My Creator, let me live my life today in a way that would make my ancestors proud. Let me remember each month that I am here to serve You. Today let me conduct my life in a way that also would make You proud

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You place a lot of emphasis on domestic life today. Home furnishings can be desirable; you look for bargains. Your feelings run deep and you feel the need to connect with your partner on an emotional level.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You're easily influenced by people's opinions today. You feel you have to agree in order to get along. You should try to disagree politely, perhaps by offering another point of view, instead of creating an argument.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You're attracted to a situation that promises money and position but there is a lot that not being told to you. You need to inquire more deeply, get specific answers to pointed questions. Get the real scoop.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You are oriented toward pleasing people today. When extroverted, you're trying to be charming and agreeable. When introverted, you may be using shyness as a way of attracting attention.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You're easily swayed by moods and moved by pathos. Your pity is easily aroused but you have to be sure any action or money is properly directed so that you are effective and not taken advantage of.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Some can take advantage of your lack of experience or knowledge today. You're challenged to learn all you can through direct sources instead of relying on assurances, hearsay or rumor.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You're sensitive to public will and opinion but you tend to disagree with it. You're challenged to see past the obvious into deeper motives and desires. A solution meets what people really need, and looks good too.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You can get involved in politics as a way of meeting people, as well as a way of putting excitement in your life. You like the turmoil, as long as it doesn't get ugly. You like the emotional engagement.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You are feeling optimistic and visionary today, perhaps unrealistically so. You're challenged to follow through with substantial action to make your dreams and imagination come true. Beware of another's agenda, however.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): It becomes important to develop a particular relationship. Beware of becoming obsessed. Get to know people and then move on until the next time develops. Leave a calling card. Don't try to force a friendship.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): This is a good day to focus on your job and perform well quietly. Too much excitement distracts from performance. You can get a lot done, making many people happy, if you stick to your business.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You have trouble dealing with real issues directly. Those with artistic talent may want to use drama, art or poetry to make social comments to make your point. You feel more comfortable urging others to make changes.

Oh Great Spirit, today I am ready for You to use me as a channel of Your peace. Let my walk today be visible so the people will say "There goes a Man of God." I want to know what He knows. If they ask, I will tell them to go out into the wilderness and pray for You to guide them

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You're apt to be erratic and unpredictable today. At root is dissatisfaction. You may need to partner with someone who enhances your ambitions instead of being subject to an organization that holds you back.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Conflicts push you into trying harder, doing better. You're challenged to use all your knowledge to good effect. You dig into an entrenched position so you may need to be alert to cases where you may be wrong-headed.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You pay attention to necessities today. Financially, you're frugal. In your love life, you're intensely loyal. You're acutely aware of where your best interests lie and you guard them carefully.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You have to be self-reliant today. You suffer from a lack of support; perhaps people are generally wrapped up in their own problems. Take it in stride and find how far you can stretch your abilities.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Heed your restlessness; it's a notice that you must be doing something different and better. While you may not be ready to make a wholesale change immediately, set the stage by aggressively learning what you need to.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You appreciate hard work and integrity now. You like people who succeed through personal effort. Your emotional self-expression is restrained, but sincere when you show it. You dislike a lot of drama now.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You can be afraid of trying for something better; a fear of failure or embarrassment holds you back. You should set these fears aside. People may admire you for trying, no matter the end result.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You're prone to dwell on the negative possibilities today. You need to see what positive outcomes can be made if you bring to bear the right effort and intention. You may benefit from the advice of someone with experience.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You struggle for more independence in your life now. You may have the feeling that professional and personal obligations are taking up too much of your time and energy. You want more personal space and more freedom of decision.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): There is tension between making a career move and staying close to your family. If forced into a decision, you'll go for the most responsible, least sentimental option being placed before you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You're willing to make the first concession in order to position yourself. After that, you need to be able to start setting some terms, since you should not remain in a position of powerlessness or lack of influence.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You are ready to make commitments in finances and in love. You are generally serious in your thinking and feelings. For some, the hard decision of a separation is the commitment you make.

Aug 15, 1057:
Malcolm slays Macbeth
At the Battle of Lumphanan, King Macbeth of Scotland is slain by Malcolm Canmore, whose father, King Duncan I, was murdered by Macbeth 17 years earlier.

Macbeth was a grandson of King Kenneth II and also had a claim to the throne through his wife, Gruoch, who was the granddaughter of Kenneth III--the Scottish king who had been overthrown by Duncan's predecessor King Malcolm II. Under King Duncan, Macbeth was governor of the Scottish province of Moray and a trusted military commander. However, he opposed Duncan's ties to the Saxons in the South, and he rose in rebellion. On August 14, 1040, Macbeth killed Duncan in a battle near Elgin, and he was crowned king of Scotland in his place.

In 1054, after 14 years of rule, King Macbeth suffered a major military defeat at the Battle of Dunsinane against Siward, the earl of Northumbria. Siward was acting on behalf of Malcolm Canmore, Duncan's son. Malcolm then gained control of the southern part of Scotland and spent the next three years pursuing Macbeth, who fled to the north. On August 15, 1057, Macbeth was defeated and killed by Malcolm at the Battle of Lumphanan with the assistance of the English. Malcolm Canmore was crowned Malcolm III in 1058

Great Spirit, teach me the path of forgiveness; teach me the courage to forgive; teach me to let go. Give to me a forgiving heart.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Be extremely careful in relationships today. You may have to deal with someone who thinks he's in charge but isn't. You must try to defuse a tense situation early before it gets out of control.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your job puts a lot of strain on you today. Be resolved to start early and pay utmost attention to small problems. You must be aware of what's going on and deal with situations quickly, instead of at the last minute.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The general attitude becomes tense now. Some relationships become strained and you struggle to keep a positive temperament. It's very important not to give in to petty vindictiveness.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You take parental duties seriously today but perhaps you take it too far. Punishment rather than intelligent correction is the first recourse. Keep your negative emotions under control, especially in regard to the helpless.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Beware intellectual arrogance today. You're easily offended and angered and may verbally attack people beyond justification. Don't react with extreme responses when a milder one will do a better job.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Bad news in the market can make you panic. You need to distinguish between a short-term event and long-term trends. In some cases, a market correction applies. Act according to reliable trend lines.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Events make you feel hostile and defensive. For many, there can be a good and obvious reason but others need to beware that their buttons are being pushed and they may be prone to overreacting.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You're feeling extremely frustrated today. It can seem you can't put your ideas into action now because of some internal conflict or external interference. You need to clarify and calm your emotions and your spirit.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You need to stick closely to organizational structures, rather than relying on a particular individual, no matter how strong he or she may be. It may be in some cases that a leader is causing institutional problems.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Your ambition could get out of hand today. You're apt to be on the rampage causing all kinds of dismay and alarm in a public venue. You're liable to create public notoriety for yourself.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Our beliefs reach a crisis point now. You can reconsider everything you've believed in as a deep pessimism inclines you to disbelieve. A despair of the spirit could lead you down dark and wrong paths.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Joint savings are under extreme stress today. Take a hard look at family finances. Call in an expert if, as is likely, you are in over your head. Emergency help may be necessary but don't decide in a state of panic.

