“Well moused, Lion!”
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Eve [V.1.258]
Aries: The streets of Austin, especially in South Austin, are not noted for their regular, even pavement. There are a couple of intersections, like Barton Springs and Lamar, where I have to traverse almost daily. It’s why I prefer, whenever I can to take the Hike and Bike trail. The pavement at that one corner waves. It’s got ripples almost like the surface of the lake, with a mild chop. I’m sort of used to it, as I’ve discovered, I’ve got to watch where I put my feet. Nothing is worse than heading across the street, across a busy intersection than to have one of those undulations in the pavement show up at an unexpected point in my stride. Causes me to stumble. Doesn’t look good, not with a long line of cars all staring at me. Deal is, there are a couple of influences that are going to make you like me, crossing that intersection. You’re going to be a little more clumsy than usual. My suggestion, as much as you want to look around and see what drivers are doing, it’s sometimes better to watch just exactly where you’re putting your feet.
Taurus: I’ve got a crumpled up envelope sitting in one of the slots on my roll top desk. I usually use that one slot for assorted, miscellaneous papers, but I like to keep that one, crumpled envelope right up there on the top of the pile. It serves as a reminder. One of the problems of a small business is that cash flow is important. That envelope took over four months to get to me. It was a “check’s in the mail” deal. I was assured, repeatedly, that a check had been mailed. Then the check came back for insufficient postage. Then there was another problem. Then I was forgotten. I finally got around to just sending the same reminder e-mail every week, just to be a pain, and hopefully, to get a check. Check finally did arrive. The reason I keep the envelope there is to remind me that cash, plastic, or something, has to be tendered at the time of the transaction. I’m not a bank. I don’t extend credit. I did think about partnering with a credit card company and issuing a card with my logo, but I really don’t have a logo. Besides, as much as I swear at credit cards, I’m not sure that’s the way I want to go. Simple point here, and it has nothing to do with credit cards, get the cash up front. Or the payment. When someone assures me that she’s “mailing a check,” that’s all fine and good. No service until that check has cleared my bank. That’s why I keep that crumpled envelope here, just as a reminder. Now, I’m reminding my Taurus friends about the same thing.
Gemini: One Gemini friend is all business, all the time. I get a call from her on the hotline, an astrological emergency, and it’s all about big dollars and market share and words I don’t really understand. Amortized? What’s an amortization, anyway? So it’s not about topic that I understand until she rolls over into the astrological data, and that’s something I’m good at. I can explain positions and influences. That’s something I’ve observed for long periods of time. Deal is, with the planets where they are, I’d like to suggest a different approach, when that one Gemini calls. Instead of, “market’s down, industrials are up, bonds are in the middle,” how about trying it a new way? “Hey, how you doing? Weather nice in Austin? Looks like it’s sunny there, wish I was there….” Notice the subtle change in direction. Ease into the questions. Don’t jump right in. Sugarcoat. Halloween do all right by you? Have fun on 6th? (6th Street, legendary amusement park for adults.) Or, you can always use on of my favorite expressions, “Here, would you like some candy?” Be disarmingly polite, even to the point of unctuous, just to get the prey softened up. Then you can get to your hard-hitting questions.
Cancer: I stopped over to see a Cancer friend the other afternoon; she lives in some apartments just up the road and on the other side, not far from Shady Acres. She’s a late degree Cancer, means she’s still reeling from Mr. Saturn’s influence. Good thing I was pedestrian, too, as the apartment’s parking lot was closed off. Construction vehicles, a flatbed full of shingles and tar paper, and in the distance, the not-so-subtle noise of an air-powered nail-gun. Roofers. Musica blared from a “barrio blaster,” a local Spanish station playing some “Norteno.” Between the hammering and the hollering, I could just barely make out the delicate notes of an accordion, coming from that radio. I knocked on her door. No answer. I knocked louder, no answer. I let myself in and hollered, “Hello!” See? Saturn’s like that. New roof is nice. New roof construction? Pain in the you-know-what. In the coming months, it will be cold, we might even get a bit of snow, ice and/or rain. That new roof sure will be nice. But at the time of the work? It’s just a big inconvenience. You’re going to find yourself equally inconvenienced, whether it’s by roofers or some other form of noise, I’m not sure. Look, this is all going on for a very valid reason and the construction hassles are short-lived. Plus, maybe someone nice, like me, will happen along to rescue you for a quiet afternoon someplace away from the noise.
