2010 Zodiac Gift Guide

Getting ready to do some Cyber Monday Yule shopping, but you're stumped on what to get family and friends? Here's a guide to help you pick the perfect gift based on their astrological sign.

Aries
Aries love presents. They're like little kids. You don't even have to wrap them, though it's fun to do so. You certainly don't have to worry about it being neat or pretty.

Aries love to go out and do stuff, so consider something experiential, like ski lessons, a snow mobiling trip or tickets to a sporting event would be ideal. Sports gear will also go over well, and since aries rules the head, a ball cap is a natural. Consider also a nice pair of shades or ski goggles. An MP3 player will help your Aries friend listen to music on the run. Aries are often entrepreneurs, so consider a nice, personalized business card case or a nameplate for their desk.

Try the Ipod Nano and if your Aries already has one and happens to be a runner, I highly recommend the Ipod Sport Kit.

You may choose to celebrate Aries's Aries-ness this holiday season. If so, you can find lots Aries Gifts on Amazon.com

Taurus
If your Taurus is a collector, then Yule is a no-brainer. If not, you've got some work to do. Taureans enjoy gifts that are practical, long-lasting and please the senses. The more effort you put into it, the more your dear Tuarus will like it. So consider a soft handmade sweater or scarf, of a warm, comfy handmade quilt or afghan, even a basket of homemade cookies will work. If you're not into making it yourself, select something that is delightful to both the eye and the touch, elegant as well as practical. Try this cute hat and scarf set or this great cashmere scarf. He or she may also appreciate a cuddly woven throw or a set of luxiurous egyptian cotton sheets and Taurus will also appreciate snuggling in all that comfort with a handmade pottery mug. As well as comfort, Taureans also like money so a wallet, a piggy bank, like this super cute Lucky Cat Bank or a money clip will also be appreciated.

Amazon.com also has lots of Taurus themed merchandise.

What ever you get, it should be elegantly gift wrapped. If the packaging is reusable, even better!

Gemini
Chances are your Gemini has already told you exactly what he or she wants for Yule. If he or she hasn't, it probably means you aren't taking the hints, or just don't know them that well. Geminis aren't big on surprises and hate having decisions made for them. If you are clueless dispite your Gemini's best efforts, consider getting something that will fulfill your Gemini's need for constant communication. I'm sure your Gemini already has a cellphone, so consider accessories for it. Your Gemini won't mind if you get him or her an extra car chager, or cellphone protector if he or she already has one, it'll get lost eventually and the spare will be appreciated. Your Gemini will certainly put a blue tooth to good use also.

Your Gemini is likely obsessed with knowledge, so any nonfiction book or magazine subscription on the subject of their current passion will be appreciated. Your Gemini will also flip for a Kindle so he or she can keep all the dozens of books they are in the middle of reading near at hand without breaking their back. If your Gemini already has a Kindle, a Kindle gift card is a good way to go but that's the limit when it comes to gift cards. Store cards are a bad idea. Geminis like options and limiting them to a single store will only annoy them. If you want to give a Gemini money, just give them cash. An Ipad or a laptop are both also wonderful choices if you can swing it.

Cancer

Your Cancer will enjoy something for the house and something for his or her tummy. Cancers tend to be homebodies who enjoy snacks and comfy chairs. Consider this awesome inflatable bean bag chair in your Cancer's favorite color and you absolutely cannot go wrong with a digital camera or a video camera to help them capture the moment. If your Cancer already has a digital camera, consider a digital photo frame.

Some Cancers wills also enjoy scrapbooking supplies and photo albums.

Younger Cancers enjoy gaming with friends and family, so consider multiplayer video games like Wii Sports, Dance Dance Revolution and various online games.

Leo
Leos are drama queens and love being the center of attention, so consider having their gift delivered to the office so everyone can see it. Your gift should be festively and dramatically wrapped. Flower arrangements should be huge. Leos love art, so consider an elegant sculpture or a framed, limited edition print. A coffee table book of fine art such as Dali: The Salvador Dali Museum Collection may also be appreciated, if you get the style right. Leo ladies love fine jewelry, big designer bags and animal prints. A spa gift basket is also an excellent choice for a Leo, since they love pampering!

Check out Amazon's full line of Leo jewelry for both men and women. There is no sign that will appreciate such a gift more.

Leos also enjoy playing games. Your Leo might enjoy Partini, Electronic Guesstures, Saucy Charades
, or Head to Head Poker Game

Virgo

Virgos like useful items that will make their lives easier. These should be simply and tastefully wrapped in a reusable package. Your Virgo will likely enjoy a Blackberry or a Franklin Planner. If he or she already has a planner, they will appreciate refills for it. If your Virgo is witchy, he or she is sure to enjoy Llewellyn's 2011 Witches' Datebook


If he or she already has a Blackberry or a similar device that serves the same purpose, a charging station might be in order.

