Category Archives: Mercury

Mercury Retrogrades 29 May 2021 Re-Consider

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Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Inferior Conjunction, Mercury, Mercury retrograde, Retrogrades + Directions, Sun/Mercury Inferior Conjunction

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The Lily Pond, a photograph by American photographer Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr. 1916 {{PD}}

If thoughts seem still as a woodland pond, it may be because Mercury is stationary, ready to technically retrograde at 3:34 PM PDT of the 29th at 24 Gemini 43. (Or, if you can’t seem to light on any train of thought for long, that’s also a Mercurial stoppage of a sort, the kind that sends you round and round through the same ‘network’ of thoughts and offers no definitive satisfactions.)

The Moon in Capricorn will have just quincunxed Mercury shortly before turnaround, giving us the feels and probably making for some frustration: the emotions either seem obvious, sitting right on the surface, or seem to be in the depths, hidden even from ourselves–but most likely is a combination, that comes along with an awareness that, ‘this emotion is right in front of me, but I know I have feelings I just can’t pinpoint!’.

Merc in Gemini prompts some overthinking, and probably a yearning to ‘make progress’ somehow, to make up our minds about things, particularly the matters of the House in the natal chart where the retro occurs–or, we have the need to communicate without really knowing what our message is. There are two tendencies at this point, and you’ll likely choose one: thinking you can think your way through ‘it’, whatever it is, or a personal approach that relies on 1) scattershot attention, so that nothing gets focus, and so nothing gets done/ decided, or 2) turning to others for endless surveys of their opinions, what they would do, etc., which does nothing to move the matter forward.

None of those are wrong, but it is just spinning our Mercurial wheels. A retro in Air asks us to, in broadest terms, re-consider what and how we think of our world, so full awareness of our own subjectivity is highly useful, when we bother to compare it to the facts, the info available, to the prevailing thought on any matter. Again, neither is no viewpoint is inherently more right than any other; it’s in the comparison, the review of our own methods cast against the thinking of the wider world or the group, that we benefit, find mental inspiration, sort the wheat from the chaff.

The Cosmic picture at turnaround sets the stage for the retro period itself, with Mercury roughly three-and-a-half weeks ahead. Here we see Mercury at the point of retrograde pulling back just before, in direct motion, it would’ve conjoined Venus, suggesting a pull back in relationships or financial matters, a wait-and-see, or let’s think about this some more approach. First aspect Mercury in retro will form is a square to Neptune, promising that any fantasies we hope to sustain may hit the rocks on retro review, and also making it difficult to connect to inspiration or the creative ideal, probably because the mind isn’t ready to stick with a single idea, just yet.

Right about the same time Merc will also semi-sextile Mars and square Pallas, warning us: you may get antsy, want to act precipitously, but that wouldn’t be smart, or may be impractical. So don’t indulge in impulse, during this retro time. Inferior Conjunction with the Sun comes on the 11th of June, and should be the starting point for beginning to gather your thoughts. If you’re a wordsmith of any kind, work it and re-work it, and if you’re not, just let the mind sort through things at its own pace, and start paying attention to what occupies your mental space on the 11th. Don’t demand answers until a bit after direction, and you’ll be all the better for it.

Mercury Retrograde 13 October 2020 Feeling It

12 Monday Oct 2020

Posted by in astrology, Consciousness Explored, current events in the sky, forecast, future events in the sky, Mercury, Mercury Direction, Mercury retrograde, Retrogrades + Directions, Sun/Mercury Inferior Conjunction, Transits and Cycles

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The Messenger (and Trickster) enters apparent retrograde motion at 6:05 PM PDT of the 13th at 11 Scorpio 40–and his first move will be to reapply by opposition to Uranus, which is also retrograde. That aspect last perfected on the 7th, and perhaps offers a glimpse into this Water (Scorpio) into Air (Libra) cycle.

‘Mercury Sent to Admonish Aeneas’ By JMW Turner http://www.artuk.org/artworks/mercury-sent-to-admonish-aeneas-202360 {{PD}}

Mercury always means review: re-visiting, re-considering, reflecting, and perhaps going over plans or making plans to ‘try again’. We start that period in emotional, intuitive Water, and will initially be asking ourselves, “What am I feeling, and what do I think about that?”

In Scorpio this kind of review involves digging, getting to or acknowledging secrets, assessing our feelings about change and determining what further change we might want. It also encompasses those situations where Power is in play, and any relationships or situations where passions have been stirred, or betrayals have occurred (and remember, the concept of betrayal is seldom objective, when it comes to personal interactions–often it can be a matter of perspective, and this retrograde may bring consciousness of this to the fore).

