CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Taylor Schilling, 40; Jonathan Rhys Meyers, 47; Cassandra Clare, 51; Maya Rudolph, 52.

Happy birthday: Take it easy this yr. Pay attention to details, plan your actions and weigh the professionals and cons before initiating change. Clear up loose ends quite than starting something latest. The idea is to cleanse yourself and prepare for the remainder of your life. Figure out what's necessary, educate yourself and hone the abilities needed while gaining the qualifications it’s essential to achieve your goal. Your numbers are 4, 17, 20, 26, 33, 42, 48.

ARIES (March 21 – April 19): Focus on what matters most and channel your energy into things that make you comfortable. Incorporate what you like and the way you make more money into your day by day routine. Promote what you may do and you may attract interest and opportunities. Trust your instincts. 3 stars

TAURUS (April 20 – May 20): Don't pressure others to follow you. Set an example by taking good care of yourself, and self-promotion will do the next. A low-key attitude will allow you more time to refine and implement what you do best. Protect yourself from illness and injury, and avoid large crowds. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21 – June 20): An open mind will assist you fill your head with information that can result in exciting opportunities. Find out what works best and use the means of elimination to strategically allocate your energy. Don't trust others to make decisions for you. 4 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Participate in something you enjoy and meet individuals who spark your imagination. You may not agree with everyone you meet, but when you listen rigorously, you won't have to search out out the hard way who to trust and who to avoid. Physical improvements will attract positive attention. 2 stars

LEO (July 23 – August 22): Join us for insight and prioritization. You will flourish and create opportunities and friendships as you recognize where your effort and time could have the best impact. Make your presence felt and your vision visible and audible. Physical improvement will trigger a positive emotional impact. 5 stars

VIRGO (August 23 – September 22): Spread the word and see who's listening. Knowing where you stand will assist you determine your next move. Don't attempt to please everyone by not following your heart or your chosen path. Change starts with you; make it meaningful and use it to your advantage. 3 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Spending time at home with individuals who make you smile is desired. Engage in pastimes that bring you joy, and share your insights about life, love, and your future prospects with individuals who share your vision. Traveling, learning, and exercising your rights will bring satisfaction. Romance is desired. 3 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Rethink your life strategy. Consider what you’re captivated with and what your beliefs are before committing to attending an event or taking the initiative to begin a crusade. Remember that your influence could have consequences and that you simply would do higher to think about the implications before you start. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Don't let emotions cloud your common sense. Take a break; do something physical that relieves stress and clears your mind. Opportunities will come your way, and being willing to act will make all of the difference in how successful you shall be. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19): Don't let an emotional incident smash your day. Choose your words rigorously and don't bring up sensitive topics that may turn a comfortable event into something lower than nice. Joint activities and shared expenses will cause problems. Honesty is essential, but so is knowing. 5 stars

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Do your thing and stay out of trouble. Talking isn’t in your best interest, but putting your energy into creating opportunities and enhancements at home will relieve stress and make you are feeling good about your life and accomplishments. Make physical improvements and love your priorities. 2 stars

PISCES (February 19 – March 20): Work in your goals covertly. You will avoid disruption when you keep your plans secret until you’re able to start. Keep your distance from individuals with unrealistic ideas and bad behavior. Patience, attitude, moderation and discipline will result in your required success. 4 stars

Birthday child: You are full of life, proactive and original. You are filled with energy and helpful.

1 star: Avoid conflicts, work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can achieve something, but don't depend on others. 3 stars: Focus and you may achieve your goals. 4 stars: Set high goals, start latest projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you, aim for gold.

Visit Eugenialast.com or follow Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.

Some people fear that breaking a mirror can result in seven years of misfortune. The history of this superstition may return to the traditional Greeks and Romans, who attributed mysterious powers to the reflected images.

As a Scholar of the indigenous religions of the AmericasI do know that the traditional Maya had a distinct view of broken mirrors. In the primary millennium AD, the Maya used such mirrors – in cities from southern Mexico to western Honduras – as conduits for supernatural communication and never as a cosmetic accessory.

