Mercury goes Retrograde 6th – 28th February, 2014

Once again we are entering the Retrograde Mercury territory. As many of my readers will know, this is a phase which happens every 4 months or so for 3 weeks each time, and it messes up our communication systems and plays havoc with the small things in our lives.

For those readers who are new to this page, I must tell you that of course Mercury doesn’t go backwards – no planets do. However, it is an effect that shows up when the orbit of the Earth overtakes the orbit of a planet – then the planet appears to go into reverse. Think slow trains and fast trains: they are both heading in the same direction, one quickly, the other slowly. When the fast train (Earth) overtakes the slower train (in this case, Mercury) then the slower train seems to go backwards. If you are sitting on the slow train, then you can have the illusion that you are indeed suddenly reversing.

All of the planets spend a number of months retrograde each year. Except the Sun and the Moon because they are not planets.

OK – now that’s out of the way I shall continue.

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and is also the smallest and the fastest planet. It is associated with communication, teaching, writing, speaking. All our telecommunications industries come under Mercury’s rulership. And he is also known as the Lord of the Marketplace. So, transactions, deals, decisions are all affected when the retrograde phase begins.

The concrete mind also comes under Mercury – he loves to argue and debate, to show how much cleverer he is than anyone else. He is also a Trickster when retrograde because he can lead us to believe that yes means no, and the truth is a lie, by withholding the information that would sort it out. So, knowing this we must double and treble check our paperwork, our messages and our decisions during this 3 week period.

Mercury rules both Gemini and Virgo – two different levels of mental activity- Gemini being the drive to get the message out there, whether true or not. Virgo being the drive to discriminate between truth and lies; to do the research into the imbalances caused by false assertions, both mentally and physically.

So, what do we do during this phase? My best advice is that we go back over our thoughts, ideas, plans and particularly purchases. Can we put off for 3 weeks before we buy that piece of equipment? Sign that document? Get the builders in? If we can, we must.

Many of my regular readers will remember me saying that for those who were born under a retrograde Mercury, then this is their 3 weeks for everything to make sense and succeed for them. Steve Jobs of Apple was one such – his Mercury was going in the other direction when he was born. So, each time his natal phase was repeated, what did he do? He launched another product and it worked. Interestingly, I once bought an Apple computer during a retrograde Mercury phase with great trepidation, worrying what could go wrong – and nothing did! Were all his Apple products subject to his Mercury phase as well? Now he is no longer with us, the original rule must apply. I think …….

And just as I’m writing this article, my printer has ground to a halt and is refusing to play ball. Typical! No doubt the phone will go next – it was ever thus.

Mercury is now stationary 3 degrees of Pisces, ready to start shifting backwards into Aquarius; just missing a conjunction to Neptune, at 4 degrees of Pisces, by one degree. So, he didn’t want to play ball with Neptune – he wants to go back to check on what Saturn had challenged him about over 10 days ago. They were at cross purposes, being 90 degrees apart, and clarity needs to be restored between them.

Actually, Mercury will spend most of this phase back in Aquarius, that sign of reasonable and scientific thinking, traditionally ruled by Saturn. Some big truths were blurred when Mercury entered Pisces, the sign of his Fall; suggesting that he loses definition, clarity, when in Pisces – great for an artist, a creative thinker, but not for the concrete mind. It will be interesting to see what lies are uncovered when he eventually leaves Pisces in the 2nd week of April.

Winter Olympics at Sochi under a retrograde Mercury.

Likely outcomes: deals and promises made will be reneged on; travel plans for those heading to the Games will go awry – it’s already started with the London Underground strikes of the last couple of days. Medals given and taken away again; hospitality for the athletes being less than previously advertised, etc.

The chart for the start of the Games shows the Ascendant in the last minutes of Leo, indicating that the showy wealth was all bombast. the Moon in the last degree of Taurus on the Midheaven of public profile feeds into a larger cycle that began in 2000 when there were 7 planets in Taurus including the famous Jupiter/Saturn conjunction. So a whole cycle of financial output and high spending really is coming to an end. Russia’s oil wealth may be less than thought, due to Saturn, the limiter, sitting in the resource area of this chart.

There’s a feeling here of the last, great, Olympic splash out – from now on subsequent Games may be held on a very small budget.

The athletes do what athletes do, which is compete; but with the Sun ruling them in the 6th House of competitions having no planets around makes it all a little strange for them. No parties? Personal expression limited to simply competing?

Could there be disruption? Yes, of the secretive and religious kind with Neptune placed in the House of enemies – Neptune is associated with smoking mirrors and idealists who fight for an unseen cause. And we may never know about it until later in April.

