Kait Leonard

A Gift from the Pandemic A Gift from the Pandemic An evening with John Waters and Jim Jarmusch Amidst all the bad right now, there are a few good things that have come out o...Read more California’s Dream of a Carbon Neutral Future California’s Dream of a Carbon Neutral Future The California dream of achieving 100 percent carbon-free electricity and economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2045 might be on its way to becoming a rea...Read more Days of April Days of April With April Fools Day kicking off the month, how are the final 29 days of April supposed to compete? Not to worry! Days 2-30 rose to the challenge agai...Read more   Dia de los Muertos—A day to Celebrate the Lives of Departed Loved Ones Dia de los Muertos—A day to Celebrate the Lives of Departed Loved Ones skullpexels-thirdman-1918290 Face painting and decorated skulls are traditions honoring the departed as are favorite foods, drink, music, and dancing...Read more February is Valentine’s Day and More February is Valentine’s Day and More Of course, most of us love Valentine’s Day, but February is a month of holidays. We have Chinese New Year opening the shortest month of the year, ...Read more Real Life Dr. Dolittles Real Life Dr. Dolittles Have you ever wished you could just ask your pet what’s going on? You can, according to animal communicators like Michele Novembre who claims she ca...Read more   In March Celebrate ‘Dadgum That’s a Good Day!’ In March Celebrate ‘Dadgum That’s a Good Day!’ With Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras making March sizzle, it’s hard to imagine that anyone’s feeling short on celebration. But if you do need more part...Read more Optimism & Joy Mark Festival Despite Pandemic Optimism & Joy Mark Festival Despite Pandemic Reimagining the Indian Festival of the Chariots required protective masks, drive-through worship, and to-go boxes as the Hare Krishnas hono...Read more Social Distance and Mental Health Social Distance and Mental Health Mental health issues may be the next-wave threat associated with the coronavirus pandemic. According to research, loneliness is as physically harmf...Read more   Soothsayers and Charlatans—How to Choose a Psychic Soothsayers and Charlatans—How to Choose a Psychic Choosing carefully before booking a session with a psychic could save you a cauldron-full of disappointment, not to mention time and money. It’s...Read more Necessities of Life Necessities of Life While maintaining as much distance as possible, people are lined up on a downtown sidewalk, waiting. Some read newspapers, others engage in small talk...Read more Aycil Yeltan-The Artist and the Art Aycil Yeltan-The Artist and the Art I last touched based with filmmaker, actress, and artist, Aycil Yeltan, in May of 2020. I had the privilege of meeting her in her Topanga Canyon home,...Read more   A Truly Lived Life A Truly Lived Life By Kait Leonard The life and work of local poet and author Philip Daughtry, who “left no part of myself unlived.” Dressed in western duds that would do his anc...Read more Introducing 2023, the Year of Change Introducing 2023, the Year of Change It’s hard to say whether 2023 will be better than 2022, but there’s no doubt that it’s going to be different. With the Nodes of the Moon slippin...Read more The Moon and Mars Flex Muscles in November The Moon and Mars Flex Muscles in November November competes with October for the spookiest month award. Mars retrograde fans the flames of conflict all month. The Total Lunar Eclipse on th...Read more   October 2022 Delivers the Treats and the Tricks October 2022 Delivers the Treats and the Tricks Spooky Season starts off more treat than trick with Venus and Jupiter bestowing blessings and Mercury turning direct. We’ll also get some relief fro...Read more Topanga Cares Meal Distribution Launch Topanga Cares Meal Distribution Launch On Monday, July 13, 2020, Topanga Cares successfully launched the new meal program to help Topanga neighbors facing food insecurities. The program ...Read more Embrace Your Inner Earth Mother Embrace Your Inner Earth Mother Throughout most of September, six planets will be retrograding. What could go wrong? In spite of the possible retrograde-related delays, this month gi...Read more   All Eyes on Taurus All Eyes on Taurus August brings fiery love when Venus enters Leo, and some very good luck when the goddess of