“There’s small choice in rotten apples.”
Hortensio in
Shakespeare’s The Taming of the the Shrew (I.i.134)
Aries: Don’t gloat. Arrogance does not become you this week. As the sun gradually eases on over into the sign of the scales, as this week unfolds and begins to develop, you’ve got the beginning of the half birthday time coming along. This presents you with a time when it’s appropriate to figure out what has gone wrong, capitalize on the successes and get ready to get on down the road, preferably with some of your cronies. Or fishing buddies. There are “good” Aries and there are “bad” Aries. Because you’re reading this, then you are obviously (tricky logic here) a good Aries. And being a good one, you know that you have surmounted some obstacles, made some headway, and you are in a good position right now. I’ve coaxed you this far, so you’re doing okay. Just don’t get too elated with your victories right now. The only thing worse than a sore loser is a sore winner so don’t gloat.
Taurus: Don’t eat. Easy for me to suggest, I once had a girlfriend who called me “scrawny,” so I can suggest that. But the way the week starts out, you’re going to have a voracious appetite. Even if you’re a vegetarian (heaven forbid the thought in rural Texas), you’re going to find that if it isn’t nailed down, it looks like food. This is a passing trend, though, and like so many other styles and trends, it quickly fades. By the end of the week, you’re going to be looking at yourself and asking, “Self, why did I eat that whole package of Oreo cookies?” or “Lucky for my butt, this stuff only comes in pints.” (I’m pretty sure that’s an Amy’s ice cream slogan.) You get the picture? It might not really be food, but the pleasure principle is certainly at work, but it fades fast. And then you’re left with the aftermath of too much of a good thing. So take it easy and don’t over indulge the more epicurean tastes that you have right now. A little extra moderation might go long way in making you feel better at the end of the week when your good senses return.
Gemini: Being a Gemini always has certain fun side effects, like the uncanny ability you have displayed in the past, that sense that you really can track about 14 things, all at the same time. This is a good ability to have, but there’s a problem with the present moment and this skill: you’re not really tracking all the things that you think you’ve got your eye on. It’s like the juggling routine where the juggler gets three, then four, then five, then six objects going, then the performer tries to add a seventh and the hilarity ensues because the juggler (obviously not a Gemini) can’t manage that many objects in the air at one time. You’ve got that same sense of dread this week, like you’ve heated up one too many branding irons, and you’re getting ready to tackle a whole herd of cows. Only, you look around, and it seems like you’re all alone. You, the 14 branding irons, the fire, several hundred cows. “Sure, I can do this, just watch me,” a good Gemini will say. Only, this week, if you do the math, there is physically just not quite enough of you to get the job done. Each cow takes 15 minutes to wrestle and cook (well-done) a logo on its rump. That’s an average of four cows and hour, and that’s about 40 cows in a Gemini 8 hour work day. See what I mean about trying to do too much by yourself?
Cancer: Don’t act in a rash manner this week. Nothing is worse than blowing your cool with one of your associates, only, after you get done blowing up, you have to go back and apologize because, guess what? It’s a nightmare: they were right, and you’re actions were “inappropriate.” Don’t you just hate that? Having to go back and beg forgiveness, no matter how right you’re sure you were at the time, it’s just an awful situation. There is a way to avoid this sort of scene, though. Don’t act too hasty. Don’t be so willing to give someone (even though, at the moment, it really seems like this person — your target — really deserves your ire) that little piece of mind. Cooler, calmer heads will prevails, if you only give yourself a chance to work it all out. This is one of those times when, if you’re not carefully, you’re going to find yourself operating without a full deck of cards. Don’t get righteous when you don’t have ALL the facts. And yes, Time will be on your side — eventually.
Leo: I have a dual career. One the one hand, I’m a fishing guide. One the other hand, I’m an astrologer. I get to combine two great loves in my life into a single occupation. Means I don’t have too many dull days because the fish are always biting in one field or another. Career choices like this are coming up for you. After what you’ve been through, the last few days, weeks, months, years, centuries and so forth, you’ve got to agree that little degree of reward is long overdue. This is a week when you can begin to see hat there is some good rewards for some of your efforts. You get something back. The only problem is, this reward that I’m talking about, it comes from hard work and something that you do for playtime. Combining work and play is a tricky thing, at best. But seeing as how you’ve been through the worst of it so far, I’m sure you’re going to find a way to combine “work” with “play” and come up with a new way to do both. It’s a good week for you to attempt just such a goal. Do your Leo best and enjoy the results.
Virgo: The planet Mars is often associated with War. And while this week starts out with a battle, it quickly becomes different flavor, almost right before your very eyes. As the week gets older, Mars continues to pick up speed in your sign. He’s starting to cover some ground, and he’s in the middle of the early degrees of Virgo by the end of the week. Good news? Sure. The battle itself might be lost, but the overall conflict is looking like a degree of mediation might bring about a happy resolution. Best way to approach this is to start talking. Cut your losses, let go of that approach which isn’t working, and let’s get back to the table where we can all talk. Discuss reasonable solutions, and this might involve a little bit of “give and take,” and being the good Virgo that you are, you’re going to feel like you’re getting taken a little bit more than your receiving, but keep talking. The war isn’t over yet, just the first battle. “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Winston Churchill’s speech at the Lord Mayor’s Day Luncheon London (November 10, 1942).
Libra: The official start date for Libra this year looks like it’s about 12:28 PM (CDT) on September 22. Of course, this is a highly subjective time, and I;m figuring that my home town of Austin is the center of the universe, seeing as how it’s the capital of Texas and all. In the days leading up to this momentous date and time, things are just a little rocky in Libra land. Then, all of a sudden like, life is supposed to be pretty good. of course, what happens at 12;29 PM on that date, is that a particular Libra sits down to her computer and shoots me off a letter telling me how rotten everything still is. So the time is an approximation, it’s more a like a gray area that needs to be approached with a degree of caution. It does start to get a little better, the day to day situation should improve. There is still a single troubling series of thoughts, in poetry, this is called, “The long, dark night of the soul.” In the real world, we usually refer to this as troublesome thoughts which won’t leave you alone. Do your best to dismiss the unwanted thoughts. They won’t go away, but the dark thoughts do recede as your activity and party planning gets underway.
Scorpio: I was endeavoring to use a handgun analogy last week, and this week reminds me a scene from a movie. You’ve got a revolver (six shot wheel gun). You are face to face with your nemesis. The question for the week, as you stare down the six inch long barrel of that Scorpio handgun, and the question you want to ask your adversary, is simple, “Did I fire five shots or six?” Is there one shot left in the chamber of that Scorpio “peace keeper”? Does your Colt double action Scorpio shooting iron have what it takes to finish the job? In a situation like this week, I’m reminded of that other important fact about the handgun I suppose you’re using: it’s weight. It’s hefty piece of metal, and if it turns out that you are, indeed, out of bullets this week (but I rather doubt it), you can always reach out and use this weapon as a hammer. One way or another, I’m sure you’ll win this week. But it is going to be a little on the tough go side, at least, at one point.
Sagittarius: My Sagittarius popularity rating is going to drop this week. Even though I have certain, very distinct and admirable Sagittarius qualities, and even though I rate Sagittarius as the very best of the Mutable Fire Signs, I fear my ratings are still going to drop this week. Within the first few degrees of Sagittarius (ten or twelve), there is a lot of planetary activity which impacting you in a strange way. Either it’s really good, and you are getting a lot accomplished this week, or you’re going to be feeling like you Gemini brethren, and you’re going to be feeling like you’re going a lot of places, but like that Gemini allusion, you ain’t going to feel like you’re really getting much accomplished. Sometimes though, in the midst of this much activity, there is a degree of satisfaction that “something” is getting accomplished. I’m not sure what your goal is this week, but whatever the goal is, I’ll promise that you’re getting there. It’s like the time I set out for the lake, almost launched the boat and discovered that I didn’t have enough gas, so we had to back track to the “Bait Barn and Surf Shop” (Padre Island.) Not only did we pick up the needed gas, but we also got a late message about where the fishing was the best. And the early surfers were coming in, and there was this one girl who was scantily clad, and you can guess the rest. It’s a strange way to go about getting things done, but if you’ve got the energy, the results will be good.
Capricorn: Shakespeare had a thing against Capricorn’s. I’m sure about that. Just check the Saturn reference in “Much Ado About Nothing.” And Shakespeare also had a thing for the “Dragon’s Tail,” and that allusion is in “King Lear.” Despite having two literary references against you this week, there is still something to be said for the way the week is going. It’s got any number of little “road humps” which are devices designed by the city board of transportation to make sure you’re bored with transportation. Road humps are designed to slow you down, especially when in a residential neighborhood. I lived close to road humps one time, a place in East Dallas. I also discovered that the road humps made for interesting little ramps to try jumping off from, under a reasonably high rate of speed, in either a big truck (only late at night), or on a stout motorcycle, just about any time. This week is full of such hurdles. And even though Shakespeare may not have liked what you’ve got coming up, and he might not have liked Capricorn’s in general, I like ya’ll just fine. And I’m sure the road humps this week are merely interesting starting points for you, not real hindrances.
Aquarius: This week is the downside of a cycle. Not a bad downside, mind you, just a slow and steady decay. This is like one the of those theories about entropy, and the the slow decay of the week is like that, too. It’s not bad, but it’s certain. Can’t be escaped. And you also have certainty about you that assures you that you are the edge of a Very Big Breakthrough. You just know that you’re close to seeing something completely and wholly. You just know that you’re about to make a giant step forward. It’s like, you’re about the last boat out on the lake on the hot fall afternoon. Everyone else has retreated to the safety of the shoreline, usually to grab a beer and forget a the day’s lack of success. But you’re still out there, just fishing up a storm. You might not be actually catching anything, but you’re whipping up that water with a frenzied action because you know, deep in your heart, that something is about to bust wide open. It is. In another week or so, you’re going to be one happy camper. You are ever so close this week, too. Don’t give up at the last minute.
Pisces: I usually like discussing the effect of Mars on a particular sign. Maybe it’s because I have a strong Mars in my chart. Maybe it’s because I like some of the more literary references to Mars, especially in medieval literature. Maybe it’s the poetic and romantic version of Aries, the insouciant “main dude” of war in mythology. maybe it’s the activity. Best of all, Mars delivers. I can count on Mars to up deliver something. The problem, this week, is that Mars is making his merry way through the sign that is opposite you. To add to this affectation of Mars, he is also making strange angles to other planets, and there is a lot of minor, albeit good, activity that lends focus to Mr. Mars. so you had better make peace with the little red orb right now. He’s a strong contender this week, and I’m pretty sure you are going to be feeling his influence one way or anther. Is it for good of for ill? That’s up to you. I have the most confidence in Pisces, and I trust that you’re going to be doing well this week. Listen to those internal Martial Marching Mandates and see if you can’t deliver the goods this week, too.
