Mercury Retrograde in Libra: The Story of Relating (Part Two, The Retrograde Story)

 

Hermes Trismegistus

Mercury Retrograde in Libra: The Story of Relating

(Part Two, The Retrograde Story)

 

When Mercury, the Messenger planet, stations retrograde…the Collective Mind pauses, focuses on a message we can’t fully comprehend just yet, then slowly shifts into a backwards loop to retrieve some important pieces we overlooked in the past weeks. 

This is how the Retrograde Story begins.  It can be a bit bewildering at first, since we don’t know yet how this story will play out.  We only know we’re going back through time to piece it all together, and that a new understanding will unfold from this journey.

And what does pausing and shifting the Collective Mind look like in our human lives on Earth?  Is it upsets in schedules, mechanical and electronic issues, and communication breakdowns?  Sometimes.  We humans tend to live in a hurried pace.  Many of us don’t pause to slow down that pace until something happens to make us ‘hold our horses’, either begrudgingly or willingly. 

Mercury gives us this retrograde reason to break from our usual mindset more often than any other planet.  The frequency and saturation of these Mercury Retrograde lessons on stillness and reflection make Mercury’s retrogrades the most effective at getting a message across to our hard-to-change human minds.

But can we survive a Mercury Retrograde without these complications that are given so much lip-service during these times?  Yes.  Do we need to hide away for a few weeks to avoid all the hullaballoo that could happen?  No.  That would be missing the point of the Retrograde Storyline.  Especially in the Air signs, as is the Mercury Retrograde theme of this year, we really only get the point of this story through interactions with others.  Will everything, and everyone, make logical sense?  No, not in the ways we’re used to.  It’s probably best to not expect things to adhere to what we tend to think of as logic.  Look at things more symbolically, and you might get a better grasp of what these interactions mean to show you.

So, plan your things…just leave some room in your schedule for re-scheduling.  Leave plenty of room to accommodate reflection, recollection, and revision.  It is true what we Astrologers say about doing those “re-“ words during retrogrades.  Check things twice…maybe even thrice…just to be sure the idea you have is sound.  It’s when we rush through things that we get those more unpleasant setbacks.  And understand that the more people you interact with during this time, the more you’ll notice things not going as planned.  But then, the more people you interact with during this time, the more opportunity you have to receive important messages from Mercury that will help in moving forward after this journey. 

 

The Retrograde Story (9/27 to 10/18)

9/27:  Mercury Stations Retrograde (LIB 26)

         Sabian Symbol- ‘an eagle and a large white dove turn one into the other’

Story:  How does one balance the yang of the Mind (Mercury) with the yin of the Heart (Venus) for these Venusian Air lessons of Libra?  Mercury asks us to pause here and consider this blending.  We don’t have to figure it all out just yet…it is something we’ll return to again at the beginning of November.  And in order to integrate it then, we’ll be shifting with Mercury to review what has already been covered…this time in a deeper way.

10/1:  MercuryRx square PlutoRx (LIB-CAP 25)

         Sabian Symbol- ‘information in the symbol of an autumn leaf’

Story:  As Heraclitus once said, ‘the only constant is change’.  Within the symbol of the autumn leaf, we find the necessity of letting go.  There has been something on our minds that needs to transform, but there is also an inner crisis as we cling to what we’ve known with some last grasps. The message here is that a change of mind is no easy process…it requires us to give something up, something that has run its course.  It requires surrender to whatever may follow as we release ourselves into the winds of change.  This Pluto square is one of the most difficult lessons within this Mercury Retrograde story…as our minds will want to resist it.  In fact, many of us have been struggling with that resistance already for several days.  But what Mercury and Pluto are teaching us, through this enduring dynamic, is that the deepest changes are so often beyond our control…beyond whatever decisions we make.  Maybe you’ve been struggling with a difficult decision?  And maybe it doesn’t feel any more comfortable to hear that no matter what you decide, the course of transformation has already been set.  Try your best to relax into it…release your desire to control the outcome…remind yourself of the beauty in the fallen leaf.

