Milford Moons
Spiritual
Publisher & Editor
Amy Bridge publisher@milfordjournal.com
Columns Museum, Milford, PA. Cover photo and first photo on page 5 are from Milford Moons by Richard C. Morais, copyright © 2025.
Published by G Editions / www.geditionsllc.com
Graphic Design
Maureen Taylor
Susan Mednick susanmed2@optonline.net
The
Journalists
Julia Schmitt Healy • Bob Romano
Will Voelkel • Jane Primerano
Patricia O. Galperin • Eric Francis
Associate Editor
B’Ann Bowman
Advertising Team
Amy Bridge amy@milfordjournal.com
Kimberly Hess kimberlyhess212@gmail.com
The tri-state upper Delaware River highlands and valleys are a place of rare beauty…
Seeing the region and living in it almost aren’t enough. Such beauty should be captured on canvas or film so that one can truly appreciate it, glimpse it in the quiet of an art gallery or museum, or between the pages of a poetry book or literary sketch.
The Journal Group’s mission is to capture these momentary snapshots of beauty graphically and through the written word. We celebrate our area and the uniqueness of the people who live and work in the tri-state region. From Pike to Wayne and Monroe to Lackawanna Counties in Pennsylvania, upriver to Sullivan County and on to Orange County in New York, and to the headwaters of the Wallkill River and
Mission
Editorial Readers
Robert Bowman
Amy Smith
David Dangler dangler908@yahoo.com
The Poet
Joan Polishook
along Warren and Sussex Counties’ rolling hills in New Jersey, with quaint, historic towns and hamlets at the center, the Journal Group opens its doors to our communities, businesses and organizations, to serve as a communicative journal of all that we have to offer for those who live here and for those who love to visit us, too.
Publication Information
The Journal Group publishes The Journal ten times a year and distributes it in eight counties in PA, NJ and NY. We assume no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. Contents may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission. We reserve the right to refuse to print advertisements that we deem inappropriate. All rights reserved.
For the Birds
I like birds, as much as the next guy. I find them beautiful and fascinating creatures and often worry about them in a winter storm. Where do they shield themselves? How do they eat? Are they freezing?
And now there’s the bird flu to worry about. I heard that 17 of 19 swans died this winter over on the local lake, and some geese, too.
I certainly hope this flu doesn’t affect my hummingbirds, my downy woodpeckers, brilliant cardinals, or any of the other bird visitors I get. We’ve seen what it’s done to the chickens.
But I have a bone to pick with a certain brownfeathered friend who seems to be making a game out of using my car as his outdoor potty.
Despite three (yes, three!) visits to the car wash this week, interspersed with two interim rain showers, I have come out of my house every morning to find
fresh streams of white glop running down the front doors on both sides of my otherwise shiny vehicle.
Why is she parking under a tree? I heard you think. That’s just the point. I am not. I’ve deliberately parked in a different spot in my driveway every night since this started.
I know that birds can eat insects that damage my plants, some even eat ticks, and they can help my flowers to pollinate, so why wasn’t this bird out there working all his magic in my garden?
Yesterday morning, I witnessed the little guy sitting on my side mirror, and he flew away as soon as I approached the driveway. It could’ve been the look in my eyes, it could’ve been the words that came out of my mouth, but if birds could smile, I swear I could see this one smirk.
The Mountains I Call Mine
They are my mountains I adopted them all when I was just a child, enamored with the country setting of summer vacation days. The lure of luscious greenery and sweet pine scents became part of my soul. Symbols of strength, peace and hope, my mountains spoke to me of things to come, embracing my heart’s desire to live the country life. Though years have passed, joy fills my heart each day, since finding my niche among these rolling hills I call mine.
-Joan Polishook
Mountain and River View, oil
on canvas, 6x6, Joan Polishook, artist
27 Route 94, Lafayette, NJ 07848 Decorative
BROAD STREET BOOKS
PHOTO: AMANDA MORRIS/@SEEK.DISCOVER.PLAY
Around the Towns
Late Spring
May 29th
Thursday 5 p.m.
Hope for the Future Tricky Tray. Camp Sacajawea, Sparta, NJ. Drawing begins at 7 p.m. Hosted by Habitat for Humanity of Northwest New Jersey. Info: 973.940.0503, habitatnwnj.org.
May 31st
Saturday 10 a.m.
Hawley Spring Run: A Race for Mental Wellness. Bingham Park, Hawley, PA. 5K run/walk, music, refreshments. Hosted by National Alliance on Mental Illness, Northeast Region PA. Supports community NAMI programs. Info: 570.342.1047, www.naminepa.org.
11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sparta Day. Station Park, Sparta, NJ. Hosted by Junior Woman’s Club of Sparta. Free. Vendors, food, entertainment. Benefits local and national non-profits. Info: 973.400.9260, www.jwcsparta.org.
6–8 p.m.
South of the Equator Wine Tasting. Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Sparta, NJ. $20. Bring an hors d’oeuvre or dessert to share. Advance tickets required. Info: 973.729.7010, www.sothnj.org.
June 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th Wednesdays, 5 p.m.
Positive Parenting. Project Self-Sufficiency, Newton, NJ. Group classes. Info: 973.940.3500, projectselfsufficiency.org.
June 5th
Thursday 4–10 p.m.
Warwick Food Truck Festival. Mountain Lake Park, Warwick, NY. Benefits Small Things, Inc. Live music. $5. Also July 3rd. Info: www.warwickfoodtruckfestival.com.
June 6th
Friday 6 p.m.
Fork & Cork Dinner Party. Chatlos Environmental Education Center, Lacawac Sanctuary, Lake Ariel, PA. Cocktails, dinner & music. $130. Benefits new Environmental Education Center. Info: 570.689.9494, www.lacawac.org
June 7th
Saturday 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Arts & Crafts Fair. Bingham Park, Hawley, PA. Hosted by Chamber of the Northern Poconos. Handcrafted merchandise, entertainment Info: 570.226.3191, www.northern poconos.org.
10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Spring Fling. Lusscroft Farm, Wantage, NJ. Bird walks, manor house tours, photography contest, barn & cottage sales, and more. $5/ adults. Presented by the Heritage and Agriculture Association. Info: lusscroft.org.
10 a.m.–10 p.m.
Newton Day Festival. Spring Street & Memory Park, Newton, NJ. Food, live music, activities, fireworks. Hosted by Greater Newton Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Newton. Info: 973.300.0433, www.greater newtoncc.com.
11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Heritage Day: Celebrating Youth Activities. Minisink Heritage Center, Westtown, NY. Museum tours, live music, food and drink available for sale & more. Hosted by Town of Minisink Heritage Commission. Info: 845.726.4148, Facebook: Town of Minisink Heritage Commission.