We will have to wait and see.

So, what does it all mean for me? I hear you ask. To find out read on …..

Your Zodiac Signs – Sun, Moon or Ascendant

NB – The readings below can either be read from your Sun Sign – ie your birthday – or your Ascendant sign, which is calculated from your time of birth. Try also reading it from your Moon Sign, as Hindu astrologers suggest.

Don’t know your Moon Sign? Get your FREE Sun/Moon combination reading and discover how your emotions impact with your ambitions to create your unique life path. Just email me your birth date, time and place and I’ll email it back to you FREE!!!

Aries : 21st March – 20th April: the larger part of Mercury’s retrograde phase falls in your 11th Solar House of friendships, projects and your hopes and wishes. This could bring about confusion between friends that will take an effort to make up; vital agreements may be lost or overlooked. You may find that there is a dispute going on with your joint resources, taxes, or mortgage that will take time and effort to sort out.

Taurus: 20th April – 20th May: the larger part of Mercury’s retrograde phase falls in your 10th Solar House of vocation or career. This could bring major irritations due to technology playing up, just when you have a deadline looming, or a colleague takes time out just when you need them. You may find that there is a dispute going on between your boss and his partner that impacts on the staff in the company.

Gemini: 21st May – 21st June: the larger part of Mercury’s retrograde phase falls in your 9th Solar House of higher education, long distance travel and your long held beliefs about life. This could bring a change of mind about whether to take trip or not – you may mislay your passport or a friend pulls out at the last minute. You may find that there is a dispute between you and your co-workers that can impact on your stress levels.

Cancer: 21st June – 23rd July: the larger part of Mercury’s retrograde phase falls in your 8th Solar House of joint resources, taxes and mortgages. Rather than approaching any of these emotionally, you could enlist the help of a family member to help you make sense of it all. You may find that there is a dispute between you and a child about financing something they want to do.

Leo: 23rd July – 23rd August: the larger part of Mercury’s retrograde phase falls in your 7th Solar House of relationships and business partners. This could bring a protracted period of trying to make the perfect agreements between you that work for all parties involved. There could be a dispute coming from a family member, or your domestic living arrangements, that gets in the way of clarity.

Virgo: 23rd August – 23rd September: the larger part of Mercury’s retrograde phase falls in your 6th Solar House health issues, the details of everyday work, and small animals. This could be a period of health checks, missing paperwork and lost phone calls that irritate you and take you away from what is really important to your inner harmony. A pet may have an injury. You may find that there is a dispute between your neighbours that pulls you into sorting it out.

Libra: 23rd September – 23rd October: the larger part of Mercury’s retrograde phase falls in your 5th Solar House of creativity, children, love affairs and pleasure. This could bring the irritation of having to sort out a child’s lost paperwork or financial issues, that takes you away from what you want to do. There may be a dispute between you and your child over whose money it is in the first place; or how much money you intend to spend on a creative idea.

Scorpio: 23rd October – 22nd November: the larger part of Mercury’s retrograde phase falls in your 4th Solar House of domestic issues and family matters. This could bring the need to recall workmen to finish a job in your home or confusion over joint plans made months ago. There may be a dispute between family members that causes you great stress, yet which requires your input.

Sagittarius: 22nd November – 22nd December: the larger part of Mercury’s retrograde phase falls in your 3rd Solar House of communications, paperwork, neighbours and siblings. You may find that you have to go over some vital paperwork again, due to some inefficiencies beyond your control. There may be a dispute between family members or neighbours due to a truth not being revealed until now.

Capricorn: 22nd December -20th January: the larger part of Mercury’s retrograde phase falls in your 2nd Solar House of your comfort zone and personal finances . You may find that you don’t receive as much money as you thought, or that a payment goes missing, so your bank account shows less that you know it should. There may be disputes between friends over money and you have to sort it out for them.

Aquarius: 20th January – 19th February: the larger part of Mercury’s retrograde phase falls in your 1st Solar House of YOU, your desires, wants and plans. You may be in two minds about everything this month and keep changing your mind about what it is you really want for yourself. There may be a dispute between you and family because either they get irritated by your inability to make a decision or because they want something completely different.

Pisces: 19th February – 20th March: the larger part of Mercury’s retrograde phase falls in your 12th Solar House of solitary pursuits, secrets, meditation, and research and investigations. You may find this a frustrating period because everything you had planned is put on hold and no one is telling you why. So the stress is getting to you. Time to take a break and get away from it all. There may be disputes between in-laws or those who live abroad from you and only now are you learning about them.