My lord, I aim’d a mile beyond the moon,
Your letter is with Jupiter by this.

• Marcus Andronicus in Shakespeare’s
  Titus Andronicus 4.3.66-7

Horoscopes for Cancer 2023

The Sun enters the Tropical Zodiac Sign of Cancer (solstice) June 21, 2023 at 9:58 AM (local).

• Mercury enters Cancer June 27.
• Full Moon 11° Cancer Capricorn July 3.
• Mars enters Virgo July 10.
• Mercury enters Leo July 11.
• New Moon 23° Cancer July 17.

The Sun enters Leo July 22, 2023.

• Venus goes Retrograde at 28° Leo July 23.
• Pluto retrogrades to 28° Capricorn July 26.

Cancer

Has it really been thirty years? That’s close to a hundred Mercury Retrogrades, that’s 20 (or more) Venus Retrogrades, and that’s what we’re looking at. Venus is slow in Leo at the moment, and will stay slow, but this is compounded — not a good way — with Mr. Mars, late in Leo then inching over to Virgo. As a gentle, delicate, and sensitive Moon Child, the susurrations of Venus — and motion of Mars — you can feel it. That also means that this birthday month, more or less, is about being ready as those feelings come washing over you — then? My immediate suggestion is choose not to react too quickly. I didn’t say “don’t feel,” no, that’s certainly not my message. But confusing feeling with an indication that it is a course of action? That can cause problems. Maybe not now, maybe not this week, maybe not this month, but 60 day down the line, 90 days out? Modern devices typically have a 90-day warranty. What I try to do put that device, that thing, through its paces in that warranty time, see if I can “break” it. If it holds up? Then we’re good for the life of the device, usually. Mostly. One exception is with phones, but I guess that’s another discussion. This is about going over and testing what we have, and what our Cancer selves have in place. Road-test. Run the battery out and see how long that takes, for real, not just as an exercise. Put that thing (person) through its (his/her) paces and see how it holds up. Then charge the batteries and be ready. Going to be a good, if weird, birthday month.

The Leo

This is a “getting pregnant for what’s ahead” period of time. Venus is traipsing, slowly, through the tropical zodiac sign of The Leo. That’s good, but Venus is also slowing, and as noted above, Mars slips into Virgo. This is about preparation. This is about getting our ducks in a row. This is about checking the supplies. Locally, this is simple. I have a “hurricane box,” and it is way less about a hurricane, and perhaps more about a power outage, or a snow event, or the notion that the rare twister could head this way. In that box, actually, more like a set of supplies necessary to support myself over a few days? Case of water. Bags of “trail mix,” as that was cheap, fulfilling, and serves its purpose. I used to use packages of “Slim-Jims,” but a recent fishing trip showed me the error of my ways — the package I had was about three years old, and it didn’t hold up as well as I thought it should. Lesson learned. Skip the Slim-Jim’s. The tubes of meat-like product with no observable “use-by” date? No expiration date? They do expire, albeit, they last longer than anything else. Fishing trip, last month, the package — didn’t fare well. Leave it at that. But the idea of a hurricane box, mine is a lot less than a hardcore prepper, but that hasn’t stopped me. Shouldn’t stop The Leo, either. Look over the supplies on hand, and take stock of what you’ve got. While I am not predicting a natural, or man-made, disaster of any kind? With Venus and Mars, doing what they are doing to The Leo? Now’s the time to get ready. Get it out of the way this month, preferablely before The Leo birthday month starts.

Virgo

In the simplest terms? Not a time to make important decisions about delicate Virgo aesthetics. Given where Venus lines up for the next few months? Straight up suggestion for the Virgo stars? Don’t. Think that was simple enough of a directive? In the next few weeks, there’s going to come a time when the excuse, “But look at it! How could I not?” The problem being, except for a singular percentage (about 1%) of the Virgo-defined people? Except for that singular percentage point? The rest of the Virgo heavens are in slight disarray. By no means is that bad, just not according to plan, and not according to the good, Virgo order that we know, love, and respect. With that as a clue? A rather productive use of this energy is to engage in the chaos. The old joke, used to be a good time to buy a shirt for me as I have tastes that straddle the border between “weird” and “bad.” My previous guidelines were less than $5, and outlet mall, seconds, or thrift, any of those stores would do. Over the years, various girlfriends have given me nicer shirts, but the patterns stay the same, bright, floral, and never in style, so they will never be out of style. One buddy suggested I was refugee from a Jimmy Buffet show. About as nice as it gets. So there is that as an idea, looking for jarring, comical, and unusual, sure that’s good. But otherwise? Don’t. Simple suggestion, next few months, might want to put it on hold for a spell.

