Fishing Guide to the Stars starting 11.29.2012

“I am a true labourer: I earn that I eat, get that I
Wear, owe no man hate, envy no man’s happiness,
Glad of other men’s good, content with my harm;”

Shakespeare’s As You Like It [III.ii.34]

Sagittarius: Black, oily coffee beans. Seriously? Yes, simple answer to the pressing Sagittarius question. Questions, really, as a Sagittarius, we’ve got lots of impending questions and pervasive doom and gloom. The cure? Black, oily, twice-roasted, thrice-roasted coffee beans. Ground fresh. I prefer an Italian Roast, and I’ve looked for, but have yet to find, a “Spanish Roast,” which if my sources are true, is beans that have been roasted four times, Italian being three and French being twice. Don’t know know if such coffee bean really exists, except in lore and myth. And the inter-webs. Usually, someone claims it on the net-tubes. The dark, oily, rich coffee is symbolic of taking a little time, just a few extra moments in preparation of the traditional breakfast treat, just a few extra steps to insure that things are good. Better. A simple, a single cup of correctly prepared coffee, fresh-roast beans, a dark roast, and the time spent grinding the beans then boiling the water, the whole activity? That time gives us, as Sagittarius, with our hands busy, that gives us enough time to think through a Mercury Misstep we would like to correct in this few days. Besides that, the coffee beans just smell good.

Capricorn: As Mercury starts to unwind from its retrograde disposition, you’ll find that the (American) public is just as gullible as ever. Watch, as untruths and flat-out lies are gobbled up by people around you. You know that Mercury is backwards, not a big deal. You know what that means? You do, if you’ve been arounds me long enough.

Precious few others than a Capricorn can take being around me this long. The non-reality, the tall-tales, the improbable situations that are getting spun up and thrust in your face? I’d suggest we all take a step back. Take a step away from the issue, whatever it is. Step back, just one pace backwards, goes with Mr. Mercury and his classic mayhem, take one step back from the insanity. Take that step back and cast a cold, Capricorn eye on the situation. The issue. Whatever the perceived problem is. Cast a cold and hard-appraising eye on that perceived problem. Bet it’s less of a problem, now.

Aquarius: I tried something different. As an Aquarius, “different” is normal. So my suggestion might come across as a tad strange. What I was doing, doesn’t matter what I was doing, what I did that was different? Turned the radio off. Turned the stereo off. Quit streaming music over the internet. Unplugged the mp3 player. Stepped away from the little speakers attached to my computer at home. Took the earbuds out.

Turn the music off.

I have one Aquarius buddy, and she’ll recoil in horror at the very thought of popping into the vehicle and tooling down the street, freeway, without some source of background noise. That’s exactly what I’m suggesting. This isn’t for long, and this isn’t a permanent cure, or course of action, for Aquarius. It’s temporary. Turn it all off. There’s a second voice in your head, you should listen to that. Have to turn everything off to hear that second voice.

Pisces: I broke it. I was messing around with the backend of the server, the main motor that powers astrofish.net, and I broke it. I’m man enough, or person enough, secure in my ability as a web tweak, to know that I can openly admit I broke it. Me. I did it. I was pushing something that shouldn’t be pushed, and once again, I discovered what the “Upper limits” to the technology were. Are. With Jupiter backwards in Gemini, and Mercury turning around, Full Moon and so on? Bet you break it. This is also a situation, like the server when it went down? I have a button on my phone, I just hit “restart container,” and we’re back. I’ll admit I broke it, though. Can you be as honest? There’s a quick fix, if you are.

Aries: I have a private mailing list, protected and secure. It’s a real mailing list, not an electronic list of names and e-mail addresses. I don’t mail stuff out very often as the electronic versions is much easier, quicker, and from my understanding, horribly efficient. However, I will, depends on the day, month and year, drop a batch of postcards in the mail. I just print the labels up at home, and then, when I’m not too busy, I’ll stick labels and postcard postage on the outbound mail.

Have to mail at an astrologically opportune time. So sticking three, maybe four hundred stamps and labels on postcards isn’t an onerous task. It’s one that I can do when my mind is otherwise occupied. Like, looking at silly videos on You Tube. That kind of stupid activity. Neither one is important or mind-consuming, but both are time-consuming. Until we’re out of Mercury’s shadow? Might want to think about doing the boring stuff like sticking labels on mass mail.

Taurus: I see this in downtown San Antonio, as much time as I’ve spent going in and out of the old Courthouse. I’ve also seen this in downtown Austin; although, I frequent such tony climes less often. Even in Ft. Worth, the uniform is familiar, a nice, dark suit, white shirt, power tie. Looks like any other high-end businessman or executive? Look down. Cowboy boots. Nicely shined, a variation that is a cross between a walking heel and riding heel, some boots with more rounded toes, some with more of a point, but still, the same, boots. I feel at home. This is a style that is surely localized. Now that we’ve had one cool day, I can safely shift to wearing boots and jeans. Which is why I get a small thrill when I realize some suit, or some guy in a suit, is wearing boots. Makes sense, in a local way. As a Taurus, you have to ask, is a local thing? Might not be manly footwear, might be a different stylistic choice. Still, is it local?

Gemini: “Are you sure the world isn’t going to end in a few more days? Make my life a lot easier, you know….”

