Category Archives: Mercury retrograde

5 March 2019 Mercury Retrograde: Re-Visiting A Dream

04 Monday Mar 2019

Posted by in astrology, Born Today, current events in the sky, forecast, Mercury retrograde, Retrogrades + Directions

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‘Dreamers’ By Albert Joseph Moore c1870 {{PD}}

Mercury stations retrograde at 29 Pisces 38, and a vision appears–but is it because Merc’s change in direction has pulled back the curtain, moving some obstacle out of the way of our perception, or is it because our mind is forced back in on itself, and so seeing what’s been there all along? This may come as a dream or a waking dream, through a reverie that takes us away, through an ideal realized, or in a technicolor display that plays out before us in real time in the material world, in events that may even include us—but in any case, depicts something visionary and highly personal, something we may re-visit, or that may coalesce for the first time, making itself apparent as a goal or ‘perfect concept’ against which we can measure our progress; most of us will experience the retrograde through an emotional lens, or through a Collective one, oriented toward the House Merc is now traversing, which also happens to be the House where Pisces resides.

In shorter-term news, we’re in the Dark of the Moon, awaiting the Pisces New Moon. Along with current, mostly minor transit contacts, today is likely to be low-key in a somewhat stressful way, as we strain, metaphorically speaking, toward the soon-to-arrive renewed light. Issues revolve around things like authorities trying to mess with your life direction, confusion over commitments and values with resulting unwise conclusions; but on the other hand, these conditions may lead to realizing the ideal commitment for you, the righteous cause driven by a vision, and may show clever ways to gain in Love or Money, so don’t give up, just because of the retro–Merc in apparent backward motion is always a time to plan, to review, to re-think–use the day wisely.

(Mercury stations retrograde, Ceres sesq NN, Neptune conj Vesta and contra-parallel Pallas, Sun semi-sq Uranus and nov Venus)

Setting the table for your year ahead. Art by Peter Ilsted {{PD}}

Happy Solar Return to those born with the Sun at 15 Pisces! (See your birth chart for your Sun degree!)Your Solar year, beginning with your birthday, starts in a ‘dark period’, not much activity, not much movement (or a chaotic thing, where you might as well be in the dark!) This doesn’t last too long, but might feel dispiriting as it rolls by–and yet, this could be a period of incubation, if you dedicate the time to visualizing and then, when the light returns, acting to give the dream or vision a solid, real-world form. Think of this year as a Visionary One for you personally; expect inspirations galore, some testing of commitments and values, and a really prime opportunity to put the highest order of your dream in motion.

16 November 2018 Flow

15 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Mercury retrograde, Retrogrades + Directions, The Daily Word Image, Venus Direction

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‘Men in an Outrigger Canoe Headed for Shore’ By Arman Manookian 1929 {{PD}}

Will it be a riptide, pulling you out of your depth, pulling you under, or a gentle current carrying you to shore and depositing you carefully on the beach like a coconut floating in a tropical surf? Venus’ direction restores our aesthetic, relationship, and value norms (the standards we hold, not the actual state of matters to pre-retro dimensions), and we may look immediately to ‘the Other’ for feedback or reassurance (Libra), even as Merc’s retrograde in Sagittarius withdraws sharpness and focus from the mind–and at this point we were likely centering reasoning on either ‘the facts’ or our personal beliefs–so that the need to feel that comes forward during any Merc retro shows us the way out of our suddenly fuzzy thinking. The mind expands, and probably begins to traffic in images, sensations, big concepts, and ideas we might label ‘foreign’, as these are what’s accessible at this point of the cycle. Be prepared to spend the next three weeks in feeling mode–and as always, delay signing, agreeing, or formulating rules or conditions until Mercury’s turnaround, 6 December.

Today’s word image is a person holding a key, with no idea what it opens. We have the answer–the only way to use it, though, is to figure out which question it’s the answer to.

