As we cool off from a Full Moon in Mercury-ruled Gemini, we enter into the waning phase of the lunar cycle. We have a Last Quarter Moon in Virgo this week, our other Mercury-ruled sign. Retrograding Mercury is additionally aspecting Saturn, Mars and Uranus this week. Our Mercurial faculties are pulled in a few different directions: one of acceleration and reaching grand bigger picture ideas (Uranus), another of deep pause and careful consideration (Saturn). To add another note to this theme, Mars enters Scorpio this week, a sign where it becomes most strategic; and in its ideal, acting only how it would be empowering to do so. Lower Scorpio is about having power over, which is more like force than power. But in higher states of evolution, Scorpio is sensitive enough to realize that it is never separate from its own web: in that, we implicate ourselves in that which we do. We become more aware of the ripples through the undercurrents, the subtle forms of exchange – why would we wish to cause damage if we were of the web? Mars in Scorpio is like learning the art of the true win-win situation; yet we may be challenged to understand what this means as stickier territories and conflicting desires are opened up. (More on this in the Mars in Scorpio section below.)
In terms of strategic pause: rather than being in a state of lock or indecision this week, and as we may be experiencing a flurry of newly ripened ideas and information, we might instead pay attention to the faculties of consciousness that reveal themselves to us when we are open to reflect, wise to not jump to conclusions, and patient of the transformative quality of being as we contemplate issues which are often far too complex for immediate understanding. In this slow, profound space, miracles of consciousness occur.
(Top image: Keith Rankin)
Here’s our week:
December 6
Mercury in 28 Sagittarius (rx) conjunct Saturn in 28 Sagittarius: 5:05 AM PDT, Mercury in 28 Sagittarius sextile Mars in 28 Libra: 8:58 AM PDT, Mars in 28 Libra sextile Saturn in 28 Sagittarius: 2:21 PM PDT
(Image: Arco de Felipe V, Ronda. © Nur Nielfa 2017)
“With our limited senses and consciousness, we only glimpse a small portion of reality. Furthermore, everything in the universe is in a state of constant flux. Simple words and thoughts cannot capture this flux or complexity. The only solution for an enlightened person is to let the mind absorb itself in what it experiences, without having to form a judgment on what it all means. The mind must be able to feel doubt and uncertainty for as long as possible. As it remains in this state and probes deeply into the mysteries of the universe, ideas will come that are more dimensional and real than if we had jumped to conclusions and formed judgments early on.” – Robert Greene in Mastery
As you may remember, Mercury stationed retrograde very soon after it formed a conjunction to Saturn in Sagittarius. What a place for Mercury to pivot, as Saturn already correlates with a sense of slowing down. We may have been accessing more critical, self-judgmental thoughts and feelings of failure, as well as coming across thoughts and ideas of great gravity and hold, profundity, ideas which may establish roots over time. We won’t see our third Mercury-Saturn conjunction until January 13, 2018 when Saturn will have moved into Capricorn.
Since Mercury and Saturn are now conjunct and both forming a sextile to Mars, I’m going to write about all of them at once. Mars is still opposite Uranus in Aries and the Mercury-Saturn conjunction is trine Uranus in Aries. Some thoughts:
- Saturn-Mercury relates to the phenomenon of puzzle-solving or problem-solving – a focused mind.
- A creative tension reveals itself at this time; where we are aware of new ideas and perspectives which could change our realities in an impactful way; yet we are not totally sure how to implement them. While the revelations may inspire a sense of urgency, revel in the slow drip of knowledge’s maturation at this time: ideas actually develop.
- These epiphanies may come with plans around how they could be implemented, and we may access multiple gameplans. It is okay to be in a planning phase, rather than an action phase (planning itself, may be an action, requiring its own time and space in the scheme of events). This alignment suggests a sense of ideas being thrown up in the air, and the process of deliberation (Mars in Libra). Perhaps it would be wise to not overlook the value of deliberating, and of accessing entirely new streams of data. This is not a very decisive sky; as decisions made may be quickly recounted or doubted (at least internally). It’s not that we can’t act – but that finality is up for review and we may rethink or steps. However you choose to walk this, maybe simply be aware that uncertainty, while in some ways uncomfortable, is a receptive, opening forming ground from which new worldviews and strategies may emerge. It won’t last forever – Mars is about to enter one of its more resonant signs. Tease out the puzzle to its epiphanies.
(Image: Imogen Cunningham)
December 9
Mars enters Scorpio: 1:59 AM PDT
- Remember as Scorpio planets (including Jupiter now) approach the mid-degrees of their sign they are entering into a T-square with the nodal axis (in Aquarius and Leo). Thematically as we touch some sensitive spots (the most vulnerable of territories, the cutting edge) in Scorpio — we may hinge between our trauma/trigger frameworks and our heart/creativity frameworks. Mars in Scorpio brings us into deeper awareness of our free will, versus where our free will is co-opted by secret motivations (to which deeper self-knowledge sets us free). Pay attention to where you have the choice to amplify the warmth and creativity and sunlight in your life; even if you are originally motivated by your contemplation of what is damaging or traumatic about reality. Simply fighting the problem (rather than creating an offering which addresses a need) is not a recommended strategy. One of Mars in Scorpio’s strengths is its ability to stay cool under pressure; to not act when it would be destructive to act. At higher levels Scorpio knows how to do this because it is aware of the web: the cause and effect of its actions across a larger network of variables. It would rather create a desired result in the web then act out of alignment.
