Mercury in Libra: Adventure in Communication

There’s a word that would be useful to introduce now: metalogue. It’s a kind of conversation, with the property of “that which is being discussed is also arising.” This is what happens most of the time, such as when a conversation seemingly about one topic becomes a discussion of something that’s an outgrowth of the original topic.

Some people call this “going off on a tangent,” though a metalogue allows this to be a creative adventure, where the topic itself is treated without attachment and as a result, deeper or more relevant material can come up for consideration. This is the kind of communication experience where you’re likely to feel like you’re really talking about something.

Mercury, the planet most often associated with thought, speaking and writing, arrived in Libra Sunday evening. In doing so, it crossed the equinox point, where the Sun will arrive on Sept. 22. Libra is a cardinal sign — one of the four signs associated with the Sun’s alignment with one of the tropics (in this case, the equator) and with the beginning of a season — Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. These are also known as the cardinal points and in shorthand as the Aries Point, which includes the starting degrees of all four of those signs.

Planets just entering a cardinal sign carry a lot of momentum. They can feel amplified, and like there are unusual points of contact between people, between layers of an issue, or connecting the ‘public’ and ‘private’ aspects of any topic that might be on the table. Often this is reflected in the news at the same time it shows up one way or another in our most intimate partnerships. It’s common for there to be overlap between the two, especially when politics has become so personal. And this is the kind of territory we’ll be in all week.

As you may know, there are a lot of planets on the cardinal cross right now — including the Uranus-Pluto square (from Aries to Capricorn), which is exact for the second time on Wednesday.

In addition, there is an unusual point in Cancer called Kronos (a kind of super-Saturn), and in Libra, a slow-mover called Typhon (a Pluto-like critter named for the god who is also the namesake of typhoons). Those turn the Uranus-Pluto square into a grand cross (or grand square) with all four cardinal signs involved.

In fact there are many points early in the cardinal signs, and Mercury passing through the territory suggests that we’re going to have a lot of subject matter coming up.

One key to navigating the territory is the willingness to go deep, and then acknowledge what you find there. Deep has different meanings for different people, though I would say it’s about moving toward the roots of the most important material that you become aware of. The interesting thing is that the “deep” part of the aspect structure — Mercury square Hades — describes something internal, not necessarily something initially to be worked out with others. That, least, is the first step: taking responsibility for what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling, and what your motives are.

Then listen — share with others when appropriate, and let the metalogue begin.

I will have more to say about this (and the second of seven exact Uranus-Pluto squares, exact Wednesday) in Tuesday’s edition, which will not be posted to the blog, but rather will be emailed directly to our subscribers. Also for subscribers, Friday I will be publishing the Planet Waves October monthly horoscope, and my overall forecast for October. If you’re interested in receiving my horoscopes and other subscriber materials, you may sign up for a free trial subscription here.