What’s your zodiac sign? If someone’s asked you this, you’ve probably answered with your sun sign–the zodiac sign the sun was in at the time of your birth. According to a recent Harris poll, 95% of Americans know their sun sign and almost two-thirds believe that their sun sign is an “accurate description of themselves.”
Posts filed under Issue #89
Book Suey: Where Books, Art, and Community Collide
To liken Book Suey to an average bookstore would be akin to calling Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein “the boy next door.” It’s missing all the other crucial pieces that make Book Suey a must-stop destination—sure, you can come in for a book, but you can also stop in and read a poem during open-mic night, attend a writing workshop, sell a physical copy of your writing, and more. Think of Book Suey as a bookstore with a side of DIY ethos, a pinch of mischief, and the kind of vibes that make you want to stay a while. Maybe even forever, as co-owners Cat Batsios and Elijah “Eli” Sparkman will explain.
Namaste, Katie: Our Spring 2025 Yoga Column
Whether you're a seasoned yogi or getting ready to roll out your mat for the first time, here you'll find
a variety of useful tips from local yoga instructor, Katie Hoener.
Weekend Getaway: A Visit to the Maryville Retreat Center
As a center established by the Felician Sisters on over 200 acres, I expected a degree of formality, so I was pleasantly surprised that I could casually enter. Moving from the entrance and through the dining area to reach accommodations, the staff member’s warmth and attentiveness complemented the positive vibes from a fellow retreatant, a repeat visitor who told me she/he planned monthly escapes to Maryville.
Fifty Shades of Grey…(Hair) and Gratitude
In a box of Crayola crayons there is only one shade of grey. As for my aging body, there may be fifty shades of grey. As I’ve aged, I’ve learned that there is a skill set needed to age gracefully.
Guilt, Judgment, & Forgiveness
Earlier this year an obituary in The New York Times caught my eye. It was of Clint Hill, who died in February at the age of 93. Hill was the Secret Service agent who, on November 22, 1963, immediately after President Kennedy was shot, jumped on the back of the presidential limousine and shielded the President and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy with his body as the motorcade sped from Dealey Plaza to nearby Parkland Memorial Hospital.
Spirit Seeds: Spring/Summer 2025
I’m feeling stuck in my shadow work, particularly around my past traumas. Are there specific crystals or energy-healing techniques that could help me move forward?
For deeper and more powerful healing, consider using moldavite and black tourmaline. Moldavite is known for its intense, transformative energy often called the “stone of transformation.” It can help accelerate spiritual awakening and deep healing by bringing to light deeply buried traumas. Black tourmaline is a robust, grounding and protective stone that can shield you from negative energies and transmute them into positive ones. In addition to these crystals, energy healing techniques like Reiki and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) can be highly effective. Reiki helps balance your chakras by penetrating and clearing blockages with pure universal energy promoting overall well-being.
What's New in the Community: Spring/Summer 2025
This ongoing column features upcoming events within Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County and surrounding areas’ Body/Mind/Spirit communities, new (during the past year or two) practitioners and holistic businesses, new books written by local/regional authors, new classes, as well as new offerings by established practitioners and holistic businesses.
Pure Levels: Tree City’s Futuristic Space Funk Odyssey
In the world of independent rap, the release of an album is often the culmination of years of work, development, and growth. For the Ann Arbor hip-hop collective Tree City putting out their new album, Pure Levels, has been anything but a conventional journey. With a sound that Tree City dubs “futuristic space funk,” the group has crafted an album that stands as both a personal testament to the 13 years it took to create and a nod to the vibrant music scene of Ann Arbor.
Alex Crofoot: An Inspiring Blend of Knowledge, Practical Skills, and Infectious Positivity
Alex Crofoot, the owner of Bloodroot, an herb shop in Ypsilanti, originally hails from New York, where she learned herbalism from her grandmother. She is passionate about staying connected to her community and supporting reproductive health.
Tea with Peggy: Minty Cool
When I think of mint, winter comes to mind—a nice cup of cocoa in which I steep some peppermint tea leaves. It’s invigorating, refreshing, and cooling. Wait a minute... if mint is invigorating, refreshing, and cooling, why am I drinking it in the cold of winter? I should be drinking in the warmth of summer instead!
Cooking with Lisa: Chickpea Salad Sandwhich and Herbed Polenta
his sandwich is a celebration of simple ingredients coming together in the most satisfying way…a little moment of deliciousness—one that feels both nourishing and delightfully familiar.
Buddhism and the Beats: An American Cultural Saga
Buddhists comprise only around 1% of the U.S. population, yet Buddhism has exercised a disproportionate influence on American culture, especially since the end of World War II. Buddhist images, whether of Shakyamuni or Tibetan mandalas, seem ubiquitous. Buddhist-based mindfulness practices are taught in countless American institutions, from prisons, to schools, to hospitals. And influential cultural figures, including actor Richard Gere, composer Philip Glass, and poet Jane Hirshfield, speak openly of their Buddhist practice.
Conscious Parenting—Elimination Communication: Potty Training the Ancestral Way
For the modern toddler parent, potty training is an important—and often overwhelming—rite of passage. With an especially willful child, potty training can devolve into begging, bribing, breakdowns, and giving up. The common phrase repeated on modern mommy blogs and parenting influencers is to “wait until your toddler is ready!”
Astrologically Speaking: Fascinating Fun Facts About Astrology
Astrology is an ancient art of divination which interprets the symbolic meaning of the constellations and planets, their cycles and aspects, and the way they interact with people, places, and events. It is the study of the interplay between the orbit of the stars over time and how they reflect our lives. Any person, location, or event, such as a marriage, or start of a business, can be viewed astrologically.
The Power of Music: Local Music Scene is a Source of Healing and Connection
“Music is inherently an emotional experience, whether while performing it or hearing it. Some people are reached by song lyrics in a way that a sermon could never reach them. Some people are moved by a chord progression or a minor key, even if they have no idea why,” said Katie Geddes. As the Director of the Green Wood Coffee House Music Series since 2000, Geddes has organized hundreds of concerts featuring musicians ranging from local performers to Grammy nominated artists like Sophie B. Hawkins and even the legendary poet and lyricist Rod McKuen.
Ch-ch-ch-Changes (with Apologies to David Bowie)
While we are always changing—our cells replacing themselves, our children growing up, passing of beloved pets, places, homes and people—collectively we are entering new terrain. Our Earth, our only known home, the only known biosphere where humanity exists, crossed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold in February 2024. We live now in the warmest temperatures in pre-industrial recorded human history, in a world of new experiences, new dangers, and new uncertainties.
Local Author Colby Halloran and Her New Book, The Northeast Corner
Colby Halloran was born and raised in Ann Arbor. She studied acting at Wayne State University’s Hilberry Gateway Theater and moved to New York City where she became an actress and playwright. Returning to Ann Arbor in 2006, she wrote about her life experiences. Her first book, The Northeast Corner, chronicles a chapter of her youth growing up in Ann Arbor from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. It was published in October 2024 by the Ann Arbor District Library’s Fifth Avenue Press.
