Fishing Guide to the Stars starting 7.28.2011

“Study is like the heaven’s glorious sun,
That will not be deep-search’d with saucy looks.”
Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost [I.i.86-7]

Over 60% of Love’s Labour’s Lost is rhyming lines, making it the most rhymed play out of the Bard’s canon.

Leo: Kittens who are weaned too young, or sometimes, just abandoned by their parents, those kittens have a certain observed behavior pattern. What I’ve watched, I’m cat guy, I like house cats as companions, what I’ve seen with kittens, weaned too young, they develop this strange tick. Pet one for too long and she’ll turn on you so fast. Pet, pet, love, love, and suddenly, she turns and bites. Or claws. Or, my favorite, she turns and digs her claws in then chomps down. Biting the hand that feeds her. Huh. Think there’s a lesson here? In the event I’m not perfectly clear, I’ve seen this behavior. Many times. My old cat used to be like that, she’d turn around and nip at the petting hand, after a certain amount of time. I picked her up from the pound, pretty sure she was abandoned before that, and guessing from the behavior, let go too soon. I watched as one friend tried to correct an adult cat, tried to change that cat’s behavior. Cat won — some surprise — every time. If you can’t change it, why do you keep trying? Dear Leo, don’t argue with the cat, the cat’s behavior is hardwired. If you can’t change it? Why keep trying?

Virgo: “I hate Scorpio’s. They are so irresponsible!” Little friend, having a fit of pique. Kind of a tight fit of pique, too, as she’s Virgo. “What’s his birthday?” Normal question from me. “November. That’s Scorpio, right?” “When in November?” “Like, at the end of it.” Subsequent (Virgo) investigation revealed that the problem male was Sagittarius, not Scorpio. Hence the trouble. August Virgo and November Sagittarius, we make great friends, but in any other situation? Not so much. Which was the source of the Virgo girl’s ire. I’d stick up for my Sagittarius brothers-in-arms, but you know, after hearing the whole tale? Not so much.

He deserved the anger. Probably been good to smack him around a little, too, but I doubt that the Virgo will do that. The funny part, amusing, at least, to me, was that, this was, like last week, in the next week, they will reconcile. Live happily after? Not so much, but Virgo’s point of contention will be forgotten for the time being. Next week, it will be a Scorpio, or some fixed sign, that will be raining on the Virgo parade. And me, a Sagittarius, to make it all better again? Sure. That works, too. Might want to sit out this next fray, sort of avoid the problems.

Libra: The original “penny university” was a coffee house. Coffee Houses. At their first inception, as a place to meet and get caffeine beverages, the first version of coffee houses were all about frank and open discussion. Penny Universities because, for a penny, a cup of coffee and conversation. Nowadays, it’s more like three to five dollars for that coffee, and it’s more like free WiFi instead of conversation, although, on occasion, there are frank discussions. In a student area, the kind of places that I enjoy, more likely there are real students studying arcane topics like physics and math. Good stuff. Not exactly what I had in mind.

There’s some cheap education available. Cheap learning. Listen, don’t talk.

Accept help, don’t push. Penny universities are long gone, as the big companies have taken over, looking for that “coffee shop experience,” and I can’t think of any place where coffee is less than couple of bucks. However, go for the least expensive option. Listen to the conversations. Might help learn your Libra self something.

Scorpio: My Sister has this image of me, fishing. She imagines that I spend hours at a time, sitting perfectly still, on the dock, with a single line in the water, waiting and watching. Which I have done, from time to time, but I’ve also gone trolling, I’ve walked most of Austin’s Lake Lady Bird, with a pole in hand, from Pleasant Valley to MoPac. Fished almost the whole way, at one time or another. There are several versions of in-shore coastal fishing, boat, wade fishing, kayak, and so forth. There’s a lot of activity, for a hobby, as far a Sister is concerned, involves just sitting there, watching and waiting on the bobber to disappear. I’ve done that, too. I’ve had client phone calls interrupt my fishing, as well. Sister’s notion that I just sit there is basically a myth of her own making. Scorpio lack of action, like the myth that I’m just sitting at the edge of the dock, doing nothing, waiting, is a fallacy. As a Scorpio, it’s up to you to determine what’s the best course of action. Action. Not sitting there. Some kind of action, and just because other people, like my sister, seem to think you’re doing nothing? Not your problem.