14-15 November 2018 No Straight Line

13 Tuesday Nov 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Mercury retrograde, Retrogrades + Directions, The Daily Word Image, Venus Retrograde

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‘Composition V’ By Wassily Kandinsky 1911 {{PD}}

Though the 14th may seem like a quiet day, big change can occur almost without our realizing it. We act with the future in mind, with goals and our highest priorities and values as guidelines–but what we’ve been ignoring or denying, or matters that have enraged us or forced us into a proactive stance, come forward and, in some amazingly clever and inspired ways, alter the terrain. Even if we don’t see the shift, it happens–and factors we couldn’t have anticipated (indeed, we make our choices only from what we start the day knowing) will spring up, appear, or (in a sense) reach out to us, and transform what lies before us. But, because we’ve used our values and commitments as a guide, we end up with things better aligned with our goals and priorities than they were when we started. That’s progress, as long as you don’t demand it unfold in an absolutely straight line.

Be ready for Mars to sextile Uranus tomorrow, the 15th, then move into Pisces–choices and actions, our own and others’, are unexpected, shocking, surprising, radical, or flow from Higher Mind–and leave us either confused or inspired. Keep in mind that the ‘Big Reveal’ of Venus going direct occurs the 16th, as does Merc’s retrograde in Sagittarius–that means what happens on the 15th may be a ‘pre-reaction’, as we feel the approaching shifts but are not yet conscious of them–more on both those changes later.

(Sun sxt Vesta and parallel Black Moon Lilith, Mars qnx NN and nov Pluto)

By Angelo Dall’Oca Bianca 1876 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a death that’s not a death but a kidnapping, instead. That’s a vague way of saying something we think is dead isn’t dead at all, it’s just been moved to another ‘location’–and that means we’re operating in a bit of Neptune’s territory (or is it Pluto’s?), as we’re actively being deceived about the viability of something important. What dream have you given up on (deceiving yourself), or have you been convinced by others or circumstances is dead, that might fit this image? Consider that it may, yet, be resurrected, and watch what occurs at the double turnaround of Venus and Mercury on the 16th–but don’t make up your mind just yet, wait for Merc’s direction on 6 December–that’s the earliest point at which all pieces of the puzzle become clear.

Uncertainty

12 Sunday Aug 2018

Posted by in astrology, Mercury retrograde, Transits and Cycles

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This is a slightly edited re-print from the a June 2013 issue of ECLIPSE.

‘Flower Myth’ (Blumenmythos) 1918, watercolor on pastel foundation on fabric and newsprint mounted on board, By Paul Klee {{PD}}

When considering our own personal trajectory in life, when trying to measure that thing we call ‘progress’, we might think of the way theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg put it: he stated that the more sure we are of where a particle/ object/ person is, the less certain we can be of that particle/ object/ or person’s velocity (speed of movement). When we are very sure of our position, it may actually feel that time has slowed or stopped; we know where we are, and it seems like things will never change. On the other hand, if our life is in tumult, it may feel as if we are hurtling into the unknown; things change far too quickly, and we are hard pressed to adjust.

Undoubtedly, what we want is to feel we are growing and evolving, and it’s true we can’t get to our destination without first knowing from where we’re starting; but, we can be too focused on pinpointing our position, on constantly measuring where we are, looking for the most minute signs of progress, and so essentially, using our energy to stand still–and it logically follows that the more we concentrate on dissecting our current status, the less energy we have available to move ourselves and our goals forward. We must cultivate an awareness in balance, a knowing of where we stand at the same time we are putting our core energy into manifesting our expressions in the world in intended forms.

Is it ever appropriate to be, with all respect to Heisenberg, very very certain of our position, and so very uncertain of our movement or progress? Yes, the Dark Night of the Soul is one such time, as is any hard Pluto transit, or any transit of Neptune, to the personals of the chart or to the Ascendant (Sun, Moon, Merc, Venus, Mars, the asteroids, and sometimes Jupiter, depending mostly on what he rules natally); Saturn hard to the Sun may also call for such intense Self-assessment, and Uranus transits can bring the need up suddenly, with the advent of an accident or shock, or the sudden ‘modernization’ of our world, and the transiting Moon touching our Pluto or Ascendant ruler or Sun can bring such moments, though briefly (with Secondary Progressions to or from the Moon providing an extended experience like this). There are points when we would be wise to turn all our attention inward, to assessing our place and our relationship to our world; the trick is knowing when this is appropriate, and when it is simply Self-indulgent.