love and Jupiter join in conversation. But Taurus holds th...Read more COVID Cover-ups for the Holidays COVID Cover-ups for the Holidays By Kait Leonard Ho Ho Ho! ‘Tis the season to find those stocking stuffers—pandemic style. As the holiday season revs up, it’s time to start searching for tho...Read more July Delivers Fireworks July Delivers Fireworks July opens with fiery Mars squaring off to power hungry Pluto. At the end of the month Mercury squares Mars, Uranus and the North Node. What fun? At l...Read more   Haunt Season at Zombie Joe’s Haunt Season at Zombie Joe’s Why are zombies, ghouls, and general psycho-monsters at Zombie Joe’s Underground (ZJU) Theater quaking in their grave-dirt covered boots? Because Ha...Read more June – A Mixed Bag of Big Energy June – A Mixed Bag of Big Energy Mercury retrograde winds down, Venus and Jupiter bring a bounty of blessings, and a Super Full Moon guarantees dramatic culminations. June’s got a l...Read more May’s Cosmic Fire May’s Cosmic Fire Aries energy dominates May, as Venus, Jupiter, and Mars join Chiron in the fiery sign of the ram. Mid-month brings a total lunar eclipse, and May clos...Read more   April Isn’t Foolin’ Around April Isn’t Foolin’ Around This month is no joke. Jupiter meets Neptune, Mars and Saturn duke it out, Pluto stands still, and eclipse season begins. April begins with a bang...Read more Good to Go in March Good to Go in March With all planets direct, two New Moons, the next chapter in the Mars/Venus relationship, and the astrological New Year, this is a big month of forward...Read more International Women’s Day—#Choose To Challenge International Women’s Day—#Choose To Challenge #ChooseToChallenge— On March 8, the 2021 International Women’s Day (IWD) theme joins the ranks of sister hashtag campaigns—#MeToo, #IAmJada, ...Read more   With the Lovers Conjoined in the Sky, Valentine’s Day Sizzles With the Lovers Conjoined in the Sky, Valentine’s Day Sizzles On a personal level, February is a month of fated unions and karmic progress. Whether you’ve been hoping to take the next step in your romance or tu...Read more Happy New Year! We’re Off to a Good Start…Honest! Happy New Year! We’re Off to a Good Start…Honest! By Kait Leonard Get ready to sing Auld Lang Syne and stick noise-makers in our mouths because January 2022 welcomes in a truly new energy. It’s been a heavy coupl...Read more So Big! That’s what November is! So Big! That’s what November is! Big, big, big, so get a copy of your birth chart (available free online), and let’s get into it. First, we start the month with a powerful New Moon...Read more   October 2021—Get Ready for the Ride October 2021—Get Ready for the Ride By Kait Leonard Think of October as a rollercoaster. During the first half of the month we’ll be inching up that steep incline, eager to get to the good part. Aroun...Read more April 2021—What Could Possibly Go Wrong? April 2021—What Could Possibly Go Wrong? April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain —T.S...Read more It’s the Roaster Not the Roast It’s the Roaster Not the Roast By Kait Leonard Need a little afternoon pick-me-up? Well, put down that espresso and find a lively, lightly roasted bean. Approximately 64% of Americans drink cof...Read more   Peter Alsop, Verb Nerd Peter Alsop, Verb Nerd With all the roles that this multi-talented renaissance man plays—and Peter Alsop knows the importance of play—he says, “Words Matter, especi...Read more March 2021 – A month of celebrating and achieving March 2021 – A month of celebrating and achieving Riding the astrology of the last year or so has been like being on one of those all-wood, vintage rollercoasters—you know you’re experiencing hist...Read more My Body My Body It’s hard to believe that in 2021, the world is still fighting to prevent sexual abuse. One of Peter Alsop’s songs, updated to fit the times, stan...Read more   Revolution vs. the Status Quo – Sound Familiar? Revolution vs. the Status Quo – Sound Familiar? By Kait Leonard Given 2020 and what we’ve seen of January 2021, I really wish I could say something super positive about February. Here’s all I got—astro...Read more The Great Conjunction and the Dawning of a New Age The Great Conjunction and the Dawning of a New Age By Kait Leonard We’ve been singing about the dawning of the Age of Aquarius since the Sixties. Even though astrologers argue about when that’s actually happening,...Read more Election Delays and Chaos Election Delays and Chaos The U.S. election is consuming almost everyone right now. It would make perfect sense to devote a whole astrological analysis to predicting the outcom...Read more   The Merry Month of May The Merry Month of May Remember the May Day tradition of leaving baskets of flowers on neighbors’ porches? I propose reviving the May Basket and maybe celebrating some of ...Read more Organic Treasures Matter to Earth Matterz Organic Treasures Matter to Earth Matterz Food insecurity is a “top concern for the majority of Americans,” according to a recent Harris Poll commissioned by Bayer.