My Creator, let me be patient. Let me realize that You are in charge of all things. Let me realize that I must grow my roots a little at a time to become strong

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Pressure from authorities makes in clear you must have more options to make your own decisions. You have to decide between caring for family and defiance. Make a calculated choice.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You're apt to let people do things for you, which you should be doing yourself. It's easy to see people as being there to help you, when your real task is to challenge your inner strength and determination.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You're apt to be introspective and worry about certain family relationships, especially your siblings. You must ponder how best to be supportive in situations that disagree with you or your beliefs.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Your work is affected today. Politics, jealousy, injustice and feelings that tear people apart. It's important to operate from a place of healing and reform, on everyone's part.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You're apt to try to take charge of everything today. You need to manage and delegate, as well realize that you don't always know everything and don't always know best. Let others takeover now and again.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It's important to focus on how you can improve your innate talents and bring them forward. Using others for comparison is a bad idea, unless you've got a specific role model for what you want to accomplish.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You can get in over your head in competitive situations today. You'd rather avoid unpleasantness entirely when it becomes clear circumstances are not as straightforward as you expected them to be.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You feel heavily dependent on favors, on giving, receiving and repaying them. It's important to do right by others first, instead of trying to make up for mistakes afterward. There is temptation to do wrong today.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don't take chances with relationships today. You're apt to rely on excessive forgiveness but this can be an imposition. You're challenged to do what you know is proper, rather than trying to get away with something.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You can be afraid to step outside your comfort zone today. Circumstances are pushing you out and you don't want to face it. You're challenged to enlarge your sphere of activity and improve social skills.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You take friends and partners for granted today. It's important to introduce a little excitement into the relationship, to spark an interest or a topic of conversation that lets you discover new depths about each other.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): While you are acutely aware of people's shortcomings, it's important to be forgiving and not to dwell on them. Your task is to make up for what others fail to do or be and to encourage them to be better.

Oh my Creator, if there are values I have missed, it is not too late. I can get them from You. Teach me today Your spiritual values. Respect, trust, giving, honesty, wisdom - teach me these

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You express yourself through actions more than words. You want a dramatic effect, without yourself actually being emotionally expressive. You feel your actions should be the center of attention.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You take steps to ensure the security of home and family. You're feeling vulnerable now and you prepare against possible emergencies. You feel you have to take charge at home.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are very inquisitive about the people around you but it's always for a reason. You're not idly curious; there's something you need to do. Some can feel defensive and spend too much time justifying themselves to others.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You pay attention to personal matters of practical importance today. Your attention narrows now only to what you can have an immediate impact on. You generally have little regard for events far away.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Your moods change from thinking deeply about matters of personal safety and practical issues, to taking action on them. You now feel that it is very important to get involved and to have a say in local issues.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your anxieties can be overwhelming today. You're challenged to get control of vague fears, to clarify them so that you understand what is really bothering you. Some can see that there is nothing to worry about.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You are feeling serious today and are apt to eliminate fun activities in favor of important work. You need supportive friends, who give you space for your actions, rather than trying to distract you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In your job, you take account of public opinion and feelings and may translate that into a compatible policy. Those seeking work should heed people who know their talents well or get career counseling.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You can apply yourself to important studies and research. Topics of immediate and practical interest can be studied broadly now, through an interdisciplinary approach that gives you a wide perspective.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You are sensitive to what people need now. Your actions are designed to provide for needed services and items. You may also want to spend time taking care of your investments and insurance so they are up to date.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Listen to those feelings that encourage companionship today. You're liable to also feel a sense of separation, which you should use for defining your personality, not for isolating yourself.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): This is a good day to adhere to your healthy diet or stay on track with other schedules dealing with health and nutrition. At work, regularity of procedure is also very important for success.

Aug 18, 1227:
Genghis Khan dies

Genghis Khan, the Mongol leader who forged an empire stretching from the east coast of China west to the Aral Sea, dies in camp during a campaign against the Chinese kingdom of Xi Xia. The great Khan, who was over 60 and in failing health, may have succumbed to injuries incurred during a fall from a horse in the previous year.

Genghis Khan was born as Temujin around 1162. His father, a minor Mongol chieftain, died when Temujin was in his early teens. Temujin succeeded him, but the tribe would not obey so young a chief. Temporarily abandoned, Temujin's family was left to fend for themselves in the wilderness of the Steppes.

By his late teens, Temujin had grown into a feared warrior and charismatic figure who began gathering followers and forging alliances with other Mongol leaders. After his wife was kidnapped by a rival tribe, Temujin organized a military force to defeat the tribe. Successful, he then turned against other clans and tribes and set out to unite the Mongols by force. Many warriors voluntarily came to his side, but those who did not were defeated and then offered the choice of obedience or death. The nobility of conquered tribes were generally executed. By 1206, Temujin was the leader of a great Mongol confederation and was granted the title Genghis Khan, translated as "Oceanic Ruler" or "Universal Ruler."

Khan promulgated a code of conduct and organized his armies on a system of 10: 10 men to a squad, 10 squads to a company, 10 companies to a regiment, and 10 regiments to a "Tumen," a fearful military unit made up of 10,000 cavalrymen. Because of their nomadic nature, the Mongols were able to breed far more horses than sedentary civilizations, which could not afford to sacrifice farmland for large breeding pastures. All of Khan's warriors were mounted, and half of any given army was made up of armored soldiers wielding swords and lances. Light cavalry archers filled most of the remaining ranks. Khan's family and other trusted clan members led these highly mobile armies, and by 1209 the Mongols were on the move against China.

Using an extensive network of spies and scouts, Khan detected a weakness in his enemies' defenses and then attacked the point with as many as 250,000 cavalrymen at once. When attacking large cities, the Mongols used sophisticated sieging equipment such as catapults and mangonels and even diverted rivers to flood out the enemy. Most armies and cities crumbled under the overwhelming show of force, and the massacres that followed a Mongol victory eliminated thoughts of further resistance. Those who survived--and millions did not--were granted religious freedom and protection within the rapidly growing Mongol empire. By 1227, Khan had conquered much of Central Asia and made incursions into Eastern Europe, Persia, and India. His great empire stretched from central Russia down to the Aral Sea in the west, and from northern China down to Beijing in the east.

On August 18, 1227, while putting down a revolt in the kingdom of Xi Xia, Genghis Khan died. On his deathbed, he ordered that Xi Xia be wiped from the face of the earth. Obedient as always, Khan's successors leveled whole cities and towns, killing or enslaving all their inhabitants. Obeying his order to keep his death secret, Genghis' heirs slaughtered anyone who set eyes on his funeral procession making its way back to Karakorum, the capital of the Mongol empire. Still bringing death as he had in life, many were killed before his corpse was buried in an unmarked grave. His final resting place remains a mystery.

The Mongol empire continued to grow after Genghis Khan's death, eventually encompassing most of inhabitable Eurasia. The empire disintegrated in the 14th century, but the rulers of many Asian states claimed descendant from Genghis Khan and his captains.

Aug 18, 1590:
Roanoke Colony deserted

John White, the governor of the Roanoke Island colony in present-day North Carolina, returns from a supply-trip to England to find the settlement deserted. White and his men found no trace of the 100 or so colonists he left behind, and there was no sign of violence. Among the missing were Ellinor Dare, White's daughter; and Virginia Dare, White's granddaughter and the first English child born in America. August 18 was to have been Virginia's third birthday. The only clue to their mysterious disappearance was the word "CROATOAN" carved into the palisade that had been built around the settlement. White took the letters to mean that the colonists had moved to Croatoan Island, some 50 miles away, but a later search of the island found none of the settlers.

The Roanoke Island colony, the first English settlement in the New World, was founded by English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh in August 1585. The first Roanoke colonists did not fare well, suffering from dwindling food supplies and Indian attacks, and in 1586 they returned to England aboard a ship captained by Sir Francis Drake. In 1587, Raleigh sent out another group of 100 colonists under John White. White returned to England to procure more supplies, but the war with Spain delayed his return to Roanoke. By the time he finally returned in August 1590, everyone had vanished.

