“I will not choose what many men desire
Because I will not jump with common spirits
And rank me with barbarous multitudes.”
in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice (Act II, scene ix)
Aries : It is, as I have suspected, a week for looking back and reflecting. It is a time for us to go back down that dusty trial (in my case the trail leads west to the barren parts of West Texas), and it is time reacquaint yourself with some old friends. It’s a time to figure out just where you have been. Most good Aries don’t spend too much time in deep mediation or deep reverie, or, for that matter, you don’t spend too much time contemplating the source of your navel lint. But this is exactly what a week like this brings about. There’s a certain feeling, a special moment, like having two cups of coffee after a really big Tex-Mex dinner. In the middle of the day. Your stomach tells you it’s time to take a a nap. your brain, wired up with that delicious after dinner coffee, suggests otherwise. Which one wins this week? I suggest a little contemplative exercise. To some folks, it looks an awful lot like you’re dozing. To some people, it might mean that you, in fact, asleep. But just beneath your eyelids, there are all sorts of spark flying, and you’re not really asleep. It’s that special place, in my case usually brought on by a good meal in South Austin, but in that special place, you are assessing the position you’ve found yourself in. Cut your losses and pack it in? Mount a thorough defense? It’s one or the other, and good nap will clear your head and help with the decision process.
Taurus : I use a number of fancy techniques for generating a good horoscope (or even a bad one — according to some distractors.) There’s Eastern, Western, Egyptian and Aztec astrology to consider. Each method has its limits and strengths. But this week, I’m sticking to a very conventional, straightforward kind of Western Astrology: Venus is in Scorpio and that is on the opposite side of the wheel of the zodiac. Good or bad? Tat’s up to you. It can be great. It can bring about many wonderful feelings. It can land someone new in your life, or it can excite an old friend and bring up new possibilities. There is a single watchword, though, for having Venus opposite you. You can learn to be a little less vocal about some of the old or new romance stuff that is kicking around. You can learn to be a little more tactful about anything that you choose to announce right now. It wouldn’t hurt to back up and check with your buddies before explaining about their role in the current situation.
Gemini : A little tension is a good thing. It imparts a degree of character. It adds a little bit excitement. Some tension is good. In fact, sometimes, tension is required. One of the most common tasks of a working cowboy in Texas is repairing barb wire fences. This used to be done a truly romantic way, using a horse with a loop of the fence worse tightened by the horse backing up. This makes for a great scene in a movie or book, but in the real world, technological improvements like trucks and winches have improved the job immensely. But that barb wire fence needs the tension. so even though there’s a little tension this week, it’s supposed to be there. It’s like stringing a fence line. And you’re going to find that if there isn’t any tension this week, you are more than able to tackle the task yourself, and inject a little tension where everything was going slack. time to tighten up the fences of life, and make sure that everything is as high strung as need be.
Cancer : You’re not getting through this week without a few little perturbation in the usual routine. In other words, there are mutations occurring, and you need to adopt a more fickle nature in order to be better equipped to deal with what is going on. In plain language, things are changing. Rapidly. And even though there is a sleepy, small-town feel to this week, there is also something sinister lurking beneath the surface. This is like one of those old time horror movies, the kind which is considered so camp these days. But in its heyday, that genre of film really scared us. And the set up is pretty much the same, a sleepy town, you expect to Mr. and Mrs. America right there (even though their ethnic and religious persuasion didn’t actually match the demographics, it was still what we all wanted to see), and then, unbidden, some sort of frantic terror erupts. This week, you can blame it atomic radiation, sunspots, the genetic tinkering, or even a mad scientist gone awry, but you just know that there is something poised, right beneath the surface of this week, like the monster which emerges from the lake, and this “thing” is ready to ravage the landscape (usually in miniature). You have been warned so I’ll hope that you don’t spend any time this week in unnaturally dark places, and you don’t spend a lot of the week prying open passageways which are best left for someone else.
Leo : Invariably, I will hear from a Leo or two who claims that he or she really doesn’t fit the mold which suggests that the Leo likes to be the constant center of attention. This particular Leo will claim that he or she really doesn’t feel like thee world revolves around him or her. This Leo will then further the debate by pointing out, with a high degree of exactitude, just exactly why the world is not “Leo-centric” — especially this week. Since it’s only the cat and myself who read the mail, after the post office is done sorting it into a big bag, then it’s obvious that this volume of Leo mail is trying to get my attention in a very Leo-like manner. So, as much as you claim that this week is bad, it really isn’t. And as much as you claim that you don’t feel like the center of the universe, you are, at least, for this week. This good feeling might extend into the next few weeks, but I’m concentrating on just one, narrow time, a single slot of seven days right now. Bask in the warm glow you receive from being at the center of everyone’s world right now. It really is a good time for you guys, and I look forward to hearing nice things from the Leo camp this week.
Virgo : Right before the sun comes up in the morning (at least, up here in the Northern Hemisphere, that’s the way it works), there’s a little planet which can be assumed as a source of consternation. It Mars. And the real problem isn’t with Mars himself, it’s more with some other planets, but Mars is getting closer and closer to a point where he’s going to do his best to irritate the whole situation. Now, I’ve just suggested that Mars will irk you. It’s not really Mars (haven’t we covered this already?), but it is the energy that he represents. And he’s getting closer and closer to a point where he tangles it up pretty good with Mr. Pluto. Since both of these planets indicate the same type of energy, and since these planets are at odds with each other, I’m suggesting that you find a really good outlet for your extra steam. Good outlets are not like the “outlet mall” up on the interstate (I know there’s one near you), but these are ways to vent your extra energy this week. Plan on some pretty early mornings, perhaps some late nights, and even a busy day or two. The busier you keep yourself, the better you’re going to feel this week.
Libra : There is a degree of calm that we can all associate with birthdays this week. There is a degree of ease and grace that I can see for this week’s events. It might be more like a lack of events. There are some Libra Birthdays this week, notably: Julie Andrews, Gene Autry, Crystal Bernard, Tom Bosely, Michael Douglas, Janeane Garofalo, Mark Hamill, Christopher Reeve, and Will Smith. Why the long list of birthdays? It’s just to show that you do have a good birthday week, but alas, it is bereft of big celebrations. It’s not without some small degree of jubilation, but it also doesn’t have the big pyrotechnical display that we usually associate with a joyful celebration of another year passing. And for the rest of the Libra’s out there, I’ll promise that there are good things in store, it’s just that there’s little lull in the activity right now. If you are the type who can only see that glass is half empty, then you’ll know that this is merely the calm before the big storm. But for the more hopeful type, it’s the calm before some more celebrations. Either way, it’s supposed to be a calm week, relatively speaking, for Libra Land.
Scorpio : I believe is was sexpot starlet who once suggested that, “Too much of a good thing is wonderful.” (What could be more perfect for Scorpio this week?) This person was obviously not a Scorpio. Excess is wonderful, given the right time and place, but this is not the week for going overboard with good things. You might want to, it might be appealing, but excess has its downfall, and this is a week to be very wary of just such a shortcoming. Moderation is not always a Scorpio trait. Anything worth doing is usually worth doing to the extreme, and Scorpio is an extreme sign, if nothing else. But this is a week to put some limits on those extremes. This is a week to reel in those desires and make an attempt to govern yourself. As difficult as it may sound, a little bit of restraint this week is a good thing. You want to shoot for the middle of the curve, the vaunted “median average,” the middle ground. Moderation is a watchword this week. Remember, in true Scorpio fashion, sometimes less is more. I know you’ll thank me later.
Sagittarius : Strictly speaking, we are on the far side of the worst of this stuff. But in least strict manner, and no Sagittarius really likes structure too much, we are on the short side of all of this. Just as soon as one pressure eases up, another one appears to take it’s place. It’s a minor thing, one that’s not too bad, and the worst is now behind us, but there’s still a degree of pressure — sort of like that feeling in the back of your head when you’ve been out late the night before, and you had a little too much fun. There’s always that “morning after” feeling, the pressure behind the ocular sockets which indicates maybe you over extended yourself last night. This week has a feeling just like that. The problem being, it’s going to feel like that all week long. Not just part of it, but all of it. It’s not a peaceful, easy feeling either. There’s something nagging at the back of your brain, like there’s something you were going to do, but somehow, this task has escaped your attention. Before the end of your week, you will find yourself flipping through notes, double checking your calendar, maybe even going and looking your diary, trying to figure out just what it was that you forgot. It’s there, you just have to give it a chance to catch up.
Capricorn : There’s a rather ancient Grateful Dead lyric I like to hum from time to time, “Ain’t no luck, I learned to duck.” That’s what this week is about for you. There are some times when standing up for your rights, making your position known, loudly asserting your opinion — these actions just don’t quite work right. If you get a little closer, I’ll assure you that you are correct. But I have a basic understanding of the way the Capricorn psyche works, and I know that you occasionally need to be reassured that you are, indeed, correct. The problem is that this week, you’re going to feel a need to enter into a conflicting situation. It’s not a good idea. I’ve already assured you that you are right, but there are times and places when you can make your statement. This week isn’t such a place. Before you shoot off your mouth, check the ammunition that you’ve got loaded in your brain. Even though your right, that doesn’t mean that other people will necessarily agree with you. This is a good time to learn to duck.
Aquarius : In classical Greek Mythology, there are a couple of stories where the odd gods intervene on behalf of mere mortals. In a battle scene, what happens is that the deity cause the arrows and spears of the enemy to miss hitting the hero being protected. This is a week when you might feel like you’ve got just such a figure intervening on a cosmic scale. The missiles that are being tossed about all seem to to miss you this week. That’s good news. There is a problem with this analogy, and that’s the fact that the Greek Pantheon of deities held a lot of characters with remarkably human characteristics. So one has to be careful when entering this week. Piss off one of the gods from that Greek mythology, and you lose your protection. So when the missiles are flying — and missing — remember that it’s only through the good graces of someone, someplace. Be careful, because your luck could change in the blink of an eye; although, I don’t see it happening this week.
Pisces : I have this one Pisces client with a continually furrowed brow. She always has this look about her, an air of apparent calamity, something that just suggests that she is ready for the “next bad thing” to happen. She’s worried about, even now. In fact, she’s worried that I’m talking about this sense of foreboding at this point. worse yet, she even thinks I’ll publish her name. I would never do that. But that sense of worry, that fear of impending doom, the destruction of civilization as we know it, the end of the world, all of that, is the farthest thing from your Pisces’ brow. But you should be worried. I’m not forecasting the end of the world, and I’m especially not forecasting the end of Pisces as we know (or don’t know) them. But I am suggesting that in the face of what you’ve got going on, you are seeming to be a little too happy. If I were you this week, I would be a little more worried than you have been. I’m not saying that anything bad will happen, but it’s one of those weeks when a good attitude is worse than a bad one. A little preparedness goes a long way.