With the re-visit to the Uranus opposition the first aspect, we may find that something we ‘knew’ (especially something Higher Mind or academically. i.e. fact-oriented) is overturned. We are likely to be surprised by some discovery we make, or shocked at something we witness, perpetrated by others in our direction or by ourselves unexpectedly, that latter as we ‘explode’ from accumulated pressures or act erratically in a bid for freedom. It could be that we wrap our minds around some spiritual concept for the first time (something we may have sensed or ‘known’ but been unable to put into mental forms like words), or we may find that accident illuminates our feelings about something–and so changes our perceptions.

House matters that come forward for this retrograde always have the chance of involving the subjects and energies of the natal Houses Mercury rules, and we must typically add to this the House where Mercury is currently transiting. That gives you some idea of where to be on the lookout for change, research, and re-thinking, as well as the potential ‘surprise’ factor of this particular retrograde, and can offer a head start if you know present circumstances in one or more of these realms are dicey.

The Inferior Conjunction of the Sun and Mercury (‘Inferior’ referring to Mercury’s retrograde status) occurs around the 25th-26th of October, marks a point I would characterize as a ‘birth’ point, where some attitude or mental choice takes form and perhaps is decided upon or simply becomes conscious, and this is based on what’s been revealed so far during the retro. Just remember not to act, yet.

Fountain with head of Mercury on Mercury Street in Pompeii watercolor by Luigi Bazzani from the book “Pompeii”, by Amedeo Maiuri (Pompeii superintendent from 1924-1961) {{PD}}

We re-align our passions, explore what we’ve been hesitant to think about or to really know what we feel about it, and then Mercury retros into Libra–and all the focus moves to our relationships, or, less probably, to financial or aesthetic matters. This occurs in the final few days of October, and is characterized by a back-and-forth square of Mercury to Saturn, which happens one more time after Mercury turns direct (on November 3rd, with the final square very close the 4th-7th).

This back-end bookends the retro period with a hard reality check for each of us, concerning all that we’ve reviewed and concluded over the cycle. Our present realities, as well as any boundaries, limitations, and requirements of duty or obligation come into direct conflict with at least some facet of our thinking–and this is a good thing, meant to show us where we might have slipped into thinking that doesn’t take into account where we really are or what we’re actually surrounded by or must deal with.

Use this retro period to see where you can transform the thinking or perceptions about those things you feel passionate about, have an overwhelming curiosity over, or need to investigate for what’s been hidden from you, and how this can constructively be applied to relationships with those you care about–and be ready for revelation, that can spin the whole game in another direction. The usual admonitions apply, with no signing or buying of major items, unless you’ve already pre-retro thoroughly inspected conditions and agree to them, and with the expectation that any agreements reached or conclusions drawn will likely need review or revision after Mercury goes direct.

A Good Day To . . . 30 October 2019

29 Tuesday Oct 2019

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

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‘The Tower of Babel’ By Pieter Bruegel the Elder 1563 {{PD}}

The 30th is a Good Day To . . . be aware. Obvious, right? That’s something we’re always trying to do, but today it’s especially important to be conscious of what’s roiling beneath the surface–particularly below the surface of your own mind.

The interweaving of contacts is noteworthy, with a stationary Mercury caught up to and conjoined by Venus in Scorpio, with both opposed Sedna and novile Mars, and then throw in Mercury’s parallel to Pluto. The scenario is one of a becalmed mind filled with a stark and terrible beauty, one that aligns with and reflects our deepest held fears, angers, and hopes, especially those attuned to change, re-birth, and the re-making of our world. Too, this mental outlook rejects the instinctual nature and those things we ‘know but don’t know’; the result may be that rather than this being an entirely contained, individual experience, it is externalized, with other people, circumstances, and events taking on some of the parts. Thinking, then, may be a heavy pastime, one where we chase the same thoughts round and round–or one where we are inspired by relationships, beauty, even financial gain, but find it hard to plot a path forward, so alienated are we from our own instinctual responses, and this is so even as we are moved to act or choose in some pretty amazing, clever, or inventive ways. So, when Merc retrogrades, we may find ourselves in a really good position, without being entirely aware of how we got there! Or we could find we’ve ‘cart before the horse’-d it, and take our revisions from there.

See Sunday’s New Moon here–

A Good Day To . . . is based on the aspects perfecting on each day, Pacific time.