In 1998, archaeologists studying tree-ring data from Virginia found that extreme drought conditions persisted between 1587 and 1589. These conditions undoubtedly contributed to the demise of the so-called Lost Colony, but where the settlers went after they left Roanoke remains a mystery. One theory has them being absorbed into an Indian tribe known as the Croatans.

Great Spirit, let me walk the Red Road today with the confidence that You are with me. If I fall, I will quickly ask You to help me know what I should do next.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your eccentricities are showing today and this helps to make the day interesting for the people around you. Be sensitive, however, to those who really prefer predictability in their lives right now, those who don't want upsets.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You are open to ideas for personal and social improvement. Many would benefit from personal coaching in their chosen activities. Open up unique side interests to round out the personality.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your family supports your next move to success. You must be willing to move on and up and not be held back by false sentimentality. You feel better about yourself if you're able to help your family better than before.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): This is an excellent day for generating new friends. Meet the neighbors and create a good relationship with them. Pleasant activities can involve local travel now. You are feeling generally at ease now.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You're attracted to an idea or opinion that dissents from what's popular. You're challenged to present disagreement as rational dialog instead of crazy argumentation. Get all the facts; you could be wrong -- or more right than you know.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It's easy to coast and let problems take care of themselves. However, it's better to take charge and deal with them as they arise. Multiply your advantages instead of letting disadvantages accumulate and grow.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Disagreements creep into your relationships today. You and your friends find a chasm developing between you. You're challenged to value good feelings over a momentary intellectual dissension.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You're liable to jump past orderly procedures and go by intellectual leaps of faith. Be sensitive to situations where timing is important and where justification is necessary. Publicly, such jumps are disruptive.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Take opportunities that arise or that are offered to you. You could stand to gain as long as you are neither complacent nor over-ambitious. Seek organic growth in your success, not a revolution.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You take an unusual perspective on social events today, which can catch on as people see its basic wisdom. You should in no way seek to go along with popular opinion. The truth is deeper and different.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You have ideas that would completely overhaul existing procedures. In reality, some of them are crackpot, while total confusion would result from implementing them. Work them in, if possible, gradually and systematically.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): This is an excellent day for professional success and expanding contacts. The key is winning people to your side and reducing the sense of alienation and resentment people may already have.

Great Spirit, let me walk in balance today. Remove from me resentment, self pity, and self seeking motives. Let me love myself so I can love my neighbors

ARIES (March 21-April 19): There is a crisis now, which some may use for opportunity. You must be patient with those who don't have such courage or strength. It's important to get people to actually believe what they know, deep inside, to be true.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You can see that it's no good sitting around waiting for leadership. You step into that role now or else start learning the skills to do so. Reform has become slow or stalled and you want to get it going again.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): More than most people today, you are liable to favor unconventional means for making money and reaching budget. Beware of getting involved with scams and most especially don't start one!

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You sense that you are in a competition of ideas now. Whatever position you take, you take a leadership role and start organizing people. You must expect that an activist role also requires that you learn new skills.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): This is a good day to take a hard look at yourself and your job. Are you where you want to be? Are you ready to take on more responsibility, to become serious about what's really important to you? A hobby can start being an income stream.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): There is a chance that those undergoing financial hardship can start turning it around but only with strict attention to responsibility and hard work. Don't be dishonest or misrepresent your past, your experience or your skills.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You're feeling oppressed and put down today. You're susceptible to feelings of alienation and victimization. Of course, you need to develop a strategy to change the situation or get away from it.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You feel you are on the precipice of a dangerous or uncertain situation. You need to weigh the possibilities and consequences. Perhaps time spent in research is more valuable than making a decision at this point.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You're feeling that times are tough -- some because of lack of money, others because of too much responsibility! Either way, today you want to end the uncomfortable situation and you start preparing for an easier way of living.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You can apply yourself better than most people today. It's important to be focused and serious now. If you lack a goal, then it's easy to treat others with disrespect.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Personal integrity is an important issue to you today. It's easy to be concerned about others' honesty and reliability and where unavoidable this should be pursued. At the same time, however, look hard at your own faults and failures.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your social awareness is strong today and you are ready to take a stand. It's important that your criticisms of wrongdoers be on-point and measured, not wild-sounding and incoherent.

My Creator, today grant me the wisdom to seek Your wisdom. Help me to Walk of the Red Road

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You have to deal with strong characters today. You can't always get what you want but if you keep a good humor you can always have an exciting and thought-provoking experience with them.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You are feeling free and easy today. Bad judgment can cause bad scenes, however, so maintain good and common sense. You are too trusting and while not everyone is malicious, you can make avoidable mistakes.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You think that you are automatically right. It's hard to negotiate; a fight is your first action and response. You're challenged to be expressive, to engage in give and take and strive for a win-win solution.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): An exotic locale can attract your attention. A dream vacation can seem desirable. A different way of thinking about the world can begin now, possibly through the influence of a friend or an eccentric associate.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Your mind and feelings are in sync with each other. You get questions answered, mostly through research, but sometimes by direct questioning. Your general perceptiveness lets you read body language, see through fallacies.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You are sociable and accommodating today. Not everyone can be expected to be on good behavior, so be prepared to show some tough love as well. It's important to make your expectations known early and to be able to enforce them.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You're prone to let other people dominate you today; this creates resentment. You're challenged to join in the creative and cooperative process. Assert yourself and join in the free flow of wackiness.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You express your opinions easily today, perhaps too freely. It's hard to put a censor on your tongue but you must think ahead to how your exact words and attitudes will affect people. You mean well but can be misunderstood.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You have definite ideas about how to proceed and how things should go. Trying to force the issue sets up unnecessary conflict. It's better to build bridges, make allies, be persuasive and make compromises along the way.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You must cope with unexpected snafus today. You're challenged to cope with digressions and make extra effort keep home and job on an even keel so that as few people as possible are inconvenienced.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You're open to people's ideas and are willing to work with them to make things happen. Ask questions freely as long as your main goal is get necessary information, not to serve an ulterior motive.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You are full of bright ideas but they may not be very practical at this time. Write down your thoughts for future reference. At a later time, you can review them for more development and functionality.

Great Mystery, Grandfather, I know if I am tested today that I can count on You to give me the courage to get to the other side. On the other side of every test is the reward of strength. Make me strong

Aug 22, 1485:
Battle of Bosworth Field

In the last major battle of the War of the Roses, King Richard III is defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field by Henry Tudor, the earl of Richmond. After the battle, the royal crown, which Richard had worn into the fray, was picked out of a bush and placed on Henry's head. His crowning as King Henry VII inaugurated the rule of the house of Tudor over England, a dynasty that would last until Queen Elizabeth's death in 1603.

In the 1450s, English failures in the Hundred Years War with France, coupled with periodic fits of insanity suffered by King Henry VI, led to a power struggle between the two royal houses whose badges were the Red Rose of Lancaster and the White Rose of York. The War of the Roses left little mark on the common English people but severely thinned the ranks of the English nobility. Among the royalty who perished were Richard of York; Richard Neville; the earl of Warwick; and kings Henry VI and Richard III. In 1486, King Henry VII's marriage to Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward IV, united the houses of Lancaster and York and formally ended the bloody War of the Roses.

