Dionne's Corner

Hold onto your data cables...it's Mercury Retrograde season again!!

I hope that this new retrograde finds everyone healthy and in one piece.  I figure that this will be easier than fighting with keen's mail system to get the info out to everyone.  Feel free to snag the following report for your own use or for your clients, or if you'd rather, email me and I'll send you the report as an attachment.

Take care of yourself, and remember, Mercury Retrogrades affect electronics, communication and travel.  They are, however, the best time in the world to dust off that project that you've been meaning to finish for ages!!

Grab your bootstraps and hang on for the ride!  Enjoy!!

Mercury Retrograde in Cancer in June-July 2007, Part 1 - A Look Back Anticipating the Future

by Robert Wilkinson

This Mercury retrograde period starts June 15 (June 16 England and points east) and ends July 9 (July 10 east of Brazil). This retrograde moves from 12 degrees back to 3 Cancer, with the inferior conjunction between Mercury and the Sun occurring June 28 (June 29 India and points east) at 7 Cancer. This degree is one of "Two Nature Spirits Dancing In the Moonlight," symbolizing the "play of invisible forces" contrasting "the invisible with the visible, the inner with the outer, the dream and ideal with everyday reality." A degree of "Creative Imagination," Rudhyar also says this degree is "Man's recognition of the elusive play of underlying forces in nature," "cooperation with the invisible," and "unusual good luck."

The inferior conjunction is when Mercury (mind) conjuncts the Sun (life) while retrograde, indicating that signals, messages, and ideas from either outer sources or subconscious sources will fuse with the life principle, setting the tone for the lessons involving how our minds are relating to our lives during the next four months. Since Mercury is retrograde, the degree of the inferior conjunction shows how our lives will merge with our perceptions and bring forth a new understanding of our light.

This is the second step in a two-conjunction process. The first step is when Mercury conjuncts the Sun in forward motion after its retrograde period. As Mercury is faster than the Sun, after this Mind again outraces Life, and explores ideas and perceptions of experiences yet to occur.

Then Mercury goes stationary retrograde, and moves into the second step when Mercury again conjuncts the Sun while retrograde. This is when Mind is being absorbed by Life, or Life takes on the results of subconscious or collective ideas returning to source. Eventually Life gets as far from Mind as it can, Mercury goes stationary direct, and begins to speed up preparing for the first step anew in a different part of the zodiac.

We are told that 7 degrees of Cancer also symbolizes the limitless potentials that nature offers us to release being involved in physical and/or psychological involvements, and of the need to achieve "some measure of lightness in self-expression as a balance for the strain of everyday existence." We find that this degree is one of "an exaltation of fancy as a dynamic factor in all self-realization, and of the quiet moments of experience as a real opportunity for self-orientation." We are told our magic is in our ability to rise above that which threatens our well-being, and Dr. Jones' offers the keyword ASCENDANCY. He writes that "... the degree is a transforming sensitivity or a healing imagination."

During the 11 days before the inferior conjunction (fusion) of mind and life, take a new look at how you can bring out your inner wisdom by adjusting to a future vision or broader perspective that's opening for you, and get a new point of view regarding what your imagination is willing to consider and how to coordinate your life to reorganize it productively. It's great for intuitive flashes, insights into the larger collective consciousness and unconsciousness, and you should find a new ease and sophistication among those you're with.

This retrograde beginning at 12 Cancer retraces ground we covered May 30-June 15, and is a degree of "A Chinese Woman Nursing A Baby Haloed by Divine Light," giving us "the promise... that God may take birth" within us, yielding personality integration and illumination. It is a degree of "the revelation of latent worth in an experience once it is seen in its deeper meaning," thus holistic perception that reveals the meaning of "wholes" of our experience that can lead to striking revelations.

Being trine the retrograde point of the last Mercury retrograde in February, it is the natural understanding of what new realms we entered at that time where we had to prove our worth and capabilities. Of special note is that this retrograde point falls within a degree of where Mars will go stationary retrograde on November 15, 2007. Thus many of the signs, signals, and information we'll get this coming Mercury retrograde will factor importantly in whatever we'll be re-doing, undoing, or preparing to do between November 2007 and April 2008.

