Psychology Articles

Part 1: Balancing the Houses of Life

Long before my interests in Astrology, I took up the habit of studying other people. I have always been able to detach myself from many intense or controversial situations and be amused somewhat by human behavior. As far back as I can remember I had a genuine interest in caring for other people and understanding what made them tick. As psychology is an accepted science in the world, I tried to match up disturbed behavior patterns in others with a psychological origin. I felt an overwhelming need, even as a child, to heal others by getting to the heart of a matter to take away their pain.

I have often heard many times the proclamation of, “Your life is based upon the decisions that you make.” I agreed, yes, it must be true. Then I started to think on my own. Did every child with cancer coming into this world make the choice to suffer? I suppose many who believe we are somehow able to choose a suffering prior to this lifetime in order to further our spiritual goals while on Earth, would agree that perhaps those that suffer in this lifetime could be fulfilling their chosen or “karmic” paths. I am not adverse to this theory. Jesus himself suffered for a spiritual growth in this physical world that released so much power through physical sacrifice, that He opened the gates of hell and crossed into the protection of the Father, saving the world from death should they choose him as a gateway. In many of my own physical sufferings, I have found greater insight and have been able to help others with a greater compassion.

As I got older, I wondered on. What of the things we could change? I always trusted my gut instinct to guide me. You know, the spiritual peacefulness that you feel inside when all things are right or the overwhelming aching if things are wrong; the sixth sense as some would call it. However, when you are short on certain life experiences, hind sight is often twenty-twenty. I would learn later in life that it is possible for “gut instincts” to become distorted over-sensitized reactions due to trauma in the chart that throws life completely out of balance. Restoring balance to the chart that has been under trauma, is a must in order for our inner compasses to work properly.

In my mid twenties, when I first truly began studying Astrology, I was amazed at the understanding of house placements, and how the simplicity of understanding the significance of a transiting planet to an astrological house (or subject area) could provide so much guidance in my life. I began to watch the transits of the people closest to me; family and friends. I wondered at how even though some endured similar transits to the same house, each had the subjects manifest in a different way. For example, why did some who had Neptune ( planet of spirituality, illusion and escapism) in the 1st house (self, role in relationships) enjoy a great spiritual awakening, or found Jesus, while others found heroin? While I knew that Neptune was an influence in which spiritualism and escapism both abound, how odd that an influential transit that could bring increased spiritual growth especially in the first house of self which could benefit the individual a great deal in fulfilling their spiritual purpose, could also turn someone into a drug addict? I mean, Jesus and drug addicts side by side felt under the same influence? I further observed those with transits to their relationship sectors behave differently as well. I watched how their own free will would make some stay through a difficult situation of abuse, yet others victimized themselves so much in mild situations of misunderstanding with their partners that they decided to end the relationship. I saw some make great decisions. A friend of mine, was very good at being strong within her relationships and had a gentle stern way of never letting anything get out of hand. She seemed to understand the reasoning of give and take within the relationship. She also understood when it was time to leave the relationship.

It didn’t take me long to realize ( and I would learn later as I studied Electional Astrology more in depth) that the reason some made the best decisions they could make in difficult times vs. those who became overly overwhelmed and made less than great decisions, fell in the opposite side of the axis in the zodiac. Those who had become escapist in one way or another with Neptune in the first, were severely lacking the skills found to relate to others as reflected in the house of relationships across the zodiac. Often their parents had provided little support, and their relationships with their partners fell into the same pattern of abuse. Wherever I found the opposite house weighed down with Chaos, I found the bad decision made in the opposite sign and house subject area. There are so many ways that this scenario of imbalance in the chart plays out in our lives: home vs. career, lack of education affecting communication, destructive emotions causing health problems, confinement or jail time affecting daily routines, sedentary lifestyle vs. work and health, children vs. our social lives…the list could go on. Of course, when we look to the planet or planets making aspects to the houses of our charts, we see how these situations are manifesting because of the imbalance or the type of lesson we must face to bring the houses back into balance.

I am not discrediting the importance of the transiting planets relationship to our natal planets. After all, in Astrology, there are many ways to put a magnifying glass to detail. Humor me for a moment, while I show an example metaphorically with numbers. Suppose you need to serve four place settings for dinner at a traditional dinner table that seats eight. You do know that others may join the group, but you are only certain of the four places needed. There are different ways in which you could divide the number four. You could sit three on one side of the table, and one on the other. You could arrange two on one side, one at the head and one at the other. You realize all of the possibilities, but in order for the conversation to flow smoothly, you find the simplest way is just to seat two on each side. That way if any guest are to join, the foundation for a successful conversation over dinner is already in place. In Astrology, there are many possibilities, but without the recognition of maintaining balance, we cannot begin to understand how to achieve the best outcomes.

I do realize that there are many other transits affecting the natal chart that add criteria to situations that both minimize and maximize the importance of details in certain situations and will discuss their weight in the houses in the next article. However, the beauty is this: If we use the house system as a guide to develop balance before heavy hitting planets and angles come forward in the future, I do believe that we are better able to evolve spiritually and emotionally in our time here. Depending on the severity of the transit, we may even save lives by balancing the areas of our charts in advance, so that we not only make better decisions for ourselves, but also for others.

