dec 1 05

Fishing Guide to the Stars by Kramer Wetzel
(c) 2004, 2005 by Kramer Wetzel for astrofish.net
For the Week starting: 12.1.2005

"Unnatural deeds
Do breed unnatural troubles."
Shakespeare's MacBeth (V.i.75)

Mercury goes un-retrograde and Mars' backward spin is slowing to halt. New Moon to start with, as well.

Sagittarius: Kind of funny, in my own, dark humor, to invoke Shakespeare's Scottish Play, for an opening quote. But the planets have been unnatural in their deeds. To be honest, the planets are just doing what they are supposed to do, but that hasn't stopped us fine Sagittarius folks from having a good time. Just means that the outcome of certain events has not been what we expected.

Unflappable Sagittarius? Be true to that unflappable nature of ours. Take it all in stride. Very simple message.

And happy birthday. The Sagittarius line up, starting on Thursday evening, is the beginning of a cycle that promises growth and prosperity throughout the rest of the year. There's going to be a gradual shift, from one of bleakness to one of brilliance, over the next few days. Starts at the beginning of the scope. Now, even. Gets better and better as the time marches forward. Period. Not accepting anything else from my Sagittarius slice of the heavens. There's still a little bit of dark humor to be found in the holiday mess, celebrate it as you may.

Capricorn: Locally, we get these cold, dark, gray winter days. Not really cold by some standards, but with a winter wind blowing in from the north, this place gets a little chilly. I've been meaning to replace the weather stripping on the front door, but I don't think about it until that wind starts whipping in. I just crank up the heater a little bit more, notch it up a degree or three and hope for the best. A lyric came on the radio, something about, "six-pack of big red, and some live bait."

Made me think of sunny, warm summer days, maybe a long spring time afternoon at the lake, although, my personal preference wouldn't include Big Red, that's just a personal matter of taste. Take a quick mental trip to your favorite Capricorn destination, maybe a spring-like day with a six of cool beverages and some live bait. Might be different for you, I mean, fishing on a local lake might not be what your ideal place is, but whatever the mental trip is? Give it a little leg-room.

Now, hold that feeling, not the image, but the feeling. Mercury turns around, Mars slides to stop, and you can carry that good feeling, that momentary mental reprieve on into just about any of the unpleasant tasks that need to get accomplished. Shopping, working, commuting, company parties, and the like. Keep the feeling alive, even if it's still a cold, gray day outside.

Aquarius: When the Moon is completely "dark," it's a good time for a little reflection, a little time to pause and consider what's our next direction. As an Aquarius, this idea about the next destination is even more important because the planets are highlighted by their subtle shifts, sort of like that piece to a jigsaw puzzle. Do people even play with jigsaw puzzles any more? I'm unsure; I don't think I've seen one in years.

In the back of an in-flight magazine, I found a crossword puzzle, about half finished. Don't know about that, either. But there's a key, an interlocking piece to the puzzle that's been occupying your Aquarius life, as of late, and I'll promise, as one little planetoid shifts into your sign? That missing piece, what's really a cornerstone, slips into place. Maybe it's a word, maybe it's a part, maybe just a little piece, but some integral part is found, in the next week, and from there? Start building, filling out and looking in a new direction. Getting better and better, moment by moment.

Pisces: There we go, dear, all better now! I fixed the planets! Okay, so I'll be truthful, I didn't do anything to the planets, but I did get some good Pisces news worked in, right? In the Pisces world, there's one little task left to be finished up. It's a well-known fallacy that trailer parks consider Xmas lights as a permanent form of artistic expression. Means we keep them up year-round. Sure, actually, I have a neighbor who does have a string or two or Xmas lights up all year.

Let's pretend that the neighbor is Pisces (he is), and let's pretend that one string of lights has a few bulbs that have burnt out. The Pisces goal for the next couple of days is to find and replace the burnt out bulbs. It's really simple. That simple? Sure. Just have a few bulbs that no longer flicker or shine brightly, and now's the time to see about fixing the problem. Doing so will insure a happy and merry holiday season in Pisces land.

Aries: I was listening to some old "glam-rock" -- truly vintage and dated material. The music isn't too complicated, the lyrics are less than enthralling, but the sheer energy of that rather dated rock and roll material? The drive, the force, the sense behind that type of music? It's there. It's a raw form of energy. Okay, let's admit that the material itself is kind of old and out-of-date. I'm not interested in banging my head in any way shape, or fashion. But that sense, that hard, simple backbeat, the driving rhythm, the basic throb of the rock and roll engine? That's present.

