Fishing Guide to the Stars starting 11.17.2011

“Get you some of this distilled Carduus Benedictus, and lay it to
your heart: it is the only thing for a qualm.”
Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing [III.iv.73-5]

Fishing Guide to the Stars starting 11.17.2011

Scorpio: “Carduus Benedictus” is a thistle. It’s supposedly a homeopathic, naturopathic, anti-venom remedy. Supposedly. It’s a thistle, and with its prickly little leaves, I’m sure that the paste or broth brewed from a handful of this stuff was supposed to take the sting out of the bite. I have immense respect for the field of natural, herbal solutions to problems. However, in this example, the milk of this thistle does very little to ameliorate the pain of the venom. It was just made-up, totally fictional assumption by early practitioners. Like attracts like, and similar stings alleviate similar pain. Doesn’t really work. The idea, though, it was sound. As a Scorpio, you’ve got a sound idea. As a Scorpio, you have to try this idea. Test it. Once. If it doesn’t work? Is there really a need to test it a second time?

Sagittarius: “Come Monday, it will be all right, come Monday, I’ll be holding you tight…” Wait, as a Sagittarius, we don’t like to be held tight. Best way to hold one of us? Loosely. Nothing too restrictive. Keep those Scorpio hooks out of us. Don’t grab and entangle. However, that’s not why I selected that Capricorn’s song.

The refrain, or lyrics, or the stupid ear worm stuck in my head at this moment, “Come Monday, it will be all right….” Simply put. The last few minutes, last few degrees, really, of Scorpio are fraught with anguish and un-located angst. Sagittarius angst. Fears, trepidations, a gnawing reminder that something, somewhere isn’t right, and a Scorpio is going to try and pin it on us. Just baseless, blameless fears. Between here and Monday, it isn’t a stretch, it’s a time to pause, reflect, and look at the material as it pops up. What is that fear? Is it rational?

Capricorn: Ghost stories are an industry unto itself. Two place where I’m a frequent tourist, El Paso and San Antonio, both cities claim to be “the most haunted city in America.” I can’t decide which is true. Personally, I’ve also liked a version of the “La Llorona” story, but I first heard that, white-washed, in East Texas. Lady of the Lake, and I’d have to wonder if that can trace it’s sociological roots back as far as King Arthur. I won’t weigh on which city is more haunted, El Paso or San Antonio. Each has its strengths and merits. I was briefly fascinated with the ghost story industry. More local myth and folklore, and some frankly outright lies. I’ve taken some of the ghost tours. I’m not saying all guides are crooks, but there’s more than one who relies on fabulation and fabrication more than fact. As a Capricorn, I’m sure you love a good ghost story or similar yarn. Something made up. Clearly fabricated from a bolt of non-reality cloth. Do not mix up, do not confuse, don’t get complicated with a story that is a story and a tale that is posited as truth even though there’s scant evidence to support the tale. Ghost stories are excellent. I can tell tales in either location. Are they true? Really?

Aquarius: I wrote abut a piece of antique Apple hardware, I saw one on eBay, and I thought about it. I had one, sold it, had another, and the cycle goes ever onward. I was meditating and that item, that antique piece of hardware, it came back up, as an idea. Out-of-date computer hardware. Quaint, antiquated, historically correct. I have no current hardware that would run on it. I thought about it. I have no way to move data either onto or off of, that historical oddity. As a piece of thoroughly retro computer equipment, it is cool. Price is now real right, too. However, no way to get data on or off. I have no dial-up account, and it operated solely on a modem. Can zip it, bump it, no way to even e-mail it. Nothing. This is a moment’s reverie brought to you by Aquarius. The planets are making you dream. However, like my dream about resurrecting a piece of hardware? No useful way to move data to — or from — that old item. What’s the point? That is the point.

