"Indeed, I am in the waist two yards about; but I am now about no waste; I am about thrift."
Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor (I.iii.26)
Nota Bene: Act IV, scene I in the Merry Wives of Windsor a teacher with a student named William who is doing Latin grammar — possibly an autobiographical link.
Gemini: It’s another weird week in Gemini-land. Seems that more than the usual amount of "Mercury is backwards" stuff has gone on. I worked around the edge of the lake with a cast net in my hand. I was trying to catch just a couple of the little minnows that were feeding on the surface. Shad, brim, minnows, shiners, I think I’ve heard the bait fish called a lot of names. I’m not even sure what kind they were, just a few I was trying to net. I would fling the cast net out, and then I would draw up its line, closing in whatever I was hoping to net.
Only, I wasn’t getting a thing. I threw the net out about three or four times before I caught anything. Which is part of the problem right now. Mercury, Venus, Sun, all in Gemini. It’s like me, with a cast net in hand. Coming back empty? Again, that’s like me. Mercury can thwart the best of intentions. Mercury can leave you empty-handed. Mercury can, and will, cause a lot of turmoil.
The true measure of what kind of person you are? I walked over to the ranger’s office and store, and I bought some frozen (bait) shrimp. Cost me about two dollars. If my cast net for bait isn’t working? About two dollars can get me back on track with a line in the water. If one doesn’t work? Don’t be afraid to buy a little frozen bait — or whatever else is needed to get you back in your Gemini groove.
Cancer: The sign was hand-lettered, "Please keep all hands and buckets out of the tanks so the shrimp will live." Cancer girl runs a bait stand, down on the coast. It was her stand, obviously. I’m guessing, her or her current, or ex, boyfriend’s lettering, could be that, too. I like the home-spun appeal. I like the questionable grammar and diction that effectively conveys a message.
That’s sort of the point, that hand-lettered sign. Not really correct grammar. Not so much on the spelling, neither. Not that it matters, the point is effectively made. Given that the Sun, Mercury and Venus are way stacked up in Gemini, the sign that precedes you, you’ll understand. I suspect you’ll have sign, or similar point that needs to be made, and I’m sure you’ll have it lettered all wrong, or miss the punctuation, or misspell a word, or whatever. Doesn’t matter. Like that girl who sells bait by the seashore? The point is effective.
Get the needed warning out there where everyone can plainly read it. Sort of hard to miss. The idea is, in the various live bait places, a tank with heavily aerated sea water keeps the bait alive. Usually shrimp. Could be Croaker, Crab, Eel or even Piggy Perch. But the idea is to keep it all alive until the bait gets delivered. That means no touch from human hands. Delicate life form. But the real point isn’t about keeping your hands out of the bait tank, it’s about how to get that message across. I’d suggest a hand-lettered sign, maybe on the back of some old cardboard. Be surprised how effective it can be.
Leo: I was reading some food review, and one of the edited comments amused me greatly, "Staff appears to be in perpetual psychic pain." Considering the place being reviewed, not a spot known for culinary finesse, the comment should’ve been left in. I’m sure some lawyer, someplace, could make a case for or against that kind of comment, though.
However, that’s what this feels like, between Mercury and Mars, sort stuck in place you don’t want to be. Or maybe you do. I’ve dined on various forms of fast foods. At 4 or 5 in the morning, on my way to a fishing date, whatever is open is good. Even cardboard (recycled) and plastic cheese product, on top of something that might, or might not, have been a chicken embryo at one time, yeah, even that stuff is good. Sometimes, it’s really good. Smiling faces like me might be causing the staff’s psychic pain. I can be abnormally cheery if I know there’s coffee coming. And fishing, too. Always about the fishing.
So I might just be the source of the psychic pain. Or other pain. Leo, look, see, you’re working the tail end of the graveyard shift, and here’s a guy in mismatched clothes, looks precious close to a homeless guy, smiling and demanding food. Do your humble imitation and serve it with a double dose of the "I’m in psychic pain" look. But be quick about it, as that’s the easiest way to get us out of your face.
