Astrology / Natal chart 31.12.1841 (December 31, 1841)

You may well be reminded of your various responsibilities today. A good time to get down to the nitty-gritty and take care of some business you have postponed. Obligations may come to your attention. A meeting with someone older or in authority.

You could be most persuasive with others, and eloquent in speech and communication. The situation is a natural for self-expression and lends itself to your particular ideas and thoughts. A good conversation with those you love is possible.

You may be able to enjoy and value your own life situation today or feel especially kind towards a friend or loved one. Someone may compliment you on your tastes or belongings.

Circumstances may seem to conspire to irritate you or cause you to become emotional. Someone could challenge you or find a way to anger you. It could be difficult to remain calm and within control.

Your mind is quick and sharp, and your words are the only weapon you will need today. You have insight into your emotions and drive, and you can talk about your feelings with great insight and fluidity.

You are in a planning mood and are very clearheaded and able to view all the alternative paths. Go ahead and make those decisions. You can see the road ahead and will make the right choices.

You may find yourself looking for a little romance today or at least enjoying some emotional release. You can appreciate feelings and movement. You may want to just get out and walk or exercise.

You may not value something extraordinary or unusual. Instead, you find yourself appreciating what is quite normal or ordinary.

A time to buckle down and consolidate your career. Your organizational abilities and sense of responsibility will be what guides you and proves successful. Your career could assume a much more determined and solid form. A firm foundation.

You may well be reminded of your various responsibilities today. A good time to get down to the nitty-gritty and take care of some business you have postponed. Obligations may come to your attention. A meeting with someone older or in authority.

You could be most persuasive with others, and eloquent in speech and communication. The situation is a natural for self-expression and lends itself to your particular ideas and thoughts. A good conversation with those you love is possible.

You may be able to enjoy and value your own life situation today or feel especially kind towards a friend or loved one. Someone may compliment you on your tastes or belongings.

Circumstances may seem to conspire to irritate you or cause you to become emotional. Someone could challenge you or find a way to anger you. It could be difficult to remain calm and within control.

Your mind is quick and sharp, and your words are the only weapon you will need today. You have insight into your emotions and drive, and you can talk about your feelings with great insight and fluidity.

You are in a planning mood and are very clearheaded and able to view all the alternative paths. Go ahead and make those decisions. You can see the road ahead and will make the right choices.

You may find yourself looking for a little romance today or at least enjoying some emotional release. You can appreciate feelings and movement. You may want to just get out and walk or exercise.

You may not value something extraordinary or unusual. Instead, you find yourself appreciating what is quite normal or ordinary.

In Capricorn, the Sun is strongly goal-directed and persistent. Ambitious, serious and dedicated to duty, life is difficult, but you are the type of person who will triumph and achieve success. Your aptitude to persevere, no matter how difficult the road, sets you apart from most of your peers. You are anxious to climb the ladder of fortune, and you can usually reach your goals because of your sense of the right way of doing everything. Your patience is never ending. You are a very thoughtful and serious person, thinking everything through carefully before you set off in any direction. You possess excellent reasoning skills, and you can be counted on to select options that are both practical and that provide an economic advantage. Your attitude is conservative; conservative with time, money, and all other resources. Your philosophy is waste not, want not. You are also likely to be conservative in your political and social attitudes, although your age, upbringing, and education perspectives may influence this somewhat. You are especially well suited to business and government because of your sense of organization and structure. You combine a talent for management with an ability to carry out instructions with care. You are the quintessential careerist, taking job and duties very seriously. Therefore, you are never one to shirk responsibility and you have very little use for those that do. That which matters most to you is your public image. You show your best face to the public. You enjoy being in a position of power and authority, although you are not very much inclined to enjoy the limelight. You may prefer instead to run your business from an isolated perspective. You are loyal and dedicated, and you demand utter loyalty and dedication from subordinates. Advancing up the ladder of success is all important. You are unconcerned about, sometimes even ruthless toward, those getting in your path as you move upward. You don't handle chaotic situations very well. You may need to develop the ability to lighten up a little and not take life, and everything else so seriously. Although you are self-disciplined, responsible, and practical, at times you can wallow in self-pity. It's essential for you to remember that your most important asset is self-esteem, and you should never devalue this. Rigidity and fear of change may be your biggest stumbling block. Sober and reserved in your dealings with others, it takes you a good while to warm up enough to anyone to be considered a close friend. Yet once you do, you are a very caring, reliable, and most steadfast ally. Your private side is different from your public side. In private you are shy and sensitive. The harshness of your public image disappears. Emotionally demanding relationships are very difficult. Love relationships may be more like business relationships, and you are unsure of yourself in most intimate situations.