My special Aries friend? Crank it up. Or better yet, put on the earphones and play your music loud. It's about a guilty pleasure and it's also about getting some manual labor attended to. You've got something that needs to be done. The holiday pressure is intense. Fortunately, you like the pressure, and you can put it to good use. It's like that old-fashioned rock and roll, not really that glamorous these days, but it motivates you. The planets are starting to line up, use some of that motivation.

Taurus: This weekend starts a process that's been underway for what seems like, forever. I consider it part of the "de-lamination" process. The kitchen counter here isn't too big. Only about, maybe, a square foot of usable space. Just enough room for a jar of coffee beans, a coffee maker and a bean grinder. The top of the counter is covered with a kind of cheap (I suppose) plastic laminate. Ever since I moved in, I've been meaning to replace the top of the counter.

It wasn't until the recent astrological events that the counter finally started to work itself loose. It's starting to come a little unglued. I'm in no hurry, I've been here a good many years, and my efforts at home repair are pretty minimalist. Makes for a much more comfortable existence, a hot plate instead of a stove, an oven used as storage, yes, it's the way I like it.

But that square foot of plastic? I've been meaning to get around to fixing it. It's a little scratched, obviously, a previous tenant used the kitchen's counter as a cutting board. I would do no such thing, but the counter's tiny swatch of plastic is showing years and years of wear. Time to replace it. This is made a lot easier by the fact that it is coming apart, almost of its own volition. So let's think about Taurus, and look at what little task now needs to be undertaken. Like replacing something that's finally coming unglued.

Gemini: I stepped out to the dock, my bare feet getting cold in the wan winter daylight, and I was looking at the lake, wondering if I should even bother trying to flip a lure into the water. In answer to my question, I noticed a stray perch, just a little panfish, meandering up near the shoreline, probably looking for a spare morsel to eat. Poor little fish, all alone, no one to keep it company. To me, the fish looked more like bait than something worth trying to catch. But I thought it might be a sign from the heavens that I was supposed to go ahead and try. So I did.

I unlimbered a pole with a heavy-weight plastic and I tossed it out in the water. First cast, I got a nibble. Not a hit, not a strike, no fish, but someone, out in the river's water, was interested. I threw that lure out a few more times, to no avail. Never got another nibble. But I did try. I did get very cold feet because I didn't deem the effort worth pulling on boots.

Perhaps if I'd tried harder, or maybe if I'd switched to a tube instead of lure, or maybe, if I'd just done something different. But it's the middle of the cold season, and the fish are a little more grumpy. So are the Gemini. Just like me, with my feet getting cold, deciding that there's a better place to be, rather than trying something that holds little chance of success. If you're getting cold feet about some project? Might I suggest it's a good time to pack it in for the day? Or put on some shoes.

Cancer: I was dreaming about a vacation spot. It's on the Gulf (of Mexico) or the Caribbean, or some similar destination. Might be on Mexico's Pacific Coast. The place was called, I think, "Puerto Playa Maya Costa." Sounds about right, ever heard of the place? Maybe it was a cruise trip. Perhaps it was a poster. I noted the name, and the fact that it looked like a beer commercial, with an idyllic surf breaking from a picture-perfect sea, white sands, an umbrella providing shade for a figure in a beach chair, with a little drink with miniature umbrella in it. Sort of an echo of the bigger umbrella. I didn't even snap to that.

A spot in the sun, in the tropics? Sounds like a plan for Cancer. How are we going to arrange this? I'd start by looking at your favorite online source for travel information. Or I'd look around any travel related store. I'd start by suggesting that I find the Gulf to be a particularly attractive destination, current conditions notwithstanding. You need a break, and since no one else seems to be looking out for you, I'm trying my best to help. Keep the dream alive. It should help get through the holiday madness we're facing. Cancer: you're two-thirds of the way to getting to that destination. Plus, I hear Cozumel y Cancun have some great deals, now.

Leo: I tend to read a lot of books. Since I don't own a TV, reading is my form of entertainment. There's one author's work, and the canon of that author's novels, it all came highly recommended. The problem is, each book was a big, fat, overweight volume, each volume in excess of 800 pages. Plus, the first 200 pages were always tough going. The stories just didn't really get started until after that 200 page mark. Getting through the first chapters is always a chore.