Pisces: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? “Man, things were SO smooth, up until now. What happened? Did you do this?” No, I didn’t. What happened is the Sun moved into Sagittarius and that added — will add – a spark to a tender situation. There are really several elements to consider, but the main trigger will be that Sun shooting in Sagittarius, couldn’t happen soon enough if you ask me, but as soon as that happens, then there’s a sudden and pervasive shattering effect on the Pisces calm. The real part that gets broken is the Pisces psyche. Gentle Pisces. Sweet Pisces. Poor Pisces. Now, if you read this before the weekend arrives, all I’m saying, embrace the calm, and get ready for a major or minor explosion. I’m betting it’s a career line item. Could be anywhere, though. You are now properly warned. I won’t promise that it happens, but I’m trying my best to prepare you. That’s the one side. The other side, your Pisces self also experiences a sudden rise in popularity. Both. Which is why, before the next scope rolls over, you’ll like me, curse me, and then look at me and ask that question. The one we started with.

Aries: There was a theory posited by one of my buddies, really, he’s a fishing buddy. Not named “bubba,” but thanks for asking. In his mind, and he clearly laid this all out, he suggested that the “personal assistant” was fading and soon to be an archaic concept. The digital assistance, or rather, personal assistant was being replaced by the digital variant. I still have a loose-leaf notebook that holds a calendar. I use it to file stray pieces of paper. Odd notes. Nothing of importance, other than to me. I haven’t used it for scheduling in years. Maybe three or four? Likewise, no secretary and no hot receptionist at the office. One less person for Bubba to hit on, with a remarkable lack of success. There’s still a personal touch, a human element that can’t be replaced by silicone-driven electronics. There’s still a need for a human brain, at times. Other times, a lot of the routine, rote work stuff can be automated. No need for people to do what the machines are made to handle. I got off on this angle because, after looking at the chart, I was looking for the simplest, easiest way to express this energy. Spend a little extra time looking for a software answer to a task that used to be labor-intensive. It can be done. Might take some digging. Worth it if you can automate, streamline, or lessen your personal workload.

Taurus: I was casting a light lure, into the wind, not really wind as it subsided, but there was still a breeze. More like a breeze fluffing the tops of the trees, but not really disturbing the surface of the lake. Pond. Lake, really, to me. The little lure didn’t have enough weight to carry it far, and if I tossed it high in the air, it would get caught in that breeze. Although I was trying to get past the drop of, just off that shoreline, I didn’t make it. Little lure was too light. Breeze would make it waffle, and that lure, in mid-flight, would look like it had a moment of indecision. Just caught in the breeze. The problem was trying to cast a too-light lure on a breezy fall day. Just as Sagittarius starts, just as we wrap up Scorpio, just as the planets keep moving on their predetermined course, you’re going to get caught in the winds of fate. Like that little lure, indecision is bad for you. I tried slinging it sidearm, worked well. No indecision. A little Crappie took a bite.

Gemini: “Render unto Caesar that which is his!” It’s a command. From memory. Might have it all wrong. I get the stentorian voice going, with that command. Bluster, except that the person bellowing the command doesn’t think that the command is hollow. As a Gemini, you find such direct, verbal order to be a little suspect. You think you hear some timidity around the edges of the tone of the commander. You don’t. That’s your own fear, creeping in. What if they are right? What if you are supposed to bow to someone else’s will at this time? What if you owe due diligence on a particular project? What if I stopped asking questions and gave directions? Would that make your Gemini mind happy? Probably not. Mars — in Virgo — with Venus, Mercury, and eventually, the Sun — all in Sagittarius — sets up Gemini tension. Quick: the easy way to work this tension? Bow down. Be subservient. Cower, grovel, genuflect. You’re Gemini, act nice, and most important, pretend, in that Gemini mind, that it was “their” idea. Whomever, whoever, whatever thinks they are in charge of the Gemini life.

Cancer: After the first of November, where I live, the weather finally turns a little cooler. Not always, but as a rule, we’ll get at least one cold snap that sufficiently drops the outdoor thermal reading. Gets cold for a little while. Then, like recently, it will warm up again. I have two, very distinct and very different memories of this time. One was a warm stretch, the weekend before Thanksgiving, I was swimming in Austin’s Barton Creek. As a fair weather swimmer, I wouldn’t do that unless I worked up a sweat walking over there. Had to be hot. The other memory, almost buried, from living in North Austin, I recall, same weekend, different year, up to my hips in snow. Had almost three-quarters of an inch of snow. Froze the town shut for days. Bookend extremes for weather. The planets are booking a similar extreme for you. Good, or bad, depends. Me? Either way is good, as far as I’m concerned. Texans are notorious bad drivers, so if it is the frozen kind of situation, I just don’t venture forth, if I can avoid it at all. I doubt weather hems you in, but there’s a situation that can go either way, and my suggestion, I’m still thinking that sitting there and working a little longer is the best way to avoid long-term problems.

Leo: Grammar cops, where would be without them? We all have pet peeves. The longer I work, the longer I struggle to string together words in a coherent fashion, the more I learn about the rules of the words. Grammar, to some. I have a shelf full of reference manuals. Books with rules, examples, citations, guidelines. I’m not a Leo, so keep that in mind, but I do know how to use the textbooks. I can easily access information about why a certain verb is, or isn’t, the correct usage. I was going to call it “rules of the road,” but there’s no road. Not even a pathway. It’s just the rules that the words are supposed to follow. I have almost as many handy guides to grammar, spelling and style as I have astrological references. Wouldn’t know that from prolonged exposure to my writing, but this isn’t about me. This is about the mightiest of the signs, The Leo. There is a question, or two, or even three, could be style, spelling, but most likely? Grammar. Look the rule up. When the first textbook doesn’t make a whole lot of sense? Check a second or even third reference. I know, the Leo doesn’t like to be bothered. But it’s worth it. You’ll find out what you need. This weekend, dig a little deeper, and then you can announce how you were right (again), on Monday.

Virgo: Mars is associated with Aries. I’m going to use an Aries buddy as an example of what Mars does, while Mars is in Virgo. It was an early morning, and he helped himself to some of my fine, micro-brew coffee. French Press. Italian Roast beans. Dark, strong, bitter. I tend to use espresso-sized cups, for that very reason, as my coffee will resemble Turkish Coffee. My buddy helped himself to a regular coffee mug of my stuff. He had a second. About the time he got to his third cup, he was talking. Mile-a-minute. Knew everything about everything. Got cranked up and couldn’t stop. It was about halfway through that third cup, “What’s in the stuff?” Just coffee. Carefully selected, hand-pressed, but just coffee. By the time he was through, he was asking for more, but not getting the clue. Good coffee, like mine, like I prepared it that morning, it can sneak up. Mars, he can sneak up, too. One minute you’re fine. The next, it’s like you’ve had too much coffee, man. First suggestion? Stay away from my coffee. Next suggestion? Maybe slow down on the caffeine intake, moderate it a little. Play that off against the energy Mars infuses. Otherwise, you’re like my little Aries buddy, vibrating.

Libra: I have one image of Mission Concepcion, down San Antonio way, and I like that one shot. It wasn’t particularly high-tech, or, for that matter, at the moment the image was snapped, it wasn’t particularly inspiring, sort of a South San Antonio Drive-By. On the mission trail. A little historical digging shows that the mission itself was started in 1691, in East Texas, the protect the Spanish lands from French influence. The supply line was too long, and the mission was relocated to its current location in 1731. Old stuff. Historical. Predates this country. As a Libra, embrace where you’ve been. As a Libra, look at the historical record, back 7 years, maybe even further back. There’s a clue as to how this is going, but you’ve got start someplace. I doubt the Libra history is as tumultuous as that Mission and its environs, forts, revolution, and so on. But there is a quick glance at your own, Libra historical record required.