A Leo Moon produces an air of confidence and a desire to lead. Self-confident, cheerful and optimistic, your emotional outlook on life is positive and upbeat. In Leo, the emotions are carefree, gay, and often pleasure-seeking. Self-sufficient and self-reliant, you get deeply and emotionally involved with all that you do. This Moon definitely accents personality, and causes a tendency toward display. It is likely that an attitude has been instilled in you that you can do anything you want, and that your creative ability has no actual bounds. You may have been spoiled somewhat. There is a need to be admired and applauded, and you seek appreciation constantly. You have an innate sense of the dramatic and always do things with a flair. Something of a showman, entertaining may come naturally for you. You seem to thrive on constant attention and you are something of a flirt, expecting the object of your flirtations to be responsive, as well. The Moon has a natural association with the fourth house of the horoscope, or the home. Moon in Leo gives a natural creative flair to make the home a show place. You may have a gift for interior design and be good with color and decorating. You think of your home as your castle, and you may have a tendency to overextend yourself financially to impress others with your fine life-style. You are uplifted socially and you command respect. Your reactions are straight-forward and usually dignified, enabling you to garner esteem and responsibility. You have a deep-seated need for this respect and nothing hurts you more than not feeling as though you are appreciated. One thing you can't handle very well is someone stepping on your pride. There is a natural love of luxury and a desire for social pomp and prominence as Moon in Leo lends a certain nobility to the persona. There may be an inborn tendency to be somewhat pretentious. Thus, sometimes you can be a little self-centered and even pompous, lacking objectivity and having a blind spot in your emotional perspective. It's very hard for you to ever back down or to accept any sort of a compromise. The Moon in Leo tends to produce a loving and very devoted parent, boss, or ruler, but it is important that leadership potential not be spoiled by the tendency towards being bossy, arrogance, and displaying an overbearing ego. Emotions are powerful with Moon in Leo, and the drive for prominence and power is very strong, as well. Unless the Moon is harshly aspected, you should be like the benevolent monarch, having a great sense of charity and being a rather generous person. You are one who projects concern with an optimistic approach to life.

In Sagittarius, Mercury produces a mind that is independent, versatile, and roving. Your method of expression is impulsive, very direct, and sometimes argumentative. Yet you are social and very communicative with anyone who will listen. You may lack tolerance for the views of others when they depart from your own. You are something of an evangelist for your own opinions, and you love to get up on your "soapbox." The natural tendency is for you to say exactly what is on your mind with little concern for fact or reality. You are impatient and don't always wait long enough to form a correct judgment. Yet people listen to you because you are interesting. Your wonderful imagination may make you a natural storyteller. You're good at improving on the truth. Your senses are keen, but it can be hard for you to concentrate on any single subject for long periods of time. You can miss details because your focus is on the broad view. Everything seems to interest you. You're particularly attracted to subjects that have significance beyond the everyday. You may enjoy philosophy, psychology, foreign cultures, or religion. Seeking deep understand of these broad subjects can occupy much of your thinking. You may become a lifelong student, because you never tire of learning and sharing knowledge. Forgetful and impractical, you mind may be like that of the preoccupied absent-minded professor.

In Sagittarius, Venus produces affections that are very demonstrative and friendly. You have a rather carefree attitude toward relationships, and you are not always dependable where affections are concerned. You are humorous, sociable and even a flirt. Outgoing and personable, you are very friendly and sometimes not too serious. There is a strong love of personal freedom in your nature that makes it a little hard for you to settle down to a restrictive sort of relationship. You feel more comfortable in a relationship when things go slowly, and your partner doesn't get too serious too fast. In fact, you would probably like it better if the relationship stayed casual, and pressures of serious love never emerged. Threats to your freedom make you very nervous. It's hard for you to take you eye off of possible escape routes when things seem to be heating up and you feel yourself being hemmed in. You are honest and idealistic in your dealings with others. Strong in your beliefs, you must find a partner sharing your views, or you will surely try to convert your chosen to your way of thinking. You don't hold back on your feelings, and it is never hard to figure out you stand on emotional issues. The key to your romantic nature is friendship. You are upbeat and easy to like. As a friend and lover, you are the ideal partner for that lucky open-minded mate who can accept you on your own terms, and respect your need for space.

