Introverted and Intuitive (INFP)

From today's e/mail, the INFJ Nighingale Sings ...

Be who you are. Do not suffer fools lightly. Disregard the envies and jealousies of other people, and trust in your ability to attract those who enjoy the intensities that you as an INTJ offer. I have tried making compromises of self for the sake of others, and I find it disappointing. The key, for me, is simply to trust in the Great Order of Things. The world does not understand us well, yet it often looks to us for leadership and solutions. The nigtingale sings because it must....

-- Michael, age 42

Are you mystical as well as intuitive and introverted? You may be a 12th house person...

Liz Greene on the "state of the union" ... this is specifically about Saturn in the 12th house but it is so germaine to my readers, many of whom are mystics, and who are operating sort of alone outside the collective at the moment, I thought I would quote it.

Understanding the meaning of this position takes us beyond the field of orthodox psychology, which has certainly mastered the fourth house (Cancer) and some of the eighth (Scorpio) but is lost when confronting the mysteries of the twelfth.

Recognition of the urge for evolution, for meaning, for the spiritual side of life, as a valid psychological drive in man, is now becoming widespread, however; and when it is understood that this is perhaps the most basic and most important instinct in man - although an instinct of the psyche rather than of the body - then it will not be such a painful experience for a man to sacrifice his personality to permit his total self-expression.

The real potential of Saturn in the twelfth house is unfortunately only available now to those of a mystical bent who are inclined toward the path of inner contemplation. [That's probably most of my readers.]

To them it is the final sacrifice of the sense of separateness, and is willingly undergone because it is the last door between man and his freedom. It depends in the end on one's perspective.

Trying to hunt Saturn down through the mazes of the unconscious is difficult enough in the eighth house where there are still some personality links; but the twelfth is wholly of the soul, and analysis does not help understanding unless it is backed by a knowledge of man's innately spiritual nature.

The gold available from a twelfth house Saturn is the power to serve, not to 'do good' - which is not service at all - but to experience the sense of unity which the mystic is forever seeking and the sense of responsibility and detached love which accompanies this unity. [It makes me so mad when people interpret infp's as being do-gooders. That is not service. That is not a high thing. That is a low thing. We heal. We do not "do good". Nancy]

This will, of course, make no sense to the earthy man, and may offend more pragmatic astrologers; but the fact remains that the twelfth house has not yet been satisfactorily explained any more than has the nature of man. It may be that as scientific evidence piles up, slowly but surely, in demonstration of the occult teachings of the past, the interrelationships of all living things and their essential underlying oneness will be a fact on the objective plane as well as a subjective experience on the part of the mystic.

Trying to be Leolike is harder than it seems!

Jan Spiller and Karen McCoy on Saturn in Leo ...

Static Use

You might try to impose your Leonine right for self-expression by creating situations that are larger than life. If you dramatize your ups and downs in order to gain respect and awe, your experiences might resemble those of the heroes in Shakespeare's tragedies. The dramas produced may be self-destructive and unfulfilling. You may find the outer world unsympathetic and limiting to your dramatic behavior.

Dynamic Use

You possess the skill and social responsibility to bring your capacity for moving dramatic expression into manifestation. When you are willing to acknowledge yourself as the originator of the melodramas in your life, you can feel secure in your ability to be responsible for the intense scenes you attract. You gain confidence in your skill to handle emotional display when you are in touch with the love centre within yourself. Then the potential to align your dramatic sense with the knowledge that you can serve a larger community comes forth.

You can contribute to others by giving expression to your true inner feelings, inspiring them through your own courageous example in dramatically revealing your innermost sentiments. You can commit yourself to your ability to use drama as a means of consciously inspiring constructive goals in the world. Then you experience the excitement and security of designing extravaganzas that you know will not undermine your most profound creative abilities.

General Use

You need to be responsible for creating what you really want. To do this you must first have a vision of the goal or ideal you want to manifest. From this dream, your energies can begin to flow in a constructive, consistent direction that is supportive to your childlike spirit.

You feel that you have to perform within a rigid structure that keeps you on top and in control of the audience. Your job is to allow to dissolve all the feelings of having to play an approved role so that your childlike spirit of excitement and fun can begin to emerge and lead you home, into the fulfilment of your dreams.

An Open Letter from an INFP, 24 year old "T" ...

I feel obliged to post something, having read this awesome show of support my fellow infp's wrote (at www.theintrovertzcoach.com/famous_infps.html).

Firstly, if you're feeling down about the sometimes rollercoaster nature of an infp life... and the horrible dips... know that you are also more likely to experience more pleasure than most other people. You got lucky, you and me are on a rare trip of a life, destined to have anything but a small journey in the end.

I know in America these days, the social climate has turned to hate against the individual, and scorn for the artist. You have always derived your being from something more than other people, so don't start listening to their garbage now... just you watch, they are going to be seen as an incredibly shameful, abusive, goose steppingly cruel generation in the history books. Don't let that nonsense cause you to suppress your natural infp inclinations.

You are normal, and you can live the life that fits your definitions of normal. Trying to make consessions will just frustrate, repress, and cause all sorts of issues.

So go for it! You love humanity, you have a keen creative eye for the depths of realization, you want fun, spontaniety, introverted reflection, joy, human rights, respect, and the whole nine yards.

There's nothing stopping you from living up to yourself and being happy, so do so my friends!

About intuition ...

Learning intuition is best done by learning one or more of the languages or the right brain. Among these languages are glyphs. This is a glyph that symbolizes the whole philosophy of Taoism, the Tao or "yin/yang" glyph.

See the Brocken on webcam, CLICK HERE.

Heck, let's virtually go there. Here's the Brocken TRAIN STATION on webcam.
Mystical photo of MOUNT BROCKEN.

Here's the Brocken with a picture of something that looks like an Irrlicht.

ANIMALS LOVERS! Please click through to support one of our introvert writers, Hadley Ajana, in her walk for the animals set for May 7th. Ajana's goal is $250 -- no donation is too small!

