- “No ceremony that to great one ‘longs,
Not the king’s crown, nor the deputed sword,
The marshal’s truncheon, nor the judge’s robe,
Become them with one half so good a grace
As mercy does.”
Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure [II.ii.79-83]
Taurus: Couldn’t pick a better time, happy birthday! I’ve got two fishing buddies that came to mind when I was looking at this week’s set of birthday charts. One of my buddies is an irascible old fart. Mean, contentious, just plain ornery at times, and yet, he can fish, knows locations, dates, times, tides, all the good stuff. Funny in his ways, at least, I find amusement in his behaviors, silly political views, and mannerisms. Other guy is much closer to my age. Shared beliefs, shared jokes, much easier to get along with, at least, on the surface. In the long haul, you know, in the Taurus big picture, is the cranky old man or the guy more like me, which one is better to fish with this week? Binary decision? It’s your birthday, I’d consider you need a trip with both. Different ends to serve the same goal: fishing.
Gemini: There’s an odd synchronism that works with the Gemini planets. Make nice. Embrace the good and let go of the parts that don’t work. Make nice. Venus traipses through Gemini, even now, and as such, she brings a dose of good will and heightened sense of beauty, harmony. This is tweaked by a Sun entering Taurus and that Sun joining forces with Jupiter. Make nice.
I repeated that phrase, “Make nice,” three times in the opening part of this horoscope. It’s a reminder. Not subtle, but subtly isn’t always a strength of mine. So I’m being direct “All up and in your grill, Gemini!” That’s not going to work. Not now. Be polite, reverential, repentant. Condescending. Try saying, “Please?” Instead of my version, “Oh get over it and just do it.” The planets will help you get what you want, if you play nicely with them. Make nice.
Cancer: Now, more than ever, this is the time to compose that one, stunning e-mail that will get what you want. Conventional ‘e-mail wisdom’ suggests the best time to send it is Tuesday, not crushed in the Monday overload, but before the middle of the week so that the item gets attention. Wednesdays is the middle of the week, and those mails are more frantic with time for consideration, Thursday is all about getting it done before Friday arrives, and Friday? State offices near my old place in Austin? State offices’ parking lots were ghost towns by Friday noon. When is the optimal time to send that one e-mail? Next Tuesday. However, to make sure you have the words correctly ordered, the right sizzle and the correct punch, or punch line? Start working on it, now. As far the best time to launch? Next week.
Leo: There’s a career concentration, at this moment. Well, not right now, but close enough. Will be a focal point. Career. Now, like the good (mighty) Leo that you are, concentrate. I’ve had this argument with a Leo before, “You’re not concentrating, I can tell.” The Leo would respond, “Yes, yes I am, wait, did you see that, over there? Whoa!” Concentration broken by a bright, shiny object. That’s the problem. Like me and some friends, wandering around the big fishing store, keep looking at more and more stuff, some of which, we really don’t need. Still want it. Bass Pro shop or Cabela’s or even a (brand name) sporting goods store. Wandering in and amongst the aisles, looking at lures and reels, and the new fishing line that’s frightfully expensive but scientifically proven to catch more fish! Stop. Is this career material? Separate fun stuff from career stuff and concentrate on the career. I’ll lose points at first, but when you get a break because of this choice? Then thank me.
Virgo: The start of Taurus, Jupiter’s positive motion, and Mars? All spell out that you’re going forward. I know one Virgo who will write to me, and complain that her life is still stuck. Other than that one Virgo? Other than one girl who can complain even in the torrential face of overwhelming good odds? “They are odd, you know.” Yes, I know. Plodding gives way to stepping, which then gives way to a canter. I can’t keep pace with that, but from there? As a Virgo, you’re headed towards a gallop. With a good horse, the best course of action is to hang on, and let the horse decide the course. Better eyesight, better sense of direction, knows where it’s headed, and that increasing pace? What this is all about. Do’t try to do much more than hold on, and let the horse run. Which she will. Mars, moving forward, and the start of Taurus? Give the horse some slack, let it choose what’s best.
Libra: Passed an old, rusted chain-link fence. Intwined in the links, there’s a delicate Morning Glory flower. Vine. Series of flowers in bloom. In the morning’s light, the tiny flowers were just opening with shades of purple for leaves and heart of majestic magenta, or even a ruby red. Very pretty, good contrast, empty lot, urban decay, flowers just opening. The Morning Glory flowers are common enough, these parts. I figured I’d catch a good image when the sun was higher. When I next crossed that corner, it was late afternoon. The flowers were closed up, just tightly-wound petals and not much else. Looked shriveled and desiccated, tired from the afternoon’s sunlight. Part of this is about seizing an opportunity presents itself, and part of this is about the fleeting nature of the good stuff. When it is good, grab it.
