[ ASTROLOGY ]
PHOTO BY CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
COMPOSITE BY KIP AOKI / KAOKI@STARBULLETIN.COM
Alice Inoue takes astrology to heart, and the determined Cancer couldn't let a little public jab slide.
Alice Inoue takes up the
challenge of using astrology
to chart personalities
Alice Inoue has done a lot of things that have put her in the spotlight, from reporting the news in Japanese for hotel television, rappelling and sky diving in an extreme sports show, practicing feng shui and becoming a wedding minister. But it was her dabbling in astrology that drew out the curmudgeon from our columnist Dave Donnelly.
In a column mention that ran earlier this year, he wrote of Inoue appearing on TV and "making one of those hapless pitches which promotes (astrology) as scientifically accurate. I hope she hasn't given up the wedding business."
Who’s who?
Read Alice Inoue's astrological profiles of Dave Donnelly, Michelle Henry, Jason Momoa, Michael O'Neill and Pamela Young and see if you can match them with their personality descriptions. We'll run the answers, plus their or their loved ones' takes on the accuracy of the readings, tomorrow.We're giving you the profiles of twins Dan and Duane Padilla today (below) because they're the only twins in the bunch. They turn out to be remarkably similar because Inoue said differences show up only when there is more than seven minutes between births.
So in the modern equivalent of the public duel, Inoue offered to prepare the charts of people that we select and give astrology's take on their personalities, given only their birth dates and times and the place they were born.
Although astrology (not to be confused with astronomy, the scientific study of the universe) is regarded as pseudo-science at best and a sham at worst, she said those who seek their own astrology charts and readings treat them like a weather report, just one more barometer for gauging the right move in a particular moment in time.
"Everyone wants to know when to expect those green-light days, when everything is going smoothly," said Inoue, a Cancer who uses astrology to plan her own life.
Unlike daily horoscopes that apply to millions of people, individual astrology charts are based on a map of the sky -- the juxtaposition of moons, stars and planets at a person's time and location of birth. "It's just like a thumbprint," said Inoue, adding that astrologers believe this "snapshot" describes a person's personality tendencies and potential.
"When I'm preparing a chart, I can see clearly if someone would be a good teacher -- if they have the ability to take concepts and explain them in simple terms," she said.
This often seems like mere fantasy to nonbelievers, yet she said new clients are often surprised by the accuracy of her charts.
"I am not a psychic. I don't pull things out of thin air," she said. "I don't know how it works. I only know that it does."
Inoue learned this firsthand when her life suddenly changed. She went from a high-profile television career to being unemployed, a change which she would not have planned for herself but that her stars predicted a year earlier.
"I saw that my whole career would be changing, and as the time came closer, my jobs started falling away but I didn't panic. I knew I would have to change, but I didn't know what that change would be."
Strangely enough, that change would be a move to astrology.
"I've always loved symbols and mysteries and puzzles and languages. I'm good at languages. I speak Chinese, Japanese and English, and to me, astrology is like another language.
"Learning about astrology has been a super-positive experience. I'm happier than I have ever been in my life."
THESE DAYS, her daily routine may consist of a few astrological readings, a feng shui consultation and presiding over a sunset wedding. Through astrology, Inoue -- a triple water sign with her sun in Cancer, moon in Scorpio and ascendant in Cancer, indicating someone possessing intense and tenacious energy -- realized that she needs variety in her pursuits, rather than a job that entails sitting in one place all day. Her chart helped her realize that it's a waste of time to go against her nature.
"Astrology makes a difference. ... Knowing that there are alternatives takes away a lot of the scariness of change. Anyone can gain from learning about what is happening in their life. They get some clarity and that has a healing effect," said Inoue, whose sign also indicates a nurturing aspect toward people and ideas.
WWW.ALICEINOUE.COM
Alice Inoue, a triple water sign with her sun in Cancer, was filmmed bodyboarding during a "Do Sports" segment for television, prior to making a career switch.