Read the I Watch for Introverts series of filmm discussion about the role on introverts in classic films.

In todays' mail ... "magic healing powers" of the full astrological chart interpretation ...

Nancy!Well, I've read it. :)(a few times) [She just got her full astrological chart interpretation.]

When I initially read it, it was pouring down rain. The sky was thunderous and eerie green. The streetsgot a little flooded and all the worms came out. Imade it up until the Xxx North Node part withoutcrying, and then I cried buckets. And then when I wasdone, I gave it a big DAMMIT! and got on with it.

Iwrote something like this in the margin: You are hereto be of service. Now get up and go do the dishes. And do it joyfully. :) Then I put a list of Xxx traits on the refrigerator. And then the rain stopped and it got sunny all overagain.

So I've been letting it assimilate, and ridding myselfof pieces that I don't need anymore so that theessence may come forth. Of course, I want it all now,but the importance of babysteps has been reinforcedand I know I can't get away from it.

I find myselflaughing at my soul's journey. "I know what I'll do! I'll become emotionally conflicted and creativelyblocked, become my own worst enemy, and then overcomeall of it!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!" Funny to me....

Looks like your magic healing powers are in goodworking order, Nancy! Thank you.

Peacable, diplomatic, and poised,Xxx.

I went to the doctor yesterday. The last time I was there in the very small waiting room, I was subjected to overhearing a girl on her cell phone trying to calm down her unmanly hysterical boyfriend ... if I had a bf like that I SURE wouldn't be wearing it on my sleeve.

Yesterday there were signs all over "Out of consideration of other patients, please refrain from cell phone use throughout your visit here." I went out of my way to thank the office manager before I left. That's my policy. I want my businesses and services to know how much I appreciate this policy. More places are adopting it every day.

The office manager told me she had just gotten back from NY and had attended a Broadway play. Someone's cell phone went off during the peformance. Bless their hearts, they stopped the show and explained to the guy how rude he was.

Personally I would have enjoyed some tar and feathers, too.

There were some cell phones that went off during the Wagnerian operas in Chicago but I don't think anything could have ruined my enjoyment. I was pretty euphoric the whole time.

In today's mail, an e/m from infp Mark, age 25 ...

I have always felt so alone as an INFP. I always hated that I am such an emotional person, and that I need other people to be close to me. I always identify with other people, and I easily cry when I watch terrible stories on the news etc. Its so weird to read about all of you. I have always tried to fit in with ESTJs and be very outgoing and thoughtless, but other people matter so much to me. I really want to help people, and morality and ethics matter so much to me. I was reading about the guy who took the officer test, i was in rotc, and I also was the only INFP, everyone was an ESTJ. I am still considering joining the military, but I somehow have a feeling that I will always be on the outside. I'm sure I'd be the one sympathizing with all the people I meet.

I totally identify with all these people (SEE WEBPAGE FOR INFP INTROVERTS)

INFP, oh, the alienation.

In today's mail, about playing possum ...

Hi Nancy,I've been enjoying your ezine messages and the littlesynchronistic messages they seem to bring into my realm. Itgives me a little 'heads up'!

This possum one is a bit freaky though since last night Ihad a dream about possums and lemmings running en masse upa tree. And this morning...Oh dear, am I the possum?

:)Yazmin

Wow, talk aboujt synchronicity!

In today's mail ... she had her follow up astrological chart interpretation on the phone ... this accompanies a 30+ page written report ...

I just wanted to say thanks for talking with meyesterday. It was an amazing conversation--you aretruly an inspired person and in tune with a higherforce. I am still processing everything you said tome, and probably will be for awhile! There is a verystrong "what, little old me?" voice in my head that isaghast at all of the power you kept telling me I wascapable of. I really hope that I am able to rise abovethis humility and achieve even 1/10th of what you seemto believe I can do! You are a wealth of knowledgewith regard to history and old texts. Is thereanything you could recommend for me to read that dealswith a powerful person not knowing their potential,and how they uncover it?

Yes, the answer to that question: the biographies of famous people that attract you for some reason. You will discover that you power lies dormant like their's until the time is ripe and the person is ripe.

This lady admires Ghandi and is reading a biography of him at this time. Who do you admire? There is a secret link, then, so read about how this person cultivated their talents.

If you're read for a potentially life-changing experience, contact me about a full astrological chart interpretation. It could be especially powerful directive for your first Saturn Return, a StarMap Guide to Life.

Hadley Ajana, an INFJ, writes about Friendship for the INFJ ...

Although I have a deep and strong emotional nature, I find it does not lead my relationships. One of the great parts about growing older for me was realizing that relationships are a choice. While I enjoy groups often, I think I score as an introvert on the personality tests because my energy is contained. I do not offer it freely to others. My nature is to try then trust gradually. This is a method of relating born out of experience. It is too costly to expend my resources on someone who does not appreciate my time, money, thoughts, or feelings.

It takes me less than 5 minutes in most cases to make the decision about whether my energy is valued. What I learned as a young adult is that most people don't want or deserve a second chance. This is an example of what I mean: if I'm talking to someone and (s)he can't maintain eye contact or focus on what I'm saying, I politely end the conversation. There is no point in trying to build a relationship nor extend another opportunity to do so. Every now and then someone will make an effort to show they're worthy, apologize, reach out and let me know they can do better, but that's rare. I have to respect myself and that means not casting my precious pearls before swine. I just move on. I'm fine without them.

For practical reasons I am sometimes forced to make small talk, maintain a contact with someone because (s)he can get me what I want or need. There's a place for that. The trick is to be clear about the reason for the relationship yet still sincere in one's dealings. The more I grow, the less often I find myself in this predicament.

