Horoscopes for 7-1-2021

(Drum afar off.)

Hark, hark, the Dauphin’s drum, a warning bell,
Sings heavy music to thy timorous soul,
And mine shall ring thy dire departure out.

(Exit with others above.)

• General of the French in Shakespeare’s Henry 6 pt. 1 4.2.39-41

Cancer

Last week, the existential angst question, “Do it because it is good for you, or do it because it feels good?” The answer, in case you’re too lazy to review last week’s scope in its entirety? Do it because it is good for you. So, to provide a really adequate answer? This is a week, happy birthday to the “American” birthdays, and moving forward, be careful out there. Maybe, “out there” isn’t where you want to be. When I lived in Austin, along its fabled and storied riverfront, I could watch the annual July 4th Fireworks display out my back door. When I lived in downtown San Antonio, I could watch the Tower light up, July 4th. While I’m nowhere near anyplace that lights up like that, the concept of not having to leave the house to enjoy the many splendors of the post summer-solstice party? Best idea yet, and, in a way, is an answer to the angst-driven question from a few weeks back. “So there.”

Leo

Make nice. Venus and Mars are currently frying in your sign, and that means? Simply put? “Make nice.” There’s a disconcerting, unsettling energy that opens with this horoscope, at first, Mars fills out an uncomfortable “T-Cross” with Saturn and Uranus. Saturn is 12° Aquarius and Uranus is 13° Taurus, and Mars starts out at 12° of The Leo. What it means?

“Make nice.” As time goes on, it gets easier and easier, but at first? It’s more difficult for The Leo to make nice, which is why, at this point, the most important action, charitable or not? “Make nice.” It will get easier to do this, as the week gets longer and unfolds unto next week, and we get into true party mode, but the clearest effort? In order to keep everything in order? “Make nice.”

“But I always make nice” says The Leo.

(Except when they piss you off or fall short of your expectations, but for now?)

Virgo

I’ve got two Virgo examples. One could not be happier with the given set of conditions, rushing around, trying to fix everything. It’s a Virgo dream come true! So much to fix! So much to clean up! Details, “I love the smell of cleaning solvent in the morning!” More details! “This is epic!” Problems that only a decent Virgo can fix? Sure, that works. That’s the one example. The other, pause and think about the exact opposite, same conditions, same set of circumstances, same energy, only, the other kind of Virgo? Starts with a strong, possibly rudely worded epithet. Perhaps a hand gesture or two. Then comes a list. It can be written, or typed, or scratched out on any number of surfaces, one which might be a Virgo brain, and another one might be carved into the flesh of anyone too close, but the list? Same list as the first Virgo, same tasks. Same task list, depends on whether this is joyful, or not.

Libra

Details are not always a Libra strength. To this day, I still recall my archetype Libra, my father, claiming he was an idea person. Which he was, in his way. Regrettably, real life in Libra land demand an attention to details, now, more so than before. Little, niggling issues, can be as simple as a picture frame that is slightly askew. Can be as simple as the front step that needs to be swept off. None of this has to be a big deal, but the problem we’re facing, together, here in our group effort? Getting the chore, the task, the simple goal? Getting it done. All the way. Taking that action. Yes, I understand that we like ideas, and we like the notion of directing everyone else, and managing the situation from a managerial standpoint, but this requires action. “A little less conversation, and a little more action?” As the song goes?

Scorpio

Over the years, I developed a style, a methodology, of working that serves me well. I’ll pass along the framework to my dear Scorpio friends, as a tool to face these uncertain times. I have my main “work” thing in front of me. I hit a stopping point, an obstacle I cannot surmount. I stop and shift to the next item on my list of “work” things that must be addressed. One overworked expression, “Stick a pin in it and we’ll circle back, later.” Yeah, sure, whatever. I just move to the next item on the list. Scorpio: when you hit that obstacle, that blockade, that insurmountable opposition to your forward progress on that one (thing)? Stop. Move to the next item on the list. “But, what if item 2 depends on item 1?” Always a smart-ass Scorpio somewhere. Do I have to spell it out? Then move on to item 3, because, obviously, the second item is really more like 1B rather than 2. If it can’t be done right now with avaiable Scorpio resrouces, then skip it. Move to the next available task that can be accomplished. What happens, over time, like even in the next week, holidays be damned, skipping down to the next available? That frees up the necessary resources to go back to that one we skipped when we hit a stopping point. Not so insurmountable, now. Next?

Sagittarius

Some days, doing nothing is the best way forward. “But this is big problem, and we must fix it right now!” Yes. No. Yes it is a big problem, and no, we don’t have to fix anything that we can’t fix, and especially, not now. Holidays. Make merry. Middle of the long, hot summer, fraught with issues and so forth, but exactly what can we fix? Nothing. No matter how hard we try, our collective Sagittarius wits cannot effectively change the situation. Since we can’t fix this? Some days? Doing nothing is the best way forward.

Capricorn

I’m not sure how I became the family “go-to” guy for questions about tech stuff. White, male? Think that’s part of it? Turns out I’m not always the best, but there’s a certain kind of process that I’m used to, especially when walking through a tech problem. I’ll start at the top, and work backwards through the problem. Then, too, there’s enough technology that I’ve long-mastered, and I’ve made most of the mistakes, so maybe that’s confused with prowess.

