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 Leo.
This Mercury retrograde begins 10:03 pm PDT July 25, 6:03 am BST July 26. The retrograde moves from 24 Leo back to 12 Leo, with the Inferior conjunction of Mercury and the Sun occurring at 17 Leo on August 8-9. As this retrograde begins in the third decan of Leo, it deals with the individual, mental, and spiritual levels of life, and has a sub-influence of Aries.
The Sabian Symbol for Mercury’s Stationary Retrograde Degree
The Sabian Symbol for the 24th degree of Leo is “An untidy, unkempt man.” In the Astrology of Personality, where Rudhyar uses the original Dr. Jones' class notes on the symbols, 24 Leo is said to be a symbol of “Spiritual emphasis at the expense of outer refinement,” “interior focalization of energies,” “self-abnegation,” and “character.”
In the Astrological Mandala, he says this degree involves “an interior focalization of energy and consciousness at the expense of all forms of outward activity and care,” showing the training we need in “intense concentration” if we want to have transcendent experiences and any sense of “God consciousness.” He states we must “learn self-discipline” if we want to reach the goal of “true Yoga.”
He says this is a technique to reach an envisioned goal, with the “means” being “total concentration.” He says it falls in the span of “Interpretation,” and it’s the technical degree of the emotional-cultural level of the scene of Release in the Act of Stabilization.
According to Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, the degree is one of ”the complete self-obsession which human individuality may exhibit” in terms of “an insensitiveness to every exaction or reward of the world.” He speaks of “the values of an inner refining of self and a need to use and exalt rather than hoard the physical and psychological possessions.”
He tells us “paradoxically enough the bringing of reality to center is a development and sharing of its potentialities,” and offers us the keyword of IMPERTURBABILITY. He states that when operating in a positive manner, this degree is "an ease of outer accomplishment thanks to the inner intensification and increasing sensibility.”
So we’ll be using our retrograde Mercury function to send and/or receive impressions and ideas related to previous things, people, and experiences which forced us to go inward, focusing intensely on the inner rather than the outer. Some may return to a prior state of not worrying about superficial things and appearances, or remember times when they had to focus inward and concentrate on the essence rather than the form. We may get glimpses or roundabout signals about past times we turned away from outer things and found forms of release emotionally and socially, whether letting go or demonstrating our inner nature.
This retrograde will slow things down so we can take a new look at recent developments so we can find a new approach to issues of inner or outer space. As with all Mercury retrogrades, some projects may have to be postponed, or a new way found to make something be more relevant to our current life. This can give us insights into why we need to get a new angle of seeing things, going inward rather than keep going in unfulfilling directions. All of us will get glimpses of how our past experiences and choices since the last Mercury retrograde have led us to a new view of Leo-related things in our past.
Short Term Future Triggers
During this Mercury retrograde period, pay attention to the roundabout signs and signals you’re receiving about past and present times you need(ed) to turn your concentration and focus inward. These lessons will be illuminated when the Sun crosses this degree between 2:50 pm PDT August 15 and 3:50 pm PDT the next day. The themes of 24 Leo will remain in in focus through the time Mercury re-crosses this degree around Sept 1-2, when it finishes its 2nd 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 or renew some prior value. We can find a new angle of perspective on what we need to coordinate our lives to express our Soul, and revise and/or renew some things from the past. I gave you a lot about the themes of this retrograde period in prior articles in this series, so please check them out when you’re done here. Links at the bottom of this post.
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 Leo helps us re-shape our way of expressing Leo energy in the house where that sign is active in our chart.
Behind the Scenes in this Aries Retrograde
While in Leo, Mercury is ruled by the Sun in Leo. This sign gives Mercury confidence, sticking power, and creativity, and an ability to create a style that is natural and authentic, if a bit egocentric.
There will be a small shift when the Sun enters the Sagittarius decan of Leo on August 2, and again when it enters the Aries decan on August 12. The major shift will be when Mercury is direct and still in Leo when the Sun enters Virgo on Aug 22-23, at which time the Sun and Mercury will be in “Mutual Reception,” a very powerful self-reinforcing “closed loop” of energies that reinforce each other. Mercury will move from being VERY fiery to more naturally earthy at that time.
Aspects
This should be an extraordinary retrograde period since there is a mixed bag of favorable and unfavorable aspects going on at the beginning of this retrograde, which will make the same aspects retrograde as it has when direct up to this point. Of note is that Mercury makes very few aspects at this time, showing a biquintile to Mercury, a quindecile to Venus, a binovile to Jupiter, and a quadraelftile to Saturn.
