He will steal, sir, an egg out of a cloister.

• Paroles in Shakespeare’s As You Like It (4.3.104)

Horoscopes for 11-12-2020

Mars is gradually changing positions, Mercury is in Scorpio, there’s a New Moon Nov. 14 (11 PM), and the world isn’t really ending. I don’t care what you read.

Scorpio

I remember exactly where I was, when it happened the first time. I was navigating a small rent car to a lunch appointment. Client was calling to check if I knew the way, and I looked at the address on the phone, before I left, so yes, I knew where I was going. It’s over on the other side of town, not really, but almost. To me, far away. To some suburban dwellers, not that far. The car had the phone hook-up thing, but I hadn’t synched it, or done anything else, and I was totally unsure of any of the buttons. Not like I was planning to be in the car that long, so when my phone rang through the steering wheel? That was the first time. I didn’t know how to use the buttons, wasn’t familiar with the brand, and I wasn’t sure my phone thing had connected with the car thing, and the bluetooth thing was doing whatever it was supposed to do. In some cars, I have to plug it in and fiddle with the settings to make this work. In that one rent car? I just stabbed at a button, and started talking. That was a happy, accidental discovery that worked, made my life better, no problem. This week has a similar happy accidental discovery for Scorpio. While you’re distracted, or concentrating on some other aspect of the post-modern Scorpio life? You poke at a button, and go, “Wow. Works like it was meant too. That’s so weird.”

Sagittarius

I just adore me some Scorpio energy, as there’s a quiet, seemingly reserved yet poignantly specific-target drive they all have. One teacher pointed out, “Scorpio’s aren’t ‘intense,’ it’s just that every other sign is so shallow.” I agree. So we’re in the week before we are relieved of the pregnant pause for Sagittarius. This Scorpio flavor is going to get stronger and stronger, and we have to respect it. We have to allow the energy its own space in our Sagittarius lives. Time and place, yes, “time and place.”

Best action with where the planets are at the moment? Step to one side. Doesn’t much matter, as a Sagittarius myself, doesn’t much matter, if I feint to the right (stage left), then everything goes the other way. If I feint to the left (stage right), again, everything flips over to the other side. I would write this off to the confusion about stage-left, and stage-right versus real left and right, but that just further obfuscates the causes. Respect the Scorpio flavor of the days, at the moment. It will change, and soon, very soon, we won’t be so clumsy. Step to one side, see if that helps.

Capricorn

I get around certain holistic practitioners, life coaches, and their ilk? The common phrase is something along the lines of “You can be whatever you want to be.” While, technically speaking , that is certainly true, there’s a reminder. This is the week of boundless hope and enthusiasm. This is also a time when a certain amount of Capricorn practicality needs to step up, step in, and be a main player. Yes, you can be anything you truly desire to be. Next part of this process? Asking yourself, “Capricorn, dear one, you lazy, insolent self, what are the next steps that have to occur to make this a reality?” There’s always the freaky weirdness in the Capricorn head, the ability to see the best, and the worst, at the same time. Here’s the deal: in the face of limitless optimism and hope, as it springs forth, start figuring, then start taking, the steps required to become that what you want to be. That limitless enthusiasm and hope? The only aspect that will slow you down from attaining that Capricorn heart’s desire? It’s the dour little voice suggesting you’re not good enough, or you don’t deserve this, or, “I can do this, but it looks like it might be pretty hard.”

Aquarius

The “grackle,” to me, it’s a common blackbird, usually dusky, and none too large by bird standards. Related to the raven family, as I understand it, and the male specimens can be a luxurious, shiny blackbird. What I’ve gathered, from ancillary sources, is that the common grackle sports as much intelligence as a dog, and the birds have an ability to reason as well as use tools. The common grackle is all horrifically messy, leaving bird-droppings everywhere. Other morning, out for a walk, I noticed that one enterprising grackle had grabbed a cricket. The bird was flying off to either eat, or share, that critter. What was weird, the cricket itself wasn’t completely incapacitated — it wasn’t dead — and that cricket seemed to be chirping while it was flying through the air, riding in the maw of the bird. I’d like to think of the common blackbird, the grackle, as a dusky kind of Aquarius, brilliant, tool using, and opportunistic about food. Willing to fly off with the dinner still buzzing in the beak. However, as long as the Sun is in Scorpio, there will always be at least one Aquarius who aligns with the cricket in this example, and not the bird. Scrappy, dusty, brilliant, yes, this week? Be that raven-related character, the common blackbird.

Pisces

Too often, I’ll confuse “divine inspiration” with a bad idea. Not that any of my ideas are bad ideas, just some of them are less well-though out. Looking at the finished, or half-finished project, “Yeah, I guess I didn’t think this one all the way through. Huh.” That expression, the one in quotes? There are two pieces that are important, the drawn out “Yeah,” at the beginning, and the “huh” at the end. A kind of verbal punctuation that adds a little bit of space, and buys a little time. While it’s obvious that the original task, deed, goal, destination, or project wasn’t fully, thoughtfully considered, that kind of commentary pads a little extra time. As the Pisces, a little extra time is what helps. The verbal cues, built into the conversation, the running commentary, the extra verbiage as padding? Helps work in a few extra heartbeats to figure out the real answer. Originally, this was about the difference between divine inspiration and sheer folly, with the divinely inspired turning into a typical bad idea, and, at the last moment, “Yeah, hmm. Guess I really didn’t think this all the way through to its logical conclusion. Huh.” Two takeaways for the Pisces days ahead — 1) don’t confuse divine inspiration with bad ideas, and 2) when you do? Build in those comments so you have a time to think a way around the problem you just created.

Aries

One afternoon, around noon, I was out. Cool fall day, sun’s out, but it’s not blistering hot. I passed by an auto-lube-quick place and there were three guys, all in various uniform looking-attire, the rented work pants and shirts with name tags sewn in, each with a mask dangling from his ears, and the three guys were in a triangle, passing a football back and forth. Their triangle was on asphalt, sloped, and near traffic, but the three players were oblivious with a jocund familiarity that comes from a loosely affiliated brotherhood. Tight spiral pass, one guy says something and the next feints left, dodges right, and spins, a tightly controlled pass hits his target. Little dance step, he rolls out, and flings the ball to the next guy. I’m guessing they’ve played this game before. I kept on going, sharing briefly in the glee of the game, and thought about Aries. The casual brotherhood, could be sisterhood, I’m not gender-specific, but in the example, it was guys, with a certain familiarity that helps. A brotherhood, and quick game of catch. A way to break the pandemic monotony?

Ever wonder why it’s called “catch” when each catch is preceded by a throw?

That easy familiarity is what this is about. I saw it, most recently, in that game outside the car-repair place, but the way it shows up can vary from Aries to Aries, with the ease, grace, and brotherhood — can be sisterhood, no judgement — being the hallmark characteristic.

Taurus

Listening to post-Millennial folks talk, one commented about a “record.” In my mind, a record is 12-inch vinyl, groves on both sides, a square foot of album cover, which in itself is room for a decent piece of artwork, not to mention the sleeve with copyright, fine print, and liner notes. Sitting with a buddy one evening, he pointed to his various nieces and nephews, and suggested that the kids had never known any other way to buy music except online. So the names like “record,” and “album” have very little real meaning to someone who has only bought music online. It was listening to some other artists talk about “records” that made me think about my buddy with his nieces and nephews, and their music-buying habits. The face of the consumer has changed. There are certain terms, though, that ingrained, even though the terms have nothing to do with the real object, not anymore. “Records” are more likely to be just digital tracks. The term is a holdover from days gone by. For Taurus, this trip down memory lane, and reminder, about terms, expressions — and ideas — that we hold onto, and have to ask, “Is it worth it?”

Gemini

For years, my life was ruled by “Microsoft English.” The MS Word built-in spellchecker and grammar guide became the default. The problem with that? Not all of the “standardized English” is standardized. While I appreciate that language is a malleable entity, not etched in stone, but ever-changing? I appreciate the general guidelines, as they were good, but I also have a shelf full of grammar guides. I know, couldn’t tell from my writing, but I do. This grammar guide patiently explain nuances of the language that are missed by the standardized, stylized “Microsoft English.” There are agreement situations, places where “then” and “than” get interchanged, not grammatically correct, and other examples. What was helpful, for me, was delving into books about grammar, as well as various style guides, towards an end, where I sort of have my own style guide I’ve hammered out over the last two-dozen years. Of course, it is ever evolving, too. What used to be spelled one way? I now tend to approach it different. This all started when I was learning to correct, the corrected “MS Word” English. Now that the planets are in less of an evil array? Might have to consult a textbook or two to find the precedent, but, like me correcting the computer’s grammar correction software? Yes, you are correct. Just need to look it up in a book to prove it, for Gemini.

Cancer

One of the greater joys in my work? I get to be continuously learning. New theories, new calculations, new approaches to old problems. Therein is where I find joy, and renewed sense of purpose. Plus, it helps keep me sharp. Can’t rest on those old laurels as then I would get stale. Constantly looking for new material, and fresh answers to old questions. For me, this is time when I dip back into the old texts to see if there are new words, or if the older material will have new clues. That’s the sense of this week, and I was looking ahead, about ten days or so, for the Moon Children, as this week gets us ready for next week, and that’s how this works. Let’s spin this around, and look at the position of the Moon, and what’s coming up for Cancer. There’s a stubborn problem, a persistent issue that doesn’t want to go away, and in the light of the next ten days or so? There’s a new approach, a new way, perhaps just a new theory that needs testing. Best suggestion? Give it a try. Worst case, you wind up right back where you started, but the best case is what I see, moving forward, as we try a different approach to fix something that has stubbornly refused to be fixed thus far.

The Leo

I got a friend, she posts images of her favorite cat, her main squeeze, in a variety of outfits. I was looking at one of the picture, and the cat itself, he had that squinty-eyed look, and I’m pretty sure, the cat was thinking, “I’m going to kill you. This is ridiculous.” When queried, my friend claimed that the cat liked it. Claimed the cat was a clown and enjoyed the outfits then posing for the pictures. I am unsure of that. Last image? Cat had on a cute outfit, and I know, the steely-eyed look? “Dress me up again, and I will sleep on your face tonight. Did the mouse not tell you what I can do? You should fear me, not mock me.”

• The mighty Leo has spoken.

Look at pictures of the cat. Does one really think that the cat likes to have its picture taken, all dressed up in cute little outfits? What that means, for The Leo — think before you try to wrestle that cute kitten into something it doesn’t want to do — and the same applies to The Leo: think before you try to force an issue.

Virgo

There’s a question that has to do with the very Virgo allocation of resources. Typically, a buddy of mine, he’s very married, and he’ll find some “latest and greatest new fishing hardware” that he needs to get, and his wife doesn’t always approve of the — allocation of resources. She thinks the latest bauble is too expensive. She finds herself wondering if that was a wise purchase, a fishing lure that will, supposedly, beckon fish unto the boat itself. Bait that has a Siren’s allure. Yeah, in my experience? The only catch that the bait has caught for sure? The guy buying it. I’m off to one side, observing my buddy, but this is about how he chooses to allocate resources. He has to weigh his desire for the new gear against what his wife will say, and there’s a fluctuating equation that involves her reaction, his desire, the volatility of the moment, and the voluble nature of his excuses. So this is about that very Virgo allocation of resources. How do you want to spend that which you are going to spend? I think I need a new fishing reel, have you seen the latest?

Libra

There’s a renewed sense of vigor, determination and drive, and I wish a pardon. Be nice if the planets gave a “free pass” on the weeks ahead, but that’s not likely. Doesn’t stop Libra from wishing there was a free pass, and what it means? There’s good stuff ahead, a renewed sense of vigor and drive, a new destination, a new goal, a new “something” that pushes Libra forward. Before the next horoscope rolls over? This will be abundantly clear, what the new source of drive is, and where it might just take you. Happy trails ahead, what it looks like. Time to get ready — in earnest — fortune fast-approaching holidays.

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