Oh Great Spirit, first let me thank You for the honor of talking to You today. To have the insight of Your love, that only You can love me when I don't deserve to be loved. Let me be reminded to talk to You all day long

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You are heavily involved in the expression and exchange of ideas today, yet you shouldn't make snap judgments. Think through the information you get. Sort fact from opinion and interpretation. Use practical reason.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The answer to a current dilemma is probably in your past. What does the current situation remind you of? Allow a reverie or even a current dream, speak to you. Once you understand your feelings, you can react reasonably.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are eager to engage in dialog today. Whatever you're interested in, whenever you have questions, you can be bold enough to get in contact with the principle people involved. Start or join the conversation.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Situations require nerves of steel today. You can be resolute in facing them now. It's important that you focus on resolution, not blame; where person is at fault, focus on education instead of punishment.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Teaching others is a task you should take seriously. Many have a wealth of experience and this is something you should try to pass on. Your accumulation of right and wrong moves can be valuable lessons to benefit others.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Make public the results of your research now. Be sure also to continue investigations, as new leads can develop when more people know what you're doing. You may need to hold back key information that's not fully developed.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You believe in making your own luck. You prefer to be in the lead and so you set the agenda instead of waiting for instructions. You're serious, yet earnest, approach is something the people you want will find appealing.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Your job requires you to create a procedure, or to follow a prescribed series of steps exactly. A predictable routine is necessary for the work to flow smoothly and for everyone to know what needs to be done next.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You are in a key position to learn the perspectives of many people. There is something to learn from everyone and it's your task to bring the information out of them. You can put their pieces together into a coherent narrative.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A task on the job, or a career opportunity, can open up. In certain cases, it may be necessary to keep part of what you're doing a secret. You don't have to be completely open to everyone about your career or finances.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your analytic abilities are valuable and earn you a place in important discussions. It's important to maintain an overview, and advocate not only your position, but synthesize all the information brought to the table.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Organizational skills learned on the job can be beneficially applied at home now. Vice-versa, the ways you make your home safe and cozy can be brought to work to make it less stressful and more comfortable.

My Creator, guide me today. If my eyes cause confusion, let me close them and see through Your eyes. If my ears hear confusion, let me listen to my heart. Let me let You guide me

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You tend to live in your imagination today, which is why people think that real-world events aren't affecting your attitude. Actually they are but you're too busy interpreting and reframing them in your mind.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You're trying to match up organizational rules with what you want to do. Many will find it easier to evade the rules than to obey them. You shade meanings, look for loopholes. You could come under scrutiny if you go too far.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You find it hard to fit into a rigid hierarchy today. You become aware of how much you are becoming out of step with authoritarian pressure. If you want to introduce a change, do so carefully and be alert to reactions.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You're prone to show your emotions openly but in fits and starts. People can be startled when you're quiet one moment, then exploding with some dramatic reaction. You should moderate this so people don't get upset.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Chaos can erupt at home. You need to address it immediately not ignore or delay it. This at least will let the people involved know you care and this alone can help to improve the situation. Build confidence with your family.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Issues of mutual support become important to you. Mostly because you're sensitive to the ways you can't do everything all by yourself. You feel you are best at coming up with ideas but someone else is better at implementing them.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You begin to be aware how your current job should be a stepping stone to something more fulfilling. Let yourself become aware of your personal strong points, which can be advertised, and your weak points, which need to be worked on.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Exercise your inventiveness and quick thinking today Situations can be your opportunity to shine and become noticed. An original approach can be your ticket to something even better and fulfilling.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your way of thinking emphasizes the theoretical but you are challenged to bring your ideas down to earth and apply them in your own life. Make no mistake: your ideas are for you, not for others.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You don't want a lot of attention now. You feel as though you have been, or could be, blamed for something. If you're afraid to ask for help from people in charge, you have to move past the fear and open everything up.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You are open to new insights about relationships today, both with specific individuals and in general. Your view of people shifts from their typical roles around you toward their unique personalities, lives and talents.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You are of a more imaginative turn of mind today. You see things philosophically, interpreting what happens to you in more abstract terms than in how you're being personally affected right now. You need to address pressing situations.

Aug 24, 79:
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius begins

Mount Vesuvius near Pompeii, Italy, begins to erupt on this day in the year 79; within the next 25 hours, it wipes out the entire town. Hundreds of years later, archaeologists excavated Pompeii and found everything and everyone that had been there that day perfectly preserved by the volcano's ash.

Pompeii, about 90 miles south of Rome, was established in 600 B.C.E. in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, which stood approximately 6,500 feet high. Apparently, no one was aware that Vesuvius was an active volcano, even after an earthquake in February of the year 63.

The preserved remains of Pompeii are not the only evidence of the disaster. Two authors who witnessed the eruption also recorded their observations. Pliny the Elder was across the bay from Vesuvius on the morning of August 24 when a large cloud was noticed emanating from the volcano. He dispatched several ships to the coastal town of Resina to investigate, but the ships could not land because they were pelted by flaming rocks from the volcano. Pliny the Elder headed toward the town of Stabiae, where ash continued to fall through the night. By the following morning, the ash even obscured the sun from view. On August 25, Pliny the Elder died, apparently overtaken by sulfur gases released from the volcano.

Pliny the Younger, just 18 years old at the time, was also a witness to the eruption. He reported people climbing through waves of ash to escape. His account of the tons of pumice, rock and ash that Vesuvius pumped out over a 25-hour period, combined with the evidence left in Pompeii, indicates that about 2,000 residents of Pompeii survived the initial eruption of Vesuvius on August 24. It was the following morning when another, more powerful eruption killed everyone in an instant. When rain mixed with the ash, it formed a sort of concrete, preserving the city. The town of Herculaneum was also buried on August 25, but by a mudslide set off by the eruption and accompanying tremors. It is estimated that 13,000 people in total died from the eruption.

It was not until 1595, during the construction of an aqueduct, that Pompeii was rediscovered. Unfortunately, what can be viewed today is only a small fraction of what was found then, as looting and pillaging over the years has greatly reduced the archaeological value of the site. Some scientists believe that there may still be other villages buried by Vesuvius that have yet to be discovered.

Aug 24, 1572:
Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre

King Charles IX of France, under the sway of his mother, Catherine de Medici, orders the assassination of Huguenot Protestant leaders in Paris, setting off an orgy of killing that results in the massacre of tens of thousands of Huguenots all across France.

Two days earlier, Catherine had ordered the murder of Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, a Huguenot leader whom she felt was leading her son into war with Spain. However, Coligny was only wounded, and Charles promised to investigate the assassination in order to placate the angry Huguenots. Catherine then convinced the young king that the Huguenots were on the brink of rebellion, and he authorized the murder of their leaders by the Catholic authorities. Most of these Huguenots were in Paris at the time, celebrating the marriage of their leader, Henry of Navarre, to the king's sister, Margaret.

