Retrograding into the Future

Dear Friend and Reader:

We’re now in the full momentum of one of those clusters activity that arrives at, well, not quite the perfect time. Mercury is slowing to a station, which technically happens on Dec. 26. Based on the echo/storm theory of Mercury, we know that the three weeks preceding the station have plenty of retrograde effects (called the echo phase) and the few days preceding the station are the most intense of all (called the storm phase). We’re fully into the experience, just as everyone is traveling for the holidays, and doing their best not to get their buttons pushed by the same relatives who always push our buttons.

The Mercury factor suggests: keep Plan B in mind. Check fluid levels in the car before you travel. Bring a flashlight; it’s dark at night this time of year. Skip the scenic route — take a direct way, and know your directions well. Mercury retrograde usually goes fine if we follow the basics. It’s just difficult to get somewhere when the directions are sitting on your desk and you’re roaming around central New Jersey.

Another factor that is amplifying/agitating things is the New Year’s Eve lunar eclipse in Cancer. Eclipses have two dependable feelings: one is that a sense of inevitable transition is coming; and the other is the sense that everything feels just a little more intense than seems normal. There’s that slightly out of control feeling that you fear might become a really out of control feeling. I suggest not getting too caught up in the feeling; compensate not with fear, but with paying attention.

This, the great quest of humanity: learning how to pay attention. You can go through 10 years of therapy or studying astrology for half a century and at the end of it declare that what you really learned was how to pay attention.

The combination of retrograde Mercury (a reference to the past) and this occurring in a sign devoted to old things (Capricorn) is a clue to step out of the room when the conversation goes in a direction you don’t like, particularly about the past, obligation, or guilt. The combined effect with Mars retrograde in Leo is suggesting that some may feel that their pride is on the line. That’s the emotion to watch for. We may be going through a dip in the Global Self Esteem Index with these retrogrades, and it does help to remember that how we feel about ourselves is contagious. How others feel about themselves is contagious, too, so watch what you take on: remember, you have a choice. Let everyone eat their own humble pie, and don’t let them treat you like you’re a five year old when you’re really an educated, self-reliant adult.

One last note: Thursday, Dec. 24, the Sun is conjunct Pluto and on Christmas Day it will be square Saturn. This is actually better astrology for working than it is for socializing (Sun square Saturn favors discipline), so you might want to practice the art of the cameo appearance. That is to say, learn how to leave early. If you’re having fun, that’s one thing; but you need to balance this with how far you’re about to travel and what you need to be doing the next day.

Have a safe and sane holiday.

Yours & truly,

ERIC FRANCIS