“They threw their caps
As they would hang them on the horns of the moon.”
Shakespeare’s Coriolanus [I.i.181-2
Horoscopes by the Fishing Guide to the Stars starting 3.20.2014
Aries: I got whistled out of Barton Springs one time. Life Guard, about half my age, didn’t like the way I was jumping in, and I was told that I had to find a better way to get in the water. I never did understand that. The water is swift, deep, cold. Perfect for a low jump in the creek. The creek, Barton Creek, the public swimming area is more like a pool, with a diving board on the south side, and shoals, and life guard every 20 meters or so. Sort of embarrassing for me, which is why, I used to stick to “barking springs,” the fast-moving water underneath the swimming pool. Free. Shared with numerous miscreants and ne’er-do-wells. Perfect for me. It’s been half-dozen years since I pulled out of Austin, searching for cool waters, further south. Better fishing, too. Still, as a birthday reminder, here we are at the onset of Aries, as a birthday reminder while Mars is backwards, and opposite you? The “no diving” sign? Like me, that sign still applies to you. Mars, think. Walk down the steps. Don’t jump (even though it is inviting to do so).
Taurus: One of my “associates” sells an audio product that’s all about “waking up on the right side of the brain.” I tried the stuff. It’s packaged as mp3’s, so there’s really no physical packaging. No CD set, no tapes, just downloaded audio files. I discovered, after only a few short attempts on my part, that the idea of a subliminal message when I awake, her voice gently cooing from my nightstand? That doesn’t work. Not at all. As soon as the first of the audio track starts, I wake up and reach for the snooze button.
My mind goes into operation, with “Turn this crap off, now.” Great idea, great product, and, due to her success, I’m sure it works for some people. Does not work for me. The idea of what you wake up is what sets the tone for your day? Great stuff. I can save you some money, unless you’re really interested in some of those audio files, but my idea? I just set the wake up (phone, these days) to a selection of Jimmy Buffett music. Wake up happy, and hum about Boat Drinks and Margarita-ville all day long. Besides, that’s audio files I’ve already got. There’s a simple trick to making you more hospitable in the coming days. Could be as simple adjusting your alarm clock.
Gemini: Strange, emotional attachments? Sure, I have a few. I’ve got an old T-shirt that clearly cannot be worn any longer, and yet, I refuse to toss it. That one T-shirt, must be more than 30 years old, now. Emblem, emblematic, and then there’s the emotional attachment. It’s not the design on the shirt, it’s not the logo, or company name, none of that really matters, not anymore. There’s a certain portion of my life, stories, tales, fiction, frictions, dead bodies, old girlfriends, and most of all? Myth. Myth and lore. All of that is tied up in that one T-shirt. Which is why, to this day, I can’t bring myself to toss it. Won’t use it for rag, means too much to me. As this week unfolds in Gemini land, there’s a strange, emotional attachment you have for a single item, for one thing, for a person, for some (animal, vegetable, mineral). There’s a strong temptation to throw that item out, toss it aside, leave it in the Gemini rubbish heap. Now? I think it’s great idea to streamline the Gemini psyche; however, might not be the best time to throw it out completely.
Cancer: There’s an ongoing astrological influence that causes upset in the Cancer heavens. There’s a way to deal with this, but I’d bet you “ain’t going to like” what I have to suggest. Slow down. “No, must get this done, right now!” The impatience? That’s Mars, backwards, in another cardinal sign (Libra). The other pressing pressure? Uranus and Jupiter, Uranus at a tension angle to Jupiter, with Uranus in Aries (now, NOW), and Jupiter here in Cancer. Jupiter is good luck. Jupiter is forward motion. Uranus is taking the internal pressure and ratcheting it up a notch, and then, Mars, he’s the little voice in the back of your head, “More, now, MORE, NOW!” Two cautions, one is about moving without thinking about the consequences of the Cancer actions. The planets push and push and you just react. Bad move. If you’d paused and thought about it? Might’ve been better. The other caution, though, as I’ve seen this, too? Too much time thinking about it, and not enough action. The trick to navigating this kind of astrological weather? Think, move. Plot, plan, execute.
The (mighty) Leo: In my travels, I’ve seen droughts and floods. What came to mind was a time when one of the San Antonio catch-basins was filled due to flooding. More rain than ever, and I watched as an older dam, water-retention structure was nearing its bursting point. I thought about that dam, holding back the flood, and I thought about a certain Leo.
You, my dear Leo. Yes, you’re holding back a mighty flood. You’re near bursting point. For the time being, like, for right now? Keep holding it. It’s that simple. You’re near the Leo breaking point, and yet, like that dam, you’re still holding back the raging floodwaters. I’m suggesting, not saying for sure, but I am suggesting that you hold off for a little while. I know you feel like you’re near bursting, but hold off on letting loose with that flood. We all need our Leo friends to be the strong, silent type for the next few days.
Virgo: Ever heard of “cartoon physics?” It’s branch of pseudo-science that catalogs the various branches of physics traditional in animated video. For example, in regular physics, gravity exerts a continuous pull on an object. However, in cartoon physics, a character will run off a cliff, and the downward trajectory — as dictated by gravity — isn’t acknowledged until there’s a visual clue. When the character looks down, then gravity resumes (but not until). Balls bounces higher, and usually in an improbable direction, as dictated by the cartoon’s comic narrative. There’s also a tendency for there to more resilience in cartoon physics. Then, too, objects that would normally not bounce, quite frequently do.
