“The sixth of July. Your loving friend, Benedick.”

Shakespeare’s Much Ado 1.1.108

Horoscopes for 7-4-2023

Mercury —> Leo 7/10/23 11:12 PM
Mars —> Virgo 7/10/23 6:41 AM

Cancer

Happy birthday. Hope it is all OK. While, especially localized, holiday madness is everywhere? Instead of engaging with too much of the insanity, or the insane actions of neighbors, or family, whatever it is? Instead of getting engaged with that level of inane behavior, think about a longer-term issue. There’s a little bit of clean-up required. Can be July 5 and onward, maybe think like that, “Someone has to clean up this party’s mess!” It’s a way to get all of this out of the way so that when the next weeks arrive? Life will be better for the Moon Children, the sign of Cancer. That’s what we all want, right? All better? In order to make it all better, there’s some localized running around, straightening, cleaning, picking up, putting away, or just tidying up, just a little bit of this action goes a long way to make it better. Or, as another idea? Birthdays and all? Get your friends to to clean up their own messes. Always a good idea, but some of this, for Cancer, starts at home.

The Leo

I clicked through on an article about how to make iced coffee. With splashy graphics, headlines, and flashing bits? The article broke it down to three, easy steps. Three, simple, quick, and available steps.

The first step was to brew some coffee, and if there was some leftover coffee from yesterday? That would works as well. Step two was to pour the coffee over ice in tumbler, glass, or cup. The third step was to add sweetener, cream, whitener, fake sugar, whatever. That’s it. Pour regular coffee over ice, that’s how to make iced coffee. I would reduce the number of steps to pour coffee over ice. I felt a little sheepish after looking at the simplified version, and thinking there was some new secret. The real secret? Wait until the coffee cools as this makes the coffee less bitter when it hits the ice. For The Leo, this is about falling for the great secret when there isn’t really one. Simple is best; simple works best; don’t over-complicate this week.

Virgo

Get ready for the approach of Mars. Mars imparts clarity, focus, and most importantly? Drive. Determination. Grit. “Let’s do this!” The caution is that Mars isn’t here yet, and until it arrives, and gets comfortable in good Virgo, all nice and proper? Until Mr. Mars get situated? There is an incessant urge to move, a jittery, too-much-coffee sense, that pervades gentle Virgo. “It’s not like that,” pausing, thinking, vibrating in one place with expectant, unanswered drives and desires, “no, it’s not like that at all,” but wait, “maybe it is.” I don’t know? Until Mars arrives and get comfortable, that drive, determination, desire, and possible extra super-human Virgo powers won’t be properly on-board. In other words? Probably a good ten day or so, a good time to “not.” ‘Not’ what? Don’t do anything excessive. Maybe don’t do anything too large. Wait for Mr. Mars.

Libra

For most people, I’m thinking: the other 11 signs… but for most people, this is all about partying, and looking for respite from scorching summer heat. For gentle Libra? Turn some attention to business. Either future business, or current business that might be helped if we transacted it in this next few days. Do the deal, now. Not later, now. Short message, clear, concise. Now, not later. It’s not like a good Libra can procrastinate but that is certainly part of the elemental construction of the sign, the Scales, patiently weighing every option, apprising details, and making sure your own self is covered. While that’s admirable? Usually a good idea? Instead, pull the plug, fire it up, do whatever it is that you are planning to do, and get it out of the way, now, rather than later. “Now? Really?” In short? Yes. Now, not later.

Scorpio

Go back and double-check the minutiae. The relative motion of the two planets mentioned, Mars and Mercury, the relation those two have in their spheres? Relative orbits suggest, as we bounce material off of easy-going Scorpio, motions suggest that Scorpio go back and double-check the minutiae. If, ask any good Virgo, if “The devil is in the details,” then you understand what I’m suggesting? It’s a matter of checking, then re-checking what’s been done by Scorpio. Let’s say you go back, and double-check what you already secured, and let’s say, there is nothing amiss. Don’t you feel better? And if you do catch minor mistakes that slipped through the first time? Thank me next week when it saves you.

Sagittarius

To this day, how well I recall the personal shame I felt while driving an old girlfriend’s car. The car wasn’t altered in any form, not as far as I knew, but a road hump, or steep driveway had scrapped the front bottom plate and a piece of metal was hanging down, scraping and sparking along the roadway. Freeway. Happened on the freeway. It was nothing I did, but it happened when I was driving, and I proceeded right to the dealership where the warranty people quickly secured the piece. Probably just ran a sheet metal screw to some spare frame part, bolted it all back in place. I don’t know. I wasn’t about to crawl under some low-slung sedan, and fiddle with parts that are beyond my ken. After July 4th? Turn the broken bits that we can’t fix, turn them over to the proper authorities. “It’s not mine, but can you fix it?”

