by Robert Wilkinson
Mercury goes direct in motion 4:09 pm PDT Sept 12, 0:09 am Greenwich Sept 13 and will speed up for many weeks to come. This shows a quickening of the ability to coordinate, put things together, understand the whole and the parts, the process and the larger cycles. Mercury, or Hermes, "the Guide of Souls," is also known as the Divine Trickster, as well as all lesser models. It is now stationary at 6 degrees of Virgo, affecting that area for months to come.
We are told the symbol is "A Merry-go-round." Rudhyar says this is a degree of "the culture of pleasure as a transmuting force," and an "unfearing plunge into life," though we are also told this degree can symbolize an "endless and futile repetition of experience."
In "The Astrological Mandala" he states the keynote is "the first experience of the dynamic intensity of life processes and of the possibility of using them to reach a characteristic ego-satisfaction." He says this point is where we go up and down, around and around, and find "any cyclic release of life energy provides us with the opportunity of demonstrating some type of skill and mastery" in order to experience "an objective approach to the life force."
I've always thought this degree offers us occasional opportunities to demonstrate our balance and ability to do a specific thing with skill. It takes practice, good timing, and great hand to eye coordination to "grab the brass ring" and win whatever there is to be won by doing such a thing.
Given where it falls in Virgo, it shows us some form of practical discrimination and/or training to perfect something. I suppose if we unfearingly plunge into some repetitive experience that is pleasurable in order to perfect a skill, that's not such a bad thing. This stage follows the imagination of 5 Virgo and precedes the waiting of 7 Virgo.
We were dealing with these energies every time Saturn transited this degree. Mercury stationary direct implies that we will learn to coordinate some experience we were first exposed to by Saturn in October 2007, got new insights into in February 2008, and learned to make a constant part of our life July 2008.
Though some aspects are separating, due to Mercury going direct they will again form soon after this point. Significant aspects made during this Mercury direct point in time include a septile to Mars and sextile to Venus. The sextile shows that our Gemini and Virgo ruled areas will be in productive relationship to our Taurus and Libra ruled areas, where the power of symbols will be strong as we show skill in participating in a larger work involving a form of "sustained inspiration" and link various inner aspects of our reality.
The septile between Mercury and Mars implies that more critical choices will present themselves to us regarding how we demonstrate skill involving balanced action and self-initiating perspectives to achieve well-rounded understanding. It shows a several month period of "destiny producing" ways of using skills to overcome forms of desire or fulfill them so we can reach a higher level of socialized function. This septile will help us reach out to a greater "civilizing" force so that we may be uplifted and/or uplift others.
This septile sets 7 "hot zones" into activity. Each time a planet or the Moon transits any of these points over the coming months our destiny will be set into motion by how we confront and deal with the inner or outer irrationality, compulsive behavior, or weirdness we encounter. Of course, though it may not make much sense why we confront what we confront or why we have to choose what we know we must, these times will help us define and refine our character and therefore our future relative to what I explained in the paragraph just above this one.
These 7 zones are (approximately) 6-8 Virgo, 27-29 Libra, 19-21 Sagittarius, 10-12 Aquarius, 1-3 Aries, 23-25 Taurus, and 14-16 Cancer. Obviously if you have a planet in any of these zones, that area of your life will be thrown into major shifts relative to what life areas(houses) the planet occupies, including wherever you have early Virgo and late Libra.
Various groups will be profoundly affected by this septile, especially if you have an outer planet in one of these zones. Among elder generations most impacted (all dates approximate): late 1924, 7/25-6/28, 11/28-5/29, 10/30-2/31, 4-5/31, 8/31-9/32, 2-12/33, 9-10/34, 9-10/36, 4-5/37, 9-10/37, 1-2/38, 5/39, 7-10/39, 12/39-1/40, 5/40-7/41, 11/41-3/42, 8/42, 2-4/43, 8-9/44, 6-7/45, 1-3/46, 9/46, 1/48, 7-9/48, 11/48-1/49, and 7-8/49.
These are the groups of birthdays most affected since 1950: 1/50, 4-5/51, 9-12/51, 6-8/52, 12/52-5/53, 9/53-2/54, 7/54-12/55, 3/56-10/56, 12/57-1/58, 3-4/58, 7-12/58, 9/59-2/60, 8/60-9/61, 12/61-1/62, 3-7/62, 11/62-1/63, 4/63, 8-10/63, 3-8/64, 10-11/64, 3-4/65, 8/66, 3-4/67, 11/67-1/68, 7/68, 11-12/69, 5-10/70, 4-5/71, 12/71, 4-7/73, 11/73-4/74, 8/74-9/75, 6-7/76, 11/76-3/77, 1/78-3/80, 6-11/80, 11/81-4/82, 9/82-12/83, 2-5/85, 8/85-2/86, 5-11/86, 1-6/87, 10-12/87, 6/88, 6/90, 10/91, 1-6/929-11/92, and 10-11/93.
As noted above, events related to this Mercury stationary direct septile Mars will come forth each time the Moon moves through those 7 zones. The septile effect will be triggered from other planets the third week of October, November 9-28, December 10-13, December 25 through January 3, 2011, Jan 23-February 11, the second week of March 2011, and numerous times between late March and mid-June 2011.
In a curious parallel, the last Mercury stationary direct point also had a septile series aspect to Mars that helped us make critical choices to close old Mars in Leo patterns. As with then, the house where transiting Mercury is will be the trigger for the changes in the house that transiting Mars occupies. Whatever we chose between Nov 2009 and Jan 2010 and been dealing with up to April became a reason for crucial choices and changes the past 4 months. Welcome to another 4 months of Mercury and Mars doing their hard-edged dance!
Mercury toward the end of its RX period is in early Virgo, said by Rudhyar to be a span of "Idealization" in the Emotional-Cultural level of Characterization. While Mercury occupies Virgo, many will find they are seeing their work, health, or discipleship with new eyes, and realize they may have to make adjustments in methods so that they can finish whatever they need to in December to facilitate the new era coming when Jupiter again re-enters Aries in January 2011.
Dr. Jones states the keyword for this symbol is DIVERSION, indicating "a cyclic and necessary intensification of any personal being," where "pleasure is the simplest possible form of creative exchange," encouraging and refining our range of possibilities. We are told that when positive, this degree is "endless and happy resourcefulness in a constant reorientation of self to meet varying exigencies of life."
So at the end of this retrograde period, we find ourselves poised to learn and/or demonstrate new skills, where we can grasp recurring opportunities for our personal advantage and advancement. This should help us integrate Saturn's 2007-08 lessons assisting our ability to coordinate events and skills to be more effective in our work and/or discipleship.
Other aspects of note (not involving Mercury) include Moon square Neptune trine Uranus and Jupiter, Venus biquintile Uranus and Jupiter, Mars quincunx Uranus and Jupiter and out of sign sextile to Pluto (which is about to go stationary direct tomorrow!) Taken as a group, it would seem that many will find a cause they can embrace requiring that we a) do the tough stuff up front to get the goodies on the back end, and b) put forth our unique qualities in ways that we can interact with others' unique qualities.
Adjustments will involve productivity in getting perspective to enjoy life to a richer degree, and monitoring expectancies while opening to a greater sharing and nonpossessiveness. Since this stationary direct point directly influences events through December and beyond, that would imply the period from mid-October through mid-December will heat up like fireworks, due to the inner planets moving through multiple hot zone areas.
So try to demonstrate your skills, and don't worry if things don't make sense from time to time, since with so many septile series aspects going on during this coming period very little will be logical and orderly, even if it does get fairly exciting at times!
© Copyright 2010 Robert Wilkinson
ThankYou Robert Wilkinson Beautiful Post as Usual !!!
Thanks for the enlightening and Useful Teachings You give Us in every Post !!!
God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. ~St. Augustine
What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
~Eleanor Powell
Blessings !!!
Posted by: Jorge Torres | September 12, 2010 at 06:02 PM
Hi Robert,
Im the South Afican student of astrology, I have written to you once before.
Thanks for your awesome post, as usual.
This write up is particularly talking to me at the moment, for no particular reason, my meditations have gone to another level, where I am connecting to a source within myself, and yet separate to myself, in a very clear, acute, specific way.
Its strong and engaging me in a beautiful way. Something of an oasis after a long ride in the desert.
Especially since I have key planets on all the cardinal points in my natal chart, I have been and continue to be caught in the cleansing centrifuge as you put it, caught on the crucifix in the sky, pinned down by these beautiful stars that leave me feeling in awe and surrendered.
So my focus is to become more deliberate and refined in my newly understood gifts.
Thank you for all of your inspiration, motivations, understandings.
Your work grounds me in ways that nothing else does at the moment.
Sat Nam
Posted by: Carlos | September 13, 2010 at 01:32 AM
thank you for your insights Robert.
I now more clearly understand why I am compelled to "learn and/or demonstrate new skills" with Mercury (12th) directly square my Venus (9th Gem), and with Neptune at 29 Libra (2nd), planning two trips out of country to study and expand my technical and spiritual knowledge base travelling to expand my studies in bioacoustics and to see Dr. Wayne Dyer in Maui. Interesting that I am reading you today as Mars touches my cardinal grand square and conjuncts my Neptune, opposes my Mercury (8th) and squares Mars (5th)and Uranus (11th). Destiny calling.
"It shows a several month period of "destiny producing" ways of using skills to overcome forms of desire or fulfill them so we can reach a higher level of socialized function. This septile will help us reach out to a greater "civilizing" force so that we may be uplifted and/or uplift others." I can only trust that the decisions I am making are "defining and refining" rather than "compulsive"! I seem pulled to personal areas of interest where I can truly help others, rather than looking to further my experience in marketing and management.
With mars ruling my sun, mercury, and moon could I then expect challenges or opportunities when Mars squares this virgo direct stationery point (12th) in the first week of November? Am I likely to find a new full time position or to go "off the grid" and pursue entrepreneurial activities?
sound blessings,
Cassie
Apr 10/56, 4:23 pm, 42N23 82W11
Posted by: Cassandra | September 14, 2010 at 09:43 AM
Hi Jorge - Great quotes! Blessings to you and all as well!
Hi Carlos - Greetings to "another land down under." Very good when we note important changes in our connectedness with the subtle planes. I know that as we persist in attuning with higher planes of existence, we learn to become them. The Crosses lead us to the Crowns, as it were. You're most welcome, and thanks for your encouraging words. Aum Namah Shivaya!
Hi Cassandra - You're at a point of critical emergent consciousness preparing to embrace your Neptune with maturity, skill, and "dexterity." As Venus will be RX over the next few weeks, building the lines of communication and using them wisely is all important. If you are reading this as Mars touches your Neptune, then it's definitely an activation of the Neptunian understanding and connectedness with collective consciousness. The process will take another two years to complete itself, but by then you'll be living a concrete form of your ideals in concert with others who also share those ideals. You should hit a turning point of sorts when Mars moves through early Sag, though the other questions cannot be answered in any detail here. April 2011 begins the adventure of your life, so pay attention to signs and signals in March.
Posted by: Robert | September 15, 2010 at 02:18 PM