Tag Archives: Mercury

The Day of the Originator: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is March 27
The Day of the Originator | Pre-order Your 2019-20 Aries Reading | All Other Signs

Focus on bringing your ambitions and dreams to life. Even if you’re uncertain whether what you are truly passionate about can be achieved, make the assumption that it is at least possible, and start planning out a path to accomplishing it. You may find, especially if you do thorough research, that there are methods you’ve not yet considered. Be persistent: this is a meaningful quest, and your wishes and needs are important.
— By Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

Mercury stations direct tomorrow, at 9:59 am EDT (13:58:41 UTC). I mention the specific time because Mercury’s changes of direction — especially going direct — tend to offer up missing information, often something you did not even know you were missing. While this phenomenon could emerge almost any time tomorrow, I personally experienced it in striking fashion about ten minutes after one particular Mercury station direct many years ago. So this is your heads up to keep your eyes and ears peeled.

With Mercury in a close conjunction to Neptune, you should also be on alert to check the veracity of your hunches and any seemingly key details that come up. Intuition, energetic sensitivity and emotional resonance are also likely to be operating at high frequencies in those who cultivate such forms of awareness. Even so, you’d do well to fact-check those channels, no matter how confident you are in them.

Note also that the Moon enters Capricorn today, squaring the early Aries Sun. You have solar initiative combined with lunar-infused Saturnine tenacity working for you currently. Use this well by focusing on the brass tacks of any endeavor: the bottom-line details, the bones of the thing, the parts that need disciplined focus (at least, as much as can be found given Mercury’s status). Venus and the other bodies in Pisces are offering more than enough imaginative inspiration, so chances are you’ll benefit if you can lean on the Aries-Cap energy while you have it. This could be especially true for working on the ‘home stretch’ of a project already in progress.

On the social front, Venus in Pisces and Uranus in Taurus are hooking up to enliven the social front today, if you make the effort. Whether you meet some quirky new acquaintance or seek out a gathering of your brightest and most creative pals, there’s an opportunity for some satisfying freedom in the company of others — especially anywhere smooth tunes and high-quality food are present.
— By Amanda Painter

The Day of Integrity: Birthdays and Planet News

Leave a reply

If Your Birthday is March 26
The Day of Integrity | Pre-order Your 2019-20 Aries Reading | All Other Signs

Aim at strengthening your connection with your spirituality this year, in whatever form that exists. In this busy age, make a point of setting aside some time for quieter moments, in which you can ground and center yourself. This may mean actively overcoming social pressure to maintain constant motion. Recognize that you, along with everyone else, deserve to have space to wind down, and to cultivate peace of mind within you.
— By Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

Have you ever spent the day walking around in business attire at work in the winter, and then you get home and slip into a warm bath? That might be one way to think of Venus entering Pisces later today. Venus is still Venus, just a little more relaxed and open, and better able to be sensitive to others’ needs and emotions. Yet Venus is also moving into aspects with Uranus in Taurus (exact tomorrow) and Pholus in Capricorn (exact Friday). Be on the lookout for romantic flights of fancy that offer an exciting break from routine, and for stimulating friends and new acquaintances. Caring gestures — given or returned — have the potential now to offer lasting positive benefits to the recipient (which is always a solid cosmic law to follow). So why not extend a little love (in the sense of agape) for love’s sake?

Just be aware that Mercury stations direct in Pisces, conjunct Neptune, in two days. This means we’re currently in the pre-station ‘storm’ phase of this process. If you’re experiencing an element of choppy psychic waters, general absent-mindedness, or difficulty keeping track of whose emotions are whose (yours or the other person’s), Mercury’s situation definitely describes all of those. If you’ve been doing your inner-awareness-honing homework and healing for quite a while, it’s possible you’re accessing higher planes of intuition this week. Even in that case, however, it’s best to confirm your hunches a couple of ways, rather than launching straight into action. The mental realm is slippery right now; these are key days to watch your step (and the road), think before you speak, and mind your mind.
— By Amanda Painter

The Day of Dynamism: Birthdays and Planet News

Leave a reply

If Your Birthday is March 25
The Day of Dynamism | Pre-order Your 2019-20 Aries Reading | All Other Signs

Keep a hotline to your emotional body; and for that matter to your body itself, and the instinct in the very depths of your gut. You might be inclined to look to the spiritual for inspiration and guidance; however, remembering to check in with your basic physical sensations first could well prove useful. Every facet of you matters, and has a part to play in the sacred work of your growth.
— By Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

With the Moon in shoot-from-the-hip, big-picture, freedom-loving Sagittarius, you can expect details and tact to get a little slippery today. This is magnified by retrograde Mercury’s cozy contact with Neptune. Yes, the details matter; however, trying to focus on them as your only (or primary) guide today might leave you falling short. By all means, double-check facts and specifics; but giving yourself time and space to let more intuitive channels inform your approach to the day will likely help tremendously. Kind of like how fins are better for swimming than mountain-climbing shoes are.