Libra

This is the antithesis of Libra conviviality. I’m not suggesting that the typical Libra friendliness is going away, just that it is time to hold back a little more than usual. It’s quite all right to friendly, cheerful, and open, but might not be the best time engage. While this hasn’t happened in a number of years, back in the good, old days? My casual, friendly approach, to some, this bordered on flirting, and as such? I was quickly interpreted, or misunderstood, or taken at offense, all because I was attempting to be gregarious. Approachable. On rare occasions, my overt-friendliness was mistaken for creepy, flirtatious, or brazen. My intentions were none of the above, but the receptions were. Here’s the Libra hint and help: prevent misunderstandings. I didn’t say, “Don’t be friendly,” but watch the outgoing attitude.

Scorpio

There is a kind of malicious glee you are set to enjoy. This is less what’s going on with Scorpio, and more what’s happening in the immediate Scorpio vicinity. As usual, I won’t feed you a line about dubious joy, an ill-gotten emotional pleasure, schadenfreude, without a little bit of a caution. Mars, mostly in Leo, that creates a hasty response from the Scorpio slice of the sky, and we all know, “Haste makes waste.” The good news is that apparent ability to rejoice at the downfall of an opponent. The warning is being Scorpio premature about the victory, or the way the fates deal an enemy a bad hand (to thoroughly mix metaphors). Look: before the Sun moves into Leo, there is cause to celebrate, if nothing more than a Scorpio-shaped schadenfreude — you will take that. But before that happens, remember to pause long enough so you don’t appear to jump the gun.

Sagittarius

While it sounds like typical fineprint? This immediate Sagittarius future is about not interrupting the process. There is a simple progress bar, inching across the Sagittarius page (screen, mind, other metaphor). To me, this looks like a piece of software, most typically, on the backside of a simple web page. “Do not do any of the following as it will cause an operational failure: 1. Close this browser window 2. Reload the page 3. Click stop or back buttons.”

This is a time, as a Sagittarius myself, I understand our collective impatience, but those simple guidelines? What not to do in order to not interrupt the process that is slowly churning forward, at a glacial pace, I might add, bu what this is all about? Simple set of rules, or, as I prefer, “guidelines,” that are easy enough to grasp, then follow? Do not interrupt the process while the machines slowly churn forward. Watch that progress bar as it inches, millimeter by bleeding millimeter, almost mocking us to click where we’ve been told not to click. Wait for. Don’t interrupt the process or we have to start over again.

Capricorn

Can’t let one bad day ruin a whole month. The more saturnine of my Capricorn buddies will suggest the numbers are more like 30 bad days, with just a single ray of sunshine, but realistically, we know that’s just not true. Still, looking forward — there is a single, oft overlooked issue that’s been left behind in the summer crush. It’s back.

Truthfully? The little, like a small voice in the back of the Capricorn cranium, a quiet vocal reminder that “You missed a spot.” Seems to come out of nowhere, but realistically, this is the leftover piece you’ve been working towards. It’s the puzzle’s missing piece, it’s the lyric that was confused, it’s that last part that allows us to pull it all together. A perspicacious Capricorn sees this on the horizon, and starts getting prepped for what’s up ahead. That last item, task, goal, chore? Get ready for it.

Aquarius

Aquarius, need I remind you, is a fixed sign. Perhaps the least stubborn of all the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius), but still, that tenacity sticks. My most recent coffee innovation is an older recipe, think this goes back more than a decade, but when I can, or when I recall, I stir a teaspoon of coconut butter into my first cup of coffee. Depends on the morning’s blend, but the flavor, and the effect, is supposed to be beneficial on numerous levels. Increases the blood flow, to the brain. Increases the heart’s ability to function. If I remember that I stirred in the coconut butter, I have to ease into the coffee as the oily residue retains more heat. Purported health benefits, alleged mental clarity, and forcing me to go slower — a tangible benefit. The original version was MCT oil, but over the years, I got where I wondered about the price-to-efficacy ration with that stuff. Some mornings, my home brew overpowers the coconut flavor, but the other morning, as I refilled the half-empty coffee mug, I could detect the faint aroma of that coconut oil residue adding a nuanced flavor. Middle of the summer, here, and the nut butter is a fluid. Still, as a simple addition, some use cream or sugar, but as a simple, healthy addition, it works. One simple, healthy edition to the Aquarius regimen, all I’m suggesting.

