by Robert Wilkinson
This Mercury retrograde period starts October 28 (October 29 for Iran and east) and ends November November 17 (November 18 in Europe and east). This retrograde moves from 26 Scorpio back to 10 Scorpio, with the inferior conjunction of Mercury and the Sun at 17 Scorpio occurring November 8-9. This degree is one of "Woman Fecundated by her Spirit is 'Great with child,'" a point of "cooperation between spiritual and material agencies," "Pure self-revelation," and "Fullness of self-reliance and individual destiny." We are told it shows a human becoming a "mother of the living God," and is the "Transpersonal Way... that leads to creative mutations."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.
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.
We are also told by Dr. Marc Edmund Jones that the degree of the inferior conjunction symbolizes "... the eternal conflict between the practical involvements and the ideal potentialities of human nature," with the Soul feeling the weight of its responsibilities "while the indwelling and immortal Spirit is sensitive to its need for an enduring place in the scheme of things." The keyword is NUCLEATION. He writes that "the degree is an illimitable self-potentiality with effective spiritual or ideal as well as practical or everyday orientations."
This retrograde beginning at 26 Scorpio retraces ground we covered October 7-27, and is a degree of "American Indians making camp after moving into a new territory," showing the "ability to adjust swiftly to a new situation by tuning in to its requirements" through "peaceful adaptation to nature" and "efficient functioning in all life situations." This will enable us to feel "at home" even in strange environments, and if we're alert to potentials we can find an "unusual resourcefulness" and will find opportunities ever where there don't seem to be many.
The entire retrograde Mercury is favorable to Venus, Jupiter, and Pluto, as well as conjunct Mars from the second week of November through the Winter Solstice on December 21, 2006 at 4:23 pm PDT. About the only fly in the ointment is the square to Saturn predominating October 20 through November 7. The favorable conjunctions will boost the depth, intensity, and connectedness of all our relationships, and help give us important information about what is been lost, what is being regenerated, and what we don't need any more as we embrace the wider destiny promised by the recent Solar Eclipse still in strong effect in all our charts. Follow the internal links to more about the powerful effects of the September eclipses.
With Mercury conjunct Sun, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter all in Scorpio, expect the parts of your life ruled by these planets to come together in whatever house Scorpio falls in the chart. We will get a new look at many things, and find out much that we may not have noticed before now. These aspects should assist our socializing, offering us in some cases a dramatic widening of our social vision, contacts, and power.
Because Mercury conjuncts Jupiter at 23 Scorpio just before it goes retrograde, and then conjuncts it again at 25 Scorpio at the end of October, it will yield an effect that Mercury will "bring the news" or the Jupiterian lesson or view as it goes retrograde to all the other planets it contacts, knitting together Jupiter's promise that will become activated as each of the inner planets moves into the conjunction with Jupiter.
Obviously, as Mercury, ruler of the Gemini and Virgo sectors and planets, moves into conjunction with all these other planets, it will fuse together all the areas these other planets rule with the Mercury ruled sectors, so everything should be feeling fairly connected by late November, even if there will be a profound sense of loss, whether echoes of memories of perceptions now fastly fading into our rear view mirror, or the sense that some things are going to have to give way if we are to create the psychic space needed to do whatever our wider destiny will require in the weeks and months to come.
The Mercury square Saturn while conjunct Jupiter is a) a good chance to break free of pessimistic or narrow interpretations of what's going on or been going on, b) the promise of wider things, blessings, or adventures to come once certain other things are taken care of first, c) a vision of a more generous or abundant view that will overcome grumpy attitudes, or d) all of the above. You can read more about the effect of Mercury conjunct Jupiter both square Saturn at the link.
The squares to Saturn fall at 24-25 Fixed, so defend your mission, see the broader context of your mission, find something you can enjoy with others, ground a high realization in everyday life, and be more volitional, less reflexive, in your responses. I would think this retrograde period will give us very important insights about the on-going Jupiter square Saturn lessons we've all be dealing with this past year, and show us the blessings, protection, or gifts for having taken on our higher or greater responsibilities.
An interesting factor in this retrograde is that as Mercury approaches its stationary retrograde point in late October, the Sun, Venus, and Mars all transit the early Scorpio point of The Grand Irrationality as they septile Pluto and biseptile Pluto, making the front end of the retrograde period very strange indeed! This would imply that we all hit critical forks in the road of our life around the time the retrograde begins, and that will condition what we learn, what we find, and what lessons are coming in the retrograde period.
It may be that events that happened in early October when Mercury transited these points will be seen in a different light, or we will see the results of what happened then. Still, try to suspend judgment until mid-November when Mercury finally goes direct again. Of particular note is the Moon's conjunctions with Pluto and Neptune during this period of peak intensity. Take nothing at face value, but what you find in late October will be important for what's coming in 2007.
A week before and after Mercury goes stationary direct at 10 Scorpio on November 17-18 it forms a powerful semisquare to Pluto, so decrease explosiveness, mental extremes, getting distracted by others' negativity, or uncertainty regarding a self-evident truth. Consciously practice relaxation, promote efficiency, deepen insights, don't believe everything you're told, and face the future with a deepened sense of connectedness with your comrades.
Just after Mercury goes retrograde Neptune goes stationary direct on a degree of unveiling and "conservation of experience." This will yield long term major spiritual realizations, as it promises roundabout ways of diverse truths being unveiled through our willingness to penetrate to the deeper meaning of things. Neptune direct will ultimately bring us the rewards and spiritual blessings beginning early 2007 that we were promised in the Spring and Summer of 2006.
Remember 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. Be 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.
Given the irrationality of late October when the Sun, Venus, and Mars transit the Grand Irrationality at the same time as Mercury's station, as I mentioned earlier, expect things to get somewhat weird. During the retrograde, while there are always strange twists and turns and returns, if it's not a return of something you should have taken care of before then, remember that whatever happens, it probably won't turn out the way it seems at the time.
Mercury going stationary direct at 10 Scorpio on November 17-18 shows that through mid-February 2007 we will see the emergence of group "personalities," where activity done together builds group consciousness and connectedness. It is a degree of "comradeship," fellowship, and "an effective channeling of personal aspirations into the commonplace grooves of a shared experience." It is the culminating degree in the Emotional-Social-Cultural level of "Communion" and according to Jones, its formula is Sustaining, Ideal, Universal, Specializing, Social, and Inspired. I believe by Spring 2007 we shall all feel more connected with others to the extent that we've roused ourselves to participate in activities.
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. Part 2 of this series will explain how this recurring phenomenon affects each of us individually.
For more about the coming October-November 2006 Mercury Retrograde period:
A New Look At Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio
Practical Astrology in October-November 2006 - What is Mercury Retrograde Good For?
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