It’s simply about using the right gear (or technique) for the terrain. You can continue to be cautious and methodical in Mercury-ruled areas (purchases, tech, communication, thought processes) even if you’re not coming at things from an analytical standpoint. If you misspeak, consider using a different form of communication to explain or apologize; if that’s not an option, notice if you start to over-explain, and then dial things back.
— By Amanda Painter

The Day of Curiosity: Birthdays and Planet News

Leave a reply

If Your Birthday is March 23
The Day of Curiosity | Pre-order Your 2019-20 Aries Reading | All Other Signs

Get ready to dive deep into the mystery of you, to find information that will point you toward your next phase of personal growth and possibly thorough healing. Note that you will make all the more progress if you can meet any fear or self-judgment with some detachment, which will help keep them from interfering with your ideas and understanding. Approach every new fact with an open mind, and a willingness to learn more, and you’ll probably free up a lot of power within you.
— By Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

As we head into the final week of Mercury’s current retrograde in Pisces, a couple of aspect patterns are calling for your awareness. The more pressurized one is a square between the Sun, Chiron and Salacia in Aries on one side, and Pholus and Quaoar in Capricorn on the other (exact today and Sunday). There’s a lot of energy here looking for a way out into the world, and that happens through action. Some of it may have been tapped and released by Wednesday’s Full Moon, but it appears there’s still more to go. It’s asking a question: who are you (including sexually) in relation to your family’s behavioral patterns?

Consider for a moment that the identity you came into the world with has been molded and re-directed by your family as you grew up. What might happen if you took steps to reassert who you feel yourself to be at your core? It’s easy to assume that we’ll encounter strict limits to our self-expression if we do. Yet, has it occurred to you that the expectations and seemingly set reactions of family might not be so iron-clad as you thought? Or, at least, that you’re capable of standing in your center regardless? Pholus here is both a reminder of how little it can take to ‘keep us in our place’ and an indication of how little we may need to do to shift family dynamics toward a place where we can stand out for who we are in a more integrated way.

Meanwhile, retrograde Mercury’s two-week conjunction to Neptune is exact tomorrow. Keep tracking your intuition and other subtle senses, but also be sure to check facts. Notice carefully all facets of your environment — the external surroundings, the moods of others (both expressed and unexpressed), and your inner emotional/mental landscape. A disturbance or distraction in one is likely to affect the others. Even though Mercury retrograde in Pisces might not feel as scattered or harsh as some others, the presence of Neptune is a red flag to keep your mind as clear as possible this weekend (and for the next week-plus), and to be extra-careful with things like purchases, commitments and what you may be projecting onto others.
— By Amanda Painter

The Day of Realistic Inspiration: Birthdays and Planet News

Leave a reply

If Your Birthday is March 16
The Day of Realistic Inspiration | Order Your 2019-20 Pisces Reading | All Other Signs

Look to the year ahead with courage and determination to navigate the path of your growth. This is a potent time in your life, and you have the opportunity to develop in leaps and bounds, should you wish to. Recognize the person you are becoming, and give yourself permission to get there and to take up space in the world. You are wiser and stronger than you know, and your qualities are valued.
— By Amy Elliott

Written for the Planets

Uranus entered Taurus just over a week ago. Today, it receives a square from the asteroid Psyche in Aquarius. If you’re feeling a little stuck regarding some facet of your psychological functioning, you might have an urge to try and do something about it today. The tricky thing is, Psyche often refers to the sensation that nothing can be done to heal a wound — but it’s a lie: any problem or wound can be solved or healed, given the appropriate tools, assistance, perspective and time. Likewise, the signs Taurus and Aquarius both have a penchant for solidifying patterns. So Uranus is the wild card here — the factor that could kick you into gear on getting unstuck. Just be aware that this will likely involve being willing to move away from a place of familiarity, or even comfort, to try a new tack.

