This is the next natural step in understanding and stabilizing very
similar energies related to the last Mercury direct station in
mid-October 2008. At that time, Mercury went stationary direct at 8
Libra, exactly trine the point where Mercury will go SRX this January
11-12. Also, mid-October 2008 Venus was in late Scorpio, almost exactly
trine where it will be when Mercury goes stationary direct at the end
of January.
A few technicals: Besides the very productive sextiles helping us
blend practicality and intuition to achieve social or interpersonal
reorganizations that further group interactions, Mercury moves from a
sesquisquare with Saturn back to a trine to Saturn's stationary RX
point, showing major stabilizations and harmonizing of practical
necessities that ground the initiative and understandings of November
and December 2008.
So the period begins with Mercury sesquisquare Saturn, semisextile
Venus, and decile Pluto. These are "minor" aspects that will provide
some measure of "agitated harmony" in forward movement.
It retrogrades back to a semisquare to Uranus, showing our need to
liberate our mind or view so we can receive the nourishment due us. It
follows with a novile to Venus and conjunction with Jupiter at 4
Aquarius, the degree of the healer revealing themselves. We
re-experience the semisquare energies but this time to Venus, bringing
social decisions on the basis of the alternative views we were just
given.
After the Inferior Conjunction of Jan 20-21, Mercury RX re-enters
Capricorn and makes a septile to Venus and Uranus, showing a major fork
in the road of individuation wherever it falls in our charts. It then
retrogrades back through the conjunction to Mars as it sextiles Venus
and Uranus, semisextiles Neptune, and trines Saturn.
This period over the last part of the RX period will bring fusions
and unified vision around the Aries, Gemini, Virgo, Scorpio, and
Capricorn planets and sectors in our chart, building productively with
any Taurus and Libra energies we may have active. This period should
bring understanding and insight about professional or group energies
that began for us in late November and snowballed forward through
December 2008.
Because of Mercury's closeness to Jupiter and Mars throughout the
period, we can get a sense of how to imagine, communicate, or base
future actions from an entirely different angle of view. It's a good
time for re-thinking the right means to fulfill our vision while
getting a sense of what's to end, and what's to come by late April.
Saturn rules this Mercury RX period, as that planet rules both
Aquarius and Capricorn in the mundane world. (Uranus rules both signs
in the spiritual realms.) As Saturn is in Virgo, the sign Mercury
rules, we call the Mercury-Saturn aspect "Mutual Reception," a very
strong self-reinforcing energy. This should show as a very grounded
practical understanding of what is being reviewed, reworked,
reorganized, or able to be understood now that other factors have
transpired since last September.
Saturn will occupy its stationary RX point at 22 Virgo for the
entire time, showing part of the larger understanding we're coming to
involves what values and standards we're willing to uphold for the long
haul. We'll be able to anchor our understanding of what is venerable,
and have our merit certified or certify anothers' merit however that's
appropriate.
This could yield a glimpsing of our own or anothers' nobility, and
the possibility of accepting a "royal office," at whatever level we
operate. This is about understanding our "spiritual lineage" and
accepting a collective status.
The ever-present "joker in the deck" is that Saturn, ruler of the
retrograde span, is re-entering the Virgo zone of the Grand
Irrationality by the end of January, again putting pressure on many who
will again find themselves at "forks in the road of destiny," directly
related to the period from late September through early November, when
the pattern was highly active. Later in this article there is a link to
a Spiritual Astrology article where you can find out more about this
on-going global irrationality.
This specific effect began during last October's Mercury retrograde
period, when Saturn first entered the Virgo zone of the Grand
Irrationality triggering an influence that will be very present and
persistently intense, lasting through early August 2009. Due to the
nature of the retrograde phenomenon, it may take us a while to see the
results of the choices precipitated by Saturn at this larger "fork in
the road of destiny" set into motion Autumn 2008.
Mercury toward the end of its RX period is in late Capricorn, said
to be a span of "Dependence" in the Emotional-Cultural level of "Group
Performance." While Mercury occupies these two signs, many will find
they are receiving a LOT of mental impressions which require a larger
view and taking personal responsibility. Expect a profusion of ideas,
communications, insights and evaluations that will take many twists and
turns before becoming clear visions of how to decide and what to do.