How do we begin to find that balance? Look to the houses of astrological wheel which describe various subjects in our lives. Then look at the house on the opposite side and ask yourself if you find a balance in your priorities and actions of the two.

Below is a list of each house paired with it’s opposite house that creates an axis on the zodiac wheel:

House 1: Relationship to self, self needs and wants, self discovery and growth.
House 7: Long term relationships with others such as parents and both marriage and business partnerships

House 2: Personal resources such as money and self-worth. Anything of value that you own.
House 8: Joint resources with others such as property and real-estate, joint income. Also covers monies that involve others such as taxes, debt, child-support payments. Sex and intimacy are covered here as well as great change such as death.

House 3: All communication to include speech, writing, technology, learning, etc. Short term trips and involvement within one’s community is denoted here.
House 9: Considered an avenue to higher consciousness, this house covers education of academic and spiritual values, legal issues, and long distance travel.

House 4: This house is said to promote balance in all other houses. It contains our home and families. Our familial values reside here, as well as the ability to stay grounded in one’s own value system. It is believed that if this house is out of balance, then all other houses will remain unbalanced, until the issues are resolved here.
House 10: This house contains society’s view of you, your career and status in life. It provides your personal reputation based on these experiences.

House 5: Your inner child is housed here along with your creativity, your own children, and romantic opportunities. This is the house of fun and games to include gambling and chance opportunities.
House 11: Your hopes and dreams are contained here as well as the groups of people you are in contact with in life. These could be groups of friends or acquaintances. Parties, networking and contacts in areas that cover a broad spectrum of people are housed here.

House 6: Probably one of the most important houses in the zodiac. This house covers your physical health, the work of your hands, and service to others. It contains the business of day-to-day life such as your job ( not career, but the actual activities on the job) and running errands. Anything you do that keeps you physically busy falls to this house.
House 12: This is the house of secrets and behind the scenes activities. Hospitalization and confinement, as well as imprisonment fall in this area. The deepest psychological processes are housed here as well as the dark side of our deepest fears. At the same time, this house represents a deeper spiritual understanding, perhaps because it covers the quietness and aloneness of deep psychological meditation and contemplation of the choices we have made in life. Patterns of self-undoing and depression are found here as well as hidden illnesses, and disease of the body and emotions.

After a careful examination of which house on it’s axis is stronger or weaker, take into consideration the actions that you could initiate to even out the activities in both houses. For example, if you find that you are spending too much time with your 10th house of career, find a way to add more activities towards your family life, or simply re-visit the needs of your family members. I am confident that once you identify any areas of unbalance, that even in the harshest of life situations that you face, you will have the strength of a solid foundation to provide more additional resources than ever before.

Read more at http://www.chastrology.com

Some time ago, I encountered a story that gets me thinking, I realized that by rushing through each day trying to survive, and doing the best that we can, under prevailing circumstances, we are actually paving our way to a crisis with many good intentions.

Read through the following story, think about it a bit and then decide for yourself, whether the above statement “We rush with good intentions to a crisis!” has any truth to it…

A man (Koos) was traveling between Beaufort West and Three Sisters, on his way to Johannesburg, at a comfortable cruising speed of 130 Km/h, when he notices a man walking, with obvious determination, next to the road. The picture of an obvious sweating-exhausted man trying to remain energetic, while walking, fascinated him, and he decided to stop and inquire about the man’s unwavering purpose in the middle of the Karoo.

Although quite exhausted, the man (Gert) was willing to speak to him, providing that his stride can be maintained and he therefore requested that Koos should accompany him in his walk. Koos, quite curious, lock-up his car and decided to accompany Gert to find out what this was all about. As they started off in a brisk walk, this is a transcript of the conversation that followed between them…

Koos: “Why are you walking so ferociously, it looks if you are quite determined and in a hurry to be someplace?”

Gert: “Yes, you right, I am on my way to Cape Town, I must be there in two weeks time, if I want to pursue an opportunity of a life-time. Due to some misfortunes beyond my control, I am already behind schedule, so I can’t waste any time with unnecessary idle chatter.”

Koos: “Why didn’t you take a car, surely it would have save you a lot of traveling time?”

Gert: “Yes, it surely would, I am already traveling for a month and half now, BUT unfortunately I don’t own a car.” While anticipating the next line of questions, continued; “An airplane is much too expensive, a bus extremely risky, the train too dangerous and a boat won’t work. A bicycle was the second best option, but it was stolen, along with all my belongings, about a month ago, while I was resting in Bloemfontein. The best alternative was to continue the journey on foot.”

Koos: “Couldn’t you have borrowed or hired a car from someone?”

Gert: “No, available funds are pretty tight for such additional expenses, and besides, I cannot drive a car at all.”

Koos: “What about the option of hitchhiking?”

Gert: “I don’t like to be dependent on people, and it is naive to think that you can trust just anybody. When hitch-hiking you are depended on the mercy of someone else, and it could be a very compromising position to be in.”