12 December 2018 Renewal

11 Tuesday Dec 2018

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

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‘Ejiri in the province of Shinano’ By Katsushika Hokusai c1831 {{PD}}

Wow! Can you feel your mind (and so, especially if you’re Air-heavy, your outlook) expand as Mercury comes out of that Scorpionic cave? The thinking may be changeable and ‘on fire’ (Sagittarius), but what does the flame need to thrive? Oxygen, and that may be in short supply right now, with only asteroids and Earth in the Air element–but today the transiting Moon in Aquarius offers support. Mercury’s emergence (and our mentality’s ability to ‘come into the light’) may be accomplished through a marriage of intellect and feeling, and the determination to stay grounded (Earth in Gemini) even as the horizons expand. No matter what the elemental composition of your natal chart, a sense of renewal, of opening up, is yours, should you be willing to embrace the following: optimism, on a grand scale, while simultaneously facing the facts; the ‘Big Picture’, to include an awareness that there are things we don’t know or see; seeing the ambitions for what they will actually bring, if pursued; and perceiving the way empowerment may not support (or may require adjustment for) the identity. This is a shift that may be more strongly felt, and more disorienting, than we anticipate–hold on to your hat!

(Mercury enters Sagittarius, Sun sxt Zeus and qnx Juno)

Today’s word image is applause. How often are you applauded in life? This can be any kind of complement, accolade, praise, or absolutely literal. Do you live for this? Is it more meaningful to you than criticism, or do they carry equal weight? Are you able to hear only one, praise or criticism, and not the other? Does applause affect how you behave, your commitments, where you put your energy, or your feelings about yourself or others? The more susceptible you are to changing yourself and your viewpoint in response to praise/ criticism in all its forms, the more difficult it is to hear and follow that inner voice, to maintain personal standards, or to be honest with yourself.

Just a Little AstroEssence 25 July 2017 Excavate Immediately

24 Monday Jul 2017

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

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Rihard Jakopič – Sejalec (1912) {{PD}}

Sticking to values and standards, and choosing action based on what we care about, will absolutely benefit us. Expect to need some adjustment in attitude, approach, or methods, in order to gather in earnings or Love; and anticipate that unexpected events, obstacles, or bumps in the road are due to unacknowledged attitudes of our own, feelings of dismissal, betrayal, or rage that we have been pretending don’t exist. Knowing that, you can excavate immediately, and so remove the difficulty and proceed forward to the reward.

Mercury enters Virgo, skewing thoughts toward both keeping accounts and making ourselves and others accountable. Critical thinking is on the agenda; just make sure that in dissecting or critiquing others or ourselves, there’s an underlying point to it all. Think: Seed Moments, Details Matter, The Healthy Approach, and no matter what, always keep the end result or purpose in mind.

Today’s word image is an incident from my own life. Confession: I am a book hoarder. We are chronically short of bookshelves, thanks to my propensity to squirrel away books like nuts for the winter. At one end of the living room there are piles of books, waiting for a home. The other day I was standing at the opposite end, having a moment of gratitude–just happy for all we have, feeling immensely thankful–and one of the piles of books falls over; or rather, part of the pile fell. When I walked over to it, there was a bright green paperback exposed from the middle of the stack, a novel by Carl Hiaasen. The title? ‘Lucky You’. You just can’t tell me the Universe isn’t communicating all. the. time–and with a sense of humor! What message are you receiving today?

Focus on: Merc Meets Pluto 29 January 2016

28 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in astrology, Capricorn, Cardinal Activity, current events in the sky, Mercury, Pluto

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We may wonder in our own world which side of the power struggle is Jacob, which one the Angel? 'Jacob Wrestling with the Angel' by Léon Bonnat 1875 {{PD}}

We may wonder in our own world which side of the power struggle is Jacob, which one the Angel? ‘Jacob Wrestling with the Angel’ by Léon Bonnat 1875 {{PD}}

Merc and Pluto both show up for this meeting in button down shirts, clutching their wallets and pearls, equipment for weighing and measuring carefully calibrated, posture rigid and eyes glazed over with ‘the rules’–they’re ready for business. Mercury has finally given up flight and is headed back to where he left off; he’s ready to talk, to negotiate, to inform, as long as things stay on topic, and he’s aware of the status quo, conscious of the need to deliver the establishment’s message. Pluto is out to change the system, destroy boundaries, and he’s been in this territory for a while; once he’s altered or transformed what is, a strange thing happens: the destructive energy is dissipated, and expressions of power come forward, power that enforces a new set of rules, boundaries, and installs a new authority in place of the old. The question is, where do these two meet in expression? Capricorn gives them both a tone, a background, a set of attitudes to play with, but each carries its own essence, bringing about a kind of chemical reaction that, despite their meeting in the same sign, may bring confrontation.

