by Robert Wilkinson
Today we take a look at important Sabian Symbols, aspects, and other important factors in play the next three weeks as Mercury is retrograde in Gemini.
This Mercury retrograde begins May 18, 6:50 pm PDT, 9:50 pm EDT, May 19 at 2:50 am BST. This retrograde moves from 14 Gemini back to 5 Gemini, with the Inferior conjunction of Mercury and the Sun occurring at 9 Gemini on May 30, 9:56 am PDT, 5:56 pm BST.
The Sabian Symbol for Mercury’s Stationary Retrograde Degree
Where Mercury goes retrograde indicates a threshold from which we take a look back, or get a newer understanding from multiple points of contrasting views. The degree for 14 Gemini is “A conversation by telepathy.” In "the Astrology of Personality," where Rudhyar uses the original Dr. Jones' class notes on the symbols, 14 Gemini is said to be a symbol of “Conscious mastery of space-time limitations of ordinary existence” and “realization of basic realities in all situations.”
We are told in the Astrological Mandala that this symbolizes "the capacity to transcend the limitations of bodily existence.” He offers that this is a degree of transcending our ego mind, or at least the part that was shaped by unconscious pressures and signals from our cultural matrix when we were young.
He infers this degree is about resonances within the larger Whole, which he describes as “the One Mind of humanity.” I would think it actually operates at the level of the Oversoul, or as I term it, “The Oneness Within Which We Are ALL Together.” It is a level of instant “knowingness,” or “straight Knowledge” as it is termed in the Agni Yoga material.
At its highest, this is pure telepathic resonance and instant knowing of whatever can be received. He tells us this is about a “technique of transcendence.” He says it falls in the Span of Zeal, and it’s the technical degree in the individual-mental level of the scene of Discovery in the Act of Differentiation.
So we'll be using our Mercury function to send and/or receive subtle mental and Buddhic impressions within the larger energy field. I have been told recently this is already operating, though there is a level of confusion and overlapping of contradictory impressions, probably due to Mercury square Neptune and opposed Saturn.
“The devil is in the details,” as we have been told from antiquity. Stay clear about the specifics and how it fits into a larger process. This one can help us establish lines of communication with others at a distance, and help us pay attention to subtle impressions.
As an aside, we are told this attention to subtle mental and Soul impressions is a necessary part of our evolution, since we humans get distracted by the 5 senses and the mind. This is disorienting when we drop the body, since we will no longer have these as frames of reference.
That’s why paying attention to subtle mental and Soul impressions while we’re here will be efficacious when we no longer are in our body. During this Mercury retrograde period, pay attention to the roundabout signs and signals opening you to noticing these subtle impressions. These lessons will be in play through the time it re-crosses this degree near the June Solstice, which coincides with the end of its forward motion shadow transit.
It should be a great time to see things we didn’t understand before, or perhaps reclaim something from the past. Here we take a look back and reconsider some ideas, relationships, methods of interpreting and communicating we once had, or shared with others.
We definitely will get a new look at some old ideas, as well as interactions with those we once knew. This time could bring up old issues for re-examination. Remember the Spiritual Brothers and Sisters you’ve known in this life, and honor the ideas they brought you. It’s already happened to me through remembering one of our community who checked out a while back.
According to Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, this degree is one of “the transcendent level on which human experience has its truest focus” in terms of self-realization. He says “there are illimitable ties between each individual” and everyone else, “providing the fabric for a fellowship of invisible sympathies or co-operations and making (us) sensitive at all times and at all points to the potentialities in which (we) may have a self-fulfillment.”
He offers us the keyword IMITATION. He states when operating in a positive manner, this degree “is an exceptional capacity for achievement through the more organic relationships of personality in given and pertinent connections.”
So What Are We Reviewing?
As with all Mercury retrogrades, we can use this time to take a look back at whatever in the past has recently begun. This one in Gemini helps us re-shape our mind, perceptions, understanding, and methods by taking a new look at recent ideas, meetings, communications, and potential for learning new views and getting a new understanding.
We’ve now moved out of last year’s Mercury retrograde pattern, where Mercury began those retrograde periods in early Water signs while retrograding back to Air signs. This one begins in Air and ends in Air, just like the last one in Aquarius in Jan-Feb and the coming one in Libra in Sept-Oct. We can take a look back at all things related to the Air signs this year, so wherever you have Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra in your chart will be the focus of all the 2015 Mercury retrogrades.