Koos: “Then, why didn’t you spend some time, learn how to drive, and then use that skill to make your traveling less of a time consuming effort?”

Gert: “Excellent suggestion, regrettably I don’t have the time at the moment to pay any attention to it. I am much too busy walking and there is not much opportunity for something else now. Maybe when things have calmed down a bit in future, I could reconsider. You should excuse me now; I have to pick-up the pace, if I want to reach Beaufort West before nightfall.”

While walking back to his car Koos was toiling with the following thought; habits (i.e. attitudes and believes) are something that unquestionably prevails, remains firmly in place and we will defend it by resisting all habit changing suggestions or options, even when such changes could make our life a whole lot easier.

Isn’t it time that we all should slow down our “ferocious walking and frantic chase after the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” and spend some time to re-consider our present attitudes, beliefs and habits? Wouldn’t it make life a lot easier for ourselves?

Writers more than any others know by necessity both of the above. It is from where true creativity arises. When the words that are written come from a source beyond one, one finds it impossible to write simply for something to do.

For me and for many writers reading this, a piece of writing, article, letter or essay arises following considerable time spent in gestation. This can sometimes be likened to a descent into the abyss. It’s a two- way process as I dive through some painful human experiences into the depth of my soul to discover the truth of a situation, then so my soul source will arise up to meet me. It’s like the meeting of old friends who have been separated for aeons. “Oh yes, I remember this feeling of “home”… wherein lays my heart.”

In a world where words issue forth in an endless and often mindless stream of trivial and banal comments, sound bites and attempts at communication, it is the true creator’s lot to remain silent and carry the stigma and shame of that isolating silence. To an outsider who is not privy to this process it can appear a lonely despairing role. But the process is a necessary despair; only by plunging into the mud and silt of the dense earth can we discover nuggets of pure gold.

When all outer sources fail one, when one appears to go beyond the pale, and friends and enemies alike step worlds away from one it is then that we are forced into this subterranean darkness.

This is one aspect of the multidimensional process. We are here walking upon this Earth but we know we are not of this planet except as a tiny seed of consciousness. And so we can somehow find peace and comfort whether suffering from the stigma of shame or the grace of solitude, it depends which perspective is dominant at the time.

This process is the natural pre-birth phenomena, before we are plunged into the reality of Earth for our lessons on life, where we may if we are so graced; experience the blissful rapture of human embodiment.

You can be broken down and I will hold and love you that way. You can fall apart and I will hold and love you that way.
You can have nothing to offer for now and I will hold and love you that way.
You can be at your lowest ebb and I will hold and love you that way.
You can be depressed, contorted, wounded or distraught and I will hold and love you that way.
I will do this with no insistence that you be fixed. I can accommodate a you that breaks down and is not available for my needs for the time being.
From: When Love Meets Fear

Many Articles on Experienced Spirituality, Multidimensional Reality and Personal Growth can be found on

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Thousands of experts have spent millions of dollars researching the phenomena of food related issues resulting in today’s unprecedented levels of obesity. Every magazine and newspaper, repeats the same old diets in the same old way giving it the same old name of “New.”

There was a time when we were mean, lean and hungry. Now we are simply mean and hungry…joke?

During my first visit to India some fourteen years ago I never met a fat Indian. Everyone I encountered looked lean and hungry. On my most recent visit the first taxi driver I conversed with asked me for advice on his obesity and diabetes. Wealthy materialism and spiritual deprivation quickly shows on the body. This is not a perspective that would be considered by the ” food or eating disorder experts.” Here I am not alluding to those who suffer from bulimia or anorexia, a completely different psychological disorder.

Here I speak of a psychological disorder, otherwise known as soul displacement, which at a great cost to human evolution, is being normalised.

Food nowadays is a multi – billion dollar driven phenomena whereby our appetites are manipulated by manufacturers who are oblivious to the holistic approach to human development. They need to be to make the huge profits from helping us commit suicide by killing ourselves with our manipulated desires.
Politicians who make vane attempts to stop binge drinking and who implement a health food tax in order to prevent us from becoming like the characters from the movie “Wall-E” are compounding problems with their ignorance. I am surely not the only one walking around who is secretly appalled at the state of humanity?

How many wives feed their husbands as a way to demonstrate love? These are time old strategies that ensured the propagation of the species. A comfortable satisfied body will soon succumb to a dull unadventurous and safe lifestyle. Ooh I can hear some people banging the drums of outrageous denial…

A person who feeds the soul will not give us what we want but will give us what we need. We are conditioned to need more and more of what we do not really need in order to deny the soul its true existence. Our daily duties whether we work as an economic slave or are able to live in “relative” freedom (note” relative”- we are not free if something other than ourselves can control our thoughts – think about that!) are filled with the buying, making and consumption of food. Whereas food for the soul comes from the fragrance of a Spring Hyacinth, a summer’s Rose and autumn’s Lavender. It comes from soul inspiring literature and music, from a deep meaningful conversation with a loved one, a smile across a crowded room, at a bus stop, the warmth of the sun after cold damp and cloudy days. All these and more feed our soul and spirit.

