Horoscopes for 4-1-2021

“Believe me, Master Suresby, this is strange,
You, being a man so settled in assurance,
Will fall in that which you condemned in other.”

Lord Mayor in Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More 1.ii.135-7

Aries

“True story.” I was busy, explaining to a 6-year old kid, I couldn’t lie to him. Not in my nature, and I am unwilling to accept the karmic debt for outright, willingly, knowingly lying to a child, a reasonably innocent child at that. Not total innocent, but still. I also realized, as soon as I said, “True story,” that it was that. It was truly a story, and one that would be like a parable. The story — the tale — the substance of the narrative was factual if not totally based in consensual reality. There was a spark, a single moment when it all changed, and I realized, all these years, when a buddy — not named Bubba — would launch into a tale of improbable proportions and derring-do, usually on his part — when the recounted story concluded with the phrase, “True story?” I realized that it was a story, and as a story, it was true. As far as married to the facts? Yeah, that’s suspect. As Aries wends along? Married to the facts? Maybe not so much. Still, I wouldn’t lie to a 6-year old. True story. Think along those lines, Aries, true story. Happy birthday, too.

Taurus

There’s a kind of frustration, kind of angst-driven urgency and then, this is all tempered with a sense of, well, “Are you sure about that?” Yes, I’m sure. No, that’s not what I meant. It’s about that sense that we’re absolutely sure about one question, but at the last minute, there’s seeds of doubt, questions, one last point that wasn’t quite considered. Just a point. Just another piece of the puzzle that isn’t considered. Or was it? Didn’t we cover that? Maybe? Maybe not. Or, again, maybe we did think about that, did you check the notes? The constant back and forth, especially at the crucial last minute?

Welcome to the hardcore Mars in Gemini, and what that means for Taurus. It’s that last minute, wait, I think this might be an emergency, looking at a phone and thinking, “Unknown number, might be the call I was waiting on…” Then, with that, there’s the usual, “You’ve been pre-selected to receive this offer…” Wasn’t an emergency, wasn’t that critical piece of data, and we still, in Taurus land, don’t know what to do, not for sure. I think, maybe, we should move ahead right here. The Gemini thing will last for a while, and with that influence? Just plunge ahead, and hope for the best.

Gemini

Over the years, as I’ve aged, I learned, in a not-so-comfortable manner, to curb some of my reckless abandon. Moving in a manner that is without caution? Stumbling, clawing my way forward, over obstacles, and through the brambles of everyday life’s epic moments? Blundering forward, as it were? Leaves me scratched, bleeding, and a bit of a mess. I had some scratches on my knee, not more than surface wounds, just where some gravel had scrapped the topmost layer of skin off, and it was bloody. Didn’t even really hurt that much, just messy. I didn’t realize I was leaking blood until I stepped onto the tile floor, and the red showed up in my footsteps. I can save your Gemini self such discomfort, even now. Curb the enthusiasm. Actually? Don’t curb the enthusiasm, but before you plunge, head-first into that project, action, or adventure? Maybe look both ways before you cross the street. Maybe push the brambles apart before trying to claw our Gemini way through the mess. Any kind of a pause to ascertain the direction? Any kind of a pause to plan? Helps reduce real — or metaphorical — blood loss.

Cancer

For 20 years or more, I used airport codes as city designations. For example, I started writing this horoscopes in San Antonio, SAT, but I was in Austin, AUS, when I got around to finishing it and posting it. Varies. A dozen years backwards, or even further, I lived out of a suitcase, backpack really, and I was gone most weekends. Made sense at the time. However, over the intervening years, my travels and travails are pretty much restricted to just local traffic. The Dallas-Ft. Worth corridor to Austin then San Antonio, down to Corpus Christi as a gateway to the Gulf Coast, DFW to DAL to AUS and SAT, then onward. Shorthand designations that work for me, or did, for years and years. Should include MAF and ELP alongside those routing designations. As styles, transportation, business demands, and the whims of the fates have changed? I might just add a postscript to my daily and weekly postings, a suitable airport designation to show my location when I posted the piece. I’m not real interested in combing through near 30 years of material, trying to ascertain my point on the planet, but as an interesting, unrelated note? I’ll post this one from Austin. Two points: do you really want to crawl through 20 or more years of work to add three letter designations? (Probably not). Is this useful data, moving forward? (Probably not). From those two points, should you think before you undertake a task like this?

“It’ll be easy; won’t take long at all.”

The Leo

Looking for the correct term, as applied to The Leo? French cooking phrase, mise en place, I think. Looked it up once, and it was about having everything in its place before starting to cook. This is about order and structure. Coming into the current situations, I’ll guess that there isn’t much order in the The Leo’s realm. That’s a problem. When it comes to putting everything back in its place, who better than your royal self? You know where you want it, you know how you want it arranged, and you, well, know what’s best. Therefore, follow my logic, the best person to arrange or rearrange this mess? It’s up to you. The way I thought that made this all and better, more clean? French phrase, mise en place. Sounds better in French. Everything in its place before we start.

