Horoscopes for 5-20-2021

Why, this it is to trust a broken staff:
Had we not been persuaded, John our King
Would with his army have relieved the town,
We had not stood upon defiance so:
But now ’tis past that no man can recall,
And better some do go to wrack them all.

First French Captain in Shakespeare’s Edward III 4.2.85

The Sun enters the tropical zodiac sign of Gemini on May 20, around 2:37 PM local time. Whee! You know what’s coming, right?

Gemini

I started “broadcasting,” most near 20 years ago. I discovered that I could live-stream with a camera, and — back then — bandwidth was expensive? It was a doable project. Remnants of that are still on the site someplace. More recently, video chat is now ubiquitous. I toyed with a DIY “Green Screen,” especially with some of my earlier production work. Struck me as the way to go, but I couldn’t decide on a background. One buddy pulled together a ham-fisted, cartoon-like graphic for me, dinosaur, great ape, bazooka, and shoulder-fired rock-propelled-grenade. While his imagination is laudable, I don’t think the images convey the correct message, and frankly, Gemini, I’m not sure what that message was. I default to a simple background that is nothing more than a wall of books on a shelf, behind me, because that’s where it is easiest for me to work. Standing at my desk, looking at one of a several camera devices, it is just easier for me. No mess, no fuss, and no worries about production values. The books in the background are books I’ve read, some classics, some astrology, and some tawdry best-sellers. Happy Gemini time, and don’t get caught up trying to pull together something that is a cover, as it might not portray the exact nature of the Gemini — in other words? No “green screen” backgrounds. Mars played off against the Sun/Moon, then Venus/Mercury? No time for Twin trickery. (Not a good time for attempted Twin Trickery?)

Cancer

Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with, maybe, a half-dozen editors. Copy editors are a favorite for me, as they catch all those mistakes, and we can argue the finer points of grammar, especially the way my grammar plays out with spelling choices, my East Texas accent, and my fat fingers. Bad fingers, don’t always type the words they are supposed to type. That’s what editors catch. Then, too, I’m highly stylized. Not by choice, just sort of happened that way, and how I wish I had a good editor — now. Mars, in The Sign of the Moon Children, the Tropical Zodiac Sign of Cancer, makes haste. Makes for hasty decisions, and incomplete thoughts, and sometimes? There are days, weeks even, when this material coming from Cancer really needs an editor. I’ve long-lamented the auto-correct, grammar-checking machines as those are good, and great guidelines, but those are merely guides. I do, less often these days, but I do find incorrect attributions and suggestions in the inline, online grammar-checkers. While it is momentary fun to find a typo in someone else’s book, or point where the built-in grammar thing is obviously incorrect, favoring style over proper usage? Gets to be annoying. Grammar is important, as is proper punctuation, both of which I’ve abused greatly. The upside is always been I don’t have to worry about anyone stealing my stuff, because there are only so many Shakespeare-quoting, classically-trained, bass-fishing, astrology writers. Narrow field. Again, that last one will choke an online editor. Which is back to what I was thinking about for Cancer, and with what’s happening? You need an editor. Someone to read the material before you hit send. Computerized, software-driven grammar checkers are good, but this requires a live person. At least? Get someone else’s “eyeballs” on it before you hit “send.”

The Leo

I get scared when I use the term, “religion.” However, that’s a word that carries a heightened emotional charge, and it doesn’t matter one’s beliefs. Or lack of beliefs, or whatever. Church, spiritualism, just “good, orderly direction,” I’ve seen number of ways to approach this. But the easiest way to encapsulate the meaning of the near future for The Leo? Get clear on the concept of religion, and its extension, a religious experience. The terms vary, and I’m loathe to use that expression, “religious experience,” but as a way to interpret what’s happening, and what’s going to happen? This can be a sudden, in the moment, a self-realization, or it can be a gradual dawning that something, some aspect of The Leo Life shifted, and that changed everything. Instead of getting worried or upset? Watch for this change. Change is good. “No! I like it the way it is!” Are you sure? This might be for the better, you know, just be aware this change is the underpinnings of what holds together the belief system, and that might be good.