There are some cases when it takes me longer than 5 minutes to see that I'm wasting my time or money on a lost cause or someone who doesn't appreciate me. I have honed my perception to make these incidents as rare as possible since they're so costly. I no longer have the energy I once did to visit people who don't want to see me or talk about me behind my back, loan my hard-earned pay check to folks who will throw my good money after bad, or spend an evening away from my family nursing the emotional needs of someone who is just using me to avoid doing his/her own hard work. Once I've invested even a small amount of emotion or time or money in someone or something it's exponentially harder to walk away, but I know now that I have to. To not do so would be gambling on a long-shot jackpot payoff. I can't afford those risks.

Let me say that I am a strong believer in the intrinsic value of some things. Why tell the truth, be honest, keep your word, pay your debts, and treat others the way you want to be treated? It's certainly not the road to fame, wealth, or power. Those qualities are valuable for their own sake. We strive to maintain those standards because we can live with ourselves, not so that others can live with us. There are some cases where I give my love and support to someone because the experience of loving and supporting them is valuable to me. It's not really about me and them; it's about me and me, or me and God. In those cases it's especially important to be clear that I am giving freely because I choose to give. When you choose to give nothing is taken from you and no outcome is a disappointment. I was once given a kitten who was very sick. I carried her around like a rag doll for a week, nursing her limp body, talking about her with the vet, running energy through her soul. Nothing prevented her inevitable death in my arms, but my efforts were not a waste of time or money.

Of course I falter sometimes. I give out of guilt, find that I've misjudged someone, relate out of obligation. But the older you get, the more you know yourself, and the easier it is to say no and to know when you have to say no. Once it's clear that I have to say no, I do. That's because I couldn't live with myself otherwise. I hate a coward more than anything.

As for being a perceptive person, I can only say that it's a mixed blessing. When I'm driving and my mind is free I often think of John the Baptist wondering through the wilderness prophesying about the messiah to come. Then I think of his head on a platter. Seeing the future, looking through people, being able to predict the logical outcome of most events is not a favored talent (skill?) in our society. There's no American Idol for psychics, no Apprentice for psychologists. I thought a graduate degree might give me more credibility and literally force people to take my opinions seriously. It doesn't. It seems silly to me now that I thought it would. I know the truth. Most people don't listen. I've learned to live with that.

Read Hadley Ajana's I Watch for Introverts essays on films HERE.

There are a lot of new posts on the INFP and INTJ websites tonight.

Read what Daid deVaughn has to say about the why INFPs, INFJs and INTJs are the most frequent visitors to the site.

FROM DAIVD: The site is biased towards IN types and tends to ignore IS types. There are 2 reasons for this.

First of all, S types tend not to go looking for answers. They are less likely to visit the site seeking "truth" because their reality is right there in front of them.

The second reason is that because they are S types, they are the norm (85% of the population). Being introverted is not that big an issue for S-types. Introverted S-types are just like "normal" people, only a little quieter. They still relate to ES types - something that all N types regardless of whether they are introverted or extroverted have trouble with.

Remember, with S types, the main difference is whether they are SJ (Guardians) or SP (Artisans) that determines their makeup. The Thinking and Feeling Functions aren't deterministic. With N types, the biggest difference is whether they are NF (Idealists) or NT (Rationals).

In today's mail ... from an infp introvert ...

This is so truthful, it's painful.

My throat is in pain, my eyes turn red, and often wet my pillow with tears every night just because I saw world conditions and mankind behaviours nowadays. but above all else, the most painful thing is that i unable to change those which I have seen. Those which i cannot stand to see.
it's confusing to be infp. I suffer a lot because of this orientation, i'm confuse, but i don't want to change. I don't like extrovert, but I love them, I want to help them and share my silent, rich inner world.

-- Ais, age 21

In today's mail from a 16 year old infp introvert ...


I had stumbled across the MB test several months ago, and I had never learned so much about myself since then. It has been difficult being an INFP living in a house of extroverts. My mother is an extrovert, and so is my twin sister. Growing up in a family of realists was difficult, and now in the middle of my teenage years, feelings are clashing, as College draws nearer and I am receiving mixed suggestions for what I should do with my life. My need to please people always caused me to lean on a person's suggestion or want, regardless of what I would really want to do.

However, as more and more people are asking me what career I would want, and family members intructing me to hold a steady office job, I find it more easier to look at my own type and know what I myself would want. When someone asks me "What do you want to do with your life?" I am inclined to reply "A writer, or an actress" but now I see myself replying simply "I want to change the world" This statement has given me perplexed looks, or laughs.

But I see myself impacting change, and equality, helping people. However, my quiet nature has earned me comments such as "You just sit there and do not do anything, lazy people do not get anywhere" or "You cant even clean your room, what are you going to do with your life?"

I am not lazy. I am thinking. I can sit down on my couch and dream and live in my thoughts all day long. In that sense, I am doing something, and in the long run, it is probably more useful than vaccuming and propping the pillows on the couch. Dreaming is magnificent and hard work, and everyone is entitled to it.

Sometimes I feel as though my worse enemy is myself. I am battling with myself every single day. I kick myself when I cannot help a friend, or I lose a contest, or I am not perfectly friendly at any point during the day. If I do not do those things, I am an awful person, I will be going to hell, I let the entire world down. The guilt had caused me to distress, and then I would feel guilty for feeling guilty.

I suppose this is the burden that we must fight when we are INFP's. But burdens are a gift, because we can overcome them and come out stronger. Being gifted with a vibrant imagination, a chivalrous and noble outlook on good vs. evil, the will to fight for other people, what can be more productive than that?

-- Liz, age 16

In today's mail ...

I am a definite INFP. I am ultra sensitive and I have a strong sense of empathy. Sometimes I try to mix with others who are different but eventually my "weirdness" peeks out.

I have a wild imagination so I am frequently smiling.

Lasheda, age 23

[I love this!!! -- Nancy]

In today's mail ...

I truly believe that every INTJ out there is destined for greatness, so DON'T sell yourself short, and don't compromise and settle to a life of internal existence. I have to stop myself at this point, or I'll seem too idealistic and. oh well, an INTJ.