In Aquarius, the energies of Mars are focused on intellectual pursuits, and therefore, mental energies are highest here. While Mars is focused on theory here, practical energies are usually found in adequate levels. The physical and emotional sides may struggle a little when Mars is in Aquarius. The placement suggests the presence of very high principles and a modern outlook. You are concerned with the world of ideas, particularly those of an unconventional or progressive nature. Here the powers are independent, aggressive and enterprising. You have good organizing abilities and calculated direction. You are a very good leader who can meet challenges with serenity and poise. Aquarius is a fixed sign and you are stubborn most of the time. If you believe in something, you put the idea forward with the zeal of an evangelist. You think of yourself as open-minded; willing to discuss the issues. Yet your discussions often get to be heated arguments, and you rarely give in to an opposing view. You can never work well under authoritarian direction, being one who is always out to upset the establishment. You are an active reformer with little respect for traditional ways. You can even be contemptuous of tradition unless it is substantiated with logic. You demand the freedom to speak frankly, and operate in your way. Like the many other aspects of your life, sexually you are intrigued by anything new or unconventional. For you, variety is the spice of life. Yet somehow you are usually stable and dependable once you have found a mate. The negative side of Mars in Aquarius resides in nonconformity. Indeed, you tend to lecture more than discuss, and you tend to demand compliance with your agenda. Your way is sometimes way out of the ordinary. At the same time, your energies are apt to produce more thought than action. You are the rebellious type, and you can become very impatient.

Jupiter is in Capricorn in your chart. This position slows the expansive nature of Jupiter making you a keeper of the letter of the law. Your moral conduct is beyond reproach. In business or any public office, you display the highest ethics. You hold conservative and traditional views regarding most of life's major issues. This prudent approach and your mature judgment qualifies you for positions of high economic or political responsibility. Answering a call of both personal ambition and a sense of duty to society, you have a strong drive for power positions. You have little difficulty prospering because of your conservative attitude.

Saturn in Capricorn gives much ambition and desire for power. Saturn is strongest here because this is its natural sign. Your career is very important to you. You invest much into it and you expect to get much out of it. You are a common sense organizer and planner. Diligent and dependable, you want to assume responsibility. You always do more than your share, yet you may find it hard to delegate authority, for you mistrust others' ability to life up to your standards. You are most comfortable in the business or government environment. You prefer the impersonal, structured, and unemotional working situation. Your rise to the top will probably be very slow, but it will be steady. Your utter determination will eventually pay off, if perhaps rather late in life.

Many of your peers born during the years when Uranus was in Pisces have an intuitive intellect contributing to spiritual changes. The utopian hopes of this group may be difficult to realize as they can predicated on illusory notions.

You tend to dream, dreams of freedom and independence, unconventional dreams (Aquarius), but you are not deterred. You can be idealistic about anyone who tries to reduce freedom and independence, and even rebellious towards the. You are fiercely loyal to your beliefs and to your friends (fixed). You can appear somewhat eccentric to the other generations, and you may acquire associates who are cranky and artistic, perhaps musicians. You are sensitive and idealist and sufficiently passionate (fire) to carry implement your ideals and aspirations.You may do this by breaking down conventions and overcoming barriers in an unusual way and with unexpected results.

You transform in an energetic and urgent way your basic beingness. You probe into the deepest levels of your existence and forcibly assert your independence, for yourself or your group. You may try to get rid of past identities (fire) and how others might see and treat you. You can relinquish past identites and create a new life with new beginnings.

