New Moon in Aries: The Pregnant Pause

 

Art by Claudia Tremblay

New Moon in Aries:  The Pregnant Pause

Moon conjunct Sun- 4/11/21 @ 9:30pm CDT

 

It’s my birthday today.  A new year for me, and a new lunar phase for all of us.  There is something about the New Moon in Aries each year that stirs up the seeds of creation and sets things in motion…even as that lunar motion is imperceptible to our ‘see it to believe it’ views of life. 

Most would never equate the Cardinal Fire energy of Aries with stillness.  There is an initiatory spark to it.  It inspires movement, liveliness, creative action.  And yet, within the silent song of Sun’s exalted rays, there are unseen elements in pregnant pause…growing in meaning before being revealed. 

Venus, who descended into invisibility behind the Sun this February, has only just experienced her Exterior Conjunction with Sun on March 25^th.  She is still transforming in the Underworld before she reveals herself as Evening Star next month.  Like the unseen Moon at this time, the stillness inherent in this pregnant pause is that we cannot yet see what will be birthed from this Aries initiative.  We may be ‘expecting’ new life…but we are in the ‘waiting womb’. 

And it isn’t easy to wait for anything during Aries season…especially while all planets are moving in direct motion.  It isn’t easy to wait for things when you were blessed with Aries energy at your birth either.  There’s always this desire to launch into new endeavors, to blaze a trail, to express boldly from the ‘I Am’ of our existence. 

But the quality of time, the Kairos, we are feeling at this lunar initiation is so weighty and purposeful that even an Aries native will want to take this time to consider the way ahead before jumping into action.  For anyone, it can be fearful to not see the path ahead.  What if we fall into a chasm and the Underworld swallows us?  I mean, that’s extreme…but extremities are part of the larger lesson of these times.  This Aries season confronts us with our own edges, and we must engage the inner strength to pass through them.

The seeds are stirring…but they’re underground.  We need only to shoot our roots down to find support. Tapping into the underneath is crucial to the integrity of what we grow from this beginning.

 

The Aries Stellium and the Plutonian Underworld

Art by Sandara

 

Full-speed-ahead as most other planets are now, Pluto has been slowing down significantly in Capricorn and will station retrograde by April 27^th.  And this already slow-moving outer planet is in a 90 degree square with this New Moon.  But it’s not just the luminaries coming into square with Pluto.  It’s Venus, Persephone, Eris, and Ceres too…all of them in Aries, conjunct our luminaries and squaring off with Pluto at this time.  All we can see of this square in our sky is the brilliance of our shining Sun…but there is so much happening behind the scenes. 

Pluto square Eris is definitely an enduring undercurrent of our times…we already experienced 3 exactions of that square in 2020.  And the next exactions occur surrounding Pluto’s direct station in October this year.  Because both are slow-moving outer planets…they’ve been within the orb of influence with this square for a while and will continue to be as we navigate a time where ‘heavy discord’ that demands purposeful action seems part of the ‘new normal’. 

Less than an hour after New Moon, Venus exacts this square with Pluto.  As Venus’s cycle relates to the mythic storyline of Inanna and Ereshkigal…this Underworld part of Venus’s journey is where Inanna learns the value and meaning of death from the Chthonic Mysteries taught by her older sister, Ereshkigal.  The Queen of the Underworld (Pluto) confronts the Queen of Heaven (Venus) with her own shadows and her own death (Sun conjunct Venus).  And yet, there is a revivification process taking place now.  Ereshkigal has had her redemption for her sister’s involvement in her husband’s death.  She is weary from her own pregnancy with Ninazu and allows the galla to take Inanna’s corpse in her gratitude for their help through her labor.  Now Inanna is redeemed as well by being slowly brought back to life…but there are still a few weeks before her return to the sky (Heliacal Rise of Venus in early May). 

