A comment by Stan

Here’s what Rob Brezsney posted today on his Free Will Astrology page for Librans (of which I happen to be one).

“Dear Rob: I’ve been a Libra all my life, and I’m always puzzled by those who say that Librans have trouble making decisions. My experience of the Libra approach to life is that we are connoisseurs of completeness. We work hard to be considerate of other people’s viewpoints. We strive to include all the applicable information in our deliberations, even if it’s at odds with our personal perspective. Now it’s true that urgency and speed are the cultural norms. ‘If it can’t happen immediately, I’m not interested in it’ is an approach that has infected the majority. In that light, Librans may seem wishy-washy and hesitant. But in fact, we’re actually thoughtful and judicious. Please help correct the bad stereotype about us. - Discerning Libra.” Dear Discerning: You make excellent points. I will pass them on to my Libra readers because it’s crucial that in the days ahead they avoid being misinterpreted in the way you described.

What I like about Mr. Brezsney’s approach is that it is not prescriptive, but offers guidance indirectly, something like the spirit of the kone, the Zen mantra—that is, something to think about that could produce spiritually useful thought. Comedian Shelley Berman got great mileage in the early sixties with the kone “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” After which he’d give the audience a look, and they’d laugh. Since I only heard it on his comedy albums, I don’t know what the look was, but it was dry, urbane and mildly tinged with ennui. Perhaps an eyebrow went up.

What is that sound, though? Silence. One hand may not clap. It takes two. But the fact is you have two. You are a unity. And the kone can lead you through the illusion of separation in the world to the fact of the world’s oneness, a central idea in Zen thought.

In any case, I nearly always find Mr. Brezsney to be witty and his writing to be thoughtful and thought-provoking, as it should be. Should you be interested in thought-provocation, take a look at Free Will Astrology.