Mercury Retrograde Notes (Nov. 9-Nov. 29)
Mercury stations retrograde in Sagittarius on Sunday, Nov. 9. It will slide back into Scorpio on Tuesday, Nov. 18 and finally resume direct motion on Saturday, Nov. 29 (during Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S.). There is a very unusual New Moon in Scorpio conjunct retrograde Mercury on Thursday, Nov. 20. One of the most distinctive features is at the beginning, when on Wednesday, Nov. 12, retrograde Mercury forms a conjunction to Mars in early Sagittarius. This would appear to be a personal turning point and also a collective one (per events developing in the chart for the presidential inauguration back on Jan. 20 — so recently and so long ago). More details in the Starcast program above. — efc
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Aries (March 20-April 19) — Mercury retrograde in the spiritual quest angle of your solar chart may finally have you asking big questions. But don’t be too hard on yourself — your chart suggests you might be experiencing some guilt or resentment. If true, those are the feelings to work with. The planets warn that you must keep an open mind about all things philosophical and mystical and even acknowledge that certain elements of religion offer wisdom — as long as they don’t lead to guilt. The real issue is narrowness, which is a side effect of self-criticism. It’s true that you’ve taken on some of the harsh self-concepts inflicted on you by teachers and early caregivers. This might include your parents, but I’m not sure that’s true in this situation. I think it’s someone else. In any event, they were not correct in their assessment of you or your abilities.
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Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Sex is usually held as a moral issue, and an economic issue, and then something about power. All three hold sex as a commodity to be traded, withheld or offered as reward. Rarely is it considered something about creativity or friendship or spiritual growth. Women are believed to control the supply; men are said to provide the demand. But this is another typical inversion, and many women are desperate for attention, contact, appreciation or fulfillment. And as your friendly neighborhood astrologer, I can tell you that many people are angry about this, and are filled with a sense of resignation that it will never be any other way. I don’t know about that, but the ‘any other way’ involves getting over guilt and taboo and recognizing that sex is not a bargaining chip but a creative play space.
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Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Uranus has temporarily retreated from your sign. I suggest you consider what you’ve learned and observed about yourself over the past few months of this exceedingly rare event. If Uranus in Gemini exists in living memory, it’s from when those in my parents’ generation were little children. So, not at all. What you’ve experienced over the summer (or winter if you’re from down below) is going to prepare you for the next seven years of your life — if you learn from it. Uranus comes with a streak of genius and more than a small dose of anarchy and instability. It can bring sudden changes of fortune, and in any event it always delivers movement, change and progress. But you have to ride that lightning and stay a step or two ahead of yourself while remaining in the present.
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Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Mercury moves into retrograde motion Sunday, holding much potential for you. Original thinking, unusual ideas, and an unusual kind of self-awareness will be running in abundance. You will be reminded that your true work always has a spiritual basis. This isn’t true for everyone; many can divide what they do from day-to-day from what is meaningful to them. Honestly, I don’t know how this is possible and many of them are not happy. But you cannot do this; it just will not work for you, which means it doesn’t work for everyone. An unusual sequence of events over the next week or two will put you into contact with what I can only describe as your higher calling. You thrive on having a sense of mission. You don’t need to be out front in a public role; a pattern involving retrograde Mercury, Mars and important activity in Mars-ruled Aries describes a hybrid of both.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Lord knows how many times I’ve used the word “risk” in this column, not describing anything about insurance but entirely about living fully. In order to accomplish anything, or to have any real fun, or create something new, there’s a risk involved. I don’t mean bungee jumping but rather a psychological risk: getting out of your safe and predictable zone. You don’t need to go far. Rather, all you need is to flip off your tendency to be averse to taking any chances. This is entirely a mind trip. By chances I mean something that might alter your point of view, shift your perspective, or take you to a new place. You may not think of yourself as resisting change, though you will find out when you try something that actually has the potential to make you different in some way. That’s the issue.
