things I try not to help with, or have an opinion on because I know my expertise in those areas isn’t so great. I understand my limits and I try not to exploit them.

What I’m getting at is, if you’re ever in a debate or argument with a Virgo about the details of something, do yourself a favor and acquiesce. The chances of them being wrong are so slim it isn’t worth the energy to prove (this once) that you’re right and they’re not.

Take comfort in knowing that if they later realize that they were wrong… a Virgo will run to tell you, thereby clearing their conscience of the guilt they feel for passing along incorrect information.

Doing Our Best

This is another area where my Taurus traits and those of Virgo line right up. We both suffer tremendous guilt when we are not doing our best. Sharing our best with others is what we live for. This deep-seated drive all too often leads to so much self-sacrifice for the sake of others that we lose sight of also giving our best to ourselves.

A long time ago, I heard a theory about keeping things to yourself. Especially things you think others might criticize you for— like the poetry you write, or the artwork you paint, or the photographs you take, or the opinion you have. Basically, it went like this…

Withholding your gifts out of fear is an insult to the One who created you. Everyone was given something special that they are supposed to share with the world. Not doing so hurts you and everyone else who is waiting to experience your gift.

If we can just remember this simple philosophy, how much easier will it be to “see” the gifts that others are bringing into our lives? How much easier will it be to recognize the common ground between us? Or, to accept the differences and move on? The angels tell me it would change the world.

Hamaliel and Metatron

Ever in a Virgo’s ear, the Guardian Angel Hamaliel is an angel of logic. He will clear your mind and help you see exactly what needs to be done and how to do it.

He will bring discipline and order to your life, whether you’re a Virgo or not.

In the same vein, the angel Metatron— along with his mystical cube— will logic you right out of any argument against the idea of Sacred Geometry (see my article in last month’s Leo issue for more info). His spinning cube can replace negative energy with positive energy, for anyone who chooses to ask.

I challenge you to look for the Maiden in others, and in yourself. Recognize her Virgo energy when it shows up within you. Breathe in the calm serenity that surrounds this Zodiac. Even when it’s chaos behind their curtains, you’ll rarely see a Virgo show it.

Meanwhile, we all benefit from Virgo’s devotion.

Debbie Abbott is a former managing editor for an upscale food and lifestyle print magazine from Scottsdale, Arizona. She now spends as much time as possible working on her debut novel and sharing accounts of her life through her website and as publisher and editor of Dharma Direction.

Connect with Debbie on Facebook, through Debbie's Twitter page or visit Debbie on Instagram.

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Audio Visual Art: Angel Hamaliel

Digital artist Peter Mohrbacher treats viewers this month to the ethereal sounds of musical artist Xan Griffin (featuring Darcy). Find Peter’s work at Angelarium.net. Find more of Xan’s work on his YouTube Channel. Watch time: 3+ minutes

Ready for anything.

Humor: “Virgo Vibes - Just Jack”

Personal Essay by Colleen Markley

Read time: 8 minutes

When I was a kid, I’d sit next to my grandfather beside his pool while we waited the required 45 minutes after eating before being allowed to swim. I didn’t know then that his Virgo birth sign was probably a big part of his rigid rule-following. I just thought that the potato chips I was sneaking in during the waiting part might cause me to have a stomach cramp and drown.

My grandparents had made it clear that swimming directly after eating meant imminent death— even in the shallow end, or sitting on the steps, yes even the top step.

The waiting had to be done in the strappy vinyl chairs far from the water. My family was excellent at knowing all the freaky and horrific ways someone might die and then adding their own preposterous precautions.

Once my pool purgatory was complete, Papa Jack would dive into the not-deep-enough deep end and then flip onto his back with his size 13 feet sticking out of the water. He’d paddle with only his hands, a human submarine afloat. After his initial laps around the pool, he’d throw the diving rings for me, and I’d try to retrieve them all in a single breath.

*Colleen, watching Papa Jack help her sister learn to swim.*

Clear and Present

When he was just Jack, my future papa had been a Navy fighter pilot in World War II. From the time I could tread water without my blow-up arm floaties, he taught me all kinds of swimming lessons. Virgos are always prepared and want everyone else to be prepared as well.

At age seven I knew— and would practice— what to do if you needed to jump ship.

“Most likely the water will be on fire from the oil and gas,” Papa explained as he showed me how to stay underwater as long as I could hold my breath.

Then, when I needed oxygen, I would put my arms above my head and splash the water away to make a safe space for my head as I let my body rise, shoving away the imagined incendiary above me. Once it was “clear,” we could come up to breathe.

Danger Zones

But it wasn’t just about taking a breath and diving back down to safety. Each time we surfaced we’d talk about where we’d try to swim to next— imagining piles of fire like a puzzle and trying to find our fellow sailors so that we could work together to get rescued. Papa Jack used a stopwatch to time me and see how long I could hold my breath. Over and over, I would sink under the water of the pool, holding my breath as long as I could, but also being so impatient to know how I was doing on his stopwatch.

I so wanted to please my grandfather. And I also wanted to know what to do if the water caught fire.

This lesson, and my grandfather, were contradictions of elements.

Jack dreamt of flying planes from the time he was a toddler. When the U.S. entered WW II, he knew he wanted to fight… and fly. He was the only child of a single mom, and at age 17 he needed his mother’s permission to join the Navy.

“Just as long as you keep one foot on the ground,” she made him promise as she signed his permission slip to join a war. She hoped he’d do something safe on a base— on land. Jack promised, and on his first flight up in an airplane he brought a bucket of dirt to put one foot in.

Jack followed the rules. But there was no rule that could get in the way of his passion for flying. Virgos are earth signs, yet Jack chose to fly fighter jets onto aircraft carriers in the ocean, where he needed to worry about the water being on fire.

*Jack and his mother during his time of service.*

Have Wings, Will Fly

Flying was Jack’s passion.

A typical Virgo, he might’ve found a loophole for rules but he’d never break them. Or bend his values.

While in training at boot camp, one of his classmates got hold of the answer key for the final exam. This was the hardest test to study for and had given them all great anxiety for months.

The last test to earn their wings was held in a dim room, with a grainy projector and screen. Ten photos would be shown, each for less than one second. That might be all the time you had— in a combat situation— to identify an enemy or friendly aircraft. So when the answer key was leaked, many in the class were relieved… choosing to memorize the list and ensure a passing grade.

Jack did not use the leaked list. He ignored the answer key, choosing instead to study the pictures. On exam day, he perfectly identified all ten photos. Some were tricky and repeated… like when Wordle uses a double letter word and I always get it wrong because I can’t remember that double-o words exist.

The classmates who had studied the leaked answer key didn’t fare well. Turns out, the first five were all accurate which caused anyone who took the time to double check their first few answers to fall into a false sense of security and trust the leaked answers. But somewhere in the last half of the test, two of the planes were switched— and they looked the least alike of any on the test.

No one should’ve guessed those incorrectly, unless…

they had memorized an incorrect answer key
that had been purposely leaked
as a way of discovering the sailors
who were willing to cheat.

And those men were grounded. No wings for fraudsters.

Jack earned his wings.

Part of his time, toward the end of the war, he was based not far from Passaic, New Jersey, where my future grandmother was a nurse at the local hospital. He knew she’d take her lunch outside each day at noon so he would coordinate his flight time to pass overhead, barrel rolling through rain clouds to cause showers below.

His head might’ve been in the clouds, but his heart was firmly grounded.

Virgos are full of heart. Earning a sense of fulfillment from helping others, Virgos are among the zodiac signs who are most likely to volunteer.

After Jack was honorably discharged from the Navy, he worked for nearly 40 years as a photographer. The salary from the local paper wasn’t enough to make ends meet, so he’d freelance at weddings and sporting events to earn extra money. In his late sixties he retired on a Friday, and the very next Monday he went to church to ask: How can I help?

He spent his retired years “working” at the church, doing everything from changing lightbulbs to counting the collection plate. One Sunday he found a penny on the ground and added it to the count, much to the chagrin of the bookkeeper who had to carry the $0.01 for the rest of the fiscal year. Back in the days of handwritten ledgers, that penny became a constant nuisance and a running joke between Jack and the bookkeeper— the bad penny that kept turning up.

That was Jack’s way. He showed up. And offered help. Even if it didn’t always seem all that helpful.

He came over to assist my newly divorced mom with things that needed fixing around the house. When he examined the dining room chair with a loose arm, he determined it couldn’t be fixed and carried the chair out to the curb to be picked up with the trash. He did not ask my mom.

It became easier to just go visit him at his house instead of inviting him to ours. We didn’t have that much money and couldn’t afford to throw out any more furniture that didn’t meet his standards.

