To: FGS Faithful
From: KramerW@aol.com
Subject: Feb 2000 Scopes

"God of the golden wand, why have you come?
A beloved, honored friend,
but it's been so long, your visits much too rare.
Tell me what's on your mind, I'm eager to do it,
whatever I can do ... whatever can be done."
Calypso to Hermes in Homer's "The Odyssey" (book V -- Robert Fagles translation)

The introductory quote takes a bit of a stretch -- in some schools of mythology, Hermes is known as Mercury. And Mercury is going to do his customary about face at the end of this month. I looked this quote up in several translations, and I think this one is about the best that I could find. It lends a poetic and heroic air to the idea that Mercury is back for a backwards visit. Oh joy. Mercury retrogrades back from a middle degree of Pisces to an early degree, and this pattern kicks off about the same time the Apollo drags his chariot of the Sun in Pisces, which is ruled by Neptune, or Poseidon, and then it all gets complicated. But rather than a ruefully look at this as a bad time, it's merely a little chance to stop and assess where we are going now that the year is off to a good start. It is off to a good start, isn't it?

This is an unusual time because the planets are all moving in a forward direction until the Mercury time hits. Some would suggest that this is going to hit harder than ever.

Hopefully, the new server will be sorted out before Mercury turns backwards, and the preview is available at:
http://209.15.77.83/

Aries : I know I started off with stories about Mercury. But I figure, just for you, we should talk about Mars. He careens into your sign around the 12th, and suddenly your Valentine month takes off with some heated passion. Now, I always try to make the distinction between heated passion and true love. And until the fateful big day gets here, you need to be a little cautious about heated passion as opposed to a mere passionate embrace. But by the time Mars comes along and kisses you, then it's a happening thing. There are problem associated with this month, but you've been under pressure for so long that, for some reason I keep getting an image of you turning up just like a diamond, mere carbon that's cooked on Nature's Grill for a long, long time. Mercury will create some interesting delusions at the end of the month, but I have confidence that Mars will help you see through the fog.

Taurus : We're back to the usual stuff, the idea that when speaking in public, particularly if you're like me, and you have to get up and lecture from a podium, the idea to get over the stage fright is to conceptualize everyone else with no clothes on. It's an interesting bit of mental juggling, and it might work. But with Mercury doing his thing, communications and all going into the recycling bin, you might be a little careful about this imagery. You might find yourself, this month, up in front of everyone, and you might be imagining them without their clothes on, and then you look down, and discover that what you were imagining is real, only in reverse. That's just an example of how this month goes, when you least expect it, there's always something that can wrong, and at the worst possible time. Deal with it? Sure. You're going to begin to get the booster rocket effect from Jupiter, before long. So hang in there, you'll find the proper attire by the end of the month. And who knows? Maybe a naked Taurus will prove to be more popular.

Gemini : It's a trick of the light, as much as it's anything. There's a little flicker, the merest flash, which catches your eye this month. Now, this could be caused by Mercury, but to me it looks more like a silver spoon which is a fishing analogy and represents one of those thin slivers of metal which is designed to attract your attention to the bait. The problem being, that this is a month when you're not sure about what's the bait, and what's the decoy. So it's like that little trick of light, and you're just not exactly sure about what it is that you're seeing. There are many appealing aspects to this month, but as long as Mercury is doing this big Pisces thing, you have to make sure that what catches your eye is indeed, the right thing. It may be an old fishing trick to put a "spoon" on a lure to catch the intended prey's eye, but it works well on Gemini this month. Make sure you're getting some substance, and not all flash, and remember to watch for that trick of the light.

Cancer : Jupiter is gaining momentum, from the way he was last year, and as he picks up his tempo a little, you're going to find yourself stuck on the dance floor of life, one more time, with a dance partner who can wear you out. It all started as a slow dance, but around the middle of the month, something happened to the music, and the beat started to pick up speed. If you're old enough to remember a world before Compact Disc music, then you'll recognize the noise as the turntable being pushed faster and faster. If the allusion to antique analog musical playback devices escapes you, then it's more along the lines of something a DJ Club Mix where the beats per minute are suddenly accelerated. The problem is that the later part of the month, with the Mercury back slide, introduces a problem with the sound system, and you're going to feel like you can't keep up, or that the music has turned from beautiful to cacophonous in a single stroke. Be prepared to change channels as the month progresses, and be prepared to listen to some classics from a bygone era as Mercury does his thing.

