Fishing Guide to the Stars 4.28.2011-5.4.2011

“A little harm done to a good end.”

Shakespeare’s “Rape of Lucrece” [528]

Uranus, Aries; Venus, Aries; Mercury (not Retrograde), Aries; Jupiter, Aries; Mars, Aries; Sun, Taurus; and last, Saturn, Libra. New Moon on Monday, musical allusion.

Taurus: Happy Birthday. Excellent year on your horizon, I can see that from here. When I was last in London, I saw an ad for the Royal Opera, and the ad itself featured a very familiar image: Ship Rock. Shiprock, NM. It’s in the north-western corner of New Mexico. Used to be several different things, but most commonly, it’s a volcanic plug or core that looks like, from the right angle, looks like an old man-o-war, schooner, with tall sails and all. Was destination point in the early days of the West and a landmark. Then, too, it’s also native holy ground, and I think access is now limited and restricted. Still, as enigmatic an image as anything. What that had to do with the Royal Opera? I’m at loss. Probably a stock image, as part of the American Wild West as perceived by people not from around here. The black basalt, red sandstone spires rising out of the ochre, faded yellow sands of the desert’s floor. I don’t recall anything else, other than the advertising, while quite striking, the connection was ill-formed, and me, as a soul of the Southwest, just wrong. However, I doubt old desert rats were the Royal Opera’s target demographic.

Gemini: What’s for lunch? There are number of Gemini issues that, I’m sure, you feel like these issues deserve some attention. So what’s for lunch? Yes, we should adequately, and in great haste, address those Gemini issues. Paramount. Burning issues that require effective action now. So what’s for lunch, anyway? Your problems aren’t going to get fixed nearly as fast as you’d like them fixed. I can promise that. You might hate the answer, but there you have it.

There’s a delay. No, Mercury is no longer Retrograde, that’s not what this about. It’s about all the planets in Aries plus the Sun/Moon thing in Taurus. Then the Moon’s in Gemini. Which gets back to the original question, what’s for lunch today? All I’m trying to do is buy you a little time and let matters gets deflected around you. Easiest way to do that? Let’s go out for lunch.

Cancer: Austin’s Barton Springs and Barton Creek flow at a constant 68 degrees (Fahrenheit). I have friends who swim there, year round. Personally I think that’s nuts. Period. Just crazy, when the temperature is lower than the Spring’s temperature. That’s just insane behavior. Likewise, like now, in the spring? It’s still not really warm enough for me to swim. Water’s too cold. Period. For me, I’d give it another month, although, I’ll be honest, I’ve been in as early as March and as late as November. This isn’t about me, as I’m a fire sign. Cancer is a water sign Are you ready for the bracing cold of the springs? Is it warm enough that you can stand swimming in the ice-like waters? There’s a spiritual element to the waters of Barton Springs. I just like it because it’s way to beat the summer heat. Which isn’t here yet. So it’s still too cold — for me, anyway. I might be a little off with the temperatures, but for me, it’s not yet swimming season. There’s a lot going on, in Cancer, around Cancer and for Cancer, this next few days. Are you ready to plunge into the icy-cold creek water? I can’t answer that question for you, but I can warn you, that water is very cold and will come as a shock to the Cancer system. Only if you want it.

Leo: Five planets in Aries, Sun in Taurus. For the last dozen years, maybe more, I’ve predicted, every spring, like, the last week of April, or thereabout, I’ve predicted it’s going to be a hot summer. In the last decade, just to round this off and make it easier for mathematical purposes, in the last decade, I’ve predicted 10 hot summers. Same predictions, every spring. I base the predictions, ostensibly on new growth weather patterns, planets, the phases of the moon, or, more often than not, just straight numbers. Let’s look at my accuracy. So far, out of ten predicted “hot” summers, there have been two misses. One, really, with one falling on the line between “oven,” and just mild. I’d give it up, and for the sake of numbers, let’s say I missed that prediction twice. In a decade. 4 our of 5, 8 out of 10? Not bad numbers. I’m predicting, again, a hot summer. Odds on me being right? Straight numbers don’t lie. 80% success rate, and that’s a sampling from a decade. Now, as The Leo, you can make similar assessment and far-ranging prediction. Chances are 80% in your favor. There’s still a long shot gamble that this isn’t the usual oven-like summer, but what are the odds? For Leo? For The Leo? Odds are in your favor, but that’s not a guarantee.