Leo: There’s a sense that something just ain’t quite right with the world. Can’t put your finger on it? I sympathize. Life’s just a little stranger than you like. It’s the moon, see, it’s a passing influence, but there’s something that feels like it doesn’t quite line up right. The old way of dealing with type of alignment problem? I worked as a mechanic for a little while. We’d get a bigger hammer and take care of the problem. The deal is, my method, grabbing a hammer, then a larger a hammer, then a sledgehammer? That doesn’t work. Just take my word for it. Some situations respond well to a concentrated applied pressure. Other situations, though, like the events transpiring in Leo? My method if using hammers, in ascending sizes? That’s not going to work. This requires a bit of finesse, a bit of tinkering rather than using bigger and bigger blunt object, designed for striking. The only problem? Over the next few days? You’re going to really like my idea of grabbing a hammer to correct the situation. Hint: it’s not a good idea.
Virgo: The scope of the scope starts off with a dull pop, kind of like a firecracker that’s gotten wet, then dried out and that popper just doesn’t have the pop that it used to have. Therein is the bad news. The good news? Miss Venus is moving out of your sign, and as she moves on, life starts to settle down. There’s still some rather unsettling astrological weather in the heavens, but these astrological clouds are less and less black thunderclouds and more long the lines of grey, overcast clouds. Means it’s a good time to stay inside. Plus, those clouds? They seem to affect other signs, most notably the Cancer-Libra contingent, but your Virgo self is in the clear. But if you’re really alert, you’ll note that Libra is on one side of your sign and Cancer is about two signs away in the other direction. That’s not such a good place to be. But it’s not you–it’s them. The point is to remember that’s it’s not your sweet, demure Virgo self that’s getting plastered with the astrological problems and fall-out. But as a Virgo, you tend to want to help us some, too. That’s where you have to remember that our problems are not always your problems. I mean, other than the other people, life really should be okay in your own, personal world.
Libra: Look for the center. It’s that simple. Look for your center. Doesn’t much matter what philosophical, astrological, religious system you prefer. Doesn’t much matter what you want to call it, either, but find your “center.” You’re getting mixed messages from just about everyone these days, and the most important piece to the puzzle is for you to find you center. Mars is about to face off with Saturn, the week kicked off with a nasty little relationship (psycho-sexual) eclipse, and the one part to the life-puzzle that seems to missing is your center. Look for it. I’ll promise, in the next couple of weeks, you’re going to need to use your own power so finding whatever your center is, that’s what’s going to be important. Mars is at one end of the Libra slice while Venus is at the other end of the slice. Right in the middle, that’s where you are. So it’s matter of taking a look at the huge number of influences, deciding what is most important to your Libra self, and dealing with that. Finding the center, your center, whatever that might be, that’s what is important. Personally, I tend to find my center in the middle of lake, on bass boat, pole in hand. But that could be me.
Scorpio: You know that I’m inordinately fond of Scorpio, right? So you know that I wouldn’t do anything to piss you guys off, right? So When I started spinning the charts around, all I could come up with, and this is targeted to one person, “I told you so!” For the last few months, in almost every personal consultation with a person about a Scorpio chart, I’ve warned you. This is the week I’ve waned you about. Your Scorpio brain, intuitively linked to your Scorpio heart, is going to broadcast messages to yourself, convincing you that there’s one particular situation, person, or item, that you need. Look: this is just like me — I need a new boat. I need to go out and drop about $50K on a new, top of the line, super-cruiser bass boat. I was thinking about 22-foot Ranger, but I was also looking at a Bayliner. I’m thinking 220 horsepower Yamaha motor. I’m thinking speed, sleek lines, nice metal-flake paint. I’m also going to be a little more reasonable. I don’t need a new boat. Neither do you. Oh, don’t argue with me, I’ll agree it’s a good a idea. Yours or mine? Either one. Is it going to happen? Sure, my fine Scorpio friend, you can dream and dream big. But actually going for that big-ticket item? Maybe now isn’t the time.