10/3:  MercuryRx trine JupiterRx (LIB-AQU 23)

         Sabian Symbol- ‘Chanticleer’s voice heralds the sunrise’

Story:  As we return to this flowing air trine, we are greeted with some much-needed good news.  Perhaps letting go wasn’t such a bad idea after all.  A new day dawns on us, and the Dark Night of the Soul experience of the previous square begins to lift and lighten up a bit.  As we move out of the grips of mental crisis, new opportunities arise before us.  It won’t hurt us to be optimistic.  A new outlook is on the horizon.

10/9:  Sun-MercuryRx Interior Conjunction, conjunct Mars (LIB 17)

         Sabian Symbol- ‘a retired sea captain’

Story:  ‘New Mercury’ begins this next synodic cycle in a stellium with Sun and Mars…revealing a new idea that will grow within each of us in different ways throughout the next few months.  The retired life of the sea captain in this Retrograde Story is much different than the action he once knew.  He now has more time to reflect and learn to appreciate a slower pace as he winds down in his elder years.  He’s full of adventurous story, weathered wisdom, and a great deal of bravery.  Now he is learning how to channel all of that experience into a softer, Libran, way of life.  He is, of course, used to hard edges, acting quickly in crisis situations, and being in command of others.  But he, too, has had to let go of much of that to interact in cooperation with new surroundings, new people, new ways of living.  He is learning to relax into this new state of being.  Can we, too, find peace of mind?

10/16:  MercuryRx sextile Venus (LIB-SAG 11)

         Sabian Symbol- ‘a professor peering over his glasses’

Story:  For the next few days, Mercury pauses here to reflect on this helpful conversation with Venus, the ruler of Libra (and so, Mercury’s teacher…as he teaches us).  As he arrives at the final degree of this Retrograde Story, Mercury looks up from the Book of Libra Mysteries and sees Venus in Sagittarius.  She reminds him of the lineage of teachers who have lived their lives relaying the wisdom of relationship.  As they establish this helpful rapport between them, this sextile might bring helpful teachers of relationship from our past.  Quotes or memories, symbols or sightings may arise that remind each of us how far we’ve come in our own experiences of relating with others.  What helpful understandings have we learned along our way?  As Venus moves along from this beneficial conversation, Mercury peers over his glasses now at us and takes a pause before stationing direct to wrap up this story with an epilogue.  What have we learned now from this Retrograde journey through Libra?  Did you retrieve a piece of wisdom from your past during this time?  You’ll be bringing it forward to integrate it through relationship in the coming weeks. 

 

Art by Pierre Nolasque Bergeret

You see, the moral of this story is that each of us is the student but also the teacher when it comes to relationship.  Just as the retired sea captain is learning new ways of relating to the world but has so much wisdom of experience to teach to others, so are we.  After Mercury stations direct on the 18^th, we begin to reconcile what we have learned of relating with what we are learning still.  With Heart and Mind in cooperation, we can teach peace by our example.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

 

P.S. Click this link for a recap of ‘Part One, the Prologue’

 

 

Mercury Retrograde in Libra: The Story of Relating (Part One, The Prologue)

 

Mercury Retrograde in Libra:  The Story of Relating

Prologue- 9/6 to 9/27 (LIB 11-26)

Retrograde Story:  9/27 to 10/18 (LIB 26-11)

Epilogue:  10/18 to 11/2 (LIB 11-26)

 

 

Part One:  Mercury’s Prologue (9/6 to 9/27)

 

Mercury, the planet of communication and the Messenger God, connects with us through storytelling. Communicating the immediate story, of the many tricks in Mercury’s medicine bag, is one of the most effective ways of reaching us Earth Children…as most of us were raised to be present for Storytime.  

But as we age out of our earliest wisdom, we don’t always pay attention to the magic in the story anymore, do we?  Well, some of us do.  And it’s one of many reasons people love Astrology (a system of symbols, archetypes, and vibrations that tells the Cosmic Story).  Still, even as we’re looking up, it has to apply to the experience of our physical matter…on the ground, in daily practice.  And that’s where the Cosmic Story gets very personal and specific to each individual.  Yet there are themes that apply to all of us, which we meet in varying degrees of expression.  This way of conveying requires Mercury to meet us closer to Earth (and frequently enough that we learn to pay attention).  And a retrograde is when planets in our Cosmic Neighborhood are closer in proximity to us.  So each Mercury Retrograde, which occurs at least thrice a year, has a very noticeable effect…inviting us to sit for a spell on the ‘magic carpet’ and listen to Storytime with Mercury. 

