African

[Rev. Allen M. Drago ~ Traveler]

The Baobab Tree



January 4 to February 3



Element: Air – Sense: Smell Favorable day: Thursday

Sensitive body parts: Liver and gall bladder

Most successful months: January and May



This favorable sign is solidly based in accordance with the image of this revered tree. Those of you born under the sign of “The Baobab” benefit from an honest, liberal and thoughtful character. A realistic and humane sense of business combines with a persistent and auspicious opportunism.



You, “Baobabs,” possess an instinctive and real security that makes you persevere and leads to your success. You remain true to your own solid and vigorous nature, and do not yield to being too easily influenced, especially at difficult moments when under great pressure. Well informed and industrious, you have the good taste of not taking yourself too seriously. You tend to find it more difficult than you would like assuming and sustaining a position of authority.



At times strong anxiety attaches itself to your spirit and acts as a useless obstacle on a well-defined path, slowing you down and depressing you when circumstances require and effective and prompt decision.



If by misfortune, you experience an unexpected setback from the outside that has nothing to do with your character, let things quietly sort themselves out. In this way you can extend the limited sphere of your influence by transforming your inner self into the powerful being that is your legacy.







The Wealth of Amber and Silver



February 4 to March 5



Element: Air – Sense: Sight Favorable day: Wednesday

Sensitive body part: The nervous system

Most successful months: February and June



In dark offices where shady deals are conducted, in the dreary and drunken places where goods are exchanged and fortunes lost, silver and amber pass from hand to hand and rivet the passions of men.



Silver and amber stored in coffers enable marriages to take place, endowing the young girl and adorning the bride.



From this destiny, those of you born under the sign of “The Wealth of Amber and Silver” inherit an active and intense temperament.



You harbor the deepest respect for what is original and provocative to the point of occasionally getting lost by confusing the excitement of instability with the demands of innovation. But your insight always propels you back to balance.



Your ability to refuse assured and immediate temptations is a sign of strength and a token of inner freedom.



In your dizzy and swirling world, where you remain emotionally ablaze, haste and activity are masters.



Therefore, it is important to stay in touch with your inner self; otherwise life is thrilling but empty, and the flame of intelligence is extinguished like a candle in a cave without air.



However, when well nourished, your exceptionally quick intellect and acquired wisdom can greatly aid others in counseling them in love and business.







The Family



March 6 to April 4



Element: Earth – Sense: Smell Favorable day: Tuesday

Sensitive organs: The lungs

Most successful months: March and July



This geomantic figure has a solid foundation from which it reaches toward the sky. It traces the image of a large community with strong solidarity between people of the same blood lineage.



“The Family” consists of many members and enriches itself with adopted children who are received with joy.



Those born under this sign have no inclination to be selfish, are warm but reserved and are very often full of care for others. They believe, “sharing with others openly brings success.” Such hope of success is realized by a combination of strength and rationality.



“The Family” natives are consulted by others more than most, but must remember that there can be agreement in the community only when it is based on ideas that are clear and understood by all members. You are opposed to secret arrangements, petty schemes and lame pretenses which have no place in your world.



You have a tremendous ability to look to your own inner wisdom that makes you an effective arbitrator and counselor.



Know that you are inclined to accomplish one single great achievement, though you will prosper in many other diverse areas as well.







Small Services to the Neighborhood



April 5 to May 4



Element: Earth – Sense: Hearing Favorable day: Saturday

Sensitive body parts: Medullary system

Most successful months: April and August



Two symbols of strength provide the foundation for the contrasting elements of this sign. This simple image “Small Services [rendered] to the Neighborhood” is easily understood. The strength of the group, so important to everyone, is the indispensable base for opposites that are nevertheless reduced - young and old, feminine and masculine, the magical and the humdrum.



The solidarity of small everyday acts are woven like the fibers of a tapestry of loincloth, and the great exchange system of the market multiplies and reinforces the plentitude of small services that people love to give from one house to another.



Those of you born under the sign learn to exercise a particularly strong capacity for interaction and for organization at the key moments of life. When you feel baffled, though encouraged by wise and caring beings, you will have to act and decide without hesitation while surrounded by difficulties.



Yet it is during these critical periods that your imagination blossoms and you discover creative ways to handle the most challenging of situations.



Your deep gentleness makes you popular, but can sometimes draw you into inappropriate relationships. Your peace and well-being will be enhanced when you rise above your need to seek affection at too many doors. Then you will experience a sense of sharing goodness in sound and lasting friendships.







The Market



May 5 to June 4



Element: Fire – Sense: Touch Favorable day: Sunday

Sensitive body parts: The throat and veins

Most successful months: May and September



The path, trail and great caravan routes converge at the first light of the new day. From the arid Sahel to the promised moisture of the dense forest, the brush and savannah inspire those on their way to riches and conquests.