Leo : I remember one time, not so very long ago, I had a special Leo ask to be dropped from my mailing list because the monthly scope held nothing of interest. It was all bad. And from the subsequent mail that followed, I proved to be -- regrettably -- rather accurate. This isn't going to be a month like that. It isn't going to be the end of times. It isn't going to be "bad." The month does offer some competing planet angles which are both positive and negative. If I just relied on the research of others, I would tell you that the whole month looks rosy. I can't do that with a clear conscience, though, because what some folks see as "good" I tend to question a little. Perhaps that's the best thing for you to do this month, too, question some of the actions of others. I realize it's not in your nature to double check everything, but you have partner, an associate, a cube mate, maybe even a pet, and you're going to want to look at them, maybe more than once this month, and ask them if that person (or thing) is sure that it has made a decision that it wants to stick by. You'll be happy to abide by their decisions, but you just want to double check to make sure that they are understanding this correctly. Some folks (or things) this month don't have the far sighted ability that you enjoy this month. Words for the month: "Are you sure?"

Virgo : This is a month full of ups and downs. Sure, that sounds like an escape clause for any astrological predictions, and you have to admit that it sounds about right, too, but the way it works is that Mars triggers a few thing in the beginning of the month, then he slides out of your way. But no sooner do things get bright and cheerful but guess what? Evil little Mercury, one of the planets most often associated with your lovely sign, that dastardly little feller goes backwards. To make this an even more uncomfortable position for you, Mercury is backwards in Pisces, the sign voted most likely to be opposite you. So what's this going to do? Just when you thought all of the last century was behind you, just when you thought you were looking at a clean slate, just when you thought it was all going to be okay, there are little reminders in the last part of the month which keep popping up to remind you about something from the past. It's just Mercury, and all he's doing is acting like a video tape on the inner screen of your mind (mine is a wide screen with surround sound), and it's just replaying a few left over bits. Ever sit through the 20 minutes of previews at the movie theater? Same thing, only these are reruns. And ever notice that the trailers are sometimes better than the movie itself? So that stuff which is revisiting you might just be highlights, and I trust you'll be able to remember the full details yourself.

Libra : This is the first serious retrograde to come along in a while, in recent memory, at least, and it's going to have an impact on you. It's might have a lasting impact on your life, sort of like the theory that the Gulf Of Mexico was created by a large meteor impact. I just don't want you to think I'm suggesting that crater this month It also looks like you're literally bursting with good ideas, but it also looks like your good ideas aren't getting you anywhere near as fast as you would like this month. So, as the waves from the eclipse begin to settle some, and as Mercury kicks himself into reverse gear, and as Mars begins his trek opposite you, just consider that the impression you leave this month can have a long term effect. Persevere under these circumstances, and keep remember that the meteor crater has many beneficial affects, like helping you to get rid of old dinosaurs.

Scorpio : "Fish or cut bait," as the popular expression goes. It's that simple. And make this decision before the Mercurial Influence hits. Then sit back and enjoy the ride. It doesn't much matter what your decision is, as long as you assiduously make an effort to stick by what you decide. Given that I'm a little less than delicate with sharp objects, my personal suggestion is to try the first part of the expression. However, being a Scorpio, you're going to find that you're drawn to the second part of the equation for the month, and you're going to want to use a knife to fillet some bait. It's not always an unkind cut, but as Mercury moves around to his backwards position, and as Mars moves on into Aries, you're going to discover that fishing might have been a better choice. When chopping bait this month, try to remember that the planets will occasionally cause a small error in what you perceive. So once you make your decision, make sure you've got a lock on the target, and it will turn out okay. Just be a little careful about the target lock.