This retrograde Mercury starts off completely unafflicted, a rare occurrence. It retrogrades first to a novile to Saturn and semisextile to Venus, followed by a quintile to Mars, a triseptile to Jupiter, a novile to Venus, a semisquare to Saturn around the inferior conjunction, then a semisquare to Venus while sesquisquare to Neptune, followed by a sextile to Mars to finish June. Mercury semisquare Venus isn't that much of a crisis-producing aspect, but more the final choice of how you want to communicate as you move into a new realm of relationships, opportunities, and responsibilities.

July brings a septile to Venus, and while going direct in motion it forms a septile to Saturn and biseptile to Uranus, making a very powerful configuration since Saturn is triseptile Uranus during that period. I explained some of what this important triseptile is about in this Spiritual Astrology article for May-June 2007. The final Mercury septile Venus in this series will happen around July 21-24 when Mercury is direct and Venus is about to go retrograde.

The noviles will yield realizations, while all the septile series aspects will show us at multiple forks in the road of destiny, depending on what we learned, interpreted, or acted upon in late May when Mercury septiled Saturn the first time in this sequence. The Sun will septile Saturn close to this degree at the Summer Solstice, so take note, since that will impact the information and decisions we use as a basis for our understanding of our future in early July. All septiles are associated with irrationality, compulsive actions, and hard-edged changes, whether for good or bad.

Though it may take until October when Mars transits this Cancer zone to see clearly where it's all going, be thoughtful where your miind and perceptions are leading you in early July. Also, since it triseptiles Jupiter at 13 Sag from 9 Cancer, any time any planet crosses those points it'll trigger those forks in the road. Times when this is activated are July 20-21 and the third week of September.

When Mercury semisquares Saturn, don't let narrow or pessimistic thinking hinder the process that's unfolding. The best way to handle these energies is to study, learn, communicate, and cultivate your spiritual rapport with others. Don't just withdraw if your ideas are challenged, but be willing to learn how to express your feelings productively and creatively. While Mercury is in Cancer many will find their ideas and feelings are mixed together and hard to separate from each other. Cultivate the sensitive mind as well as thoughtful emotions, and see what is needed to coordinate situations.

The Mercury semisquare Saturn will most affect those with planets around 21, 22, and 23 degrees of Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius, and Taurus, as well as 6, 7, and 8 Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. This would impact birthdays around late December, the second week of February, late March, the second week of May, late June, the second week of August, late September, and the second week of November. If your birthday falls in these spans, lighten up, strive for optimism, cultivate an attitude of welcoming opportunities to study and learn, open your perspective to be more inclusive than exclusive, and let go of unnecessarily restrictive rules and assumptions.

Just as Mercury goes retrograde it is trine Uranus, re-echoing the lessons learned since the last Mercury retrograde which was conjunct Uranus. It's been a powerful influence in this period, and the coming weeks offer the next step in understanding the harmony of the larger Mercury process as it progresses between retrograde periods. The Sun trine Uranus from Mercury's stationary degree will bring a form of light, life, and power through illuminating whatever the stationary retrograde point is about.

Other elements of note during this retrograde is that Mercury only disposits the Sun, and that only for 6 days. Therefore this Mercury retrograde does not influence the inner workings or backdrop to any other planet, lessening its influence. However, the retrograde period does correspond with Mars trine Pluto and quintile Neptune, which should aid all kinds of collective spiritual progress, especially with Venus trine Jupiter and then Pluto as well.

Remembering that nothing turns out as expected during a Mercury retrograde, and that things take strange twists and turns and there are curious returns of people, ideas, and experiences in new forms that resemble old forms, open to useful but overlooked angles of viewing things, learn and teach through a sense of perspective of how past and present relate in unusual ways, and be alert to roundabout or indirect communications that show things going on below the surface.