There are many correlations between the Chthonic Mysteries of Inanna and Ereshkigal and the Eleusinian Mysteries of Demeter/Ceres and her daughter Persephone/Kore.  And, at this New Moon, Ceres and Persephone join Venus/Inanna in her Underworld transformation.  All of them are at a turning-point crisis with Pluto/Ereshkigal.  In this turning-point we see the seasonal shifts that these stories reflect.  In the Southern Hemisphere, Ceres is mourning her daughter’s return to the Underworld as this hemisphere experiences the introduction to their colder months.  In the Northern Hemisphere, Ceres is rejoicing in the return of her daughter…and the growth of the warmer months springs forth.  Persephone conjunct Venus at this time really highlights the power of the Queen of the Underworld, and the important decisions she must make in those depths. 

And all of these celestial bodies, along with Eris and our luminaries, are square to Pluto…adding quite a bit of weight to an enduring dynamic echoed from last year.  So while it is a collective Soul Crisis we’ve been moving through for over a year, we may each be feeling it very personally now.  Something is transforming deep within us, and we are pressed to make important decisions that could alter our course.  The planets suggest that, in this process, we don’t disregard the parts that are hidden beneath the surface.  Those are the crucial elements in what we need to process (sometimes from fear into fuel) throughout this lunar month.

Aiding us in this task is a sextile opportunity between this Aries Stellium and Mars in Gemini.  Mars is out-of-bounds from the Sun’s path, and bringing in a rogue energy to guide all that is in Aries into new territory.  Mars has been offering a lot of information to act upon.  And all that is in Aries asks us to move only toward what, of many options, is in integrity with us.  There is also a mutual reception between Mercury in Aries (Mars’s diurnal domicile) and Mars in Gemini (Mercury’s diurnal domicile).  This mutual reception will be growing into a sextile throughout the week ahead, building opportunities to put our ideas (Mercury) into action (Mars). 

Adding to this opportunity is that Jupiter in Aquarius is in harmonious aspect as well, creating a Blessing Triangle with a trine to Mars and a sextile to the Aries Stellium.  Yes, there is a great blessing in all that is stirring within us right now.  We may not see it at first, but we are supported in this Aries initiation.  As with Inanna/Venus…there is promise of new life. 

 

New Moon in Aries 23

Sabian Symbol:  “A woman in pastel colors carrying a heavy and valuable but veiled load.”

'The Blessing' by my friend,
Shannon Bagley Hilson.
Gifted to me when I was pregnant
with my daughter.

 

In this symbol that the luminaries highlight now, there is lightness and heaviness co-present.  In Dane Rudhyar’s interpretation of this symbol, he specifically defines ‘a pregnant woman in a light summer dress’.  The symbol is about inner fulfillment, as well as the weighty value in the task of creating something meaningful.  Both versions of the symbol are protective about what is being carried.  It also suggests that what is currently veiled will soon be revealed.  So, whatever it is that we each are carrying…whether it be an idea still forming within, a new venture awaiting its proper timing, or even a heaviness we are transforming (maybe all of those things and more)…may this Aries New Moon bless us through our Sun’s rays.

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

 

 

 

Full Moon in Libra: Relating with Venus

 

Full Moon in Libra: Relating with Venus

Moon opposite Sun- 3/28/21 @ 1:48pm CDT

 

The Wind Moon is full and near her perigee, meaning she is closer to our Earth.  She is bright and she has a powerful pull.  In Libra, the lunar mood is relational.  Sun and Moon are illuminating the Aries-Libra axis of how one individual relates to another.  Feelings about justice, fairness, and equality are in full light.  We are called to relate with each other and to do some harmonic maintenance in our relationships.

This Full Moon is reflecting the Venusian mood of Cardinal Air.  When fully illuminated in this air sign, Moon communicates the feelings of Venus (currently in Aries) through us.  Just two days ago, Venus was in her Exterior Conjunction with our Aries Sun, and the Libra Full Moon is now giving her voice through the opposition.  She is still in the invisible realms behind Sun, and she is still feeling the intensity of her enduring transformation from Morning to Evening Star.  There are some strong feelings that brought her through her descent from our sky and into the depths to surrender her previous life, and Moon asks us to consider what it feels like to transform the heart.

