By Amanda Painter
Mercury stationed retrograde in Aquarius yesterday — but then, your wiggy computer / lost keys / misdialing phone may have already alerted you to that fact. Over the weekend, the Moon’s progress through Aries will likely spice things up (in a good way!).
Photo by Amanda Painter
First, a quick review of basic Mercury retrograde protocols:
— Don’t make assumptions about: unanswered emails, the tone of someone’s text to you, your bank balance, the location/time of an event, or that you were understood correctly.
— Do try to: find a workaround to tech/electronic problems; reduce unnecessary spending; negotiate to sign contracts after Mercury stations direct on Feb. 11 (if possible); pay particular attention to inner messages about the past, memories, recurrent themes, and any new thoughts you might have about old group dynamics (that last one’s particular to Aquarius).
Against that background, the Aries Moon could be an interesting critter. It enters Aries at 8:31 am EST / 13:31 UTC Saturday (Friday’s’s dreamy Pisces Moon is ripe for enjoying music/art, romance and emotionally sensitive exchanges).
There’s not a lot of tension in the sky currently, but depending on how things are aspecting your personal astrology (birth chart), it’s worth keeping your antennae up for temper flare-ups and impetuous decisions. Throwing the computer against the wall will not find that missing file; combustive knee-jerk reactions will not smooth out miscommunication with your friends/lover/Facebook acquaintances.
That said, the presence of the Sun and Venus (along with retrograde Mercury) in Aquarius are bolstering a more detached, intellectual tone in the atmosphere than you might feel other times of the year. And since that Aries Moon will not be encountering much resistance or friction from other planets, its conjunctions to Uranus and minor planet Eris enjoy a greater measure of creative potential.
The Aries Moon conjunct Uranus could be the intuitive flash you need for unorthodox problem solving. Square Pluto in Capricorn, that could mean the ground is prepared for the change (especially if you can get the wheels turning without any significant outlay of cash for three weeks).
Moon-Uranus in Aries is great for spontaneous creativity, and for letting yourself do what you didn’t expect yourself to do (but there’s the opportunity, and — boom — there you go!). Eric reminded me that as the Moon moves into its conjunction to Eris, the stage is set to:
— Give your real opinion and see what happens…(omfg!)
— Experiment with who you are, from the inside out.
— Be provocative, playful, in your face — for fun.
The myth for Eris does also have its shadow side. Depending on your current frame of mind (such as if you’re struggling with the winter blues at all), it’s worth watching out for feelings of being left out of weekend social activities.
So before you decide you’ve been slighted and make vague, passive-aggressive remarks on social media, consider that retrograde Mercury might have interfered with your invitation, and reach out to the people you’d really like to connect with. Chances are, they’ll ask you to join in — maybe they thought they already did.
Thank you, Amanda for both essential and specific Mercury retrograde protocols, coherently presented and memorably expressed.
Also, love that photo. It appears as if we are looking through the windows to a sky on the other side of the panes. Poetically evocative and transparently transcendent.
You are an inspiration!
Yes! What a photo! And great piece too! Thanks Amanda.
Eris?
http://www.hystericalfeminisms.com/consent/
whoa and hold on tight I say to myself with Pluto conjunct my Cap rising at 12.24 today and on…and today I flipped as my therapist confirmed what I already knew/feared? that we are terminating in three weeks… after 20months….still I flouncedout..what was that about burning bridges I read somewhere?I need these three last sessions…. I am a newbie at leaving a reply..be kind please
Selah — I wish you luck in finding some therapeutic closure with your therapist. hopefully you can use this Mercury retrograde to search out a new counselor to work with? Mercury Rx is good astrology for research, and then you might have your options clear when it stations direct in three weeks. I wish you luck! it takes time to develop a good relationship with a therapist, and it sounds like you feel as though the rug has been pulled out from under you. Maybe consider it a new chapter beginning?
Pam — interesting blog post at that link. i’m guessing you’re alluding to the idea of this woman speaking her truth (as well as the way her sense of self got fragmented through her unfortunate — and unfortunately common — experience)? i’d love to hear your thoughts about the link.
Lizzy and Len — thank you!
—-“It’s interesting that Mercury is stationing retrograde around the time the Sun goes into Aquarius. Maybe there’s something there about going back, and reviewing what was brought to the light of consciousness while the Sun traversed Capricorn, through the conscious light of the small collectives (Aquarius).”
