Horoscopes for 9–23–2021
“All this I speak in print, for in print I found it. Why muse you, sir? ’Tis dinner-time.”
- Speed in Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona (2.i.118)
The sun enters the Tropical Zodiac Sign of Libra on Sept 22, a little before 3 PM (local). Mercury is essentially stationary most of the week, going “officially” retrograde around the 26th near midnight.
99-cent bookstore — including the Portable Mercury Retrograde…
Libra
No new negotiations. Simply put, just no new negotiations about working with others. Or, for that matter, about just about anything. The challenge is that one, or more, situations come up for discussion, and this isn’t the right time to try and negotiate a better deal. “Look, look, they are $1.50 each, but he’ll sell me three for $5!” Do the math. It’s just a simple calculation. See how this works? Happy birthday, but go easy.
Scorpio
“Follow your heart; it can never lead you astray.” What bunch of — malarkey? Baloney? Other terms that are less destined for print media? Yeah, “Follow your heart,” is not good advice at the moment. Love me some Scorpio, and I openly admire the tenacity the sign has, but no. “The heart wants what the heart wants?” More misleading information. No, the heart is usually right, but not right now. The heart, at this moment is beguiling, but maybe interested in a situation that would be fun, amusing, but ultimately, not a good idea. Maybe a good idea, but not a good choice?
The heart, the usual Scorpio heart of hearts is not easily mislead, and I’m one for never toying with a Scorpio heart because I know better. However, me knowing better, and the way the planets don’t line up at the moment? “But my heart is always right? Follow my heart’s desire,” and all the rest of that? I’m just saying, before too long, you’ll realize that matters are not as they appear to be, and your Scorpio heart? I don’t want to see it broken.
Sagittarius
At some point, in everyone’s life, we have all fallen for a scammer. Some dream, some peddler of impossible merchandise, the person selling an impossible scenario, and yes, we all think we can buy in, and get rich quick. To be sure, this kind of fraudulent activity comes in many different guises from slightly shady, to full-on illegal. Comes in many different stripes. The pattern and the patter is similar. As a typical Sagittarius myself, I can be honest enough to say I’ve bought into that dream, believed the hype, and parted with hard-earned money, on rare occasions. Even me, I get duped occasionally. Not as often, and I am way more circumspect these days, and therein is the weekly reminder as we approach this Mercury in Retrograde period. It spells out a time when we are willing to believe, even though we know that it might not, isn’t, or won’t come through. Still, we pony up our cash for the dream, desperately wanting to believe. Here’s the thing, sweet Sagittarius, I’m warning you. Us. All of us. When we see this coming, the sharp-depressed person with the smooth lines? Can’t say I didn’t suggest we look beneath the veneer to see what’s there, real or imagined.
Capricorn
The concupiscent Capricorn mind? Mars in Libra, Venus in Scorpio, briefly oppose Uranus in Taurus. Filled with desire and yet? One wonders if there really is an appropriate outlet for this kind of energy, and what god would create a world in which this would play out like this?
Really, does speak to the belief system wherein there is pantheon of odds gods, and they are all having a good laugh at the poor, miserable Capricorn experience — at this time. Not always bad, but this is the proverbial “All dressed up and nowhere to go” time, isn’t it?
Aquarius
Regroup, reassess, and then make a plan to make a plan. Just a simple way to see it, but after I looked at it, then looked again, I realized that there is a way through this mess. Make a plan to reassess the situation, and make a new plan. Then, after you regroup, and get the new plan’s material together, and you realize that there is a problem with the new plan? Stop and assess the direction again. This approaching Mercury Retrograde isn’t one to fear, but understand that the longer you take to circumnavigate, or circumvent, or encircle the problems? Think that actual routes will vary. “No, this is a linear route!” No, actually, it’s not linear, it just appears linear at the beginning and then? There will be twists and turns. “But I was going to be so simple!” Yeah, and your Aquarius self believed that? With the way things are going? Yeah, just remember, regroup, reassess. Then? Then make a new plan. And when that doesn’t work as well as you wanted? Make a new plan.
Pisces
Coastal fishing, especially in September? The worst of the summer heat is off, and I’ll be brown from repeated summer exposure to sun. Makes for an exceptional time to fish, at least, by my standards. Think that’s kind of the clue, good fishing. There’s another part to this, though, as last year, maybe the year before, we were out in September, mid-September, and my buddy had been on the water, like maybe a half-dozen times during July/August. So the tackle, the fishing line, the stuff that connects the bait to the fisherman, and the stuff that reels in the fish? Some of that material was frayed. Old, tired, worn out. It was new at the beginning of the summer, but by September, it was worn out. “I meant to replace that, but the weather is perfect, and the reds are running…” So, first trip out, mid-September, I hook up a decent fish, and start to reel her in, and then, the line breaks. It’s called “fishing,” not called “catching,” not every time. Realizing the problem is the old fishing line, and knowing that there was a spool of fresh line right there? I paused long enough to change the line on that reel. Then, with a flurry of activity, I had to grab a different pole, and I lost another fish. I can be upset, or I can learn from my mistakes. Like Pisces, even now? Get upset or learn from the mistakes? My buddy, let’s understand, he’s been out most weekends for the last month or so, and that makes it understandable that he hasn’t really had time to replace the line on the poles, because, well, it was new at the beginning of the summer season. As a Pisces-compliant person, I know that you understand that you can try and check that stuff before you start fishing, or, you can pause long to replace the line on every pole when you understand the mistake. It’s really just a Mercury thing, no need to be upset.
