“Thou painted maypole”
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream [III.ii.296]
Mercury and Venus shift into Capricorn this week.
Aries: Yes, I was riding in a jet plane. As the commercial craft banked low under the early January clouds, the Teal-Blue-Green color ponds were visible over the wing in East Austin, Central Texas. The apparent color of the ponds, from the low elevation of landing aircraft, was what set that particular image apart. There’s a shade I associate with the limestone (fed) – waters of Texas. I’m not female, so I can’t adequately describe that delicate hue. It’s teal-blue/green – sort of. The way the new year gets off the ground is like that weather we’re having. Low clouds, gray days, cool out, not much going on. But look: there’s a sight, a scene, a memorable little vignettes that you get a shot at. Get a shot of. Get a chance to see. One of those, like my image of the ponds and puddles, looking so pristine in the winter’s wan, cloud-covered light. What this kind of an image does is tickle the memories in the Aries mind, thinking back to what was, and that there’s a spring-time (Northern Hemisphere) just around the corner. Good things are ahead. You’ll get a visual clue soon. Could be, I’m not saying you’re winging over Central Texas, but it could be something as simple as the color of the ponds.
Taurus: Christmas toys, even for adults, can be fun to play with. I was passing a fountain in downtown Austin, and I noticed two not-very-young “children” playing with a toy remote control boat of some kind. Takes two folks to engage in this action. One guy would release the boat, precious close to the edge of the fountain’s spillway, and the other guy was handling the controls, zooming the toy back to safety. Looked like fun. I’m not sure of the details, wasn’t exactly the kind of day when I would linger out-of-doors. But it took two guys to play in that fountain. Same thing is going on with Taurus, as in, it takes two. So remember that as you start to play this weekend. Takes two. Not a good time to be going it alone.
Gemini: Listen to me: Argue with idiots and you become an idiot. Yeah, that’s it. Simple message, first line. Want to argue with me about the message? Know what that means? Means you’re arguing with an idiot astrologer and that makes you? The problems stems from Mr. Mercury, opposite you in Sagittarius. At least, that’s where the problem starts. But as the weekend gets here, Mr. Mercury slides on over into a new location, finally out of range — as does Miss Venus. Suddenly, life feels like that it’s a good time to rest up. Think about that. After the beginning of the new year, what with the current events and all, it’s a good time to rest up some. I realize that you have some new plans, new resolutions, and the year is barely a week old, but now is the time to schedule a little relaxation, a little rest. Careful about any arguments you launch into, I mean, argue with an idiot and that doesn’t work well for you — you have to get down to that idiot’s level in order to make your point. Doesn’t work for an above average Gemini like your self.
Cancer: There’s a planetary interplay that’s just about the oddest I’ve seen in weeks. With the subtle — or not so subtle — shift in two small planets, you get this kick. From hard at work to hard at play. The deal is, none of this kicks in at just the right moment for your Cancer schedule. If I could realign matters, and make it work a little more smoothly, I would. Best I can do is give you a decent “heads up” about the situation. You’re going to feel a little awkward with your timing. Work and play are going to intermingle over these next few days. For some of us, this isn’t a big deal. For some of us, it is a big deal. For some folks, this isn’t too much trouble. For some people, it’s a big deal. For your Cancer self? I’m not entirely sure. I’d be careful, though, exercise a little caution. I’ve found that employers tend to take a dim view of certain Cancer employees showing up a half-day late, stinking of gin.
Leo: Let’s put some of the usual frivolity aside — if only for a moment. This is about laying groundwork, building a foundation, and I’m all for doing a little advance work to make sure life is grand in the sign of the Lion. Play time is important, but this is a little section of time when, even though things are going sort of smoothly in Leo, it would behoove you to start with a little long-term work. Pick up that project you were working on and think about giving it another shot. Consider that this is a good time to start working towards something for your future. Very few of the people in your Leo entourage understand how much effort is required to look after all those adoring Leo fans. The care and feeding of your entourage, that motley assortment of hanger-ons and so forth? You’ve got to do something to support us. Start planning you next big production. A little advance work is called for. Start this week. You’ll thank me later.
Virgo: “Can I just hide until this is over?” Valid question from the Virgo slice of the heavens. Don’t really think that it’s possible to just “hide out” until this is all over, though. Nice idea. Too bad it won’t work, but it’s worthy of consideration. Problem being: other people. Other folks are just getting in your way. Not much to about that. “Is mercury backwards?” No, but Mars is frying in Sagittarius (and don’t even think about asking me how I’m handling that!) Mars is also leaning on you in way that you’re not happy about. Not happy with. One of those. See what I mean about certain frustrations that can be clearly traced back to other folks? Since you can’t hide out, and since you can’t run away from this mess created by other folks, there’s only one other option — as I see it. Roll up those Virgo sleeves, grab a bucket and mop, and set out to straighten out, clean up, and otherwise correct the mess. Unfortunately, no one is able to do this better than yourself. When next Monday arrives, I’ll promise that there’s going to be a degree of relief in your sector, if you grab that bucket now.