-- Ishmael

Get what's coming to you at your Saturn Return ...

Here's an excerpt from the NY Times: Authorities in Maryland said they now believe that Mr. Williams is the man they called the Silver Spring rapist, who committed the nine assaults and at least 12 others between 1987 and 1991.

A forgotten piece of evidence in a rape case from more than 30 years ago - a pair of women's underpants - has led to the DNA identification of a suspect in at least 24 other rapes and sexual assaults stretching from New York to Maryland, the authorities said yesterday.

I do think there is a moral fiber in all of us that reaches out for justice and retribution, for balancing the scales, otherwise known as karma. Karma is a neutral force in the universe. It just balances the equation like algebra. What you do to one side of the equation you have to do to the other. If he had rehabilitated himself for the past 30 years, he'd get a different "return".

The good news for those of you who had it rough between 30-58 ... imagine what's coming for you if you didn't let it get you embittered or cynical. Bitterness and cynicism lead to serious, usually fatal, health problems. You may expect some kind of reward or to receive things you've wanted but not been able to have before!

Don't take my word for this. Do like I did. Start talking to people of all ages but also start listening to people of all ages. Found out about their lives. See what happened around 30 and if they're old enough, what happened around 60. Then connect the dots.

On childrearing ...

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."

And he said: Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

-- Kahlil Gibran

Kahlil Gibran was a great Lebanese mystic. I used this statement as the basis for my childrearin and I would like to share it with all parents.

The intensity of the introvert ...

One of my site visitors writes:

One summer I stood outside on our porch with my grandmother and my mother. I was probably about 3 years old. They were chatting, and turned to see me grinding my teeth, something I apparently did a fair bit at the time. My grandmother asked me, "Why do you grind your teeth?" I thought very seriously about this question. I remember going inside myself for the answer for what seemed like a very long time. I got the answer, paused, then I walked up to my grandmother and told her, "Because I love you so much."
This made perfect sense to me at the time, but my mother and grandmother didn't understand, so they both laughed.

An estimated one in 20 adults and three in 20 children unconsciously grind their teeth at night. This is called bruxism. According to qualitydentistry.com, nocturnal grinding can exert thousands of pounds of pressure per square inch on the surfaces of teeth. It can be rough not only on teeth but on the supporting bone, the gums and jaw joint. For many years, bruxism was attributed to the release of tension from emotional stress. However, many dental authorities today believe that the causes exist in the patient's mouth. Night grinding may be an unconscious effort to correct irregularities of the chewing surfaces of the teeth.

The introvert quoted at the beginning of this entry wasn’t asleep and it wasn’t at night.

Vivian Zermeno is gone! Vivian wasn't yet 60 and died a few weeks ago of lung cancer. She was a lifelong smoker. And she was so much more than that! I met Viviana when I owned my store in National City, near the border.

Viviana is one of those larger than life people. Her daughter Sombra gave a ceremonial service for her at the Mexican Cultural Center in San Diego yesterday and it was one of the most wonderful rituals I've been to. Unlike a typical funeral filled with melodramatic overreactions from people who I suspect didnt do much for the person when they were alive -- I really think there is a correlation between the amount of carrying on and the quality of the relationship while the person was living (test this hypothesis yourself and you will quickly discover) -- this service was based on indigenous Indian traditions of the living spirit

The conch shell was blown for Viviana in four different directions and up to the heavens by a shaman. Their was an Our Lady of Guadalupe altar with tea lgiht candles all over it and we were encouraged to visit the altar with pictures of Viviana, a very, very beautiful woman, and to write out thoughts. I left my thoughts there.

Viviana was a very dynamic and expressive person and we were asked to wear vibrant colors in her memory. I wore red with a black shawl.

Their friends served mole (spelling?) with rice and beans, totillas and chocolate cupcakes for desert. There were many children present. Sombra made a slide show about Viviana's life and put behind it Linda Ronstadt tunes and other great Chicana melodies. Viviana worked hard for Chicana rights and for many years worked to help young unwed mothers keep their babies.

My experiences with Viviana were very cherished. It is so hard to believe she is gone but through Sombra's memorial service it helps her to live on in my heart. I love the way funerals are becoming more celebrations and rituals. It's very spiritual.

As we left, we took with us party favor bags with seeds to plant for her memory, a little garden stake with her name on it to mark the place; a CD of her favorite songs that Sombra had burned; hot tamales, the candy, her favorite; a little conch shell to honor her love of the beach. We were also given aa self addressed stamp envelope to send out memories of Viviana back to Sombra which she will give to her daughter, (Isa)Bella so Bella will get to know many facets of her grandmother.

Vive Viviana!

This message is for Sun Sign Leo's not Saturn in Leo. This message is for those born in late July and most of August. It's an important message.

This summer Saturn will enter the sign of Leo -- for the first time in 30 years -- and you may find yourself making an important commitment or taking on some important responsibilities during the year ahead. You may have a "hint" of what this might be sometime during the next 30 days. For some it will be chosen and for some, imposed.

With responsibility -- even welcome and chosen responsibility -- comes stress, so why not spend the next couple of months , May and June, relaxing, recharging your batteries and getting your physical, mental and emotional health in top shape.

How to do this? It's simple:

• get away from negative people who consistently drain you
• be sure you are willing to delegate existing responsibilities among family members and friends where possible
• encourage people who are dependent on you to do what they can for themselves
• appreciate your spare time and lack of care if you have it now
• catch up on sleep
• give up white sugar
• take long walks or work out
• meditate
• get a reading to get some perspective
• go on a trip or do recreational things that make you relax

If you want some hints as to what's coming, it's not a bad time to get a reading. I charge $55 for 1/2 hour and $100 for an hour.

Odie update ...

