You may be familiar with my theory that Mercury retrograde is primarily a mental phenomenon. After living through a hundred or so of them, however, there is no way I can deny that these intervals, which occur three times a year, do not affect electronic equipment.
Mercury stations direct. Full Moon in Aries. Sun enters Scorpio. Is anyone or anything always right under all circumstances?
Dear Friend and Reader:
This week represents the working-out of much astrology that dominated late summer and early autumn. We’ve just been through the Mercury retrograde, pole-shift edition, which has had the power to turn integrated circuits to scrambled eggs. That ended at about mid-day Monday in most of our time zones, and early evening across Europe.
You may be familiar with my theory that Mercury retrograde is primarily a mental phenomenon.
After living through a hundred or so of them (going back to my days at the Echoes-Sentinel), however, there is no way I can deny that these intervals, which occur three times a year, do not affect electronic equipment.
Nobody can prove that they do, but the effect is obvious to anyone noticing. And while the argument could be made that the noticing is most of the effect, we could also debate whether it really is raining outside, or if it just seems like it.
However, they tend to affect the mind the most strongly, having a distorting effect on consciousness.
This can lead to a serious flake factor, people making bad choices that have repercussions, and the human effect of digital systems failing. Then these factors all play off of one another. The result can be quite a bit of confusion and mental tension.
Anyway, though the retrograde is behind us, be careful of the effects, here in the storm phase and the next few weeks as Mercury re-crosses the degrees where it was retrograde. Take your time getting things going again. Perhaps look through your notes for all the people whose calls you need to return, or whose business card you collected for a good reason. Check for emails that you missed.
These are transitions that will ease things along, and help untangle some knots that were keeping certain situations in place, suspended in midair, delayed or in a state of uncertainty.
The Week is Not Over:
Full Moon Wednesday, then Sun Enters Scorpio early Saturday
For more astrological details, you may listen to the new STARCAST. I focus on the territory where Chiron in Aries meets the Aquarius planets I discuss below.
We have two other major events ahead this week, both of which I think will lead to a settling effect: one is a very late-degree Aries Full Moon, which takes place at 9:57 am on Wednesday, Oct. 20. This is followed by the Sun entering Scorpio at 13:51 pm EDT on Saturday Oct. 23. Taken together, these represent a sea-change that will shift your perception and perhaps facilitate deeper attunement to your inner life.
These are transitions that will ease things along, and help untangle some knots that were keeping certain situations in place, suspended in midair, delayed or in a state of uncertainty. In real life we live with many unknowns, and part of happiness is knowing how to coexist with that fact. Right and wrong may exist, though they take some grappling with.
This is not appealing to lazy thinkers, or to such people who would prefer to cut themselves all the slack they need.
Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius: Locking Down the Mood
However, it would seem that the dominant astrology involves Jupiter and Saturn now moving in direct motion in Aquarius. These two largest planets in the Solar System are what is locking down what we might generously call the global mood.
They are also magnifying the issues of artificial intelligence, virtual and enhanced reality, nanotechnology and this thing nobody wants to talk about, called transhumanism: the morphing of humans and computers.
Aquarius is also emphasizing the urgency of rational thought, a dimension from which many people are fleeing. The seemingly easier side of Aquarius is to think like other people think, and do like they do. We are seeing a lot of this, and it’s packaged in what seems like moral absolutism: some universal ethical standard that applies to every situation. The social pressure that it’s possible to express through Aquarius is emphasizing this condition.
You might think you agree with the current absolutes as defined by Jupiter and Saturn (not everyone does). When Pluto arrives in Aquarius in 2023, you might not be so happy that such a precedent was set. There are those who agree with all that is mandatory as long as they like it, or think they like it.
Then suddenly the same rules may be used to enforce something they utterly object to, but it’s too late: they endorsed the rules. This is why it’s important to know what you’re agreeing with, and that often involves engaging an actual moral quandary. It is easier to pump your fist, or to go along to get along.
The more someone is camped out in a position they do not follow or have not actually questioned, the more likely they are to lash out at anyone or anything that might lead them into any doubt whatsoever.
Absolutes are Usually a Con Job
It’s easy to be conned into believing that something is absolutely right and that here should be no exceptions. You don’t have to do anything except not think. This has the effect of establishing a comfort zone for people, helping them temporarily escape their own doubts, or the burden of figuring something out for themselves.
This position is vulnerable to any subtle analysis that might seem to threaten it.
For a person who is rigidly adhering to their unquestioned beliefs, the threat can be destabilizing, nauseating, infuriating, or seem like a trick. But usually the one-side-only position is the con. Think of all the preachers who have demanded absolute purity from their flock, who are next seen at the pulpit in tears, asking for God’s forgiveness for their oh-so-human failings.
The more someone is camped out in a position they do not follow or have not actually questioned, the more likely they are to lash out at anyone or anything that might lead them into any doubt whatsoever.
The problem with any absolutely moral position, besides the fact that it’s not factually supportable, is that it denies any possibility for wisdom to enter. It also denies the possibility of extenuating circumstances. Such positions are almost always used to justify grotesque, cruel acts — all in the name of right and might.
Moralists are inherently hypocrites. They cannot actually follow their own dictates. Purity is not a value, and there are exceptions to every rule.
Every Person is an Individual
Moralists tend to be insecure, or terrified. They are often divided inside, which they cover with their uncompromising position. Some are merely petty tyrants, taking the occasion to act out (and such are abundant now — both the tyrants and their opportunities). Moralists are inherently hypocrites. They cannot actually follow their own dictates. Purity is not a value, and there are exceptions to every rule.
There is another fact to consider. For those who say that “claiming your rights is selfish,” I would wonder how abused they have been. We agreed long ago to a community standard that every person is an individual. This is a legal, moral and spiritual fact. We have also agreed that it is unethical to deny people the right to make the choices that affect their lives.
If you are among those covering inner division by an outer cloak, and you’re not feeling good about it, you have options. The first thing to do is to admit that you are really of two or three minds about something. Admit your doubt. Admit your questions. Acknowledge the evidence against the position you have taken.
Usually, that evidence points to actual people who are in pain. So by admitting to “evidence” you are really admitting to human suffering. If you are angry at a family for not wanting to vaccinate their children, you might pause and ask them their reasoning. You might discover that they lost a 13-month-old to leukemia, which developed the day after their three-month round of shots.
One must decide to feel compassion for the pain of others, or that one has potentially caused others. One may have to admit to having been fooled, or worse, having knowingly allowed oneself to be fooled.
That is the price of mercy.
Faithfully,