The larger Mercurial theme of this year is focused on the Air element.  First, we learned this element through the Fixed Air (Aquarius) story…where we learned more about communicating community in our societies.  Then we got the Mutable Air (Gemini) story…where we learned more about communicating ideas in our local space.  And now, we’re settling in for the Cardinal Air (Libra) story…where we will learn more about communicating reciprocity through partnership.  In the Air element, the theme of Mercury’s Storytime focuses on the mental and social expression of living on Earth.  Mercury invites us to really think about our thoughts, ideas, and how to gather and convey that information. 

In each Mercury Retrograde season, Mercury is ending one cycle to begin a new one at Interior Conjunction with Sun.  As we near the end of one cycle, hints of a new story emerge.  This time can be considered the Prologue that leads us into the Retrograde Story.  Mercury is still in direct motion during this time…at first, still zipping through the degrees it will return to, but then slowing down in them and stationing at a point we’ll only be ready to grasp once the story concludes.

Art by Vladimir Kush

Mercury’s already been introducing us to this story through Prologue since the day of the New Moon (9/6).  The aspects Mercury makes with other planets are introduced as relevant to the story…but most of these characters and their lessons return with greater detail during the Retrograde Story (and then their full story arc is integrated during the Epilogue that follows Mercury’s direct station).  So, what does Mercury’s Prologue have to say about the coming retrograde?  We’ll look at the dates, aspects, degrees, symbols, and other useful hints of these weeks we’re currently moving through. 

 

9/6:  Mercury begins the Prologue (LIB 11)

          Sabian Symbol:  ‘a professor peering over his glasses’

Story:  Are you paying attention, students?  Mercury has something important to convey about relating.  It’s time to close the textbook (and put your phones away).  Be present for this story, as it ties together the lessons we’ve been learning and the upcoming lesson.

9/7:  Mercury opposite ChironRx (LIB-ARI 12)

          Sabian Symbol: ‘miners emerging from a mine’

Story:  The story begins by pointing out how the wounds of selfhood create tension within relationships.  Though this aspect with ChironRx will not be covered again in the story, it holds a clue for what we’ll be returning to.  Perhaps we thought we excavated the gift within this wound…we emerged from this alignment thinking we found something valuable from the depths.  But Mercury’s Retrograde will have us returning to this mine again because there is something important there that we missed. 

9/12:  Mercury in LIB 17

          Sabian Symbol:  ‘a retired sea captain’

Story:  Mercury’s first introduction to the degree of the coming Sun-Mercury conjunction reveals the main character of this story.  Here we get a hint of the idea we’ll be growing throughout the next few months.  The retired sea captain has seen a lot of action through his years, but there is now a mental shift into relaxation and appreciating the more subtle experiences of life.  He is weathered, but strong in the wisdom of his experiences.  But now he must learn to relate with others in a much slower pace.

9/13:  Mercury’s Maximum Elongation (Evening)

Story:  Mercury begins to slow down significantly throughout the rest of the prologue.  This brings increasing focus to our minds, so that we may more easily shift with Mercury into the coming retrograde journey.  If we’re feeling like this story needs to move along and pick up the pace, that’s a clue that we’re not paying attention.  In this case, Mercury in the guise of the Professor will make note of that…and provide us with a stronger lesson later (maybe even a pop quiz).  Essentially, some can pick up on subtle social cues…but many need things to be more obvious. 

9/20:  Mercury trine JupiterRx (LIB-AQU 24)

          Sabian Symbol: ‘a third wing on the left side of a butterfly’

Story:  We may have witnessed something extraordinary during this Full Moon in Pisces.  Maybe it appeared as good news, a creative message, or any kind of amplification of a unique idea.  Whatever it was, consider it a gift to uplift you through some of the harder lessons to come.  There will be more of this friendly, harmonious vibration to come.