The root of the conflict may be this: Mercury is messenger of those who hold the reins right now; Pluto, half way through the sign, has already thrown the acid, the Molotov cocktail, and is in the process of taking the ruin of what was and constructing something new from it. That, my friends, is a fundamental conflict of interest. These two come together, and one, the quicker-moving one, is interested in making the argument for keeping things as they are; the other has been at work for quite a while, and is in the midst of creating a kind of re-birth in our ideas of authority, boundaries, and restraint. And both claim practicality, and the health of both personal life structures and those of governments, countries, and large systems, are best served by their methods.

What can we expect? The voice of current power-holders may carefully craft their message, with restrictions on who knows what, meant to keep things static, for safety, for the well-being of all, and of course, to retain power; the agents of change may claim a moral superiority in their very existence, a ‘change for change’s sake’ stance that does not acknowledge the new authorities rising from the ashes, intent on replacing the old, are just as distorted in priorities and viewpoint as the previous holders of power were. In other words, change does not equalize anything, nor does becoming part of the current power structure, because both are intent on grabbing power and keeping it–and when that is the goal, no message will assuage those without influence, and no revolution will make the situation more equitable.

So, what we may witness today are communications that have power acquisition and retention at their core–and this may be played a thousand ways, with harsh or destructive words, transformational ideas, the resurrection of concepts we thought were surely gone, and the obliteration of the old rules–but all of it concealing, one way or another, the power struggle currently at the heart of the Universe. In your own life an awareness that power is behind literally everything we deal with at this time will help reveal the layers of meaning. We need to understand that there’s an intensity to this (thanks, Pluto!) that goes beyond the normal level of power-seeking we see everyday, giving even the simplest exchanges a life-or-death tone that may seem over the top–but if we purge our minds of clutter and propaganda, we see the Truth of what’s being negotiated beneath.

Merc Returns to Aries: ‘Commanding the Will’

16 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in current events in the sky, Mercury

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Merc into Aries allows us to apply our considerable Will to fulfillment of all those dreams. 'Daydream' by Helleu 1901 {{PD-Art}}

I’ve seen a lot of individuals pushing forward with their Will in these last days of Mercury in Pisces; thought-want plus an orientation toward dream, ideal, or fantasy fulfillment has made some demand satisfaction from others, probably out of a feeling that the Collective is one big pool in which we all swim (it is, but that doesn’t mean others are obligated to do one’s bidding!) The mistake is in assuming that connectedness in the Big Picture sense means the Universe must fulfill the fantasy picture held in the mind; the agreed-upon reality is a Collective manifestation, and so what we want from it must conform to what everyone has agreed upon, not just on one person’s Will. But, when Merc moves back into Aries (3:42 PM PDT today, the 16th), what we’ll see is a shift in the individual: the mind turns toward commanding the Will, and it becomes, rather than dependent on the Collective to manifest want, keyed to Self-responsibility and the Willingness to do for the Self.

Is this superior to the Mercury in Pisces approach? No, but it’s probably more effective in leading us in the direction we want to go. In our Self-orientation, too many jump from ‘I want’ to ‘and the Collective must make it happen for me!’; some miss the necessary step of developing skills, Self-confidence, and a Self-responsible approach that makes dream fulfillment possible. Mercury in Aries aligns the mind with the Will, and puts all our brain processing-powers to work fulfilling those wants. It’s more effective than dreaming that the world should conform to our mental imaginings–the trap this time is rationalization of the wants, as the mind computes the many reasons why we should just go take what we desire. Oh Mercury, can’t you sit still long enough for us to choose a viewpoint and run with it?

While Mercury is reviewing those degrees he traveled first direct, then retrograde, the effect may be that the mind is haunted by vague thought-forms that are lingering from what was–everything that was left only partially processed or realized may recur, but in such a way that we become anxious, pre-occupied by what we think we should be pondering, finalizing, or thinking through. We can be left uneasy with no real reason until Merc reaches his retrograde degree and passes the point at which he reversed; this occurs on the 22nd of April. Once we hit 6 Aries 49 we are free and clear of the shadow, and the mind can make the push for Self-satisfaction unfettered by unsettling wisps of memory and unfocused regret.

