Mercury Exits its Shadow

Having gone retrograde back on August 20th at 19 Virgo and turned back to direct motion on September 12th, Mercury has now finally reached 19 Virgo again and thus is now emerging from the 'shadow' of its retrograde.

What does that mean to us? Several things.

For one, this signals an end to projects, conditions or issues which have been 'hanging around' since back in August. Even (actually) the tail end of July, seeing as Mercury entered the shadow of its recent retrograde back on July 31st. For some, things are finally slipping into place. Finally! It's done.

Then there are those who get to a point that they decide it's not worth chasing after something. Or someone. They're not just ready to move on - that would have happened back around the time of the station - they're moving on!

With Mercury as ruler not just of Virgoan 'needs of responsibility' but of Gemini and the 3rd house of 'everyday doings' and with these retrograde cycles coming around (generally) four times a year, there are 'seasonal' matters also on the list. And with Virgo the last sign in the zodiacal 'second season' (the 2nd quarter of the zodiac being Cancer-Leo-Virgo), with Mercury emerging from this retrograde shadow at 19 Virgo we get the message that a 'private and responsive/reactionary' phase of (Mercury) thinking is just about over. Mercury hasn't yet gotten to Libra and Matters Public and Worldly, but it's definitely on its way there.

Thus, so are we - at least in our Mercurial thoughts.

Into all this comes the fact that Virgo being an earth sign, this is about real things. Or at least what's 'real' or a 'reality to us. 19 Virgo being the last of Virgo's emotional degrees, this may be the reality of our emotions. Or something real and emotional we've been dealing with. Virgo being a sign of health, work, service, something emotional in that arena has now been dealt with. Or maybe - in true Virgo style - it's been worked over and made more functional.

Lore on this degree suggests a capacity for 'sharp tongues' and 'philosophical developments,' which considering this is Mercury we're talking about may be what you hear, what you say, or what you say to yourself. And with Mercury hitting this mark in tandem with asteroid Sphinx, there's a definite 'stone face' quality here - so don't count on knowing what everybody else is thinking. Or that what they're saying in the heat of what may be a heated moment is the gen-u-ine mental article, as there is a little emotional stress in the air: Sphinx meets emotionalism is not a graceful combination!

Whatever Mercury's exit from shadow means in the moment, it is just a moment. We experience it and move on. A few things are over, a few are not forgotten, but now it's on to the new!

The Mercurius of Chateau Neercanne in 

Maastrich, Netherlands - by Alexander Taratynov (2000)