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 Cancer.
This Mercury retrograde begins at 9:59 pm PDT on June 17, 5:59 am BST on June 18. The retrograde moves from 15 Cancer back to 6 Cancer, with the Inferior conjunction of Mercury and the Sun occurring at 10 Cancer on June 30. As this retrograde begins in the second decan of Cancer, it deals with the emotional and social levels of life, and has a sub-influence of Scorpio with an added dose of Mercury.
In Cancer, we’ll get a look back at how we have dealt with ghosts from the past, or primal emotional patterns in us or another. Many will get a new understanding of their lives wherever they have Cancer in their charts, with a need to take a more caring view, or at least a new look at what we care about and why.
Mercury retrograde in Cancer is very aware of immediate feelings “in the air,” so be as clear as you can about the emotional signals you’re receiving or sending. Be alert to “mental moods” arising from restlessness or past insecurities lurking in the subconscious mind. Also remember that Mercury RX in any Water sign is extraordinarily receptive, so you may be picking up on others’ emotional states rather than your own.
The Sabian Symbol for Mercury’s Stationary Retrograde Degree
The Sabian Symbol for the 15th degree of Cancer is “A group of people who have overeaten and enjoyed it.” In the original notes from the Marc Jones class on the symbols Dane Rudhyar published in The Astrology of Personality, he states this degree is about “A turning to superficial things for self-strengthening,” “self-indulgence in sensations,” and “Unintelligent satiation, dullness.”
In The Astrological Mandala he says this is a degree of "the need that exists at an early stage of human growth to materialize the concept of fulfillment.” Here we find a material fulfillment, as well as a “plenitude of being,” that can help us overcome any sense of deprivation or lack within us.
This fulfills the Scene of Decision, and shows us the way to translate the Truth or Ageless Wisdom experience of 14 Cancer into material forms. He states “the mind yearns to translate what it has seen in purely physical terms, (i.e.) the materialization of the spiritual.” He says this degree falls in the Span of Expansion, Act of Stabilization, and Scene of Decision at the culmination of the Individual-Mental level.
Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this is a degree of “the inescapable richness of life,” here emphasizing “the rewards which come to (us) as a result of (our) efforts.” He says “there are penalties whenever (we) attempt to freeze the present as a promise for the future or seek to overindulge (ourselves) in one direction as compensation for the consequences of inadequacy in another.”
He states “individuality in its fullness has recurrent and consistent assurance that its potentials will not be dissipated.” He offers the keyword SATIETY. He states that when operating positively, the degree is a “an effective and smooth demonstration of human competence.”
So the focus of this retrograde requires us to take a new look at how we’re grounding the great Truths we’ve known, finding rewards and richness of life in the fruits of our efforts. Make your spiritual life real, however is appropriate to nurture whatever you care about.
Remember to be the voice of caring speech and ideas, letting go of clutching or insecurity as you plan for future action. This is a period of intensification of the sensitive mind searching for the spiritual message it was trained to deliver. Take a new look at your personality, and reintegrate however you feel you need to, making the spiritual real!
This retrograde will slow things down so we can take a new look at recent developments. This can help us find new approaches to recent issues related to Cancer experiences. 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 Pisces and Aquarius 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 on July 5/6. The themes of 15 Cancer will remain in in focus through the time Mercury re-crosses this degree on July 26-27, when it finishes its 2nd forward motion shadow transit. These themes will be valued or seen to be of worth when Venus August 21-22.
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 what it would look like if we could “bring Spirit to matter.” This can ground our mind in a way that we can see our past and the feeling responses we crafted when younger in a new light. As with all Mercury retrogrades, 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 Cancer helps us re-shape our way of expressing Cancer energies in the house(s) where those signs are active in our chart.
Behind the Scenes in this Cancer Retrograde
While in Cancer, Mercury is ruled by the Moon. That means this Mercury RX will go through all kinds of different shadings every couple of days! That will yield different planetary dispositor chains for the next three weeks. When the Moon is in Taurus, our Mercury function will be more Taurean. When the Moon is in Gemini or Virgo, it will be in mutual reception with Mercury with a backdrop of those sign energies. This retrograde shows the Moon begin in Taurus and get all the way to Aries, showing the Moon is moving VERY fast over the next three weeks!
As we go deeper into our review of ancient personal experiences which shaped our emotional responses to how we make Spirit real in our lives, let you mind examine feelings of pain, insecurity, neediness, or moodiness to replace these with healthy emotional responses. Beware the self-pitying mind which clutches at old hurts which should have been let go long ago. Be kind and caring in your speech and view, but remember we cannot take responsibility for the hurt that others dealt us, other than simply blessing it and forgiving it.
We’ve been through radical transfigurations, and now can look back to get a new connection with the new beginnings which have come since January. This is the threshold of a new season, as the Solstice is on the way! That would imply the coming three months will be a look back, with memories of old connections becoming strong.
Aspects and the Sun and Moon
As this retrograde is taking place with Mars in Pisces sextile Pluto and Jupiter, this should be an extraordinarily productive retrograde! Of course the Solstice happens a few hours before the Solar Eclipse at 1 Cancer, promising the coming season will take more away than it confers as we turn a major corner in our allegiances. With the Solstice New Moon Eclipse quincunx Saturn, we can expect some hard adjustments and a lot of sacrifices in the coming weeks.
Those who have enlisted in some group work which will outlive them will need to figure out where they fit into the larger plan, and be willing to “join together with the band” as one of a group of inspired Spirits bringing inspiration and discernment to the work. This retrograde can awaken a sense of a broader or higher “consecration” to those who are doing spiritual work in the world, as well as deep and profound insights due to Jupiter conjuncting Pluto pretty much the entire retrograde.
Because the Sun is on the “bankruptcy” degree, no doubt our “looking back” will help us “see the light” of pressures and burdens we no longer need to carry. This is the Light of being released or protected, with the promise of being able to regather our forces for a new effort. Because the Moon is on a degree of “white dove flying over troubled waters,” it indicates this retrograde will give us new insights into how a new day has dawned for each of us, and we now can have freedom of understanding and a new sense of a greater mission.
Primary aspects in play involve the Moon septile Mercury, decile the Sun, sextile Mars, trine Jupiter, binovile Saturn, sextile Neptune and trine Pluto. This anchors Earth trines so this period should be a practical success, even if it takes some strange twists and turns along the way!
Other primary forming and partile separating planetary aspects include Mercury decile Venus, tredecile Mars, sextile Uranus, and tredecile Neptune; Venus is quintile Mars; the Sun is triseptile Jupiter and Pluto; Mars is sextile Jupiter and Pluto and semisquare Uranus; Jupiter is biseptile Uranus, sextile Neptune, and conjunct Pluto; and Saturn is septile Neptune.
With Moon septile Mercury, it’s a major fork in the road regarding our quest for finding what’s significant to us within our society and culture. This is going to have major implications for our world when Uranus occupies 22 Taurus in 2023-2024.
This period gives us yet another look at or understanding of the World Soul, as well as what we need to learn and how we need to have faith that if we do what we must we’ll find that which nourishes us. Just remember that 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 Cancer training and preparation, and now have to connect the dots or renew something we neglected.
Tomorrow I’ll give you how this retrograde will impact every sign and birthday. For now, please review what I’ve written so far, since it’s rich with material which can help you navigate the next three weeks and come out more integrated in your own magnetic power.
A New Look At Mercury Retrograde
If you want to know what we can expect from Mercury retrograde in Cancer, 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.
Previous articles in this series:
Mercury Retrograde in in Cancer in June and July 2020 - An Overview
It’s Mercury Retrograde in June 2020 – Time for a New Look at the Guide of Souls
The Guide of Souls in June 2020 - Mercury Slowing Down, Preparing to go Retrograde at 15 Cancer
Copyright © 2020 Robert Wilkinson
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