We’re now at that point in the Mercury retrograde cycle where it’s working its way back through the degrees where it was just retrograde. Some call this the shadow phase; I prefer the less eerie term echo phase. It’s among the enhancements I am making to astrological language. Another one is to stop saying “hit” when we mean “transit.” You know, “Saturn return, third hit.” If you stop saying “hit” and start saying something like “phase” or “contact” you might notice how violent the original language is; and we take it pretty casually. (Thank you Dale O’Brien for pointing out that one to me.)
Speaking of contact, Mercury is about to make its third conjunction to Saturn in Virgo, which is a direct part of this retrograde process. The first was Aug 17, just as Mercury went into echo phase. Saturn was way back at 21+ Virgo at that point, and is now in direct motion heading for Libra. The second contact was with Mercury retrograde, on Sept. 22, right on the equinox (and coincidentally the birthdays of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins). Finally the third contact is today. Aren’t you glad I’m not saying “hit”? Then you might believe that something was about to hit; you know, incoming.
This morning I picked up The New York Post (as usual) to read Sally Brompton’s daily horoscope. For Pisces, she interprets Mercury conjunct Saturn in the opposite sign (solar 7th house) as the conspiratorial fantasy that the world is out to get you; but if you look for the best in people you will find it. I’ll skip a personal anecdote here about an unnamed member of the Kingston city council who finds me particularly aggravating. Being either Sicilian or an investigative reporter, one is inclined to think: okay, what can this person do to me? But I think he’s basically just angry and harmless (to me) and an archetypal representation of my pissed off, horny but hated himself for it grandfather.
For Cancer, she takes this aspect (in the 3rd solar house) as being concern about how much something costs. Mercury is generally considered the planet of money, and conjunct Saturn in Virgo would be a bit of anxiety, accented by the 3rd house of what we think, small concerns and local matters. She suggests taking the necessary action and worrying about the financial side later. She can be confident because planets are starting to move into Libra, which suggests that things that are pending now will work out in a just or adjusted way. Planets ingressing Libra suggests that the results will be balanced, which is usually helpful, particularly in our society based on 48-ounce cups of sugar water.