A tendency to become overly attached to the drama of romance and personal relationships, to be willful and overly focused on getting what we want, and to resist being “one of the crowd” in an effort to stand out as unique and special, are some of the issues this position suggests. With this position, we need to let go of our fears in relationships by offering freedom to our partners instead of expecting our partners to act as we want them to act, to accept that we are all equal and that we can still be special if we belong to a community, to move towards greater impartiality, and to cultivate sensitivity to the needs of others. By letting go of the strong desire of getting what we want in the here and now, satisfaction will come more easily as we find that we get what we need. Our personal relationships and romances will suffer when we take things too personally, and expect others to follow a certain script that we have unconsciously written for them. Learning to let go of the need for drama and attention, and moving towards a more objective approach to our lives, as well as cultivating true friendships, will help us to achieve a greater sense of balance. Our relationships with others—as well as our relationship with ourselves—will benefit. Back to Spiritual Life L

Lilith will probably mask the hidden emotions with a series of ever-changing kaleidoscopic surface emotions and will seem fascinating and elusive to others. The native may be chimerical, fluttering like a fairy from one situation to the next. At her worst, Lilith is irresponsible, remote and refuses to listen to others. Lilith lets you misjudge your fiends easily. You strive for autonomy with manipulative methods and psychological tricks and reject tight interpersonal relationships ~ considering partnerships over friendships. Your fairness, tolerance, global thinking and humanity are noticable. Although highly intuitive, may tend to deny certain obvious situatons.

You need to bring about the fullest potential in the instinctive and protective way in which you deal with the way you enjoy yourself. The answer lies in the missing part of something you have. It may be that, for instance, you are seek pleasure too avidly and need to explore its opposite. You could be denying yourself pleasure and need to enjoy yourself more. The solution may involve enthusiasm and optimism.

In Capricorn, the Sun is strongly goal-directed and persistent. Ambitious, serious and dedicated to duty, life is difficult, but you are the type of person who will triumph and achieve success. Your aptitude to persevere, no matter how difficult the road, sets you apart from most of your peers. You are anxious to climb the ladder of fortune, and you can usually reach your goals because of your sense of the right way of doing everything. Your patience is never ending. You are a very thoughtful and serious person, thinking everything through carefully before you set off in any direction. You possess excellent reasoning skills, and you can be counted on to select options that are both practical and that provide an economic advantage. Your attitude is conservative; conservative with time, money, and all other resources. Your philosophy is waste not, want not. You are also likely to be conservative in your political and social attitudes, although your age, upbringing, and education perspectives may influence this somewhat. You are especially well suited to business and government because of your sense of organization and structure. You combine a talent for management with an ability to carry out instructions with care. You are the quintessential careerist, taking job and duties very seriously. Therefore, you are never one to shirk responsibility and you have very little use for those that do. That which matters most to you is your public image. You show your best face to the public. You enjoy being in a position of power and authority, although you are not very much inclined to enjoy the limelight. You may prefer instead to run your business from an isolated perspective. You are loyal and dedicated, and you demand utter loyalty and dedication from subordinates. Advancing up the ladder of success is all important. You are unconcerned about, sometimes even ruthless toward, those getting in your path as you move upward. You don't handle chaotic situations very well. You may need to develop the ability to lighten up a little and not take life, and everything else so seriously. Although you are self-disciplined, responsible, and practical, at times you can wallow in self-pity. It's essential for you to remember that your most important asset is self-esteem, and you should never devalue this. Rigidity and fear of change may be your biggest stumbling block. Sober and reserved in your dealings with others, it takes you a good while to warm up enough to anyone to be considered a close friend. Yet once you do, you are a very caring, reliable, and most steadfast ally. Your private side is different from your public side. In private you are shy and sensitive. The harshness of your public image disappears. Emotionally demanding relationships are very difficult. Love relationships may be more like business relationships, and you are unsure of yourself in most intimate situations.