When Mercury is retrograde in Gemini, we can get a new understanding of old environmental influences, old attitudes, old arguments, old (mis)understandings, and previous interactions with our brothers and sisters, both biological and spiritual. This position could be good for reconnecting with people, sometimes from another life. However, it often is not as it seems, will take a roundabout method of developing, and could yield some interesting connections in turn, given these retrogrades are in Air signs.
These reviews and new points of view will be activated in major ways as the Sun moves through this Mercury retrograde degree span in Gemini over the three weeks Mercury is retrograde. This will illuminate the Mercury lessons we first saw when Mercury was approaching this retrograde period. Now that Mercury is retrograde, we’ll get a new look at these things.
We’ll also get to review or re-think the love wave movement of the collective field associated with what Saturn brought us when it last traversed 14 Gemini in August 2001, since it went stationary retrograde at 15 Gemini that September. It then retrograded across 14 Gemini in November, and went forward across that degree again in April-May 2002.
Related to this, there was a Mars-Saturn conjunction in May 2002 at 14 Gemini, setting the tone for the cycle from that time through the next conjunction in May 2004. Everything that transpired during that cycle was the source of a lesson or truth we “resonated to” in August and November 2012, and took forward in April 2013. ALL of this will be set into motion anew when Mars crosses 14 Gemini on May 30-31 immediately after the Inferior conjunction.
So with Mercury RX we’ll be reviewing all of this, which will be activated in major ways as Mars and the Sun moves through this Mercury retrograde degree span in Gemini over the three weeks Mercury is retrograde. This will activate, illuminate, and integrate the Mercury lessons we first saw when Mercury was approaching this retrograde period. Now that Mercury is retrograde, we’ll get a new look at these things.
So with so much Air emphasis, enjoy the “fresh Air,” since 2016 will mainly have Mercury retrograde in Earth signs, and 2017 shows the sequence beginning in early Earth signs and retrograding back to Fire signs. Again, enjoy the Air of 2015!
An interesting feature is that the 2014 sequence had Mercury stationary direct at 19 Aquarius in February, 25 Gemini in July, and 17 Libra in October. This year Mercury goes stationary retrograde at 18 Aquarius, 14 Gemini, and 16 Libra. So this year all the stationary RX degrees conjunct and/or trine all the SD degrees of 2014. Take a new look at what began at those 2014 stationary direct points, since we’ll be revisiting that material throughout 2015.
As I offered in previous articles, all Mercury retrograde periods are great for returns, reviews, rehearsals, reversals, and seeing things from unusual angles. This one offers us unique skills through productive inspiration and solid planning within a larger process, even while navigating some important forks in the road of destiny that will seem extremely weird at times.
Behind the Scenes in this Aquarius Retrograde
While in Gemini, Mercury is in its home sign, which is one of the signs it “rules.” This makes it a powerful force unto itself, as well as one of the primary “final dispositors” of all the other planets. Because Venus is in Cancer, it is ruled by a variety of Lunar influences through early June when it moves into Leo. So there will be many planetary dispositors this month. Enjoy the constantly changing show!
Aspects
This should be another extraordinary retrograde period, since it begins with some very heavy aspect patterns! I gave you some of the primary important forming aspects in part 1, so please review that to know more. At this Mercury station, we see the Moon conjunct Mercury, putting a HUGE focus on this retrograde! Other major inner planet aspects include Moon sextile Jupiter septile Uranus, square Neptune, and biquintile Pluto, Mercury in the Mutable T-square opposed Saturn square Neptune and also septile Uranus, Venus semisquare the Sun and forming a Cardinal T-square with Uranus and Pluto, and the Sun out of sign quintile Jupiter, opposed Saturn, novile Uranus and binovile Neptune.
So we have a Mutable T-square affecting the span from 3-12 Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces, and a Cardinal T-square affecting the span from 11-21 Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn! These will challenge, release, and/or integrate powerful changes where they fall in our charts.
The Moon septile Uranus will impact houses and planets involving Aries, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Capricorn, and Aquarius. Specific zones of radical choices and changes involve 10-14 Gemini, 2-6 Leo, 23-27 Virgo, 14-18 Scorpio, 5-9 Capricorn, 26-30 Aquarius, and 17-21 Aries.
Of note is the Sun novile Uranus and binovile Neptune with Uranus novile Neptune. This creates a highly spiritualizing atmosphere wherever these fall in our charts, and tremendous realizations can be found, whether after a period of gestation up to now, or a period of gestation over the next few weeks.