Virgo: I was wearing a hat from a motel/resort. Nice hat. Name, though, seems slightly evocative of either a hotel-resort or a plush-rehab facility. Not sure which, really. So when I was wearing the hat, it gathered a few comments. Apparently, the town I was in, the hat bore the same name as a drug abuse/alcoholism center. What’s a resort in one place is rehab elsewhere. I would guess that it’s part of the name of the place, and I suppose, with no other clues than the name, it could be easy to make the assumption that I was wearing a celebrity rehab hat rather than a marginally famous fishing resort.
I was thinking about the minor confusion about whether I should be fishing or in rehab. Maybe I could be in a rehabilitation clinic, but personally, I’d rather be fishing. I enjoy my vices, and I’m sure, they enjoy me, too. What this about is enjoying your vices, but not letting yourself get too carried away with the vices. Hence the need for rehab. Just between two influences, it’s getting a little weird. And that Saturn thing, that influence might make the rehab look like a good idea. In most cases, though, this is a problem that your Virgo self can tackle without the need of professional help. There are a few of you who do need help, and if you don’t get help at Astrofish.net, please do get help.
Libra: Between Austin and San Antonio, just, like right at the edge of the Interstate, there’s a place — Aquarena Springs — used to be a tourist place. Attraction, used to be a tourist trap, like the Roach Motel, tourists check in but they don’t check out? No, Aquarena Springs was a prototype Water Park. It offered Ralph the Diving Pig, pictures on the website someplace.
It’s — the water park — now a wetlands branch of the Texas State (something). It displays the fragile marshlands and the delicate balance in the Hill Country’s creek-based eco-systems. It’s the second largest spring in the state. Or something like that.
Don’t hold me to the facts, as I don’t think I’ve ever been to the park itself. Not in real life. I had a dream I went there. And in that dream, I imagined that I showed up with a fishing pole, and that I was warmly welcomed. Which proves it was a dream, since the place is a protected habitat area &c. Yet, in my dream I was welcomed. Proof that the mind can play tricks on the conscious thought process, especially when asleep. I’d be careful, as you make your Libra way through the week: differentiate between waking and sleeping perceptions. This is hampered by Mercury, enhanced by Mars. Deal with it appropriately, which, I might include, doesn’t include a fishing pole.
Scorpio: I’m a little old-fashioned about certain issues. I bought a CD the other week. Music I thought I would like, the whole CD. I only heard one song, but I was guessing that the whole CD would be okay. It wasn’t. That one song was easily worth a $0.99 or $1.25 download. Or maybe even free, if I could be bothered to find it for free.
Chasing links on quasi-legal networks is sometimes too time-consuming. I like the way iTunes suggest similar artists, although, not all the suggestions are that good. But this isn’t about paying for music or searching for free stuff online someplace. This is about Scorpio and the problems facing my fine little Scorpio friends. Looking back, I can see that I should’ve just paid for that one song on iTunes. Just easier. But I didn’t.
I opted for the more archaic manner of walking into a music store and purchasing the whole album. Whole CD. Liner notes and all. Although, that’s not really much canvas for good cover artwork. But that’s not the question for Scorpio either. It’s about double guessing and guessing wrong, and then making a financial mistake. In my example, it was simple, just the price of CD compared to the price of that single song. What I would suggest? If there’s a less expensive option right now? Go that way. Less is more, sometimes.
Sagittarius: "The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people." —G. K. Chesterton.
I didn’t bother to look that one up, I can’t give the quote a proper attribution. But as we make our way, our excellent Sagittarius way, through this time of problems, I’d like to consider that quote. Real or imagined, it’s a poignant guideline, amusing, but there’s a point to consider, too, just a shred of truth hidden under the chuckle?
I’m wondering if that isn’t the way to deal with the current planetary influence, all that material, stacked up in Gemini, opposing us?
Capricorn: I can’t ever seem to make up my mind as to which is better, DSL or cable modem. Sometimes I just suck it up and piggy-back on a neighbor’s wireless rig, if the network is left hanging open. We do what we can.
What happened, and it’s a perfect example of this Mercurial Mercury stuff, some worker cut the cable. Whatever pipeline runs the little inter-web tubes under the ground? Something cut one of those. Enough of an outcry, and the repair crew was right on it. So, once again, for several hours, I was bereft of communications in its usual form, the inter-web thing.
What I did: I wrote a letter. How archaic. I set down at the computer, turned the printer on, wrote out a nasty note, and then I addressed an envelope, stuck a stamp on it, and I walked over to the mailbox and mailed the missive. How weird is that.