2–9 p.m.
Stillwater Bicentennial Celebration. Main Street to Veteran’s Field, Stillwater, NJ. Vendors, parade, live music, food & drinks, reenactments, fireworks. Info: 973.383.9484, stillwatertownshipnj.com.
3 p.m.
Spring Concert. First Presbyterian Church, Hackettstown, NJ. Performance by the Stone Soup Symphony Free. Info: 908.509.1047, stonesoupsymphony.org
June 7th–8th
Saturday–Sunday 1:00–8:30 p.m.
Hot Air Balloons, Arts & Crafts Festival Warren Community College, Washington, NJ. $5–$12 Entertainment, food trucks, music & more. Supports scholarships and local charities. Hosted by Flying Festivals of Warren County. Info: 908.283.0721, www. balloonfestnj.com.
June 8th
Sunday 9 a.m.
Soap Box Derby. Sussex St., Port Jervis, NY. Largest local soap box derby in the world. Info: portjervis.soapboxderby.org.
5:00–8:30 p.m.
Foods of the Delaware Highlands. The Inn at Woodloch, Hawley, PA. Four-course menu, silent & live auctions. $185. Benefits Delaware Highlands Conservancy. Info: 570.226.3164, delawarehighlands.org.
8:00–9:30 p.m.
Nature at Night. PEEC, Dingmans Ferry, PA. Walk in the woods to enjoy the music of the night. $5. Info: 570.828.2319, peec.org.
June 9th
Monday
Swing into Spring. Lords Valley Country
Club, Hawley, PA. Deacon Cliff Memorial Golf Outing to support St. Patrick’s Children’s Faith Formation Program and People Helping People. $150. Info: 908.451.1206, 570.296.7451, saintpatricksmilford.com.
June 12th
Thursday 6–9 p.m.
OCLT Benefit Reception & Auction. Cedar Lakes Estate, Port Jervis, NY. $200. Benefits the Orange County Land Trust. Info: 845.534.3690, www.oclt.org.
June 13th
Friday 6:00–9:30 p.m.
SCAHC Beefsteak Fundraiser. Byram Township Fire Hall, Byram, NJ. All-you-can-eat dinner. Also 50/50, trivia competition. $58. Benefits the Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council’s mission of promoting cultural vitality in the county. Info: 973.383.0027, www.scahc.org.
June 14th
Saturday 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Plein Air Milford! Zimmermann Estate, Milford, PA. Outdoor community painting celebration. Hosted by Barryville Area Arts Association and Artists’ Market Community Center. Info: barryvilleareaarts.org
10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Pull the Tank. Thomas Bull Memorial Park, Campbell Hall, NY. Teams pull a WWII Sherman Tank to raise money to support veterans. Sponsored by the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region. Info: 845.471.1900, www.uwdor.org.
10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Trout Parade: Saturday Trout Fever. Main Street, Livingston Manor, NY. Hosted by the Livingston Manor Chamber of Commerce. Art festival, crafts, food, local beer & more. Benefits local food pantries & school music education. Info: 845.707.2723, www. livingstonmanorny.com.
10:30 a.m.
Gordon & Ginny Shelton Memorial Walk-athon. Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta, NJ. Supports services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Hosted by the SCARC Foundation. Info: 973.383.7442, www.scarcfoundation.org.
5:30 p.m.
Duo Mantar. Grey Towers, Milford, PA. Guitarist Adam Levin and mandolinist Jacob Reuven. Sponsored by Kindred Spirits Arts Programs. $25. Info: 570.390.8699, kindred spiritsarts.org.
June 14th–20th
Delaware River Sojourn. Upper Delaware River. Explore the river via canoe. Registration: Adult/$100 per day, Youth/$70 per day. Info: delawareriversojourn.com.
June 15th
Sunday Noon–3 p.m.
Picnic with the Pinchots. Grey Towers, Milford, PA. Children’s activities, free concert by Marc Von Em & Trio. Bring your own picnic. Hosted by Grey Towers Heritage Association. Info: 570.296.9630, greytowers.org.
June 16th
Monday 9 a.m.
Golf Outing. Lords Valley Country Club, Lords Valley, PA. $150. Benefits GAIT Therapeutic Riding Center and the Pike County Public Library. Info: pcpl.org, gaittrc.org.
June 20th–22nd
Friday–Sunday
Milford Music Fest. Milford, PA. Free music, family activities, car show. Hosted by Milford Presents. Info: www.milfordpa.us
June 21st
Saturday
Roots & Rhythm Music & Arts Festival. Downtown, Honesdale, PA. Live music, food, craft vendors. Free. Info: honesdalerootsand rhythm.com.
9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Pocono Dragon Boat Race. Lake Wallenpaupack, Hawley, PA. Hosted by Chamber of the Northern Poconos. Info: 570.226.3191, www.northernpoconos.org.
2:30–5:30 p.m.
Edible and Medicinal Plant Walk. Van Scott Nature Reserve, Beach Lake, PA. Guided walk with Botanical Hiker, Heather Houskeeper. How to identify, harvest, and prepare the plants as food or home remedies. $10–$15. Info: 570.226.3164, DelawareHighlands.org.
June 22nd
Sunday 2 p.m.
The Lenape Ethnobotany Program: Use of Native Plants. Delaware Township Municipal Building, Dingmans Ferry, PA. How plants have been used for food, medicine, and other purposes. Hosted by Dingmans Ferry Delaware Township Historical Society. Info: www.ding mansferryhistoricalsociety.org.
June 28th
Saturday 4 p.m.–dusk
Montague Day. Montague, NJ. Music, vendors, food, Miss Montague contest, classic cars, fireworks & more. Info: 973.293.7300, www.montaguenj.org
June 29th
Sunday 1–3 p.m.
Summer Sky Watching. Brandwein Nature Preserve, Port Jervis, NY. Sundays at the Preserve. Presented by the Brandwein Institute. For adults and families with kids over 5. Info: brandwein.org.
Our Community for 34 Years
By Julia Schmitt Healy
Musician and Composer Wharton Tiers
Wharton Tiers has an alternative name for Conashaugh Lakes, where he lives: Music Mountain, PA. This is because the area is an inspiration to him and where he makes his symphonic creations.
Tiers has an interesting career trajectory that begins with studying writing in college and then finding his way into music: drumming for experimental/no wave bands, owning and operating a recording studio in the basement of his former New York building, and now, writing symphonies.