Imagine that the Leo life is just like one of those novels. Epic in proportion, epic in scope, full of witty insights and over all, a very satisfying form of entertainment. Plus meaning, there's always an uplifting message, too. But this next week or so? It's like those first 200 pages. It's just tough going. You know you're going to like it, once you get started, once you get a glimpse of the plot, the characters, the settings and all of the background. It's just the maneuvering through all the background material that's required? Takes time. A little patience. Almost like this is hard work.

When I'm reading a novel like this Leo novel? Takes me a week or so to get past the introductory material. However, I've also found, after that? I can read the rest of the 600 pages in a single night. It's going to be that good. It's all a function of Saturn (in Leo) and the Sun (in Sagittarius). Read the background material, and you will be highly entertained. Later.

Virgo: I've got two fishing poles that are very nearly identical. Same length, same type of reel, same kind of fishing line, same ratings for lures and line weight, all of that is almost the same. But one of the poles is a cheap pole, and although its characteristics are identical to the more expensive pole, the cheap pole weighs a good deal more. Or so it feels. Doesn't much matter, though, as the cheap pole is less likely to break when I'm trying to undo a hook from a snag. The cheap pole is better because I'm less afraid I'll break it. It's stronger, heavier, and after a few hours, that extra weight matters.

I have, on occasion, literally, fished with that lighter (more expensive) pole for hours. Three hours almost straight through. Couldn't do that with the heavier pole. It's just matter of degrees, or a few ounces, but over time, in just a few hours, it matters. So the even though the poles are outwardly identical, each of the two fishing poles have a specific application. The right tools for the job. The problem was, I took a little stroll with the heavy pole, and I stopped at a few spots on the way, just to wet a line and see if anyone was biting. My poor casting arm was worn out by the end of the trip.

Wrong tool for the task at hand. My bad. But looking at the lake's level, I was just figuring on a few casts, and I was anticipating snags. Instead, it was a near perfect afternoon, just no fish, but at least the winter weather was accommodating. My bet is that you select the heavier, more durable tool -- and given where the planets are? I'll bet your casting arm, or whatever you're working? I'll wager you're going to be as worn out as I was.

Libra: Mercury being backwards during a heavy travel time is always amusing for me. I love watching folks get irate at the ticket counters. I don't love it, but it's predictable. If you read these horoscopes with any regularity then you know that Mercury is going to mess around with schedules and so forth. But you're also prepared.

In my mind, when I was stuck last time, I started assembling a cute traveling fishing kit. A tiny spinning reel, a little pole that broke down into six pieces or more, a few lures that would always work in almost any situation, just a light kit that I could always have with me. In reality, I'll carry no such thing, but as an exercise, when I was stuck with -- apparently -- nothing to do because of travel schedules being rearranged by the planets, I started dreaming.

There's a big concrete catch pond, outside of one the bus terminals. I was wondering if any fish lived in there, and if they did, what would they be interested in biting? And if I only had that little travel pole, I could, at the very least, experiment, and see. Day dreaming and mental shopping isn't always a good exercise, but with the big holidays rapidly approaching, it's time to think about yourself. Travel is still up in the air, schedules haven't recovered from the holiday press of traffic, but there's still a chance to dream about fishing in that concrete pond, next to the train station. Or something similar, as it fits your own, Libra-like needs.

Scorpio: A "Le Mans" start to a motorized vehicle race is a rather dated term. The expression implied, near as I could tell, sprinting to the vehicle, jumping in, hitting the starter button and roaring off. Le Mans was the legendary 24-hour race, a matter of human and mechanical endurance. Do they even have Le Mans starts anymore? I doubt it.

Imagine, in full race gear, sprinting fifty feet to a cockpit, jumping in, fumbling with seatbelts, safety harnesses, banging your helmet, stabbing at a starter switch, pumping the accelerator, and getting off to a decent start. Then, settle in, after that mad dash? It's a long race.

There's a sudden rush to the way this month begins, like that Le Mans start. It's a mad dash across the racetrack's tarmac, jump in, and blast off. Is there any need to be the first person to be leaving the start line? It's a long race, 24-hours, so if you lose a few seconds right at the start? It's not a problem. You'll make up for it before the race is over. Jupiter is guaranteeing a win for the Scorpio's race vehicle. Could even happen this week. Just don't get upset at the last of the Mercury-infused fumbling at the beginning of the race. 24 hours is a long time to make up a few extra seconds.