* Climate change, econom...Read more Diagnosed at Sixty – My ADHD Journey Diagnosed at Sixty – My ADHD Journey My doctor wore the expression of someone with a problem to solve. He was looking at me. I froze. Prior to seeing his furrowed brow, I had no more t...Read more   Melodic Magic at Bob Baker Marionette Theater Melodic Magic at Bob Baker Marionette Theater Bob Baker Marionette Theater has been thrilling audiences since 1963 and invites you to march, waltz, and tap dance through their show, It’s a Music...Read more FROM SLARY TO FAERY EVENTS HALLOWEEN IS ON FROM SLARY TO FAERY EVENTS HALLOWEEN IS ON By Kait Leonard With more events being confirmed weekly, Halloween 2021 is a thrilling, chilling go! Halloweenies everywhere are gazing into crystal balls and searchi...Read more Another Threat to Wildlife Another Threat to Wildlife Thousands of animals die yearly in netting installed to prevent them from stealing fruit from trees. These animals tend to die horrific deaths, sustai...Read more   Dancing in the Narrows Dancing in the Narrows Anna Penenberg’s memoir, “Dancing in the Narrows,” a mother-daughter odyssey through chronic illness (July 7, 2020, She Writes Press), takes rea...Read more Hey Baby(dog)! What’s your sign? Hey Baby(dog)! What’s your sign? The Dog Days of Summer span from July 3 to August 11, 2020. Let’s celebrate the Dog Star, Sirius, by checking out what the heavens have to say ab...Read more Ecotherapy: Keeping Nature Close Ecotherapy: Keeping Nature Close The term “tree-hugger” conjures images of hippies in bell-bottoms and tie-dyed tee-shirts. Actually, the phrase dates back to 1730, when more than...Read more   Hello October 2020! Hello October 2020! October is a huge month astrologically. There’s so much going on in the sky that I’m not going to go into each sign this month. The planets will h...Read more Local Businesses Test the Waters Local Businesses Test the Waters By Kait Leonard As Los Angeles County attempts to get back to normal, or something like it, Topanga businesses explore this new phase. While not everyone has emerged ...Read more Teens: Empower Your Power Behind the Wheel Teens: Empower Your Power Behind the Wheel Automotive educator, plus-size model, and social media influencer, Chaya Milchtein, launches her new Automotive Fundamentals program for te...Read more   The 400-Year-Old Pandemic: Police Violence Against Blacks The 400-Year-Old Pandemic: Police Violence Against Blacks June 5, 2020. Approximately 300 people gather peacefully on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills to protest police violence against the African American co...Read more Providing House Calls to the Unhoused Providing House Calls to the Unhoused Medical teams bring old-fashioned house calls to unsheltered homeless communities. Back in the day, when patients couldn’t get to the doct...Read more The Humble Milkweed The Humble Milkweed By planting native species, we support the insects and other animals who depend on them. This will go a long way to reversing some of the damage we’...Read more   Skid Row’s Hippie Kitchen Keeps On Feeding Skid Row’s Hippie Kitchen Keeps On Feeding More people than usual are sitting side-by-side around park tables and on the ground eating food supplied by the Hospitality Kitchen, known by locals ...Read more Warm Fuzzies for the Holidays Warm Fuzzies for the Holidays Thank the stars (and the lunar nodes) that we’re out of eclipse season! But December refuses to go gently into 2023! The year’s finale brings ...Read more Welcome to September 2020! Welcome to September 2020! This has been a doozy of a year and according to the planets we won’t be out of the tunnel until December, so hang on! Mars, the planet of courage a...Read more