Mercury in Capricorn

'Young Hermes at Rest'

(bronze, Naples National Archaeological Museum, photo credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen, 2011)

Since the last post ended with contemplations of rainstorms and possible floor flooding, an update: the water didn't come in under the front wall, it came in under the door and somehow staged wetting down two of my windowsills (yes, on the indoors side), but it wasn't horrible. Furthermore I gather my wakefulness had plenty of company - a good number of Los Angelenos stayed up or were woken up by the downpour (replete with whistling winds) when it hit at about 1:30 in the morning.

The reason water came in under the door, I understand. That's because it rained so hard (LA got something close to two inches of rain in a couple of hours) that the roof gutter  overflowed. And wouldn't you know, it overflowed in just the right place to set up a cascade of splatter which hit my front door, dripping down - and from there under the door.

The windowsills I haven't quite fathomed yet, but I'm working on it. And though it is always something (as they say) this is the first invasion by water for me this year, which even as a Pisces person I think is a bit much.
 
Getting to the subject of this post (thanks for listening)... Mercury is reaching Capricorn ahead of the Sun this year, which isn’t an unpleasant thought. After all, while Mercury in Sagittarius can have things moving ahead at leaps and bounds Mercury in Sagittarius can also be a time that so much in motion that nothing gets done. Or a time when things already in progress seem like they’ll never, ever end.

Where Sagittarius runs hot, speedy and far, Capricorn coolly pays attention, considers repercussions and is never, ever in a hurry - which isn’t to say Capricorn symbols should be taken to be reticent. They aren’t - so when this comes to the mental, motion, communication realm which is All Things Mercury, we shouldn’t be surprised that Mercury in Capricorn is known for speaking its peace even if that disrupts the peace.

Capricorn stands for that which will last. It’s all about that which will endure, the effort to endure and the enduring of our own learning curve as that pertains to who we are intrinsically (identity), who we are in this world (career, social/legal standing) and how well we deal with who we are in that world, inclusive of whether we hold our Self to standards (reputation) - and what it takes to do that (responsibility).

Known for a ‘cool and collected’ quality, Mercury in Capricorn imbues most of us with a rational sort of awareness of why comprehension of themes and details is important to our aims. And thus we ‘go’ for what we want - we ask, we do, we try, we throw our hat in the ring, and for those who aren’t wearing a hat, we toss in whatever seems handy and apropos.

Who cares if someone objects? So long as our intention is well and truly understood, while someone else may object, it’s our self-esteeming that we’re mostly embodied and motivated by.

Given Mercury as a sign of communication, that Capricorn seldom hesitates and is a pragmatic and an ‘it is what it is’ sort of earth sign makes this an obvious boon for business and important of any kind - and while the Sun remains in Sagittarius (read: until the December 21st Solstice) while there may be disagreements on some points, so long as everyone remembers to nix the idea and not the person, given a bit of back and forth, agreements can be reached.

Once the Sun does enter Capricorn however, we can expect any of a number of tacks and tactics to liven up our day, our thoughts and considerations - and since some will be lobbed at us (as opposed to being something wholly ours to decide) we are likely to feel... and indeed to be challenged. 

Challenges - particularly those which test our endurance are part and parcel of Capricorn and going to be part of Mercury in Capricorn, testing not merely our endurance but the validity and viability (read: practicality, never mind any hype) of our reason(s) for holding our goal or opinion or belief or whatever else so very dearly.

And it’s likely that during this time a few things will change. Some changes will be initiated because of things we come to (Mercury) think and some will result from things which occur and which we react or respond to, whether or not that means we adapt to changing internal or external conditions or merely cope with them. Because of this - and in spite of this things can, and will get done: Mercury in Capricorn is another quite decent pairing for those with accomplishments needing to be accomplished. And since we know two other things (Uranus going direct on December 21st and Saturn moving from Scorpio into Sagittarius on the 23rd) are on the astrological calendar during Mercury’s trio of weeks in Capricorn, we have the markers which for some will manifest as accomplishment.

