“With all my heart, I’ll gossip at this feast.”
Exeunt omnes.

Duke in Comedy of Errors (5.1.406)

Horoscopes for 7-25-2023

• 6/15/23 Venus at 12° Leo
• 7/23/23 Venus goes retrograde at 28° Leo
• 7/27/23 Venus/Mercury conjunct at 28°11’ Leo

The Leo

I’ve got one buddy I use to help with household projects. New shelf in the utility room? I’ll call him. I have no problem calling him; hire the pro. Every time, he looks at me, and he makes a comment about how he has to charge me more because every little job I have for him, each one takes longer, and is more convoluted than it looks. Still, do like me, Leo, consider calling the guy. My buddy always answers, and he always shakes his head because I get a discounted rate. I’d call him a fishing buddy, but we never fished together. We exchange tips, bad jokes, off-color humor, and generally similar material, but he still always bemoans his fate because there is something unexpected about each task. I’ve compared prices, and what I’ve found? He’s cheaper, but that might be because of a long-standing relationship, and the fact that I’m not a pressure person. Leo: two notes this week as we start with this Venus thing. Two things: call the guy, and then? Don’t pressure him — or her — for a quick answer. “Kramer, there’s always catch, isn’t there?”

Shrug. What are you going to do?

Virgo

Watching the teachers teach. What I was doing, a buddy used to run a construction crew, and these days, it’s mostly just himself, unless there’s some extended labor part of the job. For a while, he had a kid with him, and my buddy was teaching the kid certain aspects of the job. Look: my friend has been doing this a long time, and he is good at it, accomplished, as it were. Watching him teach? That was cool. Worth the price of admission. How he worked?

We both stood the side as the helper was trying to fit a piece into a spot. The piece had been cut from thick plywood, and it was measured twice, and to be sure, it was the exact right size. Only, it didn’t fit as easily as the kid thought it would. I watched. My buddy looked up at me, “No, give him a minute, he’ll figure it out.” Choice words. Excuses. Gentle admonishment, and reminder that it the piece would fit, just had to be fitted properly. It was a master craftsman teaching an apprentice, and me standing off to one side didn’t help. The, me, ostensibly neutral, observer affects the situation. Without going into quantum physics, just acknowledge the observer still has an effect on the outcome — the affect will effect the results. Usually, though, Virgo-types are excellent teachers. These aren’t “usual” times. Remember that.

Libra

“You got to try this guy! You’ll love it!” It could be about a book, a novel, a particular writer, online — or off, and it the source doesn’t matter. Might be a coffee, a brand of fishing gear, never can tell what the reference might be, but the overly-enthusiastic reference? That’s the clue. That’s the Libra’s clue for now. “It’s amazing, astounding, out-of-this-world!” The long list of superlatives, with no accommodations for others’ tastes? That’s the point where we have to reel it back in a step or two. I was thinking about this in reference to an author, and I was told I would like everything. I read part of one book, glad that it was library copy and it got returned early since the novel’s basic premise didn’t work for me, and the supporting descriptions? I’ve handled one of those, and it doesn’t work like that. Since the author made no effort to really fact-check, or just summarily experience the described action? Yeah, doesn’t work for me. But that’s me. Can be any number of references, but as far as Libra is concerned? Try one. Try a little bite. Tastes test. Don’t jump in just yet as your refined Libra palate might not be as fond of the coarse material some of us enjoy. “You should get the whole set!” Maybe. Maybe not. Try one, first.

Scorpio

I’m a person who usually just spits out whatever is on my mind at the moment. Sometimes, this comes across as unfiltered. Other times? I appear crass, crude, vulgar, or otherwise unrestrained. It’s not a good look, but I pull it off because I’m Sagittarius. No one expect me to be suave and refined all the time, and part of my charm is the fact that I am little unfiltered. At times, anyway, not always. Mostly, but not always. Think about me, opening my mouth and almost instantly gagging on my own feet, metaphorically speaking, because I managed to step in it, metaphorically speaking, and then try to get my own feet out of my mouth. Got an amusing image, dear Scorpio?

Here’s the trick: shut up. Just don’t talk. I can get away with any number of crass, crude, vulgar or otherwise distasteful allusions because I am who I am, and I’m not Scorpio. The specific influences listed above? You’re likely to try and emulate my form of delivery, and it doesn’t work, not this week, not for Scorpio. Like I’ve suggested before, especially as Retrograde Venus and Mercury briefly align? The urge to send, or speak, Scorpio commentary that might be wryly amusing to some, but, it might not land right for others. Scorpio: consider not talking. Save yourself the trouble.

Sagittarius

It’s about patience. Simple as that. It’s all about patience, and with Mercury aligning with that Retrograde Venus? It’s about patience that is in very short Sagittarius supply. It’s not like we’re not patient people, it’s just we can see how this scenario, whatever the deal is, we can see how this is going to end, and since we know how it will end? We want to jump right to the end of it. That’s not how this works. Over and over, I try to teach “process” rather than “individual steps” because I’ve found the specifics of each step change, but the process remains the same. Keeping that in mind? The process, which we can clearly see to its logical and ultimate conclusion? That process is required for everyone else to catch up with us, and to get there. In order to arrive at that conclusion, everyone else — not Sagittarius — need extra time to go through this all. Again the weekly watchword is “patience,” as in, “I don’t have any patience with this crap — we know how it will end.” Ah, but we must allow for others to reach that conclusion on their own time.

Capricorn

“Could I get a little help here? No, not like that, over here, like this. No, you’re doing it wrong. Never mind, I’ll just do it myself.”

