Fishing Guide to the Stars
by Kramer Wetzel
(c) 2005, 2006
by Kramer Wetzel for astrofish.net
For the Week starting: 9.21.2006
“The caterpillars of the commonwealth.”
Shakespeare’s Richard II [II.iii.166]
(It’s an attempt by Bolingbroke to win York over to his said, a little name calling about Richard II.) Fall Equinox, arrives this week (end).
Aries: Mars moves, still in Libra, and still opposite your fine Aries self. Is this a problem? Only a problem as much as you decide to make it a problem. The relative position of Mars, as compared to your sign, makes for some rather strange behavior traits that creep into your day-to-day existence. There’s an increase in Aries irritability. There’s a chance that you shoot off your mouth without thinking. There’s a chance that you boldly go someplace you ought not to go. That’s what I’m warning you about. There’s always another side to the Mars equations, too, and that other side is the mount of energy that Mars can impart. That’s the point about a problem will only be a big problem if you decide to make it a big problem. There’s enough energy to develop a work-around solution, even though you think you feel just a little irritated that someone hasn’t upheld his (her) end of the bargain. There’s little to gain in finding blame, work forward under the Mars influence.
Taurus: I grabbed a fishing pole and walked to the creek’s edge, intent on catching a fish. I didn’t think about the gear I grabbed, it was a pole I used the week before, and the week before that. The end of the monofilament line, 6 lb. test, was frayed from recent forays. I just left was on the end and gave it a good heave into the lake. As I was dragging the bait back towards me and the shoreline, I got a big strike. Big fish. Very big fish. Now, according to fishing lore, it’s possible to land 8 pounds of fighting bass with a six-pound line. That one guy on TV does it all the time. In my experience, it is possible, if the line is in good condition. Mine wasn’t. There’s now a large girl bass, swimming home with a hook in her mouth. Her boyfriend, I’m sure, is a little put out because she’s going to be difficult to kiss for the next few days. The problem, and this applies to Taurus, is just grabbing what’s there instead of properly selecting the correct gear. I wasn’t prepared. Fish got away. No reason for my extra special Taurus friends to go without a fish, it was this big, just because a little routine maintenance hasn’t been observed.
Gemini: The Equinox, the time when the Sun moves into the Tropical Zodiac Sign of Libra, the day when the amount of light and the amount of dark is supposedly equal? The day that’s halfway between the longest day of the year and the shortest day of the year? That’s a special turning point, in the land of Gemini. There’s — really several — influences that come into play. Phase of the moon, getting better by the moment. Position of the Sun, improving day-by-day. And then there’s a little kick from Mars. Mars is fast making his way through Libra, a compatible air sign. I’d use this little lift, this little boost in attitude, and I’d direct your Gemini energy. You are better equipped, now, as the days get shorter (or longer, I suppose if you’re on the other side of the planet), and now that you have your loquacious Gemini ability to chatter back in place, put this to good use. Smooth over the rough edges. Round off the corners that were catching you last month. Prepare to make peace where there’s been strife in your life. And most of all, ratchet up the volume. I’m not suggesting you talk louder, but in true Gemini fashion, keep pumping out words until you get your desired effect.
Cancer: A buddy of mine is on a special Employee Activity Team at work. He works in a large corporation, here in town. Sits in cubicle, talks on the phone. Does something, I’m not sure what. He’s explained it to me a time or two, but I still don’t get it. Whatever makes the wheels of commerce go around and around? Yeah, that’s what he does. So there’s always a social aspect to work, no matter what the corporate culture is like. And that includes, I’m guessing, certain employee activities. Like that special group. Team. Employee Activity Team. My fine little Cancer friends are in situation wherein it’s time for some kind of activity. Time to get planning something fun. Time to embrace the Cancer side of the Cancer wheel, and be a Cancer person. Fun begins at home, but that doesn’t mean it ends there. I’m not sure what my buddy’s next ‘off site” adventure with his team will be. One time it was a, and I use the term loosely, Gentleman’s Club. Another time was that place where all the waitresses wear rather skimpy uniforms. Again, I’m not party to these parties. I’m not sure that I would see that kind of activity as really a “team-building exercise,” but that could be me. There’s a heavy “Cancer flavor” to the coming week. Use it. Put it to good work for you.
Leo: I’m all for bucking the system. I do it all the time. I also, gladly accept the consequences of my actions. If I’m going to tangle with an entity larger than myself, I realize, ahead of time, that I’m probably not going to emerge victorious. I’ll probably get beat up. I’ll probably lose the fight. But at least I tried, right? There’s a point where I have to feel like I am morally correct in my actions. A sense of justice, an internal compass that points to what is right, I look at that. I listen. Besides that, I’m usually in favor of the underdog. Just the way I am. Leo is very much an underdog at this moment. Due to whatever influences you want to pin this on, you’re still not in the best situation. I can’t change that. I can’t fight your fight. I can’t take up the battle banner for Leo — would that I could — but I can’t fight your fight. I’m not prepared to handle your battles for you. What I am prepared to do, though, is to make a simple suggestion. It’s about being a little more observant before you swing into action, picking an opponent that you know you can’t topple? Not smart. While it’s okay for me to be “not smart” about picking who I choose to tangle with, it’s a lot different in Leo. There are times that call for following the moral compass and doing what’s best for yourself, but then, with the planets where they are? Maybe this isn’t a time to buck the system. Leave that to other signs.
Virgo: Part of Austin’s “Hike and Bike” trail skirts a high school. At this time of the year, two-a-days are over, but the weathers still nice enough that the trail, at least that section, is full of young runners. High-school age, oddly enough. To be expected, I’m sure. As the season finally cools off, there will a slight drop in the frequency and numbers, but in late September, still full of summer vigor, the kids jam the trail at times. To avoid the crush and crowds, not to mention youthful vigor, I tend to stay off that section of the trail. Just easier. At least one of my buddies gets to make crude comments about young female forms, but I can’t condone such commentary, not even in jest. But this isn’t about my sometimes vulgar friends with dubious tastes, it’s about picking and choosing in such a fashion as to make the life in the Virgo land a little easier. I looked at the calendar. Not an astrology chart, not the phase of the moon, just a plain old “day and date,” and I figured out what route I should take. Or not take. Look at the timetable you’ve got. What route has fewer people on it? I’d suggest the less congested avenue.
Libra: It’s all a matter pulling together all the disparate pieces of information, and figuring out a coherent narrative thread. Stringing it together, that’s the idea. About the same time as the weekend, and at the exact moment of the equinox, there’s not-so-subtle shift. Mars has already fried through your sign, and like bulldozer, Mars has left a level field in its wake. Fresh dirt, all ploughed up, ready for something. Now, here’s the trick, get it together. You’re feeling much, much better about certain situation. This didn’t occur, like, overnight. Or maybe it did. But the point is to pull together the various threads and generate a single, here’s the kicker — coherent — thread from this. Mars? Fried? Sure. Now, take the pieces, you’ve got brand new, freshly graded section of dirt with which to work. Pull it together. It’s getting easier, once the sun shifts into your sign. And happy birthday, too.
Scorpio: Consider this a time to pay homage to the old ways. The old systems, the ancients, ancestors, whatever it is that tweaks the Scorpio psyche? At some point, there needs to be a symbolic sacrifice made. The image I was dealing with, probably some mythology I was reading or something, but I kept thinking about a burnt offering made to the odd deities. Hardly a time and place for this type of worship in the modern world. And I’m not even sure about what type of belief system you have, either. I’m not sure what type of burnt offering is correct for your Scorpio self. Not that it matters, either, as I’m sure, in Scorpio style, it’s all a secret. Yet, there’s an offering to be made, a “gift to the gods,” or whatever it is that you like to call it. I had a live minnow on the line, and I gave the line a good heave. The poor little minnow came unhooked and went flying through the air, only to land in the water. Was it eaten by a bigger fish? Who knows? I consider it an offering, and I calmly reached into the bait bucket and caught another little fish to use as bait. That was my offering. Although, since I didn’t catch much that afternoon? If I were really going to do a “burnt offering,” I suppose, I should’ve blackened what was left over from the bait bucket. Still, some kind of a symbolic — or other — gesture on your Scorpio part would help.
Sagittarius: I was sitting at the counter at one place, in South Austin, and I was quietly perusing the newspaper, while munching on some red beans and rice. Add some fresh chopped onions, a little grated cheese-tasting product, maybe some hot peppers, and it’s good. Polish it all off with glass of water and a double shot of espresso on the rocks? All good. So as I working my way through a solitary meal, one of the off-duty barista girls slides up onto the stool next to me. The counter help idles on over, eyes my half-finished meal, and commences to ask questions about her astrology chart, in as much as she had a grasp of the material. I started to explain the mechanics of the equinox, and the other off-duty girl has a question, too. From a solitary meal — all by myself — I was suddenly surrounded by a group of people with specific questions. Targeted questions, probing, and some of the answers require a degree of mental exercise to compose an answer. I can’t just make this material up on the spot, usually takes a little forethought ands research. What I found, it was like, I was leading a little impromptu workshop. All of a sudden. Another girl was reporting for work, and again, I was fielding questions. Just when I thought I was going to be all alone, something sifts, something changes. The boss showed up, declined the employees’ request to comp my meal, and further punctuated that whole conversation with “I’m Virgo, and like a good Virgo, I’ll tell you Astrology is all bunk.” Two lesson learned? From no attention to the center of attention, real fast-like. And secondly, there is no free lunch, no matter how persuasive our little Sagittarius selves can be.
Capricorn: “Buck-tail-jig.” “Bang-tail.” “Shyster.” These are names of lures. I’ve used them. Caught fish with some. Left at least one in tree someplace along a shoreline. But mostly, despite the wacky names, these are items that work. I figure life in the land of Capricorn is lot like fishing, and you’re never sure what’s going to work on a given day. The last of the Virgo time, then the beginning of Libra, the Fall Equinox, it all leads in one direction. I named three of the more odd names I could think of, without rooting around in a tackle box, but I’m sure I could come up with a dozen more strange brands. The Buck-Tail and the Bang-Tail worked a few days ago. However, once the Sun shifted into Libra, that signaled a change. So what was working? Might not work again this week. Don’t be afraid to clip off a lure that’s no longer working, and attach something else, even if “rubber worm” isn’t nearly as amusing or exotic sounding. Whatever works? Works.
Aquarius: It’s all about “Going with the flow,” and I realize that it’s not a typical Aquarius characteristic. I’d like to offer solutions rather than general platitudes, and that’s the simplest solution. It’s not so much a matter of facts and planets, and for that, too, actions, all stacked up against you, it’s more a matter of enlisting the assistance of the right people. I’ve long discovered that it is frequently easier to hire an expert rather than muddle my way through some kind of a mess. Contact and contract an expert. Or, as I prefer to say, “Delegate (the task) to a person of lesser rank.” What I’ve found, is that it helps when I run into a situation that I know nothing about, I just let an expert deal with that situation because, in an expert’s hands, the situation can easily be resolved. That’s what this is all about, too, seeking the outside help that we all need from time to time. How does that go with the flow? The flow stops. Enlist some type of outside sources to make the work continue to flow. Simple, really. All a matter of delegation.
Pisces: It was a darling little (Pisces) waitress. Couldn’t have been more than about 20 years old, allegedly a college student. I was in one of those fancy places, kind of nice, and my slovenly appearance, well, this was in South Austin, so I didn’t look out of place, but I’m guessing that had something to do with the waitress’s demeanor and attitude towards me. I selected an item from the menu, the special for the day, a rare combination of seafood, Italian and Tex-Mex. The waitress responded with a subtle nod, jotted down the order and said, “Right on.” Like that’s what she expected. I was wondering where that phrase came into the quotidian parlance. Oh well, it’s there now, I suppose. I would just expect a more formal response, like, “Yes sir,” or something equally pedantic. That’s what’s going on, too, here in the land of the Pisces, like that little waitress. It’s not what’s expected. What’s being served up is a little different. Not exactly what everyone else is prepared to accept. Not that it matters, either, but you’re running into some people who are unwilling to bend a little, give a little, or otherwise pitch in the help all of ease on through the day. Do what you can. Don’t expect all smooth sailing, but you can help by understanding that the disruptions stem from planetary disturbances in Virgo, and a little help from a Pisces can go along way to smoothing thems over. Right on.
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copyright (c) 2005, 2006 Kramer Wetzel, for astrofish.net