Mirrors and magic

Most ancient Mayan mirrors weren’t fabricated from glass, but moderately dark pieces of polished iron ore glued to a chunk of slate or wood in mosaics. Mayan nobles carried mirrors on their backs, displayed them on thrones, and placed them in graves.

Using hallucinogens, these nobles stared at their reflections and sought mystical experiences. The cracks between the pieces resulted in fractured, distorted reflections – this was believed to be something humans could do Speak to divine beings. The nobles hoped to search out wisdom within the lands beyond the mirrors they connected with Gods, ancestors and other spirits.

Artists often depicted these spirits as fantastical beasts and chimeras Paintings and sculptures. Sometimes they depicted nobles talking to the chimeras; at other times they represented these beings as brokers for conversations with ancestors and gods.

These conversations took place in dreams, trances and hallucinations, often between two beings using mirrors. Maya artists depicted these conversations as wondrous and frightening—and even bizarre.

The Yaxchilan Falls

The most detailed interactions between gods and mortals are depicted in sculptures at Yaxchilan within the Mexican state of Chiapas.

Inscriptions show that their ruler consecrated a constructing with three entrance doors within the eighth century. Instead of the picket beams – lintels – attached to the highest of every door, there have been stone ones. These falls formed a triptych depicting various events within the lives of the king and his wife, including an audience with their patron god.

This constructing in Mexico, now often called Structure 23, was unfortunately stripped of its original sculptures. The first two – lintels 24 and 25 – are on display within the British Museum; the third – Lintel 26 – is situated within the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City. The lintels hang on the wall in each museums. However, within the classical period they’d have been seen from below.

wizard

Words and pictures on lintels 24 and 26 describe what probably happened before and after an audience with a god. The images on lintel 24 show the ruler holding a burning torch while his wife performs a painful rite: she pulls a skinny rope studded with obsidian through her tongue. These fragments are believed to be cooled lava spiritually charged In the religions of ancient Mexico, this could have resulted within the loss of huge amounts of blood – depicted on lintel 24 in the shape of droplets round her face.

Her blood also drips right into a bowl full of paper, destined to be set on fire from the king. Lintel 26 shows the aftermath, with the king and queen standing together. Still bleeding, the queen presents her husband with a ceremonial helmet and prepares him for battle.

Although visually arresting, the actions on these falls happen throughout the confines of the on a regular basis world. However, the motion on Lintel 25 takes place elsewhere. Texts on this lintel describe a series of summoning events that led to the looks of the Guardian god Out of town.

Visually, Lintel 25 pushes the boundaries between the actual and the unbelievable. The images show smoke rising from a bowl and throughout the smoke a big skeletal snake appears. The snake has two heads through which the god travels – from his kingdom to that of the queen. Maybe once he was an actual person, mummified after his death, but here he’s a deified warrior god emerging from the mouth of a serpent. Lintel 25 shows him removing his mask while the Queen balances a skull on her arm. She points into the smoke and appears up.

Like many incantations, Lintel 25 implies that it was her on the lookout for guidance from the dead – however the sculpture doesn’t reveal what was said. However, there may be one other surprise: a lot of the text on Lintel 25 is written backwards and might be intended for viewing with a mirror ancient Mayan magicians, fortune tellers or oracles.

Part of the text would have been architectural outside the doorstep. This part is written from left to right, as was common in ancient Maya inscriptions. But as soon as a visitor crossed the brink and looked up, the whole lot would change.

The words and pictures were backwards since it was believed that the visitor had passed from the human world into the human world supernatural space.

Interactive stories

Lintel 25 is one in all just a few mirror-image inscriptions designed as interactive experiences for ancient visitors travel in a figurative sense to the land beyond the mirror.

Standing under Lintel 25 with a mirror would improve the travel experience: visitors could concurrently see what gods saw (the reverse inscription) and what humans saw (the conventional inscription).

By looking into their broken mirrors, visitors could cross the road between humanity and divinity.

Ironically, despite our modern emphasis on interactivity, mirror-image inscriptions and other Mayan sculptures are actually presented more like Renaissance paintings – statues on the wall – than like doors to other worlds, which a few of them were.

Visitors cannot see the wondrous, terrifying and bizarre world of the supernatural as the traditional Maya intended. If they did, perhaps a broken mirror would encourage wonder moderately than fear.