The Guide of Souls in November-December 2011 - Mercury Slowing Down, Preparing to go Retrograde at 21 Sagittarius

by Robert Wilkinson

Yes, it's THAT time again! Mercury has radically slowed down, preparing to go stationary retrograde at 21 Sagittarius on November 23, 11:21 pm PST, 2:21 am EST Nov 24, 7:21 am Greenwich. This has important implications for all signs.

I'll be composing several articles about this Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius over the next several weeks. Until then, adapt to the slowing pace of things, be willing to put some things on hold for a little while, and take a look at what's been set into motion up to now with an eye to seeing what has to be done before things can again move forward in December.

I know there are many unfortunate things attributed to Mercury retrograde, but there are also many productive things that get done, connections that are made, and different angles of view glimpsed that make our understanding more complete and well rounded.

The two weeks before the retrograde is good for setting things in motion that will need a delay before being picked up anew. Or for doing things that will need research, rehearsing, or reworking to whatever degree before completion. The time before Mercury goes retrograde is good for doing what must be done so that other related things can be done later, as well as reconnecting with people and activities from the past that are somehow related to the future.

The coming retrograde will be an extremely important one showing us how to use our imaginations to rise to some situation, or anticipate future development. The good news is that Mercury will not trigger the Grand Irrationality when it hits either station (unlike more than one past Mercury retrograde!) However, Venus will activate the Grand Irrationality when it conjuncts Pluto and septiles Neptune in the Capricorn zone from Nov 30 through Dec 3, triggering more choices and critical decisions in Venus-ruled areas of life.

This picks up the pattern last experienced in late October, and of course we're still dealing with the Grand Irrationality effects from the Gemini Solar Eclipse. It will be triggered several times in January 2012, and I'll write more about that in the future.

This Mercury retrograde will give us many signs and signals for what will dominate Mercury-ruled areas from late mid-December through mid-March. It is a threshold time, where we again look back before moving forward. We can get all kinds of new insights into future potentials, while seeing things in the recent past differently.

This period will be highly energized due to Earth trines, the Sun and Mercury square Mars, and most importantly, Mercury and the Sun both septile Saturn and biseptile Uranus. This will bring a review or new look at the developments of the past week outlined in the article November 2011 - The Astrology of Destiny Is On The Move This Week!

In that article I listed the degree areas most influenced by this very powerful non-rational configuration anchored through mid-December by Saturn and Uranus. So this Mercury retrograde period should bring a new look at the crucial choices made the past week from different angles of understanding. Of note is that when Uranus goes direct at 1 Aries on Dec 9-10 the Sun will be in an exact biseptile to Uranus and septile to Saturn. This promises major sea changes based in the information Mercury and Venus have brought us during the past weird week.

I suppose the best thing about this coming retrograde is that it will bring us all to a new way of quickening our growth into potential futures, and more than a few will experience "a cosmic visitation" which will electrify them and change their lives. The last week of November and first week of December is a time of immense transformational potential, so open to wonder and awe at the Divine workings, since these will profoundly impact the second half of January.

As noted, the period will be somewhat volatile since the Sun squares Mars pretty much the entire period, with the exact aspect holding steady Nov 30-Dec 6. Add Mercury square Mars from Dec 2-5. Early Dec is a powerful focal point given Venus conjuncts Pluto Dec 1 just before the powerful Mutable T-square between Moon, Sun, Mercury and Mars December 2. We close the period with the Inferior conjunction square Mars Dec 4-5, showing a highly energetic time!

Also remember that the Inferior Conjunction is semisquare Saturn, as is Mars, and you have a very concentrated time of internal and external friction during a period when septile series aspects are happening just before and after the semisquares. Welcome to a lot of major issues coming (back) up to the surface, given the retrograde quality of the time.

The Mutable T-square on December 2 is made at 10 degrees of Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces, making 10 Gemini the void, and thus the focus of what is needed. It's a time to challenge inertia and other forms of "gravitation," and pull out of any spiral you may be in. Use the time of "forced growth" to get beyond old ideas, and turn in a new direction if the old one is not profitable since whatever mastery you've achieved could be leading you to higher responsibilities. Value your principles, show self-control, and sacrifice whatever you need to in order to expand your view and/or power.

This Mutable T-square is guaranteed to bust some things up while showing us how to adapt productively into an expanded reality. The septiles to Saturn and biseptiles to Uranus will show us reconsidering many things at a crossroads of destiny. Get new information and insights, and get ready to live that new destiny already in motion by New Years.

For all of us, during the next several weeks the future that's already rolling forward will slow a little so we can get a new look at crucial elements of the process we cannot afford to ignore. We will all have opportunities to grow and learn through imagination, and over time we'll see how to teach and learn some basic skills in new ways.

This will not be a soft retrograde!! That said, it will help us rehearse or do the research we need to get ready to spring forward in mid-December, freed to learn and teach through new perspectives and a more promising vision of the future. And of course, more on this very important Mercury retrograde period will come soon!

Copyright © 2011 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Diana]

I hope you will devote a few articles to 2012 - year of the water Dragon. As a Dragon myself, I'm very interested to hear what next year will bring.
You are the best, Robert! Thanks for your brilliant articles!

[Micheline]

Diana, me too I am a wood dragon. But this all the stuff above is so close to my birthday on the 6th.
Wow. Actually, there have been so very interesting revelations for me as well.

[sue moon]

Amen

[Bilyana]

Thank you, Robert! I make a list with all the things that happened during Jupiter was in Sag in 2007. I see what will come up - this is very interesting to monitor.

I think the last time we had Mercury was Rx in Sag was in Nov-Dec 2005. That's good to be kept in mind too.

Then Marc is going through Virgo and Saturn enetered Virgo in Sep 2007.

In this years some challeging things happened to me that I'm not sure where did they come from. Hope the secret will be revealed now!

Blessings!