Photo by Daniel Vasquez

That Morning Star Venus life was birthed in Gemini last summer during her Interior (Retrograde) Conjunction with Sun.  She was born into the excess of information flying about in a peak of pandemic panic, as well as the heightened cries for justice from police brutality protests in the U.S.  What was being communicated was crucial, and both had an underlying message of ‘listen to what is being denied the air to express.’

That July, Gemini Venus reached the height of her Morning Star brilliance and showed us how to care about what we are communicating.  Following that peak, she began her slow descent in our sky…unpacking with us all the information she had accumulated in the mercurial air of Gemini.

Fast forward to today, 9 months later, and Venus is in the liminal stages of another rebirth…this time from young queen to elder queen status.  As she moves forward, and eventually reclaims herself through ascension in our sky…she gains a great deal of wisdom on the matters initiated last summer.  Now in Aries, she will carry that pioneering spirit into her home sign of Taurus for her heliacal rise as Evening Star by early May.  ‘Showing up’ in her Taurus way is the heart’s reclaiming of what is truly of value on Earth.

This transformation is aided by Chiron, met by Sun and Venus in the 9^th degree of Aries at this Full Moon.  This Aries stellium joins together the activating forces of an exalted Sun, the Cosmic Shaman, and the Shamanic Initiation of Venus.  Chiron in the middle of this shows us the healing path as our collective identity transforms.  Chiron’s wise guidance is ‘follow your heart to heal the identity wounds of Humanity within you’. 

 

Astrological Aspect Patterns at this Full Moon

The Kite:  Sun-Chiron-Venus anchor, Grand Trine of Moon, Mars-North Node, and Saturn (Aries, Libra, Gemini, Aquarius)

The harmonious flow of air between Moon, Mars at Moon’s North Node, and Saturn can inspire some ease in communication…especially if we’re actively listening as much as we’re thinking and talking.  The fiery Aries stellium of Sun-Chiron-Venus provides an anchor point to keep this kite from floating away in the wind.  So if we keep a grasp of these creative ideas available to us (Air Grand Trine) from the standpoint of our Aries transformation, we can make good use of our mental flow.

 

The Finger of Gaia Kite:  Moon Apex, Sun-Chiron-Venus anchor, Uranus sextile Pallas base (Libra, Aries, Taurus, Pisces)

Libra Moon is being pointed to by Gaia as the apex of what we must integrate from the opportunity Uranus and Pallas offer us at this time.  Their sextile is a subtle but fortunate offering to revolutionize our strategies moving forward.  They ask us to consider a new and unconventional approach to how we are relating with this Libra Moon energy.  Moon is in quincunx (150 degrees) with both, which makes this integration somewhat uncomfortable but beneficial for our growth.  Again, the Aries Stellium provides an anchor point so that Moon in Libra can better express this subtle opportunity.  Sun-Chiron-Venus reminds us that, through the discomfort, we can heal.

The Magi:  Moon, Saturn, Uranus (Libra, Aquarius, Taurus)

While Libra Moon is in a harmonious trine to Aquarius Saturn and an uncomfortable quincunx with Uranus…Saturn and Uranus are interacting in a dynamic 90 degree square.  This particular fixed square holds the underlying theme of 2021, as it endures throughout the year with 3 exactions.  It is meant to bring some solidity and substance to the changes we’re making this year…but it isn’t easy.  Together with Libra Moon in this triangle (often called a Magi pattern), the Saturn-Uranus necessities of this year are revisited in this Full Moon.  So even though there are some subtle nudges toward harmony and integration at this time, we are also being pressed by the more crucial changes our society must enact.  There is magic in such a combination, as without the dynamics of a square…we might not even pick up on the benefits of the subtler vibrations on the wind.

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

 

New Moon in Pisces: Afloat in the Flow

 

Art from 'Song of the Sea'

New Moon in Pisces:  Afloat in the Flow

Moon conjunct Sun- 3/13/21 @ 4:21am CST

 

The Wind Moon cycle begins with a subtle opportunity to rest in the change from one season to the next.  The call is to listen to the flow of water, within and without.  Our rest is not stationary…it floats and it moves us along in the waves.  Pisces is mutable water, after all, and it allows us to adapt to the fluctuating currents in our environment…whether we find them to be turbulent or peaceful. 

