For the Week of: 10/9-15/2003
“Thou hast cast away thyself, being …
A madman so long, now a fool.”
Coming up, along with some planets, there’s El Paso last weekend.
Libra: It’s another happy Libra birthday week, and there’s still a number of good events occurring. Here in town the music scene will be a little off for the next week or so, but that’s not a big deal. There’s still plenty of entertainment. What I’m going to suggest is that your Libra self take a little bit of time to listen to your “inner voice” and see what he or she has to say. I can hear your inner voice now, “Party time. Birthday, oh yeah baby, let’s party.” At least, that’s what I think I’m hearing from the inner Libra voice.
Problem being, as an astrologer, I have to listen to all 12 inner voices, one for each sign. You’re not saddled with such a daunting task. Not everyone is in tune with that inner voice you’ve got, and that’s a problem. Not everyone is all set for a big party. Go a little slow, maybe tone down your expectations with your ideas for a celebration. You’re stuck between two big events, the Fall Equinox and Halloween. As such, there’s not a really a decent theme to tag onto your “party party party” inner vocal renderings. Don’t know what to tell you about that one. Maybe scale back some of your expectations?
Scorpio: it was one of the most touching scenes I’d ever been exposed to. A couple, apparently down on their luck, were in the middle of reconciliation. I eavesdropped because, well, I’m basically a nosey person, but the “true love” was evident with this hard luck couple. “We’re going to have enough to get our original wedding rings out of the pawn shop,” she was saying.
I just thought that was so touching. And it’s not even Christmas time yet. Just tugs at the heartstrings, now doesn’t it? Look around your Scorpio life. There’s some kind of benefit coming along. I’m not a romantic, nor, for that matter, do I care much about wedding rings and such, but still, there’s an element that I saw, something where a pair of folks were overcoming all obstacles and making a dream come true.
It’s the symbolism of those rings that’s so important. Plus, think about what kind of hard luck they must’ve fallen on, having to pawn the only thing of value to them? To that couple, getting enough financial wherewithal to get the rings out of the hock shop meant something. Your Scorpio life has a similar event transpiring, due to Venus, Mars and even the host of planets still in Libra. Maybe you’re not getting your wedding set out of pawn, but you can take some symbolic action to help move forward.
Sagittarius: I’ve got a client who sends me Kona coffee whenever she visits Hawaii. I usually get frantic phone call, “Do you like the whole beans or ground? And which coffee is it? Kona Gold, right?” The best I’ve found is medium-dark roast Kona Peaberry, very rare, and one of the few types of coffee that’s actually grown on American soil. Really, Hawaiian soil, but close enough for administrative tasks.
Now, this going to get complicated, but then, so is the Sagittarius week. My usual container for coffee beans isn’t big enough to hold a full pound, so some of the beans, about handful, goes into a spare jar. There are California (Peets) beans in there, some Kona, some cheap coffee, and some politically correct coffee beans, in other words a little of everything in that secondary jar. Never know what will pour out of that “catch-all” container.
I was grinding some beans the other morning, and I caught that delicious aroma of the Kona stuff. Apparently, I had a layer of coffee beans straight from the Big Island, and apparently, it was what I poured into the grinder. It was sort of a surprise as it’s been several months since I got my last bag of Hawaiian coffee. It was a little high point to that morning, and it was little reminder that I need to stop off and buy more coffee. Not everyone is particularly happy these days, but if you’ll observe the small details, like the way a morning cup of coffee tastes, you’ll find that there’s a small amount of joy that can’t be found in even the most mundane of Sagittarius rituals.
Capricorn: I rolled out the trailer park, on foot, intending on going one direction, heading over towards the creek, maybe even thinking about a dip in the creek despite the cool weather, and all of sudden, when I got the terminus of the park itself, I took a left instead of a right. I don’t know why, just seemed like the thing to do at the time. Eventually, that landed me in East Austin, at a place that serves excellent breakfast tacos. Not like this is any surprise, either, my apparent wayward direction was directed by my wanderlust, and general mental disarray.
