“I dare you to this match”

— Posthumus Leonatus in
Shakespeare’s Cymbeline Act 1, Scene 4

The Sun enters the Tropical Zodiac sign of Pisces at 5:18 PM, Feb. 18, 2019 — at sunset, just before the almost full moon rises.

Another astrology writer had a monthly missive that started with “love” as the idea. Whatever works, right? I prefer, this week to deal with the real world, and Valentines is over soon enough. Mercury conjunct Neptune (Pisces) and Mars conjunct Uranus (Aries), and that means what?

“I dare you to this match”

Horoscopes for 2.14.2019

Aquarius

Happy birthday, Aquarius. We’re back at the weird holiday in the middle of your sign, and that holiday? It makes no sense to most of us Aquarius. There are a few who “get it,” but the rest of us? It’s just a weird, artificial event created by pure hype and driven — repeatedly — by sales. Like there needed to be something besides Aquarius in the middle of February? Mattress sales? I wonder if that has anything to do with VD? Stop. I’m getting distracted. I started out to go to a social event the other evening, have to drive halfway across town to get there. Because I was leaving a suburban location and headed towards downtown at rush hour, I figured it would be easy. When I drive anywhere, I spool up some Shakespeare stuff to keep me from getting irate with other drivers — and I don’t feel like I’m wasting time in traffic. Which is what happened that one night. There was a wreck, road construction, and an overnight lane closure, a perfect trifecta of obstacles. After an hour in stop-and-go traffic, I turned around and headed home. Sorry I missed the party guys, but, you know, traffic. Weird holiday is over, soon enough, and the traffic — vehicular and otherwise — lightens up for Aquarius. Again, happy birthday. Enjoy. Watch for other cars.

Pisces

For the first few years, my horoscopes appeared with white text on black aground. It was to inspire mystery, mystic, and more. Much, much more. After a few years, though, it turned out, according to the usability studies I perused, the easiest way to read text on any screen, phone, tablet, or computer? Black text on white page. Perhaps the background could be a very light shade of an off-white, but basically, think: something that looks like a book or a newspaper. Seems to work best. As Mercury slips past Neptune, a brief alignment and conjunction?

What text, typeface, font? Which one would look best? The idea is that the serif fonts, like common version of Times or Times Roman, that is supposedly the most readable. Easiest for an eye to follow as the typeface characters lightly resemble handwriting. It’s an easy design choice, one that is partially overworked these days, but simple enough. In an effort to make things most clear for Pisces, once the love crap is done? One the marketing and advertising hype is over? What is the simplest, easiest, decision to make? Go back to basics and start there. What’s considered the most readable, according to current usability studies? What’s easiest to see, across all the platforms? Other things are occurring, but for Pisces, like a simple serif type on a plain-ish background? Simplest place to start.

Aries

There’s the appearance of pervasive sense of relief once this little “Mars” thing has passed. Problem being, two elements, one is Mars conjunct Uranus, and the other is Valentine’s Day Madness, between the two? At the moment there’s no pervasive sense of well-being. Turmoil, trouble, and lots of (non-Aries) stupid people. Suddenly, as if by magic, it all settles down. Yeah, after the Valentine’s Day hassles. Way too much emphasis is placed on an artificial holiday, and I hope you have a loved one to call a valentine, but if not? Remember that Mars and Uranus can always bring unexpected results, and that can be good — as long as your Aries self doesn’t get too Mars-motivated, and rush something.

Taurus

Mars rolls over the same point that Uranus appears to be at, right on Valentine’s Day, and then, and only then, does Mars skate on into Taurus. Nightmares, dreams, fantasies lead up to VD, but the day after? All illusions are shattered. Mars is an insistent energy, almost an internal pressure to do more, better, faster. More. Did I mention that Mars would be motivating Taurus to do more? Probably wants it better and faster, too, but “more” seems to be the current expression of energy. Is this good? It is what it is. Totally weird VD, thank to Mars, and thanks to that 12th House placement for the Mars/Uranus conjunction? Nightmares, dreams, and fantasies, some of which, have no connection whatsoever with consensual reality. Not that it ever bothered me, I do live in a dream world. I’m a little taller, walk a little straighter, have a little more hair than I really do, and I seem to be thinner — all in my fantasy. Mars brings reality. Illusions will be shattered, the dream from dark side of the Taurus would will be revealed as merely a figment of thy imagination. Nothing more. However, none of this will happen until Mars gets firmly ensconced in Taurus, out of fiery Aries. Give it a chance to get here, first.

