So I thought all the Martian energy I’ve been seeing was just a spike amped up by the New Moon in Aries, but now I’m looking at the chart for Mercury’s retrograde (April 17th 9:06 PM PDT) and the only exact aspect is Merc’s quincunx to Zeus in Libra. The point of retrogradation sets the tone for the cycle, illustrated by whatever aspects are made at the time; having an exact quincunx to Zeus suggests that Mercury will be speaking loud and clear about Will and ambition, though what we’ll all be trying to say may suffer the distortions of a typical retro period–so we’ll try to send one message but our Will and desires will shine through, the admonition inherent in this being that, as long as we are open about what we want, there won’t be any discord, or sense of duplicity, about our messages during the retrograde. This energy will likely be very similar to the Aries New Moon energy, with ambitions and egos leaking through no matter what the overt message, and so a time when our honesty, with ourselves and with others, will be on display.

If the removal of the typical message, intents, and thought privacy barriers we carry the rest of the time makes you uncomfortable, then no doubt you will suffer under the retro period. The fact that Merc turns around in Taurus does, of course, focus matters in the arena of the material world and possessions, but I think the real challenge will be to admit what we want. Considering the exact aspect to Zeus, and the heavy Martian energy of the pre-turnaround period, the stage is set for an expose of what we all long for, desire, lust for, and materially require, and the challenge will be to have the courage (ah, that Martian vibe again!) to admit it. The only other two close Mercury aspects are a sesquiquadrate to Saturn and a semi-square to Uranus, and these hint at what impediments may exist in reaching understanding of and admitting the truth of our desires. The difficult aspect to Saturn implies that we may feel external restrictions (rules or boundaries, especially traditional or long-established ones, or the fear of the disapproval of authorities) that inhibit us, as well as those internal impulses to repression we all have. The semi-square to Uranus states that, as with any moment of truth, rebellion from what’s expected (in this case the confluence of energies that requires we admit our wants) is a possibility; we could find ourselves resistant, intellectualizing our ability to outthink and outwit, and thus avoid what everyone else must endure. This ain’t gonna happen. The Trickster may try to convince us that the rules apply only to others–always a mistake to buy that one.

Instead, tap into the Saturn energy to give your Mercury confessions (because the more private these wants have been, the more it will indeed feel like we’ve entered the confessional) restraint and form that doesn’t violate others (utlizing Saturn’s boundaries); use Uranus to tailor things uniquely to you and your needs, to make things very specific to your point of view–in this way admitting those things you desire in life becomes a badge of the Soul’s essence, of what you need in order to flourish, a statement of what you have earned and deserve, rather than a sad list of gimmes. Remember that the strength of the retrograde period is that our feeling sensibilities come to the fore; they aren’t hampered by the mind, which typically insists on processing everything. We have an uncommon opportunity to connect with our desire nature through a kind of sense and sensory feast–embrace it and enjoy!