Recently, I had the pleasure of talking to Tiers, who is warm and engaging. I wanted to learn about his background. He tells me he grew up in Philadelphia. As a child, he was a “typical kid,” in his words. He tinkered around with train sets and figured out how wiring works and dabbled in electronics.
He didn’t study music formally, but his parents took him to the Philadelphia Orchestra and to Broadway musicals. He says experiencing these things, “I felt a spark of sorts,” but didn’t take it any further. “Like everybody else, I liked the Beatles, the Stones, the Grateful Dead, Genesis. I also had an interest in psychology. But after high school, I attended Villanova University and earned a degree in creative writing.”
As happens with many an aspiring writer before him, he moved to New York City and actually did finish a (still unpublished) novel. Then drumming, with some keyboard and guitar playing, took over. “I’m pretty much selftaught.” He tells me he can read music, but he’s not “fast.”
This, then, is very much a coming-to-New-York story. Someone moves to the city as a young hopeful for one dream, and then they discover another, more exciting, thing to do.
Tiers made money on the side, working as a handyman. “I’m good with my hands and know how to use tools.” Through a piece of luck he got solid work. A friend, another writer, decided to move to Pittsburgh and leave his job as the super where he was living. It came with an apartment on the first floor. Tiers said, “I’d like that job,” and somehow he found himself superintendent of an 1890s building on First Avenue and 22nd Street.
It was 1977, and with a job and housing secured, he played drums on the side with various bands in the East Village in venues such as CBGB and Max’s Kansas City. He performed with Theoretical Girls as a drummer and then with the group, A Band, in which he got to write half of the music. The first band of his own was Glorious
Strangers for which he wrote all the music. But then… another opportunity presented itself.
Due to the danger of flooding, the building owner couldn’t have an apartment in the basement. Wharton tells me the ceiling was vaulted with bricks 3-feet deep in a herringbone pattern. It was right below his apartment. Good acoustics. Hmmmm. (Artist-types are always looking for space to occupy in some way.)
He got permission to use the free space, put in some 8-track tape equipment, and Fun City New York Studios was born. The first group to record there were friends who played as Sonic Youth, a band that has been described as everything from a “noise rock band,” “indie rock band,” “alternative rock band,” and “post-punk band.”
It was heady times, and the business was “lucrative.” But, he said, “it stopped me from playing for a while.” He became known for his speedy recording and mixing skills. (I ask what mixing is, since I’m a techno dummy, and he explains it’s combining all the separate tracks, and there’s an art to it.)
Artists made over 200 recordings in Fun City, including, famously, one day when David Bowie recorded there with avant-garde guitarist Glenn Branca. Other notable bands included Dinosaur Jr., Helmet, and Biohazard.
I ask him if he ever had to stop a band recording for a building problem, perhaps a plumbing emergency. He can’t summon up an exact example, but he says that he was always very helpful in taking care of the building, so “the tenants loved me.”
His move into writing symphonies came through combining his recording and musical experiences into a whole. So far, he has written fifteen of them. When I listened to a couple, I couldn’t help thinking it was as if Brian Eno met Philip Glass with a bit of something else mixed in. Tiers’s music meanders through moods and feelings. Synthesizers, samplers, and looping form dreamlike sequences.
But the most important development in his work has been a recent recording made of his Fifth Symphony, Wilderness. “My Fifth Symphony was inspired by being in woods. It had its inception up here. I would wake up and look at the beautiful woods and sky. I was inspired to get out of the rock mode into something more gentle, nuanced, and harmonic.”
He hired Toni Mairata March, who lives on an island off the coast of Spain, to help transpose the existing score onto sheet music for orchestra. Once completed, he made some contacts with European orchestras and, happily, was able to contract the 52-piece Budapest Symphony Orchestra to record it. He went to Hungary and was present to see and hear his music being performed by an
Top: Wharton playing the zurna.
Photo by Danna Lyons.
Bottom: Wharton with Danna Lyons at Dingmans Ferry Theater.
Photo by Jerry Reganess
Photo by
Danna Lyons
orchestra for the first time. “It was a tremendous learning experience for me, hearing the way all of the parts came together. It gave me great ideas for the future.”
As a side note, he coincidentally found out his maternal great-grandmother was originally from Hungary, which lent a nice synchronicity to this recording.
The task now is to hopefully sign with a label, so they can release it, and “we can have its American premiere.”
I ask him how he discovered the Milford area. “I vacationed for a couple of years in the Green Mountains in Vermont. I loved the landscape there. So I looked for something similar, but closer to New York. I found Milford, and I bought my house in Conashaugh Lakes in 2001. Since 2006, when my super job ended, I’ve been up here full-time.”
Does he have a recording studio in the area? “I have a little studio containing the sum total of all my equipment,” he says, “but, up here, I’ve become more obsessed with the writing and less interested in the studio business.”
Tiers does perform locally, on occasion. He and his partner, Danna Lyons, play 60s cover songs locally as Lucky Ones AKA or Synchronized Brainwave Activity, which is
more experimental, original material and might pop up at Cafe Wren, Foundry 42, or other open mikes. His Wharton Tiers Ensemble, which consists of four guitars, a sax, a bass, and drums, also performs his original “symphonic surf music” from time to time.
I ask whether he has a quote to sum things up. “Well,” he notes, “I’m going to keep creating music. And right now, I’m thinking about the planet. I love the planet we live on. I am totally in support of anything we can do that can save the planet.” Expect a new symphony!
More about Wharton Tiers can be found at whartontiers. com and on his Wharton Tiers YouTube Channel. The Lucky Ones AKA will be performing at the Jam Room Brewery in Greentown, PA, on June 21st, 2025. The Wharton Tiers Ensemble (The Lucky Ones AKA) will be coming to Dingmans Ferry Theater’s Outdoor Stage on September 6th. Wharton’s 15 released records are available at all streaming and subscription services.
Julia Schmitt Healy is an artist, professor, and writer, living in Port Jervis, New York. Her website is julia healy.com and her art dealers are Western Exhibitions in Chicago (western exhibitions.com) and Elijah Wheat Showroom, New York (elijahwheatshowroom.com).
Music).
Photo by
Jerry Reganess
Dr. Sherri Talbot-Valerio
By Jane Primerano
Support Our Farmers
Local Agritourism
Along with sporty cars and fabulous food, Italy gave us the concept of agritourism.
In the 1970s and 80s, farms in Italy formed agritourismos, lodging on their property to allow visitors to have time in the fresh air, take long walks, and enjoy the livestock. The movement soon spread to England where nearly twenty percent of all farms now provide some form of tourism. Soon the phenomenon crossed the pond.