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Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — As Mercury moves into retrograde motion, you must be aware of narrow and self-limiting concepts that you’ve been carrying around for a while. There is what I call a ‘special point’ in your sign — an ultra-slow mover that has the feeling of looking down the wrong end of binoculars. Placed directly in Virgo, this is about a distorted self-image that sees you as smaller than you are, and your potential as further away than it is. And both Mars and Mercury are going to be rubbing against this ‘special point’ (which has a name I don’t like; I’ll think of a new one some time soon). So if you encounter any frustration or feel like you’re in some way blocked, the first question to ask is: do I have some idea about myself that’s blocking me? It could be anything, such as something someone told you allegedly about yourself when you were seven. Ask and you will find out.
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Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Mercury moves retrograde in Sagittarius on Sunday, which is the sign of big ideas in the house of your mental and language style. Mars is there right now, which is pushing your certainty, potentially false. Mercury is saying: ask questions. Ask everyone questions. Moreover, ask yourself questions, especially about why you believe what you believe; and why you think what you think. We live in the time of “if I believe it, then it’s true,” which is always dangerous, but is especially sketchy for you right now. Anything you’re certain of is likely to be wrong, and not only that, concealing a deeper truth that will be helpful to know about. That, really, is the issue — when false beliefs conceal knowledge, which is, in many ways, the story of humanity. Powerful forces are conspiring to get you out of this trap.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Mercury turns to retrograde motion in the house of your chart associated with your available cash and your personal priorities. You may want to spend where you feel driven and passionate, though that element is likely to change several times over the next few weeks. Therefore, if you invest, do so with discretion, and don’t go all-in. Pace yourself and notice the results that you get. Be sure to admit that you can be wrong, and make a note of when that happens. Knowing when you’re wrong is essential to knowing when you’re right. Right is not a feeling and it’s not an opinion. It’s about what actually happens, and that is not a matter of opinion. Meanwhile, you have deeper principles that you violate on a routine basis. The message of the planets is unequivocally: get real with yourself.
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Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Sunday, Mercury retrograde begins in your Sun or rising sign. This will be an emotionally deep and introspective phase, lasting through Nov. 29. The retrograde begins with Mercury and Mars in a conjunction, which is likely to stir up deep feelings and potentially self-doubt and uncertainty. Mercury will retrograde deeper into the most mysterious angle of your chart, Scorpio. If I may make a bold suggestion, this is where the ‘real you’ resides. It’s where you contain your deep emotions, your sexual feelings and your most cryptic secrets. It’s a place of genesis and when you go into yourself and come out feeling like a new person, this is most likely where you went in some form. It is a kind of deep unknown, and you need this now, amidst all the false certainty and insanity of the world.
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Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — I know this is too deep for a horoscope column, but it is Planet Waves. Let’s talk about the 12th house. It’s a strange place, where time flows in reverse and all your ancestors live and where you can dream and astral travel. For Capricorn, the 12th is very unusual: it’s Sagittarius, a zone of the sky that includes the center of our galaxy, and the gravitational center of all of the other galaxies near us. Your 12th house is like a spaceport. If it were a movie, it would be something like 2001. Through November, planets Mercury and Mars are moving around there, giving you direct access to a place in consciousness that contains what you might think of as spiritual insights. The thing is, they have a way of emerging and seeming very important, then disappearing. This is a ‘take notes’ time in your life. You want this information.
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Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Never trust a man without a hobby as the old saying goes, and I would expand that to everyone. You are being summoned to do something that benefits and interests you. You do plenty related to work; that’s one thing. Some kind of project that’s about your own growth or exploring an interest is another. Of note, a hobby is not solipsistic. It’s not about being good at polishing your nails or coloring your hair. A true hobby is a kind of expertise in a matter not directly related to yourself except as an expression of your interest. By the way, did you have an aunt or uncle who did something interesting? It may have been a domestic activity like preserving food, baking bread, or some activity involving foreign countries, like studying a language (or traveling). Do something that will center you, help you focus, and feel good about your life.
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Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Mars is now moving through the point of maximum focus in your chart, where you’re actually capable of setting goals and defying all of the usual concepts associated with Pisces. You will need to keep your focus, as Mercury is about to move retrograde in this same region of your solar chart. This may send you mixed messages about your priorities, but there can be no question about what you must do and when you will have the work complete. This will not be so much about powering through the tasks as it will be about persistence and consistency. You may need to adjust a little every day, which should really be a process of prioritizing based on the new information you wake up to. Still, your primary goal remains the same. Stick to it and you will succeed at whatever enterprise is most important to you.
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