9/22:  Mercury square PlutoRx (LIB-CAP 25)

          Sabian Symbol: ‘information in the symbol of an autumn leaf’

Story:  Just as leaves wither and fall from the tree to the Earth, we all head toward our own death transformations.  The difference between what story the autumn leaf tells, and the story we humans are conditioned to believe about death, is that there is no fear and no finality in the seasonal wisdom of the leaf.  We may face a crisis point during each iteration of this square, maybe even a ‘communication breakdown’, where it feels that ‘something’s gotta give’ so we can transform from one way of thinking to a new one.  But there is deep work involved in this process, and there is no better alternative than to surrender to a necessary change of mind. 

9/27:  Mercury’s Prologue concludes at retrograde station (LIB 26)

          Sabian Symbol:  ‘an eagle and a large white dove turn one into the other’

Story:  How does one balance the yang of the Mind (Mercury) with the yin of the Heart (Venus) for these Venusian Air lessons of Libra?  Mercury asks us to pause here and consider this blending.  We don’t have to figure it all out just yet…it is something we’ll return to again at the beginning of November.  And in order to integrate it then, we’ll be shifting with Mercury to review what has already been covered…this time in a deeper way.

 

Art by Pierre Nolasque Bergeret

Here is a glimpse into the rest of the story to come…

 

Retrograde Story (9/27 to 10/18)

9/27:  Mercury Stations Retrograde (LIB 26)

10/1:  MercuryRx square PlutoRx (LIB-CAP 25)

10/3:  MercuryRx trine JupiterRx (LIB-AQU 23)

10/9:  Sun-MercuryRx Interior Conjunction (LIB 17)

10/9:  MercuryRx conjunct Mars (LIB 17)

10/16:  MercuryRx sextile Venus (LIB-SAG 11)

 

Epilogue (10/18 to 11/2)

10/18:  Mercury Stations Direct (LIB 11)

10/25:  Mercury’s Maximum Elongation (Morning)

10/27:  Mercury in LIB 17

10/31:  Mercury trine Jupiter (LIB 23)

11/2:  Mercury square Pluto (LIB 25)

11/2:  Mercury finishes Epilogue (LIB 26)

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Full Moon in Pisces: Dissolving Frustration with Forgiveness

 

Art by Jennifer H.

Full Moon in Pisces:  Dissolving Frustration with Forgiveness

Moon opposite Sun- 9/20/21 @ 6:55pm CST

 

A couple days before the September Equinox, the Full Moon in Pisces reminds us of the beauty in the balance of Moon and Sun, night and day.  When we are balancing opposites, there is a tension present that requires us to maintain that balance...to do the work of becoming centered in the midst of polarities. 

As Pisces Moon fully reflects light from Virgo Sun, that energy of definition is illuminated as its opposite…fusion.  And in some cases, it feels a bit like con-fusion…as Pisces works to blend seemingly disparate parts into a whole, and this is not an easy task when humans have become so used to separation.  But the illumination shows that it is both our diversity and our oneness, the balance of both, that creates the expression of Spirit within Matter. 

The Sabian Symbol for this Full Moon is “light breaking into many colors as it passes through a prism”.  This process is symbolic of our own process of differentiation we go through in life.  We are, before conceived, unified with source light.  We are brought to Earth through the womb of our mother (the prism), and then shaped through that process into our individual expression (a rainbow of different colors, expressing different angles of deviation).  We do not lose the source light, but we reflect it in many different ways.  Essentially, there is no real separation from the Universe…only one of human perception.  We go from unity to multi-unity…where we express our Divine Spark in a multitude of ways. 

Aiding us in this Full Moon expression is a trine (3^rd Harmonic aspect) between the two traditional rulers of the Virgo-Pisces axis, Mercury and Jupiter…one of the aspects that Mercury makes three times because of the coming retrograde.  In the air signs of Libra and Aquarius, these two planets communicate some good news.  For this Full Moon, that good news highlights a harmonious blend of the differences between Virgo and Pisces.  And though the two planets are not in signs that can be seen from the Virgo-Pisces axis, there is still a subtle hint that calls us to make adjustments and find this harmony.