All in all, given the lack of volatile aspects between Mercury and the other planets, there shouldn't be too much upheaval or upset. It's more a time of grounding and integrating, preparing for conclusions and crystalizations to happen in August leading to the new Saturn in Virgo era.

Mercury going stationary direct at 3 Cancer on July 9-10 shows that through October 11, 2007 we will have to allow our "spiritual will" to lead our mind into pioneering situations and views. Begin to see how you are being challenged to get out beyond the known and familiar and "plunge into the virgin possibilities of life."

This initiates a period of being shown a new path determined by recent choices that shifted our allegiances, so overcome any stagnant vibe during your "trial of endurance." We are told it's a "testing of the will," so accept no needless limitations, be self-reliant, and express your indomitability. We should all be much more aware of our new way after this three week period, and able to thread our way through life's complexities to achieve our vision, to whatever degree it is possible at this emergent phase in a larger process.

When Mercury goes direct, it is at a platform from which to bring the lessons it has reflected on during the rx period forward into the future life-in-the-making. The angle of retrograde exploration was the stationary retrograde degree. The degree of the inferior conjunction shows how life and mind must come together in a different, perhaps overlooked but definitely useful, view of what must be known. The entire retrograde function is inward-turned, so we can get insights into what must be known to understand some thing from a more holistic point of view. We can also note how our mind, ideas, or worldview are affected by our subconsciousness, or our receptivity to others' subconsciousness.

Mercury retrograde periods reveal their own unique rhythm in offering us a new look at things. Every period in some way echoes the messages of prior retrograde periods, and affects those to come. That's why it's important to observe what has been revealed during other periods in the recent months and years past, so that you can see how Mercury, or Hermes, the "Guide of Souls," is leading you to your authentic self. Regardless of appearances, or how difficult or easy, Mercury retrograde periods show us the path to our Soul.

 

 

Mercury Retrograde Astrology in June-July 2007 Pt. 2 - What It Means For Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces

by Robert Wilkinson

In part two we explore more about this phenomenon that occurs three weeks at a time three times a year. At the end of this article I have included a table so you can find which house(s) this June-July 2007 Mercury retrograde period falls in relative to your Sun or rising sign. Then you can consult my article How Does Mercury Retrograde Affect Us In The Different Houses? to find how this transit will affect you personally as a result of Mercury retrograding through the houses in your chart.

Like all Mercury retrograde periods, these three weeks offer a chance to reorganize in the areas of our life ruled by Mercury. These are the houses of your chart ruled by Gemini or Virgo, any planets in these signs in your chart, and the house occupied by your natal, progressed, or solar return Mercury.

All retrogrades show us that sometimes it is more important to be inwardly oriented than outer-directed. These are times when our previous activities "echo back" information about what we've already experienced during a planetary direct motion phase. When the inner planets are retrograde, our personal life is most subject to review, reflection, re-doing or getting a new angle on those affairs. When the outer planets are retrograde, we get the same process of review but it impacts our place in the larger scheme of things, whether social, cultural, or transpersonal-global.

When retrograde, Mercury, the "Guide of Souls," challenges us to cultivate our personal understanding of our "fellowship with the Eternal," explore our deeper issues and useful but overlooked details in what's being discussed or asserted, take an unusual view, and allow ourselves to be led by the future implications of what's happening. It’s a time when we truly get a new look at many things and come to a different understanding of how the various affairs of our inner and outer life are coordinated, or need to be.

We can get different perspectives and insights into prior events, messages, and signals, and can fill in important gaps in our understanding. Sometimes it may seem like it's one step forward, two to the side, one step back, one to the other side, then two steps forward, but often we find that we are offered entirely new and crucial perspectives and knowledge that can help us when it's time to move forward again after the retrograde is past.

In Part 1 we explored some specific qualities of the present Mercury retrograde period. Remember to get your important paperwork in order by Wednesday, June 13, and be ready during the three week retrograde period to deal with things you've put off, or take care of things from the past. This June-July 2007 Mercury retrograde will give us new understanding about the events of the past four months.

