Future’s Echo – Mercury Enters Shadow Phase

Mercury’s shadow phase begins in Pisces on Monday, and that tells you two things. First, Mercury will station retrograde soon, on March 12, in Aries. The start of Mercury’s shadow, or alternatively, echo phase, also means that Mercury will return to its Monday position on April 4 to resume direct motion. In other words, Mercury entering its shadow phase is an echo from the future with reliable information about what has not yet taken place.

Astrology by Len Wallick

In your life, even a little symbolic information about what to expect could be useful, and that’s the point of working with this astrology. Astrology is a system that observes the motion of Sun, Moon and other objects in the sky, converts those observations into symbols and corresponds the symbols to what takes place in your life.

It is very much like using a map and compass. The symbols on the map cannot predict what will happen as you travel and the compass cannot tell you where to go, but both tools can help you understand where you are and assist your planning should you choose to move from where you are. Traveling from one place to another and the means to get you there are among the things in your life symbolized by Mercury.

Mercury is a hot rock orbiting the Sun. In astrology, its archetype includes transportation, communication, and means of conversion or conveyance. The archetype works pretty well. For many, the gateway into astrology is through their own observation that automobiles, bank accounts and electronic devices become problematic in correlation with Mercury’s retrograde motion. That, in turn, leads to a useful understanding of what retrograde motion actually is.

Actual objects orbiting the Sun never actually shift into reverse. Retrograde motion is a product of perception. We do not perceive our planet moving, so when Mercury catches up to pass us from the inside lane, it just looks like it’s slowing down and going backwards. One thing that is not a matter of perspective is the regularity with which Mercury retrograde takes place, because that observation corresponds to fact.

Earth takes one year to orbit the Sun. Mercury completes about three orbits in the same period of time. Hence, three retrograde periods in most years. That makes for a predictable cycle. The predictability makes it possible to expand the cycle to include the echo phases because we know ahead of time how far back Mercury’s apparent retrograde will take it before we perceive it as moving forward again. We also know how long it will take to return to the point where the apparent reverse commenced. One great discovery of astrology is that Mercury’s archetype as it is expressed in your life corresponds to its periodic positions and predictable cycles. That discovery allows you to use Mercury retrograde as you would a map and compass.

Your life has its own cycles, but the patterns are rarely as predictable as planetary motion. That’s because you don’t observe your life from a distance, you participate with your reality in your life’s creation. Your reality is everything you are aware of, including objects in the sky. Awareness is connection and that means you are connected with Mercury. 

Given the distance between you and Mercury, the connection is not substantially physical. Your life would not be much different if Mercury suddenly did not exist. Since your awareness of Mercury is largely through observation of its motion, your connection with it corresponds to its cycles. In other words, on some level, through your awareness, your life’s cycles are connected with Mercury’s. In order to use that synchronization as a tool, we need to examine how Mercury’s symbolism changes with its position and motion.

The archetype of a planet is expressed through the sign it occupies in much the same way you are expressed by the clothing you wear. Among other things, Mercury symbolizes the ways and means of information and motion. When Mercury is in Pisces, those ways and means may not move or inform so well because Pisces is not the best fit through which to express that energy. A retrograde beginning in Pisces adds an extra level of complexity. That’s because retrogrades tend to show us the flip side of a planet.

The flip side of anything is not inherently bad, it’s just different. Different is a challenge because it requires adjustment. The type of adjustment that the flip side of Mercury requires entails taking extra care to be aware. Mercury retrograde is not time to go through your life on cruise control or automatic pilot. It is a time to pay attention to where you are and what you are doing. It is a time to plan ahead and have contingency plans ready if the preferred course of action will not work. Finally, Mercury retrograde is a cue to take responsibility and refrain from blaming the map or the compass. The echo phase is when you begin to hear what is coming.

Those of you who observe and correlate the weather with your own senses (as opposed to relying on a weather report) know the signs when the weather is about to change. The echo phase before a retrograde begins is very much like that. Since the impending Mercury retrograde will begin and end in Pisces, a mutable water sign ruled by Neptune (and Jupiter, before the discovery of Neptune) you can use that symbolic information to anticipate the adjustments you will need to make as you enter the shadow period. Check the fluid levels in your automobile. Keep a bag of dry brown rice handy in case your personal electronic device falls in the sink. Double check your e-mails for emotional content before you press the send icon. Also, remember that this will be a two-toned retrograde.