Your Virgo will probably appreciate a good quality timepiece, either an atomic watch or a really nifty atomic alarm clock.

Many Virgos are health buffs. If yours enjoys working out, consider the Bowflex Fit Trainer Plus Heart Rate Monitor and Pedometer Watch (Regular) or the Impact Sports ePulse Strapless Heart Rate Monitor Watch and Calorimeter.

Whatever you get, make sure the owner's manual is intact so your Virgo can read it through.

Libra

Libra enjoys nothing more than spending time with friends, so consider a pair of tickets to the theatre or a local concert or a group or couples spa day.

Anything that helps Libra entertain guests are also appreciated, such as this Side Bar Cocktail Shaker Set - Stainless Steel 6 Piece or this beautiful Glass Wine Carafe with Oak Stopper - 67 oz..

Libras are a little bit voyeuristic and yours might enjoy the recently available autobiographies of George W. Bush or Keith Richards - it's up to you to figure out which one your Libra would like best. The book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption may also appeal to your Libra friend.

And your little Libra girl will love this Heirloom Quality Children's (Childs) Tea Party Set - Fine China Service for Two

Scorpio
Scorpios love mystery and excitement, especially if there's hidden naughtiness going on. If you know your Scorpio intimately, dare to give him or her a sexy gift like lingere, or Kama Sutra Honeydust. If you don't want to be too obvious, try the Plantlife Aromatherapy Massage Oil- 3 Pack.

If your Scorpio is a reader, he or she will likely enjoy the Sookie Stackhouse 8-copy Boxed Set (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood) since they're pretty heavy in both the mystery and the romance departments or 28 Days to Ecstasy for Couples: Tantra Step by Step, one of my personal favorites. Not a reader? Perhaps Lost: The Complete Collection will do the trick or James Bond Ultimate Edition - Vol. 1 (The Man with the Golden Gun / Goldfinger / The World Is Not Enough / Diamonds Are Forever / The Living Daylights).

For fun try the Samurai Sword Ninja Folding Umbrella Auto Release, or a spy pen.

Many Scorpios are skilled in, or at least interested in, divination so consider a new set of Tarot cards as well.


Sagittarius

Your Sagittarian's gift should be well wrapped in elegant, chic giftwrap. Nothing gaudy or messy. It should also be accompanied by a card with a nice verse that expresses how wonderful you think your Saggitarian is. If you wrote it yourself you get super bonus points. Sagittarians love travel adventure, so a fashionable luggage set like the Eddie Bauer® Bridgeport 6-pc. Ficus Luggage Set or unique travel accessories like the Rick Steves Silk Money Belt or Lewis N. Clark Travel Comfort Set will hit the spot. Camping and hiking gear may also be in order, depending on the type of adventuring your Saggitarius is into. The Liberty Mountain Deluxe Mess Kit is a good choice or the Victorinox Swiss Army Explorer with Collectible Gift Box.

Many Saggitarians enjoy meditation and Yoga. Consider the Gaiam Embroidered Yoga Mat Bag or DreamTime Perfect Balance Zafu Cushion, Gold Brocade Dragons

They also love vintage accessories and bags, first edition or collectable edition books. For that you'll have to go to your local resale shop or used book store.

Capricorn
Capricorns are ambitious and organized. If your Capricorn has a creative hobby he or she engages in, you should get stuff to engage that hobby. Paint brushes, sculpting tools, whatever it is. But your Capricorn also loves practical items that will help with his or her climb to the top of the corporate ladder, like this Monogrammed Leather Desk Pad , a Monogrammed Leather Briefcase or this Deluxe Note Jotter Organizer.

Capricorns are prone to cold so anything to keep them warm and toasty is a good choice. Try a Women's Spa Comfort Robe or a Men's Flannel Pajama Set or some luxurious silk long underwear.

Finally, with a Capricorn, you can't go wrong with a watch. If they already have one, just get one that looks different so they have one to match different outfits.

Aquarians
Aquarians are all about social justice, so anything you get them should be fair trade, recycled and/or organic or a portion of your purchase should be donated to charity. Aquarians love quirky, unique items, like this Recycled Candy Wrapper Clutch Purse with Wrist Strap or this amazing Hand-Crafted Buddha Hand Zen Jewelry Holder.

Aquarians love travel, so quirky travel accessories are worth thinking about. Like the Earth Divas Hemp Fabric Passport Bag, Leather Bound Travel Journal, or a Recycled Rubber Tire Toiletry Bag.