That was my comment from Jan. 14th’s post about slowing down and enjoying the astrology. I sense a through-line in this weekend’s astrology. This weekend the Moon helps us along. The Pisces Moon today, and tomorrow is bound to soak the atmosphere with a feeling of oneness. By the end of the Moon’s swim through Pisces, and after its conjunction to Neptune, we might ask ourselves where we begin, and others end. The answer will damn near slap us in the face when the Moon enters Aries, when we will no doubt feel a bold sense of Self. What’s more, the Moon’s conjunction to Eris will bolster that feeling of Self, separate from the outside world, just hopefully not so separate that we feel isolated. So, once again we have this theme of where we fit as individuals, in the world at large.
excellent synopsis, michael — thank you for helping to connect the dots!
Thanks for the Mercury retro tips, Amanda.
Your photo looks like an Edward Hopper painting…nice lighting!
That’s just weird. No kidding, I was just researching passive aggressive behavior (but my service is offline presently, so I read your article the page was open instead). PAB it is what was just thrown my way this morning. Of course I know it when I see it, but what is my responsibility in this besides calling it out is the question.
I don’t believe I hold responsibility in it, nor do I choose to react to get pulled into it. Which I believe unconciously is the accuser’s goal, but still i need to search within to see if I provoke this behavior somehow. I do know it is some kind of unconsious power play based on the other’s insecurity to shift focus and energy. And then, a bigger question what does that say about the others needs, or feelings towards me in our relationship? I do feel it is about discovery and personal growth. That is if it is actually allowed to be acknowledged, or comes into awareness at all. But it makes me feel uncomfortable on the recieving end with the need to clearly define my intentions and boundaries. Maybe their’s is the same goal? Personally I would rather, (and try to make it a point to always communicate that information openly) honestly verbalize needs with integrity or give myself and the other the space if i feel the timing is not appropriate then to open up. Perhaps ignorance in this behavior is the key?
Anyway, this seems like an identity issue. And one I am not choosing to adopt from another, or perpetuate. I guess this comes in line with Aries territory as well? As is square Cancer, may explain coming in sideways at you too?
Anyone else have experience with this behavior pattern?
Amanda, nothing profound sorry – I had just been watching this http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2015/jan/21/naked-pictures-this-is-what-i-did-revenge-porn-emma-holten-video and read your piece, and it just seemed to dovetail with ‘Eric reminded me that as the Moon moves into its conjunction to Eris, the stage is set to:
— Give your real opinion and see what happens…(omfg!)
— Experiment with who you are, from the inside out.
— Be provocative, playful, in your face — for fun.’
The caged woman by Ayaan Hirsi Ali arrived yesterday (another Eris link?), equally interesting (still looking for comprehensive understanding, and then those points of transition. Even in a small way.
(If before I put Alchemy and the soul as a book by Jung it is Psychology and Alchemy – even checking the title on the internet I still wrote Alchemy and the Soul – better read that book too! Hope I don’t sound unconcrete, it is just I feel the need to reread the books I read years (at least 25) ago and see if I missed anything can refresh anything, understand more, satisfy myself how it is possible to hold absolutely to free speech and sacred respect.)
love to all…
The caged virgin ( I’m doing this all the time these days – sorry – again the book is infront of me…)
Or just how to ease/make more profound our evolution in understanding the sacred?
Apologies from Selah. I made a novice’s mistake with my first time ever and prior comment.The fact is that Pluto is sitting on my natal Chiron , at 12.24 Capricorn, my rising sign. So it all fits giving me no option but to detonate the old injuries…and use the remaining three weeks of the Merc retro to accept that being raw is both a priviledge and a price with the reward of growing and healing from the heart for once, not the auto processsing analyst who hangs out on the tight shoulders. . Thanks for the comment on my comment and sorry again to mislead you.
Hi P Sophia. Not time to write much – but yes – I know this one well. What I have found is that once I’m able to change my response to a person’s manipulative behaviour – they don’t have a hold on me any more, and they can no longer continue those tactics – so the whole relationship changes. It’s not at all easy to change our responses to set behaviour patterns – but I think if you investigate and open up to how it makes you feel – it can help you find a way. Good luck!
Gandhi:
Political power means capacity to regulate national life through national representatives. If national life becomes so perfect as to become self regulated, representation becomes unnecessary. There is then a state of enlightened anarchy. In such a state everyone is his own ruler. He rules himself in such a manner that he is never a hindrance to his neighbor. In the ideal state, therefore, there is no political power because there is non state. But the ideal is never fully realized in life. Hence the classical statement of Thoreau that that government is best which governs least.
?!
YRUCREM
I wonder why would Mercury would want to retrace its steps every so often. I mean, if the Messenger goes quickly “connecting” (?) is there some things that may have come to his attention that he goes back to do, perhaps forgot something, or delivering messages back? As in replies maybe? Perhaps “he” goes on back making everything better giving time for the other planets to catch up….just wondering about it this way 🙂
Is it kind of like editing when you write something and you go back to dot the i’s and things like that?