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Mercury Into Scorpio: Cursing the Darkness

14 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by in current events in the sky, Mercury

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Thoma 'Mercury' {{PD-Art}}

Cursing the darkness, of course, follows trying to move through it without putting on a light, as we are bound to run into something–and that’s what we can anticipate initially with this entry of Merc in Scorpio–we are bound to be caught by surprise by some message, communication exchange, or with what bursts out of our own mouths (or runs through our own minds), and this can be dangerous: we are tempted to react to something momentary and passing as if it’s permanent, and what’s more, we are tempted to over-react, with rage, vengeance, the keeping or exposing of secrets, or the destruction of something–and it’s all, essentially, on a whim, prompted by this quick-change energy emphasis.

But what about that light, the one that would keep us from crashing into an object invisible in this dark? Probably the best way to understand our thought processes and motivations at this time is through our feeling nature; contra-intuitive, I know, to inspect the mind with the heart, but as Scorpio is a Water sign, we can access what’s hidden from us quite successfully by using feelings and intuition to ‘open the door.’

Tumult is almost guaranteed, especially early in the transit of Mercury through Scorpio; just remain conscious of the Mercurial quickness with which all can change, and try to access the emotion behind what’s communicated–this will help us understand, and allow a truer response, rather than a reactionary one.

Re-printed from the subscriber’s protected page; for more, please subscribe! Thank you! And a new issue is out–featuring an article on the thinning of the veil and Hecate, reviews of a couple of Hecate-themed movies, and the detailed forecast through 1 November, including the Scorpio New Moon, plus a brief guide to meaning based on where it falls in your natal chart!

Just a Little Essence for Today 25 September 2011: ‘Mercury’s Message’

25 Sunday Sep 2011

Posted by in current events in the sky, Mercury

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Chardin 1728 {{PD-Art}}

Mercury enters 29 degrees today-ALERT! ‘The medium is the message’ has never been a more apt phrase than it is right now! People will say anything–to get what they want, to get attention, to make an impact, to impress, to assert themselves–it’s a day to take every communication as an ‘I WANT’ statement, and not much more. Realize that what we hear over this 24 hour period (at least) will be indicative of what others truly want–take it to heart, and remember it when the tide of illusion washes back in again.

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An excellent piece on Libra and the current zeitgeist by Lauren Howard Coleman

Mercury’s Shadow

23 Thursday Apr 2009

Posted by in aspects and placements, astrology, current events in the sky, Dark of the Moon, forecast, Mercury, Mercury retrograde

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 As outstanding astrologer serennu points out in her recent Tweets (follow her, me, and many others at http://twitter.com and see her blog, http://serennu.com ) Mercury has entered its shadow.

Photo courtesy of NASA
Photo courtesy of NASA

Mercury’s shadow is made up of the degrees over which it will pass during the upcoming retrograde; this means we’re feeling something that will echo familiarly when Mercury does his turnaround and touches these degrees once again, then goes direct, right where he is now.

It may then serve us to look at Mercury’s current state in light of what it could portend about the next six weeks or so. Located at 23 Taurus, Mercury is square Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune, sextile Uranus, and semi-square Pallas. This says communication difficulties centered in assets and the material (Taurus) will appear on the social scene or in attempts to expand our world (Jupiter), in the re-opening of old wounds, as well as in messages as to how we can heal (Chiron), and in ways that challenge our fantasies, delusions, deceptions, and ideals. Our most unique characteristics may assist in dealing with what comes forward, but there may also be a continual temptation to rebel against what we’re facing (Uranus) or to think we can handle things totally on an intellectual plane–and using only the mind when the Trickster is present is a mistake. The semi-square to Pallas balances us on her double-edged sword: we know the wise course, we know what’s practical, what skills we may call on, but the aspect itself says we may chafe at the feedback we get on what we know to be smart–and that puts us off our game, if we’re too vulnerable to others (the social pressures of the Jupiter square) or if we’re hell-bent on being ourselves, whatever that means (Uranus)–and to muddy it all up, we mustn’t forget the influence of Neptune, which can (and maybe should) make us question our assessment of things, particularly once Merc is retrograde.

My latest installment on Juno, a brief assessment of her interaction with other bodies in the natal chart, is available at http://sasstrology.comI’m still at work on the new book on Juno, which I hope to offer at Dog and Sunflower by early June–in the meantime I’ve curtailed services–my apologies to those who were hoping for AstroCoaching or Personal Pages–but I’m still available for single topic/ question reports ($25) and more in-depth discussion of one topic or life area ($50) Contact me at juliedemboski@hotmail.com if interested, and don’t forget my books available here http://dogandsunflower.wordpress.com