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Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Mercury Exits Retrograde Shadow Tomorrow (May 11, 2011)






If Mercury is exiting the shadow of its March-into-April retrograde tomorrow, why talk about it today?

Simple: because today would be the day when in some areas of life we ‘wrap up’ matters which began back in March…and where in other areas of life we have our last chance to change things which have been hanging on – or which (frankly) we really haven’t wanted to deal with.

That this ‘final moment’ (aka ‘last chance’) idea is so very emphasized by Mars being at the critical ‘do or don’t do’ point of 29 Aries? Considering that means Mars is about to move into Taurus (a passage which typically makes personal change difficult to face, never mind do!) again underscores this Mercury moment as one to be aware of.

So what might this be about? What might you do well to take into account?

The first thing which jumps of the page here is Mercury’s transiting conjunction with Venus and Jupiter. Astrologically this would rather clearly point to discussions and decisions (or the need for) money, an exercise of one’s personal values or a confrontation at some level with how you really feel about who you are.
With Venus and Jupiter united, we have a clear indication of ‘expansion’ – or the desire for more. And with Venus emphasized by the fact it rules  asteroid Niobe’s 29 Libra positioning (in direct opposition to Mars) there is a note of disappointment.

But is that with ‘them’? Or is that with yourself – or what you have perhaps done, chosen or ignored?

This would be a classic sort of moment to expect an ‘I told you so!’ IF Niobe was direct. But Niobe (boastful pride) isn’t direct here. So this is a moment when we reflect. Or when the news comes home that we aren’t ‘all that.’ Or even when what we really need to do is stick our pride in a drawer and do something because it simply needs doing, never mind our blessed ego!

That others or some outside force is involved here – maybe just as a consideration, but certainly as part of the mix - is pretty well underscored by Mercury’s rulership of the South Node in Gemini and Jupiter as ruler of the North Node in Sagittarius. Considering this, the suggestion would probably be more about ‘learning better’ (maybe just ‘learning’) or putting out the effort to do the right thing.



An Aries chart of Mercury exiting its retrograde
shadow (location not specific).



Remembering that the Nodes move backward through the zodiac it’s also reasonable to take note of the idea that said North Node – currently at 23 Sagittarius – will in the tick of a celestial moment move back into 22 Sagittarius, the degree of fixed star Ras Alhague. Known as a difficult star the better side of which involves healing, Ras Alhague’s position in Sagittarius’ 3rd decanate implies some sort of news or notification which though uncomfortable is actually real or true or the way to solve some dilemma, whether we know it (or like it) or not.

Given that we all like the easy way out of things, we’re all likely to ‘want’ to do the South Node thing – which at this point is pictured as a South Node sitting between Arachne (entanglement) and fixed star Bellatrix, emblem of difficult communications.

Maybe the best way to think of this is that Bellatrix (and its neighbor, fixed star Phact) – in being respectfully at 21 and 22 Gemini extend their confounding, confused, often excuse-ridden influence to approximately 26 or 27 Gemini. Meanwhile, fixed star Betelgeuse at 28 Gemini (with an orb which stretches between 23 Gemini and 3 Cancer) overlaps that Bellatrix/Phact ‘district,’ giving us the picture of a period when the easiest thing is to try and avoid problems ‘out there.’ Or situations which would cause us to re-evaluate our relationship with the world. With the Nodes now at 23 Sagittarius and Gemini, a good many of us are going to be clinging to wanting things to be easy while others (and sometimes those self same people!) are also complaining about how nothing’s getting done. How nothing’s changing.

And how it needs to change. The North Node’s perfecting trine to Eris Discord at 22 – a trine which becomes perfected as the North Node solidifies its conjunction with Ras Alhague – that speaks volumes to the fact that our choice is social/societal disruption or renovation. It’s something we each need to think about. And though optimally we would each do our part, it can’t be ‘about’ us. We live in this world – the world doesn’t operate at our behest.

Confuse that, and nothing will change. It may even become something of an excuse to not try, which for some may be the object as the whole idea of looking in the mirror to get a grip on why your own world is so screwed up, messy or problematic is because of your decisions? Or maybe because you won’t stand up and do something about what you say you really stand for?

Complaining? That’s easy now! Mars at 29 Aries is all ripe for fury and Venus in Aries (which is going to continue for a few days yet) is notoriously a time when our difficulties with the world get translated as being about ‘them’ and not about how we have chosen much of what we have and in some measure the path we’re currently on.

Can we change that? Yes! That’s a whole other side of this whole configuration and it would be a great moment to commit – at least to yourself – that you indeed intend to dedicate yourself to growing or changing your life.

Tomorrow…as Mercury exits its shadow and as Mars enters Taurus, those who don’t have a thought or a plan or a handle on how their choices create their results. They’re going to be the ones who experience the classically Mars-in-Taurus ‘sticky wicket’ thing. Those who have a plan, who are working towards their goals, they will make slow progress. It won’t be easy, it may not be all rose petals, champagne and fun, but advances can get made and much depends on what you decide you are willing to do, become, and let go of.

That would be the contemplation for today and as we head not just into tomorrow, but into all our tomorrows.


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