A list of those to be killed was drawn up, headed by Coligny, who was brutally beaten and thrown out of his bedroom window just before dawn on August 24. Once the killing started, mobs of Catholic Parisians, apparently overcome with bloodlust, began a general massacre of Huguenots. Charles issued a royal order on August 25 to halt the killing, but his pleas went unheeded as the massacres spread. Mass slaughters continued into October, reaching the provinces of Rouen, Lyon, Bourges, Bourdeaux, and Orleans. An estimated 3,000 French Protestants were killed in Paris, and as many as 70,000 in all of France. The massacre of Saint Bartholomew's Day marked the resumption of religious civil war in France.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): An unexpected development disturbs your peace at home. There can be problems for you to be productive, to break routine; you cannot relax. There can be resistance to efforts to control you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You're thrown into an emotional frenzy today. There is anxiety about being to provide for your family, to have a legacy to pass to your children. For most people, this involves immediate solvency, which may be unraveling.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your attention is placed on managing both job and home. While your domestic issues seem mostly under control, what's happening at work threatens to undo everything. Some may undergo public humiliation now.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You are prone to be vain in some way, mostly in a philosophic or spiritual fashion. It's very important to remain humble, as any intuition or understanding you have is likely to be provisional, so keep searching.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You are earnestly trying to help people today. You enjoy the personal contact but you may not be able to see what you don't want to. Your preoccupations shouldn't make you oblivious.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You're very sensitive to events today and may be prone to make more of them than is warranted. Don't make matters worse by over-reacting. Get control of your emotions. This self-mastery will help you cope better.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): An important person can foster your interests in learning more in higher education. Personal good feelings with managers are important for professional success. Emphasize improving your level of proficiency.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): It's important to rely on your own efforts. Promises of help should be accepted but not entirely relied upon. You should always have a back-up plan in case you are the only person left to do a project.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Pay close attention to improving family relationships. The more you put emotional investment in spouse and children, the more they can feel they can rely on you. Pay attention also to defects in your physical dwelling.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You are easily impressionable today. You need to awaken your skepticism and ask hard questions. You can be afraid that by challenging someone, you can appear aggressive or offensive but you must overcome this fear.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your challenge is to communicate everything in proper perspective. You're liable to make understatements, to say things so people don't get alarmed. You need to be able to tactful and convey the right importance.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your self-doubt is strong so you are prone to back down when someone presents a more confident face. You need to think analytically and critically in order to meet bravado with questions and critiques.

Aug 25, 325:
Council of Nicaea concludes

The Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical debate held by the early Christian church, concludes with the establishment of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Convened by Roman Emperor Constantine I in May, the council also deemed the Arian belief of Christ as inferior to God as heretical, thus resolving an early church crisis.

The controversy began when Arius, an Alexandrian priest, questioned the full divinity of Christ because, unlike God, Christ was born and had a beginning. What began as an academic theological debate spread to Christian congregations throughout the empire, threatening a schism in the early Christian church. Roman Emperor Constantine I, who converted to Christianity in 312, called bishops from all over his empire to resolve the crisis and urged the adoption of a new creed that would resolve the ambiguities between Christ and God.

Meeting at Nicaea in present-day Turkey, the council established the equality of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the Holy Trinity and asserted that only the Son became incarnate as Jesus Christ. The Arian leaders were subsequently banished from their churches for heresy. The Emperor Constantine presided over the opening of the council and contributed to the discussion.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Sensitive to how you are being controlled, you opt to develop talents so that no one can tell you what to do. You like the excitement that comes from making your own decisions.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You have nervous energy that's hard to direct properly. Keep your spiritual ideals uppermost in mind, lest distractions make you nervous and anxious. You also need a clear goal set by yourself or by someone managing you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your inventiveness and insight are strong today. You have good perception into how to reform an organization and modernize the work flow. A drawback is being quick to advocate an unproven fad.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You're left standing alone when you expected help or a group effort. You must overcome feelings of abandonment and strive to do more than what's expected of you. You build strength of character today.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The future is your concern today; the newest tech is seen as a harbinger of things to come. Some are trying to keep up with progress, while still others can see opportunities in new technologies, whether personal or entrepreneurial.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): There are unexpected changes in income about now; personal adjustments are necessary, by being more frugal and by being inventive about job choices. When the social rules become disadvantageous, many will write their own rules.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You want to be dedicated and do excellent work, even as you want to be seen as nobody special. Thus, you do a lot of work behind the scenes and under the radar, appreciated by colleagues but unnoticed by management.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You're feeling down and out today, excluded from the type of people you want to be with. A turn of bad luck can make you feel demoted from favored status. Keep a positive attitude in order to prevent a downward spiral.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Those who are traveling long-distance have an exciting time now with thrilling sights and discoveries. You generally avoid canned routines, preferring to improvise, to go off the beaten track and discover what else is possible.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You need reliable friends to cooperate in original ventures. You want to be ahead of the curve but in a business environment you need likewise forward-looking and enthusiastic partners.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Many become attracted to or more involved with, social networking. Immediate communications and quick feedback are essential for building a critical mass of information. Share, learn, think, share some more.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A sudden loss can result in unforeseen gains. For many, the dark cloud of sadness makes it hard to be happy about the silver lining. Don't worry; deal your feelings now and pick up the pieces when you can.

Great Spirit, today I am ready to serve You

Aug 26, 1346:
Battle of Crecy

During the Hundred Years War, King Edward III's English army annihilates a French force under King Philip VI at the Battle of Crecy in Normandy. The battle, which saw an early use of the deadly longbow by the English, is regarded as one of the most decisive in history.

On July 12, 1346, Edward landed an invasion force of about 14,000 men on the coast of Normandy. From there, the English army marched northward, plundering the French countryside. Learning of the Englishmen's arrival, King Philip rallied an army of 12,000 men, made up of approximately 8,000 mounted knights and 4,000 hired Genoese crossbowmen. At Crecy, Edward halted his army and prepared for the French assault. Late in the afternoon of August 26, Philip's army attacked.

The Genoese crossbowmen led the assault, but they were soon overwhelmed by Edward's 10,000 longbowmen, who could reload faster and fire much further. The crossbowmen then retreated and the French mounted knights attempted to penetrate the English infantry lines. In charge after charge, the horses and riders were cut down in the merciless shower of arrows. At nightfall, the French finally withdrew. Nearly a third of their army lay slain on the field, including Philip's brother, Charles II of Alencon; his allies King John of Bohemia and Louis II of Nevers; and 1,500 other knights and esquires. Philip himself escaped with a wound. English losses were less than a hundred.

The battle marked the decline of the mounted knight in European warfare and the rise of England as a world power. From Crecy, Edward marched on to Calais, which surrendered to him in 1347.

Oh Great Spirit, let me serve the people today. Let me see that it is better to give than it is to receive. Be with me today

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You like to be assured that friends and associates remember and appreciate you. You reach out to relieve loneliness. You want to be involved personally or socially with the people you like now.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You are ambitious today but you don't suffer fools gladly. You want to cut out extraneous activities but your own volatile emotions are themselves a distraction from your goals. Follow your gut instincts but don't be controlled by them.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You need to do something today but, more important, you need to be paying attention to something practical. You like being busy and if you're not you're liable to waste time and act out of boredom.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): There is a lot for you to do today. You may not know where to begin. Start somewhere. Just doing that will help you see what needs to be done and the right order to do it in. Strong emotions interfere with effectiveness.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You're apt to feel frustrated and angry today and to say so openly. It's important to keep idle grousing under control. Examine feelings of discontent for the reasons; is it a personal problem or is there something objectively wrong?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Someone is liable to take advantage of your weaknesses today. Resist the urge to make your vulnerabilities and misgivings known. They can be used against you now. Emphasize your dedication when speaking to others.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Members of clubs or organizations become active in them today, especially in advertising or promotional materials. You enjoy planning activities now, though mostly this is in the executive levels of you club.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You are liable to talk a lot about what you're going to do but then not do them. Make less advertising, do more action. Let your performance do the talking for you. There is also less interference that way.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You are ready to learn from advanced thinkers and from the most successful people. Today, you don't see why you should following the speculations of people who don't know anything. You want knowledge and you want results.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You are generally optimistic and are ready to take the necessary steps for making the most of your advantages. While not humorless, you are serious and dedicated to the path you have set.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You are alert to dangers and even to situations that aren't quite right. You keep control on everything, even petty infractions. People can resent your hard attitude, so be able to justify your approach.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You're apt to get into arguments that are basically philosophic in nature. The way you see the world, in comparison to the way others do, is at the root of all important disagreements that you enter into and should be approached that way.

My Creator, let me know what You would have me be today. Let my intentions be honest, respectful, humble, and loving.

