Paradigm Shifts with Chemist and Alchemist Kenan Azam

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Paradigm Shifts with Chemist and Alchemist Kenan Azam

The auld magic of the ritual of New Year’s Day is transformation. In its minor form, this transformation is a shift in our habits—to quit smoking, for example. In its major form, the grand magic of change encompasses a transformation of our entire body of habits in a perceptual remaking of the world. These transformations have been called religious conversions or “paradigm shifts.”

It’s hard to appreciate our full potential for change, as our narrow worldviews limit us. To better understand the notion of a “paradigm shift,” I gave Kenan Azam a call. A Kashmiri formerly working in American biotechnology, Azam pursued his own transformative epiphany to begin the Potential Paradigms podcast—a discovery of the “alternate realities” presented by ancient civilizations, technology, psychedelics, martial arts, music and the modern spiritual milieu.

CH: Kenan, to give us a sense of our choice and freedom this New Year’s Day, could you highlight some episodes?

KA: Yes, there is Kashmir Shavism: The Hidden Geography of Consciousness about the tantric paradigm, Beyond Conflict: the Spiritual and Martial Path about the paradigm of Aikido and Quantum Synchronicity—Moving Beyond Chance to a Responsive Universe.

CH: Let’s pick just one. Kenan, I first met you at your talk, An Alternate History of Technology, AI & Its Alchemical Future, based on your podcast. In that talk, you established that the mathematical and conceptual basis of artificial intelligence was actually founded in Renaissance alchemy—that is, within a paradigm in which material science and spirituality were still unified as one.

KA: The “chem,” in chemistry, originally referred to the dark soil of the Nile in Hermetic Egypt.  And the original meaning of the word “technology” is “bringing something forth from the unknown.”

CH: Which is almost the definition of occult divination …

KA: In our current paradigm and narrative, AI is that apogee and climax of over 300 years of materialist, capitalist development. AI is the encapsulation; it is the conclusion. It realizes our current materialist aspiration to overcome drudgery and mundane tasks and to complete our power over nature and the elements, which are hostile to us. 

CH: Strange days… Kenan, how will our approach to AI change if we are shifted back into an alchemic paradigm?

KA: AI will help realize the highest spiritual aspiration we as humans can have—creativity. AI will empower our creativity to its maximum. Creativity, at least in my exploration, is freedom. The more creative you become, the freer you become…

Learn more: Visit potentialparadigms.substack.com.

33 Resolutions Per Minute: How to Start the New Year

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33 Resolutions Per Minute: How to Start the New Year

For the record, I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions. At least not this early in the year. I like to hibernate through the dark days of winter and not commit until the rebirth of spring. 

But with the socio-political “format change” looming in late January, I’m inspired to give the New Year’s resolution thing a spin—before it’s too late. 

What follows are 33 possible resolutions—they might not be the vinyl answer, but they’re a start to a personal hit list. 

  1. Stay in Tune: Prioritize balance over perfection—choose areas of focus—like family, health or creativity. Schedule time for your priorities, whether balancing yoga with school dropoff or a taco with a margarita. 
  2. Less Skipping, More Spinning: Show up for your health. Plan to exercise every day—then when life intervenes, you’ll still get that workout, even if you’re just parking farther away—same vibe, less commitment.
  3. Channel Your Inner Bowie: Dye your hair, try a new fashion look or dress for the life you want. Once, I dressed up for dinner at home, and we ended up going out instead. It worked.
  4. No More Scratches on the Soul: Handle your (and others’) emotions like rare vinyl—carefully. And maybe with gloves.
  5. Get Into the Groove: Schedule enough time on your calendar to accomplish your goals. Pro tip: It will always be more LP than EP.
  6. Turn Up the Volume: Practice speaking your truth in your focus areas this year, whether in meetings, at dance class or to the customer service bot. 
  7. Less Static, More Clarity: Take time to be bored. Waiting at the dentist? Just sit there. On weekends, don’t look at work emails. The best ideas arrive in boredom—turn off notifications, and savor the sweet sound of silence (or the dishwasher).
  8. Drop the Needle on New Adventures: Try something new, like pottery or an interpretive dance class.
  9. Spin It Forward: It’s crazy out there. Make an effort to be nice. Put a 20 in the tip jar, let someone go ahead of you or compliment a stranger’s style or energy. It’s the ultimate vibe shift for them and you. 
  10. Stay Groovy: Add some fringe, literally or metaphorically, to your life. Commit to less doomscrolling, and watch more cat videos guilt-free.
  11. Don’t Underestimate the B-Sides: Give the underdog a chance. 
  12. Dance Like Nobody’s Watching: Because honestly, they’re probably busy looking at their phones anyway. 
  13. Spin New Beats: The right music for the moment makes everything better, as my Madonna gym playlist can attest.
  14. No More Warped Records: Prioritize self-care daily, even if it’s just a bubble bath and otherwise embarrassing ’90s hits.
  15. Be Kind and Rewind: Don’t just look forward; look back. While making this year’s resolutions, look at what you did last year. You might be surprised at what you did, and you might notice that you want to make some changes now. Celebrate even small victories, like folding your laundry less than a week after you threw it on the couch. 
  16. Stay in the Groove: The verdict is in: Multitasking isn’t a thing. Elizabeth Gilbert says, “I think people are addicted to being busy, and multitasking is part of that. It feels like you’re doing something, but it’s actually the opposite.”
  17. 45 RPM, Not 78: Slow down, and enjoy the ride; there’s no need to rush to the finish line. Try setting reminders on your phone to slow down.
  18. Flip the Record: When a bad day hits, start over. Bonus if you can add chocolate to the mix.
  19. Vinyl Revival: Appreciate what you already have. Fix or refurbish your things. A chair, a friendship… or revive your pandemic sourdough starter.
  20. Be a Playlist: Make your day flow smoothly by matching your activities to your energy level—high-energy tasks in the morning, creative moments in the afternoon and pure relaxation in the evening, etc. 
  21. Spin Some Gold: Creativity doesn’t have to be your job. Everyone can find joy in making things, whether for money or for love. Finally write that story, poem or wildly specific fanfiction.
  22. Don’t Fear the Reissues: Take time to revisit things you enjoyed that somehow fell by the wayside, like an erstwhile interest in knitting or singing bad karaoke. 
  23. Don’t Scratch the Surface: Go deep into your interests, whether painting, baking or finally figuring out why your plants keep dying. Knowing the difference between Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt might just make you the coolest person at your next cocktail party. Or not. But at least you’ll know.
  24. Jam Sessions Only: Avoid unnecessary meetings that could’ve been emails. Also avoid emails.
  25. Tune Into Gratitude: Write thank-you notes, even for the bad gifts.
  26. From Mono to Stereo: As Brené Brown says, “Humans are social creatures; we need connections with others to thrive.” Solitude is great, but we still need other people.
  27. Cue the Deep Tracks: Explore hidden gems: a local trail, a new neighborhood café or that weird button on your blender (“frappé”—wtf?).
  28. No More Broken Records: Stop replaying negative thoughts; scratch those tracks, and play something uplifting.
  29. Hit Pause: Take more breaks. Meditate or just stare out the window dramatically. Savor your coffee like a fine wine. Or savor your wine like a fine coffee. Trade a busy Saturday for a pajama day—no regrets; only brunch.
  30. Drop Beats, Not Balls: Get organized. Clean those forgotten shelves… and your overstuffed calendar. 
  31. Don’t Skip Tracks: Commit to finishing that book you were enjoying before something interrupted your roll. Or finish that craft project however you can—yes, the one from three years ago.
  32. Fade Out Gracefully: I don’t mean end-of-life planning, though putting your affairs in order can’t hurt. I mean socially, as in ending awkward conversations smoothly—try saying, “I need to go rotate my succulents.”
  33. Live Like a Mixtape: Mix unexpected activities like cooking-and-comedy, running-and-reading or gardening-and-guitaring. Mash-up all your favorites.

Free Will Astrology: Week of Jan. 1-7

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Free Will Astrology: Week of Jan. 1-7

ARIES (March 21-April 19): There are experiences, people and places that can either be good for you or bad for you. Which way they tilt at any particular time may depend on your mood or their mood or forces beyond your immediate control. An example for me is social media. Sometimes, it’s a mediocre drug that dulls my sensibilities and aggravates my fears. On other occasions, it brings rich new connections and teaches me lessons I’m thrilled to learn. What about you, Aries? In my astrological view, 2025 will be a time when you will be wise to re-evaluate and redefine your relationships with these paradoxical resources. If there are some whose influence is far more likely to be bad than good, consider ending your bond. For those that are equally bad and good, do what you can do to enhance the goodness.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus supermodel Linda Evangelista has supreme levels of self-esteem. At the height of her career, she bragged that she got out of bed each morning with the intention of earning no less than $10,000 in the coming day. I’m not advocating that you be equally audacious in your expectations during 2025, dear Taurus. But it’s reasonable for you to adopt at least a measure of Evangelista’s financial confidence. According to my analysis of your destiny, cosmic rhythms will be conspiring to open up economic opportunities for you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 2025, dear Gemini, I invite you to make ample use of at least five of the following 11 tactics: 1. Shatter the molds. 2. Defy the conventions. 3. Challenge the norms. 4. Redefine the boundaries. 5. Disrupt the status quo. 6. Defy old rules and create new ones. 7. Go against the flow and against the grain. 8. Bushwhack through frontiers. 9. Dance to unfamiliar rhythms. 10. Search for curious treasures. 11. Change the way you change.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Good advice for the first half of 2025: 1. Lose your respect for tangled complications that have begun to rot. 2. Keep some of your necessary protective defenses, yes, but shed those that no longer serve you and are weighing you down. 3. Bury a broken-down dream to make room in your heart for a sweet new dream. 4. Scour away as much resentment as you can. 5. Sneak away from people and situations that are far too demanding. 6. Discard as much as you can of what’s inessential, unhelpful and defunct. 7. Don’t make a radical break for freedom yet, but begin plotting to do so by your birthday.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The coming months will be an excellent time to dream up bigger, better, more original sins and seek out wilder, wetter, more interesting problems. You should experiment with being naughty and even sweetly wicked as you uplift your spirit and deepen your love for life. You are being invited by your future self to experiment with daring departures from tradition that bring you exciting challenges. Dear Leo, my wish for you in 2025 is that you will be cheerfully courageous (not belligerently courageous) as you become both smarter and wiser than you have ever been before.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Aztecs were originally known as the Mēxihcah people. Before they forged an empire, they were semi-nomadic tribes. But even then, early on, they were guided by a prophecy that they would eventually settle permanently in a place where they found an eagle roosting on a cactus holding a snake in its talons. In 1325, wanderers spied this precise scenario on a small island in Lake Texcoco. Soon they began to construct the city of Tenochtitlan, the capital of their future kingdom. I bring this true myth to your attention, Virgo, because I want to invite you to formulate a similar prophecy in 2025—and then fulfill it. Your personal empire is primed for expansion and consolidation.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): As 2025 unfolds, your burdens will grow lighter, and your duties will become more interesting. Joyless missions and trivial hopes will be increasingly irrelevant and easy to relinquish, opening up opportunities for fresh assignments that motivate you to play more and to work smarter rather than harder. During the coming months, dear Libra, I predict you will be basking in extra good karma and tapping into more fertile mojo than you have in a long time. Would you like more freedom than ever before? It’s yours for the plucking.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Painter P. K. Mahanandia is well-known because of his fine art. He is even more famous for an amazing adventure he had in the name of love. It’s a long story, but his wife was living in her native Sweden while he was stuck in his native India. Mahanandia was still at an early stage of his career and couldn’t afford to fly by plane. Instead, he bought a used bicycle and headed west, covering about 27 miles per day. He pedaled through Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey until he arrived in Europe 127 days later. He had raised money by drawing portraits of people he met along the way, so he had enough to travel by train the rest of the way to Sweden. I think you may have an epic romantic adventure yourself in 2025, Scorpio. Maybe it’s not quite as extreme, but it’s very interesting.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): To symbolize your destiny in 2025, I drew a Tarot card. It was the 9 of Cups. Here’s my four-part interpretation: 1. Sometime soon, you should identify your top desires and ruminate about how to express them in the most beautiful and fulfilling ways possible. 2. Take a vow that you will shed half-hearted, insecure approaches for bringing them to fruition. 3. Be uninhibited about seeking not just a partial but a complete version of each fulfillment. 4. Figure out which allies you will need in your life to manifest the happiest and most meaningful outcomes.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You’re the most pragmatic sign of the zodiac and are most highly skilled at getting constructive things done. It’s also true that you thrive on organizing the chaotic details of our messy world into smooth-functioning systems. But I periodically need to remind you that these superpowers of yours require you to nurture a vigorous and rigorous imagination. All of what you ultimately accomplish originates in the fantasy realm. This will be especially crucial for you to keep in mind during 2025.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The Mona Lisa is a world-famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Beneath its visible surface is evidence that the artist reworked it extensively. There are at least three earlier versions with different facial features. In one, the figure has eyebrows and is wearing hairpins and a headdress. These details were scrubbed out of the image that now hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris. I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because I suspect you have been engaged in a comparable process as you have worked on your labor of love. In my reckoning, you’re finished with your false starts, practice runs and dress rehearsals. In the coming months, you can make excellent progress toward ripening and culminating your creation.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Ancient Greek literature references a drug called nepenthe. Anyone who ingested it would forget memories that stirred pain and sorrow. Many of us modern people might consider taking such medicine if it were available. But let’s imagine a very different potion: One that arouses vivid memories of all the wonderful experiences we have been blessed with. If there were such a thing, I would recommend that you sample it frequently in the months to come. That’s because your relationship with the good parts of your past will be especially useful and inspirational. In fact, drawing on their power will be instrumental in helping you create your best possible future. 

Homework: Visualize yourself accomplishing a goal you would have thought impossible a year ago. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

2024’s Top Torn Tix: SoCo’s Best/Most Interesting Theater

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2024’s Top Torn Tix: SoCo’s Best/Most Interesting Theater

It is time for this critic to take an end-of-year look back at local theater, and I am happy to report that no theaters have closed in this area. As a matter of fact, there’s a new company in town with the formation of Petaluma’s Mercury Theater.

So, continuing on that positive note, here, in chronological order, are my “Top Torn Tickets”—the best and/or most interesting plays produced in the North Bay in 2024:

She Loves Me, 6th Street Playhouse. The theatrical year got off to a good start with this bright and bouncy musical. Charming performances; a colorfully lit, cleverly-designed set; and precision timing in movement all made for a delightful post-holiday confection.

Orlando, SRJC Theatre Arts. If you’ve never attended an SRJC production because it’s just “college theater,” you’re missing out on some of the most interesting and well-produced shows around. Their gender-bending production of this Sarah Ruhl script was more than just a college exercise. It was fascinating, thought-provoking theater.

Uncle Vanya, Roustabout Theatre Company. Roustabout’s Professional Ensemble is the Brigadoon of local theater companies. It rises from the mist of the LBC every year to mount a usually superb production and then disappears. Their production of Vanya was the best Chekhov I’ve seen in a while.   

The Prom, Sonoma Arts Live. Credit must be given when a theater company tiptoes outside of its usual box. SAL’s production of this gay-themed musical comedy wasn’t perfect, but it accomplished something fairly rare—it brought in a younger audience. They got a contemporary, relevant story; a couple of strong, young performers; and the opportunity to see some heartfelt work by local stage veterans.   

The Germans Upstairs, Raven Players. Mounting an unknown, original play is always risky. Props to the Raven Players for taking a chance on local playwright Francine Schwartz and her script based on family stories from their time in German-occupied France during World War II.   

Oklahoma!, Cinnabar. When Cinnabar announced they were taking their mainstage shows on the road to Sonoma State’s Warren Auditorium, I had my doubts. (I had acted in and produced shows there while attending SSU.) A reimagined script that changed a key plot point was problematic. Every other aspect of the production was not. 

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Spreckels Theatre Company. There is no better stage in the North Bay on which to mount a large Broadway musical than the Codding Stage at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center. A large, talented cast of actor-singer-dancers had all the room they needed to do this trip down musical Memory Lane justice. 

POTUS, etc., Left Edge Theatre. Contemporary productions are few and far between as local companies usually rely on the tried-and-true to attract an audience. Left Edge does the opposite, regularly giving local audiences opportunities to see shows they probably haven’t seen before. POTUS… was as in-your-face as theater gets. It was also pretty damn funny.

All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, Spreckels Theatre Company. The most powerful 70 minutes on stage this year. Simple stagecraft let the voices of the performers, the words of WWI soldiers at the front and the music of the era shine. A criminally short run deep into the holiday season may have limited its audience. They should do it again.

Merry Christmas. Go see something.

Housing Woes: Director Of SAVS Adrienne Lauby

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Housing Woes: Director Of SAVS Adrienne Lauby

It is almost Christmas day, the day of charity, the day of the gift. And it is almost the new year, in which change is newly possible. 

In that convergence, the only topic this week and this minute can be homelessness and what we will do for them because 3,000 of our unsheltered neighbors will be out there this Christmas day, in the cold and the wet and the dark.

For facts and humanity to guide our action, inquiries were made to Adrienne Lauby, director of SAVS. This stands for “Sonoma Applied Village Services.” In addition to tireless outreach, SAVS organizes and agitates to replace temporary encampments with permanent tiny home villages and RV parks.

CH: Adrienne, for our full-length interview [linked here], you gave me the 2024 “Point in Time” assessment, a once-a-year count mandated by the federal government. The report is filled with myth-exploding findings. One is that 77% of homeless people are former rent-paying residents. They’re not “drifters”—they’re ours. What is another finding that most people don’t realize?

AD: I think we would all be shocked—I’ve been shocked—at the number of people with disabilities and chronic health issues: people in wheelchairs that can’t walk, people in chemotherapy treatment.

CH: And having to deal with that while homeless… Per the report, 47% of homeless people have a substance abuse disorder, 43% have a psychiatric or emotional disorder, 41% have PTSD, 32% have a chronic health condition, 37% have a disability and 17% have a traumatic brain injury. Those percentages or odds mean that most homeless have two or three of these health conditions simultaneously. 

It’s almost a formula—if you are poor and you have two or more serious medical conditions and one piece of bad luck, you will be homeless. It’s a failure of our broken medical system and, you say, government policy?

AD: Ah, yes—the cause. The cause of why we have so much homelessness now is Ronald Regan. As president, he cut H.U.D., and H.U.D. used to build low-income housing. And the Democrats and the Republicans never put that money back. If you look at a graph, there is an almost one-to-one correspondence between housing for poor people and homelessness. And despite year-to-year variation, the number of homeless people remains largely flat.

Take action. Lauby advises writing to elected officials on the issue and making at least one homeless friend through volunteering. Donations help, too. Follow this link for reports and opportunities: linktr.ee/SAVSlinktree.

Words of the Year Selected by Prominent Dictionaries

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Words of the Year Selected by Prominent Dictionaries

Dictionaries have selected enshittification, brain-rot and polarization as their 2024 words of the year. 

The publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary selected brain-rot as their Word of the Year. Oxford University Press defined the noun as the “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.”

The selection committee noticed “that brain-rot gained new prominence this year as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media.” They noted that “the term increased in usage frequency by 230 percent between 2023 and 2024.”

Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said, “I find it fascinating that the term brain-rot has been adopted by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, those communities largely responsible for the use and creation of the digital content the term refers to. These communities have amplified the expression through social media channels, the very place said to cause brain-rot. It demonstrates a somewhat cheeky self-awareness in the younger generations about the harmful impact of social media that they’ve inherited.”

Australian English Dictionary Macquarie selected enshittification as their Word of the Year. The dictionary defined the colloquial noun as “the gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and as a consequence of profit-seeking.” 

The selection committee commented that the term was a “very basic Anglo-Saxon term wrapped in affixes which elevate it to being almost formal; almost respectable. This word captures what many of us feel is happening to the world and to so many aspects of our lives at the moment.” 

This year, Merriam-Webster chose polarization as their Word of the Year. Enough said.

Here’s hoping for a new year with less brain-rot, less polarization and less enshittification. 

Chris Houston is the president of the Canadian Peace Museum, a non-profit organization.

Tantalizing the Senses: Pizza, Bonsai, Music and Fine Art

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Tantalizing the Senses: Pizza, Bonsai, Music and Fine Art

North Bay

Pizza Week

Did somebody say “tri-county pizza party?” Yeah, that’s right—it’s time to celebrate the best thing that has happened since sliced bread with the very first North Bay Pizza Week. From Jan. 8 to 19, food lovers from Marin, Sonoma and Napa will unite for 12 days of cheesy, saucy, crusty goodness. Inspired by pizza festivals nationwide, this event promises to be the perfect slice of local flavor, showcasing the talents of a number of North Bay chefs. Dozens of local restaurants will serve up special pies at prices that’ll make one’s mouth water and their wallet sigh in relief. From classic Margheritas to crazy new topping combos the world has never seen, Pizza Week celebrates the best things in life…pizza, creativity and community (all wrapped up in a crispy crust like a calzone). Whether one is a pepperoni purist or a pineapple enthusiast, they can mark their calendars because the first of many North Bay Pizza Weeks is coming to town. Stay tuned for the full list of participating restaurants and their exclusive menus at NorthBayPizzaWeek.com, and don’t forget to register at pizzaweek.paperform.co.

Sonoma

Tiny Trees

This winter, Sonoma Botanical Garden invites one to slow down and enjoy the calming beauty of tiny trees (aka bonsai) at The Bonsai Show: Wood and Stone, from Jan. 10 to March 30. The indoor exhibit will feature 20 bonsai contributed by the Redwood Empire Bonsai Society. These miniature trees are specially crafted from hand-chosen species such as Japanese black pine, Chinese elm and California redwoods. And if a collection of bonsai isn’t tempting enough, the show also includes an array of suiseki stones. For those who don’t know their rock formation art forms, suiseki is the Japanese art of stone appreciation through showcasing small, naturally formed stones that resemble and evoke the feeling of mountains, waterfalls and other natural landscapes. But that’s not all—guests are also invited to participate in interactive elements like the zen rock garden, where one can try their hand at raking. Plus, bonsai demonstrations and guided tours will allow visitors to dive into the art and care behind these miniature masterpieces. Is there a better way to kickstart 2025 than getting zen with bonsai and suiseki at the Sonoma Botanical Gardens? Don’t think so. sonomabg.org.

Mill Valley

Güero at the Sweetwater

If one is looking for a night of unique tunes and killer vibes, they may look no further. Sacramento’s Güero is playing at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley on Jan. 9, bringing their genre-bending mix of Americana, jazz and psych-rock straight to the North Bay. Güero’s success as a performance powerhouse really hit its stride with the release of their hit album, Wednesdays. Güero’s four members (Rik Krull, Shea Ritchie, Russell Volksen and Mike Ruiz) have been friends since their skate shop days, and their music reflects a shared love for all things subculture. From laid-back jams to high-energy improv, Güero’s live shows reflect years of playing together and evolving their sound. On top of playing fan favorites, Güero will also be previewing brand-new tracks from their upcoming 2025 album. sweetwatermusichall.org.

Healdsburg

Inspiration at Upstairs Art Gallery

Stairway to HeavenReady to start the new year with some seriously inspiring art? Whether the answer is yes, no or maybe so, one should still know that the Upstairs Art Gallery in Healdsburg is hosting a new exhibit entitled Sunlight and Shadows from Dec. 30 through Jan. 26. Sunlight and Shadows features two Sonoma County artists, both of whom use their artistic talent to bring together the beauty of nature and the power of women’s voices. The first artist is Linda Barretta, an impressionist oil painter whose work will transport its viewers straight into Sonoma’s landscapes. Barretta will be available for exhibition meet-n-greets Jan. 4, 8, 27 and 30. The second artist is Carmen Sheldon, with the thought-provoking contribution of Intersection: Women, Misogyny, Books and the Power of Education. Meet-n-greet days for Sheldon are Jan. 4, 8, 25 and 27. Likweise, one may come on out on their own or join the community’s Second Saturday Artwalk on Jan. 11 from 5:30-7pm and see 14 other Healdsburg galleries. To learn more, visit upstairsartgallery.net.

Free Will Astrology for Week of Dec. 25

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Free Will Astrology for Week of Dec. 25

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 2025, I would love for you to specialize in making new connections and deepening your existing ones. I hope you will summon extra creativity and panache as you regularly blend your beautiful energies with others’ beautiful energies. I predict you will thrive on linking elements that should be linked but have never been before. What do you think, Aries? Does it sound fun to become a playful master of mixing and combining? Would you enjoy generating splashy unifications that serve your dreams?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Confidence is 10% hard work and 90% delusion,” declared Taurus comedian Tina Fey. But I believe you will disprove that assessment in the coming months. The work you do will be unusually replete with grace and dynamism. It will be focused and diligent work, yes, but more importantly, it will be smart work that’s largely free of delusion. That’s why I’m inclined to revise Fey’s formula for your sake. In 2025, your brimming levels of confidence will be primarily due to your fine, conscientious, effective work.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the 1960s, a Swedish journalist tried an experiment. He wanted to see if art critics could distinguish between abstract paintings made by skilled artists and those created by a four-year-old chimpanzee whose pseudonym was Pierre Brassau. Surprise! Many of the critics treated all the paintings with equal respect. One even gave special praise to Pierre Brassau, describing his strokes of color as having “the delicacy of a ballet dancer.” I’m authorizing you to unleash your inner Pierre Brassau in the coming months, Gemini. Be an innocent rookie, a newcomer with great instincts, an exuberant amateur who specializes in fun experiments. Do you know what beginner’s mind is? You approach every experience with zero assumptions or expectations, as if you were seeing everything for the first time. For more, read this: wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoshin.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Ohio’s Cuyahoga River used to catch on fire regularly. The cause was pollution. For a hundred years, industries had poured their wastes into the waterway. The surface was often dotted with oil slicks. But after a notorious river fire in 1969, the locals decided to remedy the situation, aided by the newly established Environmental Protection Agency. Today, the Cuyahoga still isn’t 100% clean, but it’s far better. It hosts kayaking, fishing and paddle boarding. I propose we use its rehabilitation as a symbol for you in 2025. You will have welcome opportunities to clean up messes that have lingered for far too long. Please take full advantage of these cosmic invitations to sweep karmic debris out of your life.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Steve Jobs, founder of Apple computers, said, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” I propose that you make this one of your mottos in 2025. More than ever before, you will have exceptional power to transform the environments you share with others. You will have an enhanced ability to revise and reinvigorate the systems and the rules you use. Don’t underestimate your influence during the coming months, Leo. Assume that people will be listening especially closely to your ideas and extra receptive to be affected by you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I will give you four related terms to describe your key motif in 2025: 1. Your Soul’s Code. 2. Your Master Plan. 3. Your Destiny’s Blueprint. 4. Your Mission Statement. All four are rooted in this epic question: What is your overarching purpose here on Earth, and how are you fulfilling it? The coming months will be a time when you can make dramatic progress in formulating vivid, detailed visions of the life you want to live. You can also undertake robust action steps to make those visions more of a practical reality. I encourage you to write your big-picture, long-range dreams in a special notebook or a file on your tech device. Keep adding to the text throughout the coming months.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): People in India were the first to discover diamonds buried in the earth. Most historians believe it happened in the 4th century BCE. For the next two millennia, India remained the only source of diamonds. Finally, new stashes were found in Brazil in 1725 and in South Africa in the 1870s. Let’s use this 2,000-year gap as a metaphor for your life. I suspect that far too many months have passed since you have located a fresh source of a certain treasure or bounty you crave. That will change in 2025. Here come long-delayed blessings!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In my vision of your life in 2025, you will dramatically enhance how togetherness works for you. Below are four questions to help guide your explorations and breakthroughs. 1. Is it feasible to change yourself in ways that enable you to have a more satisfying relationship with romantic love? 2. Will you include your intimate relationships as an essential part of your spiritual path—and vice versa? 3. What work on yourself can you do to heal your old wounds and thereby make yourself a better partner and collaborator? 4. Can you help your best allies to heal their wounds and thereby become better partners and collaborators?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In Japanese, the word for “frog” sounds similar to the word meaning “to return.” That’s one reason frogs have been lucky in some circles of Japanese culture. They symbolize the blessing that occurs when travelers return home safely, or when health is restored, or when spent money is replenished. I bring this to your attention, Sagittarius, because I suspect 2025 will be a time when satisfying and enjoyable returns will be a key theme. Consider keeping the likeness of a lovable frog in your living space.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Since 1985, musician David Gilmour has led Pink Floyd. The band has sold over 250 million records. He’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in both the UK and the U.S. But my favorite thing about Gilmour is that he’s a passionate activist who has crusaded for animal rights, environmentalism, poverty and human rights. A few years ago, he auctioned off 120 of his guitars, raising over $21 million for an environmentalist charity. In accordance with astrological omens, I propose we make him one of your inspirational role models in 2025, Capricorn. May he mobilize you to use your stature and clout to perform an array of good works that are of service to your world.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian author Virginia Woolf extolled the virtues of cultivating a supple soul that thrives on change. She pledged to be relentless in her commitment to be authentically herself and not succumb to groupthink. I recommend you make these two of your featured themes in 2025. To inspire your efforts, I will quote her radical perspective at length: “Movement and change are the essence of our being; rigidity is death; conformity is death: let us say what comes into our heads, repeat ourselves, contradict ourselves, fling out the wildest nonsense, and follow the most fantastic fancies without caring what the world does or thinks or says.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In 1992, two friends promised each other that if either of them ever won the lottery, they would share it with the other. Twenty-eight years later, that’s exactly what happened. In 2020, Thomas Cook bought a ticket that turned out to be the winner of the Powerhouse jackpot in Wisconsin. He called Joseph Feeney with the good news. After paying taxes, both men were $5.7 million richer. I am not predicting the exact same sequence for your future, Pisces. But like Cook and Feeney, I expect you will glean pleasing rewards generated from seeds planted in the past.

Your Letters, 12/25

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Pledge Hedge

The incoming administration vowed on the campaign trail to do everything in its power to benefit American workers. “We will build American, buy American and hire American,” Trump said during a rally in August.

Despite that pledge, the Republican leader’s own businesses sought to hire more foreign guest workers this year than any other year on record, according to a review of government labor data. Companies linked to some of the Republicans’ top political backers and administration picks have also been given the green light to use guest workers this year.

Is it too early to call him a liar?  …. Oops, too late. America already KNEW he was a liar and a convict.

Gary Sciford

Santa Rosa

For Sale

To say that the structure of the economic policy Trump is planning will be “especially vulnerable to corruption” is like saying that being struck by an automobile moving at 70 mph in the 25 mph zone in front of my house might make my grandchildren “especially vulnerable to serious injury.”

Really? Is America for sale? 

Is that it? Are we done now?

Let me know. Thanks. 

Craig J. Corsini

San Rafael

We appreciate your letters to the editor—send them to le*****@******an.com and le*****@********un.com. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

Locals Sue Their Congressional Representatives

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1
Locals Sue Their Congressional Representatives

Boyes Hot Springs resident Seth Donnelly has been trying for 14 months to convince his congressional representative, Mike Thompson, to vote against sending more military aid to Israel. 

The aid has supported Israel as it carries out an attack against the people of Gaza. This has been going on since Oct. 7, 2023, when Gaza militants crossed the border into Israel and laid siege, leaving some 1,200 Israelis dead and taking approximately 250 hostages. 

Israel responded by attacking Gaza, killing an estimated 45,000 Palestinians and displacing most of the region’s 2 million-plus residents. And, according to most reports, the U.S. has supplied some 70 percent of the weaponry for Israel to continue its assault.

“As a teacher, I went through the usual channels,” Donnelly said concerning his attempts to reach Thompson. 

Donnelly even invited Thompson to speak before a student human rights group at Rancho Cotate High School, where he taught until he retired. During that meeting students asked Thompson if he would agree to vote against more military aid and Thompson refused.

At that point Donnelly decided to try another tactic, one that is unprecedented as far as he knows. With the help of San Jose civil rights attorneys Dean Royer and Szeto Wong he drafted a class action lawsuit against Fourth District Rep. Mike Thompson and Second District Rep. Jared Huffman, claiming that both men are violating federal and international laws against providing military aid to entities committing human rights violations.

According to the complaint that Royer filed Dec. 19 in San Francisco’s federal district court, the two representatives allegedly “exceeded the constitutional limitations on their tax and spend authority by voting to authorize the funding of the Israeli military when they were aware, or should have been aware, that the Israeli military was committing genocide in Gaza.”

Specifically, the complaint cites the Leahy Law, the Foreign Assistance Law of 1961, and the Arms Export Control Act, all prohibiting aiding countries that commit human rights violations. The vote named in the complaint took place in April of this year and provided over $26 billion in military aid for Israel. 

Israel, however, contends that it is acting in self-defense and is not participating in genocide or human rights violations. And the U.S. administration appears to agree with this assertion.

The lawsuit further states that by allegedly violating these federal laws, Thompson and Huffman have caused emotional suffering to many of their constituents, and these constituents are seeking relief, including monetary compensation, which they would donate to the people of Gaza.

So far, 500 people in 10 northern California counties have signed on to the lawsuit as class members. The group formed to promote the lawsuit calls itself Taxpayers Against Genocide (TAG).

At a rally held outside the courthouse by the group, Tarik Kanaana, a Palestinian American who lives in Santa Rosa, explained his own distress. “Mike Thompson (Kanaana’s representative) has made me complicit in the killing of my own people and my own homeland,” he said.

Thompson responded to the lawsuit filing in a statement provided by a spokesperson. 

“Congressman Thompson understands that it has been the civilian population that has paid the cost of Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, and he remains gravely concerned about the scale of the civilian loss in this war. That’s why he has advocated, and continues to advocate, for the Biden Administration to work with the State Department and our allies to help secure a negotiated bilateral ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, and the establishment of a two-state solution to ensure peace and self-determination for the Palestinian and Israeli people. Achieving peace and securing the safety of civilians won’t be accomplished by filing a lawsuit.”

Donnelly agreed with Thompson’s last point, saying he didn’t expect a lawsuit to end shipments of arms to Israel but hoped that if it is successful, it would “send a clear message (that Congress is violating federal laws) and set a precedent.”

Jane Jewell, a member of the class action suit from Marin County, said she and others in the local organization 14 Friends of Palestine have been contacting Jared Huffman’s office daily with no results.  And through the lawsuit, they “want to raise awareness that our Congressmen are breaking the law by using our tax dollars to aid Israel’s assault on Gaza.”

Huffman’s office did not have a response. His press secretary said he was busy working to prevent a government shutdown, which was successful.

Royer said it could take months, or even years, before the court rules on the lawsuit.

Paradigm Shifts with Chemist and Alchemist Kenan Azam

The auld magic of the ritual of New Year’s Day is transformation. In its minor form, this transformation is a shift in our habits—to quit smoking, for example. In its major form, the grand magic of change encompasses a transformation of our entire body of habits in a perceptual remaking of the world. These transformations have been called religious...
Read more

33 Resolutions Per Minute: How to Start the New Year

For the record, I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions. At least not this early in the year. I like to hibernate through the dark days of winter and not commit until the rebirth of spring.  But with the socio-political “format change” looming in late January, I’m inspired to give the New Year’s resolution thing a spin—before it’s too late.  What...
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Free Will Astrology: Week of Jan. 1-7

Free Will Astrology: Week of Jan. 1-7
ARIES (March 21-April 19): There are experiences, people and places that can either be good for you or bad for you. Which way they tilt at any particular time may depend on your mood or their mood or forces beyond your immediate control. An example for me is social media. Sometimes, it’s a mediocre drug that dulls my sensibilities...
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2024’s Top Torn Tix: SoCo’s Best/Most Interesting Theater

It is time for this critic to take an end-of-year look back at local theater, and I am happy to report that no theaters have closed in this area. As a matter of fact, there’s a new company in town with the formation of Petaluma’s Mercury Theater. So, continuing on that positive note, here, in chronological order, are my “Top...
Read more

Housing Woes: Director Of SAVS Adrienne Lauby

It is almost Christmas day, the day of charity, the day of the gift. And it is almost the new year, in which change is newly possible.  In that convergence, the only topic this week and this minute can be homelessness and what we will do for them because 3,000 of our unsheltered neighbors will be out there this Christmas...
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Words of the Year Selected by Prominent Dictionaries

Dictionaries have selected enshittification, brain-rot and polarization as their 2024 words of the year.  The publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary selected brain-rot as their Word of the Year. Oxford University Press defined the noun as the “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered...
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Tantalizing the Senses: Pizza, Bonsai, Music and Fine Art

North Bay Pizza Week Did somebody say “tri-county pizza party?” Yeah, that’s right—it’s time to celebrate the best thing that has happened since sliced bread with the very first North Bay Pizza Week. From Jan. 8 to 19, food lovers from Marin, Sonoma and Napa will unite for 12 days of cheesy, saucy, crusty goodness. Inspired by pizza festivals nationwide, this...
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Free Will Astrology for Week of Dec. 25

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 2025, I would love for you to specialize in making new connections and deepening your existing ones. I hope you will summon extra creativity and panache as you regularly blend your beautiful energies with others’ beautiful energies. I predict you will thrive on linking elements that should be linked but have never been before....
Read more

Your Letters, 12/25

Pledge Hedge The incoming administration vowed on the campaign trail to do everything in its power to benefit American workers. “We will build American, buy American and hire American,” Trump said during a rally in August. Despite that pledge, the Republican leader’s own businesses sought to hire more foreign guest workers this year than any other year on record, according to...
Read more

Locals Sue Their Congressional Representatives

Boyes Hot Springs resident Seth Donnelly has been trying for 14 months to convince his congressional representative, Mike Thompson, to vote against sending more military aid to Israel.  The aid has supported Israel as it carries out an attack against the people of Gaza. This has been going on since Oct. 7, 2023, when Gaza militants crossed the border into...
Read more
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