For “The Market,” in accordance with the complicated style of this figure, power appears below two contrary signs that also support it.



Prosperity is born from the elements of contrasts brought into balance.



The duality of this figure indicates that those of you born under this sign meet with calmness and prosperity, intersected by a shadow of difficulties and danger; but the danger is only on the fringes of those born under this sign.



You must beware of being tempted to fritter away your vital strengths and getting lost in relationships without any future.



As a native of “The Market” you are an optimist, but tend to be struck by sudden fears that your loved ones could suddenly lack security and comfort. You are a dedicated altruist and can accomplish much in humanitarian pursuits.



Nothing can disturb you for very long because unconsciously you never stray too far from a fair benevolence. Tend your inner garden with devotion and care and you will thrive in spiritual fulfillment.









The Ancestor



June 5 to July 4



Element: Water – Sense: Taste Favorable day: Monday

Sensitive body part: The head

Most successful months: June and October



This rich African symbol consists of a solid base upon which two forces lie supporting a figure striving to raise itself. Originally “The Ancestor” was a sign of power. Yet, as the symbol indicates, individual will has no more energy than it can derive from a strong support and the more noble a force is, the greater will be its compelling foundation.



Those of you born under the sign of “The Ancestor” invariably sense the joy of sadness in the lives of those around you, though you may have a tendency to become immersed in their more melancholic attitudes.



The favorite maxim of this sign would be “One must be fair.” From this derives a propensity to use will power magnanimously, which demonstrates your capacity as leaders of initiatives and champions of grand projects.



It is the domain of “The Ancestor” to govern and to guide. Difficulties and opposing forces can at first cause some discouragement but due to strong self-knowledge, natives of this sign are informed by the wisdom of ancestral Africa and you recognize that you are often the cause of your own disappointments which you are quick to remedy.



As “The Ancestor,” you must learn to detach yourself from natural egoism and reach toward a disinterested attitude. Take care not to lose yourself in utopian schemes, but stay true to your ideals.



By ridding yourself of all will to influence and impress those around you, you will be able to realize the sweetest of your dreams.







The Judge



July 5 to August 4



Element: Fire – Sense: Touch Favorable day: Tuesday

Sensitive organs: The kidneys

Most successful months: July and November



This sign has a solidly planted base, full and strong-rooted, as a tree of justice overshadowed by two opposing and well-balanced sources of energy. This sacred figure, mainstay of earthly prophecy, happily predisposes those of you born under it to authority and drive.



“The Judge” natives discover very early in life that precocious ability to make decisions. In your formative years, you shine with brilliant initiative. You are patient, generous and know how to recognize the first indicators of your strengths and weaknesses, while others may still be blinded by childish dreams and constant regrets.



An iron will carries you toward altruistic activities making it unnecessary for you to boast when helping others extricate themselves from their miseries. You are ferocious militants, who attract others to your cause just by respecting your points of view. You arouse enthusiasm and new-found energy.



With a growing store of wisdom, thanks to the many fruitful actions you inspire, as a native of “The Judge” you also enjoy your own secret world of contemplation and imagination, which encourages many innovative ideas.



Your heightened sense of spirituality draws you into moments of solitude which serve to ground you in your power.







The Kola Nut



August 5 to September 3



Element: Earth – Sense: Taste Favorable day: Wednesday

Sensitive organs: The sexual organs

Most successful months: August and December



A figure of learning, frail because of instability, yet a symbol of joyful imbalance that never reaches dizziness, this sign celebrates the instinctive part of being, as well as its more sensual appetites.



“The Kola Nut” is a simple but indispensable part of life, chewed by women as well as by men or mixed with the powder of pepper and ginger, it provides joyous excitement. It stimulates a pleasing disposition and lends fantasy of lust to security. Those born under this sign are strangely energetic but also unstable. In the psychology of this sign, the candor of youth merits the reserve of wisdom which blossoms when the glimmer of excess fades away.



However, this feverish sign that wants to pull life out of its groove, aspires to regain control after having given in to insatiable and unstable pleasures.



It is beneficial for those born under this sign to use ruses and to take detours. Their robust nature and enormous freedom disturb more timid souls. Hence, there is a strong tendency to provoke others, uncurtailed by conventional guilt feelings. Still, equipped with an accurate clairvoyance, “The Kola Nut” will bring about salutary changes without too much difficulty. It is important not to give in to the temptation to change things merely for the sake of change.







