Horoscopes for 7-16-2024

Mercury at 21° Leo 7/17
Mars enters Gemini 7/20 3:44 PM
Full Moon 29° 8’ Cap/Can 7/21 5:16 AM
Moon conjunct Pluto 0°54’ Aquarius 7/21 8:14 AM
Sun into Leo 7/22 2:45 AM

Cancer

I was looking for an arcane kind of text. I know there’s something at the behemoth, Amazon, but those are usually regular titles, and I tend to look for the obscure. Then, too, I was looking for a portable text, one that I could take with me. Think: digital. My search wasn’t too hard, as there were a couple of repository of free, and out-of-copyright material available from certain sites. I’ve used resources like that, in the past, and I’ve found it to be useful. The problem? I didn’t bother to bookmark what I found, and I skimmed the material, to see if it would suit my purposes, and it would, but I was looking at it as a web page. Structured like a book, and available in a number of free formats, but still, what I was glancing through was a web-based layout. Click the link for the 4th chapter, second sub-heading, read a paragraph, bounce back to the table-of-contents, then read another section about a different topic, and it was so easy. Which is what I was looking for. Problem, gentle Moon Children, the sign of the crab, problem being? I didn’t bookmark, copy the link, or even add the page as anything. I lost it. In order to get it back, I had to go through several sets of search and find operations to locate that exact text, again. I got it now, but as we approach what’s coming up?

“Save all work,” so you can “show all work.”

The Leo

Looking at a software user’s forum, a rather highly niche market, answers, and questions, I found an amusing notation. Wasn’t pertaining just to the use of that software, either. It was about a life lesson that I would impart, whenever someone would listen. Are you listening, dear Leo?

The question was about particular way to handle recurring situations, identical implementation of the solution, across a broader format. If it’s the same situation, over and over, then write a stock piece and inset that, wherever needed. When I find myself in situation wherein I’m repeating the same phrase, over and over? Means it’s time to write that up, and get ready to automate that answer. If I have to repeat the same message, more than once or twice — to different people — then I take that as a sign it’s time to write a piece of placeholder text that can get reused, as need be. To this day, I’ve got several pieces of text that I use, over and over, when faced with certain questions. Listen, dear Leo, and as you have to repeat the same phrase, over and over? Figure the quickest way to make that easier.

Virgo

The approach of the Full Moon can hit like a single, good cup of coffee. Doesn’t even have to be artisanal, designer, ergonomic coffee. It can be gas station varietal with hints of kerosene and light unburnt hydrocarbons. Doesn’t much matter, but it’s that first cup, full of energy and drive, direction, and hope. Most important? Hope. Feels like a cup of hope, for gentlest Virgo. It’s not rarified, refined, or of a certain kind of high-quality flavor, but it is functional and effective. Which what we need. Just functional and effective with just a hint sweat and gasoline.

Libra

There’s a level of comfort that applies in Libra land. What’s comfortable? What’s best? What’s the best temperature setting for the time being? I like my coffee just short of scalding hot. That’s the way I like it, fresh out of the pot, just short of boiling, and maybe too hot to handle, but I like to be there as it cools. Hot summer days, sometimes it takes longer to cool, or so it would seem, but what’s the perfect temperature? Theories are plentiful and no one consensus seems to emerge. However, part of this is merely about taste, and how — what — works best for Gentle Libra. Here’s a suggestion: try a couple of different settings. As the summer temps climb skyward, one of my favorite ways to drink coffee is over ice. Again, that’s rather different from just-off scalding. What fits Libra comfort is the question. What’s comfortable for me, might not be comfortable for you. Seek your comfort level.

Scorpio

There’s always one who is stuck behind the rest, picking up the pieces. More towards this image, what I was thinking of? It was an image of broom and dust pan, gently sweeping up behind someone else’s mess. That’s this time-frame for Scorpio, gently cleaning up after someone else’s mess. I was thinking about this as I emptied a shredder, I use the paper bits as compost, and while not entirely safe, it’s still a better use of waste. The problem? I don’t have a good Scorpio to clean up after me. I have to do this myself, Which is part of what this message is really about, and the decent Scorpio who seems stuck with a mess to clean up? In part, this should be easy, just a broom and small dust pan, but in part, one should be willing to acknowledge, even though you didn’t directly make the mess, it might be partly yours to clean up.

Sagittarius

I miss winging into Austin with a bird’s eye view of the surrounding terrain. Dotted in and among the hills, as Austin sits on the eastern shoulder of the fabled Hill Country, but sparkling like little gems when seen from above? There are the limestone water holes, filled with a teal-shaded, crystalline fluid, and it’s that shade, that color, that’s what I miss. Unique topography, geography, and underlying geology makes for the shading. I used to swim in Barton Creek and in its natural setting, it was that teal shade, as well, limestone filtration, I think that’s what it was. Nature’s swimming pools, in my mind. Our Sagittarius selves need to find a way to keep our cool in the summer heat. Those cool pools, the various ponds seen as I used to fly into Austin? I kept thinking I need to find one of those to help keep my cool. Things are getting warmer than we like, and some effort to keep cool, one way or another.