This Full Moon is also conjunct Neptune Retrograde, illuminating one last look at what Neptune’s Solar Opposition has revealed to us.  At that solar opposition (9/14), energy was dispersed in a multitude of directions…often having the effect of exhaustion from scattered focus.  But Neptune in Pisces also helps us to integrate it all back to oneness…like drops of rain coming back to the sea.  In such integration, boundaries are meant to dissolve and definition becomes blurred and blended.  So yes, what would otherwise seem more clearly described in Virgo season has been a bit hazy.  You may still feel remnants of this Neptune effect…but this Full Moon reveals an opportunity to work with dissolution for current agitations. 

As another part of the diversity of vibrations at this Full Moon, Scorpio Venus applies an opposition to Taurus Uranus Retrograde.  In this opposition, our ways of relating may feel a bit strained or tense.  This is especially true on the global scale, but if you’re feeling this aspect yourself, it may bring up some range of social anxiety…as the vibration can be a bit unsettling.  Or, perhaps a new way of relating is inviting you to experiment.  It can also bring up the excitement of new relationships, urges to bring the unexpected into existing relationships, or anything that suddenly awakens the heart to new insights. At any rate, this opposition will test our ability to maintain balance between what needs (or wants) to change and what we deeply desire to immerse ourselves in. 

But this Full Moon is in challenging aspects to the Venus-Uranus opposition, through a sesquiquadrate and a semi-square.  These aspects are of the 8^th Harmonic, which is similar to the 4^th Harmonic of the square but without the imperative of a definite turning point.  8^th Harmonic aspects bring a similar friction and agitation, but an outlet for the challenge is less apparent.  Through transit, it feels like frustrations that we just need to sit with before they work themselves out.  Choosing to move the frustration into action through anger will only lead to that anger reverberating back to ourselves and causing more problems.  Sometimes we just have to examine our frustrations, uncomfortable as it can be. 

At this time, we may feel the unsettling urge to break out of what we’ve been used to in our relationships and bring in some new life through connection.  After all, separation through social distance has been a long-running theme for many of us….but it may have also brought up some habitual ruts in our closest relationships that now have our more penetrating focus upon them.  We may feel like we’d rather just cut loose and go out with our friends to blow off some steam…but something more crucial is pulling us in to be addressed. 

Moon’s septile (7^th Harmonic) to Saturn Retrograde suggests that focusing in and committing to the inner work required right now, which may require some sacrifice, is helpful in all these scattered energies.  This septile is an invitation to use any moments of stillness that arise to meditate or reflect on what has been frustrating you. 

The sextile (6^th Harmonic) from this Full Moon to Pluto Retrograde shows an opportunity to go deep.  Rediscover your inner power to endure more gradual evolution in the midst of our current desire for immediate change.  There’s something in the underbelly of it all that reveals a blessing to us…likely a clue to how we can work with the Mercury-Pluto square that Mercury’s Retrograde will bring us through thrice over the coming weeks.  Communicating through crises may be a recurring theme as we near the end of this month through the beginning of next, but in this moment we are invited to tap into our power to endure the changes of season. 

Immediate satisfaction of your desires may not be readily apparent…but this, too, shall pass.  With Neptune’s influence still present…it may even help to create something abstract from this space.  Title it ‘Frustration’ or something similar and move on to the real inner work behind the feeling.  You’ll want to have brought in some kind of balance as we move into the Equinox…so that you can maintain that balance as the Venus-Uranus opposition reaches exaction (9/23) and Mercury stations retrograde in Libra (9/27). 

'Deliberation' by Mario Sanchez Nevado

So as we prepare for a new season, work on dissolving your frustrations by just being with them.  Practice the Piscean wisdom of compassionate forgiveness that is inherent within us all.  Forgive yourself for what feels out of alignment within you, and forgive others as they are going through their own lessons of integrating what has become scattered as well. 