Many of us tap into our own Pisces expressions through listening to music and expanding our internal imagery.  Some of us tap in through a mystical or spiritual connection.  All of us tap into Pisces by our connection to the mutable water within our bodies, as well as our connection to the mutable water of Mother Earth’s body.  Pisces is the everlasting wisdom state that returns us to Source for rebirth.  Though it is also the meandering journey to get there, and the confusion along the way asks us to follow the thread that can fuse it all together.  For humans (a largely detail-oriented species), the Pisces process can feel a bit otherworldly at times, as it often includes forgetting in the process of remembering.

Joining our luminaries in Pisces are the planets Venus and Neptune along with the asteroids Iris and Isis.  Together, they are like a Pisces Pod of Merfolk singing us into Dreamtime through the vast sea of the Unconscious.   What is this Sea Song about? 

Art by Jenny Lee

Venus leads us through lessons of vulnerability as she makes her way to the Exterior Conjunction with Sun by March 26^th.  While the heart is wide open and vulnerable, it is full of courage to face whatever transformation will come from loving.  We are in the last stages of Venus’s release so that she may rise later as Evening Star.  Her part of the Sea Song is bittersweet as she separates from her Morning Star majesty at this midpoint Rite of Passage in her cycle before she can step into her Evening Star wisdom.

Art by Richard Fields

Neptune has been gliding through Piscean waters for 9 years already, basking in the boundlessness of his element.  When met with a stellium of celestial bodies, his mystical nature envelops them.  The Unseen realms are at play.  Things are a bit more like a dream and less defined.  Neptune’s part of the Sea Song is an undercurrent of spiritual connection…like echolocation to help us navigate when things are feeling nebulous and foggy.

Art by Crystal Rose-Thompson

Iris, named after the Rainbow Messenger Goddess, is in between Venus and Neptune.  Her part of the Sea Song communicates, through words that paint a picture, the truth within the dream.  In the same degree of Neptune, Iris has a mitigating effect on the kinds of illusion and deception that often run rampant when Neptune is stirred by transit.  It is not that the illusions have passed, but Iris pours the waters of truth into them so that we may better understand them for what they are.  Since her father was a marine god and her mother was a cloud nymph, Iris is a bridge between water and air…said to collect water from the sea to replenish the rain clouds.  In this way, the sometimes indistinguishable messages from the waters of Pisces can become more clearly communicated through the air.  This reflects the semi-sextile bridge between this Pisces Stellium and Aquarius Jupiter (the traditional ruler of Pisces), offering support even when they can’t quite ‘see’ each other.  Iris also carried water from the River Styx to the Gods as a means to see who lied under oath.  This connection to the Underworld shows that Iris is facilitating communication to and from Venus in her Underworld passage (as Venus’s cycles relate to the mythic storyline of Inanna), bringing hope when all hope seems lost.

Art by Hrana Janto

Isis, named after the Greek version of the name for the Egyptian netert who was the Queen of Magic and Motherhood, is closely conjunct Moon and Sun in this Pisces Stellium.  In Astrology, Isis brings up the kind of powerful magic that can (like the way of Pisces) reassemble disparate parts into the whole.  Her part of this Sea Song amplifies the enchantment to reconnect with what was seemingly lost in our recent past. 

Art by Daniel Vazquez

And in a harmonious sextile to this Pisces Pod, Pluto in Capricorn promises the opportunity for subtle transformation.  As the only remaining member of the Capricorn Council that presided over most of 2020, Pluto continues the long process of breaking down those long-standing structures in our lives that must meet their end.  In the U.S., we are nearing our own Pluto Return which has been applying for a couple years now and will exact throughout 2022.  There is no doubt this grueling transformational process has been underlying our experience in this country since even before the pandemic…but it has been increasingly obvious in the last year.  As we will see, the breakdown to who we are becoming as a nation is still in the first stages of the process.

But at this time, in this New Moon, the subtle opportunity presented requires us all to tap in and make our own personal changes for this lunar cycle.  Underworld as the vibrations are at this time, there is an abundance of harmony in the sky.  We may be stripped down to our essence as we navigate in the dark, but we are well supported in our vulnerability to create meaningful change. 