Virgos have very high standards.

*Jack working diligently in his home dark-room.*

Grounded for Good

But Virgos also emit a kind of peace and acceptance that makes everyone around them feel accepted too (as long as you’re also striving to meet those same high standards). I always tried to please my grandfather. I loved the feeling of being around him, with the pride I could feel emanating straight from his soulful heart. I trusted him and knew he loved me because he wanted me to be safe, even if the water caught fire. And he’d teach me the lessons I needed, and the ones I wanted, too.

Having perfected the fire-avoiding swim maneuvers with my best times ever, I sat on the side of the pool with Papa Jack, eating my well-earned potato chips.

“Papa,” I asked between bites of ridges carefully eaten one row at a time, “what was your favorite age?”

I wondered if it was when he was in the Navy, flying planes. Or when he was photographing the Jets and Giants on Sundays and his photos would be on the back page of the newspaper the next day. Sometimes even in color. But it wasn’t either of those.

“This one,” he told me without missing a beat.

I scrunched up my face in disbelief. He was so old. How could this be his favorite age?

“Each year has been better than the last. And this year is the best yet, because here I am with you. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I’m the luckiest man alive.”

And I believed him.

*Proud Papa Jack with Colleen as she received a Pica Scholarship for journalism and communication majors.*

Colleen Markley is a novelist and freelance writer living in New Jersey. Her award-winning essay “Unflappably Calm, Occasionally Furious, Ready and Willing to Hide the Bodies” was recently published in Sisters! Bonded by Love and Laughter. Colleen’s essays and humor have appeared in multiple anthologies in print and various magazines online. Named the June 2021 winner of the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop Humor Writer of the Month, Colleen attempts to be funny every month as a regular contributor riffing on the zodiac for Dharma Direction. Her novel-in-progress, Lilith Land, is a story about the end of the world where only the women survive. (It’s a novel, not an action plan).

Find her at www.ColleenMarkley.com or sign up here for her newsletter and updates.

Visit Colleen on Instagram, see what’s up on her Facebook, or shout-out to Colleen on Twitter.

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Empty plates, full hearts.

Culinary Craft

Chef & Wellness Coach Candy Lesher is taking time off from the scorching heat of Phoenix to relax in the cooler weather of Northern Arizona. Check back here next month when she returns with another mouth-watering recipe to celebrate the level-headed Libra.

As a Culinary Wellness Coach, Candy Lesher doesn't simply sit on the sidelines and coach, she's right in the game with her clients. As a chef she openly admits weight is an occupational health hazard, so she engages in that daily battle also. As a Stage III cancer survivor, she knows the importance of feeding your body the nutrients it needs to fight off illness—and function at its very best.

Connect with Candy on LinkedIn or visit her website at YourKitchenRX.com

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True colors.

*Original Virgo watercolor by Read Gallo.*

Romance: “Failure”

Fantasy Fiction by L.J. Longo

Read time: 8 minutes

“Failed? I can’t have failed…”

Olivia twisted her head to look at the golden book of her life, then sat back in the plastic chair and looked at the long line of souls behind her. Eternal judgment felt like the DMV; Oliva had not expected that. “There must be some mistake.”

She had never failed at anything in her life. She aced every test and achieved every goal. She was a perfectionist and held herself to a high standard. She never did anything, the bare minimum.

“I’d be happy to review it again.” The man on the other side of the counter took another bite of his chocolate donut. It crumbled onto his Hawaiian shirt and into the glowing book of her life. “Would you like a donut?”

He offered her the convenience-store kind. Certainly not a pastry befitting her afterlife.

“No, I would not. I want to… to… Listen, I followed all the rules. I never hurt anybody. I rarely lied. I went to church.”

He nodded. The very essence of sympathy, but as unmoved as stone. “You did. That’s all there.” Then added…

“You loved by the book.”

False Fronts

“I loved by— what’s that supposed to mean? I adored my husband, rest his soul. And my children… I helped them in every way I could to be successful, which they are. And my grandchildren. No one could love—”

“I didn’t mean to suggest that you didn’t love anyone. Just… it was the bare minimum.”

Oliva stared at the angel. Blinking with confusion, a rage that she did not allow to show on her face, and the fear that his words were true.