'Forgiveness' by Mario Sanchez Nevado

There’s a lot going on, and there’s a lot to work with in the near future.  Be gentle with yourself and others.  Contrary to popular belief, the lesson of Virgo season isn’t about perfection.  It’s about practice. 

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

New Moon in Virgo: Re-orientation to Systemic Renovation

 

Art by Julie Heffernan

New Moon in Virgo:  Re-orientation to Systemic Renovation

Moon conjunct Sun- 9/6/21 @ 7:51pm CDT

 

While 2020 was a year marked by endings and beginnings, 2021 has been marked by our responses to those changes.  With 3 squares of Saturn and Uranus throughout this year (exact in February, June, and another one to come in December), the clash between how things have been and how we must change our trajectory for the future is the defining dissonance of our times. 

Now, with 7 degrees of separation between the last Saturn-Uranus square, this New Moon is aspecting those planets in ways that highlight adaptability to change.  The New Moon is in a flowing trine to Uranus, amplifying more ease in the ways we are changing with the changes.  Maybe we are so used to the unexpected by now that, instead of remaining in long periods of shock, we’re finding better ways to ground and re-orient ourselves to respond. 

The New Moon is also in a bi-quintile with Saturn.  This 5^th Harmonic connection is one of resourcefulness…where the New Moon seed of this cycle is blessed with an ability to tap into the hard knocks of Retrograde Saturn’s re-structuring and create something useful. 

There is a lot of creative ingenuity being seeded at this time…and we’re going to need it as this lunar cycle progresses.  You might be feeling it as a very Virgo call to re-organize some area of your life.  With so many outer planets retrograde at this time (and Mercury just entering the degrees where it will retrograde in Libra from 9/27 to 10/18), the Cosmic Clean-Up Crew is in full effect.  The ‘Structural Innovations’ that define the Saturn-Uranus squares of this year are now focused more under the surface of what is changing.  In light of these retrogrades, ‘Systemic Renovation’ is key right now. 

Supporting these efforts, Libra Mercury (the ruler of this Virgo New Moon) is in a harmonious Grand Air Trine with Saturn Retrograde (Aquarius) and Ceres (Gemini).  This combination amplifies the benefits of communicating (Mercury) what needs work (Saturn) and what needs to be nurtured (Ceres).  And the opposition between Aries Chiron and Libra Mercury anchors all that air energy into some thoughtful healing between Self (Aries) and Other (Libra). 

 

Moon and Sun in Virgo 15

Sabian Symbol- ‘an ornamental handkerchief’

 

Imagine a family heirloom with a rich history…in this case, a handkerchief passed hand-to-hand down a lineage of ancestors.  The delicate beauty of antique lace has been preserved through the care of a family who grew to know the meaning it held. 

Such an item might seem a bit far-removed from our modern sense of Virgo efficiency.  What real use do we have for an ornamental handkerchief these days?  Such a thing might just be kept in a box or, at best, used as decoration in the home.  But there was a time when handkerchiefs were a multi-purpose item to carry.  They were used for cleaning hands, face, teeth, and wiping away sweat or tears.  And the more delicate, ornamental variety was used to apply perfume, greet someone, and even to signal to a gentleman that you would like to meet with him or given to him as a token of affection. 

Consider the stories this heirloom carries, like a faint but long-kept scent of memories.  Perhaps a daughter received it from her mother on her deathbed.  Perhaps that daughter tied it to the sacred tree at a clootie well when she wanted to speak with her mother each year after.  Perhaps the handkerchief has traveled overseas and through many lands to be in your hands now.  

Whatever wisdom you hold, passed down through your ancestors, has gone through many adaptations over time.  Yet it preserves an everlasting truth:  there is necessity for meaningful connection between Earthly beings. 

 

Such connections are mirrored in our Living Sky.  Not only do the celestial bodies connect with each other in their ongoing dance…but we on Earth feel those vibrations and respond to them too.  Ages of meaning have been preserved within the Astrology of our connection between Earth and Sky, and yet the stories are adapted for our time.  New Moon in Virgo asks that the heirloom knowledge contained in this cycle seed be used to sustain us through the necessary changes of this year. 

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi