by Robert Wilkinson
In part 2 we explore more about this phenomenon that occurs 3 weeks at a time 3 times a year. At the end of this article I have a table so you can find which house(s) this December 2010 Mercury RX period falls in relative to your Sun sign. Then you can find out how this transit affects you personally by consulting my article How Does Mercury Retrograde Affect Us In The Different Houses?
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 yesterday's article we explored specific qualities of the present Mercury retrograde period. The period before Mercury goes retrograde is important in getting your paperwork and other life areas in shape, so take note of late November and see what hit a threshold and now requires a delay, research, or renewal.
For now, while Mercury is retrograde, please take this period to re-trace ground covered in recent weeks, get new information and interpretations of old ideas and perceptions, and find new points of view. All these are great things to do while Mercury is retrograde.
We are now in a three week retrograde period to deal with things we've put off, or take care of things from the past. This December 2010 Mercury retrograde is giving us new understanding about the events of the past four months.
Once Mercury is retrograde, we often experience that communications and other Mercury ruled areas are slower than usual. It's time to re-do, review, rehearse, research, and take a new look at many things that evolved to a threshold during the period before Mercury goes stationary retrograde. So during this time we can again reconsider, reinterpret, and rework Capricorn and Sagittarius issues and activities, seeing their significance from new angles of understanding.
Looking back (a perfect thing to do during Mercury retrograde!), we got Cancer insights during the Summer 2007 Mercury RX, and Scorpio insights during the Autumn 2007 Mercury RX.
We got Aquarius insights during the early 2008 Mercury RX, and insights about our Gemini areas during the Summer 2008 Mercury RX in Gemini. We completed a natural Air trine of Mercury RX energies when it went through Libra in Sept-Oct 2008, offering new insights about relationships, judgments, balance, fairness, and ways we are or are not being an equal with others in our world.
It again moved through Aquarius in early 2009, offering insights about our friendships, goals, ambitions, ideals, group work, larger vision of how we can contribute to our world, how our love and enthusiasms are exteriorizing, and the greatest good for the greatest number.
When it retrograded back into Capricorn January 2009, we got insights about our public self image, how we self-organized to make our lives more effective, and how willing we were to embrace different ways to use discipline and our power to take responsibility effectively.
In May 2009, we got new ways of communicating, researching, understanding, and getting insights into how we can or should discover blessings that can reward our faith and purity of heart. When it retrograded through Taurus, we got to review values and how we use what we have, or need, so that our new emerging self-images can be sustained.
In September 2009, we got new perspectives in relationships and how equal we are or are not, finding new ideals that prepared us for important Saturn in Libra experiences that began late October 2009. When it slipped back into Virgo, we got a review on how we needed to adjust to make our lives more effective, or got a new look at work and/or health issues.
In December 2009 and January 2010, we got new perspectives on why we had to surrender in certain ways in 2009, and found unique interactive circumstances that fit our gifts, or gifts to fit our circumstances. Adjustments helped us achieve closure while giving our curiosity something to chew on in the way of ideas we've been externalizing since February 2010.
In April-May 2010 we again got a look back at Taurus themes and issues, and mobilized in some way that has been cooking steadily since then. In the August-September 2010 Virgo retrograde period, we got insights into the Taurus energies that affected us between Spring and late Summer, and also got more insights into Saturn lessons as they presented themselves when Saturn occupied this Virgo retrograde span. That was October 2007 through February 2008, July 2008 through November 2008, and February 2009 through August 2009.
These times of Mercury retrograde in Earth signs have shown us how to be practical in organizing our lives. Since last January, we've begun to finish up some things, preparing to move into a more "limitless" set of possibilities.
We've now mobilized the Taurus areas of our chart, and by mid-May began a slow, steady growth mode through the beginning of this Mercury retrograde period. This continued Earth influence pervading Mercury retrogrades will last through this period, after which the Fire element will begin to influence these periods in 2011 and 2012.
