How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!
Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music
Creep in our ears. Soft stillness and the night
Become the touches of sweet harmony.

Lorenzo in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice 5.1.51-4

Picked just for the onset of Scorpio.

Scorpio:

Strange fact, besides Xmas, the biggest holiday — biggest retail holiday — is Halloween. I’m sure this is specific for America, as we tend to take our secular holidays seriously. Never mind the almost full moon approaching. Never mind the harvest feeling in the air. And never mind that Halloween is based on an ancient, pre-Christian celebration, a harvest festival to some, a religious observance to others. Carried forward into the new millennia, Halloween is also about the starting point for Scorpio, some connection, I would suggest so. The trick is to harness this energy correctly, and my suggestion is to understand it’s a little unstable. As a Scorpio, the easiest trick is to understand that this is like running a herd of cattle, the suggestion is that you lead by gently blocking all other directions. Mars/Venus and Jupiter in Virgo, Neptune then almost full moon opposite from that? Herding. Just herd the energies along in the direction you want to go.

Sagittarius: As a Sagittarius, can we embrace that opening scene? “How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!” How sweet can it be? With the aforementioned Jupiter, Mars, Venus in Virgo, there’s certain kind of “frission” present. The trick is to employ the higher Sagittarius mind, and then?

That’s how we see the big picture because, with that kind of Virgo tension, it’s really easy to get sucked into the details. Then worrying about the details. Then worrying about worrying about the details.

I’ve dated more than one Virgo. I know about getting caught in the Virgo mind trap. I am Sagittarius. What we’ve got to look out for, right now? The “Virgo Mind Trap.” However, worrying about worrying about the Virgo Mind-Trap? That gets both cyclical and redundant. There’s a very real cycle that starts with Scorpio, starts with Halloween, starts with this next week, happens every year, for Sagittarius. Instead of freaking out, like a good Sagittarius, a little drama is OK, am I right? Instead of going that way, though, there’s another route I’d suggest. Imagine, higher mind, imagine, we’re soaring above, and looking down on this situation. Step out and look at the “Big Picture,” and when that comes into a focus? Worrying about the details becomes less important. Unless you’re Virgo.

Capricorn: I was doing an astrological calculation for a client, and I was off by ten hours. I suggested, based on the movement of the moon, a certain date would be the time when a certain event occurred.

I was close.

The date I picked, the moon shifted signs that day, about six or seven in the evening. After close of business. So the predicted event didn’t occur until the next business day, and there was a Capricorn with a bad attitude, e-mailing me, “You guessed wrong, oh so very, very wrong. I hate you.” Next morning, sure as could be, deal came through, as the oracle predicted.

What made it sweeter for me? “I was going to call you last night, but it was after hours, so I didn’t,” which means, to me, the deal went through — as my oracle predicted. I’m good, but not as great as some would claim, and I do make predictions that occasionally fail miserably. I’m only human.

It bears remembering, too, that the planets incline, but do not dictate. The inclination is towards too hasty a reaction when a more measured response is better rewarded.

Aquarius: No, I’m not a big fan of haunted houses, scary events, and thrill-seeking version of Halloween experiences. I’m thinking the Haunted Mansion, and Haunted Warehouse, and similar venues. After a couple of ex-wives, no, the haunted house experience doesn’t work for me. I’ve been frightened enough in the real world, I don’t need some artificial thrill-ride for that cathartic response.

As an Aquarius, though, do you need the thrill-ride, the experience of the haunted house, the amusement park that is supposedly haunted? Sights, sounds, blood, gore, and mayhem to haunt you the rest of your borne days? The purpose behind the “Nightmare on (some street here),” the reason these places exist is because people show up and pay for the experience. “Here’s some money, scare me good!” Zombies, zombies were a thing for a while. Again, all in the same genre, in my eyes, and not something I’m up for — however, as an Aquarius? As Scorpio gets started in earnest? Have you thought about a scary ride, a trip to the haunted amusement park, a way to get that catharsis that accompanies the good fright?

How this evolves, in the next few days, that’s up to you, but a good fright, that might help. Or watching a scary movie, again, this is something I do with a suitable companion, and that’s part of the hint. The other part?

“Boo!”