The echo phase preceding this impending Mercury retrograde will begin in Pisces, but the latter part will be in Aries, beginning on March 2. The latter part of the shadow period is when the incoming weather is getting close, that’s why it is called the storm. The storm before Mercury stations in reverse will probably require yet another period of adjustment because Aries is a cardinal fire sign. Therefore, the beginning of March will be a time to check the electronics in your car, remember to bring your charger, be careful with fire and take special care when initiating anything. Knowing what to do and when will give you the edge as you venture forth and help you to keep it real.

You are real. Mercury is real. You and Mercury are part of the same reality. Your awareness of those simple facts connects you with Mercury and the rest of your reality. That connection can be used as a tool that is just as real as a map and a compass. Mercury retrograde is not a bad thing, it is an opportunity to adjust, grow and empower yourself as a conscious part of the cosmos.

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30 thoughts on “Future’s Echo – Mercury Enters Shadow Phase”

  1. Len, Thank you for responding even though there really wasn’t a question. I was being a smart ass with the puns, and got carried away on a Piscean wave. What that (and your article) did do for me was to make me look at the zodiac wheel and be aware of what lies three signs forward, three signs backward, and forward again. Kinda like life at times: two steps forward, one step back – and not one step forward, two back if we are doing it well.

    Again, thanks for responding to my Piscean New Moon punacy. Must be the Sun-Chi I’ve been brewing. (See, I can’t stop. It’s Amanda’s fault. She started it.)

    JannKinz

  2. Jann: Thank you. Please forgive me if i’m not sure about your question (or if you have one). If you refer to future retrograde cycles, i’d say let’s take them one at a time. If you refer to how this impending cycle will impact Gemini and Scorpio energy, i’d say that’s what the echo phase is for, it’s the time to listen for the echo from the future.

    And yes, there are those who firmly believe pie are squared, but we should save them a slice anyway no matter how crusty they are.

  3. “the pie pan is round (except for people who think pie are squared)”

    If the abbreviation for Pisces is “Pi” (at least according to Serennu), the curiousity question for me is if Pi is squared, what is lurking for Murkery in Gemini and Scorpio slices in the round zodiac pie pan???

    In this Pi contest, when one considers the prior Murkery Rx at Thanksgiving, it brings to mind that picture of the pumpkin with the pi symbol carved in it.

    Your posting is telling us the ingredients in the Murkery pi. Thank you, for now I can be aware and avoid that to which I am sensitive if not allergic.

    Sorry. Never could leave a bad pun alone. Always have to pun back so there are at least two.

    Thanks, Len, for the excellent map and compass for the coming months during the Rx.

    JannKinz

  4. Carrie:
    Thank you. One can always hope, better to do. Hopefully my piece will help with the do part. The previous two retrogrades were in fire signs. This one is, as mentioned, two-toned, with the first echo/shadow beginning and the second station (direct) in mutable water (Pisces), and the rest, including the station retrograde, in Aries (cardinal fire). Something is bound to be different but don’t let the deja vu surprise you. As to your hard drive, it is always prudent to back up the data on to other media (such as a CD/DVD) and keep in mind the old saying that once is a fluke, twice a coincidence and three times a pattern. If your hard drive goes down a third time, there will be a reason to be found. Also, please remember life goes on and that means you run the retrograde period rather than letting it run you. Write down those dates and make a plan to prevail over circumstances.

  5. Len,

    Thank you so much for this! Can I hope that this time (as in the last Merxc Rx) my hard drive won’t crash again? No less than TWO hard drives crashed in the previous (not last Fall) Merc Rx’s. One I cannot get the info (family pictures) off of without sending it to a “clean room” to the tune of $1600. I also think we should maybe rethink the plans we had of going to Albuquerque this spring break; fluids in the car indeed. Thanks again for the heads up! This Merc Rx is in my 7th house this time. Last fall it was in my 4th house.

  6. Deep gratitude right back at ya, my friend. I needed to hear something like your response so very badly from a Human. It has been beyond words to describe the loneliness and endurance of the last 13 years and whether or not I should tell this story. I am still in shock that I have lived to tell the tale. Thank you deeply from my heart for the inspiration!

  7. Mandy: My thank-you is not enough to express my gratitude. There is no way i can explain how grateful i am that you wrote to us about these things on this particular day. Please know that the time and effort you took to do so is truly appreciated. Please let us know when your book is published. You have made at least one sale.

