• Four Degrees
    That I’ve been writing horoscopes and related material for a while? Sure. That I get to spend a portion of my time in consultation with actual people? That helps. The almost random appearance of certain types, that shows up frequently? OK. Patterns emerge. The most recent? Four Degrees. Drilling down on that idea? Four Degrees of Aries.

    Four Degrees

    There was an eclipse, the Lunar New Year — Fire Horse — started, and Saturn closely followed Neptune entering the tropical zodiac sign of Aries. Mercury is in a watery retrograde cycle, just to add an element of confusion, already prefigured with Neptune and its influence.
    Horoscopes for 2-17-2026… Horoscopes for 3-3-2026
    What showed up, repeatedly in recent weeks?

    Four Degrees

    Perhaps a dozen years past? I had a procedure for carpal tunnel on my left hand. An in-office procedure, nip and tuck, a handful of pain pills, plus a new fishing rod/reel and an alternative mouse arrangement — trackpad, no more mouse? No more problem. Last doctor check-up, the capable PA answered a question about a sore elbow: repetitive stress injury, similar to that old carpal tunnel. Simple enough, I adjust my working position, and it goes away. Still? That sore elbow? That’s what the Saturn/Neptune, looking around and gesturing at everything, that’s what this is about and the place where this hits hardest? . Four degrees. It’s that sore spot that a simple adjustment can fix.

    Four Degrees

    Grabbing an ephemeris, Saturn hits 4° of Aries around 3/20 moving to 5° around 3/29, rough numbers, as an approximation. Slower moving Neptune hits 4° Aries in late May, turning stationary and then backwards in July, staying in retrograde motion until December, arriving back at that 1° Aries.
    The American Ephemeris for the 21st Century
    Realistically, the first four degrees of Aries, and by extension, all the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) will feel its influence. Realistically, though, the sensitive points for this time is that first Four Degrees, and more pointedly, as with Saturn, it’s that first few degrees of Aries. Digging around, I found that I did post about this, a while back, about two transits. At the end of the post, there’s the long form of my (dated) assessment of Saturn conjunct the Sun, and Neptune conjunct the Sun. That applies, over this next three-four months, to the first few degrees of all cardinal signs, in varying stages, but more so? For the first Four Degrees of Aries. As noted.

    Kramer Wetzel’s little book of transits

    Pisce Virgo More as an aside, rather than as a hard-and-fast rule, but as a sidebar item? The fire signs, Aries, The Leo, Sagittarius? Especially the flaky Sagittarius and stalwart Leo? The Leo? The fire signs gain clarity through this as it is a trine. Aries? Good thing ya’ll like hard work.
  • Post Easter Post

    Post Easter Post

    I don’t write too much personal information because I’m really a private person. Recently, around family, I found out that my family, originally worried that I would write about them, they are now worried that I won’t write about them
    What are you going to do?
    Shrug. So Easter Vigil services, the Paschal Candle, and lovely services Saturday evening left a cool, dark and rainy Sunday without much on my agenda. Started with sleeping late, then coffee at home, then coffee with friends, the usual Sunday morning coffee gang, and while there, a buddy pops up.
    “He’s single?”
    “Yes,” I said, “to the best of my knowledge.”
    “Good looking. Why?”
    Well, think about it. One of my friends. Probably got a skeleton or two in his closet. Who knows? Chatted, talked Buddhist doctrine, meditation, and other crap. Got a second cup of coffee, and set out for a repast, just a quick meal on a dreary, rainy, cold Sunday morning in San Antonio. Thinking about all those people camped out in the city park. Weird local phenomena — camping Easter weekend in the city park. Looked depressing. Drove past El Jarro, closed for Easter. Same with Alamo Cafe, then El Chapparel, looped down to La Hacinda, the gate was closed there, too. 24-hour grocery store: closed. Walmart parking lot was packed, so that was hard pass. All the TexMex places were closed. Who knew?
    “Try Torchy’s?”
    Torchy’s Tacos is a chain, now, a national chain, but it started in the “aughts” in a trailer park in old south Austin. Rapidly grew, almost exponential growth, exporting that old Austin sensibility, just weird enough. The icon is a devilish cherub with a pitchfork, deep red, adorned with horns. Motto? Damn good tacos. Fact? Good food.

    Post Easter Post

    Commuting back to Austin, the old rock store was just south of the Mueller Airport (old Austin airport), and there was a new Torchy’s there. Perfect stop while waiting on traffic to die down. (As if.) I got used to the new Torchy’s at the old airport. Road food on Austin Tuesdays was either Torchy’s or What-A-Burger. Fast food done, well, fast food. The tacos are good. So that’s how I found myself Easter Sunday, looking at a the “taco of the month,” a specialty taco that brought back a flood a memories. It was a hamburger patty, like any kind of a fast food hamburger patty, a gray, circle of meat, or meat-like substance, griddled to death, folded into a taco with sauce and a sprinkling of garnish, some pico, some purple pickled onions, other stuff. First bite, though, rockets me back in time to Sandy’s in Austin, then further back to a Bob’s Big Boy, along the highway, or even the Melios Brothers with their “special sauce,” just ketchup and mayo whipped together. The flavor of a round patty of hamburger meat, griddled to death, then lightly dusted with lettuce, tomato, whatever. That Torchy’s taco — the monthly special — tastes like a hamburger from the days of long before, when hamburgers tasted like they were full of youth and hope. How they captured that flavor — so exactly in a single taco?

    Post Easter Post

    It was an Easter miracle.

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