 

Art by Gert J. Rheeders

Moon and Sun in Pisces 24

Sabian Symbol:  ‘On a small island surrounded by a vast expanse of sea, 

people are living in close interaction’

As we begin this lunar cycle, we may feel somewhat isolated from the rest of the world…not an uncommon feeling in our recent experience.  But what we are finding is that even in our seeming isolation, we have support when we reach out and interact with our community.  This is a mutual support…a reciprocity that allows everyone to thrive through connection.  In this degree, we see the compassion inherent in the way of Pisces forming bonds between people who have a similar experience.  It’s another reiteration of what we have come to realize over the course of a difficult year:  We are all in this together. 

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Full Moon in Virgo: The Wake Up Call

 

Art by Rachel Olynuk

Full Moon in Virgo:  The Wake Up Call

Moon opposite Sun- 2/27/21 @ 2:17am CST

 

Often, the Virgo Full Moon feels like a moment of clarity during Pisces season…where the dreamy light of the Pisces Sun is reflected in the Moon with some Virgo discernment.  It’s a bit of a wake up call…or sometimes more than a bit.

Virgo is the sign of the Priestess, and when the Moon is in this Mercurial Earth sign…she illuminates our habits, rituals, and practices that either serve or no longer serve.  Virgo Moon seeks to cut away what is extraneous and no longer useful, and throws it in the compost to become useful in another way.

This Virgo-Pisces axis we’re feeling now is essentially about service.  It highlights both the mundane (Virgo) and mystical (Pisces) sides of Sacred Service on Earth.  For those who consider themselves spiritual…Virgo Full Moon will invite us to process our beliefs with a critical eye.  This is not a self-serving axis we’re dealing with, so we may be called to examine how our spiritual path is really helping the whole (or if there are pieces that can be extracted from it that are unhealthy in some way).  The way of Virgo, after all, is to find what works and doesn’t work…and to clarify the most efficient way to grow.

For those who don’t consider themselves spiritual in any way (and for those that do as well), there are some very practical things to consider about your own habits and how that effects whatever service you do provide.  What may feel like a ‘nagging’ feeling about what needs to be refined in your life is now seeking some tangible expression.  Virgo Moon gets down to ‘brass tacks’ about things and tends to focus in on what needs some dedicated maintenance.  It’s not the most comfortable feeling, because it usually points out what needs work.

This Full Moon is in harmonious aspect to Uranus in Taurus, amplifying the benefits of engaging with something new and forward-thinking.  At the same time, the sextile between Saturn in Aquarius and Chiron in Aries point the ‘Finger of Gaia’ right at this Full Moon (through 150 degree quincunxes).  This is a call to integrate some structured healing of societal wounds through an uncomfortable growth process.  For those who hear this call, we are more likely to engage in a personal purification process that extracts something that has been perpetuating woundedness in our society.  It may have gone unnoticed for some time.  It may still be difficult to see the whole mess of it.  And yet, the Virgo Moon will highlight a key piece of it for each of us that can be extracted and discarded. 

With Uranus’s influence on this Full Moon, we are drawing up plans for the future.  There is a subtle and beneficial hint here that what we are being called to express now is both original and useful for more than just ourselves.  We might sum it up by considering it as a call for ‘radical integrity’.

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

 

New Moon in Aquarius: Awakening the Quickening Seeds

 

Street Art by Faten Rouissi

New Moon in Aquarius:  Awakening the Quickening Seeds

Moon conjunct Sun- 2/11/21 @ 1:05pm CST

 

The Quickening Moon cycle begins with a powerful stellium of Aquarian emphasis.  The fixed air sign of Aquarius is Saturn’s diurnal domicile, though it is also influenced by Uranian ideals.  And right now, both planets are moving into their first 90 degree square of 2021.  February is introducing us to the Saturn-Uranus dynamics that carry throughout this year in the signs of Aquarius and Taurus.  On a collective level, this illuminates the Crisis of Human Innovation on Earth…as well as the other side of this coin, the Crisis of Natural Law on Societal Systems.  What we are seeing glimpses of now may ultimately show the clash between the technosphere and the biosphere…both of which we are part of, but one is so geared toward us that it largely disregards the rest of life on Earth. 

