by Robert Wilkinson
Yes, it's THAT time again! Mercury is radically slowing down, preparing to go stationary retrograde at 14 Sagittarius at 5:33 pm PST on November 16, 12:33 am GMT Nov 17. This has important implications for all signs.
I'll be composing several articles about this Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius and Scorpio 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-December.
The coming RX period begins the transition into a new Mercury retrograde element pattern. So far this year we had Mercury going RX in a Fire sign, and staying in that Fire sign. This began with the Dec 2017 retrograde which began at 30 Sagittarius extending back to 14 Sagittarius. In 2018, the March-April retrograde began at 17 Aries and went back to 5 Aries, and the July-August retrograde began at 24 Leo and went back to 12 Leo.
We now enter a shift, since this November-December 2018 retrograde will begin in Sagittarius, and retrograde back into Scorpio, a Water sign, beginning a “mixed element” Mercury retrograde cycle. We'll have another in the July 2019 retrograde which begins in Leo and retrogrades back to Cancer. The one in March will be entirely in Pisces, just as the one in November will be entirely in Scorpio.
A Brief Look Back at the Pattern Across Time
Before that Dec 2017 retrograde, we had an entire year of Mercury going RX in an Earth sign and retrograding back to the final degrees of the previous Fire sign. The Dec 2016/Jan 2017 RX began at 16 Capricorn and went back to 29 Sagittarius. The Apr-May RX began at 5 Taurus and went back to 25 Aries, and the Aug-Sept RX began at 12 Virgo and went back to 29 Leo.
The SD degree is where things move forward after the RX. The last SRX was at 24 Leo, and the last SD was at 12 Leo. This SRX degree is in strong harmony with ALL the SD and SRX degrees of 2018, and is the exact degree of the January 2018 Mercury SD degree! This will give us a look back at “the power of spiritual ancestry” we’ve moved into this year. So this period continues the themes of the entire year, almost like a recap of all the Mercury wisdom themes we’ve been offered these past 11 months.
We began the year with Sag themes, continued through Aries and Leo themes, and this retrograde completes the Mercurial “Fire Symphony” dance of 2018. And as noted, we’ve been through a span where certain stationary points are identical or close to previous ones. The Dec 2017 SRX at 30 Sag picked up the theme of the Jan 2017 SD theme related to 29 Sag and “getting in shape” to do some task. That would seem to imply that we “got in shape” in Dec 2016-Jan 2017 and that was related to the blessing initiated in Dec 2017.
The September 2017 SD degree at 29 Leo opened us to a new expectancy, a new yearning, and a new chapter in self-development in our Leo life areas. The Dec 2017 SRX point at 30 Sag promised us a blessing, leading to the platform of the Ancient Wisdom at the 14 Sag SD point. The SRX point in March 2018 at 17 Aries was tredecile the 30 Sag point, promising unique gifts and blessings for withdrawing from one area of life to embrace the promise of another.
By April 2018, we understood a) what we needed to withdraw from with dignity, nobility, and dispassion, and b) what we had withdrawn from in the past so we could find the noble, dignified, and dispassionate approach we have at this time about specific things. The Leo retrograde began a time of turning inward so we can concentrate on what we need to release and/or demonstrate, and by the time we finished that process, we had a new “adult personality” at our disposal.
If you look back on the retrograde periods, you'll see themes related to their SRX points that dominated the months after the retrograde. And you'll see how you used the SD degree themes as platforms to move forward. So take a new look at the houses where you have fire signs, and you'll see how past, present, and future have weaved a theme for your perusal and contemplation.
Anyway, things will slow from here, so adapt! 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.
As I’ve told you, 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.
A New Look at Mercury Retrograde
Since Mercury has already been slowing down for a couple of weeks, we’ve already begun to experience a quality of “Mercury crashing into retrograde.” If you want to know what we can expect from Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius or Scorpio, as well as all the other signs and houses, if you don’t already have one, please consider getting your copy of the 2nd edition of my award-winning 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 Sagittarius, Scorpio, Leo, Aries or any other past or future retrograde in any sign or house, it’s all in there.
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 2015’s Mercury retrograde periods in Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra, the 2016 Mercury retrograde periods in Aquarius/Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn/Sagittarius, and the 2017 and 2018 retrograde periods mentioned above, 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. And you can see how this year’s retrogrades affected sectors in your chart by reading about Mercury retrograde in the Fire signs, as well as coming retrogrades involving Scorpio, Pisces, Leo, and Cancer. It’s all in the book!
Here's the Amazon link to the page where you can purchase a paperback or ebook edition of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. (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.)
See you soon with an overview of the retrograde and more!
Copyright © 2018 Robert Wilkinson
Comments