Checking in with a brief holiday weekend visit, the sky is interesting mainly for one reason — Mercury in Sagittarius. Mercury, slowing down a bit now that it’s approaching a retrograde that begins in a month, is making a long sextile to the Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune alignment. I’ll take that super slow. The aspect is Mercury in Sagittarius, making a 60-degree aspect to the longstanding alignment in Aquarius.
Also the Moon is in Aries, trine Mercury and sextile the Aquarius alignment. This is a rare moment of emotional and mental clarity. The first wave of pressure is off of the Saturn-Pluto square, and for the phase of sky history centered around December, other factors will be more tangible — but the historical process will still on a deep level be beholden to Saturn square Pluto dynamic. Yet other events will give us some options how we address that energy.
For example, the main developments involve the Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune conjunction in late Aquarius. Jupiter will contact Chiron to the degree in early December, and Neptune to the degree in late December, before moving onto Pisces in early January. This is fabulous news, for those working on a subtle enough level to pick up what is being offered to us. The challenge is noticing. We have to go from the McDonald’s level of astrology to the wine snob level, but this is not as simple as noticing what the dirt tastes like in a certain region of France based on the wine from that region.
It’s similar because it’s not the usual thing you’re tasting for (salt, grease, sugar) and it’s not quite a physical sensation; inner awareness is necessary, and a sense of when you are on or off the mental treadmill. These transits are horizon-expanding: they can open up a lot of potential, the perspective of a larger world and offer enough awareness to grant a sense of protection — but we need to be paying attention first.
What you might call the ‘ordinary astrology’ for the next four weeks becomes increasingly tumultuous. We have the first winter solstice conjunct Pluto. Mars goes retrograde around the same day. Mercury then goes retrograde a couple of days later. Then there is a lunar eclipse on the last day of the year. Using aviation as a metaphor, to have any peace of mind, we need to be flying above the clouds. There is an opening that we’re in right now that will allow us to gain some altitude (which is felt as perspective and a sense of distance from chaos). It may seem like a luxury now but it will be a lot more basic come the last 10 days of the year.
Mercury this weekend, in aspect to Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune, is demonstrating how we can align our minds and organize our lives to have precisely that sense of awareness and perspective, keeping in contact with our needs and our relationships.
“…These transits are horizon-expanding: they can open up a lot of potential, the perspective of a larger world and offer enough awareness to grant a sense of protection — but we need to be paying attention first….”
Had to share what showed up this week in my in-box – a helpful first step to cultivating paying attention (awareness):
THE SUN OF DISCIPLINE
There are three tools that the warrior uses on the path of fearlessness. The first is the development of discipline which is represented by the analogy of the sun. When the sun shines on the land, it doesn’t neglect any area. It does a thorough job. Similarly, as a warrior, you never neglect your discipline.
We’re not talking about military rigidity here.
Rather, in all your mannerisms, every aspect of behavior, you maintain your openness to the environment. You constantly extend yourself to things around you.
From “The Tools of Bravery, ” page 64, in SMILE AT FEAR: AWAKENING THE TRUE HEART OF BRAVERY. Chogyam Trungpa
Experienced clarity on the subject of personal clarity upon waking this morning. Long time coping behaviour of mine is to go into auto-pilot mode to get through experiences. Developed as a kid, it allowed for staying alive – as an adult, it manifests more as being the walking dead.
Recent lessons reaching me again -teaching me that being in the now – actually living experiences, not ducking away from them – is the only way to go.
Astrology of the Day is Spot On indeed.
Thanks again Eric,
Linda
typo — I meant we might NOT be able to pay our debt. sorry.
Thanks, Eric. I’ll be interested to see if you look into the astrology of the Dubai default next week, if it turns out to be a really market-messing event.
Of course nobody knows yet if it is going to have a big impact or just be a flash in the pan. The NYTimes said yesterday,
“Now, just as Bear Stearns was a harbinger of a string of failures of overly leveraged investment banks, the concern is that Dubai could be the canary in the coal mine for heavily indebted countries. The debts of everyone, including Japan and the United States…have risen greatly as the countries have fought the ravages of the global recession.”
and
“while a Dubai default may not provoke a banking crisis, it could well spur a broader crisis of investor confidence in overly leveraged economies.”
So you know, there could be a “run on the bank” so to speak, if other countries look at what happened in Dubai and say to themselves, gee, the US, like Dubai, has taken on a lot of debt that it might be able to pay off, especially all the trillions in debt we took on to bail out the banks and the auto makers.
Creditors might start demanding that the US pay its debt in full, or at least stop extendning credit to us.
So it may turn out the Dubai default, which was announced thanksgiving day, will be a memorable day in history.
Or not. I’m hoping not.
Eric,
Interestingly, this morning after I woke up my first thought was to stop criticizing myself. I have made that as my resolution today and through out the morning I have been telling that critique in me to shut up. Now after this article, I am attributing this to Mercury. Thanks Eric
Wow. Spot on.
ostensibly to lose weight, i have cut out alcohol, most sugar and carbs from my diet as of thursday; but i also feel that this is aiding clarity for me … and at just the right time, i see. i definitely feel the astrology, even though i am not well-versed in it at all – and losing a lot of things that simply stir up the mud is good preparation.
as always, pw is helping me invaluably.
a heartfelt thank you!
— s