| How to Write a Horoscope Column Posted: 03 Oct 2021 05:00 PM PDT You've likely read your horoscope in magazines, but you may not know that the study is an ancient tradition that's been around for thousands of years. Astrology has its roots in early Mesopotamia, China, Greece, and Egypt.[1] Though its popularity in pop culture has waxed and waned, astrologers and believers remain dedicated to its practice. If you'd like to learn more about writing a horoscope column, you may have many questions about astrology's illuminating teachings and revelations. Luckily, this article is here to help you learn more. [Edit]How do people write horoscopes? - Astrologers draw insights from astrological events, the lunar calendar, and the stars. When writing a horoscope, they relate these events to each Zodiac sign and how they will be affected each month.[2] To make personalized insights for each sign, columnists analyze the sun signs as well as something called the solar house system.[3]
- The solar house system helps columnists expand and personalize their astrological reading without a person's birth time. This system works from the belief that the signs that precede and ascend a person's sun sign on the astrological calendar also have an influence on someone's thoughts and behaviors.
- Astrologers often draw meaning from the new moon, the full moon, and any significant astrological events each month (lunar eclipses and retrogrades are common examples).
[Edit]Who writes horoscopes? - Professional astrologers usually write horoscopes. These people have studied astrology in-depth to develop a deep knowledge of the Zodiac, the stars, astrological events, and the lunar calendar. To become a professional, you don't need to follow one set path. You might study to become accredited by organizations like the International Society of Astrological Research. You also have the option of teaching yourself through a wide array of books and astrology content available online.[4]
- Some astrologers write personalized horoscopes using a person's rising and moon sign, while others use the solar house system to make more general readings (these are what usually comprise newspaper columns).[5]
[Edit]How do you write your own horoscope column? - Study moon phases and astrological events each month. Then, determine how these will affect each sign by analyzing each sign's corresponding planet and house. Draw insights from the lunar calendar each month. A new moon and a full moon can be significant for each sign in different ways. Next, determine what major astrological events are currently going on during that month. These will also have a unique influence over each sign.[6]
- Use a website like https://mooncalendar.astro-seek.com/ to analyze the lunar calendar.
- Astrology websites such as https://www.astrology.com/ feature calendars that give you the major astrological events happening throughout the year.
- To make insights for how these will affect the signs each month, start with that sign's house.[7] For example, Virgo rules the house of service, health, and routine. Determine how the placement of the moon and astrological events will affect their organization, schedule, and ability to help others.[8]
- Draw inspiration from the people in your life. Many astrologers look to the people around them and their corresponding sign to see how the lunar calendar and astrological events are affecting them.[9] Though this isn't an exact science, pay attention to how your friends and family are behaving, especially during a new moon, full moon, or a big astrological event (mercury retrograde is a common example). This could help you add more personalized details to your horoscope.
- Embrace your unique writing style. Writing a good horoscope is an art form. Your writing should reflect your knowledge of astrology, but also your talent for creating a succinct and engaging piece of writing. Throw in personal touches to show off your voice.[10]
- You might include quotes from philosophers, details drawn from pop culture and celebrity gossip, or even references to popular film and TV characters. Other astrologers cite the work of poets and famous writers to supplement their work.[11]
[Edit]How do you get a horoscope column published? - Start an astrology blog or website. Many successful astrologers self-publish horoscopes on websites and blogs they've created themselves. Use a free website and blog-hosting service available online to build your own and start writing horoscopes for the public. You might consider marketing your horoscopes on social media to build your following. Eventually, as you gain more readers, your column might get picked up by a magazine or local paper.[12]
- Submit your work to newspapers and magazines. Submit your writing to small, local papers to boost your chance of getting a response. To do so, visit their websites to check for job openings. Even if they're not looking for columnists specifically, use their contact page to pitch your column and send in some writing samples. This helps you get your name out there, and if they are hiring, can even get you a job as a columnist.[13]
[Edit]Where did astrology come from? - Astrology has roots in ancient traditions all over the world. The first teachings of astrology can be found in the traditions of early Mesopotamia, China, Egypt, and Greece.[14] Though traces of early astrology are widespread among ancient cultures, the Babylonians may have been the first to separate the Zodiac into 12 signs. The Greeks later adopted this practice to develop the 12 signs that comprise Western astrology, such as Aries, Taurus, and Cancer.[15]
- To get more of a background on the study and its roots, invest in astrology books and read free articles online.
- You might also consider attending an online seminar or conference in order to learn from other astrologers.