But it couldn’t be. She rose from her plastic chair, clutching the book of her life tightly to her chest. “I’ll go wait in line for another representative. One…” Without crumbs on his shirt. One dressed appropriately for the job of transitioning souls. “… who can explain it to me better.”

“It has to do with hydrangeas,” he said cryptically as she walked away from the counter to rejoin the line.

“Hydrangeas? I never grew hydrangeas.” She turned, but the DMV counter was gone. The line of souls was gone. The glowing book that recounted every moment in her life was gone.

She stood alone in a gray field and heard nothing but a lonely wind.

Worry Knot

Oliva didn’t know what to do. Should she try to walk across the endless field? Or stay in one place? Her chocolate-stained transitionary aide had not told her the rules. She ended up pacing in a circle of uncertainty.

She had always liked hydrangeas even though her mother said they were a common shrub and overused. Was it a moral failing to like hydrangeas? Maybe in liking hydrangeas she had not honored her mother?

How could she have failed at life?

“That’s how.” The man in the Hawaiian shirt stood across the field, violently colorful in her gray world. “You worried all the time. Is the house clean enough? Are my children smart enough? Is my husband rich enough? Do these plates make me look poor? Why don’t I live at the beach? Why aren’t my roses bigger?”

Olivia ‘s throat tightened and her eyes watered. She did not want to cry. Not in front of a man with chocolate-stains. “May I be excused?”

“No.”

“Can we get on with me passing whatever test or trial or— I want to go to heaven and see my husband again.” She sounded like a petulant child. She had longed to see Wes again.

The man in the Hawaiian shirt crouched down near her. “What do you think would happen if I let you into heaven as you are now? Hum? You’d plant roses that you didn’t like and worry that your house wasn’t good enough for company. Thou shalt not spend eternity cleaning. Cleanliness is not that close to Godliness.”

She sniffled and looked up at him, pitifully. “I want to see Wes.”

He looked at her and sighed. “Can’t you see that if you went into eternity as you are now, it would be Hell for you? You’d take no pleasure in it.”

Hell? This was Hell. Having this awful man judge her for eternity was her punishment. For what? For worrying? He said…

“Worry is a terrible thing. It feeds on love, sours joy, wounds hope.”

Oliva felt the first tears fall and covered her face in shame. “Leave me alone.”

Instead, he knelt in the grass with her and hugged her tightly.

Olivia gasped with surprise and fear. This stranger… who did he think he was?

But she couldn’t bring herself to resist. How long had it been since someone hugged her? Maybe her grandchildren before the sickness made her frail. His arms were soft and warm, and she melted into the overwhelming love. She was embarrassed when she began to cry even harder, but she couldn’t help it. She buried her face in his chest and gasped for breath and smelled chocolate. The man stroked her back gently and soothed her.

Identity Crisis

Olivia realized. “Are you my mother?”

“A little bit. We’re all sort of mixed up here.” The voice had changed, but the arms remained strong and comforting. “What I need you to do— and this is the hardest thing anyone has ever asked you to do— I need you to let all that pain out.”

Oliva nodded and tried to control her tears, trying to push the sobbing down so she could focus on the test. She had to get this right. Had to prove she was good enough.

“No, there’s no test. No not good enough.” The man sounded more familiar now. “Let that ugliness climb out and go its own way, darling. No one has ever let you do that. Not even your mother. Not even me.”

She looked up and as she’d suspected it was Wes. He looked much more like himself now. “When did you start wearing Hawaiian shirts?”

She tried to pull away, but he refused to let her go. “Oh, I always liked them, but a beautiful woman once told me she could never take a man seriously if he wore too much color. So, I always wore black and brown.”

Oliva sobbed harder because her poor Wes had died to enjoy colors. Then sniffled and gasped and clenched her jaw to control it. To cry daintily like a beautiful woman should.

“No, dear. The other way.”

She winced because that hurt, but then she nodded and pushed the tears up instead of down. Something small and ugly crawled out of her eye and dropped like a slug into the field. She was horrified and wanted to catch the thing, to push it back inside her and hide it forever. But especially… to hide it from him.

“Take all the time you need, darling, but take it. Don’t let those feelings live inside you. If you do, there's no moving forward.”

She pushed the tears back up again, allowing the rage and despair and helplessness and impatience and grief— Her sisters had teased her for crying at Wes’s funeral. How unfair. How deeply, deeply unfair— howl out of her throat. The ugliness left her then in a horrid rush.

He chuckled. “That’s my girl. Never did anything half-hearted.”

