It is a plague
That Cupid will impose for my neglect
Of his almighty dreadful little might.
Well, I will love, write, sigh, pray, sue, groan:
Some men must love my lady, and some Joan.

Berowne Shakespeare’s Love’s Labor’s Lost (3.1.141-5)

Horoscopes for 2.1.2022

Lunar New Year Feb 1.

Aquarius

The Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, Year of the Tiger? It has a strange flavor because there’s a sense of destiny tempered with pragmatic Saturn influence. Just out of orb, but within degrees of mattering? Sets a tone.

It’s a bland, durable flavor, reliable, but nothing exotic. No woodsy overtones, and hints of coriander, no, it’s not like that. This is simple, straightforward. Don’t overthink this. Don’t over analyze this. Enjoy basic. Better yet? Generic, think, “Generic.” New moon, squares Uranus, then passes Saturn. Big deal, and the simplest solution is the easiest answer.

Pisces

Some things just don’t change. And if it doesn’t change, then it doesn’t change. There is that. Rather than turn this tautological, though, think this through. Change, just for the sake of change, does that really accomplish a goal? What goal was that? Losing track of the original destination is part of the problem, and a potential Pisces problem?

Failing to keep track of what that original goal was. The original idea. What prompted this train-wreck series of thoughts.

What were we talking about?

That original Pisces target. What you are originally shooting for? That goal. That target. That destination. I know you amended the route, and changed the possible outcome, but what was the original goal?

Aries

I am never going to understand family dynamics. I don’t get it. I won’t understand it until — probably never. Each family I’ve been associated with varies, as well. There is no one-set guideline that works. However, within my own family, and others I’ve observed while doing readings? A well-timed pause, a shut mouth? As ascribed to Mark Twain, “A closed mouth gathers no feet.” Know what that means? I’m Sagittarius, the original foot-in-mouth sign. I live like that. But I can save you some immediate Aries pain and strain. In matters of the family, next few days? A well-timed pause, or even an awkwardly Aries moment of silence? Can save the day.

Taurus

It is the plague of the season: Valentine. In my mind, on the wrong day, it’s clear that this is a time, a holiday, created by retail, for retail, and results in the useless slaughter of millions of flowers and trees. Who knows what else has to suffer for the manufactured holiday? The death of chocolate? Broken hearts? Archery supplies? Years ago, I started collecting various greeting cards that I could up-cycle during times like this. Has it helped? Not really, as there will be some that I forget, some that escape my mind, and some that are deliberately left off the list. I’m sure your Taurus self understands, especially that last item. Given the fragile nature of our intemperate times? Having a generic spare is important. Having a quick replacement product, maybe regifted, never can tell, but having one on hand serves you best. Time to think about that before the week’s over.

Gemini

No.

“What does that mean?”

It means, ‘no.’ Simply put. Not yet. No. Not now. Not this week, even. No. Simply enough. There’s a lingering “thing,” and the answer is “no.”

“Is this a stupid Mercury retrograde thing?”

Yes.

But the answer is still, “No.”

Cancer

Strange observation from my dotage. I like a lot of music, and I’ve inherited a great number of different genres — I’ve got everything from aging disco to current electronica to classical and the heavy German opera, back to local Country and Western, whatever that’s called. I was in Austin during the formative stages of the Neo-classical Outlaw and more important me, that Austin sound, kind of rock, kind of blues, a little twang, some country and a hint of Western swing? So my collections, and tastes, are varied, to say the least. Then, too, I’ve been exposed, via clients, to even further weird stuff. Radio, as the strict, over-the-airwaves medium is long gone from my collection, however, I do have the internet radio thing, and I’ve found that be even more amusing. There’s a country station based in the UK. Try getting that online, worth the effort. I’m also notoriously cheap, and the free radio app was the best find. Burns bandwidth, but I’m less concerned with that and more interested in pulling weird new music from far-flung locations. Weird, distant, and free. The three operative words as we go Moon Child exploring. Weird, distant, and free.

The Leo

Ever want to stop and assist someone who looks like that person who needs help? Just for a moment of humanity, pause long enough to help someone up?

Virgo

Emotional stability is wonderful. Emotional grace in the face of pressure is a blessing. Emotional resilience is also a very Virgo characteristic.

All three are tested with these current astrological conditions. All three. Stability, act stable. Act emotionally stable. Grace. Act gracefully. Act gracefully when under apparent pressure. Finally? There’s a certain amount of resilience that’s required. Bounce back. Rebound with a smile, not a frown. One Virgo, when she was pensive, her mouth seems to frown and see things as “All bad;” although, in her mind she was seeing that up-side She could see how it would all work out, but under pressure, her go-to was a frown, downturned at the mouth’s corners. Didn’t help. Smile. Remember, the Virgo elements are clear, analytical thinking, as portrayed by mutable earth. Plus Mercury. Mercury is kind of your planet. Think emotional stability. Grace, too, under pressure. You’ll do fine.

Libra

The favorite example I use, goes back to a trailer in old South Austin, but the example? I put the toilet seat lid down. That simple. With the layout of the diminutive trailer, it was a rental you know, and with its arrangement, the toilet was in the “Feng Shui” center, and that affected my earning potential. I’m not sure I buy that “art of placement” crap, and notice, I think all superstitions are bad luck, but it worked. Proof was in the bank, at the time. Toilet seat down, I would return home with money. Toilet seat up? I spent more on travel than I brought in on a weekend trip. Simple equation, and simply put, it worked. So loathe as I am to admit that the stuff works, in the ensuing years, I’ve discovered that some of the Feng Shui suggestions for placement, some of that works well. What was always fun about it? There’s an intuitive side that plays into this. Think that’s the important part, that sense that there’s a guiding voice in one’s own head — most pronounced in the Libra mind at this time. Hint: Listen to it. Remember, we’re not totally out of the “retrograde voodoo/bad juju” stuff yet, but listen to that voice.

Scorpio

The little text on the old rear view mirrors? A typical fineprint addition? “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.” It’s about what’s behind you, and then? What’s in front of your good Scorpio self. What is behind you can appear different because that’s a rear view. It’s a mirror, a reflection. Scorpio: the past is behind you. Stop looking backwards. To be honest, I recall being tutored about a German driving techniques, rules of the road in Germany, “clear to the rear,” as in, someone coming up fast behind you had the right away. So it’s important to be aware of what might be behind you, but the mirrors are small. It’s in the past. Yes, there’s always that warning, but what is up and ahead? It is most important to pay attention to what is directly in front. What’s behind you can appear distorted, or a reverse image, or just not quite right. Misinformation from your Scorpio past is not what we use to guide our future. Look at what’s in front of you.

Sagittarius

Halloween and Valentine’s Day are confusing, I’ve long since played out the joke about getting them mixed up, or the apparent similarities, but the humor resides within me. One is a time when we dress up in fantasy costumes, and pretend to be what we’re not, and the other is a fall harvest celebration. Think we’re supposed to go and try to fish, if it is not too cold again.

Capricorn

Thus it starts. Thus it ends. As T.S. Eliot wrote, “This is the way the world ends,” and this the way the season ends. To paraphrase, this is the way the retrogrades end, not with a bang, but with a whimper. Elongated Capricorn sigh. One particular Capricorn fellow will make flatulent noises in place of the elongated sigh. Way it goes, and certainly, that’s his interpretation. Not entirely without point, either. Urgent astrological evidence suggests it’s over, we done, move along. Heads up for the next big holiday on rapid approach, hearts and arrows, little armed angels with wings?

astrofish.net/travel for appearances