Virgo

Lean in a little no, a little closer. I need to whisper this in your ear, I can’t say this very loudly. Not appropriate to shout it out, you know? So lean in, a little. One Virgo, “You’re a dirty old man, you’re just trying to see down my shirt, aren’t you?” No, not really, you look lovely, and in a younger form, I might be more moved by prurient interests, but no, I’m trying to keep this quiet. I think you’re the greatest, but right now? There’s a certain kind of attitude that doesn’t fly well with others. That’s why I was trying to whisper in your ear, rather than loudly announce, or even say it in a normal, conversational style, because other people — not Virgo people — might overhear the comment and take that the wrong way. “See? You were trying to peer down my shirt.” Again, if I wanted a view, oh, never mind. That’s the problem — we’re trying to tell you, in a quiet, indoor voice, not even a stage whisper, but a timorous tone, that you’re going to be OK. Taking our attempt at quiet discourse and spinning it into a conflagration. Slow it down, let me whisper in this year, you’re OK. It will work out.

Libra

“Ain’t a race, dude, ain’t a race.” Simple enough, right? I was thinking about a buddy’s kid, and the kid is fun, for me, as I can play, cajole, and right now, that child is still small enough to pick up, so it doesn’t matter. One day, he will be taller than me, and stronger than has daddy, so that child will be formidable. To say the least, and I’m betting on football quarterback who gets penalized beating on defensive line-man. But that’s just me. His mama says, “No football,” but you can see it in that kid’s eye. However, right now? I’m still much larger than him. Won’t be like that for long, but for the time being? I can still sprint quicker, by virtue of legs that are way longer than his, and I can still catch, run, jump, and throw further than him — for now. but in the bigger picture, have to remember, “This isn’t a race,” and that message seems really important to Libra with the disconcerting data floating freely. “Ain’t a race, dude, ain’t a race.”

Scorpio

A single, really useful way to deal with the current set of planetary (Solar/Lunar) changes, drifting down the Scorpio stream of life? Do nothing. Don’t engage. Instead of taking action, plan for inaction. Sometimes, doing nothing gets the big fish. Or a fish, anyway. It’s the simplest of examples, when a fish is tentatively nibbling on a bait, what really happens? Fish don’t have “hands” or even “feet,” per se, so what the fish does, to test if a food source, my bait, is any good? They look at it once, sniff, then pop it in their fish mouth. It’s a way of tasting the bait to see if it’s any good. One of the documentary-type shows, a nature show about fishing, showed that the fish stuck the bait in its mouth and sat there for a moment with no gesture. Smart fish. What we’re waiting for in Scorpio-world? We’re waiting until that fish picks up the bait, deems it good then tries to swim off with my bait. It’s a clean hook-set and dinner, or pictures, or both. But the trick? Wait for it. To modify the opposite of the story? Run off too fast, swing into Scorpio action too quickly? You’re like the fish, not the fisher-person. Wait for it.

Sagittarius

From the moment that the Sun gallops into Gemini? From that instant, almost, I feel better. I’m not Gemini, I don’t have a smidgen of Gemini in my chart, but the way it works with the Sun opposite from my Sagittarius parts? All that mutable energy, flowing around us, like sparks, like fireflies, like a gentle breeze on the lake’s surface, one afternoon when it’s been unseasonably warm. Out of my Sagittarius control, when this occurs. Out of our control, as to how this occurs, or what occurs. However, like that idea of gentle breeze, on an afternoon when it’s been just devilishly hot, that breeze is welcome respite. That welcome respite? Take it, whatever form is shows up as, there’s going to be mess of a few weeks ahead, and the best way to approach this? Take whatever relief blows our way.

