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Thursday, February 3, 2011

Mercury in Aquarius: Quirky meets Erratic, Liberation meets Anarchy, Desire meets Possibility



 Planet Mercury
photo credit: NASA/JPL - Caltech



Mercury enters Aquarius almost a day after the Full Moon (Chinese New Years)...which is to say, Mercury enters Aquarius on February 3rd at 10:20pm (UT/+0).

In the space of that twenty or so hours, a few things have changed astrologically - and no doubt, a bunch of things have happened realistically.

Why would that be? Because just before Mercury reaches Aquarius, it will have stood at 29 maximal degrees of Capricorn. This is the matter of life structures hanging in the balance of intense focus.

That this would happen at a Full Moon adds even more (lunar) emotionalism. It's a high tide of what needs to be.

Now, as Mercury moves on and enters Aquarius, that's being done in the period when the energy of that Full Moon is dissipating. For some, this will be a relief or relaxation. For others, that will mean that the 'business' of the Full Moon 'high tide' is playing out.

That tell us that this Mercury transit of Aquarius will have all the 'normal' hallmarks of Mercury in Aquarius (energy in matters of the marketplace, things economic, societal and social functionality) but it will do so with an added 'dollop' of emphasis regarding whatever arose at 29 Mercury (plus) the Full Moon.

So whether this is a 'normal' or 'extraordinary' transit for you...that depends pretty much on what was going on in your world at the time of the Full Moon.



Mercury's 2011 ingress into Aquarius
February 3 - 10:20pm (UT/+0)



But there are a few other comments to throw in the pot here. The first is that this Mercury/Aquarius ingress happens to happen with Mercury in a semi-sextile to Venus at 29 (critical, intense) degrees of Sagittarius.

The combination of Mercury (communication) in a testy or even ego-bruising semi-sextile to results-oriented Venus in the 'this works/doesn't work' sign of Sagittarius suggests discussions at least and debates highly likely over what needs to be done.

It also says that Venus is about to change signs...but that whole Venus entering Capricorn thing...? Don't rush me - that's my next blog!

Getting back to the point here...let’s face it – nobody likes corrections! Even when we're being stupid (maybe especially when we're doing something stupid?) none of us likes being called out.

Then there's that little Aquarius thing. Aquarius is really exacting...often in a really annoying 'do as I say, not as I do sort of way.'

And there is one other sort of way to think about this: Sagittarius says 'this is wrong! this is right!' where  Aquarius is more about rights as a concept. So there we have another testy issue - do people have the right to be wrong? Aquarius is very about liberation and freedom, but to some this means they have the right to live in a tyranny. If they want that, just because you may think that's ridiculous, who are you to tell them what they like?

If it was ice cream, would you argue with someone who says I don't like chocolate! if you're a choco-holic?

(Okay, so you might...my suggestion however, is to go with the theory that if they don't like chocolate, that leaves more for you!)

Yet that moment, that realization, that having to stop and consider – that’s very Aquarian. That may actually be at the heart of Aquarian success versus failure.

As defined by its two-planet rulership, Aquarius is no matter where you go with it a two part, two step, bi-level (maybe bi-lateral) systemic sort of sign which requires that you think things through first. That’s the Saturn part. In all things Aquarian, if you don’t have a basis of knowing, if you don’t know what you’re actually doing, you aren’t going to succeed – in whatever sense you’re defining your success.

The second part of Aquarius – the Uranian part – is the tricky bit, as it’s so impatient. So filled with allure. If we can just get there – if we can just be free…then surely everything will be better, right?

Well, maybe yes, maybe no. Try being the parachute jumper who jumps out of an airplane at 36,000 feet without having mastered the art and science of folding and stowing a parachute. Try doing that experiment in the chemistry lab without taking the time to learn what sort of compounds really don’t mix without resulting in KABOOM!

So I repeat: all things Aquarius require we know how to do what we’re doing. It’s just the Aquarian thing. This is also why when planets are passing through Aquarius there can be what seems an interminable wait. That wait is all about something taking the required time to do what needs doing (Saturn) while we’re sitting there tapping mental toes being impatient (Uranus).

As Mercury is entering Aquarius, it’s really just the latest in a line of celestial objects in this sign. At the moment of the ingress, Ceres is at 12 Aquarius, the Sun and Mars are both at 14 Aquarius, the Moon is at 23, Neptune and Circe are both at 27 and Chiron is at 29 Aquarius.

