I am very cold, and all the stars are out too,
The little stars and all, that look like aglets.
The sun has seen my folly.

• The Jailer’s Daughter in Shakespeare’s
  The Two Noble Kinsmen (3.4.1-3)

Horoscopes for 10.15.2020

New Moon in Libra on October 16, 2020 — 2:31 PM? Did I read that right?

Libra

Recently, I touched on a personal political issue, not a major one, but position I hold near and dear in my own heart. I was talking with a client, and I thought that client held a very similar position. I was wrong. It set off a cataclysmic series of text messages, emails, hateful recriminating diatribes, and all because I merely suggested a position that I like. There is a reason I stay far away from politics when I’m working with astrology clients. My views are my own, and since no one wants to come together? I will keep mine to myself. Easier that way. Just easier. Birthday times. Political rhetoric, especially locally, is running higher than ever. Seems like everyone is a little sensitive, and with the current state, especially with that New Libra Moon opposite Retrograde Mars? The conditions are worse. This can take a bad situation and make it much, much worse. What I would like to do, for Libra? Remind you that certain topics are best if we stay well-away from that subject matter, at least, in situations wherein it might cause a rift. Religion, Politics, and BBQ are hotly debated, here. Of the three? I’d stick with BBQ, for now.

Scorpio

Scorpio starts Oct. 22, 2020, around 6:05 PM, local time. And until then? That new moon pushes a few ideas forward, but given where everything else is, in the Scorpio Chart? I have very mixed emotions about Shakespeare’s (and Fletcher’s) The Two Noble Kinsmen. I was out of school and in London when it was official acknowledged as a “Shakespeare” play, although, honestly, it’s only partly by Shakespeare. But that line?

“The sun has seen my folly”? I liked it and more than Libra, it resonated with Scorpio — under these conditions. Careful with that “folly,” and I’m not sure now is the time let the others see your folly, so to speak. There’s a persistent urge, from within the well of the Scorpio soul that wants to announce some issue, some deal, some up and coming event. Might want to keep that to yourself until the Sun actually bumps on into Scorpio. Might be foolish if we’re too quick.

Sagittarius

I’m pretty good at avoiding problems. Like work? At one point in my career, I was good at avoiding bill collectors. As I’ve come to discover, that might not be a skill set that is really worthwhile, but I could, at one time, artfully dodge those guys. Kind of wonder if that’s why I sometimes have trouble collecting from certain clients, you know, that whole “Payback” thing? Karma? Anyway, this week is marked with a New Moon in Libra opposite that Mars Retrograde in Aries, which, all in turn sets up a pattern in Sagittarius about something past due coming back around. The question, and here’s where I have to handle this on a case by case basis, the question being, is this something that we owe? Like a past due bill, conveniently forgotten? Or is this a situation where we’re owed, and the money finally comes through, like the check really was in the mail. Not sure, but one way, or another, Mars, and that New Moon, they trigger something for Sagittarius. After paying everyone off, I’m looking forward to an income, previously earned, finally recompensed.

Capricorn

I have an expression, and pretty this derives from my patriarchal lineage, but the expression?

“If it ain’t broke? Don’t fix it.”

There are variations on themes, and I prefer the double negative, “Don’t be fixin’ nuthin’ that ain’t broke.” Sounds better drawled a little, and I’m unsure how that translates elsewhere. But this isn’t about translation, this is about trying to improve on a situation, or a process, that already works. Might not be the most elegant solution, might not be the prettiest, might not even be the most efficient, but, and you knew that was coming, it works. Works well enough, after a fashion. Not the best. Not the worst. I’ve seen worse situations work out, so this isn’t that bad, and for right now? If it ain’t broke, then don’t try and fix it.

“If it ain’t broke? Don’t fix it.”

Aquarius

My introduction to astrology, the kind I tend to favor these last few years? My introduction was via literature. Made sense to me. Early canons of Western Literature are just riddled with astrological references, in especially in Shakespeare’s collected works. Made a good reference point, a place to start. Evidence, in my mind, that this stuff has been handed down for years, and I mean, literally, thousands of years. We seek an understanding of our place in the cosmos by looking at the stars.

It’s about patterns, discernible patterns, and there’s a discernible pattern stating to emerge for Aquarius: minor irritations. These are not major problems, these are minor bugs. A late summer escapee, a bug that hadn’t died yet, buzzing around the Aquarius ear, insistent, and incessant. Not a big deal, unless of course, you decide to swat the big out of the way, then it turns into a St. Vitus dance, where we’re waving our arms around, and other people are looking on, like, “What’s the matter?” So the buzz is like an insistent, incessant insect — annoying to Aquarius but virtually invisible to anyone else. The discernible pattern is about that buzz no one else hears — or sees. What you do? It will be gone before too long.

Pisces

The planet associated with Pisces is Neptune. It’s an amorphous, nebulous kind of energy, in an astrology chart. When nothing else makes sense, it means “spiritual,” which just leaves this wide open to any number of interpretations. In this week, Venus rolls around in Virgo, and opposes Neptune’s current placement. Sets up a situation wherein an infatuation leads to poor decisions. How I help? I let you know that this is probably an infatuation, with an idea, with a person, which the idealized version of a person when that person is nothing like that in the real world? The concept is easy enough, understand that relationship material is not always best judged under this influence. There are outliers, otherworldly influences, and possibilities, but as a general rule? “Yeah, no.” Simply put, next few days, as this planetary array gets more focused on being unfocused? Good time not to make a serious commitment — to anything (or anyone).

Promise me, you won’t get married this week?

Aries

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a celebrity? Not a local celebrity, but one that gets nationwide coverage? There’s a couple of beat-up sedans parked outside the front gate, all the time, with photographers and telephoto lens prying? Must be like living under a microscope. Seems a little weird, to me. Then, too, there’s the notion that everything, and I mean everything, can be recorded and documented in life. Just, how much of this is important? The New Moon in Libra is almost directly opposite from that pesky retrograde Mars, and it sets ups a dynamic wherein the energy demands to be answered, but are we sure we want to expend our good, Aries energy like this? Some matters are so minute, unless we’re being followed by a horde of photographers with prying telephoto lens, unless our lives are that interesting? What’s important is separating the Aries wheat from the Aries chaff. Just because we can document every minute detail, does that mean we should?

Taurus

I call them “tea roses.” I am totally unsure of the biological name, from the taxonomy of plants and animals. No idea what they are really called. To me, they are “tea roses.” I have a bush, couple of them, and these have been growing for a while. Not long ago, I trimmed the bush back, I mean I trimmed it back quite a bit. Now, a few weeks later, the lower bush is budding fall flowers of some ilk. Might’ve been a recent rain. Might’ve been cooler temps. Could be my garden skills, but I tend to think of that as my lack of gardening skills. No idea of the cause, but the little buds, opening into flowers was nice to see, albeit briefly. The “half-life” of those little roses is maybe a day or two, at best. The trick was trimming the bush back, then letting the little buds grow out, just some water, I’m pretty big on “Darwin-inspired gardening,” that’s where only the strongest survive. Not sure they really got watered that much, unless it rained. Still, the trick is, was, what I did before Mars was retrograde is what sees the fruit, or the bloom of the flowers, now. Can’t say this snuck up and if you didn’t do anything then? Consider it’s a good time to add organic fertilizer to the mulch in the garden, and that can be a real garden, or just a metaphor.

Gemini

Watching a cop show on TV, technically, a “procedural?” Watching it, I realized that every time the fictional crew dons tactical gear, assault weapons, vests, and other gear? There will be a firefight. I’m not passing judgement, just observing that as soon the “the team” gets all geared up, there will be action with bad guys falling over. Good stunts. I got a cop buddy here, and he trains a great deal. He gets geared up several times a month for training purposes. In the last year, he’s gotten into tactical gear exactly once for a possible situation, and even then, it ended with a peaceful solution. That TV show? 20 or more episodes in a year? 20, or more, tactical situations — in a year? In the real world? He trains more than they do on TV, and yet, he faces less actual emergency situations. Even fewer times is he called upon to actually fire a weapon. He loathes that. He complains about the amount of reports required if a weapon is even drawn, much less, the mounds of reports if a weapon is fired. It’s not like on TV. But you knew that, right? This is a reminder that fiction rarely, if ever, resembles life. Some days it’s close, but in this kind of setting? This week? Not even.

Cancer

End of the summer, and this Mars Retrograde looming up and coming, I decided to strip all the fishing line off of all of my old fishing reels. All of it. There is some that’s been there only a single season, some that’s been there for years, and one, I think that has some ten-year old fishing line on it. The really old stuff was almost brittle, a cheap plastic compound that didn’t age gracefully. That’s why I was replacing it all, and more to the point, I’ve got a couple of rods and reels I won’t be using any time too soon, not until next spring, so I just left the line off. I’ll get around to maintenance, oil, and cleaning, soon enough. The question, then, for this week, what line to put back on? At the time, it was bass fishing, and this looks like coastal inshore, so it varies. There are a bewildering myriad of choices to make about fishing line. Some old debates and some more modern, and then, the color, texture, feel, elasticity, braided, or monofilament? All depends. This, for me, necessitated a couple of trips to the various sporting goods stores, and at least one other place that sells gear. Three stops, no, four stops so far, and I don’t have any new line. I’ve got one old spool of recognizable brand-name line sitting here, but again, at its age, not sure I want to trust it anymore. So what will it be? Since I’m fishing inshore next week? I get try something new, just to break the monotony, and instead of buying a big spool of it? Just get a smaller, single roll. See what happens. It’s good to experiment, and it’s better to replace stuff that is old, brittle and needs to be replaced. Even if Mars is, well, like he is. Get a smaller sample to try.

The Leo

I lived in Austin the bad, old days. One place I lived, saw a parade of low-riders most Saturday nights, along with cars that would hop, jump, and boom, all while flashing chrome and ground-effects neon-like lighting. Great showmanship. Wonderful craftsmanship. Several years ago, I survived an earthquake in Northern Cal. Wasn’t much of a shaker, we were on the other side of the mountain and by the time I was awake, there was a dull roar, felt like a person was shaking the bed, and then? All over. Because it was the other side of the mountain? There was a foundation between us and the epicenter. Knocked a coffee mug off the counter, think that was all, and I might’ve done that, not the quake. With Mr. Mars, where he’s at? It’s is about foundations. Bedrock, mighty Leo, solid foundations. Something is trying to shake the Leo foundation, the core beliefs, the center of the Leo being. That earthquake I was exposed to? The earthly foundation, a mountain’s bedrock, protected me. First question, what are the Leo foundation elements? Then, thinking back to the booming of lowrider, passing in the night, shaking the thin skin of trailer parked in old South Austin? To me, that was almost entertainment, not really an earth-shaking event. So is this really going to be a bad event, this test? Or is this more amusing, at least, amusing for The Leo?

Virgo

I was looking at the labels, they read, “Skinny, slim, athletic.” Missed the middle-aged, comfortable spread that some of us have, and I wondered, and then, it slowly dawned on me, that it wasn’t a store I would be shopping in, not anytime too soon. Not my people. Not my styles, anymore. Not a thread of clothing I cold fit, either.

This is about being comfortable with where we’re at. It’s that simple.

As the planets orbit around the sun and make fleeting influences, one of them — where Virgo is best served — is about being comfortable with what you got, where got, and what it is. For a spell, the current vernacular was, “It is what it is,” and I would add, for Virgo, “and we like it.”

astrofish.net/travel for appearances

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