Monday, Jan. 4, 2016

THIS WEEK — Welcome to 2016, when the planets inform us that many truly unusual things are possible. Think of this as the year of the synthesis, of blending elements and ideas that might not otherwise work so well together.

Photo by Eric.

We begin the first working week of the year with Mercury stationing retrograde on Tuesday, which lasts until Monday, Jan. 25. This used to be esoteric information, previously shared only between astrologers and their clients. Now everyone has heard of it, and there is plenty of incomplete or incorrect information going around.

This Mercury retrograde begins in Aquarius and ends in Capricorn. There is a message here about the power of the collective mind over what we think of as the institution.

Mercury in Aquarius favors group problem solving. We lay a lot of issues at the feet of individuals, when in reality humanity tends to work very well in groups, when it decides to.

While Mercury has an influence on technology, most of the effect is on the mind. Things go wrong all the time; Mercury retrograde can add a level of mental frustration. Emails are missed fairly regularly; they seem to have greater impact when Mercury is retrograde.

Therefore, mind your mind. Observe your thoughts and notice your assumptions. Monitor any frustration and pause before you blame anyone. If you haven’t heard from someone, if email isn’t working or if things seem overly complicated, pick up the phone and call them. Get your information from reliable sources, remembering that with Mercury retrograde, the story is revealed in layers.

And most of all, don’t fix what isn’t broken. Rather, investigate thoroughly.

If you’re curious for more information, you can read my Expert’s Guide to Mercury Retrograde.