A Leo Moon produces an air of confidence and a desire to lead. Self-confident, cheerful and optimistic, your emotional outlook on life is positive and upbeat. In Leo, the emotions are carefree, gay, and often pleasure-seeking. Self-sufficient and self-reliant, you get deeply and emotionally involved with all that you do. This Moon definitely accents personality, and causes a tendency toward display. It is likely that an attitude has been instilled in you that you can do anything you want, and that your creative ability has no actual bounds. You may have been spoiled somewhat. There is a need to be admired and applauded, and you seek appreciation constantly. You have an innate sense of the dramatic and always do things with a flair. Something of a showman, entertaining may come naturally for you. You seem to thrive on constant attention and you are something of a flirt, expecting the object of your flirtations to be responsive, as well. The Moon has a natural association with the fourth house of the horoscope, or the home. Moon in Leo gives a natural creative flair to make the home a show place. You may have a gift for interior design and be good with color and decorating. You think of your home as your castle, and you may have a tendency to overextend yourself financially to impress others with your fine life-style. You are uplifted socially and you command respect. Your reactions are straight-forward and usually dignified, enabling you to garner esteem and responsibility. You have a deep-seated need for this respect and nothing hurts you more than not feeling as though you are appreciated. One thing you can't handle very well is someone stepping on your pride. There is a natural love of luxury and a desire for social pomp and prominence as Moon in Leo lends a certain nobility to the persona. There may be an inborn tendency to be somewhat pretentious. Thus, sometimes you can be a little self-centered and even pompous, lacking objectivity and having a blind spot in your emotional perspective. It's very hard for you to ever back down or to accept any sort of a compromise. The Moon in Leo tends to produce a loving and very devoted parent, boss, or ruler, but it is important that leadership potential not be spoiled by the tendency towards being bossy, arrogance, and displaying an overbearing ego. Emotions are powerful with Moon in Leo, and the drive for prominence and power is very strong, as well. Unless the Moon is harshly aspected, you should be like the benevolent monarch, having a great sense of charity and being a rather generous person. You are one who projects concern with an optimistic approach to life.

In Sagittarius, Mercury produces a mind that is independent, versatile, and roving. Your method of expression is impulsive, very direct, and sometimes argumentative. Yet you are social and very communicative with anyone who will listen. You may lack tolerance for the views of others when they depart from your own. You are something of an evangelist for your own opinions, and you love to get up on your "soapbox." The natural tendency is for you to say exactly what is on your mind with little concern for fact or reality. You are impatient and don't always wait long enough to form a correct judgment. Yet people listen to you because you are interesting. Your wonderful imagination may make you a natural storyteller. You're good at improving on the truth. Your senses are keen, but it can be hard for you to concentrate on any single subject for long periods of time. You can miss details because your focus is on the broad view. Everything seems to interest you. You're particularly attracted to subjects that have significance beyond the everyday. You may enjoy philosophy, psychology, foreign cultures, or religion. Seeking deep understand of these broad subjects can occupy much of your thinking. You may become a lifelong student, because you never tire of learning and sharing knowledge. Forgetful and impractical, you mind may be like that of the preoccupied absent-minded professor.

In Sagittarius, Venus produces affections that are very demonstrative and friendly. You have a rather carefree attitude toward relationships, and you are not always dependable where affections are concerned. You are humorous, sociable and even a flirt. Outgoing and personable, you are very friendly and sometimes not too serious. There is a strong love of personal freedom in your nature that makes it a little hard for you to settle down to a restrictive sort of relationship. You feel more comfortable in a relationship when things go slowly, and your partner doesn't get too serious too fast. In fact, you would probably like it better if the relationship stayed casual, and pressures of serious love never emerged. Threats to your freedom make you very nervous. It's hard for you to take you eye off of possible escape routes when things seem to be heating up and you feel yourself being hemmed in. You are honest and idealistic in your dealings with others. Strong in your beliefs, you must find a partner sharing your views, or you will surely try to convert your chosen to your way of thinking. You don't hold back on your feelings, and it is never hard to figure out you stand on emotional issues. The key to your romantic nature is friendship. You are upbeat and easy to like. As a friend and lover, you are the ideal partner for that lucky open-minded mate who can accept you on your own terms, and respect your need for space.

In Aquarius, the energies of Mars are focused on intellectual pursuits, and therefore, mental energies are highest here. While Mars is focused on theory here, practical energies are usually found in adequate levels. The physical and emotional sides may struggle a little when Mars is in Aquarius. The placement suggests the presence of very high principles and a modern outlook. You are concerned with the world of ideas, particularly those of an unconventional or progressive nature. Here the powers are independent, aggressive and enterprising. You have good organizing abilities and calculated direction. You are a very good leader who can meet challenges with serenity and poise. Aquarius is a fixed sign and you are stubborn most of the time. If you believe in something, you put the idea forward with the zeal of an evangelist. You think of yourself as open-minded; willing to discuss the issues. Yet your discussions often get to be heated arguments, and you rarely give in to an opposing view. You can never work well under authoritarian direction, being one who is always out to upset the establishment. You are an active reformer with little respect for traditional ways. You can even be contemptuous of tradition unless it is substantiated with logic. You demand the freedom to speak frankly, and operate in your way. Like the many other aspects of your life, sexually you are intrigued by anything new or unconventional. For you, variety is the spice of life. Yet somehow you are usually stable and dependable once you have found a mate. The negative side of Mars in Aquarius resides in nonconformity. Indeed, you tend to lecture more than discuss, and you tend to demand compliance with your agenda. Your way is sometimes way out of the ordinary. At the same time, your energies are apt to produce more thought than action. You are the rebellious type, and you can become very impatient.