My little dog is doing great. I am using all my healing gifts, believe me, and have rearranged things in the office and during the day to support her needs but the quality of her life is still wonderful and she is my treasure. Thanks for all your prayers. She has lived almost 5 months longer than "possible" and she gets around just fine, sleeps a lot and eats like a little pig. Of course she gets just her favorite things now, lamb stew with lots of warm homemade broth, Spanish rice, BBQ ribs from the deli (just her size and I wash off most of the sauce) and turkey hot dogs.

Here are the results of my survey ... What got you interested in astrology?

Sebastian: Finding out about my planets at the time of birth and their influence on my life seem very interesting.

Janice Reece: A need and feeling that I am here for a purpose

Monique: Grown up with it

Anonymous 22 year old: I was exploring many subjects, astrology being one of them.

Stefanie Vancura: My mother -- her interest passed after a few years, mine persisted.

Karen Notar: I like knowing about the future

Anonymous Leo: I've been drawn to anything that seems mysterious or esoteric since I was a young teenager...it must be something about having three strong planets in the eighth house...browsing through a London library, I was compelled by the astrology/occult section.

Monique: Dating a boy who was very interested in astrology many years ago.

Carol: Have been interested for years. Don't remember what first got me interested.

Anonymous Gemini: It works for the personnality and with relationships but i've never had the chance to check it for work and money

Suzanne DiDonna: Always was

Alice Caraballo: When I was very young I loved astronomy specially the constellations and planets. When I was around 11 years old I dicovered astrology. It was love at first sight

Debbie Danilow: no idea...it was way too long ago...I always felt connected to it...as far back as I can remember..

Scott: I was searching for a better understanding of myself. My sister is into astrology, and so is my current girlfriend, so I decided to take a look into it.

Anonymous Leo: Uncovering my personal limitiations and assets so I can maximise benefit and grow through the difficulties and gain an understanding.

Sandra: Good friend is an astrologer.

Oak Azia Kerig: I believe the interest emerged in my late teens when I revisited a chart and reading from ten or so years earlier. My mother purchased charts and readings for both of us. I don't remember being present at my own reading though. I remember finding the tape years later and listening to the conversation between the astrologer and she.

Helena: My father had astrology books at home so I have always been around it.

Ann: realizing I was an indigo adult

Mark: Its accuracy in describing personalities, NOT day to day stuff.

Jonathan Gordon Boes: Interests corresponding with ancient Mayan astronomy, leading to 2012, leading to bible codes, leading to Venusians, leading to a spiritual transformation of the acceptance of God's infinite nature.

Lisa: i wanted to figure out what my birth chart said about me

Lindy: started a long time ago...can't remember

Aonymous Cancer: Always been interested in what makes people different

Julia: I like to think that everything has a reason for being.

Patty: I'd like to know what the future holds, and if I'm supposed to be in my current relationship or if I should get out.

Suyai Steinhauer: Can't really remember - always had been open - discovered Liz Greene, and studied a little bit at her school in London - was interested in understanding self and life more - interested in where psychology and astrology meet - understanding patterns and unconscious motivations

Jen: I always related to my sun sign and horoscopes

Daun Worthington: It happened so long ago, I've forgotten. Picked up a book in 1970 and have read off and on ever since.

Kimberly: It helped yo understand myself and people

Anonymous Scorpio: Oh i've always been interested it from a kid, my mum likes to read her stars

Clint Tierney: Years and years ago, my ex girlfriend was very much into sun sign astrology. She was a Capricorn and I was/am a Taurus. Because of her it didn't take me too long to work out that most of our friends seemed to be earth signs as well. After I split up with her I also noticed that I seemed to attract, and be attracted to, other earth signs as well. It was then that I noticed that despite the skeptics, there must be some truth in astrology. I left it at that until years later when I read Carol Golder's Moon Signs for Lovers which a flatmate of mine had a copy of. This opened up a whole new world for me and introduced me to the fact that other planetary influences come into play as well. However it wasn't until I turned about 28 (like everyone else!) that I really began to study astrology in any depth...

Heather Caron-Milfred: The stars! We had telescopes and attended star parties. And I saw ET when I was 5, I think. I was fascinated that people had birthstones and was always interested in figuring out whose birthstones were what. My favorite comic was Nancy (!) in the paper, and the astrological forecasts were next to it. I read them allowed to family members.

Lara: I have always had an affinity for it

Martha: My brother got me interested in Astrology.

Anonymous Aquarius: I have always been fascinated by astrology

David: a friend

Annette: tring to find myself

Kauri: I have been for as long as I can remember

Anonymous Leo: The amazing way that the personalty traits are right on the money for most people.

Jan: My grandmother introduced me to astrology at age 10. I was fascinated and hooked from the beginning.

Craig: Death of my Grandmother in 1998, but that was when i became intensely interested in it. Ive always had a fleeting interest though.

Azure: When I was about 15 I went on a date that didn't go well. I described the boy I went out with to my friends older sister, who was really into astrology. She asked if I knew his birthdate, which I did (coincidence?) and she told me of some of the issues an Aries (me) and a Cancer (him) might experience. She was so accurate I decided to study it from that day on. I'm now 29 and yes, going through my first Saturn Return in Cancer.

Heather: I've always had an interest in astrology, exspecially after reading it and seeing how right on it can be.

Anonymous Virgo: A girl I used to like....

Christina A. Thomas: I have always had an interast in differnt metaphysical studies, but was discouraged from exploring them as a child. Now that I am older, on my own and able to study what I choose, I have begun to study tarot, and upon, purchacing the Thoth deck, became increasingly interasted in astrology. Crowley associates the two very closely it appears.

Christiana: Curious- Skeptical...Want to make sure I'm heading the right direction...want to see what lessons I need to learn an obstacles I need to overcome

What got YOU interested in astrology? EMAIL ME and I'll add you to the survey.

This is the original video of the Numa Numa dance by Gary Bolsma without all the edited cuts. Its amazing how one person and a webcam can reach so many millions of people. If you haven't seen this one yet it is a must see. This guy is awesome and this is probably the most popular video to hit the internet ever.

