by Robert Wilkinson
While Mercury is now direct, it will be in its shadow zone through January 10, after which it enters its next phase of moving through "unknown zones" where the themes of this retrograde will be played out in forward motion. So for the next 2 weeks, expect some very productive intersections of past and future, giving us a chance to show what we’ve learned since November!
As Mercury’s direct station happens about 33 hours after the Solstice, you can find out more about the patterns shaping the next few months by re-reading those articles. As Mercury goes direct, almost all the planetary aspects are the same, with a few exceptions, mainly the Moon.
If the aspects in play right now are any indication, we’re collectively at a huge turning point at a critical fork in the road of destiny. Things represented by the exact Jupiter semisquare Saturn are going through a “closing death blow” in some way, preparing for the new Mutation coming in 2020. This is related to the recent and current Sun and Saturn septile Mars, since as Jupiter is in conflict with Saturn, Mars is demonstrating that Saturn energy is at a crucial “end phase” of 2 major planetary cycles. Both Scorpio planets are closing in on Saturn, in a closely related phase relationship.
In the bigger picture, even though they are temporarily separating, we are somewhat in between the larger “action beats” of the very heavy Uranus semisquare Neptune. This is the waxing semisquare, and indicates an emergent conflict between the collective consciousness and the individualizing pulse striving to make itself manifest. Once Uranus goes stationary direct, this will be back in play for the rest of 2018 and beyond!
In this chart, the Moon is at 24 Aquarius, a degree of teaching and being taught. It is quintile Mercury, sextile Venus, sextile Uranus, vigintile Neptune, and decile Pluto. These are all exceptionally favorable aspects, showing the Moon’s expression will be very productive and specialized in all things related to this Mercury direct station in the coming weeks. However, if we include partile separating aspects we find Moon septile Sun, biseptile Mars, and trielftile Jupiter.
These septile-series aspects separating indicates that these forks in the road are in the very recent past. The most affected zones include 8-12 Scorpio, 30 Sag-3 Capricorn, 22-26 Aquarius, 13-17 Aries, 4-8 Gemini, 25-29 Cancer, and 17-21 Virgo. If you have something in these zones, you have recently turned a major corner, made a crucial decision, or done something to move your destiny in the direction of your choice.
Again, most of the aspects other than the Moon’s are identical to those in the recent Solstice chart, so please consult them to understand the larger pattern at work in the present. The main harmonics are found in the Lunar sextiles and quintiles, Venus quintile Neptune, and Mars conjunct Jupiter with both trine Neptune and sextile Pluto.
If we include the closely separating partile aspects, this chart shows a huge number of specializing aspects! We have 5 quintiles, 2 deciles (semi-quintiles), and 3 vigintiles. Besides the 3 septiles and 1 biseptile, among spiritual aspects we have only a trielftile and a quadraelftile.
Quintiles and quindeciles bring out gifts, while the elftile series aspects bring forth spiritual realizations. Noviles show us points of realizations going into or coming out of gestation, while septiles put us at spiritual forks in the road of destiny. If you want to know more about these aspects, when you’re done here please go to The Specializing Aspects Pt. 1 – Quintile, Tredecile, Decile, and Biquintile and The Specializing Aspects Pt. 2 – The Quindecile and the Vigintile, as well as The Spiritual Aspect Series – The Novile, Septile, and Elftile Harmonic Aspects where you’ll find more about the meaning of these aspects and the glyphs associated with them. Also, remember that all of these set up harmonic resonance void points all over our charts.
So from here Mercury moves forward! We can now take what we reviewed, got a new understanding of, or found new information about that helped us remember and/or reevaluate some things and move forward with a larger view and contemplation of what has been and what will be, especially in the houses where we have Gemini and Virgo, since Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo.
As it was retrograde in Sagittarius, those house(s) in our charts have been the areas where our review, reflections, returns, reconsiderations, and/or rehearsals have taken place. I gave you some of the possible effects of Mercury in the houses in the article Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius in December 2017 – What It Means For Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces
Since it is now direct, if there have been misunderstandings or delays these past 3 weeks, it's all moving forward from here! This is the end of the retrogrades for a while, since when Uranus goes direct on January we won’t have any planet retrograde until Jupiter goes SRX in early March about two weeks before the next time Mercury goes retrograde. Then in April both Saturn and Pluto go retrograde, so enjoy the fact that all the planets are moving forward or about to in the next few days!
So things should start moving forward anew fairly quickly. Right now, it’s a good time to use the different information, views, and approaches we’ve been examining through the retrograde lens these past several weeks to find a new understanding of what needed work in our inner and outer world.
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 will continue to see more facets to approaching a more balanced life and a new way to live and BE our higher ideals.
Past Mercury Retrogrades and What They Taught Us
The 2015 January-February retrograde in Aquarius gave us a new understanding on some things we didn’t understand before, with the unveiling helping us re-evaluate something related to the areas where we have Gemini and Virgo, as well as any houses ruled by planets we have in these signs. We found ways to free ourselves from adverse conditions, and now are free to move forward into new discoveries.