[Edit]What is a Zodiac sign? - In Western astrology, a Zodiac sign represents 1 of the 12 sectors that make up the earth's orbit around the sun. These signs correspond to the astrological calendar, which is broken into 12 seasons. Find out your Zodiac sign (A.K.A. your sun sign) by determining where your birth date and birth month lands on the astrological calendar.[16]
- The Zodiac signs are ruled by the elements, including fire, water, air, and earth. Each sign also has a corresponding planet and rules a certain house on the Zodiac calendar.
- Astrology teaches that each Zodiac sign has a certain set of characteristics that influence their beliefs and actions.
[Edit]What is a Zodiac symbol? - Each sign has a symbol that represents it. The Babylonians were first to develop certain Zodiac symbols, such as Scorpio the scorpion and Taurus the bull. When the Greeks adopted the Babylonian's astrological teachings, they added more signs and symbols, such as Aries the ram and Leo the lion. These symbols are meant to be used as pictorial representations of each sign's unique attributes and personality traits.[17]
- Libra is represented by a set of scales, for example, due to their interest in fairness, equality, and balance.
[Edit]How do you know what sign you are? - Your sun sign is determined by your date of birth on the astrological calendar. To determine your sun sign, find an astrological calendar online, such as https://cafeastrology.com/whats-my-sun-sign.html, and enter your date of birth. In addition to your sun sign, you also have a rising sign and a moon sign. These can only be determined by providing your birth time and birth city.[18]
- Your rising sign and your moon sign can give you a more detailed reading regarding what planets and houses affect your thoughts and actions.
[Edit]References |
| How to Reduce Spiciness in Curry Posted: 03 Oct 2021 09:00 AM PDT Don't worry that all of your ingredients and hard work have gone to waste if you make a curry that is too spicy! The spiciness of curries can easily be reduced using simple ingredients, depending on what you have available in your kitchen. Try adding dairy, coconut milk, or extra oil to the curry to tone down the spiciness. Alternatively, you can add more base ingredients, such as meat or vegetables, to help spread the spiciness out. When serving the curry, cucumber raita or fresh papaya are great cooling ingredients, and serving the curry with grains such as rice can also help to reduce the heat. [Edit]Using Dairy, Coconut, or Oil - Add sour cream or yogurt if you don't mind thickening the curry. Place of sour cream or yogurt into the pot of curry. Mix it in with a wooden spoon. Taste the curry to see if the spiciness has been reduced.[1]
- If the curry is still too spicy, continue adding a spoonful of either ingredient and tasting it to see if it improves the flavor.
- Be careful not to add too much sour cream or yogurt, as this may make the consistency of the curry too thick.
- Use coconut milk if it matches the flavor. Many curries have a coconut base, which means that adding coconut milk can work perfectly to dial down the heat. Add of coconut milk to the curry sauce, and taste it to see if it has helped.[2]
- Simply add another spoonful or two if the first wasn't enough, and keep tasting the curry to see if the flavor has improved.
- Add milk if you don't mind thinning the curry. Milk can also help to tone down the spiciness of curry. Pour of milk into the pot that has the curry sauce in it, and mix it in to combine it with the other ingredients.[3]
- Taste the curry after you add the milk. If it hasn't reduced the spiciness enough, add a bit more and try it again.[4]
- Don't add too much milk at one time, as it could change the consistency of the curry and make it watery.[5]
- Whole fat milk is the best to add to curries.[6]
- Use extra oil if the recipe already includes oil. Use either an oil that tastes neutral, such as vegetable oil, or one that will complement the flavors in the dish. Only add of oil at a time, and mix it in thoroughly.[7]
- Always try the curry before adding more oil to see how it has changed the taste.
[Edit]Adding More Base Ingredients - Add a handful of grated carrot or diced potatoes to absorb some spice. Place raw carrot or potato into the pot to cook with the curry sauce. Simmer the vegetables in the sauce for approximately 15 minutes, or until they are tender.[8]
- The vegetables that you use don't have to be those that you originally used in the dish.
- Use extra meat to reduce the spiciness if you want to bulk up the curry. The meat that is simmered with the curry will already be helping to take some of the edge off the spice. Use an extra quarter of the amount of meat, and cook it until it is lightly browned and tender, before adding it to the curry.[9]
- Adding extra meat works in a similar way to adding extra vegetables, as this will help to diffuse the flavors over a larger amount of ingredients.
- Add more acidic ingredients if they are already part of the dish. If you have already used lemon or lime juice, vinegar, tomatoes, or pineapple in the curry, then you can simply add more to help neutralize the dish. Add the juice of half a lemon or a lime, of vinegar or tomato sauce, or ¼ cup (50 g) of fresh tomatoes or pineapple to the curry, and see if the spiciness is reduced.[10]
- Taste the curry after each addition to check how spicy it is before adding more ingredients.