Tropical Gardening, 1923 watercolor and oil transfer drawing on paper, By Paul Klee {{PD}}

If astrology tells us anything, it’s that we are meant to live within cycles, exploiting energies at the correct time in order to receive the most benefit; this is one of those times. With Mercury currently retrograde, we are gifted with the ability to process feeling and intuition more easily than when the Trickster is direct. It’s a time to get the mind out of the way, to listen to the Soul and answer its need for beauty, relationship sustenance, and to fine tune one’s association with what one values, including one’s products that carry value for others, and in doing so, we’ll find out a great deal concerning what, and who, we care about.

See the forecast for the 13th here–

9 August 2018 Get Smart–Or Pay the Price

08 Wednesday Aug 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Mercury retrograde, The Daily Word Image

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Félix Vallotton, 1893 ‘La Valse’ (The Waltz) {{PD}}

Thinking is smart, even if it lags a bit behind the curve (the “Oh yeah, now I see it!” effect), and we have to make a concerted effort not to fall prey to delusion, fantasy, or deception–so question yourself and your assumptions, question others, question things that don’t seem right, are too good to be true, or that feed a dream you’d previously felt blocked from–you still are. Connecting to reality is tough but necessary in order to move in the right direction, to make things pay. What benefits us? Be willing to modify our individuality so that it doesn’t grate on relationships, curb spending on the unique (which could later in brighter light turn out to be merely freakish), and refuse to dwell on what didn’t go well, or what hurts–that kind of attention will only burn our wounds into our psyche, and we really should just let them go, yes? (Venus qnx Uranus and sq Saturn, Merc conj Pallas and qnx Neptune, Sun sesq Chiron)

Somebody searched “Buying a House During Mercury Retrograde”. I may be uniquely qualified to address this, in part because I’m an astrologer, and partly because I’ve actually done this. It was decades ago, and inadvertent; I wasn’t really thinking about Mercury’s status when we signed–after moving continents and always living in a place someone else owned, I only wanted a place to rest that was mine. We went through escrow, and it was only as they scheduled the closing that I realized we would be signing in the middle of a retrograde–but really didn’t feel I had the authority to stop it (now I wouldn’t hesitate–that’s the juice you get from age and experience!) The reason we’re advised not to make agreements or sign contracts at this time is that there’s inevitably something we don’t know or can’t see. In our case, this resulted in sellers who wanted to close, but didn’t want to get out! They asked to remain for an extra month, offering no compensation–and we said no, and that didn’t sit well. They still drug their feet; their RV and trailers were parked in front of the house when we arrived with our things, but we were in, and they were out, for five years–until we sold. It wasn’t easy–new construction at low prices were going in nearby, and our first realtor was a dud–and nothing moved until we changed realtors and waited for another Merc retrograde–during which we got three competing offers, unusual for that time and place. It was as if we needed to wait for the same sort of energy to get rid of the place that had allowed us to acquire it. Yes, there were some hidden surprises in the sale–that’s inevitable, with the planet so prominent–but buying during a retro seems to come with its own set of difficulties, maybe not what you’d get when you buy during direction, but not insurmountable, all the same. I would advise waiting, though–making an offer or signing now would likely be jumping the gun–almost certainly, you’ll find out something after Merc goes direct that at the least would’ve changed your offer, or even prevented it entirely.

Arnold Böcklin – ‘Summer Day’ 1880 {{PD}}

Today’s daily word image is ‘hydrotherapy’. What does this word conjure for you? Indulge in, or maybe just think about, what this brings to mind, and what it means to you.

