Mercury stations direct Wednesday night in Cancer at 11:58 pm EDT (3:57:41 UTC Thursday). This happens just 46 minutes after the Leo New Moon is exact. ‘Hump day’ may feel more like ‘bump day’ with some unexpected moments, and it looks like they’ll arrive with an important question: Are you willing to see through the bullshit (including your own) — and can you have a sense of humor about it?
Found object display from Bare Portland’s “unboxing party,” in which the contents of an auctioned storage pod have become the basis for a multi-stage, participatory theater piece. Photo by Amanda Painter.
Here’s what’s up astrologically: Mercury is stationing conjunct the degree where the Sun was for the July 16 eclipse — which is square Eris in Aries.
Mercury may be the planet of the mind and communication, but in myth he was also the Trickster — in kind of a little kid way. Eris also has an element of that, though seemingly less playfully in her myths. Hence the idea that a sense of humor could be useful this week, particularly as we get to Wednesday and Thursday; Mercury stationing direct can be marked by a revelation of truth or previously missing information.
Given that the Mercury-Eris aspect is a square (rather than, say, an opposition), this may describe you revealing the truth to yourself as much as speaking it to someone else, or having someone speak it to you.
Or, to put it more bluntly (as Eric did in an email to me about this aspect): Start by telling the truth and stop believing lies.
You know what is true and what is not, so try not bullshitting yourself; open your mouth and say something real. Be real with yourself. Does this approach have the potential to change a situation you’re in? Of course. But that’s kind of the point with a square aspect: something must be done to resolve building tension; in doing or saying what must be done or said, circumstances change in some way; and as a result of that change, energy is freed up and space is opened for being real: for growing, healing, connecting, creating and so on.
Consider again the Marshall McLuhan quote that led off Eric’s Thursday essay:
“Only the small child and the artist have that immediacy of approach that permits perception of the environmental. The artist provides us with anti-environments that enable us to see the environment.”
Mercury stationing direct square Eris potentially describes a moment of, “Hey! Look at what’s really happening! Isn’t it wild we didn’t see it before now!” It’s approaching the reality of a situation with the mind of a child; it’s the kid along the parade route who’s the only one willing enough, uninhibited enough, and honest enough to shout out that the Emperor isn’t wearing any clothes.
As shocking as it is that nobody else piped up, it’s also pretty hilarious to hear it coming from a child. So that’s the challenge this week: whatever you’re confronted with, or that you must confront, isn’t it kind of ridiculous and funny to finally be doing so now?
Full chart for Mercury stationing direct, with the Leo New Moon just beginning to separate. The cluster of planets and points at the bottom of the chart is (l-r): the lunar North Node and Mercury in Cancer; the Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars and Juno in Leo. Note that Venus and the New Moon are square Uranus in Taurus, on the left side of the chart. See glyph key here.
We’re surrounded by a lot of noise and distraction these days, and it’s all too easy to believe the hype — to think that the Kardashians are something to aspire to; or that it requires emptying your savings account to be ‘healed’ by a guru; or to fall for your own social media persona (or several of them), and then wonder why you feel a sense of disconnect or anxiety when dealing with people face to face.
One thing Eris in Aries describes is this fragmentation of self. But you are one person. Yes, we all have facets and ‘sides’ to ourselves; yet they all need to integrate into one whole.
Somewhere along the line, this gets scary for a lot of people: being known for all of who we are. There’s a lot of shaming and guilt-tripping that happens in childhood. And so we hide our true desires and needs from those closest to us — sometimes literally to survive, but often out of fear of rejection. Which can feel like a matter of life and death even though it is not really.
More seriously (as Eric described to me), this square between Mercury and Eris as Mercury stations direct equates to: “If I say something, I will change the situation.”
People generally have one of two responses in this case:
1. I better swallow it and shut up.
2. I need to say something.
You might make it your mission this week to notice — and to truly know — when you are rationalizing a situation and when you are lying to yourself. Dishonesty and silence do not solve problems.
Having an interpersonal blowup can feel like a ‘problem’ and something to avoid, but what are you really avoiding? Isn’t a blowup just a sign of something that was not working and was bound to happen at some point anyway?
Yes, that is easy to say; not always easy to do. I speak as someone who is on an ongoing path of learning how to walk this talk.
What might happen if you could see yourself through the eyes of that kid along the parade route in the fable? Could you have a good laugh, learn a little something, and then get on with being real?
I’ll be asking myself the same thing.