Seen this play out too many times to count. The scene? Simple enough, I’m in the back of the boat, got a big fish on, and trying to horse the catch into the boat. You know, down at the coast, a big red? My buddy will be at the other end, his rod bent over as he’s trying to reel something in, as well. The other version, I ask for some help, Capricorn asks for some assistance, “You told me to ask for what I needed, right?” You ask for help, but the assistance itself is substandard, sub-par, and eventually, you just give up and do it yourself.

Answer to this week’s Capricorn riddle? “Never mind, I’ll just do it myself.”

Upside? It gets done correctly. Downside? No one to blame but yourself.

Aquarius

There are a couple of “classics” that I like to reread, from time to time. Nothing, new, but I see, and in my imagination, I hear new material, new levels, and the voices change. In some cases, these are great works of literature, but more often than not? These are simple, escapist material from the last century, which, for some reason, catches my attention. There’s no harm in rereading a book I think is a great book. Annoyingly, I have a couple of books that I own a hardback, maybe a paperback, and then a digital copy. To make me feel worse about this? I’ll check out a copy from the library, and reread it. The books are worth it, for me, to remember to reread them. There’s an author’s “voice,” a sense of frantic pacing in the text, styles, lack of styles, all differs. But I do like to reread a few of the classics.

As this week unfolds, with the triplicity of influences, just looking at the Sun in Leo (opposite Aquarius), Venus Retrograde in Leo (opposite Aquarius), and the quick Mercury conjunct Venus in Leo (opposite Aquarius). This is less about starting up something new, or looking at a new endeavor, and a lot more about being willing to dig into an aged classic, and possibly, looking mostly at that Mercury thing, rereading a classic in your own Aquarius library.

Pisces

Neighbor had a garage sale going on. I stopped in a summer’s morning’s ramble, long enough to look at the various wares arrayed on tables, and dressers, furniture and crap for sale. I paused to linger over a rather attractive, teal-colored diminutive iPod-iShuffle mp3 player. Had a charging stand, but I wasn’t sure if it worked. I fingered the device, picking it up, then setting it down. I have one; it’s blue. For one, that player is nothing more than a touchstone, an emblematic reminder, a piece of technology that reminds me of a by-gone era. Now, for a few cents, maybe a dollar or two, I could have a matching set, or similar looking set. This was all touched off by pausing to talk to a neighbor and see of there was anything useful, or needed, for sale. All I saw was that out-dated technology, and I have a phone, or even a watch, with as much storage as that old-school player. Don’t need another piece of technology cluttering my desk, or toying with my heartstrings. So this means, for Pisces? “That’s really cool, but no, I don’t need one right now.”

Aries

I thought about seasonal colors. Did that for a while. Thought about monthly colors. Did that for a while. Thought about obvious planet colors, and I did that, too. Mostly just when Mercury was retrograde, and warning version of orange, but these are examples of material that I’ve toyed with to help dictate some of the taste and appearances of my own work. It’s an endless game, with the primary issue for me? Implementation. Remembering at the end of the week, the month, the season, to change the colors. Think “black and white.” While I’m wrestling with this week’s Aries energies as design elements related to colors, the various shadings employed? There’s a greater version of this at work, and when in doubt? Go back the original image which was a just a basic black and white design. Maybe a little grey, but not much, Just black ink on a white page. Simple. Straightforward. No question, no mess, no fuss. And it’s OK if you forget to change the colors with the days, weeks, months, or seasons. The black and white, grey? Never goes out of style.

Taurus

Some years ago, I had a perfect analogy, a gift from a business associate, about what to do, and what not to do when Venus was in apparent regrade motion. To this day, that archetypal advice still stands. Bad time to pick a color to paint the living room. Good time to paint the living room. In other words? Bad time, for about 90% of the Taurus I know, bad time to make an aesthetic decisions. No choices. However, if the design is in place, the details and color chips already sorted out? Not a bad time to do the actual work. It’s OK to implement a previous decision, but that act of deciding about a color? For around 90% of the Taurus I know, it’s a very bad time to make decision based on taste. Little things, like what shirt to wear, and do these colors go well together, for today? Sure, that’s not a major deal, but the nominally, normally exceptional Taurus taste? Can’t rely on it as long Venus is retrograde in an almost incompatible fixed sign like Leo.

Gemini

One Gemini suggested that Venus in apparent retrograde motion was going to be, a “piece of cake.” I’m not sure I understand the allusion and reference, but OK. Only, a minute later, the grout in the bathroom was discolored, or falling out, or something. Not really a Venus/aesthetics question in my mind, but one that greatly perturbed that particular Gemini. “Obviously it is supposed to be more gray colored to match the tile!” I don’t get it. I’m not going to see the qualitative difference, nor can my untrained eye detect the nuance of the striations of the colorations. Like I suggested, I don’t get it. But I’m not Gemini, and it’s not up to me. The next week or so presents problems and challenges, and the real issue? Some of the sources of that Gemini ire? The rest of us can’t detect what the problem is.

Cancer

I’m not judgmental. It’s just, well, it’s just we’ve seen this kind of crap before. I know how this is going to turn out. I understand that the aggrieved parties will not be happy. The real trick, the way it works? As noted before, “We’ve seen this before.” Because “we’ve seen this before?” We know exactly how this is going to turn out. It’s not a guess as to what the immediate future holds. Crap you’ve seen before? It turns out the exact same way, each time, given that there is no change in the parameters. If nothing changes in Cancer, then nothing changes. Same set of criteria yields the same results. “Oh man, we have seen this before.”

Told you so.

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