Mercury trine Pallas Athene: The Thinking Entity

Dear Friend and Reader,

The Moon is in Libra and will square the Sun in Capricorn tonight at 9:46 pm EST. We’re almost a week away from the New Moon and a solar eclipse, beginning on Sunday, Jan. 25 and concluding with the eclipse early Monday morning. This quarter Moon is the final aspect the Sun will make before it crosses into Aquarius tomorrow. Mercury is in a trine with Pallas Athene today as well: the themes of the day suggest the struggle for balance and confidence in the face of established patterns. It is about thinking and rethinking our place in the world, and collecting the evidence to formulate thought and discussion.

The waning of the Moon is the process by which the Moon goes from Full to New. Each night the white portion of Luna diminishes. This is a good time to reflect upon matters like lessening, condensing, finishing. Once the Moon reaches New, it will be the beginning of a new lunar cycle, when the process of waxing and waning will begin afresh. Since we are in the last leg of this current lunar month (called the Wolf Moon) it is a good time to meditate upon things which are drawing to a close in your life.

Meanwhile, Mercury in Aquarius, which has been retrograde for the past nine days, is in a trine with Pallas Athene in Gemini. The air signs have a lot to do with thought and the will to live. Air, or breath, is called prana in yogic studies and it refers to the breath of life which animates each being. The power of the element air also includes language.

People born with Mercury trine Pallas Athene include many famous writers and influential people such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Joseph Campbell, and Lord Byron, as well as Lizzie Borden and Ed Gein.

Pallas Athene is an extremely large asteroid in the main belt located between Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered in 1802. Astrologers attribute Pallas Athene with strategy and cooperation. In the Greek tradition she was the goddess of war and wisdom: a strong feminine archetype that had no male counterpart, and no mother. Legend has it that she burst from the head of Zeus in full battle regalia.

Eloquence and the ability and will to argue your point are inherent in this aspect. Because Mercury has a lot to do with all manner of communication, from gesticulating to pontificating, there is lots of room for talking. When planets are involved in a trine, discussion is apt to take place. Since Pallas Athene is the other influence, the discussion could turn into a debate.

Til next time,

Genevieve Salerno