25 July 2018 The Fire In Us

24 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Mercury retrograde

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Georges de La Tour – ‘Newly-born Infant’ c1640 {{PD}}

The big news today is that Mercury moves into apparent retrograde motion at 10:03 PM PDT at 23 Leo 27. With a Fire retrograde, we re-consider what we’re doing–or rather, we re-consider what we think about what we’re doing. It may involve no action at all, other than mental exercises to decide if we like the stance we’re taking toward our own choices and moves, or not. The danger is in reviewing our thinking and then rushing out to change what we’re doing, before Mercury’s direction; that’s a particular temptation with a Fire sign, as our natural response to any altered idea is to do something about it. The problem with that is found in the way the retro period, and usually a bit thereafter, continues to see us reassess, and so further alter, our thinking, meaning we could precipitate change well before we’ve actually reached our final conclusion. The current station prolongs a Fire trine for Merc to Vesta, suggesting that much of what kicks off our retro pondering sessions involves commitments, highest values, and what we honor or find sacred, particularly the intimate partner or the home situation.

Overall, other indicators suggest we’re inclined toward what’s smart or practical, rather than what gives us power–that’s a nice change, for once–but we may overvalue being progressive, part of the group, or modern, and so undervalue individuality, unique expression, or the oddball or unusual. Freedom may become more important for some than any obligation or promise. Those not handling current energies well will display erratic behavior, unreliability, and unpredictability–note this, as it’s important to know who cracks under pressure, who holds up–we see that now.

Please check here for info on all the eclipses, including the approaching Lunar one

 

‘No Fear of Perfection’ An Astro Portrait of Salvador Dalí

07 Thursday Jun 2018

Posted by in Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, Inferior Conjunction, Mercury retrograde, Natal Delineation, Sun/Mercury Inferior Conjunction

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By Carl Van Vechten – Van Vechten Collection at Library of Congress, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1316978

Another re-print from ECLIPSE, this time on the wildly original Spanish artist:

Born with Mercury retro, just after an Inferior Conjunction, Salvador Dalí (11 May 1904 8:45 AM Figueras Spain) spent his life as an innovative artist, so we might expect a prominent Neptune and Uranus, but the Merc retro natal point, at 23 Taurus 28 Rx, plays a big part as well. If Merc is our ability to communicate, Dali’s ability was shaped as a sense of anticipation. This is what we have in the post-Inferior Conjunction phase of the retrograde: a subliminal excitement, a shadowy coalescence of ideas and concepts, and we are willing to try things that are new and perhaps considered unusual for us—and somehow Dalí was able to translate this into his creative life, probably through the 29 degree Uranus in Sagittarius, a placement requiring expression of the individuality (and creating tension with the individuality!) perpetually.

Neptune is in the Whole Sign 1st, above the Ascendant, sextile Venus, trine Black Moon Lilith, and squared by the natal Aries Moon and Midheaven. He may have identified with being creative, but not entirely consciously. A great deal of his creative ‘fuel’ may have been women, relationships (he had many with both men and women, and met his wife Gala, 9 years older than he, when she and her husband, a poet, and daughter came to visit him—she remained when they went home). Dalí excels at delving into the material others avoided—as seen in his penchant for eyeballs, melting clocks, and the disturbing dreamscapes of his Art. The contact to Moon-MC is puzzling, until we consider that though the social sphere (Jupiter in the 10th in Aries) found him disruptive and odd (10th, ruler Mars conjunct Mercury—he was communicating), his parents, especially his mother (10th, Moon) encouraged his Self-indulgence and unusual creativity. This undoubtedly affected the emotional perceptions, with the Aries Moon emphasizing Self-Will as the way to feel emotionally nourished—and coupled with the MC, probably made him equate emotional satisfaction with fame and professional accomplishment.

Interesting to note that he was born 9 months and 10 days after the death of his older brother; given the same name and told he could never replace him, Dalí came to believe he literally was his brother’s replacement, his reincarnation. Mercury, the natural representative of siblings, is conjoined his Sun (in this case perhaps both suggesting the melding of identities and, as Merc is moving away from conjunction, the effort toward individuality and freedom). Merc rules his 3rd, representing his siblings, with Virgo there; it may have been the childhood criticism that made him who he was in a significant way—it certainly figured in his thinking.

