by Robert Wilkinson
Mercury is going direct at 1:21 pm PDT on September 15 and will be in its shadow zone through September 30, after which it enters its next phase of moving through "unknown zones" where the themes of this retrograde will be played out in forward motion. So for the next 2 weeks expect some very productive intersections of past and future, giving us a chance to show how willing we are to update our perceptual files, moving forward with the standards we’ve reaffirmed these past few weeks.
Themes related to the span between 9 and 22 Virgo will be prominent until Mercury enters its next shadow zone at 23 Sagittarius on November 25. While all Mercury retrogrades give us “a look back,” some give us “a look forward.” This one began where Saturn went SRX in December 2008, affecting us directly in 2009-2010. If you’ve had some echoes from then, connect the dots, since you’re moving forward, whether with those standards or different ones.
As noted in part 1, last year all Mercury retrograde spans began in early Air signs and retrograded back into late Earth signs, helping us start with ideas and finish with practical grounded insights. This year we have three Mercury retrograde spans which begin and end in Earth, showing we’ll begin with practical approaches, and finish with practical approaches.
This Mercury direct station falls at 9 Virgo. It is said that the first third (decan) of any sign deals with the actional and material levels of life, and as this falls in the first decan of Virgo, it has a sub-influence of Virgo with an added dose of the Sun. Because Mercury is in Virgo, it has been and continues to be ruled by itself. This gives the current Mercury in Virgo experience a heavy Virgo backdrop, specifically in the emotional and social phase of characterization.
Aspects in the Shadow Zone
Mercury will transit its “shadow” span of 9 to 22 Virgo through September 30, with residual echoes throughout the following 13 weeks as well. Mercury going direct will re-activate many of the aspects it's made over the past few weeks, including its long term trine to Jupiter and its off and on tredeciles with Uranus and sesquisquares with Pluto.
As Mercury moves forward from its station, it stays in tredecile with Uranus through September 23. The sesquisquare to Pluto is in play from September 20-24 and the trine to Jupiter is active all month and becomes partile on September 23-25. Mercury then spends its last days in the shadow zone in trine to Uranus from September 26-30.
Of course there are other aspects going on between the other planets, which I described at length in the recent New Moon articles.
The Moon and Sun at this Station
The Moon at the station is a New Moon, said to be subjective and impulsive, with an instinctive urge for growth for its own sake. As the Moon is at 2 Libra in a wide conjunction with Mars and an exact quincunx to Saturn, it’s a powerful indicator of what we can expect when the Sun, Mercury and Venus enter the first degree of Libra and make the same quincunxes to Saturn. If you want to know more about the quincunx and why this is so important, when you’re done here please check out The Quincunx, as well as the recent article about the Yods in play now and in the coming years.
At this station, the Sun is 23 Virgo trine Uranus and Pluto while opposed Neptune, generating a special evolutionary configuration I’ve termed “the Peace Sign,” formed by a Grand Trine with an opposition to one of the three legs of the trine. This is an exceptionally powerful, stabilizing, productive, and harmonizing influence which will benefit all planets we have in the last 10 degrees of the Earth and Water signs. With the aspects involved, this should be an excellently productive period of moving things forward in a grounded way while becoming clear about what roles we’re playing and what roles we’re not playing any more.
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
So from here Mercury moves forward! We can now take what we reviewed, got a new understanding of, or found new information about that helped us remember and/or reevaluate some things and move forward with a larger view and contemplation of what has been and what will be, especially in the houses where we have Gemini and Virgo, since Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo.
As it was retrograde between 22 and 9 Virgo, those house(s) in our charts have been the areas where our review, reflections, returns, reconsiderations, and/or rehearsals have taken place. I gave you some of the possible effects of Mercury in the houses in the article Mercury Retrograde in Virgo in August-September in 2023 - What It Means For Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
Since it is now direct, if there have been misunderstandings or delays these past 3 weeks, it's all moving forward from here! We can begin to get a lot more accomplished, after a period of slow downs, turnarounds, review, reflection, reworking, undoing, and re-planning. We’ve been offered a chance to rethink many things, and experienced new ways of seeing how to organize or reorganize something, or make something more efficient. Now we move forward into a new life knowing we’re traversing familiar ground before we leap into the future in early June.
So things should start moving forward anew fairly quickly. Right now, it’s a good time to use the different information, views, and approaches we’ve been examining through the retrograde lens these past several weeks to find a new productivity as we express our unique gifts. We now have an alternative take on some things, as well as a more organized approach to making things work better, and having taken a slight detour through the past, can move forward into a time of linking up with our Spiritual Brothers and Sisters in a new practical model.
Now that we've done our rehearsals, reviews, revisions, and/or research on those inner and outer experiences showing us the need to simplify and reconsider some of our methods, we can be at ease as we move into a more unique expression. Here we again face the future, knowing a different sense of Being and a new vision of our wisdom.
After too many Yods and hard adjustments in recent weeks, the Peace Sign configuration promises productive intuition, productive linking with others, and a glimpse of the benefits of leaving our old field of focus. And even if it seems like you’re not clear about what way you’re going, see what good there is to be done, since as Spirits flying freely in the direction we choose, remember the immortal words of George Harrison, “if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”
From Here We Speed Up!
Things related to Mercury will speed up considerably for the next 3 months, so flow with the new YOU you’re experiencing! Meditate on the symbol “A man making a futurist drawing,” since it’s the Sabian symbol I gave you in part 1. That sets the theme for the next 3 months, and helps us be clear about our most effective social technique for expressing our originality, creative capacities, and ability to experiment to expand our mind and our powers.
There are tremendous spiritual rewards for standing for what we believe in and being clear about our focus. This station allows us to go forward, resuming many things put on hold during the last Mercury retrograde in April and May. We now have a new way of seeing how to bring others together in a common purpose and a “unified stability,” and just have to follow through with the precise plan we’re seeing. This is a time to trust our ability to “put on the show” which will lead us to a clear vision. Then we can act with precision.
A New Look at Mercury Retrograde
In a final plug as Mercury moves forward in its shadow zone, if you want to know more about the qualities of Mercury retrograde in all the signs and houses, please consult your copy of the expanded 2nd edition of A New Look At Mercury Retrograde, available on Amazon. It's a handy reference for everything you could want to know about Mercury retrograde people and Mercury retrograde in the signs and houses. It explores how Mercury retrograde people think and work through things, and why roundabout or delayed interpretations aren’t necessarily a bad thing, whether in kids or adults. Here's the link to where you can order your paperback copy of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. The ebook is available on Kindle. (Again, just make sure you get the 2016 edition published by the Fifth Ray rather than the 1997 edition originally published by Weiser.)
© Copyright 2023 Robert Wilkinson
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