Sagittarius: I popped a funny out on the web, just a couple of days ago. It was spoof about the holidays upcoming. I never knew so many people would get so upset with a simple joke. The written notes coming back in were flaming. I usually wear a heavy set of gloves after popping a joke like that out onto the net, but that makes typing a witty response rather awkward. Not that being awkward has ever been a problem for me, either, but some folks just don’t get that it was a joke. Not a real piece of news. Just a little confused about the holidays. That’s the problem we’re all encountering in Sagittarius — other people just aren’t understanding, compassionate, or, most important, they all lack a decent sense of the absurd. Because that’s what it’s all about, really. It’s just one of the absurdities in life. You’re going to feel like you get it, but no one else around you even seems to understand what it is that’s going on. If it’s not a Sagittarius, then you can bet that they don’t understand the joke. That’s a problem. Unless it’s one of us, then no one will understand. Got it? Best to keep the wry observations about the state of the world, little snickers, the cute comments, keep all of that to yourself because the rest of the world, those folks we usually entertain? They ain’t getting it. Don’t even bother trying to explain the humor, either. If they don’t get it, then they don’t get it.
Capricorn: Halloween, one of those holidays, is a special time. But it’s a little stranger than usual, this year. There’s a bad moon on the rise, and that’s going to cause a few problems in the Capricorn world. I was with a friend, one year at Halloween, as she was manning the door, armed with treats for kiddies. Just after sunset, the usual children came by. A little later, kids who were a tad older showed up. But as the night drew onwards, she started noticing that a lot of the “grown-up” kids were looking rather adult-like, or, at the very least, young adult-like. She was going to get a little short-tempered with the kids, but it wasn’t until the last one came up, she finally lost it. She sneered, looking at the kid, dressed like kids dress normally these days, “What are you supposed to be?” “Just a typical kid — this is my costume. I’m not like this, usually.” He got a single candy bar as a pay-off, and not terribly big treat, if you ask me. I was expecting a little bit better response, myself. I was expecting a rehearsed smart-ass comment about the economy, cost of costumes, the relative motion of the planets, and maybe a nod towards some atomic theory. When the appearances are lacking, I can usually make up for with a good line of patter. Or a good line of something. But my friend was none too entertained by that one older Halloween participant. Goes to show something about how to deal with the next couple of days. We’re amused — your Capricorn self is not. So their delivery is a little lacking? What are you going to do?
Aquarius: I’d taken my little laptop up to a local coffee shop, ostensibly to work, but more just too play around some. I was toying with wireless access, and generally making a mess of matters, not really working, but I did have a word processing document open so I could claim I was working. Do like I did, and at least look like you’re working. Since what I do involves a lot of writing on a computer, as I was sitting in that coffee shop, idly staring out the window, I could pretend that I was “working” in some capacity. What I was really doing was day-dreaming, pure and simple. No illusions here. Perhaps I was waiting for a muse to alight on my shoulder and whisper in my ear. But after a third cup of coffee, I think the muse had come and gone, scared off by the shaking hand. But I held that illusion of “working” pretty firmly in my mind. I’m suggesting that your good Aquarius self does the exact same thing I did. No, you don’t have to hop on over to a coffee shop with free wireless access, but think about holding that pose, wherein you achieve the position of work, even if you not really doing a thing. It’s Halloween, looks are important.
Pisces: Everything is good but communication. I mean, the way I look at your Pisces world, it looks rather enjoyable to me. But I’m not a Pisces, so what I see might not be what you perceive. The way it looks, what I seem to get, is that there are number of events that would leave other signs unsettled, but in your case you’re not too worried about it. The problem is a communications. I’m not talking about talking, I’m talking about phones and walkie-talkies and pagers. Computers and e-mail, even. “Is Mercury retrograde, again?” The Pisces cry. Nope. And that’s not really the problem, it’s a larger, more obtuse influence. Look, since I’ve deemed everything but communications okay in your world, I don’t want you writing to me and complaining about how wrong I am. Instead, give it a minute or three and wait to see that, yes, things really are that good, if you’ll only let them be. No one else understands, but you can just smile that smile, and fool the rest of us with non-verbal, non-written (telepathic) communications.