Once Mercury starts moving retrograde and making aspects, there will be quite a few important ones that will mirror recent ones it made while in forward motion. It begins its station with a binovile to Jupiter, followed by a quadranovile to Mars. Then in early August Mercury makes a triseptile to Neptune at the same time as a quincunx to Pluto, and then shortly after a quincunx to Neptune at the same time as a triseptile to Pluto. We also see a novile, then semisquare, and then a septile with Venus during that week, along with a sesquisquare to Saturn and a binovile to Uranus.
This will be an intense “expansion through sacrifice” period, marking several forks in the road of destiny related to what we want to express and what we want to release. After it goes direct in mid-August, it will make all the outer planet aspects again. That will be the third time it’s made some of these aspects!
For the inner planets, forming or barely partile separating aspects at this Mercury station shows the Moon trine Venus, pentelftile the Sun, vigintile Mars, sextile Jupiter, tredecile Urnaus, sextile Neptune, and conjunct Pluto; Venus is semisquare the Sun, sesquisquare Mars, sesquisquare Uranus, opposed Neptune, and trine Pluto; and the Sun opposes Mars, quincunx Saturn, and square Uranus. Outer planet aspects include Mars binovile Jupiter, semi-sextile Saturn, and square Uranus; Jupiter septile Saturn, trine Neptune, and bielftile Pluto; Saturn trine Uranus and quintile Neptune; and Uranus semisquare Neptune and biseptile Pluto.
As you can see, the friction is strong with Venus, Mars, and Uranus creating a “Hammer of Thor,” as well as 3 points of a Rhombus Diamond. That “cutting, grinding, and polishing” energy will be most evident for those with planets near 1-5 Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, as well as 16-20 Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius. With the Sun forming a powerful Fixed T-square with the void in early Scorpio, be a builder, see the symbolic dimension and meaning to things, and be patient as these are “jagged edge” types of energies.
The strong Earth trines between Moon/Pluto and Venus opens very favorable energies in the middle degrees of the Earth and Water signs, so make the most of it! The quincunx from the Sun to Saturn will force major adjustments in how we’re using Saturn in our lives, with maximum productivity in returning to source and skillfully navigating intense and sometimes crowded interactions with others.
The Moon at 16 Capricorn conjunct Pluto at 20 indicates a VERY intense and purifying Mercury retrograde period! It indicates a time when we have to get to the core of things, and be willing to “exercise” with others in ways that further group consciousness and cooperation. The trines mentioned above throw a favorable void into Taurus, so remember that the old answers and knowledge cannot confirm your new conditions, and once you’ve purified your mind and rooted out musty dark corners of thinking, then a new surge of higher experience can pour out. Some will find themselves in ecstacy if these trines configure in their charts!
So the Moon is on a degree of training for some group activity, putting the focus on cooperation. When in doubt, exercise! The Sun is on a degree of demonstrating our ability to “conquer our animal nature” to get the attention of our peers. Look at the social patterns of behavior, and show good taste as you strut your stuff! So the Light is about proving our skill, the Moon is about doing cooperative exercises with others, Mars is showing us “the power of our spiritual ancestry,” Jupiter shows the need to build lines of communication, and Saturn is showing us the need to get outside our comfort zone if we want to see who is really into what our group work is all about.
Remember, because of the RX quality, it may a) take a roundabout way to get there, b) require a delay before we understand what these things are about, or c) we’ll see how we’ve begun parts of our training and preparation, and now have to connect the dots or renew something we neglected.
In future Mercury retrograde articles, we’ll explore Mercury Retrograde in the various houses so you can figure out where it will affect your chart, as well as the coming Inferior Conjunction and what it means, and what we can expect during the weeks in August and September after it goes direct August 18-19.
A New Look At Mercury Retrograde
If you want to know what we can expect from Mercury retrograde in Leo, as well as all the other signs and houses, if you haven't already gotten your copy, please consider getting my award-winning 2nd edition of 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 any sign or house position, it’s all in there.
Here's the Amazon link to the page where you can purchase a paperback edition of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. You can also get a Kindle ebook at that site, or go to Barnes and Noble for a copy on Nook. (Please note that if you go to amazon, make sure you're ordering the 2015 edition, and not the earlier one. There are plenty of used ones for sale, but they are far inferior to the newest edition.)
Previous articles in this series:
Mercury Retrograde – Time For A New Look at the Guide of Souls
Mercury Retrograde in July-August 2018 – An Overview
The Guide of Souls in July 2018 - Mercury Slowing Down, Preparing to go Retrograde at 24 Leo
Mercury Has Now Entered its Shadow Zone at 12 Leo
Copyright © 2018 Robert Wilkinson
I'm a Leo from decan 3 (15th August)
July 2018 has been anything but dull......and August is shaping up to be a corker as well... :-)
Posted by: Helen | July 28, 2018 at 04:45 PM