Luckily you have a sextile between retrograde Mercury in Pisces and Pluto in Capricorn on your side. If you can get the gears cranking, this aspect offers an opportunity to investigate a puzzle or mystery (such as yourself, as described above). Chances are the clues will lead you into the past for some new level of understanding; but not to stay there. Come back to the surface and see who you can share your new insights with (just double-check the email address or phone number before you share).
— By Amanda Painter

The Day of the Heights: Birthdays and Planet News

Leave a reply

If Your Birthday is March 15
The Day of the Heights | Order Your 2019-20 Pisces Reading | All Other Signs

Be sure to keep in mind all that you have achieved so far, especially in recent years, and you will be able to fend off any moments of self-doubt. You need to retain a clear head and focus on what is true, what you know in your bones. Doing this will empower you to move forward with the next item on your to-do list, and effectively silence any critics either within or without.
— By Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

Feeling optimistic about some long-range planning you’re doing? Excellent! Just be sure you slow down enough to account for any details that could trip you up. With retrograde Mercury in Pisces making a square to Jupiter in Sagittarius, creative inspiration and spiritual reflection abound. So why not act on it? Keep your point of view flexible, though; and don’t assume you have all the answers or information you need. You almost certainly don’t at this time, but you likely have the motivation and tools to find most of them. Key insights might not emerge until Mercury stations direct on March 28, but you can still move toward where you want to be — even if the path bends like a river rather than flying straight like an arrow. Keep an eye out for beliefs about yourself that are ripe for review (and possibly for transformation or outright dismissal) along the way; same with self-righteousness. A little humility could go a long way currently.
— By Amanda Painter

Reflections from the Perfectly Imperfect

Leave a reply

By Amanda Painter

Have you ever looked at your reflection in the water with the Sun directly behind you? Your reflection ends up being mostly a silhouette that’s gently distorted by the movement of the water; and though you can’t see your own features very well, you can see all the color and detail of what’s behind you — it’s just softer than if you turned and looked directly at where you are.

Photo by Amanda Painter

It occurred to me this might be one way to think of tonight’s conjunction of the Sun with retrograde Mercury in Pisces.

Due to the compression of your perspective with the source of illumination, you may not be able to see yourself as others see you right now. Yet you might find a new, gentler appreciation for where you’ve been — a view with softer edges but no less imagination-sparking (or growth-sparking) insight.

After all, Mercury retrogrades really are about slowing down and reassessing more than they’re about everything getting glitchy and going to hell in a handbasket. As I saw suggested elsewhere, those hiccups are generally the result of us fallible humans refusing to slow down, pay closer attention, and retrace the steps that got us where we are now (or where we have been many times). It’s trendy these days, even for people who scoff at astrology, to blame everything that goes wrong on Mercury being retrograde — even when it isn’t.

Continue reading →

Echoes of Uranus: Venus Meets Pluto and Eris

4 Replies

By Amanda Painter

Now that Chiron is in Aries, we have one more era-defining planetary sign change left this year: Uranus entering Taurus on March 6, just under two weeks from today. There seems to be a general sense of vacillating or vibrating pressure in the air. Maybe it’s just me, but I get the feeling a lot of the social and political surprises that make the nightly news — the way so many things seem to be teetering on an edge or hanging by a thread — have small-scale, personal-level echoes or complementary events.

Rosemary in winter; photo by Amanda Painter.

Obviously that’s for you to decide for yourself. Yet this week, we do have a ‘personal planet’ — Venus — moving into an outer-planet aspect pattern.

It’s those outer-planet configurations that tend to reflect the larger social currents and upheavals we’ve been experiencing. Then planets like Venus, Mars and the Sun sweep through to involve us more directly or internally. Venus will not be coming into contact with Uranus, but it is entering the square between Pluto in Capricorn and Eris in Aries.

Pluto, Eris and Uranus are the three planets that perhaps most signify the last ten years: first through the Uranus-Pluto square, then through the Uranus-Eris conjunction. So those bells of upheaval, revolution, the need to change and media-induced identity chaos are all getting rung by Venus — by the planet that represents the feminine, our relationships, and the ability to receive others’ gifts (whether those be love, empathy, compassion or something more material).

Although Venus conjoins Pluto tomorrow in Capricorn and then squares Eris in Aries on Saturday, it’s really all one event. And it seems to be asking some rather interesting questions.

Continue reading →