Jupiter is in Capricorn in your chart. This position slows the expansive nature of Jupiter making you a keeper of the letter of the law. Your moral conduct is beyond reproach. In business or any public office, you display the highest ethics. You hold conservative and traditional views regarding most of life's major issues. This prudent approach and your mature judgment qualifies you for positions of high economic or political responsibility. Answering a call of both personal ambition and a sense of duty to society, you have a strong drive for power positions. You have little difficulty prospering because of your conservative attitude.

Saturn in Capricorn gives much ambition and desire for power. Saturn is strongest here because this is its natural sign. Your career is very important to you. You invest much into it and you expect to get much out of it. You are a common sense organizer and planner. Diligent and dependable, you want to assume responsibility. You always do more than your share, yet you may find it hard to delegate authority, for you mistrust others' ability to life up to your standards. You are most comfortable in the business or government environment. You prefer the impersonal, structured, and unemotional working situation. Your rise to the top will probably be very slow, but it will be steady. Your utter determination will eventually pay off, if perhaps rather late in life.

Many of your peers born during the years when Uranus was in Pisces have an intuitive intellect contributing to spiritual changes. The utopian hopes of this group may be difficult to realize as they can predicated on illusory notions.

You tend to dream, dreams of freedom and independence, unconventional dreams (Aquarius), but you are not deterred. You can be idealistic about anyone who tries to reduce freedom and independence, and even rebellious towards the. You are fiercely loyal to your beliefs and to your friends (fixed). You can appear somewhat eccentric to the other generations, and you may acquire associates who are cranky and artistic, perhaps musicians. You are sensitive and idealist and sufficiently passionate (fire) to carry implement your ideals and aspirations.You may do this by breaking down conventions and overcoming barriers in an unusual way and with unexpected results.

You transform in an energetic and urgent way your basic beingness. You probe into the deepest levels of your existence and forcibly assert your independence, for yourself or your group. You may try to get rid of past identities (fire) and how others might see and treat you. You can relinquish past identites and create a new life with new beginnings.

A tendency to become overly attached to the drama of romance and personal relationships, to be willful and overly focused on getting what we want, and to resist being “one of the crowd” in an effort to stand out as unique and special, are some of the issues this position suggests. With this position, we need to let go of our fears in relationships by offering freedom to our partners instead of expecting our partners to act as we want them to act, to accept that we are all equal and that we can still be special if we belong to a community, to move towards greater impartiality, and to cultivate sensitivity to the needs of others. By letting go of the strong desire of getting what we want in the here and now, satisfaction will come more easily as we find that we get what we need. Our personal relationships and romances will suffer when we take things too personally, and expect others to follow a certain script that we have unconsciously written for them. Learning to let go of the need for drama and attention, and moving towards a more objective approach to our lives, as well as cultivating true friendships, will help us to achieve a greater sense of balance. Our relationships with others—as well as our relationship with ourselves—will benefit. Back to Spiritual Life L

Lilith will probably mask the hidden emotions with a series of ever-changing kaleidoscopic surface emotions and will seem fascinating and elusive to others. The native may be chimerical, fluttering like a fairy from one situation to the next. At her worst, Lilith is irresponsible, remote and refuses to listen to others. Lilith lets you misjudge your fiends easily. You strive for autonomy with manipulative methods and psychological tricks and reject tight interpersonal relationships ~ considering partnerships over friendships. Your fairness, tolerance, global thinking and humanity are noticable. Although highly intuitive, may tend to deny certain obvious situatons.

You need to bring about the fullest potential in the instinctive and protective way in which you deal with the way you enjoy yourself. The answer lies in the missing part of something you have. It may be that, for instance, you are seek pleasure too avidly and need to explore its opposite. You could be denying yourself pleasure and need to enjoy yourself more. The solution may involve enthusiasm and optimism.