The idea of visiting a farm as a tourist would not have occurred to our American ancestors. In past generations, many, if not most, families had connections to a family
farm. The family members who moved to town would take weekend or summer trips back to Grandma and Grandpa’s farm to visit the cousins and help with the planting or harvest.
Visiting farms as a weekend getaway came as the distance from most people’s lives to their farming roots changed the equation. Children who don’t learn about animals and gardens firsthand and adults who never formed close bonds with the soil have become enthusiastic visitors to farms.
In Sussex County, NJ, once a vibrant dairy farm community, there are now 21 farms providing agritourism and
Valley Brook Farm Stand.
Photo by Amy Bridge
recreational opportunities. According to a self-reported farm census in 2022, the total income of these services that year was $252,000. Sussex County Planning Director Autumn Sylvester explained that this is the most current data the county has because her office is updating the county farmland preservation plan.
The term agritourism covers many different types of tourism on working farms and ranches. One comprehensive definition comes from the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association: you-pick, lodging, educational workshops and classes, petting zoos, farm stands, festivals and special events, and farm-to-table meals.
In our area, there are many examples of farms that offer educational workshops. In Orange County, NY’s black dirt region, Scheuermann Farms and Greenhouses offers classes in how to best plant and tend to the flowers and produce they sell. At Our Father’s Farm in New Hampton, one can take tours of the farm and learn about alpaca breeding.
In Hackettstown, NJ, family-owned and -operated Donaldson Farms books educational group farm tours that are customized according to a group’s needs and learning objectives. Equine education offers the ability to spend time with the horses and learn about their care. Creating a farm-related craft is another activity that can be included on the 90-minute farm experience tour, as well as a hayride farm tour, which includes stops to discuss the different crops and current farm activities on their 500-plus acreage.
Ochs Orchard in Warwick, NY, brings pick-your-own to new heights. The Ochs/Williams family has been inviting customers to pick since the 1970s and have added more fruits and vegetables over the years. “Our produce now includes rhubarb, snap peas, melons, eggplant, apricots, and nectarines, as well as the more common strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and tomatoes.
“We don’t do events,” family spokeswoman Janice Williams said, adding,“We are a small family; we don’t have the ability to do big events.”
What they do have, in addition to their orchards, is a farm store, which is stocked with their famous apple cider, apple butter, and doughnuts. Shelves are lined with pies, jams, and in-season fruit and vegetables, as well as vegetables grown on farms within a half-hour drive, including lettuce, sweet corn, and potatoes.
And they have ice cream. Ochs’s extremely popular ice cream is made on site in their old cider mill, which was transformed into an ice cream parlor. The fruit flavors are created using the orchard’s fruits.
Tranquillity Farms in Green Township, NJ, was originally owned by Peter Stuyvesant and, at one time, was used
by Theodore Roosevelt and other gentry to hunt game. Today, the third generation runs the agricultural business on over 600 acres of farmland.
Here, they host festivals that are punctuated by smaller events such as “Ladies Day in the Orchard” and “Bouquet Making.” The first big event of the year is the “Kickoff to Summer” weekend, on June 7th and 8th. Erin Freeborn Lytle does most of the event planning, but she’s bringing her sister Jessie Freeborn on board to help.
At their farm market, they sell their own pork and beef, which is raised without hormones or antibiotics, as well as homemade baked goods and ice cream with flavors such as “Chubby Farmer” and “Raspberry Cow Chip.”
They also offer a CSA program in which you can hand-select which produce you would like included in your weekly share.
Children’s birthday parties are available in their pavilion, along with educational greenhouse tours and kids’ activities that introduce children to farming through weekday classes in the summer.
We never know what will spark a desire to enter a new profession or change a lifestyle, but by participating in and supporting local farmers’ agritourism experiences, you can see, up close and personal, if you have what it takes to become a farmer and carry on one of America’s oldest family traditions. Or you might inspire a child to appreciate our local food systems and the hard work that goes in to farming the land.
PICK ONE
Here in the northeast, pick-your-own fruit is a popular form of agritourism. Check with your local farm for peak season availability.
By Patricia O. Galperin
Amelia Norman • Anti-Hero
Noone condoned what Amelia Norman had done.
She stabbed Henry S. Ballard in the chest on the steps of the sophisticated Astor House hotel on Broadway in New York City on November 1st, 1843. Norman’s act of violence catapulted her onto the legal scene, but her crime highlighted the plight of women in need of justice. Her supporters would be eminent reformists, abolitionists, authors, and lawyers, and the outcome of her trial would leave an indelible mark on the struggle for women’s rights.
“I am murdered!” Ballard cried out to the male patrons of the Astor House, who then carried him inside to attend to his wound. Norman’s knife came within a sixteenth of an inch of his heart. Amelia Norman was hauled off to the New York City jail known as “the Tombs,” where she was arrested for assault, battery, and attempted murder. There she was incarcerated until her trial.
Amelia Norman was from an extraordinarily large family in Sparta, NJ. Her grandfather, John Norman (1735–1795), had served as a captain in Warwick, New York’s militia regiment. John Norman moved to Hardyston, NJ, with his wife Rachel Brink and their thirteen children.
no relation to the Newton shoe manufacturer Merriam).
A depression followed the Panic of 1837, and the Meriams found themselves in reduced economic circumstances. Amelia then had to seek other domestic and seamstress work.
Henry S. Ballard, a prosperous merchant in Boston and New York City, was introduced to Amelia Norman during the time of her employment by William Callender. Ballard called upon Amelia at her employer’s residence and entertained her at public events, but all of that changed when his attentions turned to seduction. Ballard led her to leave Callender’s employ in May 1841, and Amelia soon realized she had become his mistress.
Under various assumed names, Ballard found lodgings for the couple. With each discovery of their illicit relationship, they moved from one boarding house to another in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Newark, NJ. He wrote impassioned love letters to her. Later, he would demand their return.
John and his brother William built a forge along Sparta Glen where Norman Pond (presently Newton’s Reservoir) was located. John’s children would also have very large families. One son, David Norman of Oak Ridge, NJ, fathered ten children; and another, Peter Norman, Amelia’s father, had sixteen children, eight children born to each of his wives.