Virgo isn’t ruled by cartoon physics. One Virgo will pipe in, “And this isn’t a comedy, either!” Ah, but it is. As one Virgo plan backfires this week? Remind the folks that this worked when you tried it home. Rehearsed, plotted, planned. “It worked before, no really.” I’d blame the nature of cartoon physics.
Libra: Coffee cups are serious. Consider, when I was in school, I opted for some over-sized mugs, as my coffee pot was down the hall from my desk. I didn’t want to spend too much time refilling. The over-sized coffee cup worked, maybe a 16 or 20-ounce affair, usually thrown by a graduate ceramic student, locally fired with gluten-free, free-range glaze. Over the years, this graduated to espresso cups. Not fancy or expensive espresso cups, but utilitarian and functional (passable for disposable, too), the traditional inch of coffee. Then again, there’s another shift. I’m back to the very traditional 8-ounce coffee mug. The original, “Cup of coffee.” Eight (8) fluid ounces, all the way to the brim, which means, in the real world, it only gets, at best, maybe, 6 ounces of coffee. More than the double-espresso cup, but less than the liter-size. Weird how the sizes go around and come around. What works. What doesn’t work. Where we are, right now? Hardly a good time to buy a whole new set of place settings, but thinking about making an adjustment? Maybe try a different size of coffee cup, just for starters. No need to buy the complete set, let’s see if the new size works. We can ease into this. It’s Mars, you know.
Scorpio: I usually divide “lake fishing gear” and keep it in a different tackle box from the “coastal fishing” gear. There are variation on that theme, but let’s just pretend it’s only two tackle boxes. In the bottom of the “coastal” box, there are some little, tiny “crappie” hooks: tiny gold-colored hooks that are usually way too small for anything but the delicate crappie that are so much fun on some area lakes. Good fishing, but different from coastal gear. In the bottom of the coast box, I had a couple of those tiny hooks. Good thing, too, as the last time I was at the coast, I outfitted a buddy’s kid with some of those hooks, and she was busy catching us all kinds of bait fish for us. Right off the dock, having a blast. Besides, that kid caught more fish than the rest of us, combined. Good thing I had those tiny hooks? The tiny hooks were more effective than any other choice, that weekend. As a Scorpio, the tiny hooks, the tiniest of option, the little steps, those have the biggest results. That kid still thinks I’m a brilliant fisherman because she caught so many fish. Tiny hooks proved most effective.
Sagittarius: I’ve seen this alluded to before, but I’m unsure of the source, and as a Sagittarius, a tad bit lazy when it comes to looking up sources. The idea, not really a quote, but the idea is that no two people read the same book. Means, if I read a book, I read some of the situations one way, and another person would read the same material but interpret it in a different way. This harkens back to some of the basic precepts I espouse in my workshop, Bare Foot Astrology, and it has to do with interaction between astrology charts. However, the illustrating point, the quote with no source, about how no two people read the same book? It’s about perceptions. It’s about what one person brings to experience. Big consideration as this Mars stuff gets settled into our Sagittarius bones. Consider that no two people read the same book.
Capricorn: If last week was about teamwork, i.e., working in unison? This week is more about the solo effort. While it’s important to be a valuable member of the team, it is equally important to know how to handle all of the situations, by your little old self. Little, old Capricorn self. Can handle it. I know you can handle it. You know you can handle it. What it looks like, I don’t that you’ll be totally solo this week, but given the thorny horns the moon, alluded in the opening quite? There will be a situation where one of the trusted and valued team members drops out. As a the team leader, the easiest, most expedient route for Capricorn? Step in and take over. Nothing like proving that you know how to lead by taking over the job of missing Capricorn functionary.
Aquarius: It’s about house and home. The place where you live. Sometimes, this is about acquisition. Other times? It’s about removing something. I had an old chair, useful sitting device, used it for an office chair for many years. Then, because it was the cool-looking, “alleged,” mahogany, teak wood, something like that, the chair got regulated to the patio. Then, eventually, I wound up throwing the chair in the back of a buddy’s truck, and he took it to a fishing camp, down on the coast. I didn’t throw it away, chair found a new home. Repurposed? Not really, it’s still a chair, used for sitting. Not thrown away, not recycled, just moved around. Left my immediate domicile. By removing one piece of furniture, the place looks a little roomier. My Feng Shui person can explain this in terms of chi and placement, but I just think getting rid of one chair helped. One thing, one item, one piece of furniture is my Aquarius bet, and in my example? I didn’t throw it away. If I really needed that chair back, I’m sure my buddy would let me have it back. After all, it’s just a fishing camp, really. One thing, out of the door.
Pisces: I used to live in small neighborhood in North Austin that was a burgeoning Asian community. I was introduced to “pho,” apparently a SE Asian staple: noodle soup. Varieties and combinations are as varied as the individual. One ingredient I got used to was fresh basil. Turns out that’s a French antecedent, roots for the spice in the cuisine. I’ve started to incorporate the fresh basil, when it’s available from local growers, in my day-to-day cooking. Adds a certain zing to the flavor palette. Very old-school, and yet, to my mind, a modern variant. To me, it was a spice I was not introduced to until I started haunting the small noodle shops (in North Austin at the time).
Fresh basil is useful, and even now, needed. As a Pisces, we’re looking for something to offset the Mars in Retrograde action, and we’re looking for something that adds a pungent, yet delicate, kind of flavor to the Pisces stew. This week is a bit of a mess, and just adding one spice, something simple, even, is all it takes.
One place, down on the Texas Gulf Coast, little town where I like to fish, one place? The cook steps into the garden and snips fresh basil for the dinner’s entree. Could be as simple as that to cure the Mars (retrograde) melancholy.
