by Robert Wilkinson
Mercury goes direct in motion 5:43 pm PDT Dec 13, 1:43 am GMT Dec 14 and speeds up for the next 10 weeks. 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 4 degrees of Sagittarius, affecting that area for 3 months to come.
We are told the symbol is "A little child learning to walk." Rudhyar says this is a degree of "life's kindliness in creating safe opportunities for growth," "full appreciation of opportunity," and "crisis in self-development."
In "The Astrological Mandala" he states the keynote is "the natural assistance of superior powers during crises of growth." He notes that this symbol is one of overcoming "the power of gravitation, or .. learn to use it... to fulfill the purpose of its life." He speaks of a "critical state of growth - growth in freedom, potency, and individuality" as the gateway to "self-induced progress" where we are observed by a "more evolved Power" and get encouragement and examples to model. This is a technique to resolve conflict on whatever level it's encountered.
Of note is that this is very next degree to the recent Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius. Mercury's proximity by degree will certainly express many of the qualities of that Solar Eclipse! As that Eclipse will show effects for 4 years, please take a new look at this article if you want to know more about the energy Mercury will express over the next 3 months.
In any case, we should all start seeing, hearing, and understanding things that point the way to some Mercurial technique of how we have been and continue to be "guided to our Soul," given Mercury, or Hermes, is known as "The Guide of Souls." Given where it falls at 4 Sagittarius, it shows us some way to act on our own behalf to achieve a greater skill and freedom. This should open doors of imagination and potentials.
The symbol is oriented toward techniques of actional abstraction and the distributive fire that Sagittarius. It follows the self confidence and objective planning energy of the Solar Eclipse degree at 3 Sag, and precedes the calm wisdom and self-restraint of 5 Sag.
Mercury going direct will re-activate many of the aspects it's made over the past few weeks. At various times over the past three weeks, it's made important conjunctions, noviles, semisquares, septiles, quintiles, binoviles, squares, biseptiles, tredeciles, sesquisquares, biquintiles, and quincunxes to the other planets.
It now begins a new set of aspects, initiated by a close (but not exact) biseptile to Mars going on right now. Over the next few days, due to Venus' speed, it will make a crucial septile to Mercury from late Capricorn. This septile will last through mid-January, and see the septile from early Sag to late Capricorn, mid Sag to early Aquarius, late Sag to middle Aquarius, early Capricorn to late Aquarius, and mid Capricorn to early Pisces.
Obviously this will precipitate forks in the road in many lives, since just about everyone has a planet in a zone influenced by these septiles. Since the zone extends from early Sag to early Pisces, and therefore creates septiles, biseptiles, and triseptiles throughout the entire zodiac. Welcome to the edge of major decisions that will shift your destiny in many important ways!
Generally, right now the zones are 3-7 Sag, 24-28 Capricorn, 16-20 Pisces, 8-12 Taurus, 29 Gemini-3 Cancer, 20-24 Leo, and 12-16 Libra. From December 20-30, the zones will be 8-18 Sag, 29 Capricorn-9 Aquarius, 21 Pisces to 1 Aries, 13-23 Taurus, 4-14 Cancer, 25 Leo to 5 Virgo, and 17-27 Libra. You can get more precise in the degrees affected by seeing that Dec 25 is mid-way through these 10 degree zones.
Early January will see the zones move to 20-30 Sagittarius, 11-21 Aquarius, 3-13 Aries, 25 Taurus-5 Gemini, 16-26 Cancer, 7-17 Virgo, and 29 Libra-9 Scorpio. The second week of January the hot zones of irrationality made by Mercury in early Capricorn septile Venus in late Aquarius move into early Capricorn, late Aquarius, mid to late Aries, early Gemini, late Cancer, early Leo, late Virgo, and mid Scorpio, making the Grand Irrationality very active, especially when the Moon occupies the Leo and Virgo zones! Of course I"ll write more about this in the near future, since almost all the degrees in the zodiac are influenced at some point during that period.
Besides the septile series aspects generated during this time by Mercury and Venus, during the immediate future Mercury will make a biquintile to Jupiter as well as a novile to Saturn. So through this coming weekend, given where Mercury is, see it as a highly specialized interactive turning point involving Mercurial signs and signals connected to the Sagittarius Solar Eclipse degree, its current stationary degree, and the energies of 5 Sag spoken of 3 paragraphs earlier.
As Mercury moves through its "shadow span" from 4-21 Sagittarius (the set of degrees traversed three times during the forward, then retrograde, then forward movement) we see a lot of accompanying aspect activity between the other planets. After Mercury makes the aspects noted above, we see Venus square Saturn, Sun sextile Saturn, Sun sextile Neptune, Venus square Jupiter and sextile Uranus, Sun trine Jupiter and square Uranus, Mercury sesquisquare Jupiter, Sun conjunct Pluto, and Mercury square Mars.
By New Year's Day, Mercury will move out of its shadow span and enter its next "unknown zones" where the themes of this retrograde will be played out in forward motion. So through the end of December, expect some very productive intersections, new futures presenting themselves, as well as opened opportunities to "grab the brass ring" through skill and organization.
At the end of Mercury moving through its "shadow span," we'll all need to slow down, relax more, and not get involved in disputes we don't need around New Year's Eve and Day. Overall, this period can teach us techniques of seeing the whole picture and not get distracted by secondary things, and can teach us enjoyable ways to plan for futures that will present themselves in January and February.
Also, given that Mercury will transit degree spans already experienced when Venus and the Sun and Venus moved through them, rather than being a "herald" it will bring final insights around those processes that took place in November and early December while we were still doing our Mercury retrograde time of reflection, rehearsal, and review. This is where the "after the fact" nature of the retrograde will help us come to a more well-rounded set of insights and understanding of recent events.
Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, tells us here we can find "the maximum possible encouragement... on the practical or objective side," and be stimulated to new potential skills and character development. Here is "the universal fellowship" which helps us share our blessings with others.
He goes on to tell us that this degree is one of "constant rehearsal and perfecting of function through which the conscious being gains and strengthens its powers." The keyword is INDIVIDUALITY, and when positive, we are told this degree is "exceptional facility for entering experience on its own immediate terms while yet preserving the full genius of self-hood."
So at the end of this retrograde period, we find ourselves poised to use our skills, training, and potential to find ways to move forward, freed of the past and shown the way to plan in advance for maximum effective movement. We can find new ways to see what we've been "imitating" that has shown us a new role or roles to play in the near future. We can teach and be taught, and through the self-initiated movement, we can learn techniques to resolve many types of conflicts in advance.
As Jupiter rules Mercury, it's time to find protective, merciful, and/or expansive ways to learn and teach who we are at the base of our "natural Being." This steadies, grounds, and makes the Mercury experience more natural, pleasant, and enjoyable. What we've tended to in our "garden of life, personality, and consciousness" over the past 4 1/2 months will bring forth individualized interactive blessings and gifts between now and the Winter Solstice on December 21, 2011, at 9:30 pm PST, 5:30 am GMT (Dec 22 in EST and points east.)
The entire time Mercury has been in Sag, from Nov 2 through now, Jupiter has been retrograde in the first 5 degrees of Taurus. So from early November through now, the actions that have grounded, secured, captured, or stabilized conditions set into motion in May and June 2011 have been seen through the Mercury RX lens of multiple angles of exploration and understanding. Now we can move forward into those potentials with greater calm and self confidence. Those who have been patient are finding that "the reward of patience is patience," and will be able to move forward easily into the future.
The coming 3 months promise major openings into greater skill, confidence, enjoyment, freedom, and stable abundant activity for all who began the journey into these in May and June. We were shown greater ways to appreciate and value these in November, and taken a new look at how to reshape our truth, future, or philosophy over the past several weeks. So now that we've done our rehearsals, reviews, revisions, and/or research on how we can coordinate the parts of this emerging process during the past 3 weeks, it's again time to get it on!!!
Here we face the future, and do what we must to weave elements of that future into our current life and affairs. We continue to divorce attitudes and interpretations no longer appropriate to our emerging process, and can see life as the "chess game" that it is from time to time.
Plan your strategy, execute the correct tactics with inspiration and adaptability, and given Mercury's square to Mars coming from Christmas through January 6, see it as a chance to be practical in setting off on a new adventure in consciousness where you'll be linking energies with others to educate and be educated in what you'll need for "future supply." The period around New Years' tests our foresight and willingness to sacrifice comforts in the present to secure a stable future. Assimilate diverse things, have hope and faith, and learn how to touch and be touched appropriately.
We're riding the edge of change, finding the truth that opens new vision, new pathways, and new futures relative to the beginnings of March through May 2011 that began to stabilize in June. Mercury direct will open many views and perspectives over the next 3 months, leading to a natural and powerful new set of views in March. At that time we begin a process to see how we can live our lives on multiple levels and "find fulfillment and happiness in both."
We're pretty well established in some ways, depending on what we've shown care about. We've been shedding old skins of personality, old ghosts from the past, and now are empowered to escape from "polluted conditions" through seeing the wisdom in what we know from multiple angles of exploration. Keep opening to new freedom, new ways of seeing how skills can be practiced, new things to learn and new ways to interpret meaning.
Release what needs releasing, see the humor, irony, or satire in what comes up in December and early January. The skills you're practicing will give you freedom and the ability to resolve some old and present conflicts that don't need to stay stuck one more day! Mercury and Venus in septile for awhile shows us how to ride a very irrational and crazy wave connected to people, things, ideas, and work, so stay optimistic, see broader possibilities and views, and when in doubt, humor is the cure for a thousand challenging situations.
We enter into a highly educative period for the next 2 1/2 months, so see what responsibilities might be enjoyable for you to take on, see how you can get a larger sense of your ability to contribute to a greater work, and get ready to roll! Jupiter and Uranus moving forward by Christmas shows a great wave has begun to get in motion.
Open to new understanding, new views, and new ways of valuing and securing conditions and reliable relationships. There's a transcendent security waiting for those who have prepared, and things will speed up considerably for the next three months. There's a new freedom to be lived, so go for it!
© Copyright 2011 Robert Wilkinson
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Posted by: Morlokk | December 14, 2011 at 06:20 AM
I got a big loose end to tie up. Being irritated about it seems to be doing no good. And jeepers how could I be irritated and not really know it. The sound of my own whining woke me up. Zoom out. Refocus. Zoom in.
Posted by: caliban | December 14, 2011 at 09:26 AM
Okay, so that zone you mention is in my fourth house now. Smack dab in the middle.
Hmmm. The ruler of that house is both pluto and mars both posited in the 2nd house. The second house is ruled by mercury posited in the 5th house. The 5th house is ruled by jupiter posited in the tenth house. The tenth house is ruled by venus posited in on the ic. So, it goes back to the 2nd house again. I know that is a weird way to look at it. But it makes some sense of my chart.
food for thought
Thanks Robert!!!!
Posted by: Micheline | December 14, 2011 at 03:30 PM