We can again reconsider, reinterpret, and rework Cancer issues and activities, seeing their significance from new angles of understanding. We'll get more insights about our feelings, security issues, early life and family experiences, our home and family, how to supply what we need in our everyday life, and ways of experiening our past, present, and future. By the end of this retrograde period, we will stand on the threshold of four months that will test many of us to get out beyond the known and familiar, plunging into the "virgin possibilities of life," letting our Higher Spiritual Will lead our mind toward a greater spiritual fulfillment.

When Mercury is retrograde in Cancer it's a good time to re-examine our internal connetions, how our feelings are or are not adequately expressing our needs, and how we're experiencing life on a day to day level. Many will need to reconsider some habits that are no longer fulfilling, and ways of responding to perceived threats and events that generate insecurity. Through seeing what's being grounded in the way of a new emotional imperative, we can come to emotional power and forms of preserving ourselves throughout the rest of the cycle.

Regard much that presents itself these next few weeks in terms of integrating recent decisions on the individual-mental and spiritual levels that show a new life allegiance and dedication. Search for the mystery, use the illuminations you get to achieve forms of personality integration, and you'll find a new form of God, Truth, and your Eternal Self will take flight in your life. This is the extension of what we got earlier in 2007 that allowed us to prove our capacity to do what we claim to be able to do.

At that time we got management skills, efficiency in knowing what and how things work, and "Mental Efficiency." Saturn has configured in some very important ways with the past two Merury stationary direct points at 26 Aquarius and Scorpio since November 2006, magnetising “Efficient Functioning” in whatever ways it has in our lives. This is the next step in Mercury's process, and picks up new directions that will acquire maximum clarity around late July 2007.

The past four months we’ve been offered new goals, ambitions, friendships, and group endeavors. We've had important opportunities to manage our spiritual energies in ways that prove our ability to deliver a higher power, however that is relevant in our lives. Often it's taken an emotional form, but allowed us to check up on the powers at our disposal, and helped us get a sense of a greater view of things as well as potential "spiritual community."

As I pointed out yesterday, Mercury does not make many frictional aspects this retrograde period, with only semisquares to Saturn and Venus. Everything else is either harmonious, specializing, or productive of personality choices that will determine future elements of Mercurial, Venusian, and Jupiterian "destiny."

Mercury and Jupiter rule signs that oppose each other, so it'll be a time of decision and cooperative collective group work associated with the Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces areas of our charts. Most of the heavy action in this retrograde will involve crises between the signs Mercury rules and those that Saturn rules, with Venus ruled-sectors going between irrationality and decision making and internal choices about who and what and how regarding other people.

The frictional aspect Mercury makes with Saturn will create internal crises of deciding what we need to learn, how we need to view limitations, duties, obligations and rules, and challenges us to cultivate our spiritual rapport with others. Our habits will either show us our fear and limitations, or a more mature way to express our heart energies as we stand on the threshold of moving into practical forms of expressing that wisdom once Saturn hits Virgo.

During the times the Mercury semisquare Saturn is strong, there will be cross currents between the Gemini/Virgo and Capricorn/Aquarius areas of our charts, challenging us to become more optimistic and caring in realistic ways while decreasing our sense of rigidity and exclusivity. This configuration usually accompanies a very low degree of mental inspiration, so find practical ways of expressing your sense of purpose at the end of a larger cycle without being too narrow in view.

This retrograde will be dominated by the New Moon of June 14 at 24 Gemini, a degree of Triumph Over Entropy. After this point in time many will totally change how they view life's limitations, and find a power to use that which binds us to achieve "rhythmic freedom" in recreating themselves, as well as recreating however makes us feel good. Through an appreciation we can find a relaxation while we're dealing with inertias, the result of which can be a well-developed character and a transcendent approach to environmental factors.

Due to Mercury retrograde, it will show in various peculiar ways for some time to come, with crucial shifts and implementations to come when Mars crosses this point in mid-September as prelude to its retrograde back from Cancer to 25 Gemini, when it goes stationary direct on January 30, 2008.

