Unless you have been trapped under a small planet sized rock, it could not have escaped your attention that Uncle Pluto has just turned retrograde. Next week he is joined by his partner in Capricorn crime Saturn as he also backs the truck up. Each offers us yet another opportunity to stop dicking around when it comes to our shadow, unarguably the greatest work of our life.

One of my most brilliant teachers, a rakish afficionado of high school history, taught me two most important life lessons. The first was critical thinking: that it is crucial not to slavishly believe what you have had plopped in front of you. The second was to remember your history because as he proved to us ad infinitum: those who refuse to remember their history are condemned to repeat it.