by Robert Wilkinson
At 1:09 am PDT on September 26, Mercury enters agreeable and reasonable Libra, a sign in harmony with its Gemini side. This ends Mercury’s 38 day stay in its home sign of Virgo which brought that Mutable Earth backdrop to planets and houses we have in Gemini and Virgo. Mercury in Libra now brings Cardinal Air to the forefront of those planetary Lights and life houses for the next 2+ weeks.
Mercury’s entry into Libra shows it’s rapidly speeding up after its time direct and retrograde in Leo and Virgo. We got three passes over the first five degrees of Virgo this year, giving us a thorough look at our need to use our creative imagination to see a new vision of self. We’ve now been taught discernment in action, and now know a “message” we’re here to give our world.
As Mercury transits affect our ability to coordinate things, discover things, give and receive information, and see things from multiple points of view, we can now take the practical information we got while it was in Virgo and shape it into pleasing forms in Libra. We’re moving out of critical tendencies into a time of seeing things from many points of view so we can become well-rounded in our understanding and ability to coordinate our life affairs, keeping things in balance as we see the nuances in things.
This continues to quicken all things related to Mercury in our charts. Because it is still accelerating since its last retrograde, it is bringing speed to our ability to coordinate things, discover things, give and receive information, and see things from multiple points of view. It now has Venus as its ruler, showing Mercury will initially feel more Scorpio until it moves into Scorpio and has Mars in Cancer as its dispositor.
Mercury will move at maximum speed until its coming Superior conjunction on September 30 at 9 Libra, when it again will begin to slow gradually as it prepares to go retrograde at 23 Sagittarius in late November, beginning our review of the entire year. During the time it’s catching up to the Sun between now and the Superior conjunction, it is the planet which “leads the Light,” showing that a prerequisite to “enlightened action” at this time involves seeing new archetypal patterns or more ideal forms of living. Until the next Superior Conjunction, Mercury will be behind the Sun, processing the Solar experience we’ve been having in Libra.
While Mercury’s in Libra, it makes quite a few dynamic aspects. It makes a quincunx to Saturn at 15 Pisces, showing the need for perseverance as we sacrifice whatever to “put on the show.” Mercury squares Mars at 18 Cancer on October 5, cautioning us to slow down, take it easy, be disciplined, alternate between activity and rest, and accept whatever is being unveiled.
This week is capped off with Mercury trine Jupiter, heralding the Sun’s trine after that. See the big picture, remember the larger Aquarian work in progress, and show appreciation and gratitude for the opportunities which come then, since these are spiritual powers which become stronger through our use.
After that we get a pair of quincunxes creating a Yod, or Finger of God. On October 11/12 it quincunxes Uranus at 27 Taurus and then Neptune at 28 Pisces, showing our need to use Mercury to find a transcendent security as we bring light to the darkness and help others remember we are never alone, and are as surrounded by life and love as a fish by water. Expect a lot of “expansion through sacrifice” at that time.
Consider it as a “dues paying” period, culminating with Mercury’s square to Pluto at 30 Capricorn. See the truth, beware of hidden agendas or dishonest equivocation, and remember to keep things in balanced perspective.
While in Libra, Mercury is in its own 5th house relative to its Gemini qualities, and in its own 2nd house relative to its Virgo qualities. So it’s very creative and expressive in Libra, which helps it secure what it needs to maintain the precision and practicality of its Virgo side. I explain more about how Mercury functions in various signs in my pioneering work A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. Since it’s been retrograde in all three Earth signs this year, if you want to know about Mercury retrograde in various signs and houses, as well as how it functions in worldly events, please get a copy. It’s both fun and informative, and will give you “a new look” at all things related to Mercury retrograde! (Just make sure you get the 2nd Edition with the award on the cover published by 5th Ray Publishing rather than the much older 1st Edition published by Weiser.)Also, remember Mercury now rules Jupiter, so each sign change Mercury makes affects how Jupiter expresses itself. While Mercury in Leo gave Jupiter a Fiery backdrop, and Jupiter got the Earth of Virgo backing its expression up to now, it now gets the light, easy interactive social initiative of the Airy Libra energy.
So enjoy the pace, get plans in place, be as flexible as you feel you need to be. Be open to meeting people, learn to be more diplomatic and even-handed in your expression, be elegant and refined in your speech, and prepare for the Superior conjunction which will be followed very quickly by this year’s Solar eclipse at 11 Libra. This will help us teach and learn information through new perspectives, and bring unique interactive serendipity via the tredecile to Pluto.
For now, face forward and prepare for a different pace over the next few weeks, speeding up and then slowing down. Still, with Venus in Scorpio now ruling Mercury, it’s going to be “the iron fist in the velvet glove.” Be strong, see past the superficialities in interactions, and keep using your creative imagination to get clear about your message to give to the world, as per the last Mercury retrograde themes.
© Copyright 2024 Robert Wilkinson
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