Mercury is heavily influenced by the Moon this retrograde period, since it occupies the sign the Moon rules. That also means that the New Moon is heavily influenced by Mercury retrograde and vise versa due to the mutual reception, where two planets are in each other's sign. This should bring a lot of things together in some interrelated form.

The New Moon is very favorable with its sextile to Mars and Saturn and trine to Neptune. Like all Mutable New Moons at this time in history, this one is in a dynamic angle with Pluto, the opposition. This should provide the next step of us getting information from its contact with the Galactic Center helping free us from local conditions, narrow thinking, overattachment to rationality, and unhelpful perceptions.

As with all Mercury retrograde periods, review, reflect, research, gather information, and take a new look at your power to change your point of view and interpretations. This gives a chance to shift how you do what you do, how you coordinate your affairs, and indicates future shifts in the areas where Cancer falls in your birth charts.

The Mercury retrograde period in October-November 2006 showed us how to understand the emotional movement of 2006 so we could be more fluid in our responses and feel more deeply. Many got in touch with needs and feelings and became more certain in our focus, and began eliminating unhelpful corrosive tendencies as we moved into new dynamic activity resulting from seeing how we could be more efficient and adaptable. It activated the individual-mental-Spiritual level of “Faith,” and retrograded back to the mental Spiritual and emotional-cultural levels of “Communion.”

The last retrograde period in February-March 2007 emphasized the Individual-Mental-Spiritual level of "Federation," then retrograded back through the Emotional-Social-Cultural and Physical levels into the Individual-Mental-Spiritual level of "Management."

Thus we got a new look at new ways to manage ourselves and our energies in the past four months. This led to transfigurations as we "left our cocoon," and joined with new friends. The past Mercury retrograde had numerous favorable aspects to Mercury at that time, including the Venusian Grand Fire Trine now being activated by Mars. That would imply that we are seeing the need to act on what was inspired in March and April.

By learning about these recurring Mercury retrograde periods, we can understand how to deal with them productively, as well as the months afterwards, which they also indirectly influence. Since this June-July 2007 Mercury will go stationary at 12 Cancer and retrograde back to 3 Cancer, you can learn a lot about this coming period by reading all you can about Mercury retrograde in Cancer.

If you want more information from this site about how this important time of Mercury retrograde (which happens three times a year every year!) will affect you personally, if you can get a copy of my book, read the section on Mercury retrograde in the houses. However, in the meantime you can also get some useful ideas of how it will work by consulting the article on this site titled "How Does Mercury Retrograde Work in the Houses," linked at the top of this article.

The houses in astrology show us the specific areas of our worldly affairs where we are experiencing a given planetary influence. If you know your natal chart, then read the corresponding house in the article. However, whether you do or don't know your chart, you can find out Mercury's approximate position in your solar houses (created by your sun sign position) by consulting this table:

For birthdays between:

June 1 to 22, read Mercury retrograde in the 1st house.

June 23 to July 2, 12th and 1st houses.

July 3 to 24, 12th house.

July 25 to August 3, 11th and 12th houses.

August 4 to 24, 11th house.

August 25 to September 2, 10th and 11th houses.

September 3 to 23, 10th house.

September 24 to October 2, 9th and 10th houses.

October 3 to 24, 9th house.

October 25 to November 1, 8th and 9th houses.

November 2 to 22, 8th house.

November 23 to December 1, 7th and 8th houses.

December 2 to 22, 7th house.

December 23 to December 31, 6th and 7th houses.

January 1 to 20, 6th house.

January 21 to 30, 5th and 6th houses.

January 31 to February 19, 5th house.

February 20 to 28, 4th and 5th houses.

March 1 to 21, 4th house.

March 22 to 30, 3rd and 4th houses.

March 31 to April 20, 3rd house.

April 21 to 30, 2nd and 3rd houses.

May 1 to 21, 2nd house.

May 22 to 31, 1st and 2nd houses.

Of course, this table is approximate, and if your birthday falls near the edge of two possible positions you may need to read both. One should always have the chart calculated professionally in order to know where the planets are situated, as this helps clarify your exact cyclic pattern.