The Best and Worst of Days
Reach for Your Stars
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Publisher
Welcome to a Whole New World of Birthdays!
“No wise man ever wished to be younger.”
Jonathan Swift
The day you were born and the day you find out why are often said to be the two most important days of your life! You already know how special your birthday is. But do you know what your purpose is?
Finding meaning in life can prove to be elusive, especially today as the world struggles to reset following the grief, pain and confusion caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the much-needed exposure of global inequality and injustice. Not to mention the relentless rise of materialism, narcissism and fake news. It’s not surprising many of us feel directionless and are searching for guidance and comfort in ancient wisdom and New Age insights. That’s why I’m over the moon that The Encyclopedia of Birthdays has earned itself a much-needed reissue to speak loud and clear to modern times. It will show you that the two most important days of your life are powerfully linked. Harnessing the mystical potential of the day you were born can help you find your meaning and feel like you are born again.
And for those who are skeptical that there is a mystical power associated with the day of your birth, and everything in the cosmos might be linked, I’d like to offer some pause for thought. One of the greatest scientific minds of our generation, physicist Stephen Hawking, died on March 14, which just so happens to be the birthday of another scientific genius, Albert Einstein. And if that poetic synchronicity were not enough, Hawking was born on January 8, the day that another scientific mover and shaker, Galileo, died.
To return the spotlight to actual date of birth: legendary singers Elvis Presley and Shirley Bassey share the same birthday, as do Elton John and Aretha Franklin. Footballers Ronaldo and Neymar, actors Emma Thompson and Emma Watson, comedians Spike Milligan and Charlie Chaplin, Stephen Merchant and Billy Connolly, and politicians Margaret Thatcher and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are just a few of the countless shared birthdays this book will showcase. Sometimes the personality similarities or driving forces are so strong for people born on the same day of the year it is impossible to dismiss their shared date of birth as just “coincidence.” Of course, the expression of a birthday’s cosmic potential will be utterly unique to each individual’s free choice but, more often than not, when you start to research influential people born on the same day certain common themes, challenges and blessings can be identified. This book will attempt to outline those commonalities in the hope that it will inspire everyone to fulfill their own infinite potential for making a positive impact on the world.
When this book was first published as a weighty hardback in 2007, and a slimmed-down paperback version a few years later, New Age practices were not enjoying the popularity they have today. Despite this, the book struck a familiar chord and over time started to gather a following. I had no idea how cherished it would eventually become but over the years I have received countless messages from people all over the world saying that understanding their birth date potential has helped them understand themselves and their lives better. Some have told me that knowing their profile positively transformed their lives, careers and relationships. As an author there can be nothing more humbling and rewarding to hear from your readers than that the insights you have shared have changed their lives for the better.
Being given the opportunity to update this book close to fifteen years after it was first written, so that it can speak clearly to what is current in our lives today, ensures its relevance. It is also a personal dream come true. I hope this fully updated version will remain a life-changing classic for many, many more birthdays to come.
New Birthday Revelations
This birthday encyclopedia is a resource and guide to personality and finding purpose for people born on each of the 366 days of the year. Simply by knowing birth dates you can discover insightful and accurate, luck-making information about yourself—your strengths, weaknesses, health, relationships, destiny, career and life goals—as well as about your loved ones, family, friends, colleagues, and even people you have just met. Be aware that the emphasis for each profile is on learning. From a spiritual perspective the purpose of life is to evolve. So even if you feel directionless or are going through a tough time, as long as you are learning about yourself you are evolving and living a life of meaning.
You can also use this book for guidance and inspiration every single day of the year. Indeed, this reissue aims to become a wider resource than one for simply looking up your own birthday profile and those of people you know. It is a handbook for daily cosmic guidance. Understanding and harnessing the unique energies and themes associated with each day of the year can maximize your chances of success and happiness on that particular day. This yearbook approach is also beneficial for those who, for some reason or another, are not sure what day of the year their birthday is. If this is the case for you, let this book help you seize your own destiny in your hands. As you review each day of the year, find the profile that speaks most to your personality and declare that day your special birthday.
The Profiles
It is important to point out from the onset that the power of your birthday is determined not just by your sun sign but by a number of other invisible influences and patterns in place the day you were born. This book reaches infinitely beyond popular sun-sign astrology, looking at influences and patterns through the lens of both Western and Chinese astrology, as well as incorporating numerology, Tarot, color theory, characteristics of influential people born on a specific day and, last but by no means least, the very real science linking personality and month of birth that is out there.
To help you understand how your birthday profile and the unique insight into your personality that it offers have been compiled, you’ll find the basic principles of these ancient and modern arts, and how they have put their stamp on you, explained in the Introduction. But if you want to dive straight into a specific birth profile, whether yours or one of somebody you know, you can always return here another time. Whichever way you decide to read this birthday encyclopedia, be sure to take a moment first to digest the information below about how you can make the very best use of this book. Also, be sure to remember that every person is born unique and bursting with potential, just as each new day is also unique and bursting with potential.
How to Use This Book
The Encyclopedia of Birthdays is organized as a yearbook, starting on 1 January and ending on 31 December, but it is also arranged in parts: the Introduction, Heed Your Signs, 366 Birthday Profiles and Reach for Your Stars.
I have updated the Introduction to take into account Chinese astrology, research into personality influenced by month of birth and other influences. It also explains how I compiled each of the 366 birthday personality profiles. You’ll see that they are a unique combination of ancient and modern, spiritual and psychological perspectives. You’ll also discover how putting all these influences together can help you become an expert on yourself and others. You are strongly advised to read the Introduction before reading your individual birthday profile. The information