Her astrology clientele ranges from businessmen to waitresses. In spite of stereotypes, she said most of her clientele is male. Her rates start at $60 for a child's reading and $80 for an individual reading.
Children's charts can help parents gauge a child's strong points while helping them to strengthen areas in which they are weak, whether in the realm of learning or leadership.
Those entering new relationships also ask for charts to gain insight about elements of their partner's nature that have not yet been revealed, said Inoue. This helps them to acknowledge similarities and differences and discover how to best support each other.
Inoue did a reading on her fiance, chef Alan Wong, and discovered he has four planets in Scorpio indicating intense focus and creativity in his career, which reminds her not to take offense if he puts his work first.
"It helps people to know where they differ and where they're the same. That way, they don't take perceived slights personally. They just have to accept the other person as they are.
"It's all about going with the flow," she said. "I'm not telling people exactly what will happen. Life just fills in the details.
For more information, go online to www.aliceinoue.com.
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A sample reading reveals
profiles of the Gemini DuoYou are both very charismatic, have strong hunches about things and have a magician's quality about you, meaning you have the ability to "pull it out of a hat" in your own ways -- whatever "it" is, whether it's meeting a seemingly impossible deadline, planning an event or transforming someone or something -- and in doing so, either amaze people or confuse them as to how you actually did what you did. "How in the world did you do that?" may be a question you hear more than most people, and the funny part is, you're not quite sure yourselves.
You are both very sensitive, very nurturing, and close emotional relationships and emotional security are essential to your happiness. You are also sentimental. Your approach to life and understanding it is through your emotions more than anything else. Once you latch on to something emotionally, you have a hard time letting go, and therefore tend to hold on to things long after you know you should be letting them go, whether it be possessions or relationships.
Cancer
The Gemini Duo: Symphony violinists Dan and Duane Padilla were born 5 minutes apart and share more similarities than differences. Major differences start appearing with births 7 minutes apart. They are Cancers, but took their musical name from the neighboring sun sign because Gemini is represented by twins, and Duane said the name simply sounds better than "Cancer Duo."
You both have a natural energy which enables people to feel safe in your presence. You are attracted to security, certainty, predictability and things that evoke nostalgic memories. Money gives you a sense of security and therefore a lot of your focus and drive is on creating security in your life.
You are both hard-working, take responsibility, and are tenacious and ambitious when it comes to going after what you want, though anxiety over potential failure sometimes makes you reluctant to assume responsibility.
Although it may seem that the two of you are rarely at a loss for words or a joke, a lot of your private feelings are not openly shared with others. A lot of planet placements in your charts suggest the need to be alone and to keep secrets, even from each other. This creates a mystery about you and some people may find you hard to read.
A lot of importance is placed on your home environment. You are domestic, like to cook, entertain and collect things. Your spouses or significant others may feel that you have too much "stuff" and don't understand the need for all of it.
When you were younger, I would think that you both walked or spoke at a younger age than most kids. Your chart shows you are very imaginative and creative and if you haven't seen that in yourself yet, you should find these traits becoming much stronger from now.
You have a "Monday morning quarterback" energy where you tend to look back over just-completed things completed to see where you could've improved, then use that information later. You talk often about things that happened in the past if they didn't go right or bothered you in some way. One of the challenging things in your life is that you can be emotionally possessive of others and somewhat jealous, and you tend to hold grudges.
PHOTO BY CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Gemini Duo: Duane Padilla, left, is five minutes younger than his twin Dan. Both are violinists.
Your differences
Older twin: You may be a bit more of a risk taker and a bit more compulsive, and when things go too smoothly, you get bored faster than your brother. You have more of an interest in sports. If and/or when you have a first child, he or she may stand out from the crowd. He or she would be extremely smart and gifted -- also very intuitive.Your chart differs in that you have more leadership potential and may come to the public eye sometime in your life by what you say or write. Between the two of you, you are more comfortable being "on stage" when it comes to your work. You may travel in conjunction with your career, and prestige may be a bit more important to you.