This Aquarius-Taurus square informs the seed of this lunar cycle with our luminaries square to Mars in Taurus.  Mars is the planet of action, and squares incline necessary action.  This vibration is best used in creative response rather than destructive reaction.   

Essentially, something very practical presses to be done in this Quickening cycle.  It’s simple, but not easy.  Quick as change wants to happen in this Aquarian season, the way of Taurus can be very deliberate in the process.  Mars in Taurus tends to be very hands-on in the creation of things, which means we have to keep a steady pace that our bodies can endure. 

'Star' card from Tarot
of Dreams
by Ciro Marchetti

Still, with Moon, Sun, MercuryRx, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn all in Aquarius…there is a buzz from the collective that urges us to connect with as many opportunities as possible now.  The asteroid Pallas (Athene) is also integral to this Aquarian Aerie, communicating her boundless wisdom through sound strategy while conjunct this New Moon.  We may see a battle playing out on the larger stage (and even internally) between the passionate persistence of Mars in Taurus and the collected foresight of Pallas in Aquarius.  Neither of these warriors are without support in their efforts.  Mars has Uranus on his side, pitching the curveballs that can throw our logic for a loop.  Pallas is strengthened in the shared fixity of purpose between so many planets in Aquarius.  But an overall agreement on priorities may not be the main goal.  It’s really all about taking some form of action that can alleviate the current stress while achieving measured growth. 

 

Moon-Sun in Aquarius 24

Sabian Symbol:  ‘a man, turning his back on his passions, teaches deep wisdom from experience’

Aquarius energy is not without its passions, yet there is often a turning from reliance upon those passions to sharing the knowledge that has come from trial and error.  We have had a pretty difficult past, no doubt.  2020 was full of hard edges for most of us.  There’s hope in the air this year, but we have new challenges and lessons to learn too.  This New Moon in Aquarius, especially as Mercury is retrograde in this sign, is calling for a ‘head check’…possibly even a revision of our Aquarian ideals.  It’s not about ‘what were we thinking?’, it’s about ‘what do we know now?’  Because now we can put that knowledge to constructive use.  With Pallas joining in, we are better able to see the patterns of things and choose the wisest course forward.  In doing so, we can teach by example. 

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius

 

'Free Your Mind' by Catrin Welz-Stein

Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius

1/30/21 – 2/20/21

 

How does Mercury express in Aquarius?

 

Mercury in the fixed air of Aquarius sends messages in waves that connect through networks of people.  This can link us telepathically, often to greater understanding of our social systems.  These days, such a ‘communal bath’ for the collective mind tends to come through the internet (and especially our social media outlets)…where we have the opportunity to instantaneously share our unique gifts as individuals while we connect to our global community. 

The World Wide Web was first introduced to us when Saturn was last in Aquarius, and now that Saturn is in Aquarius again…this invention is approaching its Saturn Return.  When we go through our first Saturn Return (around the age of 29), we are often tasked with the many responsibilities of reaching full-blown adulthood.  It is a Rite of Passage where we must commit to something with newfound maturity and carry it through for the next few decades of our lives.  For us humans, by the age of 29, we have gone through a series of tests where we confront the concept of Authority outside of ourselves, only to return to the Authority within ourselves.  It will be interesting to see how this will play out with the Internet, a non-human entity that humans so often use.  And Mercury in Aquarius will likely be including this as part of the collective retrograde story this time around. 

Of course, any form of connection with community (especially when using your individual gifts for a common goal) is linked to this Mercury in Aquarius energy.  But technological innovation does speed up the process of Group Consciousness.  Keep in mind that this energy does not dissolve our differences to make us just like everyone else.  More often, it combines many unique viewpoints and shares them in ways that inform our world with whatever group dynamics we create together.  So Mercury in Aquarius inclines us to be more consciousof what we’re contributing to the group or community.  We may be asking ourselves, ‘how does this thing that sets me apart from others actually offer something integral to my community?’