In October 1834, sixteen-year-old Amelia Norman was hired by Mrs. Eliza Meriam, the daughter of Job and Jane Cory, to tend to her four children in their home in New York City. Job Cory was a prominent tradesman and landowner in Sparta. The Norman and Cory families were well acquainted, both attending the Sparta Presbyterian Church. Eliza’s husband, Francis Meriam, was a manufacturer of fancy soaps in New York City (and of
When Amelia became pregnant, Ballard forced her to “deliver a still born child,” a euphemism for abortion at the time. When she became pregnant again, Ballard with his attorney, Edward Sanford Jr. (this same attorney would later be Counsel for the Prosecution in Norman’s trial), physically tried to force Amelia to go to the house of a female physician known to provide both delivery and adoption services. Amelia Norman did not comply and gave birth to a child in August 1842. Afterwards, Ballard tried to force her go to the police and swear to a statement that he was not the child’s father.
Callender, her employer, advocated on Norman’s behalf and lodged a complaint of seduction against Ballard; but Callender’s complaint was prohibited because he was her employer and she was not a dependent in his household. He did not have the same standing to sue as a father or a master would have had.
Continued on page 26
Amelia Norman illustration, New York Herald, Jan. 18, 1844.
Photos courtesy of Patricia Galperin
Astor House Hotel, NYC, 1860
Left: Michael Walsh, editor of
Right: George Wilkes, ESQ., editor of Wilkes’s New York
of the Times who penned
In the 19th century, “seduction” was a term used for a man’s enticement of an unmarried woman. A father or master (of slaves, indentured servants, or apprentices) of an unmarried woman could sue the seducer for damages on the basis of his loss of her ability to earn wages or work because of a pregnancy and motherhood, resulting from the seduction.
Ballard promised to provide 12 shil lings a week for Norman and the child and to obtain rooms for her comfort on condition that Callender withdraw his complaint and Norman return his letters. Then he committed a cruel ruse. He placed Amelia in what he called a “respectable house” which turned out to be an “infamous house” on Green Street and promptly left for England for nearly a year, abandoning them both with no funds.
When Ballard returned to New York, Ame lia’s appeals for support fell on deaf ears. On August 8th, 1843, she confronted him. When she discovered that he was not at home, she went directly to his place of business—but not unaccompanied.
said to her, “Go and get your living as other prostitutes do.” Once arrested, the would-be murderer admitted she had stabbed Ballard and added that she wished the blade had been longer. She made it no secret that Ballard had seduced her and fathered her child.
While she remained under arrest in the Tombs, she met Mike Walsh, a leader in the Democratic Party and editor of a weekly labor paper, The Subterranean. At the time, Walsh was in jail for libel, assault, and battery. His lawyer would come to defend Amelia Norman, and Walsh would write editorials about her.
Norman’s plight became linked to a larger cause led by the American Female Moral Reform Society to criminalize seduction. It is here that she fell under Lydia Maria Child’s protective wing. Child was an abolitionist and an influential author who took up the cause for women’s rights.
She came with Sarah Ballard, his previous mistress, whom he brought with him from Boston. Sarah had taken his name and bore him three children. Then he had thrown her over for Amelia. Henry Ballard was blindsided when confronted by his two spurned mistresses, and he tried to get away. Amelia, the bolder, followed him out onto the street. She pounded her fists on his back to no avail. Both ladies beat him with their parasols, breaking one over his head.
Ballard lodged a complaint only against Amelia, not for assault by parasol, but for vagrancy and disorderly conduct—a charge that was used by police to arrest streetwalkers as there was no law against prostitution. On Friday, August 11th, 1843, Amelia Norman was arrested and jailed at the Tombs. The next day, she filed a seduction complaint against Henry Ballard from her cell.
On Monday, Amelia Norman’s complaint against Henry Ballard was dismissed. Norman had no standing to sue for her own seduction. Further, the court claimed no jurisdiction over Norman’s complaint because she had accepted a compromise after the alleged seduction—the 12 shillings a week that she never received. The court also dismissed Ballard’s complaint against Norman and released her from jail, sparing her a trial and possibly a sixmonth sentence on Blackwell Island.
On November 1st, 1843 on the Astor House steps, Amelia lost all sense of reason and stabbed Ballard when he
The trial, held January 16th–20th, 1844, was considered a most extraordinary case, one revealing current moral conditions as well as a heart-rending history. The courtroom was crowded beyond capacity, with sympathizers for Norman spilling over into the corridors. Amelia Norman’s trial was covered by all the New York City newspapers—The Sun, Post, Herald, Tribune, Express, and Subterranean. Their articles were also reprinted in newspapers in other states around the country.
Because Amelia Norman was abandoned by her counsel the day before her trial, David Graham became her defense attorney. Influenced by his high morals, he waived his fee to represent her. He railed in court on “the infamy and moral turpitude of Ballard and how he ruined the prisoner and his vengeance to destroy her soul as he had done with her body, mind, and spirit.”
Ballard’s lawyer, Edward Sanford Jr., wanted to tarnish Amelia as a prostitute and insisted that no evidence concerning either her character or his client’s should be admitted. Sanford proved the stabbing of Ballard, as charged, by the direct testimony of three unimpeachable witnesses and rested his case. Sanford objected to most of the testimony given in Norman’s defense, and his objections were sustained; but neither the jury nor the court could undo hearing what they heard.
Amelia Norman’s deportment was that of propriety, dressed in black and wearing a veil. Should she be convicted, she would be serving her time in Sing Sing Prison. Eleven persons testified on Norman’s behalf, including Mrs. Meriam, Mr. Callender, and Sarah Ballard. They presented Amelia as respectable, virtuous, discreet, and
Portrait of Lydia Maria Child, 1910
amiable before meeting Ballard and as having fitfully dark moods of crying in despair afterwards.
Throughout the trial Ballard hid himself from view behind a stove pipe in the court and refused to come forward and show himself despite being subpoenaed to appear. What Sanford did not want the jury to hear was that Henry Ballard’s villainy extended to Sarah Ballard, but they did.
The all-male jury considered the two counts in the indictment, and after an absence of eight minutes found the accused “Not Guilty.” Amelia Norman was acquitted. The halls shook with the roaring sound of thunderous applause.
“It was his villainy in deceiving her—his meanness in abandoning her, and his cowardice in appearing against her, which called forth a feeling of pity for her and of indignant contempt for him in the breast of every chivalrous and high-minded man in the community,” Mike Walsh wrote of the verdict in The Subterranean
“Has she no brothers?” Walsh asked, referring to “the law of honor” to avenge the wrong done to Amelia. The truth was that despite the large Norman family, her three elder brothers were embroiled in their own troubles. The rest of her siblings were married women of legal age, and her half-siblings were all children. Amelia had left the family home years earlier, so her father could not sue for loss of her earnings from the seduction.
What did Sussex County know of this? The Sussex Register ran three articles in total, one of her arrest and two covering her trial. The newspaper’s concluding commentary was a moral warning: “Sin and shame have marked her for their own. Her career is full of admonition… (these are) the dangers which beset inexperienced and unprotected country girls when thrown within the reach of systematic villainy and libertinism so prevalent in our cities.”
