Category Archives: Transits and Cycles

Mercury Retrograde 13 October 2020 Feeling It

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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 Little Something On Eclipses

28 Friday Jun 2019

Posted by in astrology, eclipse, Lunar Aspects, Lunar Eclipse, Solar Eclipse, Transit Effects Explored, Transits and Cycles

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By Kudaibergen Urinbayev – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46217328

Here’s a little something in general on eclipses and how they may impact the individual chart.

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–