But do we take as much time breathing this soul food as we do gobbling down short energy producing carbs and sugar heavy substances?

Eat to live and not live to eat” is a motto well worth remembering.

Yet here is the timeless paradox to all this “alternative perspective,” one of my dearest soul mates who taught me some profound spiritual lessons said to me one day

“You know Avril I like nothing better than taking you out and treating you to a great big slice of coffee and walnut of cake and seeing the delight which arises in your eyes.”

“My great-great-grandchildren ask me, in dreams, ‘What did you do while the planet was plundered? What did you do when the earth was unravelling? Surely you did something when the seasons started failing, as the mammals, reptiles, birds were all dying. Did you fill the streets with protest when democracy was stolen? What did you do once you knew?’”
Drew Delinger, poet

Many Articles on Experienced Spirituality, Multidimensional Reality and Personal Growth can be found on

including free E-Book upon Request

God and Psychology

Recently I was discussing God with one of my friends who is of the opinion that people only believe in religion for ‘psychological’ reasons: i.e. because their parents were religious, because they grew up in an environment of Christianity, or because they were brainwashed by charismatic and rhetorical speakers. He also thought that Christianity naturally promotes racism, hatred and inequality. I however, being Christian myself (Quaker to be more precise) think that this is unfair, and doesn’t consider both sides of the argument.

Now, before I begin I must freely confess that both my parents are Christian: I’m not going to try and hide that to make my opinion appear more objective, those reading this may well think ‘aha, he himself grew up with it and knew no better,’ Believe this if you want, but understand that if you believe we all hold beliefs because of psychological factors, then atheism is also a belief, and therefore subject to psychological explanation. I once knew a man that ardently declared his atheism. When I got to know him better, he revealed that his father had been Catholic, and had beaten him very often in his youth. He tells me I only believe in God because of psychological reasons… Yes, we are all subject to psychological factors which influence decisions, but becoming atheist does not grant immunity from this very basic human condition.

I hope that the arguments I use will be considered objective, logical and rhetorical, because I believe, contrary to much atheist thought, that religion is logical.

Returning to the debate with my friend, his first line of argument was to suggest that Christians promote inequality. My counter is simple: yes, it is true that many ‘Christians’ have engaged in warfare under religious pretences, and committed atrocities in the name of God. Does this mean they are Christian? No. People who believe we are not equal obviously aren’t true Christians. If I told you I was a scientist and never performed a single experiment but rather threw random chemicals together into a pot, would I be a true scientist? No. Similarly rejecting something because it has previously generated negative experiences or events, is not a ground for discarding it. Scientists created the nuclear warhead, not Christians, but do we attack science as being inherently immoral? No. Science has given man the terrifying ability to push a button and instantly destroy thousands, if not millions, of human beings. Yet do we decide to give it a rest? No. We accept it has drawbacks and terrible potential, but it also creates liver-transplant machines and intravenous feeds which save lives. Do we call for the abolishment of politicians because they start wars? No. Human beings can always twist and misuse ideas to their own ends, religion is the same. Just because a body of people have misused to it to, as my friend quite rightly says, promote inequality, sexism, and dictatorship, does not mean that religion as a whole is evil.

True Christianity promotes loving your neighbour as yourself. Jesus marks this out as the most important commandment, because from it all other commandments naturally follow.

In Galatians it says: “…we are all one,” therefore people that make arguments against Christianity as promoting inequality:
a) haven’t read the Bible
and
b) are obviously unable to separate individual faith based on evidence, understanding, experience and love from organised religion.

His second line of argument was to suggest that though the Bible does have moments where it seems to be promoting morality, at the same it contains “rape, child slavery and sexism” and promotes these alongside it.

Firstly, rape, child slavery and sexism exist in many modern films: that doesn’t mean these things are ‘promoted’. Does Orwell’s 1984 necessarily say that Communism and Oligarchical Collectivism are a good thing? No. The Ten Commandments expressly forbid murder and the disrespect/harm of others and this message is further enforced in the New Testament.

My friend was right about one thing though, yes, the Bible is in part a product of its time. Things were different then, and so naturally approaches to overcoming problems were different. For example: in the Old Testament we see polygamy and incest is accepted in some cases, whereas in the New Testament it is not. Consider then that in the Old Testament the population of the whole earth could be numbered in thousands. Measures were required to ensure the human race survived, but often even then polygamy, or extra marital sex was only as a last resort, for example: if the wife was infertile. Incest was also not necessarily the same thing that it is today, the blood was probably purer and would not lead to deformity, damage, or mutation as it does now. Scientists believe it would have taken eight people to populate the world today (bearing in mind there are eight people on Noah’s ark). Out of eight people there is only so much that can be done before inbreeding inevitably occurs. We are all related therefore, however distantly. But coming back to my friend’s argument: he is right, the Bible is partly a product of the circumstances in which it was conceived.