Truthfully, Amelia was just not as interesting as the havoc her brothers wreaked locally when they went on a spree of robbery and mayhem in Sparta. Two days after she stabbed Ballard, on November 3rd, 1843, brothers Oliver and Charles stole four bee skips (beehives made of twined straw to hold swarms) from neighbors Job Cory and John Rochelle along with 200 pounds of honey. Brothers Peter and William, along with Oliver, started a riot burning the skips and killing the bees.
Two weeks later Oliver was at it again, this time with household member Henry Bird. Together they stole two geese, twelve fowl, twelve hens, twelve pullets and twelve chickens from neighbor Sering Wade. Later that evening when they were stopped by neighbor John Decker, they relieved him of three gallons of whiskey. All parties were arraigned in Sussex County and were found guilty or confessed.
Lydia Maria Child did not abandon Amelia Norman after her acquittal. She nursed the broken woman back to health and found her a position with a New England family as a housekeeper that gave her a new chance at life.
In March 1848, after a decade of petitioning by the American Female Moral Reform Society, and using the verdict of Amelia Norman’s trial to further their cause, a bill known as the Field Code was passed by New York’s legislature. The “Act to Punish Seduction as a Crime” became a crime punishable by five years in a state prison for any man who seduced an unmarried woman of chaste character.
The Field Code became a model for many other states and had influence in Great Britain and its colonies. Between 1851 and 1930, thirteen states adopted the Field Code, either in whole or part, and adopted with it a section granting women the right to sue for seduction on their own behalf. Most explicitly, it dropped loss of services as a cause of action. The Field Code recognized a woman’s separate legal identity.
On April 7th, 1848, the New York legislature passed the “Married Women’s Property Act,” which allowed wives to keep the property they owned before marriage and any they separately acquired while they were married. It dismantled the law carried over from Britain that a woman lost her separate civil identity at marriage and that control of her property passed into the hands of her husband. By the mid-nineteenth century, nearly every state, Britain, and Canada had passed a married women’s property law.
The case of Amelia Norman continues on in books, legal journals, and trial citations. In 2020, Cry of Murder on Broadway: A Woman’s Ruin and Revenge in Old New York written by Julie Miller was published. It is a compelling and in-depth look at the trial of Amelia Norman with a finger on the pulse of society and politics.
In the end, karma caught up with Henry Ballard. He died five years later in December 1849 in Boston at the age of 37. Once described by the press as an attractively dressed and well-groomed man with light brown hair, sandy whiskers, and big blue eyes, Ballard died of erysipelas, a bacterial skin infection caused by streptococcal bacteria that spread hot painful lesions over his face, arms, and legs.
Amelia Norman disappeared into anonymity and lived a new life far from Sparta, NJ. She may be remembered for her crime of desperation, but her acquittal over 180 years ago has left an important and indelible mark on women’s rights and equality.
Patricia O. Galperin is the author of In Search of Princess White Deer. She is secretary of the Lake Mohawk Historic Committee and a member of the Sparta Historical Society.
Photos
Richard Morais, Milford Moons
The moon’s lunar day is synchronized every 29.5 days by earth’s gravitational pull, which makes it the main driver of the earth’s tides. But the moon has long captivated poets, authors, songwriters, and other creatives as a source of inspiration and awe. Think, Shine on Harvest Moon, Moonglow, or Moonstruck.
From its symbolic representation of feminine energy, embodied in intuition and emotional depth, to the association with nature’s cycles, the moon’s symbolism goes beyond science, geographic borders, and belief systems. It has been interpreted through mythology, by various cultures, and by astrologers.
The moon serves as a guiding light of reflection and love. Its images invite us to explore the depths of our emotions and embrace the cycles of life that shape our existence.
A glimmer of an idea and a fascination with the moon prompted local resident and accomplished writer Richard C. Morais to capture the charm of Milford, PA, both under the moon and cast in moonlight, through poetic-style verse and a series of photographs he began taking one evening and continues taking to this day (or night!).
The foreword to Milford Moons, written by former Milford Mayor Sean Strub, says the photographs “communicate a reassuring sense of calm and tranquility…beyond the intrusive barrage of conflict… [in] our modern age.” Milford Moons, subtitled A Writer’s Visual Love Letter to
His Ancestral Village, is divided into five thematic sections: Paths, Afterhours, Shadows, Renewal, and Tranquility; all are representative of the emotional pull of the moon and the cyclical nature of life.
Richard, who was born in Portugal and spent most of his early life in Switzerland, is a humble man who smiles and talks with his hands as he speaks. He enjoyed an extraordinary career as the Editor of Barron’s Penta and as the European Bureau Chief at Forbes, which he describes as “the best job ever. I was able to travel almost anywhere in the world and write on any subject that interested me.”
One story he tells about a business trip to Africa informed his essential approach to writing:
“I don’t see writing as searching for the right words nearly as much as I see it as a collection of senses and imagery. When I traveled as a foreign correspondent, I discovered that an open-air market in any country provided almost everything I needed to know about the economy of that country. I especially remember seeing, in a small Ugandan village, cattle hooves used in soups being sold from rusty pails. That image told me more than all the statistics I had read in preparation for the trip.”
That open-air imagery and his international travel may well have prompted Richard to write his first novel, The Hundred-Foot Journey, published in 2008, which became a New York Times and global bestseller. It describes a cul-
tural clash between an Indian family and a French chef that was ultimately turned into a well-received Hollywood movie. Richard followed that up with two more novels: Buddhaland Brooklyn (2012) and The Man with No Borders (2019). He also wrote the biography, Pierre Cardin: The Man Who Became a Label, in 1991.
Richard’s family attachments in Milford, where he currently resides, stretch back to his ancestors who first arrived in Milford from the New York City area in 1905, settling in as neighbors of pragmatist philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce on Routes 6 and 209 between Milford and Matamoras.
In the 1960s and 70s, while growing up in Europe, he became close with the American side of his family through visits with several great aunts who lived in Matamoras and Milford. When the family had originally settled in the area, they ran an Episcopal summer camp on the banks of the Delaware River, essentially where Kittatinny Canoes is located today.
In recent years, Richard learned that in 1928, a girl from his family’s summer camp had died as a result of injuries sustained when she walked into the roadway and was hit by a car. That story, plus some family lore, sparked his imagination, and he began writing a mystery novel grounded in a historic village in Northeastern Pennsylvania. He then began to wonder what single image would best capture the essence of the novel that was taking shape on the page.