  8. Hee Hee Len! 15 years ago I dreamt I was at an amusement park with my family. We were getting ready to leave and I lost them in the crowd. I was scanning the parking lot looking for my van when I heard a horn honking, though each honk was actually saying my name – Man-dy, Man-dy. Just one of those mystical dreams that stay with you afterwards. For the next month after, the name Gabriel appeared EVERYWHERE – clients, gift cards, Peter Gabriel playing, Angel Tarot cards and on and on. They day my son walked in from school with a trumpet in his hand was the breaking point, I got down on my knees and acknowledged him and asked what he wanted. I didn’t get a response, so I just assumed he wanted me to know he was there. I can also assume that he was the one who saved me when my van slid into a ditch and was heading for a hydro pole at 80kms/hr with no hope of stopping – it did stop 2 inches from the pole.
    His voice is, as Daniel said, like the voice of multitudes. I have heard it twice. About 13 years ago I was told to “Take Responsibility!”. It was just recently that I heard it again – December 27. I had the sensation of a hammer coming down on me and he said “Time’s Up!” I have Jupiter conjunct Formalhaut. No lie, when this Angel pops up in your life comes great responsibility. It’s an amazing story that I am writing at present and hope to have out by late fall.

  9. “Your life would not be much different if Mercury suddenly did not exist.”
    Freeeaky – I had a dream two weeks ago that I was out looking at the planets with my Guides and they told me that Mercury would be leaving. You gave me shivers.

  10. Patty:
    Thank you for the perspective and the examples. Interesting to think about. Long ago, the barrier to getting a job was experience and the logical question of the job seeker was how to get the experience without getting the job first. Then a college diploma became the next barrier (even if the education and degree were not applicable to job duties) and the logical question of the job seeker was how to get a college diploma without a job to pay for it. Now we have another potential barrier to being employed and the logical question is, what is a job? Even more to the point, what is the value of a human’s precious time on this Earth?

  11. Len, paying for your job is not such a bad idea – it makes the buyer very responsible for the results! FedEX drivers can buy their routes, and they’ve done very well indeed. Some make 100,000 a year from what I understand. Depends how hard you want to work as an independent contractor. Some restaurants buy the loyalty of staff by paying part of the wages in company stock. It works quite well for chains like Bob Evans. A waitress from Bob Evans told me that she keeps an eye on new employees to make sure they don’t steal the food (and her profits!).

  12. Brendan,
    Thank you for putting meat on the bones of the previous Mercury retrograde cycle. So happens miscommunications and misconceptions are part of the general experience in Mercury retrograde periods. This time, we can expect different specifics.

  13. Thanksgiving, hmmm? Literally, due to miscommunications, there was no pie for Thanksgiving dinner down here in mesquite country. Everything else, but no pie. My sister, who was supposed to bring it, thought she was supposed to bring the salad (which I was providing), but she forgot that misconception too! 🙁

    Other than that, we had a good time, good vibrations all around, and it was a pleasant weekend.

  14. Amazing Len, thanks so much! This retro (as eluded to here already) will be more interesting than usual given the mars retro in the opposite sign. I look forward to reading more here on that.
    😉

  15. Hugging Scorpio: Thank you. Excellent question! Let’s look at the previous Mercury retrograde cycle. It took place entirely in Sagittarius. The echo phase started on November 5, 2011. Mercury’s apparent reverse motion started on November 23 or 24 depending on your time zone, less than 12 hours later (November 24/25, depending) we had a New Moon/solar eclipse in Sagittarius. Do you remember Thanksgiving? That was it. Mercury stationed direct again on December 13/14 and was out of its backside shadow phase by New Years eve/day (once again depending). Same planet. Different place. Different aspects. A different slice of zodiac pie, but the same perception as Mercury caught up and passed us the last time.

    So, we can expect there to be some resemblance as regards to the general trends. We are entering a time when it’s a good idea to pay extra attention to where you are and what you are doing. When it is appropriate to double check, follow-up and have contingency plans. When you want to be conscious of your responsibilities instead of relying on things to happen automatically. All that is the same. But it is not the same pie you had for Thanksgiving, nor are you likely to be eating it at the same time with the same people. The general is what you expect to be the same, the specific is what you expect to be different.

    Please, HS, how does that work for you? Thank you for your question. Please let me know if you have any more. Love, love, love questions!

  16. Len, is it true that some things worked on, or that came up, during the previous merc retro will find it’s way to the stage again for another discussion? Or does there have to be an aspect or other link involved?
    Thanks Sir!
    HS

  17. Well yes, and yet, pi(e) ‘R’ Square….but then again, your number is far more Rational.

    While I am waiting (patiently of course) for the Perfect Answer to Everything, I continue to Work Around Everything Else. Already feeling in the midst of some sort of Merc-style Flood I sense that an entirely rational objective is to accomplish orchestrated preparation prior tp the Perfect Storm about to arrive, brown and dry rice included.