- Mix the extra ingredients in thoroughly to when you add them to help them properly combine.
- Make a double batch without doubling the spice to help diffuse the heat. If you have extra ingredients available and don't mind making more food, follow your original recipe and omit the ingredient that is making it too spicy. Combine the 2 curries at the end.[11]
- This will help to diffuse the heat through the end result dish, which means that the curry will be only half as spicy as it was originally.
[Edit]Cooling the Curry When Serving - Make a cucumber raita as a cooling condiment to serve with the curry. Raita is a cool and fresh condiment that you can eat with curry to take some of the heat off. Simply combine cucumber, plain yogurt, cilantro, green onions, coriander, and cumin to make this refreshing dish.[12]
- When it comes to serving the meal, just add a spoonful of cucumber raitha alongside the curry.
- Eat the curry with papaya to help cool it down. Pieces of fresh, green papaya go well with many coconut-based curries. Remove the papaya skin, scoop out the seeds, and shred the flesh using either a papaya peeler or a mandoline.[13]
- You can also add a garnish of fresh herbs such as mint to the papaya, as this will help to cool the curry down further.
- Serve the curry over rice to help absorb the spiciness. Although eating curry with rice is already a popular favorite, if you haven't tried it with the curry yet this could be a simple way to reduce the heat. Try jasmine, basmati, white, or brown rice as a base for the curry, and see if it helps to dilute the flavor.[14]
- Alternatively, other bland and starchy foods will have the same effect as rice. Try serving the curry with bread, quinoa, or potatoes to experiment with different flavors.[15]
- When cooking curry, try to add the ingredients that give it spice slowly and 1 at a time. This way you can taste the curry after each addition and avoid having a curry that is too spicy in the future.
[Edit]References |
| How to What to Do when Your Girlfriend Is Mad at You Posted: 03 Oct 2021 01:00 AM PDT It's never fun when the person you care about the most isn't the happiest with you, but rest assured that you'll get through this. It's perfectly normal for people in a relationship to clash or rub one another the wrong way every now and then—even when they're in a totally healthy relationship! If you're looking to get back to the way things are, we've got your back. From tiny gestures to grand statements of love, we'll help you get back to the way things were in no time. [Edit]Give her space if she asked for it. - If she asked for some breathing room, respect her wishes. She might be really mad now, but she probably won't be a few hours or days from now. If she's furious, your first impulse might be to put an end to this as quickly as possible by fixing the problem right now. She may not be ready for that, so if she needs a breather, it's best to give her that.[1]
- This is probably good for you, even if it doesn't feel like it right now. This will give you time to do some self-reflecting and figure out how you want to approach the conversation.
- It's totally normal to be bummed out, even if you know you screwed up. Don't be too hard on yourself—everyone makes mistakes!
- If the reverse is true and you need space but she wants to solve this right now, it's totally okay to say, "I'm really sorry I upset you, and I do want to fix this, but I need to sort my thoughts out first. I hope that makes sense, I'm not trying to avoid you or anything."
[Edit]Look at things from her perspective. - Swallow your pride and take a step back for a moment. It's easy to get defensive, annoyed, or downright apathetic if your partner is mad and you think it's undeserved. However, people rarely get angry for no reason at all, and it won't help anything if you just "fight back" here. Try to look at things from her point of view and be honest with yourself about your behavior.[2] This will go much more smoothly if you acknowledge (to yourself and to her) what you did wrong.[3]
- If you really think you have zero responsibility here, you have two options. You can try and sit down and explain why you think you were in the right, or you can just let it go and apologize like you really were wrong, even if you think you weren't.
- If you find it really hard to see how you upset her, take a walk and clear your head. Often, it's hard to perceive our actions when it's still the heat of the moment, and a break should give you some clarity.
[Edit]Give her a sincere apology. - Don't just go through the motions—really make it clear you're sorry. Make eye contact, acknowledge that you know you did something wrong, and don't try to offload the blame on to her. If you want to explain why you did what you did, go for it, but don't try to undermine your mistake. If she has questions, answer them. If she still seems upset, ask her what you could do to make it up to her.[4]
- If there's a gap between the start of the conflict and the next time the two of you talk, feel free to write your apology out.
- Even if you think she shares some of the blame here, now is not the time. Solve things first and then dissect the situation later when the two of you are in a more productive headspace.
[Edit]Let her vent a bit. - If she needs to share how she feels and it's uncomfortable, take it like a champ. You don't need to put up with any outward abuse or anything, but if she feels compelled to rant, cry, or lash out at you a bit, let her get it off of her chest. It's not always the healthiest way to cope with icky feelings, but she may need to express those feelings if she's going to get over this. Do your best to not take it to heart.[5]
- Whatever you do, don't lash out at her for lashing out at you. That's how screaming matches and fights start. If your goal here is to move on, you might just have to let her get it all out.
- If she tears into you and sees you sitting there nodding your head and saying, "I understand," she's very likely to feel how over-the-top she's being and cut it out.
[Edit]Make it up to her. - You can either solve the original problem, or do something else for her. If she's mad that you just keep forgetting to do the dishes, go do the dishes. But if she's mad over something you can't really "fix" (i.e. you said something mean that you can't take back), do something to show her you care. If you aren't sure what to do here, ask her![6]
- You might say, "What can I do to make it up to you? I feel really bad and I want you to know how much you mean to me, so how can I do that?"
- If you forgot it was date night or something like that, you might say, "Look, I know I screwed up. Can I take you out next week? I'd been planning this big thing for you and I just got the dates mixed up. Let me make it up to you."
[Edit]Demonstrate you've changed. - Prove you're on the same page by not repeating your mistake. She's just going to get mad in the future if you don't show her you've learned something from the conflict. If she was mad you didn't call her for two days straight, make an effort to call her every night you aren't together. If she was mad you weren't helping out around the house, set reminders on your phone to do the dishes, take the trash out, or clean up. You told her you were sorry, so show her you mean it![7]
- This can take time. She probably won't take much stock in a single gesture, but if you're consistent and reasonable, she'll let go of whatever was making her angry.
[Edit]Make her smile. - With the serious talk over, do something to make her laugh or blush. You know her best, so if she's the type of gal who loves a cheesy pickup line, hit her with the corniest one-liner you have. If she loves sincere comments, double-down on the melodrama. Whatever it is that gets her smiling her heart out, do that to remind her that you two have a good thing going.[8]
- If you make some minor gesture to try and get her to smile and she shies away from you, or doesn't seem into it, let it go. Don't push it.
[Edit]Give her a big old bear hug. - Physical contact will go a long way towards moving on. When she seems ready, either just go for it or ask her, "Can I give you a hug?" Wrap your arms around her and just hold her. You can do that little "lift her off of the ground" move too if she's into that. Hugs are scientifically proven to help people get over conflict, and just feeling your arms around her should make her feel a lot better.[9]
- Again, if you ask her for a hug and she's not into it, let it go. No good comes from forcing someone to do something they don't want to do.
[Edit]Crack a joke if it was a silly fight. - Once the conflict is resolved, humor may make it easy to move on. This is only a good idea if the conflict didn't center on something serious. If you're barely getting over an issue that really hit a nerve with her, joking about it may make it seem like you're making light of the situation. But if you're past it, this is a good way to really deflate tension.[10]
- For example, if she was mad at you for not posting photos of the two of you on Facebook, once the rift is repaired you might say, "Boy, I can't wait to forget tell my Facebook friends about this."
- If she was upset that you didn't notice her new haircut, you might smile and say, "Did you do something new with your eyebrows?"
- Take her personality into account here. This can be a bit of a risky move if your girlfriend is more on the sentimental side or she doesn't get your sense of humor.
[Edit]Review the conflict together. - It's normal to fight now and then, but if there's a lesson here, go over it together. Reviewing the event a few days or weeks after it happened can be really helpful if the two of you weren't "clicking" but there's some insight to be gained. If the two of you are doing well, ask her if she wants to go over what happened. There may be a productive conversation to be had there.[11]
- You might ask her, "Hey, do you mind if we talk about that fight we had last week?" or, "Can we chat about how we can have more productive arguments when we're mad at one another?"
[Edit]Rebuild her trust in you if things went off the rails. - If you really dropped the ball, it may be a while before things go back to normal. While you can't control how she feels, you can show her that you're serious about changing. Do your best to not get frustrated that you're in the dog house, and continue to demonstrate that you're worthy of her trust by being the best possible partner you can be.[12] If the argument comes up again, continue to apologize and let her vent.[13]
- If you were talking to other girls or something serious along those lines, it can take a long time for her to get over it (and understandably so). Don't push back if she asks to see your social media accounts or probes about who you're spending your spare time with.
- This should go without saying, but actively avoid doing the thing that upset her in the first place. If she lost it when she found out you spent a bunch of your shared bank account on a new car without talking to her, don't make any big purchases without checking in with her first.
[Edit]References |
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