Here is a free slide show with different inspiring quotes that you can download and enjoy. Just click the upper lefthand corner where it says PONDERATION. CLICK HERE.

In today's mail, from an Aries who just got her full astrological report via email yesterday. Who else but an Aries! ...

Nancy.

Don't you LOVE your work? I'm talkin' throw yourhands up in the air spin in circles in the front yardkind of love it?! You get to be the person in thelives of human beings who really can help to exact achange. That's awesome. You deserve a red cape withan N on it.

I have scanned the first part of this lovely creationand stopped because of time constraints named [her two children]. I will make time tonight or this weekend toread and absorb. I think I'll wear waterproofmascara, have wine, and keep the Kleenex close.

You know why I love it so far? Because there is anobjectivity present in these observations that enablesme to let the guard down, not feel defensive, and say,"Self. . .this is yourSELF; and you CAN acceptyourself, work with yourself, and love yourself. Youcan create the life you want."

And already I can feel a shift in the eyes I view theworld with. Life is getting interesting.

Nancy, you rock! I love Leos. I have LOVE LIKE A LEOwritten as the greeting of my cell phone. I am awed bytheir vastness of heart and ability to make fun out ofextraordinarly dull circumstances-two things which Ivalue considerably.

Thanks more than all the stars in the sky, Heather.

ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR FULL ASTROLOGICAL CHART INTERPRETATION? tHE COST IS $250 AND INCLUDES A 30+ PAGE WRITTEN REPOT [WHICH THIS LADY JUST RECEIVED] AND A ONE-HOUR PHONE OR EMAIL CONSULTATION TO FOLLOW UP AND MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING.

I ESPECIALLY LIKE WHAT THIS LADY SAYS BECAUSE I FOUND THE SAME THING WAS TRUE. THE OBJECTIVITY OF ASTROLOGY MAKES THE MEDICINE GO DOWN SO MUCH EASIER. AND -- THIS IS AN IMPORTANT AND -- IT MAKES ME BELIEVE ALL THE POTENTIALS AND GOOD STUFF, TOO.

This was in yesterday's eZine but it really is so wonderful ... it's about Fathers and Sons and Sun Signs

Aries
My father had a profound influence on me. He was a lunatic. - Spike Milligan

Taurus
It is appalling to think even for one single moment about the dark background of my life right from its earliest beginning. The anxiety with which my father filled my soul, his own frightful depression, a lot which I cannot even write down... - Soren Kierkegaard

Gemini
My father died when I was eight. At least that's what he told us in the letter. - Drew Carey.

Cancer
My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass." "We're not raising grass," Dad would reply. "We're raising boys." - Harmon Killebrew

Leo
My father used to read the book [Machiavelli's The Prince] aloud in the evenings... . Mussolini

Virgo
My father had always said there are four things a child needs: plenty of love, nourishing food, regular sleep, and lots of soap and water. After that, what he needs most is some intelligent neglect. - Baker Priest

Libra
My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, you've had a great life! - Lee Iacocca

Scorpio
My father considered that anyone who went to chapel and didn't drink alcohol was not to be tolerated. I grew up in that belief. - Richard Burton

Sagittarius
When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. - Mark Twain

Capricorn
When I was a boy I used to do what my father wanted. Now I have to do what my boy wants. My problem is: When am I going to do what I want? - Sam Levenson

Aquarius
I grew up to have my father's looks, my father's posture, my father's opinions, and my mother's contempt for my father. - Jules Feiffer

Pisces
My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me. - Jim Valvano

Think and Grow Rich ...

Would you like a free copy of the eBook from Napoleon Hill's classic metaphysical book, Think and Grow Rich? Send me an email with "rich" in the subject line and I'll send it to you.

A reader visited the movie review section on the introvertZ site and had this comment about A Beautiful Mind ...

Oh, A Beautiful Mind is probably my favorite movie! It's one of those that I absolutely cannot watch with anyone else - any disturbance during the movie would ruin the intense concentration that it deserves. Besides, no one else seems to understand that movie quite like I do.

John Nash is totally an INTJ. All of that incredible brain power (T) came from deep within some inner pool (I) that no one else could possibly understand - except maybe Alicia. His brilliant ideas could not have come solely from external sources (N) - and he certainly was a decicive one (J), wasn't he?

Find our more about introverts in the movie and read some of INFJ Hadley Ajana's brilliant commentary HERE.

Also in today's mailbag ...

Nancy,

The other day I was just noticing how comfortable I have been in life lately. I just have to tell you again, it has been such a gift having found your website and seeing I am okay just the way I am. It has just changed everything for me! Being okay the way one is is so great! I spent my entire life beating myself up and feeling inadequate until I found you and found I was just being EXACTLY the way I was supposed to be, and that even some people like me better than real extraverted people.

When I just look back to a short couple of years ago, I see how uncomfortable I was all the time, and how much my quality of life has changed since I was given the gift of this insight to see I was okay the way I am.

Just more babbling, but thank you , thank you, thank you. I love you sooooooooooo much!!!!

-- An Introvert

Meryl sent this about the difference between thinking and feeling types:

These are Jung's types of thinking and feeling. These are things we are kind of born with, our PROGRAM!


Thinking Types

Do not show emotion readily and are often uncomfortable dealing with people's feelings.
May hurt people's feelings without knowing it
Like analysis and putting things into logical order. Can get along without harmony
Tend to decide impersonally, sometimes paying insufficient attention to people's wishes
Need to be treated fairly
Are able to reprimand people or fire them when necessary
Are more analytically oriented--respond more easily to peoples THOUGHTS
Tend to be firm-minded


Whereas, Feeling Types:

Tend to be very aware of other people and their feelings.
Enjoy pleasing people, even in unimportant things.
Like harmony--efficiency may be badly disturbed by office feuds
Often let decisions be influenced by their own or other people's personal likes and wishes.
Need occasional praise.
Dislike telling people unpleasant things.
Are more people-oriented--respond more easily to people's values and feelings than thoughts.
Tend to be sympathetic.