Sagittarius : There are several bumbling — yet effectual — characters which would serve as good archetypes for our sign. And rather than try to explain what this connection is, I would suggest that you build one up for yourself. It's sort of a slapstick version of the Pink Panther, and this month is like one of the old celluloid clips, the bumbling inspector finally gets to the real truth of the matter, but he does so by making a few erroneous judgment calls on the way. Then, as Mercury goes retrograde, you'll notice then you tend to speaking in one language, but folks seem to be hearing another dialect. I'm afraid it's as clashing as the West Texas Twang versus an East Texas drawl. I'm pretty sure the roots are entirely different and the sun baked folks in West Texas will attribute the misunderstanding to the fact that the East Texas kin folks have too much water in the air. Now if you can combine these disparate elements, you'll find that this month might have a happy conclusion. Other wise, you might be stuck in a foreign place, working hard at being understood, and yet your message seems to keep getting garbled in the delivery. Don't panic because, like that comic character previously alluded to, you come out winning at the end. I'll just bet it catches you by surprise when you get there.

Capricorn : The eclipse is not well-timed with anything in particular in your chart, but it does cause a degree of excitement for you, if only the briefest flurry of activity. And then there is the twin influence of Mercury going Retrograde and Mars easing on into Aries. This means the latter half of the month, there's going to be a degree of change in your life, and there's also a little problem with getting other people to understand what it is that you mean. Traditional written letters having fallen by the wayside as a form of communication. And the electronic form of E-mail is wonderful and quick, but it's lost that personal touch. There's something in a vocal delivery, or even a handwritten note delivery which just can't be matched by words bumping into each other on the screen. The problem is communication, and the last half of this month is going to be about communications. I sent an insouciant reply to a reader's note one time, and the message was greatly garbled. "You must hate Capricorn's and I hope you rot!" was the response, at least, in feeling, that I got back. What this means, my dear Capricorn friend, is that you need to be careful about how you correspond this month. I dread it when some one puts a little smiley face set of punctuation at the end of note, or with a comment of some kind. Being literate, I prefer to try and evoke the same message with mere words. But I've echoed Troilus often enough about what he thinks about word, "Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart,/Th' effect doth operate another way," in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida (V.iii.108-9), and I don't think he bears repeating here. As long as the planets are arrayed in such a fashion, anything you can do to insure that the proper communication channels are open is best.

Aquarius : These late eclipses have something to do with relationships for you. Now, a relationship isn't always of the romantic variety, but there does seem to be a bit of pressure being exerted on you by the planets to make this a romantic type of problem. Perhaps problem ain't the right word. This New Moon which is also a powerful eclipse coming at the beginning of the month is going to set your back teeth to rattling a little, and this is going to set an attitude for the whole month. You've got something "new" and "exciting" which is trying to break free. The planets are going to give you a chance to let this concept burst forth. The trick is to help this along as much as possible. To be sure, you're still feeling a little on edge. This is due, no doubt, to the effect of the Moon's lake of reverence for your cherished emotional state. And about the time the eclipse stuff is over, you slide into a state that is brought about by the Mercury Retrograde action. Clam up. Think about barricading yourself in your Aquarius trailer with lots of art supplies. Get the picture? Do something different to tickle your Aquarius Muse this month. The ideas are there, you just have to get them out on paper some how. The thought of keeping it all to yourself is wonderful, but you're going to find that this month brings on a new "voice" and a new found sense of expression, planets or no planets.

Pisces : You can blame the planets for some things, and it's a convenient excuse from time to time, but I'm not willing to lay all the blame on just the planets. Mercury has been a long time in coming, and now that he's here, you should make him feel as welcome as possible. One of the things he could do with his golden wand, already alluded to, is he could cause mere mortals to fall asleep and miss important details. And as long as he is in your sign, you need to make sure that you don't nod off when you're supposed to be paying attention. This month is like that. There's a bit of interstellar dust getting kicked up by the eclipse, and that's also going to have a weird effect on you. At once, it imparts energy and a sense of resolution, too. Then there's the Mercury Retrograde, and I usually say something like "But Pisces are immune to the effect of this planet's action," but like Calypso, you've invited the guy in, and now he's making himself at home. I hope you can sleep it off.

© Kramer Wetzel, 1999, 2000

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