Last night, as I was returning home, I saw a man carrying a couple dozen multi-colored balloons down Prospect Street illuminated by the Full Moon rising in the East.  The balloons took up the entire sidewalk, grinning folks stepped out onto the street to give way.  Both benefic planets, Venus and Jupiter have been retrograde for awhile -- giving many of us the sense that our luck and prosperity was being delayed.  Not anymore!  Both planets have turned direct and we are urged to once again allow ourselves to fill our dreams and wishes with bouyant optimism.  Taurus is the earth-based, fixed Venus ruled sign -- it invites us to look around in gratitude and appreciate all that's right with our lives.  Simple things, like fresh air, a hot meal, a warm hug, a kind word, a welcoming smile, a cozy blanket, a pain-free body, a purring cat.  This Taurus Moon reminds us that the things that *really* matter, have more to do with our experiences of love, than our things.  But we are also allowed to love our little treasures.     

This time of year holds my all-time favorite holiday "Thanksgiving", a nationally sanctioned time to gather with loved ones for a feast of gratitude.  We all have much to be grateful for.  This bouncy ball of green and blue has treasures enough for everyone -- although you won't see them advertised too often.  Have you ever smelled a perfume sweeter than a summer rose?  Or seen a gem stone that rivaled a sunrise or a sunset?  Or driven a car that made your heart pound the way a quick jog will do?  When someone you care about smiles at you, which matters more: the whiteness of their teeth or the affection in their eyes?  Which would you rather live in:  a large home with a gas leak or a one-room apartment with clean air?   Taurus is about values:  lasting values, rather than the ephemeral ones.  Taurus is the bull in the meadow, surveying his domain and finding that all is good.  Gratitude can take us all to that place.  And the all-pervasive adverts will try to tug us right back out. 

A class I'm taking gave this gratitude assignment for the next two weeks.  I'm to say out loud "I love and appreciate _______" a hundred things -- rapid fire, each and every day.  To keep out of the counting game, I got a necklace with 100 beads.  I could have chosen pennies.  I'm excited to try it -- curious to see how it sweetens the season.  Especially in light of the financial challenges I share with many, many of my friends.  Could a little gratitude go a long way?   Are balloons bouyant?  Let's hope so.