Capricorn

If your main planet — Saturn — is in gentle Pisces, and that causes a twin-fish, mutable flavor to occur? What to do with it? Get all mystical. Wrap a turban round your head, sometimes a simple towel will do, and channel up some Elvis — or whatever deity, spirit guide, or totem animal works best. Capricorn is up against some odd energies, and the quickest way to get enlightened is to act enlightened. “Fake it until you make it?” Yes, and no. As a plan, that really doesn’t work in the longer term, but as way to punt through the next few days? Yes, fake it if you don’t feel that the brush of that angel’s wing on your Capricorn shoulder. Over the years, I’ve found a variety of neo-pagan and techno-paganrituals floating around on the various social medias. One of those works, too, if you can’t get in touch with that Capricorn spirit guide, deity, or totem that works. Get all mystical.

Aquarius

There’s quantity, and then, there’s quality. Which way do you want to err? I’m not saying that you will be wrong, but my old adage, collected in Pink Cake (available here), and echoed elsewhere, “If you can dazzle them brilliance, baffle them…” When unsure about the correct answer, as many words that are meaningful , and yet, not hewing to one side or another. “You still didn’t answer me.” But did I tell you about, this is an extenuating circumstance, you know, and I just thought, I should point out, you know some more details that might, or might not, shed light on this particular issue. I prefer terse, single expressions answers. I would love to have a single expression answer, like a definite yes, or no, but looking at the dizzying array of planets, plus holiday messes? Quality or quantity? “I think you’re going to need a bigger shovel.” Uh, yeah, about it.

Pisces

I used to follow a few “astrology” related feeds. More for fun, as what I would find, even to this day, some generalization about Scorpio one week, and then a few days, maybe a week later, the same generalization is used, only for a different sign. This applies to gentle Pisces because the Neptune-influenced part of your chart wants to believe, and any happy, hopeful morsel I can drip out? Latch onto that. The problem being, there’s always that Saturn-influenced portion of your chart, and it knows better than grabbing onto that tiniest morsel of hope, and just suggests, “It’s bad, all bad, there is no hope.” One of these floated through, and it was clearly a rub for a fixed sign, but the generalization had Pisces in the heading. Gratefully, Pisces is not a fixed sign, and gratefully, this structure and unreality issue will fade. In the meantime, rest of this week? Sort of a holiday tune to it, and I would suggest you enjoy the song. Just be careful of gross generalizations that might, or probably aren’t, true.

Roll of the Pisces eyes, “That’s what you always say.”

Aries

There’s an essence to traffic patterns , and oddly enough? The most structured of engineering can help. The “dynamics of flow,” like pipeline and water pipes, the simple way that the fluids flow is the eerily prescient of the way vehicles on the crowded roadway respond. For me, the simplest rule is that I try and avoid going anyplace at rush hour, or whatever hour is heightened for traffic in one direction. I’ve found that it’s easier, not trying to go across town at 5 or 6 in the afternoon. But that’s me, and that’s the local numbers. Working in and around Austin for so many years, I had a chance to negotiate that legendary traffic, and while it was pretty gnarled, I got used to it, and I figured ways around. Safest rule? Double the estimated time. This week? For Aries? Double the estimated time. It usually took me maybe 45 minutes to get to South Austin, and from there, another 45 minutes to get downtown. I would allow three hours due to traffic. Didn’t always take that long, but doubling the estimate? Never hurt.

Taurus

Where do you go for recommendations? In the distant past, I used to rely on my buddies for various recommendations. I’m not complaining, but about half to two-thirds of the online recommendations, especially like from the retail giants? Those tend to be more geared towards selling me a book, or some product rather than real, useful recommendation. Products that fall apart after a few weeks? Books that sound enticing, only to discover it’s really about a subject I’m not invested in at all? Where do those recommendations come from? For Taurus, this is about your individual selection process. What are the steps you take? I’ve found that I have to rely on a personally curated set of opinions, and I look at literary referrals, then the aforementioned amazon reviews, plus a book list of recent publications, but in all these examples, the point is to sell me something. Understanding that makes the novel more appealing in its review form. The best way to choose? Handle the text yourself. Like a library or bookstore, and this is just an example, but that Taurus tactile tension is what needs to be answered.

Gemini

Look where this holiday falls, what day is it? Then think about the repercussions, holiday attitude, the mixture of alcohol, pyrotechnics, and patriotism? That doesn’t always suggest a healthy outcome, and where the little planets are at the moment? For Gemini, this spells out an endless secession of friends, family, and similar cohorts, all backing away for a few minutes. However, in the wondrous Gemini mind, it feels like “They’re all leaving me!” Not really how this falls out, but I see how you can feel that way. Take a moment’s pause, collect those various Gemini thoughts, and then pick about three directions that look fun. Get ready. You got enough alone time to pull this together.