We're beginning our ninth year of publication! My deepest thanks go to you, our readers. Your loyalty, kindness, openness, insight, optimism and hope inspire me. And then of course, our writers and astrological wise ones and advisors: Jessica Murray, Alex Miller-Mignone, Boots Hart, Nina Bouska, Sue Taylor, and my sister Crystal have shared their remarkable and fascinating work. And this year, astrologer Terry Lamb and I Ching expert Nancy Humphreys joined us. A better group of authors would be tough to find!

September's Daykeeper birthday is, of course, bittersweet. Melancholy, because my dear mother, Maya del Mar, whose special work this was, is no longer with us, and I know we miss her. But also, for me, happy, in that I never imagined that I would be carrying on the site after her passing, and it's been an amazing and rewarding journey.

And now, election year. It feels more certain than ever that the world is at a crossroads with this American election. What will be our influence on the future of the world? In the next few critical years, will we strive to maintain unsustainable social and political "appearances" by bullying, threats and force, only to be supplanted by another bully or two as soon as they're bigger than we are? Or will we reforge alliances, rebuild trust, and strengthen the global community which alone can preserve the promise of humanity?

My mother would surely have had a prediction. I don't have a prediction, only a hope. My hope is that each one of us can use every tool at our disposal to make sure that we, personally, are in service to the world, rather than mindlessly exploiting it. And I hope especially that Daykeeper can continue to be one of these tools.

With love & thanks,
Susan

A Llewellyn Tarot Birthday Augury for Daykeeper's Ninth Year

Nine of Pentacles. From The Llewellyn Tarot, by Anna-Marie Ferguson, Llewellyn Publications, 2006.)