Mercury goes stationary direct on 22 Capricorn at 11:11 pm PDT
January 31, 2009 (February 1 in the mountain states and points east of
there.) As noted, when Mercury approaches its stationary direct point,
it makes some excellent aspects to Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Neptune,
showing widespread harmony across many sectors of our lives.
As the Sun transits the Aquarius span of this retrograde in late
January, it will illuminate what the RX was about. Especially during
this later period, while the Moon moves through Capricorn, Aquarius,
and Aries, it will trigger the Grand Irrationality, showing that time
to be a major zone of decision and choice.
During that time 4, 5 or even 6 points of the 7-pointed Star, or
Great Septile, will be highly active during the days when the Moon is
in these signs. There will be specific points during certain days when
the pattern will be activated by the movement of the Ascendant and/or
Midheaven, so heads up, since these are very important times! Again,
you can find more by referring to the article Spiritual Astrology in November-December 2008 Pt. 2 - The Grand Irrationality and When It Will Be Set Into Motion.
I'll be updating the information for the Jan-Feb 2009 lunar hot zones
soon, but for now, that article can fill you in on what's been
happening.
Of great importance during this retrograde is that Mercury's
Inferior Conjunction with the Sun also conjuncts Jupiter, giving us new
insights and visions of a greater service or contribution we can make
in our world. Many will find powers awakening that allow them to help
people and situations achieve a wholeness, or health, they did not have
before. Use self-discipline, clear intention, compassion, and a sense
of your place in the "Divine Order" to focus spiritual energy.
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 aspects between Mercury and the other planets,
there will be a lot of productive activity helping us more forward in
very organized and disciplined ways setting patterns into motion that
will take off in April. We'll have plenty of opportunities to get
clearer about our a larger vision of the future related to many things,
people, and experiences. This is the practicum of our ability to
integrate, harmonize and broaden our aspirations we're in training to
manifest during this Saturn in Virgo era.
Mercury going stationary direct at 22 Capricorn on December
31-February 1 shows that through May 6-7, 2009, we will have the
ability to move through apparent defeats to achieve spiritual victory.
We will be able to win out through conforming to what is established,
and through inner strength find resilience and the ability to overcome
obstacles and opponents through will and integrity.
This degree is said to be in the span of "Dependence," in the scene
of "Group Performance" on the social-cultural level. We can surmise
that many of our dependencies will be seen in the light of our greater
group connectedness during the next few months, and that will lead to
major emotional, social, and cultural changes in our future well into
2009.
Dr. Jones comments the keyword is EXPEDIENCY, and that this is a
degree of an "uncompromising loyalty to the long range ends in view,"
"a self disciplined grace of spirit," and overcoming opponents by
finding shared values. We are told that this offers us "a genius for
learning from experience and transforming setback into accomplishment."
So at the end of this retrograde period, we'll wind up being clear
about our long range views and how to accomplish them, with new visions
of group work and how we can contribute to a greater ideal with others.
It marks a time of renewal of resolve, perseverence, stable
understanding of needing to know (or find) what is personally relevant
to us within our larger cultural field, and a recognition that a new
day has dawned, with new obligations, responsibilities, and rewards for
our faith and persistence.
So it seems that this is the next step in the ongoing Mercury
retrograde Air sign sequence, where we'll continue to get new ideas,
relationships, understanding, and specialized skills and insights. And
we get a sense of practical necessities, as Mercury begins to move into
a long term sequence of retrograding back through Earth signs.
As previously noted, with Saturn now retrograding back into the
Virgo zone of the Grand Irrationality for many months, when it's
triggered by the inner planet transits you can expect major
destiny-producing changes that make little or no sense. By the end of
this retrograde period, we shall be on the threshold of moving into an
"end game" of things past, preparing to move into a new dream in April
2009.
Mercury Retrograde Astrology 2009 - How Mercury Retrograde Works and How It's Related To Past and Future Retrogrades
Mercury
Retrograde in Aquarius and Capricorn in January 2009, Part 1 - Signals
of A Rapidly Approaching Future Launching in February
Copyright © 2009 Robert Wilkinson