Pisces

The origins of coffee are steeped in mystery, myth, legend, and lore. Coffee culture claims the Arabia Peninsula as a primary source, cf., Dancing Goats. So there is always a hint of exotic spices, and to be fair, I think I’ve had Turkish Coffee served like that, before. Way it was introduced to me, the original way to serve coffee included a spice palette of cardamon, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

With the first exposure, I think it was essentially just the cardamon — look up Turkish Coffee. Previously mentioned, the nutmeg alone carries a kind of metaphysical meaning to it, but combined with a dash of cinnamon, and a sprinkling of cardamon, the full flavor comes forward. Spice-wise, flavor-forward? Long, hot summer days, hurricane season, and whatever else is rocking the Pisces world? Try, for like the next few weeks, try adding whatever spice seems best. I would suggest all three, but that’s me, and I honor the traditions of the original coffee merchants. One Pisces I know adds a dash of salt to the mix, in other words, take this coffee idea with a grain of salt. But mixing it up, or going back to the old ways, either one might work well.

Aries

My morning coffee is steeped in myth and ritual. From expertly constructed espresso shots, to mere instant coffee, the processes, and source materials, varied greatly over the years. Most recently, I’ve taken to mixing a few different brands of beans. In part, this was a happy mistake, but in part, this is intentional. The happy mistake version, I had some expensive — excellent flavor, but too light a roast — set of “birthday beans.” I tend to favor, in bulk, a local version called Jet Fuel. Just a standard, inexpensive dark roast. Mixing the light roast and the dark roast created a more fragrant and slightly less robust morning beverage. Tastes better, less bitter, and just a fraction less caffeine. While this goes against all that is holy in the coffee purist’s world? For my tastes, and as an Aries example, it’s just perfect. What we want is flavor, balance, some go-juice, but not too much. In that blend, in the perfect Aries blend? There needs to be enough dark roast to matter, to add that depth of aromatic “nose” to the mix, but not so much as to overpower the regular stuff. I can’t predict the perfect Aries blend, but I can point you in a direction, someplace between bitter, dark, Italian roast, and the light, fluffy blonde-like roast. Or mixing decaf in with regular, sort of half caf, but that’s a suggestion I don’t totally understand.

Taurus

Mars — and Venus — weigh in against the lugubrious Uranus, and that creates unwarranted tension across the Taurus heavens. There is a valid, creative outlet, and that opportunity, in best Taurus fashion, gets presented by the larger, slower moving planets, like Jupiter and Uranus. However, the tension from both Mars and Venus ratchets up that sense of haste, not a typical Taurus tendency, and therein is the problem — and solution — to this month’s Bull. While I hold the opinion that one quality item, or one, quality gesture is worth any number of less, inferior items, or actions of lesser degree of sincerity? One of the good stuff is better than three cheap ones? This is the time when the three, four, maybe five cheap ones are better. Takes more than one try. Takes extra effort. More tries, more attempts, more is better. I was casting towards one place where I just knew (felt) that fish were lurking. I mean, bass are typically opportunistic feeders, and they tend to gather in places where food will wash into their big bass mouths. I would drop a little lizard-like bait into the drainage and let the creek-like current carry the bait out. Took three, four tries, images of the fish are on the web, and she wasn’t very big, but after a few, dedicated casts, I caught the damn fish. Perfect example of how an opportunity presents itself, and then it takes a few tries to get it just right. Eventually? Success.

Gemini

Looking longer term? Past the next few days? This is about foundation elements. This is about the building blocks of what amuses, enlightens, and entertains the Gemini multifaceted psyche. Understand that there’s going to be a huge Gemini disconnect in a few months. This isn’t bad, per se, but the ability to render decisions about aesthetic ideals goes right out the window. What’s worse? That happens at a time when those very aesthetic ideals are more important than before. So the foundation elements I alluded to? Building blocks? Get the color swatches, now. Get the paint, now. Gather up the elements, pieces, parts, and whatever else might be important, the way you make decisions about material goods, the paint, the color scheme? Gather that material well in advance. Now, even, so you’ve got a head start, and that’s looking like a touchy time, and instead of making ill-informed decisions, then? Have those planned out, now. Make plans, pick the color schemes, or, in my case, proofread the new material, long before that unfortunate season arrives. It’s not bad, but the Gemini aesthetics and the Gemini ability to communicate about those self-same aesthetics is a source of ire. Looking at what’s ahead? That’s where I earn my worth, and what’s ahead? Prepare now with those foundation elements. I’ll be back in two months to tell you I told you so.

Or not.

astrofish.net/travel for appearances