Greetings from Karen Anderson, the astrologer for The Mountain-Ear. I have written my column, Mountain Spirit Astrology, for over twenty years. Here’s how that works. Astrology delineates twelve different personality styles, one for each month. Aries are defined as being self-oriented and exuberant. The opposite sign, Libra, connects with other people and is social. The column starts with a salute to the sign that the month features.

For example, when the Sun is in Aries all of us have the opportunity to focus on our individual talents and become more energetic. Because all of the planets circle through the zodiac, other trends are also noted. I start with these themes and then in the second part of the column I develop them for each of the signs. A current theme, emerging from the astrological ethers, is individual expression. What are your dreams? How can you make them happen?

An outstanding example of this is the creation of the Gilpin County Public Library. When I moved to the county in 1990, books were housed in a cabin the county rented. The President of the Library Board, Dr. Elaine Schoelzel, had a vision of a large building that would serve many needs for the county: a place for books and films, a meeting room that could also exhibit art, a reading room and an area for children. She asked me to join the library board and her unshakable goal was to manifest a library.

Thus began my apprenticeship with a remarkable woman. Dr. Elaine found a plot of land and wrote a grant. The awarded grant required that the people of the county contribute financially. A group of us went door to door to collect money. A young man gave me a jar of coins; Bob Flick of B and F placed a generous check in my hand. The land was purchased. We went to the citizens again and campaigned for a bond to build the library. The county responded enthusiastically.

Dr. Elaine invited me to go with her to meet library architects and visit libraries throughout the state. This indomitable woman found another woman, an architect, whose work inspired her. I took a photo when the ground was broken for the structure and The Mountain-Ear put the photo in the paper. As a board we interviewed librarians and a fine woman was chosen. When I visit the library I always remember that it arose from the vision of one person.