Today is Tuesday, August 2, 2011. As of this writing, Mercury has slowed down to 1/10th of a degree per day — not quite as slow as Pluto, but respectably creaky. For those watching the United States debt situation, note that Mercury stations at 10 minutes to midnight Tuesday, Washington DC time — just before the witching hour when the nation’s borrowing ability runs out.
This is the perfect astrological setup for whatever agreement is reached being reversed, or falling apart at the last second. The situation is reminiscent of Election Day 2000, when Mercury stationed retrograde just a couple of hours after the polls closed. That evening it was a sure thing that Al Gore had won; overnight, the winner had switched to Bush, the election was contested, and someone managed to ‘win’ the presidency with fewer popular votes and fewer electoral votes. So we cannot underestimate the mischief that Mercury retrograde can arrive with when the stakes are high and the timing is, er, just perfect. Tuesday night could be a bit more stressful in Washington than Monday morning’s newspapers were suggesting.
Personally, perhaps you’re noticing the mental tension of the station. It may be showing up in your relationships, in your ability to do routine tasks or your motivation. Take it as slowly as you can these days, and try not to burn energy with needless stress. There are likely to be things that are unresolved, and you can safely let go of most of them until you have a better sense of the conditions and the mental landscape. You may feel a temptation to rush — check for the intuition to chill. Note that some love these phases, others seem immune to the tricky effects, and I am sure this is learnable as well as appearing as an inborn trait for some.
Mercury stationing retrograde is the kind of astrology you can feel. It’s a good way to tune in to the in-body and in-mind aspect of astrology. Mercury the actual planet is close to us during retrogrades, and the thing is a giant magnet. When it comes to mental patterns and communications (the two things that Mercury of astrology fame is most closely associated with), we do have some leeway by increasing our level of mindfulness. Work with the best information you can get, and update in realtime. If nothing else, Mercury stationing in Virgo is calling for alertness, flexibility and attention to detail.
An event of this potency in Virgo brings up the Chiron aspect of this sign: imagine Mercury focused like a laser, able to penetrate into a few additional dimensions. Chiron is not in Virgo at the moment — but it’s in a close opposition to Mercury right how, so it’s part of the equation. The two planets most closely associated with Virgo are standing opposite one another. This can have the feeling of a standoff, a dance, a direct encounter — check your life for which one or ones. This is not merely a meeting between two ideas; it’s about two different orders of reality. Chiron in Pisces has a full-spectrum, multidimensional feeling, focusing something from another level of realty. Mercury stationing in Virgo feels like a struggle for clarity on the purely rational, logical level. And this can miss the point. If there is anything happening on the level of a conscious decision, it’s more about the way we make decisions than any one choice. It’s about the way we apply logic (or skip that step) rather than any one issue or question.
Think of it: Mercury in Virgo, stationing — that’s pretty self aware.
Here is a Mercury retrograde summary audio podcast:
WOW…Thank you Len and Eric so much to take on board and I like the Robert Blaschke quote, I can relate to it. :o)
Thanks so much, Eric. This is so helpful.
“it’s about two different orders of reality”
yes – had very conscious experience of this (subject as tangible/experience) in conversation last night and I anticipate that this will be (re IS!) a hugh consciousness raising time:
Pisces/Virgo = Natal Sun/Pluto
currently natal Sun is sandwiched between transiting Chiron and Neptune while transiting Merc is on natal Pluto…..
Guess I’d best make sure my Different Orders of Reality are in fact “reality” and not delusion, eh? …and well, thank Goddess that transiting sun and venus are on natal Uranus on AC. Hm. Well, you know, helping with the Delusion. or to overturn all evil in the universe once and for all (she said putting on her superheroine costume).
Maybe I should take up alcohol. It’d be so much, easier? lol!
xoxo
🙂
There’s some sort of profundity in the stillness of those gears, isn’t there? Love the Pic.
happy birthday, chelsea!
Thanks for the Retro lessons, Len and Eric. Explains a lot about my son who’s natal Merc is Rx (conj both Mars and Pluto — in Scorpio near-conj his IC.)
Happy Birthday Chelsea!
(she begins the chant, with wishes and blessings …. natal Merc loves to sing out, but then the many voices of internal R progressed Merc join in with Birthday wishes too…..:)
Loads of Love and Thanks for Being!
Linda
” but so too will some of your direct inner planets go retrograde.”
Oh, right. I hadn’t thought of that, thanks.
Hey chelsea:
Happy Birthday, mamacita!!
carrie, it can — worth experimenting with
but so too will some of your direct inner planets go retrograde.
Is it Chelsea’s birthday today? Well then, Happy Birthday Chelsea!
“But most of all, check the ephemeris and see how many days after birth that planet goes direct, and then translate that many days in to years, for the age.”
Does that also apply to the bigger, outer planets as well? I have Uranus (12 H in Leo), Neptune (3 H in Scorpio), and Pluto (12 H in Virgo) all Rx in my natal chart. If it applies to these as well, I will start digging to see when they went direct.
Happy Birthday Chelsea!
When I am working with a natal retrograde planet, the first thing I do is check the progressed chart to see if it’s still retrograde. I want to know when it stationed (by progression) and I translate that into the year involved and get the story of that year.
So for example hypothetically:
Say you’re born on Jan. 1, 2300. Mercury is retrograde. it stations direct on Jan. 11, 2300. That means that the progression affects/influences the 11th year — so with an adult I will take that data and ask about the 11th year.
I will pay attention to the location of Mercury natally, as well as the houses that are associated with Gemini and Virgo.
Generically, Mercury retrograde will have a diversity of potential themes — to check, not to lay on the client. Listen for:
But most of all, check the ephemeris and see how many days after birth that planet goes direct, and then translate that many days in to years, for the age.
spacesurfer:
There is no simple answer to your question. The sign, the house, and the speed of the natal retrograde Mercury are all important. However, i would offer this quote from Robert Blaschke (a very good astrologer who passed on recently): “…with retrograde Mercury. such people are more aware of their internal stream of thought than what is going on around them.”. Among other things, natal retrogrades correspond to an introversion of the qualities of that planet in question.
hahaha! nice. too bad the mill stopped grinding flour. i’m always in awe of these old machines that keep on truckin’, and i love the idea of continuity of purpose over such a long span of time. there’s something very elemental and grounding (sorry for the pun) about some of these old ways of doing things, esp when it comes to food production. for the flour to be that tied to the land and water and human effort seems like it could only be a good thing on some elemental level.
oh, and thanks for these reminders:
“Personally, perhaps you’re noticing the mental tension of the station. It may be showing up in your relationships, in your ability to do routine tasks or your motivation. Take it as slowly as you can these days, and try not to burn energy with needless stress.”
“The two planets most closely associated with Virgo are standing opposite one another. This can have the feeling of a standoff, a dance, a direct encounter — check your life for which one or ones. This is not merely a meeting between two ideas; it’s about two different orders of reality.”
and all the while I’m thinking….this thing has made a LOT of wheat flower since 1788
also the guy said — we just saw a really really big spider down here.
I said, “Oh! Where! I want to meet him!!!”
love the photo, eric. old gears and thing are just plain cool, and i’ve always loved the patina of aged wood, especially in lovely light.
“Mercury is not in Virgo at the moment — but it’s in a close opposition to Mercury right how, so it’s part of the equation.”
I think that was supposed to read, “Chiron is not in Virgo at the moment …”
Just thought I would pass that on.
Great read! I feel like I am beginning to feel the effects of the retrograde already. Just wondered though, if you was born when Mercury was retrograding what does this mean? I am an Aries.
Peace and Love
Spacesurfer