A little relief: Mercury and the Moon shifting

Today is Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. The Moon starts the day in Capricorn, transitioning to Aquarius just before dawn at 5:42 am EDT. This transition could feel like a weight has lifted or some restricted territory has been opened up, and you’ll probably start the day with more energy or a better outlook than the past couple days.

One primary factor that has been challenging energy and outlook for many of us has been the mutable-cross cluster of minor planets, the Great Attractor and the Sun. This space has been featuring this configuration this week, in particular the multi-point conjunction in mid-Sagittarius. That grouping includes awareness-raising Centaurs Pholus (‘small cause, big effect’; intoxicants; ancestral baggage) and Hylonome (individual and collective grief); asteroids Narcissus (toxic self-love) and Sphinx (sense of deep mystery); minor planet Ixion (‘anyone is capable of anything’; a type of amorality); and the Great Attractor, a thing of unknowable magnitude pulling all of us toward it with a sense of alienation.

Another challenging factor has been this week’s march toward the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 incident. There is a fine line between paying respect versus picking emotional scabs in order to make money, perpetuating collective fear and reinforcing a mythology that turns a population against itself. This edge to our underlying emotional landscape has been fraying our psyches. And that itself is a state of being that has been used to the advantage of many in power, and those who aspire to be. In our moment of history, that is done partly by taking advantage of a current human tendency to believe — or disbelieve — what we want, regardless of truth or understanding.

It’s been kind of a heavy week, but the astrology is shifting — it always does. The Sun is gradually moving out of the cross configuration with the slower-moving points, but is still there for now. It is challenging to have these themes illuminated at all — especially with such a complex illustration as the cultural circus and personal grief around the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 incident. But then, it’s a pretty loaded set of aspects. And as usual with astrology, there is tremendous insight and healing to be gained while this aspect is in place. As mentioned at the outset, however, some degree of relief is on the way as the Moon shifts sign today and Mercury follows suit tomorrow.

Even if you are up early enough for the Moon’s ingress of Aquarius, you won’t be able to see her, because she sets around 3:30 am EDT. But if you are up an hour before sunrise, what you can see in the East is a conjunction of Mercury with the bright fixed star Regulus. This could be a really good idea, because Mercury will be a busy boy (or is it transvestite) today and a little attention paid to this archetype might make a difference. Even just meditating on Mercury’s symbol and sending him some good energy could do the trick.

Actually, Mercury is busy all week. He’s just about to make the transition to his home sign of Virgo, early tomorrow morning, and then move past his previous retrograde station by Saturday. This will bring him out of the ‘shadow’ phase, or past the piece of the Zodiac he has already crossed twice before recently. Considering how powerful this recent Mercury retro period was, that should be a welcome relief for everyone.

But before we get that, Mercury has to pass an opposition with Neptune today and then a conjunction with Transpluto and Regulus. This is the territory the Sun was crossing when we had the East Coast earthquake last month. At its worst this can feel something like being intoxicated, squeezed through a funnel and then having to face the last temptation of Christ. At its best, this would be something like receiving some kind of inspiring or encouraging news that causes you to focus your willpower like a laser to get something done, which then results in a major accomplishment coming when you had nearly given up. Most of us will probably experience a mixed bag, but in any case will probably go to bed exhausted. Things really should look different in the morning, however.

Once Mercury gets back to Virgo we can begin to feel more confident in our communications and ability to process and interpret information again. In his morning star guise, Mercury brings a kind of Dionysian flavor of eagerness to flow with experience in an unrestrained and experimental fashion that is responsive to the needs of the moment. So if there are any activities you want to do that could benefit from some of that energy, you can start planning now.

From another point of view, Mercury rising before the Sun is called a doryphory, which means a ‘spear bearer’ or guardian to the King (the Sun). Essentially Mercury is about to be put into service acting as a scout, collecting and seeking information. This is what Rudhyar called the “Promethean phase,” meaning characterized by foresight. Until Mercury clears the shadow Saturday, it’s possible you could be feeling some nebulous, inchoate anxiety about the future (for a number of reasons, including those summarized above), but it’s best not to act or make decisions from this place. Hang in there and wait (a few days at most) until you get more clear information or till you can get out there and see what’s actually going on for yourself.

— Gary Caton with Amanda Painter