But, it also goes beyond this. Just because something is written two thousand (roughly AD 10-30 – The Jesus Papyrus) years ago, it doesn’t mean that it is outdated or that its principles become irrelevant. Psychologists use the works of Freud, Jung, and even more ancient philosophers: does their work become irrelevant just because time has passed? No. True, some ideas that were contemporaneous may now be less relevant, but others have become universal truths. Allow me to very simply demonstrate a universal truth from the Bible that anyone can accept, atheist, Christian, or of any denomination or belief. The Garden of Eden is frequently disregarded as being absurd, impossible, and convenient. Here’s my theory: The Garden of Eden is a metaphor, and it’s a brilliant one at that. It’s a metaphor for the human condition that has retained its hold on the imagination since it was written. Human beings are obsessed with what is forbidden. Humans beings are obsessed by knowledge: just look at science: does the unethical nature of their practices stop them pursuing secrets ardently to their culmination? No. And I’m not criticising science here: I follow the science articles in The Week avidly to see what the next discovery will be. We also see everyday that people fall prey to the promise of power, they make deals that they shouldn’t, they make choices that they even know they shouldn’t: but the power is just too tempting.

It’s a metaphor for puberty as well. Children aren’t ashamed to be naked and free. They aren’t ashamed if they speak what they feel honesty.
“I want a toy!”
“No it’s mine!”

They aren’t afraid to ball in tears in front of a crowd of people and they never make apologies for being who they are. Then with age comes wisdom, and ‘knowledge of good and evil’: of embarrassing secrets, of our own bodies. People want to cover themselves up because they’re afraid ‘I’m not ripped enough’ or ‘my bum’s too big’ etc. Knowledge brings shame, alongside the gift of reason and enlightenment.

It’s also about a man’s obsession with women. People often say that it’s sexist because Eve takes the fruit first. That’s one way to look at it: but who’s the bigger fool, the fool, or the fool who follows? In Paradise Lost Milton paints a picture of Adam as uxorious to the point of self destruction. Adam chooses to take the fruit because he can’t live without woman, without Eve. So it’s also a story about love. Human love that is so powerful it causes them to defy the divine, and who hasn’t felt their love for someone is causing them to fall? That our addiction to someone is almost unhealthy? That is doesn’t make sense? Adam gives us paradise for Eve, and isn’t that the case of most people: they sacrifice something to continue or further a relationship?

You don’t have to believe in God or in the literality of the Garden of Eden story to see that this book is profound, and full of profound teaching. Atheists often cannot understand how someone can turn to the Bible for guidance, as they view it as ignorant, but if you read the Bible you begin to see that there are numerous examples of acute observation of human nature, and of the way the world works. There is a famous line which states someone who commits sin will not only be cursed but for ten generations after their family will be cursed. Is this a harsh punishment from an unjust God (as atheists like to argue) or is it actually an observation that someone prone to behave badly will probably pass this on to their children, who in turn will pass it on to theirs, making it a hard cycle to break from.

Therefore I disagree with the views that the Bible doesn’t make sense and is ignorant, which is obviously a stance I’m expected to take. But looking at it from what, to me, is a logical perspective: there’s more psychological insight into human beings in that one exceedingly story, than in all of Freud and Dawkins put together.

I apologise if I offended anyone reading this article, unlike aggressive atheism I am perfectly fine with acknowledging many people have differing views from me. I intend no disrespect, and have been motivated to write this counter argument because of the numerous attacks upon my own system of belief: which is one of loving others, caring for others, striving for friends and family, upholding moral principles, and humbling before a being infinitely greater than I am.

Thank you for your time,
Feel free to post responses and comments.

Joseph Sale is a Creative Writing Student at the University of Birmingham and the author of two books: ‘Dark Age Heroes’ and ‘Z.A’

Alternatively you can follow his Twitter feed at: josephwordsmith

Visitors to Ghana during the second half of the twentieth century may have been surprised to find that road traffic was dominated by two categories of public transport vehicles: taxis with brightly painted yellow wings and trotros, old Bedford trucks with locally constructed wooden bodies of traditional and distinctive design. A common feature of both categories, however, was that the vehicles carried clearly painted mottoes or slogans, in English and vernaculars, reflecting the owner/driver’s hopes, fears or guiding principles. A study of these mottoes is a survey in microcosm of the philosophical and aspirational life of the community.

In the advertising stakes, trotros have the big advantage of incorporating large wooden headboards and tailboards on which their mottoes can be painted in large bright letters. Consequently, each trotro carries two mottoes, front and back. The two mottoes are usually quite different, but as they cannot both be viewed at the same time, no confusion results. Taxis, however, carry their mottoes on the back of the vehicle, usually on the vertical surface of the boot (trunk) lid. Often only one motto is presented but a second is sometimes painted on the rear window, presenting the observer with the opportunity to read both together. Needless to say, they are often conflicting and sometimes contradictory in a robust neo-Hegelian philosophical tradition.

Mottoes and slogans taken from the Bible are very popular. Often, only the name of the book and chapter and verse numbers are given, leaving the reader the task of looking up the reference. One of the most common that is fully expressed is, ‘Behold what God hath wrought!’ said to have been the first words transmitted by Samuel Morse in demonstrating his new invention of the electric telegraph, but usually rendered in the Twi vernacular as, ‘Hwe Nea Onyame aye.’