Although you feel things just as deeply, you are much less openly emotional than your twin, but those who know you well know that you have a gentle, nurturing and caring spirit. You have the need to prove yourself to be successful to strengthen your self-worth in addition to wanting to do well financially.
Younger twin: Learning and education may be more important to you. It may be important to your sibling also, but mostly to further career or work, whereas yours would be because of a desire to learn and to broaden your knowledge. You may have more of an interest in travel, philosophy, and foreign cultures than him.
Foreign languages come a bit easier to you than to your twin. You have good judgment -- he does too, but when you fight, who usually wins?
There's more of a chance for you to live in a foreign country at some point in your life as you have a deeper interest in foreign cultures than your twin.
The Padillas respond
For the most part, everything seems amazingly accurate! If "charismatic" means going about things with a lot of energy and conviction, then this is definitely true about us.As for having "a magician's quality about us," a lot of people seem to confuse the results of our hard work with something supernatural, although we do have a knack for being at the right place at the right time.
Building relationships has always been the focus of our music making and our life. We've always had an ability to understand other people's feelings and emotions. We design our concerts around our audience's feelings and emotions. When we teach violin to our students, we focus not only on violin technique but also on their emotional needs.
The "natural energy ... which makes people feel safe in our presence" described is most obvious in our relationships with our students. Many come to us with emotional and physical problems. This "natural energy" enables them to flourish in their musical studies in ways that seemed unattainable at first. Dan worked with a 4-year-old cancer survivor. Chemotherapy left the little girl hearing-impaired and scarred on her hands and arms. Yet after a year she played a beautiful rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" in a public recital.
Duane once worked with a young boy struggling with learning disabilities and ADHD. He found his school work impossible and went through at least four teachers. While studying violin with Duane, the boy fell in love with music. Two years later, he performed Vivaldi's Concerto in A Minor just like the other kids in a group violin class. His father's teary-eyed reaction: "I never thought my son would play that piece."
Between performing with the Honolulu Symphony, promoting and performing as the Gemini Duo, teaching 50 violin students weekly, and doing volunteer work for the Suzuki Association of Hawaii and the American String Teachers Association -- and spending at least one afternoon a week on a boogie board in Waikiki -- we tend to wake up at 6:30 a.m. and go to sleep at midnight. Whatever we do, we take it very seriously.
We love to cook and entertain. We make the best chicken adobo on Oahu! (Our ox tail soup also is very ono). We also like to collect "sentimental junk." In our closet is every school assignment from kindergarten through college.
We decorate our living room with the stuffed animals from our youth -- included are a 20-year-old Winnie the Pooh and a 16-year old polar bear named Orson from Las Vegas. Now that we are more "mature," we collect more expensive junk -- computers, audio equipment and other electronic gizmos.
Dan on being the older twin: Compared to my brother, I am a bit more the "risk-taker." Whereas my brother is very carefully in making decisions about most things, I am more willing to take a chance and go with the gut reaction.
And I definitely have more of an interest in sports. For many years, I was obsessed with running and ran many organized races, even winning a few medals. Since moving to Hawaii, I have taken to the water and started swimming laps in the pool and riding a boogie board at my favorite beaches. While my brother is known to exercise on occasion, he definitely works out only for his health.
Duane: This is very true. While Dan spends his time exercising and going to the beach, I like to dabble in many subjects that are often not career related. Earlier in the year, I taught myself HTML computer programing using this great book, "Teach Yourself HTML in 10 Minutes" (our Web site www.geminiduo.com is one of my "fun weekend projects").
I often spend hours watching the Food Network on TV, picking up recipes and techniques from my favorite shows.
When my brother and I argue, Dan shouts louder but I tend to be more manipulative, so many of our arguments result in a stalemate.
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