In today's mailbag, from an ISTJ introvert ...

Also wanted to tell you again, my life has been so much better since I took the course with you and found you and your website. It seems that all my low self-esteem my whole life was about beating myself up about being an introvert and comparing myself to extroverts, or also beating myself up for being a T and comparing myself to Fs.

Take tne IntrovertZ Online Self Discovery Course and see for yourself. Email me and I'll send you a sample lesson.

Introverts and birthday parties ... loved this reponse I got in the mail today ...

Pressure, pressure, pressure. I don't have a lot of experience with parties being thrown for me - thankfully, I only had one as a child - but going to other people's parties were very stressful. I never did figure out how to act, and random movements and actions from my fellow party goers tired me out quickly. As I got older and social structures grew more complex, I had greater difficulties.

Can't find the right job? ... read on

I'm reprinting an article by Liz Greene, world's foremost astrologer. She rules.

I'm reprinting this because I wish I had a dollar for everytime someone asked me what career would be right for them. Some people know right away (ask them in kindergarten) and always seem happy and to be unfolding in their career area. For others, finding the right career, or work, is an area of great Angst. After all, you're there 8 hours a day. If you're miserable, it's pretty awful.

What I discover if that the people who are miserable don't really understand what work IS. If you're a Virgo, you're smiling now. This is your forte.

To be able to work is a privilege. It is our self expression in the world. Our way of contributing our unique skills and talents. Our way of giving back. We thank the Creator for our very life by working. HOpefully you are engaged in something where the hours fly by and thenn you look up, "It's time to go home." Even more ideal would be a world where work and life are not separate and more than exercise and life are separate. These are areas where Virgos have such great wisdom. Goethe, a Scorpio with much Virgo energy, had a philosophy like this. His answer to good health? Live on your own land. Till it naked. Eat the healthy food you grow. Fertilize it with your own "manure" -- a closed circle representing a simple, holistic life.

But it takes a lifetime of understanding for some to reach this place of vocation so I'm reprinting Greene's article in its entirey here to reach out. If you want to order her vocational report, go to www.astro.com It will be well worth it.

Work is not punishment, it is privilege.

VOCATION
by Liz Greene (www.astro.com)

When we are children, people say to us, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" At that age, we usually have dreams. We know that we want to reach the Moon, or learn to fly the fastest aircraft in the world, or save endangered animal species, or make some brilliant scientific discovery that will transform human lives. We are not yet old enough to worry about job markets and balancing budgets and supporting ourselves and our families. We have only our dreams and the secret certainty that we are unique and have a very special thing to do in life. Even if our parents have different dreams for us, we know the difference between their dreams and our own. When we are children, we are still capable of hearing the voice of the soul.

As we grow older, the questions change. People say to us, "You had better start thinking about what you want to do with your life. How will you make a living?" There is no longer time for dreaming; we must now "face reality" and think about how to survive in the big, bad old world. The inner sense of specialness fades before the numbing evidence of high unemployment figures, stiff competition for every job application, and economic swings and downturns which make us feel we are fortunate to get any kind of work at all. And if we find ourselves discontented in that work, or we lose our jobs, we feel demeaned, devalued, and unable to trust our deepest dreams and aspirations, because there might not be any other work. And even if there were, we have probably long since lost that inner connection which could tell us what makes our heart sing and restores the sense of having a very special thing to do in life.

"Career and Vocation" is about your vocation. It is meant to help you get a sense of what you might be good at and what might be good for you, so that your working life has a meaning as well as a pay cheque. If you are looking for a direction, astrology could help you to find it; if you already have one, astrology could help you confirm and perhaps enhance it. The English word "vocation" comes from a Latin root which means "to call". Having a calling implies something higher or deeper - an inner Self or soul which knows what we are really here for. Today we use the word "vocation" mainly in relation to those who feel a religious calling. The challenges and problems of the changing world, with its rapid and unsettling advances in technology and its shifting political and economic currents, have frightened us and turned our minds away from the inner importance of what we do in life. Yet so many people feel directionless or are unhappy in their work, even if they are well paid for it. Few of us possess the luxury of inherited wealth; most of us must make our own way in the world. Work, no less than relationship, lies at the core of our lives and occupies most of our waking hours. Yet we may be unable to think from the centre outward - to focus first on who we are and what inspires us, and then seek vehicles for this in the outer world. Instead, we think from the outside in, focusing on what others, or our own hidden insecurities, tell us is possible. We are not brought up to know and trust ourselves and our abilities, but rather, to know only the limits of external reality. And then we hammer ourselves into shape to fit them.

Because every birth horoscope is unique, astrology teaches us that each individual has a unique nature and a unique set of abilities. While a horoscope cannot tell us which company will offer us a job, or how much we can expect to be paid, it can help us to understand that, if we wish to feel our lives matter, we need to express in the outer world at least some of who we are in the inner one. No job is perfect; we must all compromise. What matters is that what we do connects us to something special inside, something that makes us feel worthwhile and impels us to offer our best to life. The insights of astrology are not literal and specific. They are symbolic and psychological, and tell us about spheres of life which inspire us, needs which nourish our souls, and personal limits which mark the boundaries of what we are capable of achieving in one lifetime. We cannot become other than what we are, and no human being contains all possibilities. We are all good at different things. The right mix of realism and faith in ourselves can ensure that we feel our passage through life has been worth the effort.

