The Guide of Souls in January 2015 - Mercury Slowing Down, Preparing to go Retrograde at 18 Aquarius

by Robert Wilkinson

Yes, it's THAT time again! Mercury is radically slowing down, preparing to go stationary retrograde at 18 Aquarius on January 21, 7:54 am PST, 10:54 am EST, 3:54 pm Greenwich. This has important implications for all signs.

I'll be composing several articles about this Mercury retrograde in Aquarius 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 mid-February.

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 a good time 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.

If you haven’t already, you can find out a lot more about these very important 3 week periods by getting a copy of the new expanded 2nd edition of my book “A New Look At Mercury Retrograde,” available on Amazon kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook as an ebook. This work offers in-depth information about Mercury retrograde people, Mercury retrograde in the various signs and houses, and what the entire Mercury Retrograde phenomenon is about.

The coming retrograde will be an extremely important one showing us a new look at what’s been unveiled, or needs to be unveiled, in our lives. Things from the past will be reevaluated, re-examined, or understood differently. Because Mercury goes retrograde on the exact degree where Jupiter went stationary direct in October 2009, This will give us a look back at the Jupiter in Aquarius promise of 2009 and see what was and was not fulfilled and how that relates to values we chose to conserve since then.

We can get a new look at our goals and ambitions within a larger social whole, as well as new insights into old friends and past group work. Some will get insights into how to manage something differently to achieve a greater ability to contribute in the world, and at times brilliant short cuts can be glimpsed that will accelerate our growth.

As Mercury continues to make a quintile to Saturn in Sagittarius and a sextile to Uranus in Aries, this will be the second phase in receiving gifts and special lessons from Saturn showing us a greater freedom, independence, and ways to master how our growth is structured, linked with a productive overview of a new identity to live or aspire to, and how to accelerate individuation. Those most affected have planets or angles near 1-8 Sagittarius, 13-20 Aquarius, 25 Aries-2 Taurus, 7-14 Cancer, 19-26 Virgo, and the middle of Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, and Sagittarius.

As Mercury goes retrograde in the Air sign of Aquarius and stays in that sign the entire retrograde period, it marks a big shift from past Mercury retrograde periods. Last year’s 3 retrograde periods all began in early Water signs, with Mercury retrograding back into Air signs. So last year we danced between Feelings and Ideas, experiencing and relating, while this year it’s entirely an Air affair!

In January, we can see what life has prepared for us since the last Mercury retrograde in October. This can give us a new perspective on what’s shifted in our view or understanding since then, and this will make some things that were hidden come to light. This Mercury retrograde will offer us opportunities to look back and distill a wider view and understanding of our past experiences and choices resulting from the last Mercury retrograde.

Consider the next 3 weeks as a bridge between an old way of seeing things and a new understanding of a bigger picture and how everything fits (or doesn’t) in that picture. This time will bring interesting insights through looking back or within about prior relationships, past goals and ambitions, and why certain things came down the way they did.

Pay attention to the signs, signals, information, and understanding that come through synthesizing the pieces into the whole, seeing how and what you fulfilled the past 6 years, while also seeing why some things didn’t fit together. It should bring clarity about the new cycle in play since last October.

This is where we get to look back on what has been and what is happening right now in order to get insights into what is to come. It will certainly be an important retrograde, given the aspects in play!

This chart offers a huge number of extremely important aspects indicating what’s up both for the period of the retrograde station, as well as the entirety of the retrograde period. When Mercury goes stationary retrograde, major aspects include Moon conjunct Mercury and Venus and opposed Jupiter, Venus binovile Saturn and novile Pluto, Sun sextile Saturn, Mars sextile Pluto and conjunct Chiron, Jupiter biseptile Saturn, trine Uranus, and triseptile Chiron, Saturn square Neptune, novile Pluto, and biseptile Chiron, and the usual Uranus square Pluto.

These are highly spiritualizing aspects and the septile series aspects guarantee it’s a turning point in how humanity is choosing to heal into its higher Self. Those most affected by coming forks in the road of their destiny have planets or angles near 18-22 Leo, 10-14 Libra, 1-5 Sagittarius, 22-26 Capricorn, 13-17 Pisces, 5-9 Taurus, and 26-30 Gemini.

This Mercury retrograde will give us many signs and signals for what will dominate Mercury-ruled areas from mid-February through mid-May 2015. This retrograde is a time to review past goals and ambitions, and take a new look at how things were unrealistic given the larger group or social environment. Here we take a new look at what’s behind us before moving forward anew at the end of the RX period in mid-February. We can get all kinds of new insights into future potentials, while seeing things in the recent past differently.

The Inferior Conjunction happens January 30 at 11 Aquarius. That indicates the coming “fusion of life and mind” will help us to a new look, new interpretation, or new understanding of the issues associated with the middle decan of Aquarius, as well as what Jupiter taught us in February 2009, when it occupied that exact degree.

So welcome to many things being reviewed or coming back up to surface these next three weeks thanks to the retrograde quality of the time. Some will review past efforts to see what still needs to be integrated into the life, and/or there could be returns, rehearsals, or echoes of the past and its hopes, dreams, assumptions, and ambitions.

This one allows us to take a look back at how we’re using Aquarius energy in our lives, see who our allies and friends truly are, open to a larger vision of cooperative synthesis, and say goodbye to old illusions. Take a new look at the ideas you got earlier in January, since we will capture the essential elements of understanding what we need to mobilize into action by mid-February based in our insights these next 3+ weeks.

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. All of us will have a new understanding of what matters to us by mid-February, and will find ourselves “liberated from adverse conditions by spectacular events that mobilize us to action,” which may involve some form of “cosmic visitation.”

This will be another important retrograde, where the past will be reviewed to see what we can and cannot bring with us into the future in mid-February. It will help us rehearse or do the research we need to get ready to spring forward in early March, clear about what we know, what we need to know, and what must happen if we are to move forward in our lives.

Renewals, returns, reconnections, reunions, and rebeginnings are promised by this retrograde. And of course, more on this Mercury retrograde period will come soon!

Copyright © 2015 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[D]

This is going to be an interesting Mercury retrograde for me. It passes over my sun at 13 Aquarius, and will affect my Mars, Jupiter, Neptune pile up at the start of Sagittarius, and my Asc at 1 Taurus.

I am already seeing some changes, another vestige of a toxic relationship falling away, and a new energy and attitude to dealing with the world.

All in al I can say I am looking forward to this one.

john!

[Diana]

Looking forward to some Saturn in Sag articles!
You're the man, RW!

[Nic]

Thanks Robert, I'll try and keep track of the opportunities that this retrograde brings forward. Looking forward to the next post on Mercury retrograde.
Blessings be

[helina]

Year 2009 changed my world.
Jupiter in aquarius and my 5th house: I lost my job and I got MORE free time ;)
Saturn time in my 1st, 2nd and 3rd houses (2009-2015) made me SURVIVE (of course).
I have thought WHY many times. And have seen NO going back.
I am in my new road...
So many years - and now I don't think WHY so often.
I am totally different. Don't want to go back anymore.

[caliban]

Mercury retrograde in air. I'm just writing it off as alot of 'scrambled eggs'. I listen to this and listen to that and it all just seems to run together. And in the midst of all that, people are making such awesome break throughs in their lives. It keeps me smiling.