    Then perhaps will be time to sit and enjoy a piece of pie; warmed on the fire would be apropos I am sure.

  18. Len,

    Just looked at a natal chart for Greece (July 24, 1974, Athens, 04:00 EET – 2:00) and guess what? Natal Jupiter is 17 Pisces 26 retrograde. This squares the Moon’s nodes, NN 18 Sagittarius 35 rx. Greece has a Moon-Pluto conjunction at 4+ Libra square Venus at 3+ Cancer. The Sun at 0 Leo 49 is trine transiting Uranus at 2 Aries, but Uranus will square natal Venus at the end of this month and oppose the Moon-Pluto conjunction starting mid March. Just about the time Mercury goes retrograde.

    The natal Jupiter is in the north bending of the nodes which means it’s in the receiving position so that might represent the new bailout. But today both Mercury and Hermes were conjunct Greece’s Jupiter while Mars was opposed him. Hope the winged ones were able to work some communication magic for this besieged country.
    be

  19. wow! len…
    trumped by the ‘visual’ pie lesson..

    so very ‘angelic’ for me… as i (and a couple of friends) are going to be driving long distance by a car for a conference – exactly on monday, 27th.

    warmth.
    b.

  20. be: Thank you for mentioning Greece. Did you know that part of the austerity proposals include public employees having to pay for their jobs? Imagine that, having to go out and buy a job. If it flies there, it will be tried here.

  21. Wow, your message must be really really important Len. I just checked Serennu and right now Hermes is at 17 Pisces 47 while Mercury is at 17 Pisces 48. Talk about lifting us off our two dimensional page! Hermes was the Greek version of Mercury. Poor Greece, maybe that’s where we will find Mars sending a message of practicality.
    be

  22. Oh I love it. You know “visual speak!” (as well as astrological). Yes, I see it and I get it. (my body/soul cells really respond to the visuals) Thanks for the pie – curved crust and all!

  23. be: The real question is, what would we do without you so regularly and generously sharing your knowledge, perspective, and experience? Thank you for bringing up the subject of Mercury beginning its retrograde cycle in Pisces while Mars is already in apparent reverse motion in the sign opposing Pisces – Virgo. That is something to think about. The contemplation lifts us off the two dimensional page into a space-time consideration.

  24. granma:
    Thank you. Here’s an image to work with. Draw a slice of pie on a piece of paper. A slice of pie is very much like a triangle except the outer edge (crust) is curved because the pie pan is round (except for people who think pie are squared).

    After you have drawn the slice of pie, look at the curved edge (the crust) and trace that curved line back and forth from one edge to another three times. The first time is the shadow/echo phase we are entering on Monday. The second time is the apparent reverse motion (which takes you back to where you started) the third time is the shadow/echo phase when Mercury is in direct motion again.

    Some folks think only of the period of apparent reverse motion when thinking retrograde. Part of the purpose of my blog today is to propose including the echo/shadow before and after the apparent reverse motion as part of the same piece of pie. Because it is. The drawing proves it.

    Please – how does that work for you?

  25. “An echo from the future”. . I love that Len. I have trouble remembering what happened two days ago but getting a hint of the future interests me to no end. So starting Monday I could be getting clues as to what we will reading or writing or talking about in April, right? This I might be able to remember.

    I also remember seeing that Mercury is opposite Mars today who is already retrograde. Neither planet is very comfortable in their present sign either so that gives them something in common. However, with Mars in Mercury’s sign maybe Merc has an edge in the balancing act. Maybe Mercury in his wily way will coax Mars into carrying a message or two, in a no-nonsense/straight-forward Virgo style way. Pisces can conjure up all sorts of illusions and I don’t see why Mercury couldn’t use that to his advantage. Don’t know why but the vision of a bull fighter with his bright red cloak teasing the bull came to mind just then. Surely Mars wouldn’t fall for THAT old trick! Thanks for the astrology lesson Len, I don’t know what we would do without you.
    be

  26. Len –
    I love you for your Herculean effort to explain, for the uninitiated (or the novitiate) what the f**k Mercury Retrograde means!
    Excellent job – and I will read and re-read your words (and try to draw the images on a piece of paper).
    I’ve gained understanding. Not the whole enchilada – but more than I possessed before reading your words!
    Thank you. I will prepare myself as best I am able!

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