- The amplification of drive, desire, libido and the potential for this libidinal energy to create vitality. Whether we are speaking for sexuality or life in general, a lot of good advice in terms of living a highly satisfying life has to do with valuing and owning our turn-ons; which may have something to do with our teleology – where we are headed based off of our deepest nature.
- We discover through Scorpio that we are implicated in our own magic: if we do harm to others, we hurt ourselves. If we love ourselves, our environment loves us. If we respect and value others, we too are respected and valued. None of this is superficial though it may manifest on many layers – it is animal, energetic, primordial and magnetic.
December 10
Last Quarter Moon in 18 Virgo: 12:51 AM PDT
- Our last week of the lunar cycle begins – this correlates to waning of energy levels too – which is well assisted by drinking water and staying nourished however you do. Watch the lunar cycles to see how they affect your energy levels. The waning moon does not necessarily mean we have to be tired or dragging, but that can come out more if we are trying to start or build things (which the waxing moon tends to support more of). The juiciness of the waning moon can be about connecting with what remains as the tide recedes (like shells along the beach) – or what emerges in our interior space as we give it the space to reveal itself. Perhaps all the more enjoyable if we are taking care.
Mercury in 24 Sagittarius trine Uranus in 24 Aries: 2:28 AM PDT
(Image: Salvador Dali)
See December 6 – where Mercury was approaching a trine to Uranus. Additionally you may consider:
- Breakthroughs/epiphanies that emerge through storytelling, mythical or symbolic language – messages that come through in these parallel realities can help to liberate us, including even through channels such as Netflix dramas helping something click – story, though involving other people’s dramas, helps us constellate our own mirroring patterns. When considering symbol, the whole world is animated with them, and peak experience is readily available.
- Feeling nervy, or alternately enthusiastic and exciting — mental energy can be amplified, and can help us illuminate the path of Higher Self. (What vectors of reality amplify your nerves unpleasantly, versus what vectors charge you with enthusiasm? The nervous system can be running hotter right now, helping us to find our higher alignment.)
- Mercury is the lower octave of Uranus – as they trine, a more easeful synergy aligns between our more conscious/mundane nervous system and our Higher Self’s calibration systems. Is there an intelligence to your nerves – what feels good and what unnerves you? Reading the nervous system becomes easier if we have been engaging with it (rather than dulling it). Herbalism, acupuncture, massage, and many healing modalities can help us find our alignment, and the consequences may extend beyond our bodies but also to our subtle bodies and our karma/circumstances. Sometimes we put off taking care of this part of our realities (our nervous system), however, change made on the nervous level is very powerful and can help us get into better alignment, abundance, resource flow etc. to address the other pieces of reality that were competing for attention before.
- To briefly expand the above point, our environments can be like an extended nervous system — the way our home/office/etc. grants us certain experiences can be worth tuning into and making adjustments to as needed.
Venus in 11 Sagittarius square Neptune in 11 Pisces: 6:47 AM PDT
(Image: Rene Magritte)
- Neptune is very nondual – it is oceanic and all-encompassing. Venus, being about relationship, is necessarily dual. There is ‘I’ and there is ‘other’. When Venus and Neptune contact one another, the veil of duality thins. Neptune is the higher octave of Venus – it is a love for all, not just all people but all of the cosmos — and it is capable of holding the paradoxes that we wrestle with on the more Venusian level where we meet harmony versus discord. During this transit, perhaps take note of where there is a kind of spiritual love in operation behind what appears to be a not-love scenario on the earth drama level. Our values, beliefs, and concepts about reality may necessarily shift if we are to encompass a broader view. This tension is confusing from the human or ego-based perspective – what does it really mean if I am you and you are me? Does this knowledge redeem our conflicts? But, for the sake of the time and space reality we are living with, how do we hold both our spiritual perceptions of Oneness and walk in truth with the life of the ego, the incarnational self, and our relationships we form from that place in all of their complexities?
- The potential to be disillusioned – dis-illusioned – undone of illusions — this can reflect the degree to which we actually cherish our fantasies that separate us from Reality (and the degree to which Reality is ever mysterious). Disillusionment takes many forms – sometimes it washes away at hopes we are not wanting to part with and over time, something more fulfilling takes its place and we are grateful in retrospect. Other times, disillusionment washes away cold or brutal ideas we have about Reality and we are left healed, better off, for having lost an illusion.
December 12
Sun in 21 Sagittarius conjunct Mercury in 21 Sagittarius: 6:48 PM PDT
- Mercury, in its retrograde orbit (from our perspective) forms a conjunction to the Sun. Any time a planet is conjunct the Sun it is blasted with light, which as we know from our experience with the actual Sun comes in many gradients of welcomed or not. The light of the Sun can be illuminating, as it can also be harsh. A retrograde planet is heightened in its expression for us – we feel it in an intensified way, it is emphasized – and so, watch for the feeling of a message or messages being lit up for you near this time, clear as a day, perhaps even blinding in their brilliance. Watch this theater. It is a special & potentially impactful moment of the Mercury retrograde.
Thank you for meditating on the planets with me! If you got something out of this article and/or the weekly forecasts in general, please share it on social media or forward it to another friend who you think would appreciate it. Let me know what you think in the comments!
~Sabrina Monarch
Sabrina Monarch is a soul-centered Evolutionary Astrologer who publishes weekly astrological forecasts. She has been collecting astrological experience for over a decade. She also enjoys kundalini and ashtanga yoga, hiking and creative writing.
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