Atahuallpa offered to fill a room with treasure as ransom for his release, and Pizarro accepted. Eventually, some 24 tons of gold and silver were brought to the Spanish from throughout the Inca empire. Although Atahuallpa had provided the richest ransom in the history of the world, Pizarro treacherously put him on trial for plotting to overthrow the Spanish, for having his half-brother Huascar murdered, and for several other lesser charges. A Spanish tribunal convicted Atahuallpa and sentenced him to die. On August 29, 1533, the emperor was tied to a stake and offered the choice of being burned alive or strangled by garrote if he converted to Christianity. In the hope of preserving his body for mummification, Atahuallpa chose the latter, and an iron collar was tightened around his neck until he died.

With Spanish reinforcements that had arrived at Cajamarca earlier that year, Pizarro then marched on Cuzco, and the Inca capital fell without a struggle in November 1533. Huascar's brother Manco Capac was installed as a puppet emperor, and the city of Quito was subdued. Pizarro established himself as Spanish governor of Inca territory and offered Diego Almagro the conquest of Chile as appeasement for claiming the riches of the Inca civilization for himself. In 1535, Pizarro established the city of Lima on the coast to facilitate communication with Panama. The next year, Manco Capac escaped from Spanish supervision and led an unsuccessful uprising that was quickly crushed. That marked the end of Inca resistance to Spanish rule.

Diego Almagro returned from Chile embittered by the poverty of that country and demanded his share of the spoils of the former Inca empire. Civil war soon broke out over the dispute, and Almagro seized Cuzco in 1538. Pizarro sent his half brother, Hernando, to reclaim the city, and Almagro was defeated and put to death. On June 26, 1541, allies of Diego el Monzo—Almagro's son—penetrated Pizarro's palace in Lima and assassinated the conquistador while he was eating dinner. Diego el Monzo proclaimed himself governor of Peru, but an agent of the Spanish crown refused to recognize him, and in 1542 Diego was captured and executed. Conflict and intrigue among the conquistadors of Peru persisted until Spanish Viceroy Andres Hurtado de Mendoza established order in the late 1550s.

Aug 29, 1533:
Pizarro Executes Last Inca Emperor

Atahuallpa, the 13th and last emperor of the Incas, dies by strangulation at the hands of Francisco Pizarro's Spanish conquistadors. The execution of Atahuallpa, the last free reigning emperor, marked the end of 300 years of Inca civilization.

High in the Andes Mountains of Peru, the Inca built a dazzling empire that governed a population of 12 million people. Although they had no writing system, they had an elaborate government, great public works, and a brilliant agricultural system. In the five years before the Spanish arrival, a devastating war of succession gripped the empire. In 1532, Atahuallpa's army defeated the forces of his half-brother Huascar in a battle near Cuzco. Atahuallpa was consolidating his rule when Pizarro and his 180 soldiers appeared.

Francisco Pizarro was the son of a Spanish gentleman and worked as a swineherder in his youth. He became a soldier and in 1502 went to Hispaniola with the new Spanish governor of the New World colony. Pizarro served under Spanish conquistador Alonso de Ojeda during his expedition to Colombia in 1510 and was with Vasco Nunez de Balboa when he discovered the Pacific Ocean in 1513. Hearing legends of the great wealth of an Indian civilization in South America, Pizarro formed an alliance with fellow conquistador Diego de Almagro in 1524 and sailed down the west coast of South America from Panama. The first expedition only penetrated as far as present-day Ecuador, but a second reached farther, to present-day Peru. There they heard firsthand accounts of the Inca empire and obtained Inca artifacts. The Spanish christened the new land Peru, probably after the Vire River.

Returning to Panama, Pizarro planned an expedition of conquest, but the Spanish governor refused to back the scheme. In 1528, Pizarro sailed back to Spain to ask the support of Emperor Charles V. Hernan Cortes had recently brought the emperor great wealth through his conquest of the Aztec Empire, and Charles approved Pizarro's plan. He also promised that Pizarro, not Almagro, would receive the majority of the expedition's profits. In 1530, Pizarro returned to Panama.

In 1531, he sailed down to Peru, landing at Tumbes. He led his army up the Andes Mountains and on November 15, 1532, reached the Inca town of Cajamarca, where Atahuallpa was enjoying the hot springs in preparation for his march on Cuzco, the capital of his brother's kingdom. Pizarro invited Atahuallpa to attend a feast in his honor, and the emperor accepted. Having just won one of the largest battles in Inca history, and with an army of 30,000 men at his disposal, Atahuallpa thought he had nothing to fear from the bearded white stranger and his 180 men. Pizarro, however, planned an ambush, setting up his artillery at the square of Cajamarca.

On November 16, Atahuallpa arrived at the meeting place with an escort of several thousand men, all apparently unarmed. Pizarro sent out a priest to exhort the emperor to accept the sovereignty of Christianity and Emperor Charles V., and Atahuallpa refused, flinging a Bible handed to him to the ground in disgust. Pizarro immediately ordered an attack. Buckling under an assault by the terrifying Spanish artillery, guns, and cavalry (all of which were alien to the Incas), thousands of Incas were slaughtered, and the emperor was captured.

Upon Caesar's triumphant return to Rome, Cleopatra and Caesarion joined him there. Under the auspices of negotiating a treaty with Rome, Cleopatra lived discretely in a villa that Caesar owned outside the capital. After Caesar was assassinated in March 44 B.C., she returned to Egypt. Soon after, Ptolemy XIV died, likely poisoned by Cleopatra, and the queen made her son co-ruler with her as Ptolemy XV Caesar.

With Julius Caesar's murder, Rome again fell into civil war, which was temporarily resolved in 43 B.C. with the formation of the second triumvirate, made up of Octavian, Caesar's great-nephew and chosen heir; Mark Antony, a powerful general; and Lepidus, a Roman statesman. Antony took up the administration of the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire, and he summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus, in Asia Minor, to answer charges that she had aided his enemies.

Cleopatra sought to seduce Antony, as she had Caesar before him, and in 41 B.C. arrived in Tarsus on a magnificent river barge, dressed as Venus, the Roman god of love. Successful in her efforts, Antony returned with her to Alexandria, where they spent the winter in debauchery. In 40 B.C., Antony returned to Rome and married Octavian's sister Octavia in an effort to mend his strained alliance with Octavian. The triumvirate, however, continued to deteriorate. In 37 B.C., Antony separated from Octavia and traveled east, arranging for Cleopatra to join him in Syria. In their time apart, Cleopatra had borne him twins, a son and a daughter. According to Octavian's propagandists, the lovers were then married, which violated the Roman law restricting Romans from marrying foreigners.

Antony's disastrous military campaign against Parthia in 36 B.C. further reduced his prestige, but in 34 B.C. he was more successful against Armenia. To celebrate the victory, he staged a triumphal procession through the streets of Alexandria, in which he and Cleopatra sat on golden thrones, and Caesarion and their children were given imposing royal titles. Many in Rome, spurred on by Octavian, interpreted the spectacle as a sign that Antony intended to deliver the Roman Empire into alien hands.

After several more years of tension and propaganda attacks, Octavian declared war against Cleopatra, and therefore Antony, in 31 B.C. Enemies of Octavian rallied to Antony's side, but Octavian's brilliant military commanders gained early successes against his forces. On September 2, 31 B.C., their fleets clashed at Actium in Greece. After heavy fighting, Cleopatra broke from the engagement and set course for Egypt with 60 of her ships. Antony then broke through the enemy line and followed her. The disheartened fleet that remained surrendered to Octavian. One week later, Antony's land forces surrendered.

