the eternal return - 2
Hermes with his mischevious gaze...
2° Mercury goes retrograde on Sept. 24th until Oct. 15th 2008.
There is an obsession amongst conventional astrologers with Mercury going retrograde. Many start panicking way in advance, and usually isolate it from the larger picture. It might well be that they depend much on the particulars of Mercury for their own mundane activities. My stand on the subject is more detached. Because Mercury is the fastest of all planets in the solar system, it goes retrograde several times a year and I see more significance in the retrograde motions of other planets. All the planets (except Sun and Moon which are luminaries) have retrograde periods. Mercury is most famous for them, probably because it rules all things pertaining to communication.
This said, the coming Mercury retrograde will have an unusual impact on the individual level, considering the contacts it will be making along the way, activating mishaps in personal realms.
In astrology, retrograde is the apparent backward motion of a planet. It is commonly described as "the effect of a slow-moving train as viewed from another train traveling parallel to it but at a more rapid rate, wherein the slower train appears to be moving backwards. However, in the case of the celestial bodies it is not a matter of their actual speed of travel, but of the rate at which they change their angular relationship." (Encyclopedia of Astrology)
I said, He said, They said, cut through the hitches of communication
With the Sun in Virgo, it's been time to put things into the right place to stabilize the security we need (this was helped by Jupiter trine Saturn). The multiple Libra conjunctions square Jupiter that occurred recently have indicated a very dynamic period; with Venus in her home sign and the final dispositor of all the other planets = a new sense of perspective, proportion, or justice is showing itself in our lives... Since Libra rules issues of harmony, balance, justice and fairness. Let’s see if this retrograde reminds us of these virtues.
The quincunxes from personal planets in Libra to Uranus indicated a need for adjustments and sacrifices which will help us simplify as well as strengthen truth in our hearts; while their trine to Neptune compelled us to see the bigger view and bring our relationships towards a larger ideal.
Mercury will start its retrograde station with a square to the Moon in Cancer = over-sensitivity, emotional insecurity, being at the mercy of moods (oneself and others), present situations colored by past conditions...
On the same day it will also conjunct Mars in Libra = lack of impartiality and objectivity, indecisive and bad timing...
You may feel like you've been working hard and accomplished little. And you may even make decisions you will regret later.
Often things begun during a Mercury retrograde don't work out and it is definitely not a good time to change jobs or to sign any long term contracts, also in general beware of misunderstandings. Think before you act, and postpone any big decisions until the retrograde period is over.
This is a great time for being on vacation, as long as you have travelled before it started because it is a poor time for "transportation"!
Because owning our own beauty and ugliness is essential to the Libra balance, and because reclaiming our projections - the sense that beauty is out there and not within - from magazines, people we envy or from our feelings of inadequacy - is the hard work of Libra... And specially because when conflicts occur, we tend to claim beauty for ourselves and project ugliness onto others...
Honesty in admitting we are wrong and acknowledging our "uglier" feelings such as jealousy, envy or even our impatience, is the KEY to the current Libra "debt" to be paid off.
Here is some light on the current Venus, Mars, Mercury - Libra stellium with the help of ancient mythology:
Mars and Venus Caught in a Net