Howdy [wlm_firstname],
I have a special treat. It’s an mp3 audio file, the first portion, about ten minutes, of “Mercury Retrograde Begone” meditational music.

Mercury Voice

More about Lawrence Ball and his music can be found at MeditationalMusic.net

Sagittarius: There’s a patch of bare cobblestone in downtown. Brick, I think, really, exposed brick that was once the street, then overlaid, then scraped clean again to expose the original paving. I watched in mock (Sagittarius) horror as a lady approached the street crossing. In heels. High heels. Shorts and stiletto heels. I was worried. She deftly crossed the pavement and its inherent pitfalls with nary a slip. She looked at me. “Honey,” she drawled, “I’m from the South. We can do anything in heels.” She marched on down the sidewalk. She was old enough to know better, but youthful enough to garner a second glance as she pranced away. I think there was an additional sway to her step, probably for the show. Worked for me. This isn’t about sex, sexuality, or what friggin’ part of the country you’re from. Y’all from. Whatever. It’s about a minor Sagittarius obstacle. Like cobblestone streets. In high heels. How you negotiate, what kind of face you put on the problems, that’s up to you. But I do suggest her attitude, and inflection, as much as possible. If it were me in the heels, I’d think it was like fire-walking, but again, that’s just me.

Capricorn: The problem with the increasing miniaturization of our world, the issue is the size. Smaller and smaller. Less and less heft to any particular object. The easiest example is phones. My favorite phone, well, I’ve had several. One had a little speaker that extended out like a boom mike, and flipping it open activated the phone. It was cool tech at the time, maybe, what 12 years ago? Smallest phone I had. After that one, I had candy-bar phone, between smart phones, and that candy bar phone was also a favorite. It did one thing: make phone calls. That was it. Not too fancy, and pretty simple to operate. Just dial a number. It did have a speed dial, but that’s not what this is about as I never thought I’d hold onto it very long, I never wasted time programming in numbers. I always figured that phone would suffer an inglorious death, in fit of pique, being hurled through the air at a brick wall or similar, hard obstacle. Maybe tossed into the lake. Or fall over board. That turned into an iPhone, and I’m sort of careful with those. The problem being, as things get smaller and smaller, they are less satisfying to hurl. As a Capricorn, you’re going to get mad enough to want to throw something, like a phone, against something, like a brick wall, which results in shattered tech. Hint: not a good idea. Find a constructive way to express that emotion.

Aquarius: I was chatting with a client about her daughter. Client’s daughter, pre-teen. Tween. Whatever that age is, and I can’t keep track, kid was 10 or 12 or so, at the time. It was about the music the kid listened to. “She doesn’t like (name of some haircut boy-band). She’s more into,” then the mom named some hard rock groups. Music, I’d guess, that the mom listened. Or had listened, perhaps when the baby was being formed. Even before. It’s Austin, an alternative town, as “alt” as they get. So the kid, living and going to school in Austin, will be as alt as possible. Which will, naturally, invade and pervade her musical tastes. Alternative. Or alternative to alternative, or maybe that Austin sound, the indie rock-country-folk noise. It was absolutely no shock at all that the kid was into different music. I’d expect it. The mom, a forward thinking Aquarian type, she supported most musical explorations until it got to the point about the explicit, “Kill your mother” lyrics. Even, then, it’s — never mind — it’s Austin. You had to be there to understand. While some parents will enforce, or attempt to censor a child’s listening, this mom, think Aquarius, embraces most, if not all, of the child’s choices. Instead of arguing with the kid about what to listen, or forcing it upon the child, it’s all open for discussion, but not limited. Well-balanced kid, growing up in a nurturing environment that fosters intellectual curiosity. Conform? Or conform to what you’re not expected to conform to?

Pisces: I’ve got a flashlight, keep it by the bed. Doubt I’ll ever need as ambient light, glow-in-the-dark paint, moonlight and so forth is usually good enough. I know where the bathroom is and in this place? All that matters in the dark. However, I still have a flashlight, bedside. I picked it up the other afternoon, to see if it still worked. I flipped the switch. Nothing. Then a dim light, then a brilliant beam. I had to shake and massage the flashlight, just a little, sort of a gentle thump, but it worked, and looks like it will work well. I’m not expecting an emergency. Nothing of the sort. As Mars and Neptune make a tight angle, there’s a moment, when you, as Pisces, you will be just like that dormant, probably never used flashlight. Suddenly, you’re on. Might take a moment, but the light shines clearly. You see clearly, or, the way I prefer to think about Pisces, you perceive clearly. Bright, shining moment, end of this week. Use it.

Aries: I’m a pedestrian. Way I roll. Walking gives me the proper pace to figure stuff out. On some occasions, I’ll have an earpiece, and I’ll be talking on the phone. Other times, I’ll listen to music. When I’m dealing with a serious “issue,” whether it’s programming, writing, astrological or epistemological, my solution is to pop out the earbuds, turn the phone’s ringer off, and I’ll sweat it out in the sun for a few miles. Come up with solutions and answers, that spark of genius that we all desperately need now. The Aries chart shows a great spark of genius. The trick, the way to get this to work is to tease out that spark. I can’t do that. You can. Leo is a good time to ignite that Leo fire. Starts with a spark. How do you get that spark? Unplug long enough, shut everything off long enough, shut up long enough for the right spark, the right answer, to bubble up for you.

Taurus: astrofish.net – World Tour 1994. I meant to do a T-shirt like that. I was wondering what places I would include, all the little towns in West Texas, the other points, and there was some foreign travel that year, hence the title, “World Tour.” However, it’s not something that I do as frequently. Still, it is a good idea. T-shirt that says, “Taurus World Tour,” then list your various “whistle stops” along the way. There is more travel, a direct influence from Jupiter. There’s a chance, an opportunity, and we need to get you out and engaged in this opportunity. Out and about. Engaged. Operative words. Out. About. Engaged. You’re going to get a kick. Kick in the pants, kick in the arse, some kind of a shove, either gentle — or not. That kick should get you launched in a new direction. As the Sun “squares” Jupiter, there’s a prodding of some kind. Follow that prodding. Follow that shove, kick, instructional push in one direction. World Tour: 2011. Taurus World Tour, 2011.

Gemini: Odd reflection from a Gemini, but it was a situation, and how I would expect a Gemini to react? That Gemini brain, fast and agile, leaping tall buildings in the blink of an eye? What I would expect. What I saw, though, there was this one Gemini, a favorite Gemini, and she got hung up on a single idea. A simple, single idea that was wrong. Period. However, there is always a little stubborn streak in most of the Gemini’s I’ve encountered. Some more than others. Which is odd, if you know Gemini’s, and yes, gladly I do know them. Which makes it more odd that this week, before the next scope occurs, you’re going to get stupidly stubborn about one issue. One issue. “No, I am not.” Sure you are, I just read the influences, you react. “I’m not being stubborn. Nope, not me. Not at all.” Okay. “Not at all. No way.” Okay. “No, I’m not being stupidly stubborn about that issue. They are wrong, you are wrong, and it does matter, and I’m not being stubborn. At all.” Okay. Okay? See how silly this can get? What’s worse, in another week, this influence passes, and you discover I was correct — you were stupidly stubborn. Can’t say I didn’t try and warn you.

Cancer: Next Wednesday, on the eve of the new horoscopes, Mars enters Cancer. Mars is a rabid little hunter of a planet. In mythology, the symbol for the planet Mars, it’s a little circle with an arrow pointing up, that’s the spear and the shield of the Roman God of War. Mars. Little red planet, a morning star right now, visible only if you’re up at the ungodly hour of four or five in the morning. Which, as Mars enters your sign, it’s a distinct possibility that you’ll be awake. Could be a churning stomach or, more to the point, a churning issue that’s got your sweet, delicate Cancer self all kinds of upset. I think the correct term is “pissed off,” but that might not be it. Mr. Mars will heat things up for you in Cancer. Can’t beat that. It’s like the dog days of summer have arrived and it’s just not the best of times, as Mars is going to exacerbate that issue. Which issue? Don’t know, but before Mars arrives in Cancer, you’re going to find out what the issue is. Earlier, like this week, before Mars ever enters Cancer, Venus leaves. I’d like to think that this is one of the “before and after” scenes. The pretty stuff has been stripped away, what you see now is the ugly mechanical side that needs work. Hint: let’s get started before Mr. Mars arrives.