The two most popular themes are God and money, with devotees proclaiming in the vernacular that, ‘God is King,’ and ‘Money is King,’ in roughly equal numbers. However, many vehicles carry the one word, ‘Awurade,’ another popular name for God often used to express surprise or amazement. In many cases the amazement may be connected with the unexpected opportunity to earn a livelihood.

Many drivers use the mottoes on their trotros and taxis to express their gratitude for help in acquiring their vehicles, with expression like, ‘Good Father,’ or, ‘Good Uncle,’ or, ‘Boafo ye,’ it’s good to have a helper. Others proclaim ruefully how long it took them to reach this point with slogans like, ‘Boafo ye na,’ or ‘Helpers are scarce.’ Many others complain bitterly in English about life’s hardships with, ‘Poor man no chop,’ or, ‘No brother in the army,’ or ‘No time to die,’ taken as the title of Hannah Schreckenbach’s illustrated book of trotro slogans to which the reader is referred for a more comprehensive exploration of this theme.

As most professional drivers are male it is not surprising that another set of popular slogans expresses relationships with women. Often seen in English is, ‘Fear Woman,’ perhaps a reflection on past employment by one of the wealthy women traders who own fleets of public transport vehicles. Some drivers like to display the names of their wives or girlfriends with ‘Vida,’ being especially popular in Tema. ‘Awoa ye,’ or ‘It’s good to give birth,’ is often seen, as is the more direct, ‘Love pee.’

Finally, there is a category of popular mottoes of a more philosophical nature, some expressing the hope that things will get better. There is the agnostic motto, ‘Who knows?’ and another is, ‘No condition permanent,’ used by Ian Smillie as the title of his book about the Technology Consultancy Centre (TCC) of Kumasi University. Another is the more verbose, ‘Let my enemies live long to see what I will become in the future,’ seemingly favoured especially by taxi drivers. Even more commonly seen is, ‘Nyame bekyere’ or, ‘God will provide,’ giving God the last word in His contest with the monetarists.

John Powell To learn more about the intriguing story of the grassroots industrial revolution in the turbulent Ghana of the second half of the twentieth century, read John Powell’s novel The Colonial Gentleman’s Son or his non-fictional account The Survival of the Fitter. More details of these books and photographs of the informal sector artisans of Suame Magazine in Kumasi will be found on the following websites. ( http://www.ghanabooksjwp.com ) http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_28?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+colonial+gentleman%27s+son&sprefix=the+colonial+gentleman%27s+son.

From the 1960s, as more African countries emerged into independent life, Western governments and international non-governmental organisations (NGO) have mounted innumerable projects aimed at promoting economic and social development. These projects have employed vast numbers of local people in various capacities from co-directors and technical officers down to semi-skilled workers and labourers. While the project planners and fund providers might have high aspirations of alleviating the poverty and suffering of thousands of people, for many of the local people employed on the ground the work is just another job and a stepping stone to something better. There will inevitably be a few, usually technically and professionally qualified, individuals, however, who find themselves torn between the two objectives of service to the community and pragmatic self-interest. The dilemma may be intensified by an opportunity to attend a training programme overseas.

Often, local employees of development projects are given a chance to train for a short period in the project sponsor’s home country. As time passes the mind wrestles more and more with the question of what should be done at the end of the training period. Should one return to one’s duties back home or take what seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity to seek one’s fortune in a more prosperous country?

At a fundamental level this is a problem that confronts every educated citizen of a developing country. A good deal is understood about the theories of economic development. If governments pursue the right policies it is possible for national economies to grow by a few percentage points every year. If the new wealth is fairly distributed, each citizen could expect his lot to improve gradually in line with the growth in the economy. However, experience has shown that fair distribution is rarely achieved. A few people prosper spectacularly at the expense of the masses. Any advance for the masses is often nullified by population growth. In many cases it has been seen that national economies steadily decline over the years.

But the personal issue goes deeper than that. Even if the efforts of the government and development agencies achieve growth in the economy, is a rate of, say, 5 percent a year attractive to an ambitious young person? Doesn’t one need annual growth rates measured in hundreds and thousands of percentage points if one is ever to have all one wants: a big house, a Mercedes Benz, a BMW, and enough spare cash to keep the extended family happy? Individuals can achieve these high growth rates, not by waiting for economic development, but by finding a way of taking a bigger share of wealth that already exists. Experience of grassroots industrial development brings the realisation that this is what motivates most would-be entrepreneurs.

Yes, human life is too short to wait for economic development. This is understood instinctively even by the bushmen and illiterates back home. They are all intent on seeking ways to escape to a better life. It is only intellectuals who worry about rationalising the situation. Painfully, with this rationalisation can come a desire to leave behind something more durable than wealth. Shouldn’t an educated man or woman also leave his or her mark on the history of his or her country? Could something be done that would make one’s name remembered for generations to come? Could one be like Tetteh-Quarshie, whose name is still honoured after almost a hundred years, as the man who brought cocoa to Ghana?

