RITA RICCI-FOWLER

From the window of my friend ' s beach house , I often see dolphins swimming along the coast in the morning and returning later in the day , so when a few dolphins appeared on a recent October day , it was a welcome , but familiar site . As I watched , numerous groups appeared until I counted at least 20 in all . Perhaps they were migrating south along the New Jersey coast . I usually view the appearance of animals as a sign , and began researching the meaning of dolphins as a totem , or spirit animal . When dolphins come to you , they are sending the message of living in tune with nature , in harmony within yourself and with others . Dolphins are playful creatures who express an innocence , allowing their emotions to come to the surface .

A quote from “ The Hitchhiker ' s Guide to the Universe ” tells us : “ ... on the planet

Earth , man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much — the wheel , New York , wars and so on — whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time . But conversely , the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man — for precisely the same reasons .”

The ongoing transit of Neptune into the sign of Pisces came to mind . This transit began on April 5 , 2011 GMT , briefly took a break while Neptune was retrograde from August 5 , 2011 through February 4 , 2012 , and will remain in Pisces until leaving in January 27 , 2026 . Spirituality , harmony , compassion , universal love and being in tune with nature are all delineations of this transit . Could this be the sign that the dolphins were bringing to me ?

We have lost our respect for nature and

for the planet earth . Trees are for cutting . Wild animals are either a nuisance or something to kill for our own selfish needs . We have strayed so far from the natural , intuitive beings who we once were , that the average human is oblivious to the signs from nature that surround us . We simply have forgotten how to pay attention . We ' re too busy riding on the merry-go-round of our lives , spinning ever faster out of control .

My hope is that we will all become more like the dolphins under Neptunian energy . That we will stop fighting , stop abusing the earth and all forms of life that inhabit it , and begin to spend more of our energy and time living in harmony . Perhaps slowing down , paying attention , and living in tune with our inner spirituality will lead us to what the dolphins appear to be suggesting .

Details on page 13

o P A ❥ The o rganization for Professional Astrology 10 T h e C A r e e r A s T r o l o g e r s P r i n g 2 0 1 2