As the book jacket for Milford Moons explains: while walking his dogs one evening, “the full moon that night that stood over one of the back alleys prompted him to snap the shadow-filled moonlit scene that was beautiful, mysterious, and moody.”
“I’m an amateur photographer with an iPhone,” laughs Richard. “But that first photo turned into an OCD assembly of images that ultimately turned into Milford Moons
“Marta Hallett, of G Editions,” he continues, “my incredibly talented and risk-taking publisher and her team of professionals, foremost among them Liz Trovato, lovingly assembled the 250 color photos in the book—selected from over a thousand—into themes that even I hadn’t recognized. They deserve so much of the credit for this lovely coffee-table book.”
“There are no existing books that we are aware of for local residents and tourists that capture the beauty of Milford,” explains Marta Hallett, “so we are thrilled to offer this tribute to nocturnal Milford.”
Of the 250 photographs in the book, does Richard have a favorite? He contemplates for a few moments, then responds, “the ones with my two dogs, one of whom I lost in a tragic road accident.” Milford Moons is dedicated to his husband, Rob, and his dogs, Maya and Sherry. The moon indeed has an emotional pull.
Richard C. Morais serves on the Board of Milford’s Readers and Writers Festival, held in September. The festival has initiated the Book Lovers Scholarship Fund to provide free and reduced-cost access to the festival for residents who may otherwise not be in a position to attend. There will be a fundraising event at Hotel Fauchère in Milford, June 7th from noon to 2 p.m. Attendees may purchase signed copies of Milford Moons as well as framed and signed prints of select photographs.
Will Voelkel is a local resident and Board Member of Grey Towers Heritage Association. He invests in, renovates, and “flips” homes to enhance the beauty of Pike County and enjoys moonlight over the water at his lakefront home.
A WRITER’S RETREAT
In early 2025, Richard C. Morais founded the Milford Writing Institute with a vision to be a center of excellence for aspiring writers. Although the Institute is rooted in the charming village of Milford, PA, he will ultimately offer workshops internationally.
The fall anchor workshop and masterclass retreat, concentrating on fiction, memoir, and non-fiction, is scheduled in September to coincide with the Milford Readers & Writers Festival. It will include three days of inspiration at the festival followed by a five-day writing retreat.
For more information, visit richardcmorais.com/ milford-writing-institute.
Father’s Day
I’m hiking down a path, one that winds along the edge of a field choked with brambles. Beside the trail, birds are gossiping about the salacious behavior of caterpillars writhing within their gauze-like chambers, hanging from the branches of chokecherry trees. My attention turns to the complaints of a red squirrel, the little rodent scolding me from atop a rock wall. As I move on, the thorns of an unruly rugosa pull impatiently at my shirtsleeve.
Slipping under a canopy of hemlock and hardwood, I walk through deepening shadows. Climbing higher, I follow the ridge trail, its rock-and-lichen sides hidden by mountain laurel. The laurels’ white blossoms are in full bloom on this June afternoon. Wild rhododendrons sprawl down the side of the ravine. Their flowers are biding their time, waiting for July to open.
As the sun slips below the western rim of hills encircling Bonnie Brook, the heat of the day recedes, but not the humidity. By the time I descend into the coolness of the glen, perspiration has soaked through the back of my shirt.
The trout season begins under gray skies and hard rain, progressing through a month of pleasant temperatures when the fish are easy to find and the sweet scent of bar-
berries, honeysuckle, and wild rose hangs above the banks of the little stream. The waters of this inconspicuous rill flow high and fast during April, continuing through May, but begin to slow as June approaches. By Father’s Day, the raucous laughter of early spring slows to a chuckle.
The creatures of the forest go about their secret lives, unconcerned by the sound of my footfall across the earthen trail. My pace quickens as I draw closer to the current. Below, a vole, or perhaps a shrew, scampers past my boot.
Witchety, witchety, witchety—the calls of a yellowthroat flitting through the streamside brush seem to tumble down with the current. In the tops of trees, black-andwhite warblers sound like squeaky wheels. A redstart snatches an insect out of the heavy air as it swings across the stream’s surface. Watching the blur of black-and-orange feathers, I nearly step on a garter snake. Like a yellow ribbon abandoned upon the path, the snake’s body lies in long curls, soaking up the warmth as another sunstreaked afternoon slips into shadow.
The path widens, more or less level as it follows the course of the brook. Around a bend, I startle a great blue heron. When the gangly bird takes flight, its legs dangle below
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a gaunt frame, reminding me of some knobby-kneed octogenarian.
As I wade across the stream, the water is cool against my hip boots. On the far bank, I step around boulders, over roots, and the occasional fallen limb. Careful to carry my little cane rod with the tip facing backward, I stop to catch my breath.
A few minutes later, I arrive at the pool. It is the largest on this little brook, one I’ve come to know well over the years. While I sit on a moss-covered log, a dragonfly hovers inches from my face. White-throated sparrows that had earlier called for Mr. Peabody have grown quiet now that the light has waned, leaving only the occasional pip, pip, pip of a wood thrush as it scratches at the forest floor.
After removing my cap, I pull a neckerchief from the back pocket of my jeans and dip it into the edge of the stream. Water trickles down my neck, moistening the back of my shirt as I spread the damp fabric over my head.
Still seated, I scan the pool’s surface for signs of trout. While doing so, my concern for this sylvan Avalon rises
like a fish to a fly. Over the years, heat and humidity have descended sooner, drought and hurricane more frequent. These extreme weather events hang like a shroud over this woodland stream. A difference of only a degree or two could sound the death knell for the wild trout living here.
I agree with Joni Mitchell when she sings, “We are stardust, we are golden/We are billion-year-old carbon,” but although our bits may be eternal, their unique combinations are not. Whether guided by the Almighty or nature’s elegant plan, the stardust that has created each moth, mayfly, and mosquito; squirrel, snake, and spider; bird, bush, and brook trout; and yes, even man, comes together for too short a time, making all life on this planet that much more precious.
A caddisfly, one of those ingenious aquatic insects that carries its home of sticks and stones on its back while crawling along the stream bottom until rising to the surface at the same time as its brothers, sisters, and countless cousins (what fly-fishers call a “hatch”), catches my attention as it alights upon my sleeve. After mating, the females return to the stream to lay their eggs, which begins anew this perennial cycle of life.
Looking closer, I notice others in the air. A few skitter along the stream’s surface. I pull a pill box from my breast pocket and choose a pattern from the half-dozen or so flies collected in the metal tin, knotting a fly similar in size, shape, and color to the little bug, its wings now spread, fluttering above my head like a tiny tan helicopter.