To make the best use of the astrological insights offered by "Career and Vocation", it is important to remember three things. First, a sound understanding of one's needs, potentials, and limits is far more important than the facts and figures presented to us by the outer world. It is not that facts and figures do not matter. But even if there is only one job available and four hundred applicants seeking it, we possess more power than we realise to create our own reality. If that job is truly right for us, and we are prepared to do the necessary preparation and training, we will achieve it - somewhere, some time, somehow. Second, we must not be afraid to try. Trying and failing and trying again are far better than not trying at all, for we can learn from our failures even more than we learn from our success. Understanding why we might unconsciously court failure or fail to seize opportunities may also be important. Many people are dogged not by lack of ability, but by a deep unconscious conviction that they do not deserve to be fulfilled. Understanding ourselves more deeply can help us to distinguish between real limits and unnecessary self-sabotage. Third, a birth chart cannot, of its own volition, create our opportunities for us, any more than a road map can make us take a journey. A birth horoscope can show us a direction and encourage us to make manifest our highest values and most cherished dreams. But each individual must make the decision to set off down the road. If we refuse through fear or cynicism, and remain sitting on the doorstep yearning for what might have been, we cannot blame either astrology or the world for our discontent.

Interview with the EQ Coach, Susan Dunn ...

Susan Dunn:

1. I've heard you use some incredible metaphors in working with clients. How did you get started using metaphors?

To being with, metaphors are the natural language of the kind of introvert I am, infp, called the poet or the healer. I don’t think the other kind of language ever made much sense to me. Here is a quote I love from the French writer Gustave Flaubert, “Language is a cracked kettle on which we bang out tunes to make the bears dance, when what we long for is to move the stars to pity. “

I think the reason metaphors are so powerful is that they bypass the left side of the brain entirely and put us in touch with the part of us that “knows”, the intuition. Metaphors can also move us tremendously through appeal to emotion.

It can be said in astrology that all things are about cycles and so the cycles of nature are a very good place from which to draw metaphors. This is essentially what the Romans were doing with their bird entrails and before them the Chinese with their cracked tortoise shells. The tortoise shell was burned until it cracked and the resulting patterns were interpreted in a book called the I Ching. The entire book is nature metaphor. For example, if I want advice for my situation and I receive the Hexagram called “Darkening of the Light”, I know at a gut level what to expect, don’t I? The ancient Chinese consulted the I Ching on everything from when to plant crops to when to wage war.

I also think I developed this ability from reading and enjoying Shakespeare so much. Shakespeare was an infp introvert, too. His language really touches the soul.

2. Give me an example of some metaphors you use.

It’s best when they arise spontaneously because it’s my way of contacting the soul of the other person but an example might be, “Ships come in over calm waters” or another favorite, “When your ship comes in, don’t be down at the bus depot.” I like to draw metaphors from daily life. here’s another one, “Would you use a fork to eat your soup?

3. Why do you think metaphors work so well?

It depends on what you mean by “work”. As I said, they aren’t really intentional, they are the result of having developed my own intuition so that I am contacting the truth in a situation and revealing it through comparing something known with something unknown, something visible with something invisible. They actually reveal as much to me as they do to the other person when spoken.

The four elements make terrific metaphors. “You’re on fire now.” “You’re just treading water.” “From here, you can see forever.” (that’s one for air). And now one for earth, well, here’s a famous one, “How can you fall if you’re standing on the ground?”

4. Was there a time when someone used a metaphor with you that really gave you insight? What was it? What was the message?

Absolutely! I have been reading for years for a PhD psychologist who runs focus groups around the country in her field of specialty. It was this woman’s use of metaphor that stimulated my own. Whenever she came to something she wanted me to understand better, she would compare it to something I would be expected to know about already. For example, she might say she was feeling awkward. I would ask for elaboration. She would reply, “Did you ever get caught driving by someone’s house when you thought they weren’t home?”

You see, Susan, there was a time when all language was metaphor, even the word meta-phor – to carry or transfer. Language is so abstract that it is constantly trying to refer back to something less abstract. Churchill’s way of dealing with this problem, of drifting too far form the gut into the head in reaching people, was to stick to four and five letter words and especially words derived from the common language of the Saxons rather than Latin or French. Study his speeches. He stays away from erudite words. People think this man was a spontaneous speaker but he rehearsed his speeches endlessly before delivering them. He had a slight speech impediment as well.

A lot of times a good metaphor makes me laugh. It makes the medicine go down so much easier. I can’t even begin to think of the metaphors this woman used because her speech is peppered with them. As in all aspects of consciousness raising, accessing the part of the brain that understands and can use metaphor is mostly learned by hanging out with someone else who’s already doing it.


5. When's a good time to use a metaphor with someone?

Any time is a good time but especially if you are getting bored with the conversation. It will amuse and delight you and perhaps them as well.

P.S. Metaphors are the natural language of the infp introvert, also known as "the Poet".

An infp introvert on the warpath? ... read more from David DeVaughn

AN INFP ASKS:
I'm an infp lady who needs to advocate for her developmentally challenged daughter. In the process of doing this, I have to deal with ESTJ type personalities a lot. What's my best approach with them?

HERE'S DAVID'S ANSWER:
Inside all INFP's is a warrior that struggles to find peace. They tend to avoid confrontations and try to make the best of things. Sometimes that just doesn't work, especially if the stakes are high (as they are in this case). What you need to do is unleash your beast within and fight hard. When you hit an ESTJ road block, don't back off. Go around it - or better yet, force your way right thru it.

As all true warriors know, this will not win you any respect, any love or any sympathy from the ESTJ enemy. Then again, that's not really the point. One thing that I learned from my experiences at XXX was that fear is a great motivator for the ESTJ bureaucrat. When you get no response from an administrator, go above their head. If that doesn't work, go to your congressman. Eventually, someone will get the message that this is not the person I want to mess with.

ESTJ's need to protect the system. When someone starts to break that system down into something that actually works, ESTJ's get territorial because of their fear. Any good warrior can use this fear to their own advantage. Of course the INFP does not like to fight and certainly doesn't want to cause havoc. You need to realize that this is your duty and your responsibility whether you asked for it or not. For the GOOD of all (not just your daughter) you need to fight. When you realize this - look out!

I am very happy that you reached out to find the answe