The quest for lasting fame can be a path of honour. Avarice must be put aside and sacrifices made if one is to serve one’s country in the field in which one is best qualified. The monetary rewards will be modest, there may even be a struggle to survive, but one could forego material comforts for the promise of lasting fame. Will success be achieved, however, even if the sacrifices are made? The work is hard and does not always achieve its objectives. Lasting fame cannot be guaranteed. Can one bring oneself to condemn one’s family to share the deprivations? They deserve the good things in life as much as anyone.

Is consideration of family merely an excuse to justify the pursuit of wealth? Is that what one really wants? Couldn’t wealth, if used philanthropically, also bring fame? After all, it is the wealth of overseas Africans that is building houses in Africa and helping to establish new businesses. Couldn’t such a programme be devised to help far more of the poor by building larger numbers of small dwellings and creating industries with high employment potential? Couldn’t wealth used in this way possibly lead to an appointment as a government minister or a chief executive of a state corporation? Surely the pursuit of wealth does not automatically close the door to the pursuit of fame.

Would staying overseas lead to the acquisition of a personal fortune? It has for a few, but for many more it has led to many years of disappointment. Some are trapped in a foreign land for the rest of their lives and those who return in retirement are often separated from their children who chose to remain in the society they have known from birth. Those who can face the risk of such a fate may choose to cash-in their return ticket, while those who heed the call of duty will report to the airport on schedule.

John Powell To learn more about the intriguing story of the grassroots industrial revolution in the turbulent Ghana of the second half of the twentieth century, read John Powell’s novel The Colonial Gentleman’s Son or his non-fictional account The Survival of the Fitter. More details of these books and photographs of the informal sector artisans of Suame Magazine in Kumasi will be found on the following websites. ( http://www.ghanabooksjwp.com ) http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_28?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+colonial+gentleman%27s+son&sprefix=the+colonial+gentleman%27s+son.

Many have pondered over the millennium the concept of living forever here on Earth, in other words not dying. Some say that death is good because it is the only way that mankind could progress. However when people die with knowledge, observations, and experiences they take all of that with them when they die, and unless they wrote it down we don’t have it.

Therefore, we are doomed to repeat and learn it all over again, and even if they did write it down, the language changes, it’s interpreted incorrectly, and we make the same mistakes again. What if we didn’t have too? Okay so, let’s talk about this for a little bit; specifically let’s talk about the psychological challenges of unlimited life on the human psyche.

In fact, there was a very interesting article in the September-November 2005 issue of “What Is Enlightenment?” The article was an interview with Ray Kurzweil titled; “Chasing Immortality” on page 58 where the interviewer seemed to ask the question that although humans want to live forever and that they have a fear of dying or death, they are not really psychologically able to deal with immortality. To this, I disagree. Let me explain.

Ray Kurzweil said; “psychologically, we are not equipped to live 500 years so if we’re talking about conquering disease and aging, and then just living as human beings in our current form for hundreds or thousands of years, that would lead to serious problems. I think we would develop a deep ennui, a sort of profound despair. We would get bored with the level of intelligence we have in the level of experience we have available to us.”

Whereas, that may be so, it also seems that humans are put under a tremendous amount of stress with the reality that their lives may end, they are also disheartened when loved ones around them die, often too early. I’d say that is psychologically challenging, even more so than extended time periods of life, at least people could have the choice to check out if they wished. To suggest that humans could not psychologically handle an unlimited life is mere speculation, and whereas, some folks may not be able to handle it, others would probably have no problem with it – either way humans would adapt.

And, I am with Ray Kurzweil on this; just because there might be psychological challenges ahead for life extension, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. We spend an awful lot of time trying to cure diseases, ailments, and even cancer. We devote vast amounts of resources to extending human life in the short-term. But in the end everyone who has ever lived, has died, or at the present period of human technology; will die. But why I ask, if we have the technology, understanding, and are able to hack the human bio-system creating something which can last for 1000 years, then we should do it.

Lastly, for those who are of a religious context and believe that mankind was not meant to live forever, as he was only meant to be on Earth as a testing period, until which time he would seek eternal salvation with the Savior, then, obviously mankind seems to be able to deal with the concept of heaven and living the remainder of their life experience in there. Thus, a good many folks are already pre-prepared for unlimited life, even if such a story is currently a myth. Indeed I hope you will please consider that point as well, think of all this.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Mind and Memory. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net

It’s funny how we can know deep-down that we have fundamental emotional issues, yet we do not want to admit them to relatives or friends. So we don’t tell them. And not telling them can also rule out in our mind us seeking any form of professional help either. Why? Because to do that could be tantamount to admitting to the world publicly that we did have issues, that we had lost the plot, and we do need help. But might we be fooling ourselves? Yes! I am afraid I believe we could be!

Aren’t we are operating in disguise? Couldn’t we think we are hiding our issues completely, when others have detected them? Isn’t the truth that despite the fact we have emotional issues, we still haven’t admitted it intellectually to the most important person involved – ourself! No admittance: so we don’t do anything about it to help ourselves either!

That means our emotional masquerade has been born and nurtured and unless and until corrected, it will begin to flourish and be patterned.

We can go on trying to refute to ourselves the reality that actually we do have issues. These maybe about ourselves – our fears and phobias, or maybe about our family or relationships. Ironically, because we know we aren’t handling things well, we can then contrive to make it worse!