Capricorn

Chuckle. There’s a kind of relief that occurs, and there’s that ever-present sense of Capricorn schadenfreude “Schadenfreude” is Germanic in origin and means, as I understand it, watching someone else suffer — and since this is Capricorn-branded schadenfreude — it’s about watching someone else suffer after a decent Capricorn warning. “I suggested that they not try that, and now look.” Or? “I warned you away from that,” or the best? “I told you so.” Just as a warning and to keep this from being bad for Capricorn, this version of Capricorn schadenfreude? Lower the tone of your delivery. Do it quietly. A single roll of the eyes is sometimes louder than any other kind of statement.

Aquarius

The Full Moon brings joy and promise, and that is quickly regulated into a second-tier ranking as the subtle — and not subtle — energy shifts. It goes, like manic episode, from “This is GREAT!” Downward spiraling to “There is no hope — all is lost — we are doomed.” Not really doomed, but regulating that joy a little, putting the brakes on the unbridled happiness and then, that lessens fall that occurs when some of this wears off. Seems more like a rollercoaster ride than a full lunar cycle, and in some respects, it is less. Part of this is a the delicate interplay between certain planets, and planet-like energies, but part of this is just taking a normal cycles an accentuating certain points. Like triple (!!!) exclamation points instead of a single one! Part of the ,sesame is that some of this needs to be attended to, even now, and putting off the Aquarius inevitable doesn’t work.

Pisces

It’s not really your fault, but the way these stars play out? It feels like your fault. The biggest challenge ahead in nominally gentle Pisces is the ability to differentiate myth, wishes, hopes, and dreams, from the real world. Saturn is real world, and Neptune, is the unreal world of the mind. There’s a see-saw action, up and down up and down, and the real worth — Saturn — eventually wins. But that’s not without the idea, ideals, dreams, fabricated desires, and marketing hype that surrounds what you think you might want to think. I’m not one who can draw the line between reality and make-believe. I’ve lived in the made-up word for so long, it didn’t matter, not to me. But I’m not Pisces — in this week’s situation. You are. Means the line between reality and non-reality is blurred, and the hot tip is to discern what’s what.

Aries

Client approached me the other afternoon, and commented that “Brick Wall” analogy was one of the best at describing the various signs. It’s about typical, and characteristic, problem resolution, solutions to obstacles, and how one type of energy — like an Aries — would go about solving an impenetrable problem. The standard-issue Aries has a single play, one route, one role, one answer.

One way to approach the problem with an eye towards a successful resolution.

One way. Just one. Straight ahead, no varying by degree, no back-up plan, and herein is the way this week unfolds, and that weird full-moon energy? Have a series of solutions. Have a variety-pack of ideas for handling the Aries exigent circumstances. Have a secondary, tertiary, and even a “Hail Mary, this will never work, but give it a shot and a prayer,” possible way to answer what’s going on. The clue is, “Not just one way to fix this,” knowing that, despite the way it goes against that good, Aries mindset? Knowing that helps. The first might work but it won’t work if you don’t have back-up plans, as well.

Taurus

Some people, even up to this day, some folks expect this to work like a light switch. On then off. Not exactly how it works. I mean, a light switch does work like that, but the astrology of this week, it doesn’t. It’s not a sudden, overnight relief. One of the reasons I settled on a weekly format, is that at the end of the 7-day cycle, there was a noticeable, detectable, perceptible, palpable shift that everyone could feel. On a day-to-day basis, this less likely to be felt but with bookends set a week apart? There will be a change, and it will feel like a sigh of relief. Might not notice it in the moment, but over time, in the span of a few days, there’s a growing, slowing, gathering, lessening of apparent Taurus pressures. Gets a just a little easier, in one form, or another. Most of it is Mr. Mars in his glory.

Gemini

As Mr. Mars arrives, he turns up the heat, but as the sun leaves, the heat is off. The inherent dual-action, should be a trademarked Gemini trait, “inherent dual-action Gemini,” but that trait and idea? We have two big elements adding and subtracting from the Gemini life, and as such? There are twin elements of fire, burning at both ends. Which is the birthday, end of the season, beginning of summer issue for Gemini: twin issues at either end, burning. The stuff in the center of Gemini is nice and cool, but the material at either end? That’s on fire. Part of it is the heat of the Sun, and part of it is the heat of Mars. What helps? Separate what’s important from seems to be important, and try to differentiate between serious, and just sort of looks serious, and might be serious, but doesn’t really require attention at this moment. Look at it all, then figure what parts really need the heat. Remember: the best BBQ is done low and slow. Anything else is a flash-fry.

• Aperture: ƒ/1.8
• Camera: iPad Pro (11-inch)
• Taken: 29 November, 2022
• Flash fired: no
• Focal length: 3mm
• ISO: 64
• Shutter speed: 1/60s