Pisces: As I was working on your chart, I looked down at my phone. One of my buddies was calling. Fishing buddy. Talks a lot. Never has a quick question, no, I can spend at least an hour chatting about baits, boats, babes. Not a problem.

Know how I feel? I didn’t want to talk to him that morning. I was working on this Pisces scope and I needed to get this thing hammered out. Don’t misunderstand me, love the man like a brother, and frankly, I love him more than some of my immediate family, but that’s not the question, no, I really wasn’t sure I wanted to talk for half an hour about the next fishing trip, the last fishing trip, his girlfriend, his kids, his cars and trucks, no none of that.

I answered his call, anyway, quick point, check a date for fall fishing, that was it, and one quick note about the current love-interest in his life, and then, he had to get back to work. As did I. This was an example, for Pisces, of interactive social grease. Need that stuff. Maybe you’re not sure you want to talk to that friend, but given the placement of Jupiter in your chart? Might be a good idea. Keep it (blessedly) short. Worked wonders.

Aries: One of the more problematic hurdles I face? Learning that I can learn from even “children,” if I’m willing to be open. Bit of a challenge, but I was stuck in a conversation with a woman, maybe a third my age, and she had some interesting ink. The tattoos were about a topic I’m more than familiar with, starts with astrology. Western astrology. The symbolism was there, plain to see, to someone who is even partially observant.

Didn’t take much to get on the topic that I’m more than passing familiar with, and from there? I had to pause. Before the end of the conversation, I was listening to her, as she held forth about Aries, Uranus, and topic near to both our hears, Virgo. What this has to do with Aries?

Be willing to listen and learn. There is a teacher, and teachers show up in many guises. Be willing to listen and learn. In this example, she was a vendor at an event where I was working, and in a moment, I wound up, literally, sitting at her feet. Assuming I know it all, assuming that a particular Aries thinks she knows it all? Bad situation, In this example, I assumed I knew way more than the little girl did. However, willingness on my part, willingness on the part of Aries? Teachers show up in many guises. Be willing. Great time to learn from the most unlikely of teachers.

Taurus: Did you know that throw rugs and area carpet pieces should touch all the furniture? I did not know that. I discovered it while I was looking for something else, online. My interior design skills begin — and end — with a black velvet Elvis and a dead cow skull. About all I can do. Why I date some with better tastes than I have, so I can have that person do the parts of color coordination and arranging. Prettier. Much easier. The idea of throw rug that doesn’t touch all the furniture? It appears to be floating, in the middle of the room.

The last throw rug I bought, I considered it more like a “work diaper,” as it was cheap, oddly-hued, rubber-backed, piece of carpet that might’ve been a very large doormat. Worked great, and when it was soiled beyond cleaning? I rolled it up and dropped it in a dumpster. Perfect. That one did touch the desk, and that one did absorb coffee, on more than one occasion. Way it goes.

The lesson for Taurus? Tuck it in. Tuck it under. Make sure that the edges of the carpet are tucked under the desk, in my example. Or under the rest of the furniture, whatever the situation is. As the Sun moves into Scorpio? Make sure it’s all tucked in.

Gemini: The problem with being self-employed, like I am, is that I set the schedule. This isn’t a problem, but the obstacle I’m facing, this is a very Gemini problem, what happens when I don’t make my self-inflicted goals?

I had one project, a side project, not really a big deal, but I planned to have it in the can by now, and it’s not done. It’s not close to done. It’s not close to being at a semi-finishing point where I can say I got part of it done. It’s not even started, other than a name. Well, I did do a little work on it, the other afternoon, but by and large, it’s not done. Not close to being done. Not even.

As a self-employed person, and this is a project that might, at best, only bring a small amount of cash, but as a self-employed person, who is responsible? I am. As a Gemini, you’ve got another one of those self-imposed deadlines looming in your face, and there’s no way to get it done on the schedule you set.

What’s the outcome? This is very much up to you, but as the manager, here, I should have a stern talk with myself for missing the deadline, I acted properly remorseful, and we agreed upon a new action plan to make this goal easier to reach in the following weeks.

As a side note, management around here can be such a bitch.

Gemini: new goal. New action plan. New timeline to get all of this down, because as it looks like, this mostly a self-imposed deadline; no outside forces are really at work here.

Cancer: It’s not flavor, it’s texture. That’s the secret to this week’s Cancer question. It’s not about the flavor of whatever it is, it’s about the consistency, the texture. Other than the song, I’ve never been a big fan of Cherry Pie. I never quite figured out what the deal was, but as child, I had the common form of cherry pie, and I didn’t like it, wasn’t the flavor, as I’ve become quite fond of local, organic cherries. I can understand, in a pie format, that the cherries with a combination of a sweet and tart, would be delicious. Sounds good, right? Cherry Pie?

Growing up, the primary ingredient in cherry pie was canned cherries with slimy, sugary skins, and a processed feeling, something unnatural about the whole thing. Texture, I’m sure. If I could bake, if I was a baker (if I was baking, I’d still live in Austin), I’d try to make a pie with some of these organic, locally-grown cherries. Might be a totally different experience. However, I’m not a baker, so that’s not happening. I’ve got one client, and that old boy still loves him some cherry pie, the old-fashioned way: out of a can. That’s how I discovered it was the texture that bothered me, not the flavor.

This next few days, as the Sun creeps into Scorpio, it’s texture that Cancer needs to pay attention to, not flavor, texture.

The (mighty) Leo: Love me some Leo, but you guys are occasionally rather obdurate. The question the planets pose, for this week’s Leo riddle? “Is the glass half empty or half full?”

The obvious answers, half-empty, indicates a negative outlook and the flip side, half-full, is obviously too happy. Too happy or too sad, which will it be? As long as there’s the other influences, I’d tend towards the too happy way. There is a new way to perceive this situation, too, another Leo-centric way, just as an idea, I’d like to float across to you.

Perhaps the glass is too large. If it is only half-full, or half-empty, at all times, maybe we don’t need a glass quite that large. To be honest, before I poured anything into the glass, I thought, “Leo, regal, get a bigger glass.” Which still doesn’t answer the question, is it half-full, half-empty, or, as I’ve suggested, just too large.

Which is it?

Virgo: There’s a short phrase I’ve learned to embrace, me being all Virgo-centric and so forth, “Take delight in the details.” As a Virgo, or with enough Virgo in your chart, there’s a certain amount of delight one must find in those details. Details some folks don’t want to look after, too, which, for a perfect Virgo, is a perfect deal. Part of this week’s Virgo mission is to learn to take delight in the details.

Some of us take delight in not worrying about the details, “But who looks out for you?” I used to just date a Virgo, and she’d take care of it all. Doesn’t always work like that, and I’m not dating any Virgo’s, not now. Still, there’s that essence, that sense, that prevailing feeling that there is much to look after, and for a Virgo like you? That’s a good thing, right? “Yes, it’s very good. No, wait there’s so much, there’s too much, I’m overwhelmed!”

Stop, breath, and look. Let’s take this large, impossible project and break up into smaller, easier to obtain goals. Suddenly, it’s not such an onerous task, right? The secret to this week’s Virgo success? Take delight in the details.

Libra: A portion of my family is from America’s Deep South. Allegedly, on one side of family, a distant relative helped open the first black college in the south. Family myth and lore. I’d like to think it was true, but I can’t trust all my family’s myth. This isn’t about America’s past, though, this is about Libra now. That Southern upbringing, in part, requires nice manners. We can be polite, or mean, but be polite even if we are being mean.

The “Southern” way works here, especially well. For Libra, try that Southern manner, the polite, well-meaning, cordial, maybe cloying, a bit, at times, but still, as always, polite. Most of my little Libra friends point out that they are always polite.

Yes, yes they are usually all polite, as a rule. Still that “Southern, saccharine charm?” Try a dose of that. Like the fake, pink sugar? Like calling everyone you encounter, “Darlin’, sweetie,” and personal fave? “Shuggah,” (sugar). Almost always helps smooth over those rough edges. As long as Mercury, is rolling along through Libra? Try an extra dose of “southern charm,” or whatever you call it. Libra does well to layer it on this next few days. Sugar-coat it. Fry it up then roll it in powdered sugar, they — the other signs — will all eat it right up.