His wife Gala may be key to so much here, in particular the extreme sexual nature, represented by Pluto opposed Ceres. This suggests his deepest sexual energy may have been at odds with what he considered ‘natural’, and yet Gala, an incredibly strong Mother Earth figure, came along and negotiated his own sexual nature with him—she was his Ceres, adjusting his sense of Self (Ceres quincunx the Sun) as well as becoming a foil for his passion (Ceres opp Pluto). Also interesting, this amazingly original and unique artist died in the period of his Uranus Return at the age of 84, at the point of a symbolic, and very real, completion of a cycle.

By Promomonster – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45094742

“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.”– Salvador Dalí  This from a man who wielded the most perfect brush strokes in his oil paintings I’ve ever seen.

Click here for this week’s outlook

Your Weekend 22-25 March 2018 In Mercury’s Wake

22 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Mercury retrograde, The Daily Word Image

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‘Breaking Waves’ By William Trost Richards 1897 {{PD}}

With Merc turning around today, the 22nd, in apparent retrograde (shortly after 5 PM Pacific Daylight Time), we may find ourselves disoriented, just a bit, and in the coming few days we meet some challenging aspects that may feel tougher than they actually are, due to Mercury’s withdrawal of mental continuity and reasoning support. The squares of Venus to Pluto on the 23rd, and the Sun to Mars on the 24th, might engender more confusion initially than anything else; is it you or me, we might be asking, who’s angry, feeling cheated or cheated on, ready to burn it down or fight it out, or is that just a kind of hangover we’ll be suffering from the loss of mental focus and acuity? If we stop and look at each situation carefully, what we’ll see is that we’re reacting to a whole set of suppositions and maybes based on our own extrapolations and fears–the reality picture won’t support these, so a step back and a deep breath is in order.

Mercury feels a lot more dynamic than this picture suggests, doesn’t he? ‘Mercury’ By Peter Paul Rubens c1637 {{PD}}

There’s also a sesquiquadrate of Chiron to the North Node point on the 25th that may make us much more reactive than we should be, hyper-sensitive to the way our wounds may alter or even hobble our desired life direction. So where do we put our energy, where is it all going right? For the 22nd, it’s steady on, allowing instincts to speak and actions to be guided by optimism (Pallas conj Sedna, Mars nov Jupiter). On the 23rd, thinking is still steeped in wisdom, even though ideas may be disjointed or processing sluggish (Merc nov Pallas) and effective actions arise from past choices (Mars nov SN). Too, our values are intact, unsullied by ambition or rank desire (Venus contra-parallel Zeus), making appetites something of a guide, in spite of the potential pitfalls of Venus-Pluto. This plays on through the 24th, as Venus parallels Sedna, continuing the harmony between wants and instincts (with the shadow side being that those same wants may lead us directly into our ‘blind spot’). That’s the day when we may have difficulty seeing what’s motivating our choices and actions (Sun sq Mars)–so something to keep in mind, even as we might benefit from going with the flow. By the 25th we get a big boost to Self-esteem and expression (Sun trine Ceres); personal authority opens doors and empowers in both inner and outer ways. We stumble into luck (Venus qnx Jupiter) and find that restraints and rules really are for our benefit (Saturn sxt Hygeia), which only shows once more why holding back during Merc retro can be effective for any number of reasons.

Have a great weekend, and set your sights on Monday; it’s one of those days: visualize what you want, and with caution, you just might get it!

And here’s a weekend word image: A printed sign in a field, announcing a development to come, and someone has written across it, ‘Nothing is Real’.

