So cowards fight when they can fly no further,
So doves do peck the falcon’s piercing talons,
So desperate thieves, all hopeless of their lives,
Breathe out invectives ’gainst the officers.

Clifford in Shakespeare’s Henry 6.3 (1.4.40-4)

The Sun moves into the Tropical Zodiac Sign of Aquarius January 20, 2022. Mercury is retrograde in Aquarius, slipping back into Capricorn on January 26. Mercury turns direct February 3. Venus, in apparent retrograde motion, turns direct January 28.

New Moon in Aquarius, February 1, with the Full Moon February 15 (Leo/Aquarius).

Horoscopes for Aquarius 2022

So cowards fight when they can fly no further,
So doves do peck the falcon’s piercing talons,
So desperate thieves, all hopeless of their lives,
Breathe out invectives ’gainst the officers.

• Clifford in Shakespeare’s Henry 6.3 (1.4.40-4)

Aquarius

The combined actions of retrograde Mercury and retrograde Venus make a swamp-like soupy mixture. I think of it as a form of “mental compost.” In numerous places I’ve lived, I always bemoan the fact that I couldn’t have a right and proper “compost pit,” which, as it is stands now, is more like a plastic container filled with sticks, stems, dead leaves, and coffee grounds. A few tea bags, too. The organic compost is great filler. I tend to not use it as a garden starter, as I also add shredded documents, and I’m unsure of the provenance of the ink. Shredded mass mailings are great for some things, like compost. My compost though, is just an example. This time is about Aquarius mental compost, and what you are going to do with it. There are coffee grounds from yesterday, day before, leftovers that turned into a source of mold in the ice box, and finally, some dirt on the bottom that we don’t know where it came from. Don’t much care. There’s a leftover roast-chicken, I think the bird was a chicken, carcass picked clean, and then set loose in the compost. In the warmer months, I opened up the lid, and looked down to see the worms, bugs, some amorphous mass, churning away at whatever essentially organic compounds are there, turning it all into rich loam. From this fertile yet totally disgusting source, the mental compost of Aquarius? That’s where the next seasons growth will start. Until we get passed that New Moon, Feb. 1, and the end of the retrogrades? Time to pile that stuff up and let it ferment.

Pisces

Among my witch friends? “A circle of salt will always protect you.” Just common sense amongst the enlightened, metaphysical, and holistic community. It’s really a “witch” thing. However, looking at the way Venus and Mercury are treating poor, poor Pisces? Back in the bad, old days, live show, I was seated next to another male, in a largely female environment, and that one guy was known as a predator. I don’t know that for a fact, but he was creepy, and he gave me the willies. I did not like being seated next to him, often as not, guilt by association. I went into the hotel’s kitchen area, the breakfast bar, spilled a little salt into my hand, and then, quietly, made a circle around my assigned table — the other guy wasn’t even in the room at the time. I sat down, ready for work. The guy shows back up with a trolly full of cards, tablecloths, signage, and so forth? He looks at me, looks at his assigned table, then drags it a dozen feet further away, as if he was recoiling from a perceived source of irritation. I had a great weekend. Circle of salt, real, or imagined? There’s another version, one of my hard-drinking buddies up in Austin, “Circle of salt? I get it! Salt on the rim of margarita glass?” Two ways this goes, but both are accurate examples of how a circle of salt can aid and protect my gentle Pisces friends in the coming month. This can be a simple, physical barrier, like I did in the hotel room, years ago, or it could be like my buddy’s margarita — I stay well away from him after he’s had more than two, guess that circle of salt works.