This primarily impacts 7-11 Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces, 17-21 Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, 27-30 Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, and 1 Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Any planet or point you have in these zones will come to a greater realization after a time of waiting.
Besides the stressors of the T-squares, there’s also Mars square Neptune, Jupiter quincunx Pluto, and Saturn semisquare Pluto. The one great thing is that Uranus is very harmonious, strong, and a spiritualizing influence due to its noviles and trine.
Other Influences
Because of the preponderance of Air and Fire with the pervasive feelings of Venus in Cancer and Neptune and Chiron in Pisces also playing their parts, we are in a time of inspired ideas and relationships with a lot of deep feelings, as well as some potential uncertainly or a sense of a confused “turning of a corner.” And as I mentioned, Mars is on the degree where Mercury will go stationary direct in June, so it could be said that much that’s triggered between mid-June and mid-September is already in motion!
Be adaptable as you flow through pictures and visions of past, present, and future. This is a time to take a new look at old visions, old understandings, and old ways of expressing ourselves. This can help us understand a lot that hasn’t made sense or fit very well before now, in terms of our quest, our life narrative, that we’ve never understood before.
Be willing to shift the trajectory of events when possible, so that nosedives can be “righted gracefully.” The Light of the Sun shows it’s time for a rebeginning, taking a new view or new approach to opportunities to renewal. This can bring genuine rejuvenation and a newer, more mature perspective, so note the signs and signals that you can use as a spur to action in June.
This falls within the influence of the New Moon at 27 Taurus that happened at 9:13 pm May 17, 5:13 am May 18, so remember that much in play there is in play here, and vise versa. All of this information can help us understand more about the various patterns at play during this Mercury retrograde period.
As is usual for Mercury retrograde periods, this one will also be a “back to the future” type of energy, where the Guide of Souls unveils secrets, mysteries, and brings us back to larger goals and ideal relationships. Here we look back even as we are productively propelled into our future in inspired ways. Here we can see a bigger picture as a prelude to what is coming, and see what we’ll need to be acting on in the coming 4 months. This is a time of returns, reviews, rehearsals, and renewals that will have deep echoes for many months to come.
In future Mercury retrograde articles, we’ll explore more about various elements of what’s in play during the next three weeks, how its transit in various houses will affect each of us, what Mercury retrograde in Gemini may be good for, the coming Inferior Conjunction and what it means, and what we can expect between mid-June and mid-September 2015 after it goes direct several weeks from now.
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 pioneering book A New Look At Mercury Retrograde. The first major work on Mercury retrograde ever written, it 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. If you want to know what we can expect from Mercury retrograde in Gemini, as well as all the other signs and houses, it’s all in there.
The great news is that it is again available as a paperback! Yes, we managed to get it published in time for this retrograde. The paperback is available through Createspace.com, so if you want the newest edition go there and order your copy. Of course, it’s also available as an ebook through Amazon Kindle or Barnes and Noble Nook. I've included links to both sites.
As I’ve mentioned before, it is written for both astrologers and laypeople. I have just about everything you could want to know about Mercury retrograde, including how it works, what it means, celebrities who have it in their charts, historic events that happened during Mercury retrograde, and what signs are involved in future Mercury retrograde periods.
By knowing more about 2014's Mercury retrograde periods in Pisces/Aquarius, Cancer/Gemini, and Scorpio/Libra, as well as 2015’s Mercury retrograde periods in Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra, you may see patterns in what was going on in your life, what you were taking a new look at and why, and how this "looking back" influenced your choices as you moved through past events.
Here's the link to where you can order your copy of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde to check out possible ways this Mercury retrograde effect could play out over the next 4 months.
See you soon with the next article on how Mercury retrograde will affect each sign individually!
Previous articles in this series:
The Guide of Souls in May 2015 - Mercury Slowing Down, Preparing to go Retrograde at 14 Gemini
Copyright © 2015 Robert Wilkinson
Awesome read, helpful. Sending wink smile your way. Thanks for share.
Posted by: nancy | May 18, 2015 at 07:32 AM
Amazing!!!! at one point in time I would always dread retrogardes. But as we progress along this evolutionary process, questions arise ...am I on the correct path...am I letting my imagination run away with me... then Bingo here you are with my validation (like a Uranius light switch)!
Hello now the pieces to this cosmic zigsaw puzzle are settling in. Thank you!! MNA San Diego, Ca.
Posted by: maria kunce navarro | May 26, 2015 at 03:05 PM
13 gem also the n.n. of uranus which makes it even more intense
Posted by: william | May 30, 2015 at 11:13 PM