Oh yes…and Damocles and Nessus are still playing doe-si-doe back and forth across the emotional-public line of Aquarius’ second and third decans. And while this last sounds minor, it isn’t. I wrote a blog about this trying challenge to us all a while back – I’ll put the link at the end of these thoughts.

Meanwhile, with Sun and Mars in tandem as Mercury enters Aquarius, the metaphysical thought would be that these next two and a half (or so) weeks are going to be stop-and-go, think-and-thoughtless, caring and without a care.

The specific degree cited here (14 Aquarius) represents several things. For one, it represents the moment before a major transition.

There are four fixed signs, one in each element: Taurus (earth-realities), Leo (fire-idealization), Scorpio (water-emotionalism) and Aquarius (air-conceptualization). Each sign having 30 degrees, it is at 15 of each fixed sign that a shift occurs – we move from one phase of development or activity to the next.







When we see a planet or cusp line right at fifteen degrees of one of these signs, we know this describes some aspect of life – or a lifetime, when we’re talking about someone born with the Sun at 15 degrees of a fixed sign – a quality of knowing there are consequences. It’s not pro or con – it’s just an awareness of knowing consequences are out there. They need to be considered.

The degree after these so-called ‘cross-quarter’ points represents a sort of ‘okay, let’s get on with it!’ sort of feeling. And the degree before the cross-quarter point is the moment of coming up against a decision…a fork in the road…a reconciliation with self…

...Or, since we’re talking societal Aquarius in this particular case, what needs to be done. Maybe the consequences of not having dealt with something.

Sun/Mars represents a lot of energy. So at this moment and throughout the time Mercury transits Aquarius (which will be until early on February 20th) there’s going to be a lot of energy in the Mercurial quadrant. That means there’s a whole lot of thinking going on!

Or maybe that there needs to be a whole lot of thinking put into some process.

On the flip side, we may have a lot of thoughtlessness. Or the desire to give out with a big ‘screw this!’ and kick some issue to the wind.

Being that Aquarius is a public sign of groups, companies, organizations and systems, it’s highly likely that we’re going to hear a lot of ‘it’s all their fault!’

Plainly it’s always easy to accuse a system than take the responsibility to fix things on ourselves!

But that’s not really the Aquarian solution. Aquarian pluses and gains come from considering what the goal is and in formulating a plan on how to get from here to there. The object of the “Aquarian game” is to know who you are and what you know how to do and to ‘fit’ that into the Aquarian process in a way which minimizes your weaknesses, maximizes your positives and gives you enough support and leeway to learn better.

What we’re doing right now is setting a framework for ourselves to work in, work through, and depend on. Put simply, it may be a (blank-ity, blank-blank) to get working.

But also put just as simply, those who work most diligently now, win the biggest prize on down the line.

Oh yes – and just in case you’re in the ‘I don’t (blank) care mood’ along the way, here’s a LINK to a blog on Nessus' station/direct....and the ARTICLE on Damocles and Nessus as a joint/joined societal and personal provocation.



Nessus Stealing Deianira Away
by Guido Reini


From within and without, these points represent provocations galore!

In total, that amount to our being left to think (Mercury) over who we win out over – especially if that’s our own weaker nature. You know...the Saturn knowing against the Uranian yearning to be free already!

During these next weeks, don’t be surprised if others don the guise of temptation. Or if things pop up which make you really want to go 'another way.' There’s going to be a lot of that going around. Those who don’t want to make themselves try are not going to like those who are determined to take the higher and harder road. This will result in everything from peer pressure to name calling to chatting down your goal – either in the abstract, concrete or possibility form.

Do you want to achieve your aim? That’s really the central question. If you do, keep on with what your personal focus. You don’t have to hate, argue with or disown those who try to drag you off course, but it may be insightful (an Aquarian term!) to understand their weaknesses as a person. And that they aren’t willing to put your desire to satisfy your own standards ahead of their own disappointment at failing theirs.

The result can be a deal of stress and strain and alienation quite in keeping with the Moon, Neptune and Chiron in Aquarian high(er) degrees.

How to live with this – whether with those folks or on you own? By using the great Aquarian salvation: humor. Yes, when Aquarius is around, when in doubt, laugh! Not hurtfully, not maliciously, just for the wonderful sense of liberation laughter gives us.

Laughter is the great Aquarian way to dispel tension. It’s conceptual sanity of the utterly portable kind. A moment, a funny idea, a joke, a funny movie…

It one of Aquarius' great gifts, and one which (yes,) funny enough, really works - and that's no joke!


 

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