Capricorn

Flip it around. It’s a simple notion. What’s more important to you, right now? Work? Play? Whichever one is more important? Flip it around and concentrate on the other. “Work: work is way more important!” While that’s a typical Capricorn conclusion, that might not be the situation, not at this moment. Therefore, flip around that set of Capricorn priorities, and make work, or play, whichever is not paramount at the moment? Make it the most important. “But I have to finish this so I can relax!” Sure, I get that, but in order to finish that, you have to be refreshed enough to tackle the project. Flip it around, whatever seems most pressing? Do the other thing, if only for a little while. One really lazy Capricorn rolls her eyes at me, but if she would spend a few minutes with career-stuff, work to some of us, she would reap amazing rewards. Just a little effort in the opposite direction.

Aquarius

For several years, I kept a long-sleeve, praire-camo-shaded T-shirt. Several, in fact. I don’t know what possessed me to buy them, I suppose I thought it was going to help when I fished certain bayou-like environments. I don’t hunt, not deer, not elk, not with a bow, so the real purpose of clothing like is completely lost on me. Still, there it was, year after year, hanging in my closet next to shirts that I do wear. Eventually, that shirt found its way to the “recycle” bag, and it was properly donated to a good charity who will use it. Or see that it gets distributed to those in need. In times like these? Approach of next week’s lunar phase? Realize that we got stuff to get rid of. If it needs further clarity? I tend towards Hawaiian Print shirts, Shakespeare T-Shirts, and otherwise basic black. Very simple set of patterns. Everything goes with everything. Think about jettisoning material that is older than, say, five years? Unused with no hope for a future with you? Set that material free, or, get ready to set it free.

Pisces

Once we get through this next weekend? There’s going to be tumultuous shaking in the Pisces world. Shake up, like rearranging priorities, or shake down, like having an old bill come up, and must be dealt with. Or a shaking can be the foundation of existence, the very nature of what you believe in, that can shift. It all varies. There’s not a single area that I can pinpoint, not without a close examination of the individual charts involved. But I can suggest that being prepared for this, in the next week, best course of action? Find an object, a belief, a single aspect of the foundation that gets shook up? Find a piece that your Pisces self can hold onto. Some piece of this is solid. I can’t tell, individually, which part of the foundational elements is most solid — that’s up to you to determine. But that’s the piece you want to hold onto for future reference.

Aries

There’s a very pregnant pause, and then there’s a headlong rush of incoming data. The easiest way for your Aries self to absorb that incoming data? Shut up. The biggest challenge with Mars where he is, at the moment? Learning — again — to keep your mouth shut. I am far from being a good example. I might be a bad example. I might be the perfect example of what not to do. When silence is golden, I’ll pause long enough to formulate an amusing and snarky answer to a question no one asked, then I’ll open my mouth with irrelevant words falling out. This usually doesn’t end well. The funny part to me, in this situation, is that an Aries will talk back to me, and point out how wrong I am, then carry that conversation onto the next person in line, consequently learning that I was right, that nothing is better than a well-placed pause. Silence? That’s even better. Doubt you’ll be able to do that, but it doesn’t matter, you know what I’m suggesting, and maybe it will help you temper thy mouth

Taurus

I’ve always been a big fan of folk remedies. There’s a whole canon of work derived from Shakespeare’s herbal concoctions, some of which are based in what was then science fact. To be even more curious, some of those historical folk remedies have a background in current science, as well. On the one side of this, there’s the unsubstantiated claims of the herbalists, and the other side of that, there’s conclusive evidence that certain herbal compounds contain healing chemicals in a more natural form.

Kind of split, here, but the way the week unfolds, there’s a simple solution to the single Taurus problem and to me, this looks like a herbal remedy, whether that’s a concoction from a compounding herbalist, Chinese Medicine, or off the spice rack at the grocery store — one of those. It’s actually simpler than you think, just, it’s unusual, that’s all. Not where you would normally look.

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