Actual Gemini message. On the answering machine, which, I still don’t know why I call it an answering machine when I haven’t had an answering machine in close to 20 years. All digital. Kind of like cell phones that are really more modern digital phones, and these items both make the list of the most modern inconveniences. Which isn’t what this was about, but why do we “tape” stuff when there is no tape involved? Perhaps “digital recording” is too long and too unpoetic. No, the world will not end. Yes, there is a gradual shift in consciousness, but that’s due to a number of factors, and this is about what you’re looking at for the next few days. World will not end. Keep on keeping on, my extra-fine Gemini friend. We’re not out of the “Mercury Retrograde” weeds yet.

No, the world doesn’t end in December 2012. Sorry.

Cancer: There’s always one that’s the ultimate “pisser.” One that gets to you. One that infuriates you so much you can’t see straight. That last comment will offend one reader, but the deal is, the term, “Can’t see correctly?” Doesn’t have the emotional punch of “Can’t see straight.” Sorry, it’s the language I’ve chosen, didn’t say that meanings and circular references were excluded.

Here’s the deal: one item, thing, probably, not limited to, but probably an event, is going to really piss you off. Irritation isn’t the right word. Should be, but it’s not. Strong irritation? Maybe. Piss you off? Better. Really get to you? Got the idea? As Mars moves past that critical point, your anger will subside. I’m not saying that your irritation and angst was all brought on by yourself, but you might want to stop and check the pulse of the situation, again, in few days. See if it’s not the big, old, hairy deal it was at first. Mars: blame him.

Leo: Car, SUV, I think, passed us on the freeway. Vanity tag, Texas tag, said, “Corps.” There are two items that come to mind, first being the calvary arrangement at one prestigious Texas university, A&M (College Station). However, a tell-tale sticker suggested that it wasn’t that corps, but another one. Marines. 234 years of honor, glory and guts. Usually doing it the hard way. “Once a Marine, always a Marine,” then, “semper fi,” and a certain shout.

Sure.

I’ve known a few marines, and yes, as a rule, tougher than the rest. Not always the brightest bulb in the box, but certainly not fragile. Tougher than the rest. That’s not even open to dispute. There’s a cowboy code that is not unlike the Marines, hence the similarity. I understand both codes. As the Leo, you have a similar, if not identical code. Honor, glory, courage, tougher, stands up for the downtrodden, gives voice when needed, honest, thrifty hardworking, etc. The car on the freeway made me think about all that, the single vanity tag.

The Leo Code is being tested. Don’t back down, but temper that with some uncommon restraint. A simple expression? “I can understand your point of view.” Doesn’t mean your mighty Leo self agrees, just that you can see that what they said might matter to them.

Virgo: Strangest “Black Friday” scene I’ve encountered? Wife was inside a superstore, armed with a phone, texting and calling in prices. Her husband was in the car with the kids; he was on a laptop wired to a cell phone, checking “Black Friday” deals against what the current price was in the store. They saved, big. It was a matter of buying what was cheap at the time, in the store then buying a few things online.

Grab those “loss leaders” and avoid the high priced merchandise. Whatever works. Family time. Kids got to spend time cooped up with Dad in the car while Mom scoured the floors of the superstores.

Seems like a lot of work, to me. Since the world isn’t going to end? I just did all my shopping before Mercury was backwards. If I don’t have it by now? You ain’t getting anything from me other than a notice that I can do you a year preview, soon. While that seemed like a complicated arrangement, to me, worked for them. The guy’s wife? She’s Virgo, the one who had to sally forth and battle with shoppers for deals. I think they left, like at 5 in the morning. Not my thing. I just report what I saw. Later, he was still sitting in the car, feeding one of the kids. To make it through this week? Probably a similar, if not identical arrangement.

Libra: When I lived on the lake in Austin, I would fish, most every day. I had tackle arranged in a manner for that specific lake fishing. As times have changed, as I’ve drifted closer to the coast, and I no longer live on the lake, my one “lake” tackle box goes almost unused. These days? It’s been more than a year since I last cracked it open to fetch some hooks and weight for a coast trip.

Different locations require different hardware. As a Libra, OK, this really isn’t about fishing, or even fishing tackle, this is about cracking open a portion of your life that’s been dormant for a year — or more. What’s inside? Treasures, reminders, I have one lure that’s beat up, probably beyond rational use, but I hold onto it for sentimental purposes. Check the picture of me with a fish, buried elsewhere on the site. There wasn’t much in there I could use, but I did shuffle the gear around, make an adjustment, and then, as Libra, I took that old lure out. Think I’ll mount it, for myself, in a shadowbox. Best place for a trophy.

Scorpio: At its largest, my library numbered around two thousand books, maybe a little more. Over the years, with each successive move, the library gets smaller and smaller. Not that I don’t have a core that I must hold onto — I do. What’s important, what’s not important, that has changed. I was looking for a book that I know I bought. I should have, on hand, a semi-rare first edition. First imptrint of that particular edition. I can’t find it. Not a huge loss, not in the grand scheme of things, but still, I think I have the book, only, I can’t find it.

Not like my library is big, it’s just one set of selves. Not that the library is intense, as there’s really quite a bit of fluff that I like. Artful, arcane, and some stuff just weird. A little like me, I suppose, an accurate reflection of the artist.

Still, with the Scorpio planets the way they are, is it worth it to go and buy a new copy of a book that I know I already own?

Even if I can’t find it?