Scorpio: Sometime in the last couple of months, I wrote particularly evocative and useful Scorpio horoscope that targets this whole process. What it means, how it affects you and what’s coming up. I’m unsure of exactly which horoscope it was, but one of them worked. Worked rather well, I’d say. I correctly captured the flavor and essence of what this whole Martian period has been about, for you, as a Scorpio.
Tailspin, head spin, something. What’s coming up? Isn’t that why you read my stuff? It’s about what’s coming up. The recent series events in Scorpio, that should give you some clue. Now, as the Sun moves through Taurus, that means the Sun is opposite you. Time to pick up the pieces and put it all back together again. However, for the next couple of days, this is no easy task. Fortunately, as Scorpio, you are no stranger to difficult and arduous undertakings. Approach it like that. It’s dangerous, but you can do it.
Sagittarius: There is a certain amount of tenacity not always present in Sagittarius. We aren’t noted for our ability to stick to a job — to the bitter end. We can usually ascertain what the end result should be, and more often than not, I’m as guilty as the next Sagittarius, we’ll just jump to the conclusion. We’ll jump to the end. Will avoid some of that hard work in between here and there. “Here” being defined as the current Sagittarius position, and “There” being defined as the logical outcome and ultimate conclusion to this trek. Here’s the problem as Taurus starts, our ability to jump is hindered by the Mars coming un-retrograde in Virgo, compounded with the Sun moving into Taurus. Lots of dirt, earth element, in the sky, the heavens. As an addendum, more for me than for you, I would remind us that sometimes, the “getting there” is just as important as the end point. Think journey, not destination.
Capricorn: It’s a binary decision, you have three choices. Binary, like left, right, or straight ahead, got it? It can be one, or the other, or the other. “You got that ‘binary’ concept mixed up?” Not really. It’s about a decision process, and you’d like to hit this as a simple yes or no problem. Problem and solution. The way the planets spell this out, though, there are three influences at work. Of those three, that gives two directions that eventually, looks like three, then it’s two, then, finally, one direction. I was hoping the confusion over a binary option with three choices would give you an idea. Look beyond the immediate for problem-resolution. What’s happening, not this week, this week, you’re still stuck with my binary equation, but you’re getting ready for next week. You’re looking to choose the best way, for something that gets launched, like, next week.
Aquarius: There’s some adjustments that need to be made. Because I lack enough space where I’m at, because there are limits to what I can cover in this short horoscope, I can’t pinpoint the exact alteration that needs to be made. It’s about the Aquarius domestic arrangement. Either something at home, or moving home, or moving something out of home. I like that last one, best, instead of doing like so many others, instead of acquiring more materialistic crap, how about letting go of something? I call it pruning, and I wonder if some judicious pruning would really be the best course of action at this moment. Pick one item that can be shuffled out the door, maybe ‘repurposed’ elsewhere. One item. Okay, two. No, just one. Does a pair of something count as one or two?
Pisces: I was in Austin, teaching an astrology class, and we all took a break. Hit a coffee shop, old hood of mine, what was once sketchy East Austin. Walked in. Warm spring day. I look around. Most near everyone was in shorts. Most near everyone was considerably younger, too, but that’s not important. Most near everyone, on that exposed flesh? Ink. Tattoos. Artful, elegant, garish, colorful, one or two just steps shy of prison tats, all varied. But there was lots of ink on display. I glanced and lost track in the count, but I did observe, I was about the only person with shorts and no visible ink. Perhaps I do have some invisible ink, but that’s not the issue here. It’s about being out of place and remarkably enough, in place at the same time. I glanced at my companion, “I miss Austin,” I whispered, “sometimes.” The frightful abundance of skin art, the garish and the tasteful, the sublime and the horrifying, all reminded me of Pisces. Time for a tattoo? No, that’s not what this is about. It’s about being out-of-place, and yet, at the very same, in the same breath, being in place.
Aries: An ad popped under one of the sites I was on. Text affirmed that, “Memories are made in Vegas!” it was, obviously, an ad for Las Vegas. Sin City, or, the adult playground that is now family friendly. Times being what they are, I’m sure that the reach is for anything that can sell. Sure, call it a family destination. What do I know? In my mind, I could never see Vegas as a “family friendly” destination. Could be me. Could very well be my own, colored perceptions. Sometimes rose-colored, too. I’d tend for a more jaundiced, sepia-tone, though, for this week. This thought was prompted by “make memories in Vegas,” baby. I’m thinking, most trips to Vegas are like black-outs, not memories. Not making memories. The reverse of what is intended. Think about being serious. I know, there are still some Aries birthdays, but for the time being, think about being serious. There’s a hint, a push, an astrological event you can take advantage of, something up, Make some memories. Get read to hit it on Monday.