Although they had suffered a decisive defeat, it was nearly a year before Octavian reached Alexandria and again defeated Antony. In the aftermath of the battle, Cleopatra took refuge in the mausoleum she had commissioned for herself. Antony, informed that Cleopatra was dead, stabbed himself with his sword. Before he died, another messenger arrived, saying Cleopatra still lived. Antony had himself carried to Cleopatra's retreat, where he died after bidding her to make her peace with Octavian. When the triumphant Roman arrived, she attempted to seduce him, but he resisted her charms. Rather than fall under Octavian's domination, Cleopatra committed suicide on August 30, 30 B.C., possibly by means of an asp, a poisonous Egyptian serpent and symbol of divine royalty.

Octavian then executed her son Caesarion, annexed Egypt into the Roman Empire, and used Cleopatra's treasure to pay off his veterans. In 27 B.C., Octavian became Augustus, the first and arguably most successful of all Roman emperors. He ruled a peaceful, prosperous, and expanding Roman Empire until his death in 14 A.D. at the age of 75.

Aug 30, 30 B.C.:
Cleopatra commits suicide

Cleopatra, queen of Egypt and lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, takes her life following the defeat of her forces against Octavian, the future first emperor of Rome.

Cleopatra, born in 69 B.C., was made Cleopatra VII, queen of Egypt, upon the death of her father, Ptolemy XII, in 51 B.C. Her brother was made King Ptolemy XIII at the same time, and the siblings ruled Egypt under the formal title of husband and wife. Cleopatra and Ptolemy were members of the Macedonian dynasty that governed Egypt since the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. Although Cleopatra had no Egyptian blood, she alone in her ruling house learned Egyptian. To further her influence over the Egyptian people, she was also proclaimed the daughter of Re, the Egyptian sun god. Cleopatra soon fell into dispute with her brother, and civil war erupted in 48 B.C.

Rome, the greatest power in the Western world, was also beset by civil war at the time. Just as Cleopatra was preparing to attack her brother with a large Arab army, the Roman civil war spilled into Egypt. Pompey the Great, defeated by Julius Caesar in Greece, fled to Egypt seeking solace but was immediately murdered by agents of Ptolemy XIII. Caesar arrived in Alexandria soon after and, finding his enemy dead, decided to restore order in Egypt.

During the preceding century, Rome had exercised increasing control over the rich Egyptian kingdom, and Cleopatra sought to advance her political aims by winning the favor of Caesar. She traveled to the royal palace in Alexandria and was allegedly carried to Caesar rolled in a rug, which was offered as a gift. Cleopatra, beautiful and alluring, captivated the powerful Roman leader, and he agreed to intercede in the Egyptian civil war on her behalf.

In 47 B.C., Ptolemy XIII was killed after a defeat against Caesar's forces, and Cleopatra was made dual ruler with another brother, Ptolemy XIV. Julius and Cleopatra spent several amorous weeks together, and then Caesar departed for Asia Minor, where he declared "Veni, vidi, vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered), after putting down a rebellion. In June 47 B.C., Cleopatra bore a son, whom she claimed was Caesar's and named Caesarion, meaning "little Caesar."

Oh Great Spirit, guide my path today and help me see the value of choosing the Red Road

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In order to achieve your goals, you have to try harder. Nothing will be handed to you but everything can be earned. You must, however, stay on top of documentation and of reliability.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You tend to rely on steadiness and reliability, not flashiness. You want results, not attention, but you have to be mindful about situations that require notice in order to get the proper results.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are outspoken but also get others to speak their minds. You enjoy the give and take and information and opinions. You want to be pushed into thinking more clearly and more exactly.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Imagination and innovation are discouraged today. People insist you stay with a proven routine. Boring as it seems, it's probably for the best, but if you want to experiment do it on your own time.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You need to communicate with people but you are slow in letting them in too close personally. You're comfortable talking about ideas and events, not so much about intimate matters and feelings.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You're prone to set up great expectations, yet be so afraid of failure that you're unwilling to try achieving them. Be willing to take the risk and to be willing to learn and readjust if you don't succeed at first.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You must narrow showing your range of talents today. Focus on a few strengths instead of spreading yourself out. Let others fill in instead of trying to do everything yourself.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You feel prepared today but may be unwilling to budge beyond a narrow role or a set range of tasks. You can be challenged to keep learning, and to be flexible about rules, roles and range of actions.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You have a deeper curiosity now and are more interested than usual in improving your knowledge. The sciences, philosophy and religion are primary areas of study. Law is also possible. Learn from people, not just books.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You prefer to stick with what you know today. You can be fortunate in being able to excel in a focused way. Your priority on job and money, however, can make you insensitive to social activities and non-verbal cues.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You need company but it can also serve to make you scatterbrained. You can get absorbed into other people's dramas and have no time or energy left to tend to your own business. Avoid this type of situation.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You feel that you are ahead of the curve in response time and anticipation. Be personally prepared, while being forgiving and letting people catch up with you when they are able.

My Creator, thank you for today. Thank you for the sun. Thank you for the earth. Thank you for my life. Thank you for....

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You feel inhibited today and tend to be unable to act on your will or feelings. It takes a dedicated effort to climb out of your situation and become socially active, and to participate in community events.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your overriding priority is providing for the family. Some may see this as working longer than usual, others as spending quality time at home. You struggle to strike the right balance between present and future needs.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You bring the workweek to a successful close if you are willing to push yourself. The downside is the risk of being perceived as neglecting your family. Decide who most needs your presence.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You reach a point where you can teach others what you know. As you have been taught, pass skills and knowledge on to others. Your efforts can be a labor of love, almost devoid of ulterior motives.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): It's important to remember your ultimate purpose today. You're good at paying attention to details but also you are easily distracted. Finish what you start; you're apt to move on before completing tasks.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You're prone to act in ways that make you stand out. People gather around you and you feel like you're at the center of their attention. You're sensitive about whether you're rewarded or punished for excellence.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It's important to avoid feeling self-pity today. Count your blessings; good health or loving family may be among them. Your mood is such that you're more aware of what you don't have, so look around and see what you do have.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You want to be friendly and helpful today and it would be good to extend this beyond the family. Donations to, or volunteering for, a charity would be an excellent way to reach out and benefit the general public.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): There is strong pressure to decide between work and family. Your heart will tell you which is more important. The place you find love and acceptance is where you can find help when most needed.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Stay in touch with friends and family, especially those who are far away. Breaking news can reach you from afar. Cultivate curiosity and ask questions so you understand what's happening.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You are feeling ambitious but may lack staying power to establish credentials. Don't alienate friends or potential allies. You have to be flexible and let others have their way sometimes.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Keep in mind the importance people have for you. You can be feeling a bit edgy but don't snap at them. Go out of your way to be easy-going and accommodating and the situation will turn around.