 

What is the purpose of a Mercury Retrograde?

 

Mercury, the Messenger, has a gift for storytelling.  The Mercurial function is to spell the message out in various ways to get the point across…usually from point A (let’s say that’s you) to point B (let’s say that’s me).  But in transit, bearing the collective message, sometimes Mercury loops or zig-zags back and forth from point A to point B three times.  It is a message so important that it needs repeating from multiple perspectives.   A Mercury Retrograde expands the message into a 3-part storyline.    

From my view as an Astrology Writer, Mercury’s first direct pass of the coming retrograde degrees is the Prologue of the story.  During this time (January 15-30), Mercury introduces us to the world and the main characters of the story.  There are hints of what is to come, but much of the detail is left out.  Mercury catches our attention, and promises to reveal more throughout the retrograde.  It is a time where, because we were speeding along in our everyday lives, Mercury invites us to slow down and pay attention to something we all zipped past without giving much time for thought.

Mercury Retrograde, the heart of the story, is the Deep Think we all need (multiple times a year).  This part of the story begins during Mercury’s station…when our Messenger planet appears to slow down to a halt and change directions in our sky.  This, of course, only appears so from our view on Earth…which is why these messages are so poignant to us Earthlings.  Mercury is also closer to us in proximity during retrogrades, so it feels more like an intimate Storytime for all of us.  And the closer the degrees to our natal storyline by dynamic aspect, the more we take in the story as it inspires us on a personal level. 

Because this is true, it means that the lessons contained within each retrograde storyline are not always so specific to us.  But they will be specific and personal to many…so the more we interact with others during this time, the more we can learn of the message.  Contrary to popular belief, Mercury Retrograde is not a time to hide under a rock and cease all communications.  Our connections bring out more meaning to the story.  However, there is definitely an inward journey happening during any retrograde.  And with Mercury as the guide, there is great potential to shift our inward thought patterns into unexplored territory. 

Throughout this apparent backtrack through what was hinted at in Mercury’s Prologue, every aspect (new or repeated) is given a fuller description.  There is time to go deeper and develop a different perspective on the story.  It becomes more meaningful to us…just as a reader falls in love with or increasingly identifies with a character.  We become more engaged with the story.  We are immersed in it.  Mercury has a multitude of gifts for keeping our attention stimulated throughout. 

Within the Retrograde storyline, there is an Interior Conjunction between Sun and Mercury that plants the new thoughtseed within each of us that grows, gives, and composts through the rest of Mercury’s cycle.  In a way, this is the main point of the retrograde…to finish one cycle of thought so another can replace it.  However, the Retrograde story doesn’t end here.

The Retrograde concludes when Mercury carries our awareness all the way back to the degree where we missed something important as the Prologue began.  This happens during Mercury’s direct station.  The Messenger planet once again slows down to a halt and shifts directions…but not before pointing us to a priceless message we need to retrieve and integrate for ourselves.

The Epilogue, where Mercury describes the events in the story after all plotlines are revealed, is the 2^nd direct pass of the degrees Mercury has traveled thrice.  During this time (2/20 – 3/12), we are offered an opportunity to integrate the meaning of this story into our lives.  The events that play out during the epilogue are signals on how to move forward with what we retrieved of the meaning. 

 

How do I know if this Retrograde relates to me personally?

 

Not everyone speaks the language of Astrology, I get that.  There are ways to learn these things…but most prefer to just consult an Astrologer for such advice.  That is my job, and I love it.  However, I was born in the Aries season so I also tend to champion the way of self-reliance.  If you’d rather learn to fish, I’m willing to teach that.  But since I have a mixed group of readers and clients (from novices to professionals), I’ll include more detail than the general information.  I was born at Mercury Cazimi (the Exterior Conjunction of Sun and Mercury) after all, so ‘show and tell’ is a big part of my personal toolkit. 