Virgo

I got two theories about this, and the first thought was, “Virgo: change just for the sake of change doesn’t accomplish any goals.” However, I tweaked the Mercury shift and thought about it a little, and there’s a metaphysical understanding, plus the Marie what’s-her-name bible, that sometimes, just changing it up helps shift the energies. Part of it is good, sometimes a little change, or more likely, a little tidying up — goes a long way to helping. It’s about shifting and flipping those priorities, and about making tiny but significant alterations to way things are so that things can be better. I want things better for Virgo, but you knew that, right? To make things better, a little change, maybe not a wholesale shift, but just a little change would help. Careful, though, there is always the “Change just for the sake of change,” and that doesn’t always have the net results you’re looking for.

Libra

Step to one side. It’s a simple gesture in, and of itself. Step to one side, my dear Libra friend. Just off to one side or the other. Doesn’t much matter, left, right, little to the front, off at 30 degrees to one side, step back, or even just take half a step back. Doesn’t much matter. It’s that stepping to one side notion that helps with this week’s planetary array of energies. Ton of good stuff, a little uncomfortable material, and a way to navigate forward? Step to one side. It’s a simple gesture, itself, and one that’s not too challenging for Libra, but as an answer? Just getting out of the way of the material that seems to come hurtling towards you? That solves the problem, well, doesn’t solve the problem but provides a moment’s break where we can think of the right answer. The right solution, the right way to deal with what’s wrong, and the easiest way to get there, from where we’re at, at this very moment? Just step to one side. Not really ducking as much as merely moving out of the way.

Scorpio

There is a distinct lack of patience in Scorpio. This can be so good, so very, very good if you are patient enough. The problem as I see it? Not a typical Scorpio characteristic but hidden in this week’s stars, there’s a certain elusive, airy sensibility that responds in haste. Rash, quick, faster than usual, all of that. I suppose, if one was in a race, then being faster would be better, and being the fastest would be the best. This isn’t a race. This is Scorpio, and my little Scorpion friends need to remember to slow it down. Or, more important, don’t react to the first set of stimulations. There will be more. Largely, this is a function of Mars — in Gemini — in the Scorpio location, so it’s weirder than just plain weird. There is an ongoing temptation to jump first, and then think about building parachute on the way down. Not a typical Scorpio trait, but one that is prevalent, now. And, just as a side note, not always a good idea. Works for some us, but even now? Maybe don’t make a move until you’ve double-checked everything.

Sagittarius

Two examples come to mind, for me. One is a single ‘Golden Age’ science fiction novel, purportedly written in three weeks. The other is the annual November exercise, National Write a Novel month. Both are examples of novel-length exercises completed in short frames of time. In part, that would be what this is about, completing a longer project, with some silent Sagittarius suffering, the simplest example I can think of is a novel-length manuscript. I’ve done several. Some less than stellar successes, but as an exercise wherein I bump nouns into verbs, repeatedly, it works. I’m still struggling to find that good novel within me, and now is a good time for me, or any Sagittarius to tackle that simple, longer-termed kind of undertaking. 1/12th of the population isn’t going to write a novel in the next week, but maybe some of us will think about how to get that one story we’ve been trying to tell, figure a way to get that tale told. Time to look at cleaning up the message we’re all trying to tell, maybe just a note to ourselves.

Capricorn

Cornbread and greens are a Southern dish, mostly. Two specific places come to my mind when I think of “cornbread and greens,” and of the two? Old South Austin was the best. Chopped up collard greens, then some squares of cornbread. Used to be a coffee place, and in the afternoon, warm spring afternoon, the minced up and steamed beyond recognition greens, then some cornbread to sop up the juices, and finally, strong black coffee to wash it all down? Perfect kind of answer. Seriously cheap, plate of food cost less than the fancy coffee drinks. While this is, in my mind, a truly Southern affectation? That doesn’t stop it from being a beacon and herald of what is best for Capricorn. Think: it’s cheap (very inexpensive); it’s plentiful (filling); it’s healthy (relatively); and it’s emotionally satisfying (comfort food). Got a check list now, fill it out as your location decrees.

Aquarius

There’s a mean spirit to some humor. That thin line that divides “funny, ha-ha” from, “oh man, that’s just sick?” That line between the humorous and the painful gets narrower and narrower as the week, weekend, then next week all unfold. There’s the sense that the sarcasm might be a little too caustic. Cuts too close to the bone, and while I’ll find it wryly amusing, I’m not Aquarius, and as such, I don’t have an emotional — a psychic — investment in the humor. The cause, in as much as I can blame anything? Mostly watching the phase of the moon played against a backdrop of current events. It’s weird, and if we’re not careful, this kind of energy can push Aquarius a little too close to the edge. The April First humor gets subsumed by a greater kind of angst-flavored anxiety. It will pass, soon enough, but the sensations at the moment tend to make humor, usually a useful crutch, a little unwieldy, and oftentimes, the response to our quips? “Oh man, really?”

Pisces

There’s now a generation who doesn’t get the simple reference, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” Wizard of Oz? Buelller? Nothing? I get a groan and a loud roll of the eyes from some corners, but no, not a lot of interaction. Either I’m too old, the expression is too trite, or the allusions have lost their referential value. However, like me, Pisces has a solid allusion, a point of reference, and, like me, the referent misses most of its target audience. Or what we presume to be the target audience. We’re all a little lost at sea, for the moment. Fortunately, for Pisces, being lost at sea, and the ruler of the seas? Plus the ruler of your sign? Neptune. Navigate with Neptune. Perhaps the lost allusion is merely a springboard for longer material, and further discussion, as we try to navigate forward.

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