By learning about these recurring Mercury retrograde periods, we can understand how to deal with them productively, as well as the months afterward, which they also indirectly influence. Since this December 2010 Mercury goes stationary at 6 Capricorn and retrogrades back to 20 Sagittarius, you can learn a lot about this coming period by reading all you can about Mercury retrograde in Capricorn and Sagittarius.
You can get more information how this important time of Mercury retrograde (which happens three times a year every year!) affects you personally by getting a copy of my book "A New Look At Mercury Retrograde" and reading the section on Mercury retrograde in the houses. However, you can also get some very useful ideas of how it works by consulting the article that I linked to in the first paragraph of this article titled "How Does Mercury Retrograde Work in the Houses." The ideas I offer there work, whether you're referencing the natal or Solar charts.
To that end, the houses in astrology show us the specific areas of our worldly affairs where we experience 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:
Nov 27 to Dec 10, read Mercury retrograde in the 1st house.
Dec 11 to 26, 12th and 1st houses.
Dec 27 to Jan 9, 12th house.
Jan 10 to 25, 11th and 12th houses.
Jan 26 to Feb 7, 11th house.
Feb 8 to 22, 10th and 11th houses.
Feb 23 to Mar 8, 10th house.
Mar 9 to 24, 9th and 10th houses.
Mar 25 to Apr 7, 9th house.
Apr 8 to 23, 8th and 9th houses.
Apr 24 to May 8, 8th house.
May 9 to 25, 7th and 8th houses.
May 26 to Jun 8, 7th house.
Jun 9 to 25, 6th and 7th houses.
Jun 26 to Jul 10, 6th house.
Jul 11 to 26, 5th and 6th houses.
Jul 27 to Aug 10, 5th house.
Aug 11 to 27, 4th and 5th houses.
Aug 28 to Sep 9, 4th house.
Sep 10 to 26, 3rd and 4th houses.
Sep 27 to Oct 10, 3rd house.
Oct 11 to 27, 2nd and 3rd houses.
Oct 28 to Nov 10, 2nd house.
Nov 11 to 26, 1st and 2nd houses.
This table is approximate, and if your birthday falls near the edge of two possible positions you may need to read both to know which applies to your Sun sign. Of course, one should always have a correct natal chart calculated professionally in order to know where the planets are situated, as this helps clarify your exact cyclic pattern.
Astrology and Mercury Retrograde August-September 2010 in Virgo - What Is Mercury Retrograde?
Copyright © 2010 Robert Wilkinson
Hi Robert! It's been an odd week. This Monday 12/15 was probably the worst, the heaviest day. I need to vent. I had a very potent interaction with a friend, a special friend, or so I hoped... Not what I expected. I was hurt. Then I hurt him back, with a stinger... my reactions are extreme at time. I don't know what it was. It is heavy. a week before he cared about me, now he says he is not interested. maybe he is potting his self defenses, not sure what I've done wrong. But I am hurt. I know it is strange for you to hear, without knowing details. But it is not what I expected him to say. I am an Aries. He is a Scorpio. I have been living questions since that day. as you know in that book of Rainer Maria Rilke, "Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer." Tell me, Robert, what was on that day? His words were like a knife. Thank you
Posted by: Lisa | December 16, 2010 at 06:46 PM
Robert, it was 12/13, Monday. Awful day, indeed
Posted by: Lisa | December 16, 2010 at 06:47 PM
Hi Lisa;
Depending on your time zone, December 13th & 14 were the days when a very rare and intense triple conjunction of transiting Rx Mercury-Mars-Pluto took place, at 4:41-4:42 degrees of Tropical Capricorn, all within the space of ten minutes, and also very close to the transiting North Node.
I read on the Darkstar astrology web site that the last time these three conjoined anywhere near so closely was in 1853.
As Robert has mentioned, this planetary combination can be very intense and even volatile.
Just as an example, this cosmic bombshell dropped right onto my natal North Node in the 4th house. I've had quite the time for a couple of months now trying to convince the upstairs neighbour that this building is our shared home and that she needs to keep the noise level down to a dull roar. So far she has dug in her heels and continued to do her best imitation of Michael Flatley in Riverdance, so I've backed off and left it to the concierge to deal with for now, not wanting to add more fuel to the fire.