It’s that Capricorn component in my brain, trying a different tactic to get wherever it is that I’m supposed to be. To be honest, it’s really too chilly by my standards to be swimming the creek these days. But that wasn’t the reason for my last minute change in direction. Honestly, I don’t know what came over me, and you’re face to face with the same question. And you’re face to face with the same astrological influence. If the old ways aren’t working, maybe try going in a different direction to be more successful with Capricorn endeavors. Or, at the very least, find a new place for a breakfast taco.
Aquarius: Polls and guessing are this week’s topic for Aquarius. I found in some learned journal, an article about a business school practice, wherein a class is instructed to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar. Here’s the weird part, there will be a few wild guesses, but–statistically–the average of the all the guesses is usually within 3% of the actual number of beans in that jar, when the jar’s contents are counted by hand. That’s a pretty tight grouping, and just the oddest coincidence, too.
See, you’re going to want and/or need to canvass a large portion of the population for help with a particular problem. It never hurts to ask more than one person, in fact, a little poll of your own invention would be quite handy. You’re looking for a middle ground, a common place from which to operate. Instead of just looking at a single statistic, and accepting that as the rule, consider asking more than one qualified–or unqualified–person for some help with the question at hand. Like that example of the jellybean jar in business school statistics, a good sampling of more than one opinion will help you in making your decisions.
Pisces: I was riding on an airplane, going someplace important, and I was probably traveling in Texas. The folks sitting next to me inquired about the beverage service. Most the flights in Texas don’t last too long, it’s not like you’re going to get a full meal service between, say, Houston and Dallas. I think actual airtime is only about 20 minutes.
So the flight attendant replied in a distinctly southern drawl, “No honey, we don’t have wine, but we do have lovely wine-flavored beverage.” Refreshing honesty. Refreshing point of view. Cheeky attitude, too, but it worked. However, it worked only in that situation. If I’d been in first class, on a much longer flight, I’d expected a better answer about vintage stuff. But for a short hop inside the confines of Texas? Great answer. Short, sweet, and to the point. Judge your audience before you deliver your answers this week. The right answer, delivered short and Pisces sweet is great. Oh yes, I did inquire, as I’m inclined to do, and that flight attendant was a Pisces. See? Gauge your audience before you deliver your answers.
Aries: Ever ridden in 22 Ft. Ranger Bass Boat, with a 250 horsepower Mercury motor, splashing your way across the choppy lake at 70 knots? No? You should try it some time. If the winds kick up some, and you’re out on the open portion of the lake, it’s a bumpy ride. The boat pitches and rolls a little, the bow bounces up and down, and it’s a harrowing experience for those who don’t know that a suitable and experienced captain is at the helm.
Facing directly into the chop isn’t too bad, but when we’re angling off to one side, the motion can be downright frightening to an amateur. This scope is going for seven days. Looks like you’ve got a choppy boat ride for three to five of those days, probably on the tail end of it. But at one point, this much is sure, you pull into an isolated cove, the wind abates, and the surface of the lake is smooth. Throttle back, drop the trolling motor in, and enjoy those few days. It’s not good the whole time, but there are few times when it will be absolutely perfect. Besides, all the waves keep the amateurs at bay.
Taurus: You’re starting to think, in the Taurus brain of yours, “All he ever talks about is work. Work this, Mr. Fishing Guide Astrology Home Buoy!” Yes, my dear Taurus, there’s a strange emphasis that includes work, career, and related issues, and yes, dear Taurus, that is supposed to be important these days. It’s supposed to be the target of your unrelenting Taurus focus.
“Supposed to be” and “are” ain’t the same thing. I would tend to see another, more protracted influence, albeit a slightly weaker astrological angle, coming along in this next week to ten days, and I would bet on it. While you’re worrying about this whole “work” thing [which is largely theoretical in my life], there’s a strange little input from Planet Venus. She’s doing something, bringing something, making something nice. For a change. Look for the beauty, look for the breaks, looks for something good where you least expect to find it. You never can tell where it’s coming from, but it’s little bright spot on that terribly drab “work” horizon.
Gemini: Big breaks occur before the weekend ever arrives. After that, there’s a gradual decline, and in case you don’t believe in entropy, then now’s a good time to consider looking at it. Never thought about doing a little research in thermodynamics and 19th Century scientific theory? Don’t worry about it, I never studied it much myself. In other words, I don’t know a lot about it, but the concept is that’s there’s a gradual decline. I was looking at the phase of the moon, and right after it’s full, then everything starts to fall apart.
Maybe it’s not entropy but ennui that sets in. But I doubt that, too. In Gemini terms, you’ve got a great deal of positive energy as the weekend approaches, but next week, like long about Monday, it’s back to the grind again, and some events seem to hamper your flow. The world would be a much better place if everyone were just nice to everyone else. Don’t see that happening, but you can, in your Gemini world, try being nice to just one person you would normally deal with in a curt fashion. You’ll be surprised how that helps offset that ennui you might–or might not be–feeling.
Cancer: Ever had “Transparent pie”? Do you even know what that is? It’s–apparently, and according to local myth–only made in Mason County, Kentucky. I inquired about the stuff, and found that it greatly resembled my own recipe for pecan pie, handed down for generations, from family member to family member. After tasting the Transparent Pie, I was sure that its recipe closely resembled my own pecan pie. I sidled up next to an elderly gentleman, famed for his version of the pie, and inquired about the recipe. “Two eggs, stick of butter, cup of sugar.” Sure enough, close to most of the ingredients in my legendary pecan pie.
After learning about he recipe, and just thinking about the contents of the pie, either one, I had to loosen my belt a notch. It may be good stuff, but it can’t be all that good for you. Therein is the caution, particularly over the next couple of days. It’s one thing to be tempted by something like legendary Mason County Transparent Pie, but it’s another thing to indulge in this culinary masterpiece. I suspect that there’s a key ingredient that’s been left out, but not knowing what it is, doesn’t make me feel any better. Before you indulge your Cancer self, you might want to read the ingredients. Or ask local expert for some advice. Both work, and both are good recommendations before you jump off into something new.
Leo: Oddest thing, I found out, not long ago, El Paso had the largest smelter in the world until 1920 or so. My source of factual information could be faulty, considering how much time I’ve spent in El Paso, and how I’m unsure as to whether or not that bit of trivia is really true. But it could be. Sounds true. Feels about right. Good enough for work around here.
I was originally going to run that as a trivia question, but the problem was in the fact-checking department. These days, that’s me. Absence of hard data has never bothered me much, I just hate being caught short when some one else comes up with real proof.
You’re a Leo; you hate that, too. I know you do. Since I was never 100% sure, I never saw an engraved plaque that said “This was the largest smelter in the world until 1920,” I didn’t dare run it as an absolutely true historical fact. I’m sure I’ll hear from someone who lives in some far-flung locale, and I’m sure that my facts will be corrected. Doesn’t bother me, as I was never really sure I was right. But you’re not a Sagittarius astrologer; you’re a mighty Leo. Might want to double check a fact or two before you run with it as if what some friend of a buddy who used to fish with a guy once told you.
Virgo: Pink Floyd’s album, “Dark Side of the Moon,” has to be an all-time classic. Certain cuts get overplayed on the radio, like, just way too much. And some of the audio samples from that album are tremendously overused. Plus there’s the artwork for the album cover itself, all black with the colors of the rainbow splitting through a prism. It’s almost a universal sign. I’m not sure what it’s a universal sign of, but it stands for something.
In this day and age, I have to wonder if the sounds of commerce have changed, too. The ring and sound of manual cash register is long gone. But your Virgo cash register should be ringing these days. The problem being, I no sooner make a prediction like that, than some Virgo writes to me and says I have it all wrong as the out-flow of cash is greater than the in-flow. The solution? Stop spending until the influx becomes greater than the outflux. It’s a simple proposition, but taking a rest from your recent activities will help slow down some of the imbalance in your spending and income situations. And when you do hit it big? All I’m asking for is 1%. I’m not greedy.