When it had passed, when she felt light and empty, she looked at what had poured out of her.

There sat Oliva off to the side, judging her coldly.

She pitied the thing, wanted to reach out to that silly mess and pull it into her arms and smother it with all the good and wonderful things in the world.

“Let it go, darling. Let it learn more about love.”

“Yes. She needs to live again, a little more for herself this time.” And Oliva sank away into the earth.

He smiled at her, and she smiled at him.

The field of hydrangeas burst with color now as they walked together into eternity.

L.J. Longo is an award-winning Romance author, a queer geek and feminist writing a medley of dark romance (which can be found through Evernight Publishing) magical realism, weird sci-fi/fantasy, and very implausible creative non-fiction. She recently received Third Place recognition for her submission to the Writer’s Digest Annual Short Story Fiction Contest with her entry titled, "To Harvest Lavender."

Connect to L.J. on Facebook, L.J.'s Twitter page, or L.J. on Instagram.

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Rising and shining.

*Dharma Direction publisher and editor, Debbie Abbott, with Anja Dubberke in Scottsdale, AZ (September 2022).*

Energy

B.E.S.T. Certified Practitioner Anja Dubberke is on a “50 and Fabulous” girls trip to celebrate life and the bonds of friendship she’s built across the country. I was thrilled when she popped into Phoenix, getting to meet her in person for the first time since we became acquainted two years ago through online yoga classes during the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020.

We laughed like old friends and talked for hours, both somewhat amazed at how comfortable we were in each other’s company. It’s agreed… we’ve been friends for many lifetimes!

Check back here next month when Anja returns with some more insight into how we can all utilize the energy within us, and all around us. ~ Debbie Abbott

Connect with Anja on Facebook or visit her LinkedIn page. Get more details about B.E.S.T. or schedule a consultation or treatment with Anja through her website: Bio-Energetic Reset.

Poet-Tree

For goodness sake.

From Dharma Direction’s publisher and editor, Debbie Abbott, comes a reflective poem written during the tumultuous times of 2020 when the world as we knew it ceased to exist.

Original poem by Debbie Abbott

Read time: 1 minute

A Version

I polished myself upon the stone

Gleaning brightness, all alone

The challenge it refined

Setting magic in motion

Focused on devotion

With the flaws of time behind

A version of self so far from home

Where spirit gathers verse and poem

Expand and anchor in

Like tides from the ocean

Bring calm and commotion

Rising with the wing and fin

Holding my breath until I have grown

From light and dark depths, equal unknown

The mind in service blind

Sees only compassion

Brings divine interaction

And aversion for the unkind

~ written July/August 2020

Debbie Abbott is a former managing editor for an upscale food and lifestyle print magazine from Scottsdale, Arizona. She now spends as much time as possible working on her debut novel and sharing accounts of her life through her website and as publisher and editor of Dharma Direction.

Connect with Debbie on Facebook, through Debbie's Twitter page or visit Debbie on Instagram.

Music

“Smile an everlasting smile / A smile can bring you near to me / Don’t ever let me find you down / ‘Cause that would bring a tear to me.”

“Words” by The Bee Gees

Barry Gibb, Virgo birthday: September 1, 1946

Playlist: Virgo

This month’s playlist takes lots of cues from our content, sending out the soothing vibes of our Zodiac theme through unforgettable messages that revolve around Virgo and some of the artists born under this sign.

Please enjoy Dharma Direction’s playlist for September. Keep in mind that the playlist on YouTube changes each month to focus on the current Zodiac. This month’s songs are listed below ~

“The Willow Maid” - Erutan
“What About Us” - Pink
“Will You Be There” - Michael Jackson
“I’ll Be There” - Jackson 5
“Somebody To Love” - Queen
“Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” - Urge Overkill
“There Are Worse Things I Could Do” - Stockard Channing
“One” - Bee Gees
“This Is Heaven” - Nick Jonas
“I Ain’t Worried” - OneRepublic
“Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee” - “Grease” musical
“Sandra Dee” (Reprise) - “Grease” musical
“Hallelujah” - Pentatonix
“Anchors Aweigh” - US Naval Academy

The Reading Dingy

Reading waterside.

See what our contributors are reading now, what they recommend, or what’s on their “must read” list. Our picks may be new releases, forever favorites, hidden gems, or classics we can’t wait to read again. If we love it, we’ll let you know here!