Puck:
How now, spirit, whither wander you?

A Fairy:
Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander every where,
Swifter than the moon’s sphere;
And I serve the Fairy Queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green.

Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s Night’s Dream 2.1.1-9

Horoscopes starting 8.18.2016

The Leo:

Little late in the season to be quoting Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, but “Swifter than the moon’s sphere,” caught my attention. The eve of this horoscopes? The moon still appears quite full, but swiftly now, it starts to thin out. The waning aspects of this lunar phase? More than a year ago, I suggested that this transit of Jupiter, through Virgo, this would be a good time to winnow some of the Leo materials. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Between the Sun and the Moon, then relation to the Virgo planets? Time to think about letting go of one more item. Thing. Person. Place. Long-held belief, is the most likely. Still, birthdays usually imply gifts, and sometimes, the greatest gift? Having a situation where you can let go. We can make this easy, as I tend to favor my Leo friends, so as that situation pops up and the item, the place, the thing, maybe the situation? As gravity gently tugs it from the Leo paws? Your tenacious grip? Let it slide right on out of your grasp.

Virgo

Technically, Virgo starts August 22, 2016 around 10:30 AM, in Texas. Time zone variation might read otherwise, but that’s good enough, right? So until then?

There is no “until then” clause. There is all kinds of weird energy at this very tail-end of Leo, and makes it even stranger for Virgo. Understand that this is unsteady rhythm. Understand that the beat may go on, but it doesn’t advance in an orderly procession. Fast. slow. Fast again. Quick, it’s a manic pace, now! Whoops, almost dead stop. As soon as the Sun rolls into Virgo? This kind of weirdness lets up — some. It evens out into a more regular “thump-thump” kind of beat that we can all keep track of. Until then, though? Unsteady. Not bad, just not regular.

Libra:

“Kramer, can you help me? You’re the last one on the list I can call, you’ve got to help me!” Plaintive wail, the other afternoon, needed a fill-in, last minute, and I was already way-busy. Way. However, as a suggestion, something to think about? Call me and saying, “You’re the last one?” Like, “I tried everyone else?” Means I wasn’t the first one they called. Or the second one. Problem, in my mind, and while I was polite and declined? No, seriously, I was already quite busy, but still, “You’re the last one I can call?” I might have been able to spin it around if I’d been the first one called, not that last one. “You’re my last hope.”

I want to be the first one on the call list, not the last one. As Libra, this splits two ways. You’re either getting the, “You’re the last one I can call,” message. Or, you’re doing the calling, and by the time you’re on your third call, you’re thinking, “This is the last I can call for help.”

Libra: All about how we spin this, all about the spin.

“You weren’t my first choice, but you’re my best choice.”

Scorpio:

I’ve exhausted myself trying to implore Scorpio to be patient. I’ve run myself ragged begging for extra time in the current situation. I’ve been, on my knees, literally, pleading for Scorpio inaction. Time has come. Patience? It pays off, now. Or soon, very soon. There’s the one, the most favorite Scorpio expression?

“I told you so.”

Delivered quietly, delivered with a certain lack of fanfare. Not embellished, other than, perhaps a sly Scorpio shrug?

“See? I told you so.”

Here’s what it is, there’s a trigger moment, as Mars aligns with Saturn, and that serves up the Scorpio dish, probably cold, and that works for your Scorpio self. Deal is, to make this work, correctly? Still need to be patient until you get the obvious cue to move ahead.

Wait for it…

Sagittarius:

Me, typical Sagittarius energy? I suffer — mightily — with Bright Shiny Object Syndrome.

“Wow, would you look at that!”

And I’m gone. Can be minutes, can be hours, can be weeks. Between the motions of Mars and Saturn, along with the preponderance of material in Virgo? The trick is to avoid that Bright Shiny Object Syndrome, for the next few days. Here’s a quick idea, bookmark that page. That item, that suggestion, that side-trip, side-track, that Bright Shiny Object? We can come back to it, later, but there’s some Sagittarius work, here and now, that needs attending, Not as flashy or sexy as that Bright Shiny Object, but this is a syndrome, and this week? We have to stick to the apparent drudge work. Apparent. Not all bad, but as Mars collides with Saturn? Focus and attention towards matters at hand are sharpened. No Bright Shiny Objects, not now.

“Would you look at that?”

Later.

Send me a link, I’ll look at it next week.

Capricorn:

I lived in a neighborhood, in San Antonio, that had deer. Live, wild venison on the hoof. I liked the deer because young kids liked them, old people liked the deer, drivers had to go slower, and the deer eat everything. “Can’t grow a garden because the deer eat it.” Perfect excuse. Also, makes drivers move at a slower, more alert pace.

In one Austin suburb, a number of my clients actively hate the deer. In part, that has to do with driving too fast at night and hitting a fleeting deer. In San Antonio, it seems to be less of problem, but I suspect we drive much slower. At that one place, when I lived there, I would buy a bag of “deer corn,” and scatter it in the front yard. My action of scattering is what I kept thinking of for Capricorn. It was just a large cup, maybe a liter-sized plastic cup, and I’d toss the corn in an arc, so that it was evenly distributed over a square yard or so. Just raw kernels of crude corn, not, according to the bag, fit for human consumption. For me, that five bucks worth of deer corn was worth it to keep the critters here and eating the lawn. Eating the lawn, the shrubs, weeds, just about everything. Tall, graceful rats, if you ask me. No one did. Scatter that deer corn, or some kind of similar substance, scatter that out in the Capricorn yard. This week requires a scattering motion. Distribute it, mostly evenly, maybe not, doesn’t matter, it’s all about scattering that deer corn. Or whatever. Never sure what will show up.

Aquarius:

There was a horrific expression, been used on me, even.

“Teachable moment.”

I loathe the expression, especially when it’s used in reference to an elder statesman-type addressing an underling. There’s — to me — a level of condescension, seems to be built into the term. “Teachable moment.”

Next few days include a teachable moment for Aquarius. Doubt this comes at the hands of some paternal figure, gently admonishing Aquarius, as in, “And this is now a teachable moment,” delivered in a stentorian voice. That crap usually doesn’t fly with Aquarius, even if the point is correct, and it is an opportunity to learn something new. My Aquarius reminder, for the next couple of days? Be a little more open, and realize that as soon as we quit learning new stuff? Might a well hang up the Aquarius hat.

See if this works: “Stay teachable my friend.”

Pisces:

Me? I’ve been doing readings for over a — for a very long time. What I’ve discovered, two important components? One? Don’t give too much. Two? Clarity and life path, purpose and the whole “Shootin’ match?” Tone it down.

Here’s the place where I earn my money, instead of giving away the whole thing? As a Pisces, this week? Tone it down. Early in my career, I would get this psychic flashes and insight of great depth, seeing a client’s whole life and life path, etched out in stars and clearly delineated. I’ve learned, after unceremoniously dumping that on unsuspecting people, I’ve learned to tone it down. Slow it down. Don’t dump everything out there, all at once. too much information, no matter how precise, can overwhelm people. As a Pisces, you’ve got clarity, a pipeline to the other worlds, the ability to see beyond this current set of conditions, all of that, right? Next few days? Tone it down. Some people don’t want to to hear what you have to say, others don’t want to believe what you say, and some of us? We don’t want to know, not for sure.

Pisces: tone it down, all I’m asking, just tone it down.

Aries:

Structure is important. Guidelines, rules, laws, advice, advisements, and consultations. All important. All part of structure. As this week unravels? I’d just like to suggest some new structure for Aries. Not married to the idea, but some new structures might start to appear. “Because we’ve always done it that way,” is no longer a viable reason. Be willing to examine the process, the steps, and be willing to see if there are some easy-to-make cuts. There are some processes that aren’t easy. Sometimes, there’s no way out of doing it the right way. Other times, like, I’m thinking, you can see a way to make this process, this task, getting to this Aries goal? You can shorten the process. Less time with onerous chores. Less time with stuff you don’t want to do? Sure, makes for a better life. Pause long enough to assess the directions, methodology, and the steps used to get there from here. See if there isn’t an easier way to accomplish that. Bet there is.

“But we’ve always done it this way!”

Not a valid Aries excuse.

Taurus:

Grab. Grab all you can. Grab some more after that. The universe, the planets, the odd gods, whatever version of fate makes sense to you? Whatever version that is, there’s a strong hint that someone, someplace is trying to do right by Taurus. It’s up to Taurus to take advantage of that. So grab. Grab with both hands. Stuff it in your pockets and keep loading up on whatever it is. To me, this looks like a small windfall of income, that means cash. Or something similar, the coin of the realm, whatever that means to your Taurus self. Not a promise that this is present, but there’s a solid indication that this is the way it is. The most important clue, the trick, the one trick to work with this week’s clear and present energy? When offered? Say “Yes.” When offered? Take. Fill your Taurus pockets. Fill your Taurus pockets then fill your purse, backpack, and then, a spare recyclable grocery bag, fill it, too. As long as they are offering? Take. It’s a gift, from the heavens. Be willing to accept whatever it is.

Gemini:

There’s always one that seems to get away from us. In my favorite example? Sure, it’s a Gemini that got away. Let’s go with that. There’s a kind of longing in the Gemini heart right now. Kind of a vacant space. Kind of that feeling that there’s something missing. Then, the Gemini brains turn back to the corridors of time, and look what got away. What’s missing. The big fish you didn’t catch? The phase of the moon, the lunar cycle, sets off a yearning in Gemini. Careful I don’t bust out into some musical from a distant passed time. “To dream the impossible dream…” And so it goes for Gemini? There’s a suggestion, planetary proposition, that includes the longing that you’re going to feel, sometime, this next week. “The one that got away, an epic story of romance that was foiled, never to return.” Sure, the stuff that romance books are made of, right? Pause that train wreck of a thought process. It’s part of the moon’s influence, dredging one last time to make sure that there is some dirt. There will always be Gemini dirt, can’t fix that. The trick to work around this week’s weirdness and memory-dredging activity? Remember all the details about that failed romance. Oh, yeah, there was that, wasn’t there?

Cancer:

I never competed in a Chili Cook Off. Mostly, I haven’t had anything to do with such forms of entertainment. Yes, I’ve already seen the “Chili Cook Off” judge piece.

Mostly, my chili isn’t that hot. The problem with my various chili recipes is that they are all “Winter,” as in, I tend to cook them in the winter month (January), and my recipes are all about process. Most of my food prep is like that, come to think of it, but for now, let’s stick with chili recipes. I get what looks good, that day, at the store. I don’t have a set rules that I follow. If the ground beef looks good, that’s what I use. I’ve used ground beef, ground pork, sausage, chorizo, ground turkey, ground sirloin, beef tips, and venison.

All depends on what looks good.

As far tomatoes, peppers and so forth? Again, what looks good. It’s a process, not a detailed set of instructions. The way the chili turns out is totally dependent on what looks good at the market — that day. Chop, mince, peel, toss in a pot and cook. Or crock-pot it. Either way works. As a Cancer, as the Moon-influenced Moon Child? Follow the recipe. Stick to the exact rules. With my recipe, that’s a difficult proposition. Maybe try and find a better recipe than mine, but in either situation? Stick to the rules. Letter of the law, so to speak, follow the letter of the law.