Or input. Or a shock - or perhaps a surprise. Capricorn does have a sincere strain of ‘earning’ to its makeup which suggests that those who have earned something are likely to get results there where those who haven’t earned won’t receive (or to the degree that we may not earned we may not receive).

This ‘earning’ or ‘having earned’ theory would even seem supported by the grand trine Mercury’s moving into Capricorn acts to trigger and make ‘real’ in that singular manner planets entering earth signs seem to have.

With Mercury exactly conjunct Eurydike there’s a question of ‘the cost’ in the mix, with that motivated and inexorably tied to some Regulus-Black Moon fact or earthly/earthy factor which is both about (Regulus) how little there is to be gained by doing things (Virgo) improperly... and about how there is nothing which can be (Regulus) properly done which doesn’t have a high (and probably unpredictable) quality of moral, ethical or emotional backlash (which by any other name would be known as ‘cost.).

At the same time that all that’s true, there’s also a nexus of conviction about the innate quality of goodness and the need to (Mirach/Hestia) protect same which has a tenacious, emotional hold on things... or on us... and that’s also a cost.

How to reconcile it all while attending to what time requires and the times demand while dealing with the business of how to make gains on whatever our goals and aims are...that requires some sort of compromise - from us, I mean.

We can like it or not like any of this. We can also be the person initiating whatever this grand trine refers to or a person on the receiving end.

Or we can just be experiencing something which embodies this experience for us, wholesale. Good or bad isn’t necessarily part of the equation... in fact Mercury in Capricorn has just that touch of a proverbial sort of ‘eat your vegetables, they’re good for you!’ maxim that issues are more likely to be about ‘like/no like’ or ‘want/not want’ than anything else.

Whatever will get us to think about what works in the long run or fullest of full terms - that’s where we can operatively go. But whether we’ll go there...? Or get there...?

That’s a whole other question. After Saturn changes signs (on the 23rd) there will be a ‘freeing up’ of some things, but getting any real feeling for same is going to take a bit of time, which given when this change of sign happens rather points to the end of the year and/or holiday season, whichever way you see it.

But prior to that there is Uranus’ station. Occurring on December 21st and at 12 Aries, this station occurs with Uranus' turn to direct in semi-square to Pluto (suggesting situational transformations as issues, facts and energies come to greater clarity) and Mercury in sextile to Neptune - which becomes the general rub.

What kind of rub? It's that Mercury/Neptune thing - an indication that something isn't entirely factual. This doesn’t have to be any big problem as 'non-factual' in metaphysical terms can simply mean "fiction."

As usual, such indicators end up being all in how we take them - or are overtaken by them. Beyond all that however, because this is (by date) associated with Uranus' station, any or all of what happens could also have everything to do with communications, changes in plans and/or high tech subjects seeing as Uranus is always a symbol of things systemic, electric, electrifying, digital and electronic. With Mercury in Capricorn there is some sort of reference or connection to the outside world (or what we are, want to be or need to be in that outside world) even if we spend the whole of this passage  experiencing whatever that means to us solely inside our own life - or even just inside our own head.

Two more items of particular note here. The first is how Mercury will conjunct Pluto (the finding, rediscovering or utilizing something which was lost, transformed or denied... or which will now be lost, transformed or denied) on December 24th. The degree being activated here being 12 Capricorn, there is a good deal of wit, cleverness and deftness of skill that if used wisely can lead to (or can now produce) something totally unanticipated - or at least unpredicted - of a powerful and potentially quite positive nature IF we are willing to admit to ourselves and ‘fill in the gap’ (or gaps) when it comes to that ‘thing’ which is missing in whatever equation we are working with which we would like to equal success and successful results.

The other thing to know about is that as we close in on New Years, Mercury will oppose fixed star Castor (first of the Gemini twins) on December 29th and then oppose Pollux (the second Gemini twin) on New Years Eve, AS Mars in Aquarius opposes Jupiter, now retrograde in Leo.

That brings up the subject of choice - and since Mercury rules Gemini - that which we choose or have chosen.

Plus there is that little fact that people do tend to do some very particular things on New Years Eve.

Whatever you face (or whatever is facing you), let’s just say this is not the time to do something hasty (or in haste) which might create some need to deal with a ‘cost’ regarding same which confronts you from some impersonally (or not personally) controlled perspective.

Other than that, what with this week ahead when the Sun in Sagittarius’ most worldly and newsworthy degrees will be signifying life stirring up that which will shift as we move through Uranus’ station on December 21st, we shouldn’t expect the days ahead to feel normal - or to have normal feelings about life in general.

The feelings we’re talking about are those which can feel personally destabilizing. Feelings of insecurity we didn’t even know we had may appear as if out of rather dim air.

Taken by NASA's Messenger spacecraft, this photo of Mercury is known as 'The Sunlit Side of Mercury'

(photo credit: NASA-JPL)

And on that level, that Mercury is moving into Capricorn on Wednesday, a day or two in advance of Uranus’ ‘official’ station and also probably as things (or we) start seeming or feeling disjointed about this or that... maybe that’s just life being kind to us by giving us an inner sense that we can prevail, that despite all the loose ends, seeming impossibilities and disgruntled times we can keep on being who we need to be.

Which is a gift indeed.
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Pluto square Mars:December 28–January 1

New Year's fireworks in Copenhagen's Tivoli Garden

(photo credit: Stig Nygaard, January 2009)

Described by some as one of the colder degrees in the zodiac, 11 Capricorn has something of a questionable vibe all about using 'the other' with an emphasis on the sheer ability to use them. Or not.

It is a choice.

The whole aura of 11 Capricorn is about a ‘disregard’ for the consequences, which means that in some charts we could see this degree highlighted and it would represent someone into self harm. Taken from there into a more public realm 11 Capricorn makes us think about the way some people are users and some people seem into being used.

And yet…as with all astrological images, much of this is in how you take it, and how you use the choice implied – remembering this isn’t necessarily about you are someone else, it could be how you treat yourself. Or your abilities. Or preferences. Or  intelligence, feelings…whatever.

Starting on December 28, Mars will move past fixed star Diadem – the “crowning glory.” As that happens, we will be moving past some period of ‘crowning’ opportunity or activity or interactivity (to which most of us will say 'ah yes, Christmas...') in which, because this is Mars-the-Initiator we’re talking about(‘Mars the Initiator’ sounds like a superhero, doesn’t it?)…there may be something ‘initiated’ during this time which carries on, which develops, which lingers as a thought, conversation, project, effort, etc.

So that may carry on. The rest? Not so much.

Mars - which has just begun a super-long transit of Libra (I call 8 months instead of around 2 super-long!) – reaches 11 Libra on December 28th. And once it reaches 11 Libra, that’s Mars in square to 11 Capricorn, a sign that we are either going to be testing or tested in some area which involves responsibility, dedication and a large amount of conscious and measured effort on our part WHILE it also takes into account the wants, needs, likes and opinions of others.

And guess what’s at 11 Capricorn about the time Mars gets to 11 Libra? Pluto. So with Mars in Libra and Pluto in 11 Capricorn, we either have a recipe for freaky explosions and disruptions or transformations which just possibly may allow us to do what we’ve been wanting to do all along.

Or…yes…realize that we don’t really WANT that thing we thought we wanted all that much. Mars is bringing a lot of unusual ‘underbelly’ notions in from 10 Libra, a combination which focuses on seeing things we don’t normally see. They can be in others…or maybe this is the moment when we really see who we are. Or see ‘for ourselves’ what something is – or isn’t.

Mars/Pluto contacts are often associated with ‘flare ups’ too – whether physical, emotional or some old argument which gets re-hashed yet again. Infections, burns, old injuries and hurts (physical or emotional) may now get triggered.

Or healed. With Klotho (beginnings) at 11 Capricorn and Kallisto at 12 Capricorn, we may now begin to see how to ‘get from here to there’ in our life – whatever that means to you at the moment.

But given that Kallisto is part of this grouping, we’re going to have to ‘last’ it through to get where we really want to go. There are no easy solutions here.

(Wherever ‘here’ is in your life at the moment.)

This combination is also known for heated conflicts – though in the end, what is often found is that the one who strikes out did so out of a desire not to have to face their own truths – not really because the other side had been so awful. There’s a whole aura of wanting to manipulate a situation or dynamic here which must tends to be done with bias but which only really works if it’s done out of a sense of fair play. And since this Mars/Pluto square is happening with Sun conjunct Mercury (in Capricorn) things are going to be clear enough.

Maybe even “too clear.”

Or clearly something we don’t want to have to work or wait for!

To all of the above, one answer: 'you may have to.' And given that this is the wonderful world of Capricorn we're talking about, all the pluses and minuses are going to occur (in particular) if, when, and where we aren’t comfortable with our standing in the world.

This period may ask us to get past or ‘over’ a few things. And to accept forms of valid or mature perspective we don’t feel familiar with yet. (Or which we would rather not have to listen to.)

And yet...this Sun/Mercury link can also represent the heart and soul of seeing what's what. It's a classic indication for travel (which makes sense on December 29th of any year) and, given how there's a lighthearted, sort of fun-loving quality to this vibe, this may well be a wonderful time for friends as well as a valuable time in which to make connections or socialize with others not in a direct "work mode"...but more in that sense of getting to know people so that you can work together.

Or...yes...to see whether you might want to or not.

Planet Mars - specifically, the Acidalla Mare Erythraeum face of Mars as

photographed by NASA's Global Surveyor.

(photo credit: NASA-JPL)

This Mars square Pluto can be a powerful sign of ‘pulling one’s Self together’ - when you ready yourself for some big new effort (which getting through New Years just may be for you!). It may signal events which really let you know that it's time something needs to happen.
However…as Sun/Mercury will have moved into 9 Capricorn as Mars 'perfects' the square on December 30th...? That means we have to care about ever more energy being triggered as the Moon joins the Capricorn lineup at around 6 p.m. UT/+0 time.

This is about when the positive separates from iffy. Why? Well, 9 Capricorn is a very plus-or-minus degree in that it tends to reward the search for wisdom and utterly defeat (and sometimes punish) the search for purely material or selfish gain…which if you think of the Sun and Mercury igniting this celestial fuse on New Years Eve conjures up all sorts of scenarios.

And then there is the fact that this entire contemplation is the last ‘astrological act’ of 2013…and that it ends in a 10 Capricorn New Moon on New Year’s Day.

Technically, this means that however much we may be looking ahead and looking to change something or looking to do something – with all of that, we are also conscious (at least emotionally conscious) of letting this or that ‘thing’ go. That time, that place, that person, that ideal, that period of your life, that limitation, that hope….

…oh yes – and that year, since we’re letting go of 2013 in favor of 2014. But obviously this isn’t just about turning 2013 into 2014. So we all can expect a healthy measure of internal talking (to ourselves or with ourselves about what we think of things) with a lot of reflecting going on.

And hey…if we decide to make a few changes – isn’t that one of the traditional fun things to do as one calendar gets traded out for another?

But first, New Year’s Eve – have a great one!
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Mercury in Sagittarius

Mercury will enter Sagittarius on Tuesday, December 11th and 1:41 in the morning UT/+0 time. That just happens to be as the Moon is moving through Scorpio in preparation for a Sagittarian New Moon on December 13th.

In lunar astrology (yes, it’s a specialty!) having the Moon in the last sign of a lunation – otherwise known as the last sign before the next lunation – is known as the Moon being in its Balsamic Phase.

I know…that sounds like we’re making salad, doesn’t it?

For the purists in the group, yes - technically, the Moon is in its Balsamic phase any time it’s within 45 degrees behind the Sun. It’s all about the difference between solar 12-part astrology…

 
…and lunar astrology’s 8-part lunar phase cycle…

Which isn’t all that hard, math-wise.

SOLAR ASTROLOGY: 360 degrees (of a circle) divided by 12 (signs) equals 30 degrees per sign.

LUNAR ASTROLOGY: 360 degrees of that same circle divided by 8 phases of the Moon equals 45 degrees per phase.

And yes, when you overlay the lunar wheel over the solar wheel you arrive at why the mid-point of each zodiacal quarter (known as the “cross-quarter” point) is considered important.

 
When the Moon enters the Balsamic phase…which is where it will be when Mercury enters Sagittarius, the themes are release, purification, renewal and transformation through knowledge or acquired understanding. And I know this is getting a bit into theory here, but that does sound like an abstract mélange of the last two signs of the zodiac: Aquarius (knowledge) and Pisces (emotional experience of the self).

Which works as a signal to tell us that as Mercury enters Sagittarius, we’ll be trying to finish things up so we can ‘release’ them and to get past various issues, problems, situations and challenges which were Scorpionic in their own right, as Mercury will be leaving Scorpio in entering Sagittarius.

But then we enter into the concept of Mercury in Sagittarius. Mercury rules (read: is most at home in) two signs: Gemini and Virgo. Gemini is the pure ‘mentality’ of it all…how we think, what we think about, decision-making, mental organization (or lack thereof) and getting things done so that we can get them “off” our mind – or our mental lists, if you will. Virgo is more like Mercury-in-Action: the doing of things…how well we do them (efficiency, ability), whether we do them in a timely manner (responsibility) and the ‘health’ or lack of health as that reflects on our mentality (the Gemini thing) when it comes to what we do and how we do it (morality, ethics, standards, etc.).

When a planet is in the sign they are said to ‘rule,’ what we are really saying is that that’s the quadrant of the sky when the energy of planet-and-Earth (and thus our lives and mentality) seem to function most harmoniously and most productively. So it stands to reason (at least in a universe which seems to have a dualistic nature like ours does) that when the planet is in the sign opposite that where it functions well, it functions not as well – which in the case of Mercury would be its two signs of “detriment”: Sagittarius and Pisces.

But here’s the thing…planets in their sign of detriment can still do pretty splendid things. You just have to work at it a little more. The doing of that in the natal chart sense if found by looking at…

1.) The ruler of the sign on the cusp of the house the planet is in,

…and…

2.) The ruler of the sign the planet is in.

These may be the same. Then again, they may not be – in which case the weight goes to the planet ruling the sign on the cusp of the house. (Don’t ask me why, it just works that way!)

Since we’re only talking global transits here, (ONLY?) all we can do is look to the ruler of Sagittarius, which is Jupiter. But wait…! Isn’t Jupiter in Gemini?

Oh by gum it is!

This sets up a situation which astrologers call “mutual reception”…Planet A is in a sign ruled by Planet B, and Planet B is in a sign ruled by Planet A.

The solution lies in thinking of these things as a synthesis.

So we know that Mercury is in a sign where instead of ‘mentally focusing’ it will tend to be more all over the place and to indicate a time when we are prone to taking on more than we can deal with effectively.

(Gee…just what we didn’t need during holiday season, right?)

Mercury in Gemini being known for organization (mental and communication-wise) this would be why Mercury in Sagittarius tends to have a bit of a foot-in-mouth quality…or a tendency to say too much, to have a problem with timing on when to say something, or to speak without listening – which would be why Mercury in Sagittarius (or even the 9th house) tends to display dogmatic tendencies.

So we can expect that just on the face of things, we may be a bit over-involved with ourselves and what we want or what we’re trying to do for the next couple of weeks while Mercury transits Sagittarius.

But let’s not forget…this is Part 2 of Mercury in Sagittarius for 2012 (aka Mercury in Sag, the Sequel). Remember that Mercury retrograde we just went through? It started with Mercury in Sagittarius. Then Mercury retrograded back into Scorpio. That was all about considering the value of what we were doing and if simply PLUNGING on with our pet projects or positions was going to serve any of us well.

Mercury went retrograde on Election Day in the United States, which was really interestingly displayed by the massive problems with voting lines and getting the vote counts in and all the questioning of provisional ballots and such. That all those events caused Americans to think over what their values really are when it comes to elections is classic, classic Mercury retrograde stuff. And very much what we would expect to see as one of a zillion different variations on the ‘backing from Sagittarius back into Scorpio’ vibe.

Whatever the retrograde does is saying ‘you got here…now how well is that going to work for you in these terms?’

So now – as Mercury re-enters Sagittarius – we will see what America learned. And everybody else – considering that your personal life had personal things going on which for you probably outweighed the US election – everybody else is going to be ‘moving forward’ with ideas they spent Mercury’s retrograde “reconsidering.”

Of course there are those who will have spent the whole of Mercury retrograde avoiding, denying and trying not to deal with stuff, too. That would be very much in keeping with a Sag-back-into-Scorpio Mercury retrograde. So expect that.

And maybe more importantly, at least recognize it if you’ve been doing it. Nobody says you have to change anything of jump through any hoops, but recognition of what you do is a choice to be honest with yourself – and that is a really good Mercury in Sagittarius sort of concept, if nothing else!

Mercury will be in Sagittarius until New Years Eve. And just so we touch on this in advance, that Mercury moves into the sign of law enforcement on New Years Eve should be a warning to some…and a bit of a hint to others.

   New Year's fireworks in Copenhagen's Tivoli Garden

(photo credit Stig Nygaard, January 2009)

We know that as Mercury enters Sagittarius we have this Balsamic Moon effect. That ends on the 13th simply because that’s the next New Moon.

With the 11th is also the opening of Uranus’s station window to go direct, there’s good reason for caution, especially when driving. If you’re planning a holiday trip, this may well be a great day for finding a last-minute deal on the internet, too. Uranus is always associated with things high tech, Mercury is information and communications and Sagittarius is travel and things which broaden the scope of our life, world and experience of how things work.

Hence, travel.

But also business. Those who are looking for hot holiday deals may find something really terrific now. Just beware of false fronts and hype!

The above will hold true from the 11th through the 14th. Then on the 17th, Mercury opposes Jupiter in Gemini, which gets us back to that Jupiter as ruler of Sagittarius concept.

Because this entire Mercury-transiting-Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter in retrograde, the whole of this (approximately) three week experience is reflective. Jupiter in Gemini is about learning (Jupiter) how we think, why we think as we think, and maybe how we should change what we do or how we think in order to have a more productive, happy, profitable life.

And this isn’t – by subtle definition – just about us. Jupiter rules two signs, Sagittarius and Pisces, both of which are public and ‘visible’ signs. Sagittarius is about learning through experience and Pisces is about life as a series of events and situations which forces us – at an emotional level – to grapple with what we do or don’t know about our own feelings, emotions, faith or faithfulness.

Since Jupiter is Jupiter wherever it goes we are now learning all that Sagittarius and Pisces “Jupiter stuff” through an examination/re-examination of how we think. Or through how well our daily life functions. Or through our siblings. (Siblings are a Gemini thing.) Or through communications or communicating with others. Even through not communicating with others and why what may be.

 Planet Jupiter as photographed by the ESO telescope

Problems, challenges, opportunities which arise now say some about other people, yes. But mostly they are asking us to think things through and to figure out what we really think. Or whether we do think. Or whether we need to think for ourselves or maybe even think of others because in the end we have to live in this world with a lot of people, not just those we choose to deal with.

One of the things we learn most from Jupiter is the importance of tolerance. In its transit of Gemini, Jupiter is teaching us all a big lesson not just about tolerating ‘the other guy’ and their perspectives, but the ambivalence in our own mind about who we are or have been, and what we think we want to be.

Right and wrong are going to be part of the theme being ‘set off’ by Mercury transiting the sign in opposition to Jupiter. With Jupiter in retrograde, we’re being asked to think through our choices and how we have come to be in the position we are in through our choices.

Venus will join Mercury in Sagittarius before too very long. (On the 18th.) At that point the Mercury side of the dynamic will enter into a question of ‘having bought into some belief’ and whether we are living something or just going through the motions.

This is a really interesting time because on the greater level we seem to be being asked to get back to the basics of who we are. And at that level, Mercury in Sagittarius is all about learning more about who we are by recognizing who and what we aren’t – or don’t want to be.

Or maybe simply can’t be. Considering everything else going on, the 2012 edition of Mercury in Sagittarius seems to speak to the difference between the idea of things and the reality.

And how sometimes, they just don’t mix.
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