Spanish painter Francisco Goya created an etching entitled “El Sueno de la Razon Produce Monstruos.” Its two possible translations have very different meanings: “The sleep of reason produces monsters” or “The dream of reason produces monsters.” The first version suggests that when our reasoning faculties go dormant, we’re susceptible to doing dumb and crazy things. The second version implies that if we rely excessively on our reasoning faculty, it acquires a lunatic hubris that devalues our emotions and distorts our imagination. You’re more susceptible to the former than the latter right now, Gemini, but it’s crucial that you avoid both. A way out of your pain is available if you use your reason just right ” neither too little nor too much.
This article appears in May 12-18, 2010.