by Robert Wilkinson
Today we take a look at important Sabian Symbols, aspects, and other factors in play the next three weeks as Mercury is retrograde in Virgo.
This Mercury retrograde begins at 12:59 pm PDT on August 23. The retrograde moves from 22 Virgo back to 9 Virgo, 14 Virgo on September 6. As this retrograde begins in the third decan of Virgo it deals with the psychological and spiritual levels of life, and has a sub-influence of Taurus with an added dose of Mercury.
In Virgo we’ll get a look back at our quest for “venerable standards” we examined for use in our lives related to whatever Saturn began to teach us when it went SRX on this degree in December 2008 and launched into our lives in August 2009 when it transited this degree again. These standards began to expand in our lives in some way beginning December 2015 when Jupiter transited it the first time to become a permanent part of our spiritual tool kit beginning August 2016 when it again crossed this degree.
The beginning of the RX period gives us a new look at how we need to apply our spiritual wisdom in news ways, or perhaps get a different take on how we’ve been educated relative to practical standards of service, work, or health. Expect returns of memories of stepping into higher standards in the past, where you found your “sculptor Self” expressing your sense of form via your concentrated emotions.
Because of the sign involved, it could mark the return of old memories of spiritual symbols, or ancient values which should be venerated today. Some will find their merit acknowledged or recognized in some way. It could bring a new understanding of how we adjusted and grew in the past, or how we need to adjust to raise the bar in the future. Take a new look at how you do what you do, and if something’s not working any more, go to the past to get an inspiration for the future. This is a time when your spiritual “coat of arms,” and/or your spiritual “family tree” are in focus for review and reflection. This brings insights from a different angle in the life area(s) where we have Virgo.
Mercury RX in any Earth sign is extraordinarily organizational and grounded, so there’s always the possibility that your renewed ideas about what you enjoy and why you enjoy it could come from in some roundabout way. Mercury RX in Earth is harmonious with its Virgo nature, and in Virgo, Mercury’s in its home turf! You can bet by the time Mercury is finally out of its shadow zone on September 30 we’ll all have a new understanding of a technique of expressing our originality or genius in practical ways.
The Sabian Symbol for Mercury’s Stationary Retrograde Degree
The Sabian symbol for the 22nd degree of Virgo is “A royal coat of arms.” In the Astrology of Personality, where Rudhyar uses the original Dr. Jones' class notes on the symbols, he states this degree is about “preservation of ancient race values for healthy veneration by youthful individuals,” “certification of merit,” and “aristocracy.”
In "The Astrological Mandala he states this degree is about “the certification of aristocratic status, at whatever level ‘nobility’ expresses itself in cultural eminence.” He offers that this is a “reference to ancestral achievements” in an “exalted character, for ‘royalty’ is spoken of.” He says “the king is the spiritual symbol of unity of an integrated nation; as a coat of arms is visualized, we are dealing with a status that is not merely personally acquired but has its roots in a notable past.”
He continues that “every great Adept has come out of a line of human beings who have made their marks upon human evolution,” and that “spiritual attainment is the result of a series of long, repeated efforts; it is the end of the ‘royal road’” all spiritual teachers have trod. He says this symbol is one of heredity, where “the Buddha was known occultly as ‘He who comes after his predecessors,” with the “coat of arms” representing a “spiritual office.”
He finishes by offering that “whoever wears it assumes the responsibility of an Office,” and that “Nobility confers upon (a person) exacting responsibility.” He asks the question “Are you willing, able and ready to assume a ‘royal’ office, at whatever level it may be?” He states this degree falls in the Span of Experimentation, and is the second degree on the emotional and social level of the Scene of Education in the Act of Stabilization.
Dr. Marc E Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this is a degree of “the eternal authority implicit in the very fact of existence, and of the consequent dignification of experience through the laws and customs” by which we organize our affairs. He says “the elders of the tribe were long the custodians of this common-sense regulation of life, and an aristocracy of blood or of the inherited stewardship of social function has continued to re-enact these values and to enforce their observance.”
He offers that “Right is dramatized as a privilege worthy of sustainment, and offers us the keyword PREROGATIVE. He states that when operating in a positive manner, this degree is “a gift for bringing all (people) together in common purpose and unified stability.”
So the focus of this retrograde requires us to see how we may have accepted some sort of spiritual work or service in the past which now shows us our “spiritual office” or responsibility. We may have opportunities to reorganize our affairs based in our custodianship of spiritual values, or see the value in how we brought people together in the past as a rehearsal for doing it again in the near future. Again, take a new look at finding new ways, new ideas, new methods of communicating wisdom or knowledge.