Virgo: I was needling and poking, hopefully in an unobtrusive way, to get some action out of Virgo. Not action out of a specific Virgo, not making that mistake again. Love me my Virgo girls, but no, not going to date another one. The reason for the prodding the Virgo section, it’s got to do with coherent action that yields the results that you, the Virgo, want. I want you to get the results you desire. Here’s how this works, you’ve hatched a plan, an idea, something. You’re moving in a good direction. You have plans, hopes, dreams, maybe even an action list to help get this accomplished. Here’s the deal: make it seem like our idea. Simple trick, very effective gets the results you want. Make it seem like our idea. I’m not sure whose idea it’s supposed to be, but this one you can’t take the credit for. I know. You know. Make it seem like the other party thought this up on their very own. With no help from anyone. Whisper suggestions. Those suggestions are really commands, but make it sound like a suggestion. Whisper the suggestions, coax, tickle, implore, beg, wheedle, whatever. Make it happen. Make it seem like it’s not your idea. Results. This is about results. Not taking credit for your work? If you reap the benefits, who cares whose name is on it?

Libra: I kept poking and prodding the Libra chart, and then I got distracted. It happens. I’m easily distracted these days. Did you know that the most volcanically active spot in the solar system is a moon of Jupiter? The Moon is Io. Most volcano activity in the solar system, at least, that we can know as of now. There’s a video, online someplace of an island being born, out in the Pacific — somewhere. Watch the hot lava hit the water. Steam and the fluid rock becomes, well, rock-hard. Like I said, easily distracted. The original idea was the volcano, since that’s what I started with before I detoured into cosmology and geology. Interesting, to a point. The problem in Libra is two-fold: easily distracted, like looking for a video clip of lava and an island being formed, while Jupiter (and Mars) are heating you up like a volcano. Or getting Libra ready to go volcanic. Mars super-heats the Libra psyche. Whether you ooze a little like that lava in the video? Or if you blow up? I think, unlike the real volcanoes, you have a choice.

Scorpio: The Western Saddle and Western Tack developed from a cowboy’s need to steer the horse, navigate with one hand while hurling a rope with the other hand. Drive with one hand while lassoing with the other hand. Started with the bit, and from there the saddle evolved. The original, one-handed arrangement. It originated with the Spanish overlords in Mexico, and gradually evolved as the horse culture permeated the landscape. All from a need to do two things at one time. Drive the horse and catch cows. Riding and herding. Simultaneous. As a Scorpio, you’re faced with trying to do two things at one time. Riding and roping, be as good a guess as any. With the right equipment, this is a task that can be accomplished by a good Scorpio. You are a good Scorpio, aren’t you? The whole notion that the Western saddle and tack is derived from the cowboys’ needs is part of this image, as well. Form should follow function. You’ve got two hands, now, with the right bit in the horse’s mouth, you can drive and herd at the same time. Might take a little bit of extra work to figure out how to do this, but two at one time? That’s your goal.

Sagittarius: In the Westminster Abbey gift shop, I asked the counter clerk what was the strangest question she heard from tourists. “Why don’t you sell Effeile Towers?” I’m not often dumbfounded. In downtown San Antonio, I asked a cop the weirdest question. “Why did they put the Alamo in the middle of downtown?” I was dumbfounded. Whomever suggested that there are no dumb questions? Never asked what the tourists ask, as that can explore depth of stupidity heretofore unknown. Plumb the depths? As a Sagittarius, we’re used to sticking feet in mouth and we’re not bothered by this. I’m just thinking, looking at a few items, mostly the planets in Aries and then the Taurus Sun, I’m just thinking that we can come up with some, new, dumber than before questions. Here’s the trick, the hint, how to cope with the next couple of days. No. Don’t. No way. If we’re silent the world will wonder if we’re stupid. Open our mouthes? We’ll prove we got some dumb questions. I’m just saying, keep them guessing, no proof is required.

Capricorn: One year, when I was in London, I passed the station master of an Underground (Tube) station. He was looking at a familiar auction site, online. I’m sure this is a frequent occurrence in the work place, world-wide. Civil servant, federal employee, city, state, county, even in the private sector, a frequent diversion. Might not be an auction site, could be any number of online distractions, up to, and including, my horoscopes, or any other sites I run. Diversions that are, not exactly, work-related. Common problem. Here’s the problem, Capricorn: there’s a guy, works in the IT department, typically, in the basement of your building, and he monitors all inter-web traffic. All the stuff that goes through the Inter-web tubes? He looks at it. He sees what you’re seeing. All of it. Surveillance. I thought about the image of that station master, looking at a world-wide recognized auction site, probably trying to buy maybe sell, but I’d guess buy a trinket. On company time. In full view of the public. Not a good idea. Can you be sure your traffic isn’t monitored? Better yet, do the stuff that’s not related to work? Do that from home. Not on company machines. Someone might be watching.

Aquarius: I was in, never mind where I was. What I saw. Two women were talking, conversing. One looked at the other, “You were married, what, in the nineties?” Affirmative answer, nod, other conversation, then, “How did you know?” Other data, then, “Gold wedding ring, the nineties were like that.” I wasn’t traveling for business, and my wedding ring stories have been done too many times now. What I learned was some conventional wisdom about jewelry and how to date an event. Might be useless data, or sometime, I can look at a client, and make the same prognostication, “You were married, what, in the nineties?” As an Aquarius, this is the week, next few days, this is the time to listen, observe and learn. Much as I wanted to jump into a conversation about when certain women of a certain age, looking good here, were married, and what worked, what doesn’t work and so on, I didn’t. Follow my example, listen, observe, learn. The more you keep your mouth shut, I’m not asking for a long time, I’m just saying for right now, the more time spent observe and the less time spent talking? Better off. Like learning about the color of gold used in wedding rings from a certain era.

Pisces: One of my clients is a poet. Poetess. Writer of slim volumes of achingly beautiful poetry that, so far, hasn’t been a commercial success. Sad laments, love lost, troubled souls, the injustice of it all, the image of life reflected in a single dewdrop on a spring flower’s petal, all the stock and trade of poetry. The loss of humankind’s way, man’s inhumanity to man, usual stuff. Really lovely material. Little, thin, slim volumes that should be perfumed. I can almost smell an essence when I open one of these careful-bound volumes. Just gorgeous stuff. Lead-free, chemical-free ink on acid-free, hand-made paper. Individually stitched books. Works of art, much more than a book. While there’s really just not a lot of money to be made as a poet of this caliber, there is that sense that there’s something permanent being made. The Sun is in Taurus. While it might not revolutionize the world, while it might not set a the world on fire with new ideas, I still think there’s a chance, this next few days, to lay the groundwork for a similar, permanent, work of art. Like those slim volumes of achingly beautiful poetry.

Aries: It’s been a long time since I’ve run into pure prejudice based on age alone. Like, “You have to be this tall to ride this ride”? Easiest example I could think of. The situation was where one client was possibly too old for a position. Not because there was strength or stamina required, like lifeguard at the pool, not like that at all. It was a business decision, and the official word was based on some kind educational background requirement that wasn’t fulfilled. What it really was, though, clear as I could see, it was age-ist. Too old. Might not outlive the job. Might not make it the end of the contract. Both of which are absolutely not true, but that’s not the point. Age discrimination. I’m guessing, “Not discriminated against based on race, color, creed, or gender” needs to include age. This isn’t one for the legal department, I’m just using it as an example from case files I’ve seen. You’re getting discriminated against. The real reason, I’m not sure it’s age, but the real reason, you’re right, it’s not what the official word says. The little document that says, “Rejected?” That’s not it. When I uncovered this, after I pointed it out, and why I thought about this example? I can save you time. No sense fighting some issue that doesn’t even have all the facts attached. Can’t fight it. Lick your wounds, move on. There is, I promise, something better. I promise. Little window shuts, big, big door opens.