Mutable T-Square- Kansas City Shuffle

Ok guys, here's what we have going on. Remember the Cardinal Crisis we had in 2010? Well this is the Mutable Meltdown (copyright AstroGeek's Skywatch, LLC) of 2012. We have Neptune in Pisces opposite Mars in Virgo (still Retrograde.....) and both of them are in Square to Venus in Gemini. Considering the fact that we also have Pluto in Capricorn going Retrograde, not to mention Mercury and Mars going Direct, this could easily become a gigantic cluster.

You see, this is a massive confidence game (in keeping with the Neptunian vibe, who is clearly running the show here). Neptune is the Con, and Mars is a shill (accomplice) while Venus is the mark (victim). Unfortunately for our girl, this is a very special type of con that can have disastorous consequences. You see, this is what you call a Kansas City Shuffle.

What is a Kansas City Shuffle, you ask? For that, we turn to Steampunk Opera for a explanation

"So what is a Kansas City Shuffle? Well, it’s basically a con which revolves around someone being tricked by thinking that they’re being tricked. Get it?

See, that’s why it’s so brilliant. It’s a con which requires the mark knowing that he’s being conned. All con-games rely on misdirection to some degree, but normally the conman doesn’t want the mark to know there’s a con going on. In a Kansas City Shuffle, 3 requirements must be met:

1. The victim must suspect that it’s a con-game
2. The victim must think that they’ve figured out how to beat the con
3. The victim must be wrong about what the con is.

All three elements must be present. If the victim doesn’t suspect that they’re being conned, it’s not a Kansas City Shuffle. If the victim doesn’t set themselves up for the real con by doing something to beat the con they think they’ve spotted, it’s not a Kansas City Shuffle. If the victim is right about what the real con is, it’s not a Kansas City Shuffle"

See, what happens is, while you are watching the performance, you catch a slight detail [Mars in Virgo], a tell, that leads you to believe you know whats happening and how it will all play out. The trouble is, that was just a Red Herring, left to throw you off the scent (kind of like How I Met Your Mother). So while all the hullaballo is going on Center Stage, there's a whole other drama playing out Stage Right, taking your eyes off the main event, as it were (not sure where im getting all these theater metaphors from, but im going to go with it). But while you're trying to see everything that's happening over there, you're missing the REAL show, as the actors make their entrances at the back of the house [presumably to pick your pockets].

To combat this, you need a helluva lot of Pluto in Capricorn's street smarts. Like it or not, we are all enrolled in the Master's class in Sniffing out B.S. right now, and this is the Midterm. You need to stay alert, be patient, and above all you cannot give into your arrogance. You need tempered confidence, not cocky bravado. Its not easy, but absolutely do-able.

With this situation, the ante is upped even further by the fact that everybody is conning everybody! The mark is running her own game here, as is the shill. Who comes out on top? Whoever wants it most. Though it dosent hurt to have Lady Luck on your side, and fast feet!!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go stack the deck.

Audentes fortuna iuvat sed timidos relinquit
-The AstroGeek

Mercury Retrograde in Aries- The Loony Bin

Alright guys, here we go again: Mercury Retrograde! Get stoqued  (YaaAAAyy!!), because it is going to be off the hook. Forgive me if I ramble a bit, but this is muy importante!

The scene is set in Aries, on some bloodstained battlefield, with some generic dragon overhead. Cue our hero (aka you) armed with your wits and some quasi-mystical sword of sketchy origin. Cue dragon bellowing fire above your head. Cue you dropping your sword and getting the f&@! outta dodge.

Heroes: They just dont make them like they used to...

Anyway, here's the deal. Mercury is in Retro, and so is Mars (well, so is Saturn, but we'll get to him). Mercury is transiting a sign ruled by Mars, and Mars is transiting one ruled by Mercury. This is called mutual reception, and it ramps up the intensity of this retrograde, adding fuel to the fire of the doomsdayers who show up everytime Merc does this. Tip: he does this three times a year, and so far we've managed to get through every single one without fail. And it keeps us Astro-Twerps in business, so just go with it.

There is an escape clause however....

The very aspects that make it so intense are your way out in this case. Now you know how you always hear tons of crap about Merc Retro and avoid taking any action/making any decisions during this time? Well throw all that out the window, because we're about to get downright dangerous. Think of Mercury as the Gladius that cuts through all of Mars current crap, and Mars as the caution whispered into impetuous Mercury's ear. The two work together to ensure success this time around, with Saturn providing just enough of each to keep the balance for maximum effect.

Cool, no? I havent even got to the best part yet!

During this period, we're going to see the resugence of the Grand Earth Trine, but with a brand new twist- Miss Thang (aka Venus) is now in the mix, in a sexy conjunction to Jupiter, and these two will be dancing partners for some time now, culminating in the epic Transit of the Sun on 6/4 (spoilers!), but we'll talk about that in its proper time.

So you have bold action and energetic vigour, combined with Hyper-aware mindfulness bordering on psychopathic obsessive-compulsion to not f%^! up no matter what, add in your insane Pollyanna optimism and winning grin, while chucking everything that doesn't work out the window and shedding your old skin, fast and furious ALL WHILE making it look like its the easiest thing there is, like you don't have a care in the world (even though inside you're one step away from madness, trying to keep all your balls in the air)

Look, this is pure dead magic if you work it right. Its daunting, yes, but we all have our dragons, right? If you face them now, you get the princess (or prince) and half the kingdom after.

Worth it?