Behind the Scenes in this Virgo Retrograde
While in Virgo, Mercury is ruled by itself, and through almost all the retrograde is the final dispositor of all the other planets except Neptune. This means Mercury is exceptionally powerful during the retrograde, as well as the entire month of September and early October.
Aspects and the Sun and Moon
In this retrograde station chart, the primary aspects to/from Mercury include a sextile from the Moon in Scorpio, a decile to Venus, and a trine to Jupiter and Uranus. Besides these, other major aspects in play in the retrograde chart show the Moon trine Neptune, opposed Uranus, and sextile Pluto, activating 5 points of a Great Sextile, a “6 Pointed Star of Harmonious Productivity.” This will be exceptionally favorable for all planets or points we have in the last decan of the Earth and Water signs!
We also see Venus square Jupiter and sesquisquare Neptune, the Sun tredecile Jupiter, opposed Saturn, and triseptile Neptune, and Mars sesquisquare Jupiter, triseptile Saturn, opposed Neptune and trine Pluto. Jupiter is quintile Saturn, semisquare Neptune, and tredecile Pluto, Saturn is binovile Uranus and decile Pluto, Uranus is sextile Neptune, and Neptune is sextile Pluto.
The Moon is at 24 Scorpio in a Crescent Moon phase, showing a time of emergent activity and a new to live according to the “inspiring experiences challenging us to transformation” set into motion in 2014, 2016, and 2018 by three major planetary stations on that degree. So this is clearly another “back to the future” retrograde, as Mercury will give us a look back to 2008 while the Moon will help us feel the major evolutionary leaps we took between 2014-2019.
The Sun is at 1 Virgo, a degree of discernment and seeing which parts are characteristic of the whole, with pure potential for expanded service and Divine Discrimination. As the last Mercury RX station had the Sun at 1 Taurus, this makes an exact trine to that Sun, indicating this RX period will be a natural extension of whatever the last retrograde was about. This of course is reinforced by Jupiter’s coming station, since its 2023 RX span is identical to Mercury’s RX span in April and May.”
Short Term Past and 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 focus to other angles of understanding how to relate and who to relate to (or not!). These lessons will be illuminated when the Sun crosses this degree around September 13/14. We’ll get another look when Mercury leaves its shadow zone on September 30, and will find an appreciation or value in our “venerable standards” when Venus transits 22 Virgo on October 30/31.
Looking Forward
A retrograde is always 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 how we realized when we needed new information, understanding, or approaches in the past. Perhaps we’ll see new ways to apply our skills or spiritual values so that we can perpetuate some “venerable standards” we believe in. Many will recall times in the past when they reorganized as a result of their spiritual heritage, emotionally and socially, and found themselves a custodian of a form of excellence.
We can now take a new look when “the Guide of Souls” takes us within where we can see what parts of the past still work for us so we can adjust the plan or the trajectory of our spiritual work. This will be a revolutionary retrograde, with the Moon opposed Uranus anchoring the Great Sextile which will be activated when the Moon transits late Cancer in mid-September.
Remember Mercury retrogrades are great times for moving things forward which were stalled or delayed up to that point, so some things will no doubt make progress, given the numerous favorable aspects between planets in Earth and Water signs. This will be an exceptionally productive retrograde period with strength in what we adjust, what we let go of, and what we regenerate. Intuition is high, and focused will power will achieve what needs to get done, even if there may be delays.
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 the greater Capricorn and Aquarian work going on since 2020.
This period gives us yet another look at or understanding of how to shape our world view as an active participant in co-creating some part of the vision we pursue. See different ways of relating to Self, to others, and to Source. 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 our Virgo sector or planets needs reconsideration in the context of the larger Aquarius and Capricorn training. If necessary, connect the dots or renew how you express your Wisdom in an efficient and dedicated way.
In general, these are excellent periods to 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.
In the next article in the series, 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 aware of how you can contribute to a greater good in the world.
A New Look At Mercury Retrograde
If you want to know what we can expect from Mercury retrograde in Virgo, 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. NOTE: make sure you’re buying the second edition with the award sticker on the cover, and not the first edition originally published by Weiser. The edition you want is published by Fifth Ray Publishing.
Previous articles in this series:
Mercury Retrograde in Virgo August-September 2023 - A New Look at the Guide of Souls
Mercury Retrograde in Virgo in August-September 2023 - An Overview
The Guide of Souls in August 2023 - Mercury Slowing Down, Preparing to go Retrograde at 22 Virgo
Mercury Enters Its Shadow Zone at 9 Virgo – Getting A New Look at the Standards of Our Life
Copyright © 2023 Robert Wilkinson
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