by Robert Wilkinson
Mercury goes direct in motion at 3 pm PDT, 11 pm BST on June 22, and speeds up for the next 10 weeks. This shows a quickening of the ability to coordinate, put things together, understand the whole and the parts, the process and the larger cycles. It is now stationary at 17 Gemini, affecting that area in our lives for 3 months to come.
Mercury, or Hermes, "the Guide of Souls," is also known as the Divine Trickster, as well as all lesser models. What does Mercury going stationary direct at 17 Gemini mean? Perhaps it would be useful to take a look back on what the last Mercury direct station brought us since late February 2021.
You will recall that the last time Mercury went stationary direct in February it was at 12 Aquarius. That theme involves seeing where we're at on "the evolutionary ladder of life," looking up for examples to emulate, and helping others in our Soul group to attain our level of awareness. One thing's for sure; many of us have in some way "divorced the past," knowing we've walked on into a greater group work and awareness since February.
This is the second of three Mercury retrograde periods in 2021, and this year they all begin in the last part of their Air sign, and go direct in the middle part of their Air sign. So it’s a very Airy series of retrogrades this year! This will shift early next year when Mercury goes retrograde at 11 Aquarius and goes back into Capricorn, going SD at 25 Capricorn.
This retrograde period began at 25 Gemini, helping us review how we shape our expression, and our willingness to perfect our social interactions. We’ve taken a new look at how we’re able to externalize our ideas on the social and emotional levels within the larger group or collective set up we’re in, and gotten a different perspective on all things Gemini these past 3 weeks. From here we move forward into a new expression of Gemini energy in our lives.
We’ve now re-traced ground that we first saw via Mercury’s first pass from May 14 through 29, and re-examined via the RX from then to now. Of major importance will be when Mercury goes back over 25 Gemini on July 6/7, because then it moves into unknown zones, carrying all its RX lessons forward until its September-October 2021 retrograde when we review what we’ve learned related to this year’s themes of 26 Libra.
Now we face 4 months of being guided to our Soul using the qualities of 17 Gemini. How we use those realizations to coordinate the qualities of that degree into our lives over the next 4 months will show us a different way of shaping our minds to become more receptive to current and future new qualities of Being.
Reflect on recent events teaching you about what you care about, the dances of power between different perspectives, and how to act in ways which express alternate facets of your perspective. We’ve now gotten a new look at what we value and our power to shape our world to express our unique sense of beauty or value. Some have found “a harmony between the worker and their materials,” and so have seen several ways to enhance their lives these past few weeks.
We should all start seeing, hearing, and understanding things that point the way to some Mercurial fulfillment related to how we have been and continue to be guided to our Soul. Given that it falls at 17 Gemini, that area of our chart will be the focus of where the past gives way to the future.
The Sabian Symbol for Mercury’s Direct Station
The Sabian symbol for the 17th degree of Gemini is “The head of health dissolved into the head of mentality.” In the original notes from the Marc Jones class on the symbols he published in The Astrology of Personality, Rudhyar says this degree is one of “Progression from robust participation in outer things to a realization of deeper realities,” “inborn wisdom,” and “steady growth.”
In The Astrological Mandala he states this degree is “the transformation of physical vitality into the power to build concepts and intellectual formulations through which knowledge can be transferred.” He offers this is a stage of “quiet and steady metamorphosis of biological energy into mind power.”
He continues “what is pictured is the transformation of emotions into mind, of instincts into thoughts – a process of mental metamorphosis.” It is the counterpoint degree in the span of Restlessness on the actional level of the scene of Exteriorization in the Act of Differentiation."
Dr. Marc Jones, author of the Sabian Symbols, says this degree, ,” is about our “achievement on the level of spiritual or eternal fellowship” as a “focus of selfhood in conscious self-awareness.” We are told this is a degree of active imagination and appreciation for what we share with others. He states “well-rounded individuality (is)… the condition of all real progress.”
He offers us the keyword “DEVELOPMENT.” He states this degree, when acting in a positive manner, is “the effective orientation of selfhood in an over-all vision.”
From this symbol, it seems the next few weeks will help us realize something related to the ability to act in some way which transmutes physical (or psychic) power into creative imagination and ideas. This is a platform from which we may find an inner wisdom leading to realizations of deeper realities, and a degree of “steady growth.” There are Soul realizations of some form of a greater actional-material thing to be given and/or received.
As this is a degree of “mental metamorphosis,” we can find and offer others our inner wisdom, and in doing so find our spiritual Brothers and Sisters. This reorients us in our ability to communicate or distribute information or ideas toward a larger vision of how to transmute life into mind.
From Here We Move Forward
17 Gemini is now a launch point for entering into a new (and somewhat familiar) realm in the Gemini and Virgo areas of our chart via Mercury’s placement in the Libra decan of Gemini with an extra dose of Mars. We now move forward, having done our time of shaping or re-shaping our expression. We’ve pruned back some areas and done Cosmic “topiary” with the possessions, values, and resources we care about.
This next phase of “transmuting life into mind” continues this year’s retrograde dance, giving us new looks and new information helping us transform and stabilize our Aquarius, Gemini, and Virgo areas. The first one showed us a new commitment, leaving us with a sense of where we stood on the evolutionary ladder, who to emulate and who to assist, and whatever parts of our past we needed to end. This one helped us re-shape our expression, preparing us for the next few weeks of building new thought forms.
We’ll close today with a reminder that although Mercury is now direct and won’t be retrograde again until late September 2021, the retrograde we’ve just experienced will affect the coming months until the next Mercury stationary retrograde at 26 Libra. At that point we’ll have a look back at how we’ve been learning to alternate between “hard power” and “soft power,” will and love, mind and heart, this past year.
Of course you can find out more about past, present, or future retrogrades by getting your copy of my book A New Look At Mercury Retrograde. Here's the Amazon link to where you can order A New Look at Mercury Retrograde to check out possible ways this Mercury retrograde effect could play out over the next 4 months. That link will also allow you to order an ebook copy on Kindle, or you can go to B&N’s nook instead. Just make sure you get the 2016 2nd edition with the book award on the cover and not the 1997 Weiser first edition.
In part 2, we'll continue to examine what we can expect over the next 3 months now that Mercury is direct.
© Copyright 2021 Robert Wilkinson
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