If you are familiar enough with your natal chart, you can first look to the part of your chart where Aquarius 12 – 27 is.  This will show you the area of life (the Astrological House) where this story will be set.  For example, this retrograde takes place in my 10^th House…the House of Career and Public Contribution.  Then you may notice if you have any planets or angles in this part of your natal chart.  If you do, you will have some distinctly personal lessons throughout this time.  If you don’t have anything in this part of Aquarius, as it is in my case, you’ll see the lessons playing out by other aspects with your natal chart. 

The next thing to look for is whether you have natal planets or angles in any of the other fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio) between 12 – 27 degrees.  It is likely that you do.  So, in this case, Mercury will bring up dynamic square aspects (to Taurus or Scorpio) or a tense balancing act with your personal Leo lessons.  For me, it’s all about the squares to my Taurus Ascendant-Chiron and my Scorpio Moon-Ceres.  In fact, there will be a square between Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius and Mars in Taurus on Feb. 10 that will highlight my exact Ascendant degree.  At that time, I’ll no doubt be pressed to take communicative action in some way.

For those who have it relatively easy, and Mercury is not making any dynamic aspects to your natal energies, you may find trines or sextiles to natal planets in other air or fire signs (Aries, Gemini, Libra, or Sagittarius).  In that rare case of only harmonious aspects, you may find you float along during this time with a great deal of ease where nothing pushes you to engage with this story.  It is possible, then, that you will be the one who falls asleep during this Storytime and you miss the message.  Or, if you do respond to the creative flow and the opportunities this story presents for you, a lot of good can come from your participatory engagement.  Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn, and Pisces are the parts of your chart that might not relate to the Mercury Retrograde storyline much at all (as they are non-aspects to Aquarius)…but it is highly unlikely that everything in your chart is only in those signs. 

And if you want to get really Astro-geeky with me, you may find my outline of Mercury’s retrograde journey to be useful for timing purposes.  I’ve included Sabian Symbols of the degrees that will be highlighted throughout as well…which can give you some clues to the story’s action. 

Keep in mind that the degrees listed are rounded up.  So, where this whole Mercury journey begins in 11.01 Aquarius, it is considered the 12^th degree of Aquarius. 

 

1/15 – 1/30:  Mercury’s Prologue (AQU 12 – 27)

          1/20:  Aquarius Mercury trine Gemini North Node (part 1) (AQU/GEM 20)

Mercury-  ‘a white dove bearing a message’

North Lunar Node-  ‘a cafeteria’

South Lunar Node-  ‘men cut ice for summer use’

1/30:  Mercury stations retrograde (AQU 27)

‘An ancient pottery bowl filled with violets’

1/30 – 2/20:  Mercury’s Retrograde in Aquarius (AQU 27 – 12)

          2/8:  Interior Conjunction of Sun-Mercury (AQU 21)

‘a woman, disappointed and disillusioned, courageously faces a seemingly empty life’

          2/10:  Aquarius MercuryRx trine Gemini North Node (part 2) (AQU/GEM 19)

MercuryRx-  ‘a forest fire quenched’

North Lunar Node-  ‘a large archaic volume reveals traditional wisdom’

South Lunar Node-  ‘pelicans seek safer areas to raise their young’

          2/10:  Aquarius MercuryRx square Taurus Mars (AQU/TAU 18)

                     MercuryRx-  ‘a man’s secret motives are being publicly unmasked’

Mars-  ‘a woman airing an old bag through an open window’

          2/13:  MercuryRx conjunct Venus (AQU 15)

                     ‘two lovebirds on a fence’

          2/14:  MercuryRx conjunct Jupiter (AQU 14)

                     ‘a train entering a tunnel’

2/20:  Mercury stations direct (AQU 12) ‘People on a vast staircase, graduated upwards’

2/20 – 3/12:  Mercury’s Epilogue (AQU 12 – 27)

          3/2:  Aquarius Mercury trine Gemini North Node (part 3) (AQU/GEM 16)

                     Mercury-  ‘a big businessman at his desk’

                     North Lunar Node- ‘a woman activist in an emotional speech’

                     South Lunar Node- ‘seagulls fly around a ship in expectation of food’

          3/4:  Mercury conjunct Jupiter (AQU 18)

                     ‘a man’s secret motives are being publicly unmasked’

 

 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi