Retrograde Shadow Begins 9-14-14 @ 4:02am CDT
Retrograde Begins 10-4-14 @ 12:02pm CDT
Retrograde Ends 10-25-14 @ 2:16pm CDT
Retrograde Release 11-10-14 @ 6:13am CST
The Shadow of the
Mercury Retrograde
The Shadow period began on the morning of September 14th,
when Mercury entered the part of Libra that it will be in again once it turns
direct on October 25th.
This time period, before the retrograde, is often when we are moving
along full-speed ahead and missing a few important details in our journey. The main one likely happened on or
around the day of September 17th, when Mercury exacted a conjunction
with the North Lunar Node, and someone influential likely had a message for you
that could help you advance your plans.
Whether or not you were paying attention then, the opportunity (or another
like it) may arise once more on October 29th when the same aspect
happens after Mercury is in direct motion again, and we are retracing our steps
in the final shadow period. Aside
from the nodal conjunction and a few fleeting aspects with the Moon, most of
Mercury’s relationships to other celestial bodies throughout the initial shadow
period indicate quite a bit of mental stress and/or exhaustion. Of course, other great things are happening, or have the
potential to happen, in the midst of this mental frenzy…but are we all-there
enough to notice and take advantage of opportunities that arise?
Rain Check!
After a few weeks of overstimulation and mental congestion,
Mercury in Scorpio detects an underlying issue: we’ve been ignoring our intuitive sense, thinking we’re being
more productive without the clouds of confusion that it sometimes brings before
answers are clear…or maybe we’ve just been dumbing it down with other things
altogether. So, Mercury holds
everything momentarily (when it stations retrograde) and gives Neptune
Retrograde in Pisces, his psychic friend, a call to set up a meeting. “You have to go back and look at things
from a different perspective before you can understand, and benefit from, the near
future. Meet up with me on the
night of 11-11, after you’ve taken your time inward and gotten back on
track. What almost is now, will be
by then.”
And cryptic as Neptune often is, Mercury already senses the
need for this shift. Accordingly,
he begins an inward journey through what already was and dares to find some
hidden truths previously overlooked.
The day this shift occurs (the exact shift is at 12:02 pm CDT on October
4th), the global mindset is a bit shaky. We were just in the middle of things that needed some focus
and logical communication to accomplish…and now what’s happening? Delays, confusion, transportation
issues, scheduling snafus, and Murphy’s Law in full effect? Sure, that can happen as Mercury
stations retrograde, but is that what it’s all about? Absolutely not.
And, does irritation in the daily grind have to be your experience of
this time? Not even close. It’s all about perspective.
The Retrograde Station (in effect from 12:02pm CDT on
October 3rd to 12:02pm CDT October 5th) is the big slowdown, when the ordinary
activity of the mind—as well as the ordinary conduct of business and commerce—sometimes
seems to have stopped in its tracks, unwilling to continue its course. Once Mercury begins moving in
retrograde, though, our minds begin to turn toward vistas of knowledge and
wisdom that call us from a distant past beyond our present lifetime. And since Mercury retrograde periods often
have topsy-turvy inclinations on our minds and communications…rational
intellect may be replaced with gut instinct as logic gives way to
intuition. However, during a
Mercury retrograde, our actual ability to think and communicate doesn’t slip
into reverse—it is our perceptions, assumptions, and projections that turn
things around. After all, the
trickster planet in its orbit stays on a steady course; it never actually goes
backward. It is only from our
perspective on Earth that we see Mercury (or any planet in retrograde)
appearing to reverse its course.
On the morning of October 5th, the past comes
calling briefly…likely while you are still sleeping…with a lunar trine to
Mercury. But during the station,
not much else arises as a harmonious opportunity besides those memories from
the Pisces Moon and the echoes of that 11-11 trine to Neptune retrograde. The weekend may feel like one where
your mind just checks out for a while…where either the exhaustion catches up
with you, or you just take a weekend retreat to reconnect with your spiritual
side. If you have other plans, don’t
worry. What does come up or is
already scheduled (providing plans aren’t canceled last minute), is likely a
necessary starting point to this retrograde process. Embrace it and make the best of it, as it could prove to be
exactly the thing that will open your mind to other perspectives.
Enter Mercury Rx, the
Cure for What Ails Ya
I doubt I’m the only one who’s noticed that the Rx symbol
for a retrograde is very similar to the symbol we use for a prescription. It seems appropriate to me though,
considering that the initial shadow of the Mercury retrograde often presents us
with the root of whatever ailment arises during its retrograde station. Throughout the duration of the
retrograde then, Mercury (who has always been seen as somewhat of a shapeshifter
for his associations with the gray area between polarities) becomes the shaman
travelling through non-ordinary reality, retrieving scattered pieces of what we
left behind in our recent past, in order to provide some holistic healing.
On the morning of October 8th, the Full Blood
Moon (exact at 5:50am CDT) brings about many revelations…while the Lunar
Eclipse (beginning at 5:55am CDT) brings our awareness to the shadows. Many of these insights will have to do
with relationships of all kinds. However,
our primary partnerships are specifically poised for healing as Mercury
Retrograde makes a rare aspect pattern with Mars, Chiron Retrograde, and Juno
while the Blood Moon in Aries conjuncts Uranus Retrograde and the South Lunar
Node in the 7th House for some surprising insights into the shadows
of our past connections. Many
other aspect patterns surface at the full moon eclipse as well, so be sure to
mark your calendar for an interesting week and pay attention to what surfaces. The full moon’s effect can be felt two
days before and after the opposition of the luminaries is exact…and when there
is an eclipse along with it, what surfaces from the shadows has implications
that can last for 6 months afterwards.
On the morning of October 13th, Mercury
Retrograde lines up with Pallas (the asteroid of the female warrior) to combine
metal strength, strategy, the ability to understand patterns and the wisdom to
use it together with Mercury’s retrograde quest to reconnect the pieces.
By October 16th, Mercury Retrograde enters into
combustion with the Sun. On a
chart, that means they are conjunct.
In the sky, that means Mercury seems completely swallowed by the sun’s
light and appears invisible. And symbolically,
the combustion indicates that Mercury’s worldly significations are eclipsed,
but its spiritual significations become even stronger. So there may be some awkwardness in the
areas of your life that Mercury rules in your natal chart, but your spiritual
intellect will be heightened during this time. Venus is conjunct in this Libra stellium as well, and by the
next day, Mercury and Venus will exact their own conjunction while making a
sextile to Mars….opportunities abound when the inner planets connect
harmoniously, but you have to keep your eyes and mind open to find them. Your best bet is midday in a public
place, either during lunch or at work.
Another series of beneficial opportunities presents itself
the next week when Mercury Retrograde makes a sextile with Jupiter then
conjuncts the North Lunar Node (afternoon and late evening on Oct. 20th). Both of these are extremely good
indicators that fortunate opportunities can arise from contacts with helpful
people. Then the Moon in her
balsamic phase conjuncts with Mercury Retrograde (afternoon on Oct. 22) before
the Solar Eclipse (beginning at 4:45pm CDT) and New Mourning Moon (exact at 4:55pm
CDT) on October 23rd to make a 7th House Scorpio Stellium
between Venus, Sun, Moon, and Pallas that will have lasting effects for another
6 months in the area of primary partnerships, once again. Are you sensing a recurring theme? After all, Mercury began this
retrograde journey in Scorpio, but quickly made its way back to Libra, the sign
of relationships, compromise and harmony.
The focus is very much on the important people in our lives and our
relationships with them as well as with ourselves.
Mercury as the
Pathfinder
Mercury stations direct at 2:16pm CDT on October 25th
(though the station goes on for 24 hours before and after that exact shift),
just in time to back out of a Cardinal Grand Cross with Uranus Retrograde,
Pluto, and Hygeia before things get too serious. The main goal now is to take some time out during this
weekend, reflect on where your spiritual compass has directed you throughout
this journey, and chart a new course through familiar, though newly understood,
territory.
After an eye-opening sojourn through non-ordinary reality,
Mercury returns to a calmer state of being. In this station, the mental state is restored and Mercury (along
with those channeling him) can pass the knowledge and experiences of that
retrograde on to others, helping them to successfully navigate life. Stability
as well as the benefits associated with Mercury’s usual course are restored as
the planet of communication moves forward again from our perspective.
Release from the
Retrograde Shadow
Almost there!
One last leg of this journey that is often overlooked is the final
shadow period and eventual release.
October will be a month of shadows, for sure. In this shadow period, we are retracing steps our minds have
already covered forward and backward…but this third time, we’re ready for what’s
coming (whatever it may be).
On October 29th, Mercury reconnects with the
North Lunar Node which can, again, lead us to someone who has an important
message for us and can connect us to future goals. Be sure to communicate those goals and best intentions for
future plans on the night of Samhain, because Mercury and Jupiter return to a
sextile (exact the following morning on Nov. 1st) and what you
communicate will grow with abundance.
As far as the rest of the shadow period, much like the
time-which-is-no-time after Samhain, Mercury makes no major aspects again until
after the release (Nov. 10th @ 6:13am CST). The release is when Mercury makes it
past the point of the zodiac where it first stationed retrograde…so at this
point, we’re no longer re-tracing our steps and our minds can move on to new
things.
Have a lovely autumn, an insightful Mercury retrograde, and
a blessed Samhain!
Love and Gratitude,
Felina Lune Kavi