Finally, Aquarians like gadgets and video games. Since Aquarians also like to travel, a GPS like the Garmin nüvi GPS Navigator is a good choice. Roleplaying and adventure games that let them play out their fantasies are fun for many Aquarians.

Pisces
Pisces energy resonates with the ocean and Blue Planet: Seas of Life (Special Edition)is amazing.
Pisces are sensitive, sentimental people. If you've got a new Pisces love, a framed picture of the two of you might do it or consider this Engraved Key Ring with Photo Frame or a Sterling Silver Polished Heart Locket Pendant, 18. If Pisces have warm hearts, they also have cold feet. Consider Nature Creation Warm-Up Slippers. When they relax, Pisces like to escape completely. So consider a fantasy novel, maybe something by Christopher Moore, a fantasy video game or a David Lynch movie... and be prepared to be ignored for awhile.

An Historical Funny

"And what, then, is to be thought of those witches who in this way sometimes collect male organs in great numbers, as many as twenty or thirty members together, and put them in a bird's nest, or shut them up in a box, where they move themselves like living members, and eat oats and corn, as has been seen by many as is a matter of common report? It is to be said that it is all done by devil's work and illusion, for the senses of those who see them are deluded in the way we have said. For a certain man tells that, when he had lost his member, he approached a known witch to ask her to restore it to him. She told the afflicted man to climb a certain tree, and that he might take which he liked out of a nest in which there were several members. And when he tried to take a big one, the witch said: You must not take that one; adding, because it belonged to a parish priest" (Kramer & Sprenger 121).

An Historical Funny

“And what, then, is to be thought of those witches who in this way sometimes collect male organs in great numbers, as many as twenty or thirty members together, and put them in a bird’s nest, or shut them up in a box, where they move themselves like living members, and eat oats and corn, as has been seen by many as is a matter of common report? It is to be said that it is all done by devil’s work and illusion, for the senses of those who see them are deluded in the way we have said. For a certain man tells that, when he had lost his member, he approached a known witch to ask her to restore it to him. She told the afflicted man to climb a certain tree, and that he might take which he liked out of a nest in which there were several members. And when he tried to take a big one, the witch said: You must not take that one; adding, because it belonged to a parish priest” (Kramer & Sprenger 121).

Happy Hanukkah

I would like to take a moment to wish all of my Jewish friends (like my brother-in-law and my buddy of the bees- he knows who he is!) a blessed Hanukkah. This day honors a very important period in both Jewish and Pagan history and we Pagans would do well to remember it. You see, about 2200 years ago, Jerusalem was ruled over by Greece. Greece was a Pagan country at the time, of course, and they considered the Jews to be heretics and atheists- and trouble makers. They put severe restrictions on Jewish practice. Antiochus IV outlawed Judaism outright. It is true that this isn't typical of a Pagan society, but Antiochus did it.

Part of this "get rid of Jews" project included the take over the Second Temple in Jerusalem and sacrifice a pig (you know, unclean) on the altar. I have been told by Jewish co-workers that they also installed sacred prostitutes. I am not sure I believe this part either, of it was added later to make it seem worse to modern ears. Sacrificing an unclean animal on an altar of the Jewish God is bad enough. Trust me.

So anyway, the story goes that the Jews rose up against the Greeks and routed them from the temple and basically baracaded themselves inside. There was no getting supplies from outside for awhile because the Greeks were out there and they were pissed. The Jews wasted no time cleansing and reconsecrating the temple, but they found that there wasn't very much consecrated oil available for the eternal flame. Apparently the Greeks had taken or defiled the stores on hand and only one container remained sealed. They lit the menorah anyway. The menorah continued to burn for 8 days while the priests worked busily to prepare more. (My Jewish co-worker, the same one who says there were prostitutes in the temple tells me that the Greeks were outside the temple trying to get in and they were fighting them off for 8 days, which is why they couldn't get more oil. I don't know if this is true or not, but it's certainly more exciting than the Wikipedia version!)

Hanukkah is not the celebration of the battle or the victory. This is an important distinction. It is the celebration of the rededication of the temple and the miracle. It is a time for Jews to celebrate the victory of light (the Torah) over darkness (*cough*Paganism) and a time for us to remember that Pagans weren't always the victims in history that we modern Pagans like to claim them to be!

Of course, I'm not all about my view and being fluffy. Some people don't agree with me, and that's cool. Here is a completely different take of the whole situation, and a few more... http://www.slate.com/id/2179045/

And here's some more history to chew on, for geeks like me http://www.slate.com/id/2133068/
All of this is rather combattive, yes, but I like my history that way.
I want to know how they uncircumsized themselves.