Aquarius: I was with a neighbor, and the TV was going in the background. It caught my attention. It was Jerry somebody. Apparently, some kind of daytime TV talk show. I’m guessing it comes on the afternoons. Still. There was violence, accusations, unsubstantiated rumors, more chatter, violent outburst, and threats. Pretty exciting stuff for daytime talk shows. I’ve missed this? I guess so.
It was a flashback to a different time, a different place, a strange world. A time and place that I didn’t really understand. Not that it was a bad trip down memory lane, or nothing like that, it was just different. Just a flash of sorts. As I wandered off, on towards home, I was thinking about what glimpse I’d had of that show, on TV. Who needs material like that when they’ve lived in a trailer park? All seems kind of tame, in comparison. Not that it matters, either.
Consider the canned form of entertainment and then compare that to your real life experience. Oftentimes, you’re going to find that real life (in Aquarius) is far more exciting than any reality TV that might, or might not be, scripted. However, I think the real point is that real life, or our facsimile thereof, in Aquarius, is not scripted these days. Might be funny, there might be an outburst, but no one will be sticking to the script. I’m just warning you, that’s all. Expect all your characters not to play by any guidelines you think you’ve established.
Pisces: The last time I warned a Pisces about a physical health issue, it blew up in my face. Not the Pisces, that wasn’t what blew up; although, as I recall, that particular Pisces was upset with my prognostication. What was worse, that Pisces endured a certain amount of physical discomfort. Was it a result of my prediction? Did that particular Pisces make it come true because it was something read here? My warning was intended as a light-hearted warning, not as a dire prediction which would most certainly come through.
So this isn’t like, "you’re going to have major surgery" kind of a warning, it’s more along the lines of "you might stub your toe" type of missive. Let’s keep this lighthearted and, for that matter, let’s keep this metaphorical. I’m speaking in rhymes, too. I have to emphasize the allegorical nature of the message, it’s more along the lines of being careful and watching out for silly, clumsy mistakes. When an item is marked, "Handle with care?" Handle with care. When the coffee cup says, "Contents are HOT?" That means the first sip should be tentative, testing, probationary. Just taking it all a little slower at this point makes it much easier.
Aries: As long as Mercury (retrograde) is in Gemini, I’d like to look at twin influences for Aries. One would be Mr. Mars, in Leo and the other would Mr. Jupiter, in Capricorn. Mars infuses energy, and while its angle to the Aries sign is considered good, it’s a little difficult to tell for sure. Then, there’s the somewhat pejorative angle from Jupiter, nominally at odds.
The energizer planet is good and the lucky star isn’t so good. Which one wins? That’s the question I’d pose for you, Aries, which one are you going to let win? I’d opt to listen to erratic yet useful Jupiter energy and I’d use Mars for punctuation. Jupiter makes a weird point at a strange time, and I’d just let Mars add the correct diacritical marks. The punctuation. Maybe an exclamation point! Or a question mark? Something like that. Use what’s there for the best, don’t let these two get off on the wrong way.
Taurus: Mars is in a fixed sign. Neptune is in a fixed sign. Taurus is a fixed sign, but it’s not the sign that either Mars or Neptune is in. Which means that those two other planets are in the process of setting up a possibly disturbing and unsettling energy, in the coming weeks. What you do with this energy? That’s up to you.
I’d suggest, even now, you pay attention to what’s going on with the areas that are forming tension. To me, this isn’t really tension as much as it’s like a miniature weather system. Tiny clouds come out of the bathroom when I’m done with a shower. I’d expect to see, following that, a tiny thunderhead cloud pattern to form in the bedroom. Doesn’t really happen, but I could imagine that happening, as a result of the warm, moist bathroom air meeting the cold, winter-like bedroom air.
Rain, now that’s a blessing. Of sorts. So it’s not like this is all bad, but I’ve seen moisture in the air ruin more than one date’s hair style. To me, the thundercloud and possible storm in the bedroom and the way a summer shower can ruin a girl’s hair? None of this is bothersome — to me. But to a Taurus? This can be problematic. I’m not saying that it occurs this week, but be on the lookout, as it is going to set a tone. That’s what is important, that tone it sets. That’s the big issue fast approaching.
