Dixon-Cooper - Friends on a Rotten Day: the Astrology of Friendships

I came away from reading Friends on a Rotten Day with a whole new understanding of the term kindred spirits. The more I learn about star signs, the more helpful they are for choosing both girlfriends ... and boyfriends! Thanks, Hazel, for a terrific bookI'm buying copies for all my soul sisters!

BJ Gallagher, author of Friends Are Everything

Light-hearted, witty, entertaining, and surprisingly insightful and illuminating in terms of describing the traits and proclivities, both positive and negative, of the twelve signs of the zodiac. Readers will definitely recognize themselves and their friends.

Damian Sharp, author of Learning Astrology

Like Drew Barrymore (Pisces), I (Aquarius) also grew up with the Cosmo Bedside Astrologer Annual as my bible and compass for navigating life. I love Hazel Dixon-Cooper's (Pisces) Born on a Rotten Day book so much, I permanently borrowed (accidentally stole) one from a Leo publicistNEVER a good idea! Friends on a Rotten Day is a deliciously naughty peek into the secret life of friendships and gives some great, common sense advice, too!

Varla Ventura, author of Wild Women Talk About Love and Sheroes

Hazel Dixon-Cooper has found an innovative way to let us know about the highs and lows of friendships according to the astrological signs. Her snappy prose is engaging and her astrological insights very perceptive. This is a new focus for astrology and well worth reading.

Constance Stellas, author of The Everything Sex Signs Book

Amazingly accurate, brilliantly written, this is the definitive book on friendship. Hazel Dixon-Cooper is the funniest woman on the planet, and Friends on a Rotten Day is her best book yet.

Bonnie Hearn Hill, author of the Geri LaRue newspaper thriller series

Born on a Rotten Day:

Illuminating and Coping with the

Dark Side of the Zodiac (2002)

Love on a Rotten Day:

An Astrological Survival Guide

to Romance (2004)

First published in 2008 by

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

With offices at:

500 Third Street, Suite 230

San Francisco, CA 94107

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2008 by Hazel Dixon-Cooper.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dixon-Cooper, Hazel

Friends on a rotten day : the astrology of friendships / Hazel Dixon-Cooper.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-57863-412-5 (alk. paper)

1. ZodiacMiscellanea. 2. Astrology. 3. FriendshipMiscellanea.

I. Title.

BF1726.D59 2008

133.5'815825--dc22

2007037769

Cover and text design by Donna Linden

Typeset in Perpetua and Tree-Boxelder

Cover illustration Roxanna Bikadoroff

Text illustrations Christian Naud/iStockphoto.com

Printed in Canada

TCP

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Good friends will help you move.

Best friends will help you move the bodies.

UNKNOWN

Special thanks and appreciation to these old and new friends:

June Clark, the best agent in the Universe, for her tireless energy and support

My editor, Brenda Knight, for her kind encouragement and the suggestions that made this a better book

The Tuesdays, the best writing group anywhere, and

Bonnie Hearn-Hill, Sheree Petree, Ryan Booth, Evan Piercy, Chris Poe, and the inspiring, irreverant Fridays.

Never break a date with a girlfriend to go out with a man.

UNKNOWN

I know just what you mean. How many times have you said, or heard, these words? Whether yous're sharing the latest hot topic or discussing the strange behavior patterns of men, no one understands you as well as your girlfriends. Women friends come in a wide varietychildhood friend, college roommate, coworker, neighbor, sister, and mother. On good days, rotten days, and every day between, a friend is always there to listen, comfort, and encourage.

It's easy to make friends with someone you instantly like. You know, when you get that seems like we've known each other forever feeling when you first meet. Others are more challenging. You don't think alike. Maybe she likes to plan ahead while you're more spontaneous. Is it impossible to make a forever friendship? Of course not. The key is knowing why she acts in a certain way. Learn that, and you'll have an edge in making woman-to-woman relationships that last.

Astrology tells us that being soulmates is not limited to romantic relationships. According to relationship experts, friendship can be as significant in our lives as love. From ancient times to today, women have connected through talk. Then, it might have been a whispered conversation in the harem. Today, perhaps it's a wine-and-vent session after work. Throughout the ages, women have forged an emotional bond of empathy that has upheld, nurtured, and provided definition to our lives. This female bond has helped to lay the groundwork for everything from social revolution to personal transformation. Girlfriends are our collaborators for change. Who else do we tell our secret wishes, dangerous desires, and most private dreams? Who else helps us to plot, plan, and unleash our feminine power?

You know your friends well. But imagine knowing them even better. Ever wonder why your Gemini buddy changes her mind so often? Or your Virgo gal pal sweats the small stuff? It's more than a personal quirk. Learning about her Sun sign will give you insight into what makes her tick on a soul level.

In this book you'll discover why a Scorpio girlfriend sometimes seems distant, a Leo chum needs frequent head pats, and a Libra pal should never be forced to make a snap decision. You'll learn why a Capricorn girlfriend might seem too serious for her own good, uncover the truth about a Taurus friend's hidden anxieties or an Aries chum's competitive side. You'll understand what causes Cancer pal's emotional train wrecks and why your Pisces pal sometimes seems like she's from another planet; the real reasons behind an Aquarius buddy's rebellious side and a Sagittarius girlfriend's occasional angry outburst.

What about those less-than-perfect relationships? Think you can't ever get along with Mom or your sister, or like that friend-of-a-friend who's on the outer fringes of your inner circle? Not true. Knowing a few essential traits of her Sun sign can make that connection stronger. As a bonus, it will enable you to spot the phony behavior patterns of those backstabbers and man stealers who occasionally cross our paths.

My girlfriends and I sometimes talk about living close together when we are old. Maybe we would buy houses on the same street at the beach or connecting condos in the city. The men in our lives are always secondary to this plan of ensuring that we remain close within the safety net of our comforting female friendship. Guys may be there, but the real bond won't let space or time or age disconnect our ties.

Lovers come and go, spouses can't quite figure us out, and the kids grow up and leave home. Our girlfriends never stop sustaining, nurturing, and protecting us. Whether she's a funny, sometimes flaky Gemini, a loyal-but-secretive Scorpio, or an exuberant, self-centered Aries, learning about her Sun sign will help you to gain a new understanding of every woman in your life.