Integrating Mercury, an eclipse, the freedom of containers

Mercury finally stationed direct in Scorpio yesterday, but you’ll want to mind your mind a while longer. Not only can it take a few days for the dust to settle and to begin integrating any insights that emerged with the station (and for our electronics to return to normal) but we have more excitement coming this week in the form of a lunar eclipse and accompanying Mars-Pluto conjunction.

I’ll be honest: it has been nearly impossible for me to focus my mind enough to write. The themes Eric had pointed out to me — Capricorn: desire within structure; Scorpio: secrets and power balance; Sagittarius: going beyond the superficial, beyond the ‘don’t crowd my space’ issue — are all so ridiculously present in my life right now, wrapped up together in one fascinating situation, that I was finding it impossible to think beyond myself.

It only dawned on me within a couple hours of the Daily Astrology publishing deadline that Mercury stationed direct exactly opposite my Sun in Taurus. The realization made me laugh, but did not get the article written. I tried asking my deck of Sustain Yourself oracle cards by James Wanless what Planet Waves readers needed to hear today, and pulled a card themed with ‘vigilance’. That seemed to ask for some elaboration, so I pulled a second card and got Brain/’self-governance’.

This began to make some sense. If you refer to yesterday’s post by Eric, there’s a lot going on this week with multiple planets focusing personal and inter-personal planetary energy into the Sun and Moon for Wednesday’s eclipse. As tempting as it can be to shoot out of the gate as soon as Mercury stations direct in order to tackle all those purchases (especially this time of year), repair projects, things you just have to say and so on, it takes Mercury some time to get back up to speed. As it does so, it’s generally advisable that we do the same. Ease into your forward motion; take time to let any truths and deeper inquiries finish forming as you integrate your inner and outer realities.

Mercury rules the mind, and the Brain/self-governance card’s description reads: “Use the powers of your total brain in balance with open mind and positive thinking. Integrate forebrain intention, vision, foresight and focus with left brain analysis; with right brain creativity; with emotional forebrain intuition; and with alpha wave meditative equanimity to decide, guide, clarify, invent, influence, navigate, self determine. Do not overthink. [Emphasis mine.]”

Processing your healing and growth are not the same thing as mental obsession. The first will keep you moving forward; the second will keep you running in circles. Given the number of readers here who seem to be working through deep sexual material thanks to Mercury in Scorpio, that sweet spot between rushing ahead without understanding and getting stuck in your head feels especially important right now. Allow your flow to find you.

The ‘vigilance’ card is the reminder to ease into this rebalancing and reintegrating. (The card’s title is ‘Danger’, but it’s not necessarily so literal or scary, hence I’m de-emphasizing the title.)

It’s an apt reminder as we near the exit-portal that is the lunar eclipse in Gemini — a sign ruled by Mercury.(exact Wednesday moments before 9:46 am EST). The two weeks between eclipses can often feel accelerated and unusual, and are pattern-setting phases for the months to come. Remain conscious of your intention and vision for the next six months to a year. In these next dew days surrounding and including the day of the eclipse, try to do some of the things you most love and want to keep strongly present moving forward.

Finally, consider that the two pairs of planets feeding into the yod (Y-shaped configuration, also called a ‘finger of god’) with the Full Moon eclipse both relate to the idea of a ‘container’. With the Venus-Saturn conjunction in Scorpio, which was exact yesterday, the theme of sexual power exploration asks for a safe container in order to experiment freely and safely (negotiating clear boundaries and a safe word, or playing in the ‘confines’ of full-freedom fantasy rather than in reality). Mars conjunct Pluto in Capricorn (a sign ruled by Saturn) suggests busting open and reshaping the container of desire into something that actually fits how you’re living — even if it’s nothing like anything you’ve ever imagined before.

In both cases, the container is not constrictive; it allows for concentrated freedom — much the way a canvas limits a painter only with its size. What a painter fills it with is so wide open, people still have not reached the limit to the possibilities even after centuries of experimentation. As you carefully ease through your mental/emotional/spiritual re-integration these next few days, remember that neither the shape nor the content of your container need be limited by your past, your reality or even today’s imagination. Wednesday’s imagination may open up onto a whole new space.