More importantly, on a deeper level, using the current astrology, I've sussed out the real lessons/message for me, with the result that this has been a very positive development, despite not sleeping well these days.
The last couple of weeks leading up to this conjunction have seen a lot of conflict and strife, based on what I've been hearing from people.
To me Rx Mercury-Mars-Pluto(-North Node) has provided us with a rare and potent opportunity to move forward on our evolutionary path for this lifetime (North Node) by reviewing how we can use our thinking in constructive ways (Rx Mercury in Cappy) to help align our conscious will, drives, motives and intentions (Mars) and our unconscious will, drives, motives, intentions (Pluto, which represents the Soul's evolutionary path, as per Geoffrey Wolf Green).
In other words, we can use our rational thinking function at this time to reflect on how we may be working at cross purposes with our Higher Self.
Sometimes when you are not getting what "you" (i.e., the mind or ego) think you want, it is because "You" (spelled with a capital "Y") have other plans for yourself. It's a question of bringing our conscious ego's will and our Soul's will into alignment. (The ego or conscious self does not really like that to be sure! It thinks it knows best.)
There are certainly others ways of interpreting Pluto, but I've been investigating Green's theory of evolutionary astrology and thought I'd throw that one into the mix.
Best of luck to you, and with sincere thanks to my heavy-footed neighbour Lauren, Elizabeth
Posted by: Elizabeth | December 16, 2010 at 09:13 PM
@Elizabeth: thank you so much. I am in Eastern zone of the USA. All I know that Monday was the heaviest day, mostly it was the evening for me... when the music stopped playing... I still don't want to listen to anything. It only irritates me. The conversation I had too potent and too unexpected. There was not much said, but what was said. There's a feeling that not just me got hurt, but my friend also. By my response. Maybe I responded stronger and more clearer than anyone would ever bring that to his attention. There's a disappointment in this person for me. I wanted to help him to become a better person. So I wrote to him too many things that other are afraid to tell him, because he is very strong and influential. I was never afraid to tell the truth. I feel somehow, it is not over, it was like a crack in the earth, but something else is there, nor sure what. Tension is rising for sure these days. I feel it inside. I wish I can hibernate and wake up when Dec 21 eclipse will be over. Not sure how it will affect me.
I don't know much about astrology, Elizabeth, but my north node, according to what I see in my chart, is in the last house, the 12th. If you know what that Monday meant for me, and my North node in 12th, please briefly share. Thank you. Lisa
Posted by: Lisa | December 18, 2010 at 11:51 AM
Hi Lisa; I can't tell anything just from your natal nodal placement, but what I can attest is that many people I know have been involved in some sort of conflict situation these last few weeks, in some cases out of the blue. Usually the energy peaks a day or two before the actual transit, then dissipates rather quickly soon thereafter. However this time there seems to be a lingering acrid taste in the mouth, as if things are not quite resolved yet, for whatever reason. Undoubtedly one or more planets or significant degree areas of your chart are in hard aspect to this challenging configuration. All I can suggest is that you look a little deeper to try to see what this development is telling you about your relationship with your own inner power. It's never about trying to force or even influence someone else in a given direction, but about empowering ourselves to manifest what we want with or without the participation of specific others. In my own relatively piddling case, the situation has not been resolved to my satisfaction, but there has been a silver lining of two or three important insights into the ways in which I block my own power. But perhaps Robert can weigh in (?), since he is the wiser one in these matters...I doubt you'll find what I've written particularly comforting and am sorry you are finding this difficult to deal with. xo Elizabeth
Posted by: Elizabeth | December 18, 2010 at 01:36 PM
Thank you. :)
Posted by: Lisa | December 18, 2010 at 01:58 PM
Elizabeth, from what I see my ruling planet Mars tangled with complicated Pluto on Monday. furious atmosphere for some. I need to look more into it. Thank you again :)
Posted by: Lisa | December 18, 2010 at 03:11 PM