Libra: The new year usually starts out with a bang, but it shortly fizzles after that. From sizzle to fizzle in no time. Just be glad it’s not going to “fissile” instead. Instead of splitting words with me, and not to go against the grain, there’s little uncomfortable energy that tends to make my most excellent Libra friends a little volatile these days. This is a short influence and it’s like you, in it has a short fuse. But the influence is over almost by the time you get around to reading this. Then life gets good again. There’s much promise and much hope for the coming year. The good news? It’s going on now. The problem? Expectations. Like any good Libra, and you are above average if you’re reading this in a timely fashion, then you know to limit yourself on what you expect out of the new year. Got yourself, let’s say, ten goals, right? And by now, that list of ten has been reduced by three. So we’re now down to 7 goals for the year. By the end of this week, that number will be reduced by two more. Down to 5 New Year’s Resolutions now. That’s okay because 5 is nice number, and it’s a lot easier to work with. Cutting you expectations in half doesn’t hurt.
Scorpio: A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in an “art house” movie theater, and I was casually munching on some pizza. It’s a restaurant/movie theater, part of a local chain. The trailers showing, in keeping with the “artsy” designation, were female wrestling clips from around fifty years ago. More or less. I was guessing at the age, as the clips didn’t have any real information. In the background of one of the matches, there was a very clear banner: Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Deal was, I was pretty sure, most of that wrestling was fairly well choreographed. Kind of like ballet, only for much more enthusiastic audience. Or so it seemed. Because it was a theater where audience participation was encouraged, there was clapping at the end of a match. Not a big deal, not if you ask me. I suspect that the movie (now on video) clips were older than most of the audience, myself included. In the next couple of days, you’re finding yourself in a similar situation, wherein the apparent incongruities — something some folks would label as “ironic” — are amusing to you. You might even want to do the audience participation. But with Mars in Sagittarius, I’m not sure that you really want to wrestle, staged or otherwise.
Sagittarius: I had some work done on the old trailer, just the other day. I had to check with the manager’s office, just to find a guy who could fix a little plumbing problem. Now, I could’ve done this work myself, but it would’ve taken me the better part of two days. Plus it would also require multiple trips to the hardware store and maybe the acquisition of new tools. Or, I could just hire some guy to come in and fix the damn thing. Much easier. We talked about fishing, and he bragged about an ugly carp he snagged the other day, down on the Guadalupe River. “Caught more than 30 fish that day, bass, carp, perch. Man, it was good.” So it was either get someone to do it for me, or it was going to take me a good couple of days. I just hired a handyman. Conversation was good, deed was done, trailer’s fixed and it took less than 3 hours, total time. Two hours of hired out work, or do-it-myself and take two days. Maybe three days. Which is a better deal? Think about this example as the weekend arrives and the fun starts. Do it yourself? Maybe. Or hire someone? Takes a lot less of you precious Sagittarius time.
Capricorn: There’s a fishing style called “drop shot” that was just all the rage for a little while. It’s really a modification of a Carolina Rig which is just a modification of a Texas Rig, and who really cares about the taxonomy of fishing techniques? A drop-shot is where a (lead) weight is tied to the end of the line, and hook with bait is attached about 18 inches up from the weight. The theory is, the weight bounces along the bottom, and the bait is then in a perfect position to look really, really attractive to hungry fish. It’s tricky fishing at first, but with Mercury and Venus moving into your sign, and the Sun lining up opposite Mr. Saturn, this is the kind of tricky fishing you’re good at. It’s wintertime, nominally, here in Texas. The fish are all sitting on the bottom of the lake, about a foot off the bottom, doing whatever fish in the wintertime. The trick, like that much-vaunted fishing technique, is to get your Capricorn bait located right where the target (fish or otherwise) are at (bottom of the lake). So if your fishing in Texas this next week, or if you’re just fishing for something else, consider a new technique that puts the bait — maybe just your cute self — in the right position.
Aquarius: I’m rather unsure of the source of this noise, but I know I’ve heard it before. Must’ve been when I was traveling because it’s not a noise that I hear here frequently — if at all. Not around here. It’s the sound of a cold, winter wind. To me, it sounds like snow. But snow is silent. However, there’s a sound, or veritable plethora of sounds, all quiet and hushed, and it’s the way the wind sounds when the temperature is below the freezing mark. It’s not a noise that I like to hear. The trick is to be quiet enough to hear the differential between a “cold” wind and a “freezing” breeze. Subtle differences, like the change in the pitch of the wind when the temperature drops, these are critical points. Plus: it’s going to feel like a cold wind has just come whipping in Aquarius. I can’t fix that. But if you’re quiet, maybe still for a moment, you can here the crackling of the dead leafs, the way the wind sounds when the temperature drops. It’s not personal, and there’s good stuff for Aquarius, just up ahead. But until that good stuff arrives, it’s a matter of being still and quiet and listening to the changes, the gentle sounds that are all around you. Sometimes, it’s not the big events, but the little ones. Listen for that sound of freezing wind, even if it’s only a gentle breeze.
Pisces: “Yee-haw.” That’s not a “YEE-HAW!!!” It’s a dry, deadpan delivery. In some parts of the globe, I’m sure this will be delivered in s slightly different form, along the lines of “whatever,” or, “yeah, right.” There’s a certain lack of commitment, a certain amount of lack of enthusiasm. It’s not bad, it’s just your sweet Pisces self can’t be bothered to get all worked up over something. Whatever that something is? You’ll notice that there are a number of your non-Pisces acquaintances who are worked up over this particular issue. “But aren’t you excited about…” they query you. Not really. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s not like, this is a sure thing. It’s the nature of the unstable world in which we all live. (It’s the nature of having Uranus in your sign, too — very weird.) So you don’t get all fired-up excited about something? If your sweet self is queried further, harassed or piqued, then just explain — valid for the next few days only — that you’re just “jumping for joy — on the inside.” That usually keeps them at bay.
