Before I start this post, let me preface by saying: you guys are awesome! The feedback and support i've been getting from this foray into becoming an official astro-commenter has been unreal. Seriously, I never imagined id even get here, i just thought it would be me shouting out to a lonely blog that nobody read. Big shout-out to my awesome friends, Elsa, over at http://astrodispatch.com/ who is kind enough to repost what i say (when its good) to a huge audience i just couldn't get on my own. Now there are people in China, Yugoslavia, Australia, all over the world who are reading my silly posts! Its crazy, and i am crazy grateful. Also, mad love to Karen over at http://ravenesquetarot.com/, without whom none of this would be possible. Seriously, she is amazing and if i am ever half the astrologer she is,i will die a happy man. Last, but certainly not least in anything, Starzina over at http://www.ericsdailyhoroscope.blogspot.com/, the inspiration (along with Julie Dembowski over at http://www.distractedastrologer.com/) for this website. Also, mad props to my girl Tracy over at http://serennu.com/. Without her, i would never know where any of my space junk was.
And of course; Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who is reading these posts. You guys are why i do this (so give us a shout in the comments!!).
Sappiness over and done with, we move on to the good stuff.
Well everybody, its that time of year again. Watch your p's and q's, don't buy any cars, and for god's sake don't sign anything without a team of lawyers at the ready.
Ok, now that we're done with the obligatory (yet still (somewhat) valid) nonsense, here's the real scoop:
To those of you looking at me with fear and confusion in your eyes, let me explain. Every 4 months or so, Mercury appears to turn around and go backward in the sky from our vantage point here on Earth. Now, this is usually greeted by pop astrologers (hem hem) by choruses of banshees shrieking about their internet being funky, cars breaking down, and a general breakdown of communication across the board.
Now, lets be clear about something: This DOES happen. When it happens during these times, its astrology in action; every other time, its called LIFE.
The truth of the matter is, Mercury retrograde is one of my favorite times. I get an excuse to slow down, focus on what really matters, and just take some time to go into zen mode. I tend to leave my super-amazing smart phone at home, turn off my iPad, and just walk around outside with a goofy smile on my face. Well, okay, to be honest i do that anyway. But that's besides the point.
This retrograde period is going to be a really interesting one. For one thing, its starting off at the first degree of Virgo, a very important sign to Mercury, where he is both in Rulership, his home sign, and he has the distinction of also being in Exaltation, the best possible expression of his... for lack of a better word, energy. So we're starting off from a great position.
This is not without its challenges, however. On the other side of the arena is the master of illusions himself, Neptune. In his home sign of Pisces (if only by 4 arc minutes), no less. So expect to go into this not knowing which way is up. The deeper message of Neptune in Pisces, however, is to see past all the b.s. and get to what's really important. And maybe learn some higher truths along the way, some serious God experiences.
I suppose I should explain the title of this post. A major theme for this retro is taking a deep breath and hitting the reset button. You are beginning to recognize where you are causing your own downfall in your story. And as the quote goes "It is not the past that hinders your today, but the portion of it you brought to the present". Its time to bring those old stories to a proper end. When you do that, before you jump into a new one, sit in the silence for a while. Really focus on what you want your new story to sound like. Be present in yourself.
Moving on to the asteroids in play, we find Sisyphus sextile Mercury, suggesting that finally, we are going to be rewarded for our hard work, and it wasn't all for nothing. The work is nowhere near done however, and a new set of challenges awaits. Amor is also in sextile, indicating that your love life is seriously going to be brought up and rehashed in gross detail. Prepare for the exes to come out of the woodwork. Orcus is conjunct the trickster, so beware of promising things you don't intend to deliver on, and watch out for what seems too good to be true, because it is. A sextile to Hades shows us that this is going to be a very deep transit, forcing us to face some ugly truths about ourselves, but if we stand our ground and face them, we will come out stronger for it. Mercury Square Hidalgo indicates that we will encounter some fierce opposition from those who are set in their beliefs, and will try to impress those same beliefs on you. The square to Chariklo doesn't help anything in that regard either, indicating that what we put out there might not be pretty, or welcome, but it is the truth, so stick to your guns. The interesting one to me, however is a trine to Siva, showing the true potential for this transit: the alchemical burning away of everything that you're using to hold yourself back, connecting you to a deeper truth that is unshaken by outside influences.
Now, helping this along, and providing the catalyst for change, is Mars, who is moving to oppose Pluto. This is taking place along the Cancer-Capricorn axis, showing that your personal passions are going to be stirred up. You've had enough talk of change, and improvement. You want the real deal, you want ACTION!! And you know what? You're going to take it. And that awesome vision of how your life could be? You have an opportunity to make real progress on getting to those goals, and making them a reality. In the meantime, however, its going to feel like you're pushing a boulder up a mountain, only to have it fall back down when it gets to the top.
Further emphasizing this is a sextile between Mars, Osiris and Isis-Transpluto. This transit is going to literally back from the dead, and restore your spirit. A square to Typhon, however, reveals that the monsters are still very real, and their claws are still as sharp as they were before. Diana, the wild goddess, is in Sextile, standing shoulder to shoulder with you. You are not alone in your fight here, and the burden is not yours alone. Reach out to your support network, find solace in your friends and family.
Venus is Still bathing in the golden light of Leo, with the Sun and Psyche, in square to Jupiter and Eros, and Opposite Pallas Athene and Vesta. Whew boy. So, we have a conflated self-image tied into the ego and coupled with an unobtainable (and frankly, masochistic) romantic ideal, standing against higher spiritual truth, dedication, and self-perfection ideals bordering on robotic reactions, all being agitated by naive overconfidence and fierce passion and reckless actions based upon attraction alone. Yep, sounds about right.
In her entourage, we have a conjunction to Altjira, so beware of being too cool and detached, and dont run away from your problems. Another conjunction, this time to Klotho, reveals that a new story is definitely starting when it comes to your relationships. Watch out for a square to Tantalus, because you might keep reaching for something just out of reach when you have what you want in front of your face. A sextile to Nemesis warns of being too proud, and try not to shut anybody down just because you're not interested. Let them down gently.
Jupiter is pissed. He just wants everyone to get along and quit bothering him. He's showing an opposition to Deucalion, so just keep the faith, and do your job well without worrying about the results. Another opposition to Poseidon shows that getting angry and starting drama will get you NOWHERE. Trust me. Just stay out of it, and do you. The last important opposition is to Niobe. Again, stay humble, and be grateful for what you have, or it will go up in flames faster than you can say "Hephaestus". Jupiter is also conjunct Karma, so you will get what is coming to you, but i cant promise what form that will take.
On to Saturn. He is sitting conjuct Zeus, showing that although they are getting along for possibly the first time in ever, he has gone off the deep end and will not hesitate to cut you down if you show the slightest disrespect. A trine to Kassandra shows that his voice of reason will be there, but you just have to listen; ignore it at your own peril. A square to Achilles indicates that you are probing for your own weaknesses, and that you really need to put your armor on that spot.
All in all, its a very active retrograde, and if you stay strong and stay away from and put an end to drama, you will come out the other side stronger than you ever dreamed, and in a position to put your dreams into motion.
I promise you, you will get there.
Image courtesy of http://timetoeatthedogs.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/mercury-god.jpg
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