 

 

New Moon in Pisces March 2018 A Goldilocks Moon

14 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by in astrology, forecast, Horoscope, Jupiter retrograde, Mercury retrograde, New Moon, Retrogrades + Directions, Sabian Symbols

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Jessie Willcox Smith – ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ 1915 Illustration for a soap company {{PD}}

The New Moon occurs at 6:11 AM Pacific Daylight time at 26 Pisces 53. Both bodies (Sun, Moon) are applying conjoined Chiron, sextile Sedna and catching Uranus at the rough midpoint, square Vesta, and widely square Mars, the latter two together in Sagittarius, with Mars at the stressful 29 degree mark. The New Moon is also headed toward a sesquiquadrate with the North Node, and is in wide separating trine to Jupiter, which suggests what was recently promised by Jupiter is now in the rear-view mirror, not exactly gone, but at least temporarily losing relevance and certainly making connecting with that Jupiterian potential impossible right now (and we might ask ourselves, what ‘new’ do we need to learn, related to that Jupiter possibility, that will make actually obtaining what we want possible? Look to matters of the House where the New Moon and retro Jupiter fall in the natal chart. The NM Mars could make us feel as if we must act on it–but the time’s not right, yet)–the sesquiquadrate to the North Node only adds to this, making the road ahead appear particularly bumpy from our current vantage point.

Forming so close to Chiron suggests the New Moon brings potentials for hurt or healing–but which? We get a clue in the sextile to Sedna, which finds Uranus at the midpoint; this promises that something prompted either by the instincts or the ‘blind spot’ (that is, that we stumble into, rather than deliberately choose) will bring something unexpected or shocking, will garner the input of the group, or will foster understanding, not just intellectually, but emotionally, even intuitively. We must also consider that the knowledge, opportunity, or belief ‘withdrawal’ suggested by Jupiter may be the source of the wounding or healing. Whatever it is, it challenges our commitments, our priorities, or our highest values, with responsibility one way or another falling back on us and our own (possibly) poor decisions or potentially arising from aggression or conflicts sparked by others. This New Moon gives us the opportunity to reckon with our own and others’ ego urges and assertiveness, and to do so via our capacity for creative thinking, or through applying ideals to the imagination (Pisces); like Goldilocks, we’ll need to ask: Are we too aggressive and Self-involved, or are we giving our own needs too little attention or regard, or are we just right? The NM lays the emotional groundwork to successfully deal with this question, and when Mercury retrogrades in Aries on the 22nd, it will be prime time for reviewing and changing our actions (retro in Fire), particularly the way we act out or express the ego and action urges (Aries); we’ll have this New Moon to thank for a least a portion of our insights.

With Mars at its current position (29 Sagittarius) we may feel we’ll have to act in order to learn, but that would be premature–wait for Merc’s turnaround, as more will then be revealed–at this New Moon point, it’s all about feeling, intuiting, and communing, to discover our precise relationship to the Universe–modifications come later. One thing we may have to face at this time is that there is no difference between our woundedness and our ability to heal–and that in response to that awareness, action need not and often should not automatically be our answer to what’s revealed. Hints as to what follows are found here–

Utagawa Hiroshige – ‘Cuckoo Flying Under a Full Moon’ 19th century {{PD}}

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon in Pisces is, ‘The Harvest Moon Illumines A Clear Autumnal Sky’. This suggests opposites, through the imagery of a Full Moon, and autumn rather than the spring that’s soon to come (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere–for those in the Southern Hemisphere, the message may be simple: in the beginning is the end, and it is now). This could imply for Northerners that New Moon events play out through the summer and come to some sort of peak in the fall, or that what is born with the New Moon has the seeds of its completion, its ending, built in. That suggests not only that if we look carefully we will see the outcome to events already implied in their beginnings, promising a ‘harvest’ proportional to our efforts now, but that what happens now may also bring endings–that is, that the New Moon beginning has arisen from the completion of other cycles, that it’s time for other efforts to naturally terminate, conclude, or die. The imagery may also suggest we note Virgo at this point, in any or all of its guises within the personal life. That means subjects, qualities, and even people we associate with the sign may hold one or more keys to the meaning of events. Earth sits in Virgo, and that means those symbols will be literal, or at least tangible; check also the subjects of the House in the natal chart that holds Virgo for clues as to what may inform the New Moon event. ‘Discernment’ may be a key concept–also ‘criticism’, ‘accountability’, ‘results’. The ‘Circle of Life’ may be extraordinarily apparent right now–embrace this as a natural part of things, and appreciate what you have, in the present.