Gemini

I used to be ingrained with much more pop culture, and that made it easier to use those references and allusions. But pop culture is a fickle creature, and what was a hot meme, just last week has already come, burned out and then faded away, to the point that such a reference is tired and dated, not comical or topical at all. Kind of a problem, when an attention span lasts a few days, at best, and I only appear once a week. Gemini tends to be fleet of mind, and that exacerbates this problem to no end.

The coherent theme, the week-long meme, the singular element, for Gemini? It will change. It will change with alarming frequency. There’s an alignment at the beginning of the week, Uranus aligns with Mars, and then, as Mars moves forward, that lingering effect of the conjunction is felt. Not entirely pleasant for some, but as Gemini? Embrace the constant flux and change. Nothing is written in stone. There are no absolutes in the next few days. There are no points that have to be one way only. Every answer has a permutations and edification. Qualifiers, if you will. Let me just ay this about that, no wait, not that, but that. Over here? No over there. Nothing is set in stone. While everyone is hearts and flowers? Gemini is ever-changing, adapting, mutating, and advancing.

Cancer

We all have certain days when it just doesn’t seem to go correctly. Ever feel like it was one of those times? It’s back, and will be visiting The Moon Children in the next few days. Which day? Depends on your actual birthday, see listing for details. Was making coffee the other morning, and the beans skittered out of my control, precious dark-roast nuggets of flavor, waiting to be ground up, scattered across the cold kitchen floor. It happens. I must remember to be more careful. I was nuking some breakfast treat, warming it in the microwave oven. I heard a “pop-pop” and looked up to see a tiny food-explosion in the microwave, as substances splattered across the oven’s interior. Big mess. More annoying than messy, and the whole dish was merely halved. My desk isn’t too crowded, but there was a cup of coffee there, and as I reached up, the coffee seemed to shift and the mug went sideways, with warm, precious brew spilling everywhere. Each one of these actions and incidents, individually, wouldn’t be a big misstep, but to have it all happen on one cold winter morning? Made me question myself. I looked at the planets, and charted location, and there was a pattern. Same pattern shows up in The Moon Children’s charts, this net few days. Cosmically, I’m just reminding you that these delays will occur. Comically? I got nothing. Cosmically? There’s some reason, maybe you’ll have to wait and find out when you’re cleaning up after the holiday.

The Leo

Every individual responds to different stimulation. I wish it was so easy I could just suggest a single activity that would excite and mollify The Leo with a single stroke. There is no such advice to be had. However, there is a simple suggestion. After the big day, after the parties, stale candies, and dead flowers? After all of that?

Consider, as The Leo that it might just be a good time to shop for the future. Silly greeting cards with hearts and Cupid, lame, lovelorn missives with flying sentimental appeal? All of that crap will be on sale. Time to shop and buy a few of those items. The cards will keep until next year, and you have a jump on it, then. Plus the price is right.

This is about tactical, long-term planning. This is about reaching almost a year into your future and laying the groundwork, now. This is about strategies and postures for the distant future, and how to get that out of the way, now. Once the big day is over? Before the stale candy is all gone? Get out there, and fill your mighty Leo coffers with material for the future. “Wow, sounds cold and calculated.” Have you observed the rest of the world? “Cold and calculated” is how we advance The Leo, for now.

Virgo

The fateful day should be over and done with by the time you get around to me. Anyway, the rest of the week offers the same kind of friction that one gets with fresh laundered socks on a polished hardwood floor. There’s a certain lack of “coefficient of friction,” which can present a slippery slope for Virgo.

There’s a cool image comes to my mind, the idea of sliding along in one’s socks, skating, as it were along the surface of the polished floor. I tend to think of this in terms of hardwood floors, but, as I discovered not long ago, polished kitchen tile floors are an equally slippery place with nothing but clean socks as footwear. It was cold, had to dress up the other week. Wasn’t my kitchen floor, either, but the idea was to do a little slide, and it worked, mostly. I don’t have any great dance moves, not that it bothers me, but Virgo does. Careful, though, this is one of those weeks that can slide along — just worried about the sudden stop. In my case, it was the counter at the end.

Libra

Repetition is important. There are a couple of performers I’ve seen live, a number of times. Seeing the same performance, in a different venue, or same show, on a different year? Each show is a single, unique event. For me, as a consumer of the performance, I understand that each time has the potential to be different. Then, too, there is a new depth added to my understanding with each, repeated process. Nuance and poetry, perhaps a different emphasis, or acting, done differently? All adds to a greater depth of understanding, or, at least, a broader understanding and deeper meaning to the same script. Of course I see this in Shakespeare shows, but I was thinking in terms of musical material, oft-repeated, and subtly different, from performance to performance. The slightest change can bring new insight. Which is what this week is about, for Libra, what seems like a repetitive process, the same repeated action, over and over? Like those shows each being an indistinct, but individual entity, while, at the same time, representing a coherent whole. Don’t be afraid to see the same thing twice. Same show, like rereading a favorite book, new stuff one can notice. Repetition is important.

Scorpio

What is the perfect temperature for making coffee? I mean, what is the perfect temperature for the water, as it meets the grounds? The ubiquitous Mr. Coffee coffee-makers all churn water out right at 212 (F), the boiling point, 100 (C) for the rest of the world, and that works. Although, to be fair, the purists, suggest some temperature between 205 and 210, just off roiling boil. What is optimal perfect extraction? I suppose, too, this would depend on the grind of the beans, as a pressurized system, like espresso, has to be done with water that is right at boiling, to get the steam. The scientists with lab coats and clipboards have assured me that optimal extraction, for flavor and coffee essence, according to derived facts, occurs below boiling, but well over 200 degrees. So what is it? For me, the best extraction is currently with a tea kettle, just done blowing its whistle, with the grounds waiting in a pour-over of my own concoction. So, the correct temperature for hot water? Depends on a number of factors. I was with my Sister in Northern California, one morning, and the Mr. Coffee at the rent house produced the most wonderful coffee I’d ever had. Mostly that was the incredible beans. 8 cups of water, ten scoops of ground coffee, and a simple Mr. Coffee. Still ranks as some of the finest ever. So what is the perfect temperature? All depends, and this week, for Scorpio, hot water and all? All depends. Coffee cognoscenti recoil in abject horror at the very notion of a Mr. Coffee for brewing, but it worked, and the beans made it magical.

Scorpio: It all depends.

Sagittarius

This can be, if not prepared, a week-long period of regret. Regret for forgetting about that special someone on that special someone day. Regret for not doing the least, just buy a damn card, and posting that. Regrets abound. In my life, my own greatest love would be hard to explain, as it varies in location, but I adore bookstores. From a very young age, to my present station, the thrill of wandering in and amongst piles and piles of books is part of the greatest joys. It’s voyages of discovery, some arcane combination of price, cover art, title, topic, and even author. I have few regrets from bookstores. I enjoy the enforced solitude of the large, sometimes cavernous sense of space, filled with books, and the furtive glances of the librarian-like clerks. There is a single regret I have about a book, I once encountered, a certain title, in a used bookstore (cf. Half Price Books), one of those Franklin Mint type of reprints. It was a handsome leather-like, gold-looking embossed cover and spine with heavy, acid-free paper, and pretty ink. I noted the title, scoured the web, found a free online version, and thoroughly enjoyed the archaic text. Wished I’d bought the book, would be nice to refer back an elegant, published version. This is a week of regrets, regretfully submitted.

Capricorn

To some, this is heartbreak season. To others, I can revel in the false attempts at morbid romance. Nascent sentiments, nurtured, and then, in the full bloom of the moment? Slaughtered by Cupid’s arrows? Both a favorite and despised time. Love? Love we like. Romance is fine, too. The manufactured false images that deal with these feelings, foisted and forced at this time? Like me, we can pretty much do without. More than any other “holiday,” this is an event that was originally created by a greeting card company, and, I’ll guess, it has served them well. Judging by balloons and boxes of stale pseudo-chocolate candy? This holiday serves someone well. Saturn leaves that feeling of snark and sarcasm. Use that. Feel it. Embrace it. Don’t try and hide from it. Buried under that caustic Capricorn commentary lies the heart of a hopeless romantic. Figure out how to combine those two, snark and love, in this next week, you know, sarcasm and real romance.

There was a series of poison pen greeting cards. They come to mind.

astrofish.net/travel for appearances

“Nothing runs on automatic.” – L.W. “Bud” Shipley, Jr.

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