Oh my Creator, let me live my song. Let my song honor Your way of life. Let me sing my song each day. At the end of today, let my song tell people who I am. I am a beautiful child of the Creator

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your mind tends to be frantic today. You must take extra care to relax, perhaps through meditation. Take control of your mind and don't be overwhelmed to too much or by worries and distractions.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You become aware of ways in which you are disadvantaged. In some way, you are behind others, lacking in what they have. That's how you view it but the real issue is being happy with what you have and getting what you need.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Expect disappointments today. Promises aren't kept, through carelessness or force of unforeseen circumstances. Don't build up hope too much and have a backup plan in place in case a failure occurs.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You enjoy taking on a teaching role today. You love to impart your knowledge on to others and to see people become more skilled and self-confident. You feel enlivened and more youthful around younger people or those eager to learn.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You need to be brutally honest with yourself today. You may need a friend who can burst your illusions. When you paint a rosy picture, you are almost certainly ignoring something important that contradicts it.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Be extremely careful about whom you choose as associates today. You're liable to accept people as they come but they may not always have your best interests at heart. Be sure to protect yourself and your reputation.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You have to struggle against one unfortunate event after another. You try to make things turn out right, even when it seems they don't want to. Your imagination is overblown; it's best to stick with what you can see.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You can find yourself over your head today; expectations were quite different. It's important to get explicit descriptions of what's involved before committing. Your imagination fills in the gaps and interprets abstract nouns.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You face the expectations of others and tend to fall short. You can feel embarrassed now. You're challenged to move out of your fantasies and stick closer to the world as it is.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You're prone to unrealistic plans and imaginings today. A hobby or intellectual interest can seem odd to others; don't let it occupy your attention when there are more important and immediate tasks needing work.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Watch your finances carefully. Don't follow through on any ideas you may have had recently, especially involving money or investments. Wait a few more days until you can evaluate your situation and options more clearly.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): While you want to be agreeable and accommodating, this may not always be wise. It's important to think for yourself and to steer others away from a bad course of action.

Sep 2, 31 B.C.:
The Battle of Actium

At the Battle of Actium, off the western coast of Greece, Roman leader Octavian wins a decisive victory against the forces of Roman Mark Antony and Cleopatra, queen of Egypt. Before their forces suffered final defeat, Antony and Cleopatra broke though the enemy lines and fled to Egypt, where they would commit suicide the following year.

With the assassination of Roman dictator Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., Rome fell into civil war. To end the fighting, a coalition--the Second Triumvirate--was formed by three of the strongest belligerents. The triumvirate was made up of Octavian, Caesar's great-nephew and chosen heir; Mark Antony, a powerful general; and Lepidus, a Roman statesman. The empire was divided among the three, and Antony took up the administration of the eastern provinces. Upon arriving in Asia Minor, he summoned Queen Cleopatra to answer charges that she had aided his enemies. Cleopatra, ruler of Egypt since 51 B.C., had once been Julius Caesar's lover and had borne him a child, who she named Caesarion, meaning "little Caesar."

Cleopatra sought to seduce Antony as she had Caesar before him, and in 41 B.C. arrived at Tarsus on a magnificent river barge, dressed as Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Successful in her efforts, Antony returned with her to Alexandria, where they spent the winter in debauchery. In 40 B.C., Antony returned to Rome and married Octavian's sister Octavia in an effort to mend his increasingly strained relationship with Octavian. The triumvirate, however, continued to deteriorate. In 37 B.C. Antony separated from Octavia and traveled to the East, arranging for Cleopatra to join him in Syria. In their time apart, Cleopatra had borne him twins, a son and a daughter. According to Octavian's propagandists, the lovers were then married, which violated the Roman law restricting Romans from marrying foreigners.

Antony's disastrous military campaign against Parthia in 36 B.C. further reduced his prestige, but in 34 B.C. he was more successful against Armenia. To celebrate the victory, he staged a triumphal procession through the streets of Alexandria, in which Antony and Cleopatra sat on golden thrones, and their children were given imposing royal titles. Many in Rome, spurred on by Octavian, interpreted the spectacle as a sign that Antony intended to deliver the Roman Empire into alien hands.

After several more years of tension and propaganda attacks, Octavian declared war against Cleopatra, and therefore Antony, in 31 B.C. Enemies of Octavian rallied to Antony's side, but Octavian's brilliant military commanders gained early successes against his forces. On September 2, 31 B.C., their fleets clashed at Actium in Greece. After heavy fighting, Cleopatra broke from the engagement and set course for Egypt with 60 of her ships. Antony then broke through the enemy line and followed her. The disheartened fleet that remained surrendered to Octavian. One week later, Antony's land forces surrendered.

Although they had suffered a decisive defeat, it was nearly a year before Octavian reached Alexandria and again defeated Antony. In the aftermath of the battle, Cleopatra took refuge in the mausoleum she had had built for herself. Antony, informed that Cleopatra was dead, stabbed himself with his sword. Before he died, another messenger arrived, saying Cleopatra still lived. Antony was carried to Cleopatra's retreat, where he died after bidding her to make her peace with Octavian. When the triumphant Roman arrived, she attempted to seduce him, but he resisted her charms. Rather than fall under Octavian's domination, Cleopatra committed suicide on August 30, 31 B.C., possibly by means of an asp, a poisonous Egyptian serpent and symbol of divine royalty.

My Creator, allow me this day to feel your presence. Let me walk the path of life today and talk to You many times. Give me faith, my Grandfather

Sep 2, 1666:
Great Fire of London begins

In the early morning hours, the Great Fire of London breaks out in the house of King Charles II's baker on Pudding Lane near London Bridge. It soon spread to Thames Street, where warehouses filled with combustibles and a strong easterly wind transformed the blaze into an inferno. When the Great Fire finally was extinguished on September 6, more than four-fifths of London was destroyed. Miraculously, only 16 people were known to have died.

The Great Fire of London was a disaster waiting to happen. London of 1666 was a city of medieval houses made mostly of oak timber. Some of the poorer houses had walls covered with tar, which kept out the rain but made the structures more vulnerable to fire. Streets were narrow, houses were crowded together, and the firefighting methods of the day consisted of neighborhood bucket brigades armed with pails of water and primitive hand pumps. Citizens were instructed to check their homes for possible dangers, but there were many instances of carelessness.

So it was on the evening of September 1, 1666, when Thomas Farrinor, the king's baker, failed to properly extinguish his oven. He went to bed, and sometime around midnight sparks from the smoldering embers ignited firewood lying beside the oven. Before long, his house was in flames. Farrinor managed to escape with his family and a servant out an upstairs window, but a bakery assistant died in the flames--the first victim.

Sparks from Farrinor's bakery leapt across the street and set fire to straw and fodder in the stables of the Star Inn. From the Inn, the fire spread to Thames Street, where riverfront warehouses were packed full with flammable materials such as tallow for candles, lamp oil, spirits, and coal. These stores lit aflame or exploded, transforming the fire into an uncontrollable blaze. Bucket-bearing locals abandoned their futile efforts at firefighting and rushed home to evacuate their families and save their valuables.

It had been a hot, dry summer, and a strong wind further encouraged the flames. As the conflagration grew, city authorities struggled to tear down buildings and create a firebreak, but the flames repeatedly overtook them before they could complete their work. People fled into the Thames River dragging their possessions, and the homeless took refuge in the hills on the outskirts of London. Light from the Great Fire could be seen 30 miles away. On September 5, the fire slackened, and on September 6 it was brought under control. That evening, flames again burst forth in the Temple (the legal district), but the explosion of buildings with gunpowder extinguished the flames.

The Great Fire of London engulfed 13,000 houses, nearly 90 churches, and scores of public buildings. The old St. Paul's Cathedral was destroyed, as were many other historic landmarks. As estimated 100,000 people were left homeless. Within days, King Charles II set about rebuilding his capital. The great architect Sir Christopher Wren designed a new St. Paul's Cathedral with dozens of smaller new churches ranged around it like satellites. To prevent future fires, most new houses were built of brick or stone and separated by thicker walls. Narrow alleyways were forbidden and streets were made wider. Permanent fire departments, however, did not become a fixture in London until well into the 18th century.

In the 1670s, a memorial column commemorating the Great Fire of London was erected near the source of the calamity. Known as the Memorial, it was probably designed by the architect Robert Hooke, though some sources credit Christopher Wren. The column stands 202 feet above the pavement and features sculpture and engravings that tell the story of the conflagration.