Aries

Periodically, I’ll text my sister and ask her, “What’s Latin for fruit fly?” Patiently, the first few times, but over the years, it gets to be an aggravation, her older brother refuses to learn, Drosophila melanogaster. That’s the most common form of fruit fly, and its uses are as a simple, living organism that be used for basic biological research. In her college years, she earned a degree in “something-biology.” Her number one subject, for a few years, was that common fruit fly, the basic building block of biology, and what works. Or doesn’t work, whatever the question is. For me, in South Texas, even in the winter? I’ll get an occasional drosophilia melanogaster in the kitchen. One flew into my morning coffee. I wasn’t happy. However, that was a special, personal blend of fragrant and aromatic light roast combined with a few super-dark and oily Italian roast. When I get my special mix just right? I can taste both the light and dark flavors, perfectly mixed. While mixing beans like that is an anathema to coffee purists, over the years, I’ve discovered that some change, some middle ground, some kind of blend works best. I can still tease out the flavors from the darker roast, but lighter makes the solution feel less intimidating. When I get it right, it’s perfect — and it doesn’t aggravate my stomach. So when the fruit fly landed in my coffee, other morning? Cold winter’s day, I almost messaged my sister to find out the Latin name for fruit fly. For her, it’s no longer funny, just annoying family/brother thing. For lovely Aries? This is about two sources of aggravation, either family, or bugs, or family that bugs you about bugs? Or someone blending two different roasts of coffee beans together. One solution is to look up the name of that fruit fly, in Latin, so I can remember it myself. The second, when that drosophilia melanogaster lands in your coffee? Just think of it as an alternate source of protein — no reason to throw the whole thing out.

Taurus

For me, I started working on the Valentine’s Day crap years ago. I hammered together a couple of texts, then banners and other web ephemera that I could use, over and over. There is a Valentine Texas, and I periodically passed through, maybe a dozen years back, or so. Dig around far enough, and there’s even a sign from a pawn shop, a place in West Texas, and since it’s dated? That allow for its unfiltered and humorous message. Doubt such material would be allowed these days. Still, this is about material that I had saved, buried, and prepared. Valentine’s Day comes along every year at the same time. Weird to put hearts and flowers in the middle of Aquarius, but I didn’t pick it. The patterns spell out a simple message about having either “Already handled this stuff,” or calling up material we can reuse. I have exactly one friend, and every February 13th, he’s busy scrambling, looking for a date, or making a big deal out of “International Singles Awareness,” or something similar. If the Taurus work wasn’t accomplished well before the new year started? Then it don’t plan on any of it coming together, not now, not at the last minute. There’s a month-long “seems like a hasty attempt” energy, and we all know, Taurus doesn’t reward a hasty attempt.

Gemini

My sister is a “Pen geek,” the hand tools and toys enjoyed by artists. From expensive and collectible, down to reeds and quills, and just about everything in between. Personally, and this after many years, I’m down to just disposable “sharpies” and a handful of leftover mechanical pencils. At least, that’s what I use. Her myriad of choices always astounds me, as she unfurls a leather pen-roll, each slot filled with a specific kind of pen in a specific kind of ink for a certain type of job, like “I only use these for the fine, cross-hatching.” After almost too many years on the road, I found that a broad, felt-tip with indelible ink worked best — for my style. However, I do have a ruptured set of fine, name-brand writing instruments, two single Mount Blanc pens from different sets. Rather plain and unremarkable, other than the replacement value scared the crap out of me, when I checked, so there is that. Both are sentimental, more than anything else, along the lines of one belonged to my dad, so it’s an heirloom, and the other was an undergraduate symbol, something I got way back when. Both pens had (expensive) Mount Blanc Ballpoint Pen refills, and I liked neither. Heft was excellent, and I use my dad’s old pen for signing documents, from time to time, but not really a big deal, otherwise. However — looking at how the planets play out against Gemini? I was essentially avoiding work, and I happened across a site that offered “Mount Blanc Ballpoint Pen refills” that were actually much cheaper, and had a non-ballpoint tip. I think it was called “gel-tip,” but I don’t recall. I ordered, showed up as a pair, not a single, and the price was a fraction of the typical name-brand replacement, so, for starters, my cheap side was rewarded. Then after popping that into my undergraduate-favored pen? I discovered it worked perfectly, and I had a new favorite pen, for every day use. The cost was about $3, and that cheap, $3 fix made an otherwise inoperable, unused material serviceable again. Cheap fix. Less than $3. Look for it, as that’s the way to best use the planets in Capricorn, and, you know, Mercury (retrograde).

Cancer

I’ve worked long and hard to establish a certain kind of shabby chic with my various styles. It could be my fishing style, as I show up early, bedraggled and eager. I’ll have my pockets stuffed with baits, leaders, line, maybe a camera, sunscreen, and so forth. It could be work, as I know that I’ll be sitting for up to ten hours straight through, so I’ll be as comfortable as I can be, typically a loud-print shirt that is both clean and wrinkled: remember? Comfort for me. Closing out on three decades, I have a handle on what I can, and can’t, do. A great deal of effort, research, and attention goes into my rather shabby but genteel appearance. It’s about attitude. I started, at the beginning, circulating down towards the Texas Gulf Coast in February, having already hit the bigger town towns like Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio in January, and then, some years, I’d get it lucky, after Valentine’s Day, the Bluebonnets would be started alongside the highway. No satellite radio, so I was left with my own thoughts, that last hundred miles. I think that beach influence is part of what defines me, even to this day. While most darling Moon Children, Cancer sign people are better-dressed than I am? As we peel back cosmic layers from the various demands on our attention? The way forward is to consider that a kind of shabby, genteel look is best, for now. It’s adaptable; it’s comfortable; and it’s working best. Shabby, genteel for Cancer, moving forward through eclectic Aquarius times.

The Leo

The traditional, for me, meaning of this next few weeks? Two coats of paint. I haven’t painted a room in some many years, preferring, to employ a buddy or two , neither of whom mind breathing the fumes. One painting contractor assured me that he had this good paint, cost a little more, but one coat was all it would ever take. Never, ever underestimate the power of adolescent males to make a mess. Took two coats of paint to adequately cover the crap on the walls. There are tiny holes from tacks, gummy spots from glue-like substances, and some food spatter. I hope that’s food. I’m not sure. But the adolescent male is the messiest creature I’ve ever encountered, and frankly, I don’t recall me being this much of a physical wreck. Maybe I was, the witnesses — my immediate family — are not known for probity in discourse. (They all lie, vile liars.) But that’s not what this is about, it’s about that second coat of paint, it’s the way the color on the walls doesn’t match the paint chip, the idea, The Leo brilliant and bold color choices, those aren’t working out like you thought they would. Given that the decision process is rooted in Venus Retrograde, and implemented when Mercury is Retrograde, is it any wonder that The Poor Leo is having to repeat the process for everyone else? What is this? Three coats of paint?

Virgo

Over the many years with this career, I developed a series of practical protocols for dealing with certain planet energies. Like now, like, what started — basically started in mid-December of last year — and moving forward? It was, first, consider this a review, Venus Retrograde in Capricorn, over lapped by Mercury Retrograde, starting in Aquarius, and that Mercury Retrograde ends in Capricorn. See an overlap? See a pattern that seems destined to screw up the best of the new year? Or is this a way to shed of yourself, like a snake shedding its skin, is this a way to shed your good Virgo self of all that is holding you back? Part of the retrograde patterns so prevalent, and so pronounced within the Virgo sphere of influence? The pattern is about shedding material that is no longer of service to your Virgo self. Part of the protocols I’ve found helpful? I tend to review, then review a second or even third, perhaps a fourth time, before I release something back into the wild. Like, old Hawaiian shirts I think I want to let go of? Put them all in a pile in the other room. Before I drop them off at a donation place, shedding skin, you know, I need to make sure, there’s that one shirt, an old girlfriend gave it to me, do I really want to let that memory go? But the pocket is torn, and there’s no way I would ever bother to wear the shirt again. Protocol — my retrograde guidelines — dictates I leave that decision for another time. It’s in the “outbound” heap, but still under my roof. Protocols.

Libra

Some of my most valuable assets are not tangible. Strictly speaking, sure, they are “things,” objects, artifacts, but what I value most isn’t the object itself, but what is attached to that object’s story. After moving about so much I finally resolved not to get to attached to “stuff.” Towards that end, I have a couple of plastic shoeboxes filled with cards, hand-written notes, and pictures. Old pictures. Really old pictures, some going back near a hundred years. That’s it for family heirlooms. No real objects, sure a pen my dad had on his desk, but I’m not big on attachment to actual “things. A buddy’s daughter drew a picture of me and her at the beach, and it was crudely rendered in crayons, stick figures, and done in the best kindergarten style. That’s an object, just cheap paper with crude figures drawn on it, but the intense heart-warming sensations I get when I unearth that in my treasure box of memories? “See? After you and daddy go catch fish…” I think that kid is driving now, old enough, but for the memory is anchored in that image, her pre-school drawing. Those are worth holding onto. So it’s merely a small box with memories, and that is the Libra treasure trove, not the big stuff, the little things. This whole, to me this is early spring, this whole season — Aquarius — is about that material that we really treasure.

Scorpio

“Mindful waiting,” is merely procrastination. Call it what you want, patience may be a virtue, but it’s been long-established, not one of my virtues. As a Scorpio fan boy myself, what this is about? Being patient. Especially, as we get to the last portion of the Mercury in Retrograde? About the same time Venus starts to turn around? What it spells out is a time for waiting. Patience. In fact, I would think about just putting it off until later, no matter what it is. There is very little that can be served to Scorpio, nothing new, and to most outside observers? “You’re procrastinating!” No, as an avowed lover of all things Scorpio, I know what’s going on, and the planets suggest, although, in the second half, like by February? There’s that drive for some action. There’s a desire for retribution, perhaps revenge, or, at least, lashing out at some who needs to be lashed. I get it. I applaud the drive that Scorpio has, just, I’m suggesting, we wait on this. “You’re just putting off the inevitable!” Or, as one has suggested, “Mindful waiting.” There will be a grumbling and some Scorpio will take a swipe at me, about procrastinating, but think: “mindful waiting.” Sounds better, doesn’t it?

Sagittarius

Most of the boats I’m on these days, most water craft? Center console, shallow draft, outboard motor. The outboard tends to be one of those huge affairs, but runs quiet, and the bow of the boat will have a seat with a trolling motor, and the aft usually has a “stinger,” which is a hydraulic metal stake to lower into the soft bay bottom, sort of an anchor. They’re all about the same. The reason this model is so common? It works on the big lakes, and at the coast. Not that there’s much difference, it’s all about the same. Different techniques, slight change in gear, but fishing is fishing. Running one of the larger boats on a smaller lake was a change, not so much for me, but for my buddy, as he claimed he didn’t know how to drive slow. He was used to being able to open it up to get to the other side, the quiet, secluded cove, the far side of the lake, the bay, whatever. On the smaller lakes, a little finesse is required. I’m Sagittarius, too, as we all know, and as such? That requisite “finesse” is in short supply, exacerbated by both the retrograde patterns. Spells out a little big of a problem, and the challenges, it’s all about being a big boat in a small pond. Cool, or silly looking? For our Sagittarius selves, we must adopt an attitude of extra patience, and moving extra carefully. Like trying to maneuver that large craft into the tight creek beds, to find some fish. It can be done, we just have to move more carefully than usual.

Capricorn

Feels like this year rolled out with a one-two punch to the Capricorn gut, and at least one Capricorn buddy will mutter, loudly, sotto voce, “Yeah, like a sucker punch. Never had a chance.” Sure you did. I warned you about this a year ago. “Oh, yeah, right.” My name is usually followed with invectives, disparaging my familial line. This isn’t the end. This isn’t the beginning, but it does lay bare certain issues that you’ve been long-avoiding. I would “tsk, tsk” you, but you know better, and I tend to elicit a rather noisy eye-roll. Sighs, grunts, or other auditory clues, yes, I do pay attention. Here’s the Capricorn trick: pay attention to the little clues. There are some directional changes required. Capricorn needs to, wants to, make a course correction. Look: maybe a month or two back, I was at the coast for some last minute “winter” fishing. November and December aren’t great, but catch a good day and it’s fine. Board shorts, sport sandals, in-shore bay-fishing? All good. Wind kicked up about noon, shifted directions, and the way home? Back to the marina? With a good catch, well, a few fish, anyway, the way back? We followed the leeward side the channel isles until we got to point where we would be running directly with the wind. Longer? Sure. More comfortable? Yes. So the solution to that one-two, Venus/Mercury thing, ongoing? Course correction.

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