We can succumb to the need first to pretend we are happy with our lot anyway. We put on a jolly front. Yet we know we are not. And as it fails to convince us, sub-consciously we know something else has to be done.

This can trigger the need to bring our intellect more into play to demonstrate our effectiveness at the expense of our unresolved emotions. To do this requires us to develop an added zeal and commitment about our work. Especially this can involve changing our approach to perceived tasks at work or at home. Often we can upgrade these to an urgent status, when it can be questionable whether in some cases they are even necessary.

And we can find it a seemingly very effective strategy too. Our work rate appears to have multiplied while the emotional issues seem to have been banished. In fact we can deem it so successful that if our hidden emotional issues should happen to be suddenly inflamed further by some unanticipated event, we have ready-made solutions!

We can intensify the pretence that nothing is wrong and also put our foot down a bit more on the ‘zeal’ button and, hey presto, the problem seems solved.

Or is it?

Don’t we ourselves begin to sense that others close to us have detected how we are beginning to run circles round ourselves? Doesn’t their tone and their body language alone put us on notice? So don’t we then try a yet additional ploy?

That’s when our attempt at open self-justification can start to set in. ‘Oh! How busy we are!’ ‘No time to think!’ ‘Yes, I must get down to that next week.’ We employ every excuse in the book! Taking care of the children and all their activities, can be another one – and often very easy to justify.

But what are doing to ourselves with all this? Getting by? Maybe, but such a compromise is rarely healthy or sustainable.

In truth we are progressively and systematically ‘de-selfing’ ourselves. In so doing, we are not allowing our emotional self to be heard or accounted for. Yet this is a vital element of human make-up enabling us to interact more effectively and at one with our fellow humans.

One might, of course, challenge this as unrealistic and impracticable. Isn’t some of this deferring of emotional issues necessary, merely as a result of the pressures on us of time and privacy?

Yes it is true any expert would confirm that reality of today’s hectic lifestyle. But they would also advocate only truly postponing an issue coupled with the clear intent to deal with it. They would caution against converting it into a habitual way of shelving things.

To a greater or lesser extent, pretty well all of us are emotionally sensitive and reactive. Acknowledging unresolved feelings betrays only common sense. It most definitely does not admit to failure just because one discusses upsets that have begun to dog one’s life.

This can be with the person much behind the issue, or if that is not possible, then with a relative or friend one can trust with the confidence. Almost inevitably they will welcome the chance to share their own, rather than avoid the discussion.

Often merely understanding better the dynamics behind issues is more than half the battle won. Yet we seem to deny that just as we are capable of feeling untoward emotions, that somehow we are not equally equipped with the ability to learn how to manage them better.

There are some excellent counsellors around, many who already have the Tshirt for coping with just the dilemma one believes is unique to oneself. From such people can come not just a sense of release but greater ability to help oneself – and others, in the future.

But meanwhile the sheer scale of wisdom residing in one’s family, friends and colleagues never ceases to amaze me. Why ever do we spurn it!

To stop the masquerade and address it, surely, must make for a truer form of happiness?

Gerry Neale is the author of self-discovery novels and articles. His intriguing novel, Squaring Circles is available in paperback (ISBN 9780956868824) from http://www.amazon.co.uk 0r from the website http://www.squaringcircles.co.uk

As a very prolific online article writer, I’ve probably pounded out 2-3 million words in the last 6-years, and I don’t know for sure exactly how many, because I am not certain how many articles I’ve done now via speech recognition software – however what I do know is my abilities to do things with my other hand have improved drastically, including writing or even silly things such as crumpling up a piece of paper and shooting it across the room into the trash can with amazing accuracy.

Why is that? This is not something I’ve been able to readily do until recently. So, to my question which is also the title of this article, I dare to ask; “Does Typing 2 Million Words Make Someone Ambidextrous and Change Their Brain Format?” and to that question, I believe so. They say that kids to learn a new musical instrument when they are young do better at math. Why is that? Is it because of the dexterity and the use of their hands in learning and playing the musical instrument along with the sounds and melody from their sense of hearing?

Is it because of how all those little muscles in their fingers find corresponding areas of the brain to connect the dots? Because of the Internet, text messaging, and all the personal tech toys are we inadvertently causing the changes in the formatting of the human brain in such a way that allows the human brain to do other things? I believe so.

Of course, spending over 10,000 hours typing on a keyboard producing online articles is not something that people have typically done in the past 10,000 years. Neither is text messaging, or the act of carefully pressing very small buttons or touch screen keys with incredible accuracy, using either hand, but hopefully not while operating an automobile – do you see what I’m driving at? It is known that folks who are ambidextrous, are also capable of other things, and their brains perhaps have a different ratio of white to gray matter.

If someone’s brain is formatted to think a certain way, and then they learn a different way to think, they are most likely capable of thinking both ways in the future, this could create interesting combinations, and better brains. But we don’t know that for sure, and the research is rather vague, but other people have asked similar questions so it appears that my theory here might actually hold some water, therefore it commands more review. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Mind Development. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net