Consider the black widow spider. It’s a timid little beastie, useful and, for my taste, the prettiest of the arachnids, with its shiny, patent-leather finish and its red hourglass trademark. But the poor thing has the fatal misfortune of possessing enormously too much power for its size. So everybody kills it on sight.
—Stranger in a Strange Land,
We’re here. Where the story of our lives takes place. Nowhere else. We have no lover but those in our sleep. We have no human desires. All we know is the faces of animals, the form and beauty of the forests. We’re afraid of ourselves. Our bodies are cold. We are made up of cold and fear and desire. They used to burn us. They kill us still in Kuwait and the wilder parts of Arabia. —Marguerite Duras
During this time you feel vigorous and willing to work. At the same time, your self-confidence is unusually strong. You feel no need to struggle against others, because you know your normal energies will carry you through any situation. And since you are able to work from such a calm position, your work is more effective and more competent than usual. You do not feel violently competitive, but if someone offers a challenge, you won’t back down. Therefore this is a good time for all types of athletics. You will enjoy the contest, but you will not feel driven to win at all costs. The game will seem satisfactory by itself. And you will carry this viewpoint over into all the activities you become involved in at this time. This is a favorable time for situations that require decisive action.