Aries
I consider this a week-long, astrological “hangover.” Doesn’t look like there are any substances abused, at all. If there are substances, like recovering from an overnight over-indulgence? Got too drunk, and have a splitting headache? Yeah, you have no one to blame but yourself. However, for the rest of Aries? “Astrological hang-over.” The planets make weird promises, and then, the promise and delivery sometimes don’t quite match-up. Sometimes, they aren’t even related.
“Do shots of tequila, then you can dance!”
Has that ever worked out well? The problem with our modern times, everyone with a phone that records video? There is hardcore, empirical evidence that hard liquor exponentially decreases one’s ability to dance. No judgement, here, just a casual observation. And now? We’re all stuck with the remnants of the party, here, in Aries. “Astrological hang-over.” The solution is to either have a nip, a little “Hair of the dog,” or abstinence. One, or the other, and drink plenty of water. Only way we’ll make it through this particular Mercury Retrograde, astrological hang-over stuff. Yeah, drink plenty of water. Stay hydrated.
Taurus
Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a special play, in my heart. I watched one version, over a pub, almost like an attic space, one evening, a long time ago. Mercury in apparent retrograde brings up long dormant memories. After the sparsely attended show, we caught a tube ride towards the house, and happened upon most of the performers from the play. They were enjoying themselves, but they were also in a rush to get the play over with because the last train out of the city (City of London) that evening was, like 11 PM. Had to finish the performance, pack up, wipe off the minimal make-up, and hoof it over to the tube. The conclusion had a rushed a finish. Still, that is one of the most remarkable performances I’ve ever seen — what was lacking in staging, more than made up for by the exuberance of the performers. What I was thinking about, though, was how the pacing of the performance was ratcheted up a notch, speeded up, the outside influence being the train schedule. When was the last underground scheduled so the lads could make it home? Really exceptional performance, and not seriously marred by the double-time last act. Two schedules are colliding in Taurus, the train and the end of the show, or the end of the performance. My suggestion, given where Mercury is? Start earlier.
Gemini
“So let me get this straight, I’m just pretty much screwed for the foreseeable future?” Yeah, that’s it in a concise form. Mercury, retrograde in a compatible air sign, for Gemini, that spells trouble. Simply put, the usual warnings should be in place by the end of the week, as noted. You know, the usual Mercury is Retrograde guidelines. Seems like I’m always reinventing the same material, but it spells out a simple framework that — over the years — proves effective. Nothing new. Review previously revised material. Double-check everything you just double-checked. Sure as can be, I’ll make one last look at the horoscopes before they publish, and then, there will two small errors that crept through, despite being corrected. Gemini, sign of the Twins? Double-check what you already double-checked.
Cancer
“Popcorn” ceilings were an architectural feature, and quite the rage, many years back. In the interim, at least one buddy of mine has made a fortune removing the material and then painting the ceilings a better color. Or the current trendy color, bereft of the textured look. It’s an apparently complicated process to do it correctly, partially wetting the existing material, scraping, and this is on the ceiling, so it is all falling down, into hair, eyes, just messy. Still, I liked the original idea of the popcorn ceiling as there was a certain sound dampening that the dated feature provided. It’s an acoustical side-benefit, and one that I would weigh against the feature’s removal, which would be better? Look cooler, but suffer with the “empty room echo,” or just give the stuff — that popcorn ceiling — a coat of paint, and let it stay? I lived in a loft for years, and it was concrete floors, walls, and ceilings, a converted industrial warehouse, so I know echo. That hollow, tin-like, old time telephone sort of noise. Where I live now, one room still has that popcorn ceiling. Mercury’s first blush of retrograde action? “Let’s redo the room!” Ah, but cooler heads will eventually prevail, maybe not this week, but soon enough? Maybe in a month? Maybe in a month, it would be a better idea to just slap a coat of pain on that stuff instead of the unmitigated mess of having to call up my buddy to remove the popcorn. Besides, for recording? Better with that old-school crap on the ceiling.
Leo
Mercury Retrograde affects communications, local travel, and typically? Electronics. For the foreseeable Leo future? This one is most likely about communications. You give a perfectly acceptable Leo direct verbal order, and that message gets scrambled, mixed up, remixed, or just garbled beyond recognition.
Shrug. “It happens, you know?” The best way to deal with this, first off, I put the messages all in writing, as that serves me better, then, I try reading those message aloud, and then, as I’ve discovered, people can take the same message and twist around its meaning.
However, that’s not always possible, but some sort of notes, some sort of outline, some framework, and maybe, rehearse the most important bits? Never hurts to say it aloud, in private, first, just to make sure it sounds the way you want it to sound. Nothing like a little Mercury action to mess up some silly, easy-to-follow Leo command.
Virgo
It’s a vicious mental exercise. Born out of years of observation, and listening, the trick, the question, the way to deal with what is about to unfold? Compare and despair? The cycle gets worse as this retrograde pattern unfolds, the “compare and despair” cycle. Old, I think this was some Buddhist preamble, but the greatest source of discomfort comes from longing. Wanting something you ain’t got? That cycle, in itself, can’t completely break that, but to piggyback on that thought, think I got it wrong, but to piggyback on it? Compare and despair? My job, as the guy looking at the star chart at the moment? My job? I’ll remind you not to “Compare and Despair.” There’s a strong suggestion that you will start doing that, and there’s the notion that no good will come of the time spent comparing your inner Virgo thoughts with what you see on the outside of others. Mercury stationary then retrograde? There is no place for that kind of thinking, not now.
“Attachment is the root of all suffered growing.”
Don’t think that’s it, either, but the idea holds up.