The May-June retrograde in Gemini gave us new techniques of communicating at a distance, and offered some the beginning of telepathy. That was a time of new information, new discoveries, and new ways of evaluating things related to where we have Gemini, and some areas melted down so that some things repressed in our minds could break loose.
The October 2015 retrograde helped us learn what needed repair or reconstruction in our lives, and many were offered opportunities to bust misconceptions, and make progress in their vision despite limiting conditions. It featured pioneering new initiatives, and new ideals, Whether through direct or indirect information or realizations, we received insights, returns, and understanding about things we didn’t know about before the retrograde began.
The January 2016 retrograde helped mobilize us to escape from some adverse circumstance or condition via a “cosmic visitation.” We opened to different ways of seeing responsibility and duty, “the goodness of life in trials of regeneration,” and some form of “administered responsibility.” We learned to exercise our divine power of Economy of Energy, purify what needs purifying, let go of what needs to be let go of, and allow the quickening to move us into higher and greater effective ways of living and doing your Being.
The May 2016 retrograde gave us insights into what would bring a greater stability, and the inner resources we would draw on as we walked through the storm of June, July, and August. We saw where we had to mobilize, or defend our point of view, or administer some form of expertise. Many things began to come together on the practical level during those months, preparing us for the latest retrograde period.
The August-September 2016 retrograde brought us communications, insights, or interactions from the past that will help us “escape from a narrow destiny.” Those who are willing to rise to an occasion to transcend their limited past have increasingly found themselves living a new destiny. The December 2016-Jan 2017 stabilized the Earth pattern in our charts, and led us into this year’s pattern of Mercury retrogrades which will combine Earth and Fire.
The April-May 2017 retrograde gave us unique insights into past losses, and we understood why some things had to die and be buried if we wanted to be where we’re at right now, or alternately, we knew what had to end this Summer to open the door to a life renewal in the future. The August-September retrograde unveiled many things, opened the door to a much more inspired and brightened life, and we began to follow a longing for new ways to live. The one just past gave us blessings, some of which are yet to come, and now we stand on the threshold and platform of an ancestral wisdom we can use in the months ahead.
From Here We Move On
Things related to Mercury will speed up considerably for the next three months, so flow with the greater truth, vision and/or understanding that have been revealed and will continue to be revealed over the next weeks and months. As this station was close to the Solstice, it also indicates that for the next few months many of these Mercury SD themes will be related to the larger Solstice themes in play through late March. At this time, it should be easy to get the ideas, understanding, and vision we need that will lead us into deeper feelings and direct experience. The issue in the days ahead is to let our feelings lead us to make decisions that can move our life and affairs forward one step.
So as we decide and act, we will be led into new understanding which will yield new feelings. Acting with precision completes the “firing pattern,” keeping everything in balanced expression. This is a season where truly, “a thousand mile journey begins with a single step.” Take each step one at a time, and by the end of the season, you’ll be surprised how far you’ve gone!
From here we move forward into a clearer, more focused and effective future, based in a wisdom tradition perfect for who we are right here and now! This is about using our past experience to bring forth compassionate service in some way, by tuning into the Water trines, we can know the flow, when to move, when to hang out, when to go deeper, and when to do repair work. Search for the mystery of life in understanding elementary things, move deeper into your Self-revelation, and prepare for a new level of personality integration.
We’ve left a lot behind since April, and had new qualities of living revealed that moved us out of old stuck situations. We’re still finding our place in the Cosmic Choir, and now stand on the threshold of knowing we’ve been transfigured as a result of “doing a job well.” New adventures are right around the corner, as well as new efficient ways of living our expertise in the world.
This is a time to open your imagination and find ways to live a more authentic future, with the blessings that have come and continue to come. Much we’ve been waiting for will leap from the starting gate in March, so take this time to see the “future in the making” and deepen your ability to love and appreciate the depth experiences of life. Many promises will be redeemed over the next few months, so be mature, light, and bright as you move into the next chapter of self-transcendence.
Allow yourself to continue to quicken to the possibilities right in front of you, trust your instincts and drop all that doesn’t feel necessary in your life. The Moon offers productivity and high specialization, and with the Water trines, we are moving through deep waters (and their aftermath) for months to come.
A New Look at Mercury Retrograde
In a final plug as Mercury moves forward in its shadow zone, for those who want to know more about the qualities of Mercury retrograde in all the signs and houses, if you haven’t already, please consider getting a copy of A New Look At Mercury Retrograde from Createspace.com. It is a handy reference text for everything you could want to know about Mercury retrograde people and Mercury retrograde in the various signs and houses. It explores how Mercury retrograde people think and work through things, and possible ways parents of Mercury retrograde children can facilitate the roundabout interpretive and communication styles in their child’s development. Here's the link to where you can order your paperback copy of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde.
© Copyright 2017 Robert Wilkinson
Thanks Robert, as always very helpful.
All the best ton you and yours for this festive season and the coming 2018.
Blessings beg to all.
Posted by: Nic | December 23, 2017 at 05:50 AM