 

 

Willful Words, Willful Wants: Mercury and Venus in Aries

11 Sunday Mar 2018

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, astrology, Media, Mercury retrograde

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Oh, the lives of the gods! Jean-Honoré Fragonard ‘The Fountain of Love’ c1785 {{PD}}

Looking ahead a bit, there are two days coming up I wanted to discuss; I would describe them as ‘potent’, and so important to be aware of, if only for the potentials they might bring, and the assists they might offer. This first is March 18th: Mercury will still be direct in Aries, but moving very slowly, with less than a single degree to travel before turnaround. It’s also still within orb of a conjunction to Venus, and both are conjoined that day by the transiting Moon, just coming off the New Moon conjunction to the Sun in Pisces. We also see Merc and Venus (and briefly, the Moon) making semi-sextile to Neptune, a square to Black Moon Lilith, and a trine to the North Node point. What strikes me about this is not just the unusual length of time Mercury and Venus have been together (this happens, once in a while, so isn’t that extraordinary), but that they are at this point together in aspect to two energy ‘points’ and the most nebulous influence we find in the chart. That suggests, very generally, that we won’t have a handle on what Mercury and Venus together in Aries means to us. Willful words and willful wants, the ‘I Am’ controls communications and relationships–and if we consider how uncomfortable Venus is in Aries, almost making for a ‘Me vs. My relationship’ scenario–then we can see any number of ways that we may express out of irritation or discomfort or the need to be heard that could greatly affect our connections and even our income. Add to this that what has been ignored or denied or that enrages is causing friction (Black Moon Lilith by square), and we see how easily this will impact life direction (NN by trine)–and yet it may take some time before we’re completely aware of the way what happens in this window changes our relationships, and our personal trajectory. The 18th does offer a glimpse of what has been impacted, through the emotions or the intuition, but that glimpse is withdrawn almost as quickly as it appears–so pay attention when it comes.

Also notable on that day is the Sun-Earth axis at 28 degrees across Pisces-Virgo, with the Sun closely conjoined Chiron. This suggests the obscuring of our wounds, in spite of the attention we may give them–and leads us into the second day of interest, the 19th. The Sun-Earth axis will have moved into the ‘stress’ degree of 29, and the Moon will make final contact to Uranus in Aries and then move into Void status at around 11:30 AM Pacific time. This promises a period of distress, accompanied by a feeling of ineffectiveness should we try to address our upset–and we may not know what to do until the 22nd-23rd, when the Sun-Earth perfects a T-square to Mars, and we finally see where the problem is (or perhaps, what about our actions has caused the problems we face)–strange, considering this is the day when Mercury finally goes retrograde, perhaps withdrawing the ego’s mental barriers that kept us from understanding, allowing us to review, ‘What should I do?’ (Merc retro in Fire). With Mars having entered Capricorn on the 17th, we’ll likely be oriented toward practical, real-world, modest solutions, ones that will take care of problems once and for all, and this period shows us, if we’re willing to see, just how we’ve contributed to issues, and just what we can do to fix them.

And if you haven’t seen it, I recommend Darren Aronovsky’s ‘Mother!’, a story of the eternal cycle helmed by a Zeusian-Plutonic figure and Ceres-Gaia, with man’s religious follies and god-worship and the destructive consequences of these. It suggests an endless interaction between Nature and her tranquility and fecundity, on one side, and man’s insatiable need for god, and god’s insatiable need to be worshiped, and the destructiveness of these needs, on the other. Approach it all as symbolic, with an acceptance of the characters as fluid in terms of identity and labels, and you’ll have fun picking out their roles from myth, religion, and the Collective psyche.