The Traveler



September 4 to October 3



Element: Air – Sense: Sight Favorable day: Thursday

Sensitive body parts: The feet and joints

Most successful months: January and September



The character of those of you born under this sign comprises a marvelous mix of fluctuation and permanence as a result of the dual strengths present in the maternal breast of this geomantic figure.



As “The Traveler,” you have a twofold destiny. Your departure makes your village sad, but also very hopeful. So you can expect that your arrival in a new place will raise both fear and admiration.



To travel in Western Africa means to move on the fearful fringe of two worlds: the level of roads and trails as well as the subterranean and spiritual stratum that murmurs with mysteries of forgotten ancestors.



These mysteries come back in the fibers of the trees, in the ridges of dunes, in the chaos of roads, and the songs of the wind and the rain.

“The Traveler” is more than a wanderer but is also a cosmic messenger and often a close companion of poets and intellects.



You natives of this sign are of a complex nature which can be misconstrued by a demanding and sometimes superficial circle of friends.



More sensitive than you can bear to be and sometimes subject to a feeling of persecution, you must rely on your intuition and go on without illusion. Thus, reconciling your outward and inner travels, you will know how to temper your affections and limit your movements to what is strictly necessary. As a result, your burdens will be lighter and you will walk the path of courage and enlightenment.







The Distance



October 4 to November 3



Element: Water – Sense: Hearing Favorable day: Friday

Sensitive body part: The heart

Most successful months: February and October



Passion is at the heart of you born under “The Distance” which predisposes you to enflamed revelatory moments punctuated by ecstatic bursts of creativity.



Captives of an immature fear of too much stability, you tend to abandon yourself to blind instinct, living spontaneously and tossed about by circumstances.



Yet, this also allows you to be fully present in the moment that nurtures your unbridled youthful enthusiasm.



Though you have a strong desire to escape from personal commitments you are nevertheless a warm-hearted friend and confidant. But once you decide to offer yourself to the heart of love you will find within you the patience to uphold its promise.



Your innate mercurial nature is balanced by the pure waters of your own unique reasoning that flow through the channels of your most important decision-making challenges.



As a “Distance” you are among the world's most needed dreamers, anarchists and poets. You will achieve outstanding things when you remember to cultivate your expansive vision in the soil of earth.







The Child of the Word



November 4 to December 3



Element: Fire – Sense: Taste Favorable day: Saturday

Sensitive body parts: The viscera

Successful months: November and March



This divination figure places solid valor and combativeness center stage. The remarkable disposition of those born under this sign reflects a vital, strong and generous nature that encounters good will and devotion in its surroundings.



“The Children of the Word” are often placed in fortunate circumstances where they easily make contact with people more favored on the social scale. They can benefit greatly by cultivating the ability to attract others' generosity and consideration.



But The Child of the Word better watch out against the poison of pride, for to glory in having great relationships and parade like a man of the world will never help you face perils or develop your own solutions. Any arrogance would therefore invariably attract misfortune. Your enthusiasm must not be of the egotistical kind, but must be a fresh and stimulating disposition of the spirit that brings you closer to your neighbor.



Otherwise, like a student who is awarded a prize too easily for an overrated piece of work, the Child of the Word will leave to his self-conceit the task of justifying his emptiness. This would be a great pity, for those born under this sign can find within themselves all the resources of an accomplished negotiator, loyal friend and judicious spokesperson for their group, their family, or their business. Not much inclined to depressions, they enjoy a good time and know how to live a comfortable and secure life, guided as they are by the gentle wisdom of someone who connects the right value with inner peace...







The Harvest in the Granary



December 4 to January 3



Element: Water – Sense: Hearing Favorable day: Tuesday

Sensitive body parts: The skin and bones

Most successful months: April and December



A full, sober and reassuring figure, the image associated with this sign represents high huts of beaten earth, heavily laden from the ground to the roof with baskets of maize, sorghum and millet.



This symbol of abundance brings together the dynamics that produce a spirit of grandeur. The environment of those of you born under this sign favors action. Your ability to attract attention and solitude is enviable, but the happy predestination that affects your life is a snare.



Inclined to believe yourselves favored by fate and to feel protected by the care shown to you by others, you may not take full advantage of opportunities for success. "The Harvest in the Granary" natives are ultimately trailblazers who create their own destiny.



When in love, exert caution! Your vanity may trap you into believing that you are on earth to make others love you. Learn to be quiet. Develop your undeniable faculties of serenity and sincerity.



Your generosity and sense of loyalty accentuate the quality of your initiatives, in the joy of acting at the right moment, your energy will be reflected by wisdom.



To prepare for success you will have to show proof of firmness yet leniency, knowing how to put an abrupt end to bad liaisons. Put more trust in you intuitions.