Look: I’ve made these mistakes, repeatedly, learn from my pain and suffering.

Part of this is being patient with technical questions, and anyone who suggests that “There are no stupid questions,” please let me refer my immediate family and their tech issues to you. We’ll see. But then, too, there’s the notion that I have some kind of magical power. Not true. What I can suggest, because a similar kind of energy unfolds in Capricorn? Start at the problem, and systematically work backwards towards a solution. The biggest hurdle you’ll face? Taking this one little tiny step at a time.

Aquarius

“If they would just change, then it would be okay.” Sounds familiar? Sounds like what this week starts with? Fireworks and all, but seriously, for Aquarius? Hint: other people don’t change — ever. What we can do, in Aquarius land? We can understand, inasmuch as we would like the other folks to bend to our will, the other folks probably won’t, and since they won’t do what we know is best for them? They will suffer accordingly. In the meantime? Stay out of the way. Well, stay out of the way as best you can. I know you’re right, you know you’re right. That’s two of us, and if there’s only one other person, that makes us a majority, but, regrettably, that might not be how this works. “But if they would listen to me,” and guess what? They probably won’t, not now. Wait for it? Yes, wait for it. Have a safe a 4th.

Pisces

For a while, I was obsessed with various graphic displays, nothing more than a catalog, of various program covers for Shakespeare plays. Movie posters, local drama groups, international stage versions, there’s quite an array of material available. Makes for a valid touch point for me, reminding me of what’s in the play, the central elements, and seeing how a graphic artist would tease those pieces out in visual display. Some of the covers of the programs are really works of art unto themselves. Some are simple, some are lurid, some are arcanly erotic in a way that doesn’t trip the censor’s eye. All sort of depends. In part, this is a way to satisfy my own yearning for a little high art in my life. In part, it tickles the fancy I’ve got for academic crap surrounding Shakespeare’s work. However, with a little analysis, there’s always the sense that a production of a play gets a slightly different look at the way the words are interpreted. The covers, sometimes a movie poster, those images can spell that out. Little visual thumbnails of the large-format images, technically? Just “graphic arts,” or commercial art, but less technical? Great works of art because it puts a spin, a bias, one the information. Which is what this is about, putting the Pisces spin on what’s there.

Aries

Simple, easy expression to help understand this week’s weirdness? “Follow the rules.” More than one Aries will explain to me, as if I was slow with a mental condition that didn’t allow me to onboard information in reasonable manner, one Aries explains, “We always follow the rules!” There’s a secondary commentary underneath that first Aries comment, about my lack of intellectual capacity, or my parentage, or any number of other improbable, possibly physically impossible, situations. Or what I can do with myself. Still, the suggestion stands. What I’ve seen, in this exact same position, “I never break the rules, but it was kind of a gray area?” Wasn’t anything “grey” about it, clearly crossed that boundary between “right” and “wrong.” You know what I’m talking about? Broke the rules. Results? Not good, might've been fun for a little while, enjoyable, but no, didn’t work out. So? Simple easy expression to help this week — specifically for Aries? “Follow the rules.” That means all of them and not just the spirit of the law, but the letter of it, too.

Taurus

One fishing guide I had the pleasure of working with? He embodies the best answer to this week’s Taurus riddle, and for me? I wouldn’t bother trying to fish this week. Too many holiday weekend warriors, too much traffic on the lakes and at the coast. But thinking about it, sure. And thinking about that one guide? Boat gets parked in the right spot, and then he’ll toss a line in the water. If there's no action on the line in the water, he’ll open up a cooler, pull out a partially frozen bag of discarded fish parts, and he’ll start chopping the bigger pieces into smaller, bite-sized chunks. “Fish or cut bait.” So either he has a fishing pole in his hand, or he has the filet knife, running it over a worn-out whetstone, then slicing larger pieces of fish flesh into smaller pieces. Fish or cut bait, like my buddy.

Gemini

Try a different font. It’s that simple. No, nothing is ever that simple for Gemini, but in this example, and moving through this next week? Try a different font. Maybe not even a different size, just a different family, or different name, or a different typeface, but I tend to — incorrectly — refer to them all as “fonts” now. But try a different one, using Helvetica? Try a variant of Times. Using a Google font? Try one that’s not listed with the giant. Traditional typesetting was variations on Times, now Times-Roman, san-serif headlines and tight, serif-copy, underneath. Having a weblog motor off to the side, always afforded me a chance to play with display, and learn more than I really thought I wanted to know about digital ink and typefaces on a screen. Turns out, what works in printed form, largely transfers straight across to more fluid web media. I can change fonts with a few simple clicks. While I tend to stick to traditional on the main site, I can afford to play around and try more stylized type, elsewhere. Which I’ve done, from time to time, and what’s aesthetically pleasing isn’t always the clearest and easiest to read. Which brings us right back to where we were to start, for Gemini: try a different font. You can do this on phones, tablets, computers, or any other digital e–reader, but try a different type. or font, whatever you want to call it.

astrofish.net/travel for appearances