Stars Sometimes Unfold

I went out recently for drinks with my friend Grace. We sipped delicious gin as the sun went down at our favorite bar in Brooklyn. I asked her if she was excited about her approaching birthday and she said she was more excited about the lunar eclipse. I asked her when it was. On her birthday, she said, May 26th. Well I’ve always enjoyed a good eclipse. She asked if I’d hang out with her then. Of course I would, Gracie.

I was sure that a lunar eclipse had some significance in astrology. I’ve never followed that stuff save for the traditional tarot reading that you get in New Orleans after eighteen Hurricanes. I thought that a horoscope would be unique enough and Grace loves that kind of stuff. There is an older lady that gives out horoscopes in the back of a Japanese restaurant that I frequent when I’m in New York. I never entertained it before, for myself, but thought I’d get one for her. I went and gave the lady Grace’s pertinent data and some cash, and she gave me some papers. She wrote it out in blue pen, in Japanese. I’d have more work to do.

I took the pages to my friend Kumiko and she graciously translated them for me. This is how it translated:

A person of words and not deeds is like a garden full of weeds.

When the moon is in the seventh house, embrace the binary in yourself. A dubious friend may be an enemy in camouflage. Your moods signal a period of change. A gambler will not only lose what he has, but will also lose what he doesn’t have. Don’t worry; prosperity will knock on your door soon. A golden egg of opportunity falls into your lap this month. You are in good hands this evening.

A light heart carries you through all the hard times. A short pencil is usually better than a long memory, any day. Any decision you have to make tomorrow is a good decision. Carve your name on your heart and not on marble.

Every wise man started out by asking many questions. Failure is the path of least persistence. Better to ask twice than lose yourself once. Follow the middle path. Neither extreme will make you happy. It is worth reviewing some old lessons.

Feeding a cow with roses does not get extra appreciation.

Your mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains it’s original dimensions. Hard words break no bones, fine words butter no parsnips. Keep your face to the sunshine and you will never see shadows. Listen not to vain words of empty tongue. You are born to live and not prepared to live.

Meditation with an old enemy is advised.

Society prepares the crime, thus criminal commits it. Pick battles big enough to matter, yet small enough to win. No one can walk backwards into the future. One of the first things you should look for in a problem is its positive side. Sift through your past to get a better idea of the present.

The end of something marks the start of something new. Remember to share good fortune as well as bad with your friends. Staying close to home is going to be best for your morale today. Success is failure turned inside out.

We first make our habits, and then our habits make us. The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell. Things don’t just happen; they happen just. What’s hidden in an empty box? Technology is the art of arranging the world so we do not notice it. Swimming is easy. Stay floating is hard.

Your moon arrives in Sagittarius. It brings revelations of your reality. Be the pages of a book spine bent sprawling; be flexible. Focus on partnership. Your quick wits will get you out of a tough situation. You will take a chance on something in near future. Tonight you will be blinded by passion.

-That is the end of it. I look forward to bringing it to Grace on her birthday, when we’re in the middle, and making the shadow of the sun.