For the next hour or so, I cast the imitation fly across the pool, now and again feeling the pull of a good fish. As darkness falls, a gibbous moon illuminates the surface of the stream. I cast one last time. Twitching the fly when it alights along the far edge of the pool, I provoke a strike. Water sprays outward when a trout, larger than the rest, slashes at the surface. The little cane rod momentarily bends under the strain of the fish, but when I pull back to set the hook, the knot fails, the line springing backward, lying at my feet in an impossibility of tangles.
Too dark to undo the impossibility of tangles lying at my feet, I call it a night. Climbing up the trail, I look back over my shoulder at the pool that shimmers in the moonlight. A field mouse scampers over my boot, the little rodent disappearing in the leaf litter. Turning back up the darkened path, I hear the hoots of an owl.
RETURN TO RANGELEY
by Robert J. Romano, Jr.
Join Nathaniel Palmer, George Anne Brady, and company as they seek meaning in an increasingly troubling world among the vast lakes, unrestrained rivers, and those little rills found only by following a logging road through the heart of western Maine.
Praise for Bob’s previous novels:
Praise for Bob’s previous novels:
“A fine tribute to one of the last wilderness resourceful, kind-hearted, and ever so – Howard Frank Mosher, author of eight
“A ne tribute to one of the last wilderness enclaves of New England and to the tough, resourceful, kindhearted, and ever so independentminded people who eke out a living there.” – Howard Frank Mosher, author of eight novels including Waiting For Teddy Williams
“Bob Romano brings us nature as nurturer, restorative powers of fishing, and a sense numerous books including The Snow Fly
“Bob Romano knows fly fishing, and he clear, evocative prose. Romano combines immensely.” – William G. Tapply, author
“Bob Romano brings us nature as nurturer, the chemistry and characters of the small town, the restorative powers of shing, and a sense of place that rings true.” – Joseph Heywood, author of numerous books including The Snow Fly and his Woods Cop series of novels.
Available through https://shop.midcurrent.com
“Bob Romano knows y shing, and he knows the human heart and he writes about them in clear, evocative prose. Romano combines these ingredients beautifully…which I enjoyed immensely.” – William G. Tapply, author of the Brady Coyne and the Stoney Calhoun novels.
https://www.amazon.com
For an autographed copy email
AVAILABLE THROUGH: https://shop.midcurrent.com and https://www.amazon.com
For an autographed copy email Bob at magalloway@mac.com
Aries (March 20-April 19) – Who you really are is directly involved in all the things about yourself that you do not say. By avoiding these things, you dodge responsibility — that much is true. Yet what you really avoid is the edge. The edge is where you exist in a state that seems like total uncertainty. It’s easier to stand back, far away, or retreat into a cave and stick to what seems totally familiar. Until you can’t stand it anymore.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) – You’re at the point of a profound breakthrough, something you’ve been working up to for years. Your solar chart has a kind of inner sanctum that’s a little like King Tut’s tomb. You won’t know what’s in there until you go inside. You might be worried about some kind of curse. I can offer a clue: you are what’s in there. Once you go in and meet who you are, there will be no turning back and no pretending that your encounter has not happened.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) – If you list all the things that might qualify as spiritual, careful review would suggest they are merely sketching qualities of something deeper, much closer to the core of who you are. And that something is not only easy to avoid; every facet of culture demands that you do so, and worse, offers a forest of fake plastic trees to conceal your view. However, for the best perspective, do your thing and explore the world of people and relationships. That’s where the gold and sunshine are.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) – The events of June 2025 take place in the topmost house of your solar chart — Aries. You have the sign of action on a house devoted to making bold moves in the world, asserting yourself and making your mark. And this astrology is big, bigger than anyone can describe in an encompassing way. Your life — particularly your professional, or preferably, vocational existence — is about to surge forward. It may not be easy, but you don’t need or want that.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) – Whatever God may be, it manifests among humans and in human awareness; and that begins with you. You’ll never find out about your truth or that of anyone else while you’re busy doing what you were taught thousands of times to do, which is to endlessly judge everything and everyone. There is a distinct point of maturity where letting go of judgment must happen, in service of discovering what those judgments (especially of yourself) conceal. And what is that? All that is truly possible.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) – Virgo is the sign that is most heavily invested in The Other. This happens through various commitments and involvements that seem necessary (at the time) so that you can both discover who you are and fulfill your purpose. In any relationship between adults, the only thing of value that can possibly be transacted is the truth, which means speaking yours and listening to that of others. Then and only then have you got something of value.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) – Learn whatever you can from any conflicts you find yourself in. Think of them as probes that reveal the true nature of people, and expose the underlying condition of your relationships. Once you recognize who you are, that’s likely to arrive with an understanding of what you’re doing here on this planet at this time. That, in turn, will reveal both commitment to yourself, and an investment in the world around you. Everything is in motion now, and different territory is ahead.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) – The road to success is paved with the risks you have taken. Those include creative risks and social ones; and they include breaking various rules — and in the process, making new ones. All you need is to be true to yourself and not try to impress anyone. And if you’re trying to impress yourself, forget it. The spirit you want is one of sincere curiosity and interest in life; the spirit of willingness and openness to discovery.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) – What your astrology is now asking is that you take nothing whatsoever for granted. You are in a moment of profound potential and change; a moment of creative rebirth like no other. You will often hear me associate the concepts creativity and risk; and by that I mean engaging with fear and the possibility that things might not go as planned. This is the most daring thing in the world, and the one that nearly everyone is hiding from. Congratulations — you no longer can.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) – Anger is useless, except as an early warning system. And as that, it’s essential, because it tells you where to look for more specific information. Anger can serve as an inspiration to make improvements to your world, if you respond to it in that moment. If something frustrates you, fix it. If you can’t find one, build one. If you feel limited within yourself, push your boundaries and grow as a voluntary act.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) – With Pluto now in your sign, you are being invited to make contact with both instinctual and evolutionary forces. Think of Pluto as an internal beacon that will remind you of who you are at all times. And with half of the solar system taking up residence in Aries, you’re being driven to express yourself, by which I mean to not hold it all in. So you have the inner connection you need, and the modes of expression that will serve you if you use them.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) – Now would be a good time to dial back the effort and just coast for a while. Saturn has left your sign — at least temporarily, till it moves on for the next few decades — giving you some breathing space, enough to know that you can feel better. And you may notice what a difference it makes when you do. This remains a serious and sober time in your personal history, when decisions mean more than usual. So don’t make them quickly, and keep a constant inventory of what you observe, what you know for sure and what you don’t know.
